PROLOGUE: THE BEGINNING OF AN END.

 

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Stepping out of a Dimensional Portal – one carefully shielded to avoid unwanted eyes – she arrived high upon a sky the cerulean shade of which stretched all the way toward the horizon. Below her, Izumo the Holy City – shaped in a great disc spanning at least a hundred miles in radius, providing cozy accommodation for a little more than four million people – stood gleaming in the shines of the morning sun like a pile of precious stones.

On either side of the Ama no Ukihashi, the prettiest boulevard in Heaven, store after store lined up under the cool shade of the sakura trees that blossomed year round. On the clean, granite-paved road Gods and Goddesses treaded leisurely while conversing with their respective companions in a low, murmuring voice. Their eyes, troubled and weary, glanced around quite often as though expecting an assassin to leap out from any of the others�f shadows, or perhaps their own. Well, the Immortals certainly found their assassins when two men emerged from the upcoming intersection, for their legs stopped walking, their mouths clamped shut, and their gazes turned prickly enough to do a needle proud.

The men were young and handsome enough to make a woman turn her head. Yet it was not their faces the Immortals fix their ominous glares upon. It was the sleeves of their snowy cape, adorned at the wrists with the gleaming golden pentagram inscribed within a circle, the very symbol of the Holy Messengers Division, Home of all Spies.

The Immortals of Heaven stood perfectly still and watched the Messengers, sauntering haughtily without a care whom they might bump into, barely concealing their disgust. In the eyes of Izumo�fs residents, the Messengers were probably as likable as a den of vipers, poised to strike the unaware who fell into their midst. Of course, the men might not know it but their actions had but tainted their names. A word they whispered into a wrong ear might drag some poor fool to the Sanctum Core for interrogation. And the Messengers rarely spoke more than a word. Not that anyone would be accused wrongfully, thanks to the flawless system maintained in the Core, of course, yet being stared down by the Celestial Assembly was by no means a pleasant experience.

As though sensing the hostility of the people around them, the Messengers�f faces turned a trifle gray and their pace quickened considerably. Still, even after they made a hasty turn and vanished behind a small alley of the Ama no Ukihashi Boulevard, the mood of the bystanders did not improve very much. The Gods and Goddesses resumed their activities, yet their grim, almost identical expressions spoke volumes of what they must be feeling inside.

On an interesting note, if the Immortals paid the Holy Messengers every scrap of their attention, they directed none toward the twelve steel obelisks towering over Izumo in the distance. Truth be told, they bloody well pretended that those prickly metal blocks never existed. They had been quite displeased when the Lord of Izumo said he was going to build those things, and furious when the man ignored their disapproval. After all, the Kusanagi Pillars all but declared that their freedoms in Izumo dangled by a very thin thread, a fact none liked to be reminded of. She but wondered why the Immortals still had not considered immigrating to Reiha, though. The Heart of the Underworld had always been a more beautiful place, and also one where people were allowed as much freedom as they wished unless they violated the laws. Of course, the Sealing Field of the Crystal Roses would lock up their powers during the first year they lived there, but....

She gave her head a slight shake. She was wasting time when she could not afford to. Eyes tracing the pattern of the Invisibility spell to make sure the thing still held, she descended toward a building in the east side of Izumo, one looked like a giant hexagram from the bird�fs eyes view. As usual, the Memories Hall was unguarded, its vicinity without a wandering soul. Of course. The Immortals rarely went here unless in dire need, for they resented the countless invisible Seals and Barriers woven around the building. Who knew what trap would spring should they venture too near? She herself was aware that in her current state, one wrong step might just unravel her already fragile existence. But then, the Immortals of Izumo were ever cowards. She, on the other hand, was not.

Standing in front of the Memories Hall, she channeled her celestial powers so that they reached out to every hidden Seal and Barrier. To her satisfaction, those vicious things retreated to either side, clearing a path leading straight toward the entrance. She smiled. It seemed she still could exert some control over them after all. The smile slid off her lips in a second, however, when she sensed a presence of power within the confinement of the Hall. There could be no mistake. The Keeper was in there.

She grimaced. Why was he here? True, the Hall was his office but the man only worked in there twice a week due to his other duties to Heaven. Certainly today was not his working day... unless his schedule had changed during the time she was absent from Izumo, which was very likely now that she thought of it. �gWorst of luck,�h she muttered irritably.

She considered turning back, and firmly rejected the cowardice idea. It had taken her forever just to gather enough strength to break through the Dimensional Boundary protecting Heaven. Not just that, the situation was dire. She had to do something or risked losing her most precious possession for all eternity.

She opened the doors and walked straight in, determined to be brave. It was not that she feared the Keeper. She knew too well the man would not harm a strand of hair on her head, much less take her life. Yet the possibility that he might refuse to cooperate horrified her. She did not possess enough power to bend him to her will like she used to. Should the man wish it, she would have no other choice but to return empty-handed and suffer by herself. She sighed. A slim chance she might have, it was still a chance.

�gYou....�h The Keeper of the Hall of Memories, more handsome than any man she had seen on Earth, widened his eyes upon her entrance. Although she wore a deep hood that cast a dark shadow upon her face, she knew he still recognized her. He would have struck otherwise.

Silence hung above the marble platform that floated upon the sparkling Sea of Memories. Beyond them a crystal tower stood, its smooth surfaces catching the light from the Sea and reflected it like the best-polished mirrors. A gigantic platinum ring, bearing the vertical Sun and Moon Crests on opposite sides, revolved soundlessly around the structure. She frowned. The Tower of Kannazuki! So that was why the Keeper lingered here.

Biting her lips, she sank to her knees and bowed, her forehead made an audible thudding sound upon the platform.

�gI beg of you, nii-sama,�h she pleaded, �gplease....�h Her nii-sama the Keeper should know what she wished for. He should know why she came to this place despite the risk.

�gFine.�h The man in front of her sighed. Her head jerked up in surprise. She knew he had always been fond of her... yet she never expected him to disregard the rules so.

�gI am most grateful to you, nii-sama.�h She bowed to him again, scrubbing the tears already flowing down her cheeks with her sleeves and trying to swallow a sob. All these painful and heartbreaking years had finally come to an end. She rose to her feet, every of her particles trembling in joy.

�gNo need... for that,�h the Keeper said slowly while turning around, his arm stretching toward the block of crystal on the other side of the platform – the One Terminal, the device that controlled the Memories Hall. He stopped dead when a holographic screen popped out of thin air.

�gWhy have you not released them? The Lord�fs patience in growing thin, I shall have you know that!�h the face of a haughty-looking man spoke with a voice no lovelier than his demeanor. A lump of something rose in her throat. She knew him. Yuusaku the Chief of the Holy Messengers, right-hand man to the bastard Lord of Heaven himself. �gHey! Who is there behind you?�h

An orb of blinding light enclosed in a net of roiling lightning leapt upward from the Keeper�fs palm.

Run! Run now! the Keeper�fs voice said urgently in her head. Come back when you have the chance!

The orb of light struck the platform a few feet to her right and exploded, sending shards of stones all over the place. She rushed toward the Hall�fs entrance.

�gIntruder!�h Yuusaku�fs voice cried behind her at the same time deafening sirens blared over her head.

Putting a safe distance between her and the Memories Hall, she halted and wove another Portal. Yet, just when the sparks emerging from her hand managed to coalesce into the silvery surface of the dimensional entrance, a streak of white lightning sheared the thing and dissolved it.

She stared in horror at the twelve oversized obelisks surrounding Izumo, now glowing white like metals heated to near melting. The Kusanagi System had been activated, and she bet she knew what target they had been set to eliminate, too.

Lightning fanned out from the twelve Kusanagi Pillars, knitting a large white cloth that hid the cerulean sky. Thunder rumbled loudly in the air. She swallowed. Was there any chance at all for her to leave this place and still live afterwards?

Probably not.

Lightning bolts, thick and searing-bright, danced downward from the heavens. She elevated herself into the air, gliding and changing her directions almost instantly to avoid being hit. Slowly, her determination and confidence faded as panic welled up in her soul. More blasts came after every second, eventually forming a jungle of lightning connecting heavens and earth. She halted dead in midair, for even the smallest movement would crash her into one of those crooked bars of blazing light. Her heart stopped beating as the lightning bolts began to drift toward her. They were going to blow her to dust....

Out of the blue, two vertical discs of white light emerged, one to her left and one to her right. Quickly, they rushed toward each other, erasing her body as they went. Before the lightning bolts could touch her, she had already been safely transported into a dimensional passageway. In there she stood, trembling. Nii-sama had saved her, she knew. However, her gratitude for him could not diminish the grief that was clenching her heart. She cried. Come back to see him when she had the chance, the Keeper had instructed. She was not sure she would have any more of those until she was dead....

