Story: The Lover's Festival
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Paring: Setsuna & Sara
Disclaimer: Angel Sanctuary and its characters are owned by
the great Yuki, Kaori-sama and her fabulous pair of hands.
Very Important Author's Notes for (06/25/01):
Ok Minna-san, this fanfic is about a couple whose relationship
I consider so beautiful, that I even over look the fact that
they are related. If you are an Angel Sanctuary fan and have
seen the OVA or read the manga, you already knew before I told
you that Setsuna and Sara are brother and sister. And sure,
even thought in their current personas the love they share can
be called incestuous, if we consider the other facts we can
make small exceptions for their relationship.
-Like, the fact that Setsuna is actually the re-incarnation
of the Organic Angel Alexiel.
-Or, that Sara is the re-incarnation of the angel Gabrielle.
-Or that they love one another so greatly that they are
willing to die or suffer, one for the other.
-And of course, the most important fact... that this is not
real life!
Also, comments are greatly appreciated and kindly welcome.
The Lover's Festival
Long light-brown hair danced freely with the wind
while its owner looked at the city she would soon be leaving.
Hands firmly placed on the balcony's railing, she tightened
her grip trying hard to hold on to her sanity. The red-stoned
fantasy ring she wore on her left hand's fourth finger shone
with suppressed fire in the afternoon sun.
Her sad smile broke into a sob as a couple of tears
escaped her eyes. Sliding slowly to the floor, she pulled
her knees towards her chest and hugged herself fiercely
hoping, for her own well-being, that the pain would subside
with the passage of time. Taking a deep breath, she tried
to still her cries, knowing well that nothing good ever came
out of it.
Staring intently with chestnut-colored eyes at the
thin metal band that had always been a part of her dreams and
salvation, she held her hand away from her and tried to take
herself back to the time she had first acquired it. Leaning
her head back, she could already sense the feelings of
security and comfort sooth all her worries away. "Onii-chan,"
she whispered to the wind, her mind... thousands of miles away.
=^^= FLASHBACK =^^=
It was July 6th, the day before Tanabata's Festival,
and nine year-old Sara could hardly sleep. Pushing her
sheets aside, she got out of bed placing bare feet onto the
cold room's floor. Padding over to the open window she
smiled at the clear night's sky. She could see every star
out tonight.
Remembering what she had made just for this occasion,
she hurried over to her nightstand and opened the drawer
taking out two small cloth dolls. Going back to the window,
she took some string and hung them together outside. The
dolls stood for Tanabata and her husband Hikoboshi, who loved
each other not wisely but too well.
As the old legend told, the God of the Firmament had
a very beautiful daughter called Tanabata who would weave
beautiful garments for him to wear. One day, as she was
weaving another garment for him, she saw a handsome man
leading an ox, and immediately fell in love with him. Her
father, being the perceptive God that he was, figured out
how they both felt and they were married soon after.
Unfortunately, because the love between Tanabata and
Hikoboshi was so ardent and consuming, they both neglected to
do their duties. Tanabata forgot to do her weaving, and
Hikoboshi permitted his ox to wander at his leisure over the
High Plains of Heaven. The God of the Firmament became so
angry at such irresponsibility that it was ordered that
henceforth the Celestial River should separate the lovers.
Only on the seventh night of the seventh month,
provided there is good weather, will a flock of birds form a
bridge across the river so that -this way- the lovers may
meet. However, if rain so happened to fall, the river would
grow too wide for the bridge of birds to form, causing the
lovers to have to wait another year so that they may have
the chance to see each other once again.
"Hopefully," Sara whispered as she went back to bed.
"Tomorrow's night-sky will be just as clear."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Setsuna snuck into his sister's room. Walking
towards the window, he opened the shades to let the sun's
morning rays in. He looked towards the bed and saw Sara
sleeping face down, abundant brown hair shimmering in
disarray over her light-green pillow. Her small mouth was
parted slightly as she breathed, the corners of her lips
curving in a serene smile.
He sucked in his breath. 'Sara always managed to
look like an angel.'
With his hand trembling slightly, he moved stray
locks from her face and smiled at the picture she made.
"Sara," he called softly. "Sara, wake up."
Sara grumbled as she pressed her head further into
her pillow and turned the other way, the sheets wrapping
around her like a cocoon. "~ive more min~s 'Kaa-chan," she
slurred.
