Chapter Five: Balance Restored
"Seventh Neck, what is the meaning of this?"
"Brother! Let us rid ourselves of the Orochi! We should not have to live like this any longer. Let us free ourselves of this never-ending cycle!"
Tsubasa in his mecha only drew his sword and pointed it down at the unarmed Souma.
"I have no intentions of fighting you, Brother."
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Himeko was now standing at the gate of Chikane's estate. It was dark and barren, for it appeared that there was not a single light shining, or any indication of life occupying it.
Himeko rang in Otoha for permission to enter.
"Otoha, it's me Himeko. I want to see Chikane. I need to see her now."
"Oh, Madam Himeko, it is you. Madam Chikane has been expecting you."
The gate unlocked and Himeko made her way up the cobblestone steps.
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They had been fighting for hours. Souma was now exhausted and out of breath.
"You were always the weak one, Seventh Neck. All those times I was the one to protect you. When ever will you learn to fend for yourself?"
Tsubasa now thought back to the time when he and Souma were children, before Orochi. Then he remembered all the abuse he had to endure in the place of his younger brother. He was protecting him as any older brother would protect his younger brother. Souma was always grateful to his elder brother even if he had eventually come to lose faith in humanity and only wished for its demise.
"I became Orochi to be closer to you, Brother! Brother, I miss you…."
Those words appeared to have somewhat of an effect on Tsubasa, because he briefly hesitated before he made another swing of his sword at Souma.
"I see….so, I was right. It is that girl. I will have to destroy her for tainting you."
Tsubasa was now making his way to Himeko.
Souma went after him.
"Himeko! I'm coming!"
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The front door was already unlocked and Himeko made her way into the mansion. Standing before her at the entrance of the stairs leading up to the second floor, was Otoha, or rather, someone who appeared to be Otoha….
"Good evening, Madam Himeko, I am Miyako, Second Neck of the Orochi, and it has been my duty since the curse was placed on the Moon Priestess to keep her soul shrouded in darkness and blinded from that of yours, Sun Priestess, Himeko Kurusugawa."
"Where is she? What have you done to Chikane?"
"I beg to differ. I believe you should be asking yourself that, Sun Priestess."
Flashes of Himeko's lives as an ordinary teenage girl without knowledge of being the Sun Priestess and dismissing Chikane's feelings emerged from her mind. The guilt, the pain, the sorrow of having Chikane go through all the trouble of locating her also accompanied them.
"Yes, it seems that because of your actions, the soul of the Moon Priestess has been completely enveloped in darkness. Absolute darkness. See for yourself."
Miyako then projected an image of Chikane hammered onto a crucifix and entwined in thorns.
"This is her soul. This is all because of you!"
Suddenly, a dark vortex enveloped Miyako until she transformed into an oversized black widow spider. Her voice now distorted.
"Now suffer! SUFFER NOW AS THE MOON PRIESTESS HAS BEEN SUFFERING! SUFFER NOW AS I HAVE BEEN SUFFERING!"
Miyako spun a web furiously onto the wall and then encased Himeko into a wax-like coffin with her head still exposed. The black widow then threw her onto the web. Himeko only looked on to Miyako with a sympathetic expression.
"I have been gone for far too long. I will undo the damage that has been done."
The Mark of the Solar Shrine Maiden began glowing.
"I will release you from your suffering Miyako, as you have been suffering for much too long."
A bright white light now enveloped the entire foyer along with the black widow.
Himeko now became free of the web which constrained her as it was dissolved into the light. All that remained after the flash of light was a naked and glowing Miyako leaning against the wall.
Himeko walked up to her and smiled.
"Rest in peace, Miyako."
Miyako looked up at the Sun Priestess and returned a faint smile before her body dissolved into the light.
"Thank you, Sun Priestess…."
It was now time to find Chikane.
Himeko rushed up the stairs and searched every room until she found her sitting in her bedroom at her vanity staring at her reflection.
Miyako was right, the darkness had now completely consumed her. Absolute darkness.
Chikane had now become Orochi.
"Oh, Chikane…."
But Himeko was not afraid because she knew that just below the surface of that monster before her was her Moon Priestess. Her Chikane. And she was going to free her of this never-ending cycle once and for all.
"It was you, Chikane. You were searching for me through all those lifetimes. You don't have to go on searching for me any longer because I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."
"I am no longer Chikane Himemiya. At least not the Chikane Himemiya you once knew."
Chikane then stood up from her stool and turned to Himeko.
She drew her sword at her.
"I am Chikane, Eighth Neck of the Orochi."
"Put the sword down, Chikane. It's me. I'm back. I remember everything."
"You….LIE!"
Chikane then charged at Himeko, sword clutched in her hand.
Chikane slashed at her with furor and such intensity. All her pain, humiliation, guilt, loneliness, acquired throughout the numerous lives she was forced to live, and built up over time, was released by her hand and through her blade.
Left, right, left, right. Every slash that was thrown at Himeko was successfully evaded. Chikane and Himeko were so attuned and in sync with one another. It was as though they were dancing a waltz. One could expect no less from the Moon Priestess and Sun Priestess. They were truly each other's half.
Chikane only grew even more frustrated at every attack she threw at Himeko.
Himeko still had no intention of counterattacking.
"Why will you not ATTACK ME!"
Chikane grew so infuriated that she tackled Himeko out the window and over the balcony. She fell over along with her.
As they were falling, Himeko pulled Chikane at the collar of her kimono and pulled her into a passionate kiss.
Suddenly, time stopped, and they were now floating in the air, lips still locked.
Once again, the Mark of the Solar Shrine Maiden began to glow into what became a bright white beam that projected into Chikane's forehead.
