27 Aftermath (2)

"I'm leaving."

Himiko spoke to her parents.

"..."

Sadly, she only received silence in reply. Her parents seemed to be creeped out by her blood-loving tendencies. The only reason they didn't try to 'fix' her was because of a certain 'pacifist' who used fists at the first sight of trouble.

'I guess they need a bit more time.'

It had only been two years since she revealed her secret. Her parents broke out in tears and that hurt Himiko more than curses ever could.

Wearing her school shoes, she walked out of the house.

Today was just a cursory event at the middle school, aka the graduation.

Himiko would truly pass middle school after this and become a pseudo-adult.

"Ha~ You're here again."

Surprisingly, the first thing to greet her when she stepped out of the house was a young boy with messy hair.

His brown eyes seemed to be bored but became lively as she said those words.

"..."

Masato didn't speak anything and leaned against the entrance gates of her house.

"Just leave me alone already."

He had been stalking her for a few days. Arriving to her house before school and walking her home everyday.

Just when she thought he couldn't get any more creepy, he started to drop blood, as if trying to make her follow. As if she would fall for that trick, she wasn't a cat or a dog.... That's what she thought until she fell for the trick.

The smirk on his face that day was unbearable for Himiko.

"Hmph!"

"Hmph!"

Masato copied her actions and started following her. Of course, he didn't forget to give a subtle glance at Himiko's parents who were looking at them from the window.

They seemed haggard, really tired. Probably wondering what was right and wrong.

Himiko wasn't wrong but neither were her parents. After all, common sense created by a long life was hard to break. Their superstitions and ideals were different from Himiko's.

Himiko believed that a fight without losing a drop of blood was a bad omen. She would try and stab the victor of the game, after saying that.

That was all fun and good until Masato won the game. Then that tradition was horror.

- Tak! Tak! Tak!

"Can you not follow me normally?"

To garner more attention, Masato tried to follow her on his hands. Pissing her off effectively.

"... If you're not going to apologize, then stop acting like this!"

She stomped her feet and demanded an apology.

"....I don't understand what you are. Sometimes, you are good and the next moment, you act like a villain! Who exactly are you, a good guy or the bad one?"

'... Is he not going to say anything?'

A dark, dull feeling rose up within her heart. She almost took out the knife she always kept on her and stabbed him.

Himiko didn't understand one thing. Good and bad... They were the two sides of the same coin. No Devil has commited only sins and no Saint is ever sinless.

Good and bad depends on the mood that a person is having. Humans are fickle, they act in accordance to their hearts and not reason.

Stuck to a single concept, they try to bind themselves by their own values. Order is good but chaos is necessary to maintain order. They often forget that.

Even Masato himself didn't always think about dying. It was more like 90% of that time while the other 10%, he was truly enjoying life.

"... I am sorry."

After a long contemplation, Masato spoke slowly, almost in a tired tone.

"What for?"

That apology wasn't for the mall incident. But Himiko didn't remember anything else for him to apologize for.

"When we became friends, I knew what I was getting into. A friendship with a blood-thristy vamp-Woah!"

Masato ducked underneath the knife, barely saving his neck.

"Who are you calling, blood-thristy vampire?! Jeez, you never call anybody by their-"

"Himiko, could you listen to me for a moment?"

Himiko froze up as she didn't remember the last time Masato said her name. He usually said the name of only one guy, who had already broken off his friendship.

"... Go on."

"I really hope to die. Life has become an unending source of pain to me. Like the days when you couldn't drink blood. When you had no friends. Every single moment seems too grey and unending."

Somehow, his smile became lonely. Was it out of guilt? Or perhaps even self-depreciation?

For what reason did Masato want to die? Himiko didn't know the most basic thing about him.

Her love for blood was related to her quirk and the desire to know others perfectly. To become so close that she becomes exactly the same person as them.

"The fight between Kaito and me was related to this. I'm sorry that I made you lose a friend because of me. I'm sorry for not listening to your worried comments. For the past 3 years, I think you deserve at least this much sincerity..... I will be leaving then."

It was time to part again.

Who would get close to a guy who was about die soon? Only a masochist like Jin, perhaps. Others would rather stay away, not to get hurt.

- Grab!

But Himiko wasn't normal. She grabbed his arm and ordered him to stay.

"... Don't leave."

"You don't need me anymore. You have friends, good ones."

