Matters of the Heart pt. 9 Spring's Festival
Okita pushed his way through the crowds of cherry blossom onlookers.
"Megumi-chan!" he called as he leaned against the trunk of a tree panting.
He looked around and continued pushing through the sea of people.
"Well girls," Megumi smiled. "Why don't we get some mochi? Then, we can go find a spot and watch the blossoms and the fireworks. Hm?"
"Yea!" Yumi cried eagerly her fish swimming in her bag.
"Can we get sakura mochi?" Kagome asked bouncing a yo-yo. (Author's note: sakura mochi and mochi are small rice balls filled with red bean paste, or at least the one I had did. Sakura mochi is the same as the mochi but with cherry flavoring making it read and is wrapped in the cherry blossom leaves. "Sakura" means "Cherry Blossom" just so you know.")
"Hai," she smiled tiredly again as they began walking.
Then, her coughing started. A hard and violent cough forced its way from her throat. She gasped and collapsed to her knees her cough worsening. Yumi and Kagome turned.
"Megumi-san?" asked Kagome worriedly. "Megumi-san? Are you o.k.?"
She continued coughing. Her hand covered her mouth as vomit and bile pushed through her fingers. The two girl rushed to her side pulling at her sleeves. People turned.
"Megumi-san! Megumi-san!" they cried.
"What's wrong?" Yumi whimpered.
"Hey!" a man suddenly cried. "This woman's sick! Someone get a doctor!"
Kagome and Yumi whimpered clinging to her. Another woman walked up and pulled them close.
"Now, now," she comforted stroking their hair. "Your mother is gonna be o.k."
They looked up at her with a questioning look.
"But.." Kagome began. "She's--"
A familiar looking man pushed through the crowd hearing the commotion. Yumi gasped. Okita stopped. He stared. Megumi-chan! He thought.
"Bishonen-san!" Yumi cried running to Okita and tugging at his kimono.
Kagome rushed over and pounded desperately on his legs.
"Bishonen-san!" Kagome cried. "Something's wrong with Megumi-san! What happened! What did you do to her!"
A light blush tinged Okita's cheeks. He smiled a small comforting smile and quickly rushed to her side lifting her into his arms. She looked up to him gasping.
"O-okita-kun," she coughed violently.
"It'll be o.k.," he whispered sadly suddenly rushing off pushing through the crowds.
Kagome and Yumi followed running as fast as they could.
Okita burst through Matsumoto's door.
"Matsumoto-san!" he cried. "She's sick!"
Matsumoto turned and rushed over taking her from Okita's grasp. Gently, he laid her in a futon and covered her with a blanket. Kagome and Yumi sat beside her.
The sweat dripped off her forehead as she panted, gasped, and coughed. She groaned. Okita knelt close by. Matsumoto sighed as he began finished his paperwork. When he finished, he knelt beside him.
"Okita-san, I can only do so much," he sighed. "It seems her symptoms are getting worse. It won't much longer now until she finally dies. Has she been taking her medicines?"
Ashamed, Okita turned away. Matsumoto nodded. He sighed again.
"Well," he began. "I'll make some of that medicine I gave you, but like I said, it won't cure her disease, but it will help a bit with the symptoms."
Okita paled and slowly nodded. Quietly, he coughed turning paler.
"Excuse me," he whispered suddenly rushing out.
He rushed into the dark night and slipped stealthily into a dark alleyway. He doubled over in a hard set of coughs. The blood gushed from his mouth. He vomited. Tears shined in his eyes. It won't be much longer now.. The clanging words pounded in his thoughts making his head ache and spin. Shakily, he stood and walked back inside wiping his bloodstained hands on his white kimono. Matsumoto looked up and sighed again.
"Tell me, Okita," he began. "Now have you been taking your medicine?"
He lowered his head. She laid turned away listening quietly and watching with half-lidded eyes. An arm draped lazily over the two sleeping girls.
"No," he replied quietly. "I've got no time."
The doctor nodded and led Okita to another futon as Megumi pretended to sleep. Turning away, Matsumoto walked out and began preparing a set of medicines. Her eyes opened.
"O-okita?" she whispered weakly.
He turned.
"Megumi-chan," he smiled softly.
She lowered her eyes.
"I heard everything," she whispered worriedly. "Why didn't you tell me that you had tuberculosis?"
He shrugged letting out a quiet chuckle.
"I guess.." he began. "I just.. didn't want to burden you."
She smiled. Time to come to terms with your fate old girl, she thought to herself.
"You could never burden me, Okita-kun," she replied as she nodded.
He smiled and walked over to her futon tiredly. He slipped into her covers asKagome and Yumi slept soundly. He took her hand in his.
