A/N: I'm so so sorry for updating just now! ._. I've been busy with school and whatnot that I haven't been able to upload this chapter at the appointed time.

Anyhow, Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

I now present to you a somewhat angsty chapter of A Different Kind of Torture!

CHAPTER NINE

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"I'M TELLING YOU ASADA AKI, HE'S CHEATING ON YOU!"

Momo's outburst silenced the other people who were in the park as them. Aki's hand fell to her side as she stared at Momo, wide-eyed.

She looked at Momo, who now had her head raised and was flushed, tears continuously streaming down her face. That same feeling attempted to well up her system.

Her heartbeat raced insanely as she attempted to keep calm and prevent the tears that were threatening to fall from her tear ducts.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed them again, as no words dared to come out.

Momo continued to sob uncontrollably as Aki tried processing that words her best friend just said, eyes widening in surprise.

Taka had cheated on her.

Cheated.

Committed adultery.

Infidelity.

With someone else.

Another girl.

And she didn't know with whom.

But she had a feeling that she didn't want to know.

Aki slowly turned her head upwards, desperately trying so hard to prevent the tears that were now threatening to fall.

Unbelievable, she thought. She never expected Taka, her own boyfriend to do such a thing. She put all of her trust in him that he wouldn't have the galls to hurt her, let alone cheat on her. She felt completely betrayed for being cheated on behind her back, regardless of with whom Taka was cheating her with. She felt as if she was all alone.

She also felt betrayed by Momo, her own best friend. If the girl knew for so long what was happening, she should have told her immediately the first time she knew.

They were best friends.

And best friends actually don't keep secrets from each other.

'Why must this happen to me? To think that I fully trusted them both alone.' She sadly thought, still trying so hard to prevent those stubborn tears from falling.

Finally gaining the courage to do so, she diverted her attention by looking at Momo instead. She honestly wanted to forgive her then and there, but the feelings of betrayal that were seeping up in her heart just wouldn't go away.

It was bad enough that she often had trust issues with other people due to her dark history.

She continued to gaze at Momo, who still had her weeping face covered by both her hands; she was still crying uncontrollably that she was now getting some weird looks from the passers-by.

Looking at her best friend being hurt, her mind was screaming that somehow she should be guilty of Momo's current state.

But despite what her mind keeps on convincing her, her emotions say otherwise; she still feels numb… and lost.

Her blank stare continued to linger on further before her feet started to move on its own, gradually prompting her to stand up.

Momo, feeling her best friend stand up, immediately lifted her head up and looked at the girl in concern, feeling totally unashamed of her tear-stricken face.

"Hey Aki where are you going?" She worriedly asked.

Aki, feeling too numb and blank to care of her surroundings at the moment, promptly ignored her best friend, her feet automatically shuffling away to a direction away from her, towards the place where she often goes to whenever she feels this depressive and lost state.

Momo frantically called for her best friend and stood up as well. She attempted to grab for Aki's arm, only to be rejected by the said girl.

Fresh tears were now continuously streaming down Momo's face. "Hey Aki, I'm sorry okay! I can explain!"

Aki continued to walk away, her blank stare still in place.

"I'm sorry! It's just that…"

Aki continued to ignore her, despite the fact that Momo was desperately following her now like a lost puppy.

Momo stopped, sensing that her best friend is currently giving her the cold shoulder and deaf ear.

She stopped and talked in a shaky voice.

"I'd actually tell you immediately long ago as soon as I discovered he was cheating on you. But I was torn between telling you or not once I discovered the identity of the girl he was cheating you with."

Aki briefly stopped but did not turn to look at her.

Momo, seeing that her best friend was listening to her after all, gained a bit of courage as she tried to talk in a firm voice, tears still continuously falling down her tear-stained cheeks.

"What would you do, Aki, if the person whom your best friend's boyfriend is cheating her on with is your own elder sister?"

Aki still didn't respond, prompting Momo to speak further.

"The day that you were absent, I tried to contact Taka actually, but as usual he didn't respond. When evening came, I went to the convenience store to buy some snacks, and that was when I saw them." Momo clenched her fists.

