INFERNO ( the GazettE Tale )

Chapter 22 : Left Broken

"You okay? You want.. uh. water? tea?" Tora watched Aika carefully as she rocked herself back and forth in one of the side of her room, her hands hugging her knees up at her chest. "Aika, I-"

"What. What ha-happened to him?" Aika stammered, staring down the wooden floor.

Tora sighed, massaging the back of his neck with his good hand. "I really don't know. It looks like he just... snapped."

"Is..is it...Is it because he.. He hasn't killed..killed anyone for.. months?"

"Possibly."

She stopped rocking and stilled at her spot. "H-how's the man?"

"He's fine. The ambulance arrived when we hit the next street."

"Is he... gonna be okay?"

The brunette ran his hands on his face then exhaled loudly. "Well, his arm is broken."

Aika gulped and tightened her gripped on her arms. "Re-Reita... is he... will he....what about him?"

"I have to go find him. But I can't leave you like that." He waved his right hand at her, concern filled his eyes.

"I'll be fine... L-look..look for him... He needs you."

"Are you sure?"

She answered a silent nod.

Tora hesitated for a bit then he reached out his good hand to hold her arm. He looked at her in an apologetic way then he disappeared.

At the moment she was alone, Aika couldn't stop her self but to let the tears flow down her eyes, she leaned her head on her arms and cry like she hadn't cry before.

Reita didn't come back that night; making Aika nervous as she strode inside their classroom, disappointment stung her when she saw his table still empty when it was just two minutes before the bell would ring. She settled in her seat quietly saying just enough greetings for her friends and went back on staring at the empty desk of hers. Her hands turned into a tight fist on her lap when seconds felt like decades, she waited for the door to open and when it did another wave of disappointment attacked her.

"Silence!" Their homeroom teacher shouted, slamming his palm on the white board two times to get the students attention.

The first class passed with Aika not listening to any of their teacher's lecture, she continued to stare on her empty desk through out Trigonometry. Their Chemistry teacher went in and announced for a surprised quiz, almost whole of the class groaned. When the quiz started and silence covered the whole room; that was when she heard it. The slow soft clang of chimes that she hadn't hear for a few weeks, it was coming just right beside their classroom's door, and she couldn't help herself but to look.

She felt her agitation lower because now she knew that he was still there, he was still watching her. She wanted very much to run across the room to reach to where the chime was, to reach him but with their teacher frowning at her, the idea was impossible.

"What are you looking at, Miss Aizawa?"

Aika looked back at her quiz paper when she could feel numbers of eyes darted at her direction. "Nothing. I'm just thinking."

After that the chimes was nowhere too, leaving her helpless in her seat and frustrated with the papers facing her. She survived the school hours in an excruciating slow time. She never heard Reita again after Chemistry. She walked back alone to her apartment, dragging herself to continue the night.

She was about to go to her balcony when her phone rang, she picked the wireless telephone from her night stand and took a sit at the edge of her bed.

"Hello."

"Aika!" The voice of her cheerful mom somehow calmed her.

"Mom, hey." She greeted silently, unable to sound great.

There was a paused at the other line before her mother spoke again. "Aika, Are you okay? What happened? Do you want me to go there?"

"No mom, I'm fine. And no, you don't have to come here. I'm really fine." She lied, for her mom's benefit. "How are things there?" Aika lay down by her side and stared at the flower design on the vase her mom brought her last Christmas.

"Great... Mrs. Hito will be here any minute to discuss the new project I have in mind for our organization." The woman said excitedly.

"That's great mom, what about... Dad?"

"He's fine, honey. He'll have a few meetings there in Tokyo next week." Her voice sounded she was about to add something but didn't continue.

"Oh... Okay."

"Aika, are you really alright? I can call Ikuma to check on you."

"No Mom, I'm really fine. Just tired. I just got back home from school." She informed, moving to the other side of the bed to lay her head down the pillow and stare at the ceiling.

"Okay, I should hang up and let you rest."

"Okay mom. I'll talk to you soon." Aika hang up and continued to stare at her cream ceiling.

Her father would be meters away from her but for sure she wouldn't be able to see him, since there was no way that he would want to see her. It was also been a while since the last time she visited her brother and right now, all she wanted to do was to talk with him.

To tell him she met a guy, but not human at all and she found herself falling in love with him. To also tell him that this Devil was willing to do anything to keep her protected, to keep her alive in any way possible but right now he was nowhere near her.

Sleepily, Aika opened her eyes. It was dark, only the dim light from her lamp shade offered a little light in her room. She found it odd since she remember falling asleep with the lights open, then she heard her balcony door slide close almost quietly. She hurriedly spun around and jumped out of her bed, she reached for her balcony's door knowing who would be at the other side.

"Don't."

She stopped instantly, making the transparent glassed sliding door halfway open. Reita was just a few feet away from her with his back facing her.

"Why... why are you doing this?" She asked breathily, sadness was audible from her voice.

He stiffened and bowed his head down. "You saw what happened. I have to make some distance from you."

"Why!" Her tone came half-shouting and half-demanding. The tears started to blur her vision.

"I never really cared about killing anyone or anything," He paused, "Until I met you."

He took a deep steady breath and continued. "The man was following us since we left the school. I hid you so I could face him alone. Then you went there!" He exhaled and run his hands through his hair.

"I scared you. I don't want to scare you but I just did, with my stupidity and recklessness. I don't want to see you frightened, specially not because of me." He almost whispered the last word.

She was silent for a while, gripping the door tightly that she was hurting herself. "I'm more afraid of you, leaving me."

Reita turned around, facing her. His jaw clenched, his eyes were hard, determined. "You just saw the devil in me, Aika. You just saw what a monster I am!"

"That's you being protective. Too protective."

"Is that what you call it? Too protective? I nearly killed the man in front of you!" He said with his firm and stable tone.

She shook her head, looking down, not meeting his gaze. "You just lose your temper! Don't do this..."

"Close the door Aika." He said in a low voice.

"Don't leave me." She whispered and could feel the tears flow down her cheeks.

His fisted right hand softened and slowly moved up to touch the glass door to where her tear stained cheek was just a distance away from the other side. "I'm sorry you have to see that." Then again, he was gone.

She was left with a broken hope and a broken heart.