Chapter 13

"No, no...."

Hayami saw the entire infestation team surrounding the Akio household. Hayami stood there star-struck, searching for someone to get answers. She sees a young guy behind a huge rock, looking scared. She bends to his level, "What's happening here?" She asks him. The youngster turns his head to see who it is. "You're the Hayami Koto," He says like he couldn't believe his eyes. She turns to him, hoping for the answer. "Uh, they're infecting this entire house with demon powder" He informs her. Hayami looked around and saw that people were indeed taking away the water sources from within the houses. "How is this going to work exactly?" She asked him, eyes still inside the house. "Uh after that they'll close all the doors and the messenger over there will ask the head to pull the trigger," said the youngster. Hayami frantically looked around the so-called messenger. "Who's the messenger?" asked Hayami, still looking around. He pointed at a man standing in the middle of a group of people. She squinted her eyes to get a better look.

Hans.

She stood up immediately and walked towards him. In one swift movement, she dragged his collar and pulled him towards her. "What's happening?" She asked, anger filling her entire body. He was shocked at first but a smirk played instantly on his face. "Look guys, it's the real hero," Hans said. The entire group looked at her with a smile. All the eyes on her made her uncomfortable. She pulled away, keeping her arms to herself. "Answer me," She said. "I'll see you later lads," He said and dispersed the group. Everyone walked away and Hans started walking too. "This is an infestation as you can see, my blind birdie" Hans said, giving a wide smile to Hayami. Hayami just glared at him. The nickname pressed on a soft spot in her heart.

Birdie, a nickname Hans came up for her.

A week ago

"Birdie?" Hayami asked him with a confused look on her face. "Yes ma'am," He said, smiling widely. "Not like I care, but why do you want to call me that?" She asked, continuing to clean her table. Hans jumped on the table to get her attention. Hayami was thrown back by his action. "Because you remind me of a caged bird," He said. "What is that supposed to mean?" She said, glaring at him. "You live for others, trapped. You want to fly but you can't unless the owners let you go. You think your only job is to help others but you don't know your own potential when your wings are free" He said, looking at the roof. She just glared at him. She pinched his side and he yelped. "AH! BIRDIE! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME" Hans jokingly cried while rubbing his side. "Get off of the table and you're wrong about the caged bird thing," She said and continued cleaning. "Whatever you say birdie, you know I'm right," He said and walked out of the room. She scoffed and kept cleaning. "Idiot"

Presently

The nickname wouldn't change her question. "Why? How do you know this is the target?" She asked. He turned to her, facing her completely now. "Dont like you don't know," He said, smirking. She was all the more confused. "What do you mean," She said. "You're the one who found the target in the market," He said. She revised back to her time when she met Riya. "But that was a child. I was saving a child from some robbers" She informed. "Actually a little after we started searching we got a report that she had a daughter. I was coming to inform you but you were fighting. I tried after but you disappeared" He said.

"Sir everything ready," Someone said to Hans. He waved his hand in a dispersing movement and they bowed and walked away. "But what's wrong now? Aren't you happy we found the target? This is a big step for-" Before he could complete she ran to the man he dismissed. She grabbed his collar and pulled him to look at her. "Don't you dare tell your comrades to do it. This is an order. Don't you dare hand signal-" Before she finished her sentence, he put up his palm, giving his comrades the clear sign to through with the infestation.

The shock that surged through her body was unexplainable. She felt her arms and legs go numb. She stepped back in shock, calculating where exactly she went wrong but she couldn't think right now. She didn't know how to explain the feeling that she was feeling. She felt like she was losing her mind. She felt like limbs would fall out and she could puke her organs out. "What is this? Are you okay? Hayami finally having an emotional reaction?" Hans acted fake surprised. She looked at him with hate in her eyes. She grabbed his collar, ready to fight him. "You bastard!" Hayami screamed. Hans fell back at her words. Before she could do anything, a large explosion was heard. Two of them turned their heads to the noise.

Riya and her mother had emerged as huge titan looking demons from within their house. "Troops get back and get ready" Hans ordered. Hayami took back her hands and turned to them completely. Hans gave her a concerned look and ran to keep his team safe instead. Hayami felt her throat going dry. She couldn't believe her eyes. Akio-san was grabbing people and crushing them like insects. Though she was feeling a surge of emotions, she was always true to her job. She ran and jumped onto the roof of the shed. "Hey!" She screamed, trying to get Akio-san's attention. The demon looked at her. She saw its hand and it was holding innocent people on the verge of death.

Hayami gritted her teeth and jumped. She swiftly took out her sword and sliced its fingers. The people from its hand immediately fell down. The demon screamed in pain while Hayami stood on the remaining roof of the destroyed house. She jumped from the roof immediately and sliced its head off. "Sorry, Oka-san" She softly said to herself after cutting its head off completely. She landed on the ground while the demon fell behind her. She saw those people still in the same place. "Scram," She said to them and they immediately nodded, running off.

Another scream got her attention. She turned to look at the sound and she saw Riya in demon form killing people. Hayami's heart squeezed at the sight but she ran to save her comrades. She jumped up on the roof again to get a better view. Once she could see, she saw that Hans was in Riya's hands. Though he deserved to die for the sin he did, she couldn't accept it. Riya was about to bite his head off when she screamed. "RIYA!" Hayami yelled from the roof. Riya stopped in her tracks to turn to the sound. It looked like her eyes lit up with recognition but Hayami didn't believe in miracles. Demons don't feel anything. "Onee....san" The demon called out. Hayami was in shock.

She wanted to cry but she knew she couldn't. "Older...sister" The demon cried out again and dropped Hans from her hands. It turned towards Hayami, stretching her hands out, tears coming out from its eyes. Hayami hesitated for a second but jumped right towards her. She gripped her sword and sliced right through her neck. Hayami couldn't help the tears coming out of her eyes. She landed and witnessed Riya falling down to her death. Hayami kept her sword inside and walked towards the demon. She turned its gigantic hands into her small ones. "Sorry, Riya," She said, holding in her tears. "You did enough" The demon spoke out. Hayami looked at it with shock. Tears were still coming out of its eyes. "You did well enough, older sister," It said. Hayami gripped the hands tighter.

"Thank you," It said again. Hayami looked again. "Thank you....for trying...to save my mom," It said and smiled. Hayami burst into tears and grit her teeth. "I couldn't even do that" She cried to herself. "You tried. You tried....and...that's more than....enough" It said. Hayami just looked at it in shock. "To me....you'll always....be my heroic....older sister," It said and exhaled. Hayami was in shock. "Tsk," She said to herself. "I'll avenge your death. I promise. I'll kill Mazi for doing this to you" She said, tears falling on the hand of the demon. It smiled and finally went through its death.

Later,

"Hayami-san, you cant. You cant enter here-" The door banged open.

"Mazi!"