Himeko could not believe her eyes. It was true! The mech that was walking toward them was one of the eight bodies of Orochi. At first, Himeko could not quite remember whom that particular mech belonged to. However, as her memories of the alternate reality continued to surface, she recognized the blue and white coloration, the yellow lining, the red jewels in the forehead, abdomen and fists, and the glowing, green eyes. It was Take no Yamikazuchi. Sitting atop the giant mech's right shoulder was none other than the person that Take no Yamikazuchi belonged to. It was Souma! He was wearing a brown, leather jacket, a green undershirt, and gray jeans, the same clothes he had worn on his second date with Himeko in the alternate reality. Himeko had not noticed it before then, but the leather jacket and black hair made him look almost like a criminal. However, the most disturbing thing about Souma was not his clothing or hair color, but his expression. It was not possession like he had shown before he turned against Orochi, it was not determination like when he fought to protect Himeko, and it was not love like he had shown when he kissed her. The look on Souma's face was avarice! Take no Yamikazuchi stopped in front of Himeko and Chikane and Souma jumped down from its shoulder, landing on his feet in front of them. "Hello, Himeko," he said in a voice full of malicious intent. "Ogami?" Himeko said, her eyes wide with fear. "So," said Chikane. "It's you." "Himemiya," said Souma, noticing the taller girl beside Himeko. "I wasn't expecting to see you again." "What do you want with Himeko?" Chikane asked, glaring at the boy in front of her. "Exactly what you want," said Souma, "to be with her, to hold her in my arms, to make sure that nobody keeps her from me." "Souma, what's going on?" Himeko asked. "Why are you acting like this?" "Isn't it obvious, Himeko?" said Souma. "I have taken my place as the Seventh Neck of Orochi." Himeko gasped. Souma had succumbed to the power of Orochi! "Why, Ogami?" Chikane demanded. "Why use Orochi's power to claim Himeko for yourself? Why not use this power to protect Himeko from the ones that will keep her from what she wants?" Souma gave Chikane a quizzical look. "You have the power inside you to fight that voice inside your head telling you to cause death and destruction." "Don't lecture me on my ability to fight Orochi," said Souma. "I remember what I did last year. I remember going against Orochi's orders to protect Himeko. And it caused me nothing but pain! Even after all I did for Himeko, after risking my life for her, after risking my very soul for her, she rejected me! She chose you instead!" "You remember?" Himeko cried. "You remember fighting the Orochi to protect me?" "Of course I remember," Souma replied. "I was a part of the battle between Orochi and Ame no Murakumo just like you. Orochi wouldn't let me forget something so easily." "But how is this possible?" Himeko asked. "How could Orochi have returned? You defeated Orochi last year to protect me! How could he have returned?" "Your answer is right there, Himeko," Souma explained. "You said it yourself, I was the one that fought Orochi. I dealt the finishing blow. I ended the battle last year. How could a follower of Orochi destroy his own master?" "Ame no Murakumo is the only one that can seal Orochi away," said Chikane, a tone of regret entering her voice. "I neglected my duty as the Lunar Priestess, forcing you to revive her all by yourself. With only the power of one priestess, Ame no Murakumo didn't have the strength to seal Orochi away again." Chikane then looked at Souma again and said, "But we won't let you stop us again! We'll revive Ame no Murakumo, just like we did in our past lives! And we'll see it through to the very end this time! We'll seal Orochi away ourselves, as the Solar Priestess and the Lunar Priestess." "I admire your determination, Himemiya," said Souma. "But you're forgetting one thing. The only reason you were alive long enough to revive Ame no Murakumo last time was because I protected you. Without me to help you, and with nowhere to run, you have no way of getting by me." Souma then turned to Himeko and said, "Himeko, Himemiya can't protect you any more. If you join the Orochi, you can escape the horrible fate that Ame no Murakumo has in store for you. You don't