A spark of mischief ignited in Setsuna's eyes. He
was going to wake up Sara, whether she felt like it or not.
Going to the foot of the bed, he grabbed the end of the
sheet and pulled with as much force as a ten year-old kid
could have.
The sheet slid easily off of Sara's body, causing
Setsuna to lose his balance. With a little cry of surprise,
his butt hit the floor in a great thud. The sheet he had
been holding, covering him completely from head to toe.
At the sound of something being knocked over, Sara
forced herself to wake and sat up in bed, trying to rub the
sleep off her eyes. As her vision focused, she saw her
sheet in a bundle on the floor, and heard Setsuna's voice
complaining as he battled with it.
Letting a little giggle escape her throat, Sara
jumped off the bed and happily went to help her brother out.
"Onii-chan," she smiled as she grabbed the sheet off his
hands. "Daijoubu?"
Setsuna's honey-colored eyes stared at his sister's
merry face. "Hai. Daijoubu-desu."
"That's good." She turned then to dump the sheet on
her bed. "But what where you doing on the floor?"
"Trying to wake *you* up!" Setsuna grumbled. "You
really are a heavy sleeper you know."
Sara blushed. "Gomen... I went to sleep kind of
late. I was so excited about today."
'Today,' the word resonated. Today was the Festival
of Tanabata!!
Grabbing a hold of her brother's hands, she jumped
up and down happily as she chanted, "The lover's festival!
Today's the lover's festival!!"
Setsuna felt a flush spread through him as he felt
the heat of Sara's hands and looked at her happy face. The
blush deepening when her arms wound themselves around him in
a hug. Then, as quick as the hug had been given, it was over.
Sara had pushed him away as she turned to her dresser and
took out a cream-colored box.
"Onii-chan," she called as she opened the box and
began to part the paper wrapping. "This is what I'm gonna
wear today. I've been waiting since New Year's Eve to put
it on."
He stepped closer and looked that the light blue
kimono with white-flower imprints scattered in design that
Sara hugged against her body. She twirled, as she modeled
the dress for him, her laughter ringing like tiny holiday
silver bells. "And look!" She held up the pastel-pink
colored obi that came with the kimono. "Don't they make a
beautiful combination?!"
Setsuna tried to get his throat working again.
"Yeah," he answered lamely.
Sara's eyes momentarily widened as she bit her lip
in a secretive smile. "I got it!" she announced. "Onii-chan,
you should wear your kimono too! The brown one with white
outlined lily pads on it. You always look very handsome in it."
"I- I don't-" he tried to say, but one look at Sara's
hopeful face squashed all his resistance. "OK, Sara. I'll
wear my kimono too."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
"OK kids," a deep male voice began once they stood at
one of the festival's many entries. "You can go to the stands
and play games, but be sure not to talk to strangers. Also,
don't forget where we're supposed to meet at eight o'clock,
alright?"
"Hai." Both children replied.
"And Setsuna," his father warned. "Take care of Sara."
"Hai, Otou-san." He said as he bowed his head. Their
parents watched them go off into the crowd of people, hand
in hand.
Scorn resonated in the voice of Mudou-san's wife as
she stated, "I don't like leaving Sara alone with Setsuna."
Her husband ignored the comment, while he brought his
hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.
"I don't trust him," she continued as she shot
daggers in the direction they had disappeared to. "He's not
normal. He-"
"Are you going to start this again?" he interrupted,
tiered of hearing her usual complaints.
"Yes! Until I get it through your head that that
*child* is not alright." She crossed her arms. "He's never
been sick, never been hurt. What normal kid do you know of
that had *never* been in an accident?!"
He took a deep calming breath. "You're starting to
sound like a paranoid neurotic again."
"I'm serious about what I've been telling you!" She
turned furious redish-brown eyes on him. "I want a divorce."
"Do we have to talk about this here? In front of
everyone? And at the Festival of the Weaving Lady no less?"
"I don't care." She stated childishly.
This time, it was he who rounded on her with
suppressed anger. "We will discuss this at a later time."
Placing a firm grip on her arm, he propelled her forward.
"You will not cause the Mudou's to lose face!"
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Sara skipped down the path swinging her purse around.
"Aniki," she called. "Look, I found them."
Setsuna caught up with her, and looked at the arranged
bamboo sticks. "Ok Sara, now you can tie your papers on.
Did you bring them with you?"
