Chapter Sixteen: Last Free Day:

-June 30th, 2011-

3:00 p.m.

Anna climbed on top again. Tsuzuki stared up at her, smirking.

“Take me!” he commanded. Anna giggled. She leaned down and kissed him on the lips. His hand rested on her lower back. No matter how many times they did this, he never tired of it. The rain would stop by tomorrow. Might as well enjoy the hell out of today.

“I love you,” Tsuzuki murmured. Anna kissed him again. Both seemed to melt into each other.

“Mmm,” the shinigami murmured. He rolled Anna onto her back. She parted her thighs and let him inside.

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Tonight is the Moon Festival. All of the animals of the forest walked down the dirt path. Singing from the sprites filled the air. Rabbits carried jars of rice cakes in honey. Turtles carried the mochi on their backs. Fireflies lit the way. The full moon heightened the mood.

They arrived at a big red house near a lake. The golden doors opened. A moon nymph in a red dress greeted the guests. She held her arms up in the air. The bold moon shined down upon her. Howling filled the sky. The pale skinned woman moved away from the doorway. The guests proceeded into the house.

The dining room was decorated in silver. A table covered in white lace stretched from wall to wall. Little gold candles covered the silver walls. Gold plates, bowls, and chopsticks sat on the table, waiting to be used. There was no music playing in the room. The guests waited in the doorway.

Suddenly, another door on the other side of the room opened. A woman in a black and red kimono stepped into the dining hall. All eyes fell on her as she held out her arms.

“Welcome, my dear guests,” she said. “Please, take a seat.” Her voice vibrated like the notes on a koto against the silver walls. One by one, the guests sat down on the floor. The little rice cakes and mochi floated back to the kitchen. The dark-haired, curvaceous hostess took her place at the head of the table. She clapped her delicate hands. More doors began to open. Two maidens walked into the dining hall.

One woman wore a long dark blue dress to the floor. Her long black hair and tattoos on her arm and face gave her an exotic look. She carried a giant wooden bucket of cooked rice. She held out her hands.

“By the goddess of the moon,” the rice maiden said. “I bless this rice.” She went around and scooped out the rice for the guests.

“Let us eat,” everyone said. The first bite made their tongues sing in their mouths. This race was only eaten during the Moon Festival. No one could touch the plants until spring. Waiting to eat this rice for the next Moon Festival was the cruelest thing everyone in the forest felt.

Next came the salmon. However, the cooked fish alone will not do. The fourth woman of the house stood out with her gold dress that came to her ankles and white veil on her head. She too had her own exotic beauty with her gold charms around the waist scarf and tattoos on her face. Her dragon tattoo on her right arm complimented her long wavy dark brown hair. Around her hips, she wore small bags of spices on a string. The woman put her hands in the air.

“By the goddess of the moon,” she said. “I bless these spices.” The woman removed the bags from her hips and opened each one. With each spice thrown into the air, the anticipation doubled. When it landed on the salmon, the fish awoke with an appetizing shine. Was it possible for fish to look this beautiful?

“Let us eat,” the guests said. These spices took years to collect. They came from foreign lands. The spices had to be handled like precious jewels. They only saw the world on the Moon Festival.

After dinner, everyone feasted on the rice cakes and mochi. Outside, the goddess blessed their forest with the sweet rain needed to keep everything green and beautiful.

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Tsuzuki laid his head on Anna’s breasts.

“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow,” he complained. His wife patted him on the head.

“But you have to, dear,” she said.

“Do I?”

“We’ve been over this already.”

Tsuzuki sighed as he closed his eyes. “Alright. I love you, Anna-chan.”

Anna gave the sleeping shinigami a little smile. “I love you too, babe.”

It didn’t long for sleep to claim her for the afternoon again.