37mm

by Trees0094

Summary:

Akito is an assassin for the infamous knight, Toya Aoyagi. It’s nothing more than worker and boss, even if Akito wants it to be more than that.

It’s always a risk for Akito to kill whoever Toya tells him to, anytime, but Akito does it anyway. He shouldn’t, and has been offered other jobs by Toya, but those jobs would make it impossible for Akito to see him.

READ CHAPTER 9/AUTHORS NOTE!!

Notes:

i literally lost the original fic for some reason, so here is the new one

Chapter 1: “You were all that we needed…”

Akito slowly stepped into Toya’s office at a time just before dawn, not having been in here for a while. It had a new look to it, with velvet curtains that matched the cape of Toya, which barely let light in. Akito sat down on the chair across from his boss, curious about what he was going to be told.

“You said you wanted to see me?” Akito said, twiddling his thumbs below the desk in a spot Toya couldn’t see.

“I did.” Toya responded. His head was slightly bent, casting a mysterious shadow over his face, but not very mysterious to Akito. “I have a new task for you. This is one that you will have no consequences for denying the job.”

Akito understood that this was a big job then. “I understand. What is it?” He asked, brushing a bit of hair out of his face.

“You need to kill the prince, Tsukasa Tenma. I will be paying you a hefty amount of money if you accept, but you have no obligation to do so.” Toya said, his head turning up a bit more, making his grey- almost an ashy perrywinkle- eyes more visible to Akito.

Akito nodded. “I accept.”

“Very well. If you wish to back out of the offer anytime, please do so.”

“Thank you, Toya.” Akito said with a nod as he and Toya shook hands. He left the room, thinking.

Is this worth it? That money will help him a lot, but to kill a prince? A prince with no other heir to the throne?

Akito had a deadline of 3 weeks, but there was no issue with missing it. He needed time to mentally prepare himself for this act before doing it. He went into his room in his part of this old castle, got a set of weapons and supplies, and put them in a corner. He was going to sort through it later.

Akito got his assassin clothes ready and threw it onto the pile of weapons and supplies before deciding to go get breakfast. If he is quick enough, he could chat with Toya. It’s always fun having breakfast with Toya.

He went down and got his food before sitting at a table where all of Toya’s most trusted workers sit at. Toya’s trusted workers are Akito, Ichika the spy, Shizuku who tailors outfits, and Ena who is a jack of most trades.

Rui Kamishiro used to be able to sit here, but after he was given a choice between his secret lover in the Tenma kingdom or Toya’s team, he chose the lover and left. He didn’t leave without consequences, but he left.

Akito had pancakes for breakfast, with fruit and syrup on it. He sat down next to Shizuku, who was having some simple oatmeal. She is a very nice lady, and Akito looks up to her and strives to try and have a positive attitude like her.

“Ah, Akito! How might you be today?” She asked.

Akito looked at her. “I’m doing pretty good,” he said with a bite of his pancakes. “What about you?”

“Oh aim doing very good! My sister sent me a letter asking about getting clo-“ Shizuku was cut off from the door entering. It was Toya and Ichika.

“Akito, once breakfast is done, I need to speak to to you and Ichika. This is a private matter.” Toya said as he left the room, leaving everyone except Ichika speechless.

Ichika got herself some food and sat down at the table and began eating in silence.

Shizuku was allowed to tailor clothes for people outside of their league, since she was technically also a spy, but that was not her main focus.

Ichika was the spy, since she had a link to the inside of the Tenma kingdom that she stayed with on occasion.

Ena always goes and does her thing at night, so she doesn’t get seen a lot. But somehow, she still has a good relationship with everyone.

Akito couldn’t understand why she was such a night owl, but it’s none of his business. Ena has been like that for years now.

Akito finished his pancakes, washed the syrup off the plate, and put it in the sink. One thing everybody knows is that Ena washes the dishes and doesn’t complain about it. Shizuku sometimes feels bad and does it for her, but Ena insists that Shizuku doesn’t whenever they see each other.

Akito went into Toya’s office and sat in the chair. He only had to wait a moment before Ichika was here too. They were sitting next to each other as Toya studied them and how comfortable they were with the knowledge they both had about their tasks.

“As you both know, killing a prince is a risky job, that’s why I have some things to discuss. Akito is wanted in the Tenma kingdom, so he cannot be there to watch the weekly patterns of the guards.” Toya started off his speech with that.

Toya turned his attention to Akito. “Akito, you’re going to be waiting longer to start this job. Ichika will be spying for two weeks to find out as much as possible. I felt like having both of you two in here would help clarify anything. Questions?” Toya spoke very fast, not letting the others say anything.

“I have one.” Ichika said. “Should I report to you at the end of the first week too?” She asked while fixing her earring.