"Un." She grinned as she held up the small blue bag
she carried. "I have them in here. Demo..." Sara's eyes
stated to look over her brother. "Where are yours?"
"I don't have any," he answered shrugging his shoulders.
"Demo..."
"It's alright."
"No it's not!" she said as her face turned serious.
"BAKA! It's tradition. We *have* to put poems on the bamboo
sticks in honor of Tanabata and Hikoboshi!"
"But-"
"NO!" she exclaimed while fishing through her purse.
"Here." She handed Setsuna some blank colored strips of paper
and a pen. "Now you can write her something."
He was going to protest, but one look at Sara's face
told him not to press his luck. Sara was a firm believer in
festivals and she especially loved this one. 'I suppose that
any girl would think that the day when two lovers finally got
a chance to meet is romantic." He thought as he clicked the
pen and proceeded to write the poems.
"OK, now let me have some of yours and I'll start to
tie them on the branches." She said once she had finished
attaching hers.
Setsuna finally handed her the last one. Stepping
away from the bamboo, they both stared at all the papers that
decorated the little tree. White, blue, yellow, red, and
green strips knotted on all the branches gave new life to
the ritual practice.
"See?" Sara beamed happily beside him. "Just like
Tanabata and Hikoboshi when they meet!"
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
"Onii-chan? Onii-chan?" Sara called as she tried to
make her way through the crowd. "Onii-chan, where are you?"
It was impossible to see anything! There were so many
people around. "Aniki!!" She yelled placing one of her hands
to the side of her mouth, the other holding tightly onto a bag
with a little goldfish she had won at a festival game.
"Ani-" she cried as someone bumped her into another
individual. She rebounded from him onto another person and
soon, she was being tossed back and forth by the crowd.
Suddenly, she was pushed out of the masses. Sara
staggered trying to regain her equilibrium. That it, until
her geta slipped on a puddle of mud and she was launched to
the ground- her goldfish flying out of her hand and landing
with a splash somewhere within the passer biers.
Without meaning to, Sara's chest began to constrict.
The feeling of tears swelled inside of her and before she
knew it, she was crying- screaming out into the crowd that
she wanted Setsuna with her.
Somehow, he must have heard her... felt her pain,
because in minutes he was at her side. "Sara, are you OK?"
he asked, his voice filled with anguish. "Are you hurt
anywhere? Sara?"
She looked up, then, through her puffy eyes as she
gave him a weak smile.
"Sara..." he whispered as he crowded on the ground
with her. "What happened?"
"I was looking for you," she sniffed. "But I couldn't
find you!" She threw her hands around his body and hung onto
to him as she cried. "I was so worried! I thought I had lost
you."
"I'm sorry Sara." He patted her head. "I was at one
of the games. I wanted to win this for you." And at that
moment he produced from his obi a metallic gold fantasy ring
with a circular red stone made out of glass.
Transfixed, she merely stared at it. "You won it
for me?"
She smiled as he gave it to her. "Yeah," he said
while he wiped away her tears.
Placing the ring on the fourth finger in her left hand,
Sara smiled at the gift her brother had given her. "Onii-chan?"
she began in doubt. "We'll always be together, ne?"
When Setsuna remained silent, she pleaded into his
eyes. "Ne? NE?!" She tugged on his kimono-sleeve. "Answer
me Aniki! We'll always be together, NE?"
Something within him moved at that moment. It was as
if her words would be able to hold them together, even if just
out of sheer will. He smiled as he bent down and kissed her
forehead. "Hai, Sara."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
They made their way through the crowd -this time-
together, as they looked for the place where they were
supposed to meet up with their parents. With Sara's hand in
his, Setsuna paved the way while they enjoyed their green tea
ice cream. They could both hear as kids sang "Tenki ni Nari"
with the hope of a clear sky that night.
And Setsuna too, in one of those rare moments of his
life, wished with everything he had that the star-crossed
lovers may be united tonight. That they may find happiness
in each other's arms so that they may withstand another
lonely year without the person they most care about.
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Late that night, once the Mudou's were back at home,
Setsuna and Sara were ordered to go upstairs and sleep instead
of waiting up and seeing the meeting of the stars. However,
Sara couldn't sleep and *wouldn't* sleep! Not until both
Setsuna and her, saw Tanabata and her husband.
Sticking her head into the corridor, she heard her
parents arguing again but saw no one was around, and ran to
her brother's room as fast as she could. Knocking softly,
she bit her lip in anticipation as she turned the knob and
crept in.
