Sakura Mochi (LGBTQ+)

Chapter 5 - Po the Fish

"Why am I the one singled out," I whined, which made Yuki and Haru giggle.

Nobi raised an eyebrow at me, then offered a small shake of their head and a subtle smile. The three adults left, leaving us with Onaeni.

"Alright, dears," Onaeni started, clapping his hands together. "We're going to play calmly and quietly in the garden. Follow me."

We followed him down the winding path to the garden. I liked the garden. It was filled with colorful, fragrant flowers and lots of trees. I especially loved the Sakura trees. My parents told me they were imported from the human realm. The pink petals that fell in spring were so soft and beautiful.

As we walked, I couldn't help but tap Haru's shoulder to ask, "So, what did it feel like? To bloom?"

Yuki turned her head to look at us, too. We'd both been curious. Our time was supposed to be nearing. Haru smiled slightly, looking at a rock on the path to kick it away. "Well, it kind of felt like a really intense cold. I had a super high fever and couldn't get out of bed. But, it didn't last long. Maybe a day or two? After that, I felt...different."

"Different how?" Yuki asked with a small frown on her face.

"Different good," Haru assured. "My senses felt heightened, and I could feel this power somewhere deep inside of me." He took a moment to pout a bit as he added, "I wish I'd gotten cool powers, though. My noni told me that not all dragons get powers, just their flame." 

It was quite common. Most dragons didn't have extraordinary abilities. They'd been watered down over generations. Nobility tended to have these abilities because of their direct connections to our gods. Like, my family. Haru's family, too, but it must have skipped him, unfortunately. 

"That's still cool, though," I voiced, bumping Haru's shoulder lightly. "You were the first one to bloom between us."

We all laughed lightly, the conversation ending there as we entered the garden. Once we got into the garden, I grabbed Haru's hand and began dragging him over to my favorite part of the garden. Near the back of the garden, there was a small fish pond with plenty of gorgeous fish. Of course, I had a favorite. A dopey-looking one I named Po. Po was goofy and fun to talk to. I loved visiting him, so of course, I wanted to show him off to my new friend.

"Rin, no running," Onaeni warned.

With a huff, I slowed down to a brisk walk but continued to drag Haru along behind me as Yuki followed quietly.

"Where are we going, Rin?" Haru asked me as we walked, his head turning this way and that as he looked around the garden.

"We're going to see someone special," I answered, smiling cheekily.

I heard Haru huff lightly, which made me giggle. We followed the cobbled path through the garden until we finally arrived at the fish pond. A gentle mini waterfall fell into the pond, creating the perfect ambiance. When we got close, the fish began to dash around in the water, awakening from their sleepy swimming. One fish, in particular, got close to the edge where we stood.

"Hi, Po!" I exclaimed, letting go of Haru so I could kneel down by the dark rocks surrounding the pond.

The fish stared at me with dopey eyes that were way too big for its face. I loved it. A few bubbles escaped its mouth as if to respond to my greeting.

"Po," I continued, "meet Haru. Haru, meet Po."

The dragon kneeled next to me to greet the fish. "Hi, Po! It's nice to meet you," he giggled.

"Haru, Bug, let's play hide-and-seek!" Yuki shouted out.

The two of us stood up from the pond and went over to my sister. Hide and seek sounded like fun, but the garden wasn't going to make for much of a challenge. It wasn't that big, and there weren't many good hiding spots. But, since Onaeni was watching us, we couldn't go anywhere else. If only he wasn't babysitting us. The estate is boring, but at least it's big enough for great hide-and-seek games.