Sorry for the late delay! I've been extremely busy and although it took me a long time to write out this chapter, I'm definitely satisfied with the way it turned out. So on behalf of everyone who reviewed, favorited, and story alerted this story, I'd like to apologize for the delay and I hope this chapter lives up to your standards. Thanks to those who reviewed! And now, continue on with the story.
Chapter 4: Festivities
Beauty; it's a word that's broadly defined and each and every one of us have different opinions on what the most beautiful thing in the world is and at the moment, I find myself asking the same thing. In truth, who was I to say what was beautiful and what wasn't; those would only be the standards I set myself and although I have a different perception of beauty, I can't refrain from thinking what I believe in. This whole world is beautiful; it's so full of life and kindness and with each waking moment, I find that what truly liberates us from our lives is breaking all those bonds that bind us and clump us together. All those family ties, relations with people, and materialistic possessions all want to define us, but all I really want is to be known as Hikari, not known as a Tsutano. I want to make a name for myself on my own because if you let your family name define yourself, then you've truly lost your own identity. I knew what I wanted out of life and I was determined to find it; no longer would I be defined by my family name or origin, I'd make my own name and identity shine. I'd let people hear my own voice rather than stand in the background because in life, you can't cower down and give up; you have to fight in order to survive.
But there's always those times where you believe you can't reach that moment that you've dreamed about all your life, and your world begins to crumble right before your very own eyes, then what are you supposed to do?
Sometimes when life looks down on you, you have to make the most of your situation; you can't let unfortunate events hold you back and make you who you are today. It only takes one moment in your life to change you, and when you lose sight of what's important, that's when you fully fade into the background. It's something we all do when we become caught up in our own lives and ignore all our troubles; we forget the position that fate has placed us in and as we continue on in life, we find that we can't fight against destiny, because in the end, it'll win whether we like it or not.
It's not a test of winning or losing, it's a test of who is willing to follow the rules; rules that are written for each of us at birth, and those are the rules we're supposed to follow. Whether we decide to rebel or not, the choice is ours, but just because we can fight back, doesn't mean that most of us will. But that doesn't mean we can't choose to enjoy life, and perhaps, maybe if we all decided to take a step back and see what's truly important, we'd realize that it's the simple things that make up life.
Maybe we all find life to be too ordinary or boring, but it's those moments that cause you to look back and reflect on how good life is; life's not measured in how many breathes you take, but how many moments take your breathe away. Fate may not always be that kind to you, but you always have to remember to keep your head up high, and take on life head on.
It was just another normal day, except instead of the calm atmosphere surrounding the household, it was full of chaos as I walked around and saw several of our servants running around. Everyone seemed more tense than normal and as I watched several of them run through the hallways with huge amounts of decorations while some were cleaning the house, and some of them hanging up elegant paper lanterns, I stopped in my tracks as I looked around at the whole entire backyard.
I saw how hastily each and everyone of them was acting and as I paused and tried to think of a way as to why they were all acting this way, I finally realized why; just looking at the early morning, I could tell that the way the clouds were shaped and by color of the horizon that showed a slightly off toned bluish color that everyone was getting prepared for the Tsuki Festival. Just by looking up at the sky, I could tell that it would happen in exactly two weeks and despite how early the preparations were, to a tourist, it would seem strange, but to people who've spent their whole lives in this town, it would seem normal. This type of festival wasn't something that was annual, but it happened about every 10 years because it was a celebration for the blue moon that appears in the night sky and as I saw how excited everyone was, I watched them quickly try to perfect the whole environment. And as I looked back at the memorable décor, it quickly brought me back to my own experience of my first festival.
Flashback:
"Aniki! Look, look, the moon's blue!" a younger Hikari said as she was still holding her brother's hand and still jumping up and down, just like the nine-year old girl she was.
Chuckling, Akio was quick to reply with, "Of course it is, Hikari. The festival is about celebrating the blue moon and the good luck that has been blessed upon our town. The blue color is supposed to represent the harmony among us and the many other villages."
