As Akari and (Y/n) waded through the forest, the girl began to skip, excited to see her family and friends once more instead of being forced to mingle with monsters. She began to hum happily, drawing the attention of the curious blonde. The boy began to hum along with her random tune, but he wasn't able to follow her newly composed notes, and stopped quickly, blushing out of embarrassment. The blonde then put his hand on the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, his cheeks tinted pink.
"Aw, and you were doing so well, too," the girl pouted playfully, making the blonde blush harder and look away.
"Forgive me," he said quietly, "Even I can't read your mind all the time. Still, it's nice to be with you at times like these when you're all full of hope. It's astonishing, really."
"Is it?" the girl asked, tilting her head as she held her hands behind her back leaning to one side then to the other, "Well, you're the one sneaking me out of here so you're pretty astonishing yourself. Have I thanked you for that yet? Because I'm really thankful!"
"Multiple times," the boy blushed, "You really shouldn't do that to a monster like me. I could never compare to you."
The girl gave a small frown at the boy's way of putting her on a higher pedestal than he had for himself. It seemed he was relying on her to get through his low self-esteem and the thought was less than pretty. After all, he was entirely too helpful to her when he didn't have to be and put himself in danger for her. She gave a small grin and punched the boy playfully in the arm. He gave a strange look and then held onto where she touched him.
"I think you're pretty great," (Y/n) smiled brightly, "You're really talented at stuff like this and you're super loyal."
The boy's expression dropped at her seemingly cheerful words. He then slowed his pace, stopping in his tracks before his mind surged through all of the terrible things he had done. Memories of his first kill, of his victims pleading with him to spare them, the blood that had been spilled. They all looked at him as if he was a monster, stained with the gleaming scarlet liquid that came from their dying bodies.
Even when (Y/n) had proclaimed him loyal was yet another half-truth. Perhaps he had never once had thoughts of betraying his goddess, but Rei was another story entirely. Whether or not it was actually a betrayal flew past him. All he could see was that after years of being attached to him and him alone, he suddenly overlooked him as if he was just a bug. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, he knew it to be true. And yet compared to (Y/n), he didn't hold a candle to her. Something about it left a bad taste in the blonde's mouth.
"Akari?" the girl said quietly, seeing his despairing expression, "When you leave the house, will you come and have some ice cream with me?"
"I-Ice cream?" the boy trembled, "I-I couldn't dare to - "
"Even if I begged you?" the girl said, getting on her knees and pleading with the blonde, "Pretty please?"
"(Y/n), stop, stop! Goddess please," the boy said, bursting out in tears as he fell to his knees and hugged her tightly, "Don't ever do that again. I-I'm not good enough for you. The most I can do is watch out for you as you live your life. I shouldn't be in it at all. I'll only corrupt you and poison your pure mind."
"That's not true at all," the girl said, giving the boy a small kiss on the cheek, "You helped me stay sane, don't you remember? Without you, I would have been an emotionless doll. So please give yourself more credit."
The boy paused, seeing the sincerity in the girl's eyes. She seemed entirely truthful, not a trace of a lie on her lips. His body was overcome with a sense of great sadness, but also a great relief and he was able to fall into her arms and allow her to pet his hair softly as he wept into her. The feeling alone was enough to make him cry for eternity just to have her embrace him like that, but he wanted her safe. That was the top priority.
"Don't worry," Akari said determinedly, "No matter what, I'll remain by your side. Even if I die."
"Those are big words coming from a disloyal bastard," a voice said, the sound of footsteps nearing them.
Under the unknown person's weight, leaves and branches crunched in his wake, leaving behind a small trail of flattened soil. Akari tensed, knowing the voice all too well and began to panic, taking (Y/n) and rushing to climb up a tree as quickly as possible. Once in the treetops, he told her to cling onto him and to not open her eyes. As she did as she was told, he began to jump, air rushing at them quickly as he leaped from branch to branch like some kind of squirrel.
