Disclaimer: The series Beelzebub is NOT mine.
Dedication: To one of my most loyal fans: Frayner – happy belated birthday! And to all Tatsugarde fans, of course... (you'll love this chapter... hopefully!)
Protest is futile,
Nothing seems to get through.
What's to become of our world?
Who knows what to do?
Driven to tears.
"Driven To Tears" – by Sting
Chapter 13: Invasion
The weekend started peacefully in the Oga household. Little did they know that the pleasant tranquility wouldn't hold up much longer the following days.
TOCK-TOCK-TOCK-TOCK.
The annoying noise lured the dark-haired to the kitchen, where his nose met a stinging smell. Suppressing the urge to squeeze his eyes, he observed the female inconspicuously from the door frame. It had been almost half a month since their paths crossed and Oga already got used to living together with the blonde. 'Got used' verbally meaning agreeing on rules – such as forbidding him walking around with only his boxers on – and portioning the care of Baby Beel and so on. The housekeeping, especially the cleaning, was also made by Hilda but not because it was 'women's work' by no means. Quite the contrary, she just wouldn't prove him right that cleaning once a month was more than enough. Ultimately, Hilda decided to tidy up at least once a week, which Oga couldn't understand. At last, there was cooking.
And Hilda was cooking at the moment.
It was not like she was bad at cooking. Yet, the stuff she cooked got to him.
As if she was hearing his thoughts, Hilda paused for a second and glared at him. "You won't get away this time, Oga Tatsumi! You can't solely nourish on meat and fast food!"
Oga grunted and protested nearly like a child. "What's wrong with that anyway?"
She turned back to the counter and continued cutting the ingredients. "At first, you'll be a bad role model for Beelze."
"So, I shall eat baby food for his sake now?" he hissed wryly.
Hilda sighed, irritated. "No, for God's sake! I'm telling you to eat more vegetables. Even you need vitamins; they won't harm you, you know..."
Oga rolled his eyes at that. "Are you my mother or Beel's...?!"
"Ouch!" Hilda cried out lowly and flinched as she put the knife aside.
That called Oga's attention and he lessened the distance between them. "You alright?" he asked, trying to keep his usual tone.
She hid her gaze behind her bangs and avoided any eye contact. "No big deal. I just cut my finger..."
"Lemme see it." he commanded and grabbed her wrist not too firmly, before she had the chance to pull it back. When he spotted the red liquid on her left index finger, he muttered pensively. "You need a band-aid."
"I said, it's no big deal!" she hissed between clenched teeth and pulled back her arm.
Only then did Oga notice the unshed tears in her eyes. "Wait...!" he slightly panicked there. He reached for her chin and made her face him. "W-why are you crying?! Does it hurt this much?!"
"No, it's not! Now, let me go..." she slapped his hand away and turned her head to the side.
Oga didn't know what to do or the reason for her odd manner. He started sweatdropping nervously. "Is it-... is it because of the food? Okay, I'll eat your weird broth, so don't-...!" he stopped mid-sentence as he heard her chuckle.
Suddenly, Hilda started laughing quietly. She laughed so much that the bleeding was long forgotten and the tears began to roll down her cheeks.
This time, Oga was completely taken aback and retreated a step. "The hell's wrong with you, woman!"
A few seconds later, her laughter vanished into thin air. She covered her mouth with her fit hand and replied. "Live a long life, okay?"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" he thought with a dumbfounded expression. He couldn't utterly understand the situation but there was one thing that he was sure of.
Hilda was laughing at him.
"Aargh!" he brayed in frustration and stomped out. An angry redness tinted his face while he was grabbing his jacket and leaving the apartment.
To let off some steam, Oga found his legs leading him towards the convenience store. Deeply lost in thought about the incident from earlier, the passing minutes felt like hours and even longer. He was barely aware of his surroundings, including the familiar man approaching him.
"Good day, Oga-dono." Alain Delon greeted him, his big mustache underlining his smile habitually.
