EPISODE SEVEN: KANNAZUKI AOI.

 

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�gReiko? What are you doing here?�h

Oota Reiko looked up as she heard the Fourth Head�fs voice. In spite of herself and her knowledge of the latter�fs dressing habit, she stared. Korona, as always, wore revealing clothes barely more decent than a transparent sheet. Reiko understood that it was the trend of pop idols these days but whatever they did in those music videos and recording studios, should they not have a little more shame in public? If someone paid enough attention, they would see without much difficulty what kind of... delicate clothes the girl was wearing beneath.

Reiko shook her head slightly in frustration. She was willing to bet that Korona had caused several accidents just by walking on the streets, especially if the girl had been swaying those hips of hers in front of the terrible drivers of Downtown the way she always did even when no one was watching. Had Korona not been an Orochi, someone would have molested her in some dark alley long since.

�gI never thought I�fd sense the presence of an Orochi in a Catholic churchyard, let alone one offering camellia flowers to a grave,�h the Fourth Head commented casually, seemingly oblivious of the indecency of her outfit. �gWhose is it? Don�ft suppose it belongs to one of your victims.�h

�gIt is Natsune�fs,�h Reiko answered quietly and fixed her eyes back on the marble tombstone. �gToday is the fifth anniversary of her passing.�h Her reply seemed to have hit the Fourth Head square between her eyes. Grimacing, the girl chewed on her lower lip, appearing ashamed and deathly embarrassed.

�gI... didn�ft know that. I�fm sorry, Reiko,�h Korona said after a while, voice strangely quiet.

�gI do not mind, Fourth Head. It is not like you did that on purpose.�h

Korona walked in front of the grave and offered Natsune a solemn bow.

�gThank you, Fourth Head.�h

�gOota Natsune, the only one I love, may you rest in peace within the embrace of the earth,�h as though she did not hear what Reiko said, Korona read the words engraved on the tombstone, her eyes widening slightly when they set upon Natsune�fs name.

�gOota? Isn�ft that your last...?�h Korona�fs voice trailed off upon meeting Reiko�fs sidelong glance. �gOh I see,�h she murmured afterwards. For some reason, that �eOh I see�f carried within itself an emotion that Reiko could not name. As far back as she could remember, the pop idol never sounded this way around her. She only wondered what it meant.

�gShe was a Catholic?�h Korona asked, her voice returning to normal.

�gYes.�h Reiko nodded curtly as she sensed her face hardening, her eyes blazing with anger, her blood coursing in her veins like rivers in a storm. Although Natsune knew that her love for Reiko put her at odds with the teaching of the Church, she remained fervently faithful to her God. She believed that as long as she lived a virtuous life, His Almighty would not mind if she happened to choose another woman for her love interest. Apparently, He thought otherwise. Her hands curled into fists as her transcending powers erupted in her soul.

�gWhat�fs wrong, Reiko? You look so... scary,�h the Fourth Head hesitated and took one step backward, her youthful face painted in fright. She was right. Reiko always appeared murder walking as soon as she was reminded of the Church. And whenever that happened, the bravest people made excuses to leave and the weak-willed fool seemed as though they had soiled themselves.

�gDo you know what churchgoers and their ministers did to Natsune when they found out the nature of our relationship, Fourth Head?�h Reiko began, ignoring the winds roaring in her ears. �gThey, along with my beastly parents, murdered her. I thought something was strange the very moment Natsune came home that Sunday. Normally, she would look bright and cheerful despite the hardships we had to endure. That day, she was barely able to keep herself from crying. I asked her why but she only kept silent and staring blankly at the distance. She did not touch her food, she did not touch the magazines she liked, and every time she saw the Bible, she broke down crying into my arms.

�gPanicking, I ran to the church Natsune went to once I had put her to sleep, trying to find out what was wrong. I did. Because they considered our love forbidden by their God, because they thought it was the teachings of the Devil, they denied Natsune the passage to the church. Worse, they never let her go before they finished scolding her just for loving me and told her that God despised her and would condemn her to Hell when she died. They even went as far as threatening to burn down our apartment should they see her shadow outside their gates!�h

Those despicable humans were partly responsible for Natsune�fs breakdown, one of the reasons that smothered the frail flame of life of Reiko�fs beloved. She loathed them! She despised them! The first thing Reiko had done upon being bestowed the Ice Blade from the Lord Orochi had been avenging Natsune�fs death. How she had laughed and cried at the same time watching each and every one of them stared at her in horror from within the ice pillars, their lives slowly being extinguished by the unbearable cold. Although she knew better than anyone that revenge could neither bring her beloved back to life nor quench her hatred toward the world, she could not stay her hand from slaying those so-called righteous humans. If she had known of a way to kill them over and over again, she would have. They deserved it!

�gReiko!�h

The Fourth Head�fs yell jerked Reiko back to reality. Korona�fs arms were wrapped around her body, which was covered entirely by a thin layer of frost. Not just her, though. Everything on the ground, including the lawn and the flowers and the fountains nearby, were now frozen in ice. Every step Reiko made on the blades of grass would shatter them as surely as rock upon an egg. Then it struck her. Horrified, Reiko whipped her head to Natsune�fs grave. She only heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that the tombstone, along with the white camellia flowers she brought for her deceased lover, were miraculously untouched. It was all thanks to Korona. The Fourth Head had been standing before the grave this whole time, guarding it with the Barrier she wrought. However, the protection of Natsune�fs resting place came with at Korona�fs expenses. Since the pop idol�fs defensive powers were fairly weak, she ended up taking in all the cold pulsating from Reiko�fs body in her rage.

�gAre you alright, Fourth Head? I am so sorry. I... lost control of myself.�h Guilt and pain stabbed at her heart.

�gIt�fs nothing, Reiko,�h Korona smiled shakily at her while she tried to get rid of the frost on her body. She appeared chilled to the bone. �gIt�fs only natural for you to be furious. I would be, too, if my lover....�h She stopped abruptly, face going red. Gratitude for Korona washed over her in waves. Where the Fourth Head lacked in decency, she had more than enough consideration to compensate. Well, Korona had always been thoughtful and nice to Reiko ever since Reiko told the girl her life story. She could not understand why, however. Reiko had always put up a wall of separation between her and others, even to her comrades the Orochi but despite all that, Korona still managed to grow closer and closer to her. A strange girl, yet... a very kind one....

�gReiko? What are you...?�h the Fourth Head stammered as Reiko took off her long black coat and draped it across the other girl�fs trembling shoulders.

�gYou will need something warm if you do not want to catch a cold, Fourth Head.�h

�gThank you,�h Korona looked away, her face crimson, her hot breath tinged by the frost.

Reiko frowned. The Orochi Fourth Head could not have developed a fever so quickly, now could she?

�gIt is I who need to say so.�h

�gUh, Reiko, if you don�ft mind me asking...�h Korona hesitated. �gWhy do you leave Natsune in a place you hate so much?�h

�gBecause Natsune wished it,�h Reiko answered in bitterness. �gShe always told me that when she died, she would like to be as close to her God as possible. Honestly, Fourth Head, I never like the idea but if it could help Natsune�fs soul rest in eternal peace, I am fine with it. It is the least I could do in exchange for her putting up with all the sadness and pain for my sake.�h

�gDon�ft say that,�h Korona patted Reiko on her shoulder. �gIn having you, she is more fortunate than most of us out here, you know.�h

�gI would not be so sure were I you,�h Reiko muttered. �gYou were not there when she suffered. You did not see how I turned her life into the pit of doom.�h

�gThen tell me this, Reiko,�h Korona said suddenly. �gSuppose the storm had not been cleared up by that strange light and you had had no powers as an Orochi, would you have risked everything and come to visit her grave?�h

�gYes.�h Puzzled, Reiko stared at Korona.

�gSuppose you can bring Natsune back but you are to be condemned in Hell�fs fire forever, would you go and take her place?�h

�gYes,�h Reiko said. �gAnd your point is?�h

�gSee?�h Korona looked up at her and smiled warmly. �gIt is any girl�fs dream to have someone love her the way you did. No matter how hard Natsune life was, she must have been very happy, I�fm sure of it. I would be, too, if I were her. Because you know what, I would trade anything I ever own, my Orochi powers, the promise for eternal life, anything, for only a tiny bit of your love.�h

�gIt is easier said than done, Fourth Head.�h Reiko turned aside, heat gathering in her face. The girl said the most embarrassing things. �gFoolish of you to believe me.�h

�gI�fm not,�h Korona said. �gLike Natsune, I have good eyes for people, mangaka super-sensei.�h

Realizing that continuing like this would embarrass her to death, Reiko changed the topic, �gIn any case, Fourth Head, it is rare to see you up and about at this time of day. You are a night creature, are you not?�h

�gOh, I am.�h Korona giggled. �gI�fm supposed to work the first shift today, you know, but that storm took quite a toll on our studio before it disappeared. Everything�fs a mess because of the flooding since last night and all. That�fs why I�fm going to have a bit of time off, isn�ft it cool?�h

�gIf you are so happy because you do not have to work, Fourth Head, why did you even bother taking up on being a pop idol in the first place?�h

�gNow that�fs where you�fre wrong,�h Korona argued in a cheerful tone. �gWho says that if you love your work, you can�ft enjoy a little vacation?�h

�gYou are a mystery sometimes,�h Reiko remarked quietly.

�gI am?�h

�gYou once asked me why I am an Orochi despite my wealth, my fame, did you not? Then why are you one, Fourth Head, while you seem to love to sing and have much appreciation for this world?�h

 The buoyant girl�fs face went pale. Reiko had unknowingly struck the girl�fs Achilles�f heel, it would appear, the way Korona�fs eyes were suddenly filled with unspeakable agony, the way she dropped her gaze and studied the ground beneath her feet while her hands curled into tight fists at her sides. Reiko decided to drop it. She was not interested in knowing things people did not want her to, anyway. Besides, strange as it might sound, the Fourth Head was her friend now. Embarrassing one�fs friend was out of the question even for an Orochi... or for her at least. The Lord knew full well how some of his Followers didn�ft have an ounce of civility or common sense.

�gForgive me, Fourth Head, for being inconsiderate,�h Reiko apologized. �gYou need not answer my question.�h

�gReiko, I....�h

�gWhat have we here?�h a girlish voice said. �gStuck-up girl got herself a date, a good-looking one at that. Isn�ft it wonderful?�h A girl roughly Korona�fs age walked toward them, a hateful sneer curving her lips. On her neck hung a silver cross, which dangled violently every time she swayed her body in a miserable attempt to create a rhythm to her steps. The girl was a Catholic, which made this very incident a mere coincidence. It was somewhat a relief, for had she been tailing them all along, she would have witnessed Reiko�fs powers going wild. And that would mean Reiko had to finish her off, too, to protect the secret. She would hate it if she had to kill on Natsune�fs passing anniversary.

�gMinakawa... Shizuho,�h Korona said, lips compressed in a thin line. Anger was evident on her face... yet on it, Reiko also spied embarrassment, anxiety, and fear. She blinked in surprise. An Orochi Follower who could annihilate a city with one swing of her Sword appearing afraid at the sight of a mere human? What is going on here? she thought.

�gHey, onii-chan.�h Minakawa ignored the Fourth Head and came straight at Reiko. �gAre you sure you want her for a girlfriend? You will regret it, you know.�h

Onii-chan? Reiko suppressed a smile. The strange girl, Minakawa or whatever her name was, thought she was a man. Reiko would not blame her, though. It had not been the first time people made that mistake. Well, her choice of clothes had always been something that would come up in a guy�fs mind instead of a woman�fs. For one, she always preferred a pair of jeans and a T-shirt to a dress, however pretty or expensive. Her short hairstyle, her lack of body curves, her deep voice and her cold demeanor were quite misleading, too. If anything, they only increased the boyishness of her appearance.

�gAnd how does that concern you?�h Reiko said coolly.

�gSure it does,�h Minakawa�fs pretentious laughter grated in her ears. For inexplicable reasons, Reiko found herself hating the girl more and more. Was it because her personality was much more hideous and repulsive than that of a snake? Or was it because... Minakawa was making the Fourth Head uncomfortable? Reiko shook her head slightly, what was she thinking? �gDon�ft you think you and I would look perfect together?�h

�gWhat gives you such a notion?�h Reiko should have taken Korona out of this place and left the girl behind, she realized. The Fourth Head would like it, she was certain, for the pop idol�fs eyes were begging Reiko to do exactly that. Still, she had a feeling she would like to teach Minakawa a lesson for messing with the Orochi Heads. The girl should consider herself fortunate that today was Natsune�fs anniversary. On any other day, Reiko would have already taken her head.

�gOh, come on,�h Minakawa insinuated. �gYou seriously think a girl with a morbid fear of men would give you what you really want? You�fre better off with me, I�fm sure.�h

�gFear... of men?�h Reiko looked at Korona quizzically. The Fourth Head avoided her gaze.

�gOh, she didn�ft tell you?�h Minakawa said in feigned surprise, her eyes flashing gleefully and maliciously. If only she was aware of the thoughts running through Reiko�fs mind, she would wish that she had jumped into some river and drowned herself to death. �gWell, that makes perfect sense. After all, what kind of girl would say how she had come to despise men after being violated by her last boss? And I guess you wouldn�ft happen to know what she did to the last guy who tried to get his hands on her, would you? Poor guy, your pathetic girl practically pushed him down the stairs. Too bad the police said it was self-defense, or she�fd have been in jail by now.�h

An icy wind blew in Reiko�fs soul. What Minakawa said was the truth. Reiko could sense it within the vile girl�fs mind. Now she got the picture. That was the very reason that brought Korona into the Orochi�fs fold and fueled her desire for vengeance. That was why the Fourth Head never came closer than two steps to the male Followers and always spaced herself at the furthest corner of the room from latter whenever she came to the audience with the Orochi Lord. Like Reiko herself, Korona had been given indelible scars by this cruel world. And she was suffering because of them. There Korona stood, gathering her arms about herself, tears silently dropped from her face. The icy wind exploded into a raging snowstorm.

�gSo?�h Reiko said quietly. The air around them began to cool down despite the warm light from the sun on high.

�gOh please, don�ft play coy, onii-chan.�h Minakawa snickered. �gLook at me. I�fm better than that girl in every aspect. And she�fs not going to let you touch her anyway, so why don�ft you dump her and come with me to some place we can, say, relax?�h

�gYou are not worth my time. Besides, I find your very existence offensive.�h

�gHey! Don�ft you know who I am, you ignorant lout?�h Minakawa snapped, her hateful face darkening in anger.

�gMinakawa Shizuho, age twenty-three, from the Isshin Group, debuted three years ago but is still unknown to the majority of the public.�h Every word Reiko said decreased the temperature by a few degrees. While Korona was okay thanks to the coat, Minakawa enjoyed no such comfort. She shivered nonstop as her hands ran up and down her arms every few seconds. �gYour newest single is ranked eighty-fifth in the top one hundred list. You are currently engaging in an affair with Hashitomo Shunshou, age fifty-two, director of the Isshin Group, despite the difference in age and the fact that he had a young spouse waiting at his beck and call already. Did I cover everything?�h Orochi�fs mind-reading power sure was convenient.

