Sakura Mochi (LGBTQ+)

Chapter 3 - Hatchday

"Onaeni, please," I whined.

"Hush, child. You need to look good for Akira's celebration. There will be lots of important people there," my nursemaid said as he fussed over my outfit.

Looking into the mirror made me scrunch my nose. My hair, long and silky black, was tied up the way I hated it. The robes Onaeni was helping me into were heavy and far too fancy. I just wanted to shrug them off and go play until Akira showed off their dragon form.

A knock at the door caused me to turn my head. Yuki stood in her outfit, looking as beautiful as ever. She was always really pretty. She suited the fancy robes and hairstyles and I didn't. Yuki grinned when she saw how uncomfortable I looked. "Onaeni, Akira needs your help with his ceremonial robes," Yuki announced.

"Oh, that dear child," Onaeni sighed. He glanced at me, giving me a silent warning to stay still and wait for him, before leaving my room.

Yuki giggled, walking further into my room to stand in front of me. "You look so nice in fancy clothes. I don't know why you don't wear them more often."

"Because they're uncomfortable. I don't like how heavy they feel," I explained.

She shrugged. "If you say so, Bug."

We went silent for a bit before Onaeni returned. He finished getting me dressed and ready, then led us both to our parents who were waiting with Akira. Onaeni slipped away as Nobi looked at us. "You two look wonderful. Now, let's make our way to the temple."

Noni, Akira, and Yuki walked ahead, but I dragged along behind them. Parties were fun, but we couldn't party until the ritual was done, which was at the temple. The only fun part would be when Akira transformed for the first time and presented their dragon to the guests. Then, they would be presented with a mate. I always hated that part when our parents or our instructor talked about it. Dragons had destined mates, but they rarely met. Because our lifespans were so long, we often settled for pairing with someone that was matched with us by the local temple. I thought it was dumb. There was a fated match right there and all we had to do was look. But, dragons didn't leave our realm and our mates could be any creature, dragon or not. Plus, the dragon realm was vast and expansive. They were just lazy. That's what I always thought. I certainly wouldn't mind going on a journey to find my destined mate. 

"You should be smiling for your brother," Nobi spoke up softly.

I didn't realize she was walking beside me. "What's there to smile about? They're going to be busy doing adult things now," I answered.

"But, he'll still make time to play with you and Yuki. You should be happy for him. As his sibling, you should support him."

I remained silent. Nobi sighed, reaching out to offer her hand. I took it, allowing her to guide me to the temple. Maybe she didn't get it because Noni was someone she loved. They were matched, too, but they instantly fell in love.

It was a quiet walk to the temple after that. It was near our estate, but far enough away that we had to take a small trail to it from our property. Once we arrived, I could see the crowds of people outside the temple. It was shaped like a crescent moon. There was a grand entrance on the largest outer curve, and once inside there was a stretch of open hallway from one end to the other. There were a few smaller buildings attached to the temple's crescent, but the biggest part was the amphitheater. The hallway, with arches making up the inner "walls," opened up into circular, tiered seating that slowly sunk level by level. At the center was a circular pit with a large holy fire surrounded by a platform big enough to fit a dragon. That's where Akira would go, and Yuki and I when we came of age. Scattered within the general seating were small booths for nobility and other important people. We went to the one closest to the pit, but Akira didn't follow us.