Tuesday morning, July 19th - Tokushima
At the same time that Nanako, Hisako, and Hellivin were watching over the young fashionistas at the Meiji Academy in Tokyo, their home in Tokushima was getting pounded by another big tropical storm. This time it was a full typhoon. It's name was Ma-on and it came for the island of Tokushima like a brawler looking for a fight. Fortunately and thankfully, there had been no coincidental earthquakes to make a further mess of things.
Not yet, anyway. Obāsama fretted as she hoped there would be no more deadly avalanches. The Hisamitsu elder stood inside the big picture windows that overlooked the wide covered porch. From this window, there was usually a great view of the manicured lawn running down to the extravagant koraimon entrance gate at the street entrance to the Hisamitsu estate grounds. Beyond that gate and the old stone wall, the mountain on the other side of the valley would provide a majestic backdrop.
Usually.
With the heavy rains of the typhoon, it was just a wall of gray beyond the covered porch now. The distant mountain wasn't visible. Indeed, she couldn't even see the much closer gate. Robbed of her spectacular view, she would have liked to at least feel the rage of nature from the cover of the porch, but the winds were too strong. The younger ones may have been able to handle the strong gusts, but those adventurous days were behind her now.
The young…
Obāsama smiled at the joy of having suddenly acquired so many young friends so late in her life. She wondered if 'friends' was the right term to use. On one level, it was absurd to think that a friendship could exist across two to three generations of age. And yet, they seemed to enjoy her company, and she certainly enjoyed theirs. The old woman felt refreshed when they were around to share their happiness, their dreams, and their seemingly boundless energy.
Obāsama grinned at the vitality and happiness that these new youngsters had brought her, but the smile was incomplete. Melancholic sadness tinged the edges of her joy, because none of those dear young friends were here now. The summer had begun and she had been hopeful that they would descend upon her mountain home once again… but they all had busy lives themselves. Their spirited youth was looking forward to traveling, beach trips, and other excitements that came with their treasured academic break. Thinking of her home as a reflection of herself, Obāsama's thoughts slipped out, "I suppose it is understandable. Surely, they wouldn't want to spend their precious days at a musty old place like this."
"Madam?" a nearby maid asked.
"Oh? I didn't realize I wasn't alone." the startled old woman chose not to elaborate on her depreciating statement.
"I only just arrived Madam. There is a phone call for you." the maid reported.
"A phone call?" Obāsama patted the cell phone that she carried in her pocket to make sure it was still there. It was, but she remembered that it didn't work very well when the weather was this bad. Smiling at one of the few victories of old over new, she turned toward the kitchen and said, "The old land lines are still the best when there is a real emergency."
"Yes madam." the maid politely agreed, but opted not to point out that those old land lines had only recently been reestablished after the damage to the wires that had been caused by the land slide.
.
Tuesday evening, July 19th – Ryuuji and Ami's home in Tokyo
Rumble-rumBle-rUMble-BOOM!
"I hate these things!" Aiko-chan squeaked from her 'safe' place in Deena's lap. Her hands were over her ears while she cowered into the big Aussie's protective embrace.
"How can you be Japanese and not be used to Typhoons?" Taiga chided. She didn't like them either, but she had to put on a brave face so that she could demonstrate at least one place where she was more grown-up than her more developed yet younger doppelganger.
"Hey, give her a break." Ami called out over the bowl of hot noodles Ryuuji had just handed her. Raising an eyebrow, Ami teased her diminutive peer, "Even though she looks far more grown up than you, she's still just an elementary schooler."
"Dumb-chi!" Taiga reverted to the old nickname as a response to the bluenette's needling. Taiga looked around at everyone, mystified why they were looking at her like she was a villain.
"Serves you right for picking on a child." Hisako glared at the person that had insulted little Aiko-chan.
"I… I didn't…" Taiga started to protest.
"You did." Minori said quietly but firmly.
"Minorin?" Taiga felt suddenly deflated when even her best friend condemned her. She started to tremble from the growing embarrassment.
Ryuuji had seen this before. Taiga was quickly coming to the boiling point where she would attack something or storm out of the room. Since he needed her to stay for now, he decided to use a force that Taiga had no defenses against. Glancing over at his mother, he put on his reflective glasses and gave the order, "Yasuko…"
"Ah!" squeaked a panicked Taiga. It was the only thing she was able to get out before being snatched off her feet and wrapped up in the arms of Ryuuji's ever-youthful mother.
"Taiga-chan, Taiga-chan, Taiga-chan!" the sing-song voice cooed as she happily pulled the struggling girl down into her lap, "You weren't really trying to be mean, were you?"
"Ya-chan, I don't… I didn't… I…" Taiga found it difficult to maintain her anger while Yasuko was gently rocking her and petting her head as if she really was a palm top tiger. Taiga's struggles rapidly came to a stop under the loving attention of the blond Onee-chan. Looking up from where she was being cradled and petted, she pouted at Ryuuji, "You don't play fair."
"I learned that from you." Ryuuji grinned. He wanted to smile, but he knew how scary his smile could be.
"Ugh." Taiga wanted to complain that things never seemed to work out in her favor when she was the one that didn't play fair. Instead, she changed the topic and asked, "So… why did you call me over here?"
"What makes you think there was any meaning other than to come over for a Typhoon party?" Yasuko asked innocently.
"I can read the room." Taiga replied testily.
Everyone looked at Taiga with a mixture of surprise and doubt.
"Oh? Pray-tell, when did you learn that skill?" Ami teased.
"I've always been able to do that." Taiga insisted.
Everyone still looked at Taiga doubtfully.
"Fine… Minorin told me there was something you wanted to ask me." Taiga finally admitted.
"Hmm? I thought she had finally figured out the secret of the mirror-shades. He always puts them on when he's scheming something." Deena commented.
"Scheme? I don't scheme…" Ryuuji started to defend himself.
"Relax Ryuuji-kun," Yuri-sensei waved down his defensive stance, "Scheming sounds bad, but it's just a synonym for planning or coming up with ideas. Don't read too much into it."
"...it wasn't even my idea." a deflated Ryuuji sighed.
"It's me. I… I'm the one that needs you, nee-chan." Aiko-chan said worriedly. She didn't understand why Taiga had suddenly become so angry. The little girl was genuinely worried that the one she called 'nee-chan' didn't like her anymore. On the verge of tears she pleaded, "I want you to sing with me."
"Sing? Waitaminute… why are you crying?" Taiga asked the young girl.
