Ink Stained

17: this is...*

これは。。。

Shiori is left staring into empty space in dumbfounded silence.

Her mind reels as she struggles to parse through everything the woman said. Her accusations of Shiori's selfishness, her claims of Pai's impending hatred towards her, blaming her for saving her life because she didn't want to be alone. Shiori – she can't bear the thought of Pai hating her. It's painful to even try imagining a world in which the two of them weren't friends anymore, a world in which Pai blamed her for grievances Shiori was responsible for.

But how could that be? Why would Pai hate her for saving her life? Pai – she – they're best friends.

She hears a sound.

It's a soft whimper, full of pain – it's Pai, making the same sound Shiori had heard a year ago, when she found Pai had almost died protecting Shiori only days after she'd been found at the bottom of the hill Ayashi House stands on.

×

Shiori was mad. She was fuming. She was so much more angry than she could remember being in a long time, her hands shaking from the overwhelming, conflicting emotions warring in her chest and tightening her ribs around her heart until she felt like she could barely breathe.

It was not like she didn't understand why Kouta was behaving like this. She did, she did. What infuriated her was that, even though he always looked like he was listening to her arguments, she knew he was not really actually listening to what she was saying. She knew that a big part of him was already making up his mind about this situation, and it hurt her to know that no matter what she was saying to him, he wasn't listening to her.

She hated it.

She hated this whole mess.

Shiori expelled a frustrated exhale through her gritted teeth as she stomped down the path, on her way down the hill and into town. If she ended up on a train and just getting somewhere away from Kouta and Ayashi House and everything, she wouldn't mind – but at the same time, even as she thought about it, she knew she wouldn't do that. She knew that Kouta was just trying to protect her, protect everyone, but she couldn't leave, not until she knew what Kouta's final decision would be.

She hated that shaky feeling in her gut, too, that told her she wouldn't just up and go on some random trip because no matter how much she trusted Kouta, no matter what she trusted him with...she didn't trust him with Pai.

The leaves crunching underfoot was the only sound she heard as she came to a slow stop, standing at the top of the hill, overlooking the edge of town. Her throat was thick with tears that burned her eyes as she stared at out, her pursed lips wobbling as she tried not to start crying. It was a mess. This whole situation was so frustrating and it was such a mess, and there was no one Shiori could even blame for any of it. There was always the people who took Pai to blame, but Pai didn't remember where she'd been the last three years or why her hair was stark white (and despite Kouta's misgivings, Shiori believed her), and despite being so angry with him about it, a part of Shiori understood why he was so wary to let Pai stay.

The other Clans were always looking for a way to undermine each other, and even though she had chosen to align herself with the Tengu, chosen to be Kouta's bride, there were still those that would try to change that. She saw the logic behind thinking that Pai was some kind of spy for one of the other Clans, but...she wasn't.