Tsunagari

Chapter I.

The City of Kokubunji...

In the early evening...

'Ah, this film was really disappointing!' bemoaned Shunsui Shigeizumi, as he walked out of the cinema hall with Gōjun Shoran; dragging his feet slightly under him. 'I don't like stories that end badly!

'It resembles you to say that,' stated Gōjun Shoran, and Shunsui looked at his friend in bewilderment for a minute, before he sighed, and said, 'We would have done better to go to the karaoke!'

However, Gōjun wasn't listening to him anymore. The latter was staring past his shoulder now, with his fists balled up by his sides, his jaws locked together, his expression showing a combination of anger and pain.

'What is it?' Shunsui inquired, turning around to follow Gōjun's eyes onto the object of his attention. What greeted his sight was a young couple, who were sitting on a bench at a certain distance away on the plaza, and kissing each other.

'That girl, isn't she-'

Even before he could have completed his sentence, Gōjun had crossed his way up to the couple in outrage and yanked the young man up to his feet by the front of his shirt to lay upon him an iron punch in the face. The blow knocked the young man down on the floor, blood streaming out of the latter's nose and mouth.

The girl jerked to her feet, instantly, letting out a screech.

'Stop! Stop! Gōjun, stop!' she cried out in horror, as the latter fisted the young man with again by his shirt, ready to punch him another one in the face.

Managing to control himself, Gōjun stopped his fist just over the young man's nose, only to release him in a shove and straighten up to his feet, turning half-around to confront the girl, his expression filled with disdain.

'Don't give me that look!' the latter spat out to him, with venom. 'I forbid you to look down on me! I'm not cheating on you, because we were never a couple to begin with! What were we doing together, huh?! Can you tell me?! You don't believe in love and marriage! Our relationship wasn't serious! We had both made it very clear to each other the first day itself!'

'That was before I developed feelings for you!' he roared. 'And I thought that it was reciprocal!'

Her eyes widened at him in shock.

'But, as I can see, I was right not to have faith in love!'

Shaking his head at her, he turned away to leave when, unexpectedly, she dashed at him to hug him from behind.

'No, Gōjun, please! Wait!' she urged. 'I didn't know that you have feelings for me. Le-Let's stay together!'

'Kitsune!' voiced out the injured young man, who was still lying on the floor, his expression stunned. 'You told me that you love me!'

The girl's face reddened in shame. 'W-Well, I was really sincere.'

'To how many guys have you said "I love you" without really thinking it, huh? You're disgusting! Don't show me your face ever again!' Gōjun stated at her, staring in the front, and breaking her grips off him, he strode away, digging his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Several passers-by had gathered to watch the scene, and they began to disperse at that moment, while the girl moved up to the injured young man on the floor to help him up; her expression even more ashamed than before.

As she was about to reach out for him, he slapped her hands away, in indignation, telling her that everything was over between them. She, then, proceeded to try to convince him not to break up with her.

Oh Gōjun... Shunsui thought to himself, sadly, as he followed the latter with the eyes. You're wrong. Love can exist between two persons. It is not a chimera.