"I never thought of it that way. Nii-san, do you never think I'll be able to travel outside of Kuroshio?" a younger Hikari asked as her green-eyes reflected some glint of hope.
Looking back as his little sister, Akio was quick to lower to her eye level and ruffle her snow-white hair as he said, "Hikari, I think anything's possible; you'll find that adventure out there one day, and I think it's going to be the best one yet." Her black-haired older brother said as he gave her a genuine smile.
Smiling back up at him and giving him a quick hug, Hikari was quick to say, "Arigatou, aniki."
End of flashback.
It's surprising how well I could remember memories that were so close to me and as I looked back and watched the backyard become slowly transformed into an enchantment, I saw that it was decorated throughout with beautiful colors starting with some splashes of light pinks, oranges, yellows, and moving into the more darker colors of purple and blue. It was definitely a sight to behold and as they reflected the same exact image I remembered as a child, I was amazed at how fast time could pass you by. Time's a cruel thing; it doesn't stop to allow you to embrace and enjoy those moments you treasure, but instead, it keeps pushing you forward. And as I stood here before all the decorations and people surrounding me, I understood that maybe time was only warped this way to play with our emotions and no matter how much we would want to go back in time, we realize we can't repeat the past.
As I stood there still looking at the decorations with my green orbs, I became mesmerized; it wasn't until after a few more moments did I allow my feet to move my body slowly in a circle around the area. I looked from side to side to admire the old decorations that had made my childhood memories and as I became caught up in everything, I failed to realize that I had bumped into someone until I finally felt my body fall upon theirs.
I tightly shut my eyes as both our bodies hit the wooden floor with a loud thump noise, and as I felt my arms pressed against a hard chest, I quickly opened my green orbs and was shocked beyond belief. I felt my lips being pressed against someone else's and as I lifted my mouth away from said person's I shakingly got up and tried to compose myself.
Widening my eyes and quickly feeling blood rush to my cheeks, I softly touched my lips, and stood frozen in my place as I looked at the stranger I had just bumped into; slowly observing him as I watched him get up onto his feet as well, I saw that he was about a head taller than me. As he was still rubbing his head from where he had fallen on, I saw that his blonde hair was tied up into a pony-tail with some bangs covering part of his face, and I quickly recognized the blue-colored eye that I had seen before. He was the same man in the black and red cloak and as I still stood there as still as possible, I saw his one blue eye stare right into my green-orbs.
Trying to look away, I saw him slowly glare at me but quickly allowed his own gaze to soften as he gave me a small smile. As I raised one of my white-brows at his strange behavior, I quickly saw him offer one of his hands as he slowly rubbed the back of his head and offered to apologize.
"Gomen. It was my fault; I was in a hurry, un." The blonde had said as he offered me a sincere smile and still held his hand outright.
Slowly nodding at his apology, I was at first hesitant to shake it as I saw several bandages wrapped around both his palms, but as I overcame my fear and shook his hand, I quickly let go and allowed my own arm to return back to its place.
"It's all right. It was my fault as well; I wasn't watching where I was going." I slowly responded back. I was still keeping my guard up as I was talking to him and as I was just about to pass by him, I regretted even saying anything. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't a nice person from my first impression of him, it was that I wasn't used to talking to men or even being within a few feet of them and as I stood before the blonde man, I felt quite intimidated by his piercing gaze and height.
"My name's Nao, un, what's yours?" He asked as I felt his gaze still on me.
Looking at him with a look of a bit of surprise on my face, I replied with, "Hikari…, y-you must be one of the men that are staying here, correct?" I had said and I just left it at that because I still felt uncomfortable in front of him.
"Hai. My friend and I were just passing through, un. As travelers after all, we needed a place to stay, un." Replied the kind stranger.
Nodding my head to show that I understood, I quickly said, "I see…well, I hope your stay is nice."
I saw Nao nod his head as well and as he said, "It's been nice so far, un. And I was glad to have met you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go, un," and just like that I saw him smile at me and quickly leave.
