I entered his room quietly. Masahiro lay still and peaceful, his breathing a steady rhythm that calmed my heart. I patted his head. He stirred a bit, making me retrieve my hand hastily. Beside him, the white mononoke, Mokkun, as he called it, slept peacefully, unperturbed by it all. Then I sensed his rei. He leaned against the frame of the door. I turned to stare nonchalantly at Rikugou. I walked past him, and closed the door of Masahiro's room gently so as to minimise the noise. I continued walking in the opposite direction of his staring. He turned and followed. We were a distance from Masahiro's room when he called my name. I turned to face him.
"Ayase-sama…"
"Rikugou. Please. Please don't tell him I was here. I… I'll be staying in the capital for a while for a job so…" I added defensively. I looked pleadingly at him. He stared at me calmly for a while, and I knew he was conflicting with something.
"Saiki… Please?" I pleaded, this time, using his real name. He continued to stare for a while. Then sighed in defeat.
"Okay…" He said slowly. Here it comes.
"But…" I knew it. I looked expectantly at Rikugou. He rarely asked me for anything, so he knew I would do it. Whatever it was.
"There… There is this… girl… She…"
"She's dead and you want her spirit?" I got to the point, raising an eyebrow. He nodded hesitantly. Then he looked into my eyes with such a pleading look, I couldn't bear to fail him. I asked him if he had something of hers with him. He took out a red charm. The necklace shone in the moonlight. He held it out to me slowly, and I asked him to hold it up.
"What's the girl's name?"
"Kazane… Chigaeshi no Kazane." I closed my eyes and took a breath. When I opened them, my usually black irises turned red.
"God of heaven and earth. God of hell and all unliving. Return me the soul of the one who answers by Chigaeshi no Kazane! Ilicia, Eternia, Hellios, Apocolyptus, Aliestus. I call upon this bond!" I shouted. The necklace glowed faintly with its own light. Then, it spoke.
"Ri…Rikugou? No… Saiki!" It shouted with glee. Rikugou looked into the necklace and saw the face of his beloved. He was glad. He smiled. Something he rarely did. I turned to leave. Turning back over my shoulders, I said to him softly,
"Keep your end of the bargain. Though I don't think anything would happen if you didn't. Just… Don't tell unless asked. Okay?" I said, lightening his load a bit. He replied quietly and even though he never looked at me anymore, too engrossed by his new found joy, I knew he heard me, so I left, with my mind completely at ease.
"Abe no Seimei! We… We found this girl… She fainted, I think. She bore the symbol of this house so…" A passer-by said, still carrying me. I was half conscious when it happened. I knew he was there. But I couldn't move. I couldn't run away. I felt Rikugou carry me and opened my eyes a bit to see him staring apologetically at me. It's not your fault.
He carried me with Seimei behind, walking quickly. He lay me down on a futon. He came and sat next to me.
"I know you're awake. Get up Ayase." He said kindly. I opened my eyes and stared at him. I was weakened from the fight last night. My job wasn't finished. I tried to get up but fell back again. Seimei caught me in time and la me down.
"What happened to you, Ayase?" He asked, concerned. I sighed and tried to get up again. This time I was successful. He looked at me, still questioning. I looked away from him to survey the surroundings. I was in… Seimei-sama's room. Three, no four of his shikigami were there. Tenitsu, Suzaku, Rikugou, and… him. I didn't have to see him to know he was there. His rei jumped about erratically. The others knew what was bothering me and banded together to get him away. He refused at first, but later obliged when Seimei himself joined in.
"What… What happened…?" I asked, testing me voice. It seemed okay. They looked back at me.
"I'd like to ask you! Someone found you passed out on the street!" Seimei said.
"Tenitsu…" He asked turning to the healing shikigami. As she walked over, I raised my hand in silent objection. I breathed and focused my rei on my injured body.
"Goddess of healing, hear me. By my bonds, I implore you. Heal!" I finished the spell. My body glowed with a warm, white light before returning to its normal, unharmed form. Tenitsu looked impressed and returned back to Suzaku's side. She was injured, I noticed. Suzaku seemed relieved and thankful that his Tenitsu didn't need to overexert herself. Seimei shook his head at me. I put up a hand before he could give me a lecture.
