They took off their masks and put the pictures into her purse. Then they sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the moment and each other. Eventually Kurosaki looked at the shrine gate a few meters away, the arched red structure towering as tall as the surrounding trees.
"Do you hear that?"
Teru tilted her head. "I can hear music. Not just the drums."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead then stood up, pulling her up with him. "That probably means something's about to start. Let's go see."
They walked through the gate and were immediately presented with a tall stone staircase that was carved directly into the mountain, the top of the stairs lost to the trees. Endless years of worshipers had worn shiny depressions into the stairs, a silent testament to the age of the shrine.
They climbed the stairs, Teru lifting her hem with one hand so she wouldn't trip. Teenagers in plain clothes and yukatas sat on the stairs here and ther talking with friends. Children ran ahead of them, their parents yelling for them to slow down, while they passed an old man with a cane who took each step with excruciating care and slowness. Teru was out of breath by the time they neared the top, while Kurosaki was disgustingly unfazed.
"It's not fair," she wheezed. "You eat crap most of the time. You smoke a pack a day!"
He shrugged and patted his flat stomach. "Being a janitor keeps me fit, I guess."
"I've seen you work. I don't buy it."
He was still teasing her about her fitness when they got to the top, the another red gate arching above the top step.
"Oh!"
Kurosaki looked up at Teru's soft exclamation. It seems the whole village was wandering around the shrine grounds, but he knew what had Teru transfixed was the shrine building.
Set in the middle of the grounds, the shrine was small and old, but obviously well-tended. A tall, sloping wooden roof came down nearly to the ground, while the building itself was painted white and red. A small, slatted collection box sat in front a small staircase that led up to the shrine doors. The doors were open wide, haraegushi, the white zig-zagged purification streamers hung over the entryway where the divine palanquin sat. As they watched, the shrine attendants picked up the palanquin and carried it off, indicating that the deity had moved into the shrine proper.
There were no naked statues, but through the doors of the shrine they could see a statue of a bald male figure with a tattoo on his chest. At first Teru thought it was Buddha or a bhodisatvah, but it didn't quite look like any she'd seen.
Red cord as tied to every finger and toe of the figure. In fact, looking around, Teru realized that the stuff was everywhere. It hung from the buildings, the streamers, even from the roof of the omairi where people washed their hands before approaching the shrine. In one corner of the grounds, it served a see-through curtain for the stage structure where traditional musicians and drummers were drawing a crowd.
Kurosaki tugged her over to the omairi before heading towards the stage. They stood there holding hands and talking about the buildings and the food stalls until the music suddenly stopped and the head priest came onto the stage.
He put his hands together in prayer. "Tonight we thank Gekka-O for his amazing gift to mankind. His spirit is here with us and will bless us through the kagura."
"A kagura is a holy dance," Teru whispered to him.
Kurosaki rolled his eyes and pulled her in front of him, wrapping his arms around her so and drawing her back to rest against him. "Uh huh."
"All you couples, all you lonely ones, thank him or beseech him for his blessing tonight."
They looked at each other and mouthed the words, "couples?".
The stage lit up as the priest left and through the curtain a tall, masked figure emerged. Clad in an opulent robe and a long flowing wig made up of the same red cord they'd seen everywhere, the representation of Gekka-O moved to center stage and held up his suza miss, a wand of bells and streamers, and waited for the music.
It was amazing, Kurosaki thought, how the entire crowd could go quiet so fast. Even those that were on other parts of the grounds and not near the stage had stopped talking, pausing what they were doing to turn towards the stage in silent attention. He also noticed how all of the couples, young and old, all at once held hands.
A lone flute and a drum struck up a tune.
Teru had never seen a traditional dance in person. The figure glided across the stage, dipping, twirling, and even jumping at times, punctuating the movements with his bells. The instrument blended perfectly with the two others, making the music both happy and reverential.
Kurosaki felt Teru stroke his sleeve and looked down just as she rubbed her cheek against his arm. He closed his eyes for a second and thanked the gods for his luck then hugged her just a little closer.
