[KnM][RGU][MH] Revolutions
Revolutions – Chapter 21 (Climax II - Kannazuki)
A Kannazuki no Miko, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Mai Hime X-Over Fanfic
April 21, 2014 – April 28, 2014 and October 7- Oct 10, 2014 cleanup
Word Count: 13,700
*MAHORABA*
In the sea of never-ending darkness, Himeko reached blindly forward, trying to find something, anything. Her hand groped, panicked, until, bursting brilliantly out of the darkness, came one of the few globes of light she knew had to be around here somewhere: memories of a life lived.
When the command had been given to Kurusugawa Himeko to remember, the Solar Priestess had done just that: remembered. Remembered everything that had ever happened to her, to her soul, in all of her past lives.
And what she remembered... was the never ending darkness that was the vast, vast majority of her soul's existence, locked, alone, in the shrine on the moon, with nothing, absolutely nothing to keep her company, to ply her five senses to.
It should have driven her mad. It would have driven anyone mad, but Himeko refused. Refused to be swallowed by the darkness. Refused to be sucked into the nothing, lost, never to be found again.
She fought against the madness. She fought against the nothing, visualizing it into an ocean, a vast, dark ocean of black, but at least, if she thought of it as an ocean, then, at least, she could also swim against the current and tread against the water, anything, to keep her head above the waterline and drowning into the nothingness.
And it was just exactly one of these globes of light that she had been waiting for: A memory of a time when there was something other than darkness. A memory of a time when she had lived.
With a gasp of determination, she reached for it, desperately, and managed to grab it.
She clung to it desperately.
You decide that Oogami Shrine is a beautiful place. It consists of multiple buildings, and takes up lands larger than the entire village you grew up in. There are over a hundred priests, priestesses and caretakers tending to the building and the lands, so the premises are kept clean and tidy. Gardens are manicured, pathways are swept, and the trees and grass are well cared for. Due to its size and pedigree, but mostly because of the importance of the mission the Shrine was charged with, the people of the shrine are serious and maybe even a little scary, but ultimately, kind.
You've only been at the Shrine for a couple of days, so you are still getting used to the degree of reverence and formality that everyone speaks to you with, but all in all, you think you are handling yourself well.
You have always known of your destiny. From the time you were five, and swimming with the neighbouring kids in the stream, and noticed that you were the only one with the funny circle on your chest, you had been told that you were the Solar Priestess - one of the two Celestial Priestesses who were going to save the world and make everyone happy again.
That you might have to die in order to do that doesn't even bother you very much anymore. Your own parents had died, had sacrificed themselves to save the village from bandits when you were a babe. Your neighbours raised you lovingly, provided for you everything they could, and had taught you that life wasn't about length so much as depth and meaning.
You are only 15, almost 16 years old, but you've lived those 16 years happily and fully and can't ask for more.
And today... today is the day you finally meet your other half, the other Celestial Priestess from all the stories. You can't help but wonder what kind of a person she will be.
Will she be a commoner, like you are? Will she be a nobleman's daughter?
Will she be kind?
"Solar Priestess?"
You snap out of the daydream you are in the middle of, and looked over at the elderly man who is looking back at you bemusedly. "Huh? Oh! I'm sorry, I was, um, just remembering something."
The Head Priest of Oogami Shrine doesn't look like he entirely believes you, but doesn't call you on it. Instead, he points into the grassy garden. "The Lunar Priestess is in the Western Gardens, practicing. Remember, first and foremost, the Solar Priestess is a Priestess of the Sword; a personal representative of Ame no Murakumo. While I suspect that the lifestyle of the blade will come naturally to you, as it did for the Lunar Priestess, you have not spent the last ten years honing your skill as she has. As such, I would recommend that you practice with her as often as you can, for you will need the skill to defeat Orochi."
"Aah, yes sir." Bowing quickly, you hold the practice katana that you have been loaned to your chest, and hurry out into the grassy field to look for the Lunar Priestess.
Unfortunately, several minutes later, you still couldn't seem to actually *find* her...
... until a chorus of birds suddenly and shrilly take flight into the air, sounding like a thousand songs playing at the same time, somewhere to your left. You squeak in surprise and jump back a step as the large flock of birds fly overhead. It takes you a moment before the surprise passes.
What would have caused the birds to take flight like that?
Timidly, you hurry towards the direction that the birds had come from, until you come across a large hedge that blocks your path, sporting many roses.
What an odd plant, you think, gazing curiously. It must have been many rose bushes that had eventually grown together with time, you decide. Beyond this, however, you could not find what could have caused the birds to scare...
... until you hear it: a soft swooshing sound coming from the other side of the hedge, like something being swung. And you can also make out the soft exhaling sounds of exertion being made by the person doing the swinging.
Growing more and more curious, you look up and down the hedge for an entrance, until you spy a small hole where someone had broken a part of the hedge to get through. Happily thanking the goddess of luck, you crawl into the hedges...
...where you soon find the Lunar Priestess - your partner, your other half, the girl you share destiny with, and, without a doubt, the most beautiful creature you have ever laid eyes on.
The Lunar Priestess is in the middle of a kata. Her pale, porcelain skin is just starting to glow a little from the heat and perspiration of exercise, and her dazzling marine blue eyes burn with the fire of concentration. Her blue-black hair is long - probably longer than even your own - and was pulled back and held out of the way at the base of her neck. She wore purple hakama, and a simple white gi, identical to the set that you were given when you had first arrived, save for your own hakama being red in color.
Presently, the other girl rises to her feet and picks up her sword in one majestic sweep, drawing the weapon from its scabbard in ceremony. And then she proceeds to take your breath away with a dance of graceful strikes and moves, more beautiful and delicate than anything you have ever seen.
Amazed, you can do nothing more, but continue to gaze in awe, as the girl continues to move from kata to kata. You are not sure how much time has passed, when sweat starts to glisten from the beautiful girl's face, and she shrugs the gi off both shoulders entirely, such that it hangs by the waist of her hakama, exposing her body from the hip upwards, bare save for her chest bindings, in order to cool off.
