EPISODE TEN: UNFADING WARMTH.

 

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Unlike most of the children out there in the world, she was neither born from a mother�fs womb nor given life in the shape of a little baby. Her true form aside, her appearance had always been that of a young woman in her early twenties, fully cognizant of the world at large the moment she opened her eyes and looked. In her brain lay all the knowledge the Immortals of Heaven had gathered, that which perhaps all the books in mortal world combined would not be enough to contain. She even knew of things that human would never believe existed. In her body, unbelievable strength coursed. In her veins flowed fierce currents that perhaps held as much energy as the sea did water. She was what people would place between Gods and mortals, but she was neither, for she bore no resemblance to both. She was what people would classify as a weapon, one that boasted absolute powers, inspiring both terror and awe. She was what they named Sei no Tsurugi no Rinne, the Seraphim Blade.

Rinne�fs existence began in the laboratory of Izumo�fs R&D Division, the so-called most crooked place in the Three Worlds. All that she remembered was a morning in which she was removed from one of those crystal pillars filled with transparent liquid and the very same morning in which she had woken up to white-clad figures whose faces showed as much emotion as a stone. They talked to her as though she were a guinea pig. They studied her the way they would an object proved to be most interesting. They scared her with lightless eyes behind spectacles and with calculating gazes that made her feel dirty enough to want to take a long bath.

Yet, one of those people was different. There was one person who had approached Rinne, smiled at her kindly, and draped a cloak across her naked body while the rest never seemed to notice that Rinne was baring her whole self to the world. It was a beautiful woman with long, luxuriant black hair who had a smile that warmed one�fs heart. That woman�fs name was Izanami, the Lady of Reiha as well as the Regent of the Underworld.

After finding her suitable clothes, Izanami-sama pulled Rinne aside and explained to her the reason for her makings in a voice that belonged to a loving mother speaking to her own child. Apparently, Heaven had succeeded in creating a Sword God whose strength transcended all save the Lord of Heaven, Izanagi himself. That very Sword God was supposed to act as a Slayer who would rid the human world of all the demons that plagued the dead of night. That very Sword God would become her Master, for she, Sei no Tsurugi no Rinne, was a weapon forged for his sake. The Regent of the Underworld had also revealed to her that since the Ruler of Heaven was extremely unskilled when it came to designing weapons – the Lady then added in an extremely amused voice that Izanagi could not even forge himself a decent knife to peel fruits – he had asked her to be the one in charge of the project. It was her who had provided the thousand details without which Rinne would never be completed. It had been then that Rinne began to think of the Regent as her blood mother.

Once the explanation was done with, the older woman led Rinne to the Heavenly Palace, where she was introduced to six High Immortals that changed her life forever.

Her first impression of Izanagi the Lord of Izumo was not as good as she had expected. Somewhere in her mind, she had assumed that since Izanagi was a Maker just like the Lady of Reiha, he would resemble latter at least a little bit. She had imagined a fatherly man who would welcome her with as much affection as the Regent of the Underworld. Rinne could not have been more wrong. The Ruler of Heaven made those researchers in the R&D Division look pleasant and friendly, for his face seemed to be made of steel and his blood appeared to be clogged with floating icebergs. Worse, he had made it clear to Rinne that he did not intend to see her more than a mere object that he would use whenever he felt like it. She had decided to forget about the man the second he finished saying that.

Her second surprise came when she met the Goddess of the Sun, who happened to be the daughter to the man who had violently disabused her of the thought of having a kind father. The strikingly beautiful eighteen-year-old Amaterasu was the exact opposite of the Lord of Izumo the way she was vibrant, cheerful, and did not have an ounce of respect for the rules and regulations the man set forth. The golden-haired girl was in fact the one who had insisted that Rinne called her �gnee-sama�h even though Rinne appeared to be at least several years older than her. The young girl reasoned that because age was all that mattered and that Rinne practically was less than a day old, she had to settle for being the youngest. That in itself amused her so greatly she agreed without a second thought.

If Rinne was amazed by Izanagi�fs cheerful daughter, she was completely disappointed with the Regent�fs own child, Tsukiyomi the Goddess of the Moon. It would have made much more sense had Rinne been told that Amaterasu-nee-sama was the daughter of Izanami-sama and Tsukiyomi Izanagi�fs. Indeed, although the Moon Goddess inherited her mother�fs regal beauty and grace, the unsmiling silver-haired girl had none of the Lady�fs gentle and warm personality. At the first glance that she received from the girl, she had known right away that the eighteen-year-old cared naught about someone to whom she was introduced out of the blue. Although she was by no means arrogant, Tsukiyomi was simply not the type who could be easily befriended. Even Susanou and Kagutsuchi had admitted that the Moon Goddess shared with no one what lay in her heart.

Rinne soon learned that it was not true.

The twins had had no idea that Goddess of the Sun, their beloved onee-sama, was the sole exception to that fact. The golden-haired girl was the only person in this world to whom Tsukiyomi opened her heart, to whom she would show her true smile, and for whom she would discard the barrier she erected between herself and the world. Not that Rinne expected the brothers to realize what was going on between their blood sister and her childhood friend. They were only twelve then, too young to understand a maiden�fs heart.

It took Rinne little time and effort to see that her Amaterasu-nee-sama was special in the silver-haired girl�fs eyes, for only in the former�fs presence would the latter act the way she would not with anyone else. To other Immortals, the Moon Goddess was elegance incarnate, the very quintessence of frost, and an ice block to the core of her existence. In front of her childhood friend, she, surprisingly, became a girl whose temper flared every minute. More than once Rinne had had her mouth hanging in disbelief when she caught a glimpse of the Moon Goddess lashing out her anger at the golden-haired girl because the latter chose to douse an elderly God with chilling water. The strangest thing was that even when one was shouting at the top of her lungs and one meekly sat there and scratched her cheek ruefully, Rinne was under the impression that both were enjoying themselves to the fullest.

The more time Rinne spent around them, the clearer the nature of their relationship became to her. She always had to refrain herself from laughing at some unsuspecting God who commented that the golden-haired and the silver-haired girls were as close as blood sisters. Had that God paid more attention to the Goddesses�f eyes whenever they talked to or spoke of each other, listened a bit more closely to the girls�f caressing tones whenever they uttered each other�fs name, and looked at the way they always held hands as soon as they got near one another, he would have realized that they were in fact lovebirds who could not stand being apart. Oddly enough, it turned out that Amaterasu-nee-sama and Tsukiyomi had never confessed their feelings, or even tried to for that matter. If Rinne had to guess, she would say that they were just too shy and too inexperienced to admit their love to each other�fs face.

Interesting as it might seem to see two girls head over heels in love, Rinne had not cared much about them. Firstly it was because she thought it nothing out of the ordinary. If a woman could fall in love with a man, what could stop her from doing so with another woman? None, she decided. Secondly, she was of the belief that whomever the Goddesses of the Sun and Moon chose for their romantic interest, it was not the business of anybody else, least of own hers. Thirdly and finally, her attention was all devoted to the sixth member of the Lord of Izumo�fs eccentric family... and also the Master that she was born to serve.

Even if Rinne were to reincarnate twice over, she would never forget the image of Ame no Murakumo on the day they first met. After the Regent of the Underworld had finished introducing her to the Goddesses of the Sun and Moon and the Gods of Fire and Storms, she ushered Rinne to the back garden of the Heavenly Palace, where they found a ten-year-old boy playing with a flock of white doves. Despite not being almost girlishly beautiful the way Susanou no Mikoto was, this boy, whose body was clad in a white yukata, whose hair and eyes glowed platinum under the sunlight, was definitely more handsome that most. Truth be told, no one could have believed that the Sword God Ame no Murakumo, who was rumored to possess enough strength to level Izumo in one blow and also who was given the title of Demon Slayer, was a little boy who was dangling his feet atop a stone bench while laughing wholeheartedly at the birds who were eating at the sunflower seeds in his tiny hands. It was a laughter with which no chime made by human or Immortal could hope to compete.

Ame no Murakumo, nicknamed Akira by his sister the Goddess of the Sun, was born the antithesis of all that was evil. As such, he was granted a soul so pure it made falling snow look dark and a nature that would stay innocent until the end of time. Kind, sweet, and having a heart that had no capacity for darkness, Akira was indeed a child parents would be dying to have. The Lord of Izumo was well aware of such a fact, so his eyes always sparkled with pride anytime someone mentioned his youngest offspring. The man had never realized, or maybe he had elected not to, that his crazy idea of a perfect Immortal had caused the boy all kinds of grief.

Rinne noticed the symptoms of a disturbed soul shortly after becoming Akira�fs friend. For some reason, the child tended to distance himself from other people and was liable to escape to a place where he could be on his own. It was the same even with Akira�fs blood siblings. Although he tried not to show much of his emotions, it was plain as day to Rinne that he was frightened of his brothers and sisters�f touches. His face always went a little gray whenever Amaterasu-nee-sama, Susanou, or Kagutsuchi approached him. In those times, he always seemed more than ready to run away as though hell was on his heels.

He never did. Whatever he felt in his heart, he still loved his brothers and sisters more than anyone else in the world. As long as they wished, he would stay and play with them even if he always ended up trembling in some corner of his room afterwards. To her surprise, Rinne was the only one to whom Akira did not react in the same way. In fact, she was the first person in Heaven Akira voluntarily approached. She could still remember laughing at the incredulity on Susanou and Kagutsuchi�fs faces when they first heard Akira asking Rinne to go play in the garden with him.

As time flowed slowly by, Akira grew more and more attached to her as their friendship deepened and grew to be a bond stronger than blood. He would tell her everything he did during the day, and more often than not recite word by word whatever he had told other people. One day, when Rinne had earned enough of his trust, Akira told her his little secret, which was the reason why he kept his distance with other people and why he was not that close to his siblings despite the fact that he loved them very much.

It turned out that due to his innate purity, Akira was incredibly sensitive to what lurked in the depths of people�fs souls. The Immortals of Heaven scared him because they harbored horrendous emotions such as hatred, lust, greed, and envy deep within their hearts. It was no news to Rinne, for she was well aware that the Heavenly World, on contrary to what people might have chosen to believe, was no paradise. Similar to Onogoro, it was brutal, it was cruel, and it slowly but inexorably instilled darkness into its inhabitants as surely as acid eating into steel. Sadly enough, Izanagi�fs family was no exception to that.

Amaterasu-nee-sama and Tsukiyomi�fs love toward each other was very much a blazing fire, passionate and warm yet at the same time extremely dangerous. The latter was obsessed with the former to the point that she developed a jealousy on par with her insane powers. The girl did not look it but every time the Goddess of the Sun acted too friendly with other people, the Moon Goddess�fs blood was boiling with enough heat to burn the City to ashes. The golden-haired girl should be thankful that her childhood friend would forget and forgive the moment she smiled to her, for the Sun Goddess would have been dead otherwise... and long since.

On the other hand, it was not as though Amaterasu-nee-sama�fs soul was any less perilous, it being filled to bursting with thoughts of the other girl and all. Akira ran the risk of having his consciousness drawn into maelstrom of love and desire just by being near her. Despite the fact that the child never said it out loud, Rinne could guess that among the siblings, his apprehension toward the Goddess of the Sun was the strongest. Sometimes he could not help but flinch at a touch from her. Sometimes his face would pale to the color of a sheet of paper at a kiss she placed on his forehead. Usually after that had happened, the young Sword God would run to Rinne�fs side and quivered in her embrace until he calmed down.

Susanou and Kagutsuchi did not fare much better than her sister did. They were only twelve then, yet their souls were by no means friendly places. For Kagutsuchi, the kindness and gentleness he showed to his family could not eclipse the fact that at heart, he was hot-headed, violent, and possessed half the wits of children his age. Susanou no Mikoto, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Although the kid was always cool, calm and collected, he had more than enough share of attitude problem. Being an egomaniac to the bones, Susanou looked down on other people outside the family and treated them with barely hidden contempt. To him, they were probably as lovely as a morbid dog.

Having such siblings, there was no wonder why Akira was so fascinated with her. Since Rinne was a weapon, neither mortal nor Immortal, the concept of negative emotions did not apply to her. In Akira�fs eyes, Rinne�fs heart was a crystal ball, transparent, clear, and untainted. While Heaven itself was a hostile place for Akira, Rinne�fs side was one where he could find peace and comfort, where he was undisturbed by the darkness of any other God or Goddess.

Rinne, finally had a purpose in life after she found someone she wanted to protect, had sworn to save Akira from his unending miseries. She was confident that if she tried her best, she could keep the extreme purity of the boy�fs soul from hurting himself. She was disabused of such naïve notions upon realizing that even if she remained by Akira�fs side days and nights, the world would always find a way to hurt him. The older the Sword God grew, the worse his situation became. At the age of fifteen, the R&D Division of Heaven put Akira under their twisted experiments. Those damned researchers caught demons and ghouls and whatnots from Onogoro and forced Akira to fight them until fatigue defeated him and knocked him unconscious. Akira always woke up screaming in his room after that. Izanagi, always hiding in that study of his and dreaming of his adopted daughter, cared not a jig about the fact that every night, his youngest son cried for the vicious beasts he slain with his own hand and the bloodthirsty demons felled by Rinne�fs edges.

Their lives took a drastic turn upon Akira�fs turning twenty. Perhaps it was all those times Rinne had spent holding him tightly so he could cry his eyes out within the curve of her arms that made her realize the one in her embrace had grown into a handsome young man and was no longer the child with whom she used to play hide-and-seek. Honest to the heavens, she neither thought she would look at his smile and blush like a giddy girl in love nor imagined that she would or moon after him days and nights. And of course, she had had no clue as to how troublesome it was to fall in love with someone to whom she could not hide her ever-growing feelings and her quivering heart. Rinne ended up running away from him whenever those stupid butterflies trounced her stomach, which meant most of the times they were together.

