Tanya followed Aki as he was walking slowly through the forest into the mountain. From the edge of that mountain, the city can be seen.
For a while, Aki stood still, then took some pictures. The surroundings were so silent that the silence made Tanya clearly hear their heartbeats. She noticed Aki seemed like he was wiping off his tears. When he turned back he was surprised to see Tanya.
'At last, you looked at me.Senpai.' Tanya smiled.
Aki was baffled to see her, 'What are you doing here? You are…not supposed to be here.'
'I will say I came here with you. Did you come here to take pictures? But that's not in our…'
'I had an accident here…I'm sure you have heard of it. Don't carelessly wander around here.' Aki walked past her.
Tanya stopped him, 'Then why did you come here? Usually, people avoid the places of their misfortune...but you still came here.'
Aki didn't answer. He began to walk towards the resort.
Tanya, following Aki, continues talking, 'Senpai…I had loved you for a long time.'
Aki stopped and turned to her.
'I'm sure you had noticed. Will you give your consent?' Tanya's smile made Aki look confused.
Tanya held Aki's hand and lightly brushed his fingers, 'I couldn't keep a hold on him. He never promised me anything, neither in this life nor in the past. I don't know what's his issue with promises.'
Reiji was relieved to hear that.
'But I will take him back if you ever hurt him.' Tanya warns Reiji.
'That won't happen.' Reiji emphasizes the words.
'This child is the one who was saved by Sora and she was banished because of that. Are you sure you can hold onto your ground?' When she reminded him, Reiji's expression turned black.
Reiji composed himself, 'I have grown up. And now I know the feeling of what you can do when your loved one is hurt. I'm in no position to judge her decision. I was upset back then because they had revoked her inheritance from our house.'
'Upset?? You annihilated the whole Niyo clan just because you were upset?' Tanya mocked his words.
'That has nothing to do with…loving him.' Reiji became irritated.
'Obviously, it does and you know why. He is someone I would die for thousand times. But your sense of judgment gets blurred when something is related to Sora.' Tanya was not giving up.
Reiji screeched his teeth, ' If I hadn't done that Sora wouldn't have a place to come back. Sora is one of us. She belongs everywhere.'
'If she really belongs in both worlds, then why did you set up your own clan?' Tanya got up and faced Reiji,'Deep down you know it too that whenever she hates something, she turns into a monster.'
Reiji clenched his fist hearing her, 'And you want a safe place to hide that monster.'
'Where is she?'Tanya was surprised to hear that as it was something she didn't expect Reiji would ask.
'I don't know. I haven't met her since her banishment.' Tanya turned back to Aki and sat beside him.
'Did you really not? You lived in Italy...Not even accidentally?' Reiji asked in a low tone.
Tanya could clearly see his broken heart, 'It's better if we didn't, and it will be best if we don't, isn't it?'
Reiji bit his lips. He got irritated when he saw Tanya was holding Aki's hand, 'Will you please stop that?!! Stop touching him.'
Tanya laughed, 'Oh My! You are quite courageous. That's Of course, because you are a Xen ha! How fortunate to inherit the power. To think your father wasn't the one to get that is quite astonishing. Or did he perhaps give it to someone else?'
Reiji was amused, 'You are rather informed I would say.'
I'm crazy I know but I still have some of my loyal followers left among yours. Don't feel bad about that.' Tanya poked his anger.
'I don't!' Reiji's expression was neutral.
Tanya was amused and mocked, 'Oh really?! That's a surprise.'
'A trendsetter is always taken as crazy in the beginning.'Reiji sighs.
Tanya nods, 'Good! You can see the beauty of it.'
'Leave him now. Even if you are the brightest among Purebloods, I won't allow you to take what's mine.' Reiji became serious.
Aki moves a bit and holds her hand which was holding his. Aki opens his eyes and sees her, 'Tan…why…'
Tanya made him sleep, 'Yes it's me. Rest now.'
Reiji was fuming both in frustration and anger.
'Brightest you say! If he wasn't in love with you then I would have enjoyed putting up a fight with you. I don't want to waste my energy on something I had already lost. Take care of him then.' Tanya was about to leave when she turned on and said, 'I was serious when I said I will take him back if you hurt him.'
Reiji said out loud, 'That won't happen.'