Finally, the katas end, and the beautiful swordswoman puts her blade back into its scabbard. Reaching down to the ground, she picks up a towel to wipe the sweat from her body, before shrugging back into her gi (my god, you think, even that casual action seems somehow graceful!).
Then, she looks directly at where you had been hiding in the bushes. "You can stop sneaking peeks now, and properly introduce yourself."
Oops! Realizing what a peeking-tom your actions must have made you look like (and really, aren't you one?), you quickly hurry out of the bushes and all but stumble up to the tall, graceful girl who is gazing not un-amusedly at you.
"I-I'm sorry," you squeak. "I was looking for you but you were practicing and I didn't want to interrupt and you were concentrating so much and... I'm sorry! I'm not a pervert!"
The Lunar Priestess raises an eyebrow. "Really." She says drolly.
You nod your head vigorously and refuse to believe that there may or may not have been a hint of blood rolling out a nostril. Oh. My. God, you think, you are going to die of humiliation.
"I... Let's start properly." Blushing to your toes, you bow. "Pleased to meet you, I'm-"
"The Solar Priestess." The other girl interrupts.
You blink. "H-How did you know?"
"You're wearing her uniform. And the Head Priest wouldn't let just anyone do that. Pleased to meet you. I've been expecting you. I am the Lunar Priestess." She also bows, with equal deference as you yourself had displayed. And then, slight hints of what may possibly have been a blush dared to come to her cheeks. "Actually, I've been waiting... a long time to meet you. I'm glad that we're finally able to meet."
You feel like your heart was going to explode with happiness at the other girl's kind words. "I've really wanted to meet you too!" You gush (and then hate yourself for gushing).
There is a short moment of not awkward silence, and you think your heart would pound straight out of your chest with giddiness. There is so much you want to say to the other girl! So much you want to know! You barely know where to begin!
"My name is Himeko," you finally say shyly. "Yamada Himeko. I am in your care. Please forgive my clumsiness."
The blue-black haired girl seems surprised. "Hi… meko." She repeats softly, trying out the name on her tongue, her eyes downcast for a moment as she considers this. "You..." There is a slightly troubled look on her face, "have a name."
"Um... yes?" You blink, laughing nervously, wondering why the other girl would be troubled by something like that. "Of course I have a name. What's yours?"
And then, the reason for that troubled expression becomes apparent. "I have no name. I am the Lunar Priestess."
You boggle. "Are you... joking?"
The Lunar Priestess raises her eyebrows. "Why would I?"
"But... what do people call you?"
"Lunar Priestess."
"Even your parents?"
"The man and woman who bore me also call me as such."
Shocked, you stare in horror at the other girl, whose expression softens when she realizes her answers are upsetting you.
"I haven't had contact with them since I came here ten years ago," the Lunar Priestess explains in slow, calming tones. "They thought it imperative that I understood what my priority was. First and foremost, before anything else, before even being their daughter, I am the Lunar Priestess."
You continue to stare at the other girl. "That... that's not right." You blurt out.
How could parents treat their child this way? What sort of twisted people could even think of depriving a child something so basic as a home, a name?
"That's not RIGHT. You... you have to have a name! Let's give you a name!"
The sudden burst from you evidently causes the Lunar Priestess some surprise.
And then, unbidden, a name comes to you.
"How about Chikane-chan?"
The Lunar Priestess stares at you like she has just been struck in the head by a bolt of lightning. A thousand different emotions seem to be warring with themselves in the blue-black haired girl's heart.
You wilt a little.
The other girl looks a bit put out for a moment, unsure of what to do, before, slowly, her countenance softens.
And then, she smiles, a small timid smile, and gives a small nod. And though you had thought her the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen before, with the smile on her face, the Lunar Priest... no, Chikane-chan suddenly becomes a thousand times more beautiful.
Chikane-chan...
You don't know why the name came to you, but now that it has been uttered, you cannot think that she could possibly be anyone else.
No... No. This wasn't the one...
With a disheartening realization, Himeko realized that the life she was re-living was not the life she was looking for. She needed to leave it, she knew, else she risk tricking herself into staying in this dark place forever, but without anything else she could see in the inky expanse of forever, she had nowhere else to go.
Balling her hands into fists, Himeko plunged into the darkness, and could feel the black nothingness flood over her, as it always did.
She floated in the inky blackness, still, and prayed. Prayed that she'd come across something other than absolutely nothing soon. Prayed that a memory, be it healing or horrific, would come to her and lift her out of the terrible nothingness again.
She didn't know how long she floated for.
Despite the fact that you have gone through the trouble of garbing the both of you in the dull, rough-spun garb of the peasantry, still, the commoners seem able to identify that you are not one of them - or are no longer. While they jostle and joke with one another as they move through the crowded streets, they are careful to afford the both of you personal space. It is both a boon, and a bit of a misfortune: you had hoped to show Chikane-chan the warmth and kindness of your people - intimately, from among their ranks, shoulder to shoulder, but that does not seem possible now.
If you had to say why this was the case, it is because Chikane-chan's regal bearing is impossible to mask, even behind rough clothing and dirt. She may not be dressed in the intricate layers of the Heian court as she normally is, but she holds her head too high, and does not avert her gaze when her eyes accidentally catch another's. She is their better, and without meaning to, she projects this in her mannerisms, so that all who behold her know it and accord her the proper respect.
She is not like you, who, while of noble birth yourself, have always been close to the people, and who had even played among them as a child.
Not that you could possibly imagine her any other way. If Chikane-chan was as meek and easily frightened as you, then she would not be Chikane-chan at all, but it would have been nice for others to know her as you do: to know that she was not only approachable, but had an immensely warm, kind and generous heart underneath the veneer of a proper noblewoman.
She senses that you are looking at her, and turns to return your gaze, prompting you to blush and look away. She gently takes your hand. "Is something the matter?" She asks.
"Everyone is keeping their distance," you confess, a little sadly. "It's... a little lonely."
She considers this for a moment, before she slows to a stop, prompting you to stop as well. "We need not go through with this charade, Himeko." She says. "We can return to the shrine if the commoners do not make you feel welcome. Come," and now she's turned to retrace her steps, "let us return."
