It had been three days since the Heaven Slayers arrived at the
Soujumah temple from Mitsuki’s wedding. The actual preparations had
been running quite smoothly, and any outstanding queries concerning
both clans were taken care of by Kazue and Genzo.
Finally, the wedding was ready to get underway. Things had not been
running smoothly between the Heaven Slayers though. Mitsuki and Akira
were too afraid to talk to each other. Anju and Miki were closer then
ever, but Anju was distrusted by many of the Soujumah clan, including
Kazue. And Akira was mad at Genzo for allowing this wedding to pass.
Despite these problems, there was nothing that stood in the way of
Mitsuki’s marriage to Kai.
Today was the day.
Mitsuki was in her quarters. She was sitting down, in her long,
shimmering white wedding dress that took twenty seamstresses half of a
year to make. It was beautiful, Mitsuki knew that, but it didn’t make
her feel special. It felt...empty. The same way Mitsuki had felt for
the past day or so. Mitsuki had not spoken to Akira since that night
on the upper tower.
She was too afraid of what she might say or do if she did speak to
Akira. Problem was that as soon as the wedding was over, the Heaven
Slayers would be moving out to find the last devil. Then she would
probably never see Akira again.
Every time Mitsuki thought about that, she had to choke back a sob.
Mitsuki could not stand the idea of losing Akira. Not only that, but
would also have to leave her grandfather, Miki and Anju. The young
healer didn’t know *anyone* here accept for Kai. In fact the only
Soujumah clan member that Mitsuki knew personally was Miki.
Mitsuki sighed as a knock came on the door to her room. For some
reason, she hoped it was...well no need anymore.
“Come in.” Mitsuki said.
Miki walked in and faked a smile. The Soujumah priestess had seen how
dejected and cold Akira and Mitsuki had become since they found out
about the marriage. It was also a bit of a kick in the crotch for
Akira when Miki agreed to be Mitsuki’s bridesmaid, but this really was
only because Akira had refused outright.
“You okay? How are you feeling?” Miki asked concerned.
“Fine I guess...how’s Akira?”
Miki gaze turned distant. “She is...doing fine...you really shouldn’t
worry.”
“I can’t help it. I wont see her or any of you again.” Mitsuki said.
Miki sat down with Mitsuki on the bed, and she pulled her arm around
the young healer, pulling her into a friendly hug.
“We’ll come and visit. All of us will. Even Akira. I’ll make her come
even if I have to drag her here by the neck.”
Mitsuki giggled slightly. “Thanks. I’m going to miss you all.”
**********
On the other side of the Soujumah temple, inside the training hall,
Akira was sharpening Dragon-edge. She was wearing a male’s wedding
uniform, which is compulsory after you become a knight for the 7th
Order. Kinda typical when you thought about it. The only clothes that
a knight could wear were male ones. Unless told not to.
Akira ran the flint rock in her hand over the Dragon-edge. Although
she wasn’t wearing her armour, she would keep Dragon-edge with her.
Though the actual risk was minimal, there was always a chance that the
last devil would attack the wedding. So she had to keep her sword with
her at all times.
The young knight wouldn’t have minded if a devil destroyed the wedding
though. In Akira’s head it was all bogus. Mitsuki did not love Kai;
therefore she shouldn’t have to marry him.
As Akira continued to sharpen her blade, Kai walked through the doors
of the training hall. The fist that Akira around Dragon-edge
tightened, and Akira closed her eyes in disbelief. The one person who
Akira absolutely did not want to be around her had just appeared.
Kai walked up to Akira slowly. “Hello, Miss Kusagana.”
Akira could have done something to quell her nerves, like punch him,
or at least insult him, but Akira wouldn’t do that. Mitsuki *was*
going to marry him, so she had to at least be civil. If not for him
then for Mitsuki.
“Hello.” Akira had to force politeness into that.
“I’ve noticed that you and Mitsuki seemed to have grown apart these
past few days...is anything wrong?” Kai asked.
{Is it any of your business, you slimy little sh-}
“You’re imagining things. Mitsuki and I are fine.” Akira said.
Kai coughed into his fist. “Okay then. Forgive my intrusion.”
Akira stopped sharpening the Dragon-edge, and after admiring it clear
sheen for a few seconds, she sheathed the blade. Akira pushed herself
up onto her feet and then looked directly at Kai, her will to keep her
cool fading fast.
“Thanks for your concern, but we’re fine. However, you could do me one
little favour.”
Kai thought to himself. “What is it?”
