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Chapter Text

Hunter Association 

Sunday, 05:20 AM.

The conference room is silent and empty, there are shadows in the dark, a slight cold breeze tangles in the furniture, everything is so quiet.

There are footsteps in the corridor, echoing in the silence, leisurely and slow steps, almost cautious, accompanied with the hiss of the rippling fabric; closer and closer, more treble and then silence.

The door opens, slowly and with effort, a small green hand holding the door, followed by a small body that crawls inside, barely supporting the weight of the door with its small and obviously weak body.

But there is something strange about this; the deception falls a few seconds later.

The little green man, dressed in a suit, pushes the door open with one hand, opening it fully to reveal the person standing behind him and allowing access to the dark room.

This person is neither more nor less than Isaac Netero, twelfth Chairman of the Hunters Association, also considered the strongest man in the world; Chairman Netero is old, older than anyone else in the building, but as old as he is, he's wise, and that's why he's the one who has to deal with the problems.

Wooden getas slam against the floor with each step, the sound echoing through the darkness, echoing through the halls.

With his entrance, the lights turn on, revealing the empty room in its entirety, the table and chairs rest in their places, in silence and solitude, there is no one in the room.

"Chairman?" the assistant calls, dragging a small cart full of documents. "Is it time to make calls?"

Silence, sharp, then a sigh.

"The time has come, send the forms and make sure they get the message"

The little assistant's expression turns into a grimace. "What should I do with—you know who?"

"I'll take care of him"

With those words, the aide leaves the room with hurried steps, leaving the chairman to his own thoughts and concerns.

Hunter Association 

Sunday, 08:00 AM.

The Vice Chairman Pariston clasps his hands on the table, humming a tune to himself, a graceless smile graces his pale face.

There are traces of dried blood under his fingernails, a slight red at the corners of his lips, blurry stains on the inside of his sleeves; Beneath the clothes, Vice President Pariston is a strange canvas of purple and green bruises, beneath the clothes, there is unblemished skin instead of scars.

Pariston, Vice Chairman of the Hunter Association, remains in his place, being the center of attention and curiosity of various gazes.

Around the table, multiple Hunters sit in silence, some mesmerized by the Vice Chairman's strange yet hypnotic simplicity; the Vice Chairman, who smiles at them with something almost as soft as a caress, his brown eyes staring into their faces, surveying the people around him.

The Vice Chairman, Pariston Hill, whose silent movement puts him one step ahead of Chairman Netero.

Suddenly, all calm is interrupted, there are hurried footsteps in the hallway, a constant hiss of moving clothes, some grunting and heavy panting against the door.

And then it bursts open.

Pariston freezes, from where he stands, Ryu Akabane's golden eyes stare back at him, as deep and brimming with emotion as they've always been.

Ryu Akabane, with soft strands of honey blonde hair falling around his tanned face, his sharp golden eyes piercing holes in his body; if looks could kill, right now, there would be nothing left of Pariston.

Anyway, Pariston has a job and he can't afford to lose his advances just because Ryu fucking Akabane is in the same room as him.

There should be no rancor, it's been, what, almost twenty years?

So, testing his luck and defying the universe, Pariston gets to his feet—there are many eyes following his delicate movements, they are not as subtle as they should be—walking over to the man standing in the doorway.

Pariston holds out a hand. "Akabane-san, Single-Star Blacklist Hunter, it's a pleasure to have you here today, believe me when I said it's quite an honor—"

"Cut it Pariston," Akabane smacks his hand away, brushing a few strands from his sweaty face, only to snort. "I thought I was running late, if I knew you'd be here I wouldn't even have bothered to respond to Beans' email," the man walks into the room, taking a seat in one of the free chairs, ignoring the shocked looks of the other Hunters. "Where is the Chairman Netero? It is impossible that you are in charge of this"

Pariston clenches his jaw, biting his tongue to keep from making any inappropriate comments, but his hands tremble slightly at his sides—the boldness of the bastard, Pariston wants to strangle him—it takes a lot to maintain a kind countenance and a relaxed posture.

