𝐋𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐃 𝐒𝐌𝐎𝐎𝐓𝐇 || mizu

𝟎𝟎. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞

˚ ༘ ·˚ ₊˚ˑ༄ؘ
⁺˚⋆｡° prologue ⁺˚⋆｡°

┊͙✧˖*°࿐

❛ the heavens throw blue treasure ❜
⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊
∘₊✧──✧₊∘

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

[ KOHAMA VILLAGE, 1649 ]

    THROUGH THE SMALL SPLIT IN THE DOOR, SHIZUKU COULD see Kohama village was buzzing with life. Even after the sun has long gone down and a midnight drizzle had begun to bless the ground, the roads were still full of people and laughter, and the aroma of frying fish was in the air.

Children her age were playing loudly and freely in circles; games of hacky sack and catch in between tightly-knit shops. Shizuku could hear their footsteps splashing in the mud over their screams of laughter.

A smile graced her lips at the thought of joining them. She knew her father would never allow it in a million years — if he even wanted to look at her by then — but she still wished to crack the door open just a tad wider and slip out into the night, completely unnoticed. Like she always did.

It was a terrible habit that would definitely get her beaten if she ever got caught, but that was yet to happen. So, Shizuku did as any other child would, and slipped her slender body through the door and jumped off of the porch into a puddle of mud.

It spattered over her bare legs and the hem of her haori, and she involuntarily winced when she realized someone would notice this the next morning. Her worry was short lived when the liveliness beyond the gate surrounding her home lured her forward and out into the open.

Like a song to a snake, Shizuku was hypnotized by it all. The crowd, the laughter, the food, the warmth. She'd never witnessed so much of it at once before, she didn't know what to ogle over first. Her big, curious eyes rushed from sight to sight until they found a stand that held many delicious looking treats.

She wove through the crowd like every other child, nobody sparing her so much as a second glance, until she reached the edge of the table. The man behind it was in the middle of several transactions, accepting coins from the many adults surrounding the stand. He had yet to notice Shizuku's small form at the very end, and she took that opportunity to slide several papers of flavored daifuku into the pockets of her haori.

The girl peeled away when she'd gotten enough to fill them almost to the brim, and an extra one to fit into her hand while she walked. She bit into the red bean paste mochi, the flavor melting on her tongue and triggering her empty stomach.

What little her stepmother had managed to save for her wasn't enough that night.

Shizuku wandered through the familiar streets of Kohama village, now unfamiliarly lively with customers. Typically, at this time, many of the shops would be weary from the loneliness of the night, which allowed Shizuku to nick things from a number of the stands. She realized she would not be able to do so with so many eyes around tonight, so she retreated to the darker awnings and paths that took her further from the crowds.

As much as the festive atmosphere warmed her, she found she was more comfortable alone in the dark, barely shielded by the cold rain while she ate away at her treats. The mud beneath her feet squished between her toes but she didn't mind. She liked the strange feeling, despite knowing how difficult it would be to clean it off later.

The girl relished in her silent snack time, peering around to see the outskirts of the market customers. She finished one pocket of daifuku and started to poke at her other one when a piercing yelp forced her to stop.