LifeBlood Love (Chilumi)

XV

Lumine

"Did you know where he went?" Hu Tao asked as I used leaves I found scattered around the cave to patch up the cuts she caused herself. She lets out a small sniffle.

I shake my head as I place a leaf on one of the smaller cuts on her pale arm. "No, he just left."

Hu Tao inhales sharply and then gasps, She quickly turns her head to me, her brunette hair that is cleanly cut to her face sways as she does so.

"Did he die?" She asks me, how would I know? Before I could respond she continues. "Well, being a Funeral Director that's good news but this is Xiao! A long time friend of mine..."

She lifts her clean arm up and uses her hand to wipe a tear off of her cheek. One of her rings looks rusty and her nail polish is almost completely off of all her fingers.

A small butterfly makes its way into the cave and she swirled her finger around it as the creature flapped around her fingernail.

I don't know how to respond to her, I keep quiet and reach for another leaf in the pile I made. I touch a leaf that has been damped by the water on the ground.

"Do you think he found Boo Tao? My ghost?"

I let out a shallow breath, she's being really annoying with all these questions that I don't know the answers to.

"...Hopefully." I decide to respond to her.

"Do you think he found that criminal, Tartaglia?" She asks shivering as I place another leaf on her arm. Her eyes narrow.

Don't call him a criminal, you don't know anything Hu Tao. Wait. What am I thinking? He deserves to be called anything insulting!

I sigh and smooth out the leaf on her arm, there's no bandages so we have to deal with leaves for now. I shrug at her question.

"I don't know."

She turns her head to me as she watches me smooth out the leaf. "I hope he didn't. Tartaglia isn't nice, he does some really bad pranks. I wish he were dead..."

I laugh a little. "I wouldn't declare him as a totally evil person."

My eyes widen, what did I just say?

I shake it off, I must be feeling tired since I've been up for hours. Drowsiness can really affect a person when they are in a dark cave past midnight.

For some odd reason, I feel myself wanting to see him again. My heart pangs in my chest, I'm worried for him, worried for Tartaglia. Just why am I?

He kidnapped me and brought me here, forcefully kissed me many times, even went as far as almost taking me right then and there on the carpet of his family's living room...

Why do I find myself wanting more? More of those intimate moments shared between us, I want to forget about the bad memories. I really do, but I can't bring myself to forget.

Hu Tao raises an eyebrow at what I said but doesn't say anything in response, she simply turns her head back to where it was. She stares at the other side of the cave.