[humm... Tsuzuki isn't the character I can think from so this story comes out, butchered...
For some reason, I could place myself in Hisoka (Crudus is NOT a good example) and
Tatsumi's shoes, but not Tsuzuki or Watari... >.
Standard disclaimers apply.
------------------------------------
Erosion - Chapter 1
by Rubie
------------------------------------
A shallow stream shimmered in the distance.
A sakura grove swept like a bloody blanket across the mountains.
A courtyard bore an eroding path that carved itself through the snow.
"Please excuse me, Doctor. Master will be with you soon"
I watched the servant as she hurried back to the hall with an inward sigh. The traditional setting of a rural estate was beautiful, but it felt oppressing somehow. The family's display of simple lavishness was unsettlingly and intimidating. I was in no hurry to meet the master of the household.
Being without a partner was discomforting as well.
/Tsuzuki-san, she'll meet you in Kamakura./ Tatsumi had said.
But she never came. I couldn't quite decide whether that was because Tatsumi didn't like the idea of me working with a woman, or the woman saw my past recordes and decided I was a freak. Both thoughts were discouraging. But it didn't really matter; this case was rather simple anyway.
There was a spirit dancing at with life and death. But his body has long since died three years ago; ;something was holding him back. A feeling of duty as the heir to the Kurosaki family perhaps? Or that undying desire to live? I wasn't sure, but I was suppose to free him from his binds and set him in peace. But it was wrong of Tatsumi to send me. I respect life far more than death. I'll probably just try to cheat the underworld of another spirit to collect.
But maybe that was why Tatsumi sent me. A shinigami could not interact with the living if he didn't love them.
"Doctor Tsuzuki Asato?"
A soft yet firm voice met my ears. A man with light brown hair and almost glowing silver eyes stood at the entranceway with the air of someone completely self-assured. The walls seemed to cringe at his touch and tension was suddenly tangible. I forced a nervous smile.
"Yes, I came from Tokyo. I believe you sent for a doctor to treat your son?" I asked, choosing my words with care. Hopefully, he wouldn't become suspicious. GuShoShin had created replacement files and forged my medical license last minute.
He nodded slowly, and I could feel my back relax. I searched his expressions for an emotion. Sadness for his child perhaps? A sign to show the seemingly flawless man had a weakness? But his face remained a mask of indifference.
"Miya-san will prepare your room."
And with that, he was gone.
***
Miya-chan had a bright smile and carefree spirit. As she led me down the hall, she described the wonderful neighbors, Master's cold face but warm heart, Mistress's beauty and kindness. It seemed she never had anything bad to say about anybody.
"Don't mind Master's words. He doesn't say much, but he is very nice to all of us. Lately, he's been very busy discussing some things with the family, and that was why he said so little. Rui-sama, our mistress, is a beautiful woman. She'll be very happy to see you. She isn't home, but she'll speak to you as soon as she returns. She's visiting Master's older brother right now."
Kurosaki Nagare had a older brother? Yet he is the head of the household; that sounded very unusual. I made a mental note to ask GuShoShin later.
"I'm sure Kasane-sama would like to meet you as well. She's Rui-sama's older sister, and she helps fill up her place in the household when she's gone. We're all very excited that you're here, Doctor." She paused as she opened a sliding door and led me to my room. "Which hospital were you sent from?"
I swallowed uncomfortably and forced a smile, "I don't work in a hospital. I'm in private practice. But the request that your Master sent showed up in our computer network and I thought I'd volunteer." My reply sounded shaky. I desperately wondered what would happen if they actually wanted me to issue prescriptions.
Tatsumi, you are going to pay.
"Why don't you come shopping with us tonight, Doctor," Miya said with a smile that showed no skepticism. "We can show you around."
"Just call me Asato or Tsuzuki. Doctor sounds too formal," I imitated a disgusted face and was rewarded with a burst of laughter. "Sure, I'll go."
"That's great! You're the Kurosaki family's doctor, everyone'll want know you," she said brightly. "Tomorrow, we'll give you a tour around the rural countryside and help you be more acquainted. And the day after that, there's going to be a winter festival. You cannot miss that either."
Something about her tone was suspicious.
"When can I meet the boy?" I asked.
She stiffened visibly and silence settled in the room.
"When Master agrees," she finally said, and bowed to excuse herself.
The door hastily and the sound of her footsteps faded down the hall.
