[Phantom Pain of Rousoku Himawari] The Seven Year Silence

And so, yet another young woman with connection to Osamu appeared at the doorstep of Yoko's residence. Rousoku nervously locked eyes with the stone-faced Tsukiakari for what felt like an eternity until the goddess finally turned her head and shouted into the house.

"Osamu! Osamu, get over here!"

Startled by Tsukiakari's shouts, Osamu stood up from his seat at the island. "Coming!"

Tsukiakari stepped to the side as Osamu got to the door. There was a moment right there at the doorway, as both Osamu and Rousoku realized they were meeting eyes with a long lost lover, a relic of the past. For that one moment, the world stopped turning. Memories and emotions that felt centuries apart from the present came rushing back to them both in an instant. An impenetrable quietude settled between them.

The fine hairs on Tsukiakari's arm stood up just from watching them. She saw the color leave Osamu's cheeks and sallow rings settle around his eyes. There was no doubt about it. Those two knew each other many moons ago. Wearing a nervous smile, Rousoku broke the silence.

"H-hi, Osamu. Do you remember me?"

"Rousoku...I...it feels like a lifetime since I last saw you." Osamu said. "How do know where I live?"

"Well, uhm...a girl named Lucrezia directed me to you when I asked her for help. I've been looking all over for you."

(I see. Taeko gave her directions to this house. That almost seems a bit careless, but I guess anyone could figure out that she's not a threat just by looking at her. She's still got that soft voice and meek stature. It's like she hasn't changed a bit.)

"How did you run into Lucrezia? Why were you looking for me?"

"That's what I need to talk to you about."

Tsukiakari laid a gentle hand on Osamu's shoulder as she flashed a warm smile at Rousoku. "Well, how about we talk inside? It's cold out here."

Rousokue gave a grateful bow and stepped inside, kicking her blue sneakers off and continuing towards the kitchen in her black, hippo patterned socks. She followed closely behind Tsukiakari, who pointed her towards one of the bar stools at the island. Seeing an unfamiliar face in the house, Amatsuki froze in place as she stirred the pot of soup with her ladle.

"Amatsuki, this is Rousoku, a friend of Osamu's." Tsukiakari said, making quick work of the awkward air in the room. "Rousoku, Amatsuki."

"Oh!" Rousoku gasped. "Are you all roommates or something?"

"Not...quite..." Osamu chuckled nervously.

"I'm his wife." Tsukiakari said. "Amatsuki lives with us. There are two other girls living here. They're his wives too."

Rousoku giggled in response, closing her eyes as she held her fingers over her lip. However, it dawned on her that Tsukiakari wasn't laughing at all, neither were Osamu or Amatsuki. They were all completely serious. Realizing what she had done, Rousoku's pupils constricted and she bowed her head in regret.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know if you were serious or not."

Tsukiakari shrugged. "It's fine. I guess most people would react that way. Anyway, take a seat."

"I'm really happy for you, Osamu." Rousoku said, her gaze fixated on her own, twiddling thumbs. "You're lucky to have such a beautiful wife..."

"Thanks. I appreciate that, Rousoku." Osamu responded. "So, what have you been doing all this time? It's been like seven years since we last saw each other."

"Just...just been sort of wandering around, really." Rousoku answered.

"Wandering?" Osamu recoiled.

Rousoku nodded. "Mhmm..."

"Well, what about before that? Surely you've must've been doing something else, right?" Osamu asked.

"I'm sure I was, but...I don't seem to remember any of it."

"What do you mean?" Tsukiakari questioned.

"I've been wandering for a few weeks now. Before that, I only remember laying down in my bed, but I'm not sure how long ago that was. Considering I lived in Kyushu, and now I'm somehow in Kyoto, it was probably a long time between when I was last at home, and how I ended up here."

(Memory loss?)

Rousoku flipped her hair with the flick of her hand. Against the gray, ambient light from the cloudy day outside pouring in through the windows, her hair looked like streaks of shadows, wildly dancing in the air. "I wandered and wandered until I ended up in this neighborhood, and I remembered that Osamu told me he had lived in this area before leaving Kyoto. That's when I saw...what was her name? Lucrezia? I asked her if Osamu still lived here, and she was kind enough to give me directions."

"So, Lucrezia doesn't actually know about your apparent memory loss?" Tsukiakari asked.

"Well, no. We introduced ourselves and talked a bit, but I didn't have any reason to tell her about it. I just thought I would come here first and see if Osamu really still lived here."

(Odd...how could she lose memory of such a large amount of recent time? I wonder if Taeko can actually help us with that.)

"Do you recall suffering any injuries to the head recently?" Tsukiakari asked.

"No, not at all. I checked my head but there's hardly even a scratch anywhere."

"Hmm...well this is odd." Tsukiakari sighed.

Osamu crossed his arms. "If you don't have any head trauma or health conditions affecting your memory, then the only explanation for your sudden loss of memory between now and when you were last at home is...."

"Something supernatural has occurred and destroyed her memory." Amatsuki concluded.

"Huh?! Supernatural?" Rousoku recoiled.

(Amatsuki could be right. This could very well be some sort of supernatural phenomenon affecting her memory. Judging by the conversation, she can remember events and details past the point where she claims her memory blacked out. Was she cursed by something? A spirit or god, perhaps?)

"Rousoku, it may sound a little odd, so please forgive me." Osamu began. "But the girl you saw, Lucrezia, she specializes in dealing with the supernatural. I've gotten quite a bit of help from her in the past. She's got two other people with her that can also help you out."

"R-really? Are you sure? Shouldn't I just go to the hospital or something?"

