A Suzanne production:
Twenty Nine
Published at Sunday, November 29, 2009, 8:09 AM
‘Come closer… Hirei…’
I leaned towards Midori, her face was paler than ever. She had the most beautiful and extraordinary eyes I had ever seen along with her sleet white hair. While I was examining her features closely, Midori quietly planted a swift kiss on my lips. I was dumbfounded, clueless to how to respond. The only people who would ever kiss me were okasan and otosan. Midori’s lips were turning purple and they felt so cold, yet the kiss made my whole body feel so warm. She forced a smile on her face as in twisted my eyebrows in a questioning manner.
‘That’s to settle the bet…’ Midori explained, closing her eyes silently as she started to give in to the poison. ‘In the end… you could say the Ninjas beat the Samurais… after what they did… to me… And whatever you do… don’t shave your head bald… your hair is too beautiful… I was just joking… when I said that…’
I willed myself not to cry, holding my body down from trembling. I gritted my teeth as I looked down at Midori, trying to come to terms with the reality that she would not hang on any longer. Everything she said and did flash through my mind like a thunder.
‘Midori…’ I whispered, hugging her tightly that her head was resting on my shoulders. ‘I… I really like you… I love you so much, Midori…’
‘Why’d you… only say that now? After everything I’ve told you… about not regretting…’ Midori shushed with a playful, angry tone, throwing her fist against my back feebly. ‘But then… I have to say the same… about myself. Some things are just… harder to say huh… Hirei, I…’
Words failed to escape Midori’s mouth. She would never speak and laugh with me anymore, her gentle soul having left the body I held tightly in my arms. The villagers who ran to Midori’s rescue along with okasan would then find out that it was too late to change the Midori’s death which has passed behind us. Our only way ahead is to live in the present, the here and now.
***
It has been two weeks since my fifth birthday, and also two weeks since we Midori’s death. We buried her at our favourite spot by the small lake with the bridge under the sakura trees, their blossoms covered the earth like snow. The accidental murder of Midori, a young, innocent girl, has caused a lot of discussion. It seems that the Ninjas and Samurais had a rivalry that we could not comprehend. They wanted to eliminate the opposing force, fighting in the fields at dawn and sneaking underground of the Amatsu Castle at dusk. The people of Amatsu started to rebel against the nature of the Sibling War, calling for peace in their village. The lords of Amatsu reviewed the ethics of the Ninjas and Samurais, and decided to declare that the fields north of Amatsu be free from war, the underground cavern to be made the official battlefield of the two guilds and the Amatsu Castle to be strictly off-limits to all commoners. The Amatsu Dungeon that housed the cavern and underground shrine were sealed away from those unrelated from that day on.
It was a painful two weeks for me to have such a great friend taken away from me. I stayed at home in my room most of the day, needing some alone time just as I always did before meeting Midori. Thankfully, I had Mini Hirei to accompany me, who was becoming less of a nuisance and more of a blessing. For two weeks, Mini Hirei has been making a lot of effort to get me to become more on an extrovert, just like Midori always wish I was.
“Isn’t it easier to just listen to me in the first place?” Mini Hirei boasted. “Let your real self out of that shell! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years now.”
Today, two weeks after the incident, my family and I will be heading off to Prontera in mainland Rune Midgard. The Kyohana family had decided to cancel their transfer to Prontera due to Midori’s death, and instead, was helping my family to move earlier than what my parents had planned to. They bought boat tickets to Alberta and even Kafra Transportation tickets, a service offered by a renowned corporation in the mainland and was said to be the fastest means of transportation, from Alberta to Prontera for us without notice.
“Please, take this,” said Mr. Kyohana while handing the tickets to otosan days after Midori’s death. “Thank you for being such a good friend to Midori, I’m sure she would be very happy wherever she is now. She would want the three of you to have this, to live in Prontera and away from the mess here in Amatsu right now. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine here.”
