He who was just an ordinary man
V
Romani couldn't sleep, staring up at the ceiling of his room with a deep gnawing feeling of anxiety burrowed into his gut. Ever since they had gotten back and went to bed, he couldn't help but feel as though he had missed something grim. Those disturbing nightmares of his had finally ended and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
Quite the contrary, he felt nothing more than inexplicable guilt at not going to the park where he knew the vision would end. The end of his outing with Leona had been spoiled by that and while he was sure he had contained it well enough, he knew that Leo could see through him as if he were nothing more than a window. She probably knew something had been bothering him but hadn't confronted him directly about it.
Again, he was thankful for that. He wasn't sure what he would even be able to say to her.
'I'm having nightmares that Issei is going to be killed on his first ever date.'
That made him sound like a paranoid parent more than anything else, someone who didn't let their kids out after dark and always saw the worst in every situation. He probably could have gotten away with saying that he was just worried about Issei, but at the same time that wasn't really any better. Leona would probably say he was worrying too much and that stalking him was hardly the proper thing to do.
Romani turned onto his side, staring out across the room and feeling that ugly emotion intensify through the night, he was almost certain he wasn't going to get any form of sleep at all. Not with all this guilt that was assailing him. His teeth bit down onto his bottom lip, causing him to wince in slight pain, his mouth parted and his lip quivered slightly. Slowly looking over his shoulder, he saw Leona lying on her face, eyes closed and just the faintest sound of her gentle breathing.
Closing his eyes, Romani grit his teeth in his jaw.
He just needed to be sure, his nightmare had shown a puddle of blood at the base of the fountain. He'd just go and check it out. Just one quick look to confirm that he was being overly paranoid and then he'd come right back home.
Nothing special.
Careful not to wake Leona up, he turned his body and quietly slipped out of bed, tiptoeing across the room and quickly slipping on some of his casual clothes. A thin t-shirt and some sweatpants with a large coat over the top of them. Giving Leona a final glance to check she was still asleep, he closed his eyes and exhaled before turning back around and opening up the door. Gently closing it behind him with a quiet click.
Shaking his head to himself, Romani descended down the steps as quickly and as stealthily as he could, moving towards the front door and putting his trainers on before unlocking the front door and moving out of the house and into the street. He immediately placed his hands into his pockets and ducked his head down as low as it could go as the night air attacked him. The chilling wind showed him no quarter, leaving him to hope that this casual outing wouldn't end with him catching a cold.
His eyes scanned the street and he couldn't help but shiver - not at the cold - at the fact there was not a single sign of life around, not even a light was on, save the street lamps, and leaving him all but alone in the dark street.
Romani felt his lips pull themselves into a thin line "That's not creepy at all…" he muttered to himself before he gathered what little courage he had and soldiered onwards, moving through the streets as quickly as he could possibly go when doing a power walk. The sooner he convinced himself he was mad, the sooner he could get himself back home like nothing had happened. Maybe then this unbearable feeling of guilt would also leave him as well.
One could only hope and despite what Leona would frequently joke about, Romani wasn't sure that his luck was as good as she boasted it to be. If it was he wouldn't be having visions every now and again.
He paused at the sound of rustling, his eyes snapping towards it with what felt like a phantom pain in his side. He watched then relaxed himself, nothing more than the wind blowing through the trees. He huffed to himself, hunching his shoulders closer to his neck in an attempt to keep himself warm before he marched ever onwards, finding himself closer and closer to his destination.
There was something ethereal about visiting the park at night, not a single sound could be heard as he entered save for the quiet whistling of the wind and the gentle noise of running water growing steadily louder as he moved further into the area. As he moved, Romani's eyes darted left and right at whatever rustle he heard.
He couldn't help but also feel a deep sense of foreboding as he approached the centre of the park and the location of the fountain. Seeing this place at night in his nightmares was one thing, seeing it at night in person was a very different thing. It was - at the very least - somewhat spooky. Whatever peace he might have found here wasn't to be found easily, spoiled by the wild machinations of his mind. Deep down, he wasn't sure which would be more horrifying to him.
The idea that his dreams were nothing more than dreams.
Or the idea that they weren't.
The second option was nothing shy of ludicrous, he couldn't even begin to entertain the notion that his nightmares had any basis in reality. The idea that Issei would be killed by his date who revealed herself to be someone with wings was so utterly laughable and terrible that it should have had no place in him whatsoever.
Despite all the rational parts of his mind screaming at him that this was absolute nonsense, he couldn't help but let it sit there. Unable to dismiss it, deep inside his heart he couldn't make the attempt to throw the wild thoughts from his mind. As if some part of him knew - just knew - that his nightmares were somehow more than nightmares.
He would rather be proven wrong, to see nothing more than an empty park and be convinced that it was little more than his anxiety and concern for Issei manifesting itself as freakish paranoid delusions predicting the very worst possible outcome imaginable. With the moment of truth finally upon him, his nerves felt more strained than ever before.
Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath before they opened again and he resumed his walk. The trickling water of the fountain was akin to a waterfall in his mind as he stared at its distant shape, squinting his eyes to try and acclimatise to the low light levels. Even the park lamps dotted around did little to remove the unease gripping his body.
He stopped walking, biting his lower lip.
He could just turn around and walk away. Dismiss this all as childish nonsense and then just prove himself right when he sees Issei in school the next day. It would be easy.
It would be terribly easy.
"...No it wouldn't." Romani couldn't help but mutter to himself in a despondent voice, grimly shaking his head and pressing onwards, dragging his legs as if they were made of solid lead. The very act of moving them was a herculean task in itself. His breathing steadied itself, stepping close and closer to the fountain until he found himself standing directly in front of it before he had even realised his speed.
