**Confrontation and Reckoning**

"I-I didn’t mean to make her bl-" Rin was interrupted by a slap to the face, which knocked her off her feet. She landed hard on the floor, her cheek throbbing in pain. "You didn’t what!" Saki yelled, her face twisted in anger. She took off the belt around her waist, the leather cracking ominously as she held it in her hand. Rin started to scoot backwards away from Saki, her eyes wide with fear. "I didn’t mean to make her bleed." She tried to shield herself with her arms, but Saki hit her in the back, which caused Rin to jerk back in pain. "Tell me what did you mean to do?" Saki asked, her voice low and menacing. She took a step closer to Rin, the belt at the ready. Rin cowered, her body trembling with fear. "I-I was trying to...to help her," she stammered. "I thought it would...it would fix her." Saki's face crumpled in disgust. "Fix her? Fix her? You call this fixing her?" She gestured to Nozomi, who was still shaking uncontrollably, her face buried in her hands. Rin shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I didn’t mean to hurt her, Saki. I swear." Saki's expression turned cold. "You didn't mean to hurt her? You didn't mean to? You have no idea what you've done, do you?" She took another step closer to Rin, the belt cracking again as she moved. Rin whimpered, her body curling up in a ball as she tried to protect herself from Saki's blows. Nozomi finally looked up, her eyes red from crying, and Rin saw a flicker of sadness there, mixed with anger. "No, Saki, stop," Nozomi said, her voice shaking. "This isn't going to fix anything." But Saki was beyond reason. She was consumed by anger and hurt, and Rin was the target of her rage. Rin could only cower and wait for the storm to pass, hoping that somehow, someway, she would be able to make things right.