Staring back at his figure, I couldn't help but ponder that something was a bit off about him; he was charming to say the least, and he was pretty good-looking, but even from his apology, I could see that small glint of mischief he held in his eye. As I watched him make a quick left around the corner, I still felt uneasy about him despite how kind he seemed to be. I know that despite how you're not supposed to judge someone by their appearance, but something just about him was telling my gut to keep my guard up and that's all I needed.
Getting back on track to my thoughts, I had another situation to deal with; after overcoming the shock from that supposedly intimate action, I was stuck in my own daydreams as I replayed the event in my head. The fact that it was my first kiss was what devastated me, but what made me even more confused was that I felt some sort of spark when our lips met and as I tried to shake that feeling from my mind, I couldn't help but try to think about the kiss over and over again. Wasn't it when that you met your soul mate that you felt that type of spark and if so, then what did I just get myself into?
I couldn't bare to even think how amazing such an innocent act could feel and as I felt my cheeks flush from embarrassment and felt the rosy color return back again, I was reminded of how inferior I felt towards those types of things. I wasn't experienced as most people would be at my age and as I contemplated this while I stood still in the hallway, I just somehow wished there was some sort of class for something like this because if I didn't learn about how to control my emotions or intimate actions, I surely wouldn't survive.
As the image of Makoto came to mind, it only made my cheeks redden ever more and as I slowly let my feet guide me back to my room, my mind, to my own annoyance, continued to ponder about him along with the mechanics of relationships and love.
Just laying there on my soft bed, I tried to not panic from the shear fear of being so intimate with someone and as I felt my own heart rate increase from just my mere thoughts, I closed my eyes and allowed peace and serenity to enter into my mind before my own mind would betray me, and I soon found that my heart rate had slowed down.
After a long day, all I looked forward to was to have no more embarrassing moments or to have no more out-of-the-ordinary thoughts fill my head, but unfortunately, I guess today wasn't my day. You would think that after all the embarrassment that I put myself through on my own would be enough, but luck wasn't on my side.
I had spent most of my time in my room, trying to get rid of my strange thoughts, and as the sun had already set by the time I got up from bed, I slowly moved my own body and opened my door to enter into the hallway.
Taking another peek as if the stranger I had met in the afternoon would show up out of nowhere, I was still keeping my guard up and as I saw that everything in the hallway was quiet, I took one step out from my room.
Quickly taking a look over my shoulder, I was quick to walk a little bit faster, almost nearly fast walking, and as I turned around another corner, my heart skipped a beat as I bumped into another person.
I closed my eyes as I readied myself for the impact of the floor, as if I hadn't fallen that much today, and as I realized someone was holding onto me by my waist, I quickly opened my green orbs to see who I had crashed into.
Looking back up towards said person, my heart rate slowed down as I saw the familiar purple orbs of my brother and despite how he was giving me one of his teasing smirks, I smiled back and was relieved.
Setting me back onto my feet, I felt Akio ruffle my hair like always and despite how I always usually found it annoying, I let it slide because despite all the thoughts running through my head, I was just glad he wasn't the blonde man I had seen earlier today.
"You should watch out where you're going, Hikari. You almost caused me to drop these ornaments." Akio said as raised the two large boxes he was holding onto.
"Gomen, aniki. Here, let me help you." I said as I quickly grabbed one of the boxes and offered to carry it for him.
Despite how heavy the box was, I was determined to help him because for one, he is my brother, and two, I just wanted something to clear my mind and as I lifted the box up and nodded my head to signal that I was ready, I watched Akio moved forward as I slowly followed beside him.
We walked to the backyard in silence and as we finally made it to our destination, I let out a huge sigh as I lowered the box onto a nearby bench. I would say it would be an understatement to say that my arms were sore, because in truth, they were sore beyond belief and as I tried to not let my own weakness show in front of Akio, from the corner of my eye, I could swear I saw him smirk.
