The Wastes: Part 4

[

"Why don't you just kill me?"

"The purpose of … … isn't to simply eradicate everything. That's ridiculous."

.

"Then let me go."

.

"I intend to."

"Then do it already!"

.

"I want you to make a promise to me, first."

"What a painfully … … thing."

.

"This kindness that you have shown… I want you to-"

]

.

Aisha awoke with a gasp, stirred by the immense pain in her body, erupting from her chest and spreading throughout her body like an explosion.

.

But oddly enough, the feeling in her body that was most prominent wasn't the pain, but… the longing. She wanted to return to that dream, for some reason. Although she had never experienced anything close to the conversation, and never heard those voices… it filled her with a strange sense of nostalgia.

.

Aisha stiffened, as she shifted around her, on the cold, stone, ground, feeling a warm spot, the residual body heat fading quickly.

"Who's there?" She demanded softly, brows furrowing at the echo of her voice.

.

It was dark. Pitch-black dark. And she had been out for a while - if whatever was in the cave wanted her dead, she would definitely be by now.

.

But still, the events of the previous day had Aisha's hair stand up on end. That terrifying feeling of chaos, of helplessness, and then, despair, at that thing. Just the thought of it made her tremble. 

.

"T- the… the whispers… the ancestors told me… that… that you're a friend."

.

Aisha turned quickly in the direction of the meek little voice, causing it to yelp in surprise. Aisha heard the sound of hurried scuttling, and the next time it spoke, it was noticeably further away.

.

"Y-you're… not one of us." It whispered.

.

"...No." Aisha mumbled. "No I'm not."

.

"...You… you look like one of us…" The voice whispered. "B-but… you're… you're one of… the outsiders."

"...Yeah."

.

"The ancestors… told me that you had a kind soul."

"...I don't know about that."

.

Aisha sat up and tried in vain to search for the source of the voice, but grimaced instead, her vision blurry and spotty. Had she really taken that much damage?

.

"Why did you help me?" Aisha asked, raising a hand to rub at her face. "Do you want something from me?"

"...Well…"

.

Aisha blinked a few times, letting her eyes moisturize themselves, and was able to lock on to a blurry little humanoid figure a few meters away.

.

(Aiyu, do you have any input?) Aisha frowned.

.

(Her soul feels… gentle.)

.

That was good enough for Aisha.

.

Strength returning to her limbs, Aisha leapt towards the figure in the dark, leg muscles straining as she, all at once, went from sitting, to on top of the little silhouette in a single instant, before the shadow could even react.

.

Aisha heard a shriek, and then suddenly the figure underneath her began to thrash, weak but desperately frantic, clawing and scratching at Aisha's iron skin. Weak, dirty fingernails scratched desperately at Aisha's bare arms, so pitifully weak that they could barely even indent the surface.

.

"NO!" It shrieked. "GET AWAY! NO NO NO NO NO! YOU TRICKED ME YOU TRICKED ME!"

.

"What? No, I'm not going to hurt you!" Aisha shouted. "Calm down!"

.

"NO NO NO THEY LIED TO ME! YOU- YOU-"

.

Aisha sighed as she continued to pin the weak figure underneath her. Maybe she had gone about this the wrong way, but getting up now would only make the girl underneath her run away. She waited for the girl to tire, something that didn't take that long. The way that the girl's strength dissipated was heartbreaking. The clawing didn't stop, desperate, but it grew slower and slower, until Aisha felt a sobbing from underneath her.

.

"I don't wanna die." The shadow sobbed from underneath Aisha, chest pinned to the ground by Aisha's pelvis. "P-please!"

.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?" Aisha whispered, in the most gentle voice that she could muster, stroking the girl's cheek as softly as she could. "I just want to talk."

.

"..."

.

The girl didn't say anything, but the scratching stopped, and the sobbing turned into sniffling.

.

"You can take anything you want from me." The girl whispered. "I-I don't have any… any energy left, but - but, you can take - I'm sorry for taking a bit from you - I-I can give you my body, if you want, o-or be your slave, I-"

.

"What!?" Aisha exclaimed, shocked. "No! I'm not going to do any of that! I- I should be the one sorry, I jumped on you."

"You're stronger than me." The girl whispered. "That means you can take whatever you want."

.

"No, I…"

.

Frustrated with the lack of vision, Aisha cupped her hands together, letting a small little flame ignite in her hands, setting it to the side and letting the light illuminate both of their faces.

.