"Asks the person who is soooo good at reading the room." Hisako smirked.
"Shhh!" Ami admonished her tall friend.
"Nee-chan doesn't like me anymore." Aiko-chan whimpered.
"I never said that." Taiga protested. Then glancing above the crying girl's face she saw the big Aussie glowering at her and repeated more insistently, "I never said that!"
"But you got mad at me." Aiko-chan said while wiping the wetness from her eyes.
"That has nothing to do with you… Okay, wait." Taiga stopped when she could see that the little girl wasn't believing her. Dammit… it turns out that being honest with other people is just as hard as being honest with yourself. She put her head in her hands and took a deep breath before continuing. "Aiko-chan, this is not anger. It's jealousy. I am jealous of you because… because you look like a more grownup version of me… even though you are younger. A lot… younger."
Gasp! Several people looked at Taiga in shock. No-one thought she could admit this so easily.
"Heh… So, that's what it is? Heh heh." Aiko-chan laughed nervously.
"Why are you laughing?" Taiga asked in a strained voice. She barely contained the defensive reaction to yell at the little girl to not laugh at her.
"It's just that I… I wish I looked more like you, nee-chan." Aiko-chan confessed.
"You do?" Taiga was stunned and wouldn't have believed the girl if it hadn't been for the young girl's completely guileless persona.
"It isn't so easy at school when you're so much… bigger than everyone else, you know?" Aiko-chan explained with a sad voice.
Ami, Hisako, and Suzume all shared that kind of sad memory from their youth as well. The boys would pick on you when you were taller than them and the girls would pick on you when you were more… developed. The boys felt challenged and the girls assumed you were trying to steal their boyfriends. Having a curvy figure wasn't always the easy-street to popularity that the flat-chested girls thought it was.
"I guess." Taiga had never had that particular kind of bullying aimed at her… for obvious reasons. But she could understand how it could happen.
"Hey," Deena gave the young girl in her lap a little shake, "now that you know Taiga-chan isn't mad at you, why don't you tell her about the singing?"
"Right!" the little girl's mood changed instantly. She was reinvigorated as if someone had just replaced her batteries, "I want you to sing a song with me the way you did with Ami-senpai."
"Ami-senpai?" Taiga almost laughed at the honorific Aiko-chan had given the bluenette, but remembered… She calls me nee-chan though. I guess, as performers, Ami would be her senpai or even sensei. Waitaminute… what was it she just said? How does she know about… "How do you know I sang with Dum… er… Ami-chan?"
Yasuko rewarded Taiga with more head pats for not using the derogatory 'Dumb-chi' nickname.
"I saw the video." Aiko-chan replied simply.
"There… there was a video?" Taiga gasped.
"I was performing on stage." Ami responded loftily to Taiga's silly question, then added, "There were more than twenty videos. What Aiko-chan saw was a professional compilation of all those videos."
"The audio from the stage microphones was laid over the composite video, so the sound quality is pretty good." Ryuuji added. It had been his idea to make the compilation and give copies as gifts to all the students who came to their wedding at the Le Dauphin hotel in Tokyo.
Taiga's fists clenched and unclenched while she tried to control her emotions. Her immediate reaction was to come up with a plan to hunt down every former classmate and destroy their copy.
"I think it's on the internet now." Hisako recalled.
"Unh." Taiga grunted in frustration. The plans to destroy the evidence was thoroughly crushed when she heard Hisako mention the internet.
"Taiga-chan, don't be upset." Yasuko hugged the grumbling girl a little tighter and told her, "It was a really good video. Taiga-chan was so cute up on that stage, and the song was so pretty. I play it every Christmas. Sometimes I play it when I feel down and I just want something to make me happy again."
Taiga relaxed and blinked in surprise. Mentioning Christmas always had an interesting effect on her, but this time there was something else. Wonder replaced anger as she asked, "Ya-chan… it makes you feel happy?"
"Of course! Seeing the two of you all pretty up on that stage, and singing like angels… well, how can anyone be blue after that?" Yasuko made a happy sigh as she thought about the last time she had watched the video.
"It's true. Sometimes she starts singing along with it." Yuri was willing to rat out her friend, but she stopped short of admitting that she had also sung along with it… once or twice.
"Oh… I guess it's okay then." Taiga mumbled.
"Yay!" Aiko-chan cheered, thinking that Taiga's comment had been about her request.
Taiga realized Aiko-chan's misunderstanding but didn't have the heart to correct the happy child. Instead she asked, "Don't you already have enough background spares?"
"Oi!" Hisako started to react to the barb but Nanako put a hand on the tall model's knee as a signal to let it go.
"They're called 'backup vocals'." Ryuuji corrected.
"She doesn't need you for the background. She wants you to perform a duet… with her." Ami tried to be as gentle as she could but Taiga needed to know what this was all about. "Ryuuji wrote a really good song, but it looks like it will work better as a duet. We all tried to be Aiko-chan's partner, but it just didn't click. But I agree with Aiko-chan… I think it will work if it's you."
"Why me?" Taiga was a little suspicious but mostly surprised to hear Ami admit that there might be something she wasn't as good at. Well, maybe those weren't the exact words but she did just say it was something I could do better. Why...
"You might say… this song was written specifically for you." Ami said sorrowfully. There was no accusation or jealousy in her voice at all, and it didn't sound like she was admitting defeat. If anything, there was unexpected compassion.
"So, it's that song then?" Taiga took a deep breath. She recalled Ryuuji saying he wanted to write a dedication song on the train back from Tokushima. And more painfully, she remembered saying goodbye to the old horse at the brook. The memories were still fresh and the feelings were still very raw. Just knowing the song would be about that was enough to make her eyes wet.
"Yeah. It's that song." Ami replied simply. For a moment, she wished that she had been better in the duet so that Taiga wouldn't be put in this position. However… Taiga might be the only person to do this song justice.
"And it's good, right?" Taiga demanded while she lowered her head to wipe her eyes on her sleeve.
"It is good. It isn't halfhearted or lame." Hisako added wryly, "You won't need to kick his ass."
"I'll be the judge of that." Taiga said as she looked up with red eyes to find Ryuuji handing her the music. Snatching the stapled sheets, she immediately started reading through the lyrics.
The room was quiet while they watched Taiga read. It was a little too quiet. Even though her hair obscured her face, they could hear the pat pat pat sound of her tears hitting the pages as she read.
