Florida! The land of salty seas, ocean breezes, and bad family reunions?

Akari scooted away from him so that they weren't touching at all. "Please do not touch me," she told him calmly, though her eyes flickered with unease. Her cheeks fired up just a bit when he said he knew she had a crush on him. "I guess 'had' is the key word in that sentence. Because I don't now. I learned that I can't trust anyone, even when they seem like they're perfectly trustworthy and kind." She trailed off, her eyes glistening just a bit. She sniffled and brushed her hand across her eyes, wincing when she touched her nose. "I don't have anything to explain to you."

Leo:*Lays down* You want a reason to trust me?

Leo let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes.

Leo: When my parents divorced, I was a total wreck. It was the usual story of a child, with me blaming myself. I didn't do anything, just going with it and pretending I cared about living. The person that changed that was my step dad. He wasn't at the time, but he might as well have been. He was the one who showed me that reading was great to escape reality, and finding the will to forgive myself and to love life. This happened when I was 9. When I turned ten, the worst day of my life came. Which is kind of funny, given your past, and not in a mean way either. After a while, I went through longer and longer periods of time without seeing my mom and step dad, so one day, I finally went over. While I was there, everything seemed a bit off, with the smell of iron in the air. I grabbed a knife, and then found my mom and step dad....She was killing him, as she fell prey to madness and became a kishin egg. We fought, and you probably know the outcome of that, given I'm here right now. My worst day, I watched my mom kill my step dad, killed my mom, and learned that it was likely that my destiny would be the same as hers, as well as most of her family.....

Akari looked at him and sighed as he told her his story. By the end of it, she was curled up with her chin on her knees, staring at the floor. "That is a terrible story, Leo, but I don't know why this would constitute me trusting you. And can you explain to me why my past ties in to yours in any way? And why is it funny?" she asked, hugging herself tightly and not looking at him. "I don't know why it matters that you told me all this. It's not helping. Yes, I feel bad for you, but I don't trust you anymore. I can't, after you hit me in the face, cut my arm and scared me so badly that I couldn't even think," she whispered softly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Who's to say you wouldn't grab that knife again and stab me like you stabbed your mom? I don't know how I'm going to sleep in the same house as you anymore..."

Leo: I told that to you so you can I can trust you, not so you can trust me. If you feel that way, though, then we can't be partners anymore. Besides, I had other plans anyway.....

Leo got up and left to the bathroom, purposely leaving his cellphone on the bed. Before, though, he went to the basement, grabbing some rope. Once he entered the bathroom, he tied it in a noose, then tied it to a hook above the bathtub. His madness was worse, he would be a kishin egg, and his crush doesn't even like him anymore. There is no point in living, he tried that so many times, and it never came out right for him. He got the noose ready, then let himself hang by the neck, hoping death would come soon.

Akari sighed and glanced at the phone for just a moment before she got up and followed him, hearing a bit of noise that shouldn't be going on just for someone going to the bathroom. She walked inside, sighing a bit before she saw him hanging in the shower. Her eyes rounded and her heart skipped a beat as she ran forward, jumping up to untie the rope to cause him to fall into the tub instead. Once there, she dropped down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and she felt tears burn her eyes. She didn't realize that she'd accidentally turned on the shower and they were being doused with cold water. She hugged him tighter, burying her face in his shoulder and digging her fingernails into his back in an almost painful way, but all she wanted was to know that he wasn't dead. Tears started to streak down her cheeks, and she gasped in pain as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Leo started to cough a bit, indicating he was alive. He was starting to wake, though not much was going on through his head at the moment. His eyes were starting to open, showing a blank stare in them. His head rolled a bit, and he mumbled a bit of random gibberish. His breathing was rickety, and he ached all over. He couldn't focus on anything, not even the pain, so he just went back to sleep. Fortunately, his breath was still steady, indicating his soul was still well placed in his body.

Akari finally realized the water was on, and she moved over to turn it off. She lay down beside him in the tub, holding onto him in a very possessive way, almost as if she were afraid to even loosen her grip. She was afraid that he'd disappear or something. She had forgotten how strongly she felt for him until she saw him hanging from that noose. Nothing had ever scared her so badly. She hung onto him tightly as she lay down in the bath, doused with water. She was still scared, but she was so tired, and he was warm. She held onto him tightly even after she fell asleep, not wanting him to get up without her knowing. She buried her nose into his chest, ignoring the pain as she drifted off.

