The Sunlight transport van stopped abruptly before it could even enter the garage properly. Ryo burst out of the sides in fury, clenching his fists as he entered. However, without a keycard, Ryo could not enter to stop Akai from his incomprehensible antics. Naoto exited the vehicle as Natia thanked her father, Dr. Zanner, for driving the transport van instead of Claude; he was missing in action. Naoto froze in place as Ryo pointed at him, gesturing him to speed towards the door to open it for him.
"Open the damn door." Ryo coldly commanded.
Naoto hesitated as he slowly maneuvered his way towards the main entrance. "Ryo, I don't think this is a good time to-"
"I said open it, goddamn it!" Ryo shouted, showing no regard for respect, now that he had lost almost everything he had loved and lived for. His rage fueled his passion for wanting to stop Akai even further, and no one would stop him even if it meant lashing out at the ones who were not responsible.
As Naoto scanned the main door's machine with his green keycard, Ryo kicked the door open and was greeted to a brightly lit living room with Jinni and Akai standing near the kitchen. Ryo brushed Naoto aside like trash and stepped in without removing his shoes. Akai, who had held the orange crystal and a small clipboard with a set of instructions, was attempting to downgrade the significance of the crystal by using Jinni's lesser vocabulary against her for his own uses.
Naoto attempted to drag Ryo back, but he missed his chance like he had missed his opportunity to stop Sumire's kidnapper. Natia entered the living room immediately and brandished a pistol aimed at Ryo's back to stop him in case violence spread through the headquarters. She knew his rage was too volatile to control with logical yet useless words. Actions were the next step, lethal or nonlethal.
"And as I said, the crystal will-" Akai paused, seeing Ryo storm forward like a rhino stampeding towards its nemesis. Jinni froze and turned around, witnessing Ryo's nose inhaling sharply out of complete and uncontrollable spite. She pulled herself backward in absolute terror, believing that the man who had communicated so pleasedly with her about Rose Accel's attack had dissipated. "Oh, Ryo! Good! Just the man I wanted to see! You don't seem-"
Ryo ignored Akai's sugarcoated words and snatched the orange crystal from his hand. Without turning to face anyone, he tossed it behind to Jinni for her to catch it like a hot potato game. Ryo grabbed his clipboard with his right hand and slammed it against the floor, shattering it in half. He then lunged his right arm forward against Akai's neck, driving him back against the glass window leading towards the backyard to pin him down in place. Akai held his hands up as a means to show no hostile intent, while Ryo failed to control his emotions and sanity degrading into ashes.
"Caught your fucking hand in the cookie jar again," Ryo bitterly insulted Akai as he continued to pin him down. Ryo's face shriveled up into pure menacing terror, revealing wrinkles amongst his face as his nose appeared stoutly. "The hell do you think you're doing to the crystal? And Jinni? Haven't you caused enough damage to her mind?"
Natia cocked her pistol back and continued pointing it at Ryo's back with the intent to fire. "I'm giving you one more chance, I swear to fucking God…!" She threatened as her hands shivered in hesitation.
"Stand down, Natia." Akai calmly ordered.
"Stay out of this!" Natia replied.
"I said, stand down!" Akai repeated.
Jinni darted towards Naoto to embrace him while leaving Ryo and Akai aside. Natia gritted her teeth in regret before holstering her pistol away. Nana and Dr. Zanner remained outside, unsure of what was happening in the midst of their headquarters.
Like a joker, Akai grinned to ease the situation with his comedic and childish attitude. He sniffled soundly as Ryo continued pinning his neck with lethal aggression. "Oh, Ryo," He began, sounding extremely standoffish and sarcastic with his tone. "Do you really hate me that much? What have I done to make you feel this way? What have I done to make you do this tonight, brother?"
"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Ryo yelled, shoving his arm further towards Akai's throat to make him cough by reflex. "And I'm not your brother. You weren't there for April when she had her accident. You come here and you show no regard for our mission, and you brought Rose Accel here to mess with Jinni's head. Where were you that entire time, huh? Where the fuck were you? Don't make it seem like you gave a shit about Jinni, because you didn't. And now you're here taking the crystal? Are you that arrogant?"
"Okay, I see what's going on," Akai replied with another light grin. "Underneath all your anger, I can see it. This is starting to make sense now."
"Make sense?" Ryo repeated. "How does any of this make sense!?"