He stared at it in silence, no further sounds existed save for the water.
Turning on his heel, he slowly started to pace around the fountain itself, scanning every inch of the paths leading towards it with the eyes of a first-rate detective. The paths were spotless, not even the stain of dirt could be seen on them, not even a single leaf rested on them.
A broken wheeze emerged from his throat, his legs wobbled in place before giving out beneath him. He couldn't quite help the chuckle that emerged from his throat, utterly unable to conceive of any other reaction he could give when he found himself staring at the spotless park. The spotless and thoroughly corpse free park. He threw his head back, the laughter growing in intensity before it broke down into a muffled whimper.
His right hand flying to cover his mouth as he felt tears slowly start to stream down his eyes.
He didn't actually know why he was crying or why this pit had formed in his stomach. He couldn't help but feel this crippling sense of failure either. By all rights he should be happy, there was nobody here nor was there any sign of the…aftermath that had haunted his mind in the days before.
He really should have been happy.
So why did he feel like a complete failure?
Slowly hunching himself forwards, his face scrunched up and his hands fell to the patio, fingernails scraping against the surface as they drew themselves into fists. Through his blurred vision, he could see tears falling down to the ground, splashing just beneath his face that for a moment he had thought it was raining.
He wasn't quite sure how long he was there on his hands and knees quiet sobs nothing more than mere background noise within the park and yet in the dead of night, he might as well have been wailing aloud it was so silent. When he found he could cry no more, he raised his arm and wiped his sleeve over his face. Removing the water stains on his cheeks and snuffling. He pushed himself off the ground, staggering slightly as he returned to his feet and let out a single shaky breath.
Wobbling on his feet ever so slightly, Romani spied a park bench not far from him. Dragging himself towards it, he managed to slump himself atop it, shoulders going slack and his body conforming to the shape of the bench as he sat on it. He stared at the fountain, then directed his attention to the spot where his nightmares had brought him.
In his mind's eye he still couldn't help but see the bloodstains splattered across the path accompanied by Issei's body, his eyes still staring up at the sky with a haunted expression on his face.
Closing his eyes, he shook his head and exhaled. Raising his hands and clasping them over the side of his head and leaning forwards, resting his elbows on his knees and just sitting there. He had already confirmed what he wanted to, there was no reason to remain here.
As he lowered his hands, he jolted in shock when he saw a handkerchief being held in his face. He let out a surprised gasp and pressed himself into the bench and snapped his eyes upwards towards the person extending the handkerchief towards him, only relaxing ever so slightly and letting out a long wheezing sigh.
The owner seemed to smile, almost as if she was delighted by his rather frightened reaction "My, my…Am I truly so scary?" Akeno Himejima wondered aloud as she continued to hold the handkerchief towards the school nurse. Her lips slowly morphed into a playful pout "You'll hurt a girl's feelings, Romani-sensei."
"Not a…" Romani cut himself off with a shaky voice, his head dropping down and staring at the handkerchief with a flower embroidered into it. He managed to find the strength to wave his hand in her direction. "You…you don't need to offer that, I'm fine."
Akeno merely stared at him, "Are you sure?" she pressed further, tilting her head ever so slightly as she examined him. More accurately his eyes "Because I would suggest otherwise."
"Just…" Romani wiped his eyes "Just me losing it is all…" he gave a strained chuckle with no amusement in it. They both knew he was putting on an act, it was mostly that fact that led to his chuckle dying off midway through. He then paused, furrowing his brows and looking at the young girl, shooting to his feet "Wait a moment here! Why are you here in the dead of night?!" he exclaimed in shock "Isn't that pretty dangerous for you?" He then noticed what she was wearing.
Still in her school uniform.
"And why aren't you wearing something warmer?"
Akeno raised an eyebrow at him, then gave a faint smile "These blazers are actually very good at keeping someone warm." she raised an arm and stared at the sleeve "I wonder if it is something to do with the fabric?" she mused for a moment before returning her attention to the nurse "Aren't you also alone here in the dead of night?" she added on with a hint of amusement "...A bit late for a wander, isn't it?"
Romani flinched ever so slightly, his left hand reaching up and scratching the back of his neck "Couldn't sleep is all…" he honestly replied, looking away from her "...Trouble sleeping."
"Why?" Akeno asked, then raised her right hand and covered her mouth with the back of it as if pulled straight from a soap opera "Don't tell me…a guilty conscience!?"
Romani huffed in response, managing to give her a flat look before his expression fell, he raised his hand up and rubbed the bridge of his nose "Just…nightmares is all." shaking his head, he frowned slightly at her "More than that, you never answered why you are out here." he realised "It's still dangerous, I'm an adult so I can…" he trailed off "...It's less dangerous for me. Probably."
Akeno raised an eyebrow "Probably." Her expression was a mixture of incredulity and bafflement, as if unsure why he would admit it. Closing her eyes, she gave a gentle smile "That aside, I do take some walks around town late at night at times." she replied to him, opening her eyes again "It can be quite peaceful."
"...That so?" Romani muttered, from his personal experience so far he could hardly say that his night here had been anything along the lines of peaceful. He dismissed the thought and looked back towards Akeno with what he assumed was a stern face, although his puffy red eyes and dishevelled hair likely damaged the image considerably. Contrary to what he was trying to accomplish, it would appear that the young girl was more concerned about his safety than her own "Anyway, you shouldn't be going out by yourself. Who knows what sort of people are out around this time."
