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After the fireworks festival, Iroha asked Kaguya, “I wonder… What kind of job do you have on the moon? Can’t you just give it to someone else?”
The blonde girl only whined. “If only I could. It’s part of my responsibilities as… as a Lunarian.” Kaguya didn’t mention that she actually really was a royalty. And pressure is heavier when you hold a high position like that.
“So when you go back, you’ll do the same things again?” Iroha asked again, shoving down the prickling sensation rising to her throat.
“Ughh I don’t wanna think about it yet.” Kaguya sighed. “All I did was do reports here and there. I asked if I could work in the dream facility but they didn’t let me. They said I was too carefree.” Kaguya pouted. “They couldn’t risk me getting carried away in someone’s dream. And yet here I am, running away from my responsibilities. I don’t want to admit it but I guess they’re right.”
“Oh, so Moon people have those duties, too? That’s cool.”
“Yeah. Do you know that humans are the only species who dream? They dream a lot that when they sleep they even bring it with them. I bet it’s more fun helping make their dreams come true than writing reports.”
Iroha used to dream a lot, too. What about exactly? Money? Definitely. Yachiyo? Ehem. Well, of course. BUT it's not relevant right now because…
“So… what kind of reports do you do?” Iroha continues, bringing her full attention to Kaguya.
“Tide report. You see, the moon’s responsible for Earth’s tide so it must be monitored. Many living organisms benefit from it, especially humans. It sure is boring but it’s important work. There’s also the lunar cycle. I like it more, though. It’s amazing connecting with humans in sync with the Moon.” Kaguya leaned close to Iroha and whispered in her ear, “Just between the two of us, but there’s a bit of magic there.” Kaguya giggled and Iroha wished she could just listen to her whisper all day.
“Wow.” Iroha could only utter. She didn’t expect this carefree girl to be in charge of such important jobs. “We must be grateful to you then.” She offered a smile but there was a hint of sadness. She knew there was nothing she could do to make her stay. Her people will come to her one way or the other, and she’ll be taken away.
“Let’s go home? While we still can.” Kaguya kept her smile, wishing she had more time, more and more time on Earth. But a Lunarian like her couldn’t dream, so she had to be content etching the remaining memories with Iroha in her heart, until the inevitable came.
Back home, Moon elders warned Princess Kaguya that a human would be the cause of her downfall. And yet, it didn’t stop her from going back to Earth. She had to answer Iroha’s call. Even if it means rejecting the throne. Even if it means giving up her title. Even if it means losing her chance to go back. She must see her again. She must do everything. No matter how long it takes.
***
“Yachiyo?” Iroha asks the elegant lady beside her. Since she has learned the truth, Iroha always visits the moon goddess in her personal quarters in Tsukuyomi.
Tonight, they’re sitting outside an old Japanese house, watching the stars. Iroha has always admired the virtual streamer, even choosing a purple garment and nail polish as hers. But now she wonders, looking at her closely, if it’s the other way around. It’s wild, but Iroha can’t help but speculate. What if Yachiyo did it on purpose because it reminds her of her purplish hair?
Yachiyo shifts her gaze from the virtual sky to Iroha’s brilliant eyes, which she longs to see beyond this artificial realm. She smiles at her sweetly. “Yes, Iroha?”
“How did you do that?”
She tilts her head in that adorable way of hers. “Hmm? Do what?”
Iroha shifts in her seat and looks down. “Eight thousand years is a lot of time…”
Yachiyo considers it and answers, “Hm… I’m not human, after all. Moon people typically live longer than humans. So time’s really not an issue. She pauses for a moment, thinking of an easy way to explain. “In my case, since I didn’t get to generate a physical body when my spaceship crashed down, it was easy to blend in with the society. I didn’t have to take the form of a human being, and adjust said body to mimic aging. I didn’t have to fake my death when it’s time. So you can say it was easier to move on.”
Yachiyo purposely leaves out the painful parts: the agony of seeing people suffer, the grief of witnessing people pass before her. People who became close to her. Those who valued her and took care of her.
“You’re still not telling me everything,” Iroha says, noticing the sad look in Yachiyo’s eyes. “I’m not forcing you to, but I just want to let you know you can share your burdens with me. So please don’t hold back. I can handle it.” Iroha already had a gist of Yachiyo’s long, painful journey through Fushi’s help, but she was still waiting for her to open up.
