Courting the River Maid
Cherries
Spirited Away,Zeniba,Haku and Chihiro are property of Hayao Miyazaki. I wonder how many people have asked to buy Haku from him . . .
Review responses for all stories back to the month of July have been posted at livejournal. The link to my live journal is in my bio.
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BlowingWind had slept the rest of the day yesterday, and Ryu had stayed in their room brooding over her. Today though, there was no evidence of the anguish the woman had been feeling.
Midday found Chihiro leaning against a small oak tree, sharing a small basket of cherries with her friend as they contemplated the tiny sakura orchard that Ryu and Koji were puttering in. Cherries were not in season, but they had been a gift from their friend in the local construction company. The treat of eating such a cherished fruit so early in the year did much to sedate the two women.
Nearby, the river hummed distractedly to itself as it tumbled over stones slowly becoming polished with his continuous journey to the sea. It never ceased to amaze Chihiro how moody the feature seemed. By this, she could tell what kind of day her kami was having, even though visitors to the shrine never believed the tales of long ago happenings or of rivers walking among men.
A shower of pink drifted suddenly in the stirred breeze, a sign that the local wind kami was abandoning his work for a time in order to play. Sure enough, not a moment later the girls found their hair being tied in knots or wrested out of precise coils.
"Why must you keep bothering us?"
Chihiro's calm question broke the silence, drawing the male's attention to the harried looking women. Now residing in their hair were various petals, twigs, and windblown refuse.
Not missing a beat, Ryu plucked a bloom from the tree he was beside. Smilingly he made his way to the women, cutting off what BlowingWind was preparing to scream at the wind spirit.
"That is a good look for you BlowingWind. It reminds me of the day that you finally accepted my help. Chihiro doesn't wear foliage so well though I am afraid."
As he tucked the cherry blossom behind BlowingWind's ear, the woman could not hide the fierce blush. Chihiro was amused by her friend's wordlessness, but wisely decided to stay silent and see if her friend would accept the flattery. Several minutes passed for the group as the Shaman watched her memories, the flush deepening with every passing second. At last though, the spell was broken when the cherry she had been holding slipped out of her fingers to land in her lap.
"I have to admit that perhaps it isn't so bad to be taken care of. Just don't do that again."
"Do what again? This?"
Ryu snapped up the forgotten cherry faster than the mortal eye could see and had slipped the succulent fruit into the woman's still slightly open mouth. Her suprise caused her to shut her jaws completely, crushing the fruit and filling her mouth with the blood-red juice. With a squeak, she lunged for the cold waters of the river in order to quell the rising tide of heated blood.
This of course had left Chihiro and Koji to stare after the embarrassed woman with raised eyebrows.
"What was that about?"
Ryu smiled enigmatically at the human woman that his promised one called her best friend. She would understand the gestures some day, but the meanings were best explained by her own kami.
"Cherries are a fruit of love. Her reaction is better when it's fresh deer's liver, but there wasn't really time to go hunting for her favorite food."
As Ryu went back to tending the trees, Chihiro looked down at the ripe fruit shining in the sun. Would she ever have someone flirt so openly with her and be so lovingly heart-felt about it?
