Shiori was confused. Instead of waking up outside, she woke up in the library tonight. She was a bit sad since she planned to show Oni a gift she was working on, but she decided to wait.
By now, she knew that there was a purpose to these nightly activities, and she had to glow with the flow, or it wouldn't end. There must be something here she had to see.
She looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary in her immediate vicinity. It wasn't going to be that easy, so she got up and started walking around. Everything seemed as it always was. Nothing stood out to her.
The books were neatly on their shelves, the room was clean, and everything was too ordinary. The purpose couldn't be for her to check every single book for sure since it would take too much time, and it was also possible for her to do it during the day.
She decided to check the record book. Maybe she had to look for books recently taken from the library. As she was heading there, she saw it. The door to the back room was open, and some light was coming from there.
She knew she had to check it out, so she slowly walked there, trying to keep her footsteps silent and her presence hidden. The light coming from the room was dim and flickering, probably from candles.
The temple tried not to use artificial lighting, such as candles, since it was costly for such a big place, and their funds were limited. They valued natural light a lot, and Shiori was sure that no one would just leave a candle unattended in a room.
Someone must be inside, then. So, she made sure to be as silent as possible as she approached. She couldn't hear any sounds coming from the room. She slowly pushed a tendril of chakra to explore.
Now, she was sure that the room was empty, so she decided to look inside. No one was in, so she finally stepped in. It was a small room with many boxes stacked on each other on one side. On the other side, there was a bookshelf and a small table.
The candle was on top of the table. She walked to the table. There was a book left on it. The book looked very old. The cover seemed to be red at some point, but now it was more of a dark brown.
The cover was barely holding, and some papers were sticking out. Shiori bent forward and reached for the book. Just as her hand was about to touch the cover, she was grabbed from behind and pulled back.
A hand covered her mouth, and the arm wrapped around her body was solid. The only thing that kept her from attacking was the fact that this person grabbed her instead of attacking her when she was completely unaware of their approach. She was still tense and was trying to wiggle out of the grip.
If they wanted to hurt her, they had the opportunity. Then it hit her: the familiar smell of herbs. "Calm down, Shiori-san," the voice told her in a whisper.
She knew that voice. It was Daichi. So she let herself calm down. When Daichi was sure she wouldn't scream or attack when let go, he loosened his grip. Shiori slowly turned to face the man.
"Shiori-san. You know that you should not be here or out of your room at all at this hour. What are you trying to do?" He asked in a severe tone that didn't leave room for argument.
Shiori could tell the man would not accept flimsy excuses even if he wasn't trying to intimidate her. So she decided to be honest. "I woke up here." She saw the skeptical look in Daichi's eyes. "I… I…" She took a deep breath. "I think it would be better if I start from the beginning, Daichi-san. But it's going to be a long story." Shiori said. Feeling defeated.
There was suddenly a loud crashing sound from the outside, and Daichi froze. Shiori was sure that for a moment, she saw fear in his eyes, but it was brief.
"Go back straight to your room. Tomorrow after breakfast, come here. You will explain everything then. Understood?" He said in a commanding voice.
Shiori nodded and ran to her room as fast as she could while being careful to avoid the shadows. By now, she knew they didn't have vision and only reacted to chakra, so she didn't have to worry about being seen.
Still, she didn't feel comfortable passing too close by them, so she tried to keep her distance when possible, just in case she lost control of her chakra even for a moment and they attacked.
She made her way back to her room without any problems and got to her room. She dreaded the meeting tomorrow but knew there wasn't no way around it.
The morning came faster than she would have liked. She went through the motions to get ready. What if Daichi had told Akira about her outing, and he would be mad at her?
Speculations wouldn't solve anything, so she decided to face it head-on. She stepped outside her room, each step heavy with the guilt of what she had done. She reached the dining room, and Akira was sitting at the table with a smile.
Shiori made her way to the table, her gaze fixated on the ground. "Good morning." She greeted as she sat down.
"Good morning, Shiori-chan. Are you alright?" Akira asked in concern.