Beneath them, the figure began to sprint, attempting to keep up with them as he unsheathed a glinting gun, the moonlight catching its shiny surface and reflecting off of it. The sound of the gun being loaded with bullets was about the only thing (Y/n) could hear aside from the rustling of the leaves. Akari seemed far too preoccupied with getting away with the aid of the leverage they had to notice the noise.
Then there was a shot that rang through the forest, the clomping of a nearby buck sprinting for dear life. Akari tensed and clung onto the (h/c) haired girl tighter, fearful that she had been harmed, but when she clutched back, he let out a sigh of relief. A few more gunshots echoed through the woods, but it seemed that none of them had managed to hit the two of them though Akari still tensed in fear.
"Oh, this is fun," the voice teased, a small chuckle coming from his lips as he reloaded the gun again, "Just like old times, right?"
Akari tensed again, but it was more fearful than the threat of being hit with a bullet or killed by it. Instead, he let out a whimper of despair and began to run as fast as he possibly could, attempting to get out of earshot. Although the assailant didn't allow him to put distance between the two, it seemed like he took a sick enjoyment out of the chase, wanting only to torture Akari. It wasn't difficult to figure out who it was. There was only one person that hated the blonde so much he would attempt to kill him and it was Rei.
"Do you remember when we used to do this to those guys at school?" Rei called out, "We'd hunt them down and massacre them and sometimes we'd keep one alive and torture them until they bled to death. Wasn't that fun, Akari? It was the best, wasn't it? And you were so experienced that we didn't have to worry about anyone finding the bodies. It really pays to be some manic serial killer, doesn't it?!"
Akari remained silent, but inside, everything around him was crumbling down and he only hoped that (Y/n) refused to believe a word of it. She knew about the killings to an extent, but the people he chose and the way he went about it made him seem anything but sane and he knew it. He knew he was a monster pretending to be a knight, but he would have liked to carry out his fantasy for a bit longer. Yet Rei wouldn't give him the luxury.
"What happens if I shoot you," the blonde paused, aiming his gun at the other male and pulling the trigger aggressively, eager to see the result, "there?"
Akari fought the urge to cry out in pain when the bullet struck his right leg, and he would have fallen to the ground. However, since (Y/n) was counting on him, he could hardly allow himself to be killed or to stop moving. The pain was unbearable, but the more blood came out of the wound only encouraged him to keep going until he hadn't a drop of the substance left. That was his job. He wouldn't allow himself to fail.
"Oh, look at that!" Rei chuckled, "The coward's still going! Impressive! Let's try the other one then! Bang bang!"
The gun fired again, the bullet lodging itself into Akari's other leg, but this time he couldn't suppress the pain. He let out a cry of agony and proceeded to run and jump to the best of his ability, all while ensuring his movements weren't discomforting (Y/n). She only remained silent, trying to think of what she could do in the situation, but she drew a blank. Akari was the only one that could run and she didn't have any weapons.
She paused, digging around in Akari's pocket and pulling out the gun he'd brought with them. While the thought of harming or even killing another living being terrified her, she couldn't let Rei win either. Hesitantly, she aimed at the blonde below them and attempted to line up her shot. When she finally gained the courage to shoot, her finger pressed lightly on the gun and fired it, sending a shock through her body, almost rendering her unconscious as she realized what she just did.
Looking down in fear that she had actually killed him instead of incapacitating him, the blonde only continued to almost skip after them, his hands above his head as if he was enjoying himself greatly. The boy then gave a little wave at (Y/n) with a bright smile as his cheeks turned the subtlest shade of pink. She looked around for where her bullet had gone, only to see him point behind him and put his fingers in an "x" shape.
"Afraid your aim is terrible, cupcake," he chuckled, "If you want, I'll teach you how to kill a man in one shot. Akari gave me lots of practice, you know. He even gave me this gun, remember? It's only fitting I kill him with it, don't you think?"
