deciphered

under the red ink III

Getting a tattoo was no joke. Depending on the person's pain tolerance, the experience could be like a light pinch, all the way to having your skin feeling like it's ripping off. The pain for yours—albeit being your first tattoo, was just somewhat painful; irritable, but vaguely tolerable.

Your skin was bare against the leather bound cushioned flat table, with your top missing and a bandeau wrap around your chest. The fluorescent ceiling light became blinding to your vision, your eyes focusing on Sakusa preparing the ink within his tattoo machine.

He was gentle with your body; making sure you were laying on the cushioned table in a position you could hold for a few hours before he pinned you down and got right to work. His hands were all over your bare shoulders and back, caressing the section of where you wanted him to pierce.

"Are you ready?" He asked you before turning on the tattoo machine, wiping away everything off your skin except the stencil.

You winced, expecting to feel nothing but pain. "Yes."

Once the needle made contact with your skin, you were able to endure the pain. In fact, it almost felt painless for a minute or two, all until the adrenaline subsided and the pain began to increase gradually. You tried closing your eyes and calming your mind down, but the loud whir of the tattoo gun restricted you from meditating. It was hard to find peace when there was a constant aching pain lingering in your body, as well as the screech of the machine irritating to your ears.

You ended up settling on a piece conjured up by Sakusa, according to what you vaguely wanted on your skin. Per usual, it was a big piece that was planned to be stretched throughout your upper body; a large Sakura branch that spanned from the top of your chest, winding through your left arm and the back of your shoulder, all the way down to the side of your ribcage.

Although you wanted to keep the tattoo minimal to just a sakura branch along your left collarbone to the top of your sternum—Sakusa insisted on going bigger, in which he proposed for the branch to extend to the side of your ribs. Although it wasn't a beginner-friendly spot, he promised to be gentle, because in the end, "it would be all worth it". In addition, any other night he would have charged you full price, but he was feeling generous at the moment.

He mentioned that the most painful part would be the major outline of the branch, where he would use the tattoo machine. Though, when Sakusa did color his tattoos, he preferred to do the traditional tebori method, using a stick and poke to produce a richer and deeper color. It was surprisingly less painful than using a tattoo machine, which to his liking, wasn't producing color that matched the vibrancy of his traditional Japanese style.

"In my opinion, it's not a proper traditional yakuza tattoo unless it is done using tebori," Sakusa mentioned as he repeatedly pushed the end of the stick into your skin around the bottom of your collarbone.

It didn't hurt as much as the tattoo machine, as per Sakusa's words. The ends of the stick were short thick needles in a line formation, feeling like it was massaging your skin rather than piercing it. It was almost relaxing as he began to carve the dark brown color into the top of your chest, forming the branches of your sakura tattoo. He finished the section atop your collarbone, wiping away any excess ink.

He reached over to his cart station and grabbed a small mirror, in which he handed it over to you with a smile on his face. "Take a look."

The minute your eyes gazed upon the sakura flowers imprinted on your skin, your mouth dropped, admiring the vibrancy of the pinks, magentas and slight reds. You almost wanted to caress it, but restrained yourself.

"It's absolutely beautiful," you proclaimed, gazing into the mirror as you continued to look at the tattoo. Even on your skin tone, the color pops out vivid and saturated.