Chapter 2: This Unmistakable, Undeniable Feeling
Two weeks passed in much the same manner as the previous summers. Swimming in the pool, playing on the beach, hiking up the wooded mountain slopes, taking one of the boats out on the ocean, and retreating to the air-conditioned interior of the vacation house were daily activities. With so much rural space to "live and breathe away from the city smog" as Kaoru-san often put it, the young people spent much of their time outdoors.
Surrounded by the Kii Mountains on three sides and the ocean on its remaining side, the small valley town of Makikawa was sheltered from the surrounding countryside of southern Japan. With a population of only 3,600 people, it was a quiet community of farmers, fishermen, and small town shops that didn't attract a lot of tourists, making it the perfect summer hideaway for the Hyuuga and Imai families. A 45 minute drive south of Owase, there was only one major road leading in and out of town, a highway situated atop the sheer cliffs where the mountains spilled into the ocean. Running down from the mountains and into the sea was the Honshu River from whence the town had earned its name of Makikawa, meaning "Winding River."
As was common in such a small town, when a special event took place, the whole village virtually shut down for it and nearly everyone was in attendance. For this reason and since Makikawa Temple was the only local Shinto shrine, Mikan and her grandfather found themselves exceptionally busy preparing for the Summer Solstice Festival set to take place on Monday, June 20th. For the week leading up to the festival, Mikan only left the temple to run errands for supplies and festival related business. Working straight from dawn until well past sunset, Mikan set about her tasks with gusto, never once complaining or losing her bright smile. Part of her enthusiasm came from knowing that she was helping her grandfather with something he was no longer young enough to accomplish by himself, but she also felt genuine pride at being a part of the Makikawa Temple. Of course, there was also the sheer excitement Mikan felt from participating in any sort of festival or celebration. Throughout the week, Ruka, Natsume, Hotaru, and Aoi would stop by for a few hours at a time to help clean the temple grounds, hang decorations, rope off and label the stalls for the vendors, and make sure everything on site was in working order.
On the evening of the summer solstice, the Hyuuga and Imai families, along with Ruka, made their way on foot to the Makikawa Temple knowing that the small shrine had very little parking. It was a beautiful evening and Aoi was nearly bursting with anticipation as the group made the 20 minute trek to the temple.
"Oooh, I hope they have the same candied ginger taiyaki that they sold last year!" Aoi squealed.
Kaoru-san grinned at her daughter. "Forget the taiyaki. I'm heading straight to the Red Sun's booth for some red snapper croquettes!"
Saki-san chuckled. "I don't know how you can stand those, Kaoru. They're much too spicy for me."
Kaoru-san hooked an arm around Natsume's neck as they walked. "Natsume-kun will eat them with me. This kid could eat fire if he wanted."
Natsume smirked at his mother. "I won't promise to leave you any."
Kaoru-san shoved him playfully. "Ha! Then I un-invite you. Stay away from my croquettes!"
Ruka and Saki-san chuckled at the pair's antics.
"Look! Look! There's the gate!" Aoi cried, pointing at the large wooden torii gate that formed the entrance to the grounds of Makikawa Temple. The tall structure had just been given a fresh coat of cherry red paint the week before and the sconces mounted on each pillar were burning brightly for the evening's festivities.
"Aoi-chan! Remember not to run off by yourself. It's too crowded," Kaoru-san reminded her daughter. Even though the group hadn't left for the festival until 7:30, it had officially begun at 7:00, so a large number of people had already arrived.
"Yes, Okaa-san!" Aoi cheerfully replied.
Upon entering the gate, the group was not disappointed. Brightly lit paper lanterns and colorful streamers gave the temple a festive air. Orange flags bearing the symbol of a golden sun lined the temple roof, designating that this was the festival of the summer solstice. Local vendors lined the walkways selling food, souvenirs, and games out of rollaway carts and booths. A group of older men played traditional Japanese instruments in a corner of the central courtyard. Girls in pretty kimonos and boys in their best yukata were packed into every available space. Enticing smells and sounds of gayety filled the air.
