He carefully held Akeno and floated to his feet. He walked past Shuri and made his way for the stairs. Along the way, Akeno finally stirred. She was groggy and cutely rubbed her eye. For a brief moment, he felt her heartrate spike before quickly settling alongside a smile.
"Apu~!"
"Hi, little chick. Let's go take a shower. And brush your teeth too. Your breath stinks."
"Mou~!!"
"Hehehehe~."
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|DxD|- Chapter 91- A Brother's Promise
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14/Feb/1998- Monday February 16, 1998, Kuoh Town, Japan
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Lines of cars parked beneath naked trees. The one-way road stretched the length of Kuoh Elementary, and just as many parents and children littered the sidewalks. Buses shuffled with the huffing noise of their brakes and offloaded contingents of children in wooly uniforms.
In the midst of a crowd, one stood a head above them all. His dark trench coat was nondescript, but his mane of golden hair was particularly striking. He carried a little girl with beautiful purple eyes on his shoulders with half her face hidden beneath a scarf.
At the moment, Akeno was filled with unwillingness. She didn't want to go to school, but her mother was insistent. She was afraid, afraid that if Igor left her sight, he'd disappear again.
"We're here, little chick."
Igor stopped before a rolling gate where dozens of children were shuffling through. A few stopped and openly looked at him before moving on.
"Akeno?"
Igor called again, and this time, her knees pressed tightly against his cheeks. He sighed, but Akeno spoke before he did.
"You…you won't leave, right?"
Her voice was low, but he heard every word. He raised his arm and scratched her cheek.
"I'll be here, Akeno. I won't leave you."
"..."
Last time, she sat on his shoulders just like this, only to find out he'd left the next day.
"You…really won't leave?"
"I promise."
"..."
Akeno fell silent again, but this time, she balanced herself and slid off his back. She walked around and stood before him with sad eyes. There was worry and hesitation, torn between walking forward or staying.
In the end, she took a step and hugged his leg. She pressed her cheek against his thigh and whispered.
"Please don't leave. Don't leave me, big brother."
"..."
His heart stirred and Igor got down on one knee. Many eyes were on them, but only Akeno mattered in this moment. He cupped her cheeks and rubbed his thumbs on the sides of her temple.
"Look at me, Akeno."
Her eyes rose, and purple met blue.
"I love you very much, more than you can ever imagine. I never should've left like that and I promise I will never do it again. So go in, Akeno. Big brother will be right here once school ends."
He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead.
"It's a promise."
He smiled, but Akeno did not reply. Instead, she placed her hands on his head and kissed him on the temple as well. She pulled back and a trace of life replaced her earlier dejection.
"Now it's a promise."
She mumbled and decisively ran away. Igor remained kneeling and placed his hand on his forehead. He smiled at her retreating figure and whispered back.
"It's a promise, little chick."
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|DxD|
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In life, there were three different views. There was the angle of being at the bottom and looking at the sky. Igor had experienced this in the Dimensional Gap. Before their boundless energy, he was but a blade of grass before the clouds in the sky.
There was the view of arriving from the heavens and overlooking everything below. This feeling had filled him immensely when he achieved High-Class. All his opponents would be naught before him, unable to withstand his single strike.
The last view was of capturing, to descend from the clouds and walk on the ground. Insight and enlightenment were just as important as rigorous training, for sometimes, walking would bring him upon an opportunity he'd never find mid-flight.
And so, Igor walked like every other person. His two feet carried him forward across the snowy sidewalks. Restaurants were busy with cars lining up at drive-throughs for breakfast menus. Igor entered, bought himself a simple breakfast, and sat at one of the public benches.
Most shops were still closed and the roads were awash with workers racing for the ninth hour. Trucks retreated from the town's centre as Kuoh came to life. He threw away his wrapper and aimlessly joined the foot traffic.
From the central district, he found himself in the residential areas. It was quiet here with many beautiful homes. It was surreal, knowing he could end it all with a flick of his finger. Another Monday for him would be decades of tragedy for the families that suffered.
[Is that how gods see us?]
He pondered and continued walking the streets. Along the way, he found himself at an intersection. To his left atop a small hill was a church. The cross was proudly displayed as a symbol of its Catholic allegiance.
Igor looked on in contemplation. A part of him wanted to see Touji, but meandering into the church was not part of his intent. Too many complications could draw him into political whirlpools he had no wish of stepping into.
So he gave one last look, shook his head, and walked away. He could always meet Touji another time.
Chapter 91
END