Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Kannazuki no Miko. Kannazuki no Miko is copyrighted to Kaishaku and Geneon studios.
Abuki
The night Himeko Kurusugawa lost her virginity was also the night she lost someone special to her. Kazuki Oogami, the father image that had been leading her through her time in the castle, had officially died in her eyes. At first, she tried to deny such a thing, thinking that the priest had been under a lot of stress or angry. But the way he slapped the princess, the way he abused her and called Chikane-hime, "little girl" was unforgivable. Even now, she avoided the priest on the sunlit day, sweeping the castle foyer.
She cried a little, her feelings for the princess still unsettled. "When she said she loved me, that she truly loved me, why didn't I answer back? I kissed her, that says the same thing, right? I...took her to bed, that shows I love her, right?"The girl, so confused and so lost in her own mind, couldn't help but think maybe she should just confess and live happily in the castle, abandoning all she left behind. Himeko kept sweeping the carpet when she heard a shrill voice call out.
"Oh, not-hime!" Himeko winced, hearing the horse-beater's voice call out in the distance. As he ran across the foyer, the golden-haired maid sighed, accepting his cry.
"Yes, Abuki-san?" The girl replied in a polite tone.
"Don't call me san, it's annoying." The old man carried all the same traits to when Himeko first noticed him. From the aged stance to the shifting eye to the rags still covered in horse dung, Himeko wondered if the horse-beater had changed clothes at all. "Do you know why I'm happy?" The man grinned his toothless grin. Himeko shuddered, thinking of an honest answer.
"Um...because the rebels haven't attacked for a while?"
"What?" Abuki replied with his eyebrow raised, "No, don't talk like the village idiot! That's terrible news. The reason I'm so happy is that..." Immediately, the horse-beater searched his pouch for something specific, "Wait a moment, no that's not it. Here we go! Read this!"
Himeko leaned forward to read the official parchment, when Abuki snapped it from her. "Oh, it'll take to long too read anyway. One of the Elders has given me permission to brand Sungest!" The man let out a flying cackle, squeals echoing through the castle.
"Um..." The maid looked with amethyst eyes. "What's...branding?"
Instead of screaming or yelling at Himeko as he would have normally done, he grinned and put his dung covered sleeve around Himeko's neck, leading her towards the door. "You see, when a horse can't be broken the normal way, you have to brand them. First, you take a symbol, embedded in metal, attached to a long end. Then you heat the symbol end, until the metal glows. Not red, that's too cool. Blue's okay, but the perfect color is white hot. Then, you take the symbol end, stick it on the horse and-Tschh!" The old beater began to spray saliva with his mouth, creating the sound of searing flesh.
"Oh, it's the most beautiful sound in the world. And you're going to help me!"
Himeko gasped at the thought of doing such a thing, torturing poor Sungest. "B-but why me?"
The horse-beater looked back at the girl with his crazed eye, shifting in all directions. "Because, I know you of all people won't snitch to the princess behind my back. You're obedient that way, aren't you?
Himeko, not having much choice in the matter, was dragged out to the stables.
The thing that unsettled Himeko the most wasn't the stench of horse manure nor was it the sun's glare in her amethyst eyes nor was it Abuki, as decrepit and old as he was. The thing that caused Himeko to naturally shudder in fear was the fact that Sungest, the princess' personal black horse, would be put to such torture. "I don't want to do this."Himeko thought, looking at Abuki, his eye shifting."Not to Sungest, who took me and Chikane-chan on such a ride. It...wouldn't be the same." She stared as the old man made his way to the stables. Himeko's only hope was to convince the horse-beater otherwise.
"Ah...Abuki-san?" She asked in her timid voice.
He whipped around, both his eyes concentrated on her. "How many times have I told you not to call me 'san'?"
"Ah...Gomenasai. It's just that...maybe Sungest doesn't need to be broken. Maybe she's fine the way she is."
