<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“What did you just say?â€ one of the women asked, and Akiko could feel her mouth opening and closing as she searched for an answer.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Could four of the women join the men, please?â€ Shiraishi called out, interrupting. “We need to balance the two groups a bit.â€ There was no response for a moment, as everyone was still staring at Akiko. Most of them looked as though they thought she had gone mad, although Noriko looked sympathetic, and Akira… Akiko didn’t want to think too hard about the way Akira was looking at her.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">“Ooh, me, me! I’ll go with the men!â€ It was the older Mrs Tanaka, and she went straight to stand behind Akira. “This festival gets better by the minute!â€ Akira had gone bright pink, and Akiko couldn’t quite suppress the smile. Several people glanced at Mrs Tanaka, who was blatantly ogling Akira’s backside, and started smiling. The tension dropped, and people started to move again, looking away from Akiko. Mrs Tanaka’s daughter went to join her, and the groups sorted themselves out, choosing a representative to hold the gohei as they formed into two small groups in front of the pool and iwakura.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">Shiraishi, the only person fully dressed, in her vestments, performed a harae over them, and then knelt in front of the iwakura to call the aramitama out. Akiko shifted her vision over to watch the spirits. The fire was burning brightly in the iwakura, and as Shiraishi intoned the norito Akiko saw two bolts of fire arc out of it, falling into the gohei, which were instantly limned with light.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The norito finished, and the two groups retreated to opposite sides of the open area. Each side had a table, with a stand for a gohei. The aim was to put the gohei in the other side’s stand. The only rule was that you could not touch the other team’s gohei.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The result was complete chaos. The other team, with the men, had chosen Akira to carry the gohei, and the three men came charging forward while the women hung back, ready to stop the women’s team getting through. Noriko was holding their gohei, and she led them all straight at the men.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">As the two groups clashed, and the other women came running forward, Akiko felt hands pulling at her arms as she tried to push Akira back. She lost sight of Noriko for a moment, but then a flare from the gohei caught her attention. It was getting brighter.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The distraction was dangerous. Someone got a good grip on her arm and pulled her out, tumbling her to the ground. Her skin stinging, she pushed herself upright, and launched herself at the back of the woman blocking Noriko’s path, grabbing her shoulders to pull her back.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The happi coat slipped back and up, prompting an embarrassed squeal as the woman reached up to haul it down again, distracting her for long enough for Noriko to dodge round. Another woman was running to get in front of her, and Akiko released her hold, turning to intercept.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">And squealing herself as she felt someone grab the top of her loincloth, almost pulling her off balance. She looked round to see a grinning Mrs Tanaka, and reached back to pry her hand away.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">It was enough of a delay, though. The woman was in front of Noriko, keeping in her path as she tried to dodge from side to side.</p>
<p style="margin: 8.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-indent: 28.0px; font: 13.0px Optima;">The gohei was burning a brilliant gold now, and the fire in the iwakura was reaching into the sky, red, green, purple, silver, and gold, a serpent of fire hanging over the shrine.</p>