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Coil began to forget Vinestaff’s face.
What did she look like again? What color eyes did she have? What facial marks made her different from other inphernals?
What did she feel like? What was her touch like? Was it gentle?
He didn’t know.
She recently felt like wood, smelled like cherry blossoms.
Maybe that’s because it’s what she became.
What she was now, a cherry blossom tree that stood tall, out of place. Like how she felt among other inphernals.
Coil remembered that cursed arm, it was the only thing he could remember of her. It was what made her different from other inphernals. Even if she saw it in a bad way, Coil saw it as her distinctive trait.
Vinestaff always hid it, either under bandage wrap, or clothing. Saying it wasn’t something that made her unique, the right word was a “freak,” as she liked to describe it.
Coil begged to disagree, but he didn’t push it.
He only watched as the curse slowly spread through her body, restricting her body movements and even her ability to talk.
It pained her to talk, and Coil watched her struggle even lifting any limb just to feel something, someone.
He silently pleaded for whichever deity granted wishes to let Vine live. Coil wanted to punch whatever deity was punishing her for whatever reason.
He remembered what she said to him the first time that the curse actually spread instead of staying dormant, covering her arms, “Please, don’t worry for me.” Were her exact words before he let it go, but not before wrapping his arms around Vinestaff, laying his head on her chest, cuddling her on the couch until they fell asleep.
Vinestaff’s physical health deteriorated after that, she forgot to get up sometimes because the curse weighed her down, mentally and physically. Coil had to help her out of bed if it meant spending time with her, and taking care of herself.
Coil did his best to help Vinestaff when he could when Slingshot and Shuriken were not at home while Vinestaff was. He became less daring when it came to doing things with Vinestaff, he let her rest more as if it would help her.
That was before Vinestaff’s curse got even worse.
Coil couldn’t go to their apartment to visit Vinestaff anymore. He couldn’t look at her properly when she was stuck to the bed, still but awake.
That wood spread throughout her body like wildfire, sure, she can move, but it causes pain for her to even try moving the stiffened limbs.
She always insisted on helping around even with the curse, pushing herself.
Vinestaff even still showed up to his wrestling matches, even with her curse that made her practically paralyzed.
Coil watched as she cheered from the back after he had won.
He didn’t know why he felt like crying.
After the matches, he usually ran over to Vinestaff, who waited outside for him. He appreciated her presence, don’t get him wrong, but she should’ve been home resting. So that maybe her curse wouldn’t get worse from her moving around.
Vinestaff dismissed the questions almost as quickly as they came.
He stopped asking the fourth time. Since Vinestaff said she can carry herself around just fine.
Coil worried, but as long as Vinestaff said she was okay with walking around, he let it slip his worries.
When Vinestaff took him to her apartment after every match, she always let him sit on the couch and she’ll bake them a treat.
One particular night, Coil swore he heard crying from the kitchen. He went to go check on her, only to find her back turned to him, facing the small stove.
He stayed quiet, watching her just.. stand there.
Coil retreated back to the couch and waited for her there. Coil might’ve been too proud to give up then, but he assumed Vine was under stress. He might as well tone it down.
Maybe it would’ve helped her more.
That’s what he thought at the time.
That was also the first time he’d actually seen Vinestaff cry.
Like, real crying. Not the happy tears or laughing tears.
Coil never forgot that day, even if he didn’t bring it up, he never let it slip his memory.
He missed Vinestaff.
Everyday he missed Vinestaff as though he had spent his whole life with her.
He didn’t see her leading up to her final days, no, he couldn’t even go near Thieves Rest.
Coil wanted to be with Vinestaff most of his days, especially on hard days, but even on those, he avoided her completely.
Somedays, he calls Shuriken and asks how she is, Shuriken only responds with one-word answers. Either “Okay,” or “Worse.”
He knew Shuriken was overprotective of his sister, especially when it came to her curse.
Coil heard the cracks in his voice whenever he picked up the phone, Coil kept the conversation short. He knew it must’ve been difficult for Shuriken and Slingshot the most, that was their practical sister. (For Shuriken, literal sister.)
He was just with Vinestaff for only a year. He wasn’t that important to Vinestaff’s life. At least, that’s what he thought.
The day Vinestaff was expected to pass, she wanted Coil to come over. She wanted to see Coil.
Slingshot was the one to tell him that.
Coil did his best to get from Playground to Crossroads as quickly as he could.
When he arrived, Shuriken opened the door, greeting Coil with a shaky voice and puffy eyes. Sling was in the back too, sitting down next to what looked to be Vinestaff’s room.
