Muse of The River Chapter 7, a mai hime fanfic

AUTHORS NOTE:

I feel that in order to fully appreciate this chapter, one must listen to this beautiful kundiman called "LULAY".

(www)(dot)youtube(dot)(com)/watch?v=MRRVOHI5-bw

(www)(dot)imeem(dot)(com)/vicnmel2007/music/7d2EdZOc/various_artist_lulay/

Haha! Another mai hime character makes her presence known! *drumrolls* Of course, given the fact that traditional Filipino names are syllabic, some Japanese names fit in perfectly with the unhispanized culture such as NATSUKI KUGA and HARADA. RUSHED CHAPTER! Forgive me!!! The lantern parade istaking up much of my time!

Han DJ: Natawa naman ako dun! Hahaha! Uy, e di summary na lang basahin mo :D. Mhmm..the food sucked dun sa conference – PANCIT NANAMAN! Yung limang pisong lucky me pa. Sa probinsiya ka nakakita ng bruha? Ayos ah…rak en rol kapatid!

Ahhh, oh well mabuhay kayo ng mga kapatid mo!

Shiznats: Gracias gracias for the reviews senorita!

Urooj: Salamat :D.

Dreamshadower: I hope this chapter clarifies a few things for you. And salamat for the review and for reading this story. :D

E.M Praetorian: Elder master your reviews never fail to brighten up my day! Maraming salamat!

TO EVERYONE ELSE who reads this story MARAMING MARAMING SALAMAT HO!

DICTIONARY IS BELOW THE PAGE!

CHAPTER 7

FANNING THE FLAMES (PAGPAPALIYAB SA APOY)

It was early in the morning. Too early indeed! And Don Perfecto groggily slouched on his chair with half lidded eyes. The hot cup of kape barako in front of him was his sole source of energy for the don had not slept through the night. Why, it was impossible to sleep! He had been going through paper after paper – reading, rereading, and writing commentaries here and there. And just when he was about to rest his poor aching back on his soft, soft bed and close his tired, tired eyes – Knock knock knock! And he got up and marched downstairs towards the sala grouchily. And when he opened the door, the poor guwardiya sibil was shocked for the Don looked like an angry cat; a grumpy old cat ready to pounce on its prey! So he hastily handed Don Viola the telegram in his hand and tripped over his tongue again and again as he explained that the governador heneral had called for an emergency meeting and that Don Perfecto, along with several members of the royal cabinet, were required to attend the meeting at the Palacio del Gobernador.

And so Don Perfecto sat in his seat with his tail coat wrinkled as his ears received a good homily – a heated sermon from the governador heneral who was fuming with anger. He gazed at the paper in front of him. Diyablos! Why must he be forced to sign this wretched piece of shit? It was madness! The friars were simply paranoid! The militia was once again being reckless! Imagine! Storm all the houses in Manila without warning or permission from the people! Che! He could not even stomach the thought of it!

"Señor Viola, Perfecto!" the governador heneral said the name with much venom that Don Perfecto suddenly became alive, alert, and awake.

"Perfecto, it has come to my attention that certain rebellious individuals, particularly those who we have been chasing for almost two hundred years, have now converted into Christianity and are living in Manila. Their sudden conversion has greatly…disturbed me. They hid themselves in the mountains so perfectly that even the Igorot spies that we've hired were not able to locate them."

"So we stopped hunting them for about seventeen years and then suddenly they come out of their hiding places, change their names, and swear oath to the King of Spain and then walk around in Manila as free men! Doesn't it bother you that this happened so quickly? That this….they! they suddenly went down from the mountains and surrendered to the authorities when we weren't even pursuing them!" The governador heneral continued after drinking a sip of steaming hot kape barako from his mug.

"I don't understand Señor Blanco…aren't you pleased that these savages have now realized the power of madre Espanya over—"

"PUNYETO! THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" The governador heneral growled as he pounded the long rectangular table with his swollen fists. The other cabinet members' eyes were fixed on Don Perfecto who sat in his seat like a school boy getting lectured by a terror professor.

"Well Perfecto, Oh great great Señor Viola from Sevilla, the fact is that these people have been fighting for independence for three hundred years and they're like the moros! All these Indios – Caramaba! Madre de dios, they are all like the moros! They fight like the moors! They kill, kill, kill without regret and fight, fight, fight to the death! So it truly surprises me my Sevillian muchacho, that in a blink of an eye, when we least expected it, they come down from the mountains and…well they give up!"

