credits: iamcrystalball

credits: haroobommiekom

The InterSAT thugs who were following Dara stepped back at the sight of Jiro.

“W-We’re just joking.”

“I don’t find it funny.” Jiro growled while striding slowly towards them, his eyebrows mashed together in fury.

“M-Montecillo, we didn’t do anything to her.”

Jiro’s demeanor darkened. “Why? What are you planning on doing if I wasn’t here?” That was probably the longest sentence they heard from Jiro. And that is never a good sign.

“Jiro, let’s just go”, Dara interjected, blocking his path. “Come on”, she insisted and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Please?”

Jiro glanced at Dara before shifting his eyes back at the guys who were looking anywhere but him. “This is not over”, he warned them and ushered Dara away.

The walk home was met by silence. Dara was supposed to be the one doing the talking but judging from Jiro’s furrowed eyebrows, she knew she has to keep shut.

“Tsch”, Jiro clicked his tongue and suddenly stopped walking, grabbing Dara’s arm. “Don’t do this again”, he said while looking directly at her eyes.

“Do what?” Dara asked quizzically, obviously at lost of what the young guy is talking about. Jiro’s gaze conveyed his frustration and his grip on Dara’s arm tightened a bit. There was a shred of pain that Dara thought passed in his eyes, but she wasn’t sure. The Jiro that she knew wouldn’t even blink in the face of death – this was imprinted in her mind since the first time she encountered him. There is nothing in the world that would hurt him, is there?

“Don’t do this again”, he repeated. A moment of silence passed between the two as they stood on the street trying to comprehend what the other is thinking. “Don’t run away from me”, he whispered.

Dara’s mouth slightly parted but no words came out as she stared back at Jiro, her heartbeat doubling its pace. His voice betrayed his stoic expression. There was a silent plea and urgency that made Dara hold her breath. Why is he saying this?

“You almost got hurt before when you went to the back gate. And even here inside InterSAT…” His fist tightened as he averted his gaze.

Dara placed her hand on top of Jiro’s hand that is gripping her arm. “Jiro, you don’t need to exert yourself for my sake. Forget what you promised to my father.”

“I can’t do that. I won’t do that”, he muttered and held her gaze. “I’ve sworn that I’ll protect you and be by your side.” There was a steady resolve in his voice that told her no one and nothing can change his mind. It was then that she realized that the endless argument about the stupid promise will go nowhere.

“Why?” She asked, more like pleaded, as she searched his eyes for the answer she’s been waiting to hear. Why would he go to such lengths in keeping her safe? In keeping her beside him?

“Because all things are taken away from me”, he replied hoarsely. “Your father is now gone, what if you disappear too?” When Dara heard those words, everything else seemed to slip away. Finally, she was able to peek at a small part of Jiro’s mind. Finally, she was able to somehow grasp his determination to fulfill his promise. “I have nothing to protect anyway.” Jiro has no one else left but her.

Her father might have saved Jiro from his dark life, yet the fear remained. And with her dad passing away, that fear once again hunts him. The fear of being alone – of having no one else beside him; no one that needs him. He lost everything, and is now determined to prevent any remote possibility of it happening again. For him, she is the only one left.

“Stay where I can see you, so I will be able to protect you.”

Dara’s lips curved in a smile. “Okay”, she answered. Jiro finally relaxed and released her arm.

“Good”, he mumbled.

***

Namee raised her eyebrows as Dara poured water on her glass, wiped the silverware and handed it to her with a big smile never leaving her face. Her friend even cuts the meat for her, what the heck?! They were at the cafeteria having lunch and it is not something that she would expect from Dara. When she peeled the apple for Namee and lined the sliced fruit in perfect proportion on her plate, that was the last straw.

“You’re not planning to kill me, are you?” Namee finally asked.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It’s like you’re preparing for my death.”

“You’re so silly”, Dara chuckled and placed a napkin on the table. She paused when she realized that her friend is still looking at her suspiciously. “What?”

“I feel like I’m in Hunger Games and you just betrayed me”, Namee said.

Dara giggled again and slapped her arm playfully. “That’s ridiculous!”

“You’re acting weird. Not the ‘good’ weird but ‘what the hell is wrong with you’ weird.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I’m not.”

“OMG, did you and Jiro have ?!”

“Wha-…NAMEE!”

“Okay, then what actually happened to put you in a good mood?”

“I’m just being my normal self”, Dara pouted.

Namee gave her a knowing grin and rested her chin on her palm while staring at her friend. “Normal self? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You are beaming! If I ask you to give me your lunch, you will probably give it to me together with your soul.”

Dara remained silent and averted her gaze, trying to hide her smile.

“Did Montecillo tell you he likes you? I hope you didn’t panic and accidentally killed him”, Namee laughed and poked Dara’s cheek.

“We just talked, alright?” Dara slapped Namee’s hand away while giggling.

“What did he say? Tell me!”

“Nothing”, Dara answered playfully.

“Ugh! Please tell me! If you don’t, I’ll think about it until I die and I’m going to blame you for ruining my life!”

Dara shook her head in amusement while looking at her friend. She doesn’t know why she ended up being friends with an oddball like Namee but her days in InterSAT became fun with her around.

“Daraaaa!!”

“He waited for me last night”, Dara started, a smile painted on her lips. “Even though I asked him to go home and go ahead without me, he still waited for me. And he told me to stay where he can see me so he can protect me.”

“And?”

“That’s it!”

“T-That’s…it? ARGH! What am I going to do with the two of you!” Namee exclaimed in frustration. “Say, have you told him you like him?”

“What? OF COURSE NOT!”

“Why not?” Namee asked as she placed a spoonful of food in . “Okay, don’t answer it. I know the reason. Us, girls, are obliged by social norms to wait for the guys to say it first”, she concluded. “To hell with social norms. We didn’t choose the life, why do we have to suffer?” Namee stated with conviction. “So, according to my genius and professional opinion, I say you tell him first.”

Dara didn’t respond and just continued eating, intentionally ignoring the random hell that is coming out of her friend’s mouth.

“Hey girls!” Bullet set the tray of food and joined them on the table. “May I be given the honor to join you for lunch?”

“Oh, the honor is ours, my lord”, Namee gushed. Dara chuckled at the two’s antics. She doesn’t know when it started but somehow, Bullet became a steady addition to their duo. He would constantly pop out and hang out with them, much to the dismay of his ‘fan girls’. Does he now consider them his friends? Probably.

“Bullet, can you tell me about InterSAT bonfire?” Dara asked.

Bullet and Namee exchanged glances before looking at Dara. “Are you planning on going, munchkin?” Bullet asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe not. Jiro didn’t tell me about it. I just heard about it from Riko. She said it’s an event held by the InterSAT gangs.”

Namee snorted while shaking her head. “An event? It’s a huge brawl with the gangs as the participants and the audience. It’s a display of strength; a display of testosterones.”

“Aww, you make it sound like we’re going to hold a gladiator match”, Bullet interjected and shifted his attention to Dara who is seated beside her. “Munchkin, you can come if you like. It will be held near our turf. Some of the InterSAT chicks will also come to watch it. Basically, we hold a match where a gang member can challenge a member from another gang but no weapons are allowed. There’s also an overseer to stop it if it gets bloody. It’s a friendly match!”

“Friendly match?!” Namee exclaimed, and the two argued endlessly with Bullet defending the InterSAT bonfire tradition (it fosters camaraderie!) and Namee