Setsuna was at his window, looking at the sky- the
moonlight spilling gently over his features. Sara smiled.
Her brother was very handsome.
With her hands linked at her back, she skipped bare-
foot over to his location. "Hi." She called softly once she
was beside him.
"Sara!" He looked at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to watch Tanabata and Hikoboshi with you."
Her voice trailed down to a whisper as she bent her head.
"Do you mind?"
"No," he laughed as he scooted over, giving her room
to watch.
Leaning into Setsuna, Sara watched as in the heavens
the two stars which had been separated through out the whole
year, finally became one. The light they produced, shined in
a million colors... but the most prominent where blue, green,
yellow, red and white.
She smiled as she compared the red in the heavens
with the red of her ring. 'Always together,' a little voice
in her whispered, while she tried to push away thoughts of
her parents possibly divorcing. 'No matter what comes
between us, we promised we would always be together.'
=^^= END OF FLASHBACK =^^=
Sara's mother gave a light knock on her daughter's
door. "Sara?" she called as she entered the room. "Sara?"
The curtains of the balcony swayed with the wind,
drawing her attention in their direction. Stepping closer,
she saw Sara's body huddled close to the wall, her face
streaked with dry tears and contorted in sorrow. How she
hated seeing her daughter in such a state.
Deciding it was better not to wake her, she began to
back out of the room, all the while cursing the birth of her
son. 'I promise you Sara,' she thought fiercely. 'I will
*not* let him make you go to hell. I will wipe Mudou Setsuna
out of your thoughts, *forever*!'
And closing shut the door she left the broken girl
where she lay... dreaming of the times long past, and her
star-crossed love. All the while not knowing that deep in
her heart, Sara was hanging on to the hope that maybe someday,
she too would be able to meet with him again and that this
time... they would shine -like Tanabata and Hikoboshi-
together as one.
The End?
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Little Holiday Notes:
For those of you who are wondering, Aniki and Onii-chan
basically mean the same thing, "Older Brother."
"Tenki ni Nari" means "Weather be clear."
And the lover's festival is actually called "The Festival
of Tanabata, the Weaving Maiden."
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Paring: Setsuna & Sara
Disclaimer: Angel Sanctuary and its characters are owned by
the great Yuki, Kaori-sama and her fabulous pair of hands.
Very Important Author's Notes for (06/25/01):
Ok Minna-san, this fanfic is about a couple whose relationship
I consider so beautiful, that I even over look the fact that
they are related. If you are an Angel Sanctuary fan and have
seen the OVA or read the manga, you already knew before I told
you that Setsuna and Sara are brother and sister. And sure,
even thought in their current personas the love they share can
be called incestuous, if we consider the other facts we can
make small exceptions for their relationship.
-Like, the fact that Setsuna is actually the re-incarnation
of the Organic Angel Alexiel.
-Or, that Sara is the re-incarnation of the angel Gabrielle.
-Or that they love one another so greatly that they are
willing to die or suffer, one for the other.
-And of course, the most important fact... that this is not
real life!
Also, comments are greatly appreciated and kindly welcome.
The Lover's Festival
Long light-brown hair danced freely with the wind
while its owner looked at the city she would soon be leaving.
Hands firmly placed on the balcony's railing, she tightened
her grip trying hard to hold on to her sanity. The red-stoned
fantasy ring she wore on her left hand's fourth finger shone
with suppressed fire in the afternoon sun.
Her sad smile broke into a sob as a couple of tears
escaped her eyes. Sliding slowly to the floor, she pulled
her knees towards her chest and hugged herself fiercely
hoping, for her own well-being, that the pain would subside
with the passage of time. Taking a deep breath, she tried
to still her cries, knowing well that nothing good ever came
out of it.
Staring intently with chestnut-colored eyes at the
thin metal band that had always been a part of her dreams and
salvation, she held her hand away from her and tried to take
herself back to the time she had first acquired it. Leaning
her head back, she could already sense the feelings of
security and comfort sooth all her worries away. "Onii-chan,"
she whispered to the wind, her mind... thousands of miles away.
=^^= FLASHBACK =^^=
It was July 6th, the day before Tanabata's Festival,
and nine year-old Sara could hardly sleep. Pushing her
sheets aside, she got out of bed placing bare feet onto the
cold room's floor. Padding over to the open window she
smiled at the clear night's sky. She could see every star
out tonight.
