It was so cold in the coffin that it made Ayano's bandaged hand numb from her fingertips to her palms. What made this situation even worse was that she was not wearing her usual black stockings, her slender legs were bare and easily vulnerable to the chilling cold of the coffin.
It took Ayano a few moments to accept the unbelievable circumstances bestowed on her. The delinquents must have buried her while she was unconscious. She wondered how long it would be until she ran out of air in this buried prison, and when the hallucinations would kick in.
"Damn it, damn it all!!!" Ayano hisses through her teeth as she claws at the top of the coffin. There was no way to get out and even if she did, she would most likely be covered in six feet of cold solid dirt. A very gruesome way to go.
Before Ayano could even debate on what to do next, a soft groan was heard to her left. Ayano jumps a bit but immediately acknowledges that she was not alone in this coffin. There to her left was no other than the dark silhouette of the Martial Arts Leader, Budo Masuta who laid beside her with a purple bruise on his forehead. In her panic she did not recognize that Budo was there nor had her vision adjusted to the darkness yet. The mind could do such wonders when in complete panic that it could totally throw off a person's most reliable 5 senses.
"Masuta-kun!" Ayano forces herself to turn to her side so she could face him. With both hands she grabs a hold of his shoulders and shakes him. "Masuta-kun!!" Ayano calls out to him again.
Upon hearing his name called in a very small space Budo's eyes shot open in surprise.
"Ah-Aya-" Before Budo could finish his sentence his head bumps the top of the coffin as he had tried to sit up. Budo fell back into his laying position and stared up at the ceiling in confusion.
"W-What...where..?" Budo was at a loss of words as his hand slowly touches the top of the coffin again trying to decipher what was going on here.
"We've....been buried alive by the delinquents." Ayano replies as she stares at the shocked expression forming on Budo's face.
"No...No...that can't be!!"Budo says with chills running down his spine. His widen charcoal eyes danced around the small coffin's interior to see that they were indeed walls surrounding them with little to no room. It was like something from a horror movie.
"Masuta-kun..." Ayano says softly as she could see he was still having a hard time believing this. She gently brough her hand to the side of his face and turns his head to her.
"Ayano..?" Budo's eyes had stopped scanning the room and looked at her.
"You need to calm down..." Ayano says as her hand slips away from his face. "Help.... will come....so don't be scared." She looked at him with a calm expression on her face and Budo takes a deep breath to try to calm himself. Once Ayano notices this she gives him a small smile.
"Ayano..."Budo returns a weary smile. Those were suppose to be his lines, but he guess being buried alive in this situation caught him off guard and who could blame him? He was glad that Ayano was with him, he wouldn't know what do to if he was alone in this dark coffin.
"It would only be a matter of hours before all the air in this coffin is gone..." Ayano says as she stares at the top of the coffin. "With the two of us in here...maybe less."
"Tch...who knew these delinquents would go so far...?"Budo mutters under his breath as he angrily hits the side of the coffin. "Ow..."
"Don't act so rash we're not fully healed from last night." Ayano says as she looks at her own damaged hands.
"And here I thought it was all over with the delinquents...Damn if only I had known, maybe I could have stopped it. " Budo murmurs. He hated himself for not being able to stay up a bit more with Ayano, but after the events that occurred, he was exhausted.
"...."Ayano did not respond but just wrapped her arms around herself carefully.
"Ayano...?" Budo glances over to see Ayano shaking, presumably from the cold circulating in the coffin.
"I can see my breath..." Ayano whispers as she tries to keep warm by hugging herself. Budo could visibly see the goosebumps surfacing on her bare arms.
"Now that you mentioned it...it is pretty cold in here." Budo says seeing his own breath escape from his lips. If it continued like this there was a possibility they could have stage one hypothermia.
Budo looked at himself, he was able to withstand the cold since he was fully dressed with a white, button up collared shirt with black pants and socks. He glances over to Ayano and looks up and down her body, she was only wearing the black t-shirt he lend her and the school uniform skirt that barely covered her knees. Her slender legs were pare revealing her beautiful porcelain skin. Budo felt his face heat up staring at them that he had to avert his eyes. Aside from that thought there was only one way he could think of that can keep both of them warm and alive.