Ami was half convinced that Taiga would hate it on principle. Either that, or she would say that she hated it even if she liked it. But she soon realized how wrong she was, when she saw the trembling of the small hands turning the page. When she got to the last page, her hand with the music sheets dropped and her shoulders shook uncontrollably.
Yasuko pulled Taiga in closer and let the diminutive girl cry into her shoulder. Over Taiga's head, she gave the rest of them a meaningful look. In seconds they had all decided it would be a good time to see if there was anything interesting in the kitchen.
"Ya… Ya-chan…" Taiga half whispered after several minutes.
"We're the only ones left in the room." Yasuko quietly answered the unasked question while she patted Taiga's head.
"Um… I…" Taiga struggled to get the words out past her emotion constricted throat.
"Did you read it through, all the way to the end?" Yasuko could tell how much little Taiga was struggling and decided to help however she could.
"Yeah. It…" she was almost able to make two sentences but the words she had just read were mixing with the raw memories too much.
"It was good, right? But… was it good enough?" Yasuko asked.
"Huh?" Taiga looked up at the compassionate blond with red and wet eyes.
"Was it good enough for Midnight Star? If it wasn't, I'll tell Ryu-chan to throw it away and try again." Yasuko said earnestly.
"Thanks, Ya-chan. But no… don't do that." Taiga put her head back down again and struggled to get her feelings out once again, "I want to sing that song… for him."
.
Thursday late morning, July 21st - Waseda University
Summer break had started a few days before on Sea Day, but the athletic arena was a busy place even so. In fact, all of the sports practice areas at the university were busy and would be for several weeks. Waseda's academic program may not be as famous as the world renown Todai, but it's athletic program was unrivaled. Many of Japan's top athletes were alumni of Waseda and the current generation of students were showing their dedication to continue that honor.
Fortunately, the athletic arena was quite large and able to accommodate the many clubs that wanted to practice their arts. Unlike the relatively quiet environment at the cloverleaf of baseball diamonds, the enclosed arena was full of the sounds of impacts and shouts. The center of the arena had been masked off in a grid of several dozen hashi, or practice areas, and many training sessions were in progress.
Among them, a particular diminutive girl was facing off against a much larger opponent in one of the many Kendo hashi. Of course, at Taiga's size, there really wasn't an option but to have her face off against larger opponents.
Minori approached the edge of the practice space and quietly watched. Wanting to catch some of her friend's practice, she had rushed to the arena after her baseball drills and was almost out of breath. Her short pink hair was still damp from the quick shower she grabbed before dashing over, and the cold air from the overhead vents was giving her a slight chill.
"Hey Miko!" a voice called out from nearby.
Minori turned in time to catch a towel in her face. She quickly pulled it down but saw that it hadn't been meant as any kind of insult.
"You'll get sick if you run around with wet hair in here." a rugged looking boy called out.
"Yeah, thanks senpai." Minori gave a light laugh while using the towel on her head. A lot of Taiga's teammates knew who she was since she came to visit so often, but they still called her 'Miko' after the time she showed up dressed as a Shrine Maiden when Taiga fought her battle for Second Dan.
That wasn't the kind of battle that was taking place right now though. Taiga had asked for a number of opponents that would be about the same size as Sumire-san… and the coach had delivered. At the moment both contestants were kneeling for the pre-match inspection, so Minori took the opportunity to dry off a bit more. While she tousled her pink hair under the towel, Minori noticed some movement on the opposite side of the hashi.
A group of boys in fancy high school uniforms were gathered and seemed to be taking an interest in Taiga. It wasn't terribly unusual for high school students to be seen on the campus during the summer, so their presence wouldn't normally draw any attention.
However, Minori took a greater interest in them when she noticed one of them point at Taiga and say something to the others. They didn't seem to be making any insults or snide remarks, and their uniforms were from one of the more prestigious academies in Tokyo, so Minori decided to casually move to the other side and see what they were up to.
"Ah, Kushieda-senpai." the boy who had pointed at Taiga, unexpectedly called her name then bowed.
Immediately, the others in his group also bowed as well. All of these boys seemed well groomed and equally well mannered, but the boy that was speaking to her seemed eerily familiar.
"How… do you know me?" Minori replied suspiciously. Their quick recognition of her had been surprising, especially when she had been planning on sneaking up on them and listening to what they were saying about her friend.
"I recognized you from the description." the boy replied.
"Description?" Minori prompted.
"Attractive. A little taller than most girls. Athletic build. Pink hair. Small breasts." the boy responded as if giving a report to a ranking officer.
Minori gritted her teeth a bit at the last part. She would have chosen 'modest' instead of 'small' but she couldn't argue that the rest of the descriptive it had been spot on for her.
"Haro!" another boy slapped the first one on the back of the head and snarled, "That last part was not nice!"
"But she does have pink hair." Haro replied defensively.
"No, I meant about the small breasts." the second boy insisted.
"That part is true too, isn't it?" Haro asked.
"Well yeah, but it isn't nice to identify her by her small breasts. You know?" the second boy tried to explain.
"I don't think they're so small." a third boy commented.
"You think they're big?" Haro asked with surprise.
"No, certainly not big. But I wouldn't say they were too small." the third boy clarified.
"I didn't say they were too small. Just small." Haro pointed out.
"Hmm…" the third boy seemed to be considering that option.
"Would you agree that they are smaller than average?" the second boy asked the third.
"Smaller than average?" the third boy repeated and all three of the boys turned to look at Minori's chest.
"Hey!" Minori folded her arms over her chest and demanded, "Could we all stop talking about my breasts! What are you boys up to, anyway?"
"We're not up to anything, senpai. My grandmother told me that it might be interesting to watch Aisaka Taiga's practice session." Haro replied honestly.
"Your grandmother? Who are you?" Minori suddenly had an idea why this boy looked a little familiar.
"I am Hisamitsu Haro and these are my friends from school. Um… high school. We're second years. I promise we aren't up to anything… indecent." Haro seemed genuinely concerned that Minori might be upset with him.
"It's okay, I believe you." Minori said as she relaxed and approached the group of boys.
"You do?" the second boy had thought that his friend's explanation was a bit simple and was shocked that anyone would accept it.
"Yes." Minori replied to the second boy then turned to Haro and told him, "I know Obāsama."
"You… you do?" the boy was shocked. Even his friends seemed quite surprised.
"You've met the Hisamitsu matriarch?" the second boy asked incredulously.
"Yes." Minori wondered why they were acting shocked and doubtful so she added, "Taiga and I stayed at her estate in Tokushima not too long ago."
