Chương 242: Chapter 242
"It's important that you don't blame yourself, Akeno-sama. Don't blame yourself for the actions of others. Your mother loves you dearly and would never change that for the world, alright?"
"Y-y-y-yes…"
"Come here…"
Aurelia gently pulled the little lass into a hug. She was confident Akeno could pull through this. It was a day of unwanted revelations and realisations. But they were needed nonetheless.
It was unknown how everyone would continue after this, but as long as the knots in their hearts were untied, it would all be well.
.
|DxD|
.
Some time had passed since Shuri's forceful revelation. Akeno was sad, deeply so. The little lass immediately clung onto Shuri the moment she walked through the door.
However, the one who seemed to have it the worst was Igor. His eyes were dead and he seemed listless the entire time. The only one who could gain a reaction out of him was Asia.
The little blonde sensed her brother's sadness and silently hugged him. They sat together on the couch but no further changes occurred. Both blondes were silent while Akeno was crying on Shuri's shoulder. It was a hard pill for either person to swallow, but medicine was needed in order for the body to heal.
Still, it seemed it would take quite some time for Igor to heal. Unlike Akeno, he truly and fully understood the implications of Shuri's words. The woman in front of him would still be Akeno's mother, but she was no longer his aunty.
He could only sit in silence as Akeno let out her grief. Shuri truly was a mother to Akeno. She gently squashed Akeno's stuttered mutters that everything was her fault. The Himejima were the ones at fault, not her.
It took a long time for Shuri to finally coax Akeno into a peacefull sleep. She eventually took Akeno upstairs where she laid her on the bed. When she came back down, it was time to address Igor's matter.
He was like a zombie with a completely expressionless face. His blue eyes no longer had their usual lustre and his skin seemed to have gotten paler…more lifeless. As she stood at the entrance to the living room, she silently debated if what she did truly was the best course of action.
[Perhaps I shouldn't have?]
Her eyes flickered to Aurelia who was standing at the corner of the room. The silverette was looking at her with a complicated gaze. Shuri was not sure if Aurelia was mad at her or not, but she wouldn't be surprised if she was.
"Dimor-"
"Don't force yourself. You can call me by my name. While we're on that, what do I call you?"
His listless gaze slowly turned towards her. His eyes were hollow…and it worried her.
"Do I call you sister? Do I call you Shuri?"
"..."
Shuri would've preferred if he asked with some snark. Instead, what he was asking was a genuine question. Because he…he didn't look at her like he did before. No longer was she his aunty. He looked at her like an unfamiliar person.
"I…you can still call me aunty, Di…Igor."
"..."
Slowly, Igor began shaking his head repeatedly.
"No. I can't. Aunty…"
He began to shake his head more vigorously.
"Aunty is…"
For a brief moment, his eyes turned red. His expression morphed into a snarl before Asia silently gave him a squeeze. Her touch brought him back from the madness that almost took over.
"I'm here, big brother."
"..."
The two siblings looked into each other's eyes before for the first time, a small smile formed on Igor's face.
"Thank you, Asia."
She laid her head on his chest once more. Her ear was pressed directly above his heart while her hands sneaked around his chest. It was not a lie to say that Asia's presence was the only thing keeping him grounded.
His chaotic thoughts were purged. His mind came back into focus and he could continue the previous conversation. He turned to look at Shuri once more. He felt a pang in his heart when he took in the sight of her.
He previously ignored it, but this woman wasn't his aunt. His aunt died that day. This woman may have inherited the traits of his aunty, but she wasn't his aunt. She never would be.
"What do I call you?"
"..."
Shuri regretted it. She regretted forcing him to move on. There was no longer warmth in those eyes anymore.
"You can call me…Shuri."
"I see…"
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The moment Igor replied, he turned to face outside the window once more. No one said anything further. No one knew how to continue such a sensitive topic.
As the target of this uncomfortable silence, no one could tell what was going on through Igor's mind. There was no rage, no sadness, or anything.
Aurelia wanted to say something but didn't even know where to begin. She couldn't even bring herself to comfort him because…she advised Shuri to do this. She was so narrow-minded that she failed to consider how deeply affected he would be.
[Please be strong, Igor.]
She couldn't bring herself to comfort him out of guilt, but she hoped he would make it through this.
[If only-]
Her thoughts were cut off when Igor suddenly stood up. His torn clothes hung off him like the rags they were, yet he cared not for his appearance.
"I need some time alone."
He didn't look at anyone.
"Shuri. Thank you for opening my eyes, but I will need time to accept this."
His voice was hollow without any emotions. He spoke like he was a businessman assigning tasks to employees.
"Asia. I will trust you to take care of Akeno. She'll need all the support she can get."
He gently ruffled her hair, imprisoning her objections in her throat. Asia didn't want him to leave, but she understood his desire.
"Okay…big brother."
"Thank you. Aurelia. If Lucifer asks, tell him I'll meet him at the Gremory Manor on the fourth. I'll arrive around the evening. And…tell Souji that I'll have to cancel our training session."
A faint mock of a smile formed when he spoke of the knight.
"Though I doubt he'll be sad about that."
That was the last smile he showed…
"I'll be back."
…and the last time they saw him.
Tswii!
.
|DxD|
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Himejima Clan, Kyoto, Japan
.
Nearly two months have passed since the Himejima Clan was plunged into a bloodbath. Gone were the piles of dismembered bodies and blood-covered tiles. The massive compound was cleaned from the bottom up. Plants and other greenery that were damaged during the affair were restored using magic.
Under Yasaka's arrangements, very few people knew of the gruesome scene that resulted from the aftermath of the massacre. Even the remaining members of the Himejima clan were oblivious to the scene.
It was why after cleaning was done, the compound was lively…to an extent. The shadow from the deaths of so many husbands and fathers was not something that would simply vanish. Such a massive loss of capable military personnel would've seen the clan annihilated within the fortnight, especially if this was war.
Thankfully, they were still under Yasaka's protection. But that protection had limits. No matter how strong Yasaka was, she could not protect them if the same demon that caused all of this returned. And lo and behold, he did return.
High up in the skies, Igor gazed at the Himejima Clan. His eyes were emotionless, his face completely expressionless. There was no hatred whatsoever...except for a small flicker of fury.
He silently watched the children, teenagers, and young women training in the courtyard under the instruction of an elderly man. He silently watched the women attend to the crops growing in the fields. Every single one of their actions were within his perception.
He would never forget the unique energy signature belonging to those from the Himejima Clan. But maybe…it'd be best if the world forgot about them…permanently.
Slowly, Igor raised his hand to the sky. He wanted to. He wanted to destroy them all, to air out the grievances in his heart.
His cheeks twitched slightly as a trace of budding anger finally made itself known. The Himejima Clan was full of scum that needed to be wiped out from the face of the Earth.
"..."
Yes. They needed to be destroyed-
"Igor."
Slowly, arms snaked around his waist.
"Don't do it…"
"..."
He recognised this voice.
"Lady Parvati."
.
AN
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We almost got a Himejima Massacre part 2. Igor is still feeling downright murderous with everything he's keeping bottled up. I won't say I understand what he's going through, but I can imagine it. Thankfully, Parvati showed up because I don't think the Shinto would sit still again if he went through with his plan.
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