Gekka-O twirled one last time and kneeled with a flourish, bells raised with one last flourish. All music but the drums died away and a man and a woman, also wearing masks, emerged from the curtains to stand on either side of the god. Gekka-O, still kneeling, pulled one of the red cords from the wig and tied one end around the man's ankle, then the woman's. The drums got faster, he then stood and took each of their hands and brought them together until the couple were holding hands. Gekka-O let go and clapped his hands and the drums stopped. The lights on stage went out a moment later and the faint jingle of bells could be heard as the kagura came to an end.
The crowd was silent for a moment and then erupted into applause.
Kurosaki looked around. "Is that really the appropriate response for a holy ceremony?" He whispered to her. He then noticed that she was blushing and tense in his arms. "Hey! What's up?"
"Ah, I think I know what kind of god Gekka-O is."
"Yeah?" He turned her around in his arms to he could see her face, keeping her close as the crowd began to disperse. "What kind?"
She snuck a peek at his face. "You're sure you didn't know anything about this shrine?"
"Yeah. Why?" He winced. "Oh god, that wasn't some sort of fake sacrificial reenactment was it? With the cord around the ankle thing?"
She gave a delicate little snort. "No."
"Slavery?"
She swatted his chest. "No! Listen, have you ever heard of the red cord of fate?"
He scrunched up his face as he thought about it for a second. "Is it that thing around the finger that you see in shoujo manga all the time? Not that I've read any, of course," he quickly stated. "But as the janitor, I've cleaned up after more than one teenage girl who's left a copy behind."
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's the thing around the finger. The god of fate, love, and marriage ties a red string around two people who are fated to be together."
"But this one did it around their ankles."
"Right," she said excitedly. "But the actual legend goes that the string was tied around the ankle, not their fingers. I never knew the name, but I think that's who this is!"
He raised a finger. "So you're telling me that the first shrine festival I ever bring us to is for a god of love?"
"Don't forget marriage, fate, sex, and fertility," an old voice said from beside them.
They looked over, then down, to find a tiny, frail old woman with a cane. She poked Kurosaki in the leg and let out a cackle. "And what other shrine do you think the two of you should be at, eh?" She used her cane to lift up the hem of their yukatas and peeked underneath.
Kurosaki reminded himself that he couldn't yell at the elderly, let alone smack canes out of the hands of old women. Teru could apparently read his mood because she reached up and smacked a hand over his mouth. "Can we help you, Grandmother?"
The old woman smiled and shook her head. "No, no. And you obviously don't need mine, either." She poked Kurosaki with her cane again and Teru kept her hand over his mouth, just in case. "Take care of her." This time she poked Teru. "And you do the same. Understand?"
They both shook their heads.
The old woman waved airy hand and turned away. "Never mind. I have actual work to do with the other idiots here tonight. Goodbye."
They watched her walk away for a moment, then Kurosaki shook off the hand that was still over his mouth. "What a random, crazy, old lady." He grinned. "I like her."
"Of course you do," she laughed, looping her arms around his waist. "I bet you can't until you're a grumpy old man and you can make semi-rude, cryptic remarks to young folks."
"Please, I don't have to wait until I'm old to enjoy doing that."
"Don't I know it." She rested her head against his chest. "Um, I just want to say that I like the fact that the first shrine festival were ever at is one for a god of love."
He kissed the top of her head, avoiding the hair sticks. "Don't forget the other things unless you want that old lady back." He smoothed a hair off her forehead as she laughed. "I'm glad too, you know. Can we pretend I did it on purpose so I can get extra boyfriend points?"
She leaned back to look up at him with a raised an eyebrow. "If I say yes do I get extra girlfriend points?"
"Ehhhh," he shrugged, then jumped as she dug a knuckle into his ribs. "I mean, what points?" He put his arm around her shoulders and steered them towards the shrine where the clink of coins and the ring of the prayer bell took over as the music for the grounds. They got in line. "Besides, if there were points, I'm already light years ahead because I said it first."
Teru gasped and he grabbed her hand before she could poke him again. "You did not say it first!"
"The hell I didn't." He said easily. "Were we even on the same Ferris wheel ride?"
Teru blushed at the memory, but held firm. "I told you, Daisy, that I loved you, Kurosaki waaay before that ever happened."
He gaped at her. "That does not count! You didn't even know I was the one and the same when you did that!"
