You stare at Izana, feeling confused.
"What are you talking about?" Draken asks Izana. Izana stares at Draken, then at you.
"I'll tell you in the car." Izana softly says, looking at you. You stare at Izana and then towards the door.
"No thank you." You quietly say.
"Huh?"
"I don't care what Takeomi says... I'm tired of being told what to do and not being told why I'm doing it." You softly say. "I ask... I get no answer. I'm tired of being left in the dark." You sigh. Izana stares at you, his eyes relaxing.
Draken sighs and looks up towards you.
"Let's go..." Draken motions for you to come back down. You narrow your eyes at him, slowly walking down the steps and getting on his motorcycle.
"What are you doing? She needs to go home." Izana says in a low tone.
"You're running around being Takeomi's gopher, right?" Draken asks. Izana's eyes widen. "Baji mentioned something about you doing that. I didn't know if that was true... but I'm not surprised."
"Draken... please- it's not safe."
"I don't care ... she'll be safe with me." He says pulling off. Izana's eyes narrow as he watches Draken and you disappear in the distance. He pulls out his phone, texting Takeomi.
You stare around you as Draken rides for a while before stopping at an apartment complex. He parks his bike in a spot. He helps you off, and you both walk into an elevator. He walks up to a door, unlocking it. The two of you walk in. You look around, feeling surprised.
"Is this your place?" You ask. Draken nods.
"It's nice?" He asks.
"Very." You smile. He smiles back.
"I'm glad you like it."
You slowly walk into a living space, stopping by the window and looking out.
"It's not a big place, but I'm happy with it." He says as he walks into the kitchen. You stare at the couch and the stuff in the living space.
"Do you live alone?" You ask.
"Yeah." He softly replies. You stop at a picture of Emma in a picture frame. Your eyes soften when you see it. You slowly look at Draken, who is pouring drinks. You walk towards him, stopping at the other side of the counter across from him.
"What did you mean by Izana being Takeomi's gopher?" You softly ask. Draken takes the wine and puts it in the fridge, and pushes a glass to you.
"Baji mentioned a little while back that Izana does some business for Takeomi... and it upset him."
"Why?" You ask. Draken lifts the wine glass, taking a sip from it. He sighs, placing the glass back down.
"Baji was the only one still talking to Izana... I guess he still had some respect for Izana for running the bakery because of you... but he had started involving himself with Takeomi... and Bonten."
"Bonten?" You question. "Explain."
"..." Draken sighs, looking down at his wine glass, moving it in small, slow circles. You watch as the red liquid moves around like a slow whirlpool.
"There's not much I know about Bonten... Just that it's an infamous organization... more like a mafia-like gang... and something you should stay away from." He sighs.
"... but why is Takeomi in Bonten?" You ask.
"I don't know." He sighs. You stare at him, realizing he doesn't want to talk about it anymore. You take a deep breath, looking back towards the living space.
"The story I wrote is called 'If I Could..'" You softly say.
"The Manga?" He asks.
"And light novel." You add. Draken nods, taking another sip of the wine.
"The light novel is finished?" He asks. You nod. "I'll look for it." He softly smiles. You slowly nod.
"..."
"Takeomi is getting married to Yuki's Aunt..." Ran says, looking up at the ceiling. "How strange... no matter what, her name just keeps popping up."
"Yeah." Rindou flicks something off the box he's sitting on. The sound of a door opening causes Rindou's eyes to shift. Kokonoi walks inside the building and stops beside Ran and Rindou.
"Sanzu said Yuki didn't show..." Kokonoi says.
"I figured." Ran sighs.
"Do you think Takeomi's fiancée chose not to invite Yuki... or that Yuki doesn't want to come?" Rindou asks. Kokonoi shrugs.
"Don't know... but it's better that she's not around honestly." Ran replies.
"I don't know... but something doesn't add up with Takeomi's words." Kokonoi states.
"You think he's lying?" Rindou questions.
"Yes, I do." Kokonoi replies. "That's why Sanzu showed up unexpectedly. " Kokonoi calmly adds. "I'm going to check a few places..." Kokonoi says, turning away.
"Alright." Rindou says, leaning forward. Kokonoi pauses at the door, staring at Mikey, who is sitting on the counter, his back towards everyone, eating a snack he stole from the bakery downstairs. He turns the next page of the light novel in his hand.