 

***

 

�gHave you any idea who that intruder is?�h the ever-glorious Lord of Heaven said to the Keeper from the holographic screen. The man, looking so youthful he could have been mistaken for the Keeper�fs brother, sat behind the desk in his spacious study, peering coldly at the Keeper over his interlaced hands. Next to him Yuusaku the Chief Messenger stood, face grim and somewhat furious. It did not sit well with the man that his precious Kusanagi System failed to destroy the girl, the Keeper wagered.

�gI have none, father,�h on his knees, the Keeper answered. �gHe barely entered when Yuusaku contacted me. I never had the time to identify him.�h

Yuusaku glowered at the Keeper in plain disbelief, but at least he kept his peace. The Keeper was thankful he was not in the Sanctum Core at the moment, for a lie spoken there would have gotten him into deep yogurt. But on the other hand, though, there was no chance his Father would deliver him to that place. The Ruler of Heaven was afraid of the Core as much as any other person in the Holy City, if not more, of course.

�gIs that so?�h the Keeper�fs father said levelly.

�gIt is so, Father,�h the Keeper answered, his voice calm and collected. He had always been a good liar.

�gVery well,�h the Lord of Izumo nodded, �gyou may proceed with your duty. I shall set the Messengers to hunt down the intruder.�h Yuusaku gave the other man a quick, exasperated look. He must have been wishing that his liege lord would not refer to the Messengers the way he would a hunting hound.... The Keeper suppressed a chuckle.

�gAs you command, Father.�h The Keeper gave the Lord a respectful bow as the holographic screen winked out of existence. He rose to his feet, laughing softly to himself. That was close. He wondered what would have happened had Yuusaku�fs screen appeared when the Keeper was giving the girl what she came here to take.

He put his hand upon the cold top of the One Terminal, the crystal block standing upon the platform, and entered his commands. The girl was truly unlucky to have chosen today to sneak into Izumo. Had she come on another, she would have gotten what she needed without raising a fuss. He sighed. Well, he would try to find a way to grant her wish, if he could.

The clear, cloudless sky of the Memories Hall darkened as a massive whirlpool of black light appeared over the top of the Kannazuki Tower. The Gate to the Cycle of Death and Rebirth had opened, allowing access to the eternal current comprised only of the mortals�f souls.

The floatation ring of the Kannazuki Tower stopped turning. The Sun and Moon Crests began to glow with golden and silver light. The Keeper peered at a holographic screen that showed the interior of the Tower. The chains were being withdrawn from the Altars, the Seals placed upon their prisoners lifted. The time had come.

Release, the Keeper thought.

The Gate to the Cycle expanded, the thunder roared, and lightning came from within the dark whirlpool, coiling around the Tower�fs platinum ring. The Sun and Moon Crests�f surfaces rippled like that of a pond when disturbed by a pebble. From the two vertical plates emerged two spheres of light, one silver, one golden, both shining more brightly than the midday sun. The Keeper sighed as his Immortal eyes caught a glimpse of their interior. Two teenaged girls, dressed in the traditional chihaya and hibakama of Priestesses, stood within the confinement of the spheres, untouched by the passage of time.

The Keeper massaged his temples, guilt and shame wrecking his soul apart. He had no part in inflicting pains upon them, yet he had been the one guarding them for the last three thousand years, he had been the one who made sure their cycle of suffering would continue forever and ever. In a way, he was as vicious a criminal as the one who trapped them in the Tower and drowned them in grief.

�gGo now, children of the Lunar Shrine,�h the Keeper recited the ritual phrase. �gGo in the blessing of Heaven and protect the peace of the Human World.�h

The two spheres of light rushed upward and vanished into the darkness of the Cycle�fs Gate. A second later, the whirlpool vanished.

The Keeper turned toward the exit of the Memories Hall, sighing in pain as he walked. Protect the peace of the Human World? That was an outrageous lie. He knew full well why the two girls were sent there, why they had to sacrifice their future... and their love.

The Keeper pushed the doors open and walked out. In front of the Hall he stood, his head turned toward the Heavenly Palace in the heart of Izumo. He knew his beloved elder sister was in there, out of earshot, out of sight... yet somehow... he could faintly hear her weep.

 

***

 

�gDo you feel that, Akira?�h Yui said, not turning back to face the person she was speaking to. Instead, she looked straight ahead at the field of white lilies covering everything from outside the room to the distant horizon. On high, the sun was shining. Down low, the flowers were stirring as though a wind was blowing across the land. Ironically, neither the heat of the light nor the movement of the air touched her when they should have. �gThe Priestesses of Kannazuki had been loosed on the world,�h she continued as her hand drew the shoji door shut. There was no point in looking too long at an illusion, however beautiful it might be....

Yui settled herself on an armchair and studied the other person in the room carefully. Akira, looking like a man who had been starved for days, slumped motionlessly in his own chair, staring bleakly ahead. Yui did not believe he saw anything with his unblinking eyes. His chest would still rise and fall, however weakly, yet all she could perceive out of him was but a breathing corpse. She sighed. Perhaps Yui�fs youngest brother was not as handsome as the Keeper of the Memories Hall but the Goddesses in Heaven never stopped swooning over him whenever he walked the streets. She doubted any of those giddy women would want him with his haggard and emotionless face now.

�gSeventeen years...�h Yui whispered softly, �gjust another seventeen years, dear Akira, and you shall be free. I promise. No one will stand in your way, and hers, anymore.�h

Akira gave no sign that he heard.

Yui sighed again and stood to leave. In a flash of golden light, she was gone and reappeared outside, beneath the starlit heavens. She would return to visit him again some other time, though. Laughing quietly to herself, she opened a Dimensional Portal to leave the surface of the deserted Moon. The Holy Messengers might be watching her closely, but she would lose them as soon as she could find a large crowd of mortals. That lot never realized that they would never learn what Yui was scheming. Well, they would in the future, when Heaven itself trembled in her wrath.

 

EPISODE ONE: DISTANT PARADISE.

 

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The glorious light of the morning streamed through the window of room two-oh-four of Ototachibana Dorm and filled the space with its dazzling brilliance. Outside, one floor below, the chirping of the birds mingled with the sound of Suzuhara Aiko-san raking the dead leaves so they would not litter around her territory, which the elderly Dorm Manager protected as vigorously as she would her own child. A few minutes from now, the kind lady would return to her office and push a button somewhere on her desk to make all the alarm clocks in the building go off at once. It was how she woke up her girls, what she called the students of Ototachibana Academy who lived in the Dorm under her care, every morning and told them their classes were going to start. The problem was that even if the alarm were ten times as loud, even if Suzuhara-san came up to knock on the door herself, Kurusugawa Himeko still would not leave her bed. Why would she want to, when she was kissing someone anyway?

On the lower level of the double-decked bed, on the soft mattress Himeko sat, her eyes closed, her lips engaged with another pair in a kiss passionate enough to thaw ice. Had the arms of her one and only significant other not been entwining around her waist the whole time, she would have melted into a puddle and slipped off the bed.

Breaking away from her lovers sweet, gentle lips and trying to catch her breath, Himeko looked up only to find a face not even the word beautiful was worthy of. Still in the warm embrace of the one she loved, Himeko leaned the side of her face against the heaving chest of the most wonderful person living and listened to the mesmerizing melody of an amazing heart that was beating right next to her ear.

�gYou came to see me before the sun could rise,�h she murmured, her hands reaching up to caress a smooth pair of cheeks where more and more spots of crimson bloomed after her every touch, �gthen you swept me off my feet with your kisses. What is it you want to say?�h

A soft hand cupped Himeko�fs chin and gently lifted it up so she could look straight at her lover�fs eyes. Those two pools of light seemed to be drawing in every scrap of Himeko�fs existence. She suspected that once she had fallen into them, she would drown without the hope of learning how deep.

�gWhat do you want me to say?�h an amused voice answered her. Himeko inhaled deeply, wondering whether she was getting drunk from hearing the words. Such a lovely voice... such a pretty pair of lip.... She wanted to be kissed again.

�gWhat any girl would like to hear, dummy,�h Himeko answered softly, heat blooming in her cheeks. What would her late parents think if they heard her say this, if they learned who was it their daughter had fallen so hard for?

�gVery well then,�h quiet laughter was chiming like crystals, lips ever drawing closer, fingertips burning with the heat of flames. �gI love you, Himeko, more than anyone in the world.�h

Himeko gazed at her lover, feeling like weeping at the words she had wished to hear for so long.

�gI...�h Himeko began. Before she could finish what she meant to say, the door to her room sprang open to reveal the intimidating figure of an angry Saotome Makoto, her roommate.

�gHimeko!�h Mako-chan shouted, her eyes blazing with a fierce light, her mouth roaring with a blood-red flame. Behind her a pair of leathery wings unfolded.

 

...

