Ken and Hiro: Part 3.

Ever since Akihiro started playing the role of his 'bodyguard', Kentaro found life in the mansion bearable, even enjoyable.

The family still gave him the cold shoulder, something Ginger had grown used to, but having someone in his corner within those mansion walls felt different. Akihiro was unlike anyone else there. Ken had half-expected the older kid to cozy up to the Haradas right away and ditch him, but that didn't happen. Akihiro made it clear he couldn't stand those people, and he wasn't afraid to show it.

The only person he showed respect to was Satoshi Harada, obviously.

Ken also appreciated that ever since his care-taker's arrival, Izuki had kept his distance, which meant the bullying from his older brother had dwindled. Poor Izuki could only shoot daggers at him from afar. Ginger had a feeling Izuki was actually scared of Akihiro...

... Which he probably was.

And just like that, more than two peaceful years slipped by.

"It's amazing how much people respect you here."

Kentaro had said these words before countless times, so much so that Akihiro had learned to just roll his eyes and ignore him. However, he did throw a short glance at the eight-year-old, who was sprawled belly-down, doodling as usual. The two of them were having a picnic lunch under their favorite tree.

"Young Master, eat something before you get lost in your drawings," Akihiro sighed, shaking his head. "You might never snap out of it then."

Ken cringed at that. "Who's Young Master? I'm Kentaro."

"Fine, Young Master Kentaro," Akihiro teased.

Clicking his tongue in disdain, Ken straightened into a sitting position and grabbed an egg and bacon sandwich from their little basket. Having noticed something else in there, Kentaro immediately wrinkled his nose.

"No lettuce, Hiro. Why's it always these disgusting greens with you?" he complained.

"It's not disgusting, it's healthy," Akihiro reprimanded. "You want to grow taller, don't you?"

"I'm tall enough," Ken muttered, steering clear of the greens.

"Instead of doodling all day, why not check out the notes I leave you once in a while," Akihiro unexpectedly snatched the sketchbook from beside Ken's lap.

Ken's response was immediate, if not a little flustered, "Hey, give it back!"

"What? Scared I'll laugh at your little artistry?" Akihiro easily dodged and maintained the distance between himself and the kid. Seeing that Ken had no way of ever catching up with him, Akihiro examined the sketch and puffed a laugh, "Is this supposed to be me? Why do I suddenly have horns and a pointed tail?"

Kentaro slumped down and turned his face away evasively, "You just... remind me of someone."

"Is that someone the devil??" Akihiro joked, bewildered.

Kentaro suppressed a little snicker as he shook his head, "A little bit, but no. It's this uncle who wouldn't let me climb trees, run around, or basically do anything fun."

"An uncle???" Akihiro flopped back dramatically, playfully offended. "Do I look like an uncle? Impossible, I'm not even twenty yet..."

Ken finally laughed, "No, more like a cooler big brother."

Relieved, Akihiro quipped, "So why do I remind you of that uncle?"

Ken shot him a look that said, 'I've told you already'.

Akihiro clicked his tongue, "That uncle was right. Why would you suddenly want to climb a tree anyway? What if you fell and broke your neck?"

"It's fun."

"Fun, fun, what FUN? READ YOUR NOTES!" Akihiro finally smacked Ginger's head with a book, causing the boy to quickly scramble away from him.

"But you said to eat—"

"Now you want to eat?" Akihiro asked as he loomed over Ken menacingly, and the result was immediate. Kentaro was focused on his notes in an instant, feigning interest as he flipped pages and tried to seriously concentrate on reading. Akihiro piped up again after a while of observing the increased disgruntlement contorting Ginger's expression. "Why are you squinting? Are the words making you angry?"

"Yes, they are! What kind of handwriting is this? Did you even want me to read these?" Ken muttered disdainfully.

"What are you talking about?" Akihiro frowned, momentarily doubting himself. After snatching the notebook and confirming everything was fine, he immediately began his reprimand. "Don't be lazy! Can't you read simple words? You handle much harder stuff during your lessons!"

"At least Mr. Tutor's handwriting is decent!"

