Previously...
"I promised your family to keep you safe, and I plan on keeping that promise." Akemi once again nods, knowing she has calmed down.
"Let me help, Naru...I don't want to lose another..." Akemi softly spoke, as though speaking of it would deem it a true event.
'I don't either, so what should I do?' Naru remained quiet.
.
.
'How do we compromise?' The two unknowingly asked themselves as they kept close.
Naru remained still as Akemi held his hand with both of hers, caressing it with such a tender motion that he himself felt at ease. The sight of Akemi's lowered head gave him a perfect view of the crown of her golden head. His eyes closing, as he let himself indulge on her caress until he felt something trickle on his wrist.
He turned his hand over to have his palm facing up, pulling it from Akemi's hold and lifting it up to his gaze to seeing a red string tied around his wrist. 'What's this?'
"I made it in my hospital room while you were signing registration papers. It has my blessing over it," Akemi explained as Naru analyzed the chained red string. It felt warm. "Manifestations of protection and safety— my feelings, essentially any positive energy in hopes to ward off negative energy." Akemi lightly shrugs, a flush of pink plastered on her cheeks as she started to ramble and Naru removed his gaze from the bracelet to look at her, noticing that now with her hands bare, it started fiddling with each other. "-Since wearing red string bracelets is said to evoke a spiritual sense of comfort and knowing luck is on your side can give you a wonderful boost of optimism! Not only can it protect you but also help improving your outlook, so I plan on giving it to everyone-"
"No."
"Eh? Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Akemi jumped when Naru held her hand without responding back to her unspoken question. Another minute of silence passed by over them, which Akemi felt would be a constant thing when it comes to Naru. She's not complaining though, "-You promise to stay safe?" Her voice quiet as she focused on staring at where she started fiddling with his bracelet.
It was quiet before Akemi felt a strand of her hair being combed before lifting it to be caressed.
"I won't let it take you." Akemi frowned when he didn't answer her question. Deliberately dismissing it, leaving to be unanswered.
"I'm here, I'm fine. I won't allow anything else to happen to me. I was just alone at that time, this time I'll have you with me." Akemi admits once again, pertaining over when she was alone when it came to facing Kazuyasu-san. This time she was more determined after seeing that Naru didn't react badly to being considered one of her loved ones. "Besides its my marriage, I have a say in this." Not that there would be any marriage at all,
Naru frowned, his eyes narrowing over Akemi's features. "Why are you so stubborn?"
"Why are you so against it? It's my life. I have a say over what I want to do." Akemi emphasized her words, "And no promises from my family will stop it. You'll just have to protect me there."
Naru remained silent.
"I don't want to say this but— either let me join you and have all of you to watch over me or I'll escape there on my own without you there to protect me. It's your choice, professor."
Akemi sensed the aura around him flickering over his troubles, Akemi read it like a book and sighed as she realized. Taking the hand she was playing with, she lifts it up to her cheek and her eyes closed and welcomed the light caress of Naru's thumb. With a voice touch of a whisper, Akemi opened her eyes in hopes it gazed at him. "Do you doubt your strength so much? I trust that you can protect me— you did save me." Akemi gave an encouraging smile, "Why do you question anyways?"
Naru's midnight eyes glazed over, his heart shaking as Akemi stared at him with eyes conveying such belief. Eugene looked at him in such way, where is he now?
"If something happens to you..." 'I don't know what I'll do.' "-Akemi, please." Akemi gaped, confused if she heard it correctly.
"Naru..."
"Akemi, please." Hearing it twice, the heiress knew it wasn't a dream.
"Nothing will happen. We got each other, don't we?" The heiress gave the aloof man an encouraging smile, but it was slowly crumbling.
"Akemi..." 'I can't...' "Please." Naru stressed each syllable that he can, and Akemi knew that even she wouldn't be able to change his fear until the threat has been disposed off. No matter the trust Naru has for himself or others, it's the world he couldn't believe in. As always, the universe is too strong for one person, no supernatural could fight against it, what more those that are simply human?
