The crowded yelled in delight; the Tamaya waited for a contest, so they took great care at preparing the best performance of their history. Now, with the challengers gone, their magic dominated the skies.
Sesshomaru and his family, along with Kumari, had taken a place on the top of the hill, from where they had a full view of the party. The bear demon looked at fireworks, dazzled. If only their parents were there to share that moment…
“Sir, can I go too?” Soji’s voice brought him back to reality. He pointed at a group of children having fun with one the fox demons, which started small, noisy rockets for them to chase.
“Sure, have fun.”
He gently messed the boy’s hair before he left. Suddenly, a strange, familiar feeling reached him; the fireworks, the children’ game, his gesture towards Soji… Everything resembled so much the dream he had at the previous night.
“Wow, that brings back memories…” Yume sighed, standing by his side.
“My lady?”
“I’m just remebering the last time we watched the fireworks. The kids were playing the same game.” She laughed as the details flowed back to her mind. “You may not recall it, you were too small… But you helped Sazume get one of these rockets and it…”
“Blew up right at my face. I remember. ” He couldn’t believe it yet. “We really were there with you. My parents and I.”
“Yes. They were so happy then...” she commented, aloof.
“My mother… What was she like, could you tell me?”
Yume was caught by surprise by the question.
“Well, she was very kind, an amazing woman. I think she didn’t usually talk much, or maybe that’s just because I do” – she laughed and looked at Kumari. “You have eyes just like hers.”
“Thank you. It’s good to hear that I have some difference from my father.”
He smiled back, and they turned their attention to the spectacle again.
“It was a nice gesture, giving her comb to Sazume. You must really like her.” The commentary made Kumari blush, and he was relieved Yume wasn’t looking at him. “Maybe you should talk to her.”
She walked away to her husband under Kumari’s intrigued look. Embarrassed, he wondered what Sazume had told her about the fight against the fire demons. He looked at the girl; she was sitting further down the hill, next to her brother. He walked there.
“Could you excuse us for a minute?” he whispered at Ichimaru’s ear.
“Yeah, sure…” he got up. “Just keep your hands were I can see them.”
“How about I punch you in the eyes?”
“Hah hah, look! You have a sense of humor... Wait, where did it go?”
“Ichi...”
“Yeah, I’m going.”
Kumari sat down by her side, but she said nothing. She seem distracted as the fireworks kept bursting in the sky.
“How’s your arm?”
“It’s fine. Mikami didn’t hurt me that much.”
He nodded, catching the hint.
“Sorry for yelling at you back there. It was not what I meant.”
She turned to him, serious.
“We both said things we regret.”
“No, you were right. It was none of my business; I shouldn’t have meddled with that.”
“So you really didn’t care?”
“I didn’t say that!” he said, louder than he would have expected, and looked away. “Sorry.”
A sequence of green and white bursts lighted the skies. She turned her eyes to the fireworks again, sad; Kumari was being honored with his family’s colors, but he didn’t notice. It wasn’t the only thing that escaped him.
“I said that without thinking”, he insisted “We were in a difficult situation back there, I was angry and frustrated.”
“I think we still are. It’s not a good time to talk about those things, don’t you think? Why don’t we just keep watching the fireworks?”
He sighed, dispirited, but agreed anyway.
