Well, there's nothing much to say before you read. It's just that I really want to whip up something related to the IchiHime goodness for you guys out there. God, I just had no idea that creating this thing would require me to work till late in midnight! Despite being so tired, I'm still happy that I've written this; I just couldn't let any inspirations bestowed from the Deity of Fanfic Creation to go to the rubbish bin.

There may be some things you may not get in the fic, but don't fret; I'll be giving explanations as adequate as possible at the bottom.

Sorry to delay you and not keeping to my words; I just need to rant for a bit...

The Moth Goddess and the Moon Warrior

Deep in a range of sacred mountains, where humans had never set a foot upon, there was an expanse of fine forest that was under the wing of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the Moon God. It was said to be a place closest to the Celestial Moon Palace on earth, filled with his blessings. This was the place where moths thrive in abundant numbers.

Legends told that when the very first Moth was still a newly-hatched caterpillar, she was so ugly that all the animals look down on her, even her relative, the Butterfly. The only value she had was to become meal for her predators. Unwilling to die young, she hid herself. However, it proved to be harder for her to take shelter as she grew up. From day to night, life was harsh for her, with the predators' threat and all the insults. She cried at one night, and the Moon God heard her. Filled with pity for her hardship, he granted her his protection, so as giving that forest for her next generations to live.

To show a heart full of gratefulness and appreciations to Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the juvenile caterpillar began to spin a cocoon of fine silk, changed from her reiryoku. After a week, when the spherical full moon was once again hanging in the sky of stars, she emerged from her cocoon prison, but now a moth with the colours of a rainbow. Her beauty stunned the other Spirits, and the Moon God was pleased with the result.

However happy she now was, misery was that a moth's life is too pitifully short. The Moth thought that she could never repay all those holy bestowments by herself, but she got an idea. At her last moments, she told her children to follow her example. Every single caterpillar had to spin a cocoon with silk formed from their own reiryoku, which if left unused in the weaving process would ensure a longer life for themselves, but on the other hand would promise a splendid weaving and a more beautiful adult. It was by their deaths in the most beautiful form that they show their deepest thanks. The tradition was passed down from generation to another, and now it came to one…

~o0o~

On a benign summer day in the forest, a new batch of caterpillars were hatched. All of them were beautiful—in their ways, and they hungrily wolfed down everything. They just wanted to grow, and bore no remorse in what they have eaten, except one.

The Caterpillar's mother has laid her egg among a small shrub with six flowers. However, while the flowers feared that they would be eaten the instant she hatched, they were absolutely surprised that the Caterpillar spared them. When asked why so, she simply said that she could not bring herself to destroy their beauty and harmony. Moved by such kind gentleness, those six flowers swore to be her shields, her power.

As the little Caterpillar moved for food, she learnt more about those around her. Because of her awkward appearance with orange hairs on her (1), she was always bullied. Luckily, the friends she has made were always there to help her, so as the Six Flowers.

It was until one dusky night with the moon, and everything changed drastically.

To the Caterpillar, it was another normal night for her to eat as much as she can, so she could grow, spin the cocoon with the best silk and be the most beautiful moth. She was munching a leaf when she sensed sudden danger, but could not point it out, so when a snake struck to take her, she was all alone to face a horrible thing: death…

She could not feel the discomfort she expected, thus she opened her shut eyes. Playing before her was a scene of battle between the snake and an unknown shadow. Frightened, she called for the protection of the Six Flowers, who rushed to the rescue, and they watched the heated fight in front of them. Enraged for the lost of his dinner, the snake hissed loudly and spat his venoms at the Shadow. Even with his high agility, the Shadow could not evade all hits and some sizzled him, like undiluted strong acids. A final strike with a swing of his sword, the snake (2)was slain but the Shadow collapsed.

With the horrible danger over, the Caterpillar approached the Shadow carefully, only to be startled by those nasty burns and opened bloody wounds all over his torso. She gathered nectars of healing abilities from Shun'ou the Althea and Ayame the Iris, two of the Flowers, to tend all the injuries. It took him time to gain his consciousness.

"Ah, y-you should rest for a little longer!" The Caterpillar squeaked as he got up. Since the wounds ached so much, he heeded to her advice and lay down on the floor. Silence grew between them, and something just popped up in the Caterpillar's mind. He was nothing she has ever seen before. Standing tall on two legs instead on all four, he constantly emitted a vast amount of heavy reiatsu, filled with pride and strengths.

