"I found his phone..." Says one of the male delinquents to the female delinquent with blue streaked hair. "But I was unable to find him."
"Tch...." The female curses under her breath and snatches the phone from the male delinquent. The delinquent currently missing in action was no other than the boy who took a liking to Ayano Aishi and who was eventually eliminated, unknown by his fellow delinquents.
The delinquent girl looks down at the missing delinquent's phone and hits the on button to show his home screen of a model wearing intimate apparel.
"Thirsty son of a gun...." She mutters in disgust, she opens his camera roll and wasn't surprise that there were even more pictures of models.
"What about the missed calls?" The male delinquent asks. He was currently peering over her shoulder. "See who he tried to call."
The female delinquent then hits the phone button and browses through the phone call history. "....The only one I see was a call to.....Info-chan..."
"I've heard about her, she knows everything about everybody at this school yet none of them has ever seen her face."
"Everyone you say...? Then maybe she knows what happened to that bastard." The delinquent girl presses the redial button and immediately there was an answer.
"I see you found his phone, I'm glad it didn't take you that long." A smug feminine voice says.
"What the hell do you know!?" The girl says lowly.
She was surprised that Info-chan knew that it wasn't the owner of the phone calling her.
"I know many things, things I won't share without something in return and I also know that the person and once owner of this phone is longer here."
"What! Tell me what you know or I'll find you and kick your ass!" The girl yelled, she hated smart asses like her and she wasn't in the mood for games.
"I'll tell you one thing. The killer is no other than Ayano Aishi, the girl I know you have bad blood with."
"Ayano Aishi? That bitch! Her and that Martial Arts leader are bringing our numbers down and it's pissing me off." The female delinquent mutters angrily.
"I've realized that, that's why I want to cut a deal with you. Something that can benefit us both with little to no cost."
"...I'm listening."
______________________________________________
"I wonder why things ended up like this..?" A feminine voice whispers into Ayano's ear.
Almost immediately Ayano eyes shot open and she found herself laying in complete darkness. Confused, she slowly sits up and observes the never ending darkness around her. Where was she? She could of sworn she heard someone. She stands up and notices her body emitting a candle light glow against the darkness.
"....Where...?" Was all she could say as she looks around with a puzzled look.
"You're here." Again the voice whispers into Ayano's ear and immediately she turns around to find nothing but darkness once again.
"Show yourself." Ayano demands with narrowed eyes as she scans the premises.
"Fuhuhu.....so demanding...just like that cute boy." Ayano turns around to see a beautiful woman and wearing what looked like demonic intimate wear.
"Where am I...?"
"You're in the middle, my sweet human." The woman says walking around like a predator stalking its prey. "You have a good head on your shoulders." She purrs observing Ayano.
"Who are you....and what do you mean...middle?"
"....Fuhuhu...I forgot that humans have no knowledge of the after world..." She says as she stops right behind Ayano. "I'm a demon of lust...and....You, my dear, are currently in the middle between life and death."
A small gasp escapes Ayano, she didn't think she would be in this position, not ever. Though, she did had some close calls with rivals but none of them were able to defeat her and now here she was in the middle for protecting a boy who wasn't even her Senpai. Tears started to brimmed her eyes as she realized she might not have the chance to able to confess her love to Senpai nor hear his reply. She would never see him again.
"Don't look so scared you still have a chance to live. There is a special light you can find here that will bring you back to reality." The Demon assures looking at Ayano was small smile on her face.
"R-Really...?"
"Mhm~!"
Ayano immediately lets out a sigh of relief she still had a chance to make it, she was given a sliver of hope now but suddenly the demon woman spoke again.
"That is...if I let you...." her beautiful voice was replaced with a voice distorted and vile much like what a demon would actually sound like.
"W-What...?" Ayano taken back looks at the woman in shock as she backs away from her.