have to sacrifice yourself to the god to remake the world. Isn't that what you want? To live your life?" Himeko looked into Souma's eyes. What she saw was surprising. Souma was sincere! He truly wanted to help her! However, she knew what she had to do. "I'm sorry Ogami, but I can't." Just like the year before, Souma was surprised and saddened by Himeko turning him down. "I can't stand by and do nothing while Orochi destroys the world. Besides, if there's anyone I need more than anyone else..." she then wrapped her arms around the taller girl beside her and said, "...it's Chikane!" "I see," said Souma. "If Chikane is taken out of the picture, I won't have any competition at all!" The glowing purple mark of Orochi appeared on Souma's forehead and he jumped high up into the air, toward the circular portal in Take no Yamikazuchi's chest. The portal engulfed Souma's body and the giant mech's green eyes lit up. Himeko and Chikane looked up in fear at the robot-like god towering over them. Take no Yamikazuchi reached down toward them and grabbed Himeko. "Ah! No!" Himeko screamed. "Let me go! Chikane! Help!" "Himeko! No!" Chikane cried. "Put Himeko down right now!" she demanded. "I told you," Souma's voice said from his other self, "Himemiya can't protect you. She doesn't even exist. Chikane Himemiya never existed in this reality. You can't be protected by someone that doesn't exist." Souma looked down at Chikane and said, "Now, I'm going to make sure she continues to not exist." Take no Yamikazuchi raised its foot and positioned it over Chikane. Souma was planning to crush Chikane! "Chikane!" cried Himeko, tears streaming from her eyes. "No!" Take no Yamikazuchi's foot dropped. Himeko felt G-forces acting on her as the giant mech started toppling over. Something had tripped Take no Yamikazuchi just before its foot could make contact with Chikane's head! The giant, metallic hand that was holding Himeko let go of her as Souma tried to regain his balance. Himeko screamed as she fell toward the ground several stories below her. However, she was caught by something. She looked down to see what it was that had caught her. It was another giant, mechanical hand! However, its coloration was not blue like Take no Yamikazuchi. It was a purple color. Himeko looked up and saw that the giant mech that had caught her was colored purple-and-white, it had yellow lining, green jewels on its forehead, shoulders and hands, and glowing blue eyes. It had to be this mech that had tripped Souma's. Even though this mech was similar in many ways to Souma's mech, Himeko could see that the eyes contained no ill will toward her. There was something familiar about those blue eyes. It was then that Himeko noticed the crest atop the purple mech's head, just above the green jewel. It was the Lunar Mark! The same mark that was on Chikane's back! And it was then that Himeko knew whom those blue eyes belonged to. "Chikane!" Himeko cried, a large smile coming to her face. "You're wrong, Souma," Chikane's voice said from the purple mech. "I CAN protect Himeko." "What is this?" cried Souma in surprise. Himeko saw the circular portal in the purple mech's chest and she knew that Chikane had to be inside. She leapt toward the portal and sure enough, it drew her into it. When Himeko appeared on the other side, she was in a dimension of swirling yellow light. And sitting next to her, in the cockpit of the mech was Chikane. "Chikane," Himeko said, "I knew it was you." Chikane smiled at Himeko for a moment before turning back to the image of Take no Yamikazuchi that was projected before her. "Even with Take no Yamikazuchi fighting for you," Chikane said, "I will be difficult to defeat." "You..." said Souma. "Damn you!" Souma aimed Take no Yamikazuchi's fists toward Chikane's mech. Two green crystals emerged from either of the blue mech's wrists and started firing blasts of green energy at Chikane. Then, in a flash, two mechanical, silver arcs extended from both the top and bottom of Chikane's mech's right arm. The arcs rotated about its axis within the mech's arm, blocking the blasts of energy that were fired at her. "Don't worry, Himeko," said Chikane. "I won't let him hurt you." "Be careful, Chikane," said a worried Himeko. "Try not to hurt Ogami." "I can't promise anything," said Chikane, looking at Himeko. She then turned back