"People like yourself perhaps?"
"Ye-no!" Romani whined, shaking his head and sniffling "If only…" he frowned, looking around "You should probably be going home now and try to cut down on late night walks." he pulled his sleeve back to look at his watch before he remembered that he hadn't brought his watch with him. Closing his eyes, he exhaled before sliding the sleeve back and looking down at the shorter girl "I'm going to assume you live close by?"
Akeno raised an eyebrow at him, her expression shifting into intrigue. "I do…"
"Would you like me to walk you home?"
Her other eyebrow rose to join its counterpart "Ara?" she chuckled lightly "Offering to walk a student home late at night? What would people think if they saw us?"
"Huh?" Romani squinted at her in confusion for a few moments before his eyes widened and he choked on air "W-wait-! No! No that's-I'm just worried is all! I'm not trying to be a creep! I'm really not-"
He was cut off by Akeno covering her mouth with the back of her hand once again and giving a rather loud laugh of amusement at his obvious panic, her eyes gleaming with glee as she watched the way he squirmed "I know, I know…" she managed to get out between giggles "I was right though. You do make a very amusing face when you're panicked."
Romani slumped his shoulders at her "...I'm being picked on by students now?" he muttered to himself, his troubles briefly forgotten.
"Still, anyone who our lovely Koneko speaks highly of can't be too bad a character." Akeno added on, lowering her hand from in front of her mouth "She has…how shall we say a sixth sense when it comes to finding rather disreputable characters." she smiled at some hidden joke.
"She probably speaks highly of my snacks, is what you mean." Romani snarked back without any heat and a half smile.
Akeno didn't deny it, instead offering a harmless shrug "For her the two are very close."
"Hmmm." Romani merely hummed in response "Well then-"
"I will be fine getting home." Akeno assured him, still seeing the worry on his face "I'm quite a bit more capable of taking care of myself, you know?"
The man still looked unsure, then felt a yawn building up in the back of his throat as he closed his eyes and covered his mouth as it threatened to escape "D-dear me…"
"Someone is tired." Akeno pointed out with a wry smile "You should probably head home before you fall asleep on a bench." she gestured to the bench close by as a point of reference "I can't imagine you getting a good night's sleep like that."
"Heh…probably not getting one anyway." Romani muttered under his breath, shaking his head and exhaling "...I really should make sure you get bac-"
"I will be fine." Akeno replied, it might have been a trick of the light but Romani could swear that for a second her eyes seemed to glow. Romani felt something strange wash over him, as if he had suddenly been hit in the face with a cold wind before his eyelids drooped slightly.
'Well, if she says she'll be fine. She'll be fine.' Romani thought to himself idly for a few moments, blinking once before he shook his head and gave her a strained smile "Well…good night then. Hope you get back safe."
"Same to you, Romani-sensei."
"Not a teacher." Romani corrected on instinct as he turned away from her, slowly starting to make his way out of the park. He couldn't wait to get back to his bed and get out of this cold. He hoped he was going to get a good night sleep but he wasn't making any promises.
Akeno kept her eyes on Romani's retreating figure as he departed from the park, her smile slowly dropping into a thin line before she looked back to the spot where Rias had found Issei's body. She had come around to clean up any lingering evidence that foul play had occurred when the outer bounded field around the park had been tripped.
At first she had suspected that it was the Fallen coming back to make sure that Issei had been killed, however when she determined who had actually entered the park. She was more curious than anything else. Opting to hide herself away and watch him from the shadows. Sona had been kind enough to inform Rias of Romani's potential encounter with a Stray Devil and his subsequent recuse and or slaying of said stray.
She herself was dubious about the possibility of Romani being a spy or talented mage, as was Rias. Indeed as was Sona. The reality of the situation was that it was far more likely that a stray magician or other third party had happened upon the Stray attacking the nurse and opted to save him and drop him off somewhere.
Whether or not he retained any memories wasn't something she could be sure of.
Then when he came strolling into the park and subsequently broke down in tears it was rather hard to watch. Quite why wasn't known to her either, it could have been because he knew what occurred here and was feeling guilty but he almost looked relieved to find nothing before he started to cry.
That was when she had taken the risk to approach him, to judge his reactions.
He didn't seem all that different from how he usually was, only this time looking a bit more vulnerable than usual. She had tried her best to keep her little sadistic side under control while she was talking to him, surprisingly finding it very easy to do so as well. Kicking Romani while he was down had all the appeal of kicking a puppy.
Despite the fact that he did have a very amusing crying face.
All in all, it was entirely possible that the nurse had come here simply to tire himself out but that wouldn't explain the breakdown. It meant that there was something to keep an eye on around Romani for the time being, at least until they could be sure there was nothing wrong with him or suspicious about him.
Memory removing magic was always something that depended on the mental willpower of the person it was being used on and the caster themselves. The slightest miscalculation could mean that not all the memories had been removed, therefore it could mean Romani was the victim of a shoddy spell designed to remove his memories of the stray devil which was leading him to having nightmares all of which culminated in him coming to the park to let it all out.
It was certainly possible, not something she could dismiss.
However the timing of his arrival was certainly peculiar as well. Coming to the park scant hours after Issei had been slain and she had spent the time breaking down the hastily made bounded field that the Fallen had made around the park?
Curious.
Either way, she would most definitely inform Rias of this situation when she returned. The nurse might have a slight glimmer of interest to him after all. Turning away, she quietly stepped back into the shadows and allowed the teleportation spell to carry her away and back to the clubhouse. She could inform Rias while the President healed Issei, then they could decide what they should do next.