The horse-beater not only scoffed but gave a shrill laugh as he did so. "Not have to be broken-Ha ha. That's a good one. Hehehe-" Abuki would have relished the moment if not for the hacking cough, spraying saliva over Himeko.
"Now you listen to me, not-hime. The only good horse is a broken horse. If we were as dumb as you, no offense, we would have horses running around and they'd be trampling over us and stepping over us and we'd be shoveling their horse dung all the time."
Himeko gave a somewhat confused look, unsure what Abuki meant. "But I thought he shoveled horse dung all the time."
"The fact is that if we let these horses one ounce of freedom, they'd turn against us. Look at the princess. She lets her people do what they want without properly breaking them. And now look what's happened. All of a sudden, the whole kingdom's turned against us. You know, I could run a kingdom if I had the chance."
The golden-haired maid looked skeptical, unsure how to respond.
"What, you don't believe me?" The horse-beater sneered, opening the pen to the stables. "Raising horses and running a kingdom are basically the same thing."
"They are?" Himeko asked.
"Sure they are! You basically break the people, preferably by riding on them until they beg you to stop. You let them run around the range for a while, and feed them a barrel full of oats each day. Then the kingdom runs itself. Honestly, it's not that hard."
"But why do you have to break them? Maybe, you should trust them instead."
Abuki stared at the blond maid, his crazed eye looking of far somewhere. "This isn't about trust. It's about power! What's good power if I don't constantly remind these horses that I have it?"
Himeko gasped. She listened to Abuki's words, as if they were a familiar sound from a distant past. "Baka, what's good power if you don't constantly remind people you have it?" The golden-haired girl
realized the phrase came from El Rey, the Spaniard king. "Is that how the world works? If you don't break people or horses, you'll get trampled over? Is it true that the only way people will respect you is if you make them obedient to you?" Himeko shook her head furiously. "No, that's not true! If that were true, how could I respect Chikane-chan the way I do now?"
Himeko held her head in confusion as she and Abuki finally arrived at the stables. The old man gave a toothless grin at the personal steed of the princess.
"Oh, Sungest! Guess what day it is today!"
She watched the scene play out in front of her. Abuki, smiled and mocked Sungest as he circled around the ever-still horse.
"That's right! We're going to brand you today! And once we brand you, the next step is breaking you. Oh, I'm so glad you're here to see this, first hand!" The man cackled. Slowly, he took an iron brander, just as he described in his speech. As he heated the symbolic end in the coals, he turned to the golden-haired maid.
"Now, not-hime..."
"Actually, it's Himeko."
"Not-hime, you're going to hold Sungest by the reins while I have the undisputed pleasure of breaking a royal horse. All you have to do is make sure she doesn't break out and hit me with that kick of hers. Oh, I can't wait to see what happens!" He snickered, waiting as the coals heated the other side of the iron symbol. During this time, Himeko looked into Sungest's eyes. Though she looked strong, the horse seemed skittish and tended to move a little with her hooves. "She's afraid. She's trying to be brave, but she's still scared."
"It's ready!" Abuki cackled as he removed the symbol from the furnace. Himeko watched as it glistened, shining white hot in the end. As the horse-beater neared Sungest, Himeko saw the horse's nervousness increase. Her hooves moved constantly, her thick neck tried to avoid the symbol as it passed her body, and as in neared the back of her, she tried to kick it several times. All the while, Himeko held the reins. She watched as the horse-beater taunted Sungest by faking pressing the brand on her, or feinting pushing the iron symbol. Himeko stared at Sungest's eyes and saw the fear in the horse. "I know what I have to do."
"Gomenasai!" Himeko yelled releasing the reins. Chaos broke loose, as did Sungest. She gave a loud neigh as she turned and shook the horse-beater's presence off. Abuki, in his fear, released the iron symbol, landing somewhere in a horse's water trough. Then, as Abuki was about to leap from the stables, Sungest kicked the horse beater right in the face.
