The Masked Princess
By K. Petra
Disclaimer: I do not own Kannazuki no Miko nor Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora
Summary: One had lived her life in darkness, while the other was born from light. The first life when Chikane and Himeko met was full of heartbreak and hardships. But it was the start of a love story that continued on for eternity.
Chapter One: In the Beginning
To make mistakes and to learn from them is only natural. To forgive is even more human than that.
But to hang on to a mistake, to let it torment yourself and others-
That is how demons are born.
Years ago, at a time when paper had not yet been invented and history was passed on through tales sung by elders… Yamata no Orochi was a promising young general by the name of Ryoku.
Ryoku's life had always been a story full of success. He was born from an affluent family that was able to afford him all the education the world could provide. He joined the army at a young age, and from the beginning he was in a position higher than most. One success after the other, the wars he joined allowed him to climb up the rank to become one of the most influential men in the country. It seemed that his luck had reached its peak when, at thirty years of age, Ryoku met the woman who would claim his heart.
Koemi. Sweet and kind Koemi, with hair the color of the sun. Innocent Koemi, whose light purple eyes shone with delight as she picked flowers in the village garden. He asked her parents for her hand in marriage soon afterwards, and from then on all who laid eyes on the couple found the proud general to be a surprisingly gentle and doting husband.
Despite leaving home often for the battlefield, each time Ryoku would come back with gifts for his beloved wife. Anything she wanted he would offer, and for five years she lived the life every woman would envy.
But happiness is an odd thing. What brings one contentment might make another feel nothing more than indifference. A diamond is only a rock to someone who cannot see its radiance after all.
Their marriage was not meant to last.
The world fell apart one day, when Ryoku returned early from the battlefield. Triumphant and proud, he had rushed home to share his glory with Koemi- only to find her in the arms and kissing another man. In a fit of rage he drew his sword and slew the two with one swipe, before turning the weapon upon himself.
From the deepest love spawns greatest hatred. A prideful man who had never encountered any setbacks, he could not handle betrayal by the one he loved most. With his last breath he cursed the woman who had scorned him. Life and life after that, his soul would always try to find her. Ruin her. Destroy all that she loved most.
For hundreds of years it continued on that way. The two original sinners had long atoned for their crimes throughout many cycles of rebirth. But Ryoku hated and hated…He despised the world even to the day when he could no longer remember his name and why he felt such anguish.
Eventually he became a demon, calling himself Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed beast who swore to bring chaos upon the world.
-Autumn Festival, A Millennia after-
Do not alert anyone! Hold onto your positions, and wait for my signal.
High Priest Ogami stood on top of the pagoda, looking down at the celebration occurring in the city below. He watched as his ninety disciples positioned themselves at strategic corners of the main street, blending in with the rest of the crowd. With a grin of satisfaction, he noted how his students examined the festivities with wary experienced eyes, each waiting for the flash of reflected light from their leader's mirror to signal them into action.
Anytime now, the Masked Princess will appear for the handover ceremony. Our job is to use this chance to infiltrate the palace.
Fireworks exploded red and blue in the evening sky above them as the crowd roared in delight. Children pranced back and forth between the food stalls while vendors hollered out the names of their merchandise. Kazuki Ogami clutched tightly to the mirror in his hands and moved closer to the railing as hurried footsteps resounded from behind him. A young man burst forth from the shadows, bending down in respect to the high priest.
"Sensei, preparations are done. We'll take action as soon as you light up the alarm. The only thing is, we don't know where Himeko's whereabouts are. She's just too inexperienced to be chosen for this sort of thing. A mission of this caliber-"
Ogami nodded. "I know, Yukihito. Let her be. Himeko is young, and not without her weaknesses. But there are certain things innate to her that most of us can only dream of."
As drums began to play in the streets below, Yukihito raised his head in protest.
"The girl has no sense of responsibility! She'll get into trouble one of these days. You've taught us all to learn restraint. Each day, we polish our souls and cleanse our mind of all evil. We live with utmost devotion towards the light. The strict nature of our teaching is what keeps us from falling towards the darkness like the rest of the world. But Himeko-"
Ogami raised his hand, and the russet haired youth immediately silenced.
"Himeko is carefree. But what you fail to understand about her is that while we have to train ourselves every day not to fall into dark temptations…Himeko is gifted with a soul full of light. While we fight to stay out of the shadows, Himeko heart itself is shining. Let the child be, I say. If my calculations are correct, she will meet her destiny today. Now, I believe the rites are about to start."
As if in answer to the priest's words, the crowd below roared and parted towards the sides of the streets. The drums continued to beat in rhythm, as a hundred black horses raced between the crowds in the direction of the palace at the city center.
In the midst of it all, a graceful purple-clad figure ran atop the galloping horsebacks. The people continued to cheer, as the woman leapt from horse to horse as if in a sacred dance.
"Princess Kaon! Princess Kaon!"
Near the wooden stage at the center of the city, a group of soldier musicians responded to the people's cry by blowing on their war horns.
"All hail the masked princess! Under your lead will our country be victorious and prosperous!"
Now.
Face set with grim determination, Ogami raised the mirror in his hands and directed it's reflection towards the stage.
In unison his disciples began their move toward the palace behind the stage. Amidst the confusion of the celebrating people and the chaos created by the running horses, the students managed to take down at least two dozen palace guards before anyone else took notice.
Half a block away, the masked princess took a giant leap. At the blink of an eye she reached the stage with her sword already drawn, battling one opponent after the next.
With a powerful thrust of her sword, a gust of wind pushed forth to encircle the frightened animals that were about to trample over the innocent bystanders. The horses neighed and stopped, allowing hundreds of soldiers to burst forward from the palace gates.
