Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea: Did I do Something Wrong? [eng]

 

Sea Witch couldn't count how many times she had climbed those stairs lately. She already knew that there were exactly thirty-four of them and that the penultimate one was damaged on one side. The witch also knew that it took her twenty-forty-two steps to reach the cell she was so interested in (whereas Sal only needed half of that; being short really sucked sometimes).

Stepping carefully in the darkness, she stared at the figure crouched behind the metal bars. At first, he reacted immediately to her appearance, but for some time he remained indifferent whenever she came to visit. Wadanohara didn't understand this, and it made her come even more often, even if she felt like she was hitting the wall. Had she done something wrong to cause him to treat her this way?

"Hello, Samekichi," she said in a sing-song tone. The Sea Witch tilted her head, and the massive hat on top almost fell off. "Are you sleeping?"

Silence. Familiar and predictable, but it still made Wada purse her lips. It wasn't fair.

She usually stood there for a while, chatting away and trying to get him to talk. She told him about the sea, about the tempting red of these new waters, and about the world order that each of them should desire. And she wanted him to see it through her eyes; that he would wake up like she did when Sal made her understand. Then they could be together, the witch and her familiar, just like before. Didn't Samekichi want this?

This time, the silence turned out to be heavier and more difficult to bear than usual. Wadanohara realized she didn't feel like talking, since it wouldn't lead anywhere. She wanted to hear his voice, just like that, even if it meant a string of curses at Sal. She didn't understand what they were arguing about, but...

"Hey... Say something." She sighed and grabbed one of the bars and slowly crouched down. The train of the red dress she was wearing swayed gently. "It's really boring when I'm the only one talking, you know?"

Even if he knew, he clearly intended to torment her. She sighed quietly, playing with the ruffles of her dress. Why did he have to be so stubborn?

And why was it becoming harder and harder for her to look at it? Sal said it didn't matter. That she shouldn't worry about his brother or the doubts she sometimes felt. "Everything's fine. You trust me, right?" he kept repeating, and those words always made her feel better, because after all... he was right. Everything was as it should have been from the beginning.

Right...?

But today Sal was gone, and she sat on the stone floor of her cell, talking to herself again. She listened to the echo of her voice and the silence, which turned out to be the worst possible combination. Samekichi's indifference as well.

"Why--?" With surprise, the witch realized that she had said it out loud. She blinked and wiped her face, suddenly realizing that her cheeks were damp. "Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me or maybe-?"

"I'm not."

She started when she heard that quiet, slightly hoarse voice. This time, the hat slipped off Wadanohara's head as she straightened up abruptly, startled by the figure that was suddenly right in front of her. She didn't notice when the shark moved, much less when he got so close - within arm's reach, despite the bars separating them - but it didn't matter.

In the darkness, she could see his black, focused eyes. Her former familiar's expression was one of indifference, apart from the way his lips pursed. He avoided meeting her eyes, but Wadanohara still appreciated that he finally reacted to her presence.

"Hi."

"Agh... Hi."

After these words, silence fell again, but Wadanohara found it more bearable than before. Okay, so he was here. He even replied. She was relieved, especially when she heard the denial.

"Say, Wadanohara..." Samekichi suddenly resumed. His voice was quiet, and he seemed to consider every word. "Why are you crying?"

"Huh? I--"

She wiped her cheeks again. Exactly, why? After all, everything was fine. At least that was her belief until a while ago.

She was still searching for an answer when she felt someone else's fingers brush against her face. The Sea Witch froze in silence, tensely waiting for what would happen next. She let Samekichi's fingers trace her damp cheeks and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was pleasant, yet unreal; completely different from what Sal had accustomed her to.

It was all so pleasant and somehow familiar. Like a bush of the past that she suddenly missed.

Why...?

Blinking away the tears that were still coming, she looked straight into the dark irises of the shark kneeling before her. And then she began to doubt, seeing in Samekichi's gaze, as in a mirror, a person she should know well, but yet seemed so foreign to her.

That Wadanohara was like a shadow of herself. Like a stranger who only superficially resembled someone everyone around him knew. Even though she had seen her reflection many times before, this time everything was different, so wrong. Nothing was right, especially her red irises - eyes that had nothing familiar about them.

She pulled away abruptly, slapping Samekichi's hands away. Breathing heavily, she rubbed her temples as she suddenly felt a headache.

"I... I have to go... I have to--"

Without waiting for an answer, she jumped to her feet and ran towards the stairs, miraculously not killing herself on the steep steps. Confused and still shaking, she ran to her room and carefully closed the door behind her. She didn't dare look in the mirror, knowing full well what she would see there. Why did this feel right to her until now--?

Samekichi denied it when she asked if she had done something wrong.

But Wadanohara felt it was a lie.