Budo slowly starts to unbutton his shirt with shaking hands.
"Eh...Masuta-kun...what are you doing?" Ayano asks, noticing Budo loosening his shirt buttons.
"Body heat." Budo says as he concentrates on unbuttoning with shaky hands. The shakiness of his hands caused the buttons to slip from his fingers making the task extra difficult.
"...What...do you mean...?" Ayano felt her face flush in embarrassment and became a little panicked. If it was Taro doing this she would have gladly let him but this was Budo and Budo was unpredictable that sometimes his actions kind of made her anxious.
"If we really stay close we should be able to keep warm." Budo says as he finishes unbuttoning his shirt revealing a firm, chiseled six pack. Being the Martial Arts Leader did have its perks, he was well fit and healthy to maintain this kind of body. He looks up at Ayano as if he was waiting.
"...I'm not going to take off my shirt." Ayano says bluntly looking at him with a stern face.
"I wasn't trying to imply that." Budo replies turning slightly red at her comment. "After all it would be rude of me to ask that."
"Then....what?" Ayano asks as she look up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Come here."
".....What?"
"We need to share body heat if we're going to survive in here."
"Eh...there has to be another way..." Ayano says trying to move as far away as possible from him, even if it was only a few inches this situation turned into an extremely uncomfortable one. There was no way she was cuddling with the Martial Arts Leader. It would be like betraying Taro, Taro, again even thinking about him hurts.
"Ayano please don't be difficult." Budo says inching closer to her, trying to close the distance.
"Hey-Hey, stay where you are." Ayano says almost panicked as she pressed herself far back into the coffin.
"Ayano you can trust me, its me after all." Budo says with a serious look in his charcoal eyes, the look he was giving her made him look so mature and gentle. It almost reminded Ayano of Taro that she had to avert her eyes.
"..." Ayano stares down at herself with an hesitant expression on her face. If she let Budo embrace her, she would only think of Taro and right now she didn't want to remember what happened that night. It would be like ripping a bandage off of a tender wound.
"Sen...Senpai....No....I don't want to remember...." Ayano says softly with a hint of sorrow in her eyes. She didn't want to remember the moment where her whole world had collapsed.
"...Ayano...I don't want you to die." Budo says cautiously. He knew he was stepping into dangerous territory and that Ayano was slowly easing back into her vulnerable, depressing state. "Neither would Taro..." Budo added hoping that would help her.
"...Why not...I'm not a good person, Masuta, he saw me...he saw me hurt someone....maybe this is what I deserve."
"No, don't say that!"
"You know its true."
"Its not."
"Open your damn eyes Masuta, we're buried alive!!!"
"Stop it!!! Its not your fault!"
"Why can't you just forget about me! It would do you so much better!"
"I refuse to do that! I promise to be by your side until the very end!"
"I don't need you to be, can't you see that I am broken!"
"I don't care if you're broken or not! You're still Ayano!"
"You don't know anything about me, sooner or later you'll realize-"
Before Ayano could say anything more Budo wraps his arms around her and brings her close to him. Ayano immediately felt her head rest against his chest. Her charcoal eyes widen in shock by the sudden embrace.
"I know you're scared..."Budo murmurs as he leans his head against hers. "But I'm here...okay?"
"..." Ayano didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say, she never admitted or shown that she was scared to anyone not even to her own mother. "You don't know anything about me to assume that...Masuta-kun."
"You have to many walls up Ayano...you don't have to hide yourself...its me, remember?" Budo says with a mature smile on his face.
"Just because I opened up to you doesn't make you special..."Ayano mumbles weakly as she could feel the warmth radiating off of Budo's body. She didn't want to say that she was scared, yet, in this situation, she did admittedly feel scared and even felt much closer to death. She just wanted this bad situation to be over.
"...Hey, when we get out of here...I'll take you to that Ramen shop, my treat." Budo says gently as he strokes her midnight hair.