With slow steps, Pariston moves to stand behind the nearest Hunter, a poor young Contract Hunter, "Well, that makes all our guests present and complete," he claps his hands, which elicits a couple of grimaces, but that doesn't make him stop his talk. "So, let's begin!"

Pariston claps his hands, letting the room go dark, many Hunters flinching, only to relax when Beans, the president's secretary, appears from somewhere in the darkened room and moves to place a projector in the center of the table.

They all hold their breath at the image projected in front of them: the waning moon, with debris of its own matter surrounding its now reduced body.

Shoulders stiff, Pariston moves to return to his spot, but instead of sitting down, he picks up the papers on the table, sighing as he leafs through the papers listlessly.

Damn, damn, damn government and its incompetence.

Pariston sighs. "Everyone has a copy of the document, can you please be so kind and read the subject of this meeting?"

There is silence, accompanied by the hissing of paper and clothes, too much restless movement, suddenly Pariston is cold, it takes a lot not to shiver in his place; all of these Hunters might burst into anger and lash out at the closest person: him, and he's not sure he can get out of a situation like that well.

What if they try to kill him? Pariston will have blood on his hands and plenty of bodies, and the Chairman will finally be able to get rid of him.

"Mutual confidentiality agreement?" A Hunter, a woman with dark skin and tired eyes, waves the papers with an incredulous expression. "What the hell is this, sir?"

Pariston tries to ignore the shiver that the word "Sir" gives him, it makes his stomach churn and makes him want to throw up, but he stands his ground, taking deep breaths. "This Miss Ishii, world-renowned Terrorist Hunter, is how we will fix the mistakes of the Government"

The silence is so thick that it can be cut with a knife, after his words, the Hunters, who had been uninterested, take the documents and rush to read them.

Pariston watches their reactions carefully, reveling a bit in silence, but his good humor sours at Akabane's clear indifference and, only because the guy is unpredictable to him, he has to refrain from revealing information ahead of time; It must be professional, but is it so bad to want a little fun?

Anyway, he clears his throat. "If you read the documents in your hands, you will find something called 'Shinigami Project' with all the relevant details; said project, authorized under the command of the government, is the cause of the biggest problem facing the world right now: the destruction of the moon."

And the room erupts in a frenzy, all the Hunters screaming and screaming, demanding answers to their questions, demanding an answer that never comes.

Akabane, fucking idiot Akabane, drops the documents on the table and then he's running and his fucking fist slams into his face.

Pariston doesn't move, smiling softly as he grabs the redheaded man's arm and squeezes hard, blood trickling from his broken lip, the metallic taste in his mouth enough to keep him calm.

Everything is complete chaos and it's the government's fault, why are they screwing Pariston?

Hunter Association 

Sunday, 09:54 AM.

The Hunters sit in their places, shoulders tense and breaths hissing in their chests, neither saying anything, just keeping their hands outstretched on the table.

Pariston sits on the head, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance, this isn't working.

Finally, he lets out a bitter laugh, "This is pathetic," the Hunters shudder at the bitter tone in his voice. "Five Hunters specialized in various areas and here they are, acting like children," Pariston leans back in his chair. "This is not worth it"

The Hunters blink at him.

"Come on, you can go," Pariston uses his hand to point to the door, closing his eyes. "I will get a truly capable team to fix this issue"

And as he stands up, Akabane's hand rushes to hold his arm, forcing him to stay in place. Pariston blinks, finding his patience at the limit, but the other Hunters are watching.

He doesn't have time to think when Akabane speaks, "Sit down, Hill", his voice is more like a growl, he seems out of breath, but he continues talking. "Don't you dare run away like a cockroach, show your damn face! What the hell is going on!?"

