Why aren't you denying anything?

It was a beautiful day in Tokyo. The blue sky was scattered with fluffy white clouds and a gentle breeze blew through the warm air.

Two figures strolled along the sidewalk with slight smiles on their faces. Their hands were almost touching as they walked so close to each other that occasionally their fingers brushed against one another.

The roommates stopped in front of a small hair salon that had a neon sign flickering brightly in the afternoon sun. The door was locked and there were no lights on, so it seemed the place was still closed.

"Weird, she hasn't come yet. Do you want me to wait with you?" the white-haired man asked, showing off his criminal tattoos under his red tank top. He seemed unbothered by passersby's doubtful, and rather judgmental stares, as he focused so closely on his companion.

"It's fine, you can go," Natsuo replied, his discolored blue-green hair fluttering in the mild wind. He wore his usual, oversized sweater regardless of the warm and humid weather, but it didn't bother him.

"Well, see you tonight, cutie," Jiro said with a big smile.

The man's lips twitched as if wanting to lean in and kiss his new boyfriend goodbye just like at home - yet he held back, not wanting to make a scene since they hadn't decided to go public with their relationship.

They gazed at each other for a moment, before Jiro took his partner's hand and squeezed it quickly, expressing his silent affection in the midst of the busy street.

"Don't get hurt out there," Natsuo said quietly.

"I promise that I will be extra careful," Jiro replied and nodded with a determined expression.

He let go of his roommate's delicate hand and, with a final goodbye, headed to work. Natsuo watched as the person he cherished most walked away and stared at the yakuza's back until it disappeared into the crowded street.

Already thinking about the incoming night gave him butterflies - and it was nice that they didn't make him uncomfortable like they once did. Now, it was a pleasant, tingling feeling, that made him rather excited.

"Excuse me, is the salon closed?" an unfamiliar woman asked as she stopped in front of Ayumi's shop. Her long, black hair flowed in smooth waves down her back. She had sunglasses perched on her nose and wore an elegant dark suit, as if she had just come from a business meeting.

"Uh, well, the owner should be here soon," Natsuo muttered awkwardly and pulled his phone out, wondering if he should contact Ayumi to find out what was taking her so long.

"So, you are the one that is living with Takuya."

Natsuo's eyes widened and his fingers froze on the screen as he heard the woman's statement. He recognized that voice - it was the one who had questioned how he was still alive almost two weeks ago.

The young man swallowed and looked at her nervously. The woman's eyes were hidden behind dark shades, but her attention focused on his features.

"Are you aware of what he requested of his leader a few months ago?" she asked out of nowhere.

Natsuo's stomach ached. He couldn't take his eyes off her as he struggled to think of what to say.

"He asked if he could hire as many freelancers as possible to find a certain individual living on the streets... with blue eyes and pale skin," she answered with a sly smile. She leaned closer and squinted behind her sunglasses as she examined him with her maroon-brown irises.

The woman's words nauseated Natsuo. They brought back flashbacks of the thugs beating him up, drugging him - and also hurting the animals he had been caring for. Every suspicion about his former classmate rushed back to him, making his lungs forget how to breathe.

Could it be true?

"He ordered you to be drugged and taken to a particular address so that he could supposedly rescue you and use you for his own, personal purpose... basically getting rid of you," the woman continued, sounding like she enjoyed speaking about it.

Natsuo's gaze fell on the street where Jiro had been just moments before. All their shared memories suddenly shattered when he thought about them.

Still, a bit of hope lingered in his heart as he remembered the man's loving gestures and promises to keep him safe. He was tired of being suspicious and wanted to have faith in him, especially when he meant so much to him.

"Why should I believe you?" Natsuo questioned, defying the stranger.

"Oh, sweet child," the woman sighed in a soft voice.

"Just be careful who you trust. Many people will use you for their own personal gain, no matter how much they tell you they care," she continued with a smile.

"I am not a child," Natsuo scowled.

"You must be the one Takuya saved from Miyahara, right? Are you absolutely certain it wasn't another staged stunt? He hired freelancers, paid them, and saved you like a true knight would. Was Miyahara just the second act?"

Hearing that left Natsuo speechless. All questions and doubts raced through his mind, making it difficult to think rationally. In an instant, he became helpless and confused, not knowing who to trust.

"I heard the freelancers who caught the person in a deserted building killed innocent animals. Cats, perhaps? Quite a cruel thing to do," she mused and studied the slender figure as his skin became paler.

Natsuo felt his legs go numb as if all his strength had been drained from them. He could hardly feel the asphalt under his sneakers as he stared at the crowded street ahead with a blank expression.

Everything around him became mute. He was stuck in a void, mentally and physically, not knowing what to believe.

"Do you need to sit down? You don't look so well, dear."

His instincts kicked in. He sprinted away from the woman, his heart pounding in his chest as he followed his intuition after ignoring it for so long. Only a single thought filled his mind - get away.

(Later that day)

"Do you miss me already?"

The familiar, playful voice over the phone cut deep into Natsuo's heart. His fingers clenched even harder around the smartphone as he held it to his ear. He wiped away a few tears with the back of his other hand and took a shaky breath.

He tried to keep his voice clear, but his chest burned and his throat hurt, so it came out as a weak murmur.

"Back then... did you hire some guys to attack me?"

Silence. Natsuo waited for an answer, but there wasn't any. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity before his roommate replied hesitantly.

"Who spoke to you? What did they say?"

"Is it true that you took me in... only to kill me? Or did you sell me to that yakuza?"

"Where are you? I will come to you, okay?" the other asked, rushing his words out in an alarming tone.

"Did they... kill my only friend because of you?" Natsuo asked quietly as he thought about the precious cat who kept him company on cold nights. She had stayed by his side when he had no one else. She had given him a reason to keep going when he would have probably given up otherwise.

"Please, let's talk and I can explain - "

"Why aren't you denying anything?" Natsuo asked, his voice breaking as he choked back a sob. As his last hope dwindled away, he was left with nothing but a deep, agonizing hole in his chest.

"Okay, listen to me," Jiro said, sounding much more serious than before.

"I didn't just take you in out of kindness, but I didn't want them to do anything to the cats, and I didn't sell you to anyone. That is the truth."

Natsuo stared as the trains stopped at the station and listened as the wheels screeched against the tracks.

He thought about Jiro's promises, his words of comfort and his acts of kindness. He had finally felt accepted, for the very first time in his life. He had opened up to him, perhaps one of the most difficult things he had ever done - sharing his past, his struggles, his fears, his dreams.

He had trusted him and let himself be weak. He had hugged him, kissed him, slept with him, laughed with him, lived with him. He had decided even if society, or anyone else, would judge him or their relationship, it wasn't going to matter. In the end, it would have been worth it.

All for nothing. He had been toyed with, manipulated, and used as a pawn in a scheme he had no idea about. To get himself killed.

"Tell me where you are and let's talk about this. I will tell you everything. I'm not going to hurt you in anyway - "

His emotions had been sucked out of him. He felt empty and unaffected by anything. Nothing the man said changed anything.

"I don't want you to persuade me... or deceive me. I need to think about this on my own," he finally said.

"Natsuo, please, I promise - "

"Don't bother hiring criminals to hunt me down again," he whispered before ending the call.

He shut down the phone, not wanting to hear anything else from his former classmate. His entire life just got turned upside down and he had no idea what to do - except flee to an unknown destination, far from the only city he had ever known, and far from the person who had mattered most to him.