The girl underneath her was young, dirty, and thin. Ash practically caked her face, forming a speckled cow-print on her chalky-white skin. The tell-tale horns of a demon grew on her forehead, accompanied by a small pair of little bat wings on her head, short, and the wings were thin - Aisha could practically see the bones underneath her skin, stretched taut over her ribs and face.

.

An immense pity filled Aisha's features. This girl looked like a paper cut away from wasting away and dying, and she had jumped on top of her.

.

"Hey, hey…" Aisha whispered, as the girl turned fearfully away from the fire. "No, I…"

.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me…" The demon girl begged. "P-please, please…"

.

Aisha was helpless to watch as the little girl begged for her life, covering her face with her hands. But she did know one way to comfort people, the way that she knew best -

.

The girl yelped again as her upper body was lifted up, ready to start thrashing again, but stopped when a warmth began to suffuse into her skin, her cheek pressed into something soft. A pair of arms, soon after, wrapped around her sticky, malnourished back, almost burning hot against her ice-cold body.

.

"I won't hurt you." Aisha whispered softly. "You're safe."

.

Aisha began to stroke the demon girl's head, softly running a hand along her fluttering little bat wings, and smiled softly when she nuzzled slightly into Aisha's chest, squishing her head deeper into her small breasts.

.

"Oh, there is something I do remember about demons…"

.

Aisha heard the demon girl gasp as Aisha let her own energy flow into the demon - an intensely familiar sensation, from a time that… while not forgotten, transpired so long ago. She understood it better now, becoming more familiar with the process - it was less like she was losing something, and more like she was taking something into herself.

.

This girl's fear and exhaustion… Aisha felt the burden flow into her, leaving the demon. It was heavy, for sure, but strangely enough… it felt kind of good. Or rather, it had always felt good, strangely.

.

Breathing a little heavier, Aisha watched as the girl's skin visibly turned less sickly, fuller, and the bones in her body became less visible.

.

"I…" The demon girl whispered. "T-thank you…"

.

Aisha felt the arms around her waist hug her tighter, and she couldn't help but smile and relax, reaching around herself for a proper solid structure. Feeling a wall, she leaned back on it and sighed, shifting the demon's body around so that she could hold the small girl in her lap, letting her hug and nuzzle Aisha's fluffy body all she wanted.

.

And for a while, Aisha let the exhaustion flow through her. For once, enjoying it, letting her relax.

.

It was weird - sharing the exhaustion was… pleasant. Compared to experiencing it alone…

.

Aisha shut her eyes, pressing her cheek into the demon girl's head and taking a soft breath. She didn't smell particularly good, and her hair wasn't particularly soft, but in that time, Aisha felt an immense enjoyment that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

.

Feeling the soft body in her arms, lightly caressing her own, nuzzling softly into her chest and collar… it made her want to fall asleep, close her eyes…

.

But the thought of her friends woke her from the soft dream. They needed - or were waiting, for her.

.

So with a little pat to the head-

.

"EEK!"

.

"Huh?"

.

Aisha just frowned as the demon girl squeaked in her arms, face barely visible in the dimming firelight but very clearly blushing, the expression incredibly apparent on her pale face. When their eyes met, the demon began to squirm - wriggling in Aisha's arms, the energy she had taken from the fey made her surprisingly strong, although not strong enough to actually wriggle out.

.

"What's wrong?" Aisha asked.

.

"N-it's… it's…"

.

"..?"

"It's embarrassing…" The little demon girl whispered. "Especially…"

.

"Huh?" Aisha guffawed. "It's just a headpat! Why - Hana too - why do you guys find all this stuff so embarrassing?"

.

"It's not just a headpat." The demon mumbled. "I mean… that's… it's something you only do… for someone you… you really…"

.

"That's not necessarily true." Aisha frowned. "You look like you're… distressed, so I'm… I'm going to try to make you feel better."

.

"Why?"

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Aisha looked down at the demon girl's face and saw a confused hopefulness that was difficult to stomach. Such a hopeful expression, on such a sullen body…

.

"It's just the right thing to do. The nice thing." Aisha said, struggling immensely with the words, unable to express it in logical terms.

.

"Nice…?"

.

"It's…" Aisha hesitated, pulling her hug toy closer to herself. "I do it, because… I want you to be happier. Because I think everybody should be happy… to a certain extent."

.

"You are a kind soul." The demon whispered.

"I wouldn't say that." Aisha mumbled.

.

