Cherry Blossoms
One of Taro's earliest memories is cherry blossoms.
Sisuta Town is alive with cherry blossom, like the ones Taro is witnessing right now. He's standing on a pathway, surrounding by trees with blooming pink flowers. Three-year old Taro squeals and delight and his mother lifts him up so he can be closer to them. A petal slowly drifts down and Taro's chubby little hand reaches out to grab it. As he does, he proceeds to stuff the petal into his mouth.
"Taro!" Reiko Yamada screeches. "Spit that out right now!"
Taro does as he's told. Spit dribbles down his chin and he looks to the ground, feeling shameful and guilty for provoking his mother's outburst. He feels like he's going to cry, but he doesn't want to. She simply puts him down, then grabs his hand. Reiko then walks him over to one of the trees and they watch as more flowers bloom and the petals slowly drift away.
"Taro, sakura trees are not food. You can look at them, you can touch, but you do not eat them."
"But pretty..." Taro mumbles quietly.
"I know they're pretty, sweetheart. I know. But if we all ate the sakura petals, there wouldn't be any left for us to look at!"
Taro gasps. A world without cherry blossoms!? A world without all those pretty pink petals that drift by him in the wind!? He can't imagine such a world. Where he'll look up to the skies and no cherry blossoms will be there.
Reiko giggles, breaking Taro from his trance. "Alright Taro, let's go. There's a lot more trees for you to look at."
As Reiko heads off, Taro follows along, holding tightly onto his mother's hand as the petals surround him. He yawns, knowing that it's getting close to his bedtime and Reiko will want to head home soon, but he doesn't care. He wants to stay in this magical little world of sakura with his mother forever.
That's why every Mother's Day, Taro makes sure to give Reiko a bouquet full of pink cherry blossoms. And why Hanako will never understand the reason they both laugh so hard when he gets a petal in his mouth by accident.
One day, the inevitable happens. Taro knows it's not traditional custom, but it's special to him and that's what matters. The tiny little vase of cherry blossoms looks like it's going to topple off the casket at any given moment, so Taro gently opens the lid, before nestling the vase inside his mother's arms. Her hand twitches slightly. Hanako gasps.
But the vase is fine. It's safe with his mother, who will carry it on with her to the afterlife. Taro steps back and his sister gives him a hug.
He swears, he still sees her spirit dancing when the blossoms start drifting.
Calla Lilies
"I want one of those flowers!" Hanako says, pointing.
"Now?" Taro frowns. The plants in the florist's shop are always so expensive and he doesn't have much allowance left. He won't be able to afford one of the lilies Hanako wants. They're very pretty, with their milky white colour and tubed shape that remind him a bit of a trumpet.
Hanako smiles. "Yeah!"
"I dunno, I don't think I have enough money. Unless you brought your purse? Then we could buy one together."
Hanako pouts. "Aw, I forgot! But please, Taro? Pretty, pretty, please?"
Although Hanako is turning eight years old in a few days, she still acts like a small child. And Taro hates it when she pouts. How can he say no to that face? If he does, he'll make her cry. Taro would never dare to make his little sister cry.
"I'm sorry, Hanako, but I can get you one for your birthday. How does that sound?"
Hanako's eyes light up. "You's get me a lily for my birthday!? You promise!?"
"I promise."
The day of Hanako's birthday, Taro is back in the florist's store with his weekly allowance. This time, there are two colours of calla lilies available. Taro selects the largest one he can find, which is a faint orange hue. The cashier places the stem in a little beaker of water, to keep the flower alive until he gets home and has a vase to stick it in.
Although Hananko loves having big birthday parties where she invites all her friends, Taro's parents have decided that tonight will be quiet and simple. Taro likes the idea. He likes celebrating with loved ones and he gets a break before the big bash on the following day, in which Hanako has invited her entire class.
Taro's parents bring out the birthday cake, placing it on the table in front of Hanako. Soon, the candles are extinguished and Reiko is busy cutting slices of cake and serving them to her children. Taro's father disappears for a moment, but comes back holding a beautifully wrapped box. Hanako rips it open to find a miniature yet elegantly refurnished dollhouse inside. She squeals with delight.
