Princess Shirayuki of Akigaya

Moments to Cherish

Shirayuki and Vivi marveled at the site of seeing the next town appearing beyond the hills. The red horizon glowed behind the town as the sun was beginning to set. The group was looking forward to their meal as they hurriedly made to the town. Before they crossed the bridge, Vivi landed Mino into the nearby forest and made sure he ate first and found a nice tree to rest and sleep on. Shirayuki and Vivi exited the forest to meet with the rest of the group as they together entered the town. People were still coming and going and the marketplace was still lively and busy. They were surprised on how many travelers were gathered and how many children were still running about the street.

"The dancers are here! They finally arrived!" Called one of the younger teenage girls as she held her little brother's hand and ran with him towards the town square.

"Shall we go take a look?" Asked Zen as he saw Shirayuki's eyes follow the children in curiosity.

She nodded her head in excitement.

Mitsuhide dismissed the soldiers to eat and rest as they headed first to the inn, taking the carriage and horses with them. The small group headed to the town square, allowing Shirayuki to lead the way. As the crowd grew bigger and bigger they could hear the vibrant music getting louder and clearer, local food stands began to appear, and bright festive lights decorated the area. They heard people laughing and cheering and they saw people eating and having fun.

Mitsuhide and Kiki purchased a handful of food from the local stands and shared with the rest of the group as they walked and ate. Obi along with Vivi brought some drinks and Zen along with Shirayuki purchased some local sweets. They finished munching and eating as they got closer to the center where the dancers were located, one of the performers came forward and grabbed Shirayuki's hand. She then quickly looked back and managed to hold Zen's hand and pulled him along with her. The performer took the pair to the middle of the circle with the dancers, where some of the other townspeople were encouraged to dance.

Zen immediately interlaced their fingers together and brought their hands up. "Shall we dance?"

Shirayuki laughed as they began to spin and dance, following the rhythm of the music. Even though Shirayuki didn't know how to dance that didn't stop Zen from guiding the red-hair girl with his movements. One of the performers was about to pick out Kiki from the crowd to join, but he decided to pull in another visitor as he saw her glaring eyes. Soon Vivi and Obi were pulled together into the circle as well. They unceremoniously began to dance and it was obvious that the pair didn't know what they were doing, but that did not stop Obi and Vivi from moving around with the music. Both couples were having a good time as the night progressed and the song slowly came to an end.

Zen and Shirayuki sat at a bench feeling a bit out of breath after all the dancing they did a few minutes ago. Vivi and Obi decided to buy some refreshments as they headed together back towards the food stands, as for Kiki and Mitsuhide they were heading back to the inn wanting to rest from the long journey.

Shirayuki's hand unconsciously found Zen's hand on the bench and they interlaced their fingers together. His blue eyes gazed back at the young lady with a soft smile to see her cheeks slightly flushed and her smile gracing her beautiful face.

"This was so much fun." Shirayuki spoke. "We should try doing this more often."

"I agree. Although Izana might object having parties back in the castle." Zen replied with a smirk.

Shirayuki grimaced, "I can already imagine his face looking at us threatening. I don't recall him enjoying such festivities and dancing."

Zen chuckled. "Well we can hold our own private party and you can dance as much as you like."