Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Nishi Kaze ❯ Vol. 9, Chapter Sixty-Six: Playing the Angel ( Chapter 66 )

Playing the Angel

-Shizuma-

I can't get the voices out of my head. It's starting again. I sat in the bathroom, panting. Sweat covered my body. The screaming came back. Get away. No. Stop it. Stop it!

The knocking on the door didn't help.

“Shizuma?” Yuki asked. “Are you okay in there?” I whipped my head to the door.

“Stay back!” I shouted.

“Shizuma? Shizuma, are you okay in there?” he asked. He tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“Stay away!” I shouted. The voices cried for blood. No, I won't do it.

“Please let me in,” Yuki pleaded.

“No!” I roared. The door frame shook because of my voice. I could feel my heart aching in my chest. I shut my eyes tight to prevent the tears.

“Please,” I pleaded. “Just… stay away from me.” I could feel myself shaking. I knew what would happen if he came through the door. I gulped as I could taste bile in my throat. I can't do it. I won't do it!

“What's wrong?” Yuki asked.

“Don't come near me!” I shouted. I drew my knees to my chest on the toilet.

“It's the curse!” I yelled.

“What curse?” he asked. I yanked open my eyes. Oh that's right. He doesn't know. It just made things even worse. Yuki knocked on the door again.

“Talk to me!” he shouted.

“Go away!” I shouted. The door frame shook harder. Dents formed in the wood.

“You're scaring me!” Yuki cried. “Let me help you!” I shook my head. Why was he being so stupid?

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I have seen the curse happen before. I saw it in my grandfather's memories. He nearly killed my grandmother. It didn't help that they lived isolated in a temple on a mountain. She didn't have a family that would claim her. In fact, she was supposed to be sacrificed to my grandfather to protect the village. But he fell in love with her and everything went sideways from there. My grandfather did his best to keep from killing my grandmother, but each day the cravings grew worse. He would've clawed out her throat if he hadn't come to his senses long enough to push her away.

“Get out of here!” he roared at her. She wouldn't leave. My grandfather was that she had now. She had this idea in her head that she could change him. Even in the end, she stayed by his side. It took him nearly killing my mother to finally make her leave. Even then, she still wouldn't leave. My grandfather had to be the one to throw her and my mother out of the temple. They ended up in that village my mother ended up living in. I will never understand how her and Yuki's minds work. They both are convinced they can save people. There are some that you just can't save.

Some like me.

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Yuki pounded harder on the door.

“Go away!” I shouted.

“Just let me in,” he pleaded. “I want to help you.”

“You can't help me!” I shouted. This argument wasn't going anywhere. I buried my head in my hands.

“You wouldn't understand,” I said. “You wouldn't understand.”

“Try me,” Yuki said in a small voice. I lifted my head. What was it going to take with the guy?

“Why?” I asked.

“Why what?” that foolish boy asked. I gulped and looked up at the ceiling.

“Why do you even care about me?” I asked.

“Because I still love you,” he said.

“But why?! I don't understand you!” I shouted. The pain started to build up in my thought. It felt like I was being choked. The pain built up in my chest. The voices circled my ears.

Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill!

“Shut up!” I screamed. The door frame shook again. This time, the door cracked. I fell to floor. My body felt spent. Tears ran down his cheeks.

“I just do,” was all Yuki said. I silently broke down crying. The voices were still there, but they quieted down for now. I could tell that he was still sitting outside in the hall. Yuki's just my grandmother. He loves me that much, huh? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this. A single tear ran down my cheek.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Pain and Love