A New Year
The celebrations lasted throughout the night with throngs of people coming and going through the temple grounds. Rei often found New Years Eve to be the most exhausting night of the entire year, but the hopeful faces that passed through made it all worthwhile in the end. The temple bell had been rung hours ago now and soon the sun would be rising. Makoto had helped to prepare a dinner for the all of them so that they could celebrate the New Year together before the nights activities begun. They had all indulged in too much sake, but tradition was tradition - at least that’s what Minako insisted as she convinced Ami to join her in sharing a bottle.
On the horizon the first signs of the sun’s rays could be seen and secretly Rei was glad that the new year would begin. Each year brought her closer to her destiny and it was only then that she would be able to start living again, when she no longer knew what each day would bring. Was she really as old as she felt at that moment?
Paper lanterns had been hung all over the temple grounds to help illuminate the paths. Now that the sun was starting to rise the brilliance of the flames was beginning to diminish. She paused and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the cool air against her skin. Silence had settled over the grounds as everyone had finally drifted inside to sleep.
A gentle humming could be heard from nearby and Rei slowly opened her eyes, wondering who would be showing up to the shrine at this hour of the night - or rather morning. She walked towards the melodious sound to find Minako dancing and twirling with her eyes closed, her hands held up as if one hand rested on a partner’s shoulder while the other was grasped in an imaginary hand. The blonde twirled in time, her loose dress swirling around her knees with each step.
Rei stood behind a tree and watched as her friend danced this carefree waltz, careful not to make a noise lest she ruin this perfect moment.
“Do you know who her partner is?” a masculine voice whispered in Rei’s ear.
“No, I don’t,” she whispered back, her eyes remaining focused in front of her.
“I think you do,” the voice insisted.
“How could I know?” Rei asked. “With all the otoso she drank tonight she may think she’s dancing with the emperor.”
A chuckle echoed faintly in her ear as a cool breeze settled over her shoulders. “Look at the way her hands are placed as if she’s dancing with someone that much taller than her. If it was no one in particular don’t you think her hands would be at her own height where she’d be more comfortable?” Rei held her breath waiting for him to continue. “She’s danced this dance before. We’ve danced this dance before.”
Rei could feel the moisture forming in her eyes and she shuddered at the chill passing down her spine. “Why do you haunt me?”
“Why won’t you let me go?” he countered.
“I’ve prayed to the fire for release,” she said softly. Could he even hear her? Of course he could, she chided herself, he always did. “Yet you come back to me every New Year’s day.”
“I think we both know the answer to that.” Was he trying to comfort her or punish her? “She does this every year you know.” Rei didn’t need to look at him to know he was gesturing to the twirling blonde. “This may be the first time you’ve seen her, but it’s not the first time she’s done this. She prays for his return but you pray for me to disappear.”
“Because I can’t have you,” she answered, a tear slipping down her cheek.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re dead.” She closed her eyes and placed both palms against the rough bark of the tree, trying to stop the flow building up behind her eyes as the chilled air blew past her.
“No, Rei,” a new voice said, a soft hand coming to rest over one of hers. “Not dead.”
Rei opened her eyes to find Minako smiling at her softly from the other side of the tree’s trunk. “I didn’t mean to intrude…” Rei quickly offered, a firm look passing over her features as she tried to hide her sadness.
“You know,” Minako said, pulling Rei from behind the tree and under the string of lanterns hanging overhead, “every year brings us one year closer to the future.” She pulled Rei close to her, placing her left hand on Rei’s shoulder, and grasping the raven haired girl’s left hand in her right. Before Rei realized what her friend was doing she was swept up in Minako’s waltz, her feet swiftly moving into the familiar steps from long ago. “Just because we saw one day of the future doesn’t mean that we know the future.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Every year at this time I see him.”
“But I’ve never seen him.”
“That’s because you never opened your eyes.” Rei looked at her wide-eyed. “They come to us every New Year’s day to remind us that one day they will return.”
“You truly believe that?” Rei asked hopefully.
Minako smiled and started humming again, moving quickly as she twirled Rei under her arm. “He has many White Days’ to make up for. I’m not letting him off so easily,” she said with all seriousness in her face.