Leo woke up about an hour later, trying to figure out what was happening at the moment. His head was still hurting badly, and focusing just made it worse. Well, he was in a tub, he was being snuggled by a person. He was wet, and he kind of ached everywhere. Uh....No, nothing. No idea how he got in this position. Maybe it'll come to him in a bit. Or he's dead. Death looks a lot like his mom's bathroom. Wait...No, the rope was still around his neck. It was looser, but it was definitely still there. Leo let out a small sigh, then went back to sleeping, cause it was better then being up.

Akari stirred right after he did, opening her eyes once he was back to sleep. She wasn't sure what possessed her - the sadness, fear or anger - but for some strange reason, she felt like she had to kiss his sleeping lips. So, she did, letting hers linger there for a few moments before she pulled away and sighed, reaching up to undo the noose and take it off of him, threading her fingers very gently through his hair. Tears started to stream down her cheeks again as she sniffled out, "I love you."

Leo blinked his eyes back open at the kiss, eyes blank and clearly still not all there. He was still there a bit, though, and kissed her back.

Leo: Glad you love me. Now, we can talk about this later, but, could you maybe call my dad? It's kind of hard to breath right now, like, really hard.

Akari's face turned bright red and she nodded, pulling away immediately when he kissed her back. She continued to blush as she ran over to grab Leo's cell phone, then looked for his father's number. Completely humiliated, she called the number.

After an hour and a half, Leo was in his old room, which was still rather barren. He wasn't asleep, and has not been after the kiss. After Bruce came, he helped Leo, and in 30 minutes, was in his bed, focusing on his breathing, as he would rather not focus on how he got there. So, he just focused on his breathing. And how he was going to explain it. He had no idea at all what he was thinking when actually did it, he felt broken. Everything had gone in a full circle, with him dying on the inside two times here, one with his mom, and one with Akari. And it also hurt him to think that he only repaired Akari's love by committing suicide. He was at his lowest point, and given his past, that was saying something....

Akari hadn't left his side since he'd tried to hang himself, and she was laying beside him at the moment, her eyes shut as she slept. She kept one hand on his chest to make sure his heart was still beating, and she had one leg over his. She stirred after a moment, her amber eyes opening and realizing he wasn't sleeping either. "Leo." Her voice came out in a soft whisper, almost afraid as she crawled closer and rested her head on his chest. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered, her voice sounding hoarse, like she was the one who'd been hanging from the rope. "I said horrible things to you. I... I didn't mean any of it. I trust you. I realize that it was the madness, and I'm so sorry," she breathed, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Please don't do that again."

Leo patted her head, trying to let her know it was okay. When he spoke, his voice was not as hoarse as hers, but it did strain his throat when he did speak.

Leo: I'm sorry as well. What I did was the stupidest thing I could have done. Just don't blame yourself for this, Akari. Besides, it'll be hard to try again now with you laying on me.

He went from patting her to petting her hair, relaxing a bit as he did. It felt good to be like this, letting him feel even more calm about the position he was in.

Akari buried her face in his chest, letting him pet her hair. She was blushing darkly at the closeness. It felt strange, but very nice at the same time. She sniffled a bit and tightened her hold on him. "I... may have said something that I didn't quite mean, too... or maybe I did... I'm not sure. But I'm sorry if I offended you by saying I loved you or kissing you. If you remember that..."

Leo: You didn't offend me by saying those things, Kari. For now, why don't we just lay here, and just talk or something.

Leo was feeling really calm at this point, with his breathing not hurting as much anymore. All in all, he was feeling a lot better, though he was still pretty drowsy.

Leo: So, what do you want to talk about then?

Akari nodded and closed her eyes, relaxing a bit and laying her head on his chest. "I don't know. I guess... why did you leave your phone for me to find?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, you left your cell phone on the bed before you went down to try and kill yourself. I didn't read it, but was there something important for me to find?" she asked, petting his hair.

Leo: To be honest, I can't tell you. Whatever was going through my mind before I tried to hang myself feels like another person. What I can tell you, though, was that for a moment, I just gave up at life. In the end, it didn't really matter, I guess. The past is in the past, and there isn't much we can do about it.