It was then that Akira looked stone hard at Kai, and for the first
time, Kai actually seemed nervous. “Look after Mitsuki.”
“Sure, I-“ Akira didn’t give Kai a chance to finish.
“Because I don’t care if you are a priest, if you hurt Mitsuki,”
Akira’s eyes narrowed into very thin slits. “I’ll kill you.”
“Uh...yeah...sure...I’ll guard her with my life.” Kai said nervously.
Akira walked close to Kai, and stared at him coldly. “You better...”
**********
Later on that day, the ceremony was about to begin. Much like Akira’s
appointment as a knight, Mitsuki’s wedding would take place inside
temple walls, in this case, the Soujumah temple. Many people had
gathered up from across Juukumei to see this. Soujumah/Kiryu clan
members, people from Daitoshi city and Hakumakyuu, priests from over
clans and other guests were here.
Genzo was at the side of the chapel with Anju, awaiting the arrival of
Mitsuki and Kai. Akira was sitting in the crowds, because she didn’t
want Akira to see her, and Miki was up front next to the altar and the
priest who would conduct the ceremony.
Kai walked up the aisle waving to a few of hundreds of guests that
were present, and stood parallel to Miki. Then, the pianist started to
play a warming theme, and everyone in their seats arose as Mitsuki
walked into the large chapel, with her clear white veil over her face
and Genzo on her arm.
The two walked up to the front of the chapel, and Mitsuki disengaged
from Genzo’s arm, walking up to Kai.
Akira had to grudgingly admit it, but Mitsuki really did look really
beautiful in that dress.
Eventually, the pianist stopped playing that music, and everyone that
stood up sat back down. Eventually, the priest began the vows, and
Akira just tuned it out.
Until it got to the end of the ceremony...
“Do you, Kai Hashumaki, take Mitsuki Kiryu to be your eternally bonded
wife?” said the priest.
Kai looked at Mitsuki and smiled. “I do.”
The priest looked back at Mitsuki. “Do you, Mitsuki Kiryu, take Kai
Hashumaki to be your eternally bonded husband?”
Mitsuki didn’t answer.
The priest became a bit more forceful. “Do you?”
Mitsuki still didn’t say anything, and people in the crowd began to
mutter and whisper to themselves. Then Mitsuki spoke.
“I’m sorry,” Mitsuki said, tears in her eyes. “I can’t...”
Mitsuki then gathered up her dress and ran for the doors. Akira
quickly stood up from her place in the crowds and ran after her,
barging past the people in her way.
**********
About fifteen minutes later, Mitsuki had ran out of the whole Soujumah
temple, and out to the grassy areas on the cliffs. She was curled up
into to a ball, shivering. Her dress matted with soil and grass from
the ground. Akira walked up to see Mitsuki, curled up and crying her
eyes out.
{She wasn’t ready.} Akira thought.
Still crying, Mitsuki only stopped briefly when a pair of strong arms
wrapped around her and held her close. It was Akira. Akira pulled
Mitsuki up onto her feet, and held her in an unyielding embrace.
Mitsuki managed to say something, but her wracking sobs and the fabric
of Akira’s uniform only muffled it.
“What are you trying to say?” Akira whispered.
Mitsuki pulled herself away from Akira’s shoulder, and she stared at
her best friend apologetically, tears streaking down her pale cheeks.
“I’m so...sorry...” She said. Akira took no notice, and brought
Mitsuki’s back to rest on her shoulder.
“Stop apologizing, you’ve done nothing wrong. You weren’t ready...”
Suddenly, a shot was fired at the Soujumah temple, and the main tower
came down in flames, smashing into the main courtyard. Akira’s eyes
shot open, and off in the distance, a huge hulking creature was
walking towards them.
It was about eight feet tall, in massive steel plated armour, with an
imprint of a gold panther on its chest. Its fists were protruding
three-inch long spikes, its helmet had on large spike facing
diagonally forwards. The only biological part of its body was its
white eyes, barely visible through the small rectangular slit in its
helmet. It was holding a giant sword in its left fist, and the demon
was walking straight towards Akira and Mitsuki.
“The sixth devil...” Akira gasped.
Mitsuki stopped crying enough to see its slow methodical advance.
Akira pulled Mitsuki quickly behind her, and drew Dragon-edge from the
scabbard on her back.
“Mitsuki, stay back.” Akira said.
Mitsuki nodded to her best friend, and Akira ran towards the devil,
quickly before it could do any more damage.
