Long, long, the river flows
Carrying with it Blossoms of Dreams

Red, red, the river is dyed
With the petals of Crimson Blossoms

~~~~~~✧~~~~~~

The overhead Cherry Blossoms shaded the petal‐covered road with its branches. The radiant beauty of the flowers blooming magnificently served as a great source of attraction for the Japanese man who walked under the pink blossoms.

Kiku took calm steps towards his house so as to absorb more of the graceful beauty around him. Spring was his favourite season after all. He waited a whole year to pass for this season to return.

Soon, he reached the bridge over the shallow clear stream that leads to his house. He walked over and found himself staring at the reflection in the water. The water was clear enough for him to see the pebbles embedded in the water soil and fishes swim around. He smiled as the flowing stream brought small and delicate petals of Cherry Blossoms with it from afar.

"Long, long, the river flows
Carrying with it Blossoms of Dreams," he smiled.

However, his eyes soon widened as the river changed its colour to a deep shade of red. The petals too turned as crimson as blood. A voice that Kiku didn't want to hear again, rang in his head.

"Red, red, the river is dyed
With the petals of Crimson Blossoms," it said.

A sinister laughter echoed in his ears as Kiku covered them and shook his head.

"No!" Kiku closed his eyes and waited for everything to return to normal.

A few moments later when he opened his eyes, the water was back to the way it was. He sighed in relief but looked away in a distant thought.

"Conflict with oneself is the worst punishment to be faced..."

He averted his eyes and continued walking on his way. The short walk towards his house didn't please his now‐spoilt mood. As he opened the gate to his traditional‐styled house and entered, he found a young woman standing in front of the door.

"Excuse me? Are you here to meet me?" Kiku asked politely.

The woman glanced over at him. She didn't look like she was Japanese. She had long silver hair that resembled the silver moonlight during a full moon night. The maiden came closer to him and gave a slight nod.

"Yes, I have," she calmly replied.

"I see. How can I ‐" Before he could finish, he instinctively dodged as the woman raised her foot into a high kick towards his face.

Successfully dodging it, Kiku staggered back in shock. One hit would have seriously injured him.

"Who is this woman?" he thought.