Hades

Chapter Twenty Six - The Deception, Part Three

Chapter Twenty Six: The Deception Part Three

The world below continued its business, indifferent as it usually is to the petty conflicts of its inhabitants, while the only two people on Tokyo Tower were having a very significant moment all of their own.

His hands still in her hair, the fake Hades gave Harusame a lazy smile. 'What gave me away?'

Harusame smiled back, her heart pounding. Any fear she had was pressed down, far below her fascination. 'Your shape shifting abilities are almost perfect, but you got three things wrong. First of all, you didn't know about Hades' bracelet, did you?' She lifted the imposter's bare left arm. 'He's never once taken it off since I gave it to him. Secondly, your eyes are different. They say the eyes are the window to the soul; Hades has sad, lonely and defensive eyes, but I don't believe he could ever look at me with the burning hatred that you do. You couldn't even touch me without recoiling in disgust. Lastly,' she again put her finger to the impostor's lips, 'he would never be so bold.'

Iwanami nodded slowly, her own form merging out from Hades' tall and muscular form. The young women, about the same height, stood face to face with each other for the first time.

'Clever little bitch aren't you?' said Iwanami, grudgingly impressed. 'Wonder who you get that from. But if you knew it was me, why did you come without a fight?'

'You're the only one who can give me answers.'

'The only thing I can give you is death. Are you so keen to die? Your boyfriend will be disappointed – he's been doing his darndest to keep you alive. It would be adorable if it weren't so sickeningly pointless.'

Harusame's hands were at her sides, clenched and white and shaking, like fists of buds on a trembling tree rocked by winds. 'You killed all those men.'

Iwanami grinned, the horrible rictus-grin of a Halloween decoration. 'Yes...yes I did. They deserved it.' She stroked her full lips with a long fingernail. 'There are worse things than seeing this face as you die, wouldn't you agree?'

'I've been trying to work out why you want to kill me. I couldn't understand why anyone in the world could hate me so much, but you...'

'You want to know why I hate you?' Iwanami laughed. 'It's simple my dear, it's because you exist. As long as you are alive, the memory of his betrayal will stay with me forever. As long as I have to stare into your stupid face with your stupid smile, I'm reminded of everything I've spent my life...and death...trying to forget.'

'I've been thinking long and hard about it. About the night of Tanabata, when looking at Hades upset you. But it wasn't Hades you were looking at, was it? It was the clothes he was wearing that night. My father's yukata.' Iwanami's grin slipped a little, and Harusame pushed forward boldly. 'You knew them didn't you? You knew my parents. That's how you knew I look just like my mum.'

'I didn't know your whore of a mother at all,' snarled Iwanami, but Harusame's eyes locked onto hers and she couldn't look away.

'The inscription in my father's stargazing book,' Harusame said in the faintest whisper. 'You're her...aren't you? "To my dear friend Connor, the brightest star in my life. All my love..."'

'All my love, your best friend...Aya,' finished Iwanami.

***

Nanoe submerged her hands into the hot, soapy bowl of washing up and began to scrub a glass clean with more vigour than necessary. She was worried about her husband.