Now that I look back at the records, I actually started writing this story in freaking 2012! Usually I'm not this tardy with one-shots, but (1) my ideas kept alternating from one to another, (2) it was hard for me to follow the relationship as depicted in the original work without changing it too much because of my own creation - after all, we could only scrape so little TouRin goodies - and (3) I had no time (which I know, is a rather lame excuse). Anyhow, recently I resolved that this fic has suspended for too long and I must get this done pronto, then I finally decided on a solid plot and worked on it...and hey presto! Here it is! I'm so pleased that I could finally get it completed!
For those who've read my other creation The Moth Goddess and the Moon Warrior, yes, this is a sister-story to it. It's not a sequel, so for those who've yet taken a look at that you don't have to worry about not understanding. The background setting is the same, but the main pair of characters are totally different with only a slight connection to its sister. Besides, I'll also include some explanations in the end, so you can get a better picture and follow me more closely.
Okay, let's ride on the mythical waves~~
The Fire Phoenix and the Ice Dragon
"I'm beat…" A man groaned as he collapsed onto the floor, panting and heaving. Tired eyes trailed along the two scurrying children, shrilling delightfully at his demise. Such energy…no wonder they were her children. Even he was no challenge to them, for they were even worse than any of the nemeses he had ever fought tooth and nail. He needed to do something now and quick. "Souma, Hakuro! It's time for bed now!"
"Come on, Dad!" The boy yelled. "It's still so early! There's time to play more!" After that, they went back to throw the colourful temari (1) with unbelievably good skills. Normally, he would smile at the likeliness to their mother, but now was not the time.
"No is no, and I mean it." He rarely used business tone in front of his dear twins, but he was totally out of options. "Your mother said you should be in bed by now—"
Okay, he made up the last one, but the effects were instant: they rushed to him, whining with tearful eyes, "No, no, Dad! Please don't tell Mum! She'll be very angry!" The older son gripped his arm tightly and the younger daughter was just about to cry, both respective brown and green eyes begging at their father with terror. He cringed.
'What on earth would you do, you crazy woman?!' The man thought to himself, but he smiled warmly to his children, "I won't tell her, given that you go to bed now."
"But Hakuro can't sleep…" The girl pouted, fumbling with the hem of her sleeve. "Can you tell Hakuro a story, Papa? She promises to be good and go sleep after that." (2)
"And not any one from the 'Chappy and Friends' series, please!" Souma added.
"Okay!" The man chuckled lovingly and pulled the children onto each of his laps. "It's a brand new story you've yet known, so you'd better perk up your ears! In the…"
In the Celestial Moon Palace and ruling over the world under the Cloak of Night, the Moon God Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto dwelt there. By his sides were his many soldiers, known as Shinigami, of all varieties of form and shape. From simply plants to animals, elements and objects, up to even the sacred, each of them possessed distinct forms, personalities and powers. Even for siblings, parents and children, none was the same. Some of them were known for their abilities, some their strength, some their beauty.
And among all the Shinigami was one, who was the embodiment of all aspects: the Ice Dragon. He was a noble warrior of unrivalled heavenliness; on the other hand, he held remarkable abilities and strengths in him. Because of this, many admired him, and he was named Captain of a squad of Shinigami—a title that was held by only few, which were thirteen of the most powerful Shinigami they could ever proudly produce. Because he was the youngest Captain to be ever named he was crowned as a prodigy, and some hailed him to be the Embodiment of the Heavenly White Guardian Warrior, who only came along once every several centuries, bearing about blessings with him.