Himeko was unsure whether to take Abuki to the infirmary ward, or just leave him there.
The good news was, as the doctor diagnosed, that Abuki didn't lose any more teeth. "Apparently, being kicked so many times in the face has caused an immunity of sorts in his physical bone structure." The bad news was that nothing could be done to save his nose, flattened by the impact.
"Gomenasai..." While the doctor did all he could to save Abuki, the girl constantly apologized for her actions. The horse-beater, however, did not seem to respond kindly to these remarks, if he responded at all.
Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal an emerald-haired priest, out of breath.
"Is she alright?" He panted, clutching his leg and huffing frantically. Himeko stood in fear of Kazuki Oogami, his hair slightly mussed under his oblong hat.
"Oh, ha ha!" Abuki replied in a snide fashion. "Go ahead and mock my manhood, why don't you? It's not like I lost enough today."
The priest shook his head, his eyes still gazed at the horse keeper.
"I wasn't talking about you! I was talking about-Oh, Himeko! There you are." The blond haired girl nodded, not wanting to say anymore to the strange man.
Kazuki sighed a huge breath of relief. "When I heard that you were in the hospital, I thought...well, it doesn't matter, because you're safe."
Himeko stared at the priest for the longest time. "What kind of person is he?" Himeko thought as she stared at the emerald-haired priest. At one moment, he was telling Himeko his life story, which brought Himeko to tears. At another time, he literally defended her with his honor when she was accused. Then, came last night when he slapped the princess and scolded her. It was if he were two different men: a soft faced father figure and a contorted madman whose only purpose was to ensure the safety of the kingdom. Himeko's head shook as if she woke up from a nightmare. "Who are you, Oogami-sensei?"
"Can I go now?" The horse-beater shrilled while holding his flap of skin for a nose. "Or do I have to endure this insufferable girl once more?"
"Gomenasai," Himeko started, feeling every ounce of pain for Abuki, "for letting go of the reins."
"Shut it." The horse-beater said, not amused.
"Gomenasai for your nose."
"I said, 'shut it." Abuki's voice became more shrill and high-pitched. His anger began to seep through in his voice as he held whatever held on his face. He gritted whatever remaining teeth as he endured more of the girl's apologies. Just as the horse-breaker thought he had reached his breaking point, Himeko started again.
"Gomenasai for-"
"Is 'Gomenasai' all you can say?" His screech reached the heavens as he bent down and grabbed the golden-haired maid by the collar.
"Gomenasai, Gomenasai!" Abuki mocked using his impersonation of a squeaky voice. Himeko felt embarrassed from his interpretation of her. "Tell me, girl. Is that how people taught you to speak or do you just do anything you want and instantly regret them? Have you done anything you haven't regretted?"
"You leave her alone!" The priest stepped in, angered of what sort of insult Himeko had to go through. As he was about to give his utter dismissal of the horse-beater, the old man beat him to it.
"And you, Kazuki! Why are you so obsessed with defending this girl? She's no princess and yet you treat her better than anyone I know. Why is that?"
For a moment, Kazuki paused unsure what to say. What Himeko used to admire, she now feared. Kazuki held himself in a moment of thought, thinking ever carefully about the situation. Himeko
thought it possible that Kazuki fabricated lies or thought of ways of manipulating people. For once, Himeko now feared the priest that was in the middle of defending her honor.
"Because...she reminds me of a person I once knew."
The old man gave an insulting sneer. "Is that so? Well, good for you! As for me, I'm going to drown my pain at the pub."
Just as he was leaving the infirmary, he turned and gazed at both Himeko and Kazuki. "And don't worry, I'll be back for Sungest."