The smallest of smiles appeared on the little demon's face, and Aisha decided to let that be that - it wasn't really something she wanted to talk about, and besides, more pressing issues were at hand.

.

"Hey, I… I have to get back." Aisha mumbled, after far longer than she realistically should have waited. It simply was… just a little too nice to leave.

.

"Oh… of course. Yes. What about your friend, though..?"

.

"Fr-"

Aisha stiffened, realizing that there was indeed a third person in the cave. And

.

"Ugh." Aisha said instantly, upon seeing the prone figure. "Out of everybody, you saved her?"

"...I don't really know what you're… talking about."

.

Aisha just shook her head, lips curling into a frown as she laid her eyes on an… undesirable face. To her, at least. Why couldn't it have been someone she liked? Not that she wanted one of her friends to be hurt, but, at the very least, it meant that she wouldn't have to trudge through this desolate place with someone who actively thought she was a slut.

.

"Wake up." She mumbled, sighing as she walked over to the captain, blue tresses piled on top of her prone body in a heap.

.

"..."

"Wake up." Aisha repeated, slightly louder this time, adding a little poke to her "attempt."

.

"The ancestors tell me that that won't wake her up."

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Aisha didn't need ancestors to tell her that she was stalling. For what reason, she didn't know, but her desire to see the guard captain awake was growing lower and lower.

.

"Mmnnnh." Akane mumbled, roused by Aisha's words. "Who goes there?"

"It's me."

.

Akane shot up, dark silhouette bursting upright in a practiced jolt. Her head darted back and forth rapidly, but the woman soon panicked when she realized she couldn't see anything, the pitch dark of the cave disorienting and confusing her.

.

"Stay back!" She gasped. "I- AAAACHHHH-"

.

The cyan-haired woman collapsed onto her side as the pain from her abrupt movements, and gaping wound caught up to her, adrenaline wearing thin. Aisha was impressed by the amount of energy that the woman was able to muster up - Aisha herself felt terrible, the sleep helping slightly but doing little in comparison to the day's travel and fighting.

.

But it seemed that the captain had her limits too, as the woman began to breathe heavily and whimper, confused, in pain, and terrified.

.

"It's just me." Aisha mumbled. "Calm down."

"Who is… I- I can't hear you."

.

"Aisha."

.

"...Oh."

.

With a sigh, Aisha pressed her hands together, and with great exertion, a much larger flame erupted from between her palms, illuminating the entirety of the cave. Aisha herself reeled, head feeling light at the exertion, although the flame continued to burn bright in her palms.

.

(Damn, am I that weak?)

.

"A-are you okay?" Akane asked softly.

.

Aisha opened her mouth with a sarcastic, somewhat mean retort ready, but stopped when she saw the genuine look of fear and concern. A strange… not empathy, but sympathy, entered her heart at the sight, that, when combined with her exhaustion, caused her to simply sigh, nodding her head as she attempted to lay back.

.

The small demon girl sidled up to Aisha carefully as she started to take a few deep breaths. "I can give you some of your energy back…"

.

"Keep it." Aisha said, panting. "You need it more than I do."

"Still, I…"

.

"I can give you energy." Akane whispered

.

Again, Aisha's first instinct was to laugh, but again, Aisha stopped, the words genuine, and therefore, deserving of at least consideration. Moreover, the thought was interesting… she really was… a demon, at this point.

.

"And in exchange?" Aisha demanded, a little bit of that hostility leaking into her tone. Her eyes shifted aggressively towards the guard captain, untrusting and angry, but despite so, the expression wasn't returned.

.

"Nothing." Akane mumbled humbly, looking down at the floor, hands propping herself up, as if she couldn't even sit up straight without them. "I know I have no leverage in this negotiation. I know you can kill me, easily, if you wish. My words mean… so little, and- and you have already saved me so many, many times, despite my ungratefulness."

.

"..."

.

"I just have one request." Akane whispered. "That… that we finish my mission."

.

Aisha's eyes narrowed.

"You know, in Arcadia, when people grovel and beg," The fey scoffed, looking away and resting a palm on her chin. "They get on their hands and knees and lick their superiors' fee- WH-"

.

Her eyes widened as she heard shifting, and looking down, there in fact, was someone licking her shoes, small pink tongue licking reluctantly away at the ash marring Aisha's boots. Instinctively, she kicked away the head out of pure disgust - and when Akane came back, face desperate and pleading, Aisha was almost tempted to throw a spell at the woman.

.

