Sake, wisteria and blood

Walking on clouds,

And suddenly on a mountain path

Through the rain – cherry blossom!

QUITO (1741-1789)

      The wind blew with force the light fabric of the silk kimono, pleasantly fitting the fragile body, touched the bare ankles with its endless transparent hands. The hum of the giant train resounded through the shouting of people at the station, the rails screeched under its weight. The whole area around the steel car was packed with little men in bright clothes. The whole picture looked unusual. It's like an eel swam into a whole sea of fry. Pressing a neat hat to the top of her head, Ei entered the car, while holding a delicate pink box in her bosom. As soon as she was inside the train, she was immediately surrounded by steel walls and the same huge number of passengers from whom she had previously escaped from the station. People shouted, passed bags and packages to each other, very young children ran and screamed with joy on the iron floor. It smelled of sweat and hot metal. Such a huge number of people in one place was still very unusual for Ei. When the demoness walked between the passengers to the burgundy, leather sofa by the window, she could see thousands of human heads. Like in an anthill, they ran everywhere and shouted without stopping. – Can I sit down with you? - a hoarse voice was heard. Ei turned around, clutching the light box to her and nodded, looking into the face of the speaker. The old man sat down opposite the girl, and a small boy of about 8 years old in a white, slightly crumpled shirt fell next to him. In his hands he held a small toy car, which he showed his grandfather every now and then. He, on the contrary, looked very poor: dirty, torn suspenders, under them a gray shirt with large holes. Ei had already turned to the window when they spoke to her. – So lively today! When I was a conductor, there were fewer people, yes... Where are you going, young lady? In Tokyo, I suppose? - the old man smiled amiably, ruffling the boy's brown hair on his lap. Ei looked at him curiously and nodded incredulously. – Yes, a lot of people... I don't think you'll be interested, - the girl looked away and her look became thoughtful. – Come on, girl! My granddaughter and I are going home to Kyoto. Do you miss your mom, I suppose? - he asked the boy when he actively began to drive his typewriter on the table between the seats. – The child hit the toy on the wall of the train and pretended as if it flew off in slow motion. – Prankster, don't break your car! - the old man muttered at him and straightened his clean clothes. They looked so friendly and free... The demoness remembered how once she also played so carelessly with Makoto. My sister complained about her activity, especially when baby Ei wanted to play catch-up with her... – Are you going to your family too? - the companion asked again, not missing the chance to talk to the silent girl. – Not really. There... was my old life... - the girl herself did not understand why she was telling this to strangers. - And the family is already with me. It's late, really... The old man seriously comprehended her words, ignoring the grandson who climbed on his back, rolling a toy on his own grandfather's bald head. Then, mumbling thoughtfully, he replied: – Yes, I understand that. You're probably going home to your parents. Well, that's good, we need to visit the old places, yes... To calm life down. Are you married, I guess? After the last sentence, the girl blushed and looked away. – Not at all... Although I would like to. You're right, I'm going there to... Calm down. – Eh! Get down, you little rascal! - the old man finally paid attention to his grandson, diligently poking his eye with a typewriter. Putting him down on the sofa, he thought again. - That's right. I had it in my youth, too. I was a fighter, but my father was devoured by a demon. I was very angry... I was afraid to go to his grave at first, and then I came and was able to let him go. Fill it out, young lady: it's necessary to let go of souls. And let go of mistakes. Otherwise life will be hard. Ei nodded, clutching the pink box to her chest. Then she imperceptibly lifted the tips of her lips, nodding respectfully. – Thank you, sir. I'll remember your words. – Yes, well, it's not worth it! - the man waved away. Next to him was a large bag full of all sorts of different accessories, sometimes grating from the movements of passengers. The old man slowly took out a small bowl with eggs and vegetables. The child immediately stood up with his legs on the sofa and leaning on the table, reached for the delicious corn. – Take, girl, all your own, - the man nodded at the products. - I have mochi and sakura there, will you? The girl swallowed her saliva and blushed