HOPE 「GOJO SATORU X OC」≫BOOK II≪

F O U R T E E N

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Chapter Fourteen: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't

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SMOKE swirled into the air, following an invisible path before dispersing. Her eyes were closed, her arms folded over her chest, her back against the wall. She took the cigarette from her mouth, her thumb rubbing the space between her eyebrows as she exhaled slowly.

"You really should stop that,"

She turned her head, her eyes falling upon the dark-haired male. Rey grinned around the cigarette that hung from his lips, chuckling when she shook her head at him. He walked over to her, turning on his heel as he let his back hit the wall beside her, sighing heavily as he slumped.

"Man, all this shit is really burnin' me out," He groaned.

"Why did you tell Satoru I was leaving?"

He moved the cigarette away, exhaling the smoke through his nose as he flicked the ashes to the ground. "Because I knew he was the only one that could talk some sense into you."

"I'm only endangering people by staying here," She frowned. "Don't you idiots see that?"

"You're only endangering them by running," He replied. "Don't you know running away doesn't solve your problems? It may have worked with those lower-level demons, but we're dealing with the Devil here, Akeldama. If you thought fighting Marius had pushed you to your limit, then you're in for a real surprise."

Her hand shook when she returned the cigarette to her lips. "I don't stand a chance against him, do I, Rey?"

"With how you're acting now?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "You'd be dead within a few seconds."

"He got to me so easily," She whispered, her eyebrows furrowing together. "It was like I wasn't even myself. I felt like he was controlling my body. I succumbed to him so easily."

He let his arm fall to his side, his gaze cast to the ground. "That's what he does. Gets in your head. He'll manipulate you into doing whatever he wants. He'll make you agree to things you never wanted to in the first place. Then, he'll rip you apart as if you were nothing."

"I thought he had Satoru," She said quietly. "I could see him right in front of me. He was screaming, covered in blood. I didn't even hesitate when I ran to him. I didn't know I'd be running right to Satan."

"I know you never let anyone get close to you because you were afraid of losing them," He tossed the cigarette to the side, shoving his hands in his pockets. "But you need to get over that fear. It's how he's going to kill you. Trust me."

She lifted her gaze from her boots, turning her head to him. "You didn't strike a deal with that demon for power...did you?"

He closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing together. "I had a girlfriend. Her name was Delilah. She was the kindest woman you could have ever known. She was a kindergarten teacher in our hometown. She did volunteer work and helped out anywhere she could. She couldn't have hurt anyone, even if she tried."

He exhaled shakily, opening his vermillion eyes. "I was part of a gang. I beat and killed guys for money. I did it to make up for what she never got from her paychecks. She hated when I'd come home all bloody or beat. She always scolded me like I was one of her students. She always took care of me."

The smile that had pulled on his lips faded. "But...she got roped into something that should have never happened. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She shouldn't have even been there. She was supposed to be working at the school. I didn't know she had planned a field trip for her students."

Aki turned her head away. "You killed her."

His eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened. "She wasn't supposed to be there! When I got to her, it was already too late. She was so fucking selfless, and it's what got her killed. I got her killed. I'm the one who shot her by accident."

"So you turned to a demon for help," She said.

"I didn't think it would work," He said quietly, his voice breaking. "I just wanted her back. She wasn't supposed to die then. She was fucking pregnant, Aki. I just didn't kill my fucking girlfriend. I killed our child too."

"Her death wasn't your fault," She said softly. "It wasn't your fault, Rey."

"It doesn't matter if it was or not," He laughed bitterly. "None of it matters anymore. I was hoping that damn demon would kill me. Then your dad showed up and ruined everything. The fucking thing possessed me before he could finish it off. I chased after you and started picking fights, hoping you would just kill me, and end it all. So I could be with her again."

"Rey.."

"But what's the damn use? I tried it before. And that bastard just drags me right back to him and sends me right back out. I'm trapped in an endless cycle. What's the point in dying if I just go right back to Hell, and go right back to what I was before?" He sighed, dropping his head. "I guess that's something you and I have in common, Aki. We're both just fucked."

"La naiba dacă o fac, la naiba dacă nu o fac," She said. "Damned if I do, damned if I don't. My uncle used to say it a lot. Alexander was sympathetic toward demons like you. Whatever choice you made, you were screwed in the end."

She pushed off the wall, turning to stand in front of him. He lifted his head, hooded cerise eyes meeting her honey ones.

"You don't help me because you're afraid of me," She said. "So why?"

He smirked. "You remind me of her."

He chuckled at her shocked expression. He moved away from the wall, slipping the cigarette from her hand, and tossing it to the ground as he stepped on it. He returned his hands to his pockets, turning his head away from her.

"Deny it all you'd like, Akeldama Dragavei,"

He looked over his shoulder, his eyes shifting to a bright green, making her eyes widen. His expression softened.

"But you're not as heartless as everyone plays you out to be."

She watched as he walked away from her, waving over his shoulder before disappearing into a pool of shadows. She looked to the side to see a pair of glowing orbs open in a mass of shadows over her shoulder. Koko flicked her tail back and forth.

"Not all demons are evil, you know," She said. "Some still have hearts, though they shield them away to protect what humanity they have left. Being around you is making the demon inside Rey dwindle."

She slid her hands into her pockets. "Then I guess I'm doing my job, huh?"

"I suppose you are," Koko hummed. "But don't get any ideas, Aki."

She grinned as she looked down at the creature. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Koko jumped off her shoulder, but Aki was faster, laughing as she seized the cat-like demon by the nape of her neck. She planted her hand on her hip as she met eyes with the annoyed creature.

"You are a very irritating woman, Demon Hunter," She huffed.

"Then why do you still run to me?" She hummed, her grin only widening.

"Let me go before I claw your eyes out."

"So feisty," She chuckled, dropping Koko onto the ground.

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