A/N: Hello!
I'm hoping you haven't given up on this story yet.
Maria-sama might have been watching, after all, Noriko thought, lifting her head to read a sign affixed to a tall gingko tree. But, if she really watches, it would have been nice for her to have made this place a bit closer to the city… she continued with the musing.
Truth be told, Noriko was not annoyed with the fact she had to travel to the country that Sunday, se was simply not happy about having to step foot inside a Buddhist temple when she didn't feel ready to do so quite yet.
Shoguji Temple, read another old sign stuck to a lamp post; an arrow pointing forward. "Ask for the priest," were the only directions from Takuya before handing Noriko a sticky note with an address neatly handwritten in cursive.
Noriko looked back to where the bus had dropped her off; the tallest of Tokyo's buildings could still be seen from where she stood; a constant reminder that home was but a few miles away and there was no reason for her to be worried – it wasn't like the priest was planning on locking her up inside the temple to torture her with pictures of the Kannon statue.
Still, Noriko wasn't happy.
It was only when she stood in front of the main gates of that temple that she finally understood what Sei meant when the blonde explained the inadequate sentiment one has when they come back home after many years only to feel like a bothersome child again. Noriko thought of Sei's words and how Sumireko had wholeheartedly agreed with the gregarious girl. Was sharing those feelings of inaptitude with others what growing up meant? If so, Noriko wanted more of it, she wanted more of learning she belonged even when she thought she didn't; even when she thought she was the only person thinking and feeling what everybody else was indeed feeling though no girl she had known in high school was brave enough to say it. This was yet another reason for Noriko to regret not rebelling like any girl her age; not saying "fuck this entrance exam," and taking that leap of faith which was the trip to Kyoto.
Following the signs to the main entrance, Noriko walked slowly through a narrow path revisiting the conversation she had that morning with Sumireko, and the girl couldn't help but smile; her aunt was truly someone she could trust and whom she loved unconditionally, even after so many years of taunting and practical jokes.
Noriko chuckled at the thought of anyone else seeing her in her twisted pajamas, hair all mussed up, with sleepy eyes and foggy mind. Then the thought of a barely awoken Shimako flooded Noriko's mind and the blush which adorned the girl's face was such that she felt the tip of her ears burn with warmth.
It would have been the cutest thing… to be able to wake up next to that Maria-sama, who wasn't Maria-sama, after all, which meant that the actual Mother Mary was really watching, and she probably knew that Noriko would have a second chance in speaking with Shimako. Now, if only Noriko's heart would calm down around the new acquaintance…
With the guarantee that those buildings behind her wouldn't go anywhere, Noriko mustered the courage to cross the gates and enter the temple, finding a middle-aged woman sweeping the steps of the entrance, "May I speak with the Priest? I have a delivery for him," Noriko asked quietly with all of the decorum she could have gathered.
"You are Shimura-san's helper, correct?"
At Noriko's nod, the woman asked the brunette to wait on the steps then the shrine's doors opened and closed behind her, leaving Noriko on her own to look around at the trees surrounding the property until a bald man came out of the shrine to greet the brunette, "Good day, Nijou-chan," he bowed, "Hoho! When Shimura-san said he was sending a young lady my way, he wasn't joking, was he?"
"It's—"
"Ah! There's no need to be shy! Come inside, my dear. The least I can do to thank you is to offer you a cup of tea. What do you say?"
"H-hai. Thank you," Noriko answered, and quickly followed the middle-aged man inside.
Kneeling on a pillow with both legs tucked under her rear, Noriko watched quietly as the Priest's wife sat a tray with a teapot and two cups on the table which separated the brunette and the older man.
The Priest thanked the woman with a smile then asked, "Could you get daughter, my Love?" before the woman walked out of the room.
My Love.
Try as she might, Noriko couldn't keep a smile from tugging at her lips and even though she looked down at her knees, her smirk didn't go unnoticed, "I hope that didn't offend you, Nijou-chan," the Priest said.
"Oh. No! N-not at all!" The brunette fumbled with her answer. It was wonderful; however, to have been present for that endearing moment; the simple interaction flooding Noriko's heart with warmth, "I've only been around couples who have recently started to date; to see this between an older couple; it's… incredible."
"You see," The older man poured the tea, handed Noriko a cup and took the other for himself before continuing, "a little affection goes a long way."
"I'm sure it does…"
"I mean it!" The Priest said, his voice a bit louder, his smile a little wider.
"But..."
"But? What's the matter, my dear?"
"It's nothing…" Noriko tried to wiggle her way out.
"It has got to be something…"
Noriko finally looked up from her tea, "I just don't understand the how of these things…" she said, looking straight at the Priest all the while fighting back tears at the thought of Kanako and Touko.
