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Long chapter, might be boring since it's a pretty serious one. Expect more "soliloquy" chapters throughout the story.
Chapter 19: Soliloquy: Yume no Naka
The people I’ve hurt... The people I’ve had to suppress the memories of… I wonder if they enjoy their life as much as the one who ‘gave back their life’…
“Iida-san!” a voice behind Kaori called out. Clad in a black overcoat, the ex-pillar of Morning Musume turned her head to the voice.
“Reina?”
“Sorry, couldn’t recognize you…” Reina bent over, supporting herself with her knees, “I still have trouble recognizing you in short hair, but then again, you grew it out longer…But it still looks really different from the hair you’ve had long ago.”
“Yeah…” Kaori looked up the sky. “Do you wish to come over my house? It’s nearby, and it’s getting colder…”
“…Okay,” Reina hesitated, interpreting the request as a demand instead. Surprisingly, it was just around the block, that small nondescript apartment seemingly awaiting their return. They both got inside, and found themselves in the same art room as they were in before. However, instead of the canvas, there was a guitar stand.
“Not painting?” Reina said from the kotatsu.
“I was thinking I’d brush up my guitar skills again.”
“Now that I think about it, I need to brush up on my piano skills too…” Reina rested her arms on the table, and her head on them.
“Do you want to hear a song?” Kaori asked as she pulled the guitar towards her from her stool and readied it in playing position.
“What song are you going to play?”
“A very ancient song, one that all cursed orochi are born with, well, I say born with, but in truth, it’s simply… there in our memories…I’m pretty sure that if you sing this song to any orochi though, they’ll probably look at you speechless, because the spirit most certainly remembers it…” Kaori smiled, before playing a rather slow lullaby with her acoustic guitar.
Who are those little girls in pain?
Just trapped in a castle of the dark-side of the moon
Eight of them shining bright in vain, like flowers that blossom just once in years
They’re dancing in the shadows like whispers of love
Just dreaming of a place where they’re free as a dove
They’ve never been allowed to love in this cursed cage.
It’s only the fairytale they believe…
There was a brief instrumental, before Kaori sang again.
They’re dancing in the shadows like whispers of love
Just dreaming of a place where they’re free as a dove
They’ve never been allowed to love in this cursed cage.
It’s only the fairytale they believe…
The sixth head slowed her guitar playing, before finally ending softly.
“That’s a very beautiful song…” Reina honestly had no idea why she felt teary eyed through the song.
“Well, when you think about it, the song perfectly describes the cursed, and you could probably use it to figure out who the others are if you haven’t already.”
“I’ll keep that in mind…” Reina got up, to the slight confusion of Kaori, “Just going to look outside the window…” she assured, walking towards her.
Just then, Reina slipped on her feet, and was about to trip, but Kaori got up and grabbed her arm just in time, however, Kaori yanked too hard, thus Reina flew in the air slightly, and Kaori stumbled backwards, hit her head on the stool, and fell on the floor. Reina landed at the perfect spot as usual—on lips.
Poof!
“Ah! Crap!” Reina panicked as she waved the smoke away, looking at the pile of clothes below her. There, was Iida Kaori, the 6th head of the orochi—and only 20 CM long. (8 inches)
“Hell! You bumped your head pretty hard! Wake up! I need to get you ice! Oh wait, wouldn’t that make it worse because you’re a snake?! Ohno!Ohno!Ohno!Ohno!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Her reaction was similar…To Ruru’s…
“Iida-san, right? Guess we’re rooming in together for the joint concert, haha,” the Chinese woman laughed melodically.
“Hmm… Yeah,” Kaori spaced out, looking at her luggage.
“Well, we have til tomorrow anywho! Let’s see if I can make instant ramen, since the kettle’s here!”
Kaori’s hand shot out and grasped Ruru on the shoulder. Clueless, she peered over, questioning Kaori’s motives. The ex-Morning Musume leader, though subleader at the time, had a very stern and scared look on her face.
“Please don’t cook,” Kaori said, shuddering, “I’ve heard what you’ve done before…”
“Hahahahahaahahaha, no. I WILL cook.”
“I hope you won’t make flashfires…I’ve heard your cooking is too insane…”
“Nah,” Ruru smiled back at Kaori, “Not when you’re around.”
That was definitely a day where forgetting about it would have been a sin. She came off as a rather stubborn woman. Although weird—though I shouldn’t have business saying that because I, too, am weird—she is a very kind person. I refuse to say gentle, because it’s too questionable, with her…Insane antics, or so her friends call it. Nonetheless, I was simply drawn to her, and her to me, it was too inevitable that we would be in love. Though… Also inevitable that she would find out…
Poof!