"..." Kokonoi sighs, looking back at Ran and Rindou.
"Call me if Yuki or Izana shows." Kokonoi calmly says as he pulls the door open. He closes the door behind him as he walks down the stairs and exits the back of the bakery.
Draken walks into the living space where you are. He has a towel on his head. You're sleeping on the couch. His eyes relax. He walks off, grabs a blanket, and then places it on you. He turns off the lights and walks into his room. Your eyes slowly flutter open. You turn your head, looking out the window. You can see the city very clearly through it. Your eyes relax as you think about the situation youre in.
You frown, feeling a strong sense of loneliness. You sit up, the blanket falling to your knees. You frown as you continue to stare out the window.
"It's pretty at night." Draken calmly says as he walks up beside you. You slowly nod.
"It's really pretty." You reply.
"I still find it very surreal that you're here." He says with soft eyes. You look at him, your eyes softening.
"I still feel horrible though."
"Why?" Draken questions.
"It took me too long to come back."
"But you came back." He says in a soft voice. "So why are you worrying so much?"
"I guess I just feel guilty." You sigh. Draken moves your hair behind your ear.
"You amuse me sometimes." He smiles. You look at him, confused, tilting your head a bit.
"What do you mean?"
"When someone tells you to stop... you keep going, or when someone tells you not to worry... you worry more." He softly chuckles. "You're stubborn... very stubborn." He sighs. "But you're still the same Yuki I used to know." He smiles. You stare at him before looking towards the window. Your eyes stop when you see the picture of Emma, your eyes drifting towards it.
"Don't you feel lonely...?" You ask. Draken's eyes widen a bit, then relax. He slowly looks at you, then at what you're looking at.
"Yeah, it gets lonely." He slowly nods.
"Do you miss Emma?" You ask.
"Every day." He says in a soft tone. Your eyes relax. You slowly look towards the window. Draken leans forward, causing you to look back at him.
"Something I had told Baji a few years ago... when he asked me if I was ever going to look for someone else... I questioned... if I did, who?" He stares down at his hands and smiles at you. "I told him if you came back, I'd go for you." Your eyes widen.
"Are you drunk?" You ask, tilting your head. He laughs.
"Maybe a bit." He smiles. You sigh and sit back.
"I'm not that easy, you know..." You say, looking at him. "So if you were to ask me out right now, I would say no." You smile at him. He looks at you, a soft smile still on his face.
"Thats okay... I like a challenge." He smiles back at you. You raise an eyebrow. He smiles more and shakes his head.
"Yeah, my brain is all mushy..." He stands up and stretches. "I'll let you rest... maybe tomorrow we can do something nicer, just me and you."
You nod. He smiles at you.
"Goodnight, Yuki."
"Goodnight... Draken." You watch as he walks back into his room, closing the door behind him. You stare at the bottom of the door, watching his shadow move away from the door. You stare at the light under the door before turning and facing forward. You relax, sliding down on the couch, staring back out the window. Your eyes soften, then they slowly drift towards the picture of Emma.
"I hope Mikey isn't lonely... I hope he's doing well..." You quietly say.
Draken hears you from his room. He sits on the edge of his bed, his eyes relaxing. He stands up, turning off the light and lying down in bed. You look back at his room door, noticing the light no longer shining under his door. You take a deep breath, lying down on the couch and pulling the covers over you.
Izana walks into the bakery, locking the door behind him. He walks up the stairs, sighing as he grabs the doorknob, but pauses when he notices something wrong. He slowly turns his head but feels something poke him in the back.
"Keep going." Ran says. Izana's eyes relax as he opens the door, walking inside.
"Izana... welcome home." Rindou smiles. Mikey turns his head, his black hair swaying and his eyes peeking through his hair, looking at Izana, who's glaring at him. Mikey places the book down, pushing himself off the counter. Izana's eyes drift towards the book Mikey was reading.
If I Could... by V. Uchiyama is written on the cover. Mikey walks up to Izana. Ran holds Izana down so that Izana can't run. Mikey punches Izana in the face and begins to brutally beat him. Rindou pulls out his phone and calls Kokonoi.
"Izana showed." Rindou smiles.
"Good." Kokonoi says. "I'm on my way back." He calmly adds as he stares up at an apartment building. He hangs up the phone and places it back into his pocket. He turns and gets into the car, pulling off.
TO BE CONTINUED FEBRUARY 1ST!