 

�gHimeko! Himeko!�h Mako-chan�fs voice said as the same time a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and shook. �gWake up, or we�fre going to be late, come on!�h

Eyes fluttering open, Kurusugawa Himeko winced at the bright morning light that was shooting through the numerous windows of Mahoroba City�fs public library. She was sitting in one of the building�fs several Knowledge Chambers – enormous rectangle rooms decorated with rows after rows of tables and chairs and little else beside some flower pots here and there along the feet of the walls, which were painted with a dull white color. The Chambers were places where people who wanted quietness came in and studied until they passed out from the knowledge they tried to stuff into their brains, or so the other students in Ototachibana Academy – Himeko�fs school – believed.

Himeko straightened up in her chair, pulling her hand over her lips while stifling a yawn that would probably unhinge her jaw. She had dozed off on the table, it seemed.... She blushed furiously when she recalled what kind of dream she had in her sleep, though. Himeko glanced at her roommate – Saotome Makoto, whom she addressed intimately as Mako-chan – and gulped down a squeak. It had not been nice of her to picture the other girl that way.... She was suddenly glad that Mako-chan didn�ft have the power to read dreams. The girl would have been displeased over this particular one... and probably mad at the others prior to it... although for a different reason, Himeko reckoned.

�gYou don�ft get enough sleep or something, Himeko?�h Mako-chan sighed. �gFor goodness�fs sake, I was gone for barely more than half an hour and I came back to see you snoring as loudly as any man!�h

�gI don�ft snore!�h Himeko protested and gave a start when she realized she had come very close to shouting. The other students in the Knowledge Chamber, scattered around the numerous tables, shot cross looks her way and made heat rise in her cheeks again. �gI... don�ft snore...�h she muttered in a much lower voice while Mako-chan chuckled softly over her head.

�gWhy are you so sure?�h Mako-chan said. �gYou can�ft hear yourself in your sleep now can you?�h

Mako-chan was teasing Himeko, of course, the way she always did whenever she found a chance, but within every of her words was warmth of a friendship as strong as anything could be. Many people might think that one year together wasn�ft long enough to even mention but during that one year, Mako-chan and Himeko really hit it off. Well, Himeko had always been a shy one so at the beginning, what they would do when they met one another in their own room was smiling in awkwardness as though separated by an invisible wall. Then their relationship improved vastly, all thanks to the other girl. Himeko�fs friend had made an effort of getting to know her, of trying to be closer to her. Bit by bit, the wall crumbled. Now, Mako-chan had become one of the two persons Himeko could trust. The other person, well, Himeko still had trouble deciding if she wanted that person to be just her best friend or a....

�gForget it,�h Himeko mumbled and focused her attention on fixing the red ribbon that tied the back of her hair. If she ignored Mako-chan, the girl would drop her assault soon enough. It had always been so.

�gNe, sleepyhead?�h Mako-chan poked Himeko�fs shoulder gently with her forefinger.

�gHmmm?�h Himeko favored the other girl with a sweet smile.

�gDid you have a nice dream?�h

Himeko almost gave a start at Mako-chan�fs sudden question. She didn�ft really have the power to see people�fs dreams, did she? Himeko shivered. She wasn�ft so sure now.

�gWhy�fd you ask?�h Himeko said carefully, then swallowed nervously when she heard a tinge of uneasiness in her own words. She hoped the other girl wouldn�ft notice.

�g�fCos I saw you smiling in your sleep.�h Mako-chan smiled, then added, �gyou blushed, too, by the way. Dreaming of someone you like?�h

�gNot... exactly.�h Himeko winced a little. Lying was bad, especially to her best friend, but she didn�ft have a choice. It would be devastating if Mako-chan found out who that person was. Himeko really, really didn�ft want her to.

�gOh, then what is it?�h The twinkling in the girl�fs eyes upturned Himeko�fs stomach. For some reason, she suspected that Mako-chan knew....

Fortunately for Himeko, the other girl glanced at her wristwatch and realized in horror that it wouldn�ft be long until their first class started. They had come here early because Mako-chan wanted to find a book on healthy eating habits for an athlete – she was in the Academy�fs track and field team. Their time was now up. The brown-haired, emerald-eyed girl dropped the question and dragged Himeko out of the public library.

Since the building was next door to Ototachibana itself, it took Mako-chan and Himeko little time to arrive at the gate of the Academy, where they began to climb the stairs leading to the campus along with other students. Mako-chan took two steps at a time, and small wonder she could. Himeko bet her roommate could even take three if she tried hard enough. Herself... well, she climbed only one at a time. Any more and she would risk stumbling down the whole flight of stairs and becoming the school�fs laughingstock.

Embarrassing as it was to admit, Himeko was the furthest thing from nimble. She tended to fall down a lot, earning herself numerous bruises as the weeks went by. Strangely, though, her skins healed quite fast compared to others�f so in two days at most, not a scratch would remain on her unblemished skin. Himeko had always wondered whether such rapid healing ability made her some kind of freak. Not that she wasn�ft one already, of course....

Climbing upon the stairway while cautiously watching where her feet were landing her, Himeko heard the other students chatting excitedly about someone�fs birthday. Well, she didn�ft have to be a genius to be able to figure out whom. There was but one person whose mere birthday could create this much of a ruckus. For crying out loud, this topic had been the only thing on everyone�fs lips ever since last week, if not earlier.

�gWhat are you wearing for Miya-sama�fs birthday tomorrow, Izumi-san?�h one girl asked.

�gNot sure. How about you, Miho-san?�h another replied.

Himeko tried to catch up to her roommate, and sighed in exasperation when the three girls walking ahead gathered together and inevitably blocked her way. Himeko knew them. The blue-haired girl was Takada Izumi, one who named herself the President of Miya-sama Fanclub and the other two were her vice-presidents, supposedly. Truth be told, she didn�ft think she�fd like to join their crowd. Izumi might look like a frail girl but she wielded much power in this campus. Almost every girl in Ototachibana Academy who idolized the resplendent Miya-sama was under Izumi�fs command, after all. The girl did outrageous things, and embarrassing ones, at that, so Himeko always wondered why the Himemiya princess was still putting up with it.

�gExcuse me, please let me through,�h Himeko said. Yet, the Fanatic Trio, some called them so behind their backs, was too engrossed in conversation about what they might buy to give to their precious Miya-sama to notice. And then, one more girl rushed by to join their conversation. Himeko could only stare as the newcomer knocked her out of balance and inevitably pushed her off her feet. She fell.

�gHimeko!�h She heard Mako-chan scream. She would have screamed, too, had a lump of something not stuck in her throat, not letting the smallest sound come through. Suddenly, a hand thrust out to grasp hers and drew Himeko back up. The unknown hand, strangely soft and warm, never stopped pulling until she ended up in its owner�fs tight yet utterly gentle embrace. Himeko�fs savior was another girl, taller than herself by half a head, a girl whose soft floral fragrance suffused the air around her, whose long, shiny hair was as blue as the deepest ocean, whose face was as glorious as that of an angel, and eyes as shiny as the most beautiful sapphire gem on Earth. Himeko felt her heart racing, her mind numbing from the touch the girl was giving her. She was....

�gMiya-sama!�h

�gIt�fs Miya-sama!�h

�gShe�fs so pretty today!�h

�gWho�fs the girl she is holding? I�fm so jealous!�h

�gAre you unhurt?�h the taller girl�fs soft and melodious voice whispered to Himeko.

Realizing that her hands were circling the Himemiya princess�fs waist, Himeko jerked out of the embrace, stuttering:

�gNo, thank you. I�fm okay.�h

Smiling gently, the other girl said, �gBe careful, Kurusugawa-san. And have a good day.�h

With that, she glided past Himeko, but not before she whispered something softly enough for Himeko�fs ear alone and made her blush furiously. Yet, Himeko smiled and said after her, �gHave a good day, Miya-sama.�h

 

***

 

Saotome Makoto�fs heart throbbed painfully inside her chest as she watched Himemiya Chikane, Miya-sama the school adoringly called her, walked past her roommate – a very flustered Himeko – and then, Makoto herself, seemingly undisturbed by the unrelenting eyes everyone else glued at her back. Makoto�fs fists clenched. Her arms shook in an attempt to keep them from punching something, or someone. She waited for Himeko to catch up with her on the stairs and went with the girl to their class. Why does it have to be her? What does she have that I do not? she thought bitterly.

 

***

 

Hiding herself among the noisy students, the watcher gave her lips a thoughtful tap. The way those two girls reacted around one another... was suspicious. She chuckled. It seemed that some things never changed after all. Admirable, indeed. Too bad they were in her way, or she would have tried her best to help them be free from their destiny.

Leaving the crowd, which was breaking apart as soon as Himemiya Chikane faded from view, she walked toward the same direction Kurusugawa Himeko and her friend had. She needed to observe the girl for a little more before she decided what course of action she must take, of course.