“Oh no! I smacked too hard into your head, didn’t I? You need ice! Oh wait, you’re snake so that would make it painful…GAAH! What do you need? Ice?! What do snakes to heal?! GAAAAH~!” Ruru waved her hands frantically in the air.
~~~~~~
Kaori, sitting cross-legged, was facing away from Ruru, with the Chinese woman herself had her arms wrapped around Kaori’s waist, and resting her head on the leader-to-be’s shoulder.
“I’ve always wondered why you would never kiss me…”
“And now you know… Will I be shunned because of that?” Kaori turned her head slowly, fearfully anticipating Ruru’s reaction.
“If you think something like that is going to stop me from loving you,” Ruru laughed, “This is me you’re talking to. The insane Chinese cook, you know?
Kaori moved forward, releasing herself from the T&C Bomber member’s embrace, and faced her, “love?”
Ruru smiled serenely at Kaori, “Kaorin, I love you so much… I want to be with you...”
I cried when I heard those words… From that point on, I was very careless—Ruru pretty much made me a better and fun person to be around. Ever since, we attained the heavily romanticized dream, we have always been so happy… We were in a dream…A happy sensation that overwhelmed us, welcoming us into its paradise… Though… All dreams… Must end…
They were in a traditional tatami-matted room. Rika was leaning against a support beam, with a vase of flowers by her feet, staring blankly at it rather than the people who came. Kaori and Ruru were sitting in the traditional seiza position, side by side.
“It’s my understanding… That you two are dating…?” Rika asked in a quiet voice, still fascinated in the flower.
Kaori and Ruru both had looks of uneasiness when they heard those words. Kaori shifted uncomfortably and asked almost inaudibly, “May I ask who told you?”
Rika shifted in her position, and now stood up straight, “I’m sorry to say that the person wishes to be anonymous.”
There was another eerie silence in the atmosphere.
“Has she seen your wings yet?” Rika asked again, turning her head to face the two, looking at them through half-closed eyes under her bangs.
“No.”
“Stand in front of her and do it.”
Kaori did as she was told. Thank goodness she was wearing a top that only covered her chest, and was simply strings at the back, so there was nothing to rip. After the sequence of sprouting the wings, she opened them, revealing the six beautiful translucent skins in between the black frames.
“Honda-san, what do you think about them?” Rika asked, in the same quiet voice, only she raised a hand to caress the top left wing, now staring in awe as if it was the first time Rika saw the wings.
“I believe that they are very beautiful,” Ruru tried to say in a very composed manner.
“Do you love Kaori very much?” Rika still stroked the upper left wing, making Kaori very uncomfortable.
“Yes.”
“You will do anything for her?”
“Yes.”
“And you, my dear Kaori, you will also do the same for Honda-san?”
“…Yes, Ojou-sama.”
“I will…” Rika grasped the frame of the upper left wing, “Not allow it!” and she tore the wing by its long frame and shorter frame, the sound of the translucent skin in the air was reminiscent of ripping paper. Kaori screamed in agony as she kneeled over, grabbing her heavily bleeding wing. Ruru watched helplessly in shock as the blood quickly formed a puddle from where Kaori kneeled, back arched over, head also arched over, her long hair’s ends dipped in the puddle of blood.
“I won’t allow you to take her away!” Rika shouted, pointing at Ruru.
The sliding door slammed as it opened, “Kaori! Ojou-sama!” Yossie, in a dark green blouse and black dress pants, opened her eyes in shock, suddenly pulled in the gravity of the situation.
“What makes you think I’ll give her to you?! You’re worthless to us!” Rika’s pupils seemingly turned into slits, had the essence of a manga been applied to the situation. She lunged, but was stopped with Yossie holding her arms from behind.
“Ojou-sama! Stop it! Calm down!” Yossie shouted as she tried to hold back the struggling Head.
“If Kaori can’t fly anymore, it’s your fault!” The head of the curse screamed at the shocked Ruru.
“B-but you—”Ruru began, but was interrupted.
“Who is at fault here? None of this would have happened if you did not become involved in our curse! Your love cost Kaori her wing! Who is at fault here?!” Rika still tried to release herself from Yossie’s grip.
“…I…” Ruru started crying uncontrollably, so much as to tamper her speech, “I-I’m….’m… I’m a-at f-fault…I’m the one at fault!”
“That’s right! It’s completely your fault! It’s your fault! It’s your fault! It’s entirely your fault!”
She never smiled…She never laughed… Every time I tried to console her, she would cry hysterically…No matter what I did…She would always collapse into tears… She became broken… Eventually… It began to eat her heart away…
“Are you going to let her suffer like that?” Rika asked, dangling her arms over the balcony, with Kaori in her room, kneeling formally. “Right now… It’s her memories for you… Her love for you… It’s restraining and tearing her apart… I think it’s about time to erase what’s making her suffer…You have done it to others before, yes? This should be no different…”
Kaori kept silent.