"What I do is none of your business. I'm leaving." I said coldly, not wanting any smart ideas from the old man.
"Your job is in town isn't it? Why don't you stay here?" Seimei read my thoughts. A vein twitched. I turned to face him. I was about to speak against the idea when the door flew open. Masahiro stood there. The hyper child ran over and hugged me.
"Saya! Please say yes! Please!" He pleaded childishly. Beside me, Seimei and the other shikigami were about to protest when I stopped them. I removed Masahiro from me and looked into his childish face, he smiled at me with such pure innocence, and I was drawn in. But not enough for my judgement to be clouded. I shook my head politely.
"Sorry, Masahiro. Not this time." I said gently. He pouted. I was not gonna fall for that sort of trick. Then Seimei took my hand and asked me, not with authority or stubborn bossiness. But a sort of kind, genteel. Charisma stripped away to the core, no trickery of any kind, just a pure, innocent plead.
"Please?" I was awestruck… I calmed a bit, thought about it, and then sighed. They knew I had resigned and cheered loudly together like little children. I smiled softly at the both of them while shaking my head like a mother would. I got up, disturbing the moment.
"I've got a job to do… But the thing only comes out at night. So, I'm going to sleep. I'll go back to my old room." I said, taking a step towards the door.
"Okay. Do you remember where it is?" Seimei faked innocence, which irked me that someone his age would still do something this childish. I felt another vein twitch involuntarily. I stopped.
"Of course, you old racoon." I added with malice. I got a good reaction.
"Aww… Ayase, you're so mean!" He said in a childish voice. I just walked out the door. I erased my rei and listened to him.
"Hahaha. That Ayase. She will never change will she?" Seimei said laughing.
"Yet she will never be the same." I heard Tenitsu say solemnly.
"Yes…" He replied, now in a more sombre mood.
I left quickly after that. I paused outside my door. I could feel his rei miles away. I hesitated at the door but only for a short while. I opened the door and stepped inside. I closed the door behind me, not taking my eyes of the intruder. I sat on my futon, facing him, who was leaned against the wall. I avoided his gaze when he lifted his eyes to meet mine. I lay down and rolled to my side. Then I thought of a good idea. I never slept with covers. Too hot. I had said. My skirt was a rather short thing with slits up to my waist. So as to maximise movement. I curled one leg closer to my body, exposing more than should be. I heard him inhale sharply. He could see my inner thigh and if he wanted to, my underwear. My dress was made to fit my body to a T. It accentuated my every curve. I rested my hand on my hips, drawing his attention to the curves of my sides. I straddled myself slowly, enjoying torturing him. Then I turned to face the ceiling, while resting my hand on my chest just above my breasts. I moved my hand lower, slowly pulling away the thin silk. I heard his breathing increasing with every passing moment. I stopped my hand just as it was about to pull off everything, much to his disappointment. Then I turned around and lifted my lower half up, while stretching like a cat. I could feel the warmth of his blush and knew he wants to look away but just can't. Then I decided to stretch my legs too. I lifted one and stretched it. My foot bumped into his leg and I felt him jump slightly. I raised my leg higher. My white pants were in full view now and I didn't know when, but he seemed to have stopped breathing. He was holding his breath, and inhaled sharply when my foot reached its destination. With this, I turned around abruptly, putting pressure on him. He moaned softly. "Shoran." I breathed. He opened his closed eyes.
When did he close them, I wonder. I gave him no time to think and immediately rubbed him. His head fell back and a look of bliss entered his face. I added more pressure and felt his already hard member grow harder with each sliding movement. His tip was peeking slightly out the hem of his pants now and I moved my foot to service his tip. He groaned in response and shut his eyes. I lifted my other foot to service his long shaft. He was gripping at the wall now, covered in sweat. Then his legs suddenly buckled and he slid down the wall, but my feet skilfully followed him down. Then he convulsed for a moment and his white, sticky cum covered his stomach and my feet. His pants were wet at the front and he looked a mess. But I didn't want to give him any time to recover from this.