"I saw Taka, his hand entangled with my elder sister's while she clung to his arm. I was about to punch the daylights out of him but I froze as soon as I saw who his companion was. My sister was unaware of the actual situation at first, and was even enthusiastic to introduce me to him. I felt honestly disgusted at his innocent and happy expression— it was as if he didn't have you as a girlfriend at all."

Aki froze upon hearing Momo's words; but she felt too numb to react. Momo continued on.

"When I got home, as well as my sister, I confronted her then and there— believe me, even though she was my favorite sister, you were still my priority. So of course I had to stand up for you. I questioned her how she met Taka and such, and she said that they were classmates from Uni. They've been going out for a month now. I then told her how he was attached to you, and even pleaded with her if she could just break it off— it was never right and fair to be in a relationship when the person you're dating already has a girlfriend."

Momo paused before sighing deeply. "And she said no, to my surprise. She said that she loved Taka too much to let go, despite the fact that his actual girlfriend was my own best friend. I tried to persuade her, but she still wouldn't budge. She even said that she was content in having him, even though he actually belonged to someone else."

"I walked out and got mad at her, so I tried to confide in our eldest sister, the one working in a boutique shop. But she said that there was no going around if our other sister— Megumi, already made a decision. So I was torn and left with no choice."

"I actually felt very guilty for not telling you— I just couldn't, not when Megumi was involved."

Momo pleadingly looked at Aki's back as she continued.

"If only I could have it any other way, I would have told you sooner. But I just didn't know what to do if your sister, your own favorite sister, was the girl in concern." She added, her bangs now covering her eyes.

Aki paused before finally turning her head to look at Momo, letting out a broken smile and silent whisper.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that I still feel betrayed."

Momo's eyes widened at her best friend's response and attempted to reach out to her, but Aki suddenly started to turn her back on her, walking briskly before sprinting away, leaving a surprised and confused Momo behind.

Momo slumped to the ground, not caring whether there were other people who were now giving her weird looks.

"I'm so freakin' stupid." She sighed, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks once again.

Aki was still running away from the city into a seemingly deserted area filled with trees; it was actually a surprise that she didn't feel tired or out of breath.

Her heart still felt numb, as if a thousand needles were piercing it at the same time. Tears were silently falling down as she ran, her brunette hair swaying with the breeze as she ran.

'Just a bit further' she thought.

She continued to run until she reached the gates of a cemetery located inside a haven of trees.

Aki silently opened the gates, earning a creepy crack as the gates were being pulled away from place.

She listlessly wandered around until she reached her destination: her parents' graves.

Finally feeling safe and relaxed, she slumped to the ground and laid in the space between their graves, her arms spread out with the strands of her hair messily scattered about.

She blankly stared at the sky— it was a starless night this time.

Silent tears continued to stream down her face, trickling towards the sides of her neck. She still blankly stared, her mind feeling cloudy and hazy, still too shocked from the events that occurred earlier.

Her heart still felt pained by her best friend's confession and emotional outburst. It was actually a big blow to her, since she honestly wasn't expecting it.

The two people she trusted the most were the same people who betrayed her.

"Why?" She shakily whispered as the tears continued to flow, making her silent tears gradually turn into a sob.

"Ne, kaa-chan, tou-san… what would you do? What should I do?" She sadly asked, hiccupping in the process due to her crying. She raised her right hand, her palm facing towards the starless sky, now a picture of dark clouds gradually covering the bright illumination of the moon.

"Should I have just given up and followed you both after all? Now I don't have anyone to turn to anymore. I feel so alone. Being dead isn't any different from what I'm feeling right now you know."

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Aki suddenly felt raindrops on her skin, some mixing with her tears, until the occasional raindrops became a soft drizzle.

After a few minutes of not moving and silently sobbing, she was now drenched from the drizzle that turned into heavy rain, her surroundings seemingly hazy due to the hard raindrops that continued to angrily fall down from the sky.

Aki felt cold and shivered, but still made no move to get up, or come home. She briefly forgot that Feitan was most likely at home waiting for her… or not.

He was actually behind the mass of trees, somewhat dry due to their sheltering leaves.

