You know, living forever is not as fun as it may seem. There is a bunch of stuff that goes wrong. People die and leave you behind. You go through huge amounts of pain and on occasion, even torture. You get to watch the world go to shit and try to ma...
(The music piece featured in this chapter is by Lucas King on Youtube.)
I nodded, wincing as Mei started re-sowing my wound. He merely shook his head, giving me a strained grin. I moved my hand to his head, ruffling his hair and missing the glare Wang Yao sent my way.
"Don't you worry now, I'm not going anywhere any time soon."
At least I hope not.
*****
Scarlett's POV: The echo of a gunshot made me shoot forward, my eyes snapping open as my legs became entangled in the blankets. I looked around, my ragged breathing filling the silence around me. White light filtered in from the window, revealing that the moon had risen and it illuminated the room, combining with the faint yellow glow from under my door. The unclear sound of voice floated through the small opening. I smiled as rather loud laughter erupted from the other room. They seem to have adjusted to living here now...
Suddenly vivid images ran through my mind, preventing my racing heart from calming down and causing me to flinch. Red flashed behind my eyes, and I shook my head frantically, trying to clear my thoughts. Putting my hand against my head, I leaned on it for support. Pictures of blood, screaming, and flashing blades tore through my memory, and I fought to hold back a tear.
"Well... that was worse than usual, " I let out a bitter laugh, "Just another thing to add to the pile..."
Pushing off the remaining blankets, I stood from the bed, crossing over to the door. Unfortunately, my injuries from the small rebellion hadn't healed yet, and it seemed that it had messed up my right knee pretty badly. So when I walked I was pretty much limping along, my knee jerking up every once in a while. As I went however, I reached over and found the shiny black cane that rested beside my bed.
Simply designed, it only had a small intricate pattern of lines along the part where I held it. It was quite lightweight, so when I moved it didn't make any extra sounds, allowing me to remain easily silent even though I had a bad leg.
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Touching the door frame and leaning against it, I twisted the knob, peeking out into the sitting-room. Kiku and the others were crowded around the kotatsu, drinking out of steaming mugs what appeared to be some of my Sakura-blossom tea. The room also smelled softly of cinnamon, a warm feeling rising in my gut because of it.
Kiku and Wang Yao were staring at Yong Soo as he attempted to balance a stack of plastic plates on his forehead, his neck tilted back, letting his brown hair hang loosely in the air. Mei was sitting in the corner, a book clasped between her hands, and she looked up only to stare annoyed at Soo as the plates clattered to the floor and Kiku gestured at him to be more silent, a flustered look on his face. I felt my smile grow stronger. It never occurred to me just how much they made this place feel like a real home.
Normally I would be here alone, my house dark and noiseless as the days passed. It would get so lonely, waking up in the morning to only be met with the cold expanse of wood and dim hallways. Sometimes I would even go stay at my boss's house just to view his family. It would always remind me of my own family, from long ago. Yet here I was, once again experiencing life in my own home. I doubted that anyone would be able to understand just how safe this made me feel.
