Nishida could tolerate physical threats, verbal abuse and mental abuse.
But the one thing she would not tolerate was rude, insensitive people like Aphrodite.
"Call me anything you'd like. You may insult me and ridicule me, you may stab me, choke me, chop me up and toss me in a pot of tar. But the one thing I will not tolerate is some ungreaful, stuck up, snooty bitch telling me to 'drop the act' when the only thing she's done is act the entire time she's met me." she snarls.
Aphrodite huffs, looking at her. “People act kind just to stab you in the back…literally. I’m only expecting you to do the same.”
What Nishida didn’t know, was the exact amount of hidden scars this poor girl had. All the times she had been betrayed by people who were supposed to be her friends.
"One thing I will never do or tolerate is betrayal or insults to my honor. I did not spend most of my life outside that cave in a war - by myself because I was the only one of my forces left - just for some girl to tell me she expects me to stab her in the back. When I say I've left my old life behind, I mean it. I do not lie to those that save me. It is dishonorable." Nishida growls, her gaze turning towards Aphrodite and seeming to paralyze the other gitl in place with the ferocity of the look in her eyes.
Aphrodite stares right back, an almost dead look in her shining green eyes. She huffs softly. “If you know so much…then you know how much shit I’ve had to go though…how many whippings I had to endure.” She snarls, her tone ice cold.
(I had an entire paragraph typed out. . . I just lost it.)
(Oh nooooo!)
(Yeah. I'm currently rewriting it.)
(Take your time!)
Nishida's face is stone cold. She stands up, her posture straight as a soldier's, nothing like the usual casual and relaxed posture she'd had since escaping the cave.
"You don't even know, little girl. I could care less about your whippings. Do you understand the toll death takes on the mind? How it effects your day-to-day life? Do you see faces of people you've killed? Hear the last gasping breaths of the people you've laid low? Hear the anguished screams of the mortally wounded as they watch the carrion birds circle overhead? Have you been baptised in blood and bone, ashes and fire, for the sake of a country that abandoned you once you were no longer useful, once you posed a threat to them? Were you bathed in fire, soaked in darkness, run through with despair, brutalized by light all in the name of a glory that had been promised but was never attainable? Were you ever the last one standing in the middle of a sea of carnage that you yourself had unleashed? Did you ever have to learn to enjoy it slightly? Would you have the courage to do what I did?" she snaps, her voice as barren as an arctic plain. "I highly doubt you would, if the way you've reacted to the bare minimum of trauma is to kill yourself slowly and do your best to cause others to abandon you."
With that, she turns sharply and walks away to the guest room.
If Aphrodite were to try and call her back, were to try and argue, were to start crying, Nishida would not turn back. She would not.
Aphrodite had made it clear enough that it wasn't her job and never wanted it to be. Had made it clear that she never wanted to find her.
That was fine.
She was used to betrayal and abandonment.
She closes the door to the guest room and locks it.
Aphrodite sighs and stands, walking into her bedroom and locking herself in it after filling her cats food and water. She curls up on her bed, simply emotionless. She just stares out her window for the rest of the day and night, and eventually falling asleep. Following into the next several days, she didn’t come out unless she needed to refill her companion’s food and water.
As the days followed, she grew more and more ill.
Nishida doesn't move an inch herself. She just stands in the middle of the room, staring blankly at a wall, doing her best to tune out the memories and faces and noises.
She'd done her best, she tells herself.
I only did what I had to in order to protect myself. To protect my country. To protect my people. It was a worthy cause. I was in the right. I was in the right. I was in. . . she repeats to herself over and over and ove again.
It wasn't working.
She was getting sick too, something new to her. She felt cold and shaky all the time now.
Zi seemed to not be taking this. One day, he makes his way to Nishida’s room, pawing and scratching at the door. He meows loudly, almost demanding to be let in.
Nishida ignores Zi.
Rather, she was disociating too much to pay attention to Zi and his pawing and scratching and meowing.
She was still repeating that mantra, over and over and over.
Zi only meows louder, scratching at the door even more. He almost sounded…desperate.
Nishida would either come out of it on her own or become a shell of herself, containing fake emotions and fake cheer.
Not even Zi would be able to help if that happened.
Nishida knew, somehow, deep down, that this was wrong. But she didn't care. The mere fact that Aphrodite hadn't even tried to stop her from leaving was breaking her slowly.
The person that had saved her couldn't be bothered to save her again.
Nishida sways presently before collapsing to the floor. This barely registered.
Only a few moments later, Aphrodite gently knocks on the door. “Nishida…?” She whispers. Guilt filled her once stone cold voice, now making her seem so innocent and soft. She gently knocks again, “I…I wanted to apologize…”
Nishida wakes slightly and only manages a slight groan.
She was sickly pale - even paler than she had been in the cave. Her face was flushed, and she was sweaty.
Aphrodite wouldn't know this, though. All she'd know is that the mix of emotions that were emanating from the room were very negative, almost oppressive in their weight and volume.
Aphrodite bites her lip hard, “I…I acted a fool…I understand if you’re angry with me…you have every right to be.” She sniffles, “I…I’m not very good with people…but that doesn’t give me any excuse for being so rude…”
Nishida is now fully aware of her predicament.
She was sure that Aphrodite would be able to hear her weak chuckle.
"It's okay, really. I probably should have asked you to leave me in that cave. Those people were right, I think. All I'm suited for is war." she replies, the limpness of her voice and tone audible.
Aphrodite frowns, starting to get a bit worried. “No…you’ve proven to me otherwise…” She bites her lip, “A-are…you ok? You…sound weak…” Aphrodite wouldn’t admit it, but she too sounded terrible.
"Have I?" Nishida counters.
"I'm. . . probably fine. Just give me a second, yeah? I'm more worried about you." she laughs softly, slowly hauling herself to her feet.
Her fingers fumble with the lock then the doorknow for a minute before she manages to get the door open.
"Well, hello. You look stunning." Nishida chuckles breathlessly, leaning heavily against the doorframe.
Aphrodite hums, “And you look like shit.” She says bluntly. She looks at her, frowning and closing her eyes.
"Aw, just as blunt as always." Nishida grins. It looked a bit painful.
"Let me guess, you haven't eaten yet?" she asks, hobbling out of the doorway and nearly falling several times.
Aphrodite looked extremely worried, “You haven’t either?”
"I waas caved up without anything besides myselfm remember? I'll be fine." Nishida laughs. The laugh turns into a quickly stifled cough.