"...."Ayano fell silent and shakes his hand off her head.
"We will get out of here, Ayano...I know we will...so don't be scared."
"...Idiot." Ayano mumbles under her breath as Budo laid next to her. She felt her hands shake as she laid them against his warm, bare chest and slowly relaxes. "Thats only wishful thinking."
__________________________________________________________
Ayano eventually fell asleep next to Budo, she was curled beside him with her hands still on his chest, reveling in the warmth. Budo looks down at her and pets her soft midnight hair. There wasn't much they can do in this prison but sleep or wait. Budo hoped that help would come soon or this could be their end.
"Ayano..." Budo rests his head against hers. "Please...don't die first..." Budo whispers as he held her. He didn't want to imagine Ayano dying in his arms, the thought scared him. He wanted Ayano to stay alive because she didn't deserve to go this way. He would stay with her until the end.
"I could get you out of here..."
Budo's eyes widen as a familiar voice echoes in his mind, the same tempting voice that spoke to him during the fight outside the school.
"No...not now.." Budo mutters to himself as he releases Ayano and holds his head. "I won't give into you..."
"You only have a coupe of hours of air left....let me help you...we both have the same fate here, boy."
"No...No...get out of my head, I'm tired of this!"
"DON'T DEFY ME, ME AND YOU ARE ONE NOW! I WILL NEVER LEAVE!"
The voice roars in Budo's head causing a sharp pain to form around his eyes and forehead.
"Aggh!" Budo grips his head tightly trying to suppress the pain from the threatening voice inside of him. It was like he his very skull was cracking.
"If you want to get out of here alive...you must listen to me, boy."
The pain continued and Budo clenched his teeth tightly, it was no use trying to resist this voice, whatever entity that was in his mind was stronger than before. "Nnngh!"
"I only want whats best for us, I can get you out."
"F-Fine...nn...What...what do you want..!!" Budo cries out with shaking eyes as the pulsing pain became unbearable.
"....Good boy....Good boy...In order to get you out...I must have your full cooperation."
"O...Okay." Budo replies submissively, he felt that he was being hypnotized by the voice once again.
"To acquire my services, you must offer me...something.."
"..What is it.....?" Budo asks cautiously, he felt as if the voice was whispering in his ear like whoever it was, was right behind him.
"A sacrifice..."The voice whispers sweetly and Budo felt a cold sensation wrap around his shoulders.
"A...sac...rifice...?"
"...The girl.....Give her to me."
...................................................................................................
The Budo's new Sensei blocks his attack swiftly with one hand, she then grabs his hand and throws him over her onto the floor.
"Agh!" A young Budo hits the floor with a roll before he came to abrupt stop. Once he gained consciousness after the fall he sits up and laughs childishly. "Hahah...I guess you got me again."
"You're doing quite well, Budo-chan, you're improving each day."
"Well, its all thanks to your teaching, Ryoba-Sensei." Budo says as he stands up and bows to her.
"Fuhuh~ Its always nice to pass off some of my techniques to such a dedicated student." Ryoba says pleased. "Maybe..you could even use some of those moves to defeat Sho Kunin in that fighting tournament next week."
"You think so, you think I could do it!?"
"Of course I do."
Suddenly, the Dojo's doors slide open interrupting their light chatter. The entrance revealed a silhouette of a man.
"What are you doing here? Ryoba." The father of Budo's voice rang throughout the Dojo.
Ryoba turns around with a small smirk on her face. "Hello, Masuta-Sensei."
"Father..." A young Budo stood there peering from Ryoba's form.
"What are you teaching my son?" Masuta Sensei says in a firm voice as he enters the Dojo.
"I'm teaching him what you couldn't." Ryoba says with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "After all, we both know who the better fighter is."
"My son is not for you to teach, he is strictly under my teaching!" Masuta-Sensei says sharply to her with his arms crossed.
"F-Father, its okay, Ryoba-Sensei was just-"
"Be silent!" Masuta-Sensei snapped at his son, he then turns to Ryoba with anger in his eyes. "You will leave this Dojo now."