Erasing that thought from my mind, I saw my brother do the same with his box and as I quickly took a glance at my box, I saw that the majority of the heavy weight as due to several metal wind chimes and as I turned to look at my brother's box, I could clearly tell why he had smirked at me. Seeing the merely weightless paper lanterns in his box, I nearly exploded in frustration as I turned towards him and gave him my 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me look' as I glared at him.
"Well you offered, Kari. I was going to stop you, but you seemed so determined…" my brother said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
Crossing my arms in front of my chest to show that I was a bit upset, I quickly just decided to just let it go; it was unlike me to do something like this, and I just realized that I did it in order to help him, so in truth, I really should've have been mad at him, I just let it slide.
"It's all right, Akio. I just wanted to help." I softly replied back.
I saw his purple orbs widen for a second from shock and as I saw him about to question if something was wrong with me, from the corner of my eyes, I saw him slightly hesitate and before I knew it, he decided to change the subject.
"So Hikari, anything interesting happen to you today?" asked Akio as he quickly rummaged through a box of decorations and waited for my answer.
I felt as though he knew something I didn't and as I tried to not let the blush show on my face, it wasn't much of a success; my mind continued to replay that kiss over and over again in my head and as I was grateful that my older brother was too focused on the box of decorations at the moment, I quickly composed myself.
"Nothing happened today; it was normal." I blandly said as I continued to look through my box of things.
"I see…so are you excited for the festival?" questioned my brother as he continued to rummage through his box.
Still continuing to look through my box and try to unravel each wind chime from another, I replied with, "Of course! It's going to be my second one."
"That's good to hear. Are you going to dance with anyone then?" Akio asked as he turned his purple-eyed gaze towards me.
What was this? Twenty questions or something? I knew my brother could be slightly nosy and despite how innocent his questions seemed to be, I'm pretty sure he had a motive behind everything and that was just to make me more flustered than normal. Akio knew how sensitive the topic of a date or even dancing with the opposite sex was to me and as I stopped my own previous actions, I remained silent.
As I thought over his question, my gaze widened at the hidden implication behind his words and as I reveled in the thought of my younger self being too self-conscious and shy to even ask someone to dance with me, I was determined to overcome my fear this time around. After all, I couldn't just wait another ten years to build up the courage.
Meeting up with his gaze, my green orbs seemed to glow with determination; I replied with, "This time around, I'm determined to dance with someone."
Still stuck in my own determined revelry, I heard my brother chuckle at me and as I turned to look at him, I saw some sort of strange glint in his eyes. It wasn't mischief or any teasing banter that he was holding in, but what I saw seemed like a look of pride, as if he was accepting the fact that I was growing up.
Two weeks later:
Waking up to a new day, I opened my green orbs to the incoming sun of the morning; as I felt the heat touch my ivory cheek, I groggily sat up and slowly tried to rub the sleep from my eyes. My body felt as stiff as a statue and as I felt the soreness spread throughout my whole body, especially in my neck and arms, I knew that I had slept in a strange position.
Ignoring whatever painful throbbing was going through my own body, I paid no attention to my body's cry of pain as I slowly let my feet touch the hardwood ground and use my muscles to allow the rest of my body to get up.
Once feeling the floor below my feet, I slowly steadied myself before taking my first step; feeling the soreness hit my feet, I tried my best to move. I felt myself move and as I prayed in my head that I'd make it through the day, I quickly felt myself lose my balance; as I tripped over my own two feet, I quickly woke up from my stupor as my eyes widened in shock. My face hit the hardwood floor with a loud smacking sound and as I felt the noise reverberate throughout the household, I was glad that everyone else was still asleep because I knew the exact reaction I would get from my brother if he saw me like this. Akio would definitely laugh at me and be that annoying older brother than you know and love and then just when I would think he's done messing with me, he'd once again ruffle my hair.
As I lifted my face from the ground of my room, I felt my forehead painfully throb from the impact from the wood and as I had my left palm cover up the soon to be bump on my head, I mustered as much strength as I could to get myself back onto my feet.