"Oh, you want me to write those huge chunks of…" Akihiro suddenly trailed, his anger waning. He hadn't really thought about it until now but whenever it came to reading and writing, Kentaro would always perform better if the words were particularly large. A moment of pondering, then he asked, "Do your eyes go all fuzzy when you read small words, Ken?"

"Yeah, it's really annoying," the younger boy didn't consider the sudden change of demeanor as he admitted quietly, placing the book aside. "The tutor also used to write small words but after a while he started writing bigger words. Maybe he thought I was mad at his previous handwriting, but whatever. Either way, the words he writes now are way easier to read so I won't apologize."

"I see."

It seemed that in all his eight years, Kentaro had never known that he was short-sighted.

**

"So that's where the problem lies," Satoshi Harada mused after Akihiro reported the situation to him when he visited his study later that day.

"It was hard to notice at first since it hardly showed," Akihiro gave an apologetic bow. "It was my negligence that I didn't see it sooner."

"It's amazing that you noticed at all," Satoshi released a sigh. "Heard that boy hardly shows his emotions to anyone."

Akihiro muttered, "He's a lot more like you than you think, sir."

Satoshi arched an amused brow, having heard him.

"In terms of short-sightedness, I mean," Akihiro quickly corrected, though that most definitely wasn't the only thing he'd implied. Still, his words made the man behind the desk chuckle a little.

"Seeing as that's the case, the problem has to be fixed then," Satoshi spoke, chin in hand, looking thoughtful. "I'll arrange for an optician to swing by tomorrow and sort out glasses for Kentaro."

Akihiro seemed to have something else in mind, and it showed.

"You've got something to share?" Satoshi inquired curiously.

"Uh, well... For someone his age, I don't think he'd like contact lenses very much. They'd be a hassle for him to use," Akihiro reasoned. "If he had a pair of spectacles though, they'd be a lot easier for him to handle. Maybe."

Satoshi seemed to consider it for a moment, before he let out a breath and smiled, "His protector knows best."

Akihiro felt relieved. He hadn't thought Satoshi would actually consider it. Which was why he felt a little bold about his next words.

"May I make another suggestion?"

"What is it?" the man listened.

"Tomorrow, instead of inviting the optician over, wouldn't it be better if it were the other way around?"

Satoshi raised a brow, "For Kentaro to leave the Estate?"

Those words alone were enough for Akihiro to know he'd messed up, that he had to leave it be. He'd gotten a little carried away by making this request. It'd just been something he'd wanted to do for Kentaro.

"Akihiro, you know he can't leave the Estate yet."

"I-I get that, but it'd just be for a day — no, just a few hours…"

"I'm sorry, but that's a no," Satoshi said, turning back to his computer. "It's too early. He's too young and might latch onto things outside that don't matter."

"But—"

"I've noticed you've really grown fond of Kentaro lately," Satoshi suddenly remarked, causing Akihiro to freeze. "But then, you've been his bodyguard for almost three years now. It's understandable."

For some reason, Akihiro didn't like where this was heading.

Before he could say a word, Satoshi beat him to it.

"After the year ends, I'm transferring you."

Straight to the point. Satoshi's announcement left thirteen-year-old Akihiro in disbelief. He stood there, stunned, his face a picture of shock. "What?"

"I realized it was too soon when I assigned you here," Satoshi continued, regret coloring his words. "It was too soon for both of you. Ken was more focused when he was alone. Now you're a distraction."

"He lived in fear and hatred when he was alone! Is that what you really want?!" Akihiro suddenly lashed out without meaning to.

"If it gets results, then yes," Satoshi replied, unmoved by Akihiro's outburst.

"This will only make him hate you and the family even more," Akihiro muttered.

"I'm aware," Satoshi said simply.

This had gone downhill so fast, Akihiro was still in slight disbelief. His jaw subconsciously clenched at the injustice.

Seeing how angry the younger had become, Satoshi sighed and stood from behind the desk. "Have you already forgotten what I taught you, Akihiro?"

The teen didn't respond.