Heavens, there is no man more annoying and reckless than the one he is looking at, even so, his golden eyes do not lose that resplendent shine that characterizes them.

Stupid, sexy golden eyes.

Pariston shivers, his silly genes weak in those eyes, barely holding his gaze, "With all due respect, Akabane, you're in no condition to demand answers on a classified matter you don't have access to," he manages to free his arm from a jerk. "Now please don't be a stone in my shoe, I have other business to attend to"

"You?" Akabane scoffs. "I thought you just sat and waved from your office, have you suddenly become a busy man, Paris?"

Idiot

Idiot

Pariston wants to punch his fucking face

"Paris, come, I'm waiting for you!" his brother keeps his arms open, a soft smile on his face, waiting to receive him. "Come on, come with me!"

And Pariston felt loved, because he always called him Paris in a way that made his heart warm.

But Paris died with him.

Fists clenched, Pariston can't help but scathingly comment, "I've always been a busy man, I chose to be a busy man, instead what do you do, Akabane? Abandoning children?"

Akabane's expression twists, full of hate, but there is a kind of bitter pain hidden behind his eyelids; Akabane, grand and unattainable, is appeased, nothing but a pitiful man.

But that's not the point, because this discussion is off the mark and Pariston has a job.

Hunter Association 

Sunday, 12:00 PM.

Food is served at noon.

The damn meal is served exactly at noon, in a room full of people waiting to break something, with the projection of the destroyed moon in the background, with the cold and the aroma of meat itching in their noses.

The Hunters peck at the food, like angry little birds, with no real interest in it.

Pariston cuts his steak, and he's not really fooling anyone; he sets his cutlery aside, abandoning the facade to drop his head into his hands.

This meeting is a complete disaster, how is he supposed to show that he is capable as Vice Chairman if he can't with a simple group of worthless Hunters?

And where is Beans?

The little man is probably reveling in his suffering. Beans, that little man who is always in the service of the Chairman, is probably the only one in the entire building who doesn't really have bad opinions about him.

Anyway, Akabane, who, like everyone else, spent the last few hours reading the documents and listening to explanations, asks the key question: "So, ignoring the fact that these are children, where exactly is the murder camp makeshift?"

And Pariston flinches, his voice a whisper as he says, "The Class E of Kunugigaoka High School."

The silence in the Conference room is as sharp as a knife, reflecting horror and disgust, in a matter of seconds, Pariston has the Hunters wrapped around his fingers.

The government made the worst mistake: involving the son of a Hunter.

Chapter Text

Swardani City

Sunday, 01:25 PM.

The Threat Containment and Killing Team boards a blimp meant to take off in five minutes.

The Hunters—fully armed and ready to carry out their mission—board the airship in silence; they are again seated around a table, minding their own business as they wait for takeoff time to arrive.

The team, made up of five specialized Hunters recommended for this mission, seems to have put their disputes aside to collaborate for the greater good.

Looking through the papers, is Kyoko Ishii, a dark-skinned woman with tired green eyes, as well as a renowned Terrorist Hunter.

At his side is Dai Inoue, a young Contract Hunter of no more than twenty years, with pale skin and large brown eyes; opposite him, almost as young, is Gael Beckett, with olive skin and warm gray eyes, a Beast Hunter.

Sitting in a corner, sipping on her whiskey glass, is Camille Favre, another Contract Hunter.

Finally, set apart from them, looking out a window, is Ryu Akabane, Single-Star Blacklist Hunter, who was tasked with leading the team to complete the mission in the shortest amount of time possible.

The team isn't ready to start planning yet, so everyone is keeping to their own business; each of them has their own concerns, their own thoughts, and their own ideas that they might try to contribute later.

But, for the moment, no one exchanges thoughts or looks or words.

Ryu watches the airport in silence, lost in thought as he waits for the blimp to take off; he has to ignore everyone, he has to push deep the anger that threatens to drown him, and he has to focus on breathing and pretend he's okay.