I stared at the door panel in confusion. Kurosaki Nagare did not want me to see his son? But there was a request sent from Kamakura for a doctor. He greeted me at the door. Was he not the one who asked for a doctor? He was the head of the household, no decisions could be made without his approval. Then, how...?
My bags fell unhappily onto the wooden floor as I dropped them with a sigh. Something was wrong here, but I couldn't quite tell what.
Perhaps I should be more assertive?
I sighed, louder this time. Perhaps not. Kurosaki Nagare didn't seem like someone who would tolerate it if I went prying into his family business. But I was at a loss of how to pacify a spirit if I couldn't even see him.
A sudden gust of wind, entwined with snow and sakura invaded the room. It was only then I realized how cold it was. My feet were numb and the tips of my fingers tinted slightly purple. They should have heating in this place. The Kamakura winters were icy, even if spring was approaching. Was tradition really that important, that they would sacrifice well-being and comfort?
I stepped into the courtyard, scanning the terrain for people, but there were none. Only a failing bird could be heard screaming in the distance. An eroding path stretched up to the mountains that rose steeply beyond the courtyard wall. The snow was going to melt soon; the winter was dying.
A soft creak, like footsteps on decaying frost.
I tensed instantly and glanced at the intruder. A figure, shaded by the sakura, watched silently from a distance. For a moment, icy green eyes met mine. Then a flutter of white garments and he was gone.
***
"Please step this way, Tsuzuki-san," Miya said, gesturing towards the meeting room veiled by the screen door.
I smiled towards her amiably, but the expression she returned was feeble and nervous. Whoever this Rui-sama was, she must be a frightening character. And I thought Miya-chan said she was kind and beautiful.
As expected, when Rui finally returned from her trip, she called for my company. She had been come for almost two days, and for two days, I was dragged around the countryside by Miya and her friends, touring the landscape. The food was great, I couldn't complain about that. But the weather had been rather annoying, the winter reluctant to give way for spring. And I hadn't been able to even catch a glimpse of the Kurosaki heir, the boy whose heart already died, but the spirit refused to leave his body. I was beginning to seriously doubt if this case could be solved before EnMaCho's annual spring celebration.
I stepped past the door and a sparsly deorated room met my eyes, offering residence to only a low wooden table and colorless mats. The windows to the courtyard were parted, the entire north wall was open to the swirling snow and sakura that decended from the mountains.
It was cold. Very cold. I dimly wondered how anyone could stay in this room and be comfortable.
The lady who inhabited it looked almost like a decoration at first. Her eyes were a murky green, like a dark pond in a frigid day. Her dark her contrasted sharply from her pale features like the painting of a master artist. Her lips were fixed in a thin line, as if she had forgotten how to smile long ago. Perhaps she had grieved too long for her son and left all the light behind. Her kinomoto, however, was smiling. The light cloth bore intricate designs of sakura blossoms that danced across her body, something that didn't belong in such a harsh room. She was beautiful, as Miya had described, but not in an approachable way. She felt like someone a person would only watch from a distance and shield away when she neared.
"Doctor Tsuzuki Asato?" her voice was icy but strangely musical, like the song of a blooming lupine in the winter.
"Yes," my voice broke in my throat as I attempted to speak.
"Please, sit down."
I obeyed, stiffening my back and placing my hands in my lap conscientiously, finding myself wanting to please her and fearing her disapproval. The Kurosakis were intimidating. I wanted desperately to return to my room.
"I'm afraid we will be very busy lately. Please ask Miya-san for any needs," her voice sounded apathetical despite her obvious attempt at kindness. Her expression was immutable.
I nodded.
She was suddenly silent. I shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her to continue. Glancing up, I realized her eyes were no longer fixed on me, but the screen door behind. I followed her gaze, recognizing a woman that mirrored her features, but lacked the frozen demeanor. Her face looked flushed somehow, as if the cold bit into her skin. A clear green eyes settled on me only for a moment, then fixed themselves on her reflection.
"Onee-sama," Rui whispered.
Sister?
The person I took to be Kasane walked slowly, her head held high and her gaze unwavering. Her footsteps rung loudly in my ears, shattering the perfect fixture of the frosty morning.
What was going on?
I kept silent, watching the two women in confusion.
"What are you doing here, Onee-san?" Rui asked, her voice suddenly colder than before.
"I heard a doctor came. You would not mind me joining you?"
Somehow, Kasane's words sounded taunting in my ears. But her face was fixed in a delicate smile, her actions frighteningly polite. The woven sakura of her kinomo seemed to reflect her calmness, but there was a harshness that I couldn't quite identify.