Doubt was gone but the boys were now stunned beyond words.
"What… what was it like?" Haro asked in an awed voice.
"You've never been there?" Minori now sounded surprised.
"My mother… is afraid to go there. She won't go anywhere near Shikoku." Haro sighed.
"Then… you've never met your grandmother?" Minori asked sadly.
"Once, when I was very young. But… I don't remember it. You see, my father's business didn't do so well and… Obāsama was displeased with us." Haro's head dropped as he admitted his family's embarrassment.
"Hey, chin up." Minori's energetic and cheerful mannerisms came back as she lifted the boy's face with a finger under his chin and gave him an encouraging smile, "Obāsama may have been upset with your parents, but I don't think that means she doesn't like you."
"Really? Did she tell you that?" the boy asked hopefully.
"No. We never really talked about specific members of her family, and I haven't met any of them either… except Noto-kun and Shinako-san." Minori admitted.
"Shinako-the-executioner and Noto-sama? The one she is grooming to take over the family?" Haro asked excitedly.
"Yes… I think so." Minori knew that Noto was being prepared to become the next head of the family but she didn't know why Shinako would have such a foreboding title. "Taiga and I were in the same class with Noto in high school. I met Shinako later."
"Just a minute," the second boy had overcome his shock and wanted Minori to explain something she had said, "if you never talked about Haro-kun, how do you know his Obāsama isn't upset with him?"
"Oh that." Minori smiled and turned toward the Kendo hashi where the contest was starting to get underway. "Your Obāsama is very fond of Taiga. She wouldn't have told you about her if she didn't like you."
"See Haro, you're not on Obāsama's shit list after all." the second boy said cheerfully.
"Shhhh! You can't say shit-list in front of Kushieda-senpai!" Haro hissed.
"You're the one that told her she has small boobs." the second boy said flippantly.
"Yeah… I guess they are smaller than average." the third boy said as he looked down at Minori's chest from his height advantage.
"Will you please stop talking about my chest!" Minori folded her arms again and tried to concentrate on the Kendo match.
"Please forgive my friends," the fourth boy who had been silent until now, quietly told her, "we go to an all boys academy and they haven't yet been taught how to act around girls their age."
"You seem to understand." Minori raised an eyebrow.
"I had sisters." the boy replied simply.
"Ah." Minori let the conversation drop then because the match was in progress. She couldn't stop her mind from wondering what Obāsama was thinking though. Why would she send her grandson to watch Taiga practice? High school second years, right? Let's see… they would be three years younger than Taiga and me. Hmm… Surely this isn't Obāsama's attempt at matchmaking?
Glancing at young Haro again, Minori was reminded of Noto when he was in his second year in high school. He's a little taller, the hair is darker and shorter, and the chin is a little different, but… the eyes. They both had brown eyes, which might seem plain or unremarkable compared to Ami or Nanako, but there was something more to eyes than just a splotch of color around a dark pupil. Minori noticed these things and she could see Noto's characteristic gray swirl within the darker brown iris of Haro's eyes.
"Um… Kushieda-senpai?" Haro felt uncomfortably awkward at how intensely the college girl was staring into his eyes.
"Ah, ha ha… sorry! I was just noticing how you have the same eyes as Noto-kun." Minori stammered in embarrassment after being caught staring into the boy's eyes.
"Well… we are related." Haro shrugged.
"Um… yeah I suppose that's true." Minori tried to think of something to say that would get her away from the current awkwardness. "Would you boys like to meet Taiga? I could introduce you after she wins her match."
"You think she's gonna win against that guy?" the second boy sounded astounded. There was good reason though. Taiga's current opponent was easily twice her size.
"This isn't sumo or basketball. Mass and height aren't as important here." Minori parroted what Taiga had once told her before going into a match against a larger opponent.
"Hmm." the second boy watched to see how this contest might turn out. He didn't hold out much hope for the diminutive combatant, but he acknowledged that he was no expert at Kendo either. Glancing back at the pink haired college girl, he could see that she was completely confident though. His eyebrows raised at such a show of absolute certainty. Looking back at the contestants squaring off, he pondered aloud, "I wonder what she looks like out of all that armor?"
"I showed you a picture of her." Haro replied without turning away from the practice match.
"Oh yeah. She looks like the little sister of that idol… Aiko-chan." the second boy recalled. The comment had been innocent but he soon found himself face to face with a very displeased Kushieda-senpai.
"Whatever you do… do not… DO NOT say that to Taiga." Minori hissed at the frightened boy.
"Yes senpai!" all of the boys chorused in fear.
Minori hadn't realized how far her reaction had carried her. Haro's friend had been grabbed by his collar and necktie and his feet were now dangling several centimeters above the floor. Normally, this would have elicited a bit of fear on it's own, but at that same moment Taiga had made her strike.
"Tsuki!" the shout had come mere moments before the much larger opponent found himself hurled back by the blow to his helmet.
"Senpai," Haro said weakly, "I promise we'll be very careful!"
.
Wednesday morning, July 27th – Kano residence in Yamanakako
"Kitamura Yusaku and… Kitamura Sumire." a lone figure called out the names to the big blue sky and sunlight that was washing over her.
It had been a week since the typhoon had passed through and the weather had become unexpectedly clear for a few days. It was 'unexpected' because this was normally the rainy season for this part of Japan. But the welcome change in weather wasn't the only reason for the warmth in the room just now.
"Kitamura Yusaku and… Kitamura Sumire." Sumire couldn't stop the smile that she got from saying her future married name aloud. It felt good too, so she decided to say it again since she was alone in the room, "Kitamura Sumire. Ki-ta-mu-ra Sumire. Now announcing the Kitamuras, Yusaku and Sumire!"
"That has a good sound." Yusaku said from the doorway.
"Ah! When did you get back?" Sumire demanded after being caught doing something so embarrassingly girly. She also turned away from him so he couldn't see her blush.
"Just in time to hear you practicing your new name." Yusaku put his arms around her waist and kissed her ear from behind.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Sumire squawked as she tried to get out of his embrace.
"I'm kissing your ear." Yusaku replied the obvious but didn't let her go. Instead, he went in for another kiss on that blush-red ear.
"You can't do that!" Sumire brought her head down and raised her shoulder to protect her ear from another passionate pass.
"Oh? You don't resist this much in California." Yusaku said before darting around her ponytail and getting his lips on her other ear.
"Eek! That's not… You can't… We're not in California now!" Sumire gasped as she tried to protect one ear and then the other.
