Blue Cherry Sky
by Aidan DoyleAki followed her sister onto the stage. In contrast to the sense of dread Aki felt, Harumi looked happy. Harumi was only nine years old, but she seemed unfazed by the crowd's attention. She moved to the front of the stage, bowed to the crowd of onlookers, and started to recite the speech she had memorized.
Aki scanned the crowd for any sign of her brother. She knew he would not be far away, but she didn't know whether he would go through with his threat to stop the ceremony. Even though the crowd's attention was focused on Harumi, Aki felt thousands of eyes watching her. Awashima Shrine was renowned for its collection of dolls and the annual doll festival. The one hundred and eight dolls chosen for the ceremony lay in the center of the stage. The dolls were dressed in costumes from the Heian period and had highly detailed porcelain faces with shiny eyes and dark hair and wore elaborate floral kimonos.
The crowd parted and Obaasan walked slowly down the path towards the stage. Obaasan had short, snow-white hair and walked with the assistance of a walking stick. Nobody was sure of Obaasan's real age, she simply defied time by living on and on. Aki was sixteen years old and for as long as she could remember, Obaasan had always looked the same. She was the oldest person in all of Kii Province and knew the most kanji. This made her the most powerful person in the region.
Obaasan made her way up onto the stage and bowed to the crowd, acknowledging their presence and thanking them for coming. Others might have used the ceremony as an opportunity for self-promotion, but Obaasan had little patience for long-winded speeches.
"I didn't gain wisdom through talking," she all-too-often told Aki. "Doing. Not talking. That's the way to learn." Aki had lost count of how many times she had heard that advice.
Obaasan picked up the first of the dolls and gently kissed its lips. Then she handed it to Harumi, who placed it in one of the small wooden boats waiting at the front of the stage. The dolls each represented one of the human passions. Sickness, bad luck, and the memory of ill deeds were transferred from the doll's owner and then the dolls were sent far away. In the past, the shrine's high priest had overseen the ceremony, but six years ago an earthquake had devastated the region and hundreds had died, including Aki's parents and most of the town elders and high priest. Obaasan was the only surviving elder with the power to hold back the pale ghosts, and she had decided it would be more in the town's interest for her to be the only one to benefit from the ceremony's blessings.
When Obaasan had kissed all of the dolls, members of the crowd came forward to lift the wooden boats onto their shoulders. Harumi led the line of worshippers, with Aki and Obaasan following behind. They passed through the red gate marking the shrine's entrance. Aki glanced behind her at the crowd following them. The shrine's new high priest wore orange robes and a black ceremonial hat. Obaasan had appointed him after the earthquake, and he always did as she instructed. Two men in plain white robes followed the priest. Aki had seen them before at Obaasan's house and knew the swords they wore at their sides weren't ceremonial. Watching proceedings from afar were two of Obaasan's samurai. They were the visible deterrent to anyone wishing to stop the ceremony, but Aki thought they would have little chance against her brother.
The crowd carried the boats along the path leading to a wooden jetty that gently sloped down to the bay's murky water. A cold wind was blowing, causing Aki to shiver. Every year the doll ceremony was held on the third day of the third month and the appearance of the cherry blossoms a month later marked the arrival of spring. The last few winters in Kado had been particularly harsh. Although snow rarely fell this far south, Kado had suffered icy days and bitterly cold winds. This winter had been an especially sad one; the pale ghosts had stolen away more than a dozen young girls, the girls simply disappearing from their beds at night. Many people blamed Obaasan for not stopping the ghosts, but she had said that if it weren't for her work, many more children would have disappeared.
Harumi reached the jetty and led the procession down towards the water's edge. The bearers placed the boats near the water and then retreated to the top of the jetty. Harumi began taking the dolls out of the boats, and Aki held the tray with the four heavenly guardians aloft. She turned to the north and asked the black tortoise to bless the ceremony and turned to the east and called on the blue dragon's protection, then she faced the south and asked the red bird to watch over them. Finally she faced the west and asked the white tiger to lend them its strength.
