Within the Aura [Discontinued]

Chapter 17 Therapy of the Paintings

Kumiko shifted restlessly in her futon. Her racing mind kept her wake awake. The heavy rainfall echoed throughout the house. Kumiko turned to her right and winced at the pain of her sore cheek. She reached to rub the swollen cheek, but Tamayo stopped her. They both held their breath in anticipation as the door creaked open to reveal the shadows soaking wet. Tamayo grabbed towels to dry them off while the shadows snuggled up to her for warmth. Yushiro's absence told them everything.

"His aura traces vanished past Mount Natagumo." Makoto said.

"Did he..." Kumiko sighed in relief when both of the shadows shook their heads 'no'. She thought about his aura as he ran. "We need to find him. It seems an inner demon got him."

"The rain removed his aura traces." Tamaki said. "You won't find him. He'll have to come back of his accord."

"But he needs someone. He's not in a good place."

Tamayo laid Kumiko back down and smiled warmly. "I want to make sure Yushiro's okay just as much as you do but we can't search out in this weather."

Kumiko's eyes widened. "I think I know what can find him."

---

Yushiro sat in his bedroom back in Asakusa. The memory of Kumiko's panicked state replayed in an endless cycle no matter how much he shook his head. He dared not to sleep for it only made the memory more prevalent in his mind. He pulled at his hair thinking about her fear riddled eyes.

"You deserve this torment."

Yushiro smacked himself to mute the demon and blushed from embarrassment when his growling stomach echoed throughout the room. Unfortunately, all medical equipment was taken. Yushiro paced restlessly around his room. If he didn't get blood, he will go rogue like an ordinary demon.

"Yushiro." A voice made Yushiro jump from fright.

He turned his head in the direction of the voice, eyes widening at the owner. A kitsune. A spitting image of Kumiko it was. Its fur shone white and looked at him with the same heterochromia eyes as Kumiko. It even had the scar over the left eye to boot. A bandana matching her haori was wrapped around its neck knotted by a flower matching her hairpin. It stepped forward and motioned for him to take the parcel it held in its mouth. He opened it to find full blood bags and his wallet.

"You see they don't want-"

"Master and Tamayo are worried about you." The kitsune said. "They understand if you want time alone. Come back when you are ready, they say."

"That is a lie." The inner demon retorted which Yushiro chose to believe.

Yushiro headed for the kitchen and poured himself a cup of blood. He sat at the kitchen table with the kitsune laying at his feet. It emitted Kumiko's aura which Yushiro couldn't shun away but it did nothing to fill the silence. Although he and Tamayo didn't eat daily, they made a point to keep Kumiko company during her meals. Those moments were always lively. Chatter and laughter would fill the room. Those times Yushiro prayed for Kumiko to shut up. Now he was eating his own wishes. He wanted to hear Kumiko and Tamayo talk while he listened just like old times.

"Get used to it. You deserve this." Yushiro chugged his drink swiftly. With his hunger gone, he had nothing but the memory of his wrongdoings to run amok in his mind. He felt the world close in on him with each passing minutes. The tears streamed down his eyes as his guilt ate away at him and the inner demon's torments became more and more convincing.