What has just happened?
Noah has never felt this degree of frustration before. He clenched his fists so hard his palms throbbed. He gritted his teeth, eager to scream but finding no meaning behind it. Who was he going to talk to? The walls? He was alone again, with yet more questions than when he started looking for answers. Everyone he met seemed to let him just figure things out on his own. Everything he had discovered so far were only the results of his own thinking. He thought and thought, and whenever he finally saw the light of truth at the end of the tunnel, more darkness crept his way, obstructed his view, and more than anything, ruined his mood.
He had hoped to meet his biological mother, the only person who had all the answers he needed, but at this point, will she even be able to tell him anything? Weren't the angels only watching him from afar, waiting for him to get the answers by himself?
What are they keeping secrets for? What are they planning?
Noah was at a deadend. He knew it. He had to meet with Hitori again, tell her everything, see what she has found out herself. The mention of her name sent electricity down the vessels of his own heart. Pain surged in his insides, and he had to grip his chest in order for it to go away. He wanted to see Hitori. Now. He didn't realize it before, but her presence has already become vital to his mental stability. He wanted her by his side. He wanted to see the ocean locks again, the honey gleaming irises, giving him more warmth than the sun, the smile that never failed to amuse him, and the tears, those tears he never wanted to see again. Those tears were Noah's biggest enemy.
He had to end this, for her sake.
"Obaa-san! Are you still here?", he called.
Slow, rhythmic footsteps were heard next over the sound of the electric sliding table full of dishes, and from behind a white curtain at the far right corner of the ramen shop appeared an old lady, opal eyes over rose-colored skin, with no wrinkles on her face. The only feature supporting her age was her grey-tinted hair, mixed in with pitch black locks.
She came to the front of the shop, a smile on her face, not an ounce of concern showing on her small eyes.
"What is it, Noah, my boy?" , she asked. "Do you want seconds?"
The boy shook his head. "I have two questions, and I don't want you to lie to me. Being an angel, I expect you know what I can do, right?"
It wasn't a threat, not really. Whether by Honoka's orders or not, Noah was grateful for the two Ramen shop owners to have welcomed him in their home, despite knowing he was wanted by all demons on Earth. He would never use his Voodoo magic to force the truth out of them. What was their share in all this? They were only providing help to a child in need.
"Ask ahead"
The boy cleared his throat. He could hear his heart beating loudly in his chest, so fast that the throbbing came back, but he didn't try to calm himself down like earlier. He only held the fabric of his trousers in his fists, in an attempt to not stutter his words.
"What do the angels have that I don't? Why can't they end the war themselves?"
The old lady did not hesitate, as if she knew his question beforehand.
"You are everything we ever wanted to become. You have angel essence, you have human feelings that you cherish inside your young heart, and finally, you have another half waiting to complete you"
Another half? The last sentence somehow clicked inside Noah's brain. Who was it? Who was the other half?
But why did I assume it was a person, not a thing, not another power?
"What do you mean? I.." , the boy frowned and looked down at his unfinished ramen bowl, as if it had all the answers he needed. "I don't understand."
Alas, the angel only shook her head and lifted her right index, swinging it left and right in a no gesture. "Only two questions, Noah. I'm sure you have a more important one to ask."
The Voodoo magician silently cursed himself for not requesting three or four demands, just to be on the safe side.
"Fine" , he muttered angrily. "Do you know..." he gulped. He suddenly was grateful he didn't finish his ramen, for he was already feeling nauseated. "Do you know the meaning of happiness?"
Obaa-chan laughed. It wasn't particularly a mocking laugh. It was more indecipherable than any feeling Noah had to deal with, this past week.
"Let me ask you instead. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word happy? Right now, what makes you happy the most? What do you love doing?"
"I---" , Noah started to answer.
I'm such a fool.
He was already feeling his irises change color, cold was seeping on them: a refreshing kind of cold, the one that settles inside your stomach once you eat ice cream. Its sweetness melts on your tongue, making its way down your insides, and suddenly, in the middle of the summer heat, you feel a new life surge inside you. The ocean-blue replaced the scarlet blood, and as the realization hit the boy, he watched as the angel before his eyes began to smile, pride illuminating her face.
Why didn't I ask this to myself before now?
The answer was right there. Yet, Noah's rusted heart didn't even bother to think about all the feelings he has experienced so far, didn't even stop to decide on the best one he had felt.
"I...I love being with Hitori" , he blurted out, the words coming straight from the depths of his heart.
"Hitori is..." , he said, more to himself than to the angel before him.
Hitori is my happiness.
YOU ARE READING
The Voodoo Doll
Fantasy[COMPLETED] Noah is a boy who was raised by demons all his life. He has the ability to commit perfect crimes by using voodoo dolls and killing with them. He was taught ever since he was young to show no mercy to his enemies. Yet, because of his unu...
