Chapter Text
Aoba woke with a start to find that Mink was not in bed beside him. He quickly rose and was dressed in minutes. Just before he’d finished, however, Mink came in with two cups of coffee. Aoba took the cup offered to him, taking a cautious sip. Mink gave him a warm smile before leaning down to give him a long, sweet kiss. Aoba hummed his approval as they pulled apart.
“Good morning.”
“I’ve already made breakfast. I’d like to take you somewhere once we’re finished.”
Aoba blinked his surprise as Mink turned back out, heading towards the kitchen. Knowing it best to wait until they left rather than ask, Aoba sat with Mink and ate in silence. Once finished, Mink grabbed a small parcel from the table in the living room. He turned to Huracan and nodded. In an instant, the giant bird was perched on his shoulder, the two leading the way out of the cabin. Aoba followed obediently with Ren nestled in his arms.
He took note that they were heading in the direction of the valley where Mink had revealed himself only months prior. Just before the forest came to an end, Mink made a turn down a narrow path that slowly fanned out into a large clearing where several small totems stood. For the most part, each totem was no more than a whittled column, each with it’s own distinct marking. At the farthest end of the clearing stood one particular totem that loomed over a small head stone. Mink took a moment to bow in short prayer before entering the apparent graveyard.
Aoba watched somewhat nervously, observing the way Mink’s fingers brushed against each marker. By the time he was halfway through, he stopped, turning towards Aoba with an outstretched hand.
“There is someone I want you to meet.”
The blue haired man slowly made his way to Mink, taking his hand as they walked to the grave in question. Once close enough, Aoba could make out an inscription that read: Herein lies the Witch of Scents; her warmth forever in our hearts and homes. ‘And from death to ash shall they be reborn.’
Mink kneeled before the grave, removing and unwrapping the parcel, removing a beautiful beaded necklace interwoven with feathers. He took the gift to his lips, leaving a soft kiss. Huracan leaned over in the direction of the necklace as Mink held it up to him. It had appeared that he too, placed a kiss as the tip of his beak gently tapped the center bead. Mink reached up towards the totem, wrapping the offering around and fastening it so that it hung without fear of falling. He clasped his hands together in a silent prayer before quickly rising to his feet. Looking back for a moment, he smiled and grabbed Aoba by the hand.
“This is Aoba.”
At hearing his name, aoba looked from Mink to the grave and smiled awkwardly.
“This is Palmata,” Mink squeezed his hand for a brief moment,” she was my wife.”
The younger man’s eyes widened in shock, but he held his tongue and smiled again. “It’s nice to meet you, Palmata.” Mink never turned his gaze away from the totem.
“He is with me. To watch over and protect me, just as you had done.” Aoba felt a fuzzy warmth fill his chest and throat. In that moment, he felt as if he would cry.
“Forgive me my selfish request,” Mink bellowed, “I wish for your passing. I have made peace with my past and hope that hearing so also brings the peace you need to rest. To end your suffering.”
A warm gust of wind blew through the clearing. It had sent a shiver down Aoba’s spin, as if slender fingers deftly danced along his back. Mink closed his eyes as the breeze blew over him, his brows knitting in confusion. Aoba peeked up into his face, the older man’s expression turning somewhat cold.
He gave a slight nod before tugging on Aoba’s hand, “Let’s go home.”
Aoba raised an eyebrow but kept silent. It wasn’t until hours later, as they were eating dinner, that he asked about their trip to visit his deceased wife.
“So did she end up...crossing over?” Mink glanced up from his food.
“No, she didn’t.”
“Is, there something we can do to help her?” Mink smiled warmly at Aoba, taking a lock of his hair.
“It isn’t that she is unable to leave, she simply doesn’t want to yet. There is something else she must see to before she is at peace.”
Aoba leaned into Mink’s hand.
“We should continue our visits until she has deemed the time is right.”
Mink stroked Aoba’s cheek, pulling away to continue eating.
“What was she like?” Aoba asked shyly.
“Can we finished eating first?” Mink snapped, causing Aoba to smile apologetically. Once they had finished their meal and cleaned up, Mink sat on the couch, patting the seat beside him for Aoba to take. The younger quickly obliged, sitting closely while leaning into Mink’s side, a strong arm draped over the back of the couch and Aoba’s shoulders.
“She had a small build and was far too skinny, like you.” Aoba’s head shot up, his tongue sticking out playfully.
“Many argued that she was the most beautiful girl in our village.”
“Who said she wasn’t beautiful?”
“I did.” Aoba raised a brow.
“That was before I was given the chance to know her. Palmata was very stubborn, when she didn’t get her way, but she was always positive about it.” Mink chuckled, “She really wanted to travel so she could meet new people and see other cultures. When I’d leave for work each day, she made countless of these.”