"I suspected, though. And I found the music box not long after that, so then I knew that you knew. Plus, everybody already knew that I loved you."
He shook his head and patted hers. "Doesn't count. Glory and credit goes to the one who actually says it to the other person's face. Third person confessions are null and void." He held up a hand and ticked off points. "Romantic venue. Check. Said 'I love you, Teru'. Check. Kissed you. Check. Plus, you cried happy tears. Bonus check."
Teru smiled. She didn't mind losing this one. She also had a feeling that all of her friends would back him up on this particular point. "Alright, alright. You win that one, but I still said it third/second person first, so you are not light years ahead." She looked up at him and gave him a sweet smile. "Just slightly ahead."
"And don't you forget it."
It was soon their turn at the long wooden offering box. Kurosaki offered her a coin, but she dug one out of her reticule. "It's okay. I want to do one for myself."
He gave her a look, then shrugged. "Okay. On 'three'. One, two, three."
They threw the coins through the slats, rang the ancient bell that hung beside the box, then clapped their hands twice, bowing as they closed their eyes in prayer.
Teru straightened and opened her eyes before Kurosaki and stood watching him for a few seconds. He looked serious, his eyebrows drawn together as he silently said his piece to Gekka-O. He finally straightened up, taking her hand and moving aside as someone from the line behind them coughed delicately to get them moving.
"So, what did you ask for?" Kurosaki asked.
"I can't tell you that! And who says I asked for anything?"
"Oh, come on. It's not like it won't come true if you don't say it out loud." He smirked at the flush that was slowly moving into her cheeks. "Unless, you can't say it out loud, you know, 'cause there are kids around."
"Speak for yourself, you big perv," she pushed him away with a laugh.
"Actually," he drawled, "there was one thing I was looking forward to this spring when I can finally put my hands on...mrphfph," he finished with the small hand suddenly over his mouth.
"Kurosaki don't you dare!" Teru squeaked.
He removed her hand, kissing the palm before he smirked at her again. "How do you know what I was going to say? Maybe there's a new video game out this spring that I've been wanting to get my hands on."
"I went with the odds," she told him teasingly. "And, um, I just thanked him, actually. You know." He eyes dropped bashfully. "For you."
Kurosaki's fists clenched for a moment, theN he took a breath. He knew how Teru felt about PDA, but she was going to have to get over it at this particular moment.
"Eeep!" Teru squeaked as Kurosaki suddenly picked her up. He was careful of her obi, picking her up low on the waist, but as a result she was suddenly slightly taller than him. She looked down at his face, his features softened in that look he only gave her. "Kurosaki?"
"I did the same thing," he told her. "I thanked him for you, too." He paused. "And I may have asked for some things...you know, for later on." He smiled at her eye roll. "Kiss me."
She looked around them, scandalized. "Here?" She whispered.
They had walked around the shrine to the back and we're now, temporarily at least, alone. "Yup. Kiss me, Teru."
She gave him a quick peck and jerked back up, wiggling a little to see if he'd let her go.
He held her tighter and shook his head. "Nope. Try again."
"Okay, okay. Give me a second." Teru took a breath and closed her eyes, just so she wouldn't know whether or not people were watching.
This was one of the things she had prayed about. She was always so nervous with Kurosaki during moments like this. She wanted to feel more confident. She also wanted him to enjoy it too and not have to treat his girlfriend like a skittish horse all the time. She asked for Gekka-O's aid one more time, and bent her head.
Kurosaki smiled as she leaned down, her eyes still closed. He turned his head slightly to make sure she didn't miss, then closed his own eyes to enjoy himself.
Oh, God. Kurosaki locked his knees as the hand she'd cupped along his jaw slid back and feathered along his ear. At the same time, she pressed her lips to his, once, twice, then she opened her mouth and made a tentative line along his lips with her tongue.
That was it.
Kurosaki took a few steps backwards until his back hit the back wall of the shrine. When he was sure he wouldn't drop her or fall down he opened his mouth slightly and let her drive him nuts.
