The Tale of a Century \\ SoraMafu

>> Fourteen <<

"Are you done?"

A muffled "yes" came from the other side of the door. Soraru turned the doorknob and peeked in. What he saw almost made him fall over. Mafu was standing in the middle of the room with the kimono on. It fit his form perfectly, stuck to the slight curve of his body. In Soraru's eyes, he looked stunning.

"Does... it look okay?" Mafu asked timidly, turning slightly. Soraru gulped and thought, Damn it Mafu, stop acting so innocent.

He wanted to say he looked better than anyone else on the planet, that his seductiveness could break the resolve of any man. As that would come off too straightforward and probably scare the poor boy, all Soraru said was "You look great."

Mafu nodded, "We should go. Amatsuki-san should be here soon."

Soraru snapped out of his daze. "Oh, yeah," he said. "Let's go."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Soraru's mom poked her head out of the kitchen. "I hope you boys are wearing something under those kimonos," she said. "It's cold outside."

"Don't worry. We are," Soraru replied. Just then, there was a firm knock on the door. He unlocked the door and opened it a crack. The first thing Soraru saw was Amatsuki's cinnamon colored hair. Soraru opened the door wider. "Amatsuki," he greeted.

"Soraru, Mafumafu-kun," he nodded in reply.

With a little more nagging by Soraru's mother and some small talk, the three set off towards the direction of the festival. It wasn't a long walk, but the weather was freezing. The layers and kimonos made it easier to bear, though. Mafu didn't talk much, but he watched as Soraru and Amatsuki bickered back and forth.

"We do the Hatsumōde last," Amatsuki said, then he looked up at the sky. "When we get there it'll already be dark, so try not to lose each other. Especially you, Mafumafu-kun."

Mafu nodded.

The sky was dyed black with little pinpricks of white dotted across the vast expanse. As they neared the festival site, Mafu saw an abundance of light and food stands and others of the like. Amatsuki stretched his arms. "What do you want to do first?" he asked.

"We can do the omikuji," Soraru suggested.

"Yeah, that would be fun," Amatsuki replied, then turned to Mafu. "Time to know your fortune."

|*|*|

Soraru stared down at the words written on his strip of paper. He sighed. "What'd you get, Mafumafu-kun?" he heard Amatsuki ask.

"Future blessing," came Mafu's soft voice.

"I got Blessing," Amatsuki held up his strip. "What about you Soraru?"

"Um..." Soraru clutched the paper in his hand. "I got..."

His eyes wandered around the crowds of people. He saw a familiar face among the throng of people and froze, eyes widening. "I-I'm sorry," he said. "Can you go on without me for a minute?" Then, before hearing the two other boys' reply, he took off running.

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Omikuji: Paper fortunes that are drawn. Unlike fortune cookies, there are curse fortunes.