Tarnished Roses

1. Cursed Ones

The more distant the memories become...

The more reckless I am...

I desperately grasp at any faint happiness I once had...

Though, I cannot hold onto you...

When I no longer know who you were.

🕯 Kurona 🕯

I lower my head, the throbbing intensifying each time I attempt to lift it. My reflection mocks me almost, only reassuring me that I am much weaker than I had initially thought. Bruises bloom along my skin and I try to steady my heartbeat. I am much weaker than them. I sink to the ground with a wince, my joints aching as they bend. I can barely relax on the tatami mats. Every muscle screams at me. I hear the door of the flat open and move with whatever speed I can manage to pull the thin linen robe over my bare body. Not the best idea to be stark-naked without knowing when he'd return home, I think. Thankfully, he had been preoccupied with locking the door to notice my... lack of clothing.

"Busy day, Father Komori?" I ask almost teasingly.

"I told you already, just Seiji is fine," he says.

"Yeah, yeah," I say, dismissively waving my hand.

"How was the mission?" he asks as he throws open the door of the refrigerator and pulls out a can of soda.

I roll up the sleeves of the robe, my body tensing at the motion, and show him the array of wounds I've managed to get. His face twists up with a sympathetic grimace and he sits on the floor beside me.

"How many of those scum were there?" he asks.

"Almost too many. But, no worries... most of the wounds are from me overusing it," I say. "They'll heal up in no time."

He nods and in the silence that follows, I look around his flat. Thankfully, he's let me stay here for the few days it required me to complete my mission. Yet, I never really got a good look around. Everything is dark for the most part, a sliver of moonlight breaking through the shudders here and there to allow some visibility. It's a small apartment, really only meant for one person. He sleeps in the same place he eats and the bathroom is about as cramped as I can stand. Nevertheless, I appreciate the welcome I received.

"She would've been 17 today," Seiji says suddenly.

His voice is low, somewhat numb yet sorrowful, if that makes any sense. Though he isn't specific, I know who he is referring to.

"Your daughter..." I say in the same tone.

"She wasn't mine by blood, but... I loved her like she was. Though, I suppose it's for the best. She wouldn't have survived that place if she was found," he sighs.

I nod, yet the sadness I feel from his words does not lift.

"She was an organ donor, yes? Who received the heart after the accident?" I ask.

"A girl from the orphanage. Ah... what was her name...? Tsukiyama Kasumi, I think it was," he answers.

"Well... I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse for Tsukiyama-chan," I say.

"A curse."

Seiji says it with such finality that I don't bother to press the conversation forward. A silent goodnight hangs in the air as we both turn away from one another and go to sleep.