Their, ironically, hide-and-seek game continued for another while until the day Akira managed to corner her and inevitably discovered the truth. She had cried like a baby then because she feared Akira would hate her. She could not help thinking that way. It was really shameful to fall in love with someone she had been caring for since little. It was not right to feel that way toward someone who had been looking up to her as a respectable sister for almost a decade. The outcome was not what she expected, however. Akira had hugged her instead of sneering at her face in disgust. He had told Rinne that he loved her too rather than saying that she should vanish from his sight forever. If she recalled it correctly, she had fainted dead shortly afterwards.

From that point onward, Akira�fs free time was exclusively devoted to Rinne. They would sit somewhere in the back garden of the Heavenly Palace, gazing at the sun fleeting toward the western sky or the pretty stars sparkling in the heavens. Once in a while, he would find some secluded spot to offer her a quick brush on the lips. Other than that, they were satisfied with just staying by each other�fs side.

Then the real trouble started. Rinne should have known that something was very wrong when Akira took her to Izanagi�fs study. She should have noticed that he would never go see his father, whom he rarely had the chance to meet, with a face belong on a kid on his way to the festival. Yet, she did not, most probably because she could barely think straight while the Sword God was talking to her and beaming at her with that adorable smile. She only realized the disaster thundering down their heads the moment he told the Lord of Izumo that he would like to marry her.

Despite her love for Akira�fs childlike innocence and his ability to find good in almost everybody, she had to admit that he was too naïve at times. Even after the incident with Amaterasu-nee-sama and Tsukiyomi, the cause of the Great Conflict between Heaven and the Underworld, Akira still believed that the Lord of Izumo could learn to become a better man. He failed to realize that the Ruler of Heaven, who probably did not know what the word kindness meant, had never been a good man and probably would never be. The Sword God had never expected to see his father explode in fury and slap him across the face.

In the eyes of the male Maker of the World, Rinne was a weapon, and even if that weapon possessed a humanoid form, it was by no means worthy of his precious son the Sword God. Probably never in his wildest dreams did Akira imagine that the meeting with the Lord of Izumo on that fateful day landed him into this situation, where Rinne found eternal exile from Heaven at the end of her road. Since her lover was the pride of the Ruler of Heaven, she never expected him to be forced to spend three thousand years in solitude and darkness. Nor did she ever thought that they were going to be reunited in such a fashion, where she was but a shadow of what she was... and he... a breathing corpse who sat limply in his armchair with a face so pale and haggard one would have thought he had been starved for days, with a pair of lightless eyes that kept gazing out at the illusionary field of white lilies beyond the shoji doors in front of him.

�gAkira,�h she called, sensing tears welling up in her eyes. �gAkira.�h She ran to him. Before she could take a second step, she found the Regent of the Underworld, who materialized out of thin air, standing between her and the man she loved. She forced herself to stop. Despite the look of sympathy on the older woman�fs face, the light of determination shining in her dark eyes told Rinne that she would surely haul her away from the Sword God should she continue to advance. The thought of violent crossed her mind and were immediately rejected. It was futile. Even if she had regained all her power, she was still no match for the female Maker of the World.

�gWhy, Izanami-sama?�h she managed in a broken voice. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. �gIt has been three thousand years since we were separated. Why do you stop me?�h The last few words came out as unintelligible sobs despite her effort to form them properly. Her hands yearned to touch Akira�fs haggard face, to feel his warmth, to offer him comfort. Her heart ached knowing that she could not.

�gBecause you are no longer who you used to be, child,�h said the Regent, who lifted a hand to gently stroke Rinne�fs head. Her voice was racked with regret and sadness. �gYou... have become impure after your involvement with the Orochi.�h Her hand trailed down Rinne�fs forehead, face, throat, and stopped at her left breast, beneath which her heart was throbbing in pain. �gIf you touch him, you will hurt him more than he already is.�h

She collapsed onto her knees and wept openly into her hands. What the older woman said was correct. She no longer had the crystal-clear heart Akira loved. The unstained soul in which the Sword God used to find comfort and peace was no longer so. She bit on her underlip so hard a stream of blood trickled down from her mouth�fs corner. She had but forgotten that even her body was more than tainted with what she had done and what she was still doing in the Orochi�fs midst. If she touched him now, all that she could do would be inflicting even more pain upon his already weakened body. She had succeeded in obtaining a power that could make her dream come true in the Human World... but in return, she had to sacrifice her purity, that which her lover treasured most. Rinne pounded her fists on the tatami mat and let out a string of full-throated wails.

�gCome now, do not cry,�h said the Lady of Reiha, who also fell to her knees so that she could pull Rinne into her arms. �gYou are wasting time and Amaterasu�fs efforts. In order to get you in here unnoticed, she had risked a great many things. Do not let her feelings be in vein.�h

�gI... am sorry.�h Rinne dabbed at face with the sleeves of her cape.

�gGood.�h The Regent of the Underworld withdrew her arms and rose to her feet. �gI am afraid this is the closest to Akira that I can allow you to be,�h she said with a grimace. �gForgive me, child.�h

Not saying anything and continuing to remain on her knees, Rinne stared at the man she loved while feeling knives cutting her skin and stakes driven through her heart. Eyes glued at the Sword God�fs face, she tried to etch it into her memories. During the last three thousand years, there were times she found herself crying uncontrollably in a corner of the Temple of the Dragons because her deteriorating memory prevented her from recalling Akira�fs noble features and because her happy moments were slowly slipping away from her grasp. She had clung on to them desperately, for she was ever fearful of a morning she woke up with a vague idea who a man named Ame no Murakumo was. Although it was unlikely that such a thing would happen again now that she had obtained a cure, she still wanted to carve as much of him into her mind as possible. After all... she did not have much time left to live....

 

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Oota Reiko was immersed in a blessedly dreamless slumber when the urgent knocks on the door woke her up with a start. As she drowsily opened her eyes, she found her head buried in the curves of her arms, which were placed on her drawing table, right atop a large sheet of paper. A pencil was clutched in her right hand, an eraser in her left. She had fallen asleep while working on her story, it would seem. Tiredly lifting her head up, she scanned the interior of her room.

The sunlight was beating on the thick red curtain that she placed over her window, painting the room with the color of blood. It had to be around noon right now. Reiko winced as she let go of her drawing tools and began to massage her temples with her fingers. Her head hurt as though she had drunk her way to bed the night before. She only wondered how long she had been sleeping. Reiko�fs thought cut off abruptly when her eyes fell on the piece of paper she had rested her head upon. Her breath caught. Not only did she draw it again despite her effort to make herself stop, this time she also had worked her own image into the drawing, consequently turning it into the most disturbing thing that she had ever created. What were you thinking, Oota Reiko?! she thought bitterly.

Reiko grabbed the drawing and attempted to tear it into pieces. A second look at the piece of paper stayed her hand completely. She gritted her teeth while her whole body began to tremble. There was something so pretty about this drawing, so sweet, so heart-warming yet at the same time more reviling than anything she had ever touched. Torn between her own feelings, which contradicted one another point by point, she could only stand there like a lamp post with her eyes riveted on the pencil-drawn figures on the paper. She could not understand why she was hesitating in destroying this piece of drawing when she had crumpled those before it with her own hands and stuffed them into the wastebasket. Because you wish it to happen, and you know it, some tiny voice answered from the back of her head. She shivered. It was the truth.

The knocking on the door intensified and made Reiko frown. Hammering is more like it, she thought in irritation before she put the piece of paper back on the drawing table. She would deal with it later, when she had already sorted out the warring feelings in her heart. She only hoped she could before she was driven insane.

�gOpen the door, Reiko!�h Korona�fs voice called. Reiko�fs fists clenched at her sides. This marked the hundredth time since she first decided to refuse the Orochi Fourth Head access. To her dismay, the pop idol insisted on coming to her room and banging on her door even though it was evident that her presence was not what Reiko wanted. During the last couple of days, there were times when she caught herself wondering whether locking the other girl out was actually more troublesome than simply letting her in. Muttering darkly under her breath about crazy and persistent girls, Reiko threw herself atop her bed and decided to ignore the other Follower again.

�gFine,�h Korona shouted. Reiko grimaced. Although the Fourth Head actually had a voice that was very good for singing – the song of hers that was on the top-one-hundred list was quite lovely in Reiko�fs opinion – it became something as pleasant as the sound of nails clawing at a blackboard when the girl was furious. �gI�fll report to the Lord that you do not care much about his summons.�h

�gHold on!�h Reiko hastily spoke up. While sighing in utmost exasperation and thinking that her liege lord had chosen the worst person to relay his command, she got off the bed and walked to her door. Upon opening it, she saw a fuming Orochi Fourth Head standing with a bent knee and hands planted firmly on her hips. Her face could have been carved out of a storm cloud. Her emerald eyes were blazing with anger. It had been the first time Reiko saw the young girl looking so murderous. Her treatment toward the pop idol had struck some sensitive nerve, no doubt.

�gGet out of my way,�h Reiko commanded after clearing her throat. The other girl refused to budge an inch and acted as though she had not heard a single word. Frowning in frustration, Reiko repeated in a much colder and more threatening voice, �gI said get out of....�h

Korona spared Reiko from having to finish that sentence by pushing her roughly back into the room and closed the door behind her once she had stepped inside. Reiko almost jumped in panic when she heard the bolt make a dry clicking sound as it locked into place. What... is going on here? she thought in surprise. The pushover of an Orochi acting in such a forceful manner was not something she expected. On the same note, neither did she ever imagine that she was growing more and more intimidated by the light coming from the girl�fs emerald eyes. Her legs suddenly experienced an urgent urge to put more distance between her and the Fourth Head. She refused to let them.

�gYou are well aware the Lord will be displeased if we do not arrive on time, are you not?�h Reiko demanded with a steely voice, which, to her astonishment, did not work on the pop idol.

�gYou don�ft have to worry,�h Korona said briskly. �gThere�fs no summons from the Lord.�h

�gYou lied?�h Reiko could not help but gape at the girl in utmost incredulity. �gHow dare you?�h Her mind was still struggling with the idea that the pushover of an Orochi she knew had just lied in the Dark God�fs name, something that she should soil herself before she even thought of doing.

�gYou�fll be surprised to know what I would dare, Reiko,�h Korona growled in a dangerous voice. �gNow tell me, why have you been avoiding me lately?�h

�gI am not avoiding you,�h she lied. She immediately wished that she had not upon realizing how the Fourth Head�fs eyes had become emerald fire that burned brilliantly in the dimly lit room. She dropped her own gaze almost instinctively and failed to lift it up so that she could convince the girl that she was telling the truth. This is not good at all, she told herself in alarm. She was the stronger between them. If she wanted, she could crush the other Follower like an insect. Yet... there was little doubt which one of them currently had the more dominating presence. Someone had once told her that when the meek ones snapped, all hell broke loose. It was only now did she realize how true that statement was.

�gThen why the heck didn�ft you answer the door every time I knocked?�h Korona burst. With every heated word that left her lips, she made a step forward, and Reiko made one backward even though she did not want to. Her legs seemed to have a will of their own. �gWhy did you always turn around and hurry back to your room every time you saw me in the hallway? Why?!�h

Reiko�fs back slammed painfully against the wall. There she stood rigidly with the tip of the pop idol�fs nose an inch away from hers and with the Fourth Head�fs hands gripping her collar. Much as she did not want to, she had to admit that she was being scared by the dangerous gleam in the girl�fs emerald eyes, by her pretty face that was reddened from anger, and most of all, by the possibility that Reiko would lose control over herself, hug the other Follower tightly, and placed a kiss on her lips just so that she could be calmed down.

After a while of staring at Reiko, the Fourth Head heaved a deep sigh and unlatched her hands. Her face grew considerably softer, her gaze much less heated, as she took a step backward. When she spoke up again, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, �gYou�fve realized that I love you.�h Emerald eyes, tinged by sadness, regarded Reiko calmly, if a touch exasperatedly. �gThat�fs why you�fve been avoiding me, right?�h

�gI....�h Reiko tried to turn her head. Her attempt was spoiled by the pop idol�fs hands, which were placed firmly on her cheeks before she could twitch.

�gI�fm tired of chasing after you already,�h Korona declared, her voice suddenly quiet. �gJust go ahead and say it, Reiko, how do you feel about me?�h

Although Reiko was rather surprised at the straightforward question, she immediately noticed the opening of which she could take advantage. �gI hate you,�h Reiko said with as much conviction as she could muster. �gDo you hear that? I hate you!�h She could hear every particle of her body ringing out in outrage. She could hear a voice snarling �gLiar!�h from the back of her head. She tried to ignore them.

�gThen why did you go out of your way to protect me yesterday?�h the other girl asked, appearing unruffled by the heated answer that she was given.

�gBecause you are my comrade,�h Reiko answered coldly. �gDo not read too much into it.�h

�gFine,�h Korona muttered darkly. �gWhat is it you hate about me?�h

�gYour clothes, or the lack thereof, for starter. I hate the way you flaunted your body every time you went out. I hate it so much that the mere sight of you disgusts me.�h

�gIf you want, I can throw them all away,�h replied the Fourth Head quickly in flat voice. The casualness with which she made her answer almost threw Reiko off-balance. She was surprised, for she knew how much those clothes cost and how much the pop idol loved them. Quickly masking her emotions, she searched her mind for reasons that she could use to convince the girl that all she felt toward her was hate. Her efforts proved to be fruitful.

 �gI hate singers, especially pop idols like you.�h Reiko sneered at the girl whom she was trying to deceive, toward whom she felt much more than simple friendship. If her target was offended, she did not show any sign. �gYou people are noisy, vain, and obsessed with glamour,�h Reiko added in the hope that she could shatter the pop idol�fs hope that they could become a couple. A look at Korona�fs face told her that her words made as much impact as a drop of water on a rock.

