Disclaimer: If I owned Final Fantasy VII, this fanfiction wouldn't be possible. Thank you, Square-Enix.
Notes: Kanzashi (簪) are hair accessories/ ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles. The Obi (帯) is the sash one wears with a kimono, and the obi-jime (帯締め) is the cord that is tied on top of the obi. Miko (巫女) is a young woman working at a Shinto shrine.
Aerithism
Four: Ties That Bind
Yoshoko pined her hair up, inserting the fan-shaped jade kanzashi. She lifted a bamboo brush and painted red lips onto her face with a ritualistic ease. She lifted three silver bangles from her vanity, and slid them onto her arms. One wide on her left, two thinner ones on her right.
There was some numerical importance to this arrangement, but Yoshoko had slept through that lesson. The teenager never paid any attention to her classes, and why should she? She never wanted to be a miko. But girls were prohibited from becoming any kind of warrior. And being a ninja is completely out of the question.
She yawned as she stood up from the small table. Her obi-jime jingled as she moved. Can't be sneaky with all these metal rings. It's not fair! With a determined frown, she left her quarters.
She glanced down the temple halls, noting the glare off the Wutai statues outside. The Maiden, in a kimono, held flowers in her arms. Yuffie—the Great Ninja, damnit—wore a miko uniform. Left royal family for religion my ass. Cloud held his Buster Sword, with Cait Sith perched upon those golden spikes.
She continued to cross the hall, knowledge that she needed to get away.
"What the hell are you?" Her mother screamed.
Heiress, her hands up, stepped backwards. She could feel the tears forming in her green eyes. I shouldn't have… Blood covered the floor. Her mother still clinging at her hand, sat upon the floor. The brunette child grasped the door handle of the tiny cabin.
She fell outside onto the freshly fallen snow.
I can't stay here.
Sid watched his older sister clean up the living room. Sierra is always a neat-freak. On the one hand, this was the reincarnation of the love of his life. On the other, this was his oldersister.
Aerith has to have one #$&'n' sick sense of humor.
The would-be pilot shook his head and entered the kitchen of the small Rocket Town home. He grabbed the tea pot and filled it with water. He set it upon the stove, turning on the heat. Sid threw open the cabinets violently, pulling out a box of tea bags.
"Sid, what are you doing?" Sierra called.
"Trying to not #&'n' gouge my #$&'n' eyes out," the blond teen mumbled.
"What?"
"Makin' some #$&'n' tea, Woman!"
"Watch your language."
Feel free to write a review. Or flame me, whatever.
Miko Yuffie figurine for Omni-Master, kayuri, and SilverKitsune013 for reviewing.
Kayuri: Ya think? I believe I'll go pout now. I can't piss anyone off… Oh, if it's not too much trouble, leave your email address next time; I can't reply as easily… And I don't think I'm old enough to be called "mam." Hee hee.