Ash groaned as he heard a small knock on his door.
"Ash..." A nervous voice whispered, trying to wake him, but afraid of the consequences.
Ash chose to ignore it as he had been up all night and just managed to close his eyes.
Another small knock echoed throughout his room. "Ash..." The voice called out to him again, but this time it was softer; as if they were just going through the motions but didn't actually want to wake him.
After a few moments of silence he heard a hushed conversation between two of his members.
"He's not waking up."
"Try again." The other said.
"Why me?? You do it!"
"You'll be fine." The other brushed him off. He heard a small thud as one of them was nudged and tripped against the door.
"Don't push me!" They momentarily forgot where they were as they started to brawl with each other.
Next thing Ash knew, the door was slammed open against the wall with a bang, and someone tumbled onto the floor.
"Kong, you bastard!" Bones yelled, scrambling to his feet.
Ash had enough. He angrily threw his covers to the side. "Shut up!"
Bones face paled and he backed away slowly.
"He... hey there boss. You're awake." He laughed nervously, his arms up defensively.
Ash was not amused. "What do you want." He demanded.
Bones pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "Max told me to give this to you."
Ash raised an eyebrow at him. "You woke me up because of this." He said flatly, beginning to really lose his temper with Bones.
"He said it was important and it needed to be delivered to you immediately."
Ash closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Give me the letter and get out of here."
Bones didn't need to be told twice. He turned tail and fast walked out of the room, glaring at Kong on the way out.
Ash ripped open the envelope and his face immediately fell. "I was woken up because of this!" He yelled, throwing the card onto the ground, furious. It was an invite to Max's remarriage to Jessica.
He flung himself backwards, resting on his back with his hands folded under his head. There was no way he could sleep now after being disturbed and riled up like this. He was thinking of rejecting it when a memory of Eiji's smiling face flashed through his mind. His heart began to race as he had a small hope that Eiji might have been invited too. Otherwise Max wouldn't have said it was urgent. He entertained the thought for a few moments before he snapped out of it, pushing the thought to the back of his head to deal with it later.
~*~*~*~*~*
Eiji's House*
"Eiji!" His mother called out to him. "There's a letter for you from America." Eiji's mom waved a letter in the air.
Eiji scrambled to his feet and ran towards his mother, tripping along the way. He grabbed the letter rather forcefully as he couldn't contain his excitement. He was hoping it would be from Ash, even though he knew writing letters wasn't really something Ash would do, he still had high hopes nonetheless. It had been a few months since he left America and a day didn't go by when he didn't think about Ash.
The corners of his mouth turned down into a frown when he realized it wasn't from Ash. Inside was an invite to Max's remarriage to Jessica. When he opened the card, a small note fell out. He carefully opened it and the note read:
Dear Eiji,
Hope this letter finds you well. After the recent events, Jessica and I decided to remarry. Fate works in odd and funny ways. We're inviting you not only because we want you here, but also for Ash's sake. He's been moody lately and even though he doesn't want to admit it, it's because he misses you. And I'm sure Bones and Kong would love to see you again. We'll make sure that Ash is there, even if we have to drag him to the wedding. Though I'd rather not since he's been in such a bad mood... anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. Hope to hear from you soon! Best of wishes!
From,
Max
Eiji clutched the note in his hands as he thought of what to do. He glanced at the date, the wedding was only one week away.
~*~*~*~*~*
Ash was sitting at the bar talking to the bartender when he felt a presence behind him.
He whirled around, gun in hand, ready to shoot at whoever was behind him if they proved to be a threat.
"Woah. It's just me." Sing had his hands up in front of him defensively.
Ash glared at him, putting away his gun. "You should know never to sneak up on a boss. Especially me."
"I got it. I got it." Sing said apologetically before changing his tune. Sing grabbed a letter out of his pocket and held it between two fingers. "Did you get one, too?" He smirked, knowing full well that he did.
Ash rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. "Did he invite the entire underground?"
Normal people typically wouldn't want gangsters at their wedding.
"You going?" Sing asked, taking a seat next to Ash.
"Mmm... probably not."
Sing grimaced. "Eiji might be there."
"And?" Ash was not in the mood for this.
"What do you mean 'and'??" Sing was remembering when Ash refused to see Eiji off at the airport and he was getting aggravated again. "Quit being so stubborn."
