one last nightmare

Hurt

While Shido and Kotori walked quietly to school, Kotori got a call from Reine.

"What do you mean? Alright, alright, I will be there in a minute.", Kotori answered irritated with her hand on the earpiece. "Well, I will see you later, big bro. There seems to be a big fuss on the Fraxinus and somehow I need to fix it."

A portal opened close to them, but out of sight so nobody saw Kotori entering the portal. She turned around while she slowly disappeared, winking at Shido before disappearing completely.

Shido walked away from the alley and returned to the point they came from.
Before he could get back on track, there was that haunting giggle Shido was waiting for.
It send him shivers down his spine. His hands became sweaty and his heart leaped.
He expected for her to show up, but she always caught him by surprise and it was never a nice surprise.

"Shido, darling.", the voice echoed.

He slowly turned around, answering her call as a little child being in trouble. Shido didn't know or wanted to know what she was up to this time.

By his surprise, Kurumi just stood there, all dressed up in her school uniform holding her bag with both her hands behind her back. Her eye closed and a big smile.

Baffled really.

Stunned.

He just stood there.

"You have my sincerest apologies, Shido my sweet. I was under the impression you were expecting me. I didn't want to scare you or anything.", Kurumi said in her teasingly manner. "I was only waiting for flame-girl to leave your side."

Baffled.

Still.

"Well, color me impressed. You obviously missed me so much, that you're beyond words. Maybe we can strike up a conversation on the way.", Kurumi said while grabbing his arm. Her soft chest wrapping his arm, pushing him forward, guiding Shido as a blindfolded person on its way.

After walking like this for a few minutes, Shido sighed as if he was holding his breath all this time, almost relieved and thinking this was maybe all there was.

Naive. Was the first thing he said to himself.

Shido's sighing was like an approval for Kurumi to rest her head against his shoulder, while walking like they did.

"Kurumi?"

"Yes, my dear Shido?", Kurumi replied, turning her head slightly without leaving his shoulder. Her ruby red eye almost hypnotizing him.

Blushing like crazy and looking into her mesmerizing eye for too long, he continued while looking straight forward.

"Why...are you here?", he bluntly said. Jumping forward, head first must be something he thought to be the wisest strategy with this girl.
Without giving him an answer she stopped walking.

"Even though I helped you multiple times, you will never trust me do you, Shido?"

That sounded strange.

Just Shido?

This was maybe the first time she didn't gave him a pet name or be possessive towards him.
She always called him "Shido darling", "Shido my sweet", "my Shido", like they were already a couple for a long time. He never liked it though, it always scared him when she called him like that.

Kurumi dropped her head a bit and turned around. To Shido's surprise she walked away, not in her normal teasing, sensual way but in a defeated manner.
She didn't act like she usually did, she seemed...sad.