Chains of Sorrow Chapter 10: Picture of the Past
...Do you think there's such a thing as a kind Master?...
Those words buzzed in the back of her mind like some nigglig insect, refusing to vacate itself from her thoughts.
Those words. Those words that had seemed so fantastical- so unbelievable- only days before, now served only as the most recent reminder as to where she now stood, clutching onto some strange strawberry-flavored protein shake with a comically colored straw sticking out of the bottle like a pastel periscope.
If the outside of this little house in the woods was some vaguely idealized view of an old rustic country home, then the interior was the epitome of that same charm.
Soft fluffy carpets that tickled against her now bare feet like a thousand tiny hands, decorations that would've put an old world mountaineer to shame, all topped off by a myriad of family-style photos hanging in seemingly every conceivable nook of space.
One in particular, however- one amongst the dozens- was quick to catch Yuuki's eye.
A near perfect replica of the very same photo hanging in Kazuto's penthouse, all of the same four people, all smiling.
The only difference? The extra smile which seemed to eclipse the other three like a shining star against muted candlelight.
Sure, the first three faces were recognizable enough to Yuuki. The red haired T-1-3-Z-3, the ever serene Eugeo, and even her very own master. But the final face; standing in the far corner of the photo before her? It was a face completely unfamiliar to her.
Shimmering azure eyes, short chocolate hair, and that twinkling smile; that shining, glee-filled look of delight, barely contained within that little lithe frame. This was the face of a young woman filled to the brim with enthusiasm and life.
So...where had?-...
"Eu-...o?"
It was a soft coo that held little more strength than a puff of wind; rendering it nearly inaudible, even within the hushed halls of the farmhouse.
At first Yuuki had assumed it little more than a byproduct of her imagination, but as her garnet eyes snapped back towards the framed portrait that hung before her, like a window into the past, she felt the seed of curiosity burrow itself within her.
"Eugeo?..." The voice was louder; apprehension clear in it's-... in her tone, "Who was at th'door?"
The gentle tickle of the carpet against her feet seemed to become all that much more apparent as Yuuki found herself quietly padding towards the source of the call.
It was only seconds before she found herself standing before the precipice of a blackened room; it's interior illuminated only by the harsh, artificial light of the LED TV screen blinking away without a care in the world.
As Yuuki took a tentative step past the frame, letting her feet adjust to the noticeably harder floor, she immediately felt each and every ounce of warmth- of happiness- leave her form, as if her soul had been ripped away from her body.
It wasn't cold; far from it. This was just some strange absence of the warmth- of the harmony- the rest of the house exuded like an aura.
But that wasn't what caught Yuuki's attention. No, that honor was bestowed to it.
To her.
In the middle of the room, flooded by the light of the screen, a lone figure wrapped up in a blanket sat upon the couch like a statue, her head arched lazily towards the screen.
Her breathing was shallow, yet oh-so-fierce, as her fingers clutched onto the blanket like fishhooks digging into flesh.
To the average passerby, it seemed as if she was little more than some young woman that had become just a bit too invested in whatever horror movie'd been served up to her on the TV, but Yuuki knew from experience she was looking right past the colorful display of the screen.
Right past all of it.
That soulless, thousand yard stare, peaking out from behind the stands of garnet red hair, was all too familiar to her.
She could see it so clearly. The fear.
Fear, so unfocused, yet so raw. A visceral fear that forced adrenaline through it's hapless victim, who could only shake and shiver in protest as it enveloped all that they were in it's horrifying grasp.
Another traveler, a castaway, led astray by the cruel siren's song; doomed to wander in that endless fog of sorrow and despair-...
"Wh-...Who?..."
...
Oh, God.
Yuuki's focus snapped back to reality, only to find those same soulless eyes- the same thousand yard stare- now focused squarely on her.
She could barely open her mouth in protest before her ears were assaulted with a terrified shriek.
"So why exactly do you have all this anyway?"
Kazuto tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth as his eyes scanned the congregation of bottles assembled in the refrigerator before him like a line of soldiers at attention, each and every as orderly as the last.
His eyes bounced from colorful bottle to bottle, and with each label read, the larger his frown grew.
All of these were in date. Not a one was even close to it's expiration, which meant they were a rather recent addition to the pantry.