'If something happens to me, I know you'll still blame yourself instead.' Akemi nods, hopefully with no more jinxes for the rest of the day. 'You are just that kind of person.'
Akemi sighs, letting herself lean on the hand Naru placed on her temple. "I'm giving you this once, professor." and Akemi immediately sensed the relief Naru felt, it felt like a thick fog of smoke dispersed one's lungs and was left feeling the cool air of morning mist, for the first time being able to breathe clearly.
'Someday— someday, Naru.' Akemi gives Naru a small smile, tugging him back to the base but her eyes sharpened in alarm and looks behind Naru.
"Watch out!" Before Naru could ask her what was wrong, Akemi's pale hands pushed him to the side. Making him fall to the ground.
THUD—!
Naru lifts himself up from his fall, "Akemi! What is— AKEMI!"
Like a needle shot through her, Akemi's head was struck with her head lifted back. Her eyes blank and expression fully removed from her face.
Naru stood, holding her by the shoulders and nudged her but Akemi remained empty. "Akemi, what's wrong? Tell me. Akemi!" Nudge. Nudge.
Seeing that her head remained tilted back, Naru gently straightened it but when their eyes met, he froze.
A taunting expression came to her face as Akemi stared at Naru head on. "I win."
Snap.
Akemi lost light, and laid limp in Naru's arms.
°•○●●○•°
"Naru! What's wrong? We heard you yell—" the SPR along with the Yoshimi family ran outside.
And all flinched as the coldness of the air stricked them through. From the corner of Bou-san's eyes, he could see some of the Yoshimi family shiver as he felt the indescribable pressure surrounding Naru.
Mai gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she saw the limped body leaning on Naru's chest was the heiress herself.
"Akemi-sempai?!"
"Naru-bou... What happened?"
Naru's expression darkened, before cocking his head for them to get closer and so they did. "Okobu-sama had made his move." Naru with the hand that didn't currently carried Akemi, turned the collar of her shirt to reveal her bare collarbone.
"Is- is that a tattoo?!" Mai's eyes bulged, 'But Akemi-sempai doesn't have any tattoos!'
"No. It's Okobu-sama's mark." Naru cleared up, his statement made the people present straightened their backs.
'Okobu-sama...'
His eyes sharpened, with a voice as dark as his expression, Naru announces: "He has made his move and it was the wrong one."
"Um... you needn't force yourself to do it. Since we understand the source of the curse, we only need to worship it with great respect from now on." Akifumi vocalizes as soon as the SPR announced of their plans of exorcising Okobu-sama. Yasuhara and the others watching over Bou-san and John from a far distance,
It seemed that while Akemi and Naru were gone, the others had already changed their minds and agreed to help. With the support they got, they made arrangements to wait for low tide: with the first the reason for a change of opinion was Yasuhara's imploring for the rest to join along as he himself knew of the critical conditions of the men of the group, so in hopes to look out for their safety, they need every abled body to help the others if possible.
But now that Akemi laid limp on one of the rooms, unconscious and wrapped around with charms, all of them were adamant of helping her.
"Naru-bou's overtaking his rival." Bou-san said with a bitter expression, shaking his head but turns to give Akifumi a grin. "Anyway, we just have to try."
"But..." Akifumi glanced towards where Yasuhara and the others are and saw them give an accepting nod. With that alone, Akifumi knew it was futile to talk them out of it. "I see..."
°•○●●○•°
When low tide finally came the SPR started making their way to the caves. Naru's merciless voice resounded when all of them got inside. "Let's get started."
Bou-san exhaled once, then stood in front of the shrine and opened the doors. Bou-san formed a seal in front of the simple altar of the shrine and chanted a mantra that built an invisible temple made from his energy. With that, if Bou-san were to lose consciouness, it too would disappear immediately.