When Taro retrieves his present, Hanako is still gawking at the dollhouse. Her smile gets even bigger when he paces the vase beside her, with the call lily sitting inside. It's fully bloomed and he can't help but giggle at the way Hanako peers inside the tube.
"Thank you, Taro! This is the best birthday present ever!"
Taro groans slightly as Hanako tackles him in a giant hug. But she's squealing, he's laughing, and his parents are smiling fondly as they hold one another. The calla lily stands straight up, tall and confident, and Taro knows he's picked the best one.
Anthuriums
To say that Taro is nervous would be an understatement.
He's extremely anxious about attending Akademi High. His parents think it's a good chance to improve his education and Taro can agree with them on that. After all, it's not every day they hand out scholarships to his family.
At the same time, he's leaving all of his old friends behind. He's trading the familiarity of his previous school for Akademi, where he doesn't know anybody or anything. He feels alone.
He supposes that it's good his classmates feel just as lost as he is. He barely finds his classroom on time and has to listen to the teacher droning on and on about Akademi, and how proud he should be to study here.
Taro wishes that his friend, Osana, is with him, but she's on vacation with her family. She won't return for another three days. So instead, he sits on a bench by the fountain in the school plaza, unsure what to do. Nobody approaches him. Most students seem to know at least one other person here. It's probably best if Taro finds someone to talk to, but he isn't really good at starting conversations. But, if he wants to make a good first impression...
"Hey...mind it I sit here?"
A girl, probably Taro's age, stands in front of him. A bit shorter than he is, she has purple hair that's separated into two pigtails by red ribbons and has clearly been curled. Innocently, she cocks her head to the side and patiently waits for his answer.
Taro just shrugs. "Oh, sure."
The girl sits on one end of the bench, opposite from him. She seems to be really perky today. "Hey, I think you're in my class."
"Oh, really? I guess I wasn't paying attention. I don't know anybody here."
"I must be lucky then. My best friend is here with me. Anyways, I'm Kokona."
"I'm Taro. Taro Yamada."
Kokona giggles. "It's nice to meet you, Taro."
They chat for a while longer. Eventually, Kokona's best friend comes by and pulls her away. Taro doesn't mind. He likes Kokona; she's very sweet and friendly. And she's the first person to talk to him outside of class. She's not Osana, but he'd love to hang out with her some more.
The next day, Kokona is waiting for Taro by the school gates. As he approaches her, she hands him a flower.
The flower is a vibrant and bold shade of red, not exactly a colour Taro expects from such a quiet girl. It has a very unique tongue shape and appears to be such a single petal. "My, this is very pretty. What...what is it, exactly?"
"It's an anthurium," Kokona says proudly. "My mom says they represent hospitality. I wanted to give it to you. For being so nice to me."
"Thank you." Taro accepts the gift. He doesn't have anywhere to put it, so he just tucks it in the pocket of his uniform. "I don't have anything to give to you, though."
"Oh no, it's fine. You already gave me something."
"What is it?"
Kokona's grin is even bigger. "Your friendship."
Yellow Chrysanthemums
Osana hated yellow.
How wrong that the flowers surrounding her coffin and her cold body are all yellow chrysanthemums. A smaller one, orange in colour, sits within her clasped, lifeless hands. Its carbon copy is poking from the pocket of Taro's suit.
Taro wants to drag his sleeve across his face to wipe the tears away, but all he can do is stare as wet little droplets splatter on the floor below him. Ayano places a hand on his leg. After a while, his own arm slowly reaches out and he now has his hand on top of her. Taro can't tell what kind of emotion Ayano is feeling, but her eyes sparkle and the tear slowly slips down her cheek.
"I can't believe someone would do this to her," he whispers.
"I know," Ayano says, then follows up with, "I'm sorry. I'm not...I don't get invited to funerals often."
"It's okay. Thank you for showing up."
