I'm sorry it's so short this time - I promise the next one will be longer!
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Shigure slipped into Ren's hotel room. "My, my. I didn't expect to see you here."
Her voice seemed to grate against his ears, but he ignored it. "No, I suppose you didn't." His voice wasn't cold – but it wasn't warm either.
Part of him wanted to hurt her. She had hurt Akito so many times and so very much – but never quite like this.
But another part of him wanted to applaud her.
She was driving a wedge – just as he sometimes did.
And they both knew it.
"Why have you come here?" she asked him lazily – knowingly.
He didn't bother to answer, instead sweeping his gaze over the room. "Did you choose this place?" There were no pictures on the walls, no windows.
She tilted her head to the side, shooting him a mocking smile.
No, of course not.
He smiled back, matching her scorn.
Say it.
"It's gone far enough, Ren-san," he said quietly, after a slight pause. "Don't think that you're the only one who knows what you're doing."
Ren simply shrugged, smile remaining in place. "I don't. Don't worry yourself so much…Gure-san."
She breathed his name with a stinging mixture of vehemence and sarcasm. Shigure didn't remember the last time he had felt so utterly exhausted by a single encounter with someone.
Excepting, perhaps, an encounter with her daughter.
"Ren-san…"
"Yes, Gure-san?" She was always quick to counter him.
He didn't hesitate. "Stop it."
He left.
Ren watched him go, her dark eyes flicking over to him possessively, predatorily – like a cat's watching its prey.
She curled up on her bed and smiled to herself.
The fire had been for the most part an accident – but, it gave her plenty of ideas for things to do on purpose.
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