Kyuden Shika

Another late night for Inoshishi. Can’t sleep, just time to float. She’s on her back, staring at the ceiling, just pondering the last few days events. She can’t do much about most of them, but there’s one event that she can change. Holding her breath.

She inhales and exhales a few times as the Pearl divers on that Mantis ship used to do, then balls herself up, hands around her knees slipping under the water, her wet hair a shadow on the surface.

Bai entered the bath.

With a sudden bubbling of water, Inoshishi runs out of air and surfaces noisily, halfway out of the water as she notices her sister-cousin getting into the water. For a moment, her face turns very red, before she schools it back to her normal smile.

"Sister-san! How pleasant to see you tonight! And without our Lion to guard us this time. You looked so cute with the Kitsu!"

"Eeeeeep" The Kaito was surprised "Anooo..." the girl scared away her shyness "Neesan! you scared me." She mentioned the Kitsu and she blushed. "We are?"

Inoshishi giggles.

“Sorry I scared you! But if there’s any place to be scared, it’s in a bath like this. No one wonders why you’re read.

And of course you are! You’re cute on your own, kinda like me. Do you not think you two are cute? I hope you think Ishi, er, Matsu-San and I are cute as well!”

She splashes a little water playfully.

"Is Matsu nii san making you say that?" She tried to splash back. "You two are very cute together. I like how you make nii san smile"

Inoshishi laughs allowed, a sharp crack of mirth among the water sounds.

"Force me? No, sister, no. Unless I were not...well, me, I cannot think of any world where Ishioka-san would be able to force me to do anything I wasn't truly willing to do. He has the will of a warrior. I have the will of a wife."

She smiles, making it clear she doesn't mean some spiteful, unhappy person like often features in plays, but instead that she and Ishioka (apparently) act as one.

"Ah..." the girl laughed "Nii san does have a strong will. It seems we have found a way to break it." Bai chuckled. "I remember when I first met him siting stoically in the common area. Who would have thought that you would see him smile like he is today."

Inoshishi grins, blushing and ducking her head slightly.

"Hai, he seems quite happy now. It is simpler, sometimes, being here.

But now you! Tell me, how do you fair?"

"I am conflicted." She sighed. "I don't know... what to think." Bai shrank in the water.