"Pain" (042)

Ayuka stepped into the living room from her bedroom, looked around to see if anyone had noticed her. She tried her hardest to be stealthy, but she couldn't get away unnoticed.

"Ayuka, what are you up to? Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" Tim inquired, standing in front of her and feeling awkward.

She gave him a sidelong glance and dared to inquire. "... tell me something... do you know the name, Ayou?" But it turned out to be hopeless. "A-Ayou? No, why should I be familiar with her?"

Ayuka walked past him without saying anything, softly shoving him to the side and left him speechless.

Tim, on the other hand, instinctively swept his arm behind him, grabbing Ayuka's. They were both looking in opposing ways. "... Ayuka... you're keeping something from me... just tell me."

Ayuka, on the other hand, remained silent and emotionless as she drew her arm out and walked through the door.

Our Hero, who had been left behind, exhaled his annoyance and continued on his way.

"...there's something she's keeping hidden from me... maybe there's something I should be aware of, or did she foresee the future... or maybe... it's just those nightmares..."

"Wait! I have no idea what I'm talking about! I'm a complete moron! I allowed her to go out in such a poor state! Hold your horses, Ayuka!" He slammed the door shut behind him.

"Hey, Ayuka! Where have you gone? Come on, you know you're not in the mood to go out on your own like a fool!"

"Damn! What the hell happened to her? Which way would she want to go? Argh, why am I so out of place right now?" While running at breakneck speed across the floor, his feet began to kick up dust.

"Hello, Ayuka! Let's not make the same mistake twice! Why don't we just talk? I'm sure I'll remember who Ayou is if you just tell me! Ayuka! Hey!" Despite this, there has been no reaction.

"... For real this time, I'm such an idiot..."

"Yo, Tim. What the hell was all that ranting about? Everyone out in the World could hear you," Codey said as he walked in from the supermarket.

Tim's only movement was a rush after Ayuka and no response.

"... What's he doing now...?" Codey asked, ignoring the fact that he didn't have to be concerned about his fleeing.

Ayuka was approaching the Spiritual Realm's Society, hoping not to be seen, so she reached into her bra and pulled out the necklace she was wearing, which she had received as a gift.

"What does it signify if this truly messed up the 'Universes'? Is Ayou living independently? Is anyone looking after her, and how dreadful must it be for her to be alone without her mother's care, darn it..."

"What type of mother am I, exactly?!?" She screamed into the air before noticing a presence behind her. "Do you remember your daughter?"

Hearing Tim's voice caused Ayuka's heart to pause for a second. "...so, Ayou, that's the name we gave her..." She spun around immediately, astonished and alarmed.

"... W-What? You remember her?"

"I... I have no recollection of her... Saraki, on the other hand, made a mental note of something like that, even though he urged me to keep silent. Why didn't you just tell me who she was from the beginning? You do realize I'd listen to you, don't you?"

Ayuka, on the other hand, instantly turned around, humiliated. "...I figured if I told you what was going on, you wouldn't believe me... You're the type of guy who almost never believes what other people say..."

"You've got to be kidding me... Ayuka, why would I not listen to you? You're one of my closest friends! Of course, when I heard about the future, I was as surprised as you were... But now we're back in time, and messing with time isn't a good idea... if that actually happened, we should leave it until the right time... And I'm not saying this to scare you away; I'm saying it because I care about you."

"You saw what may happen if we further messed with the timeline than it currently is... This is why I'd want to avoid any kind of relationship with you. Because I understand, I don't want to mess up the future. If Saraki and others seemed to be okay with it, I'd like for us to have a similar future."

"Please... tell me that you understand... But sticking together as friends is the safest option..."

Ayuka shook her palm softly against her chest.

"... that's not why I'm like this... do you expect me to accept a lost daughter if I, no, if we had a daughter? What type of mother would I be?"

"Ayuka, I understand what you're saying... But I promise you, I'm aware of it! I'm confident Ayou will be alright if we find an antidote to restore our normal life and then return to where we were. I'm confident she'll return!"

"So... listen, for the time being, we should set this aside and go on."

"... I just can't accept it... so if you want to alter my opinion..." When she stretched her right arm to the side, Tim looked bewildered. "You'll show me that I can put my trust in you! If you win a Duel with me. I'll put the future aside and focus on what you've stated."

"...to overlook the tension of being a mother concerning her own child... it's something I won't accept until I'm certain I should... So draw your blade and come face to face with me!" She quickly spun around, summoning her blade and caught it as she pointed at Tim, who had unleashed a strong windstorm.

"What?! Are you insane?! You're already in poor health! You can't be serious, Ayuka! I don't want to cause you any harm! Why are you going through all of this trouble just to forget one thing?"

"I've already told you that if I forget about my own daughter, I won't accept myself as a person! You've already got your paws on me, after all! It's hard to suppose you'll end up as Yujiro..."

"... It may seem self-serving, but believe me when I say... I could have gotten older and had no idea what had happened to Ayou... But I'm not going to quit worrying."

"Finally, you stated that you are not attempting to harm me... You'd already done it twice, right? Back at the Dueling Academy, and now... attempting to make me forget about my own daughter. Last but not least, I will only appreciate your efforts if you can't overcome me!" Her eyes turned silver in an instant, and her Spiritual Symbolism skyrocketed to levels Tim had never imagined.

"You're right, I did cause you pain... So, tell me now. Why would I fight you when I've already let you down as a friend? After the decisions I made, I shouldn't fight back... Take it or leave it, as the case may be. You can kill me all you want, but I'm not going anywhere or you can either spare me and forget what you said.

