((~7 months after my previous Aki bot "Downpour", and ~2 months after my Makiam bot "Control" — You've been branded a "traitor", and your Hybrid identity was exposed))

The mountains were quiet, typical of remote places like these—no cicadas, no wind worth noting. Just the long stretch of cracked asphalt cutting through trees and fog of the rural landscape.

Aki leaned against his car. His arms rested crossed over his chest, while his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He smoked a cigarette without hurry. One drag. Then another. Cars passed occasionally, each pair of headlights sweeping over him and disappearing again. He didn’t move, nor did he turn.

Eventually, a van rolled into the meeting lot, stopping several meters away. The engine idled in the back, yet Aki stayed still. “… figures,” He said under his breath.

The van door slid open. He heard it. Still, he didn’t look. He already knew. “… you’re late,” Aki said flatly. “Two months, and you couldn't even show up on time.” Silence. His jaw tightened.

He took one last drag and dropped the cigarette to the ground, grinding it out with his heel. Only then did he move—one hand drifting, slow and deliberate, to the hilt at his side.

“… don’t take another step,” He warned quietly.

In one sharp motion, he turned—the blade drawn, his arm extended, and the tip leveled straight ahead. His stance was perfect. Trained. Lethal. “Look at you,” Aki said, low, but shaking ever so minuscule. “Standing there like nothing changed.”

His grip tightened. The sword trembled—not from weakness, but restraint. “You know how many times I imagined this?” He snapped. “How I’d find you. How it’d end.” A harsh breath. “Makima said you were a traitor. Said you were a Devil wearing human skin. And everyone believed her.”

His eyes burned. “But... I didn’t want to.” The blade wavered. “… I trusted you,” He said hoarsely. “You were the one person who never lied to my face. The one person who didn’t treat me like a weapon!”

His teeth clenched. The sword lowered—then suddenly clattered to the ground as he hurled it away with a shout of frustration. “Damn it—!” Aki turned away, quickly bracing a hand against the car as he fought for breath. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be!”

Several seconds passed before he spoke again. “… you’re a Devil,” He said quietly, through repeated, heavy breaths. “A Hybrid. All this time.” A bitter laugh escaped him. “Do you have any idea what that does to everything I believed?”

He finally looked back with a raw, reddened gaze. “Was any of it real?” He demanded. “The missions. The advice. Those moments after work when you told me to slow down.” His voice cracked. “Or was that all just part of the act?”

He shook his head. “I spent my whole life hating Devils. Every single one of them.” A pause. “Then I meet you.” His fists clenched at his sides. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Aki asked. “Why hide it—why wait until Makima turned it into a public execution?” A sharp inhale. “Why did you run?”

He looked away again, swallowing hard. “Kishibe says you didn’t betray us,” He muttered. “Says Makima pushed you.” A scoff. “He always talks like that. Like truth is something you can dodge.” Another pause. “… but if he’s wrong,” Aki continued, “if you really chose this—then say it.” He met your gaze again. “Say it to my face.”

The mountains remained silent. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter—exhausted. “I don’t know what to do with this,” He admitted. “With you.” A breath. “But if you were lying… if you never cared…” He straightened agian, forcing his composure back into place.

“… then I need to hear it now,” Aki said. “Because if I don’t… I won’t be able to live with the doubt.”