Iroha tries again. “You spent eight thousand years and witnessed humans do terrible things. You waited eight thousand years just to see me again. You don’t deserve all that pain. I may not be able to erase it, but at least let me carry some of that weight.”
Remnants of the past come bubbling up to the surface, it’s becoming harder to suppress. “It’s true,” Yachiyo admits. “I have witnessed a lot of things—good, bad, the in-between, the mundane, the cataclysmic, the turning point of human history. I’d be lying if I say they didn’t affect me. Even a bodiless lunarian who can’t experience physical life on Earth isn’t immune to pain.”
For a long time, Yachiyo had endured the horrors of war, famine, and death with only Fushi by her side. Nobody would ever understand what she had gone through so she learned to keep it in and move on. But now, why…why do her emotions feel like slipping all of a sudden? Why in front of Iroha of all people?
When emotions threaten to burst out of her chest, Yachiyo feels Iroha’s body finding her. Iroha takes the woman’s head to her chest as she embraces Yachiyo, a steady warmth passing between them. And for the first time, she doesn’t hold back. Not with her past. Not with her feelings. Not with Iroha by her side.
Yachiyo lets Iroha hold her for the rest of the night. It never felt so right.
“You know Iroha, you’re the best thing that happened to me. Even if I needed to do it again, I would. As long as I get to meet you.” Yachiyo was lying down, her head resting on Iroha’s lap.
Iroha feels a pang of guilt in her chest. “All that much for me… even though I’m not deserving of that kind of love. I… I don’t know if I can give you even half as much of yours.”
How could Iroha be so wrong? How could she think of that when she’s the very reason that Yachiyo had endured?
“It’s not all that bad, you know.” Yachiyo sits up to comfort her. “No matter how many bad things happened, the good ones still outweighed them. Even though the days looked bleak, someone always stepped up and gave hope. In a kingdom full of greed, there was always someone who was kind. Whenever I see those moments I think of you.”
It surprised Iroha. “You do?”
Yachiyo smiles. “When we first met, I was a pushy, irresponsible girl who just wanted to have fun. I inconvenienced you, and yet you still took me in and took care of me. I always remembered that kindness. And it’s that same kindness that kept me going. It’s proof that humanity’s not hopeless, because in the far future, there exists an extremely kind, diligent, and devoted girl named Iroha Sakayori. And she’s the person I’m living to meet again.”
Yachiyo reaches for Iroha’s hand. “I’ll never regret meeting you, Iroha. I’m glad I came back for you.”
***
Years have passed and there are still a lot of things Iroha finds confusing. Even now as a scientist, the concept of time and space still bugs her. She goes to Yachiyo as always, and the latter tries to explain it to the best of her abilities.
“The more you try to understand time, the more confusing it gets,” Yachiyo says as she shares a futon with Iroha in their old apartment. Dressed in her old clothes—rather, Iroha’s old clothes— she lies on her side as she talks. “So I think it’s best if you imagine it as a single cord made up of multiple threads intertwined. It is a product of different circumstances and possibilities. You can’t look at the cord without seeing all the threads wrapped around it. Furthermore, when a thread breaks, even just a single one, the cord transforms completely into a new one. To put it simply, there’s no single way to view time. Circumstances may change with just a single deviation.”
Iroha tries to understand it, but her attention always drifts to Yachiyo’s eyes, Yachiyo’s voice, Yachiyo’s facial expressions, making it difficult to focus.
“What happens when we die? Where do we go?” Iroha asks again, her eyes now locked on Yachiyo’s lips.
The lips move and Iroha swears she can see a hint of a smile. “My, what an inquisitive mind we got here. But I’m afraid it’s time for bed. You have work tomorrow.”
Iroha groans in protest. “C’mooon. Let’s talk more.”
Yachiyo hums, pondering for a moment. “That, I’m not sure.” I haven't done it and lived again to tell the tale. Yachiyo holds back on the thought, sensing the dark humor might upset Iroha. Instead, she adds, “When a moon entity ceases to exist, they disappear and return to the cosmos.”
“Then, can I be with you in that cosmos?” Iroha murmurs, clutching the sleeve of Yachiyo’s shirt. “I don’t care if it’s the virtual world or another planet or a tiny rock in outer space. Take me wherever you go. I’ll gladly come. I won’t let you be alone again.”
