Disclaimer: I don't own it!
The wind rustled the trees above the young couple, slowly pink snow floated down gently caressing the young couple with soft love. The younger of the two smiled as he closed his eyes and let the petals rest on his cheek.
"You look so beautiful" the older of the two whispered as he watched with fascination as the younger one turned his eyes towards him.
"I hope so" the younger one said as he laughed and hugged the older one.
"You're so full of yourself" the older one said as he brought the younger one closer for a kiss.
"I love you Kantarou" the older one said.
"Kantarou,"
"Kantarou!" Kantarou shook himself of his memories and fixed Yokou with a faraway look.
"Time for tea" Yokou said as she closed the door behind her, Kantarou could hear her as she went downstairs.
He waited a couple of minutes to compose himself then went downstairs without making too much of a noise. He heard them talking.
"You haven't been around when he goes into this silent mood" Yokou was saying.
"What happened?" the male voice asked.
"I don't know he's been this way since I met him, usually on this week he is a different person not the usual Kantarou we know" Yokou said as she busied herself with the food.
"Haruka and Yokou thanks for talking behind my back" Kantarou said as he sat in his usual spot. He picked up his cup and drank some of it. He ignored the food and sat there quietly sipping his tea.
After the meal Kantarou sat on the porch behind the house and stared at the garden with a forlorn look. He sat there all afternoon and memories came to him again.
"You know we can't do that here" Kantarou giggled as he struggled from the other's embrace.
"Do what?" the older one asked with a mischievous look that put Kantarou's to shame.
He proceeded on attacking Kantarou's neck, ravishing the younger man to ashes.
"Shame on you both, here on this institution we pride ourselves on standing goals and education. Not on, on, whatever you two are doing" the two jumped away from each other and laughed at their sensei's face.
Laughter echoed on Kantarou's head until he found himself again staring out to the dark sky. He stood up and walked to his bedroom; he changed into his pajamas and pulled out his futon. He lay down to sleep, however his head was too full of memories of his loved one. Tomorrow was the beginning of the Sakura celebration week. Tomorrow was the beginning of his mourning for the one he had lost those many years ago. He lay there as tears came and he cried himself to sleep, never hearing Haruka sitting outside his window and never hearing Yokou sitting outside his door.
After a quick shower and a quick fix of breakfast Kantarou dressed on his normal clothes and walked out the house, he left the house and walked to the park where the cherry blossom celebration was taking place. He walked among the soft petals remembering his youth and remembering him.
"If they catch us we're in big trouble" Kantarou said as he looked around nervously. After their little encounter with the sensei in the closet of the temple they had been forbidden to go out to town. However the cherry blossom week started today.
"Stop worrying Kantarou, if they catch us I'll use my charm and wit to get you out of trouble" the older man said as he kissed Kantarou softly on the lips.
"After you" he said as he let Kantarou walk first out of the temple grounds.
"I still don't understand how you get me to do this kind of things, you're robbing my innocence" Kantarou said not thinking on what he was saying.
"Not yet my dear Kantarou but I'm thinking about it" the older man said with a wink, picking up Kantarou he spun him around before putting him down with a kiss.
"That's not what I meant, you are such a pervert" Kantarou said with a blush.
"C'mon we don't have all day" the older man said as he grabbed Kantarou's hand in his, and started to run down the path in the woods. Laughing Kantarou left his worries behind for today everything was just perfect.
"Hey mister do you want some dumplings, they are a yen" Kantarou smiled and shook his head. Walking here without him it seemed that the spirit of the celebration was gone. He felt alone and cold, he couldn't begin to think about how he was supposed to move on with his life, when he loved that man so much. So much his heart had not mended nor had forgiven himself for what he had done. He knew he was being in some ways a hypocrite didn't he advice all those people he helped to move on? Yet here he was a wreck and a liar and a hypocrite. No wonder people despised him and hated him, they could see through his façade.
On the second day of the Sakura Week, they also sneaked out without problems. They spent all day enjoying each other and they talked about their future. After all Hiroshi was graduating that year. He was to become a priest on the other side of the mountain. He could also see yokai but his spiritual power was more inclined to contact the spirits of nature. Kantarou was in his prime only sweet sixteen, he had met Hiroshi only the year before and they had hit it off. They had become friends but on their third month they had taken an even bigger step, they had declared their feelings for each other and had decided to make this relationship work. Hiroshi was only two years older than Kantarou. Hiroshi had come from a rich family; he could have owned the world. But he was far from being ambitious like his ancestors. Instead he had joined the spiritual world; the gift ran on his mother's side of the family.
Hiroshi had made him feel alive and without him the world was empty. Looking back there were many risks they had taken and they thought there were invincible. Nothing mattered but the world the two of them had created for each other. They were stupid to think nothing would harm them. The days drag on slowly for Kantarou, when he wasn't in the festival he could be found sitting on the porch that overlooked his garden and he would sit and remember. He hadn't eaten for days now but he drank sweet bitter tea that brought him at least some sense that he was alive in this world.
