Shaking, he nodded as he held her close to his chest. "Never. I'll never leave you...but..." His loving hold on her wavered a moment. "I guess that's sorta hard now...you dumped my a$$." He clearly was still wounded over that.

" then...can we get back together? Please? "

"...you have Shade, h-he'd treat you better...." He wanted so badly to say yes but he didn't want to lose a lover for a third time, let alone Akira twice.

Akira whimpered softly, turning away and curling into a tight little ball.

He became very droopy, shaking still. "WH-what do you what from me? J-just go t-to who you c-can love without guilt." He sniffled again. "I don't s-see what you see in me. You dump me then just come back, make me promise to avoid my last lover that died in my arms, and then ask to be mine again when it seemed you didn't want to stay mine." Now he was crying, rubbing an eye and sniffling.

" Because I just want to be loved...unconditionally...is that so hard to ask? " she said quietly.

"Sh-shade already has g-given, or tried to give, that to you. I-I know he's in pain whenever w-we love, and y-yet he still loves you. He wants the s-same thing, unconditional love. W-what do you see in me over h-him?" Woah...Justice must really be hurt to be speaking of his little brother like that.

" I don't know...I just...love you more. I don't know exactly why..."

Well that really stung, that she didn't know why she loved him more. He held a paw to one eye and tried to stop crying. He couldn't.

"...Do you...not love me back? "