Marionette

Cosmos, Chapter Four - Fushoku shōki [腐食正気]

Even if the world crumbled around her, she always thought she'd still be there.

Even if he turned his back on her, she always believed she'd still be there, waiting for him to notice her again.

But she couldn't be there anymore.

And it broke her heart.

Would he hate her for this?

He'd always said she would never leave him – That she'd miss him too much to even attempt to leave.

He was so sure of himself whenever he would say that.

She felt sure he'd hate her for as long as he'd remember her, and right now, she couldn't bring herself to even try to blame him if he did.

She already hated herself for it, even though she had no choice.

A stretch of time unfathomable to her passed her by – She stopped trying to see, anymore.

The oceans had risen to try and take her back beneath the surface again.

She hadn't uttered a sound since Shigure had collected her from the empty mountain-top classroom, only responding in movement when he insisted on it.

She had begun to recede back into her shell and for the most part refused to acknowledge the outside world anymore.

The apartment she'd spent nearly eight years living in with Yuta and Reiko was mostly empty when the albino man had escorted her in by dark - All of the items that resided in the twins respective bedrooms and the shared dwellings were gone in their entirety.

Just two black traveling suitcases on wheels remained in the now-empty apartment, the entire collective of Amaya's scarce belongings.

Samuel was still in the apartment, perched on the windowsill next to the two traveling suitcases, though at the sight of the despondent girl in tow, he'd hopped down from the windowsill and begun to approach.

'You didn't have many belongings, so I took the liberty of packing them on your behalf.' Shigure had explained, though as she had been the whole trip back, she didn't utter a sound in response. 'The belongings of both Yuta and Reiko are on their way to their new address, and an acquaintance of mine is on their way to retrieve the two, now.'

It was decided, then?

He really was sending her away...

'I suggest making use of the apartment facilities while you have the opportunity.' The man remarked as he pulled out his cellular phone, a distinct sigh in his tone. 'We will be leaving in just half an hour.'

And with that, he disappeared back out of the apartment, pressing his phone to his ear as he left.

'Miss Angel?' The soft voice belonging to Samuel echoed, just loud enough for it to register in Amaya's head. 'Was Mister Bell-Pepper okay?'

Bell-Pepper?

She guessed he was talking about Karma.

She turned her head to look down at the boy, who hand two handfuls of the shirt she was wearing in his tiny hands.

His expressive eyes showed concern as he stared up at her, awaiting her answer.

She didn't know.

She honestly didn't know where he'd gone.

The only thing she did know was that whoever bumped into Karma right now were probably going to suffer a painful beating if they picked a fight with him.