Surprise! A Norowa Reta Chapter!

The birds were too quiet.

She remembered hearing them sing often early in the morning, followed by the roosters loud cry which behaved as the villages wake up alarm. Often this would be followed by a sudden grumble and mumble as the young Asian woman tossed around in bed, resistant to her responsibilities. This would be the pattern of every day as it began, waiting a few more minutes of sleep before mother would step in and toss a pillow at you.

"Oi, Mewosamasu!" (Wake up!)

"Haaaaaai!"

Rolling out of bed, she practically had to force herself to get dressed for the day. No it wasn't for school, it had been two years since she had passed through the village teachings. Unfortunately, she found herself uncertain of what she wanted with her life afterwards. You spend all of your younger years wanting to go out on your own and be free, and once you have that you feel lost and confused as to what kind of life you want.

It happens.

Later in the day, she struggled to carry the two large buckets of water balanced at each end of a tapered bamboo yoke. The farm workers needed their fluids, so often she was in charge of approaching the village well and bringing back natures refreshments. Unfortunately for her, this meant climbing uphill towards the well and being careful not to slip while moving downhill to the rice fields. So much walking would leave her with a pain on her feet, and a yearning for rest and sleep.

She flashed a smile at the first worker who approached her, a cute young boy named Tai whom she grew up with. They were close friends since childhood, often defending the other whenever someone began to tease or pick on them. A friendship formed from the closeness of their fathers, it seemed this friendship was passed down a generation by chance. She can still recall his dad making that awful joke about when her dad realized he was having a daughter while he had a son, how his hoarse laugh echoed at the time.

"Musuko to musume!" He would say, a tale of sons and daughters. How their closeness at birth and later friendship was a sign of an ancient lovestory between a boy and a girl. It was super embarrassing for both of them to be there when he said it, but that is not to say they haven't heard that tease before. Often it would be repeated here and there from friends or classmates.

There is something more between them aside from friendship, a close bond that perhaps surpasses that of lovers. It was obvious that yes, they did have feelings for each other. Yet they remained as friends, not daring to push the comfortable boundaries they had settled for. Perhaps it was the lack of courage or feeling uneasy of the change that would come with such a huge step?

Still, she was convinced the reason he stayed was for her, and she loved him more for it.

"Otetsudai shimashouka?" (Need help?)

"Hai, arigatou." She thanked him as he helped remove the two buckets from her carrying pole. "Ichika wa doko desu ka?" (Where is Ichika?)

"Aaa, otearai." (She went to the washroom.) On his knees, he wiped the sweat off his forehead before filling his calabash gourd container with water. One big gulp later, he sighed in relief. "Kyō wa totemo atsuidesnu na?" (It's very hot today, isn't it?)

"Hai,-sōdesu." (Yes it is.) She giggled watching him pant under the hot sun before taking another drink. The coolie hats they wear certainly helped resist the heat, but a few hours of work without water is enough to drain anyone for the day. It made her feel a bit better that her job was a very important one. The moment passed as he reached for his hoe and thanked her for first dibs before she carried on to quench the thirst of the others.

There would be a beautiful night then, a full moon to celebrate the full harvest. She found herself sneaking away with Tai on their usual hike to the clear lake nearby, along with their band of friends to accompany them. Once, her friend Ichika teased the idea of them skinny dipping for a change, fortunately that was turned down much to her relief. Too shy to be so revealing to people you are close to, especially with Tai.

She recalled sitting on the edge of the dock before hearing soft wet feet approaching from behind. Looking up, Tai smiled back before taking a seat by her side. Both simply enjoyed the view, the way the bright stars peaked into the dark blue canvas that was the midnight sky. How the air seemed cool and crickets hummed their presence into a soothing melody, how the calming clear presence of the water surrounding them reflected the stars above, giving an image impossible to describe in words.

Just... Beautiful.

She felt a familiar warmth surround her hand much to her surprise. Feeling herself grow hot, she responded by accepting the mystery hand as their fingers ran between hers. Ichika tapped her friends' arm and whispered over, their glance stuck on the pair ahead. Soon began the ongoing giggles and whistles and chuckles, but he didn't care. Sure they were embarrassed, but his confident nod and knowing stare gave her strength inside, strength to lean in and rest her head on his shoulder and simply enjoy his presence, his strength, his care.

Sigh.

It was a beautiful night...

Reta opened her eyes, giving herself a light shake before washing her face to wake up with a clear head. Sat beside the river, she felt at peace with its familiarity back home, a bit of inner silence she had missed for so long. Flexing her human hands and feet, she could not feel happy for herself without ignoring the curse within, a mental note which kept her awake for so many years. Kneeling into the stream, she saw the image of a troubled woman running away with no destination in mind. Now here she is, invited to a home and still feeling uneasy and lost. Why is that, was she not welcomed here? No, this is not her home try as she may to convinve herself, and she hated knowing it was true.

Her enhanced hearing picked up the soft giggling from a trio of Nekomatas slowly approaching her. She had company.

The past can wait.