Obsession (Ayano x Budo)

Chapter 19

No one was home.

After ten solid minutes of waiting at the door, messaging and calling Osana's phone, knocking, ringing, trying the locked door and looking through windows around the house, Taro admitted defeat and left the get-well gift at the front door.

Budo sent him a look of sympathy as they slowly walked back down the road, towards his house. "Sorry, bud. I know you're disappointed because you didn't get to spend some time flirting with her today."

Taro's annoyance was eminent. His voice was dangerously low and angry as he said, "Everyone keeps on talking about that. I'm so tired of hearing it. I didn't tell anyone I liked her, did I? Why does everyone just assume it?"

Budo's eyes widened in surprise at Taro's sudden outburst. He decided to wait a few seconds, cautiously eyeing him out of the corner of his eye, before answering. "I can tell it bothers you a lot. I didn't mean that way, it's just because you've been so persistent about visiting her this week."

"I don't visit my sick friends because I like them. It's just that I'm loyal," Taro explained and then sighed heavily. An unfathomable expression fell across Taro's face. "I would do the same for you, you know. Probably even more. I regard you as a very close friend. I only hope you'd show the same compassion to me."

Budo felt a bit awkward. I guess it isn't his fault that Ayano likes him. I've been a bit too harsh in judging him as a rival. He's not even competing for her. It's just me.

"I'm sorry," Budo said. "I haven't been sitting with you at lunches as much as I used to."

"I understand. You're just chasing your dream girl."

The silence lasted uncomfortably long. Budo watched the snow fall around them as they crunched through dead leaves, and pulled up his hood to cover his cold ears. Taro left his hood down, black hair exposed to the chilly wind, and Budo thought that maybe his friend was relishing in the pain of he cold in his angry state.

Budo flexed his fingers within his gloves to warm up his stiff joints and continued down the long street. After a minute, a junction leading to the left appeared.

"Well, this is where I leave you," Taro finally said.

"See you Monday," Budo replied casually, and gave him a nod before continuing on without his friend.

Taro turned down the road, lost in his thoughts. It was only when he heard the sound of multiple steps behind him that he became aware that he was being followed and began to feel uneasy. Just keep walking, he told himself, and lengthened his strides. The people behind him must have realized that he had notice them, because then he heard one call out to him. It was an unfamiliar voice.

"Stop there." Taro halted and turned around. As soon as he saw them - group of delinquents - fear clutched at him. These guys were really bad news. "You move, you're dead!" one of the five men shouted to him, and then they started advancing, like a semi-circle of sharks closing in on its prey. Taro's feet were stuck to the ground, his scared-to-death heart racing, as he was quickly enclosed by a ring of tall, staring gang members.

One of them was most noticeably the leader. He had a tattoo of a skull printed on his entire face, silver metal rings lining his lips, and a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. He was standing right in front of Taro, looming over him like a tower.

Taro watched, paralysed, as the guy brought his hands to his own face and leisurely took off his sunglasses. He revealed a set of dark, soulless eyes that stared at Taro without blinking.
"Let's see... black hair, dark eyes, average height, and walking about the area... Yup, this is the wimp we're looking for," the man commented. Not a breath of humor came from his words, but the rest of his gang cackled like a group of hyenas. The hair raised on Taro's back at the sound. All he could think was, What do I do? Why are they looking for me?

The leader suddenly grabbed him by the shirt near his neck and pulled him upwards, uncomfortably close to his ghostly face. The material was twisted too tight, squeezing his throat as if the leader's hand itself were clamped around his throat, and, with no where else to look, Taro looked up into the man's eyes. Looking into their seemingly endless, merciless depths, he felt he would go insane from the fear that grappled him.

"Ayano Aishi sends her regards," the man whispered, before bringing a thundering blow across Taro's face.