Story: The Rabbit's Game (chapter 9)

"Thank you very much for coming, Amaterasu.  We are honored by your presence."  Zeus stood and bowed, nudging his wife Hera to do the same.

The sun goddess returned the bow, and listened as Hermes relayed the message.  The two of them whispered amongst themselves for a moment or two, then they laughed as Amaterasu blushed.

"What's so funny?", Zeus inquired.

"It's...well, just a little something I have to do to smooth things along........  We'll be right back!"  Hermes took her hand and they were gone....only to return not even a minute later.  Hermes' toga was a bit disheveled, while Amaterasu smiled serenely, her solar aura seeming a bit brighter than before.

Hera looked at the two of them questioningly, then her jaw dropped.  "Hermes!  You didn't!"

Amaterasu held up her hand to stop Hermes from protesting.  "Fear not, Hera-sama.  It was necessary for me to be able to understand you."

"You mean that line actually worked?"  Zeus looked at the messenger god slyly.  "You're a fast one, I'll give you that!"

Hermes was about to make a snarky remark when Amaterasu again cut him off...  "The reason for my attendance has been explained to me, Zeus-sama.  It was wise of you to do so, as the younger Ohta is not one of your subjects.  I will relay your request to my father.  He will decide whether she is worthy to receive such gifts.  I am sure there will be conditions, but I am also sure you can meet them without delay.  Is this so?"

Her grasp of the situation and graceful speech--not to mention her beauty--drew Zeus in like a thirsty man seeing an oasis in the desert.  Hera kicked her husband's ankle to wake him from whatever lecherous fantasy he had going on in his head.

"Oh, uh...right!  Yes, that's right!  We'll handle things on this end."  Zeus' flustered answer drew a glare from his wife.

"It is settled, then.  If all goes as it should, this matter will be resolved happily, and both realms will benefit.  We are not pleased that you have interfered in the lives of our subjects, but it could not be helped.  We are pleased that you are acting to rectify this, and that you are doing so to the benefit of our subjects.  For this, we thank you."  Amaterasu bowed and walked up to the throne where the two main gods sat.  She knelt in front of Hera, head down and hand extended.  "Please take my hand, Hera-sama."

A bit surprised, Hera did as she was asked.  The sun goddess kissed it, and sent some of her aura throughout Hera's body.  The other woman let out a cooing sigh, and slumped into her throne with a satisfied smile.

Amaterasu bowed once again, and then returned to Hermes' side.  "A token of appreciation, Hera-sama, as well as a gift of harmony."  She punctuated the last word by giving Zeus a teasing look.  "With that, I must take my leave, for there is much to do.  May we all be blessed with good fortune."  She whispered to Hermes, who grinned. 

"I'll...see her out, Chief!" The messenger god gave a sharp salute to his elders, and soon he and the sun goddess were gone.

Zeus glanced with a jealous eye to his wife, who was still coming down from her rapturous high.

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"I will take my leave now," Phoebe said, lifting herself off of the sofa.  "You will understand what I meant later this evening, Ohta-san.  I cannot explain it myself--someone will come to you to tell you what you should do."

"Why can't you just tell us, Phoebe?"  Alexa felt a bit strange using that name for the woman she knew as Artemis, but it couldn't be helped.  "The sooner we know, the sooner we can help Kurumi, right?"

"I'm sorry, Alexa.  This is the way of things.  It will be better this way, trust me.  Besides, I have to go about seeing how I'm going to make my way in this world."

"You could stay with us until you find a place of your own, Phoebe-sama."  Misaki's offer was met with a smile from the former goddess.  "I am sure you will have a hard time adjusting, but we will help as much as we can...  We would be honored to have you here."

"The honor would be mine, Ohta-san.  I humbly accept your offer.  Now if you don't mind, I must speak to Alexa alone for a moment."

Misaki went to gather the shopping bags.  "I do not mind at all.  And please, call me Misaki."  She picked up most of the bags, and headed off to her room.

Phoebe waited until Misaki was out of sight before turning her attention on the redhead.  "I see why you have fallen for her, Alexa.  She is very kind and gentle...very much like her mother, and just as easy on the eyes..."

"Can I help it if I have good taste?" Alexa joked.  "What did you want to tell me, Phoebe?"

"It appears we have overstepped our bounds by interfering with the life of your girlfriend's mother, and in turn, her daughters.  As a result, we have asked the Shinto gods for help in order to appease them."  Phoebe's voice was direct, but a tone of sadness was carried with it.  "I am hoping they will allow us to right the wrongs we have done, as well as aid us in dealing with Apollo."

"How will we know if they'll help?" Alexa asked.