When Tanya left Reiji finally took a breath and looked at Aki properly. He sat down and saw Aki's complexion was getting better, 'What.. a piece of luck I have! I wonder what I had done in my previous life. To propose a fight with my guardian! I would have definitely lost if she agreed to compete. Thank God she was cool-headed. If she were anything like my mother…then I was done for! And this stupid…Why do you always have to think negatively…' Reiji couldn't stop himself and kissed his paled lips. Then stay seated watching him.
'Are you saying…the kid was Aki?'Reiji asked Lin.
'Saving a human was already a breach of the law. So, I didn't let to disclose the fact that Sora had shared her blood with the same family's baby that your mother had sworn to protect. Under Sora's command, some of her followers had saved the premature boy while delivering. But they didn't know what she did after the boy was delivered.' Lin rubbed the palm of his hand as it was shaking.
'Is this the reason why they doubt him?' Reiji asked.
Lin leaned back, 'The fact a Pureblood is indebted to them is an insult to them. They want to meddle but can't because of your mother. Her logic is still powerful against them.'
Reiji frowns, 'The reason mother sent me to him was that she thought the greatest threat to him, was me, isn't it?'
'Can you deny?' Lin didn't take off his gaze from Reiji.
'Ok! I admit it...but she…was never wrong. It's not her fault to be born as half-human.' Reiji said.
'What do you think will happen if humans come to know the fact that we are real and mixed-blood is possible?! We all are greedy Reiji in our own logic.' Lin sighs.
Reiji said, 'A life is a life..no matter whose it is.'
Lin nodded, 'I know that very well. But don't you think it will create chaos for everyone!'
Reiji didn't have the word to defend the logic. He knows Lin is right. Their fear is right too. For now, they have to wait.
'Your mother has found a lead. Let her do it in her own way.' Lin suggested.
Reiji's eye sparkles, 'Mom…knows where she is?'
'She does but don't ask her and don't ask me where.' Lin looked away after saying that.
Reiji took a deep breath so that he can hide his tears, 'I have something to do in the underworld. I will take my leave.'
The train just had left the station at night.
Noah was walking ahead. A drunkard was walking on the rail track. Noah was already irritated and seeing them made him more irritated, 'Seriously these homeless people! This is why they can't have a better life.'
'I don't see any guards. It will be troublesome.' Aki looked around.
'Oh, God! That idiot!' Even though Noah was irritated and angry he jumped down on the rail track and went to help. But the drunkard wasn't listening.
Aki thought as he looked closer, "Wait a..minute! I know…this guy..he was the one to push mom on the rail track when she tried to help. This bastard didn't help mom when her feet got stuck…this bastard...I will kill him…"
He saw the train was far away but the whistle could be heard because of the night-time, "No! Noah!"
'Noah! Move!' Aki screamed.
Noah ran fast and didn't waste any time, 'I'm gonna go get the stationmaster. Aki, go try if you can. But be careful.'
Aki's hearing went silent. He could hear his own heart beating loud.
"What should I do now? Do you..deserve to live? If you did...you would have escaped…like that night. You tried to take advantage of my mom when she tried to help and you left her to die when the train was coming...just like this…" The train was near, the man tried to run but his leg got stuck in the track switch.
The train ran over the man in a flash. Aki was holding his breath till the whole train passed by. Noah and the man with him were shocked. Aki stood still. Their eyes met when the soul left the body. Aki bowed to that drunkard's soul and that soul was surprised.
"I'm sorry but you deserved to die. " Aki said to the soul.
Aki felt somebody was watching him and his hearing was still silent. He looked back and saw someone was coming toward them. His heartbeat returned to a normal pace and his hearing too. That person stopped far away and was looking at Aki. Aki leaves the platform without stopping. Tanya stood behind that person who was observing and said, 'He has changed. That's surprising.'
'He is...Arata-san? Are you sure you are not mistaken?' That person asked Tanya.
'I'm not.' Tanya says with a saddened expression.
Tanya knew what Aki was dreaming about. Tanya was standing on the road and watching Aki's room from below, 'Ah! That dream haunts you still?! And here I thought it had stopped.'
Aki was in pain and sweating a lot. Reiji could feel Aki was dreaming. He removed the blanket from Aki's body and tried to open his shirt's button. Reiji can see the dream Aki was having. The same nightmare kept repeating more than twice.
'Are you searching for something inside the nightmare?'Reiji was startled as Aki turned to his side.
