#hikoboshi

This chapter is SFW but be warned that some chapters of the fic are R18 only.

Enjou sat in the shade of the tree outside his cabin reading a book, his yukata open at the chest while he lazily fanned himself. While he loved the summer heat, the Inazuma humidity was a little unpleasant for his tastes. Still, he’d take it any day over the severe winters that would blow through with their incessant rain and lightning. He yawned and then lay back in the soft grass, resting his forearm across his brow. A nice little nap would go down a treat while he caught some rays.

He later awoke to the sensation of you gently petting his head. As his eyes cracked open, he saw you sitting on the grass by his side, peering down at him with a soft smile. He smiled back up at you in recognition. You leaned down and planted a sweet kiss on his mouth. He laid a hand on the back of your head to keep you there a moment while he indulged in your affections. After a moment, you gently broke away and he suddenly realised that the sun was going down.

“Oh, I must have been out for ages.” he said hazily as he started to sit up.

You laughed softly and said, “It’s time to get ready, darling.”

He smiled and nodded as he rose to his feet and you both went into the cabin to freshen up for your outing into Inazuma City for the Tanabata festival. Because this wasn’t a shrine festival per se, the two of you could dress up and fully immerse yourselves in the atmosphere. Enjou wore an indigo cotton yukata with a coloured firework pattern dyed onto it, making him look very elegant despite its casual style. You decided to opt for a refreshing white yukata, with peach and yellow peonies and a contrasting turquoise obi. After carefully styling your hair, you applied some fancier make-up than usual. Once Enjou had locked the house, he gave your cheek a light kiss, making you glow with a warm blush which made him chuckle in turn.

As you walked together, hand in hand and swinging your kinchaku bag with every step, you explained the origins of the festival to Enjou.

“You see, it’s actually based on a legend from Liyue, about two unfortunate lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. Orihime was the daughter of Tentei, the Sky King, and she spent her days weaving beautiful cloth on the banks of the Milky Way which flowed like a river. But because she worked all the time, she got sad because she thought she’d never be able to meet someone and fall in love. Her father decided to arrange a meeting with Hikoboshi, a cowherd who lived on the opposite side of the Milky Way. It was love at first sight and they got married, but because they were spending all their time together, they neglected their work. So her father separated them again.”

“That’s a little unjust.” said Enjou, with a frown, “He got them together to begin with. Did he want her to be happy or not?”

“Right? But of course, they were so in love that instead of resuming their work, they simply got depressed and started pining for one another. So, eventually, Tentei promised Orihime that they could meet for one night a year if they worked hard. So every year, they meet in the sky on Tanabata.”

“What a terribly cruel existence.” replied Enjou.

“Mm. And to make matters worse, if it ever rains on Tanabata, the legend says they can’t meet.”

“The legend inflicts more misery on them? Haven’t they suffered enough?”

“Well, the first time they tried to meet, there wasn’t any bridge over the river so they couldn’t cross it. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies offered to form a bridge so she could be reunited with her husband. If it rains, that means the water will rise too high for them to make a bridge, so they have to wait another year to meet.”

“You mean her father would make them wait a whole year rather than simply shifting the date to a day it wasn’t raining? Utter tyranny. And this is celebrated as being romantic? A festival for lovers?”

“Yes. It’s considered peak devotion and constancy. The festival is to celebrate their reunion.”

He shook his head in bewilderment.

“I suppose I’ll never fully understand Inazuman customs.” he muttered.

The streets of Inazuma City were lined with food stalls to feed the hungry crowds; grilled meat and squid on skewers, castella cakes, taiyaki, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, karaage, takoyaki, and of course plenty of ice cold beer and brightly coloured sparkling ramune. The two of you strolled from stall to stall, enjoying an array of food and snacks with some bottles of beer.

Outside each store was a display with tall bamboo branches decorated with festive paper chains and little paper tags which fluttered and spun in the evening breeze as they proudly declared everyone’s wishes for the future. Some more stalls were selling souvenirs, pinwheels and festival masks. You picked out a white fox mask, its features hand-painted in red, black and gold. Enjou picked out a black one for himself. You wore yours at a slant on the side of your head, whereas Enjou wore his over his face, playfully enjoying the idea of roaming incognito among the populace, as if he didn’t already technically do that every single day. And yet, a familiar voice cut through the crowd as you passed the kitsune ramen stand.

“Ah, good evening Enjou san. So nice to see a pair of lovers out on Tanabata.”

You turned to see Yae Miko seated on a high stool enjoying a bowl of ramen. Had you been able to see Enjou’s eyes properly, you would have seen that they were wide with surprise at having been recognised. He was momentarily speechless, making Yae Miko laugh elegantly behind her hand, a set of chopsticks in the other.

“How did you-?” he stammered.

“Did you honestly think that I wouldn’t know your true face under that mask. Or indeed any mask for that matter?”

She stooped over her bowl and slurped the noodles nonchalantly. By now you were well-accustomed to her teasing suggesting she knew about his Abyssal nature, so it did not bother you in the same way it used to. She clearly had no ambitions to lose good revenue if Enjou wasn’t causing any trouble. Of course, that didn’t mean that she didn’t enjoy watching people squirm. But ultimately, she decided to put him out of his misery on this occasion.

“I recognised your sweetheart.”

Enjou let out a gentle sigh as he relaxed a little.

