A leisurely stroll on Rainbow Isle to reflect on things and talk, as well as stop for a picnic later. Tatsumiya carried the basket of food as she followed the sorcerer.
He stopped for a moment before speaking up, "Here is good."
"Alright." she set the basket aside for a moment as she placed a woven blanket on the ground and then set out the food. She always had a tendency to do things in a more orderly fashion, so all the items had been lined up in the middle.
They both sat down on the blanket and began snacking on the various foods, though neither of the two spoke up.
Normally they would talk to eachother for hours on end, but not today. Meikai gave Tatsumiya a slightly concerned smile. "Have you been alright?"
She easily recognized that expression and she returned the smile and spoke up to reassure him, "I'm okay, I promise. I've simply been having some thoughts as of late, that's all."
"I see...is it something you would like to bring up? Thoughts can be troublesome afterall." he replied as he began picking some nearby flowers from the ground and weaving them together.
"No, it truly isn't anything to be worried about in the end. I was simply being foolish." she chuckled.
Meikai didn't reply this time, fully taken into his work. After a few moments finally finished the flower crown.
She felt something placed on her head and ran her hand through her hair before feeling a flower. Her cheeks went pink, "Lord Meikai...thank you very much." she smiled.
"You're welcome, Tatsumiya." he smiled back and Tatsumiya settled herself closer to him and leaned on his shoulder, careful not to damage the flowers. This time Meikai was the one to blush slightly, though he shook it off and carefully put his arm around her.
...
Tatsumiya stirred in her sleep before waking up. "A-ah...was it a dream?" she stared at the ceiling of her room blankly, it happened to her from time to time. She would dream of past memories, yet the dreams felt as if they had truly been happening.
She felt somewhat choked up and the thoughts made her heart ache. She gripped the cloth above her heart for a moment and then sat up. The oarfish felt as if she was going to cry, tears beginning to well in her eyes though she held it back, despite being alone.
"I wish I could have done something in that moment...Lord Meikai...I'm sorry." she sighed, staring blankly at the wall. Sometimes she wondered why she had been chosen as a familiar, afterall she had simply been lost and alone when she was found, yet he decided to take her in. Why, she wondered, why had he chosen someone this useless? Had it simply been out of pity for her? Afterall, she couldn't do anything about Old's betrayal, nor could she do anything to stop him from disappearing. It was truly such a shame to her yet she felt eternally grateful to the now gone sorcerer.
Wadanohara, his daughter, was becoming more and more alike to him. More and more selfless, she was proud and concerned at the same time. The very thought of losing her in a similar manner alone bothered her. Tatsumiya continued thinking of the past and it continued to hurt her. She wanted to let go, she really did...but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Part of her felt as if letting go would mean forgetting them.
Suddenly a tear dripped onto her clothing and soon after another followed. She buried her face in her hands, letting herself cry and let it out for the first time in ages.
"I'm sorry...I...I'm so sorry."