Second Movement, Part One
"Kagura!" Shin called out as he and his newly wedded wife walked along the stone road that wove all around the cemetery.
"Oh, hey," Kagura greeted, her own husband standing close behind her. "Long time no see."
"A year exactly," Shin concluded.
"Yep. Lots of things have changed since then," Kagura said, running circles around her large moon-like belly.
"How have you been Kiba-san?" Shin asked Kagura's husband. "How's the new house?"
"It's great, we're great," he answered Shin, taking his hand's warmly.
"When are you expecting?" Shin's bride asked Kagura.
" 'Any day now,' the doctor said. I'm so excited!"
"Oh, all of you are already here!" Joiji and Ichun Shou came up the opposite end of the stone road. "I brought some incense to burn. Does anyone have a lighter?"
Kiba pulled out of his pocket. "Here."
"Thanks." Joiji lit up the sticks of incense after the women cleaned washed the grave marked "Shirakawa Kaimu."
The six friends and students stood in front of his marble grave and said their prayers.
"It's been four years, old timer," Ichun Shou said to the grave. "I hope you're have a good time traveling the world in the wind. I hope you still check up on Shinpi-san every now and then. If you were here you would be immensely proud of how far she's come."
"Speaking of Shinpi-chan, when is she coming along?" Kagura asked.
"Ah, you know that girl," Joiji said. "She's probably off somewhere singing a tune with that kokyu of hers."
Shinpi took her last step and set foot, once again, at the top of the hill. The caravan had just arrived to the town and Shinpi wanted to say "hi," and "goodbye," before things became busy.
The Cherry blossom tree still stood in the same place, faithfully, as if it waited for her to come along. It has been another year. She quickly skipped over the tree and placed her hand on the bark and felt it breath again.
"We meet again," she said with a bright smile.
Shinpi headed toward the edge of the cliff that overlooked the entire Amekagure. The air was clean due to the endless raining the season before when Shinpi turned fifteen. She inhaled the crisp air. She sat down on the grass and placed her bow at the strings of her kokyu and started a beautiful melody.
"I hope you heard that, Kaimu," she said to the wind where he was scattered into. "I've improved again. I've started to have my own clients and I still have clients of yours that wish for me to play for them. Don't worry; I'm bearing the honor of your music on my shoulders well.
"The bullying is still bad, but I can handle it, so don't worry too much either. I know, even though you never liked to show that you worry. Anyways, I still need to get back and start some preparations. I'll see you again soon."
Shinpi headed back down the hill to meet up with her old seniors. Shin and Kagura have both left the caravan to raise their own families, but annually they would still stick around to help Shinpi with the parade though they couldn't much help with private performances.
As Shinpi the town road back to the inn she still stayed in per annum, she saw four people walking down towards her, two of which she recognized. She rose up her free hand in a wave and called out sweetly, "Kagura! Shin!"
The two in the middle looked up and saw their beloved junior as she ran towards them. She was even more beautiful than they had seen her last year. Shinpi's golden hair sparkled brilliantly in the sun as it was tossed up by the breeze around her. Her eyes and porcelain skin were as radiant as ever.
"Long time no see, Shinpi-chan," Kagura said as she ran her fingers familiarly through Shinpi's fair locks like she used to when Shinpi was just a child. "How have you been?"
"I've been great! Improved more in the kokyu, koto, shamishen, and the ryuteki," Shinpi listed.
"You haven't grown much though," Shin commented, comparing Shinpi to his body. "Nope, you haven't grown at all since Sensei passed away."
"So what if I am short?" Shinpi asked, knocking Shin's hand away from her head. "I just need to make big music."
"True, true, but I'm starting to doubt that you'll ever get a boyfriend," Shin continued. "Every guy that sees you will think that you are only in grade school. Unless they are pedophiles, then you have to be careful, okay?"
Shinpi rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm too smart to be tricked by such a pervert."
"Well," Shin said, looking down the dirt pathway, "there's one we all need to be wary of."
Just then, from behind them, Toroki walked up the road. His hands stuck in the pockets of his hakama. He hung his head slow even though he stood tall. His hair was left uncut and tied messily around the nape of his neck with strands flying this way and that. In any angle, he looked like a hoodlum.