"This Dojo is open to everybody, Masuta-Sensei." Ryoba says her voice becoming a little low but her smile never wavering.
"Yes, but this is MY Dojo, I don't want the likes of you here, get out or I will force you out."
"I'd like to see you try....Masuta-Sensei." Ryoba says as she stood her ground, her eyes charcoal eyes were now soulless pits of darkness and her smile seem to widen as if she wanted him to make a move.
"I'm warning you, Ryoba." Masuta-Sensei began with his fists clenched in anger.
"Oh Masuta-Sensei....warnings don't threaten me at all, you should know that." Ryoba says as she tilts her head with half-lidded eyes.
"You think just because you are a woman that I won't use force on you."
"Father please don't-" Budo tried to stop the situation from escalated but only got cut off by his father again.
"Shut up!"
"Do not yell at my student." Ryoba says bitterly as she glares at Budo's father.
"He is not your student!"
"You gave up on him long ago, and I decided to teach him, so he's mine." Ryoba say as she approaches Budo and pats him on the head sweetly. "Besides...Budo-chan...is...like the son I never had..."
"Get the hell away from her, Budo. NOW." Masuta-Sensei yells at Budo pointing to the area beside him.
"I...I...no!" Budo says quickly running behind Ryoba and peeking from behind her. The way his father looked right now scared him which made him go towards Ryoba almost automatically.
"Budo!" His father says in surprise that his son disobeyed him, immediately anger started to boil over. This devious woman had manipulated his son.
"Ryoba-Sensei is good, she..she taught me how to fight, she's an excellent teacher please don't kick her out, father...she's....she's just like mother..."
"That woman is nothing like your mother!" Masuta-Sensei yells as his fists shook angrily like he was ready to strangle Ryoba.
"Fuhuhu~Its funny...how you started to pay more attention to your son when he is under my training, are you displease...because I'm quite displeased too."
"What the hell are you talking about!?"
"This boy, so determined and dedicated...would make the perfect suitor for my precious daughter one day...but unfortunately, he had to be your son...out of all people." Ryoba says as she looks sharply at Budo's father.
"Huh.." Budo looks up at Ryoba surprised. He wasn't sure what she was talking about since he was young at the time but he couldn't help but feel that somehow Ryoba was going to take him away from his father. It made him feel a little uneasy.
"What a stupid remark, I would never allow that! There is no way I would let your family taint mines."
"Is that so...then I guess I will have to change your mind." Ryoba says darkly as she slowly approaches Masuta-Sensei.
"R-Ryoba-Sensei..!" Budo panicked as he saw a look he never saw on his sensei. The look she was giving his father made him shiver in fear, it looked like she was out for blood and only blood. His father knew it too because Budo could see him backing up slightly with hint of unease in his eyes.
"Ryoba-Sensei!!" Budo calls out again in an attempt to stop her, he didn't want her to hurt his father no matter how bad he was treated by him. He grabbed a hold of her hand desperately but Ryoba only pushed him away with one swift hand.
"Be a good boy Budo-chan...and stay out of this." Ryoba says lowly as she glances back at the young Martial Arts boy with black soulless eyes.
"...!" Budo felt himself freeze like a deer in headlights. He wanted to stop her but he knew there was no way he can fight her, she was strong and most likely stronger than his father.
Ryoba turns back to his father with a grin spreading across her face. She starts to approach his father when suddenly a small little shadow appeared in front of the Dojo's doors.
"Mother."
A very soft voice echoes into the Dojo and both adults turn their heads to the entrance. Budo also turns his head to see a little girl standing there. Her black midnight hair fell to her shoulders, her eyes were like that of a dolls and her beautiful white dress flow gently with the wind outside. Budo felt himself stare at her in wonder, she looked just like Ryoba-sensei.
"...Aya-chan, did you walk here all by yourself?" Ryoba asks as she turns her attention to her daughter with more gentle eyes.
