Oculorum de quod Artifex

Chapter 2:
Oculorum de quod Artifex
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Amaterasu ☼

The tip of her brush gently caressed the cotton of her canvas. The fine bristles softly stroked the thick fabric with a vibrant pure white and periwinkle blue. Dabbled lines blended the two colors in perfect harmony to match the sky and a variety of wispy clouds. The presented results were uncanny; her ability to capture what was in front of her was ultimately brilliant. She was lost within a melodic trance, headphones fitted upon her head while she quietly sang along with a catchy jingle. While fluently using the paintbrush with such skillful manipulation, she glanced to her left for a small second. And then suddenly, she froze while doing a double take…

There she saw him; A young man rested against a bench while his face was met with an open book nestled in his hands. His ivory hair that matched his fair and pale complexion swayed within the breeze. His one exposed eye matched a silver dollar; almost glistening like ore in the sunlight. Oddly enough, his other eye was hidden by a white cotton patch. Nonetheless, all of these features were enough to capture the eyes of an artist. These features were enough to cease her in depth concentration and even lose all interest at the magnificent painting she had spent a few hours on. He resembled a majestic ivory wolf that was blissfully enduring in his natural habitat. He was graceful and at ease… she was simply captivated by him. 

[♀]

After acquiring her sketchbook from a leather satchel, she crouched low to the ground while discreetly recording every contour that was made up of him. Her pencil glided across the clean paper as she delineated his features so very exquisitely. Though the movement of her hand was swift, the outcome was proficient as ever. And then suddenly a gust of wind pushed itself into the loose papers that were burrowed within the pages of her book. She rose from the ground and in a quirk like frenzy, she threw her arms into the air to capture the soaring sheets. Unfortunately, she managed to trip over her own two feet and collide into her easel. After descending to the ground, her pallet was caught in the midst of her clumsy mishap and landed upon the crown of her head. Of course, this caught the attention of the young man who was looking right at her while a colorful array was trickling down the rose colored strands of her hair. She instantly paused when she saw his eyes peering right at her.

A subtle red tinge began to fade upon her complexion while her heart raced. The pupils within her blue irises dilated from his calm gaze. And she gasped when she noticed one of the papers fluttering into his leg. He looked down, retrieved it, and held it up to observe. A small smile formed across his lips before he rose and began to approach her.

"Oh dear, which sketch could he possibly be holding in his hand? What if it’s the one I drew of him! Oh great, now this guy will just think I'm a total weirdo."

All of these thoughts churning in her head while she was paralyzed. And although motionless she wanted to jump out of her own skin from sheer embarrassment.

After walking up to her, he kneeled down and handed her the sketch.

"Hey, this is pretty good. But you should be more careful next time." He simply spoke.

And while she was given the privilege to observe him up close, her eyes were flickering with astonishment. He appeared to be so very gentle, yet there was something about him that revealed a shade of darkness lingering above his head. It was so enigmatic, but nonetheless it was what made him truly fascinating.

And then she glanced within his only exposed eye…

Vision's began to flash before her mind's eye: She saw a boy with black hair proceeding within a demented series of tragedies that drastically transformed him. There he was, sitting on a chair sobbing while surrounded by a desolate room that was as vast as the desert. He slowly cried out for someone but when he spoke there was no sound to be heard. There was only the sound of his destitution portrayed by a stern sense of abandonment…

She looked away… The Oculus of Melpomene, was certainly a curse indeed. It was a hardship she had always had to carry for as long as she could remember. To clarify, this girl was able to look into the eyes of another and witness their grievous memories that cause her to take on the pain they themselves carry. However, as long as she doesn't peer into the eyes of another, she is free from tormented visions.

But oh how she felt the dark shade above him… In fact she could feel it above her as well. His spirit was riddled with so much guilt, and suffering. How could such a beautiful creature endure such horrible feelings?

