I was awoken from my slumber in the heat of the night, slightly sweaty and dazed. Onee chan was still asleep beside me, hair strew all about behind her as she lay on her back, her breathing even and steady. The sound of violent splashing caught my attention and I turned to look at Onee chan's kingyo, to see if another kitty had snuck in to try and make a midnight sank of them, as onee chan says she's been loosing a lot of them this way. But they looked fine, blowing bubbles at each other as they always do... Rubbing my eyes tiredly I smiled at the little fishes in my nee chans bowl and went to go lay back down beside her, to return to my sleep...
But the sound of splashing continued.

I sat up again, and peered out the open shoji door to the our room. Nee chan had left it open because it was just too hot to have them all closed. Was it raining outside, was some one outside splashing about? Slipping out from the covers, I made sure to re cover nee chan's legs and crawled over to the door to peer out at the Sakura grove. All is quite except for that splashing, there's no rain... I wonder where it's coming from... Onee chan should be told someone is in our home, we have no pets, and the kitties aren't trying to steal the fish, someone must be here.Which isn't good, Onee chan told me just the other day no one's supposed to be walking around at night, it upsets the Kodama... Crawling back over to Onee chan, I shake her until she starts to stir.

"Wa...what...what is it? Hu? Why...why are you s..shaking me?" she asks, rolling over, still half asleep, grumbling a little bit, something I can't understand.
"Onee chan, wake up! Come on wake up!" I whisper furiously, shaking her some more. "Someone is outside splashing about, and making all sorts of noise...."
She turns to look up at my worried young face and then glances out her door, hearing the noises as well. A few moments pass, her staring outside and me clutching to her silk covered shoulder. After a few more monets of silence between us, and the sound of splashing, she smiles, turning back over and taking the covers with her.
"Don't worry my little one..." she says, sleep quickly taking her over again "Nothing is amiss, come back to bed..."
Still not convinced I shake her, a little less violently this time, my gaze still on the outside.
"But... Onee chan... the splashing..."  Hearing the worry in my voice, my elder sits up and pats my head. I can see the tiredness in her face, even though she's smiling at me, and I want to let her go back to sleep, but she takes care of me, and if someone really IS sneaking about in our home, Onee chan needs to kick them out! Or els they might back here to bother us as well. then she'll never get any sleep!
"Do you really want to know what's going on outside right now, if I tell you, you have to promise not to go outside and look, not tonight anyways." she asks and she leans over to whisper to me. What's this? Something secrete?!! Onee chan knows what all that splashing is about?!!
Nodding my head vigorously , she lifts the covers for me and I hurriedly scramble back in beside her, eyes wide and grinning from ear to ear, wanting to know of the secrete my Onee chan seems to know. Yawing, she lays back down beside me and pulls the cover up around her. Before closing her eyes she smiles at me and says:
"There are Dragons in the pond tonight my little one. They're being taught how to dance tonight, but they're very secretive, so you can't go peeking on them, that's what all the noise is about."

Dragons
.
..
...
....
......
DRAGONS!!!!! 
I couldn't help but want to bounce up and down on the futon in glee. Maybe I WILL get to fly around on their backs after all!
I'll have to keep my excitement to myself though, as Onee chan is already fast asleep.

- Japanese Dragon Koi -