Natsuhi'boshi

Not wanting to wake her husband, the Lady of the Fujiwara Branch House tiptoed across the matted floor, taking care not to trip over the goban with their half-finished game in the middle of their room. Her plan was to head towards her favourite stargazing spot in the mansion's eastern garden, beside the full blooming Wisteria tree.

Thinking of their Wisteria tree always makes her melt in blissful happiness. Two years ago, it was under that very tree where her husband had proposed their marriage; then as a first year wedding anniversary gift for her last year, he had asked the gardeners to have the young tree transplanted to the mansion.

Carefully sliding open the bamboo door, Lady Fujiwara notices a lack of the usually exuberant summer night symphony. Over the past few weeks, the cicadas had been tirelessly filling the nights with their harmonious fluting as they had since the beginning of summer. Tonight, only occasional chirps can be heard from random directions.

As soon as it is wide enough for her to step through, a chilly breeze blew in, brushing loose strands of hair against her face. No wonder the cicadas are laying low tonight - this summer night is unusually cold. Since tomorrow holds a special occasion, to risk falling sick from a chill is certainly not a good option.

Lady Fujiwara will be celebrating her 22nd birthday tomorrow, which is why she is so excited she can't sleep!

Her lady in waiting has let her in on the secret that Master Fujiwara has painstakingly cleared his schedule so as to spend the entire day with her at their villa. It is near the south-eastern coast, where they shared many good memories during their younger days after chakra training at the Ninshuu academy. Knowing her husband and his ever sleeve-full of surprises, it will be a day to look forward to!

Instead of walking the three hundred and sixty one steps in this cold night to get to the eastern garden, she crept quietly out the sliding doors of their south-facing room and settled on the smooth lacquered wooden floor at the edge of the open courtyard, her back facing their room.

Though not as enchanting as the eastern garden, the courtyard is beautiful in its own way. In the middle stood a short species of old crooked pine, a few flowering shrubs by its side and a ring of beach pebbles surrounding them; there's a pathway of stepping stones almost glowing in the night. Up above, is a vast stretch of cloudless sky.

"Perfect", she thought.

Forming her family's special hand seals sequence (Uma- Tora- I- U- Ne- Inu- Uma- Inu- U- Ne- I- Mi) while concentrating chakra to her eyes, her normally jade-green irises transform into a beautiful shade of wisteria that gradually diffuses outwards to the whites of her eyes; ripple patterns appearing as it spreads, allowing her to see further, wider... and clearer.

This dou'jutsu (sight-enhancing technique) is unique to her family and has been in their blood since the earliest of their chronicles. It is also because of this bloodline talent that her family always produced the greatest astronomers, scholars, and even warriors. Sadly the talent has been weakening with each generation. Her Oji'sama once told her - that before his great-grandfather's time, their bloodline talent was so potent each family member was born with beautiful lavender eyes; that seeing things beyond normal human range was as natural as breathing for them. Thankfully with the founding of the hand seals technique, the talent is preserved.

The breath-taking view of distinct celestial bodies suddenly materialising before her eyes brings her train of thoughts back to her purpose of slipping out here this late into the night. Stargazing has always had a calming effect on her; whenever she is too nervous to fall asleep, she would sit alone under the blanket of stars and let herself be mesmerised by the millions upon millions of white, yellow, red and blue lights, not to mention the occasional pleasing surprises the heavens have to offer.

Of the millions upon millions of celestial bodies, one particular red planet and its two moons catch most of her attention tonight. The Kasei, also known as the Natsuhi'boshi (Summer Star) by the common people, is orbited by two very faint points of light only visible to dou'jutsu users. This is her first time seeing both the orbiting moons beside the red planet and somehow it makes the planet look complete, like a long-awaited family reunion.

For the rest of the night, her gaze sweeps over familiar constellations without paying attention to her usual favourites. Half a sky away, even the shadow of a complete new moon (also only visible to dou'jutsu users), doesn't hold her eyes for more than a few breaths.

Nothing else seems to interest her as much, that is, until the air at the leftmost edge of her vision begins to shimmer, signalling an incoming disturbance entering the earth's territory in space. Shortly, a shooting star streaks in from the east, across the sky. Despite being a scholar in astronomy, Lady Fujiwara can't help seeing it as an opportunity to make a wish like a normal person would. She fumbles around her head for a perfect wish.

"Hurry!" she chides herself. The shooting star is about to leave her sight! That's when her eyes once again fall upon the Natsuhi'boshi and its two moons.

Even after being married to Fujiwara'sama for two years, apart from her caring in-laws there's just the two of them. They do enjoy married life the way it is despite being occupied with their duties to the clan and to the common people... but still... and it's not that they didn't try...

An irrational yearning overwhelms her, inducing a dazed glassy look over her beautiful wisteria eyes as she whispers, "I wish… that... Fujiwara'sama and I will have our own children too". In the almost trance-like state, Lady Fujiwara didn't realise that she is actually making her wish upon the Natsuhi'boshi, instead of the shooting star that has already left her range of sight almost a minute ago.

As soon as the wish is made, a flare of ruby light flashes from the Natsuhi'boshi, descending towards the earth. Startled, she blinked - a stupid thing to do, for when she opens her eyes a split second later, the mysterious flare is already nowhere in sight. Musing over the strange phenomena, she focuses her dou'jutsu on the Natsuhi'boshi and its moons yet nothing seems out of place. How curious… could it have been her imagination?

A light snore from behind brings her attention back to her immediate surroundings. Finally realising it will be first light in just a few hours, Lady Fujiwara decides she should return to bed now. She needs to catch enough sleep, so as to fully enjoy the day out with her husband tomorrow (or rather, later today). So after forming a simple "Tora" hand seal to release her dou'jutsu, she tiptoes back into the room, quietly closing the sliding bamboo doors.

Stifling a yawn, she curls against her husband's sleeping form on their bed, an endearing smile on her face.

Brushing off the strange feeling in her mind since sighting the mysterious ruby flare, the Lady of the Fujiwara Branch House soon falls into a deep slumber. Little would she have guessed that her wish has already been granted, just waiting to be discovered by her.