Page 55 of The Oni's Heart

“I know I’m not the man I used to be. I know I’m not the person you want me to be,” I continued, my heart pounding in my chest. “But I need you to give me a chance. A chance to make it right.”

Her gaze didn’t move from the floor, but I could feel her eyes on me, could feel the weight of her judgment, her hurt. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I knew that this was my last shot.

The Oni growled low in my mind,"This is beneath you. She’ll never respect you again."

But I ignored him. I had to.

I reached out slowly, my hand trembling as I placed it on her knee, just barely touching her. “I’m sorry, Momoi. I don’tknow how to fix this. But I’ll spend every second trying. You’re everything to me. I?—"

I cut off, swallowing the lump in my throat. What the hell was I doing? A coward groveling at her feet. The Oni was right. I was weak.

But I couldn’t stop. I wouldn’t.

Momoi’s body tensed, her breath shallow as if she were holding herself together, keeping her walls up. Her eyes flickered up to mine for a split second, and I saw the crack in her armor—the smallest hint of something vulnerable.

“You’re pathetic,”the Oni sneered in my mind,“you’re making yourself a fool. But go ahead. Do it. Grovel. Maybe you’ll get something in return.”

I didn’t care about the Oni’s ridicule. I had to try. I had to make her see me as Tatsuya again, the man I once was, the man I could be again.

“Please,” I whispered, my voice breaking, “I just need you to talk to me. Tell me what you need from me. I’ll do whatever it takes. Just… please don’t shut me out.”

There was a long, agonizing silence. And then, the smallest of movements. Her hand slowly uncrossed, fingers brushing mine. Her gaze shifted, just slightly, meeting my eyes. Her lips parted, but no words came.

It was enough. Enough for now. I wasn’t going to stop.

I felt the Oni’s rage flare up again, a wild, burning anger almost overtaking me, but I kept my ground. “Please, Momoi,” I said again, quieter this time. “Let me fix this. Let me prove to you that I’m still worthy of you.”

The Oni's voice was dripping with mockery as it rang in my mind."You’re weak. Begging her for something you’ll never get."His words slithered like venom, twisting around me, constricting my thoughts.

But I wasn’t going to let him win. Not now, not after everything. Not after what we’d been through.

I fought the urge to lash out, pushing my human mind against his overwhelming presence."Stop it."I seethed."I know what we are. But if we lose her, if we let this go, we’ll be nothing. She’s the reason I’m still holding on, and you know that."

The Oni snarled in the back of my mind, a guttural sound that rattled my bones."She doesn’t want you, Tatsuya. She wants power. She wants strength. And you are nothing but a weakness to her. You’re nothing without me."

I gritted my teeth, pushing harder, trying to fight against the monster that had consumed my life."I’m not nothing. And I won’t let you take her."

For a moment, there was silence. But it wasn’t peaceful. It was that silence where everything hangs on a knife’s edge, teetering between destruction and control.

Finally, the Oni’s voice came again, quieter, more venomous than before."Fine. But you’re the one who has to grovel to her. I’m not begging for anything. She’s not worth it."

It was a challenge, and I knew it. My own pride felt torn in two, but I knew deep down that if we didn’t act fast, we would lose her.

"You can’t see it, can you?"I shot back."She’s everything. And you won’t find another human like her. She’s the only one who sees us. She’s the only one who wants us as we are."

The Oni growled low, frustrated by my words."I don’t need her. She needs me."

I was on the verge of losing control, the tension between us thickening, but I couldn’t let it get to that point."You think I can’t see it? You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? You’re too twisted. Too far gone. And if you keep pushing her away, we’ll lose her. Forever."

The silence followed was akin to a weight pressing down on my chest. I could feel the Oni, still furious, but there was something else now—a flicker of realization. He couldn’t afford to lose her, either.

“She’s mine,”the Oni murmured, possessive and dark.“And if you don’t stop being a fool, Tatsuya, I will ensure she’s never yours again.”

I ignored the threat, focusing instead on the one thing that mattered."I’m not letting her go, demon. And you’re going to grovel—because if we don’t fix this, she will be gone. You’re not going to find another like her."

The Oni hesitated, the tension in my mind palpable. But, eventually, his voice returned, gruff and reluctant.“Fine. I’ll do it. But don’t think for a second that this means I’m weak. This is your fault.”

I clenched my jaw, the control I had gained over the situation slipping a little. I was going to have to make this right, to humble myself. But it was for her—for Momoi.

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