Their hearts began to race. All of their memories together came flooding in.
Chikane had found her Sun Priestess. Her mission was now finally complete.
She was now complete.
Their heartbeats slowed and synchronized into one.
The beam emanating from the Mark of the Solar Shrine Maiden disappeared and left a crescent moon-shaped scar on Chikane's forehead. That scar was the Mark of the Lunar Shrine Maiden. Chikane was now rid of the Orochi that was infesting her soul and fully reawakened as the Moon Priestess of the Godless Month.
Their lips parted.
"Himeko…Himeko, is it really you? Is it really….after all this time…I …never thought…."
Chikane could not utter another word as the tears began rolling down her cheeks. Himeko only pulled her tighter into their embrace. Oh, for how long did she ever desire of this moment?
"All those lives you lived through in search of me…..even though you couldn't see that it was me, you somehow knew…..everytime…"
They kissed again.
A few moments passed when they pulled apart. As they pulled apart, they had noticed that the halves of their seashells had come together and fit snuggly within one another to form a single shell.
It was a perfect match. Chikane and Himeko looked at their seashell and grinned at one another before a harsh reality had hit them.
"Chikane, we must revive Ame no Murakumo and rid the cosmos of the Orochi forever. Absolute darkness is impending."
Chikane nodded her head in agreement.
Time proceeded once again and Chikane and Himeko were no longer floating, but now falling. They managed to safely roll into a pile of leaves and into the forest.
There was a black mecha and white mecha fighting just above the lake in the distance.
It was Souma and elder brother Tsubasa.
Tsubasa immediately spotted Himeko and then rushed at her.
"NO, BROTHER! NOOOOOO!"
Souma chased after Tsubasa at full-speed and managed shield Himeko from his attack in time. Himeko saw that he was now on the verge of breaking down.
"SOUMA! WHAT are you DOING! OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Brother, I will no longer use my powers to destroy the Sun Priestess and Moon Priestess, but to protect them! AND THE ONE I LOVE!
He looked down towards the distraught Himeko from up above in his mecha. With the last bit of his strength, he pulled off one final blow to his brother. His final attack landed through the midsection of his brother's mecha.
The images of Souma and Tsubasa during childhood in happier times flashed before their eyes as this last blow was dealt. Tsubasa smiled as he spoke his final words before he disappeared into the light:
"Thank you, Souma…..for setting me….free…."
Souma's mecha collapsed, and out he fell onto the ground.
"He said….my..name…..Just how long….has it been…since he last….said….my name?"
Chikane and Himeko immediately rushed to his side.
He was mortally wounded and there was no way he would survive.
Souma looked up at Chikane and gave her a faint smile.
"See? I told you that I wouldn't go down without a good fight."
He then gave out a light chuckle and just ended up coughing blood.
Chikane was now crying.
"Souma…."
Souma now looked up to Himeko with a smile as well. He reached his trembling hand to her face. Himeko grabbed it and placed it on her cheek. She was now in tears.
"Thank you, Himeko….for helping me remember….what it is to be….truly…alive…I must go….now…..my….brother….is….calling me….."
Souma closed his eyes smiling peacefully. He also disappeared into the light.
Chikane and Himeko bowed their heads down and gave Souma a moment of silence.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the Sun Priestess and the Moon Priestess. I guess since the First, Second, Seventh, and Eighth Neck…
The mecha that appeared to the leader of the group looked down in Chikane's direction.
are gone, that just leaves us in between."
They looked up to see that there were four more mecha of various colors hovering above.
"No time for everyone to introduce themselves, so I'm just gonna do it for them. We are in a bit of a hurry, after all. I'm Girochi, Third Neck of the Orochi and them there behind me are Corona, Reiko, and Nekoko; Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Necks, respectively. And we're gonna take care of you two real quick."
The four remaining Necks assumed their battle positions and began chanting. As they were chanting, their mechas began to emit a glow.
"We are Orochi. We are the ones that humanity turned its back on. We will destroy this world and humanity as we know it."
They chanted this over and over until the four mecha merged together and transformed into an even larger red mecha.
The Sun Priestess and Moon Priestess only looked at one another. They knew that it was time. It was now time to summon Ame no Murakumo.
"We are the Sun Priestess and Moon Priestess of the Godless Month. We have been assigned by our master, the Lord Cronos, since the beginning of time to maintain the balance of order and chaos in the cosmos. We will restore balance to the Scales of Equilibrium. Now rise, Ame no Murakumo! Rise now, from your slumber!
There earth was now shaking as Ame no Murakumo was slowly rising from the lake in the forest.
Chikane and Himeko held hands and smiled at one another as they were teleported into Ame no Murakumo.
The red mecha now rushed at Ame no Murakumo at full-speed. Ame no Murakumo assumed a defensive position as it was now charging.
The red mecha continued to rush at Ame no Murakumo and there was no indication that it was ever going to stop.
Ame no Murakumo was now fully charged with its wings fully expanded in preparation for the attack.
The red mecha still rushing….
"RAIN OF BLADES!"
Ame no Murakumo was now shining as bright as the brightest star as shards upon shards of light were raining down from the sky. Everything became covered in light.
The world was now cleansed of the Orochi forever.
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They were now on the moon.
It was silent.
Chikane and Himeko were walking side by side and hand in hand. They also each carried with them in their free hands, a burning torch.
They had one last thing to do.
Standing before them was the altar. It was the altar of the cursed Moon Priestess and from which Orochi was born. It was the Head of the Orochi. It was absolute darkness. The Moon Priestess would now be free of this never-ending cycle, once and for all.
They threw their torches into the shrine and walked out only to never look back.
The Sun Priestess and Moon Priestess had returned and balance was restored.