"What's wrong with you?!" She yelled. "I'm not doing it! It is not worth-"

"I'm begging you!" Akane cried. "Without them, the mission-"

.

"Are you stupid!?" Aisha spat. "You've seen, felt even, more than I have, what kind of shit is out there! And you want to STAY, for some rocks!?"

.

"Then leave me here!" Akane whimpered.

"Are you hearing yourself? You almost died at full strength and with my help, what the hell do you think is going to happen if you go out like you are now?"

.

"It doesn't matter!" Akane cried. "If there is a chance, I will risk whatever necessary!"

"Even your own life, over something so small!?"

.

"It's a small price to pay!"

.

Aisha flinched at those words, like they stung her skin, and indeed, she felt a revulsion at that phrase. Not because of the meaning, or the implications, but because - of the empathy that flooded into her. At the look of self-loathing in those eyes, of that desperate desire, to make her life mean something.

.

All of a sudden, Akane looked so young. So naive, still stupid, but in a painfully familiar way. And Aisha hated it, hated how it made her feel, hated how it made her want to help her.

.

She slammed her fist onto the ground in a fit of rage, the cold, logical side of her body screaming in protest, against the new softness inside of her, the gentle kindness, the will to protect, the desire to be good, that had been forced on to her, inherited from those close to her -

.

"I could just knock you out and drag you back." Aisha mumbled, letting the debris from the destroyed ground fall through her fingers, shards of rock clattering onto the ground.

.

"Why inconvenience yourself like that?" Akane whispered. "I am… I am okay with laying down my life."

"Are you?" Aisha asked, scathingly. "Or are you just looking for a reason to discard it?"

.

"...I…"

.

"You are to be my puppet." Aisha demanded. "You will do as I say, without question. Until I no longer have any use for you, and then you will be discarded."

.

"... Does that mean…?"

.

Aisha hated the way that Akane's eyes lit up at her demand. She hated how it kind of made her look a little cute.

.

"My freedom is contingent on you living." Aisha sighed. "It is… it's advantageous for me."

"Thank you!" Akane cried, crawling over to Aisha and leaning on her legs. "I will not forget this, kind, beautiful goddess, I will do anything for you!"

.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Aisha shot. "My end comes first."

.

"Of course, of course…"

.

With a trace of that lingering hesitation, Akane took a second to just look at Aisha, as if considering just how much she weighed the mission, for which she was willing to sacrifice her life, against touching Aisha. But, as it turned out, it was not a difficult decision, as she carefully rested her head against Aisha's chest.

.

"S… so… how does it work?" Akane asked. "Do we have to… have sex?"

"No, this is fine." Aisha mumbled.

.

An instinct awoke inside of Aisha's body as she felt the bit of warmth that Akane's body radiated. Although it was weak, it still made a bit of Aisha's heart yearn - she wanted it inside of her, to consume it, to make it a part of her.

.

Focusing on that desire, she felt the warmth flow into her, faint, but soothing. At first, the heat came in like a small trickle, but it quickly turned into a gentle flow, as Aisha wrapped her arms around Akane's shoulders to facilitate the transfer. The captain's stressed expression turned soft and relaxed, and judging by the way her eyes fluttered closed, lips slightly parted, it felt good to her. And it wasn't long before Akane let out a shuddering sigh, and much to Aisha's chagrin, she found the sound pleasant.

.

"Pervert." She mumbled, recognizing the hypocrisy, but unwilling to admit it.

"H-huh?" Akane mumbled sleepily, eyelids growing heavy.

.

Aisha just let out a short sigh, resigning herself to her fate as the cyan-haired girl began to doze in her arms. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if she was ready to undergo the trek back either - even crawling around in the cavespace sent soreness shooting through her limbs, her legs protesting against even the smallest movement.

.

But she couldn't stay too long. She needed to find out if Kaya and Liberta were okay, and more importantly, staying here, eventually the hunger from her unstable soul would consume her.

.

But she could spare an hour or so.

.

.

"Are you two… mates?" The timid demon girl asked, face now full, even looking to be a little cleaner than before.

.

"What?" Aisha's face furrowed, her lips parting slightly. "No, I-... not in the slightest."

"Then why are you two so close?"

.

"We're really not."

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The demon girl just looked at the two, Akane's head laying softly on top of Aisha's chest, and then made eye contact with Aisha.

.

"No, it's… not what you think." The fey struggled out. "I… don't want her to die. She could be useful to me."

