It's True Love 59 (Patreon)

Akiha sat upon her own bed. She looked calm. "So, what did you read on the journal, Yuta?" And it was a journal, not a diary. Diaries were for children.

For a second Yuta thought of sitting besides her. He quickly discarded that idea and remained standing. "I read pretty much everything... Well, I skimmed it. I might have missed something." He doubted it.

Everything on that stupid diary was too heavy for him to have missed anything. Yuta didn't know how Makihisa had written it without going insane.

Though he supposed the man had gone insane due to other factors.

Akiha crossed her arms. "That doesn't help much. I never actually read that journal." If someone asked, Akiha would say it was because she had no interest in the thoughts and feelings of a dead man.

The truth however, is that she was deadly afraid of its contents.

She more or less understood what they probably contained. Just the thought of reading it, of seeing her father's handwriting describing her events... Akiha knew if she ever opened that book she would throw up.

Yuta took a deep breath. "I see... but are you aware of like... what they generally describe?" She should know about the insanity at least.

Akiha nodded. "Yes." And that was that. She would confirm or deny nothing else.

Nanaya interjected. "Even about the massacre of my family, I'm guessing?" It wouldn't surprise him. Akiha probably knew every single bit of Tohno history.

And so did Nanaya in his own way. He had been there during that beautiful night, and unlike Shiki Tohno, he couldn't just forget...

Though his counterpart would definitely remember everything when he woke up once more anyway.

Akiha recoiled as if punched. "Y-yes, I knew about that." She was surprised her father had even written about it. Leaving records about how he had commited a massacre could be very dangerous.

Even if most Demon Hunter Clans had retired, surely they would once again rise if they learned what happened to the Nanayas. What could happen to them.

It was scary to even think about it.

Nanaya sighed. "And you didn't tell me that why...? Or more accurately, why did you only tell me part of the true story?" He was curious, but not mad, if he was being honest.

He still remembered that day that Akiha had earnestly apologized to him over and over again. Nanaya wasn't the type who would blame her for the sins of her father, and he knew Akiha was a emotional crybaby, even if she tried hiding that.

Nonetheless, protecting Shiki Tohno was his top priority, so he had to get to the bottom of this.

Hopefully it wouldn't crack the relationship Shiki had with his sister. He knew that was important for the continued mental health of the... main aspect of the body, so to speak.

Akiha looked away. "Because... it didn't concern you at the time." Her lips were trembling as she spoke.

It was clear she was about to cry. Both Yuta and Shiki could see that.

Yuta smiled, it was relieving in a way. Much like when he had confronted her over the twins, he had quickly confirmed that Akiha Tohno was not some evil schemer. She was just kind of dumb and emotional.

And so Yuta patted her head. "Geez, you can just say you were afraid of pushing your big bro away." He thought it was a bit strange how he was casually speaking about the massacre of Shiki's family.

But... Shiki just seemed so unbothered by it, like it was something that didn't concern him at all.

The truth is that Nanaya had long accepted the passing of his family... and even his own. Right now he was nothing more than the spirit of a dead man possessing a corpse. There was no need to cry or to make a scene, specially since the holder of his grudge was dead.

He could only protect Shiki Tohno, and evade the ogre. As always.

Akiha's face became red. "What kind of stupid crap are you spewing, Yuta, I...!"

And then Nanaya sat next to her. "Akiha, you are one of the most important people in my life." It was a dangerous maneuver.

Just getting closer to this demon was sending his instincts into overdrive, and he was sure that if he touched her he would do something he would deeply regret. Still, he needed to be just a bit close to her, so she could feel his heart.

The heiress sputtered. "W-what!?" Her big brother wasn't one to show affection like this out of nowhere.

But Nanaya was not Shiki Tohno. He could say what his counterpart felt without a ounce of shame. "To be honest Akiha, even if you had personally slain my family, I would have still loved you."

"You're just too integral to me. To my existence. I wouldn't hesitate to fight you, but I can never stop loving you. If I did I wouldn't be Shiki Tohno." That was the embarassing truth his counterpart would never admit.