"Um, sir…" She began timidly and fidgeted as his pair of fiery eyes stared at her. "I had yet seen you in this forest, or anything like you before. What are you indeed?"

He stared at the poor Caterpillar for a long time before he finally opened to say, "Of course you had never seen me ever before in this forest. I do not live in this place, and under normal circumstance, you could not see me at all even when I come here."

A streak of moonlight came through the sparse treetops, and shone upon them. With the light, the Caterpillar could now see clearly what he looked like, and gasped. He wore a black long-sleeved cloak, with the tattered end reached down to his ankles, so as a pair of red-lined black armoured gloves with fire designs on his muscular arms. Two bronze badges hung from the sash, where he sheathed his black chained katana. One had a skull symbol, while the other had a severed black moon behind the clouds. The baggy pants of the black hakama were stuffed neatly into his tight leather boots, with the metal plates gleaming under the moon. Her eyes travelled up to see his face, only to see half of it covered by a black mask, brown eyes burning under orange hair (3).

"…A Shinigami, Warrior of the Moon God Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto." She breathed. "No, you are no ordinary Shinigami…" She studied the Moon Badge carefully. "You…"

"Yes indeed; I am a Shinigami from the House of the Moon Slayers." He nodded. "By the command of my Lord the Moon God alone, I was sent to perform my duties." (4)

"What are the duties of yours?" The Caterpillar felt safe to ask more questions. "Do you really kill everything alive that falls into your lines of sight during the night?"

"I do not know where you heard these ridiculous rumours from," He answered. "Contrasting to what you have believed, we the Shinigami, by the orders of our Lord, are to guard this sacred forest. That includes eliminating the lurking dark power here, watching over the dwelling spirits here and protecting the family of yours, the Moth." He paused for a while, "Perhaps that is why you would hear such wrong words of us."

The cry of a lark broke out in the dark, and whiteness crept out of the horizons. Once more, Amaterasu-Oomikami had arrived to reign over the land with her glories. Under the growing strong light, the Warrior cringed and faster in a blink, he vanished.

"Ah, wait—!" The Caterpillar was not fast enough to speak another word to him. Staring into the space, she tried to figure out if that all had been a dream; it's so real! She got lost of the world that until her friends came to her, she was in her own world. Afraid that she might worry them, she said nothing of what has ever taken place then. All that she hoped for was to have another chance to meet the mysterious Shinigami. Yet, she did not have to wait long to have that wish granted, as evilness fell upon her.

Deep in a night, tumult aroused among the trees. The creatures became uneasy, and they knew there would soon be perils. They just could not imagine it was…a God.

The God sent out his Mask Soldiers, and they would murder every lives in sight, no mercy. Fear, like the wild tongues of flames in an autumnal forest, spread at once. The Caterpillar has seen how her fellow caterpillars were cruelly killed by the Soldiers. All she did was to hide, praying for some help to come. The Six Flowers protected her.

However, the protection did not last for long, for she was kidnapped by the Bat, one of the Mask Soldiers. The now captive Caterpillar had her food provided regularly, and was even allowed to have the Six Flowers to accompany her, but she wanted one: freedom. She yearned for freedom more than anything else, other than her first wish. She had dreamt of spinning her cocoon among the highest branches of the mulberry, and some days later, she would be transformed into the most splendid moth. Yet now, she felt that all her wishes would be crushed into nothingness. She was now broken…

Then her head snapped up as she heard a raw battle cry. The Caterpillar looked, and she gasped. Out there in the Barren Lands, battles raged on with many casualties. There were her dear friends, the Lizard, the Owl and the Tiger (5), fighting tooth and nail. There, in the mid-sky, were a group of Shinigami, among whom was the Moon Slayer. His jet black blade flashed under the moonlight, slashing to attack or to guard himself. He was also the one who took on the hardest and the most fights: first a Bird of gales, then a highly-destructive Panther, almost lost to a psychic Praying Mantis in despairs, next the seclusive Bat that kidnapped her, and last the warped God—an ex-Shinigami (6). The Caterpillar prayed for his safety, prayed that he would win, prayed that in the end, he would not have to be hurt anymore because of her, a negligible moth caterpillar…

"Are you alright, little caterpillar?" She heard his low voice, calming her nerves. She did not realise that she had been squeezing her eyes shut, and she then saw him, covered in severely bleeding wounds all over his torso, but stood as a victor of prides.

