The next time Ciara opened her eyes, Yuki was nowhere to be found. She stood up, stumbled a bit, but caught herself on a column. She eyed it suspiciously. She didn’t remember her room having one. But the need to go relieve herself was too great to be taken aback by such miniscule details.
She padded to the door and slid it open, looking both ways of the corridor, then up to see the symbols. She was on the corridor with small green flowers. At least it was close to her room, allowing her to find her destination easily. After taking care of her business, Ciara padded back to the room. Her back ached, and she felt exhausted from the short trip. Slowly and surely, she made her way back.
After she slid the door closed, she waddled into the room, straight to her bedding, and settled down. She pulled on the cover and cocooned herself in. A moment later, it was ripped from her, leaving her exposed to the cool, early morning air.
“Hey!” she wanted to yell, but her voice croaked. She turned around, confused and hurt, and saw Katsuo, but her mind couldn’t fully process the situation. She poked him. “That’s my cover.”
“No, it’s not. Yours is over there.” He was half-asleep but pointed a finger to the side. Ciara followed his lead and realized there was another bedding a few feet away from the one she was lying in.
“Oh.”
A moment of silence passed.
“Aren’t you going to get in?”
She quickly measured it would take way too much effort in her state to crawl to her own bedding.
“Too far.”
“What?”
“It’s too far. I’m tired.” She knew she was whining, but she really was exhausted, and everything hurt. She sniffled.
Katsuo shuffled behind her. “Are you crying?”
“No.”
“You are.”
“No!”
She certainly felt like crying. Ciara just wanted to lie down, cocoon up, and sleep away all her worries. But her goal seemed to be at an unreachable distance. She picked at the bedding, frustrated.
“Or you can sleep here.”
She froze. “And where will you sleep?”
“Here.”
“No.”
“I’m too tired to move.”
“You took my cover.”
“Excuse you. Firstly, it was mine,” Katsuo said. “Secondly, that was the last of my energy.”
“So there would be nothing stopping me from taking your cover now?”
“If my lady wishes to leave me to the harsh cold, then no.”
To her surprise, a chuckle escaped her lips. It sounded like a crackle, so she quickly stopped, but her smile lingered. Her head felt heavy. It would be much easier to just stay where she was.
“Okay,” Ciara said and pulled up the edge of the cover.
“Ooooh, so cold,” Katsuo mumbled, but true to his words, he didn’t struggle for the authority over the cover. To his surprise, Ciara lay down next to him and snuggled to his side.
Katsuo opened his eyes.
“Am I still sleeping?” he asked.
Ciara chuckled, peeking at him.
“No, but the other bedding is way too far. I’m afraid you’ll have to share.”
“I don’t mind, but don’t you?”
“You can barely open your eyes. Sleep.”
“Yes, my lady.”
He carefully arranged the blanket so they’d be fully covered. Soon, they drifted off.
***
Ciara woke up to her own scream. She sat up, panting heavily. Her throat hurt, and she was shaking like a leaf in the harsh wind. She put her head in her hands.
“What happened?” Katsuo asked from next to her. He sat up, too. She looked at him to answer, but her gaze was caught by the item in his hand.
“Is that a dagger? Where the hell did it come from?” Ciara was flabbergasted. She acknowledged in the back of her mind that at least her normal speaking voice was back.
“I have my reasons,” Katsuo avoided the question.
Ciara quirked an eyebrow.
“Did you have a nightmare?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. Am I still dreaming?”
“No,” he put a hand on her shoulder, but as much as she longed for reassurance, she shrugged it off and leaned away.
“Put that thing away!”
Katsuo promptly put the dagger back under the pillow. Ciara shook her head in disbelief then pulled up the cover. Adrenaline was still coursing through her veins, giving her a boost of energy.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from pointy items,” she replied without missing a beat.
“Come back,” Katsuo said. He managed to get hold of the hem of Ciara’s yukata. She was sitting just on the edge of the bedding. She glanced back at him.
“I’m not going back there. I can’t sleep with a dagger near me.”
“Why?”
“Why? He asks me why… Unbelievable.” Ciara muttered, shaking her head. She hid her face behind her hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and steeling herself.
She let her hands down and looked Katsuo straight in the eye.
“Because I can’t, that’s why!” She tried to move away, but her yukata was caught in Katsuo’s firm grip. “Let go of my clothes!”
“Come back.” His voice was soft, catching her off guard. Ciara looked into Katsuo’s eyes, not understanding the emotion she saw in them. Eventually, she crossed her arms.
“It’s the dagger or me.”
Katsuo gaped, and Ciara tapped her fingers in the nook of her arm impatiently. He let go of the hem of her yukata. Hurt glinted in Ciara’s eyes for a moment before she turned away.
She was half-standing when she heard a thud. Ciara twirled around to see Katsuo looking in the far corner. She followed his gaze to see the dagger embedded in the floor. Now it was her turn to gape.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight again,” he said, leaning over and tugging her closer.
“Was that the only one?” Ciara squatted down, not even waiting for a reply.
“Yes.”
She looked underneath the pillow then the sheets but couldn’t find another weapon.
“Are you satisfied, my lady?”
Ciara huffed and sat down on the edge of the bedding. The adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off. Her limbs became heavy.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a bit possessive? Maybe a little too much?”
“One of my many virtues.” He smirked.
“I wouldn’t categorize it as such.”
Interested, Katsuo moved closer and touched Ciara’s face. He looked her in the eye.
“Does it bother you?” His voice was neutral, and Ciara couldn’t read his expression.
She shrugged. “As long as you don’t want to put me in a tower room for the rest of my life and throw away the keys, I guess it’s fine.”
“Good idea. Why didn’t I think of it?” he mumbled to himself as he rubbed his jaw.
Ciara swatted his shoulder, and he fell back on the bedding. He opened his arms.
“Come here.”
“Do you swear you don’t have more weapons in the bed?”
“Where would I put them?”
Ciara lifted an eyebrow.
“I swear there’s no pointy items here.”
She waited a heartbeat before nodding and moving closer to him. “Good.”
With that, she crawled back underneath the covers and into his arms.