𝕯𝖎𝖆𝖇𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖐 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘: 𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖊

Chapter 14

Yui was dumbstruck as she witnessed the look in Ayato's eyes. He was being truthful. He had at some point wept, all within Yui's presence. And Yui didn't remember any of it.

She knew questioning him further would wound his pride, so she settled wit her ignorance. "Are we going home?"

Ayato gave her a quick smirk as he let her go. His grip was steel hard, Yui almost felt her jaw would break. She touched the side of her cheek, as though mere touch would heal it right away.

"Funny that you call that hellhole a home," Ayato said, strolling forward. Yeah, it was. She'd been a bit scared everyday to go home. At least at school she wasn't preyed upon, ridiculed and mistreated. At least at school she was able to get away without getting hurt.

She stayed quiet, unable to come up with anything. She wanted to answer back, but she had been made into a docile lamb by both the Sakamakis and the Mukamis. She ate when she was told to, she spoke when she was ordered to. And she bled whenever they pleased.

"Don't stay so quiet, say something," Ayato said, bringing Yui out of her melancholic thoughts. She saw his red hair bounce a bit as he asked her that question. Yui didn't have much to say, but she certainly wanted to fill the void that existed between her and Ayato. Rummaging through her memory, she said, "I once was convinced that I was a mermaid."

Ayato guffawed. "You're an idiot."

"I was six," she protested, and skipped the pavement stones, remembering her childhood days. "I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, so I read up on a lot of stories. Father gifted me a book by Hans Christian Anderson, The Little Mermaid. I always used to think why would the mermaid give up on her life as a beautiful mermaid, her speech for but a stupid boy," she laughed a little, but it seemed forced, as though she had realised she was being too open about her life.

"Go on," Ayato said, even his voice coming out a bit uncomfortable. She realised he didn't want to intrude upon her life as well, but wanted to fill that void as much as she did. So she continued. "So I decided to become a mermaid instead." She smiled. "I thought if I only prayed to the sea god, I would get those fins and the tail. So I prayed and jumped into a lake. I didn't know swimming. I struggled for a long time before I lost the courage."

Ayato stopped in his tracks. She paused behind him, scared that she had hit a nerve. She had forgotten that Ayato had trauma attached to drowning. Trying to revert the awkwardness, she immediately said, "But I was saved by a sister who had noticed me. There was nothing to worry about."

He turned around, his shoulders slouched, relaxed. Cocking his head, he said, "I can explain our absence to Reiji. Do you want to visit a church?"

"What?" Yui said, dumbfounded. What was this shift in his behaviour?

"There's one in the next block," he said, nonchalantly. "But make it quick."

Yui's heart did several somersaults. Unable to hide her joy, she said, "Okay."

They didn't have to walk far. Right after the next block, as Ayato had said, there stood a chapel, the doors still open. Yui was a bit skeptical, but she didn't think twice. She had just gotten a fresh air from the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mansion and the chatter of school hallways. She could work with a church that stayed open even after evening.

They entered the premises together, but Ayato pulled her by her elbow, right before she could enter. "Listen, Pancake," his voice was dead serious, and Yui gulped. Their bodies were flush with each other, her each breath making her aware of Ayato's hard muscles. "If you try to run from here, try to get help, or expose us in front of them, you won't get out of this unhurt. I will make sure you regret every moment you have defied me if you mess up this time. Understood?"

Yui gulped, her hand twisted behind her, her heart leaping out of her throat in fear. "Yessir."

"Good girl," he said, relaxing his grip on her elbow, but not stepping back. Yui untangled from his grasp and running into the church, trying to make the most of her seven minutes of freedom.

***

Ayato looked at the dull blue glow from the city lights far from the church, his feet shuffling as he waited outside the church while Yui took forever to come back to him. He wondered what good came from praying to a fictional god who had Himself landed you into your problems. He somehow understood the fact that Yui had been brought up like that, but he was amazed as to how she refused to grow out of it. Maybe see for herself that creatures such as them existed only for the absence of a God.

He heard steps rapidly approaching him, as he turned around and saw Yui rushing towards him. Her hair had been messed up and her flower clip had fallen off.

"Was I late?" she said, and wiped the sweat off her brow. Ayato looked at her, and did not say anything.

"Ayato kun?" she asked, her hands behind her as though being formal with him.

"Nothing," he said, his face obviously saying otherwise. "let's go back."

"Go home," she corrected.

"Okay, I hate it when you call that dungeon a home," he said, and started walking away from the church, not standing the holiness of it.

"What issue do you have with calling it a home?" Yui said, following him, her school shoes tapping lightly on the pavement as she softly tried to keep up with him.

"Well, nobody likes you there, for one," Ayato said, his tone becoming annoyed by the second. "Then, there's so many restrictions put on you there. Ayato, don't do this. Ayato, don't speak. Ayato, no mischief or I'll withhold your takoyaki for a week."

She laughed. "Seems like you have more beef with Reiji san than anybody else."

"We don't particularly like each other too much." He blew out a sigh, relaxing a bit in her company. "Laito is bearable though. Although I don't like how he ends up every conversation in some innuendo of sorts."

"Laito kun is bright though," Yui remarked. "I heard he plays piano well."

"So does Shu," Ayato said, not feeling particularly stoked to talk about his brothers. "You favour Laito over me, Pancake?"

Yui paused. Perhaps the mention of Shu and Laito reminded her of the sexual assaults both of them had attempted at Yui. She'd been extra cautious after the night Laito had bitten her, because he hadn't just bitten her and left her wailing. He'd attempted to undress her as well. Although he'd told her not to hold hard feelings. Yeah, attempt assault and apologise, and at least he had apologised to her. Others seemed to refuse her any privacy she might have. Ayato hated himself seeing Laito in that tainted light.

"Pancake?"

"Sorry," she said, her head feeling a bit woozy.

"Do you feel unwell?" Ayato said, discreetly slipping his hand into hers, carefully interlacing his fingers against hers. Yui was taken aback, but tightened her grip on his hand. For one little moment, Ayato felt that she could lean into his shoulder, forgetting that predator-prey relationship for once.

"No, Ayato kun," she said, a sudden bounce in her steps evident as he pulled her closer, her warmth and his cold merging together. "I'm fine."

"You better be, you know," Ayato said, "I'm kind of worried my bitch mother still might be inside you. Can't have your blood tainted, ya' know?"

He might use excuses to hide his worry, but Yui saw through him, just a tiny bit. "Okay."

Ayato gave her a toothy grin, flashing his fangs. Yui returned that smile back, as they continued to their way home.