A Fated Love
Tsukiko awoke later that night, a few hours prior to the sun's rising. She nudged
Yumi, who was still sleeping soundly on her bed, to wake her up. Tsukiko whispered into her
ear "C'mon, let's go downstairs. I wanna see what this place is like at night."
Yumi was curious as to why Tsukiko was so interested in something she perceived to be
completely normal. Still, they went downstairs together, holding each other's hands since
Yumi had poor night vision (or so says Tsukiko).
They got to the front room when they heard an unexpected sound that made Tsukiko
jump.
Tsukiko suggested something that seemed utterly impossible to her companion. "You
don't think this place has-" Yumi cut her off.
"Do you really believe in those things?" she asked, almost sarcastically.
Tsukiko stared at Yumi with a serious look on her face. "You've been teleported to an
alien world, casted magic, and watched our senseis kill a giant monster, and you're
doubting, of all things, ghosts?!"
Yumi, yet again, had no choice but to believe in something abstract, a belief that
others might call crazy.
Another, different, noise met the girls' ears, coming from a fairly close distance,
close enough to spook Tsukiko. She grabbed onto Yumi tightly for comfort, and they walked
toward the sound, being careful to avoid being heard. Despite the darkness, enough light
pours in through a nearby window to reveal the source of the sound. Tsukiko heard the sound
again, just as a light in the room went off. All they had heard was someone using the
refrigerator.
After a brief feeling of disappointment, Tsukiko then hoped some light would be shed
on the face of the 'ghost'. By a stroke of luck, the light reveals Komoku's face rather
clearly, while darkness still concealed them. They wait for a short while, and then open
the refrigerator themselves, and each grab a bottle of soda.
Tsukiko whispers lowly to her friend, "All that for nothing, huh? Maybe ghosts don't
exist. Oh well, at least we got something out of it, right? Hey, it's black cherry, too! My
favorite kind. What flavor did you get?"
"Strawberry." responded Yumi.
"Cool. Can I have a sip?" Tsukiko asks shyly. They exchange drinks, each taking only
a small amount before handing it back to its original owner. Yumi proceeds to drinking a
larger portion of her own bottle, while Tsukiko stares at the bottle. "I'd... feel kinda'
weird drinking after someone else. Here, have the rest."
"No thanks. Here, just try closing your eyes and drinking it without letting the
bottle touch your lips."
Tsukiko tries to take Yumi's advice, but doesn't get any of the liquid out without
letting the bottle touch her mouth.
Yumi offers to pour it into her mouth herself. "Silly girl, let me help."
A quiet shout escaped Tsukiko as the soda touches her tongue. "It doesn't come close
to this good on Earth!"
Yumi slides herself closer to Tsukiko, smiling. "That's because you've never drank after a
cute girl before." she said with a wink.
Tsukiko was reminded by this remark of the events yesterday evening, and decided to
ask Yumi the first question that came to mind. "Hey, Yumi, have you ever had a girlfriend
before?"
The suddenness of the question seemed to startle Yumi. "Only once. We only dated for
about three weeks before her parents found out, and began to interfere. We tried to date in
secret for a few months afterwards, but her parents moved to America, claiming it was
'better for their jobs' to do so, even though they were fine in Japan. I'm sure it was to
get her away from me."
The story depressed Tsukiko, who thought about her own deepening friendship with
Yumi, suspect that Yumi didn't want it to remain a friendship much, if any, longer. "Did
you love her? That must have hurt, huh? Losing someone that way."
Yumi paused for a moment. "I loved her very much. It took me a while to get over
losing her, if I ever really did. I think, though, that I love you even more than I did
her." She pulled closer to Tsukiko, wrapped her arms around her, and embraced her strongly
in her arms.
Tsukiko wanted to ask how long ago this happened, but could not bring herself to do
so. Instead, she gripped Yumi as tightly as she gripped her, and rested her head on Yumi's
shoulder.
The answer had found its way out of Yumi's mouth anyway. "I thought after two years,
I would have gotten over it, but I still miss her dearly. I'd do anything just to kiss a
girl anymore."
Tsukiko moved her head over, and fulfilled Yumi's request. Tsukiko's tongue licked
any remaining soda off of Yumi's lips. They pushed their lips together, Tsukiko realized
what was happening, and immediately backed off.
