Disclaimer: I’m just borrowing Gravitation. It still doesn’t belong to me.
Author’s Note: Hina Matsuri is “Doll Festival” otherwise known as “Girl’s Day”. It is celebrated on March third. This is a side-story in my ABC arc.
Hina Matsuri
Monday night, Naora came home from her friend Sakiko’s house, bursting with news. “Daddy-Eiri, Daddy-Shuichi, I’m home!” The door slammed and Eiri winced. Both 'children' were hard on doors.
Shuichi called hello back to her from the living room. From his office, Eiri heard Naora’s shoes and backpack drop in the entry way and the sound of her running into the other room. He was glad she chose Shuichi tonight. He wanted to get a bit more writing done before he made dinner.
Naora wasn’t about to let him escape her news, though. It seemed like just a few minutes had passed when his daughter came into his office. “Daddy-Eiri?” He grunted. “Um, do you know about the Hina Matsuri?”
“Yes,” he said, continuing to type.
"Sakiko-chan has really pretty dolls for the festival," Naora said. "She let me help her set them up." Naora launched into great detail about Sakiko's festival dolls: The special 'steps' for the doll display, the bright red silk that covered the tiered doll stand, the decorative screen of painted peach blossoms that stood behind the emperor and empress, then the dolls themselves in fine silks with tiny accessories like bead necklaces and fans. Other dolls represented the imperial couple's two ministers and two of the typical three court lady dolls.
Naora stopped and Eiri waited. He supposed she wanted acknowledgement he was listening so he muttered, "Uh-huh."
After a pause, Naora continued. "Um, Sakiko-chan said her grandparents give her pretty dolls every year. She's seven, so she got another court lady this year." Eiri could guess what was coming next. "Daddy-Eiri? Will I get a pretty doll, even though I'm not grandma and grandpa's real granddaughter?"
The sentence Eiri was typing onto his computer vanished from his head and he turned to face Naora, taking the cigarette out of his mouth. "What do you mean by 'not their real granddaughter'?" he asked harshly. He had expected the first part of the question but not the second.
Naora reacted as if scolded. She tipped her head down and looked at the floor while shuffling her feet back from him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Eiri reached out and stopped her backwards movement by hooking one hand over her shoulder. "I'm not mad," he told her. "The Shindou Family is your 'real' family— sort of the same way they're my family, too," Eiri added with half a grimace.
Naora glanced up at him and back down. "Do grandma and grandpa Shindou give you holiday gifts?"
"They gave all of us New Year's gifts," he pointed out.
Naora nodded and Eiri let go of her shoulder. "They took me to the shrine for Shi-chi-go-san, too," she said. [2] "That was fun."
"Shuichi!" Eiri called.
Naora startled and looked worried. "I wanted to ask *you*," she told Eiri in a rush. "Daddy-Shuichi would be sad if grandma and grandpa Shindou treated me differently. I only wanted to understand!"
"Yeah?" Shuichi asked, poking his head into the office.
"Did Naora tell you about the Hina Matsuri dolls?" Eiri asked.
Shuichi smiled and stepped into the office. "Yeah, she was telling me about Sakiko's dolls. They sounded really nice," Shu added for Naora's benefit. "I told her Maiko had a set of dolls when she was younger, too." Eiri vaguely remembered his own sister's Hina Matsuri dolls and the way Mika and her friends fussed over them. He was pretty sure Mika's dolls had been inherited from their mother.
"Who gave the dolls to Maiko?" Eiri questioned.
"Hmm. I know a couple were from my mom's sister, Aunt Seiko, and my parents gave her the emperor and empress. My Grandma Mimasuya probably—"
Cutting Shuichi off, Eiri faced Naora. "See, Naora-chan, the dolls don't have to come from grandparents. That's only how your friend's family has done it." Naora nodded. "These dolls— they're important to you, right?" Eiri asked.
