WARNING: Lots of flaws since I don't reread it. Thank you NEKOassassin for your continuous and precious support in terms of the votes and comments :D

CHAPTER 39

"I don't know," the old man replied despite he did not need to be a genius to figure out that his ignorance would make the three men's blood opposite him boiled.

"How come you don't know what's your son trying to do!? You're his father!" Nagi yelled back, ignoring Van who was anxiously holding him back. Kira from his other side was wordless but it just gave a cue to everyone that he shared the same thought with Nagi.

"Mind your manners, Mikado Nagi. I am your president," Otori said, sharp. He was almost done with being calm and classy. It would be easy if Eiichi was the one who is rude since all he needed to do was being physically violent and Eiichi would shut up.

"Oh, yeah? You might be our president but soon enough, you're going to be our ex-president," Nagi said sarcastically, much to the old man's shock.

"What nonsense are you talking about, huh?" Otori looked around before focusing on Kira. "I guess Sumeragi here can explain it properly to me without needing to waste his voice."

"You will disband HEAVENS, right?" Kira said, almost instantly.

"Huh?"

"They said it."

"Who are they?"

"Those who want to scout us for their company when we had sworn to Eiichi that we're going to stay with Raging Entertainment forever," Van said. There were no jokes that he usually did. Just like the other two, all he had was the disappointment and sadness for what Eiichi had done and gone through. "Eiichi told them that HEAVENS is going to be disbanded."

"Ahh, I see... what a great loser and leader he's trying to be," the president nodded as he finally could put two and two together. "I asked him to tell you guys about the disbandment himself but apparently, he is a kind-hearted coward. He doesn't even have the audacity to tell you directly so he decided to have a backup plan. Nice."

"How could you, president?" Nagi did not have time to be surprised at himself for being insolent when what Eiichi had gone through clouded his mind. "How could you do this to us? All this time, we had worked hard in order to satisfy your demand. We had won at everything that we could but this is how you're going to pay us?"

"For your information, I am not in your debt, Mikado Nagi!" The sturdy body rose from his spot, eyeing each of them in anger. It was humiliating when they did not even flinch as they should. "I was the one who gave you a chance to be in this industry so don't be so full of yourself! All of you are nothing to be compared to Tokiya!"

Van's eyes sized up while Kira, despite the lack of response, his heart was already torn. Now, he understood Eiichi more.

While for Nagi, all he could do was chuckling in disbelief.

"So Tokiya is the reason, huh? The reason why you abruptly decided to disband us?"

"That's what he wants before he can work with me. I have to fulfill his demand because he deserves to do so way more than you guys."

"And what makes you think he will give in to you once you disband us? Do you think Tokiya is that easy to catch?" Van asked back.

"In case you don't realize, Ichinose and his friends just annihilated Saotome-san who was their president since 17 years ago. What makes you think he will obey you who are similar to Saotome-san?" Kira supplied.

"No! I am not like Saotome. I am not stupid like him. I know exactly what Tokiya wants. I know what should I do in order to keep that guy with me so you people should mind your own business and suit yourself in another company."

The three of them were staring at him in disbelief. The silence was depressing until Nagi came up with the words that he had suppressed for a long time.

"You don't even care about your own son so what makes you think you can work the best with Tokiya? His concert tonight is the most popular news and with such a promising success, there is no way he will leave his friends for you. His friends even fought for him in the court while you!? You only seek his fame."

"Enough, Nagi. We should help Eiji find Eiichi," Kira interposed. At least, he should try even he knew, the argument would not finish until Nagi was done with his complaint.

"You will regret everything, Mr. President. You have been blessed with a good son like Eiichi but you are never fair to him. All he wants is your attention since you're his father but all you think every single day is Tokiya," Nagi added which sent Kira and Van totally gave up. Instead, they stood still, indirectly telling Nagi that they were on his side. "I hope, whatever happens between you and Eiichi doesn't involve Eiji as well."

The trio left the room at a loss where to find and what to do with Eiichi. Finding the untouched antidepressant in Eiichi's room which led them to share how each of them encountered the despondent Eiichi had been a 'good' reason for them to be this anxious.

"I hope at least Eiji can find him. Eiichi always has a soft spot for him," Van remarked.

"Us too," Kira supplied.

It was weird to hear it from Kira but from how twisted the situation had become, all they had in mind was Eiichi.