Romani was right.
He hadn't gotten much sleep at all, suffice to say he probably looked as dreadful as he felt. The glances he got from some of the students as he passed by them as he approached the front of the school was evidence enough to his rather out of sorts appearance.
There was little he could do, even the morning cup of coffee he had gotten from Leo hadn't been able to wake him up nearly enough. She was similarly concerned for him and had made him swear to get an early night to try and make up for his lack of sleep.
She probably had the right of it as well. He wasn't going to be helping anyone looking like this and he was liable to fall asleep in the office during working hours. The very last thing he needed was Sona or the other members of the student council stumbling in on him looking like that. His general work ethic was bad enough without them thinking he liked to sleep on the job.
Well he took naps at times but nothing lasting longer than ten minutes.
As he passed by the students, his ears twitched slightly as he eavesdropped on some of the conversations.
"-saying it's a gas leak-"
"-those buildings are really old though, makes sense-"
"-got woken up by this huge bang!"
He should have suspected that the gossip of the day would be about the gas explosion over the weekend. Then again, Kuoh wasn't really a very exciting town for this sort of stuff so when it did happen it was usually all students talked about. It had previously been about the disappearances but had now moved onto gas leaks.
For some strange reason, the location of the gas leak was something he didn't want to think about. He tried to picture the apartment but his mind kept warning him away from thinking about it. His hands would get sweaty and his nerves would act him.
Between freaky bodily reactions to the news and his nightmares, it just wasn't Romani's day today.
"You're alive!"
"Huh?" Romani jolted in surprise at the sudden shout in his face, blinking and stumbling backwards before managing to catch himself. He blinked several more times before he found the origin of the rather loud shout, then squinted at her before he let out a self-deprecating laugh "I don't look that bad, do I?"
Ruruko Nimura paused ever so slightly before she gave a nervous laugh "No…?" she winced when Romani slumped his shoulders with an even more downtrodden look on his face. She frowned at him before leaning forwards and looking up at his face, scrunching up her own expression in worry "Did you get enough sleep?"
"Not at all." Romani replied tiredly as he rubbed his eyes, blinking profusely as he tried to snap himself back into focus "I need a coffee…"
"You look like you need the entire bag."
Romani snorted "Probably." he admitted with a wry smile before shaking his head and looking down "So how was your weekend?" he asked as he started to walk forwards again, Ruruko falling into step beside him "Take it you also heard the big explosion?"
Ruruko paused for a moment before she nodded her head "Yep!" she replied with a rather curious look on her face "What about you?"
Romani's expression turned sheepish. "Ah…yes…I might have missed that."
"Missed it?" Ruruko raised an eyebrow and gave him a suspicious glance "How did you manage that?"
"I tripped on an uneven sidewalk and knocked myself out." He answered honestly, expecting some manner of laughter but instead was met with eerie silence. Looking out of the corner of his eye, he saw the smaller twin tailed girl giving him a peculiar look.
"...Really?"
"Yeah…" Romani muttered with a nod of the head, another yawn breaking free from his throat as he continued onwards "It really wasn't my weekend."
"Hmmm." Ruruko merely hummed at him in response, looking away and seemingly off into the distance "Alright then."
"...So how was your weekend, Nimura-san?"
"Ah! Rather exciting!" She exclaimed before she frowned "Well not really actually…" The excitement in her voice died off and her frown morphed into a pout. "We were all pumped up to do something but it sort of slipped away from us and caused a big mess."
"I'm sure you'll-" Another yawn "-Sure you'll sort it out…Student council are nothing if not determined." he praised with a tired look in his eyes "But I'll help if you ask?"
Ruruko gave him a dubious look but said nothing more.
"...Alright, I probably wouldn't be much help." Romani added on after a few moments as they entered the school, Romani singing in at the reception and already moving through the corridors once again "But it's the thought that counts…right?"
"You should probably be more worried about yourself right now, Romani-sensei." Ruruko pointed out, nodding to him with a frown "You look like you're about to fall asleep standing up."
"Would it be terribly embarrassing if I asked you to catch me if that happens?"
Ruruko laughed at him, shaking her head "Don't worry Romani-sensei. It wouldn't be embarrassing for you."
Romani sent her a defeated look out of the corner of his eye "Somehow that makes it worse…"
As he came to a stop in front of his office, his hand went into his coat pocket and withdrew the key. Unlocking the door he walked in and took his bag off his shoulders and then placed it on the ground, slipping off his coat and hanging it up on the pegs just on the wall to the side of the door before he turned to Ruruko "You should probably get back to inspection, Nimura-san." he reminded her with a half-smile "Shitori-san will probably be a little upset if you aren't there."
Ruruko froze as if she had just realised that fact the exclamation of "Oh, damn!" which soon followed all but confirmed that in his head. "See you later, Romani-sensei!" she waved to him before she paused, turning back to face him. "Also Kaichou has said that the student council has to correct you whenever you don't call her Kaichou."
Romani scrunched his brows "...Does she want my little finger if I don't?"
Ruruko snorted, covering her mouth with her hands and staring at him in surprise.
"Please don't tell her I said that." Romani then begged with a desperate expression "I lose my filter when I haven't had enough sleep!"
"You have a filter?" Ruruko couldn't help but ask between giggles, enjoying the way in which Romani seemed to slump once again before she shook her head and speed walked down the hallway, giving him a final farewell via a wave.
Romani exhaled, turning back to the pegs and taking off his nurse's coat before sliding the door shut and the white coat on. He moved back towards his desk and sat down in his chair, his eyes flickering slightly as they struggled to remain open.