For the most part the pub was poorly lit, smelled foul of rotten meat and covered in either vomit, blood or spilled lager, depending which day it was. In short, it was the perfect atmosphere to loose oneself in when undergoing severe depression. And the perfect place to find potential candidates for joining the rebellion. Everyone whispered and gossiped when the two figures appeared in the doorway. Though they had cloaks covering them, it was fairly easy to tell who they were. After all, a head full of moss green hair and purple locks weren't easy to hide.
Miyako and Girochi stood side by side, gazing slowly through the crowd. The usual people sat in on the lonely night: the drunkards, the idiots and the depressed. "Tonight's pickings are very generous." Miyako thought as she passed through the crowd. Girochi, decided to yell out, being less than conspicuous, "Oi! Does anyone want to join-" He was only silenced by his sister, holding a small hand on his orgeish mouth. She gave a subtle 'shh' and pointed to the counter, a simple man in blue rags ordering a drink.
They leaned in closely, listening in on the conversation.
"Barkeep, what kind of drinks do you have tonight?" The old man, or possibly just gray, asked.
"Well, we have the usual pint, some fresh wine from the vineyards and...some horse blood!" He snickered. The on goers must have caught on to this because it wasn't long before the entire pub was filled with laughter, mocking the man.
"Oh, ha ha! Very funny, horse blood. Just give me a pint and be done with it!" He shrilled. As the bartender gave him a bubbly pint, the old man grabbed it and went to a lone table with no one sitting near it. He sipped his drink a little before another person came by and made a rather snide comment.
"Hey, stable-keeper. You hungry? Cause I heard some horses got out and are running through the forest. You can catch them if you hurry!" The pub filled with laughter again as the old man just shrugged and continued with his drink. Both Girochi and Miyako looked at each other and smiled. Here was just the person they needed to find. They walked slowly, inching their way to the lone table, meeting the man face-to-face. The man sneered.
"Aren't you that nun who went off to join the rebels?" He asked coldly.
"And I suppose you aren't that man who ate the horse?" Miyako responded without a moment's passing.
"That's very shrewd of you." He said, his crazy eye darting in all sorts of directions. Girochi, hearing the man's response, would have scolded his sister on being too hard and being too rash of her, until the horse-keeper spoke up again.
"I like you. Come, have a seat, buy a drink!" He offered, as he sipped from his wooden cup once more. Once both Miyako and Girochi had settled into their stools, they watched as the old man leaned back and stared at them.
"Who's your pet?" He asked Miyako with a toothless grin.
"We...didn't bring any pets." Girochi asked in his confusion. It took a moment, during which Miyako and the horse-keeper sat in silence, gazing around the pub before Girochi understood the implications of what the old man meant.
"Oi! Are you talking about me?" Girochi got up and banged his fists on the table.
"Real smart one, you got there. So what can I do for you? I know this because I know you didn't come here just to talk horse crap with me."
"Your bluntness may not always achieve what you wanted." She asked, while making slight rubs on the old man's calloused hands.
"Works for me. Now, are you going to offer me to join you or are you going to keep rubbing my hand? That annoys the hell out of me."
"Since you know the question, why not take the time and answer it?" She asked politely. Miyako smiled, being a master of wordplay.
"The answer is no. And before you ask, it's because I have everything a man could want. I've got a job that I love. I got a house which I go to everyday and sleep and piss in and I work for her highness. You can't offer me anything better than this." The man sneered, as if he had won the battle outright and bested his opponent.
"Yes, you have everything, except for respect."
The old man, about to take another swig of his drink, put it down and stared at the woman suspiciously. He sniffed a little, forgetting his flap of a nose.
"Face it. Within this kingdom, no one respects you, not even yourself. And why do you think that?" She asked, gazing at the old man.
"I assume it has something to do among the lines of 'horse-eater, horse-eater'." He said in a sad laugh.
"No. It's because you've gotten soft."
The stable-keeper got up and stared at the woman with both eyes concentrated on her. "I am not soft!"
"Oh? The last time I checked, you've yet to break the one called Sungest."