"Let's make sure that doesn't happen again. Like, for a really, really, long time."
Tsukiko requested, shocked at her own actions.
"Yeah, we should probably go back to sleep." Yumi nodded in agreement. "In our own
beds."
Tsukiko grabbed Yumi as she tried to leave, and pulled Yumi up to her chest. Tsukiko
leaned forward, and whispered something into Yumi's ear. Yumi jumped, startled by what she
had just heard. Even in the dark, she felt embarrassed, as if someone could see her face.
It seemed impossible, a dream. She had heard Tsukiko passionately say, "I love you."
Yumi awoke the following morning in her own bed. She got dressed and then went
downstairs to get breakfast. When she stepped out of her room, however, Komoku was standing
in front of the door, waiting.
"I heard about last night, ya' know."
Fear mushroomed inside of Yumi.
"Don't worry, Yumi-chan, you aren't in trouble. Truth be told, I expected that to
happen." Komoku assured her.
Still, she wasn't sure how to react. It did not seem like her guardians would prevent
a relationship forming between the two girls, but the terror would not go away.
"Do you believe in fate?" Komoku questioned Yumi, prompting yet another confused,
mixed response.
"Kind of. I didn't until recently, but it's hard to ignore the impossible when you've
experienced it first hand."
"You see, you are what we call the Sacred. The last pair of Sacred were unmarried
lovers as well. In fact, this has happened dozens of times before. It seems Eros himself
favors them." Yumi calmed down, accepting the explanation Komoku gave her. The uneasy
feeling refused to leave her, and she was still a little anxious, maybe even so far as
paranoid. Komoku's expression changed rapidly from acceptance and an almost business-like
manner, to a more annoyed look. "Don't tell Tsubasa, though. He won't be as accepting, and
I can't say for sure how he would react."
Yumi agreed to this advice, and asked that Komoku avoid telling Tsukiko that he knows
as well, as not to worry her needlessly.
"Anyway," Komoku continued, "go wake her up. I need to speak to you two about
something very important later. Meet me downstairs when you are ready."
Yumi knocked on Tsukiko's door, and yelled at her to get her up. She waited for a few
seconds before opening the door herself. She had apparently awoke Tsukiko before even
knocking, as she was in the middle of getting dressed. She slammed the door shut and turned
around before even getting it half-open.
"Sorry!" Yumi blared. "Komoku wanted to see us downstairs. Come on, let's go."
Tsukiko, although embarrassed, shrugged off the incident and rather ignored what had
happened. After all, they were both girls, so it isn't like it was that big of a deal.
"What does he want us for? We don't have training today."
"I know, just come downstairs. He said it was kind of important. I'm not sure exactly
what it is though."
Tsukiko came out of her room fully dressed a few moments later, and they walked
together down the hallway downstairs, trying to find where Komoku was waiting for them.
While they were walking, Yumi turned to Tsukiko and whispered into her ear. "By the way, I
didn't see much, but you looked so cute. Maybe I'll take pictures next time."
Tsukiko smacked Yumi as hard as she could across the cheek, leaving a print and quite
a sting. "Eww! Pervy little girl."
After they had reached the front room where Komoku would normally be, they started to
wonder where he was. "Hey, Yumi, let's look for him. You said he was downstairs right?
Maybe further down?" suggested Tsukiko.
"Hey, that's a good idea." Yumi agreed. "It's a good chance to learn the layout of
this place." They ventured together, searching around the colossal building, unaware of its
true size, until they found their master.
Yumi looked in a few rooms. "Not here."
"Not here, either." Tsukiko answered.
"Nope."
They continued searching. Where was he?
Finally, they came upon a door, which was locked tight. At first, a wave of
disappointment overcame the girls, until Yumi realized where she was. "Oh yeah, this isn't
Earth anymore. I can use magic!" She put her pointer finger on the keyhole, and focused her
mana into a tiny little ball, about the size of a marble, inside of the door handle. The
ball exploded in a fury of electricity, causing the metal parts in the door to move, and
pushed others into place, unlocking the door effortlessly, and keyless.
"Wonder what's down there?" muttered Tsukiko.
