Booklover's request! It is most certainly not my best, I think, I'm sorry, but I'm really lame at writing dates, because it can be quite awkward and everything, so... enjoy, anyway.
DATE
That day Kiku was showing Herakles around a festival in the city. Herakles was staying for some time over summer and Kiku decided that, instead of snogging around all day long –like they both usually enjoyed to do-, he would show a traditional festival to Herakles, who, for once, woke up earlier than usual because of the intense heat and humidity Japanese summer can bring.
They took the subway, even holding hands once in the empty train (because at this time of the day, there was no way anyone was taking the subway, even old Yamashita-san, who seemed to compete with Kiku to see who would wake earlier everyday). The ride bore one of these comfortable silences only the two of them could share, Herakles sometimes noiselessly nuzzling into Kiku's neck before quickly moving back again, not wanting to bother Kiku with his body heat. The train stopped at their station and Herakles, once again, marvelled at the little jingle that instantly played (there was a different one at every station, so that he would always get enthusiastic about that, to which Kiku smiled kindly like you would do to a young child.
The heat was of course overbearing, but both Kiku and Herakles had seen worse and they felt quite at ease in this weather. The nearer they got to the festival, the more people there were in the streets. Herakles looked like a strange overgrown plant, moving through the crowd and being way taller than average (even on European standards).
They wandered around hand in hand (at least when there wasn't much people around) and Kiku explaining things to Herakles. People offered to taste food, sometimes Kiku told Herakles to accept it, sometimes Kiku told him not to mind because he himself hated the food in question.
In one stand, there were strange little crystal spheres, hanging by a thin rope, whose metal appendage made a chiming sound when caught in the breeze.
"What are these?" Herakles asked.
"They're called Fûrin. It means "wind chime", in fact. You put it for example in front of your house. I quite like the noise it makes, it's relaxing."
"You have one at home with a white cat painted in it."
"Yes I do like it a lot."
"This one with the two birds is cute too..."
"This one? Wait..."
Kiku neared the seller and began to talk in Japanese, until the man came near Herakles and unhooked the fûrin with the birds.
"Wait, don't..." Herakles said, but Kiku merely dismissed it with a wave of his small white hand.
He thanked the seller and Herakles bowed too, and they left the stand.
"You shouldn't have, really..." Herakles began, embarrassed.
"It's my pleasure, Hera-kun" Kiku said. "Besides, I quite enjoy the idea of you having a fûrin at your place, it's as if..." he blushed a bit and looked in the distance "even from far away, were somehow connected. And the chiming sound is the same, so that I'll think about you when it rings..."
Herakles smiled and kissed the side of Kiku's head.
"Thank you, love."
"Here, you can pick up an omen at the temple."
"Alright, how is it done?"
"Well, please move forwards…"
Herakles moved to the altar and looked around curiously. He took a light hold of the coloured rope that hung in front of him.
"Is this Japan's god?"
Kiku chuckled, not to loudly not to offend Herakles.
"It's a tool to invoke them." He said with a patient voice, the one he used for children who played football too loudly down in the streets. "Put in your monetary offering then invoke them."
Herakles sighed and smiled to himself, pulling a few coins out of his pocket and throwing them into the altar.
"If you don't have money, the gods won't act, huh... These gods are pretty human, aren't they?" He looked sideways at Kiku with a teasing half-smile.
"Yes, they are" Kiku said tensely. "Um, when you've finished the invocation, make your wish."
Herakles pulled on the rope so that the bell rang deeply, two times. Then, like Japan showed him, he puts his two hands together and closed his eyes to make his wish. He paused for a little while.
"Wh... What's the matter?"
Herakles' brows furrowed and Kiku could see he was struggling with himself.
"By that, does it mean it's okay to wish for Turkey's death?" He asked tentatively.
"Please express it more mildly." Kiku deadpanned. Herakles laughed.
"Now, Hera-kun, pick-up your omen, I want to see what you got."
Herakles picked up a thin sheet of paper from the shelf and looked, puzzled, because his level in Japanese obviously didn't allow him to understand any of the words written on his predicament.
"Now let me read." Kiku smiled before Herakles' confusion.
He picked the paper from Herakles' hands and began to read. After a few seconds, he burst out of laughter, his hand politely covering his mouth.
"What's the matter?" Herakles asked, torn between amusement, half laughter, confusion and anticipation.
"Let me read, it says:
'HORRIBLE OMEN.
You could not get a worse day. Whatever you're doing this day you're going to miss. If you have an exam or an important meeting, don't go, or it will get worse. You're very likely to catch a disease or break several things. Fortunately, it will get better and better every day from now on.'"
Herakles had his hand over his mouth, half-laughing, half-horrified by the omen. Kiku gave him his omen back.
"You have to tie it on one of the ropes over there, see? There are a lot of small papers tied there. You do this to cancel the bad omen."
Herakles folded the paper in a small roll, flattened it and made a clean knot on one of the white ropes, next to several little white knots, and Kiku took the better of the situation and took a picture of Herakles standing in profile, tying his omen.
"Well..." He said at last. "It's not too bad for the worse day I could have... So... How could it get better and better?"
"Uh, about that, I was thinking about tonight..."
There it is! Maybe you recognised some of the last little scene as a part of the comic. Well, I also got the exact same "Horrible Omen" like Hera-kun, but I must say that it was one of the best days of my entire life, spending it with my two Japanese friends (who also told me about fûrin, I have, in fact, one at home), and day by day, it keeps getting better. So I'm alright.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I must thank you for all the reviews, it's my most popular story so far, and you've been all very (too much) nice and encouraging. Thanks a lot! I shall remind you that constructive comments and suggestions for new themes are most welcome.