"You must prepare Misaki for a dream she will have.  It will be akin to the ones you have had with Apollo and I.  If they agree, she will be visited, and given instructions.  Help guide her, Alexa.  Keep her safe and calm, and she will be able to help her sister.  She will also be able to unlock her sister's domain of power, but she will need your help.  Do you understand?"

Alexa nodded, and gave Phoebe a reassuring smile.  "I'll do my best.  I've never had a pupil before!"

"It will be a rewarding experience for you both.  Now, my throat is dry.  Do you have any wine?"  Phoebe licked her lips in anticipation

Alexa met her expression with a frown.  "Sorry, we're out of the stuff you're probably used to...but we do have some sake...it's a potent rice wine.  Have you ever had some?"

"No, but I'd like to try it."

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The shuttle flight from Fukuoka to Seoul was a quiet one for Paul and Kurumi.  She had spent most of the trip with her head on his shoulder, trying to make up for the distance she put between them in the car.  She still felt apprehensive, but did her best not to show it.

"I can't wait until we get to the hotel.  A nice meal and a warm bed sounds very inviting right about now."

Paul feigned disappointment.  "Well, I had other plans for us, but if that's what you want to do, baby, it's alright with me."  He put an arm around Kurumi and felt her flinch for a moment before settling into his embrace.  "You okay, Kurumi?  You've been jumpy all evening."

"No, really, I'm fine!  It's probably just tiredness.  I've been working kinda hard lately." Kurumi lied.  Paul saw through it, but wasn't about to push it.  Not right now, anyway.

"Take a little catnap, then.  We'll be in Seoul shortly, and you'll be to refresh yourself when we get to the hotel, okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," Kurumi purred.  "You're always so thoughtful, Paul."  She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, hoping that would ease the tension.

'Just a few more hours, and you won't have to worry about anything ever again!'  Paul sneered down at the raven-haired reporter under his arm.

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Misaki was putting away the last of the clothes from their shopping trip, when she heard some strange wailing coming from downstairs.  She dropped the dress she was holding and dashed to the source of the cacophony.

Alexa met her at the foot of the stairs.  "You've got to see this!"  She pointed in the direction of the living room, where Phoebe was singing--more like yowling--while holding a small bottle of sake.  She was really pouring her heart out in Greek, hitting every bad note she could find in the process..

Misaki raised an eyebrow at Alexa.  "Hey, how was I to know she couldn't hold her liquor?" the redhead replied.  "Maybe I can get a shot of this and put it on YouTube. Do you think they get the Internet on Mount Olympus?"

Misaki pushed past her girlfriend, shaking her head as she went by.  "Okay, Phoebe-sama, I think you have had enough for the evening."  She gently took the bottle from the drunken former goddess' hand and set it on the living room table.  Waiting for Phoebe to face her, she nudged the taller woman backward, where she fell on the sofa.

"Comfy!" Phoebe sighed, grabbing a pillow and snuggling it.  She then rattled off something in Greek before slowly drifting off to sleep.

"You should be honored, Misaki-chan."  Alexa came over to help, grabbing the sotted woman's legs and draping them on the sofa.  "She said, 'To be surrounded by beauty is always a joy.'  I'd take that as a compliment."

"Thank you, Phoebe-sama."  Misaki blushed.  It's one thing to be appreciated by your lover. it's another to be praised by a goddess, even a drunken one.  "Do you think she will be alright?"

"It's her first taste of mortality.  Let her rest."  Alexa led Misaki to the kitchen.  "We have more pressing matters to get to...like dinner."

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A warm breeze wound it way through the Main Palace of the Celestial Plane, carrying with it the sound of Amaterasu's voice.  "Father, I am home!"

A tall man in flowing robes turned to receive the sound, and smiled when saw his daughter bowing before him. "It has been some time since I have seen you, daughter.  How have you been?"

Amaterasu stood from her bow, and smiled gently.  "I have been busy, Father.  In fact, I am here to seek your permission on a matter of some urgency."  She may be the chief goddess of this realm, but Izanagi is the creator god--all things go through him, and come from him.

"I see.  Does it concern the interference of the Greek gods in the lives of our subjects?"

"It does, Father.  I have come to ask permission to grant divinity to a mortal.  I wish to bestow unto her the Light of Truth."

Izanagi smiled.  "Do you think she is worthy of such a gift?"

"I...I am not sure, but I do know she needs it, and will use it wisely.  It will aid her in saving her sister in the present, and many others in the future."  The sun goddess sat on a floor pillow, staring out at the scenery.

"How can you be sure of this?", Izanagi asked.

"I am not, but I do know she will need my help.  She will be going against a former god, who has access to other gods and demigods.  Saving her sister will undoubtedly save others, and she will see this as a noble cause to follow.  She will aided by her lover, a former prophetess, but that will not be enough."

