Grimm Fairy Tales

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Cultural Note : It\'s important to know a little about Obon for this chapter. Basically, it\'s a Japanese/Buddhist festival for honoring the dead (kinda like Halloween) that\'s held in the Summer.

“Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one\'s ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestors\' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.
Traditionally, lanterns are hung in front of houses to guide the ancestors\' spirits, Obon dances (bon odori) are performed, graves are visited and food offerings are made at house altars and temples.“ http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2286.html


Yuki had always envied Kyo. Or at least his situation. Who would ever aspire to any aspect of that idiot\'s personality? Now, as he prepared for the Obon festival at the main house, he wished, more than anything, that he did not have to go. If he could, he would happily give the cat his place at the house. He shot another worried look at Tohru. He did not want to leave her alone. Not today. Not on this particular day.

“You\'ll stay with her. Constantly.” He didn\'t look at Kyo while he said this. He knew that he didn\'t need to say it, but he couldn\'t help himself. He wondered if any of his envy, his worry, his longing, showed in his voice. Not that Kyou would recognize it. He\'d lost to Kyou in so many ways, but the cat never recognized it. It was maddening and comforting at the same time.

Kyou didn\'t even bother with a reply. Just shot him an annoyed look and walked out of the room. Probably to go find Tohru.

Yuki gazed broodingly at his fan. It was an heirloom, all of the rats had possessed it. There was always a rat, and there always would be. Performing the same steps, repeating the same role, endlessly. He shuddered and the fragile cypress sticks of the fan snapped in his grip. He stared at it for a moment, surprised at how easily the fan had broken. It was with a faint sensation of disbelief that he dropped the crushed collection of wood and paper into the waste bin.

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Tohru hummed happily as she tucked her mother\'s photograph into her obi. She had spent the day baking her mother\'s favorite dishes. It had brought back such fond memories. She kept expecting her mother to burst in at any moment, proclaiming her hunger and saying how good everything smelled. As she was cooking, she kept on seeing flashes of her mother out of the corner of her eye. She would be lounging against the counter with a crooked smile on her face, like a cat contemplating mischief or peering curiously into one of the many simmering pots and pans on the stove.

Now, it seemed like her mother\'s perfume surrounded her. If she concentrated, she could hear her gentle instructions as she explained to Tohru the proper way to wear her yukata. Tohru shivered with a sense of anticipation. She was sure of it, her mother was so close now. Closer than she\'d ever been.

At night, when she dreamed of the forest, the woman playing the koto was her mother. As the seasons progressed and lush green leaves replaced the cherry blossoms, she became more and more certain that the woman was her mother. Every night, she noticed something new. Every night in her dreams, Tohru would sit next to the woman, her hands and lips sticky with peach nectar and listening to the koto\'s haunting music in the shadowy moonlight.

She broke out of her daydreaming with a start as Kyou slammed the kitchen window closed.

“Ready to go?” He asked, his voice gruff as he glared at the window, which was now rattling in its frame.

“Yes” she smiled, feeling like she could start glowing, or walking in air, as she happily linked her arm through Kyo\'s and skipped towards the kitchen to collect the offerings for her mother.

“Hey, be more careful!” Kyou muttered, as he half-ran to keep up, closing cupboards and moving objects aside before Tohru could run into them. She\'d always been a klutz, but lately she seemed to simply not see things, as if her attention was focused on something else entirely. Something he couldn\'t see. It felt a little lonely.

“I\'m so glad that you can come!” Tohru beamed as she carefully packed up several boxes of food. “You\'ll finally be able to meet mother!”

“Yeah,” Kyou frowned at her last statement as he took the heavy boxes out of her hands. Normally she would protest, but she hadn\'t even noticed. Of course you met the dead during Obon. It was just, something about the way Tohru had said it ...

“Hana-chan and Uo-chan are waiting for us at the graveyard.” She couldn\'t hold still; she was jumping around, straightening his yukata, checking to make sure that the food containers were closed properly, flitting around like one of the bright butterflies that adorned her yukata.

“Calm down” Kyou growled, dropping one of his arms around her, and hugging her to his side, until she fell into step beside him. “If you wear yourself out now, you won\'t be able to stay awake until sunrise.”

“You\'re right.” Tohru became very still beside him. “I will DEFINITELY stay awake all night this time” she declared, pumping her arm in a gesture of determination, then eagerly running forward.

Kyou ran after her, suddenly afraid that if he let her out of his sight, she would disappear.