"'Sup, Allon?" Oga mumbled in return.
"I-... I'm fine. But is something bothering you?" The guardian asked curiously, walking next to him.
Unconsciously, the youngster let out a deep sigh. "I don't understand women!"
Alain Delon gulped because he was definitely not expecting that statement from him. He smiled back weakly. "Well, nobody does. Even ladies among themselves don't understand each other, in my opinion. According to my experiences and old age, I may possibly help you if you brief me on the accurate matter."
Oga pocketed his hands and wondered since when he got so talkative. "How can they cry one moment and laugh their ass out the next second?!"
If the mustached man drank or ate something, he would choke on it there now. "O-Oga-dono, are you talking about Hilda-sama, by any chance?" His expression got serious at the thought. "I won't forgive you if you make her cry...!"
"It's not my fault, dammit; why are you blaming me?!" he burst out madly. "The hell I know why she cried! But she was just fine when she made fun of me...!" he rolled his eyes.
Alain Delon ignored the last part. "So he is talking about Hilda..." he thought. "Would you tell me more precisely what's happened?"
Oga didn't bother explaining the details and summed up briefly. "Hilda was cooking her 'healthy food'..." he mimicked her miserably, "... then, she started crying and laughed in the end!"
"That's not very precise..." Alain Delon commented and Oga shot him a glare. Nevertheless, the senior had a good guess. "Oga-dono, is it possible that Hilda-sama was cutting onions back then?"
"Hm?" Oga blinked and thought back. "Yeah... so what of it?"
A sweat drop rolled down Alain Delon's temple as he saw Oga's ignorance. "Onions have an intense odor and make your eyes watery, especially if you cut them." he instructed carefully.
Indeed, Oga was oblivious of that fact since he never cooked himself. Somehow, he felt awkward and clenched his teeth bashfully. "So that's why it seemed as if she was crying..." Of course, Oga also understood the reason why she had laughed at him. "Who cares?! I don't know about stuff like that, so what?!" he jerked to a halt and pointed an accusing finger at Alain Delon. "How did you even know that she was cutting onions? What if she was really crying back then?!"
Alain Delon simply smiled at him. "Because I know Hilda-sama longer than you." As Oga arched a brow, Alain Delon continued. "For example, I know that she likes flavoring her food with onions. Moreover, I know that Hilda-sama would only cry if she was gravely enraged."
"... enraged?" Oga repeated, unable to hide his astonishment.
They continued walking as Alain Delon explained further. "No matter how sad she is or how much someone's broken her heart..." he thoughtfully paused for a second there, "... Hilda-sama would keep it for herself, never showing the tiniest hint of sorrow. She'd only cry out of frustration."
They didn't talk for a while and Oga processed the news he currently heard. Thinking about Alain Delon's words, he remarked. "That's still no reason for me why you guessed right the onions, Allon. I disputed with her about her cooking back there, so she might have been angry with me..."
Alain Delon answered in a flash. "That's absolutely out of the question." He warmly smiled at Oga's puzzled face again. "Because I don't believe that Hilda-sama will ever be angry with you."
Oga blinked at him, surprised at his declaration. "Now, what's that supposed to mean...?"
After finishing her work in the kitchen, Hilda took a rest in the living room. She dropped to the couch and stretched her arms. Keeping her left arm above, she regarded her hurt finger as if admiring a ring on it. She lowered her arm back on her lap and stroked the band-aid on her cut with her right fingers. Strangely enough, the item seemed to bear a greater meaning for her than a ring would.
"Are you my mother or Beel's?"
Oga's previous words clanged in her mind and unknowingly spread a smile on her face. An hour ago, when she had heard that phrase for the first time, she clumsily cut her finger with excitement. Who would have known that a rash, sarcastic comment like that could make her heart skip a beat?
Who would have thought that staying there – with Oga and Beelze – would be so good for her?
