A slender finger pressed itself upon Botan's lips, effectively silencing her targeted babbling.

Her eyes leered at Shuichi as he seemed to apologize on her behalf. [color=f6989d][i]'What does he know about anything?'[/i][/color] She thought to herself with a slight inward smirk. [color=f6989d][i]'Look at sweet little Shuichi protecting his mother from the truth. I suppose lies are the common currency exchanged between people on this planet. No one is ever truly honest with one another, much less themselves.'[/i][/color] Botan thought to herself, feeling pleased with the mess she had created. It had been so easy. [color=f6989d][i]'Serves him right for meddling in my affairs. Why won't he just leave me alone? It's not like I deserve such kindness. It's not real anyway.'[/i][/color] Her pessimism was broken when she noted the tears struggling to stay entombed inside Shiori's eyes.

A knot coiled itself in Botan's chest as she felt a sudden gust of regret hit her directly in the heart. It knocked the wind out of the girl. The woman was kind, exceptionally kind. Even after Botan was so harsh, Shiori and Kurama didn't waver from their true feelings for Botan. It was...moving. [color=f6989d][b]"I..."[/b][/color] Kurama's hand as removed from her mouth as he apologized for invading her personal space. [color=f6989d][b]"I'm sorry, really...I didn't mean..."[/b][/color] She said softly, her timid voice trying to reach beyond the depression closing back in on her. It was as if a grey cloud was hovering over it, trying to descend and fully surround Botan with darkness, with a means of blocking the light that Shiori and Kurama both emitted. 

Her jaw locked as she struggled to see through the darkness closing in on her. She felt her emotions slipping away from her. It felt like she was slowly suffocating. The light faded from Botan's eyes as she glanced off and got up from the table abruptly. [color=f6989d][b]"I'm tired now."[/b][/color] She said flatly and left the room, moving up the stairs at a lazy pace. Botan headed back to her room and shut the door, staring off into space. Botan sighed deeply and undressed, kicking her clothes to the side as she got ready for bed and headed out to the bathroom next to her bedroom.

Once she was done brushing her teeth and washing her face, she skulked back to bed and shut the door before getting under the covers. She felt isolated, misunderstood. She also felt tired and knew a night's rest would do nothing to ease her anxiety and constant strain. Curling up, her back to the door, she closed her eyes and fell into the darkness eating her away, consuming her. When light filtered through the window, Botan stirred and finally got up, knowing if she didn't, Kurama would bother her until she did. She dressed for school but found herself moving at an even slower pace.

Something felt...off. The blue haired girl felt even more suffocated than usual. She felt less empty and more sad, trapped. Like she knew getting up and getting dressed didn't matter. She didn't matter. Nothing really mattered. Botan went down the stairs and moved into the kitchen, getting herself a cup of tea before she saw Kurama heading down the stairs in his pristine maroon uniform as usual, looking perfect and flawless as ever. Botan rolled her eyes, feeling stupid for staring. Shiori had left out bowls of fruit and oatmeal for them which Botan skipped and headed towards the door to slip into her shoes, not bothering to greet Kurama a good morning.