Slowly using my sore arms to prop myself up and get me back onto my wobbly feet, I finally managed to make it across my room without anymore injuries. I sat down before my vanity and as I squinted my green orbs and allowed some light to enter through my pupil, I looked through my window and saw the warm orange and yellow colors of the morning sky. The soft colors reminded me of my childhood with all those fond memories of Akio and me playing in the lake and spending everyday watching the sunset; it's sad how so much time could pass by so quickly that you don't even realize it. I think we all want to turn back time to revisit those fond memories and replay them over and over again in our heads, but time doesn't work that way; we can't go back in time, but what we can do is take on life head on and move forward.
It was a magnificent sight to see as all the colors meshed together and created a brilliant glow in the sky as the sun finally reached its spot on the horizon. The sun was going to be illuminating the sky for awhile and as I let the light kiss my ivory cheek again, I felt more alert and awake despite the long night I had just had.
Turning my attention away from the bright lit sky, I looked at my own reflection in the medium-sized mirror; as I ran my hand through my unruly, white hair, I saw my bed head and morning appearance. My forehead was red from my fall and was still throbbing in pain; despite how I tried rubbing it to relieve myself from the pain, it continued to get worse. Deciding to just quickly forget about my injury and just move on with the day, I turned my attention towards the rest of my appearance.
My hair was sticking out in all different directions as though it was defying gravity and as I moved my eyes towards the look on my face, I was shocked to see how much the stress of yesterday's event had caught up to me.
As I saw the bags under my green eyes, it became apparent that they formed from all the tossing and turning that had occurred overnight. I tried rubbing the sleep from my eyes, but I had definitely failed when I continued to yawn from exhaustion. Rather than continue to rub the sleep from my eyes, I decided to stretch my arms and body before heading towards the bathroom.
Once I finished getting ready for the morning, I silently opened my door, hoping to not disturb anyone; looking around the hallway carefully, as if I was afraid anyone would catch me up this early in the morning, I silently crept out of my room and made sure to move as quietly as possible.
As I slowly passed by my brother's room, I heard him softly snore and as I tried to suppress a small giggle from coming out from my mouth, I moved forward and managed to make it outside without causing much noise. As I stood outside, feeling the rays of the sun and the light, airy climate hit my ivory skin, I slowly closed my green orbs as I absorbed in the warmth. Taking in a deep, calming breathe, I found it nice to be outside and alone for once, without anyone telling me what to do; it was like the tables were turned now and at the moment, I could decide to do whatever I wanted to do and maybe a small part of my subconscious liked it that way.
I enjoyed this type of peace; there was no one to bother you nor was there anyone to tell you what to do. It was as though I was apart from reality and at the moment, I wanted to stay in this type of peace forever; to embrace it and to appreciate it.
I find that people out there never like to follow the rules, but when they're forced upon you, then what are you supposed to do? People like to create their own rules because they want to pave their own road for themselves; they're not headed to please anyone but themselves, and perhaps people like that seem to appear selfish and naïve, but life's too short. There are chances in life that you'll miss each day if you aren't willing to take those risks, and that's who I aspire to be like. For all those people who stand up for their own beliefs and dreams, who are too stubborn to bend to the will of others, they find their own strength and independence on their own.
Maybe it was my turn to find my own independence; I felt like a cage bird that would never see freedom and maybe all I truly wanted in life was to fly away and never look back. Because in that moment of flight, you feel as though you're able to let go of all your worries and feel carefree. You're no longer caged and you have some control over your own destiny and maybe that's all I wanted in life, to just be liberated from the very chains that hold me down.
But who was I kidding; I was just a mere girl stuck in a simple, small town and I doubt there was any chance I'd get away from my boring life. I wanted more out of life, more than my current life could ever give me, and maybe the only hope I had of achieving my own happiness and escaping would be through my marriage. But that's just the way life is and despite how life can't give you what you want, it's that reluctance that causes us to hold onto our own dreams.
Before I knew it, I had spent more than a few hours in my own calm atmosphere and as I heard the breakfast bell ring, I was a bit reluctant to come back inside and return back to my own reality.
