[ Ren nods slowly at Akechi's questions. He takes a deep breath, swallows, and exhales. ] I was... I was never trying to hurt the guy. Honest. [ He hides his eyes behind damp bangs for a second, before he meets Akechi's gaze again. ] But I realized really quick that no one really wanted to hear that. [ He sighs. ] Not even my parents.

[ There had been a lot of yelling and a lot of crying. A lot of we raised you better than this. A lot of screaming and a bit of shoving and several sleepless nights later, and off he was on the train to Tokyo with his things either shoved in a box or sold to pay his legal fees. ]