Shuriken wordlessly led him over to Vinestaff’s room. He opened the door waiting for Coil to go in.
Coil was hesitant, could he bear seeing Vinestaff that way?
What did she even look like then?
Was she scared?
Shuriken’s voice was barely above a whisper, “Look, go in or don’t. She wanted you here.” He said, his eyes still had unshed tears waiting to fall.
Coil finally walked in, mustering up the strength to see Vine in such a vulnerable state.
Vinestaff laid on the bed, still as a corpse but her chest still rose and fell slowly. As if it pained her to even breathe.
Coil approached her, kneeling down next to the bed.
“Why’d you show up to all my matches even when you were in pain?”
Vinestaff blinked, looking over to Coil with a small smile,
“How could I not? I always loved seeing you win, takes my mind off things.”
“Things” meaning the curse that was slowly overtaking her body.
Coil looked at her as if she had six heads.
“But—you should’ve just stayed home, you would’ve gotten better.”
Coil said, not understanding why Vinestaff did all of that for him when she was clearly suffering physically.
“Coil, rest doesn’t help.. I learned to accept ages ago that I’d never be cured.”
Vinestaff said, trying to lift her right arm to hold Coil’s hand, grasping for something that she would remember in the afterlife.
“….Vinestaff, why do you have to be the one for this stupid curse?”
Coil asked, lifting his own hand to hold hers, rubbing his thumb against the hard wooden texture of it.
“Karma has it’s ways of getting me back, hard.”
Vinestaff said, as if she knew why. To be honest, Vine didn’t know why it was specifically her to “inherit” this curse.
Had she been too wrathful in her past life?
“But you don’t deserve karma. You’re the last person to deserve it.”
He whispered, gripping her hand before easing up once he saw Vinestaff wince.
“I’m sorry.”
He apologized almost immediately.
Vinestaff chuckled, that laugh that set his heart into butterflies when he first heard it.
Now he couldn’t even remember what it sounded like.
Was it soft?
He couldn’t remember and he hated himself for it.
“Don’t apologize, Shuriken acted the same way.”
She reassured him, slowly turning her head towards him to make it easier to face him.
“I never wanted to leave you in this way, Coil.”
She said out of the blue, Coil could see her own eyes watering up.
“I don’t want to die either, I’m scared. I lived my life in expectation, but now I don’t want to.”
Vinestaff said, her voice faltering with every word and tears falling down her face.
“I was an idiot for starting something serious like this when I knew I would die early.”
She paused,
“I don’t regret a single second of it, but I’ll regret leaving you here.”
Vinestaff was full-on sobbing now, sniffling while trying to talk to Coil.
Coil looked at her with blank eyes, shutting down listening to her sob.
Vinestaff dried her own tears, just by laying there waiting for Coil to also return back.
“I’m— Sorry. I love you, Coil. You know that.”
She reassured him, rubbing his hand with a sharp wooden claw. It pained her to do so, but if it was for Coil, she didn’t care.
“Can you.. call Shuriken and Slingshot, please?”
Vinestaff asked, her voice growing weaker by the moment.
Coil wordlessly nodded, he slowly got up, as if hesitant that if he took his eyes off Vinestaff, she’d leave without him also saying goodbye.
Vine watched him from the bed, in extreme pain but still keeping a smile on her face. One of her worst smiles ever. It didn’t even hide she was crying, how she was still trying not to sob.
How she was attempting to keep herself together to not worry Coil.
Coil, on the other hand, opened the door, still trying to look at Vinestaff through his peripheral vision.
“Slingshot, Shuriken, Vinestaff asked to call you in here.”
Shuriken pushed past him almost immediately, not wasting a moment to see his sister.
Slingshot hid his face in his hands, muttering, “Thank you, Coil.”
Coil walked back over to Vinestaff, except on the opposite since Slingshot and Shuriken sat on the side he was previously.
Vinestaff spoke to both of them trying to keep them both from crying, Shuriken struggled to respond through tears, regardless of Vinestaff’s words. Vinestaff tapped Coil’s hand with her own.
Coil reluctantly held her hand. Not because he didn’t want to, it was just all too much.
Vinestaff tried to reassure Shuriken that she wouldn’t die, she just wouldn’t be around anymore.
“Just.. Bury me out with my flowers. Please.”
She pleaded, using the last bit of her strength to make that one final request.
Coil felt Vinestaff’s hand go limp on his own. He looked over to Vinestaff, her eyes were closed.
He could hear Shuriken’s loud crying.
Slingshot’s muffled sniffles.
lCoil rested his head on her chest, still holding her hand that felt like deadweight.
Slingshot looked at the both of them remorsefully.