From time to time, a Shinigami would be sent to the Earthly Plain for his duties, which was to protect the lives from evil spirits. This time, the Ice Dragon was chosen. With his powers sealed and appearance changed, he descended to the world below…
~\| Ô |/~
A horrified cry woke the Lion from his nap, and eyes of turquoises opened wide. Without a second thought and half out of instinct, he pranced out of his residing cave, leapt deftly down the steep slope, weaved through the thick forest with wide strides, and skidded to a stop at a patch of clearing by the riverbank. There it happened again: a crazed monkey was wrecking havoc, smashing down trees and cratering the ground, and in the wake of its actions knocked a few young creatures down. His nature called, and he would have stepped out if not a flash of gold crossed the corners of his eyes…
Like a shooting star, it drew an arc in the air and dashed straight to the monkey. All was so fast that before the Lion and the monkey could comprehend, it has ended. When time moved again, the monkey lay motionlessly on the ground in its foul blood, a gaping hole through its body at the chest. For the streak of gold, it pulled to the sky, slowly fading to reveal a black figure. It gracefully landed on a branch of a nearby tree, and when it looked down and saw him, those black eyes widened, "Is it you, O Lion?"
Realization hit him like a ton of bricks as old memories blew him back. His eyes, cold and hard like real turquoises for most of the time, softened with meagre warmth. It took him long moments to fully recognize her, due to the changes time has brought, "Yes, it has been a long time. I am honoured that you still keep me in mind, O Raven (3)."
She cawed softly as she flew down and landed on his head, her eyes with mirth. Surprisingly, she was unafraid of either his icy demeanour or his form as a big wildcat. "Why would I not? You are the only one who knows and accepts what and who I am."
He knew exactly what she meant, as he remembered everything that happened: five years ago when he first arrived at the Forest of the Empty Tree (4) just as he did now, he met her, scruffy and scrawny and slightly bruised, but a spirited fire burned within. She told him to leave as he might be killed, but then a crazy baboon demon appeared. Before he could act she made her move. Under his astonished stare, she transformed, as golden tongues of flame licked her small frame, and she took flight with a screech, so very ear-splitting and struck fear to the very core of souls, but solely to the demon. However, it was no weakling and the Raven was just not agile enough, and in a strike, it knocked her down. Before it could do her in, the Lion slew him with his sharp claws. Then he learnt her secret: the golden blazes said that she ought to be a Sun Priestess, the group of heavenly maiden attendants to Amaterasu-Oomikami, the Sun Goddess, if she did not have a father of a Shinigami, not to mention a Captain—his predecessor. Thus so, she was in a dilemma: unfitted to ascend to Takamagahara to be a Priestess; unfitted to be a Shinigami, unlike her brother the Moon Warrior, due to her brilliance, she could only stay in the Earthly Plain, the only zone where all powers were neutral.
Her powers were a blessing and a curse. Due to her holy abilities of a Priestess, she brought the dying Forest of the Empty Tree to exuberances. Greenery flourished, animals set up their homes and propagated—a balanced ecosystem was established. However, she also drew in evil spirits to seek after her transcendent abilities of gods, which if obtained would grant tremendous power and might bring forth catastrophes. Therefore, she took it upon herself to deal with the evil spirits to maintain the peace, yet her control over her powers was not refined, thus to compensate with the control, she became unsightly sick. If the Lion had not appeared and taught her the trick then, she would have died prematurely in the most torturous way ever, crushed by herself.
Now that the strains on her body were removed, the Raven transformed anew: she grew up to the normal size, and her feathers were glossy like cloaked in black silk. He hardly believed that she would need his help to vanquish the evil spirits anymore, as wherever she went she emitted confidence and strength, and that fascinated him.
"Say, Lion," She pecked his head in a playful manner. "Since you are here again, we could finally continue where we have stopped last time when you left in a hurry!"
"I was sent here to terminate evil spirits and perform my duties." The Lion said, without a mind to shoo her away. "I do not have the luxury to play games with you…" Then he caught her slightly downcast look and supplemented, "But I have time now."
The delighted look on her was priceless, like she suddenly became a supernova. The Raven gleefully took off and circled above him, trying to lead him to somewhere, and he complied. In comfortable silence the two arrived at another bank of the river, a more open area with no hindering boulders or trees, save for a small rounded rock. There were also shallow pits on the two sides, with the marks smoother than before.