Hanako whimpers softly as she grabs onto her brother's arm...but only for a moment. She looks go after just a few seconds before dropping her head in her hands. To anyone else, it's seems like she's in mourning, but Taro has noticed. He's noticed that ever since Osana was pronounced dead, Hanako was less clingy and less dependent. She smiled less and wore her hair down. Her words were more formal, her voice no longer carrying an aura of childish innocence.
Death was forcing her too mature too fast.
Ayano reaches into the space below her chair, where she's keeping her purse. She pulls out a small bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums. A traditional funeral flower in Japan, as well as the only flowers the Najimis wanted on their daughter's grave. She offers the flowers to Taro.
As much as Taro hates seeing these...these...these stupid buds...he knows a gift of kindness when he sees one. "Thank you, Ayano. It means a lot to me."
"You two were close, weren't you? She seemed to like you... a lot."
"Yeah. We were childhood friends." A goofy smiles slowly makes its way across Taros' face as he recalls all the times Osana would stomp her foot and berate him. "Oh, she was such a pain sometimes. 'Baka this! Baka that!' But...she did care, she just didn't like showing it. One time, I cut my knee at school and after she ran to get a teacher, she refused to leave me until help arrived."
Ayano's own grin is strained; she must find it hard to smile in such a dark time. "She sounded like a wonderful friend. Though a bit annoying. Oh Taro. I wish I got to know her better...before...before..." Ayano buries her face into Taro's shoulder.
There's something about the gesture that's comforting. Maybe because Osana used to do the same thing. Taro gently fixes up the chrysanthemum in his pocket as he keeps his eyes on the coffin.
The funeral's about to begin.
Alyssums
"I think you've done enough work, Ayano. Don't you wanna come inside for a bit?"
"I'm trying to get rid of the weeds. So you don't have to do it yourself!"
"Ayano, that's not nesses-"
"But I love you!"
Something has changed in Ayano ever since she and Taro got married. She's become more protective over him, but also more caring and nurturing. A complete extrovert too. Willing to make small talks with the neighbours or invite them over for a cup of tea. She's very open to the idea of children, though because taro wants it, she's willing to wait one or two more years until they consider having children. They're only newlyweds, after all.
Taro chuckles as he steps out into the backyard, carrying a glass of lemonade with him. "Well, I brought you a drink. How's our garden coming along?"
"I think it looked better before I started messing things up." With the back of her hand, Ayano wipes at a strand of hair clinging to her sweaty forehead. She sips at the lemonade, before gesturing to some small flowers near the fence with her shears. "It's those pesky weeds."
Leaning over his wife, Taro examines the plants growing at the back pf his garden. The extremely small flowers grow in large groups and come in white or purple. He remembers seeing little packets of these kinds of seeds in the gardening store.
"Ayano, those are flowers. Alyssums, if I'm correct."
"Oh. So what do you want to do with them?"
"I say we leave them. They're pretty after all. But if you wanna get rid of-"
"No," Ayano says firmly, before reaching up to stroke her husband's hand. "I mean...we can keep them if you want. It's your garden, after all."
"Well, it's yours as much as it's mine. Ayano, I want you to know that your opinion matters to me."
"I just want you to be happy."
Taro pulls Ayano to her feet, before embracing her. "I am very happy."
Half an hour goes by, As Taro and Ayano finish up their garden work. The next day, they purchase a pack of alyssum seeds from the store. Planting them is hard work, but Taro would willingly spend of lifetime under the scorching Sun sowing and growing, just for that smile on Ayaano's face.
Just the way she happily copies his actions of pressing the seed into the earth, covering it up, pouring a little water, clumsily trimming the hedge in their front lawn, innocently poking at the alyssums at the fence. She's just...so wonderful. So lively. So perfect.
However did he end up marrying a woman like her?
Marigolds
Marigolds are yellow like the Sun, so Taro arranges for them to be painted all over the nursery for his daughter. Because she's the light of his life. And she deserves nothing but the best. The bright blooming marigolds grown to their fullest, sitting in beds of little green leaves. Motionless but lively pictures on the walls.
