Under The Cherry Blossom

The plane landed at the airport. 

Before getting out of the airport, I checked my luggage again. After the check-in, I got outside the airport. I looked up in the vast blue sky and took a deep breath. Right now, I’m in Tokyo, the capital of Japan and one of the busiest cities of the world. I called for a taxi. The driver asked me about my destination.

“Take me to the nearest station that has trains for going to Kyoto.”

“As you want, sir.” 

The taxi started to move. Sitting on the back seat and looking outside, all the memories started to take over my mind.

Back when I was a university student, I used to work at a bookstore. One night, I was returning to my apartment. The sky was cloudy in the afternoon, nothing unusual for the season. So, I didn’t bring my umbrella with me. But when I got down from the bus, it started to rain suddenly. My apartment was 10 minutes away from the station by walking, and there was no building in between except a big tree situated half the way. I started to run when it started to rain down, but after remembering that I don’t have classes or anything to do the next day, I decided to enjoy the rain and began walking in the rain.

The pace of rain started to increase. I knew my usual route to the apartment so I was walking without thinking too much. Soon, the heavy rain made me almost blind. The wind started to blow strongly. Suddenly, I saw a pair of headlights running towards me like a madman. Before I could move, I felt a heavy push and was flying for a moment. I fell into a pool of dim light. With an inexplicable amount of pain in my body, the last faint sign of light before my eyes disappeared and I lost consciousness. 

I don’t know how long I was out. When I opened my eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling came to my vision. I tried to sit but suddenly felt like my bones were cracking from pain. I tried to look around but the vague sight didn’t help me. A female voice echoed not so far away. While trying to look at the direction of the voice, the heavy pain in my back made me see darkness around. Before losing my consciousness, I saw a female silhouette running towards me. Then, I passed out. 

I opened my eyes and could see faint light around me. I tried to move and to my surprise, there was no pain in my body. Instead, my whole body felt lighter than before. I looked around and saw a candle on a table. Judging where I was lying down, I recognized it as a Japanese futon. Looking around me, I spotted an unusual type of room. It was enormous, and yet not too many things inside the room. There was a door. When I stood up, I noticed the upper side of my body was naked and it was covered with bandages. I wore my t-shirt that was cleaned and placed beside my pillow. Sliding the doorknob, I opened the door and got outside.

A gentle breeze welcomed me as soon as I stepped outside. I looked around me and spotted an enormous shadowy figure before me. I started to walk towards it. Soon, my eyes witnessed a scene that felt truly out of the world. 

As I glanced up, a pale wistful moon greeted me, with a slight number of clouds here and there. There was a big tree before me. The moonlight filtered through the branches, adorned in its pink flower. It was a cherry blossom tree, or as they would call it, Sakura. Being enchanted by the scenario before me, I looked at it for a while. Then I moved my eyes beneath the tree.

There stood a silhouette of a girl. I couldn’t see her face but heard a beautiful voice humming. Her raven-black hairs were swaying gently in the breeze. Hearing my footsteps, she looked behind her and our eyes met. 

I felt like I skipped a heartbeat. Her almond shaped eyes that were bright and yet deep like the ocean looked directly to my eyes and spellbound me. Her long hair flowed down from her shoulder. The subtle curves of her body expressed her femininity, adorned with a black dress she was wearing. Her smooth skin was rosy red and silky white. Her beauty underneath the mysteriously beautiful scenario totally bewitched me. We both kept silent and I felt the time around me had stopped. Then, she opened her mouth and smiled. Her rose white cheeks reddened up a bit. 

“How are you feeling now? Do you still feel pain in your body?” she asked me. I regained my senses and answered, “I feel a lot better now. But who are you? Where am I? How did I end up here?” She again smiled at me and said, “one question at a time, alright?” 

Then she put both her hands behind and leaned a bit. A few of her dark hairs fell one side from her shoulder. “I’m sure you have many things to ask, but why don’t we chat over a cup of tea? Do you want to enjoy it under this beautiful sky with the moon gazing upon us from above? The moon looks beautiful tonight.” I nodded my head. She turned around and then went inside the room. Spotting a bench near me under the tree, I headed to it and sat down.

“Meow.” 

