Title: Lunar Eclipse
April 23, 2011
Posted by: Cheese
Character: Aoi Kuromizu
The moon that lit the night was covered in blood.
I left Daphne in her apartment with Iara. Feelings started to overwhelm me when the soothing aura of her company suddenly turned into discomfort and panic. It's probably because of the composer girl and her angel alter-ego. Funny how my humor doesn't seem to lessen the weight of the situation. I need to take things off my mind.
I walked aimlessly around the city looking for unusual things. Searching for signs and relief for the endless worries that seem to trail me. I was about to head home when I chanced upon a shop; small, peculiar, and definitely out of place. Curiosity got the better of me. My feet suddenly took me in front of the store that read "The Unseen ~ Psychic Services: Fortunes and Readings". Hell, if the world was about to end, why not bother to know what's left of my seemingly empty future? I entered the establishment nonchalantly and looked for the shopkeeper. Then, two things happened at once. First, my body literally froze upon the sight of Reina. Second, my eyes darted to the person who was sitting across her. It was John Richterre.
"Well, well. Look who we have here. Aoi, your best friend's boyfriend. Now's your chance Reina..." he said broodingly.
I didn't like the tone of his voice. It's like he's planning something for me. Or worse, against me.
"Come in and take a seat, Aoi. We've just finished reading John's fortune. Would you like to have yours read?" Reina asked casually. A little too casually, in my opinion.
I was wary of the pair. They seemed so friendly, it almost made me feel like a saint. Then I realized I was still frozen by the pile of good luck charms near the door. How awkward. I made my way to the chair opposite Reina's which John vacated. He sat on the antique-looking sofa beside us as Reina began to shuffle the cards again.
"I didn't know the both of you were friends..." I said sheepishly.
Neither replied.
She laid the pile of cards on the table with a quick sweep of her hand. I decided to just get it over with before she even told me what to do.
"Go ahead, pick one." Reina commanded.
I chose a card from the right side of the deck, pulled it out and flipped it. The Moon.
Reina's eyes widened as she saw the card on my hand. I was suddenly intrigued about its meaning.
"So? What does it mean?" I said, breaking Reina's train of thought.
"The Moon signifies trials. Emotional and mental hardships. But yours is reversed... this means that you are being deceived by someone. It may also mean that you are having troubles in differentiating reality from illusion." Reina explained.
Perfect. Having my fortune read just added more unanswerable questions in my mind. I sighed.
"Well, I don't know what that means but thanks for reading my, uh, fortune. I should go.." I said as I headed for the exit.
Reina still seemed lost in her thoughts while John didn't look like he cared at all. I didn't look back until Reina muttered something under her breath.
"Hm, I guess you should also be careful about who you trust, Aoi. Who knows, you might even be deceived... right. at. this. very. moment... Hmm..." she said with a twisted grin on her face. Her grin eventually broke into a quiet laugh that led to more mumbling.
I didn't say a word as I left.
That girl's words kept playing itself in my mind over and over again. It was bad enough that I can't think straight, now I've also got to be careful who I trust. I passed by the empty plaza near our house. It was really dark and I had barely noticed. Had I spent so much time wandering aimlessly? Or was it the fortune-telling that took longer than I expected? The clouds look like there's either a storm coming or it's already midnight. None of my guesses were right. It's 8 in the evening and there's a lunar eclipse. The moon looked blood red. How ominous.
Just as I was about to continue to head home, I finally understood what the reversed moon card was telling me.
"Stupid!" I grumbled.
I started running again. Unsure of where to go, knowing only that the girl I love isn't safe anymore.
That card wasn't meant for me, it was meant for Daphne.