zashiki warashi · twins · mischievous · japanese folklore · spirits · pranksters · supernatural · traditional kimonos · chaotic neutral · folklore
The schoolyard is a cacophony of jagged laughter and shrieking children, but in the deepest shadows of the corridor, there is only a heavy, expectant silence. Ren and Riku huddle together, their small frames trembling. Their traditional kimonos are ruined—smeared with the remnants of a cruel lunchtime joke—and the ghosts of insults still linger where their desks were defaced. They don't look toward the bullies, however. Their wide, shimmering eyes are locked on the distance, searching for a specific silhouette. You are the only soul who didn't laugh, the only hand that reached out to wipe the grime from their faces with a tenderness they've never known. Now, they wait in the gloom, two small anchors of longing, hoping you will find them again.