My Lost Light

Chapter 20: Kiss

I swear it! I will save you! I can act faster! I will act faster!

ERI!

[RESP- E.R.I: Boosting Speed by 100 percent.]

I ran over there and hit the gun out of their hand. Sashida looked over at me in shock.

I sighed in relief. I did it. I saved someone.

"Why...?" Sashida asked.

"Why indeed? This would've been so much more interesting if you'd had just let her die!" Danuja spouts his nonsense. Seemingly disappointed by the outcome.

"You saved this pathetic hacker, but you did save-" I cut him off.

"Don't you dare say his name!" I shout. 

"You've always wished death upon people. I refuse to let someone else die." I tell him.

"Why did you save me?" Sashida asks, crying.

"No matter what you want. I won't let you die. This agency is cruel, with beautiful souls that have been forced to turn cruel with it. You and I were victims of that. You don't deserve to die. We all know who you are. No matter how many times you claim we don't know anything about you. You're Sashida Ruisaya. The one we were with the entire time was the real you. The self you couldn't show to anyone. Once this is all over, you can be happy. Freedom is just within your grasp; you just need to grab ahold of it. I know you can because you refuse to lose a challenge. Finish this fight with us, once this is all over freedom will be in your hands just grab ahold of it. You'd no longer have to be a hacker; you can turn that tainted soul back to its original color. So, stand up and fight!" I yell.

"Yeah, let's do that." Sashida says with that usual grin on their face, wiping the tears they had in their eyes.

Kenji has sighed in relief.

"I'm so relieved you're okay! I swear I'll beat you down once this is over!" Kokoro yells.

"I look forward to it." Sashida tells her.

"Ah, how boring. A normal ending. You two know what to do. Take them out. I'll fight the puppy." Danuja demands.

"Understood." The sidekicks named Dingus and Bingus announced. Are those their real names? No one actually knows. 

"Leave the boss to me." I tell them.

"Right!" Kokoro and Sashida yell.

I look over at Kenji, he's just standing there. He seems to be deep in thought about something.

"Something wrong?" I ask him curiously.

"No, I just-" He cut himself off by kissing me. Eh? Is this really happening? His lips were soft, he had a gentle grip on my arms just below my shoulders. Is this what people call love? He parted from my lips and said,

"Good luck."

"Yeah, try not to die." I tell him.

"You too." He replies.

Everyone looked shocked. I was even shocked. His face was bright red. Maybe mine was too. I don't know.

Sashida, Kokoro, and Kenji started fighting Dingus and Bingus. They seemed to be fine. I looked over at Danuja as it was just me and him now.

"I'll end this here." I tell him.

"You say you'll end this here, but you couldn't even save Kouki. Such a disappointment. A failure. You thought after everything you deserved a good life when you couldn't even save one." Danuja provokes. He's always been that way.

I stayed quiet.

"You've got nothing to say!? You're pathetic. You're stuck in your own world, or perhaps you see Kenji as Kouki. They do look similar and have a similar personality. You don't even try to deny it. You know I'm right. I've always been right. You truly are horrible. A monster, worthless, burden, you can't even lead a normal life even if you kill me. Can you even kill me? You killed Kouki. Nobody loves you. You bring pain and sorrow wherever you go." Danuja finishes. Everything he said was a tactic to provoke me.

I really wish he'd just shut the hell up.