She added, “Have you made your wishes yet?”

“Erm, not yet.” you replied, “We thought we’d take in the atmosphere a little first.”

“Well don’t leave it too late, or the night will be over and you’ll miss your chance.” she sang.

You both smiled as you excused yourselves and bid her good evening. As the two of you strolled, you stopped by the Ogura Textile shop, browsing their summer hairpins and other seasonal accessories, like fans and decorative obidome. Enjou helped you pick out a pretty kanzashi with handmade silk flowers. After he had paid, he wore a look of supreme contentment and pride as he slid it into your hair. The admiration was clear in his eyes as he looked at the woman he prized above all else, looking so radiant and happy. And all because of him. Ogura Mio discreetly pretended to rearrange the displays with a smile so as not to impinge on this lovers’ moment. But before the two of you left, she cheerfully called out to you.

“Ah! Before you go, would you like to add a tanzaku to the wish tree?”

She gestured to the colourful yet elegant bamboo display, which had been reserved for the wishes of her customers.

“That would be lovely!” you replied enthusiastically.

She offered you both a box containing strips of paper, so you could select which colour you both wanted. But that was the easy part. As you both stood, with calligraphy brushes in hand, the two of you hummed in contemplation as to which wish to declare. It felt strangely selfish to write a wish, and you felt self-conscious because it would be on display, even if nobody would know it was yours. And yet, writing something altruistic felt insincere and performative.

“Hmm…” you said, lightly tapping the handle of the brush against your cheek pensively.

Enjou was similarly stuck for inspiration. Truthfully he had all he wanted for now. But after a moment, his brush started to move across the little slip. Seeing his inspiration, you decided to write down the only thing that you really wanted.

With an excited flutter in your tummy, you both tied your wishes to the rustling branches of bamboo using a piece of silk thread. Enjou gave you a mischievous smile as he tried to peek at your wishing slip, making you blush and cover it protectively with your hands.

“Hey!” you whined playfully, making him chuckle.

In the end you relented and let him look, as you read his tanzuki in turn. Each one putting the needs of the other first, you had both wished for each other’s happiness. That was all that either of you really wanted in order to be happy yourselves. Enjou’s face brightened with a soft, but satisfied smile as he read your wishing slip before he looked over at you, then planted an affectionate kiss on your cheek, before wrapping his arm snugly around your waist as you left the store together.

On the walk out of the city, you stopped by Naganohara’s firework shop to pick up some sparklers. Enjou was unfamiliar with them, but they were a fun summer tradition of your childhood that you thought he might enjoy. You used to play a game where you and some friends would all light the sparklers at the same time, and whoever’s one remained alight the longest won. There was never any prize to speak of beyond bragging rights or maybe some snacks. But it was innocent fun and a magical way to while away an evening together.

You and Enjou found a quiet spot on the beach to sit down. Across the water, you could both see Amakane Island, where the larger firework festival would be held later in the summer. With a snap of his fingers and a contented smile, he produced a flame from which to light the sparklers. As they fizzed and crackled, they illuminated both your smiles. When the sparkle started to make its way down to the bottom of the stick you both started cheering on your own one until finally, Enjou’s was the first to go out. Both of you laughed at your little game as he put an arm around you and drew you close, gazing into your eyes with a warm smile. Holding your cheek with a gentle touch, he leaned in and pressed the most tender kiss to your mouth, one which conveyed a sincere and earnest love. His lips moved slowly and sensuously against yours as he held the kiss as long as he could, taking his time to pour all of his heart into it. When he finally pulled back, he rubbed your soft cheek with the pad of his thumb as his eyes searched yours, as if looking for something. His lips parted slightly, as if hesitating to say the next words, and a small frown creased the space between his eyebrows.

“My love…if...if ever we need to part one day, I promise I’ll do everything I can to come back to you. Even if it’s just for one night of the year on Tanabata. And I wouldn’t let a shower of rain stop me either. Not even the Electro Archon would be able to stop me.”

Despite his sad and somewhat fatalistic words, you smiled for him.

“I know you would, my darling. And even if something prevented you from getting back, I’d never think it was because you’d abandoned me.”

He smiled weakly and gave you a faint nod in agreement before leaning in to kiss you again, this time a little more passionately, letting his tongue slowly and deeply entwine with yours. You flinched slightly as a raindrop hit your face, causing you both to look skywards.

“Oh no...” you said softly, seeing that the stars had become obscured by thick clouds.

Enjou smiled. “Perhaps Orihime made it over to meet him earlier tonight, but now the river’s too high for her to go back to her father.”

You laughed softly at his optimism. It was a nice way of thinking about it.

“Let’s get home before it gets heavier.” he said, quickly rising to his feet and holding his hand out to help you up.

Soothing deep purple ground with shimmering silver stripes for this Tanabata (Stars Festival) themed summer obi. Tanabata celebrates every 7th of July (7th day of the 7th month) the reunion of lovers Orihime/Vega and Hikoboshi/Altair separated the rest of the year by the Amanogawa (Milky Way).

The obi patterns are:

Geometrical stars shapes + silver threads for the night sky

Itomaki (bobbin) for Orihime (her name lit. means “weaving princess”)

Bamboo branches, where people hanged tanzaku (paper strips) inscribed with their wishes 

Two of Cups. Art by Taylor Hultquist-Todd, from Myths & Legends: An Illustrated Tarot.