Chapter 31

"Aiden?" Akiko glanced at her daughter oddly. "Why do you say that?"

Akari shrugged. "I don't think he looks like a Yuuji. Aiden is better. There's a famous male pornstar with that name, you know. Don't you think it fits him?"

At this, Kanon blushed. "You've been hanging out with Chisa, haven't you?" She accused her sister. Then she titled her head curiously. "Why do you think that fits him?"

The older girl's smile turned mischievous and Akiko hurried to stop her. "Nevermind that! Eat your food." And then glared pointedly at Akari. "And I told you, quit using your power like this! Next time, you're grounded!

The young lady chuckled lightly but didn't seem very scared. Akiko stared at her in warning a moment before she let the matter drop. She speared the small mound of pasta on her plate and went quiet.

Aiden? He was a lot less composed. His eyes were glued to the girl.

His stare was, of course, noticed. Akira regarded him with interest. "See something you like, do you?" And cocked a brow towards her mother. "It seems I'm about to steal your man, mother. You've been too greedy. Don't you know you have to give as much as you--?"

Kanon seemed thoroughly confused by her sister's words. Meanwhile, Akiko accurately threw a bread roll at the girl's forehead.

Akira blinked. "Did you just...bread me?" She laughed. "That's hilarious. Hey, Aiden, why don't you butter me next? Get it? Because of the bread? And by butter, I mean--"

Her mother ignored her. She looked at Aiden. "It's your fault she's become so crass."

"What?" He frowned.

"She can explain later. I'm sorry for her nosiness. For now, please, sit." Akiko motioned to one of the empty seats opposite her daughters.

Aiden exchanged another look with Akari but chose not to start anything for now. He bit into the food but he tasted nothing. His mind was too full of questions. In fact, he wanted to steal the girl away right now and interrogate her.

But he held back. Kanon, on her part, was still puzzled over the short exchange between her mother and sister. She bugged Aiden about it a few times before being unceremoniously silenced by a discreetly thrown dinner roll.

This silence lasted all of three seconds before she bothered him again.

Four rolls later, she had tears in the corner of her eyes and finally gave up. She sulked silently and ate.

After around fifteen minutes Akari slid her plate away half-eaten. "I'm not hungry. Going to bed."

She rose from her seat and walked off. Aiden waited another minute and said, "I have to use the restroom." He then excused himself.

Of course, that was a lie.

As soon as he was out of sight, he sprinted after Akari and pinned her. Her response? "You like it rough. So do I."

Aiden had no time for her nonsense. "What do you know?" Aiden demanded harshly.

The woman looked down the empty hall. "You could rape me here and no one would know." This girl is fucked in the head. "Or kill me. Ah, shit. Why are those the things that pop into my head first? Crazy."

He didn't let his words distract him. "I said--"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. I'm a little distracted, if you didn't notice. Fuck off, how about that? Prick." She thrust her chin out stubbornly. "As if I'd be scared of some piece of shit like you."

Aiden stared at her. "I don't give two fucks whether I scare you or not."

"Good, because you don't." She snorted. "You want answers? How about you suck my ass, then perhaps this Venerable Self will deign to humor you." Akira paused. "Ah. Damn. Your brother is a weird one. Who talks like that?"

The hell? Something's weird.

Aiden let her go and looked her over up and down. "Why are you mentioning Ty?"

She opened her mouth to answer, then stopped. Turned quite a moment. "Huh." She finally spoke. "You know, I'm not sure. That usually doesn't happen."

"What doesn't?"

"This." She replied. "It's usually your personality. Not other people's. Weird." Akari's eyes brighter like before and Aiden felt that pressure between his brows start up again. "Hm. It's not that you think like Ty, but your interactions with him seem amplified to me for some reason. Like he's here, too. I think that's why I'm talking more like him instead, but you should ask Cade why Ty's aura is lingering like this next time you see him."

Cade!

"How do you know about Cade? And Ty? Fuck, how do you know me?"

Akira examined her nails. "I was curious about you, so I used my power." She explained. "Basically, I had you share your experiences with me. Of course, I'll know everything you know after that." She looked up and leaned against the wall. Somehow she reminded him very much of Ty right then. "So, you got punted into another world, eh? That's fucking cool, gotta say. Except for the dying part. That sucks." She sighed. "But hey, you get to fuck my mother, so that's good. That lady needed a proper plowing." A laugh.