Feitan actually followed her all the way from the city square, their shopping bags safely tucked in the branches of the trees; he also initially planned to assault her the moment she arrived home.

But instead, he was surprised to see that instead of storming off for home to weep into her pillow, she went to the graveyard instead, lying in between two graves.

'Must be important people… or people in picture.' He silently mused as he continued to curiously gaze at the girl who was sprawled out on the ground and was now drenched from head to toe.

He was pondering on the thought of scaring her, but the state she was in was somehow, surprisingly made him think twice for a bit— she was already in immense emotional pain, and he loved it.

A small smile gradually formed in Feitan's lips as the girl started to shiver from the cold. He actually doesn't know why, but every time he catches Aki looking like a broken and fragile doll, a warm feeling wells up inside him; an unfathomable excitement emanating in his system. It was like a drug that he's been recently addicted to; it's not everyday that he gets to have someone tortured for a long period of time.

Sometimes, he wonders if the blood lust and ecstasy Hisoka feels whenever he sees someone strong is similar to this.

He weighed his options: for one, he could just leave the girl and go home to stay warm; he honestly couldn't care less whether she was left here alone or not.

But then again, her safety should also be secured if he was going to need her help.

His other option was to well, of course, scare or traumatize her despite her current state.

After contemplating for minutes, he finally made up his mind and decided to assault the girl now, regardless of how she was feeling. He briefly remembered the girl's exchange with Momo a while back.

No one dares to question his sexual orientation.

Or worse, have the guts to call him gay.

No one.

Yes, he still hasn't quite moved on from Aki's slip up a while ago.

And Aki was going to pay. Big time.

Creepily smiling under his bandanna, he stealthily walked towards Aki as she continued to weep, her eyes tightly shut.

Aki seemed to be unaware of the presence that was slowly creeping to her side, until she felt herself being yanked up, forcing her to sit up.

Her eyes immediately shot open as she saw Feitan, now somewhat drenched from the rain as well, drops of water trickling down his hair. His eyes were mischievously bright and he seemed to be smiling despite his mouth being covered by a bandanna.

He was grabbing to the neckline of her shirt, his face seemingly inches apart from hers.

Feitan smirked as he stared at the girl who was surprisingly calm.

Under normal circumstances, Aki would have let out a scream or tantrum… or if she was hysterical enough, she would have thrown something at Feitan.

But tonight was an exception; Feitan was met with her blank stare that seemingly looked past Feitan, her eyes as dark as a deep, bottomless pit.

"So you broken now?" he sadistically smiled as his other hand grabbed a portion of Aki's hair, yanking it to raise her head more, for him to take a better look at her.

Aki did not respond as she continued to stare at him; in actuality, she was scared to death, but too numb and drained to react.

Seeing that there was still no response from the girl, he decided to push his limits further and see how long until the girl broke down and threw a tantrum.

Feitan roughly pulled her close until her ear was within a soft whisper's reach.

"You feel scared? I can violate you and brutally torture you before murdering you right here, right now. No one will hear screams. You all alone." He whispered into her ear, eyes gleaming in delight.

Feitan was so damn sure that she should be afraid by now— no one, let alone a virgin, would want to be violated and murdered after.

Well… not that he would actually violate her.

He still hated touching other people.

But then again, he couldn't help it if it was the only rare way to emit a negative reaction from a dense girl like Aki.

However, that tactic seemed to be not effective at the moment.

Aki slowly closed her eyes as she unconsciously inhaled his scent— for some reason she could smell a mixture of blood and mint from him, and some partial rain forest scent which was probably due to the rain.

To Aki, Feitan at the moment looked like a death god, a grim reaper ready to take her away. She imagined him to be the person who'll be in charge of delivering her to the afterlife.

How blissful she felt at that thought.

She didn't care that she wouldn't be able to help him anymore in getting back to his world, nor did she care about the riches she'll be leaving behind.

She didn't need any of those, not when the two people who motivated her to be alive were now out of her line of trust.

Feitan stared at the girl, albeit a bit confused at her bizarre unresponsiveness.