Naora gave him another quick glance. "Well, kind of," she said quietly. "At Caritas, we made paper dolls every year. We drew pretty things for them and did our best to color them nicely. I can do that again. It's harder to do them all myself, but I started drawing some pretty dolls . . . "
Shuichi broke in, "Did Naora show you her drawings? She's really good— she has all these patterns drawn on the fabric in bright colors and—"
"Paper dolls aren't the same, though, are they?" Eiri asked Naora shrewdly. Shuichi made an 'oh' sound, like he just figured out the significance of Naora talking about the dolls.
Naora gestured 'no'. "Sakiko's dolls are really, really pretty," she said enviously. "You can pose them and they don’t rip or fall apart and they have layers of real cloth and little porcelain banquet dishes and everything!"
"Tomorrow is the festival, right?" Shuichi asked. Naora gestured 'yes'. Shuichi clapped his hands together suddenly. "So! Where do we go to buy some of these dolls? They're special, right? Can you get them at toy stores? I know!" Shuichi said, "I'll call my mom; she'll know."
Shuichi started to leave but Eiri told him to wait. With one hand, Eiri reached over and grabbed the phone off his desk. With the other hand, he crushed his cigarette out in his over-full ashtray. Mutely, he handed the phone to Shuichi. The kid looked surprised at being given permission to use Eiri's office phone but he accepted it and began dialing.
"Hi, mom, it's Shuichi. Very funny. No, everyone is fine. I don't know when his next book is due out, you'd have to ask him," Shuichi said querulously. "Yeah, about Naora— No, she's fine! I want to know where to buy Hina Matsuri dolls. Coming up? It's tomorrow, Mom. Yeah, okay." Shuichi held the phone out to Naora and she accepted it.
Naora spoke softly into the phone, giving mostly one-word answers that probably revolved around the dolls. Meanwhile, Shuichi seated himself on Eiri's lap and looped an arm around his neck. "You may as well shut off your computer. We're going to go shopping tonight, right? I'd rather go tonight because if you take her after school tomorrow, then I'll be working and won't get to come along. I could skip work!" Shuichi suggested gleefully. "Then we could do stuff together while Naora is at school."
"We can 'do stuff' later tonight," Eiri said. "I need you to go to work tomorrow so I can have some peace to do my own work, Bratt."
"Awww," Shuichi complained, snuggling his face against Eiri's neck. "You act like you don't want me around!"
"I don't," Eiri lied. Shuichi snorted disbelievingly.
"Umm, Daddy-Shuichi?" Naora said. She was holding the phone toward him. Shuichi sat up and accepted the phone from Naora. After saying hello, Shuichi stood up and took a pen from Eiri's desk. The kid clamped the phone between his ear and his shoulder, then began writing on himself and making affirmative noises into the phone.
Naora was smiling widely and she told Eiri excitedly, "Grandma Shindou said she would give me a pretty screen with peach blossoms! She promised to bring me cakes and candies and treats tomorrow, too! [3] She said she'd make Aunt Maiko come and we could have a *party*!" Naora was practically breathless and quivering in anticipation. Eiri, on the other hand, could easily foresee his day swirling down the drain. The way Naora's mood had turned around and the way she now looked at him adoringly almost made up for the upcoming trial of spending the afternoon with Shuichi's mother and sister. "Grandma Shindou said they'd come at five o'clock and then she'd take me to a restaurant for dinner!"
"Got it!" Shuichi announced, clicking the phone off and handing it back to Eiri. "My mom said there a few places but she recommends a store called Gipedo's over in Ikebukuro."
"Can we go tonight, Daddy-Eiri?" Naora put her hands on his knees and begged him with her eyes.
With a sigh, Eiri laid the phone on his desk and rubbed his face. If he didn't go tonight, Naora would give him hang-dog looks all evening and Shuichi would pout jealously about all the 'fun things' Eiri got to do with Naora when the brat had to work. "Shuichi, find out if they're open today and what time they close." Shuichi flashed a grin and left the room, chuckling. "Naora, if they're closed tonight, I'll take you there after school tomorrow."
"Okay, Daddy-Eiri!" Naora chirped. "Can I pick an empress for my first doll?"
He frowned. "How many dolls did you say your friend has?"
Her eyes widened and her mouth turned into a moue of surprise. "I can choose *seven* dolls?"