Hilda could hardly believe her own thoughts. In the beginning, she had always thought that Baby Beel was enlightening her mood, her life. She had thought that she was only staying for the baby's sake, to support Oga and to take over the mother role. However, before she had perceived it, they became the ones who supported her. More and more, she started depending on the father-son duo.
She started depending on Oga.
"You have a strong effect on Oga."
Those were Toujo's words to her, which she remembered out of the blue. Although she and Oga were quarreling with each other and seemed to be at variance most of the time, they kind of complemented one another, too. It appeared almost so, as if he was a reliable person that she had always wished to have around her.
"You're more than only an employee."
Oga became an important friend... or even more?
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
A newcomer was knocking on the door, which startled her for a moment. Hilda retrieved her phone and checked the time, which revealed shortly after noon. She doubted that any of Oga's friends would drop in by that time, neither did she expect Alain Delon to come.
Her curiosity was piqued when she got up and went to the door quietly. Looking through the door viewer, she saw a woman with dark and shoulder-length hair, wearing a white blouse and black blazer. The woman was a few ages older than herself and Hilda had never seen her before. Nonetheless, a major certainty caught her interest right away.
The woman resembled Oga very much.
Was she his relative?
Getting no answer, the newcomer knocked on the door again. Hilda was so engrossed in her appearance that she was slightly appalled by the second knock. She moved back one step and considered whether to open the door. Unfortunately, the woman outside became aware of Hilda's presence.
"Tatsumiii, I know you're inside. Just lemme in, dammit!" the elder woman shouted.
At least, Hilda needed to open the door immediately in order to not call other people's attention. Hesitatingly, she did the first thing which came to her mind and faced the newcomer. The latter was surprised that someone else opened the door and not her awaited 'Tatsumi'. For a few seconds, she inspected Hilda with her scrutinizing eyes from tip to toe, from her dark jeans to her pale blue tight shirt and braided hair. Hilda, too, had a clearer view on the dark-haired woman now; her former clothes perfectly emphasizing her curves, and her knee-length dark skirt and high heels revealing her long legs.
"E-excuse me..." Hilda broke the silence because the other woman was observing her too much for her taste. "Oga isn't at home."
"And you are?" The newcomer seemed to have long forgotten about the landlord and arched a brow inquisitively.
"I'm..." Hilda didn't know how to answer since she didn't think over what to say.
"Don't tell me, you're..." the woman leaned forward to have a closer look. "... the girl who's taking care of Beelze..." Hilda blinked twice since the woman seemed to know Beel. "I remember Tatsumi's mentioned something like that once..." the newcomer mumbled to herself.
"He's told you about me...? So, you know me, Miss?" Hilda asked in confusion.
"Of course, I know everything about and around Tatsumi, dear!" the dark-haired exclaimed proudly. Seeing the stunned Hilda, she realized that she forgot something for the main part. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetheart. You have no idea who I am, right? My name is Oga Misaki. I'm Tatsumi's mom." she put forth her hand.
"So this is his mother...?" Hilda wondered and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Oga-san. I'm-..."
"Nice to meet you, too!" Misaki shook her hand avidly. "Didn't Tatsumi tell you that I'd come by?"
"I'm afraid that he didn't." Then, she moved to the side and bowed politely. "Oh, how rude of me! Please, come in, Oga-san. Your son should be back soon..."
"Thank you, honey. I'm eager to see Beel, you know." Misaki beamed happily and entered. On the other hand, Hilda stiffly closed the door and wondered why she felt so nervous.
"Sooo?" Misaki nudged her with the elbow and giggled. "Are you and Tatsumi going out?"
"No." Hilda replied fast and solid with a stoic expression. If a different person asked her that question, he or she wouldn't get away unharmed with it.
"What a shame!" Misaki sighed hopelessly, she didn't miss the faint shade of red slowly building on the blonde's cheeks though. Again, her whole attention was directed at Hilda. "I virtually know everything about you, sweetheart. Tatsumi's often talking about you." Misaki led them towards the couch as they sat down together in the living room. "But before meeting you in person, I had no idea that you were this cute."