Getting more and more excited at the sight, the Raven dashed towards the rock, but she was beaten to it by the Lion, who laid a paw and swept it with a flick of wrist. Despite the heaviness, the rock shot off and rolled precisely right into one of the pits. With a satisfied growl, he leapt and crouched next to the other empty pit like a guard, while she snapped her bill in frustration yet that did not even last for several seconds, as she clutched the rock in her two feet and tossed it towards him. The game was on. (5)
In the entire day, they had this play of trying to get the rock into the other's pit. With versatile paws and a bigger build, the Lion had his advantages and scored nicely, but the Raven proved to be formidable since her ingenuity could divert his attentions, so she could snatch it from its nose and made decent scores. They had their fill of fun, but when the Sun set beyond the horizon and the Moon crept to rise and take its role, the Lion turned abruptly to the dense tall woods, only to stop when the Raven called.
"Midst the reign and influence of my Lord the Moon God Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, I can revert back to my real form, but it is something that is treacherous to approach, something that should be kept from all eyes of dwellers of the Earthly Plain, like you." He answered before she voiced her confusion, feeling the start of his metamorphosis.
"I do not fear it." She said. "I have the blood of a Shinigami—blood of your kind, so I can endure it better than anyone else. I have long wanted to see it with my eyes."
Time was running out, and he could feel his control over the change losing fast. Summoning up the last ounces of his will, he glanced at her, "Sorry, until next time…" With that he vanished into the forest before she could reach him. He dashed deeper, faster. By the time he made it back to his cave den he was already changed in midway. Not that he was afraid of his powers running amok; heck, he had perfect mastery of it, but the thought of his true form near her dreaded him to no end. No, he could never, ever, be close to her in this form, lest his icy aura would douse those brilliant flames…
~\| Ô |/~
The next morning, the Lion woke up to soft crows, and his eyes fluttered open. Standing on a low bare tree branch closest to the entrance of the cave was the Raven, looking at him with anxious eyes, "Are you alright, O Lion? You are seriously injured!"
Oh, yes. He then relived what happened last night: he came across an evil spirit, and out of dutiful senses he fought to subdue it. However, this one was rather strong, but it had dealt quite a number on him before going down, wounding his proud form. He was no stranger to pain, and he knew the remedy to deal with those bloody gaps, so he returned to the cavern to recuperate. He clearly underestimated his situations, as the gashes were far from beginning to clot at all. They were still bleeding profusely, and he started to feel the aftermath and telltale dizziness from that heavy blood loss.
"Stay still. I shall get a remedy." Wasting not a second more, the Raven flew off, only to come back after a brief moment with some herbs. She did her work expertly, grinding the herbs with stones, coating the wounds with the pasty mixtures delicately, and finally covering them up with larger leaves to avoid infections. After all the hassle, she roosted on a nearby boulder to take a well-deserved rest, staring at him all along.
"I will be fine here. No one would dare to come because of my murderous aura. You can leave for other things." The Lion said, shifting a bit for a comfortable posture.
"And here is the place I choose to stay." She replied. "With such horrible injury, you are in no condition to defend yourself when assaulted, very alike to a sitting duck. You know that I can hold my own against any dangers, so I shall stay…to protect you."
At normal times the Lion would have sneered at those insane-sounding phrases. He and protection never went well, as the single thing he knew was cold destruction. But in the presence of the Raven, all that he understood were thrown out of his mind, and he would become someone not his usual self. He could not turn her offers down, he allowed her to intrude into his personal spaces where the others were prohibited, and she was the only one in all realms to witness the softer sides under his icy façade. Looking into her steadfast eyes—black and brilliant like the finest polished obsidians, he nodded and laid his head down on his paws for more rest. She cooed contentedly, and they stayed in each other's presence in comfortable silence as he slept at peace.
