The Boy with the Two Toned Hair (Bon X Reader)

Chapter Forty-Six

"Okay," I murmured quietly. I felt Ryuji nod.

"Do you think you can go back to sleep?" he asked, his fingers still carding through my messy hair gently. I shrugged, knowing I needed to sleep and wanting to desperately, but fear was eating at my stomach. I didn't want to have another nightmare. "I'll stay here to chase away all your nightmares, love," my boyfriend promised. "I'm here for you. I'll protect you." I kissed the skin of his shoulder where his loose shirt had fallen away, revealing his toned muscles.

"Thank you," I murmured into his skin.

"Of course," he whispered back. Soon, I slipped back into a much more peaceful sleep, Ryuji's strong arm still wrapped around me tight, protecting me.

{Line Break}

"Dad," I muttered when I saw the man with bright red hair. I stood on he porch, waiting for him, Tobias, and Mio. I had called them earlier the next morning and seeing as they had nothing to do that day, they came right over when I told dad it was urgent.

"Hey, kiddo," he breathed, reaching an arm out and grabbed me around the shoulders, pulling me right into his chest. "My baby girl," he muttered, slightly rocking the two of us back and forth. He seemed rightfully concerned. He already knew about the issues with Katsuro and Kitiara, and in truth I hadn't told him much about the current situation, but I knew he knew something was wrong. His back was tense and his arms were stiff, telling me he was anxious. He pulled back and held me at arms length, looking me straight in the eyes. "What's going on, kiddo?" he asked. I nearly burst into tears right then.

"Come inside, I'll explain there," I said, taking his hand and pulling him inside. Unfortunately, the Myoda Sect was no long here, having left early this morning on an early train back to Kyoto. I led the three following me into the kitchen, some where we could get at least some peace and quiet. I stood comfortably behind a chair, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I jumped when I felt a hand in my shoulder, but turned around to find only my father. "How much does Mio know?" I whispered. He only shook his head. She knew absolutely nothing.

"It's kind of a hard topic to bring up in a normal conversation," he reminded me, and I nodded, knowing he was right. My father sighed and stood up a little straighter, turning around to fade Tobias and Mio. Mio looked confused and a little concerned as she gazed over at the top of us. Tobias on the other hand looked down right angry. He knew something was wrong. He was too smart and to observant for his own good.

"Mio, theres something we need to discuss," my father began. He closed his eyes and put and hand over his face. Mio stepped up to him, placing a hand on his arm.

"What is it, hun?" she asked softly.

"This is going to be a difficult conversation," my father warned, sounding completely uncertain, something I had never heard from the man before. Mio at stared at him, confidence clear in her brown eyes. And so, we sat at the table, trying to prepare ourselves for this conversation, the conversation that would reveal the existence of demons to this pure woman.

She took the entire thing surprisingly well. She kept a straight face as we explained demons and their classes, explaining that mother had been killed by a demon. We explained temptaints to her as well as the art of exorcism. It was a lot of information to take in at once, information that normally people took a few months or even years to get access to. Exorcists weren't the most liked people in the world to say the least. We were often criticized for our line of work, saying we were mad, crazy, and just seeing things. Mio took it on very well.

When we were finished with our explanation, we looked at her silently, waiting for a reaction. "Well," she said after a minute. She clasped her hands together in front of her, looking down at her folded hands before looking over at my father. "Why didn't you tell me, Cole?" she asked softly. I immediately felt as if I was intruding in a very private conversation.

"I didn't want you think think I was crazy," he said, desperation thick in his voice. I looked over at my brother. He shrugged his shoulders and looked back at our father. "It's-it's a lot to take in. Only about one percent the world's population can see them," he explained. "I just-just didn't want to scare you off," he said truthfully, his voice soft and quiet. Mio took a deep breath.

"I understand," Mio said. "That's a lot to deal with between the three of you. But there's something more at play here isn't there," she guessed, a dark eyebrow raising. All three of us nodded, two matching heads and one fiery red one bobbing in confirmation. My father explained as quickly as he could, trying to keep it simple, but it was very difficult. Outwardly, Mio seemed to take all of this very well, but I could see concern as well as horror in his eyes as she looked at me. Her hands were twiddling nervously on the table in front of her, and a small frown tugged at her lips. She looked as though she wanted to ask a million questions, but was holding back for our sake. She knew this was serious business, and there was another layer to all of this madness.

"And that brings us to now," my father said, looking over at me. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the deep breath coming out very shaky. I didn't want to worry my father any more than he already was, but I needed to tell him. I couldn't risk my life without his knowledge. I was afraid he was going to stop me. I was afraid he was going to take this chance away from me. I was afraid he was going be too overprotective and not think about the greater good. I knew he was red to protect me, but I needed to do this. There was no other way.

"Dad, I've been having migraines, migraines that knock me out," I began slowly, twisting my fingers together nervously. I then further explained to them what was going on with Katsuro, Kitiara, and the newly discovered Kaage. As I spoke, my father face became more tense, his eyes narrowing and his lips becoming a thin line. "He is dangerous, but I have to do something. If he gets hold of the swords, it's all over. I need to do something, and I'm the only one who can do it." I was now on the verge of tears as I spoke to my father. "I have find a way to defeat Kaage and-and I-Ishida before they kill anyone, and that might very well mean sacrificing myself and-and honestly, there doesn't look like there's any other way." The room was dead silent as I finished speaking. No one dared to say a word. My words sat heavy in the air, no one willing to break the tension.

"I can't let you do that," my father said. He closed his eyes tight, both of his fist clenching so tightly his knuckles were turning white. "I can't let you kill yourself," he said, anger thick in his voice. I stood up from my seat, my chair falling back, hitting the floor with a loud bang. I slammed my fists on the table, glaring at my father.

"And let hundreds or possible thousands of people die?" I shot back. "I can't sit idly by and watch people die knowing I could have done something. And if that means I die, then that's what it means," I said with determination. I watched as my father's head fell, his while red hair covering his eyes. His hands were shaking. At this point, I didn't know what emotion was flowing through him. It could have been a number of things by now.

"I know, sweetheart," he muttered, his voice strained. I knew immediately that he was crying. I felt my heart break in two. I hadn't seen him cry since my mother. I didn't want him crying over me, something as stupid as this. My father stood from his chair and wrapped his arms around me. He hugged me tight, stealing all the breath from lungs, but I couldn't find it in me to protest. "I know this what you have to do, but that doesn't mean I like it anymore," he said with a sniffle.

"I know," I whispered back, my throat right with oncoming tears.

"But I know this is what you were meant to do, baby," he whispered. I relaxed when I felt my brother's strong arms around my back, hugging me just as tight as my father was. A new pair of arms joined us, wrapping us in a tight embrace. I wasn't sure how long we stood there, just trying to enjoy some time together before everything had a chance to fall apart.