�gIf you want, I�fll quit tomorrow,�h the Fourth Head said simply. She could have just announced that she was going to have a haircut later in the day.

�gWhat?�h Reiko stared at Korona incredulously, sensing her eyeballs trying to jump out of her sockets. �gIt is the job you love! You did not quit even after what happened to you in the past and now you would just because I dislike it?�h As the words poured out from her mouth, something began to pull at her heartstring and reminded her how she herself had given up everything she had just for a chance to be by Natsune�fs side. The current situation was eerily similar to what had happened in the past.

�gIt�fs past time you realized I meant what I said the day you met me in the churchyard, Reiko,�h Korona whispered. �gI would trade anything I ever own, my Orochi powers, the promise for eternal life, anything, for only a tiny bit of your love.�h Those sincere words, spoken in her caressing voice, crashed in Reiko�fs mind in all of their austerity. Her patience cracked.

�gYou will not have it!�h she shouted. �gWhatever you do, you cannot change the fact that what I hate most about you is your personality! Look at you, Fourth Head! You are a spineless Orochi who could not even kill! You are a pushover who could not even protect yourself against that brat of a mortal!�h

�gHow many do you want me to kill?�h Korona asked. �gI can bring their heads back to you in an hour.�h All of that was delivered in a voice fit for discussing the price of a book. Determination blazed in her emerald eyes.

�gYou...�h Reiko started but could not seem to find a way to finish what she wished to say. No more words came out of her mouth.

�gFor you, I can slaughter the whole world, Reiko,�h Korona said, her hand clutching her mouth as though it could stop her voice from breaking like glass. �gWhy can�ft you understand that?�h

Reiko pressed herself against the wall behind her back in a vain attempt to create as much distance as possible between her and the Fourth Head. There she held her arms close to her body and trembled. She did not dare look at Korona now, for she knew all too well that she could not bear seeing the girl hurt, because she knew that should the younger girl shed even just one drop of tear, Reiko�fs self-restraints would be shattered into pieces. And once that happened, she doubted she could stop herself from rushing to the pop idol�fs side, embracing her, comforting her, and kissing her for all she was worth.

Her head rang in alarm at the thought. Oh no! Her eyes darted toward the piece of paper she had left on her table just before Korona forced her way into the room. Cold sweats poured out from her pores like water out of a drain in a stormy day. The drawing was lying there, just several feet from where they stood, and facing up for all eyes to see. She must not see that! She must not! Her panic only grew in a rapid rate as she hastily searched for a way that would help her get rid of the thing without being obvious and failed to find one. I should have ripped it to shreds! she thought in horror and in vain. If she could, she would have done it long since.

Another shock hit her across the face the moment she realized that she had been looking at her drawing table for far too long, probably with a face that shouted suspicious. To make matters far worse, Korona had noticed. Reiko could only watch in frozen horror as the pop idol slowly turned her head toward that which Reiko wanted her to look away from. Her heart almost exploded when the Fourth Head�fs eyes widened and her mouth let out a gasp. She saw it! She saw it! She saw it! She saw it! something raved endlessly in Reiko�fs mind.

All rational thoughts ended. Reiko lunged at the table, her arm reaching out toward the drawing. Yet she was too late... and too hasty to remember that with the power of an Orochi, she could destroy the flimsy piece of paper where it sat rather than reclaim it. The thing, to her dismay, rustled as it lifted itself into the air and ended up in Korona�fs hand. Reiko could almost stamp her feet in frustration. You are the biggest fool in the world, Oota Reiko! she snarled at herself in her head.

�gYou said you hated me, Reiko,�h Korona said quietly after a moment of studying the drawing. �gThen what�fs the meaning of this?�h The Fourth Head thrust the piece of paper at her with a joyous gleam in her eyes.

On the paper, there was something Reiko would never have sketched in her right mind. It was a picture depicting two figures entwined in an intimate embrace, hands clasped in hands, lips locking onto lips. One of them was the Fourth Head of the Orochi. The other was... Reiko herself. She began to chew on her underlip furiously. She had always known that she had a habit of doodling when she was deeply immersed in thoughts but never in her life had she imagined that one day such a thing would land in her into a most grievous pinch.

It turned out that last night, just like many restless ones before it, Reiko had sat in front of her table and thought about how pretty Korona appeared in her eyes lately, about how much better the younger girl would look if she would just let Reiko burn her wardrobe and buy her a new one. She knew she should not be mooning over the pop idol, she scorned herself for it and even went as far as slapping herself a few times, yet she could not help but realize that she had come to like the other girl a lot, and that maybe she had fallen in love with the Fourth Head despite her reluctance.  All the while, she had never noticed that her hand was grabbing a pencil and that it was dancing over a piece of paper even though she was looking straight ahead.

�gWhy are you keeping silent?�h Korona asked.

Reiko bore her eyes at the wall behind the Fourth Head, not really knowing how to answer.

Suddenly, the pop idol walked toward the trash can that was filled to the brim with crumpled pieces paper. She pulled them out and proceeded to flatten them over the floor one by one. Once she had emptied the can, she burst into tears. Although Reiko had known exactly what the girl would find there, she did not even consider stopping her. It was pointless. After all, the sketch in which the two of them were kissing was by far worse than the rest combined. After all, now that Korona had learned of Reiko�fs feelings toward her, all these other sketches – the sole subject of which was the younger girl, dressed in all kinds of clothes Reiko thought would look good on her, all created in the same situation as the first – were but insignificant.

Thoughts fled her mind altogether when she realized that Korona, who had crossed the distance separating them without her noticing, was standing right less than an inch away. The girl�fs face, pretty and soaked with tears, was painted with so much love that she could not help but want to kiss her, Before she knew what was happening, the Fourth Head had already thrown her arms around her neck and pressed her lips onto hers. Shocked, Reiko tried to push the pop idol away. It was strange how even when her hands were grabbing at Korona�fs shoulders, they were pulling her in even closer instead of doing the opposite. So the kiss deepened, so their lips could not seem to part, and so all hell broke loose.

 Once again, Reiko�fs back hit the wall under Korona�fs advance. This time, the impact was strong enough to knock down a picture case atop a small table nearby. The case, made entirely from glass, broke into a million pieces upon crashing upon the wooden floor. Its shattering sound took both Reiko and Korona�fs attention, thus halting the dance of their tongues and lips. Horrified, she saw that lying amidst the fragments was a picture of her and her deceased girlfriend, Natsune. A firestorm, emerging from deep within her heart, spread across her body.

 Cold blue light flared from Reiko�fs hand and materialized into her Sealed Sword.

�gYou will leave this room, now,�h she whispered in her coldest voice as the thin but razor-sharp blade of Asayuki slid soundlessly into the gap between their throats. �gOnce you do, you will not show your face to me ever again.�h

�gBut... but...�h the Fourth Head stammered.

Reiko did not give the girl much time to protest. After she had brutally pushed the Fourth Head off of her, she twisted her wrist and swung the Ice Blade in a wide arc. The door sprang open at the same time that an icy wind rose around Korona before it proceeded to mercilessly bind her hands and feet. At Reiko�fs command, the girl was tossed out the room in an instant. The door then swung back into place, robbing her of the sight of the pop idol, someone she loved yet at the same time did not want to love.

�gOpen up, Reiko!�h the other Follower screamed as she pounded her hands fiercely on the wooden door. �gPlease!�h

Ignoring any sound she heard, Reiko casually threw Asayuki away and picked up the picture of Natsune and her that was lying amount the shattered pieces of glass. I am sorry, Natsune, she cried in silence as she held the picture closer to her heart. Tears trickled down the corners of her eyes. She did not know that she could still shed them. She had thought that she had dried them all when her lover departed from this world five years ago and left her living with no purpose other than vengeance. I swore that I would love no one except you but... but I have betrayed you. I am sorry. She collapsed onto her knees sand wept.

�gReiko!�h the Fourth Head was still screaming outside the room.

 

***

 

Girochi Tokiya had just finished undoing the anti-trespassing Seal he cast on his room when he heard Korona�fs loud, anguished voice echoing in from the far end of the spacious hallway, where he knew the quarters of Oota Reiko the Fifth Head were located. Tokiya shook his head in amusement. Those two had been making a lot of noises lately and in his humble opinion, unless they sorted things out, the Temple of the Dragons would probably never have a moment�fs peace. He could not seem to comprehend why they were still having problems, in any case. Even a blind man could see that both of them were madly in love. Another couple would have gotten together and bedded each other long since.

Tokiya put the matter out of his mind and opened the door to his own room. He walked in... and felt as though he had been dropped into a hole that he did not know existed. It happened so abruptly and ended in an equally abrupt manner that before Tokiya could act, he had already fallen headfirst into a waist-deep pond, splashing water everywhere. The cold immediately seeped through his clothes as though they were made of paper and began to sting against every inch of his skin.

After several moments of fierce struggle – his long back coat and his suit proved to be quite troublesome in the water – Tokiya managed to swim to a shallower place in the pond and get back on his feet. Brushing his wet hair off of his face, he turned his head and scanned the vicinity. He was currently somewhere in a forest, he believed, for he was surrounded by green trees that towered over the ground and spread their cool shades under the noon sun on high. Further away, according to his enhanced Orochi eyes, rose the tiled roofs of Shingetsu Grand Shrine. He could the stench of Mahoroba�fs spiritual stronghold rankling in his nose. He could hear the prayers of its inhabitants droning irritatingly in his ears. He could feel its sanctity cutting into his flesh. His Orochi instincts immediately beckoned him to draw out his Sealed Sword and proceed to lay waste upon the last hiding place that the Priestess of the Sun had.

�gLovely weather, is it not, Third Head?�h said a girl�fs melodious voice from behind him.

Tokiya�fs head whipped around and found Kannazuki Aoi, who was standing at the edge of the pond and smiling at him in a way that would have halted any other man�fs heart. Even when she looked murderously cold, she was easily one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes upon. Instinctively he reached into his coat pocket and searched for that which he had been carrying with him as a measure of protection. He almost heaved a sigh of relief. It was still there. He invoked a tiny bit of his powers and sent it into the little object. Now, if he could manage to stay alive for the next few minutes, everything would be okay.

�gYou have just been transported to a hostile place by someone on your own side,�h the renegade Priestess of the Moon gave him a calm yet curious look, �gyet you do not show the slightest evidence of surprise or shock. Some would say that you were expecting me.�h

�gYou are hardly on anyone�fs side, Kannazuki Aoi,�h he pointed out quietly while preparing himself for anything that the blue-haired girl might hurl at him. He could still remember very well how she had empty-handedly defeated him and his Aneki at the same time, taken their weapons away from them with contemptuous ease, destroyed the Sealed Swords without even lifting a hand, and very nearly sent them to the Afterlife in the process. The traitor Seventh Head should be thanking the powers that be that he had survived a meeting with her.

�gOh, really?�h Aoi smiled a smile that never reached her sapphire eyes. The girl was simply baring her prefect rows of teeth. �gI thought I had pledged my allegiance to your Lord.�h

�gAllegiance?�h Tokiya gave her a look of sheer disbelief. �gYou have your own motives in coming to the Temple and you know it.�h

�gAnd you do not, Girochi Tokiya?�h The Priestess of the Moon seated herself on top of a flat boulder, her legs crossed pleasantly, her delicate chin propped atop her wrist.

�gDo not group me with your kind, Priestess,�h he replied coolly. Any other man in his place would look at her and become amazed at her beautiful face, on which he would find nothing except an innocent expression. Yet, Tokiya knew better than that, for he had been looking into her eyes from the very start. Those sapphire gems only harbored murderous intentions.

�gGirochi Tokiya, you, is a lady killer, a playboy, and arguably the cruelest heartbreaker in the world,�h Aoi said, her vacant hand idly pulling at a lock of hair above her ear. �gYou changed girlfriends as usually as another man would clothes. Yet, beneath that shallow and lecherous façade of yours lies something that you have been hiding even from everyone else.�h Sapphire eyes regarded him in great amusement. Pretty lips curved upward in a knowing smile. �gA secret that you do not dare reveal to the person whom you hold dear in your heart.�h

�gWhat are you getting at, Kannazuki Aoi?�h Tokiya demanded.

�gJust doing a little analysis, dear Orochi Third Head.�h Aoi glanced at him, her spellbinding gaze much colder than the water he was standing in. �gAs far as I can see, you were searching for substitutes. Since you could not have what you wish for, you hunted your way through the streets of the Human World, picked up girls at your pleasure, then dumped them as soon as you had your ways. Yet, you could not be satisfied no matter how many lives you devastated, for they only reminded you of the ruthlessness of reality. In the aftermath of any of your lightning-quick relationships, the only thing that you realized was that none of them could take the place of the one you really cherished.�h Each of her words hit him like a steel hammer.

�gYou... how do you know that?�h he trembled where he stood and felt the claws of panic wrapping around his limbs and weaken them.

�gA little trick of mine.�h The Priestess of the Moon gave a silvery laugh. �gBut more importantly, Third Head, I wonder how your target of affection would do should she be made aware of this fact? Would she abandon her current lover, whom may I remind you she worships, for your sake? Or would she spurn your love and hate you forever?�h

�gWhat do you want?�h Tokiya muttered in a resigned manner, suddenly realizing that this was more or less a replay of the past. This had been how the Orochi Second Head, his sister, devastated Himemiya Chikane. This had been how the Vice Commander of the Orochi had crushed her heart and pulled her down to her knees. He had never thought that what he had done for his sister�fs sake would come back and bite him one day.

�gWhat I want is to teach you that you are in no position to ridicule others when you, too, harbor secrets.�h

�gAt least my secret is relevant to none but myself,�h he said, his eyes gazing at the blue-haired girl intently, his voice growing firm. �gYours, on the other hand, endangers every single one of us.�h Were he to let her do as she wished, she would single-handedly destroy everything his liege lord had been trying to accomplish during the last three thousand years. Unless she was stopped, no Followers would live to see their dreams come true. Although he was reluctant to hurt her after everything he had done to her under Miyako�fs command, he would not hesitate when it came to protect all that he had been living for.

