[3.5] "Talk to me!"

"Gi....a.."

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"..ve...b..ck...e.....th...ng"

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Akuma's consciousness drifts in a place he has never been before. Everything is dark. Some part of him is afraid. It is questioning where he is. Is he dead? Perhaps. "You're better off dead." A voice, out of nowhere, answered the question that passed by Akuma's minds.

Yet another part of him feels at peace. As if whatever is about to happen shall happen.

"You took everything from me." This time, for a change, Akuma just barely caught the words clearly directed at him.

He feels as if he will fall asleep any moment. Wait, am i not sleeping? Am i not dead?

Bizzare thoughs passed by Akuma's mind, as accusations continued to pour from the darkness around him.

"Thief."

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"You took everything and ran away."

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"I hate you."

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"Give it back!"

With each passing second, the words became more and more agressive.

Eventually, a strange figure starts to form from the darkness around Akuma.

It's clearly distinguishabe from its surroundings. The very form of it is far darker than the rest. It feels as if Akuma was looking into a black hole, from where nothing escapes. No love, no joy, no hope, no empathy, nothing. He feels it all. Yet past the emptiness, there is indescribable sorrow, hate, anger and resentment.

The figure comes closer. It doesn't walk. It simply floats towards him and with every moment that it approaches, Akuma feels as if he will be torn apart, simply by the figure's presence.

Its head comes close to Akuma's. Barely centimeters divide the two.

The figure's eyes slowly open, revealing crimson red irises and black scleras. The same eyes like the one that resides in Akuma's left eye socket. Staring into the burning red eyes fills Akuma with intense fear.

Black flames start rising from the crimson eyes and only moments later Akuma wakes up from his dream with a panic attack.

Brann jumps up from his bed as soon as Akuma wakes up. "What's going on, kid?! You alright?!"

Akuma starts to orient himself in everything that happened. His grip on his blanket loosens up as he calms down.

"...Yeah...i think." Akuma responds to Brann's question before looking up to him and giving him a weak smile. [It was all a dream...calm down, me] Akuma assured himself before getting up from his bed.

Brann knew very well that something wasn't alright with Akuma. First he found him half naked and looking like he just crawled back from hell then he found out that his Kriya is black and now, Akuma started having nightmares. [Come on, tell me something kid. I can't help you if you don't] Brann lamented in his mind.

"It was just a dream, so you don't have to worry." Akuma said with the same weak smile he gave Brann just a few moments ago.

Brann didn't want to pry anymore so he decided to go along with Akuma's "Everthing's alright" act.

"Alright then, you should get ready, i'll wait for you downstairs." Brann said as he hesitantly left the room with an uncertain look on his face.

As soon as the door behind Brann closed, Akuma fell back on his bed, arms spread out. "What in god's name was that? Surely, that couldn't be me. Or, am i a demon?" Akuma asked himself, questioning his very humanity.

His arm extended towards the ceiling. "Well, this arm does surely look human." Akuma now jumps up from his bed and proceeds to make his way towards the small round table with a mirror. He sits down before looking into the mirror.

"My face looks human too..." Akuma looks at the left eye of his reflection. Crimson red and black. "...for the most part, human."

Akuma takes his bangs and covers his left eye with them, hiding it completely. "There, all human."

Akuma stands up, hyping himself up at whatever his going to happen today. "I gotta smile! Can't let Brann worry!"

Akuma puts his clothes on and heads out of the room he is staying at. He walks down the stairs with a smile.

Brann is waiting for him at a table where a waiter is already bringing food. Akuma joins Brann by sitting opposite to him at a table. "Starting to eat without me?" Akuma opens up the conversation by teasing Brann.

"I'm doing this just 'cause you're taking your sweet time." Brann responds. Akuma notices that Brann is noticeably in higher spirits than he was a few minutes ago. [That's right. I can't let him worry about me!] Akuma resolves himself, oblivious that Brann might be hiding his worries just like Akuma.

The two finish their breakfast in a hurry. Akuma lacks compared to Brann when it comes to eating. Well Brann is a 190 cm tall beast.

As the two head out, Brann speaks up. "We should go get you something to defend yourself with. Got any preferences or skills?"

Akuma shakes his head before giving a verbal response. "Well i held a dagger a few times before, but i can't say i'm good with it. And if you're talking about preferences, i just don't want something heavy."

"So light weapons. I see, we'll get you something from my friend's blacksmith. He's got good people." Brann responds, giving a thumbs up.

"Alright!" Akuma responds energically, and one thing finally clicks in Brann's head. The only question left to answer is wheter Brann should adress it. [No, i have to do it now! God knows what will be tomorrow and i maybe won't be able to ask him then.] Brann decides to question Akuma's unusually cheerful behaviour.

"Aren't you forcing yourself a bit, Akuma?" Akuma stares for a seconds at Brann with a puzzled look on his face before responding with a nervous smile. "W-What are you talking about, of course i'm no-"

But before Akuma can finish, he is cut off by the unusually serious Brann. "Stop it, Akuma! You've been acting like everything is alright since you woke up."

"But everything IS alright." Akuma continues to deny that anything is wrong. Which irritates Brann even more, causing him to stop in the middle of the street and raise his voice at Akuma for the first time.

"Stop it already! Don't take everything on yourself! If something is troubling you then talk to me! You won't get anywhere in life by taking everything on by yourself!" A few moments of silence later, Brann realizes what he did. He looks around him only to find weird stars and people whispering about him.

Yet Akuma continues to stare at Brann in surprise. Once Brann makes eye contact with Akuma, he decides it was enough. What Brann did was a mistake and he knows it very well.

Without another word, Brann continues to walk towards his destination, leaving Akuma to catch up to him.

A few minutes of walking through the streets of Deltum later, Brann finally decides to speak up, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the two. "I'm...sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you." Brann apologises to Akuma who is walking behind him like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Akuma then tries to say something. Something. Anything. But he can't. He opens his mouth to tell to tell Brann what troubles him, but no words come out. They're all hidden behind a wall of doubt and fear. [What if he'll hate me? Will he push me away like Zack?]

Several minutes later, both of them put on smiles and continue walking.

Akuma knows that he will eventually have to tell Brann everything. But, today i not the day. [I can hide it a little while longer] Akuma thought to himself.

A few moments later Brann stops and Akuma who wasn't paying attention bumps into him.

"Why exactly did you stop?" Akuma asks. "Why, because we're here, that's why" Brann responds, causing Akuma to look around him, and giving Akuma more questions.

"We're standing in front of a palace" Akuma turns to Brann with a tired look, even though it's still morning. "Don't tell me your friend lives there."

"He does." Brann responds energically.

"Good lord." Akuma laments. [I thought this whole thing would take an hour or two at most. But this may take the whole day.] Akuma laments to himself as he follows the Hyped up Brann through the gates of the palace.