Obaasan reached into the folds of her kimono and produced a small purse. She opened the purse and took out a tiny bamboo brush. She squatted down with remarkable agility for someone her age and dipped the brush in the water.
Harumi picked up one of the dolls and handed it to Obaasan and with quick, sure strokes Obaasan traced the character
on the doll. The character meant snow and was Obaasan's real name. Yuki.
Obaasan dipped the brush in the water again and painted her name on another doll. Even though her hands were bent with age, her brush strokes had a smoothness that came from years of practice and the seawater was bound in place by Obaasan's power. Aki heard sounds of surprise come from the crowd and turned to see a man wading through the water near the headland. It was Tetsuya.
Aki's brother was wearing nothing but white pants. His upper body was covered in strange black markings and a small monkey clung to his shoulder.
Aki took her own brush from her purse and dipped it in the seawater. It required a special talent to imbue a kanji with magical strength. For most people the characters remained lifeless, but all of Aki's family was magically skilled. Aki painted
on the palm of her hand. See. Her vision blurred momentarily and then she focused her eyes and she could see far into the distance.
Tetsuya's body was decorated with kanji tattoos, giving him powerful wards and protection. On the center of his chest were the characters of his name
To be iron.
Aki was surprised to see her brother so openly breaking tradition. Although tattoos provided magical protection, most magicians disdained their use. Elegance and refinement were the most prized qualities in magic, and tattoos were viewed as a crude solution. When your skill improved and you could write more powerful kanji combinations, your tattoo would still display your old, inelegant characters.
Obaasan prodded Harumi on the shoulder. "Hurry! We must finish the ceremony." She motioned to the two samurai and they marched to the edge of the jetty and aimed their bows at Tetsuya and released their arrows. Tetsuya held his arm out in front of him. Tattooed on the palm of his hand was
Stop.
The arrows stopped dead and fell into the water. The samurai continued shooting, but none of the arrows reached their target.
Tetsuya raised his left arm. His left index finger looked as though it was coated in a fine sheet of ice. Etched into the white mass was the character
Ice.
He lowered his finger to the water. Where his finger touched the water, the surface turned to ice and in barely more than a second he had sketched out the character
Kill.
The kanji floated in the water for a moment and then Tetsuya scooped it up and hurled it through the air. The frozen character broke apart into dozens of shards, which sped unnaturally through the air and struck the two samurai in the chest. They both collapsed and landed heavily on the jetty.
Panic ensued as the remaining worshippers scrambled to put as much distance between themselves and Tetsuya as possible.
Obaasan and Harumi were still working their way through the dolls. Aki looked uncertainly about, unsure of what to do. The two men in the white robes stepped forward. They shrugged off their robes surprisingly quickly and then drew their swords.
Obaasan had often lectured Aki and her brother about the lack of subtlety of tattoos, so Aki was surprised to see the men both had small, discreet tattoos on their arms and that their swords were marked with protective kanji.
Obaasan's guards waded into the water and made their way towards Tetsuya.
Tetsuya gestured and the monkey leaped from his shoulder, landing on the water's surface. It didn't sink, but instead started running across the water.
The monkey in no way resembled a friendly pet; its eyes were red-rimmed and burned with killing power. It raced across the water, its path taking it away from the swordsmen and towards Harumi.
Until then, Aki had not believed her brother would be able to carry out his threat of stopping the ceremony at all costs.
Aki knew the monkey would be protected against basic attacks. She needed to create some powerful magic and she needed to do it quickly. She opened her purse and took out her brush, a sheet of paper and a small knife. Seawater had many uses as a form of ink, but for spells, blood served as a much more powerful medium. Aki had only used blood once before and that was under Obaasan's instruction. Obaasan had lectured her about the best place to make the cut, but it was hard to remember now.
The monkey had almost reached them now.
Aki steeled herself and shut her eyes. She cut her finger with the knife and winced at the sudden pain. She opened her eyes and quickly dabbed the brush in the crimson liquid oozing from her finger. Then she frantically painted
Heavy.
