[Saiunkoku Challenge 43] The Sky Rained Emptiness

[runiclore]

The Sky Rained Emptiness
Author: Amber Michelle
Rating: K
Genre: gen
Warnings: n/a
AU/Canon: canon.
Pairing/Characters: Shuurei
Words: 250

Prompt: #43 - springtime (250 words max.)
Notes: set before the books/anime.

Cross-posted at saiun_challenge.



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Shuurei laid her quilt on the bare ground at the center of their garden, by the edge of their empty pool, where the sun shined brightest between the bare branches of their cherry trees. A messenger told her earlier Father would spend the night at court to take care of some official matter, and Seiran was still making his rounds at the grainary. His wage had allowed her to buy rice - the white, glutinous variety perfect for molding into balls and rolling in toasted sesame, or stuffing with white fish and greens. Her manjuu were filled with pumpkin custard instead of red bean, and she poured herself a cup of persimmon leaf tea to take outside, where she settled onto the blanket with an extra wrap around her shoulders. The wind was still cold.

Her earliest memory was an image of her mother, in this spot, with her hand shading her eyes as she watched cherry blossoms rain from the sky. Shuurei sat here with her every day to listen to her stories and learn to count on the abacus. Father brought her lilies, Seiran brought tea, and she learned to climb trees, knowing her mother would always catch her if she fell. The yard would have been green, the wind redolent with the scents of cherry and peach blossoms and fresh new grass.

Now she smelled dust, algae. The sky rained emptiness, and Shuurei sat to watch until the sun went down.


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