The little girl nods slowly. "Father...was worried...when you hadn't come home..." The girl replies softly as she gently walks into the Dojo. The way the girl walked was elegant, her back was always straight and she walked almost like she was royalty. The girl walks past his father, her eyes on him for almost a few seconds then averted her glance as she made her way up to her mother.
"Ah, your darling father's worried about me..? How sweet." Ryoba says almost beaming at the thought of her husband worried. She takes Ayano's hand and looks up at Masuta-Sensei. "It seems my darling is waiting for me at home, such a pity we couldn't come up with an agreement."
"Leave my Dojo, Ryoba." Masuta-Sensei says regaining his composure as he walks over to his own son and grabs his arm.
"Very well." Ryoba replies as she looks over to Budo one last time. "Goodbye Budo, always remember my teachings, okay?"
"...Ryoba-Sensei..."
"This is the last time we will meet." Ryoba says with a small smile on her lips. "I know you will become a great fighter once day."
Ryoba leads her daughter passed him and then his father. Budo couldn't help but lock eyes with Ryoba's daughter as they passed by slowly. He felt her eyes on him, as if she was studying him for bit then looked away as both of them exit the Dojo.
As soon as the door slid closed Masuta-Sensei throws Budo onto the floor roughly.
"Ack!" Budo hits the ground hard hitting the back of his head. He looks up at his father full of fear wondering if he was going to get hit for disobeying him.
"You should have never gotten involved with that woman, you don't know what she's capable of!" His father screams at him, Budo stares at him then remembered Ryoba's words.
"She taught me what you couldn't." Budo says darkly as his bangs covers his eyes. "She didn't give up on me...so don't be surprised that I didn't side with you!" Budo yelled. It was the first time he ever yelled at an adult, and it didn't seem wrong to him in the slightest. This man, his father, had rather taught Sho then his own son. The pain Budo had to go through to make himself worthy in front his father seemed all pointless now.
His father looks down at him with widen eyes and immediately felt ashamed. What his son was saying was true, he neglected him and went to someone else for guidance. Once Masuta-Sensei realized that he felt awful for treating his son like that. If only he had paid attention to Budo then he wouldn't have gotten involved with that devious woman in the first place.
"Budo...I...son...I didn't mean to..."
"BUT YOU DID!" Budo yells and abruptly gets up and runs out of the Dojo. Budo was tired of excuses, and tired of trying to pretend everything was okay. He would depend on himself now, and train for himself rather than his father. He vowed he would become a great fighter all on his own.
"Budo...I...I'm sorry!" His father calls out to him but Budo had already left. Masuta-Sensei stood alone in his Dojo regretting everything.
Ryoba walks down the empty street with Ayano's hand in hers. Ryoba was humming a little tune when her daughter suddenly spoke up.
"You were going to kill that man weren't you?" Ayano asks as she looks up at her mother with big charcoal eyes.
"...My, such a smart little girl I have." Ryoba replies and looks down at her with a smile.
"Why didn't you?"
"I didn't want to frighten the boy." Ryoba says looking up at the now dark sky.
"...Liar...you still would have if I didn't show up."
"Fuhuhu~ you caught me. Honestly, I was acting a bit reckless. I'm glad you came my dear or else....hehe."
"Hm..."
"Maybe one day, you can fulfill that request for me. Ayano-chan." Ryoba says with a cheerful smile on her face as she lets go of Ayano's small hand.
"Huh...Mother..." Ayano surprised that her mother left go of her hand tries to reach for her hand again but couldn't reach it. She could hear her mother spoke one last time.
"After all, you're mama's little girl."
__________________________________
"Moth...er....!" Ayano quickly wakes up from her dream to find herself still in surrounded in darkness. She was still trapped in the coffin. Ayano rubs her eyes from the unexpected sleep and looks to her side to see Budo holding his head with one hand with his eyes closed tight. It almost looked like he was in pain.
"Did you hit your head again...?" Ayano asks expecting that was the case.
"...Nngh..." Budo didn't reply to her question only groaned.
"Masuta-kun...?" Ayano began to worry a little, she didn't know what was happening to him. Was it something internal? "Masuta-kun!!"
