EPISODE TWO: PRIESTESSES OF THE GODLESS MONTH.

 

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Why have you not waken, Himeko?” Himemiya Chikane murmured softly. “It has been one day already. Why are you sleeping still?”

In the waning light of the late noon sun, shooting its rays through the shoji doors and painting every thing within the large traditional tatami room with a sickly orange color, Kurusugawa Himeko, breathing soundly with her eyes closed beneath a thick blanket and atop a large futon, gave no evidence she heard. Chikane sighed. She had summoned Katou-sensei, the Himemiya’s family doctor, to ensure everything was well with the little angel but the woman, too, had no clue as to why the girl had been dozing off for such a long period of time.

In any case, Chikane did not worry too much about Himeko’s condition. The little angel was merely immersed in a dreamless slumber, since she had not muttered a word during the twenty-four hours Chikane had spent watching over her, which was a good thing. The girl needed a good rest after all the nerve-wrecking events that had happened the day before. Chikane sighed again. So much for the private birthday party she had been looking forward to spending with Himeko. So much for the confession she had been planning to make under the flickering candlelight of their romantic meal, so much for the hope of receiving her first kiss....

Flame raged on Chikane’s cheeks. As a matter of fact, she did confess to Himeko in the heat of the moment yesterday... and she did give Himeko her very first kiss shortly afterwards. The only problem was that the little angel had been out cold the whole time.

Before Chikane knew what she was doing, her fingers were already tracing the outline of her lips. A full day had already passed, yet what she had felt still lingered and refused to fade. The lips of the little angel were soft and smooth as silk, blessed with a sweetness honey failed to match. Much had Chikane wondered what it would be like to claim the lips of the one she loved, she never expected the current of lightning that ran through her body at the contact and made her wish the moment would last forever. And that was but a one-sided kiss, stolen from a girl who was still unconscious from the power blast Oogami Souma had directed her way. Had Himeko been awake... had she been aware....

She would have slapped me, Chikane thought, her heart sinking faster than a rock in water. Shame and guilt, hot as molten lava, welled in her so rapidly she thought they would reduce her to ashes. What had happened to year after year of careful upbringing under the roof of the Himemiya family, wealthiest and most respectable Clan of the nation, she asked herself. What had happened to the girl who had been in absolute control of her emotions, however tumultuously they always acted whenever she set eyes upon the golden-haired angel? How dared she steal something only Himeko had the right to give?

Chikane did not know. It had seemed so right, so natural to do such a thing at that time that she never spared herself a second thought before proceeding to kiss Himeko.

Chikane touched her lips again. Guilt and shame heavier than a mountain, sharper than a butcher’s knife... yet there was no regret. Somewhere in her heart, she was actually overjoyed that her first kiss had been given to the one she loved, the one by whose side she wished to spend eternity. Perhaps... that was what it meant to be in love.

Chikane took a lock of Himeko’s golden hair into her hand and started to brush it in silence. It is not fair, Himeko, she thought. How is it that you fascinate me so? When you look at me, I can barely keep my heart from rising into my throat. When you touch me, I have to try my best not to pull you into my arms and hug you and kiss you. When you are not around, it is all I can do to not run to your apartment just so I can see you when you answer the knock on your door. It is not fair, Himeko, you coming into my life and turning it upside down without even trying.

Letting go of the lock of hair, Chikane sighed. Of all the people in Mahoroba, of all the students in Ototachibana Academy, she just had to fall in love with another girl. The sigh deepened. A girl who she was not sure would love her back. Of course, Himeko really seemed to like Chikane the way she acted around her but whether the girl harbored any romantic feelings toward her was a different story. For all Chikane knew, Himeko might very well have a panic attack and start to avoid her upon learning what dwelled in Chikane’s heart. But then, the little angel never showed any sign that she would object to being Chikane’s girlfriend anyway... so why should she not take a chance?

Chikane’s hand moved to caress the other girl’s cheek as her thoughts started to wander. What chance do you think I have, dear my precious angel? Would you reject me, or make me a part of your life the way I want to be a part of yours? Would you spurn my feelings, or return them and fulfill my one and only wish? What answer would you give, Himeko?

“Chikane-chan?” the sweet voice of the little angel said quietly.

Eyes opened wide in shock, Chikane found her own face an inch above Himeko’s. Somehow, she had leaned over without even noticing it. And it seemed... she was attempting to kiss the golden-haired girl... again. Every molecule in her body rang in alarm. Himeko’s amethyst eyes, so shiny they would dwarf the brightest diamond, were fixing at Chikane with a confused and flustered look. The girl’s cheeks were coloring, making her look prettier and cuter than ever. Chikane steeled herself and invoked every ounce of her strength to make sure that she would not kiss the little angel by force.

“I see you are well.” Chikane managed a brief smile on her lips as she slowly drew her body back, attempting to hide the horror she was feeling within. The way her voice maintained its coolness and certainty, she seemed to have succeeded. “You have run a high fever the night before, so I was...” she swallowed a little, “checking your temperature... with my forehead.”

A complete lie, but it was necessary.

“Ah...” Himeko said, pushing back the blanket as she, too, sat up straight on the futon. Chikane blinked. For a second there, she thought she glimpsed disappointment flashing across Himeko’s lovely face. Her heart started to pound. What other answer had Himeko expected? What would she have said if Chikane had told her the truth, if Chikane had revealed that she was trying to kiss her? She glanced at the little angel, whose expression now showed nothing but surprise as she looked around and realized that she had woken up in a strange place.

The golden-haired girl’s face paled a little. Unfamiliar territory always scared her, of course. That raised an interesting point. Himeko never showed the merest hint of nervousness when she stayed with Chikane in the summer vacation house in Hokkaido. Why, she acted as though she had grown up there the way she flitted around the house and did whatever she needed to. Chikane filed the scrap of information away. It might mean something... or it might not.

Chikane gave herself a mental shake. She saw disappointment only because she wanted to. It had to be a figment of her imagination. Chikane almost sighed out loud. Another side effect of being helplessly in love.

“Where are we, Chikane-chan?” Himeko asked, unease shining in her beautiful eyes.

Chikane gave the little angel an assuring smile, which the girl returned in the most adorable way ever. Chikane’s breath caught. Sometimes, she really wished Himeko would stop looking so cute. Did she not know how dangerous it was to do so around someone who loved her so much she could barely stop herself from going wild?

“Shingetsu Daijinguu, Himeko,” Chikane said, wincing slightly at the butterflies trouncing her stomach.

The Grand Shrine of the Sacred Moon was the name of Mahoroba’s spiritual stronghold. The three thousand-year-old structure – largest of all the Shrines around the country, housing hundreds of Priests in its numerous apartments – sat on the highest hill of the City and, as some would put in a reverent way, watched over its citizens with the eyes of the Gods. Even from the time its construction was finished, Shingetsu had always been the place where the people aspired to and sought assistance. When calamity struck Mahoroba, it was the Grand Shrine who extended its helping hand and delivered people out of hardships. For that, the City itself was eternally grateful. Or so the history textbooks claimed.

“Ah, Oogami-sensei’s house, ne?” the little angel pounded a fist into her other hand, lips making a perfect O, showing her sparkling, evenly arranged white teeth. If Chikane recalled correctly, Himeko brushed them after waking up, before going to sleep, and between every meal during their stay in Hokkaido. The girl would do any dentist proud.

“Yes.” Chikane nodded.

Oogami-sensei was what the people respectfully called the High Priest Oogami Kazuki, the Forty-sixth Leader of the ancient Oogami Clan, Master of Shingetsu, and elder brother to Oogami Souma. The man was loved by most of those who lived in the City, for he was kind, his personality warm, and his smile so comforting people could not help but relax in his presence. Furthermore, the middle-aged High Priest had always been the first to leave the Grand Shrine when trouble stirred Mahoroba. A few years back, when a terrible winter plagued the City, Oogami Kazuki himself had labored miles after miles to give out warm clothes and food to the poor and the homeless. Afterwards, he became so stricken with pneumonia that everyone worried he would pass away. Of course, such dedication moved people’s heart.

Chikane could still remember the day she and her parents, the famous and powerful Himemiya Kyou and Himemiya Kimika, knelt beside Oogami Kazuki’s sick bed and wished him well. They had caused an uproar then. After all, the C.E.O. and C.F.O. of Himemiya International, who spent most of their time oversea meeting with the world’s most important leaders, had taken a flight home just so they could visit a man who held no political or business power. Every newspaper in town had displayed the picture of her Father shaking the High Priest’s hand on the front page and spoken of it for days. Had it not been for the incident, the public would have never known that her Mother was Oogami Kazuki’s childhood friend.

“But then, why am I in the Grand Shrine?” Himeko asked.

“The High Priest demanded that,” Chikane said wryly, “so there you have it.”

She did not mention that the order of the man – who had stridden into the school ground with a demeanor arrogant enough for any king – was not what she agreed with. She had said clearly to his face that she did not want to entrust Himeko to a bunch of old men who never had a clue how to care for a growing girl properly. She had also told Oogami Kazuki firmly she would not put Himeko in the same place as his younger brother, who, as she had kindly reminded the High Priest, bore the markings of a cold-blooded murderer.

Chikane had faced him with the dignity of the future heiress of the Himemiya Empire and found herself stared down at with the icy authority of a man who refused to take No for an answer. Strong as her willpower was, she still lost for she was outnumbered by the coterie of underlings, namely the Shingetsu Priests he brought along. Ironically enough, when Oogami Kazuki suggested to Chikane that he would take Himeko to Shingetsu by force if need be, he had looked nothing like the kind-faced High Priest who handed out warm clothes with a smile on the streets of Mahoroba. She suspected that the man had at least two personalities, though.

“Does he want to make me a Priestess or something?” Himeko laughed softly.

“I do not know,” Chikane smiled at the joke, “but I suspect he will tell you soon enough. After all... he told me he wished to speak with you as soon as you wake,” Chikane grimaced. Rousing a tired girl out of her bed just because he wanted to talk? Maybe she would need to have a nice long chat with him about his treatment toward Himeko soon.

“Then let’s go,” Himeko beamed at her, attempting to rise from the futon but halted at a raised hand from Chikane.

“You should change first, Himeko,” Chikane gestured toward the red and white Ototachibana uniform – carefully washed, thoroughly laundered, and neatly folded – next to the futon of the little angel. “But do take your time, we are not in a hurry,” she added. She did not mind having the High Priest wait for another twenty-four hours, actually. He deserved it.

“Uniform?” the little angel said slowly as her gaze dawned upon the white yukata she was wearing. Horror crept across her face. “Someone... changed my clothes. The Priests?”

“No,” Chikane took a deep breath, “I did.” There, the truth was out.

The golden-haired was stunned. Blood rose in her cheeks, flushing it with the deepest crimson Chikane had ever seen.

Skin white as the falling snow, beautiful and untainted. Legs so slender and long they could have belonged to a supermodel. Hips slim enough to make most girls green with envy. And her chest, rising and falling in such a captivating way that she.... Horrified, Chikane hastily cleared her mind of the images and locked them into the deepest corner of her heart. She bit her lip in embarrassment. She did not mean to do it so she could look at the other girl naked. She did not have a choice when the High Priest gave her the yukata and told her to change the angel’s clothes. She only did what she had to, that was all.