Minakawa�fs real goal in her attempt to snatch Reiko away from Korona was clear. The girl was jealous of the Fourth Head higher status in the board so she did everything in her power to make the Fourth Head�fs life as miserable as possible. Filthy human.

�gWhere... do you get... that information?�h Minakawa�fs eyebrows climbed off her scalp while her already pale skin grew even paler from the glacial winds that came at Reiko�fs summons. The girl seemed to want to leave, too, but Reiko bet her legs were not quite obedient to their master�fs wish. They could not be, really, for once she had cast her transfixing gaze on any creature, only those with power higher than hers stood a chance of breaking free. For Minakawa, a girl who possessed as much magical power as a rock, it was well nigh impossible.

�gSo, do tell, dear eighty-fifth, how have you the nerve to say that you are better than my girlfriend?�h Reiko slipped her arm around Korona�fs slim waist and pulled her closer.

Although the pop idol was first stunned by the unexpected turn of events, she adapted to the situation fairly quickly. Pulling the black coat that was put on her earlier together at the front with one hand, the girl rest her head gently upon Reiko�fs shoulder. Korona did have talents for acting, she deserved some credits for that. The way she squeezed her vacant hand affectionately around Reiko�fs own, the way she looked up at Reiko with the gentlest expression ever, and the way she shyly cast down her eyes when their gazes met were so real, so loving that Reiko�fs heart, shielded by eternal ice, skipped a beat. At the same time, however, bitterness soured her stomach. When Natsune was still alive, she used to look at Reiko the same way.

�gYou... she...�h Minakawa�fs jaw dropped in the most satisfactory manner. She would not be so sure about Korona�fs fear of men after this.

�gI suggest you leave before you lose more of your dignity, if you have any left,�h Reiko said coldly and lifted her inhibition on the girl�fs movement.

�gI won�ft forget this!�h With that, Minakawa withdrew in a hurry. She fell a few times, though, before she blended into the distance and vanished.

�gYou�fre awesome, Reiko!�h Korona exclaimed after Reiko let go of her. �gYou looked that deep into her mind? The best I can do is listening to her thoughts! That girl is a pretty hard nut to crack, you know....�h

�gMore importantly, Fourth Head,�h Reiko broke in firmly. �gWhy do you let the brat live? She insulted you, she held your secrets, and she is dangerous. Are you that much of an idiot not to see? Any self-respecting villain would have the little nuisance taken care of by now! I cannot believe....�h

Reiko closed her mouth. She wanted to say more, to talk some sense into this disgrace of an Orochi Follower but when she saw Korona actually look hurt by her sharp words, she could not continue. Sighing deeply, Reiko massaged her forehead and tried to calm herself down. It was not like her at all to get mad over something so trivial. No, it was absolutely unlike her. Normally, she could not care less about other people�fs personal businesses – her comrades did not call her �gReiko the heartless�h just for fun – so it made no sense as to why she got so worked up over Korona�fs pest problem.

�gI would tell you why, but you�fre going to yell at me for sure,�h Korona said.

�gI give you my word that I will not, now tell me.�h

�gI... don�ft... like to kill,�h Korona muttered.

Reiko found her eyes trying to bulge out of their sockets. An Orochi who... disliked killing? Were any of the other Followers in her place right now, they would laugh their heads off!

�gAre you... angry?�h

�gNo, I was just surprised when I should not be.�h Reiko sighed. She did not really whether she should laugh or cry in a situation like this. �gI should have seen this coming. For pity�fs sake, you were mad at me for one whole day only because I killed a character in my manga!�h

Recently, Korona had been making trips to Reiko�fs room, which was considered a forbidden territory by the rest of her comrades. Sometimes, the girl came to invite Reiko to tea, sometimes to peek in to have Reiko tell her what was going on in her newest work. For the latter, Korona usually stayed as long as she could, apparently for no purposes even after she had known whatever there was to know. On a chair next to Reiko�fs drawing table the Fourth Head sat, gazing at the images on the papers. However, once in a while, Reiko had the feeling they were not the sole focus of Korona�fs attention. There were moments when Reiko looked at the other girl out of the corners of her eyes and found her watching Reiko intently with a face she could not read. Still, however uneasy Korona made Reiko feel once in a while, her presence in Reiko�fs life was by no means... unwanted.

�gFor your information, Reiko, it�fs not my fault I can�ft stand the sight of people dying!�h

�gThen why in the Lord�fs name did you join the Orochi? Do you not know killing is a part of the deal?�h Reiko said quietly.

 �gIt�fs not like a Head has any choice, you know,�h Korona insisted. �gBesides, that�fs not what the Lord said. He promised me that I just have to stand by his side and he would build me a better world to live in.�h

Reiko frowned. The Lord said so now did he? This actually was one of her few concerns about the true meaning of being an Orochi Head. The Lord did not require them to do anything for his sake, nor did he tell them to eliminate the Summoners of his nemesis, the Priestesses of Kannazuki. They were merely told to do what they needed to, what they wished until the promised day came, when life everlasting would be granted as a reward to each and every one of the Heads. Then why did the Lord need them in the first place if not to do his biddings? What were their purposes in this conflict between the Dark God and the pitiful mortals? And are the mortals the true objective of the Lord�fs agenda? Despite having spent a better part of her time trying to reason things out, her efforts were all in vain. And she did not dare tell any other Followers. She did not believe the Lord would be pleased about her speculations and cynical nature should the words get to his ears.

�gForget it, Korona, it is fine so long as you know what you are doing,�h Reiko muttered afterwards. �gAnd what are you staring at me for?�h Reiko quirked an eyebrow at the Fourth Head, who was making that unreadable face again.

�g�eCoz...�h Korona said, smiling sweetly all of a sudden. �gIt�fs the first time you called my name.�h

Reiko stared at Korona with all the incredulity she could muster. She said the Fourth Head�fs name by mistake after a moment of exasperation, so what? Why did the girl have to...?

Before her mind could finish the question, the answer hit Reiko square in the face. Every piece of the puzzle clicked together to form a complete picture. She was an idiot to have not noticed until now. Korona�fs irregular behaviors, the pop idol�fs strange facial expressions and attitude toward Reiko, the younger woman�fs trips to her room despite the distance between their rooms, which spanned from one side of the Temple of the Dragons to the other, they were all of them screaming that Korona had fallen in love with someone. Worse, that someone was Reiko.

She did not like this, the situation turning so complicated, and awkward also. Knowing the truth put her in a very tight spot, so to speak. Difficult as it was for Reiko to admit, she liked Korona to a certain extent. True, there were moments Reiko would sit behind the drawing board and find herself chuckling at Korona�fs silly suggestions for her manga. There were times she accidentally wrote down the other girl�fs name instead of that of her character, not to count the fact that having Korona mad at her a little while ago irritated Reiko no end but... but....

But what? a tiny voice said at the back of her head. Reiko�fs heart took a deep dive into her stomach. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Korona had taken so special a place in her heart that saying Korona was a mere friend would be a preposterous lie. But still, loving Korona back was something Reiko could not, and would not do, because....

�gReiko? What�fs the matter?�h Korona looked at her with so much concern it hurt. �gYou don�ft look well.�h

�gKoro... Fourth Head, I....�h

A formidably strong and alien presence suddenly hovered in her mind, informing her that someone was coming toward them. Quickly, Reiko positioned herself in front of Korona. The Fourth Head�fs power was only a fraction above that of Nekoko, the weakest of all Orochi, so she would not stand a chance. Reiko doubted she herself could, either, as a quick assessment of the arriving foe�fs strength made her very own seem feeble in comparison. That was why she had to take Korona out of here quickly or the girl might just end up being dead meat. Yet... before she could open a Dimensional Portal to escape, she froze dead in her track. She had just come to the realization that in the face of danger, she did not even once worry for her own safety. The thought that dominated her mind... was the concern for the well-being of the Fourth Head. How did it come to this? she asked herself bitterly.

Reiko did not have time to answer that question, it turned out, for a dark shadow had materialized out of nowhere in front of them and cut off her train of thoughts. Almost instinctively, Reiko lashed out with her powers before she could see who it was. Hesitation meant death, she had learned.

Ice daggers made out of water in the air flew toward the enemy in waves. However, hundreds of black lances leapt up from the target�fs shadow and shattered all the ice daggers in less than a heartbeat. Power of the Shadows! Reiko thought. The Eighth Head!

�gAre you trying to kill me, Fifth Head?�h Saotome Makoto said angrily as she stepped toward them, her youthful face a thunderhead. With a cloak black as the night wrapped around her slender frame, she looked like death walking. Except that it was not �glooked like�h. With her potential higher than that of any other Orochi, including the First Head himself, Saotome Makoto was death.

Reiko heaved a sigh of relief and lowered her guard.

�gNo, she didn�ft mean to, Eighth Head,�h Korona explained hurriedly as color returned to her bloodless face. �gWe didn�ft know it was you.�h

�gDidn�ft know? I even unveiled my powers so that you would receive a warning for my arrival. Can�ft you sense that an Orochi was coming...?�h The brown-haired girl stopped abruptly as though she had bitten on her tongue. �gMy bad, I guess you can�ft,�h she said with a rueful tone afterwards. The girl had forgotten how she differed from the rest of the Orochi, it would seem. �gI�fm sorry.�h

�gNever mind that, Eighth Head.�h Reiko waved off the apology. �gWhat business do you have with us?�h Did the young girl just say unveiled? Did that mean the Eighth Head was able to shield her presence from Reiko and Korona and could have snuck up on them unnoticed? Now that was scary to even think of. If for some reason the girl switched to the side of the Priestesses, which was not exactly improbable considering what kind of relationship the former shared with the Priestess of the Sun, the other Followers were as good as dead. Perhaps Reiko should keep an eye on Makoto just in case.

�gIt�fs an order from the Lord,�h Makoto announced. �gAn urgent one. We will first meet with the Sixth Head and carry out our mission, which is to capture the Seventh Head without fail. �eIt is time the traitor met with his fate,�f was the Lord�fs words, exact.�h

�gYou mean all four of us? Just for one single Head?�h Reiko said in utmost incredulity. Well, the Seventh Head did defeat the First and stirred up the Followers in a frenzy, but Tsubasa�fs little brother complex was the reason the man lost to a weaker opponent. It did not make sense at all to have four Followers ganging up on one Oogami Souma while the Eighth Head herself could destroy him completely with but a snap of her fingers.

�gActually, taking care of Oogami is your job. Mine is dealing with his companion, Hime... I mean the Priestess of the Sun.�h

�gI see,�h Reiko muttered noncommittally, not really seeing. She took a quick glance at the Fourth Head afterwards, though. The girl was surreptitiously studying her as if she never had a care about the Lord�fs order. Reiko sighed. Although Korona�fs issue still weighed on her mind, she could not possibly do anything about it now. Later, then.

 

***

 

�gYou said something, Himeko?�h shouted Oogami Souma, whose voice was muffled by his helmet and the winds that were roaring around him. Riding on his motorcycle along the highway, he was finding himself slightly light-headed as he felt the tender arms of the girl he loved wrapping around his body, her soft and curvaceous front pressing against his back. Ever since she climbed on the bike, he had been dumped into the middle of a fierce struggle between overwhelming bliss and fear. There could be nothing more gratifying to him than having the love of his life so close to him... yet he knew the danger. With his concentration constantly trying to slip away from him, he ran the risk of crashing the motorcycle somewhere along the metal rails guarding both sides of the highway. He certainly didn�ft want something like that to happen on a date.

�gCan we stop around here, on the beach?�h the golden-haired girl shouted back, her words faltering in the howling of the winds.

He was surprised. According to the plan, which she herself had proposed to him a few days ago, their destination for today was supposed to be the new theme park in Downtown, which had attracted a huge number of visitors despite having opened for barely more than a week. Why did she want to stop by the beach all of a sudden?

�gSure,�h he replied and gently swerved his bike toward the right. As the motorcycle slowed down on the serpentine highway exit, which was still wet from the storm that threatened to plague the city and drown the coastal areas for days, the winds grew gentler and began to sing along with the birds perching on the green trees flanking the road. The air was only cool, yet for some reason, he felt Himeko trembling slightly against his back.

�gThank you... and sorry, Sou-chan,�h she murmured in a voice tinged with agony and regret. Puzzled, Souma frowned at the emerging sight of the sand beach and the sparkling ocean that lay beyond it, trying to figure out why his princess sounded that way. He was certain that she wasn�ft apologizing to him for having wanted to change their destination. What, then?

About five minutes later, they stood atop the wet sand and quietly studied the ocean�fs wavy surface, which glittered brilliantly under the assault of the myriad rays of sunlight descending from a completely cloudless sky. No one would believe him were he to tell them that just an hour or ago, the heavens had been shrouded by a layer of storm clouds so thick that it would have taken them days to disperse. They would call him crazy, too, were he to say that Mahoroba would have seen the heaviest and most terrible rain in her history had a silver aura not blown away the storm clouds as cleanly and quickly as a gust of wind would the fallen leaves. He shivered. He knew where that silver light had come from, and the very knowledge scared him somewhat.

Who could have believed that Himemiya Chikane, a rich ojou-sama whom he thought too weak to even defend herself, was capable of such a feat? Sure, Souma could manage it, also, but if anybody told him that he had to clear the clouded skies above the city in the same amount of time or with the same contemptuous ease, he would admit that it wasn�ft bloody likely to happen. Furthermore, such a feat would have left him so drained and weakened that he doubted he could even hold himself erect for the next several days. And that was the scary part. Although she had projected an impossibly huge amount of powers into the heavens, her energy level didn�ft seem to decrease at all. Even at this moment, somewhere out there, her presence still shone like noonday in his Orochi mind when it should have dimmed to the light of a candle.

Souma turned to Himeko and grimaced. Not at her, but at the storm of invisible aura wreathing about her slender body. He was fairly certain that it was what was left behind upon Himeko after the former played God with the sky. Yes, it was but a mere residue, yet it had completely blocked out his Orochi sixth sense and rendered him unable to feel what the golden-haired girl was harboring in her heart. He didn�ft think the rich girl was helpless anymore. Not when he knew that should she choose to beat him into submission, she could do so without breaking a drop of sweat. He had as much chance to win against her, or maybe even to escape, as a grape against the winepress.

He only wondered whether Raien, powerful as its True Form might be, could make a difference if a day were to come where he had to fight the Priestess of the Moon.

Giving his head a light shake, he told himself that he was just being foolish. He fought against the Dark God now, which placed him on the same side as the Kannazuki Priestesses. There was no chance in hell that Himemiya Chikane would become his enemy, not when he was putting his life on the line to protect the girl he loved, the very same girl that she loved.

�gHimeko?�h he called. From the moment she arrived at the beach, the golden-haired girl had not said one word as she looked at the sparkling waves coming toward the land from the horizon.