"Well, we cannot let her go into this empty-handed, can we?"  Izanagi offered his hand to his daughter and raised her up into a standing position.  "I would have given you permission anyway, dear daughter.  I just wanted to hear your argument."  Her smile made his own grow even wider.  "Our power is not to be taken lightly or given freely, but your cause is just."  He hugged his daughter gently, then sent her on her way.  "You might want to speak to Fukurokuju before you leave.  Ask him to remove her name from The Book."

Amaterasu did not show it, but she was very surprised at the inclusion of Fukurokuju to her father's command.  He was, among other things, the god of longevity.  The lifespan of all beings was kept in his large book; to remove a name meant to give the bearer of that name immortality.  "I thank you very, very much, Father, on my behalf as well as that of Ohta-san."

She turned to leave, but stopped for a moment.  "Father, if you see my brother Tsukuyomi, tell him...tell him I...."  The sun goddess wanted to say how much she missed her brother, but then she remembered why she banished him from her sight.  She remembered his recklessness and his cruelty.  "Tell him nothing, Father."

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"How long do you think she will sleep like that, Alexa-chan?"

"I'm guessing until we wake her up or until the next quake, whichever comes first!"

Both women laughed as they lay together.  Alexa remembered the task given to her by Phoebe, and set to it.

"Misaki-chan, when you dream tonight, you'll be visited by someone.  I'm not sure who, but Phoebe tells me it's a good thing.  It's important that you pay attention, and not dismiss this as just a dream.  Okay?"

"Will it be like your dreams, Alexa-chan?"

"I think so, but apparently you'll receive more than just information.  I don't know what or how.  I was just told to prepare you for it."  Alexa herself became worried, but hid it so as not to alarm the petite brunette in her arms.

"I will not be afraid.  I am with you, Alexa-chan.  That alone makes me stronger.  Let the gods do what they will."  She snuggled closer to Alexa, basking in the warmth of her body.

Alexa kissed the top of her lover's head as the younger girl drifted off to sleep.  'I hope your dreams are better than mine,' she thought.

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Misaki found herself at the top of a long stone staircase.  It was lined with trees, but she could not see the bottom.  When she turned, she saw a large shrine, colored in red and gold, and littered with autumn leaves.  A large statue of a white cat sat at the opening of the shrine, beckoning to her to enter.

As the young woman approached the shrine, a voice spoke to her, seeming to come from all directions at once.  "Are you worthy to receive the Truth?"

"I am not sure," Misaki answered nervously  "The truth about what?"

"Are you willing to bear the Truth, and show the Truth to others?"

"If it will help me and help others, then yes.  If it will help to make their lives better, yes.  What is the truth?"

"The Truth is what it is."  This time, the voice came from inside the temple.  "Come see for yourself."

Misaki entered the shrine, and felt the cold darkness within.  It then that she realized she was naked, and tried her best to cover herself.  "Are you ashamed of the Truth?", the voice asked.

"No," Misaki answered, shivering.

"Then drop your arms, and come to me."  Misaki hesitated, but did as she was told.  She saw a light at far end of the room she had entered, and walked toward it.  As she did, she felt herself get warmer, until the warmth comforted her and eased her anxiety.  "There, that's better."  The light approached Misaki, and out of it stepped the sun goddess herself.

Misaki dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the floor.  "I am not worthy to be in your presence, Amaterasu-sama," she said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Rise, Ohta-san, and look at me.  See me for who I am.  See the Truth."

Hesitantly, Misaki pulled herself to her feet, and noticed that the glare was gone.  Instead, Amaterasu stood naked before her, covered only by her aura.  "I have come to give you the Truth.  Use it well, and it will not only save your sister, but many others."  She extended one arm, and from it came a red lantern with the two characters that make up the word "shinjitsu" (truth) painted on it in black with white outlines.  "Call for this, and all lies will be revealed.  All that is unclear will be made clear.  Use it well, and you will be rewarded."

Misaki was beside herself.  "But Amaterasu-sama, why have I been chosen for this?  Are there not those who are more worthy than I?"

"It is your honesty and humility that has led me to this act.  That, and it is you who need it most right now.  See for yourself!"

The young woman raised the lantern and watched as it glowed.  Around her, she saw images of herself and Alexa, of Apollo and Artemis, a panorama of images concerning herself and her family, and even her parents' death in the Kobe quake.  She saw all the things she had wondered about and questioned in her mind played out before her.  Everything led up to this point.  A flood of emotions poured from the brunette.  The images came to an abrupt end, as the light dimmed and went out.

"And what of the future?  Can I see that as well?" Misaki asked.

"No.  You may see how events may turn out, but as the future is random, so are the visions of truth for it.  For that, you will need someone with.....precise foresight."  Amaterasu's voice had a leading tone to it, and Misaki followed along.