When he woke again, golden warm rays of the Sun made its way into the cave, telling him that it was late afternoon. The Lion groaned quietly, moving his stiff limbs. Then he saw a miracle: her head bowed and eyes closed, the Raven was taking a nap, unaware of the rays showering on her, portraying her in a fiery gold from head to toe. She looked so serene and beautiful in her slumber. He had no heart of waking her up, but the low hiss as he turned a little and stretched the wounds startled her alertness.
"Do you feel better now, O Lion?" She said eagerly, examining the healing gaps.
"Yes. You have my gratitude, O Raven." He answered. For once his eyes not cold, but brimmed with emotions which he had heavily sealed since becoming a Shinigami.
"You do not have to mention that." She spread her wings, making another sight: she basked in more of the sunrays, like donning molten gold all over her. But it ended, and too soon for his like—he would never say this to anyone, including her, of course.
"You are the Guardian of the Forest, so why bother to stay here?" The Lion said. "Besides, you are at the prime time of looking for the mate of your life, are you not?"
The Raven stared at him and laughed so hard that she fell off from the boulder. "Oh, dear Lion! Even I have better control over my powers, tell those boys about me, and they would flee at the first second when I am not looking at them! Furthermore, 'A Shinigami's aura of death was so great that only other Shinigami could bear with it', how could they stay being in my presence for more than an hour, let alone a lifetime? Besides," At that point, she suddenly became coy as she directed her gaze elsewhere. "…I have devoted my heart, so why bother to be with one I will never grow fond of?"
A hard pang drummed the Lion's heart, as if his breath was knocked out of him. Just as he was about to spurt out his question to demand for the identity of her love, the gears in his mind kicked into work and slowly processed her words. He froze still, and soon came to a conclusion, which made his heart swell up with utter exhilaration, but also arduous with dread. He decided that he has kept silent longer than expected, and he must give a reply. He put on his straightest face, "It is impossible between us."
The silence got choky, until the raspy voice of the Raven cut through it, "Why?"
The Lion hardened his voice, "Your home is here, the Forest of the Empty Tree, in the Earthly Plain, and be its beloved Guardian. In contrast to you, I am a Shinigami, and I lay my allegiance to my Master, the Moon God." His turquoise eyes grew wintry, "I cannot shrug off my noble responsibilities and make waste of my bestowed power, and in turn tarnish the sacred name of my Master…not even for the one I love most."
A gust of wind swept past and blew into the cave, and a howl echoed the walls.
"What will you do from this point on, O Lion?" Even though she sounded calm, her broken heart was evident in the tone. It agonised him, but he hardened his mind.
"The wound will heal in short time, and I shall stay until my duties are fulfilled." He assured as he closed his eyes, laying his head on his paws. "Please leave, O Raven. I wish to rest in peace without company, and you must go back to where you belong."
She said nothing as he even turned his head away, and by the flutter of feathers, he knew that she has left him and opened his eyes, painted in anguish and self-loath. He dragged his claws on the rocky ground of the cave, making ear-splitting screeches, as he ground his teeth. He has done the last thing he would ever do in his whole life: inflicting pain on her. Ever since he met her, she has changed him from good to better. As a Shinigami, he did not have the luxury of making friends but apathetic colleagues, and he has vowed to offer his body and soul for peace. Now he could see his mistake: he used to have his heart of pure emotions, which was now ripped out for the Raven. He was glad that he had saved such a vital object and made it to be in her possession, but distressed for shattering hers into pieces. Inhaling deep breaths to calm his mind, he reasoned to himself over and over again that in time she would forget about him, and she would lead on a happier life in the Forest with another of her clan. As for him, time would wash away the pain of losing her, and he could shoulder and deal with it. Feeling fine with this, he dosed off in the cooling afternoon to speed up the healing…
When the Lion woke up to a screech and asthmatic smoke again, it was twilight, but the area were dyed in crimson red, and he felt like he was thrown into an inferno. He dashed into the burning Forest, but he did not know where he should be going to, only leaving his heart guide his body to anywhere. He made it to a dying hollow tree, the one which the Raven made her nest on, the one still safe from the roaring flames. However, she was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was about to leave to search for her, the tree burst from the inside. Shards of wood flew like needles, which he deflected, but what he saw next was something he will always remember for the rest of his life.
