Disclaimer: I don't own Kannazuki no Miko. I just own my OC, Rakuen, who is introduced in this chapter.
Author's Note: Well... I am officially addicted to this fic. Damn. I need to update my other stuff so badly...
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Chapter 4
Himeko's experience with bathing was short and sweet—cold river water, splashing and wrestling with Souma and Makoto, coming out with her fur dripping wet and her eyes glowing. Now that she actually thought about it, Himeko had to admit that the experience was less about bathing and more about playing in the water. Sure, she probably ended up getting clean, but that wasn't the main intention. Heck, she'd seen Miyako and Tsubasa wrestling in the stream plenty of times, and even Corona had managed to tempt the usually quiet and reserved Reiko into racing through the water like a puppy.
… Yeah, it probably wasn't bathing, but it had still been fun and she had bonded with her pack mates, and that had to count for something.
The human idea of bathing, though, was entirely different.
For one thing, they didn't jump around in streams with water as cold as ice—no, they bathed in large pools full of warm, steamy water that supposedly soothed your muscles and made you relax. They used weird things like soap and shampoo for their hair (they actually kind of smelled nice in Himeko's opinion, but she still had a hard time figuring out how to use them. Especially when she got soap in her eyes.), and after that they dried off with towels.
It really, really didn't help that there were maids there to help. Himeko knew it was part of the Himemiya name, having maids attend to her, but it didn't make her any more comfortable with it.
Thankfully, Chikane kept true to her promise and never once left Himeko's side unless she requested it. The golden-haired girl never requested this either; mostly because it was her duty to keep an eye on the other girl, but also because deep down, Chikane Himemiya (or was the proper way of saying it Himemiya Chikane?) intrigued her.
The dark-haired girl certainly didn't look like a killer, at least not the kind many wolves claimed her to be. She was tall and slim, seeming almost delicate enough to shatter at the lightest touch. Her hands, when they had occasionally brushed Himeko's, felt soft and were surprisingly pale and small.
Himeko knew it was foolish to judge a wolf hunter by her appearance alone—many wolves had died by that way of thinking—but she couldn't help it. Chikane didn't look anything like the hunter Himeko had imagined her to be, and the girl seemed to hold no particular hatred for wolves. If anything, she seemed to view her skill as a job, and one she did particularly well.
Himeko sighed.
It's not supposed to be this hard.
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"Are you sure you're fine?"
"Yes." Himeko gave a tired smile. "Really, Chikane-chan, I feel much better now. I just want to rest a bit. I'm feeling a little sore."
"If you want, I can—"
"I just need to sleep."
Chikane sighed, giving up. "Very well," she said. "I'll ask the others to make sure no one disturbs you." She frowned. "But I do have a question for you."
"Oh?" Himeko felt her back stiffen.
"Your wounds. When I looked at them, they were… placed very oddly for a wolf attack. Usually when someone is attacked by wolves their arms take a majority of the damage, since they're trying to protect their throat and face. Your wounds seemed evenly spaced out all along your body. So I'm just wondering, did you throw yourself at these wolves and just ask them to attack you?"
The wolf in disguise didn't like the gleam in Chikane's eyes. The young hunter obviously knew her facts and knew them well, or she wouldn't have noticed how odd the placement of the wounds were. Mentally she cursed, closing her eyes.
Think of something, think of something…
"I, um…" She stumbled over her words. "I don't… I don't really remember what happened, Chikane-chan." She gave the other girl a worried look before lowering her eyes, doing her best to appear ashamed of this fact. "I was just walking home, then I heard howling, and when I woke up I was here."
It was obvious Chikane still wasn't satisfied, but the look in Himeko's eyes—a mixture of guilt and sorrow—made her sigh and back off. "All right," she relented. "I'm sorry. It's just my training. I have a bad habit of asking questions when something seems off."
"It's okay." Himeko gave a mental sigh of relief. "You're just trying to help, Chikane-chan. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything else. Maybe I'll remember…"
For a long moment, Chikane studied her.
"Yes," the other girl said at last, turning away. "Maybe you will."
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It had stopped raining by the time Orihime and the mysterious woman known as Tsuki made it to the cave Sakura had chosen as shelter for the night; Orihime had only to follow the hoof prints of the horses to find it, and as they stepped into the cave she motioned for Tsuki to sit down as she made her way to where Sakura sat, huddled by the fire and trying to keep warm.
"Who's she?" Sakura's eyes gleamed with curiosity as Tsuki quietly sat where Orihime had indicated.
"Her name's Tsuki." Orihime burrowed through the bag, trying to find the first aid kite. "Apparently she had a 'differences of opinions' with wolves."
The short-haired girl snorted, raising a brow. "She actually said that?"
"Word for word." Finding what she needed, Orihime stood. "I brought her back to clean her up a bit."
"Looks like she got lucky. Just a few cuts."
Orihime nodded briefly before returning to Tsuki; the dark-haired young woman barely stirred as the wolf hunter sat next to her, gently gripping the shoulders of her clothing and beginning to slide it off. "I need to see how bad your wounds are," she murmured.
"Do what you must."