Passing by a large fountain, the watcher caught of a glimmer of herself on the rippling water surface. She smiled. She looked... so youthful, so similar to any other teenaged girl in this campus, that she doubted anyone would believe her should she tell them her true age. She had only thought of changing her appearance because she wanted to blend in but now since she looked nice this way, maybe she would keep it for a little longer. Chuckling softly, she wondered what he would do were he to lay eyes upon her this very moment? Blush and stammer, most likely. The man had always been shy.

 

***

 

Just as Kurusugawa Himeko finished putting her notes and textbooks on her table in the classroom, Mako-chan began the assault. �gThat was great, just great. Tell me, how did she hug you?�h inquired the athlete.

�gThat was not a hug, Mako-chan. Not that big a deal.�h

Wrong answer.

�gNot that big a deal!�h Mako-chan exploded. �gOur Miya-sama, Himemiya Chikane-sama, is the precious daughter of a family that goes back at least a thousand years! She illuminates the world from this campus! She is the very intensity of the summer, the grace of fall, the nobility of winter and the kindness of spring. She�fs a girl who excels in academics and sports, the dream of every person in the school. Do you know that the amount of love letters that she received a day is more than you can read in a week? Everybody wants to marry her.�h

Mako-chan paused to take a breath and continued, �gBut she�fs tough. Just in this week, she turned down lots of people and that included son of a famous billionaire, an Interhigh representative, son of a C.E.O. and six others who are just as rich or famous. What made you think that such a lady, who makes a simple man a hero just by confessing to her, not that big a deal?�h

�gI�fm sorry,�h she said apologetically.

�gWell. But if there were someone who barely deserved Miya-sama, it would be him.�h She slowly walked to the window, which was to Himeko�fs left-hand side and looked over the enormous sport field and pointed down. Himeko knew whom she meant anyway, even without looking. At this time of the week, there was only one class who used the field and among those forty-five students, only one could be Mako-chan�fs target. One boy, a pretty but manly one with dark hair and eyes was pressing his opponent really hard on the tennis court. His opponent wasn�ft doing well, however. But she wouldn�ft blame him. No boys on campus could score one point against the other boy, regardless of age or sport they were playing.

�gThe national top-ranker, one who is blessed with the grace of Ototachibana Academy, young master of Shingetsu Grand Shrine, Jin-sama, Oogami Souma. Believe it or not, most boys in here see him as their most powerful enemy. Perhaps they know that if he decides to join the race, there�fs no way they can compete.�h

She said nothing, still thinking about what Mako-chan said. It was true. If it were Oogami-kun who proposed to the blue-haired princess, no one would dare say otherwise. Oogami-kun, eh? she thought. Well, in time, when she had the chance, Himeko would tell Mako-chan all of the truth. And maybe about her greatest secret as well. Himeko wondered how her friend would react if she knew.... She wouldn�ft kick Himeko out of the room... would she? Himeko hoped not.

The sessions went by with the speed of a turtle, or maybe it was because in her heart, Himeko was just waiting for them to end. When the break time came, she rushed out of the class with her lunchbox. In her mind, only one thing lingered: what the Himemiya princess, what her Chikane-chan had told her in the morning At noon, in the Garden of the Roses, as usual. Good thing that Mako-chan never asked her why or where she always disappeared to in lunchtime or the secret would have come out ages ago.

In the west side of the campus, there was a secret garden, completely fenced and surrounded with roses so the scenery inside was safely concealed from the naked eye. Only Himeko and Chikane-chan knew that there was a secret entrance hidden within the rose bushes, one large enough for her to go through. And she did exactly that. Inside, there was a big ginkgo tree, four times as old as her and maybe over, which granted its cool shades upon the circular patch of ground covered by smooth grass. Beneath its branches Chikane-chan sat, idly sipping a cup of tea. Noticing Himeko, the blue-haired princess said with a gentle smile, �gWelcome.�h

The truth was that unbeknownst to all students on campus, the blue-haired girl had been Himeko�fs friend since the very day her first class in this school started. Well, people had never been aware how close Himeko and Chikane-chan were to one another. How could they, when they rarely talked in the presence of a third person? Chikane-chan already apologized for it, saying that she did not feel comfortable being intimate with Himeko in public. She said that people would get jealous should they hear her saying Himeko�fs name with such a caress in her tone. The blue-haired princess was joking when she said that but Himeko knew perfectly well that the school wouldn�ft leave her be should they be informed of their... relationship.

She smiled. No matter how she put it, the way they sneaked around just so they could meet and have lunch together sounded too much like a secret affair.

As she and Chikane-chan finished up their lunchboxes, the latter gave Himeko a cup of tea. Murmuring a thank-you, she gave the other girl a surreptitious glance. The Himemiya princess was truly beautiful, absolutely radiant even under the cool shadow. She wondered why....

�gIs something the matter, Himeko?�h

Chikane-chan must have realized Himeko was staring at her. Peeling her eyes off the other girl�fs heavenly face, quite reluctantly she might add, she hid her own with the cup of tea and said, �gYou always have so many things to do at school, Chikane-chan. Like Student Council meetings, club activities, tea ceremony classes.... Why are you always here, eating lunch with me? The Garden of the Roses is far too inconvenient for you.�h

Her friend simply smiled. �gBecause this is the only short while that I can spend with you, Himeko. You do not wish for my company?�h

�gNo, it�fs not that.�h Himeko hastily shook her head.

�gIf I am a nuisance to you, there shall not be a next time.�h Regret and sadness tinged the princess�fs voice... and Himeko�fs heart sank into her stomach.

�gNo! I am really happy that you are here with me. Really, I mean it, Chikane-chan!�h

The Himemiya heiress smiled again and softly patted Himeko�fs head. �gOkay, I hear you.�h

Mako-chan told everybody that Himeko loved school so much she would never miss a class even when sick. That wasn�ft true. The reason why she would come to the Academy regardless of rain or shine was because she wanted to spend her lunchtime with the Himemiya princess. Being near Chikane-chan was a pleasure, a gift from the Gods. Her friend�fs presence soothed Himeko�fs soul, softened it and cleansed away whatever that had been bothering her, leaving only a sense of serenity and peace. Those daily twenty minutes had become so important, so precious to Himeko that she didn�ft even dare imagine what she would feel were she to sit here without the blue-haired princess one day.

�gHere you go,�h Chikane-chan said, giving her an invitation slip.

�gIf it�fs for your birthday, then I got one already.�h Everybody in school did.

�gThat one is just a little show the Himemiya Clan put up in my name.�h The blue-haired princess shook her magnificent head, annoyance flashed across her face and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. �gThis is my personal invitation for you.�h

�gWhy?�h she said, puzzled.

�gBecause, silly Himeko,�h the blue-haired princess put the slip into her hand, smiling indulgently, �gnone but you and I are invited to this party.�h

�gOnly us?�h

�gYes,�h the taller girl tapped her nose lightly and said, her sapphire eyes seemed to glow in excitement. �gIn my backyard I have prepared a secret spot for us, just like this Garden. We will spend our peaceful evening there when the rest of the guests drink and talk business elsewhere. But do not tell them that, ne, for they will not be pleased.�h The blue-haired princess gave her a meaningful smile.

�gWouldn�ft it be boring if you spent your birthday with just me?�h Himeko said quietly. �gI�fm sure there are other people you�fd like to be around.�h

�gThere is none,�h Chikane-chan said, her voice equally quiet, �gYou are the only one I can talk just about anything in the world. You are the only one by whose side I can stay myself and have a moment�fs peace. I have always more than enjoyed our time together, you know that.�h

�gMe too, Chikane-chan,�h Himeko said, her hand tugging at the blue-haired princess�fs sleeve.

�gThen good,�h the other girl grinned openly, her soft hand placed upon Himeko�fs cheek. Her face went hot. This... looked too much like a love scene, actually. Not that she would mind were it... one... though. She doubted any girl in this campus would.... �gBesides, it is your birthday, too, is it not?�h Chikane-chan added, sounding cheerful all of a sudden.

�gYeah.�h Himeko smiled brightly.

A short while after becoming friends with the blue-haired girl, Himeko had learned an awesome secret. Her friend was born on the same day as her, and to make it almost unbelievable, on the very same hour. Chikane-chan was just as surprised, and overjoyed to hear it. As to why she was, she did not say. But come to think of it, everything made sense now. They were born into this world practically at the same moment. No wonder why Himeko felt so connected to the blue-haired princess of the Himemiya, no wonder why she....