Toya shook his head, making his already mixed two-toned hair mixed. “Not unless you believe there is something important to tell us.” He then made the two of them leave and go onto their own things.

Akito went into his room and began to think about it all, and Toya.

Notes:

Songs I listened to while writing:

The Killing Lights - AFI
The Black Rainbow - Coheed And Cambria
Since I Saw Vienna - Wilbur Soot
6 To 8 - AFI
Money - The Drums
Show Me How - Foo Fighters
Beyond Me - Foo Fighters
Mary - Alex G
A Favor House Atlantic - Coheed And Cambria
Non-Breath Oblige - Nightcord At 25:00

Chapter 2: “Calm down. Calm down, cold resides in me.”

Summary:

Ichika gets sent off to the Tenma kingdom to spy, Akito has a slice of life, Toya does work and stuff, Shizuku and Ena do fashion things.

Notes:

yes they brush their teeth and stuff.

Toya always likes to celebrate whenever anyone in the group of people he trusts leave to go somewhere, so that’s why he is hosting a dinner for Ichika.

Akito always felt lucky that he got to sit closer to Toya than not. Ena was here at the dinner because she always makes a charm for people whenever they go out and do something, and she sits across from Akito. She was currently talking to Shizuku about a dress she wanted made, Ichika was talking with one of their less trusted members, Minori. Minori is one of the chefs, and since she is near so many weapons and wasn’t somebody Toya already knew, she isn’t apart of the breakfast group.

What was Akito doing? Eavesdropping. He is very respectful about other people’s conversations, and is too intimidated by Toya to start up a conversation with him, so he is just listening to everything else. It’s normal, since they should know what people are doing, and it isn’t limited to outsiders.

Toya is not social to anyone, even if he cares about the safety of them. He starts any conversation that he speaks in, nobody talks about him in front of him, and nobody starts conversations with him.

Akito is one of the people who talks to him more, because he has a much more private and personal job because he is an assassin. If he wasn’t, he would probably not be trusted by Toya.

They were having a simple dinner, chicken, vegetables, potatoes, milk, and more like eggs and rice. Akito was eating his food while listening to everyone until Toya sat up from his seat.

Everyone’s attention was on him and people stopped talking.

“As we all know, after tomorrow morning, Ichika will not be here for two weeks, so I have some final things to say that I do not want her to miss out on. Once this mission is over, there is going to be a project we will work on. The rest of us who will be here are going to begin the work on it while Ichika is away.” Toya explained.

He continued to explain the project to everyone before he sat back down and started to eat again, leaving everyone except him and Akito to go back to what they were previously doing.

Akito wanted to speak with Toya about the assassination on the prince, but it wasn’t the time.

◇

Akito cleared everyone’s plates as Ena began to wash them. He noticed that Toya was still sitting at the table, so he wanted to ask if he could talk about it sometime soon.

He carefully approached Toya. “Excuse me, but are we able to speak about the assassination more later?” Akito asked politely, making sure his hood was down to seem even more polite.

Toya nodded. “I’ll schedule it. Now, I have work to do, please remind Shizuku to see me in my office later.” Toya said, more of a command than a request. Akito nodded and left the room. He wanted to go on a walk to clear his head and what he was thinking about.

Akito was so nervous during that short interaction, and it feels like he screwed up during it by even asking and standing there, instead of asking if Toya needed anything more from him.

He continued walking in the cool autumn breeze, leaves crunching under his feet, and a smell that can only be described as the smell of autumn was in the air. It’s Akito’s favorite time of year, since it’s near his birthday. It is very pleasant in general.

On his walk, Akito found a stray cat. He did not have any food for it so he ignored it, but it followed him anyway, and kept on meowing at him. Akito scowled and just ignored it more.

The black cat did not like that, and it pounced on the back of his leg, latching onto his pants with its claws. Akito grabbed the cat and, despite his urges, chose to bring it back with him. He held it gently in his arms as he returned back to where he stays.

Akito did not have to open the door, since Shizuku was just about to go out and deliver clothes, but she saw the cat and got excited.

“Oh, Akito! Is that a cat? I love cats, and it looks so cute, and the color practically blends into your jacket! Are you going to keep it?” Shizuku asked, rampaging Akito with questions.

“I might keep it, dunno. I just found it and it didn’t want me to leave, so if Toya allows it, I’ll try and take care of it. Maybe it can be a pet we all take care of…?” Akito was just thinking out loud at the end.

“That’s nice. Well, I’ll be on my way, have a good evening!”

“You too, Shizuku.” Akito said before walking inside. He knocked on Toya’s office door before getting a ‘come in’ as an okay to go into the office.