"T-thanks..." Hilda didn't know what else to say. Misaki's personality seemed to be so much different from Oga's. Or was he behaving differently in front of his mother? In addition, he was talking to his family about her? "You've better not said anything weird, fool!" she thought inwardly, forcing a soft expression.
"I guess he wanted to keep your beauty only for himself." Misaki added with a wide grin.
"I barely think so..." Hilda commented, averting her eyes and not liking the flow of conversation.
"Not only are you lovely, but also modest." Misaki smiled.
"Oga-san..." Hilda tried to change the topic. "What do you think of Oga raising a child? I mean..."
"You must be wondering why we're not supporting him or how we've allowed it primarily." As Misaki stated her unspoken thoughts, Hilda nodded. She already had a good guess about it and Misaki confirmed. "I'm Tatsumi's sole family member who knows about Beel. Don't misunderstand me; it's not that we have a bad relationship. He regularly gives us a call and comes home on occasion. As for me, I've found out about Beel incidentally when I've come to visit. Due to my job, I can't come around here as often as I want..." Misaki looked a little guilty until now. "Of course, Tatsumi asked me for keeping it a secret and I hesitated first. But now, having reliable friends around him, I can put my mind on rest because Tatsumi isn't on his own. Takachin – or rather Takayuki – is helping him out as good as he can and..." she smiled back at Hilda, "... he also has you by his side. Nevertheless, even without your or Takachin's aid, I'm sure that Tatsumi's persistent enough to rare Beel."
Misaki didn't put parenthood past Oga. Her confession showed Hilda just how much she trusted him.
"Well, leave Tatsumi aside for now." Misaki adjusted herself to a more comfortable position. "I want to learn more about you..."
Unconsciously, Hilda stiffened again and wondered. His mother had already said that she knew a few things about her. Did this include the fact that they were living together?
Since Hilda remained silent, Misaki decided to ask accurate questions. "For example, let's start with your brother. Is he at the same age as Beel? Isn't it troublesome for you to look after two infants at your young age?"
Hilda's eye twitched but the other woman didn't give much thought to it. "...brother?" Something felt off all of a sudden. She didn't know what Oga had exactly told about her... but having a brother?
Misaki blinked innocently as she couldn't understand the blonde's silence. "Is something the matter, Kunieda? Did I say something wrong?"
…
…
…
What did she call her?
"She mistook me for Kunieda all along?!" Hilda inwardly screamed and trembled a bit. She somehow felt the urge to rip off her hair that very moment. However, she stayed calm. She didn't need to present Misaki a nasty side of her. "Yeah... it sometimes is troublesome." Hilda didn't consider herself lying because Oga's own behavior was childish from time to time. She bent her head down, hiding her gaze, as she almost whispered. "As long as you enjoy your time with them, it's only half as stressful though."
Right on cue, Baby Beel's cry reached them, which came from the bedroom. "Speak of the little devil." Hilda joked softly and stood up. "I'll be back in a minute." she bowed out of respect and went to fetch the baby. Behind her, Misaki smiled and shot her an approving look.
"I'm baaack!" Oga exclaimed lazily as usual and entered his apartment. He proceeded to the living room, where the dining table was prepared, obviously waiting for his arrival to eat. The two other inhabitants were watching TV – an anime to be more precise. Whereas the infant looked at his father with sparkling eyes, the female was looking daggers at him. Oga took a seat next to the baby and joined them.
"Where have you been?" Hilda asked, annoyance evident in her tone.
"Shopping." he lifted the plastic bag in his hand and dropped it on the floor.
"... which takes you three hours?" she talked to him without turning away from the screen.
Oga also rested his gaze there. Normally, his cohabitant would never ask about his whereabouts. However, she seemed to have especially awaited him for whatever reason. Oga picked out a can of cola out of the shopping bag. "Did something happen?" he took a few sips of the cold drink.