Teru had waited for him to take the lead in the kiss when his lips parted, but he didn't. Knowing he was letting her take the lead emboldened her. She turned her head to the side and fit her mouth carefully over his. First, she tasted his lips once more. Next, she flicked a tongue over his teeth before reaching deeper, seeking his tongue. He was playing with her, she thought hazily. He'd flick his tongue over hers, brush by it or keep his own back until she found that she was opening her mouth wider, reaching deeper, until she coaxed his own into the full contact that she craved.
She could hear herself, the panting breaths she took when they parted for a moment before they came together again. She could also hear, and feel, what she was doing to Kurosaki and that kept her coming back for more and more. He still let her take the lead, but his arms were so tight around her she couldn't move (not that she wanted to). His breaths sounded much like hers. But she found that he liked it when she rubbed the roof of his mouth with the tip of her tongue. She also realized that stroking his ears, even accidentally (and then not accidentally) made his whole body shiver and his arms clench around her. She was concentrating so much on him and his reactions that she forgot to be self-conscious and instead just enjoyed herself. And him.
Kurosaki had a thought through the pure fog that was his brain that they'd have to stop soon. For some reason.
But Teru had never kissed him like this. In fact, she was usually pretty passive, her obvious nervousness stopping him long before they could get to these long, drugging kisses that he'd craved. The few times they'd gotten close she'd become overwhelmed and he'd had to reign himself in. Having her hands clenched in his hair, her mouth slowly explore his, feeling her hot breath as she broke their kiss to breath or change angles, was better than he'd ever imagined.
And he's imagined plenty these past couple of months.
He forgot himself for a moment and sucked her tongue into his mouth and biting down lightly. The moan that came from deep in her throat had him breaking the kiss and setting her abruptly back on her feet.
They both swayed, panting, and held on to each other for balance. Kurosaki then turned, pulling Teru until she had her back against the shrine wall. He put a hand on either side of her, bending a bit at the waist so that his yukata would hide his 'problem' while he got himself together. He looked at her, then closed his eyes at her drowsy-looking shining eyes, puffy lips, and softened features.
"Holy shit," he whispered. "Where'd you learn that?"
Don't be too shy, she reminded herself, though she wanted to hide in her oversized sleeves from nerves that had come whooshing back once he'd set her down. "I just kissed you the way you kiss me sometimes. Is that okay?"
Her heart about stopped when he dropped his head as though in defeat. Maybe she hadn't read him right. Maybe he hadn't enjoyed it like she had. Maybe...
He rubbed a hand over his face then stood up, taking a deep breath. "Oh, yeah. That's more than okay." Teru sighed in relief, but lost her breath the next moment at the look he gave her. "Hey Teru?"
"Yeah?"
"It's probably a good idea if you only kiss me like that in private."
She turned beet red. "And whose idea was it that I kiss you?!"
He ran both his hands through his hair, making it stand on nearly end. "Oh, don't worry. I'm totally taking credit for that little interlude. Now wait here for a second."
She watched, confused, as he ran over to a group of teenage boys. Kurosaki stood nearly a foot taller than any of them, and as she watched, he stood to to toe with one of them, pointing and obviously threatening until the frightened boy handed over phone. Kurosaki keyed something into the phone, looked at his own, then handed the phone back to the teenager with a few more obvious threats.
Teru's foot was tapping in annoyance by the time Kurosaki came back over. "Did they do what I think they did?"
"What? Did they take a couple of pictures and a short video of one of the best moments of my life?" He pulled out his smartphone and smiled at it. "Then yes."
"Those jerks!"
Kurosaki grabbed her before she could stomp off after the group that had already run away. "It's okay! I took it off their phones...after I sent it to mine. I also threatened them with my fake Tokyo gang that's supposedly staying on the island." He waggled his phone at her. "Do you wanna see?"
Teru dropped her face into her hands. "No!"
"Are you suuuuure?" He practically sang, hanging the phone above her head like mistletoe.
"Yes, I'm sure!" She swatted at the phone. "At least wait until I'm not dying of embarrassment!"
"Oh, so you do want to see it."
Teru smoothed the skirt of her yukata and picked up her reticule from where it had fallen on the ground. Her solemn 'go bald, Kurosaki' did nothing but make him laugh.
Next up, the shrine oracle and fireworks! Please take a moment if you're enjoying this to write a review. I love those things. Thanks!