"The leaves are starting to change color, and autumn will be here soon," you say softly, tugging her back, and reaching out to put your hand to her face, returning her attention to you. There is a suddenly shy light in her eyes at the contact that does not escape your notice. "These days of peace will soon be left behind. Should not we come to know the people we are to protect? Should not we see what it is that we are fighting for, and may die for?"
Chikane-chan isn't able to answer your question, and you smile kindly at her, and tug on her hand to continue walking down the street with you. You think that you can hear her utter something under her breath. "Hmm? Did you say something, Chikane-chan?"
She shakes her head, denying any words, but you think you may have heard them anyway: 'I know exactly for whom I fight."
Eventually, you have followed the crowd to the edge of the city, where everyone has started to find seating on the banks of the river, some of the more prepared families even bringing woven mats of straw to sit on. Unfortunately, you were not so prepared, and wonder how best to convince Chikane to sit in the dirt.
"Ojou-sama!" Comes the disbelieving gasp.
You turn, and your eyes light up as you recognize the young woman who had spoken.
"Oh! Haruka-chan!" You smile at your old friend. She is the daughter of one of the servants of your household.
"Ojou-sama! When did you return? Why didn't you say anything?" And then, she wrinkled her nose. "What are you wearing?"
You smile conspiratorially at her and clap your hands in front of you to beg for a favor. "I... I'm in disguise." You convince. "We're supposed to be at the Shrine right now, but it's been so dreadfully dull that I... I just wanted to escape for a little bit. I wanted to show Chikane-chan the fireworks. She's never been." You turn to Chikane and smile. "Chikane-chan, this is Ishida Haruka, from my household staff."
Chikane gives Haruka a once over, prompting the servant girl to cower a little bit, before she nods. It is clear that she is not used to acknowledging servants, and you are pleased that she has tried.
Haruka is smart, probably too smart, and is able to put two and two together quite quickly. "Ojou-sama," she breathes, "is this honored person the exalted Lunar Priestess?"
"Shh!"
"Oh, my! Oh, my!" Haruka panics a little. "I must tell the master! We must prepare a proper-"
"You will do nothing of the sort!" You admonish. "I told you, we're in disguise! Please, Haruka-chan, just leave us be, and do not tell father anything!"
Haruka seems hurt. "But... Ojou-sama... can't I be of any service to you at all?"
You think about it for a moment, before you finally smile, a little sheepishly, "well, if you wouldn't mind getting some mats for us to sit on..."
"Right away!"
And so you and Chikane-chan are able to wait in relative comfort compared to the rest of your village for the skies to darken. You are very glad that you were able to chance upon Haruka-chan. Once she arranged her mat down close to yours, that seemed to have signaled to everyone else that the two of you were not out of place, and they bunkered down next to you, seeming to accept you as one of their own.
The hustle and bustle of liveliness in the crowd seems at first to surprise Chikane-chan, and then greatly charm her, as children laugh and play all around while their mothers and fathers chatted. Close to the edge of the river, the people have constructed a rudimentary stage, and a travelling band of players had started to entertain the crowd with songs and dance. At first you are worried that the crude subject of their fun may be offensive to the highborn girl beside you, but Chikane-chan simply laughs, blushing at some of the dirtier jokes (as you yourself do. Your father really wouldn't approve of you being here either, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Or you).
Finally, when the last of the sun's rays disappeared over the horizon, the villagers huddled a little closer together for warmth, and you are pleased for the excuse to curl up right against Chikane-chan's side, who is blushing furiously, but still, luckily, pleased.
Then the fireworks start. The first candle is launched into the sky, exploding into a brilliant flash of red, in the shape of a dandelion. Chikane's jaw drops wide open in amazement and she clenches your arm tightly.
"My goodness, Himeko!" She breathes. "Did you...! Did you just see that?"
You can't help but smile, immensely pleased with yourself for showing your partner her first firework.
And then the skies are a lit with a cacophony of noise and a riot of color and a rush of absolute excitement, and the townspeople are all laughing and clapping, and you yourself is quickly swept up in all of it, squeezing Chikane-chan's hand tightly as you point at the incredible shapes in the sky, and happy, oh so very happy, at being able to experience this with her.
And just like the fireworks in the memory, so to did the memory itself fade away to nothing as well, leaving Himeko in the darkness again disoriented, and aching with yearning.
When had she entered into that memory? Had it simply crept up on her?
In this black nothingness, surely, she would have noticed when something other than nothing chanced upon her?
... unless... maybe, it wasn't the memory chancing upon her, but she, looking into her memories?
Himeko frowned. What was she doing here again?
Wasn't she... trying to remember... something?
It hadn't been the memory of the firework, Himeko was sure.
No, sweet and delightful as that memory had been, she was pretty sure she was looking for something... something with a bit more gravity. A serious memory, one with more... more...
Chikane-chan is crying. Great big tears have gathered at the corner of her eyes and have spilled over, streaming down her face. "Please, Himeko, please," she whispers, trembling. Her whole body shakes so. "Don''t make me do this. Please, no..."
And it pains you, it pains you so much that you are sure this feeling in your heart is a thousand times worse than dying. But still, you know you must do your duty.
You reach out and cup Chikane-chan's face in your hands, and you bring her close. You kiss her mouth, her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks. You kiss away her tears, and you kiss her mouth again to take away her sobs. And then you simply hold her head against your chest and you let her cry until she has shed all her tears, and the sobs no longer wrack her body.
Then you have to tilt her head up, so that her red-rimmed blue-green eyes can see the absolute sadness, but absolute resolution in your own. "Be strong, Chikane-chan. Be strong. The world is destroyed. If we don't complete the ceremony, then everything we love, everyone we love, will stay dead."
And your heart clenches, as you recall the horror of coming home, to find the remains of your family, slaughtered to the last servant's babe at his mother's breast. You remember the earthquakes and the tsunami and the landslides that have wiped the capital city off the face of Yamato. You remember the despair that Orochi had wrought. The Demon may have been defeated, but his evil had been done.
And there was only one way to undo it.