�gYes?�h She said, turning to face him. He almost wished that she had not. Her face was troubled, her mouth tight, and her eyes filled with sadness. He felt a shiver slither down his spine. He sensed that whatever she was going to say to him today, it wasn�ft going to be something he wanted to hear.

�gIs there...�h he swallowed audibly, �gsomething on your mind?�h

She nodded, and the sadness in her beautiful amethyst eyes seemed to have grown twice as much. Souma�fs heart sank. Perhaps he knew why she wanted to go out with him today. Three days ago he had confessed his love in front of her, Tsubasa-nii-san, and Himemiya Chikane. She hadn�ft given her answer then. He wagered that she was about to right now. And judging by the way she was gazing at him.... A lump of something rose in his throat.

Silence stretched between them for so long – it might have been a couple of minutes, but there was no way he could tell – that when she finally spoke, she startled him. �gI have a girl friend, Sou-chan,�h she said, �gand she�fs in a pinch right now.�h Souma didn�ft have to be able to read minds to know that the girl of his dream wasn�ft speaking about any friend in particular. His insides turned to ice.

�gMy friend has a childhood friend, a boy she deeply cherishes. One day, he confessed to her. She knows that should she choose him, he�fd love her and care for her for the rest of her life... but she can�ft. She�fs in love with someone else. That�fs why she�fs feeling very guilty right now. She knows she has to reject her childhood friend, as she can�ft give her heart to anyone except the one she truly loves, yet at the same time, the truth will hurt him badly. Do you think the boy would understand and continue to be her friend if she told him, Sou-chan?�h

Souma�fs hands curled into fists at his sides while every of his particles seemed to be ringing out in agony. Himeko�fs message was clear, however indirect. She didn�ft want to tell him flat out that she couldn�ft accept his feeling, so she staged a story of some imaginary friend instead. Since she was a kid, she had been acting in such a way. The shy and easily intimidated Himeko never wanted to say anything to hurt other people, so she always employed this method to speak her mind. He wagered that she was trying to give him a way out without hurting his pride and feeling, too. Were he to acknowledge her intention, she would pretend that he never confessed to her and continue to be his friend. Were he not to....

He felt stupid. The only reason why he confessed was because he wanted her to know that she had options, and that Himemiya Chikane wasn�ft the only one who cared about her. He had hoped that in time, she would realize that there was nothing good that could come from a relationship with another girl, and that he was the only correct choice she could make. He didn�ft mean to press her for an answer. Neither did he try to force her to return his feelings. Yet, it turned out that his plan had backfired. The only thing that he managed to do was make her panic. Gods, but he wished he didn�ft say a word to the Orochi First Head.

�gWhat do you think, Sou-chan?�h Himeko asked again, her worried amethyst eyes riveted on him.

�gI don�ft think her childhood friend is a bad choice,�h he replied. �gHe loves her more than anything in the world. She knows that.�h

�gYou believe that such a one-sided relationship will yield a good outcome, then?�h she said, her voice leaving no false impression that she thought otherwise.

�gI won�ft say it�fs one-sided,�h he argued. �gShe likes the guy, doesn�ft she? It only takes a little bit of time and effort for that feeling to grow into love. Then they can have their �eHappy Ever After�f ending.�h

�gThat would be impossible for her.�h Himeko shook her magnificent head as her right hand seemed to be turning the ruby ring on her left unconsciously. Souma blinked. He just noticed for the first time that there was a thin thread made entirely of glowing red light that had one of its end tied around Himeko�fs little finger. And it other end... appeared to have come out of thin air! He blinked again, and it was gone. What in the Gods�f name was the thing? �gShe is already helplessly in love with another person. She doesn�ft think that she can live through a day in which she can�ft see that person�fs face, much less her life. She won�ft last long if she chooses her childhood friend, Sou-chan.�h

�gBut she can�ft choose that person now can she?�h Souma muttered impatiently.

�gShe can�ft?�h Himeko looked at him, perplexed. �gWhy?�h

Unable to contain his frustration anymore, he blurted out what he was thinking, �gBecause you are both girls! You can�ft have Himemiya, nor she you, and you know it!�h

Deafening silence followed as the golden-haired girl stared at him as though she just noticed that he was there for the first time. Then spots of color bloomed in her face. Souma felt his jaw dropping. Although she was blushing, she looked more relieved than embarrassed. She seemed as if a rock boulder had been lifted off her shoulders. She even smiled.

�gSo you know,�h she said softly, if a touch apologetically. Her face was still very red. �gI�fm glad. I didn�ft really know how to break it to you, you see.�h She meant that she didn�ft know of any other way to tell him that she was willing to choose a girl over him without delivering a devastating blow to his pride.

�gI�fm not blind, or deaf, Himeko,�h Souma said in bitterness.

�gI�fm sorry, Sou-chan,�h she said, amethyst eyes downcast, voice overflowed with guilt. �gI... can�ft help myself. Before I knew it, I was already head over heels in love with her. That�fs why I can�ft accept your feelings. I�fm sorry.�h She did sound as though she meant what she said. Not that it managed to make him feel better, anyway. His exasperation and frustration were still burning him inside out.

�gIt�fs just a young girl�fs childish crush, Himeko,�h Souma said stubbornly. �gYou merely look up to her as your idol, that�fs all. Don�ft mistake your admiration for love.�h

�gThat�fs not true.�h The golden-haired girl shook her head slowly, but firmly, he noticed. �gIf I only have admiration for Chikane-chan, I won�ft have to go through every day missing her even when I am with her. Looking up to Chikane-chan can�ft make me want to touch her, feel her, hold her, and kiss her every time I see her. And a childish crush wouldn�ft have tormented me over the thought that she might not love me in return.�h

Souma almost swallowed his own tongue. Still, he decided to fight this battle until the very end. There was too much at stake for him to give up the way Himeko had wanted him to. He could not, and would not. �gSo what, Himeko? You love her, so what?�h he said. �gThat doesn�ft mean your... relationship is acceptable!�h

�gTo whom?�h Himeko asked, her amethyst eyes appearing to catch the light of the sun and intensify it. There was no confusion or hesitation in those beautiful eyes.

�gTo the rest of the world,�h he answered almost heatedly. �gYou know full well that you�fll turn the society against you by committing... such an act!�h If Himeko was offended, she didn�ft show it. In fact, she seemed to have taken it as calmly as sunshine.

�gI... don�ft think I care, Sou-chan,�h she said.

Souma gaped at her.

�gYou know ne, I�fve always thought it very sad that many people who consider the ideals of the majority as standards to live by,�h she explained. �gThere�fs so much more to life than living simply to please those around us, don�ft you think?�h Although she gave him a smile afterwards to tell him that she didn�ft include him among those she thought as sad, the gleam of guilt in her eyes told him a different story. He grimaced.

�gYou have to be aware of what�fs going to happen to you if you insist on being different, Himeko,�h he insisted. �gRemember the manga you read.�h

�gIt doesn�ft matter, Sou-chan.�h Her smile didn�ft waver for a heartbeat. �gPersonally, I think that there�fs no happiness greater than to love and be loved in return. For that, I�fm willing to take any risk.�h Her face colored once more, and her eyes fell to the ruby ring on her finger, which she seemed to be caressing with her gaze. The stone was glowing brilliantly under the glorious light of the morning sun. Memories, which he had been trying murderously to suppress, flashed in his mind as bitterness made his stomach lurch. He knew the person who had given Himeko the ring, and the knowledge was a full-arm slap on his cheek.

He opened his mouth, attempting to disabuse Himeko of her naïve thoughts, and closed it with a snap as he heard for the first time what she had told him. To be loved in return, she had said. His jaw fell.

�gHimemiya told you, didn�ft she?�h he said almost to himself, sensing his heart pounding painfully in his chest.

Himeko gave a start, her eyes going wide. �gHow did you know?�h

�gSo she did,�h he muttered angrily.

Himeko didn�ft say anything in response. The golden-haired girl only took up a study of her feet, her face the very picture of a sunset. The sight made his blood boil. So that was why she summoned me to her house and told me to take Himeko out as planned, he thought. Gods, but he should have realized it from the very beginning. The rich girl only allowed him to go on a date with the little princess because she knew the latter was going to reject him.

Suddenly, the scenery around them took a drastic change and doused the rage that was burning Souma inside out. The bottomless blue of the water and the brilliant azure of the sky faded into a dull gray color as though he had just been thrown into an ancient black and white movie. To make the matter worse, his Orochi sense was warning him that three Followers were drawing dangerously near. �gWhy do you have to pick a fight with me now?�h he muttered under his breath. Not that he would mind taking on all three Heads at the same time – he was confident that Raien�fs might would help him destroy his foes the way it defeated the Orochi First Head – but Himeko�fs very presence here put him into a very tough spot. He couldn�ft possibly fight them and keep the golden-haired girl safe at the same time. Retreating seemed the only logical answer.

�gLet�fs go, Himeko, this place�fs....�h Souma�fs tongue froze when he turned toward the little princess.

The golden-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. In her place on the beach now stood a complete stranger whose body was clad in a cape black as the night. It couldn�ft have been a man, Souma was sure, for her slender build and her curvaceous front unmistakably belonged to a woman. However, there was also no way to verify it, for beneath that deep hood swirled a shadow that covered all but her eyes. What made the matter more serious and disturbing was the absence of Himeko�fs presence in his Orochi mind. Souma could no longer trace her energy source, which should have remained even if she had been teleported to the other side of the world.

Terribly worried about the golden-haired girl�fs well-being as he was, Souma still didn�ft dare take his eyes off of the stranger. Distraction could do more than kill when done at the wrong time, he had been taught. The advice from the High Priest could not be truer, especially in this situation, where someone had actually succeeded in sneaking up on him without his notice. A shiver ran down Souma�fs spine. Neither did he have any clue as to when this girl showed up nor did he have any idea how she did it. There was one thing he knew, though. To be able to pull off such a stunt, the girl had to be exceptionally powerful.

Souma decided to learn how much.

Soundlessly, he extended his soul to hers so that he could measure the depth of her powers. As far as he was concerned, it was the wrong move. Panic took over and put an end to his rational thoughts.

Souma leapt backward and never stopped until he had put at least a dozen feet between them. Sweat poured out from his pores as though he had just taken a bath. Gods, but it was close! he thought. The second his soul touched that of the other girl, Souma had felt as if he was being sucked into a black hole. He suspected that had he not reacted fast enough, his consciousness would have been done for. Anger flared up fiercely in him at the thought. That was one nasty way of greeting someone she just met. Souma summoned Raien into his hand and pointed its tips at the stranger. If she wanted to be his enemy, so be it.

�gI�fve had enough surprises for one day, girl,�h Souma said roughly. �gTell me who you are.�h

�gMy business doesn�ft concern you today, Seventh Head,�h the girl answered with a strange voice that sounded neither like a man�fs nor a woman�fs. �gI came for the Priestess alone. You would do well to stay out of my way.�h

�gAnd what have you done to her? Where is she?�h Souma shouted as he unleashed Raien�fs power. Purple lightning swirled and crackled loudly around the shiny blade. If she weren�ft going to tell him, he would force her to, by any means necessary. He had very little patience left.

�gYou think too highly of yourself too frequently,�h the Follower said, her voice heavy with contempt. There wasn�ft even the slightest sign of fear in it. �gYou�fll learn to behave better, Seventh Head.�h Her right hand flashed and her forefinger landed on Raien�fs blade after being released from her thumb. Despite the fact that the sword gave no vibration after the impact, an unbelievably powerful force traveled through the thing and arrived at Souma�fs hand, which ultimately unwrapped his fingers off Raien�fs hilt and sent them flying.

Not letting the shock faze him, Souma reacted immediately. He grabbed back Raien with his left hand before the sword could fall to the ground and slashed at the Orochi girl. The second shock came. Although his left hand might not be as nimble and fast as his right, his rigorous training schedule had allowed him to shrink the difference as much as it could. Yet, it didn�ft seem to have mattered much the way the Orochi girl evaded his swing with but a turn of her slender body. Before he could strike again, though, she drew a sword the blade of which was as black as the cloak she wore seemingly out of thin air.

�gYou annoy me, Oogami Souma,�h she said coldly. �gGet lost.�h

The girl pointed her sword at the sky. From below, from their shadows, a black column emerged, throwing itself at Souma�fs stomach. Hastily, he swung Raien around to block the thing. Although he was in time, he still couldn�ft resist being hurled away until he was at least five hundred feet off the shore, where the black column withdrew and left him suspended between the gray sea beneath and the lifeless heavens above. Fear roamed his mind. Not even Tsubasa-nii-san had the power to do this to him. How the heck could this girl be so strong?

�gI would wish you luck, Seventh Head, but you�fll need more than that if you want to survive today,�h the girl�fs voice resounded in the air like thunder. �gI don�ft even think you can die in one piece.�h

Walls of shadow descended from the cloudy sky as she spoke, slamming their feet onto the water and shutting Souma off from all sides. Those things covered so vast an area so swiftly that even had Souma wanted to get out, he wouldn�ft have been quick enough.

You little... Souma thought angrily as he tapped into Raien�fs powers and brought the lightning upon the dark walls. His efforts were in vain, as far as he could see, for the walls absorbed his lightning as vigorously as a sponge would water. Tasogare! he thought, startled. After the fight with Tsubasa-nii-san, Souma had spent a good amount of time learning about the Elemental Blades from the Shingetsu High Priest, which earned him the knowledge that there was only one thing that rivaled the terrible Hokuto his blood brother wielded. Tasogare the Twilight Blade. Never once did he expect to be confronted with it so quickly. It would seem that today there was nothing life had in store for him except bad luck.

Souma�fs head rang in alarm.

The three Orochi presences he sensed a little while ago had arrived, right inside this prison the girl made. Cold winds almost as sharp as knives came at him from every direction, trying to slice him into bits. Below him, the seawater had been completely frozen, waves caught in the middle of crashing down upon the surface. Somewhere to his left, from a crack in the ice, a gigantic tree grew up so rapidly that it now towered hundreds of feet over where it once was moments ago.

Light blazed, blue, green and brown, heralding the arrival of three Followers. They were all women, although one of them looked more like a pretty boy. That boyish Orochi, in simple shirt and pants and black coat, stood on the tip of a frozen wave, her hand clutching the hilt of a sword the thin blade of which seemed as fragile as the pair of glasses she wore. Another Follower in green dress and blouse suspended in midair. She he knew and couldn�ft possibly forget, for when he saw her a while ago, Arashigumo the Wind Blade in her hand nearly killed the Sun Priestess. This time, she would not escape with a mere scratch again, he�fd make sure of it. And the last of the three, a scandalously dressed young woman, was sitting on one of the large tree�fs branches, her emerald eyes shining with fear and hatred. He blinked in surprise. Hatred he could understand, but fear?

Souma shook his head and decided to focus his attention on the situation instead. Then he smiled. Despite the... unfortunate outcome with his quest to win over Himeko�fs love, this could prove to be a fruitful day. Now that three of the stolen Sealed Swords – Arashigumo the Wind Blade, Asayuki the Ice Blade and Chiseizaha the Earth Blade – were all here, Souma could retrieve them and dispose of the Orochi Followers at the same time. His smile broadened while his hand tightened around Raien�fs hilt. Without three out of seven Blades as well as the same number of his acolytes, the Dark God was as good as crippled.