Nanaya honestly didn't get him. Just how many inferiority problems did Shiki Tohno have?

Well, even if it was annoying, it was part of him. He would not survive without his sister, he would not survive without his friends. Shiki Tohno didn't feat his own death, but he certainly feared death. Life was precious, and so surely his sister which made his life worth living was the most precious thing in the world.

Tsk, damn that redhead, putting stupid ideas into Shiki Tohno's head.

A sigh escaped Nanaya's mouth. "So yeah, don't think Makihisa's ghost can push me away from you. Idiot." Hah... He was feeling much better after that.

Akiha started shivering.

What was she supposed to say to that...?

Ah, there was only one thing. "I'm... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" She reverted, all the way back to when she was just a child.

She felt awful. Not only had she shamelessly lied to her own brother, but she was also making this all about herself. A true manipulative Tohno right until the very end.

Nanaya clicked his tongue, it seemed he would have to use drastic measures for this idiot.

He copied Yuta's movements, and patted her head.

Immediately his vision went red. His mind was screaming at him that he should move and cut this... thing down. It was his perfect chance, since she was distracted with her pathetic wailing.

This was Tohno's sister. He couldn't lose himself to pleasure. "Akiha... don't apologize to me. Just... keep being you when I wake up. That's all he needs." His vision was slowly losing the red tinge.

His heart wasn't beating as fast... he was calming down... Nanaya wouldn't lower his guard however. He knew one wrong move was all it took for a human to commit the worst possible sin.

"He will probably... one day he will face that ogre. When the time comes, if you are not by his side, he will most definitely lose. So please stay with him." Akiha could only cry even harder in response.

Yuta was a very confused guy.

Why was Shiki speaking in third person? Who the hell was this ogre guy?

In the end he stayed silent, it was clear that this conversation was something meant to stay with the siblings. Yuta had done enough snooping around for today anyways. Though... he would definitely ask about this ogre later.

Nanaya got up. "Welp, I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap in my room." There was no more need for him to stay here.

He needed to make this body rest until Tohno was ready to wake up. After that... he could only hope Tohno's mind wouldn't crack. Meh, his other self was surprisingly tough, and surprisingly in touch with death. He would be fine.

Specially if Akiha actually listened to his advice.

It was also clear Akiha wouldn't harm Yuta, so Shiki Tohno's pal didn't need a bodyguard. Overall, as far as Nanaya was concerned, everything went completely perfect from beginning to end. How lucky. Must be Yuta's fault.

"E-eh?" That reaction came from both Yuta and Akiha.

Why had Shiki just suddenly gotten up!? And now he was walking towards the door like nothing here mattered!

And now it was Akiha's turn to get up. "B-big brother, where are you going!?" She had not stopped crying, but the sheer surprise of this had certainly made her crying less... prominent.

Snot was no longer running down her nose at least.

Nanaya waved her off. "Didn't I just say? I'm gonna go nap." His body felt awful. "Fill me in later. I'm sure you won't hide anymore information from me, right?" She whimpered. That's all he needed to hear.

And so, Nanaya left the room.

Yuta and Akiha stared at each other.

She didn't know what to say to him. Clearly there were still some aspects of the journal that he wanted to talk about, but she didn't know if her heart could handle it. She wanted to kick him out... even if it was wrong.

He didn't know what to say to her. He needed to discuss something about the diary, but Akiha had clearly become emotionally exhausted in this short conversation... He wanted to kick himself out.

Yuta steeled his heart. For his little sisters! "S-sorry that I was here for this conversation. It was clearly very personal." Ah, in the end he ended up worrying about Akiha.

Her lips trembled. "It's fine, I didn't care if you were there to watch or not."

He sighed. "I know that's not true." Somethings were meant to stay between family. "So I'll just apologize and... deny any apology rejections. I guess." He couldn't do much more than that.

Akiha slowly nodded. "Okay..." She didn't even have the strength to argue back. "So, are you gonna ask about the journal or not...?"