Ash turned away from Sing, ordering a drink.
Sing hated being ignored and was going to snap at Ash, but he was a man on a mission. Max had asked him to convince Ash to come to the wedding since he was certain that Eiji wouldn't refuse going if it meant he could see Ash again.
"Suit yourself..." Sing sighed, waving his hand in the air dismissively.
"You know..." Sing began, a mischievous smile spreading on his face, knowing full well what he was about to do to Ash. "Eiji is going to be dressed up in a suit." He said suggestively.
Ash, who was swirling around his drink, froze for a moment before taking a sip of his drink. Even though the bar was dim, he could see Ash's cheeks reddening.
Sing grinned, taking this as a cue to continue egging him on. "And he isn't ugly... he might catch the eyes of a few people." He taunted.
Ash slammed his glass down on the table, causing the table top to shake. "Okay! I get it!" He snapped, turning to Sing with furry in his eyes.
Sing excitedly asked Ash, "So, are you going?"
Ash turned his head away as he pouted. "Fine." He mumbled.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you." Sing leaned forward. He knew what Ash said, but this was his form of payback for earlier.
"Fine!" Ash yelled, downing the rest of his drink before slamming it down on the counter again and leaving, clearly embarrassed and annoyed.
"Yes!" Sing yelled out victoriously, flinging his hands in the air. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Max to tell him the mission was a success.
~*~*~*~*
*A week later, an hour before the wedding*
Ash stared into the mirror as he fixed his tie. He sighed in defeat, fully accepting the fact that he was going to the wedding and that he might see Eiji. He draped his coat over his shoulder and walked out into the living room to see if his gang was ready. They were all nicely cleaned up, wearing the suits Ash bought for them. He noticed that Bones was holding two gift bags.
"Why do you have two gift bags?" He asked Bones, raising an eyebrow at him.
"One is for Eiji!" Bones told him excitedly, his eyes sparkling as he thought about seeing Eiji again. Even though he was originally assigned to Eiji as a bodyguard, he thought Eiji was a genuinely good person and saw him as a friend.
"And if Eiji isn't there?" Ash challenged Bones. He knew he was being an asshole and Bones didn't deserve that, but he was still trying to suppress his feelings about seeing Eiji.
"Eiji will be there." Bones had no doubt in his mind that Eiji would be there.
Ash stared at him for a few seconds. "Let's go." Ash kept thinking of the letter Eiji had written him and everything that they'd been through; his emotions were getting harder to suppress. He thought of the possibility that he might be able to see the one person that cared for him unconditionally and he could barely contain this feeling of euphoria. Ash felt guilty. Was he even allowed to feel this way after everything he put Eiji through? He shook his head to get rid of the negative thoughts.
They arrived at the venue after the ceremony finished up. Ash glanced around the area, secretly hoping he would see Eiji since he hadn't seen him at the ceremony. He tried to hide his disappointment when he couldn't find him.
"Behave yourselves." He told his group before disappearing to find Max.
He stopped a server along the way, and went to grab a glass of champagne. But just as he was reaching for one, the server stopped him and asked for his identification. Ash stared blankly at the server, contemplating what to do. He wasn't used to being asked for identification.
Before he could say anything, Bones came up to him. "Boss! Did you find Eiji yet?"
"No." He responded curtly, turning to face Bones while moving his jacket in a way that he could show off the gun tucked in his waistband to the server.
He heard the server take a sharp intake as he put two and two together.
"Now leave me alone." He dismissed Bones, turning back towards the server.
The server was petrified, clearly realizing his mistake.
Ash reached for the champagne again, this time without any complaint from the server. "Thank you." He said with a cocky smile.
"Could you not scare the wait staff?" Max approached him, tsking as Ash covered his gun again.
"It was kind of refreshing being asked for my I.D." He was so used to being treated like a boss, that when someone actually treated him like a normal person, it was a nice change.
"Anyways, congrats on the remarry." Ash toasted Max.
"Thank you. So... anything happen?" Max inquired.
Ash frowned. "You sent Sing, didn't you." At this point it wasn't even a question, but a statement.
"Nothing can get past you, huh?"
"Nope. How do you think I survived this long?"
"Speaking of Sing, he told me that if I saw you, to tell you to meet him by the front entrance."