The governador angrily walked around the room like a solider marching through the battle field.

"And so the population in Manila increases and just when we're about to celebrate our victory over the rebels – BOOM! Fire fire everywhere!!! Tulisans charging at us! From where? We do not know! The mountains are too far away Perfecto! You have to walk through thick woods just to get to the mountains so how is it that the tulisans managed to get away from the destructions that they made in just a few seconds? Eh? Answer my question Don Inteligente."

It was during these very few instances that Don Perfecto faltered to give a cogent response or even think of a valid argument. And so he sputtered out incompressible words that made the governador heneral stop in his tracks, march towards him and -

"BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY LIVING IN MANILA, HIJO DE PUTA!!!" The governador was a lion and Don Perfecto sank in his seat like a helpless little kitten.

"And now those friars – Those Friars! Blast those Pharisees! Damn them all! Damn them all! They are sending message to the viceroy of Mexico that we have been taking our jobs for granted! And let me tell you this, Perfecto! Know that those cowardly friars are squirming in fear and if we do not make them feel secure again; then you and I hermano, you and I will go back to Espanya – AS FOOLS! AS TRAITORS! TODAS PERFECTO, TODAS!"

"So unless we all agree with this plan, until we give the soldiers the right and the authority to use force to secure this nation and until you agree sign that paper, we might as well consider ourselves dead meat!"

A pause.

"Do you understand me, Perfecto?"

"Si Governador…I completely understand."

"So what are you waiting for? Eh? Feliz Navidad? Sign the fucking paper, NOW!" The governador slammed his fist on the table once again, spilling a few cups of coffee.

"But governador! It would be unfair for the innocent people. Those guwardiyas – well I hope that I do not offend you señor, but they do get a little rough when it comes to-" Don Viola tried to reason out to no avail.

"Perfecto, these Indios are farmers by day and warriors by night! You cannot trust any of these Indios! Muerda! So the friars are correct! The Sevillian Perfecto Valiente Viola is a woman masquerading as a big tough politician - complete with mustache!"

And this time, Perfecto Viola was insulted! He wanted to take off the white glove of his right hand and slap! Slap the governador heneral! My, what a poor excuse for a man this governador heneral was! Stooping down to ad hominems just to get him to sign the paper and madre de dios, it works! It works because he is higher! Because he is sovereign! God…my god! How he wanted to spit at the governador's angry face. These wicked thoughts ran in his head as he grabbed the plume and furiously dipped it in the bottle of ink before him.

Perfecto Valiente Viol

He paused and breathed in deeply. His conscience was eating him from inside and slowly, with shaking hands, he regrettably added the letter 'a' to his surname, and handed the vile piece of paper to the governador heneral.

"Do not feel bad, Perfecto. After all, you are doing this for the glory of God and Espanya."

'For the glory of Espanya.'

'For the glory of God.'

And the meeting ended.

The strings of the Banduria vibrated as the musician gently plucked the copper cords. The notes fluttered around the air like colorful butterflies – exploding into small rainbows as the melody progressed into a harmonious piece.

Natsuki sat by the window pane, reading a slightly crumpled newspaper. She was reading a piece of poetry and by Bathala and the heavens above! With each word, the fervor to fight for freedom grew in her Filipino heart!

"Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya
sa pagkadalisay at magkadakila
Gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa?"

"Need I remind you that you should be doing something rather musical right now, Narcissa?"

"Harada, if you don't want me to start calling you by your 'other name', I suggest that you quit bugging me." She replied without even looking at the woman talking to her.

"Oh-ho! You fail to see that we are in the presence of…" Harada bent down and continued with a soft voice, "…Christians? Or do you want to be excommunicated, Datu Kuga?"

"Hmph! Peste!" Natsuki barked as she folded the newspaper.

"Remember…you're name has not yet been cleared from the wanted list." Harada remarked coyly as she smiled at Natsuki.

"Thanks for the advice. Now get lost."

"Haay…ikaw talaga…so stubborn!"

"Psst! Blue uniforms – Incoming!" And quickly but silently, they all grabbed their musical instruments and sat at their respective seats. Harada began to apply rosin on her cello's bow; Natsuki immediately grabbed the guitar beside her and thrummed its strings. One of the members of the Rondalla, Guillermo, stood up and opened the door for the Spanish soldiers.

"Magandang tanghali ho, mga señor."