Then again, Chikane could not deny the fact that she had enjoyed seeing what lay beneath the fabrics of the Ototachibana uniform.... She frowned. How vulgar and dirty she had become. No bath, however long, could cleanse this kind of filth.

“But...” Himeko muttered under her breath after a moment of awkward silence, “that’s....” Quietly, she drew the blanket up until it covered up to her shoulders and began to study the floor vigorously as though expecting to find words of wisdom inscribed on the tatami mats.

That’s what? Chikane thought.

Chikane blinked as she heard the sounds of feet falling softly upon the wooden hallway outside the room. In no time at all, a shadow loomed threateningly upon the paper doors.

“Pardon, Himemiya-san,” a male voice, cold and devoid of any emotion, spoke. “Oogami-sensei wishes to speak to Kurusugawa-san.” Whether she is awake or not, right? How considerate of you, Chikane thought irritably.

“We shall be there in a moment, Yukihito-san,” Chikane replied, the icy quality of her every word giving no false impression that she was not happy. Why did the High Priest insist on disturbing Himeko’s rest anyway? Waiting for another day would not kill the man, would it?

“Then we shall await your arrival at the Grand Hall, Himemiya-san,” Yukihito said and left. Chikane frowned. Apparently, every person in this Shrine thought that they could give her orders and expected her to obey. They would learn how “obedient” she was soon enough....

“Yukihito-san?” the little angel quirked an eyebrow at her.

“Personal assistant to the sensei, Himeko,” Chikane explained. “Although what kind of work he does, I have no idea.”

 “I see,” the golden-haired girl mumbled, face going red when her eyes met Chikane’s. “I need to change, Chikane-chan,” she said sheepishly after a while, her voice so low she could barely be heard.

“Ah,” Chikane blinked as she rose to her feet, “my apologies.”

“It’s okay.”

“As I said, Himeko,” Chikane slid the shoji door open, “take your time.”

“Sure.”

The door drew shut behind her... and Chikane found herself staring at the sun traveling toward the faraway horizon and wondering what Himeko would do after she found her present box in one of her coat pockets.

 

***

 

Fiddling with her forefingers while sitting on the futon, Kurusugawa Himeko tried to calm her heart. Chikane-chan... had changed her clothes. Panic welled in her, embarrassment warmed her face to the point she felt like a kettle boiling atop a stove. She saw everything! a voice screamed at the back of her head. Although her small clothes were still there, such a little comfort did not change the fact that she had unknowingly lain almost naked in front of the blue-haired princess. Himeko shivered. How was she supposed to live with this if she was going to blush like the setting sun every time she saw the Himemiya Ojou-sama? Admittedly, Chikane-chan was also a girl... but... but she alone was special, she alone was different! Compared to having her clothes changed by another man, being seen in such an embarrassing state by Chikane-chan was....

“Even worse,” she muttered.

Of course it was so, for now she had no idea what had run through Chikane-chan’s mind when she was... doing the undressing. Did the blue-haired princess just go on as though Himeko were just a lifeless mannequin? Did she finish donning the yukata on Himeko’s body without a stray or impure thought? Did she feel nothing from touching Himeko’s bare skin at all? She sighed. The way Chikane-chan cloaked herself with such impeccable serenity when she professed that oh-so-casual-but-devastating I did... the answer to all those questions was most likely yes.

Himeko sighed again. She would have been much happier had Chikane blushed or just looked away in embarrassment. At least, that would tell Himeko that she had managed to excite the princess even a little and that at least winning her over was not just a wishful dream.

Himeko’s hand brushed across her lips. Speaking of dreams....

 

...

 

Himeko half-wanted to open her eyes and half-wanted to close them. Her whole body felt so tired and it hurt as if every bone in her had been broken to pieces. Little strength was left in her body and absolutely no memories in her mind. She couldn’t remember what happened. Where was she? She tried to open her eyes further... and realized she was cradled in Chikane-chan's tender arms. Blood rushed to her face. Being embraced from behind by the blue-haired princess was one thing but this.... And why was Chikane-chan’s face drawing nearer to hers?

“I love you, Himeko.”

Her eyes crept wider and wider as her friend’s soft lips claimed her own.

 

...

 

Was it real? she thought wonderingly.

It couldn’t have been. There was absolutely no reason as to why Chikane-chan would do something like that. After all, the other girl was not a... weirdo like Himeko, who had been looking at the blue-haired princess the way any girl would a pretty boy, who had fallen hopelessly in love with the Himemiya Ojou-sama the very moment they met.

Still, a dream it might be, it was still frighteningly realistic. Himeko could still see the princess’s gentle sapphire gaze, unmistakably brimming with love. She could still taste the princess’s lips, sweeter than any amount of sugar. She could still recall the tingling sense rippling through every fiber of her existence from the tender hand the princess had placed on her cheek. Himeko sighed again. If only it were real.

Dropping the blanket, Himeko slipped off the white yukata and reached for her Ototachibana uniform. She stopped dead, however, when her eyes fell upon the small birthmark in the middle of her chest. Before, it was barely larger than the tip of her little finger... but now... it was the size of a fist. Even more strangely, the mark used to be just a patch of red skin, not something that looked like a symbol of the sun. What on Earth was happening to her?

 

***

 

“They shall be here any minute, sensei,” he reported to the High Priest, who was sitting opposite him in the spacious Grand Hall of Shingetsu.

“Very well,” Oogami Kazuki nodded, “you have my thanks, Yukihito-kun.”

“If there is no other errand you wish me to carry out, I will retire to my room, sensei,” Yukihito said.

“In fact, I would like you to stay here and listen to what I have to say to them, Yukihito-kun.”

“Why, sensei?” Yukihito blinked. Ever since he arrived at the Grand Shrine and became an assistant to the High Priest, who needed a helper to take care of his reports to the Council of Priests in Tokyo, the man had been quite close-mouthed when it came to this kind of matter. Why did he change now?

“For you need to know what is going on in the world,” Oogami sighed, “and what kind of dangerous situation we are all in. You may want to leave my service after this.”

“I am sure I will not,” Yukihito answered firmly, “you have been a good employer, and you treat me well. Unless you decide you do not want me around, I will not leave.” Of course, all of that was true, but the real reason why Yukihito insisted on remaining in Shingetsu Grand Shrine was an entirely different matter.

“I am moved, Yukihito-kun.” A small smile touched the High Priest’s lips and lit his face with delight. “But you will consider it again after this little talk to the girls, won’t you?”

“As you wish, sensei,” Yukihito slightly inclined his head.

“Well, well,” Oogami Kazuki chuckled as he heard a gentle knock on the doors of the Grand Hall. “They are here. Now, sit here, Yukihito-kun. That spot is reserved for them.” The man gestured toward his right-hand side.

Rising and then settling next to the High Priest a second later, Yukihito decided to observe the two girls carefully. Although it would mean hearing from Oogami Kazuki what he had already known too well, it still provided Yukihito a chance to learn whether he was right or wrong in the very start....

 

***

 

“We have come as you wished, Oogami-san,” Kurusugawa Himeko’s princess began as soon as she and Himeko sat down on the wooden floor of the Shingetsu Grand Hall, “you may talk.”

She blinked. The blue-haired girl appeared cool, calm, and collected but her voice had taken on an edge sharp enough to kill. Worse, her eyes, gleaming in the light of the candles lit around the spacious chamber, made no attempt to hide her dislike toward the High Priest. Himeko would have broken down and cried herself to death had she been the target of such a heated glare.

“Very well,” Oogami-sensei nodded, appearing unruffled and untouched. Himeko wondered if he noticed Chikane-chan’s not-so-friendly mood. “I will not bother you with the welcoming talk I usually give the faithful who venture into this holy place and get straight to the point. I summon you here, in this dark hour, because I require your aid.”

“So you are implying that two little girls are more useful than the rest of the men in this great Shrine,” the Himemiya princess said coolly. “You must be in a fine mood today to say such a thing as a joke.” The blue-haired girl’s tongue were as civil as that of any teacher, but with her head held high, she managed to look a true princess addressing a lowly commoner who happened to be groveling at her feet. Yukihito-san – a handsome man despite his cold and emotionless face who sat next to the High Priest – studied Chikane-chan as if an extinct creature.

“It’s the truth,” the High Priest, who didn’t seem offended, said in a quiet but serious voice. “Either one of you is worth more than all five hundred Priests inhabiting this place.”

“If I may ask, sensei,” Himeko said, “why is that?”

“Because you possess more power than all of us could ever hope to achieve,” Oogami-sensei made it sound the most obvious thing in the world. It wasn’t.

“There is no need for sarcasm,” Chikane-chan smiled a smile that would freeze hell over. “We are but normal high school girls trying to stay away from a mad man who thinks he can take our lives and get away unpunished.” Himeko swallowed uneasily. The way Chikane-chan said it, anyone would have thought that the mad man was Oogami-sensei’s relative... or himself. Surprisingly enough, the High Priest flinched as if goosed. Afterwards, he eyed her warily. Himeko but wondered whether something had happened between the two of them when she was still asleep.

“You aren’t just who you think you are, young ladies,” the High Priest gave a tiny cough.

“Then please do enlighten us,” Chikane-chan said.

“Before I do that, I must tell you something,” Oogami-sensei replied calmly. If he had lost his balance a few seconds ago, he got it back now. “You see, the Grand Shrine have been protecting a secret for a long time, a piece of dark history known to no mortal but the members of the Oogami Clan.”

“Are you quite sure your brother is not another piece of Shingetsu’s secret himself, Oogami-san?” the Himemiya princess smiled again, this time much more coldly than she did last, if that was possible. What kind of secret is Oogami Souma, really? Himeko thought.

“From the beginning of time,” the High Priest continued smoothly as though never interrupted. He did peer at Chikane-chan curiously, though, perhaps wondering how he had offended her. “Unbeknownst to most, the Immortals of Heaven walked the Earth. Disguised, they wandered the World of Men to flee the boredom that came as the price of eternal life. At first, they were just Gods and Goddesses who had too much time on their hands, completely harmless... until they discovered the fun in toying with the people who spent their ephemeral lifespan trying to bring food to the table. The Immortals then started playing pranks on the poor people, which escalated to monstrous atrocities in the end. There had been records that an anonymous God slaughtered an entire village, men, women, and children, just because he wanted to prove he could.”

“But that’s too cruel!” Himeko said, horrified. She had always believed the Immortals were protectors of the world. It seemed Yukihito-san shared the same sentiment as her, for the man’s face was a mask of rage, his fists clenching so hard she thought they would bleed.

“Indeed,” Oogami-sensei nodded. “However, such tragedies were brought to the attention of the Lord of Izumo and the Lady of Reiha, the two Makers of the World. The Lord and the Lady, after a secret meeting, decided that the Immortals must be reined in or Onogoro, the name given to the then Earth, would face total destruction. They let it be known that a new Law was made, which forbade all intervention from the Immortals to the Human World.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Curiosity tinged the princess’s cool voice.

“Everything, Himemiya-san, for that very law set the stage for what happened in your school,” the High Priest said gravely. “It dated back all the way to three thousand years ago, when the Immortals of Heaven sentenced a God named Yamata no Orochi to death.”