Yuta nodded back. "Yeah, sorry." He sat upon the bed. Shiki had done it, so maybe it was okay for Yuta to copy him?

He patted the empty spot next to him. "If something is too heavy, feel free to skip the question... or leave it for later." He didn't want to push her. If he did, then surely the harem gods would strike him down.

Akiha didn't sit down, she only glared at him. "Why are you... being so non-confrontational?" She didn't get it.

She was expecting this to be like the time Yuta had taken the twins away from the mansion. That is to say, she was expecting a man who would not hesitate to bring justice to what he considered a unfair situation. Someone unstoppable in his own way.

He shrugged. "I dunno..." And judging by her glare worsening, such a answer was not enough.

So he closes his eyes and started thinking.

Why was he acting like this? Was it because he was friends with Akiha? That was certainly the convenient answer he wanted to arrive at. He had a feeling pulling a Shiki and saying he loved her no matter what wouldn't work however.

He was not her sibling, he didn't have the strong power of family behind his actions. To him Akiha was a woman he was attracted to.

He opened his eyes. He had arrived at his answer. Yuta could only hope it would be enough. "In my defense, I was planning to be confrontational. Even if I was really hoping this wouldn't escalate into a personal fight."

"Once I got here though... and Shiki started talking with you, you started crying. And then the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted to punch the guy who made you cry." Which was himself. Sort of.

One could also blame Makihisa, but Yuta couldn't punch the dead.

Akiha sobbed. "So that's it? Because I looked... look pitiful?"

Yuta scratched his cheek. "Gimme a break. It's hard to see you as a bad guy when you were affected too. And to this extent as well." He knew the super confident Akiha. Anything else was just weird.

One shouldn't misunderstand him however. Yuta was still aware that Akiha had commited a sin by hiding this information, it's just that he was willing to forgive her without much of a fight. Besides, her brother had done so, and he was the most important actor here.

Finally, Akiha sat next to him. "I hate you." If this kept up she would start ugly crying again...!

He snorted. "Right. So, I'll start asking questions... Why did the Nanaya massacre happen? How did it happen? I didn't get enough details from the diary." Did he even want to know details?

Akiha didn't even want to think about that horrible disaster. "It's a journal. And... father just got increasingly paranoid until he snapped, I suppose. He worked together with a monstrous half-blood and took them down."

Yuta thought it was completely insane, how someone could just take down a entire family like that. Not because of the power involved, but because of just... how awful the entire thing sounded.

Akiha continued. "Yuta... Let's start by making things clear. What exactly did you read on that journal?" She had no intentions of hiding anything, so this should make things easier.

Well, there was one exception...

Yuta trusted her. "I read... I read about how those of your blood go insane eventually. I read about how you had another brother. I read about how Makihisa sexu-, raped Kohaku and the why of it." And that was pretty much it.

Just saying Makihisa's name outloud made Yuta's stomach churn, but it couldn't be helped.

Akiha nodded. "Right... Don't worry about my insanity. I have... weak demon blood, it won't be a trouble until I'm very old. Father even once believed I could live a totally normal life." She was lying... to a certain extent.

It was true that Akiha's blood didn't influence her much... normally. So even though she was quite powerful, she should be able to live a normal life. She could fake being a normal human girl.

But... she was sharing her life force with Shiki. And so, until SHIKI died and returned Shiki's life force, she would constantly be on the edge of losing herself.

Telling Yuta that wouldn't solve anything however. It would just make this whole thing about herself. So Akiha kept quiet.

Yuta smiled. "I won't lie, that's a relief... So, why did you... erm... do it with Kohaku back in the beach?" He wasn't an idiot, he had finally put the pieces together.

Akiha was having crazy mood swings, and then she stopped having them after Kohaku did "something". The red hair thing also stopped around that time. So those two probably banged.

Akiha immediately became a tomato. "Y-y-you...! Well, e-even I have issues sometimes!" She wouldn't have them if SHIKI died. "Wait, aren't you mad abou-."