“I’m sorry for disturbing your work, but I have some things to discuss that aren’t just the assassination.” Akito said while stepping into the office, the cat hopping right out of his arms once the door was closed.

Notes:

are you excited for the next chapter? why or why not? (ela looking prompt fr)

Chapter 3: “I awake in another place…”

Summary:

Akito deals with stuff, so does the rest of the group

Notes:

sorry i forgot to post for like the entire month of frebruary i hope this makes up for it

The one thing Toya didn’t expect when he saw Akito enter the room was for a cat to be in with him. He expected Akito to come in and talk about the assassination, not to show him a cat!

“What do you want to say.” Toya said in his cold voice.

Akito got nervous and scooped the cat off the ground again.

“Well, I’m nervous about the assassination, but also I found this cat and it won’t stop following me. I know it looks like I picked it up, but it followed me all the way back here.” Akito explained to Toya while petting the cat. He didn’t notice at first, but the cat has a white muzzle, which is cute.

“Just bring it back outside, we won’t be able to care for it well.” Toya said, sitting straight up in his chair.

Akito nodded, knowing he couldn’t keep it. “May we talk about the assassination before I do that?” He asked.

“Yes. What are your worries?” Toya asked, looking at the cat in Akito’s arms.

“Well, it’s not exactly a worry, but more of a question. Why do you want the prince dead? You usually tell me why when I am being assigned to kill someone.” Akito asked cautiously. Everyone is cautious around Toya, because he is their leader, and also when asking certain questions.

Toya paused for a moment, his words stuck temporarily in his mouth.

“It is a private matter I would prefer not to discuss. Is there anything else you need from me?” Toya asked. This made Akito feel a bit embarrassed.

“No, I will bring the cat outside. Thank you for talking with me on short notice.” Akito quickly exited the room, then their home, and went into the woods where he dumped the cat off somewhere and ran away.

Once he got back into his own room, he sat down on the bed.

“What was I thinking… No way would he have told me that if he hadn’t told me already!” Akito thought out loud quietly.

He soon stopped moping about that and moved on to clean up his room. He often does this when he isn’t feeling very happy with himself during the day.

It was a little embarrassing to ask such a stupid and invasive question, at least in Akito’s mind it is. Especially when it is a question for Toya, messing up isn’t fun.

Akito could deal with it though, he always can.

He didn’t expect this though. A letter was slipped under his door after a soft knock. Akito grabbed it and opened it.

The letter said: ‘Sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, but there is an important matter that needs to be discussed immediately. Please go to dinner tonight with an expectance of a more serious conversation tonight. Thank you. From, Shizuku’

Akito was surprised. Shizuku doesn’t send out letters like this very often, but when she does, it really is important. Akito put it on his dresser and decided to clean up for today.

・

Dinner was quiet as they waited for Shizuku. Minori seemed to be waiting for Shizuku to arrive before getting the orders. Everybody just had water, and a small piece of bread to eat in the meantime.

Shizuku entered the room with a sad frown and sat down at the table.

“I have news from my sister that we should all be aware of. The princess of the Tenma kingdom had passed away due to her illness. The letter was sent a day after Ichika left, and was sent the day of the passing.” Shizuku said, sadness in her eyes. Everyone knew about the princess’s condition because Shizuku gets the letters, but they never expected her to pass away so young.

Akito was silent, not certain if he should talk with Toya. Looking over at him, Akito saw that Toya had a little bit of a sad look on his face.

“Very well. Thank you, Shizuku, for telling us all about this so politely. It is a tragedy that the princess died so young.” Toya said, looking across the table.

Akito felt uneasy. He was supposed to assassinate a prince who just lost his sister, which also happens to have been the only other heir to the throne after the disappearance of the other prince.

Akito’s eyes met Toya’s, and Toya nodded at him, reading his mind about the issues with the assassination.

Toya spoke up again, “None of us have any reason to grieve for long, so let’s begin to eat.” Toya said calmly, acting like Princess Saki was just some regular person.

Minori began taking everybody’s orders, and the table was quiet tonight, with only the orders being spoken and noise from everything but speaking.

Akito didn’t eat much tonight, the assassination no longer felt as right as it did before.

Chapter 4: “I could have been anyone anyone else”

Summary:

Toya and his life with his group what happened?

Notes:

Toya’s character is a bit complex in this so expect him to be more fleshed out later in the story

Toya never really cared for people’s deaths, except those who truly did nothing wrong. Obviously, if anyone in his team ever died, he would be sad and sympathetic. He knew all of those people. What could he say about his emotions after the death of Saki?

Toya stayed quiet about his feelings for it, and he could tell that some people noticed he had an odd feeling of sadness for someone so disconnected. He was too obvious about it.