"Get out." I said coldly, grabbing him by his collar and half dragging him out of my room. I opened the door and threw him out. Then I realised that Guren and Masahiro was at the corridor. Masahiro and Guren let out a yelp when they saw him and Guren's hands flew to cover Masahiro's eyes. Masahiro was blushing furiously and shuddering. I closed the door but I could still hear them.
"Oi! Go do your business elsewhere, stupid Seiryuu!" Guren screamed.
"… Gu-Guren… I… I saw everything already…" Masahiro stammered.
"Sorry." Seiryuu apologised softly, getting up. He dusted himself and walked away. Guren and Masahiro scurried away. I waited till they were far, and then giggled to myself. Then, I felt someone's rei. Kouchin?
"That was really mean of you." She said, leaning casually on my desk. I sat down in the middle of the room.
"I hate him. You know that." I replied.
"He won't raise a finger against you. You know that." She countered.
"All's fair in love and war. Besides. He was the one who betrayed me first." I said matter-of-factly. She sighed disapprovingly.
"He loves you. In the past he may have done… things but it was all because he loved you. And he still does. He hopes everyday that you would forgive him you know. He calls your name when he sleeps and I think he thinks about you and Seimei above everything." She said, chiding me. I sighed as well.
"Never. I will never forgive him. I hate him Kou. That will not change." I said.
"Even if I told you he had wanted to kill himself to forget you but later decided that remembering you was a better punishment?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. I paused. He… Wanted to kill himself… Because of me…
"Please. Just give him one more chance. Saya. He deserves that much." She said sternly now. I pondered this for a moment. Kou sighed and whispered a 'see you later', then disappeared. I was tired and decided to sleep.
"Good evening, sparrow." I heard someone call my childhood nickname. I groaned softly.
"Whoa. Don't make such cute sounds. I might get a nose bleed. Haha." That person jested shamelessly. I opened my eyes to see Seimei at my side. I groaned angrily and sat up. I looked outside. The sun was setting in an hour or so. I got up and changed into a comfortable short kimono. It was a white little thing. I tied up my hair into a high ponytail and packed my hunting gear. All this while, Seimei sat there waiting.
"Why don't we have dinner together first? I'll ask Tsuyuki to make extra." He asked me. I shook my head politely and smiled.
"Don't bother. I have my own food." I took out some rice balls. I sat down and pulled on my gloves and adjusted my sleeves so I wouldn't dirty them when I ate. Seimei shrugged his shoulders and left. I was still thinking about Kou's words when Seiryuu appeared, flustered. His rei suddenly hit me strong and erratic and surprised me for a second. He stalked up to me and shook me hard.
"Wh-what did Kouchin say to you?!" He almost yelled. I stared at him calmly.
"Nothing much." I replied, purposely trying to annoy him. He looked so cute when he was frantic. He asked me again, this time with more urgency and panic.
"She… She asked me… to give you another chance." I said, averting my eyes at the last part. He shivered involuntarily for that moment and let go of his hold on me. He was blushing. Aww. I regained myself and lifted his chin to meet my gaze. He tried to avoid my gaze but couldn't. I locked his gaze and leaned in closer.
"You know? I was thinking about it. And…" I said slowly. The surprise and anticipation shone in his eyes. I prolonged my answer by staring at him again. This time, he looked away. The blush was still there. I leaned in until my breath was on his ear. I licked his earlobe slowly and sensually. He shuddered. I smirked against him.
"Tch." He said loudly. I knew he didn't like to be the uke. I smirked again. Then, I leaned away. He looked at me, puzzled and disappointed. Smiled and turned to walk away. He caught my hand. I didn't turn around but jerked his hand away. When I did turn, his face wore a hurt expression. He thought I had said no. I smirked again and leaned down again.
"I think. You deserve it." I said finally. He was shocked. His mouth opened but nothing came out. I smirked again. While he was in awe, I took the chance to slip away. I jumped onto the roof and looked across town. A few reis appeared.
"Good job. I knew you could do it." Kou said, smiling. She patted my shoulder. I swatted away her hand.
"Whatever." I said in soft surrender to her comment. The others laughed in silent approval. I jumped off towards the area with a large and awkward rei, focusing my tracking ability. It was on the move. I needed to cut it off. But where was it going. It's so random. I need to find its pattern.