"You obviously don't see the bigger picture, Ryo," Akai said, flipping his palms around to gesture a sign of peace and nonhostility. "I'm not the bad guy that others paint me to be. They may judge me, much like you of course, based on my actions. But it's all part of my job, nonetheless. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for your girlfriend's accident, I was busy. And as for leaving consistently, you know I'm Rose Accel's personal bodyguard, correct? I follow her code no matter what happens, and-"
"And that's it? So you sacrifice everything out of the question? Does it not matter what happens to the rest of us?" Ryo interrupted. "No. I want a real explanation. I want to know why you've been disappearing suddenly and siding with Rose Accel. I want to know why you weren't there at the hospital! I want to know the truth about what you want!"
"That's enough!" Natia ordered, stepping in between the two. "Let go of him right now." She commanded Ryo with a stern look.
"Well, I'm really liking this view, to be honest." Akai sarcastically stated, smiling as he stared into Ryo's enraged pupils.
Ryo shoved his arm further into Akai's throat, nearly choking and crushing Akai's windpipe. "You're stalling!" He shouted.
"I said, that's enough! I won't say it again!" Natia spat at Ryo's face once more with her voice nearly cracking from the constant pressure. She was about to lose her voice at this rate. Jinni sobbed into Naoto's arms to embrace his return as Dr. Zanner and Nana entered from behind. Chiaki, who had given reconnaissance to Sumire for the rescue mission, peeked down from the stairs without revealing himself to witness the situation.
Ryo pushed himself back, leaving Akai out of his clutches. He exhaled a single deep breath before turning towards the stairs and storming up. "You know what, forget it. I've got bigger problems. I don't have any time to deal with any of you because none of you seem to give a shit about Sumire or Akai's stupid shit, or anyone for that matter! I'm fucking done with all of you. I'm leaving."
"Ryo, wait…" Naoto stepped forward, finding his actions unreasonable and without a clear conscious to think further from his anger. "You know that's not true. We do care. I care!"
"Sumire?" Jinni asked, rotating her head to Ryo. "What happened to Sumire?"
"Think about what you're doing," Natia warned. "You are vital to our mission. If you leave now, then you-"
Ryo gestured his hands and shrugged in aggressiveness. "This isn't about me!" Ryo shouted back, creating silence amongst the crowd. His strict voice echoed in the night like gunfire. "Claude doesn't seem to give a shit too! He didn't even bother showing up tonight. That really shows how much of a daughter Sumire was to him, wasn't it? None of you do! None of you fucking care, so why the hell should I? Why should I care about any of you? You're all wasting my goddamn time!"
Natia stepped forward to approach Ryo at the stairs. His words stung her heart and made her want to lash back. "If you think this is all a waste of time, then you can shove that up your-"
Akai gently pressed his hand on Natia's shoulder and brushed her aside. Everyone witnessed Akai stepping up without a single care in the world. He placed his other hand in his leather jean pocket and chuckled at Ryo's immature flurry of chaotic statements. "Now, now. He's right," Akai said. "We really are wasting his time, and we don't care about Sumire."
"Akai, what the hell?" Naoto asked. "Why would you say that?"
"Because that's exactly what he wants to hear," Akai continued, scratching the back of his neck as if this moment was a bother to him. "People like him, people who refuse to listen or seek the odd way out, or find the cure to his distraughtness should be regarded… as garbage."
Ryo clenched his fist and stomped down the stairs with a glare that took him back to his killer days in the Yakuza. "What the fuck... did you say?" He asked.
"Hey, what? It's the truth, isn't it?" Akai chuckled as he shrugged. "He just wants to hear what he chooses to hear, and he filters everything that doesn't appease him out. Someone who's in constant denial will do this for ages unless you let them go," Akai settled down his explanation and began to slip his fingers into his golden plaid tie to loosen it. He tugged on it, removed it to the ground, and back to unbutton his collar. "But something that you must know about me… is that I hate people like that. They act like the world is theirs as they shoulder the burdens of every mistake no matter how much it isn't their fault. Sumire and that girl's fall had all happened for a reason… but instead of finding it, you choose to sulk and dwell into nothingness as they suffer for eternity. You're getting worked up for the right reason, yet you remain while everyone moves past. I loathe people like that. I just can't stand them."
Ryo knew that Akai was searching for a fight the moment he unbuttoned his collar and removed his tie. The other Sunlight members began backing up and leaving them space after Akai revealed his feelings about Ryo's behavior. He stepped down from the stairs and prepared to strike Akai. "You come into this place and try to ruin Jinni's life-"
"How long are you going to use that as a weapon against me, Ryo?" Akai asked. "I already told you, I am left with no option but to follow Rose Accel's orders. I do what she asks me. But you, with the lesser mind, took it too personally as if I don't have an agenda of my own," Akai cracked both of his knuckles. "Well, you're going to find out what my agenda is about people like you. And as we both know… you've done more heinous things than I ever did."