We walked out of our home, sealing its front doors. Some day in the future, another person who fall in love with Amatsu’s beauty and decide to live here would occupy this small straw hut that used to be our home. We took a detour from the wharf, walking up north to pay our last respects to Midori before we leave. As I walked down the dirt path Midori and I always took towards the lake for the last time in a long while, I recalled the time I ran away from the school bullies, timid and a loner, hiding by myself. It was only a few months ago, but Midori has brought countless changes to me. We stood by the tombstone that marked Midori’s resting place, fresh flowers alongside the fallen sakura blossoms decorated the area. We bowed deeply, holding our palms together as we prayed for her soul to rest in peace. I bent on my knees, cutting a lock of my white hair and wrapped it in a green speckled handkerchief, leaving it by the fresh flowers the others had left.
‘Thank you, and good bye,’ I smiled, brushing my spiky white hair that I will never shave bald.
***
‘Here we are, Hirei, the capital city of the Rune Midgard Kingdom, Prontera,’ okasan announced happily after we warped miles away from Alberta to Prontera in just seconds. We met up with the local real estate agent, who led us to our new home in the southeast corner of the town. Prontera was completely different from the little village of Amatsu. It was probably as big as the island, but everything in Prontera was bigger and more concrete. The population here was probably five times it is back in Amatsu, not including the many merchants and adventurers who flock the area. Surprisingly, I did not find all the noise and commotion disturbing anymore, partly because no one was bothered about my white hair which was one-of-a-kind back in the islands. The buildings here were all made of bricks and looked much sturdier than its counterparts in Amatsu. The one thing I would definitely miss is the lack of trees and greenery here, more specifically the sakura trees. Okasan and otosan thanked the real estate agent for his help and started to move our luggage into the house. I opted to stay awhile outside the house, noticing that a pair of siblings was staring at me from afar. The elder one with blonde hair, dressed handsomely in a Knight’s outfit was nudging the younger one who was about my age with a similar messy, dirty blonde hair, with strawberry streaks through his hair. The younger boy then marched up to me bravely, smiling sheepishly.
‘Um, hello there! You’re the new kid in our neighbourhood right?’ the boy said while I nodded in return. ‘I’m Cedric Spencer, it’s nice to meet you!’
‘I’m Hirei Kusano, from Amatsu,’ I answered while lowering my head curtly as a formal greeting.
‘My brother was the one who asked me to come over to say hi. He said neighbours should be nice to each other. And since we’re neighbours now, let’s be friends!’ said Cedric happily. ‘Oh, Amatsu, isn’t that really far off the east coast of Rune Midgard? Does everyone have white hair there like yours? It’s really pretty.’
‘Oh gosh, this kid’s such a… kid…’ Mini Hirei whined. ‘And don’t you think that his hair is a little too –’
I hushed Mini Hirei silently, asking him not to continue and disturb the train of words that had appeared in my mind, waiting to be spoken. Mini Hirei laughed proudly.
‘You’re ready now, aren’t you?’ Mini Hirei smiled, sighing deeply. ‘I guess I’ll be leaving you now then, since you won’t need me anymore. Take care, big guy.’
Mini Hirei disappeared from my shoulders, and would never be there anymore. Although he was just an imaginary entity only I could see, I felt a large burden leave my body as he left me. However, I know that he would never truly be gone, because ever since the beginning, Mini Hirei was the manifestation of the real Hirei I had always hid inside of myself, the voice inside that always wanted to break through. Now, I am not afraid to show the real me. I am not afraid to let anyone mock me and my white hair, because this white hair is the gift from the Gods to me, and together I will bring peace. I took a deep breath of relief, feeling a smirk spread across my face.
‘Thanks, my white hair is special,’ I said. ‘What about your messy blonde one? I think you’ll need lots of gel or water to hold that down.’
It was probably not the best first step to finding peace, but it was a good step nevertheless. Well, Midori always told me to speak out my thoughts without regretting what I said. But she never told me what to say and what was better left unsaid. I guess it will stay that way, huh?