The other woman's tone was almost bored, but when Orihime looked at her, slightly surprised, she couldn't miss that Tsuki was studying her intently, her dark blue eyes gleaming dimly in the firelight. Feeling heat rush into her face for some odd reason, Orihime set own Tsuki's robe and set to the business of tending to Tsuki's wounds.
One particularly deep, nasty wound slashed along the back of her neck, near the clasp of the pendant she wore; Orihime hesitated only a moment before lifting her hands with the intention of unclasping the necklace. The next instant Tsuki's hand settled over hers, and the woman had met her eyes again. "Don't," she whispered.
"I need to take it off to clean your wound properly." Orihime was suddenly having a hard time breathing. "You must understand."
"Don't," Tsuki repeated, her voice pleading; it was the first drop of emotion Orihime had heard in the woman's voice. "Please. It's all I have left of my mother."
The woman sounded shaken by the thought of parting with the pendant, and with a sigh Orihime lifted her hands away.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome… Tsuki-chan."
Tsuki blinked at the term of friendship, looking at Orihime with surprise evident in her eyes. Orihime gave her a weak smile before turning her attention back to her wounds. Tsuki continued watching the light-haired woman intently, but a small smile had curved her lips.
By the fire, Sakura snickered. By the heavens above, she had never seen Orihime so flustered before.
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"Himeko."
The voice sounded weakly in Himeko's head, fuzzy and distorted; the girl groaned and shifted, rubbing her eyes, but the voice persisted. "Himeko," the voice persisted, soft and firm. "Himeko."
She sat up, wincing, and her eyes widened with recognition. "Reiko?" she called, stretching her mental connection to find the female, unknowingly mouthing the Fifth Head's name. "Reiko, is that you?"
"No, it's the Priestess of the Moon," Reiko snapped. "Of course it's me, you dummy. Why haven't you contacted us yet? Makoto and Souma are wild with worry."
"Sorry." Himeko winced; the older wolf sounded mad. "I didn't know I could talk to you like this."
Reiko's sigh echoed in her head like a breeze. "Have you forgotten that wolves speak telepathically, Himeko? You don't lose that ability, even as a human."
"Sorry," the younger wolf repeated weakly. "I'm really sorry, Reiko."
Another sigh, but Himeko knew Reiko wasn't mad at her anymore; the sharpness in her tone had come from the fact that no contact had been established and not knowing what was going on. As an image of the rust-colored she-wolf formed in Himeko's mind, she saw the female flick her ear briefly in amusement. "Don't apologize," she rumbled, and there was a light note of amusement in her voice now. "You know now, so don't make the same mistake twice. How is your mission going so far?"
"Good so far." Himeko tucked a strand of loose blonde hair back behind her ear, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "Chikane doesn't seem to suspect anything, though she asked a few questions about my wounds. I don't think she's totally satisfied with what I told her, but she's dropped it for now."
"I'm afraid that's our fault." Reiko closed her eyes in Himeko's image of her. "It wasn't until after we inflicted our wounds and you passed out that we realized that they would imply that you had been much closer to wolves than humans were supposed to be. Forgive us."
"It's okay, I don't blame you! Really! I just have to make up some stuff…"
Reiko's soft laughter rang in her mind, and Himeko couldn't fight the blush that darkened her cheeks.
"If you say so, young one." Humor gleamed in her eyes. "Just remember to be on your guard. Chikane Himemiya is a wolf hunter, and will dive for the smallest weakness if you give it to her."
"I will, Reiko."
"You do that, then." The she-wolf nodded. "Just thought I'd check in on you and soothe Makoto and Souma a bit."
Himeko winced. "Can you tell them I'm sorry? I forgot that I never got to say goodbye to them."
"Will do."
Himeko jolted a bit as her image of Reiko began to fade; she realized that the she-wolf was severing the connection between them, breaking the line so that she could return to the forest. She bit her lip, hesitated, then softly called, "Reiko?"
"Yes?"
"I know this seems… kind of stupid, but… when Miyako took me to the mansion, she really handled the horse well." She hesitated before plunging on. "Do you know why? I mean, she's a wolf, she shouldn't know how to ride so well… right?"
A long, awkward stretch of silence.
"Reiko, I…"
"It's not my place to say anything, Himeko." Reiko's voice was surprisingly weary. "Miyako's past is her business. Even if I did know anything about her, I couldn't tell you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay… it was stupid of me to ask." Himeko smiled weakly. "Reiko?"
"Hmmm?" Her form was fading, becoming harder and harder to see.
"Could you… could you tell Corona I say hi, too? I know she was upset about having to hurt me, and I think she'd like to know that I'm okay." Himeko paused. "I mean, I'm asking you since you seem really close to her, like good friends…"
"We aren't friends." Reiko's eyes gleamed. "I love her. I'll tell her what I said. I'm sure she'll be relieved to hear it."
Briefly, Himeko's smile widened. So Reiko and Corona were mates, after all.
"Thank you, Reiko."
The rust-colored female waved her tail briefly before vanishing completely.
