The night pressed heavy against the walls of the storehouse. The lantern flickered low, shadows spilling across the room like grasping hands. Outside, the fog whispered with unseen movement, but inside all was suffocating silence.
Rin sat against the wall, knees drawn tight to her chest. Her blade rested on the floor beside her, forgotten. Her eyes were red, swollen from the tears she refused to admit she'd shed. Every time she shut them, she saw his face—calm, merciless, inevitable.
Saya lay curled against Imura's chest, his arm loosely around her waist. She should've felt safe there, but her body trembled with unease. She didn't miss the way Rin's eyes kept flicking toward them. She didn't miss the smirk that ghosted his lips when he caught her staring.
Natsumi sat apart, cross-legged, sharpening her knife with slow, deliberate strokes. She didn't look at any of them, but her ears burned. Every word, every whisper, scraped against her skin like fire.
The tension was unbearable.
Finally, Rin broke. She stood abruptly, her legs unsteady, and crossed the floor in three sharp steps. Her eyes were wide, wild, her chest heaving.
"Enough." Her voice cracked. "Enough of this."
Imura didn't move. He just looked up at her, calm as ever, his arm still around Saya.
"Enough of what?"
Rin's jaw clenched. Her whole body trembled. "You—" Her voice caught, broke. "You've been inside my head since yesterday. I can't breathe. I can't fight. I can't—" She stopped, choking on the words.
Saya stiffened, clutching his shirt tighter. "Rin, don't—"
But Rin didn't hear. She dropped down in front of him again, knees slamming against the floorboards. Her hands fisted in her lap, nails digging into her skin.
"Damn you," she whispered. "Damn you for making me feel this weak."
Imura's free hand lifted, slow, deliberate. His fingers brushed her cheek again. She flinched, but she didn't pull away this time.
Instead, she leaned into it.
Saya gasped, horrified. Natsumi's knife stilled, her breath catching.
Imura's thumb slid down, tracing her lips. Rin shuddered, her mouth parting on instinct.
"You hate me?" His voice was soft, low, dangerous.
Her throat worked. Tears welled again. "…Yes."
His smirk deepened. "Then why are you trembling for me?"
Her breath caught. She shook her head violently, but her body betrayed her—her thighs pressed together, her shoulders hunched, her lips trembling against his thumb.
"Stop," she begged. "Stop doing this to me…"
But he didn't. His hand slid into her hair, tightening just enough to pull her head back. Her gasp filled the room, sharp, broken.
Saya whimpered, burying her face in his chest, unable to watch. Natsumi turned her head, but her knife hand shook.
Imura leaned down, his lips brushing Rin's ear. "Say you need me."
Her body convulsed. She shook her head desperately. "No… no, I—"
His hand tightened. His breath was hot against her skin. "Say it."
Her pride shattered. Her voice cracked on a sob. "I… I need you."
The words echoed in the silence, heavy and irreversible.
Saya's tears spilled, hot and silent. Natsumi's knife clattered to the floor.
And Rin—Rin collapsed forward, pressing herself against him, her hands clutching his chest like a drowning woman.
His arms closed around her, inevitable, inescapable.
And the last of her resistance burned away.