"Ay...ano." Budo opens his eyes which made Ayano jump in surprise. The color of Budo's eyes were now pure, blood red.
Ayano felt her own eyes widen in disbelief at the sight.
"Ayano..whats wrong..?" Budo asks still holding his head with one hand as he looked over at her worried.
"Your...your eyes..." Ayano says moving away a little."They're red..."
"R-Red...!" Budo felt his hand slowly reach up to his face. "No...that can't be...I-"
"Give me the girl or I'll take her myself." The voice roared again in his head reminding him of the situation he was in.
"AGGH!" Budo holds his head tightly as the pain resurfaces around his head and face.
"GIVE HER TO ME!" The voice booms again.
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HEAD!" Budo yells trying to fight the voice. If this keeps continuing surely this entity would have his way and kill Ayano. He needed to keep fighting it.
"Masuta-kun...!" Ayano looked at him with a panicked expression on her face. He seemed like he was almost fighting himself, or maybe he was being delusional. But that didn't explain why his eyes were red. She didn't know what else to do but call out to him.
Budo could hear Ayano's voice and opens his eyes to see Ayano pressed against the back of the coffin. It looked like she was almost afraid or maybe she was afraid of him.
"A-Ayano..." He felt himself reach out for her. He didn't want her to be afraid of him but as he did, he felt his hand weaken abruptly. "Nnn..."
"YOU'RE MINE." The voice rang out for a final time and Budo felt his eyes dilate and all control of his body slip away from him as his head hits the ground.
"Masuta-kun...!" Ayano felt herself call out to him helplessly again. But Budo had most likely passed out from the lack of air or maybe from some unknown causes. She cautiously moves a little closer to him and touches his forehead gently. She could feel that he was burning up almost.
"What is happening?" Ayano whispers to herself as she examines the Martial Arts leader next to her. Ayano couldn't process what caused Budo's eyes to change color, perhaps she was hallucinating it. The lack of air was really getting to them.
Ayano couldn't help but feel dread now, she was alone with a delusional Budo and sooner or later she would start to go crazy as well. She rather still be asleep dreaming but no, this was reality.
"I don't know whats going on with you...but I know you're in pain..." Ayano says as she looks down at her only friend. She couldn't help but worry if he had just died or just merely passed out. She needed certainty or the anxiety was going to consume her alive.
Ayano moved closer to Budo and lowered her head to his bare chest. With a fluster face she gently presses the side of her head against his chest and listened for a heart beat.
...bu-dump....bu-dump...bu-dump.
"...Still alive.." Ayano sighs in relief, her friend was still alive, she immediately felt all the dread and anxiety drain from her knowing this now. Ayano removes her head from Budo's chest and raises her head up to be eye to eye with a pair of ruby red ones.
"Kyaa!" Ayano jumps in surprise when she met Budo's eyes. He was awake but his eyes, they were empty and looked almost dead.
"..."
"You..You idiot, I was worried that you were dead!" Ayano says with a flustered face as she tries to explain herself. This was all his fault, why did he have to pass out like that? Damn that Martial Arts Leader!
"...." Budo didn't say anything he just stared at her blankly void of all emotion as if it didn't even phase him, it almost reminded her of herself.
"Mas..uta-kun." Ayano asks a bit concern, this was really out of character for him. "Are you okay...?" She slowly reaches out towards him to touch his forehead, just to see if he was still burning up, almost automatically her hand was grabbed harshly by Budo. Ayano lets out a surprise gasp and she looked at Budo was a slightly angry look since her hand was still hurt from last night.
"Hey, what do you-" Ayano began but was cut off as the Martial Arts leader pushed her into the ground of the coffin. The movement was swift that left Ayano dazed for a few seconds.
"Heh...." A chuckle escapes Budo's lips as he looks down at Ayano with beady red eyes as he was now on top of her. Both of his hands pinned down her wrists to the slides of her head and his legs were tangled with her bare ones.
Ayano looks up at him with widen eyes. The way he was looking at her almost caused shivers to go down her spine. He looked absolutely terrifying like a predator ready to gouge out her neck.