"We have to bring them back, Chikane-chan. It can't end like this. My life is a small price for the return of my family - all our families. Please, Chikane-chan. Be strong. For me. Save this world I love so much."
And you know that you are being unfair to Chikane-chan. And you know you are being cruel, because you know she cannot say no.
You know you are asking her to trade what - *who* - she loves, for what you love.
You rise to your feet, though she clings to you, and this forces her to get onto her unsteady own too. "Go," you tell her. "We must complete the ceremony quickly."
And she stumbles away, and she gives you such a look of heartbreak, that you have to turn away from her, so that she cannot see the ache on your own face. You look up at the world, hanging in the sky. Even from the moon, you can see the large scale destruction it has suffered.
When Chikane-chan returns, she is wearing the ceremonial mask, and you think that this is for the best. You really don't know if you can do this if you must see her eyes.
She runs you through. She does it quickly, so quickly, it is almost painless.
Almost.
You are careful not to let her know how much it really hurts.
You reach up, and you take the mask from her face. It clatters to the ground forgotten.
You pull her head back down to your chest, and you hold her there, cooing sounds you hope are comforting.
"Thank you, Chikane-chan," you whisper. "Thank you. You've done a very good job. It will soon be over, Chikane-chan. Live happily, and fully, for both of us, okay? Promise me? I want you to find love, and marry, and have many sons and daughters, enough for me too. And if it isn't too much to ask, please look after Mai-chan for me. I worry about her so. Promise?"
Again - you are being cruel. How can she promise to do the latter, which she would, without also promising to do the former?
"Hi... Himeko...!" Chikane cries. "I...! I...!"
And you give her one last smile.
The last thing you hear is her crying out your name.
The memory left Himeko shaking, with her arms wrapped around her own shoulders. "Oh, Chikane-chan," she whispered. "Chikane-chan...!"
'Why! Why must we keep doing this to one another? Why? Why must the gods be so... so cruel?'
And as if her subconscious wanted to answer that question for her...
You have to crane your head upwards to behold the full magnificence of the God of Swordsmen. Ame no Murakumo is gigantic, and gleaming, a marvel of shining white armour...
... and yet, you can tell something is wrong. He is not entirely as the scriptures have described him. There is something... empty... behind his shining green eyes. Something that suggests that there is no god inside the impressive armour.
You look over at the Lunar Priestess, and you can see that Chikane-chan has the same worried expression on her face as you do.
You may have been successful in summoning the God of Swordsmen, the Prince of Goodness, the Heavenly Protector who may slay Orochi, the Eight headed Demon, but... not all was as it should be.
It is your partner, the Lunar Miko, who acts first, solemnly kneeling down, and touching her forehead to the ground in prostration and respect.
"Oh, exalted Ame no Murakumo, Great God of Swordsmen. We beseech you to lend us your power, so that we may fulfill the destiny accorded to us, and vanquish the Eight Headed Demon of Despair, who has wrought so much pain and suffering to these lands. Please! Lend us your sword, oh great Prince! The people beg of your return!"
There is no response from the giant white armor. It just continues to stand there.
You crouch down beside your partner, and gently grasp at her arm. "Did we do something wrong?"
'WHO DARES DISTURB THE PRINCE?'
The thought is thunderous and booms outwards from the shining white armor, kicking up tiny clouds of dust. You give a cry and have to grab onto Chikane-chan to avoid being blown away.
Stunned, the two of you are flabbergasted and it takes a moment for you to regain your bearings.
Frightened, you look up at Ame no Murakumo, and your eyes widen as what seems like a ghostly apparition of a bare woman, great and powerful, with cascades of long purple hair wavering around her, has manifested in front of the God of Swordsmen. Her ancient green eyes are ablaze with displeasure.
It is never a good idea to make a deity repeat herself, but neither you nor Chikane-chan are able to get over your fears to answer her.
'WHO DARES CALL FOR DIOS? HUMANITY IS BENEATH HIS CONCERN; HE LOVES ONLY ME NOW.'
You swallow, and pipe up. "A-A thousand apologies, oh Illustrious One, for we are but simple maidens who meant not to disturb you from your slumber! Please, it is for Ame no Murakumo that we pray! We are his Shrine Maiden, the Celestial Priestesses, Solar and Lunar, duty bound to resurrect him when the world has need of him! Please, oh powerful Goddess, be on your way! We meant not to disturb you, or um, mighty Dios!"
'DIOS HAS MANY NAMES; THE PRINCE OF SWORDS YOU SEEK IS ONE AND THE SAME, AND I SHALL NOT RELINQUISH HIM TO YOU.'
Chikane grips your hand tightly for support. "But Great Goddess, please! Humanity has need of Ame no… of… of Dios! Only the God of Swordsmen can defeat Orochi!"
The disdain in the goddess's face cools further into outright hatred.
'DIOS IS DEAD. HUMANITY HAS KILLED HIM WITH ITS HATRED. IT IS ALL HE CAN DO TO CONTAIN THOSE BLADES OF HATRED WITHIN HIM. IF YOU DESIRE HIS SWORD AND ARMOR TO DEFEAT THE DEMON OF DESPAIR, THEN TAKE IT, AND DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH IT, AND LEAVE HIM ALONE. HE NO LONGER BELONGS TO YOU.'
You cannot believe it has come to this! Beside you, the color has all drained from Chikane's face, and she is starting to shake.
"C-Chikane-chan…!" You whisper, horrified. "What are we going to do?" Even now, as you speak, disaster and terror plague Yamato, and innocents are dying by the score!
Chikane looks back at you like she has absolutely no idea, but something on your face galvanizes her and she swallows. The color returns to her face and she squeezes your hand so tightly it hurts. She grits her teeth and she stares up at the terrible Goddess.
"Oh Great and Terrible one, what do you mean, that Ame no Murakumo is dead? How can he die?! He is a God!"