I flinched from hearing the sound. Looking at the source of the sound, I saw a black cat lying on a corner of the bench. A beautiful unique white trace on its body came to my sight. It looked at me, and then yawned lazily. I turned my sight from it and looked again at the mysteriously beautiful scenery in front of me. The scenario of the big cherry tree, with its full bloomed flowers underneath the full moon night was almost like a dream. Just when I started to think if I were actually dreaming, I felt something on my lap. The black cat was lying on my lap like it was her sleeping place.

“Oh my, have you already made friends with her? She is a bit hard to befriend, but seems like she has taken a liking at you. That’s rare.” I looked at the direction of voice and saw the girl coming towards the bench with a bucket in her hand. She smiled at me and sat on the bench. Then, she put the bag beside her and took out a sandwich. Extending her one hand with a sandwich towards me, she said, “you must be feeling hungry. Here, have one. It’s delicious, you know? I have quiet confidence in my cooking.” I took the sandwich and had one bite. It was very delicious, something so good that I haven’t tasted so long since my mother’s cooking back at home. She looked at my satisfied face, smiled and handed me a warm cup of tea. I took a sip of it. The taste of the tea, the warmth of it, along with the sandwich and the gentle breeze and the scenario before me – all started to feel like a dream again. 

After finishing the sandwich and tea, I handed the empty cup to her. She took it and kept it with her cup beside the bench. After that, she looked at me and started talking. “You might be still confused about everything that has been going on. Well, it’s part of my fault too, so I should explain everything to you. But before that, I want…. to tell you about my identity. Don’t be scared please.” 

I raised my eyebrows a little. Taking a deep breath, she looked at me and said, “I am a witch.” 

I thought I heard it wrong the first time. Witches? What? Do they really exist? Was this girl having fun with me, or was I really dreaming?

Perhaps seeing me being speechless, she said, “No, I am not joking with you. Let me explain. We, witches do really exist. However, as most people are still scared of witches these days, we live hiding our identity and only a few people know. We have a sacred village of ours where only the witches and their families can enter. Geographically, it’s located in Kyoto city of Japan, where we are right now. It's well-hidden and no normal person can enter here.” 

Taking a deep breath after talking without break, she started again, “even though we live in the modern age, a witch must never forget her true identity. So, we are obligated to leave the house at the age of 18 and practice witchcraft for several years. Don’t worry, the spells we practice are nothing dangerous. In this age, there’s no need for dangerous spells to practice.” 

She smiled innocently. Then, she continued, “As I was saying, I left my home with Miki. You two have already met; I mean look at it sleeping so peacefully on your lap.” She chuckled a bit. “So, this here is the sacred village I mentioned. It is required to open a portal to enter the village, and I did just as it was written in my spell book. But when I entered here, I saw you lying under the tree with your whole body drenched. When I came near you, I saw you unconscious and it looked like you had a crash and there was a hole near your heart. Seeing no other option, I had to put our sacred seal in the hole of your body to save you. After you started to breathe, I healed the injuries, put a bandage around your body. I hope everything went well.” 

All of a sudden, she stood up from the bench, faced me and bowed. I was startled. She spoke with an apologetic voice, “sorry, I brought you into my room levitating with my magic despite knowing there were broken ribs and you could feel pain. I hope you will forget me.” I stood up, bowed deeply and said, “no, I should be the one to thank you. Even though I am a stranger, you saved me from death and was kind enough to heal me and my injuries. I wouldn’t be even alive if it wasn’t for your help. I am truly thankful from the bottom of my heart. How can I ever repay you for your kindness?” 

I felt a gentle touch on my back. “Raise your head. I felt like it was something I must do so there is nothing you need to do to repay me.” I raised my head, and saw a beautiful face smiling gently at me. 

We both sat on the bench and started to talk. She told me about herself, her life with her family in Japan, her school and college life and vice versa. She told me about the witchcraft she and her family practice. I also told her about me, my family and hometown. 

I asked her, “do you have any idea how I was brought in here? I can only remember falling down in a pool of dim light.” She thought for a while and answered, “maybe because I messed up one part of the spell, a portal got opened near you. After the car knocked you, you fell right into the portal luckily.” I nodded my head and thought, coincidence really happens. “How do I get back now?” I asked. “I will try to reverse the spell to see if it works.” 

