As the sun started to rise, smoke was still rising from the remains of the campfire that Kazuki, Yukihito, Chikane, and Himeko had made. Despite the fact that it was early, Chikane and Himeko were restless. They both felt uneasy about the journey ahead, but they were not able to explain why. Before continuing their journey, Yukihito and Kazuki cooked the contents of several freeze-dried meals that they had packed while Chikane and Himeko bathed in a nearby hot spring. "Ah," Himeko sighed as she slipped into the warm water, "this helps." "It's just like the bath back at the mansion, just not so artificial," commented Chikane. "The sunlight and the birdsongs make it seem much nicer, don't they?" "I've never been so far away from the village and I've never experienced nature like this," said Himeko. "It is much nicer." Chikane splashed her face with water and sighed at the feeling. "It feels like I haven't had a bath in ages." "It's a long journey," said Himeko before splashing her face as well. "Walking as far as we did, it's only natural that we would sweat a lot." "If only we could use Tsukuyomi no Mikoto. If using its power didn't drain the spiritual energy I need to revive Ame no Murakumo, then we could get there in a matter of hours." "Miss Kurusugawa, Miss Himemiya," the girls heard Yukihito call from behind the trees, "breakfast is ready." "Good," said Chikane. "I'm starving." Himeko and Chikane stepped out of the pool and put their priestess robes back on. The women and the men switched positions, Himeko and Chikane eating by the camp, Kazuki and Yukihito bathing in the hot spring. "It's too bad we don't have any rice or miso soup," said Himeko as she had a bite of her recently prepared food. "Freeze-dried scrambled eggs are not as tasty as Otoha's breakfasts. It's not as bad as mushrooms, but still..." "I know what you mean," Chikane said, eating her food as well. "Otoha put her heart and soul into every dish that she made for me." Chikane smiled and said, "I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for her support. I think that on some level, I knew that she loved me. Even though she tried to hide it, I could tell that she was in love with me. Otherwise, she wouldn't have worked so hard for my sake. And I might have fallen in love with her too..." Chikane looked at Himeko and said, "...if I never had the feeling that there was someone out there waiting for me." "Chikane..." The two girls embraced and kissed each other. With Kazuki and Yukihito in the hot spring, Chikane and Himeko had more time to spend their tender moment together, the bright sunlight shining on them through the trees. It was as if that exact spot in the middle of the forest was made especially for Chikane and Himeko, specifically for that moment. ---------- It was midday. Aside from what was reported on the news about strange happenings in the seaside village of Mahoroba, the people of Fukui City were blissfully ignorant. However, their peaceful lives quickly changed as the light from the sun was blocked by some large, flying object. Looking up, they saw what originally looked like an angel. It was a creature in human form, but it had wings extending from its shoulders. However, as the creature descended toward the city, the people saw that it far from an angel. In fact, it was just about as close to the opposite, its sinister red skin and monstrous teeth made it look much more like a demon. However, the people could barely discern the creature's horrifying features before it landed, crushing several buildings beneath its feet and creating a shockwave that knocked down everything within a 500-meter radius. Inside the cockpit of the mechanical monster was Souma, the purple mark of the Orochi pulsating on his forehead, his eyes glowing as red as winter cherries. "Himeko," he cried in manic aspiration. "Where is Himeko? I'll destroy everything in my path until I find Himeko!" Take no Yamikazuchi's hands retracted and beams of blue light shot from the giant god's arms, destroying buildings and skyscrapers with the attack. ---------- Chikane gasped and her eyes widened in fear. "Chikane, what is it?" Himeko asked, running to her beloved's side. "This feeling..." Chikane breathed, the Lunar Mark on her back glowing brightly. "It's unlike anything I've ever felt before. "I feel it too," said Kazuki. "It's similar to the feeling I get when one of Orochi's eight bodies is nearby, but it's much more powerful." Kazuki continued walking forward. "We must hurry, before more destruction is caused by the Orochi." After Chikane had regained her composure, the three other travelers continued after the shrine keeper. "We should be approaching Fukui City," said Kazuki. "We have to tread cautiously if we don't want to attract attention." Following Kazuki's guidance, Yukihito, Himeko, and Chikane were wary, making sure that they would not get attract attention to themselves with their Shinto uniforms if any residents of the prefecture's largest city came their