 

***

                                                                                                     

Sitting in an empty classroom, Yui looked straight ahead at the floating image screen she made with her Vision Spell. The two girls looked happy, so much so it warmed her heart. From the moment they met one another in this school, she had been watching over them, praying every night that the foreordained tragedy would leave them be. Of course, if everything went according to plan, she wouldn�ft have to pray again soon. Yui looked closer at the two girl�fs hands. Occasionally, a gleam of red would appear and vanish so quickly and abruptly that unless someone was paying all of their attention like Yui was, they would never see it. She smiled. The very last gift Yui had given them three thousand years ago, it was still there.

�gYou are too old to spy on people, dear,�h Yui said without turning her head. A shadowy figure was standing by the door to the room, eyes fixing on her back. Normally, she wouldn�ft mind but this person wasn�ft someone she�fd want to ignore. A wave of her hand erased the Vision Spell.

�gThe pot calling a kettle black,�h a young girl�fs voice answered her flatly. �gYou are spying on them yourself.�h

�gYou know too well the difference... ah.... How would you like me to address you? Your true name or the one you�fre using?�h

�gIt matters not,�h the other girl said.

�gThen, Rinne-chan. What business have you with me today?�h

�gNot with you,�h Rinne said. From the beginning of the conversation, her tone had not changed a hair. Well, she spoke like that with everybody she knew, except one person of course.

�gDon�ft tell me you haven�ft given up on them, Rinne-chan.�h Yui sighed. �gThere are other ways to get what you want, you know.�h

�gIt is but the only way, the bastard sees to it.�h

�gAt least keep your animosity to yourself. He�fs the father of the one you love, isn�ft he?�h

�gIs he?�h

�gOh well, let�fs drop this. It could go on forever,�h Yui said. �gSay, Rinne-chan, would you like to go have a cup of coffee? I know a good place around here.�h

�gNo, thank you. But why are you acting so friendly with me? I have plans for them, you already know.�h

�gThat makes two of us.�h Yui smiled.

�gNot good enough,�h Rinne said. She could even feel the girl�fs piercing eyes on her back. Well, Rinne had somewhat changed into a cynical person, ever-suspecting people around her since what had happened to her three millennia ago. Such an answer did not satisfy her at the very least.

�gLet�fs just say I admire you. Compared to you, I�fm just a coward.�h Simple truth, and no more. Rinne should know what she was talking about. She was there when it all happened, she was the only one who knew Yui�fs little secret.

�gI see.�h

�gRinne-chan, why don�ft you come out of the shadows and let me take a good look at you? It�fs been a while.�h Yui turned around.

The girl stepped forward. She was very lovely despite making herself appear younger than what she would normally. Who could have believed this girl, who looked like she might break with just a touch, had such courage and strength?

�gYou look so pretty in this uniform,�h Yui said, smiling, �gthe boys haven�ft troubled you, I hope?�h

�gI usually stayed out of their sight, so no,�h Rinne replied. �gBut I shall be going now. There are things I must attend to.�h

�gSee you later, Rinne-chan.�h

�gYou should be careful the way you look, too, the men will not leave you alone. Although they would be the one getting hurt afterwards, I suppose.�h

�gDid I just hear a joke from you, Rinne-chan?�h Yui said, amused.

�gMaybe. Take care, Nee-sama. I hope you, too, will have your dream come true.�h She vanished after a bow with hand on her heart.

Nee-sama.... How long had it been since she last heard that from Rinne? Yui thought the girl would never say that to her again, for sure, considering her situation. In the old times, Rinne always called her that with respect although they had no blood ties. The platinum-haired girl still thought well of Yui, it appeared.

But a dream came true? She must be kidding....

 

***

 

After all her classes were finished, Kurusugawa Himeko ran all the way to the bus station. To her disappointment, the bus had already left. She checked the time table and felt really crestfallen. When the next bus came, the store would have been closed down for the day. How was she supposed to pick up the present for Chikane-chan, then? She scratched her head in frustration. If only her History teacher had not droned on and on about the day the United States and Japan started international trading and a guy named Matthew Perry.... Why would she want to know about him anyway?

�gWhat�fs wrong, Kurusugawa?�h

Oogami-kun�fs sudden voice almost made her jump. Somehow, the boy managed to get right next to her without making the slightest noise. Indeed, he had the grace of a cat. Oogami Souma-kun was the ideal boy of every girl�fs dream, the target of envy for the rest. She met him sometimes in the past but for some reason, she never could understand why the girls went crazy wherever he came near them. Sure, he was... pretty, he was great at sports, he was a young gentleman, he was... perfect. Her heart sank a little.

The more Himeko thought about it, the more she felt puzzled, why did she not feel attracted to him in that sort of way? Was she weird if the only one she thought about days and nights was.... She sighed. It was too late to ponder on the issue now. She had already admitted that she was a freak.

�gKurusugawa?�h the young master of the local Shinto shrine said, looking at her quizzically. Himeko realized she had not answered him.

�gI want to go downtown to buy something but the bus already left,�h Himeko said in exasperation, �gI won�ft be in time if I wait for the next one�h

�gFollow me. You�fll make it.�h

The boy led her to the parking lot, where he parked his motorbike. Thanks to it, they arrived at the store the Downtown Mahoroba in a flash. Himeko quickly picked out the thing she wanted to buy for Chikane-chan and give it to the cashier for gift-wrapping. She was relieved to see that the item was still there. During the last two months, she had had to come here every so often to make sure that it wasn�ft picked up by any one before she could gather enough money to buy it. When Oogami-kun took her back all the way to the Dormitory, she said, �gThank you, Oogami-kun, for today. I really wanted this.�h She couldn�ft help but smile while holding the little present closer to her heart. Finally....

�gDon�ft mention it. Say, Kurusugawa, tomorrow is your birthday, isn�ft it?�h

�gYes.�h Himeko was surprised. She didn�ft think any other girl except Chikane-chan and Mako-chan would know her birthday, let alone a boy like the young master of Shingetsu Grand Shrine. Should she ask him how he learned it, though?

�gCan we... um... meet tomorrow, alone?�h he said slowly. �gThere�fs something I want to talk to you about.�h

�gDoes it have to be tomorrow?�h

�gYes,�h he replied quickly, perhaps sensing the hesitation and unease in her words. But why would the renowned Jin-sama of Ototachibana Academy want to meet her tomorrow of all days?

�gTomorrow is not good, I can�ft....�h Before she could finish that, the bell rang. It was late in the evening already, if she dallied here any longer, the door to the Dormitory would be closed and she would be trapped here, having nowhere else to go.

�gI�fm sorry, Oogami-kun, I have to go. Thank you!�h

�gThat�fs okay.�h She had already turned away so she didn�ft see his expression. He sounded very disappointed, though. Himeko thought that she might know the reason. But it was preposterous thinking it that way. Don�ft flatter yourself, Himeko, she thought.

 

***

 

�gThe dress is good but its color is a bit flashy. And the lace is just too big. It makes me look like a kid,�h Himemiya Chikane said as her loyal and devoted Head Maid of the Himemiya Family, Kisaragi Otoha finished putting on the red dress for her.

�gWe still have a mermaid lineup. Do you want to try it on, Ojou-sama?�h

�gYes.�h

�gAs you wish.�h

Otoha took the red dress off of her and put it back inside one of the oversized wardrobe, saying:

�gBut isn�ft this rare, Ojou-sama?�h

�gRare, you say?�h

�gUsually, you accept whatever that I choose for you without a second thought. But this is the first time you wish to pick one on your own.�h

�gIs that so?�h Chikane answered absent-mindedly and walked to the French window of the room overlooking Himemiya�fs vast verdant foliage. In the sky, a full moon amidst a cloudless sky decorated by a thousand sparkling stars was casting its silvery light upon the earth. Her thoughts wandered.

Indeed, what Otoha said was right. She never paid much attention to the clothes her maid picked for her in her entire life. Yet, tomorrow was one really special day, a day different from any other. Tomorrow, someone important to Chikane would attend the celebration of her birth, someone she cherished and treasured with all she had. Just thinking of it set her heart on a rampage once more, which had happened more than once today already.

Tomorrow, Himeko would be here, right in this Mansion. And she would spend her time with Chikane, alone, undisturbed by the world. Before, only her parents�f friends, VIPs from all over the country, and people from her school attended the party but she never had any intention of getting their acquaintance. The businessmen were only interested in how much money Himemiya Clan earned in a year while her alleged schoolmates�f real interest was trying to take her heart so that one day they could share her glory one day. They were all but the same, a disgustingly worthless lot.

But she was not so, her innocent Himeko. What the golden-haired girl really wished for was spending time with Chikane, she knew it for a fact. In time, the little angel had gained a special place in Chikane�fs heart. Himeko, a name that warmed up her frozen soul, her beloved Himeko.... Chikane was not joking when she said people might realize the caressing tone when she called the girl�fs name. It was the truth. Anyone would have been aware of how much affection Chikane had for Himeko the moment they heard. She had no intention of letting them, however... not any time soon.