'THE BLAME IS WITH YOU, OH CELESTIAL PRIESTESSES, AND DON'T YOU THINK I SHALL EVER FORGIVE OR FORGET THIS. YOU PREYED SHAMELESSLY ON HIS KIND HEART, ON HIS NOBILITY. YOUR TRAGEDY MOVED HIM TO SHINE HIS LIGHT ON HUMANITY'S WRETCHED WORLD, AND FOR WHAT? HUMANITY IS INSATIABLE; HUMANITY'S GREED KNOWS NO LIMITS. YOU DESTROYED THAT WHICH IS DEAR TO HIM TO KEEP HIM WITH YOU AND BY DESTROYING THAT, YOU HAVE KILLED HIM. '
"But that's not possible!" You cry, "That... that can't be possible! Ame no Murakumo...! He is all that is good in the world! If he is dead, then...!"
The goddess fixes her cold glare onto you, and the words die in your throat.
'CAN YOU REALLY SAY THAT THERE IS GOOD LEFT IN THIS WORLD?'
For a moment, you are lost, terribly, terribly lost, and you want to sink to the ground, all the strength left from you, but Chikane's grip on your hand is too strong, and she does not let you fall. You stare over at her in confusion.
"You are wrong!" There is fire in Chikane's eyes, conviction so strong, it burns away all doubt, even in your heart. "There is still good in this world. I should know, as I have seen her tireless work so!" And Chikane gives you a look so tender that it takes your breath away. There is no mistaking who she is referring to.
Then Chikane turns her fiery gaze back up to the deity in front of her, and shouts, "so you must be wrong, Great Goddess! You must be! Who are you, and why would you keep Ame no Murakumo from us?"
The goddess laughs, a cold, bitter laugh.
'I AM THE WITCH. I AM THE EMBODIMENT OF LONELINESS, OF UNFULFILLMENT. AND I KNOW THAT PRINCE DIOS IS DEAD, FOR I LOVE HIM SO AND HE IS WITH ME. FOR THIS TO COME TO PASS, IT CAN ONLY MEAN THAT DIOS IS NO LONGER THE PRINCE, NO LONGER YOUR GOD OF SWORDSMEN. IF YOU BELIEVE THAT GOODNESS STILL EXISTS, THEN YOU WILL HAVE TO WIELD IT WITHOUT HIM.'
For a while, you are both stunned, and then, you realize what must be done if the earth is to be saved.
You squeeze Chikane-chan's hand back, and she looks at you, and there is such despair in her eyes, that you find yourself smiling as genuinely as you can to try to comfort her.
You give her the barest of nods, and her eyes widen in epiphany, understanding.
Squeezing your hand back, Chikane-chan looks back up at the goddess, at The Witch.
"If what you speak is true, Witch, and Ame no Murakumo cannot help us, then we... we shall don his armor and take up his sword, and help ourselves! Though our power pales in comparison to His, though we may not be able to truly vanquish despair, if we can only hold it back, even for just a while longer, then we will do so!"
The goddess stares at the both of you, eyes narrowed, and for a while, you don't know if she really will let you go through with it, but she closes her eyes, and fades away.
'SO BE IT.'
And then she disappears, the air glimmering for a moment to signal her departure.
The world all around you shimmers, as well, and you give a cry of panic, as it all seems to disappear from you... or is it that you have disappeared from it...?
... only to re-appear within Ame no Murakumo's gleaming white armor, in a plane of existence shimmering with golden light.
You give a gasp, suddenly unsure of what to do, until you hear Chikane's voice call for you from just above and behind you.
"Himeko?"
You crane your head up to look at your partner.
Those fires of conviction continue to burn in Chikane-chan's eyes.
"We must go."
This memory was, by far, the most ancient one for Himeko yet, and she left it gasping and reeling.
For a moment, in the darkness, she was still. Stunned.
That one... that one was old. Too old. She was going backwards in time, she realized. She was going the wrong way.
'Recent. This life. Remember something from *this* life.'
Then maybe, hopefully, she'd be able to find her way out of here...
You are running late. You are supposed to meet Juri-chan for lunch, but you can't move. Everyone else is moving across the street, eager to get to the other side before the traffic light changes, but you are rooted to the spot.
Because, somehow, standing on the other side of that crosswalk, in the middle of the summer heat, wearing a lovely, white one-piece dress that leaves her arms bare, is Chikane-chan, and she is staring back at you with an equal expression of shock and surprise and *recognition* on her face.
She recognizes you! She RECOGNIZES you!
How the heck could you NOT have recognized her?! So her eyes are wrong! So you can tell that there is someone else - no! Two someone elses! - staring out at you from behind Chikane-chan's eyes, WHO CARES?! BECAUSE THAT'S CHIKANE-CHAN! You weren't able to keep her promise and find her, so, of course, she's found you!
Your legs start to move, and you walk towards Chikane-chan...
... and you walk right past her...
'No! No! What are you doing? Go back! Go back, stupid, go back! That's Chikane-chan, right there! What are you doing?! Himeko, what are you doing?! Noooo!'
Cringing and feeling so much shame she thought she could just disappear, Himeko curled herself into a ball and sobbed quietly in the darkness. "I'm so sorry!" She whispered.
She had done this herself. She had had a chance to be with Chikane-chan again, and she'd been too stupid to see it. Everything that happened to her now, she had wrought. She deserved this, this nothingness.
'I should just disappear forever...'
'... ooo...!'
For a moment, Himeko was stunned, unable to believe her ears.
There was nothing here. There was never anything here. So what could that have been? Had she simply imaged it?
'...oooo! Nooo!'
No. No, she hadn't imaged it!
There was someone yelling.
Someone screaming.
Someone who was not just a ghost of a memory.
"Who's there!" Himeko cried, desperation filling her. "Please, who's there?!"
The sounds became louder, and louder, until she could make out words.
'Nooo! Noo! That's not! That's not what happened! That's not!'
And then, suddenly, two small cracks appeared in the sky beside each other.
Himeko stared at them, at first, not quite able to understand what they were.
They blinked, once, twice, and then they grew to encompass everything, exploding everything into light.
And Himeko realized that the cracks were her own eyes opening.
Someone had woken her up.
*FUUKA*
On the morning of the first day of Kannazuki, the godless month, more commonly known as October, under the inauspicious sight of a solar eclipse, the Hime decided to go to the Obsidian Palace, and destroy the pillars that would free their friends.