at Souma and said, "But I'll try." Chikane summoned several giant arrows and used the arcs on her mech's arm as a bow to fire the arrows at Take no Yamikazuchi. The arrows exploded as they collided with Souma's mech, throwing it to the ground. Souma lifted his head and looked up at the purple mech. "Exploding arrows," he said to himself. He got to his feet and said to Chikane, "You might have defeated me like that the last time we fought." He then summoned a giant sword in Take no Yamikazuchi's hands and said, "But you're not going to defeat me that easily this time!" Take no Yamikazuchi jumped high up into the air and then dove straight down toward Chikane, but Chikane blocked Souma's blow with her mech's silver bow. The sword and the bow locked, and the two giant mechs fought to overpower one another. As Chikane struggled inside her mech, she saw Souma's cockpit appear before her. The cockpit suddenly started flying toward her, Souma using it to propel himself toward her! At that time, Take no Yamikazuchi had overpowered Chikane's mech and had pushed it to the ground with its sword. Chikane's mech was about to stand up when Souma's other self aimed its sword directly at the purple mech's throat. The situation between Souma and Chikane's true selves was the same, with Chikane on the ground, Souma holding a sword at her throat. "Oh no! Chikane!" Himeko cried. Chikane groaned in pain as she tried to recover from the elbow that Souma had delivered to her stomach when he flew at her. "This is the end for you," said Souma, standing over Chikane, the mark of the Orochi pulsing on his forehead. With Chikane helpless, Souma looked at Himeko and said, "Himeko. Please, come with me. Don't let Ame no Murakumo destroy your life like she did last year." "Ogami, please," Himeko said. "Don't do this." "Don't you understand, Himeko?" continued Souma. "I'm helping you escape your destiny. You don't have to go through with that horrible ritual of killing the one you love to remake the world. Join me. You can take over Orochi's power and then you and I can be together. We can rule the world as equals!" Unbeknownst to Souma, while he was distracted talking to Himeko, Chikane's mech's bow moved up from its wrist to the back of its hand and collapsed in on itself, the two arcs merging into a blade. Chikane swung a sword at Souma, knocking his sword out of the way, allowing her to get to her feet. Her mech did the same thing, using its blade to knock Take no Yamikazuchi's sword away so it could get to its feet as well. "You won't convert Himeko to the Orochi like that," Chikane barked. "A person only succumbs to Orochi's power when their hearts are filled with hatred and despair. Himeko is not capable of such evil. I won't let you turn her into the monster that you have become!" Chikane swung her sword at Souma, and he blocked her sword with his. As Souma and Chikane fought, their mechs fought in the same way, swinging their blades at each other and blocking each other's blows. Take no Yamikazuchi swung at Chikane's mech, and Chikane blocked with the blade that her mech's right arm had transformed into. With the blade actually part of its body, Chikane's mech was able to impart all of its weight, allowing it to hold off Souma's mech long enough to throw a punch at Take no Yamikazuchi from its left fist. Take no Yamikazuchi was sent flying backwards. In just the same way, Souma was sent flying backwards by Chikane's left fist, back into his own cockpit. After regaining its balance, Take no Yamikazuchi opened up its shoulders and fired glowing, orange disks of energy at Chikane from the openings. Chikane countered by firing several blue blasts of energy from the tip of her mech's blade, which collided with Souma's blasts, exploding in a giant cloud of smoke. Chikane's mech flew out from the haze, catching Souma off-guard. Chikane's mech swung its blade and it collided with Take no Yamikazuchi's slicing the blue mech's sword in two. Souma looked at the broken sword in disbelief. "I'm a priestess of Ame no Murakumo, the God of Swordsmen," said Chikane. "You're not going to defeat me like that!" Chikane lunged toward Souma and her mech grabbed Take no Yamikazuchi by the neck with its left hand. Chikane's mech pulled its right arm back, ready to impale Souma's mech with the blade that it was. As Chikane