I continued to pursue it. But always, just as I find a pattern, it changes. It was absolutely infuriating. It was playing with me. I finally caught up to it around fourth west street.
"Finally. Heh." I straightened up. It glared at me with intense hatred that burnt invisible holes. I smirked again and jumped up. My eyes turned a dead red and as I glared down at the monster, it flinched slightly.
"By my bonds, Ilicia, Eternia, Hellios, Apocolyptus, Aliestus. Lend me the Hevescus Flame!" I shouted into the sky and a bright white flame lit in my palm. I channelled my energy to guide the flame towards the monster.
"Die!" I shouted, aiming at it. It dodged my first blow by an inch. I aimed again, this time, for its centre. I shot again. This time, it blew a hole straight through its slimy body. But it healed itself again.
"What the… That shouldn't have happened! Why did it…" I asked myself, puzzled. I took a different approach. Guren wasn't the only one capable of using the flames of hell.
"Hellios! Lend me your fire!" I shouted. A red flame came hurtling down towards me and I collected it in my hand. I smirked, more confident that this time, it will die.
"Go to hell!" I shouted and sent a ball of hot burning fire at it. The flame was so hot, it turned white. As it made contact with the creature, it exploded and sizzled up. The creature cried in pain.
"Master! I offer my body to you! GAH!!" It yelled before turning into nothing. I came back down. I was exhausted. But that was only the slave. It was a bit too easy to kill. It's master… The Kouki… urgh…
"Ayase! Ayase! Ah. She's waking up. Ayase, can you hear me?" I heard Seimei's annoying voice yelling into my ear. I opened my eyes slowly, getting used to the light. I groaned in pain. Something or someone was crushing my hand.
"Fuck! Seimei let go!" I screamed suddenly. He did let go. Dropped it rather abruptly. I looked at him apologetically.
"Sorry. I get moody in the mornings." I rubbed my eyes, stretched and yawned like a little kitten. I knew I was forgiven then, because Seimei patted my head.
"Aww. You're so cute Ayase." He said, cutely. I stood up, swayed a little, and then continued walking. I stopped outside again and shut off my rei.
"Ah! She's so cute!" Seimei squealed in delight. This reminded me of my childhood. I would sneak around the house, my rei completely off, and scare the living daylights out of the people around me. I also used my skill to eavesdrop on certain conversations. Especially Seimei's. I knew Seiryuu loved Seimei as his master so I would listen to his conversations and tell Seiryuu about it. He didn't really trust me in the beginning, but later he enjoyed my conversations and reports. I loved his smile. It was something he never showed anybody except Seimei. When he asked me why I did it, I told him and he blushed for the very first time too. We became the best of friends. Then, I met Guren. I was about 5. Most children cry when they see him. But I didn't, and he liked that. I started to play with Guren as well. Then I noticed it. The others. They didn't like Guren. I didn't know why and no one would tell me. When I asked Seiryuu, he got mad.
"Never go near him again!" He shouted at me. I was frightened. Just a little 8 year old girl with no reason to hate. But at that moment, I hated. I argued with him for the first time, and won. We didn't speak for a long time. When I was eavesdropping again, I heard Seimei talking with Seiryuu and Kouchin.
"My, my. You got Ayase angry at you huh?" That was Seimei.
"Ugh… I… I didn't mean it…" Was…Was Seiryuu crying?!
"There. There. Seiryuu. We all make mistakes sometimes." Kouchin.
"I feel like an idiot. Seimei-sama? Is it… Um… possible for…" He stammered. Seimei understood perfectly. At that time, I didn't know what it meant, but now that I think of it, it's so clear now.
He loved me since back then? Haha. I stalked back to my room quietly. I opened in halfway when I felt a sharp pain coarse through my whole body. I slumped to the floor. Seiryuu was there in an instant, helping me up. I shuddered for a moment, the pain still ringing through me. He carried me, bridal-style, into my room and lay me on the bed. I was panting really loudly and clutching my chest. Then I felt it. The mark on my body that wasn't there before. When?! No. When I fainted? I…
I shot up but felt the pain reach my head and gasped in pain. I leaned onto Seiryuu.