Maybe Daichi hasn't told him yet. Still, there was little chance that he would keep hiding her secret. He was probably waiting for her to come clean before telling Akira the whole story.
"I think I will tell you later, Akira-san. "The honorific alone was enough to convey her feelings.
Shiori stared at the bowl of rice in front of her, not really feeling hungry. There was a moment of silence between them, and then Shiori snapped out of her thoughts as a chopstick appeared before her.
Akira put a piece of mushroom into her bowl. "It's alright, little one. I will be here when you are ready." Akira said kindly.
Shiori's eyes filled with unshed tears. She did her best to hold them back. She failed miserably when Akira put his hand on top of her head. Shiori didn't understand. How can this man be so accepting of her?
How can he be so quickly kind? Accepting? Shiori never felt something so unconditional before. The kindness she was shown was always conditional. The condition was what she had to offer.
With her previous sensei and Tsunade, it was because they saw potential in her—mostly a sense of pity. She didn't resent them for that. She was grateful for everything they did for her. In return, she felt a sense of gratitude and duty—to pay back the generosity they've shown her.
Then there was fear—the fear of asking for more than what she was given and getting rejected, of being thrown away. She knew it was probably due to how her first sensei abandoned her, how he left her without ever looking back, and how she was probably too much work for him to deal with. She feared that Tsunade would do the same to her.
But Akira was different. He wouldn't let her distance herself. He wouldn't accept her pushing him away. He kept giving without her even asking. He forgave her without her having to apologize.
He showed her kindness without any conditions. He gave it to her without receiving it from her. She felt safe with him and free—free to be herself without expectations. In a way, this made it even more important to her to gain the man's approval.
It also made her think about the bonds she had with others so far. While she still cherished her bonds, this seemed different. It frightened her as much as it was making her addicted to it.
But at that moment, all their moments together flashed before her eyes, and she made a decision—the decision to fight for it, to put as much effort into it as Akira did, and to never let go.
She knew what she had done and the consequences, and she knew she would make the same decision if she could turn the time back. So, there was no use in being an afraid child. To her, newfound emotions control her. She was a warrior. She was a medic, and she had a duty to help people. If Akira would be hurt by her decisions, it was her job to make it up to him.
She got up from her position and threw herself into Akira's arms. Finally, letting herself cry. Akira didn't even seem shocked and held her tight. Wrapping his chakra around her and letting her seek comfort.
Shiori calmed down eventually, and they finally had their breakfast. There was a fire in Shiori's eyes, and she knew what she had to do. After breakfast, she made a quick stop near the well to wash her face and make herself presentable.
The cold water helped her calm down, and she walked to the library. Daichi was sitting at his usual table reading a scroll, but he immediately looked up as she approached him.
"Take a sit Shiori-san." Daichi said as he put the scroll to the side.
"Thank you for hearing me Daichi-san. I have one request to make." He motioned for her to go ahead. "I want you to hear the full story before making any comments." Daichi nodded.
So Shiori told him most of the truth about how someone had broken into her room multiple times since she had entered the temple and left her books to read.
About how she knew about being given sleeping drugs and has developed immunity to it. How she has been waking outside at night. The shadow creatures and the terrifying presence.
She decided to keep a few things to herself. She didn't mention anything about Scar, her dreams, or the fact that she had met Oni.
Daichi seemed deep in thought. Analyzing her story. "You have met the creature as you called it, haven't you?" Daichi said in certainty.
Shiori knew that it was a statement and not a question. "Yes." She said hesitantly.
"And you have made contact with him?" Daichi asked. There was something alarming in his tone.
"Yes. We have talked a few times," she said, feeling uncomfortable if this would bring trouble for Oni.
Daichi seemed shocked. "This…. I need to talk with other guardians," he said as he got up. "I will call for you later," he said and immediately got out. Shiori had no idea of what was happening.
What was so alarming about her talking to Oni? He never did anything that made her feel unsafe or in danger. In fact, he always acted calm and collected around her.
She liked it in contrast to the distant look he bore when he was not around her.