“Yamata no Orochi!” Himeko squeaked. “You mean that eight-headed snake we learned in the stories? He was real?”

“Very much so, yes,” the High Priest answered. “Yamata no Orochi, who termed himself the Dark God of Blood and Destruction, refusing to be killed at the hand of his people, fled to the Earth. Thanks to his skills in persuasion, he succeeded in gathering a huge amount of worshippers, thus building a large army upon this very land. None had had the power to stop him.”

“How about the Immortals?” Himeko asked. “They didn’t do anything?”

“It was not that they didn’t, Kurusugawa-san, they obviously couldn’t.” Oogami-sensei barked a painful laugh. Himeko wished the man would not treat his story as if common sense sometimes. She wondered if there was a way to ask him what he meant without sounding extraordinarily stupid....

“Because of Orochi’s worshippers, of course,” Chikane-chan said, still looking coldly at Oogami-sensei. Yet, seeing how gentler the princess’s voice had become, Himeko knew the explanation was meant for her. Himeko smiled at her gratefully. “The Dark God had become a part of those people’s lives. Dealing with Orochi meant intervening in the mortals’ business, thus breaking the law set by the Makers earlier. Besides, I suspected that the Dark God always kept his followers close so that he could use them as shields should the Immortals come at him.”

“You learn very quickly, Himemiya-san,” the High Priest’s broad smile split his face into two. The princess, in return, favored him with a frosty look. While another person in the High Priest’s place would have lost his smile, Oogami-sensei’s refused to waver. A brave man....

“What happened next?” Himeko asked hurriedly. She had to try to divert Chikane-chan somehow.

“The change of the tide, Kurusugawa-san,” the High Priest said. “Seventeen years after the Dark God’s descent into Onogoro, hope was given to mankind in the form of two Maidens, named the Priestesses of Kannazuki, who were trained by the Immortals, who wielded enormous powers, who were able to summon Orochi’s nemesis: the Sword God Ame no Murakumo. On the Lunar Shine on the majestic Moon the two lived, waiting for the day when they would rid the world of the menace of the Orochi.”

“And how may that concern Himeko?” Chikane-chan demanded. The heat was back in her voice... but this time, there was also uneasiness and fear. She probably had figured out why she and Himeko were summoned to this place. “Why is it so important that you have to rouse her when she is still tired from everything from the night before? Why?!”

“Because your friend, Kurusugawa Himeko, is the reincarnation of one of the Kannazuki Priestesses, the Priestess of the Sun herself.” All that was delivered by the High Priest in a level tone. His wariness toward the blue-haired princess still lingered, though.

Himeko stared at the sensei in shock, unable to say even a word. But whatever she was feeling inside, the blue-haired princess voiced it for her.

“Impossible,” Chikane-chan said icily, her sapphire eyes, strong enough to drive nails into a wall, locked onto Oogami-sensei’s. Creases formed on the middle-aged man’s forehead, and he looked as though he wanted to break away from the princess’s intense gaze. Next to him, Yukihito-san gave a wry chuckle. He seemed amused. “What part of we are but normal high school girls do you not understand, Shingetsu High Priest?” Chikane-chan made no attempt to move that Himeko could see, but she managed to loom in the Grand Hall, her presence growing after every word she spoke. Surprise dawned on the High Priest’s face.

“I have proof, Himemiya-san,” the sensei managed, turning to Himeko. “My apology for such an inappropriate question, Kurusugawa-san, but do you have any mark resembling the Sun on your body?”

Chikane-chan’s gaze shifted to Himeko. By the time it arrived, it was no longer so hard that it could crush a man. Those beautiful eyes were sparking with a strange gentleness and affection that warmed her heart. However, she realized what message the other girl was sending her. She wanted Himeko to deny the existence of the mark. Perhaps she had not noticed it when she changed Himeko’s clothes.

“I do,” she admitted reluctantly, and the blue-haired princess sighed a sigh that tore at Himeko’s heart. She wanted to say what Chikane-chan wished her to but the truth was still the truth. Besides, lying in front of the one she loved wasn’t something she wanted.

“If I am not mistaken, it did not appear before yesterday, no?” The High Priest’s face was shining... with what seemed to be hope. On contrary, though, only despair clouded that of the princess of the Himemiya.

“No,” Himeko agreed.

“That mark is named the Sun Crest,” Oogami-sensei smiled warmly at her, “the very proof that you are the Priestess of the Sun, other than the fact that a Follower had attempted to remove you himself yesterday.” The man clamped his mouth shut at the end of the sentence, appearing to have realized that he had said what he should not have.

“Follower?” Himeko asked. “Attempted to remove me? I don’t understand, sensei.” She didn’t remember a thing about yesterday at all. She wondered why.

“I have told you that the Dark God had numerous worshippers three thousand years ago,” the High Priest said, grief entering his voice. “Most of them were peasants, many were lords, but they were still easy to deal with. This time, it’s different. The best of the Council of Priests in Tokyo, upon observing every turbulence in the Cycle of Death and Rebirth, had informed the rest that eight humans, each endowed with the blessings of Yamata no Orochi himself, had been born into this world. We called them the Eight Followers, Kurusugawa-san, who boast powers no other human can dream of. Worse, since their minds are plagued by the darkness of Orochi, they are hell-bent on destroying the Human World. They are not different from demons... well, most of them are not. We have tried to hunt them down years ago, yet when we finally captured one, it was almost too late.”

“Indeed,” Chikane-chan commented, and the High Priest dropped his gaze in what seemed to be guilt.

“You caught a Follower?” Himeko asked curiously.

Oogami-sensei frowned as though unwilling to speak, but when he opened his mouth, Chikane-chan had already been one step ahead of him.

“He is in the next room, Himeko,” the blue-haired princess said softly, the heat in her voice stronger than ever. “Apparently sleeping unguarded and unchained, as I have been informed before you woke.”

“Shouldn’t he be imprisoned in a basement or something?” Himeko gave a slight shiver. Next room, unguarded and unchained? That sounded way too dangerous to her.

“Why do you think the High Priest would do that to his brother?” Chikane-chan glanced at the sensei, accusation plain in her every single word.

“Eh?” was the only thing Himeko managed.

“Yes, Kurusugawa-san,” the High Priest said in a resigned manner, “my little brother is one of the Followers. Another one had named him the Seventh Head. Under the influence of the Orochi, he attempted to kill you yesterday.” Words rushed out of the man’s mouth as though he was begging for Himeko’s sympathy. “I assure you, he wasn’t aware of what he was doing. Please understand, Kurusugawa-san, he never harbors any ill will toward anyone, least of all, you.”

The High Priest said a great deal more but his words were lost on her, for an image already rising like a viper in her mind had all but occupied her attention. Oogami Souma... was the one who attacked her in her own room. He was the one with the dual-bladed sword, whose body was enveloped in an eerie purple light. Memories returned to her like the waves of the ocean crashing upon the beach in the heaviest storm. Now she remembered everything from the night before, even the deep hatred she had seen in the boy’s scarlet eyes, even the terrible heat of the light with which he had struck her. Overwhelmed by the painful currents of images and sensation, she passed out.

 

***

 

“Himeko!” the daughter of the Himemiya cried at the same time she caught Kurusugawa Himeko in her embrace. The blue-haired girl looked so frightened for the other girl’s safety that no one could have thought she was the same person who slaughtered Oogami Kazuki with her acid comments just a moment ago. He tried not to laugh. Slaughtered. He had been High Priest for thirty years, and more often than not, commanded fear and respect. This was the first time ever that someone, a teenaged girl at that, bandied words with him and succeeded. Everything sure was changing.

“Is she alright?” Kazuki asked.

“She is,” Chikane said in utmost relief. “She just passed out from shock.” She shot him another accusing glance. She probably blamed him and his younger brother for the collapse of the other girl, too, despite the fact that, as he refrained from pointing out, she was the one who mentioned Souma in the first place.

Kazuki studied Himemiya Kyou’s daughter with great interest. She did have something of her old man in her face, especially her sapphire eyes, strong enough to intimidate men twice her age and over. She looked nothing alike Himemiya Kimika – her mother, who happened to be Kazuki’s childhood friend – on the other hand. Kimika was a beautiful woman but she in the prime of her life would pale next to her daughter, one yet to reach the age where her beauty fully blossomed.

Not just in appearance, of course, they also had their share of differences in personality. Submissive and mild as spring water, Kimika was the exact opposite of Chikane, who was firm in her position and defiant toward anyone who didn’t earn her respect. The girl inherited such interesting traits from her daredevil of a father, it would appear.

There was something she did not get from her parents, apparently. Kazuki turned his attention back to the Himemiya daughter, who was cradling the other girl in her arms as though wanting to protect her from the men in this chamber. So... that was where the winds blew.... He was a fool to not have noticed before. Everything made perfect sense now.

The Priestess of the Sun was the underlying cause of Chikane’s foul and murderous mood this afternoon. Of course, she was enraged because Kazuki brought Kurusugawa Himeko here against her wish. She felt offended because he did not let the golden-haired girl have her overdue rest. She more than demonstrated her animosity toward him because he was Souma’s brother, who attempted to murder the one she....

Loves, the word hung in Kazuki’s mind. Himemiya Chikane had fallen head over heels in love with Kurusugawa Himeko. There was no mistaking it. No wonder why he had suddenly had a flash of déjà vu about her parents witnessing how softer and gentler her gaze became during the heartbeat it swiveled from him to Himeko when he asked the girl about the Sun Crest. In the names of the Immortals, that only reminded him of how Kimika looked at Himemiya Kyou when they became a couple! Amusement washed over him. It would appear that some things never changed. He wondered what his old friends would say once they learned of this, though.

“Yukihito-kun, would you bring Kurusugawa-san back to her room?” Kazuki said to his assistant, which earned himself a glare sharp enough to skin a man from Himemiya Chikane. Her expression but ensured that Yukihito-kun would regret it should the young man even try to lay even a finger on the girl she loved. Apparently, Yukihito-kun thought so too, for he was eyeing the Himemiya girl with great reluctance.

“Fine,” Kazuki shook his head, “you do it, Himemiya-san. But come back here after that, please, we need to talk.”

“I believe we do,” Himemiya Chikane stood up, carrying Kurusugawa Himeko in her arms while glancing imperiously at Kazuki. He suppressed an amused chuckle. The night before, when Kazuki met her in Ototachibana Academy and told her that he would take Himeko to Shingetsu by hooks or by crooks, her transfixing sapphire gaze had caught him by surprise, for he had never thought that someone in Mahoroba would resist a reasonable suggestion from the High Priest. Well, she didn’t just resist. She bloody told him flat out that she would not obey. Had he not brought his subordinates with him, he would have returned to Shingetsu empty-handed. Had he realized what their relationship was at that time, though, perhaps he could have found a way to bring Himeko to Shingetsu instead of bullying Himemiya Chikane into it and subsequently making her look like she wanted to kill him.

