Page 54 of The Oni's Heart

The Oni scoffed, a dark laugh echoing in my mind.“Another way? There is no other way, Tatsuya. The world as you know it is crumbling around you. There’s no place for you anymore.”

I stopped pacing and leaned against the wall, running my fingers through my hair, trying to think past the rage boiling in my veins.“There are other options. You could stay far from society, somewhere no one would ever find us. The mountains. A cave, even. Something quiet, something secluded. No more bloodshed, no more enemies. Just us. You’d have your peace.”

The Oni chuckled darkly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine.“A cave? Really, Tatsuya? What do you expect me to do there? Meditate? You really think I want to sit there, alone, away from everything, when the world could be mine for the taking?”

I clenched my fists, trying to hold onto my last shred of humanity.“It doesn’t have to be about domination. We could live away from the world, away from the violence. You don’t need to rule everything. You could be at peace. For once.”

The Oni didn’t answer right away, but I could feel his frustration building, the hunger stirring again. He wanted more. Always more. I wasn’t sure how to make him understand, how to make him see that it wasn’t just about feeding his rage. It was about surviving, about holding onto something real.

Momoi won’t even look at me. The silent treatment—she was punishing me for the things I’d done, for the things we’d done together. For the things I’d allowed the Oni to do. And the worst part? I understood. She was right to be angry, to pull away from me. I didn’t deserve her trust.

But the Oni? He wasn’t thinking about any of that. His patience was growing thinner by the second.

“She’s silent. She’s pulling away from you, Tatsuya,”the Oni murmured in my mind, his tone almost mocking.“You should be worried. Maybe she’s already slipping away from you.”

I winced at the thought. Momoi was the one thing that still tethered me to my humanity, the one thing that made me feel as if I wasn’t completely consumed by this monster inside me. The Oni, though? He didn’t care about that. He was all abouttaking, aboutpossessing. He didn’t understand the value of patience, of connection.

I turned my gaze toward her, the silence between us palpable. She was sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, trying to make herself smaller, distant. It hurt. I hated seeing her like this. Guilt gnawed at my marrows.

“I can petition for visitations to Jigoku,”I said, using my last bit of reasoning to try and calm the situation.“We don’t have to stay there. We don’t have to make this permanent. I could negotiate with the other Oni, making them allow us to return to the human realm when needed. There’s a chance to keep this… more civilized.”

The Oni’s response was instant, and the amusement in his tone was unmistakable.“Negotiations? You think I can negotiate with those fools?”He snarled, his presence swelling in my mind.“Let me make one thing clear—if we go to Jigoku, we’re not leaving until I’ve had my fill. And if you think any other Oni would respect your precious ‘visitation rights’, you’re more deluded than I thought.”

But then, the tone shifted. The Oni paused. A strange thought seemed to strike him, and I could feel a flicker of interest, a shift in his focus.

“Wait a minute… You’re right,”the Oni muttered, his voice darker now, almost calculating.“What if... what if others get ideas? What if the other Oni see her, see us, and decide they want a piece of her for themselves?”

I stiffened. My stomach churned at the thought. That wasn’t something I had even considered.

“Exactly,”I pressed, the tension in my body growing.“They’d come for her. They’d take her. And you wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop it.”

The Oni let out a low growl, clearly displeased with the realization, but there was no denying the truth. He loathed the idea of losing her, even to other demons. Even to his own kind.

“Fine,”the Oni grumbled, though I could feel his anger simmering beneath the surface.“I’ll wait. We’ll stay here, for now. But you better keep her close, Tatsuya. Because if any of those filthy demons even think about getting near her, I’ll burn them to ash.”

I didn’t respond, but inside, a part of me could breathe again. For now, the Oni had a reason to hold back. He wasn’t ready to make a move. And that was enough for me to plan the next step.

Momoi was still silent, but I could see the slightest shift in her posture, a hint that she hadn’t completely shut me out. Maybe we weren’t lost, not yet. But I knew I had to keep her safe. From everything. From the Oni. From the world.

And for the first time since meeting her, I realized that I wasn’t sure if I was trying to protect her—or if I was trying to protect myself fromlosingher.

I couldn't stand the silence. Every second felt stretched into eternity, suffocating me. The air between us felt thick, charged with the tension of unspoken words, emotions we were both too afraid to voice. Momoi sat there, staring at nothingness. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. Wouldn’t even acknowledge I was there.

I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t let this fester. I had to fight for her—for us.

The Oni's presence was suffocating, coiling around my thoughts in a tightening noose. He seethed in the back of my mind, his hunger for domination still roaring. His voice was a constant hum, a growl that vibrated through my skull.

"You’re pathetic, Tatsuya."He scoffed, the words thick with disdain."Begging like this. How much lower can you sink?"

But I couldn’t back down now. I knew what I had to do. I had to prove to her that I was still the man she knew, the man shecouldtrust, despite everything.

I took a step forward, my knees nearly buckling from the weight of the moment. The Oni was pushing against me, wanting to take control, but I couldn’t let him. Not now.

I dropped to one knee in front of her, forcing my pride into submission. The Oni snarled at the act, furious that I was lowering myself in front of her."You disgust me,"he spat, but I ignored him. This was something I had to do, even if it cost me everything.

“Momoi,” I started, my voice hoarse with the emotion I was trying to hold back. “I know I’ve messed up. I know I’ve done things that you’ll never forgive me for. But please… I’m asking for a chance.”

The Oni raged inside me, furious that I was pleading, but I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop.

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