Page 21

21

Playing with Fire

MOMOI

T he weight of Tatsuya’s hands on my shoulders felt suffocating, as if the air was being squeezed out of me. Every instinct screamed at me to break free, to get away from whatever the hell he had become, but my body was frozen. I was terrified. Terrified of him and terrified of myself for not running.

What possessed me to back him up against the wall that way? What was my little body going to do? If anything, Tatsuya was fine on his own, but logic had already fled the scene long ago, and I might as well ride the wave toward insanity. What option did I have left?

"What the hell are you doing?" I snapped, my voice shaky but fierce, the anger surging in me like a tidal wave. It was my go-to coping mechanism after all. I jerked my body away from his grasp and faced him head-on. "You’re acting like some damn animal. Snap out of it!"

He didn’t respond. Not a word. Not a single flicker of recognition in his eyes. Just that monstrous glow, that demon- like rage burning in them, and it only made the knot in my stomach tighten.

"Answer me, Tatsuya!" I shouted, stepping forward, my heart pounding against my ribs. My voice was louder now, more frantic, but it was useless.as if I was shouting at a wall.

I couldn’t stop myself. My words came out sharper, laced with venom. "What the hell did you think would happen? You’re just gonna turn into a demon, and I’m supposed to just—what—follow you into the dark? This is insane!"

And that’s when I saw it. The growl. The low, guttural sound that rumbled from deep within his chest. It wasn’t human. It wasn’t even close. My blood ran cold as I realized it was a reaction to my words. When I said his name, it seemed to irritate whatever demon had taken over him.

"Tatsuya..." I said his name again, testing the waters, but my voice faltered.

His lips curled back slightly in a snarl, and the growl deepened, vibrating through the air. My stomach churned as I realized this wasn’t a person anymore. This... thing was a predator.

I took a step back, watching him move as if on the hunt—it made my pulse spike. It wasn’t just his hands, drenched in blood, the very blood that was still dripping from his fingertips. He prowled toward me, each step purposeful, predatory, and filled with an unsettling hunger.

I stumbled back another step, my heart hammering in my chest. My eyes couldn’t stop drifting to his hands—those massive, bloody hands, the claws that had ripped through men as if they were nothing. I could almost see the remnants of their blood splattered across his knuckles. It was so much blood... I didn’t even know how he hadn’t collapsed under the weight of it all.

Beneath the dim shadows of the warehouse, I took in his transformed appearance. Four jagged horns sprouted from his skull, sharp and ominous, while his skin had taken on the hue of raw fury—a deep, fiery red, synonymous with the very embodiment of rage itself.

There were strange symbols and patterns along the exposed flesh of his chest. The flesh on his shoulders was ripped and torn, as if a small piece of Tatsuya was still holding on during his transformation, only to become a casualty. Beneath the tears were blackened skin that reminded me of charred flesh. And his eyes— God , his eyes—glowed with a haunting yellow light as if they were mirrors to the fires of hell itself. From his gums, large fangs protruded, a clear warning that this monstrous form was armed with yet another deadly weapon.

I forced myself to keep my voice steady. "Tatsuya... Come on. You have to hear me. You’re still in there. I know it. You ... are still in there."

But as I said it, I realized how hollow my words were. Was he really still in there? Or had I been fooling myself this whole time, hoping that the man I thought I knew was somewhere beneath the surface of this... thing?

I wasn’t sure anymore.

He was getting closer now, moving with an unnerving grace. Every part of me screamed to run, to leave this nightmare behind and never look back. But something inside kept me rooted to the spot. I couldn’t stop myself from watching, from seeing just how far gone he was.

And I knew, deep down, I’d made a mistake by being here. I was alone in this warehouse with an Oni. A demon. And no matter how often I told myself I could handle it, the truth was clear: I had bitten off more than I could chew.

I took another step back, but this time, he followed, the sinister pull of his presence too strong to ignore. He was still Tatsuya, or at least, part of him was. But what had I done by dragging him into this?

He didn’t answer, just kept coming, his growls growing louder, the tension in the air thickening. I realized, as my back hit a crate, that I had no more room to retreat.

I was cornered. Trapped.

Fear clawed at my chest, but something else surged inside me—a surge of anger so raw, it felt like the very blood of the Yakuza running through my veins. I was tired of being everyone’s chosen victim. What was it about me? I was just a girl trying to start her life over who somehow found herself face to face with an Oni of legend.

I was angry at the cards life had dealt me.

But I could use this anger to my advantage. If I was going to die here, then I might as well die fighting. My voice cut through the tension, sharper than I meant it to be.

"Stop." I spat the word, the weight of it carrying more than just command. There was power in my tone, born from years of surviving their world.

To my surprise, he did, narrowing his eyes.

I narrowed mine right back.

