a/n: hello, *looks away* it's been ages sorry gsndbs anyway i tried my best, ok? my writing brain glitched so bad that i had to quit writing for the event for awhile but im back at it so i hope you like this :) also thanks for the ressurance that you'll wait for it! makes me feel better

ps. i hope this makes up for the long wait

• naoto tachibana ; hurt | angst | lovers to strangers | murder mystery

• "The emotions were already running high, but seeing the hurt in their lover’s eyes was too much to handle." - i tweaked this a bit and instead of 'hurt' i turned it to 'fear'

• bittersweet ending

-

the way back from the market is not like any other day. on a normal day, you would pick up the goods you need for the coming week, stroll on your walk back home, organize the items in the shelves in the kitchen, and proceed with your bleak daily life but today is different, far different.

a number of people have gathered at the front of the apartment building you are staying at. some are your neighbors while others are spectators. the barricade tape caged around the apartment building must have must caught their attention. needless to say, it did so to you too.

you stare blankly at the chaos stirring before your eyes. the uniformed men, police officers, are busy talking amongst themselves, taking notes, and investigating the area while you stand on your ground, hugging a paperbag full of raw ingredients.

"who would have thought this would happen? let alone in our neighborhood!" a woman around fifties strikes a conversation with you. you immediately recognize her. she lives with her daughter's family of three: she, her husband, and their young kid. they live two doors away from you.

"what happened?" you ask nicely.

"oh! were you at the market?" the old lady darts her eyes to the lettuce peeking from the edge of the paperbag. she continues, looking at you. "room 106. the woman that lives there was murdered last night. she's around your age so you must know her."

you don't.

you're too busy building a stable career to even have time to meet the residents of the building; that, and also the fact that you only have moved in a few months ago.

a siren goes off from a distance. both you and the old woman whip your heads to the direction to where it is coming from. then, from a corner a police car fancier than the ones parked at the area drives in. the officer, whom you assumed to be of higher rank, did not spare a second as he gets out of the car before the man behind the wheel switch the engine off.

"he's here! he's here!" you were only able to take a glimpse of the back of the head of the officer when the old woman snatches your attention from him back to her. "the local police have been waiting for him! apparently, this case could be related to the on-going serial killings at nearby cities and he's the head of the investigation. he's well-known in this industry and i happen to know him as well." the old woman winks as she brags about her extensive knowledge.

this woman must know you're oblivious to your surroundings.

"everyone, listen! the local police of kamifurano with the help of the city police of hokkaido have come to a decision. all residents of the yamamoto heights are obliged to come with us to the office for further investigation. men, women, and minors must come forward." a man wearing a local police badge shouts as he cups the sides of his mouth his with hands to amplify his voice.

following the announcement, the lower rank officers make way for the residents to enter the sealed area. you and the old woman duck your heads in as another officer leads the way. looking around, you realized that the murder at the building has become a big case. more people have gathered and the police men appear to be restless.

however, amidst the chaos and the murmurs from the outsiders, you feel a burning gaze on you from a distance. unable to resist the urge, you search for it and before you know it you meet the eyes of the man you vowed to forget.

he was not easy to forget. how could you simply remove a person you once thought will spend the rest of your life with from your memory? you were in love with him as equally as he was to you. it was enough and beyond enough it was perfect, almost perfect.

as it turns out, love is not the only thing that can make him happy. he's ambitious and stubborn. you were ready to settle down but he wanted more from his career and looking at the badge that hangs on his chest and the men that look up to him, you're certain. he's definitely reached his goalㅡgood for him, but at what cost?

you and him.

he has his dream and you lost your lover.

at that time it was inevitable. the distance between you two were too far to mend. it was a bitter ending. it was long ago but every bit of hurt, regret, happiness, and longing all came back in tidal wave, washing off your senses and turning it numb, as you look at him. five years of forgetting and yet you're here, reliving the emotions you once sealed tight.

you look at him unguarded. he's dazzling in his uniform but it contradicts his contorted face as fear and disbelief glaze his eyes. panic takes over when he realizes that you're a resident of the apartment building. a serial killer is on a loose, targeting women of your age who lives alone and you could be next.

"(y/n)." he says softly almost like he's afraid to say your name. all this time he had his composure but when faced with a case he cannot solve with the person he once loved so dearly is in danger, he loses it.

he's human before you and oh how you miss that look on his face. his worried face. you are reminded that he once cared for you, that he once loved you.

it was a long time ago but he's hard to forget.

"naoto, we meet again." you utter.