"Don't push yourself. You're burning up. Fever?" He asked, concerned. I shook my head. He frowned at this. I was fiddling with my kimono when he lay me down again. I got it open and took his hand. He hesitated at first but then let me guide his hand down my body to the curse mark. He was startled by the scar and looked closer at it. Then recognition flooded his face and he disappeared for a moment, returning minutes later with Seimei at my door. My 'fever' was burning through me. I felt like Hellios' flames were turned on me. Seimei put a hand on my head.
"She's burning! When did this happen?! You were fine just now." He cried out in alarm. I tried to calm myself. I failed. I screamed suddenly, shocking Seimei and Seiryuu. I was in a lot of pain, that much I could tell. They could too. After that, everything was a blur. I only remembered Seimei chanting a spell before fainting.
"AHH!!" I screamed, waking in cold sweat. Seiryuu appeared beside me, holding my hand. I fought back tears that threatened to overflow. I hiccupped for a moment before regaining composure. I was still sweating. I turned my eyes on Seiryuu. How long has it been since I last loved him? I don't recall. Everything is all a blur, swimming in my head.
"Seiryuu… What… What happened?" I asked him slowly, the taste of metal in my mouth alarmed me.
"You were under a pain curse. Designed to make the cursed feel extreme pain. Seimei was surprised you didn't pass out until after he returned the curse. But…" I could see uncertainty in his eyes.
"But what?" I asked.
"Nothing." He replied immediately. Defensive. He was hiding something. Did Seimei tell him to hide it?
"Don't tell me its nothing. Did Seimei put you up to this?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"No… He didn't… It's just that… When you fainted again… There was this sign that appeared on your forehead that just travelled down your body like it was alive and it… It got rid of the curse mark! Seimei-sama couldn't find a trace of it after that. Then the sign just disappeared! Seimei was shaking. He went back to his room with a solemn look on his face…" He muttered. He was frightened. I could feel his hand shaking. I sighed. I was sticky and uncomfortable in these clothes. I needed a bath. I let go of his hand and leant in to him. But his response was shocking. He leaned away and disappeared. I was so shocked I couldn't move. The things I wanted to say was stuck in my throat in an uncomfortable lump. I smirked to myself and gathered some clothes and headed for the bath.
I just exited when Kou walked up to me and gave me a slap.
"Why?! Why did you do it?!" She questioned. I stared blankly at her. Then I walked right past her as if nothing had happened. She grabbed me by the arm and yanked me towards Seimei's room. Then she roughly opened the door and threw me in. I landed with a thud on the floor. Seiryuu was there but he was looking away. Conflict was evident in his eyes. I sighed. Seimei's hard gaze was on me.
"Care to explain that?" Seimei asked me in a cold, hard voice. I knew I was in trouble. But I didn't care anymore. Seiryuu betrayed my trust once again. He chose to stand on his side. Again.
"I think I've told you before. What I do is none of your…" I was cut off.
"None? Of my business?! Why Ayase? Why did you do it?!" He was practically yelling now. I thought for a moment. I opened my mouth to retaliate with something smart but decided against it. I stood up and brushed myself.
"I'm finishing this job tonight. Goodbye." I said harshly, then walked out of the room towards my room. Seimei was too angry to respond. I was packing my things when Seiryuu came in and slammed the door behind him. I didn't jump. As I continued packing, he walked over to me, grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him. He was angry.
"If you won't talk to them at least talk to me." He pleaded.
"Why?! So you can report back to your beloved master?!" I spat out. He was taken aback. I took back my hand and went back to packing. He disappeared. I packed the last of it and checked that my hunting gear was in place. I pulled on my gauntlets and headed for the front door of the Abe household. Masahiro stood there like a trap in waiting. I sighed and walked forward, hoping to minimise the damage as much as possible. He blocked my path.
"Saya…" He said softly.
"Get lost kid. I won't be responsible for anything that would happen to you if you don't." I said, every word dripping with malice. He was scared. I was the bad guy. I frightened people. That was how it should be. I was meant to be an outsider. Wherever I went I would be shunned out. Why did I ever hope that I could ever belong? Oh. Well. That's the past. Now I move on. I walked out of the house, leaving everything behind.