"It's so bright," Ayano complains, carrying a fussy Hana into the room. "Did you really paint yellow flowers on a yellow wall?"
"Well, I want my baby to have a bright future."
Ayano sets Hana down into her crib. "Poetic. Let's see if she sleeps this time around."
Taro peeks around his wife as Hana's dark eyes closes and she's soon asleep. She's only a few weeks old and a big bigger than most babies her age, but she's healthy and that's what matters. She's not making any noise, which the parents consider a success as they tiptoe from the room.
"I'd say we're getting better," Taro giggles. "If we ever have any more kids, I hope they're all sound sleepers. What do you think?"
Ayano doesn't respond. She sinks against the wall, holding her hands together. As excited as she was to have a kid with Taro, she's been very quietly lately. Some nights, Taro can hear her crying herself to sleep beside him.
"She's cursed."
"Who is?"
"Hana."
Taro reaches out for his wife. "Ayano, it's okay. We can handle it, alright? We'll take care of her together."
"She's dead inside, Taro. It's Aishi blood. I was like that when I was younger. I felt nothing. No emotions whatsoever. Then there was you and...it's so tragic? I cry to myself at night, because I lost so much time pretending and not feeling. And it hurts. It hurts so bad. I don't want my daughter growing up pretending. I don't want my daughter to be hurt!"
Taro wraps an arm around Ayano. "I know, sweetheart. But I don't care. We will do our best to provide Hana a happy life. We will keep her safe, okay? I will protect her with my life."
Ayano stares up at him with tear-stained eyes. "Because she's the light of your life."
"She is the light of my life. She's my marigold. My daughter."
Daffodils
It's four in the morning and the last thing Taro was expecting is Ayano dragging him through the hospital. The overhead lights are blinding and he is still groggy from the early phone call. But it's Hana and he doesn't care what time it is, he wants to see his daughter.
Eventually, they're both standing outside Room 311. Ayano clings onto his arm as Taro takes a deep breath. He pushes the hospital door open. "Hana! We're here!"
Hana lets out a weak squeal from her bed. Her husband, Kaito, is right beside her. There's also a nurse, checking on Hana's vital signs. Taro's eldest grandchild, Rikuto is asleep against his father's shoulder.
Taro says Rikuto is his eldest grandchild, because he has another one, nestled in the bundle of blankets Hana clutches tightly to her chest. It's a girl, the girl Kaito was panicking about in the phone call. It's a girl, doomed to follow the Aishi curse, but she's his granddaughter, dammit, and Taro already loves everything about her.
Taro holds out a bouquet of daffodils towards his son-in-law. Daffodils, the symbol of a new life. The new life of his daughter. "Congratulations, son. She looks beautiful."
"Hana, or the baby?"
"Both of them."
After so many years of marriage, Ayano quickly catches on to Taro's motives and motions for him to step outside, while she sits on the bed and pulls Rikuto into her lap, chatting with her exhausted daughter. Taro and Kaito step outside. Under the bright hospital lights, Kaito looks drained. "I'm worried about the curse."
"I know. It can be scary to deal with at first."
"I'm not raising a murderer."
"Of course you're not. You just have to teach her that."
Kaito appears terrified. Taro pats him on the shoulder. "You can do it. I believe in you. Have you picked out a name yet?"
"I haven't. I think Hana has an idea or two."
"How about Suisen?"
The tiniest of smiles creeps onto Kaito's face. "Perhaps. Thank you for the flowers."
"Anything for my granddaughter. Now let's go join the ladies."
The room is full of laughter and love. Hana and Kaito immediately start arguing about names. Rikuto offers the names of his favourite anime characters, which are shot down by both parents. In the confusion, the baby starts wailing, causing Hana to holds her even closer. Ayano leans against Taro, smiling. In the meantime, Taro just watches the daffodils. They have recently bloomed, spreading tidings of new life everywhere.
There is plenty of life in the Yamada household.