A demonized lion with a missing eye growled as it walked out from the remains, with something black clammed tightly in its jaws. Liquid life poured out freely from it, and even dying it crooned croakily. It struck the Lion at his heart; that was the Raven!
None of the torments he had experienced was on par with the one he felt then. His windpipe clenched tightly and he could not let out his breath. His innards twisted. His blood ran cold and pushed his low body temperature down beyond freezing point. Everything of him halted in function until a red-hot fire exploded into his every tissue. He let out a deafening roar, a mixture of the piercing lament for losing her, his "heart", and of extreme wrath towards the demon lion. Already on the verge of transforming, the burst of emotions broke the seal as well, and in no time the Ice Dragon emerged, hovering in the air with his wings of ice. The blaze did no harm to his body of crystals, but only painted it in red, so as his turquoise eyes, burning a fiery frenzy for revenge.
With a majestic roar of his breath, he caused the temperature to plunge down, so low that the fire died instantly. He descended to the ground and caused it to shake, and frost spread from where he stood to the mindless demon. Out of instinctual fear, it tried to escape, but it was too slow and was soon encased in a glacial coffin. Luckily, it had released the Raven from its jaws before it met its end. The Dragon went to her.
"This is your true form." She said with a weak smile. "What beauty to behold…"
"Beauty, you say?" He said sarcastically. "I would say it is a deadly beauty, then. The cold is unforgiving and harms whoever comes in contact with it, friends or fiends. That is why I truthfully longed that you would never be in presence of this side of me, in fear of hurting you." He hung his head in shame. "I am so sorry I have failed you…"
"You have not…" She whispered, her eyes dimming as she was near to the end. "I know you, O dear Dragon. You will never do violence to me…because you love me."
"Yes…" Hearing the word agitated him, but hearing it now did not bring him joy. "Yes, I do! You are the very breath I inhale, you are the very heart I have in my chest, and you are the very essence of my soul! Do you think that I can live on without you, when you have robbed me of these? You must not give up and trust that you will live! You will be alright! You will be healed!" Not minding if the coldness would freeze her, he cradled her in his wings, wishing only to keep her close to him as long as he could.
"I am glad…to hear that at my end." The Raven smiled with a shuddered breath, and her eyelids slowly slipped. "However…I am sorry…that I have to…let you down…" Then the last bit of her warmth was lost. The Raven died in the wings of the Dragon.
Distraught with a broken heart at the loss of love, he let out a melancholic roar, crushing the burnt Forest with the massive weight of the death of this brilliant being, her Guardian. Tears—a thing he believed to have long frozen solid—flooded his eyes, and one by one they fell from his cheeks as small shards of diamonds. To his surprise, none of them froze on his icy scales and they dripped down onto the still lifeless body. Little by little they washed away all the dirt and blood on it, and a miracle occurred—
A spark began to glimmer at the heart, and it slowly spread to the entire frame, getting brighter until it was set on fire. The golden licking tongues did not eat it away, but rather just enveloped it like a fiery cocoon. The flames were warm and soothing, yet they did no harm to the Dragon. Vitality danced in the air, filling the area with joy. Then the Raven's body grew bigger. The neck lengthened and bent in a graceful arch. Two more pairs of wings emerged from the back and altogether they expanded wider. Feathers flowed out from the tail into a long train. When the transformations ended, the light dispersed to reveal a new being: feathers of flames on the wings and the tail, a bird of mythical bearings opened the eyes to reveal the golden-red orbs behind lids, and as it stroke the appendages with a musical cry the frozen Forest thawed instantly, but the warmth did not affect the Dragon in the tiniest bits. It hovered in front of him, with a familiar smile that he knew so well. Even changed, he knew who the bird was.