"Hmm. We'll see. I think we can at least find an emperor and empress and maybe some of those little dishes and things." Naora squealed so loudly, Eiri winced and clapped a hand over his ear.
---
A little more than half an hour later, Eiri found himself in a doll shop. It had never occurred to him that he might ever have to visit a doll shop, yet here he was. The store looked like a library to Eiri, with rows and rows of shelves containing neatly archived boxes of dolls and glass display cases. Naora had Shuichi by the hand and pulled him forward, cooing at the first group of dolls which caught her eyes. Eiri plodded behind.
A sales clerk approached them quickly. Eiri thought she looked a bit like a doll herself in a full, swishy blue skirt and frilly white blouse, complete with fashionably curled hair, perfect makeup and shining brown eyes. "May I help you, sir? Are you buying a doll for your . . . niece?" the shop clerk guessed. Eiri smiled at her in appreciation.
Before Eiri spoke, Shuichi turned. "Our daughter," he said, pulling Naora in front of him to face the clerk. He eyed Eiri warningly, too, telling Eiri without words it wouldn't be worth it to flirt with the woman.
Eiri watched the clerk gamely try to hide her shock. "W-Well then," she said. She sneaked an embarrassed glance at Eiri and crouched down to Naora's level. "Which dolls are you looking for today? You're about eight, right? Will it be a minister for your collection?" Naora gestured 'no'. "A court musician, or maybe a replacement doll?" the woman guessed. Eiri decided she wasn't very good at guessing games. Naora frowned and whispered something. "What's that?" the lady asked. "She's shy, isn't she?" she asked Shuichi helpfully.
"Uh, maybe we could just look around a bit," Shuichi said.
The woman stood up. "That's fine." With the ring of an oft-repeated litany, she informed them, "All of the Hina Matsuri dolls are here in front. Fifteen-doll sets are in the first aisle on the left and the sets of gradually fewer dolls are further down. On the right side are individual dolls." She winked at Naora as if sharing some juicy piece of information. Looking back up at the adults, she said, "We also offer doll repair services." She waited a moment as if expecting a confession about a broken doll. When they all blinked at her, she smiled brightly and said, "Please ask if you have any questions." Finally, she bowed politely and walked away.
They moved to the front of the aisle. At a glance, Eiri could see the cheapest dolls were set on the lower shelves. Small wooden, plastic, and stuffed sets of thumb-sized or fist-sized dolls decorated those shelves. They sold for as little as 1750 yen to 3500 yen. [4] Fanciful displays of larger dolls set above children's reach sold for hundreds of thousands of yen. The difference in quality was obvious.
"Maybe we should get a full set?" Shuichi asked. "Naora-chan, do you want me to lift you up so you can see them better to choose?" He held his hands out to her, ready to lift her up.
"I don't want a full set," Naora said, just audibly.
"Why not?" Shuichi asked.
Naora looked at Eiri pleadingly, as if asking him to cover for her. Eiri frowned, not knowing why Naora would balk. "These things are expensive, but you'd have them for the rest of your life. You can go ahead and choose one," Eiri told her gruffly. Naora looked disappointed in him and shook her head. Could it be that she didn't want more than kids at Caritas orphanage had? Eiri was about to volunteer buying a small set of dolls for the orphanage when Shuichi spoke.
"Did that lady embarrass you?" Shuichi asked. "Don't pay any attention—"
"That's not it, Daddy-Shuichi," Naora said. She looked at Eiri again as if he should know the answer. "Grandma and grandpa Shindou gave Aunt Maiko an emperor and empress, right, Daddy-Shuichi?"
"Uh, yeah, I think so," Shuichi said. Naora's looks clicked into place for Eiri. "You just want an emperor and empress?"
"From us," Eiri added. Shuichi looked at him with a puzzled expression and Naora nodded. "Naora-chan is hoping family will give her dolls to build her collection," Eiri explained to Shuichi.
"Oh, but other girls have a big head start, don't they?" Shuichi asked, not getting the point. "Why don't we buy—"
Naora tugged on Shuichi's shirt. "Daddy-Shuichi, can we just look at emperors and empresses?" She used her other hand to point down the aisle. "Can I get a matching pair?"