Hamada and Ashido Mina and many others to come. People who will protect her from harm.

"At the beginning of evolution, people only needed food, clothes, shelter and rest. Those basic wants still remain the same to this day."

For some reason, Himiko had a giant smile on her face.

"But as people got used to the warmth, they desired more. They desired fire, which could be harmful. It's not about needs anymore, Masato-kun. It's about wants. And I want you to be my friend.

When you and Kaito broke up, I decided to choose your side because you seemed... too pitiful. Perhaps you wouldn't have found any other friends and become a loner for your entire life. That's why I picked your side. But most of all, I just wanted to be with my very first, true friend."

Honestly, Kaito was better in every way. He wouldn't jump head first into danger, was rich and did care about the feelings of his close friends and family. Who wouldn't want such a friend?

On the other hand, Masato was suicidal, brutish and indifferent. Picking him over Kaito was a sign of mental imbalance.

"You can die but... I hope to understand you more. I love seeing your blood, it's strangely filled with life for a fellow with suicidal tendencies like you. I want to become you."

Masato felt creeped out but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle.

"I'm just dying for a pathetic reason. A foolish and detestable one. A reason that doesn't even hurt anymore. Do you still want to know?" 

"Umu. Because we're friends."

The knife sliced the arm, bringing out fresh blood from the wound.

- Gulp!

"Do you understand me more now?"

Masato asked his look-alike, that was Himiko's [Transform].

"I just feel strong. I don't think I can understand others by just becoming them. Maybe I should try lending them an ear."

Himiko's quirk [Transform] changed her to another person, just by drinking their blood. But for some reason, she couldn't understand them.

What use was this quirk if she couldn't understand the pain her friend was going through?

"As long as you don't actually cut off your ear and give it to them, I don't mind it."

Masato laughed it out as Himiko started bandaging his arm. She carried both the poison and the antitode on her.

Biting people and then fixing them.

"Here."

There was a sweet apple in her hand but Masato felt that her smile was sweeter.

"I would rather not eat something that you prepared. It may as well hold poison."

"Tch!"

Clicking her tongue, she pouted as she started walking ahead.

"Hey... Will you hate me if I try to save you?"

Masato followed her and smirked deviously.

"Of course not. How could I ever hate you?"

Especially since some people couldn't be saved. Those who were too far gone. Those who had a beating heart but no soul within them. How could one save a zombie?

The flesh-like emotions had already started to rot off his heart. It wouldn't long before his body finally gave out.

That's why he wouldn't hate Himiko. Because she could never save him.

"Hehe!"

Twirling around her steps for some reason, her lips refused to go down.

It was strange for Masato to see himself dance like that. His masculine body was doing cute things? One might even puke if they saw that.

"Umu, I'm going to be the best hero there is."

"How did you arrive to that answer, Vampire?"

"Mou~ Just call me Himiko, like you did before."

"Answer the question, Vampire."

"Hmph! It's because...."

Heroes are the best at saving people. Maybe after becoming a hero, Himiko would have a chance of saving her friend.

'Yeah, I want to save them... Masato.... And Kaito too.'

Masato didn't know something. A single thing that he would regret for his pitiful life. Feeling bad for a person who didn't deserve it.

That would haunt him for the rest of his life. Showing pity to those who didn't deserve it.

'Does she even have male clothes? Well, it will be fine as her quirk is fading already...'

"Oh! If you're going to be a hero, then have this!"

Masato finally passed on the [Hero Costume].

***

"Have you found it?"

In a dark room, a coarse voice asked the doctor, who was experimenting on something.

"Hehe, we have yet to find it but it won't be long. Since you already have enough plans to disrupt the balance of this world, that thing will definitely show up to protect the balance of this world."

The logical words of the doctor, pleased the man in the dark.

'At first, it was a whim. But I'm glad that I collected this guy.'

The man thought to himself while giving out a wry smile.

No one knew what he was seeing... No, literally, no one knew what he was seeing since he didn't have eyes. The upper part of his face was destroyed, not even leaving any strand of hair. Even his nose was obliterated, leaving only two holes in their place.

Without the life-support system, he would have died a long time ago.

"We shall meet again, Symbol of Peace. HehehahaHAHAHAHA!"

The villainous laughter marked the beginning of his rise.

....

Remaining Time: [1 Month]