again, ashamed. I want to eat, but I don't want to take food away from an old man and a child... – No. No need, - she shook her head, looking down at the box in her hands. Grandfather and grandson were talking about something, sometimes exchanging a few words with the demoness. She, clutching the thing in her thin palms, did not try to restrain a soft, sad smile. She could still feel her stomach getting cold and her organs rushing into a hot head like a blizzard. Fear and anticipation poured into the stiffened body, filling up with an extra load in the legs. However, the girl discarded doubts and the desire to run out of the train. Ei has been preparing for this day for a long time and will meet it now as befits a demon who has been through too much. – Sorry I was late, I was talking to the conductor, - a tall man came up to the seat of Ei, holding a bag and a bouquet of wisteria, sweet peas and red spider lilies. Their delicate petals fell from the emerald stems and leaves, and seemed gentle, like children's hands reaching out to their mother. Ei smiled with relief and pointed with her chin to the place next to her. The man nodded and sat down on the sofa, kissing the girl's outstretched hand with a satisfied cat. – Well, how are you here? - he asked, getting more comfortable in the seat and lowering his bag under his feet. – It's all right, don't worry, - the girl smiled gently. – And good evening to you, - Zhongli turned to his companions in a friendly manner and nodded as a sign of respect. They looked at him curiously. - the train will be on its way very soon. Heading to your family? The old man seemed to glow from within, laughing. – All right, boy, all right! You've chosen a great groom for yourself, girl! - Ei could not restrain a proud smile and clung to the man's shoulder. - yes, to my daughter, to the mother of this scoundrel. – Will this big man eat me? - the boy, who suddenly stopped talking, pulled his grandfather by the pant leg. Zhongli couldn't help laughing, while lowering his broad palm on Ei's thigh. The girl put her hand on top, as a sign of support. – Not at all. If I eat you, who will protect our glorious country in the future? - the man chuckled. – That's right! Do you have haori, like a fighter, did you also fight against demons? - The old man intervened. Zhongli responded warmly to the words of a fellow traveler, nodded and smiled so sincerely that Ei could not restrain a tender smile. The boy showed the man his toy, chatted about his own, and the demon listened with feigned surprise. The old man laughed at his grandson's pranks, then suddenly started talking to Ei about the meaning of flowers in a lush bouquet that the man brought. The girl answered just as easily, and listened patiently, which was very unusual for her nature. Then the train moved off. Accompanied by the screeching of the rail, he moved along the long path. The demons were supposed to arrive at their destination only after 8 hours, so they also had a bag with food and fragrant tea with them. The time passed quickly during the conversation, and so, when the old man and his grandson got off the train at one of the stops, Ei allowed herself to take a nap on such a strong native shoulder. Zhongli held her hand with his head thrown back and his bright eyes closed. When the early morning sun began to cover with a crimson crust and scattered it across the sky, the train finally stopped at the station the demons needed. The girl tightly squeezed the man's hand, threatening to break it. The box bit painfully into her side under her own palm. Then, after getting off the station, Ei saw something that made her heart flutter like a pink cherry leaf. Yokohama appeared in front of the couple in all its dim grandeur, spreading apartment buildings and Minkami Japanese detached houses on green hills dotted with large branches of giant trees. There was a distinct smell of city dust, flowers and something so native that the girl dissolved into the surroundings, not believing her own eyes. The man was anxiously holding her hand. –Are you sure you can go there now? We can find a hotel and then drive back. — No. I'm sure, - the girl squeezed the box in her palms and Zhongli nodded slowly. – As you wish. For a long hour the demons walked between the green grasses to the accompaniment of loud music of birds and distant cries of people. They did not go to the city itself, they walked around the meadows, slowly but surely approaching a small, God-forsaken village. The dilapidated mines creaked unfriendly under the pressure of a light wind. The collapsed stone walls and Shoji-movable Japanese doors made of washi paper were torn and swayed from side to side on only one hinge. Zhongli had the feeling that he and the demoness were in the forgotten cemetery