"I was just finishing," Rui said, turning her gaze to me. "Doctor, you may leave now."
I nodded stupidly.
"No, why don't you stay? I would like to hear your plans for Hisoka," Kasane's voice was like silk, sooth and musical. But I couldn't help but wince under that facade of a smile.
"Well...," I cleared my throat uneasily. "I haven't seem him yet. I..."
"Really."
I glanced up sharply at that tone of voice, suddenly cold. There was no surprise in her face at all, as if she had been waiting for those words. Kasane turned to Rui, her eyes bitter.
"You can't keep him like this." Kasane's voice burned with a hot fire. "You have no right."
Rui's eyes narrowed into slits, but her body betrayed no emotion. "There's nothing..."
"Hisoka's dying," Kasane's voice was angry, and she towered above her sister, "You refuse to acknowledge it. He needs help. You're letting him die."
I could feel my back tensing but I forced myself to keep still. How could Rui want to kill her son? The woman was too confused to think clearly. I could not comprehend their words, but as I watched them, I realized that Kasane had meant to let me see this. In this family strung together by delicate webs, someone with her status could not be foolish enough to involve a stranger in a private dispute. She wanted me to suspect Rui for crimes that I did not yet understand.
"There's nothing we can do," Rui's voice was soft now, and she brought her eyes to the floor. "It's too late. It always was too late."
"You're lying," Kasane hissed. "You hate him. You want him to die."
The expression of Rui's face was one of absolute shock and horror. The mask was broken, and she looked at her sister with the expression of a frightened beast. But before she could respond, Kasane left through the still-open door without sparing us another glance. Rui pulled herself to her feet unsteadily and followed, her icy stature shattered. The floors creaked as she ran down the hall after her sister.
I sat at my place in the empty room, shoulders slightly moist from the thin coat of melting snow that drifted from the landscape beyond. I wasn't sure if I should stay, but I didn't want to leave. The floor that I sat on was just beginning to be warmed, and I didn't want to be cold again. The women's discourse was strange. Rui, a woman described as kind and beautiful, seemed to have an icy interior. Kasane, the caretaker of this house, hated her sister with a vengeance. The overall case was beginning to take on a surreal atmosphere. I was starting to suspect that I should not be here, that it was not my place. I had no intention of becoming tangled in the webs of a family quarrel, much less forcing a sixteen year old boy to die. But something held me there. I was suppose to resolve this, but I was beginning to doubt if it was as simple as it first appeared to be.
***
"How are things going, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi's voice drifted from my laptop, ringing with an artificial buzz.
"Terribly," I complained. "The people here are just scary. And the master doesn't like me."
"You're just worrying too much. This case isn't hard. Just follow their traditions."
Tatsumi made things sound so easy, but following traditions were tedious and frustrating. I groaned loudly, then mentally slapped myself. I silently hoped the servants didn't hear.
"Have you discovered what is wrong with the Kurosaki heir?"
I paused, replaying the occurrences in my head. Kurosaki Nagare's expressionless face at the description of his son's illness. Rui and Kasane's exchange of discourse that only blurred things more. Kasane was bitter against Rui for things that I do not yet understand, and she was trying to use me as an excuse to heat past arguments. I wasn't sure if I wanted to play that role.
"The master doesn't want me to see him," I said finally.
"He doesn't want a doctor to examine his son?" Tatsumi's voice was incredulous. "No, you're just worrying too much Tsuzuki-san. The boy was probably resting, and he didn't want you to disturb him."
"But its been two days," I sighed, then shrugged in defeat. "Perhaps."
For some reason, I didn't want to carry a conversation. I hoped Tatsumi wasn't upset at my sudden silence, but I knew he wouldn't question me. Right now, I didn't feel like assuring him I was all right.
This family seemed so cold and distant from each other. How could they be so apathetic to their obvious misfortune? Or maybe they wanted to forget about the sadness plaguing their family, and I was only forcing on them guilt that they didn't deserve.
But I was sure. I could see the servants wry glances as I passed the halls. I could feel that deep distrust within Kurosaki Nagare as he spoke to me. And the stinging frost that seemed to cling to the walls of the entire estate whispered hidden secrets.
These people, with this illness in their hearts, how could they live in such a cold house?
End of chapter 1
---------------------------------
altered slightly (11-6-01)
Lupine is a red flower blooming only in summer.
