Taoreta's POV

  That meeting took longer than I had originally thought, but it was good that David and Riley were able to stay here with us.

  I did feel bad for them scrubbing the toilets and doing manual bor to clear their names, but I was sure they'd be fine... I hoped.

  Taoreta's Room

  I opened my room to spend the night in. Once I went inside, I closed the door behind me. And to my surprise, the room looked a lot more pinkish.

  In fact, I beamed away, realizing that this was my dream room.

  It had a small ptop on the counter along with a gaming chair that was also pink. Oh! And there were a couple of books on some shelves not too far away from the ptop area.

  Oh!

  And there was my bed, which was pink as well, alongside a bathroom that, to my surprise, wasn't pink.

  Actually, now that I thought about it, maybe pink would make dirt harder to detect and perhaps get it dirtier more easily.

  The good news was that the bathroom was more white than anything.

  The same went for the walls as well. The bed also had some teddy bears, a body pillow, and something that reminded me of Kishi. Hehe!

  By instinct, I quickly rushed toward the stuffed animal that reminded me of Kishi and hugged it tightly. I felt my cheeks burning red as my body warmed up all of a sudden.

  I gently pced the Kishi-like doll on the bed and looked around some more.

  "Don't you think this room is cool, Kis—oh." I halted myself as I realized that I was the only one in here.

  That alone made my heart sink. I felt tears trying to escape my eyes, but I shut them tight, refusing to let them fall.

  I came to the realization that I was alone again after so many years of Kishi's warmth.

  "What did you expect, Taoreta? Don't be an idiot now..." I scolded myself as I felt the world closing in with darkness. I clung to whatever warmth Kishi had provided me during our time together.

  Instinctively, I touched my wrist bracelet, shaped like a wing. Kishi had given it to me as a gift when we were little. Now, it was the only thing that reminded me of him—that and the stuffed doll.

  I could hear myself slowly crying out loud from loneliness.

  I tried my very best not to cry, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. Once I realized I was crying, they poured out one after another. My shoulders shook as I cried out for Kishi in the darkness of the room.

  But no matter what I did, Kishi couldn't see me here.

  Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't—because of the rules. That made me cry even louder. I sat on the bed, opening my eyes and hugging the doll that reminded me of Kishi. Holding it calmed me down.

  I couldn't keep going like this. This room wasn't fun anymore.

  "I want... Kishi back!" I whispered under my breath.

  I couldn't go on without him. Not after he had saved me more than once. Like that one time when I was living inside a box after my own mother threw me out of the house for some man she'd met on the streets.

  After compining that I was hungry for not being fed properly, too. I had only wanted to eat! Was that too much to ask from my mother?!

  I had always hated how she hit my face whenever she was disappointed in something she had done to herself. She took her anger out on me for no good reason at all. I could still feel the sting of her sps across my face just for asking permission to eat in the house.

  I had always been hungry. Starving for decent food. My own father hadn't even visited me after the separation.

  I thought I would've died out there.

  Alone.

  Cold.

  Starving.

  I had had nothing to lose at that point. I just shivered in the back alley since every time I tried to ask for help, people pushed me away or threw rocks at me.

  Back then, I thought I could never trust another human again.

  That was until I met him.

  A boy who was with his family at the time. I remembered a mother and a father, along with an older sister. And there he was, in the center of them.

  At first, I only envied him and didn't want anything to do with him. But ever since that day, he kept bringing me food.

  Not only that, he tried to greet me. Of course, I kept shutting him down. But the boy didn't give up and said he'd return another day.

  Day after day.

  Kishi kept coming to see me. He told me stories about his daily life, compining about his older sister following him so he wouldn't get lost. Kishi always somehow slipped away and ended up finding me.

  We shared ughs, joy, sorrow, anger, and even memories.

  After some time, I slowly began speaking back to him. It was so much fun. My old self crumbled in the presence of this boy. But that fact alone made me happy. I didn't need my old self. That self had been sad, angry, and disgusted by human actions. She judged without giving anyone a chance. Almost as if one day... she'd snap and do the unthinkable.

  I was happy that girl died that day, repced by the current "me."

  I wondered if it was the same for Kishi. How had he felt about those days? I never got the chance to ask him.

  And that promise he made to me.

  I think he said:

  "I'll always be there for you, Tao. No matter what the situation, I'll always be by your side. Even if we're apart, I'll be thinking about you. No matter what."