Upon the highest building in the city, the two men stood with their eyes wide in astonishment.
We all know she is powerful, but she is much more skilled than we had expected. We can only hope that we will be able to divert their attention long enough for Soma to grab the scrolls.
-Elsewhere, in the Garden behind the Palace-
"Matte! Don't go!"
Himeko squeezed through the hole in the bushes, hair in disarray as she chased after the small grayish dog. A noticeable limp could be seen in the puppy's gait, one of its legs red with a thin line of blood. With haste the young girl captured the injured pup and held it up for examination, clucking as she noted the injury.
"Chhh. See? You shouldn't run off by yourself like that. What if it gets worse? You're lucky I noticed your wound when I did."
With one arm holding the young dog still, Himeko reached into a tiny knapsack hanging from her shoulders. From there she grabbed a few well-chosen herbs and put them in her mouth, quickly chewing. Finally, took a handkerchief from her pockets and spat the mashed herbs into it, before tying it around the dog's leg.
The long haired girl sighed as she gave the akita inu one last pat before placing it back on the ground.
"There! It should heal much faster. Now…what was I doing before I- Ahh! I was supposed to be there to help Ogami-sensei and the others!"
The dog ran off unnoticed while Himeko began to panic.
"Where am I, anyway? I entered the garden from that way, which means the palace gates are…Eto.."
Not entirely sure which direction might be correct, the nervous priestess proceeded to walk aimlessly ahead. A short distance later, the sound of rustling echoed in the young girl's ears. Figuring that it must be the dog, Himeko scrambled over to take a look, deciding that if the akita inu had found its way here then it must know the way out as well.
"Aha!" she yelled, expecting to see the puppy behind the tree. Instead what she saw made her stop in her tracks.
Indeed, the dog had been the source of the noise. But Himeko was surprised to find that it was also sitting upon the lap of a beautiful girl who seemed to be sleeping against the trunk of the tree.
Long blue hair, cascading down elegant shoulders like starlit water, surrounded a face as pale as the moon. The girl was clothed in all white, and the slender arms and legs outlined beneath her clothes gave off an aura of purity.
Entranced by the vision she was provided, Himeko held her breath and moved closer to the resting figure, only to stumble when the dog jumped onto her feet. She gasped, waving her hands haphazardly as she lost her balance and then grabbing onto the other girl's shoulders as she fell.
When Himeko reopened her eyes, she could see nothing but blue. Irises a dark swirling blue, as deep as the ocean, bore into her own.
The girl did not speak, did not move from her position, and did not show any emotion upon that angelic face. Instead, she tilted her head and looked at Himeko through fluttering eyelashes as though in silent inquiry. The younger girl gasped and stood up.
"I-I'm sorry! Gah. You see…I was chasing after that puppy. But then I got lost."
With a nervous laugh, the priestess rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment before extending a hand in offering to pull the other girl up.
"My name is Himeko. Ano…"
With one hand still holding Himeko's for support, the taller girl placed one finger of the other hand upon Himeko's lips, effectively silencing her. Calmly, the mysterious older girl paused and turned her head to the side, as though listening to something. She then smiled and indicated towards the direction Himeko had initially come from, where flickers of light were quickly approaching.
The younger girl cried out in fear.
"Oh, no! That must be the palace guards. Quick, we have to leave now or they'd catch us!"
Without giving it much thought, Himeko broke into a run. The hand holding onto the other girl tightened as she pulled the blue haired girl along with her.
On and on they ran, even as the distance between them and the palace guards seemed to be decreasing. About seven minutes into the chase they reached the palace buildings. In hope of losing their pursuers, the light haired girl abruptly turned around the corner of one of the buildings, pulling her companion beside her. As they stood breathing heavily from exertion, Himeko finally realized that she was still holding the other girl's hand.
Stifling a yelp she pulled apart, vaguely noticing that the other girl's skin felt oddly cold to the touch. Again, the taller girl did not speak. Instead, her stand wavered and she collapsed, exhausted blue eyes rolling to the back of her head as Himeko rushed forward to catch her.
All of a sudden the door behind them opened. A voice that Himeko recognized ushered the both of them in.
"Soma-kun!"
The teenage boy nodded towards his friend before quickly closing the door. Making sure that no one had caught on to their hiding place, he motioned for the priestess to follow him through the building. Noticing the girl leaning in Himeko's arms, Soma frowned.
"Himeko, what are you doing here? This place is too dangerous. We have no leave now!"
He attempted to pull the stranger away from Himeko's hold, but the priestess would not relent.
"I know, Soma-kun, but she needs help. I'm not leaving here without her."
Realizing that they did not have time to argue, he knelt in front of Himeko and offered her to place the unconscious stranger upon his back.
Quietly they snuck through the corridors of the building before exiting at the opposite end. Throwing a quick smoke bomb at the guards standing by, they swiftly ran off into the night.
After an hour of running, safe at last and no longer with anyone tailing them, they approached the gates of the shrine where high priest Ogami resided. Soma placed the unconscious girl down, allowing Himeko to take hold of her as they climbed up the steps of what was also the Taiyo school headquarters. With a deep sigh, he turned to his friend.
"Now will you tell me what's going on?"
Nervously, Himeko brushed a few strands of the other girl's hair away from her face. At the corner of her eyes, she could see various students, priests, and priestesses pouring out of the school to welcome them back.
"Uhm. Actually…I have no idea who she is. I just thought that it would be bad if they caught her too, wouldn't it?"
Soma rubbed his face in his hands.
"Himeko, she's not a pet that you can just bring home! She probably lives there! Why do you think she was in there in the first place?"
Chapter One End.
A/N: My writing skills are rusty, and I apologize for any confusion. A lot of things will be revealed in the upcoming chapters, however…