But my peaceful morning was disturbed as I heard Akio call out my name; at times like these, I usually would ignore his remarks, but I knew the type of person my older brother could be. In one moment, he could be this really sweet and caring brother, and then in the next, he could transform into an impatient, angry person and as of right now, I didn't want or need anyone to be angry at me. Today was the festival and I was determined to enjoy myself and have a fun time, and no one will stand in my way.
"Ohayo, Hikari. You sure did wake up early this morning." My grandmother stated as I walked quietly into the dining room and took my place beside my mother.
I slowly nodded at her statement and as I scanned the room, I saw that my brother was already at his seat beside me and as I looked at the delicious looking food on the table, my stomach silently was smiling in delight.
It was a great morning and to make it even a better day, I couldn't wait to go put on my new kimono and enjoy the festival; as I quickly broke my chopsticks and said grace, I didn't waste time as I quickly dug into the miso soup and rice porridge that stood before me.
Both dishes were amazing and as I bit into a piece of fried fish, my good day ended as I saw two more additional seats at the table. Raising my white eyebrow in confusion, I didn't have time to voice my question to my brother as I turned my head and saw the same two travelers that took refuge on our household two weeks before.
Their presence was still unsettling to me and as I felt the blonde's gaze still on me, I was sure to avoid his eye contact as I watched both of them sit down. I froze and stopped eating as I allowed the piece of fish to dangle from my chopsticks before hitting the bottom of my bowl.
I had tried to stay clear of both strangers, especially after the day I had bumped into the blonde and my whole plan for the full two weeks they would stay here was to stay as far away as possible from those men in order to avoid them like the plague. Throughout the two weeks, they didn't seem to cause any trouble and although at times I'd somehow feel someone was watching me, I chose to ignore it and continued on with life. I thought my plan was going slowly, well up until now, and as I looked at both men, I still couldn't believe it.
My mouth was still hanging down from the mere shock and as I saw both my brother, grandmother, and mother all welcome them to the table, I remained silent. I wasn't planning on saying a word to either one of them and as I was about to return back to eating, I heard a soft cough from my mother. I saw that both men hadn't bothered to grab any food and as my gaze switched from them then back to my mother, I knew something was wrong.
Stopping and turning my green-eyed gaze towards her, I saw the annoyance she held in her face as she looked at me; if anything, I knew my mother well and I knew that the thing that made her angrier than anything else in the world was disrespect towards others. After all, I did grow up in a household that emphasized etiquette and poise and as I sighed in defeat under my mother's gaze, I was quick to lift my head up, turn my gaze towards the travelers, and give them a small smile.
"Ohayo…please I'd be honored if you both would join us. Please help yourselves." I had said as I conjured up the best fake smile I could offer.
As I saw them both nod and break their chopsticks, I knew I was able to pull it off. Happily returning back to eating, I tried to not let their presence destroy my mood because like I said before, I wouldn't let anyone ruin anything for me today.
Everyone in our small town was continuing to fill up our large backyard and as I watched from the window in my room, I couldn't help but become slightly nervous.
My hair was pulled into a fine, elegant bun, with my bangs hanging my shape and as I played around with my light green obi that was holding my silver-blue kimono together, my nervousness only caused me more discomfort.
I didn't realize it, but I had begun to return back to my own habit of biting my bottom lip and as I looked out to see that everyone had arrived, I knew I had to come out with my family soon.
"Hikari, are you ready?" a familiar voice asked, breaking me out of my own thoughts.
Rather than answering with my voice, I slowly nodded, afraid that my voice would betray me and show my brother how much of a nervous wreck I was.
"Then let's go; we're all waiting for you." Akio said as he kindly offered his hand and as I slowly took it, I allowed him to lead me towards the door.
Taking another breathe to calm myself down, I took one more look at the illuminating, blue moon that was now shining down upon us and prayed to the moon spirit that things would go right.
