The End of Summer
“Grandma…” Akira said uneasily, “Couldn’t we just skip all this prep? Everyone’s probably here already and I don’t want to keep them waiting!”
“Nonsense!” Nami exclaimed sternly, “It’s a special occasion, and it calls for a special look that has to be just right! Now hold still!” She slid a hairpin into Akira’s hair, securing it. Fastening the hairpin, Nami made a satisfied noise and stepped back. “There!” she said, smiling, “You look lovely!”
She held Akira by the arms and turned her around to face the mirror. “See for yourself!” she said.
Akira stared at the mirror, surprised at how she looked. She wore a deep purple yukata that brought out the violet of her eyes, decorated with beautifully embroidered cherry blossoms. Her hair was tightly braided and rolled into an elaborate bun, secured with golden hairpins. She took a moment to admire herself, then glanced at the clock.
“Seita must be seething by now,” Akira murmured, “We were supposed to meet at 6, and now it’s 6:30!”
Nami laughed. “Goodness knows, that boy’s waited years for you to finally notice him. He can wait another 30 minutes to notice you at your best!”
Akira turned beet-red. “Grandma!” she said sharply. Nami simply laughed again.
“Akira,” Takashi said, walking into the room, “Seita, Yuka and Tian are waiting outside for you. Are you almost-” He stopped short, staring at her with widened eyes. “Oh, wow. You look wonderful!”
Akira smiled shyly. “It’s all Grandma’s handiwork,” she said.
“Oh, hush,” Nami replied, “Your natural beauty compliments it all. You’ll certainly turn heads at the Star Festival tonight. Seita had better watch out!”
Akira sighed. Ever since Nami had found out she and Seita were together, she took every opportunity to needle her about it. A suggestive comment here, a subtle wink there, and more. So far, she hadn’t heard the end of it.
“Don’t mind her,” Takashi had said, “Just let her have her fun!”
“I’m going now,” Akira said, slightly annoyed, and walked toward the front door.
“Have fun!” Nami and Takashi said in unison.
She opened the door, and Seita’s annoyed voice reached her ears.
“How long does it take to put on a yukata?” Seita retorted, “It’s been almost half an hour…” He turned around and he immediately stopped mid-sentence as he stared at Akira with wide, surprised eyes. His face abruptly turned red, and he made an inarticulate noise in his throat.
Akira fought the urge to laugh, and was surprisingly flattered to know she gave Seita that reaction.
“Sorry to keep you waiting!” she said, smiling. “Grandma wouldn’t let me leave until everything was just right!”
“Oh, wow!” Yuka said, running up to her. “You look great, Akira!”
Akira blushed. “Thanks.” She looked over at Seita, who was still staring at her. “Anyone in there?” she asked playfully.
“Uh…” Seita mumbled, “You… you look…”
Akira tilted her head and smiled questioningly.
“...Amazing.” Seita finally finished.
Akira smiled. “Thank you.”
Looking back at Seita, Akira saw how nice he looked in his blue striped yukata. His hair was slightly less of a spiky disaster without his usual sweatband, and there was the slightest hint of muscle underneath the yukata.
Seita noticed her staring at him and blushed, not saying anything.
“Come on,” Yuka said excitedly, “Let’s go!”
Both Akira and Seita were startled out of their gaze and they turned to follow Yuka. Tian shot Akira a knowing smirk.
“What are you smiling about?” Akira retorted.
Tian laughed. “Oh, nothing.” She walked on ahead, leaving the two of them behind.
They approached the neighborhood shrine and saw that the summer festival was already in full swing. There were numerous booths selling snacks and offering games and prizes, and as the four of them wandered around, Yuka ran over to a booth selling fried snacks.
“I’m hungry!” Yuka said, “Can we get some takoyaki? Please?”
Seita sighed in mock-annoyance, then smiled. “Okay.”
“Yay!” Yuka said excitedly.
Akira bought a strawberry crepe, and followed everyone else as they sat down on nearby benches to eat. She looked around at the festive decorations and booths, listened to the music playing in the distance, and a thought came to mind.