Mink tugged at one of the bracelets on his wrist and took a feathered braid of Aoba’s hair for him to see. It was then that Aoba put together that Palmata must have taught Mink how to make them. Whenever Aoba had a chance to compliment his pieces, he’d grunt in response and Aoba could sense there was an air of dissatisfaction about him. He had been comparing what he was making with the jewelry she had made when she was alive.
“There was also a time when she made protective charms based on peoples’ scents.”
He paused for a moment to take a shaky breath, “When we couldn’t get pregnant, she started to sell them in the city’s marketplace to take her mind off it.”
Mink looked to Huracan who sat perched at the other edge of the couch, a sleeping Ren curled up in the cushion beside him. “And one day she came home with him.”
“With Huracan?”
“But she had named him Tori and she hand made all of his beads.”
Aoba turned to look at the large cockatiel as it sat with its visible eye closed in sleep mode. When he looked back up, he found Mink watching him, his eyes full of pain as he relived his past life. Aoba sat up and took his lover’s face into his hands. They shared a warm, loving kiss. Aoba took Mink and lead him to their bedroom to sleep.
For the next few weeks, they would rise early to visit Palmata to say a few prayers and leave offerings. After the first few days, Mink had refrained from asking her to move on. From then on, he would simply pray for her passing, only to be disappointed. Aoba was confused as to how Mink was so sure as to what he was “hearing” from Palmata. the blue haired youth chose to not ask, as Mink’s level of frustration grew with each visit. There was one morning where Mink woke Aoba whilst rubbing his back.
“I can’t go out to see her today. I’ve too much work to do.”
Aoba groggily rose from the bed, Mink brushing his messy bedhead back to plant a firm kiss on his forehead.
“Mmm...don’t worry about it. I’ll head over there with Ren and apologize for you.”
Mink left for work after a lazy makeout session, leaving Aoba and Ren with a bouquet offering. With Ren leading the way, Aoba blindly followed.
“Aoba, there are two people just ahead of us.”
“Are they in the graveyard?”
“Affirmative.”
Aoba picked Ren up and put him into the safety of his bag, his fluffy head propped up just out of the opening. He was cautious in making his way to the clearing. Just from the edge he could see the two figures Ren spoke of; the first was a tall woman, her dark hair braided and pulled over her shoulder. Beside her stood a small, wobbly child clinging to the woman’s skirt as it placed a flower before Palmata’s head stone. Aoba, not feeling any sort of threat, approached them.
“Um, excuse me?”
The child jumped, completely startled as he hid behind the woman. Aoba couldn’t help but stare at the child, his fear stricken eyes shining a beautiful gold.
“Forgive us, we were just leaving,” the woman said, her deep, silky voice sending a shiver through Aoba.
“No, I’m sorry. I was just surprised to see there were others here! There’s no need to rush.” Aoba looked up to make eye contact with the woman, her kind gaze causing him to tense up. She gave him a smile and moved aside to allow him room to approach the grave. he did, laying the bouquet beside the lone flower and prayed.
“That’s a very pretty flower you’ve given her.” The little boy, still hiding, made an embarrassed chuckle.
“Granma!” the infant giggled in response.
“My mother is buried here,” the woman explained, “all of these other graves have unidentified bodies lying beneath them. It’s been told that my mother’s people were wiped out in a single night, burned beyond recognition.”
She bent down to pick her child up. Aoba found himself in complete awe. This woman’s story did resemble the memory Aoba had seen when he used Scrap on Mink, but Mink had said…
“What of your father? Did he burn too?”
The woman looked to Aoba with a sad expression. “It is more than likely. You see, I had been born that very night. The woman who raised me said she knew my mother from having worked with her in the town’s market, but that she’d never learned her name, nor had she the chance to meet my father.”
Aoba was even more astonished.
“Th-the woman who raised you?”
“My mother died during childbirth…”
“Puppy!” the child screeched excitedly. The adults smiled as Aoba raised Ren just within the child’s reach. He looked up for the woman’s approval before leaning over to pet Ren.
“Good morning,” Ren greeted, his mechanical tail wagging excitedly. The child giggled with glee, hugging the woman’s neck tightly.
“Well, we’ve many chores to get through today, please take care.” She turned away and began walking off, whispered something into the boy’s ear.
“Bye bye!” the child called just as they ducked into the shadow of the forest. Aoba stood watching after them for several minutes, trying to wrap his head around what had just occurred.
“Aoba, your processing-”
“Yes, Ren, thanks,” Aoba put his hand over Ren’s mouth as he turned to head back home.