"So… it's okay in California, but it's not okay in Japan?" Yusaku asked after pausing his attack.
"That's right. That kind of intimacy is lewd… in Japan." Sumire felt a victory that she had made him pause his attack, but wondered at the empty feeling that went with it. She was about to try to get away from his embrace as well, but something occurred to her. She knew Yusaku well enough to know when he was figuring something out. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm just wondering how long it will take to properly immigrate to California." Yusaku replied calmly.
"You can't immigrate to California. It is a state, not a country." Sumire replied with something she had learned in her PoliSci class.
"The United States then." Yusaku amended.
"I don't want to leave Japan!" Sumire insisted as she stomped her foot.
"I don't see that we'll have a choice." Yusaku sighed.
"Why not?" Sumire's brows furrowed. She knew that it was not a requirement for getting into the NASA astronaut training.
"I am an expressive and passionate guy. I need to be intimate with the person I love. If it's not allowed in Japan, we'll just have to leave." Yusaku replied as if it was a completely reasonable solution.
"I didn't say it wasn't allowed. It's just that… well… nobody else does… something like that." Sumire stammered through the awkward defense.
"Ryuuji and Ami do." Yusaku replied.
"She's a performer!" Sumire rebutted. She also felt a twinge of annoyance that her boyfriend was comparing her to his gorgeous childhood friend.
"And you're going to be an astronaut. Are you saying that there is something performers can do that is too scary for an astronaut?" Yusaku challenged.
"No!" Sumire insisted. In her mind, there was no-one more courageous than an astronaut.
"Perhaps it's that performers are inherently more adventurous than astronauts?" Yusaku teased.
Sumire's face went from embarrassed pout to implacable determination. She spun around in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his back and head. "I'll show you adventurous!" Sumire challenged right before her lips locked on his and she kissed him the way lovers do in big screen movies.
Yusaku was mildly, but very pleasantly surprised. He luxuriated in the feel of her chest pushing against his. His hand reached down and grasped her firm little butt and his ears rejoiced at hearing the passionate moan that she responded with. Tongues darted and danced with each other until they both stopped to gasp and pant for air.
"I… I can do adventurous!" Sumire declared.
"Yes you can. It's something I really like about you. Everything you do, you do it passionately." Yusaku panted while he pulled her close. Speaking softly, he asked her, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Sumire replied instantly. Forgetful as she was, she would remember the important event scheduled for the 28th day of July in 2011. Not too long ago she had thought of the whole marriage thing as an artifact from the past. A construct of pre-21st century man, it was an archaic arrangement that now held questionable validity in this modern age. She had been sure that she would always feel that way… right up until she was the one getting married.
"You sound excited." Yusaku said as he moved back a bit so he could look at her face.
"I am!" Sumire responded and was about to ask if he was excited too, but there was no point when he was wearing such a big smile.
"Good. Nanako-chan will be here in an hour with the Yukatas. I can't wait to see what she has come up with." Yusaku told his fiancé.
"Do… do you think I'll look good in it?" Sumire worried.
"Of course!" he assured her, "You would look good in an old fishing net."
"Yusaku!" Sumire playfully hit his chest at the lewd compliment.
"Hmm… fishnet." Yusaku caught her hand and held it while he imagined her in a fishnet body-stocking. His smile turned hungry and he started to pull her close again.
"Down boy!" Sumire pushed him back with a sly smile, "I know what you want but Nanako-chan will be here soon, so you'll just have to wait."
.
Thursday afternoon, July 28th – Mountain Shrine in Yamanakako
All of the wedding party's yukatas were unique, but everyone agreed that Sumire's was absolutely amazing. The fabric seemed to be some kind of white and gray mottled pattern at first look, but at second glance you could see that it was a light print of the lunar surface. Thin silver and gold lines traced images of the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle and the Soyuz spacecraft, as well as several planets and constellations.
Both the mothers of the bride and groom had yukatas that were patterned in the style of a Kurotomesode. The traditional Kimono for the mothers was black with patterns only in the lower parts of the garment. Nanako had taken advantage of that arrangement to bring in more of Sumire's space theme. Galaxies and globular clusters wrapped around the legs and rose up to splash onto the long sleeve on the left side. It might seem that traditional wedding garments fused with modern themes would result in a discordant chaos, but it wasn't as bad as had been feared. Indeed, the timelessness of the ancient shrine meshed remarkably well with the lights of distant stars and the darkness of the infinite void.
The ceremony was a tasteful blend of East and West. It was performed by an old Shinto priest who was still a little shocked from all the changes that had suddenly been made to the old and nearly forgotten shrine. Well… it hadn't been changed so much as cleaned up, rebuilt, and repainted. But then, the place had been in such disrepair that it had seemed like there had been drastic changes.
Hisamitsu Construction workers, along with volunteers from the community and several representatives from the Shinto Shrine Association, had descended on the old site in the last week and the results were… stunning. The Ichi No Torii gate at the base of the stairs was repaired and wearing a new coat of vermilion paint. A new Ni No Torii mid-gate was built where the former one used to stand, and stone lanterns bracketed the long path through the sacred forest that surrounded the shrine. The Komainu guardians were cleaned up and remounted near the entrance through the rebuilt sacred fence. The Kagura dance pavilion, the purification fountain, and the administration office were all repaired. And yet all of that was nothing compared to the new condition of the Haiden and the Honden – the two main buildings of any Shinto shrine.
The dazed old priest wondered if this might all be a dream, but he was determined to be able to perform the ceremony for the young couple on that bright day. Anyone who wanted to get married so badly that they would rebuild this old shrine, deserved to have a priest come out of retirement and marry them.
When the priest called for the rings Yusaku turned to his 'best man' - Taiga, to find that she was already holding out the small velvet box to him.
"Thank you Aisaka-san. Thank you for everything." Yusaku said quietly as he took the rings from the box.
"Heh… you might be cursing me later. That chick is a real piece of work." Taiga mumbled.
"What was that?" Yusaku blinked.
"Nothing, nothing! Pay attention to your wedding." Taiga pushed him to turn back to the priest and his waiting fiancé.
After watching him rejoin the ceremony, Taiga watched the rest of the proceedings from her close vantage. She regretted her mumbled words almost immediately. She had been remembering the dictatorial Kano-senpai that acted tough and barked ludicrous orders from a megaphone. But that wasn't the same Sumire Kano that she was seeing now. This also wasn't the crumbling, pathetic, and tearful Sumire-senpai that had been soundly beaten until forced to reveal her feelings on the floor of her own classroom. No, this was a Sumire-san that Taiga had never seen before. She was happy. No, she was super-happy. The smile on Sumire's face radiated pure unadulterated joy and yet… seemed so out of place on Sumire. Until this moment, Taiga hadn't thought it would be possible for Sumire to make an expression like that.