Himemiya swept out of the Grand Hall like a queen, never bothered to ask for Kazuki’s leave like the rest of Mahoroba would. She had stopped calling him ‘sensei, also. Perhaps to her, he had become pretty much an eyesore that needed to be removed, just like his younger brother. Kazuki sighed. He needed to set heavy guards around Souma now. Not because Kazuki wanted to keep tab on him, of course. He only wanted his brother to be protected. When Himemiya Chikane awakened, the boy, with or without Orochi powers, might not survive her wrath.

 

***

 

When Kurusugawa Himeko opened her eyes, she was already back in the room where she had awoken before, except that her beloved Chikane-chan was not there by her side, watching her sleep. Somewhat disappointed, Himeko sat up on her futon, hand massaging her temple. When she tried to give her head a little shake to clear the dizziness, her gaze fell upon a little piece of paper right where the blue-haired princess once sat.

“Dear Himeko,” it read, “if you see this letter, I am still speaking with the High Priest.” Unlike the other words, flowing elegantly across the piece of paper, the last two were written in such a sharp hand that had Chikane-chan pressed the tip of her pen a little harder, perhaps she would have torn the sheet apart. Himeko swallowed a rueful chuckle. Apparently, the princess had not thought of Oogami-sensei any better. “Stay there. Do not leave the room until I return. It is not safe for anyone outside at the moment, especially you. I will come back to you as soon as I can. Your friend, Himemiya Chikane.”

Smiling quietly to herself, she took the piece of paper, folded it neatly, and put it into her pocket.

The blue-haired princess was wrong about one thing though. Outside was by no means more dangerous than in Shingetsu Grand Shrine, where an Orochi Follower was being nursed back to health. She grimaced. She shouldn’t have thought of Oogami Souma so. After all, Oogami-sensei had said that the boy was not himself when he tried to... murder her. But then, who could say when he would fall under the spell of the Dark God again? She shivered. She did not intend to be near him when he did. She doubted luck would favor her a second time.

A scary thought crossed her mind. She lived through that tumultuous night without a scratch... but was her roommate as lucky as her? Worries burned beneath her skin. Concern for the safety of her friend nettled her heart. Himeko had to go see her to make sure Mako-chan was okay....

Himeko walked to the table on the other side of the room, took out a sheet of paper, and wrote a few lines to let Chikane-chan know that she was going back to the Dorm to check on her roommate. She knew she was supposed to wait for the princess to come back and tell her that in person...but really, only the Gods could guess when the other girl would finish her talk with the Shingetsu High Priest. For all she knew, they could be shouting at each other right at this moment.... Besides, the blue-haired princess would insist on going with Himeko for sure. Himeko didn’t want that. Chikane-chan – who accidentally let slip that she had not gotten much sleep because she watched over Himeko the whole time – needed rest instead of running around.

After she was done with the writing, Himeko hurried out of the Grand Shrine of the Sacred Moon. If she recalled correctly, there was a bus stop somewhere near Shingetsu’s gate. It would do. It would take her to where she wanted....

 

***

 

Sitting on the roof of the Grand Hall of Shingetsu, Yui watched Kurusugawa Himeko running toward the Grand Shrine’s gate and then hopping on a bus that came in the nick of time. She shook her head in mild exasperation. Little Chikane would not be pleased at this turn of events. In fact... the girl would be worried sick when she returned to the room and found nothing but a note saying her sweetheart had left without her. Well, in that case, she guessed she should be going, too.

Still in sitting position, Yui’s body rose into the air and vanished in a flash of golden light.

 

***

 

“What in goodness’s name?” Kurusugawa Himeko muttered in disbelief as she stood in front of the Ototachibana Girls’ Dorm... or most of it. The missing upper-right corner of the front side, where her and Mako-chan’s room was, looked as though blasted away by a small bomb. From there, cracks, huge and deep, ran all over the place. All the windows had been thoroughly shattered, the white color of the walls replaced with black soot. Himeko was under the impression that if anyone poked the Dorm with just a finger, it might just go crumbling down. Goosebumps rose on every inch her skin. If Oogami Souma could do this to a concrete building with just a strike from his sword... how did she, all flesh and blood, survive?

“Kurusugawa-kun?” Suzuhara Aiko-san said cheerfully. The Dorm manager, gray in hair and long in the tooth yet still as energetic as any girl Himeko’s age, waved to her as she strode out from behind the ruined building. “You’re safe!”

“Good afternoon,” Himeko bowed to the elderly lady.

“Forget the formalities,” Suzuhara-san beamed up at her. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to see you’re okay.” The lady called the students living in the Dorm her girls and treated them the way a mother would her blood daughters. Having none herself, she focused her attention and affection on the lot of them and tried her best to make them comfortable under her roof.

“Thanks, Suzuhara-san,” Himeko patted the shoulder of the diminutive lady and said warmly. “I’m relieved that you’re well, too. Where’s everyone else?”

“In various inns in the City,” the manager sounded scandalized. She never thought well of those inns in the first place. “The Dorm is in no living condition, so I have no other choice but to send the girls away. Poor them. Who would wake them every morning so they can get to school on time? Who would take care of the nutrition of their meals? I hope they won’t gain too much weight while there.”

“Ah, excuse me...” Himeko said, hoping she could stop the flood of complaints about the City inns from the manager. The Gods knew how sentimental she got when she spoke of them....

“Speaking about the girls, I have to send their belongings to them soon,” Suzuhara-san went on as though she didn’t hear anything from Himeko. “Good thing that I have a list of the names of where they’re staying.” Suddenly, she turned to Himeko and said apologetically. “I’m sorry, Kurusugawa-kun, that mysterious explosion in your room destroyed all your stuff. I couldn’t salvage a thing.”

“All my stuff?” Himeko said bleakly. “What about the... things in the drawers of my desk?”

“There wasn’t even a desk when I went there.” The manager sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Something clenched Himeko’s throat. So the picture album, her most prized possession, all the memories she had made with Chikane-chan during the last year... was gone. Well, she guessed she could ask the blue-haired princess for a copy of her album but.... Himeko sighed. She had spent so much time with hers that the thing had always felt like a part of her body. Losing it just hurt her a lot.

“Saotome-kun is not any better off than you, either,” Suzuhara-san muttered. “Her stuff is also burned.”

“Ah, yes, Mako-chan,” snapping out of her daze, Himeko seized the opening, “would you know the name of the inn she’s staying at?”

“You don’t know, Kurusugawa-kun?” the manager looked up at her, grief suffusing her voice. Chills slithered down Himeko’s spine.

“What do you mean?”

“Saotome-kun is in Tate University Hospital,” Suzuhara-san sighed, “she broke her leg last night.”

An invisible something gripped on Himeko’s throat. Mako-chan....

“Would you take me to her, please, Suzuhara-san?” Himeko managed after a moment, her voice trembling as though it was going to break.

“Of course,” the Dorm manager said in sympathy. “Let’s go to my car, Kurusugawa-kun.”

Following the elderly lady in silence, Himeko only wanted to cry. Mako-chan was in the school’s track and field team, ready to participate in the annual Interhigh Athletic Competition about to take place right here in Mahoroba. For this alone, Himeko’s roommate had been training days and nights regardless of the weather, ignoring her own body’s limits. It was supposed to be the opportunity for Himeko’s friend to gain the recognition she deserved. It was supposed to be the day she made her name in the athletic world. But in her condition right now... how could Mako-chan make her dream reality?

 

***

 

Holding the note her sweetheart left behind in her hand, Himemiya Chikane’s internal organs turned to ice. Silly Himeko, why could she not realize the dangers lurking in the darkness even after that incident? There were seven Followers left. Another one might just decide to come after her when she was out and about. She should at least have waited for Chikane to come back before leaving. This way, the little angel was but an Orochi bait. And what was wrong with the Priests anyway? If they knew Himeko was the Priestess of the Sun, savior to the world, how in goodness’s name did she let her slip away unnoticed? Why did they not even put a guard on her door in the first place?

Chikane tried to calm herself down but to no avail, her heart pulse was rising so fast it hurt. Himeko. She could not afford standing here and wondering what might happen and what not. She had to go. Chikane rushed out of Shingetsu Grand Shrine, ignoring all the Priests going wide-eyed. Himeko, please be alright!

 

***

 

“Who’s there?” Saotome Makoto answered to the knock on the door without taking her eyes off her window, through which she could see the blood-red sun sinking halfway into the horizon. Somehow, she had the feeling that it would never rise again.

“Mako-chan, it’s me,” Himeko’s voice said, and Makoto’s heart turned cold. “May I come in?”

“Why did you come?” Makoto said.

Silence answered her. The golden-haired girl must be shocked. Of course, that wasn’t something one would say to the person who paid one a visit in a hospital. Makoto guessed she was supposed to tell Himeko that it was okay to open the door, too... except that she wouldn’t. The result would probably be devastating on both sides at the very least. Also, Makoto had already had enough shares of heartbreak for a day. Or a year, actually....

“Suzuhara-san said you were injured, so I wanted to check on you, that’s all,” Himeko said from the other side of the door after a while. She sounded... somewhat guilty and scared. Makoto resisted a sarcastic laughter. Makoto’s injury wasn’t her fault, why should she feel guilty? And why was she scared just because she heard Makoto’s voice? It was quite cold, true, but Makoto didn’t think it was that cold.

“I’m fine,” Makoto said curtly. “You may leave.”

“How’s your leg, Mako-chan?” Himeko asked, seemingly unaware of what Makoto had said.

“Permanently fractured,” Makoto laughed in bitterness. “I will never be able to run for the rest of my life.”

Another pause came. This time, Makoto actually heard a small sob. The girl always cried so easily....

“Leave.” The finality note in Makoto’s voice made no mistake that she didn’t want Himeko’s company.

“But I....”

“Leave, I beg you!”

“I’m sorry, Mako-chan,” was the last thing Himeko said before she ran away, voice broken to pieces.

After Himeko’s footsteps had completely faded away, Makoto buried her face in her hands and wept. Not because her hope had been painfully murdered. Not because she had lost sight of what she had been aiming for so long....

Himeko. The reason why she cried was Himeko. Stupid girl. She never understood Makoto’s feelings. She didn’t even noticed how much Makoto loved her. She had no idea that Makoto would do anything as long as she could make her smile.

That evening, after Himeko forsook her hand in the evacuation, Makoto had run against the current of students after her. She hadn’t cared that her own life was in jeopardy. She only wanted Himeko safe and sound. Ironically enough, she never made it back to her room. Somewhere along the way, someone crashed into her and knocked her over just for the others to trample on her leg. It had been the moment the darkness defeated her.

Still, Makoto never regretted it. What she did, she did for the sake of the one she loved. She was only sad because Himeko already had someone she loved. Himemiya Chikane. Himeko was a clueless and simple girl at best. She had no idea that Makoto read her as easily as she would a book. Himeko’s flustered expression when she saw Himemiya, the fond looks she sent after the blue-haired princess’s back, none escaped Makoto’s eyes. The girl never learned that when she opened her drawers at night and took out her precious hidden treasure, Makoto was still awake.

When it happened the first time, Makoto was merely puzzled, for she didn’t know what Himeko was up to so late at night watching a picture album. Yeah, she wasn’t particularly interested during the first several seconds... until the loveliest smile lit up her friend’s reddened face. Himeko never smiled like that to Makoto. Nor did she ever blush. That night, Makoto had learned firsthand the bitter taste of jealousy.

