Chapter 2: Fireflies
The day had come when Setsuna, Towa, Moroha and Hisui would take their annual trip to the beach. It started about 4 years ago when the teens had gone camping on the beach that was near the legendary Horai ghost island.
Horai island supposedly used to be not too far from the coast but after Moroha's dad and Hisui's parents killed the four war gods the island disappeared forever.
Now that the teens were much older than when they had originally heard the tales of the four war gods from their parents. None of them really believed that Horai island actually existed. Demons can make things like buildings and caves seem like they don't exist but causing a whole island to disappear for years at a time seemed a little unbelievable to the teens now that they were all experienced demon slayers. But one thing for certain is that every year during the last week of spring more fire flies than anywhere else would always appear in the woods and on the beach close to where the legendary Horai island used to be.
The teens had made a tradition of going there and seeing the fireflies each year.
"Hisui, what the hell are you talking about getting married? Is this woman in her right mind? Has she considered all of her options?" Towa asked.
"Yeah, does she know that you're afraid of bug demons?" Moroha asked. As they walked to see the fireflies.
Hisui hadn't seen Towa and Moroha in over a week since they had gone with Inuyasha and Kagome to visit Shippo. The two of them had only been back in the village for one day before their trip so this was their first time hearing about Hisui's engagement.
"Very funny girls but I'll be the one laughing when you have to address me as lord." Hisui said matter of factly and both Towa and Moroha laughed.
"In your dreams. You'll always be my stickler friend who has to plan out every little detail but you've always been a decent guy. Congratulations, Hisui. I'm happy for you." Towa said guinely and that made Hisui smile.
"I'm happy for you too just don't go getting a big head once you become a lord." Moroha said.
"Maybe he can do us some special favors as the best friends of a lord." Towa smirked.
"No can do. I will only be using my title in honet ways." Hisui insisted.
"I had a feeling that you'd say that." Towa groaned.
"He's always the same." Moroha laughed.
"Hey, Moroha, why didn't Yuna want to come with us this year?" Setsuna asked. Moroha's sister had come with them the past two years so Setsuna was curious as to why she had stayed home. That and she wanted to change the subject from Hisui's engagement.
"Granny Kaede is teaching her how to use her spiritual powers to do special healing techniques." Moroha said.
"And you didn't want to learn too?" Towa asked.
"No, ever since I told granny that I don't want to have an active role at the temple she's been trying to get me to reconsider, so I've been trying to let her get closer to Yuna so that she can forget about what I'm doing." Moroha said.
"Well you did just tell everyone last month that you don't want to take Aunt Kagome's place one day. I'm sure that once everyone's had the time to get used to that they won't be hounding you as much." Hisui said.
"It's just been frustrating at times." Moroha huffed. "Three people have asked me about it since I came back from seeing uncle Shippo. One day couldn't even pass without someone bothering me about it."
"Sounds like you need this break from home. Seeing the fireflies will take your mind off things." Setsuna told her and Moroha smiled.
"You're right. I wish everything could be as easy as it is with us four." Moroha said.
"Suite yourself. You and Towa basically just told me that anyone willing to marry me couldn't be mentally sane." Hisui joked.
"Don't be dramatic, Hisui, you know that we were just teasing you." Towa said. "You should have brought Princess Aiya along with you so that she could meet all of us properly. I've only met her a few times before but I'm sure she's nice if you agreed to marry her."
"Or did she just not want to come with us? Do you think she's going to want you to not hang around with us as much since you will be married?" Moroha asked.
"This trip is just for us so I didn't think to invite Aiya. Though she did ask her father if she could come with me once I told her that I would be gone for a couple of days and he told her no. The four of us will always be the same so don't worry about my marriage changing things. We will always be best friends." Hisui said seriously and the four of them went about their walk to the beach talking and laughing like they normally would but Setsuna had been more quiet than usual during the whole way there.
Especially when Hisui's engagement had been brought up. She still didn't know what the feeling in her chest ment everytime that she would hear him talk about Aiya and when she saw the two of them together but his words did half soothe her worries of losing him in her life after he was married.