"You hate me so much you would really kill me?" Akari mumbled quietly to himself, a tear rushing down his cheek, "I'm so sorry, Rei."
The blonde only continued rushing through the treetops, intending on getting as far as possible although the pain in both his legs was slowing him down considerably. He began to panic greatly, not knowing what course of action to take in order to assure (Y/n)'s safety. It wouldn't be long before Rei caught up to them and it certainly wouldn't be pretty when he did. Thus, Akari could only keep running until his legs gave out.
At that point, Rei's footsteps had completely disappeared from earshot. There was no sign of him, but (Y/n) knew he was there, lurking in the shadows somewhere. Akari could no longer support himself on the trees due to his legs being in such poor condition. He lost his footing, the feeling of his legs became numb and the branch below them snapped, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground.
Akari kept his arms around her to ensure that she wouldn't be hurt, but he paid the price, his back almost shattering from the devastating fall. He let out a muffled groan of pain, but still maintained the need to protect (Y/n) until his dying breath. The girl only attempted to sling his arm over her shoulder, but even his arms were too weak to move. He was bleeding out rapidly and next to nothing could save him. And unfortunately, in order to get him to a doctor, they'd needed to have called an ambulance an hour ago for it to get there in time.
"What can I do?" the girl mumbled to herself, ripping her clothing in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but it seemed futile.
There was then the noise of leaves crumpling from behind them and Rei stepped into the moonlight, his blonde hair almost shining gold. He gave a sadistic smile and waved at the two with a friendly air only to showcase his gun, waving it in his hands as if it was a fun toy. Akari flinched and then, with the last ounce of strength he had in him, reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife.
He stood up, his legs almost collapsing under him, and rushed at Rei with all his might even if the futile action came off more like a slowed walk. He could barely hold himself up and his arms were giving out on him so although he tried to stab the blonde in the heart, it was easily dodged and Akari fell straight to the floor, panting heavily as he clutched onto his knife for dear life. Rei then gave a questioning hum at the blonde's weak state.
"I would have thought you to be more resilient," he said, twirling the gun around in his hands, "Oh, well, guess this game is over now. A shame, really. Tell me, tell me, how does it feel to die? Does it hurt?"
"Stop it!" (Y/n) shouted, tears in her eyes, "You've done enough! Leave him alone already! He was only trying to help me!"
"Yep, yep, that's the problem," Rei nodded, walking closer to the (h/c) haired girl with a spring in his step.
As the blonde started to walk away from him, Akari narrowed his eyes as he thought, tears welling up as he knew he had failed his goddess. He hadn't succeeded in helping her and now he was only a burden. So he closed his eyes and prepared himself for what was to come. It was the end for him, he knew it, but at the very least, he wanted to be granted a simple final wish of his. Whether or not Rei would grant it was another story altogether.
"Wait," Akari said, holding his weak arm up with a desperate plea, "If you're going to kill me, let (Y/n) do it. I want to die by her hands and hers alone."
"Aw, I'm not gonna kill you," Rei laughed, holding a sadistic grin, "I'm going to let you live so that you can constantly reflect over how you failed at 'protecting' your precious 'goddess'. How else am I going to inflict such terrible pain on you? I've already called an ambulance. Have fun living with the pain, traitor!"
Rei then skipped faster towards (Y/n) and threw his arms around her waist, bringing her form closer to his. He gave a large smile and pressed his lips to hers, enjoying the rare contact between the two of them. The girl all but stumbled away, only for the blonde to grab onto her hips to prevent her from putting distance between the two of them. His violet eyes gleamed with thrill and affection, but they were twisted beyond repair.
"Now you're all mine, cupcake," Rei beamed, placing a quick peck on her forehead, "We'll have a lot of fun together, 'kay? We can go live back in my country and we'll be together forever. I'll make you anything you want. It'll be great!"
"N-No," the girl said quietly, her lips quivering in fear.
