Unraveling the calm

Chapter XII

Ayano's POV

The gym is eerily quiet, the only sound my footsteps echoing against the polished wood floor. The dim lights cast long shadows, distorting the space into something almost unrecognizable.

And then I see him.

Budo stands at the center of the room, his back to me. His posture is rigid, his fists clenched at his sides. The air around him is heavy, charged with an emotion I can't quite name.

"Budo," I call out, my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart.

He turns slowly, his dark eyes locking onto mine. There's something different about him—something dangerous.

"You shouldn't have come here, Ayano," he says, his voice low and strained. "It's not safe."

I step closer, my hands clenched at my sides. "I had to. We can't keep doing this, Budo. Whatever you're planning, it has to stop."

He laughs, but it's hollow, empty. "You don't understand, Ayano. Everything I've done—it's all been for you. To protect you."

"Protect me?" I snap, my frustration boiling over. "You've hurt people, Budo. You've destroyed lives. How is that protection?"

He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively move back. "They were threats. They didn't deserve to stand by your side. Only I do."

The conviction in his voice sends a chill down my spine.

"You're wrong," I say, forcing my voice to remain steady. "You can't decide who's worthy of me. That's not your choice to make."

He shakes his head, his expression pained. "But it is, Ayano. You don't see it, but I do. I see how they look at you, how they take you for granted. They don't deserve you. None of them do."

I swallow hard, my mind racing. I need to reach him, to break through whatever darkness has taken hold of him.

"Budo," I say softly, stepping closer despite the fear curling in my chest. "This isn't you. You're not a monster. You're not a killer."

For a moment, his expression softens, and I think I've gotten through to him. But then his eyes darken, and his hands clench into fists.

"You don't know what I've become, Ayano," he says, his voice a mix of anger and sorrow. "And you never will."

Budo's POV

She doesn't understand.

I've done everything for her—sacrificed everything—yet she still looks at me like I'm the villain.

But I'm not. I'm her protector.

"You're lying to yourself," she says, her voice cutting through my thoughts like a blade. "This isn't about protecting me. It's about control."

Her words hit harder than I expect, and for a moment, I feel the weight of what I've done. The blood, the pain, the lives I've taken—all for her.

But it's too late to turn back now.

"I can't lose you, Ayano," I say, my voice trembling with emotion. "You're all I have left. Without you, I'm nothing."

She steps closer, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and sorrow. "You're more than this, Budo. You can still change."

Change.

The word feels foreign, impossible.

But as she looks at me, her gaze unwavering, I feel a flicker of something I haven't felt in a long time—hope.

Ayano's POV

His walls are crumbling. I can see it in the way his shoulders slump, the way his gaze wavers.

But I know this isn't over.

"Please, Budo," I say, reaching out to him. "Let this go. Let me help you."

For a moment, he hesitates. And then, slowly, he reaches for my hand.

But before our fingers can touch, the gym doors slam open, and a group of students rushes in, their expressions a mix of fear and anger.

"There he is!" one of them shouts. "He's the one who—"

The rest of the words are lost in chaos as they charge toward us.

Budo's expression hardens, and he steps in front of me, his body tense and ready to fight.

"No," I whisper, grabbing his arm. "Don't do this. Please."

He looks at me, his eyes filled with regret. "I'm sorry, Ayano. I have to protect you."

Before I can stop him, he lunges forward, his movements swift and deadly. The gym erupts into chaos, and all I can do is watch as the boy I once trusted disappears into the darkness of his own making.

Budo's POV

I fight because I have to. Because it's the only way to keep her safe.

But as the chaos unfolds around me, I realize that no matter how many people I defeat, no matter how far I go, I can never escape the monster I've become.

And maybe... maybe she deserves better than that.

Ayano's POV

When the dust settles, Budo stands alone in the center of the gym, his breathing ragged, his fists stained with the evidence of his actions.

But he doesn't look victorious. He looks broken.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, his voice barely audible.

Before I can respond, he turns and walks away, his figure disappearing into the shadows.

And I'm left standing there, my heart heavy with the weight of everything we've lost.