He is not well.

Damn government, damn government experiment, and most of all, damn Gakuhou.

When he sees the man, Ryu is going to punch his face with all his might and drag his body to the top of that hill for all those kids to see him apologize to them; he will even allow himself to be a little cruel and make him kneel in front of his little Karma.

Karma, his beloved little son, the boy he leave behind in an empty house devoid of warmth and love.

A laugh snaps him out of his thoughts, followed by a familiar annoyed voice saying, "Would you mind sharing your thoughts?"

Ryu looks away from the window to see the blond man he hates most in the world standing a few steps away from him.

"Hill"

Pariston has that sly smile on his face, being disrespectful enough to lean in closer, laugh a little and pat him on the shoulder like they're friends. "Is it about your son?"

"It's none of your business," Ryu brushes the other blond man's hand away, scowling in his direction and stepping back a bit. "You'd better keep your noses out of matters that don't concern you," to emphasize his words, he grabs the collar of his shirt and lets his voice drop to a low warning whisper, "Stay away from my son."

Of course, this does nothing more than elicit a laugh from Pariston, who leans in closer. "Little Karma is not enough to protect himself?"

Ryu takes a deep breath, clenching his jaw to keep from doing something stupid, instead, he pushes Pariston away from him, giving him an expression of anger and disgust that has no effect on the other man.

Finally, after a few tense minutes of silence, he clenches his fists and turns on his heel, pacing the halls until he reaches the restrooms.

He leans over the long sink, turning on the faucet to splash some water on his face before dipping his fingers and combing his hair back, thinking about what he should do.

He looks at his reflection in the mirror, looking into his golden eyes and remembering that those same eyes are the ones his son inherited.

Ryu lets out a breath, reaching for the phone in his pocket and scrolling through his contacts.

He calls one of the contacts, listening to the phone ring for a few minutes until a young male voice answers, sounding bored: "Akabane residence" 

Ryu feels his heart race, he takes a deep breath before finding his words. "Long time, Karma"

There is silence.

"Dad?" his son's voice says, sounding incredulous and small at the same time, sounding a little hurt, a little angry and a little like he's ready to scream. "What? Why are you calling?"

He laughs. "Can't I call my own son?"

"You can, but why would you?" Karma says, venomous and full of mischief, he's sure to hear him laugh before his voice turns into something harsher. "What the dear and good principal told you has nothing to do with me, understand?"

Ryu sighs, shaking his head as he looks at his reflection; he can imagine those eyes full of anger, crystallized with tears that never spill, suffering in silence.

But it's weird and funny—something in his chest tightens in pain and jealousy—that little Karma thinks he's calling because of someone else tell him something.

"He didn't call," he says, but he has to test the waters. "Is school not going well?"

Karma clicks his tongue from the other side. "Do you mind?" he can hear something falling, the hiss of something cutting through the air, and he's sure there's some distant sound he can't place. "Go and mind your business"

His confidence stutters, he's never been good at talking to teenagers, there wasn't much communication with his family when he was young either, so it's hard to strike up a conversation with a teenager who shares his blood.

It's... Well, Karma has always been complicated.

They are not a family as such, just a man and a child who share a direct blood bond; It's not to say that Ryu doesn't care about him, just that it's actually hard to act like a father when he never knew what real parents were like.

Anyway, he takes a deep breath and, making sure no one is around, continues talking. "I heard you had a school trip, was it interesting?"

There's a hum of acknowledgment from the other end of the line, as usual, Karma doesn't seem inclined to provide a proper answer, but his silence makes him feel anxious.

He can't help but think that his son was stuck with that thing somewhere else for a whole week.

That thing could have been close to his son, a few meters away, a few steps away, that thing could have touched his son; he doesn't want to think about it.

"Oi, are you there?"