His gaze trailed over to Eugeo, who only glanced down, bringing his hand towards his eyepatch as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Is she still?-..."
"From time to time." His voice was steady, though even a fool could hear the melancholy behind his words, "Usually I can convince her, but on bad days this is all she'll willingly stomach."
"How often?"
"Eh, around one a week, give or take. The night terrors are still pretty frequent, though." Eugeo crossed his arms, his gaze trailing out of the kitchen window, "The sleep paralysis is the biggest issue... She just-..."
"...Yeah." Kazuto joined his friend against the kitchen counter, "Any luck with the new medication?"
"More than usual lately, thank God." Eugeo admitted, "Can't say it's an instant fix, but-..."
"An improvement, at least?"
"Mmm..." He hummed as he shook his head, "I just wish it didn't have to be so...complicated."
"Still having trouble with the Doctor?"
"More like trouble with the insurance company." Eugeo clarified, "They want me to give her some cheap sedatives."
"What? Like a generic?-..."
"No!... Sedatives!" Eugeo interrupted with a low growl, "Said SSRIs are 'too valuable to waste on a slave'!"
A tired sigh passed between Kazuto's lips as he pushed himself away from the counter.
It was sad, how rare it was for a Master to go as far as Eugeo had for Tieze. It was so rare, in fact, that the few Masters who had enough heart to seek out medical help for their slaves- past life threatening trauma- often came at the expense of a fair amount of friction with their obstinate insurance providers.
Honestly, Kazuto suspected, it was probably easier to obtain coverage for a dog than a slave; pedigree or not.
Even he had to call in a private doctor for an under the table appointment to look at Yuuki's hand, which had resulted in a nice 'donation' to the doctor's practice.
If he hadn't had access to the sort of funds that came with the profession he held, well...he certainly didn't want to think about what Yuuki's hand would've looked like in the future, much less if it would have still functioned.
"Short of going into the Flooded District and getting the meds illegally," The blonde Swordsman gave a sigh of his own, his single exposed eye shimmering with frustration, "...This is the best I can do."
"C'mon now," Kazuto propped a hand on his hip as he shot a small grin to his friend, "The Golden Boy wouldn't dare set foot in the Flooded District, especially not for-..."
"I would for her." His answer was soft, yet held not an ounce of hesitation.
Kazuto's hand found Eugeo's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "I know you would... Sorry, I didn't mean it like-..."
"No, it's fine, I just-..." Eugeo could only find it in himself to offer up a weary smile as he motioned towards the fridge, "Help me with these bottles, 'kay?"
"Sure thing." Kazuto mumbled as several bottles were pushed his way, "So, hows the eye?"
"Still the same."
Kazuto felt a rush guilt wash over him like a wave; enveloping him in but a moment. "I'm-..."
"I'll be fine," Eugeo's words were only further emphasized by a soft chuckle, "After all, it just means my eye exams take half the time."
An amused grin was all Kazuto could hope to conjure.
"So, have you considered my offer yet?" Eugeo asked once both friend's arms were filled to the brim with bottles.
"I have, but I've got Yuuki now."
"You know she'd be more than welcome, too." The blonde Swordsman hummed, "About her, by the way; you know I'm going to ask-..."
"It was an accident."
"An accident?"
"I was-..." An awkward rub of the scalp accompanied his cottonmouth, "Y'know how Klein and I have been going to nightclubs lately?"
"The ones I keep telling you r'bad news? Yes; why?"
Kazuto felt his eyebrow twitch. Eugeo and that stupid, amused smirk of his.
"Well, I-..."
That was about all that Kazuto could mutter before a high pitched shriek tore through the air like a thunderclap.
"What was?-..."
Wait a minute...
Health shake bottles impacted against the ground as both Swordsmen threw themselves out of the kitchen in a panic, rushing towards the source of the scream with hearts in their throats...
So let me address something real quick. Unfortunately, Tiese/Tieze is a character that has a bit of a naming crisis going on. Fanfiction writes it as Tieze, while LN Readers probably know her as Tiese. I'm going to go with what Fanfiction denotes it as, being Tieze, at least until the subs for the anime denote the 'official' spelling of her name, since that just makes it easier for anyone who stumbles across the story.