�gI cannot comprehend your confidence, Seventh Head,�h the oldest member of the three, who wielded Arashigumo, commented with a smile of her own. �gOh, could it be that you are counting on Raien�fs Voice of Sorrow to suppress us?�h

�gExactly,�h Souma answered. �gIf you know what�fs good for you, surrender at once before things get ugly.�h

�gCome now, you can�ft be seriously thinking that we would come here while knowing we were going to lose?�h The woman laughed. �gHave you not realized why and how the Eighth Head put you in here in the first place?�h

The Eighth Head? Was she referring to the girl with the Twilight Blade? Souma thought. His stomach lurched slightly. Come to think of it, he never noticed how she could manage to use her powers when Raien had already been summoned. Could it be... that there was another Elemental Blade that the Voice of Sorrow had no effect on like Hokuto? Furthermore, did the three Orochi Followers not change the surrounding environment when they appeared? Wasn�ft he still holding Raien the whole time? Did that not mean their powers were intact, too? A horrible thought hovered over his mind as sweat streamed all over his palms. Should that be the case, then probably this shadow prison would act like some sort of a....

�gFrom your reactions, I believe you have figured it out that we are all inside a giant Seal.�h The Orochi woman smiled. �gOne that completely nullifies your Raien�fs gift. Say, has the High Priest not told you that the Tasogare possessed absolute dominance over Seals and Barriers, the very reason it could lock away the Voice?�h

Kazuki-nii-san never did. Souma did not think the High Priest would hide things from him, especially ones that concerned life and death, though, so the man had to be unaware.

�gYou talk too much, Sixth Head.�h The glare the bespectacled young woman just threw at the wielder of the Wind Blade was as sharp as any knife. He was certain that it could have skin any other man where he stood. �gWhy don�ft we get it over with right here and now? I have better things to do than listen to your yapping.�h

�gHasty, hasty, Fifth Head,�h the Sixth Head of the Orochi said. �gHe is going to be killed anyway, so why not give him some information so that he would not die an ignorant lout?�h

�gSo you say, Nekoko.�h The youngest of the three laughed softly. �gBut you do like taunting your enemy, don�ft you?�h

�gWell, Fourth Head, that is part of the reason, too.�h Nekoko, Souma was sure that was her name, shared the laughter with her companion, sounding deeply amused. �gWhat can I do when my nature demands me to take the most pleasure out of a fight?�h

�gI said quit it! And that means you, too, Fourth Head!�h The Fifth Head scowled at both of them. �gStop giving her a chance to flap her tongue!�h

�gSure, Reiko,�h the Fourth Head replied with a sweet smile, obviously unaffected by the other woman�fs heated words. A strange sense of déjà vu hit him. Wasn�ft that exactly the same smile he had seen on Himeko�fs lips earlier? Don�ft tell me... he thought.

�gYou are in an unusually foul mood today, Fifth Head.�h Nekoko eyed the bespectacled woman curiously. �gI wonder what has possessed you.�h At the end of that sentence, she suddenly shot an I-know-all-about-it glance toward the Fourth Head, the corners of her mouth quirking upward into an almost smile.

�gI am merely annoyed by the fact that the Eighth Head refused to Seal Raien completely and make our job easier, that is all.�h The Fifth Head frowned sullenly. �gCould she not spare a little more of her precious energy?�h

�gShe could not, Fifth Head,�h Nekoko said in a lecturing voice. �gShe needs every last bit of it for her mission. I thought I told you so already.�h

�gI... forgot.�h The Fifth Head looked away.

�gNow do you really?�h

Souma couldn�ft wait anymore. While he was here listening to the Orochi bickering themselves, Himeko was alone out there with perhaps the most dangerous of them all. He had to finish them quick and come to her aid. He then let Raien draw more and more energy from his body, his heart, and soul. Although it was dangerous to loosen his grip on the Sealed Sword, he knew that unless he took some risk today, he might not leave here in one piece, if any. Purple lightning jagged madly from the Lightning Blade. Wait for me, Himeko, he thought, almost a prayer, before he lunged at his foes.

 

***

 

Peering at the dimensional prison that she herself had built to keep in Oogami Souma and the other Heads, Saotome Makoto wondered how long it would take the latter to finish the former. True, he were one and they were three, yet she couldn�ft deny that one of those three was a girl who detested killing, one was so weak she didn�ft even deserve to be called an Orochi, and one was apparently too occupied with her own thoughts that she could barely register what was happening around her. On the other hand, Oogami Souma was very strong, a little bit stronger than Oota Reiko herself, Makoto would say, so this might just become an even fight despite the fact that three adults were ganging up on one teenaged boy.

It doesn�ft matter much in the end, Makoto thought. Even if Oogami could somehow emerge victorious, he still would be trapped within Tasogare�fs prison. One that she could shrink to nothingness anytime she felt like it. The traitor was but a filthy rat caught in a trap. His fate was already decided, and there was nothing he could do to escape his demise.

Letting the Twilight Blade in her hand faded back into thin air, Makoto carefully made sure that the shadow hiding the lower part of her face and the little spell she used to disguise her voice were still in effect. Then, she turned around and walked into a second dimensional prison, one that was significantly smaller than the first. As soon as she stepped past one of its walls, invisible, undetectable, and impenetrable to any other, she saw her former roommate, Kurusugawa Himeko, the love of her life. The girl, whose golden hair fell in a glorious stream all the way to her slim waist, was standing but a few feet away from Makoto, looking terribly anxious and afraid. Makoto wouldn�ft blame her. If she herself, before she was bestowed the power of the Orochi of course, was suddenly thrown into a place where there was no escape, she would freak out for sure.

�gWho... are you?�h Himeko asked as soon as she noticed Makoto�fs presence. Oddly enough, though, fear was gone from the girl�fs amethyst eyes when she looked into them. In there, only puzzlement and curiosity remained.

�gAn Orochi, do you have to ask, Priestess?�h Makoto laughed softly.

�gWell. Of course you�fre one...�h her former roommate and classmate said in a timid voice. �gI... just want to learn who you are. Somehow, you seem... very familiar.�h She took a step forward, her hand rising as though wanting to touch Makoto�fs shadowed face. �gDo I know you?�h

Had she not been holding a tight rein over herself since the beginning, mostly because she feared that her will might falter at the mere sight of the one she loved, she would have given a violent start.

�gI doubt that you do,�h she said, her own hand brushing away that of the Sun Priestess almost roughly. Startled, Himeko took a step backward to where she once stood, her face the color of the setting sun.

�gI�fm... sorry...�h she said in the end.

�gWhat kind of Priestess would apologize to her enemy, really?�h Makoto remarked in great amusement. Her voice showed no such signs, though.

�gI�fm sorry.�h Her complexion grew even redder, if that was possible.

Smiling inwardly, Makoto decided to do what she came here to do. The more quickly she got it over it, the better. Her hand rose, her palm facing the Priestess. Himeko, who went wide-eyed at the gesture, stepped another step backward. It was more of a natural reflex than a deliberate movement, Makoto would say.

�gAre you... going to kill me?�h the girl asked. Her voice suggested that she doubted such a thing was going to happen, though. Makoto decided that her former roommate�fs sixth sense was very strong.

�gI�fm not,�h she admitted.

�gWhy?�h

Because I value your life even higher than mine, she thought. Yet, what she answered the Priestess of the Sun with was, �gBecause you�fll serve us better alive than dead, Kurusugawa Himeko.�h She drew deeply on her powers and summoned Tasogare to her hand. The sword, black blade and black edges appearing to be sucking in the light around them, made Himeko put one more step between them. With the Twilight Blade, the strongest of all Sealed Swords, in her possession, no feat was impossible to Makoto. Not even sealing the powers of the greatest enemy of the Orochi Lord.

She let go of Tasogare.

Upon release, the Twilight Blade immediately split into six exact copies of itself, which surrounded the Sun Priestess in a perfect circle. The six round crystals, which separated the hilts and the blades of the Swords, pulsed ominously beneath the gray heavens. Giving her love a smile beneath the shadows obscuring the lower half of her face, Makoto snapped her fingers and activated the spell she had just laid. A thick rod of black light emerged from every single one of the crystals and connected with one other, forming a hexagram with Himeko at its center in the end. The six-pointed star then started to revolve around the Priestess of the Sun, who seemed to have already fallen under the power of the Twilight Blades the way she suddenly collapsed onto her knees and suddenly clutched at her chest. She was having trouble breathing, too.

Bear with me, Himeko, Makoto thought. It won�ft be too long. She snapped her fingers one more time.

A second rod of black light came forth from each of the crystals and met one another just above Himeko�fs head, consequently creating a pyramid-like structure. At the exact moment of its completion, an invisible force lifted the golden-haired girl off the sandy ground. The Priestess, eyes closed and arms outstretched like those of a cross, now had her consciousness forcefully shut down. However, the Sun Crest, the source of her holy powers, was not, for it now shone like noonday in the middle of its master�fs chest and flooded the prison formed by the Twilight Blades with its golden aura.

The battle that would decide Himeko�fs fate in this vicious war had just begun.

 

***

 

Himemiya Chikane was standing inside the Garden of the Roses of Ototachibana Academy, her back leaning against the oak tree, eyes closed, her mind filled with gloomy thoughts when her mind alerted her of alien presences of powers. Her eyes opened just in time to see a Dimensional Portal opened just a few feet away. From the oval-shaped silvery surface stepped out two persons, one male and one female whose face she did not know. Darkly tanned, the woman wore a pair of rectangular glasses and a mischievous expression over her face. The man, on the other hand, was expressionless in his grave black suit. Orochi, without a doubt, Chikane thought. Very few others in this world knew how to cross distances using a Portal. Even fewer had any reason to appear before her.

�gLeave, Orochi, I have no time to play with you,�h she said and closed her eyes again.

�gYou have guts, Priestess,�h the voice of the woman said, sounding quite amused. �gNot many people dare talk to me in such a way.�h

�gI will say it only one more time,�h Chikane responded icily. �gBe gone, or I will destroy you where you stand. Be thankful that I am not in the mood to deal with you today.�h She was no longer the weak girl who could not even withstand a blow from the Orochi with Arashigumo the Wind Blade. Now, she had enough power to carry out her threat. It was ironic, really, how she used to pray that she would become stronger to protect the one she loved. Now that she had, Himeko no longer needed her protection. The little angel had her knight in shining armor to watch over her and give her everything she could possibly need. Bitterness soured Chikane�fs stomach.

�gYou are in a foul mood today, Priestess.�h The woman chortled. �gWhy, when a teenaged girl looks like a bear with sore teeth, there�fs usually a boy involved. Let me make a wild guess. Is it our Seventh Head?�h

Chikane opened her eyes at the same time a thin pillar of silver light erupted to the woman�fs right side. Had Chikane moved it an inch closer, her spell would have sheared the Orochi�fs arm off. Although the woman pretended not to care, sweat was already beading on her forehead, revealing how afraid she had to be feeling inside. The man standing next to her only seemed worried the way he kept glancing at his companion as though trying to tell her that they should just do what Chikane had suggested. The stubborn glance the female Orochi shot back declared that she was not going to.

You shall regret it, fool, Chikane thought grimly.

The male Follower obviously had a similar thought. �gYou are always too stubborn for your own good, Miyako Aneki,�h the man muttered darkly under his breath, which earned him a sharp glare from his sister. Probably he had never meant his words to be heard.

 �gIt appeared that I�fve guessed correctly, after all.�h Miyako�fs dark calculating eyes swiveled back to Chikane. �gDid he leave you for another girl or something? What, Tokiya?�h

�gThat is not entirely true, Aneki,�h the man said. He sounded like an actor who was rehearsing his scripts. An awfully reluctant one at that. The man, not putting much efforts or emotions into his line, kept eyeing Chikane and looked as though he was taking a stance against her. No doubt that he would draw his Sealed Sword the instant she lifted a finger. Strangely, though, there was pity shining in those dark eyes. �gAnother girl left her for him.�h Those words might have been dragged out from his mouth by force.

Miyako burst into laughter while Chikane felt like she had just been struck with a steel hammer across her chest. It was the truth, and she was ware of it, yet she never expected it to hurt so badly.

�gIs it true, Priestess, you swinging that way?�h She turned to her brother. �gWho�fs that girl? Do we know her?�h

�gWe do.�h The man nodded curtly. While the female Orochi seemed to be enjoying herself greatly, he did not. �gHer name is Kurusugawa Himeko.�h

�gYou must be kidding!�h Miyako feigned surprise by letting out a loud gasp. �gThe Priestess of the Sun?!�h

�gOrochi, you seem to have a death wish,�h Chikane said, her hand rising. Silver light, glorious and cold, erupted beneath her feet and brought the howling winds into the Garden of the Roses. Even the ground began to tremble at the terrible pressure that she was exerting upon its surface. At the deployment of her powers, both Followers took a step backward as a sword the thin blade of which shone like a mirror appeared in the male one�fs hand.

�gYou can�ft take the truth, can you?�h Miyako sneered, her slightly trembling voice belying her true emotions. �gDoes such a normal thing as a girl going out with a boy upset you so much you would kill me to stop me from talking about it? Besides, shouldn�ft you be blaming yourself? After all, it was you who pushed the Priestess away, wasn�ft it?�h

Chikane struck with her power. Silver light erased everything in her vision. When it faded away, however, she found her heart stopped. The two Followers, who had evaded her attack, now stood atop the fence, their faces bloodless. Yet, her attention was not on them. It was on the one person who stood where they once did. That person had long golden hair, a beautiful face, and a pair of amethyst eyes that drew in every scrap of Chikane�fs existence. That very same person was on her knees now, her clothes torn and blackened in many places, her skin so red anyone would have sworn that she had just spent a full day in a sauna.

�gHimeko!�h Chikane cried out in pain as she ran to the golden-haired girl�fs side. �gAre you alright?�h

�gIt hurt, Chikane-chan,�h the little angel said as she sagged against Chikane�fs chest.

�gI am sorry,�h she sobbed as she held the other girl tightly, as she felt tears rolling down her cheeks. �gI am so sorry.�h In her rage, she had lashed out madly, trying to obliterate the Followers who had gotten on her nerves. Never in her wildest dream did she expect the one she loved would end up being her victim. �gPlease... forgive me.�h

�gDon�ft cry, Chikane-chan,�h Himeko murmured in her embrace. �gI�fm sure you didn�ft do it on purpose.�h

�gHow forgiving, Priestess of the Sun,�h remarked the Orochi woman. �gStill, will you continue to forgive your friend when you learn what lies in her heart?�h

�gGet lost!�h Chikane snapped as she raised her vacant hand. A shaft of silver light thicker than a man shot from the palm of her hand and made the two Followers leap hastily out of the way. The man seemed ready to retreat while his sister was torn between fear and stubbornness.