Taiga's eyes swept out to the crowd of family and friends that had come to see the blessed union. The former teacher, who she had thought would never marry, was there with her husband. Not only that, she had a ten month old child and already had another one on the way. Noto and Maya, who used to viciously fight with each other, were in a similar boat.
Married.
Two kids already.
Another one on the way.
Taiga shook her head at the weird twists of fate and the wonder of it all. She chuckled to herself with a wry thought. I better get away from these people before I end up married and with kids all around me.
.
Ami could see Taiga's amused look and wondered what she was thinking. Just then, a cool breeze rustled the treetops and blew through the crowd of spectators. Despite it being late July, it was fairly cool this high up in the mountains and the breeze had given Ami a little chill.
Ryuuji instinctively pulled Ami a little closer and wrapped his arm around her. He looked like he was paying full attention to the wedding ceremony, but his mind was running through all the possibilities and probabilities with his wife's condition. She's eighteen weeks pregnant now, so dizzy spells, leg cramps, nosebleeds, nasal congestion, and back pain. We'll need to stop and rest several times on the way back down the mountain. I've got fish oil supplements and a bottle of water to keep her hydrated. I'll need to give her a back massage when we get home…
"Ryuuji, are you listening?" Ami asked.
"Huh, what?" Ryuuji looked around and noticed that people were getting up from their seats.
"The ceremony is over. Were you daydreaming?" Ami teased.
"Uhm, I guess so." Ryuuji said apologetically. He stood up and offered both his hands to Ami.
"I'm not that pregnant yet." Ami laughed.
"You're almost at the half-way point." Ryuuji reminded her.
"Maybe, but I'm not even showing yet." Ami countered.
"Yes… yes you are." Ryuuji knew that Ami wanted to keep her model figure as long as possible, but he was proud of her for bringing another child into their family and saw her signs of maternity as a very positive thing.
"Only a little." Ami pouted… but not too much. She also knew how Ryuuji felt about her pregnancy. Quickly changing her pout to a smile, she accepted Ryuuji's hand and elegantly rose to take his arm and stand at his side.
"Smooth." Ryuuji complimented.
"Elegant is the word you were looking for." Ami teased.
"Graceful," Ryuuji countered, "but I guess I should be used to it by now. You're always like that." Ryuuji smiled.
"Not always, and not for much longer." Ami patted her tummy and told him, "In a few months I'll be waddling again. Elegant and graceful will be a thing of the past."
"You'll get it back." Ryuuji assured her.
"How do you know?" Ami wanted to believe him.
"Two reasons." Ryuuji held up a finger and said, "You've already done it once before."
"True. What's the second reason?" Ami asked.
"Her." Ryuuji pointed over to where his mother was happily chatting with a few other guests.
"Oh… right." Ami shuddered when she remembered the postpartum exercise program that Yasuko had come up with before. Keeping up with Ryuuji's mother had been excruciating yet… effective. Very effective.
"Hey!" Taiga's insistent call out to Ryuuji interrupted Ami's painful memories, "You gotta let her go for a while."
"Why?" Ryuuji asked, though he had a good idea of Taiga's misunderstanding.
"There's some kinda ceremony where the new bride throws flowers at people." Taiga smirked. She couldn't wait to see Ami getting pelted by a bunch of flowers.
"She tosses a bouquet of flowers back over her head. And, it's only tossed to the unmarried women in the audience." Ryuuji explained.
"Huh?
"It's a Western tradition, but Japanese weddings have adopted it for a couple of decades now." Yuri explained. Then with a smile that had a slight twist of revenge, she told Taiga, "You should run over there and line up with all the other unmarried girls."
"Um… okay." Taiga wasn't all that excited about it until she noticed her best friend Minori over in the group of potential bouquet captors.
"I don't think Taiga caught on?" Ami said, after watching Taiga join the group of girls.
"Oh? To what?" Yuri asked innocently.
"I wonder?" Ami smiled back at her old sensei while they both shared the joke. Neither of them had forgotten the many barbs that Taiga had tormented the poor sensei with.
"I wonder if she understands the significance of catching the flowers?" Ryuuji asked aloud.
"Oh… this should be interesting." Ami watched with anticipation.
.
Taiga moved up next to Minori and was surprised to see that her friend had her hands firmly jammed into her pockets. "Minorin, you're not going to be able to catch anything like that."
"That's the point," Minori was explaining just as Sumire was preparing to make her throw, "whoever catches the flowers is the next to get married."
"What!" Taiga cried out just as Sumire made her throw.
It turned out that Minori wasn't the only one that wasn't ready for that kind of life changing event. The bouquet sailed very close to Deena, but she dodged and they fell right toward Taiga. The Palm Top Tiger had good reflexes too though, and swatted the flowers like she would a volleyball. The now battered flowers sailed back up and hit Deena in the face. Flustered and quite surprised, she grabbed them before they fell to the ground.
"What? WHAT!" Deena gawked at what she now held in her hand.
"Congratulations, Walker!" The Major boomed to his former assistant and trainee.
"No. But I… Wait!" Deena panicked at this strange turn.
"Deena-chan is going to get married now?" Aiko-chan asked worriedly.
"Not now, but she is supposed to be next." Yasuko explained, but noticed the little girl's worry. She quickly added, "Since you are her best friend, you'll just have to go to her wedding and be a part of it too!"
"Be a part of Deena-chan's wedding!" Aiko-chan's worry had quickly been replaced by glee and she was bouncing on her toes with excitement.
"Of course! You could sing a special song for her wedding. Or maybe you could be the flower girl and throw flower petals down in front of her. Or you could be the maid of honor and stand next to her when she says her vows."
"I… I want to do all of those things!" Aiko-chan was thoroughly excited now and turned to her big sister, "Deena-chan, Deena-chan, Deena-chan! How soon can you get married? Can you do it tomorrow? I want to sing for you! Please let me!"
Deena's shock had given way to exasperation, and now she could only laugh. In a few strides, she had moved over to where Yasuko waited with Aiko-chan. She lifted the girl up into the air and told her, "I have to fall in love first, and I haven't even done that yet. But I promise… I absolutely promise that you will be invited to my wedding!"
