Fate DxD

Chapter 71

Friday, February 17, 2023.

I'm standing alone in an arid terrain, strewn and filled with swords planted in the hard ground, a veritable sword graveyard. I touch my lips, my mouth invaded by the taste of blood, I look at my fingers, covered in blood, suddenly, my skin detaches and destroys itself, giving way to a layer of raw black and red energy, burning my flesh, it runs down my arm before completely covering my body. I scream to the sky, wanting only to kill.

I wake up suddenly, opening my eyes wide. My head hurts terribly, and the taste of blood is still there. The ceiling is immaculate white, and to my left comes the sunlight through a large horizontal window that bathes the entire room. I'm in a bed that seems quite comfortable. It's hard to say, since I don't feel anything. I try to get up, but my body doesn't respond. I turn my gaze to my right to see Kakashi, concentrating on cutting an apple into quarters. When he finishes, he looks at me and our eyes meet. He puts down the knife and plate and moves closer to my bed.
"Senji, you're finally awake, we were starting to worry." I hear Kakashi's faint voice.

"Kakashi-sensei... worrying?" I manage to say something.

"You've been asleep for three days now. We thought you were going into a coma. So take it easy, you're having trouble talking aren't you?" He asks.

"Yes... and I... hear badly..." I mumble.

"Hmm, that's normal, your body is recovering little by little, don't worry about it, with enough rest everything should go back to normal." He explains, leaning towards me to hear him better. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Headache... taste of blood... Feels like my body... not mine..." I can see Kakashi's eyebrows furrow at my last words.

"...Do you... know why?" He asks hesitantly.

"...Yes... fox demon..." My eyes tremble as I say this, feeling a huge shiver run through my body.

"...Indeed. I'll leave you alone for a few minutes, I've got someone to fetch. In the meantime, regain control of your body and, above all, eat." He said, placing the plate next to my head. "I know you just got up, but we need to ask you about what happened. You understand?"

I nod weakly, causing a smile to show through his fabric. He puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder before leaving the room, leaving me alone.

I close my eyes and try to feel each of my limbs. I start to move them slowly, as if they were heavy. I stop, sighing, and when I open my eyes, I'm no longer in bed but facing a giant red cage, two piercing eyes staring back at me.

"I just woke up, can we take a rain check?" I ask, frowning.

"I don't understand." His powerful voice echoes in my head, adding a debit to the pain.

"What is it you don't understand, go ahead I'm listening." I say, sitting down in the warm water.

"Why didn't you unleash your hatred. That abject being slaughtered someone you considered a friend and cut him to pieces. Why did you resist the urge for revenge?" It's the first time I've heard him so calm.

"...To be perfectly honest with you... This is what I wanted. When I saw what was left of Youta... I was caught up in despair and hatred, I caused all this and in the end you're right, these are consequences of my actions." I clench my fists. "I wanted to kill him and his whole gang. I wanted to avenge him, which I did, but I felt it wasn't enough... it was horrible."