And also their last conversation as a group.

A slow groan could be heard after minutes passed since an unconscious man was left in the store. Ren's head was still heavy from...

Somebody hit my head, right? His heart whispered. Slowly sighing in relief since it did not cause him to lose blood, he sat up from his position before looking around the dark store.

"What happened? Who put me here?" He mumbled which was like a cue for his memory to recover.

Before it happened, he was walking with Haruka. The conversation started with Tokiya's concert before moving on to Masato's issue. He casually pointed out how Masato looked like he was shouldering all the burdens in this world but Haruka anxiously brushed it off.

That was when it happened. Somebody whacked his head. It was hard enough for a strong guy like him to collapse immediately. He could hear Haruka screaming his name as she was dragged away by two workers but his blurry vision got the better of him. No matter how many times he tried to stand up, it was worthless.

"Haruka..." He mumbled, weakly making his way to the door before trying to open it.

Yet, his attacker must know what they were doing. Not only the door was locked from outside, he just realized that he lost his phone and walkie-talkie.

"Shit!" He cursed, banging on the door. "Somebody, please get me out here!"

He continued shouting for help but nobody came to his rescue.

This can't be. Somebody should be around here to get things from this store unless...

He could tell the whole hall just lost electric supply. It was scary. It was not because he was afraid of darkness which was downright ridiculous.

Instead, he could feel that something sinister was about to happen to his friends.

Meanwhile, in the dark hall, it was full of confused murmurs from the audience. It was strange since it seemed like no staff took initiatives to fix the situation.

They shared the same puzzlement with Tokiya who was standing still on the stage with his backup dancers. He knew they would fix it anytime. Everyone was doing a great job backstage. He saw everything. All his friends were everywhere in order to make sure the flow of the concert run smoothly.

Little did he know, behind the scene, it was like a war. With Eiichi's orders, all the crew started to attack STARISH members, Hijirikawa daughters, Tomochika and Himura. They were forced to occupy their meeting room. Those men were brave enough to fight back but to protect everyone from the guns which were scarily aiming at anyone who tried to defy, they had nothing to do. They sat quietly like a bunch of obedient kids, silently praying for a miracle. It was worse since they could not get a signal on their phones which they believed, it was all the culprits' doing so that they could not seek help outside.

"Mommy, Daddy," Mitsuki cried in Natsuki's arms. She could not find her mother anywhere and while she knew where Masato was, she was still anxious. She needed both of them to feel secure.

"Mommy and Daddy are fine. Don't worry," Natsuki whispered to the little girl, concealing his own worry. It was strange since they put them in the same place except for Haruka, Masato and...

"I am so worried about Daddy, Mommy, Ren ojichan and Tokiya ojichan. Why don't they put them here with us, obachan?" Harumi asked, hugging Tomochika who also had her arms around the girl.

"Then, let's pray that ojichan will protect Daddy and Mommy, okay?" Tomochika said before kissing Harumi's head.

Now that Harumi pointed it out... what happened to them? Where actually did these people come from when they were supposed to work for STARISH? The woman thought.

Tomochika's curiosity, however, was fully expressed by Syo who was expected to snap faster than others.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Who are you working for!?"

"Shut up! We're not here to answer your question so stay here and be nice. If you're not," one of the underlings aimed the gun at Harumi before shifting to Mitsuki. "We'll kill these girls."

"So, are you telling us that you're working for someone who resents Haruka and Masato?" Natsuki pointed out, which drawing a smirk from one of the workers who they believed was assigned to be their leader.

"Apart from that Jinguuji, we have another sharp knife in the drawer. Nice," the man said, giving the answer why Ren was not with them. They must isolate him somewhere. "Quite close, Shinomiya-san. Rather, if we ruin the couple, it'll be the death of his target."

"What?" The STARISH members exclaimed in unison.

The light suddenly dawned on the only redhead in the group.

"Your main target is Tokiya, right?" The man said, shaking with fear and anger. He wanted to know the answer but he did not want it to be Tokiya. Not after what his best friend had gone through. Not after things had started to get better each day.

"No, it can't be..." Himura supplied. "Don't you ever do anything to Tokiya..."

"It's too late. That's our job and we can't help it since he paid us way higher than you," the leader replied. "Don't worry about him. He's definitely safe. He will survive the night physically because that's what our boss wants. Instead, you should worry about yourself as well. Your children, your wives are trapped with the audience. We can do anything to them had you refused to obey us."