Ryu is startled when he hears his son's voice, it sounds softer than before, as if he is worried by his sudden silence. "Oh yeah, here I am," he clears his throat. "Did you want to say something?"

Karma sneers, "What for? You're not listening."

"You're right, I'm lost in thought, but there's a very good reason for that," Ryu looks towards the bathroom door, hearing footsteps as fades into the hallway, wondering if this is a good idea before saying, "I'm coming home"

He can hear the sound of something breaking, followed by the crash of a razor closing, and Karma coughs a little, like he's choking.

After a few seconds, Karma recovers: "Shit, I didn't know you could joke"

"It's not a joke," Ryu musters all the patience he has. "For your safety, you better not be playing with sharp objects or you'll be grounded."

Karma hums, again, brushing off his words before swearing under his breath again. "Isn't that a joke?" for some reason, his next words are more like a whisper. "Are you coming back?"

"Yes, I'm going back," he says, smiling a little, hoping that everything will work out. "I can't wait to eat little Gakushuu's delicious apple pie."

Ryu relaxes when Karma laughs, sounding more genuine than before. "I don't think little Shuu would make that pie just for you," there is a groan and then Karma speaks, "Sorry to disappoint you but now he's just a conceited and haughty child, precious baby Shuu is gone"

He's ready to respond with a joke when the bathroom door is flung open, Ryu jumps in place, taken by surprise, only to stop when he looks at the person standing in the doorway.

Of course, it's Pariston Hill—honestly, the man has no purpose for being on the blimp, but he is there—who has that typical carefree smile on his face that can only mean he's planning something.

Ryu steps back a bit, tightening the phone in his grip before saying, "I'll see you later."

Ignoring the teen's protests, he ends the call and slips his phone back into his pocket, turning his attention to the other man.

They both look at each other for a few long seconds.

Then Pariston tilts his head and smiles, "An argument has started in the dining room, you should join us, your son can wait."

Ryu doesn't protest, instead walking past the man, letting their shoulders bump hard, before walking down the hall, back to the blimp dining room.

He just have to stay focused.

Swardani City

Sunday, 02:10 PM.

It turns out that, as he had anticipated, he is unable to concentrate.

Ryu is too busy thinking about what his son's life has been like—without him in it—to focus on making plans against a threat they have little information about.

Fortunately, the other Hunters seem to pick up on this quickly and drop the matter before long.

They all sit quietly at the table, lost in their own thoughts until Pariston stands up, grabbing the papers and ready to get lost somewhere in the blimp.

Ryu clears his throat, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, Akabane-kun!"

"That doesn't answer my question," Ryu leans in his seat, looking disinterested but ready to act. "Let me be clearer, what are you doing with those documents?"

Pariston laughs, clutching the folders close to his chest, but his smile is colder than before when he answers. "The information in these folders is considered confidential, you know what that means right?" Pariston steps back and says, "I can't allow this sensitive information to be released to the general public, even if it is known to the other party involved, it's still an impertinent act and it's considered defamation of information, you can understand that, right Akabane?"

Ryu hums in understanding, ready to go back to his business only to stop when he notices the glint in the other man's eyes; He knows that look, he knows that nothing good can come of it.

And he's sure that Pariston knows that he knows, otherwise there's no other reason he's just standing there looking in his direction.

Then, he realizes, Pariston is making fun of his situation: Ryu can't ask Karma about that thing and Karma won't tell him anything either; It doesn't matter if he signed an agreement, even if he haven't, Karma won't tell him anything.

That bastard. 

Ryu clicks his tongue and says, "Of course," he has to take a deep breath before adding, "That's the reason I'm worried. You and confidential information together? It can only spell trouble."

"You need to trust your teammates, Akabane," Pariston tilts his head and smiles, all sharp and mischievous. "You know what they say? Trust is the key to success," he laughs, a little bitter and dry as he says, "Break someone's trust and you've broken their heart, their hopes, his life, and he will be nothing more than broken pieces of what he once was"

His heart races in his chest.

