koi no yokan | inosuke hashibira

𝟏.𝟖

I couldn't sleep. Was it the fact that Inosuke took the blanket and it was freezing cold? No, not really. Was it how I could hear my uncle's snoring from the next room? Nope. Or maybe it was because I had to share a bed with Inosuke. Honestly, no.

We were both sleeping on the literal edge of the opposite sides of the bed with our backs turned on each other. I even had a leg hanging out of the bed a little. I couldn't tell if Inosuke was asleep as well, but it was quiet the whole night besides hearing rustling of blankets.

I didn't really know what had started keeping me up, but my mind would not silence its thoughts. I would think about food, mountains, the sunset, and occasionally I'd think of everyone at the estates. I also avoided all thoughts about the boy next to me.

I about had it. So I flipped my legs over the side of the bed. As I stretched myself up into a standing position, I tiptoed quitely out of the room. 

Before shutting the door, I hesitated for a moment as I saw Inosuke's sleeping body laying on the edge of the bed. With the moonlight shine from the window streaking perfectly across his face, I could see that he was sound asleep.

I placed my fingers on the doorway just to silence any noise that would come out of the door being closed. A single click was heard as the door fastined close.

The hallway was dark, a single oil lamp being lit in the hallway accompanied with a wisteria tree sprout. Leaning down to look at it, the small branches were starting to branch out as the blossoms were shaking ever so slightly. Seems like my uncle had started growing wisteria.

I opened a closet door. There, was the ladder I had hidden behind the swords and dummies. Perching the ladder in the closet, my hands searched the roof for a clip to open up access.

My fingers quickly came in contact with the clip. I held my hands on the top before pushing it open. I cringed to the loud creaking sound that came out of the hinges of the opening.

As I did so, I swung the top open. The air was cold as it stung onto my skin. Hoisting myself up onto the roof, the whole valley was visible in the beautiful hue of the moon.

I crawled over to sit next to the chimney. The bricks were still warm from the fire. This was the same spot I'd always go for stargazing. My mother had told me about stars and constellations, but I never really put good thought into them until I sat under the stars to watch them.

Shinobu had also pointed out the stars, well, more of the moon. I remember, I had spent a whole day training myself to master Total Concentration Breathing Constant. I was sitting on top of the estate roof when Shinobu came to check on me. Together, she calmed me down of my stress as she pointed out the moon.

Since then, I would stargaze and watch the moon when stress hit me the worst. I would do so until I felt relaxed or tired.

Holding my knees close to my chest, my head leaned back against the chimney as I took in the small features of the crescent moon. There was a small fade in the middle with the crater holes showing darkly along the edges. There was a yellow hue from the moon, but the whole land was showered in a blue tone.

It was strange. How the moon would be one color but would show another to the earth. For some reason, it reminded me of everyone.

As I sighed, my breath was visible in the cool air.

"Oh. You."

I twitched my head over to see Inosuke peeking out of the opening of the roof. His eyes were slanted down with his expression deadpan, lips straight with his eyebrows ever so slightly pinched downwards.