CHAPTER 10

A/N – Hello my dear readers! So, seeing how it's been almost a month since my last update, thank you for your exceptional patience! (if you really have any of that left ;))) Anyway, I've been meaning to let you know that, even if I don't have a chapter plan per say, I do have an idea where the plot is going (that is to say, it IS going somewhere). Fear not though, there shall be no spoilers ;) Enjoy!

Days and nights passed numbly for the young prince for the next few weeks, such that he barely noticed when the ardent summer sun became milder with the arrival of autumn. He worked on his assigned tasks in a daze, not leaving the palace grounds anymore unless absolutely required, the cheerful, carefree grin from before permanently gone from his face. He failed to heed the extensive harvesting works which went on beyond the walls of the city and the preparations for the upcoming Inari Festival, which took place all around the city and inside the palace. To Rin, the whole world was now dead and drained of color and he moved around in it breathless, like a ghost.

The little monk Konekomaru was numb too, but with a deep-seated fear which the poor boy was unable to shake off. As he'd thought – his master was lost and now he had absolute certainty of it. His master was in love with the little Flower Priestess Shiemi Moriyama, this dreadful reality was bound to surface sooner or later and when that happened all hell would break loose because he instinctively guessed that this went beyond a mere infatuation, beyond a mere affair. In fact, it would have been a real relief if some straightforward, short-lived and uncomplicated affair would have been consummated between the prince and his protégée, but as things were, Shiemi Moriyama wasn't the kind of girl who would have given in just like that and Rin, despite his passionate and volcanic temperament, wasn't prone to flings either. After all, he'd never considered having a fling before, even if his so-called 'devotion' to his imposed lawful wife had never fooled Konekomaru for a single moment.

And so, the monk harbored very little hope that the prince would emerge peaceful from this dark phase (even if by some miracle the king and his courtiers failed to notice that he constantly looked like he was in mourning) most likely he would not be able to leave his feelings behind and inappropriate thoughts would arise in his troubled mind, thoughts for which Konekomaru too would be blamed, because was his duty to watch over the prince and as need be report if something was off with him. The last thing needed was for Rin to go behind the king's back and take a girl with humble origins (priestess or not) as his second wife.

On the other side of the city, the peaceful area which was the Temples District was also buzzing with preparations for the Inari Festival and the Temple of Flowers made no exception. Countless plants were prepared for the decorations to be placed all around the city to color the usually bland streets and inside the large courtyard of the royal palace. Shiemi had her mind busy with thoughts of work most of time, but random dreams still visited her every now and then, some sweet and innocent, others hot, dark and sinful, when she'd wake up still feeling the burn of Rin Okumura's lips on her skin.

He's a demon

What a childish, crazy, superstitious suspicion, though! He'd done nothing wrong. No impropriety. Even though there was something there, like the thin, vague shadow of a thought, the idea that Rin still liked her, still wanted her even, Shiemi had seen it linger in the blue depth of his catlike eyes, felt it hang as an unspoken word on his lips, in the subtle pressure of his fingers on her own.

Yet, she would not allow questions of the future to creep in from the depths of her soul and trouble her just yet.

Would she live single among the priests and priestesses at the Temple for the rest of her life? Tatsuma Suguro was married and had a son. Or was he? He'd vaguely mentioned something of the kind, but Shiemi had not seen his wife of heard anything of her per say. Maybe he wasn't really married? Among the servants of the Temple celibacy was not a requirement and the monk who had brought her there had mentioned something about the 'liberties' boys and girls taken from their homes enjoyed in their new lives, liberties which would have been inconceivable had they remained with their families.

Had Grandma been married to the father of her child? The Head Priest had only mentioned her moving away to a new home once she'd had the child – probably because the Temple was no place for a baby – but she'd kept her duties all the same. Such thoughts brought her a certain amount of shame though, that she looked for a justification to believe that the idea of being a married man's mistress was not sinful and debauched. Most certainly Grandma had not been anyone's mistress - if anything her grandfather must have been an unwedded priest who could not leave his service for parenthood – and all those who cared for Shiemi would have been crudely disappointed (or so she imagined) if she were to do anything immoral.

Or so the blonde mostly thought until the day came for her to have a certain conversation.

On the very eve of the Festival Day, a small group of Inari Priestesses arrived at the Temple of Flowers to choose several arrangements, among which two girls Shiemi had known from back in the days when her Grandma was sending her to play out in the street – Izumo Kamiki and Noriko Paku. Shiemi had not seen them in many, many years, since they'd been taken by the Temple at a very young age, yet recognized the two nevertheless.

Paku had grown into a graceful, yet somewhat shy looking girl, her mouse brown hair cropped short and artful, but Izumo, like most Inari Priestesses, was indeed stunning. She had long, purple-red hair braided down to her waist and an impossibly lean frame, her garnet eyes were finely outlined with charcoal in a catlike shape and her small mouth was like a rose petal. Everything about the two girls exuded a mysterious yet almost palpable sensuality, even if now they both wore simple cloth cloaks instead of the usual lavish silk garments of their Order and their faces were shadowed by the large black hoods. Shiemi was not too surprised by her friends' transformation though, since the goddess Inari embodied fertility and the richness of earth and her Priestesses were always chosen from among the most beautiful girls.

"Shiemi, I can't believe it, who would have thought that all three of us were so lucky to leave the slums behind and become Priestesses!" said Paku, as the blonde was preparing a luxurious arrangement of blue and white orchids in a fancy hamper of sorts. "Is it true that your grandmother used to live here too when she was young?"