"That's different!" He said. Miyako could see how the old man broke down in front of her. She smiled, always enjoying attacking one's honor and reputation to get them to do something.
"Face it, you've gotten soft with these royalists and have gained little respect. Now if you were with us, you'd certainly be the man you once were."
The old man, slowly got up from his seat. He gazed at the woman with pure hatred in his eyes and his face became even more deformed than what it once was. Without a smirk or a grin on his face, he was shown as he was: anger in its purest form. And without any mocking humor or sarcasm to dilute such a madness, he was left a bitter man. Miyako's thin lips curved. She had won the battle and leaned back. All was left was him joining.
"I'll show you!" He said, storming out of the pub. Girochi, less than satisfied and completely unaware of the situation, went and scolded Miyako.
"Well great job, sis. Now what are we going to tell Tsubasa when we get back?"
"Don't you see the similarities my dear brother?" Girochi looked in confusion. Miyako sighed and looked at the hulking mountain that was her brother. "Poor thing always needs things explained to him, doesn't he?"
"It's simple. Men like Tsubasa and the stable-keeper have to either break their horses..." She said getting up and leaving the pub.
"Or kill them."
For once, Chikane-hime slept alone and felt alone. She couldn't get the images of the golden-haired beauty dancing in her mind and wanted to hold her and embrace her for all eternity. She was perfect in every way: innocent, kind, loving and never deceitful. But then...she never said that she loved the princess did she? Chikane-hime tossed and turned until she could sleep no more. She woke up and rubbed her eyes, gazing at the moonlight. At times, she understood its pain, lonely, saddened, only to shine during times of darkness and dimming. She could never shine without her sun. She could never shine without Himeko.
During her gazing, she came across a distracting noise. She turned and gazed to see where the source of said noise had come from. She stared down, concentrating her look on something running. It was so dark it was impossible to spot. "A person? No, it looks like a...horse?" She gasped realizing what it was. "Sungest!" And as the moon lit the ground before her, she slowly realized what that thing was, riding on Sungest in the middle of the dead night.
Hurrying, she swung the door open and brought two guards with her. She and the rest of the men ran outside the castle. As she sprinted in her white gown, the cold night air biting at her skin as if it were winter snow. Then as she finally met with the figure, she ran and stared down at the old man thrown off the horse.
"Abuki-san!" She screamed, her voice cracking up at the very sight of him. The princess went and hugged her steed tenderly. She sighed and looked at the old man, being tackled by both guards.
"No. No! I need more time! I must break her! I need to break her!"
"I'll deal with your punishment in the morning, Abuki-san. For now, leave! Leave or be chained to this stable forever!"
The horse keeper left, his figure fading in the distance. The princess comforted her horse, hugging it tenderly. She didn't want anything to happen to Sungest. "I want you to be there when I make Himeko my queen."
Miyako and Girochi had waited until the dead of night, to the point where the pub had become empty. They had to buy drinks in order to avoid being thrown out. Girochi, obviously forgetting the mission, drank to the point of stupor and passed out. Miyako was pleased, seeing the stable-keeper enter through the door with a look of failure upon his face.
"Noon." He said, bluntly, "Tomorrow. At the large hill above the stables. Bring your flaming arrows and burn it down."
"You don't even know what we're planning." She said with a look of satisfaction.
"I don't care. Burn it and be done with it. I'll take care of the rest."
Miyako smiled. "Everything is going according to plan."
Himeko Kurusugawa felt alone and ashamed of what had happened the night before. She felt so confused and so lost at the same time. Her heart was torn between two places, her feelings, unsure and unclear, about the princess and her safety of her friends. Himeko, felt dizzy, not from the sun's rays or the fresh air entering her lungs, but rather the confusion from all that had happened to her. And for once, she could talk to no one about it, not even Kazuki Oogami.
