A-M-A-T-E-R-A-S-U-S - W-R-A-T-H
Slivers of light retract into her pupils, Nanami has awoken. The tightness of the ribbons had disappeared, her eyes scamper around. She slowly turns her gaze to only feel small tugging sensations at her head. Her eyes travel down to a new amount of brown hair that cascades around her, 'what else has this affected?' Her thoughts bounce everywhere, the tugging happens again. She lifts a quantity amount of locks to see silver white chopped hair poking out. Nanami breaths out a small smile and gently lays her hand upon his head and begins to smooth out the crazy hairs. "Tomoe, wake up." Nanami continues entwining her fingers through his soft locks, "Nanami" he sighs out gently.
Tomoe springs off the ground and lands on all four, "Nanami!" He roughly grabs onto her and brings her to him, in a crushing embrace. "I thought I had lost you." He murmurs into her hair. "Tomoe...it's alrigh-" The shrine began to tremble. Numerous vibrations travel through their bodies and throughout the floors. "W-w-what's going on!" Mizuki slithers up against the wall to gain some form of support. Tomoe growls and tugs Nanami closer, the vibrations come at a faster and harder rate. "Tomoe, what's going on? Is there something attacking the Shrine!?" Nanami's eyes panic as she searches room for talismans laying around. "Where are my talismans? How am I going to protect the Shrine Tomoe!" Fear kicks into her system, and over driving power fills her up through her toes and in light speed flows out of her finger-tips. Tomoe and Nanami's body collide as they are thrown away from each other, the tremors begin to halt.
'Now Nanami, do you really think this could be easy from the start? I'm only beginning, if you would only join me.'
Nanami quickly sweeps the room with glazed vision. For her to lose all her abilities then to gain annoying voices in her head, could her life get any better?
'Oh just you wait Nanami, if only you would allow me to show you the wonders of your unleashed power.'
This voice made it very evident that it is inside her head and would remain there. Nanami consider telling everyone about the voice, but it will only caught a greater amount of stress. Also the fact that she would rather not have magic going through her brain.
"Nanami!" Mizuki's cheerful voice glitters towards her. Nanami smiles into the voice of one her beloved friends, she reaches out towards him. Large roots bursts from the tatami flooring, splinters flying everywhere at accelerating speeds. Nanami is frozen solid at the scene that begun again, Mizuki screams while leaping onto Tomoe. Onikiri and Kotetsu try to pry themselves between the roots to venture close to Nanami but it was futile.
"Am I doing all of this...?" Nanami's heart sank, she could not even see them pass the wall of oak.
The smell of the forest circled around the remaining pieces of the room, little branches slowly sprout away from the thick roots. Right in front of their eyes they could see mother nature growing ten folds.
Flowers of colours bloom, a small essence sweeps under their noses. "There really a forest just randomly growing?" Onikiri begins scratching his arm, he squeaks when a large butterfly lands on his forehead. "What is this! Get it off, get it off!" He continues to squabble around until Kotetsu blows the butterfly off. Onikiri latches onto Kotetsu, "you saved me, I thought it was going to eat me!" Mizuki laughs along with them, his green eyes watching the sunlight dance across the fresh petals of their indoor flower field.
Sovereignty pulses throughout the tips of her fingers, coming right back up her fingernails and re-entering the rest of her body. Her accidental cage seemed reversal but at what cost? If she could create it, why couldn't she take it away. Nanami's fingertips play across the wood, she began focusing her energy on pushing it away. Everything starts to move, but closer to Nanami. Nanami hastily pulls away, fear of her now cage being smaller than it was before.
'Now you wouldn't need to worry about anything if you just let me help you Nanami.' '
Rage flows in between her veins, "shut up!" "Nanami, did you just tell me to shut up?" Apparently Tomoe had been talking previously, Nanami could not remember the last time she had a clear stable mind. "Tomoe I'm fine, I don't need you babying me all the time." Warmth deepened in her cheeks, she was glad that Tomoe could not see her. Insufficient time passes, Nanami believes Tomoe has given up or the forest has really taken them over.
"T-Tomoe?"
"Don't be an idiot, even Onikiri can tell you're not fine." Tomoe presses, because she knows that he cares. She smiles and leans back into the trunk that sprouted behind her. "I am sorry Nanami-chan but Tomoe is right, please do not burden anything on yourself right now. None of us, including yourself knows what is happening or what this will lead to any moment." Mizuki's voice joins in Tomoe.
