Ashes of Love and War - TodoMomo

||Chapter 22 ~ Part 2||

Shouto's hand tightened into a fist against the wall. It was an impossible dream, he knew that. Yaoyorozu would never act like that towards him. That was the curse of unrequited love.

Even if she liked him well enough, she might decide to live with him for a while, but then she'd move on. And it would be for the better.

He reached into his chiton and touched the ribbon he bought for her at the market.

Their relationship was fleeting. It was like a pleasant dream that couldn't be. And Shouto had been having fun, pretending that their relationship could stay the same. But Kaminari's appearance woke him. This couldn't be anything more. Shouto was a soldier; he shouldn't fall in love.

He withdrew his hand and straightened. It was better to break the enchantment now, for the both of them.

It was the right choice.

Shouto turned to head back to the inn.

It was time to tell Yaoyorozu the truth. He had been postponing the conversation since Troy, and Shouto admitted that part of him had debated never telling her. However, if it were true and Kaminari would break the curse after he completed the quest, Shouto couldn't forgo the conversation any longer.

The first floor of the inn was empty when Shouto returned. The patrons and regular customers appeared to have returned home for the night. Shouto nodded to the owner as he wiped down tables and then went upstairs.

As he walked down the hallway, Shouto's heart began to beat faster. Now that Kaminari had appeared, it was time for Shouto to reveal what had happened in Troy and why'd he saved Yaoyorozu in the first place.

What would she think? Would she fear him then? Hate him? And what about himself? How would he act? Shouto couldn't imagine ever treating Yaoyorozu cruelly, but what if the curse was lifted and he suddenly wanted nothing to do with her?

His heart trembled. The ribbon inside of Shouto's chiton had turned into a weight that grew heavier with each footstep towards their room.

He rubbed the back of his neck. His throat was tight, and his hands were unreasonably moist for the task at hand.

It was only a talk, not like he was going to trespass into the underworld.

Shouto laughed under his breath. He had fought monsters and gods and had never felt fear, but the mere thought of these fake feelings suddenly being gone made his heart shake. It was the fear of the unknown, Shouto tried to reason with himself unsuccessfully.

Shouto cleared his throat and raised his hand. He curled his moist fingers into a fist and knocked against the door.

"Yaoyorozu?"

There was no answer.

Shouto knocked again, but there were no sounds from the other side. His eyebrows pulled together, and he opened the door and paused.

The room was empty. The candle on the wall had burned down to the end of the wick.

Shouto entered the room, surveying the interior. Yaoyorozu's spear was gone as well as the pouch of drachma he had left her. Had she gone out? Had she run away?

A sense of unease twisted in Shouto's stomach. Something felt wrong.

Shouto knew he was late, but Yaoyorozu wasn't the type to leave without notice.

There was a light indention on the bed as if someone had sat there. Shouto ran a hand over the cover. The sheets were cold.

Had Kaminari done something? No. He couldn't. Kaminari said so himself that gods couldn't directly interfere with regular mortals. And, as far as gods went, it wasn't as if Kaminari was the smartest of the bunch. Shouto couldn't imagine him devising a plan to have Yaoyorozu captured, especially after Shouto had already agreed to help out. So, where could Yaoyorozu be?