Forget Me Not (Discontinued)

Chapter Twenty Two: Snake vs Deer

Takara holds onto my hand as we try to find our way to the shopping arcade. I've noticed that Takara has been seeking out my touch a lot more since we hiked back from the botanical gardens. Honestly I'm starting to like this needy side of her. Usually she's so stoic and unreadable; which I also love but I also find that I like it when she depends on me.

Suddenly she stops walking, I look ahead of us and see one of the sika deer bowing to us. Maybe the deer have finally come around to my perfect fiancé. "Hey babe, he's bowing to us." I say before pulling out my camera and bowing back while recording the buck.

In an instant my fiancé is in front of me clutching onto the buck's antlers and pushing him back. Other tourists and myself, all watch in awe as Takara takes the buck by the antlers and hurls him away from us. The buck gets back to his feet and stares Takara in the eyes; she stares back, ready to take him on again. The deer flinches and runs away. Everyone claps, believing this to be some side show attraction; I'm still standing there in disbelief at what I saw. Since when could Takara fucking do that?!

Takara turns to me and asks, Are you ok? You shouldn't bow to the deer, especially the males. Since it's the middle of August, we're getting closer to rutting season and they're gonna be more territorial. 

"Yeah I'm fine...but how did you learn to do that?" I ask before stopping the recording.

The deer are even worse out in the wild. A Matagi had to stop a deer from killing my brother. Actually it's how my brother lost his eye. Rutting season is serious business, do not fuck with a deer around autumn.

Suddenly a flock of does and fawns approach her. We both give each other a look. "Um...since when did the deer even like you?"

Takara looks off in deep contemplation before she startles at a conclusion for the deers' strange behavior, They must think I won the rutting and now they're associating me as the leader of their herd.

She gives a rare smile and reaches out to pet the doe's soft head. I take a sneak photo of her smiling before saying, "If all it took was fighting a buck to pet them, you should've done that sooner." The deer licks at her hands; and that's when I notice some blood trickle from her palm. I take her hand gently in mine and examine the cut, "Let's go to the shopping center and see if we can get something for this. Alright?" She nods and walks beside me. "If it doesn't hurt too much, do you mind telling me how your brother lost his eye?"

Without flinching, she starts to sign to me, My brother and I were hunting for the last game of the season before winter took over. At that time we didn't know how dangerous deer rutting could be, so we tried our luck with the sika deer. One of the bucks noticed us aiming for one of his mates and charged full force at my brother. The buck's antler gauged his eye out while sending him flying back from the sheer force of the head butt. While the deer was preparing to charge again, I just ran in and held my brother without thinking. I was running on pure instincts at that point. Just as the buck was charging at us, a man appeared in front of us and grabbed the buck by his antlers and threw him off the ground. The buck quickly ran off but my brother was still injured. Since he knew my family, he brought my brother to a nearby hospital. I think he was actually the only Matagi who knew the full truth about our situation. Looking back, I think him and my mother were in love.

"Did she ever remarry with him?" My mind is still reeling at the insane life Takara has led so far. All Jujutsu sorcerers have strange lives, but none this odd.

She shakes her head, She loved him too much to involve him in our problems, but that certainly didn't stop him from wanting to be around her.

"What was his name?"

Atuy. He's deaf, so he's one of the few people I've ever communicated with that had to use sign language out of necessity. I rarely meet people who have to use sign language to get around in the world, so it was nice when you introduced me to Inumaki. Takara looks at me with such genuine kindness and love that I nearly melt away right there on the spot. She almost bumps into one of the deer that's following her; I wrap my arm around her waist and hold her close to me.

"Tsk! Tsk! Quit following my woman around, she's mine." I scowl at the deer that have taken a rather sudden liking to my fiancé. The deer bites my hand before nuzzling up to Takara. "Ouch! You fucking bastard!"

She suddenly kisses my cheek and pulls back, Jealous boy.

I feel my cheeks burn, "I am not."

But I am...I want her to lavish only me with her attention. Why is she able to twist my heart so? Especially with such innocent actions. What's even stranger and yet wonderful is how she's begun to show more emotions around me. I find myself becoming greedy for these new facial expressions from my fiancé.

🌴🌴🌴🍦🌴🌴🌴

I fix up the wound on her hand after wandering around town for over an hour to find a pharmacy. The deer have finally dispersed once we reached the crowded shopping arcade and we're left alone. Her hand is decorated with other scars along her fingers and palm. I honestly haven't known many people who had to live a rugged lifestyle like Takara-chan. Yet, I think living out in the wilderness is probably what made her stronger and even have this strange calmness in dire situations.

I kiss her bandaged palm where the wound just was and flash her a smile, "Much better! Now, how about we grab some sweets. You probably need some sugar after losing some of your blood." 

She nods before standing up to follow me around the shopping arcade. I go on a sweets spending spree and buy items that catches Takara's attention. I may have gone overboard and bought her whatever she even glanced at...

Satoru, this is way too much. She says before gesturing to the large amount of gifts placed on the bench next to us.

"Ok...I'll admit I might have gone a little overboard. But I just couldn't help it, I just wanted to get you whatever you wanted."

Half of this stuff I didn't even want, I just looked at it for a couple seconds and then you bought it. Next time please ask.

I sulk at her very light scolding, "Ok..."

She kisses my cheek, Thank you, it was still very thoughtful of you.

I wrap my arm around her waist and bring her body closer to me, "Tomorrow I was thinking we should finally fill out those marriage certificates. I have them back at the inn...but I want to know if you're ready? If you want to hold off for a while longer, I won't hold it against you."

Tomorrow night. I'll be ready to sign the certificate and hold our private ceremony tomorrow night. But during the day, I'd like to finally go to the beach.

My mind wanders at how Takara will look in her bathing suit. From what I recall it's a two piece and shows ample amount of skin. I feel myself get a little too excited at the thought of seeing her at the beach.

Suddenly I feel a tug on my shirt, glancing to Takara I see her holding a leaf shaped manju out to me. "Is that for me?" She nods and I smirk before eating it out of her hand.

Unfortunately I don't get a reaction out of her; instead she tells me, You ate it out of my hand like a deer.

"You rarely get flustered, huh?" She blinks at me, unsure of how to answer. "Never mind, let's head back."

We grab all of our bags and head towards the inn; our pinkies linked together as we walk under the darkening twilight sky.