The group stopped at various stalls as they made their way through the crowd toward the courtyard at the back of the temple grounds. To the right of the courtyard stood the main temple with its worship hall doors left open for the evening, revealing the sacred altar with its golden lantern stands and incense burners. In front of this doorway, a wide square deck covered in tatami mats for use as a stage extended from the side of the temple. Across the courtyard stood the prayer shed with its offering box and blessed bell, which was rung by those offering their prayers. On the farthest end of the courtyard stood a simple wooden booth where patrons could purchase talismans and fortunes in accordance with the specific event being celebrated.
"Let's get in line to offer our prayers so that we won't get caught in the rush after the ceremony," Saki-san instructed.
As they stood in line waiting for their turn, Ruka noticed Natsume surveying the crowd. "Looking for someone?" he inquired with obvious amusement.
His best friend answered blandly, his expression aloof, "I'm looking for the idiot. With all this food around and no sign of her, I'm worried she might be dead."
Hotaru scoffed. "She gets too nervous to eat before performing, you know that. She'll be ravenous when this is all over though." Ruka chuckled, knowing the truth in his girlfriend's words.
After a short wait, their turn arrived.
"Welcome, everyone!" Sakura-ojii-san hailed the party from his position manning the prayer shed. "Care to give thanks for the sun's provision and wish for a bountiful harvest?" With Makikawa being primarily an agricultural village, the Summer Solstice Festival garnered more prayer offerings than nearly any other annual event.
"Good evening, Sakura-ojii-san," Saki-san offered warmly. Her greeting was repeated by Kaoru-san and the young ones.
Sakura-ojii-san grinned amiably. "My, you all look wonderful, I daresay."
Aoi giggled and spun around to show off her scarlet kimono adorned with bright yellow hibiscus that matched her obi, an identical flower pinned in her hair. Hotaru's kimono was a soft gray covered in swirls of deep violet petals that matched her obi, a delicate cluster of the small flowers pinned to the side of her hair. The two mothers wore simpler kimonos the same shade as their eyes. The boys wore identical yukata in different colors, Ruka's being royal blue with a golden obi and Natsume's jet black with a blood red obi.
"You look pretty handsome there yourself, Ojii-san," Kaoru-san complemented teasingly.
The old man grinned. "I always save my best priest's garb for the festivals. Speaking of which, thank you for helping Mikan-chan dress for the evening, Saki-san. I'm hopeless when it comes to the girly things in my dear one's life."
"My pleasure," Hotaru's mother smiled.
"Where is the baka?" Hotaru asked. Sakura-ojii-san chuckled at the term he knew held more affection for his granddaughter than insult from the stoic girl before him.
"She's working the talisman booth until the ceremony. You won't want to miss her kagura dance this year. She's practiced harder than ever before. She's a beautiful sight to see." Although he was addressing the group, Natsume didn't miss that the old man's keen brown eyes were fixed on him as he spoke.
After dropping their offerings into the offering box, saying their prayers, and ringing the sacred bell, the group stepped aside as Kaoru-san gave them instructions to meet under one of the lamp posts ten minutes before the start of the ceremony, giving them about 45 minutes to explore the festival. As the two middle-aged women wandered back toward the main gate in search of some sweet dangos, Aoi grabbed her brother's hand.
"Onii-chan, I want to buy a talisman!"
Natsume raised a sardonic eyebrow at his sister. "You're not a farmer; what do you want with a talisman for a good harvest?"
Aoi pouted. "They have other talismans besides that one. Pleeease! I want to see Mikan-nee."
Natsume silently considered her plea. He knew that despite her age, Aoi loved it when he spoiled her, and if she didn't get her way, she could nag his ear off with her whining. He grimaced at the memory of Aoi and Mikan working together to get their way with him many times in the past. He sighed. "Alright."
Aoi hugged her brother's arm tightly while she thanked him repeatedly.
Hotaru took Ruka's hand and said, "Buy me a drink," before dragging him in the exact opposite direction of the talisman booth. Her captive called out behind him, "We'll meet you guys later!"
