[For those who have read this chapter
please reread, I changed a small thing, sorry!]
Hiroomi Nase
After having a wonderful Valentine's Day with Akihito, it was time to confront some uncertain plans.
I marched up the stairs toward her office, where we were rarely allowed to enter. I knocked three times and sung her name against the wood.
"Izumi~," I hummed. It was silent behind the door, but I knew she would be in there. I heard a, "come in," and made my way through the doorway. When I entered, I saw her sitting on the couch, twirling her glass of wine carefully while admiring the Yumo painting on the wall. The Yumo was mostly dark and almost like a shadow. It used to freak me out as a child.
"Is there a reason you're here?" She said quite sharply. I felt a little hurt by her annoyance.
"What? Your little brother can't come to see you for no reason?" She glared at me, trying to return them for something better. I quit the act and stood up straight.
"Why are you hiring a bounty hunter to kill Akihito?" I said, monotone and serious. She took a small sip from her glass and snorted.
"You can't be serious, Hiroomi? We were hired to kill him first." I flinched at her words. I didn't need a reminder. The thought of trying to kill him was unbearable. I clenched my fists.
"I am serious! And you couldn't kill him, so who do you think can?" My mind reminisced back to the day where I was ordered to kidnap him from his safe house. Izumi tried killing him whenever his Yumo side took over, but nothing worked, so now we just watched over him, making sure he stayed in check.
Izumi stood up and set her drink down. She walked over to me and patted my shoulder. I realized how much I've grown since I last saw her.
"Akihito is invincible, but we must keep trying." I gently pushed her hand off my shoulder.
"But he hasn't lost control in months!" I protested. She sighed again and thought about it. She then looked up at me with a serious face. Her face was always straight and formal, she rarely smiled nowadays.
"Okay, but if he were to lose control, I will hire her." My hands rested, but my mind was boggled. Who will she hire? Is Akihito really invincible? She walked past me and sat at her desk.
"You are dismissed." She said bluntly. I swallowed the nervous feelings and walked silently out of the office. I knew that was all I could do. I shut the door behind me and headed to my room. Akihito will not lose control...not on my watch.
I remembered the new fish Akihito gave me which was still in its bag. I smiled softly and undid the knot holding the bag closed. I poured the fish into the tank and watched it swim around, happy in its new surroundings.
I jumped onto my bed and sighed a very long sigh. I need a nap. I closed my eyes slowly and cuddled under my blanket. So warm. I started to lose focus, dozed off. My dream started off with darkness, then a bright light came forth. Closer, it came, until I could see what was giving off the light. It was Akihito. I smiled back at him, happy to see him in such a good state. He reached out his hand to me, I tried to grab it until something poked out of his stomach. Huh?!
A red, sharp end poked out through his stomach. Akihito's eyes fazed over and his smile left his face completely. He coughed up blood and dropped his hand. I screamed his name, what just happened?! The end sliced back out and Akihito's lifeless body fell to the ground. A small figure stood behind him, holding the sword unsteady. An evil grin spread across the figure's face. A shrieking laugh exploded from the mouth.
I fell to my knees. I tried to collect Akihito's body. No, he's invincible. I tried to reassure myself. I looked up at the figure who was standing closer to me now. The figure raised the sword back and stabbed through my heart. I immediately lost vision and collapsed. But instead of hitting the floor, I kept falling. Into darkness, completely blinded by what I just witnessed. No...no!
I woke up on the floor, blankets spread out all on the wood. I grabbed my head and tucked it into my knees. What the hell was that?
• • •
Akihito Kanbara
I arrived at home with an extreme headache. And even worse, I was greeted by my loud mother.
"Akkun—!! How was your day—!!" She squealed. I grumbled under my breath and winced at the stabbing pain.
"Akkun? Are you okay?" She cocked her head and put her motherly arms on my shoulders. I waved her off and headed to my room.
"I just have a headache. Lately, it's been usual." Before I shut the door, I caught a glimpse of her face. It was horrid, distraught, true fear swept across her face. What's wrong? I wanted to say, but the pain restrained me. I lay gently on the bed and tried to relax. I turned my head and met my gaze with the glasses that Hiroomi got me.
I smiled to myself and picked them up. They were a beautiful color of blue, a soft, dark blue, almost navy. The light that glimmered from the outside seeped through my shades and shone on my glasses. I felt the soft material and they somehow made their way to my face. I slid them on carefully and stared at the ceiling. It soothed my headache a little. I guess the feeling of being loved really helped. I wanted to see him, talk to him now. I picked up my phone and wondered if he would be awake. Apparently, I've been laying in bed with the glasses for a long time since it was already sunset. Hiroomi always went to bed early. I tried calling him anyway.
To my surprise, he answered. I smiled to myself.
"Hey, Hiroomi." I spoke softly, almost half asleep.
"H-hey, Akkey. What's up?" He stuttered. His voice seemed shaky. I adjusted myself and gripped the phone.
"Nothing much. Just wanted to talk to you. Are you okay?" I asked, hearing movement on the other side of the line.
"Uh, yeah, yeah. Are you okay?" I felt like he wasn't telling me the truth, but I didn't push it any further.
I sighed, "Yeah, I'm good." Silence followed after that. Neither of us spoke nor did we hang up. It wasn't awkward either, it was more relaxing. Just knowing he was there if I needed to talk felt nice. The fact that he would be there for me, even if I lost control, reassured me. It reassured me that I was still mostly human.
"Hiroomi," I whispered. He shifted and replied with a sleepy, "yeah?" I smiled to myself again and closed my eyes, feeling the rim of the glasses with my other hand.
"Thanks for being there for me." I heard him let out a small laugh.
"What are boyfriends for?" I laughed and smiled like an idiot. We exchanged our good nights and I love yous and went to bed. My headache was practically gone by then. I guess the feeling of being loved really helped. Yeah, it helped a lot.
A/n: I would like to apologize for such a late update I've been ill for awhile now.
(｡-_-｡)
But on the other hand, so many people have been liking this book!
It makes me super happy and it's probably the only thing making me feel better lately.
(o^^o)
Thanks for all the love!
Next Update: March 5th