Somehow Chikane could not understand why people did not notice Himeko�fs true worth. Her friend was dazzling with her long golden hair and her adorable face. Yet no boys in school paid attention to Himeko as if she never existed. The little angel was a gem hidden in a pile of rocks. Well, Chikane would feel safer and more assured if Himeko was not picked up by any guy, in any event. She smiled quietly at that. She wondered whether she should tell the little angel how she felt toward her....

Anyway, Chikane had already had a present prepared for Himeko. Chikane had gone to the best jewelry shop in Downtown to pick out a very nice ruby band for the golden-haired girl. She had always believed the color red suited Himeko well. She wondered... which finger would Himeko put the band on when she received it? Hopefully....

 

***

 

Under the light of the electric lamp on her table, Kurusugawa Himeko silently opened her album, always hidden deep within a drawer that remained locked all the times. In here, all the memories she had made with Chikane-chan resided and forever kept safe. Inside were all the pictures Himeko had taken with the blue-haired princess. She looked back one more time. Mako-chan was fast asleep already. It was safe now.

All the pictures, none contained a third face aside from her own and Chikane-chan�fs, were carefully protected by a layer of transparent plastic paper. Most of them were from the time when the blue-haired princess invited Himeko to her own private house in Hokkaido during summer vacation. They had a great time there. Inside the spacious house with two separate rooms, the two of them spent their days together, alone, undisturbed. There were no servants, no outsiders. They took turns to cook the food that was prepared beforehand. They took turns to clean the house and every other chore they could think of.

Well... taking turns they had agreed on but in the end, Himeko almost always had to lend a helping hand. Chikane-chan – the Himemiya Ojou-sama who was used to being served during her entire life – was by no means someone who knew her ways around the kitchen. Himeko felt sorry to say it but the princess was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Once, Chikane-chan had nearly set kitchen on fire trying to make some soup. Another time, the blue-haired princess had flooded the house with flour and water because her experiment with the cake ended in disaster. Himeko still couldn�ft figure out how she did it.

She never minded helping Chikane-chan to clean up, though. In fact, she had wished more than once that the taller girl would screw up somewhere so Himeko would have the excuse to do things together with her. The Himemiya princess had seemed so happy, so delighted even when they were breaking their backs scrubbing the floor that Himeko couldn�ft help but want to look at her forever. Himeko was willing to wager all the money in her bank account that no other person had ever seen the Himemiya heiress being so... cute. Her smile was sweet and genuinely unreserved, unlike the mere curving of lips she granted the boys and girls of Ototachibana every morning out of courtesy. Her sapphire eyes all but shone like a child who could not hide her excitement while opening the presents on her birthday. And it seemed Chikane-chan�fs bright mood had somehow seeped into Himeko, too. In that summer house, she had felt as happy as... as... someone spending the honeymoon with the one she loved....

She gave a start as heat bloomed on her face. Now where did that come from? Hurriedly, she focused on the album once more, trying to stay away from such an... unladylike train of thought. As a result, her eyes found the prettiest picture of in the whole set, one she treasured as much as she did her own limbs.

It was a picture in which the blue-haired princess was embracing Himeko tightly from behind in the Garden of the Roses, the princess�fs arms were about Himeko�fs waist, the taller girl�fs face so close to hers that had Himeko turned toward the other girl a little more, their lips would have met. Himeko felt her heart picking up its pace, ready for a gallop. She closed the album with an audible snap, her breaths uneven, her cheeks aflame. As much as she loved the picture, she didn�ft dare look at it for too long. Well... were she to, she might just start imagining things... again. She wondered whether the blue-haired princess experienced the same emotion, though. Would she look at it every night? Would she smile when she did? Would she hold it closer to her heart? Would she think about the same thing as Himeko? You wish. She laughed softly in amusement. Yes... she wished....

Chikane-chan, her beautiful, kind and strong-willed companion, her wonderful Chikane-chan.... Himeko was truly glad that she met the blue-haired girl and became friends with her. Her life would have been so different, and much duller, without the princess, Himeko was sure. After putting the album back into its hiding place, she picked up the present that she bought for the blue-haired girl. A smile faintly crossed her lips. It was a very adorable ring adorned by a sparkly sapphire stone in the shape of the crescent moon. Himeko had fallen in love with the thing the moment she laid eyes on it. It wasn�ft cheap, though. Himeko had had to work part time for a local restaurant for two months before she gathered enough money. She only hoped it would make her princess happy.

 

***

 

Oogami Souma, in his Ototachibana uniform, stood by the window of his room and watched the sun dawning in the eastern sky, trying his hardest not to yank the hair off his head. He was frustrated even from the night before, when Kurusugawa Himeko declined – quite hastily and unwaveringly! – his invitation. Today was her birthday... and he planned to confess but how the hell was he supposed to do that when he couldn�ft even see her?

The time has come, an awful voice whispered in his head and sent chills down his spine. Long have we been denied freedom. Long have we been trapped in the flow of time. But now my blood flows strong in your veins once more. The time for revenge has finally come. Heed my call, Children of the Dark God, those who live in the shadows of Man, those who dwell in the sins of the World... awaken and walk the earth, awaken and rip apart the land!

His mind went blank, his rational thoughts crushed by the void that was slowly consuming his heart. In the heavens, pitch darkness was reaching out in every direction, swallowing up the morning sun, devouring the cerulean blue like a hungry beast. And a dark orb appeared atop the sky, bestowing its ominous light upon the City of Mahoroba. Every time the thing pulsed, the air stirred, the earth trembled, and his body swayed in ecstasy and in a fit of anger hot enough to burn the world. And it felt good.

He walked calmly out of the room, his whole self bursting with power. Upon the hallways the Shingetsu Priests ran in panic, most likely trying to find Souma�fs brother so they could learn how to deal with the situation. Good luck with that, Souma thought. The High Priest was by no means capable of reversing what the Lord had done. There were ones who could, of course, but they were not in the Grand Shrine at the moment... or so a little voice was whispering at the back of his head. It was telling him that he should pay those old people no heed and concentrate only on getting what he needed. Souma listened to the advice.

After Souma arrived at the front of the Grand Hall of Shingetsu Grand Shrine, empty and clean as ever, he walked in, and frowned. The Grand Hall was brimming with an air of sanctity. The influence of the Immortals of Heaven was so strong in here it rankled in his nose. It itched against every part of his skin and made him want to take a bath. He didn�ft think he had ever noticed it before. He dismissed the filthy sensation quickly, though, for the little voice was still urging, it growing more and more intense after every heartbeat. Distantly he thought that should this go on, it might just swallow him whole... but only distantly.

Obeying the voice, he went to the back of the Grand Hall and opened a trap door on the wall – which he would never have noticed without being told where it was. Beyond him lay a stairway beneath a corridor dimly lit by the electric lamps on either side, which seemed to be leading toward the center of the earth in an endless spiral. Exhilaration filled him like water did a tank that had no exhaust. He wanted to laugh at the impunity of the flickering light. Such weak illumination could not hold back the darkness that was so inviting, that was calling to him, beckoning his steps. He climbed down the stairway, throwing his head back to let out a laughter fierce enough to scare his former weakling self to death.

At the end of the stairway, he saw a chamber the rock walls of which enclosed a large rectangle space. In the heart of the chamber, a pillar of ice – which bore a blinding orb of golden light in its middle – stood surrounded by six other columns, each of a different color. Frowning, he stepped lightly around them and went to the other side, where he found a sword whose blade was driven halfway into the rock wall. His lips instinctively curved upward into a smile. Finally, he thought.

He wrapped his hand around the sword�fs hilt, and the world exploded in purple flares. He laughed and laughed and laughed until tears rolled off his face. In his head, the voice was murmuring approval. The humans had better be prepared... for the Children of Orochi were going to walk the earth.

 

***

 

Kurusugawa Himeko had hoped the weather would be nice on the day or her and Chikane-chan�fs birthday... but it seemed the Gods didn�ft want to grant her wish. Strangely enough, when she started putting on clothes, the sky had been a deep, beautiful blue without a merest hint of cloud... yet when she was done tying the red ribbon on her hair, darkness was all that was left above the roofs of Mahoroba. Where the sun should be a dark orb of something resided, pulsing every so often with its eerie light.

�gIs that an eclipse? There is no such thing on the news, is there?�h Mako-chan said, sounding terribly afraid. The athlete�fs face was pale, and Himeko was sure hers did not fare any better. She felt cold....