Natsume shook his head. Although he considered Hotaru a close childhood friend, he had no idea what had made Ruka fall for her romantically. Turning, he led his sister through the crowd to the line for the talisman booth.
As they approached, Natsume easily spotted Mikan, her traditional white hakui and red hakama of a Shinto shrine maiden (also called a "miko") standing out against the dull backdrop of the wooden booth. She'd kept her hair down as usual, but it looked much smoother and neater than when she was running around the countryside and she'd even used a fresh white ribbon to keep it out of her face. As they got closer, he also noticed that Saki-san must have done her make-up since her eyelashes were more defined than usual, and her lips and cheeks were rosy. His eyes softened faintly when he saw that she was wearing one of her most treasured possessions, a pair of pearl stud earrings that had belonged to her mother.
When she spotted them, Mikan grinned broadly and waved. The group of boys she was servicing turned to see what had caught her attention and Natsume stiffened slightly when he recognized one of them as Akawa Shinji. Catching Natsume's eye, Shinji's face turned red and he quickly ushered his friends away after saying goodbye to Mikan.
"Mikan-nee, you look great!" Aoi gushed. "And the temple looks amazing, too!"
Mikan laughed delightedly. "Thank you! We wouldn't have finished in time without all of the help you guys gave us. You look incredible, too, Aoi-chan! That kimono suits you perfectly!"
Raising her eyes to Natsume, Mikan complimented brightly, "You look fantastic, too, Natsume! Traditional clothes really suit you."
Natsume cocked an eyebrow. "You flirting with me, Polka Dots?" He purposefully used his nickname for her that she hated the most. He'd given it to her during his first summer in Makikawa when she'd tripped, flipping her skirt up to reveal a pair of polka dot print panties that a 5-year-old Natsume had decided were childish, completely ignoring that Mikan was, in fact, a child at the time. He'd never admit it, but she'd caught him off guard when she'd instantly tackled him to the ground, calling him a "big meany" and starting the first wrestling match he'd ever had with a girl. Natsume was convinced that this early incident had laid the foundation for Mikan and Hotaru's close friendship.
True to form, Mikan's eyes narrowed at the nickname. "Sure," she smirked. "If I inflate your ego enough, maybe I can tie a string around your ankle and tote you around like a balloon."
Aoi snickered gleefully. Trust Mikan to sass her brother as if he wasn't devastatingly handsome and filthy rich. "If you two are done with your battle of wits, I'd like a weather talisman and a growth talisman, please."
"You know the growth talismans are for crops, not people, right, Aoi?" Natsume asked incredulously.
Aoi stuck her tongue out at him. "It never hurts to try."
Mikan smiled as she pulled the two requested talismans off their pegs and handed them to Aoi, who quickly pulled some cash out of her little drawstring purse.
"Thank you, Mikan-nee! Good luck with your performance! I can't wait to see it!" Aoi chirped, waving as she twirled away.
Before following his sister, Natsume quickly asked Mikan, "Will you be working after the ceremony?"
Mikan smiled as she answered, "Saya-senpai is taking over for me, so Jii-chan said that I'll be free until closing, then I'll have to help shut everything down, but we'll save the main clean up for tomorrow." Tanaka Saya was several years older than Mikan and one of the few people that Sakura-ojii-san hired to help out at the temple for busy occasions such as the festivals.
Natsume nodded, mentally making a note to catch up with her later.
After visiting a few more stalls, Natsume and Aoi returned to the designated lamp post. The crowd was beginning to gather in the courtyard in anticipation of the night's main event, so Natsume held Aoi's hand tightly as he lead her through the sea of people.
Right on time, the small band stopped playing. A hush fell over the crowd, interrupted only by the excited giggles of a few small children and the soft shushing of their parents. One of the musicians climbed the short flight of steps to the deck where a large gong stood off to one side. Raising a mallet, he gave the gong a single swift strike. The deep percussive sound rippled through the air and sent tingles down everyone's spines.