The day after, Makoto stood in the room in front of the table after Himeko had already gone out. She then picked the lock with her hairpin. In five minutes, the album came into her grasp. It was even more excruciating than she expected. By time she flipped past the last page, Makoto was already crying non stop. Himeko had never been so happy around her, never so cheerful and energetic. That fact alone hurt enough to kill.

Of course Makoto knew the affection her roommate had for her was never more than that of a friend. She only didn’t want to acknowledge it as truth. More than that, she had gone as far as forcing herself to believe that one day, Himeko would realize that Makoto would sacrifice everything for her sake. Every day Makoto waited. Every moment she woke, she wished Himeko would come to her and tell her she loved her. Had life been fair, that little wish would have come true. Had the Immortals of Heaven known what was best for the golden-haired girl, Himemiya Chikane would have dropped dead.

Makoto clenched her fists. As long as the rich girl lived, Makoto stood no chance in winning the golden-haired girl over. Himeko’s eyes only saw Himemiya Chikane’s figure, her head only contained Himemiya Chikane’s images, and her ears only heard Himemiya Chikane’s words. Makoto had tried to disabuse her roommate’s hope that she could have Himemiya – once right after Makoto found a devastatingly blissful expression Himeko in Himemiya’s embrace – but try as she might, she never succeeded.

 Makoto wept harder. She didn’t think there was any point in staying near Himeko, or even in living, any longer. She had lost her roommate, the only meaning she believed this world had, the only present she thought life had meant for her. If only Makoto had died on the night they broke her leg....

 

***

 

“A cute girl, half a head shorter than you, with long golden hair, kid?” the nurse at the reception desk of Tate University Hospital, a large woman with a motherly face, looked up from a computer and asked Himemiya Chikane warmly.

She nodded. Worries clawed at her stomach, fear bubbling in her mind. The people at the ruined Dorm of Ototachibana Academy said the manager had taken Himeko to this hospital. Chikane only hoped she could find her sweetheart here. The night was coming, and everyone knew how hard it was to search for someone in the dark within a city of millions, many of whom would not be gentle to a pretty girl found in their midst. Chills wrecked her body. Gods, make it not so, she prayed fervently in her heart. Thugs aside, there was still the heavy rain that had poured down without a warning as soon as she entered the hospital. Himeko might just fall prey to pneumonia if she was not careful.

“Well,” the woman chuckled, “I’ve seen lots of girls whose hair have that shade of color around here lately, but I think only one of them can be called cute. Does she wear the same uniform as you, dear?”

“Yes,” a broad smile bloomed on Chikane’s lips, “she is here?”

“She was,” the woman corrected, and Chikane felt as though she had been hit by a hammer. “She came in asking for a patient’s name, went to that same person’s room, and then ran crying out of this place ten minutes later.”

Chikane’s heart throbbed painfully inside her chest. Himeko... running out... crying? What happened to her?

“How long ago was it?” she said, voice shaking as though a tree caught in an earthquake.

“A little more than fifteen minutes, I’d say, kid,” the nurse tapped her lips thoughtfully. “But I’m not sure myself.”

“Would you happen to know which way she went, also?”

“I doubt.” The woman shook her head. “I have many patients in here to keep me busy. I only noticed her because she bumped into someone on her way out. Poor girl, she was crying too hard to see what’s in front of her eyes. But then, why should I care too much about her? She isn’t my lover.”

Chikane gave a start at the nurse’s sudden glance at her, which meant more than a thousand words. Heat rose in her cheeks as an indulging smile flashed on the woman’s lips, probably was saying, Is she yours? Chikane wondered if she had given out too many clues while asking about the golden-haired girl.

“Thank you for all your help, ma’am.” She inclined her head.

“No need, dear,” the woman dismissed the thanks with a wave of her hand. “Go find her, and make her happy again. She looks like a very nice girl.”

Hoping that she was not blushing, she turned around, and found herself looking at a slender young woman as tall as she, only prettier. Chikane knew that she was blessed with good looks not many people had but were she to stand next to this woman, she would barely be noticeable. Chikane could even feel the whole room quiet down, every eye, men’s and women’s alike, shifting toward the newcomer. The nurse at the reception desk was staring at her – hands on her mouth, eyeballs about to leap off her sockets – as though seeing an angel on Earth.

The young woman’s hair, cascading in waves almost all the way to her feet, was of the exact same shade as that of Himeko, yet it somehow seemed to shine with an aura that put the fluorescent light on the ceiling to shame. Her eyes, sparkling golden like her hair, were so beautiful Chikane could not help wanting to dwell herself in them forever. In a long-sleeved, high-collared snowy coat and a pair of casual denim jeans, the woman lit up the waiting room of the hospital the way the sun illuminated the world. Chikane had never met such a person before, yet somehow, she seemed awfully familiar.

“Forgive me for eavesdropping on you, young lady,” the woman said with a smile, voice as beautiful as that of a nightingale, “I happen to know the whereabouts of the one you are searching for.”

“Then, tell me, please!” Chikane said, hope welling in her heart.

“On my way here, I saw her sitting and crying under an oak tree near the University swimming pool,” the woman replied. “Do you know where it is?”

“I do.” Chikane nodded. “Thank you.” She bowed to the woman as deeply as she ever did. In fact, some part of her had wanted to make her sink to her knees and lower her head until her forehead touched the tiled floor. She did not know why, though.

Not wasting any more time, Chikane bounded to her feet and ran towards the doors. When she stopped and looked back, however, the woman was gone. The nurse was back to hammering the keyboard of her computer with her sausage fingers, eyes glued on the monitor’s screen. The other people waiting in the room either paced its length in worry or read a newspaper. They all gave no impression that a woman had just graced them with her stunning presence. Chikane shivered. They were acting as though the woman never existed.

 

***

 

Sitting somewhere in the backyard of the Grand Shrine, Oogami Souma looked intently at the double-edged sword propped on his knee. Wielding it, he felt like he could do anything he wished. The power that flooded into his soul and the strength that overwhelmed his heart were... exhilarating. Raien, its name was. With its help, he defeated the damned woman of the Orochi who forced him to attacked Kurusu..., no, Himeko, the love of his life. Orochi.... Disgust stirred his stomach. How nice of him to talk about them so while he was an Orochi Head himself.

Yes, Souma was born to be an Orochi, a follower of the Dark God of Blood Destruction. Shortly after regaining his consciousness, he had wanted to die when his nii-san told him the truth. The Eight Followers of Orochi had been awakened by the Dark God’s call, as was he. He had been taught since childhood and he was meant to protect the people he loved but with the darkness within him, there was no telling when he would reemerge as a bloodthirsty monster. After yesterday, he had realized that the will power he was ever so proud of was just as fragile as a piece of glass.

Souma cursed himself, cursed the day of his birth. Although he was under the influence of the Dark God, it was still his own hands that wielded Raien. It was his own hands that nearly killed Himeko. Thank the Gods she was alright, though. Had she been harmed, Souma would never be able to forgive himself. He was indeed a monster, one that needed to be put down as soon as possible.

Out of the blue, something in his head rang in alarm. This feeling... was the one he had when he confronted the evil woman of the Orochi! Someone was watching him from behind! He spun around, Raien in his hand, poised to strike. About five meters from him a young man in a black suit stood, looking at him curiously. Like a bird peering at a worm, Souma would say. But certainly, the man was an Orochi just as Souma was.

“What is wrong, Seventh Head? You do not seem well,” the man said.

“You’ve come to die, Orochi?” Souma answered harshly.

“The name’s Girochi, the Third Head, by the way, Oogami,” the Orochi said casually, completely ignoring Raien’s pulses of purple light. “And I am here to retrieve the Lightning Blade. It is Orochi property, you know, and you are one of us no more.”

“Is that so? Then take it if you can!” Raien’s tip drew a spiral in the air as it aimed for Girochi’s throat. Souma had to admit, Raien was a monster sword. Even the air crackled as the blade’s power cut through it. However, Girochi simply smiled and dodged his attack by leaping onto a branch of a tree.

“Courtesy, courtesy, Oogami. You should at least have let me draw my sword first before going for my life.” The Orochi raised his right hand and with that, a sword that was as shiny as the surface of a calm pond took form. “Why are you in such a hurry, anyway? In the end, you will still fall under Suikyou edges. A minute or a second does not matter much.”

“Bring it on, Orochi!” Souma roared.

 

***

 

Sitting under the oak tree, Kurusugawa Himeko looked up at the clouded heavens and watched the rain descending upon her face and the rest of her body and soaking them wet. Once in a while, a drop would fall into her eyes and made them squeeze shut just to release another outburst of salty water when they opened once more. Stinging against every inch of her skin, the cold constantly reminded her that she would catch a cold, if she hadn’t already, should she still refuse to find a shelter. She doubted she cared about that now. Not really, not after she had seen the destruction of a large part of the city while riding in Suzuhara-san’s car.... Not after knowing what had happened to her dear roommate....

Tragedy had struck Mahoroba the day before, leaving all but destruction and sadness. Houses were burned to dust, blood spilled on the ground, unwashed. Here and there, some people had stood in front of piles of rocks and stones, what were once their sanctuaries. They were unmoving, doing naught except watching people passing by, their eyes lifeless and dull like those of the dead.

It was all her fault. She was the Priestess of the Sun, Yamata no Orochi’s enemy. For his targeting her, many people were hurt and some even lost their lives. It was because of her that Mako-chan’s dream was destroyed. It was her own doings that Mako-chan wanted her out of sight. She was nothing more than a magnet for disaster, bad luck to whomever she cherished. Should she linger in this town, or any place people lived, more and more would be involved in Orochi’s quest to eliminate her.

She wouldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t bear to watch the ones she loved suffered for her sake anymore. She had to go away, maybe to somewhere Orochi could never find or at least kill her without the loss of innocent lives. Yeah, it was a good idea. In the bank, she still had some money left. It would be enough, surely....

Of course, leaving meant never to see Chikane-chan again, never to be able to see the face of the most important person in the world, Yet, she wouldn’t change her mind. If misfortune were to befall someone, she prayed it would be herself instead of the girl she loved.

She reached into her pockets. In her left was the present she had meant to give Chikane-chan on her birthday, which she had no idea how it got back into her uniform. In her right was a folded piece of paper, the ink upon which had already been washed away by the rain. When she realized that Chikane-chan’s handwritings were completely destroyed, she had broken down crying.

Himeko’s situation was hopeless. Powerful enemies were hunting her so they could kill her when they found her. It was not a matter of if, for Himeko didn’t believe she could escape her fate. Her best friend didn’t want the sight of her. She had lost her precious picture album along with anything else that contained her memory with the blue-haired princess. And worst of all, she wouldn’t be able to meet her first love ever again. Himeko wondered why she even considered running away instead of... jumping into some river and drowning herself to death, a strange thought occurred to her.

Himeko’s eyes dawned upon the rectangular outdoor swimming pool a hundred feet or so in front of from her. Its surface, punctured incessantly by the falling rain, was as dark as the clouded heavens. An alien voice whispered in her the back of her head, advising her of a way to end all her suffering. Into the water, into the depth, it murmured. She had never heard such a voice in her life... but somehow, it sounded awfully convincing that even thinking of resisting it seemed a crime. Himeko looked at the pool intently. She didn’t know how deep the pool was, yet even if it was like the shallowest one she ever saw in her life... it would still be enough. Perhaps it was no river with treacherous currents powerful enough to sweep her away... it should still be enough....

