The Day of Thunder

Wu Zhe was sitting on the porch of the inner courtyard, observing the rain fall. Normally the reverberation of the rain drops on the roof would make him sleepy but now...now he had a lot on his mind.

There was a teapot near him along with two overturned cups and a stack of colorful papers. A red panda was playing in a puddle.

Chouri steps out onto the veranda and settles down at the edge. She looked up at the roof and the soft plinking of the raindrops. "It's probably only going to get worse the next few days."

''If it gets worse, we'll just dance'' he replied with a light smile

''Barley tea?'' he offered

That brings a warm smile to her face toward him. "Yes... Please, I would like some."

After a long silence, she finally said. "Shiba Kumori-sama and Ryoshun Nao-sama came to speak with me today."

The dragon smiled back and put the cups upright, pouring for two. Turning towards to face her as well, he gave her cup.''

After the long silence he gave a nod

''I know''

She nodded quietly. "You made it easier to fight."

The dragon was not sure what to say, he began by smiling timidly

''You were strong to begin with, Chouri, but if I could help even a little...then I am glad I could.''

She shook her head. "I wasn't at all. I was young and frightened. Even though I did what I could, I still went along with what she wanted."

"... I told you, I'm a coward. I just... couldn't tell you how much then."

''When the wind bellows and the clouds thunders the oak shall tremble while the reeds dance'' he repeated, reaching to put a soft hand on her knee

''I...I think I said something like it before, right?''

She smiled a little at the touch and nodded. "You did."

"I suppose I should regret my choice back then."

''No'' he simply replied ''These words...comes from a folk song my people sometimes sing. It's come from an old dialect and usually sung in it.''

he paused and began

''The Reed is frail
Head half in the water
And the Oak Tree Standing Straight
Seems to be on top of everything
The Reed bends its knees
And it falls apart every time
Because it's his fate
Always fall back
Fall
Falling to get back up
Fall
Falling to get back up
Even though the oak is giant
It will crack in the hurricane
Me, Reed, in bad weather
I'm dancing with the wind

The Oak is a great sage
Who doesn't fear thunderstorms
He knows that the hurricane
Doesn't show up often
And he's looking down
His poor friend the Reed
Fighting hard
To get back on your feet
Always
Getting up to fall
As ever
Getting up to fall
The Reed in Torment
Is tossed about by the wind
Me, Oak, in bad weather
I'm only exposing one flank

There is no morality
To this banal story
Only individuals
And different points of view
To console oneself a bit
The neighbor is belittled
We have to get back on our feet
Before You Fall
Fall
Falling and Getting Back Up
Fall
Falling and Getting Back Up
Each in his solitude
Cultivates certainties
Who, out of survival instinct,
comfort our lives''

She scooted over, leaning over as she listened until her head rested on his shoulder.

"... Despite everything, I don't regret it. There are people here who wouldn't be alive if they hadn't come, and if I hadn't been here. Their lives are real and the solace they found is real. But that means they deserve to keep living, and to find a way forward."

He nods, putting a hand around her shoulders

''Some may call me heretic but I think so too. You had an impossible choice to make but still managed to fight, to fight for yourself and for other, while remaining true. You are the most courageous person I know.''

She's silent for a moment, then her shoulders start to shake and she presses her face into his shoulder. He can hear her sucking in small breaths, as if trying not to cry too loudly, and he can feel the wetness of her tears through his kimono. One of her hands reaches around and grips said kimono at his side.

Zhe does his best to hold her tight.

''It's okay'' he whispers

She leaned into the embrace, holding tight until she finally started to calm down, nodding a little. "... It will be..."

''We will make it so.'' he said firmly ''I don't know much about the realms and other such matters but I know that all together we are strong...but we have a different kind of strength then the one Jigoku praises.''

She nods, wiping her eyes and coughing briefly into a cloth. "Yes... and... thank you."

"Thank you, Chouri. I will...''

The heartfelt, and probably oh so very romantic, sentence was interrupted by spray of mud and water coming from the house. There, a strutting Shou had decided that this was the proper moment to shake his fur and dry himself.

He walked by, eyeing the pair with all the bluster of a non-verbal 'That's what you get for ignoring me for too long'

Chouri burst into laughter. "You goof!"