After dealing with the explosions of orphans all through night, they were tired, so very tired. Mai had only collapsed into her bed for what felt like a few minutes, before a furious pounding came at her door.
"Alright! Alright! I'm up!" Savagely going to her front door, Mai ripped it open to find Shizuru and Yukino, looking just as tired as she felt, though at least they weren't in their pajamas anymore. "Please, no more," Mai groaned. "We just finished."
"Mai-san, look." Yukino said, pointing at the solar eclipse.
The redhead stared at the phenomenon and cursed. "Please don't tell me orphans are going to start popping out of the sun now."
"None have yet," Shizuru replied. "But... I think this may be a far more ominous sign." She dropped her voice. "Natsuki called. There was an incident last night. A mark appeared on Himeko-san's body in the shape of the sun, confirming Natsuki's suspicions. Himeko-san is the Solar Priestess. She passed out after it happened, but they are going to try to bring her here as soon as they can."
Yukino nodded. "We should get to the Obsidian Palace, Mai-san."
Mai stared at the current and former student council presidents, and sighed. "Alright. Let's go."
A little bit of time later, Mai, Akira, Yukino and Shizuru were headed towards the Obsidian Palace.
Akane and Shiho had stayed behind in the student council's room, though Yukino had given several of Diana's mirrors to them so they could still monitor their situation. It had been Mai's insistence that those with less battle experience stay behind for their own safety, and neither Akane nor Shiho had protested very much.
The four Hime moved quickly and quietly towards one of the several known entrances to the Obsidian Palace; with their Childs available to them, it would be a lot easier now to access those ruins than it had been at the beginning of the summer.
Just as they were passing by the vacant residence of former Director Kazahana Mashiro, reality shimmered on them, and then disappeared on them entirely.
Mai gave a gasp of shock as she abruptly halted to a stop with Yukino, Akira and Shizuru around her.
She found herself in a completely foreign, desolate looking place, standing on a rocky platform, with eight giant torii gates towering all around her. A familiar blue-black haired girl shared the platform from them, faced away, though the deep feeling of foreboding that was emanating off of her in thick waves was not at all familiar, and neither was the shrine priestess uniform she was wearing, pure black in color, from the hakama, to the gi, and even the nagajuban underneath.
Mai steeled herself. Shizuru had described this place to them already: some sort of villainous hide-out that wasn't quite on the same plane of existence as the rest of the world. It was probably a good thing that they had been teleported here; there would be far less collateral damage to the school if things went south.
Scanning her surroundings, she looked to the tops of the torii gates. Upon three of those gates, Mai could see several of her former Hime comrades lounging. Nothing about their postures or stances was out of the ordinary at all, but from the soulless dead stares they were all giving her, Mai realized something was very, very wrong.
Yukariko was standing on top of hers with her hands clasped in front of her in prayer, while Fumi was sitting off of the edge of another.
On top of a third torii gate crouched Mikoto.
'Mikoto!' Mai's heart lurched in her chest as she stared at the cat-like girl for reasons she could not understand. It hadn't been like she'd been close to the feral wild-child at all during the festival - none of them had been. She had been one of those unknown wildcards at the time - no one knew who's side she had been on, and in the end, she had proven to be on the side of the enemy...
... so then why did it hurt so much to see the black-haired wild-child like this? Why did Mai's heart squeeze so terribly looking at what Mikoto had become, way more than the pity she felt for Groundskeeper Fumi, and even Sister Yukariko?
... who was Mikoto really supposed to have been to her?
Her heart started to pound ominously in her chest as Mai looked away from Mikoto, and back at the girl standing on the platform in front of her.
"Chikane-san?" Mai could hear Shizuru say quietly as she stepped in front of Mai. "Is there any particular reason why you have summoned us here?" She paused. "Is the Obsidian Lord...?"
Himemiya Chikane turned around, and every survival instinct and alarm Mai had started to blare loudly in her head, telling her to run, for the love of god, run.
Pure malice and hatred emanated from the girl who had once been a close friend, culminating most intensely in shockingly reptilian and glowing yellow eyes. When Chikane spoke, it was as though she were speaking with 4 voices all at once – and Mai could recognize all of those voices as from the girls and women standing on top of the torii gates, though she'd never heard such an undercurrent of maliciousness in any of their voices before.
"Gone, Shizuru-sempai," Chikane said sweetly – far, far too sickeningly sweetly, "the Obsidian Lord has been banished, and I want to thank you for all your help these last couple of days. The time has finally come for the final phase of the plan." As she said this, she summoned her bow and arrow. "As a reward for your assistance, I bestow upon you, the honor of joining Orochi's ranks."
"What?!" Jaw dropping, Mai couldn't stop herself from whirling around and staring in revulsion and disbelief at the tawny haired girl at the same time that Yukino did. "Shizuru-san?! What is she talking about?!"
As much as Mai didn't want to believe it, suddenly, all of Yukino's fears over the Kyoto-born girl's true alliances, which she had shared with the redhead over the last couple of days, came flooding into her heart.
"Honestly, Mai-san. Such propensity to think poorly of me I would expect from Kikukawa-san," Shizuru said, quite coolly, "but not from you. Do you really think Natsuki could love me if I were so despicable?"
And Mai felt ashamed, truly ashamed, that she would fall so easily for Chikane's cheap trick. Yukino, for her part, also looked chastised.
Turning her attention away from Mai, Shizuru eyed the bow and arrow wearily. "I'm afraid, Chikane-san," she said, as she took a step back, "that I must respectfully decline. 'Crazy' doesn't flatter me nearly as well as it does you."
Chikane-san chuckled, and as she did so, Fumi, Mikoto and Yukariko all leapt down from their gates to stand beside her, weapons drawn.
"Please, Chikane-san," Mai begged. "Must it come to this? Shizuru-san told us everything that's going on, and we understand what you're going through. Do we have to fight? Maybe we can help you."
"Thank you for the offer, Mai-san," Chikane replied, allowing her bow and arrow to disappear, even as she summoned her sword from her back. "And I could most definitely use your help. But somehow, I can't see you giving it to me willingly."
And then all hell broke loose, as Chikane rushed forward, with Fumi, Mikoto and Yukariko following swiftly behind her.