Himeko rose to her feet and walked toward the pool, her mind strangely calm, her head completely empty except for the little voice that had been telling her to step quicker. She guessed it meant she was doing the right thing. She hoped she was.

The swimming pool itself sat next to a small building only one-story high, both carefully fenced against trespassers. Fortunately for her – or perhaps unfortunately, she couldn’t decide which in this state of mind – there was an opening, a gate that should have been locked but was left ajar, allowing her the access to the small body of water, where she hoped would be her final resting place.

Under the assault of the cold, endless rain, she treaded upon the steps that led her deeper and deeper into the pool. Freezing water, only brushing against her feet at first, slowly reached her waist, her chest, and eventually, her neck. Then it engulfed her whole. In what seemed to be longer than a century, Himeko hung within the black water, feeling it pressing against her body, stinging against her eyes, blocking her nose, flooding her mouth, and streaming down her throat. Darkness consumed her vision, nothingness occupied her mind, and a horrible cramp wrecked her whole self apart. It was painful, it made her want to flail her arms and feet desperately to swim to the surface. Yet even if she obeyed the urge to live, she couldn’t, for she wasn’t able to move even her fingertips. Thus Himeko continued to sink into the depth, wondering where she would go once she had passed into the afterlife.

It turned out that she would never be able to know that, for when she could open her eyes again, she found her arms wrapping around someone’s neck, her head resting against someone’s shoulder, and her body being carried around in that someone’s arms. Next she knew, she was sitting against a wall of a room brightly lit by the fluorescent tubes hanging on its ceiling, breathing weakly while looking at an anxious Chikane-chan, whose blue hair was matted to her face, whose clothes were soaking wet. The princess must have been the one who brought Himeko out of the water and saved her life. Himeko just wanted to weep. It seemed she couldn’t stay away from the one she loved whether she intended to or not.

“Are you okay, Himeko?” Chikane-chan asked. Her hand was laid gently upon Himeko’s shoulder, her face painted with concern.

“C... cold....” Himeko mumbled. Her voice was trembling. Every inch of her body was ice.

“You must be,” Chikane-chan said, her voice taut with worry. “Look at you, you are shaking. What in goodness’s name could you be doing in that pool, Himeko? Had I not seen you in time, you would have been....” She cut off abruptly at that, but both of them knew full well what she meant. Dead. Himeko only wished she was.

“Where... I...?”

“In the pool’s locker room,” the Himemiya Ojou-sama sighed, “but answer me, please!”

Himeko closed her eyes and kept silent, trying to hold back her tears. Shame welled in her heart. What would Chikane-chan think were Himeko to say that she was trying to commit suicide?

“If you do not wish to speak, fine,” Chikane-chan said.

 In the darkness, Himeko faintly heard the soft footfalls of the princess drifting away, the screeching sounds of metal doors opening and closing as though the other girl was rummaging through every locker there was in the room, and finally her footfalls back toward Himeko. Her eyes sprang open when something soft and fuzzy fell upon her head. It was a bath towel, with which Chikane-chan used to start drying Himeko’s hair.

Her breath caught.

A few inches away from her face was that of the blue-haired princess, sapphire eyes gazing straight ahead while her hand deftly wiping away the water, their noses all but touched. Had Himeko been able to move a muscle on her body, she would have thrown herself against Chikane-chan, attempted to kiss her forever, and dignity be hanged. She didn’t think she would be able to contain her desire when the face of the one she loved was so close, when her warm, fragrant breaths continued to brush upon her nose and her cheeks.

“Can you move, Himeko?” the princess asked as she pulled away, her voice hesitant all of a sudden.

“No...” Himeko managed, and immediately regretted it when she heard what Chikane-chan muttered afterwards.

“Then I have to take off your clothes myself.” A faint color stained the princess’s snowy complexion.

“Huh....” Shock seized Himeko. “Wait.... You... can’t....”

“They are soaked to every stitch,” the princess said in a rueful voice. “You cannot wear them any longer. So please, forgive me, Himeko.” Had Himeko not clamped her mouth shut, she would have screamed in horror.

“Don’t... Chikane... chan...” Himeko gathered her strength and begged. She said much more, yet the clattering of her teeth prevented them from becoming anything but a bunch of unintelligible words.

The Himemiya Ojou-sama reached behind Himeko’s head and took off the red silk bow with which she used to tie her hair together. Once the bow safely lay upon the carpeted floor, the princess’s soft hands quietly moved to unbutton the Ototachibana sleeveless red jacket, then the white shirt beneath it. Goosebumps rose over Himeko’s skin as the other girl’s pulled the sodden piece of clothing down, exposing to the cold air Himeko’s shoulders, then her upper body, naked except for the bra covering her modest chest. Her face burned in embarrassment as she heard a sharp intake of breath from the blue-haired girl. She had thought she wanted to see Chikane-chan’s expression while undressing her. She now knew that she wouldn’t... not when she thought her heart would burst from merely being aware of what the princess was doing to her. As the other girl took the wet skirt and her stockings off, she used all the strength she had to turn her head away and prevented a gasp from escaping her lips.

It got worse.

Apparently, Chikane-chan never intended to leave Himeko’s small clothes on like the time she undressed her in Shingetsu Grand Shrine.

“I am sorry,” Chikane-chan mumbled, her body leaning forward, her hands sliding soundlessly under Himeko’s arms and reaching toward Himeko’s back. “A steamy embrace” was the only thing she could call it. The princess’s front all but pressed against hers, the Himemiya Ojou-sama’s chin but rested on her left shoulder, the other girl’s blue and wet hair but matted to her cheek. The cold fingertips of the princess, fumbling around the clasp of Himeko’s bra and fluttering against her skin, constantly sent lightning-powerful shivers rippling through her every nerve. Face suffused with blood, Himeko’s teeth rounded on her tongue to stop herself from whimpering aloud. And it didn’t prepare her in the least bit when the other girl removed her underwear. Himeko was so glad that the heat she felt had not cooked her alive after the cotton piece of cloth had been slipped off her legs.

“I...” Chikane-chan mumbled, tossing Himeko’s underwear to the pile. “I do not have a choice, Himeko. I cannot leave you wearing wet clothes so. You will get sick,” she said, sounding as though she was pleading for Himeko’s sympathy, as though she had done something very wrong. In a way, she had. Himeko would prefer being sick for a year to being undressed by the one she loved, the one who she didn’t know would love her back. A discordant thought stirred her mind. If she knew Chikane-chan loved her, would she still feel this way when the princess took off her clothes?

Probably not.

Not saying anything, Himeko continued to lie there and chewed her lips in embarrassment. She only wished this nightmare would end soon.

It didn’t.

The blue-haired princess leaned the back of Himeko’s body, now completely naked for all to see, against the left side her own, her left hand placed primly on Himeko’s shoulder, her right hand holding the bath towel with which she had used to dry Himeko’s hair and face. A lump of something rose in Himeko’s throat. The other girl meant to do the same to the rest of her body as well, she realized. Despite not being able to move, she flinched. Himeko bit her lips harder. How was she going to stop Chikane-chan from what she was going to do short of revealing her true feelings?

She didn’t have enough time to think of a solution, it turned out. The most sensual torture in the world had already started.

Before, during the undressing, Himeko had tried her hardest to ignore the other girl’s electric touches. Now... despite the aid of the bath towel separating Chikane-chan’s palm and Himeko’s skin, she could no longer pretend that she didn’t feel a thing. The Himemiya Ojou-sama’s hands trailed slowly from Himeko’s neck to her shoulders, then down her upper arms, forearms, and her every fingertip, sparing not even a drop of water. It was gentle, it was kind, it was truly like a caress one might give her lover... but it was at the same time the most nerve-racking thing on earth. In her soul, stark desire was rising. Beneath her skin, a flame of passion was burning her whole. In her mind, the voice of reason clashed with a much stronger one, which seemed to stem from her love for the blue-haired princess. Thoughts whirled more violently than any maelstrom, most of which were so indecent and embarrassing that Himeko would not tell a soul even on her deathbed. Her heart was racing faster than any horse, her veins pulsing as though the blood inside was trying to break out, and her head brimming with enough heat to reduce steel to dust.

Her mind went blank when the princess’s hand traveled to her chest, flicked past the heaving mounds and the valley between them so it could get to her belly. Her whole body was rigid with fright and pleasure, the latter overwhelming the former. Her heart simply stopped, her head giving the impression it was going to explode from the torturous sensation. When the towel moved past her belly button and reached the part where her lower body joined with her thighs, the fatigue, the cold, and the feelings in her heart caught up with her. Darkness claimed Himeko.

Some time later, Himeko wasn’t sure how long, she woke up in a bathrobe the front of which was tied together at her waist by a sash. She was sitting against the wall again, next to the Himemiya Ojou-sama, in the same getup. At the sight of the one she loved, the memories of the undressing came alive in her mind, stronger than ever. She really didn’t know what to say to the blue-haired princess now.

“You have awoken, Himeko,” Chikane-chan said cheerfully, face painted with relief. She leaned sideways toward Himeko, the princess’s slender shoulder brushing against hers. Himeko gave a start, hastily scurried away from the other girl until an arm’s length separated their bodies. She blushed.

“Great, you can move again,” the princess smiled. “I guess that means I do not have to dress you come the time we get out of here.”

“I guess,” Himeko muttered, fully aware of both the relief and the disappointment in her voice. Relief she could understand, but disappointment? Heat flared in her cheeks. Maybe she wanted the other girl to touch her again....

“I cannot tell how glad I am to hear that.” Chikane-chan laughed softy. “I do not wish to do that ever again. I mean, the way you reacted when I was taking off your wet clothes, I thought I was deflowering you.” The laughter died, and the blue-haired girl snapped her mouth shut with an audible click of her teeth. Himeko studied the carpeted floor, face growing hotter by the minute.

“Anyway,” Chikane-chan cleared her throat. “Are you well, Himeko?”

“Yes,” Himeko answered briefly, still not looking at the one she loved. She wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them tight. Every single inch of her body... the princess had seen.... Every single inch of it she had also touched.... The neck she stroked, the shoulder she caressed, the fingers she entwined, the breasts she gently cupped and dried... they were all but engraved with her warmth. Until the end of time, Himeko doubted her body would forget the memory of the princess’s tender attention, and the feelings she had wrought. She couldn’t tell whether it was a blessing the Gods had given her, or just a curse. Heaving a sigh, she decided on the blessing. What was done, was done.

 A loud sound suddenly thundered in the distance, and the fluorescent light went out. Himeko expected the darkness to descend from the ceiling, yet it didn’t. The large chamber only became a little dimmer, for the moon was shining through the glass windows of the locker room, spreading its gentle shadow upon her, Chikane-chan, and a large piece of the carpet. The rain had stopped, the clouds cleared, leaving a sky reigned by the silver crescent and the countless stars attending it like nobles would a queen in her court.

Himeko sneezed.