.
Saturday early morning, July 30th - Waseda University
"Yusaku… do you think I'm weird for wanting to do this now?" Sumire asked her new husband who was busy helping her into her padded Kendo armor. Even she had been aware that it wasn't common to get wrapped up in a Kendo match just a few days after getting married. And yet, here she was… doing just that.
"Not at all." Kitamura quickly replied while he watched her tie off the tare that would protect her waist, hips, and thighs with cotton and leather. Better materials would make for much better armor, but this was part of the tradition of Kendo.
"That can't be the truth. Come on, be honest with me." There was more to this than just validating her feelings. A thought had occurred to her that she might be a bad wife for wasting some of their honeymoon on this rematch. Even so, she asked the question as she reached for the next piece of armor.
"I am being honest, but maybe your question needs clarification." Yusaku replied while he handed her the dō that would protect her abdomen and chest. "Do you mean to ask me if it is weird in general, or are you asking me if I think it is weird for you personally. In general, I would have to say that it is weird."
"Eh?" Sumire was surprised at his candor, but couldn't press him since he continued his thoughts with very little pause.
"Normal people do ordinary things. But you are neither normal nor ordinary. A normal person would not try so hard to become an astronaut, right? The kind of person that would work towards such a destiny could never be satisfied with the ordinary. That is one of the things I like about you the most. Everything you do is extraordinary because you… are extraordinary."
"Right!" Sumire stood up encased in her Kendo regalia with her confidence fully restored. "Yusaku… I can always count on you to lift me back up when I have silly doubts. No matter what is bothering me, you always know what to say. So you… you are extraordinary too. Never forget that."
"Yes senpai." Kitamura smiled at the return of his wife's bravado. He knew that she would need it soon. She had more mass and height than her opponent, but those wouldn't be advantages for her. Indeed, it only stood to reason that Taiga would be quite practiced in taking down larger opponents since all of her opponents would be larger than her. But these thoughts he would keep to himself.
.
The arena was full. Minori entered with Taiga and was shocked at how many people had turned out for something that was technically just a practice match. There was nothing official about the battle that was about to happen, and yet even the school seemed to think otherwise. The portable bleachers had been brought out and the college's top coaches were there to function as the shinpan and fukushin, or referees. Members of the broadcasting club were manning the cameras and the big screens were ready to replay the key events in very slow motion.
The shiai-jō, or court where the battle would take place, was meticulously well lit – probably out of necessity for the slow motion cameras. Members of the school's kendo club were amongst the vast audience to answer any questions that newcomers might have about the match. But it was the audience itself that amazed Minori the most.
"Who are…" all these people? She was about to ask when she caught sight of a sea of familiar high school uniforms. No, not the uniforms of the school where she and Taiga had graduated from, but a boys high school with a certain Hisamitsu Haro who was waving madly at her. She could also see many members of her baseball team and other students that she and Taiga both knew.
"Oh look, there is Ryuuji's group." Taiga was glancing off to her left.
Minori followed her gaze and saw many of her old high school friends as well as several members from the Hisamitsu clan. Sitting nearby were Kitamura's and Sumire's families. She wondered why until she remembered that Kitamura and Ami had been childhood friends.
"My… my mom is here?" Taiga gasped. Even through the vision obscuring grille of her helmet, she could see her mother, step-father, and a few of their family friends that she had met in the year that she had lived with them. "It's like everyone I ever knew is here. What the hell is going on?"
"Everyone…" Minori scanned all the bleachers before she could be certain, but her suspicion had predictably been correct. I'm sorry, Taiga. Everyone is here… except your father. Not wanting Taiga to make that observation before her match, Minori quickly changed the dialogue with her usual bubbly energy, "Hey, who cares if there's a crowd? You're all ready to win this, right?"
"Right!" Taiga growled in anticipation of defeating that foolish senpai. The 'apology' note she had been forced to write back then hadn't been enough. Not nearly enough. Realizing she was a bit too hyped, she took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. It wouldn't do any good to get too worked up in a Kendo match, where something as common as a fist-pump could be seen as unsportsmanlike conduct and cost you a point. No way I'll screw up like that. I'm going in there clean and cool. Just you wait and see!
.
"I would have thought Yusaku would be here with you now?" Ami commented while she watched the pre-match formalities. Instead of coming up into the bleachers to be with his old friend, Kitamura remained at the border of the court.
"I may have been his friend in high school, but Kano-senpai… Sumire-san is his wife now." Ryuuji replied sagely. It had occurred to him to call Kitamura to join him, but he had immediately thought of how Ami would react to him running off to be with his friends just when she needed his support the most. It wasn't a scenario he ever wanted to experience.
"Fair point." Ami agreed after considering similar events. "Still, I wonder…"
"Hmm?" Ryuuji asked but his attention was really on the court now. The two contestants had passed their initial appraisal and were moving into kamae, or the ready position, to begin the contest for the first of three possible points.
Ami was glad for the distraction. She had been thinking about how Kitamura had deserted Ryuuji during his dark depression. Just when a good friend could have made a difference, he left. And he didn't just leave his friend. He left his school and even his country to chase after the girl of his dreams. Ami had been deeply conflicted about that, and still was. On the one hand, it was very romantic the way he stopped at nothing to win over his true love. But throwing away Ryuuji had been an unacceptable price. A loud cracking noise filled the stadium and Ami looked down to see white flags being held aloft by the referees. But wait? Taiga should be the red flag.
All eyes went up to the suspended monitors to watch the slow motion replay of how the point had been scored. The judges had been right and the video clearly showed Sumire's shinai striking the top of Taiga's helmet.
"HAAAA!" a victorious howl echoed off the walls of the stadium and everyone looked back down from the monitors to see Sumire expressing her delight at scoring the first blow. Her high spirits were short lived when she saw the referees holding her white flag at a down angle. She looked over at Kitamura but he had his hand over his face and was shaking his head. "What?"
In the stands, many of the audience members were curious too. Members of the college's kendo club were explaining to the rest of the crowd while Ryuuji told the few around him. But down on the court, it was Kitamura that had to explain it to his wife.
"You are a half point behind Taiga now." he told her quietly.
"What? But she never hit me!" Sumire balked.
"This sport isn't like pro wrestling or American football. I told you about this before… posturing, taunting, gestures, and victory shouts are all considered disgraceful in Kendo. Your actions, and following the rules are just as important as your martial skill. You were deducted a half point for the gesture and another half point for the shout."