A defense mechanism bolts through Nanami, her mind flipping back and forth. Wanting to be with them, wanting to protect them and carry on by herself. Her pupils following the trails of buds producing by themselves around her, above her, beneath her. The wall of wood thicker than before, their voices seem are becoming harder to hear. "I think, I think I just need to be left alone for a while. I need to sort out some stuff by myself." Returns of discouragement quickly came back as she gave her final answer. Regret fueling her current consciousness and future outlets of this situation. "Hell you are not, out of all the circumstances now you say you want to be alone? You, you will have to get rid of me Nanami!" Tomoe's voice cutting in and out as Nanami begins to lift herself up. Tomoe hovers his claws along the indented wood, his eyelids lowering. He knows that she has always depended on them too much, she finally wants to take action of her own accord. Shakingly she grasps onto the sides of the roots and heaves herself up against them, she wouldn't stay here forever. She gyrates her vision around her trapped cage and see's the ceiling has been broken in several areas. The tips of her fingers barely catch onto the ledge of the ceiling. A gust of wind ripple up with her skin as she quickly heaves herself up onto the ledge with just one hand.
"Whoa, that was cool."
'Yes, and there is surely plenty of more and greater where that came from.'
The endless bound of darkness carrying out the rest of the ceiling creeped around Nanami. She began crawling onward, seeking another opening in the ceiling. Parts of her body shake involuntary, craving the release of the power. Nanami stopped briefly to gain her bearings. Her new found enemy is gravity, the ceiling cracked underneath her. Sending her plummeting into the room beneath her. Quicker than a cat, Nanami's feet landed softly on the ground. She straightened up her body and continued down her path of the main hallway, away from her friends. Shuffling and banging could be heard bouncing off the ways, Nanami knew they were coming for her. It is the exact reason why she couldn't stop now, not while she had no control over anything around her.
She is dangerous, a walking bomb of an explosion that she didn't know how far it would reach once exploded. The hinges of the tatami door wrenched open. This was not the Shrine that she used to live in. Clusters of flowers popping up every patch of ground, wood that Nanami could see. Roots of trees entwine themselves around another, creating any physical walking space become very difficult. "Why does nothing ever run smoothly for me?" Her hair sweeps back and forth, blocking Nanami's vision frequently. Nanami lowly growls in annoyance but continues tugging her way through the roots. Only distant bird calls gather with the low ambience that dances around Nanami's feet. A small clearing appears up ahead.
"The Shrine is in chaos, I can't do anything helpful with all these roots destroying everything… There must be something." Nanami stands in the middle of the clearing. Her slender fingers tangle with her locks that pool to the ground gathering at her feet. With no talismans, or any sort of way she could perform a spell Namai knows what she would have to rely on this newfound power she has. Her eyelids drop slowly, exhaling in and out, in and out. She reopens her eyes sharply, only meeting eye contact with someone with an incredible amount of bad timing. Brown meets with yellow, neither of them blinked, or strayed from another. Blush formed on Nanami's cheeks, heat rising to her forehead. "Tomoe I said to leave me alone!"
Her heart clutch at the sudden surge of power spreading through her veins. Nanami bends over slight, cradling the impetuous rush.
"Nanami, you don't have to do this on your own! Stop being an idiot and let us help you." Her eyes rolled back up to make contact with Tomoe's. She could see the stress and worry taking a toll on him, baggy eyes, his hair all messed up. Tomoe took two more steps and stopped as soon as Nanami raised one of her hands, pointing towards him.
'Yes Nanami, unleash your power. Let me help you control it. Let me help you.'
To the right, to the left, various hand dances came out naturally from Nanami and she began to unleash the power. "Push, clear up this land, restore." Small chants travel as a murmur as Nanami continued with her dance.
'Yes Nanami, you are doing it. As expected, you are a natural.'
A small smile makes it's way on her face, as she pushes her hands out from her body the roots start to move.
She initiates even a harder push, fleeting movements sprout around the entire compound. The sky above the Shrine clears up from the massive forest confinement. Her hands flop down to her side when every cleared up. Her knees sit the soil as quickly she sees Tomoe taking his next step. Her body weight takes place upon her arms, supporting her exhausted form. Tomoe is right next to her, reaching his arms around her.
"No! Don't touch me Tomoe." A groan of Nanami's command forces Tomoe's arms are thrown back. "Nanami, I don't mind you giving me orders, but this is not the right time to be playing these games." Tomoe stretches his concern and shakes his head to make the others back off. "Tomoe, I don't know what I just did. I don't know what I can do now. I don't want to hurt anybody."
'Nanami, if you follow me. You will learn everything you desire.'