“I am sorry, Himeko,” the princess said apologetically. “I do not know where the switch for the heater is, and I do not dare leave you here all by yourself.”

“I’m fine, Chikane-chan,” a second sneeze came, immediately followed by a third, and a fourth. Dizziness hit Himeko, moisture struck the inside of her nose, and a terrible cold crept onto her flesh. The world seemed to sway around her while her whole body shivered as though sitting naked in the heart of winter. Couldn’t help herself, Himeko ran her hands up and down her arms, hoping that it would warm her up. It didn’t help.

“Are you cold?” the princess asked worriedly.

“Yeah,” she admitted.

“Come here.” Chikane-chan spread her knees apart and patted her hand upon the piece of carpet in-between. “It will be better if we sit close to each other.” Himeko’s breath caught.

“I think I’m fine by myself, Chikane-chan,” she mumbled apprehensively, putting a little more distance between them.

“Are you sure?”

“Dead sure.” Himeko nodded almost feverishly.

“Very well.” The Himemiya princess smiled. “But we will not have to endure it for too long, though. I have made a call to my chauffer and told him to return to my house so he could bring us new clothes. He will be here any moment.”

After that, the two of them sat in silence, the other girl gazing up at the crescent moon. Himeko ground her teeth together lest they clatter and hugged herself tightly to prevent it from trembling. When she stole a surreptitious glance at the princess, though, she noticed that the girl was in a condition no better than hers. Pale and bloodless, the Himemiya Ojou-sama’s face stood out even in the moonlight. Her lips were so dry they clearly showed the cracks. Her nose every once in a while would issue a spray of mist that faded into the air almost instantly. It was the first time Himeko realized that her Chikane-chan wasn’t so strong-willed she could overcome any obstacle and that she, too, was only a girl Himeko’s age, a girl who was just as vulnerable to the harshness of nature. The princess, whose body only was covered by only a flimsy bathrobe, was being chilled to the bone.

Pain surged in Himeko’s veins. Love grew in her heart. Because Chikane-chan wanted to save Himeko, she had had to dive into that freezing pool and become like this. It was Himeko’s fault.

“I changed my mind, Chikane-chan,” she said while wondering whether she was coloring. “Would you... keep me warm?”

At first, the Himemiya Ojou-sama looked at Himeko in sheer curiosity, her sapphire eyes gleaming in the silver light of the moon, yet what she said afterwards was, “If you wish, Himeko.”

That was how she found her back leaning against the front of the one she loved about thirty seconds later. Yet, she never expected Chikane-chan’s right hand to slip under her right arm and placed itself on Himeko’s left shoulder while her other arm encircled Himeko’s waist and hugged her tight. The princess’s chin was propped on her right hand, their cheeks more than just touched. The way she held Himeko, she seemed to be afraid that Himeko would go somewhere and leave her forever.

Her heart once again picked up its pace. Ever since the first embrace the blue-haired princess gave her in the Garden of the Roses, she had always wanted another. In fact, her innate shyness and the fear that Chikane-chan would discover her feelings were the only things that kept her from hugging the girl every time they met. But tonight should be okay, shouldn’t it? she thought. If they were just keeping each other warm, Chikane-chan probably wouldn’t suspect that Himeko was head over heels in love with her. Quietly, Himeko put her own hands upon that of the blue-haired princess, which was placed on the hollow of Himeko’s waist. The blue-haired girl gave no evidence that she minded.

It seemed the close body contact was helping Chikane-chan as well, for her cheek and hands, cold as ice in the beginning, were warming up, her breathing stabilizing. Which eventually reminded Himeko that the girl’s firm, ample bosom was rising and falling against her back. Chikane-chan would be offended to know this but... she felt really nice. Blood raced to Himeko’s cheeks. She was having dirty thoughts again....

“Himeko?” Chikane-chan whispered, her warm breaths tickling Himeko’s ear.

“Yes?”

“What were you doing in that pool?” the princess repeated the question she had asked before. Only this time, Himeko found words waiting to pour from her lips. Strangely enough, death no longer seemed so attractive when she was indulged in the tenderness of Chikane-chan’s heart-warming embrace. She doubted anything was.

“I was...” Himeko answered, “trying to kill myself.”

“For what?” The blue-haired girl’s voice didn’t show a hint of surprise. Perhaps she only asked to confirm what she already suspected.

Slowly, Himeko told her the reasons. Well, most of them. She kept back the part about the despair that Himeko couldn’t be with her anymore. She didn’t know what Chikane-chan could make out from that piece of knowledge but since the princess was a very smart girl, Himeko wouldn’t risk it. And of course, she didn’t tell her crush about the little voice urging her to walk into the pool either. She doubted she wanted the other girl to think of her as someone who heard voices.

When she was done speaking, Himeko half-expected the other girl to shout at her. Chikane-chan never did. Instead, her arms tightened around Himeko’s body as much as they could without hurting her.

“You have suffered much on your own, Himeko,” the princess murmured, and Himeko turned her head to look at the other girl. “I only wish I could take your pain and make you feel better.” Her words were simple, yet the sincere anguish in her voice, the affectionate light in her sapphire eyes spoke more than she ever could. Himeko was moved.

“You shouldn’t be telling me this, Chikane-chan,” Himeko wept openly. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Why not?”

“Because if you continued to be so kind to me, I wouldn’t be able to make myself stay away from you.”

“Have you grown tired of my company?” the princess asked, fear worming back into her voice. “Or have I offended you in some way?”

“No, it’s not that!” Himeko shook her head hastily. “I just don’t want you to be harmed by the Orochi,” she sobbed. “Mako-chan was injured because of me. I don’t want the same thing happen to you!”

“Really?” A beautiful smile bloomed on the princess’s face. “But I do not mind even if it is the case, Himeko.”

“You don’t understand, I...” Himeko said but was cut off when the other girl placed her finger on her lips. It felt so... soft and warm.

“It is you who do not understand,” Chikane-chan laughed softly. “Even if you are not with me, there is no guarantee that I can be safe.”

“Eh?” Himeko blinked.

“It seemed you had never wondered why the High Priest told the story to both of us,” the Himemiya Ojou-sama smiled indulgently. “I also have a mark that just appeared on my back yesterday, Himeko. The High Priest called it the Moon Crest.”

“Does that mean...” Himeko said, hope suddenly welled in her soul.

“Yes,” Chikane-chan nodded. “I am one of the Priestesses of Kannazuki. I am the Priestess of the Moon.”

“Then... then...” Himeko said but before she could find a way to finish, she had already thrown her arms around Chikane-chan’s neck and wept into her bosom.

“Yes, I am your counterpart. I am your comrade,” the Himemiya princess said while stroking Himeko’s head gently. “I am someone who will fight by your side and keep you out of harm’s way. There is no need for you to avoid me, at all. In fact....”

Chikane-chan stopped abruptly, her body tensed, her head turned toward the door of the locker room. There, a handsome and slender young man clad in a black suit suitable for any high-class party stood. Chills slithered down Himeko’s spine. When did he arrive? Why didn’t she hear anything?

“You are not what I expect, Priestesses,” the man said, his voice ringing a bell in Himeko’s head. Where had she heard him before?

“Who are you?” Chikane-chan said coldly as she and Himeko rose to their feet. The other girl stood in front of Himeko as though wanting to protect her.

 “I am Girochi Tokiya, Orochi Third Head,” Tokiya said, a mocking smile decorated his lips, a sword, the blade of which was shiny as any pond in summer, clutched in his hand.

Himeko gasped in horror. The man was one of the Eight Followers of the Dark God.

“What do you want with us?” the blue-haired princess demanded coldly.

“It is you I need,” Tokiya chuckled, the tip of his sword pointing at the Himemiya Ojou-sama. “As for the Sun Priestess, she can go drown herself for all I care.” Then it struck Himeko.

“I remember now,” Himeko burst. “You’re the one who’s been whispering in my head the whole time! You were the one who told me to walk into the swimming pool!”

“What?” Chikane-chan stared at her for a second, and then fixed her gaze upon the Orochi.

“That is correct,” the man nodded. “Thanks to little Suikyou here,” he stroked the hilt of his sword almost lovingly. “I was able to give you a few... suggestions.”

“You monster,” Chikane-chan said, anger rising in her voice.

“Thank you,” Tokiya laughed, seemingly pleased at the insult. “And to show my appreciation, I will demonstrate what this Water Blade of mine is capable of.” As blue light flooded out from the shiny sword the man called Suikyou, darkness once again shattered Himeko’s consciousness.

 

***

 

Girochi Tokiya laughed harder when he saw the Sun Priestess fall down upon the floor and lay flat on her stomach. What a weakling.... She didn’t even have the strength to resist Suikyou’s mind-controlling power. Tokiya had always found this kind of girl quite revolting, fools who did not even deserve to live. That was why he never hesitated in giving her the subtle order to go drown herself in the swimming pool. Too bad she survived. She wouldn’t be for much longer, of course. He was well aware that this went against the wish of the Lord Orochi, who ordered the Followers this very morning not to harm a hair on a Priestess’s head, but if he could suggest that the girl jump into the water again, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem. After all, if it was she who committed suicide, the Lord couldn’t really blame Tokiya for not following his command.

Well, Tokiya would deal with the disgusting girl later, after he had done what he wanted with the Priestess of the Moon herself.

Himemiya Chikane, on her knees on the carpeted floor, was hugging herself and trembling. The girl was fighting Suikyou’s powers with all she had. Tokiya smiled appreciatively. She was strong indeed. Just the type of girls that he liked. And it really helped that she was strikingly good-looking, one of the few precious gems that the human world had ever been able to produce.

“Stop that,” Tokiya said, more and more of his powers flowing into Suikyou the Water Blade and ultimately ended up in the girl’s mind. The Priestess went absolutely still at his command. Time to enjoy this.

“Strip,” he said and smiled in satisfaction upon seeing the girl’s hands moving toward the sash on her waist. His smile slid off his lips, however, when those delicate hands dropped to her sides... and when he sensed a presence of power behind his back.

“Who’s there?” Tokiya spun around, swinging Suikyou in a broad arc. From the tip of the sword, a thin blade of water emerged, slashing at the wall he was facing. Without a slightest noise, a rectangle part of the wall collapsed outward and broke itself upon the ground. What it left behind was a hole large enough for four or five people to walk through at the same time.

Under the light of the moon, upon the surface of the calm swimming pool a dozen feet away from Tokiya, in a hagoromo white as falling snow, a woman stood. She was even more beautiful than the Priestess herself, with her silver hair falling in a straight stream all the way to her feet, with a face that would make any man look twice, with a pair of silver eyes no other woman on Earth had. Being the lecherous man he was, Tokiya would have approached her and attempted to make her kneel at his feet... had he not sensed the power surging within her. Fright wrecked his body. In the name of the Lord, he had never seen someone so strong! Were all the Followers to combine their strength together, they would still be as weak as a child compared to the woman.

“You chose the worst person to pick on, Girochi Tokiya,” the Priestess of the Moon spoke behind him, her voice no longer what it used to be. It was icy, it was calm and collected, it was contemptuous, and it was powerful! The girl was on her feet now, looking at him with her shining sapphire eyes. “For that, you shall pay,” Himemiya Chikane continued, speaking at the same time that the lips of the silver-haired woman moved. He suddenly understood. The woman was controlling her.

