Hitman x Wives

Chapter 232 232- Childhood Day (Part 1)

Kai stood there silently for a while as he stared at Aria with a complicated gaze. He didn't know what to do at that moment at all.

Was he supposed to get angry? Was he supposed to take that picture from her and destroy it or was he supposed to simply let her keep it since it had been in her possession this whole time even before they grew apart? It was such an alien situation for him. 

Aria, on the other hand, was panicking inwardly. She was cursing herself for allowing Kai to find that picture while also fearful of what he would do. That picture was supposed to be something he completely forgot existed.

In a sense, she hid the fact that she still owned something from that time with her Kai and that could be considered a form of lying. Perhaps Kai all the hard work Aria had put into trying to fix their relationship was now completely ruined.

However, shockingly enough, Kai did nothing of what she expected. Instead, he simply walked toward the door before he turned around.

"Just keep an eye out for any suspicious occurrences." He said and then left the room, leaving Aria even more flabbergasted than ever before.

He didn't seem to change his tone when he spoke to her so that at least meant that he wasn't angry. But, at the same time, he didn't show any particular reaction on his face which also meant that Aria couldn't determine what went through his mind.

"... What am I supposed to do?" Aria murmured to herself before she lay down on the bed. Then, she lifted the picture up in the air as if she was taking a look at it.

All the memories of that day came back to her. After all, ironically enough, that was the last day they met before Aria disappeared for a very long time without telling Kai a single word.

***

*11 Years Ago*

"And bam! I punched my trainer in the stomach, which made him almost throw up! Hahaha!" Aria said excitedly as she made exaggerated movements with her hand.

"Did you grow stronger than him?" Kai asked as he adjusted Aria's position on his lap. Because of her frantic movements, she almost lost her balance while sitting that close to him. For a long while, Kai's lap became Aria's favorite place to sit down even when they were reading a book together.

"Of course! My trainer said that I was a freak of nature! Hahaha! Isn't he exaggerating?" She asked with a pouty face.

"I doubt he was. In the eyes of normal Origin Users, you're extremely talented." Kai replied as he patted her head gently to appease her. This affectionate gesture of his was now basically the norm between the two of them.

"Hey! Are you with them or with me, Kai?! We promised each other to always support each other so it's only right that you agree with me." Aria hugged him tightly as she complained. Her words, as bratty as they sounded, were simply her way of joking around.

"I did say that. But, you seem to forget that you aren't as weak as a normal kid our age. Neither am I." He said.

Both of them were at the peak of the world when it came to talent which was the main reason why they even got along this well. They understood each other's struggle. Being strong was a blessing as much as it was a curse and these two experienced that first hand.

In that regard, the two of them completely found their solace in each other.

"I know that… But still… Why can't they treat us like they would treat a normal kid, Kai? Are we really that different?" She asked with a fearful tone. Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck.

"... People hate those who are different. Whether it was jealousy or fear, they never want to accept us because we aren't like them."

"But, that's unfair. We didn't ask to be born this way. What did we do wrong?" Aria exclaimed as she pulled away and looked at Kai closely.

"Nothing… Absolutely nothing."

"Then…"

"We don't need those people, Aria. We have each other, don't we? If this world doesn't want to accept us then we won't accept it either. We only need each other in this world, that's what matters." Kai replied honestly.

'To hell with what they say.' He mused to himself.

He was already sick of these people and their desire to use him. Everyone around him, including his father, only wanted him to be their tool of destruction. They didn't see him as a human at all.

Kai gave up on the idea of being free or finding his own purpose in life long ago. But, when he met Aria, everything changed. She became his happiness, his hope, and his goal. She was everything for him and more. Aria was good enough of a reason for Kai to fight this whole entire world and win.

As long as she was next to him, he didn't care for anyone and didn't want anyone to care for him except for her. He just wanted her to look at him and him alone. 

As much as he was certain that she was everything he needed, he was also certain that he was everything she needed.

Aria seemed to feel that from him and it made her warm smile bloom again as she hugged him.

"Mm, let's stay together forever, Kai. I love you so much!" She expressed her feelings without any hesitance.

"... Me too. I love you too." Kai replied in a whisper.

As the two hugged each other, the chirping of the birds woke them up from their sweet moment and made them realize that morning had already come. Looking at the table in front of him, Kai realized that they had read almost an entire book throughout the night.

He didn't feel the passage of time at all during their conversation. In fact, he didn't feel the passage of time at all ever since he met Aria. He was most certainly addicted to this odd girl. Far more than he could ever admit.

"We need to make breakfast and then sleep." He said as he picked up Aria in his hands.

"Yay! Breakfast! But I don't want to sleep! I'm not feeling tired at all!" She protested.

"No, you have to sleep so that you don't get sick."

"But I want to spend more time with Kai!"

"I will be there beside you so you won't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He replied as he put her down on the chair in the kitchen before he approached the counter and started preparing a quick breakfast.

Looking up, he took a peek from the window. Outside was a vast and beautiful expanse of forest that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was a completely different sight than the one back at the temple and the reason for that was the fact that Kai and Aria weren't in the temple but in a faraway place.

The reason for that was simple… They snuck away and came here to spend some time alone. That was certainly a risky thing to do considering how strict Kai's father was but he didn't care at all. He was certain that he would never be found out since he made sure to delete any traces he left behind out of existence.

With some work, they were able to build a small wooden house in this forest and they spent time here, together, away from other people and their ignorance.

It has been almost a month since the two of them ran away and it was by far the happiest month of Kai's life, no doubt. He loved every moment here with Aria. They read together, trained together, slept together, and ate together. They were inseparable the whole day and during the night.

Aria also felt the same way and she seemed way happier than ever before.

The two of them seriously consider spending the rest of their lives here. But, they knew that was simply wishful thinking since they were still young and they needed to be in contact with civilization or it would create more problems.

So, Kai was planning for them to move to a small city where they could live like normal people but still away from their previous lives. It wasn't a far-fetched idea considering his ability to conceal his identity.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Cereal!!"

"Hmm, you don't want a jam sandwich?"

"No! Cereal is great!" 

"Ok." 

Doing what his spoiled princess wanted, Kai gave her the bowl of cereal and sat down, sipping on a cup of coffee. The aroma of the drink was certainly great and it fit Kai's taste greatly.

"Hey! Can I take a sip from your coffee?"

"It's not sweet." He replied.

"I can handle a bitter coffee. I can be an adult like you too."

"You won't like but ok, suit yourself." Giving her the coffee, Aria took a sip before she suddenly spat out the whole mouthful.

"Blurgh! Bitter! How can you drink this?"

"Hahaha, I told you." Kai chuckled briefly as he took the cup again.

"Hey! Don't laugh!"