"Don't call Kagutsuchi unless you absolutely must!" Shizuru shouted, even as she brought out her naginata, and leapt away. But even as she said so, Kiyohime burst forth from the ground, all six heads screaming, just as Take no Yamikazuchi glimmered into existence, and pounded one of Kiyohime's heads with a mighty fist.
'That's easy for you to say!' Mai thought desperately, even as Mikoto charged her, swinging her claymore.
Somehow, it had surprised Mai not a lick that the wild-child would come just for her: she had been hoping for it too.
She leapt backwards but realized it was a trap as giant spikes suddenly punched out of the piece of ground she had meant to land on.
Eyes going wide, Mai called for Kagutsuchi without meaning to and the giant phoenix appeared, just in time to catch her in one of his claws, keeping her safe.
Miroku exploded from the spikes, the giant, spherically-armored former child even more frightening in appearance, now that he was a disciple of despair. His face was skeletal, and his armor jagged and rusted through. The gigantic tetsubo he wielded was even more fearsome as the knobs had been replaced by fearsome spikes with the remains of the last poor souls he had crushed still sticking to it.
He propelled into the air quickly after Kagutsuchi, roaring in challenge.
The fighting quickly intensified into complete chaos as Hime and Necks, Childs and Servants were all called to arms in a battle royale of destruction and demolition.
Yukino did her best to try to keep the battle as straightforward as possible by engaging Sister Yukariko with the goal of keeping the illusion user from casting her skills against her comrades; it was going to be a tough enough straight forward fight as it was without the risk of delusion and fantasy causing friendly fire to take place. Calling for Diana, she harassed Sister Yukariko endlessly with her own ability to create a multitude of fake targets, keeping the nun too distracted to provide support for her fellows.
Akira set her sights on Fumi, doing her best to draw the maid-uniform clad woman's attention. At first, Fumi wanted nothing to do with her and had been intent on going to her master's side to go two against one against Shizuru, but the ninja girl's flurry of energy charged shuriken and kunai were proving too dangerous an annoyance to ignore.
It was a difficult balance, trying to keep the business end of Fumi's scythe a safe distance from her neck, and yet, not so far away that the maid could simply bat away her projectiles and maneuver closer and closer to her master's side.
Once, Akira gave the maid a little too much distance, and the maid was able to leap away and even take several swings at Shizuru's head. It was then that Akira summoned Gennai, and the toad-like child was able to extend his tongue out to unexpectedly punch the maid in the face, sending her flying through the air before landing on her feet and skidding back a ways. Akira sent several projectiles at Fumi as a follow up, but the maid was able to dance away.
Fumi's eyes narrowed as she was forced back yet again by Gennai charging her, and it was then that Suishouhime appeared, the humaniod former Child looking more zombie-like than mechanical. Suishouhime grabbed one of Gennai's legs and flung him away, causing him to crash unceremoniously into Kagutsuchi in the air. The phoenix gave a screech of affront, as if shouting 'watch it!' to the toad, and then took a hit directly from Miroku's tetsubo, which sent the giant phoenix careening down, crashing messily into both Kiyohime and Take no Yamikazuchi, causing both giant warriors to stumble.
Fighting his way out from under the coils of necks, Take no Yamikazuchi struggled back to his feet, and then slammed his fists together in front of his chest. Canons appeared from his forearms, and a giant, crackling, black ball of energy appeared. When it had grown to a sufficient size, the robotic Servant brought one arm back, and one arm forward as though he were cocking a bow. Indeed, that bow materialized in his hands a moment later, and he shot it through the black ball of energy, shooting the ball directly into where Kagutsuchi and Kiyohime were still tangled.
Luckily, the phoenix-like child was able to free himself from Kiyohime's tentacle like necks in time to summon up a gout of flame from his belly, shooting the beam of fire out of his mouth.
The fiery attack smashed head on against the black lightning from Take no Yamikazuchi, and both magnificent beasts warred desperately to overpower the other, sending huge shock waves out that almost blew their human-sized companions completely away.
In the end, neither Kagutsuchi nor Take no Yamikazuchi could quite overtake each other, and their energy weapons fizzled away. But this didn't stop the two from charging against each other directly afterwards, talons locked against hands, as they each tried to throw the other one down. Beating his fiery wings, the phoenix was ultimately able to leverage against the robotic servant, and flip over onto his back, but Take no Yamikazuchi simply kicked up with a gigantic boot, nailing the phoenix in the chest, and shoving him away before he could follow up with a fiery blast in Take no Yamikazuchi's face.
An unexpected blast of venom from one of Kiyohime's heads suddenly caught Take no Yamikazuchi in the leg, and for a moment, the servant lurched forward, downed, but the hydra paid for its attack when Miroku bashed that head in with one might swing of his tetsubo.
In the chaos that unfolded, Mai couldn't really follow what was going on, as she struggled to keep Mikoto at bay with a protective fire-field from her elemental rings.
"Mikoto, please!" Mai shouted, even as the cat-girl's latest strikes sent her reeling. "Please, talk to me! I...! I know you're not like this! I know this isn't how we're supposed to be! We're supposed to be friends, aren't we? I...! I dream about it! I dream about you! Please, Mikoto! Just stop and talk to me!"
The redhead's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, as the wild-child didn't even seem to acknowledge that she could hear, much less understand, any of Mai's words. She just kept swinging away and chasing after Mai despite the redhead's attempts to keep her at bay.
Dammit! Mai thought desperately to herself as she grit her teeth, she's even stronger than before!
It had to be Chikane-san's doing. Turning the Hime into her necks was allowing them to draw on Orochi's combined power, such that even a Servant like St. Vlas, who, as a Child, had specialized in manipulation and treachery, was now wielding so much frightening fire power, he was simply attacking Diana head on.
With her hands full of Mikoto, Mai knew something had to give, and it happened when she heard Akira shout, "Mai-san!" urgently at her, and sent a rain of energy charged shuriken at the cat girl.
Unfortunately, Mikoto simply whirled around and deflected Akira's shuriken, sending them flying about wildly and in all directions.