Remembering what she had made just for this occasion,
she hurried over to her nightstand and opened the drawer
taking out two small cloth dolls. Going back to the window,
she took some string and hung them together outside. The
dolls stood for Tanabata and her husband Hikoboshi, who loved
each other not wisely but too well.
As the old legend told, the God of the Firmament had
a very beautiful daughter called Tanabata who would weave
beautiful garments for him to wear. One day, as she was
weaving another garment for him, she saw a handsome man
leading an ox, and immediately fell in love with him. Her
father, being the perceptive God that he was, figured out
how they both felt and they were married soon after.
Unfortunately, because the love between Tanabata and
Hikoboshi was so ardent and consuming, they both neglected to
do their duties. Tanabata forgot to do her weaving, and
Hikoboshi permitted his ox to wander at his leisure over the
High Plains of Heaven. The God of the Firmament became so
angry at such irresponsibility that it was ordered that
henceforth the Celestial River should separate the lovers.
Only on the seventh night of the seventh month,
provided there is good weather, will a flock of birds form a
bridge across the river so that -this way- the lovers may
meet. However, if rain so happened to fall, the river would
grow too wide for the bridge of birds to form, causing the
lovers to have to wait another year so that they may have
the chance to see each other once again.
"Hopefully," Sara whispered as she went back to bed.
"Tomorrow's night-sky will be just as clear."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Setsuna snuck into his sister's room. Walking
towards the window, he opened the shades to let the sun's
morning rays in. He looked towards the bed and saw Sara
sleeping face down, abundant brown hair shimmering in
disarray over her light-green pillow. Her small mouth was
parted slightly as she breathed, the corners of her lips
curving in a serene smile.
He sucked in his breath. 'Sara always managed to
look like an angel.'
With his hand trembling slightly, he moved stray
locks from her face and smiled at the picture she made.
"Sara," he called softly. "Sara, wake up."
Sara grumbled as she pressed her head further into
her pillow and turned the other way, the sheets wrapping
around her like a cocoon. "~ive more min~s 'Kaa-chan," she
slurred.
A spark of mischief ignited in Setsuna's eyes. He
was going to wake up Sara, whether she felt like it or not.
Going to the foot of the bed, he grabbed the end of the
sheet and pulled with as much force as a ten year-old kid
could have.
The sheet slid easily off of Sara's body, causing
Setsuna to lose his balance. With a little cry of surprise,
his butt hit the floor in a great thud. The sheet he had
been holding, covering him completely from head to toe.
At the sound of something being knocked over, Sara
forced herself to wake and sat up in bed, trying to rub the
sleep off her eyes. As her vision focused, she saw her
sheet in a bundle on the floor, and heard Setsuna's voice
complaining as he battled with it.
Letting a little giggle escape her throat, Sara
jumped off the bed and happily went to help her brother out.
"Onii-chan," she smiled as she grabbed the sheet off his
hands. "Daijoubu?"
Setsuna's honey-colored eyes stared at his sister's
merry face. "Hai. Daijoubu-desu."
"That's good." She turned then to dump the sheet on
her bed. "But what where you doing on the floor?"
"Trying to wake *you* up!" Setsuna grumbled. "You
really are a heavy sleeper you know."
Sara blushed. "Gomen... I went to sleep kind of
late. I was so excited about today."
'Today,' the word resonated. Today was the Festival
of Tanabata!!
Grabbing a hold of her brother's hands, she jumped
up and down happily as she chanted, "The lover's festival!
Today's the lover's festival!!"
Setsuna felt a flush spread through him as he felt
the heat of Sara's hands and looked at her happy face. The
blush deepening when her arms wound themselves around him in
a hug. Then, as quick as the hug had been given, it was over.
Sara had pushed him away as she turned to her dresser and
took out a cream-colored box.
"Onii-chan," she called as she opened the box and
began to part the paper wrapping. "This is what I'm gonna
wear today. I've been waiting since New Year's Eve to put
it on."
He stepped closer and looked that the light blue
kimono with white-flower imprints scattered in design that
Sara hugged against her body. She twirled, as she modeled
the dress for him, her laughter ringing like tiny holiday
silver bells. "And look!" She held up the pastel-pink
colored obi that came with the kimono. "Don't they make a
beautiful combination?!"
Setsuna tried to get his throat working again.
