Journey to the Past
By Mayumi Takanashi
On their way to the temple, the sky became overcast and cloudy. Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, dressed in black attire, walked along the sidewalk. Tohru carried a basket on her right arm, containing her mother's picture, a bouquet of flowers, and a lunch for six. Hana and Uo were planning on meeting her at the temple.
Tohru stood with her companions at the temple gateway. In the distance, they could see two female figures walking up the side of the road. Tohru waved to them, and they waved back.
"Oh, great. Here come the Yankee and Electric Girl to join the fun," Kyo muttered under his breath.
"You didn't have to come, you know," Yuki whispered to Kyo.
"Be nice, you two!" Shigure scolded, shaking an accusing finger at them. The two glared at one another.
"Yes, be kind to each other on this day of sorrow," came a voice behind the three men.
Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki jumped violently as Saki Hanajima stood behind the trio, her black cloak fluttering with the wind. Arisa Uotani laughed as she shook up Kyo's orange hair.
"Ah, Miss Uotani, I see you've worn your butterfly trench coat again this year," Yuki said politely.
"You know it! Hey, Tohru, you brought the writer guy this year," Uo said.
"Yes, it was unfortunate that you could not be with us last year," Hana said in her monotone voice.
"Hah, hah, yes, unfortunate..." Shigure laughed nervously, backing away slowly from the group.
"Well, shall we head in?" suggested Tohru. Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tohru led the way, followed by Uo and Hana, with Shigure trailing along nervously behind them. Yuki and Kyo brought up the rear. The three girls talked animatedly with one another, while Shigure skirted them cautiously.
"You two boys, come here..." said a smooth, female voice from the shadow of the temple building.
"You mean us?" asked Kyo.
"Of course she means us, you stupid cat," Yuki snapped, taking a step forward to the shadow. Kyo followed, hissing.
The woman came into view. She wore a long, purple cloak with the hood covering the top of her head. A piece of black cloth covered her mouth and nose. Black leather boots poked out from underneath the cloak, and her hands were worn by black gloves. Emerald green eyes peeked under the hood, and they stared unblinkingly at the two of them.
"Thou do not truly understand the pain of others. By nature, humans can not experience anyone else's sorrow except thy own. But thou, my young sirs, can take a glimpse into the life of one who feels great sadness. Just eat this before thou lay thy head down upon thy pillow..."
"What the hell are you talking about? I can barely understand you with your 'thee' and 'thy' crap!" Kyo interrupted.
"I'm sorry, miss, we must be on our way," Yuki told the woman politely.
"No, I want her to explain what she's saying!" Kyo argued.
The two boys glared at one another, then with a "hmph!" jerked their heads back to the woman. But what they found was nothing except a swirl of twirling leaves. As they floated gently to the ground, two small, velvet bags sat in the place of the mysterious woman.
Yuki bent down and picked up one of the bags. He examined it closely.
"What a load of crap," Kyo said, picking up the other bag. He pocketed it, anyway. Then he made his way after the group, who were already standing in front of the grave. Yuki did the same, putting the bag in his shirt pocket.
-Journey to the Past-
"You're having a picnic on a grave?" they heard Shigure whimper as Tohru and Uo rolled out a blanket on the ground. Hana stood to the side with the basket in her hands.
"It's this weird tradition that they have," Kyo said, walking up the steps and making his way across the cement walkway toward the group. Yuki followed closely behind.
"Where have you two been?" asked Uo, straightening up.
"Why should I tell you?" Kyo snapped.
Uo began to ruffle his hair, calling him, "Carrot-top!"
Yuki watched Tohru place the flowers on the tombstone, then fold her hands and whisper.
-Journey to the Past-
That evening, Tohru prepared a small supper, knowing how full everyone was from their late lunch at the temple. She sat at the dining table, looking around at her friends. Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure sat quietly as they chewed on their dinner. Tohru smiled. She was so appreciative of them for coming to see her mother.
"What are you looking at?" asked Kyo, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Tohru, bowing low towards him.
"Wait, I didn't mean it like that!" Kyo said, seeing her over-reaction.
Everyone was silent for the rest of the meal.
-Journey to the Past-
Yuki was upstairs in his room, fully ready to go to bed. Right after dinner, he brushed his teeth, put on his pajamas, and took a shower. He was worn out from the day's events. Pulling down his blankets on his bed, he noticed the velvet bag sitting on his dresser. Slowly, he crossed over to it and picked up the little sack. He pulled open the gold drawstring keeping it sealed and pulled out a small piece of bread. Like he had done earlier, he examined it closely. He sniffed the bread, then decided it was probably not harmful. Gulping loudly, he stuck the bread in his mouth.
"I don't feel any different..." he muttered to himself. He stood there, in the middle of his room, not moving. For a few moments, he stood completely still. Nothing happened.
"I might as well go to sleep," he thought aloud. Crossing over to his bed, he climbed in, and pulled the covers over his body. It was not long before Yuki was overcome by sleep.
-Journey to the Past-
Kyo climbed upstairs to his room immediately following dinner. Like Yuki, he was also very tired after spending the afternoon at the temple. He got right into his bed, not even bothering to change into any pajamas. Lying on his back, his elbows behind his head, he thought about Tohru's mood at the temple. She had seemed a bit down, not her normally cheerful self. He rolled over on his side. The small, velvet bag was sitting on his night stand, right where he placed it when he arrived home. He took it, then opened it, finding a piece of bread inside.
"Why not?" Kyo said, placing the bread in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, almost waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. With slight disappointment, he slipped away into slumber.