Hunting Akuma (Book Two of The Yakuza Series) (✔️)

二十四 (Twenty-Four)

(Aria's POV)

I woke up with pain radiating from my hand and my head. I slowly sat up and realized that I was in bed and my hand was wrapped. I looked around to see that the mess I'd made was cleaned up as well.

I shook my head. Juliet came back.

I moved so that I was sitting on the side of the bed and ran my uninjured hand through my tangly messy hair. My head was pounding. Probably a mix of dehydration, lack of real sleep, crying so much, and no real food in my stomach.

I went to stand, but lost balance and started to fall. I didn't hit the ground though. I felt arms grab onto mine.

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

I froze. My whole body froze.

I slowly looked up and came face to face with him.

Ryu.

He was standing in front of me staring at me. He had a busted lip, a cut above his eyebrow, busted knuckles, and a couple bruises.

"But you...."

"I'm so sorry, Koneko."

I pushed him away from me as I started to cry. I didn't know if he was real. I felt that I had lost my mind. Finally gone crazy. His death drove me to insanity.

He would've told me that he was going to do something like fake his death. He would have never allowed me to hurt like I did.

I reached out to touch his face, expecting my hand to go right through him. It didn't though. My fingers brushed his cheeks.

"Aria-" He started but before he finished I slapped him.

Then I started hitting him. I pounded my fists against his chest and tears rolled down my eyes.

"You died! You died! You left me! You abandoned me!!" I screamed as I hit him.

He stood there and let me hit him. He let me hit him and cry and scream.

"A month! Do you understand what I've been through?! I lost you! I lost my reason to live! How could you do that to me? Why did you do that? Why did you break your promise? You promised not to leave me! Why didn't you tell me?! Answer me!"

"I'm sorry. I'll explain everything." He said calmly, but I shook my head.

I didn't want to hear it. I was pissed. I was hurt. I was sad.

But I was also ecstatic that he was alive.

I pushed him away and started to take off. I didn't get very far before his arms wrapped around me and he anchored me to his chest.

I struggled to get free. I wanted away from him.  I didn't want him to touch me.

"Let me go! Don't touch me!" I sobbed.

He spun me around so that I was facing him and buried his face in my neck. I continued fighting against him, hitting him anywhere I could.

"I'm not going to let you go. Not now. Not ever. I'm sorry, Koneko. I'm sorry, but I did what I had to do." He said in my ear. "I'm sorry. I love you. I missed you."

I slammed my fists against his chest. I pushed him far enough way that I could see his face and I continued to hit him. I was full on sobbing, I was hysterical.

"Why didn't you tell me? I was crushed. I....I didn't want to go on living. I can't live without you." I cried, my bottom lip trembling as I spoke. With each word, I hit him. "How could you-"