This Preserved Change is the Reminders of My Favorite Memories with You

           Today is just a peacefull one. No planning, no killing. Just a chill day that those group need after a big action. A quite morning in Kaneki’s safehouse. Banjou and his friends just went to buy necessities that running low in house. Tsukiyama went to his house and claim to have routine makeover et cetera – God knows what rich do as a routine. There’s just two people in the safehouse right now. Our little Hinami that still slumbers in her sleep and Kaneki. Kaneki looks busy with several posies of small flowers. There’s Osmanthus, Freesias, Forget-me-not (Wasurenagusa) waft their sweet smell. Those flowers are gifts from Tsukiyama that he keeps not be thown up like what he usually did. Kaneki thinks those could be usefull for craft he tries to make, Oshibana. Oshibana is a Japannesse skill from to press up flowers and use up as decorations for any handcraft.

There’s sound of water running. And little steps down the stairs. Hinami already wakes up. Kaneki’s calm demeanor shatters. He shouldn’t surprised with an interuption. But this morning is too silent, even a small noise disrupt him. A cutter, two scissors, and several papers that needed by Kaneki to make  scatters in every side of table. He takes a long breath, and release it slowly – a simple act that help ease mind. A calm mind is vital. Kaneki thinks that it would be more easy if he let Hinami join him make Oshibana.

            “Onii-chan, what are you doing?” asks Hinami cheerfully. Kaneki let her eyeing his craft. He just picks up flowers branch that looks good enough to use up. He replies Hinami question “I just prepare to make Oshibana, Hinami-chan.’

“Onee-chan made something similar like this but bigger! She like put magic to her school project. That pink flower turns to be purple in a week!” exclaim Hinami.

“I remember her school project. She made a herbarium. And what I made isn’t a herbarium, it’s oshibana” explain Kaneki

“What difference between Oshibana and Herbarium then, Onii-chan?” chatter her.

“First, the plants that being used. Herbarium could use any kinds of plants actually. You could press Algaes and Moss even.

While Oshibana prefer to use plants that have minimum moist and water content. These flowers could be use as Oshibana if we did the right steps. I feel these flowers is perfect. The moisture could dry up quickly, and” Said Kaneki while point up  flowers in the table.

In herbarium you need to preserve all bodies of plants if possible. The minimal is you have three healthly organs that looks representative enough.

Oshibana just need several parts of flowers. Leaves and branch is fine if there’s a feel to use it

their small size is so flexible to be used as anything

The good herbarium is need to make sure all moisture is gone, and the one sign of it is that preserved plant turn completely brown.

“The techniques to make Herbarium is much more simple. Just set plant as schematics as possible on old newspaper. Sprays some preserving alcohol evenly then press it up with something that wide and quite heavy. Keep

“Onee-chan birthday is drawing near. I want to make that craft. I like to give her something. She’s really care me back then..” saids Hinami dreamly.

“I will explain how to make Oshibana, Hinami-chan. It’s actually quite simple but please follows me if you didn’t want to lose steps” smiles Kaneki.

“First let’s prepare our plant drying necessities, Hinami-chan. We need some newspapers to absorbs water moisture. This foam is needed to make sure water absorbtion are gradate. Oil papers is essential to keep natural humidity not gone immediately. And this zip-lock

Like an oshibana, you need to add pressure for it to change. An once changed, it will never return.

After that bridge incident Touka feels horrible. She just blast away her chance to had Kaneki back to Anteiku, as a person she knows in the past. The kind guy that smile a lot, did kindness a lot is long gone. Those pressure from Ghoul world really change him. All tortures in his days at Aogiri, that bastard Yamori sick mind do to Kaneki. A black hair that turn up completely be a full white.

“Touka, there’s still a gift left for you” calls Manager while holds an envelope. Touka realize she keeps stunning then she slowly approach Manager and thanks him. She still shocked after knowing that Kaneki of all people gives her a gift. A rabbit keychain for her birthday that she wonders how he knows. And there’s one gift. Touka opens the envelop and found a bookmark inside. There’s a simple letter with Hinami handwriting tell that she collaborate with Kaneki, made a bookmark with decoration that called oshibana as her thanks for Touka’s care.

In the back of the bookmark are shoudou style text with a pray charm for exam luckiness. That bookmark is somewhat simple yet pretty with a grey ribbon that adorned it. In each tip of ribbon are blue beads with the shape like a heart and a star. There’s little blue flowers decorate the front side. A stalk with a leaf is placed curvely in the slim bookmark. A flower it being cut in half and looks like butterflies gives ease vibrant it flies happily around. She mutters knowing these flowers. Myosotis.

She did a little research about these flowers at the school library so she knows the genus. She remembers those flowers as seed plants that Kaneki gives to everyone long time ago. Forget-me-not flowers that Manager spread grows nicely. A wave of blues that will happily accept it giver to his old workplace. But he choose not return yet he use these for his craft. The flowers of memories, Wasurenagusa.