╭Lamented╮

Chapter 8

Karin

I fiddled around with my bare feet against the soft fabric I never thought I'd feel again. The small distraction was appreciated. Still, though, I couldn't stop shaking. I laid my head on my knees and I hid every ounce of my face with my arms. The only senses I could rely on was touch and hearing.

I could of sworn there was another feeling. Something close to that icy feeling Toshiro carried around. Something close to the feeling Ichi-nii spoke of when he said their was a ghost. That feeling, but on a bigger proportion. Different feelings like that. That feeling felt a bit concentrated after a feminine voice proclaimed: "I'm going to heal you now."

Curious? I was. Enough to look at Toshiro, who was full of wounds? No. I was a coward; that was the reason. I pushed him away, which must have bewildered him. The small gestures such as wiping away my tears and me holding his hand, was proof we had no problem with being around each other. At least, I didn't. I was always the first to do small gestures. He must've wondered why I was trying to get away from him then.

So, the reason I was remotely close to him was simply due to being dragged here by that Soul Reaper woman. She insisted I came with, which leads to me sitting here like a lost puppy - tired and shivering. Throat burning, nagging me to let the tears fall. Body refusing to turn to look at the one I wanted to see so desperately.

I remember that girl from somewhere - the living human. I thought, trying to take my mind off things. If I remember correctly, her name is Inoue Orihime; she was the sister of Ichigo's friend. In the short time I looked around, I didn't see her brother here. Maybe he was out. Did he know she was involved in things such as Soul Reapers? I wouldn't know.

That feeling in the air vanished and I heard Inoue speak softly. "Do you feel better now?"

There was a short pause. "Yes, thank you." Toshiro's voice surprised me to the point that I would have flinched. It was soft and had a roughness to it. Was he that upset? I've never heard him like that before. He sounded so sad.

I found myself frowning and my eyebrows knotted.

Nothing else was said after he answered her. However, I wasn't the only one who noticed his tone of voice. They had seen his facial expression too, which must have made his mood painfully obvious. "Toshiro," the Soul Reaper woman called him with worry.

Again, no answer. I wondered what he was doing. Was he lost in thought like I was? What was he looking at, I wonder. As I sat there with bated breaths, my assorted thoughts kept me occupied for a short period of time. I heard footsteps and they became clearer at every step. He was coming this way!

I shut my eyes closed.

The couch slumped; someone sat down next to me. "Karin," he whispered, "look at me."

My grip on my legs tightened. Briefly, I shook my head.

"I am fine now, Karin," he said, "You can see for yourself."

For the second time, he was the one to use those small gestures. I felt his hand take one of my shivering ones, "I... am sorry."

Both his words and actions caught me off guard. I slowly lifted my head, eyes slowly moving to my hand being held. "For what?" I asked softly. I could barely speak without keeping back those tears. He didn't answer immediately and I knew why once I heard what he had to say. "You have what is called hemophobia in the living world. I am sorry for scaring you like that. It was reckless of me." As he apologized, I was able to look at him. His teal eyes were lowered; he really did look sad. A sense of guilt lingered in the mix of emotions I felt when I saw his expression. "No, I-"

"I want to apologize for making you wait so long too." His eyes averted to the chain attached to me. Then, we made eye contact. "You must be in pain due to my selfishness."  

What? My eyes widened, fear threatening to plaster my face. Does he... does he know?

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│ This will be the last update for now. I lost the next chapter, so I have to rewrite.

│ In addition, I have lots of work to do now. Thanks for reading!

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