Taking a long sip of his tea, the Priest allowed silence to envelope the room for a long while before explaining that, "You will meet several people who will knock the air out of you with a simple smile…" he then looked toward the door from which his wife had exited before continuing, "when your heart decides that one of them is worth depriving your lungs from oxygen, then you will know you have found the one. And once you do; however, hold on to him…" he smiled at Noriko, "or her…."
"…"
Looking at Noriko again, he shook his head in disbelief, "I still can't believe how young you are!"
"Heh…" she laughed awkwardly.
"You are what? Sixteen, seventeen?"
"Nineteen."
"My daughter has turned twenty this year."
"…"
"I'm glad… truly glad Takuya sent you here," the Priest stood up, bowed, then walked toward the sliding door which led outside, and before opening it, he finished, "Rare are the occasions I get to speak with such a pure soul. I thank you for coming to this temple."
The sliding door had barely been opened when a gust of wind blew green leaves inside the temple, and along with the leaves, Maria-sama also waltzed in, "I'm Shimako," she introduced herself even before looking at the person sitting with their back to the door.
The familiar voice, carrying the even more familiar name along with it was all it took for Noriko to stiffen like someone had poured ice-cold water down her back. And as that water ran down her spine, her gasp filled her lungs with much needed air. When she finally turned around, the brunette's voice falter, "I-I'm Noriko."
"H-here it is, Father" Shimako handed the older man a container the size of a shoe-box, two black ribbons securing the lid – one horizontally and the other vertically. Thanking Shimako, the priest walked back toward Noriko, carefully sitting the box in front of the brunette.
"Nijou-chan, I have a sutra reading this afternoon and I have to be going, though I will leave you in the care of my daughter. I believe you have something which is very dear to her in your possession; am I correct?"
Something which is very dear to her… Noriko's gears turned for a long second before she finally remembered why she was there to begin with, "Ah, yes!" she said, reaching into her backpack and retrieving the blue baggie that held the praying beads then laying it atop of the table, side-by-side with the old box.
"Great! I'll leave you young people alone, then!" The priest said, then walked away leaving Shimako, Noriko and a lot of silence behind him.
"…"
"…"
"So it was really you at the station earlier today…" Shimako mused out loud, "I thought I was seeing things…"
"You were there, too?" Noriko asked. As the brunette's eyes never left her tea, she missed Shimako's fidgeting.
"Father had me running errands for him this morning."
"I see…"
"For some strange reason…" Shimako walked toward the table and stood in front of Noriko. When the brunette finally looked up, Rosa Gigantea continued, "I really wanted it to be you…" a light blush adorned Shimako's cheeks, though she did nothing to hide it; it was a wonderful feeling, to be vulnerable in front of someone like that.
"And why is that?"
"I haven't figured that out yet," Rosa Gigantea responded earnestly.
"I see..."
"Don't mind me, though… I'm still in transition mode. Being back here is surreal in a way; you simply happen to be part of all of these changes I'm going through and I find myself in this strange stage in my life where everything is the same but new, and I don't want to miss out on anything; the green of the trees, the smell of the fresh cut grass, the taste of tea in the early mornings – I want to remember all of these things, the way the are right now, so when they become routine again, I can look back and remind myself that nothing feels right if you're missing your heart."
"Missing your heart…"
"I… Sorry, that was heavy…"
"It's okay, Shimako-sama."
"Thank you," Shimako smiled, then pointed to the table, "May I?"
And at Noriko's "o-of course…" Shimako finally sat down, though not across, but by Noriko.
"Y-your Yukata is beautiful, by the way," Noriko said softly, her hands still holding on to her teacup like it was grounding her, her eyes cast down like if looking Shimako in the eyes was a sin.
As if the robe needed to be straightened out, Shimako ran her hand from her chest down to her stomach and looking down at it, she smiled, "This is father's welcome home gift…"
"It's really nice."
"Youko-sama must have been rubbing off on Onee-sama; father said she was the one who picked the fabric…" Shimako said, a hint of pride peppered the words.
"You're saying Sei-sama wouldn't have chosen that clothon her own?"
"It's not it… Sei-sama is an incredible woman, the best onee-sama! But she's great in her own ways, and like everybody else, while she can be very good at some things, she also lacks in certain areas…" Shimako tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her sleeves before continuing, "Onee-sama is not concerned about garment patterns and the likes, she's more interested in the person wearing the clothes."
"She's really important to you, huh?"
"My onee-sama? She's family."
"I see."
Shimako chuckled before explaining, "…and that's why I know there was someone else, more… sensitive behind this," she pointed at her chest.
