ᴛᴀɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ʜᴇʀ

ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ

Ciel POV

I woke up to the sound of soft sniffles beside me. Akira was crying again, and I knew I had to be there for her. I stayed still for a moment, letting the quiet sobs wash over me before I reached out and shook her gently. Her beautiful brown eyes—red-rimmed with tears—slowly opened, and without a word, she buried her face in my chest. I patted her head softly.

"I'll never leave you, I promise," I murmured, kissing the top of her head. Lately, she'd grown so clingy—not that I minded. In fact, every little pull toward me made my heart swell a bit more. She crawled on top of me, resting her head against my chest, and for a moment, everything felt safe.

The next morning, I awoke to an empty, cold bed. I reached out, half-expecting to feel her warmth, but there was nothing there. Glancing at the clock, I remembered I had class in the evening. "Akira?" I called softly. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom.

I stretched and slipped out of bed, then knocked on the bathroom door. When there was no reply, I pushed it open. There, in the dim light, I found her scrubbing her body harshly. "It's dirty," she kept muttering over and over again, her voice cracking with distress. Bruises had begun to form on her back from the relentless scrubbing.

Unable to stand by, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her from behind. My sweatpants clung to my skin as I held her tight. She cried softly, and I let her, holding her as if trying to absorb every ounce of her pain. I never wanted to see her cry like this again; it shattered my heart.

"You're not dirty, baby," I whispered, turning her gently to face me. I cupped her wet face in my hands, my thumbs brushing away the droplets of water. "There isn't a single part of you that's unclean." I leaned in, placing a small, tender kiss on her lips before trailing soft kisses up to her forehead. I let my lips move slowly along her neck, her collarbone, down to her chest and breasts, her back, then all the way down to her hip, her legs, and finally her feet. "Don't ever think you're unworthy or tainted," I assured her. "You're beautiful and clean in every way."

She tried to protest with a broken, "But I have ch—" but I silenced her with a gentle smile. "It'll fade in a few days. It's not permanent. Soon, you'll be healthy again." I turned off the shower and wrapped a soft towel around her trembling, damp body. When she stepped out, I said, "Go get dressed, okay? I'm just going to take a quick shower, then we can have breakfast."

After my shower, I retrieved a plain white T-shirt and grey sweatpants from my bag. Sitting on the bed, I watched her curl up on a ball, still quiet but a small smile flickering on her lips before disappearing. I smiled back at her. "Come on, breakfast time. And don't forget your pill."

Later, after breakfast, Akira took her pills. But almost immediately, she was knocked out again. I began to suspect that these weren't just vitaminsevery time she took them, she felt drowsy. I took my own pills and downed a glass of water.

"What's that?" Leah asked as she cleared the plates away.

"The pill?" I replied, looking up.

"Oh, it's just a vitamin," I explained. "I used to be frail when I was younger, and taking vitamins became a habit even now that I'm older."

"Oh, okay. Anyway, I have to get back today," Leah said briskly. "I was going to tell Akira, but she fell asleep. I need to go back to work tomorrow, so I must leave today."

"Oh, okay. I'll let Akira know," I said.

"Thanks so much. Please, please take care of her. I better not hear about you breaking her heart—people would talk. I've got links," Leah warned with a half-smile. "Aunty Judy and Nia are coming over today. Let them know, too."