in the shade of trees ; n. chuuya

.onze

Her headache has gotten a lot better now; courtesy to medical pills.

"Time to report the mission to Boss. Yippee." Ineko drones to herself as she tries to dismiss the remnants of the throbbing. She walks through the beautiful streets of Yokohama, though she is aware of how the streets rivet in grime and filth at night; she herself is a monster that drools upon carcasses of citizens.

She taps her temple lightly. "Sounds hollow," she snorts to herself before continuing to walk on. Ineko doesn't know why she stops to stare at a quaint coffee shop, but she's thankful.

It radiates homely warmth and a comforting aura; enough to make her eyes fill with tears. Strange, considering that she can take bullets without crying, that tears gather when she feels this.

Maybe because despite how shit the Interrogator could be at times, there are always elements that she misses so much.

The Interrogator was- and is still- the only thing she treasures. Sure, she loved her family, but she wanted to drown because her beloved ship had been crushed, not because she saw her family die before he eyes.

Perhaps the other reason to why she feels so strongly towards that cafe could be because Chuuya Nakahara is sitting by the window, his eyes half lidded as he gazes into nothingness with a serene tweak of his lips. Ineko never knew he was capable of such expressions, but she is glad.

He seems a little more human to her now; a little more reachable.

Despite hating Chuuya so much, she respects him- to some extent. He was the one who broke her ribs while performing CPR, and she kinda likes it.

Ineko gives a small chuckle as she looks at Chuuya's slim digits wrap around the mug, mumbling absentmindedly to himself. She hates him so much, but she respects him. And she rather straightforwardly come to terms with her feelings towards him; perhaps she likes him, even if it is only a little bit.

She remembers the look in his eyes when she had begun to sober up; he was so damn disappointed. Ineko has always thought that she was homosexual; no men on the Interrogator was hot or worthy enough, anyway. She doesn't recognise this swirly feeling as she watches his slight lips part and a red tongue flickering out to test the temperature of the beverage.

She does know that this feeling probably won't spell a good end for either of them, but it's kinda cute.

Ineko quickly shakes her head and trudges on, tearing her eyes away from her sensei.

She still hates him, but a little less now.