“I do love you.”
“Not in the way a wife loves her husband.”
“I know that is what my father wanted for us, but we already have more than anyone in our world does when they wed. My father saw my mother for the first time on their wedding day. As did your parents. We have a friendship deeper than most people will ever know in their lifetime. Is that not enough?”
“I know that it should be,” Haruto said. “But it isn’t.”
“My mother learned to love my father. Whatever we do not have now, it can come later.”
“Will it? We have known each other all our lives. If you have not learned to love me yet, do you think that a ceremony at a temple will change anything? I just wish that…”
“What is it? Tell me.”
“It doesn’t matter.” He looked out the window at the darkening sky. “The only place for hopes and wishes is in the sky.”
Chapter Thirty-five
Among the Stars
Keishin followed the procession out of the village, not knowing where it would lead him. Putting one step in front of another felt better than lying in bed at the inn and waiting for the sun to rise. He did not like the thoughts that kept him company. He had tried putting them to the task of solving the puzzle that Haruto had left him and Hana with, but they slipped from his grasp and cared only to paint Hana’s face behind his eyelids. Before he could retreat into any dream, he would have to endure restless hours staring at a smile that was never meant for him.
Masako, Keishin thought, had been right to shun him. He was an outsider in his world and in this one. He had intruded into Hana’s life, inserting himself into a script that had no part for him to play. Seeing Hana with Haruto had made that very clear. Haruto had made a sacrifice that only a person who had committed his life to someone else could make. Haruto had given Hana his heart a long time ago. And now he had given her his hands. His life’s purpose. His ikigai.
Keishin should have admired him, but he could not feel anything beyond his shame. He wanted a woman he barely knew, knowing full well that he was not capable of the same sacrifice the man who truly loved her had given. But still, he wanted her.As much as he wanted to know the stars and all their secrets. Maybe more.
This, he thought, was the basest of instincts that drove people to steal. Hana’s mother had felt it too. Keishin did not know what Chiyo had stolen. He didn’t have to. Thieves understood thieves. They all desired the water moon. Keishin imagined Chiyo sitting inside the pawnshop’s vault, surrounded by all the things she couldn’t have. His mother, he had no doubt, felt the same way whenever she used to hold him in her arms. The life she desperately wanted waited for her just outside her door, and all she had to do was empty her hands to pull the door open and step through it.
“It is you again,” an elderly voice said from behind him. “Hello.”
“Suzuki-san.” Keishin bowed. “Good evening.”
“Where is your friend? Have you decided to stay and watch the stars?”
“She’s somewhere up ahead,” Keishin lied. “And yes, we decided that we didn’t want to miss seeing the village’s hard work.”
“You will not regret it,” Fumiko said with a smile that showcased two missing teeth. “I promise that it is a sight you will not soon forget. But we’d better hurry. It is almost dark, and the stars will not wait.”
—
The villagers gathered in a grassy field beneath a starless sky. Those at the front carried large baskets on their backs and at the sound of a distant gong unhooked the baskets from their shoulders. They each reached inside their basket and pulled out a kite, passing the basket along to the person standing behind them. This went on until the baskets reached the very back ofthe crowd. A smiling woman turned around and handed an empty basket to Keishin. Keishin smiled back, trying not to look disappointed.
“It’s all right.” Fumiko patted Keishin’s arm. “You cannot look up and run at the same time. Tonight’s show is not on the ground.”
The wind picked up and whipped at Fumiko’s kimono. Keishin lifted his eyes to the sky, expecting to see rain clouds. “I’m sorry,” he said without thinking, compelled to apologize for his bad luck with the weather.
Fumiko tilted her head. “For what?”
“The weather. I think it’s about to rain. The kites won’t be able to fly tonight.”
Fumiko chuckled. “Why should anyone apologize about the weather? Besides, the rain knows that it is forbidden here. All the water we need is provided by the river and dew. Nothing keeps the stars from finding their place in the sky. Neither rain nor any Shiikuin can stop them from taking flight.”
“You are very lucky to be free of those monsters here,” Keishin said.
“Monsters?”
“The Shiikuin.”
Fumiko patted Keishin’s hand. “The Shiikuin are not monsters. They are necessary. They are playing their part just as you and I do. There is an order to our world because they cull those who would disturb it.”