They all knew that this place was safe for everyone, despite strict rules and curfews when people aren’t sent off on missions. Everyone strives to keep it safe. Toya would be one of those people.

Everything was implemented far harsher than before after the traitor they had.

・○・

When he was younger, Toya didn’t have many worries. He played piano, had his siblings to talk with, and he had everything he could ever ask for. He didn’t want to try and see what was outside the kingdom, not until he fully realized what was inside it.

The death of the king brought the poor people into a horrible state, where they couldn’t access all of the resources they needed from the grievances of their rulers.

Toya watched as they left for the nearby kingdom to escape the small chaos created in their society. Toya didn’t realize how bad it was until he was older, when he understood that not everyone was able to be happy in the kingdom.

Toya wanted to try and do something for them, anything at all, but he wasn’t allowed to. His status in his family was too important to do any of that.

Why was leaving a thought that came to him? That’s a questions he asked often after acting on it. Toya had never had that interest in the outside world, away from his safety and stability in his home. Leaving it all with only one person who knew where and why he left is all he had done in preparation.

Not all, actually. He learned how to do many things so he could survive on his own. His lessons have helped him a lot.

The crew he had took a long time to finally settle down and be stable. Shizuku partially works in the kingdom to get secrets for everyone, and to see her sister she had been separated from for years.

Toya is happy to let everyone else have less of a burden than he does. Akito and Ena were not from any kingdom, since there are technically places where kingdoms don’t have a rule over that people live in.

Ena is the only person who knows everything about Toya, and she has kept her promise to keep it a secret. Toya has only told her, but can tell that everyone wants Toya to be able to truly trust them. It makes him happy that everyone is so close as friends.

They all promised that, if a relationship was to ever be thought of, that they all understood it would have to stay in the group due to anything getting brought out. Not everyone seemed particularly happy about it, but with the traitor they had, they realized it was the only way they could be safe and secure.

Shizuku wasn’t happy about it, since she did have someone she has grown fond of in the Rudbeckia kingdom. She expressed her feelings to Toya, but was only met with rejection of a possible relationship. Luckily, Toya is the only person who knows.

Toya wishes that he could give everyone everything they wanted, but he could only sneak money and resources into the Tenma kingdom to help people.

He was happy with this though, even if it meant that Akito, Ichika, Ena, and Shizuku were more likely to be upset with him due to their closeness.

Toya could live like this for a while…

Notes:

it was cold so i sat down and typed this.

anyway want a playlist for this fic that i use when writing? here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05dIV8TRNfGt2ZDoCI60oL?si=GO7OaXGNTdy5gZjAMHqwFw&pi=u-OVEyw1shRXGJ

Chapter 5: “I offer grace, I offer blood, I offer everything”

Summary:

Ichika is back from the Tenma kingdom! That means that Akito is going to have to go off and kill the prince, but what happens when he goes through with it

Notes:

happy april!!

Akito watched as everyone was eating the food for the celebration party from Ichika returning back home after leaving for weeks to spy at the Tenma kingdom.

Akito couldn’t help the feeling of dread in his stomach. He was going to have to go out and kill the prince of the Tenma kingdom, which he could always reject, but he was loyal to the group and would do as he if offered.

After they had dessert, Akito instantly went to his room. He had three weeks, and extra previous weeks from when Ichika was gone. All of his weapons and clothes were prepped, but he wasn’t mentally ready for this yet.

The death of Saki was making him double back and wonder why this would be a good idea.

Akito heard a knock on his door.

“May I come in?” It was Toya. Akito opened the door for him.

“What do you need?” Akito asked, giving Toya room to walk in before he shut the door.

Toya sighed. “I just want to reiterate that you don’t have to go through with the assassination if you do not want to. I’m certain that you aren’t.” He explained.

Akito hesitated before he nodded. “You are right about that, I’m not certain.” Akito said quietly, a look if worry on his face.

“Are you really wanting this?”

“Hm? Akito I wouldn’t task you with this if I didn’t want it.”

“No- That is not what I meant. Everyone knows that Princess Saki has passed away, which only leaves Prince Tsukasa as the last heir to the kingdom. They have no king, too.”

Toya nodded, his eyes going to the floor. “They do not…” He muttered. “I understand what you mean, Akito. It’s a big burden to carry, and I know we will both feel at least a small amount of responsibility for the Tenma Kingdom if you decide to completely accept and complete the task.”

Akito nodded. “Yeah, I just don’t know if I can carry that much guilt…” He said.

Toya looked back up at Akito. “Would you like to go on a walk with me to get our minds off it?” He asked with a sigh of hope. Clearing their minds would be good.

“Yeah, I’m down for that.” Akito responded, grabbing his jacket to protect himself from the cold winter air outside.”

