Mermaid

Chapter 29

It was now late evening and Erika still couldn't sleep, one of the reasons was because of Shigeru, she had passed by his room and heard his unbearable screams as the spikes of bamboo were pulled out from his body followed by the strong stench of blood, she caused this to happen to him, during her bath Yukari told her not to blame herself for this, but it was, if she wasn't here then this would have never happened.

The mansion was quite now; no sounds could be heard from the other side of the sliding doors that Erika passed as she made her way up to the third floor, being careful to avoid any of the workers and maids that would occasionally run to and fro down the hallway. Now standing at Shigeru's door to his room, she raised her hand to knock, but then pulled away with hesitation, now was probably a bad time to do this, he was probably asleep now.

Turning to leave Erika paused when she heard the door burst open she turned and saw Shigeru there, his long black hair falling in strands over his broad shoulders as his mesmerizing blue eyes were wide with shock as he continually gasped for breath. He was now wearing a white yukata that hung slightly opening showing Erika his muscular chest that was now covered in crisp clean bandages. It was like the wounds were no longer existent. But it was his expression that held her gaze to him. He looked as if he had just battled with a horrible nightmare.

"Shigeru? Are... are you alright?" anything else that Erika would have attempted to say ceased instantly for Shigeru reached forwards with both of his hands, grasping her shoulders tightly then falling to his knees his hands slid down grasping the sides of her arms, eyes searching for something that he couldn't see then tackling her to the ground. His face resting against her chest as his arms wrapped around her back nails digging into her shirt as the rest of him laid in between her legs saying nothing in response.

His whole body shook as he continued to gasp for breath, he couldn't even seem to stand properly now. Worried for him she tried to get him back into his room, but he refused to move, he remained holding on to her as if she was going to disappear from him instantly.

"Shigeru?" she repeated her hands lightly running up and down his broad shaking back in a small attempt to calm him. "Shigeru it's me, Erika, what's wrong?"

"E... Erika-chan...?" he looked up at her, blue eyes wide with mixed emotions, fear, sadness, regret, loneliness, pain, and what might have been abandonment. Eyes searching her's, one of his hands reached up to cup her face, there was slight hesitation, but when his hand touched her cheek he looked completely relived. "You're... you're alive. You're real, you truly are real you're not a dream... and you're okay... thank the gods... thank the gods."

"Let's get you back to your bed alright?" she said softly while helping him back inside, closing the door she helped him back to his bed, when she covered him up with the covers he grasped her hand tightly with his causing to look down at him with slight shock.

"Stay with me...? Please..." he said in almost a pleading tone. "I don't want to be alone. Not like this, not like the way I am now. The silence, and the darkness, it's maddening. Please..."

Erika was slightly taken aback by this; a man who had nearly lived for over two hundred years seemed completely terrified about being left alone. You'd think by now, he'd be grateful for solitude so he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of loss, but then every person was different from each other.

Seeing him like this triggered something from her forgotten memory, a part she had recalled but could never remember what had been said. During the funeral of Erika's father, after everyone had gone her mother grasping Erika's small hand tightly, as her black dress creating a major contrast with her pale skin and silver hair. There were a number of people staring, mainly men who looked at Yara with lustful attractiveness, all of which she ignored. Her deep blue eyes rimed red from crying, and holding such a deep sadness that an eleven year old girl would not be able to understand. Her eyes were like a void, a maelstrom of self-loathing and anger towards herself for not being able to do anything, and unbearable sadness that she and her little girl would no longer have a husband, a father, someone they both loved and cared for ripped horribly from their lives forever.