'Why she no react' he wondered, puzzled at the fact that they were awfully physically close right now and Aki still didn't do anything.

Nothing but the heavy fall of the rain was heard in the vicinity, until Aki broke the silence.

"Do what you want with me; I'm willing to die now anyway. There's nothing left for me here but the graves of my parents." She apathetically said, giving out a contradictory bitter smile.

Feitan didn't respond as she shakily grabbed the hand that roughly held her hair and positioned it towards her neck, his eyes now widening at her gesture.

"Please just strangle me though— I'd rather die out of oxygen loss. I wouldn't want the feeling of being violated. I have never been touched by a man, or a guy, my whole life, and would not like to experience it if it is being forced."

His eyes narrowed at her response; he actually wasn't expecting this.

His mind wandered through other ways to make her feel more broken than she was now, feeling frustrated that she wasn't giving out the expressions she was supposed to have.

She was supposed to be scared and stubborn, not submissive.

For Feitan, there was no thrill if someone became easily submissive.

Aki, on the other hand, felt hopeless and weak; she was terribly scared of her situation right now, but somehow, she seemed to numb to feel the fear. She felt too much pain, and felt as if she was reverting back to her old self— the old Aki right after her parents passed away.

Meanwhile, Feitan was starting to run out of ideas as to how he could emit a reaction from the girl in concern.

That was when he decided to cross the line after repeatedly hesitating.

He roughly ripped out Aki's shirt, exposing her pale skin and black lace bra. He pushed her down the ground and pinned her arms to the sides with his own, towering over the girl as he leaned towards her to whisper into her ear.

"I no follow orders from you." he menacingly said, referring to her statement a while back of wishing to not be violated. "And I not gay." He added, earning a somewhat surprised look from Aki's eyes before it returned to its blank stare.

He paused for a while, pondering whether he should continue or not; it was already awkward as it is, and honestly, it was his first time doing such a... strange kind of torture.

But still, his want of seeing her broken was stronger.

And he wanted to see her broken now.

Feitan then continued to roughly grab her hair, not thinking twice as he bit the junction between her neck and left shoulder. His teeth seemingly sharp (probably due to Nen), formed a mark that started to gradually open into a wound, as blood slowly trickled down her porcelain white skin.

Aki felt a jolt of pain as soon as the wound reached her nociceptors; but still, she made no response or reaction. She was used to pain, she thought.

Therefore, a measly wound such as this would mean nothing.

After wounding her, Feitan's other hand then grabbed one of her arms and attempted to break it; but his mind swiftly moved towards the possibility of the consequences he may suffer later on— consequences he doesn't want to return to. So instead, he grabbed both her arms and placed them above her head, painfully tying them into a knot with his bandanna. He sadistically smiled as he moved towards the hook of her bra and started to unhook it, feeling rather frustrated at why the strap just wouldn't come off.

'Stupid contraption' he thought, pondering on the thought of just ripping it off to scare her more... by which she actually wasn't showing any signs of fear.

Aki was feeling really jittery; it was the first time someone dared to do this to her, and she didn't like it one bit.

Never in her whole life did she dreamed of getting violated like this, by someone she only recently knew, no less.

By some potentially dangerous person.

Who was living with her at home.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and tried to continue to smile, her tears streaming down her face.

"Just get this over with and kill me, please."

Kill me, please.

Please.

Feitan abruptly stopped as he realized what he was about to do; her expression and response was what woke him up as he swiftly stood up and stared weirdly at the girl, noticing how she now had a visible wound that continued to bleed.

It wasn't the reaction he was expecting— the girl was smiling, it's as if she was openly accepting the invitation of death.

He then realized as well that this was the same reason he decided to push things a bit far; something was definitely off with the girl that she didn't show and gave away her usual expressions.

She didn't even throw a fit now.

Feeling confused and frustrated at the same time, he glared at the girl before starting to get the bags and swiftly return home— Aki's home, rather.

Aki was possibly broken beyond repair right now, and although Feitan loved how she was in pain, he was still briefly puzzled at the fact that her reactions now were different from expected. He thought that perhaps, it was a big taboo to break her trust, leaving her in this depressive state.