"Your mother came by today." she stated indifferently.
It was a miracle that Oga missed the television when he spat a mouthful of cola. He was coughing severely and sensed the carbonated drink even in his nose. Hilda had to tap on his back in order for him to not suffocate.
It took him two minutes to catch his breath halfway. "My-... what?" he was still panting.
"Oga-san's left half an hour ago. Because you forgot your phone here, we weren't able to reach you. I promised her to call when you come back." She dialed Misaki's number and shoved the item in his hand.
In the meantime, Oga's breathing returned to normal and he started protesting. "Wait, what the hell happened while I was gone?! Don't gimme just the damn phone and-..." he stopped his complaints when the other person answered the phone, "... h-hello? Mom, is that you?"
"Hello, is that you, Takkun?" Misaki answered with a singsong voice.
Hearing the annoying tone, Oga hung up. Then, he turned back to Hilda. "Oi... was this really the person who showed up here?" he asked in disbelief.
Hilda couldn't quite follow Oga's actions and nodded. Shortly after that, the phone in his hand started ringing again. Much to Oga's displeasure, the caller's number was saved as 'Oga Misaki'.
Oga took the call and met Misaki's furious voice. "Tatsumi, you idiot!" Why the fuck did you hang up?!"
Hilda was simply shocked. The voice, which was loud enough and couldn't be missed, belonged definitely to the same Misaki. However, her word choice and entire talk was like exchanged – totally different from an hour ago. And the way Oga was talking to her horrified her even more.
"Shaddup, bitch! Why did you tell Hilda you're mom?!"
"Hilda? Who's Hilda?! Isn't this Kunieda's phone?" Misaki asked, baffled.
"Kunieda?!" Oga shot Hilda a questioning look whereas the other returned a stoic expression.
"Listen well, Tatsumi." Misaki sounded deadly serious. "I don't know who this Hilda-chick is but if you dump that blonde bombshell, you know which part of your body I'll rip off first! Did you get that, shitty brother?!"
"Dump?!" Oga repeated in exasperation, feeling heat arousing his face.
"Brother?!" Hilda thought she didn't hear right and couldn't hide her astonishment anymore.
"So, who's that Hilda?" Misaki still insisted over the phone.
"WOULD SOMEBODY EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE?!" Oga yelled wrathfully since they all seemed to talk at cross purposes.
Another 30 minutes passed until Hilda reported about her encounter with Misaki. The latter witnessed their conversation via phone call and she sincerely apologized to Hilda for playing a prank on her. The blonde didn't resent it though because she, too, didn't set the record straight in time. It was up to Oga to explain that Kunieda was a different, dark-haired person. He said that it served his sister right and hung up.
"So... Oga-san is your elder sister, not your mother..." Hilda commented pensively.
Oga grunted as a sign of approval while he was watching TV.
"You're lucky." Hilda said earnestly, which earned her an odd look from him. "For having a kind sister like her." She was referring to Misaki's pleasant lines before Beelze had woken up.
"Kind?" Oga couldn't believe her words and arched a brow. In his opinion, Hilda assumed that because the two females were pretty much on the same wavelength. "Aren't you mad at her for twitting you?"
Hilda shook her head. "Not at all. I think of Oga-san as a reliable person."
"Stop calling us both the same! It's confusing..." he hissed and tried to enjoy the rest of his drink.
Hilda glanced at him and suggested half-seriously. "Then, how about I call you 'Tatsumi'?" she had to admit that his first name sounded so enforced out of her mouth.
Before she could give another thought to it, the man beside her started choking on his drink again.
The weekend passed by as quickly as it came. Currently, Hilda was at her mostly sought out place at school, where she seemed to find some peace there more or less. Leaning over the railing, she let out a deep sigh and stared into space.