The two of them exited Akito’s room, stopping by Toya’s to get his own coat. Then they walked out and into the woods.

The crunch of sticks and dry leaves under their feet was both peaceful and uncomfortable. it was quiet between them, and after their conversation, it was like they left unfinished business stay unfinished.

“Do you… Do you like the winter, Toya?” Akito asked quietly, pulling his hood up as the wind blew from behind them.

“I don’t mind it. Although, I don’t enjoy getting sick from colds that appear in the winter.”

“I get it. It’s not fun being sick.” Akito said with a smile. “I do like all of the celebrations and activities that can be done during the season. It makes me feel warm on the inside, which often makes up for how cold it is outside.”

Toya nodded at that, putting his hands in his pockets. He regretted not bringing gloves, and envied the fact Akito had lucked out by forgetting that his gloves were in his coat.

“It can feel good when I’m around people in the winter. The more people are grouped together, the warmer the area gets. It’s quite fascinating to me.”

Akito agreed and they began to walk in a nicer silence.

Akito hated the forest, especially late at night. He always feels like he is being watched. It’s safer here with Toya, since he isn’t alone in here.

Notes:

tried making small akitoya hints and fluff. i’m not very good at it

Chapter 6: “Pray for rain, lose your name, and watch all your dreams fall through”

Summary:

Walking in the forest that night wasn’t a good idea, not after this.

Notes:

all the titles of chapters are lyrics from a song i listened to while writing them, just incase anyone wants to check the songs out

—
Toya and Akito walked, talking and asking questions about each other.

It was very nice. It took their minds off everything around them for a while.

Akito was having a good time on this walk. It was silent, and the moon was shining just right to make it clear to see through the night.

Toya was right beside him, and he was looking right ahead of them, making sure nothing got in their way as they started walking.

"Hey, what do you think is going to happen in the future?" Akito asked Toya, the crunching of dry and dead leaves beneath their feet feeling nice to Akito's ears.

Toya was surprised by this. "I don't know, but I hope it is something good. There is a lot I am hoping to do, and if the future you are talking about is around a year from now, I want it to have been done by then."

Akito nodded. "I get it, there is so much to be done this year. Spring has barely even begun, too. I, personally, am hoping to make our home a bit more lively. Shizuku and Minori would probably be good help to do that. They like fashion and designs."

Toya just nodded and continued walking, a faint smile spread across his face.

—

The doors opened suddenly, alerting Tsukasa.

"Prince Tsukasa! Pardon the interruption, but there is something I need to tell you!" She said urgently.

Tsukasa looked up from his book, a scowl plastered on his face. "What is so important, Mizuki? I'm busy." That was a lie, this book was just his excuse to avoid talking to other people. The loss of his sister was really making him more impatient and rude.

"It's Rui! He said that he knows where Toya is, and that he has other people!" Mizuki exclaimed with full honesty.

Tsukasa's expression darkened. "How do we know that he is serious? You know what Rui has done in the past, we all do! Nobody can ever trust him to the full extent again."

"You know that we have to at least hear him out."

"I do know, Mizuki," Tsukasa sighed. "I'll hear what he has to say, but if he is wrong then you have to understand that I won't ever take him as seriously as I used to.

Mizuki nodded, bowed, and then went to go get Rui.

Tsukasa took a bookmark and closed his book. This would certainly be an interesting day.

The doors soon opened again, as Rui walked in with Mizuki trailing behind him. His mark was still there, and his hair had clearly been fixed up so that he would look like a slightly more reasonable hum than he truly is.

"Rui, Mizuki says that you know the whereabouts of Toya. Is this true?" Tsukasa interrogated.

"It is indeed." Rui said with a smile.

"Then, please, tell me what you know."

"I'll tell you the whole story." Rui said as Mizuki and him got seated.

"As we all know, my magic has variety, and I like to use it. So one day, I used a cosmetic potion that changed my species. I chose a cat." Rui started telling the story, laying low on the details of what led up to his discovery.

"While I was a cat, I decided to walk in the forest outside of the kingdom. I got lost and ran into some guy with orange hair. I followed him, in hopes of getting back to the kingdom in time for the curfew."

"What I didn't expect wad to be brought to some rickety mansion by the guy, and see Toya sitting down in an office. I didn't get to explore at all, since I had quickly been kicked out." Rui finished while grinning up at Tsukasa, who had a frown.

"You seem to know everything. Is that all? Or is there more to hear about before getting to know where it is." Tsukasa questioned impatiently.

"That is all. And- just to preface- I don't know the exact location, just a general way to get there." Rui said.

"Very well. Let's get to it then." Tsukasa got up from his seat and walked out, expecting Mizuki and Rui to follow. They went to the knights' training area and gathered a select few. The situation got explained, and only one knight seemed hesitant. Of course it was the only knight that had friends who were suspected to have been taken by Toya, which could mean anything about the situation.