Ash was a little suspicious but he let it slide and headed towards the front entrance. He got there and Sing wasn't there. He stopped to look around when he felt someone behind him. His stomach immediately started to do somersaults as he recognized the presence.
"Tadaima." He heard the ever-so-familiar voice call out to him.
Ash whirled around, his eyes going wide as Eiji embraced him tightly.
"I've missed you so much." Eiji clung onto him even tighter. Ash stood there in shock for a few more seconds before returning the hug just as tightly.
Ash held back his tears while Eiji had given up long ago.
"Hey... let's turn around." Eiji mumbled in a raspy voice.
"Why?" Ash whispered back.
"Because people can see me crying."
"And? Let them." Ash laughed. He loved to tease Eiji.
Ash laughed again as he heard Eiji grumble, angry at his response. Ash eventually turned to hide Eiji's face. He pulled back and wiped the tears from Eiji's cheeks with his thumb. "Such a baby." He said warmly, remembering his first impression of him.
Eiji frowned in annoyance. "At least I'm not afraid of pumpkins."
Ash's cheeks immediately reddened and he quickly glanced around him to make sure no one had heard him. "Ssshhhh!" He brought a finger to his lips. "Don't say that outloud!" He implored Eiji, taking another look around him to make sure no one had really heard him.
Eiji started to laugh and Ash smiled. "By the way, that word you said early. 'Tai-ma?' 'Tima?' 'Ta-da?' No, that's not it." He brought a hand up to his chin pensively as he struggled to remember the word Eiji said.
"You mean 'Tadaima'?"
Ash snapped his fingers. "Yeah! That word. What does it mean?"
"It means 'I'm home'."
"But Japan is your home?" Ash cocked his head to the side, confused.
"Because of a certain someone, I started brushing up on my English. And I came across this phrase that said 'home is where the heart is'."
Ash covered his face in embarrassment as he felt his face flush red. "When did you become such a smooth talker." He muttered in anguish, his heart couldn't take any more of this. Any restraints he had on his emotions where cut loose.
Eiji glanced over Ash's shoulder and saw Sing and a few of Ash's members talking in a corner.
"Come on." He grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him toward the group.
The first person to see him was Bones.
Bones face perked up and he ran towards Eiji, arms extended.
"Eiijjiiiii!" He called out happily.
"Bones!" Eiji called back to him.
"I've missed you so much! I'm glad you made it! Here! This is for you!" Bones held out the gift bag he had carried around with him.
"Can I open this now?" Eiji asked.
Bones nodded his head eagerly.
"Okay, I'm opening it." He pulled aside the tissue paper and pulled out a plushie that had a bow on it.
"Thank you so much, Bones!" He smiled remembering the little crocodile plushie he got when he left for Japan.
"What is it?"
"It's a lynx! So you have something to remember Ash and us by." Bones seemed proud of his gift.
Eiji laughed as Ash's face fell. "Thank you, Bones. It looks just like Ash!"
Ash stared at Eiji. And Eiji tried to pretend that he didn't feel Ash burning holes in the side of his head from the intensity of his glare.
The DJ caught everyone's attention, announcing that the couple were going to cut the cake.
They gathered around. And just as expected, Max took only a little whipped cream and wiped it on Jessica's face while she took an entire slice and smashed it in his.
Eiji furrowed his brows in confusion but he didn't bother to ask. As the cake was passed around and they sat down at the table to eat, Sing leaned over and whispered something in Eiji's ear.
"Eh?? You guys really do that?" Eiji blurted out, shocked.
Sing nodded his head enthusiastically.
Eiji took a second and nodded his head in understanding. It all made sense now.
Ash narrowed his eyes as he got a bad feeling in his gut."What did Sing tell you?" He asked Eiji who had a look of determination on his face.
"He told me that at a traditional American wedding, people should do this to the ones they really care about. And if I didn't do this, you would be upset. Though I think it's a waste..." He mumbled the last part.
Before Ash could process what Eiji meant, Eiji grabbed his slice of cake and smashed it in Ash's face.
Ash's anger skyrocketed and he quickly wiped the cake away from his eyes just in time to catch a glimpse of Sing putting away his phone and running away to hide into the shadows. Ash lunged out of his seat after Sing, ready to show no mercy by hitting all of Sing's vital spots.