"I don't want to follow you!" Nanami hits the ground with her fist. She peers up to Tomoe, who just seemed as confused and she was. "You don't have to follow me anywhere Nanami, you just have to trust me." Her eyebrows furrow in further confusion. "Are you accusing me of not trusting you? That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard from you Tomoe." Nanami sits upwards and holds out her hands.
"I have this power pulling at every fibre of my body, and an obnoxious voice telling me bizarre things. Not trusting you is the last thing on my mind!" Nanami couldn't recall when she ended up yelling at the top of her lungs. "Nanami-sama please calm down, if you join us then maybe we can figure out something together." Onikiri and Kotetsu plead with their watery eyes.
Soft hands gathers hers in a tight grip, Nanami quickly looks back eagerly to pull her hands away. Mizuki provides a reassuring toothy smile, "Nanami-sama do not fret. Why don't I get you a drink while we have a big discussion on this?" Nanami pulls but Mizuki does not give up. "See, we are touching and nothing is happening."
Blue fire illuminates from Tomoe as he is rendered useless in this situation.
'Nanami, do you honestly think these simple familiars can help you out? I am the only person you should be seeking. Please discard these and join me.'
Mizuki gently pulls away and regains his full stance. Another volt of energy rips through Nanami's forearms. Her entire body shudders in pain, not a sound escaping out of her gritting jaw. "I better hurry up with that drink." Mizuki twists quickly on his heels and disappears behind the shrine doors. Tomoe could see the waves of pain through the vibrations of Nanami's pupils. She staggeringly looks up at him briefly and drops her gaze down in defeat.
Oh how he wants to help her so bad, Tomoe has never felt and been this useless. One of his first options was getting in contact with Mikage, but his whereabouts seem to remain unknown since the last time they had contact with him. Mikage has always been flaky.
Tomoe felt his own rage rise within his chest cavity towards his ex-master. The anger travelled between each individual that he could potentially rely on when it came to situations with Nanami. Nanami is always the first one to jump the cross-fire of danger, to risk her own life to save someone who is not even worth a speck of it. "Damn it." Tomoe spits out, standing up slowly. Nanami dips her head onto the ground and continues steadying her breathe.
'When you finally resolve your stupidity and decide to accompany my side. I would like to express my gratitude that if you should do so, everything will remain in piece.'
The velvet voice resound up through her voice box. "Everything will remain in piece." Nanami repeated. Tomoe's ears twitch wildly, trying to hear the other voice that was connecting to Nanami. "Tomoe, I want you to open the scroll carrier. Please bring it to my room immediately." His eyebrows furrow while nodding. "As you wish Nanami." They both turn in opposite directions and walk away. Neither of them look back, for what they both feared. If one were to turn back, would they see the other looking back as well?
"I am sorry that it took so long, I just had to-" Mizuki's forces the door to slide open with a gently shove, right hand holding the sake bottle the other a small glass upon his finger tips. "Nanami?" He looks at the last place he had seen Nanami, he looks over to see Tomoe's last place as well. "Tomoe? Where did they all go?" He jaunts down the few steps and remains still. A small drop plops into the glass, he watches more continue to do so.
The rain pours down as thunder and lightning come in behind. "If we relocated our meeting place, I wish someone had told me so." He sighs and places the bottle and glass within his own clothing. He quickly retreats back into the sheltered building.
A small flicker of light darts in and out of his vision. "W-what?" Mizuki looks back, his eyes moving around quickly in search of what he just witnessed. He shrugs it off and slides through the doors once again in search of the others.
Tomoe's toes curl around the bottom of the door and yanks it open. Nanami shoulders rise up immediately as she flinches from the loud noise.
He slugs the hefty wooden box that contain seals all over the entire body. He places it soundlessly in front of the woman. She eagerly dangles her fingertips along the aged talismans. "Nanami, I must warn you that opening this box is against one of the many rules at this shrine." Her fingers recede promptly. The silence edges onwards. The small sounds of their fingers tapping along the ground, Nanami still keeping a hand hovering above the box.
'Nanami, as much as I would like you to think you can take all the time you want. You can't, I am impressed you knew which box to go for.'
"I knew which box to go for because if the center of this chaos is happening here. Also I've heard no outside source and knowing from previous information that all the cursed, powerful, dangerous objects that are located in this Shrine reside in this box."
Nanami's mouth pulls into a bittersweet smile.
'I am glad we can reach an understanding on the same intellectual level. You continue to prove to me that I have no wasted this gift on you yet. So Nanami, please open the box and let us interlace.'
A muffled chuckling echoes off with in the darkness of Nanami's thoughts. "Tomoe, it wants me to open this box." They both make eye contact. "You already know my answer Nanami." His growling does not subside as the balls of his feet rise up ready for action.