Tsukasa instructed the knights to follow Rui's guidance, and that he would stay here in the kingdom to not leave his mother alone in their time of grievance. He put Mizuki in charge of keeping the peace between everybody.

The group got prepared, and made sure that all of the equipment was necessary and in good condition to use.

Notes:

rui is basically in his colorfes outfit, tsukasa is lilykasa with the knight hairstyle, and mizuki is wd mizu incase my descriptions were bad

Chapter 7: The Despair Factor

Summary:

what happened on the walk? did they run into anybody?

 

and akito acts REALLY GAY HERE

Akito and Toya stepped through the woods while the night sky was above them. Thing clouds covered a small amount of stars, and the moon illuminated them ever so slightly.

The way it lit up Toya’s eyes made them look dazzling, and Akito couldn’t bear to tear his own away from them. Although, he had to or else he would trip.

“Akito,” Toya began. “What do you think of everyone?” He asked.

“What do I think? I think everyone is really nice. I don’t exactly trust them all, but it’s hard to not get along with almost everyone. Unless they’re really being annoying”

Toya looked a little surprised, as if that wasn’t what he was expecting from Akito.

“Huh.” That’s all he said once he got his answer.

Akito didn’t think much of it, and kept on walking along side him. The breeze messed up their hair, but it made Toya look as gorgeous as ever.

Well- It isn’t hard for Toya to be gorgeous in Akito’s eyes. Not at all. It’s as easy as breathing oxygen.

Perambulating, the two stayed silent. It was natural, to some degree. A leisurely walk through the woods together solemn happens with two members.

It’s easy to walk alone, but having each other’s company makes it more authentic and peaceful.

Being granted this alone time with Toya is everything Akito could ask for. Except maybe his sister getting out of her room more often.

The woods around the kingdom are more than often used for illegal trading between people. Yet- Today they seemed like a sanctuary for Akito and Toya.

It seems to lack any kind of misery. It’s just a little bit hard to see through sometimes, especially when the shadows of the trees hit just in the right way that blocks out light from hitting either of them.

It’s perfect.

“Toya?” Akito spoke hesitantly.

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you do things more often? I never see you doing other than work most of the time. Which we would all be more than happy to assist with.” Akito said quietly.

Toya thought in silence momentarily. “I guess I just don’t seem to find an appeal with most other things. Though, I am enjoying our walk.”

Akito thought he fought a glimpse of a smile from Toya, but the feeling faded as quickly as the expression.

“I understand. Thanks for sharing.”

“It was no problem, Akito.”

Silence overtook the air again, and only the light sounds of their breathing could be heard.

Toya always appears to seem grim and dark, but he is just like everyone else. If anything, he’s more understanding and charming than some of the people who are known to be kind and generous.

It’s a weird feeling. The butterflies in Akito’s stomach weren’t strong, but it sure felt weird. He had never felt this way for anyone else until now. It’s difficult. Is this really what being in love with somebody is like?

It may just be his admiration. Toya is strong and commanding, but not scary.

Akito’s mind stayed in thought as they continued on in the solitude of the night.

-

Akito and Toya stopped abruptly as they saw a glimpse of what looked to be soldiers from the Tenma kingdom walk by through trees.

It was hard understanding what was happening, since nobody goes into the forest that often if they aren’t under Toya’s command.

The silence soon stopped being as comfortable, and distant voices could be heard. Not good voices.

“Miss Akiyama, will you please just try to understand and accept my judgement. If you keep on speaking so loudly, they’ll hear us from a mile away.” A vaguely familiar voice said

“Be quiet, Kamishiro! I know what I’m doing. You are acting like this is some suicide mission, and that they are a million times stronger than us.” The foretold “Miss Akiyama” said harshly.

The feeling if dread the two got when those names and voices were understood was not appreciated. A single glance between them, one of worry and terror, ended their walk short as they went far enough off into the shrubbery to not be caught at all, and they ran as far as they could to get back home.

“Oh this is bad! Really bad!!” Akito said as they ran.

“Not unless we get there before them. Come on, we have to go.” Toya muttered. All Akito could do was nod. They were under a time limit, one that would result in life or death.

Notes:

incase nobody wants to search it up, perambulate means to walk around in land enjoyable way or something similar to that. i found out about that word cuz of an afi song

Chapter 8: "Dancing on your grave. I'll see you."

Summary:

"What will we do?!" Akito whispered, his panic evident in his voice. "They're going to find us in this small-ass room!"

Notes:

NOT BETA READ!!1

They ran as quickly as they could to get everyone who may still be there this late at night out. Both of them were careful to not step on any of the dry sticks and leaves on the ground, keeping a low cover in the darkness

Akito opened the door for Toya the moment they got there, slamming it behind him once inside.

