Forbidden Knowledge Vol.1 (Marisa Kirisame X Male Reader)

Chapter 8 - A Bit of Rest and a Cup of Coco

I sat there between them, Reimu and Marisa, trembling. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and the blood was still trickling down my face, staining my fingers as I wiped it away for what felt like the hundredth time. The two forbidden tomes lay on the floor beside me, quiet now, but I could still feel them. They didn't need to speak. Their pull was constant, whispering to my every nerve, trying to claim me like they had Reimu.

I glanced over at Marisa. She was unconscious but breathing steadily. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She had fought so hard, all for Reimu, and now she lay there, vulnerable. Reimu, on the other hand, was conscious but barely. She sat hunched over, tugging at the edges of her torn robes, her fingers twitching as she whispered, "I'm sorry..."

Her voice was weak, her eyes distant, as if still trapped in the thrall of the tome. I let out a long, exhausted breath, fighting the wave of nausea that threatened to overcome me. Part of me wanted to lash out, to say something—anything—but I couldn't.

"It wasn't your fault," I said softly, my voice hoarse.

"But—" Reimu's voice cracked, and I cut her off.

"It wasn't your fault." I glanced at the two tomes beside me again, their weight pressing down on me. "Anyone would've gone through the same thing. These books... they take everything. Your wants, your needs—the ones you don't even know you have—and they twist them. Before you know it, you're caught in their web."

Reimu shifted uncomfortably, her head lowering. "I'm the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine. It's my duty to protect Gensokyo... to put everyone else above myself. But I couldn't..."

I shook my head. "There's nothing wrong with putting others first, Reimu. Athena, she was like that. She made sure everyone else's well-being came before her own... until it destroyed her. She gave everything, and in the end, all it did was tear her apart."

Reimu blinked slowly, her gaze clouded with fatigue and confusion. "Who... who was Athena?"

A faint smile tugged at my lips, though it didn't reach my eyes. "She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Always there, always caring. Never cried, no matter what." I let out a soft laugh, the weight of the memories almost too much. "Ring a bell?"

Reimu's expression darkened with guilt. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off again. "I forgive you. That's what you wanted to hear, right? I forgive you, Reimu. And I'm sure Marisa won't hold this against you either. But you need to start caring about yourself—not just everyone else."

Reimu hesitated, her eyes shifting to Marisa. "Is she... going to be alright?"

I nodded, a small, tired smile breaking through. "Yeah, she will be. She's tough; I can gather that from her spell books. I can just tell."

Reimu's lip twitched in the faintest hint of a smile. "You've actually read her spell books? That's impressive. I can't even get through one without losing track—no matter how much she begs me."

I chuckled lightly. "They're... well-written, if not a little chaotic. But still, interesting."

For a brief moment, there was a flicker of normalcy between us—like things weren't completely broken. But that moment quickly passed as Reimu glanced at me again, her eyes focusing on the blood smeared across my face and the trembling in my hands. "You know," she said softly, almost to herself, "you're kind of a hypocrite. Telling me to care about myself while you're standing there bleeding and barely able to stand."

I ran my fingers over the gash on my head, wincing at the sting. She wasn't wrong. But what could I do? I couldn't just sit down and rest like Marisa. I had to look after them. If not me, then who?