He was mumbling something but he couldn't hear.
After a while, Aki calmed down. Reiji lay down beside him hugging from the back. The scent from Aki was tamed by the scent of his own blood. For some reason that didn't feel good because of that reason. So he pulled off the ring from his finger without touching it and placed it on the bedside table. Finally, he could relax. He soon fell asleep hugging Aki.
The reflection of a subtle light touched Aki's eyes and that made him awake. Ginger was playing with the pocket watch. He was in his cat shape. The pocket watch was reflecting light when it came to sun rays contact. To see his lost treasure, he got delighted and got up but a hand was holding his waist. He didn't notice before but to see Reiji was sleeping holding him like that. It didn't make him angry instead he was all red. One glance at Reiji's face was enough to steal your heart. The expression drastically changes his face. The natural face is so beautiful and mesmerizing. Even though the similarity between Mei and Reiji are confusing, Mei's face didn't have the same features. The face shape was similar but the eye, nose, and lips structures were totally different. Reiji has enchanting foxy eyes. While Mei had soft monolid almond eyes. Reiji has a sharp jawline that Mei didn't.
"But the similarity is still there. Why wasn't I weak for her face? Maybe because I never thought of her that way." Aki lay down again.
Watching Ginger playing with the watch, "Thank God I didn't lose it. I guess I got over worried when I didn't find it. But where was it? I couldn't find it here." Aki frowns.
Reiji woke up and saw Aki was sleeping beside him. Aki's phone rang and instantly before it was loud, Reiji made the phone float from the table and silent it then brought it near him. He cut the call and then texted Nora.
'Aki has a fever, don't worry, I'm with him. When he wakes up I will tell him that you called-Reiji'
Nora's face turned red when she read the text, 'Damn! My two most handsome men!!'
The night when the train ran over Sakura.
Her soul has left the body. The three-year-old boy got down from the platform and came to the rail track crying. He looked at his mother's soul. Tears flowing down to his red cheeks made Sakura's soul cry too.
'Mama!' As he cried she could not touch him.
She was surprised that Aki can still see him, 'Baby! You can see me?'
'Mama! Mama' He tried to touch her but couldn't.
So he touched the body trying to wake her up.
'Baby! Please go away from here…please baby' Aki didn't listen to her.
A person appeared behind him. That person looked directly to Sakura's eyes and then looked at Aki. He was continuously trying to wake her up and was confused to see his mother's other form. The train whistle can be heard again.
Sakura panicked and begged the person, 'Please! Please! Save my baby! Please! I beg you.'
That person looked at Aki again. This time Aki with tearful eyes looked at the person. He was picked up by the person.
'I was certain not to meddle with your lives anymore…But I guess I'm tied with you by fate.' that person muttered.
Aki held onto that person and looked at the face. The eyes were, one golden red and another rusty red. The face was Reiji's mother. Aki stared and wasn't mistaken. It was Reiji's mother. Reiji was sitting beside Aki then looked at Aki as he was reading him, "Sora!!"
Tears fell down Reiji's eye, "Sora...so she saved you that time too…"
Aki woke up with a headache. Reiji didn't notice as he was lost in his thoughts. Aki sat down holding his head. His head never hurts if he had nightmares. His eyes hurt before. This is first, having headaches from nightmares. He saw Reiji was spaced out.
'what's wrong with you?'That broke out Reiji from the daze.
'No.. thing..How are you feeling?'Reiji asked.
'I'm..ok...I guess…was it…you? You took me inside?' Reiji didn't answer because if he answered, it doesn't have any guarantee that Aki won't check whether he is lying or not.
'It seems your anger has subsided with your fever.' Reiji smiles.
'It has.' Reiji couldn't believe what he heard.
He didn't expect that. He smiled a bit in confusion, 'What...Really??'
Aki became serious, 'First, answer me…'
Reiji was bothered, 'Damn! You..why now?'
'I have nightmares but they are real.' Reiji's face hardened as Aki mentioned, 'Sometimes I would have a glimpse of the future mixed with the past…do you understand what I am trying to say?'
Reiji nodded)
Aki continued, 'ok. First, it began with my...mother's accident.' Reiji felt the conflict inside Aki while saying it.
Reiji said, 'I know your nightmares…I have seen them too...so just say what you want to know.'