"Yes." She replied with a smile, of which he returned. As gently as ever possible, the Warrior lifted her up and took her back to her home, the extend of sacred forest. With the celestial holy powers, she healed those wounds with her marvellous nectars. Days after he has recovered, he returned to the Celestial Moon Palace with farewells.

~o0o~

Their journey did not just finish here; there were more tales to tell about them. After this incident, when the cloak of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto draped over the heavens, the teenage Caterpillar would wait on the top branch of the mulberry she resided at. As the moon appeared and casted down its silvery soft gleams, he would come to her. Many creatures feared him because of the foul death aura around him, but never her; she saw his warmth behind the detached mask. They spent the entire nights together, doing things from talking to fooling around, or just sitting in the treetops in quietness, and he would pick fresh leaves or other goodies for her to eat. Sometimes, albeit rare, he would be gone out for missions to eliminate the bad. Usually he would return hurt, and the Caterpillar would heal him to perfect health. They stayed as long as possible, until dawn arrived. Even though his mother was a priestess of Amaterasu-Oomikami, making him have the ability to endure the strong sunlight, unlike his fellow Shinigami, he could not bear it for long periods; the Shinigami blood in him was more prominent (7). Therefore, they had to bide goodbye, before they could meet again under the moon.

The Caterpillar's friends could see how much change there were during the day. Unlike her cheery and sanguine temperament she once had during her younger days, she became something they could not quite describe. She was always caught sighing, and there was a dreamy, longing look in her eyes. Yes, when she was with the Warrior, she would return to her bright smiles and giggles, which they missed seeing 24/7. Yet, it was their wish to see her happy—the origin of their contentment, so they left it be.

The Caterpillar did realise something was wrong with her, but not a bad manner, and she could not quite understand it all. Then one night, he did not come as always. She panicked, and before she could comprehend, she has broken into sobs and tears.

"Do not be troubled, dear little Caterpillar; he did not come because I said not." A voice, full of authority, drummed her ears softly. She looked up to see three figures, two being Shinigami from their attires and their badges. The other wore fine kimono, fluttering lightly in the sighing breeze and giving off a radiance of silver from the silks. Fine embroideries of clouds adorned on the clothing. Instead of wearing a full armour, he only wore the shoulder plates, the armour gloves up to his elbows and the helmet, made of top-quality metal. On his waist was a metal plate with an upright new moon, which was also the crest on his helmet. The quiver on his back was a huge giveaway…

"You do not have to be so nervous, little one." Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto comforted. "We just want to talk with you and ask you a few questions; we mean no harm at all."

"Let's get on with a few facts." A Shinigami, obviously female from the soft tone, began. "The Moon Slayer is one of the most prized Warriors among us, the Shinigami. As you have witnessed in the War with the army of Mask Soldiers and the Fallen God, we were able to claim victory all because of his desperate efforts. We owe him one."

"That is where we would like to talk about now: the Slayer's desperate efforts." The other, a male from his husky voice, made himself comfy leaning against the trunk. "We all perceive how much power he has up in his sleeves, being a half-breed himself. However, he chose to seal off a large chunk of them 'cause he does not want to hurt." Seeing the Caterpillar's confusion, he explained on, "It is his vast amount of reiryoku. Anyone like him could crush those around to nothing without him knowing; scary, eh? To avoid hurting the innocent, he made this choice. You recall the night you first met? By then, he still had the seal undone. However, it was now removed because of you."

"Do not get us wrong." The Moon God consoled, ignoring the background noise, made by the petite female Shinigami beating the lights out of her dim-wit companion. "You did nothing bad. In fact, you are the very few ones who are not intimidated by it, and even a mortal. When he learnt of the kidnapping, he was like a helpless lost child. After being frenzied and calm enough to hear us, he asked for the removal of his seal, so he could fight at full strength. Yet after the War, he never bothered to seal it again. We then learnt of some little things behind it, stringed them up and got to the truth: you became his weakness. The Fallen had tried to make use of you in order to fall him, but rather than discarding an eyesore, the Slayer became even stronger unexpectedly, and eventually led to the demise of the Fallen himself. We rejoiced from these events, and even more grateful for because of you, little one, his strength grows immensely." He stopped for a while to let things penetrate. "However, that is the tricky part of it."

