Ink Stained

74: the restless dead*

浮かばれない霊

It took them two days to get to their destination.

She'd spent most of the journey to the island of the Restless Dead alternating between reading, listening to music from playlists she made containing anything from two to thirty tracks, and staring out of the window of the plane, then train, then bus, wanting to sleep to pass the time, yet unable to. There were too many things to think about, crowding the space in her mind, confusing her, raising more questions than answering them. Pai couldn't fall asleep because of it all.

Not to mention she was nervous as hell about finally reaching Ukabarenairei. She had no idea what to expect when they got there, or what kind of training was entailed in teaching Shin control over Shinigami. There were so many stories about Ukabarenairei, and she half-expected to meet more than a few Goryo.

Then there was the fact that even though he'd agreed, Shin still hated Kagetora. He wasn't doing this willingly. She'd practically forced him to do this.

Not only was there that lovely scenario to look forward to of the two coming face to face again, but the nagging reminder that she still needed to arrange a meeting with Aihara when they got back loomed over her like a black cloud over a bright, sunny day. She was someone Pai didn't know, didn't trust, yet knew something about her that few should – she couldn't afford to ignore Aihara, much as she wished to.

Every time she glanced at Shin, he was doing more or less the same thing; staring into space. She knew he was thinking, all the time, but she couldn't begin to guess at what. He frowned a lot, and looked plenty scary when he did that she didn't even try to speak to him. He was most likely thinking about the impending trial of his training that loomed over both of them.

But she wondered.

Sometimes, she caught him watching her in a way she couldn't quite understand, an emotion broiling in his eyes that she didn't know. When she asked him what was wrong, he simply said, Nothing, and went right back to glowering out windows. It confused her, but she didn't know how to approach him about it.

Kuniumi was there sometimes, keeping her company when she was bored herself. Other times she hummed tunes that didn't sound like anything Pai had ever heard, or anything that could be easily reproduced. Listening to Kuniumi sing made her heart ache with nostalgia, longing for something she didn't know, or couldn't remember.

When she didn't feel like humming, Kuniumi played her game of questions. She asked them and let Pai ask random questions in return, slyly dodging those she didn't want to answer. Most of the time Kuniumi simply wasn't around.

When they landed in Mikurajima they wasted no time and got on a bus that dropped them off at the top of a cliff that most people usually made their way down from to get to the beach below. They weren't most people, though. As soon as the bus rattled away, Pai and Shin went to the edge of the cliff. She hadn't had any time to admire – or be intimidated by – the view. It was night when they got there. There was no moon yet to illuminate the world around them.

Still, Shin was able to see enough when he picked her up as easily as he had the last time. They flew across the quiet sea, wind rushing past them. In spite of the restlessness she felt at being enclosed in Shin's arms, she couldn't help being overcome with a sense of peace.

They were single, solitary, in the vastness of a world that would keep on turning even if they weren't there to turn with it anymore. That peace that filled her to the brim distracted her enough that she didn't focus too much on Shin and turn into a little ball of embarrassed fire at being so physically close to Shin again.