SO  COLD  ,  SO  LONESOME  –  feels  it  from  weight  of  such  concave  response  :  alone  .  how  haunting  it  was  to  feel  this  burden  ,  to  mutter  it  ‘neath  breath  &  wish  for  a  new  day  ,  only  to  repeat  ,  repeat  .  wants  to  make  it  better  ,  have  it  go  ‘way  ,  but  bared  teeth  bring  more  hurt  ‘ver  heal  .  they  are  wild  animals  (  *  UNWANTED  ,  UNWANTED  )  ,  unloved  by  man  ‘like  ,  though  they  swear  they  would  bring  no  harm  .  fingers  twist  ,  worry  ‘round  one  ‘nother  as  she  hums  reply  ;  melancholy  .  i’ll  stay  .  promise  .

DRIFTS INTO THE LATTICEWORK of tree and thicket, ( away, away ) to an unknown route. a gown of void lost to their thorns, blacker than the shadows dancing across the wet earth. he hums back. it was the same hymnal as before, distant and interminable as an echo. the theatre mask bows as her eyes descend, it is their silent pact as monsters lost in this world. trembling, aimless, empty --- but not alone. he ebbs, farther now, without leaving the small creature’s sight. a spirit’s soft beckon,  ❛ ah, ah. ❜  come this way.

where will she go ?  past land & sea maybe, clean out of sight where dewdrops still hang from her tongue. she will leave naught but rosy morn in her wake, a sign of cleansing, the world rejuvenated by the subtle kiss of her paws. where life goes she must follow ; it is an intricate existence that goes hang-in-hand with the all-mother’s soul, etched into the very confines of her now aging heart. he wishes to follow her, he does not want to be alone anymore, not when the sun settled so close near his cheek. 

wherever the wind may take me. 

she is always coming & going as though she were spring itself, the first day of spring that still clings onto its winter sheen. blossoms blush to flourish yet they do not last  — they never last. she never stays & perhaps he knew that all too well. her whiskers tremble, her breath shimmers outward into the open, free air.  

you may come with me if you like. 

THE WEARINESS OF HER HEART  still sends a ( dim, dim ) ache roiling through the darkle. bloats him heavy with sorrows he does not know. he fears this will promise rejection; of his shadow, of his presence in this world, perhaps even the next. only now that cycle isn’t a mundanity, it’s a painful thought. to see the sun part from the horizon when he has grown to love her light. wherever the wind may take me --- not us. 

                     NO  LIGHT  ,  NO  LIGHT  ;  all  dark  .  obscure  .  vague  .  shuddering  to  life  from  ink  &  ash  ,  clay  molding  to  copy  raw  emotion  –  her  timidity  :  how  will  he  mirror  that  ‘fore  disappearing  ‘to  smoke  ?  (  *  CANNOT  ,  CANNOT  ,  CANNOT  .  )

                     doe  blinks  ,  shifts  forward  at  the  sound  of  his  faint  humming  ——  lips  quiver  as  if  to  speak  ,  soft  tone  but  an  echoe  of  imitation  .          ❛        mmmm  .  .  .        ❜

THE BLACK CHASM DEEPENS  ‘pon his mask, shaping tiers into a wide smile. an expression vacant now visibly delighted with her response, the void is eager to carry their toneless song. another hum; soft, haunting, hollow. an echo of the night bereft of its stars. light did not thrive in deep, dark places --- did not reflect through the thin sockets of his mask. he is a spirit of old hungers, he is an unending pause in the present. how lonely it was. his teeth unseen would grit and chatter, but there is only silence 'tween their broken notes. please stay.

    ❛     JUST  A  SECOND!   i’ll  be  right  with  you.     ❜        the  little  witch   rushed  behind  the  counter,  her  robes  billowing  behind  her  with  a  slight  TRIP  in  her  step.  once  at  the  register,  she  opened  up  the  little  notepad  to  see  if  Osono  had  left  her  any  messages  regarding  her  side-business.        ❛     ok!  sorry  about  the  wait.  but  everything  here  is  baked  fresh  daily.  what  can  i  get  you?     ❜ 

THE SYNCOPATED BEAT OF  rain against the panes, the rattle of chimes above the door; he bids them farewell with a soft hum as he moves further into the space. it emits with a powerful odour of confections, of fresh breads he has never seen before. he approaches the front counter, arms materializing from his tenebrous gown. he looks to the child, watching patiently as she tends to a notepad, then averts his attention back to the display of foods. an arm is raised, a slow beckon to slices of castella. he grunts,  ❛ auh! ❜  this!

            Another day, another demon. It was routine to her now – resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the villagers’s panic, swiftly grabbing her bow and arrows, positioning herself, aiming, shooting and that was… wait, what? Kikyo became as taut as her bowstring when the arrow passed through the youkai, like it just… wasn’t there. Her surprise lasted only seconds, however, so that her display of weakness might’ve been only an illusion.

         ❝ … What do you seek? ❞ She chose to ask, a second arrow ready and surrounded by deathly light.❝ Answer me, if you are able – if you value your cursed existence at all. ❞

THE PIERCING BLOW OF AN ARROW  is lost to diminishing aspect, to his impenetrable shadow. he perceives the sound of its head collide with earth, he turns his attention to the arrow adorned in white feathers. it stands as resolute as its master. the mask is raised to look upon the priestess who wields the yumi, why is she aiming it this way? perhaps he has crossed the intended path; the spirit curves, reaching with stubby smoke arms to retrieve her arrow.