"Being an moth, a time would come for me to follow the steps of my ancestors: to spin a cocoon made from my own reiryoku, leave my young behind and be…gone." The Caterpillar whispered quietly, now that everything made logics and senses to her. "You all hope that he could remain strong like he is now for the great future to come. But if I die, there would come a possibility that he might shun himself from the world, and what is gained would go waste eventually because he might not use it anymore."

Except the rustling of the leaves in the wind, not a living soul dared to be noisy.

"Yes, indeed," The Moon God nodded grimly. "Most unfortunate to both of you, you would not get together for eternity; you an earthly creature and him an immortal, born with a deity's longevity…" Seeing the Caterpillar on the verge of tears, he smiled, "But that does not meant that you cannot obtain that longevity by your own efforts."

This piece of news was like striking a bolt of lightning from Susanoo-no-Mikoto. There then came a light of hope from the depth of her watery eyes, eager to know it.

"It is not that your clan dies early due to the heavy uses of reiryoku on weaving, but because of something vital is missing in the process, thus not promising longevity. If you could get what the vital part is as you spin under the near-full moon next week, you will be granted beauty and longevity." Leaving a smile, he left with the Shinigami.

In the next whole week, she searched frantically for what that "vital part" was, but she had no clues at all. Forbidden by Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto to speak of it to a soul, she often ended up in dead ends, but she has yet given up on the minute ray of hope. Being the only ones who were aware of that incident, the Flowers consulted with her, in hope that she would get a grip of things earlier, only to find that it was to no avails.

The chilly winds from the north started to creep into the gaps among the trees, and the time for the caterpillars to spin their cocoons drew closer. For our Caterpillar, she has grown into a fine teenager. The weird orange hairs, which she once despised, grew even prettier, for the sake of the Moon Slayer who has complimented on them. She never gave up on finding the "vital part", even though she had to spin next night.

"Say, Princess," One of the Flowers said, calling her by the name they had given, "Would you like us to help you get an ideal spot among the branches on the treetop? They said that spinning your cocoon beneath the moonlight will make you beautiful, under the caring powers of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. It is alright if you do not want to…"

"No, please bring me there." The Caterpillar replied and the Flowers carried her. On the way, she had one final chance to get the answer, so she thought hard about it. In her short life, she has grown fond of many things: her dear friends, the Six Flowers, the nurturing forest and many more. But most of all, at the top of her "Favourite" list, was the Moon Slayer. He was of great value to her: she was fond of the things of him, even though he was one of the most feared Shinigami. She adored the time with him. She enjoyed his warmth, and missed it greatly even when he was gone for a moment. When being with him, she felt nothing would be missed, and she would be complete.

"Here we are," The Flowers landed softly on a pleasant spot on a sturdy branch. From there they could see the moon clearly. In a week's time it would be a full moon, and that was when the caterpillars would transform into a moth inside their cocoons.

"Hello, dear caterpillar." A familiar voice rang from behind, and it was the Slayer. The sky was still tainted with some evening sunlight, so he has stayed in the shadows. When the Sun Goddess finally concealed her face behind the ranges, he stepped out. Same as ever, but his eyes showed more mirth, comparing when they have first met.

"It has been a while, Shinigami-sama." She replied with a heart-warming smile, reserved for and only him; her friends had never seen it, except the close Six Flowers. For that week, she has not caught a glimpse of him; probably the Moon God's orders, she only guessed. Perhaps he was occupied with tasks in the other areas of the forest. However, seeing him one last time made a whale's difference in her Happiness Meter. "What makes you come here so early, even before the sun sets beyond the horizon?"

"There is something I have to tell you before you disappear within that prison." She ended what tiny space there was between them and he lifted her up on his finger. He leant forward and shortly, his lips behind his black mask was right next to her ear. Using a frequency that only she, from the Moth Clan, could catch at this close range, he said something inaudible to others. Her eyes flew wide; that "part", she found it…!