“You know,” she said, “I actually had second thoughts about coming to this festival. I mean, being trapped in an everlasting festival in the Digital World kind of put me off of them.”
“I can imagine,” Seita said.
“So what made you change your mind?” Tian asked.
“Because with you guys, it would be different,” Akira replied, taking a bite of her crepe. “We’d have a good time, and this’ll probably be the last time we’d get to hang out together until school starts again.”
“I wish Lopmon was here,” Yuka said suddenly, “She’d love it!”
A dull ache pierced Akira’s heart as she thought of Kodamon. She sighed. “Yeah. I can imagine Kodamon and Gazimon enjoying themselves here, too. And Renamon.”
No one said anything for a moment.
“I wish…” Yuka said, “I wish there was a way to contact them. Talk to them and find out how they’re doing. Are they enjoying a festival in the Digital World too?” Her eyes grew wet with tears.
Akira and Seita looked at each other, and Seita immediately spoke up.
“They probably are,” he said, “I bet they’re eating snacks and having fun just like we are.” He put a hand on Yuka’s shoulder. “And they wouldn’t want you to be sad.” He gave her an encouraging smile.
Yuka smiled back, wiping her eyes. “Yeah…” she said softly.
Tian got up suddenly. “Come on, Yuka, let’s go look at some of the games. Maybe you’ll win a prize!”
Yuka nodded. “Okay.”
“The fireworks will be starting soon,” Akira spoke up, looking at the darkening sky.
“Don’t worry,” Tian answered, “We’ll meet you in front of the shrine before they start!” She gave Akira a subtle wink, then turned around and walked away with Yuka.
Akira sighed. She knew exactly what Tian was planning, and she wasn’t sure if she was grateful or ticked off.
“Want to walk around for a bit?” Seita asked.
Akira nodded. “Sure.”
They wandered through the line of booths in companionable silence. As they neared the shrine, Akira slowed down and looked up at the sky, streaked with the dark blue of evening and filled with stars.
“You know…” she said softly, “there was another reason I wanted to come to this festival.”
Seita looked over at her. “What was that?”
“I read about the legend behind the Star Festival,” Akira said, still looking up at the sky. “The legend of Tanabata. The story of two lovers who were separated by a river in the sky and can only meet one day a year.”
“One day a year?” Seita repeated, “That’s rough.”
“Yeah…” Akira tore her eyes away from the sky and focused them on the ground. “It made me think, how strong does your love have to be to survive meeting each other only one day a year? How could you stand it, not being able to see the person you love, talk to them, touch them? I don’t think I’d survive if it were me.”
She looked up and stared directly at Seita. “I could have easily skipped going to this festival - I’m downright sick of them at this point. But then, I thought about you. The fact that you were coming to this festival, and that I could spend some time with you tonight without worrying about the world crashing down on our heads.” She laughed a little. “And so I came.”
Seita walked closer to Akira and took her hand. “I’m glad you came,” he said.
Akira squeezed his hand tightly. “I don’t want us to end up like the Tanabata lovers,” she said, “I want us to grab onto every opportunity we can to be together. No matter what.”
“We will,” Seita replied seriously.
They stared tenderly at each other as the first firework launched into the sky and exploded into a shower of colors. A series of footsteps approached, and the two of them turned to see Tian and Yuka walking toward them. Yuka was holding a rubber yo-yo and a small stuffed rabbit.
Akira smiled. “Looks like you’ve been busy!” she told Yuka. Yuka giggled in response.
“Did you two have a good time?” Tian asked with a knowing smile.
Akira smirked. “Take a guess!”
They all fell silent as they watched the fireworks explode in the sky in a panorama of colors. Akira focused on the brilliant lights, the warmth of Seita’s hand in hers, and the thought that maybe somewhere in the Digital World, Kodamon and the rest of their Digimon friends might be enjoying the same things they were.
It had been a wonderful evening, and a memory Akira would hold onto forever.
Notes:
I wrote Yuka’s side of the Star Festival first, and as I was writing it, I kept thinking about what Akira’s side would be like – it was practically dying to be written from the point Tian and Yuka separated from the others!