"Magandang tanghali." The lieutenant replied with a stern look on his face. "Everyone, I am very sorry to disturb your practice, but we shall have to take a quick look around. I assure you that this is for your own good!"

And all at once six fully armed men entered the house. Natsuki slowly reached for the newspaper; careful not to be noticed by any of the men, and then she slid it underneath the music sheet in front of her. The members of the rondalla began to talk among themselves. 'They didn't even show us a warrant!' 'Ang kakapal ng mukha! This is private property!' 'And they expect us to work hard for the governador heneral! Tsk tsk.'

"As you were!" The lieutenant shouted. He stood in the middle of the room as the other soldiers carelessly opened every single door, cabinet, casket and locker in the house. It was as if a tornado entered the house – clothes were everywhere, some of the china ware lay broken on the floor, the porcelain figurines were shattered to tidbits. Ay! What a mess! What a mess it was indeed!

Nevertheless the violinist slowly strung her violin with her bow; the guitarists plucked the strings of their instrument in rhythm, Harada's cello began to make low soothing melodies; and then the soprano stood in front, fixing her saya as she gazed at the lieutenant with cold eyes and sang:

'Anong laking hirap kung pagkaisipin.' Crash! Cling! There goes Guillermo's favorite figurine. "Break that jar open!" the lieutenant ordered. Crack! The tapayan was reduced to powdery nuggets of dried clay.

'Ang gawing umibig sa babaeng mahinhin'"Lieutenant! This chest is locked!" BANG! The rondalla players almost jumped in their seats for the lieutenant had shot the chest's iron bolt open with his revolver.

'Ligaya ng buhay; babaeng sakdal inam' BANG! CRASH! CLANG! WHACK! They didn't even care to look at whatever it was. Harada's playing became more passionate, the guitars became quicker; the soprano's voice grew higher in pitch.

WHACK! WHACK! BANG! CLASH! CLING! CLANG! CRAAAaackkk!!

'Ang halaga niya'y di matutumbasan. Kahinhinan niya'y tanging kayamanan!' A cresendo of music and noises.

The song ended as the soldiers marched away from the chaos they had created like innocent school boys. Guillermo gently placed his mandolin on his seat and stood up with his hands tucked in his pants' pockets. He scanned the room with sad eyes and then he spun around in his heels and gave his band mates a heartbreaking smile.

"Well…salamat sa Bathala, no one got dragged into Fort Santiago." He said as he began to pick up the small pieces of broken chinaware on the floor.

'I'll go get the broom.' 'Be careful of the glass shards.' 'Kainis…this tapayan is a family heirloom!' Everyone else stood up to clean the mess, save for Harada and Natsuki who still sat at their respective chairs with eyes fixated on the mess before them.

"Close call…where's the kalayaan?" Harada asked as she fixed her glasses. The white polo she wore was slightly wrinkled so she began to straighten it; folding her sleeves and releasing the tan arms from the white cloth's firm hold.

"Underneath my lyric sheet." Natsuki replied. The sudden intrusion shocked her a little and so the tone of her voice was dull and impassive.

"Where did you hide the other newspapers?" Harada was fixing her black skirt this time.

"Inside the 'secret' pocket of Guillermo's mandolin."

"Senoh and I will be distributing those later, right?" Chie asked as she began to comb her shoulder length hair with her hands

"Of course you idiot! Unless you want to spread the kalayaan now and get caught by the guwardiyas! sira ulo." Natsuki gruffly replied as she flicked her hair with her right hand. And then she was silenced by the memory of crimson eyes. How beautiful! How surreal they seemed to be! Her slightly calloused fingers skillfully plucked the chords of her guitar.

Lulay

The music room softly vibrated as the sweet, serene melody created by Shizuru's piano, filled the area. Her slender fingers elegantly pressed key after key; note after note, with much precision.

'Kahinhinan niya'y tanging kayamanan.'

She stopped playing.

The piece was a kundiman; a love song about modest, charming maidens. And yet a woman's voice was more suited for this particular kundiman – not a male voice. She chuckled at this realization. 'Natsuki, why do you constantly haunt me? Why is that you seem to be everywhere?'

For indeed, the face; Caramba! That beautiful face! It haunted her to no end! She could not think of anything else but Natsuki. And although it was a nightmare that she dreamt of, Natsuki was there; standing before her in moonlit elegance, when she sat at her desk, she was not listening to any of the lessons at all for she was thinking of Natsuki.

