They moved to the car and Suoh help

They moved to the car and Suoh helped him inside. Tao ignored the sharp pain in his chest as he tried to settle into a comfortable position.

"Is it true that you stayed inside the entire time?" Suoh asked him evenly from where he stood outside the car door, eyes full with curiosity and newfound respect.

Tao nodded weakly. Shit, even nodding was painful. He gripped his chest to control his breaths.

"Not many men can watch such thing without pissing in their pants," Suoh commented. "Moreover assisting to do any of that."

"I am not those 'many men'," Tao replied simply.

Suoh looked at him intensely for a long minute. "I can't believe you are only 15. Shit. There isn't much left there to be identified as human. It looks more like…a mess of beef stew or…something. Something but a living being. Well, at least we don't have to hide the body, can just feed the remains to the dogs. But the blood, geez, it is everywhere. It will take days to completely clean the entire room. What did the two of you do? Painting the room with her blood or what?"

Tao gave a wicked smile that lightened his dark opal eyes and brightened his handsome face. "She hurt my best friend. Just killing her would be way too easy. Fortunately, it looks like Asami and I have a similar mindset about that."

Stunned, the giant shook his head in disbelief. "You do remind me of Asami-sama when he was younger. Well, welcome to the family, boy. You just proved your worth in our organisation."

Part 2. You Gain Some, You Lose Some

"Akiiii," Kou practically squealed in pure joy when he saw me. "Do you bring what I asked you to bring?"

Dumping all the things that I bring with me to his lap, I scowled at my best friend, "Stop screaming, jerk! You are at a hospital!"

Kou started rummaging around the piles of magazines. Porn magazines, I might need to add. I sighed. As long as he got better, I would bring him porn everyday if he wanted to. Anything to get my best friend back to health.

I felt guilty for what Kou had gone through. My best friend got a few stitches at different part of his body, a lot of bruises and some broken bones. He had done nothing to deserve it, nothing but being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But when I had told him how sorry I was, he had merely dismiss my apology, insisting that there was nothing to forgive. If I kept insisting he would kick me in the ass, so I pretended that nothing was wrong, which was a total lie to me.

Takato shook his head in disbelief at Kou's attitude. "Geez, did you buy the entire adult shop, Akihito? I believe that could last for months."

"You are only jealous because you are married and you can't openly read this kind of thing anymore," Kou snickered at his friend.

With a huge grin in his face, Takato merely replied, "Well, why do I need to read those crap when I can enjoy the real thing?"

I shrugged at my best friends' stupid bantering, knowing that it would soon escalated to a friendly yet somewhat violent brawl. Before I could stop their bitching, though, Kou had already threw a magazine at Takato. It was written in our unsaid agreement that being friends since we were five meant that every hit we threw at each other would always be considered as a joke and not to be taken seriously. So, I was a bit confused when Takato fell silent while taking the magazine that hit his head from the floor.

Until I realised that it was a gay porn magazine.

I was not sure whether Kou had told Takato about his newfound interest towards men or his feeling for Arata. But it was better not to take any chance.

"Ummm," I started, trying to save the situation from being even more awkward. "My mistake, I just grabbed whatever-"

Takato merely sighed. "Well, I guessed it already, you know. I am just waiting for you to tell me," he hit the back of Kou's head with the magazine. "And now that I know you told Aki already, I feel hurt and left behind." He feigned a dramatic hurt pose, both hands grasping his chest.

"Hey, I just told Aki like…I don't know, weeks ago?" Kou rubbed the back of his head while glancing at me, silently asking for confirmation. I simply nodded. "Besides, how come you know already? And fyi, I still like women."

Takato snorted. "The term is bi, idiot. And everyone who saw how you ogled Arata would-"

Realising that I was there, Takato stopped short and looked at me guiltily. "Umm…"

Geez, was I the only one who didn't notice my best friend's feeling for my ex? Like seriously, I couldn't be that dense, could I?

"It is okay, Takato," I sighed. Now, everything was really so awkward. "We broke up, remember? I told you months ago. Arata and I was over long time ago."

"Well, that was not what I heard last from Kou," Takato said while throwing a meaningful look at Kou, who by now was staring intensely at his bandaged hands as if it was the most fascinating thing in the whole universe.