They could feel the chill flow down to their spines, especially after Tomochika spoke up.

"Is your boss Otori Eiichi?"

Almost in unison, the sound of someone adjusting the microphone took up the whole hall. Everyone including the audience nervously waited for the voice which hopefully would shed the reason why they were in such a circumstance.

"Tokiyaaaaa," a playful voice but actually shouldered the burning rage echoed. The idol looked around as chill flew down to his spine. The man who had been Tomochika's forever nightmare was not supposed to be here so how on earth he could act like he owned the place? "I am sorry to interrupt your concert, my buddy. I am sorry to ruin your phenomenal moment but the merrier you're, the more I want to destroy you."

"Is that Otori Eiichi?" More voices from the audience murmured in anxiety. They completely recognized the voices but a lot of them were still in denial since the man who was speaking creepily did not sound like Eiichi who the public knew. Charismatic and collected.

"Ah, I am sorry. It's rude of me to suddenly interrupt your sweet moment with your beloved singer but since reporters are also here, I want to give you a topic for your magazines, newspapers, websites and TV channels. I have something to tell. I have something to share regarding Tokiya and me."

Tokiya could feel all eyes including the dancers around him were on him but that was not the biggest problem. Rather, he was worried sick about his friends. If Otori Eiichi was here with his clearly disturbed mental state, somehow backstage would bound to be attacked.

"You dated my fiancée... you made Tomo left me for you... you demanded my father to disband HEAVENS so that you can show you're better than me... You stole everything from me! Now, I am here so make sure you pay for your sins!"

More desperate and questioning murmurs echoed in the hall. It was hard to digest Eiichi's revelations at once. More eyes were fixed towards the main star of the night.

Still, that was not the biggest problem for Tokiya. He could put it aside. It could wait but...

If Otori Eiichi was in the building when the security was top-notch with a lot of workers everywhere, did it mean they had betrayers among them?

The scary question in his head was immediately answered by Masato's groan and Haruka's sob, echoing which caused another wave of panic in the hall.

"Tokiya..." Masato called, much to everyone's horror.

"Masato... Haruka..." As he turned to leave the stage and find the couple, he was immediately grabbed by two workers who hastily dragged him to his waiting room.

"Wait! What's the meaning of this!? Are you working for Eiichi!?" He yelled but he did not resist as he knew, more 'funny' actions from him would cause others' lives. "Answer me!"

"Yes, you two bring him to his waiting room. I have a fun game to play with him. Only with him," Eiichi ordered whose voice ricocheted through one of the nearby speakers. "I warn everyone from STARISH especially you, Jinguuji Ren. Any attempt to save yourselves, I'll make sure those Hijirikawa daughters will face the consequence."

"Shit..." they both were in a completely different place but Ren and Tokiya expressed their frustration from not having the control for the situation in the same way.

"Masato... Haruka..." Ren who was tired from trying to break the door ended up collapsing on the floor, leaning against the door. His body felt heavy at the thought of his childhood friend.

Not to mention, it was the sick Masato who was attacked. It would be better if the pianist was still healthy and strong. He would find his way out to save himself and Haruka. He would probably be fine.

But now the circumstance was different. Masato was still weak and could barely walk.

"No, please stop," the scion mumbled. "What's with this bad feeling? I hate this."

"We should do something, Masato," Haruka said. She was sitting beside Masato's wheelchair, eyeing Masato's dripping blood from his side in horror. Her hands were still struggling to undo the ropes around her wrist. "At least, I should find a cloth to stop your blood."

"That's okay... I am fine," he said it but the dizziness that clouded his head had been insane due to the blood loss. Eiichi did stab him deeply so the pain was unbearable. "Plus, do you hear him? He'll harm the girls if we attempt something..."

"But you're losing blood!" She yelled as this was the only chance where Eiichi and his underlings had left them for a while in the waiting room. "Your face is so pale. At this rate, if we don't do something..."

"Haruka..."

The voice was weak but full of love and care. It would be pleasant for her ears if they were just in their bedroom and snuggling up to each other.

But now, when he still smiled despite the pain, she could not stand to see it. It was unbearable.

"I love you."

She shook her head. This was not the time. His 'I love you' was no longer the sweet music to her ears.

