A/N: Yaaay, next part! Even though I didn't get very many reviews, I still want to post the ending, because I do like this story. It gets cuter too, in this chapter... Though there is angst and stuffs. Probably more than I've ever written (however horrible it may be). So... yeah. Enjoy!

Rating: T

Warnings: major angst, abuse, harsh words spoken to parental units, fleeing, and boy love. Oh, yeah, can't go wrong with the boy love. x3 (shonen-ai, though. Not yaoi, amazingly enough. xD )

Kira woke gently a few hours later. His eyelids fluttered, unseeing, mind heavy with sleep. After a few moments everything became clearer, and he glanced out the window. It was starting to get dark out; probably around six, then. No worries. There was no one at his apartment to care if he stayed out all night.

He shifted slightly, noticing amusedly how Setsuna had moved in his sleep. He was now lying fully across Kira, head snuggled into the crook of his arm, curled into a tight ball with his knees drawn up to his chest and pressed against Kira's stomach. His shirt was pushed up slightly, and Kira's fingers hovered there, searching. Smooth, pale skin stretched up from the waist of his jeans to where the shirt crumpled high on his back. Kira gently stroked the soft skin, smiling as Setsuna seemed to relax more and stretch out ever so slightly. All thoughts of Alexiel were gone now, replaced by someone else.

Setsuna…

Kira closed his eyes again, hand resting on the small of Setsuna's back, allowing himself to doze lightly. No thoughts of anything but the boy in his arms ever crossed his mind.

He failed to hear the front door close, on the verge of slumber once again. Setsuna's warmth made him drowsy. He had no idea where this would lead, what it would mean for them, what would happen when Setsuna woke up… And frankly, he didn't care. What would come would come. And he would protect Setsuna throughout it all – especially from himself.

Wrapped up in such thoughts, it came as a great surprise to him when he was suddenly slapped hard across the face. His eyes flew wide open, but he had to blink a few times to push the sleep away so he could see clearly.

Setsuna's mother stood before them, almost livid, hand still poised from the slap. Kira raised his fingers to his cheek and touched the spot where she had slapped him, wincing as it smarted.

Mrs. Mudou said nothing to him, and her rage was quickly re-focused on her own son. Kira heard another loud smack and felt the jolt in his lap as she hit Setsuna on the back of the head. The blow woke him instantly, and he sat up, dazed. Kira could clearly see the terror in his eyes when he focused on his mother's red face.

"Mom, what--"

He was interrupted by a painful-sounding slap on his cheek. Kira winced even though he couldn't see it, blocked as he was by Setsuna kneeling on his lap. He vaguely realized that his arms were still around Setsuna's waist.

Mrs. Mudou grabbed Setsuna by the hair and dragged him off the couch, ignoring his cries of pain. She began to scream at him, words jumbling together in a giant, angry mess, so that Kira couldn't understand but a few words and phrases.

"…wretched animal… saw the flyer… your sister!... in the lap of some boy… should be locked up… disgraceful…"

Setsuna merely stood there, no way to avoid the emotional daggers she was throwing at him, the tears looking ready to spill over any second. He rubbed his face where she had slapped him, gazing at the ground. Kira wondered why he was still sitting on the couch.

As Mrs. Mudou pulled back her arm to hit Setsuna again, something in Kira's head clicked. He was off of the couch before his mind could protest, and stepped in between the enraged parent and her son. He caught the woman's wrist before it could deliver the blow.

She started to scream at him as well, calling him pervert and fag, and how she couldn't believe something like this could ever happen in her house, and Kira stopped her with the tightening of his large hand on her small arm. She tried to yank her hand away, but Kira was too strong. He spoke calmly and didn't take his eyes away from the small woman in front of him.

"Mrs. Mudou. I will not deny what you saw. But you have no right to judge anyone, even your own son. Especially your own son." Kira felt Setsuna's trembling hands fist in his shirt. He continued on, eyes narrowing, never leaving the other's. "And you can hit me all you want, scream at me, I don't care what you do. But if you ever hurt Setsuna like this again, you can be sure that I will not sit by quietly and watch. I will protect him with my life if I have to." He released her wrist. Setsuna's hands began to shake at his words, and Kira wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him it would be alright, that nothing could hurt him now. But he still had to deal with the infuriated woman standing in front of him.

