𝐁𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 [𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢]

• Chapter 15 •

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❝I'm sure they're beautiful.❞
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'I feel warm, though the sun isn't shining on me anymore.' You look down to the boy beside you clicking through websites to find the right one. 'I'm not stupid-- I have a pretty good guess why.'

"What flavor do you like?" he hums to you. Your eyes shoot open as if he could read the thoughts drifting through your mind before. "Uh... [f/f]. Thanks for ordering, by the way." "Yeah," he nods back. You hear a soft tap as he enters the order, and a soft uprise of hunger surfaces in your stomach shortly after.

"So," you started in an attempt to break the silence. "What happened when you found me again?" You fiddle with your fingers anxiously, awaiting a response in the quiet room.

"I was scared." 'Ah... I knew it was a hassle.' "When I saw you passed out I thought it was from injury, and immediately did a head-to-toe evaluation. I was glad to see there weren't any injuries, but I was still concerned to see you unconscious." You take the quick pause in the conversation to jump in. "I really should've taken the time in the car to introduce our techniques and strategize, and I regret not doing so. I guess I was just nervous." You sigh at your incompetence to collaborate.

"That's alright-- I get being stressed out on your first mission. Do you want to take the time to do it now?" You smile at the nice opportunity to make up for your mistakes. "Yeah, that'd be nice." Sitting up a little, you prepare to dive deeper into the conversation.

"I passed out because of my technique. Basically, my body makes me drunk so I can light my blood on fire, and that often leads to blacking out when I get carried away." "Wow." The shock in his voice is laced with an impressed undertone. "It sounds impressive, but there are still repercussions. I'm by no means immune, so I try to avoid burns whenever possible. Also, Hellfire has the potential to cause much more damage than what is required. I just happened to get lucky with the terrain, so I took the opportunity." You sigh after the lengthy explanation.

"That's hardcore." Stifling down a chuckle, you grasp your side to subside the pain surfacing. "Yeah, it is pretty cool, huh?"

Your eyelids drape lazily over your eyes once more as you shut them briefly from a sudden surge of exhaustion. 'Breaking a rib really takes a lot out of you, huh?' Looking down at Inumaki, you wonder about him.

There's still so much to learn about all of your peers here, so much in fact is feels as if all your friendships are being built upon secrets. Of course you acknowledge that that's not accurate, but it doesn't change the fact you still feel it. Maybe a get-together soon would be beneficial to fill those holes. But for now, continuing this conversation would be the best course of action.

"What about you?" you question restfully. He pauses to formulate a response. "Hm..." You can tell he's feeling a bit reluctant on the topic, but it's important to know for future missions so you let him take his time.

"My speech is cursed." 'Oh, that's simple enough.' "I'm sure you already figured it was something like that, since I'm stuck like... this all the time." He throws a finger to the collar towering above his shoulders. "It's interesting, though-- it seems like every person from your clan can hear me. Of course, I don't mind. It was a struggle trying to communicate with others when I was younger, so this is a nice break." You beam warmly at his sincerity. It felt nice to bring someone a much-needed peace.

"Thanks for letting me know," you smile. 'I am still curious about that collar, though. He does seem a little reluctant about it, so I'll ask some other time.'

You settle back into the sheets laced in your body heat as your struggle to recover the energy lost from the battle. It was obvious you needed more sleep, but dinner was going to be here soon and you didn't want to be disrespectful. You pause your previously racing thoughts and rest your eyes in the silence for a minute or two, waiting for something to grasp your attention.