She reached out for the sketch in his hand, but instead her hand gently grasped his wrist and he was caught off guard by her tender gesture. And then oddly enough, he felt like some sort of compassion was portrayed from her. Almost like that one small sign of affection was a subtle way of comforting him. And though he remained numb, there was a minor sense of warmth that inspired relief. But wait… Why? Why was she doing this? They were complete strangers to each other. He looked down feeling completely awkward, his pale cheeks even faintly blushing. And then she let go, and took the sketch from his hands. Smiling warmly at him, she bowed her head.

"Thank you kind stranger." She spoke in her docile voice.

Wow… she was incredibly appeasing to look at. Even with paint congealed on to her blush pink hair, her eyes were like the galaxy Andromeda… Swirling with a series of shimmering stars only caught deep within a majestic blue sea. He looked away with that awkward feeling again, his tinted cheeks deepening with a red hue.

"Actually," he began while rubbing the back of his neck. "My name is Kaneki."

"Oh, yes… My apologies Kaneki." Her cheerful eyes lit up with her smile. "My name is Amaterasu… But most just call me Ama for short."
  

[☼]

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Kaneki ♀
 

Amaterasu... Just like the heavenly goddess of the sun. Such a suitable name for a girl bearing moderate and comforting warmth. It was like sitting near a kindled fire that eased the bitter cold night. The soothing heat waves wrapping their arms around the chilled skin of one's body… There was nothing more comparable.

"Ama..." His eyes were shimmering while they were fixated upon her lovely face. And for a split second, he felt like his past self again. The naïve boy with a heart that could be melted to easily by a pretty face. However, she seemed so easy to love… Her very presence made that obvious. She was someone he knew he could trust, just by being right next to her. It was refreshing to feel this. He had never been able to trust anyone for a long time. But Within the dark foreboding cloud that was his life, he never dreamed that he would meet someone portrayed so heavenly. He felt comforting radiance eluding from her kindhearted spirit... She was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

"Ama, it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise... Kaneki."

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The thick clouds stacked themselves together within the sky. A golden tinge combined with a soft purple against a pink blush indicated the hour of twilight had commenced. Kaneki and Omega watched the sun resting upon the horizon while the two of them casually spoke to one another.

"Amaterasu huh? Like the Japanese sun Goddess? She seems real nice."

Kaneki's platinum hair whisked within the subtle breeze swaying into his cheeks.

"She's the nicest person I've ever met. And I can say that confidently without even really knowing who she is. Something about her presence, just made me feel like I could easily trust her." His elbow rested against his propped up knee while he envisioned her delicate features and graceful smile.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it's because of the pretty face wasn’t it?" Omega smiled at him playfully.

"What? No… that has nothing to do with it. I mean.. She was extremely beautiful." Kaneki confessed with subtly flushed cheeks.

"Well of course. All guys are suckers for a pretty face. Anyways, I'm sure she's far from the walking nightmare sitting next to you." Omega leaned back against the grass, her body rested against her sloped elbows. She tilted her head back as her flowing locks shook from the wind. Like always, she looked majestic through her natural appearance.

Kaneki looked down at her with a subdued smile. He knew she was indicating herself through her own cynical comment. But he couldn't help but disagree with her entirely. With utmost sincerity, Omega was someone who was always pleasant to be around. Within the four years he had known her, he had always felt that she and him were alike in many ways. Because just like her, there was a different side to him as well he had little to no control over. Though such a heavy burden to bear, it was something he had kept secret from Omega.

Ghouls; monsters that were truly the outsiders of the world. This was how he was depicted… A misunderstood outcast that wandered the ordinary world by himself. Having a ravenous appetite that only a belligerent beast could apprehend. And even though he tried to endure within normality, even though he tried to surround himself by people as to never feel alone… he felt more alone than he had ever felt before. Behind his faded smile was a cloak of despair… when he wasn't his human self he was nothing more than a monstrous, self-loathing creature that hungered for flesh. And this was how Kaneki portrayed himself…

"Don't give yourself all the credit here… " Kaneki responded. "The one who is truly a walking nightmare is me…"

As the light faded into darkness, Kaneki began to realize his appetite was becoming parched. Tonight was the night to hunt… 

  

[♀]

"The true monsters are the ones with the worst intentions."

-Mnemosyne

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