It was a huge celebration and as I watched several of the villagers enjoying themselves and toasting to their good fortune, I was glad our village was a small, close-knit community.
The decorations had come together nicely and as I watched several of the lanterns light up and show our own town's party-scene, I was glad that the colors meshed well together. There were several small children running around and laughing along with older adults who were drinking and having the time of their times and as I happily smiled at everyone as I passed by through them, I took the time to move past the large crowds and finally found a small clearing to station myself.
I looked up towards the sky, and as I saw the stars brightly lit up and make the blue moon look even more beautiful, I was once again lost in my own little world.
I couldn't fully understand how something so simple could seem so complex and beautiful at the same time; it was boggling to me and as I tried to imagine how far the moon and the stars were, I felt a closeness among them, despite how far away I was from them. I'm only a small part of this large universe, but somehow, it felt things were finally going right and as I felt the heavens above smile down upon me, I was content with everything; I don't want things to change, I want things to stay the same.
As I heard the entire crowd become silent, I was quick to break out of my own thoughts and turned my attention towards my father, who now stood proudly on a small platform. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and as no noises were occurring, I heard my father clear his voice and say, "The night is still young and as I hope that all of your are enjoying yourselves and celebrating in our own good fortune, I'd like to be the one who states that it is now time for our traditional dance. So without further ado, I'd like to encourage my daughter, Hikari, to perform the Mizu no odori."
I was scared to death when I heard my father announce this and as I was gulping and trying to not show my nervousness, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this anymore. I know I made a promise to myself and that I was pretty determined to perform this in front of our whole village and to ask someone to dance with me, I wasn't so sure what I was thinking when I said that.
All I knew at the moment was that I wanted to hide; to become invisible and just leave before I would get embarrassed. And as I was just about to do that, I felt a small push from behind that caused me to move forward; I was about to glare and give that person a piece of my mind, but as I turned, I saw that small smirk evident on my brother's face as he waved at me and wished me the best of luck.
I was going to go up to him and yell at him, but as I turned around, I saw that he was already gone. I silently cursed at him as I realized that he used his shinobi speed to disappear and as I felt everyone's gaze on me, it only made me even more nervous.
The Mizu no odori was a traditional dance that every citizen in Kuroshio knew and as I stepped in the center of the clearing, I didn't know if I was cut out for it. Traditionally, it's usually first performed by a female who would perform the dance with small droplets of water; the woman would traditionally mystify a man with the graceful movements of her body and if done correctly, the droplets of water would in turn be able to follow your own movements and create a magnificent illusion.
I had practiced this dance my whole life and so I was pretty confident in my ability to control the water, but as I stood before everyone and felt their gazes still on me, they were all causing me to doubt my own skills.
At the moment, I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off because most of the females here were well-qualified kunoichi that had a better ability of controlling the water and I knew that if I continued to feel nervous, my movements wouldn't be as fluid.
As I hastily scanned the crowd and saw that most of the people were keeping an eye on me, I felt self-conscious and surely didn't want to disappoint anyone who was watching me, so with another sigh of defeat, I just decided to try it. I mean nothing could get worse.
I scanned the entire area and as I tried to find any male that would be willing to accept my offer a noticeable blonde-haired man caught my attention. Squinting my green orbs, I could see that from a distance, that from his slacked jaw, bad posture, and yawn that he was bored and upon closer inspection, I realized it was the same blonde that I had bumped into.
Flashback:
"My name's Nao, un, what's yours?" He asked as I felt his gaze still on me.
"Hikari…, y-you must be one of the men that are staying here, correct?"
"Hai. My friend and I were just passing through, un. As travelers after all, we needed a place to stay, un." Replied the kind stranger.
Nodding my head, I quickly said, "I see…well, I hope your stay is nice."
I saw Nao nod his head as well and as he said, "It's been nice so far, un. And I was glad to have met you. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go, un," and just like that I saw him smile at me and quickly leave.
End flashback.
