The day had arrived; the sakura were in full bloom. As such, when I went out to Yuki's home. Knowing the path, it took me far less time. My speed was something to be commended, I am not ashamed to admit.
I was in a pink kimono, one with a white sash. My hair was in a bun, but it was not really tight. I was hoping to let it down when we started walking; it's about waist-length when it flows on its own.
As I came up to his house, I stopped and took off my shoes. I smiled and my face felt warm once more. I hesitated for a moment. I felt scared.
Scared?
I shakily exhaled and walked inside.
"Yuki-san! I'm here to go see the cherry blossoms!" I announced. I turned the corner, into the kitchen. "Yuki? . . ."
There I saw an embrace, one between Yuki and Kagura.
My jaw dropped a few centimeters before I regained my composure.
Hearing me enter, Yuki turned his head towards me.
"Ah! . . . Sorry about that, this is a little private. Pardon me."
"W-well, it's alright; it's not like I have a problem or anything."
"Alright. Well, then, shall we be heading off?"
"Yes, that'd be nice." I smirked at Kagura. Her black eyes widened ever so slightly.
We were almost to the best path, one where you could travel along the side of the mountain under the cherry trees.
"I bet they'll be beautiful," he commented.
"Yeah, well, I've seen them from my house, but I've never gone out to see them."
"Really? Well, this should be fun for you, ne? Right?"
"Yes, it should be." My shoulders shook a little while I said that. "Um, hold on."
"What is it?" He actually sounded worried. How sweet.
"If it's at all possible, could I go to my home and get a scarf? It's a little cold, and I have a thick red one I'm rather fond of."
"Yes, please do," came the answer. "I bet you would look good in it."
"Alright. I'd better get going; I'll meet you at the start of the path not long from now!" I began to walk towards my home.
As I did, I thought back to that moment. I couldn't stop thinking about seeing Kagura and Yuki. . . . Maybe they were closer than I'd thought. Come to think of it, Kagura is her given name. In Japan, you would only refer to someone by their given name if you're very close, after all.
I would walk under the leafless trees for no certain amount of time before I was disturbed by a small sound whimpering from the bushes; the path was no more than five meters from the wall of my home. I heard a dull thud and a small whimper.
What can I say? I panicked.
Legs shooting into the ground like a caught fish escaping back into the sea, I hurried over to the source of the sound.
As the spring sun set on that day, a cherry colored mist enshrouded the world. If it had been at any other time, the receding light would have had an air of romance. The sakura viewing I had planned to have would never come.
"Asahaka nari . . . how foolish, . . ." I gagged out. It sounded more like a cough, though I suppose the idea of choking at that moment seemed like a blessing. It felt as if my long hair had morphed into a serpent, constricting the passage that life giving air was supposed to travel through.
