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Inside a room in the center of the palace lay Satori, splayed out in the middle of a bed far too large for her, half-lidded eyes tracing the lines and patterns crisscrossing the ceiling. The sound of a grandfather clock tolling down the hall briefly roused her from her stupor, but once the pealing faded away she returned to staring listlessly at the ceiling.
The previous night, like most nights as of late, was not kind to her. After retiring to her room she went straight to her bed and crawled under the covers, not even bothering to put on a nightgown. From there she faded in and out of a disturbed half-sleep, her waking mind stuck dwelling upon the thoughts she read from Orin while unpleasant memories flashed behind her eyelids whenever she started to doze off, jolting her back awake.
Truth be told Satori couldn't remember the last time she had a full night's sleep. It was easier whenever her pets slept with her. Having Orin in her cat form curl up against her while Okuu in her bird form nested above her head, hearing their minds slowing down as sleep claimed them helped lull Satori to sleep herself. And even when in their human forms, having someone warm and larger than herself on either side provided a cozy feeling of safety that kept morbid thoughts from entering her dreams.
However, as was the way of a satori, their thoughts flowed like water from their hearts directly to her head, and recently it was nothing but stress and anxiety over their master's lowering spirits. It pained Satori, guilt stabbing at her heart like a cold blade over making her pets worry so much, so she no longer let them sleep with her.
With a sigh Satori moved for the first time since she laid down the previous night, her head lolling to the side to stare at her nightstand. She didn't want to upset her pets, the two precious friends she has in her life. Yet, she felt as if there was nothing she could do. They knew her well enough to see past any false front she might put up. There was nowhere she could go to avoid them, which would only make things worse if she tried. And besides, she simply lacked the energy to do any of the things she normally liked that might alleviate their tension. Reading, writing, even eating her favorite foods, nothing provoked much of a response from her anymore.
Truly, the days were becoming dull. With no motivation within her the hours, minutes, seconds even dragged on far longer than they should, and were only interrupted whenever Orin or Okuu came to check on her. Not even the vengeful spirits came around anymore. It was as if they could sense the gloom emanating from her and wanted nothing to do with it. And with each day seeming longer and more torturous than the last, with the promise of a restless sleep being the only thing that awaited her come night, Satori found herself wishing more and more that she could just close her eyes and have them stay shut forever…
Koishi!
Satori's eyes flew open, heartbeat pounding in her ears. Had she really dozed off again? Surely she must've, otherwise why would she recall…
Shaking her head Satori forced herself to sit up, crawling to the edge of the bed where she hung her feet off the side. As much as she disliked the thought of having to drag herself through another endless day, the idea of returning to unforgiving dreams frightened her even more. With a sigh she stood and made to start her day as she always had.
An hour later and Satori, hair damp and clothes fresh, descended the stairs. The halls were quiet, perhaps too quiet, but if it seemed out of place it didn't register with her as she shuffled her way towards the kitchen. Once she got there, however, she was given pause, not from what was there but rather what wasn't. Normally Orin would be here, preparing a healthy breakfast for the her as she chatted away with Okuu.
Now Satori wasn't a spoiled girl by any means, she had made breakfast for everyone plenty of times in the past, but unless she got up earlier then her she could always count on finding Orin here, in the kitchen, by the time she came downstairs. Okuu was a tad more sporadic in when she would join them but had recently been down here every morning, her thoughts clearly conveying that she was keeping close to her master out of worry.
Satori shoved the mystery aside. As vexing as it was she saw no reason to think much of it, and besides her pets were very busy with their duties so surely that must be what's keeping them from their normal routine. Giving one last shrug Satori poured herself a glass of juice. For as much as she couldn't bring herself to eat she still needed something to throw at the yawning pit that formed in her stomach each morning, and typically that involved forcing herself to drink some liquids.
Taking a sip she leaned against the counter, watching as some of her normal pets, a dog and two cats, walked into the kitchen. While she, Orin, and Okuu did feed them, the animals were normally self-sufficient enough to acquire food and water on their own, only entering the kitchen when curious about its occupants more than its sustenance. So naturally, it didn't take them long to notice her.
Oh, Miss Satori is awake! Good morning Miss Satori!
Good morning Miss Satori!
Good morning Miss Satori!
Despite herself Satori managed a weak smile. Her mundane pets could be so endearing with their simple, excitable mindsets.