"Everyone, get out of here as fast as you can. Go out through the back door and make sure nobody gets left behind. Get to you or a friend's house quickly." Toya commanded.

Everyone looked up from what they were doing, sparing a few glances around the room before getting as many people as they could and getting out of there.

it was chaos, and Akito went around their home and made sure that everybody knew.

Things broke as people were running around to grab everything they could hold or carry and got out. People were shoved, and plenty of them just waited for the larger crowds to get out before following them.

Akito watched as Toya looked around the place. He couldn't tell what was on his mind, but it was obviously something important if their boss isn't even giving any more instructions or leaving.

He wasn't even holding anything.

Akito used this time to go to his own room and gather up his belongings and put them in a bag for when they both left. He did decide to leave some things behind, such as some clothes he wouldn't need for a while.

Akito put care into part of his packing. Anything fragile was placed gently or had something else wrapped around it. He could bare to lose most of the things in his room since they were more luxury than a necessity.

After he finished packing, he saw that only Toya was left.

"We need to make sure that nobody was left behind. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Akito said abrasively.

"Akito, I know where everyone is."

"No you don't. We have to check that everyone is out. We can't just-"

"Akito!" Toya interrupted, ambivalent. "I know you are concerned. It'll be fine, trust me." He said quietly.

"It won't be fine if we don't make sure it is. If you won't check then I will." Akito couldn't understand why Toya was so insistent on leaving. Ena could still be in her room sleeping and nobody knows. Or somebody could be in their station and hurt with nothing to help them.

Toya sighed in defeat and let Akito guide him around. They checked every room, and were about halfway through with it all when a loud crash was heard near the front door.

Quick and heavy footsteps echoed around the empty house. Toya and Akito briefly exchanged looks of panic. They took too long to do this, and now anything could happen.

The creaks of all the doors opening got closer and closer, and there was no where to hide. It's their fault for making the sewing room so small, and even trying to look for a hiding spot.

"This is why I said we shouldn't have done this..." Toya muttered under his breath. Akito was lucky to not hear it.

"What will we do?!" Akito whispered, his panic evident in his voice. "They're going to find us in this small-ass room!"

"Just shut up! Don't speak and just follow me." Toya said, his voice equally as quiet as Akito's.

Akito did what he was told and followed Toya around the room. He watched the pretty guy look around, trying to find any part of the room that they could hide in.

Frustration set in as they reached failure after failure with places too hide.

Light suddenly seeped into the room while the two were right in front of a closet that was just too small to fit both of them.

"Damn it..." Akito mumbled. A knight immediately ran over to the both of them with a weapon in hand as another started to speak.

"Sir Kamishiro! We found two people!" The knight with purple eyes called out.

The realization that they were going to be captured quickly set in. They had no time to do anything before a man with weird hair came running into the room. Akito felt his heart sink. He turned his head away while the person approached them.

"Oh, it's you two. I never thought we would meet so soon after just a small amount of time!" Rui chuckled. He had an evil grin on his face as he made the knights leave and report to Mizuki.

Toya scoffed. "Hello. Let's avoid the pleasantries. what do you want from us?" He asked, his voice cold and unforgiving.

"Oh no no no! We don't want anything from you, we just wanted you. It's only a coincidence that I happened to have found the two people I needed to find the most."

Akito glanced around, assessing the two and their discussion. He isn’t exactly aware of what happened with Rui and their group, but he knew it was serious.

Rui smiled, then turned his back to them.

“Mizuki~!” He called out, his voice sounding much more cheerful than the situation truly is. “I’m gonna need some help in here.”

The door closed as he left.

“We’re so fucked-“ Akito muttered, quickly getting shushed by Toya.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. They’re probably not going to hurt us too badly, since they will want information.” Toya explained quietly.

Akito huffed, upset that he was going to be captured.

“This was the worst room to end up in. No windows, one door, nothing large enough to hide in. This is bullshit.” Akito sat down on the carpet.

Toya put his hand on the ginger’s shoulder, trying to reassure him that they’ll be fine.

“You don’t have to be so negative. We can easily escape from them, it will just take a bit of time and patience.”

“Whatever…” Akito grumbled, resting his head on his hand.

