Flowers and Halves

Flowers

Kiku had gone shopping today. There was very little pet food left for pochi and tama. Also, he wanted to catch up on one of his manga series. When hed finished shopping, a little girl in a kimono crossed his path. She smiled up at him. "Hello Mr.! Have you seen my mama and papa?" "No, little girl." He answered politely. "Are you lost?" The little girl giggled. It was a weird laugh that seemed slightly...ghostly... "No, Im not lost." Kiku looked confused. The little girl giggle again with her ghostly laugh.

Kiku got a bit worried. "Why dont we go look for your parents?" The little girl shook her head. She brought a sparkling blue flower from behind her. "Isnt this pretty?" "Yes. But sh-" "Smell it!" She giggled again. Kiku got a little worried. 'Is this girl alright?' But he played along with her anyways and sniffed the flower. "A-a-achoo!" He sneezed into his sleeve. 'What a strong odor!' "Do you like it? It smells pretty, doesn't it?" The little girl excitedly asked, then inhaled the flower herself.

"Um, wed better go find your parents." He took her hand and lightly attempted to lead her into the village, but she sharply pulled away. "No! The humans hate me!" She frowned. "Eh?" Kiku was again confused. ''The humans hate me!'? What does she mean. He was about to ask her when she turned and skipped into the trees, giggling her ghostly giggle. "W-wait!" he called after her, but she was nowhere in sight. "...I hope she'll be ok..."

Kiku suddenly had a huge headache. "Oh!" his hand went to his head. "Id better get going." He walked back home carrying his pet food and manga.

When he got home, he put his outdoor clothing away and put on his comfortable home cloths. He was in the middle of filling pochi and tama's food bowls when he felt a sharp pain go through his head. "Ow!" His hands immediatly went to his head, causing him to drop the food bag. His headache had come back. It felt as if his home was splitting in two. "Ah!" He clutched his head as he bumped into a wall. Kiku had nearly made it to his room when the pain came again. This time, he collapsed on the floor.