Till the end

Chapter 27

I spent the rest of the day sitting in the room that Riko had given me, simply staring out the window. Kiyoshi came into check up on me and ask if I wanted food but I shook my head each time and he left, looking worried. I didn't want to do that to him but I couldn't make myself care. In the space of one day I had my hopes raised at the chance to see Akashi again, to live together, to find a cure only to have them crushed when we got to his sanctuary. How did the doctor not know something was wrong? How did he not recognise the change in communicating between them since Nash had taken over? Thanks to him, his daughter and even Kiyoshi I was imprisoned again. There was no escape and if Nash found out what I was the pain would start again.

I pulled myself out of my musings and saw that it was getting late. We would have to go out and get our rations for the next day. Everyone had to go I was told and I was worried that I would see Nash there. I sighed and started to get changed.

"Kuroko, it's time to get our rations!"

Kiyoshi opened the door without knocking and froze as he saw me bare chest and back with all its scars. As usual, the sight of my marked body caused him to freeze but Riko cried out and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked at me and I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around my top half, looking down at the ground.

"I know it's disgusting but you don't have to scream. "

"I should have knocked, I'm sorry Kuroko. Riko"-

"I'm okay," she managed to choke out and then closed the door behind her.

"Do you mind?"

I didn't look at her, frowning at the ground but I dropped the sheet and turned around. I heard her move closer and touch the raised scars.

"These can't all be inflicted by people, can't they? Nobody is that cruel, surely."

I felt a sudden surge of rage at her in that moment. How come all these people had such lovely lives? Why was I the only one that had to suffer, simply because I existed.

"Most of them are from whipping. The large one here," I said touching the scar that started on the top of my shoulder and ran down in a jagged line to my ribs.

"Is from a dagger. The one at the bottom is from an arrow wound. They made me run as they hunted me for fun."

I turned to face her and grabbed her hand, placing it on a burn wound on my chest.

"This is where they branded me with hot irons. I have cuts on the top of my legs because, why not? It's fun, right? I was beaten almost every day if I was too late to deliver the fire wood. If I didn't bow low enough when someone passed me. If I dared to look at anyone. That is the life I have lived and I escaped it only to be dragged back into it by you and your fathers' delusions that I can help them somehow. It won't work! Nothing will work! This is the world now and it's a cruel place."

"Kuroko!"

Kiyoshi scolded me as Riko yanked her hand out of my grasp and ran out the room, tears streaming down her face.

"What? It's the truth! I am not some miracle that you all want me to be! I am just going be experimented on by them!"

"Riko would never do something like that! You call this world cruel but right now you are the one being cruel. You're acting just like the people that hurt you. Now you truly are a monster."

I jerked back as if had physically hit me and watched as he left, closing the door behind him. Now that I was alone I looked into the mirror, touching the scars and looking at my face. It wasn't a kind face. Eyes aflame with anger and a frown turned it into something mean. I sighed and closed my eyes letting my anger and self-pity fade away. I grabbed my clothes and got changed before making my way down stairs. Kiyoshi was standing next to Riko, patting her shoulder as she wiped away tears. They both looked up as I walked in and I bowed to them deeply.