�gIf you say so.�h Aoi laughed.

�gWhy else would you shield your mind, Priestess?�h Tokiya pointed out. �gWhat do you have to hide from us?�h

�gYou of all people should know.�h The casual smile on her lips would have made any freezing blizzard that Asayuki the Ice Blade could have dealt seem as gentle as a breeze in spring. �gWhy ask when you can use Suikyou to discover my secrets?�h

There was nothing he could say in response. As a rule, no mortal was impervious to Suikyou the Water Blade, which had the power to invade its victims�f minds regardless of the defense they might put up. The Priestess of the Moon was the sole exception to that rule. No matter how hard Tokiya tried during the last twenty-four hours, he failed miserably at peeking into her mind. It was as if he was standing in front of a paper-thin but infinitely high range of mountain while what he wanted lay safely on the other side, forever beyond his grasp.

�gWell, Third Head?�h

�gStop acting so confident, Priestess. Do you truly believe that I do not know why you brought me here?�h he said while his Orochi mind made a hasty scan of the vicinity. There was no sign of any Dimensional Portal that he could sense. What are you doing? he thought worriedly. Please hurry up! �gYou are afraid of me.�h

�gTrue, I took you here,�h Aoi agreed. �gIt would be too preposterous to say that I was merely taking a walk near Shingetsu Grand Shrine when you suddenly appeared in front of me. But really, Third Head, I have no particular reason to be afraid of you.�h

�gYes you do, for you know you cannot put up such a defense for the rest of your life,�h he replied calmly. In his chest, his heart was pounding faster and faster in fright and panic. He could do nothing to slow it down, not when he knew that unless help arrived soon, he was not going to be as lucky as the Seventh Head. �gHowever strong you are, you still have limits. Sooner or later, you will run out of power, and your mental barrier shall fade. What you fear is the day that you will finally become vulnerable to Suikyou�fs power.�h

�gYou have never trusted me, I would imagine,�h the Priestess said. Her smile actually held a little bit of mirth, amazing as it might seem. Not that her sapphire eyes had grown any warmer though. They were still as cold and murderous as ever.

�gNo.�h He shook his head. �gI suspected you the very second I finished listening to what you said in the audience with the Lord.�h

�gWhy?�h

�gDo you remember the day we found you alone in your secret garden?�h

�gVividly.�h

�gOn that day, your Priestess power awakened.�h Tokiya said, putting his hands into the coat�fs pockets to hide the fact that they were trembling in fear. He had to keep her talking, for he was certain that the moment she stopped would be the moment she made him envy the fate of the Nekoko the cat-fanatic. �gThat day, you broke our Swords with your silver light and almost killed us in the process. However, you had unknowingly allowed me to look into your past-life memories in that same light.�h

�gJust what you might find in a normal girl�fs mind, I am sure.�h Her gaze suddenly became distant. It was as though she was trying to recall what had happened in the shadow of the past. Whatever that she remembered, though, it failed to improve her mood. Quite the opposite, it made her face darken in what seemed to be anger and wiped her mouth clean of that mysterious smile. He almost sympathized with her.

�gDenials will get you no where,�h he said quietly. �gYou are well aware of the fact that what I saw proved how dishonest your story was.�h

�gIt was strange that I am still safe and sound while you hold the keys to my undoing.�h Kannazuki Aoi gave her lips a thoughtful tap. �gI never dreamed that you would let me off the hook so easily.�h

�gIt was not so,�h Tokiya announced after he had made another scan of the forest with his mind. No traces of a Dimensional Portal were detected. He began to despair. �gI did come to the Lord and laid out the evidence for him to see. He just... refused to listen to a word I said. He even claimed that I had fabricated the memories because of the grudge I held against you. He even forbade me to conduct any other investigation.�h The outcome of that audience yesterday had left him speechless and more suspicious than ever. There had to be a reason why the Dark God was so insistent in believing every word the Priestess of the Moon said without actually trying to verify it. He only hoped he could discover that reason before the girl destroyed them all.

�gYet, you never did as commanded,�h the renegade Priestess pointed out. �gYesterday, you even tried to use Suikyou to delve into my consciousness. Fortunately for me, you failed.�h

Tokiya said nothing to that.

�gYou are indeed formidable,�h she continued as a smile graced her lips once more. She sounded pleased despite what she had said. �gYou possess little might, but that does not make you any less dangerous.�h

�gThank you,�h Tokiya replied in resignation... and despair. �gCompared to you, I am but a small fry.�h There was no sarcasm in his voice. It was the simple truth. Kannazuki Aoi was much more of a schemer than he could ever hope to be.

�gWell, since we are reminiscing, I could not help but notice something funny, Third Head.�h Her smile grew a little bit wider and more amused. �gFrom the day of my reawakening, I have always been under the impression that you are a man of few words. Why, you left most the talking to your elder sister, did you not?�h

He nodded grimly and wondered what she was trying to say. His breath caught a second later, when the explanation crashed down on him.

�gSo you see, I cannot help but be amazed by seeing how talkative you have become. Personally, I think it a little bit strange, if not suspicious,�h commented the Priestess absently. �gIt is as though you were stalling for time.�h

Shocked to the base of his foundation, Tokiya could only stand stiffly like a lamp post and stared at the blue-haired girl, who had just declared that she was aware of what he was planning, while his hand tightened around the little spherical object in his coat pocket. Where are you? he thought pleadingly. If you do not come now, she is going to....

�gGive up, Girochi Tokiya,�h the Priestess said as she slowly rose to her feet. Standing at the edge of the pond, she was a queen who was about to declare a death sentence for a rebel. �gHe will not come.�h

Her words stilled his tongue and widened his eyes. He felt his nerves begin to unravel. His knees threatened to give in and drop him down on all four

�gYou made two mistakes, Orochi.�h Kannazuki Aoi raised her left hand overhead. Silver light, flaring brightly from her fingertips, poured inward to form a small sphere that was held tightly in her grasp. There, it began to stretch until it gained the shape of a brilliant rod of light. After a flash, it materialized into a katana the sheath of which was as blue as Aoi�fs hair and bore a silver Moon Crest. It was the Eye of Luna, the fearsome Kagetsuki. Fright overwhelmed him. �gFirst, although you kept watching me from the shadows, you never thought that I, too, was observing you and every move you made.�h

Anger surfaced in his heart. If what she just claimed was indeed the truth, it would mean that the girl had been toying with him since the beginning of this pointless conversation.

�gYour second mistake is the trust you placed on that man.�h The Moon Crest turned as she used her right hand to draw the Eye of Heaven out of the scabbard. A heartbeat later, the single-bladed sword, completely unsheathed, gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight. �gYou are a fool if you still expect him to come to your aid.�h

�gHe will,�h he insisted stubbornly. �gRight at this moment, he is assembling the other Heads. If you know what is good for you, you will leave at once and return to the Sun Priestess�fs side, where you belong. There is nothing for you here except death.�h Knowing what she had gone through in the past, knowing what she was trying to achieve by coming to the Temple of the Dragon where her nemesis slept, he did not really want her to die. After all, they were more similar than he had thought.

�gYou are delusional.�h Sapphire eyes gazed at him with contempt and sympathy. �gIf he had wanted to come, he would have appeared moments after I transported you to this place. After all, that crystal ball in your pocket is supposed to tell him your position, is it not?�h

�gWhat do you mean by supposed to?�h he demanded.

�gBecause that thing is not only a locator, Third Head, but also an eavesdropping device. It records whatever we say here and transmits it to the second terminal, which that man holds.�h

�gThat means....�h The tragic truth dawned upon Tokiya. So that is how it is, he thought. With his hope sinking into darkness faster than a rock would in water, he threw back his head and let out a gust of laughter that was full of despair. To think that he had believed that the only person capable of helping him to expose the Priestess of the Moon would be the person responsible to his undoing. To think that the man he had placed his trusted in would be the one who betrayed him to his death.

�gCorrect. You have been chosen to be a sacrifice from the very beginning,�h said Kannazuki Aoi, who was now standing at the edge of the pond, her face unsmiling, her sword gleaming mercilessly in her hand.

�gAre you going to kill me?�h Tokiya asked his captor calmly.

�gI am giving you a chance.�h The renegade Priestess ran her finger along the blunt edge of Kagetsuki, which Tokiya knew to possess more than thrice the powers of any of the Elemental Blades. �gTake out your weapon. Defeat me and live.�h

Tokiya merely looked at the water in which he was half immersed, pondering whether he should summon Suikyou at all. So that is why she dumped me in this pond, he realized. She meant to be fair and give me an edge. He laughed again. He never thought that his enemy would be so generous to him while his alleged comrade saw him as no more than a sacrifice. The world was surely full of ironies.

�gThere is no point fighting a battle I cannot win, Priestess,�h he said after a while. �gYou may do whatever you wish now.�h

�gVery well.�h She nodded.

�gWill you answer a question before you end my life, though? I cannot rest in peace without knowing the truth.�h

�gAsk,�h she said simply.

�gHow did you block Suikyou�fs mental invasion?�h

�gThe very same way I monitored you and brought you here.�h The blue-haired girl�fs slender body began to rise into the air while her sword blazed with its blinding silver light. It was as though a second sun had emerged. �gThe very same way I did this.�h

Tokiya�fs eyes widened at the sight that was taking place before him. Then he began to laugh one last time as tears streamed down his cheeks. Moments before his death, he had finally found out the secret to the power of Ame no Hitomi, the Eyes of Heaven. Against such powers, how are we supposed to survive in the first place, my Lord? he shouted in his head.

�gIt is a pity that I have to kill you, Third Head,�h Kannazuki Aoi�fs distant voice echoed around the woods, �gfor we are more alike than you could have imagined. This is goodbye.�h

�gAneki!�h was what he cried out at the top of his lungs before a powerful light enveloped him completely. A second later, he closed his eyes and peacefully departed from this cruel world.

 

***

 

Girochi Miyako�fs innards froze when she saw Suikyou the Water Blade materializing out of thin air. Time seemed to be in slow motion as her eyes followed the movement of the Sealed Sword, which plunged into the wooden floor of her room without raising much noise. Only one thing could have happened when an Elemental Blade appeared in this manner, she knew. Its master had to be dead. Trembling, Miyako reached for the sword and took it up into her arms. This could not be happening! she thought, sensing tears spilling out uncontrollably from her eyes. This could not be happening to me!

�gTokiya!�h she cried. �gNo!�h

 

***

 

Sitting in an armchair in his room, Tsubasa the First Head decided to deactivate the crystal ball in his hand before the Third Head�fs dying cry could escape into the room and eventually reach the wrong ear. He truly did not mean to be to be the first Orochi to be executed by his own comrade�fs hand. The Lord had never been merciful in the past. He doubted that the Dark God would show any when he learned that Tsubasa had just sacrificed an Orochi Head. For the good of the whole or not, what he had done was still a clear violation of the laws that the fabled eight-headed dragon had set forth in the beginning.

With his vacant hand massaging his forehead, he sighed deeply. It was done. He should take this to the Lord now and informed him of everything that had happened. Of course, he had to modify this little ball a little bit, edit out some... unnecessary pieces of conversation what would make him look bad, and prepare a believable story first. He was confident he could do it, though. Oh, he should assemble the other Heads, too. The Lord could not ignore the evidence like he once did with the now deceased Third Head now that all of them were present to hear the truth.

Tsubasa stood up, walked to his door, and opened it. The first thing that he saw was the Eighth Head of the Orochi, whose black cape swathed her slender body, whose face was cold enough to do an ice cube proud. He almost gave a start. How long has she been standing there? he thought in alarm. And why?

�gYou are not going anywhere, First Head,�h Saotome Makoto announced with a voice that matched the icy expression on her face. The girl was evidently furious the way her words were sharp enough to cut and the way her emerald eyes were blazing with a terrible light.

�gI see.�h Tsubasa laughed. �gYou are the Priestess�fs creature, are you not?�h

�gDo not insult me.�h Her lips thinned into a straight line. �gThere is no one in this world whom I hate more than her.�h

�gThen I cannot comprehend why you are blocking my way,�h he said calmly.

�gKannazuki Aoi shall die soon.�h The Eighth Head raised her palm, and he instinctively took a step backward. �gBut neither here or now, First Head. I mean someone else to kill her.�h

�gKurusugawa Himeko?�h

�gCorrect.�h Makoto answered. �gUnless Himeko takes the Moon Priestess�fs life with her own hand, she will never forget the love she has for Himemiya Chikane. I can�ft allow that to happen.�h

�gNice speech, traitor,�h Tsubasa mocked.

�gSay all you want.�h The Orochi Eighth Head only smiled darkly in response. If she was offended, she hid it well. �gIt�fs not like you have any time left anyway.�h

�gIf you think you can kill me quietly in the Temple, you are more of a fool than I thought.�h He laughed. It was the truth. Although it was clear that he could not win against her in single combat, it was impossible to finish him without announcing to the Lord and every other Head that treason was taking place. She would have more luck trying to catch the moon in the water with her bare hands.

�gWhoever said that I would be the one to kill you?�h Makoto shook her head.

�gWhat?�h He frowned.

�gGoodbye. May you not rest in peace.�h

Before Tsubasa managed to summon his Hokuto the Star Blade, a column of shadow sprang up from beneath his feet and swallowed him whole. In a blink of an eye, when the pitch darkness had dissipated, Tsubasa reappeared in an empty glade surrounded by trees that were dominated by the tiled roofs of Shingetsu Grand Shrine in the distance. He blinked. There was a large pond several feet away from him, upon the surface of which a corpse floated, its front facing the cerulean sky. It was a man whose clothes were blackened and tattered as though struck by lightning. It was the man whom Tsubasa betrayed to his death. It was the Third Head, Girochi Tokiya. Chills ran down Tsubasa�fs spine.

