In Those Deep, Starry Eyes, I See Cherry Petals Depressed but breathing

The second Meeting,and a promise

Life went on. People arrived as usual, and Miko helped them. She wasn’t losing her ability, not at all. Everyone's eyes still revealed their stories to her. That was a huge weight off of her shoulders, but a lingering question sat with her.
‘Why couldn’t I read her eyes?’
She decided to simply hope the woman had been encouraged to move past whatever it was that was troubling her. When expounding her troubles for Miko, the bluenette hadn’t ever given a solid point for her issues, so it was all pretty much unknown to the shrine maiden.
This week had been nice. She’d helped the anxious owners of a sick dog move past their worries.
A few days later, when the dog had recovered from its illness, the owners brought the dog over. Miko spent a few hours laughing while being smothered in affection from the loveable canine. It wasn’t often pets would be brought to the shrine.
A young man, not a day over 17, had approached the shrine maiden with nervousness shaking him. He was planning on confessing to his crush, but was worried about a myriad of problems, some of which wouldn’t even matter if he got rejected. Miko sat with him and talked about relationships, and how friendships were just important.
“Even if she says no, you should still try to be friends with her. Don’t make her think you’re so one-sided that you only wanted to get with her to get with her. Maybe things are just too restrictive at home for her, or maybe she’s having trouble focusing on her studies. If you build your friendship with her, there may be a chance in the future that you can take the next step.” The man’s eyes lit up when Miko expounded on friendship.
“I guess you’ve got a lot of friends yourself, huh?” Miko gulped, embarrassment crawling down her neck.
“Well, I, uh… I speak from being on the other end of the stick… Since I don’t have that many friends, if any at all, I guess I just really want to cherish something like that.” The man nodded, urging her to continue. “I had a few friends, but once they moved out of the city, they lost contact with me. Especially when my duties as the shrine maiden began taking up most of my day. I had some really nice people around me, but… things change. That’s the important thing!” Leave it to her to flip the conversation back around to the client’s issue. “That’s why it’s so important to build your friendship! If it’s a good enough friendship, they won’t ever leave you alone. That’s why you shouldn’t be upset if she rejects you.” The man nodded, a bright smile on his face.
“Thank you, Miko-san!”
Besides those highlights, it was more of the usual. A couple worried about an item they misplaced and couldn’t find, an elderly man who wanted someone to pray with him for his hospitalized spouse, a lawyer who felt at odds with a case she was taking… It was just a usual week.
On Friday evening, just as Miko was taking down the “open” sign in front of the torii gate, a woman appeared. That flash of blue, the shining stars, and her gray outfit shone like a beacon of light, impossible to miss.
“Ah, I guess I’m too late. I’ll have to come another time then…” Her voice was less raspy, but it was thin, fragile. It was a voice that was losing sense of the world and was about to lose its purpose. Miko, rightfully so, became panicked.
“Nononononono! I was just about to close for the night! You made it on time, I can take you now!” A faint smile pulled at the bluenette’s lips.
“I’ll be in your care then.”
The walk to the stand was silent, but it was a comfortable silence. Miko swore that this wasn’t an exception because of this woman’s constant lingering in her mind. She would have done this for anyone… right? They arrived at the stand, Miko taking her place behind it and Suisei sitting on the stool.
“How may I help… Suisei-san?” She purposely acted like she’d had trouble remembering the woman’s name. It would’ve been awkward to say that she’d committed the name to memory just in case she showed up again. Regardless, seeing her name had been remembered made that small smile slightly larger.
“Well, I figured maybe we could do this again since I haven’t really made any progress. Guess you don’t really get that many repeat clients, huh?” Miko hoped the setting sun didn’t show her face. A blush formed on her cheeks, and she wasn’t sure if it was from embarrassment having not been good enough, or because it implied this beautiful woman was someone special. She reeled her chaotic thoughts in; she still had a job to do.
“I can’t say it’s a common occurrence, no.” A sigh from Suisei sent a jolt down her spine, snapping her attention fully to the bluenette.
“Well, I think I figured it out a little bit.” Miko nodded, gently encouraging her. “I think… I’m confused about what it’s all about. Y’know? Like, what’s the purpose if we’re just gonna end up all going to the same place? Why try to do anything differently? If we’re all gonna just end up under the ground, trapped in a wooden box until the end of time, why even do anything at all?”
Existentialism was something that Miko had briefly struggled with herself. She quickly came to realize that the point of existence wasn’t the destination, but the journey. It helped justify her work as well, being able to brighten others’ journeys as she continued her own.
“Well, in my own opinion, I think it’s useful to ignore the end point.” The starry eyed woman tilted her head. Miko continued. “I think it’s better to focus on enjoying yourself while you’re alive. Live to the fullest, since that’s the only thing you can do.”
“...What if I’m not able to live life to the fullest?” Miko was almost shocked by the melancholy coming from Suisei’s voice.
“Why do you think you won’t be able to, Suisei-san?” Those blue eyes still had a barrier, a darkness that prevented her from seeing inside. She wanted to scream in frustration and just make everything in this woman’s life alright, but she had no idea how to start. They looked directly at her, glazed over and almost teary.
“Because I’ve never been good enough. Every time I try to reach out and seize my dream, something grabs onto me and holds me back. Every time I shake that off, my dream’s moved so much further away.” As though she realized she was on the verge of tears, she recoiled slightly, using one of her sleeves to elegantly dab at her eyes. The sight ripped Miko’s heart apart.
“Um, if it would help, you can let out those emotions freely here. I don’t judge.” Suisei took her cellphone out, glancing at it momentarily. She hastily stood up, turning around without letting Miko see her eyes.
“I’ll… I’ll come back again… to talk more.” The cracks in her voice spoke of sorrow, deep and chronic. Miko steadied herself as she stood up as well.
“...Promise me, Suisei-san. Promise me you’ll come back until you’re better. Please. You don’t even need to pay me, I just can’t bear to see a client torn apart like this, even after visiting me.”
Miko’s request hung heavy in the air. The shrine maiden’s cheeks burned, realizing some sort of deeper, hidden meaning of her plea that the respectable woman across from her probably wouldn’t be thinking of. Still, she didn’t take the plea back; she meant it when she said she wanted Suisei to feel better. The comet’s arm rose up to her face, wiping the tears that Miko couldn’t see away. She sniffled, the only true evidence Miko had that she was still crying. It stung her chest to see this star, so bright and willing to explode with joy so dim and constricted. Finally, Suisei’s arm returned to her side.
“F-fine… I’ll agree to th-that.” Miko reached out her arm. She had to tell Suisei that she could stay until she was better. She had to tell her she didn’t have to hide her emotions. Before she could even utter the words, the woman had broken into a sprint, urgency pushing her faster than she’d probably run normally. Miko could simply watch as the star faded into the night, hand outstretched toward a dying light. After a few seconds, she breathed through her nose, realizing it was stuffy.
Upon sniffling, she realized tears were running down her face.
“...Maybe we’re not all that different, Suisei-san.”
The only listeners to her realization were the sleeping cicadas and the fireflies that were beginning their nighttime flights.