"Did you really think I would let you leave me!?" The woman says with her beautiful face peeling away in the most grotesque way. Her Face was nothing but bloody skeletal remains and thick rotten flesh, it was a sight no one should ever seen. The grotesque woman starts to approach Ayano with arms outstretched to her. Ayano felt herself fall back in fear and stare in horror at the woman, she had seen sights like these before in crimes and movies but never like this. As the woman comes closer to her, Ayano starts to shuffle herself away from her, this had to be a dream there was no way this could be real.
The woman suddenly throws herself onto Ayano who just in a nick of time rolls away to dodge her, she could feel the fear and adrenaline pumping within in her but she didn't feel her heart beating. Ayano touched her chest and pressed her hand hard against it to try to feel her heart beat but it was silent.
"Heheh...in the middle you have no heart beat, and the only way to leave is finding the light which requires a single heart beat." The woman says in a shrill voice as she picks herself off, little by little the flesh peels away from the woman's body and drops to the ground like mush.
"W-What do you want with me..!!?" Ayano says in a panicked voice, she was scared, maybe even more scared than the thought of losing Senpai. She wanted to escape, she wanted to go home, She wanted to live.
"I want that stable, young body of yours, I want to wear it." The woman says as she picks up mushy flesh on the ground and raises it to her. "One that will last me beyond its expiration date." She then squeezes the mush in her hands and lets it go as the wad was now liquefied.
Ayano's eye widen in fear, the woman wanted her body to wear it for herself. She could imagine the incredible pain of her body being ripped from her by the hands of this insane demon woman. Without thinking, Ayano turns away and runs into the pitch black darkness. She could hear the echo of the woman's shrill laughter far behind her as she attempts to find a way out of here.
She was on the verge of life and death and the only key to finding the light was if her heart would beat.
"HAHAHHAAHAHAH!!!" The shrill laughter of the woman was getting louder and she could hear heavy stomping behind her. What made it worst was when she looked back and saw nothing but darkness but that laughter, the demon was using the darkness as an advantage and immediately Ayano's anxiety skyrocketed like it never had done before.
She now understand the terror her rivals must of felt when she had chased them with her knife. Knife. She had a knife in her skirt pocket maybe she could use it against her. Ayano quickly goes into her skirt pocket fishing for her knife, she had to slow down her pace to do this due to the knife moving away from her fingertips. Once she felt the handle she quickly pulls it out. Without any time to think the demonic woman pounces on her like a predator, Ayano drops the knife from the impact and it slides away from her grasp.
"Gahh!" Ayano yells in pain, the demon woman's inhumanly long fingertips were now embedded into her shoulders to keep her still. "...NNgh hel-HELP!" Ayano was surprised at herself she never thought she would say that word.
"You can scream all you want but you're alone in this world, no one will save you!" The woman growls raising her hand in the air.
"...." She was right her words were lifeless in this world and she was completely alone to perish yet she kept hoping and she didn't know why but then it slowly came to her. For under a week she was protected and deeply cared by someone who didn't have to, wasn't obligated to but naturally came into her life.
"Why aren't you screaming!?" The woman says pausing her attack in distaste. "Why don't you scream for me~?"
"Even if you wear this skin...you'll never know what its like to feel warmth." Ayano says her charcoal eyes piercing at the woman's red ones. "You'll never be Ayano Aishi."
Ayano spits at the woman's face, the woman snarls and raises her inhumanly long clawed hand.
SLASH
_____________________________________________________________________________
Beep....Beep.....BEEEEEP-
The heart rate monitor in the hospital room of Ayano Aishi started to decline. Immediately, Saki and Budo stop their quiet chatter and looked at the monitor with wide eyes.
"Ayano!" Budo quickly goes to Ayano side with fear in his eyes. Saki rushes to the bed side and presses the red emergency button to get the doctors. Upon response Doctors immediately poured into the room.
"Sir, you and your friend need to leave!" One of the nurses say as she tries to rush Saki and Budo out. Saki obliged to the nurses orders however, Budo did not.
"Masuta-kun we need to leave the room!"
"I won't leave if this is the last time I'm going to see her alive!"
"Sir, you need to leave!" The nurse says again but in a more demanding voice.
