Chapter 47 - Charades

Drowning in the darkness,with a little bit of light is all Aki could see. When Aki tries to go up to follow the light, dark vines hold his feet and climbs up covering till half of the body is suffocating. No matter how Aki struggled, it kept growing. It reached out till the throat and began to tighten it. Aki couldn't breathe anymore. He moved to get out of that but it was holding him tight. The more he moved the more it tightened. His body soon became numb. Somebody was coming to help him. His lips were sealed so he couldn't utter a word. The wave drifted him away. 

When he opened his eyes he found himself in the hospital. Nora,Aito,Ayush were standing in front of Aki. A figure was also standing, away from them.

"Tanya?" He could recognize Tanya even with the blurry sight.

'Ni-san! Can you hear me?' Aki nodded to answer Ayush. 

'How are you feeling?' Ayush gets closer. 

The blurred vision wasn't clear yet, 'Where…where…am I?'

'You are in a hospital.' Ayush tried to answer cautiously.

'Thank God!' Aito hugged him after Aki sat up.)

"I'm..in a hospital?" Aki looked around with his blurred sight, 'Did I go...out of…touch again?' 

They were surprised to hear that. 

Ayush blinked a few times to process what to say, 'Kind of…Do you remember where you went?'

"Where was I actually?Noah' s place…" Aki tries to remember but fails.

'No, no!...Can't…I remember being at Noah's…then…' Aki stops abruptly.

'Noah? Nii,where do you think you are?' Ayush became more cautious about what he should say. 

Aki looks around. The hospital doesn't seem like Japan's, 'Where?'

'You are in Australia now.' Ayush slowly answers.

 Aki was baffled, 'What am I doing here?'

'You went on vacation.' Ayush step by step lets Aki know.

'Did I!' Aki mumbled.

'And..there was another person with you too.' Nora said.

'Who?' Aki's confusion made Nora feel sad.

'Reiji-san.' When Nora tells him that, his expression changes, 'Who?' 

'Tsubaki Re,your psychiatrist…' Ayush pauses.

'Tsubaki…' Aki tries to remember but the 4 kHz sound rang loudly in his ears. 

Aki holds his head, "Not again!" 

Ayush gets nervous seeing Aki struggling like that, 'It's ok! It's ok! You will remember eventually. No need to push yourself.It happens...You had an accident. You fell in the sea from the cliff. The rescue team took you here. Fortunately, your phone was with you but they couldn't find your passport or your belongings.'

'Tanya said the doctors contacted her and they know her.' Nora looks at Tanya.

Tanya was standing leaning on the wall. Aki looked at her. Her face looked skinny. She has a lean figure but it looks like she is not well. She came forward, 'They contacted me because my number was also on your phone's emergency contact list,and I was here coincidentally.'

'Thanks for helping me again.' Aki nodded.

''Again?" Tanya frowned while thinking, then said, 'It's ok.' Tanya felt awkward. 

Aito brushed over Aki's hair, 'You rest a while. Doctor said everything is ok so we can leave. We will go back home in the evening.'

'Ok!' Aki smiles. 

They were getting out. 

Tanya too was about to get out when Aki called her, 'Tanya!' 

''Shit!" Tanya closes her eyes as she had doubts Aki would stop her..

'Can I talk with you for a while?' Aki politely requests.

'Sure!' Tanya stayed behind.

Everyone left except her. Tanya didn't sit down. She just stood far away.

Aki spoke up, 'Come here!'

'Senpai,we broke up. Perhaps you forgot that too.' Tanya reminds him.

'Probably.' Aki tried to smile.

'So I can't…stay with you anymore.' After saying that, she steps out to leave.

'Isn't it strange to wear an overcoat when it's not even winter.' Aki paused, then continued, 'It's mine, isn't it?'

She was really shocked. She closes her overcoat a bit more to hide, 'What?How…'

'I don't know what I should remember but I can see the change in you very well. You are pregnant.' Aki stares at Tanya.

'So?' Tanya's voice shakes.

'It's mine.' Aki said that with so much certainty that made Tanya hesitate to lie.

'Doesn't matter even if it's yours. You probably don't even remember when it happened.' Tanya tried to get out of the claim.

Aki got down from the bed. Tanya's heart shook to see Aki looked hurt. 

'I know very well If I hadn't found out about it, you wouldn't have let me know. But let me tell you one thing, you have no right to hide this from me when I am the father.' Aki's tone sounded different.

Tanya couldn't move for a moment as the air felt heavy around her. Her body froze for a moment. 

Aki said, 'You are not gonna leave my side. Got it?'

Tanya couldn't breathe. Her eyes became red. Aki held her. 

Tanya mumbled, 'I can't…'

'I beg you, please…' Aki pleaded.

Tanya saw something through the window. Then she looked at Aki and said,'Ok!'

'Thank you. Thank you so much.' He hugged her. 

Tanya didn't feel comfortable.

The news shocked everyone except Ayush. He was not shocked. He looked to the side, sighing a heavy breath. He leaves from there.