Aki was relieved, 'Oh! You have...seen them?'
'I did!' Reiji nodded.
Suddenly, Aki clasped the blanket in his fist. Reiji understood how Aki felt. If he were in that position he would have done the same.
'You don't have to think that I will hate you for that. What you did I can't judge if that's right or wrong, but I would have done the same. We can only read your present or what you are thinking right at the moment. Your past cannot be read if you don't think about it in your present. Not everyone has that gift. Trust me!' Reiji wasn't lying.
"I wonder how much of me you will be able to love!" Aki thought to himself.
'If you are uncomfortable with it, I will try to resist as much I can.' Reiji assured Aki.
Aki brushed off the guilt, 'It's ok…I get it…so you know I can see departed souls…'
Reiji just nodded.
'It was your mother…who saved me that day…'Aki concluded.
Reiji looked down, "It wasn't my mother, mom cannot see the deceased souls. It was Sora who saved you that day."
Aki continued. 'It was also your mother who was there when I didn't save that guy.'
Aki was right this time.
'But there I could not see her face. She was also with another person.' Aki squinted his eyes trying to remember.
What Aki wanted to know was still unclear to Reiji.
'You said that day, your mother favors my family...is that why she saved me?' Aki asked.
Reiji smiled, 'You can think it that way.'
Aki doesn't want to think, 'I want to know…'
Reiji didn't want to tell him anything as his thoughts are not safe, 'Your grandfather Arata was a friend of my mother who helped her greatly. So in return, she had promised to help him in every way she could. That's why she had.'
Aki was baffled, 'Your mom knew my grandpa?'
Reiji nodded, 'I heard from her, he was a very kind doctor.'
Aki stuttered, 'Ya…he was...but your father was the one who has been a doctor and your mom is a detective, why would your mom be a friend of my grandpa?'
'You don't need to be in the same occupation to be friends, do you?!' Reiji tried to sound reasonable.
Aki accepted, 'Ya...right..'
Reiji frowned, 'How did you know my dad is a doctor?'
Aki said, 'I don't know, I just guessed...as he said he was bored with medical books so he didn't like to read.'
Reiji was astounded, 'You don't miss any detail ha! And how did you know my mom is a detective? Dad told you?'
Aki said, 'No! Your mom came to my dad's company…'
'So? Did you like her?' Reiji abruptly asked.
'No! I couldn't talk with her! I panicked and ran away from there!' Aki became red.
Reiji burst out laughing. Aki scratched the back of his head in embarrassment)
Reiji couldn't stop, 'You are quite weird! Everyone loves mom because she is an easy-going person while they are afraid of dad because he is too much complicated...but in your case, it's the opposite! You are more...friendly with..my dad…'
"Is it because he is Sora's akin! Is..that..the reason!! He saw dad for the first time but cried unconsciously while departing from there…this is surely the reason. But…"Reiji was astonished to find out that connection.
'Why did you hide that you can change your appearances.' Reiji was surprised hearing that, 'and it was you who listened to me, not Joshua?!' Aki asked about the disguise Reiji was as Joshua.
'You seemed more comfortable around Joshua and escaped from me...so I thought...I should keep it like that and didn't want to ruin it.' Reiji became hesitant.
Aki frowns, 'Since when did you fall for me?'
'The time when you were waiting for Joshua at the station…the night you told me your feelings…when I was getting in, you smiled to see me…though it wasn't towards me to whom your smile was. It captured my heart unconsciously I guess…I couldn't ignore it.'Reiji's expression changed as he said those.
He hugged Aki tightly. Aki didn't understand what he meant but he didn't want to pry. He released himself from Reiji's embrace and looked at his eyes.
"I want to kiss you right now but I guess I'll hold back for now" Reiji gulped his thought down.
'I will go now.' He said.
Aki nodded. Reiji puts the ring on Aki's finger.
'It's not a proposal.'Reiji holds his hand gently, 'But I'm giving you access to my territory. You will be able to call or summon me anytime you want...with this.'
Aki frowns, 'I don't want to make any deals with you.'
Reiji smiles, 'Don't worry. It's not a deal. It's to show my sincerity to you. Deals involve sharing powers which I'm not doing with you. I just want you to know that you can trust me.'
Aki didn't want to take it as it is a burden as well. But couldn't disrespect his sincere feelings. Raj leaves from there.