She put her hands together like praying and her lips moved as she whispered something. Then, there was a faint sound and I saw a big circle of dim light under the cherry tree. She looked at me and said, “I won’t be able to hold it for longer. If you walk inside it, you may reach where the portal opened first. You should hurry.” 

I felt in my heart that this could be the very last time I was going to see her. A wave of sadness crawled inside me that I never felt before. I looked at her and said, “will we ever meet again?” 

She looked into my eyes and gave me a warm smile. “After four years from now on, come here in spring. The seal I planted in your heart shall lead your path here under this sacred cherry tree. Do not forget about me. Let’s make a promise to meet here once again.”

Before walking into the circle, I looked back one last time. Her beautiful face calmed my inner self for some strange reason. I saw a sad smile on her beautiful face and heard a beautiful voice whispering faintly one last time, “my heart already belongs to you. I will always be waiting here.” Then, everything around me became dark. 

The voice of the taxi driver brought me back into reality. He dropped me off at the railway station. I rode the bullet train. It almost took two hours to reach Kyoto. Reaching there, I called up another taxi and went to the nearest hotel to stay. Arriving there, I straight up went into my room. Feeling the tiredness taking over me, I gave up and went to sleep. 

The beautiful spring sky of Kyoto welcomed me the next morning. Seeing the weather so good, I decided to stroll around the city. It looked astonishing in the spring. The cherry trees were all in full bloom and it felt amazing to walk under the pink flowers. Many people were also walking around with their families and enjoying cherry blossoms. The noise of kids laughing and running under the pink flowers felt mellifluous. I tried some of the local cuisines of Kyoto and some special foods of spring.

Being tired from all the walking, I decided to sit down and take a break. I sat on the bench under a tree and looked up. The sight of the afternoon sky through the pink cherry flowers made my heart filled with a gentle warmth. The gentle breeze of spring touched my cheeks, like they were welcoming me in the land of sunrise with the beauty of the spring nature. Without knowing when, I closed my eyes and fell asleep. 

“Meow.” 

I heard a cat meowing near me. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I looked around and spotted a cat figure not so far. Maybe it was a stray cat, I thought. I froze as soon as I spotted a familiar white trace on its body.

“Wait, are you perhaps – “ 

Before I could finish my sentence, the cat started to walk. I got up and started to follow it. Strangely enough, the more I got close to it, the farther it got away from me. Without looking at where I was going, I kept following the cat. After several minutes, I discovered myself in a sea of cherry blossoms all around me. When I thought I lost the cat, I saw it sitting under a tree.

I walked very carefully towards it so that it wouldn't run away again. But it showed no sign of running away. Instead, it was just observing me lazily. I picked up the cat in my hand. 

There was no mistake. She was Miki. But, if she was here, perhaps – 

“She really likes you, doesn’t she?” 

As soon as I heard those words, everything around me stopped. Only the echo of one single line played into my ears. I turned around. 

There she was. The raven-black hair, almond shaped eyes like blue ocean, the skin of rosy red and silky white, and the smile on her face that I love so much. The sun was setting. The spring sky was filled with crimson red in horizon and a big cherry tree with its pink bloomed flower was there behind her. The breeze swayed her hair gently. She was wearing a lavender colored dress and a hat on her head.

I just stood there, looking at her without speaking. She looked more mature and gentler. Seeing me unable to say anything, she chuckled a bit and said, “you really haven’t changed.” 

I regained my senses. “It’s really been long.” 

“I kept my promise, right here, under the sacred cherry tree with its flowers blooming in the spring. We met again.” 

I looked at the tree behind her. There was no mistake, it was the very same tree. The otherworldly beauty of the tree was visible still. 

I looked at the girl before me. I never had a doubt in my heart that she was the love of my life, the one I have always been waiting for. I mustered up courage, looked at her eyes and said, “from the first moment I met you, I have been in love with you. Will you share the rest of your life with me?” 

She looked at me and smiled brightly. “Silly, why do you think I was waiting for all these times? Of course, yes. I will be happy to.”  Her cheeks reddened up. “But first, you will have to meet my family and ask for their permission, you know?” 

I looked at her and smiled. It may have been my imagination, but the cheery flowers were floating around us to celebrate this very moment. 

“Now then,” pointing at the bench under the tree where the cat was already sleeping, she asked me, “shall we have a cup of tea?”