charged up her energy, the blade started glowing blue. Souma was completely defenseless! "Chikane, wait!" Himeko cried. "Don't hurt him!" "He's an Orochi, Himeko," Chikane said. "We can't let him destroy the world." Chikane looked at Take no Yamikazuchi and said, "Blade of the Lunar Spiral. Aim true and strike down your foe!" The blue glow of Chikane's blade reached its peak intensity and thrust toward Take no Yamikazuchi. The blade entered the red jewel just below the chest and exited through Take no Yamikazuchi's back. The blue glow of the blade engulfed Souma's other self and the blue mech disintegrated in the glow. Himeko looked on in awe at what had just transpired before her. "Don't worry, Himeko," said Chikane. "It takes more than destroying his other self to destroy him. Souma is all right wherever he is." With the immediate danger over, Chikane turned to Himeko and looked deep into her magenta eyes. She gave Himeko a smile so full of emotion and undying love and said to her, "Happy birthday, Himeko." Himeko could not hold back the emotions that were effervescing from her. She broke down into Chikane's arms. "Happy birthday, Chikane!" she cried, letting all of her pent up emotions of love and devotion flow out of her. "I promise," Chikane said, tears streaming down her cheeks. She put her hand to Himeko's chin and lifted her face to look at her. "I promise I won't leave you ever again, Himeko. And I won't let anyone, not Souma, not Orochi, not even God come between us." "Chikane..." The two girls looked deep into each other's eyes and then they did the one thing that they wanted to do more than anything else in the world. They drew each other close and touched their lips to one another. At that moment, the entire world melted away and all that mattered was the loving, passionate kiss that they shared. ---------- "So, we're back here again," Korona said, standing atop the large, vermilion torii in the realm of Orochi, the familiar rectangular tablet hanging between the two supports, the kanji for the number four printed on it. "It seems the Seventh Neck couldn't kill Orochi," said Rehko, sitting at her work-desk atop the number five torii, working on the latest volume of her manga. "I should have known he didn't have it in him," Girochi said on the number three torii, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Obviously, he's not here," said Miyako, standing on the number two torii. "Do you think he betrayed us again, nya?" asked Nekoko atop the number six torii. Just then, as if anticipating something, Tsubasa looked up from where he was resting on the number one torii. The other five Orochi members looked up to see what the First Neck was looking at. It was Yokusemi no Mizuchi, the bird-shaped mech that the Orochi used to escape back to their realm after being defeated by someone in combat. As Yokusemi no Mizuchi flew overhead, they saw something fall from it. It was a person, a boy in his mid- to late-teens. The boy landed on his feet in the circular platform in the middle of the dark realm. It was Souma. "Nya?" Nekoko said, surprised by Souma's appearance. "The Seventh Neck?" said Girochi, also surprised. "Well, well," Miyako said with a smile. "It seems the lost lamb has found its way home." Despite five of the Orochi members talking about him, Souma ignored them completely, his attention focused on the only one of the six that had not spoken. Souma jumped from the central platform to the torii of the First Neck, where Tsubasa and stood up to greet him. "So," said the teal-haired man, "you're finally here." "Yes..." said Souma. He paused for a moment, and then finished with, "...Brother Tsubasa." Tsubasa and Souma looked at each other for a moment. Then, a smile appeared on Tsubasa's face. He opened up his arms and the two brothers embraced. To be continued... ---------- ENDING NOTES: Torii is the word for those arches that people see when entering a Shinto shrine. I wish I could make some pics for you of Chikane's mech, but I have absolutely no idea how to go about mech drawing. Perhaps you just have to use your imaginations about how it is supposed to look. ---------- OMAKE: Tsubasa opened up his arms and the two brothers embraced. "How gross!" cried Nekoko. "Hey you two," said Girochi, "go get a room!"
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