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Gemstone Eyes
Chapter 8
My mother fitted me into my kimono. The pattern was beautiful, I'd picked it myself, with a bright blue material and Koi fish seemingly swimming. My hair was clipped up, a feeling I wasn't used to. A red obi completed the look. I smiled at myself in the mirror. "Thank you so much! It's amazing Okasan." I said to her, bowing deeply. "My pleasure. You're a lot more excited about this festival then the later years. Perhaps your going with a boy? That Akemi seemed very nice. You remember him? He talked to us awhile ago." She asked slyly. I looked down. "No, I'm not. The fireworks are just supposed to be very good this year." I replied nonchalantly. "Oh." My mother said flatly.
I headed out half an hour later. Ren met me in the small garden. He wore a traditional gi. "You look amazing." He greeted me. I blushed slightly. "We better head down now! They're just about to start." I said. Ren nodded in agreement and we began the trips. "I can't wait for you to see it! It's really something else. All the sights and sounds are just fantastic. The festivals are one of my most favourite times of the year." I told him enthusiastically. Ren grinned. I stopped at the entryway. We had arrived.
The whole village seemed to be at the festivals. Food wafted from the stands, and the sounds of cheering and laughter could be heard everywhere. "Let's grab some dango's!" I exclaimed and grabbed his hand. We ordered two and soon swallowed them down. "Now that we have a full stomach we can play some games." I said. We took some shots at a shooting game. "Ah..no luck. Would ya like to try again?" The vendor asked. "No thanks." I refused and we continued on.
Eventually we won something. It was just a small teddy bear, but looked very cute in my eyes. "Thank you so much Ren! It's adorable!" I smiled. "Happy you like it." Ren replied. "So how are you liking the festivals?" I asked. "They're really fun. But I can't wait for the fireworks." He said. "They should start soon." I told him. He nodded. "Let's go find a place. I want to get a good spot." I said and lead him to one. "It's usually taken by this time. We hardly ever get it." I said. It was on top of a large hill, the sky clear and radiant.
"I think it's so beautiful, the stars and everything." Ren said. "Where I live, it's very busy and you usually can't see them. That's one of my favourite about Kawaga Village." He smiled, peering up. "I'm so used to being able to spot them. I guess I took their beauty for granted." I replied. A small whistle could be heard, then a brilliant spark of light. The fireworks had begun. "Look at that one! It's such a pretty colour! Oh!!!" I exclaimed. Spurges and trails of different lights faded in and out. "They really are better this year." I said. Ren watched in awe of the explosions. Their reflections showed in his eyes. His bright green, gemstone eyes....
Ren turned to me. "Sayuri..." He trailed off. "Yes Ren?" I asked him, tearing away from the fireworks. And like a lightning bolt Ren's lips were on mine. I sat there shocked, and he just about pulled away when I kissed back. We stayed like that for what seemed forever. When we finally pulled back, the fireworks had stopped. I giggled. "Right time, wrong day." I said. "We'll start our own tradition." Ren smiled. I laughed alongside him. We'd talked about how we'd cared for each other so much, even going to marriage, and learned so much. But we'd never actually kissed. And when we finally did it seemed to seal the deal. It proved that what we'd said was true.