Somehow, 2 new symbols poped up. Oops. Wanted to save them for later but oh well...
Standard disclaimers apply.
------------------------------------
Erosion - Chapter 1
by Rubie
------------------------------------
A shallow stream shimmered in the distance.
A sakura grove swept like a bloody blanket across the mountains.
A courtyard bore an eroding path that carved itself through the snow.
"Please excuse me, Doctor. Master will be with you soon"
I watched the servant as she hurried back to the hall with an inward sigh. The traditional setting of a rural estate was beautiful, but it felt oppressing somehow. The family's display of simple lavishness was unsettlingly and intimidating. I was in no hurry to meet the master of the household.
Being without a partner was discomforting as well.
/Tsuzuki-san, she'll meet you in Kamakura./ Tatsumi had said.
But she never came. I couldn't quite decide whether that was because Tatsumi didn't like the idea of me working with a woman, or the woman saw my past recordes and decided I was a freak. Both thoughts were discouraging. But it didn't really matter; this case was rather simple anyway.
There was a spirit dancing at with life and death. But his body has long since died three years ago; ;something was holding him back. A feeling of duty as the heir to the Kurosaki family perhaps? Or that undying desire to live? I wasn't sure, but I was suppose to free him from his binds and set him in peace. But it was wrong of Tatsumi to send me. I respect life far more than death. I'll probably just try to cheat the underworld of another spirit to collect.
But maybe that was why Tatsumi sent me. A shinigami could not interact with the living if he didn't love them.
"Doctor Tsuzuki Asato?"
A soft yet firm voice met my ears. A man with light brown hair and almost glowing silver eyes stood at the entranceway with the air of someone completely self-assured. The walls seemed to cringe at his touch and tension was suddenly tangible. I forced a nervous smile.
"Yes, I came from Tokyo. I believe you sent for a doctor to treat your son?" I asked, choosing my words with care. Hopefully, he wouldn't become suspicious. GuShoShin had created replacement files and forged my medical license last minute.
He nodded slowly, and I could feel my back relax. I searched his expressions for an emotion. Sadness for his child perhaps? A sign to show the seemingly flawless man had a weakness? But his face remained a mask of indifference.
"Miya-san will prepare your room."
And with that, he was gone.
***
Miya-chan had a bright smile and carefree spirit. As she led me down the hall, she described the wonderful neighbors, Master's cold face but warm heart, Mistress's beauty and kindness. It seemed she never had anything bad to say about anybody.
"Don't mind Master's words. He doesn't say much, but he is very nice to all of us. Lately, he's been very busy discussing some things with the family, and that was why he said so little. Rui-sama, our mistress, is a beautiful woman. She'll be very happy to see you. She isn't home, but she'll speak to you as soon as she returns. She's visiting Master's older brother right now."
Kurosaki Nagare had a older brother? Yet he is the head of the household; that sounded very unusual. I made a mental note to ask GuShoShin later.
"I'm sure Kasane-sama would like to meet you as well. She's Rui-sama's older sister, and she helps fill up her place in the household when she's gone. We're all very excited that you're here, Doctor." She paused as she opened a sliding door and led me to my room. "Which hospital were you sent from?"
I swallowed uncomfortably and forced a smile, "I don't work in a hospital. I'm in private practice. But the request that your Master sent showed up in our computer network and I thought I'd volunteer." My reply sounded shaky. I desperately wondered what would happen if they actually wanted me to issue prescriptions.
Tatsumi, you are going to pay.
"Why don't you come shopping with us tonight, Doctor," Miya said with a smile that showed no skepticism. "We can show you around."
"Just call me Asato or Tsuzuki. Doctor sounds too formal," I imitated a disgusted face and was rewarded with a burst of laughter. "Sure, I'll go."
"That's great! You're the Kurosaki family's doctor, everyone'll want know you," she said brightly. "Tomorrow, we'll give you a tour around the rural countryside and help you be more acquainted. And the day after that, there's going to be a winter festival. You cannot miss that either."
Something about her tone was suspicious.
"When can I meet the boy?" I asked.
She stiffened visibly and silence settled in the room.
"When Master agrees," she finally said, and bowed to excuse herself.
The door hastily and the sound of her footsteps faded down the hall.
I stared at the door panel in confusion. Kurosaki Nagare did not want me to see his son? But there was a request sent from Kamakura for a doctor. He greeted me at the door. Was he not the one who asked for a doctor? He was the head of the household, no decisions could be made without his approval. Then, how...?