From the back of the makeshift stage, Sakura-ojii-san stepped forward. His tall black hat, voluminous white robe, and large black shoes made him appear more imposing than usual. When he had reached the front of the deck, he clapped twice before raising both hands out over the audience.
"Turn!" As one, Sakura-ojii-san and the crowd turned to face the sacred altar through the open doors of the worship hall. "Bow!" As one, they bowed. "Rise!" As one, they straightened.
As the crowd looked on, Sakura-ojii-san approached the sacred altar, lighting the lanterns and the incense burner before opening the little wooden doors at the top of the altar, revealing the inner sanctuary. Inside sat an old stone statue of kami resembling an old man. Sakura-ojii-san clapped twice once again. "Bow!" As one, the audience bowed with him, this time maintaining the posture of respect and humility as their chief priest recited the ancient norito.
With his brief recitation complete, Sakura-ojii-san remained bowed as he backed away from the altar, only rising and turning to face the audience once his feet had left the worship hall and were back on the deck. "Rise!" The audience straightened.
"There she is!" Aoi squealed as quietly as she could, openly pointing to the back corner of the stage where Mikan had just appeared. Mikan and her grandfather passed each other in silence as they traded places, her grandfather taking a seat on a special zabuton cushion set up specifically for the chief priest to observe the sacred kagura dance.
An appreciative murmur ran through the audience as Mikan stepped into place at center stage. For the ceremony, she had added two special pieces to her wardrobe. The first was a flowing white haori stitched with golden thread that she wore over her normal miko attire. The second was a golden tiara woven to depict a blazing sun with red tassels hanging off of each side, effectively framing her face. In her right hand was a tower of golden bells atop a wooden handle wrapped in strands of colorful ribbon that flowed off the end like a rainbow tail. In her left hand was a crisp green branch covered in feathery little leaves.
A gentle smile graced her lips as she stood to attention waiting for the music to begin, her eyes focused over the heads of the audience. As soon as the lyrical sounds of the small band began to flow, Mikan began to move.
As he watched her, Natsume could tell why her grandfather had particularly praised her performance this year. Mikan had always delighted the crowd with her kagura dances ever since she first began performing them at age 8, but it had been mostly due to her vibrancy, the unhindered way that she moved, full of energy and joy. Through years of practice, she had increased her knowledge of specific steps, movements, and sequences, while also learning to reign in her excited energy in order to focus on her execution. As her feet moved to the rhythm of the drums, her body swayed and twirled with the sound of the flute, and her hands deliberately guided her props through the air in time with the cymbals, Mikan radiated a kind of beautiful grace that she hadn't always been able to pull off. Her hair rippled and waved as she spun, the bells' ribbons following her as faithfully as her shadow. If the sight of her smooth, accurate movements wasn't enough to confirm her talent, the sound of them was; her feet moved silently across the tatami mats, and in her steady hand, the bells made no sound until she intentionally rung them.
With a final flourish, Mikan's movements ceased along with the music, her back to the crowd. After a brief pause, she approached the altar with light, even steps, then raised both hands in front of her and shook the bells and the branch five times as if to wave their auras toward the inner sanctuary where the kami statue sat. She then placed the bells and the branch on an offering tray at the front of the altar. Bowing low, she backed away just as her grandfather had done, only rising once her feet had fully returned to the stage. Turning back toward the audience, Mikan folded her arms, hands disappearing into opposite sleeves, and stood as perfectly straight as she could. Taking a deep breath, Mikan let it out in a loud, clear voice as she sang four lines of ancient Shinto prayer praising the provision of the kami who blesses the harvest and feeds the people.
As the last note hung in the air, Mikan turned and bowed to her grandfather, who traded places with her once again. Sakura-ojii-san led the people in the same pattern of bows that had opened the ceremony, this time closing the little doors of the inner sanctuary before making his exit. Once he had returned to his position at the front of the stage, he raised both hands over the crowd and blessed them with a smile. The crowd repeated the blessing back to him before breaking into cheers and applause. Sakura-ojii-san bowed to them before exiting the stage. The band resumed their festive music and the crowd began to disperse, some returning to the booths for more merriment and others making their way to the gate to head home.