It wasn't until the fifth day of the cherry blossom festival that everything went wrong. Kantarou was sent for his first assignment as a yokai exorcist, it was supposed to be an easy one. However the monk masters had not taken notice that it was more than a simple yokai, it was an oni. Kantarou was excited it was his first solo mission, so after a quick peck to Hiroshi and promising he would be back before dark he set out to do his job.
He got to the haunted cemetery and smiling he went looking for the yokai, he didn't have to look hard, it came for him. Kantarou produced his prayer beads and started to chant praying that the yokai would release its hold on the graveyard. It soon came to notice that his chanting was not enough and the yokai was laughing and when it revealed itself Kantarou felt scared for he recognized that it was an oni. Kantarou knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat him yet but he couldn't stop chanting at least it kept the demon away. Kantarou ran between the gravestones slowly realizing he was running out of energy, he knew not of what else to do. The laughter intensified as Kantarou's defenses fell, the demon swoop closer down to Kantarou, he avoided quick death but instead he received a big gash on his chest. There was pain and sweat and blood, his clothes were soiled after so many falls. He had scratches and bruises all over his body but nothing compared to the fear, it had taken hold of him and he was frozen with it. He lay there looking up to the oni, he closed his eyes and with a quick prayer he hoped to die fast and without much pain.
"Kantarou move!" He opened his eyes to see Hiroshi running towards him. He was relieved and happy to see him but he was afraid that the demon would hurt Hiroshi as well. Kantarou tried moving but his body was aching all over. The demon was hovering unsure there were two but death was all the oni wanted for both. With a cry it launched itself at Kantarou. There was a scream that pierced the dark cloudless night; the sound was coming from Kantarou's throat. Hiroshi stood in front of Kantarou bloodied but still alive, he uttered the forbidden chant and the demon roared with hatred as it vanished. Usually when dealing with demons they were purified, demons were created by an evil spirit possessing a yokai. The forbidden chant killed the demon and in turn killed the yokai as well.
Hiroshi fell forward; Kantarou crawled over to Hiroshi and cradled his head. Tears pooled in Kantarou's eyes and they fell on Hiroshi's face.
"Don't cry Kantarou, it'll be alright" Hiroshi's hand touched Kantarou's cheek lovingly.
"Please stay with me Hiroshi, don't leave me" Kantarou's body shook with emotion.
"Remember my promise under the cherry blossoms?" Hiroshi asked, he coughed and blood came out of his mouth and nose.
"Hiroshi please save your strength" Kantarou said as he cried more, he saw Hiroshi's eyes as they were starting to fade. Hiroshi had always been persistent.
"My promise, do you remember…" Kantarou's sobs were harder still, he looked into the man he loved and nodded yes he remembered the promise.
"Good, I...Love…" Hiroshi's last breath had been to declare his undying love for him. Kantarou leaned over and kissed Hiroshi lightly on the lips.
"I love you too" he whispered quietly and stayed holding the body of his beloved until his teachers came and took him to the temple.
Tears ran down Kantarou's cheeks, he sat still overlooking his garden. That had been twelve years ago and he still felt the agony as if it had been this same very day. What had changed Kantarou was not only the loss of his lover but also everything about him. There was no joy in his life until he had met with the onikui tengu, Haruka. He dried his tears as the day waned; he looked to the setting sun and felt a burden being lifted off his shoulders.
"Remember my promise" Hiroshi had said that fateful day. That day that seemed long ago, maybe he was meant to die, otherwise the events leading to the onikui tengu wouldn't had happened.
He stood and stretched and wiped his tears one last time before turning back to the house, there on the door sat his two yokai.
"How long have you two been sitting there?" Kantarou asked with a smile.
"Long enough" Haruka replied briskly.
"What was all that about?" Haruka asked bluntly, Yokou glared at Haruka hoping he would get the hint not to ask.
"It's a long story" Kantarou said, sighing and small tears appeared on his red eyes. His eyes had also changed after the incident, they used to be a light shade of brown but because of the evil spirit on the yokai his eyes had turned red.
"We have nothing else to do" Haruka said as they all sat in the living room.
"His name was Hiroshi and he died protecting me, this is how I got the scar in my chest" Kantarou said with a distant look and he touched his chest gently.
"But that's in the past now, there is only the future to look forward to" Kantarou said with a small smile on his kind face.
That night they celebrated their own party. They rejoiced their friendship and their love for each other. As Kantarou lay down to sleep he heard the rustle of the tree leaves outside and he thought he heard a noise. He got up and walked to the window looking outside seeing nothing he lay down once again.
This time he heard it but he didn't get up he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
"I will always be with you"