Hello! My mom and I are still arguing. She got mad at me just because I started washing one load of laundry when I haven't sorted out all other clothes. I'm all like "WTF!!??"

The next one is the ninja of water: Isamu Gogyou. He had a father, a mother, and other relatives. Before he was born, his mother was married to someone else and had a daughter: Ekika. After her mother and father's divorce, she killed Isamu's family for revenge, thus becoming a Kyuubi. In the end, Isamu became a soft weak dude.

I know this is lame and what not, but I'm seeing this through to the end. I wanna finish this before January! But, seeing how many chapters I wrote so far, I think I'll be done by December. Let's go!

Chapter 9

The gate for Volca finally opened as Chikane and Katashi emerged after entering to retrieve the ninja of fire. Himeko, Souma, and the other ninjas sighed with relief: the day was finally over.

"We've worked hard…" Souma's face became stern as he spoke. "But we've still got a long way to go."

Himeko looked over to Hikaru and Isamu. "Did anything happen during your training?"

Their faces gave a flicker of uneasiness. Whether to tell them about the secret encounters or not weighed down on their shoulders.

"N-No…" Isamu finally stuttered. "Just regular practices."

Himeko gave some thought, but finally smiled. Souma noticed her innocent countenance and his entire body melted.

'Wait! No…No, I can't. I mustn't think like this…' He looked over at Chikane helping the shinobi. '…Especially if Himemiya's around.'

Everyone finally regrouped as the lunar priestess opened the dark portal again. The young ninjas walked through, followed by the priestesses and Souma. The first day of training was complete.

Himeko rested cozily in Mortalis on the Ohgami porch, staring up at the bright moon. Her life was finally seeming average…to her, at least. It's been four years since they saved the world from the Mighty God Orochi, led by Souma's biological brother.

It's also been four years since she fell in love with-

"Himeko."

Souma Ohgami appeared behind her, at the entrance of his home. He carried two cups of tea on a platter, offering some to the young priestess.

"Thank you, Souma." Himeko smiled again and made him weak. He handed her a cup and sat down next to her, taking the other cup into his own hands.

"Hard day today, huh?" Souma followed her previous gaze into the sky. The moon was still shining down on them in radiant glory.

"Yeah…" Himeko turned towards him with a face of gratitude.

"Thank you for saving me from Nekoro. I'm very grateful."

Souma's face slowly turned red. What still made him feel close to Himeko? He already knew she has feelings for Himemiya…but he still wanted to hold her, he still wanted to protect Himeko. Although she turned him down freshman year, Souma loved her…

"Hime…ko…" He whispered her name in a quiet tone, but the priestess was still able to hear it.

"Is there something on your mind, Souma?"

He was surprised; Souma whispered her name subconsciously. But now that she heard it, there was no turning back. His feelings had to be released somehow.

Souma kept his head down as he turned to Himeko. "Himeko…there's something I…ever since high school, I…" His words couldn't reach her. Even if he did confess what he felt, there was no slight chance it would reach Himeko.

'Why…why do I feel like this!?' As he struggled to talk, Souma overheard a deep rustling in the bushes next to the house. His thoughts of confession went away as he turned around. Himeko followed his gaze and they both stared into the darkness.

The leaves rustled as small furry critters crawled out on all fours. Black bands circled around their eyes that glowed by the moonlight. The fur around their bodies tufted as they hissed through their elongated snouts. The long nails scraped on the ground, carelessly filing the sharp tips. More black bands covered their furry tails, revealing them to be the nocturnal raccoons.

"So many of them…" Himeko examined. She thought of getting the tanto to aid Souma in combat. But before she could summon it, he stopped her and smiled firmly.

"Don't worry. I'll handle this."

Souma wasn't able to handle it for long once a pair of strong arms wrapped around Himeko and pulled her away. She squealed in fright as he watched her get captured. "Himeko!!"

Himeko and her captor leapt up high backwards, landing on top of the Ohgami household. She looked behind and saw dull blue eyes; the pupils were nowhere to be seen. Sky blue rings circled around his eyes like a raccoon. His hair was split into two colors: one side was black while the other was white.

"Nice to meet you, solar priestess." He chuckled while looking at her quivering appearance. "I'm Niro, the second tail."

Souma tried to reach their level, but the carnivorous raccoons rushed up to him. Their claws sank into his skin, piercing the flesh and muscle, forcing him to fall. The blood tainted their nails and dripped down to the ground as Souma struggled to be released from their grasp.

'Fuck! Himeko!!'

"FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX IMMORTAL FIRE!!"

Multiple fireballs engulfed the raccoons as they jumped off Souma's body. Katashi simmered down the flames from his mouth as Chikane and the ninjas came to his aid. The lunar priestess looked up at the roof and saw Himeko's situation.

"Himeko!"

Raido faced the snarling raccoons with no hint of fear. He clapped his hands together and made the sign of the ox.

"EARTH STYLE: DARK SWAMP!!"

The raccoons closed in with a deep hunger until their feet felt slimy and slippery, unable to move against the solid ground. They looked down and saw that the sturdy surface they stood on tuned into a sinking swampland, making it impossible to even lift a finger.

The sinking mud surrounded the raccoons, drowning them in front of the shinobis. Although they squirmed for life, their adversaries showed no mercy.

Isamu rushed over to Chikane's side and looked up at Niro with fiery green eyes.

"May I?"

"Please do," Chikane insisted. He used his hands to build up energy within him, making certain hand signs: ox, snake, horse tiger…and then rooster.

"WATER STYLE: WATER SHARK BOMB!!"

Taking water molecules from the swamp, Isamu formed a long figure in the form of a shark. Everyone could hear the shark's low growl, despite only being made of liquid.

He directed it at Niro and Himeko in an unstoppable force.

"Damn kid!" Niro dropped the solar priestess as he endured the rushing water, getting soaked from head to toe. His body slammed against a tall tree, knocking him unconscious. Surrounding raccoons concealed his bodies in a fury, making his body disappear and travel to the Kyuubi hideout.

Himeko imagined her impact on the faraway ground, losing her life in an instant. She shut her eyes tight and awaited a miracle to happen.

As Chikane rushed to her aid, she saw a form jump ahead and catch the blond maiden in his arms. She stopped dead in her tracks as Souma landed gracefully three feet away from her, holding Himeko tight.

'Ohgami…' Chikane stood watching them as Katashi began to stride up to her.

"Hey, Miss Himemiya. Did you see how I burned those critters to a crisp? It was no problem at all…" She omitted his outlandish boasting and noticed Souma's trance of Himeko. It made Chikane think of ancient beliefs…dangerous beliefs that led to heavy results.

They're still lesbians here! I'll prove it in the next chapter. We're in the second part of the fanfic. Stay tuned!