Like he said the four of them would always be the same even if he got married so why was she still sad?
XXXX
There was a small hut located on the beach that had been vacant since their parents were they're age so every trip that they made to the beach they would always stay there. Seeing the fireflies had been a tradition that was started by accident after a demon slaying mission where they had unexpectedly had to set up camp for the night here.
Both Moroha's dad and Hisui's dad had been with them and once the abnormal amount of fireflies had came out Inuyasha and Miroku told the 4 of them about the legend of Horai island and the 4 war gods. Ever since then the teens have made it a tradition of coming back here each year during the last week of spring to see the first fireflies of the season.
The teens arrived at the beach hut during midday and the beach hut was exactly how they remembered. The hut was small and had two bedrooms and there was a kettle pot fireplace in the middle of the living room. The teens quickly made themselves comfortable unpacking what they needed before getting changed into their beach clothes and going to enjoy some time in the water.
Setsuna and Towa both wore white fitted shorts that were tighter than their normal clothes which made it easier to move in the water and they both wore tops that were sleeveless and exposed their midriffs. While Moroha wore red fitted shorts along with a red top that showed her midriff and she left her bow back at the beach hut as she didn't want to get it wet with salt water. Setsuna also decided to wear her hair down to the beach.
Moroha's mom had always told the girls that where she came from women would swim in clothes that were much more revealing than what they were used to here. Kagome always said that all that matters when it comes to dressing to swim is that you're comfortable with what you are wearing and are able to enjoy the weather and swimming.
Kagome had normalized a lot of new concepts in the village and this was yet another thing that more people were slowly starting to accept because the village priestess said it was okay.
Moroha was actually the first one in the water. Running up to the ocean as small waves hit the shore and jumping in with a splash as the waves rolled. Towa was not too far behind her.
The day was perfect. It already felt like summer outside as the suns warmth kissed their skin and the wind brought a small breeze that made small wave in the ocean but nothing that was overwhelming.
"I'm surprised that you didn't try to race ahead of them." Hisui teased Setsuna as he caught her making her way to the ocean ahead of him. Hisui was the last to come out of the beach house and he was just wearing blue shorts now all ready for their beach day.
Setsuna turned to face him once she heard his voice. The wind blew her hair back and out of her face as a light beach breeze flowed past them and Hisui looked away with pink cheeks unable to meet her eyes as she ran a hand through her hair trying to control it as it blew in the wind.
"Why would I do that? The beach isn't going anywhere." Setsuna said matter of factly.
Hisui knows how she is. She thought as she looked at his face he must have been overthinking about something as always. She deduced from his expression. He was always like this when it was just the two of them. Maybe things really wouldn't change between them after all.
Setsuna grabbed his hand, taking him by surprise. "Come on, let's get to the water before it disappears." She teased as she pulled him along behind her.
"I was not worried about the water disappearing." He said low.
Setsuna smiled and looked back at him, making his breath hitch as she did so. The sun hit her skin perfectly as she gave him a small smile. She said something to him then but he hadn't heard it and she took his silence as him agreeing with her about whatever she had said and soon turned back towards the beach.
Hisui stared at his hand in hers. She was completely oblivious to how he really felt and if she knew she'd no doubtably scold him and reject him yet again.
What was he thinking? He was engaged and Setsuna had never belonged to him. For his heart to still beat like this for her was inconveniencing the both of them he needed to pull himself together. She was his best friend. She would only ever just be that.
"Hisui are you alright?" She asked as if sensing that his mind had gone elsewhere.
"I am." He said quickly before effortlessly swooping her up in his arms and throwing her over his shoulder. Completely taking her by surprise this was better he thought now he couldn't see her face.
"Put me down now." Setsuna said stern.
She could have avoided this if she had really wanted to but she didn't. She sounded like she wasn't amused by this in the slightest but Hisui could tell that she wasn't serious.
"Nope. We're going swimming." He said cheerfully as he now ran with her all the way to the water.
