Chapter Text
Hitohito could felt his head spinning for a second when he stood up.
"You are a Princess-?!"
Shouko immediately covered his mouth and made him shut up. She turned her head towards the door, where Tasumi knocked again.
"Princess? Is everything okay?" She knocked again.
The girl took off the hood she was wearing and threw it to his face. Hitohito barely could react and try to get it off, before she pushed him from the back to take him somewhere.
When he could finally see, he was in some kind of cramped room with clothes.
Hitohito looked at her with confusion, holding the hood in front of her. What was she doing? She called that woman to help him, why did he have to hide? He thought this girl was a bit weird already, but this reinforced the notion.
Shouko signed him to calm down. She hold her finger to her lips and closed the wardrobe, but the God peeked out a bit on the space left between the doors.
"Princess, I'm gonna open in three, two..."
Before the other human could fully enter the room, the so called Princess began to frantically cover and arrange the messy room.
All the feathers thrown around and the sheets with blood stains, everything became a ball that she threw under her bed.
The other human finally came in.
It was and old woman with short, brown light hair, sweet eyes. He had a sense of security from her.
She was holding a tray with something covered with fabric in her hands. The Princess approached her panting slightly and leaned on the desk for support.
"Shouko! Sweetheart!" Tasumi quickly left the tray on the desk and helped her to stand still. "Are you sick? Does it hurt? Why is your hair so wet? Are you okay?"
Shouko nodded very fast, standing straight and holding her fists closed near her chest. She took a breath and tried to think about how to explain herself, when she noticed the tray.
Curious, she raised the fabric slightly, but suddenly let it go, her face turning red.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and he backed away. The Princess turned her eyes to the old woman, pointing at the thing on the desk.
"I thought you were in that time and needed them, isn't that why you called in so much panic?" Shouko shook her head. "Then do you feel alright?"
As Shouko nodded, Tasumi sighed with relief, but soon her expression turned stern. She frowned and put her hands on her waist.
"I came across Lady Himeko on my way here. She told me what you did. All the guards were looking for you! You never avoid classes like that, what happened?"
Shouko lowered her head, looking at the floor. She slid her hand from her shoulder to back and then moved her hands in circles near her head.
'I was worried' Shouko frowned and averted Tasumi's gaze. She placed her hand on her chest, and then one of her thumbs on her chin and the other on her forehead, both with the fingers spread out. 'About my parents'
The old woman hummed in understand.
The Princess placed her right fingertips against her lips, then moved her hand away from her mouth while turning it, making the palm face down. With her right hand, she moved her finger in circular motion on her chest.
"A Bad feeling"
"I see...Do you want to talk about it?" Shouko shook her head and took Tasumi's hand.
She dragged her in front of the wardrobe and pointed at it repeatedly. Hitohito backed even more inside, holding the hood in his hands tightly.
Shouko wanted to tell her that what she did was worth it. The gods have finally listened, that they send her an answer.
The old woman looked at the Princess, who keep shaking and making signs trying to explain herself, with concern.
"Shouko, dear- Calm down!" She searched on her pocket and pulled out a little pouch. "Let's sit down and talk, is that okay?"
Tasumi took one rectangular candy out, offering it to her.
The girl took a breath, her heart beating with anticipation. She really wanted that candy, but this wasn't the time.
The Princess glanced one last time to her and took the handles of the wardrobe.
The God shut his eyes and held his breath. His wings started twitching, making him want to scream when pain pierced through his entire body.
The moment the doors were opened, all that was heard was a gasp and the sound of the pouch Tasumi was carrying falling to the floor. She left her mouth open, staring at him while her arms fell to her sides.
Hitohito gulped, blinking to quickly wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Hello..." He smiled awkwardly.
"Most holy mother of the conceived trinity"
Hitohito held on the smile, which was becoming increasingly difficult with the constant pounds in his head.
Not knowing how to answer, he turned his gaze towards the Princess, asking for help.
After alternating between him and Tasumi for a minute, Shouko began to worry. She shook Tasumi's shoulders slightly, making her react.
The old woman grabbed the Princess's arm and pulled her behind, pointing accusingly at him.
"YOU!"
"?!" "!?"
The boy grabbed his head with his hand when she shouted, closing his eyes tightly.
"What it's your purpose here?!" The woman shouted again. "Why did you came back?!"
The Princess tried to calm her down taking her arm to get her attention, but was ignored.
The God panted, raising his palms towards her in an attempt to calm her down. Black dots clouded his vision, his head started beating and his legs were starting to feel weak.
"I...I'm-" Hitohito's eyes darted around, trying to think for something to appease her. His wings twitched again and with it the pang of pain too.
He fell to his knees, bringing his left wing closer with his hand and squeezing it tightly. He let out a low cry, leaning his head against the wood of the wardrobe. His head started spinning again as he felt nauseous.
Shouko went to his aid immediately. She took him down , but the God couldn't even stand still.
He weakly lifted his head to finding her eyes, before switching to the shadow, that was laughing at him, when the urge to vomit made him look at the floor again.
Everything around him became increasingly blurry, when he felt the soles of his sandals dragging on the floor and suddenly his head fell on something soft.
He took ddeepand quick breaths as his head kept spinning, when a few seconds later someone lightly tapped his cheek.
"Boy, wake up! Open your eyes, get up!"
The God slowly blinked and darted his eyes to the sound of the voice. The old lady was sitting to his left and a relieved smile grew on her face when he opened his eyes. She turned her head around.
"Shouko, dear, bring that tray please"
The girl gave a nod and walked away. She came back quickly and brought it in front of Tasumi.
The Old woman made something on the tray and then brought a bowl close to his face.
"Can you sit up?" Hitohito closed his eyes and nodded, his arms shaking as he used all his strength to get up. "Be careful with that wing of yours..."
He took the bowl and realised it had water in it. He quickly brought it up to his lips and drinked it all. The God gasped when finished, and embarrassed handed it back.
"I'm sorry..."
She shook her head and handed the bowl to the Princess. The old woman turned her head to him again, when he blinked and suddenly she was offering the little pouch to him.
The God took it without understanding, when he put his hand inside, he pulled out a kind of little brown rectangle. It felt a bit pasty on the tip of his fingers.
"It's Gur. It will do you good" Tasumi smiled at him again, and the light that emanated from the woman's soul gave him confidence to try the thing.
He gave it a bite at the tip, tasting it firts. It feel kind of doughy, extremely sweet and sugary too, but Hitohito found himself enjoying the taste and biting off half of the small tablet.
He looked up at her. The old woman giggled and made a sign with her hand, giving him permission to continue.
"What is your name, boy?"
"Hitohito..."
She repeated the name slowly, looking down. then smiled at him. "I'm going to see that wound. Alright?" The boy nodded, and she turned around.
The God could now fully see what was on the tray. It had another bowl with steam coming out of it, with multiple white cloths on the side
Tasumi took one of them on her hands and diped it onto the bowl.
Hitohito held his breath and slowly extended his left wing, showing the attemp as a bandage that Shouko had made.
The white was now stained with the black liquid. Tasumi slowly withdrew it, revealing the severity of the situation.
The feathers were charred around the wound, from which the black liquid glistened when the light hit it. Tha woman covered her mouth and tightened her grip on the cloth.
"H...How-" This was way worse of what she expected, but she keep her cold. "Stay still, this may hurt..."
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