"No, Masato..."

"I love you so much. Thank you for the life we have shared together. Despite my disease, it has been a paradise because of you, because of the girls..."

"Masato, please... hang in there..."

"I wish you and the children can always live the paradise... even I might not be around..."

"Masato, please... that's not funny. You can't leave me..."

"Hey, lovely couple," Eiichi came back, followed by his underlings and the anxious Tokiya. The blue head was pushed until he kneeled on the floor before the underlings left the room. "Now, four of us are here. You don't have any idea how long I've waited for this moment. Let's see... since eight years ago?"

Tokiya immediately caught the sight of blood under Masato's chair. The man's pallid face had suffocated his chest despite he was not the one who was in pain.

"Let them go," Tokiya said huskily. "If you want to take revenge, just settle it with me. No need to involve others."

"But, it's not fun, Tokiya-sannnn," Eiichi said. "It's because it's just your personality. You, be the daredevil alone, you who will sacrifice anything for your friends, that's just how you're so that's not fun to me. I need your friend's sacrifice to have fun too. Luckily for me, Masato had done it eight years ago."

"What?"

"These legs..." He slightly kicked Masato's leg. "Where do you think he got it? How come a healthy man suddenly collapsed and had to fully depend on his wife?"

Tokiya did not like the direction of this conversation. Eiichi did not answer the question yet but nobody needed to be a genius to guess it.

Haruka who also could figure out the answer dropped more tears.

"Eiichi, you..." Tokiya initiated.

"Yes, I drugged him. That drug was responsible for making him suffered," Eiichi said, casually. "Those precious moments where Masato, you and I used to hang out together at my place... I chose to drug him at the moment since you never took a sip whenever I offered drinks. It's probably due to your trauma with the rape incident. Just so you know, Masato was not a part of my plan to destroy you but when he's around, I felt threatened. He could sense everything. He is sharp so I wanted to get rid of him... slowly. No, I am not going to ruin those hard works that I spent in order to debut with other HEAVENS members. I wanted to spend a lot of time with the guys while watching Masato deteriorated slowly and painfully."

Tokiya just blinked in disbelief. He looked at Masato who was smiling bitterly at him. He knew, an apologetic look was not enough to exchange with his friend's suffer but with a gun in Eiichi's hand, there was nothing he could do.

"You're starting to lose your mind, right, Tokiya? Hah, I know it! It won't affect you as much if you're the one who's sick. You can survive on your own. And you know what? There is another fun truth that will turn you upside down. For your information, Masato already learned it eight years ago. That's why he attacked me once he knew it but for some reason, he passed out suddenly which made him lost all his memories. Lucky me, I must say."

The tall guy handed a big brown envelope to Tokiya.

"Read it. The secret that Haruka has hidden from you for a long time," he said. "And also the reason why Masato attacked me."

The envelope received a blank look from Tokiya. "Please don't involve them. Masato is bleeding!"

"Read it or I will make him bleed more."

Tokiya immediately snatched it.

"Tokiya, don't," Masato and Haruka exclaimed, almost in unison.

It just made Tokiya's heart beat fast. He believed in his friends. Whatever paper he was holding right now must be disturbing for him to know but it aggravated Eiichi right away.

"Zip your mouth, you two," he said, pointing the gun at them. "Or else, those girls won't be in their normal state anymore but hey, Masato. I bet you want to save just one of them, right? Since you just found out that one of them is not yours biologically."

The couple flinched at the casual remark.

"You're going to regret this, Eiichi," Masato said.

"Nope, not me. But, this guy," Eiichi said, pointing at the clueless Tokiya. "He'll regret it. Hey, what are you waiting for? Do you want me to shoot this couple to death first?"

With a heavy sigh but a thumping heart, Tokiya took out the papers.

At the same time, something conveniently reached his mind.

Why on earth did he keep saying eight years ago? What happened eight years ago?

The questioning tone was instantly answered by 'Hijirikawa Harumi' and 'Ichinose Tokiya' on the paper.

What?

To say that he was surprised by the truth from the piece of paper was underestimated. He was freaked out by the content. Harumi might have Masato's name since that was who she was supposed to be; Masato's first daughter with Haruka.

But in this case, his DNA and Harumi's matched 99%. How was this possible?

He took out a few pictures from the brown envelope which he threw them right away as he glanced at the content.