"I wish you the best luck in becoming the great Moth. I will come and visit you." With that, he placed her gently back on the branch and in a blink, he has disappeared. While some of the Flowers grumbled about rudeness, the Caterpillar beamed broadly. Without another word, she set herself on a branch, where the moonlight could reach, and began to spin a cocoon of silk, made from her reiryoku and the "vital" ingredient. At that night in the forest, hundreds of thousands of caterpillars weaved their cocoon. However, they could never compare theirs with our Caterpillar's. It was not beautiful; it was way beyond gorgeous. It sparkled like being covered in the shards of diamonds, and it glistened like the brightest star in the sky. The perfect fairness lured predators, but none of them succeeded in getting her; her guards were not only the Six Flowers, but also the strongest and most feared Moon Warrior. For the entire chrysalis process, the cocoon remained its pure whiteness, instead of withering to a sickly yellow shade, and it was thanks to the "vital part" that she had put into use in her cocoon-spinning.

A week passed in a blink, and it was a night with the full moon in the cloudy sky. One by one, the cocoons cracked open, and the caterpillars emerged, now as moths. They struggled hard to get out of the constricting prison they had made painstakingly. They took flight, delighted that their hard work over the months have finally paid off. Then they caught sight of something: a single cocoon of pure whiteness on a branch. Although they were shocked at its beauty, they also sneered at the one of their kind, saying that it was an utter failure as the moth was a latecomer. Then, it all happened.

The soft glow the cocoon was giving off grew brighter, shooting up into the sky. As if resonating with it, the Moon broke out from behind the thick clouds and shone. In lieu of being cracked open, the cocoon stretched into a form with long appendages. The glow grew stronger that the moths closed and shielded themselves from facing…

After the commotion has died down and a soft shrill of unbelieving exclamation, the moths saw what the fuzz was about. The very breath-taking cocoon has vanished. In its place was a moth, but never your average moth; it appeared only in the legends. The wings was a vibrant display of colours, mixed and used only by the celestial deity, and the pattern on them was a pair of new moons, fixed symmetrically on each wing. When they were given a small quiver, tiny sparkles flew off and due to the vibrations, she gave off the soft silvery glow which the moths have just seen a brief moment ago. At the head was a small patch of orange hair, striking against her elegant peachy body. Slowly, she opened her eyes, pulling souls out of bodies. She smiled in heavenly bliss.

"Oh, Princess!" The Six Flowers clamoured. "Look at you! It is a great success!"

"Yes indeed," She replied. Giving a glance at all the moths around, gaping at her, she giggled, sounding most like a stricken glass bell and snapped them back to reality. "I am very sorry, but I have no intention to stay here for long, let alone finding a mate. Thus, to all my wooers, may you gain happiness with another partner and forget me." By her consistent and unwavering rejection and the malicious threats of the Flowers, the male moths finally gave up on proposing to her and all the moths left her behind.

She made a stop to visit her dear friends. They all praised at her flawless beauty, wished her ever-happiness and went away as well, leaving her and the Flowers alone.

The Moth nodded at the Flowers and mutely, they gave her each of their nectar. Now that she has become an immortal, the Flowers could no longer stay at her sides. However, if she drank their nectar, they would stay around her in a most unique way: she could use their powers of attacking, healing and shielding whenever she desired. After speaking her gratitude, she spread her wings and took flight to her destination.

"And that's it?" A little girl cried in disbelief. Her voice startled her baby brother, and he started to whimper. Her mother hushed gently to sooth the baby in her arms.

"You shouldn't yell like that, Natsume! You have just scared your little brother!" She scolded softly, rocking her son till he gave off soft and slightly muffled baby coos. The mother heaved a sigh and turned back to her daughter, "But yes, that's the end."

"But…where did the Moth go to? And what had the Moon Slayer said to her?" The girl whined with watery pup's eyes; she desperately wanted to know the answers. As much as her mother would love to spill, but she still shook her head determinedly.

"No dear, I'll tell you another time. Besides, it's getting late, so you must sleep." She placed a kiss on the little girl's forehead and tugged her comfortably in the sheets. Though pouting, the girl knew she couldn't argue with her mother, so she obeyed her. Hearing the rhythmic breathing from her child's bed, the mother left the room softly. She carried her baby son to her bedroom, shared with her husband. He's still working, despite the late hours. She put the baby into the cradle and prepared the bed to rest.

"The story of 'The Moth Goddess and the Moon Warrior' again?" He spoke first, without breaking his attention from the desk full of papers to her, so his back's facing.