"Tatsuya, get on your knees," I ordered, pushing all the control I had into the words, as if they were weapons themselves.

The demon before me hesitated, his monstrous form towering over me, but I didn’t flinch. I stared up at him, eyes burning with the same fury that had been drilled into me over the years.

I didn’t know how to save him. Hell, I didn’t even know if I could save myself. But right then, I realized something—I didn’t have to be weak. If I could command a demon to stop, I would.

And I wasn’t about to let him tear through everything just because he was lost in his own rage.

I stepped forward, my voice laced with ice. “Listen to me, Tatsuya. You owe me for getting you out of your mess. If you don’t do what I say right now, I swear I will make you regret it.”

My eyes locked onto his, and I could feel my pulse quicken, but I didn’t back down. “Get on your knees. Now. ”

I didn't know if my anger was enough to break through the demon he’d become, but I’d be damned if I didn’t try.

The ground trembled beneath me as the Oni suddenly dropped to his knees, the force of it shaking the very foundation of the warehouse. My eyes widened in surprise, my breath catching in my throat. The sheer power of his transformation—the raw force—made my pulse race in a way I hadn’t anticipated. And yet, somewhere deep within me, I couldn’t deny the strange thrill that surged through my veins, as if I were standing on the edge of something dangerous, something dark and titillating.

I hesitated, uncertain whether to retreat or step closer. But something, perhaps the adrenaline or the strange connection between us, pushed me forward. Slowly, I took a step toward him, my eyes lingering on the terrifying, demonic face before me.

With tentative fingers, I reached out, my hand hovering just above his face before finally making contact.

The moment I touched him, he snarled, a deep, guttural sound that sent a chill down my spine. But I didn’t flinch. Instead, I smirked, the edge of defiance never leaving my lips.

“Well, aren’t you a little obedient demon?” I teased, my voice laced with sarcasm. “Didn’t know you’d be this easy to break.”

He growled again, but I ignored it, stepping closer. My hand, surprisingly steady, cradled his face, fingers grazing the sharp lines of his jaw. The contrast between his rage and the strange tenderness I felt at the moment was unnerving, but I couldn’t help it. There was something about him—about this situation—that twisted me in a way I couldn’t quite explain.

His eyes, glowing with that eerie yellow fire, locked onto mine, and for a brief moment, I almost saw something beneath the demon. Something human.

But then I quickly shoved that thought aside. This was the Oni, the monster who had torn through men without hesitation.

Still, my hand rested against his skin, the warmth of it almost comforting, despite the danger he represented.

“What the hell are you?” I murmured, more to myself than to him. But I didn’t pull away. Not yet.

The Oni’s eyes burned into mine, glowing with an intensity that could have shattered the air between us. His lips curled into a twisted snarl, revealing the sharp, deadly fangs, and his voice rumbled from deep within him, like thunder in the distance.

“You think you can control me?” he growled, the words heavy with malice. “You think you can order me around? You’re nothing but a mortal, and I will destroy you if you push me.”

The threat sent a rush of adrenaline through me, but it didn’t scare me. If anything, it ignited something more. I wasn’t backing down. Didn’t he know I had run into plenty of demons in my life since birth?

I had pushed him this far, and I wasn’t about to let him think for a second that he could intimidate me into submission.

I took a slow step closer, my fingers still grazing the cold, demonic flesh of his face, never flinching. My voice was steady, dripping with sarcasm.

“Oh, I think I can control you just fine.” I leaned in just a little, watching as his eyes flickered with rage. “After all, you’ve been on your knees for me, haven’t you? Seems like I’m the one with the power here.”

He snarled, a violent sound that vibrated the air, and for a second, I thought he might snap. But he stayed frozen, his body taut with fury, yet not acting on it.

I smirked, feeling my heart beat in time with the tension building between us. “You threaten me with what, exactly? You're nothing but a big, angry demon who's been reduced to begging. And yet, you're still standing there about to blow a fuse and doing nothing about it. So, what’s the deal, huh?”

The room felt suffocating, the air thick with both anger and something I couldn't quite name. But I wasn’t backing down. I wasn’t scared of him for some reason.

"Come on, if you're going to be all ‘dangerous’ and ‘powerful,’ show me what you can really do." I narrowed my eyes, feeling the heat of the moment. "But from where I'm standing, all you're doing is growling and threatening. That's not power, Tatsuya. That's a tantrum."

I could see the twitch in his jaw, his body shaking with the fury he was barely holding back, and in that moment, I knew I had him. He was as much a prisoner of this rage as I was. And I wasn't about to let him forget that.

I stood there, unflinching, letting my words sink in, daring him to challenge me. When it looked like he was about to let out a roar of rage, revealing our location to the Yakuza, I leaned in and kissed him.