Eiji sat there even more shocked and confused as he saw the pure horror on everyone else's faces.
"R.I.P Sing," One of the members saluted the now hidden Sing with two fingers.
"Did I do something wrong?" Eiji asked, getting the bad feeling that he was tricked.
Bones patted his shoulder. "Let's just say that you're lucky Ash likes you."
Eiji's stomach dropped from dread. He got up and ran after Ash, hoping he got there in time.
"I'm so sorry!" Eiji called out to Ash when he finally caught up to him. Ash wasn't paying any attention to him as he analyzed his surroundings, looking for Sing.
"Come out here now, Sing! While I'm still feeling generous." He yelled into the surroundings. They had run quite a distance from the venue and were surrounded by trees.
Ash looked around again, carefully analyzing each section . "I found you, you little shit!" He yelled, starting to run towards a section of woods.
Eiji grabbed onto Ash's hand to stop him. Out of reflex, Ash slapped his hand away and yelled, "Don't touch me!"
Ash's face went from rage to horrified as soon as he realized what he just did. Before he could say anything, Eiji immediately apologized.
"I'm sorry." He bowed deeply. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that. I was careless." He kept his head bowed, apologizing for the cake as well. "I'm also sorry about the cake. I was gullible."
"No, don't be sorry." Ash looked apologetic, feeling bad for snapping at Eiji. He understood that Eiji meant no harm.
"No." Eiji looked up at Ash. "I hurt you." He said softly.
Ash sighed. "Don't worry about it. And stop bowing. You're making me feel awkward."
"Bu-"
Ash cut him off. "If you're really sorry, you can make me my avocado and shrimp salad in the morning like the good wife you are."
Eiji gave a small smile, not even the slightest bit upset at his comment. "You got it."
"Good. Now, where the hell are we?" Ash realized just how far away they ventured from the venue.
Eiji shrugged his shoulders. In the distance he saw a garden arch with flowers wrapped around it.
They walked over, and the closer they got to it, they realized it was an entrance to a park.
They glanced at each other briefly before nodding their heads in agreement. The party was getting too much for the both of them and a relaxing stroll through the park was much needed.
They walked in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.
"So... what have you been up to since I left?" Eiji asked Ash, peering over at him as they walked.
"You know, the typical. Settling fights, killing a few people, walking the streets." Ash said nonchalantly, only half serious.
Eiji frowned. "Not funny." In the moonlight, he could see bits of cake still stuck to Ash's face.
Eiji grimaced and looked around, hoping to find what he was looking for.
"Wait here for a moment." He told Ash, jogging to the drinking fountain. He grabbed his pocket square and wet part of it.
"Give me your face." He told Ash when he came back.
"You asking? Or telling?" Ash had a smug smile on his face.
Eiji scrunched the fabric in his fist. Did he have to act this way right now. "Pumpkin, can you bend your head down a little so I can reach your face, please?"
Ash realized the little dig Eiji said and tsked. "Pay up first."
Eiji got mad and was about to say something when Ash laughed and brought his face closer to his.
"It would be a shame to get your outfit dirty like that. Why not just use your tongue?" Ash smirked as Eiji was taken aback by his comment, eyes going wide like a deer caught in headlights.
Eiji's face had already begun to turn a crimson red and he wiped the cake off of Ash's face rather aggressively.
"Ow. Watch it." Ash complained, wincing.
"Who's the baby now." Eiji mocked.
If it was a battle between who could tease the other more, Ash had the upper hand. He gently cupped Eiji's cheek and brought his face up, bringing their faces only inches apart as he hovered his lips over Eiji's.
Eiji's jaw dropped but he refused to lose. In a split second decision, he decided to beat Ash at his own game. He grabbed Ash's face and held it in place as he licked some cake off his cheek. He heard Ash gasp and stumble back at Eiji's bold move, bringing a hand up to his cheek.
Ash grinned in amusement. "Well well. What do we have here? What happened to our sweet little Eiji these last few months?"
"Are you trying to start a fight?" Ash had been nonstop taunting him and he would be lying if he said he wasn't getting annoyed at this point.
"Try me." Ash challenged.
Eiji looked at him defiantly. "Fine. Let's do it. A fly would hit harder than you anyways."
