Warm Hands [Hiroomi x Akihito fanfic]

Chapter thirty-seven: Losing

Akihito Kanbara

After we reached back at my apartment, we decided to call it a day. He grabbed his stuff, kissed my lips, and started his way back home. I knew that would be the last time I would ever see that sweatshirt.

I closed the door and sighed with a smile. The feeling of his lips were still there upon my mouth. I closed my eyes and touched them lightly. The sensation still quivered slightly above the surface. I walked over to my kitchen and washed the dishes. As I did so, I thought about my tongue and how it bled a dark color. It could of just been the lighting, right? It was pretty dark in the room while we ate. Maybe that was it. I reached my hand up and touched my cheek. Hiroomi was so concerned and yet I shut him out again. I took a deep breath followed up by a long groan. I need to start telling him these things.

Me bleeding black blood was definitely not normal at all. Maybe I could ask my mother about it? I dried my hands and walked over to the phone. Before I could reach the phone, my eye caught something in the corner under the chair. I bent down and examined it. The cover read, All About Yumo and Where To Find Them. What a coincidence. Or was it? Did my mother leave this here on purpose for me to have?

I opened the book up and read the contents. I flipped to the page about yumo characteristics. Pictures of different types of yumo were displayed across the pages along with small paragraphs. Some yumo can seep through walls and travel at high speeds when in pursuit. I glanced at the wall in front of me and stared at it. I stepped back and ran into the wall. My forehead made hard contact with the wall and my body went backward to the ground.

"Ow..." I rubbed my head, That was stupid of me to even consider the fact...I sighed and crossed my legs. I held the book up and read some more paragraphs from it.

Yumo usually come in a variety of sizes, but are only found in dark shades when it comes to color. I leaned back and made eye contact with my mirror. My eyes shifted to my hair, my skin, and back to my eyes again; all in which are light shades. Maybe I'm just overacting. I obviously wasn't a yumo on the outside, but what about the inside? I read more and more until I found what I was looking for.

When weapon contact is made with a yumo, it starts to fall apart and shrivel into a stone. These stones can be sold to a bounty clerk for money. I started to imagine Hiroomi walking into a small store with multiple stones in his arms. Interesting fact, but it wasn't what I was looking for. My eyes finally found what I needed to know.

Blood is not normally dispersed from the yumo, but in some rare cases, some yumo have been reported to "bleed black blood" when hurt. Bingo. My eyebrows furrowed and I rubbed my chin. So I am losing after all? I put the book down and rested my chin in my palm. Thoughts rambled in my head making it hurt a little. I buried my face into my palm and groaned. I can't lose, I can't... My head pounded irritably.

I glanced at the cover of the book and examined the illustration on the front. An ugly, shadowy-figure stared back at me. I'm not like you, I said to the cover, I'll never be like you. I picked up the book and tossed it across the room. I am not a monster. The book hit the edge of the chair and bounced off onto the floor. I glared at it and started to lose control of my breathing. It quicken and became shorter.

"I am not a monster." I said out loud in a whisper. My knees were against my chest and my arms wrapped around them tightly.

"I am not losing to you." Tears burned my eyes as I looked down at my hands. My nails had become longer and pointier. My anger turned into panic as I examined my hands' transformation. No, I got up with my hands out in front of me. Stop it, I slammed my hands against the wall.