He probably would need that coffee.
Those were his final thoughts before he fell forwards, his head thudding as it hit the desk and then lay there. The nurse falling fast asleep, gentle snoring soon filled the room as the nurse managed to get some shut-eye.
"Romani-sensei!" The desperate cry was accompanied by the sliding door leading to the nurses office being rather violently flung open with such force that it rattled. The sudden loud noise succeeded in waking the sole occupant in the room,
"Bwah!" Romani let out a cry, falling backwards and off his chair onto his backside, wincing at the sharp pain of hitting the hard floor and scrunching his eyes shut. As he shook his head he blearily looked towards the door and squinted at the figure now standing there, leaning against the doorway with their hands either side and breathing heavily. "Hyoudou-kun?" Romani muttered in confusion before his eyes flew wide and he surged to his feet "Hyoudou-kun!"
Relief surged through Romani's body, whatever poor emotions had been gripping him vanished in a heartbeat when he saw that the boy was standing there. Breathing and fully alive as opposed to the horrible visions he had been having. It meant that he was just stupidly paranoid when it came to Issei's safety and there really was nothing he had to worry about.
Those feelings were short lived when he noticed the expression on Issei's face, it was downright broken bordering on desperation. The boy looked almost as bad as he did, sweat was dripping down his brow and his light brown hair - which was normally messy on the best of days - looked as though it had been put through a tornado. Hazel eyes were fixed upon him with what could only be described as the final hope of a man crawling through a desert and believing they had spied an oasis.
"Tell me you remember her Romani-sensei!" Issei all but begged as he stumbled into the room, Romani's expression turned bewildered as he stared at him.
"Wha-"
"Please." Issei pleaded again, closing the distance and grabbing Romani's arms tightly, the nurse found himself surprised by just how strong Issei appeared to be. He hadn't known that the boy had this sort of grip on him. "N-no one else remembers her! Not even Mastuda and Motohama and I know, I just know that I showed her around to them…" he rambled on, his voice becoming more broken "T-then I remembered I took her to meet you and Lev-sensei but he just stared at me before dismissing it-"
Romani blinked. That didn't sound like Lev to him.
"Then there was you…" Issei carried on, oblivious to Romani's inner turmoil "Yo-you even gave me advice on the date."
Romani opened his mouth to reply and came up blank, his eyes became hazy and distant as if something was blocking his mind. He gave Issei advice.
He just couldn't remember why he gave Issei advice, it was something that he asked the boy not to discuss. Romani hissed, feeling a headache run through his head as he forced himself to try and recall any details as to what Issei was talking about. Because deep down, he just knew there was something important he had to remember.
His nightmares were of Issei being killed by some girl but why would Issei be with a girl in the first place?
That part didn't make any sense to him.
"Romani-sensei?" He distantly heard Issei's voice, it was tinged with worry and he felt the grip on his arms lessen enough for him to stagger back. Still clutching his head with his eyes tightly shut and his teeth gritted. "H-hey, Romani-sensei? Are you alright?! You look terrible!"
Romani would have agreed with him if he had been able to see his present condition, his face was starting to drip with sweat and heat up as he exerted more pressure in trying to remember.
"Advice…" Romani managed to get out "Y-yes…advice on a date…" Issei's expression shifted, as if daring to hope. "You…she was…dark haired…"
"Yes!" Issei nodded his head vigorously "Yes! She was real!" He stepped closer to Romani but held his hands at a distance, almost afraid to touch him "Her name was Amano Yuuma! Do you remember her?" he asked more frantically "You do, right!?"
"...Red…blazer." Romani muttered out, then let out a gasp as he fell backwards, slamming against the wall and sliding down it, breathing heavily as the information flooded back into his mind. He stared up at Issei with wide eyes, the two of them staring at each other with equal looks of bafflement "Y-yes…Amano Yuuma!" Romani nodded his head as Issei's face formed into a smile that threatened to split his mouth open, hints of tears building up in the corners of his eyes. "Her name was Amano Yuuma! You showed her around to your friends."
The information just kept pouring forth from Romani's mouth "I caught sight of your date yesterday! You went into a cafe!"
"Ye-!" Issei nodded his head before the words caught up "Wait, you saw? You were there?"
"J-just for the cafe bit." Romani nodded his head further on, furrowing his brows slightly "I was there with Leo you just walked in."
"Right, right…" Issei nodded his head before he sniffled "I'm…I'm not crazy! She was real!" he dropped to his knees in relief, a mad laugh rippling out from his throat "I'm not mad, I didn't make her up!" his laughter died off before his expression became more disturbed, he looked down at his chest and started to pat himself down "W-wait then…does that…wait…"
Romani pressed his right palm against his forehead and winced at the splitting headache he was now on the receiving end of. If nothing else he was awake now.
"Then why did she…how am I…" Issei continued to mutter out, his face cycling through a litany of emotions ranging from disbelief, shock and then finally to confusion mixed with fear "How am I alive then?"
"Wh-what?" Romani lowered his hand away from his head and stared at the young boy in confusion "What…erm…" he swallowed uneasily, not able to help the deep sense of foreboding that was building up inside him.
Issei jolted, seemingly remembering that Romani was in the room, he stared at the man with a troubled look in his eyes before they darted away to the wall "R-Romani-sensei…you don't think I'm crazy, right?"
Romani slowly shook his head "No…a little hyperactive." He attempted a joke that neither of them laughed at "Not crazy…"
"R-right…" Issei nodded his head "I…when I finished my date with Yuuma-chan." he swallowed thickly, his expression turned sickly as if he couldn't even contemplate the words "I think that-"
'Don't say it.' Romani's mind all but begged.