He walked up to Shinpi and her company and stopped only a moment to look down at her and moved on. Even as he walked away, Shinpi never stopped to glare at him out of habit. It was her only defense even though his teasing has ceased when Kaimu passed and he decided to embrace his darker side. It didn't stop bullying from the girls' of the caravan, though.
When Toroki was far in the distance Shinpi and her company continued with their chatter until they came up to the old inn. Shinpi, Kagura, and Shin rehearsed the parade number a couple of times since they haven't played together for a year.
"I didn't think it was possible, Shinpi-chan, but you've managed to do it," Kagura commented after their first run through the entire piece.
"Do what?" Shinpi asked as she marked down quick notes on the music.
"You've gotten better again!" Kagura told her. "You are already far out of our league. You should seriously start looking for a permanent sponsor. You can become a star."
Shinpi smiled with her brows furrowed. "That's impossible. There aren't many people interested in old traditional music anymore."
"Ichun-sama is," Shin casually injected into the conversation. "And he's rich."
"That's right. And many other great wealthy people out there that are just begging for a taste of good classical music. Think about it Shinpi-chan," Kagura said, "A chance to get away from the caravan., a chance to get away from all the little brats that have made your childhood days horrible."
Shinpi looked up at her with an innocent smile. "I don't really mind traveling. It's fun to see all the new places every year and they don't bother me anymore. Don't worry. I'm perfectly fine in the caravan."
Shin and Kagura exchanged doubtful glanced at each other. Of course they know the bullying hasn't stopped. And they knew the reason Shinpi refuses to leave the caravan was because she knew no other life outside the caravan.
The two of them sighed.
Just then Nakao, Toroki's mother, knocked on the wooden door outside the room.
"Please, come in," Shinpi answered when she saw Nakao through the glass panels.
Kagura and Shin rolled their eyes as Nakao entered with a bright smile. They knew what she was up to as much as Shinpi was.
"I just came across these roasted chestnuts at the market today," Nakao said to Shinpi sweetly and set a bowl on the table at the center of the room. "I know you love chestnuts so I took the liberty of buying some for you."
"That's very kind of you. I do love chestnuts from Amekagure," Shinpi said with her professional smile. "If you would just tell me how much they were, I would certainly pay you back."
Nakao threw up a dramatic hand and shook her head gracefully. "No. No. No need to pay me back dear Shinpi. But I hope," Nakao took Shinpi's delicate hands in hers and said, "that you would amend the rift between you and Toroki."
Shinpi was just going to refuse and say that it would be utterly impossible for her to be on good terms with Toroki, but before she even had the breath to say it Nakao continued.
"I know Toroki wasn't the nicest boy during your childhood, but he's changed. He's always been helping out with managing the caravan. Soon he'll be able to take over the job from his father. At that time it would be a dream come true for me if you, Shinpi, would be the woman standing proudly beside him."
Shinpi quietly hissed out a long sigh between her teeth while keeping up her wonderful smile. "That's actually a problem, Nakao. You see, I don't think Toroki likes me all that much."
Nakao raised her hand again and said, "Don't worry about a think, Shinpi. I'll take care of everything! In fact, let's go meet him right now!"
"Ah!" Kagura shouted, getting up and interfering with Nako's plans. "I'm sorry, Nakao-san, but we really need to go back to rehearsing. Otherwise, Shinpi-chan's reputation will be dragged down if we aren't perfectly prepared for the parade. So if you would just leave temporarily and come back later, we'll truly appreciate that."
Kagura continued by helping Nakao out of her seat and towards the door. When they have made sure that Nakao was well on her way back, they finally let out a breath and relaxed. Shinpi most of all.
"Let's continue, shall we?" Shinpi instigated and everyone agreed altogether.
Whoot! Chapter six! So basically the last five chapters were about an orphan girl named Shinpi and chapter six is really just a "checkpoint" in her life. She's lost her mentor, father, friend, but finally free from the rules of his teachings. But yea, chapter seven will be coming along, as usual, beginning July! Or maybe a little earlier since I'll be leaving the USA for about a month. Don't worry, I promise to get Chapter seven out. Enjoy Summer VACATION! all you people who are out of school already, anyways. Toodles, for now. :D