Youth

#19 - Day Nineteen and a Dreadful Reality

The candles in the room had nearly burnt out by morning; [Y/n] sat in the corner, her knees pulled close to her chest.  Every part of her screamed out in agony but she tried her hardest to ignore it.  She didn't want to wake Kori.  The male in question slept peacefully, his hand resting on the bloody weapon he'd dug into her skin the night before.  Every now and then an unintelligible mumble would escape his lips.

Her memories of the night before were fuzzy after the first infliction.  She remembered slipping in and out of consciousness, burning - a candle pressed against her skin.  She remembered falling over multiple times but being forced on her feet again.  The bruises and welts on her arms and legs told her all that she needed to know.  In a way, she was glad she couldn't totally remember the night before.  Perhaps it was better staying that way.

[Y/n] was distracted from her train of thought as all the candles in the room went out at exactly the same time.  This wouldn't have been as creepy if they hadn't been all of different heights and burning rates and if they'd all been lit at the same time, but it was immediately obvious that they had been blown out.  Kori was awake.

She detected very quiet movement at the other side of the room.  Shuffling and fabrics rubbing against one another.  Then, an eerie hum.  It grew louder and louder, closer and closer, before suddenly a lighter flicked open right in front of [Y/n]'s face.  She took a startled step back at the person who stared through the dancing flame and into her eyes, his face having only been about three inches away from hers.

"Boo," he giggled happily, walking over to the candles he'd blown out and relighting them.  [Y/n]'s breathing pattern quickened and she had to force it into long, deep breaths to prevent the onset of a panic attack.  He frowned at this, sitting on the edge of his bed and staring over at her with sad eyes.

"Did I scare you last night?" he asked softly.  "I'm sorry.  Come here," he said, patting beside him, beckoning for her to come and sit next to him on his bed.  [Y/n] didn't move.  She stayed beside the door, her body trembling.  "Butterfly, I know I said you were vulnerable but something as mild as that isn't supposed to break you," he sighed.  "If you break that quickly then I don't know how many times I'll be able to fix you.  I might be forced to put you though that on a daily basis.  You know, to toughen you up a little."

"I want to leave," was [Y/n]'s simple response.

"Not until you come and sit next to me," Kori shot back, his voice a little irritated.  "Perhaps I was a bit harsh on you..." he trailed off.  "B-but, you do understand, right?  It's all—"

"It's all for me?" [Y/n] echoed.  "Shoving a shuriken in my back is all for me?  Am I supposed to thank you now?  Oh, thank you so much for stabbing me, burning me and whatever the fuck else you did."  [Y/n]'s words dripped with sarcasm and burnt through Kori like acid.  He stared at her, his eyes hurt.

"Your words are more painful than any blade, [Y/n]," Kori responded, "your actions torture me more than any physical weapon ever could.  Can't you see that?" he said softly, his eyes glazed over with a glistening sheen of tears that threatened to fall. "But... I'm hoping now you'll learn that your actions have consequences. My little butterfly... we're of the same age now, you know? So you don't have to find me caring for you weird anymore." He then patted beside him again. "Come and sit beside me. If you do, I'll unlock the door."

    "And if I don't?" she responded coldly.

    "Then you'll stay here and I'll continue training you." Training? [Y/n] thought, her eyes widening as she grew angrier and angrier. She'd never been an irascible person - her friends could be pretty volatile at times but she'd always been very laid back and calm in almost every situation. This was not like her. Even still, somehow, she understood she had to set that anger aside for the greater good. Sucking in the pride and self confidence that she didn't even know she had, [Y/n] lowered her head and slowly, painfully, made her way over to Kori. She winced as she sat beside him and even more so when he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent.