I stared through the thin glass as youkais and ayakashi dominated the street. I took a sip at the pipe before blowing out a breath of smoke. A couple of winged youkai flew by me and into the night.

"Sure is lively." I told myself as I glanced up to the moon handing within the sea of stars.

"Tourou Nagashi?" I tore my gaze from my cup of sake to my Hyakki Yakou at the doorway to my room.

"That's right Rikuo-sama." Tsurara sang as she clapped her hands together happily.

"Every year the village Shiki celebrates Tourou Nagashi. It's one of the largest festivals around. I heard if you really wish for something, it'll come true!"

"Any wishes…?" I thought for a moment before remembering those feathers that drifted into the chilled night.

"Rikuo-sama." I heard a voice called as I turned to see a Rokurokubi sliding open the screen door.

"Rikuo-sama, I've brought you the kimono." She said as she carefully placed the neatly folded kimono onto the tatami.

"The lanterns." I began, stopping her just when she was about to excuse herself. "Do you know where can I buy it?"

"Yes. Chouchinobake-san sells them at his stand in the third district."

The Rokurokubi replied as I placed the pipe down and leaped off the windowsill. "Rikuo-sama, wouldn't you like a bath first?" At her question, I glanced back to the private hot spring that is connected to my room. "I already did. Bring more sake to my room later." I said, entering the hallway and exited the bathhouse.

I stared at the crowded street.

"Third District." I muttered as I remembered Tsurara saying something about it as well. "Hey! The young man over there!" A voice called as I glanced to my left to see an umbrella stand by a Kasa-obake*.

"How about an umbrella? These ones just I've just made today! You look like a fine young man so I'll give you a discount!" The Kasa-obake said as I walked up to his stand and glanced around the umbrellas.

"It looks like it'll be a clear sky through the next couple of nights." I told him, picking an umbrella and opened it to check the quality. "Do you get business often?"

"My umbrella doesn't only block rain. It can block the sun as well." The Kasa-okabe said as he grabbed one of his umbrellas and opened it to reveal the flowery pattern printed over it.

"It's a popular trend right now with female youkai. How about it young man? It's a perfect gift for your lover."

I stared at the umbrella in my hand as I held it over my head. "I'll take this one." I told him as I reached into my sleeve and pulled out some money.

"That one's too plain. There's a pattern for male as well." The Kasa-obake told me, but I just closed my umbrella and examined the silvery colour. The colour that is identical to those silver pools that still burns vividly within my mind.

"Silver is fine." I told him and placed the money onto the counter.

"Thank you for your patronage! Enjoy the festival!"

Just when I turned around, I quickly leaned sideways to avoid bumping into a passing ayakashi.

"Damn that woman!" I heard the ayakashi cursed just as he passed by me. I glanced back curiously and watched him stomping down the street."When I find her I'll tear those wings out of her back!" He screamed as his companion tried to calm him down.

Remembering what I had came out for, I turned back to my path and counted my way to third district. After a while of walk, I finally arrived and spotted the Chouchinobake the Rokurokubi told me of.

"One lantern." I said as I stopped before the lantern stand.

"Pick any you like," said the Chouchinobake, but the lanterns were all identical.

"The furthest one to the left." I randomly chose one, pulling out some money and exchanged it for the lantern.

"Would you like to write down your wish, youkai-sama?" The Chouchinobake asked as he held out a paintbrush towards me.

"I haven't thought of a wish yet. Maybe later." I told him and walked away with my new lantern. "Wish…" I glanced down at the lantern before to the full moon hung over my head.

A wish…

I glanced to the silver umbrella I bought, then back to the sky. However, I couldn't think of one.

Something like a wish…perhaps my daytime self is more familiar with.

"Rikuo-sama!" I heard Tsurara's voice called out to me once I arrived at the main entrance of the Rokurokubi's bathhouse. "Rikuo-sama, are you going to make a wish?" She asked, seeming extremely excited as she noticed at the lantern in my hand.

"Don't know. I haven't thought of a wish yet."

"O-Oh, really?"

"Why are you disappointed?" I asked when I noticed the frown over her face.

"Then Rikuo-sama! How do you like it here?" She suddenly asked as I gave her a long stare, wondering what's with her changing behavior.

"It's alri–" I was about to say when a glitter of silver light caught my eyes. I quickly turned to the basket Tsurara held in her hand which contained a towel, shampoo and a bar of soap.

