I told him to wait and went to change.
As I had no other fine kimono, I wore the same one I had worn the day I came with him. Then my eyes fell on the hair stick Arashi had given me. A smile crept on my lips and I wore it on my bun. It matched perfectly with the kimono.
I came out and saw he was waiting. As I came down the veranda, he looked at me and his eyes washed over me before it paused on the hair stick. My cheeks reddened.
He didn't say anything, instead he locked the doors and told me to follow him.
We went to the mountain roads where a series of trees stood to welcome us. The narrow path had rocks and pebbles on it. Sometimes a few twigs laid which broke under our feet. It seemed not many people used this path.
The road went up after a while as we headed forth and all the while I heard chirping of birds and the sound of rushing leaves among them. The wind was warm yet it had a cold touch on it and soon we saw a shrine gate with its warm-reddish glory, standing in the middle of the wood, surrounded by trees and bushes.
As we reached near, stone made stairs started from it. I looked where it ended and saw, it was still far away to climb it.
Arashi tilted his head and asked, "Are you certain, you can climb up?"
"Yes." I said with not a convincing voice. I wasn't tired yet but it seemed the stairs would tire me. He nodded and went forward.
"There are 500 steps, are you certain?"
I looked at him with a dumbfounded face.
We neared the torii as Arashi bowed to it, stepping onto the sacred stone stair, he climbed further and I followed him. The gate stood high telling us that we had entered the realm of kami.
We reached the entrance of the shrine. It was tiring to climb up to the mountain stairway. I heaved for breath but he stayed with his usual calmness. I looked at him quizzically as I thought, how come he was not sweating.
The place was calm and quiet. There was no one yet the ground was clean and the freshness of the wind could not go unnoticed. It was as if the deity had cleaned the environment with her own hands. I had only visited once but it was crowded at that time as it was a festival. But this was beautiful.
I was engrossed in the shrine temple before me. I didn't notice when Arashi had left. I moved around my eyes and saw he went to temizuya to clean his hands and mouth and I hurried my pace to join him.
The water was clean and cold as I purified myself with it and we went near the shrine hall. Arashi threw a coin and gave me a coin as well. I threw it and bowed two times.
We clapped and both of us prayed. I pursed my lips as I prayed for our marriage and good health for Arashi. I thanked the deity for giving me a chance to meet a person like him. I prayed for my father's health as well. No matter how distantly he treated me, I could never pray for his bad omen. He did take me in his wings despite my mother had died. He could have abandoned me but he didn't. For all of those years, I confessed to the deity that I was grateful to my father.
"Ah! Mr Yuan!" A voice came as I opened my eyes. I bowed to the deity before looking at the source. There stood an old man wrapped in an off-white kimono. He barely had any hair left on his head due to the aging.
Arashi looked at him as he nodded and the men engaged into a conversation.
"You haven't visited the shrine for a while," the old man said. He had wrinkles all over his face and two of his teeth were missing.
"I was away. Please forgive my rudeness."
"Oh pish posh!" The man shook his head and smiled as his eyes fell on me. Arashi introduced me to the man, "Meet my wife, Bianka."
"But you weren't married the last time you came." The man thought for a moment as Arashi answered, "Yes, it happened very fast."
The man nodded at both of us and blessed us. "I pray that you get a lot of happiness and a lot of healthy children."
At that, my breath hitched. A lot of children...? My ears heated as I peeked at Arashi but he had the same stoic face he always bears in the house. I felt a little offended as I had expected him to be shy about it or maybe happy about it.
I froze. What was I thinking?
"Grandpa!" a ringing voice came to us and it managed to break my thoughts. We all looked behind the old man. There stood a little girl wearing a very small yukata that was still big for her. Her hair tied in two pig tails and she looked at her grandfather with adorable doe eyes.
"Hina, come here." Her grandfather called and added, "Meet uncle Yuan's wife."
The little girl looked at me with her big bulging eyes and then to Arashi then again to me as if she was trying to register her guardian's words. Tears brimmed down to her eyes, wetting her small yet fluffy cheeks as she ran away from there immediately. I blinked at the situation for a moment. What just happened?
"Err... She is usually very talkative and friendly," the old man said looking at where Hina was a moment ago, "I don't understand what happened?"
"Maybe she is not comfortable meeting with new people," Arashi suggested, "She ran away the first time I came here."
"Maybe..." the old man shrugged and said, "Anyways, Mr Yuan, you have to come to my house for dinner with your wife someday."
Arashi nodded. "Of course, I will."
"Mr Yuan, I forgot to ask." While we were about to leave the priest called, "My back pain is growing these days. Can you give me the medicine you gave me the other day?"
"Well, of course. But I have to get back to my house to get it." Arashi asked, "Are you here till evening?"
"Yes, yes. We always leave in the evening."
Arashi nodded. "Down to the road, please wait there. I will come and give you the medicine."
The old man smiled showing his missing teeth and said, "Then off you go. We will meet there."
They bid their good bye and we left the shrine, taking the stairs to climb down.
"Hina seems like she didn't like me." I said.
"That happened with me as well but later, we got along although she talks more while I listen."
I smiled. Hina seemed exactly opposite of me. She must have been surprised to see a new person. I was excited to meet her again.