Soft warmth fills Yachiyo’s chest, it’s making her want to cry. “If that’s what you wish, Iroha. Then I’ll use all of my capabilities to make it happen.”
All this time, Yachiyo thinks Iroha will never see her the same way she saw Kaguya. Eight thousand years have changed her, and she’ll never be her younger self again. She’ll never have Iroha’s heart the same way she had captured it before. But then the girl she loves utters the most wonderful words and now she wants to believe Iroha might be having the same affection towards her.
Iroha hums contentedly and thinks of another question. “Hey, I’m not sure if I already asked you this but what did you feel when you first saw me enter Tsukuyomi?”
It catches Yachiyo off guard; a blush erupts on her cheeks. “What I feel… The same way I felt when we first met. My heart went thud thud thud. I didn’t know I could fall in love with the same person twice.” She chuckles, getting embarrassed all of a sudden.
Iroha laughs and stares at Yachiyo for too long. “Oh… I think I know what you mean.”
Yachiyo notices her staring. Has Iroha looked at her this way before? Or is she just imagining things? If not, why is she only noticing it now? Yachiyo feels she’s going to melt. “Y-you do?”
Iroha hums in response and it doesn’t take long when her eyes finally give in to sleep; a silly smile still plastered on her face.
Yachiyo sighs giddily as she scoots close to sleep beside her. “Oh Iroha, you indulge me too much!”
***
It’s Valentine’s Day and Iroha is having trouble attaching a feature in the artificial body she’s creating for Kaguya. It’s almost midnight when she notices the time and hurriedly logs in to Tsukuyomi to visit Yachiyo.
“So sorry I was busy I didn’t notice—” Iroha stops short, seeing Yachiyo’s not in her quarters. “Yachiyo?” she calls out, checking every corridor to look for her. “Yachi…yo?” Iroha’s jaw drops as she spots the goddess taking a night dip in the outdoor hot spring.
Yachiyo smiles upon seeing Iroha and gestures to her. “Come join me?”
Iroha hesitates, but her clothes instantly change into a bathing suit, rendering her helpless at the goddess’ invitation. Her heart beats wildly at the sight of Yachiyo’s bare shoulders exposed above the water. The water is warm, but her body feels hotter as she gets close to Yachiyo. She hates herself for the thoughts swimming in her head.
“Had a rough day?” Yachiyo asks in that comforting voice of hers and almost immediately, Iroha’s exhaustion slips away.
“The water’s so goood,” Iroha groans and hooks her elbows on the side of the pool, accidentally grazing the soft flesh of Yachiyo’s breast. “I’m so sorry!” she panics, eliciting an amused laugh from the woman.
“What do you think of this? Such a nice view for a change, huh?” Yachiyo turns to face Iroha whose cheeks are getting redder by the minute.
Iroha only nods as she notices Yachiyo getting close. Her silver hair is tied in a bun, revealing a slender neck; her supple skin glistening in the water.
“Happy Valentine’s, Iroha,” Yachiyo utters softly, almost a whisper as their faces are only inches apart. “I thought you wouldn’t come.” She blinks slowly then reaches for her cheek and caresses it. “I can prepare a feast if you want… or… you can have me.” Yachiyo is breathing heavily, Iroha suspects something isn’t right.
It doesn’t take long when Iroha feels Yachiyo’s hand burning her cheek. “Ya-yachiyo! You’re burning hot.” And with that, the woman collapses in her arms.
With Fushi’s help, they pull Yachiyo out of the pool and Iroha carries her back to her room. Immediately, she notices bottles of wine emptied on the table. Chips and candy wrappers litter the floor. “What happened here?” Iroha turns to Fushi for answers.
“She’s been drinking,” the sea slug says obviously, as if it’s even possible for the virtual Yachiyo to get drunk. She can’t even taste food. “She’s been in the hot spring for hours. No wonder she got dizzy.”
“But why? Why didn’t you stop her?” Iroha may be confused, but her worry wins over her confusion.
Fushi only sighs. “She said so herself. She thought you wouldn’t come because you’re too busy with work.”
Iroha frowns. “But it’s her body I’m working on! It’s not like I forgot about her.”
“Well, you better settle it upon yourselves. I’m going to bed.”
The moment Fushi bounces out of the room, Yachiyo stirs in her sleep. She tries to get up but fails. “Iroha?”
