ODE TO THE MURDERED, bonten

41

PART FOURTY ONE !
cinnamon and maroon.

ITS QUIET OUTSIDE. despite the bare sun slowly sinking, the weather is cold and the clouds abundant and grey. you've sauntered towards the edge, gaze fixated on the seaside once again, patiently waiting for Sano Manjiro to finish purchasing taiyakis inside. surprisingly so, he had accepted your offer in a heartbeat. you initially thought he had closed himself off again, but he had broken that illusion by accepting your offer, fixing you with soft expressions, his gestures remaining simple and friendly and he even made casual conversations during your whole ride to the bakery at the west coast.

"did i worry too much?" your hands pat your your coldening cheeks, ichor dewing your head whilst you overthink to your lonesome self, torso pressed against the railing overviewing the vast wide ocean, the crashing of waves like sharp foliage on your ears.

    it didn't take a minute until someone broke your train of thoughts, you felt something bumping your leg. you side-eyed, gaze drawing downward until you see a curly mop of pale, coral pink hair—that belonging to a child.

    "hm?" you pivot your heel, facing the young boy. his gaze drew up and that is when your eyes meet the most ocean shade of blue, big fat tears on the verge of pouring down, it throws you off for a moment.

    "hey." you bend down to his level. "are you lost?" at your gentle inquiry, his lips and hands start to tremble, his coral head whips side to side, eyes searching around again before he nods at you, a quiet sob escaping his lips.

    he sniffles and hics, face contorting as he starts sobbing. your heart spiked with mild panic,

"w-wait. come here, boy." you reach out your arms, stopped momentarily when your cold fingers brushes the boy's warm skin—the vision of your uncle's blood in your hands flashes a crooked scene in your eyes then quickly vanishes, leaving you stunned and rigid. you closed your eyes, inhaling, pushing your haunting past behind your head and gather the boy in your embrace, bundling them up and soothing him softly.

the child is soft and plush, clinging to you and burying his tear and snot stained face on the crook of your neck, wet lashes fluttering on your skin. the view made your heart melt into a puddle—because you can never have this luxury, the luxury to relax and smile with ease, the luxury to play with children without the thought of blood and murder staining your hands or the rugged and isolated way you grew up, without the warmth of someone's embrace.

    unknowingly, you've start to slowly hum a remedy that Marise used to sing to you before. the little boy's cries had soften into quiet sniffling, chubby cheek pressed on your collarbone.

    "there you are." you chuckle as you ended your humming. "you really are a crybaby, aren't you?"

    then you hear pattering footsteps in the distance, you look up to see a young woman approaching you with such haste.

    "Hiro!" the woman exclaims. the boy in your arms starts to squirm, reaching out his grubby hands towards her.

    "oh, my darling who told you to wander around like that?" the boy's mother gathers Hiro into her arms, cradling him to her chest. "you silly boy," then she flutters her doe eyes at you.

   "thank you, thank you so much for finding him."

    you gave her a cute nod. "it's your little boy that bumped into me first. i'm glad he has finally found his mother, this particular street isn't safe for wandering children."