Akari frowned a bit and closed her eyes. "I'm so sorry I did that to you. You had just hurt me and I didn't know what to do, and I was scared... you're bigger and stronger than me, so I had no idea what I'd do if you really did lose it, and I was hurt that you would do that to me, under influence of madness or not," she murmured, her fingers tracing small circles on his stomach.

Leo resisted shivering as she drew on his stomach, not wanting to disturb her. He kept his breathing steady, trying not to disturb the peace that much.

Leo: It's alright, Akari. It was my fault for responding so poorly. I should have been smarter about it rather then what I tried to do. And you are not to be blamed for what happened.

Akari sighed deeply and shook her head, sitting up to look at him. "I told you I loved you earlier, but you didn't say that you loved me, too. Does that mean you don't?" she asked, arching an eyebrow and keeping one hand on his stomach. She looked concerned, but not afraid of the answer. "I'd understand if you didn't."

Leo: That was not what I said. Kari, back when you first confessed, I did admit to having feelings for you as well. Then thing was is that I wasn't sure if I was ready to date you. You may have been ready, but I wasn't, and I still don't know if I am. What I am sure of, though, is that I still love you, even after everything that has happened, do not worry of that.

"I don't want to date you," she said with a small smile. "Not right now anyway. I just felt like you should know," she told him, laying down with a yawn and closing her eyes. "I just knew that you made me feel differently than anyone else ever has, and I acknowledged it after a while. I wish I'd known sooner. I think you've really helped me."

Leo: Understandable. I think we can wait for now. And I'm glad that I was able to help you in the end, Akari.

Leo let out a content sigh, placing a hand on her back. He drifted off to sleep, remaining completely silent as he did. However, Bruce walked in after a bit, checking up on the two of them.

Akari rested her head on his chest to fall asleep as well, liking how secure she felt. But she woke when Bruce walked in, a bright blush on her cheeks. She looked away, almost ashamed. "Sorry," she whispered, not knowing if he'd be protective of his son or not. She sure hoped it was the latter, and that he wouldn't be angry that she was currently cuddled with Leo.

Bruce let out a small chuckle at the scene, and an even bigger chuckle when she got all flustered about it. He motioned her to come with him, then headed out. He went down to the kitchen, then started making some tea for the two of them to drink. It had been a while since anyone had used that kitchen, and the first time he has as well. And even with one hand, he handled himself quiet well, easily getting everything ready, then carrying the tea and cups with one hand, though the cups and kettle were on a tray. He set the tray down on the table, then poured himself a cup, as well as one for Akari, regardless if she followed him or now.

Akari followed him of course, sitting down on the couch with a sheepish smile. "I'm really sorry... I don't know what he's told you about me - if he's mentioned me at all - but I don't think anyone wants someone like me to be with their kid. I'm sorry," she repeated, looking at the cups of tea and taking one for herself, putting some sugar in it before taking a few sips. She didn't look at his hand, honestly not caring, but was pretty impressed with him.

Bruce let out a small sigh, setting his cup down before he can drink it.

Bruce: I don't even know what that means. So far, he hasn't said anything to me, as he has been asleep whenever I was around, or at least he pretends to be sleep when I am around. Not sure which one it is, though I'm leaning toward he is pretending as he isn't ready to talk with me about it yet. Now, tell me why you say that, lass?

Embarrassed, Akari lowered her head. "I don't know if you want to know, much less if I want to tell you. It's not a personal thing, Mr. Thooft, and Leo knows it, but it hurts to even think about, so I don't know if it's possible for me to tell you right now," she told him in a quiet tone, then shook her head. No, if she wanted him to trust her she might as well tell him. "I can tell you a little. I was pregnant at one point, but my parents didn't like that, so they made me get rid of it. There's not much else to the story," she informed him, quickly taking a drink of tea to hide her watery eyes.

Bruce: Ah. Well, as a doctor my self, I personally don't like doing that. However, as a father, and I hate to admit this, I have wished so many times that I would have had Amy get one with Leo. Not saying I hate him, no. It's just, maybe it would have been a mercy to not have him, given his madness. I'm proud of what he has done, and that you two seem to trust each other a lot. But, is his life going to be better because of it?