What Sahiro had said, about wanting to be friends and liking me, had come as such a shock that I had stopped walking, and for a moment, I think I stopped breathing. A friend? An honest, true friend? Before I could stop it, a tear fell from my eye. I wiped it away quickly, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.
He was waiting for me to respond, and I wasn't sure what to say. I decided that being honest was the best way to go. "Sahiro, I like you too," all the smart remarks were gone. I was 100% serious now. "But, I don't know if we can be friends." I was looking him straight in the eyes.
Confusing found its way to his already red face. "Why not?"
"I'm immortal, and I can't die. I don't want to watch someone else I really care about die. I don't think I can take it, not again. It's why I distance myself from people. It's why I am the way I am. Besides, in the end, one of us will end up betraying the other," I explained.
He started to say something, but I silenced him, holding up a hand so that I could finish what I wanted to say. It was hard enough the way it was.
"I know it is selfish of me to think this way, but you have no idea what it is like to live for centuries and be betrayed time and time again by the people close to you. I know you wouldn't think that you would ever do this to me. You are a truly caring guy, Sahiro, but..." I found myself reaching out to him, touching his cheek and being honest with myself for the first time in years. "I'm scared."
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