Cards Of The Silent King-Chapter 33: Sakura and the Schoolyard

The schoolyard was dark. The gates were locked. Kaito stood inside the perimeter. He had climbed the fence. It was easier than explaining why he was here.

The old cherry blossom tree stood in the corner. It was decades old. It bloomed once a year. Everyone took pictures when it bloomed.

Tonight, it was dying.

Kaito walked toward it. The grass was wet. The air smelled wrong. It smelled like rot. It smelled like old paper burning.

Kaito thought: Hunger Born.

He saw it clinging to the trunk. It was not a beast. It was a stain. A shadow that ate color. The bark was grey where it touched. The leaves were falling without wind.

Kuro said: "It is feeding."

Kaito said: "I see it."

Kuro said: "Do not cut it. The tree is the host. If you cut the stain, you cut the wood."

Kaito said: "I know."

He stepped closer. The shadow rippled. It sensed him. It did not fight. It tried to consume faster. It wanted the spirit before he could intervene.

Kaito thought: No.

He placed his hand on the trunk. The bark was cold. It was dying.

Kaito said: "Come out."

He did not speak to the shadow. He spoke to the tree.

He pushed his will into the wood. He did not push the shadow away. He pulled the spirit toward him. He offered a gate. He offered safety.

The shadow hissed. It sounded like dry leaves crumbling.

Kaito said: "Now."

A light bloomed under his hand. It was soft. It was pink. It pushed through the grey bark.

The shadow shrieked. It detached. It tried to flee into the ground.

Kaito snapped his fingers. Kuro emerged from the card. He was a shadow himself. He was darker than the stain.

Kuro said: "Mine."

Kuro swept down. He captured the shadow. He crushed it into nothing. It was not a contract. It was waste.

The pink light remained. It hovered in the air. It took shape.

She was small. She wore a kimono made of petals. Her hair was white like blossoms. Her eyes were kind.

Sakura said: "You saved the wood."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Sakura said: "The shadow was hungry. It did not care about the growth. It only cared about the end."

Kaito said: "It is gone."

Sakura said: "For now."

She floated closer. She looked at his jacket. She looked at the pocket where the cards rested.

Sakura said: "You carry others."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Sakura said: "Are they kind."

Kaito said: "Some."

Sakura said: "I do not fight. I heal. I grow. If I join you. You must let me grow."

Kaito thought: In the apartment.

He thought: It will be messy.

He thought: But the city is dying.

He thought: Maybe something should live.

Kaito said: "Yes."

Sakura smiled. It was a warm smile. It felt like spring sun.

Light condensed. A card formed. It was green. It had a blossom on the face. It floated into his hand.

Kaito slid it into the deck. It felt light. It felt alive.

Kuro said: "She is soft."

Kaito said: "She is necessary."

Kuro said: "Softness gets you killed."

Kaito said: "Not always."

Kuro faded back into the card. The schoolyard was quiet. The tree was stable. The grey was gone.

Kaito climbed the fence. He went home.

The apartment was dark. He turned on the light. He took off his jacket. He laid it on the table.

The deck was on the wood. He spread the cards. He counted them.

Fifteen cards now.

He picked up the new one. He placed it in the center.

Sakura said: "Hello."

She was not in the card. She was standing by the window. She was looking at the empty pots on the sill.

Kaito said: "You are out."

Sakura said: "There is no soil. This is sad."

Kaito said: "It is an apartment."

Sakura said: "Life finds a way."

She waved her hand. The air shimmered.

Small green shoots erupted from the wood of the table. They grew fast. They curled. They bloomed.

Tiny pink flowers opened in seconds. They smelled like rain and sweet tea.

Kaito said: "Stop."

Sakura said: "They are pretty."

Kaito said: "They are on the table."

Sakura said: "They will not hurt the wood. I asked the wood. It agreed."

Kaito looked at the table. The wood had not cracked. The flowers were growing out of the grain. It was impossible. It was happening.

Ember said: "Oh. I want some."

Ember popped out of the Seven of Hearts. She was orange and bright. She hovered near the flowers.

Ember said: "Can I touch. They look warm."

Sakura said: "Do not burn them."

Ember said: "I am careful. Mostly."

Ember reached out. She touched a petal. The flower glowed. It did not wilt. It grew brighter.

Kaito thought: This is chaos.

He thought: I need sleep.

He thought: But the room smells better.

The smell of ozone from Raikou was gone. The smell of old paper from Kuro was gone. The room smelled like a garden.

Kaito said: "Bed."

Sakura said: "One more thing."

She pointed to the corner. There was a dead plant there. Kaito had forgotten to water it for three months. It was brown dust.

Sakura touched it. The brown turned green. The leaves unfurled. It stood straight.

Sakura said: "Everyone deserves a second chance."

Kaito looked at the plant. It was alive.

Kaito said: "Okay."

Sakura said: "Goodnight, Kaito."

She returned to the card. The flowers on the table remained. They did not fade.

Ember said: "She is nice. I like her."

Kaito said: "Sleep."

Ember said: "Fine. But I am dreaming about gardens."

Ember went back into the card. The room was quiet.

Kaito stood there for a long time. He looked at the flowers. They were small. They were fragile.

He thought: The city is breaking.

He thought: The cracks are widening.

He thought: Vortelius is coming.

He thought: But this is here.

He touched a petal. It was soft. It was real.

He went to the bedroom. He did not turn off the light in the main room. He wanted to see the green in the dark.

He lay down. He closed his eyes.

He listened to the city. The sirens were distant. The power grid hummed. Raikou was sleeping in the wires.

Kaito thought: Fifteen cards.

He thought: One healer.

He thought: Maybe that is enough.

Sleep came. It was deep. He did not dream of shadows. He dreamed of pink petals falling on concrete.

Morning came. The sun hit the table. The flowers opened wider.

Kaito woke up. He made coffee. He stood by the table.

He looked at the notebook. It was closed. He did not open it.

He looked at the cards. They were quiet.

He looked at the flowers. They were alive.

Kaito said: "Thanks."

He did not say who he was talking to. The cards hummed. The flowers swayed. There was no wind.

He put on his jacket. He checked the pockets. The cards were secure.

He opened the door. He stepped into the hallway.

The building was quiet. The neighbors were sleeping.

He walked down the stairs. He went outside.

The city was grey. The sky was cloudy. The air was cool.

He walked toward the school. He passed the Grey District. The cracks were sealed. For now.

He passed the convenience store. The sign buzzed.

He thought: Six days of wrong.

He thought: Today is day seven.

He thought: I will be ready.

He reached the school gate. Ryota was waiting. He held two vending machine coffees.

Ryota said: "You look less tired."

Kaito said: "Sleep well."

Ryota said: "Lucky. I dreamed about tests. I failed all of them."

Kaito took the coffee. It was hot.

Ryota said: "Did you see the tree. The old one. It looks better."

Kaito said: "Yes."

Ryota said: "Weird. It was dying yesterday. Now it is blooming. In October."

Kaito said: "Nature is strange."

Ryota said: "Yeah. Maybe it is a good sign."

Kaito drank the coffee. He looked at the school building.

He thought: It is a sign.

He thought: But not for them.

He thought: For me.

He walked inside. The bell rang. Class started.

He sat at his desk. He put his hand in his pocket. He touched the green card.

It was warm.

He opened his notebook. He wrote the date. He did not write about the flowers.

He closed the book.

He listened to the teacher. He watched the light.

The city was still breaking. The hunger was still coming.

But in his apartment, something was growing.

That would have to be enough.