"Masuta-kun! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Ayano yells struggling underneath him trying to free her hands from his strong grip.
"My, such rich vigor I can smell from you, strong and a bit tainted...." Budo says with half-lidded eyes as he looked Ayano up and down. His voice was much deeper and a bit richer making him sound completely different. Ayano blinks a couple of times, this had to be a hallucination, what else could it be?
"Masuta-kun, snap out of it, you're hallucinating." Ayano says trying to free her hands so she could hit him. It pissed her off how he thought he could do this to her, unconscious or not. She would knock some sense into him.
"Heheh...the one you speak of isn't available right now, my dear." Budo says with his eyes seemingly to grow brighter with delight at his oblivious prey. "I'm something... far more different...."
Budo cups the side of her face with one hand and forcibly lifts her head up revealing a full view of her bare neck.
"W-What are you doing!?" Ayano says a little scared now, she never been in this situation before nor had she ever been pinned like this.
"Its simple my dear, you're going to feed me...and soon enough your beautiful, lush blood will run thickly through my veins." Budo says as he leans his face down to her neck.
Ayano felt her face heat as she felt his cold tongue run down her neck as if he was sampling her. Ayano felt her pinned hands shake in embarrassment and in disgust as she felt that cold sensation.
"Such a lovely girl you are...I wish I could keep you but I much rather see red coming down your neck." Budo murmurs seductively as he leans down and places a kiss on her neck.
"Nn..S-Stop it!" Ayano says struggling underneath him. He was going to rip her throat out and there was nothing she could do about it. For once in her life she was the helpless victim.
"Now... be still, my dear." Budo says as his eyes glow more red, Ayano could see him opening his mouth revealing his teeth. She almost felt like he was a vampire as he leaned down to her neck and breathed on it making the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight. "Be honored that I have chosen you for my meal..."
"S-St..."
Ayano could feel him closing in on her neck ready to bite down like a savage animal, with eyes shut tight Ayano yells.
"I-I SAID STOP!" Ayano shouts at him catching him off guard, Budo eyes widen and Ayano felt tears starting to roll down her face helplessly. Ayano felt Budo's hand loosen his grip on her wrist, almost immediately Ayano yanked her hands from him and covers her flushed face as she began to sob into them.
Budo who had suddenly regain conscious back from the vile entity, stared at Ayano with shocked eyes. He saw all of it behind doors, he tried to stop the entity and he was only successful the last minute, but it wasn't enough.
"A-Ayano I-"
Budo reaches out for her but only got his hand slapped away. He looked at Ayano with pain in his charcoal eyes as she holds herself very delicately. Budo felt his heart sink, he didn't want this to happen, he didn't want Ayano, someone who he cared so deeply for to be afraid of him. Just in those mere minutes he had lost an ample amount of Ayano's trust. If only he was strong enough to fight that voice encased in his mind.
"Ayano...please listen to me...that wasn't...that wasn't me!" Budo says stammering, for some reason he felt scared as if he was going to lose Ayano entirely because of this.
"You said I could trust you...Masuta-kun." Ayano murmurs lowly as her hands move up and down her arms as if trying to rub off the fingerprints he had left on her.
"Ayano..." Budo couldn't help but look at her helplessly, he was ashamed and almost guilty for the actions he didn't do but he still felt responsible for them.
"And I believed you..." Ayano whispers averting her gaze from him. If they were outside this coffin, at school or even on the streets surely, Ayano would have walked away by now leaving him to drown in his own predicament.
"That wasn't me, Ayano, there's something living inside me-"
"...Are you deranged..? Do you think I would believe that?"
"I'm not crazy I swear, Ayano I'm-"
"I thought you were my friend!" Ayano suddenly shouts, cutting off the Martial Arts Leader. Her charcoal eyes suddenly turned glassy like she was about to cry, she averts her eyes from him and holds herself tighter.
