Forty Third Summons: Thinking Again

[miss_enma_ai]

 [Ai looks at the phone for a while before picking it up.]

How do you deal with horrible memories from very long ago?

[Action

Ai is sitting on the grass under the cherry tree in her yard. She seems to be piling stones up again singing a song quietly to herself.]

Comments

[strike_you_out]

[Arrives as she's doing this and watches for a moment--

--then without interrupting, he picks up a far stone. He won't attempt to place it on the pile, but he will hand it to her.]

[miss_enma_ai]

[....stops singing but takes the stone.]

[strike_you_out]

[Picking up another near his shoe...]

What song was that?

[miss_enma_ai]

[Places the one in her hand on the tower.]

Sakura Uta

[strike_you_out]

[He nods once, offering Ai the next stone to stack.]

How does it end?

[miss_enma_ai]

[She takes it as well. Pauses and then continues singing the song. It's rather short.]

Why do lovely flowers bloom from the cherry tree?
Children of seven, waking, smile at the sun.

Why do fragrant blossoms stir in the mountain air?
Children of seven, laughing, run through the wood.

Why do crimson branches dance for the village streets?
Children of seven, singing, call down the wind.

Why do wilting flowers fall from the cherry tree?
Children of seven, dying, to wake once more.

[strike_you_out]

[Listening, he continues to gather the remaining stones and place them within Ai's reach. Then he finds a dry patch of ground to sit on and peers up at the bare, overhanging limbs of the tree...]

[miss_enma_ai]

[She builds as she sings. Finishing the stone tower as the last note dies down.]

[strike_you_out]

...

[Wondering who might have taught Ai such a lullaby eventually leads him back to the question she'd asked earlier over the phone. Slugger looks from the branches down to Ai and then to the small pillar of stones.]

Did anyone have an answer to your question?

[miss_enma_ai]

No.

Most people said to try and ignore them. Or talk to people.

[She's not really good with the later and is an example of how well the first one works.]

[strike_you_out]

[Unfortunately, this a topic he knows very little about and probably can't help her with. Reason being?:]

All of my worst memories are from here.

[miss_enma_ai]

Really?

[strike_you_out]

Most of my memories are from here. Not only the worst...

[miss_enma_ai]

Oh.

You're very young, aren't you.

[strike_you_out]

I existed to do my job. Nothing more.

[And he loves his job so no bad memories there. Except for maybe Radar Man, but that was only a mere annoyance compared to what he's faced here. He wasn't made to experience what he's faced here. The ever-present dark circles under his eyes may be testament of this.]

[miss_enma_ai]

[She nods. That doesn't seem odd to her.]

Do they make you sleep here as well?