"No. Kohaku consented to it." The maid said she had done something out of her own volition after all. "I'm not here to stop Kohaku for having sex. I just want her to have a choice." That was his duty as an older brother.

Akiha's blush began to disappear. "That... makes sense." Sort of. "B-by the way..." There was something she desperately needed to make clear.

"Kohaku and I didn't have sex!" It ended up escaping her mouth. "Synchronizing doesn't work with two members of the same gender... So we had to create a fake connection through blood." That is to say, Akiha drank Kohaku's blood.

It was a dangerous thing for a half-blood like her to do, since she could get addicted to blood drinking. It couldn't be helped though, since Akiha needed it to not go crazy. Besides, it shouldn't be too bad if it was just with Kohaku, right?

Yuta blinked in surprise. "Huh, for real? I thought for sure you guys did it on the beach." So Akiha had only sucked Kohaku's blood...

That made sense, sneaking out to have sex in a place like that would have been pretty hard. Specially since Ciel was observing everyone. Or at least she had been until she started fighting Arcueid.

Akiha resisted the urge to hit him. "Did you really think I was having sex on the beach!?" She had never gone from sad and panicked to embarrassed so quickly before.

Yuta looked away. "I mean... yeah. Why wouldn't you?" Sex on a beach sounded awesome! Yuta wanted to pull it off one day... He would have pulled it off if Ciel hadn't decided she cared about morals.

Hah, hadn't the whole morals thing started because Akiha called him a deviant?

Akiha wanted to explode. "I don't think I need to explain why a person would not have liked to have sex in a public setting!" She looked down. "B-besides..." Was she really gonna say something so embarrassing?

"I like you. I wouldn't have sex with someone else." Ah, her heart had exploded just now.

Yuta smiled from ear to ear. "I see. I'm still not putting an end to my harem plans, but that comment has definitely hit my heart." It also made him feel kinda bad. He definitely didn't hold himself back on her account.

Akiha snarled. "You don't need to. I will be the one ending those stupid plans." Somehow.

She shook her head. "But let's move on from that topic. I bet you want to talk about my... about SHIKI, right?" She couldn't even call him brother.

Why?

Because Akiha hated him, of course.

Yuta's face became serious. "Yeah. I'm assuming he's dead?" Shiki had essentially taken his place.

"No, he's alive." Oh boy. "He lost to his blood, and was kept in captivity for many years. Recently he escaped however." Somehow... she still had no idea how SHIKI had pulled that off.

Yuta's jaw hit the floor. "Wait, ain't that bad!?" He had nothing against SHIKI... to a certain extent. The guy had gone crazy when he was just a kid. He wasn't like Makihisa who was already an adult responsible for his own actions.

But... that didn't change the fact that SHIKI was dangerous. And also out there.

As both a member of the Holy Church, and as a person with too much power, it was Yuta's duty to protect innocent people. Therefore, he couldn't let SHIKI run wild and hurt the citizens of Souya.

Akiha leaned against his shoulder. "Don't worry, he hasn't... done much." As far as she was aware. "Besides, this is why I contracted Toji you know? He isn't a bodyguard. He's a hunter." One which hadn't seen much success.

Akiha closed her eyes.

Yuta grimaced. "But..." And then he noticed her state.

It seemed in the end he really had pushed her a bit too far. And he hadn't even asked how she felt about the fact that her brother was out there being a demon nutjob. A fate that could potentially befall her.

As for how Yuta felt? He obviously would put a stop to the guy... and maybe try to save him. He was Shiki's and Akiha's family after all. And so he was way too important to just get killed like a stray wild animal.

The Tohno family had already faced way too much tragedy. Yuta was gonna put a stop to it!

Eventually. For now he had to decide what exactly he should do in this situation... Having a girl fall asleep on your shoulder was a rarity.

Oh, and he also had to contact his friends. They probably wanted to kill him.



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AN: I seriously want to write a story with Akiha as the main heroine...