Himemiya Chikane’s hand rose so quickly that before Tokiya had time to react, her palm was already erected in front of his chest. An invisible wave struck him and hurled him all the way to the edge of the pool. When his back slammed upon the concrete ground, he felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered to pieces.

“Pitiful creature of the dark,” the Priestess of the Moon, towering over him, said in disgust. She was clad only in a bathrobe, but she still looked a queen on her best day. The young girl lifted her hand again. This time, Tokiya did not think she would let him live.

Reacting at the speed of lightning, he ground Suikyou’s tip onto the ground, used it as a lever to rise to his feet, and lunged himself at the silver-haired woman. She was the puppet master... she needed to be eliminated first. Yet, he missed. The woman never twitched a muscle that Tokiya could see, but her body glided away from him so fast that in a blink of an eye, she was already at the other end of the pool while he still suspended in the air, his sword dashing forward. Frighteningly, although the woman’s feet rest entirely on the water, she didn’t make a smallest ripple. Tokiya was shocked. With Suikyou’s power, he, too, could walk any water surface but such swift movement was beyond him.

His second shock came when Himemiya Chikane appeared right where the woman stood. Since he never wanted to kill her, he tried to withdraw the sword. He was too late, for the girl’s index and middle finger had already clamped upon either side of Suikyou’s blade. The third shock all but destroyed his confidence the very moment he realized not only was he unable to move his Sword, he neither could the rest of his body.

“Fool,” the Priestess said again in her eerie voice. “Even the complete Suikyou could never harm my sleeve, much less half of it. You overestimate yourself by a thousand times, little shadow of the Orochi Third Head.”

Tokiya was dumbfounded. The women knew that what he was wielding was just one half of the true Suikyou the Water Blade, and he but a mirror image of the real Orochi Third Head. She was aware that Suikyou possessed the power to control water, the human mind, and the ability to make a copy of anything on Earth, including its own self and master. Which was exactly what he had made it do. Tokiya wanted to kill the Seventh Head to avenge his Aneki’s humiliating defeat but he was afraid of Raien. Well, he did not exactly fear the destructive power of the Lightning Blade – his Suikyou was strong enough to protect him – but Raien’s horrifying Voice of Sorrow, which was able to suppress any magical forces within its range.

Coming into contact with Raien meant all of Suikyou’s powers sealed off and himself weakened considerably. Yet, there was something he could take advantage of. Unknown to others, he had witnessed the fight between his Aneki Miyako and Oogami just to notice that the boy was but an ignorant lout who completely depended on Raien’s awesome power to do his bidding. Unlike Tokiya, who had mastered the skills of the sword, Oogami could barely keep the blade from stabbing his own foot! That was why Tokiya invoked Suikyou’s Mirror Reflection to divide himself into two halves, one contained all his swordsman’s skills and the other his magical powers. He was confident that with the swordsmanship alone, he could kill Oogami and claimed Raien for his Aneki while his other self finished off the Priestesses, thus eliminating the Lord’s one and only threat. It was a foolproof plan, he knew it was, but he made one major miscalculation. Who could have thought the girl had such a powerful ally?

“Consider this a lesson, Follower.” The Priestess’s vacant hand rose one last time and placed itself on Tokiya’s head. “May you never find peace in your death.” Silver aura blazed.

“Heart of the One True Moon,” the girl whispered, and a pillar of light broke every of his particles apart. He wouldn’t die when his other half still lived. The time would come when he made his revenge. Surely....

 

***

 

Quietly, Yue put little Chikane and Himeko back into the position they were in before the little worm of the Orochi showed himself. With a flicker of her hand, the moonlight materialized into the rectangle opening on the wall and made it whole once more.

“Farewell, dearest children of mine,” Yue murmured to the unconscious girls, kissing each of them slightly on their cheeks. Then she put her hands on their foreheads and erased any bit of memory concerning the Orochi Third Head. The despicable insect would not be able to bother the two girls with his mind-control trick now that Yue had placed a little barrier in their souls. Yes, they were now safe....

 

***

 

...

 

“Then... then...” Himeko said but before she could find a way to finish, she had already thrown her arms around Chikane-chan’s neck and wept into her bosom.

“Yes, I am your counter part. I am your comrade,” the Himemiya princess said while stroking Himeko’s head gently. “I am someone who will fight by your side and keep you out of harm’s way. There is no need for you to avoid me, at all. In fact, I would like you to come live with me from now on.”

“Live with you?” Himeko said, looking at the one she loved, her breath uneven from all the crying.

“Yes,” the blue-haired girl smiled at her tenderly. “You have nowhere to go, so why not my house?”

“I thought Oogami-sensei wanted to keep me in Shingetsu, didn’t he?”

“He does not have any say in this,” Chikane-chan laughed quietly, hand combing through the fountain of Himeko’s hair. The satisfied twinkling in the princess’s eyes gave Himeko the impression that the other girl had succeeded in bending the High Priest to her will. Oogami-sensei wouldn’t have been very pleased at this, she guessed.

“You are so quiet, Himeko,” Chikane-chan said. “Are you unhappy about moving in with me?”

“No, I’m just too happy to say anything, Chikane-chan,” Himeko murmured, burying her head in the princess’s chest. To live with the one she loved, to see her anytime Himeko wanted to, to go to school with her every morning.... It was like a dream come true.

“Good,” the other girl laughed softly.

Several minutes later, Chikane-chan’s chauffer arrived at the swimming pool with new clothes for them to change into. Himeko was a little disappointed, for she had to leave the princess’s embrace, but when she found herself sitting next to the blue-haired girl in the limousine, nothing but bliss remained in her head. She had a new home now, where she hoped she could spend the rest of her days with the one she loved.

 

***

 

Standing on top of the small building, Oogami Souma watched as Himemiya and Himeko got into the car. Chikane-chan? Himeko? he thought wonderingly. Those two never addressed each other like that in school before. They were all Miya-sama this and Kurusugawa-san that as far as he could remember. Besides, he did not think he saw them together more than once.

In any case, Himemiya’s fan girls would go haywire once they learned their Miya-sama was this intimate with someone not from their own crowd. Well, Souma felt the same way, although for a much different reason. Their relationship seemed out of place, he could sense something wrong with it. They looked the best of friends but there was something much more than that. Upon acquiring Orochi’s power, he had become more sensitive to humans’ emotion than anyone ever could. He could tell when someone was angry or happy or sad even if their faces were carved from rocks. And what he sensed from Himemiya Chikane and Himeko was... disturbing.

Well, he would deal with that eventually, just like what he did with the bastard Girochi. There was one thing Souma could not deny, though. The man was too good with his sword. When Souma lured Girochi out of the Grand Shrine and into the forest, he had thought it was an easy fight. Wrong. It was dangerous because Souma had been forced to defend himself most of the time. He didn’t even have time to wield Raien’s powers. Every strike Girochi made connected with the next into one continuous flow, aiming for Souma’s vital spots. It was like standing beneath a waterfall, actually, with water thundering down from overhead. Every time the blades met, sparks flew and Souma’s arms suffered an aftershock strong enough to blow his sword away had he not gripped it with all his strength. There was one time when he managed a counterattack and pushed Girochi back. At that moment, he unleashed Raien’s powers and tried to kill the bastard but the man dodged it easily. That attack cleared out a large area of the forest and destroyed the power lines leading to the City just for nothing. After that, Girochi resumed his onslaught. Eventually Souma realized it was a fight he could not win.

When he was about to let go of Raien because his hands were numb from all the attacks, something unexpected happened. Girochi suddenly coughed off a lot of blood as his sword broke into two. The man fell to the ground and lay there, thrashing in pain. Seizing the opportunity, Souma once again tapped into Raien’s lightning power and burned the bastard to dust.

After the fight, Souma used Raien to traverse space to hurry toward the Priestesses. It was another gift he was bestowed upon, sensing the presences of the Priestesses of Kannazuki. If the Orochi had made his move, only the Gods knew what they could have done to the girls when Souma was busy. Nothing happened to them, though. Actually, he thought something did between them, but Souma was too late to learn what.

Looking at the departing car, Souma tapped his lips thoughtfully. It could be troublesome, now that Himemiya had invited Himeko to live with her, troublesome for Souma, obviously. From what he could make out after reading their emotions, Himemiya had a lot of hidden feelings for Himeko, as did the girl he liked. Troubling, indeed, Souma thought as he opened a Dimensional Portal leading him back to Shingetsu. He froze a second before he stepped into the thing, though, for his enhanced eyesight caught a small object sparkling beneath an oak tree about a hundred feet away. At a flicker of his sword, the thing lifted from the earth and flew into his hand. It was a pretty present box gift-wrapped carefully in silver foil. More, on its top, there was a note that read, “Happy Birthday, Chikane-chan”. A cold hand gripped his heart once he used his power to learn what was inside the thing.

 

***

 

As the Orochi boy walked into the Dimensional Portal, face aghast, Yue, whose back was leaning against another oak tree near the pool, taps her lips thoughtfully. A turn of event she did not foresee. The boy seemed to follow the path of the Light now, only that he never did it for the sake of the world. He did what he did because of Himeko. What would happen if in the end he could not have what he had been fighting for? No matter, he did not pose that great a threat to the girls when they got each other’s back. The cogs of fate had already begun to turn, grinding everything in its path. She had done everything in her power to stop what would come to pass but whether the tragedy would repeat itself or not really depended on the two poor girls themselves. Sometimes she wondered how reality could be so cruel....

“And here I am, thinking you would never break a single rule, let alone the most important one Law of Heaven, Yue-chan,” Yui said, seemingly materializing out of thin air. Under the silvery light of the moon, she seemed as glorious as the sun itself. “You’re aware father would not be pleased should he know you intervened, aren’t you?”

“That does not count,” Yue said coldly, not bothering to spare the resplendent woman a look. “Ao... I mean, Chikane was the person who chased that little insect away, not me.”

 “You think father wouldn’t know that you were pulling her strings the whole time?” Yui laughed quietly.

“How about you?” Yue rounded on the other woman, her voice would do an ice cube proud. “You revealed yourself in a crowd of mortals to show Chikane the way, then erased their memory. You are no better than I am.”

“Oh, something like that happened?” Yui said, feigning ignorance. “Why didn’t I remember?”

When Yue was ready to say something scathing to the golden-haired woman, she stopped short. A Dimensional Portal opened several feet away from both of them, from which emerged a man in a white cape whose sleeves were decorated with a golden pentagram at the wrists. A Holy Messenger.

“I beg your pardon, Yui-sama, Yue-sama,” The man bowed to them. Yue almost gnashed her teeth. Those irritating people somehow managed to find her wherever she went and did their best to see that she never had a moment’s peace. “The Lord wished to see you. He is not pleased right now, so I suggest you come with me in haste.” Shivers slid down Yue’s back. How did father learn of this so quickly?

“Let’s go, Yue-chan. You don’t want to make Father wait, do you?” Yui said, striding toward the Portal but before she entered, she added. “But I see that you never stop disliking me after these years.” The woman vanished into the gate, a smile decorating her lips.

You have no idea, Yui, Yue thought.