�gStay here, Himeko,�h she whispered to the one she loved. �gI will chase them away.�h When she tried to lay the golden-haired girl against the oak tree so that she could have more freedom in dealing with the Orochi Heads, she found out that she could not. Himeko had wrapped her arms very tightly around Chikane�fs back, rendering it impossible to peel the angel off without hurting her.

�gWhat are they talking about?�h the girl asked, the bright amethyst crystals that were her eyes fixed upon Chikane�fs face, urging her to answer.

�gThere is no point heeding the words of an Orochi, Himeko,�h she answered as she tried to come up with a way to divert the disaster that was descending on her head.

�gPriestess, do you know that your friend has been hiding a secret that concerns you?�h Miyako said, appearing oddly composed. Perhaps she had realized that with the golden-haired girl clinging onto Chikane so, there was no way in hell she could do anything to shut the woman up. Exasperation and panic swelled rapidly in her. If this continued... if this continued....

�gChikane-chan,�h Himeko turned to her. �gWhat is she talking about?�h She sounded anxious, and her questioning gaze chilled Chikane to the bone.

She had no answer for the one she loved. On her knees she remained, her power fading, her mind unraveling, and her heart beating at the speed of light. Cold sweat started to drench the clothes on her back.

�gChikane-chan?�h the little angel pressed, her voice urgent. �gPlease, tell me.�h

�gI will, Priestess,�h Miyako said. �gYour best friend is in love with you.�h

�gYou�fre lying!�h Himeko cried. �gYou�fre lying! She isn�ft that kind of person! There�fs no way she would do something so revolting!�h

Chikane had a feeling something in her just broke. Agony threatened to rend her heart in two. Her arms, originally wrapped around the soft frame of the little angel, fell limply to her sides while tears once again flowed down her cheeks and into her mouth. They tasted just as bitter as blood, she thought. Only very dimly was she aware that the conversation between her sweetheart and the Orochi woman was still going on.

�gI�fm lying?�h Miyako laughed more loudly than ever. �gThen why do you think your friend isn�ft denying it?�h

Himeko�fs head turned toward Chikane, her face painted with suspicions. �gTell me what she said isn�ft true, Chikane-chan,�h she pleaded. �gPlease!�h

�gIs it so... revolting for me to love you, Himeko?�h Chikane said softly and immediately wished she had not. The little angel had leapt away so quickly that anyone would have thought Chikane was some sort of... disease. Worse, the other girl�fs face was now twisted beyond recognition with disgust. It hurt Chikane so much that the only thing she wanted to do at the moment was find a knife to plunge into her own heart.

�gI... I only want your smile... Himeko...�h she heard herself say, she felt her own hand rising to reach for the light of her world, who took a step backward... toward the Orochi. Pain surged along her every nerve. �gI only want you to be happy.�h The golden-haired girl looked at her with plain disbelief.

�gThat�fs a lie,�h Miyako said. �gTokiya!�h

�gAs you wish, Aneki,�h murmured the woman�fs younger brother, who raised his shiny sword overhead. �gMay the Lord have mercy on you, Priestess.�h

 Water emerged from thin air and formed a great dome that towered all of them. Then it unleashed a storm of blinding light and swept away her consciousness.

 

...

 

Standing in front of the door to her quarters, her right hand holding her schoolbag, Himemiya Chikane took a quick glance at the wristwatch on her left. It read ten thirty in the evening, a time when a good student should already be snoozing away in bed so that she could wake up early to attend school the next morning. Sighing in disappointment and annoyance at the Student Council the President position of which she held, Chikane turned the handle and opened the door as quietly as she could. It would not do to wake the one she loved.

�gWelcome home, Chikane-chan,�h greeted the little angel, who was in her pajamas, who was sitting on the spacious king-sized bed with a magazine in her hands. Beside her, the bright light of the bed lamp seemed at best insignificant.

�gI am home.�h Rational thoughts taking flight, Chikane let go of her schoolbag and hurriedly crossed the distance separating the door and the bed. The little angel only had time for a surprised squeak before Chikane pinned her down with her whole body.

�gWhat�fs wrong with you?�h Himeko laughed softly as Chikane rolled onto her side and pulled her into a tight hug. Despite what she said, the golden-haired girl never gave any resistance. On contrary, she burrowed even more deeply into Chikane�fs embrace and put her arms around Chikane�fs back as tightly as she could. She was very soft, she was very warm, and she smelled of the fragrant herbal soap in the bath chamber. She must have taken a shower shortly before Chikane came back.

�gI missed you,�h she murmured into her sweetheart�fs ear, her hands roaming the girls back. Her touches made Himeko coo very softly in appreciation. �gIs it not good enough a reason?�h

�gCome on, Chikane-chan.�h Himeko laughed. �gHow long have you been apart from me since the afternoon? Four, five hours? It couldn�ft have been that bad.�h

�gYou have no idea, Himeko.�h Chikane heaved a deep, exasperated sigh. �gThe Student Council meeting was a torture when I had to let you go home all by yourself. I kept looking at the clock, you see, hoping it would end soon.�h Yes, the golden-haired girl had no idea how annoyed Chikane had been while listening to all the students in the Council reporting about its monthly budgets and upcoming plans when the sole image in her mind was the lovely smile of her beloved girlfriend.

�gBut we�fre together for the most part of the day, aren�ft we?�h Himeko said, her face growing hotter and hotter, her heart pounding faster and faster. �gAnd after you pressured your father into moving you into my class, you spend every minute in lectures watching me regardless of what the teachers say. Isn�ft it too much already?�h

�gNo, it is not,�h Chikane argued. �gI can never get enough of you.�h

�gThat�fs sweet, Chikane-chan.�h The little angel laughed again and placed a soft peck on each of Chikane�fs cheeks as she held her head up with both of her hands.

�gWhat about you?�h She gently brushed her fingertips along the line of Himeko�fs face. �gWhat were you doing while I was suffering during the Council meeting?�h

�gWhich would you prefer, the truth or a lie?�h

�gThe truth.�h

�gI was busy writing a love letter to another girl in our class.�h The golden-haired girl grinned mischievously. Her face was drawing nearer and nearer to Chikane�fs own.

�gNo you were not.�h She pinched the other girls cheek. How dare she make fun of Chikane so? �gEveryone knows you are crazy about me.�h

�gAnd I am.�h Her sweetheart smiled adoringly at her. �gI love you. I love you. I love you, Chikane-chan.�h

�gWhat about the real truth, then?�h

�gTelling my diary how much I was missing you, Chikane-chan.�h

Himeko pulled Chikane�fs head closer and kissed her fully on the lips. Warmth overwhelmed her. Kisses from Chikane rained upon the little angels cheeks, her forehead, her neckline, and her lips. Unable to contain her desire any longer, Chikane�fs hand reached for the buttons of the golden-haired girl�fs pajama and undid them one by one.

 

....

 

�gStop!�h she screamed at the same time silver light burst from every particle of her existence and obliterated the water dome. Where it stood, only billowing smoke remained. The male Orochi, Tokiya was his name, was stunned. In his hand, the shiny blade was quivering like an arrow that just struck a board. There were a few scratches on the shiny blade, and blood was trickling out from the corners of the man�fs mouth. He and his sister did not seem to notice, though. Their full attention was on Chikane and Chikane alone while hers was on the little angel, upon whose face abhorrence could be seen as clearly as day. Now that the girl had seen it... there was no going back.

�gDoes it seem familiar, Priestess of the Moon?�h Miyako asked. �gIt must, I believe, for it was the dream you had two nights ago.�h

There was nothing she could say to deny it. For it was the truth. Her tears fell silently upon the blades of grass, where they shone like the morning dew.

�gDo you still say that you only want her smile and her happiness, Himemiya Chikane?�h The woman landed upon the ground in front of Chikane as lightly as a leaf. �gAdmit it, now. What you wish for is your Himeko being happy by your side. You want her, Himemiya, in both heart and body. You desire her to the point that you even dream of her accepting your twisted and sick feelings, saying she loves you in return. You are no better than the lot of us. The only thing that made you different is that you put up your conceited front when we acknowledge out innermost cravings as the drive of our existence.�h

She stepped forward and put her tanned face an inch away from Chikane�fs. �gNow that the one you love has learned your secret,�h she said, �git�fs over. You have lost everything, Priestess.�h She threw back her head and unleashed a gale of laughter that was full of self-satisfaction and malice.

When Chikane looked at Himeko one last time, she realized that the Orochi woman was correct. She had lost the one she loved most. Her life... no longer had any meaning left. Everything... was now over.

Something inside her shattered. It was as though a sun had just emerged deep within her soul. Heat rushed to every corner of her body while silver light annihilated the world. I am so sorry, Himeko, was the last thought that crossed her mind before her consciousness faded into oblivion.

 

***

 

For the thousandth time since he and his Aneki set out from the Temple of the Dragons, Girochi Tokiya found himself heaving a deep sigh. He gave a start, however, upon noticing that blood was trickling out of his mouth. It was only then did he become aware of a pain nestling his heart. A quick survey of his Sealed Sword showed him the cause. The final attack unleashed by the Priestess of the Moon had actually managed to damage the blade of Suikyou, which was linked directly to his health. Had she broken it... Tokiya would have been thrashing in pain upon the ground at the moment. He should know, as it had happened to him once. Apparently, Suikyou had been snapped into two once by the hand of Himemiya Chikane herself. As to how and why that happened, he did not know. His memory concerning the incident, or accident he might say, was hazy at best. What he did remember, however, was that the disaster was triggered by his sending his clone, wrought by the Water Blade�fs power, after the Priestesses while he himself launched an attack against the traitorous Seventh Head.

Tokiya sighed again. Even if the rich girl had broken his Sword, he still would not complain. After all, he deserved whatever happened to him. Although this was not the first time he shattered a girl�fs heart, being the player that he was, the Priestess of the Moon was the first person he managed to devastate so utterly and so thoroughly. Well, sure, he did not devise the plan... yet his Sword was the instrument with which Miyako had employed to reduce Himemiya to what she now was.

Tokiya�fs eyes found his latest victim, the first person he was reluctant to hurt. The Priestess of the Moon was currently on her knees on the grassy ground, her body motionless, her sapphire eyes lightless. There was only one phrase that could be used to describe her. A breathing corpse, he thought.

Towering over Himemiya was Tokiya�fs creation, a soulless vessel whose appearance was the mirror image of that of the Priestess of the Sun, whose existence was granted by the water of the Sealed Sword. He would never have thought of making one himself had it not been for his cruel and devious Aneki. She was the one who came up with the idea to sow discord between the Priestesses. She was also the person who wrote out every line the clone had said to break the other girl�fs heart. He had never imagined that his sister was capable of such a thing.

�gWe should go, Tokiya,�h Miyako said as she turned around. �gOur work here is done.�h She tossed a glance over her shoulder at the lifeless figure of the Priestess. �gI doubt she will ever recover from this.�h Her eyes swiveled back to meet his. �gWell, what are you waiting for?�h

�gAs you wish, Aneki,�h he said in resignation. Once he had reverted the fake Kurusugawa Himeko into water and withdraw it into Suikyou, he prepared to weave a Dimensional Portal to take them back to the Temple of the Dragons. However, no matter how much power he channeled into his Sealed Sword, it refused to respond. It took him another several attempts, during which Miyako frowned at him and tapped her foot impatiently on the ground, to notice that Suikyou did obey his commands and weave the Portals for him... and the reason why  they did not come out was because the very instant they did... they were immediately unraveled by someone. His jaw fell. He had never heard of an Empowered who could do that. Besides, there was no one here and except him, his sister, and....

His head whipped around. The Priestess!

A terrible chill seized him. Somehow, without him noticing, Himemiya had risen to her feet. The girl now stood behind Miyako, her face colder than the heart of winter, her sapphire eyes glowing with murderous intent. Soundlessly, her hand rose and powers bloomed in her like the heaviest storm he ever had the chance to witness. In but a heartbeat, she had gathered enough energy to raze the whole Academy to the ground. Silver light blazed from her palm as if she held the midday sun. Then it plowed forward, the tips of its fingers aimed directly at his sister�fs back.

�gWatch out, Aneki!�h he shouted and lunged forward.

Although he succeeded in grabbing Miyako�fs arm and pulling her out of harm�fs way, he failed in protecting himself. Pain pierced him as the Priestess�fs hand, wreathed in brilliant silver light, parted the flesh on his shoulder as easily as a knife would butter. Smoke billowed from his body and the smell of burning flesh permeated the cold air as he screamed and fell.

�gTokiya!�h his sister cried. The Orochi Second Head was holding him in her embrace as though wanting to protect him against the girl who stood imperiously before them. Yet, he could hear her quickened heartbeat, he could feel her arms trembling, and he could sense her fear. Miyako had never been brave. He tried to retrieve his Suikyou, which lay but a foot away from his hand, so that he could keep his sister safe.

Before Tokiya could reach the Water Blade, though, a thin silver thread coming out of nowhere whisked the Sword into the air... and held it airborne in front of the Moon Priestess. The girl, her arms folded beneath her chest, her whole body cloaked by impenetrable serenity and a thick layer of light, studied Suikyou with an unreadable expression. If Death were to take a physical form in this world, she would look the way Himemiya Chikane did now.

�gHow dare you hurt him!�h shouted his sister, who quickly summoned Rekkyou the Fire Blade. Yet, before she could do anything with the Sword, another wisp of silver aura curled around the thing and took it away as easily as an adult would snatch a toy away from her child�fs hand. Shocked, the Orochi Second Head invoked more of her powers, apparently attempting to call Rekkyou back to her hand. Blood withdrew from her face a few minutes later, when she finally realized that it was not going to happen no matter how many more times she tried. The Fire Blade and the Water Blade now stayed airborne in front of the Priestess, wrapped in her silver light and infinitely beyond their grasp.

�gGive them back!�h commanded Miyako, who quickly fell silent at a frosty sidelong glance from the Priestess. The Orochi Second Head quivered as if struck, but sounds no longer came from her petulant mouth. Aside from the Dark God, whom she feared, and Tsubasa the First Head, whom she adored, no one else had ever been able to force her to shut up like this. Tokiya shivered from the cold winds that had been raging in this secret garden the moment the Priestess deployed her powers... and from the possibility of what was going to happen to them. They were as helpless as fish caught out of water now... and Himemiya Chikane was someone who could flay them anytime she wished.

Thoughts fled Tokiya�fs mind when he saw that the blue-haired girl had settled her icy gaze upon him and his sister both. A second later, it came back to the Swords floating in front of her. When she closed her eyes and slightly raised her head, a great pillar of silver light, the base of which encompassed the whole rose garden, soared forth into the sky. In less than a blink of an eye, Suikyou the Water Blade and Rekkyou the Fire Blade were snapped into pieces.

The Priestess was the only person in the garden who did not howl.

 

***

 

Standing high in the sky, body wreathed in a magical force field that cloaked both her body and her presence from just about everybody else, Rinne quietly observed the raging battle field. In her vision, there was two dimensional prisons, one big, one small, both concealing the vicious battles being fought within. In the larger one, three Orochi Followers were trying their best to destroy the traitor Seventh Head while doing everything in their power to prevent the latter from having any chance to counterattack. In the other one, Saotome Makoto the Eighth Head was pitching every ounce of her power against that of the Sun Crest.

