Duality (DxD) (Part 1)

Ch 23 - The Loss Of A Friend

Hex was dead, it was now confirmed after Ban found where he lived. There was no return address on the package, but Ban had his ways of finding people and he found Hex. Dead in his bed.

But he wouldn't let Jin go in to see his friend. He wouldn't let Jin hold his departed friend as the ambulance took Hex away under a white sheet. They said he died peacefully in his sleep. But Jin couldn't care what killed him or how he died. The only thing that mattered was that Hex was gone. That he could never see Hex again or play him in chess. He would never get to lose or win against Hex again. His last game against Hex was a victory, but Jin couldn't help but wish he could have lost thousands of more times instead of winning once and losing Hex.

But Jin did what he usually did. He shut off. He expressed even less and only trained harder. He began working out more, and went running more. He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't at the strength he wanted to be.

But strength had nothing to do with what happened, death was something bound to happen for someone Hexs age. But Jin was 11 and still a child. He couldn't help but think if he was stronger, maybe he could have done something else, something to keep Hex with him longer. Maybe he would have noticed Hex was ill and helped him somehow. He couldn't help but think if he was stronger, he could've saved someone close to him.

Maybe it was that fall that hurt Hex. Maybe it was his fault. Despite being expressionless his thoughts were racing. Ban could tell Jin was taking this hard and couldn't help but worry about the future.

Jin also thought about his guardian. What if she was dead? Was she okay? What had he done leaving her? Jin for the first time really considered going back. He even walked to the train station one day and looked at it. A train journey and a bus ride. That was all that separated him and going back. Not even to see her, just to check she was alive. To look from a distance to see if she was okay without him.

But Jin didn't go back. He couldn't. He had Ban and Aika. Leaving them pained him. He also didn't want to leave the place he had stayed for years. Not when he believed he didn't have to unlike the last time he left his home. He had good memories here, he refused to abandon them again.

So he stayed.

On the weekend, Jin went to the park and Aika ran to him in a hug as happy as usual, but when he told her what happened, she burst out into tears. Hex was her friend too. At least that's what she thought. They were a friend group of three. Seeing each other every weekend. But now one was missing and as much as Aika was making friends at school. She had never lost one, and it hurt.

Jin hugged her as he took her home. Explaining to he parents what happened and they understood. Offering to Jin to come in, but he refused. He had somewhere else to be.

Walking back to the park, Jin sat on the concrete chair alone. Looking at the bag of marble chess pieces. Each one had intricate detail and was smooth. A weight to them that kept them in place despite outside forces. Jin just sat there, remembering the letter he kept in his room.

Jin: You... were a great Arch Nemesis Hex. But, a much better friend.

Jin slowly took out the pieces and placed them on the chess table. Setting up the checkered board, sitting on the side of the black pieces as he looked at the white pieces on the other side of the board. Moving a white pawn to take the centre. Then moving his black pawn to match.

Jin was now playing by himself, just like Hex. Sat alone outside, with the grey sky and wind blowing. Jin sat without an opponent. Playing himself.

Jin continued doing this. Weekends came by and Aika tried to play Jin, but she couldn't. It felt like she was replacing Hex and she didn't want to do that. So she only hugged Jin as she spoke of her day. Sometimes Jin would talk back, but he would continue to play himself.

His new routine without Hex. A lonely routine sat on the top. One he continued for a whole year, until he turned 12.