He lifts his face to meet Pariston's eyes, is met with a glare filled with hate that he's not sure he understands; he does not deserve this, he is not willing to deal with this.

Ryu stands up, walking up to the vice chairman to whisper in his ear, "I've already had this conversation with him, why do you have to go on and on?" he licks his lips, holding back the tears that sting his eyes and the feeling that oppresses his chest. "Tell me, why do you care?"

He steps back, watching Pariston's expression twist into something he can't understand, but doesn't much care.

"You and me are not very different," he hisses. "You're not a good brother and I wasn't a good friend," he looks past the man standing in front of him, taking a deep breath, before looking back at him, his brown eyes making him furious. "So stop fucking with me"

Ryu walks around the blimp, going into a room before sitting down on the floor.

He puts his head in his hands and takes a deep breath.

He doesn't stick around to see the consequences.

He's done with all the hassle of trying to understand how Pariston's mind works; Pariston, or whoever he has become, can continue to wallow in the misery of the past, he doesn't want to think about it.

It's too soon to deal with everything, he just wants to see his son and pretend he never made mistakes; Unfortunately, he's sure it won't be that easy, he still needs to deal with the Kunugigaoka principal and his possible answers.

Ryu isn't ready to deal with so many emotions in such a short time, but he owes it to Karma.

This is just for him.

Chapter Text

Tokyo, Japón

Sunday, 03:30 PM

"Do you need help with that, Akabane-San?"

Ryu stops, looking over his shoulder to find Dai Inoue pointing at one of the suitcases, he tries not to feel uncomfortable and anxious at the sudden closeness of another person.

He looks into those brown eyes, wondering what the young man wants; Ryu doesn't want to be rude or distrustful, but Dai Inoue is one of the few Pariston students who survived his brutal training, so being so close to him gives him an uneasy feeling.

Dai blinks. "Akabane-San?"

Ryu looks around, realizing that they are the only ones who haven't gotten into the car.

"I'm fine," he manages to say, grabbing the suitcases before starting to walk towards the trunk of the car. "Go up with the others"

Ryu settles the suitcases, stopping when he finds Pariston watching from inside his own car—the man smiles and waves—with a strange glint in his eyes.

He just sighs and closes the trunk tightly, knowing what purpose the Vice President must fulfill.

It is better to focus on their mission.

Ryu watches his home in silence; This is not his home, this is just a lonely and depressing house, this is the place where he abandoned a child and left him to his fate, but it was better to leave him than to take him to his own death.

He takes a deep breath and closes the car door, walking slowly to the front door, clutching the keys in his hands.

He honestly wonder if his keys still work; Karmas would be spiteful enough to change the locks and lock him out, or perhaps Karma didn't even consider the possibility that he would actually make it home.

He jumps when he hears Dai's voice next to him, "Nice house, my parents used to live in a place like this, that was before I was born."

Ryu looks at him, finding a strange expression on his face, before putting the keys in the lock and turning slowly.

To his surprise, the door open.

Ryu holds back a sigh as he enters the house, looking around with a cautious look on his face—expecting a redhead to jump out at him with a knife in his hands or some dangerous object—that fades as he finds nothing else that silence and an empty hall.

He swallows and takes the first step, his shoulders shaking slightly, moving down the long hallway with heavy steps; the other Hunters follow him in silence, carrying their own suitcases and not commenting on his attitude.

Gael laughs behind them. "Who would look for us? The government?" he shakes his head, looking around. "Those idiots would dig their own grave trying to stop us."

They get to the room without unexpected or desired setbacks; Ryu feels a little guilty and hurt by the fact that his son is not home.

"Nice house," Kyoko stops next to him, holding her suitcase over her shoulder. "No one would think of looking for us here"

With a sigh, Ryu falls on the couch, leaving the suitcase on the floor while he tries to find a photo of his son on the bookshelf, but he finds nothing but books and more books arranged by size.

