After a few more days of testing, they let me go back home. I was kind of surprised they hadn't told me exactly why I could bleed whenever I wanted, mainly because I would have thought that, since it was my body, they would have told me what was going on with it. But I guess not even I was allowed to know.

In my absence, my apartment had been repaired to its former non-glory, and for whatever reason, it kind of irritated me. I had been hoping to walk into my little apartment and look at the mess I had made. I was kind of hoping that looking at it would allow me to remember everything that had happened that night. But now I was free, on three terms: I did not break anything in my home, I answered all questions truthfully, and obeyed every command I was given. For anyone else, this would have been asking for too much, but for me, it was a ridiculously small price for the life I didn't deserve here.

My days passed slowly, and I spent the majority of those days walking around the village, observing its occupants, walking through shops, and finding new hideouts, even though I was always being followed. I usually left my home three or five times a day, and stayed out for longer than a few hours. In the morning I walked through the village, then I went back home long enough to eat, then left again to wander and look through the shops. I went back home to rest, then left again. Then I wandered through the forest, looking for places to relax as close to my thirty foot limit as I dared.

I could never leave without a guard following me from a distance. It became a nuisance at some point, and made me wonder why they even let me leave my home. They stayed fifty feet away; clearly out of sight, but I could feel them surrounding me. They never left me with less than three guards at any time, or more than five.

Even when I was at home, doing nothing more than laying in my bed and staring at the ceiling, there were guards everywhere. Always on the rooftop or one making conversation to a civilian outside, trying to appear casual as they kept watch over the building. I had no visitors. I was alone this time, and I was very lonely.

Sometimes I didn't leave my house at all, and those were the days that I found a loophole in my conditions, and carved pictures into the wall above my bed. My pictures were child-like and meaningless: a cat that I had seen sleeping on my balcony or a tree. The one that actually meant something though was the picture of the sun. It was bigger than the others; much bigger. It sat proudly over the head of my bed, shining down on me. If I closed my eyes, I could imagine its warmth at night before I fell asleep. In my dreams, it was summer time, and I was free; completely free, with no boundary lines, no curfews, no rules.

But dreams didn't last forever. When I woke up, it was very cold. Reality was heartless.

"There's my favorite prisoner!"

"You are not funny."

Today was one of those days that I didn't want to leave my house, but I also didn't want to stay inside all day, so I settled for laying on the balcony. At first I had been kind of apprehensive about coming out here, but then when I discovered the lack of bloodstains, it didn't matter anymore. I should have figured that they would have even cleaned up the smallest drop and corrected the smallest blemish.

Shisui had, for whatever reason, suddenly manifested on my balcony and was leaning casually against the railing with his arms crossed over his chest. He was a sight for sore eyes, but I ignored him, still bitter about the weeks and months he had left me on my own.

"Why are you here?"

"Thought you might want some company," he shrugged.

"Where have you been?"

He hesitated. "Around. Here and there."

"What have you been doing?"

"Oh, this and that," he said casually, waving it off.

I sighed. "I see."

He didn't say anything, and I found the silence unbearable. When I had first met him, I couldn't get him to shut up, and now what I had wanted from the first day was being granted now. I found it unfair and ill-timed.

"I also thought you might like some good news," Shisui said suddenly, as though he had just remembered something. But it was obvious to me that he was picking his words carefully. "Some of the Elders think you need to be given something to do. Something recreational—"

"No."

"Let me finish!" He glared at me, but then he was all smiles. "Or educational."

I frowned. "The Academy?"

"Precisely that!" Shisui exclaimed. "They want you to start going to school."

"I don't know," I said, sitting up and pulling my knees against my chest. "What about the other kids?"

"You're a kid, too, kid!" Shisui waved his hands around again to make it seem like it was no big deal. "You'll be fine."

I was doubtful. "I'm not like them—"

"Will it make you feel better if I walk you to school everyday?"

"No."

He looked insulted. "And why not?"

"Don't go out of your way to do things for me," I snapped, closing my eyes so I didn't have to look at him. "I already know that I don't deserve it. You and I both know what I did a while ago, and I know that's why you haven't been here to see me." I needed to be quiet. "If you don't want to be here, then don't be here. I don't need you to babysit me!" I'm sorry. "I'll understand." I don't mean it.

"For such a smart kid," Shisui snapped, "you really are stupid."

I opened my eyes and stared at him. He was glaring at me, his arms still crossed over his chest, his hands clenched into fists. He shook his head and looked away, staring out over the village.

"You don't understand anything," he seethed. "But you pretend to know everything."

I was speechless. "Shisui—"

"Let me talk," he turned to look at me again. He was visibly calmer. "That night has nothing to do with me not being here. I wanted to be there to make sure you were okay, but I was sent on a mission the very next day. I hadn't even known you were awake until a week after I had returned. Do you know who told me?"

I shook my head.

"My cousin told me, because no one else would. I told him I was worried about you and he said you had been awake for a long time." Shisui sighed and sat down beside me. "That night I saw you here, sitting in that glass, bleeding as much as you were... I realized that you were different in more ways than you think. I can't describe it, but the expression on your face when you looked at me..." he shuddered. "It made me sad."

"I'm sorry." I pulled my knees closer and hugged them tighter, hiding my face. "I'm very sorry I—I just—"

"Everything will be okay," he said, interrupting me. I glanced at him, and he was smiling. It was a sad smile, but it was a genuine smile. "Do you trust me?"

I frowned, thinking for a moment. And then I nodded, surprising myself. And then he grinned and held out his hand that I did not hesitate in taking.

And then, the most unexpected thing of all: he hugged me.