/jp/ - Otaku Culture

The winter has come properly by the calendar you used and you knew that both Cirno and Letty are rejoicing as they unleashed their power wholeheartedly and a part of you envied their single minded enthusiasm. The first snowfall around the shrine brought a deep chill during the day and night which if it were not for the stubbornness of the little heater that took residence in the shrine's living room the winter would be much harsher then what the little kotatsu could offset by itself. The dreariness of the gray overcast skies only added to the chill in the air and in your heart.
Reimu at this point had indeed seemed to keep the demon that caused her rage buried in her heart and as irrational as it was you couldn't keep the thoughts that all this will only begin again from your mind. You knew better then to show it consciously however as Reimu's fragile well-being had depended on you appearing as a foundational rock for her to heal on. You merely held on for duties sake but your fortitude was running thin and you knew it as every day of forcing intimacy and affection only chipped away at your contrasting thoughts. The only thing that seemed to bring you solace is that once Reimu was healed well enough you could disappear into the woods and with any luck have the animals and youkai consume your remains, after all now that your duty is done in helping the once wrathful miko recover surely not even the yama could fault you for wanting to rest?
However Reimu's intuition both blessed to her and honed through numerous incidents was nothing to underestimate and now that, thanks to your remediation, she was as affectionate and caring around you as she used to be she didn't stop fussing over you. You could tell that she knew something was wrong and took more of the chores that you've burdened yourself with and despite your protests to the contrary you were secretly relieved that you could have more time to do nothing. Despite your ability to hide it in your words and body language you couldn't resist the call of the futon as silly as that sounds, and as the now peppy miko worked the chores you once handled during her recovery you couldn't help but rest in bed reflecting. If you cared too you would see that you doing nothing in bed for such long periods of time, not even sleeping and only leaving to do chores or spend time with your wife was a warning sign but you were consumed with defeatist thoughts and couldn't muster the thin veneer of normalcy that you once did when you weren't up and about. You could tell Reimu grew more and more concerned despite your words and practiced tones that kept up the illusion of love for her and dismissed the hints of her worry with the unique indifference of a man that's given up thoroughly on himself.
A new day dawned despite the morning sun being covered up by thin fast moving clouds and a howling wind that swept through the forest of the foothills. The gray permeated the kitchen you found yourself in despite the lamp or two you had lit aiding your vision and you got to work on preparing a breakfast for the women that was once the love of your life. The breakfast was a bit extravagant for the time of year, with minced ginger pork over a bed of hot somen in a subtle soup stock, you suppose it was simple as it was just a one bowl meal but you were raised in believed that breakfast should be a heavy meal to fuel you through the morning labors.

Besides, it was suitable for it being a last meal.

You left the doors ajar leading to the bedroom knowing that sooner or later it would attract a hungry miko who after once last night of indulging in her passion would wake up to the smell of cooked food and soon wonder out into the warm living room like she always did without fail.
You left a covered platter on the table containing her meal and a cup of chilled fruit juice on the side of it along with a simple note. The note was nothing much but it contained your feelings and it read simply, "good morning I hope you find this meal before it gets too cool, I would have woken you but I had an errand to run so I had to leave before you woke. Please eat this meal warmly without worrying about me." You used to consider yourself a sentimental sort so you couldn't resist leaving some final message despite its simplicity, after all you didn't need her thinking you died in anything but some kind of accident and setting back her progress just because of your selfish wish.
The winter snow crunched under your feet as you ventured into the forest around the shrine after heading down the stone stairs, a skill you've picked up is recognizing youkai activity as it was subtly different from animal or human activity and you knew that a wild youkai was still active here even if the tracks suggested it only moved at night. Despite feeling a pang of pity at this wild youkai taking the blame you knew that if you were too slit open your veins here it wouldn't be long till you were found by that beast and devoured.