"Is that so?" Ash got closer to him, squaring his shoulders to look taller.
"Okay, a fly on steroids is stronger than you."
Ash started to take off his jacket. "Mhm..."
"Fine, you're twenty-five percent more stronger than a fly. "
Ash crept closer until he was towering above him again. "Only twenty-five percent?" He clicked his tongue in amusement. "Wanna test that out?"
Eiji's face began to waver. "You can't test that out if you can't catch me!" Eiji turned tail and sprinted away from Ash. He knew Ash would never hurt him, but this was fun and brought back good memories.
Thanks to his pole vaulting training, he managed to get a huge head start.
He had a smug smile on his face as he glanced behind him.
"Might wanna get that smug smile off your face." Ash called out to him.
"Or what? You're all the way back there."
Ash's eyes widened briefly in shock before a devious, determined smile spread across his face.
"I've been going easy on you, but now that you've said that... you know how competitive I can be. I'm not responsible for anything that happens after this point." Ash said this without wavering, not even the slightest bit of a hint that he was even close to being out of breath.
Eiji glanced over his shoulder again and he nearly jumped when he saw how quickly Ash was closing in on hima. Eiji forced himself to pick up the speed.
"You forget I was trained by a remarkable assassin." Ash taunted Eiji again.
Eiji pouted as he realized there was no hope in out running Ash. He could feel Ash getting closer and at one point, he even felt Ash's fingers graze his back as he tried to grab him.
At the last second Eiji made a sharp turn to the right, but of course that didn't phase Ash one bit.
"Oh come on!" Eiji yelled, starting to reach his limit. What started as a fun game turned into a full-blown fight to the death race. If people were to see them now, they would be laughing at him, calling him a little bunny that is trying to run from the lynx.
Eiji glanced one more time to see how far away Ash was, and in that split moment of looking away, he didn't notice the slightly raised brick. His foot caught on the edge of the brick and he stumbled. At his speed, he didn't have time to regain his balance.
Ash saw Eiji start to fall and he tried to both slow down and catch Eiji, but because he was so close behind him, he didn't have a chance to do either. He tripped over Eiji and started to tumble down the hill. Eiji had tried to grab him, but the force with which Ash fell pulled him along.
They both rolled down the hill, landing with a thud at the bottom.
Ash and Eiji looked at each other, taking in their appearances. They both had disheveled hair, dirty suits, and faces sweaty and flushed from running. They started to snicker and then full out burst out laughing.
It felt so good to be together again. "You're... such... an... idiot." Ash said in between breaths, it had been a while since he had to run that much.
"You're one to talk." Eiji retorted. "You're the one that made it into a competition." He was desperately trying to regain his breath.
"I told you I was responsible for what would happen." He nudged Eiji's leg with his.
Eiji nudged him back. Eventually he sat up, finally able to speak normally again.
"Ash! Look!" Eiji beckoned Ash to sit up so he could show him what he had found.
"They're row boats!" Eiji stood up excitedly. "I've always wanted to go on one!"
"You've never been on a row boat before?" Ash asked slowly, unable to believe that someone could go nineteen years of life without riding one single row boat. "Big brother sure is lame..." He teased.
Eiji stuck out his tongue and called him an idiot as he crossed his arms, turning away from Ash.
"It's okay, I'll be your first." Ash whispered seductively in Eiji's ear, gliding his hand across his back.
Eiji immediately broke out into goosebumps. "Pervert." Was all Eiji managed to let out as he was at a loss for words.
"Come on then. Let's go." He pulled Eiji towards the boats.
"I don't think we're allowed to ride them at this hour." Eiji glanced around, he knew you typically had to pay to use these boats.
Ash scoffed. "Quit being a baby. It's the middle of the night. No one is going to catch us."
Eiji took in a deep breath. Ah whatever, it was just a single time.
They got onto the boat, Ash having to hold Eiji's hand as he struggled to keep his balance.
When they finally got themselves situated, Ash began to row towards the middle of the lake. They both then lied down with their hands crossed behind their heads, staring up at the starry night.
"This is so relaxing." Eiji murmured, enjoying the slight breeze and the gentle swaying of the boat.
"Mhhm." Ash mumbled in agreement, his eyes were closed and he looked like he was on the verge of sleeping. Today was an exhausting day.