It was his nude pictures with Haruka, hugging each other on his bed.

"Tokiya..." Haruka called, trying to say something but Tokiya's horrified eyes stopped her.

"Haruka... how..."

"It's surprising, right? But, no, not actually if we took time to reminisce about something from eight years ago, Tokiya," Eiichi said. "Remember, you were supposed to be at my birthday party but somehow, you lost your consciousness and ended up in your room... nakedly, right?"

The blue eyes sized up. They shook as he finally could put two and two together.

"Yes, the woman who also possessed a lust for you as much as you possessed for her at that night was Haruka, your friend's fiancée at that time," Eiichi said. "She was supposed to be a scapegoat to ruin your friendship with Masato but it turned out I found something more interesting. Apparently, the drug suited you both well."

"Stop," Tokiya said coldly. He could not stand it anymore since whatever escaped from the man's mouth did not give any good news. From the way his eyes red and how loud his voice had become, it was obvious to everyone that Otori Eiichi was determined to annihilate him.

But the man did not stop. There was no way he would stop torturing him when this was the best chance ever.

"It turned out that you loved each other at that time, Tokiya! Did you hear that? You and your friend's wife did love each other from the start. You kept blurting out that 'I love you' crap to each other before you decided to sleep together for once in your life. Pretty funny isn't it? You and your twin are so funny because not only you share similar looks, you love the same woman but also... you shared the woman! But, I must say you're way luckier than Masato because you got her first... sexually. You made her pregnant first and that so-called fruit of your love is... Harumi. I started to believe that Saotome-san really knows what he's doing when he decided to assign you for The Stripper role. You're disgusting because you have a lust for your friend's wife while Masato is like an angel. I bet he decided to cover for you by being Harumi's father because he didn't want things to ruin among the three of you. It's such a shame. I was hoping that he would go berserk which would cause a scandal for STARISH but he's too kind to you. Too bad."

At this moment, the fact that Haruka did love him... Tokiya could not bother with it when he had a bigger issue on his plate.

He and Haruka... they slept together when Haruka was Masato's fiancée. He ended up losing his mind that night, sleeping with someone who was so precious to him that he told himself no matter what happened, if she was not married to him, he would never do something that would taint his love for her. He wanted it to be pure for her sake.

He held the principle for so long. No matter how many times he was enchanted by Haruka's presence, he told himself that Haruka would never be his. He should stop imagining things as she was his own friend's wife.

He respected and treasured Haruka more than his own self.

But today, it was revealed that he and Haruka already shared a sin since eight years ago. The sin which caused the born of Hijirikawa Harumi in this world.

No wonder he strangely loved the girl, unlike with other children. No wonder he always had this strange urge that he would do anything for the girl's sake...

"Don't listen to him, Tokiya," Masato who was anxious to see the terrible state of Tokiya quickly coaxed the blue head. Tokiya was suffering a bad mental disorder because of the previous oppression. It took him this much to build a new life so they could not let something that happened not out of Tokiya's will to tower over his mind.

"It's not your fault," Haruka added, followed by her husband's nod. "You heard him, right? He drugged us so that we did that."

"Shut up, both of you! You have no right to talk because..." Eiichi chuckled at the helpless Tokiya. "I'll make him talk, whine, cry... All of them... until I am satisfied."

Tokiya flinched at the tone. His eyes sized up in horror as Eiichi aimed his gun at the couple.

"Let's play a game. Two stages. I called the first stage 'Haruka or Masato?'."

"What?"

The mad man approached Masato before pushing the gun to his head.

"Eiichi, what're you doing?" Tokiya asked, eying the quivering Masato at times.

"I want to kill someone tonight. You don't have any idea how much I want to kill someone who is dear to you, right in front of you so that you'll suffer for the rest of your life," he tightened his hold around the scion's neck, slightly choking him in process. "But I don't want to be bothered with a trivial task like choosing the one who will die tonight. Instead, I want you to choose, Tokiya."

Tokiya forgot to breathe for a second.

"Don't do this, Eiichi. This is not funny."

"But it's for me, though. It's funny. Watching you kneeling like that when all this time, you arrogantly stole everything from me. You don't have any idea about how much I want to stab you to death because Dad kept complimenting you but insulting me! He even wanted to disband HEAVENS because you demanded him! And at the mall! Do you remember how you demanded me to choose between Tomo or HEAVENS. I never felt so insulted in my life when you ordered me to choose between the two! Screw you, Tokiya! You don't even love Tomo so you don't have any right to talk!"