"Pardon?"
(Y/n) paused, gathering her courage for what she was going to say to the blonde. The way he looked was full of peaceful tranquility but he had just tortured Akari, making the look seem more alarming than it appeared. Not a trace of blood had made its way on him, he was as untouched of impurity as could be, but on the inside, there was a certain rage lying within. If she were to go with him without attempting to see if she could escape her fate, she may not live through the ordeal.
"I said no!" (Y/n) said, pushing the boy's chest away from her.
He stumbled back and became lost in his own mind, contemplating her words. Something about it made the entire atmosphere become dark and clouded, more so than the surrounding shadows that had always been there. It was off, wrong, and above all, a warning. She turned, intending to run away from the danger, but she was grabbed by the wrist tightly by the blonde who twisted it violently. He made sure not to break it, but at the same time, he wasn't being lenient and pulling his punches either.
"I won't be alone anymore," Rei said, his tone now serious and threatening, "You're the only one that keeps the voices away, and whatever I have to do, I will have you."
"Find someone else!" the girl said, continuing to resist, only earning a more painful twist from the ruthless male.
"Get that ridiculous idea out of your head," the blonde spat, "I won't waste my time obsessing over someone who refuses to see me as anything but a sadistic freak. However long it takes, I'll have you at my feet, begging me to love you. That's how it should be. So tell me you love me and only me!"
The girl remained silent, attempting to struggle out of his grip, but he only pushed her down with his foot and growled in anger. Sadistic though he may be, if there was one person he didn't want to cause harm to, it was (Y/n) yet she was making it so difficult for him to be gentle with her. He kneeled down over her, turning her so that she was making direct eye contact with him, his hand holding her chin.
"Then tell me how to make you love me," he instructed, speaking through gritted teeth.
"I'd rather die," the girl responded.
The blonde let out a rather frustrated sigh and picked up Akari's pocket knife while the owner of the weapon screamed at him to stop. Rei held a tight grip on the girl while staring down at where her heart would have been. He pulled her up so she was standing and locked her hands behind her back. Although she struggled, he was much stronger than her and took caution due to his knowledge of her self-defense tactics.
"Very well," he said, speaking over Akari's crying and pleading.
Then everything went black.
. . .
. . .
"You know I'm really craving some super spicy salsa right about now," a blue-haired boy said quietly, musing to himself.
"Why bother eating that when you're only going to complain that it's too hot?" his brother sighed, hanging his head so that his golden locks fell over his yellow eyes, "Besides, we have more important things to think about."
The blue-haired boy gave a little sigh, drinking some bubbly soda, only for his eyes to water up at how carbonated the drink was. Sure, they had been planning to "mess" with Rei for a while at that point, but they never knew when it was that they were going to strike. After gaining information that he'd returned back to their home country, the two brothers were largely interested in why he would do such a thing. It turned out he had a girl accompany him.
"I did warn him that I would kidnap her though it was only supposed to be a bit of encouragement," the blonde said, throwing his head back in exasperation, "Guess we should pay our respects and formally greet her. I hear Orion's getting worse, so we may as well head home."
"Well," the blue-haired boy paused, a fearful look in his cyan eyes, muttering something under his breath, "I hope we don't freak her out too much. Who knows what Rei's done to her."
"Just be gentle with her," his brother said quietly, "I've heard she'd a timid thing. I doubt she'll react like...Moriko. I-I can't. I'm going out."
The blonde stormed away, trying his best not to cry as he thought about her though both he and his brother knew he wouldn't get through the night without crying. It was too much to take for him. The blue-haired boy remained in the penthouse, watching the cars rush by some 30 stories below him. He leaned against his palm, letting out a great sigh. Although the bluenette wanted to meet the girl Rei had, it wasn't like his brother was in any state to travel. He supposed they would just have to put it off.
"Sorry, Rei, but Kazuki needs this more than you right now..."
. . .
. . .
~To Be Continued...~