Umeko spins at the sound of a smooth, tender voice behind her.
Tsukiyomi's presence immediately cradles her with a sense of nirvana; her filter fails when her defenses surrender to the only person she doesn't want to keep anything from.
"Yeah. . .and pain. . ."
Sneering, "Oh! Can't forget pity."
Realizing her tone and behavior is far too comfortable considering her place in his life, she clears her throat. Tucking fray locks behind her ears, she feels ashamed of herself.
Protecting her pupils from becoming the target of his precise stare, "Yes, mi'lord," she bows awkwardly.
Like an appreciative child, "Thank you for letting me go. And burying them. And marking their graves," she rambles the deeds she is most grateful for as they come to mind.
Going quiet with a tiny smile after her brief reflection, she sighs dreamily at the prolonged sight of his sleek, black streaked blue ponytail as it glides on the wind; revealing the tip of a glittering, ivory horn and a small cluster of iridescent scales on the right side of his hairline, Tsukiyomi's comforting energy appears unaffected by the newest physical defects.
Abstract, mint green robes with navy splatters and brush strokes wrap ties around his body like a knee-length robe with dark blue harem pants underneath.
"I remember what it felt like," his invariant tone pairs with languid steps to shorten the distance between them, "The day I was cast from," he pauses.
Reaching the final step that brings him to her side, "My home."
Does he know I know? GAH! I'm not supposed to know. Act. Natural.
Tilting her head, "Oh?"
Raising sketchy eyebrows, "Please, tell me more," she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and avoids eye contact.
Tsukiyomi glances at her before lining his focus up with a cotton candy cloud-filled sky, "Forced to dwell in this new realm among unique and treacherous creatures," the backs of their hands inadvertently collide as she finds herself drifting nearer to hang onto his every syllable.
Somehow, even his apathetic voice manages to heal her spirit the longer she just listens to him.
Drawing her eyes to his pearlescent image, watching the way his dewy skin captures light in its luster, her mind wanders.
Is this his way of saying he understands what I'm going through? His people hate him for a misunderstanding-- mine are dead.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she curses herself mentally with a forlorn sigh, Still nice of him to try. . .but after all this Ryu stuff, part of me wishes he killed me back then instead of just teasing me. There are worse things to see before dying.
Clenching her jaw, she looks away from him to stop staring; getting lost in the ripple of a distant stream, his words breaking the silence reels her back in, "In the midst of darkness, we think we are blind; but inside, we hold a light that always shines."
Hearing words that surprise her, she hesitantly responds with, "Through cloudy vision to the truth?"
Continuing in unison, "Of a future not far behind."
Umeko tilts her head to the side and he remains unphased. Tsukiyomi's eyelids lower as they face one another and half of his mesmerizing, platinum blue gaze is hidden.
"My mom used to sing that to me whenever I got scared," grimacing with shut eyes, "Or so sick I just knew I was gonna die," she recalls glimpses of the worst illnesses and injuries from her youth.
Looking up at half-concealed eyes, "I thought she made it up," raising her eyebrow suspiciously, "Or brought it from her homeland."
Tsukiyomi opens his eyes as she questions him, "My lord, how do you know it?"
Memorizing the details of his statuesque face, astonished that the banished moon god knows the same song as a random mortal woman from the Indus Valley, she shoos her thoughts when he parts his lips.
"My father."
Subconsciously leaning forward to get closer, the scent of his clean hair reaches her nostrils when their sleeves dance together in the wind.
Mmm, he smells so--say wha?! MY mom used to quote the Creator of Japan? What the hay, mom? Who were you?!
For the first time in her presence, his tone softens with a hint of concern, "Have you found your reason to rise with the sun each day?"
Forgetting all things that are not in this moment, her heart thinks freely.
You. . .
. . .but I could never tell you that. . .
Carelessly rubbing her eyes with her fingertips before remembering she's wearing makeup, she pats her cheeks with her palms. Taking a deep breath as she comes up with a good answer on the spot, "It's a struggle. Battle. Brawl."
A half-hearted chuckle flees as she faces her feelings head-on, despite the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, "To not be angry at them for leaving."
Trying to swallow but finding no saliva, she clears her throat, "While I'm wishing I was with them."
Licking her lips before raking her teeth over the bottom membrane, "Telling myself this is a dream."
Shaking her head no, "Knowing that's not true."
Glancing timidly up at his face before looking away to the nearest stream, "So I do the only thing I still can."
Nodding, "I tell them I'm sorry for everything I fu--undered up. . ."
Groaning in frustration, "Only to get angry at them again for leaving me," distracted eyes follow an orange butterfly that seems curious to meet her.
"I--I'm scared," she nods with an epiphany, staring at the monarch resting on her socked toe, "I'm scared of everything."
Gaining the courage to stare upon his grace again, she finds his pearlescent face watching her with no inclination of what's going on inside his head.
"And that still wouldn't stop me from going to the underworld," she places her hand over her heart, "To take their place if someone told me it was possible."
Inhaling sharply with a grave understanding of her own choice of words, "If that's where even one of them ended up."
Gripping her layered dress to stifle down the sting of tears working to form, "I mean," she sniffles.
"If someone told me last harvest that I'd befriend a yokai and lo--," she coughs before clearing her throat, " --Augh and laugh at pain. . ."