"Okay," Shuichi agreed. "You're sure you don't want—"
"No, thank you," Naora said firmly. She rushed down the aisle and left her parents behind. Shuichi still looked confused.
"Someone told her family won't give her dolls because she's not 'real' family," Eiri said quietly.
Shuichi blew up. "WHAT? That's ridiculous! You told her that's not true, right?" he said quickly.
Eiri slapped Shuichi on the back of the head. "Don't be so loud. Of course I told her," he said disdainfully. "I don't think she'll believe it until someone proves it, though."
"Why not?" Shuichi said more quietly, "Everyone is good to her! My mom and dad say she's the best thing to come from our relationship. Even Tatsuha brings her candies and things when he visits Tokyo!"
"I know that, dummy, but how many kids at her school tell her she's 'just adopted'? How many times was she told she was worth less because she didn't have family?"
"I don't know," Shuichi said concernedly. "We can't let her keep thinking that!"
"I know," Eiri said. Naora turned and gestured at them to come, then she pointed up at a pair of dolls. Shuichi rushed forward to see and Eiri followed more sedately.
This time, traditional Hina Matsuri dolls had brought out Naora's insecurities. Other traditions had brought out similar psychological issues for Naora. Eiri wondered if those would always be present or if he and Shuichi could wipe them away over time? At least this problem had an easy fix. All he had to do was ask his siblings to give her a doll. Considering how much fun Mika had had buying clothes for the girl, it ought to be a simple request. Likewise, Shuichi's parents could probably be convinced to contribute something to a Hina Matsuri doll collection. If it helped, Eiri would buy dolls and label them 'from' relatives, but he didn't think it would be necessary.
Naora was busy extolling the virtues of the emperor and empress she'd obviously chosen. This emperor wore a voluminous, muted-blue silk brocade kimono and he had two under robes— one of imperial gold and one white. On his head was very old-fashioned, tall black hat. The empress wore red silks bordered with gold and white. Her under robes were muted green and golden. Woven multi-colored ribbons trailed from her wrists and she wore a gold head piece. Both dolls had kind-looking faces. ". . . and this set comes with the stands they sit on, and the pretty potted trees, and the lamps! Doesn't she have a pretty fan, Daddy-Shuichi? I like her hat-thingie, too. She has a nice face. Some of the other dolls have skinny faces but hers is more round," she said admiringly.
"These are the ones you want, eh?" Eiri asked. There were some that were more elaborate and fully pose-able rather than these which stiffly held one position, but this did look like a nice set. All that mattered was getting a pair Naora liked anyway.
Naora let go of Shuichi's hand and latched onto Eiri's coat. "Aren't they pretty, Daddy-Eiri? Can I get this set? I like them a lot."
The pair and their gear cost a total of 26,865 yen. It was a lot, but Eiri had expected to spend at least 11, 700 yen on each doll. [5] Since this set included the doll stands and some accessories, at least he'd be spared hours in the store buying each little item piecemeal. "Great. Let's get them wrapped up and go home." As far as he was concerned, they were done.
"Yay!" Naora crowed. Eiri pulled the appropriate box down from the shelf. It was a little over two feet long, a foot deep, and maybe nine inches high. [6] Once it was in his hands, Naora dragged Shuichi away saying, "Now can we look at the dishes and the furniture?" It seemed obvious they didn't have much choice. It took Naora another twenty minutes or so to decide upon a set of porcelain doll dishes fit for her imperial couple, which included tiny fake foods.
Shuichi started to look at groups of court musician dolls and Eiri growled, "I don't want to be here all night. Naora didn't want a full set of dolls, remember?" Besides, the box of dolls was bulky and heavy. If he'd known Naora was going to take so long, he'd have put the thing down rather than torture his arms.
"Oh, right," Shuichi said. "I just thought they looked pretty neat— they have some in groups of three, you know? Just like Bad Luck!" He laughed at his own observation.
"Enough," Eiri declared. "Naora-chan, let's go check out." She proudly carried the package of dishes up to the counter, chattering about how wonderful they were and how the tiny bonsai pattern on the porcelain matched the bonsai on the empress' fan. The store clerk congratulated them on their purchase, wished Naora a happy festival tomorrow, and gave her a piece of candy.