�gWould you not mourn for your comrade�fs passing, First Head?�h Kannazuki Aoi�fs voice said from everywhere and all at once. Startled, he turned around and looked.  The girl was nowhere in sight. �gWould you not say something to the one you murdered?�h

�gI murdered him?�h he scoffed. Hokuto appeared in his hand after a flash of light. �gLook who�fs talking.�h

�gIf not you, then who?�h answered the voice of the Priestess of the Moon, which was followed by her melodious laughter. �gPoor Tokiya. Since he knew his attempts to delve into my consciousness could not escape my attention, he came to you for help. He thought you would save his life, for you are the respectable Commander of the Orochi Heads. You, surprisingly, were so kind and gentle the way you assured him that he would live and that you would protect him for Miyako�fs sake. You gave him the locator. You told him that should you ever receive his signal, you would bring reinforcements right away. Little did he know that you have turned him into shark bait.�h

Tsubasa struck the very second he sensed someone passing behind him. The searing light extended from his blade sliced through a dozen of trees and made them fall onto the ground in thunderous noises. The fact that the presence of the Priestess of the Moon still lingered in his head informed him that he had not managed to hit his intended target.

�gYou noticed that you could use the Third Head,�h Kannazuki Aoi�fs voice said teasingly. �gWhat is better to get rid of me than his dying voice, screaming the name of his killer? Should the Dark God hear it along with his Followers, I will be wishing that I were already dead, do you not think so?�h

Tsubasa struck again. The ground exploded in chains, hurling rocks and dirt everywhere, To  his dismay, none of them touched even the shadow of the Priestess.

�gMy hat is off to you, First Head.�h Tsubasa froze in shock the moment he felt her warm breath touching the nape of his neck. The girl was standing right behind him, he realized in horror. �gYou are awfully conniving and ruthless, sacrificing your own comrade so. And by the way, I believe I speak for Girochi Tokiya when I say that you deserve a slow and painful death.�h Searing pain seized him as a shaft of silver light ran him through from behind. Unable to say a single word, he fell and hit his face on the ground so hard that blood spurted out from his nose.

�gThe next time you are born, First Head, be someone less repulsive.�h The Priestess�fs mirthless laughter and her words gradually faded into silence. Her presence in his mind disappeared.

Blood from the hole in his chest began to puddle up around him, flowing into his mouth and soaking his clothes. The Priestess had definitely kept her words when she said it would be a slow and painful death, he realized.

All of a sudden, the water of the pond sparkled as though there was a sun beneath the surface. Not from the daylight, he was sure, unless the sun had become a light bulb that changed color every second. When he lifted his head to see, he found his jaw dropping in shock. An inch above the water surface floated a beautiful girl in a white cape the high and stiff collar of which was adorned with a crystal brooch on either side. She was not from the Human World, he was sure, for no mortal had so many angelic wings on her back, each of them glowing in a different light. He tried to count them. He stopped when he realized that his sight was failing him.

�gDo not fear, Child of the Orochi,�h she said in a voice that could easily match that of the Priestess in term of coldness. �gEven in death, you will serve your Master still.�h She stretched one hand toward Tsubasa and spread her fingers widely. They became ablaze.

�gYou...�h Tsubasa managed weakly �gWho are you...?�h

�gMy name is Sei no Tsurugi no Rinne,�h the girl whispered. �gBut some call me the Seraphim Blade.�h

The last thing he saw was a flash of light that emerged from her hand. When it touched him, it immediately shattered his consciousness and snuffed out the flame that was his existence.

 

***

 

Yui the Goddess of the Sun, sitting on a high ledge protruding from one of the rock walls in the Enshrinement Chamber of Shingetsu, watched in silence as Kurusugawa Himeko stepped down the flight of stairs. The girl was wearing the white chihaya and blue hibakama that Himemiya Chikane left behind, face so determined that the scaredy cat impression Yui always had about her was now only a mere distant illusion. She smiled and thought, A very good attitude. The Priestess of the Sun had gained conviction and was now primed for the battle of her life. Yui was very pleased.

�gAre you ready, Kurusugawa-san?�h inquired Oogami Kazuki, the High Priest of Shingetsu who was accompanied by another Priest, a man who was gray in the hair and long in the teeth yet still moved like a man thirty years younger. Just like Yui, the middle-aged man sounded pleased. Not that she could blame him for feeling that way, though. His plan was going well. The man had to be thinking that it was but a matter of time until he achieved that which he wanted most. Only that nothing would go as planned, of course. Yui would love to see his face when he found that out.

�gI am, sensei,�h Himeko answered, her voice mirroring her firm expression.

�gVery well.�h Oogami nodded. �gThen before we begin, there is something I must give you.�h

He clapped his hands. The Priest on his left then stepped forward, both hands holding a small tray upon which two scrolls of silk were laid. From the way the man gazed at the scrolls with so much reverence in his eyes, one would have sworn they were hand-written by the Gods. His superior, on the other hand, obviously, thought differently as he casually picked up the scroll on the left and handed it to the Priestess of the Sun.

�gThis is the secret manuscript that has been passed down generation after generation in the Oogami Clan,�h the man announced in a solemn voice. �gInside lies what is meant only for the eyes of the Kannazuki Priestesses.�h

The golden-haired girl then rolled out the secret manuscript and began to read. Almost in no time, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in surprise. Yui smiled. She was well aware of what kind of knowledge was put inside that scroll, for she was there when the researchers in Izumo�fs R&D Division wrote it. It was simply a concise user manual of the Eyes of Heaven that told the Priestesses all they needed to know about their weapons before they launched an attack on the Orochi forces. Yui didn�ft really what the golden-haired girl thinking in her pretty head... but she herself had been enraged when she first found out the true reason for which the Eyes was forged. It had taken all her willpower to stop herself from murdering those vicious researchers during that meeting.

After a few minutes, the young Priestess of the Sun scrolled up the manuscript and put it back on the tray. The High Priest then picked up the other scroll and handed to her. �gAnd this is the Chronicles of the Swords, which contains all the information that mankind has gathered on the Elemental Blades,�h he said, then added in a serious tone, �gYou should pay extra attention to the last entry, for I believe it�fs vital in dealing with the Swords. Had it not been for Souma, we would have never known what it could do.�h

Slightly puzzled by that the man had told her, the golden-haired girl began to peruse the Chronicles. When she reached its final entry, tears suddenly spilled out from her eyes as her body trembled. She had had to bite on her underlip to stop a sob from escaping.

�gWhat is the matter, Kurusugawa-san?�h asked the High Priest, surprised.

�gNothing, sensei,�h answered the Priestess, who was dabbing the sleeves of her white chihaya at her face. Even though they were moist, her amethyst eyes were shining with joy. Even though it was shaking slightly, her voice was filled with relief. �gI�fm okay.�h Yui, still sitting on the stone ledge, smiled. Of course the girl was okay, for those were tears that were shed in utmost happiness. In the beginning, when little Himeko first returned to Shingetsu after a couple of hours missing, she had not a single clue as to what she could do to save what she called her world. Now, at long last, she had found a way.

�gIf you say so,�h said Oogami Kazuki, his voice full of suspicions. Yui chuckled quietly. If the man could read Himeko�fs mind, he would be roaring at her in fury, no doubt.

�gWhat do I have to do now, sensei?�h the golden-haired asked after she had put the Chronicle back on the tray.

�gYou will do exactly what the Priestess of the Moon did to remove the Eye of Luna from the Shinken Seals,�h the High Priest declared. �gYou should be aware that in theory, the Unsealing Ritual that you two had been performing is the only way to free the swords. The reason why Kannazuki Aoi,�h he flashed the girl a look to ensure that she wasn�ft going to correct him. From the tightening of her mouth�fs corners, she clearly had intended to. The middle-aged man grimaced and picked up smoothly where he left off, �gsucceeded in retrieving Kagetsuki is because of a loophole that I never knew existed.�h

�gA loop hole?�h Himeko blinked at the current leader of the Oogami Clan, confused.

�gYes.�h He nodded. �gThe Shinken Seals are designed to keep you from taking the Eyes of Heaven. As such, they can do little to prevent the swords from coming to you. Fully aware of this fact, the Original Priestess of the Moon immediately took advantage of it.�h

�gI still can�ft see how she exploited it, sensei,�h little Himeko said. �gYou told us once that the Shinken had detrimentally effects on the Eyes. You even used them to stop Chikane-chan from taking Sou-chan�fs life.�h She never faltered even when Oogami Kazuki narrowed his eyes at her for refusing to address the Priestess of the Moon with what he had been trying to make her. Yui thought the man should just give up. The golden-haired girl never believed for even a split second that Himemiya Chikane was dead. It was a waste of time and effort trying to convince her otherwise.

�gWhat I told you was that the Seals diminished and restrained the Eyes,�h explained the middle-aged man, who sounded a little bit more than just exasperated. �gI never claimed that the Seals could stop them completely. That�fs the key detail, Kurusugawa-san. Kannazuki Aoi, having invoked her transcending powers, had called Kagetsuki out to her instead of bypassing the Shinken and taking it.�h

�gYou think I can do the same with the remaining Eye of Heaven?�h Himeko asked, sounding almost excited.

�gYes, you can,�h Oogami agreed, then sighed and added, �gHowever, I daresay that you will encounter twice the resistance that Kannazuki Aoi did.�h

�gWhy?�h

�gBecause without the Eye of Luna in there, all the powers of the Shinken Seals are now focused on the remaining sword,�h the High Priest answered. �gIt�fs going to be very tough for you.�h

�gI don�ft care how tough it�fll be,�h little Himeko said, determination shining once more in her amethyst eyes. �gI will take the Eye of Heaven out.�h

�gThat�fs the spirit.�h The man nodded in approval. �gWell then. I will take my leave, Kurusugawa-san.�h

�gYou�fre not staying?�h

�gI only wish I could.�h He shook his head. �gSerious matters require my immediate attention, you see. The first thing I need to do is to devise a plan to defend the Grand Shrine from the Orochi. They�fre going to attack very soon. I�fm certain.�h He gave the golden-haired girl a look. �gI don�ft mean to pressure, Kurusugawa-san, but our hope is with you. If you should fail....�h His hopeless expression conveyed the rest of the message.

�gI understand.�h The Priestess of the Sun offered the High Priest a deep bow as he and his subordinate departed from the Enshrinement Chamber.

As soon as the men�fs footsteps had faded into the distance, she spun on her heel and faced the remaining five columns of light that housed the Shinken Swords. In the heart of the circle that they formed was the eternal ice pillar that had a brilliant sphere of golden light at its middle. In it was the object she sought. In it was the instrument that she was going to use to achieve her final wish, Yui knew. Up high on her stone ledge, she watched as the Priestess of the Sun summoned up every ounce of powers inside her body. Golden light rolled out from her in successive waves and washed upon the Shinken, which responded by ringing out in a deadly melody with their sacred lightning providing the beat.

Leaning her back against the rocky wall, Yui decided to watch for the time being. If little Himeko required it, she would lend her a hand to break the gears of destiny and pulled down the curtain to end the tragedy that had been going on for the last three thousand years.

 

***

 

Tsukazaki Fuyura, swathed in a white cloak with a deep hood that hid her entire face, found herself muttering under her breath when her companion, Kami no Mikoto of the Three Arbiters, threw yet another seductive glance at her over her shoulder while walking along the spacious hallways of the Heavenly Palace. The woman had never stopped making advances on Fuyura since the moment they first met despite being met with indifference. Fuyura was fairly certain that the woman thought that if she threw enough glances, Fuyura would agree to be her lover. Shame was one thing amongst many that Kami no Mikoto did not have. Five minutes after they were introduced to each other, courtesy of Ame no Minaka, another lecherous man who refused to act his age, the woman had made it clear to Fuyura in a secretive, roundabout way that she did not intend to let her go without bedding her first.

Lay your filthy paws on me and you will lose them forever, Kami no Mikoto, she thought.

�gWe have arrived, Tsukazaki-dono,�h said the Arbiter, who had stopped in front of a room that was guarded by two Holy Messengers in white capes. The men, Fuyura had heard that there was not a single woman employed by the Division because Izanagi feared that his employees would be distracted, seemed to be carved from stone the way they simply gazed ahead and pretended that no others existed.

�gVery well,�h Fuyura muttered, barely able to keep the irritation from showing in her voice. �gGet me inside.�h

�gAs you wish.�h Kami no Mikoto gave an incline of her head then spoiled it by flashing a lewd smile at Fuyura before she turned to face the Holy Messengers. Her visage hardened and her eyes grew cold as she drew herself up just so she could look the men in the face. The woman, despite being rather short, was obviously trying to impress Fuyura. It did not work.

�gStand aside,�h the shameless Arbiter demanded. �gI, Kami no Mikoto of the Arbiters, wish to speak with the Goddess of the Moon.�h She put the back of her right hand in front of the Messengers and let them see that on her middle finger was a gold signet ring that bore the shield and the sword insignia of the Celestial Assembly. �gListen and obey.�h

�gAs you command, Arbiter,�h replied the men in unison, their voices betraying the surprise and the fear that they were feeling inside. With great alacrity, they opened the shoji doors to reveal a chamber completely immersed in darkness. Afterwards, they quietly stood on either side of the entrance in a way that reminded Fuyura of people who caused mischief and were caught red-handed. It would appear to her that somehow, they feared the Arbiter more than they would their liege lord.

�gPlease take your time, Tsukazaki-dono,�h Kami no Mikoto whispered into Fuyura�fs ear. From the way the woman slowly drew her face very slowly away afterwards, Fuyura was under the impression that had she not been glaring at the Arbiter coldly, she would have been kissed. Her mouth tightened at the thought. According to the information that the I.S.R. agents had gathered on the Three Arbiters, Kami no Mikoto had already had a secret lover who worshipped her like a mortal would a Goddess. The reason why the woman kept hitting on Fuyura despite that fact was beyond her.

