boketto || t. kamado

fifty

A/N; I never thought I'd get to fifty chapters, goddamn. I should be studying for my SAT but here I am. Also, I promise there's a reason why this part is going on so long. There's a reason for my madness, don't worry.

It'll tear you're heart out, but there's a reason we're focusing on this stuff so much.

The house from my childhood was near exactly how I remembered it. It still stands tall in its traditional and magnificent glory, with curved roofs and greenery on its outside. The inside was dark, as expected, and seemed to hold a lifeless air to it. It was by no means a mansion, but still rather nice due to my mother's high status and how much she worked. My gaze flickered to the wooden sign reading 'L/n Estate'. It still looked nice, despite the time it'd been.

In a way, to only me, the house felt haunted. Like it was leering down at me or as if I'd glance in a window and spot the face of my sibling or a shadow passing by. Like there was supposed to be movement, but there was no longer away. Perhaps this was a mistake - but I felt pushed to continue onward, so I briskly walked up the gravel walkway and towards the front door. As if stopping would make my courage deep away, and Id retreat like a coward.

I slid it open with fervor, staring into the darkness of the household. Frankly, I expected it to be... colder. Not physically, but in a more mental way. Like I'd open the door and feel dread run down my back or immediately feel the desire to leave. But... I didn't.

My chest lost its tension as I stared into the familiar house. I could practically see the shadows of my family, Joji running down the halls or Ahmya chastising me for being gone so long. I'd smile and say, "Sorry. I ran into some trouble on the way."

She'd huff, crossing her arms as Joji ran to hug my legs. I'd laugh and hug him back, elated to be reunited with them again. Our chatter would fill the halls.

The house was quiet.

Not even the smallest sound was made, save for wind chimes on the back porch. Everything was clean and tidy. Picture perfect as if no days had passed. Frozen in time, the shadow of the house all-consuming.

I stepped into the small entry area and closed the door behind me, reaching down to slide off my shoes and neatly placing them to the side. My bag was haphazardly dropped against the wall for now as I stepped up onto the wood flooring and ventured into the quiet house. Each step felt electric. All the doors were slid shut, but my first destination was heading up towards them, pulling them open so that sunlight and wind brushed through the house. The garden was just outside these doors and my brow furrowed at the way it looked.

Everything was neat. The bushes were trimmed, flowers tended to, and grass low. The gravel path was still visible with no hints of weeds peeking through. Everything looks clean and well-kept. A few flowers had changed, being different types than they were when I was a kid, but the large willow tree still hung tall and healthy as a centerpiece in the middle.

When I was a kid, we used to pay people to help upkeep it. Usually, teenagers or young bachelors scrape as much as they could to support a future wife. But I haven't been doing that. No money came from me to upkeep this house in any way. We owned the house and it was entirely self-sufficient save for food, but I wasn't here ever so I didn't need food. In a way, I'd totally ignored it, pretending it didn't exist. Trying to forget what I saw here.

...Weird. Concerning, almost. But as I paced around the house and into every room, nothing was gone. All our family valuables were still where I last remember them being and all our family paintings were still where we left them. Nothing was really out of place at all.

But it was clean, too. Only dust sat in the deep corners of the house or the storage room filled with chests and covered paintings. Places that were even dusty when I was here as a child.