17 17 Passing Daydream

Worry not my lovelies I will not be dropping either of my stories. Time constraints due to other obligations at this time merely allow me to create and update chapters randomly. As things level out for my personal obligations I will begin to update on a regular basis.

As the sun began to rise, Suisei started to sing a song that her mother had taught her in the ancient fox language as she strung flowers together into a necklace and flower crown. She was rather happy this day and thoroughly excited for what the day was to hold. There were preparations being made for a grand festival that would conclude with her mother choosing a life partner and wedding as reverence to the King of Heaven. They had been allowed to live freely in the Shrine of the Moon Goddess and preside over the village for a while now and wished to be formally recognized as a part of the people of the island. As she hummed and sang she turned as she had felt as if there was someone gazing upon her. At the corner of her eye she caught the sight of a vision and saw the image of a handsome young boy and elder who were wearing paint on their faces and blankets on their bottoms. The young boy seemed to be reaching out for something. Was it her? Just as she reached out her own hand the image faded away. 'What an unusual daydream' ,she thought to herself. Picking up her flower crown and necklace she ran to find her mother.

Telling her mother what she saw, her mother smiled softly. "King of Heaven must have given you a vision of your destined mate darling." ,said Jun Luna as she winked her eye. Knowing that she was too young to worry over such things right now Jun Luna marked it in her scrolls for her daughter to read upon once she would come of age later on.

The whole village was busy putting up lanterns and paper flower strings all over. The men started to build a pagoda with a stage at the center of town. The sound of wooden hammers pounding wooden pegs had a drum like rhythm sounding through the air. The smells of all sorts of foods being cooked made even the heartiest of souls mouths water. Bo Tsu and a few other fishermen brought boats filled with fruits from the neighboring, small islands to trade during the festival and for the wedding feast. All sorts of trinkets and handmade goods were being placed on tables and mats for trade as well. The normally quiet village was steadily becoming quite lively. As noon came the hustle and bustle died down as everyone settled down to rest and eat a meal. As evening came the festivities began to take place.

Suisei and Jun Luna made their way into town from the shrine in hand sewn kimonos hand in hand. Such clothing was not common on the island, but was traditional for where Jun Luna had come from. 'A lovely sight to behold' ,thought Bo Tsu to himself. Glancing around he realized that all of the single and a few of the married menfolk were staring as well. The womenfolk looked on in a mix of envy and awe. Thinking to herself Jun Luna made a mental note to bring all of the kimonos down from the shrine that she had made and gift them to the women as an offering to them to wear for the wedding feast. This would perhaps make the ladies happy and the men take notice of the other beauties of the island. Even perhaps even end up with more marriage proposals by the end of the ceremony. Thinking this she smiled and walked to greet everyone and begin the opening of the week long festival. Looking around her heart sang at the beauty of it all. It reminded her of the Bon Festivals of her youth. She stood still on the path as her memories of Bon Odori, traditional dance, and Kagura being preformed made her eyes sparkle and small tears gathered at the corners of here eyes. Seeing this Suisei tugged her mothers sleeve and gave a worried look. Wiping her eyes with the other sleeve she chuckle and caressed her daughters cheek lightly to assure her that all was fine. They then proceeded to the stage to preform a dance as the opening event. Suisei fluttered ribbons on sticks as her mother did a dance to invoke the blessings of Heaven to insure a harmonious festival. Happiness abounded in the village as the days flew past.

The night before the final day Bo Tsu approached Jun Luna with a pot of purple and white orchids. Kneeling down he offered her the orchids and summoned all of his courage. "Jun Luna, I present these orchids to you as a gift. I have been in love with you since the moment that I pulled you from the waters. I know that I may not compare to the men from where you have come from, but my heart is pure and resolute. I will work hard to give you all that I can in this world. Would you please find it in your heart to accept me to be your partner for the remainder of our lives? The overwhelming feeling that you are my destined mate is tearing at my soul. Please if you can not accept me please let me know quickly and I will bother you no longer." With all of the hope in the world laying in his eyes and the whole village watching, he held his chest awaiting her answer no matter what it would come to be.