Chapter 2's up! This one may be short too…
"You can come out now Tomite, I know you're back there! Please lend me a helping hand!" Takiko requested politely as she carefully unpacked the things she bought from the market using the money that both Rimudo and Tomite gave her after bounty hunting. While traveling, both Rimudo and Tomite hunted minor criminals, as they need money to survive. Handling them was a piece of cake, especially when Rimudo had power over wind and is a skillful warrior while Tomite is a talented archer combining his power over ice with his trustful arrows.
"Awww...busted!"
"Is it hard for you to just lend me a helping hand Tomite? Sigh…besides, you're the only one around here! I need you to help me wash the vegetables! I'm gonna make sashimi, they're your favorite aren't they?"
"Sigh, I'll do it! I'll do it! But that's for the sake of the dinner tonight only okay? Tonight's one better be good…"
"Oh it's going to be better than last night's of course! If not, I wouldn't dare to ask you to help me." Takiko winked at Tomite.
Tomite blushed.
"Well yeah, you have any idea where Rimudo is? He should be helping out here also…"
"He went to find some information…the whereabouts of the other Celestial Warriors…" said Takiko with a stern look on her face.
Meanwhile…
Rimudo hid behind trees, acted like he's buying stuff, sneaking around, just to follow two men, whom he suspected is from the Kingdom of Kutou, protected by the god Seiryuu also known as Hokkan's greatest enemy. One of them was a man who constantly wears a smile, with utmost feminine beauty that rival Rimudo's; while the other one was a man with black hair that can't seem to control his temper as his comrade is always calm and cool.
"Hey Shigi, do you think we'll ever find the Priestess of Genbu and her Celestial Warriors without asking people? All we do everyday is just walking around the streets, helping the people and so on. And please be reminded that I don't like to do charity work…" said the man with a bad temper.
"I believe we will find them soon my dear friend Hien. For now, we can't do anything that may seem suspicious, or it'll expose our identity as spies from the Kingdom of Kutou working for Prince Hakei.
"Sheesh, why can't His Majesty just plant an attack on Hokkan, after all, our country is the strongest of all…Hokkan might be big, but Kotou has the power. Don't you agree with me?"
"Well that is the fact. But it's best that we don't plant an attack before planning…because, if the information we received is correct, that the Priestess of Genbu and her Celestial Warriors are here, keep in mind that they are not to be underestimated. As you know, with their powers, we can be easily beaten…"
"But Shigi, lets not go too far to underestimating ourselves…" Hien told him with a cynical smile.
Rimudo headed back to the house after eavesdropping. They were in danger. Those two from Kutou don't look like amateurs. He had to be extra careful now. He had to warn his comrades, especially Takiko. He wouldn't want her to get hurt.
"Uruki!! Dinner's ready!!"Takiko shouted.
Rimudo was at the backyard, gazing at the moon. Takiko walked to where he was laying. He had a worried look on his face. And Takiko knew that something was not right from his unusual expression.
"Takiko, why do you call me by the name Uruki?"
Takiko didn't answer his question. In fact, she avoided it.
"What's the matter…Rimudo?"
"So the relationship between us will always be of a Priestess and a Celestial Warrior?"
"Rimudo…I…"
"You still remember the first time we met?"
"Yes." she answered. "I would never forget that moment." she silently added.
"You were trying to fight off the beast from the mountains yourself, while I was still chained up on the rock. That time I was still in my 'Uruki' form." he paused. When I saw that you couldn't hold them back anymore, I released myself and helped you. I was cold and arrogant towards you and just walked away without answering your questions after they were defeated. And when I collapsed and had a fever, and you were trying to cool my fever down using your body heat…and you saw my symbol, the 'woman' symbol on my chest…"
"Well I already apologized for taking your clothes off in attempt to heal you…because that time, I really didn't know what to do, and I didn't want to be alone in this world. Pardon me because I didn't know you're a boy! …And the Rimudo that killed a thousand people with a single strike of wind. When I discovered it, you even asked me whether or not I wanted to be the next one…you gave me a scare !"Takiko answered, blushing.
"Hehe…perhaps the reason why I call you 'Uruki' is because of the first time we met."
"Yeah, but please, from now on, call me Rimudo…because…"
"Takiko…I think I'm starting to lov…" Rimudo didn't finish his sentence. He didn't have the courage. Yet.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Oh I said I'm starting to feel hungry. All of this talk is sure making me hungry. So what's for dinner tonight?"