"At least," he began sadly tears starting to form in his eyes. "My first was to a beauty of a highest degree."
She smiled a tear slipping down her cheeks and soaking into the pillow.
"But this beauty's made you sicker, and she's not going to be around for much longer," she whispered a steady stream of tears overflowing from her brown eyes.
His hand gripped hers tighter. He pulled her close embracing her and the two girls into a tight embrace.
"I don't want you to die," he whimpered his tears mixing with hers on the pillow. "Not ever."
She rested her head on his chest. She sighed.
"It's inevitable, Okita .. Inevitable."
Matters of the Heart Side Story 3: Once Upon the Cherry Blossoms, the First Meeting
From all directions
Winds bring petals of cherry
Into the grebe lake
Matsuo Basho, a poet
The Jokers and Okita sat under the budding cherry tree cups of sake in their hands. Laughter echoed through the compound. Three sets of swords rested near the legs of their owners.
"Oi, Okita," Nagakura called out. "I don't get it. Why don't you carry your sword around? You're the only one who doesn't do it."
Okita smiled.
"Well, there's really no point to it," he began munching at the candy on a stick in his hand. "Why on earth carry a sword when it's not needed? Besides it gets in the way when I play tag and things with the children."
The Jokers rolled their eyes and continued drinking.
"Hey," Todou said suddenly as he overturned an empty box of dumplings. "We're out of stuff to eat."
Okita stood smiling.
"Ah.." he began lifting Saizou with him. "I'll go find something for us."
He turned away and started walking. Then, as Okita disappeared from sight, two loud cries and a squeal broke through the quiet compound. The Jokers ran stopping to watch just behind a tree.
"Ah!" Okita cried blushing with a grin on his face. "Gomen ne! I didn't see you there."
He rubbed his head. He looked up and found a woman rubbing her backside.
"Daijoubu desu!" she smiled. "I guess.. We were just both in a hurry."
Okita:
Yes.. In a hurry. We were all in a hurry... Hurry to do our duty... Hurry to protect and save those ones we care for.. Yet no matter how we hurry.. The hurried hands of time will always be faster...
I remember it clearly as though it were yesterday. It was a few weeks ago when the cherry blossoms were preparing to bloom. The buds were on the trees. Winter snows were melting, and the weather was turning warmer. I was on my way to find food for my friends and I, and I bumped into you. Literally...
You got the job of the Shinsengumi doctor. I was glad for you.. Though then.. I didn't know why. The next few days went in a blur with the thick blossoms of the cherry trees. It was heaven. I visited your office often.. Heh.. Even though I wasn't sick. We talked long conversations in the spring afternoons the blossoms blooming around us. I didn't realize then, but.. Something else was blooming with those blossoms...
Did you know...
... In the far west, there is a poem by a man called "How Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" This man, Shakespeare, compares a beloved to a beautiful morning of summer.. But... I'd like to wonder... how shall I compare You, my Megumi-chan, to a cherry blossom? There are times when I can't help but smile at the thought... The other times.. It makes me want to cry...
Your life is slowly slipping away with the snow of cherry blossoms... Our love just only began blooming with them. The fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms only last for a short time, and it seems so will our love... There are days... When I see you.. Sitting on the walk way.. Watching the start of pink snow flurry by. A smile is on your face. I see, and can't help but think.. You're smiling at the fairies who are draining your life away. I see.. and I am helpless...
(Author's note: There is a lot of symbolism in this chapter. If you don't get it, I'll point it out. These also make a few appearances in other chapters.)
Megumi and the cherry blossoms: cherry blossoms are a Japanese flower that blooms and dies within a week during sometime in the spring. The buds on the trees that were mentioned can be compared to Okita's and Megumi's meeting. The blossoms is the start of their feelings and what happens during the time they're together. The blossoms slowly falling from the trees is equivalent to Megumi's life slipping away until the trees are bare of anything but empty branches. That shall be Megumi's Death.
Cherry blossoms and Snow and Winter: if you've noticed in poetry authors compare themselves to seasons. The spring is when their born or in this case a first meeting, summer their childhood and early adulthood starting of one's love and during their affair, fall middle age the love will start to age or in Megumi's case will start to get sick, and winter is when the author is old and will soon die. Or a great sadness has occurred. Megumi's illness gets worse. The cherry blossom snow more or less follows the winter format.
Cherry blossom and the flower fairies: "Cherry blossoms, Cherry blossoms, whom are you taking tonight?" Part of a Haiku by Madoka Mayuzumi. It is said that during the cherry blossom time, one can hear of someone's death. The Japanese believe the flower fairies are taking that person with them as the cherry blossoms fall.