***
---
Current Word Count: 40,354
I leaned towards Midori, her face was paler than ever. She had the most beautiful and extraordinary eyes I had ever seen along with her sleet white hair. While I was examining her features closely, Midori quietly planted a swift kiss on my lips. I was dumbfounded, clueless to how to respond. The only people who would ever kiss me were okasan and otosan. Midori’s lips were turning purple and they felt so cold, yet the kiss made my whole body feel so warm. She forced a smile on her face as in twisted my eyebrows in a questioning manner.
‘That’s to settle the bet…’ Midori explained, closing her eyes silently as she started to give in to the poison. ‘In the end… you could say the Ninjas beat the Samurais… after what they did… to me… And whatever you do… don’t shave your head bald… your hair is too beautiful… I was just joking… when I said that…’
I willed myself not to cry, holding my body down from trembling. I gritted my teeth as I looked down at Midori, trying to come to terms with the reality that she would not hang on any longer. Everything she said and did flash through my mind like a thunder.
‘Midori…’ I whispered, hugging her tightly that her head was resting on my shoulders. ‘I… I really like you… I love you so much, Midori…’
‘Why’d you… only say that now? After everything I’ve told you… about not regretting…’ Midori shushed with a playful, angry tone, throwing her fist against my back feebly. ‘But then… I have to say the same… about myself. Some things are just… harder to say huh… Hirei, I…’
Words failed to escape Midori’s mouth. She would never speak and laugh with me anymore, her gentle soul having left the body I held tightly in my arms. The villagers who ran to Midori’s rescue along with okasan would then find out that it was too late to change the Midori’s death which has passed behind us. Our only way ahead is to live in the present, the here and now.
***
It has been two weeks since my fifth birthday, and also two weeks since we Midori’s death. We buried her at our favourite spot by the small lake with the bridge under the sakura trees, their blossoms covered the earth like snow. The accidental murder of Midori, a young, innocent girl, has caused a lot of discussion. It seems that the Ninjas and Samurais had a rivalry that we could not comprehend. They wanted to eliminate the opposing force, fighting in the fields at dawn and sneaking underground of the Amatsu Castle at dusk. The people of Amatsu started to rebel against the nature of the Sibling War, calling for peace in their village. The lords of Amatsu reviewed the ethics of the Ninjas and Samurais, and decided to declare that the fields north of Amatsu be free from war, the underground cavern to be made the official battlefield of the two guilds and the Amatsu Castle to be strictly off-limits to all commoners. The Amatsu Dungeon that housed the cavern and underground shrine were sealed away from those unrelated from that day on.
It was a painful two weeks for me to have such a great friend taken away from me. I stayed at home in my room most of the day, needing some alone time just as I always did before meeting Midori. Thankfully, I had Mini Hirei to accompany me, who was becoming less of a nuisance and more of a blessing. For two weeks, Mini Hirei has been making a lot of effort to get me to become more on an extrovert, just like Midori always wish I was.
“Isn’t it easier to just listen to me in the first place?” Mini Hirei boasted. “Let your real self out of that shell! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years now.”
Today, two weeks after the incident, my family and I will be heading off to Prontera in mainland Rune Midgard. The Kyohana family had decided to cancel their transfer to Prontera due to Midori’s death, and instead, was helping my family to move earlier than what my parents had planned to. They bought boat tickets to Alberta and even Kafra Transportation tickets, a service offered by a renowned corporation in the mainland and was said to be the fastest means of transportation, from Alberta to Prontera for us without notice.
“Please, take this,” said Mr. Kyohana while handing the tickets to otosan days after Midori’s death. “Thank you for being such a good friend to Midori, I’m sure she would be very happy wherever she is now. She would want the three of you to have this, to live in Prontera and away from the mess here in Amatsu right now. Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine here.”
