Chapter IX

Sao shuts the diary and places it into his bag. Standing from the desk, he turns to check on Akuma's condition, watched over by Rahat. It had gotten worse. Akuma's skin a lily white, his charred stump a funeral dress black. His breathing painful, each followed by a wince; over pronounced wrinkles around his eyes, junkyard aromas clogging the room. Medicine was required.

'Rahat, head downstairs and find some and find anything that can be used as a steriliser, hurry!'

'Yes, sir. I will be back as quick as I can,' she responds, darting out of the room.

Akuma, startled by the slamming of the door, attempts to sit up on the bed, but is pulled back down by the shock to his nerves' receptors. Sao holds his shoulders with a soothing touch, settling Akuma back at a feather's pace. Now fully awake, Akuma's unable to get back to rest, so the inquiries begin.

'How long has it been?'

'Only an hour and a bit-'

'And Rose? How is Rose? I saw her, I definitely saw her on the stakes. They were going to kill her. I tried to save her, I did; you saw that, right? I tried; I really did. I promise…'

'Don't worry, we don't know if she's dead yet. There may still be hope-'

'And there was that man. Who was he? I remember seeing him after I woke the first time, then you carried me over here. Who was he, Sao?'

'It's a complicated thing to explain. I don't think you are awake enough to-'

'So, you know. If you have knowledge on him, then I have to know it. He has something to do with all this doesn't he? Before he was there, the noise was violent, I felt ear drums about to burst; after I saw him, everything was silent. What happened? What did he do?'

'He did what you were going to do. He killed them, all of them.'

'Why did he do that? I understand me, but he had no reason. Was he related to anyone there? Was he Alexander's son, or something? The police? Was he-'

'Just shut up! Please, shut up for just a moment.'

A tremble shivered its way down Akuma's spine. Sao had shouted at him before, of course, but it felt different this time. The others were shouts from the brain, disciplining him, setting him straight, teaching him; this one did not come from the brain. From the depths of the heart, that shout was hauled from; that was not Sao speaking, it was the other Sao, the Sao Akuma was yet to learn.

Closed eyes, exhaling a deep breath, staring down at the edge of the bed, Sao starts to talk again.

'That man is not related to anyone in the village; not Fajr, not Rose, not Alexander, not any of the villagers. That man is related to me. He came to the village for me; how he found me? I am clueless. I just know he came for me, and me alone. He killed the villagers to prove something to me.'

Akuma hesitates to ask further questions, but one forces its way out.

'What did he want to prove?'

'I cannot tell you that.'

'Why? Is it because you think I won't understand?'

'I cannot tell you that.���

'So, how is he related to you?'

'He is my younger brother. That is all I am willing to tell on that for now.'

Sao is no longer speaking to anyone, mumbling nothing into his hands that reinforce his eyelids. Looking with pity, Akuma attempts to get back up again. Straining all his remaining muscles past their tearing point, all to sit up. He continues this, outside of Sao's awareness, until gravity throws his upper torso over his legs. Realising what Akuma had down, Sao shoots up his head to Akuma with worry petrifying his body.

'Why would you stress your body like that? You need to rest.'

'I just thought, this might be the one opportunity I have to look down on you. That's all,' Akuma replies through a twitching smile.

A bombardment of footsteps charge towards the door, Rahat bursting through. She leans on the door, her body replicating an earthquake within her.

'He's here. That man. He's here.'

Sao grabs his sword on the way out of the door. Turning around, a forced grin on his face, he says,

'Do not leave this room, I'm just leaving to discipline a younger sibling.'