Subaru

Chapter IV.

I was awakened by the sound of the flapping curtains.

Cracking a single eye open, I took a peek at the open window.

Wasn't it closed last night when I went off to sleep? I asked myself, somnolently.

It was around six in the morning.

Closing my eye again, I rolled onto my side on the bed, such that I had my back against the light coming from the window.

I was still very sleepy but I knew that I had to wake up.

It took me several minutes to fully emerge and when I did, I sat up, rubbing my eyes. Then, throwing my legs off the bed, I stood up and began to head for the kitchen to go into the bathroom.

But hardly had I taken two steps forward that I froze into place as a dark figure appeared at my side.

My head snapped around instantly and my eyes went wide in terror at the sight of the demon standing there.

'Tadashi!' I gasped out, my heart going wild.

Even before I had looked around, I had already known who it was.

Tadashi Honjō.

The demon had the appearance of a twenty-two-years-old young man. He had sleek black hair that came down just off his shoulders, with long bangs that hanged over his eyes; his irises, crimson red. His skin was incredibly pale, being paper-white. He always clothed himself in a pair of white trousers and a dark long-sleeved t-shirt with the hoods on. He remained bare-footed, his finger-nails and toe-nails painted in black polish. He was quite lean and measured average height.

And, as usual, he kept his face set in a small mocking smile.

'Have you had enough playing the martyr, Shun?' he asked, his tone sardonic. 'Can you imagine my surprise when I went to pay you a visit in your prison cell and all that I found is an empty room? And yet, you know how much I like our little sessions of psychological torture!'

Slowly, he moved to stand right in front of me and I lowered my eyes in submission, my whole frame shaking.

'You're trembling,' he pointed out, cupping my chin.

I was way too petrified to cringe away.

'I'm flattered to see that I still have so much effect on you. My simple presence terrorizes you completely. It's so amusing to watch!'

My legs gave out under me at that moment and I found myself sitting on the floor, paralyzed from the waist downward, having an attack of cataplexy.

I began to shake even more violently in response to the distress due to my present condition.

Getting down onto one of his knees, Tadashi cupped the side of my face with his hand and stroke my cheek with his thumb, while he leaned in to speak in my ear, saying, 'Shun, Shun, Shun! You're as beautiful as ever!'

I felt a shrill ran down my spine as he took a deep breath in my neck, sniffing delicately.

'And you smell so good. Like milk and strawberry.'

It was only when he placed something in my palms that I realized that, instinctively, I had put my hands up in-between us like a barrier.

'If I was you, I'd get rid of this picture,' he stated, as he stood up again to make for the window.

Ever slowly, I looked down at the picture in my hands. It was the very one I had hidden in the flooring.

'We'll see each other again, soon,' he told me, and I could almost feel his smirk on my back. 'But you already know that, don't you? I never get fed up visiting you!'