"R-Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara gasped as I quickly pulled her towel away. A large white feather was shook off from the towel and fluttered by my eyes. It drifted gently down the air and landed back into Tsurara's basket.

"This feather…" I murmured as I gently held it up by the quill. "Tsurara. Where did you find this feather?" I asked as Tsurara flinched. Without realizing, I had raised my voice.

"The hot spring…I found t between some rocks– Rikuo-sama? Where are you going?" Tsurara's voice faded behind me as I melted into the crowd. I summoned Hebi Nyoro*, leaping onto its head as we soared into the sky. I glanced around the youkai in the air before turning to the ground.

"This feather…" I whispered as I glanced down to the feather in my hand.

There's no mistake…

It's her feather.

"Miu."

The night gradually falls as the sky prepared to welcome dawn.

I stared from the roof of the bathhouse as the shops begin to close and youkai retiring to their resting place. I glanced down to the feather in my hand.

In the end, I couldn't find her.

Whether it was day or night, I couldn't catch a glimpse at the wings of any Doji.

The night of Tourou Nagashi came once the last bit of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains. I went together with my Hakki Yakou and arrived at the crowded bank of the lake. Various youkais and ayakashis gathered around as they lit their lanterns and set it off into the water.

"Rikuo-sama! Have you written your wish yet?" Tsurara's voice shouted. I parted my lips, about to reply when I glanced back to see youkais crowding my view. "Where did they go?" I muttered, glancing around but was unable to find anyone from the Nura clan.

Then sudden, I felt something bumping into my leg.

"Sorry." A voice called as I glanced down to see a pair of Kawa-uso. I watched as they walked around me, each holding a lantern.

"This is too crowded." I told myself, bending down to dodge the tongue of a passing Akaname*. I squeezed myself through the sea of crowd. Once I was out into the opening, I rode on Hebi Nyoro and flew to the center of the lake, into the boarder between light and dark.

I drifted over the surface of the water as I watched the specks of light approaching from afar.

I held up my lantern and stared at Miu's feather I had glued upon it.

"If you can find me then I will submit to you."

"I don't need a wish." I spoke to the feather before setting it down into the water. I pulled out a match and lit the candle inside. My lantern glowed in yellowish light as Miu's feather sparkled radiantly. I brushed my toe over the wooden surface of the lantern. With a gentle kick, my lantern began drifting away from its kind.

I lied down upon Hebi Nyoro and gazed into the night.

I fell into a light slumber under the moon's soft ray. By the time I opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by stars. I turned my head to hundreds of lantern that were drifting by me. I reached out my hand for the closet one, turning it around to reveal the wish printed in ink.

FIND THE DAMN THIEF AND GET MY MONEY BACK!

I stared at the roughness of the stroke and the careless holes over the rice paper. A chuckle forced through my sealed lip before I gave a gentle nudge for it to catch up to its comrade.

Judging from the roughness displayed upon it, whoever wrote it must have been furious. I made a pause in my thought I remembered back to the ayakashi I met some nights ago.

At the thought, my gaze softened.

My hand brushed by the silver umbrella resting on my lap. I pulled the umbrella into my hand and stared at it, wondering why I had brought it along. Bored of the slow passing time, I opened my umbrella and set it onto the water together with the lanterns.

I watched as the umbrella began to twirl, pushed by the force of the water as well as the passing lanterns.

The silver upon the umbrella sparkled in reaction to the lights shrouding it, but the radiance of the light was no match for Miu's feather. I slowly looked off towards the abyss, about to lay down again when I saw a speck of light from afar.

I sat up, glancing around the sea of lanterns before turning back to the lone one.

It was strangely moving in a direction opposite to the rest.

I watched as the lantern grew closer, going into a path different than the rest of its kind. My eyes scanned around the dark shadows on the other side of the lake, but couldn't spot any form of life.

The lantern grew closer and closer, squeezing pass the rest and was coming closer towards me. When it was about to collide against Hebi Nyoro, I reached out and hooked my finger against the string. I pulled the lantern from the water, careful as to not tip the candle out of balance.

I glanced back to the other side of the lake. A gentle breeze came from the darkness, gently caressing the lantern as it slowly turned, revealing the wish written upon it.

"This is…!"

Kasa-obake – Umbrella ghost

Hebi Nyoro – Servant used for Rikuo's scroll

Akaname – the spirit who licks the untidy bathroom.