Ahay! How her heart wanted to sing as she cherished the sweet memory; the electrifying pleasure that those slightly calloused fingers gave her as she took Shizuru's hand in hers! How she longed to hear that husky low voice – Such sweet music it was to her!

The chapel's bells began to toll once again and Shizuru heard the faint sounds of the student's feet as they all scrambled downstairs. The footsteps were accompanied by the nuns' monotonous lectures on 'politeness' but as usual, everyone was too excited to go home and so they hurriedly rushed towards the gates where the kalesas were lined up like rainbow colored ants. Shizuru sat in front of the dark brown piano; smiling cheerfully as she held a single purple flower in her hands. 'The flower is most fortunate' she giggled.

Lulay

"B-but I have a permit for that! I – NO! Señor please be careful with that!" "Do not take my son away!" "No! Not fort Santiago! Inay! Inay!" the soldiers, in tens, marched through the cobble stone streets of manila. Their footsteps could not be distinguished from the loud beating of drums as they strode through the dusty streets with polished muskets and dark blue uniforms. They entered the stylized houses by force, threatening anyone who resisted by aiming their shiny silver pistols at the cowering occupant.

Soon many people were being dragged out of their houses for: 'treason!' 'For disobeying the law!' 'For possession of weapons!' And the pitiful sounds of wailing filled the city of Maynila as beaten, bruised, bleeding bodies of young and old men and women were hauled across the cobble stone streets; their skin lacerated by the sharp uneven stones, and although they fell on their knees, begged, and cried their eyes out; the soldiers carried on with their operation. Some even took pleasure in beating up the civilians and some destroyed the citizens' properties for game.

And such a sight it was! Such a horrible site it was to see; that when Natsuki and Harada saw the ruckus, they felt such grief! Such terrible terrible anguish! Such anger, oh such anger it was that welled in their chests! They hid in the darkness of a nearby alley, watching the unbearable sight with hate filed eyes.

And then a woman in a simple baro't saya with long, dark brown hair came running towards them. When Harada recognized the approaching figure and when the woman was merely a few millimeters away from her, the two engulfed each other in a sweet embrace.

"What is going on?!" Natsuki asked. The fury was evident in her voice.

"They are searching the houses for weapons and nationalistic Paraphernalia!" Senoh answered as she slowly pulled away from the embrace.

"Naku…This is not good." Harada commented as she straightened Senoh's red saya.

"The Printing Press…" Natsuki mumbled to herself. And then her eyes flashed a vivid shade of green and she spoke in a commanding tone. "Senoh, quietly warn all the katipuneros that you see. Tell them to 'hide their handkerchiefs'. Harada, tell all the members of the kapatiran to gather at the sacred grove at sundown. Our time is running up…I'll go to kalye Lavezares to warn Dr. Valenzuela. Go now and be careful!"

"O-opo, Datu Kuga." Harada answered, apparently amazed by the sudden changed in Natsuki's demeanor. She saw fire burning in the green eyes of the beautiful Natsuki Kuga, and she could not help smiling to herself in adoration. 'The mark of a true leader.'

And with a flick of black hair, and waving red sarong; Natsuki was gone.

"Señorita Viola, are you sure you're all right?" Currito asked. Concern was etched all over his face and Shizuru could not help admiring the solider for his gentleness.

"I'm fine Currito. Please do not worry about me." She assured Currito with a smile.

"Muchos Gracias for accompanying me here, Currito." She added as she turned her head towards the carriage's window.

"Think nothing of it, señorita." Currito said as he stroke the auburn side burns on his face with the palm of his hand. Shizuru watched as the carriage passed the lush green forests outside the city of Manila. The small nipa houses scattered all over the rural area were smaller and fragile compared to the stylish stone houses in the city, and yet their unusual shapes amazed her. And she wondered what Natsuki's house was like. When they had reached the local bulwagan, which was merely a cal y canto house standing in the middle of the road, Currito instructed the kutsero to turn right on the next corner. After a few minutes of riding through jagged paths, they had reached their destination.

"Tao po! Ginang Ablay?" Currito knocked on the small wooden door of the hut as Shizuru stood beside him, admiring the verdant scenery surrounding them.

"Who is it?"

"This is Currito Lopez, do you remember?"

The small door creaked as it opened and the old babaylan stood before Shizuru and Currito, still clad in her sacrosanct patadyong, even though the authorities had forbidden her from carrying out her old rituals.