Who knew Karma could be so neat, well he can't get that from him.

Ryu sighs and says, "There are two guest rooms down the hall," he turns to look at his companions. "Women with women and men with men, it should be enough for a few days"

Gael scoffs, "What is this? Summer camp?"

The others laugh, but it quickly dies down when the phone rings.

Ryu raises an eyebrow at his companions, watching them slowly put away their weapons before stepping back. He scoffs and walks over to the phone, hesitating for a few seconds before picking it up.

There's static in the background and then Pariston's voice bursts out from the other side, "Akabane-kun!" He hisses and removes the phone from his ear before sighing. "I am pleased to inform you that I have reported your presence to the appropriate authority."

"That's all?"

Pariston hums before saying, "He's excited to see you."

Ryu clicks his tongue and hangs up, it's been a stressful day.

By the time nightfall comes, most of the hunters have left to explore and familiarize themselves with Tokyo's territory, leaving the Akabane Residence partially alone; Dai has locked himself in his assigned room, calm and quiet, but with his aura emanating into the hallway.

Ryu doesn't want to know what the young Hunter is doing, but his aura is strangely attractive, even so, he doesn't get too close to the room or the hallway; he simply can't stand the thought of spending time with someone who was trained and, perhaps, has the same mentality as the brooding Pariston.

While he is preparing something for dinner, the front door opens and all his attention is focused on the new company that enters the main room with noisy footsteps.

With a tired sigh, he hears the thump of something being knocked to the ground.

Ryu sighs and says, without looking up from the tomato he is cutting. "Take your things to your room, Karma."

The footsteps stop and all he get is silence. Turning his face, Ryu finds his son, staring in his direction with wide eyes in disbelief, frozen in place as if he had seen a ghost; Ryu takes a deep breath and smiles softly, trying his best not to appear hurt by his son's reaction to his presence.

Slowly, Karma picks up the backpack from the ground, lifting it to his shoulder.

Ryu raises an eyebrow, looking at his son's bloody and broken knuckles with a frown, looking at Karma's face, he realizes that he doesn't plan on sharing what happened.

"Come here," Ryu says in a soft, kind voice, setting the knife aside. "Let me help you disinfect that."

Karma scoffs immediately. "You don't need to pretend," he clenches his fists and starts walking towards the stairs. "I don't know what you're doing here, but you don't have to pretend you're here for me or my well-being, we both know it's never about me."

Before he can say anything else, Karma runs up the stairs—faster than he had expected—and slams the door to his room hard, the slam echoing through the silence of the house.

Ryu sighs tiredly and sits in a nearby chair, resting his elbows on the table and hiding his face in the palms of his hand.

A few seconds later, a hand gently rests on his shoulder. "That seemed harsh, do you need to talk, Akabane-San?"

Gritting his teeth, Ryu clenches his fists and stands up, knocking the young man's hand off his shoulder as if it were something disgusting to him; Ryu feels a little sorry when he sees the surprised expression on the young Hunter's face, but that feeling is overshadowed by his annoyance.

Breathing heavily, Ryu frowns and catches Dai's wrist in a tight grip, unfazed when the young man flinches and grimaces.

"Listen to me well, brat, don't touch me with those dirty hands of yours, that false concern you're trying to show makes me sick," Ryu puts more force until the young hunter's wrist breaks under his grip. "My business is none of your business, mind your own things."

Scowling at him, Ryu lets go of his wrist and pushes him back forcefully; the young Hunter's back hits the kitchen counter and the young man cradles his broken wrist to his chest, the young man doesn't look at him but Ryu can feel his aura wave in a dangerous way.

Without giving the young man a second glance, Ryu leaves the kitchen and walks to his room, glancing up the stairs before looking away.

But deep down, he knows that his actions have consequences; Karma is not a child and has a right to be angry, and Dai, the young Hunter might not be what he imagines.