Tsuda sat behind his desk, waiting for the arrivals of his left hand man. Soon he came into the room and bowed in front of Tsuda.

"Did you get what I asked for?" The man looked very uncomfortable, sweat dripping down, reluctant to give him the data he discovered. "Did. you. get. her. data?" He emphasised each word to show his authority. "Yes... we got everything. They do not no who killed them either. She is just being manipulated by them, exactly as you guessed." Tsuda went through the file, realizing how their lives were never as it seemed. what are you up to now, ikigai? He pondered, pinching the bridge between his eyebrows.

Avery stepped into her room, gently drying her hair with a towel. It was cold, but the temperature was rising gradually. Indicating how long she has been here. She was about to get settled into her bed. But she stopped, because she saw an envelop sitting right under her window.

She took it to bed, carefully opening it up. Her world paused when she pulled out a picture. It was of the crime scene, having both of her parent's body still on the floor. At the back side was written, 'What happened at July 2nd? Come find out, tomorrow, at 8:00 pm.' There was an address written at the bottom.

Her pulse was ringing in her ears. Uncle Charles would have peace beside her, when she takes revenge on her parent's killer. She owed both her parents and uncle this much atleast. She couldn't sleep after that. She felt sweat forming on her forehead due to the anticipation of the day.

No longer able to bear the tension in her head, she walked out into the halls towards the kitchen. She was craving instant ramen, she had gotten the taste of here. Once the ramen were set to cook she heared rustling right behind her ear. Startled, her reflexes kicked in and she ducked slightly, throwing a fist back. Her fist came against something hard, that wrapped itself around it.

"Tsuda" She whispered when she realized it was him and that her fist was wrapped into his cold hard hand. "You scared me." She cussed. "You're never this spaced out. Did something happen?" Then suddenly it came to her mind that she should tell him about the envelop, ask for his help. But she chose otherwise, because she has always been alone backing herself up, pushing herself forward.

All on her own, by herself. She didn't feel like giving that authority to anyone else but herself. And to be honest the thought to depending on anyone was scary to her. Though this particular man made it really hard for her to be totally independent. From the game in the forest to facing his father, he was always there. He was always there for her even for the things she did against him.

She looked in his eyes, with words on the tip of her tongue, words of truth, words asking for help. But at the end she couldn't get them out. "Would you make some for me too? I'm hungry." She nodded as she was about to put another packet into the pot. "Aunty make one for me too!" One of the nephews in his teenage came throwing himself on the chair of the kitchen table. She sighed and nodded. After a while they were sitting on the table, eating together.

She melted when she took the first bite of the smooth noodles covered in warm salty, slightly spicy broth. A gasp was on her tongue when she felt a foot touching her ankle, under her pajamas. She glared at Tsuda, as he sipped on his soup innocently.

But once he looked up at her, his eyes held something sinister. "Are you touching her with your foot?" She coughed at that and Tsuda took his foot back. "What?" He asked seriously. "I mean that's what happens in all the books Yuki reads." He was talking about his elder sister. "Kid that's fantasy, things like that doesn't happen in real life." Tsuda lied smoothly through his teeth.

She shook her head, leaving her empty bowl and chopsticks on the table, she head to the fridge to get herself some water. "Twenty thousand." She heard the kid saying. "No more than fifteen thousand." Tsuda replied. "Seventeen fifty. Final price." Tsuda huffed and said. "Done."

She got near them, curious about what was happening there. She saw the kid handing over some chopsticks to Tsuda. After some observation she realized it was the chopsticks she had just eaten from. Flustered she got to them and snatched the chopsticks out of Tsuda's hand. Was he buying them from his nephew? What the hell?

Tsuda stood up and followed her. She washed the chopstick thoroughly and handed it back to him. "You can use it now." Tsuda clicked his tongue at that. "It just lost all it's purpose now." Bewildered by his weird taste she walked past him mumbling, "Pervert." He chuckled at that.

"You will not do something like that ever again." She pointed to the kid. "But it's profitable! I'm the son of a businessman, after all." She gritted her teeth trying to come up with a reply, but he beat her in that.

"He even has the soda can you gave him. What's wrong with adding stuff to the collection?" She gasped turning back to Tsuda. Who gave her a teethy grin. She could feel her cheeks burning up, and before it could become more visible to others, she headed to her bed.