"Ginang Ablay, this is Señorita Shizuru Viola."

"I am very pleased to meet you, Ginang Ablay." Shizuru slightly bowed to the babaylan and the old woman smiled at her toothily before bowing back in an unusual manner: she raised her right hand, kneeled slowly and then bowed her head.

"Ahh! it is an honor, it is an honor. Come now, sit! I will just get you children some hot cocoa."

"Ay, Ginang Ablay, do not trouble yourself." Shizuru politely stated as she entered the small nipa hut.

"Ahay! It's no trouble at all! Come now, sit sit!" the babaylan gestured towards the two short chairs made of dark yantok wood on the right corner of the room. She then walked towards the kitchen. Shizuru took this moment to catch her breath and she scanned the room with her crimson eyes, taking note of the wooden ornaments and the geometrical designs carved on the hut's sturdy ceiling. The babaylan returned after a few minutes with two mugs of hot steaming cocoa.

"Hmm. So you are the lovely daughter of Don Perfecto Viola. My, my…what brings you here child?" She said as she handed Shizuru her beverage.

"I'm sorry to bother you Ginang Ablay, but I'm conducting a study about the different legends of this land. I was hoping that you – "

"Odooyy! Such strange eyes…pula! Pula! Pula! Like blood! Wondrous eyes, wondrous indeed!"

"Salamat ho, Ginang Ablay." She smiled cheerfully.

"Mhmm. How is the cocoa, Currito? I usually make the cocoa extra bitter."

"Oh! It's great! Its' great! Salamat." Currito spluttered out in between slurps.

"Mhmm…now young lady with eyes redder than blood, what do you seek? What do you seek?"

"I would like to hear about the muse of the river, Ginang Ablay."

Currito coughed upon hearing the word 'river' for he was suddenly reminded of the gruesome cadaver that his comrade dissected a few days ago. And he imagined that it was walking towards him; its liver and intestines falling out of its split abdomen like uncooked, bloody sausages. He drowned the tormenting image away by swallowing a big amount of the hot cocoa.

"A long, long time ago, when the earth was still young and newly made by Bathala; the river was merely a stretch of lifeless water. Nilad flowers did not grow on it and fish did not swim underneath its waves. The people had to travel far, far away from the plains just to catch fish." The babaylan said as she cracked a betel nut open.

"And then she came; before the morning escaped from the night's embrace; before the land breeze could awaken the sun with its warm kiss; she arose from the stars and descended upon the earth like a comet – like a beautiful comet during the twilight."

She placed it in her mouth and chewed it with much gusto.

"She is none other than Sinag-tala, the goddess of the night, the muse of the stars and the moon, the redeemer in the darkness!"

'This stands for the moon – buwan. The light of the night, redeemer in the darkness.'

"Her beauty was beyond comparison. Ahay! She was more radiant than the stars, more ethereal than the light of the moon! Her hair was darker than the night, more fluid than any body of water!"

"I have come to bring life to the river! She announced and she washed and combed her hair by the river banks and Lo and behold! Fish sprung forth from the bottom of the dark river! And in the morning, the small buds of the Nilad flower were found scattered all over the bank! And everyone worshipped Sinagtala…Ahay! the ground that she threaded was sacred; the air that she exhaled was divine! And wherever she walked people bowed, people fell on their knees, raised their arms and bowed! Oh no one was worthy of Sinagtala's attention. No one!"

"She was beautiful, kind…and despite the fact that she lived amongst mortal men, she seemed to be so distant, as if her only friend in the world was the river itself; the river that she consecrated every single day!"

'beautiful, kind…distant...Natsuki' She was reminded of Natsuki again, and of the feeling of skin against skin…heaven…

"And then one faithful night, when all was quiet; when the moon came out of the heavens to play with her star children, when Sinagtala stood by the banks of the river Pasig; gazing at the holy water with her brilliant eyes; three brave datus came out of the bushes. They were armed with spears, kris' and kalasags! They were in battle armor and they glared at Sinagtala with lustful eyes – Ahay! How cruel how lecherous these young men were!"

"And they asked her to marry them. Odoy! They asked a goddess to marry them! Such fools! Such fools! And when she refused they charged at her! How brave! Ay! How brave! But what fools! What fools! With a mere flick of her raven hair, habagat the sea breeze, Sinagtala's pet and servant, had transformed into his true form – a bestial wolf with breath colder than ice and death! And the earth shook upon habagat's howling! And the young datus fell instantly, bleeding to death upon the banks of the Pasig as they gazed up at Sinagtala who looked down upon them with cold, unforgiving eyes.

