Lying still in her little light

[godlessblossom]

Who; godlessblossom and doesnotbrood
What; Misaki returns after what feels like months
Where; Strife Delivery
When; Monday the 23rd, Evening
Rating; PG-13, maybe R for talk of torture
Status; In Progress

Comments

[doesnotbrood]

His futile efforts of scouting the underworld had done little to wear down his resolve. He'd experienced these disappearances before. They never ended well for those who'd been taken, and the more who were designated as missing, the more he knew it to be so. It pained him more than he'd thought it would that Misaki was being subjected to horrors he could only try in vain to fathom, and even more so that he could do nothing to change it from being so.

For two days he'd searched, but called it pointless after visiting the same haunts several times. The cave complex alone was a task best suited for large groups, and even then it was so seemingly expansive, they could never have hoped to find anyone in time. Even now, he was only regrouping and tending to what little paperwork he was able when her furtive words gave him a start. He was to her side in the next instance, taking her arms in his to steady her.

"Misaki! You...you should be resting." What was he supposed to do?

[godlessblossom]

Resting. As if she could rest any longer. A hysterical laugh sounded in the room and it took a moment for her to realize that she was the source of it, her mind was too focused on the hands holding on to her. They were real. How long had it been since she had real human contact? Months. In the beginning she had her wishes fulfilled, her friends returned to her, only to have the happiness quickly fade when they took part in her torture

[doesnotbrood]

That ringing laughter did more to disquiet him than he let on, his brow simply furrowing in concern. He really had no way of fathoming what had happened to her, save torture which was plainly and painfully obvious, but she sounded worse than that, touched somehow, and he didn't know what to do.

All he could do was nod at her question for a moment before he could find the words, which seemed silly to him, after they'd been uttered. "Yes, I am real."

[godlessblossom]

Even the simple response was enough to calm her. After some time her imagination had stopped responding, refusing to exert the energy necessary to have her figments answer her. Misaki took a deep breath, a little voice in her mind telling her that she was too close to going mad.

Another deep breath, and another, and another. Once her breathing was a little more controlled, the scared laughter no longer bubbling up, she looked around, her mind grasping for some random fact, a question, to pull the semblance of what she once was out of her current shell.

"How long," She swallowed, trying not to wince when speaking from her throat's pain. "have I been.. away?"