“Yes. I miss her and I’ve only been gone a day.” It was true, despite any betrayal.
“Then you will return to her, and between you, you will come to an agreement, an arrangement. If you cannot stay where she is now, have her move in with you. Love is too precious to walk away from over a little discomfort.”
Yuki stared into the faintly green liquid in her cup. She hadn’t been at all uncomfortable in Eiko’s home. If she hadn’t had trouble returning to it, she wouldn’t have ever known it wasn’t a real house. Surely kitsune had a nefarious purpose, though. Was Eiko trying to sabotage her classes, make Yuki completely dependent on her so she would never leave? Yuki rose and pulled out her tablet, her mother watching curiously.
Looking through her email and notes, it seemed clear that she had been attending class, not merely imagining she had. So that wasn’t Eiko’s reason.
“Yuki? What is wrong?”
She closed her eyes and felt the tear in her heart bleed a little more, but start to close. Eiko wasn’t trying to hurt her, or trap her.
