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In retrospect, Akito had no idea what he was thinking at the time, but he knew it felt so right. It was no secret that he and Toya loved each other, and whether others saw it as platonic or not was irrelevant to Akito; what mattered was his and Toya's own feelings. From childhood, they were always together at school or outside, hands clamped tightly together like a closed bear trap, and their teachers always thought it was their childlike innocence that made this behavior acceptable. But when the time came for Akito to let go of the hand, he'd have a temper tantrum. Most of this was apparent when it came to other children approaching Toya to play with them.
“Toya belongs with me, he doesn't want to play with you.” Akito’s eyes would narrow and with a grimace the other children would run away. It was concerning to some, but it was viewed as innocent unaware behavior, similar to that of a dog suffering from separation anxiety. Despite his age, Akito felt as if a piece of his heart was being taken away when Toya was forced to go. He didn't understand his own emotions, but he did understand that letting Toya go made him feel sick. Of course, as a child, he knew nothing of love, so it was chalked up to him not wanting to be away from his dearest closest friend. However, the perspective from outsiders began to shift into worry over time. Ena had previously mentioned to their parents that this type of attachment is unusual even for a child his age (funnily enough, they weren’t that far apart in age) and that they should work on getting him to understand Toya is not going anywhere, but even that effort had failed. Until that one incident, all of these were harmless behaviors: hand holding, shadowing, isolating Toya from other kids. No one thought anything more than it being unusual.
Toya had insisted on playing soccer with a group of boys in the yard one day during their recess period at school. Akito initially refused, but eventually agreed, giving in to Toya's soft pleas and grabbing his hand once more as he approached them. Akito had to do whatever Toya did, so when he wasn't allowed to be on Toya's team, he became aggressive.
"I'll be on Toya's team; if he's red, I'm red!" Akito had grabbed the boy and yanked him to the ground in a fit of rage. When Toya noticed the fight, he cowered behind Akito, too scared to move or cry out, but tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. Things only got worse when Akito grabbed the rock. All Akito knew was that Toya was in danger of being separated from him, and he couldn't stand it. The boy was his adversary. He slammed the rock's sharp edges into the terrified child's face, striking and grabbing whatever parts he could get his hands on. Only when teachers realized what was going on and became involved in the brawl did it come to a halt. When the boy ran away and Toya grabbed Akito's arm, he knew he had won. Toya would stay here with him.
"Toya, I'm here, so you should stay here as well; let's play a different game now," Akito whispered sweetly, ruffling his hair. Akito was never to be separated from Toya after that and was forced into anger management for his own safety and the safety of others. But, of course, such strong feelings could never be suppressed. He and Toya were inseparable all the way through high school and this was also when they became known as BAD DOGS. Toya became more of a loner, simply due to Akito becoming his shadow that followed him throughout the day until he returned home. Nobody gave it another thought. Of course, two childhood friends with similar musical aspirations would be very close. But Toya and Akito both knew it was more. Their bodies were separate, but their hearts were one. Where one went, the other was compelled to follow. Hands were still neatly fitted puzzle pieces, and they stood next to each other, shoulders touching. It was innocent touches but it meant so much more to them. Every moment spent together was the same to them, peaceful and heavenly. The second incident occurred the following day when Toya had approached Akito with some news.
“Akito I am going to be away for a few days so I'll leave the BAD DOGS' business in your care until then". Toya smiled shyly, but it soon dissipated when he noticed Akito's expression was blank. He was waiting for Akito to say something, but nothing came out of the ginger's mouth. His friend's eyes bore into his own as if he was looking right through him to determine an approach. Akito finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity. But this was not what Toya was expecting to happen.
"No," he said, his voice turning cold, hard, and flat, it reflected Akito's expression. Toya was visibly perplexed, his brow furrowed in concern unsure of how to respond. He decided to ask again.
“I'm sorry? Is something wrong?” Toya's tone sounded strained, and worry could be seen on his face. Despite the fact that Toya wouldn't be gone for very long and wouldn't be traveling with anybody other than his family, he knew Akito panicked when Toya left. But, when he made direct eye contact with his friend, he found it difficult to act. He was frozen in place by an indescribable sense of horror and anxiety. Akito became enraged and grabbed Toya by the hair fingers, grasping the roots of his hair near his scalp. The drag of the skin on his head caused Toya to whimper and cry. He attempted to grip Akito's wrist, but he was powerless against him.
"Toya, how desperately do you want to leave? Do you really dislike me? "Who would you rather be with?" Akito clenched his teeth, his face burning with frustration that Toya could not understand. What was he to blame for? Toya in a desperate attempt to calm the raging Akito tried to ease his worries.
“Akito… you misunderstand me. I don't want to part ways with you or be with anybody else. I apologize.” Toya felt his hair being released before being unexpectedly enveloped by broad arms. When speaking, Akito hugged him close, but all he said was, "I'm sorry," which he echoed repeatedly in a desperate mantra.
“Toya, I apologize. I don't know why I did it; if you don't stay, I'll die. I'm not sure why, but I don't want you to abandon me at all!” He cried and squeezed Toya as tightly as he could; in fact, he was so close that he could almost start melting into Akito. After a brief pause, Toya returned the hug and grinned before stroking Akito on the head.
“Don't worry, we're partners, so a little argument like this can't break us apart, right?” He backed aside and grabbed Akito by the shoulders and let out a chuckle. Akito appeared more at ease than before, and a smile slowly formed on his face once more.
"You are correct. Even if it did, my partner, I wouldn't let you leave." Akito firmly grasped Toya's hand once more than he ever had. There's a good chance a bone would shatter if he pushed any harder. But, Toya didn't appear to mind, so they continued walking hand in hand.
They would be together forever and no one had a say in it.