Noriko didn't think of herself as the sensitive kind, though it had been none but herself who had chosen the very fabric which adorned Shimako's body so beautifully, hugging her in all the right spots and still leaving a lot to one's imagination. It was only fair; however, that Noriko let Shimako think Youko and Sei had chosen the cloth – a much better story than what had truly transpired during the day Noriko was handed the responsibility to shop for Sei. It was up to Sei to tell that story to Shimako, after all.
"Sei-sama has always been very kind to me, she is definitely someone wonderful to have around…" Noriko said, finally setting her teacup and saucer atop of the tray to her side.
Then there was a long, awkward and undeniably restless silence which all but asphyxiated both girls until Rosa Gigantea reached for the box sitting on the table, "Father said you might be interested in seeing the Maitreya statue," she said while untying the bow which kept the box's lid from moving around.
"Don't!" Noriko interrupted, "… Please!" she added, her fingertips landing atop of Shimako's hand and the featherweight contact was all it took for an whirlwind to cover every surface of the room with cherry blossoms and lavender petals.
Only when Noriko's lungs complained, she finally exhaled a long breath, "I'm sorry, I wasn't ready for any of this…"
Who wouldn't want to see a Yuukai piece, especially someone who was so close to Shimura-sama? Shimako thought, "Any of what?" she asked, confusion written in her eyes.
Noriko looked at the box in front of her for a long second, trying to figure out how she would go about answering that question, the awkward silence gnawing her insides again before she decided she would simply tell the truth. " I haven't been to a Buddhist temple in years – a decision that I had made after… some things happened involving a statue I wanted to see…"
"I'm… sorry."
Forcing a smile Noriko continued, "And the Maitreya statue… Yuukai is one of my favorite artists… But my heart is not ready…"
Then Noriko looked up, finding two pools of gray watching, quietly waiting for whatever else Noriko was about to say when she opened her mouth and inhaled a deep breath, Then there's you, the brunette thought and exhaled, choosing to remain silent as though she lacked the courage to explain the longing she had in her chest, the strange need to go back to Lillian, to cross those gates and run straight to that cherry blossom tree which brought her to Shimako. It was difficult to translate that feeling into words without letting Rosa Gigantea know that Noriko thought about her constantly ever since Furano.
"Ok…" Shimako said, and watched Noriko reach for the bag sitting on the table. The comment sounded disengaged, bored even. How fitting, Noriko thought. How fitting it was that Shimako didn't give a fuck about this urge Noriko had to open up; to confess to a stranger things she had never told anybody, save for Takuya and Sumireko. How terribly empty it felt to be sitting there, side-by-side with that wondrous woman and have felt lonely.
One by one, Noriko watched the petals around her slowly vanish.
Handing the blue baggie to Shimako, Noriko said, "I'm actually here to deliver this…" then watched Shimako untie the small pouch and withdraw the juzu from it carefully.
"Thank you."
"Although it's not perfect anymore, Takuya-kun says it's very close to its original form."
"Noriko-chan," Shimako said.
"Hai…"
"Thank you very much."
Managing a smile Noriko answered, "You're very welcome, Shimako-sama."
"For a while I thought the damage was irreparable, but then father mentioned Shimura-sama could fix anything. Please, tell him I will forever be indebted to him."
"I'll tell him you are satisfied with the way it turned out."
Still looking at the praying beads, Shimako trailed off, her voice but a whisper, "I can't believe I almost destroyed grandmother's praying beads…" and that immediately made Noriko's eye twitch, "You…"
Looking straight at Noriko, Shimako knew exactly where the brunette wanted to get, "I was angry," she said matter-of-factly.
"You… were angry…"
"Do you not get angry?"
"I do… but I don't usually take my anger on praying beads."
"I—"
"Especially rare ones," Noriko pointed at the juzu, "like that one…"
The brunette could feel her blood warming up; her face reddened, her feet shook. How could someone be so careless? she asked herself. The juzu Shimako held in her hands was legitimately invaluable; even with the repairs, appraisers would die to put their hands on a relic like that, and for Shimako to be so disdainful was a jab Noriko was not ready to receive.
"What do you take me for, Noriko-chan?"
"You know…" Noriko started as she stood up, reached for her backpack, swinging it onto her back and adjusting the straps down, "At first I was truly making an effort to learn, but now, my opinion really doesn't matter, does it? Thank your father for the tea for me, please," she finished and walked toward the door.
"But the Maitreya sta—"
Opening the sliding door Noriko turned around, interrupting Shimako, "See that wall?" she pointed toward the back of the room, "How about you throw the Maitreya against it? You seem to be good at destroying things."
"Noriko-chan!"
"You heard me!" Noriko allowed a dark smirk tug at her lips, Don't do it, a voice nagged at her, though she evaded the plea, "And after that, run your head through it, too!"
Noriko walked outside.
She gasped for air.
A/N: Thanks for reading!