The lanterns flickered softly in the evening breeze as Renjiro made his way up the mossy steps of the ancient shrine. The scent of rain lingered in the air and in the distance the sound of a shamisen played. The full moon hung low in the sky as if it were watching him.
The old priest had warned him “Be wary tonight, the moon is closest to the world and the boundary between worlds grows thin”
Renjiro had never been one to believe in ghost stories.
Yet as he ascending the shrine, he saw her.
A woman stood by the ancient sakura tree, her white kimono embroidered with silver threads that shimmered under the light. Her hair was long and dark blending seamlessly into the night..
“You came” she said, her voice sounded gentle like the wind.
Renjiro hesitated “Who are you?”
Her pale eyes locked onto his “I am Tsukihime, the Moon Princess”
His breath caught “Like the princess from the tales of old ?”
She smiled gracefully “The tales are just tales, I was once flesh and blood. Now, I am bound to the moon, taking shaping under its full glow”
Renjiro felt an eerie familiarity.
She stepped closer, the faint scent of night jasmine surrounding him. “You were once mine, in another life”
A shiver ran down his spine. His heart pounded. Memories flickered, of a past he could not recall, of a love lost beyond lifetimes. He saw himself in a silk yukata, standing beneath this very same sakura tree , whispering promises to a woman who smiled at him through falling petals. He saw the way she looked at him as if he were her entire world. And then, she was gone.
His throat felt tight “I don’t remember “
“You will” she whispered “Come with me” her voice sounding like the cold wind “Let us return to where we belong”
Renjiro looked up at the moon, it called to him and for a brief moment, he felt weightless.
When the town folk came looking for Renjiro the next morning, all they found were his sandals, neatly placed at the shrine’s steps.
They whispered of an old tale, one that spoke of a princess who claimed the souls of those unfortunate to walk alone on the moonlit path.
As the full moon shone upon the shrine, a shadow could be seen near the sakura tree, two figures standing together, hand in hand.
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