•☆𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰☆•

Messy Rainbows

  And yes, I was right. I should really start trusting my gut more often. 

  I spread a old towel down on the ground and started gathering up the necessary supplies. As I did that, Rei was working on playing music from the playlist. Mom always told me that I got my creative or artistic side from dad. Said that we always painted when I was little. 

  Every time she told me I would always try and imagine it in my head. My memories of dad were scarce, which made me feel bad. I did have a picture of him and me framed in my room. I do remember something that he always told me. Always just keeping it between me and him. He'd tell me, 'Never let yer lungs hold ya back from doing what ya love Kage. I believe you can do great things.' Spoken in a soft voice and a hand over his heart. Even with his heart problems, he never let it mess with his life to the very end. 

  I wander what he'd think now, living my life with a ghost that makes my chest feel tighter than usual, and going on adventures. Forgetting most of everything. Maybe he would be proud, that I had a friend.

  I shrugged it off, music now stirring in the air. Rei hummed, dancing around. I laughed and sat down on the towel. An assortment of paints, brushes and other things surrounding us. Rei joined me, sitting across from me. 

  A canvas in front of each of us. Rei bounced from side to side along with the beat of the music. A bright smile plastered on his face, telling me he was excited to paint.

  I smiled softly and picked up a few paints and putting some into a pallet. Taking a deep breath I picked up my brush, dipping it into the colorful substance. Stoking it across the canvas, Rei similarly mimicking my actions. Most likely having no idea what he was doing. I hadn't done this in a while, so I was somewhat in the same situation as him. 

  I had mixed up my colors and started putting down the basic shapes of his face, glancing up every so often either for a reference or to change the song. Every time I glanced at him and he looked up to meet my gaze it almost felt like tiny fireworks going off inside me. He would smile and break the stare. Going back to his painting. I just shook it off as me being nervous and went back to my painting as well. The watch on my wrist showing that almost 40 minutes had passed. It seemed that time definitely flys with art. It was nearing 9, making good time so far. 

  "Have you ever done art before?" I asked Rei, curiously. "Well, one day the maid had left a pen in my room, so I'd doodle and write on old newspapers. Nothing too special." He replied. I hummed and put some finishing touches on my painting.

  It was neither the worst or the best. Rei finished and sat, patiently waiting for me to finish too, humming quietly. Just as I was moving my brush over the canvas, my heart dropping as some green dripped onto it. "Ah.." I said to myself, a bit sad only to light back up with an idea. 

  "Hey, Rei, I think your missing something that this painting has.." he tilted his head, obviously confused at my words. I leaned forward and brushed a green dot on his cheek, chuckling and moving back. He sat up and look in his eyes. I knew that very well, what it meant. 

  War.

  I dodged, or at least tried my best to, as he tried to poke my skin with random paint. Having to stay on the towel was making it a bit more difficult for me. The outcome looking grim. But I wasn't going down without a fight. I picked up my paintbrush and caked it with paint, jabbing it forward. It painting up his arm. He had taken off his sweater for this, and a good thing too. He retaliated with painting my cheek and hand. 

  By the end, our skin was covered with bright and dull colors. We were looking like what a 4 year old would call a masterpiece. Messy rainbows. 

  I rested my hand on my stomach and started to laugh. We were both laying back on the towel, all the paint used up and dried on us. I smiled widely and looked  over to him.

  The feeling filling me made me feel as if I was floating. He looked like a total goof, all painted and smiling like a idiot. It made me feel fuzzy and smile more. Laughing till my lungs hurt and I had to chug again. Maybe, no. This mess was definitely worth it. 

  After that, we had cleaned up. Our painting having a few crazy drips of color to them, but I think that's why I loved them. Rei helped me hang them up on the wall where somthing used to hang. It was our little gallery. We had each wrote our names on them too. Smiling I left to go take a shower, leaving Rei with the soft music playing.

  I came back to my room, my hair still a bit damp as I moved it away from my eyes. I opened my door only to stop in my place. Mom was there. A hand covering her mouth as she looked at the painting of Rei. 

  She seemed to focus on the name, I had written his full name just as he did with me. "Mom?" I questioned, getting her attention. She jumped at my voice and looked over to me. Rei sitting back on the bed, not knowing what was happening he just shrugged his shoulders at me. "You..remember him?" She asked, her voice gentle and quiet. I walked beside her and answered, "Yes, why?" She turned back to face the painting. 

  "When you played with him at the playground, I had no idea.. It's so tragic, his family and what they did tore the town to pieces.." she stated. 

  I was really listening now, and so was Rei at the mention of this.  "What do you mean?" I asked, wanting to know more. "Well, the Hayashidas were at the top of the town, we used to live there. They secretly had a child and abused him until his death. Once the town found out about this everyone didn't want anything to do with it anymore. It was all abandoned. This was only a bit after we moved here for your fathers work.. As for the parents, it was said that the husband had lost his head and killed his wife, then took his life as well. Right as word got out about their kid. It all happened so fast. It's truly sad.." She explained, her eyes all teary talking about it. 

  I sighed and reassured her, trying to take in all of it and fit in the puzzle pieces. Then she apologized for barging into my room, to which I said it was alright. Then she left again. 

  I walked over to Rei, trying to read him. He seemed blank. I don't think he knew what to feel until he spoke, looking down. "Life truly isn't right. They both should have just went to jail, faced the reality, and wasted away in jail." His voice was shaky, he was definitely upset about it. How they had ruined a whole town because of their narsasistic ways.

  I carefully lifted his head up, giving him a soft smile and hugging him. He melted right into it, hugging me tightly, not wanting me to get hurt like he did. 

  After all, he is my ghost guardian..

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<Playlist> https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJpbapIrkHrK8_xEImi1xx-425XbAQwr

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