The Scarlet Letter

Sasa no wa sara-sara.
Nokiba ni yureru.
Ohoshi-sama kirakira,
kingin sunago.

Have you ever heard the story of Tanabata1?
It is a legend of two lovers who can only meet each other once in a year on Tanabata. However, if it rains on the night of Tanabata, the River in Heaven will overflows and drowned the magical bridge, and they cannot meet again until next year. This is why we hang a lot of tanzaku2 at the bamboo trees –as a wish for a clear sunny day for the lovers, as well as other secret wishes we hope to come true.
Unlike in Kanzaki, there was no firefly to be seen at Tama River. The sky was cloudy tonight, and I wonder if Kengyuh could find his way to Orihime. I looked at the park beside the river. No one seemed to care. People of all ages came in yukata3 and playing traditional games, singing and enjoying themselves. The Tamagawa Central Park was lively and full with Tanabata decorations like every other place in Japan.
I sighed as I hang a tanzaku; the only tanzaku for this year. I was dead worried about him; that was why I came here. I’d saved him once when he was in great despair and tried to end his life. Now, I had the same feeling, but maybe I was thinking too much. He would be fine in his own place, alright. But I’d posted the letter; he might be worrying about me instead. This was entirely that idiotic culprit’s fault! If that pickpocket hadn’t stolen my stuff and Ryu-kun’s address, I wouldn’t have stuck in this small town slogging for money to find him for the second time! Just wait Ryuzaki; I’ll prove to you that I’m not guilty!

***

The scarlet letter arrived early this afternoon when the Ryuzaki was just about to take his medicine. He tore the envelope frantically, read it in a glance –and clawed his way to the drawing room without a word.
The old butler; Okita raised his brows.
“He shouldn’t be that energetic with that state of health.” Keiko the maid appeared from nowhere.
“I know. I heard the sensei4.”
Then they heard him talking on the phone, sounded very formal and anxious, for about … 47 minutes. The longest talk before this was last year, with Shuichi; his best friend, and that was only for 10 minutes.
“He’d been dialling 27 different places by now.” said Keiko.
“Because of the letter, I guess.”
There was nothing special about the letter. It was not the death note the F45 always paste in the lockers of people they hate, nor the Howler6 that Petunia received from Albus Dumbledore. It was just a plain white envelope –smeared with dried blood; or just rusted iron.
“Okita-san, will you pass this for him?” She handed him a strip of poetry paper. “Maybe he ought to this time. He never writes a tanzaku, if I’m not mistaken.”
“He did once –when he first met Kusako-san.” He reminded her.
“Oh yes, I know. He was approaching her at a snail’s pace, and finally that girl went for Shuichi. What did he do? Went sulking somewhere in Fukuoka. Yes, I remember that time.” She stormed away. Why did she sound so angry suddenly? Didn’t she smell the air of Tanabata was somehow slightly fresher this year?
Ryuzaki knocked the antique vase as he hove into sight. “Okita-san, I need to go to Haijima Station.”

***

He glanced at his master (using the rear view mirror) as the Roadster stopped by a traffic light. He looked so tensed; he was sweating and breathing heavily. They found nothing at Haijima Station or the ryokan7, so Ryuzaki suggested for them to potter round Tsurugi, Suzu and Rokusei. (Was it possible to get to every place in Ishikawa in one day?!!)
“Ryu-sama, was it from Kusako-san?” Okita asked.
“No, Yuki.”
‘Okay, girl-at-school problem. I’ll collect the full version from Shuichi or Kotaro later.’ Okita said silently.
“I met her last year in Kanzaki when I went to Fukuoka. She forced me to slog along on the mountain when I was in no mood of seeing anybody. The letter was posted on July 1st saying that she’s already in Honshu.” He proceeded, which surprised the old man a lot.
“She posted it from Narita, so she’s supposed to be in Ishikawa four days ago. But she didn’t and blood was all over the letter. I’ve called all police stations and hospitals in Ishikawa but there was no good. Look at the bloodstained letter, she might be injured and she’s alone. Although she’s a typical ill-mannered village girl plus a real pest, I cannot leave her to die in this foreign place. Maybe somebody at the eki8 had spotted her and can bring us to her.”
There was a gap of silence. This was the first time Ryuzaki had ever talked (a lot) about another woman besides his late mother.
“Ryu-sama, can’t you call her?” Okita suggested, finally.
Ryuzaki shook his head. “She liked me a lot at first, and was very sad when she heard the story of Kusako. I did say about visiting her sometimes; but she told me if I try to find her, she’ll feel like I’m using her to avoid facing the reality of life. So… she said she’ll find me when the time comes. She swore to take care of me when I’m ready to live without Kusako, that idiot.”
“So… instead of being bad from all aspects, she did teach you something.” A queer smile twisted his lips.
“Like, what is it like to wait for snow to fall in July?” Ryuzaki glared at him.
“But this ‘snow’9 did fall.” Okita said, and quickly added:
“Ryu-sama, we can’t go very far. Most roads were blocked for Tanabata. I suggest we stop at a place for you to rest.” He realized that his master’s face was getting even paler. He swore that he would potter even around Honshu if his master was not ill.
“Go to Zougura. You haven’t had your lunch yet.” Ryuzaki said, and then slowly screwed his eyes tight shut.

