Chapter 159 - The Real you

What a stupid sounding story. Fate? Thread? How superficial and strange. But, Akito didn't have to look at Setsura to understand. Do girls like books about fate? All the girls around him don't read such things.

Akito thought Setsura would give him the book she was reading. But, instead had settled on giving him a story that would also fall under the fairytale-like category. Upon noticing the red binding, he merely chuckled at that. She really does like that color quite a bit, huh? 'The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson.'

Once upon a time, there lived a wicked goblin who built a magic mirror. Anything beautiful or good ended up reflected in it as ugly and bad. One day, the mirror broke, and all its pieces fell all over the earth. A few pieces also fell in a small town where two friends named Kay and Gerda lived.

Kay and Gerda were neighbors. They were excellent friends and spent their days playing games, building sand blocks, and running across the sun-kissed fields.

One day while they were playing, bits of the broken mirror hit Kay's eyes, and one-piece pierced his heart. After that, everything changed. Kay no longer viewed Gerda as his best friend. He poked fun at her and hit her on the head whenever he could. Gerda puzzled and couldn't understand why he was behaving in such a strange way.

One day, Kay and his group of friends went on a sledge ride over the snow. Suddenly, a large sledge drew up before him, and its driver asked him to step in. Once Kay was inside, the driver transformed himself into a woman and sped away. Dr.a.p.ed in a white flowing gown, and on her head was placed a crown made of ice. Her silky white locks cascaded like a flowing stream. Astonished Kay asked her who she was. I am the Snow Queen," replied the woman, whose face shone like a sparkling diamond. She tugged at the reins and rode past the clouds and the rainbow, till they reached a distant land.

Meanwhile, Gerda waited for Kay to return. One day, she took her boat and went to search for him in the river. Seeing Gerda, a fairy cast her magic spell and made the boat approach her. When Gerda narrated her story, she sent her garden flow­ers everywhere to search for Kay, but they returned empty-handed.

'A fairytale, huh?' Akito skimmed through the pages. It honestly didn't interest him, but once in awhile, he would stop to read particular passages from the book. Since it's her, everything happens for a reason. He knew Setsura wouldn't hand her a random book if it had nothing special in it so, while he was skimming. He paid close attention too.

"I can give her no greater power than she has already said the woman; don't you see how strong that is? How men and animals are obliged to serve her, and how well she has got through the world, barefooted as she is. She cannot receive any power from me greater than she now has, which consists of her own purity and innocence of heart. If she herself can't obtain access to the Snow Queen and remove the glass fragments from little Kay, nothing can be done to help her," Setsura suddenly said, quoting a passage from the book. "And so? What are your thoughts? You're done now, aren't you?"

So this is what Natasha meant. He is starting to get a larger view of the clear picture now.

Even before she said it, though, Akito already knew that something was going on. "You will disappear the moment someone has seen the 'Real' you?"

She really is a fool.

Saying this indirectly and telling him to stay away and not getting any closer. Almost as if she's threatening him and saying that if he gets any closer, she will disappear, she will leave, and they'll never see her again. By saying that, she's… a real fool. However, Akito knew she wasn't lying, that she really would disappear.

Natasha and Lyra must have noticed too. Otherwise, those two wouldn't give him such advice.

That guy is testing his patience.

Testing all the guys who like her patience. The person who takes that step forward who discovers the real her. When that happens, she will disappear and leave with him.

His thoughts broke of when Setsura suddenly got up.

"Shall we look around? At least we know Sir Long group is around, and we aren't the only ones here."

Akito nodded in agreement. He noted how Setsura placed several books into her pouch. But he didn't say anything.

"My father would definitely be mad if he ever found out I touched a weapon, that I became like this. Even though he desperately tried to hide it. The truth was I knew the reason why he was so against it since, from the start, he knew what I inherited from him. No, they both knew that I wasn't normal. My mother passed away when I was very young, so my memories of her aren't clear at all. But the ones I do remember involve her keeping me far far away from weaponry. Whenever I did go near such things, she would always scold me harshly and whenever I protested.

She would slap me. 'Even though we're doing it for your sake, why would you say that? Don't look at me with those eyes. I don't need you; you can go away. Leave'. She repeated those words so often, and the day before she was killed, those were the last ones I heard from her too. About her not needing me, "Setsura paused and took a deep breath, "My mother probably hated me. Whenever she saw me, she always had such a pained looked in her eyes."

Listening to this, Akito wanted to rush up to her and wrap his arms around her like she had just done with moments ago. But something seemed to prevent him. Instead, all he could do was call out her name.

"Setsura…"

She looks back at him and smiles, "But it's alright. I already found it, the warmth that I had been lacking."

"I see. That's good."

He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to react. Still, Akito wrapped his around her waist. He wanted to kiss her and do other things. But this isn't the time. Besides, right now, there are more important things to deal with. Akito knew there was nothing more important for him than Setsura. However, if he were to tell her those words, then for sure she would leave his side.

Setsura is still not comfortable with him openly declaring his feelings; she would flinch whenever he mentions it. Deep down, there is still a layer of insecurity, a wall of pain which she will not show him.