Blossoms of the Dark Continued

CCXV Shouto: Darling

Announcement: This is the final arc for Blossoms of the Dark. I hope to finish the story around Chapter 230 (give or take a few chapters) before working on the sequel. I was going to make spoiler alerts from this part onward, but because of my posting schedule and Season 6 release last year, I am going to assume that you readers are familiar with what happens during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.

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Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.

Today's morning is something like that.

Ominous.

It's been four days since the party. Three days since going home. It's already April 5, and Spring Break is about to end soon. I hadn't realized how quickly the time had flown by. I also hadn't noticed how soon Dad's deadline was approaching.

I reminisce on the discussion that occurred in the late hours of night after rescuing Selene.

Fireflies danced in the night. The darkness made their yellow-green lights glimmer like winking stars descended on earth. I focused on them while Dad applied rubbing alcohol to my wounds. Those flies are luckier than I. They have no care in the world. No responsibilities or burdens. It was a silly notion, but at the moment, I wished I were one of them, too. Dancing like I had achieved nirvana. A particularly nasty sting broke that fantasy.

I hissed, and Dad muttered out a sorry. Snapping my attention away from the window, I looked down at the injury that hurt just now. A set of linear, parallel gouges marred my forearm. They were from when I was defending myself against humanoid octopus's barrage of attacks. Indeed, my arms bore the brunt of the damage in those fights. Damn, they felt like they had occurred ages ago, even though it had only been hours. Guess that's what shock did to people.

"Hey, Shouto." I turned toward the source of the sound. Fuyumi sat on a wooden chair and peeled pomegranates. "Have some more." Occasionally, she brought a few seeds close to my mouth. I accepted the spoonful each time. Their tangy juice briefly scattered my thoughts to places more pleasant. The effect only lasted for a few seconds. Which is why I kept eating more. Anything to run away from the guilt that plagued me deeper than any of my sustained injuries.

Only a few rooms away, doctors shed sweat and blood to resuscitate a nearly dead Selene. And whose fault was it that she almost died? Many people's, actually. One of them was me. My mind kept running through possibilities. Had I come a little sooner would things have changed? Had I refused Hanada-shi she might have been safe? Had I done this or had I done that, none of this would have happened. And other thoughts like that. Problem was, these doubts did absolutely nothing to absolve the regret simmering inside me. If anything, they amplified it.

Dad must have seen the war on my face because he spoke to me for the first time since we stepped foot in the house. "It truly is admirable the lengths you have gone to protect a civilian."

"She's not just a civilian," I reply immediately yet distantly. My mind is still drifting somewhere else.

"She's my best friend."

"And she means a lot to you," he adds.

I let out a noncommittal sound. We have had this conversation before, so I have no idea why he is bringing it up again. Regardless, all strength to argue has left my body. Only after a good night's sleep and a copious dinner will it return. That is, if I can get any sleep tonight.

Just then, Natsuo came out of the bedroom where Selene was being treated. He answered my question before I had even asked it. "Her condition has only improved slightly. Vitals are still weak, but not critical anymore. The doctors said that she should recover completely tomorrow morning. They told me to let Dad know that they will be staying here overnight to monitor her." Then he pulled up a chair beside Fuyumi and assisted with the fruit.