Obsession (Ayano x Budo)

Chapter 38

Info-chan is just behind the door.

Ayano watched, eyes fixed on Budo while he unlocked the door. It felt like he was taking forever. Her hands couldn't stop tightening and releasing - over and over again, like some sort of therapeutic habit. A strange tension was building in her body, like air being blown steadily and slowly into a balloon that was already full. She felt her muscles straining, her head pounding. What started as a gentle pressure in her throat was getting tighter and tighter.

These are too many feelings for just one body.

With that thought, her mind considered the reasons for this strange reaction, thinking in an oddly calm manner, even as her body was burning. Was this anticipation? Nervousness? Excitement? Or was it...?

Yes. She knew instantly, as soon as she's thought it. Because... Ayano was imagining the tip of a blade resting against that person's stomach. She was looking forward to see Info-chan's expression when she slowly, slowly dug the blade into her flesh. Already, she was breathlessly craving to see that gleaming sheen of ruby on her knife. This was all... vengeance. For Taro. For her. 

"Are you ready to go in?" Budo's head was looking at her from over his shoulder.

Ayano snapped back from her thoughts. Soon, she told herself, while to Budo she said, "Yes."

He pushed open the door, and Ayano's heart kick-started. Passing Budo, she marched inside without hesitation, and her eyes were already shooting around the room, searching viciously for...

Beyond, the inner of the house lay open, empty. She heard the door close behind her.

"Where is she?"

Budo stood beside her, something that made her realize how small she was. Her heart, already drumming so quickly, picked up tempo. "In the basement," Budo said as he looked at her with an unfathomable expression. He seemed tired, and yet at the same time very, very aware of what was happening. "If you're ready, we can go to her."

"Of course I'm ready," Ayano answered plainly, but as soon as the words left her mouth, she was struck with sudden realisation.

In the basement?

Chills swept down her skin.

She stared at him dead in the eyes, and, like always, he didn't look away. "Why is she there?" she asked.

An awkward, uncertain smile wavered on his lips. Ayano saw that he wasn't quite sure what to say, but she waited expectantly nonetheless.

"Ah, well... I figured it might be difficult to, uh, "interrogate" her, since she could just tell the delinquents to protect her. I thought if she was alone, you'd be able to do whatever you wanted to her."

Ayano's mind was blank. When Budo had said earlier in the evening that Info-chan was at his house, she'd imagined that he'd somehow convinced her to talk with him in person. Now, she realised, he'd done something much worse. "Did you tie her up?"

Budo was quiet for a second, as if he didn't want to answer. And then, "Yes."

Ayano could only stare at him, but somewhere beneath her complete surprise, there was a tingle of respect. "You kidnapped her." she muttered disbelievingly. "If you don't mind me asking... How did you do it?"

"Do you want to know now?" Budo's question had the tone of someone willing to do as she said, but also of one trying to politely suggest that now wasn't the best of times, and Ayano realised he was right. They had more important matters with which to deal.

"You're right. We'll talk about it later. You can show me where she is."

With a nod, Budo indicated that she follow him, and started to lead her deeper into the structure of the house. Ayano trailed behind him, looking around the interior of the house. Even though homekeeping should have been the last thought on her mind, she couldn't help but feel he really should get it properly cleaned. Where were his parents? In fact, now that she thought about it, it seemed like everyone's parents were out of town while things were happening. Why?

And why was is that with every step, the wonderful and sickening feeling of anticipation increased? Subconsciously, she was clenching her hands again.

Budo stopped at the end of the hallway, then turned around. Ayano halted.

With a hand, he gestured towards a door on the floor, a sort of wooden square hatch that Ayano assumed led down to the house's basement. The wooden panels of it matched almost completely with the surrounding floorboard. I should have seen this when I broke into his house.

He got onto his haunches, and Ayano watched with interest as he unbolted the door. "I'll go down first," he suggested. "The lights are downstairs, so it's easy to fall."

Budo swung up the hatch. Peering over the edge of his frame, Ayano peered into the darkness of the basement below. Was Info-chan really in there?

Budo stepped down and started lowering himself into the darkness. His body disappeared, foot first, and his black head of hair last. Ayano waited, trying to make out his form.

-Click.

Ayano squinted as a bright light hit her, and suddenly the basement below came into focus. Budo waved at her from the bottom of the stairway, indicating that she come down. She held her breath, then lowered her foot onto the first step of the stairs. She tested it. Sturdy.

Budo was waiting for her, watching, as she reached the basement floor. She looked around - Concrete floors, bland walls - and then, suddenly, it hit her. Of course! She'd been here before. How had she forgotten? Memories of waking up, surrounded by cushions and covered with a warm blanket, seated in a chair with Budo before her, raced through her mind. Was that really just a week ago? How had she forgotten it so easily?

But something new was in the basement. A workbench in the middle of it, where her chair had originally been. It was clean. There were no tools on it or anything, but there was signs of it having been used. Some of the wood was gauged out of the surface, and there were dark splatters and pools - probably oil or something similar- all over it. What had he been making-

Her heart stopped.

There she is.

There was a large concrete pillar in the centre of the basement, next to the workbench, so Ayano hadn't seen the figure behind it at first - The back of a head, slightly drooping tiredly around the corner of the pillar.  And now Ayano saw the many ropes that were wound around the base of the pillar.

Ayano looked at her companion besides her. Budo's looked back, even gave her a small smile, but he didn't move. He was letting her take the lead, and that was just what she wanted. Ayano looked forward, then took off the jacket draped over her shoulders. Wordlessly, she handed it to Budo as she walked past him.

She walked around the pillar, and saw her clearly for the first time. Ayano kept any emotion off her face as the girl in front of her slowly lifted her head. For a silent moment, they both considered each other.

"So you're "Info-chan"?" Ayano inquired, staring straight into her eyes.

The girl with the red hair said nothing. At the same time, her eyes flickered, quickly there and then back again, to the side, where Budo was standing out of Ayano's sight. He brought a finger over his lips, tapped them twice, before letting his hand fall back down to his side. His eyes watched her uncompassionately, like a cat watching a cockroach, just waiting for it to move.

A wordless command: Choose your words wisely, or else.