KAMI ༘ monoma neito

ʚɞ10

"Kami!
What happened?"
The lady asks
as she rushes
to the man's aid.

The blonde
sheepishly smiles.
"I tripped.
A sharp
wooden branch got me.
I could not walk
any further."
He says
as he looks away.

"Kami,
why have you not thought
of coming back
before sun down?"
The lady asks
as she removes the haori
and drapes it
over the man,
which of course,
surprises him.

What surprised
the blonde more
was the woman's act
of tearing
a part of her yukata
and dampening it
with the water of the lake.

"Noble lady!
What are you doing?"
The blonde asks
and the woman
washes the man's wound
on his calf.

"I am cleansing
your wound, Kami."
The lady says.

The blonde
furrows his eyebrows
as he realizes
that the noble lady
is actually there
cleansing his wound.

"Noble lady,
why are you out here
in the dark?
You should have stayed
in the shrine
where it is safe.
There are wild animals here,
what if you could not find me?"
The man asks,
giving the lady
a long sermon.

"And what if you could not go back
to the shrine
because of this wound?
If I had not been worried about you,
it might have taken you days to return,
you would be out here in the cold
while I am under a roof.

If it was not for my prayer
to ask for help
from Tsukuyomi-kami,
I would not
have found you.
You should have gone back
to the shrine
when the sun
was beginning to set."
The noble lady replies
with the same stern tone
and looks back at the man.

He couldn't answer
and only looked away.
"I believe my question
is answered."
The lady says
and continues
to cleanse the wound.

The lady
failed to see
the slight raise
of the corner of the man's lips.
"You were worried,
noble lady?"
The man asks.

"Yes,
of course."
The lady bluntly answers
to which the man
could not again
voice out a reply.

He clears his throat.
"As you are right now,
you do not seem
like a noble."
He says.

"I may be raised
strictly by my family,
but I had my fair share
of getting tripped as well,
Kami.
I had to clean
my own wounds
so that my mother
would not get mad at me."
The lady answers,
ripping yet another part
of her yukata,
but this time,
it was at a longer length
so she could tie it
around the man's wound.

The man sighs
and removes the haori
for the woman to wear.
"Look at your yukata
getting ripped.
You will get a cold."
He said
and secured the haori
around the lady.

"How about you,
Kami?"

"I can withstand the cold.
Come,
sit beside me.
We will have to return
to the shrine tomorrow.
I apologize
for the mess that we are in now."
The blonde apologizes
and helps the woman
sit beside him.

"Lay your head
on my shoulder,
I'll keep an eye out."
The man adds,
patting his shoulder.
"Are you certain,
Kami?"
The lady asks
but the blonde only nods.

"Now sleep,
you must be tired."
He says.

Slowly,
the lady lays her head
on the man's right shoulder,
shifting in place
to get herself
a bit comfortable.

"Good night,
Kami."
The lady says
and slowly drifts off
to a deep slumber.

"You are a noble,
but you do not seem upset
to sleep
in the middle of the forest."
The man whispers
and looks up
at the moon.

"Tsukuyomi-kami,
I am grateful
to you.
For she
had found me.
I should have told her
how beautiful the moon is
tonight."