It's been 2 days since I disappeared without a trace. Seimei has been sending his spirits to look for me every night. No matter what they do, they will never find me. I chose this hiding place because no one could find me here. Unless they deciphered the clue I left behind. I leapt through space now. Between the world of theirs and mine. I was still looking for Kouki. Much to my disappointment. It still hasn't appeared. But it keeps sending his lackeys after me. On some nights, Masahiro gets them for me. Tonight is the night though. I found him. Lake Rikei. It was very far away but I had to go. I needn't come back here after that anyways. And then Kouki decided to get Masahiro involved. He knew it would anger me and lure out my full potential.
So, under a starless sky, we met again. Masahiro was with Guren as usual, only this time he brought back up. It made sense. Kouki was a King Demon. One of the few rarities that was a leader amongst its kind. With him was Suzaku, Taiin, Rikugou and… Seiryuu. Seimei's spirit was also there. I walked across the battle field. They looked at me in pure astonishment.
"Hey. If you gonna stand there gawking I suggest you get out of here now." I said curtly. They continued fighting their battles, but now were more aware of my presence. I walked right to the edge of the lake. Somehow, the minor demons had been given an order not to touch me. Then, I heard Masahiro scream. He was being dragged into the lake! The minor demons took this opportunity to distract me.
"You've got to be joking. Seiryuu! Guren! Help Masahiro! I'll cover you!" I shouted. They nodded and were rushing to his aid. I fended off the other demons that tried to get at them. Guren grabbed onto Masahiro but Seiryuu stopped. He looked with a disgusted face and refused to hold Guren. He tried to find other ways to help but time was short.
"Seiryuu!" I shouted at him to help but he didn't move. Even when Seimei shouted for Masahiro, he still didn't budge. Then with one last shout, both Guren and Masahiro were pulled down. We finished off the last of the minor demons quickly. Less than 5 minutes had passed since Masahiro was dragged down. I ignored Seiryuu who was getting a shelling from Seimei. I went to the edge again. Peering in, I saw the reflection inside. Masahiro was not faring to well. Then I felt something strike me. I screamed in horror as I felt the thing suck my energy. The giant miasma swallowed me whole. I felt my strength fail me. Then, in a moment of blinding light, the miasma was gone and I was out again. I spluttered and choked. Getting up, I saw that more minor demons had come. My strength was almost depleted but I knew I could go on.
"Ayase! Don't do it!" Seimei cried out when he saw that I was at my limit. No. I was past my limit. The sign on my body pulsated wildly, it drove me mad. I had to do it. I wouldn't able to save Masahiro if I didn't I tried to withstand it a while longer. Finally, the demons all cleared out. I collapsed. I was still awake but was too weak to move. Then the shadows dragged me into the lake. Before Seimei could say his spell. Before Rikugou could slash it away. Before Seiryuu could turn his head. I was gone. All they could do was look into the lake's reflection to see what was going on.
I lay weak and motionless on the floor. Kouki was there. It smiled triumphantly. Guren was chained up. Masahiro was a bloody heap on the floor. Kouki flipped me over.
"Oh. C'mon. Don't die yet! I was just warming up!" It said delightfully. It swung its paw and hit me against the wall. I rebounded off it. Guren was shouting my name. I couldn't do anything. I was too weak. I looked over at Masahiro. Kouki guessed my intentions and picked him up again. He flung him towards me. I gasped and moved to catch Masahiro. He slammed into me. I was dying.
"Why don't you show me you true power?! Huh?!" Kouki taunted. I heard Seimei and the others come in. Kouki had them down in a moment. They were like trapped mice in that barrier.
"Ayase! You hear me?! Don't do it! Don't! Ayase!" Seimei cried out to me. Panic in his voice was rare. My sign was glowing white. I was going to break it.
"Ayase! Wait! Saya!!" He screamed again. Using my name…. A bright light blinded the room for a moment. Kouki was talking in glee about how interesting this was.
"Hey. Who said you could use my name, you old racoon." My voice came through. Seimei was relieved at first but when he saw me, terror flooded his eyes.
