Author's Note: I do not own Sousei no Onmyouji, Yoshiaki Sukeno does. Please feel free to R&R. Thanks and enjoy!

Prologue

Tsuchimikado Island was unlike any other place found on Earth. It was a place of peace for all exorcists and supernatural alike. The island was kept separate from the rest of humanity who could not hope to understand the islanders' gifts and powers. Some would become power-hungry for the abilities of the people of Tsuchimikado Island, and others only saw freaks and monsters. Now, Tsuchimikado Island was thought of nothing more than another fictional tale meant to intrigue the minds of young children, powerful sealing spells keeping the island safely hidden away from prying eyes.

Guarding the island are the Twelve Guardians; twelve heavenly commanders who inherited the names and powers of Abe no Seimei's shikigami; the first exorcist. Each guardian was a member of one of the original ally houses who aided Abe no Seimei in sealing the island from the rest of the world. Succession of the guardians differentiate between the twelve houses: the Amawaka House, Ikaruga House, Inanaki House, Loroi House, Kasukami House, Mitejima House, Mitosaka House, Sada House, Ujii House, Unomiya House, and the Zeze House. Led by the head exorcist of the Tsuchimikado House, these traditions are absolute and have continued to guide the security of the island.

Thousands of years later, now, an arising darkness has set out to destroy the peace that has graced the island, and that is where our story begins.

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Spring on Tsuchimikado Island was always a sight to behold. Shikigami of all kinds could be found roaming the fields of the island's prairies and forests while the city life continued to bustle with life. On this particular day of spring, two children could be found on a hill with sparse trees near the Ikaruga household. The grandeur of the trees made up for their lack in numbers. Smooth bark and elongated branches making the trees excellent for climbing. A boy with red hair and glasses was situated in such a tree, intently studying a book on exorcism spells and fighting techniques with serious azure blue eyes. Down below, a tiny girl pouted up at the older boy; her white tiger tail and ears twitching with irritation.

"Shimon~! Come down from there and play with me~!"

Swaying a dangling foot from the branch he was perched on, Shimon Ikaruga scowled down at the eight year-old Amawaka. "I don't have time to spend playing around with you." With that he returned to reading his book, adjusting his position on the branch to make more room for his red wings.

Mayura Amawaka glared up at the red-winged boy in annoyance. As the successor to the title of Suzaku, it was rare to ever find Shimon doing anything other than studying and training. Despite also being destined to be part of one of the Twelve Guardians, Mayura never let responsibility stop her from doing what she enjoyed best: having fun and annoying Shimon.

Mayura continued to pout at the Ikaruga boy before smirking. Suspicious of how quiet the little Amawaka had become, Shimon barely had time to look up from his book before a blonde blur crashed into him, shoving him and itself off the branch and to the ground below. Red wings unfurled and caught the air before the pair could crash to the ground.

Before Shimon could scold the girl for her reckless behavior Mayura deftly plucked his book from his hands and, using him as a springboard, jumped safely to the ground, leaving Shimon toppling the rest of the way to the ground. Irritated, Shimon jumped to his feet and adjusted his glasses.

"Give me the book, Mayura." Shimon ordered.

Mayura firmly shook her head. "Play with me!" She insisted.

"I don't want to play right now!" Shimon shouted. His wings began to twitch and flap in irritation.

"Then fight me!"

"Huh?!" Shimon stared exasperatedly.

"If I win, you have to play with me!" Mayura nodded to herself proudly, happy with her sound reasoning.

Shimon could only stare. "I'm not going to fight a girl. It would be disrespectful." Of course, that was a lie. Shimon had been training with individuals of the opposite sex for years now. It wasn't unheard of that women, too, possessed great skill on the battlefield, Subaru Mitejima was a testament to that.

"I'm going to be one of the Twelve Guardians, too, you know!" Mayura fumed. Her grip on the book tightening.

Desperate to save the precious item, Shimon attempted to appease the younger girl. "It's not that! I just don't want to hurt you…" He mumbled the last part, directing his attention to the ground in an attempt to hide his growing blush.

When silence continued to permeate the space between them, Shimon continued, "Besides, it's not that I―"

Shimon ducked before a swinging foot could smack him in the face. Reflexes taking over, Shimon rolled through the movement, finishing the move with a kicking sweep that knocked Mayura's feet out from under her. Before Mayura could retaliate, Shimon had her arms pinned to the ground on either side of her head, straddling her waist so she would not be able to knee him in the abdomen. The book flew from Mayura's grasp and skidded across the ground.

Shimon smirked down at Mayura's vain attempts to break free from his hold, proud of himself for perfecting the hold. His triumph was short-lived, however, when he finally took the time to discover the position he was in. Shimon could feel his face burn with embarrassment as he attempted to stutter out, "Th..This is…isn't what you―"

Once again, Shimon's speech was interrupted….by Mayura promptly head-butting him on the forehead.

Groaning in pain, Shimon fell from his position above Mayura to the ground beside her. Both children curled into themselves in an attempt to ease the pain reverberating through their skulls.

Shimon continued to rub tenderly at his forehead, hissing in pain, only to tense when a tiny hand began to run itself across the expanse of his left wing. He relaxed and sighed, gently smiling as the hand continued to glide across the fiery feathers. Pain and book forgotten, his mind could only concentrate on Mayura's gentle touch.

"They're beautiful, Shimon" Mayura whispered. The rays of the sun illuminated the feathers in a beautiful blend of deep oranges and bright reds. Even dormant, the wings appeared as if they were made of fire. Mayura had spent a great deal of time admiring Shimon and his siblings, Sayo and Keiji, practicing to control their aerial movements to best aid them in combat. When in-flight the wings of the Ikaruga House were a true sight to behold.

In Mayura's household―the Amawaka House―individuals were well known for their white tiger attributes, as a sign of their connection to Byakko, the White Tiger―and one of the Twelve Guardians.

"Everyone in the Ikaruga household has them." Shimon murmured.

"But these are a part of you. That makes them special." Mayura stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She continued to trace the outline of his wings, running a finger down to where the wing connected to his shoulder blade. Shimon shivered at the contact.

Turning so that he was facing Mayura, Shimon reached out and flicked at one of the tiger ears at the top of her head. It twitched in agitation before returning to its original position. "You're delusional." He deadpanned, his face scarlet in embarrassment.

"I am not, you red-haired, feather-brained, idiot-genius!"

"…What does that even mean?"