Aiza closed the door to his apartment, careful to lock it as he went. He had the feeling that the boy living across from him may have been planning on robbing him. He was always leaving as Aiza was, which he found to be very suspicious indeed. Sure enough, Aiza turned around and saw him. Tall, skinny with a slight build, long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail and bright, molten yellow eyes. All that Aiza knew about the boy was that he was at most eighteen, and that he too lived alone. Aiza watched carefully as he walked down the long hallway, sounds of the other tenants daily lives filling his ears. Yelling from one apartment, music from another. Kitchen noises, children laughing and squealing, playing a game in the confines of the tiny apartments that made up Woodridge. When he reached the stairs he turned around slowly, then walked down, running his hand along the wooden walls, coming to the one board that never seemed to be placed as carefully as the others at the first landing. As he made to begin walking down the second flight of stairs, he heard a commotion from below. Loud, heavy footsteps and angry whispers. He peered over the railing and saw two muscled men arguing. He was pretty sure that they were not living in any of the apartments, as he had not seen them before, and he vaguely wondered if they had something illegal planned.

Aiza was snapped from his thought when a strong hand clamped onto his forearm. He looked up to see his neighbor, and possible burglar, staring down at him, eyes wide, breathing heavily. He looked over the railing  at the two men with a look of pure anxiety, then he pulled Aiza towards the wall and wrenched the odd board out of its place, pushing Aiza inside a hidden crawlspace and following, closing the entrance securely. "What the he-" Aiza began, but a hand was slapped over his mouth, silencing him. He was pushed against a wall, and he could hear the heavy footsteps of the men from before outside of it. He shook his head fiercely, freeing himself from his assailant's hand, and he opened his mouth to yell for help. Almost immediately he felt something cover his mouth again. But this time, it was not a hand. It was much softer, and his hands were on Aiza's shoulders. Aiza realized, with a start, that these were lips. Soft, warm lips. He began to struggle, and for a moment he broke free, but in a second his assailant's lips were forced back on his. When he tried to bang against the wall, he was turned swiftly to the other, where no one would hear him. After a long while, the footsteps returned, along with angry shouts. Down they went, then all was silent. Aiza felt the pressure of the other boys lips leave his, and he immediately jumped back, hitting himself against the wall.

"What the hell was that?!" He yelled, anger saturating his voice. He got no answer, and was momentarily blinded when the entrance to the crawl space was removed. He ran after the boy, slamming into him when he came to an unexpected stop. "T-tell me why you did that!" Aiza demanded, his face going hot. The boy looked on at him with indifference, then answered in a cool tone,

"I was saving your life." He stood there, staring down at Aiza, who had an incredulous look on his face.

"Saving my life? By kissing me?" He glared at the boy who stood before him, angry at his lack of effort in coming up with an excuse for his actions.

"I'm not lying. Those men were after you. You may not know it yet, but you are very important. I'm Rio, and my purpose here is to protect you, because of that importance." He said it so casually, then turned and walked to his apartment, opened the door, and went inside. Aiza stood frozen with disbelief, then slowly walked to his own apartment, completely forgetting what had led him to leave it in the first place. He walked to his room, staring at his reflection in the long mirror fixed to the wall beside his bed. He was a seventeen year old boy of average height, with dark brown hair that fell in a mess around his face. Azure eyes stared back at him from a slightly pale face, and fairly full lips were pulled into a frown. Me? Important? You have got to be kidding me. He dropped onto his bed roughly, trying to force his thoughts from Rio and failing miserably. He couldn't help but to think how captivating those emotionless yellow eyes were, how alluring that cool voice. He was sickened by those thought that he was having towards another boy, he was sickened and yet he could not stop them.

Aiza got up from his bed, walked into his living room, empty save for a small love seat and a television, and out his door. Mentally screaming at himself the whole time, he crossed the hall and knocked on Rio's door. It opened almost immediately, and Rio stared at Aiza with only a ghost of surprise on his face. He moved aside to let Aiza in, then shut the door and locked it. "Now what would you be doing here, Aiza? I was under the impression that you were angry with me." That cool, indifferent voice again. Aiza's blood boiled in his veins. Staring at Rio with an unimaginable intensity, he stepped, no, leaped onto Rio, knocking him to the floor. He stared at his face, pleased to see that he had shocked Rio into showing complete surprise. Aiza closed his eyes and brought his lips onto Rio's. revenge. It was supposed to be for revenge. So why was he glad that Rio did not resist? Why was he beyond elated when Rio's lips began moving against his? A will that was not his own made Aiza's lips move as well, completely ruining his plan. He was horrified at his disappointment when Rio pulled his lips away, a smirk playing on his mouth.

"You're a forward one, aren't you? that 'kiss' that I gave you before was only to shut you up. Not that I mind. I don't mind at all." Fumbling, Aiza jumped up and bolted to the door, unlocking it and throwing it open, not bothering to lose it. Rio propped himself up on his elbow and chuckled.