Liars and How To Find Them

XVI : For You

You emerged out of the building running for your life and panting, clothing lightly smelling like blood. When your 'saviour' emerged, you silently thanked the gods. Furuta was a mess, from his clothes soaking in blood to the wounds on his smooth skin. Not to forget the odd set of emotions on his face. Throughout the entire breakout, he just looked like a kicked puppy wondering if he should still trust his master or bite back, which made you still a bit suspicious of him. This could still all be some cruel plan of his, after all.

"Well, thanks for saving me." You mutter, faking gratitude. You refuse to trust him ever again. "I'll go get clean back home. See you at work tomorrow."

That seemed to set off even more alarms in Nimura's mind. He let out a 'wait' that was far too loud and desperate-sounding for his liking as his hand latched itself on your wrist. The contact made you flinch and pull away, slightly afraid that he was going to harm you. It made Nimura's heart break, seeing what he had done to you, to the person that was once the most determined and fearless he ever knew.

"What do you want?" You almost venomously spat at him.

Furuta knew you'd hate him for what he had done, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. He luckily didn't flinch at your cold tone and kept eye contact with you, fully aware that whatever emotion you could detect in his eyes was genuine. He had no time to build up his defences right now.

"I'm really sorry for what I've done, (Y/N)." He started. His hands itched to do something while he spilled out the truth, the burning facts that he had tried so hard to deny. He shakily wrung his hands together as he spoke. What was happening to him? "I completely understand your hatred for me, and I'm not... I'm not going to do anything to you anymore."

"Thanks for the heartfelt confession, Souta." Wow, that stung him more than he had expected. How could a simple name cause him such heartache? "Now if you don't mind, I'll-"

"I won't stop you from ratting me out." He cut off. "At this point, I'm not so sure about what I want anymore. Fucking over the entire world wasn't... I wanted it, but I don't know if I can... I'm confused, (Y/N)." Well, his permission to destroy his life turned into a sob story. It's incredible how much self-control Furuta lost because of you. "I want to feel satisfaction, but I don't know what'll give it to me anymore. All I know is that I don't want to threaten your life ever again."

Your scrutinizing gaze made him feel so small. "I'm not going to say anything to the CCG." Was what you had finally decided. His eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat. Was this some sort of sick joke? Build up his hope only to crush it when fellow investigators would bust down his front door and arrest him for being a ghoul? It would make sense, seeing as it would be revenge for shattering your heart.

"I'm not going to stoop that low." Nimura noticed how carefully you avoided his name. That hurt, too. "I'm not going to destroy other people's lives like you do. If you want to turn yourself in though, be my guest."

The raven haired ghoul blinked a few times, wondering if you had really just done that. No wonder he fell for someone like you...

Like a fish out of water, his mouth opened and closed multiple times, trying his best to find words to express his feelings right now. Seeing as none qualified, he simply stood there and gazed into your eyes until the solution popped up in his mind.

"Is... Are we... Can I..." He muttered, trying to find the best way to voice his question. "Can we still..?"

You seemed to catch wind of what he was trying to say and frowned. You had just told him that you spared his life and allowed him to continue living as an investigator, but... Are you willing to befriend him again, knowing he's a full-fledged backstabber?

You weren't the Julius Caesar type; there's no way you'd let yourself be stabbed (in the back) 23 times, but it would be suspicious if you suddenly abolished your friendship with Furuta...

Even if every fiber in your body screamed for you not to answer it, you swallowed back the notion that this was a terrible idea and nodded. "For you."

The overwhelming joy that settled in Furuta nearly made him jump and squeal. Luckily, he was able to reduce it to a bright smile as he took a few steps forward to reach out to you and pull you into his warm embrace.

You immediately took a few steps back, frown still decorating your features. Your avoidance made Nimura's smile falter. Realization that his mistakes weren't (and absolutely shouldn't) completely forgiven settled in and weighed heavy on his chest. "(Y/N)..." He muttered, disheartened.

"I'm doing this to avoid suspicion." You stated. "It'd be weird if we suddenly stopped talking and someone would probably notice." With that said, you realized how saying 'for you' might have given him a slightly different idea...

Although he knew he should understand your decision, he didn't want to. He had a future to build with you, a family to start. This wasn't supposed to be the way things went. Especially when he went out of his way to save your life like this! "But-"

"You made decisions. They made an impact on our lives. If you had chosen differently, it still would have changed our lives." You cut off, making sure to be heard loud and clear. You won't let yourself make awful decisions again. "Either way, there are consequences we need to deal with, and this is one of them. With the way things went, I hardly think it would be possible for us to go back to normal. I lived things, Furuta. Things that make it impossible for me to be normal ever again. Even now, I know for a fact that the first thing I should do when I get home is schedule a meeting with a private psychiatrist."

You then took another step backwards, announcing to him that you were going to attempt to leave again. This time, he made no effort to stop you. What you wanted to say had been said, and he had nothing in mind that could change any of it.

"I'll see you around the office tomorrow, Furuta."

With that, he watched you walk away, taking his only chance of happiness along with you.