Splashing through the small waves that hit his feet and rose above his ankles as he rushed deeper into the water before dunking the both of them under.
She should have punched him in the face the moment he lifted her up she thought as she was now soaking wet in the cool ocean water.
Hisui's head popped up first and Setsuna soon followed. Towa and Moroha's laughter filled their ears not even a moment later.
"Geeze the water wasn't going anywhere." Moroha teased and Hisui rolled his eyes.
"Well now that we're all here, let's play Aunt Kagome's game." Towa smiled."
"You mean Marco Polo?" Setsuna said.
"Yes, Aunt Kagome's game." Towa repeated.
"Okay that means you're it first." Moroha told Towa.
"Fine."
"And no cheating. We'll be able to tell if you open your eyes." Hisui said.
"Yeah, yeah I know the rules." Towa said quickly.
The game started out on the shallow end of the beach but quickly had the four of them going farther into the water and spread out far from each other until each of them could barely touch the bottom.
The smell of salt water was strong as they swam too. So no one ever had an advantage when it came to smell either which was only made worse whenever a big enough wave would make them go under.
The sounds of splashes and laughter filled the air along with the sounds of small waves crashing into the shore as they played their game and Towa made no progress in catching anyone. As all she would smell was the ocean and every time that she would think that she was making progress waves would crash into her and then group laughter would follow which let her know that she was nowhere near catching anyone as they would all be scattered farther apart.
They all ended up being so spread out from each other that they just gave up on the game entirely.
"Hey Towa, you're not too good at water games." Hisui said.
"I saw that one coming. Are you happy? You got to punch back at me this time." Towa stated.
"That tone of voice tells me exactly how you feel." Hisui smirked and Towa looked at him annoyed.
"I'll be it first next time." Moroha said. "That way more than one person can be it and the game won't drag."
"I don't really think that's fair to let Moroha be it first when her mom made the game." Towa said.
"You only say that because she always catches you first and then you can't catch anyone." Setsuna said.
"And that is a very valid reason." Towa said sticking by how she felt.
"Hey it's almost sunset, we should get ready to go see the fireflies. We haven't eaten yet." Hisui said.
"Let's go catch some fish then, before we go to the forest." Moroha suggested.
The teens left the water a few minutes later stealing a few more splashes on the way out. Moroha, Hisui and Towa caught the fish while Setsuna went and got a fire ready on the beach.
Hisui cooked up the fish once they were finished and the teens were able to enjoy the start of the sunset while they ate and dried off in the warm summer air.
"This is our 5th year coming here together. Let's never stop doing this okay." Moroha said.
"I'll alway want to come back. I'm not too sure about the other two." Towa said.
"Towa like Hisui said the four of us will always be best friends." Setsuna stated.
"I meant it, Towa." Hisui added.
"I know. I'm just giving you a hard time. Now everyone is going to expect the rest of us all to get married too since they got you to bite." Towa said.
"Towa all of our parents are married and they seem happy. I'm my fathers only son so I always knew that I would have to continue our family someday. These kinds of things are just a part of life, they aren't necessarily bad things and you don't have to do anything that you don't want to." Hisui said seriously and then smiled.
"Since I'll be becoming a lord, if your parents ever insist that you get married before you want you can just come live with me if that happens. I'll let you be in charge of the lord's guards so you won't have to worry about that kind of stuff if you don't want to. " He told her.
"Well that doesn't sound too bad." Towa said.
"Marriage and stuff like that aren't a part of my plans so I don't see you being the only one to never take those steps Towa." Moroha said cheerfully. She had already thought about what that kind of thing would mean for her and she wanted no part in it.
The group all looked to Setsuna now. The campfire cast a shadow over her skin as she stared at the flames contemplating her thoughts before she answered them.
Thoughts of marriage never really crossed her mind. She had been confessed to before and she knew that she wasn't ugly but spending her life with someone in a romantic way. The way that her parents and her Aunt and Uncle did, she couldn't even think of who she'd want to do that with.
She let the thought linger and when forever crossed her mind when she really thought about it the only person she could think of was…
"I have no need to do such things. I am fine as I am so there's no need for me to worry about creating those kinds of bonds with anyone." She said.
