Kaede woke up with her head pounding as if every pump of blood through her system was a resounding drum beat. Her limbs ached and her skin felt tight and over-sensitive. She blinked and groaned; even the dark was too bright, and so she closed her eyes again. She tried to figure out what had happened without moving too much, because every motion sent pain careening through her body.
Even thinking caused the ache in her temple to twinge.
Kaede was lying on the wooden floor of the bar, and she could feel the tiny cracks between floorboards against her cheek. Her yukata was in tatters and hanging off her body in ragged strings. The cold air encased her, but moving in order to cover herself was beyond her at the moment.
She blinked again, and the nighttime flared against her open eyes. It wa