All of a sudden, heat bloomed in the middle of Himeko�fs chest as if it was the gathering place of a thousand suns. Before she could cry out in pain, though, the heat vanished in an instant, leaving only a faint sense of what just happened there. Outside her room�fs window, a violet sphere of light appeared in the far side of the horizon in addition to the dark orb in the sky and from the look of it, that sphere was getting closer in her direction. To make the matter worse, lightning sprang from it and crashed down upon the earth. Wherever the lightning touched, dark and red flames flared up instantly to consume all the houses, all the people nearby. Her eyes stung and her heart ached. They were dying out there. What in goodness�fs name was happening?

Her friend Mako-chan the athlete was obviously frightened, her bloodless face white as a blank sheet of paper. But she acted quickly despite her fear. Mako-chan practically pulled Himeko out of the room, her voice cracked as she tried to talk:

�gRun, Himeko. Come on!�h

On the hallway, students were screaming and crying, forming a current that swarmed toward the exit. Himeko and Mako-chan joined them but before they could run for more than five minutes, it struck her that she had forgotten to take along the present she wanted to give Chikane-chan and left it lying on her table. She knew her life was important, she knew what was lost could be gained once more but... but today was her first birthday party that she could spend with the blue-haired princess. Her sole wish at the moment was to give Chikane-chan that and maybe see her friend smile and tell Himeko that she liked it.

That thought got rid of the hesitation. Himeko yanked her hand out of that of the track-and-field athlete and ran back to their room. She pretended that she did not hear her friend screaming her name and begging her to come back and ran as hard as she could. It was hard fighting against the current of people rushing in her way but somehow, she managed to make it back to the room without being trampled on.

Himeko heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the gift-wrapped box of present on her table. She took it into her hand, wondering what she might have done had it been lost. She�fd break down and cry, most likely. Funny how she could think about the well-being of this present instead of her own when the students were running for their lives.... Perhaps it showed how important a smile from the Himemiya princess was to Himeko.... Chikane-chan, I only wish you�fd know how I feel about you, she thought.

�gThere you are, Priestess of Kannazuki,�h said a voice colder than ice and sharp enough to cut from behind Himeko.

Slowly turning around, she found something... not quite what she would expect from a human. At the door to her room stood a man – the deep quality of the voice assured her it was a man – who looked as though he were made entirely out of purple lightning. In his hand was a shaft of light shaped like the blade of a sword. On his face was a pair of eyes which were blazing with a crimson light so bright they made the rest of him seem dark. Around him the air was hissing as though his body was a boiling kettle. At his feet, black smoke was rising as though the carpeted floor beneath his shoes were being consumed by a flame.

Himeko took a step backward, her back pressing against the glass window of her room. She trembled, cold sweat drenching her face and making her uniform cling to her back. The man unnerved her. Instinctively her hands tightened around the little present box.

�gYou shall not live to trouble us, Priestess of the Sun,�h the man said, his sword rising over head, �gyou may rest in peace now.�h The lightning that had been obscuring his body up to now shifted upward and gathered into a large sphere centered on a dual-bladed sword shiny as any mirror. Oogami Souma�fs handsome feature was the last thing she saw before the purple light hit her and shattered her consciousness.

 

***

 

Getting off the limousine, Himemiya Chikane ran all the way to the Dormitory of the Academy, wishing with all her heart that Himeko was safe and sound. When she saw the black orb in the sky, she had had a feeling that something bad would happen to the golden-haired girl. The feeling was so urgent, so intense that she abandoned all she was doing and ordered her chauffer to take her to the campus at top speed. She even threatened to fire him should he dare slow down. She had not cared whether the man would run over someone. Neither did she now. There was no human whose well-being was as important as the little angel�fs, and it would never change... forever and ever. Himeko, please be okay, the thought revolved endlessly in her head.

When Chikane arrived at the door to the Dormitory, a crashing sound from somewhere above caught her attention and made her look up. She was glad she did. A blazing beam of purple light was hurling something out of one of the windows. That something... was her little angel! Chikane�fs mind went blank, her whole self rigid with horror. She screamed, �gHimeko, no!�h

Against gravity, Himeko did not fall down as fast and anything would. The golden-haired girl was almost like floating, her body wreathed in a golden sphere of light. Slowly, that sphere descended leisurely until the angel it carried inside was directly above Chikane�fs head. Then it vanished and dropped Himeko into Chikane�fs arms.

A careful study of her beloved friend told Chikane that she was perfectly well, for her breathing was even, for there was not a single bruise on her smooth and unblemished skin, not even a tear on her red and white clothes. Wrecked with relief, Chikane collapsed onto the ground, still holding the other girl in her arms as tightly as she could. That light, it had kept her Himeko safe. Chikane did not know if she should laugh or cry. She was truly glad that Himeko was okay but knowing that the golden-haired girl was in a near-death experience was a very bad thing to happen to her heart.

Tightening her arms around the golden-haired girl�fs warm, tender body, Chikane could not help but feel at ease. It was alright, even if this city burn in Hell�fs flame, even if the people fell down one by one around her, even if the world itself ended. As long as she could keep Himeko�fs out of harm�fs way, as long as she could protect her, Chikane was satisfied. Himeko... when would her precious little angel realize how much she....

�gActing all lovey-dovey, are you not, Priestesses?�h a voice, colder than the heart of winter muttered over Chikane�fs head.

Looking up, Chikane gasped upon seeing that the one who just sounded as though he wanted to kill them was... Oogami Souma! The boy was standing not five feet from them, his face stony, and his crimson eyes digging at them with something Chikane would name madness. His right hand was gripping a sword the blade of which was full of characters she had never seen in her entire life. And the thing blazed brilliantly purple with the intensity of a lightning bolt. Then it struck her. Purple.... He was the one who attacked Chikane�fs little angel!

�gOogami Souma....�h Chikane said, her voice growing cold so quickly by the end it resembled the howling of a blizzard. She never liked the boy and his overblown pride but she never thought him evil. She was wrong. �gHow dare you hurt her?�h

�gIf you think hurting her is all I will do,�h Oogami chuckled quietly, �gyou are a delusional fool. Because I will kill both of you right now!�h He raised his sword high above his head and brought it down with a force probably strong enough to reduce Chikane and Himeko to dust. Holding the little angel closer, Chikane thought, Is this the end?

The sword�fs purple aura enveloped her.

 

***

 

High in a sky dominated by the Dark Sun of the Orochi Yue stood, looking down at what was happening in front of Ototachibana Dorm. The Orochi boy was trying to kill the children. Rage welled up in her like the strongest tide, celestial powers racing through every fiber of her existence. As if she would let a lowly human possessed by the madness of a sword do that to her daughters! Yue raised her hand toward the heavens and unleashed her might. The boy would regret ever baring his puny sword.

�gAwaken, Priestesses of Kannazuki!�h Yue said, �gAwaken, children of the Sun and Moon!�h

 

***

 

Just when Chikane thought that Oogami Souma�fs sword would kill them for certain, glorious aura, silver and golden, flared up from Chikane and Himeko�fs bodies and struck the boy head on. Bellowing in pain, he fell down on the ground and lay there unconscious, the shiny sword safely knocked out of his grip. She stared in open wonder as the golden and silver light blended into each other and dyed her vision with a field of red.

An instant later, unbearable heat bloomed fiercely on her back as if she were carrying the midday sun. And like that was not bad enough, something stirred in her head while images streamed so quickly in her eyes that before she had time to register any one of them to her memory, another would have taken its place just to be swallowed up by the next. Then it was over. After a heartbeat that seemed to last a decade, the heat faded, the images gone, and the light receded to reveal once more the scenery of Mahoroba�fs destruction. Out there, red flames were still consuming houses and people along with their dreams, their hopes.

Himeko stirred in Chikane�fs arms. Rational thoughts took flight immediately along with the memory of whatever had happened to her just a moment ago. The sight of the little angel, the warmth of her tender body, and the fragrant scent of shampoo on her hair overwhelmed Chikane�fs senses. She held the girl closer. Her beloved Himeko... what could this cute little girl have done to Oogami Souma that the boy insisted on killing her? But no matter, really. As long as Chikane was here, she would protect Himeko even if the whole world wanted to see her dead.

Himeko stirred again, her arms – originally at her sides – now sought out Chikane�fs waist and wrapped around it. Blood suffused Chikane�fs cheeks as Himeko buried her face in her bosom, her arms tightening as though she thought Chikane were a pillow. Chuckling, she brushed the girl�fs golden hair gently... and hugged her back with perhaps more intimacy than she would like to be seen with another girl in public. Should her parents lay eyes on her right now, they might think that she was holding her lover....

Forcing the strange thought from her head, Chikane turned her attention back to the girl in her arms. Somehow, the coma had changed to a peaceful slumber for the little angel. Chikane should find her some place to rest on... away from this dangerous place. Glancing at the unconscious shape lying on the ground that was Oogami Souma, Chikane frowned in disgust. A boy with a sword trying to kill a helpless girl... trying to kill Himeko.... Filthy one, she thought.

