CHAP 5: KARMA AND CURSE
* Flashback*
The bright and lively sunbeam illuminated the windowsill carved skillfully, white walls and arch of a church. Inside, a solemn but full of happiness atmosphere was filling the space.
Hanabishi Ouke, will you have this woman to your wedded life, to live together after God's ordinance in holy estate of Matrimony? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep three only to her, so long as you both shall live?
I will.
And you, Okita Masami, will you have this man to your wedded life, to live together after God's ordinance in holy estate of Matrimony? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep three only to him, so long as you both shall live?
I will.
So, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Groom, you can take off her veil and kiss her.
Everybody in the church stood up simultaneously and clapped their hands to congratulate the young couple, joy and happiness filled the air. But there's a boy not only didn't join the fun but also mumbling furiously: "Boringggg"
After the wedding party, everybody left in crowds, gossiped about how nice a couple the groom and bride made on their way back home. The little boy a while ago slightly pulled the sleeve of his sister_ a beautiful girl with blobs of sunlight capered on her brown hair_ then spoke in displeasure:
-Aneue, this wedding is so boring; please don't have me join any other one.
-"But this is our cousin's wedding. How could we not join?"- The girl gently said, her lips curved in an as bright as sunlight smile.
Okita pouted in bore. All of a sudden, he remembered something:
-Aneue, why didn't they be allowed to see each other's faces?
Mitsuba stopped suddenly for a while, confusion was showed clearly on her face. Then, on their way back home, a very old story had been told…
-It's a really long story…. since a long time ago, Okita family has been blessed by a goddess named Akako. She's the most beautiful and powerful woman ever. Akako had sworn to herself she would never fall in love, cuz to her, love was a flighty and unnecessary thing. But then, a man stole her heart away, he the last-born of the family she blessing. However, she had never seen him, she'd just only heard his voice. And, the longer her heart slept, the stronger her love was.
Okita yawned boringly; he didn't want to listen to this boring tear-jerker anymore. But, due to his sister complex, he kept doing it docilely.
"…Later, they arranged a marriage for that man, he and a lady from a lower family will soon be husband and wife. And at the first, they had fallen in love with each other. Akako's heart broke into pieces; she'd never been through such a heart-breaking feeling like that before. However, she didn't hinder their love or their wedding cuz she wanted the man she loved to be happy. But, because of that story, Akako'd created a curse, it says that if Okita family has an arranged marriage, the groom and bride are not allowed to see each other's face before their wedding. Gradually, it has become our tradition. You get it now, Sou-chan?"- Mitsuba gently turned around to face her little brother while smiling lightly.
*Zzzz…Zzzz*
"Oh my…"- Mitsuba giggled, took a tender look at her brother's sleeping face then stared out the horse-drawn carriage anxiously, wondered what punishment the one breaking the curse would receive…
….
Meanwhile, in the Yatoclan's capital, a yearly festival was being held. People dressing ostentatiously walked in crowds back and forth among the kiosks in the fair. In that stream of people, a little short red-haired girl swiftly weaved her way through the crowd, stopped off at these kiosks to those kiosks, her eyes were full of excitement, following her was a beautiful lady wearing a pink kimono with brown hair tied high up. The lady constantly called after her:
-Kagura-chan! Wait for me! Kagura-chan!
-Anego, you are so slow!
-Ara, how can I run as fast as you can? In addition, we're not here to enjoy the festival; we're here to travel incog…Hey, Kagura-chan!
The little girl scuttled along from this place to that place, mumble incessantly:
-Travel incognito? It's boring to death, enjoying this festival is hundred times better…
Suddenly, somebody grabbed her hand.
-Kyaaa! Let me go! Who the hell are you?
"Sweet little girl~…want me to foretell you your future?"- an immaculate white-complexioned woman wearing a deep blue gown concealing half of her face asked mysteriously, her glamorous red lips curved in a half-smile, some long curls of deep blue hair hung down her shoulder. Kagura was totally left thunderstruck, but finally, she managed to speak:
-Foretell? What's that?
"Ah, it means I'll tell you what will happen to you in the future. You don't want to know what your future will be?"- Step by step, she dragged Kagura to her kiosk, which was placed hidden in a small corner.
-So, what can you tell me?
"All the things you want to know"- The woman chuckled-"Even your destiny and your love"
-Love?
"Yes, sweet girl! Here."- The woman brought out a wad of paper folded in two-"Choose one, then I'll tell you how your love will be."
Kagura hesitated, half of her wanted to stay away from this creepy woman, half of her wanted to know what "love" is. Slightly turned around and shut her eyes tightly, she drew a paper and slowly opened it…
Right in front of her eyes was a paper with red line "Karma and Curse" written on
-A cha cha, you are unfortunate, that the worst lot.
"Wait, what is Karma? What is Curse? Are they edible?" – Kagura looked up, asked with innocent eyes.
The woman burst into giggle, she took out a small, old and dusty flute, then flipped the paper over, there're some lines written in black seemed like a poem on its back.
Dusting the flute, she put her lips on it. Right after that, a beautiful, harmonious, tuneful but was full of sorrow, passion and grief melody resounded from a hidden corner of the fair started filling the entire space. Somehow, it made Kagura feel that the whole world had been captured in that melody.