For the past two days, or rather since Misaki's visit, Hilda's mind wasn't at ease. To put it in a nutshell, the mix up with the class rep was bothering her. Misaki told her about her former leadership of the Red Tails, just like Kunieda. Additionally, the bluenette's voluntary support of Oga with the baby stuff yielded another score in his sister's eyes. All this led Hilda to the following conclusion.
In Misaki's eyes, Kunieda was the perfect girl for Oga.
"That's where y'are..."
Hilda turned around to see that she wasn't alone anymore. The unexpected person joined her nonchalantly. "Himekawa..." she said his name with a monotone voice.
"What an honor; you've memorized my name..." he remarked with a nasty smirk, but became serious the next second. "Given that you're from a noble family, it's no wonder that you might have met me personally before."
Hilda's scowl became even darker. "Don't talk as if you know me, nitwit!"
"Na-na!" Himekawa waved his forefinger. "That slang language doesn't suit you. Even if you try to hide your origin with it, you can't fool me. Too bad, I didn't recognize it earlier though..." Hilda clenched her teeth as Himekawa went on. "You should know that I was quite interested in you. I even considered making you my bride, also for my company's sake of course. However, who would have though that our Hilda here is the same person as the Hildegarde – daughter of Behemoth and heiress to his enterprise."
Hilda's expression changed to a stoic one. The revelation coming from him didn't surprise her. Since Himekawa himself was in the lap of luxury, he would recognize her sooner or later. Nevertheless, something else caught her attention and she let out a low but sneering chuckle. "You were interested in me? Now that I'm living in a poor place like Ishiyama, has your interest ended in smoke? You're not different from Behemoth, caring only about your dirty money!"
This time, it was Himekawa who laughed. "Quite the contrary, Missy! Your rebellious behavior boosted it even more! The reason why I dropped my interest is different." Hilda rose an inquiring brow and he finished. "Too bad that Oga's claimed you already his."
Hilda snapped at those words automatically. "What the hell are you talking about? Didn't we already make clear that-..."
"You did." Himekawa confirmed. "I don't know what you think about our man here but..." Himekawa closed the distance between them and swung his arm around her shoulders - an action which reminded her of a certain cohabitant. Hilda was lost in thought briefly and forgot Himekawa's disagreeable proximity. He became noticeable and repeated perspicuously. "... Oga literally claimed you for himself through his actions in front of everyone."
"Shove off!" she brushed his arm aside vehemently.
"Still not believing me?" Himekawa took off his shades, which emphasized his seriousness. "Right now, he's taking on Behemoth's men."
Hilda froze on the spot.
"You heard right; Behemoth's here. No one sane would start a fight with that man on purpose." he cleaned his shades and put them on again. "As long as you stay here, Oga should chase off-..."
Before Himekawa finished his sentence, Hilda was already on her way downstairs.
"I'm loath to repeat myself, gentlemen. I'm here to get back my daughter." the old man insisted impatiently.
Some students were standing in front of him, blocking his further path in the hallway. They were observing the newcomer and his two gun-toting bodyguards like a pride of wolves which were ready to attack any moment. One single provocation was enough for them to launch into the three strange men. The only one restraining the students was the top dog standing between the two groups, namely Oga Tatsumi.
He eyed up the old man, who was wearing a dark-blue suit and a yellow shirt. His brown leather shoes, golden chain and glasses were a clear sign of his wealth. Even his cane seemed to be adorned with jewels. With his hands pocketed, Oga still had no intention to answer him.
"On your bike, sucker!" It was Kanzaki who spoke first. "Who the fuck's your daughter and why shall she be here?!"
One of the bodyguards made a step forward after hearing the insult and so did Kanzaki. At the same time, the elder man raised his arm to stop his man and Toujo grabbed at the shoulder of his fellow to stop him. "Wait. This one's not our fight..." Toujo mumbled at Kanzaki whereas the old man grinned.
"My bad. I didn't bear in mind that you townsfolk might not know me or my family." he laughed tauntingly. "My daughter has blonde hair and green eyes. I have reliable information that she's here."
