31 Chapter 31
Artemis stood in front of Issei while he began slowly calming down.
"Issei... speak to me... What happened?"
"No... no... she hurt me... she did it first." Issei began backing away... Upon seeing Issei being so vulnerable and hurt... Artemis felt hurt. She gently walked to him... "You'll do the same... You'll hurt me too..."
Tripping on a stick, Issei landed on the ground which allowed Artemis to gently hold him within her grasp once more. Gently whispering in his ear, she spoke... "Issei... I would never hurt you. I can never hate you... You are way too important to me..."
Widening his eyes a little bit, he began calming down. "Raynare... the girl that I killed... her name is Raynare..."
"Why did you kill her?" Staying silent, Issei didn't want anyone to know this... "Issei... my dear... Didn't I tell you about Orion... my deepest and most vulnerable secret... Why don't you tell me about this Raynare girl..."
Seeing as though Artemis wasn't going to back down and that she was telling the truth with that, Issei slowly began telling his darkest truth... Being in her grasp, he croaked out, "She used me... she never loved me." Watching him slowly beginning to breakdown in her hold, Artemis couldn't help but be in pained seeing her beloved in so much pain. This was not the heroic and goofball that she knew... "Artemis... I think you need to know who I was as a person... before you met me."
Nodding her head, Issei began telling her about who he was. The perverted leader of the school... all the terrible things he had done... Nodding her head to everything, Issei feared that she would think of him in a negative light... but she didn't let him go.
"So... You were a pervert... a massive pervert?" Artemis asked. Nodding... Issei couldn't help but be prepared for the worst. This was one of his fears... of Artemis slaying him for being the same as the others... However, he continued feeling her hold him. "Do you expect me to change my view of you? You have already shown me who you truly are... you have already saved my youngest members... listened to my pain... spend time and made me enjoy life... you really think I would ever change my view for you?"
Artemis felt something off... The time she met Issei, the man didn't bat an eye to her body. He was simply staring right into her soul... Something must have happened for him to drastically change from the perverted man that he claimed to be.
Feeling slightly more secured, Issei continued, "Raynare met me... she was a beautiful schoolgirl in my eyes... She asked me out... The feeling of joy that I felt knowing that the chances of me having a girlfriend was unmatched. I was so happy... I immediately accepted and ran back home. I made sure to clean myself multiple times before the date... I wanted her to feel happy."
Artemis slowly began feeling a little bit of dread knowing where the story was going.
"I spent all my savings for her... I bought her everything. I made sure to do as many things as I can to make her feel the joy of the date. I made sure to buy her souvenirs... I gave her my heart." Issei slowly began breaking his sentences from trying to keep himself together. "I felt as if... I was being loved. That the only thing that I ever wanted was finally coming true... I felt as if life was being complete for me."
Gently grabbing Artemis, the woman continued holding him tightly, and pointing towards his chest... He looked at her with swollen eyes. Artemis couldn't bear seeing Issei in so much emotional pain... "She stabbed me through the chest... and left me to rot. What...did I do... wrong? Why... did she do it? Am I... really... destined to be... alone? Does... everyone... hate me?"
Seeing him continue breaking down, she hugged him tightly into her chest and slowly began tearing up. His voice... it felt so broken. She finally understood...
Issei was a boy that wanted one thing in life... to have someone to love him... When he thought he got it... he was the happiest man in the world. It was similar to her... she felt the happiest woman in the world to have Orion... The difference was... Artemis didn't yearn for love... when Orion betrayed her... her incentive of men being sinners simply brought her back to her previous self.
Issei whole perversion and life revolved around women... He yearned for love... and when he got it... and for it to be a betrayal... it shattered him. All this time... He was going through pain... yet she didn't know.
"Issei... look me in the eyes..." Gently speaking to him, the boy looked up with his bloodshot eyes and saw Artemis's gentle teary eyes. "You will find love... true love. Someone who will always be with you..."
"No... no... she said it... I will never find love... That no one would love a perverted boy like me... I'm a waste of space..." That woman truly was despicable... "Then... she went on to kill many other innocent lives... I will never forgive her..."
Gently stroking his hair, it began to calm him down a little. "Issei... everything will be alright... I am here."
Looking into her eyes, Issei asked his final question... "Artemis... I'm scared... I don't want to be alone... I don't want to be lonely... I want to find someone... but what if everyone hates me?"
"Issei... I want you to know something... Do you know who my heart belongs to?"
"You're huntresses..."
"No... It's you..."
Hearing that, Issei widened his eyes and began breathing heavily. "No... Artemis... don't make a joke like that... there is no way that you will ever love me..."
Her heart broke seeing him beginning to panic... seeing the boy trying to squirm out of her hold. Taking the initiative... she know that she needed to prove it. Diving in for a kiss, she pecked his lips and backed away... even she was very embarrassed in doing that. Issei simply froze... not knowing how to respond to that.
"Issei... You said you will always be there for me... That was a contract you signed with me... I will also always be there for you. I will always be here to support you... I will make sure you never will feel the pain of being alone. I love you more than anything... I love you more than even my huntresses... you are the person for me... Please... please... give me a chance."
Beginning to panic from hearing her words, Issei didn't know what to do. Part of him, his old self wanted to agree... to be with this beautiful Goddess of a woman but the trauma was making him think of her betraying him as well...
"If I ever leave you... I will kill myself and all my huntresses. I promise to be yours... I don't care if you accept or not... I will love you no matter what."
Issei couldn't help but... croak out his only response... "Please... don't leave me..."
Kissing him again on the lips, she hugged him tightly. Pulling away, she looked deeply into his eyes. "I will never ever in my immortal life ever leave you... I will bring you back from the dead even if your human lifespan ran out and continue loving you."
Doing nothing but crying into her, Issei couldn't help but finally accept Artemis... The woman in question simply let him cry into her... eventually falling asleep. "Sleep well my little one... let me take care of you from now on."
————————————————
Reputation with Artemis has greatly increased
Artemis—> Possessively loves you and will make sure to be around you very frequently. She will get jealous easily.
————————————————
Her love for him was only increasing... How far did it go?
