‹ Prequel: Mine
The Woman Whose Hair Smelled of Violets
The Woman Whose Hair Smelled of Violets
I often thought about a strange blond-haired woman, who seemed to be familiar. She felt familiar and looked familiar but I could never quite put my finger on who she was. She felt warm and her hair smelled of violets. I could never remember the last time I had seen her but I would often see her in my dreams. After awhile and long before I was being trained in being a shrine maiden, I would ask my mother about the woman in my dreams but she would always say, "Why Reimu, she is no one, no one at all." Of course, being five, I would cry and ask, "Is the woman in my dreams my real mommy?" The accusation of the woman whose hair smelled of violets being my real mother often upset my mother and, sometimes, this would end with me running away into the night, crying. I do remember on those few nights a gentle gloved hand would stroke my hair and wipe my tears. On one such occasion, the glove slid off but the hand to whom it belonged to disappeared. I was always wondering whose glove it was and even more so because it had the faint hint of violets. Still, I persisted until, my mother, in an ominous tone, said,"Reimu, do not ask about that woman, again, ever." After that, I never asked or spoke about the woman in my dreams and I often kept my thoughts about her to drawings, I would stash away in a secret box.
As time passed, I would often get little presents around special occasions or my birthday. Of course, like the woman in my dreams, I remembered to keep them secret but I couldn't help but wonder who was leaving me presents or, for that matter, who was this presence? In wondering who this person was, I decided to call 'her' Mommy and, as far as I knew, she was my real mommy and the one I had was not. As time went on, I still felt that violet smelling presence and, in feeling this presence, I was rejecting my mother in favor of my real mommy, even more so when I was being trained to take my mother's place as shrine maiden. We often yelled at each other but one such occasion ended with me saying, "You're not my real mom and you never will be!" I received a hard slap to the face and my mother saying, "You mind your tongue, Reimu! I brought you into this world and I'm the one who carried you inside of me, so I deserve some respect." Usually, I would back down but this time I protested and said, "I want my real mother and, some day, she'll come back to me!" I waited for another slap but, this time, it was she that backed down, saying, "Maybe she will and maybe she'll keep you this time."
After that, the relationship between my mother and I started to dissolve. She didn't want to speak with me and we had our meals in silence. I saw very little of her to the extent that any image of her became the woman whose fair hair smelled of violets. My dreams of the woman whose hair smelled of violets never faded, rather, they kept coming. The more my dreams came the more I would feel her warm protective embrace. Once my training was finished, my mother went away to the other side of Gensokyo, leaving with Genjii and the Orb. Even as shrine maiden, I wanted to find my mother, the one in my dreams. I still felt her presence and I remembered her smell but the only thing I didn't know was her name. I remembered, to me, her name was Mommy. However, I did flashback to my argument with my mother and I remembered that she said, "Maybe she'll keep you this time." I couldn't help but to wonder what it was she was talking about. I searched through some of the things she's left behind and found a pressed violet that with a little note that read, For Reimu, may she never forget me. Apparently, my mother knew about the woman I had rejected her in favor of and she must not have wanted me to see that woman again. In seeing the pressed violet, I declared that, while I am shrine maiden, I will find my the woman whose hair smelled of violets.
As I've performed my duties as shrine maiden and won friends, I still searched for her. I continued searching for her until, after I met this kitsune, who let me pass into her home. No sooner than I walked in I smelled the faint aroma of violets and then I saw her. I had found her, the woman whose hair smelled of violets. She awoke saying, "Oh, Reimu, my sweet, I've missed you." In response, I asked, "Mommy?" I then showed her the glove I carried around and asked her if it is was hers. "Yes, my sweet it is mine, and my name is Yukari Yakumo and you, my dear, your name is Reimu Hakurei." she said, her arms outstretched towards me. She enfolded me into her arms, saying, "I've loved and looked after you from from afar and I haven't seen you too much since I had to give you back." She told me everything about how much she loved me and she had taken care of me until she had to give me back, which was when I was barely walking and after her duties as wet-nurse were exhausted. She also told me about how my mother tried to keep her secret from me and that she was one who would wipe my tears, when I would one away into the forest. She kissed me on the heard and said, from now on, she will always be there. That night, she tucked me in and vowed she would return, whenever I needed her.
As time passed, I would often get little presents around special occasions or my birthday. Of course, like the woman in my dreams, I remembered to keep them secret but I couldn't help but wonder who was leaving me presents or, for that matter, who was this presence? In wondering who this person was, I decided to call 'her' Mommy and, as far as I knew, she was my real mommy and the one I had was not. As time went on, I still felt that violet smelling presence and, in feeling this presence, I was rejecting my mother in favor of my real mommy, even more so when I was being trained to take my mother's place as shrine maiden. We often yelled at each other but one such occasion ended with me saying, "You're not my real mom and you never will be!" I received a hard slap to the face and my mother saying, "You mind your tongue, Reimu! I brought you into this world and I'm the one who carried you inside of me, so I deserve some respect." Usually, I would back down but this time I protested and said, "I want my real mother and, some day, she'll come back to me!" I waited for another slap but, this time, it was she that backed down, saying, "Maybe she will and maybe she'll keep you this time."
After that, the relationship between my mother and I started to dissolve. She didn't want to speak with me and we had our meals in silence. I saw very little of her to the extent that any image of her became the woman whose fair hair smelled of violets. My dreams of the woman whose hair smelled of violets never faded, rather, they kept coming. The more my dreams came the more I would feel her warm protective embrace. Once my training was finished, my mother went away to the other side of Gensokyo, leaving with Genjii and the Orb. Even as shrine maiden, I wanted to find my mother, the one in my dreams. I still felt her presence and I remembered her smell but the only thing I didn't know was her name. I remembered, to me, her name was Mommy. However, I did flashback to my argument with my mother and I remembered that she said, "Maybe she'll keep you this time." I couldn't help but to wonder what it was she was talking about. I searched through some of the things she's left behind and found a pressed violet that with a little note that read, For Reimu, may she never forget me. Apparently, my mother knew about the woman I had rejected her in favor of and she must not have wanted me to see that woman again. In seeing the pressed violet, I declared that, while I am shrine maiden, I will find my the woman whose hair smelled of violets.
As I've performed my duties as shrine maiden and won friends, I still searched for her. I continued searching for her until, after I met this kitsune, who let me pass into her home. No sooner than I walked in I smelled the faint aroma of violets and then I saw her. I had found her, the woman whose hair smelled of violets. She awoke saying, "Oh, Reimu, my sweet, I've missed you." In response, I asked, "Mommy?" I then showed her the glove I carried around and asked her if it is was hers. "Yes, my sweet it is mine, and my name is Yukari Yakumo and you, my dear, your name is Reimu Hakurei." she said, her arms outstretched towards me. She enfolded me into her arms, saying, "I've loved and looked after you from from afar and I haven't seen you too much since I had to give you back." She told me everything about how much she loved me and she had taken care of me until she had to give me back, which was when I was barely walking and after her duties as wet-nurse were exhausted. She also told me about how my mother tried to keep her secret from me and that she was one who would wipe my tears, when I would one away into the forest. She kissed me on the heard and said, from now on, she will always be there. That night, she tucked me in and vowed she would return, whenever I needed her.