"And in the morning, the people found the corpses of the foolish young men. And they wept! Ahay! such weeping it was, such weeping it was! And to Sinagtala's surprise, the people became an angry mob! 'How can you do this Sinagtala?!' they all asked. 'How can you kill our datus? Now who lead our barangays?!' and they all shouted insults at her. And then at once the sun descended from the firmament, the sky darkened, the moon arose, the star sparkled and Sinagtala was engulfed by a glorious golden light. 'You ungrateful, miserable fools!' She cried out in disgust – her voice cackled like thunder in her rage. And she stepped on the reflection of the moon on the Pasig river, and with a blinding flash of light, She was gone!"

"Oh so there is no muse of the river?" Currito asked before taking a sip of hot cocoa from his cup.

"Oh no, no, no my child! For Sinagtala was too kind...or perhaps too attached to the sacred river, that during the night; she arises from the waves as habagat calls to her. And in her moon boat, in her magnificent golden boat, she sails the river – blessing it so that it may continue to live and give life to the people. In the morning, she returns to the sacred cave near the Pasig. For you see, dearest, ancient caves are pathways or passages that connect the diwatas with the mortal world."

"So it is true that all the drowned men that we found a few days ago sought after the muse!" Currito declared loudly.

"With the coming of conquistador and cross, the muse disappeared!" The babaylan replied with a confused look on her face.

"Ginang Ablay, do you believe that Sinagtala has truly abandoned the river?" Shizuru asked. The babaylan stared at Currito with questioning eyes.

"I assure you Ginang Ablay that Currito is a trusthworthy man and not a single word shall escape this nipa hut." Shizuru guaranteed and Currito raised his right hand as a sign of allegiance.

"Yes, dearest child. For you see, no one has seen or felt the muse ever since those blasphemous Spanish priests condemned the old religion."

"If I may differ, Ginang Ablay, the muse has been seen sailing the river at night." Shizuru said before taking a sip of cocoa from her mug.

"Since when?"

"Just a few days ago." Currito replied as he drank the last drops of the bitter sweet brew from his mug.

'Natsuki, when did you have your name changed?'

'Five days ago.'

"In fact, five days ago, a man just drowned himself. The people kept insisting that the poor chap went after the muse." Sizuru felt a cold chill run down her spine and then she remembered the cryptic words that the muse told her when they first met.

"When the soul departs from the body and it is deemed to have done the highest good, then it becomes one with nature and unto the element from which Bathala forged the soul, it shall return."

The babaylan smiled at Shizuru "Pag-aanito…"

"Come again, Ginang Ablay?"

"So you are well aware of the teachings of the ancient religion? Ahay! How wise how wise! I suppose cleverness is a mark of a politician's daughter, eh? Pag-aanito! Pag-aanito! Ako'y babalik sa lupa ngunit ang kaluluwa ko'y sasanib sa apoy, sa dagat, at sa hangin."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you but those words came from a friend of mine. I do not have the slightest idea of what pag-aanito is." She slightly pouted.

"My body shall return to the soil from which it has been made but my soul shall return to the fire, to the sea, to the wind from which I have been forged from."

"You see child, we humans are a part of nature and as a part of nature we have within our souls, a trickle of the elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. Each person's soul is entrusted with an element befitting him. Now upon death, when a soul is worthy to descend into a higher form of existence or when the soul has done a most heroic deed or lived virtuously, Bathala allows the soul to become one with the element within his/herself. This is Pag-aanito."

"To be one with nature is to become a spirit of nature and spirits of nature are what we call anito. I for one, am a disciple of the wind and upon death, if I, hopefully, achieve the standards to ascend to this plane of existence, then I shall become a daughter of the wind. An Anito of the wind."

Silence.

"It's getting pretty late, señorita…Your papa might get the impression that we are…"

"Yes Currito, thank you very much for reminding me."

And they bade the old woman 'fare thee well' and thanked her for the stories and for the delicious cocoa. Shizuru stared out the window not because she was admiring the scenery. She was confused! And she sought answers, not more cryptic questions! Is Natsuki Sinagtala? If so, then why is the goddess confined in mortal flesh – Ay! Such beautiful sweet, sweet mortal flesh! And what of the pag-aanito? Caramba! Why did the muse tell her of the Pag-aanito? Why dear God, why?