Despite the fact that I didn't want anything to do with him nor did I want to approach him, a small tug at my heart caused me to feel sympathetic for him. From what I saw, he seemed lonely and bored and at a huge celebration like this, I didn't see the point of being bored and isolated; people should be having a good time right now and as I still kept my gaze on him for a few more seconds, I decided that it was now my obligation to make his day better. I mean after all, it was his last day here and despite how I was still keeping up my guard around him, I decided to let it down for now. After all, I had judged without even knowing anything about him, and maybe, for all I knew, I'd get the chance to make a new friend.
Finally finding the confidence and determination in myself, I kept my gaze down on the ground, holding in my blush as I decided to start my dance. I still felt everyone watching me and as I turned to see a small jug of water near my feet, I quickly summoned what little chakra control I had learned as a child to cause the water to lift up into the air.
Holding out my arms and facing my palms toward the ground, I was quick to get onto the tips of my toes and began my dance.
With each step, I felt my body and the small droplets of water work as though they were one and as I felt everything be in sync, I felt weightless as I made my first jump and landed gracefully onto my feet. As soon as I felt my toes touch the ground, I quickly jumped into a pirouette and allowed the droplets to flow in the same spinning pattern my body was doing.
I noticed that I was finally in front of the very man I was planning to ask to dance and as I slowly approached him, I was sure to keep my green-eyed gaze on him as I circled around him. I saw him meet my gaze and as I softly smiled at him, I saw him become mesmerized by my movements.
Still circling around him, I saw him follow my movements and as I performed several leg flares and made sure to slightly brush past his shoulders each time I revolved around him, I performed my final jump. As I landed perfectly, I was sure to stop right before him as I ended with an arabesque, with my right leg extended behind my body while my left leg was supporting my body weight.
As my dance ended, I heard everyone applaud and as I felt the droplets of water freeze in midair, my full attention was still on the blonde. As I watched him from above look at me with his blue eyes, I saw that his eyes glinted with enchantment.
Still in my ending position, I waited patiently as I saw him bow and put his arm forward; as I stood before him, I was quick to bow as well and slowly took his hand in mine.
As I felt him lead us into the center of the dance floor, I saw that everyone else was now joining us and as we both became surrounded by several other people, I was glad that I was able to make the festival more enjoyable for him. He seemed to have a fun time as he spun me around and slowly dipped me before returning back to our original position.
And as I looked up into his blue orbs, I could see a genuine smile form on his lips and for once, I was glad I faced my own fear.
Despite how erratic my heart was beating at the moment, I was still in disbelief at how I had accomplished that, but that didn't matter anymore, because the success I was feeling right now, was amazing. It didn't matter that I was dancing with a complete stranger, but what did matter was that I managed to do something that I thought I would never be capable of in my own lifetime. And as I looked up to still see that true smile on his face, I felt him look down and meet my green eyes; as green clashed with blue, I quickly blushed and looked away as we both continued to dance.
As I turned my head to the side, I was sure to meet the purple-eyed gaze of my brother and as I saw him smile at me, I could see the slight shock and joy he held in his eyes. And as I looked back, I was sure to give him my own smile and just to add my own personal touch, stuck my tongue out in a playful manner at him.
I saw him chuckle at my silly gesture and as I saw a brown-haired girl approach him, I was happy for him as well as I saw him accept her offer and disappear onto the dance floor.
Everything felt perfect and despite how we all want and wish that these timeless moments would last forever, they can't; it's nearly impossible to recreate something from a mere memory or experience. But that doesn't stop people from trying; from testing those limits and going far beyond what's expected of us, because if you do try something like that, you'll find that you'll go far. Limits are only obstacles in our lives and were created for us to overcome them through risks; maybe those risks are so small that you don't notice them, but sometimes they're big enough to make you realize that you've accomplished something important; something that causes you to lift your head up a little higher each day and proclaim to the world that you're ready to take on anything that would come to you.
Please review! And I'm sorry to say that I'll be gone for a week, so I just wanted to update this before I left on vacation!
Until then, leave a review and as soon as I get back, I'll be sure to update!
Ja Ne!
-Katara