"Masked Memories" Chapter Twelve: Innocence
This chapter was an absolute must! It was most certainly one of my favorite chapters to write, not just for this story but for any.
Sora’s comment about feeling like a runaway bride is symbolically represented. Sora is wearing a white dress, and Ichiro had intended to place Sora in a binding contract, one that he claimed was for business. Of course, at this stage the reader should understand the relevance his true intentions have to Sora’s statement. Hei is still trying to play the Black Reaper for Sora, so he has no comment for this. One can imagine that he would agree with her.
I wanted to put the two as close together as possible as quickly as possible. Sora’s dress, their height in the sky, and the night air all proved to be beneficial factors. Sora tries to be inconspicuous about moving closer to the Reaper, but she certainly isn’t any good at it.
I almost forgot that Sora’s arm was wounded because of how excited I was to write this chapter, but I made sure that Hei quickly addressed it. The Black Reaper ties a handkerchief around it to stop the blood flow. The wound is extremely shallow as the Reaper’s blade only just barely grazed Sora’s arm, so the wound is really nothing to be concerned about. It’s not mentioned any other time in this chapter.
It’s obvious to Hei that Sora is freezing, but Sora’s reaction to the Black Reaper’s presence is relatively predictable. She is truly as fearful as she is fascinated by him, but throughout the chapter her fascination even rivals that and begins to sprout forth love and affection. Hei, even as the Black Reaper, is still in love with Sora, so his approach to warm her is abrasive enough to keep up his cover while still gentle enough for the reader to understand the source. The title of this chapter, takes effect immediately from this point. Sora is immediately engulfed with emotions that she doesn’t understand, and they often resemble the emotions that sprout forth from a first love. Even though Li is truly Sora’s first love, the Black Reaper’s power over her as her muse has seized her unlike any other force.
Sora is then led to question the Reaper. She doesn’t understand why he is protecting her; she certainly hasn’t drawn a connection between he and Li. The Reaper tells her a bit about his supposed nature as a Contractor, but the reader knows Hei is far different from the Contractor he describes to Sora. Everything he does “as a Contractor” is simply an act for Sora so that she never has to doubt that her muse has miraculously come to save her. When Sora asks him if he remembers what it’s like to be human, he tells her that he isn’t much different from the person he was then, and this is truthful in that we know he isn’t really a Contractor.
The Black Reaper tells Sora that she looks beautiful, and this statement alone begins to erode his defenses. It entirely erodes Sora’s defenses. And as Sora begins to shiver, the Reaper begins to stroke her legs to warm them, and Sora continues to bury her face in the crook of his neck. And as would in any normal man, a desire for Sora births in Hei.
Sora tells the Reaper that he reminds her of Li, her boyfriend “of sorts”. In Hei’s mind, he begs her not to say Li’s name, and this is because it brings him back to a place in reality, one where he recognizes how cruelly he’s deceiving her. The rooftop is a fantasy for the both of them, one void of danger, involving only the two of them. Li’s name on Sora’s lips wipes away a piece of the fantasy for Hei. Sora tells the Black Reaper that she reminds him of Li because the way love has prevented her from forgetting about him, she can’t forget about the Reaper. She is essentially saying that she think she’s in love again.
Hei looks into Sora’s eyes and all of his inhibitions leave him; his body immediately responds the passionate yet innocent moment they are having together. He is overwhelmed with affection for the girl in his lap. Hei begins to see innocence in a new light. Sora doesn’t have to do anything sexual to inspire him; her personality alone captivates him.
This is the chapter where Hei begins to see his false identities as truly separate people within him. He recognizes that he has fallen in love with her a second time, this time as the Black Reaper, and his only desire now is to love her as himself and hopes that she will love him the same way. Before this moment he had no idea how powerfully affected he is by Sora.
The Black Reaper grows more and more tired as his body begins to relax again, Sora coaxes him to sleep. They have both subconsciously teased each other, and manage to control themselves if only because of the pressing circumstances. Sora only briefly considers Li during the Reaper’s slumber as she’s meant to, but I certainly did not want to detract from this moment. And even when considering him she contemplates his being a traitor and working for Ichiro. She thinks of him suspiciously, with a slight trace of worry. Her true concerns are only for the man to whose body she clutches onto so tightly.
As the chapter draws to a close, two more Contractors arrive: Nobara and Shikkoku. Their names are vivid clues into what powers they possess, meaning “wild rose” and “jet black”. Shikkoku, an obvious flirt, says that he isn’t surprised that the Reaper would want Sora all to himself because of her beauty. The reader should wonder why Hei didn’t take Sora directly to whichever established location Mao and Huang had picked out. Of course, the promise of a battle is meant to be a distraction.
I believe I made a note of this before, but this chapter was relatively inspired by the song "Innocence" by Miyuki Hashimoto. She's an exceptionally talented artist, but this song has resonated with me since I first heard it as the Shuffle! ending theme. It proves to be pretty relevant, and I've included some of the translated lyrics here so that you see what I mean:
"The string that ties you and I together
Still just might be thin
But I cast off everything, entrust you, and try to feel you
At the deep lake that all love in the world guides to
Gently I take my feelings that still overflow for you and――
I’d like to believe that someday we can understand each other
Please, I want you to show me enough of your heart so that I can see through it"
The video I found (with the best quality) is a sing along of sorts, so knock yourself out. I just wanted one that didn't have any pictures in it because when you listen to the song I want you to think of Hei and Sora.
Click to view