It was already dark when they had reached the walled city of Manila. The city was darker and not a single light flickered in the darkness, save for the moon that smiled down upon her mischievously. The capital was covered by an invisible shroud of gloominess that as she and Currito walked through the cobble stone streets, unnoticing the tiny bits of scraped flesh and dried blood that had caked on the floors, she felt lonely, she felt as if she needed to be comforted – by Natsuki…

"Currito, my house is only a few blocks away. We should part ways now or papa might see us and the silly dear might chase you with a pistol in his hand. Oh Currito, how can I ever repay you for your kindness?" She laughed mirthlessly.

"By going home safely, I suppose. Good night, señorita Viola."

And they parted ways. He, trudging through the cobble stoned paths towards Intramuros. And she, walking through the muddy banks of the river Pasig, tracing the steps that she took during that faithful night when the moon shone brightly above them like a golden disk, and the stars sparkled gleefully like diamonds in Natsuki's hair.

Natsuki was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps tonight, she is not the muse. Perhaps she is somewhere else! Perhaps she is…

'She returns to the sacred cave near the Pasig. For you see, dearest, ancient caves are pathways or passages that connect the diwatas with the mortal world.'

And so she had lifted the hem of her skirt and walked quickly towards the sacred cave near the Malacañang palace. And when she had reached the cave, the sacred resting place of her muse; light of the night; redeemer in the darkness, she called out with a soft voice:

"Natsuki…"

Not a single sound.

"Natsuki." A bit louder. And her echo answered her back.

And then she saw a flickering light, a flashing of yellow through the darkness. And she carefully walked towards it. Step after step the light grew brighter, bigger and then suddenly she felt something cold.

And through the darkness a million hands arose from the solid walls of the caves. And they grabbed her, and they covered her mouth, held her hands, embraced her slim waist, clutched her ankles and she could not move! She could not move! God help her she was rendered helpless by those hands – those vile hands! Santa Maria! She tried to scream but one hand was covering her mouth; almost suffocating her. And then suddenly, more hands covered her body.

And her world turned black.

DICTIONARY:

sala - living room

Igorots - highlanders, an ethnic group in the mountains of the Cordillera

Punyeto - a spanish curse

Hijo de puta - Son of a bitch

Feliz Navidad - Christmas

Diyablos - devils

Todas- DEAD!

Datu - ruler of a barangay. A barangay is a community usually made of 30+ families.

Ikaw talaga - you...

Magandang Tanghali - good afternoon!; literally translates to "Good early afternoon" because tanghali is the early afternoon - just a few hours after morning. 10:00 - 12:00 in particular ;3

Ang kakapal ng mukha! - suck thick faces!; shameless!

tapayan - Filipino jar.

Salamat sa Bathala - Thank Bathala!; thank heavens!; thank God!

Naku- Oh!; Oh dear!

Bulwagan - auditorium, place of gathering, town hall

Patadyong- a long intricately designed cloth wrapped around the body like a toga.

Tao Po – Anyone?; hello anybody home?

Kris – South East Asian blade. It is usually wavy and it is a stabbing sword.

Kalasag – Filipino shield. It is very big and can usually cover a whole person.

Pula - Red

Ginang - madam

Aling - Madam/Ma'am. The root word is Ale and the suffix 'ng' is added when a name is used after Ale, such as Aling Ablay.

*The Kalayaan is the Newspaper of the Katipunan that the secret society used to propagate its teahings to win more adherents to its side. It was located in Kalye Lavezares, San Nicolas (Lavezartes Street, San Nicolas) and was managed by Dr. Pio Valenzuela who is a Katipunero, himself. The first two thousand copies were published in January 18, 1896 but since the authorities made it hard for the katipuneros to spread the papers, it took about three months before all the copies were distributed throughout Luzon.

*The poem that Natsuki was reading in none other than "Pagibig sa Tinubuang Lupa" by Andres Bonifacio. Here is the translation:

What love could be greater and more beatiful;

Than love for the mother land?

Nothing else! no love can be greater!

*The song played by shizuru and the rondalla group is none other than Lulay. Here is a brief translation of the lines used *DO FORGIVE MY SUCKY TRANSLATION!

To love a humble maiden is a great hardship;

The joy of a life is a humble maiden;

She is priceless! Her virtue is her treasure.