He also remembered how there would be a possibility of no food once she wallows into sadness— she might even forget to cook, since she would be preferring to neglect her health.

Before finally leaving the girl out in the cold, he decided to make this one of the rare moments he actually gave a sane advice to someone.

After all, despite his want to permanently break her, he still needed her help.

"别放弃(Don't give up), stupid girl." He coldly said before disappearing into a blur.

Aki was left out in the cold, half naked from the top. Her arms were still tied by Feitan's bandanna, a grim reminder of the earlier events.

She felt horrified and traumatized at what has just occurred, but for some reason, there was a small part within her that didn't believe that Feitan actually had the desire to violate her. Knowing his sadistic nature, she thought that he most likely just wanted to see her suffer in pain.

And for some reason, Feitan's assault seemed to be a wake-up call for her, especially the last line he said, despite the fact that Aki completely didn't understand it.

'Stupid bastard. Bringing me back to reality in a gruesome and traumatizing way.'

She let out a deep sigh as she lowered her hands and attempted to free them, briefly wincing at the pain her fresh wound was giving out. Aki stared at the wound and cringed at how the blood continued to seep out from the impaired tissue; Feitan's teeth forming an awful bloody mark on her skin.

After minutes of pure struggle, she finally was able to free herself from the knot. She shakily stood up, feeling drowsy; her eyes were also feeling very heavy at the moment.

Aki frowned at the possibility of getting sick; she immediately tried to cover herself up with what was left of her now-tattered shirt. She slowly walked towards home, her image being a bit blurry from afar due to the heavy rain.

Feitan was sitting on the couch, now dry and in his new shirt and black sleeping pants combo. He pondered on the earlier events with Aki, and briefly cringed at what he had just done to the girl.

It made him seem like an actual pervert, he thought.

But still, her expression a while back was priceless. It made him smile, satisfied at the results.

For some reason, he still doesn't know why he enjoys seeing Aki in pain.

Aki was now at the door to her home, and was relieved to find that the door was open as she turned the knob.

She managed to wobbly get inside and close the door, before finally collapsing on the floor.

Feitan, upon sensing the presence of the girl nearby, immediately stood up.

As soon as he got to the front door, he was surprised to see a drenched Aki, collapsed on the floor and unconscious.

He contemplated on whether he should help her or not; as much as he would like to just leave her there, he still somewhat needed her for practical reasons.

And he still needed her to help him return home.

If she was sick and disabled, she would be useless to him, he thought.

Resigned, he easily carried the unconscious girl over his shoulder and proceeded to go up the stairs, moving towards Aki's bedroom.

'Girl is a real pain. I torture her, but she still gets back at me.' He grimly thought as he headed towards her bathroom.

Feitan just had to accept the fact that he needed to care for the girl at the moment, no matter how unwilling he may be— or else his stay would be prolonged and finding his way home would be delayed.

And of course, the food.

Oh how he really hated his situation at the moment.

A/N:

Ven'aranar Angel:Hihi who knew that Momo was actually a tall girl. XD

Apple Sauce: Gaah haha I never looked at it that way, but now that you told me… it does seem as if they were husband and wife. O.O They won't be falling in love any time soon though; it'll have to take an awful lot of a while. And it's alright; I actually appreciate your honest opinion. Thank you! n-n

SilverSapphire34523: Thank you so much! n-n Hihi yeah, I bet his clothes would be worn out from too much laundering. It also makes me honestly wonder if they ever do change clothes in the anime. XD

UsagiTsukin0: Hihi me too! I actually have a few ideas now in mind. *u* Naah, apparently not. It was with her sister, thank goodness. XD

Ruby720: Haha! No Feitan, you are definitely not gay. You're actually hot! *-* Well… this chapter pretty much explains Momo's actions. If I were her, I also would have told Aki right away though.

Happy Kitty: Hah! Her punishment ended up occurring elsewhere. This chapter is actually kind of like fan service or something (because it's Valentine's Day!) and I really hope that you enjoyed it, despite the angsty feel. :`)

Comments, reviews, suggestions, criticisms and whatnot are very much accepted and highly appreciated, thank you!