Soryu: "It's for your own good, Meimei. Let's just break up."

Soryu's voice quietly echoes in the warehouse.

Meimei: "What...?"

I ask in disbelief, completely stunned to hear this.

Soryu: "You're better off with him instead."

Soryu: "Wouldn't you rather have someone you have more in common with?"

Meimei: "But why, Soryu!?"

I can't finish my sentence because I'm so surprised at how cold his voice sounds.

(Is he saying this because I asked him to save Murata on the phone?)

(Maybe he got the wrong idea.)

Meimei: "Then how's that supposed to be for my own good!?"

Soryu: "You should be with someone who can be with you all the time."

Soryu: "Who you can be proud to walk with in the sunshine, not in the shadows with me."

Soryu: "That's what will make you happiest."

Meimei: "But I love you, Soryu! Being with you ins't walking in the shadows at all!"

But no matter what I say, he still has a stern look on his face.

Soryu: "...I really appreciate that."

Soryu: "But thinking of the future, I really believe it's best for you if we break up."

Meimei: "What...?"

Soryu: "I'm a mobster for life."

Soryu: "And now that I've become the boss of the Ice Dragons, I have to spend more time away from you."

Soryu: "But most of all... being in this world is just creating problems for you."

Soryu: "So you'd be happier with someone who's better for you than me."

Soryu: "I've been thinking about that a lot lately."

Meimei: "But Soryu...!"

Soryu: "Think about today. You're bleeding and hurt..."

He narrows his eyes, as if the very thought is too painful for him.

Meimei: "This is nothing, it's not a big deal!"

Soryu: "...But what if it was more? I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you!"

Meimei: "..."

Every one of his words stabs me in the heart.

Soryu: "And it's not just this time."

Soryu: "You've been put in so much danger so many times because of me."

Soryu: "I can protect you from bullets."

Soryu: "But you shouldn't be in such a dangerous position in the first place."

Soryu: "It's my fault, because I'm a mobster."

Soryu: "It would be easier for you to just live a normal life."

Soryu: "I don't want you to have to be lonely or anxious anymore."

Soryu: "I can't leave this world."

Soryu: "So I want you to get out of the shadows and go back into the sunlight."

My heart hurts so much right now. His words are tearing me apart, and I can barely stand it. But...

Soryu: "And I'm sure you don't like telling people you're mobster's girlfriend. Cause you're Fire Dragons of the boss."

Meimei: "!!!"

Those words hurt me most of all.

(But he's so proud of his position as a mafia boss like me.)

He sounded ashamed when he said "mobster's girlfriend", and I know how hard... it must've been to say that. He must have stuffered so much to come to this conclusion.

(Oh...)

He squeezes his hands into fists, and he's shaking.

(Maybe he doesn't really mean this?)

It's not like him to talk like this.

(Did I drive him to do this?)

There are so many things I haven't able to say. And maybe it was all of that drove him to feel this way.

(But... there's still time. It's not too late.)

We can still make this work.

(We HAVE to make this work!)

I decide to tell him everything I haven't been able to tell him yet.

Meimei: "...It's true that it's been really hard for me lately, and I've been holding back."

Soryu: "...Yes, I know that."

Meimei: "No, it's not what you think."

I take a deep breath and tell him honestly how I feel.

Meimei: "But I know how hard you've been working."

Meimei: "But I wanted you to show me about your weaknesses, too."

Meimei: "I just want you to be yourself in front of me. You don't have to be tough all the time."

Meimei: "...Or can you not count on me?"

Meimei: "I'm your girlfriend, so I'm willing to accept you just how you are."

Meimei: "I want you to come to me when you're worried about something."

Meimei: "I want you to tell me what you want."

Meimei: "...I wanted to tell you all these things, but I held back."

I wanted to do everything I could for him as his girlfriend. I want to support him. I tell him everything as I'm being honestly feeling right now.

Meimei: "You say breathing up is for my own good, but is that really what you want?"

Meimei: "Won't you be sad without me? Because I'd be really sad without you, and lonely."

Meimei: "The only reason I was able to work so hard in this unfamiliar place is because I had you."

It's true that I've been in danger a lot. But I knew what I was getting into when we started going out.

Meimei: "I may not understand everything about the mafia world, but I know how dangerous it is."

Meimei: "I fell in love with you knowing that."

Meimei: "I was prepared for any danger I would get into."

Meimei: "...And I want to stay together with you forever..."

Soryu: "Meimei..."

Meimei: "It's true that it's really dangerous, but I trust that you'll protect me no matter what."

Meimei: "I trust you because I love you so much."

Soryu sighs, and then gazes right into my eyes.

Soryu: "Then let me say something, too."

Now his eyes aren't full of torment like before. They're calm and peaceful. How they always look.

Soryu: "I don't like being apart from you."

Soryu: "If I didn't have to work, I'd want to be with you always."

Soryu: "I wanted to come back from Hong Kong right away."

Soryu: "I don't want you to hold back, either. I want you to always tell me what you want."

Soryu: "When I saw you being close with another man, I was so insecure I couldn't bear it."

Meimei: "Soryu..."

Soryu: "...That's what I wasn't able to tell you before. I don't want you to think I was immature."

Meimei: "...I don't think that at all. I think it's a very natural reaction."

Meimei: "I don't like it when you're friendly with other women, either."

Meimei: "I want to be with you, and I don't want you to hold back. That's all perfectly natural."

My heart grows warm after I hear what he has to say.

(There's so much both of us didn't tell each other.)

Soryu: "Now that I think about it, my pride just got in the way."

Soryu: "If only I thought about what's truly important to me, this wouldn't have happened."

Meimei: "There's was so much I didn't tell you because I didn't want to worry you."

Meimei: "I thought that was for the best, but I was wrong."

Soryu: "It was the same for me. I shouldn't have walked on eggshells around you."

But why didn't I realize something this important earlier? We've been circling around the main issue this whole time.

(I'm glad we both realized it at last, though.)

(Because it would've been too late if we didn't realize it for awhile.)

I feel like this is first time I've seen him smile in a really long time. I'm so relieved I almost start crying.

Rahman: "Soryu. You made the right decision."

Rahman: "...I can't say the same for myself, about the decision I made long ago."

Murata: "Dad..."

Rahman: "Being considerate of the other person necessary if you want to live together, but... you also have to be able to share in each other's burdens."

Rahman: "...Because it'll be too late for regrets if you don't."

Rahman says as he looks at Murata tenderly, tears in his eyes.

Soryu: "Rahman's right. I was about to make a grave mistake."

Soryu: "Things won't be easy for us. But will you still be with me?"

Soryu looks at me earnestly.

Meimei: "Of course! I know we can make it through hard times as long as we support each other."

Meimei: "...And maybe what others think of as hard times will become easy for us."

Soryu: "Maybe."

He smiles at me, his usual kind smile. That makes me happier than anything else. But that mood is ruined in an instant.

Man: "You sons of bitches!!"

One of the bad guys regains consciousness behind me and screams.

Meimei: "!!!"

By the time I turn around, the man's already directly behind me.

~End of (Twist of Fate) Chapter 9~

TO BE CONTINUED...