We walked out of our home, sealing its front doors. Some day in the future, another person who fall in love with Amatsu’s beauty and decide to live here would occupy this small straw hut that used to be our home. We took a detour from the wharf, walking up north to pay our last respects to Midori before we leave. As I walked down the dirt path Midori and I always took towards the lake for the last time in a long while, I recalled the time I ran away from the school bullies, timid and a loner, hiding by myself. It was only a few months ago, but Midori has brought countless changes to me. We stood by the tombstone that marked Midori’s resting place, fresh flowers alongside the fallen sakura blossoms decorated the area. We bowed deeply, holding our palms together as we prayed for her soul to rest in peace. I bent on my knees, cutting a lock of my white hair and wrapped it in a green speckled handkerchief, leaving it by the fresh flowers the others had left.
‘Thank you, and good bye,’ I smiled, brushing my spiky white hair that I will never shave bald.
***
‘Here we are, Hirei, the capital city of the Rune Midgard Kingdom, Prontera,’ okasan announced happily after we warped miles away from Alberta to Prontera in just seconds. We met up with the local real estate agent, who led us to our new home in the southeast corner of the town. Prontera was completely different from the little village of Amatsu. It was probably as big as the island, but everything in Prontera was bigger and more concrete. The population here was probably five times it is back in Amatsu, not including the many merchants and adventurers who flock the area. Surprisingly, I did not find all the noise and commotion disturbing anymore, partly because no one was bothered about my white hair which was one-of-a-kind back in the islands. The buildings here were all made of bricks and looked much sturdier than its counterparts in Amatsu. The one thing I would definitely miss is the lack of trees and greenery here, more specifically the sakura trees. Okasan and otosan thanked the real estate agent for his help and started to move our luggage into the house. I opted to stay awhile outside the house, noticing that a pair of siblings was staring at me from afar. The elder one with blonde hair, dressed handsomely in a Knight’s outfit was nudging the younger one who was about my age with a similar messy, dirty blonde hair, with strawberry streaks through his hair. The younger boy then marched up to me bravely, smiling sheepishly.
‘Um, hello there! You’re the new kid in our neighbourhood right?’ the boy said while I nodded in return. ‘I’m Cedric Spencer, it’s nice to meet you!’
‘I’m Hirei Kusano, from Amatsu,’ I answered while lowering my head curtly as a formal greeting.
‘My brother was the one who asked me to come over to say hi. He said neighbours should be nice to each other. And since we’re neighbours now, let’s be friends!’ said Cedric happily. ‘Oh, Amatsu, isn’t that really far off the east coast of Rune Midgard? Does everyone have white hair there like yours? It’s really pretty.’
‘Oh gosh, this kid’s such a… kid…’ Mini Hirei whined. ‘And don’t you think that his hair is a little too –’
I hushed Mini Hirei silently, asking him not to continue and disturb the train of words that had appeared in my mind, waiting to be spoken. Mini Hirei laughed proudly.
‘You’re ready now, aren’t you?’ Mini Hirei smiled, sighing deeply. ‘I guess I’ll be leaving you now then, since you won’t need me anymore. Take care, big guy.’
Mini Hirei disappeared from my shoulders, and would never be there anymore. Although he was just an imaginary entity only I could see, I felt a large burden leave my body as he left me. However, I know that he would never truly be gone, because ever since the beginning, Mini Hirei was the manifestation of the real Hirei I had always hid inside of myself, the voice inside that always wanted to break through. Now, I am not afraid to show the real me. I am not afraid to let anyone mock me and my white hair, because this white hair is the gift from the Gods to me, and together I will bring peace. I took a deep breath of relief, feeling a smirk spread across my face.
‘Thanks, my white hair is special,’ I said. ‘What about your messy blonde one? I think you’ll need lots of gel or water to hold that down.’
It was probably not the best first step to finding peace, but it was a good step nevertheless. Well, Midori always told me to speak out my thoughts without regretting what I said. But she never told me what to say and what was better left unsaid. I guess it will stay that way, huh?
***
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Current Word Count: 40,354
Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians
