Spookengan 8 - Haunting Memories
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Made in Collab with @useless-bi-otch
Ohma looks at the skull ornament. "How weird, putting skulls to decorate a party…", he was about to hang it when Kanami says from the kitchen:
"No, no Ohma, the skull ornaments are not for hanging, they go in the table…"
"Oh, okay" he says, putting the bag somewhere else "And what do I put up here?"
"Look for the bone strings or the pumpkin strings, whichever looks nicer in this corner" Kazuo intervenes, holding the said strings. One had leaves and miniature pumpkins, the other a bunch of little bones hanging like a Christmas ornament, only in a different way. The Halloween-like way.
"This is even weirder", he points to the bones "What are these things for, Yamashita Kazuo? Aren't bones for dogs and, like… for cemeteries?"
"Ahaha, it's kinda weird, isn't it?" Kazuo laughs a little at his confusion "But Halloween is a festival adapted from a very old custom. Some cultures believed that at this time of year, spirits returned to the world of the living to visit them. What's better to represent this than bones and skulls? … And yes, I read this in a magazine to find out more about the subject" He admits, pouting "The boys like these Americanized celebrations, it doesn't hurt to know more about…"
"I can answer that too, Mr. Yamashita", Kanami smiles "And yes, that's pretty much it."
Ohma nods, but still grimaces at the bones "Okay, but the pumpkin is at least edible. Bones remind me of empty plates and garbage.” He picks up the string with the pumpkins.
"Good choice, these pumpkins are cute", Ryuki comments while holding a very confused Dorobo in his arms "Put the bones near the cats, Mr. Yamashita. Then it'll look like they just ate a monster."
"Ooh, like they're protecting the house or something?" Kanami gets excited, looking at the boy holding the cat "Sounds cool! I bet that'll scare off evil spirits!"
"Is this really that scary?" Ohma raises an eyebrow "I think it scares the living, at best."
“The objective is to scare the shit outta everybody, man. That's the fun of Halloween" Koga smiles sharply "Just wait 'till you see the costume I got, then you'll know what a real scare is."
"Please don't" Kazuo groans "I'm too old to be scared like that. You don't want to take advantage of the month of the dead to make me join them, do you?"
"Don't say stuff like that, Mr. Yamashita!" Kanami shivers.
"If you do join them, can you please let grandpa know I'm fine?"
"Ryuki!", Koga and Kanami exclaim at the same time. Ohma chuckles.
"I'm sure the Old Man is with my master, since he was also his master. But old Yamashitakazuo has better things to do here, right?" He taps the old man on the shoulder, smiling mischievously.
"Ahaha, I- I sure do!" Kazuo, who had turned a little pale, smiles nervously and raises a thumb "I want to live long enough to see Yasuo giving me a daughter-in-law, and maybe a grandchild. And to see the two of you tying the knot..."
Kanami's eyes widen, her face turning red. Ohma, on the other hand, only smiles more.
"Nah, you need to put more goals in there, Yamashita Kazuo, our knot is already tied enough..."
"Ohmaaaa!" Kanami whines, mortified.
"What? I live here, and so do you. What's more tied than that?"
Ryuki smiles, looking at the kitten in his arms "And they also have two kids!" he shouts while lifting Dorobo by his armpits.
"You mean Ohma and Sis are 'pet parents'? That's so freakin' cheesy, hahaha" Koga chuckles.
"Have some respect, they're a piece of work just like kids!" Kanami exclaims, pointing the meringue-full whisk at him "I was already a 'pet mom' even before Ohma brought Dorobo home!"
"So you were always cheesy and he got infected just by living under the same roof, hehe… hey, calm down, sis, it's a joke!" Koga starts running when Kanami drops the whisk and threatens him with a wooden spoon instead; a much more effective weapon. Kazuo just watches them, smiling tenderly. He really missed that laid-back atmosphere, the silly, familiar banther, which felt as natural as breathing. It reminded him of when Kenzo and Yasuo were little, when his wife was still with them, when they were a happy, functional family…
The thought brought a cold, unpleasant feeling to his chest, and he tried to distract himself as he arranged the skulls on the dining table. He hated when that melancholy came to disturb him at the most inopportune moments…
"Hey, Yamashita Kazuo" Ohma calls for the old man "Relax, we were joking' about the bones, but you aren't supposed to join them. They are for Kanami's birthday."
"What? Oh no, Ohma, it's not that'' He shakes his head quickly "I was just thinking, reminiscing a few things…" He tries to smile "Seeing everyone getting together like this just brought back some bittersweet memories, nothing more."
"Hnmm… Kanami said that she also has bad memories of her birthdays" he looks at the decorations "She said that everyone got bummed after a while, with the parties lookin' the same every single year. Then I said I wanted to see it… and she replied with something very interesting."
"Oh?" Kazuo adjusts his glasses "And what was it?"
“It will be nice to make new memories with you.” He smiles sideways, watching Kanami guide the two younger men while Koga decorated the cat tree and Ryuki made meringue bones on a platter.
Kazuo can only stare at him, eyes wide. Ohma had a very simple line of thought, and it was in that simplicity that he managed to express a wisdom worthy of a philosopher. He'd always done that, as long as he'd known him...
And with that thought, the old man ends up smiling. Ohma had really changed his life, hadn't he? He helped him reconnect with his sons, taught him to be more confident and assertive, to persevere even when things seemed too difficult… his family had even grown thanks to him. When you had someone like him always encouraging you, making brand new memories sounded marvelous.
"New memories, eh…? I used to think I was too old to make something like this. But apparently there isn't an age limit for that" he concludes.
"You bet. Come on, there's more bones to toss around the house, and they're not yours" Ohma jokes, nodding.
"Hahaha, and I'm glad for that!" Kazuo shivers, but still laughs in the meantime "As I said, I still want to live for a very long time."
And he really hoped he still had a good few years ahead. He didn't want to miss out on any more new memories that Ohma and he would create, alongside the little family they'd formed.
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