Fate DxD

Chapter 93

"The awful events that took place that day have completely destabilized Inari and all the island's inhabitants... to the point of destroying the smallest ounce of courage in them..." Tazuna continues.

"What awful events are we talking about?" Kakashi asked. "Please explain what traumatized Inari so much."

"Before I explain what happened that day..." Tazuna removes his glasses and dries his tears. "I must begin by telling you the story of the man who was our country's hero."

"The hero?" I repeat.

"That was about 3 years ago... Inari was the first to meet him." Tazuna begins his story.

Tazuna tells us that at that time, Inari was harassed by three other boys, and one day the harassment was too much and he was thrown into the water, even though he couldn't swim. And just as he was about to drown, a man pulled him out of the water, narrowly saving him, and right away reprimanded the three boys.

"This man's name was Kaiza, he was a fisherman, who came from another state in the hope of realizing his dreams on our little island..." Tazuna explains, a tender smile on his face. "From that day on, Inari never let him out of his sight. The fact that his real father had died when he was still very young undoubtedly played a big part in Inari's attachment to Kaiza. They were always together, inseparable, like father and son. It didn't take long for Kaiza to really become a member of our family."

My gaze drops, looking at my hands with a strange feeling, could it be incomprehension... or jealousy...? I should be happy to hear that, someone who was lucky enough to have a happy family...

"Besides, he was an indispensable man for our town..." Tazuna continues.

On a day of heavy rain, one of the town's dams broke, causing flooding in part of the territory, as people desperately sought a solution, afraid of going into the raging waters themselves... Kaiza intervened, despite the inhabitants' disagreement, he dived into the pounding water anyway, motivated by one thing only: to protect the town he loved so much... With a rope in his hands, he crossed the raging river and tied the rope to the other side, thus closing the river.

"It was from that day on that everyone started treating Kaiza like a great hero." Tazuna proudly exclaims. "Inrari could be proud of his father! But soon after, Gato appeared..."

"And that's when something happened, wasn't it?" Kakashi deduced.

Tazuna doesn't answer, clasping his hands tightly around his cup of tea. I raise my head, knowing full well where this is going.

"What happened? Can you tell us?" Kakashi asked.

"..." Tazuna trembles, trying not to cry, then looks at us, his gaze filled with rage. "That despicable Gato had Kaiza executed in the public square!"

Sasuke's eyes and mine turn livid, disgusted.

"What?" Sakura couldn't believe it.

"They tied him to a wooden cross, both arms cut off, accusing him of terrorist acts against his company... and sentenced him to death, just like that, in front of everyone's eyes, especially Inari's, who saw the whole thing..." Tazuna rubs his temples, as if talking about an old pain. "Since that day, Inari has changed completely, and he's not the only one... Tsunami and all the inhabitants have changed too..."

'Peuh, poor idiot, even the superheroes bent the knee to him!'

Inari's words resurface, and his cries echo in my head, a melody of pain and sadness, reminding me all too much of myself at his age. My fists clench, fed up with sitting still, I stand up and decide to leave.