�gVery well,�h Fuyura answered curtly and proceeded into the dark chamber, faintly hearing the Arbiter commanding the two Messengers to report to the Sanctum Core without delay. But of course, she thought, they cannot let this reach Izanagi�fs ears. When the two guards returned to this room, they would have already forgotten that someone had come to speak with the Goddess of the Moon. The Lord of Izumo would choke himself to death the moment he discovered what his subordinates had been using his precious Core for, she thought and chuckled before a movement of her hand closed the shoji doors behind her and once again drowned the chamber in pitch darkness. Another gesture formed a small sphere of light that brought illumination to the furthest corners. Near one of them there was a bed, atop which lay the Goddess of the Moon. Tsukiyomi, who was praised as the second most beautiful woman in the Three Worlds, was on her stomach with the side of her face pressed against the mattress and with her hands clutching the bed linen. Her silver eyes were swollen, her cheeks wet. If Tsukiyomi had not been crying continuously during the last twenty-four hours, Fuyura would leave immediately and tell Kami no Mikoto that she loved her.

�gWho may you be?�h the Moon Goddess asked in a voice that was weak and devoid of any sign of emotion. The only things that seemed to move on her body were her mouth and her eyelids.

�gI am Tsukazaki Fuyura, Tsukiyomi-sama.�h She gave a deep bow with her hand on her heart. �gWe have met before in Onogoro.�h

�gOne of... the twins?�h The young woman�fs eyes widened a fraction in surprise. �gYou are... a Chancellor to my mother?�h

�gYes.�h She nodded.

Tsukiyomi kept silent for a full minute, perhaps to process the information that a high officer of the Underworld was currently in the Holy City, where any resident of Reiha was viewed as a foe, before she spoke up, �gHow is your sister?�h From the absolute lack of concern in the question, Fuyura could only assume that the Moon Goddess was only trying to be polite.

�gHaruhi is well,�h she answered.

Another pause came before the silver-haired woman opened her mouth once more, �gIt is unusual that I do not find her by your side. I thought you two were inseparable.�h At the end of the sentence, she struggled to sit up straight and lean her back against the headboard. Not that her facial expression changed a hair afterwards, though. She still seemed as lifeless as the first moment Fuyura had laid eyes on her.

The woman never changes, Fuyura thought.

Although the Goddess of the Moon never remembered, she had met the Chancellors three thousand years ago, when she was brought to Reiha against her will. Confined in her room, she had spent her days weeping nonstop and refused to consume even a drop of water. In the end, she broke down and became so sick that the Regent was afraid that she was going to die. Right now, the silver-haired woman looked exactly the same as she did back then.

�gHardly,�h Fuyura said. �gContrary to what people choose to believe, I often spend my time without Haruhi.�h

�gWhy?�h The Goddess of the Moon suddenly turned her face toward the closed windows. �gI do not think I would feel comfortable without the one with whom I spent my childhood next to me. I would be very lonely and sad then. Do you not find that you would miss her face, her laughter, her touch terribly when she is away?�h Her voice grew distant with every word she said.

Fuyura caught herself blinking in surprise at the other woman. She had not expected Tsukiyomi, who was rumored to be made from eternal ice, to say such things. She knew whom the Goddess was referring to, though. It was truly tragic that even though she and the Goddess of the Sun loved each other dearly, their feelings were never gotten across.

�gNot quite,�h she said. �gAlthough I do love Haruhi, I cannot deny that she is too much of a control freak at times. Plus, I resent the fact that she thought I could not survive a day without she watching my every step.�h

�gIs that so?�h Tsukiyomi let out a chuckle that sounded more like a cough.

�gBesides, she has her own problems to deal with,�h Fuyura continued. �gHaving more than one boyfriend at a time is quite tiring, I assure you.�h Unlike Kami no Mikoto, Tsukazaki Haruhi never had to flirt. Men just came to her, knelt at her feet, and begged to be her lover. She never turned anyone down, for the record, but she dumped them the following day more often than not. In a way, she was much worse than the Arbiter. Fuyura had been at least half-serious when she told Amaterasu that she wanted her to introduce Susanou no Mikoto to the other Chancellor of the Underworld.

�gWere I you, I would be quite jealous,�h Tsukiyomi commented.

�gWell, I would not,�h she replied flatly. �gMuch as I pity those men whom Haruhi twiddled around her fingers, I am grateful to them for getting her out of my hair and giving me more time to spend with Izanami-sama....�h She clamped her mouth shut in horror the moment she realized what she had just blurted out.

Awkward silence ensued, with she and the Goddess of the Moon staring unblinkingly at each other, she in embarrassment, the latter in surprise. After a while, she dropped her gaze and felt as though flames were raging on her cheeks. It was one thing to fall in love with her employer, a woman who did not seem to have any interest in her except being her friend, and quite another to inadvertently admitted it to that woman�fs daughter.

�gHow old are you, Tsukazaki Fuyura?�h Tsukiyomi asked quietly.

�gI have been with the Lady since the beginning of the Reiha,�h Fuyura said coolly. �gOld enough not to embarrass her, if that is what you are implying.�h Although the Goddess of the Sun liked to act as though Fuyura and her sister were younger than her, just like she did with pretty much everybody else, they were actually a whole lot older. The only reason why they let Amaterasu continue doing that was because they thought that it was amusing and rather cute.

�gDoes my mother know that you have a crush on her?�h

�gShe does,�h Fuyura muttered. �gShe said she really liked me, just not enough to take me as a lover.�h There were times when she wondered why all the strawberry cheesecakes she had bought for the Regent of the Underworld – her lack of talent in the culinary area did not allow her to make them with her own hands – had yet to help her win over the older woman�fs heart.

�gI am sorry to hear that.�h

�gDo not be.�h She gestured her hand dismissively. �gI will manage to turn her around soon.�h Or so she hoped she could. Her insistence and her eternal time were the only advantages that she had.

Silence once again hung between them and continued to for a few minutes before the Goddess of the Moon opened her mouth and spoke, �gAnd if I may ask, to whom do I owe your visit tonight?�h

�gToday,�h Fuyura corrected. It was noon outside. �gI came to Izumo on Izanami-sama�fs order. She wished to let you know about the situation regarding your daughters. She knows you are very worried about them.�h Although this information could have been passed onto either Susanou no Mikoto or Kagutsuchi, the Regent had decided that it was best for Fuyura to inform the Goddess of the Moon in person. She did have to come to Izumo to speak with the Celestial Assembly, in any case.

�gYou... would tell me?�h Life returned to the silver-haired woman as she hastily scrambled to her feet and ran to Fuyura�fs side. Her eyes, which had become moist again, were shining with gratitude. �gThank you.... Thank you....�h

�gYou are very welcome.�h Fuyura nodded and began to tell the other woman about what had been happening in the human world.

 

***

 

Once Kannazuki Aoi had stepped inside her room, which she built herself in the back garden of the Temple of the Dragons, she settled down on a high-backed cushioned armchair and began to massage her foreheads. It had been a tiring day. She deserved some rest, she decided. Leaning her back against the chair, she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come and take her. Eventually, it did.

 

...

 

�gI wish you a safe journey, Tsukiyomi-sama,�h said Kannazuki Aoi, who bowed respectfully where she stood while her motherly mentor wove a Dimensional Portal that would lead her to Izumo. Aoi really felt sorry for the Goddess of the Moon, who had received an urgent summons from the Ruler of Heaven and was forced to return to the Holy City even in the dead of night. What is wrong with the man anyway? she thought in bitterness. Although her surrogate mother had isolated herself from the Heavenly World, Izanagi never intended to leave her alone. He should be ashamed of himself the way he kept harassing a woman who did not want her attention, especially after delivering her a nasty surprise on her daughters�f birthday last month. It was some present, that. �gThe Lunar Shrine shall anxiously await your return.�h

�gThank you, child.�h Tsukiyomi-sama smiled and patted Aoi fondly on the head exactly the way someone would her two-year-old daughter.

Despite her love and fervent admiration for the silver-haired Goddess, Aoi wished the Goddess of the Moon would just stop doing that. In contrary to what her mentor might believe, Aoi was already seventeen years of age and no longer a kid. Although it was true that she acted nothing like an adult she claimed to be once every so often, mostly when her childhood friend the Priestess of the Sun was involved, she deserved to be treated as one. All the babying should be left for little Akari, who did not seem to have grown up the way she remained innocent and childlike all these years. Aoi smiled softly to herself at the thought. She was such a hypocrite the way she balked at being treated like a child while she was doing exactly the same thing to the one she cherished.

�gA wonderful mood you are in, Aoi.�h The Goddess of the Moon gave her an amused and curious glance. �gHas it anything to do with my departure?�h

�gOf course not!�h Aoi immediately schooled her face and started to berate herself silently for having no control over herself whenever she thought about her childhood friend. She had better learn to soon, or one day she was going to drop her and Akari both into boiling soup. �gI was... um... thinking of a... a joke.�h She only hoped that she had not said it too quickly.

�gA joke? Brilliant.�h The Goddess was wearing a quiet and knowing smile as her silver eyes locked with Aoi�fs sapphire. �gYou know how those meetings are. Would you not tell it to me so I can find some solace before those Immortals bore me to death?�h There was too much amusement in her voice for her comfort. She suspected that she would feel a whole lot better if her motherly mentor just declared right out that she knew Aoi was lying.

�gI doubt you would find it funny, Tsukiyomi-sama,�h Aoi insisted. �gIt is quite silly, in fact.�h

�gIf you say so, child.�h The Goddess of the Moon withdrew her piercing gaze. The I-know-all-about-it smile never faded from her lips, though.

Aoi almost heaved a sigh of relief afterwards. She was not a skilled liar. Were she to continue, she would end up inventing stuffs that even a fool would scoff at rather than believe. When she looked at her mentor again, she saw that the Goddess was gathering her hagoromo robe about her person as she stepped through the silvery surface of the Dimensional Portal. Before the rest of her body followed, though, she gave Aoi one last meaningful glance and said, �gDo not tire Akari out too much.�h The Portal winked out of existence.

Alone in her mentor�fs study, Aoi could only stand where she did before the Goddess left and feel dumb-founded. Although being vaguely aware that she was the subject of a joke this time, she failed to understand its meaning. Besides, she had not expected to hear one from Tsukiyomi-sama, who always frowned at her in a disapproving manner whenever she caught her teasing the Sun Priestess. The Goddess of the Moon had made it clear to Aoi on numerous occasions that since such behaviors reminded her of someone she did not wish to think of, Aoi should just stop. Needless to say, she never did. In the end, Tsukiyomi-sama was so tired of saying the same thing over and over again that she stopped doing that altogether. Little Akari had been most displeased at her mentor�fs failure in putting Aoi in her place.

Still puzzled, Aoi walked out of the study and headed straight toward her childhood friend�fs room. Her whole body grew lighter with every step she took. Her heart beat faster every time the little angel�fs face popped up in her mind. Her mouth could have possessed a will of its own the way it curved upward into a broad smile without her meaning it to. By the time she arrived at her destination, Aoi almost floated in the air while her chest was aching from the racing pulses. It had been too long, Akari, she thought. However, her smile was wiped off her face the moment her eyes fell on the door to the room, which was left open.

Aoi grimaced. It was quite disturbing to know that they were open, like usual, because Akari never remembered to keep them shut. The little angel�fs carelessness had been what fanned the flame of disaster feeding on her innate and incurable clumsiness. Half of the times that the golden-haired girl fell flat on her face were because she tripped on the hem of her own hibakama, for goodness�fs sake.

Aoi sighed. It was indeed a fortunate thing that Akari lived on the Moon, where no harms could befall her and where she had Aoi watching her back. Had it been Onogoro.... She shuddered at the thought. A thief would empty the house of her beloved without her noticing him whether she was inside the whole time or not, if he did not manage to slit her throat first.

�gI am coming in, Akari.�h Aoi stuck her head in after a few unanswered calls.

The Priestess of the Sun was nowhere in sight in the spacious yet simple room furnished with only a kotatsu table and a screen for changing clothes. In a corner, her futon lay neatly folded, her white yukata still hung across the lonely screen that stood atop the empty tatami floor.

Strange, Aoi thought. The hour was late. Normally around this time of the night, her childhood friend would ready to go to bed so that she could wake up early the next morning for their daily training sessions. Then where is she?

As soon as she stepped inside, her nose immediately caught the scent of the golden-haired girl, which was suffusing the air she breathed and invading every corner of her lungs. It was too faint to be noticed by any other person, yet to Aoi, who had held her childhood friend and sweetheart in her arms anytime she could, it was little less obvious than holding a bouquet right under her nose. The Priestess of the Sun, regardless of the time of day, always smelled as though she just stepped out from the bath, fresh, crisply fragrant, and mysteriously mesmerizing. Truth be told, Aoi might as well have gulped down a glassful of wine every time she hugged the girl, or was hugged. And when Akari kissed her, she could barely keep herself from going crazy.

Upon reaching the center of the room, she noticed that the second shoji door, which stood behind the changing screen, was also open, revealing a stone-paved path that lead to the back garden of the Lunar Shrine. Knowing that her sweetheart could be no where else, she crossed the tatami floor and treaded on that path while wondering what the Priestess of the Sun was doing in the garden when she should be sleeping in bed. The answer to that question left her mouth hanging and her heart racing at the speed of light.