Eiji suddenly broke the silence. "You really won't come to Japan with me?"
Ash slowly opened his eyes. "Maybe one day. But right now I have messes to clean up. Besides," Ash extended his hands above him, opening and closing them, the stars twinkling in the background. "My hands are tainted with blood. It wouldn't be fair to all the people I've killed and it wouldn't be right for all the bad things I've done to just disappear so I can start fresh again. I deserve to live with these sins and live with the fact that I am a monster."
Eiji turned to lie on his side to stare at Ash.
"What?" Ash asked, getting a little uncomfortable with how intently Eiji was staring at him.
"I don't think you're a monster. And I've never thought you were one either. Underneath all that hard exterior is a human being who has been through so much in life that it's just exhausted."
Ash began to tear up as he listened to Eiji's words.
"You've never had a chance to heal because you've lived a life where the world kept throwing one curve ball after another at you. If you wanted to survive, you had to move on so quickly." Eiji reached out his hand towards Ash but hesitated as he remembered what had happened earlier. Ash saw him reach out and grabbed his hand.
"You deserve so much better in this world, Ash." Eiji's voice cracked.
Ask covered his eyes with his arm as he tried to stop his tears.
"I want to see you happy. I want to be beside you as you achieve the life you deserve. Free of guns. Free of violence. Where you can simply be you. I know the things you've done aren't excusable, but regardless, you've done what you needed out of necessity. You're a good, caring person. Otherwise you wouldn't have saved me, your members, or even Sing's members. Deny it all you want, but I see another part of you that you're even afraid to admit it exists. You're tired and I wish you'd rely on me more often."
Ash struggled to hold back his sobs. "You sure know what to say." He said with a shakey voice in between his sniffles. He squeezed Eiji's hand tightly and they lay there in silence as Ash let out all the emotions he'd been suppressing over the years.
As Ash's sniffles reduced to the occasional hiccup, Eiji started to feel little droplets fall on him. Was it raining? He shot up and saw that they were heading towards the fountain.
He scrambled to get to the oars, trying to avoid stepping on Ash.
"What's going on??" Ash got up, trying to figure out what was happening.
"We're headed towards the fountain!" Eiji yelled out, finally getting to the oars, desperately trying to turn the boat around.
The boat was turning but not fast enough. At this point, they were just getting drenched.
"Move!" Ash took the oars from Eiji and used all his strength to row away from the fountain.
By the time they managed to get away, they were soaked to the bone.
"This is karma for riding the boats without permission." Eiji groaned, taking off his jacket to try and wring the water out of it.
Ash sat down, leaning against the side of the boat. His arms were burning from the strain of rapidly rowing the boat away.
"Let's get back to shore." Eiji took the oars and started rowing back towards the dock. They both clambered out.
"We're going to have to get out of these clothes or we'll catch a cold." Ash stated matter-of-factly.
"You mean only me, right? Because idiots don't catch colds."
"You know what? You can walk to the house." Ash turned around heading back toward the venue to get his car and go home.
"Wait a minute! I was joking!" Eiji cried out after him, stumbling around as he was in the middle of taking off his pants.
Ash laughed at Eiji's struggling. "You know I can help you with that." He grabbed Eiji by his tie and pulled him closer.
"Get lost." Eiji shot back, throwing his pants at Ash.
"That's quite an upgrade. From throwing cake at my face, to throwing your pants? What's next?"
"You know what. I think I am going to walk home. I'll see you in 3 hours."
"Walk home? Looking like that? You won't survive 3 minutes on the streets."
Eiji squinted his eyes at Ash. "Fine." He grumbled, following Ash back to the venue.
"Whatever happened to Sing?" Eiji asked, completely forgetting how they ended up here.
"He probably went back to the party as soon as he saw us go into the park. Now, I just need to get my hands on his phone to delete that video he took."
"Normally I would say not to hurt him," Eiji began, getting annoyed again at the memory of Sing tricking him, "But this is the one time I will pretend like I saw nothing."
"Aw yeah. This is going to be fun. Sing better watch out." Ash gladly threatened just in case Sing was still around, cracking his knuckles and neck.
Miles away from them, in the safety of his hideout, Sing sneezed loudly as he shook from the sudden wave of chills running down his spine. He knew exactly why it happened, but in his opinion, it was totally worth the consequences to come.