"Ayase…" He mumbled. My black hair and eyes had turned white. My already white skin shone with a white light. I floated off the ground a bit.
"Oh! How interesting! The girl with the powers of the gods! Haha! I can't wait for your rei to be mine! HAHAHA!" Kouki laughed. I could hear it. The faint voice at the back. It was calling for help.
"Don't ignore me!" I was broken out of my train of thought. Kouki swiped at me.
"Heh heh heh. Down kitty." I purred. Kouki looked angered. He took another swipe at me. But I dodged again. Then I saw Guren and Masahiro. The playfulness on my face was gone. I was furious. I walked over to Masahiro.
"Masahiro…" I said softly, and then carried him. I phased through the barrier and gave him to Seimei. I didn't smile. I left the barrier again.
"My barrier! How did you! HAHAHA! As expected of you! Noa no Manashi!" The creature called my real name. I heard a few gasps. Whatever. I stalked back to Kouki.
"How dare you. Call me by my real name, I can forgive. But. What you've done to Masahiro…" I said, shooting him a glare that made him take a step back. I smirked, then broke into a hysterical laughter.
"You want to see my real power? HAHA! I'll show it to you!" I shouted at him. Ilicia! I shouted mentally. A bluish-white lady appeared. She was cold. The Angel of Ice. Eternia! I shouted again. A lady in green came. The Angel of time and space. Hellios! A man in black and red sauntered in. The Angel of Hell. Apocolyptus! The Angel of the End appeared behind me. Aliestus! The youngest Angel stood by my side.
"My real power Kouki, is Bond. Something you will never get!" I shouted confidently. I calmed down from the initial excitement and focused my glare on Kouki. Then I smirked and turned my attention to the pattern behind it.
"I call upon the bonds of my Angels, my own power included, break the evil hold on the God Rikei no Kami!" I said. Kouki was shocked and angry at what I was doing. Then the ground shook. A light-blue dragon appeared. It burned Kouki into crisp. In the chaos, I instructed the Angels to get everybody out.
We were on the grass again. Now, I had to tend to Masahiro.
"Masahiro… Heal." I said calmly, waving my hand across him. His, injuries receded into nothing. He woke up again. Seimei was glad that he didn't lose his successor. Then he turned to glare at me.
"You told me you were an experiment gone wrong!" He shouted, but not with anger.
"I had to tell you something right?" I replied nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders. He sighed in disbelief.
"There's something I still don't understand. Why did that thing call you something else? And I always thought that those names you called were just names!" He babbled on like an excited child.
"That's more than one question Seimei. My Angels are real of course. They are my guardians. Just like how the Chigaeshi no Miko had two guardians. I have five." I said answering his question. The Angels stood behind me. I looked at them with the corner of my eye and they got the message. They disappeared.
"Oh, Noa no Manashi! Thank you very much for saving me!" Rikei popped out of the water. He was a beautiful Dragon.
"You're welcome Rikei. Can I call you that?' I asked. The others were astonished at my impudence for requesting that I call a high God by his name.
"Of course, my lady." He replied, bowing his head. The others were dead-shocked now.
"Rikei. Make a bond with me, okay?" I asked, holding out a hand. He did not even stop to think and nodded joyfully. He let down his head until I touched his snout.
"Gods above me and below. Witness today that this God, Rikei no Kami, has agreed to bond with me, Noa no Manashi!" I said triumphantly. A green light exchanged between us and the deed was done. Rikei went back to his lake and I was left with an awestruck Seimei. I sighed.
"Seimei… Actually… I'm not human." I said slowly.
"I'm not exactly a goddess either." I said, stopping to see their reaction. It was a mix of puzzlement and confusion.
"The Noa family is a family of half humans. We share the blood of gods and thus can also be counted in the family of Gods. My father is a Noa that shares the blood and holds the position, of a high God. Mother is a High Goddess. That is why I'm neither here nor there but since I have more God blood in me, I am counted as a goddess." I explained. I waited for the information to sink in. Seimei was looking appreciative.
"And you could not tell us. We understand." He said.