All the way home, Eiri and Shuichi were treated to a running dialogue about why Naora's chosen dolls and dishes were wonderful and how they were superior to other examples of the Hina Matsuri dolls on display at Gipedo's. It didn't stop when she got home, either. Naora proudly and carefully extracted the dolls from their packaging, setting them up and telling Shuichi about each new 'discovery' of the dolls' intricate costumes and finery.
Eiri locked himself in his office to relieve his ears. He settled into his chair and flipped on his computer. He pulled his glasses from the desk drawer and just as he began to settle in, he remembered he had to call Kyoto and ask for a doll on Naora's behalf. Heaving a sigh, he picked up his phone and dialed.
Mika answered his call. They exchanged hello's and Eiri got right to his purpose, "I'm calling about Hina Matsuri," he began.
"Oh, yes, did you get the dolls?" she replied.
"No. You sent one already?" Eiri asked.
"Yes," Mika said slowly. "They should arrive tomorrow, then. I thought Naora-chan would have had them all set up by now!"
"Ah, thank you. We bought and an emperor and empress for her, tonight. She's setting them up now and she's very excited."
"Oh," Mika said dully. "I guess that's good."
Eiri frowned. "Why wouldn't it be? Did you send an emperor and empress?"
"Ah, don't worry about it, little brother. I hope Naora enjoys them. I have to go."
"Thanks, I'm sure she will," Eiri said before Mika hung up the phone. He hung up his own phone and frowned at it momentarily. With a shrug, he figured they could do a store exchange if Mika had purchased duplicate dolls. Naora would still be happy and have her 'proof' she was really family. He put it out of his mind, lit a cigarette, and went to work.
---
On Tuesday afternoon, last night's conversation with his sister came back to Eiri when he accepted two large boxes from a Sagawa Express delivery person in a blue and white striped uniform shirt and dark blue pants. Both packages were from Mika and he wondered what she had chosen to send them. Surely this wasn't all for Hina Matsuri? A doll or two didn't take up this much space— nor were they this heavy. After he signed the receipt and the delivery person had left, Eiri looked at the boxes more closely. They looked old and vaguely familiar. Mika had addressed the packages to Naora and written things like “Caution” and “Fragile” onto the outside of the boxes.
Had Mika sent her own festival dolls to Naora? She must have, he thought. He smoked thoughtfully and considered the significance. Mika's dolls had belonged to their mother and her mother before. Eiri didn't know how old the dolls were but they might even date back to the Meiji era and almost certainly the early Showa era. [7] That was the way traditional things were preserved. For Mika to give them to Naora meant his sister was admitting she would bear no daughters of her own. She was also making a very serious gesture by declaring Naora the female heir of the Uesugi family.
Goosebumps spread over Eiri's arms. He stepped back and leaned against the opposite wall, staring at the boxes. Naora may be adopted and registered as an Uesugi on his koseki, but Eiri hadn't fully considered what that meant in terms of Naora taking up familial duties or responsibilities. Being Uesugi wasn't all beautiful roses; there were thorns, too.
Eiri didn't want to see his daughter burdened the way Mika had been in their youth. Of course, Naora wouldn't have to deal with what Mika had been through. Naora had two parents, no siblings, and the stability to be a child. Besides, Mika wouldn't want Naora to be as responsible as Mika had had to be, either. Still, Naora would become a representative of the Family. As such, should he enroll her in extra lessons? Should she learn traditional feminine skills, the way Mika had? Eiri thought Naora should definitely be introduced to the Family on a greater scale, although that would be a trial for all of them.
Just what would Naora's stake in the temple be? Uesugi women had been helping to take care of the place for centuries. Who knew if Tatsuha would marry a woman? It made Eiri cringe a little to think the family had to pin their hopes on Kiyoshi, Mika's adopted son.