"You have become magnificent, O Raven." He said, eyeing her from head to tail. "Or should I address you by your true name, O Fire Phoenix the Vermillion Fire Bird?"
"No matter which way, she was, is and will be the only one as you had known." A tall elegant man in fine silvery kimono stood above them, his long ponytail flowing. From how the Dragon bowed at him, it was clear that this was Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto.
"While she was alive and known as the Raven, due to the dual powers within, she could be neither a Priestess nor a Shinigami. As you both have understood clearly, my Honourable Sister is essentially Life itself, thus when she died a few moments ago, the Priestess part was lost, and the Shinigami part could gain permanent dominance. Therefore, she is now a full Shinigami, and she is warmly welcomed to be our family." His pale-grey eyes stole a glance at the Phoenix and continued with a smile, "Strange, that you have grown to be hopeful and bright despite all the hardships you endured, thus make you radiate in such brilliance. You are destined to be a Shinigami, after all." His voice faded into the breeze as he vanished, "We shall be seeing you, O Phoenix…"
After the Moon God disappeared, the Dragon turned to the Phoenix, "…Come."
Wordlessly, they both took off to the starry sky, she following close behind him. Suddenly, he bent to his left while she bent to her right as they drew their half-circle. When they almost finished drawing the arc and were about to collide, they soared up, bellies an inch apart, to above the clouds. There, they broke a bit far apart from other, bearing intensely into the eyes. They flew in leisurely circles, getting closer and closer, until as if there was a huge explosion in between, they sprang away with a strong flap, but with a few twists of acrobatic manoeuvres they headed towards each other again. Just before they collided, they reached their claws out, locked them tightly together, and dived down to the ground. Despite the danger of crashing at such great velocity, they kept the claws clutched, displaying their unspoken absolute faith in their partner. A few seconds before hitting, they gazed into their eyes again, coated with warm love. With a smile, they finally released their hold, pulled up and landed on the tree tops—
The soft snores told him that his children have finally drifted to the Dreamland. Gently and fluidly, he carried each one in an arm and brought them to their bedroom, where two futons were arranged. He tugged them in and after kissing their foreheads, he walked out and slid the door quietly. A swish, and a figure appeared in the garden.
"They're in bed now?" As promised, she returned at twilight after a day's work.
"Ah." He folded his arms in his sleeves and sauntered towards his beloved wife. He smirked at her smugly, "See? Told you that I can handle the both of them myself."
"Of course I know you can." She chuckled. Her obsidians turned to the night sky, and breathed out a sigh, "Such a beautiful night…say, would you like to fly with me?"
"…I'll race you!" His smirk grew wider as he started first, leaving her astonished.
"Oh, wait till I get you!" She grinned with determined eyes—a trait in her family. Both husband and wife flash-stepped on the many tiled roofs as swiftly as they could, attempting to outrun the other. When they made it out to the outskirts of the woods, they did not slow down a single beat until a vast open clearing came into their sight, where the moon and twinkling stars illuminated the place with their cold silvery light. They got there at the same time, panting, but then they laughed at their childishness.
"Still the silly girl I know…" He said, pulling her into a hug. "…But a lot stronger."
"Everything I am now is because of you." She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. After placing a chaste kiss on his cheek, she broke free from him and drew her sword. She raised it to her face, both hands gripping on the hilt, and the blade shone golden, while her reiatsu rushed out in torrents in the shape of red tongues of untamed fire…
"Bankai, Shirokuyoku Hienmaru (6)!" She chanted and the flames went to her back, forming into six large wings and a long tail, and her feet turned into bird's scaly talons. A stroke of the wings and she was airborne, looking down on him with a playful look. Knowing her wishes, he also unsheathed his blade from his back and took his stance. In contrast to her, the air grew mistily cold as he readied to unleash his Final Release.