"Yes, she's really fond of it, and it seems like Kouichi's growing a liking to it too." She giggled. Her husband groaned a bit about "boys loving such romantic fairy tales", put the pen down on the paper, sauntered towards their bed and laid beside his wife.

"You're not going to do them?" She asked. "You usually finish them in one day."

"Nah, I've been dealing with them for the whole day, and I'm utterly tired now. Besides, I'd like to listen to the ending of that unfinished tale." He flashed her a smile. He knew how much she loved his smiles ever since they began dating a few years ago, and how she couldn't resist his request when he smiled. He couldn't be more correct.

The Moon casted a beam of silver. It was the Path to the Celestial Moon Palace, a ladder to the sacred land Takamagahara. Following the ladder, the Moth reached it. After she fluttered through the Gate to the welcoming Plains, she took another form. She possessed a slender feminine body of the Goddesses, silvery eyes of fine glasses, fine peachy skin and a fall of orange hair, kept in a bun with some hair clasps and pins, and two of which were in the shape of a blue hibiscus. She was decently dressed too. Just like the cocoon was a protective layer to a pupa, the silk kimono was her cocoon. It had colourful layers of apricot and soft pink, and a corn-yellow obi to go with them. The most magnificent of her kimono would be the upmost layer of superb silky white, so pure that it gave off its radiances. Moths, embroidered by silvery and gold threads, adorned all over it and as she moved, it looked as if they were alive, going to fly away.

The dwelling divinities welcomed her warmly and to celebrate the joyous event, a party was held. Music echoed the corners and sake was passed from one to another. After enjoying themselves to the fullest, the deities retired. A fairy came to the Moth, saying that she was here to show her the house she would be staying in for her rests. The Moth, now given a full name by Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto to be Kinu-Kami-no-Hime (8), followed her to a decent wooden house, spacious enough for four people to reside in. It had its own garden, which was now quite empty; she noted to herself to change it. Just as she was about to go in, she saw a familiar shadow beneath a nearby mulberry. Laughing lightly to herself, she stepped into the Moon's light, allowing him to see her.

"You are brilliant, Kinu-Kami-no-Hime." The Moon Slayer sauntered towards her. Even though she has taken a new form of the deity, she only reached to his shoulders. Once they were right in front of each other, he raised a bare hand to stroke her cheek, and she snuggled her face into the warmth emitting from the rough calluses and skin. He has been waiting for it for a long time and he could take it no more, so on a whim, he pulled her into his broad chest for a crushing embrace. She let out an adoring yelp, and after the second of her initial shock, she melted like a piece of butter in his arms. They remained hugging for some minutes, touching each other with travelling hands, and finally broke up, gazing affectionately at each other's facial features. She giggled.

"I think I might not have heard what you had said at the night I spun my cocoon. Would you mind to say that once more?" She smiled broadly. His eyes twinkled wryly, as he reached his hand to his black mask. One swift move and it dissipated to nothing, revealing a handsome face with a lopsided smirk. Tilting her head up to see her blush, he leant forward and laid his lips against hers, lingering over there for a few seconds. He then moved to place his lips next to her right ear, whispering the spell softly again. She widened the smile on her face and said her own version of his spell to his ear too. Looking at each other in the eyes again, amber bearing into silvery glass, they kissed.

"They vowed to never separate, and lived merrily together forever." She ended.

Her husband chuckled. He spotted something and set his brows to a light frown, "You know, you still haven't said in the story what the couple has said to each other."

"Hmm, I wonder what they've said…" She said, eyes shining suggestively to him. It only made him chuckle again; God, this woman's gonna be the cause of his demises. He rolled to his left and rose, letting his elbow support his weight. Looking at his wife, now beneath him with a little flush of pink on her cheeks like a love-struck school girl, he bent down till his face, especially his lips, hovered over hers for a few centimetres. His warm breath stroke her and a shudder went down her spine, making her tremble.

"After all these years, I'm still thinking how I can cure you of your nervousness." He murmured with slight annoyance, closed the distances in between and kissed her. They've kissed each other on almost a daily basis: when they left home for their work, when she joined him to walk home outside her workplace after she called it for a day, and lastly when they're going to sleep. However, she felt so much passion in this one. It's like the one when he kissed her in their first date, when they're on the red carpet, and many other intimate moments, telling her all his unspoken emotions in his heart. It lasted until she was out of breath. She puffed from the blissful sensation of ecstasy.

