Suzuki Akane's Thousand-Year Waltz of Kintsugi “Oh, Haruki,” she whispered. “It’s ruined,” he said, his voice thick with defeat. “Everything is ruined.” He began to gather the pieces, preparing to discard them, but Akane stopped him. "Don't," she said, her voice firm. She reached for a jagged shard, her fingers tracing the clean break. “It's not ruined. It’s... changed.” And like that, two broken artists, created a garden of imperfections for the shogun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Akane! There's one more thing I want to tell you," yelled Haruki, running over to her. "The time I spent today with you was really nice. You helped me see a new way of living. Kintsugi. Changing my scars into something I embrace rather than run from. But... that's not the only thing I wanted to tell you," he said. "I think I know what you want to tell me," she replied, her cheeks turning pink. "I love you!" they both shouted simultaneously. There was a moment of silence, where the frogs jumped from lilypad to lilypad in the pond, before both started laughing and ran into a warm embrace like there was no tomorrow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- But tomorrow always came. "Akane, you have been now appointed as The Shrine Maiden of Amatsu." ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Haruki, come over here. Look what I found," she said. "Wow, that's beautiful. I think the green really suits you," he replied. She grasped the gem, and for a second it felt a gut-wrenching pain. But then... nothing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow came faster and faster. "Akane, it looks like you haven't aged at all since we last met. You're still as pretty as ever," her friends at the shrine would tell her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. Haruki grew weaker, his hair beginning to grey. "Akane, what miracle has that stone given you? I believed it was a blessing, for you to still be so young even after all these years we've been together, but now I'm not so sure," he told her. "If I die before you, just keep moving on to tomorrow for me. Don't worry about me," he continued. "Don't say that!" she screamed, tears running down here eyes with agony. "I'll find a way to keep you alive. We promised we would die together," she said. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Grand Sakura's core. The only thing that could utilise the power of her gem to grant eternal life to others. She searched and searched, but to no avail. Maybe it was just a myth. But it couldn't be! It had to be real. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomorrow. Grasping her umbrella, the rain poured over the thousand graves before her. Every single person she knew. Gone. She had watched them grow older and older, while she herself could not. All because of this damn gem. "Haruki..." she whispered, but no one heard. She let go of the sakura in her hand, letting it rest upon his tomb. Pain is cruel. Grief is cruel. Life is cruel. But she was still Akane. She had to live out her life wearing a smile on her face. She had to move on. She had taught Haruki how to turn his scars into beauty, and now she had to do the same. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- But when a year of tomorrows pass, and the pain never settles, what do you do? How about a thousand years worth of tomorrows? Will kintsugi ever be able to heal such wounds, or will the bowl be shattered forever? ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The Gem of Life. You may think of it as a curse, but it is a gift. You have the power to overgrow the world with your vines, with the thorns inflicting all the pain you have felt onto everyone. Each thorn will be like a shard of glass, unable to be brought together by your art of Kintsugi" The Prophet said, his voice full of conviction. "But what do you wish for, Shrine Maiden of Amatsu? Although you are now part of my Dominion, I have the power to give you what you truly want. Surely in your thousand years of life you have found something to love?" "Or someone..." "You know nothing of what it means to be me, Prophet. Everyone I have ever loved has been lost to time, even him. All I want is to never have to say goodbye again," she snapped back. "Well... there is one way your wish may come true. I know where the Grand Sakura's Core is. Absorb its power while fulfilling your duties as my Arbiter. Do not let your morals chain you from your ambitions. And you will see what power you now have," he responded. "..." "I accept your offer," she whispered to him reluctantly. "Thank you, Akane. Know that that name is nothing to you now. You are now The Maiden, Arbiter of Life."
by me (jljr2) made for my school composition assessment earlier this year