"Who cares?" Yumi laughed. "I'm more interested in what happens if we get caught."
Behind the door lay a long staircase, descending into utter darkness. The bottom of
the stairs could not be seen, but they decided to try and find it anyway, feeling the walls
at all times in case they reached a landing, or almost miss a step. A few feet down, they
notice a small light - orange - coming from the side. The stairs did turn at some point.
Somewhat farther down, they reach the mid-point of possibly the longest flight of stairs
either girl had ever seen in her life. They turned to the right, and continued to walk,
ever slowly, until they reached the bottom.
"Come here, I have something to tell you." A voice whispered. It sounded like it
belonged to an old man almost, yet it was full of so much strength, that the possessor must
be much stronger than even Komoku or Tsubasa, perhaps even both. The thought frightened
Yumi.
The stairs led to a underground cave, housing a strange wooden shrine. A brilliant
violet light replaced the small orange one they had seen earlier, and illuminated the
entire room. Deeper into the cave was a massive iron gate behind an ancient statue,
probably hundreds of years old.
An old man sat at the shrine, presumably meditating.
"Where is Komoku-sensei?" Yumi had asked half-demanding, half-respectfully.
"You will find he is still in the building." answered the old man.
Tsukiko stood forward, and prominently declared her thoughts. "Orubu-sama, what is
this place?"
"You will find out in due time. It has been kept a secret for now on purpose. When
you come here not of your own accord, you will find out what this place is for." The old
man held up his hand, and the violet light grew rapidly more intense, eventually becoming
almost blinding. When the light had faded, the girls found themselves back upstairs, in the
front room of the building.
Yumi turned to Tsukiko, stunned by everything that happened. They found something
that was supposed to be secret, and then got kicked out, more teleported out, and had a
random question answered, even though it only prompted a myriad of more questions. "Hey,
why did you call him 'Orubu-sama'?"
"It was the first thing I could think of to call him. He seemed powerful and all, so
I know he has some significance to who we are and why we are here. Do you remember what
Komoku said when he came to earth? 'On the Night of the Sun, stand in the horizon. Your
dreams will be made full.' What do you think it means, Night of the Sun?"
Yumi thought for a moment, but her mind drew no answers. She thought harder, trying
to figure out the puzzle she was given, but still, no result. Then she thought back to some
of her science classes. They had never really interested her, but she did very good in them
anyway. As of now, she was thankful for that fact. "Perhaps it is referring to a lunar
eclipse. Ya' know, when the moon is covered by the Earth's shadow, and is completely
hidden." she had suggested.
"Maybe. I'm not sure though, it's too strange. My goal at the moment is to learn
everything I can about this place, about this world." Tsukiko had a hint of determination
in her voice. The answer Yumi suggested was plausible enough, it just might be right. She
put her faith in that, and counted one piece in place. Now she had to fill in who knows how
many more blanks.
The sound of light footsteps interrupted their discussion. Yumi spots Tsubasa, and
pulls Tsukiko behind a corner, hidden from his view. She wanted to see if he might slip out
something without knowing they could hear him.
"Yumi-chan? Tsukiko-chan? You girls there?"
Tsukiko decided to use this as a chance to directly get history lessons out of
Tsubasa while Komoku wasn't looking. She jumped out from behind the corner (making it look
as if she had just been passing by, which in way, she was) and walked near Tsubasa,
grabbing his attention, just as Yumi did the same.
"Oh hey. There you girls are. Komoku is looking for you. I didn't see you in your
rooms, so I looked down here." Tsubasa explained.
"What did you want us for?" Yumi asked, pretending not to know the answer. Well, she
thought she knew it, at least.
"Komoku-sama wants to test your powers. The Sacred have never before been chosen
incorrectly, but we just want to make sure."
"The 'Sacred'? What do you mean? What exactly are we, Tsubasa-sensei?" Tsukiko was
startled. She had no idea what Tsubasa was referring to, yet it seemed to her something
epic, the very something she had been looking for all along. Exactly what her place in the
world - or in this case, the universe - was. Perhaps she is more important than she could
possibly understand.
Tsubasa sighed. He knew this would happen sooner or later, but he was reluctant to
answer anyway. Even now, he couldn't tell them the full answer anyway, but nonetheless, he
felt it was a question better left unasked.
