Atrocities

Chapter 2

Maki stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress that hugged her figure, but not too much. She sighed, tapping her fingers on the bathroom sink. "He prayed for you. He made a promise. You can make this work." She confidently whispered to herself. "Maki! You ready?" Kaito shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!" She shouted, quickly applying lip gloss. She rushed downstairs with her purse. Kaito looked her up and down, mouth wide open. "You look... amazing." He said. Maki smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks. Should we get going now?" Kaito smiled and nodded his head. Maki watched the cars rush by on the street. The sky looked as if someone spilt sugar on a black canvas. The calming sound of the radio along with the cool summer breeze made it seem like she was dreaming. Nothing seemed real at that moment.

Kaito hummed a tune, and Maki just smiled as she stared at the window. Maki hasn't smiled in a long time, so she could tell this date was gonna mold her into a different woman.

But it felt too good to be true.

When they arrived at the creek, Kaito sat down on the grass, the fresh air blowing through his thick purple hair. Maki seemed confused. She thought she was gonna be treated to a nice dinner, or at least a nightly stroll. But she didn't complain. It didn't matter. Her boyfriend was gone for a year, so she just kept quiet. Kaito smiled, and patted a spot on the grass. Maki sat down and watched the water. The sound of the meandering lake relaxed her. "So, what are we doing at the creek?" Maki asked. Kaito sighed happily. "We're here to stargaze." Maki laid down on the grass. "Why'd we dress all fancy just to look at a couple of stars?" Maki asked.

Kaito giggled. "These aren't just a couple of stars. They're a bunch of constellations made to tell stories. Like that's the Big Dipper, that's Capricornus, and that's Antlia. The reason we dressed all fancy is because here in Japan, it is believed that when you die, you turn into a star." Maki seemed shocked at Kaito's knowledge. Despite being an assassin, death was a sensitive topic to her. She saw too many friends die during her duties.

"So, when I die, I'm gonna be a star?" Maki asked. Kaito nodded. "Yep! You'll be... Makius Rollis!" Maki giggled along with Kaito. Maki never laughed that loud. At least not around strangers. The more Maki thought of the whole star legend, the more her smile faded. The little white specks in the sky made her think she was just silently judging a bunch of dead people. "Should we get going? A lot of mosquitos are coming out now." Kaito nodded, and they walked back to the car.

The ride was more silent than usual. Maki was busy thinking of how every star is the sky could be a dead person, and Kaito thought about how he felt that he didn't do enough for Maki. "Was that boring you, Maki?" Kaito asked sadly. "No, why?"

Kaito shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed like you wanted to get it over with."
"Yeah, 'cause the bugs."
"Fair point."

Although Maki was just being honest, it felt like an excuse. Maybe Maki didn't wanna go stargazing. Maybe Maki had different plans.

The silence in the car was loud. Deafening, if you will. Maki and Kaito walked into the house hand-in-hand. Maki plopped on the couch and sighed. "Maki? What's wrong?" Kaito asked. Maki just sat there in silence.

"Is this about the date? I promise I'll take you somewhere nicer." Kaito said. Maki just bursted into tears. "It's not the date! It's just... ever since you told me about the whole 'when you die, you become a star' thing, I just kept thinking of everyone I lost during assassin duties

Kaito patted her back reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm here, honey."

Maki wiped a tear away from her cheek. "And it just makes me think... what if every star in the sky is just a dead person? There's no hot gas. No life cycle. Only a person who once had a life."

Maki's spiraling didn't make anything better. Kaito hugged her without saying anything. He didn't need to. Him simply being there made Maki feel safe.

"It's okay... let it out." He whispered.

"No!" Maki shouted. "I'm an assassin! Assassins aren't supposed to cry!"

Kaito wiped a little bit of mascara that was dripping down Maki's face. "Everyone cries. Even the toughest people. You work with children, right? You've had fair shares of tears."

The comparison didn't make Maki feel any better. She felt as if Kaito was calling her a child. "Yeah. But I'm not a child. I'm just their caregiver. It's okay for them to cry because they don't have to worry about being tough and cold."

Kaito chuckled at her statement. "And neither do you. You can be yourself around me."

Maki's head perked up. The words echoed in her head.

You can be yourself around me

You can be yourself around me

You can be yourself around me

Her frown slowly turned into a smile as she leaned into her boyfriend. She didn't care about a seemingly 'proper' date anymore. She didn't feel bad about losing her comrades during assassin work. She just wanted Kaito.