In silence and in the awe that had her spellbound, Aoi stood like a lamp post near a small stone-paved square that was surrounded on all sides by a great field of golden lilies that the Priestess of the Sun had planted with her own hand during the last ten years of her life. They were the breed of flower that could be found nowhere else in the Three Worlds, for they were created in the laboratories of Izumo�fs R&D Division. Although the researchers scared Aoi silly every time they looked at her, she had to give credit when credit was due. Those Immortals in white robes and glasses had made her childhood friend very happy when they gave her the seeds of the golden lilies. The petals of those flowers, glittering in sunlight like the precious metal yet smooth as silk under one�fs touch, never withered and never died as they bloomed year-round, out of time and unrestricted by the revolving seasons. Yet, wonderful they might be, right now they appeared but insignificant compared to the breathtaking scenery that was happening in their midst. Upon the small square at the end of the walkway danced Aoi�fs beautiful counterpart, the Priestess of the Sun.

Speechless, Aoi was unable to even think of a word fit to describe what she saw. �gElegant�h failed to portray the steps with which Akari flowed. �gStunning�h would have run itself to death before ever come close to the meticulous movements the little angel performed, let alone catch up. The last time they visited the Holy City, Aoi had had the chance to lay eyes upon Heaven�fs most talented dancers, who were able to steal the breath of audiences as though taking things from their own pockets. Yet for all the grace those Goddesses possessed, for all the impressive stunts they pulled, they were but children wiggling their hands and feet beside Aoi�fs sweetheart. It was rather ironic that Akari could do such a thing when a few days ago she nearly stabbed herself in the foot during sword practice. Aoi smiled.

Aoi continued to watch her childhood friend glide back and forth across the stone-paved square. Her eyes were glued to the little angel�fs slender figure. Her heart leapt every time Akari�fs gorgeous body made a graceful turn. Her amazement, as well as her puzzlement, grew as she noticed a string of golden light that extended from each of the other girl�fs fingers and rose upward into the night sky. As Aoi�fs eyes traced the path of those strings, she found out that they were merging into an almost complete kimono. It was then did she realize that her childhood friend was not dancing. The girl was weaving a dress with the golden strings made from her own power. Her flowing movements, in fact, were what put the strings into place.

Thinking to herself that the little angel could just do this with a needle and normal threads, she held her hand over her mouth and laughed softly enough not to be heard. Her laughter died, her face heated up, and her throat ran dry, however, the moment she caught sight of four Kanji characters on the breast of the kimono. Surrounded by patterns of moons and stars and hollyhock flowers, the character spelled Kannazuki Aoi, which was her full name. She made it for me! she thought, feeling her blood turning into wine. A look at the little angel�fs face confirmed her suspicion. Kannazuki Akari, her feet flowing from one stance to another while her fingers continued to release the golden strings, was looking at her unfinished kimono with the same expression that she always had before she placed a kiss on Aoi�fs lips.

Feeling dizzy as she was, Aoi was still able to notice that something wrong was happening. A quick scan of the vicinity told her that �gsomething�h was the Priestess of the Sun�fs powers breaking loose. The little angel never noticed that golden light was rolling off of her in waves and filling the atmosphere of the Moon with illumination and heat. The stars in the heavens were quickly erased from sight. The night vanished. The air became violent as the winds, sharp and cold, rose to form a fierce current howling around Aoi�fs sweetheart. When a gust of chilling air swept across her face and made her feel as though she had just been cut, she let out a small cry before she could stop herself.

That cry reached the Priestess of the Sun.

Noticing Aoi�fs presence, the golden-haired girl stopped dead in her track while shock and embarrassment dyed her face with the color of a sunset before they proceeded to destroy the frail reins that she had placed on her powers, consequently setting them free. It was in that moment that disaster decided to strike. The winds, no longer having anything to hold them back, exploded into a powerful hurricane that caught the little angel in its clutches and hurled her into the sky.

�gAkari!�h Aoi shouted in horror at the same time that she swung her right arm in a wide arc. A silver shaft of light emerged from inside her wide sleeve, sliced cleanly though the hurricane, and neutralized the currents in its wake. As the air grew calm once more, Aoi�fs little angel, whose body was wrapped in a large cloth of silver light that Aoi had woven and cast shortly after she cut through the winds, descended safely onto her arms. With that, coherent thoughts took wings and fled her mind altogether. She would be very surprised if they did not. After all, in her embrace was a girl with a body so light and soft that she would shame the best cushion in the world, with a face so beautiful she would make a flower wither with envy, and with a fragrance that smelled so good no perfume could ever hope to best. Aoi only wished that she could hold her childhood friend forever.

�gPut me down, would you?�h Akari mumbled almost half-heartedly after a while. Aoi did not think she meant it.

�gSo you can run away?�h she said firmly, or as much so as she could manage. Heaven standing witness, it was excruciatingly difficult to scold her sweetheart when the girl was looking at her with an adorably shy yet sullen expression on her still reddening face. �gI think not, young lady.�h

�gDon�ft take that tone with me. You�fre my childhood friend,�h the golden-haired girl muttered, �gnot my mother, you know.�h The face of the Sun Priestess was flashing with indignation, her lowered eyebrows demanding complete deference, but the gleam in her amethyst eyes and the caressing quality of her voice belied the sting in her words.

�gStill!�h Aoi insisted. Was it the sound of laughter she heard in her own voice? More like a whimper, she decided. �gHow many times have I told you to always keep your powers in check? Heaven forbid, you could have broken your neck and killed yourself!�h

�gThat�fs your fault!�h the little angel declared stubbornly. �gNothing would have happened had you not barged in here uninvited.�h

�gYou are being unreasonable.�h Aoi sighed. �gAnd by the way, who is it that never has the decency to knock or call before entering other people�fs room, hmm?�h Her cheeks burned. The last time that happened, her childhood friend had walked in on her while she was stepping out of the bath, naked as the moment she was born. Days had passed before they could look each other in the eye and talk without blushing bright red.

�gWell, excuse me!�h The little angel turned her head to the other side and pouted.

�gIf that is how you show gratitude to someone who saved your life, Akari,�h Aoi sighed again, feigning anger, �gthen so be it.�h She put the other girl back on her feet and walked back toward the room.

�gNo!�h was all that her beloved childhood friend could say before she panicked and hurried after her. �gPlease don�ft go, Ao-chan!�h Akari threw her arms around Aoi�fs waist and hugged her tightly upon catching up. �gI�fm sorry!�h The golden-haired girl was so afraid that she ended up quivering against Aoi�fs back. She froze a heartbeat later, however, when she felt Aoi shake in uncontrollable fits of hilarity. Before her sweetheart could untie her arms from around her, though, Aoi spun on her heel and pulled the girl into an intimate embrace. She only held more tightly when the beautiful girl in her arm struggled almost fiercely to set herself free. After a few minutes of getting nowhere, she gave up.

�gPeople would be terrified to know that their honorable Priestess of the Sun is this much of a dummy, Akari.�h Aoi laughed. �gCome on, you fell for it every single time!�h Her sweetheart was so gullible that she would probably be fooled by the same trick even in her next life.

 �gYou....�h Akari looked up at her, seemingly torn between giving Aoi a good slap and bursting out crying. �gYou�fve changed. What has happened to the kind Ao-chan I knew when we were kids? Why is it that you keep picking on me now?�h The golden-haired girl shook her magnificent head in exasperation.

�gYou were the one who changed first, Akari,�h Aoi declared in a serious tone.

�gNot true!�h the little angel protested.

�gHave you forgotten how we were back then?�h She placed a soft but lingering kiss on the other girl�fs forehead while her hands gently caressed her sweetheart�fs cheeks. �gYou followed me closely as my shadow and always held onto my sleeve so that I would not leave you by yourself.�h Aoi grinned at the little angel�fs beet-red complexion then added, �gYou really did not have to do that, though. How am I supposed to take my eyes off of you for one split second when you were so cute?�h Her voice firmed. �gYet, you became more distant, more reserved as you grew up. You would not sit next to me, give me fond looks, or touch my hand like you once used to. Why, you acted as if I carried infectious diseases! �h

�gI... was just... nervous around you, dummy,�h the Priestess of the Sun mumbled against her chest while her body grew so hot that Aoi was under the impression that she was holding a burning log in her arms. �gI couldn�ft really help it. Look at how attractive and cool you�fve become....�h Her voice faltered, and Aoi�fs heart skipped a beat.

�gHad you said so from the beginning, I would never have tried to catch your attention that way, Akari,�h Aoi said with a smile.

�gThen why didn�ft you stop your teasing when you had it?�h Akari said, her voice bristling with irritation. �gWhy did you only try harder after learning how I felt about you?�h

�gBecause it was too late.�h She laughed softly. �gBecause you have shown me that your angry face and your annoyed expression were as beautiful as your smile.�h

�gYour smooth-talking isn�ft going to help this time, O Priestess of the Moon,�h the little angel declared. �gAnd I am seriously angry, so let go of me now.�h She hardly sounded what she claimed to be the way she kept blushing and lowered her eyes every time she looked up and saw that Aoi was grinning at her.

�gNot a chance.�h She gave the other girl�fs glorious stream of golden hair, tied at the nape of her neck just like Aoi�fs own, a playful tug and tightened her arms around her childhood friend�fs waist. �gI knew from way back that you can never stay upset so long as I continue to hold you close. Why do you think I always hugged you afterward?�h

�gBecause you�fre a lech.�h Akari sighed and rested her head on Aoi�fs shoulder, appearing to have discovered that it would take more than a strong Immortal to peel Aoi off. The little angel�fs arms, originally at her side, now wrapped around Aoi�fs back. �gThe worst ever lives,�h the girl murmured against her neck before snuggling a little bit closer into her embrace. The Priestess of the Sun�fs temper might have never existed. �gBut also a lech I can�ft stay away from. Sometimes it makes me wonder whether growing up with you is a blessing or a curse....�h

�gA blessing on my part, a curse on yours,�h Aoi replied jokingly.

�gPerhaps.�h

�gNe, Akari?�h she whispered after a moment of comfortable silence, her whole body tingling from the warmth emanating from her sweetheart�fs tender and fragrant frame, her hand running up and down her childhood friend�fs slender back, her lips planting soft kisses on the Priestess of the Sun�fs magnificent head.

�gHmm?�h Akari sounded as though she was going to fall asleep right then and there. Staying up beyond her normal bedtime had begun to its toll, evidently.

�gWhat is this?�h Aoi lifted a hand to gesture at the unfinished kimono, seemingly made from sunlight itself, that had fallen on the field of golden lilies and been lying since the hurricane snatched its weaver into the air. The dress immediately rose upward and flew into her grasp. It was only then did she realize how unbelievably smooth and beautiful the fabric was.

�gWell... um... it�fs... your birthday present...�h the little angel mumbled, her hands tightening around the clothes on Aoi�fs back. �gI know it has passed already... but I couldn�ft finish on time and give it to you. I�fm sorry.�h Those words, sincere and rueful, suddenly reminded Aoi that on her birthday, her childhood friend never gave her anything like she always did. Although she was slightly saddened, she quickly forgot about it the moment they arrived in Izumo and were informed of their true duty in the war against the Dark God.

�gI care not how late it is, Akari,�h she whispered into her sweetheart�fs ear, took the girl�fs hand into hers, and rubbed it gently against her own cheek. It was very warm. �gYour thought is all that matters to me. So thank you.�h She kissed each of the fingertips. The Priestess of the Sun immediately blushed like the setting sun. When she withdrew her hand, she held it against her lips for a few seconds before she returned it to Aoi�fs back.

�gThen I�fm glad,�h she murmured afterwards, sounding quite happy.

�gWhere do you learn to weave in such away, though?�h Aoi asked. �gI do not think even Tsukiyomi-sama knows.�h The Goddess of the Moon has always made her clothes the old-fashioned way. She sewed it from scratch with needles and threads.

�gAmaterasu-sama,�h answered the little angel. �gShe caught me looking in a kimono store a week before our birthday.�h Embarrassment flooded her voice. �gShe told me afterwards weaving a kimono with my own hand would make the one I loved much happier.�h She abruptly clamped her mouth shut and shot Aoi an accusing look and made her feel as though she was at fault.

�gThe one you love?�h she repeated, feeling a swarm of butterflies trouncing in her stomach. �gWho in Heaven�fs name could you be referring to?�h

 �gThere you go again,�h Akari mumbled. �gWhy ask when you already know the answer?�h Her uneven breaths were more than just hot. Aoi could feel them clearly even through the two layers of her chihaya. And they... were driving her wild.

�gI am dense, Akari.�h Aoi rubbed her nose against Akari�fs burning cheek, the one she failed to hide. The body of Priestess of the Sun tensed as a soft whimper full of both embarrassment and joy was released from her lips. �gI can never figure such things out on my own.�h

�gLiar,�h her sweetheart muttered. �gJerk. Meanie.�h There was no sting in her words.

�gNow you know?�h Aoi smiled. �gTell me who it is you love, Akaa-chan.�h The girl trembled. It had been a very long time since Aoi last called her that. She had stopped when Akari figured out the meaning behind the nickname. Although the little angel claimed that she was not pleased knowing that she had been treated like a kid since childhood, Aoi was under the impression that her sweetheart�fs burning cheeks and the twitch of her mouth�fs corners conveyed something other than annoyance. There were times she asked herself why the golden-haired girl just could not be honest with herself and admit that she liked to be addressed in such a way.

�gI love you, Kannazuki Aoi,�h she said after taking a deep breath. �gSatisfied?�h

�gVery,�h Aoi whispered gently in response. �gAnd here�fs a little gift to show my appreciation, dear my precious Priestess of the Sun. You would not mind �gthe usual�h, I take it?�h

Aoi�fs right hand, currently on the golden-haired girl�fs waist, traveled upward until it rested against the back of her head. Aoi�fs lips then drew closer, attempting to claim Akari�fs as hers. To much of her regret, she had to stop midway, for the beautiful girl in her arms was shaking her head.

�gWhat, you�fre going to kiss me here?�h the little angel said, scandalized.