***

Okita parked the car near the Tama River, leaving his master watching the ecstatic celebration of Tanabata in Hukushou Park despite of the drizzly evening. Clutching the tanzaku to his chest, Ryuzaki stepped out of the car. He was just a few steps from the main gate when the old man returned with an umbrella.
“Are you going to hang the tanzaku, Ryu-sama?”
“No,” Ryu quickly pocketed the tanzaku. “Orihime and Kengyuh won’t meet this year because of the bad weather. No need to hang it.”
Okita laughed slightly as led his master to the car.
“Bought an umbrella?”
“A nice waitress in Zougura thought I was buying for my wife so she gave this umbrella and said:
‘Although Orihime and Kengyuh aren’t happy today, the other Orihimes and Kengyuhs in this world still have the right to be happy’
They were closing for Tanabata actually.”
They were at Haijima again when Okita asked him the next destination.
“I think I’ve heard those lines before –about another Orihime and Kengyuh. She said:
‘Although a Kengyuh isn’t happy today, the other Orihimes and Kengyuhs still have the right to be happy. You just haven’t found your own Orihime yet.’
Maybe…” he paused.
Okita drove back to Zougura –just to find that it was already closed. They’d asked the people at Sake Cellar, but nobody knew the waitress.
“Maybe it wasn’t her.” said Okita.
“She’s a gaijin10!” He almost yelled. “ Nobody would notice her. Maybe she’s going home because she couldn’t find me.”
Okita sighed.
“To Kumagawa Station.” Ryuzaki commanded. His face was all scrunched up.
The search in Kumagawa Station was a failure and Ryuzaki looked wan than ever. They strolled along Itsukaichi Kaido road –passed the post office, the school and lastly the central park, and found nothing. The day was getting darker.
“Ryu-sama, perhaps you still want to hang the tanzaku before we go home.” Okita suggested.
Ryuzaki just stared at the river before them. His head was throbbing like mad.
“It’s the last day of Tanabata.” said Okita. “Plus, you’ve strived hard and I don’t see making a wish is a crime. Take this umbrella, I’ll wait here.”
He turned his head away from Okita.

***

It would be night soon and the Tanabata would be over. I walked slowly towards the place where I’d put my tanzaku last night. It was a pity Orihime and Kengyuh couldn’t meet this year. I hope they can be patient and wait for next year to come.
My petty paces went dead. There was somebody there, with an umbrella that made his or her face unseen –my umbrella. Could it be that old man at the shop? No, it was –
The umbrella then suddenly dropped from the stranger’s hand and revealing a scraggly haired, serious, sick and stupid looking six-footer stood there, reading my tanzaku with his eyes almost bulging out.
“Ryu-kun?”
He turned slowly.
It was a long moment of silence, I think; I couldn’t felt my heartbeat!
He finally held out the scarlet letter.
“How could things like this thing reached my house?” his face was in deadly earnest.
My eyes were glued to the letter, “I ran after the idiot, cut my hand. I couldn’t think –I just post it.”
“You claimed to take care of me when you fail to take care of yourself?” His voice was shaking. I saw him glanced at my hand.
“Ryu-kun, somebody stole –”
“Why don’t you let me take care of you instead?”
“Ryu-kun–” I flushed.
“Now wipe those hideous tears!” He demanded.
I wiped my face immediately (Gosh, when did I start crying?). Ryuzaki then took my hand and made me follow his quick steps.
“Let’s go home. I’m hungry.” He said sheepishly and I swore I’d spotted a tear dropped from his eyes as he turned his head from me.
I beamed.
Orihime-san, Kengyuh-san, please be happy for us.


Goshiki no tanzaku,
watashi ga kaita.
Ohoshi-sama kirakira,
Sora kara miteru.

_________________________________________________
1 A lovers festival based on a Chinese and Japanese legend, celebrated on every July 7th.
2 A strip of poetry paper, used to write wishes and to be hang at bamboo trees on Tanabata
3 Japanese traditional summer costume
4 doctor
5 a group of rich boys in a famous Japanese comic, ‘Hana Yori Dango’, that loves to paste red note as a sign of hatred to people
6 A red magical talking letter used as warning or express anger, in ‘Harry Potter’.
7 Japanese motels
8 train station
9 ‘Yuki’ means ‘snow’
10 foreigner, stranger