Chiaki stepped down the stairs in an attempt to stop Ryo and Akai from battling each other. Jinni also worryingly wanted to intervene, but Natia gently shoved her back into Naoto, believing it was for the best to leave them alone. Natia also signaled towards Chiaki to head back upstairs with a glare, to which he did slowly.
"People like you sicken me, Ryo," Akai repeated once more as Ryo approached him. "Not only do you think you're the center of attention, but you're also a washed-up gangster. If you ask me, your time in whatever gang you belonged to was a waste-"
Ryo struck Akai in the cheek with the most powerful punch he ever threw out. However, he never expected Akai to withstand his blow without moving a single inch. Ryo gasped after realizing Akai barely moved, and a dent to his cheek failed to form. Natia pushed back everyone else, leaving the two to battle.
"What kind of punch was that?" Akai asked. "Is that your best?"
"Shut up!" Ryo raged onward, delivering another jab to his left cheek.
Once more, Akai didn't flinch and took the blow. It was not to say Ryo's two punches were meager or weak, as they both sounded like lightning strikes in the wind from their overall strength. But the lightning failed to strike anything after soaking up the damage. "I guess it really is your best. That's just sad." He sarcastically said.
"I said… shut the fuck up!" Ryo repeated and dove in forward for another punch with his right hand.
Akai slipped the back of his right hand across Ryo's right arm to weave through. With his left hand still in his pocket, Akai dodged the blow and cupped Ryo's jaw with his right hand. Summoning an abnormal amount of strength, Akai slammed Ryo and pinned him to the wooden floors as everyone around gasped at the sight of his strength and casual attitude. Ryo's back weakened after Akai's defensive blow. He wanted to fight back, but Akai pinned his hip with his right knee.
"You're getting worked up over nothing," Akai continued. "The more you keep this up, the longer it'll take to find Sumire. But remember, this was your decision."
"Don't you dare say her name or act as if you care, you piece of shit!" Ryo rampaged once more with his left leg for an upwards kick.
Akai chuckled once more and blocked it with his right shoulder. He edged Ryo's leg away and stood back up. He kicked Ryo's face with a devastating blow, sending him flying towards the living room and crashing him down on the interactive map in the meeting room. The force of Ryo's weight nearly broke the table in half.
"Where's your strength now that your last source of power is gone, boy?" Akai asked, shuffling through the crowd to meet Ryo at the meeting table. "Are you truly that pathetic? Maybe you don't deserve any of them after all. Now everyone in this room can see you for who you truly are!"
Ryo swept his legs around and attempted to kick Akai directly in the face, but with another swift dodge, Akai caught his foot and dragged him down to face head-on. Akai grabbed Ryo's white-collar and grinned at him.
"Surely you can do better!" Akai said before throwing Ryo towards the living room ground, where he slid across.
"Stop it!" Jinni begged as her eyes were bawling with tears from watching Ryo's destruction.
"Ladies and gentleman… this is your knight in shining armor, the one destined to save Aries! The one destined to successfully find himself among the storm!" Akai cheered on as he pinned Ryo to the ground by laying on top of his stomach. "All bark and no bite!" He cried before pummeling Ryo's cheeks with his fists multiple times until blood gushed out of his torn cheeks and mouth. "Could always be worse! I could kill you right here before you even have the chance to see your sister and your girlfriend again!"
After Akai finished Ryo off with one final punch, Akai stood up and wiped the blood lathered on his knuckles on his leather pants. He straightened out his collar before turning around to the rest of Sunlight, who were stunned at the sight of Ryo being beaten down despite his Yakuza heritage. Jinni, who had lost all sense of control, cried her eyes out into Naoto's shoulder while the rest of them watched.
"My sincerest apologies," Akai said to the Sunlight members while straightening out his collar. His touseled shaggy black hair flayed flamboyantly as he slicked it back with his sweat. "I'll write a report to Rose Accel about Sumire's disappearance. We'll find her soon. Have a nice evening, and keep the crystal. We all know if that crystal leaves this building, that boy'll lose his mind again."
Akai moved out of the way through the headquarters exit, leaving the Sunlight members to see Ryo destroyed beyond repair. His eyes, cheeks, and jaw were battered beyond identification. His eyes were bruised and swollen while his cheeks were indented with Akai's fists. Blood splattered across the wooden floors and walls, leaving difficult stains. Ryo's choked on his own blood as he attempted to breathe in and out of his mouth. His nose was pummeled down, which made it difficult to breathe through his nostrils.