Rubbing her chest and turning away to compose herself, "I would've told them to shut their plum-hole."
Returning to glance at him just long enough for him to attempt a reciprocating stare, she turns her body to look out at the prefecture's horizon, "Before I break their jaw with my bad knee."
Grumbling then groaning, she finds the longer she thinks about nothing specific in his presence, the more at ease she finds herself seeking his compassionate, radiating warmth until a tear escapes the threshold of her lids, "The only thing I don't hate about all this--."
Patting it dry with her fingertips while sheepishly avoiding his gaze, "Is running into you."
Umeko's cheeks heat up and she forces a solemn grin.
Blinking quickly, she coolly throws in, "And Sane," to dodge any suspicion of her deeper, more intimate feelings for him.
Swallowing hard, "I wish I could've met you sooner."
Staring at his robe's belted sash as it snaps on the wind, she languidly raises her sight from his stomach up his body, "I know things would've turned out different."
Finding her way to his face, she glances away when his peer shifts to her direction out the corner of his eye.
Bringing himself closer to her side, "Things are as they were meant to be," he places his hand on her upper back.
Leaning into his firm touch with a relaxing exhale, she follows the outstretched path of his free hand as it spans the horizon, "It is better to wish upon a star than the past."
Holding a manicured, dull-nailed index finger in front of her face, "Only one has a shot at bringing change."
Listening to the wisdom of his words as his peaceful tone fills her heart with comfort, without thinking, Umeko turns into Tsukiyomi and buries her face into his chest.
Skirted knees give out when they fail to support her athletic weight.
Supporting his newest and most vulnerable servant yet, he kneels with her to guide her safely to the ground.
Remaining frozen in time, she cries silently and unashamed into the reliable fortress of his muscular embrace.
Flowing one after another with barely a breath between questions, "Why'd ya have'ta get involved? Why'd you bring me here? Why do you do so much for me?!" broken speech shouts into his body as her tears begin to stain his robes.
Everything hurts so bad. . .I don't know how to control myself anymore!
Tsukiyomi's firm chest vibrates under her cheek, "Ningen."
Sending a chill through her spine, wet eyes rise to the curve of his flawless chin. Lifting her head slowly, blinking hard at his emotionless gaze, tears leap rapidly from blurry vision.
As her sight brings clarity to their current position should anyone happen upon them, she realizes she has imposed herself upon his personal space.
Tucking his chin ever so slightly to inspect her face, he dries a line of tears with his knuckles, "You do not know?"
Surprised, delighted, and concerned by Tsukiyomi's abnormal amount of physical contact, Umeko sucks up snot; frantically breaking from his arms to scuttle backwards onto her butt in the grass, Tsukiyomi remains in his kneel like an observatory statue whose eyes follow her every panicked movement.
This isn't Ryu because his eyes are the same, right? Oh man, I want it-- need it to be Tsukiyomi so bad because that would mean he cares about me, right? Fuck, if it's really him. . . I hope he doesn't say anything I can't handle. Over-cooked rice is stronger than whatever's holding my heart together right now.
In fear of hearing something upsetting exit his beautifully crafted, iridescent pink lips, she shifts to her knees.
Deciding she should answer quickly to keep him from speaking or waiting any longer, "Sorry."
With a wry chuckle, "I'm just confused."
Scratching the back of her head, bouncing long, raven waves with clawed fingertips as the wind blows, "The longer I'm here, the more I see how little I know about what really matters in life is constantly thrown in my face."
Nodding in understanding, both her hands claw up the sides of her head under her hair to grip close to her scalp, "I mean, come on!"
Throwing a hand at the mountain as she eyes it skeptically, "A magical palace hidden from the world with a veggie-eating horse demon," she brings her hand back.
Open palm to the sky with cinnamon eyes dusting every beautiful curve of his face, "And you?"
Umeko drops her hand to her side in the grass, "The Elders never spoke anything," throwing her hands up at the sky, "About ANY of this."
Crossing her arms as she mutters incoherently under her breath, her bottom lip sticks out.
I'm sure I shouldn't be like this with him but. . .I. Don't. Even. Care. FUCK! I should care! I'm a servant. And a ningen. Not his friend. He doesn't have time to waste on human emotion and tears.
Her heart sinks into her stomach as she braces herself for a scolding when he finally opens his mouth. With half-lidded, platinum blues locking onto her vulnerable stare, "I am sorry your creator had tragedy woven into your destiny."
The uncomfortably apathetic tone manages to stir her very soul with thrilled chills; bandages materialize around her heart as the meaningful words float from his lips, into her ears, and down into the nearly shattered organ to stitch it back together.
I'm really starting to think this is what dad felt every time he looked at mom. . .
Shaking from a blissful daydream, remembering this is real time, she waves her hands in front of her, "Please!"
Pressing her palms together to keep her heart from beating out of her chest, she bows her head to hide her conflictingly emotional face, "Don't apologize, Tsukiyomi-sama!"
Hurrying to her feet, bowing faithfully to her master as he stands far more elegantly than she, Umeko loses even more esteem and can't bring herself to look upon him again.
Deeply inspired by all that he is and endures, she can't stand to hear someone like him apologize for anything he didn't do, "Everyone struggles."
Shakily wiping away tears with crumpled sleeves trapped in her hands, "And none of this is your fault," she focuses on steadying her breathing.
"Is it not?"