Of Unsent Letters & Unwritten Memoirs
By Kochan
Chapter 2: Vacation
Yet another good night in Miyama-cho.
Must be some kind of lucky charm. he thought.
Ryu trudged through the knee deep snow towards the thatched-roof farmhouse, the tail of his long, green overcoat trailing behind him.
Five hours and three Bass, each over a half-metre; he had done well.
The soft crunch of ice beneath his boots shared the air with the wind's hushed whisper through the treetops. Otherwise, there was only silence.
Peace was an integral part of his holiday. It wasn't every week that he rented a 'Kayabuki-Yane' by the Yura river just to relax and fish.
The dim light coming from within the house warmed his heart with anticipation. Irene would already have lit the fire and prepared food for them both.
The thought brought a smile to his face.
His body was numb from a day at the mercy of the elements. A long sigh left his chapped lips, his boots dragging the final steps to the wood stairs.
The Shoji slid aside with ease and Ryu poked his head in. He paused as the warmth of the room and smell of steamed fish teased him, causing his mind to spin for a moment.
"Ngoh Fan lah!" he called out, exhausted.
"Okaeri!." came the reply from the next room, followed by the patter of Irene's footsteps.
An odd habit they kept, each speaking the other's native language at times. Though he felt she was fluent in Japanese where as he struggled with a single line of Cantonese.
He smiled as she came into view, dressed in a pair of old jeans and a loose, ragged shirt. HIS shirt.
"How did you do?" she asked, curiosity in her voice.
He tipped his head with a wink and held up the trio of Bass, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his tired face.
Irene squealed, voice filled with delight, pattering over to take the catch and fishing gear.
"Sugoi!!!Sashimi AND sushi tomorrow then! This will last us the whole week!" she gushed in excitement.
Ryu held the fish out of reach behind him, the grin now curved into a mischievous smile,.
"Mmm, but there's a certain something missing right now, no?" He turned his head for a kiss.
Giggling, Irene wrinkled her nose, "Aiya. You smell of fish." she leaned in.
Ryu returned a quiet smirk, "Ha. So do you."
She raised an eyebrow in an un-amused stare, "I do not..." then shrieked as Ryu wiped a wet, slimy bass over her cheek and nose.
He grinned again as she laughed, fending off the fish with her hands. He embraced her with his other hand.
The kiss stifled her giggle and he felt her melt into his arms, letting him know she was his, fish smell and all.
Irene let out a sigh of content, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Ryu Hayabusa, I swear...one of these days..." she started. Her eyes then widened and she gasped, "Oh my...Ryu! Look at that!" she pointed out the door behind him.
Ryu turned about, watching the white glow of a bright shooting star streak across the sky, visible even through the scattered clouds. He felt Irene slide her arms about his waist from behind.
"Make a wish?" she whispered into his ear.
He did, hands squeezing Irene's smaller ones as they watched the streak fade into the horizon.
They kissed once more, and he knew his wish would come true later that night.
* * * *
Author's notes
Miyama-Cho – Small town (pop 5000) located between Kitayama mountains and Sea of Japan. Farmhouses are spread over a large land area.
Kuyabuki Yane – Traditional Japanese farmhouse (with Thatched roof)
Yura River – River flowing through Kyoto Prefecture, originates in Tamba ranges.
Shoji – Traditional Japanese house door made of wood and rice-paper