"-when we went to the park-"
'Please don't say it.'
"-she…" Issei trailed off, closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath before he looked the nurse in the eyes, vulnerable emerald met terrified hazel "...I think she killed me."
Romani was sure that if he was hooked up to a heart monitor, he would be hearing the distinct ringing of a flatline.
From Issei's perspective Romani froze up, his pupils dilating and his skin going a deathly pale white.
"I-I know how it sounds!" Issei went on, raising his hands and scrunching his face up "B-but I remember her…she…" he gestured to his chest, pressing his hands tightly against his body "But I'm right here! I remember it hurt like hell and suddenly…I'm in my bed and no one knows anything!"
Romani wasn't actually in a state to be listening to Issei at that point, still blankly staring at the boy as he moved his arms around and explained his situation in a panicked fashion. All Romani could hear were muffled noises and a faint ringing as Issei's words played in repeat in his head.
She killed me.
She killed me.
She killed me.
She killed me.
She killed me.
"Would you die for me?" She asks in a sweet voice as she drives the weapon forwards, its so bright that it hurts to look at, until it buries itself in Issei's gut and is covered in blood, dimming the brightness considerably but is replaced by the hissing sound of meat being cooked-
"Romani-sensei!"
The man shrank back into the wall, recoiling from Issei's touch and breathing heavily. He looked towards the boy and saw that Issei was staring at him with wide eyes. The nurse was breathing heavily and looking more akin to a frightened animal than anything else.
"Are you alright Romani-sensei?" He asked with clear concern.
"M-me?" Romani repeated incredulously "Wh-what about you?" he sputtered out in shock, unable to process the question "Y-you said that she-"
The bell rang before either of them could continue the conversation, they both looked upwards towards the bell with Issei blanching "I'm gonna be late for Homeroom!" he exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet, then paused when Romani grabbed his left arm by the wrist and held him in place.
"You…" Romani began, then swallowed thickly before he slowly released the boy "...We should…speak more at lunch." he got out with a shaky breath. Issei nodded his head in response, a small and rather pitiful smile came to the boy's face.
"Yeah…" Issei replied as he walked towards the door, then paused and looked over his shoulder towards the nurse "...Thanks for remembering her, Romani-sensei." he spoke before he disappeared down the hallway, off to his next class. Making sure to close the door behind himself as he did so.
Romani was still leaning against the wall, breathing heavily before he slumped down and felt that horrible feeling of guilt surge through him once again. Confusion, terror, guilt and so many other emotions poured into him.
His nightmare had come true according to Issei.
Which meant it wasn't a nightmare.
He drew his legs tightly to his body and wrapped his arms around them, hugging them inwards and burying his face into his knees. Only the sound of his quiet muffled whimpers echoed throughout the room once again.
Sona approached the nurses office with practised grace as she had done a hundred times before.
It was currently recess after the end of the first two periods and there was something she would need to check up upon. Her own misgivings about the way Hyoudou Issei's situation had been handled aside - namely a boy ranting about the Fallen who had been here to days ago in the middle of the school yard - for the time being, the issue of Romani Archaman was growing to be a peculiar one.
The man had been at the school for a decent amount of time, she remembered his first day, so he had assumed that by this point in time she would have had a solid grasp about him. Or so she would have thought, the last few days had certainly put a bizarre smudge on an otherwise flawless record.
Flawless in the sense he had zero dealings with the supernatural side of things in Kuoh, at least to her knowledge. That was the crux of the matter. To her knowledge he had no dealings with the mystic side of the world and yet in the last few days he had been to several sites of interest.
The killing of a Stray devil, the location of Issei Hyoudou's murder.
Sona had been quite dumbfounded when she heard of that and had made a rather strongly worded message to Rias about what 'under control' actually meant and how it didn't involve a murder in a park. To Rias' credit, she had been as flabbergasted by the sudden turn of events as she had. A Fallen going into devil territory and killing a sacred gear holder wasn't something that was exactly common.
Recruitment? Absolutely and that was what Rias had been preparing for. Then again, Rias had always had some freakish form of luck when it came to stumbling across the half dead in need of saving. Well, it was lucky for Rias, less lucky for those who had been put into that position in the first place.
Returning to the issue of Romani, the matter with the stray devil could be easily dismissed as wrong place at the wrong time. Going to the park on that particular night at that time? That was something more than coincidence. Either Romani was down right dreadful when it came to timing or there was more at work here.
And she was going to find out what.
Rias had her hands full with her newest addition of her peerage and she could trust Tsubaki to handle Genshirou's responsibilities until she returned.
She stopped in front of the nurses office, reaching out towards the hand, she tensed herself before sliding the door open.
Whatever she was going to say died on the tip of her tongue as she spied the one occupant in the room. Her mouth was slightly agape and her brows were raised in surprise.
Romani was certainly in there, if in body but perhaps not mind. He was sat in his swivel chair and slumped with such atrocious posture. His eyes were puffy and red and he had faint water stains on his cheeks where he had clearly been crying recently, to say nothing of the dark bags that were also under his eyes.
Ruruko had said that the man looked rather unhealthy this morning but she hadn't been expecting anything at all like this.
"H-hmm?" Romani grunted, zoning in on her and giving a subtle nod of the head and managing to give her as much of a smile as he could muster "Morning Shitori-san."
"...Kaichou." She corrected him without any sternness in her voice as she stepped in, giving him a wary look as she examined him up and down. "Nurse Archaman, you seem…unwell."