"It was not could not. It was more like would not. I was afraid you would shun me away if you knew what I was…" I said softly, embarrassed at the confession. Seimei came over and patted my head. I found comfort in that gesture. We decided to go home.
Home.
It's been a few days since that last battle. I put on the sign again so my appearance went back to normal. I remembered when I came back that night, Tsuyuki was so frightened, she had fainted. She said a ghost was coming to get her. Then she found out it was me and couldn't stop apologising. Seiryuu and I were now on ice. I avoided him as much as possible. When he tried to apologise, I ignored him and walked away. I saw less of him each passing day.
"C'mon. What would you have done if you were him?" Kouchin asked me.
"That's just it Kou. I'm not him! That's why I will never understand the decisions he has made. I gave him his second chance and he broke it! Twice! How many second chances does one guy need?!" I said loudly, hoping he could hear it. Kou tried to persuade me again. I said no again and again. Then, one day, Seimei called me to his room. I was outside, my rei was off, when I heard them inside.
"Guren. Seiryuu said he is willing to forgive you for Ayase's sake." That was Seimei. He still refused to call me by my real name.
"For Manashi? Why? What's the point?" Guren. His specialty: creating fires.
"Because…" He didn't get angry?
"Because I love her. I lost her the second time because I couldn't choose between my hatred for you and my love for her. So, now I'm making my choice." He said calmly. I could hear his voice shake a little behind that cool and stoic mask. I came into the room abruptly. They were startled.
"Don't think that that would change the fact that you betrayed me, abandoned me. And that I hate you." I said coldly, but half-heartedly. He looked hurt and embarrassed that I heard his confession. Seimei was shaking his head disapprovingly. I left the room in a hurry. Kou appeared and fell into step beside me.
"Why didn't you give him the chance?! He was willing to forgive Toudo! Even though he swore to kill him! For you!" She was hectic. I thought about it for a moment but gave up. I asked her to leave me alone and went back to my room. Just as I closed the door, his rei flared up at me.
"When did you… Why did you…" I was at a loss of words.
"I just came… Seimei… He told me that I should chase after you…" He said slowly, then quickly realising his mistake, he tried to fix it but was too late. I snapped.
"You! You only live for Seimei don't you! Even in something like this, you only came to me because he told you to?!" I screamed at him, losing my cool. He walked forward, crossing the room in three strides. He held me and buried my face in his bare chest as I cried silently. He let me cry a little before continuing.
"I… I didn't come here because he told me to… I came because I wanted to." He said softly into my hair. This got my attention. He looked me in the eyes and for once, I could see the clarity in his eyes. He wasn't pretending, or holding back.
"Because… I don't want to ever let you go again." He finished, stressing on 'ever' and 'again'. I looked up at him. This was the man I loved. I loved him for all I was worth. He was everything to me now. He was all that mattered.
I got lost in the sea of his scent, not even noticing him pull me down to the futon in the midst of my own reverie. I took a fistful of his hair just then and crushed my lips onto his. This was the first time I had kissed anyone. His tongue slid against mine and we battled for dominance. Eventually, I won when I bit his tongue softly. I explored the soft insides of his mouth. His cheek walls were warm and inviting, I flickered my tongue exploring crevice in his mouth.
He started to remove his clothes. I let him. He was completely naked on top of me now. But I stopped him when it came to my clothes. He looked at me curiously, wondering what I was planning…
……………………………………………………………………………………….
He fell on top of me, our bodies like two pieces of a jigsaw that fit perfectly together. Our heavy breathing slowed and became steady once more. Through all that I whispered.
"Hah…ah… I…ah… Hate you…ah…hah…" I breathed. I heard him chuckle into my hair. He nibbled his way down my jaw line and kissed me again. The gentle kiss was comforting and I allowed him to push his tongue into my mouth, massaging my tongue with his own. Then he broke the kiss and replied to my earlier comment.
"Hah…I…know…ah…" With that, we both fell asleep together.
The next morning, Seimei and the others kept looking at us with widely grinning faces. Taiin especially, laughed and ran away. More like guffawed though. They looked a bit shy near us now. Who could blame them? I and Seiryuu just had it last night. Anyone would react like that. So life in the Abe household goes on, like an eternal dance. Of happiness.
THE END