INFERNO ( the GazettE Tale )

Chapter 13 : Revealing Truth

Aika's legs felt like Jell-O, they were giving up. Her whole body was shaking involuntarily. After watching the horrific scene at the eerily deserted dark street, Reita dragged her silently yet swiftly away. She didn't know how long or how far they were already, they just kept on walking, hurriedly walking. Yet even if how hard she tried the brutal scene won't leave her mind.

A blonde girl in a black sailor uniform was cornered to a wall by a man wearing a brown hat and black long coat. She was whimpering and pleading silently, her tears falling uncontrollably down her cheeks. And the next thing Aika saw was the man suddenly moved his right hand across her neck and in a nanosecond blood was gushing out of it. Her hands were no longer helpful when they traveled up to her neck; she slowly slid down the ground. And at the corner of Aika's eyes she saw someone she knew, watching the scene silently before Reita could drag her away.

Aika yanked her arm away from Reita's grip as she turned back and started to walk, ignoring her legs when they were failing her.

"Where the hell are you going?!" Reita followed her, pulling her back by the arm to face him.

She pulled her arm again. "Ryoga! He's there! He might be in danger! We have to save him."

"He'll be fine!" He almost shouted.

Her brows furrowed and shook her head. "Didn't you see?! The man k-killed the girl!!" She stuttered.

Reita ignored her and pulled her arm again, pulling her to the opposite direction. "Let's get you home!"

"NO!" She tried very hard to pull her arm from him but he was gripping her tightly this time. "Even if Ryoga is a Devil, he needs us! He needs you! He might get killed!!!" She shouted, tears pricking on her eyes.

"He won't!" Reita shouted, losing his patience.

"What do you mean?! At least let's see and make sure he's fine!" She whined.

"Ryoga killed the girl!" He blurted through his clench jaw.

She gave him an are-you-serious look. "The man killed her! Not Ryoga!"

"Ryoga was controlling the man!" He unraveled.

She shook her head, not believing any of what he was saying. "Why would he do that?"

He inhaled deeply. He wouldn't lie anymore. There was nothing left to say but the truth. This must be one of the days he was afraid to face. Enough of the lies.

"Because she was his mission."

Aika stilled, gaping at him in shock. She could feel the blood on her face slowly drained. Her breathing left her while her heart suddenly forgot how to function.

"I.... I.... I'm your.... I'm your mission." She stammered her voice was breathless, she forgot how to breathe, how oxygen is essential for a human like her.

"You are." Reita confirmed calmly, his eyes lock at hers.

Her heart suddenly slammed and started to beat uncontrollably. For the first time that she met him, she suddenly felt scared. She didn't like this feeling towards him but she couldn't stop herself. After seeing how the other Devil killed one innocent girl earlier, she was now frightened for her own life.

"I... d-don't understand."

He looked down; his lips turning into a straight line, his eyes were in pure sorrow.

"I was sent here to kill you,"

Aika was shivering so bad in front of him and all Reita wanted to do was to reach out to her and hold her in him but he stopped himself. That would be a very bad idea. He already saw the horror in her eyes, the way she wouldn't want her to look at him.

"But I end up saving you instead." Chocolate painful eyes met brown confused-distant eyes.

He continued as he held her gaze, "After the moment I saw you, you intrigued me. There's something about you that I found interesting, so instead of... killing you, I watched you." He paused, having a hard time to find a word to continue.

"Then when that truck came and you just won't fucking move..." Reita looked away and run his hand through his hair nervously. The feeling of that day replenished to him in that instant.

His eyes met hers again which were now wide by his confession. "I just want to save you... I want to keep you safe. From your destiny, from my master, or from the hell who knows who wanted to hurt you."

She stared at him. She didn't know how to handle this. He just told her that she was supposed to be dead. She was supposed to be six feet under the ground but here she was, standing in front of a Devil who kept on saving her, saving her from her destiny, saving her from his own master. But why?

"Aika. Talk to me." Reita said calmly, after a few eternities.

"You were lying. You were lying the whole time! Why didn't you tell me about it?!" She demanded, her bravery was coming back.

"It's for your own good."

"No! You could've just, let the truck kill me!" Aika yelled, tears started to build up on the corner of her eyes again.

"What the hell are you saying?! You know I won't let that happen!"

"Or you're still planning on how to kill me?"She asked in almost a murmur.

Reita gaped at her angrily. "You know very well that I can't kill you!"

Aika looked down and let her tears stream down her cheeks. "Why. Why is my life so important to you?" She whispered.

The question caught Reita off guard. He looked away; he had no answer to that question, truth or lies.

"Answer me!" She shouted at him, wanting him to look at her.

"I don't know, okay?!" The blond shouted back, he was breathing heavily. His eyes roamed down the ground, unsettling.

"I'm new to this." He added clenching his jaw, "Fuck! I don't know what this is! That's why I can't tell you."

Aika gazed at him. This Devil in front of her who seemed lost, confused and angry was trying his very best to save her. The tears that fell down from her were not because she was scared. No, she already forgot that she was scared when he confessed that day he first saw her. The tears were because of the overwhelm feeling that she had. Having a Devil that would save you from anything, everything seemed a good reason to cry.

Then she wondered; does she even deserve this kind of treat from someone like Reita? What would he get out of saving a human from her own destiny and his own master that both wanted her dead?

Her trail of thought was disturbed when she suddenly felt Reita's left hand cupped her cheek and his thumb brushed away the falling tears. He was suddenly close to her, very close that she could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Give me time to figure out what this is. I'll tell you. I promise I'll tell you."

Aika looked up and Reita's sincere eyes locked hers once again.

"So, for a while. Let me protect you. Without any reason. Tell me you're letting me."

Her heart stuttered, stammered then beat double time, her stomach filled with butterflies and an odd delicious chill spread through out her spine. She knew it was inappropriate to feel it in this kind of situation but she had no power over this, so she let it and stare at the Devil that caused it.

"I'm letting you..."