Chapter 27: Heavenly Tiger

"What's with all of these people today?" Kiba asked.

"Yes, everyone is running around in such a flurry," Hinata added.

"I think it has something to do with that ceremony thing Airi kept talking about," Shino informed.

Kiba sighed. "Airi. That girl has suffered so much. I can't believe her own sister wanted to kill her last night."

Yosaku came out of Airi's bedroom. "Alright outsiders, Airi's ready."

Airi stepped out of her bedroom all dressed up. "…Okay…"

"Airi!" Hinata gasped. "You're…You're…"

"Beautiful!" Kiba shouted. "Wow! What're you wearing!" He nudged Shino in the side. "Isn't she beautiful, Shino?" Shino just stared, his true expression hidden behind his glasses. "Shino? You there? My God, you're so deadpan, I swear."

"You guys, I'm dressed like this because I'm the Tengoku Taiga, or Heavenly Tiger," Airi informed.

"What? Heavenly Tiger?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. I'm…one of the three Holy Guides of my clan. I'm a priestess. There are two other Tengokus: Tengoku Kitsune, which is the Heavenly Fox, and the Tengoku Saru, which is the Heavenly Monkey."

"The Heavenly Fox was…your sister, right?" Hinata asked.

"…Yes."

"Then who's the Heavenly Monkey?" Kiba asked.

"…Th-That's…The Heavenly Monkey is…"

"Tengoku Taiga, we haven't got time for this!" Yosaku shouted. "We have to get going!"

"O-Okay, alright." Airi smiled. "C'mon you guys! You'll be my honorable guests!" They all headed out of the house. "We're going to the Tengoku Shrine first."

"Okay," Hinata said. There were people lined against the path. "W-Wow, the whole village is here…"

"Yep," Airi said. She sighed as they came to an open-air shrine. "Okay, this is the spot."

"Hey, those girls are pretty," Kiba said.

"Those are the Spirit Dancers," Airi informed. "You guys just sit off to the side there and enjoy the show." She turned around and faced the six girls.

"A-Airi!" Shino grabbed Airi's wrist.

"Shino?" Airi whispered.

"…Are you sure you want to do this?"

"…I'm expected to do this. There's no second option." She looked down. "Shino…I had a wonderful time with you. I'll never forget you. I'll always…live in your memories." She took off her emerald necklace. "I want you to have this."

He took it carefully. "Airi…"

"Kiba, Hinata, take good care of Shino for me, will ya?"

"You got it!" Hinata and Kiba said in unison.

"Thanks." She bowed to Shino, then walked to the altar in the middle of the six Spirit Dancers. She climbed up onto the altar and sat down.

"Dear members of the Nozomi Clan," Yosaku began, "today is the day that the Tengoku Taiga will accept her fate. She's ready and she has completed her trials. With the money she made, our village will prosper again after the ceremony is complete. Now begins the ceremony, the Dance of Eternal Sleep. Commence!" The people around cheered happily.

"Eternal Sleep?" Kiba repeated quietly.

The dancers stepped forward, three at a time and the woman at the harp began to play. The men at the drums began to play shortly after the Sprit Dancers began to dance. With graceful steps and melodious music, the ceremony began.

"Wow, this is beautiful," Hinata said as she watched excitedly.

"Yeah," Kiba said, absorbed in the dance and music.

"What's up with Airi?" Shino asked. They looked at her. "Is she falling asleep?"

"She's supposed to fall asleep," a villager said. "If she doesn't, then that's truly a bad omen."

The dance continued as everyone watched full of wonderment. After ten minutes, Airi fell over, asleep. The crowd cheered and screamed. The music came to a quick halt as Yosaku took the center stage again. "The Tengoku Taiga has fallen asleep! The extraction will be a success! We shall now take her to the Temple of Life so she can undergo the Extraction of Final Judgment! Will the Extraction Jesters step forward so we can take the Tengoku Taiga's body to the Temple of Life?" Two men in masks stepped forward and picked up Airi's body. They headed up the stairs located in the back of the shrine.

"Let's go," Kiba said.

"No, no," Yosaku said with his arms out. "You're not going anywhere. The Extraction of Final Judgment is not for commoners and definitely not for outsiders."

"But Airi said that-"

"Airi can't make anymore rules. She has no say in this." Yosaku turned on his heel and headed up the stairs.

"Dammit! I wanna know what they're gonna do with her!" Shino shouted.

"You outsiders are stupid," a villager said. "They're taking the Tengoku Taiga up to the temple so they can take her soul."

"What!"

"The Extraction of Final Judgment is the extraction of the soul itself. Once her soul is out, they'll give it to the Protector Spirit of this village, Inochi. After that, they'll extract her Summoner Crystal and then she'll truly die."

"What!" Kiba shouted.

"No! You can't do that!" Hinata said.

"The Tengoku Taiga chose this path. She did this in order to save our village. Now go away. She's not here anymore, so you can't stay in this village anymore." She walked off.

"We can't let this happen!" Hinata said.

"But is there anything we can do?" Kiba asked. Akamaru started to bark urgently.

"We have to do something! This is wrong!"

"Hinata, who are we to say if this is wrong or not. This is their custom and the lady said that Airi chose this path…I…I don't know what to do or think."

"…No." Shino made fists. "We have to save Airi. We can't let her do this."

"Why not?" Kiba asked.

"Because…" Shino smiled. "Because I love her too much."