For a moment my body was twitching, with him close to me.
It may sound weird.
I thought even I had changed for the worse.
But that wasn't it.
It was something different.
It was fear.
It felt like my body was wanting to run away from him.
Because, my body knows it, even if my heart says otherwise.
That's not the Nao I raised and loved.
He's somebody else.
He's something else.
I couldn't believe my own eyes. I thought everything in front of me was a lie. I wished it was.
I was a fool to think that he was playing "hard to get" with us.
I was a fool to think that he didn't change after all this time.
I cared for him and raised him as much as his mother, and yet I didn't even know a thing about him.
Even in this heavy downpour, that cold gaze could be felt and the blood flowing down his fist.
I was too late to realize, what was in front of me, was something treacherous.
Standing at the center, of the many unconscious bodies, covered in a pool of blood, he stood there so quietly and looked at the sky.
That sight sent shivers down my spine.
I was lost. I couldn't move my body.
"You're right! I'm not a human."
He uttered. Everyone here had frozen in their spot.
We could hear each and every step he took.
He caught him by his neck and put him against the cage.
The rattling sound was uneasy to us, and yet, not a single soul twitched
" But that doesn't mean that you are any better. Humanity is nothing but a facade."
He uttered something that I thought I would never hear from a teenager who had yet to experience the hardships of life as an adult.
"That's the reality of it!
Hatred, Jealousy, Betrayal, Supremacy.
Everyone has it within them. They hide it and lock it up. And yet, these imperfect creatures dare to pass judgment, while ignoring their own darkest desires, as in to show that they're the purest of them all."
"Let me tell you something"
He tightened the grip. I wanted to stop him, but words wouldn't come out.
"I refuse it.
I refuse to bow down to the hierarchy of this world.
I refuse its self-gratifying rules.
I refuse it all.
You may be the prince or someone of higher stature.
But that doesn't concern me."
He let him loose for a moment, enough to just breathe and stand on his feet.
I thought that was it, but there was this uneasy feeling within me, like something dangerous was going to happen. And I was right. Just when I thought he put an end to this misery...
He turned around and landed a barrage of attacks, it was so cruel, that none of us were able to see it anymore.
But for a moment, I caught a glimpse of him. It was a terrifying sight.
Why is he smiling? Is he enjoying it? I couldn't help but wonder about that question over and over and over again.
He went on with his rampage for a while, and then finally stopped.
He lifted him up and just tossed him at the cage-like structure near the baseball court, enough to support him.
He pulled a steel chain, tied it to the leg and pulled it from behind, and made him go upside down.
We could see the blood dripping flowing down. The sight was that of a butcher, ready to slice up the meat. I couldn't watch it anymore.
At this point, I was sure he was done. He had to be. Anything further and...he wouldn't be able to go back! No, I don't want him to do that! I need him to stop it here. At least if not for my sake, then at least for Yukikos's sake!
But right then, as I was frantically worried, we got the ultimatum.
"Remember this!
Remember it well.
Even if you're a King or the most powerful person on this planet, I will never bow down to the likes of you.
Don't get me wrong.
I'm not a God, nor a Devil.
But if I had to categorize or describe myself then...
I'm just a Bloodlust-filled Soul Reaper!"
Lighting flashed behind as he said that.
The sound of the thunder followed as if welcoming the birth of this evil force.
He sucked the blood on his fist and just laughed relentlessly while looking at our devastated faces. Then he turned towards us and headed in our direction. He drew closer to us step by step, yet he felt distant with every step he took further. I couldn't recognize him anymore.
And then, he stood right before us. While I was still on my knees, unable to get up after the sight that befold before me, only one person here stood apart from us. In fact, this person was calm and composed. But that wasn't the scary part. What was scary was that she had a smirk on her face. And slowly, that smirk turned into a chuckle.
He returned her smile with a chuckle.
" A school where you can take your opponent to the door of death and pull them back. What were you even thinking, Mother?"
Both were lunatics at this point.
They both stopped dead in their tracks and looked at me.
Nao crept in closer to me, and whispered in my ears:
"I told you, I'm not who you think I am! You have the wrong idea about me. I'm glad to have been a good guy in your imaginations but sadly, I can't yield to your fantasies and take responsibility."
He saw right through me in an instant, as if signaling, look any further and all you'll see is torment and despair. I knew that the cold, harsh reality that I've evaded till now had suddenly down. And that this is the truth. This is what I had to accept and succumb to.
RINKO-SAN! I'M SORRY! AND FAREWELL!