Page 37 of The Oni's Heart

His hands weren’t gentle. They felt monstrous, unyielding, and when I glanced up at him, his eyes glowed with an intensity that was nothing like before. The rage simmering beneath the surface was still there, coiled tight, ready to snap.

And that’s when I realized—this wasn’t just fear of being caught.

I wasn’t sure if this monster was friendly… or hungry.

21

Playing with Fire

MOMOI

The 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...thingwas 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 stillTatsuya, 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.

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