"...Yeah." Romani replied back in a quiet voice, lacking any strength to even deny the accusation, he managed to drag himself up in his chair, sniffling and rubbing his sleeve over his face as he did so "I…erm…I didn't forget any paperwork, did I?" he asked in a faintly worried voice as he turned towards his desk with an unfocused gaze "I just…had a pretty rough weekend is all." he explained away.
"I…see." Sona replied slowly as she stepped closer "And no…you did not forget any paperwork. You have not received any to forget."
"Ah…" The man paused, then slowly nodded his head "Th-that's good…that's good." he reached out towards the untouched mug of coffee on his desk. Sona could already see that it had been left there long enough to go cold. Romani brought the cold coffee up to his lips and took a rather large gulp of it. Then shuddered slightly and made a retching sound before he stared at it in slight confusion, he looked up at the clock on the wall next, blinking at it "Oh, so that's the time…" he muttered quietly as he set the cup back down.
"Nurse Archaman-"
"Ah, right…" Romani turned towards her, swivelling his chair and looking at her with a dishevelled expression "What can I do for you, Shitori-san? You aren't hurt are you?"
Sona's brows raised at him "Your current situation appears to be far more pressing than mine." she politely but firmly informed him while looking him up and down "Quite frankly - Nurse Archaman - you are…unpresentable."
Romani stared at her, then looked down at himself and noted that his coat was on slightly crooked and his pale green shirt was slightly untucked, his right hand slowly rose up to his hair and touched it, wincing as he wasted no time in finding parts of his hair that were wildly sticking up in all directions before he slowly lowered his hand. "...Sorry."
"Yes…a rough weekend." Sona idly commented as she stared at him closer, raising her left hand and adjusting her glasses "As it stands in this condition, you would hardly be able to aid any student who came in here with a serious injury." Romani flinched at the blunt declaration, Sona stared at him before her eyes softened slightly "You know I am right, Nurse Archaman."
"...Yeah." Romani nodded his head, giving a quiet affirmation "Just…a lot on my mind right now."
"Such as?"
Romani paused for a moment, his eyes flickered to her with uncertainty written across his face before he seemingly decided upon something "...Nightmares is all." he replied easily, Sona furrowed her brows slightly "Kept me awake all night." he gave her a strained smile "Barely a wink of sleep, you know?"
"...I confess I do not know. I have not had nightmares in many, many years."
Romani gave quiet huff of amusement "Your nightmares probably consist of improperly filled out paperwork." he joked, despite herself Sona gave him a half smile.
"Staff negligent of their own well being are also a problem." Sona politely reminded him in good faith before she shook her head "...Will this be an ongoing problem for you?"
Romani thinned his lips "...I don't know." he replied honestly, leaning back into his chair and letting loose a long and pained breath "I really don't know."
"I have heard that warm baths followed by light exercise before bed can improve your sleeping habits and reduce the risk of nightmares." Sona offered with thinned lips "Perhaps you should consider such an approach in the future?"
"...Yeah…maybe." He gave a light smile "Thanks, Shitori-san."
"Kaichou." She corrected on instinct before she decided to press on "Nimura told me that you fell over during the weekend."
"Ah, you heard about that." Romani muttered, giving a nod of the head "Turns out I did it while the gas leak was going on." he sighed "Lev said he found me passed out next to an uneven sidewalk when he was going home for his shopping." he man reached up, rubbing his face "Tripped over my own two feet."
"And that was it?"
"That's all I remember." Romani muttered, giving a shrug of the shoulders "...Was there something else you needed?"
Sona stared at him for a few moments more "...No. I believe that was everything." she nodded towards one of the spare beds "I would recommend you use the rest of the recess to take a nap and when you wake, ensure you have a warm cup of coffee to revitalise you." she informed him as she turned for the door again and opened it up "It would not do for you to be unable to help the students, would it?"
"...Thanks, Shitori-san."
"Oh, on to another topic. I have been getting some reports of Hyoudou Issei running around the school asking about a mysterious girl that he claims to have brought here." Sona suddenly stated as she turned around, just as she opened the door and stared at Romani's surprised face "He claims she was his girlfriend. Has he come to you?"
Romani nodded his head "He came round at the start of the day…yeah." he remained silent for a moment longer before he furrowed his brow "Issei having a girlfriend seems like the sort of thing people would remember…right?"
"Naturally." Sona nodded her head before she sighed "His delusions might be getting out of control if he is experiencing lucid dreams now. I suspect you told him as such."
"Yeah…" Romani rubbed his eyes "Would seem like a weird thing to forget."
"Quite so." She paused, "Have a good day, Romani Archaman."
"You too, Shitori-san." He waved to her as she closed the doors. Romani stared at them for a few moments before his lips thinned.
Sona hadn't been expecting the man to look like such a mess. Worse than a mess, he was almost pathetic to look at. Not in a disgusting way but akin to a wounded animal one would find in a shelter. He hardly fit the bill of a highly skilled spy, more like a man who was having genuine nightmares.
That being said, she noted his rather vague answers in response to her questions about Hyoudou and the Fallen. He was probing her to see how she'd answer. Which meant he either suspected Hyoudou wasn't quite as delusional as he appeared to be, or he remembered the Fallen and was seeing if anyone else did.
It did prove that he wasn't that well affiliated then, considering that he seemed taken aback by the loss of memories in regards to the Fallen. Such spells were the most widely used ones in the mystic world. Not something someone could simply overlook.
