Chapter 8 - Fear

An hour later my hands were numb once again. They weren’t as bad as they had been that morning, so I didn’t wrap them up quite as well as I had before.
In the bedroom, smoke was rising away from the bed through the open window. I was a tiny bit confused, because I didn’t smell anything. When I opened the door, I heard nervous scurrying, and the line of smoke quickly disappeared.
“You smoke?” I asked, casually walking into the room.
“I do….I mean….I did,” he stuttered.
“And you are embarrassed about it?” I slowly sat down next to him on the bed.
“Not exactly. What made you ask that?”
“Well, I assumed you were, because you quickly put it out as soon as I walked into the room, and because you’re using an electronic cigarette.”
“Actually, it’s an empty electronic cigarette.”
“You’re pretending to smoke?”
“It sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it?”
“Just a little.”
“I only do that because we are trying to quit.”
“Doesn’t that raise the stress level quite a bit?”
“Yes, but I’m getting better at it. Taiki-kun is the one who’s having trouble.”
“Poor Kureno-kun.” I almost laughed.
“It’s not so much that he’s irritable as it is that he cheats.”
“I did smell something when he came over earlier today, but I thought it was Kureno-kun.”
“Nope, that was definitely Taiki"
I prepared to change the subject. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, go ahead.” He shifted so he was facing me.
“Does having the window open help you at all?”
“Not as much as some other things, but it does help a little. Why do you ask?”
“I think it might be dangerous for you to be alone in this room with the window open.”
“You mean I could be in danger even if you are in the next room?”
“Probably... I may not have killed a Shinigami, but I’ve seen them on more than one occasion. They are extremely fast and extremely sneaky.”
I stood up and walked over to the window. “Hmm... something doesn’t feel right.”
His eyes widened. “Are you joking?”
“No...” I slammed the window shut.
“Are you mad at me?”
“Of course not. You didn’t know you were doing anything wrong. I want to inspect this room. There probably isn’t a Shinigami in here, but you know what they say.”
“Better safe than sorry?”
“Exactly.”
“Shall I order the room service while you inspect?”
“If you want to.” I walked back into the front room.
I examined every inch of the room. Not a speck of dust got by unchecked. There was no way I was going to let a Shinigami get to my Nazo-san. I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary in the front room, so I moved on to the bedroom. Nazo-san was there waiting for me.
“Did you find anything?” he asked worriedly.
“Not in the front room, but I’m not so sure I won’t find anything in this room.”
I heard a tiny squeak escape his lips. “I have a favor to ask of you.”
“I am all ears, Nazo-kun.”
“Do you think it would be possible for you to train in here tonight?”
“Well, it will only be my third time, but I think I can control it well enough. If it makes you feel safer, I will train in here.”
“Thank you, Koizumi-chan.”
“No need to thank me. I was going to stay in here anyway.”
I glanced out of the room and, two seconds later there came a knock at the door.
“I still need to check the bedroom,” I said, going to the closet.
“Should I answer the door?” he asked. I could sense his fear.
“I don’t see why it would do any harm, it’s only our food.”
“Oh....oh yeah!” he rushed to get the door.
I let out a small giggle. I didn’t say anything until I heard the door close.
“Please eat in the front room,” I said, closing the bedroom door.
“Did you find something?” he put both hands over his mouth.
“No, but I’m not done inspecting.”
“So, there’s still a chance that a Shinigami could be in the bedroom?” His eyes widened rather cutely.
I gently pressed my lips against his forehead. “You’re so cute.”
“And scared....very scared.”
“Don’t be frightened by this, Nazo-kun. As long as we are in such a small room, I will have quite the advantage.”
“Even against a Shinigami?”
“Yes, even against a powerful Shinigami.”
“What should I do?”
“If a Shinigami does indeed appear, you will have to do everything I tell you to do exactly when I tell you to do it.”
“Hai!” he saluted.
I laughed.
“Let’s eat, Koizumi-chan!”
“Alright.”
I shoved down food so fast that I hardly knew what I was eating. As long as Nazo-san was happy to treat me, I was happy to stuff my face. In the midst of Nazo-san’s laughter and giggling I heard a soft thump and immediately sprung to my feet.
“What is it?” he asked rather loudly.
“Go open the bedroom door,” I commanded.
He did as he was told. “Masoto-kun? How did you get in here?”
I glanced into the bedroom. A man approximately six feet tall was standing there. He wore a black suit that was tattered, but not faded, and on his feet he wore nothing. His hair was a spiky black mess with red streaks going down the sides. Seeing someone who fits this description in Japan is not out of the ordinary. Even the large metal cross that hung around his neck wasn’t odd. To me, the feature that stood out the most was his glowing, red eyes. They were glowing so brightly that you could see beams shooting out of them like lazers.
I quickly slammed the door shut and stood in front of Nazo-san.
“Is that man the lead singer of the band Bloody Petals?” I asked as quickly as I could get the words out of my mouth.
“He is,” Nazo-san answered frantically.
“Get out of here and run to Yuusuke-san’s room immediately.”
As soon as Nazo-san was out of sight I forced myself into the bedroom and shut the door. The only thing I could see in the pitch black room was that pair of haunting, red eyes. Immediately my hand rushed to the light switch, but an invisible force held it back. It wasn’t until that moment that I noticed that the eyes had become significantly larger...and closer. The feeling of icy breath traveling down my neck sent a chill up my spine.
“You are foolish to underestimate me, servant of Yoshida,” he spoke slowly, pronouncing each word with meticulous intricacy.
“I am not as careful as the others. The only thing I’m looking for is a fight, slave of Tsuyoshi,” I gasped.
“If it’s blood you lust for, I may be able to help.”
All of the sudden the force holding my arm back tightened its grip. I felt as if I was a balloon being squeezed until I eventually popped... The only way I could gain the upper hand was to turn on the light. I took a deep breath and began to feel around the room with my mind. As soon as I found the light switch I forced it up as hard as I possibly could.
We both, in unison, let out a shrill cry of pain. I saw the blood... it was all over me... and a sharp wave of pain shot up my arm. As the pain spread, I began to lose my vision. All I could see was the blurred outline of a massive, horrifying creature escaping through the bedroom window. With each passing moment I saw less of my surroundings until I eventually fell into a deep, deep sleep.

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