ꜱᴛᴇᴘ ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ: ɢᴇᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʜᴇʀ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ,

[ "ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀꜱᴜᴀʟʟʏ ɪɴꜱᴇʀᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ɪɴᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇʀ ꜱᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴄɪʀᴄʟᴇꜱ, ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ʟᴜᴄᴋʏ, ᴛʜᴇʏ'ʟʟ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇʀ ᴘᴏꜱɪᴛɪᴠᴇʟʏ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʏᴏᴜ!" ]

ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴠɪᴇᴡ...

Although only holding with a few fingers, Tenko's grip on your sleeve was tight. The chances of the police being after you and Tenko that night were slim. Odds were, the police were called to handle a run-of-the-mill crime. Regardless, Tenko was not willing to gamble. He pulled you down the sidewalk frantically. You walked at a brisk pace; running would give you away. Unsure what else to do, you jogged along-side him.

"Hey!" A clear and commanding voice called out. You and Tenko stopped in your tracks, turning slowly to see who had halted you. An unknown local hero, but a hero nonetheless.

"I've got a few questions if you don't mind," The hero stated sternly. "What are you two doing out so late?" Tenko forced a polite smile. He carefully draped his arm around your waist.

"Oh, my girlfriend and I were just enjoying a peaceful night," Tenko lied through his teeth. The hero explained there was a recent robbery and the criminals were yet to be apprehended. So, the hero asked a few more basic questions, but you tuned them all out. Your mind was racing, your entire body had gone tense. It would be so easy. You could throw yourself at the hero and tell them Tenko had kidnapped you, simply praying you would be able to make it out of his reach fast enough. You felt Tenko hold your waist a little bit tighter.

His intention was to reassure you; let you know that everything was going to be okay if you just played along. In reality, his gesture only reminded you how easily he could kill you before you could make a run for it. You couldn't help but wonder if he would actually do it.

Would Tenko kill you? After everything that has happened, would he really kill you? Tenko seemed to truly care about you. Tenko seemed to truly want you around. You wondered if Tenko would go through with something like that. He had given you flowers, he called you pretty, he lent you his jacket; all things a boyfriend would do. He must have feelings for you. So, that left you wondering if Tenko would kill someone he had feelings for. Before you had the opportunity to test your hypothesis, you watched as the hero's eyes widened.

They widened in realization.

Instantly, the hero called for backup. Simultaneously, Tenko lunged for the hero to prevent his call. You stepped out, grabbing onto him and holding him back. Your actions allowed for the hero to escape, knowing they were in over their head. Tenko looked at you. He looked hurt; hurt that you had stopped him. More importantly, he was surprised you lacked an ounce of fear when you leaped to stop him. You knew Tenko may have been incredibly unstable, but you also knew he would not kill you. And he didn't.

Tenko had never even entertained the thought of willingly killing you. If there was a gun to his head and the one behind the trigger demanded he killed you, Tenko was genuinely unsure if he could. To be the one to take away the light from behind your eyes, to watch you turn to ash under his fingertips; that image felt like too much for him to bear. Tenko never wanted to lose you.

He grabbed onto you and fled.

ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇᴅ...