My forearm still stung. The scratch in the shape of the letter 'S' throbbed every time it was covered by the fabric of my jacket, as if Sumeragi were whispering her name directly into my bloodstream.
After finishing a demon-slaughter mission on the outskirts of the city, which had once again left my body drenched in blood, I didn't head straight back to the mansion. I needed to see the only reason I still bothered to breathe in this rotten world.
The Central Psychiatric Hospital. A sterile, silent white building.
I walked down the corridor, which reeked strongly of carbolic acid. My steps halted in front of room 16-B. My heart suddenly hammered against my ribs, not out of fear of the nurses, but because I caught a scent I knew all too well.
The scent of jasmine.
I pushed the door open with trembling hands. There, beside the white bed, sat a woman with neatly braided black hair. The evening sun hit her face, making her look radiant, almost like a painting of a goddess in an old cathedral.
Sumeragi.
She was peeling an apple with expert precision. In front of her, my Mother sat propped up against the pillows; her usually pale, hollow face now looked slightly flushed. They looked like two old friends sharing secrets.
"Ah, Aqua-kun. Are you finished with work?" Sumeragi turned, offering a smile so warm I almost forgot that just last night, she had slaughtered a jewelry shop girl.
"M-Miss Sumeragi... what are you doing here?" my voice caught in my throat.
"Just visiting," she replied calmly. She placed a slice of apple on a small plate and stood up. She gently stroked the top of my mother's head, the exact same gesture she used when stroking mine. "Your mother is a very resilient woman. We talked a lot about your childhood."
I could only stand there, paralyzed. Sumeragi walked toward me, pausing for a moment to straighten my messy jacket collar.
"I'll be going now. Don't let your mother get too tired," she whispered softly, just enough to make my skin crawl, before gliding out of the room with graceful steps.
Once the door clicked shut, I immediately ran to the side of the bed. I grabbed my mother's thin hand.
"Mom... are you okay? Did she... did she do anything bad to you? Did she threaten you?" I asked in a barrage, my eyes wildly checking for any wounds or bruises on her body.
My mother looked at me, her usually dull eyes now glistening with happiness. She stroked my cheek with a trembling hand.
"Aqua... why are you talking like that?" her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "Miss Sumeragi... she is an angel. A total angel."
I froze. "An angel?"
"She told me how wonderful you are at the office. She said she cherishes you, guarding you like her own treasure," Mom smiled, a genuine smile I hadn't seen in years. "She even guaranteed all my medical expenses forever. She said as long as you are with her, I never have to worry about the future again."
Mom squeezed my hand tighter. "I feel at peace now, Aqua. I know you are in the right hands. Don't ever disappoint her, okay? A girl as kind as her is very rare in this world."
I felt nauseous. My stomach felt like it was being churned.
An angel? The woman who carved her name into my flesh with a silver shard last night was an angel?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tell Mom that Sumeragi was a monster wearing human skin. That every cent she used to pay for this hospital was a chain tightening around my neck. That Sumeragi's kindness was a sweet poison slowly killing my soul.
But, seeing the spark of hope in my mother's eyes... I couldn't bring myself to shatter it. If I told her the truth, she would break. And Sumeragi knew that. She had won everything. She didn't just own my body; she had just turned my mother into an emotional hostage who loved her own captor.
"Yes, Mom..." I whispered, tears beginning to well in my eyes. "She... she is very kind."
I hugged my mother, but my eyes stared toward the door Sumeragi had just passed through. There, in the small glass pane of the door, I seemed to see the reflection of those purple eyes watching me with a triumphant smile.
I realized one bitter reality: In this world, there is nowhere for me to run. Because wherever I go, even into the arms of my own mother, Sumeragi is already there. Waiting for me. Owning me.