Into The Rose Garden (Seidou x Kanae/Karren)

Chapter One hundred and six - September Springs

Warning: This chapter deals with discussing details and emotions with sexual trauma and abuse, especially about attempted rape and the effects of it. Please do read with an open but careful mind.

The cool breeze hit gently against the face of Seidou as it blew into his hair, with Donut playfully trying to eat said breeze. This adorable display causes Seidou to laugh warmly. As he then folds his loose strands of hair to the back of his ear, he looked up from the spot he was sitting from. Seeing as the leaves upon a few trees were becoming this warm autumn color.

Time had passed, it was the second of September. And what Seidou didn't know about, was that inside, Karren was planning over a few things with the others. 

"I don't know Karren, that seems like a lot of effort." Karren scoffed. "A lot of effort, you guys know no such thing~! Come on, Seidou could really use it for his birthday..." Matsumae smiled weakly, sighing in defeat. 

"Alright... So, where would you take him in the meantime?" Karren shrugged, leaning in to whisper. "Well there is this hot spring hotel that I so happen to have reserved a room for, and it's just...perfect!" Shuu's eyes widen. "You, Seidou, ALONE?!" "Well yeah, w-we are boyfriend girlfriend. Why, is that a problem?" Shuu lowered his eyebrows. "Well uh, y-you two shouldn't go alone!" Karren wore a worrisome expression. "What, why not? It's just Seidou and I-!" Matsumae snorts. "Don't worry Karren, he's just paranoid about you two rolling around in some hay~..." Shuu then blushes immensely. "M-Matsumae, not so blatant!"

Karren raised an eyebrow. "But there's no hay in that forest. There are twigs and leaves however." "Karren, sweetie, master Shuu doesn't want you two fooling around and...getting physical." The younger female's eyes widen, gulping at the realization. 

"O-Oh, that! Um..." Karren hisses through her teeth. "U-Uh, master Shuu... We won't be doing that for quite a while." "What?! So you mean Seidou doesn't have the decency to pleasure you yet?!" Everyone went red. "M-Master Shuu, not so loud..." "Yeah, and I thought you hated the idea of them..." Matsumae motions her hands in a weird way.

"I am! But...it would bother me that Seidou wouldn't find Karren attractive to put moves on-!" "That's NOT the issue!" Shuu tilts his head and Aliza and Yuma leave the room early. "It's not...? But why wouldn't he, with you? I mean, I can tell you both hold a lot of love and support for one another, and it's not like abstinence here. So...what's going on?"

Matsumae sighed, looking a little tense. "Shuu, you shouldn't just ask people that. It's their their business on what they do or don't do. It's inappropriate." Karren looked away. "Master Shuu, it's...complicated, and it really isn't my place to say here... But I would like my own privacy on this subject, I'm sorry." Shuu nodded softly. "Ok... And I should be the one apologizing. You're right, what you two do together is entirely up to you, and I'll respect that." Karren smiled warmly, holding onto her chest. "Thank you." She then sighed, crossing her arms from behind her back. "So here's what we're going to do..."

Later, Karren met up with Seidou outside. "Hello darling, you doing good?" Seidou nodded, as he looked at her as he pets Donut. "Actually, yeah! I-I feel great... Ever since talking with Hotoshi yesterday, it feels like I was able to express a lot of things, about my experience back there..."

He then held a hand out, sighing even more. "But what it made me realize, was that...you helped me get to that point... That night, when you find me in that emotional state, painting it all on that campus...you were there to see it... I wasn't planning on showing anyone, because a part of me felt embarrassed in a way." Karren snorts. "You, embarrassed by that?" "See, it's silly. But...everything I put on there was so...powerful, and it felt liberating. I couldn't help but cry and breakdown once I had finished. It was like...everything I wasn't able to share and let out verbally, was everywhere on that image... And I felt so much getting out of me as you held onto me, and you looked at it, it felt...good."