I7: Snow (I)

5. Snow

"Riku, you've failed."

The redhead turns his head to the back when he realises the voice is similar to his mom. When he turned his head around again, he in another place. So dark, so silent.

"You've failed... To convey our love to him!"

Scared, Riku falls on his knees and close his eyes. His hand both on his ear. He didn't want to hear anything and didn't want to see anything.

He feels scared of what will happen if his mother realises he didn't become like what she wanted him to be.

He already knows... From the beginning, his mother words are nothing but a blank sentence. It holds no meaning for him. It's actually for his older twin brother.

Riku feels jealous of his brother to have his mother attention but it was for nothing. He has her attention when he already went from family history.

"Why?! You should be a hero of death like I wanted!"

He closes his eyes tighter. He didn't even want to be one in the beginning. It like he being brainwashed by his mom to be one anyway. So in the beginning, he has no other option than to follow her every order like a puppet.

A hero of death. A hero that has the ability to withhold the curse of Nanase family. Anyone who is one can see the soul of the dead people.

That is why the hero of death is being called so. The reason this hero alive is to be a lathe bridge between human and spirit. Every time the spirit has a wish to convey to the living human, the hero must be the one to give it.

And the one who actually has to endure it all is none other than the hero. He holds the expectation of the spirit and holds the sanity from human knowledge. After all, no one believes a human can see the ghost right?

That is why, all this time, Riku has a weird dream and personality when it comes to a snowy day and night. During that time, he is on a weaker state so the ghost can actually take his body for granted.

Why on a snowy day? It because it was the day he first have this ability to see. He becomes the hero not because he wanted but for him to want his mother acknowledgement.

His older twin brother rid always in his mom heart and eyes but not him.  So he wanted to feel those same feeling when he was young when their family is nothing like now.

Now, alone in the dark, no one can save him. His brother and parents died. The curse has started to grow and now even his friends will become the sacrifice. Ah... Now he understands why his mom said those words.

"Don't be friends with anyone. If they wanted to, say, "I am a hero of death." That will shove them away."

Isn't it the same? His personality will always pull other people around him. His cheerful personality and his ignorance.

"I... Wanted to stop this pain..."

The redhead cries with blood dropped down on his white shirt. He can hear from distance that the same voice of the spirit started to haunt him. They wanted his ability to live... They wanted his ability to talk.

This very thing will always be the same and nothing can stop it. He will be nothing yet puppet-like his mother predicted.

"A... A..! Aaa...!!"

Riku stomp on the floor. He cries again with tears. The blood that fall is actually from the chest. When he sees his chest again, he can see a huge hole.

It's like the hole represent his whole existence before he comes to this conclusion.

Those Red Spider Lily on the table, represent his role in this world. A hero... Of the dead.