Promise to Sirius (An Utapri / Uta no Prince-sama Fanfiction)

Chapter 30: Rain of Tears

Ai Mikaze

"If you harm one of us, you harm all of us. And you brought harm to Natsuki more than once, all while knowing exactly what you were doing. None of us suspected you at first, but now the truth is clear in our eyes, regardless how much you try to deny it."

His tone emotionless, Ai kept his fingers curled around Otoya's arm in a firm, stable grip, his eyes narrowed coldly.

"It was you, Otoya."

Otoya stared back at Ai with wide, petrified eyes, but the latter's cold anger did not waver even by the slightest fraction. Even as one of the eleven Shining Stars, Otoya had been standing with them and looking all of them right in the eye while being completely aware of himself being the true mastermind of a chain of unforgivable and undeserved events. The shooting of a rock through the window of Reiji's apartment directly at Natsuki's stab wound, the threat message, the thumbtacks in the black leather shoes, the cold letter... Even if he was not the one who did not directly commit these crimes, Otoya had been the one who initiated and planned every single one of them, all while knowing how much they would hurt Natsuki. Out of the corner of his eye, Ai saw Camus keep a cold, merciless glare trained on Otoya and he could feel his own chest sicken at this twisted reality the more it sank inside his own head.

"That being said, if you were more than willing to go through such extremities, you must be prepared to face the consequences, am I correct?" Ai questioned. "So you must know how much everyone else, especially Natsuki and Reiji, would feel when they find out that you were the main perpetrator behind all the crimes that have led up to this point."

A wave of anger scalded Ai's normally-calm interior and his voice grew colder.

"No matter what you did, they trusted you and this is your way of reciprocating them?"

Ai could already envision the looks on Natsuki, Reiji and Ranmaru's faces when he and Camus told them the truth. Ranmaru's face would be blotched with utter rage and disbelief and he would be punching the wall and forming a crack on its surface. But Natsuki and Reiji... they would feel more hurt and betrayed than anything. Natsuki would probably even shed a few tears or so while Reiji might lower his eyes and stare at the floor in utter silence, and the thought of his best friends' pain as well as Ranmaru's shrieks brought a deep agony burrowing inside Ai's chest as Otoya hung his head, shadows cast over his eyes.

Even with a real heart contained in your chest... Ai inwardly shook his head in disappointment, ... you chose to be selfish and heartless.

"Before we escort you down and reveal you as the true culprit, do enlighten us on precisely what you were doing inside the control room."

Camus held the sceptre even closer to Otoya's face, his tone devoid of any mirth or patience.

"I am certain that you do not wish to add anymore crimes to your deplorable list, so tell us before you aggravate the circumstances for everyone!"

Camus snapped, but Ai did not blame him by the slightest iota; Otoya deserved much worse than Camus raising his voice. However, Ai could sense an uneasiness trickling inside his chest as Otoya kept his head down, the shadows looming over his normally-blithe red eyes. It was almost as though Ai and Camus were confronting a complete stranger, and Ai was more than certain that this was not a positive sign.

"Well?" Camus demanded.

"He's the one who is making everything worse for everyone."

"I beg your pardon?" Ai questioned, his eyes narrowing at Otoya's remorseless words. Otoya clenched his fists and gritted his teeth and beside Ai, Camus was frowning deeply. "If you are blaming Natsuki-"