He continued to watch the other’s responses to his words. He seemed still to be plagued by ill feelings of worry and doubt. Akio’s heart ached with this, seeing the other upset and riddled with turmoil on the inside. He wished he could help the other, take away all of those ill feelings and see a true smile from him once more. When he repeated his words and looked up, Akio nodded in response. “Yes” he said, “I have forgiven you. There is nothing for you to feel guilty about, or worry about that I may feel ill of or hold against you.” He smiled lightly, watching the other take in these words along with the previous ones. He thought for a moment himself, opening his mouth to speak once more. However, he fell silent when he noticed the other’s hand upon his shirt. Was everything alright? Dorian was then speaking again, before he left the room.

Akio now left once more in silence and alone. He took a breath, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. His hand drifted down on its’ own, reaching the amulet around his neck. His fingers traced the lining of it for a moment, as he found comfort as he usually did within it. Taking a last breath, he turned back to the task at hand. A pair of black pants, and a simple white shirt. Nothing big or fancy, but he felt a lot better. Fixing the cuffs, he stepped out of the room. He stopped in the door, his eyes falling upon Dorian. His look was once more one of turmoil, which pulled at Akio’s heart. The way his eyes seemed to be holding back his feelings made Akio want to move to his side and never leave it, if only to merely reassure that he was there. His eyes then fell upon the ring, the other held it within his hand. That ring, it had been quite a source of mixed feelings in such a short time. For Dorian however, Akio was aware that it was part of his past.

Part of his father, like the amulet was from Akio’s mother. The other had not been meaning ill by it, and the results were indeed still plaguing him. Akio moved over, placing his hand over the other’s, over the ring. He kneeled before him, his other hand cupping Dorian’s between his. His eyes for a moment found the demons, holding them in a gaze that refused to let go. He said nothing, for there were few words that could be said at the moment. Silently, Akio was making his own promise, one he placed close to his heart. After a moment, he leaned up to gently catch Dorian’s mouth within a kiss, holding it. The feeling made a warmth grow in him. Fluttering across his heart, it spread throughout his body. He closed his eyes, allowing that warmth and the feelings inside him to hold him there for a moment. To let the rest of the world fade, let it all just end with that kiss. There was trouble after them, something that could not simply be ignored, but this moment was the beginning of more as well. A beginning of the two of them, standing together as one.

Whatever happened, they would face it together. Whatever happened, this was their battle to fight together. He would remain by Dorian’s side, and he would make sure the other knew every chance he could, how Akio felt for him. The kiss finally was slowly broken, but Akio did not move from the close space between them. Nor did he move to uncup his hands from around Dorian’s. He gave the other a warm smile, the silence and weight within the room that had once felt heavy, now felt light and calm. He chuckled lightly finally, tilting his head a bit to the side. “We are quite an odd duo hmm?” he mused playfully, “Perhaps that is part of what makes us so great?” It was not meant as some big serious comment, he meant simply what he said. They were different, but they were together.

Some of the strongest pairings were of those who were polar opposites. The light to balance out the dark, and the dark to balance out the light. Different sides, different views, coming together as one. Something both sides accepted and cherished. He finally released Dorian’s hand, reaching up to unhook the amulet from around his neck. He took the ring from his hand, before slipping it upon the chain right next to the amulet. Clasping it once more, he placed it within Dorian’s hand, replacing his around the others. “Our pasts…and futures….whether light or dark, are ours alone. But alone does not have to mean only one….we can be alone together” he chuckled once more. He smiled, a pure warmth and light there, one that Dorian’s original plans to corrupt and take away had failed to do. The amulet against the other's skin did not burn. Akio felt no threat or ill will towards the other, so it did not need to protect him. Instead, the stone gave off a warmth, almost like a heart, calming and gentle.