of an entire village. There were almost no people here, only children, dirty and in torn clothes, running back and forth, and no less pitiful-looking women, unsuccessfully washing clothes near the river, where the settlement was located. There were not so many houses, if you repaired them, it might seem that this is quite a decent little village. The river was right next to the houses, and only it seemed alive against the background of the dead buildings. There was no mischievous conversation, there was no smell of wine and soap, only dirt and unhappy poor families sometimes whispered among themselves. The demons stood out against their background. Clean kimonos seemed so foreign in this dirt that it became uncomfortable. Ei walked thoughtfully between the houses, ignoring the dirt under her feet and the children screaming in a frenzy. As if in a trance, she bypassed such native roads once. Some residents turned to look at her and the man, not kindly squinting their extinct eyes, like predators who noticed an intruder of their personal boundaries. – Lady Mamura lived here. She often fed us delicious rice, - the girl said softly, looking at a particularly deplorable minka, which had slanted sideways and fallen into the mud. Images popped up before the man's eyes. As if in someone else's memories, he imagined a beautiful house with light walls and a bamboo roof, decorated with openwork paper lanterns in the Chinese manner, which were now lying in the mud and looked like rags. The atmosphere of despondency pressed on the man's shoulders, so he only managed to obediently follow his girlfriend. – And this is where Makoto and I lived, - she stopped in front of a pile of boards and wet paper piled on top of each other. This is where the living river bent. Behind it stood a dense, dark forest, a giant wall that served as a boundary between the world of a dying civilization and nature. Turning his gaze back to the pile of garbage, which used to be probably a beautiful Minsk, the man noticed small buckets at the peculiar, crumpled shoji. Squatting down, the former fighter picked up a wet, torn doll from the dirty ground. She had purple hair and the same eyes in a round face. The little dress she was wearing hugged a small, ripped body. – This is Mrs.Baal, - the girl froze in place, fixing her devastated gaze on the doll in Zhongli's hands. - her mother sewed it for Makoto before she died. Then my sister gave it to me and said that we are very similar. She also looked like her, because we are twins. Stupid Makoto. The girl shuddered and her gaze seemed even more cloudy to the man. The weight of the past on her shoulders seemed to have become Zhongli's burden too. He gently touched her hand as a sign of support, and she barely touched it with icy fingers, immediately looking up. – Follow me, - she said weakly. The man put the toy back and stood up, not letting go of the girl's palm. She led him behind the house, into a small courtyard. All overgrown with dense grass, the clearing seemed to be another part of the forest, and only by the broken fence could it be understood that this land once belonged to a minka who stood proudly here. It was just as empty here and Ei did not linger here, having managed to cast an empty glance at the ruins of her former home. Then the demons walked along the bank of the river, overgrown with spikes of greenery. This place seemed nicer than the village, as if it was the only living corner in the dead desert. Zhongli ran a wide gloved palm over the leaves, averting his gaze from the terrifying scene behind them. After a few minutes of walking, the couple found themselves opposite a small hillock dotted with rocks. Zhongli looked in surprise at the girl who suddenly knelt down in front of this uncomplicated structure. Stretching out her hand to him, the girl took a bouquet of bright flowers and laid them on a small altar. Only now did Zhongli realize that it was a grave. Ei opened the pinkish box. Inside it was an old child's drawing on torn parchment, written in charcoal. On it, two little girls were holding hands, and a whole giant black forest grew up around them, through the disorderly branches of which the round sun sparkled. Further out of the box appeared a pink bracelet made of silk threads, woven with a pigtail and a long, red satin ribbon. – These are Makoto's gifts that I kept at my place... It's time to give them back to you, Sister. Regret is not noticeable in the silhouette of the man, but almost the same poisonous sadness sparkled in the bright snake eyes as in the pale pupils of the demoness. Cards flashed before my eyes, as a little girl with purple hair digs a hole with her hands, as she pours bloody earth over it and cries without stopping, chopping her nails and fingers on