Akira and the sixth devil slowed to a stop as they faced each other.
The young knight held firm. “I suppose it’s no good to tell to get the
hell away from here, huh?”
The devil spoke slowly, but deeply, his voice echoed by the large
helmet it was wearing. “You...killed...siblings...I kill you...”
The sixth devil roared in anger and swung its gigantic sword at Akira.
The dark haired girl jumped out of the way to avoid the strike and the
sixth devil’s sword crashed into the ground, creating a long crack
along the grassy terrain.
When Akira landed, she had no time to think, as he sixth devil swung
his sword horizontally, and the young knight ducked down to avoid the
backlash of the swing.
The devil managed to raise the huge steel sword back into the air, and
watched Akira scramble to her feet.
The young knight stepped back quickly, and observed a tree that was
behind her. It was hanging down in a slumped position, cut at the
middle. Akira then realized that the devil’s last swing had done that
with *just* the air pressure. That meant that one clear hit from that
sword would kill.
It was then that Akira started to become wary of the devil. It was a
little more powerful then she gave it credit for. The sixth devil
brought the sword down again, and Akira dove to the left to avoid the
attack, tumbling across the grass of the ground.
Akira gradually pulled herself back onto her feet, using the
Dragon-edge for minor balance. Casting a dark glare at the devil, she
started to think to herself on how to beat the thing.
{This thing is tough. It’s not fast, but strong as hell. But I can’t
just keep on running from it. I need to attack...if I could just get
inside...}
Akira smiled as she got an idea. The young knight casually strolled up
to the devil, and jeered at it.
“Come on, swing that sword at me again and see if you can hit me!”
Akira yelled mockingly.
The sixth devil growled furiously at her, and swung its sword in
Akira’s immediate direction. Rolling swiftly under the swing, Akira
got back onto her feet and used the devil’s wasted motion against it.
Akira ran up to the devil, and slashed at its armour, ducking down
again as the devil brought its sword back around.
Akira slid back to see the damage she had done, but gasped as she saw
that she had done absolutely nothing.
The devil’s steel plated armour wasn’t even scratched, and then Akira
seriously began to wonder if she could beat this thing alone.
The sixth devil brought the sword up its chest and put the out end of
the sword, the blade, into its free hand. The sword was now spread out
horizontally, facing Akira. It started to glow with an eerie jade
light, and a powerful energy blast shot out from it.
Even though Akira did manage to avoid the attack, the explosion was
unavoidable, and she was tossed into the air, hurled across the flat
grassland outside the Soujumah temple. Akira landed on her back, a few
metres away from the actual blast point and was barely holding onto
the Dragon-edge. All she could do was cough, and wipe the small trail
of blood that was dripping down the side of her mouth.
Akira then began to wonder why the devil didn’t finish her off, it was
in the perfect position to, but then saw that it was aiming its next
wave at...
{Mitsuki!} Akira thought in urgency.
Akira coughed again and rolled onto her side, the emerald flaming
energy from the sixth devil’s sword charging up again. By the time
Akira had gotten back up it was too late, the devil shot a blast at
Mitsuki, the emerald wave heading directly for her. Mitsuki became
distinctly aware of what was about to happen, and started running, but
it was too little, too late. The blast was awkwardly aimed so it
missed Mitsuki’s direction it the same way that missed Akira, but the
explosion knocked Mitsuki off her feet, and over the cliff hanging
above the Vestaile Nostrum.
Time suddenly slowed down for Mitsuki, rubble and cinders from the
cliff face falling alongside her. Closing her eyes in preparation for
death, Mitsuki suddenly saw flashes of everything she had experienced
in her life. Her training to become a healer, her parent’s deaths, her
meeting with Akira, the journey for the six devils. This was how it
all ended for Mitsuki. But what affected her most was the great irony
of the situation.
She had never told Akira how she felt.
Mitsuki clamped her eyes shut even tighter, waiting for the end, and
it took her time to realize that she wasn’t falling anymore. The first
thing she did was look down. She was about fifty metres above the
water and jagged rocks below her. Then she looked forwards to see
Akira’s face smiling at her, her arms wound around Mitsuki’s body. The
blonde smiled back, held Akira even closer to her, momentarily
forgetting the situation they were in.
Soon after that, Mitsuki did question *how* she was still alive and
*why* she and Akira were floating in midair. Until she actually saw
why...
She and Akira were floating in midair, because a long pair of angelic
wings protruding from Akira’s back...were holding them aloft...
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