A low sound came briefly and started resonating around the cave once he had done this. It was eerie and guttural but another came after it with a rhythmic like beat. Mai looked around the empty cave, but there was no sound louder than the last corner she checked. 'What's that sound?'
"The entrance is starting to close!"
"It'll open naturally if we stop the source. Don't worry about that." Came Naru's calm voice and Mai couldn't help but worriedly look at him as at that moment voices started coming out of the walls.
"In the beginning was the Word." John, connecting his fingers and closed his eyes, and tried his hand on cleansing the place. "The Word was with God. The Word was God..." as he continued the voices from the caves halted.
Naru spoke sternly, uncaring about what was happening around them and reminded the monk to continue his work. "Bou-san, the prayer."
"...Right."
Bou-san continued his mantra, and faint lights, with dim lighting seeped out of the surfaces of the cave— forming pale shaped of human faces. They rose one after another and became countless as seconds passed. "Naumaku sanmanda bazara dankan!"
Following this, Lin whistled with his fingers, letting out his shiki while Ayako and Mai performed the nine syllables.
A red light flowed through inside the cave once again and in that time, Bou-san was preparing his Tokkosho, the blade and threw it into the shrine, striking the driftwood only for him the get blown back right after.
"Bou-san!"
"Takigawa-san!" Mai and the others gathered around Bou-san in worry.
"Are you okay?" Ayako asked as she help Bou'san lift himself up but the monk hissed at the contact movement.
"Oww..." Bou-san winced as Ayako with Mai helped lift him up. "Thanks Ayako, Masako... John, I'm sorry but that Tokkosho, break the driftwood with that."
"Right!" John looked at the shrine, pulling out the Tokkosho and raised it overhead however before he could pierce it , he was flung back and crashed beside Bou-san.
The girls watched in worry as they called over John and helped him too but another sound of sprinting footsteps changed their focus and gaped when they say Yasuhara broke into a run.
"Yasuhara-san!?"
Yasuhara this time, picked up the blade that John dropped but before he too could reach, he got the same results and was slammed into the wall.
"Yasuhara-san, are you okay?" Mai asked and knelt beside him while Masako tended over John after Ayako had checked him all over before turning her help to John.
In that moment, a sickening calm voice resounded. "Is that all?" Naru turned his gaze towards Bou-san and the others, his eyes cold.
And something inside Mai snapped. "Knock it off! What are you so worked up about!? Bou-san and everyone else reached their limit helping you! Why does everyone have to go so far just for the sake of your pride!?"
Naru only frowned. "Even your pride is worthless! Don't you think it's ridiculous!? If your own pride is so important, why don't you do it yourself without relying on others!? You have others protect you so how much can that pride be worth!?" Mai glared, 'Argh! I'm furious! This guy is seriously-!'
Naru looked at Mai expressionlessly. "That's a just argument."
Mai straightened, 'Hmph, I won.'
"Bou-san, John, Yasuhara, are you guys okay?" When Mai received good enough replies, "Let's go. It's enough already."
John frowned in concern, "But what about Akemi-san?"
Mai's eyes lit up in fiery strength. "I believe in Akemi-sempai's strength. I know that she would rather you guys be okay than force yourselves to help her in this critical condition." Ayako nodded in agreement, if she were here— the heiress might have already dragged Bou-san and John towards the ambulance.
"We can continue once you guys have been taken care of. If Akemi were here, she would have you all leave already." Ayako tells them, and only then did Bou-san gave.
Ayako helped lift Bou-san up with Mai, when John stood up, he was supported by Masako beneath his arm and Lin had Yasuhara with him.
"Naru-chan," Bou-san winced. "Sorry, I'm at my limit."
Mai frowned, softly patting Bou-san as Naru in topic remained quiet throughout all this and has his gaze fixed towards the shrine.
They were all taking steps to leave the cave, but something around the air felt weird and so Mai glances behind and took notice of the change of air in him. "Naru...?"