"Good morning everyone. I trust you are all well?"
Very well!
What about you, Miss Satori?
Yeah, are you doing well?
And just like that the smile left Satori's face, any amusement gained from seeing her pets gone as an unseen weight began pulling her down once more. With how things have been she hadn't been giving them much attention lately and it seems that they've noticed.
"I… I'm fine," she forced out.
Are you sure?
You don't seem like you're fine.
Orin and Okuu don't think you're fine.
"I-I am, don't worry, hehe. Oh, speaking of Orin and Okuu, where are they? I haven't seen or heard from them at all this morning."
Satori tried her best to force a smile on her face as she spoke. She really didn't like where this conversation was heading and was desperate to change the topic. Her pets gave her a quizzical look as they answered.
You didn't know? They left.
Yeah, I saw them leave last night carrying two big backpacks.
All the other hell ravens and kashas have been filling in for them.
…
…
"…what…"
The three pets stared at their master, her eyes gone blank, body stiff. An aura was radiating off her that made their hackles rise, just like how it felt when she deliberately used her powers on one of them. They shared a quick look between themselves before turning back to the youkai.
Um, you don't look to well, so we think we'll leave now!
We hope you get better!
Bye!
The three animals made a swift exit, fear at the mind reader's sudden negative reaction winning out over what concern they might have for her. But Satori paid no mind. In fact, their departure hardly registered as her mind spun a mile a second trying to make sense of what she just heard.
Orin and Okuu… left?
No, Satori refused to believe it. Setting down her barely touched drink the trembling girl braced herself on the counter and scanned the palace with her mind. The three pets she just spoke to were running down the hall, many more were scattered across the upper and lower levels, but not Orin and Okuu. Reaching further she could feel the vengeful spirits loitering around the courtyard and a few of her other pets roaming the grounds, but still no kasha or hell raven to be found.
She squeezed on the countertop till her knuckles turned white, stretching her mental scan as far as she could. Hell ravens were managing the Hell of Blazing Fires down below, but not Okuu. Kasha were ferrying corpses down from the surface world, but not Orin. She could even sense the masses of youkai living nearby, all of them stopping to shiver in confusion as they felt an intense gaze pass over them, but not to be found among them where her two friends.
"No…"
Her grip loosened, and Satori fell to her knees.
"Please no…"
She curled up against the cabinet, bringing her knees to her chest as she felt her heart fall through her chest, dread settling around her like an oppressive blanket.
This couldn't be happening. This can't be happening. Orin and Okuu, her two closest friends in the world, the ones who have always been there for her, ever since she first took them in. In even her darkest days they've been there with kind words and a shoulder to cry on should she ever need it. But she knew their minds as well as her own, and try as she might she couldn't sense them anywhere.
After all this time, they were just…
Gone.
She took her third eye in her hands and held it to her heart, curling up even more until her forehead touched her knees. Tears that had been gathering in her eyes started to trickle down her cheeks.
Why? Why after all this time would they just… leave her? They had never said they were unhappy, that they wished to leave, to strike out on their own. Everything had seemed fine. So why then, what was it that made them decide to-
It felt like ice spread out through her veins as she realized, to her growing horror, what the answer was. She shook her head, trying to force the idea to leave but it refused to budge, giving Satori no choice but to face the cold, hard truth.
It was her.
For weeks, no, months now she had been growing ever despondent. Not eating the food Orin prepared for her. Saying no to Okuu whenever she wanted to play. Turing them away whenever they tried to cuddle with her. For so long they'd been trying and trying to take care of her in any way they could, and she'd done nothing but ignore their efforts, only doing the bare minimum to try and be civil when they came around, not even bothering to reach out on her own.
She had no idea how she missed it. She must have been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she barely registered theirs. Even when she spoke with them directly, it must have been lurking under their surface thoughts too deep for her to see. But she did miss it, and they'd seemingly had enough. They had been with her for so long, through so much, and now they left.
Just like…
A sob cut through the air, followed by another.
Then another.
And another.
Satori sat, curled up on the kitchen floor, hugging her third eye to her chest.
And she cried.
So yeah, from here on out the POV will be switching back and forth between Orin/Okuu and Satori. Also, a little info for those curious; the events of Subterranean Animism have happened in this story's background, but a little altered from canon events. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how in time. That's all, I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more and take care!