"Eiichi, I did that because I want to protect Tomo. You hurt her, you made her suffered when she never cheated on you. I told you, you need to seek help! There's something wrong with the way you perceive your jealousy..."

"Shut up or I will shoot this guy," he slightly pressed the trigger which made Haruka cried more. "Now, choose one of them."

"Eiichi, please don't hurt him," Haruka knew it was meaningless to beg but he could not stand to see Masato, all hopeless and waited for his death.

"Just kill me instead. No need to involve my friends, please," Tokiya said. His whole body was shaking from the intense pressure. "I beg you."

"I said choose."

"Please kill me instead..."

"I said, choose, you bastard!!" Eiichi snapped as he put more pressure on the trigger. The gun was pressed deeper to Masato's temple. "Choose one or I will shoot both. Which one do you prefer?"

"There is no way I can choose one of them. They're my friends!"

"Tokiya..." Masato called. He was tired of this kind of pressure. How he wished Tokiya would choose him as quick as possible. "Just choose me... Save Haruka."

"No..." Haruka and Tokiya remarked, almost in unison. It was heartbreaking and drove them crazy.

"Yes, this dude is right and wise as always. You should choose him, Tokiya," Eiichi replied. "Why? Think for a second. He won't get back into his feet, I tell you. He'll just be a burden to everyone including you who wait for Haruka for a long time. In other words, he'll be useless to you. You cannot produce more kids if you decide to keep him alive. So, you should let Haruka alive and make her yours..."

That was when something unforgivable echoed in Tokiya's mind.

The one which he threatened Masato to steal everyone in his family...

"No need to patch up with me, Masato. Because between us itself, we do have a conflict. We are twins with blue hairs, similar personalities and we get along well but you miss the last part. We both love the same woman."

"Yes, it's Haruka. And that's the answer to your questions. How can I be in a relationship when I love your wife? She's my first love and I am still madly in love with her until now. When the president finally lifted the relationship ban, I was about to propose her but I was slightly later than you. But today, I just heard the most interesting statement from you. Do you remember? You said, 'I hope she will be yours soon, Tokiya. You are a nice guy so you deserve a nice girl.' Really? Do you really hope that Haruka will become mine?"

"You already dug your own grave by saying that you're jealous of me for being Haruka's inspiration. You know what? Since I inspired her and I changed her life, she should be mine. Not yours."

"But I guess God still sympathized with me. You saw how your daughters treated me, right? You know what? Both Harumi and Mitsuki used to mistake me for you. I think this might be a big chance for me to replace you in your family in case you die. You trust me enough to protect Haruka from Van anyway."

Those words were all fake but somehow, they stung more when the fake threats turned into a reality and the worst thing was he just learned them tonight.

"Human being is selfish by nature, Tokiya. You spend years to mask your feeling towards this woman just because of your friendship with her husband. So, now, you shouldn't object if I kill this guy. Without him, you can live happily with Haruka. Now, I choose it for you since you're so slow. I can't wait any longer!"

"Eiichi..." Tokiya barely stood up when his legs were too weak to carry him from all the sudden shock he had received. His eyes and Masato's met each other and that was when a sweet but heartbreaking smile spread across Masato's thin lips.

He was smiling but tears started to well up in the blue eyes.

"Please don't kill him, Eiichi..." Haruka pleaded.

"Please save Haruka... and the girls, Tokiya..." Masato followed.

"Eiichi!"

With the last request from Masato, it was swiftly followed by a loud sound of Eiichi's gun. Tokiya almost pounced on Eiichi but more blood flowed from Masato's head caught his eyes, showing him that he was late.

Haruka's cry proved Tokiya more that Eiichi did kill his twin.

It was not an insane nightmare. Masato got killed for real.

That was when Eiichi's underlings joined them. Obviously, they were there in case Tokiya went berserk and attacked Eiichi.

"Undo the rope. Let him dies in his friend's arms," Eiichi ordered as he stepped back from Masato who was gasping for oxygen. His chest hurt. Every inch of his frame was in pain when Eiichi only shot his temple.

The world around Masato... it started spinning and darkening when there were a lot of things he wanted to see...

Together with his family and friends...

