Into The Rose Garden (Seidou x Kanae/Karren)

Chapter Eighty - Exploration

Seidou makes it to the hotel, dashing through the halls and to the stairs, considering that the elevator was rather busy that day. He was wearing his eyepatch again, but he didn't want anyone to see him like that. Making it up to his floor, and room, he opens the door. Kanae wasn't back yet, Seidou still had a little bit of time.

Clenching his fists, he screams, without covering up his mouth. He grabs onto his head tightly, eventually sitting down onto the ground, curled up as he finished up. He prayed to whoever he could, that the walls were thick enough to be silenced to everyone else. 

Seidou held his face, quietly sobbing into his hands. Kanou got him, he's trapped by the same man yet again. 

'You need to calm down...Kanae might come back soon...we don't want her to worry about you.' Seidou held his chest, as his heart started to speed up. 'It feels like I'm dying again, I don't like this...' 'Go back, and hunt that bastard down! Come on, end him! This would be far easier if you did.'

Seidou sighs, still experiencing the panic attack. "I-It's alright, y-you just need to let this pass. G-Go somewhere quiet and you'll be fine." And so, Seidou slowly gets up from the ground, his legs struggled to carry him into the nearest closet. Seidou smiles weakly, still holding his chest as he opened the closet door. "T-This'll do...!"

Seidou enters, shutting it just right. He collapses to the floor, curled up into a ball as he tried to ground himself again. Rocking his body back and forth, he focuses. 'Come on Seidou, blue is your favorite color, your birthday is on the tenth of September and your favorite animal are dogs. You're not in danger, now calm down!'

However, in the midst of it, the closet door opens. "Seidou, what's wrong? Are you alright?" "K-Kanae! H-How did you know I was in here?!" Kanae sighs softly. "I heard you breathing, it sounds heavy. Would you like my help?" 

Seidou held himself, shaking his head. "Y-You've done enough, I'm fine!" Kanae scoffed, rolling her eyes. "There you go again! 'You've done enough', why can't you just accept that...it's never 'enough'? We don't expect you to get even, we just know you need help!"

Seidou looked away, sighing. "I'm sorry, about being a pain. I just wish...I can do this on my own..."

Kanae sighs, squatting down to his level. She gently and carefully touched his shoulder blade. "If you really can do it on your own, I can leave. However, I can tell that right now...you can't be alone, and that's fine! We've gone over this, many times before, but I guess you need a reminding; we're here for you. I-!"

Kanae still faces the male, but shifts her gaze and blushes softly. "I'm here for you..." Kanae sighs, gently placing her hand onto the male's, holding it.

"We can move to your bed, and I can stroke your hair i-if you want...?" Kanae looks at him sheepishly, and with Seidou blushing softly as he nodded.

Getting up, the two move to the bed together. Kanae takes place in the middle, with the accompanying male resting his head onto her lap. Seidou takes a deep breath, as he dozed off with the soothing feeling of his hair being combed.

His breathing goes back to normal, but Kanae keeps going. Kanae sighs, a somewhat tough-acting sigh. Looking down at the male, she shares something of her own.

"Seidou...d-don't tell the others, but...I-I kinda like grooming you..." Kanae's entire face lit up a bright red, not looking away this time. Seidou tried turning his head to look up... "What-?" Only for Kanae to push him back into position.

Kanae sighs, continuing her brushing. "You know, I can get stressed too...I get stressed about a lot of things really. How my performance is, how my friends are, even...how my body and I appear. It's not easy, and I can't help but feel like a liar to everyone. But when I see you, frightened and vulnerable in that regard, I can't help but think... 'Is he okay? Is he upset about the same thing as myself? I wonder how he is, and if it's anything I've felt.' I'm sorry..."