You're not here [Complete]

[lingeringscent]

Characters: Mio Amakura, Zetsu
Setting: Attic, Maids' Hallway, Rat Bedroom
Time: Day 004, dawn/early morning
Summary: Mio comes back from the dead to find a half-dead Zetsu.
Warnings: Mio and Zetsu, the cute will kill you.

Comments

[weeatbodies]

Zetsu had long since lost track of time. He knew only that he had been here for a while now, locked up in the cool darkness with his own thoughts and the occasional rat for company. He knew that he had heard screams from outside, though not their cause. He knew that he hurt, badly so, and that he was weakened and drained to the point where healing himself was instinctively rejected as a disastrous idea. He knew that something had come into his cage the room with him without first opening the door--some human-shaped shadow that had filled him with such unreasoning and senseless terror that he had burrowed under the newspaper bedding completely to hide, cowering in deathly silence until it had passed without incident.

He knew also that he was hungry--slowly starving, in fact. He hadn't gotten even close to a minimal standard of food for over two weeks, and hadn't had sunlight for about five now; he had made good use of the water bottle in the cage, but couldn't easy make do with the infrequent visits of rats. They were too small and fast to chase in his state; he had finally hit on simply lying motionless until they came to investigate him, and grabbing them once they came close. He had wondered what Nana was doing, who the bad people were and why she had to protect him from them, when she would think it wad safe enough to let him out.... He wondered if she really was going to let him out, or if she had forgotten about him. The door had stayed locked every time he had tried it.

Most of the time though, he had spent sleeping. It had been the smartest thing he could think of to do--after all, what else was there to do in here, run on the wheel?--, resting, trying to conserve his strength so he could recover.... And so it happened that he was dozing on the newspaper pile when Mio opened the door, shirtless and looking worse for the wear. His leaves were definitely starting to look wilted, the edges crinkled and withered from the darkness they'd been forced to endure; he, on the other hand, looked rather torn up as well, shreds of newspaper clinging to him where the blood had long since dried. The unexpected light as the door opened was enough to disturb him, and he lifted his head, squinting as he tried to adjust. Was he hallucinating? That had to be it. No other explanation was logical except that he was going crazy. It couldn't be.... "....Mio?"