"Alexa-chan!  But...she has been stripped of her ability!  How can she help me now?  And how can I help her?"

"Fear not," the sun goddess said, approaching Misaki.  "I know of your relationship with the Greek prophetess Alexa.  If she regains her ability, then you will be able to verify her visions, thus gaining access to the true future."

Misaki dropped her head, but Amaterasu lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.  "Her gods will attend to her, Misaki-san.  You both are necessary for the stability of both the Greek and Shinto realms.  All will be made right.  Your sister will see to that.  Now, return to your lover.  Show her what I have given you, and implore her to take back her gifts.  And give her this..."

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Alexa felt a chill in her bed, and tried to pull Misaki closer to her, but her arms found emptiness instead..  The former prophetess cracked open one eye, and saw that Misaki was indeed missing from her embrace.  A bright light shone from behind her.  "Misaki-chan," she droned.  "Could you turn out the light and get back into bed!  It's cold!"  She suddenly felt warmth radiating from behind her, as if someone had turned on a space heater.

"Umm...Alexa-chan...you might want to see this!"

If Misaki's shaking voice didn't wake Alexa up enough, what the redhead saw when she turned around surely did.

"Misaki-chan!  Who...what's going on??'  Alexa widened her eyes, and tried to approach Misaki, but the young woman was bathed in a very warm light....  It didn't seem to harm Misaki, but Alexa was worried nonetheless.  "Are you...are you alright, Misaki-chan?"

"Yes, Alexa-chan...please wait a moment."  Misaki closed her eyes in concentration, and the light and heat drew itself into her, leaving the room in darkness.  Misaki dropped to her knees, and Alexa rushed over to catch her.

Misaki wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.  "I saw her, Alexa-chan.  Amaterasu-sama!.  She gave me something...to help us.  Help me stand, please."

Alexa wanted to put the girl in bed and have her rest, but she knew this was important.  She got up and then helped Misaki get to her feet.  The younger girl then turned so that her back leaned against Alexa's chest for support.  She held out a hand and cried, "Shinjitsu!"

In a burst of golden light, a red lantern appeared.  Misaki herself was surprised that it actually existed, and almost dropped it.  Alexa marveled at the sudden appearance of the lantern.  "What does it do?"

"You will see," Misaki replied.  "Lie to me.  It does not matter how, just tell me any lie."

"A lie, huh?" Alexa gave the object a suspicious look.  "Okay...I'm not attracted to your sister at all."

Misaki giggled, "You asked for it!"  She mentally relayed the message to the lantern.  In her own mind, she saw images of the previous night, when she caught Alexa almost kissing her sister.  Kurumi was staring at Alexa, and Misaki felt Kurumi's desire to kiss the redhead, but she also saw Alexa draw back slightly, not accepting the kiss.

"I said to lie to me, Alexa-chan!"  Misaki was relieved that her lover was actually telling the truth.  "You have passed the polygraph," she said with a laugh.

Alexa smirked.  "Hey, we have to know if that thing actually worked, right?"  She gave her lover a hug.  "So, how do you turn it off?"

Misaki studied the lantern.  'I'm not sure.  I guess there's a word to send it away, or..."  She jumped as the lantern glowed brightly for a second, then disappeared.  "...or it just goes away by itself!"

"Nice!  What else did she say to you?"

"She told me to tell you to ask for your abilities back.  That they will be necessary to help save Kurumi."

Alexa frowned.  "I don't know, Misaki-chan.  I don't exactly miss the pain and anguish of those visions, you know.  And since we're both mortal, I don't have to worry about living life without you.  There must be another way to help her."

Misaki turned to face her lover.  "What if I gave you an...incentive?"

"You mean, other than to save Kurumi-chan's life?"

"Yes," Misaki grinned.  "Amaterasu-sama told me to give you something."

"Me?  What?"

"This."

Misaki kissed Alexa full on the lips, and as she did, the warm aura returned.  It engulfed her, and through the kiss, flowed into Alexa.  The redhead's eyes flew open as she received the warmth; it flowed throughout every fiber of her being, and reached deep into her soul.  It seemed to find every nook and cranny of doubt, pain and loss, and filled it instead with hope and love, peace and contentment.  In all of this rapture, Alexa sensed Yume--her touch, her scent, her kiss.  She felt that Yume blessed this union with her daughter, and that she was forgiven for abandoning her.  This all lightened the burdens on the redhead's heart, and set it free.  Alexa closed her eyes and let the warmth go through her completely, and threw herself wholeheartedly into Misaki's passion. 

Soon the warmth returned to Misaki, and the kiss was done, leaving both women panting.

"Just think," Misaki smirked.  "We get to do that forever!"

Alexa heard nothing but the word "forever", and her already wide smile nearly exploded on her face.

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End of Chapter Nine
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