During dinner, Tomite was eating like a hungry wolf. He looked so happy, he was complimenting, talking, and yet he feels so sad inside. He didn't want to tell anyone about his feelings.
His feelings for Takiko Okuda.
Chamuka still remember the first time he met her.
He was on a bounty hunt for Rimudo's head, after he killed a thousand people. He was resting in a restaurant, or you can say, a kind of place that you can stay the night. Chamuka was sipping his tea when a young girl with long black hair and had the most brilliant eyes helping an injured girl in. The girl did not look like she was from around, and the injured girl look rather strange as she had broken chain on her wrist. The injured one passed out while the other one looked desperate.
"Hey isn't that Rimudo, the one who killed a thousand people with a single strike of wind? said a customer.
"I don't think so, he was sentenced today in the mountains right?" said the owner.
"Really, I thought I saw iron chains on that person's hand?" he answered.
"But that's a girl right?"
"Yes, yes I suppose so…"
Chamuka overheard the conversation between those two and developed an interest on the topic. Suddenly, he heard someone scream so very loudly that customers downstairs could hear it. And the next day, a man with great striking resemblance to the injured girl yesterday appeared, this time with the black haired girl chasing after him. Rimudo had appeared. Chamuka was not letting his chance slip away. He was ready to shoot his arrows when a bunch of guards appear, trying to seize Rimudo. Eventually he got away with some help from a guy with a cape who jumped down to save him when the girl let out a strange flash of silver light.
But Rimudo just left the poor girl sitting there on the street, shocked, while he escaped.
"I know what, I'll hold his woman hostage so he would come into my trap." he thought.
"Come with me girl! I'll hold you hostage so he would come!" he commanded the girl as he tied her hands with a rope.
"Let me go! Let me go!" she demanded as she tries to struggle away.
Chamuka carried her to the horse and was going back to the cave where he and his mother lived. His mother was old, and couldn't earn much for a living. His father of the Ka Clan was killed long ago, and so he was left with no choice but to stay in a cave.
"Now stay here and sit down like a good girl, I'm sure that wind demon would come for his woman."
"Let me go! I'm not his woman. I didn't even know he killed people!!" she said.
"But you did spend the night with him, didn't you?"
"You don't understand, he had a really high fever you see…" she explained blushing furiously.
"Yeah, yeah now we'll just wait for him to come get you…"
"I know, if you let me loose, I could release that silver light again like before to signal him. I am pretty angry at him for leaving me there…"
"I suppose you're right…" Chamuka untied the ropes around Takiko's hands but didn't realize that he was being tricked and she was about to make her own escape out. When Takiko was free, she tried to run away but didn't manage too when Chamuka tried to resist her from doing that, then later accidentally pounced on her, making him laying on top of her, their hearts beating fast. But Takiko continued to struggle away, pulling his shirt. She caught a glimpse of a Chinese character on his back, the character that means emptiness. Well that's when his mother came back and scolded him for acting so rashly and discovered her name and identity, Takiko Okuda, Priestess of Genbu.
"Hehe, I even tried to steal a kiss from her…" he thought.
That time, it was after Takiko accepted her role as a Priestess and decided to seek for the other Celestial Warriors. When they stopped by at a small village one time, Chamuka got sick. He lay in bed all day while she took care of him, attempting to cure him. When she was finally exhausted, she stayed by his side, sleeping so soundly not knowing that he was already feeling better and waking up.
"Sigh, you should have just return to your original world instead of accepting the burden of the Priestess of Genbu. You really are a stupid girl…" he thought with his lips forming a kind and sincere smile." he thought.
"I mean why should I bother about her anyway…" another thought interrupted.
"She looked so sweet when she sleeps…"
He was moving closer and closer towards her. Without thinking, he tried to kiss her when Takiko opened her eyes wide before he manage to do it, and slapped him on the face.
After dinner, Tomite helped Takiko clean the plates and do laundry. He was reluctant to do it at first, but his heart eventually gave in. He loved to see Takiko smile, it warms him up automatically by just seeing her smile.
"Takiko, I wanna tell you something important, promise you won't be freaked…"
"What's with all this so suddenly, everyone's acting weird today you know..."
"I mean I wanna tell you I lov…" The second Genbu warrior also didn't have the courage to tell her that he loved him. Both the warriors failed in pledging their love to the priestess. And yet at the same time, both of them felt strongly for her.
"Oh never mind…"
Two big stars shined brighter than usual that night. And above both the stars, another star glittered just as bright as the two. If you watch and observe closely, the three stars will form the shape of a triangle if u match them together.