"She isn't breathing......We're losing her! Initiate CPR!" Cried one of the doctors in the background. Another doctor immediately grabs the chest paddles and starts it up.
"Masuta-kun!-"
"CLEAR!" Immediately one of the doctors presses the chest paddles against Ayano causing a disturbing shocking noise to echo in the room. Budo watches in slow motion as they try to shock Ayano back to alive with no response following. His charcoal eyes fixed to the declining heart rate monitor.
Ba-dump Ba-dump
This was his fault.
Ba-dump Ba-dump
He was the one who foresaw something like this happening, if only he was strong enough to stop Kokona, if only he took that hit instead of Ayano.
Her heart was in his hands.
"You'll eventually bring her to me..."
"No....!!" Budo pushes past all the doctors and grabs onto Ayano's hand tightly. "You can't die on me!" he says desperately with tears brimming his charcoal eyes.
"Sir, you need to step bac-"
"You're a defender remember!" Budo cries as he releases Ayano's hand and holds her. Her skin was losing it's warmth and he couldn't feel her heartbeat, he holds her tightly. He was angry at himself for being so weak at the wrong moment he needed to see her open her eyes, she needed to live.
"YOU NEED TO WAKE UP!"
**********************
Ayano's eyes widen as she heard someone calling for her, currently the monster was tearing away at her form to reach her soul no matter how many times she struggled it was useless, she was currently stopping herself from screaming but she heard it, she heard it clearly.
"Budo...?"
"Heheh...looks like he's watching you die!" The woman cackles in amusement as she pauses her attack.
Even on her death-bed Budo was by her side, Why? Why did he care for her so much? He should of moved on but he didn't, he was there watching her die in reality and telling her to wake up.
"Budo....you idiot...."
That's when Ayano felt it, something pulsing in her chest while the monster was distracted with laughter she slowly brought her limp arm and rested it to her chest. Her heart was beating. The woman upon noticing Ayano's shocked look realizes it too.
"NO...NO..." The woman shrieks. "I WON'T LET YOU LEAVE, THAT BODY WILL BE MINE!!" The woman raises her hand probably ready for the final blow, Ayano quickly looks around for anything that could help her then she realizes the knife was still there. In a desperate attempt she thrashes her arm around for the handle, her fingertips brush against it and she grabs it with all her might. Before the demon could even attack her Ayano plunges the knife right into the demon woman's eyes, upon contact with the sharp blade the woman draws back and lets out a gurgling shriek.
Ayano takes advantage of the situation and quickly shuffles away from her. As she attempts to stand up she could feel her body rejecting any movement due to the tremendous pain inflicted on her. She struggles to get on her feet and suddenly notices a light right across from her, it seemed to sparkle in the darkness. Ayano starts to limp towards it outstretching her hand to the sparkling light. The Demon notices this and shakily goes after her.
"YOU CAN LEAVE BUT YOU'LL NEVER ESCAPE ME!" The woman screeches. "I'LL CURSE YOU AND THAT BOY!!"
Ayano's ears were currently drowning out any sound she heard, her eyes were focused on the light ahead of her. She heaved and panted as she was pushing herself to the limit this point, a trail of blood left her as it pattered to the ground. She had to make it she wanted to live. Ayano made a dash for it and ran straight towards the light ignoring all the pain screaming at her. She outstretches her hand out to it and immediately felt it's warm embrace.
"You shouldn't have underestimated us, demon."
"NOOOOOOO!!!" The woman's voice was the last thing she heard as she was enveloped into the light.
********************************
....Beep....Beep
Ayano could hear the sound of a heart rate monitor in the distance along with a few gasps, she slowly opens her eyes to be face to face with another set of charcoal eyes.
"....M-Mom...?"
"A-Ayano!?"
As her eyes adjusted she realizes those charcoal eyes belong to Budo.
Upon seeing her well and awake Budo was in shock and in pure happiness, he immediately hugs Ayano tightly.
Ayano still being dazed by the light stares blankly at the wall, slowly, a small smile appears on her lips as she closes her eyes and lets Budo embrace her.
"You never learn do you?" Ayano mumbles under her breath.