"Ergh…" Sumire wanted to complain but it was true that Kitamura had warned her about this. Dammit dammit dammit! To think that my advantage was neutralized by… huh? "Waitaminute… you said I was a half point behind Taiga, but that was just two half points. How..."
"You also got a half point penalty for not calling 'men' before hitting Taiga on the head. Just like billiards, you have to call your shot here." Kitamura reminded her.
"But… I did call it." Sumire insisted.
"I couldn't hear it. This arena is much larger than the place where we were training. You'll have to be much louder here." Kitamura shrugged.
"Dammit!" Sumire cursed, but did it quietly so she wouldn't get penalized another half point. I did call out, I did! But… I guess it wasn't loud enough. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and told Kitamura, "It won't happen again."
"Great, now get out there and do your best." her husband encouraged her.
.
Up in the stands, everyone watched the two contestants moving back into position to continue the match. Some still had some questions but they were whispering them quietly now.
"Is that tall person that hit nee-chan a bad person?" Aiko-chan whispered to Ryuuji.
"No, she's not." Ryuuji liked the way Aiko-chan had bonded with Taiga, but it wouldn't be fair to let her think that Sumire was a bad person.
"But… she cheated, didn't she?"
"It's not cheating. She just made some mistakes." Ami explained to the young girl, "Remember, she hasn't been doing this long. We all make mistakes when we start something new, right?"
"I guess so." Aiko-chan pouted a little. She desperately wanted to think of Taiga's enemy as a 'bad person' but the adults around her didn't think so. Even Deena-chan wasn't joining her in condemning the tall girl. Like the others, she was quietly focusing on the match. Aiko-chan turned back to the match as well and silently hoped her nee-chan would teach that tall girl a lesson… even if she wasn't a bad person.
The match started and there was an immediate shout. This time it was Taiga's voice.
.
"Tsuki!" Taiga lunged to the side even as she shouted the call.
"Wha?" Sumire was shocked. Calling the strike was usually done a moment before, or even as the impact was made. To call the strike before she had even crossed into sword range was ridiculous. Then again, Sumire hadn't seen the match where Taiga had brought down the giant either. Whether she thought it was ridiculous or not, she moved into the appropriate defensive stance. Since Taiga had moved to the side, it was likely that she would try for a slashing attack to the throat to complete the 'tsuki' that she had called.
Taiga's footwork was perfect. In moments she had closed the distance and the sideways movement had kept the taller opponent in a defensive stance. She held her shinai as if preparing for a slash, but Sumire had moved into the perfect stance to block a slash to the throat so that attack would be impossible.
Got you! Taiga smiled to herself as she committed herself to the move she had practiced.
Sumire couldn't believe how fast Taiga was moving. Her footwork had become a blur and her grip on her shinai… Oh no! Too late, Sumire saw the change in the grip and the stance as Taiga was suddenly in front and practically under her. Sumire's shinai was still in the position to block a slash and could do nothing to hinder the sudden thrust toward her throat.
The armor crashed up and into Sumire's neck and head, but it did it's job of protecting her from any real harm. With the helmet suddenly dislodged and the impact sending her body back, she was unable to keep her balance and crashed to the ground.
Taiga's motion carried her through the attack and into a defensive stance even before Sumire finished falling to the floor.
.
"She won, right?" Aiko-chan wanted to run down to the court to congratulate her nee-chan, but everyone was watching the slow motion recap of Taiga's victory. Not wanting to wait, she hopped down the bleacher steps on her own and ran up to the older but shorter version of herself. Unable to restrain her excitement any longer, she called out "Nee-chan! Nee-chan!"
"Hey, watch out, I'm still wearing my armor!" Taiga warned the young girl that was suddenly hugging her. Turning to her friend, she made a plea for help with the overly excited girl, "Minorin!"
"Uh uh," Minori took the shinai and helmet from Taiga but wouldn't help with the clinging girl, "there's no way I'm coming between you and your biggest fan."
"Minorin!" Taiga's voice moved from plea to desperation at the sudden betrayal.
"Hey, isn't that Aiko-chan… the idol?" a few voices started to ask.
"Huh? Is the Kendo girl her sister?"
"Aiko-chan's sister goes to this college?"
"No way. It must be just a coincidence, right?"
"Nee-chan, you won! So… uh… if you're done with your fight, can we go sing now? Please, nee-chan?" the pleading girl's face was full of hope.
"Er…" Taiga glared up at Ami who was still coming down the steps of the bleachers. It's no fair sending a child to do your dirty work! Taiga wanted to yell, but the look on Ami's face told her that she had nothing to do with this. Her tsundere instincts wanted to deny the request or at least make Aiko-chan feel guilty for even asking… but she's just a child. It wouldn't be right…. I guess. The tsundere reflex withered and curiosity took its place. "Aiko-chan, do you really want to sing with me?"
"Yes!" Aiko-chan answered brightly.
"Why?" Taiga had heard everything they had said about the one song that they wanted her to participate in. But the young girl's enthusiasm seemed bigger than that.
"I saw the video of you singing with Ami-senpai. You were both so pretty and you sounded so good. I want to do that too." Aiko-chan replied.
"But you sing with Ami-chan all the time." Taiga countered.
"Yeah, I guess. But with you… it would be like I'm singing with my big sister… nee-chan."
"Nee-chan…" Taiga repeated. She had heard the young girl calling her that for a while, but hadn't realized it meant more to Aiko-chan than just an honorary title.
"Is it no good? Do you not want me to call you nee-chan?" Aiko-chan sounded crestfallen.
No! I mean yes? Stop!" Taiga took Aiko-chan's hands and told her, "You can call me nee-chan all you want."
"I can!" Aiko-chan's momentary sullen mood was completely dispelled and she was excited again, but it was nothing compared to the thrill Taiga's next words would give her.
"And Aiko-chan, as soon as I get out of this armor… let's go sing."
.
Glossary
Haiden: worship hall of a Shinto shrine.
Honden: the sacred building for the enshrined deity.
Kagura dance pavilion: a roofed stage where shrine maidens would perform a ritual dance.
Komainu guardians: the stone lion-dogs that guard the entrance of a Japanese shrine.
Koraimon: a more complex entry gate originally designed for castle defense, but was later installed for it's ornate features.
Nee-sama, nee-san, nee-chan: Elder sister (in very polite, normal, and familiar modes)
Onee-sama, onee-san, onee-chan: Eldest sister (in very polite, normal, and familiar modes)
Shinai: a bamboo sword used in kendo.