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————— ☾ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎
'i am to be wed to a god... what a joyous day...'
you stared ahead at the blurry path with half lidded eyes, your thoughts like strange murmurs fading in and out of your mind. though it was supposed to be your wedding day, you found yourself with a lack of excitement. you looked from side to side drowsily, observing the multitude of stone statues crowding about off the edge of the path.
it was a child's crying that broke through your lightheaded daze. you peered past the stone statues curiously, wondering where the source could be. how could someone be so sad on such a special day?
you spotted a dark haired girl donning a large lavender bow, huddled behind the statues and shaking with her cries. she couldn't have been older than four, though there was a lifetime of sorrow in the way she held herself.
"nobody will talk to me." the little girl sniffled, large tears rolling down her chubby cheeks. "they won't look me in the eye. i don't even know what my father or mother looks like..."
she turned her attention to a boy beside her, one that seemed only a few years older. he didn't look at her either, instead watching a little sparrow peck at the dirt a few feet away.
"will you stay with me?" the little sumire- how did you know that name, you wondered to yourself?- asked, blinking her watery eyes at the boy. "will you help me when i'm in trouble?"
the boy- you knew him, as well, he seemed scarily familiar- was quiet, before sighing.
"...sure, i guess. it's m'job to take care of you, after all."
the little sumire blinked up at him, wiping her tears on her sleeve before reaching for the older boy's hand. she smiled, cheeks rosy as she tipped her head.
"it's a promise, then, hakubo kun..."
and then, through the mist filled haze, you saw that sumire was older; about your age now. you watched as she clasped her hands together, praying to a group of little statues.
"they tell me one of these statues is made every time a girl like me is offered up to the gods." sumire murmured, resting her hands on the grassy floor beneath her. "when i go to the gods for my marriage, do you think they'll make one for me?"