"I hate this!" Himeko cried within the confides of her mind. "I want to stop feeling confused and scared and hurt all at the same time. I want...I want to make a decision!" But each time her heart for the princess argued for one point, her heart for her friends counteracted with an equally strong point. "Oogami-kun and Mako-chan have always been there for me. They've stood by my side and protected me when they needed to. But Chikane-chan's so sweet and kind. It's wrong to love her but maybe that's why I fell in love with her in the first place. Maybe, being around her has opened my eyes."
Himeko then opened her eyes and rushed to the stables. She passed the horse-keeper, cutting hay with his scythe and sat on the hay. At least there was one soul who she could talk with.
"Good morning, Sungest-san!" She smiled. The horse, munching on hay, gazed at the girl as if she noticed Himeko's presence. At first the girl didn't know how to begin or even if she should tell her everything. However, as time passed, Himeko became comfortable and told the horse everything, aware that no one was listening.
For once, Himeko felt relieved. She let out all of her fears and her worries get out as she spoke with the horse. She told Sungest everything: how she felt her heart beat around the princess, how she ran from Makoto during the day, how the princess' warm kisses comforted her and how Kazuki betrayed her feelings. She siged and looked at the horse.
"So...what do you think I should do, Sungest-san?" The horse, moved her head around and licked her tongue on a trovel of water. Himeko sighed, not exactly receiving the answer she was looking for.
"I've been talking to horses all my life." Abuki cried out, showing up behind Himeko. She nearly fainted at the sight of his short scythe, small enough to carry in his hand, but sharp enough to cut a person's head off.
"And I can tell you they're as dumb as spit. They don't know what you're talking about. Might as well talk to the trees."
Himeko shook her head, and gave a soft smile. "I don't think so. Even though Sungest-san can't talk, she can understand me a little bit. See how she pays attention when I speak?" She motioned to the
horse, gazing at the golden-haired girl. "I think part of her understands how I feel. You can't get that when talking to trees, Abuki-san. And best of all, they can keep your secrets and tell no one."
Himeko smiled at the old man, who responded by spitting off to the side. She felt a little discouraged by this, but thought positively. "Well, if he won't listen to me, then I just talk with Sungest some more."
Suddenly, the horse-keeper gazed high above the sky. Himeko, during all her shared secrets, had lost track of time, to the point where it had become midday. Abuki stared around, as if looking for something, before walking to Himeko. She saw the old man and rose up, in respect of him.
"I gotta take a piss. Care to join?" The old man asked in his snide smile. Himeko shook her head furiously. She certainly didn't want to see the habits of an older man.
"Then leave. Last thing I want is a smelly maid hanging around my horses."
Himeko, still unsure inside her heart, looked at the old man. She didn't want to leave, not until she had received an answer from Sungest. She looked back at the stables and looked at the old man, his patience waning. "I want to talk to Sungest a bit more. Is that okay, Abuki-san?"
The old man shrugged and left. Himeko turned to face Sungest once more.
"Well, I admire your owner. Not Abuki-san! But the princess. Chikane-chan's so sweet and kind. And, strange as it sounds, I want the rebels to fail so I can live with Chikane-chan forever. But my friends, Mako-chan and Oogami-kun aren't going to change. Sungest, what should I do?" As she stared into Sungest's gentle eyes, not once breaking contact, she smelled something odd. It wasn't as foul as horse manure, but a different kind of unpleasant. She looked around, holding her nose.
"Sungest-san, is something...burning?"
Himeko gazed around only to see small flaming arrows, being shot out from a distance. She looked in horror, knowing the rebels had made their move. Before she could run out to the fields and wave for them to stop their attack, the flames had already caught on the hay, engulfing the stable into flames. She watchedin fear as the horses neighed and broke through the gate, breaking supports and gates along the way. It took a moment for Himeko's mind to register that she had to escape too.