Rei couldn’t help but to roll her eyes as her leader was quickly replaced with her friend. This would be a good year, Rei thought to herself as the sun began to show over the horizon.
On the horizon the first signs of the sun’s rays could be seen and secretly Rei was glad that the new year would begin. Each year brought her closer to her destiny and it was only then that she would be able to start living again, when she no longer knew what each day would bring. Was she really as old as she felt at that moment?
Paper lanterns had been hung all over the temple grounds to help illuminate the paths. Now that the sun was starting to rise the brilliance of the flames was beginning to diminish. She paused and closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of the cool air against her skin. Silence had settled over the grounds as everyone had finally drifted inside to sleep.
A gentle humming could be heard from nearby and Rei slowly opened her eyes, wondering who would be showing up to the shrine at this hour of the night - or rather morning. She walked towards the melodious sound to find Minako dancing and twirling with her eyes closed, her hands held up as if one hand rested on a partner’s shoulder while the other was grasped in an imaginary hand. The blonde twirled in time, her loose dress swirling around her knees with each step.
Rei stood behind a tree and watched as her friend danced this carefree waltz, careful not to make a noise lest she ruin this perfect moment.
“Do you know who her partner is?” a masculine voice whispered in Rei’s ear.
“No, I don’t,” she whispered back, her eyes remaining focused in front of her.
“I think you do,” the voice insisted.
“How could I know?” Rei asked. “With all the otoso she drank tonight she may think she’s dancing with the emperor.”
A chuckle echoed faintly in her ear as a cool breeze settled over her shoulders. “Look at the way her hands are placed as if she’s dancing with someone that much taller than her. If it was no one in particular don’t you think her hands would be at her own height where she’d be more comfortable?” Rei held her breath waiting for him to continue. “She’s danced this dance before. We’ve danced this dance before.”
Rei could feel the moisture forming in her eyes and she shuddered at the chill passing down her spine. “Why do you haunt me?”
“Why won’t you let me go?” he countered.
“I’ve prayed to the fire for release,” she said softly. Could he even hear her? Of course he could, she chided herself, he always did. “Yet you come back to me every New Year’s day.”
“I think we both know the answer to that.” Was he trying to comfort her or punish her? “She does this every year you know.” Rei didn’t need to look at him to know he was gesturing to the twirling blonde. “This may be the first time you’ve seen her, but it’s not the first time she’s done this. She prays for his return but you pray for me to disappear.”
“Because I can’t have you,” she answered, a tear slipping down her cheek.
“Why not?”
“Because you’re dead.” She closed her eyes and placed both palms against the rough bark of the tree, trying to stop the flow building up behind her eyes as the chilled air blew past her.
“No, Rei,” a new voice said, a soft hand coming to rest over one of hers. “Not dead.”
Rei opened her eyes to find Minako smiling at her softly from the other side of the tree’s trunk. “I didn’t mean to intrude…” Rei quickly offered, a firm look passing over her features as she tried to hide her sadness.
“You know,” Minako said, pulling Rei from behind the tree and under the string of lanterns hanging overhead, “every year brings us one year closer to the future.” She pulled Rei close to her, placing her left hand on Rei’s shoulder, and grasping the raven haired girl’s left hand in her right. Before Rei realized what her friend was doing she was swept up in Minako’s waltz, her feet swiftly moving into the familiar steps from long ago. “Just because we saw one day of the future doesn’t mean that we know the future.”
“Does he talk to you?”
“Every year at this time I see him.”
“But I’ve never seen him.”
“That’s because you never opened your eyes.” Rei looked at her wide-eyed. “They come to us every New Year’s day to remind us that one day they will return.”
“You truly believe that?” Rei asked hopefully.
Minako smiled and started humming again, moving quickly as she twirled Rei under her arm. “He has many White Days’ to make up for. I’m not letting him off so easily,” she said with all seriousness in her face.
Rei couldn’t help but to roll her eyes as her leader was quickly replaced with her friend. This would be a good year, Rei thought to herself as the sun began to show over the horizon.