My bags fell unhappily onto the wooden floor as I dropped them with a sigh. Something was wrong here, but I couldn't quite tell what.
Perhaps I should be more assertive?
I sighed, louder this time. Perhaps not. Kurosaki Nagare didn't seem like someone who would tolerate it if I went prying into his family business. But I was at a loss of how to pacify a spirit if I couldn't even see him.
A sudden gust of wind, entwined with snow and sakura invaded the room. It was only then I realized how cold it was. My feet were numb and the tips of my fingers tinted slightly purple. They should have heating in this place. The Kamakura winters were icy, even if spring was approaching. Was tradition really that important, that they would sacrifice well-being and comfort?
I stepped into the courtyard, scanning the terrain for people, but there were none. Only a failing bird could be heard screaming in the distance. An eroding path stretched up to the mountains that rose steeply beyond the courtyard wall. The snow was going to melt soon; the winter was dying.
A soft creak, like footsteps on decaying frost.
I tensed instantly and glanced at the intruder. A figure, shaded by the sakura, watched silently from a distance. For a moment, icy green eyes met mine. Then a flutter of white garments and he was gone.
***
"Please step this way, Tsuzuki-san," Miya said, gesturing towards the meeting room veiled by the screen door.
I smiled towards her amiably, but the expression she returned was feeble and nervous. Whoever this Rui-sama was, she must be a frightening character. And I thought Miya-chan said she was kind and beautiful.
As expected, when Rui finally returned from her trip, she called for my company. She had been come for almost two days, and for two days, I was dragged around the countryside by Miya and her friends, touring the landscape. The food was great, I couldn't complain about that. But the weather had been rather annoying, the winter reluctant to give way for spring. And I hadn't been able to even catch a glimpse of the Kurosaki heir, the boy whose heart already died, but the spirit refused to leave his body. I was beginning to seriously doubt if this case could be solved before EnMaCho's annual spring celebration.
I stepped past the door and a sparsly deorated room met my eyes, offering residence to only a low wooden table and colorless mats. The windows to the courtyard were parted, the entire north wall was open to the swirling snow and sakura that decended from the mountains.
It was cold. Very cold. I dimly wondered how anyone could stay in this room and be comfortable.
The lady who inhabited it looked almost like a decoration at first. Her eyes were a murky green, like a dark pond in a frigid day. Her dark her contrasted sharply from her pale features like the painting of a master artist. Her lips were fixed in a thin line, as if she had forgotten how to smile long ago. Perhaps she had grieved too long for her son and left all the light behind. Her kinomoto, however, was smiling. The light cloth bore intricate designs of sakura blossoms that danced across her body, something that didn't belong in such a harsh room. She was beautiful, as Miya had described, but not in an approachable way. She felt like someone a person would only watch from a distance and shield away when she neared.
"Doctor Tsuzuki Asato?" her voice was icy but strangely musical, like the song of a blooming lupine in the winter.
"Yes," my voice broke in my throat as I attempted to speak.
"Please, sit down."
I obeyed, stiffening my back and placing my hands in my lap conscientiously, finding myself wanting to please her and fearing her disapproval. The Kurosakis were intimidating. I wanted desperately to return to my room.
"I'm afraid we will be very busy lately. Please ask Miya-san for any needs," her voice sounded apathetical despite her obvious attempt at kindness. Her expression was immutable.
I nodded.
She was suddenly silent. I shifted uncomfortably, waiting for her to continue. Glancing up, I realized her eyes were no longer fixed on me, but the screen door behind. I followed her gaze, recognizing a woman that mirrored her features, but lacked the frozen demeanor. Her face looked flushed somehow, as if the cold bit into her skin. A clear green eyes settled on me only for a moment, then fixed themselves on her reflection.
"Onee-sama," Rui whispered.
Sister?
The person I took to be Kasane walked slowly, her head held high and her gaze unwavering. Her footsteps rung loudly in my ears, shattering the perfect fixture of the frosty morning.
What was going on?
I kept silent, watching the two women in confusion.
"What are you doing here, Onee-san?" Rui asked, her voice suddenly colder than before.
"I heard a doctor came. You would not mind me joining you?"
Somehow, Kasane's words sounded taunting in my ears. But her face was fixed in a delicate smile, her actions frighteningly polite. The woven sakura of her kinomo seemed to reflect her calmness, but there was a harshness that I couldn't quite identify.