way. However, their worries of being seen completely disappeared quite suddenly. The reason for this was that the sight before them gave them cause to believe that there were no longer any residents of Fukui City alive to notice them. As they came out of the trees, they saw that the entire city had been decimated! For a moment, all that the four travelers could do was stare at the destruction with eyes wide with horror. "No way..." Yukihito choked out. It took several moments for Himeko's initial shock to diminish, but when it did, it was replaced by a deep feeling of mourning and a sensation of complete worthlessness. She was the Priestess of the Sun, meant to protect the world, and she was powerless to prevent the decimation of Fukui. The blond-haired girl's legs gave out and she fell to the ground, breaking down into tears. ---------- Kazuki, Yukihito, Chikane, and Himeko made their way through the remains of Fukui City. Himeko was very shaken up and Chikane had to help Himeko to simply walk straight. "Sensei, what could have caused such destruction?" Yukihito asked. "Not even Izuhara no Tamazuchi has this kind of destructive power," said Kazuki, referencing to Orochi's sixth body. "I was wrong," said Chikane. Everyone looked at the taller girl. "I have felt this presence before. I recognize the blast patterns of the destruction. This could have only been done by Take no Yamikazuchi." Everyone gasped at Chikane's statement. "Souma's other self?" exclaimed Yukihito. "But how could Orochi's seventh body cause this kind of damage?" Kazuki asked. "The presence I felt was that of Take no Yamikazuchi's true form. Behind its exterior is an even more horrifying demon with a ferocious roar, colored a most evil shade of crimson. I've only felt this kind of power once before. After I had joined the Orochi last year, I summoned Take no Yamikazuchi's true form." "Souma may be an Orochi," Yukihito said, "but does he really have enough evil in his heart to call forth such a horrible creature?" "If he allowed himself to be completely consumed by Orochi's evil, yes," answered Kazuki. "What worries me the most is how quickly Take no Yamikazuchi transformed into its true form." "Chi...kane..." said Himeko in a voice that was barely audible. "What is it, Himeko?" Chikane whispered. "We...have to...find...Souma," Himeko choked out. "We have to...help him." "I know," said Chikane, stroking Himeko's hair soothingly. "I'll do everything I can to help him." Despite what they had witnessed, Himeko felt much more secure when Chikane held her. ---------- By sundown, the four travelers had reached the east end of the decimated city and Himeko had calmed down considerably, regaining the energy to walk upright. Kazuki, Yukihito, and Chikane were happy that Himeko's spirits had risen, but they were surprised by just how much. The next morning, Himeko woke up easily. And when they started on their journey again, she was walking at a faster pace than before. Something was driving Himeko to walk faster and work harder to get to their destination. They were now covering 15 kilometers a day. 2 days after the incident at Fukui, they found themselves at the last leg of their journey. They set up camp at the base of the mountains. "We should rest here until tomorrow," Kazuki suggested. "These mountains are treacherous. We all need to be in top condition if we are to get to the shrine." "Why would the shrine have been set up in a place so inhospitable?" asked Yukihito. "From what my father told me," Kazuki answered, "the Ogami Shrine was supposed to be erected here a thousand years ago so that the head of the shrine could be closer to the heavens. However, an irregular event forced the priest to relocate to Mahoroba." "You still haven't told us what that irregular event was," said Chikane. "Seeing as how strong you have become over the past few days," Kazuki said, "I suppose you are ready to hear part of the story." Yukihito, Himeko, and Chikane leaned toward Kazuki, hoping to learn of what had transpired to cause the ancestor of the Ogami family to move 60 kilometers away from where the shrine was originally supposed to be. Kazuki said, "Legend has it that a thousand years ago, a family came from the mainland across the Sea of Japan and settled in Mahoroba. This family was believed to be connected to Susanou, God of the Sea. The priest of the shrine believed that with the power that this family possessed, they would have a better chance of defeating Orochi when he returned. However, the family had many business deals around the Sea of Japan, so they could not relocate to the mountains." "I see," said Yukihito. "So that's what happened." "What happened to the family after that?" asked Himeko. Instead of answering Himeko's question, Kazuki announced, "It's late. We should rest in preparation for tomorrow's climb." Without another word, they all set up their sleeping bags and went to bed. Although trusting of Kazuki, Himeko and Chikane could not help but think that Kazuki was