"Bankai, Daiguren Hyourinmaru!" At his command, ice crept up from his sword, then to his arm, his back and down to his legs. In no time, he became the Ice Dragon, and went up to the sky. Laughing merrily, she swirled around him, but he dived down. At the corners of his eyes he saw that she flew upwards and stopped high above him, just as his feet tapped the ground. She plunged while he jumped up at the same time, and they came face to face in midair. After several more mirroring swoops and turns, they met above the clouds. Perhaps on an extreme level of cloud nine, she leant back, and let gravity work its miracles when she free-fell. At first, he jumped out of his skin, but then he complied with her madness and dived. As he reached her, he hugged her.
"I won't let anything happen to you anymore, I swear." He muttered to her ear.
"It's not your fault for unable to get me out of that fire." She snuggled into him, enjoying his warmth despite him being coldness reincarnated. "You did all you could. Besides, I'm rather glad that I died, or else I couldn't be a real Shinigami, be with you, and have such lovely kids with you." (7) She looked up at him with the same loving eyes, "The Fire Phoenix will keep rising from the dead ashes to reunite with her Ice Dragon, and they will dance forever in the vast skies of all the realms, until the end of Time…"
"That's a really good ending." He said smiling. Turquoises locked with obsidians, they kissed passionately on the lips even when they almost hit the ground. Together, they opened their wings and let the night zephyr carry them up to reach for the stars. Hand in hand, they coursed the sky until the first rays of light appeared at the horizon, then they finally headed home. Just as they went to check their twins, they woke up.
"Oh man, I can't believe I fell sound asleep in the middle of Dad's storytelling!" The boy yawned loudly, and the wider-awake younger girl ran up to tackle her father.
"Thank you, Papa, for telling Hakuro the story!" She beamed at him with a grin, then she pouted a bit, "But Hakuro doesn't get it; Papa never tells us valueless stories. So what does Papa want to tell Hakuro and Onii-chan about with this new fairytale?"
"Oh no, my dear one. This is no fairytale; this is a real story." The mother smiled, glancing at her husband sitting by her. "And your Papa wants you to learn this lesson: even ice has its warmth, and all it takes is a tiny spark of love to thaw and unearth it."
Explanations Corner
(1) Since Seireitei has an Edo-period setting, so I go with the flow with the kids playing the traditional handball game instead of Karin's favourite soccer.
(2) Aww, doesn't she sound cute with the third-person speaking? ≧w≦
(3) I originally thought of putting "Crow" because [1] they're very common in Japan, [2] even though they're connected to death, they're also related to the Sun, as depicted by the Three-Legged Crow (or Yatagarasu) in legends and [3] they're black, just as Karin's hair. But I banned it, since it doesn't have a really good ring with the story, and somehow the word "Raven" has a more similar sound to "Karin" to me.
(4) ...I just can't put it as "Empty Seat Town", the literal name of Karin's hometown, right? And we're in a forest, hence I made the twist.
(5) Yeah, I tried to make a game of soccer possible when they're in animal forms.
(6) Shirokuyoku Hienmaru [熾六翼緋炎丸, lit. Burning Six-Winged Crimson Flames], Bankai of Karin's Hienmaru [緋炎丸, lit. Crimson Flames]. While I was creating the Zanpakutou for Karin, I wanted to retain a mythical fire-theme in contrast to Hyourinmaru. The idea of "Seraphs [熾天使]" popped up, hence the name.
(7) Yep, so you get how Karin died: there was a Hollow, and in the midst of her fighting it the house lit up and she got killed. Toushirou was just a minute too late to save her as she died in his arms. When her soul separated from her body, due to her latent Shinigami powers, she could be enrolled into the Shinou Spiritual Arts Academy immediately, and graduated as a full-fledged Shinigami. Then they got married, made a family with a pair of twins...happy ending! I'll work on this plot to make it into a full story - please look forward to it!
Thank you so much for taking your time to read this! Please tell me what you think about the story or what else you need further explanations; I'll add some more notes where I see fit.
I hope to see you guys again soon!
Kuroi Kokoro 09