[Valentine's day special!]
"I'll be back in a while." Satoru said, wearing his sandals before opening the door to leave.
"Are you not taking your crutches? Won't it hurt?" Mitsuki asked from the living room.
"It stopped hurting long back. I'll help with dinner after I return."
Satoru left Mitsuki's house, with Keiko's letter in his pocket.
He walked through the streets, watching a butterfly with orange wings fly over his head.
"Orange is rare..." He muttered.
The Zangetsu clan compound was visible in the distance, the gated community type of house was everyday view for him.
He went past Keiko's house without even looking at it, heading straight for the house which had the gift ready for him.
*knock* *knock*
"Wait a minute!" A boy said, the sound of footsteps got louder over time.
The door opened a boy smiled and greeted Satoru, "Big bro Satoru! Are you here for the gift? Come on in."
"Shiro, good afternoon to you too...yes, I'm here for the gift." Satoru's tone made Shiro chuckle.
"Want some tea, or juice, bro? It will take some time for me to bring it." Shiro opened the fridge, showing a bottle of juice and iced tea.
"No thank you, Shiro. I'll just wait." Satoru said, looking around the house, "She will scold you for not cleaning your house."
"Yeah, yeah I'll get to it." Shiro left to get the gift.
Satoru eyes fell on a portrait, the drawing was realistic, of an older man with his wife and kids. The incense sticks around had long turned to ash.
"Mr. Sonoda, huh. You will not be missed..." Satoru muttered,
The longer he stared at the portrait, the more uncomfortable Satoru became.
"They are my parents...they died that day. Me and my brother have been living without them for years now...." Shiro said, from a distance before walking closer.
'Rest assured Mr. Sonoda, your son will miss you.' Satoru thought, before taking the gift.
"Some monster took them away from us..." He cursed under his breath.
"What was that Shiro?" Satoru asked even though he heard it.
"Nothing big bro..." he looked away, "I have to go train, I'll walk you to the door."
Satoru bowed before walking off, Shiro closed the door behind him.
---
That word—Monster. It was one of the few words capable of inciting emotions within him.
'Ay...do you also think about your actions? I wonder what answer did you come up for your question.' Satoru thought, thinking of the only person who would get it.
'When did I become what I am—the monster people call me, although not knowing it was me. Was it something I became recently? Or back when I created a scandal out of the yotsuki clan?' Satoru watched a child with his mother in the distance.
'How about when I was small? Her clan did nothing to hurt me...so why did I go out of my way to give false hope by handing over that recorder just before they died?' Satoru stared at his palm.
Satoru's actions had confirmed that zangetsu clan would die, but he had chosen to handover a recorder stating that it contained all the evidence—only for the recorder to crush that hope.
'Hahahaha! You actually felt hope, didn't you? You thought the proof is with you, and your people are safe. Too bad for you! HahahahahaHAHAHAA!'
That is what the recorder had said right before children watched their parents die before them, parents watched their children chased into the allies before being killed.
'Could it be that I was always like this? Just this world rewards me for it and allows this behavior, unlike my previous world.'
Satoru could remember all the school fights, bullies and the detentions he was put into because of his bloody knuckles.
'When? WHEN?!?' Satoru was at least sure of one thing.
"I cannot stay near innocents." His fingers dug into his palm as his grip tightened, "Any innocent person near me will suffer because of me."
---
"You're free to leave, good job on your work. You have made us proud." The hokage said, dismissing Keiko and her team—Tatsuo and Hiten, letting them go home.
'He must be waiting for me. I wonder what he thinks of the gift!'
Her pace quickened as she headed for her house, passing by many of her clanmates. Some greeted while others waved at her.
Keiko stood in front of Satoru's room, her hand trembling in excitement, slowly opened the door.
Her heart dropped.
Satoru was packing his bags. Not his mission essentials, not even a small amount of clothes for a sleepover.
The entire wardrobe was empty. Satoru's had his back to face her, not turning to see even though see was standing behind him.
"Satoru...I'm back! What are y-you d-doing? Why the bags?" Keiko stuttered out.
Satoru doesn't answers her questions and continued on, picking up Aunty Hana's portrait, making her eyes widen.
"Satoru..." She called out.
No reply.
"SATORU!!!" This time, louder.
Worst case scenarios flooded her mind the longer he remained silent.
"Are you leaving me..." She asked in a defeated tone, her eyes falling onto the unopened gift she left for him.
She walked towards him, facing him and forcing him to look at her.
"What happened? I know it, I'm sure of it, something happened!" She tried to hold his face.
Her gentle but calloused hands were quickly removed, Satoru had moved his head away.
"Tell me, plea—"
"I cannot stay with you."
"Wha—"
"Not just with you...with anyone. I cannot be with anyone." Satoru replied.
"Did we do something? Me, tatsuo or Dai? Did I do something? Is that why you are leaving?"
Satoru closed the bags before taking them to leave, leaving Keiko all by herself in this cold room...
...or so he thought.
Keiko quickly blocked the exit, stopping him from leaving.
"I can't let you go..." she hesitated, "I can't let you go without a reason."
"I cannot tell you why." Satoru couldn't look at her in the eyes.
"Then you are not leaving." She said firmly.
Satoru raised his head to look at her, her stubborn eyes that just wouldn't give up.
"I cannot stay...I was told not to." Satoru said, making Keiko scoff,
"Bullshit! You squint when you lie! You better not lie next time!"
Keiko had buried her heart under a rock as she fought through the pain of potentially losing boyfriend, the first friend she made in her life.
"It's not safe for anyone to be near me. I'm a monster, someone who needs to be kept under watch...on a leash." Satoru softly spoke, there wasn't a hint of a squint.
"WHY? What did you do to be considered a MONSTER?" Her tone was charged with something when she said 'monster.'
It was the actions of a monster that brought Satoru and Keiko together, and gave them the one thing that was their weakness—being called a monster.
"I ki—"
"YOU DIDN'T KILL MY CLAN! That asshole Danzo did! You didn't do jack SHIT!!!"
The memories of desolate houses, stained with blood, came crawling out like a demon from under the bed.
"Yeah...I said it, that bastard Danzo killed them, you don't have their blood on your hands."
Keiko had badmouthed Danzo in front of someone who was in the good books of him. Something within her immediately regretted saying that.
"I'm not innocent either! You really think I deserve the things in my life? I should be behind bars." Satoru said, his composure breaking.
"You didn't know any better—"
"Everyone says that...Mitsuki sensei said this to lord Hokage too..."
"...but you did...You...knew?" Keiko asked, her worldview felt like a fragile glass.
He walked towards the exit, walking past Keiko, leaving her question stranded.
"You can change! Your past doesn't define you...if-if you are still walking around then, it means the hokage let you go for a reason!" Keiko bargained.
"I did it again. Your clan wasn't the only one."
The fragile glass shattered.
Satoru walked through the hallway, before opening the door and leaving. She chased after him, through the hallways and into the streets.
"Are you trying to justify my actions in your head? I got things in return, if you're curious."
"Was any of it real? You...the love you gave me?" Keiko cried out, hugging his back.
"The part where I tried to kill you...for calling me an orphan? That was real...it felt real." Satoru broke through the hug before walking off.
"And the other part?" Keiko asked, wiping off her tears.
"Hmm?"
"Was the love you gave me real? Did you even love me or was it just pity for me that made you live in my house?" Keiko asked, her body stopped shaking, the tears stop coming out.
"I STILL love you!" Satoru walked away, leaving her alone.