"The sun's setting deeper now. We should really go change or we won't get there before the fireflies come out." Setsuna said the last part quickly before standing up and being the first one to go back to the hut to change into something more comfortable.
Setsuna pulled her now mostly dry hair back into her usual ponytail and changed into one of her summer kimonos. She wore a light purple and white Kimono that had flowers on it and wore some comfortable shoes to go along with her kimono before returning to the main room of the hut.
She was the first to be ready as the others had gotten back to the hut while she was in the middle of changing so she sat down and patiently waited for everyone else to change out of their beach clothes.
She sat stone faced as more thoughts went through her head.
"The slayers guild was where she loved to be. The feeling that she got when slaying demons and saving people was something that she couldn't describe. Setsuna liked being a hero and she liked that she got to do this with Hisui. Hisui was the first kid in the village around her age that she had met and he never looked at her or Towa differently when they were kids. He had always just accepted her and her family as they were.
Hisui was always kind to everyone and he was so determined when it came to overcoming any obstacle that he faced. She knew first hand that he could make the better of any situation if he put his mind to it in battle and out. He hated not sticking to schedules and he hated bug demons even more. She smiled to herself.
What was wrong with her? Why did just thinking of her friend and the things that she liked about him make her feel this way?
She admired how he was always able to keep a cool head even in close situations where she couldn't even do so. He was always thinking and coming up with solutions when none of them could and his voice. He has always been able to calm Setsuna's nerves with just the sound of his voice even when he didn't know that she was nervous.
"Looks like you're all ready."
Setsuna's head jolted up at the sound of Hisui's voice. He was now dressed in dark blue, his sun kissed skin made more apparent now after being out in the sun for hours that day and a light blush covered her cheeks.
Has he always looked this good?
"You okay?" Hisui asked as Setsuna hadn't said a word to him.
"I'm fine. Just thinking about the fireflies." She lied.
But, why was she lying to him? She groaned in her thoughts.
"I'm ready to see them too. There's nothing like the first day of summer."
"Are the two of you ready?" Moroha asked as she and Towa now appeared from the back of the Hut in their summer clothes now as well.
"I was just about to tell you that we needed to get going." Hisui said.
"We know how you are, Hisui. Now come on before we miss it." Towa said before her and Moroha rushed past him and he and Setsuna followed them.
The fireflies always woke up near a pond that was not too far from the beach and the sun was almost completely gone from the sky now it was just a matter of time before the night would be completely moon lit.
The teens walked far into the forest until they were finally there, the firefly village that would wake up at any minute now.
The teens waited in anticipation for the fireflies to light up and soon one after another lit and then everything around them was touched by the light from the fireflies and moon light.
A smile graced Setsuna's face. She loved this tradition of theirs. This was their 5th year coming here and they had agreed that they would all do this forever.
The fireflies flew all around them, some landing on their hands and on their shoulders as if saying hello as they walked through the forest and bared whiteness to even more fireflies waking up.
The forest was lit beautifully by the golden light of the fireflies. They could see the trees glowing and the light reflecting off of the small pond in front of them. This was one of the most beautiful sights that they were all able to see each year.
Setsuna held her hands in front of her as fireflies landed in her hands before flying away.
"So many fireflies are drawn to you. They must see something special about you." Hisui said as the fireflies flew around her in the moonlight and she looked at him.
He had a strange look on his face that she couldn't name but in that moment with the light of the fireflies dancing all around him and making him glow in front of her, he looked beautiful standing there and staring at her the way that he did. The way that he always has for almost all of Setsuna's life and now she knew.
She knew what this was.
She was in love with Hisui and he was engaged to someone else.
A.N:
Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be up on Saturday.
Next Chapter:
"Thanks for coming with me even though you probably didn't want to. For what it's worth I've really missed going on supply runs with you." Hisui said as they walked.
"I never mind going anywhere with you and I don't mind now." She said.
"You know, you can tell me the real reason why you've been avoiding me all this time….