Before she could even reach the end to where all the horses had gone, she looked above, seeing the main support of the roof, bursting with flames, fall towards her. She braced her head. The heat began to deafen her senses and made her cough and hack. She expected to feel the full impact of the fire to fall and her and kill her in an instant. However, her eyes opened. She felt no flames on her. Himeko looked up and gasped at what she saw. Her eyes welled with pain.
Sungest, in all of black beauty, held the flaming pillar with her back. Himeko would have taken it off, but the horse seemed to gesture Himeko to escape. The girl ran, felt the rush of the cold outside air before hearing sounds of wood collapsing. She looked back to see all the exits had been cut off. A wall of flames had cut Himeko off with Sungest.
"Sungest-san!" She cried out. Himeko looked, her eyes stinging from the black smoke and embers that the fire had spread to the entire field, blocking any way around to reach the horse. Still, she had to try. If she couldn't go through the burning flames, she would go around the castle.
Sungest escaped through the other end in the nick of time. The steady horse breathed heavily, feeling the burns on her back and leg. Sungest didn't regret taking the pillar to her back. She had to protect
the princess' mate. Mates should be protected, no matter what the cost. Suddenly, a cold figure came around, carrying a shining peace of metal.
It was none other than the devil himself, his face lit with orange and a sickening smile on his face. Sungest hated him. She hated him almost as much as the princess did.
"You know..." The devil said, his voice screeching in Sungest's ears. "I've been thinking about this a real long time."
Sungest, despite all of her strength, could not run. The burning pain the ran on her skin had weakened her significantly.
"When the nun and the idiot came to me, I saw opportunity. I don't know which opportunity struck me the most. Maybe, just maybeGod had given me the chance to redeem myself, to right the wrongs I have done. Maybe, this is my chance at a normal life. Hmm. What a bunch of horse crap."
The devil's crazed eye shifted in several directions, gazing at the flames, the trees and at Sungest herself.
"All I wanted to do was break you. This wouldn't have happened if you just let me break you! Now look at you. Pathetic. You're so weak that I wouldn't even want to break if I wanted to. I've got something else in mind."
He pulled out the shining piece of metal and ran it across his finger, bleeding black blood.
"Then...there was the part of me that said, 'Accept it. Accept the fact that you are nothing but a dirty horse-eater and make it easier on yourself.' You know, I kept thinking to myself, maybe that's the truth. I can't change society, but I can certainly change myself. Maybe, it would just be easier for everyone if I was just the horse-eater."
Sungest realized what the piece of metal was. It was the devil's tool for cutting the oats she fed on. She neighed in fear, trying to escape and failing.j
"You know, I was hoping the fires would cook you a little. But I guess I'm going to have to enjoy you..."
The devil's voice pierced the heavens. "Raw."
Himeko nearly passed out from her sprint through the castle. During her frantic run, she passed several guards running to the source of the fire. "The guards must be distracted by the fire to keep an eye on everything. If they're too distracted on putting it out, then there's no one looking after Sungest-san. I have to hurry!" Himeko rushed over as soon as she could, only to stop at the smell of something awful.
This smell came off as sort of sickening, as if something rotten had spoiled. It stunk worse than the smell of stinging horse manure or black smoke. She rushed over as soon as she could only to come across a horrible sight.
Horse blood stained the grass. Everywhere, its black presence has made the grass wet. She stared at the trail of blood, as if it had run a great distance and heard an odd noise, as if something clicked. It wasn't a ringing noise, or a burning noise but a clicking noise. She turned the corner and gasped at what she had saw.
Sungest, bleeding profusely, was lying on her back. She was missing several pieces of her muscles, carved crudely with the nearby scythe. She watched the person sit on top of the body, munching on something hard on his teeth. Abuki was munching on Sungest's hoof, cut from the leg, and his teeth made a clicking noise that prompted Himeko. The golden-haired maid watched as the nearby fire had lit it with an orange, hellish glow. She collapsed on her knees and sobbed.
"Sungest-san!" Himeko cried. Nobody heard her, just as nobody heard the horse's neighs.