No Contact Pt. 2

Another day passed. Still nothing. My impatience got the better of me, and I found myself in front of his dorm room before I even knew it.

What the hell am I doing here? What was I expecting to do if I met him here? Now that I'm thinking about it, why did I try so hard to come here? I had to sneak in... like an assassin.

Right when I was about to walk away, I stopped. Shouldn't I at least try to see him? I don't even know if that'll help with my situation, and I certainly don't want him getting the wrong idea.

"Shit..." I mumbled to myself. "Since I'm here, I might as well try to get something out of you. Don't blame me."

I knocked on the door. "Tsuki! It's... It's Ayaka."

No reply. Is he sulking or something? I gave it another few seconds, but no one answered. Maybe he's gone again.

Suddenly, an intrusive thought appeared in my head. How did this completely slip my mind? For the past couple of days, I hadn't seen Tsuki at all. We have a couple of classes in the same wing, so unless we tried our hearts out, there's no way I wouldn't have bumped into him.

He hasn't been attending his classes... and it doesn't seem like he's in his room either. No way... Did he... leave?

"Hey, Tsuki!" I shouted. "You'd better answer the door before I leave!"

Again, I was given the silent treatment.

I quickly pulled out my phone and opened Line. It shows that he hadn't been online since three days ago, which was the day of the Christmas party... the last time I saw him.

Ayaka: "Tsuki?"

I waited, but he didn't reply.

Ayaka: "Hey, I know you're there. Answer me."

Still, no reply. I closed Line and attempted to call him. It rang, and it rang, and it rang until I was sent to voicemail.

Did he really leave? What the hell is that? He breaks my fucking heart, and he has the audacity to get up and go just like that?

"Ha... Haha..." I chuckled out of frustration.

Honestly, what was I expecting? He's a goddam assassin. How stupid was I to expect that he would do any more than this?

"Fucking brilliant, Ayaka..." I muttered. "Out of all of the boys you've met in the past, you picked the craziest one."

"Did you now?" a familiar voice muttered.

My head shot up, hoping that it was Tsuki. However, I froze the moment I saw those gleaming orange eyes. From the shadows, a familiar man walked out. It wasn't Tsuki, but this guy was just as tall and imposing as he was. Slowly, he stepped out into the moonlight, revealing a frighteningly disdainful glare. Even though I knew he was capable of such a look, it was still shocking to see.

"Sa... Sakuno..." I gulped.

This feels so strange for some reason. It's my first time seeing Sakuno without Tsuki standing next to him. Usually, he has a devious smile on, and he's always laughing at something no matter how outlandish it may seem. Today, however... He seemed extremely perturbed.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Uh... Um..." was all I could say, not that any of them were coherent words at all.

He patiently waited for me to speak, but it was obvious that his patience was running thinner by the second. Shit... I needed to say something before he stormed off, but I couldn't.

After a while, Sakuno let out a restless sigh and walked forward. The moment he passed my shoulder, I quickly turned around with a deep breath.

Tsuki!" I said.

It was only afterward that I realized how loud I was. Hopefully, that didn't disturb anyone's study, but it seems like it did bother someone.

Sakuno slowly turned around, his eyes shrinking into a scowl and his eyebrows furrowing deeper. I've seen that look many times in the past from people who sought to exploit me. It never bothered me, though. In the end, I always ended up victorious. However, this was different. For some reason, Sakuno's glare... frightened me to my core.

"I... I want to see Tsuki," I finally said.

"Hah. What business do you have with him?" Sakuno scoffed. "In case you forget, it was you who cut him off."

"I know! B-but... I have to see him. Please."

"You're wasting your time. He's not here, or anywhere near here. And before you ask, no. I don't know where he is. For all I know, he could be dead."

"... What...?"

How could I forget? Tsuki... He's... He's an assassin. He kills whenever he is contracted to kill. It's his occupation. That's what he told me back then, so what if... What if something happened to him?

My heart suddenly dropped. Just the thought of him lying dead somewhere out there was enough to make me hyperventilate. He could be gone... and I would never know. My body began shaking, and my breaths kept getting shallower.

Shit... Why is this bothering me so much? Why do I care so much?

"If that's all, then you should head home," Sakuno said. "The sun's already gone. Wouldn't want you getting kidnapped again, now would we?"

My mind went blank for a moment.

"You... How do you know about that?" I questioned.