"Yeah," he answered lamely.
Sara's eyes momentarily widened as she bit her lip
in a secretive smile. "I got it!" she announced. "Onii-chan,
you should wear your kimono too! The brown one with white
outlined lily pads on it. You always look very handsome in it."
"I- I don't-" he tried to say, but one look at Sara's
hopeful face squashed all his resistance. "OK, Sara. I'll
wear my kimono too."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
"OK kids," a deep male voice began once they stood at
one of the festival's many entries. "You can go to the stands
and play games, but be sure not to talk to strangers. Also,
don't forget where we're supposed to meet at eight o'clock,
alright?"
"Hai." Both children replied.
"And Setsuna," his father warned. "Take care of Sara."
"Hai, Otou-san." He said as he bowed his head. Their
parents watched them go off into the crowd of people, hand
in hand.
Scorn resonated in the voice of Mudou-san's wife as
she stated, "I don't like leaving Sara alone with Setsuna."
Her husband ignored the comment, while he brought his
hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.
"I don't trust him," she continued as she shot
daggers in the direction they had disappeared to. "He's not
normal. He-"
"Are you going to start this again?" he interrupted,
tiered of hearing her usual complaints.
"Yes! Until I get it through your head that that
*child* is not alright." She crossed her arms. "He's never
been sick, never been hurt. What normal kid do you know of
that had *never* been in an accident?!"
He took a deep calming breath. "You're starting to
sound like a paranoid neurotic again."
"I'm serious about what I've been telling you!" She
turned furious redish-brown eyes on him. "I want a divorce."
"Do we have to talk about this here? In front of
everyone? And at the Festival of the Weaving Lady no less?"
"I don't care." She stated childishly.
This time, it was he who rounded on her with
suppressed anger. "We will discuss this at a later time."
Placing a firm grip on her arm, he propelled her forward.
"You will not cause the Mudou's to lose face!"
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Sara skipped down the path swinging her purse around.
"Aniki," she called. "Look, I found them."
Setsuna caught up with her, and looked at the arranged
bamboo sticks. "Ok Sara, now you can tie your papers on.
Did you bring them with you?"
"Un." She grinned as she held up the small blue bag
she carried. "I have them in here. Demo..." Sara's eyes
stated to look over her brother. "Where are yours?"
"I don't have any," he answered shrugging his shoulders.
"Demo..."
"It's alright."
"No it's not!" she said as her face turned serious.
"BAKA! It's tradition. We *have* to put poems on the bamboo
sticks in honor of Tanabata and Hikoboshi!"
"But-"
"NO!" she exclaimed while fishing through her purse.
"Here." She handed Setsuna some blank colored strips of paper
and a pen. "Now you can write her something."
He was going to protest, but one look at Sara's face
told him not to press his luck. Sara was a firm believer in
festivals and she especially loved this one. 'I suppose that
any girl would think that the day when two lovers finally got
a chance to meet is romantic." He thought as he clicked the
pen and proceeded to write the poems.
"OK, now let me have some of yours and I'll start to
tie them on the branches." She said once she had finished
attaching hers.
Setsuna finally handed her the last one. Stepping
away from the bamboo, they both stared at all the papers that
decorated the little tree. White, blue, yellow, red, and
green strips knotted on all the branches gave new life to
the ritual practice.
"See?" Sara beamed happily beside him. "Just like
Tanabata and Hikoboshi when they meet!"
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
"Onii-chan? Onii-chan?" Sara called as she tried to
make her way through the crowd. "Onii-chan, where are you?"
It was impossible to see anything! There were so many
people around. "Aniki!!" She yelled placing one of her hands
to the side of her mouth, the other holding tightly onto a bag
with a little goldfish she had won at a festival game.
"Ani-" she cried as someone bumped her into another
individual. She rebounded from him onto another person and
soon, she was being tossed back and forth by the crowd.
Suddenly, she was pushed out of the masses. Sara
staggered trying to regain her equilibrium. That it, until
her geta slipped on a puddle of mud and she was launched to
the ground- her goldfish flying out of her hand and landing
with a splash somewhere within the passer biers.
Without meaning to, Sara's chest began to constrict.
The feeling of tears swelled inside of her and before she
knew it, she was crying- screaming out into the crowd that
she wanted Setsuna with her.