"I've forgotten how well you're a kisser, though you prefer dying to admitting." She breathed dreamily. He smirked and flopped himself back onto the huge mattress. She moved closer to him and snuggled into his chest, inhaling his unique musky scent, feeling steady beats of his heart under the sweatshirt. He snaked his arms around her, pulling her nearer. His lips were next to her ear, saying the words he knew oh-so-well.

"My love-filled heart always be yours, my Weaver Princess, the Moth Goddess." He weaved his fingers in her waist-length orange hair, which he often complimented.

"Mine also, my Number One Guardian, the Moon Warrior, for I love you most." She sighed, savouring the paradisiacal feeling in her chest, only when she's with him. He pecked on her forehead and pulled the blanket to cover them from the cold night.

She's about to drift off to sleep when she's shocked by a sharp intake of breath. Her husband's also caught that, judging from his startled gasp just now. They shot up, searched high and low of the room in bed and saw the opened door in the darkness. Standing there and clutching a scruffy lion doll tightly to the chest was their daughter. Her delicate face flashed from her admiration to romantics to awe and finally, disgust. She must have been dying to know the story, only to intrude in her parents' paradise.

"EWW!" She shrilled, running down the hall back to the shelter of her bedroom. "Daddy and Mommy are so ugly and revolting! It's giving me all goose bumps! Yikes!"

The drop of a pin could be heard in her parents' bedroom, for they're petrified. Her mother was as bright red as a ripe tomato, with steam soaring up from her head. Her father's lower jaw dropped as low as it could possibly be, unable to make a word. They're absolutely still for only-God-knew-how-long before fainting from the shocks…

Their baby son laughed, mumbling somewhat like "moth" and "moon" at them.

Explanations Corner

(1) The species in here is the silkworm, which is white in colour.

(2) If you don't know, except rodents and other kinds of animals, snakes also eat insects. Some cobras shoot their venom to attack, and it's like how Acidwire (Hollowed Sora) attacked by spitting acid. In fact, the snake here is Sora for being a Naga-like Hollow.

(3) All Ichigo's Hollow masks are too terrifying to appear in this fic, so I chose the mask he has when activating the Final Getsuga Tenshou. As for the Badges, the first one is his Substitute Badge, and the second one is just something I made up. If you look into the names of Ichigo's and Isshin's Zanpakutou, you may spot that both have the meaning of "cutting the moon", thus saying the Moon Warrior here to be from the House of the Moon Slayers. The reason for the black moon is because of the kanji "kuro" in their surname, which means "black" in Japanese. Other than that, he would look like in his Bankai uniform except the little changes I've added or made up there.

(4) Like how Ichigo has no obligation to follow the Captain-Commander's orders, I've made the Slayers to obey nobody else other than Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. In another sense, the other deities can also give orders to the other shinigami in this story, but never the Slayers; they'll only move by the orders of the Moon God and him alone.

(5) The Tiger here is Chad (the kanji "tora" in his full name means tiger). The Owl is Uryuu; owls have fine eyesight, which is needed for an archer. The facial patterns of owls also looked like glasses. The Lizard is Tatsuki; we name some of the world's largest lizards to be "dragons (the kanji "tatsu" in her name)", don't we? I know that Tatsuki never took a large part in the story, let alone in the battle, but she's such a close friend to Orihime that I just can't exclude her.

(6) I know that I've excluded some other clashes and the fight with Gin, but they're too minor. Besides, Gin's not using his full powers to fight, so I don't really consider it to be a really major battle. Furthermore, look at those whom Ichigo's fought against in the poster(s) from manga Chapter 428, and Gin's not there. Despite Dordonii's not there, well...I'll let that pass, so sorry, Gin-fans... (run to safety...)

(7) Don't ever forget that Ichigo's a Shinigami-half. He's an offspring of a living soul and a dead soul, like possessing Yin and Yang at the same time. Like I've said, the Shinigami blood (Yin) is more prominent, and those of Yin cannot be in the side of Yang for long, so that's why.

(8) "Kinu" means silk in Japanese, so the whole name is literally "Princess of the Silk Goddess".

So, what do you think about it? Leaving your reviews and thoughts for it would be a nice and charitable thing to do for me. Requests for further explanations and changes are also welcomed, and they may appear when I see fit.

Kuroi Kokoro 09