"Sakura-ojii-san wasn't kidding. Mikan-chan was phenomenal this year!" Kaoru-san cooed like an adoring parent.
Aoi sighed heavily. Leaning toward her, Ruka asked, "What's wrong, Aoi-chan?" Aoi looked up at him and wrinkled her nose.
"We only ever get to see Mikan-nee's summer solstice performance. I wish we could be here for some of the other festivals," Aoi pouted.
Ruka smiled and rubbed her head affectionately. "I'm sure if you ask her, she'll show them to you, your own private show."
At that moment, Mikan came hurrying up to their group, no longer wearing her ceremonial haori and tiara.
"Found you!" she announced with a grin.
"You were beautiful, Mikan-nee! Will you show us your other dances sometime? Pleeeeease!" Aoi clasped her hands and batted her eyelashes, teasingly overdoing her begging a bit the way she sometimes did with Natsume.
Mikan blinked, then smiled. "Sure, Aoi-chan. I'll probably be a bit rusty though."
Kaoru-san and Saki-san offered Mikan their congratulations on her performance. Even Hotaru rewarded her best friend's efforts with a small, indulgent smile. "You did well."
Ruka chipped in, "Really, Mikan-chan, you were absolutely fantastic."
Mikan blushed with embarrassment from all of the praise and thanked them earnestly.
Aoi elbowed her brother's side. "Wasn't she good, Onii-chan?"
Natsume lifted his gaze from Aoi to Mikan and was mildly surprised to see expectation in her amber eyes.
"It was incredible…"
Mikan instantly beamed, but Hotaru's eyes gleamed knowingly at him.
"…that someone as klutzy as you managed to do all of that twirling without falling flat on your face."
Mikan was on him in an instant. "Natsume, you jerk! I'm not nearly as clumsy as I used to be! I worked really hard to get all those steps down so I wouldn't trip! Besides, what do you know about it? I bet you've never danced a day in your life!" She was shaking fistfuls of his yukata as she ranted. His expression remained completely neutral, obviously unaffected by the girl's tirade.
Suddenly, Mikan's stomach growled audibly. She froze before leaning over and resting her forehead against Natsume's chest, still gripping the front of his yukata.
"Are you okay, Mikan-chan?" Saki-san asked, her voice full of concern.
"I'm so hungry…" Mikan moaned.
"Told you so," Hotaru said smugly.
Kaoru-san placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Well then, Natsume-kun, please see to it that Mikan-chan gets as much to eat as she'd like. Don't make the girl pay. That's unmanly," she winked. "Come on, Aoi-chan. Let's see if we can win a goldfish before we go home." Aoi grinned as she took her mother's hand and the two walked off, Kaoru-san calling over her shoulder, "Meet us at the gate 10 minutes before closing!"
Saki-san turned to her own daughter. "Shall we go to the sweets stand and pick out some candies to take home?"
Hotaru's eyes softened in the affectionate way that only their mother-daughter bond could bring out. "Let's do that." Turning to Ruka, she said, "Come carry our bags."
Ruka grinned before patting Mikan's head, which was still bowed against Natsume to combat the nausea that had suddenly caught up with her from not eating for too many hours. "Catch up with us after you've eaten, Mikan-chan."
Mikan let out a soft moan as Ruka hurried after Hotaru and her mother.
Natsume sighed before looking down at Mikan's head. It wasn't unusual for his mother to ask him to look out for Mikan by walking her home or helping her do something that she was bound to injure herself trying to do on her own, but he suspected that his mother had an ulterior motive for asking him to get the girl dinner by himself. Not that it bothered him really. It was just in his nature to be observant and take note of anything out of the ordinary.
Placing his hands on Mikan's shoulders, he gently pushed her down so that she was sitting on the cement base of the lamp post.
"Stay here. I'll be right back. Keep your head down; you'll ruin your outfit if you throw up."
Mikan neither nodded nor spoke, but kept her head down as instructed.
