The Dragon's Girl | Taiju Shiba | Tokyo Revengers

Chapter 15

When the darkness of night finally settled over every atom of light in the sky, spreading its thick silence and still ambience with it, I finally got up from my mattress. Like I've been summoned by an invisible entity, pulling me step by step towards him. The house was dead quiet as I made my way to his bedroom door. Considering it was only us and him here, I made sure Yuzuha was deep in her sleep before getting up and out of her room.

The air in the hallway felt chilly and empty, not a single breath other than mine, growing rapid with each step. And everything around me was dark, except for my phone's flashlight and the thin, dim, line of light that was crawling from under his door. Telling me he was still awake in there, waiting for me.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting the collar of my oversized t-shirt, I lightly tapped the wooden door with my nails. Making as little noise as possible. Then I waited. The breath in my lungs was held in my throat as the seconds passed. My fingers then did another tap and I finally heard his growing movement behind the door, telling me he was coming to open it.

My hands were locked nervously behind my back when the door swung open and Taiju stood before me. His eyes singling me out in the dark hallway as his bedroom casted its warm light over me. He was shirtless, only dressed in a black sweatpants. I noticed his hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, making his face structure looks more defined and sharp.

Silently, he nodded to his side and stepped back. Giving me space to walk into his room and closing the door behind me. My skin prickled first at the breezy atmosphere inside his room before my eyes noticed the opened window by his desk.

"Sit down." He said, walking from behind me and towards the window. His hand, now noticing he was holding a cigarette between his fingers, pointed to his bed as he walked. I nodded, my hands holding each other as my feet walked hesitantly to sit.

Taiju went to sit on his chair that was by the window, a small ceramic ashtray was put on the window ledge next to him. "You okay?" He said, his nose busy exhaling grey streams of smoke.

Finally sitting down and crossing my legs at the end of his bed, I nodded. "Yeah." My eyes roaming his face.

"You don't look okay." He murmured then he took another hit. His eyes narrowing as he did, focusing on the action of sucking that deep smokey breath. Like he was having a private moment with his cigarette.

I nodded again and said. "I am."

Taiju nodded back then turned to look out of the window. I kept looking at the side of his face. He looked calm. The, always, tensed muscles of his shoulders looked much relaxed and the deep frown that always took over his face was gone. Replaced by a placid expression. And that made my body feel at ease then. Considering the many times I was here with him and how they ended, this time my body was feeling genuinely good to be here.

Unconsciously, my fingers started pinching the bedsheets, just to have something to do with my hands as he looked back at me and said. "Are you always this quiet?"

I shrugged, then realized I was still being quiet, I said. "Not really."

His cigarette was growing smaller and smaller as he kept dragging breaths of it and looking at me. His eyes looked dark in the dim light of his lamp. "I'm glad you're staying here tonight." He said, his eyes moved down to catch what my fingers were doing. "Relax, Emi..." He added.

I stopped. "I am." I said again.

Taiju chuckled as he was exhaling his smoke. Small puffs shooting from his mouth as he did. "You're not!" He said.

Smiling, I looked down at my hands. "I think I'm only nervous."

"Yeah, I can tell." He murmured. "Let's talk away this nervousness..." Then I heard movement and looked up to see him putting his cigarette out in the ashtray and standing up, walking towards the bed.