Chapter 43: The Night Before the Birthday
They all went to the cemetery drop by at Tero's home.
"Wow! You really live in the cemetery," Ana exclaimed.
"Make yourself home," Tero said as he walked to the kitchen. "I will make some dinner."
"There is no need" Luka and Ana tried to deny Tero's offer.
"Please, I insist."
"Do you even know how to cook?" Luka teased.
"I do, and I have been cooking for months now."
'I forgot about that. Damn you, Tero.' Luka cursed.
"Tero, how about me, Liz, and your girlfriend make dinner?" Ana suggested.
"Umm…" Tero glanced at Luka.
"Whatever,"
"I don't mind, but.." Tero then looked at Rina, "Will you be okay, Rina?"
"Yeah," she nodded.
"Nice! Let's go, Liz,"
Ana, Liz, and Rina went to the kitchen to make dinner.
Luka sat on the sofa and glanced around, "This house is small, but it should be enough for two people."
"Yeah, it's more than enough,"
The house was so compact— though it was originally built for only one person— the caretaker of this cemetery who died a year ago.
"Be grateful that you are getting to eat my girlfriend's handmade cooking," Luka said in a haughty tone.
Nero shook his head and sighed, "You really have an arrogant personality."
"Anyway," Luka fixed his position, then looked at Tero, "Why are you suddenly moving out of the city?"
"Well," Tero glanced at Rina, who was making the dinner in the kitchen, "I want to start a new life with her."
"You can do that here too, in this city. And… we are here too, so we can help you out in need,"
"Yeah, we can. But this city is cursed, and it's very dangerous."
"What do you mean?" Luka asked with a confused— yet calm look on his face.
"This city has been a hotspot for all the great monsters, you know?"
Luka raised his eyebrows and gasped lightly, "Are you referring to the demon apocalypse of 18 years ago?"
"Yeah," Tero nodded. "And there is no guarantee that something like that won't happen again,"
Luka pondered for a while, then said in a solemn voice with a serious face, "It may happen again, but I will give my all to save everyone,"
Tero exhaled sharply before saying, "Why are you a good person when it comes to protecting and saving everyone?"
"Well…" Luka thought for a while, then replied, "Because I am an exorcist?"
"Would you still save everyone if you weren't an exorcist?"
"If I am not an exorcist, that means I am just a normal human— and humans can't save themselves for supernatural powers,"
Tero stared at Luka and frowned his face, "How is that any different from you? You are the closest to being a human, and you know that. So why are you still dead set on protecting everyone?"
Luka chuckled and scratched his cheek. "I am not sure, but I just… want to protect everyone, you know? I feel like they don't deserve what they are getting,"
"Then what about you? You don't deserve what 'you' are getting. You deserve more." Tero then sighed, "Seriously, Luka, stop thinking about others before you; stop putting others before yourself— you have a life, so live it instead of wasting it protecting others— it's not worth it."
Luka smiled wryly and uttered, "You know, when I was a kid, I used to get bullied every single day. I had these impure thoughts every day. I blamed everything and everyone— I cursed them— I wished them to die, but…" Luka glanced at Ana and smiled.
"Ana was there for me— she always was, and I want to become someone she can rely on, I want to become something she can be proud of— and that's why I want to be a great exorcist,"
"I am sure Captain Ana has never thought of it that way. She loves you for who you are,"
"And what I might become," Luka added.
"I don't want to become someone she would hate." Luka smiled distantly, "I am just scared of losing her again."
"Luka," Tero patted Luka's shoulder and said with a bitter smile, "You can't save everyone, and you know it,"
'You can't protect everyone.'
'It's impossible. There have always been casualties and sacrifices.'
"Luka? You okay?" Tero shook Luka.
"Huh… yeah. I just… zoned out for a while,"
'What was that? Everything was so blurry and dark,' Luka wondered.
Tero and Luka passed comments on each other and spent the next hour chatting and dissing each other.
"The dinner is almost done," Ana shouted, "Wash your hands, guys!"
There was no dining table, so they all sat on the floor and started eating.
"Wow, it tastes great," Tero praised.
"That's made by Ana," Luka looked at Ana then confirmed, "Right?"
Ana nodded with a flushed face.
"Hmm?! So you have eaten her handmade cooking so many times that you can even tell just by tasting it?" Liz remarked.
Luka jerked his face to look at Liz, only to find her looking back at him with dead eyes.
Luka took a bite from another dish and said, "This is also good. Well done, Liz,"
Liz's eyes turned even more dark as Luka heard, "Uhh.. that's made by me," from Rina.
Luka took a deep breath, then looked at Ana, and Ana just shrugged her shoulders— telling him to deal with Liz all by himself.
Luka opened his mouth to say something, but Liz stopped him and said, "Don't worry. It's not like you have eaten my cooking before, so I don't blame you,"
Luka sighed in relief and continued eating.
As they were eating,
"Brother, can you pass me some water," Rina asked Tero.
"Sure," Tero filled the glass with water and passed it to Rina.
Luka, Ana, and Liz stared at Tero with confused looks on their faces.
"What?" Tero questioned.
"She just called your brother," Anna pointed out.
"Yeah, I mean… we were brother and sister before we started going out,"
"Yes, but now you are going out, so why does she still call you 'brother'?"
Rina raised her hand and said, "He said he likes it when I call him brother when we have sex,"
Luka and Liz choked while Ana looked at Nero with pure disgust on her face.
"No! She is lying!" Tero turned to Rina and panicked, "Rina, don't joke around like that— especially in front of captain Ana,"
"Was that really a joke?" Luka asked suspiciously.
"Of course it was!"
Luka chuckled slightly as he wondered, 'Tero and Rina are the same as Lily and I,'
'But… I don't feel about Lily that way. I do love her but… as a brother.'
Tero tried to divert the topic and spoke, "I heard it's Luka's birthday tomorrow, is it true?"
"WHy and how do you know that?"
"Captain Ana and Liz were talking about it on one of the missions."
"Yup, it's Luka's birthday tomorrow,"
"It's nearly 12 now, so why don't you all stay here for a while? Then we can celebrate your birthday together."
"I am sorry, but I can't," Luka denied.
'Because there is one girl waiting for me at home, and I want her to wish me first,'
Lily has always been the first to wish him a happy birthday, and Luka wanted her to wish him first, this time too.
-- Gift
received