Aberration

Chapter 20: My Beloved Master

"Where is Ami?"
"She's in the basement. I presume you won't be chasing after her down there." Shiho and Arash sat alone in an empty room, save a flickering candle in a paper lantern, revealing the many talismans plastered around the room's walls. From the lighting, he could tell it was either night or this room was in one of the central rooms of the castle, vacant of the sun's love. His forehead, left ear, and right eye were garnished in bandages, no doubt sustained from Shiho's brutality that left him unconscious up until now. "I'm sorry for disobeying you, mistress. And please forgive me for deceiving you." She slapped him hard, the crack of her hard palm echoing through the empty, wooden room.

"You brought a Majin into our home so close to our sick mother. I'm at a loss for words." Arash couldn't find the words he wanted either. Nothing seemed to accurately deliver what he wanted to say. So, shakily, he began to survey the room for a conversation starter. "Your staff," he began with the first thing he saw just behind her, "you really pulled out all the stops in order to deal with her. You know, I was worried that being a hermit might dull your exorcism skills. Your monk's staff, the holy water, a barrier? You were only a hair away from killing a Rank 6 Aberration! Scary shit, Sis." he laughed. He laughed by himself until he ran out of laughter like a deflated balloon. "Have you finished your sad clown routine?"
"You're gonna have to speak up. My sister ruptured my eardrum earlier. A real bitch, that chick."
"Why did you accept her into your home?" He threw his eyes to the floor behind her, finding something comforting in it. "Because I was asked to."
"Why did you accept her into your home?"
"Because I was asked to."
"Your hand. Why are you making a fist at me?" As soon as she acknowledged it, he relaxed his grip and smoothened his kimono. "Okay. She lost her family. That's why. I used to be an orphan myself, so I know what it's like to be alone without hope. I couldn't just do nothing while I knew I could help somehow."

The paper lantern flickered its light, spraying eerie shadows that danced in the night of a soundless room. "It's dark out, huh? How long have I been out? I should say hi to Kimi while I can."
"Your friend will be going home in the morning. You aren't to leave the temple, Arash." She declared, her eyes closed. "That's bullshit! Weren't you the one that bitched at me for giving my job short notice? And now I can't leave? I am not your Goddamn prisoner!"
"Don't curse at me, Arash. You'll be retiring tomorrow morning and you'll resume your obligations as an attendant to the family and shrine."
"Quit acting like you know what's best for me! I'm old enough to make my own decisions! You're not my mother!" Shiho had no reaction. She only stared in the dim, orange light. "You're right. I'm not your mother. Sometimes I wonder if you even see me as your sister. But for this situation, our familial ties are irrelevant. Be our personal relationship as it may, I'm the priestess of the land and the head of the Kagami clan. You were adopted by my family and thus you're endorsed into my clan. If you so desire, I can relegate you to a simple servant."
"I'm... sorry... ma'am..." he bit his lip and lowered his head to the floor. "It is good to feel regret for your actions. That means you've accepted your guilt. An apology in and of itself might be seen as punishment alone for that reason. But considering what you said, what you did, and how recklessly you've treated this situation, I can't simply pass your apology as a punishment. Tonight, you'll exorcise the blighted woman."
"At least let me expl-"
"I don't care to hear anymore. Purify the kitsune and her vessel tonight. That is an order." His head still touched the wooden ground, bowing as lowly as he could, but Shiho didn't pay it any mind. Without saying another word, she rose and found her hand upon the door. "I won't lock the door, but you aren't permitted to leave until I return." Her declaration was final, so that's where she left the topic: alongside the young man and the dying lantern light. "If you make me do it, I'll just run away again. You're just like the old man." Her fingertips hadn't even touched the door when she paused with his words stirring somewhere within her. "Did that make you feel good to say, Arash?" He wasn't confident in it, but in her voice he thought he heard her choke. She slid the door open and it closed behind her with a gentle and secure cupping sound. There, alone in the darkness, she covered her mouth and slumped against the wall.