《• ʀ ᴇ ʙ ɪ ʀ ᴛ ʜ •》[ ᴍᴜᴢᴀɴ x ᴏᴄ ]

C45: ☆Of Bonds and Blood☆

She blinks. He stares.

He smiles. She doesn't.

For a second, neither one of them talked or moved. Too wary, too puzzled and unknowing because it's been so many years of not seeing each other. There's the possibility that the other has changed so much that they were barely unrecognizable from the person they were before.

She's tempted.

To call out and prove if he's real and not an illusion. Because maybe, just maybe, she's gotten mad from guilt and grief that her mind was starting to make things up just so she could cope.

And he doesn't even look like the person he was before.

He looks too pale, too weak, too sickly, like he's on the verge of death and one strong gust of wind was enough to knock him down and maybe break his bones.

Nao blinks again.

She wants to reach out, touch his face, feel the wrinkled skin caused by the curse. But she stops, berates herself because it would be too insensitive and she would feel guilty because she doesn't have the curse. (Atleast not anymore.)

She wants to believe that everything is still the same. That nothing has changed. Maybe she can hope or wish, be stupidly naive and pretend that she hasn't been in an immoral relationship with her ancestor and that she didn't lose a year and half of her life to sleep or that her body was still sick and curse like the man infront of her.

Maybe, just maybe... she can pretend.

"Mimi. "

Her eyes burned. She feels cold. There was a sick and perverse feeling of guilt invading her system. It's so difficult to breathe because of the burden weighing her down.

She should be relaxing. She's free from her captivity and from her lying ancestor who cursed her body. (She remembers how easily she trusted the medicine he gave her)

This was her family. Yet she feels more like a prisoner here compared to when she was outside trying to find her way home.

Shinazugawa still looks at her as if she's going to turn into a demon and eat everyone in the room.

Of course, the atmosphere doesn't help her. Twelve pair of eyes were on her. So, so curious and full of questions.

They want to squeeze her dry with information but she can't, she's unable to answer. Out of shock or still disbelief, she's unable to accept that she truly is free and has succeeded escaping because the paranoid part of her... the part of her that existed after she realized she was being used, didn't want to make her rest.

It's hard to relax. It's hard to let her guard down. She wants to cry. But what would crying do? It wouldn't help. It would make her situation worse than it is.

"Mimi."

She squeezes her eyes shut. She feels repulsed just by hearing that name. It reminds her of the year and a half she lost where she was being toyed by that demon, where she became a puppet with strings, so easily controlled and manipulated.

And she was so willing to follow him, to believe him despite the fact that he's a feral beast who has probably murdered people, too many to count to even define a number. He's ruined so many lives including hers and the people around the room.

"Nao-sama, pardon me. But Oyakata-sama is calling for you." Shinobu, that was her name. Nao can remember that at least. She's a pillar. She knows her poison. She's frail and weak but not as weak as Nao because she knows how to hold a sword and she's a pillar. She also doesn't seem to be easily manipulated like Nao.

How curious. They were so different.

"I believe that Nao-sama is still in shock. It would be wise to let her rest and recover first before asking her questions. " A deep, masculine sound. Soft and just as wise as he sounds. Himejima. Nao remembers him too.

He often visits her. He teaches her, makes a few remarks that she's only misguided because she's young and alone. Of course, she was barely twelve when he said those things. He would be sourly disappointed now.

Because she's still misguided.

And definitely ill-advised.

If he could see, what kind of stare would he give her after knowing the truth?

"Tch. That's what I said earlier, didn't I?" He's right. Shinazugawa told her to get lost and get some rest. He brought her back to headquarters even though she insisted going back to her mansion.

But then realize that she could never go back and live the same way she did in that place. There would be too many memories, too many nightmares that would keep her awake. She hasn't sleep for days. She's pale and tired, and just wants to close her eyes.

But she's afraid. Nao doesn't want to sleep.

What if another year and a half would pass when she's pass out and dead to the world? She can't. No more. She doesn't want to experience that anymore.

She just wants to go hide in a hole and never resurface. The outside world is too cruel for her. It's been two times already that she trusted the wrong person.

It hurts so much she can't even describe the multitude of feelings inside her, each trying to carve a wound in her heart that would probably never heal even if time passes by. She's overreacting but what could she do when she's hurting so much she can even think rationally?

Or maybe that's what she needs. To think rationally.

Nao calms her mind. Her heart is broken but not her brain. She hasn't lost some of her brain cells yet or what's left of it.

She readies herself and opens her mouth.

But no sound came out.