The sun shone through the frontmost window of the modest home belonging to the Miyazaki family, revealing tiny particles of dust that danced lazily through the air and beaming itself directly into Hikaru’s face. She opened her eyes, blocking the bright light with one hand. The room was still, except for the dust, until she heard a noise from outside and jolted her body into a sitting position. Her father called to her from the other room, confirming what her morning-fog brain had been piecing together: today was the day of the Festival of Falling Leaves! Every year, families of the village had set up stands for a day of local trading and commerce to celebrate the coming of Autumn. The Festival had been one of the many Konohagakure traditions that faded slowly over time, until it was brought back by a friend of Hikaru’s grandparents. It had been held every year since, passed down to her father Kaito and several other families and treated as a local party of sorts.
Once she had woken up completely and hastily dressed, Hikaru found her father gathering supplies for the family’s food stand. As she walked into the room, he mumbled cheerfully around a mouthful of breakfast, “Hey, sleepyhead! We’re all ready to head over to the restaurant; just grab that box,” he motioned to a container full of Festival lanterns resting on the table, “and let’s get going.” She took the box, stuffing a few pieces of fruit into her bag to eat on the way, and followed her father out the door. The bright sunlight shone again from a cloudy but blue sky- excellent festival weather, provided no rain came. All around, families were setting up festival stands with every commodity imaginable- sweets, colored masks, handcrafted charms, even stacks of books (which drew her father’s attention as well as hers).
After they had arrived at the Miyazaki’s Restaurant, owned and operated by her grandparents and their hired help, Kaito had joined his own father preparing food in the kitchen and left his daughter to wander the stands for a while. Shortly after leaving the restaurant, Hikaru found a close friend of her father’s whose stand sold books and journals from other nations, among other rare collectibles. She said hi to the woman behind the stand, who replied, “Hello, young Miyazaki! My family and I are going to stop by the restaurant soon to say hi to your father and his parents. I wouldn’t suppose anyone from the Amari clan will make it…?” The Amari, her late mother’s family, had rarely shown their faces outside of their clan house lately, and Hikaru doubted they would even know the festival was going on. She was personally a little desperate to talk to them about her mother, but they hadn’t wanted anything to do with Kaito after she died. “No, sorry- they haven’t been to a festival in many years. I’d be glad to meet you at the restaurant, though!” She smiled at the woman, bought a short children’s book from the Earth country, and left the stand to enjoy more of the festival.
[MFT]
Once she had woken up completely and hastily dressed, Hikaru found her father gathering supplies for the family’s food stand. As she walked into the room, he mumbled cheerfully around a mouthful of breakfast, “Hey, sleepyhead! We’re all ready to head over to the restaurant; just grab that box,” he motioned to a container full of Festival lanterns resting on the table, “and let’s get going.” She took the box, stuffing a few pieces of fruit into her bag to eat on the way, and followed her father out the door. The bright sunlight shone again from a cloudy but blue sky- excellent festival weather, provided no rain came. All around, families were setting up festival stands with every commodity imaginable- sweets, colored masks, handcrafted charms, even stacks of books (which drew her father’s attention as well as hers).
After they had arrived at the Miyazaki’s Restaurant, owned and operated by her grandparents and their hired help, Kaito had joined his own father preparing food in the kitchen and left his daughter to wander the stands for a while. Shortly after leaving the restaurant, Hikaru found a close friend of her father’s whose stand sold books and journals from other nations, among other rare collectibles. She said hi to the woman behind the stand, who replied, “Hello, young Miyazaki! My family and I are going to stop by the restaurant soon to say hi to your father and his parents. I wouldn’t suppose anyone from the Amari clan will make it…?” The Amari, her late mother’s family, had rarely shown their faces outside of their clan house lately, and Hikaru doubted they would even know the festival was going on. She was personally a little desperate to talk to them about her mother, but they hadn’t wanted anything to do with Kaito after she died. “No, sorry- they haven’t been to a festival in many years. I’d be glad to meet you at the restaurant, though!” She smiled at the woman, bought a short children’s book from the Earth country, and left the stand to enjoy more of the festival.
[MFT]
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