His soul will rest in peace

A burgundy curtain obscured the blue eyes from seeing what was going on. Natsuo could only make out the suited young man's silhouette in the doorway and him bowing to someone.

"It's just me here, Shoji! I came here to do one favor for a friend!" the young man explained as he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

An unknown, elderly woman answered with a gentle laugh.

"Well, I noticed smoke coming from your grandparents' property while they were away, so I stopped by to have a look."

"It's a sad story, really," Shoji sighed, looking down as he spoke.

"My friend's dog passed away and I used my grandparent's crematorium to cremate the dog. Sorry if I caused any trouble."

They exchanged a few more words, then the man bowed and bid farewell to the elderly woman. Natsuo stepped forward and turned to face him after hearing the door shut.

"S-sorry about that. We need to collect her bones. Would you like to gather them?" the yakuza asked, his eyes still a bit uneasy as he surveyed the teal-haired one.

Natsuo nodded, certain he would be the one to take care of it.

(Later that morning)

The black Nissan stopped in front of the luxurious skyscraper after a long night and an early morning. The multimillionaire residents and onlookers in their expensive outfits started the day on their fancy street, but the two drained men inside the aged car were exhausted and dirty.

They hadn't spoken a word while driving back from the one-hour trip back to the city. Shoji had turned on the radio and played some old classic rock songs, the ones Ayumi loved to listen to late at night, when feeling a bit sentimental and tipsy after a few drinks.

Natsuo had squeezed a black carved urn tightly to his chest the whole journey. Shoji had promised him he could choose any kind he wanted from their grandparent's selection, so he chose the darkest one, assuming she would like it as well.

"I... I know you probably realize this, but you can't mention this to anyone," the yakuza reminded solemnly.

The teal-haired one glanced at him briefly.

"Who would you expect me to tell?" he asked stiffly, his voice tight and low.

Shoji opened his mouth to apologize, but Natsuo shook his head, letting the teal hair fall in front of his face.

He had no one anymore - only his partner who was in a deep unconscious state in the hospital, completely dependent on others for his wellbeing, slowly withering and slipping away from the living world.

"Take care," Shoji whispered as the passenger got out of the car, where an unpleasant smell of death still lingered.

(A while later)

Natsuo emerged from the gold-framed elevator. He walked into the dark hallway, slowly approaching the penthouse entrance, dreading the moment he would have to accept the reality that awaited him.

He tapped the number code that unlocked the pitch-black double door with a soft click and entered the eerily silent apartment.

Never had it felt so haunting or surreal as he gazed at the empty spaces - the ebony-colored kitchen, the glass-protected balcony and the black couches in the living room. The place had become his home, but he felt like a stranger there.

Ayumi's clothes and belongings were scattered everywhere - her concert tees, makeup tools, and used jewelry were exactly where she had left them. Natsuo stepped over her items strewn across the floor, trying not to see them, as he made his way into the master bedroom.

He brushed away the dust that had settled on the desk and carefully placed the urn next to his medical books. His eyes stared blankly at the shiny casket, thinking about how alone he had become.

(The next day)

"I... I don't know how to tell you this," Natsuo muttered as he took a seat in the familiar patient room, anxiously twiddling his thumbs as he tried to find the right words.

He looked at Jiro lying in his hospital bed, his head slightly tilted as he remained motionless with wires connected to his body.

Natsuo stood up from the stool and cupped his face with trembling hands, standing upright as he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself.

"Ayumi... is gone," the young man whispered, struggling to speak through tears.

"She is not coming back, Jiro. She is... dead."

Silence followed and the patient's expression stayed peaceful. The teal-haired visitor was still rooted to the spot as tears trickled down his chin, his hands pressed against the patient's cheeks.

He could only imagine how devastating the news would be for Jiro, who had been Ayumi's best friend for years. His only comfort was that if the man never woke up, he would never find out the truth about her death or suffer the pain of losing her.

His eyes drifted over the white-haired man's gentle and serene features. He seemed like he was dreaming about a better place, far away from the world's problems.

"I hope... no matter where you are, you are - "

His words were cut off when the door behind him opened. The slender figure jumped up from the bed and turned to see who had stepped in.

A tall man with jet-black hair, shaved on the other side, stood in the doorway. He wore a deep red suit, ironed and tailored to perfection, completing the look of a sharp and successful businessman.

Natsuo's blue eyes met the man's pale brown eyes, which looked at him curiously and intensely. His heart almost stopped beating as he recognized the stranger.

"Well, I wasn't expecting my nephew to have company," Toshiro Takuya mused with a smirk, showing dimples on his neatly trimmed face.

Natsuo straightened his stance as if trying to shield the patient from the man's presence. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, keeping his pose rigid and his gaze focused.

"I know who you are," he said defiantly.

The CEO of the cyber security business smiled even wider, his whitened teeth shimmering in the cold light of the room.

"Well, I wonder what my nephew said about me," Toshiro replied as he took confident strides closer, his polished shoes tapping against the floor with each step.

Natsuo scowled at him, glaring at the man who stood just a bit further away. He was ready to protect Jiro from any harm, even if it meant standing up to his powerful uncle.

"But today, his soul will rest in peace," the man with black hair stated.