She couldn't help admiring the character. Even though she had painted the kanji under difficult circumstances, the rendering of the character's lines exhibited a simple elegance.
She wrapped the paper around the black tortoise figurine and hurled it into the water. The tortoise was a water guardian and would protect the land's entrance from the sea. The monkey leaped towards them, and then suddenly there was an explosion of water as the monkey vanished beneath the water.
Aki sighed in relief and then used some seawater to paint a healing character on her finger. The cut sealed up.
The two guards had reached Tetsuya, and the first guard raised his sword and swung it in a flat arc, aiming to sever Tetsuya's head. The blade struck Tetsuya cleanly on the neck and the sword shattered. The guard looked stunned. Tetsuya reached out his icy finger and touched the guard on the forehead. A single crystal of ice appeared on the man's forehead and in an instant spread to cover his body. Tetsuya smashed his fist through the icy body and the man shattered into chunks of ice.
The other guard held his sword up warily, obviously weighing his chances of defeating Tetsuya. Aki expected the man to flee, but instead he aimed his sword in a thrust at the kanji on Tetsuya's chest, perhaps hoping to overwhelm the kanji's protection by striking at it directly. Aki didn't know if it was the man's loyalty to Obaasan, his self-confidence, or the shame of dishonor that made him continue the fight. His blade shattered against Tetsuya's chest and then Tetsuya killed him the same way as the first guard.
Now Aki had no choice. Her brother was going to stop the ceremony by killing Harumi. But how could she stop her brother? His kanji were more powerful than hers, and he was well warded. She doubted that anyone except Obaasan would be able to survive a confrontation with him. And Obaasan was immersed in the ceremony.
Aki's gaze fell on the remaining three celestial guardians and an idea came to her. She picked up the dragon figurine and then dipped her brush in the seawater and painted
on the dragon's belly. Blue.
She placed the dragon gently on the edge of the jetty.
Tetsuya looked down at the dragon figurine and then over at Obaasan and Harumi. Then he stared at Aki, obviously trying to read her intentions.
Aki had not seen him for six years, until yesterday he had arrived at Obaasan's home. Aki's surprise at seeing her brother had turned to horror when he had called Obaasan a monster and vowed to stop the ceremony. He warned the girls not to take part in the ceremony and then left before they could say anything.
Tetsuya looked down again at the dragon and smiled sadly. No doubt he believed his sister had resorted to a simple guardian spell. He stepped onto the jetty and showed his contempt for such an enchantment by kicking aside the dragon.
Then Tetsuya suddenly staggered, fighting maintain his balance and shaking his head as though trying to clear away any weakness. His face had turned a sickly blue. Then the characters on his chest
changed.
and 
vanished and were replaced by the dragon's blue,
Together they formed
Rust.
Tetsuya blinked his eyes rapidly and then toppled over, his head striking the jetty. He lay still for moment, and then raised his head and reached out and touched one of the nearby dolls, turning it to ice. He hesitated as though he were about to do something terrible, then he brought his fist down on the doll, shattering the ice. His head sagged and his eyes closed.
Aki touched Tetsuya gently on the side of the face. The rust hadn't killed him, but that didn't change the fact she had poisoned her own brother. At least she could remove the enchantment later and her brother would regain his strength.
Obaasan stared at the shards of ice that were all that remained of the doll. There were now only one hundred and seven dolls. Obaasan's face twisted with barely restrained anger, and she looked contemptuously at Tetsuya's unconscious form, before shifting her gaze to Harumi.
Harumi was only nine. Some children would have been driven to hysteria by what had just happened. Harumi didn't make a sound. Obaasan opened her purse and took out a golden ring. With her enhanced vision, Aki could see
written on the ring. It was one of Obaasan's shape-changing rings.
Aki held her breath - she was going to be rewarded for stopping her brother! - but to Aki's surprise, Obaasan squatted down beside Harumi and took her hand.
A sudden rage filled Aki. She was the one who had stopped her brother and saved the ceremony. Harumi had done nothing and yet she was being rewarded.
Obaasan slipped the gold ring onto Harumi's finger.