Somehow, he must have heard her... felt her pain,
because in minutes he was at her side. "Sara, are you OK?"
he asked, his voice filled with anguish. "Are you hurt
anywhere? Sara?"
She looked up, then, through her puffy eyes as she
gave him a weak smile.
"Sara..." he whispered as he crowded on the ground
with her. "What happened?"
"I was looking for you," she sniffed. "But I couldn't
find you!" She threw her hands around his body and hung onto
to him as she cried. "I was so worried! I thought I had lost
you."
"I'm sorry Sara." He patted her head. "I was at one
of the games. I wanted to win this for you." And at that
moment he produced from his obi a metallic gold fantasy ring
with a circular red stone made out of glass.
Transfixed, she merely stared at it. "You won it
for me?"
She smiled as he gave it to her. "Yeah," he said
while he wiped away her tears.
Placing the ring on the fourth finger in her left hand,
Sara smiled at the gift her brother had given her. "Onii-chan?"
she began in doubt. "We'll always be together, ne?"
When Setsuna remained silent, she pleaded into his
eyes. "Ne? NE?!" She tugged on his kimono-sleeve. "Answer
me Aniki! We'll always be together, NE?"
Something within him moved at that moment. It was as
if her words would be able to hold them together, even if just
out of sheer will. He smiled as he bent down and kissed her
forehead. "Hai, Sara."
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
They made their way through the crowd -this time-
together, as they looked for the place where they were
supposed to meet up with their parents. With Sara's hand in
his, Setsuna paved the way while they enjoyed their green tea
ice cream. They could both hear as kids sang "Tenki ni Nari"
with the hope of a clear sky that night.
And Setsuna too, in one of those rare moments of his
life, wished with everything he had that the star-crossed
lovers may be united tonight. That they may find happiness
in each other's arms so that they may withstand another
lonely year without the person they most care about.
*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*
Late that night, once the Mudou's were back at home,
Setsuna and Sara were ordered to go upstairs and sleep instead
of waiting up and seeing the meeting of the stars. However,
Sara couldn't sleep and *wouldn't* sleep! Not until both
Setsuna and her, saw Tanabata and her husband.
Sticking her head into the corridor, she heard her
parents arguing again but saw no one was around, and ran to
her brother's room as fast as she could. Knocking softly,
she bit her lip in anticipation as she turned the knob and
crept in.
Setsuna was at his window, looking at the sky- the
moonlight spilling gently over his features. Sara smiled.
Her brother was very handsome.
With her hands linked at her back, she skipped bare-
foot over to his location. "Hi." She called softly once she
was beside him.
"Sara!" He looked at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to watch Tanabata and Hikoboshi with you."
Her voice trailed down to a whisper as she bent her head.
"Do you mind?"
"No," he laughed as he scooted over, giving her room
to watch.
Leaning into Setsuna, Sara watched as in the heavens
the two stars which had been separated through out the whole
year, finally became one. The light they produced, shined in
a million colors... but the most prominent where blue, green,
yellow, red and white.
She smiled as she compared the red in the heavens
with the red of her ring. 'Always together,' a little voice
in her whispered, while she tried to push away thoughts of
her parents possibly divorcing. 'No matter what comes
between us, we promised we would always be together.'
=^^= END OF FLASHBACK =^^=
Sara's mother gave a light knock on her daughter's
door. "Sara?" she called as she entered the room. "Sara?"
The curtains of the balcony swayed with the wind,
drawing her attention in their direction. Stepping closer,
she saw Sara's body huddled close to the wall, her face
streaked with dry tears and contorted in sorrow. How she
hated seeing her daughter in such a state.
Deciding it was better not to wake her, she began to
back out of the room, all the while cursing the birth of her
son. 'I promise you Sara,' she thought fiercely. 'I will
*not* let him make you go to hell. I will wipe Mudou Setsuna
out of your thoughts, *forever*!'
And closing shut the door she left the broken girl
where she lay... dreaming of the times long past, and her
star-crossed love. All the while not knowing that deep in
her heart, Sara was hanging on to the hope that maybe someday,
she too would be able to meet with him again and that this
time... they would shine -like Tanabata and Hikoboshi-
together as one.
The End?
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Little Holiday Notes:
For those of you who are wondering, Aniki and Onii-chan
basically mean the same thing, "Older Brother."
"Tenki ni Nari" means "Weather be clear."
And the lover's festival is actually called "The Festival
of Tanabata, the Weaving Maiden."