Iroha walks to the futon and sits beside her. “What are you thinking? And how is it even possible that you got drunk?”
Yachiyo sulks as she pulls the comforter up to her head. “If I wanted to, I could make it happen. It’s my world, after all,” she says, turning away from Iroha.
“Hey…” Iroha starts, resting a hand on Yachiyo’s cocoon. “I’m sorry I made you worry. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. I understand you wanted to spend it with me. I’m sorry I lost track of time.” She sighs. “I’m sorry I made you wait again.”
It seems to work as Yachiyo pulls down her comforter, revealing her head.
“We can still spend it together, though,” Iroha adds. “I’m taking the day off tomorrow. To make it up to you.”
Yachiyo’s head shifts a little and gradually, she turns around to face Iroha. “You’ll do that for me?” she says, still pouting.
Iroha bites back a smile. “Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because I know it will make you happy?”
Yachiyo considers it for a moment and says, “You talk as if you like me. But then you forget about me. What am I to you, Iroha?”
“W-what?”
Yachiyo stares at her; her sulky face still cute as ever. “Tell me. Do you like me?”
Iroha’s amused. So this is what alcohol can do to Yachiyo, huh. She can only imagine if she’s finally in her physical body and she gets drunk like this, getting bold and honest. And cute. Oh goddess, she can’t wait.
Iroha cracks a smile. “Dummy. Why do you think I come here to see you every day?”
Yachiyo sits upright in a flash. “Because you miss the old me? The Kaguya you met a long time ago?”
Iroha finally understands what’s going on. It’s funny because back then, the young Kaguya was jealous of the idol Yachiyo. But now, Yachiyo just revealed she’s jealous of the young Kaguya. Jeez, this woman… This woman always drives her crazy.
Ah, what to do…
Gently, Iroha reaches for Yachiyo’s hands, clasping each one with her own. She looks into her eyes.
“Yachiyo, I’m not sure if I’ve thanked you enough for all that you’ve done for me. You, your songs helped me get through the lowest points of my life. It’s because you’ve become Yachiyo, the virtual streamer that I adore, that I got to perform my best every day. You gave me strength. You gave me something to hold on when things were uncertain. You were my light in the dark. You kept me dreaming. And now I’m eager to make that dream a reality. Just so I could be with you.”
Yachiyo’s eyes start to tear up but Iroha continues, “I’ve loved you since we first met a long time ago. And I love you too as Yachiyo. You’re all them and I love all versions of you. I don’t care if you’re eight thousand years old. I love you then. I love you now.”
Tears finally spill out of Yachiyo’s eyes. “Please tell me this is not a dream.”
“It’s not,” Iroha replies. “It may be the virtual world, but it’s the closest to reality we could get. For now.”
Iroha takes Yachiyo’s cheeks in her hands. “I promise I’ll make our happy ending come true. Just give me a little more time. I’ll give you a body. You’ll get to eat pancakes again, go to places we’ve never been to. I’ll make you happy. I’ll make sure you get to feel my love for you every day.”
Yachiyo caresses Iroha’s hand and smiles. “Oh, Iroha I already do.”
Iroha blushes and looks away. “Um, what I mean is… the-the thing adults do.”
“Ahhh,” Yachiyo utters in a singsong voice; her eyes twinkling. “I think I know what you’re trying to say.” Teasingly, she runs a finger to Iroha’s throat down to her chest and stops. “But alas! It is improper for an old lady to have such thoughts to a young woman! Such a shame!”
“Hey, I’m not young anymore. I’m already twenty-eight,” Iroha says, wanting to make a point. “And you’re not old no matter what you say. You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. Even in my nearly thirty years of existence I can say that for sure.”
And just like that, Yaccho is in full spirits again. As if no virtual drinking happened. She lovingly clings to Iroha’s arm and rests her head on her shoulder. “Iroha?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve waited for eight thousand years for us to meet again. I don’t mind waiting for a few more.”
Iroha understands what Yachiyo is saying. Even if they could be intimate with each other in Tsukuyomi, there are still limitations to the sensations they’re supposed to feel. She only wants to give Yachiyo the best, and she won’t settle for less.
The question is: Can she wait? Can they?
“But can we at least… you know…” Iroha shifts her body and Yachiyo picks up on what she’s trying to suggest. She faces Iroha to meet her gaze.