"That seems illogical." The demon whispered. "Risking your life for a chance at… such a small return?"

.

Aisha was silent.

.

"You are a kind person."

"No." Aisha denied. "Don't put that on me."

.

Turning her head away, Aisha looked away shamefully, a deeply thoughtful, turbulent expression on her face. And sensing the girl's uncomfort, the demon decided to change the subject, picking up something from the ground and moving closer.

.

At the sound of clattering stones, Aisha turned her head back, curious.

"What's that?" She asked, gazing intently at a small little crystal on the ground.

.

"The ancestors told me you could use this." 

.

Aisha's eyes widened. Was this the chaos magicite that Akane needed? Was it really just that easy?

"Where did you find this?" Aisha asked.

.

"It forms deep within the caves." The demon whispered. "Deep below, where the magics are most dangerous. Only… a few demons can survive that far down. Almost all from the infernal court.".

.

"Infernal court?" Aisha asked, absentmindedly stroking Akane's head. "How did you get it, then…?"

.

"This was a gift to me." The demon girl said, clearly uncomfortable when pressed about the "infernal court." "From a… another kind demon. So I think… it's right that… you have it."

"I haven't given you…" Aisha blurted out, without thinking too hard, but her words died on her lips when she realized that she, in fact, had given the demon something.

.

And the girl too seemed to realize, smiling in response to Aisha's turmoil, pressing the little crystal into Aisha's palms.

.

"I'm too weak to trade with the other demons." She whispered. "I've been holding on to it for a really long time. Almost since I was born."

"Since you were born?" Aisha frowned. "How old are you?"

.

"Six."

.

"Huh!?" Aisha's eyes bugged out of her head, as she blinked rapidly, as if the fully-grown demon in front of her would melt away into her true, child form. "No way."

.

"I'm pretty old for a daemon." The bat girl said proudly, puffing out her cheeks. "Six years is a really long time! Even the infernal court demons only ever live to around eighteen."

.

"Hold on-" Aisha frowned-

.

(I'm twenty-four.) A familiar memory surfaced.

.

The shifting of the woman in Aisha's arms snapped her out of her thoughts, the motion jostling her sore legs and sending discomfort through her spine. Aisha winced as pins and needles shot through the appendages, the extended period of lying down evidently cutting off a bit of circulation.

.

"Mmh." Akane burbled, blearily rubbing her face into Aisha's now soft chest. "Are… are we going?"

.

"Yeah, we really should." Aisha mumbled, letting the woman gently out of her arms, trying hard to ignore the soft little attempts that Akane made to extend their contact. "Come on, get up."

.

The demon girl motioned for Aisha to follow her, waiting patiently as she slung Akane over her shoulder. "I'll lead the way."

.

.

.

The sunlight almost burnt Aisha's eyes, and all of a sudden she understood why the expedition had taken place at night. The sun's rays, completely uninhibited by any atmosphere or clouds, burned Aisha's skin, like a big laser pointed directly at her head.

.

"I will stay here." The demon girl whispered, unwilling to leave the shade of the cavern. "Thank you so much for… everything."

"You don't want to come with us?" Aisha whispered. "You could go to a place where… you don't have to fight. Where you don't have to be scared."

.

The demon girl thought for a bit, looking like she was genuinely in the middle of considering the offer, but after a few moments, she simply smiled sadly and shook her head.

.

"That's a really kind offer, but… I… can't."

.

"What do you mean, can't?"

.

"This is home." The little demon whispered. "I don't want to leave."

.

"I don't…" Aisha just sighed, her eyes and body weary. "Very well. I can't… stop you. You don't have to thank me. You saved me. That's a much greater service than just giving up a bit of energy... If anything, you're the kind soul here…"

.

"I think…" The demon girl hesitated. "I think your challenges… far outweigh mine. Ah… nevermind. Um. Bye!"

.

The demon girl stepped out of the cave for a split second and hugged Aisha, too quick for the fey to reciprocate. And before she could even protest, or call out, she had retreated back into the darkness of the cave, leaving Aisha to address her awkward-looking companion, looking barely even strong enough to stand.

.

"What did she mean by that?" Akane asked.

.

"I don't know…" Aisha sighed. "Let's just move…"

"Wait, the… the…"

.

Aisha reached into her pants and pulled out the chaos magicite, dull and inert, but as soon as the sun's rays touched the crystal, it began to glow violently, the colors turning vibrant and chaotic, like they were trying to escape the confines of the physical gem.