  And we sealed it with a pinky promise and a photo.

  The next day, he didn't really remember that promise, but another one was born from it—a promise to always protect me from danger and always be with me.

  It was simir to his old one, so I never brought it up.

  I always wondered where he kept that photo, though.

  Maybe it was among the mountain of corpses on the surface. If they were still there.

  Remembering these moments made me stop crying and brought a warm smile to my face. I giggled, stood up, and pumped my fist.

  "I'll have to sleep early tonight to see Kishi's soft and cute face!" I blurted out loud. When I realized what I'd said, I coughed into my fist and adjusted my jacket.

  "That's a bit dramatic, Taoreta. Although it's true, you need to have some tact." I scolded myself as my cheeks burned red.

  It was a good thing Kishi wasn't here to hear my foolishness. Calling someone cute behind their back was beyond creepy. I needed to check myself on that note so I wouldn't blurt out such things again...

  I looked at the bathroom.

  It reminded me that I hadn't taken a shower yet.

  With that in mind, I slowly began taking off my jacket but paused.

  "O-oh. I didn't realize I wasn't wearing a bra underneath my clothes..."

  Maybe I should put one on so nothing would poke around... maybe. If I was being honest, I preferred not wearing bras because they were tight around my chest. That was probably why I had left the center without one.

  Oh well. I doubted anyone would notice as long as I stayed calm and wore a vest over my shirt.

  Yeah, that would do.

  Satisfied with that conclusion, I continued taking off my clothes and headed to the bathroom.

  ---

  A few minutes ter

  ---

  After that refreshing shower, I put on my pajamas—a simple pink set.

  I slowly sat on the bed. It made a crunching sound from the springs beneath the soft mattress.

  I gently y down, resting my hands on my stomach.

  The sheet meant to cover me was tucked beneath me since I didn't feel like using it. Personally, I wasn't used to this kind of comfort. I had always lived in a box or a cell.

  Both had been hard to sleep in, but the one difference was that I'd had Kishi with me. Even though this bed was fluffy and comfortable, without Kishi, it was nothing more than a marshmallow people used to sleep on.

  I turned to the side, expecting him to be there. Of course, I knew he wouldn't be—he was in another room.

  That made my heart sink again, but I reminded myself that it didn't matter at this point. It was logical that we were in separate rooms. I knew that. But that didn't mean I liked it.

  I supposed one of my goals while staying here was to figure out a way to be with him.

  Sneaking was an option, but I couldn't break the rules.

  To be honest, it would be worth the risk if I could sneak back in before morning. But that alone would make The Founder mad. And I didn't want to think about what he'd do to us if we broke the rules.

  I wasn't personally afraid of The Founder.

  To me, he was just a normal human. I didn't see him as an authority figure, just a man with power.

  Based on Akuma's attack on the door, I was sure Kishi and I could do the same.

  But the chain called "rules" was what kept us in line. That, and Kishi's safety, held me back.

  Of course, I hadn't forgotten my other friends, either. I had to protect those who cared about me—and my life, too.

  David and Riley. I was so happy they got to stay.

  I regretted a lot of things. I had seen and done things Kishi wouldn't approve of. The things I had done to keep him safe... to me, they were worth it.

  Instinctively, I touched my lower stomach.

  Noticing what I'd done, I quickly pulled my hand away and narrowed my eyes.

  "It's over now. You don't have to do those jobs anymore for those creatures..." I whispered in relief.

  Honestly, the w wouldn't have allowed that to happen to me.

  But I would keep those thoughts and memories to myself. It was all over now, so I wouldn't let that abuse bring me down anymore. Like always, I'd keep my chin up and smile for the person who mattered most to me.

  A fshback of Kishi standing in front of me, coldness in his eyes as he held a knife, appeared in my vision.

  I gripped my stomach tightly.

  "Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong, Kishi. Kishi is Kishi. No one will tell me otherwise."

  That sight had been unsettling that day, but so what?

  Kishi was safe, and that was all that mattered.

  The world could burn for all I cared. As long as my friend was safe and sound, it was fine. I turned once more, letting my eyes droop with exhaustion.

  "Good night, Kishi. Sweet dreams..." I whispered.

  My eyes shut. The familiar darkness enveloped my vision. For some reason, it reminded me of Kishi.

  Almost as if he were wrapping his arms around me. That thought alone made it easier to fall asleep.

  My consciousness... faded.