She was tucked in, when a knocked on her door startled her. The fact that she knew exactly who it was made her act like she was asleep. "I'm coming in." She heard before the door was opened and closed behind him. A click of lock made her stiff. She was facing away from the door.

She heard the steps nearing her and felt cold on her back when the cover was lifted. Soon the cover was fixed back as a weight was added to the bed behind her. His hand slid over her waist as she felt him press his whole front to her back. "Tsuda." She whispered trying to get away but his grip tightened. He settled his chin on her shoulder, breathing warm puffs on her neck.

"I'm sad today. Very sad." She turned her head to the side. Gazing upon his eyes. And they were indeed sad. Realising that all of the commotion a while back might be his way of taking his mind off of some stuff. "Why?" She asked with an awkward hand on his cheek.

"I wish I could tell, Ikigai." His voice seemed tortured. And she felt then, how similar they were. She couldn't tell him what troubled her yet secretly craving him and his touch. Just as he had secrets he couldn't tell but wanted her so bad. She could feel it in each breathing moment they spent in the same space, that he wanted her, desperately. Like he was holding back from just reaching out and snatching her for himself, away from every one.

She turned back, facing him and he let her. She wrapped him in her arms and hid his face in her neck, as though a promise that she will protect him. "It's okay. This will pass." She whispered moving her hand up and down on his back. Soothing him, just as she had done for Avery so many times. "She is lucky to have you as a friend." He stated.

"I am your friend too." He looked back at her and asked, "Only a friend?" She took a while to answer, not because she wasn't sure. But because she needed the courage to be truthful. "No... not only a friend." He smiled at her, which melted her heart in a way that never happened before.

"Kiss me then. To prove that you're telling the truth." She was about to deny it because of her shy nature. But what she saw in his eyes made her change her mind. Because it was clear he needed it very much at that moment. And she couldn't deny her own need anymore. The moment her lips touched his, he felt a jolt of pleasure in each end of his nerves. She was a companion of his in the reaction.

Their tongues danced along, with their legs snaking, tangling with each other. She gasped when she felt his rock hard desire. "You ran away when we were in the bath tub too." He held her in place but being forced was the last thing she felt, beacuse she knew with a little force she could easily break free.

"Please. Don't deny us this." His eyes pleaded her and she was on the verge of crying, it was not due to her embarrassment but because she was glad to know that he wanted her just as she wanted him if not more. But it was evident he craved her, adored her more than anything else. So much so that he was willing to give his life away when the time comes. And it was sooner than anyone anticipated.

But this night was their own, without a care in this world. Without a sense of even themselves they became one as one can be. In both body and soul. And he made her realize how being worshipped must have felt like for God.

Hours later she hugged her coat closer to herself feeling her glock in her pocket. "Let's find out." She mumbled, walking into the casino looking building filled with lights and sparkles, yet held such darkness in it.

The darkness made her think about Tsuda's dark eyes a few hours ago, when he was on top of her. She felt a slight sore on her core, which made her blush. She got over it soon when a man came to her, escorting her to a room at the back.

"We meet at last." The man was a stranger to her but, she was not that to him. Half of his face was covered with a mask only his eye on that side was visible. While the eye on the unmasked side of his face was covered with a patch. "Tell me, how would you find the fact that the hand you hold so close to yourself, is the same one covered in the blood of your parents." Her brows furrowed at that.

"What do you mean by that?" The man stood up. "You're clever enough to know what I mean. But let me back my statement with some evidence. That's how I work after all." She looked at his back as he guided her towards a computer.

"Who are you?" He smiled but it seemed to have pained him. "I am a crony and a foe alike. You choose which to see in me." She sensed an air of menace around the man. And knew she needed to get away from him as quickly as the matter was over.

"Look at this." She looked at the screen in front of her and squinted her eyes to focus. "When were they killed?" She looked at him. "Don't tell me. I know it. Just remember it for yourself and look at the time in the footage." She looked at the CCTV footage she want unable to find anywhere for past several years.

The footage of the street in front of her home all those years ago, minutes after her parent's murder. A hooded figure walked out of her house with a knife in his hand. The same knife she saw plunged into her mother's chest that day. The hooded figure looked up for a split second.

The masked man paused the footage at the very moment. And her world stopped then, for she saw the face of the man she has given herself to. The man she came to trust like no other. It was Tsuda himself, though many years younger, but clearly it was him. And at that exact moment, she saw red.