User:The Koromo/Junebugs (DS chapter 25)

"It's a nice evening, isn't it?" "Why yes, it is." As Koromo and Kazuo took the final step from the stone staircase of Ryuumonbuchi's garden and into the grass below, Koromo could not help but feel a mix of both regret and thinly-veiled happiness. Despite everything - despite all the drama and turmoil that plagued her own summer, her own year - the place with this acquaintance of her's brought her temporary inner joy; something in which she had longed for it to be permanant ever since her parent's death. She turned her head over to him. Already, Kazuo, whom was carrying around a glass jar, was shuffling about in the grass, most blades of it short, though some tall, looking around eagerly in the dirt for any bugs he could scoop up and catch. Koromo could not hold back a smile. Despite everything - despite what was happening between him, herself, Touka, Makoto, and anyone else involved in this struggle - she could not consider him anything less than a friend. Touka loathed him, yes, and if anything, Koromo should have too, or at least heavily disliked and abhorred him. However, she could not; he was someone who helped her in ways she could only describe as cosmic. At times, she thought that she was destined to meet him, and that this was only the beginning to a chain of fortunate events. Or, at least, she hoped for that idea. "Aha! I got one!" Kazuo announced. Koromo approached him as he plopped himself down on the grass and handed Koromo the jar, whom sat down beside him as well. Staring through the glass jar, she saw a tiny bug, just about the size of her own thumbnail, frenetically buzzing about in the glass. It glowed a pretty, bright yellow aura that lit up the glass as it flew around. Koromo, whom was no expert on insects, felt the need to ask. "That is a Junebug, is it not?" "Nah, this is a firefly," Kazuo corrected. "They're also called lightning bugs, and both names derive from the glow they give off." "Ah. I see." Koromo herself had seen the insect before, but never bothered research on it. She associated the bug with "Junebug", a term she had heard before, because of it's tendency to come out during warm climates. She liked both names. Unexpectedly to Koromo, Kazuo opened the cap of the jar and let the small lightning insect fly out into the evening wind. As it joined the twilight air, Koromo saw that other of the same insects glowed a pretty lightshow, dotted all around the field in tiny yellow orbs floating freely. Koromo was confused, and turned over to Kazuo once again. "Why did you not keep it?" "Well, why would I?" her friend responded. "It's kinda like fishing - if you don't plan on eating them, you throw 'em back. Besides, the little guy might have a family out there; most animals abandon their young, but who knows? I think that everything has their place in this world." Koromo felt slightly hurt by his "abandon their young" comment, though she knew it wasn't his fault. At times Koromo herself couldn't help but feel let down and abandoned after the tragedy that struck her parents, and she scolded herself for being so selfish. Kazuo - for as kind and careful as he was - also had a ring of scars, perhaps even worse than her's, and she knew she had to respect his wishes; he respected her's, after all. Kazuo laid back and yawned, stretching. Placing his head on a small rock behind him and the glass jar wedged in between his arm and ribcage, he swung his arms behind his head. Koromo stayed still sitting in the criss-cross position, staring above at the hanging, orange twilight clouds which were now being replaced in favor of the stars in the oncoming night. Without warning, Kazuo began to ask her something. "Hey, Koromo..." "Yes?" Kazuo propped himself up with his arms and stared out into the open field, towards the vanishing point between the trees that met with the horizon. "Have you ever went out there? As in, beyond the vanishing point of the field? If so, where does it lead?" Koromo blinked, then answered. "No. Touka never lets The Koromo travel much farther than fifty yards out through this field. Why?" Kazuo layed back down again, in the same position. "Because I wonder where it goes. Probably just some other town, if not the same one we live in. But what if it leads somewhere unimaginable? Not something like a fairy tail fantasy kingdom, or anything...but somewhere we don't have to worry about anything. Where we're free." "Oh." Koromo answered simply; she noticed the tone of sorrow and longing in his voice. "Well, my mother always told me that true joy can not be achieved in the long run; and that happiness only lies in brief moments. However, Koromo cannot help but find herself wishing for permanent peace and warmth." As Koromo lied back next to Kazuo, resting her arm on her belly, Kazuo responded. "But wouldn't that be boring?" "Huh?" Koromo was again confused. "Would what be boring?" "Permanent happiness." Kazuo continued to stare up at the sky, before directing his attention back to the horizon line. "No...I don't think so. Why do you think so?" Koromo asked. Kazuo, now looking back up at the sky, explained his notion. "Well...think about it. If you were happy forever, would it not be boring and monochrome? If we were always happy, we wouldn't learn a thing. This is a dark world where sadness needs to exist to some extent. Without a mixed bag of emotions, I don't think we'd be able to enjoy the brief moments of clarity and triumph, at least not fully. It would sorta be like being immortal - invincible, unstoppable, and unbeatable but always alone." "Oh..." Koromo paused for a second, temporarily not knowing what to say. "Koromo has actually never thought of it like that before." "Yeah." Kazuo inhaled deeply before letting it out through his nose. He reached his arm over to the other and began rubbing his shoulder sleeve. Koromo didn't need to ask why. "It's a sad world out there. It happens too close for comfort, too; with all the tragic stuff going on with the Miyanaga family...and my father." Kazuo shuddered violently and took his hand off of his shoulder, no longer wanting to relive what happened to him. "Kazuo...please forgive this bold question, but why does your own father do this to you?" Koromo no longer made eye contact with him, and was now lost in thought. "I don't know. He hates me, beats me, kicks me, claims I was a mistake. I never did anything to him, and I don't know what a child did to deserve this," he explained. "That's why I wanna be free. Run away from my own broken home and start a new one. But I'm failing in science class, and since no one in my family knows or cares enough to help me with it, I'm left having a ton of trouble. If I don't pass next year's test, then I'll be stuck in highschool. I don't know how much more of my dad I can handle." Koromo stared at him. In many ways, Kazuo's home life and history was far worse than her's, and she knew this deep down. She knew that her past was also a tragic story; and one that she never really recovered from, if she had to be honest to herself. But knowing people like Kazuo, whom was abused and neglected by his hateful father and his addict mother who did nothing to stop it, her life was far more grand than some of the people she knew around her. She wanted to smile and tell herself that old-age "it could be worse" cliche, but she dismissed the quote as selfish, overused and false. Whether it "could be worse" or not, it still didn't change the feelings. Kazuo sat up; crickets and frogs chirped in their unknown headquarters, unseen by the two friends. "I should get going home by now, Koromo. It's getting pretty dark and the mosquitoes are really mad at me tonight, for whatever reason. I'll see you later, sis." Kazuo stood up and stretched, as did Koromo, who hugged him. "Goodnight, my dear friend. Good luck." Kazuo smiled, though there was the same definite sorrow and longing in his eyes that Koromo had seen earlier. "Thanks, pal." And with that, he was off, through the bushes and heading back home. Koromo herself, taking one last glance at the stars, began to walk off alone back through the garden and back to the Ryuumonbuchi manor. She cupped her hands and prayed for Kazuo; though he wasn't religious, she needed to give him her blessings.