The visitor

Aching

'What's for lunch? I'm hungry.'

'I don't know. What do you want to eat?'

'Beef.'

'Okay.'

I made instant ramen and served it to him.

'This is not what I asked for.'

'And this is not a restaurant. Take it or leave.' I growled.

He huffed something under his breath. 'Aren't you gonna eat too?'

'I'm not hungry.' I replied absentmindedly.

'You haven't eaten anything the past three days.'

I shrugged.

This was our entire interaction for the day. I vaguely remembered that he had said something about going over to Sasuke but I didn't pay attention. I was sitting on the balcony, gorging on self-loathing and self-blaming for hours. The outside world ceased to exist. There was only me and the pain in the dark and winding caverns of my mind. At some point, a summer shower came and I was weeping in the downpour like an idiot.

The glass door was torn open.

'Are you completely out of your mind?!' Nobunaga shouted with me.

I winced. Before I could say anything, he swept me up in his arms and carried me inside. He dropped me down on the bed and disappeared in the bathroom, grumbling under his breath.

'How long have you been out there?' He threw a towel at me. He was clearly angry.

'I-I don't know...' I mumbled. I was soaking wet.

'What were you thinking?' He growled.

'I don't know.' I shivered.

'I don't know, I don't know... Do you even know anything?' He wrapped me up in the towel and turned on his heel.

He returned with some hot tea. 'Drink this!'

'I'm not thirsty.'

'Do not talk back to me!' He clasped my hands around the cup and blew on the steaming tea.

Nobunaga left me alone and I obediently drank the ginger tea. It was the first pleasant thing I felt in a while. I went to change into dry clothes and when I came back, I found Nobunaga in the kitchen fumbling with something. I sneaked behind him.

'Hmm...' He held his chin in his hand, carefully watching something on my tablet. 'I see.'

'What are you up to?' I peeped curiously.

'Since you are unable to take care of yourself, I'll have to do it. I don't intend to watch you perish because of your foolishness.' He ushered me out of the kitchen.

He is cooking for me... He put down a bowl of soup with noodles and vegetables before me. He even made a smiley face out of some seaweed and a soft boiled egg. My puny little heart made a loud thump and I cracked a smile for the first time in days.

'Masamune always said that a good meal is the best remedy for heartache.' He picked up a carrot with the chopsticks. 'Open up!'

I stared at him. Is he trying to feed me?

'Are you deaf or just plain stupid?' He frowned and shoved the food in my mouth.

'You...' He muffled me by shoving a mushroom in my mouth.

'You don't eat. You don't drink. You don't do anything but acting miserable. You don't even talk to me anymore. You've become dull.' He complained but then his scolding tone gentled. 'I prefer seeing you smile and laugh around, blabbering on and on about pleasant nonsense. It puts me at ease.'