"I was just finishing," Rui said, turning her gaze to me. "Doctor, you may leave now."
I nodded stupidly.
"No, why don't you stay? I would like to hear your plans for Hisoka," Kasane's voice was like silk, sooth and musical. But I couldn't help but wince under that facade of a smile.
"Well...," I cleared my throat uneasily. "I haven't seem him yet. I..."
"Really."
I glanced up sharply at that tone of voice, suddenly cold. There was no surprise in her face at all, as if she had been waiting for those words. Kasane turned to Rui, her eyes bitter.
"You can't keep him like this." Kasane's voice burned with a hot fire. "You have no right."
Rui's eyes narrowed into slits, but her body betrayed no emotion. "There's nothing..."
"Hisoka's dying," Kasane's voice was angry, and she towered above her sister, "You refuse to acknowledge it. He needs help. You're letting him die."
I could feel my back tensing but I forced myself to keep still. How could Rui want to kill her son? The woman was too confused to think clearly. I could not comprehend their words, but as I watched them, I realized that Kasane had meant to let me see this. In this family strung together by delicate webs, someone with her status could not be foolish enough to involve a stranger in a private dispute. She wanted me to suspect Rui for crimes that I did not yet understand.
"There's nothing we can do," Rui's voice was soft now, and she brought her eyes to the floor. "It's too late. It always was too late."
"You're lying," Kasane hissed. "You hate him. You want him to die."
The expression of Rui's face was one of absolute shock and horror. The mask was broken, and she looked at her sister with the expression of a frightened beast. But before she could respond, Kasane left through the still-open door without sparing us another glance. Rui pulled herself to her feet unsteadily and followed, her icy stature shattered. The floors creaked as she ran down the hall after her sister.
I sat at my place in the empty room, shoulders slightly moist from the thin coat of melting snow that drifted from the landscape beyond. I wasn't sure if I should stay, but I didn't want to leave. The floor that I sat on was just beginning to be warmed, and I didn't want to be cold again. The women's discourse was strange. Rui, a woman described as kind and beautiful, seemed to have an icy interior. Kasane, the caretaker of this house, hated her sister with a vengeance. The overall case was beginning to take on a surreal atmosphere. I was starting to suspect that I should not be here, that it was not my place. I had no intention of becoming tangled in the webs of a family quarrel, much less forcing a sixteen year old boy to die. But something held me there. I was suppose to resolve this, but I was beginning to doubt if it was as simple as it first appeared to be.
***
"How are things going, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi's voice drifted from my laptop, ringing with an artificial buzz.
"Terribly," I complained. "The people here are just scary. And the master doesn't like me."
"You're just worrying too much. This case isn't hard. Just follow their traditions."
Tatsumi made things sound so easy, but following traditions were tedious and frustrating. I groaned loudly, then mentally slapped myself. I silently hoped the servants didn't hear.
"Have you discovered what is wrong with the Kurosaki heir?"
I paused, replaying the occurrences in my head. Kurosaki Nagare's expressionless face at the description of his son's illness. Rui and Kasane's exchange of discourse that only blurred things more. Kasane was bitter against Rui for things that I do not yet understand, and she was trying to use me as an excuse to heat past arguments. I wasn't sure if I wanted to play that role.
"The master doesn't want me to see him," I said finally.
"He doesn't want a doctor to examine his son?" Tatsumi's voice was incredulous. "No, you're just worrying too much Tsuzuki-san. The boy was probably resting, and he didn't want you to disturb him."
"But its been two days," I sighed, then shrugged in defeat. "Perhaps."
For some reason, I didn't want to carry a conversation. I hoped Tatsumi wasn't upset at my sudden silence, but I knew he wouldn't question me. Right now, I didn't feel like assuring him I was all right.
This family seemed so cold and distant from each other. How could they be so apathetic to their obvious misfortune? Or maybe they wanted to forget about the sadness plaguing their family, and I was only forcing on them guilt that they didn't deserve.
But I was sure. I could see the servants wry glances as I passed the halls. I could feel that deep distrust within Kurosaki Nagare as he spoke to me. And the stinging frost that seemed to cling to the walls of the entire estate whispered hidden secrets.
These people, with this illness in their hearts, how could they live in such a cold house?
End of chapter 1
---------------------------------
altered slightly (11-6-01)
Lupine is a red flower blooming only in summer.
Somehow, 2 new symbols poped up. Oops. Wanted to save them for later but oh well...