Slingshot gently tugged Shuriken’s arm, whispering something into his ear before Shuriken got up, and followed Slingshot out back.
Coil didn’t know what they were doing, but he couldn’t care less, he just wanted to be with Vinestaff.
He knew that tomorrow, Vinestaff would wake up and call him funny.
He would wake up, and Vinestaff would be there.
Wouldn’t she?
Coil blinked awake, slowly opening his eyes and looking around, ah! He was in Vinestaff’s apartment, right.
He tried shaking her awake, she didn’t wake up.
He called her name once, twice, she didn’t wake up.
Coil swiveled his head around when he heard the door opening, it was Slingshot, Shuriken clung to his side.
“Coil.. Um. Can you help put her in the hole we dug in her garden?”
Right.
Vinestaff was dead.
Coil slowly nodded, getting up from his knees and looking over to Vinestaff’s lifeless body.
He gently picked her up by the waist, carrying her as if she was fragile.
He looked over to the two who stood in the doorway, waiting for Slingshot to lead the way.
Slingshot moved towards the entrance door, opening it to see a crowd of people just standing in front of the cafe that was directly in front of Vinestaff’s house.
Had they not read the sign?
Slingshot groaned while Shuriken still kept his face hidden in Slingshot’s jacket.
They waited for the crowd to dissipate before bringing Vinestaff to her garden, where a hole sat unfilled.
Slingshot didn’t dig too deep. Coil thought, walking over to the hole and gently placing Vinestaff in the hole.
The hole that would seal her away forever.
Shuriken cried louder into Slingshot’s jacket, Coil could hear it.
Slingshot was also crying.
Coil maybe would’ve cried if he didn’t shut down at that moment.
Seeing his lover lying there in what was meant to be her grave.
Slingshot asked for Coil to go home, and Coil obliged.
That didn’t mean he didn’t go to Vinestaff’s apartment everyday, asking if she was there.
Asking if she wanted to go out with him as if she was still alive.
Shuriken answered everytime, with the same response.
“Did you forget? Vinestaff isn’t here anymore.”
It was the same every single goddamn time.
Coil didn’t accept it.
He wouldn’t accept it.
Coil went into the backyard, expecting Vinestaff to be crouched over some flower he had never even heard of.
But he didn’t.
He only saw a small sapling sprout from the ground.
When was that there?
Did Vinestaff plant that back while she was ill?
Coil walked over to the sapling.
It was directly above where they buried Vinestaff.
..
How did it even get there?
Whatever.
Coil thought, turning back and walking over to Slingshot’s cafe.
It’s been a while since he had been there.
He saw how bad Slingshot looked before, looks like he cleaned up slightly.
Shuriken.. was a different story.
He sat down at a booth, ordering a strawberry milkshake.
That was Vinestaff’s favorite drink, and flavor.
Wasn’t it?
Slingshot gave him the milkshake and thanked him for his service and Coil headed out back to Playground.
He didn’t visit her apartment from that day on.
Over time, he slowly started to forget.
The one thing he vowed to remember.
Her voice, her laugh.
First, it started with her eyes.
Were they pink? He hadn’t remembered.
Then it was her scent.
Did she smell good?
Did she smell like blossoms?
He couldn't remember.
He hated himself for it.
He even forgot what it was like to hold her hand, to hold her.
Coil promised Vinestaff to never forget her, but he couldn’t even remember one basic thing about her.
He remembered her curse, but not her.
Why?
Why did he remember the one thing she hated about herself the most, but not all the beautiful things about her that she liked.
Coil visited her apartment one last time months later.
He went into the backyard.
A large tree stood out amongst the rest.
Out of place.
That little sapling had grown into a blossom tree that had the exact same wood that Vinestaff had on her arm.
He looked up at the tree, looking at the flowers that fell from the branches, they were similar to the ones Vinestaff had in her hair.
“I hope you’re in peace now, flowers.”
He said, turning his back to the tree and walking away.
He missed her, so bad.
Things got worse without her.
Sure everyone didn’t know her well, but she wasn’t unlikable.
He missed seeing her at his boxing matches.
He didn’t even perform as well, sure he still won most fights.
But, post-matches were now so different.
Normally, he’d walk out to Vinestaff ready to praise him for the fight he won, but she wasn’t there anymore.
She wasn’t there to heal his injuries, make him feel better by using her staff.
She just wasn’t there.
Coil wished that he met Vinestaff earlier.
That he could’ve spent more time with her.
That he could’ve appreciated her more.
Maybe then she’d be here right now, peppering kisses on his forehead as he held her.
He didn’t know.
He just missed her