Bloom

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The midday sun caught brilliantly on the flowers slim petals. It created a very eye-catching display, the light catching on the vibrant red of the blossom only to shine in a translucent crimson. The delicate bloom itself seemed to reach upwards towards the sky, hoping for more light to swallow. Hundreds, if not thousands of these flowers littered the path to one of Kamakura's many, many public libraries.

Shogo stood at the end of the path, gazing down at the display. He wasn't in a particular hurry, as he was rather early after all, and as everything in the town itself seemed to move in eternal slow motion when compared to the constant action and bustling movement of Japan's larger cities. He'd noticed the flowers before, as he had every spring before. They were rather difficult to miss; a unique, spindly shape rising from a tall stalk. Not to mention the absolutely captivating shade of red they took on. He had always found them rather interesting, and often wondered why the libraries gardening staff never simply uprooted the flowers as they easily invaded the meticulously groomed lawn.

He sighed, looked down to the book in his hands, turning it over to glance over the indented title. The cover worn smooth, threads fraying around the edges and the binding alarmingly week. He thumbed through the pages, faint smile touching his lips. Nothing really matched the nostalgia of a well-loved book. So much personality was conveyed through the subtle aging, nothing like the cold, sleek touch of a digitized novel held beneath a glass screen.

"Why is it," Shinya starts wryly, stopping at Shogo's side, "that whenever I catch you smiling, the cause is almost always a dusty old book?"

Shogo quirks an eyebrow at him but allows the small curve of his lips to widen. "Let's not be hypocritical now, Shinya."

The raven snorts, relenting, and starts unhurriedly down along the sidewalk to the library door. He throws a casual look at the red flowers along the way, stuffing his hands deep into his jacket pockets. "They're spider lilies." He says offhandedly, dark eyes flickering over to glance at Shogo. At the albino's questioning gaze, he shrugs nonchalantly before looking ahead again. "I saw you looking at them as I came up."

"They're interesting to look at." Shogo muses, "But I much prefer the lore and legends surrounding them instead. Flowers will always fade and die, but the stories always last."

"I wouldn't ever have taken you for a floriologist."

Shogo slows to a stop and clicks his tongue. "I personally prefer the term cryptology."

Shinya shakes his head and stops next to him, teeth flashing. "Masculinity is a delicate thing, right?" A blank look is shot his way and Shinya chuckles. "Whatever label you like, it all means the same to me." He tries lightly, his smile fading as his gaze slides once more to the flowers. "They're don't have a very cheerful story to tell."

Shogo hums, following his gaze. "No?"

"They're the flowers of death, of loss. I'm a little surprised you've never seen them at funerals before."

"I don't exactly make it a habit to attend funerals. I'm not a fan of crocodile tears."

Shinya gives him a look. "You're always so cheerful." He deadpans.

Shogo shrugs apologetically but smiles in a way that tells Shinya that the albino is anything but. "Call it one of the charm of my character."

Shinya rolls his eyes and hms, taking another glance at the libraries door. "So are we-"

"I heard, once, a long time ago, that seeing spider lilies in bloom with someone else meant that the two of you were doomed never to meet again, in this life and in the next." Shogo says, an odd tone entering his voice. His eyes are fixed on the blooms, his thumb worrying over the frayed cover of the book in his hands.

"Is that so?" Shinya questions slowly, pulling a hand from his pocket to scratch at his cheek. "Well… then to be honest, I've never really believed in any of those sorts of things." His gaze flickers to look at the other, tracing along the albino's sharp features. "And stuff like that, with fate… I personally don't like thinking about something out there dictating the things that I do and say."

Shogo finally looks back to him at that, the soft smile gracing his lips letting Shinya know that the moment has passed. They start back towards the door, finally it seems, a comfortable silence enveloping the two of them. As Shinya moves to pull the door open however, he pauses, hand sliding over the smooth metal of the handle before feeling the need to add one more thing before the conversation is lost. "I wouldn't let you get away from me like that either," he says lowly, carefully, as if his words could spook the other away far away and out of his reach. He raises his eyes to meet Shogo's. "And I'd always find you, in this life and in whatever comes after."

Shogo twitches, a genuine slip in his facade as something soft flickers through his eyes, gone almost too quickly for Shinya to catch it. As the sun disappears behind the clouds, Shinya pulls open the door to the library, the cool air enveloping them as the two take the first steps together.

ShogoWeek 2016