To Bone, Through Marrow

003 / Foul Play; Batter Out!

Chapter 003

IT was Sunday now, a slow, cold Sunday. The morning started off just right, with Mineko in her bed, cozied up beside Sosuke, with no alarms set and nothing to bother the two. There was a scratch at Mineko's brain, clawing out the words 'Wake up', as if the excessive knead of Syuu's nails along her inner being wasn't enough to have the girl stir at any moment.

"Mineko-chan, are we getting paid today?!" Syuu pounces from wall to wall within her head, eyes once yellow now a bright blue in excitement. His fur softer than before, full from last night's meal, as it brushes along Mineko's shin. She's laid upon the white sofa within her mind, inner-self almost as asleep as her outer-self. "I want some sweet fish! Sweet fish!"

Mineko's eyes peel open. She shouldn't be bothered with such trivial things this early in the morning; her physical being hadn't even gotten up yet. Yet here she is, the soul of her being wide awake within the white walls enclosing her. Her eyes burn, her feet ache, her legs sore and begging to be left to rest for far longer than Syuu would let her. She was about ready to topple over, despite being hugged by that of her comforter and Sosuke.

"Syuu. Why do we do this?" It's a silly question, as Mineko knew the answer. She's known it for a while now, ever since she first came to be contracted with the Scrounge Devil. Her mind had an itch that desires being scratched, and she can't do that without the melancholy feeling of what she now knows her life to be like; as well as how she knows it to end.

"Mineko-chan," the cat hisses, tired of hearing her questioning him. He's far too tired, curled within the space of her mind until he's consumed it all with his sleeping being. "We die if we don't."

Ah, there it was, the simplified version of Syuu's answer. Mineko never liked that. She hated the simple answers. She desired the long, detailed answers that gave every ascent, angel, and point to that of what she wanted. Grasping a situation was a specialty of Mineko's, her eyes and ears could pick up on anything that dared show face around her. She sniffed things out, clawed her way through circumstances, and ate away the evidence. She was truly a scavenger.

"But, I want to die." At some point in my life.

Syuu's ears flick back to his head, eyes narrowed as he lunges at Mineko. He goes big and overtakes her small body with ease. Her eyes are wide as she breathes deeply, shocked by his sudden pouncing. His long teeth bare in retaliation as he hisses, "Mineko-chan, you know I'll never let that happen."

Mineko's eyes open. She blinks away the blurriness of sleep and glances to Sosuke. He lays on his side facing her, arms circling her form as his breath tickles her brow. He looks so peaceful, like his mind isn't burdened by that of a Devil in disguise. He's never had to deal with the knowledge of never dying, he won't have to live in this world infested with Devils and rot for longer than 80 more years or so, and Mineko is grateful for that.

She raises a hand to feather along his cheek. His skin is so soft and a supple red at the cheeks. His lips match that with a shade of red in their own, and Mineko is tempted to bite them. Sosuke's desire is strong, his want and need are some of the most filling meals Mineko has ever ate. He doesn't want much, aside from a heart he doesn't know is already taken.

As to not wake the boy, Mineko wiggles her body downward. Waist and shoulders first, then her head as she slips from her bed and steps into her slippers. She finds a shirt tossed over her chair and takes it, whisking it up her arms with ease before she buttons it. The sleeves are too long, as is the shirt itself, but she manages with a roll of the sleeves. It's undoubtedly Sosuke's.