Budo felt his bangs shadow over his eyes once he realized she was on the verge of tears. It was the last thing he wanted to see. Admittedly, when Ayano cried she looked so beautiful like a fallen angel but knowing that he caused her tears to roll down her face made him feel bitter.
It was that entity's fault, Budo wasn't sure how he got stuck with it in the first place but it was sure pissing him off now. Just thinking of that entity possessing him and trying to kill Ayano brought him a strong feeling of intense rage. After only mere hours of Ayano opening up to him he loses it all.
Budo felt his hand clench, no, he couldn't lose Ayano. He wouldn't allow it.
In a swift movement Budo grabs both of Ayano's hands and turns her to him. Ayano lets out a soft gasp as she stared at Budo with astonishment. little bits of tears fell from her eyes after being pulled so abruptly.
"Let go of me!" Ayano yells struggling to free her hands from his. She couldn't believe he was doing this again.
"Listen to me, Ayano!" Budo spoke, his voice was low but laced with pure sadness.
"I said let go of me!"
"That wasn't me.."
"Masuta-kun, I'm warning you!"
"You have to know that it wasn't me, there's something else here with us."
"Don't lie to me, Masuta-kun!"
"I'm telling you the truth!"
"Let go of me!"
"...Tch..."
With anger and desperation fueling inside him. Budo yanked the stubborn girl towards him and desperately embraced her. Ayano froze in the unwanted hug, remembering that she was angry at him she began to struggle again in his arms.
"Damn it Budo, if you don't let g-"
"No, you have to know that I would never..." Budo trails off as he felt his tears brimming in his eyes. He took one hand off Ayano and wiped them away.
"...Masuta-kun?"
"That I would never...ever...."
"....."
"Do that to you....don't you know I care about you...?" Involuntary tears started to roll down on Budo's face. A small teardrop lands on Ayano's cheek and rolls down from it. Ayano felt her eyes widen a bit, she had never seen a boy cry before, not even her father. Ayano closes her eye and sighs.
"...I....I know...." Ayano replies softly, looking away from his crying face, he was telling the truth and after studying his face for a few seconds she could see it in his eyes that he was not lying to her. In her middle school years she had taken down many girls who had crossed her, from bullying, or spreading rumors about her family. Each and everyone of her victims tried to lie their way out of their fate, some would say 'I didn't do it I swear' or 'It was her not me!' but Ayano always knew. She could read anyone.
"You're such an idiot for caring for someone like me...." Ayano comments softly, remembering her past victims in middle school. "But I don't hate it....and I don't hate you..."
"Ayano..."
Ayano wraps her arms around the Martial Arts Leader neck and returns the embrace. Budo's eyes widen at the sudden embrace, after a moment of processing the situation Budo slowly rests his face onto her shoulder and lets out a sigh of relief. He wouldn't be losing her and knowing that took a lot of weight off his shoulder.
"Thank you..." Budo breathes as he clanged onto Ayano's delicate form.
"Yes...." Ayano says softly. "It wasn't you....I understand...so... forgive me when I do this....."
Ayano suddenly presses the tranquilizer she had taken from the nurses office into Budo's neck squeezing the end of it to insert the drug into his blood stream.
"Ack...A-Ayano!?" Budo felt the sharp pain in the back of his neck and almost immediately his vision became hazy, he felt his own body shut down in submission to the drug now running in his blood stream. He felt his hands loosen from Ayano then slipped from her as his head hit the cold floor of the coffin.
Ayano watches him being taken by the tranquilizer with an expressionless face.
"...I can't take anymore risks, Masuta-kun. Whatever that thing was...I can't risk it coming out again." Ayano whispers as the tranquilizer slips from her hand and onto the ground of the coffin.
Budo was motionless now, entirely taken in by the power drug running within him and most likely that entity inside of him. Ayano was truly alone now but she did not feel any dread.
"....If we were to die here...I rather you wait for it in your sleep...you deserve at least that..." Ayano closes her eyes and brings her hands to her chest. Deep down she had come to the realization that if Budo were to die first it would be admittedly painful for her. She couldn't stand the thought.
Because Budo wasn't the only one who cared.