But it didn't last long. The woman stopped fluting after only a few minutes. Laying by the flute and handing Kagura the paper with black lines on it, she half smiled mysteriously:
"This song, and this lyric are my prophecy of your love in near future for you. Take it to heart, my dear girl…Ah, one more advice…"- She gently laid her immaculate white-complexioned forefinger on the Yato princess' lips-"…Don't ever lie, or you'll have to pay much, very much…."
Kagura's calm finally backed to its owner. Holding the paper in her hand, she stared at the black lines then spoke hesitantly:
But I can't remember a melody in such a short time!
You can, and surely you will. Ah, by the way, aren't you having your own business?
"KAGURA! Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere. Never ever run about again!"- A brown-haired lady cried out the red-haired girl's name while panting heavily.
" Anego! I've just met a very interesting lady. She "foretell" me my future. There, there, she's overthere"- Kagura ran to Otae and pointed her finger at the kiosk in excitement. But that blue-haired woman was no where to be seen anymore, and the kiosk was now just a Malabar almond tree.
-Err! Where is …
- What's wrong with you, Kagura? Haizz, stop talking nonsense. We gotta return to palace now. I'll make fried egg today; we will invite Mr. Gin, too.
Kagura was stunned into silence, not only because of surprise but also because of her fear of Otae's fried egg. Still holding the paper in her hand, the Yato girl recalled what that mysterious woman had said:
-You can, and surely you will…
The red-haired princess hesitantly looked at the paper. Unconsciously, she started whispering to herself the first notes of that song:
If I can make my way to the other side of sorrow
Then I dont need warmth or tomorrow anymore
Miraculously, every note Kagura sang harmonized magically with the lyric. In her unconscious, that melody kept repeating over and over again, making her remember it more clearly than ever….
"Kagura-chan! Why do you talk to yourself? You act very weirdly today"- Otae asked wearily.
Kagura didn't answer; she was too stunned to say anything. Remembering a song only played once went beyond her imagination.
"Love, huh?"- The Yato girl curiously examined the paper she holding-"What does it really mean?"
…..
The scorching sunlight illuminated the skillfully-carved but eroded windowsills, the ivory-white walls and arch of a church. Inside, a boisterous but full of anxiety was filling the space
An orchestra with ladies and men in white was singing a romantic love song. Kagura- beautiful and sexy (in the literal sense, truly literal sense) in a white wedding dress whose hems were designed with red flowers- gradually came closer to the platform in front of a waiting priest, her father was walking she down the aisle to her future husband- a prince dressing white complet and red tie. Every step she took must have weighed at least 100 kilograms. (After the wedding, they had to throw the red carpet used for rolling the aisle away cuz the heels of their princess' shoes had cut many holes on it)
And obeying the traditional rule, she also wore a white veil to conceal her whole face…
The priest calmly stepped in front of the couple, spoke deliberately:
Dear beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in…
While he was giving that speech, the couple's fiercely staring at him with deadly threat in their eyes. And though those glares had fire in them, they still sent a chill to the poor priest's spine. During the entire speech, he couldn't even feel his back, and those two kept mumbling furiously: "make it quick, old man, make it quick…"
"S…So…"- The priest slightly fixed his tie to lessen his nervousness then asked with a halt:
-Okita Sougo, will you have Kagura Yato to your wedded life?
"NO!"-He yelled fiercely, but after turning around and seeing his sister looking at him with begging eyes suffused with sorrow, Okita slowly tightened his fist then spoke with a tiny voice as a child's:
-I…I wi…will.
The priest tried to calm himself back and continued asking:
-Kagura Yato, will you…
-I WILL, OKAY? – She shouted angrily, all she wanted was just being able to get out of that place as soon as possible.
-S…so, I now pronounce you husband and wife. The groom, you can take off your wife's veil and kiss her.
Okita looked at the veil depressingly. Kagura, on the other side, crossly growled:
There's no way in hell I'll let you do that!
Sh, you think I want to do that shit?
"Sou-chan!"- Mitsuba winked at Okita, gestured him to do what the priest had told, her finger were crossed tightly to beg him. "Pleaseeee!"
….
-KYYAAA!
- STAND STILL!
- LET ME GO!
*RIP*
The poor white veil was ripped in two, a half of it still covered Kagura neatly red-haired bun, the remaining half was being gripped by Okita but quickly be dropped on the ground due to surprise and thunderstruck ness.
Kagura immediately realized that the detestable prince standing in front of her was no one else but the frigging fucking unappealing and rotten-to-the-core bastard she had met twice: at the snack and at the masquerade party.
So did Sougo¸ he quickly realized that his annoying wife was no one else but the insolent, badmouthed, ugly and hateful midget he had met and somehow couldn't forget.
-Y…you two won't kiss?- The priest standing still during that entire chaos hesitantly asked.
-KISS MY ASS!
They simultaneously shouted angrily with crimson face after taking back their calm.
….
Author's note:I'm really sorry for the late update, my translator had had a fever so she couldn't translate this chap as quick as we had expected. And she is now having an exam so the next chap can't be updated soon, too. I'm very sorry.