Tanya went behind him, 'Ayush! Ayush! Wait!'

He didn't stop. She ran towards him. To see her running like that he became worried and stopped her, 'Are you crazy!? Why are you running in this condition?'

'You were not stopping...Listen...I just wanted to explain it to you. Trust me he doesn't remember.' Tanya said.

'Ok! But first Let's go,sit somewhere.' Ayush was worried about her condition.

They sat outside, in the garden. After telling the incident to Ayush, she became quiet. She looked up towards a window where Aki was standing looking at them.

'It looks like he had forgotten though…' Ayush waved Aki. Aki smiled then went away. 

'It's better if he did. I can't do anything anymore. Whatever I have left in my soul, I need to use it to protect her.' Tanya seemed determined.

Ayush looked away as he could not control his tears, 'I can protect her, I promise I will…'

'No! I won't give her to anyone but Sayo.' Tanya said.

'What do you think will happen when she will know that you have destroyed your body and you are now stuck in Haya's body?' Ayush breaths in. It was too much for him to cope with.

Tanya lowers her head, 'I don't have the courage to imagine that…'

'It's hard only to stay as your friend.' Ayush lowers his head as well.

'Cail ! Please!' Tanya takes his hand to her lap.

'Siya! I think no matter how many times in future I reincarnate, I won't be able to forget you. I will keep searching for you. I guess it's my punishment for killing Argil and deceiving you as a friend…' Ayush sighs.

'I have really forgiven you. Otherwise I would have killed you.' Tanya said in a mocking tone.

'That would have been better.' Ayush's eyes were not lying. 

Tanya looked away for a brief moment, then said, 'That person manipulated you…he was trying to block uncle...still trying...whenever we think we got closer to find him, we lose someone dear to us…but it's gonna end now. It's so frustrating that I won't be able to witness it when he gets caught.'

'Why won't you tell anyone about your soul…'Please Siya…' Ayush takes Tanya's hand and pleads.

'I'm fed up with this life, Cail. I had been living it only for Sayo...to make it easy for her…and that has already reached its goal… So I guess my duty is over…' Tanya smiles.

'I know Siya,there is some reason…and I also know that you won't be able to stop loving him in this life too. But still…I will wait for you till your life ends and you forget about him. In the next life, I will not lose you to him.' Ayush says with a serious face.

'I guess I will have to forget myself then…' Tanya laughed disheartenedly. 

Ayush holds her hand tightly.

'To think Aki is Arata-san and they were Ruan Erza's reincarnation, it's quite amazing to see how that enemy feels threatened everytime he is born.' Tanya looked disappointed, 'And we never knew Arata was actually Ruan Erza…I thought Arata was Argil…Until Aki's eye changed.' 

'Me too, I never thought that he was Ruan Erza.' Ayush nodded.

'Funny thing is, Argil looked like Father Rigil. And I fell in love with him. I foolishly searched for Father Rigil in him too. Never knew Argil and Arata were different beings and Leon Rigil was just one of Erza's disguises. Father Rigil that I thought he was,it never existed.' Tanya's eyes became teary.

'Forget it Siya…' Ayush was hurt to see her like that.

'I tried, didn't I? I just can't...it's my punishment.' Tanya breaks down.

"Again that!" Ayush tried to console her.

'Thank you for being there for me, Cail. Because of your stubbornness I was able to let go of some of my regrets. I'm really lucky to have you. You have really been my true friend and I'm sorry I can't love you as this me.' Tanya apologised.

'I know.' Ayush pats on her hand.

A smoke figure arrived in front of them. It bowed to Tanya and gave her the passports and Aki's belongings. 

'Sayo sent them?' Ayush frowns.

'Ya! All things have been taken care of?' Tanya asked the figure.

'Yes,my Lord! Everything.' It said to Tanya.

'Tell Reiji that I won't be giving Aki back. If he wants he can try but remind him that he doesn't deserve Aki.' The messenger began to tremble as he heard her.

He bows his head touching the ground, 'Spare my life, My Lord…I'm…I will lose my life…'

Tanya said, 'You won't…he will not be able to hurt anyone when he gets angry.'

The messenger Jinn leaves.

'I still can't believe he could hurt Aki.' anger was pouring out from his face.

'Why have you forgotten that he had destroyed the Dell clan! He never hurt anyone innocent…but that night he wiped out the whole clan. In his eyes Aki was the killer of Sora…' Tanya stops.

'You said all her memories were wiped out. Then how come…' Ayush frowns.

'That clearly proves that the enemy knows us from the inside out…very well. The walls have been formed to catch him, all he has to do is just make a move…we will soon find out who.' Tanya smirks.

'Don't tell me your plans…I'm afraid they are keeping an eye on me.' Ayush shakes his head in disappointment.

'That's what they are doing…Ayan and Aysha will awaken soon so they will be in danger.' Ta ya reminds him.

'Asahina-san will protect them.' Ayush assures her.