A short while later, Natsume returned with a brown paper bag in each hand to find Mikan smiling weakly at a group of girls that looked to be about their age. When he got close enough, he could hear them complimenting her performance.
"You looked so calm! I'd be terrified having a big audience watch me like that."
Mikan replied to the emerald-eyed blond who had spoken, "I just try not to think about it." Seeing that Natsume had returned, she said, "Excuse me, it looks like I finally get a chance to eat some dinner. I'm so glad you enjoyed the ceremony! I'll see you all later!"
Natsume ignored the way the girls' eyes surveyed him closely as Mikan stood to join him and the way they whispered and giggled when he led her away. He got those looks often enough back in Tokyo just for being who he was, but he knew that many of Mikan's classmates had speculated about her friendship with the four rich kids who stayed in the old mansion on the beach each summer. It had only bothered him once a few summers ago when it reached his ears that someone had spread a rumor among the village children that Mikan only got to hang out with them because her grandfather got paid for her to be their pack mule during their vacations in Makikawa. When he'd asked her if she was being picked on, she'd laughed and mentioned that very rumor, assuring him that it was completely harmless and she wouldn't care even if someone actually believed it.
The two sat down on the steps leading up to the temple's deck. Opening the first bag, Natsume handed her a bottle of cold peach tea and set his own bottle of plain soy milk aside. Opening the second bag, he pulled out two warm cartons and two sets of chopsticks. When Mikan opened hers, she nearly drooled at the steaming pile of chicken yakisoba. Separating her wooden chopsticks, she folded her hands and declared, "Itetakimas!" before taking her first bite. She seemed to revive as she dug into the warm meal. Natsume paced himself more evenly with his beef udon.
When Mikan had finished, she turned her chopsticks on Natsume's dish, plucking a piece of beef from the pile of noodles and popping it into her mouth. Natsume counted to three in his head before Mikan's eyes bugged out of her head as he had expected. Frantically opening her bottle of tea, she gulped down half of it before gasping for air and thwacking Natsume on the chest with the back of her hand. He didn't bother trying to conceal his smug smile.
"Natsume! Why do you always dump red pepper on everything?! Isn't anything hot enough for you just the way it is?" she sputtered, trying to cool her mouth by intermittently taking deep breaths and swigs of tea.
"I like things hot," he smirked, continuing his meal without skipping a beat.
Mikan grumbled under her breath and continued to take sips from her peach tea.
When Natsume had finished eating his noodles and the two had drained their drinks, Natsume asked Mikan, "So? Are you satisfied?"
Eyes twinkling mischievously, Mikan replied, "Of course not! There's way more good food here that I want to try. Let's go, let's go!" She leapt up from the step and reached for Natsume's hand, pulling on it teasingly to try to get him out of his seat. Natsume sighed as if it was all a big bother, but slowly stood anyway and gathered their trash.
Natsume and Mikan roamed the temple grounds together sharing various foods from the vendors, many of whom gave Mikan hers for free because she was the temple's miko (Natsume made sure to pay for her food when they didn't). Mikan accepted their generosity gratefully, sharing smiles and laughs with the men and women running the booths since she was acquainted with all of them from organizing the festivals each year. Many of them offered her compliments on her performance, causing Mikan to beam with pleasure.
Occasionally, the two would stop by one of the game stalls. Mikan was usually the one who wanted to try them, sometimes challenging Natsume to compete with her. They never stayed at one stall very long though as Mikan wanted to see as much of the festival as she could before the temple closed at midnight. She greeted various people she knew, many of them classmates and teachers, as she explored the festival with Natsume. Despite keeping an eye out, they never spotted anyone else from Natsume's group.
Although most of the families with small children had left after the ceremony, the temple was still fairly crowded. When Mikan suddenly found herself separated from Natsume as they squeezed through a particularly jam-packed walkway, she instinctively called out his name. Instantly, she felt a firm grip on her hand as Natsume pulled her closely behind him until they made it to a less congested area.
