Aqua didn't know how long she had run. She was only forced to stop when her legs turned soft and her lungs burned with pain.
She lifted her head, realizing that she had returned to the same shrine she had left not long ago.
The vermilion torii gate stood silently under the pale moonlight, seemingly observing her distress in silence.
At this moment, this quiet place could not bring her true peace; instead, it felt like a mockery.
Although she held no reverence for the so-called gods in her heart, at this moment, curled up in the cold shadow of the torii, consumed by immense grievance, panic, and confusion, she actually birthed a sliver of humble prayer.
"If there truly is a God, please tell me, what exactly did I do wrong?"
She stumbled through the torii gate and practically collapsed onto the spot where she had previously shared food with Yoshino.
Her gaze inadvertently swept over the half-eaten snacks still scattered on the ground.
The paper bowl of oden, the remnants of rainbow cotton candy, the paper bag of fried chicken nuggets... They lay quietly in the moonlight, seemingly still emanating the residual warmth and kindness from moments before.
Yet now, these items, which once symbolized beauty and acceptance, were like red-hot irons, scalding Aqua so she immediately tore her gaze away, unable to look for another second.
Every snack seemed to be silently accusing her, reminding her how she had personally destroyed that hard-won warmth just now.
(No... I can't look...)
(Were those smiles... that kindness... all fake? Or did I... destroy them myself?)
As if burned, she violently twisted her gaze away, utterly unable to look again.
The food now seemed to transform into silent condemnation, reminding her of the bloody scene moments ago and the fearful eyes of the stall owners.
She tightly hugged her knees, burying her entire face into them, curling up in the corner of the cold shrine wall, as if this could shut out everything external, including the fearful stares she couldn't understand and the self-doubt churning in her heart.
The cold moonlight poured onto her like mercury, illuminating her thin white nightgown and silver hair stained with dark red blood to a ghastly paleness, yet it could not dispel the heavy gloom and loneliness surrounding her.
She did not cry out loud, but her thin shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.
A chilling sensation of being abandoned by the entire world spread from the soles of her feet throughout her body.
Faint footsteps approached from a distance, carrying a sense of cautiousness.
Yoshinon, holding Yoshinon, jogged into the shrine.
Her azure eyes anxiously searched around.
Soon, she spotted the white figure curled up in the corner, looking incredibly fragile and helpless under the moonlight.
Yoshino slowed her pace. She looked at Aqua, who seemed intent on completely hiding herself, and at the still-damp bloodstains on her, her heart filled with complex emotions.
She walked over slowly, not speaking immediately, but standing quietly a few steps away from Aqua.
Yoshino used her soft puppet paw to signal to her to say something.
Yoshino took a deep breath, gathering immense courage before speaking gently and cautiously in her faint voice, yet trying hard to make herself heard:
"A... Aqua-san..."
The curled-up body moved almost imperceptibly, but she did not look up.
Yoshino continued in her naturally timid yet incredibly sincere tone: "You... you didn't do anything wrong..."
This sentence was like a stone tossed into a calm lake, causing Aqua's shoulders to tremble more violently.
"You protected everyone..."
Yoshino's voice gradually steadied.
"It... it's just that... the method... was a bit... too scary..."
She struggled to organize her thoughts, attempting to explain the irreconcilable contradiction:
"Everyone... everyone is just a normal person... They... they will be afraid... of that kind of... scene..."
Yoshinon interjected at the right moment, using her unique, comical yet comforting tone to add:
"That's right! Aqua-san's intentions were good, she wanted to protect everyone, didn't she? We Yoshinon understand! It's just that human hearts are rather fragile, and they can't handle seeing things that are too stimulating."
"It's like... like suddenly seeing a huge fire; even if you know it's for warmth, you will instinctively shy away."
Yoshino nodded vigorously, agreeing with Yoshinon's words. She looked at Aqua, who still refused to lift her head, hesitated, and finally mustered the courage to take a small step forward.
Then, slowly, next to Aqua, she also curled up and sat down, holding Yoshinon, mimicking Aqua's posture.
She didn't offer any more grand explanations, choosing instead to simply stay there quietly, accompanying her.
The moonlight stretched the shadows of the two Spirits, casting them onto the ancient ground.
One was immersed in a storm of self-reproach and grievance, while the other expressed Understanding and comfort through silent companionship.
She wasn't very good at explaining things, especially when faced with such a complicated situation.
She only knew that Aqua was sad, and sad people needed comfort.
Yoshino tacitly remained silent, staying quietly in Yoshino's arms, leaving the space for expression entirely to her owner.
Seeing that Aqua was completely unresponsive, still burying her face in her knees, and her body slightly trembling.
She hesitated, then made a move that even she might consider daring.
She gently and tentatively reached out, first carefully placing her hand on Aqua's back, which was slightly rising and falling due to suppressed emotions, patting it very softly, once and again, like a mother soothing a child awakened by a nightmare.
Then, her hand slowly moved up, stroking Aqua's long silver hair, which looked as if it were woven from moonlight.
The strands were somewhat messy, tinged with the coolness of the night wind and the fine dust from running.
Yoshino used her fingertips to gently comb through the tangled hair, her movements clumsy yet full of pity.
Aqua's body stiffened slightly, but she did not resist.
Feeling this, Yoshino seemed encouraged.
She took a deep breath, gently, yet with an undeniable tenderness.
She extended both arms and pulled the curled-up Aqua entirely into her embrace, allowing Aqua's cheek to rest against her chest, which was not broad but exceptionally soft and warm.
"It's... it's alright now..."
Yoshino's voice was still very soft, yet carried a strange, reassuring strength, and she repeated the action of patting her back and stroking her hair.
"If you are scared... just say it... it's okay... to cry..."
Her embrace was not forceful, but it was like a sheltered harbor, isolating them from the coldness and cruelty of the outside world.
Her maternal tenderness, like a gentle stream, silently permeated Aqua's heart, which had been frozen by fear, grievance, and confusion.
Aqua initially leaned stiffly, but gradually, amid the continuous, soft patting and the warm embrace, her tense body slowly relaxed.
The cold despair of feeling isolated by the world seemed to be pushed away slightly by this silent hug and warm body temperature.
Suppressed, faint whimpers finally escaped from between her tightly bitten lips, eventually turning into uncontrollable, intermittent sobs.
She did not lift her head or speak, simply letting her tears soak the fabric on Yoshino's shoulder, as if trying to vent all her grievances and confusion through this silent crying.
Yoshino felt the subtle changes in the body she held and the silent sobbing.
She didn't speak, just patted her even more softly, like consoling a child who woke up terrified from a nightmare.
Using her silent companionship and gentle touch to tell her: You are not alone.
Under the cold moonlight of the shrine, all the slaughter, fear, and misunderstanding seemed temporarily isolated.
Only one kind Spirit remained, comforting another lost and wounded soul in her purest way.
This silent companionship and embrace held more power than any words.
After a long time, Aqua's tense body finally relaxed completely, and she even unconsciously leaned slightly further into Yoshino's embrace, as if drawing in the rare warmth and sense of security.
Through hazy, tear-filled eyes and exhaustion, she seemed to hear an extremely soft, peaceful sighing murmur, unsure whether she was dreaming or awake:
"...Mama..."
Sometimes, the most effective comfort is not verbal instruction, but merely a silent hug filled with Understanding.
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