"This isn't a short story, but I'll be as brief as possible. Long ago, farther back
in the history of Atlas then anyone could possibly remember, some indescribable horror
ravaged our planet. It was a Divine Beast, and could only be hurt by other descendents of
Divines. They are reincarnations, not bloodlines, so they could appear anywhere, on any
planet, in any form. We had to search for so long just to find the next incarnations, you
two. You see, Earth... " Tsubasa paused for a moment. The news he delivered was shocking
enough. But, they had asked the question, and needed to know the answer. "Earth is in an
entirely different dimension than Atlas."
The girls were at a loss for words. They had lived perfectly normal lives until a few
days ago, and now, they were surpassing their own fantasies by a wider margin every hour it
seemed.
Tsukiko was the first to speak up. "So I guess that means we are part of some cycle?
What exactly are 'Divines' anyway?"
Another pause from Tsubasa before he wanted to answer. "A being that transcends time
and space. The being chosen to fight the Divine Beast split her soul into two before she
died, so her soul's migration adapts two bodies."
Tsukiko dared not ask any more questions, lest she get an answer she would rather
never have. Yumi couldn't think of any useful questions, her mind was full of incoherent
thoughts that tried to piece together the explanation offered. It sounded more like
religion than fact, but it seemed to be some undeniable, historical fact. It put a bad
feeling in her stomach.
Tsubasa turned and walked away, but before he left, he said with shame in his voice,
"Bear this information in mind, children. I do not wish to lose again."
Tsukiko was amazed at what she had just heard. Not even a week ago, she was just an
ordinary schoolgirl. Now she was practically a goddess! "Tsubasa-san," she began
immediately questioning again, "what about the rest of the people on this planet? Do they
know about us?"
"No, they don't. So don't tell them. If you go on outside, just act normal, and keep
it a secret. No one so much as knows this building is here, they can't see it."
Tsukiko and Yumi nodded in agreement and went outside of the building, the Hidden
Hall. They decided to venture out, down the mountain the Hidden Hall was built into, into
the nearest town.
"Hey," Yumi turned to Tsukiko, "we should get something to eat. Sound good?"
"Sure, I am hungry," Tsukiko paused. "but we don't have any money."
"I stole some from Komoku. He won't mind."
They entered into the town after a few minute's walk, and began looking for a place
to eat, before finally settling on a fast-food place. They ordered their meals, found an
empty table, and sat down to eat. Tsukiko decided to start a conversation.
"So how do you think they earn money, anyway?"
"Not sure. Never thought about it really, nor do they mention any work. We should try
asking when we get back."
Tsukiko continued to sip a strawberry shake. "I wondered if we could ever earn our
own money."
"Probably, but we should probably discuss that with our senseis first. They might
keep us too busy to have a job." Yumi answered.
After an awkward silence fell over the pair, Tsukiko once again began speaking.
"I've been wondering ever since last night about something." Tsukiko began to fidget
with her fingers, blushed a little, and stared off in a weird direction, lowering her tone.
"Do you consider me your girlfriend?"
"Of course, silly girl." Yumi answered, perhaps a little loudly. She started to grab
some people's attention, but only briefly. It wasn't their business anyway. "I love you,
Tsuki-chan. At first, I just thought you were an interesting person, even a little cute.
But, now I can't help but think about you."
Tsukiko blushed even more prominently, convincing Yumi to kiss her on the lips,
although a short one that she barely felt. Still, it caught a lot more attention than the
previous discussion. A young, teenaged boy walked over to their table, interrupting them.
"You chicks lesbians? That's hot."
Yumi turned toward the boy with a death-like anger in her eyes. "Yes, you freak. I
got sick of people like that when I had my last girlfriend, so screw off, will ya'?"
"Woah, woah! Chill little lady." He became a little scared of Yumi's viciousness,
fully expecting to be punched through a window. "Look, I ain't some filthy pervert. Just
not every day you see a girl smack lips with another girl, alright? I'm sorry."
Yumi's response, as well as her actions, forced the manager of the store to
intervene. "Excuse me, please don't start a fight. And no more public displays, ladies. I
wouldn't want a riot."