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Quietly thanking the moon above that the rain had ceased falling, Tsuki slowly sat up, moving silently. The blanket slid off her as she stood, making her way like a shadow to the mouth of the cave. Briefly she paused, glancing back at the sleeping forms of Orihime and Sakura. Her lips twitched briefly.
"Thank you, Orihime." She rubbed the shell between her fingers as she turned away. "I won't forget this."
A flash of gold made her look up; she chuckled and waved slightly as the large golden-furred male emerged from the trees, a large male wolf with golden eyes that regarded her tiredly.
"Tsuki," he growled softly. "What happened? You've been missing for hours. Did Tsume try and go after you again?"
"When does he never try?" With a grin, Tsuki sped toward her old friend; in a heartbeat she had transformed from a dark-haired woman to a small, slim black wolf, her dark blue eyes gleaming as she touched noses with her childhood playmate, two years her senior. "He's quite intent on killing me, I'm afraid. Just doesn't see my way of things."
The golden male chuckled, but his eyes were uncertain as he brushed his muzzle along her neck. "Don't joke about it," he murmured. "I hate the way he does this to you, only because you're half wolf and because of how you were raised."
"That's enough, Rakuen." She bumped his shoulder. "It's not your problem to worry about, you gentle giant. Let me worry about Tsume. He's my brother after all, and his pack hunts in the same territory as mine." Her eyes gleamed. "As long as he just goes after me and not you or anyone else I love, I can handle him."
Rakuen snorted. "You sound so casual about it." He puffed out his chest slightly. "And besides, even if Tsume came after me, I'd just rip him apart."
"Right, sure, keep telling yourself that…"
They both laughed softly; Rakuen brushed her shoulder briefly with his tail as he turned away. "We must go," he said. "The other Heads are asking for you."
Tsuki sighed but nodded; but before she followed Rakuen into the shadows of the trees, she paused for a moment, gazing back at the cave as her eyes sought out the sleeping form of one Kannazuki Orihime.
"Tsuki-chan, huh…?"
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Himeko never regretted taking that short nap, because as Fate would have it she didn't get much sleep that night. She'd accepted the inevitable fact that she would not be able to slip away and drop her human form for a few hours, or even a few minutes, and instead resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be in a world of hurt when nightfall came.
"World of hurt" did not even begin to describe it.
Truth be told, Himeko had never experienced the full abuse of her transformed body because she'd always been able to slip back into the safety of the trees. True, she had felt the tell-tale tingling, had begun to shiver even as her skin heated, but she had always returned to her true self before it escalated.
Gritting her teeth to keep from crying out, the golden-haired girl pulled her knees up to her chest and crunched into a ball. Her whole body was shaking as though someone had abandoned her in the middle of a blizzard, though her skin heated like fire and itched as though ants were crawling all over it. Her stomach had decided to churn like a stormy sea, though thankfully she hadn't eaten much so there was really nothing to come back up. She bit her bottom lip to keep from whimpering, ignoring the taste of blood as it filled her mouth.
She was rapidly losing the battle for self-control, but she knew nights were the hardest for wolves. The next day would certainly be uncomfortable, but if she succeeded in holding her form tonight it wouldn't be half as bad as this.
Growling softly, Himeko lifted her hand, ignoring the bandage, and bit down on it to muffle her choked sobs and pained gasps, squeezing her eyes shut as tears welled and began to streak her cheeks.
Her entire mission depended on this. The whole pack was depending on her.
All of them… Makoto, who took me in and who has always protected me… Souma, who always finds a way to make me laugh… the Heads, who trust me enough to give me this mission… Jin, who's still too young to die yet…
She slowly opened her eyes and blew out a shaky breath.
She wouldn't let them down. She refused to let them down.
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Standing just outside Himeko's door, Chikane was having her own battle of wills.
She'd known something was wrong as soon as she'd passed the other girl's door, heading for her room, and heard the noises within, muffled by the door. Nudging it open just a bit had given her an eyeful of the other girl, hunched over and obviously in a great deal of pain. The sight was enough to make Chikane wince in sympathy, and she wanted nothing more than to go and soothe Himeko.
But she didn't dare move. If Himeko had wanted her there, she would have called her. It was obvious that whatever she was going through right now, she intended to go through it alone. Beneath the soft voice and gentle eyes lay a will of steel and determination so thick you could cut it with a knife.
For a moment Chikane hovered; her hand rested against the door, she almost pushed it open, she almost stepped inside—
Then Himeko lifted her hand, biting into it to keep her pain silent.
She wants to be alone, a voice murmured softly in Chikane's subconscious. Leave her be, at least for now.
Despite the logic behind it, Chikane still wanted to go to her.
"… Dammit."
Gritting her teeth, Himemiya Chikane did the most painful thing she could ever recall doing; she turned, squared her shoulders, and walked away from Himeko.
She knew deep down that it was the right thing to do, but she still had a hard time believing it, and tossed and turned restlessly all night long as though she could feel the other girl's pain.
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... God DAMN that was long! (fans self) Once I started writing, I just couldn't stop. I especially wanted to introduce Rakuen; he's an important character in the Tsuki/Orihime backstory.
Read and review, please!