Mistress Of The Shadow | Bungo Stray Dogs

Chapter 15

Sayuri walked into the safe house and saw Zoe resting her head on Sakunosuke's shoulder.

"She started crying again. I tried my best to calm her down," Odasaku spoke quietly when he saw his sister.

"I can only imagine how hard it must be. She doesn't deserve to go through this," Sayuri replied sadly. "I'm gonna get changed. You wanna take her to her bed or should I?"

"I'll do it. You should shower and go to bed," Odasaku answered, moving to scoop Zoe into his arms.

"Alright." Sayuri walked to her bedroom to grab her pajamas before going into the bathroom.

She stripped from her clothes that had some blood splatters on them now. She took her auburn hair out of its braid and let it fall over her shoulders. She turned the shower on to let the water warm up before carefully brushing her hair out to make sure there were no tangles.

She stepped into the shower and sighed as the warm water began spilling over her tired form.

She ran her fingers through her hair as the water soaked through it. She kept thinking about how only a few days ago she was having the time of her life with Dazai, and now she was worrying if she would see him again. She knew that he would be fine, but she still couldn't help but worry.

Another thought that kept going through her head is if something like that would ever happen again, and would it be with Dazai or someone else?

The image of Piano Man talking about Zoe flashed in her mind. She wondered if someone would have that same look in their eyes when talking about her.

After washing herself off, she stepped out of the shower, pulling her towel from the bar it was draped over.

She dried off her body before slipping on her silk pajamas. She dried her hair before brushing her teeth and washing her face.

She left the bathroom and went into the room she was staying in before crashing onto the bed. She wasn't used to feeling so exhausted after completing such a simple assignment, but with everything on her mind, she just wanted to sleep.

She curled up in the fluffy blankets and closed her eyes, passing out moments after her head hit the pillow.

Sayuri walked up to the apartment where Zoe used to live with Piano Man, looking at the brunette who seemed unusually quiet. Sakunosuke stood behind them quietly.

Zoe stood outside the door of the apartment and froze. She remembered the day she first stayed over night. Tears filled her eyes for the millionth time and Sayuri quickly wrapped her arms around the crying woman.

"I can't do this... I can't..." Zoe whimpered as her knees buckled.

Sayuri and Sakunosuke both hugged her tight as sobs racked her body.

"I'm never gonna see him again! And I'll never get to tell him how much I love him ever again! I need him to come back to me! I can't live without him!"

Sayuri was about to speak up when Sakunosuke gently grasped Zoe's shoulders, making her look at him.

"That's a lie. You are so much stronger than that. Besides, he would be devastated if you gave up your life because of him," Odasaku spoke calmly. Zoe tried to quiet her sobs but her breathing was still uneven. "I know it's hard to lose someone you love. I lost my parents when I was seven and all I had left was Sayuri. If I had given up when they died, they would've been so disappointed. You've gotta be strong, no matter how impossible it may seem. I know you can do it."