�gI cannot see why not.�h Aoi smiled. �gTsukiyomi-sama is gone and will not return until tomorrow�fs evening. Who is there to bother us?�h She felt like blushing herself at what her words seemed to be suggesting.

�gAt least... bring me inside, would you?�h her childhood friend murmured in embarrassment. �gI don�ft feel comfortable out here.�h

�gYour wish is my command,�h was what she said before she wrapped the girl she loved in the golden fabric of the kimono, scooped her up into her arms, and walked back toward the room. There, on the bare tatami floor, she laid her childhood friend on her back. There, Aoi settled quietly on top of the little angel�fs tender body. There, her lips inched toward their desired destination once more. As the shoji door drew shut and robbed the room of most of its illumination, a kiss was formed and deepened on both sides until they had to break free of each other to catch their breath. Akari�fs lips were so sweet that Aoi usually wondered whether the girl had honey for breakfast everyday. She leaned in again.

�gWhat?�h Aoi asked upon seeing Akari pull a hand over her mouth and giggle. Honest to the heavens above, she had never had a clue how the little angel could manage to look so criminally adorable even when doing such a silly thing.

�gYou�fre strangely aggressive today, Ao-chan.�h

�gYou dislike it?�h

The Priestess of the Sun shook her magnificent head. �gSuits me just fine.�h She giggled even harder before she put her arms around Aoi�fs neck and pulled her closer. In the alluring symphony of raining kisses that immediately followed, in the unbearable heat that seemed to be burning Aoi alive, and also in the overflowing happiness that was brought to her by Akari�fs lips – ever lingering upon hers, tugging at hers in the gentlest way possible , and urging hers to reciprocate – her consciousness faded into oblivion.

Long afterward – how long, Aoi did not know. Time always passed in haste when they were enjoying their precious intimacy – she found herself sitting against the wall and quietly running her hand through the golden tresses of the little angel, who was on her lap, who was cradled in her embrace, who was also putting the side of her face against Aoi�fs heaving chest because she had said she wanted to listen to Aoi�fs heart beating close. Their outfits were a little bit disheveled, showing skin here and there on their shoulders and their hips, but all in all, decent enough not to suggest that they had attempted to go past the limits and taint their Innocence. Aoi resisted the urge to scoff. As if the Sun and Moon Crests would let them....

�gAo-chan?�h the little angel sat up a little bit and said while nuzzling her nose at the crook of Aoi�fs neck and brushing her fingers affectionately against Aoi�fs lips. The girl then proceeded to kiss her throat and her bare shoulder in a way that almost had Aoi whimper aloud. Akari gave a quiet chuckle.

�gYes?�h Aoi bit her girlfriend�fs fingers teasingly. Although the latter sniffed in feigned disapproval, she did not take it back.

�gHave you thought about what I said a few days ago?�h

�gAbout telling Tsukiyomi-sama everything about us?�h

�gYup.�h Akari nodded, smiling. �gI know the Laws of Heaven forbid us from falling in love but Tsukiyomi-sama will understand. If all the Immortals won�ft support our love, she still will, I�fm sure.�h

�gYes, but I... do not want to, Akari.�h

�gWhy?�h

�gDid you not see how hard she cried on our birthday, when we returned from Izumo?�h Aoi said. �gKnowing that one of us would die by the other�fs hand even when we are in love would break her heart. I do not wish to see her hurting for our sake anymore.�h

�gYou�fre... right.�h Akari sighed.

�gYou have not told me the reason, though,�h Aoi said. �gWe have been carrying on in secret for almost three years already. Why let her know now?�h

�gYou�fre not the only one who needs attention, Ao-chan,�h the golden-haired girl muttered with coloring cheeks. �gYou only came close to me after Tsukiyomi-sama had left on her occasional trips to Izumo. It�fs too painful to wait one or two months before I can have you hold me and kiss me again. Don�ft you know how much I long for you every day?�h

�gAkari....�h

�gI... was hoping that she would allow you to move back into my room,�h Akari continued in a sheepish voice. �gI was thinking that it would be very nice to sleep... next to you again. I... I only want to make as much memory between us as I can, spend as much time with you as possible before you....�h Tears welled in Akari�fs amethyst eyes. Her voice broke.

�gI�fm sorry, Ao-chan.�h Aoi�fs childhood friend breathed into her white chihaya, appearing determined not to let Aoi see her crying. Her fingers fastened on Aoi�fs lapels. Her shoulders trembled in unspeakable grief. �gSomething got into my eyes.�h

�gI am not going anywhere,�h Aoi put her hand atop one of the little angel�fs and assured her gently. �gNeither are you.�h

�gBut...�h Akari�fs grip on Aoi�fs white kimono shirt tightened, �gthere is no way out.�h Desperation and agony were all that were present in her tattered voice. Aoi�fs heart began to ache.

�gThere is one.�h She gently pushed her sweetheart away from her and cupped the girl�fs face in both of her hands. Quietly, she kissed away the tears that were thundering down the other girl�fs cheeks. �gThere has always been one,�h Aoi said slowly in an attempt to drive the words home. �gAkari, would you run away with me?�h

�gWe can�ft, Ao-chan.�h The little angel shook her head after a moment of staring at Aoi in shock.

�gWhy not?�h Aoi asked. �gIf it means that we can live on together, why not?�h

�gBecause people will die!�h the Priestess of the Sun sobbed. �gThe Human World will die!�h

�gWhy should I care?�h Aoi whispered, and the other girl�fs eyes widened. �gI do not love the world as much as I love you. I do not live for the people the way I live for your sake. Besides, it was their choice to make Yamata no Orochi their God. Why do we have to pay for their mistakes with our feelings, our blood, and our lives?�h

�gI....�h

�gOnly death awaits us here. We have to go,�h Aoi looked deep into the amethyst crystals that were Akari�fs eyes and pleaded. It was rather strange how the other girl was entirely within her reach yet at the same time as distant as the Earth riding above the horizon. Worse, although her girlfriend was warmer than the hottest fire could burn in a hearth, Aoi felt cold enough to shiver. �gAnywhere is fine, Onogoro, the Underworld, anywhere... as long as I can keep an eye on both of us....�h

�gAo-chan...�h the little angel tried to break in, but Aoi rode right over her.

�gThere are so many things I still yet to accomplish. I promised to make you the happiest girl in the Three Worlds.�h Words rushed out of Aoi�fs mouth. Yet the more she said, the more frightened she became, and the more her voice cracked. �gI promised that you would never have to spend a moment without me in this life. I meant what I said, Akari... so please let me keep those promises, I beg of you!�h

Aoi stared at the golden haired girl, awaiting the answer that she hoped Akari would give and dreading the thunder she hoped would never strike. Her hope sank after a long moment of silence, when two streams of tears flowed down the little angel�fs cheeks once more. Her heart stopped making any sound as she recognized the agony and the heartbroken pain that shone in those wet amethyst eyes of the one she loved. So it was still a �gNo�h after all? she thought. Until the end of time, we vow to stay as one, in life or in death, in sickness or in health. There shall not be a moment in which we part. There shall not be a day in which our love is gone, the words revolved in her head in deafening silence. So much for the Prayer of Hope.... So much for the wish that it would bind them as one for all eternity....

Aoi slumped against her sweetheart�fs body. Her arms fell limply to her sides as her head dropped on the shoulder of the girl she loved. If her insides had been freezing before, they turned to ice now. It is all... over, she thought in despair. She was well aware of the outcome the moment she opened her mouth and pleaded. She had never been confident she could persuade a kind-hearted person like her childhood friend to leave the Human World to its own device. Still, Aoi had tried to lie to herself that somehow Akari would agree, tried to convince herself that she would outweigh the world in her girlfriend�fs heart. She was such a fool.

�gI only want to be with you,�h she mumbled. �gI only want to be happy. Is that... too much to ask for?�h

She realized that Akari was saying something, for several sounds reach her ears. For all the world, they could have been gibberish. She did not understand a single one of them. Am I crying? she asked herself absently. Definitely, for tears was trickling down her cheeks. They were hot. The trails they left behind seemed to be made of blazing fire. A thick blanket of fog pulled over her eyes and robbed her of her vision while a sense of numbness spread across her skin and took away the softness of Akari�fs body.

�gI did not ask for the Throne of Heaven,�h she said while swallowing the tears that happened to roll past her lips. She knew that they should have been salty. All she tasted was bitterness. �gI did not need immortality, either. I�fd only like to have a little house, probably on a green hill or near to the ocean, where the two of us would spend the rest of our time by each other�fs side�h It was strange how her voice sounded just like someone else�fs the way it grew emptier, smaller, and more distant with every word. �gI want to cook for you everyday... to see you frown afterward... to hear you tell me I should have stayed out of the kitchen, like you always did.... Every evening, I want to hold your hand and watch you fall asleep, just to wait for you to wake up the morning after.... Are they... too much to ask for?

She felt her body being shaken, but only very dimly. Paying it no more attention, she continued to pursue the thoughts in her head, �gI have always known you look up to Tsukiyomi-sama and was grateful to her for having raised the two of us.�h Although her mouth was moving without her meaning it to, her ears did not pick up a word. �gI have always known you would love to have a child. While I cannot give you one of my own flesh and blood, I did think of a way. Probably when we get older, when our life has become more stable, we would try to adopt.... Maybe from one of those orphanages, where those poor children are abandoned. I figure it would be rather awkward if the people there asked why two women would do something like that.... I guess we are spared the trouble of having to cook up a believable answer now. I wonder if it is too foolish of me to plan my life without knowing how our lives would end and what destiny has in store for us....�h

Suddenly, warmth flowed into her, a stream of sweetness coming from nowhere, a gentle current that coursed through her almost lifeless body and vitalized it once more. Her sight, her hearing, and all her other senses returned to her just in time to let her realize that a pair of lips was engulfing hers and giving them a kiss that would probably melt all the ice in the Human World.

�gI love everything about you...�h the little angel whispered gently as she pulled away. Her hands remained on Aoi�fs cheeks, her moist amethyst eyes locked with Aoi�fs sapphire, �gbut I can�ft say I�fm fond of your tendency to jump to conclusions. I didn�ft say �gNo�h, did I?�h

�gYou mean...�hAoi stared at the other girl and asked, unable to believe what she just heard, �gyou will come with me?�h Hope welled in her and spread its gentle warmth across her ice-cold body.

�gYes, my silly Ao-chan,�h replied the Priestess of the Sun, who smiled affectionately at her as she stroked her cheeks. �gYou honestly couldn�ft be thinking that I would refuse you after hearing those words now could you? I�fm not that heartless, you know.�h

�gI�fm sorry, Akaa-chan....�h Aoi buried her face in her hands and started to sob uncontrollably. �gI�fm sorry....�h

�gNo, Ao-chan, I am the one who must apologize.�h The golden-haired girl quietly pulled her into a tight hug. �gI�fm sorry for making you suffer for so long.�h

Aoi only cried harder hearing those gentle words. Yet, Akari soon put a firm stop to her tears by showering her forehead, her cheeks, and her lips with kisses. Soon, she was swept back into the wave of happiness before the conversation between them ever started. Only, no apprehension remained in her head this time, for she knew her dearest wish had already been granted. That night, she spent sleeping peacefully in Akari�fs room, on the futon that was soaked with her scent, cuddled tightly in her loving embrace. For the first time in many months, Aoi had a dream without blood, swords and the frightening vision of the future.

 

...

 

Kannazuki Aoi woke up from the dream just to find her face drenched with tears, eyes almost swollen. She sighed. Of all the dreams possible, she had to have one involving Kannazuki Akari, the girl she loved. Her fist clenched. Worst of all, that very dream reminded Aoi of the lie the Original Priestess of the Sun had said. The girl never meant to run away with Aoi in the first place. That was why she hesitated when Aoi asked her to and only said �gyes�h moments later. No doubt she had been scheming in her head all the while. Aoi�fs counterpart had lied to her to calm her down and to make her lower her guard then struck when she least expected. Aoi had never thought her childhood friend and sweetheart to be so deceitful....

�gPriestess?�h Saotome Makoto�fs voice echoed in from outside the door to her room.

�gWhat is it?�h she answered in a steely voice that certainly did not match her tear-stained cheeks. She was only thankful that the Follower was not inside.

�gThe Lord has issued an order to attack Shingetsu Grand Shrine,�h the Eighth Head announced, her voice no less steely. Having been informed of Aoi�fs true intention or not, the former track-and-field athlete showed no interest in warming up to her. Not that Aoi wanted her to, though. They would attract less attention if they kept treating each other as thorns beneath their feet. �gWe are to capture the Priestess of the Sun.�h

�gVery well,�h she replied. �gI will be out there momentarily. And wait a second, Saotome Makoto,�h Aoi added when before the other girl could take another step.

�gYes?�h

�gHow is the Second Head?�h

�gShe�fs still crying her heart out in her room,�h Makoto said, her voice growing accusing after every word. �gI went there earlier to relay the same order.�h

�gStill crying?�h

�gWho can blame her? She did lose the two persons she loves most in one day, may I remind you.�h

�gWhat is she going to do, do you know?�h Aoi decided to ignore the Orochi�fs hostile tone and chuckled softly.

�gTaking revenge on Oogami Souma, I suppose,�h Saotome Makoto replied. �gShe has been cursing him with every profane word possible ever since Nekoko testified that the wounds on Tokiya�fs body were caused by lightning, which of course signed the death warrant for the Seventh Head.�h

�gGood.�h Aoi�fs chuckle grew louder and much more amused. �gYou may go now.�h Footsteps faded into the distance.

After she had made sure that her face was presentable to the surviving Orochi Heads, she rose to her feet and walked out of her room while feeling excitement growing in her heart. Finally, the time to settle the score with the Priestess of the Sun had arrived. At long last, the chance for her to exact her revenge had come. This time, she had a clear idea of whom she wanted dead. This time, destiny would be the one to lose!