"As we just noticed, you don't have any head trauma or health conditions that would do this." Osamu said. "I doubt the hospital would be able to find anything. It's my belief that somehow, through supernatural means, your memory has been wiped out."

Rousoku stared at Osamu with wide eyes, in complete silence. "Have...have you been watching too many movies?"

"Yet another girl thinks you're a psycho." Amatsuki giggled.

"Of course not! I'm being serious here!" Osamu urged. "I can prove the supernatural exists too! Look, Tsukiakari is a war goddess and the daughter of Amaterasu!"

"O-Osamu! Don't just go telling people something so sensitive!" Amatsuki said.

"I'm just trying to prove a point here! Come on Gekko, just show her one of your powers or something!"

Tsukiakari sighed. "Fine, whatever."

Tsukiakari brought her hands together, interlocking her fingers and tucking her fingertips in. She then released the hand seal and opened her palm, producing a small flame in the center of her hand. That flame then turned into a small bolt of lightning that flashed and hissed at Rousoku before fading away into a wispy puff of smoke. Rousoku let out a brief scream of fright and awe before she slapped her hand over her mouth to silence herself.

"Happy? Everything he told you is true. I'm a goddess, and the daughter of Amaterasu herself."

"That...has to be a trick, right? But how could you have done it? You just held fire and lightning!"

"Lord. It would've been less awkward to show her my tits or something." Tsukiakari groaned. "Listen, it doesn't matter whether you believe us or not. The point of this conversation is you're in trouble and we know people who might be able to help you."

"I'd never lie to you, Rousoku." Osamu said. "If we seek Lucrezia's help, I think she'll be able to solve all of this."

Rousoku, still a little overwhelmed from seeing Tsukiakari's powers, nervously nodded her head and blushed. "Okay. Does she charge?"

"Considering that she's technically a billionaire, no. She doesn't need your money." Amatsuki interjected.

"What?! She's a billionaire?" Rousoku recoiled.

"It's a long story." Amatsuki chuckled. "Anyway, Osamu and Gekko are right. Lucrezia is your best shot at figuring out what happened to you. You can take it from me, too. She pulled me out of a situation that was way worse than yours. I owe her my life."

Rousoku took a moment to decide, not that she had much of a choice at that point. In her mind, she had nothing to lose. "All right. If you think she can help, I'd be happy to take the chance. Thank you, everyone! I'm in your debt."

"We can go see her right now, so let's just go ahead and get going. Amatsuki can you text Shinju and tell her to meet us at the book store? She'll know where it is."

"Wait, what about my soup?! I spent three hours making this damn thing and you're not even gonna eat it?!"

"Sorry, Amatsuki! Save some for me, okay? I'll have some when I get back!" Osamu said as he and Rousoku made their way to the door.

"...You work hard all your life and what's it get ya?" Amatsuki groaned.

Tsukiakari snickered as she leaned forward with her elbows on the counter. "I'll have some of your soup, Amatsu. It smells delicious!"

Amatsuki smiled. "Thanks for that, Gekko. Fresh bowl of soup comin' right up!"

Neither Osamu nor Rousoku could figure out what to say to each other as they sluggishly sauntered through the streets, making their way towards the library. The both of them were more silent than pallbearers at a funeral procession. The seven year gap in their relationship felt even more like a gaping chasm with every painfully quiet second that passed by.

"So, uhh...sorry about that. The house can be a bit awkward." Osamu said.

"I-it's okay! Really." Rousoku stammered. "I was surprised to see how much you've changed. Seven years really makes a difference. Your appearance, your stature, even the way you walk. You're a husband and almost a father, too."

Osamu stopped. "Rousoku...about what happened back then..."

Rousoku stayed silent, hiding her mouth beneath her scarf as she averted her eyes from Osamu's unflinching gaze.

"Oi, Osamu!" yelled a distant voice.

Shinju came running down the street, meeting them halfway to the library. Shinju swopped in and hugged Osamu, then turned towards Rousoku.

"So I take it this is the girl?" Shinju asked.

"Yeah. She's suffering from an odd case of memory loss. I believe it could be linked to a supernatural force rather than a medical one." Osamu explained.

Shinju took Rousoku by the shoulders, getting uncomfortably close to her. Their lips and eyes were practically next-door neighbors as Shinju inched her face closer to Rousoku's. Shinju smiled and moved her hands from Rousoku's shoulders up to her cheeks, caressing her lips with her thumb.

"Hey kid..." Shinju whispered.

Shinju got even closer. Rousoku's heart pumped like a piston engine as she felt Shinju's warm, orange-scented breath on her lips. "Wanna mess around with the supernatural?"

Rousoku's face was pure pink as Shinju pulled away and laughed.

"Haha! You looks so tense! Lighten up! My name is Shinju Miyakawa! Shinju is written as 'God Tree', and Miyakawa as 'Shrine River'. A pleasure to meet you!"

"I-I'm Rousoku Himawari. The kanji are 'Candle' for Rousoku and 'Sunflower' for Himawari.

"How cute and delicate!" Shinju sang.

"Shinju, I think you're scaring the poor girl..." Osamu groaned.

"Nonsense! I'm just having some fun! Anyway, we're all headed to Cyanide's place, right? The book shop?"

"Yeah, that's it." Osamu said.

"Well then? Let's be on our way!" Shinju commanded.

Though at first troubled by Shinju's rather eccentric personality, Rousoku found a certain comfort in being with Osamu and someone who could help her. She couldn't help but think about what Osamu was trying to say before Shinju showed up. Thinking of the myriad of things he could've said about their past relationship and how miserably it ended, Rousoku was almost thankful he didn't get the chance to say anything more.

Rousoku lost a large chunk of her memories, but she remembered the pain of being in that relationship with Osamu all too well.