"God will punish you," she hissed, voice trembling with her anger. "You're both going to go to hell!"

Kira couldn't help but chuckle darkly at her words. She doesn't know how right she is, he thought ironically. Out loud, he muttered, "We'll see."

Taking advantage of her slight pause at his lack of fear, Kira grabbed Setsuna around the waist and bolted out the door, ignoring Mrs. Mudou's yells of indignation as they ran down the sidewalk and into the falling twilight.

They reached Kira's apartment without slowing. Kira knew it wasn't wise to push Setsuna after what he'd been through, but he needed to get him to a safe place. If they stopped to rest, they'd never get there. And who knew what could happen if Mrs. Mudou had called the police on them and they were caught…

Feeling slightly guilty as Setsuna breathed heavily from the run, Kira clutched him to his chest and held him tight as he pushed the key into the door with a slightly trembling hand. The door opened, but neither made any move to go in. Setsuna was trying to get his breath back, and Kira just didn't want to move without him.

Slender fingers gripped Kira's waist tightly, the blond head burying itself in his shirt, seeking sanctuary. Kira was more than willing to give it to him, encircling the thin shoulders with his arms, holding him close, fingers running through his hair.

After a few moments, Setsuna shivered and Kira decided they should go inside before it got any colder. It was getting dark.

Gently pushing Setsuna into the room ahead of him, Kira shut and locked the door. He sat Setsuna on the edge of the low bed, not much more than a mattress and comforter, and kneeled so that they were more or less at eye level. Setsuna looked back at him with slightly glazed eyes, the fear not entirely dissolved yet. His cheek was bruised and swollen where his mother had slapped him, and he squinted slightly from fatigue.

Kira took the battered face in his hands, stomach twisting with guilt and anger as he brushed his thumb along the deep purple mark. Setsuna winced and tried to pull away, but Kira moved forward and pressed his forehead to the boy's. He kissed Setsuna's nose lightly, then stood up. His hands gently pushed Setsuna down until he was lying on the rickety mattress. Kira brought his face down to Setsuna's and whispered quietly in his ear,

"You should get some sleep."

His lips lingered on Setsuna's forehead before reaching back to pull up the blankets that clumped at the foot of the bed. After making sure he was covered and warm, Kira turned to take his seat by the door, guarding Setsuna from afar like he always has. But he was only able to take one step, as a weak hand gripped his sleeve.

Kira turned back to stare into wide brown eyes, begging him to stay. They were so delicate and pleading that Kira found himself unable to disobey their request.

With a small sigh of defeat, Kira climbed on top of the bed to lie next to Setsuna, who immediately snuggled closer to him, seeking warmth. Kira curled protectively around him, smiling slightly at the feeling of Setsuna's body in his.

It was unusual, for him to feel this much. He shouldn't be able to; he wasn't human, or even mortal. Nothing should be able to do this to him. Setsuna shifted slightly, rubbing his face against Kira's neck, and he realized he didn't care in the least. If this meant he was mortal, that he could die or be killed just as easily as any of the other soft, vulnerable bodies that inhabited Assiah, then so be it. Setsuna was his responsibility now, and it was Kira's duty to be with him always.

Relaxing around Setsuna's skinny frame, Kira was surprised to feel content. He knew there would be hell to deal with when they woke up – Setsuna could now be considered officially homeless; there was probably an entire police squad after them; and they were asleep – together – in his bed, for Hell's sake!

These thoughts soon faded, however, as Setsuna's warmth seeped through him. As his eyelids drooped and he felt darkness overcoming him, Setsuna already fast asleep in his embrace, Kira realized that through it all, he wouldn't want to have it any other way.

A/N: So, there it is. The ending. Hope it was enjoyable. Please leave me a review, even though there's nothing coming after. I'm a review whore, and maybe some compliments will fuel my creativity and you can have some more of this yummy Kira/Setsuna love.

Ja ne!

-- Axel-chan --