For the time being though, she would still keep one eye on the nurse to see if he was truly involved or if he was just a very unlucky bystander.
Romani slid the door closed as Issei entered, the boy had immediately come to him at the start of lunch.
"Over there…" Romani nodded to the spare bed, then went over to his drawer, slid it open, pulled out a bottle of orange juice and handed it to the teenager. Issei blinked at the juice and then raised an eyebrow at the man. "Ice packs."
Issei did a double take "Aren't those for injuries?"
"It was the one I used for my headache earlier." Romani replied honestly as he slumped into his chair, staring off at nothing "...Been a rough day."
"Yeah…" Issei nodded his head in response as he unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the chilled bottle "It might be weird to ask this but…are you alright, Romani-sensei?"
Romani remained silent for a few moments before he slowly shook his head "...Not really." he sniffed once before turning his head slowly to Issei "But this is about you, not me." he swivelled his chair to face the boy "So…no one else remembers her?"
Issei shook his head "No one I spoke to did…what about you?"
"I asked around to see if anyone had ever heard of the girl you were talking about." Romani replied, then shook his head "Nothing."
"But we both remember her though…" Issei replied with a troubled frown "That doesn't make any sense!" he growled, rubbing his forehead with his left hand "You spoke with her! I watched her speak with other people so…how come no one remembers her?"
"I don't know…" Romani replied with an honest shrug and a slightly worried voice "I…really don't know, Hyoudou-kun."
"You can call me Issei, you know?"
"...Fair enough, Issei-kun." Romani corrected with a flicker of a smile before it vanished "...So how are you holding up?"
"...I'm just…I don't get any of it, Romani-sensei." Issei replied in a quiet voice, appearing to be the young child he actually was. "It just doesn't make any sense to me…the date went really well so I just…why would she try to kill me and how am I here?" he looked up "Did that even happen?"
Romani shrugged his shoulders "I don't know…You said the park, yeah?"
"Yeah…we went to the park." Issei nodded "And she…she asked if I would-"
"Die for her?"
"Ye-" Issei paused, his eyes going wide "H-how did you know that?"
Romani looked at him with hollow eyes and a broken smile "...I really don't know." he truthfully admitted "I've…I've been having nightmares for the past few days and they…they all ended with you…" he cut himself off, swallowing heavily "In the park and no matter how much I tried to shut them out I just…just kept seeing…" he cut himself off, raising a hand in front of his mouth and clenching it into a fist as he tightly shut his eyes.
"R-Romani-sensei?"
"S-sorry…bit embarrassing there." Romani huffed out with a fake chuckle "I just kept seeing you lying there in a puddle so I went to the park last night…"
Issei was watching him with rapt attention "A-and?"
"...Nothing." Romani exhaled, the boy blinked in response "There wasn't anything there. No blood…nothing." he rubbed his brows "It was just an empty park in the dead of night."
"But…But I was stabbed there…" Issei replied in a shaky voice "I-I remember bleeding out on the ground and…there should have been something, right?"
"I…I don't know…"
Issei exhaled, taking another sip of the orange juice "I'm…I'm going back to the park after school."
"Issei-"
"I just-" Issei raised his hand, cutting off Romani and giving him a desperate look "I need to see it…Romani-sensei. I need to see where it happened…"
Romani's jaw quivered slightly before he nodded his head once "A-alright…"
"...Can…" Issei swallowed his words for a moment. "Can you come with me…?"
Romani slowly nodded his head "Yeah…" the man replied, leaning back into his chair before he turned towards his drawer once again "...I've got a couple muffins in here if you want some."
"Really?" Issei smiled slightly at him "Thanks…"
Romani made for the drawer and then slid it open, his expression promptly falling as he stared at the empty muffin wrappers there with a few crumbs.
"They were there this morning though…" Romani muttered "How did…" his voice trailed off and he released a long sigh, closing his eyes. He had been asleep during recess and into the fourth period. Which would give plenty of time for one white haired young girl to sneak in and steal them.
She at least did him the courtesy of leaving one behind.
He opened his eyes again and turned to Issei, giving him a half shrug "...I can give you half a muffin."
Issei snorted in such a way only a tired person could. "Thanks, Romani-sensei."
"...You can call me Roman-sensei if you want."
"...Okay, Roman-sensei."
"...Still not a teacher though."
"That's alright." Issei assured him with a half smile "...None of them believed me anyway."
The pair of them remained there until the end of lunch, Issei swiftly departed but both of them had a plan in mind.
Whether or not they found any answers didn't matter too much, Romani just wanted-
His eyes burned again, he hissed and clamped a hand over them.
"A stray and a human?" The tall man in the fedora mused with a tilt of the head before his eyes narrowed "I didn't know that your kind kept pets, little stray. Perhaps you fatten him up like a chicken to consume later."
The man shrugged, his left hand flashed and a glowing spear of light manifested in his palm, his fingers wrapped around it and tightly gripped it.
"No matter…I will put you both out of your misery here and now!"
He hurls the spear forwards.
Issei is much too slow to react and it's in his hands what happens, Romani roughly shoves the young man to the side and watches in almost slow motion as the spear rockets towards his side.
There's nothing he can do to dodge it.
He watches as the tip comes to within a foot of his body-
He abruptly jerked back, Romani stumbled back into the office and fell back onto his desk. His hands clenched against the side as if they were vices. The man was panting with wide eyes the entire time.
"W-wha…"
What was that, went the unasked question and why did going to that park bring about such foreboding.
AN: Who would have guessed being able to see the future was such a horrible thing, eh?
Anyway!
Happy Halloween!