Right as Sakuno was about to input the passcode to the dorm, he rested his hand on the doorframe as he lowered his head. Beneath his arm, I saw his mouth curling into a subtle smirk.

"Take a wild guess, Taiyori," he said. "I'm close to Tsuki, after all. You think he's the only one out there who's capable of murder?"

Suddenly, a specific memory came rushing back to me. During the first meeting of the culture club when Tsuki first joined, Sakuno almost broke that poor guy's arm for simply talking back to me. In fact, I think that was the only interaction I ever had with him, and it wasn't necessarily ideal, to say the least.

"Sakuno... You're..." I mumbled.

He put a finger over his mouth, a signal for silence.

"Come in if you want," he said. "Or don't. Doesn't matter to me either way."

He then put in the passcode to open the door. It's not like I was trying to look, but I saw the numbers he typed.

After he went in, I debated on whether or not I should follow him. Right when the doors were about to close, I pushed my arm against it.

Shit... What am I doing right now...?

Gently, I shut the door behind me as I stepped in. This... is my first time seeing Tsuki's dorm. There were two beds, one on each side of the room. How do they survive in such a cramped space?

"How brave of you," Sakuno's voice whispered in my ear.

"Ah!" I yelped as I stumbled back. "W-where the hell did you come from?"

"Being an assassin is the same thing as being a master in the arts of stealth. The shadows are our home. The night is our domain. And you... are a prey who has walked into the den of a killer."

Sakuno slowly approached me with a devilish look on his face. With every step he took toward me, I took a step back. He... He wouldn't hurt me... right?

"S-Sakuno... You're scaring me," I mumbled, my voice heavily shaking.

"Is that so?" he smiled. "That's my bad. Have a seat."

Reluctantly, I sat down on a chair in front of a wardrobe while he pulled his seat from a desk and sat directly in front of me. The way he's looking at me is making me nervous, but I have to endure this much.

"So..." Sakuno said. "What brings you to come looking for Tsuki, of all people?"

"W-well... I..."

How do I explain to him that I keep thinking about him? It's not like he's someone I can trust entirely. Still, he is Tsuki's friend, so it should be okay, right?

"I've been having these thoughts in my head..." I said. "I can't quite explain it, but I have to talk to Tsuki."

"If you can't even explain that, then what reason do I have to give you his whereabouts?" he chuckled. "Gonna have to give me a bit more than that, Taiyori."

"I... I don't know! He's the one who hurt me, so why am I trying so hard to find him? That's why I have to see him... so I can find the answer."

"Hah... Haha... Fuck me. Hearing all of this is really pissing me off right now. So, what? You want to find some closure? Is that it? What about Tsuki, huh? He becomes so riddled with pain just by thinking about you. I can't even imagine how he'd react if you were to suddenly pop up in front of him, and you're expecting me to set that up? How selfish can you get?!"

Selfish... Yeah, that's what I am. I've always been selfish because this world has never been kind to me—not a single time. No one in the world was willing to look after me, so I had to look after myself. Of course I'm selfish. I had to be. Is that so wrong?

"Sakuno... Do you... hate me?" I asked.

He leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, clearly annoyed by that sudden question.

"You know, Taiyori... I've known Tsuki for a very long time," Sakuno said. "We grew up together, he and I. This life of blood and death... It was never by choice. We were raised to hunt the evil in this world. Do you wanna know who our targets were? Corrupted government officials who sought to exploit the common folks. Gang members who terrorized local communities. Even the Yakuza respects who we are because they know what we represent. We target the bad in this world so that they don't come after people like you. Ah, but that doesn't matter, does it? That's what I've always despised about you 'normal people.' In your eyes, a killer is a killer. No more, no less. Just a monster parading around without rhyme or reason. You said that he's the one who hurt you? No... He's the one who saved you... and you hurt him by pushing him away. Tell me, Taiyori. How can I not hate you?"

I couldn't say a word because I genuinely had no answer. I never thought about it like that. Tsuki is an assassin, but the people he kills... are bad... like my abductors. He did it for me. He killed them so that I could be free. If it weren't for him...

While I sat there, Sakuno stood up and went for the door.

"Sorry, Taiyori. I can't help but maintain my bias here," he said. "Tsuki is my family, and you're the reason why he cried for the first time in his life. Stay here and reflect for however long you want. I don't give a shit what you do. Just don't ever show your face in front of him ever again. Otherwise... I might actually kill you."

With that, he slammed the door shut, leaving me all alone.