"Obaasan!" Aki protested, but the old woman paid her no attention.
Harumi was suddenly bathed in golden light and then she was gone. In her place lay a small doll.
Obaasan scooped up the doll and used her brush to write her name kanji on it.
Aki was stunned. What had happened?
Then she realized. Obaasan had used her power to merge the characters for human
and shape,
into the characters
Doll.
Her sister was gone, transformed into a tool for extending Obaasan's life. Aki's gaze was momentarily drawn to the other dolls. Obaasan couldn't have obtained them in the same way, could she? It was too monstrous to contemplate.
Aki remembered the times Obaasan had consoled grieving parents whose daughters had been taken by the pale ghosts. Noone had seen the pale ghosts.
Obaasan placed the doll in one of the boats and then she leaned against the boat and started pushing it towards the water. The boat looked too heavy for one person to move alone, but Obaasan had hidden strength.
"Obaasan!" Aki shouted.
Obaasan ignored her and continued pushing the boat towards the water.
"Obaasan! You can't!"
Obaasan turned and Aki felt Obaasan's fierce, cold eyes digging deep into her. Obaasan said nothing, her gaze was usually more than sufficient to stifle any protest.
But this time, Aki was overwhelmed with anger. "Stop!" she screamed and ran in front of the boat, blocking the path to the water. Obaasan straightened her bent form and glared at Aki.
Aki knew better than to expect Obaasan to reason with her. Normally, Aki couldn't hope to survive a confrontation with Obaasan, but the old woman was at her weakest and the ceremony had not yet been completed. Worse, Obaasan had violated the noblest traditions of Japanese magic: - self-sacrifice was viewed as one of the most honorable forms of expression, yet Obaasan had sacrificed others in her stead. Obaasan dipped her brush in seawater and then wrote her own name,
on the palm of her hand. Snow. Her eyes blazed with power and the day grew darker as black clouds filled the sky.
A cold wind whipped against Aki and she felt her body growing numb with cold. It felt as though her heart was freezing inside her body. She dipped her brush into the water and painted her own name on her hand. Aki's kanji was
and meant autumn. The character gave her a momentary defense against Obaasan's power, but it wouldn't last long. What could she do? Then it came to her. She painted
on the little finger on her left hand.
Giving up a finger was a venerated form of self-sacrifice. And Aki was not just giving up her finger; she was giving up part of her identity. She would be irrevocably changed after the sacrifice.
She shut her eyes and then cut off her finger and threw it in the water.
The pain was unbearable. It wasn't just the nerves in her hand. It felt as though part of her soul had been torn away. It had: she was no longer Aki
She had lost the
part of her. Now she was simply
Fire.
A wave of heat flowed through her body. She looked at Obaasan, who was regarding her with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. Aki raised her hand and a torrent of flame lanced out, transforming Obaasan into a living tower of fire. Obaasan screamed and fell backwards into the water, generating a huge cloud of steam.
The girl who had once been called Aki was flung into the water as dozens of girls suddenly took the place of the dolls. The air was filled with screams of terror and cries of joy as one hundred and eight girls turned the jetty into a writhing mass of panic and excitement. She dragged herself out of the water and amidst the chaos she found Harumi and dragged her clear of the other girls.
Shouts of surprise and joy came from the town. Parents who had been watching from a distance, ran to the jetty to be reunited with their missing daughters. She held her sister tight and felt the fire within her disappearing. She would have to choose a new name.
The sun suddenly felt warm against her skin. She looked up to see a bright blue sky dotted with strange pink-tinged clouds. It was a sign of great fortune. Spring had finally arrived.
A single cherry blossom floated down from the pink clouds. It spiraled down towards her and landed in the palm of her hand. The blossom glowed brightly for an instant and then disappeared. She had found her new name. Cherry Blossom.
Sakura.
©Aidan Doyle
Aidan Doyle is an Australian writer living in Japan. He previously worked in the computer games industry and now works as an English teacher. His stories and articles have appeared in Salon, Science Fiction Weekly, Aurealis, Orb and Borderlands. This is his second story in Reflection's Edge.