Rinne chuckled quietly. She had been very amused earlier, during the audience between the girl and the Crystal Orb, that which housed the true body of the Dark God of Blood and Destruction, for the former had volunteered herself to the task of sealing the Sun Priestess, which she also proposed. The girl, who seemed to have nerves made from cold steel, had said it directly to the face of her liege lord that she did it because she wanted to ensure Kurusugawa Himeko�fs safety until the end of the world. Rinne could see where the girl was coming from. She must have thought that if she could seal the power of the Sun Priestess, Yamata no Orochi would no longer had a reason to go after the latter, consequently removing her from the Followers�f death list. That was the only reason why Makoto demanded such a thing.

Her chuckle grew louder and much more amused. Despite the fact that what the Eighth Head desired and what Rinne did contradicted each other point by point, she had allowed the Dark God to grant his assent. It was not as though the girl had any chance of success anyway. She seriously doubted everything would go as smoothly as the former track-and-field athlete had wanted it to. True, Kurusugawa Himeko couldn�ft use a hundredth of her transcending powers. True, the Sun Crest alone could stand no chance against the might of a Sealed Sword. Yet, neither of these two facts took into account the intervention of the Sun Priestess�fs protector, Tsukiyomi the Goddess of the Moon. The woman, overly protective of her adopted child, would thwart any attempt to harm a hair on Kurusugawa Himeko�fs head no matter what her bastard father, Izanagi of Heaven, ordered.

Well, Rinne was wrong about that, much to her dismay. The Goddess of the Moon was nowhere in sight when she should have been there from the very beginning, watching over the Priestess the way she always had. Not that it changed anything, of course. While she was listening to Saotome Makoto speaking with the Crystal Orb without the former�fs knowledge, she had allowed room for miscalculation. That was why she was here. In case anything went wrong, she would be ready to make it right. She rewarded herself with a smile. It seemed that her carefulness had paid off. Since Tsukiyomi had gone missing, which was extremely unusual, there was no way the Sun Crest could stop Makoto from sealing it. Unless... Rinne extended a hand and prevented the Eighth Head from doing that.

Suddenly, a terrifying presence of power entered Rinne�fs mind and whipped her head to the left, where she found a colossal pillar of silver light uniting the heavens and the earth. Frantically, she let her mind reaching out to learn what was happening there. Once she did, she sensed her mouth gaping open. The fool Orochi Second and Third Head had ignored her order and gone ahead to attack Himemiya Chikane, the Priestess of the Moon! Damn it! she cursed. Those disobedient siblings had better wished that Rinne would arrive on time to save them!

 

***

 

Even though her full attention was on the battle she was waging against the Sun Crest, Saotome Makoto could not help but hear a thunderous noise echoing into her Dimensional Prison. When she looked up, she spotted a huge column of silver light connecting heavens and earth. She gaped. This presence of power... it could be no one else. Himemiya Chikane! she thought in alarm. Worse, she also sensed the presences of the Second and the Third Orochi Heads dangerously close to that of the rich girl... and the Followers�f life signs were growing weaker and weaker by the minute. It was as though they were dying! Fear entered Makoto�fs mind. Could it be that the Priestess of the Moon had personally sought Girochi Miyako and Girochi Tokiya out so that she could kill them?

A loud cracking sound nearby cut off her train of thoughts and whipped her head back toward the Seal she had formed around Kurusugawa Himeko, the Priestess of the Sun. Her mouth fell open. The pyramid-like structure was once empty save for the floating body of her former roommate inside. Now, it was filled by a seemingly endless ribbon of red light one end of which was tied to the golden-haired girl�fs little finger. The ribbon, appearing deceivingly harmless, was beating fiercely against the inner walls of the Seal with its impossible length... and whenever it did, the entire structure along with its anchors, the Twilight Blades, trembled. The Seal now looked exactly the same way a kettle, lid closed, spout plugged, and content boiling, would atop a stove.

Hastily, Makoto channeled every ounce of power that she could summon into the Swords, trying to make them hold against the assault of the red ribbon. Dazzling light, red from the serpentine length and golden from the Sun Crest, fused as one to battle the dark aura of the Sealed Swords. They won. As a thunderous sound erupted, the Seal along with five of the six Tasogare disintegrated, leaving only the original unharmed. Waves of red and golden light, spreading in all direction, shattered the Dimensional Prison Makoto made and hurled her off the ground.

Once she managed to place herself firmly in the air, she was at least a hundred feet away from where she last stood. There, the Priestess of the Sun remained in the same posture, her body trapped within a pillar of golden light, around which the red ribbon spiraled upward until a part of its length vanished in the cloudless heavens.

Her heart simmering with anger, Makoto summoned Tasogare back into her hand and directed its tip toward the ribbon. No matter what it was, she was going to cut it into pieces. And once she succeeded, she would try again to Seal the Sun Crest. She only hoped she still had enough energy left to do what she had to.

Makoto rushed at the pillar of golden light. When she was but a few inches away from slashing the Twilight Blade at the ribbon, time and space seemed to freeze around her body. The air suddenly became as thick as the earth, and she felt as if she was being crushed from all sides. Yet, even when she was held firmly above the ground, unable to twitch a muscle or utter a word, she could still notice that Himeko�fs expression was starting to change. Agony slowly manifested upon the girl�fs lovely face. She seemed immersed in a dream so sorrowful it wrenched her heart.

�gAo-chan...�h was what the golden-haired girl said when a tear emerged from her closed eyes and rolled off her cheek.

The world exploded in a blast of red light. Images, which Makoto had no idea where they came from, floated across her vision, all of them bearing the figures of two girls who looked exactly the same as Himeko and Himemiya Chikane. In some, they were laughing together or embracing one another. In others, the two were sparring with swords in hand. And the last of the images was the most shocking of all. Makoto gasped. It couldn�ft be! In the vision, Himeko was... Himemiya was....

The light swept her away.

 

***

 

Oogami Souma could only groan in frustration and exasperation as he tried to evade the spells that the three Followers were hurling at him. For the last fifteen minutes or so, all that he did was glide in the air in a ragged path, changing his direction every few seconds, so that he wouldn�ft be hit. Compared to the battle he had with Tsubasa-nii-san a few days ago, this one was every bit as vicious. Despite the fact that none of the Orochi he was facing, or running away from to be precise, seemed as good a swordsman as the First Head, they all were long-range spell casters. And they were strong! Shortly after the battle began, Souma realized that his chance of winning was slim to none. Under their heavy fire, Souma had no room for defense, let alone counterattack. If he fended off one of the Orochi, he would be cornered and fall prey to the other two in a heartbeat. That was why he had to run around like this. Although it hurt his pride a great deal, he didn�ft have any other choices.

�gLapis Lazuli Claws!�h The Orochi Fifth Head, the boyish bespectacled woman who wielded Asayuki the Ice Blade, swung her sword.

From the frozen sea, enormous icicles rose toward Souma with incredible speed.

�gSouls of the Winds!�h Above him, the Sixth Head, who was called Nekoko, shouted, the tip of her Arashigumo the Wind Blade pointing directly at Souma. Twisters descended from the cloud-ridden sky, trying to snatch him into their midst.

�gDamn it!�h he cursed. Would this ever end?

He tapped into Raien�fs powers. Thin flows of purple lightning incinerated the tips of the icicles, stripping them of their deadly weapons. Then he landed on one of them and jumped sideways when the twisters were inches above his head. The raging whirlwinds crashed into the icy hell Asayuki created, hurling ice splinters sharp as knives everywhere. However, those posed no threats whatsoever to Souma, as they were too small to withstand Raien�fs electrical currents.

�gWorld Divider – Earth apart!�h the scantily dressed girl shouted as she plunged Chiseizaha the Earth Blade into the ground.

The surface of the ice broke into two and let out thousands and thousands of vines which quickly arranged themselves to form a humongous eight-pointed star inscribed in a circle directly below Souma�fs feet. Oh crap! A Movement Seal! was the thought that crossed his mind when rings of ancient runes showed up around the Seal, one positioned atop another so that they all had him as their only target. A beam of emerald light the size of the eight-pointed star itself sprang up from the rings of ancient runes and engulfed his body.

He cried out at the top of his lungs. Pain roamed through every of his particle, heat from the light slowly smoking his skin.

�gI�fve the Seventh Head trapped already�h the Fourth Head yelled. �gCapture him, Reiko!�h

�gIce Worlds Guardian – Asayuki!�h The long blade of Asayuki detached itself from the hilt and then separated into three smaller blades. Together, the three enclosed a large spinning triangle of white light. �gFrozen Frame!�h The triangular plate became a brilliant pillar of light that rushed in Souma�fs direction.

Being caught in the World Divider spell of Chiseizaha, Souma could only watch as his end approached. Is this it? he thought bitterly. Today, the girl of his dream rejected him. Today, he learned that there was an Elemental Blade that could effectively seal away Voice of Sorrow sung by his own Sword. And today, he was surely going to die.

At that very moment, the sealed space created by Tasogare the Twilight Blade was shattered by a wave of red light, which also washed away the Movement Seal that was keeping Souma busy and the impending threat of the Frozen Frame. Strength coursed through his veins. He had no idea how... but he knew that he could do it now. Whoever generated that red light had just granted him a golden chance to turn the tide of this battle.

�gI summon you, Raien, Dragon of Lightning!�h Souma tossed his Sword into the sky.

After a flash of purple light, the Lightning Dragon appeared in its massive and serpentine form and slithered thunderously across heavens and earth. When the creature roared, it made the air and the earth alike tremble. When it flapped its gigantic wings, shockwaves emerged and threatened to even blow Souma away. The three Orochi followers stared at him soundlessly, their mouth opening in shock. Just as he thought, none of them really knew how to release the true forms of the Elemental Blades. Well, it wasn�ft like he did either, though. Sometimes he could, sometimes he couldn�ft, for reasons that he failed to comprehend.

�gMove, Orochi Heads!�h roared the Eighth Head, who now stood hundreds of feet above the sea�fs frozen surface. She must have been hurt, for one of her hands was clutching at her forehead while the other trembled around Tasogare�fs hilt. Her voice, once full of contempt and pride, had become uneven and breathless. Still, her command was full of authority. As soon as she finished talking, the three Followers immediately flocked to her side.

Looking down at the beach, he found the Priestess of the Sun lying motionlessly on the sandy ground. Anger erupted in Souma as he descended next to Himeko and took her into his arms. After a quick survey of the girl he loved, he heaved a sigh of relief. His Orochi powers had informed him that there was nothing wrong with her body. She was simply but into a deep sleep, one from which she was going to wake soon. There was not one single scratch upon her body.

He raised his head and glared angrily at the four Followers.

�gRaien!�h he commanded, and the dragon unfolded its feathery wings. �gDeath of a thousand stars!�h

Countless of lightning bolts came from the tips of the wings�f feathers, making deafening sounds as they traversed the air toward the Orochi Heads.

�gWe�fll meet again, traitor,�h the Eighth Head said coldly as she put her sword horizontally in front of her chest. �gWhen we do, I�fll deal with you myself.�h Space became alive and wrapped itself around the Followers, transporting them away before the lightning bolts could reach them.

Even though he was the one who had emerged victorious, Souma couldn�ft help but feel grim for his future. The Orochi Eighth Head never showed a sign of surprise or fear even when she was looking at the mighty dragon that was the True Form of the Lightning Blade. That suggested that she either knew of a way to deal with it... or she could conjure up one on her own. The thought sent a chill down his back. Already, she was more powerful than he was. If she could summon the True Form of her Sealed Sword, it was highly unlikely that he could defeat her. Heck, he doubted that both he and Tsubasa-nii-san together could. The Eighth Head had proved herself to be the greatest enemy that he would face in his life.

�gIt seems that the fate of the world truly rests on your shoulders, Himeko,�h Souma told the girl sleeping soundly in his arms. �gI only hope you can awaken in time to save it.�h

 

***

 

Yue the Goddess of the Moon was treading down a spacious hallway, which was brightly lit by the crystal chandeliers hanging on the vaulted ceiling, when she found a pair of female guards, in Rosenkyuu�fs crimson liveries, standing primly in front of a large pair of cold metal slabs that had to be a hand thick. Once she had put on the icy façade she did in front of everybody and made sure that none of what she was feeling inside her heart showed on her face, she strode forward. Upon noticing Yue�fs presence, the guardswomen went wide-eyed and hastily dropped to their knees.

�gPraises be to thy name, Tsukiyomi, Goddess of the Moon,�h they said together, voice racked with reverence, head down so low their foreheads nearly touched the marble floor.

�gRise,�h Yue commanded, feeling slightly puzzled. When she returned to the Underworld a few hours ago, she had expected its residents to frown at her in disgust and name her traitor to her face. No such thing happened. The people she met were as genuinely respectful as ever the way they knelt at her feet and asked after her health. It was as though she never saved Izanagi, as though she never defected to Heaven, as though she never betrayed the Underworld. She did not get it... but she could not possibly ask her Mother or her employees for the reason now could she?

�gHow may we serve you, Tsukiyomi-sama?�h said the young woman on the left, who seemed the opposite of the one on the right in every possible way. Where she was tall, the other was short. Where she had hair that fell all the way to her waist, the other had short hair that made her look like a boy. Where she was plain in the face, the other was certainly beautiful enough to halt a man�fs heart. Not that the latter could compare to Yui in term of beauty, though, for no men or women could disagree that the Goddess of the Sun was the most beautiful woman in the Three World.

Yue looked at them, who seemed to want to shy back under her intense gaze. Finally, she spoke in a firm voice, �gWhat are your names?�h

�gRen, Tsukiyomi-sama,�h answered the taller woman, her voice breathless.

�gMine is Kuuya, milady,�h said the one on the right.

�gWell then, Ren and Kuuya, what I desire is entry to what lies beyond these doors. And once I am inside, you will stand guard over them and let no one else enter without notifying me first. Have I made myself clear?�h

�gYes, ma�fam,�h they said and swallowed audibly. They ought to have realized why she asked for their names. They probably have understood, too, that should they fail to heed her instructions, she could always find them and hand out punishments. Not that she ever intended to, of course, but in order to make them obey her fully, she needed to frighten them a little bit.

�gGood, now open the door,�h Yue commanded.

With great alacrity, the guardswomen leapt to either side of the doors and placed their right hands upon two circles engraved upon the metal slabs. In less than a heartbeat, they started to rumble as they slid sideways to reveal the interior of a great chamber the only source of illumination of which came from the tall crystal cylinder standing in its heart. In it was a liquid that shone with the color of emerald. In it... floated an unconscious Goddess of the Sun. Yue�fs heart quivered at the sight.

Gathering herself, she stepped inside and nodded at Ren and Kuuya, who moved the doors back into place. Once the metal slabs had closed behind her and unleashed the darkness back into the room, Yue walked slowly to the container, where her strength unraveled, where her knees gave way. In front of the great crystal cylinder she knelt, her hands placed on its surface, her head lifted up so she could look at the face of the Goddess of the Sun, radiant even when unconscious. Since she no longer had any control on herself, there was nothing Yue could do to stop the tears from thundering down her cheeks.

