Velleitie

14: A Heart's Silent Cry

"Haha…" Isui breathed out a tired laugh. She was panting, using the wall as support whilst slowly slumping into the ground. "We actually made it out in time."

"Yeah, good thing we did." Hanako replied, letting a fainted Nene down, beside Isui, before collapsing to the ground as well.

Isui observed the atmosphere. It was quiet. The night had only barely passed as the brightest stars twinkled through the windows nearby. It was rather calming. She looked back down to Hanako, who was seated cross legged, his head covered by his hands. For once, his hat wasn't seated on top of his head, showing the messy mop of hair he had hidden underneath.

Hir dark locks reflected the night's empty sky, with the light outside falling down on it. It looked so surreal to Isui. Suddenly, it wasn't just his hair that she began to notice; the way his chest moved up and down in a rhythmic pattern, the way his hands intertwined with each other to support his head, the way his breathing could be heard throughout the silent hallways. 

Then there were the few bruises and cuts that tore through his uniform and body. It concerned Isui beyond anything else.

"Hanako?" Isui began.

"Hm?" The boy breathlessly replied. He shifted his head such that one eye was peeking at Isui, curious of what she had to say.

The sudden eye contact threw Isui off as the words got lost in her tongue. She was barely awake as her mind felt mushy still.

You look tired, you good?

She kept repeating this phrase in her head, prepared to say it out loud once Hanako noticed.

"You look good." Isui blurted out, mind still swaying within her subconscious. Her eyes were half lidded and her frown was tired  and almost silly. Clearly, not thinking properly at that point.

"Huh?" Hanako, still fully aware, raised his head in a jolt. What Isui said was so sudden and unexpected, he didn't even get the time to collectively think of a flirtatious comeback. "W-what?"

There was a short pause, both spirits staring at each other for a little bit longer than necessary. Slowly, Isui's eyes widened, coming to a shocking realization.

"Ah! I mean—!" Isui scrambled to sit up straight, waving her arms around as if that would explain everything. "It's just! I, uh, the hat! No! Your uniform! You should change it! Urk—! I mean—!"

Noticing the deep red that was starting to creep up Hanako's cheeks, Isui found it futile to give a proper explanation. Ultimately, she dug her face under her hands, ashamed to even look at him. 

"..."

"...let's change the topic, please." Isui mumbled.

"G-good idea." Hanako quickly agreed-albeit slightly disappointed,-scratching his head for any conversation starters.

"Where's the Minamoto guy?"

"Kou? Oh. He… sorta turned into a doll… "

"Oh… "

Hanako briefly showed a plush to Isui who nodded in understanding. 

"You should probably keep Kou here, for a while." She suggested. "Teru doesn't know his brother is associated with us yet, so it's best to just hide him until the curse breaks."

"Yeah."

Once again, silence fell. Discomfort lingered around the thick air. They both remained quiet, patiently waiting for something to happen.

"I should probably go check up on Yako." Isui carefully stood up, looking at Hanako for permission.

"I'll be here."