.

"Don't leave it out!" Akane cried, panicked. "It's unstable!"

.

Aisha quickly stuffed it back into her pants, the rock burning hot to the touch, despite the fact that it had only been out in the sun for a single second. Once out of the rays of the sun, the heat quickly subsided, but even still, the gem continued to pulsate with an unnatural heartbeat.

.

"What do you even need this for?" Aisha mumbled, stooping down to let Akane lean her weight on her as they began to walk.

.

"..."

.

Aisha stopped walking.

.

"If you don't answer, I'm destroying this and leaving you here." Aisha said, her voice even and cold.

.

"...Okay." Akane whispered. "I suppose… I can't withhold this from you."

.

"Good girl." Aisha muttered.

.

"The primary usage of chaos magicite is as a catalyst for elemental fusion." Akane explained. "It is a prized, highly controlled material… only entrusted to the emperor, and her family..."

.

"And you're going to give it to Azamu." Aisha muttered.

.

"...Yeah."

"And she isn't going to use it for experiments, right."

,

"...Yes." Akane mumbled, quieter this time.

.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself, enforcing the rules on others, but bending them so carelessly for your own self-satisfaction?"

.

"It is for a noble cause!" Akane insisted. "It-"

"You know, someone in Arcadia once told me something really wise." Aisha interrupted.

.

"..."

.

"Everybody thinks that their cause is noble. Without that, they fall apart."

.

The walk back to the border was quiet for a few moments, that could have been hours. There was not much to track time with, save for the sun blazing on the girls' backs. The silent atmosphere and desolate landscape, combined with the imminent threat of dying at any moment, might have scared a lesser woman, but Aisha was far too tired to even care.

.

Eventually, it seemed like the fatigue got to Akane as well. Her steps began to shake, and her breaths grew heavier and heavier, while her hands clutched Aisha tighter. And while Aisha would have normally been able to carry multiple people with ease, she too, was starting to feel the fatigue.

.

"I'm resting for a bit." Aisha grunted, plopping down ungracefully and unintentionally dragging Akane down with her.

.

"Wait, but…"

.

Akane's words faltered mid-sentence, despite no prompting from Aisha, which was certainly new, to say the least.

.

"Oh, you're learning."

.

"Nnh."

.

And for a few more moments, Aisha rested, closing her eyes and letting her breaths slow - The fatigue and heat were starting to get to her, and the lack of any conversation didn't help either.

.

"Azamu and I are old friends." Akane mumbled.

.

(It's hard to believe that you have any friends.) Aisha thought.

"Mh." She said instead.

.

"I was taken in by the local guard when I was very young." She continued. "It was… difficult, rising through the ranks. Despite my superior performance, I saw… sons of politicians… more popular cadets, more attractive women… they all seemed to be so far ahead."

.

Akane looked down. "Not that I could complain. I had no right to. I owed my life to the guard."

.

"So I kept working. Eventually, my talents were recognized, and I was given my first proper assignment, to oversee the guard of a young aristocrat. Back then… despite just being a cadet, we… became… friends. We would go on walks together… play chess… sneak out… she would always tell me that… that I deserved better… and that… when she was commissioner, she would… make the guard recognize my talents."

.

"I don't think Azamu is a bad person." Akane mumbled. "She is a kind woman, just with too much motivation, and no ambition. She is constantly in the pursuit of more power, and she is so very smart, and capable… but I don't think, if even she were to become emperor, that she would even know what to do with all of it."

.

"You're really in love with this woman." Aisha said flatly.

"Huh!? No!" Akane stammered. "I… I just care about-... about her very much. She is like… like family to me…"

.

"Yeah, I believe you." Aisha rolled her eyes. "I think you are being manipulated."

.

"What!?"

.

"That woman doesn't look at you with an inkling of love." Aisha scoffed. "She recognized your talents, sure, but the way that she treats you… she is just using your affection to control you."

"You don't know her like I do!" Akane protested. "She just-"

.

"Have you ever seen her look at you twice? Or lean close to you when you sit together? Or hell, even sit next to you?"

"She has! I just-"

.

"You're in denial."

.

"I am not!"

.

Aisha sighed, starting to stand up again.

"I can't change your mind on this, I guess. I have no intention of antagonizing that woman, but she clearly does not feel the same way about me."

.

"I am sure that she will give up eventually…" Akane protested half-heartedly.

"You're contradicting yourself."

"Mmmmm…"

.

Aisha resumed her walk.