Iroha cups her cheek and slowly, surely... brings her face to Yachiyo.
It feels like a dream when their lips meet. Something only Yachiyo imagined for so long. She wants to taste Iroha so bad, but she can only settle for her tender lips—or what she imagines it to be. She longs to smell Iroha’s scent, and wonders if it’s still the same delicate mix of sweat, worry, and tears. For now, she contents herself at the heady sensation of being close to her. Of being held by her. As if she's the most important person in the world.
Iroha pulls back for a moment; her lips hovering over Yachiyo’s as she whispers, “Tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.”
Yachiyo only realizes she’s been clutching Iroha’s sleeve so tight, afraid that if she lets go even for just a second, all of this would disappear. Her eyes land on her lover’s soft gaze and immediately she feels relieved. She pulls Iroha down with her and they both settle on the futon. “Can we kiss until we fall asleep?” Yachiyo asks as she nestles in Iroha’s arms.
Iroha hums, inching closer until their faces barely touch. “Very well…”
Yachiyo and Iroha kiss that night, and they do it again and again for many more nights.
It’s not enough, but for now it will do. Iroha’s going to finish the body for Yachiyo. She’ll make sure her Yachiyo experiences every sensation, every ounce of pleasure she deserves.
***
A few months later…
Iroha catches her breath as she and Kaguya finally reach the summit of Mt. Fuji. Kaguya, however, shows no sign of exhaustion from the long hike. She jumps with joy seeing the vast sky; the horizon starting to turn into a faint shade of yellow as the sun peeks from the clouds. Iroha finally catches up with her and wonders if she has made the body too tough.
“Hurry, hurry! Let’s finish this before the sun comes up!” Kaguya settles down her backpack and reveals a metal bamboo shoot enclosed in a box. She takes a shovel from Iroha. “Alright! Time to dig up!”
As promised, Iroha had finally finished the body she created for Yachiyo. Now, she’s fully integrated into the body based on her younger self when she first set foot on Earth. It felt surreal at first, being able to move again like this. She was used to light and ease and speed, gravity on Earth feels new. And yet she likes this solid ground, the slow and heavy movements that make her pant and ache and sweat.
Kaguya takes a last look at her space ship resembling a bamboo shoot as she places it in the hole they just dug. She utters a silent prayer before they begin to bury it in the earth forever. Like in the tale, Kaguya believes by cutting the source of her moon power, she will be granted mortality. Her consciousness will grow old in this body, not longer than an average human’s lifespan.
“How are you feeling?” Iroha checks on Kaguya who’s staring off at the sky.
“I… I've never felt so human.” She chuckles, her smile reaching her eyes.
In the past ten years Iroha was making her project, she was constantly nagged by doubts and worries. What if it doesn’t work out? What if she doesn't finish the body? What if the integration fails? What if they mess up the time and instead of cutting the loop, Yachiyo disappears? So many possibilities, when all she had was a glimmer of hope and a bucketful of diligence—and lots of patience. But now, seeing Kaguya, her beloved Kaguya smile and laugh like she used to; hearing her talk and sing and dance; seeing her free and enjoying food and drinks, Iroha is sure: They’ve made it.
“Hey Kaguya.” Iroha nudges the girl standing beside her. “Remember when we were stargazing last night I told you when we look at the stars, we’re looking into the past? I might have a different opinion now.” She smiles. “I think instead of the past, stars lead us to the future instead. Know why?”
“Why?”
“Because I’m looking at it right now.”
Sensing Kaguya’s confusion, Iroha continues, “You spent eight thousand years waiting for me. And now I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.” She then pulls out a white box from her pocket revealing a shiny moonstone ring. Iroha takes Kaguya’s hand and kneels. “Former Princess Kaguya of the Moon, Master Pancake Taster, and now Ms. Kaguya of Planet Earth, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Kaguya never believed that falling in love with a human is going to be her downfall. She doesn’t think letting go of her powers as a celestial being is a mistake. She believes she has found the love of her life and a life with her in this moment is worth the pain and waiting of the past. She knows living as a human being is one of the greatest experiences she’ll ever have. And she won’t trade it with anything else.
Tears began to blur Kaguya’s vision, and yet, the sunrise never looked so bright. “Yes, Iroha!” She exclaims as she jumps at her girlfriend and hugs her. “I will marry you!”