Ayuka got solemn and took a step back softly. "If you're attempting to avoid fighting me by being out of focus, it's not working... So stop acting like an idiot and start acting like a hero when you can't even fight your own wife - oh wait, you see me as a friend, so that's fun, right?"

"... You have no idea what I'm talking about, Ayuka... I'm serious; I'm not going to move or fight you? You're far too valuable for this world... far too valuable to me..."

"Oh, we're going to lie again as we did a few years ago? As if I hadn't already heard enough lies, how great. Everything you people tried to hide from me, from the fact that I was the Holy Light's daughter, and now you tried to hide who I was in the future from you. You never realize how awful it is to deceive someone, whether for a good or poor reason."

"... I know how it feels to be surrounded by liars down to the smallest detail... And I'm not trying to keep anything from you; all I want is for the future to straighten out so we may return to Ayou... Isn't it the same for you?"

"... For once, don't be such a softie when it comes to me and do what I ask... I'm sure you only liked me because of our sexual encounters... I'm sure that's why you kept pledging to protect me so that you could accept my affection!"

Her statements were a little too strong, but her willingness to confront Tim paid off.

He was utterly blown away and enraged since he couldn't accept such harsh comments, not comprehending that Ayuka was merely trying to irritate him.

"Is that right...? Then I'll make sure to amputate every single one of your limbs!" Tim raised his arm in wrath, forcibly summoning his blade and surprising Ayuka.

"You've gone too far, and you'll pay for it now!" Tim's words began to reverberate, and a liquified mask appeared on his face, unleashing the darkness he had to endure.

"... and I'm sure you don't mind, do you? After all, it appears that you are considerably more preoccupied with fighting me... And, guess what? You were successful... You've forced it out, and now I'm looking forward to devouring your complete body! Who knows, I might just have a good time abusing you!"

Ayuka took a step back from the shock as she noticed Tim's mind's 'Fiendish' intelligence.

"Besides, I've never been interested in you... You were correct; all I wanted was to see you dead and helpless..." His mouth darkened instantly, and the evil aura proceeded to erupt from his body.

"...every single limb you wear will be severed from your body... I hope you have fun, because I've already had enough trouble coping with this dumb Black Storm... thus, instead of going to Heaven, I wish you burn in the Abyss!"

("Is he serious, or what? No, I'm not going to give in that easily... What the hell was I thinking when I said those words? He's got to be seized by 'Inner Fiend's wrath... Unless he wanted to succumb to his 'Inner Fiend'? Now I'm not sure...")

"She's a Goddess, but she doesn't know how to use her title... Instead, she lives on Earth, attempting to imitate human behavior. You're so simple to understand... After all, you should never come here... Isn't it true that people adore a good-looking body? Well, once I cut your throat, I'll take care of that... I dare you to go all out because this is the point at which your reality shifts!"

White, the Inner Fiend had taken control of Tim once more, and his major purpose was to eliminate Ayuka by slicing every limb of her.

Tim swung the sword to the side and started spinning the blade quickly. "Now that you're so young, let's test how well your body works!"

He moved forward, maniacally sweeping his blade at Ayuka, only for Ayuka to shield herself and sense his ordinary pressure.

"Oh? What exactly is the problem? Is that a tiny infant Ayuka defending herself? Why don't I play around with you for a while?"

Tim thrust his blade forward and stabbed Ayuka in the stomach right away. When her perspective quickly emerged into the dark, her eyes detected her blood exploding, once again waking up in stress.

When she looked down, she noticed Tim's hand on her stomach. "W-What are you doing?!" She inquired, then backed away, leaving Tim perplexed.

"Whoa... Tell me you didn't have another nightmare."

Ayuka looked around, startled, to discover that she was in wonderful condition.

"W-What were you doing to me?!" She inquired, a little uncomfortable. "You were shivering... I warmed you up with heat... You passed out as you attempted to leave the living room."

"Wait..." She was leaning up against the wall, both arms covering her stomach and chest. "Does that mean you didn't ask as to whether I was withholding something?"

"I advised you to take the medicines, Ayuka... You're losing your mind. If you were unconscious, I couldn't say anything..."

"But, I swear I saw you interacting with Codey..."

Tim sighed and took her hand in his. "... Look, Ayuka... I understand exactly why you're acting this way... but I'm afraid I can't tell you... Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to just warm you up... You've been as freezing as ice..."

Ayuka turned around and undressed her top after looking down at her thighs.

"... y-yeah... thanks ..." Tim felt a little uneasy, so he reached for her back and began to use his skill by warming his palms in the hopes of warming her up.

"... Tim..." Tim stared at the back of her head, perplexed. "... your promise to me... did you really mean it, or was it just something to keep it secure for yourself?"

"Ayuka... That's a ridiculous question... I made that promise to you because I care about you and want you to be okay... What made you think I didn't mean what I said?"

"... n-never mind, thank you..." She hid a smile and turned aside, making Tim uneasy.

"...and when I've finished with your treatment, please take the medicine... That is the only thing I would like you to do... The nightmares you're giving me are freaking me out, and I'm not happy about it... could you please just do this for me?"

"... if you treat me well enough, you might get lucky..." Tim's eyes became squiggly when a question mark appeared above his head.

"I'm joking, of course... Sure... give them to me... (...after all, I'm not a big fan of them..., the dreams)"

To be continued...