The Flower Priestess nodded.

"Can't imagine why she left, this place is amazing!"

Shiemi bit her lip. Would it have been a good idea to ask Paku and Izumo about what troubled her? They hadn't seen each other in a very long time for her to confide in them so freely now and besides, things could have been very different for the servants of Inari. "Well, she had my mother and-…" She shrugged it off, a tad uncomfortable. It was weird enough that she didn't even know what the whole truth was.

"Enough of the past!" Izumo cut in waving her gracious hand in dismissal. "What about now? Shiemi, we couldn't help noticing a few very fine looking boys around here… So, tell us, did anyone catch your eye already?"

"Oh, and there's also Ryuuji Suguro!" Paku added, with a grin. "You must have met Ryuuji Suguro, right? Damn, that boy… he's like a god! He looks so strong and wild, like the Fire God himself!"

Izumo pursed her mouth, rolling her eyes. "Forget about him, Paku, I heard he's taken a celibacy oath for now. A waste if you ask me…" she stated, shaking her head.

Shiemi was genuinely taken aback as to how forward the girls were with the subject, as well as suddenly confused by this unexpected bit of information. She didn't know what to say. "Wha-… so Priests take ce-celibacy oaths?"

"Eh, the Arias do. More like… in theory, I think," Izumo explained. "Renzo Shima says he's taken it as well, but seriously who the hell believes him…" She rolled her eyes. "He's a Fire Priest and an Aria too, he's friends with Ryuuji Suguro."

"Izumo flirts with him," Paku clarified. "A lot."

Shiemi took a deep breath, feeling partially relieved. "So, you too like someone you're not supposed to, Izumo?" she asked, timidly.

The other two girls appeared to be pondering seriously for a moment, then broke into a fit of giggles, elbowing each other.

"Shiemi…" Izumo began gravely. "Do you like… someone you're not supposed to?" She burst into laughter. "Goodness, what does that even mean, 'not supposed to'?" The purple-haired girl reached out and rubbed the Flower Priestess's arm. "Shiemi, you're a free woman, you can like whoever you damn want to!"

Well, that sure was a radical way of seeing things, the blonde thought. Did the Priestesses of Inari enjoy such a freedom of spirit that there were no conventions or laws they were supposed to heed? Now, that was hardly believable, but the mischievous smile playing on Izumo's lips was a clear indication that she and Paku didn't exactly go by the rulebook.

"Well… actually he's, uh… married," she confessed, reluctantly.

"Pffft, he's married… big deal," Izumo observed.

"Married? I don't know any young Priest that is married," Paku said surprised. "He is young, right?"

Shiemi shook her head, sighing. "Yeah, he is about our age… but he's not a Priest, he's an exorcist. Ryuuji Suguro seemed to know him, but he made it sound like exorcists are… I don't know, like a taboo. The monk who brought me here said something like that too. They also said that he's from a privileged family too, so… I guess his wife must be important or so."

Izumo ignored the mystery and wife-related details completely. "We've never met any exorcists… worth looking at. But they're wicked, I heard, they say that these men who've got what it takes to fight demons are pretty wild themselves. How did you meet him?! What's he like? Tell us everything!"

Wild.

That otherworldly blue, with a core of pure flames. The deadly swish of his sword. Nails digging into her back, feeling sharp like the claws of a beast.

'Shiemi… give in to me'

The petite blonde exhaled, realizing that for a long moment there she'd forgotten how to breathe.

"The truth is… not long ago I got sick and a demon began to haunt me… and mother talked to a priest from the True Cross order. And I was kind of scared the first time the exorcist came, I really didn't want to see him. I thought he was some old priest and he'd say nasty things and scold me… But then, he was nothing I had expected. Instead-…" Shiemi paused, biting her bottom lip and shaking her head.

'Instead he was the sweetest and most beautiful boy I've ever seen and I nearly had an affair with him…'

"He was very, very kind to me and even brought a potion which healed all my wounds to perfection. As for what he looks like, I don't know how to explain exactly, but he looks like… like he's lived in moonlight all his life. His hair is the blackest black, his skin perfectly white and his eyes are the most beautiful blue I've ever seen!"

Paku raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Izumo rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "Hmm… what's his name? Hard to believe that such a gem could be hiding unseen with the True Cross order, as weird as they are. We do know a lot of people!"

Shiemi hesitated. "Look… we just talked for a bit when… when he was treating me, that's all. And I noticed that there was a wedding ring on his finger… So there was never anything-… I-I don't want him to find out that I like him and stuff! I mean, I know that we can never-…"

Izumo tilted her head. "Oh, come on. This is just a little girl talk, all the swooning stays between us, we wouldn't want the men finding out and it getting to their heads, now would we? No, girl, that's a big 'no, no'."

The blonde shrugged, embarrassed. "His name is Rin Okumura," she conceded at last, and failed to notice Izumo sucking in a sharp breath, her eyes widening ever so slightly.

'Eh… d-doesn't ring any bells," Paku stuttered, almost choking. "But, uh, could be, like, the name of one of the noble families, I… I guess?"

"Say, Shiemi, you're going to the festival tomorrow night, yes?" the purple-haired priestess said with a sudden grin. "Come with us and I promise we'll forget about all the unrequited crushes…"

To be continued

A/N – Not to give spoilers and fail-attempt to redeem myself after this shorter chap in which nothing really happens, but you know what's coming, right? One hell of a parteeeeeeeee!