Golden Scars

Chapter Six: To Stave Off Longing

The rain has finally ended and the moon hangs brightly in the sky. My brother had already prepared the materials necessary for tonight's summoning. I finish dressing into my kimono, ready to enter the garden and do away with this curse once and for all. I open the shoji doors and bask in the moonlight. My brother hands me a small copper bell; I will be inviting the spirit into my garden, this may seem foolish but this garden is every bit my domain. I step out into the garden and ring my bell to a rhythm only nature know. As I step down from the wooden veranda and onto the stone path, I ring the bell once again. In the center of the garden is a bowl full of yellow and blue flower petals soaked in blood. As I near the ceremonial bowl, I feel the curse's presence on the outskirts of the garden wall. I kneel in front of the bowl and ring the bell for a final time. Your move curse.

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Takara kneels and makes unblinking eye contact with the cursed spirit sitting atop her garden wall. There on the wall is this humanoid creature covered in vines and flowers that are in this constant state of kūróng*. Upon its face is a single red eye that is returning Takara's cold gaze. Snakes are slithering across the garden in the moonlight, covering the ground in a sea of dark shimmering scales. The cursed spirit leaps down, dead flower petals fall around it. It walks towards her, brimming with confidence but it is already too late. The curse is ensnared in the Kubo heir's trap. With a single hand motion the curse is devoured as it's pulled into the earth's yawning abyss. With my all seeing eyes I can see that what is really happening is that Takara has created a snake pit with her snake shikigami. The snakes all bite into the cursed spirit, injecting it with their master's cursed energy. The hanahaki spirit is paralyzed by her cursed energy and devoured by the snakes as the earth closes up over its prey. 

She heaves a sigh of relief and smiles back at us. The moonlight bathes her in an ethereal pale light and for a moment I could've sworn she was a goddess. "She's amazing isn't she?" Her brother says to me.

"She is breathtaking..." I say as I continue to take in the view of the maiden in the pale moonlight.

"I really don't understand you. If you love her, shouldn't you fight for her?"

"Kid, you've never been in love. You don't understand." I fire back at the impetuous boy.

"True, but I'm willing to fight for what I want in the end."

Before I can retort, Takara approaches us, Since we're done with the mission, want to continue playing Clocktower 3?

"That sounds lovely." I answer sincerely as I hold her hand.

She blesses me with a smile as she pulls me up to my feet by my hands. I almost want to laugh, my hands are huge next to hers. Once I'm on my feet she casually comments, Your hands are much larger than I remember.

Takara lifts my hand perpendicular to her own. I gulp at the intimate affection this clueless girl is granting me. Almost as though it couldn't get any steamier, she laces her fingers through my own. I feel like I blew a fuse. This naive girl is killing me. My other hand is trying in vain to cover my hot face. But my dense friend pulls my hand away and gently presses her forehead against my own. Is she trying to kill me? "T-Takara?"

She takes both of her hands and signs to me, Are you ok? You feel warm.

I laugh, a cough really but a laugh nonetheless, "God you're so unfair."

I'm sorry.

I entwine my fingers with hers once more, "Just let me stay like this for a moment longer."

And she did, the kind naive soul that she is.

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Toru rests his head on my lap while I try my best to keep the protagonist on my tv screen away from the monsters. "Why is the protagonist so weak?"

I think on it for a moment before pausing the game to answer him, I suppose it's interesting for others to struggle. It gives them character.

"I guess that makes sense. I just find it hard to relate."

Well, there isn't one set way to live.

He stares at me in blank amazement, "Go on."

We can each relate to most of life's curses. Humans as a whole can be so awful and needlessly destructive.

"So you're saying it's a curse to live and live to curse sort of deal?"

Yeah, I think so. I absentmindedly answer him.

He sits up, towering over me with his lean muscled body. "Mind if I stay over? I don't feel like going back home."

Sure, as long as you don't mind that Sugu will also be here.

Toru backs away from me and pouts childishly, "I guess I don't mind...but I get to pick what we watch tonight!"

"Oh is that how it is, Satoru?" A familiar voice croons from behind us. It's Sugu. "Sorry I just decided to let myself in, hope you don't mind, love." I smile and motion for him to sit with us on the futon. He comes over and presses a gentle kiss to my cheek before whispering, "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

I take his pretty face into my hands before I gently kiss his cheek and sign, It's ok. Let's just hang out tonight like we used to.

He warmly smiles at me, "I'd love to."

"Ok so tonight we're watching Pulse!" Toru dramatically presents the VHS rental he has been holding onto for over a week.

"Don't you have to bring that back to the video rental tomorrow?" Sugu asks his friend with an incredulous tone.

"Uh yeah, duh so we should watch it tonight before I have to hand it back over. The store manager threatened to black list me if I'm ever late with returning a video again." He grumbles the last part.

Isn't that because you kept a VHS for over six months?

"Oh yeah, the store manager was so pissed that he even bothered bringing it back after half a year." Sugu answers me.

"It's not my fault I lost it after lending it to Shoko. Idiot should clean up her room more often." Toru retorts as he's disconnecting the play station so that he could set up the VCR on my small tv set. "And of course I had to foot that fucking late fee. Ah it's set up! Ok let's get this show on the road!" 

He clicks the play button before hurriedly coming to our side on the makeshift futon couch we had against the wall. Sugu wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. Toru rests his head on my lap as the movie starts to play. I rest my head on Sugu's shoulder as I pat Toru's silky white hair. This is exactly how I wish to always be, with my loving boyfriend and my precious friend.