"Fucking hell..." Natia said as she closed her eyes in shame and disgust. "Goddamn it. Nana, start medics. Hurry!"
"Eee-eee! Roger!" Nana called as her monkey feet leaped into the air next to Ryo's face.
"Why…" Naoto began to appear teary-eyed alongside Jinni. He punched the wall next to him in distress, startling the rest of them except Natia. "Why didn't we stop him?! Why did it have to come to this?"
"You don't get it!" Natia shouted at Naoto in return. "He had this coming. He was too arrogant for his own good. He would have only caused a bigger scene other than the one he already made. Besides, I knew he was a ticking time bomb. All those damn Nakais are the same, and he only proved me right!" She turned back to Ryo in utter disgust as she reminded him of their talk at the Hullbreaker Tunnels. "What you said about us being similar was wrong. And you can take that promise you made and shove it up your ass."
"No, why!?" Jinni lashed out towards Natia and grappled her shoulders. Her eyes and cheeks were soaked in black-colored makeup. "How can you say such a thing to Ryo? I refuse! I refuse to believe he is like this! Say you're sorry!"
"Get your filthy hands off of me, clown girl!" Natia roared as she shoved Jinni back into Naoto's arms. "What would you know about me? You don't know a damn thing about me! And don't act like you're innocent either! You're also the problem in this damn place. I can't believe Sumire let in a weak and pathetic fool like you into this damn place. What kind of person would let themselves submit to a fucking cripple like Rose Accel?"
Jinni's face shriveled up like a raisin while Naoto protected her with his arms.
"That's the thing with all of you!" Natia exclaimed aloud to everyone in the living room, including her adoptive father who remained silent the entire time. "Unless you all learn to grow some fucking balls, I want nothing to do with any of you. You can all go to hell," She stumbled next to Ryo, where Nana already began repairing and soothing his wounds. "And you especially, Nakai."
"Then I'm taking you with me…" Ryo choked as he spoke with the last of his strength. "Because… I made a promise…"
Natia clenched her teeth as a solid tear began to form on her right eye. His rage had proven him to be incompetent and untrustworthy, and that devastated her. All of the promises that he had made to her were nothing after his outrage, and that made her heart crumble into ashes.
"The moment I decided to open my heart to you, a worthless Nakai like you... you do this. You proved to me tonight that you don't care about me. I thought you were different. I thought you were one of us. And let me remind you, that I actually gave a damn about you. I actually... I actually felt something for you. But now I know you don't give a damn, so why should I!?"
Natia broke out in utter disregard and contempt for Ryo. She swept Nana aside with a powerful sweep of her backhand, sending her flying towards the couch. The other Sunlight members rushed to Nana's aid as Natia grabbed Ryo's bloodied collar and tugged it in distraught. Her single tear droplet splattered across Ryo's forehead, forcing him to return to his original state before Sumire was shot and presumably killed. "Tell me, then. Tell me why I should care!" Natia sobbed.
"Because... I'm trying," Ryo whispered. "And... I do care."
Natia's clenched teeth returned into a passive state where her mouth drooped down into lifelessness. She released her grip on Ryo's collar and closed her eyes tightly while envisioning her forgiveness for his actions and words. She stood up and snapped at Nana for her to return to recuperating and recovering Ryo's wounds.
"Then prove it." Natia coldly stated before she stormed past the crowd and up the stairs without another word. Her last three words were built solely on regret and false hope, and Ryo could sense it just by her deliverance. Dr. Zanner made way for upstairs to speak to his adopted daughter while Naoto, Jinni, and Nana rushed to Ryo's aid.
While Ryo could hear their precious words bathe him in forgiveness for Sumire's disappearance and his actions, Ryo could hear nothing but garbled gibberish tossed at him from both ears. He had lost April, Sumire, and now Natia's trust. He sensed his heart being buried alive by the ongoing pressures from his childhood catching up to him in the present, and he only blamed himself for his irrational actions.
As Naoto, Jinni, and Nana continued supporting Ryo to help him recover from his wounds, Ryo turned his head to the right and caught a glimpse of the orange crystal near the living room's fireplace where Jinni tossed it while she grasped Natia's shoulders. He could see a pale glimpse of April and Sumire's eyes from within its crystalline reflection. Yet the longer he stared at it, the more he realized that it was only an illusion that fogged his reality.
Reality reminded him that life hurts. Only this time, he had never been so wrong before.