Notes:

my bad i forget what i previously post a lot

also i put in effort to this chapter so i hope it tyrned out good

Chapter 9: AUTHOR’S NOTE

Summary:

bro it’s not even a. chapter it’s an authors note

this edition of 37mm is going to be discontinued after the next chapter. BUT DO NOT FEAR!!! i’m going to be making a brand new version following the same plot, but hopefully it will use bigger chapters, probably the same update pattern (sorry!!!) and just overall be a more enjoyable reading experience!

as i’m entering a new school year, which will not be disclosed, my schedule is going to change. that’s is a huge reason to why this is why getting discontinued!!

the new edition of 37mm is likely going to be called one of these (yes they are all mostly afi song titles… a lot from DECEMBERUNDERGROUND…)

Affliction
Kill Caustic
Summer Shudder
Killing Lights
100 Words
Fainting Spells
Spinal Remains
Dust to Dust

or something else!!! just be on the lookout for any new, long, full of chapter fics i’m going to be making!!!

see ya!!

Chapter 10: “Tell me how I’m supposed to feel”

Notes:

life sux read afi rpf (joke)

anyway this is technically half of a chapter, but i wanted to post it due to how dead this fic is. trust me, i had a goal for it. i just got burnt out because of school and gave up for a while. but i’m back! i’m alive! (it’ll be months before the second half of this comes out)

Akito had his arms crossed as he was led out of the building alongside Toya. He glanced over at the taller man occasionally, trying to figure out what was going on in his brain. All he could see was his animated breaths in the air, no sign of… anything, just a blank face.

Being compliant seems really stupid to Akito. They should be fighting for their freedom, running away together, not giving in! Allowing themselves to be captured is just giving up.

Though, it’s not like he doesn’t trust Toya. If this really is what they have to do, then so be it. It just bugs him to have to do things that their entire group was built against. Toya had started this whole thing to go against captivity.

Akito would speak, but every time he did, somebody shushed him, usually Toya. The silence was horrible, and not being able to speak about any ideas just made their chances of freedom even more slim, even if the ideas would’ve just been heard by the surrounding knights.

They had to keep walking, and it would be a good amount of time until they could stop. The kingdom was far enough away from their old home to have people never come by, that’s why everyone was so surprised that they got invaded. Akito never truly anticipated this, even if he knew that it could be a possibility.

Steps, steps, steps…

That’s all Akito could hear. And a slight bit of breathing coming from himself and the people around him, but that easily turns into white noise in the background, something that isn’t worth paying attention to. The same could be said about the noises from the forest, it’s all normal for Akito to hear.

The passing of time was excruciatingly long, every moment feeling like an hour, yet it still surprised Akito when they arrived at the gates of the kingdom. It was all so unreal. He never thought that he would really be captured, since the only times it passed through his mind were from unnecessary actions and nightmares that merely confused him when he woke up.

He could thank the soldiers that guided them for not embarrassing him and Toya by walking through the normal entrance, but that would just be out of desperation to talk.

“Alright… Where should you two go for now…” Rui thought out loud, turning to Mizuki to see if she had any bright ideas. He would bring up some of his, but he wasn’t ready to get in trouble again.

“We have to wait for Prince Tsu- Tenma to get ready to meet them.” The pink haired knight said, side eyeing Toya and Akito with suspicion. “He might have not expected us to get these people in particular, and-”

“Alright alright, no need to say everything with them still around. Let's just find a cell to hold them in for now, m’kay? Then we can figure everything out.” Rui said, interrupting Mizuki and dragging out his vowels in a baby-like tone. The knights then led the two into the castle.

They had to pass through long, luxurious hallways, with paintings that probably cost more than everything Akito has owned combined. After going down concrete stairs, the two were brought to a cell that could just barely hold them both, and only had the redeeming quality of two beds.

Akito scowled, preparing to jump at the bars to get out. He clenched his hands into fists, looking down at the ground, huffing with a stomp. “These motherfuckers…” He quietly muttered. Toya looked at him, not moving for a moment, then gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He didn’t change his face as he spoke.

“Akito, calm down. Nothing will change if you act like that. Try to be more reasonable. It’s only a short amount of time, at most a day or something similar, until we will be brought to the prince.” He carefully moved his hand closer to the shorter man’s cheek, lightly patting it with the smallest glimpse of a smile, then pulling away.

“I don’t get it, how can you be so calm about this?!” Akito exclaimed, sitting down on the bed he had claimed. “You keep on telling me to wait and crap… It’s useless, you’re confusing me! I don’t want to wait, I just want to get out of here and go back home.”

He threw himself against the rough mattress, hands going up to his face in frustration. Toya didn’t say anything else to him, only sighing. He expected this type of behavior. Akito was not always somebody who could be reasoned with in times like this.

“Everybody is going to be worried- what about Ena?! How will she be while I’m gone? She might think that we’re dead. Hell- We could be dead soon. I don’t know what that prince will want from us or what he will do with us, and- and…” Akito’s ranting ended, and a distraught look appeared on his face.

“I know we will be okay.”

Silence overtook them.

Notes:

sorry that it’s short

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of AkiToya life