The boy's original parentage still grated on Eiri, regardless of who raised him. Eiri was still dealing with his feelings toward the boy. He couldn't shake his own rejection of that child as an Uesugi— in spite of the fact Kiyoshi had more claim to the name through blood than his own daughter. Eiri knew it wasn't fair to accept Naora wholly and deny Kiyoshi, especially when his sister had gone out of her way to make Naora welcome as Uesugi. Maybe this was an intentional, subtle manipulation of him! She was a shark, just like her ex-husband; Eiri wouldn't put it past his sister to have engineered this in order to extract better responses out of him in the future.
Eiri walked into his office and crushed his cigarette out. Looking for traps was paranoid, he thought. Reconsidering, he thought it was entirely possible Mika was simply making the gesture for Naora's sake alone. It's just a gift, he told himself; accept it.
Naora came in with her usual aplomb and lack of respect for doors. "I'm home!" she called.
"Welcome home," Eiri called back. He heard shoes and backpack rapidly hitting the floor in the entryway.
Naora quickly pattered into his office. "Daddy-Eiri, what are the boxes for?"
"They're for you," he told her.
Her eyes widened. "Me? Can I open them?" Eiri gestured 'yes' and she ran back into the hall. He heard tape being ripped off a box and came to his office doorway to watch. Naora eagerly opened the box, burrowed through tissue paper, and pulled out an antique doll. She looked at Eiri and her jaw dropped.
"Your Aunt Mika said she sent those a few days ago— both boxes," Eiri told her. "Those dolls belonged to her, my mother before that, and probably my grandmother. She wanted you to have them, now."
Naora examined the doll. "He's beautiful!" she said, touching his hair and silk robes. "And he's all jointed!" She set the half-unwrapped doll on top of the open box with exaggerated care. Then, she ran to Eiri and hugged his waist. "I'm so happy!" she murmured. "Aunt Mika is really great! Can I call her and tell her thank you later? Can we send her something really nice in return? I'll draw her some pictures!" Naora let go of him and raced back to the box. "I want to set these up so Grandma Shindou and Aunt Maiko see them! I'll need more room. Where can I put them, Daddy-Eiri?"
Eiri smiled at her exuberance, agreed they could call Mika later and send her something nice, then he helped her move the boxes into the living room. Sure enough, the second box held a fold-up tiered display stand which they arranged in front of the balcony doors. It also had a brief, handwritten instruction sheet about which dolls should set on each tier. Naora proudly moved her new emperor and empress to the place of prominence on the top step and declared she would keep those no matter what Aunt Mika's dolls were like.
Eiri watched his daughter as she sang and arranged the dolls. She gushed about how wonderful the collection was and how proud she was to have it. Seeing Naora's happiness, Eiri made a decision. He went back to his office and sat at his desk thoughtfully for a moment; then he pulled a clean sheet of paper from a desk drawer and wrote:
Mika,
When it counts, when he knows himself, I will reciprocate for Kiyoshi.
Thank you for this. You've done more than I think you realize.
Eiri.
***
[1] Hina Matsuri is literally Doll Festival. It is also known as "Girls' Day". For more information and a brief history: http://www.ginkoya.com/pages/girlsday.html
[2] Shi-chi-go-san is another children's festival. Literally, 7-5-3, children of those ages visit shrines and temples to pray for longevity and a happy life.
[3] Traditionally, sweets are offered to the dolls and little girls eat them. These things include: shirozake which is a sweet mild rice wine, hishi mochi which are diamond-shaped rice cakes, osekihan or tiny white and red sweets made of glutinous rice boiled with red beans, Hina-arare or colored rice puffs, fruit-shaped candy, and colored wheat gluten. These foods each have special meanings but overall they bestow luck and drive away misfortune and disease.
[4] 1750 yen to 3500 yen is basically a $15- $30 price range in US dollars. 'Hundreds of thousands of yen' would be equivalent to thousands of US dollars.
[5] 26,865 yen is approximately $230 US. 11,700 yen is approximately $100 US.
[6] The box measures aprox. 61 cm long, 31 cm deep, and 23 cm high.
[7] Meiji era: 1868 -1912. Taisho era: 1912-1926. Showa era: 1926 -1989.
***
Author’s Note: Special thanks to bakayarona for inspiration, motivation, and beta-reading. |