Her call went on deaf ears.
'Wha- what's this? Naru's hair is moving by itself...'
Just as she noticed, Naru's hair lightly drifted up as though he was encircled by a gentle breeze and the air became distorted.
In his thoughts all he could hear was her. Taunting him.
'Why you doubt your strength so much?... I trust that you can protect me... You did save me... Nothing will happen. We got each other, don't we?'
Akemi something did happen.
"Naru!?" Lin shouted and tried to turn back when he too had sensed Naru's heated aura making Yasuhara lost his balance taking Mai with him and Bou-san nearly fell over. "Naru don't do it!"
Naru in the midst of gathering his energy, he felt familiar warmth seeping through and so he glanced to the wrist of his extended hand and saw the red bracelet. 'I made it... Manifestations of safety and protection— my feelings...'
'Essentially positive energy...'
It was like he could feel Akemi's hand clasp into his, and how he gathered his energy felt more smoothly than painfully forced out of him. But the damaged has been done.
The aura around Naru was clearly distorted as if a heat haze was rising from his body, it was rapidly thickening before but with Akemi's aura it was turning a mix of warmth but the aura was becoming sharp.
Naru let their mixed energy accumulate to the tip of their fists, the aura began to bend and warp around them at visible speed.
"What is this?"
The distortion ended before Mai could finish her question, suddenly Naru swung his hand and in that moment the air crumbled, and the shrine was torn to pieces with Okobu-sama cracked to dust.
This in actuality only took ten seconds and everything returned back to normal apart from the driftwood no longer present in the shrine. "What happened?"
Naru silently looked back at Bou-san's weak voice. He had a sardonic smile on his face and Mai tried her best not to slap his face for it if he weren't so darn handsome and she was not confused.
"This place is no longer sacred ground, this is now just a cave." Masako spoke, her eyes gazing around and indeed gad sensed nothing.
"That thing... disappeared?" Mai blinked.
Masako nods, "I think so. Definitely."
Bou-san exhaled, "Right now, I'm full of the desire that you would have done it from the beginning if you were able to exorcise it."
Naru said nothing, simply walking out the cave.
Before darkness had invaded his vision.
°•○●●○•°
"Are you okay?" A familiar chiming voice greeted him as soon as he opened his eyes.
"I'm fine."
"Do you hurt anywhere?" Naru glanced to the side, seeing Akemi sitting on the side of his hospital bed.
"No."
"Good." Akemi gave out an elegant smile, but Naru saw the iciness hidden within. "Risk your lives again and I would have no problem locking all you men in a storage."
Akemi places her hand on Naru's waist, making sure to inflict pain on his side by pinching it. Without any words, Naru accepted all the pain she was giving him and with a grave voice Akemi spoke.
"Don't ever let your pride get the best of you again. You started off with the right intentions but you covered it with so much bad decisions, you're supposed to be smarter than that."
"..." Naru let her vent.
"And next time, think about the others. They genuinely care for you out there and you use them like they are your pawns-"
"I didn't ask them to." Akemi's cold gaze made him pause,
"You manipulated them to." He remained quiet and she continued. "You didn't even have to do that. They're your friends, you can have their support with just a simple question."
"I understand you have reasons and I know what they are, but what you did... They don't have any idea, Naru and so would come off entirely different on their side. Reflect on it and be better. Please... or you'll lose some very great people in your life."
When Naru remained staring at her, she adds: "Except for me." She smiles brightly and confident. "I won't leave because I know how and who you really are... but they don't. Aren't I kind? ahahah~"
...
Happy New Year~! And another chapter will be posted, as a gift for this month of January as pay for being gone for a while! AHAHAHA
A/N: the previous chapt has been edited, I felt like their edited vers. of the argument was more in character for me? This case was really just a huge mental block for me but so glad I could end it still~!
See you guys next time, hope you enjoy reading and once again Happy New Year! For those who don't celebrate new years, Have a Nice day instead~!