The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 57~♫

 Hours later, Rigaku arrived in front of the building he called home, stopping in front of it. He walked all the way back, taking a few wrong turns. His mind refused to work properly.

'What have I done?'

In his whole life, he had never yelled at anybody, no matter how annoying they could be. Resolving everything with a level-headed mind and complete control over his emotions belonged to his greatest strength.

However, in the last weeks, he seemed to be losing control. Was his mind slipping away from him? Could a mental disease be behind this? From the top of his head, he could think about ten of them and even diagnose them to a certain extent.

'But am I really ill?' He watched his open palm as if a mouth could open there and give him the elusive answer. He shook his head. 'I need to take a good night sleep.' With a bit lighter mood, he stepped forward the entrance when he noticed a figure headed outside.

Without any explanation, he dived behind a bush bordering the path. He covered his mouth, muffling his breath, but actually doing the opposite, as the blood rushed across his body, demanding more oxygen.

'Why am I hiding?' He peeked over the edge.

The person stood outside, looking around as if in fear of being followed. Over their shoulder hung a big sports bag. Their face was covered with a hoodie and muffler.

'Is that a thief?'

He scratched this possibility in his mind since this building had an excellent security system and guards around nonstop. However, this person acted suspiciously, so Rigaku followed him.

'What am I doing?'

This had to be his stupidest decision as he tailed the person into the nearby park. A voice in his mind bugged him to follow, while common sense urged him to bail. He could get murdered by a random mugger or witness shady business and become a target of the local mafia.

'Just keep it collected,' he reminded himself.

Rigaku wasn't physically weak or unable to defend himself, yet if somebody stronger attacked him, he would face a serious problem.

'They stopped.' The oldest Kamini crouched behind a tree, seeing the person entered a dimly lit gazebo.

All the wooden structures had dim lights build-in the roof, which gave them a bit of mysterious aura. A faraway bell announced midnight, reminding Rigaku he wanted to get a good night's sleep.

'What are they doing?'

He narrowed his eyes but refrained from going closer. Using a mobile was also out of the question, the light could alert this person.

'Are they fighting?'

All he could see was a figure moving up and down, stretching their arms and legs. Then the person lit up their phone.

"Ka?" Rigaku covered his mouth, hiding behind the tree. 'What is he doing here?' He perked his ears, but no sound came his way. Peeking from the other side, he saw Kagetsu concentrated on his mobile, leaning it against the wooden column.

Mumbled words reached Rigaku's ears, but there was nothing he recognized.

'Is he training?'

With the bit of extra light, he saw Kagetsu bent his body while putting one leg in the air, forming a straight line with the other. Before he could grab his leg, he lost a balance falling on the ground.

With a yelp and mumbling, he tried again and again, falling each time.

'Is that a ballet?' Freezing sweat covered him. 'Is it for the play?'

Finally, Kagetsu managed to keep his balance, staying like that for a few seconds before spreading his arms and falling once more.

Minutes later, Kagetsu did more poses resembling yoga, tai-chi, or dance ones. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he took a deep sigh. Finished with this routine, he assumed a real dancing pose.

Rigaku noticed his clothes turned dirty and wet, but he didn't bother to do anything with it. Even his legs begged for releasing them from squatting position. Still, he didn't move, partly afraid to reveal himself and from the lack of trust in his body to carry him to safety.

'I should let him do what he wants. It's just for a few days. Then he'll be back to normal, right?'

Pins and needles stabbed his legs, and perhaps not just them, as he lifted his body. He collapsed behind the tree, massaging his calf.

'Not now! I should have stood.'

He rubbed his muscles, snapping a branch under his body. For a moment, he stopped moving, listening. No steps closed on him.

'I need to go!' With an overwhelming pain in his feet, he sluggishly moved forward. Waiting for Kagetsu turning his back to him, he dashed, heading out of the park.

As he ascended a small hill, he went weak in his knees, rolling down. Within a few seconds, he lost all sense of direction, and his bag left him as he fell headfirst into a big hole.

He yelped with pain, sharp stones digging into his body. "Where am I?" He opened his eyes, finding around himself dark, blurry masses.

"My glasses!" He touched his face in a futile attempt to find them. His hands searched the ground around him, and his heart pumped the adrenaline into his system. "Where are they?"

The coldness seeped into his body, chattering his teeth. Harsh and short breaths escaped his throat.

"M-My mobile!" He touched his chest, finding the inner pocket empty. Searching the rest of his clothes, he stood up, falling on his butt.

The pain his in left ankle leaped right into his brain. "Is it sprained?" He couldn't tell, but it had swollen.

Leaning against the dirt wall, he took a few deep breaths. "This isn't like me! I need to think and analyze the situation. This is the KoiKoi park, and I must have stumbled into a part where they are making reconstruction."

He nodded, happy as his brain fine-tuned itself into the usual mode. "It was about making a river here from the koi carp pond and a new fountain." He leaned his face toward a dark sky. "Meaning, I can just climb up and collect my things later."

Standing on one leg, he reached up, but the edge was beyond his reach. "Just a bit!" He stretched his body a bit more, putting in the work his hurt foot too, but stopping promptly.

"Alright." He limped back. "I'm too small, I'm sure I can find something I can use as a stepping stone."

However, the dark area didn't reveal anything useful.

"Alright, I can follow one side to find a less tall area." He nodded. His ankle was killing him, swelling so much he had to take down his shoe. A burning sensation spread through it, slowing his very step.

Using the wall as a support, he hopped forward. After taking twenty short steps, a cone of light had fallen on him from behind.