As Chikane tried to stand up and carry Himeko with her, she noticed a shiny little box on the ground, not faraway from where she was. Chikane stared. It was a little present, gift-wrapped carefully and attached with a little note that read Happy birthday, Chikane-chan. Settling back on her knees, she picked it up with one hand while still holding Himeko tightly with the other.

Come to think of it... when Himeko first fell into her embrace, the girl was clutching something tightly in her hands as though trying to protect it. Perhaps she had let go of it when she hugged Chikane. It suddenly struck her. If the other students were evacuating, what was Himeko doing in her own room, holding this present?

�gChikane-chan...�h the little angel spoke softly, her eyes still closed. It was the sleep talking.

When they spent their summer vacation in Hokkaido, Chikane had learned that Himeko sometimes talked in her sleep, a habit perhaps the girl herself never knew of. One evening, while they were watching Himeko�fs favorite TV program, the girl had fallen as sleep right on the couch, apparently exhausted from helping Chikane clean up the mess she had turned the kitchen into earlier in the day. Chikane had laid Himeko�fs head on her own lap then and turned off the TV lest it wake the little angel. The rest of her evening, almost until midnight she believed, had been spent gazing at the golden-haired girl�fs sleeping face and thinking to herself how someone could look so adorable. What she never expected was Himeko�fs mumbling things aloud.

In her dream, Himeko had spoken of a great many thing, most centering on the memories of her deceased parents whom she loved and the horrible period of time she lived with her relatives toward whom she harbored apprehension, and fear. Unlike Chikane – whose parents were still alive and well, who had never found herself lacking the love of her Father and Mother – Himeko lost hers to a disease when she was but a little kid. Her uncle and aunt had never tried to love her, for they perceived her as a burden that would sooner or later break their backs. They did mean things to her and more often than not, made her wish she had died along with her parents. Chikane had shed her first tears hearing that.

It was indeed a fortunate thing that her devil of an uncle and aunt sent her away from Tokyo so she could attend high school in Mahoroba, for it was only here did Destiny decide it would stop giving her a hard time. Himeko had sounded so happy talking about how she could live a normal life again that Chikane could not help but smile in relief. The little angel spoke of her roommate, Saotome Makoto, whom she called Mako-chan in such an affectionate way Chikane almost grew jealous, and how they became best friends. Quite untimely, she woke up when she started mentioning Chikane herself so she had no clue as to how Himeko thought of her. The golden-haired girl had blushed like the setting sun waking up on Chikane�fs lap, with Chikane watching her and smiling, though.

Chikane�fs right hand started to caress the little angel�fs face, her lips curving up in a little smile. Chikane-chan... she had said. Himeko was dreaming of Chikane, it appeared. She wondered what she was doing in the girl�fs dream....

�gI thought... I�fd lost the present...�h Himeko murmured drowsily, �gbut I was glad... it was still there when I went back.... I didn�ft know what I�fd do... if I couldn�ft give it to you on time.... But happy birthday, ne... Chikane-chan....�h

The smile slid off Chikane�fs face. So this little box was the very reason Himeko returned to her room despite the evacuation and almost faced death. Her eyes stung.

�gSilly Himeko...�h Chikane said quietly, hand brushing a few stray locks of hair off the little angel�fs face, �gdo you not know your very presence is the greatest gift one can give me on my birthday? Do you not know my heart would have died had something happened to you?�h

�gPerhaps you will never realize it, but...�h Chikane whispered, her face drawing closer to that of the little angel, �gI love you, Himeko.�h

 

***

 

Perching on top of an old ginkgo tree that was far enough not to be spotted, Miyako watched as the boy was blasted away by the mysterious light coming from the Priestesses. So much for the Seventh Head of the mighty Orochi, so useless.... Although Miyako had to admit that the guy was not weak, the sense of powers emitted from within him was strong enough for her to know that he came very close to Tsubasa-sama in sheer strength. Still, he went down so easily. Hardly unexpected though, the guy was nurtured in a lukewarm environment, brought up with care and love. When you did not have to fight for survival everyday, you would become soft no matter how much power you possessed. Tsubasa-sama would be very, very disappointed when he had to see an Orochi Head so.

Well, since he never finished his job, she had to do it for him. With it, Tsubasa-sama would praise her for her hard work and maybe give her some reward as well. Just thinking about it made her nearly delirious with joy. She worshipped the powerful and Tsubasa-sama was the strongest of all.

Drawing out the flow of energy from the Dark Sun in the sky until herself was brimming with powers, Miyako focused them into her hands to make a purple flame that should be as hot as any man could kindle. Then she unleashed it, sending a huge pillar of flame toward the Priestesses. �eAshes to ashes, dust to dust! she mused to herself. A deafening sound echoed in the air, telling her that her attack had hit the target. Winds hurried in every direction, as was the black smoke. Miyako laughed in satisfaction. If there were any corpses left, she would be very surprised.

After a while, the smoke dissipated into the air. To Miyako�fs horror, the two Priestesses were still there, unharmed and untouched. The blue-haired one was still holding the other in her arms, seemingly oblivious to what was happening nearby. In front of them, the Seventh Head of the Orochi stood, sword in hand. It was him who shielded the girls from her Unholy Fire. It was him who had obstructed her! Infuriated, Miyako sent a telepathic message directly into the brain of Seventh Head, �gI am the Second Head of Orochi. Out of my way, Seventh Head!�h

�gI... I am no Orochi Head,�h the reply message came rushing back. The guy was very angry right now, Miyako could tell. �gI�fm Oogami Souma!�h

In the blink of an eye, Oogami traversed space and appeared right in front of Miyako, bringing down his sword. Hastily, Miyako leapt upward and stationed herself in the air just as the light extending from the sword sliced the ginkgo tree into two as easily as a scissor did a sheet of paper. The terrible thing was that after it had been sliced, the tree burned to ashes in a second. Miyako grimaced. The Lightning Blade was truly dangerous, much more so now that it lay in the hand of a traitor. She had to take it back. That wouldn�ft be too difficult, she believed. After all, Oogami should have at least been wounded by the Priestesses. Maybe he would be weak enough to kill despite Raien in his possession. Maybe....

Weaving one flame that resembled a thin ribbon with one hand, Miyako whipped it at Oogami with all her physical prowess. To her satisfaction, the flame fastened around the blade. First, it would heat up the thing and force the bastard to let go. Then she could retrieve it and take his life with his very own weapon!

It did not go well as she planned, though, Oogami showed no sign of feeling the heat. He simply suspended in mid air and growled, �gIt was you who made me attack Himeko, wasn�ft it?�h

It wasn�ft. But there was no point in telling him it was the demon inside him who did. Miyako tried a bit harder to pull the sword to her. Then she realized that no matter how much strength she poured into doing it, the sword never budged an inch.

She made another flame ribbon with her other hand and aimed for the traitor�fs head. She stared in plain disbelief, however, when Oogami caught it with his bare hand as if it were but a piece of cloth.

�gYou want Himeko?�h the infuriating boy shouted, �gI will never give her to you! Die, Orochi!�h

Raien blazed and evaporated both of her flames.

Oogami swung the Lightning Blade in a broad arc as he roared, �gDeath of a thousand stars!�h

Thousands of thousands of light beams of purple light as thick as the trees around Miyako blocked every escape route she could find. She screamed, �gSave me, Tsubasa-sama!�h

Purple shades annihilated the world.

 

***

 

Himeko half-wanted to open her eyes and half-wanted to close them. Her whole body felt tired and hurt as if every bone in her had been broken to pieces. Little strength was left in her body and absolutely no memories in her mind. She couldn�ft remember what happened. Where was she? She tried to open her eyes further... and realized she was cradled in Chikane-chan�fs tender arms. Blood rushed to her face. Being embraced from behind by the blue-haired princess was one thing but this.... And why was the princess�fs face drawing nearer to hers?

�gI love you, Himeko.�h

Her eyes crept wider and wider as her friend�fs soft lips claimed her own. Chikane-chan was kissing her... Reality faded fast in Himeko�fs eyes, everything became blurry like a screen of fog. Still, she could hear her heart beating fast. Warmth and strength overwhelmed Himeko through the taller girl�fs honey lips. Himeko had always known that Chikane-chan alone was special, irreplaceable and the most important person in her life. She had always known that she was willing to pay any price just to be with the Himemiya Ojou-sama, just to spend time with her everyday, just to be able to look at her gentle face every morning. Himeko had always known that to her, the blue-haired princess had never been just a best friend....

Recently, all that Himeko dreamed of was the princess. This very morning, in her dream, Chikane-chan had said that she loved Himeko more than anyone in the whole wide world. Although it was just a dream, Himeko had remembered every little detail. And the answer Himeko had meant to give was.... Slowly, sleep took her once more, but not before one last thought crossed her mind. I love you too, Chikane-chan.