stones. Zhongli's large heart contracted in fright and he himself froze, not taking his eyes off the girl. The breeze gently blew over the pale skin, touched the fabric of the kimono. Not sparing her clothes, Ei stretched out her hands on her knees to the grave, laying a bouquet of fresh flowers on it. – Hi, Makoto, - the voice trembled treacherously. - I hope you see me. Look who I've become... The girl felt a warm hand on her shoulder and gently put her palm on it. She had to let her sister go, then she would feel better. That's what the old man in the carriage said, and even earlier, Zhongli. Swallowing the saliva that stood across her throat, she continued: –But, you know, nothing matters anymore... I miss you, Makoto-san. You took care of me, raised me, and helped me survive. I will always be grateful to you. I know that you hate me and you have every right to do so. I admit all my mistakes, I admit that I was a bad sister. Forgive me, Makoto, if you can ever. But I'm ready to let go of my past myself. I'm ready to let you go, Sister. Sleep well, dear Makoto-san... It was hard. The burden of guilt and pain pulled Ei, tying a heavy stone to her broken neck. Her heart was pounding wildly, as if the girl was talking to her sister now, and not at all to the grave. Fear squeezed her body, even her friend behind her back could not calm her soul beating against the walls of her lungs. Tears stabbed daggers at the reddened eyes. Letting go of the past is difficult. It's difficult and painful, but Ei had to do it. For myself, Jun Lee and Makoto herself. Her sister should be free, not bound by longing for her. The girl took a deep breath and exhaled, closing her eyes. Then, opening her fluffy eyelashes, the whole world seemed to turn over with a changed look. Exploded with clean paint, erasing dark green streaks. Ei got up from her knees. The warmth enveloped her in a fluffy blanket. The girl was ready to swear that she could smell the red rose that once came from the little body of her sister who died so early. She was ready to put her head on the block, but she heard her own name whispering in her head through Makoto's lips. – Thank you, - whispered such a native voice and a pale haze burst out of the sandy grave, bursting into the air. Makoto forgave her all her sins and let her go just like Ei. The warm haze disappeared and the girl plunged back into the changed reality. With a sober look, she took in the swirling river, the hillock with pebbles and the forgotten village behind. But her pupils rested only on bright honey eyes. The eyes that I saw now everywhere and always, that I wanted to continue to see forever. Warm hands supported her fragile, suddenly weakened body. Zhongli touched her forehead with his lips with incredible love, lowered himself to her nose. And the girl answered him with the same madly in love look, kissing his lips. – I feel so weird right now... Let's go, - she whispered, burning her friend's cheek with her hot breath. He nodded and soon the demons slowly left the village, clasping each other's hands so tightly, as if a real bridge had been laid across them. The girl breathed a sigh of relief in the warm air, passing between the bushes of unknown, bright berries. The man walked by, tucking long, brown locks of hair behind his ear and throwing his tail behind his back. – Where are we going now? - the girl suddenly asked, twirling a thin stalk of white chamomile in her hands. – Hmm, we'll probably find a hotel, and then we'll go home, as we wanted. What would you like? Zhongli watched in surprise as Ei gently touched his dark hair and tucked a light flower between the curls. After they both left the village, she suddenly seemed so unusually free and light... His cheeks turned pink so unusually that the girl could not restrain a tender smile. – We could travel around Japan in some new-fangled car. We'll make hay and become rich. How do you like the idea? - fatigue gently touched women's shoulders, but was drowned out by such an unusual, warm hope... Zhongli couldn't help but chuckle. – And won't you be ashamed to deceive people? – What's to be ashamed of? It's just that I have my own money minting machine," the girl clung to his shoulder, correcting the haori that was knocked sideways. - so what about the car? The man looked away in embarrassment, touching her hair with his hand and winding the curls on his finger. – You can. We could see so many places and attractions, try new food... – Exactly! And then we'll go somewhere beyond Japan. To China, for example. I hear there's wonderful tea... Zhongli smiled and touched his lips to hers. – Demons conquer the world... It's extravagant, but I like it, - he drawled thoughtfully, while cheerfully sparkling with bright eyes and deepening the kiss.