Tsukiko apologized. "Yes, sir. The food is great, by the way." She felt like dropping
a compliment on him so that he would be less likely to throw them out, at least for good.
Fortunately, they were allowed to remain in the store, on the condition that they did not
act ‘unexpectedly' again.
After finishing their lunch, they returned to the Hidden Hall.
The girls announced their re-arrival as loud as they could. "We're back!!!"
Komoku looked up from a book he was reading and stared slightly agitated at them. "I
would not mind you spending my money, if you asked me first."
"I'm sorry, Komoku-sensei." Tsukiko apologized. "I didn't think you would notice."
Komoku looked stunned. He tried to speak, but it took a few seconds before words came
out. "I didn't think it was you, Tsuki-chan. Not that I'd be less surprised from
Yumi-chan...."
Yumi stood forward, and claimed fault for herself. "It wasn't her, though. She is
just being nice for me." After a brief awkward pause, Yumi began to ask Komoku a question.
"Komoku-sensei, where do you get the money, anyway?"
He turned away from the girls, not willing to look into their eyes. "Doing work for
those with money to waste. That's all I can say." He then left the room in a half-hurry,
and went off in an undetermined direction. Yumi muttered a word of thanks, but he was too
far away by then to hear it.
"Well, that went nowhere, fast as hell. What now?" Yumi questioned Tsukiko.
"Why don't we hang out upstairs? Like, in your room or something."
They headed upstairs, down the hallway, and into Yumi's bedroom, and sat down on her
bed.
"So... Tsuki-chan," Yumi began to speak, "sorry to be sudden, but, what was your life
like prior to this? We only met half a week ago, after all."
Tsukiko paused for a moment, before replying. "Well, I never did good at school." she
admitted. "I even almost got kicked out once or twice. I've always had great friends to
cheer me up when I needed it for just about anything, but none of them ever loved me. If
they did, they never told me. So I've never experienced love outside my family. I have no
idea how to handle it."
"Oh, really? I've never thought about that. I have been witness to things like that
since I was a child, but I never really looked at it like that."
Tsukiko figured it was her turn to ask a question. "Yumi-chan, how did you..." she
paused for a moment, unable to find the words to finish her thought. "...fall into this
lifestyle?"
"I've known my whole life. Girls have always been my plushies, and my object of
adoration. I didn't put the pieces together until I first fell in love though."
"I still don't know just who I am yet." Tsukiko blurted out. She leaned over to Yumi,
grabbed her and held her tightly in her arms, and spoke softly into her ear. "My feelings,
wants, desires, I don't know what they mean, or even why they are! It's all so alien to me,
and yet, my heart wants to let go as little as my arms." Her hold on Yumi grew tighter, and
she pecked a kiss on Yumi's cheek. "I am not sure what the words mean exactly, but, I do
know that dammit, I love you, Yumi Hamano!"
Yumi blushed intensely. She lost control over her feelings for Tsukiko, pushed
herself on top of her, and began to passionately kiss her on the lips.
III-1/2
The T.V. continued quietly. Tsukiko's parents watched the news programs, paying close
attention to the story they were discussing, crying. It had been three days since their
daughter disappeared, and no one had since seen any sign of her.
"Oh dear heavenly God, what happened to my daughter?" Tsukiko's mother began to wail.
"Why was she the only one hurt?!" her father mourned.
"Two persons from the incident three days have still yet to be found, although their
identities are currently unknown...." The reporter continued, oblivious to the crying of
Tsukiko's parents.
A knock came at the door. Tsukiko's mother opened the door. A policeman stood before
her, holding a flower. "Good morning, sir. What can I help you with?" she said, tears
continuing to pour down her cheeks.
"Ma'am, if you wish, do not believe me, but I want to tell you something. The day of
the incident, I saw your daughter and a friend of hers." The officer began to explain to
the mourning woman. "They were not there at the time of the crash, but they disappeared
along with the object. I call it magic, myself."
"Is... she... ?" Tsukiko's mother could not finish the question, but she did not have
to. It was obvious.
"No, I would think not. I do not know what happened, but something does not sit right
with me."
"Thank you, sir. Let me know if you discover something else." The woman began to
smile a little, behind her wet eyes.
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