STIGMA, Jujutsu Kaisen

six

CHAPTER SIX, 六

IT WAS early Saturday morning with the sun still an hour or two shy of shining through the window. Having always been an early bird, Hoshiko had been awake for at least two hours and now she was sitting at the kitchen table, gulping down her last bit of tea. The quiet ambience that settled in the house provided her with the peace and comfort she found herself constantly longing for. 

In the house resided three other occupants; a man, a young girl and a Shiba all of who was in deep and pleasant slumber, except for one. In the room where the young girl was situated, darkness clings onto the corners of the room, slowly spreading itself across the white walls, making its way towards the small trembling body lying in the bed.

Hoshiko had finished her cup of tea by the time she entered Kairi's room to check on her. Her eyes widened as she watched a small body tremble. The nightmares were back. 

She forced her muscles against the strong force of paralysis and rushed into the room. Without any thought, she lifted her arm and opened her palm. The darkness that was festering inside the very room she stood drew back into her open palm as if it was returning back to its rightful owner. Hoshiko closed her palm, her hand now in a tight fist. She was the collector of shadows after all.

She knelt next to the bed and in an instant the girl's eyes flew open, and her hand gripped onto the closet thing next to her which was Hoshiko's hand. 

The girl was quiet, her pale face covered in a shiny layer of sweat. Her dark eyes were steady, staring at the glow in the dark stars which was assorted all over the ceiling of her room. Then tears flowed freely from the girl's eyes, though her face remained unaffected, not a single muscle moved.

They stayed like this in silence for the next few minutes. Hand in hand with not a single word exchanged between them as it was simply not necessary because they understood what it was like to endure it.

The grip around her wrist was released, and Hoshiko brought her hand to the girl's tear-streaked face.

"Another bad dream?"

When Hoshiko received no answer from Kairi she stood up and walked towards the window. She pulled the curtains open even though the sun still had not risen yet, it was better than the corrupting darkness.

She sighed. "Do you...do you want to see someone about your nightmares–"

"No, it's fine! Really, it was just a bad dream...about monsters."

Hoshiko remained doubtful. Her rebuttal was just sitting on the tip of her tongue but she let it go because Hoshiko was never one to push anyone to do anything they did not want.

"Alright, but if it continues, you have to let me know," she said.

Kairi smiled and nodded her head.

"C'mon, Kairi. We'll be running late if you don't hurry, and I still have to wake Jiro up. That sleepyhead."

As the woman left the room the girl slumped forward, letting out a groan from her lips. What Kurosawa Hoshiko did not know was that she had allowed Kurosawa Kairi to see the slightest glimpse of her life before. The single touch was enough to seize Kairi's mind.

The girl shut her eyes so tightly as a surge of images flickered in her mind, playing like an old tape recorder.

Though only a fraction of Hoshiko's past was revealed by her unintentionally, it was enough to frighten Kairi so much that tremors still passed through her body.