Convergence

Part 1: chapter 7

The Aoi Matsuri procession had just begun.

At the very front rode the Norijiri, the horsemen who had taken part in the Kurabeuma horse race earlier that month. They were followed by a long line of high-ranking officials and court bureaucrats dressed in the style of the Heian imperial court. Next came men clad entirely in white, carrying offerings and gifts for the deities. In the centre of the procession rode the Chokushi, the imperial messenger who traditionally recited the imperial edict during the ritual. Behind him came numerous imperial guards mounted on magnificent horses. Finally, musicians and dancers marked the end of the men's procession.

Then came the women's procession.

First appeared elegant noblewomen, all dressed in a style of court attire known as kouchiki. The size of their parasols indicated their rank and position at court. Then came the jewel of the festival itself: the imperial princess and ceremonial priestess, accompanied by her ladies-in-waiting, attendants, and servants.

The crowd burst into applause the moment the priestess's palanquin came into view.

Utahime was utterly bewildered.

Fortunately, no one could possibly recognise her beneath the heavy layer of white make-up on her face. Never in her life had she been the centre of so much attention.

She smiled as sweetly as she could at the hundreds of spectators, some of whom had come from the far corners of the world.

The parade attracted both Japanese visitors and foreign tourists alike.

Among the crowd, Utahime occasionally glimpsed curses clinging to people's shoulders, arms, or heads, but she did not allow anything to disturb the serene expression on her face.

There was, however, one person among the spectators whose cursed energy unsettled her.

It belonged to a young woman with very short black hair. There was a scar - or perhaps a tattoo - across her forehead. She was accompanied by a fair-haired man wearing glasses, and the two of them were holding hands, looking entirely besotted with one another.

Utahime did not know how to explain it, but the black-haired woman's aura felt strange.

Disturbing.

It was as though another person's cursed energy lived inside her.

The procession then passed through the first torii, then a second, and finally a third. It continued along a peaceful path leading to the entrance of Kamigamo Shrine.

When the procession came to a halt, the attendants helped Utahime down from her palanquin.

The moment her feet touched the ground, several tourists approached her politely, asking whether they might take a photograph with her.

Utahime felt intensely uncomfortable.

In a shy voice, she agreed and asked them to come closer so that the shrine gate could be seen behind them.

Soon afterwards, a group of little girls dressed in brightly coloured kimono took her gently by the hands and led her inside the shrine.

Outside, the crowd remained noisy and restless, eager for a glimpse into the sacred precinct that was forbidden to them.

Inside, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

Stillness.

Solemnity.

The contrast struck Utahime immediately.

The girls in kimono guided her towards the innermost, most sacred building of the shrine - the area reserved for the deities.