I didn't even blink before I answered without an ounce of hesitation. "Well, I reconfirmed it with Kou a few weeks ago, when I just got back in Tokyo. Arata and I was over. Kou can ogle him all he wants. There, no more misunderstanding," I firmly stated with a grin in my face.

Strangely, Kou didn't say anything. He didn't even look at us.

"Hey, man. Are you okay? Any pain?" I asked with another wave of guilt and worry.

Kou just played with his fingers, a familiar habit that showed his definite nervousness.

"Have you talked to him, Aki?" Kou finally asked with a miserable expression in his face right before I started to think about calling the nurse. Kou being this silent must mean trouble of some sort and my first thought was his many injuries.

"To whom? The nurse?" I asked absentmindedly in alarm. Should I talk to the nurse about anything?

Kou rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "To Arata, idiot."

The storage room had been dark and smelled like rotten meat. But all my focus had went to Arata's screaming.'You..who are you? You are not Akihito!' Arata's voice had been raw in fear. He'd been scared of me and he had wanted to get away from me.

Shaking my head to remove that scene from my mind, I tried to delay the inevitable, "Umm, nope. I am planning to go to his room after I visit you. It is very convenient that you all are in the same hospital. Saving time, you see."

It was somewhat a lie. I would prefer to stay away from Arata after what had happened. I had postponed to visit him or Mariko for as long as I could. Besides, in that filthy storage, he had made it clear that he also preferred it that way.

I had tried to move closer, but Arata's howl had stopped me. 'You killed that guy! You killed him! Get away from me!'

"Perhaps, you better talk to him. I mean, soon. He feels bad about the whole thing, said something about saying the wrong thing to you."

'Murderer! MURDERER!'

I closed my eyes and swallowed, trying to stop Arata's accusation from playing like a broken record inside my head. "All is forgiven and forgotten," I said but my voice was thick with insincerity. I didn't blame Arata. Just like Kou, he was another victim. If there was anyone who needed to ask for forgiveness it would be me. I was the one who dragged them all to this mess. But still, Arata's words was a reminder of what I had done. There would be no way I could forget that I had killed someone.

Thankfully, Kou didn't notice that I lied. "Not for him," Kou replied, "Come on, Aki, give him a second chance. You both need to talk asap. He feels bad that-"

I cut his tirade in frustration. "He doesn't need to feel bad. And you need to stop trying to get Arata and I back together. It is not going to happen. I have a lover, remember?"

"Whoa wait, wait, you have a new lover?" Takato asked in irritation. "Hey, this is not nice, guys. I thought we are brother in arms and all. How come I am the only one who doesn't know anything?"

"Because you were busy going in a family vacation abroad and were not reachable?" I snapped back at him. Suddenly, I felt tired with the emotional roller coaster.

Takato quickly raised his hands in a surrender gesture. "Whoa, calm down, Aki-kun. I am just asking. That is all."

I rubbed my eyes wearily. "Sorry, Takato, I am just…I am not going through this argument anymore, Kou. Stop trying to get Arata and I back together."

"Is that because he helped that bitch to get you? The bitch who looks like you? Is that why you don't want to be together with him anymore?" Kou asked quietly.

"Geez, no! I told you this even before all that happened. Don't be stupid! Why are you trying to deny your feelings for him anyway?"

Avoiding my gaze, Kou mumbled, "I…I am just…it is all very frightening. I always love girls before him. Then suddenly he came and I…you know. But, there were you, his boyfriend, and I didn't have problem to be just a close friend. Then suddenly all changed and…there is my family expectation as well. God, my mother will have a heart attack if she knows, for sure. A heart attack and a lot of migraine. It is all just too much. And he does feel bad about you." He stopped his rambling to take a deep calming breath before continued, "He still loves you."

"No, he doesn't. He thought that he loved me and I thought so too, but our love had burnt out long time ago. I know it. After all of this, I am sure he knows it, too. It is you who keep denying it." I looked at Kou in the eyes. "I know it is frightening, okay? I have gone through that. But if you don't try, nothing will happen. Just take baby steps. You don't have to declare your love from the rooftop of this hospital and propose him today. In fact, you don't have to do anything you are not ready for. Your fated one might be him or it might be another guy or girl. Whoever it is and no matter what that old hag you called mother said, I will always support you. Just, please, stop denying your own feeling."

I smiled at Kou, hoping that it would soften my words and calm him down. "We'll be here whenever you need someone to talk to," I added, pulling him i