“It’s the truth really, she wants you to release her from her pain, from her burden, are you going to do that? It’s your final act of love, my dear Kaorin…”
Under the orders of my parents or Ojou-sama, I was to suppress the memories of them without regret. Who knew that under my cursed eyes, I would have to feel the pain of suppressing the memories of someone most dearest to me, those precious memories to us… All to be lost…
Ruru was crying again, in front of Kaori. They were both on the floor of the very room whose blood still seemed to smell fresh…
“P-please…” Ruru tugged on Kaori’s sleeve, her body arched forward and facing the floor, not being able to bear the sight of Kaori’s face, “If only…”
“If only what?” Kaori asked, patting Ruru on the head in hopes of being comforting.
“I wish we never met…”
Kaori’s golden eyes widened in pain of the words she said.
“I wish I never came to love you…”
“I love you so much…”
“I wish I never met you at all…”
“I want to be with you…”
Such painful contradictory words she said… Opposed to that night on which the dream began…
“Don’t worry…I will take your pain away…” Kaori said as she lifted Ruru’s face so that her eyes would meet her lover’s.
The sight of Ruru’s crying and sad eyes tore the 6th head apart. She didn’t want Ruru to be like that at all. Kaori moved close, so close that their foreheads were touching.
“Kaorin… I’m sorry…” Ruru began, tears escaping her eyes at an alarming rate, “I couldn’t protect you…”
Kaori closed her eyes, preparing to do what she must. “No… I’m the one who should apologize… I’m the one to blame… I was the one who couldn’t protect you…” and with that, she opened her eyes suddenly.
For that moment, Ruru saw red eyes, with a kaleidoscope black pupil, and she felt a an unseen force entering her eyes and shutting her down. Soon, she collapsed.
“I’m so sorry…” Kaori dropped to her elbows over Ruru, “I’m so sorry…” she moved Ruru’s bangs from her face, before resting in the crook of her neck, “Ruru… I’m so sorry…”
I cried in her arms… This… Was probably retribution of all the pain I caused for everyone else… Ojou-sama is correct, the reason why she was suffering… It was my fault… My fault for not protecting her like I promised… Thinking of only guilt and shame for the rest of my life will not suffice… So…
“Reina found out about the curse,” Yossie said, while reading a book, “Miki gave it away.”
“…I see…” Kaori looked at Yossie sitting on a couch.
“Maki and Reina seem to be spending more time together as well…” Yossie continued, speaking nonchalantly.
“Oh?”
So for now… I’m only going to watch over everyone else in the project… I’ll make sure no one ends up going through the same thing Ruru and I did. No one will make the same mistakes.
Kaori opened her eyes and saw the ceiling stare back at her. The first words she said…
“…I’m cold.”
“That’s because under the blanket…” Reina said boredly, flipping through channels on the TV, “You’re naked.”
That’s right… I hit my head…Kaorin suddenly felt the brief pain of hitting her head on the stool. “Did you see my snake form…?”
“Yeah…”
“Ugh,” Kaori held her hand to her forehead, self conscious of her snake form, for she was made fun of by Yuko and Megumi of the ironies behind it.
“I thought it was cute though…”
“…Thanks…” Kaori said, though still embarrassed, putting on her clothes.
There was a knock on the door, and Kaori went over, fully dressed, to answer it. “What brings you here?”
“I had a feeling you kidnapped one of my juniors,” Yossie smiled. Reina poked her head from the door, and got up and walked over.
“Kidnapped? I think not,” Kaori said in a sigh.
When Reina was tying her boots, she was immediately pulled to Yossie’s chest, “I’ll protect you from this beast~!” Yossie made an exaggerated face and voice.
“WHICH beast I wonder…” Reina said shifty-eyed as she pulled away from Yossie.
“Nonetheless, how did you know Reina was here?”
“It’s called instinct, Kaorin…” Yossie smirked.
“Liar, you probably called to check out where she is,” Kaori raised a brow, “I know my juniors too, you know.”
“You most definitely do,” Reina laughed, “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t ask her to pick me up, she volunteered herself to rescue me.”
“Yup! Yup!” Yossie grinned. “And we’re off!” and with that, they left.
Kaori still stood in front of the now closed door, imagining the two exiting her apartment. Finally, she turned around and walked back to her room, took her guitar, and started practicing with it.
Even though I’m no longer inside a dream… Without fail, I’ll make sure everyone is protected.
Topic: Our Cursed Gift [Chapter 47: Our Final Promise][COMPLETE] (Read 160887 times)