"Asuka!" Oga broke his silence and addressed the masked Red Tail girl. "Is he your father?" he gestrured to the old man.
"Nope." the girl in question replied. "Never seen him before."
Oga darted his eyes indifferently back at the old man. "No other blondes 'round here, dude. You better take your dogs and get lost."
The newcomer's grin grew. "You're Oga Tatsumi, I assume? I see why my son's taken a liking to you..."
Oga's expression didn't change whereas he secretly clenched his hands in his pockets. Only a few spectators knew the meaning of those words and frowned.
The elder man sighed. "Do not worry, Oga Tatsumi and his henchmen. I'm not here to interfere with my youngster's business. I'll leave as soon as I get back Hildegarde."
Oga and the others noticed the similarity of the names on the spot. No doubt about it; the man was looking for their classmate Hilda. Nonetheless, neither of them was going to sell her out. Not as long as Oga was eyeball to eyeball with that man.
Even if Oga didn't ask for it verbally, the other students of Ishiyama always got his back.
"Don't call me that name!"
Everyone besides Oga turned to the source of the voice as Hilda's loud, furious words were echoing in the hallway. She panted heavily and clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. Seeing the old man's blessed face, she felt the urge to vomit.
"Behemoth." Himekawa hissed from behind her when he met the old man anew.
"That's Behemoth?" Kunieda, who was standing straight behind Oga, commented in bewilderment and wandered her eyes to the old man. "The owner of the countless companies?"
"Finally found you..."
A fourth, different voice clanged through there and was followed by footsteps, which became louder and louder. Hilda stiffened more and more and Oga's expression changed to a fierce scowling. Both were oblivious of the other's reaction. The only thing that resounded in their minds was that one voice and the approaching steps.
All eyes were directed to the corner behind Behemoth as a muscular man came into their field of vision. His spiky, tied hair and eyes had the color of blood. The uniform of the Akumano Academy clothed his tanned body. His stern face softened somewhat as soon as his eyes met the farthest blonde. "Hil."
The moment she heard his voice, the moment their gazes met and the moment he said that name; Hilda was struck by lightning. Only he would call her that way. Many thoughts and feelings invaded her mind that particular moment. Within those five seconds, her past, the present and future passed in her mind and made her literally freeze there. She was in a state of trance. The light in her eyes faded away as if she went into cardiac arrest. Only one thing seemed to breathe life into her body and brought her back to reality.
"Jabberwock."
It was the sound of Oga's voice. His ghostly voice was as quiet as a whisper but sounded as if he was breathing out venom when he spoke out the newcomer's name.
Jabberwock shot a brief glance at Oga and darted his eyes back on Hilda. "Let's go." he stated in a monotone voice, which sounded like a choked command.
Hilda blinked twice. She looked like a lost child between a group of foreign people. Her eyes turned to Jabberwock, then to Oga and the girl alongside him. Hilda knew that she had to make a decision but there was no time for her to weigh it. She stiffly nodded and began to move. As she went past the other students, who were silently watching her, her gaze was lowered and she remained mute. Even when she passed by Oga, she didn't utter a single word.
Suddenly, a strong hand grasped firmly at her wrist and forced her to halt. Neither did the others, nor Hilda herself knew what was going on. One second, she decided to leave Oga and return to her dreadful old life and the next minute, Oga pulled her back and crushed his lips on hers.
A/N: Shocked? Excited? Wanna kill me 'cos I end the chapter here? Tell me what you think! The long awaited interaction between our two protagonists – I'm waiting for tons of REVIEWS here!
I had to write the last scene more objectively since it'd get too long otherwise. Many things happen in this chapter, new characters are introduced. What will happen to Oga and Hilda next?
Check my profile for announcements about future updates.
PS: I wonder if I should create a twitter account for my fanfiction stories...
See you next time and comment this chapter, please!?