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Shu Itsuki's most prized possession was a traditional Japanese doll.
The black-haired doll, as much as it stuck out amongst the rest of the Itsuki Manor’s Victorian decor, ardently outshined it. One could lose sight of themselves admiring her pitch black eyes. She donned a black and red kimono layered on top of a withered layer of white, complete with an intricate colorful belt hugging her waist. Her hair was adorned with a long headpiece composed of white satin, dyed a red gradient at the bottom, a string of pure white pearls with a small gold bell hanging on the end, two white flowers at the top, all held together by a gold clip which had its own dangling triangular gold pieces.
It was an interesting doll, and it did not align with Shu's typical standards in terms of aesthetics. What it was about the doll that entranced the young noble so intensely was truly a mystery. It was an imperfect work, typically unfit for a perfectionist as meticulous as Shu.
Perhaps what made this doll so charming were her imperfections. Each of her rose tinted cheeks were cracked, and she was top to bottom splattered with red paint, meant to resemble blood. Shu often wondered who designed such an intricate antique, and what direction they were hoping to take with their work.
Truly a sight to behold.
Shu's family was often perplexed as to why she held this particular artifact to such high regard; to them, it was simply a foreign antique. To Shu, she was the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on, a timeless artistic creation, the muse of her heart.
The first time Shu laid eyes on the doll was in a small antique shop on a visit to a neighboring city. She passed by the small shop every day during the stay, and every time was inclined to spend at least a little bit of time soaking in the doll’s beauty. On the final day of her stay, on the day she was set to leave, she caved; she purchased the doll. She was not one to spend frequently, but the doll drew her in, called her name, and wanted her close. Every minute of every day of every week of every year; even at the end of time, separated the two shall not be. That is how Shu felt, looking into the doll’s eyes.
The doll now remains a permanent sight on Shu's nightstand, forever watching over her. No one could ever understand what was so alluring about a Japanese doll, but that was not of importance. Shu understood her allure, and that was more than enough.
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Shu was returning from a walk in her manor's garden on a calm spring day. A rather lazy day it had been, not that Shu was complaining. The sun setting lit up the evening sky with an array of bright colors before fully setting into a black starry sea at the end of the day. Shu could admire the night sky for an eternity if given the chance, but once having reached her chamber, all of her other desires and aspirations melt away. Her other thoughts begin to wilt at the sight of the belle that is her black-haired doll. She was entrancing and mystifying like no other antique could ever be. Shu did not know why she felt this way, how these feelings manifested and why they were so intense. What she did know was that her dearest doll must stay by her side forever.
Shu treats her dolls like other humans. She picks up the black-haired doll ever so carefully and set her on her lap as she sits in bed. In that moment, the doll had fully caught Shu in her trance.
She carefully set her long black hair out of the way to reveal her left cheek before giving into temptation and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. In an instance, a wave of soothing warmth splashed over Shu's lonesome soul, as if she had laid a kiss upon the cheek of a goddess. What was it about this doll that hypnotized Shu so intensely? Perhaps she would never know.
5 hours have passed, Shu has been fast asleep for a long time now, when she feels a light tap on her shoulder. It startles her awake, and turns beside her to find the source of the nudge.
There, beside her, lay a pale, slender, black-haired woman in a black and red kimono, with splatters of blood all over her figure. Her right eye was amber colored, while her left eye had a lapis blue hue. Her eyes shone brightly in the moonlight.
It took everything in Shu to restrain herself from letting out a blood-curdling scream, but seeing as it was the dead of night, she held her fear inside.
“Ehehe, Oshi-san, look! Ya finally woke me up~”
Oshi-san? What an odd nickname to give a person you just met.
A stranger had entered Shu’s house. She should be running, screaming, forcing the mysterious woman to leave her manor. But she could do none of that; she was frozen in place, unable to move or think, unable to assess the situation she was in. All she could do was admire the lovely woman who sat next to her.
The woman's hand reached out to Shu's face and cupped her cheek before pulling her close and landing a soft kiss on her lips. Shu, whilst wholly clueless as to what she had gotten herself into, reciprocated the mysterious woman's kiss with great passion, and even felt slightly disappointed when the woman pulled away.
“Who exactly are you, and what are you doing in my house at this time of the night?” Shu finally decided to inquire what was going on, despite the fact that she was enjoying whatever situation she'd gotten herself into.
“My name’s Mika Kagehira, but that's not important… Ya already know me! You've been carin’ for me for months now, I owe ya tons for that ya know…”
Caring for her for months now? What was the mystery woman saying?
And that's when it clicked.
The black hair, tinted a deep forest green. Her layered black and red kimono. The blood splatters. There was no doubt about it, this was Shu’s eternal love, her pride and joy, her muse, the antique doll. And now, she had come alive.
“Aw, Oshi-san, don't go back to sleep too fast, okay? I don't have long.”
“When did I give off the impression that I would fall back asleep? If anything… I'd be happy to spend some time with you, Kagehira.”
Shu was hypnotized by the ethereal doll’s bewitching presence. She was never so kind to a stranger, let alone one who appeared in her house at the dead of night, but the need she felt to express her true feelings here could not be obscured.
“What are you exactly, and where did you come from?”
“Why do ya wanna know?”
Mika lay onto Shu’s chest slowly. Shu wrapped her arms around her while Mika played with her long pink locs of hair. The pair lay like that for a long while in silence, simply enjoying each other's company.
She couldn't hold back much longer, and in an instance Mika was turned around, held tightly in Shu's arms as their lips pressed together and they exchanged yet another, longer kiss. The two separated for a moment, keeping each other in their embrace.
“Thank you, Oshi-san, fer setting me free… I’ll hold ya in my memory forever!”
With that, Mika's figure began to fade away as she hugged onto Shu, and Shu could feel the weight on her body slowly disappearing.
“Kagehira, what in the world is happening to you?! Please, allow me to assist you!”
“No need fer that, Oshi-san, all that's important is that I met ya and I could finally escape. The sun's coming up, can't ya see? My time’s up. Bye-bye!”
“Kagehira, cease this at once! Tell me what is it I can do to help!"
“Nothin’. Jus’ stay put, I promise I’ll be okay, I don't know where I’m going but I know it's where i ough'ta be.”
With that, the sun rose, and Mika disappeared.
A tear fell onto Shu’s cheek, followed by a second, and a third; it was truly over. The doll was nowhere to be seen, and the enchanting woman who called herself Mika Kagehira had vanished forever. Soon, Shu was fully crying at the loss of her muse. Depressing as the loss may have been, Shu was grateful. Grateful that she had the chance to meet the love of her life in person, even if for just a short moment. Maybe that's what was missing from her life, a moment of peace with a soul she connected with.
With the tether to the black-haired doll broken, a part of Shu felt empty. Another part of her felt a new longing; a longing to become a true human herself.
Shu never ended up seeing that woman again.