intentionally holding something back from them. ---------- Souma searched through the mountains, looking for the shrine that Mister Himemiya had told him about. Even though Take no Yamikazuchi was fast, it was difficult to search in the blizzard that was raging at the time. "Damn it," Souma growled, "I can't see anything in this shit." He continued moving blindly through the snow, hoping that he would land on the shrine eventually. As Souma landed Take no Yamikazuchi on a mountaintop, he suddenly sensed something. "What's this?" he wondered. "I sense the power of the Priestesses. Himeko, I've finally found you!" Take no Yamikazuchi spread its wings and started flying it the direction of the Priestesses. ---------- It was morning and the travelers had started their way up the mountain. It was in the blizzard that they had come across that Himeko and Chikane realized why Kazuki wanted them to wear their priestess uniforms while on the journey. "I think these robes are protecting us from the cold," Himeko said. "I think so too," said Chikane. "I did say that the Shinto uniforms would protect us from harm," stated Kazuki. As they reached a relatively steep area of the mountain, Kazuki and Yukihito reached into their bags and pulled out some climbing equipment. They had packed two ice axes each for a total of four. Kazuki gave one of his ice axes to Chikane and Yukihito gave one of his to Himeko. After tying a long rope around their waists, they started making their way up the slope of the mountain, digging their ice axes into the snow to propel themselves upward. As they made their way to the peak, they found themselves at one end of a ridge. Pointing across the ridge, Kazuki said, "The shrine is at the other end of this ridge. It is several hours by foot in this weather, but we should make it there before nightfall. The cave that the shrine is set up in will provide cover from the storm." However, as they started across the ridge, the Solar Mark on Himeko's chest and the Lunar Mark on Chikane's back lit up. "Prepare yourselves," Himeko said. Chikane added, "...Evil approaches. The four travelers looked off the side of the ridge and a pair of glowing, green eyes appeared before them. They were the eyes of a giant mech colored red with a large mouth full of sharp teeth, and on its back two extensive wings made of light. "It's Take no Yamikazuchi in its true form!" cried Himeko. "And it has Take no Yasukunazuchi's wings!" exclaimed Kazuki. "Tsubasa must have given some of his power to Souma." "I found you, Himeko!" said a hungry voice from the mech. "That's Souma's voice!" Yukihito realized. But Chikane said, "That's not the Souma we know." Take no Yamikazuchi reached for Himeko, but Kazuki quickly revealed an o-fuda and erected a barrier against the Orochi body's grasp. "Everyone, run," said Kazuki. Yukihito, Himeko, and Chikane started running across the ridge, Kazuki following closely behind. "You can't keep me from Himeko forever!" cried Souma, continuously punching the barrier, trying to break it down. "He's right," said Chikane. "That barrier won't last if Take no Yamikazuchi keeps attacking it in its true form." Chikane suddenly stopped running and turned to face Souma. "Miss Himemiya!" cried Kazuki. "Chikane!" Himeko cried. "Tsukuyomi no Mikoto!" Chikane called forth. Just then, Chikane gasped as she felt something digging into her back. "Chikane, what's wrong?" Himeko asked desperately as she saw Chikane standing motionless. "I...can't...move," Chikane breathed. 'Why isn't Tsukuyomi no Mikoto appearing?' Chikane tried to figure out. 'What is digging into my back?' Just then, Chikane felt a familiar but very disturbing sensation. It was as if her heart was being filled with anguish and malevolence. Suddenly, she realized, 'Take no Yamikazuchi is giving off Orochi's evil aura! It's trying to consume me again!' Chikane cried out in defiece, "I won't let you take me back, Orochi!" The Lunar Mark shone brightly, driving the threads of dark energy out from her body. As Chikane struggled to drive away the evil that was threatening to consume her again, Take no Yamikazuchi fired orange discs from its shoulders at Kazuki, breaking down the barrier. Before Chikane could react, Take no Yamikazuchi extended its arm again and grabbed Himeko! "Ahh!" Himeko cried. "No. Himeko!" Chikane cried at seeing the mech holding her beloved. Take no Yamikazuchi's wings opened and it flew off into the storm, taking Himeko with it. Chikane stood there, looking off into space. "Himeko..." she said softly. "Himeko," she said again, her voice rising. "Himeko!" Tears came to her eyes. Chikane dropped no her knees and cried out in agony, "HIMEKOOOOOOO!!!!" To be continued... ---------- TERMINOLOGY: Winter cherries are herbaceous plants with fruit that are red in color, resembling Chinese Lanterns. ---------- OMAKE: Chikane stood there, looking off into space. Chikane dropped no her knees and cried out, "KHAAAAAAN!!!!"
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