But if this how his life ended...

He guessed it was not bad at all. His life would end for the sake of those people who he loved whole-heartedly.

"Masato! Masato, open your eyes!" He was startled by Tokiya's desperate and quivering voice, followed by Haruka's sobbing.

He could not see clearly what was happening but he could tell that his fragile body was wrapped by Tokiya's arms.

"Masato, please don't leave me..." Haruka followed.

I wish I could but... it hurts, Haruka...

When his eyes were fully open after many difficulties, he was served with the sight of Tokiya who did not shed any tears but he did not need to be a genius to tell that the man was grieved and afraid.

"Tokiya..." he gathered up his one last bit energy to say what he needed to say. Eiichi talked too much just now and it felt suffocating. He needed to say this before it was too late. He raised his hand which was quickly grabbed by Tokiya. "I... I never believe... for one second that... you... you would betray me... You love Haruka... sincerely... I know that..."

"Masato, please..."

"Don't let... whatever happened today affect you... Don't think of it too much... It's dangerous for your mental health... And... please look after... the girls too..."

That was it. With the way the blue eyes slowly closed and the way his hand suddenly dropped from Tokiya, everyone in this room knew that it was over.

It was over for Masato. It was over for Tokiya who froze on his spot, staring at the lifeless body in his arms.

His friend... the friend who was there for him through thick and thin did no longer breathe, let alone to still open his eyes and mouth to show that he was okay.

The sight of Haruka crying while hugging Masato was the limit. He could not see it. His system thought that it was too much to handle.

"Ohhh, that's how you looked like when you're miserable. What a nice sight to see," Eiichi said, followed by his hysterical laugh. This was so satisfying. He just made the sight of the dead Masato took place right on his target's eyes.

"Moving on to the next stage... final stage," without any sympathy to the man who he just killed nor to the other two who had felt dead inside, Eiichi showed another horrible scene in his phone. He was making a video call with his underling who guided other STARISH members in the meeting room. "Do you guys see those cute girls in the screen? Now, I want to choose either Harumi or Mitsuki so that Masato won't be alone in the heaven."

"Please stop..."

"Come onnnn... pick oneeee," Eiichi said. The loud voice made both Haruka and Tokiya flinched. "Masato is dead, Tokiya. I bet this time, it'll be easier for you since you know which one is yours and which one is Masato's. You can get rid of Mitsuki, for crying out loud! She deserves that so that she'll be together with her dead father."

"Eiichi, please!" Tokiya snapped, still holding Masato tightly in his arms. "Don't risk more lives. You want to destroy me, right? Fine! I'll do anything for you! If you want me to kill myself after this, I am willing to do it but please... don't hurt the girls.... I beg you."

Ah, he just said it, the leader of HEAVENS smiled. He continued staring at Tokiya who kept blurting out all kinds of promises. His inside was laughing hysterically at the pathetic but memorable sight of the man who was supposed to rebrand himself as a talented entertainer tonight.

Hahahahahaa, serves him right! Now, what're you waiting for, Eiichi!? Get him! Take him away!

"Get up," Eiichi said, slow but intimidating for Tokiya to obey him immediately. He turned to his underlings. "Tell everyone to leave this place as soon as possible. We take this guy with us. There's no way I will let you stay here together with Haruka. If I can't get Tomo, you also don't deserve your happiness."

Two impatient underlings dragged Tokiya out of the room. He looked at Haruka and Masato as tears started to stream down his face.

I am sorry, Haruka.

"Tokiya!!" He had to ignore her cry.

Their friends heard everything.

Eiichi had left the microphone open so that those who were backstage could hear everything.

From Eiichi's devastating confession and threats till the moment when Haruka cried for Masato's death...

They all heard everything.

But, all the devastated Tomochika and Natsuki could do was covering Harumi's and Mitsuki's ears from listening to their parents' misery.

It took all for other STARISH members and Himura to convince themselves that this was the harshest reality that they needed to swallow.

"We... we should... go to Haruka and find Ren," Otoya remarked at last. His red eyes were staring blankly at the door, refusing to meet eyes with others because...

He was crying and he was positive that the others were as well.

And also Ren, who also burst into tears in the darkness.

Did we really just lose both of them to that bastard? This is not just a dream, right? Where the heck did the bastard take Tokiya? 

As usual, feel free to drop a comment, guys :D