�gDo you not know how much determination it took me to come, dear Yui?�h Yue put her face closer to the container and whispered gently. �gI want to see you so badly. I want to be close to you so dearly. Yet... yet every time I do, I can�ft help but feel my spirit crushed. Do you not know how painful it was to maintain a heartless face in front of you? Do you not know tormenting it was to humiliate you when all I wanted to do was to put my arms around you?�h

�gOf course not, right, my beloved one?�h Yue heard her voice breaking like stepped-on glass. �gYou are never meant to learn. The only thing you are supposed to know of is my hostile feelings towards you. Yui, I tried to make that hatred reality, too, for I thought it would make my life easier to live without thinking fondly of you days and nights. Yet, the more I forced myself to hate you, the more I... I.... But no matter what happens, no matter what you may think of me, you will always be the one light illumining my soul, the reason for my existence. So, please do not frighten me like that again. The hardships I have to go through to keep you alive, please do not throw them away.�h

Sitting down in a slump and leaning her back against the crystal container, Yue started to curse herself for being a weak-minded fool. Not just that, she knew that she was a coward, she was an idiot, and she was... everything she hated in other people. Even when Yui could not hear the truth, even when there was no one here to listen to her secret, Yue still could not say what she needed to, what she had been hiding in her heart for the last three thousand years, and what she wished to tell the Goddess of the Sun the most. Pathetic was what she was. Who could have thought that Tsukiyomi, the Goddess of the Moon, whom Heaven aspired to, was such a weakling?

 

 Why is it wrong to love you, why is it wrong to hold you tight?

 I look to the heavens, asking for an answer from the all-knowing stars.

�gTogether you are not meant to be,�h sparkled the million eyes of the night sky.

�gUnforgiven one, sweet Sinner of the world, seek not what you will never have.�h

 

The song�fs name was �gLovers Eternal�h. It was a piece she composed all on her own. It was a song she lulled herself to sleep every night along with the tears and the heartbreak. It was the result of her desire to stay eternally by the side of the only woman she ever loved. It was all she had wanted to say to the Goddess of the Sun, whom she had to abandon for the latter�fs very own well-being. It was what the little Himemiya Chikane had once sung to her sweetheart Kurusugawa Himeko even though she had no idea where she learned it from. It was one of the few precious memories that remained in her heart from her previous life three thousand years ago, when she lived under the roof of the Lunar Shrine, where she grew up with her childhood friend, with whom she eventually fell in love.

 

...

 

Yue the Goddess of the Moon was lying on her side on her bed, eyes closed, face drenched with tears, lips issuing soft words from her song, when she heard a knock on her door. Sitting up right on the mattress, she hastily dabbed her wide sleeve at her face to dry away the tears, drew a long cold breath to calm her breathing, and answered, �gYes?�h Her perception senses, which automatically extended beyond her room, let her know just exactly who was it that came to her door even before they spoke up.

�gIt is Aoi, Tsukiyomi-sama,�h the young voice of a little girl said. �gMay I come in?�h

�gOf course you can, my child.�h With a wave of her hand, Yue lit up the Silver Sphere that always floated beneath the ceiling of her private chamber. As the soft light began to cascade down in wave, the gentle darkness that had been embracing her until then melted away.

The door opened, admitting the small figure of a twelve-year-old girl with long, flowing blue hair falling all the way to her waist and a pair of sapphire eyes that shone like true gemstones under the soft light of the Silver Sphere. The little Priestess of the Moon, in her white chihaya and blue hibakama, then pattered to the bed, climbed onto the mattress, and placed herself by Yue�fs side, her dangling feet barely touching the wooden floor.

Smiling at her adopted daughter, whom she loved as much as she would have her own flesh and blood, Yue let her hand comb through the girl�fs blue tresses and gave her a kiss on her forehead. �gYour eyes are so red again. Is there something wrong?�h the sweet child placed her little hand on Yue�fs cheek and asked, her voice touched with worries.

�gNothing is.�h Yue shook her head. �gA few specks of dust got into my eyes. That was all.�h It was only then did she fully realize what her little daughter had said. Again? she thought.

�gThen why was it that they always did after a visit from Amaterasu-sama?�h Aoi asked innocently. �gDid she bring dust with her to the Shrine? I thought she was very clean and tidy.�h

Yue blinked at the child, who gazed back at her in puzzlement. Not saying anything, she absently stroked Aoi�fs head and let her mind reel back to the Shrines entrance just a few hours ago, where the Sun Goddess announced her arrival with a flash of golden light when Yue was standing against an oak tree and watching her children play hide-and-seek. While her children leapt into the other woman�fs embrace and laughed as she hugged and tickled them – they were very fond of her – Yue had hurried back into her chamber and confined herself in it the way she always did whenever Yui paid a visit to the Shrine. In the pitch darkness, she cried until tiredness defeated her and put her to sleep. When she woke, she could no longer sense the presence of the woman whom she was afraid to love.

�gTsukiyomi-sama?�h The voice of the little Moon Priestess brought her back to reality. �gAre you okay?�h

�gYes... yes I am, my child.�h

�gMay I ask a question?�h The girl tugged at her sleeve.

�gGo ahead.�h Yue smiled.

�gDo you dislike Amaterasu-sama?�h

Yue studied her adopted daughter for a full minute before she shook her head. �gI do not.�h She knew a day would come when this question would be posed to her. It was inevitable.

�gThen... why did you avoid her so?�h Aoi asked, appearing more puzzled than ever. �gShe told me that although she tried to talk to you, you never gave her a chance. She told me it made her very sad. Did Amaterasu-sama do something that angered you, Tsukiyomi-sama?�h

�gNo, she did not.�h Yue shook her head again. The answer did not satisfy the child, of course, for immediately she opened her mouth again. She fell silent, though, when Yue pressed her finger gently against her lips. �gPlease do not worry about this anymore, Aoi,�h she said. �gOne day, when you grow up, I will explain it to you, okay?�h

The little Priestess nodded.

�gWell then, it is my turn. Did you come to see me just to ask about Amaterasu?�h

�gNo.�h Aoi shook her head. �gI came because I have a question, Tsukiyomi-sama.�h

�gWhat would that be?�h

�gIs there anything you can do to help someone who is having trouble sleeping?�h

Yue blinked at her little daughter, surprised. After a while, she said slowly, �gThat depends. How old is this someone?�h The answer came to her even before she was done asking the question.

�gUm... how about a kid my age?�h

Yue smiled. �gThen I would sing that someone a lullaby. My mother always did that when I was young to help me sleep.�h

A bright smile curved Aoi�fs lips. �gThen can I ask you for a favor, Tsukiyomi-sama?�h

�gOf course.�h

�gWould you teach Aoi the song you always sing at night?�h

�gHow... did you know?�h Yue asked quietly, feeling slightly taken aback. It was true that she sang herself to sleep every evening... but when she did, it was already past midnight, a time when her little children were already sound asleep. She never expected to be heard.

�gUm, sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night because I was thirsty,�h the child answered, her voice rueful, her hands fidgeting with one another atop her blue hibakama. �gWhenever I did, I would hear you sing. I am sorry. I did not mean to eavesdrop.�h She dropped her eyes afterwards, appearing slightly ashamed.

�gYou need not apologize.�h Yue murmured as she patted her daughters head. �gAnswer me, though. How long has it been since Akari had problem sleeping?�h

�gThree days ago, Tsukiyomi-sama,�h Aoi answered. A second after that, her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She appeared to be at a loss for words, too. Yue could only chuckle in great amusement at the sight.

�gNo need to be surprised so, Aoi,�h she said. �gThe three of us are the only people living in this Shrine. It is not impossible to figure that out, is it?�h

�gI... guess not....�h the child scratched her head ruefully.

�gYou could have told me it was Akari from the beginning, though. What stopped you?�h

�gAkaa-chan asked me not to. She said that she would get better soon, so there was no need to worry you.�h The look on Aoi�fs face told Yue that the girl thought differently. �gAnyways,�h she continued, �gthat is why Akaa-chan has been zoning out during the days recently. I feel so sorry for her, Tsukiyomi-sama�h.

�gOf course you do,�h Yue murmured in great amusement. �gIn any case, how bad is her sleeplessness?�h

�gVery!�h Aoi exclaimed. �gShe kept tossing and turning in the nights. Whenever she turned to face me and saw that I was still awake, she went red in the face and turned to the other side immediately. I am really worried, Tsukiyomi-sama. Has Akaa-chan taken ill?�h

�gI assure you that she has not.�h

Of course not, she thought. Yue knew full well that no sickness was responsible for the little Priestess of the Sun�fs mysterious insomnia. Three days ago, the young Moon Priestess had said. It was the day in which a careless and thoughtless duel of spells from Aoi and Akari turned into a disaster. It was the day in which the Kannazuki Priestesses decimated Aoi�fs private chamber. It was the day in which Yue handed out her very first punishment to make them learn that they had to be much more careful with their transcending powers. It was the very same day in which Aoi was moved into Akari�fs chamber. The former was supposed to stay there until the complete reconstruction of her own chamber, of which both of them were in charge. Everyday, the two Priestesses had to invoke every ounce of their powers to rebuild the burnt-down roof, smooth out uneven surface that used to be the floor, and a hundred other chores to make the chamber habitable again.

Unable to contain her mirth, Yue laughed aloud and earned herself a very startled look from her little daughter. But of course, Aoi had not a single clue that her very presence in Akari�fs room at night was the reason why the latter could not sleep. It was no secret to Yue that the Sun Priestess harbored such an immense crush on her childhood friend that it never failed to make her eyes chase after the Moon Priestess wherever she went. Hard as the child tried to hide her emotions, though, she never ceased to wear her heart on her sleeve within two feet of her crush. Besides, it was not as though she could fool Yue when Yue had spent her childhood doing the same thing anyway.

Yue chuckled. She really sympathized with the little Sun Priestess in any case. Aoi sleeping in a futon right next to hers should give her a ton of unsettling emotions every night.

�gTsukiyomi-sama.�h Little Aoi tugged at her sleeve again.

�gYou need not be so concerned, Aoi,�h Yue smiled at her. �gShe will get better tomorrow.�h

�gTomorrow will be too late!�h the child insisted. �gMy room will be fully repaired by then, and I will have to go back. I already promised that I would sing for her tonight. I do not want to let her down, Tsukiyomi-sama!�h

�gOkay, okay!�h Yue laughed.

Acceding to the child�fs request, Yue began to teach her the words and the tune of the song. Being a genius in everything she did – except for cooking, in which she was simply a disaster waiting to happen – it took her little effort and time to learn it. It was odd, however, that although they shared the same birthday and birthplace, Akari shared none of her childhood friend�fs genius. The young Priestess of the Sun, despite having transcendent powers and being an exceptional cook, was but a normal girl in everything else. Still, that was not important. What was, was the fact that little Akari had an innocent mind, a caring heart, and a warm personality. To Yue, that was what mattered most.

�gAkaa-chan is going to be so pleased tonight,�h Aoi said in the end while a broad grin split her face into two.

�gTell me, child,�h Yue said. �gWhy do you call Akari by that name? Are you aware it sounds very similar to what you would call a baby?�h

�gI am.�h The Priestess of the Moon giggled. �gDo you not think she is one, Tsukiyomi-sama? She cries so easily. She is a klutz. And... she is just... too cute.�h Toward the end, Aoi�fs voice dropped so low it was barely audible as her eyes fell to her lap and her cheeks glowed beet-red under the light of the Silver Sphere. What she was feeling in her heart was so strong that its booming waves echoed endlessly in every corner of Yue�fs mind despite her reluctance to receive them. Hastily, Yue closed her own mind and started wishing for the first time in a while that the children could learn to control their feelings to each other a little bit better.

Yes, Akari was not the only one harboring a crush. Aoi was too, and hers was in no way less fervent. Although the child never mentioned it, Yue knew that she, too, had stayed up very late watching her childhood friend struggling with her own emotions.

�gUmm, Tsukiyomi-sama, may I ask one final question?�h

�gBut of course.�h

�gIs it... ever wrong to love someone?�h Aoi gazed up at Yue and asked. �gThat is how the song begins, is it not?�h

�gThe question about right or wrong is not for something you have no control over.�h Yue said gently after a while as she held Aoi closer and ran her fingers through the child�fs silky hair. �gIt is not as though you know how or why or even when you fall in love. It is not as though you can decide who your one true love will be. Dear child of mine, always remember what I am about to tell you. Should you find a person you consider most special, someone you cherish with all your heart and soul, never be afraid to tell that person how you feel toward them. Whomever you decide on, no matter how many people in the Three Worlds stand in your way, I will always support you. Never forget that.�h

Aoi blinked at Yue, seemingly puzzled beyond her wits. That was expected. Although Aoi might act mature at times, she was but twelve, an age when she could not comprehend a great many things in this world. But she surely would in time, when she would come to acknowledge her feelings toward Akari for what they truly were.

�gAo-chan, where did you go off to? Ao-chan?�h Akari�fs voice echoed in from the empty hallway. The little Priestess of the Sun was looking for her partner, and it was about time she should be. Yue had never seen Aoi, or Akari for that matter, alone for more than half an hour, ever. If one was missing for a minute longer, the other would be worried sick and anxiously search for her right away. Yue only wondered if that was some kind of pinky promise that the two girls made to each other.

Upon hearing the other girls voice, Aoi�fs head whipped to the open door to Yue�fs private chamber as a brilliant smile plastered on her lips. Yue was very glad that she had already closed off her mind from external thoughts. She surely did not want to be hit again with the incredible amount of affections the two children harbored in their heart, especially when both of them were present at the same time.

�gGo play with Akari, child,�h Yue said.

�gThen I will see you later, Tsukiyomi-sama.�h Without waiting for Yue�fs nod, the young moon Priestess rushed out of the room.

A slight motion of Yue�fs hand returned the door to its original position. Quietly, she turned and gazed at her wooden windows, which were always closed to prevent any light from coming in. It should be at most midday outside, when the sun was shining brightly atop the heavens. It was why she always kept her windows shut. The mere sight of the golden sphere would remind her of Yui and the hopelessness of her love for the Goddess of the Sun without fail.

As tears once more returned to her face, sorrows begun to mangle her heart. It had never been wrong to love Yui, she never once regretted it, but to get her love across to someone who was oath-bound to Yue as a sister was a different story. Aoi was fortunate that Yue was willing to do anything to support her love. As for herself... Yue had nobody to rely on.

 

...

 

I want to forever protect the smile you bestowed upon me the moment we met,

 To see you happy throughout the blue eternity,

 To shield you from sadness and pain until the end of time.

 Even if so I have to do from the depth of the night�fs shadow.

 Even if I have to stand at the edge of your life, unnoticed by your beautiful eyes.