Her bedroom door rips off its sliders, both Mizuki, Onikiri and Kotetsu stumble in together. They all fall over each other, causing the room to shake. "Nanami-sama! There are demons heading up towards the shrine!" Onikiri yells out as his disentangling his limbs his friends. "Not just a few, there's a whole bunch of them! Maybe even over twenty, they seem to be in a rush to get here.
The smell of blood is flooding the entire area." Kotetsu frees himself first and scrambles over beside Tomoe. Small beads of sweat travel from her hairline and into the depths of her clothing. "Mizuki get ready, we must defend the shrine at all costs. Nanami stay here and do not open that box. Onikiri, Kotetsu be sure to patrol the shrine to make sure nothing is coming at our blind angles."
They all exit except for Tomoe who lingers at the broken entrance. "Nanami, I know you are not the high schooler anymore. You are the Land God of this Shrine, now a young woman. I trust you to the make the right judgement call. Whatever this is, this weird phenomenon. I will always be by your side, you are the one that I-" Ceiling dirt fall down onto his feet. The faraway sounds of battle cries from yokai drift between them. "I should go, please be careful Nanami." Nanami watches as the white hair slips past the wall.
"Tomoe I-" Nanami cries out to him, but he doesn't come back. She rolls her gaze back to the box.
'Now this is your chance Nanami, you can finally save everyone and not be left behind.'
Her throat gyrates back as she gulps. "Tomoe told that I shouldn't and I know I shouldn't. There must be another way out of this." She pulls her hands back into her lap, fidgeting her fingers within the folds of her clothing. Screams and high levels of blue fire erupt into the sky, Nanami watches from afar. She should be there helping, she could not believe that she would just let herself be bound to this stupid room. She scans for her remaining talismans.
'Nanami, those are useless. With the power and control you can have instantly those things are a waste of your time. Just think, being with me you can finally break of your familiars and finally protect everyone. By yourself and only yourself, you will not need anybody elses help. You will finally not feel useless anymore. Nanami, I can guarantee you that those screams are not all youkai. You need to make the decision now.'
Nanami rises and looks out at her window.
Onikiri and Kotetsu are pinned down by several youkai, drool is making onto their faces as fear sucks out of the colour out of them. Mizuki circles around them, dodging attacks and evading other opponents hacking their way towards his body. The bottom of her lip hangs and her pupils reclining inwards to mere dots. Tomoe holding his side which is entirely soaked with a darkened rouge. They are coming at him at every angle, he is barely escaping the edges of their sharp weapons.
She spins around, leaping into the closing distance of air. Wood burn quickly rips apart small areas on her knees and shins. She hastily grabs onto the sides of the sealed talismans and thrusts it open. She digs in deeper, the poison aura leaking out around her.
She didn't know which scroll she is looking for, it had to be felt. She tugs on a slim scroll and yanks it out, other scrolls fall around her. She studies it fleetly, "Amaterasu's wrath". Strange mixture of emotions riddle her, she quickly shakes her head and begins. She lifts the seal and unleashes the scroll.
The moments went past her in flashes. The scroll lights up and explodes from her grasp, a calming affect places itself within the room.
'Now we can finally begin Nanami, prepare yourself.'
Without a second later, her body began to move on its own accord. Her body bolted upwards and within a couple of steps she was flying through the window. The glass guides itself past her body as she gracefully lands outside the shrine within the battle. Her arms begin a dance with her hands completing unknown hand signs as she watches her friends continue battling without acknowledging her. Gust of air oscillates from under her, taking out the remaining youkai and putting distance between the ones in battle.
Their bodies begin to bend in horrific angles, cracks and snaps are the only sound now. Nanami didn't want this, this power is not good. She could only watch through her eyes as the stares of familiar faces begin to settle on her. Modest portals develop around each demon and send them through, closing just as quickly afterwards.
'There is much more to come from this partnership Nanami, this is just a taste. I shall contact you later about what we will be doing next.'
A force of weight reckons without her entire skeleton as she regains control of her body. She falls on all fours, just the strength to hold her on her own forearms. "Nanami!" They yell as they close in on her. She is wenched into arms, colliding into a body. A warm body, she snuggles and loses all her will and slumps into her new support.
"Nanami, are you okay?" Tomoe's lips rest beside her ear, whispering gently. Nanami fails to respond, Tomoe shakes her slightly. She nods slowly and exhales a large breath. The calming aura begins to fill the void once more, an aura they been craving for a while now.
Her body is lifted effortlessly by Tomoe as they make their way back into the shrine, the sun begins to sink lower as the day ends quicker than most.
AN: I'm sorry, I will try to be more consistent.