"As a bodyguard, you should always stand by your post. There is no need for unnecessary attachments," the chairman spoke as he approached his employee. "Let's say you did become close like brothers, if something tragic were to happen to either one of you, would the other be able to handle such a loss?"

After all, as a bodyguard, one could never be certain about their own lifespan. Hiro's parents were a great testimony to that. He'd long since understood that his parents' deaths hadn't been caused by just a random accident.

"So, you're speaking from experience?" Akihiro's voice wavered, fiery gaze pinned onto the older man.

Satoshi still looked unfazed as he patted the other on the shoulder. "Indeed I am," and he dared to even look a little apologetic in the process. "I wouldn't want you two to experience the same feelings of loss."

"But he's family…" the young teen's voice came out weak.

"Akihiro—"

"Fine, I get it, I won't get buddy-buddy with Kentaro. I'll know my place as a stationed bodyguard," Akihiro said in a low voice. "Then there won't be any reason for the transfer, right?"

"There is."

Akihiro's head snapped up so fast any average person would fear for his neck. His words came out through gritted teeth while he attempted to suppress his rising anger. "And why is that?"

"If you want to be a decent bodyguard, don't you think your skills need polishing?" Satoshi stated matter-of-factly. It irked the teen how unbothered the man looked, considering he seemed more than happy to isolate his own son.

"My skills are fine! I've been trained since I was little—"

"If that's true, then show me."

Akihiro stared at the man, his eyes red with fury. But in a rare moment, he swallowed his pride and turned away, fists clenched at his sides.

"You won't show me, then?" Satoshi asked, hands casually clasping behind his back.

"I wouldn't dare lay a finger on the Head of the Harada family," the teenager replied simply.

"Then you've lost. You're being transferred."

"That's not fair!"

"What?" Satoshi raised an eyebrow challengingly. "I asked for you to show me your so-called skills, and you refused. You're evidently still lacking."

Akihiro snapped. "If you wanted to get beat up so badly, you should've said so!" It was all the teen needed to lunge at the man with a clenched fist .He'd thought he had it in the bag, but he was taken aback when the older man effortlessly dodged and flipped the tables by tripping him instead. A sharp pain shot up from Akihiro's right wrist as he found himself roughly pinned to the floor, his hand twisted behind his back. Every struggle brought more pain to his wrist, leaving him feeling helpless.

"Get it now?" Satoshi asked. "If I were an assassin, you'd be done for. You're too young, Akihiro. There's still much you don't know."

Akihiro stayed motionless even after being released, not bothering to get up. Whether it was the shame of being bested by the man he underestimated or the pain in his hand, he couldn't tell.

"As I said, you'll be temporarily transferred next year for special training," Satoshi announced, straightening his sleeves. "If you keep getting too close to Ken, I'll have to move you even sooner."

"You really are... cruel."

Satoshi paused for a moment, seeming disappointed. "I never expected that from you."

Silence.

"It doesn't matter. I'll let it slide as a slip of the tongue, given how upset you are," he added, returning to his seat.

The teen's voice wavered as he asked, "How long?"

Satoshi gave him a curious look.

Akihiro finally slowly stood up, but kept his eyes downcast. "How long will you have me transferred?"

Satoshi didn't answer immediately.

The younger huffed a helpless chuckle. "At least tell me that much, Uncle."

Satoshi gazed out the large French windows, contemplating. After what felt like an eternity, he finally said, "It all depends on your progress."

"Does it, though?" Akihiro didn't quite buy it, but Satoshi still seemed nonchalant.

He simply told the teen, "Ken will be worried because of your delay. You better get going."

Akihiro's final steely gaze lingered on the chairman, lips trembling in both anger and devastation. He wanted to curse. He wanted voice his doubts about his mother's blood relations to the evil man before him. He'd worked so hard to get Kentaro to open up, to trust truly him, and for what? All of it gone with the wind because of that simple but mindless request...

No. It was Satoshi Harada's fault. It always would be.

But so what?

Still, Kentaro would never be happy here, that much was obvious.

"I understand, sir," Akihiro's words came out hollow, before he finally turned his back to the chairman and left the office without a backward glance.

He really should have kept his mouth shut.

~~~~~~