 

�gIf you want to see Amaterasu smile that much, it makes no sense as to why you keep hurting her,�h commented the voice of Yue�fs mother, which made her give a violent start. When she turned around to look, she found the Supreme Ruler of Reiha standing by the metal slabs, her back leaning against the wall, arms folded beneath her chests, her lips wearing a small but secretive smile. She was the very picture of a cat who had just discovered where the milk saucer was hidden.

�gMother.�h Yue fell down on one knee, her right hand placed on heart in salutation of one of the two most prominent Immortals in the Three Worlds as she sensed her heart pounding madly in her chest. Since when did the Great Mother arrive? How much had she heard? A lot, apparently, from what she just asked. Cold sweat rolled down Yue�fs back. It was difficult enough trying to keep it a secret to Yui without a second person knowing. If her Mother decided to let Yui in on too, Yue could not even imagine how disastrous the consequences might be.

�gRise, Tsukiyomi.�h Her mother helped Yue to her feet. �gUnlike your foster father, such formality will not do for me. I am, after all, your blood mother, am I not?�h

�gMother, if I may inquire, how long have you...?�h Yue bit her underlip and stopped herself from saying the rest of what she wanted to say. Asking that only made her appear to be much more suspicious, if that was possible.

�gA few minutes, I guess.�h The Maker of the World gave her a meaningful glance and an equally meaningful smile. Her eyes, dark as her hair, gleamed mischievously in the emerald light of the crystal container. �gYou would understand why I could not give a clear answer, Tsukiyomi. Someone as ancient as I hardly pay heed to the passage of time any more.�h

�gBut I commanded Ren and Kuuya to notify me should anyone want to enter....�h She closed her own mouth with an audible click of her teeth. Since when did I take up the habit of flapping my tongue before I could think? she thought.

�gYou mean the two children standing guard?�h Izanami-sama laughed softly behind a raised hand. �gThey did try to do as you commanded, daughter, but I managed to persuade them not to. Do not take it out on them later, I ask of you. Between my order and yours, it is hardly difficult to guess which one they chose to heed.�h

�gI... understand,�h Yue muttered darkly. For all her calculations, she failed to realize that there was someone else in the Underworld who had a position higher than hers. If the Regent of the Underworld wished to enter unannounced, who were Ren and Kuuya, two lowly guardswomen, to say that she could not?

�gVery well,�h Izanami-sama said simply and continued studying Yue as though she were something that the Mother had seen for the first time in her life. Under the Supreme Ruler�fs intense scrutinizing eyes, which seemed more than capable of boring deep into the darkness of her soul and extracting everything she was hiding in her heart, Yue�fs limbs threatened to turn into water. Fortunately for her, the Mother of All withdrew her penetrating gaze and turned toward the tall crystal cylinder within which the Goddess of the Sun was floating unconscious. Yue was very glad that she did, for had Izanami-sama continued what she was doing, Yue might probably have spilled out every secret that she had kept.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Yue stared at the back of her Mother while a thousand thoughts crossed her mind. Why did the Regent of the Underworld come to Onogoro in secret? How was it possible that she arrived so on time that she was able to prevent the demise of the Sun Goddess? And why did she bring her to the Rosenkyuu, where there was a jungle of equipments ready for the young woman�fs treatment? Yue was under no false illusion that the two of them had been keeping contact with each other for a while now. And the most important question of all was... what could a high-ranking Immortal of Heaven could have been scheming in the shadows with the Lady of Reiha, which had been at odds with Izumo for the last three thousand years?

�gWhy are you so quiet, Tsukiyomi?�h Izanami-sama said suddenly with her back still facing Yue. �gI know you have a great deal of inquiries on your mind. Ask away.�h

After carefully weighing out all the questions in her mind against one another, she decided to pick the one that she wished to ask the most. �gHow is Yui, Mother?�h

Izanami-sama raised her hand and touched the pillar. Slowly, the crystal layer rippled like a water surface and let it sink deep inside.

�gShe is in a dire situation,�h the Regent caressed Yui�fs cheek with utmost care as she spoke, her voice overflowing with emotions. �gShould this be allowed to go on, her body would be broken one day.�h

�gBut how?�h Yue�fs insides grew cold. �gYui is an Immortal. As such, she is invulnerable to any sickness!�h

�gI never said it was a sickness.�h

�gThen what is it, Mother? Please tell me, I beg of you!�h Yue pleaded.

�gThis.�h At a flicker of Izanami-sama�fs vacant hand, Yui�fs clothes, which had been covering every inch of her body beneath her chin, became transparent, allowing Yue the sight of the Sun Goddess�fs pale skin. She gasped in horror. Encompassing Yui�fs naked frame was a strange scarlet symbol that gleamed metallic in the green light. She had never seen such a thing in her entire life, yet even the most ignorant of Immortals could still realize that it was a....

�gA Curse Mark,�h the Regent of the Underworld finished Yue�fs thought with a grave tone. �gAs long as she bears it, the torments will never stop. It is one of my regrets that I am powerless to remove it and ease her suffering. I am sorry, my child.�h She hung her head in shame.

�gImpossible!�h Yue croaked. �gYui is the strongest of the living High Immortals. No on can place a curse on her and absolutely not one that you cannot remove!�h Her internal organs turned to ice as soon as she finished saying that. To make it worse, the Supreme Ruler of Reiha turned her head and looked at Yue with a knowing gleam in her dark eyes that were filled with agony.

No one? Sure there is, a small voice whispered from the back of her head. Yes, there was. An Immortal who was powerful enough to surpass the great Goddess of the Sun, one whose curse was beyond the Mother of All�fs capacity. Yue looked at the Regent, who nodded with a painful expression on her darkening face.

�gYes, my daughter. It is Izanagi, the Lord of Izumo himself.�h

�gBut... but Yui is his daughter! His blood daughter, Mother!�h

�gHe stopped seeing Amaterasu as his own child long ago, little one,�h the Lady of Reiha muttered darkly, her hand gently brushing Yui�fs golden hair. �gTo him, she is but an obstacle.�h

�gBut he promised me he would not....�h Yue clamped her mouth shut. She had let her tongue flap too freely today. She had to take control of it... or risk seeing everything for which she had devoted every ounce of her efforts during the last three millennia washing down the drain.

Fortunately, Izanami-sama did not appear to have heard what Yue just said. The eternal youthful and resplendent Regent only focused her attention on an unconscious Yui and nothing else. A thought suddenly crossed Yue�fs mind. It was true that unlike Izanagi, the Lady of Reiha was a warm and friendly person who cared deeply for the well-being of her subordinates. Yet... the tenderness and the affection with which she had been treating the Goddess of the Sun were certainly unheard of. Yue felt her stomach lurch. If what she was thinking of was indeed the truth, then every of her unasked questions would also be explained. But... but... could it be?

�gI do love her, but not in that way, Tsukiyomi.�h Izanami-sama laughed out loud. �gMy, my, what have you been learning in Izumo, I wonder?�h

�gHow did you....�h Yue stammered, her face flushing bright red. �gYou read my mind, Mother?�h

�gPlease, my little puppy, I am your mother.�h Izanami-sama wiped a tear off her eye, looking as though she might burst into another fit of laughter. �gAnytime you wag your tail, I know exactly what you are thinking, even without them written all over your face like this.�h The Regent gave Yue an amused sidelong glance before she continued, �gWorry not. Since I do not have your peculiar taste in women, you need not fear that I may take her away from you.�h

�gWhat are you saying, Mother, I do not...�h Yue protested hastily. The Great Mother�fs quiet laughter cut her off, though.

�gWhat is there to be embarrassed about, child?�h Izanami-sama said warmly. �gAmaterasu is a lovely girl. She has charisma, strong personality, and an unyielding will. She is the only person in Izumo whom I admire, for she will not stop at anything to grant the wish of the one she loves. You can hardly find someone as devoted as she in this day and age.�h

�gYui... has someone she loves? Who is it?�h she asked slowly, feeling her heart aching at the words. She used to know who that person was. Now, she was not so sure anymore.

�gThat I have no right to answer, Tsukiyomi. Go and ask Amaterasu yourself when she wakes.�h The Regent of the Underworld gave her a playful smile that drove it home to Yue that no matter how many more times she could ask, she still would not get an answer. She sighed. When the Mother decided to act mysterious, she would not admit it should anyone ask her whether the color of her hair was black. That was why Izanami-sama was extremely difficult to deal with sometimes.

�gI sense that you still have one question you wish to ask, Tsukiyomi. Do not hesitate.�h

�gWhy are you not angry at me, Mother?�h

�gFor what?�h The amusement never faded from Izanami-sama�fs voice. The Regent of the Underworld seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.

�gFor my betrayal,�h Yue answered in deep bitterness. �gI freed Izanagi and took him back to Heaven, did I not?�h

�gContrary to what you may think, Tsukiyomi, I do not see it as a betrayal.�h The Great Mother winced slightly at the word. �gYou did what you did because you only wished to return to Amaterasu�fs side, and I never blamed you for wanting to.�h

�gHow... did you know?!�h Yue gaped at her Mother.

It was the simple truth, in any case. The desire to see Yui once more and the fervent wish to be by her side again had been what spurred Yue toward the decision to rescue the Lord of Izumo from his prison. Until the day she turned eighteen, she had been living in the Holy City, where she grew up along with the young Goddess of the Sun, the person whose bride she thought she would become one day. Those had been the happiest years in Yue�fs life, for her every day revolved around Yui�fs sweet and melodious laughter. Every morning, Yue would wake before the sun could rise and wait anxiously until she heard her sweetheart�fs soft footfall outside of her room. Every morning, she would close her eyes, pretend that she was still asleep until the golden-haired Goddess opened the door, walked in, woke her up by rocking her arm gently, and whispered �gGood morning, Yue-chan�h into her ear afterwards in her amazingly adorable voice. It had been all Yue could do to not pull the other girl into her arms and kiss her for all she was worth.

Yue loved her. She loved her so much that the day the Great Conflict broke out in Heaven, the very same day her Mother took her back to the Underworld, was also the one in which she thought she would die. She could not eat, she could not force her lips to touch water, and the only thing she was capable of was crying until she fell asleep.

In her hearts, perhaps she had realized that with Reiha and Izumo now saw each other as enemies, there was no way she could be reunited with the one she loved. Grief, the emotion dominating her heart at that time, was allowed to gnaw at her will to live as a result. Eventually, her consciousness faded, her powers waned, and her soul slowly broke down. In her distant memory, she could still remember lying on the bed and breathing weakly while her Mother tried her hardest to keep Yue alive. She would have died then had it not been for Izanagi-sama�fs sudden intrusion into Reiha, the Heart of the Underworld. The sole thought that the Lord of Izumo would somehow bring Yui with him returned just enough strength to Yue�fs lifeless body just to hear a piece of disturbing news. The man she now called father meant to take Yue back to Izumo by force. He failed – thanks to the power of the Crystal Roses, which sustained the Sealing Field around Reiha – and ended up being imprisoned by the Lady of Reiha. But that had given Yue an idea, nonetheless. Throwing all rationality and loyalty behind, Yue freed the man and fled with Him to the Holy City.

Yue had thought that her plan was flawless. She had expected that a life of happiness awaited her return to Izumo, where her heart resided. She was dead wrong.

�gI am not blind, silly daughter of mine,�h replied the Lady of Reiha. �gAnd you certainly were not the first girl I saw who was head over heels in love. Besides, do you honestly expect that no one would notice?�h

�gI guess not....�h

�gMy dear child, you have suffered so,�h whispered the Regent of the Underworld, who gently pulled Yue into a tight, warm hug. The Mother�fs hand then traveled soothingly up and down Yue�fs back. It was as though all the years she had spent away from Izanami-sama had melted away. It was as though she had traveled back into the past, to a time when she was still little and clinging to her mother�fs sleeve. �gDo not fear. Do not feel guilty. I have never been angry at you, and never will I be.�h

�gBut... but all I had done was in vain, Mother.�h She wept openly on the Lady of Reiha�fs shoulder. �gThat bastard Izanagi... he forced me to take an oath to become Yui�fs sister. And he... he....�h Yue told her mother all about it. The reason why she had to humiliate Yui publicly at any chance she had. The reason why she forced herself to hate the one she loved most. Then, Izanami-sama, too, cried.

 

***

 

Sitting with her arms around her knees in front of her sweetheart�fs room in the Himemiya Mansion, Kurusugawa Himeko looked at her wristwatch for the hundredth time and wondered when her beloved Chikane-chan would come back. Upon regaining consciousness a few hours ago on the beach, the only thing that remained in her memory was what had happened before she found herself trapped in a strange place with an Orochi and nothing after that. Sou-chan had not seemed particularly happy, though, that she still remembered what she had told him about her and the Himemiya Ojou-sama�fs relationship. During their trip home, they had not spoken even one word to each other. Once the boy had dropped her off in front of the Himemiya Mansion, he only gave her a sad look, which made her feel extremely guilty, before he sped away on his bike.

Himeko took out her cell phone, which Chikane-chan had bought her a couple of days past, and dialed the girl�fs number again. Only the dull ring tone answered her. She sighed. The blue-haired princess had promised that she would be there when Himeko returned... and she had never failed to keep a promise before. Himeko was worried sick about the safety of her sweetheart... yet unlike the maids, who were running around the house and phoned everybody they knew to check whether those people knew the whereabouts of their young mistress, she decided to stay here and waited. There was nothing else she could do. Besides, she did not want to be out there, wandering, when her Chikane-chan returned and did not see her.

�gPlease come back soon, Chikane-chan,�h she said as she buried her face in the crooks of her arms. �gThere are so many things I want to say to you.�h

 

***

 

Panting madly, Oogami Kazuki ran as fast as he could down the stone flight of stairs leading toward the Enshrinement Chamber of Shingetsu. Something big was happening down there, he knew it. Otherwise, his heart wouldn�ft have started to pound madly in alarm when he was relaxing in his bath.

One step into the Chamber halted Kazuki in his track. Someone else was in there, standing imperiously in front of the Shinken Seals and ice pillar that housed Ame no Hitomi, the treasure that the Oogami clan had been standing guard over for the last three thousand years. And that someone was none other than Himemiya Chikane herself. However, before him now was a person he did not recognize. It wasn�ft that her appearance had changed. She was still the pretty girl who had slaughtered him with her sharp and merciless words during the meeting in which he told her and her partner about the legend of the Kannazuki Priestesses.

What was no longer the same was her facial expression, which was heavens and earth different from that of the daughter of his old friends, Himemiya Kyou and Himemiya Kimika. The girl�fs sapphire eyes were glowing with a light so cold it could have snuffed out even the sun�fs fire. Her whole body was brimming with so much power she could have obliterated the whole Mahoroba City without a drop of sweat. When Kazuki�fs eyes traveled to her right hand, he felt his throat run dry. She was holding a Japanese katana whose blue scabbard was embedded with the Moon Crest. One of the Eyes of Heaven! Kazuki thought. The events that had transpired tonight, without his knowledge, could have meant only one thing.

�gI, High Priest of Shingetsu Grand Shrine, welcome you back.�h Kazuki fell to one knee in front of the Priestess of the Moon. �gKannazuki Aoi-sama.�h