𝐓𝐎𝐈𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄 , bnha

10 ゜fall festival

The last time the seven had seen a celebration this lively, their boys had come home with the good murder of All for One on their gentle hands.

The main square of the capital city basked gloriously in the light of someone's solar deity, reflecting water buckets and the glittering silver jewelry of bachelors and widows alike. Cherry blossom trees swayed calmly in the light breeze, the same breeze that caused dresses to flow and accentuate hips and calves and make a simple human feel free and one with the universe they had always been apart of.

The square was smeared with red. Everyone's clothes were dyed red; the dresses, the pants, the shoes, the makeup. Dancers, with their red masks, moved their bodies along to songs that sang about red. Small market stalls were adorned with red decor, selling red items and red food so that not one person would be without it. Even the instruments that created the music filling the square were splashed with red paint.

It had unsettled them at first, considering the circumstances and their history with the color, but they soon let go of their prejudices. They heard the joyous screeches of children who danced with their mothers and realized there was no malice in this town. They smelled the grill-fires and the wafting scent of the various meals that cooked and realized there was no bloodlust in this town. They tasted the bitter and overwhelming pink perfume of an excited man and realized there was no judgement in this town.

These people only felt love. The liquid running through their veins was not blood but it was passion in its purest form. They burned brighter than any sun, and they did so with determination and a yearning sensation for eternal peace.

And so they celebrated this with their annual festival, their beliefs loud and hopefully unbearable to the evil man who sat in the castle above.

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"You are a ghost?" A small child asked in complete awe. Toru nodded, dropping to her knees so she could properly talked to the boy.

She herself had forgotten how uncommon ghosts were, how feared they were by humans. But these humans welcomed her into their celebration, adorning her with red gifts so that she may be one with them.

"I hope I'm not too scary!" She chuckled, scratching the nape of her neck. The boy's eyes widened further, and he shook his head feverishly. The red coral gems around his neck clanked together, a sound that blended well with the others in the square.

"Oh, no! You are so gorgeous!" He insisted. His strong vernacular caught her off guard. So intelligent for a (probably) five year old. "You're eyes sparkle in the light."

His comment took the air from her lungs, and with an innocent giggle and call from his father he was gone into the Red Sea. A wizard laughed heartily from behind her.

"T-That boy can see me," Toru finally gasped, stumbling to her feet and grabbing at Tsuyu's new red robes.

"He's a child," the frog hybrid responded with a smile, "they're more sensitive to the world around them. The only person above age nine that can see you is Enomoto, so I wouldn't worry, ribbit."

"Oh, okay," was all Hagakure could mutter.

"There you guys are!" A bright voice shouted above the roar of the rest of the square. The two shifted their gaze to see Mina and Kyoka walking towards them. The former had red ribbons tied around her wagging tail while the latter had a red sunhat atop her head so that she may not burn.

"We saw the other three walk off somewhere, they should be back soon," Jiro informed, her voice dropping to a low hum once they were close enough in proximity. "How'd it go?"

Tsu glanced around before responding. "Most of the actual entrances are littered with those guards—"

"You mean the skulls with fire?"

"Yes, it's a simplified form of a necromancy spell that most fire mages learn."

"Are they dangerous?"

"The simplified form? No. They're most likely just for show, to scare off any hooligans that this festival might attract." She paused before continuing on. "Hagakure snuck into a sewer pipe and found that a certain path leads directly into the palace."

"Ewww," Mina gagged and shuffled away from Toru a bit. "I can't imagine that smell."

"Tell me about it," the invisible girl huffed.

"We found out that the roof is empty," Jiro cut them off, still on track. "The wind is stronger up there, those fire skull things would blow out. We could fly right up, no problem."

"Intriguing," Asui hummed. "That seems like the best option for now, but we should hear what the others found first."

Jiro nodded in agreement. "We just have to find them first."

And so the four were off, weaving through red dipped crowds in order to find those who would help them save the kingdom.

.・゜゜・　　・゜゜・．
i said red 15 times LOL its just such a gorgeous color