Commissioned [completed]

Chapter 46 - I am with you, always

You had to move; you had to take the next step. You had to fulfil your promise. Then you heard heavy boot footfalls. He threw a leg over the bike and gunned it; you almost forgot you had to hold on.

"I've got you, Bait."

"Sodo," you choked a sob and clung on. His body was just fit for yours to hold. "Doesn't it fucking hurt to go against orders?"

"He stopped controlling me the moment we began disappearing." He held on tightly to one of your hands, "I can hold on, I can get you there... tell me about the rabbits, Bait."

"You're a fucking dickhead," you sniffed a laugh.

He tore through town towards the eastern hills. "I'll only allow you to get away with calling me that." His grip on you didn't waver. "I'm going to be okay, Min Älskare. I'm not someone you need to worry about."

But that wasn't true; you'd felt the scars on his back. "I'm going to summon you myself if I have to."

You felt him sag against you in relief. Seemed he had not thought you would. "Thank you, ______. Thank you for... thank you," he squeezed your hand.

"I don't know where I'll keep you; I only have a van," you gave a watery chuckle.

"It's more than enough, my love." He took a shaky breath, slowing to a stop in front of the sign that said 'Mountview Cathedral.'

You couldn't feel his hand on yours anymore. "I want to... give me your non-dominant hand."

You ground your teeth together. You felt Sodo's chest caving, waved your hand, and crumbing fingers brought that hand to his mouth. "Never trust a ghoul, Min Älskare." With his sharp teeth between your thumb and forefinger, he bit you. Not a kind bite either; bones snapped, and blood gushed. You fought a scream. "Sodo! Fuck!" You tried to rip yourself away, but he kept you there, licking the wound he had created.

"I will remember you," you stared at the back of his helmet. "I love you, ______." His helmet fell from its place, leaving you to stare aghast at the horror of your hand.

Why had he done that? You cradled your hand. Pieces of bone and flesh stuck out in places they fucking shouldn't. You didn't understand. You numbly stood from the bike, and distantly, you recognised your internal bruising and ribs were all fucked up.

You walked the hill to the cathedral before taking off at a run, still reeling from the pain in your hand and losing all the ghouls. You had to keep moving; Terzo was still out there. Unlike them, he would not come back if he went to hell.

Lights were on in the chapel, and it shone in the night with the multicoloured glow of satanic inlaid windows. You intended to kick down the door. You had not considered that the door would be locked and too heavy in the first place for you to move. You ran to a window.

"You don't want to be here," came a deep voice.

You turned to see Omega towering over you. You looked back to the window and saw Terzo on a dais at the front of the room in the glass's distortion. Relief flooded you; he was standing in his pope dress, reading. "I do want to be in there, and you cannot stop me." You pulled your dagger out and unsheathed it with your armpit, your hand still dribbling blood.

"I have to stop you," you couldn't see his mouth in the mask; it didn't seem like a happy statement.

You turned the blade in your hand and shoved the handle at him.

"Not this time, ______." He dodged too easily. "You shouldn't go in there; walk away."

"I just watched Terzo's ghouls fade into nothing...." You tried to kick him and were surprised by the speed you delivered it, catching him in the hip.