"Thanks," Mikan breathed, gazing up at Natsume with a smile. Natsume merely nodded, wondering if the blush coloring her cheeks was from the heat of the crowd or because they were holding hands. Mikan hadn't pulled away yet and Natsume found that he had no desire to break his hold on her hand himself.
Pulling his cell phone from his pocket with his free hand, Natsume checked the time. "It's 11:40. We should head towards the front. Okaa-san said to meet by the gate 10 minutes before closing."
"Okay," Mikan chirped happily, squeezing Natsume's hand as they continued their trek across the temple grounds.
When they reached the gate, they found the rest of the group already waiting for them. Although Mikan seemed oblivious as she immediately started chatting with Hotaru and Aoi about the festival, Natsume's sharp eyes noticed the way his mother grinned and whispered something to Saki-san, whose gaze dropped to his and Mikan's entwined hands before she also smiled. A sidelong glance and a smirk from Ruka confirmed that his best friend had also noticed. Natsume was sure that Hotaru was also aware, but in keeping with her stoic character, she didn't express it. Aoi was the only one who might have genuinely missed the rare display, but Natsume honestly doubted it since he and Mikan were doing nothing to hide it.
"Now that Natsume-kun is here, let's head home. This gate is going to get pretty tight in a few minutes when the festival closes and everyone tries to leave at once," Kaoru-san suggested.
As Mikan exchanged goodbyes with everyone and Natsume could feel the end of his evening with her rapidly approaching, he decided that one rare action deserved another. As his friends and family began to move towards the exit, he looked down at Mikan and said, "You should spend the night at our house tomorrow."
Although Mikan had spent the night at her friends' vacation home too many times to count, it was usually suggested by one of the girls or their mothers. For Natsume to directly initiate the sleepover was rare indeed, so the brief look of surprise that crossed Mikan's face was understandable, but quickly replaced by a pleased grin. "Okay! I'll head over as soon as we finish cleaning up from the festival."
Natsume nodded. With a final squeeze, he released her hand and turned to follow his family and friends through the temple gate.
The sudden loss of Natsume's warm hand in hers stirred something inside Mikan. She lunged forward, catching the edge of Natsume's yukata in her outstretched fingers as she called out, "Natsume!" The teenager turned back around to look at her, his eyebrow raised in silent question.
Mikan's gold-flecked amber eyes locked with Natsume's garnet ones. She'd always loved his eyes, not just for their unique color, but for the way they seemed to constantly flicker and swirl as if liquid fire lived behind his irises. Gazing into Natsume's eyes, so familiar to her after all their years together, Mikan felt her deep affection for him bloom in her chest like a sweet, gentle warmth.
"I had fun tonight. Thank you for escorting me around the festival," she told him sincerely, her eyes shining with an unmistakable emotion that made Natsume's heart skip a beat even before she stretched up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. A moment later, she was darting off to stand by the gate with her grandfather, bowing to the crowd of villagers who were heading home and thanking them for their patronage.
Vaguely, Natsume heard the music from the courtyard cease, followed by the sound of the giant gong ringing out over the temple announcing the official end of the festival. Finally peeling his eyes away from the pretty miko, Natsume swiftly made his way through the throngs of people to catch up with his family and friends on their way home.
For the rest of the night, he swore he could still feel a pair of soft, warm lips pressed against his cheek.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
It surprises me that I've never read a fanfiction in which Mikan's grandfather is a priest and Mikan a miko (not that there necessarily aren't any, just that I've never found one). Sakura-ojii-san is depicted as a very traditional old Japanese man in both the manga and the anime with his clothing style and the design of his house. In the manga, he refers to Mikan's mother, Yuka, as a "celestial maiden" (which makes me think of an angel) when she leaves an infant Mikan with him. These two aspects about him inspired me to write him as the village's Shinto priest (I thought that the manga never tells us what his occupation is, but reviewer Air High mentioned that it might have said somewhere that he was a retired daycare worker. My bad!) and make their home the Makikawa Temple. When asking myself questions about what Mikan's life growing up with him would be like, making him a priest whose granddaughter helps him around the temple just seemed to fit.