Marionette

Oceans, Chapter Forty Four - Ao [青]

A piercing scream tore through the night, one that would have all who heard it come running in an instance.

Katsuragi Amayas eyes flew open as she threw herself upright, her heart racing so fast it seared in pain, and her eyes wild with relived horror.

Again, Amaya found herself waking up in the memorial grove, her form rigid and drenched with a cold sweat, stomach rolling so violently she had a hand desperately clamped over her mouth to try stop the bile from rising and escaping.

Again, she found herself with tears pouring down the sides of her face.

Seven years of this - She wondered if it was ever going to get any easier.

She wondered if she was ever going to let this go.

The day was the 9th of June, a Friday, and just two days before Amaya was due to head back to Tokyo.

Still in the early hours of the morning, there was no sound, and certainly no life around her. The air was still, with the tiniest edge of decay and the faintest scent of burning incense.

After many long minutes, the rolling of Amaya's stomach settled down enough for her to take her hand away from her mouth, and for her to begin to calm down.

She slowly took in her surroundings, her trembling fingers pushing her hair out of her face as her eyes adjusted to the world around her.

The memorial grove for the most part was the same as it had been last she was conscious - all stonework cleaned from grime and moss, weeding done, and all the plants that had overgrown their normal trimmings were returned to a neat organization.

The differences were that the six oil lanterns that lined the memorial grove were all lit, and the five stone plaques that also surrounded the hexagonal granite pillar in the centre had a bouquet of flowers set on the ground just in front of them, and each had incense burning.

One of the plaques in particular also had an offering of anpan set in front of it - The one directly in front of her, which happened to be the one dedicated to Yukariko.

The place where her remains were laid to rest.

Amaya would have been frightened by the changes around her, had this been the first time it had ever happened.

She looked down at herself after a few long minutes, to find an earthen brown Haori resting over her lap, and her little ocarina was sitting on the ground just a few feet away.

Just as she had begun to expect.

Carefully, Amaya lifted herself from the ground at the base of the memorial pillar, neatly folding the haori up and setting it over an arm before she picked up her ocarina.

She began to make the walk back towards the dust-filled building the rest of her belongings were in.

Along the way, Amaya could pick up on other signs that showed a presence within the walled off property, small things that wouldn't have come to her notice, had she not been so familiar with the way this place was supposed to be.

The smell of freshly cut herbs weeping in the air, mixing with the scent of wood smoke, and in the inky darkness ahead of her, she could also see the faintest hints of incandescent light up ahead.

She never turned the lights on, except if she was checking for running electricity in the building.

As Amaya reached the courtyard the pergola stood within, she noticed that the sliding doors of the tatami room had all been completely opened up, giving her a perfect view inside.