"Ty was never this annoying." That was the only thing that Aiden could say. Because everything else she told him? Goddamn.

That was going to take a moment to process.

"No? Oh, yeah. I guess you're right. That's another weird thing. " She tapped her chin. "Well, maybe when you knew him that was true. Perhaps that changed? I'm pretty good at sensing residual auras, and his is just all over you. Usually they go away with time, so it really is odd that his hasn't."

This girl is giving me a headache.

"Wait, stop. Just be quiet for a moment," He held up a hand. "So what you're telling me is, you read my mind?"

"When the fuck did I say that?" She asked back. "I said I shared your experience. That's not mind reading. I usually don't because it's a bit dangerous, but I'm actually pretty reckless. And mother was absolutely glowing and I was dying to know why. So yeah. I risked it. Regretting it now." She admitted. "I would've rather not known any of this shit. I especially hate talking like a sailor. Coulda done without seeing you tongue-fuck my mother, too."

God, please give me the strength to not beat the living shit out of this girl, Aiden prayed.

"I know that look. Stay away from my ass!" She backed away from him and protected her rear with her hands. "I ain't Rumi, that shit hurts."

"Shut up. Please, just shut the fuck up."

"Shutting up, good sir."  Akari zipped her lips.

"Okay. Good." He released a breath. "So, you know everything?"

A nod.

"Then you know why I need this."

Another nod.

"Keep it a secret from your mother?"

She crossed her heart.

"Thanks." He thought of something just then. "You know, I actually think it's sort of nice to have someone to share this craziness with."

She smiled.

"Ah. You can talk now."

"Oh holy hell, thank you!" She said after unzipping her lips. "By the way, you are one crazy fuck yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Dude, you ran an underground empire."

Aiden stiffened. "That was a younger, more naive me."

"You gave two bears a pound of coke each, then put them in cages to fight while high as balls. And sold tickets to the fight."

He takes it back. Maybe this wasn't going to be nice after all.

"I was a bit of a dick, I'll admit." Aiden cleared his throat.

"You then let the winner rape your rival gang boss."

"He shouldn't have been talking shit." Aiden was unrepentant.

"You didn't even kill him after. You let the bear keep him."

"I also violently killed several dozens of people who pissed me off, why aren't you talking about that?"

"Because killing rival gang members and corrupt politicians is normal. Sending a woman to seduce your dad for a night so that you can blackmail him under an assumed identity later on, isn't. I mean I get why you did it, but it's still pretty fucked up."

Aiden's body went taut. "That's enough. Leave it."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She crossed her arms. "What, don't want to be reminded how your dad came clean so that you couldn't hold that against him, making your mom nearly leave him?"  The woman rolled her eyes. "Well suck it up, pal, lotta people make cunt decisions. Own up like a man."

There it was.  The most shameful thing he'd ever done. The thing that almost tore his family apart for good. And also the event that prompted him to retire from the life and get his shit together.

Aiden loved his family. But that didn't stop him from using his own dad so that he could gain an advantage against his business partners, undermine their stocks and perform a takeover. And he did succeed, even though it put his family through hell for a good while. He even thought it might have been worth it, if barely, and was leaving to celebrate.

Then he found his father near the pool, drunk, a gun in hand.

No one in his family ever knew that side of Aiden. They thought him a delinquent, sure. A playboy, definitely. But no one that far gone. It had been hard enough to see his father look so broken. It was harder comforting the man, knowing he'd been the one that broke him.

Even worse? Everyone had all been so grateful towards him for it. His sister in particular had come to him later on, crying, thanking him for being such a good brother and staying strong for them through everything that was happening.

Aiden had never felt more of an absolute piece of shit than when his sister said she was so happy he'd been there for their father that day. And that was it. Aiden was done. With everything. Drugs, gangs, women, even drinking. And until he came here, he never looked back.

He'd given up everything he'd built to be with his family, then he ended up losing them anyway.

Almost poetic, isn't it?

Certainly karmic.

I didn't deserve them anyway.

The silence dragged on. "...I shouldn't have brought that up," Akari's voice was barely above a whisper. "Normally I'd never...I wouldn't--" She stopped. "I'm sorry." She finished.

"It's alright. Ty was always a blabbermouth."