What happened thereafter, Mai couldn't really tell, but somehow, despite the chaos, Mai could hear the sickening 'splut!' as one of those deflected weapons sank into the middle of Shizuru's back, and disappeared there. The tawny haired girl's eyes went wide with shock, her mouth opened in a silent 'o' of surprise, as she reflectively jerked upward, pulling her naginata up, freezing in place.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, and then a deep red began to seep out of the wound, staining the back of her white shirt a bloody, bloody crimson.
Time seemed to stand still as Mai stared in disbelief at what had happened.
Shizuru remained standing for a moment more, before her naginata fell from her fingers to the ground, clattering. Slowly she turned around, and Mai stared in horror as she saw that most of the shuriken had actually passed through Shizuru's body and the front half was visible from the front of her chest where an equally red stain was quickly blossoming out.
Mai opened her mouth to scream, but no words seemed to be able to leave her lips.
'This can't be happening!' Her mind screamed, 'THIS ISN'T HAPPENING!'
The tawny haired girl stared down at her chest incredulously, as though she couldn't believe that it was going to be such a tiny piece of metal that did in the Hime of Kiyohime. With shaking fingers, she reached up to touch one of the sharp edges of the throwing star in her chest, and said, her voice trembling, "a-ara? A-and just what is this s-silly little...?" She didn't get to finish as her body spasmed and she coughed out a mouthful of blood.
Shizuru's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she dropped heavily to her knees, then collapsed onto her side, unmoving.
Time continued to stand still, until Kiyohime gave an absolutely deafening screeeeach of anguish and reared upwards, all six of her mouths open and screaming. It was a roar that must have been heard all across this world and maybe even into the next, capturing all the combatants on the field's attention easily.
Mai heard her own voice shriek out in horror, "SHIZURU-SAN!" even as Kiyohime started to fade away, her bottom half already disintegrated into a smattering of tiny green sparkles.
"Shizuru-san!" Mai shrieked, desperately trying to make her way to the fallen Hime's side. "Shizuru-san!"
But before she had made it there, Chikane had beat her to the punch, and had gone to Shizuru's side, crouched down so that she was very close to Shizuru's face. She only stayed there for a brief moment, before she quickly got up again, and Mai was very confused to see that Chikane's yellow eyes were wide with what seemed like... fright? And they seemed closer to blue than yellow? But then those eyes quickly narrowed in determination, and Mai became only more confused as she watched Chikane summon her glowing blue bow and arrow. The arrow turned a sombre purple-black color as Chikane cocked it, and pointed it at what remained of Kiyohime, who was half-way disintegrated into green sparkles already.
And then Chikane shot her arrow at Kiyohme, striking the Child in one of her necks, causing the Child to give a second hell raising scream.
By this time, Mai had reached Chikane and Shizuru and she crumbled to the ground beside Shizuru, screaming her name in blind panic and clutching at her best friend's girlfriend.
"Shizuru-san, hold on! Don't go! What would Natsuki say?! Hang on, Shizuru-san! Hang on!"
Mai wasn't sure if Shizuru heard her or not.
The tawny haired girl screamed in pain as her body arched off the ground despite Mai's attempts to hold onto her. A light burst forth from the side of her abdomen - where her Hime mark was - and Mai stared in horrified fascination as she could see the Hime mark change in color from a bright red to a glowing dark purple, and then change into the shape of a crescent moon cradling a complicated intertwining mass of lines.
Shizuru gave a struggling, wheezing sound that didn't quite sound like breathing as she began to spasm wildly.
*MAHORABA*
The atmosphere at Oogami Shrine was one of despondency and anxiety. Natsuki was sitting beside Kurusugawa Himeko, who had been tucked into a futon and who hadn't woken all day despite Natsuki's - and everyone else's - best attempts.
After Himeko had collapsed into the water at the stroke of midnight, they had managed to get her back to Oogami Shrine, where Natsuki, Midori and Nao had found themselves under fire from a barrage of questioning from Makoto and Souma. It was Kazuki who had had to act as a referee, as Makoto and Souma were both very, very upset.
For a while, Natsuki didn't think the married couple would believe them, as they spent most of the night explaining ancient legends and folklore. It wasn't until when Nao, in a moment of frustration, called Julia into the room, that the residents of Oogami Shrine had stared, absolutely flabbergasted, and started to believe.
When the explanation was over, Makoto had wanted to kick the Hime all out of the shrine, but eventually, Souma had been able to convince her not to.
They had made a flurry of phone calls back to Fuuka to explain what had happened, and then gotten caught up on the news on what had been going on on that front. Natsuki was shocked to hear how much had transpired since they had left Fuuka only a few days ago.
Natsuki found herself sitting on the veranda, looking at the solar eclipse. Behind her, the shouji screen door was open a little so that she could still see Himeko sleeping on her futon inside. Midori was inside, pouring over dozens of books and scrolls she had borrowed from Kazuki. The head of the Oogami shrine was doing something very similar in his own study as well.
When the sun had arisen the way it had this morning, that had only served to put everyone at the shrine on further edge.
Worldwide, both the science community and the religious community were having an absolute field day. Astronomers and astrophysicists the world over could not figure out how no one had seen this coming, nor what was causing it. Religious groups were sure that the end of the world was neigh.
Natsuki certainly hoped that the nutjobs weren't going to be proven right; that would be an embarrassing 'I told you so' for humanity to swallow.
She looked up when she heard the padding of feet against wood and saw Souma approaching her, wearing the full regalia of Mahoroba's Chief of Police, holding a tray with a couple mugs of something warm and steaming.
He took a seat beside Natsuki and handed her a cup.
"Has she woken up at all?" Souma asked.
Natsuki shook her head.
Souma sighed. "Did you know, when I was about your age, I had the biggest crush on Himeko. I always knew she was special... I just... never realized how special."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow at the married man. "You're taking this pretty well." She said. "Makoto-san's reaction is actually way more like how I expected it to be."
"Makoto didn't grow up in a shrine with a brother who thought he had a big part to play in saving the world. I grew up with Kazuki-nee-san telling me all about this." Souma replied, a rueful grin on his face. "And I must admit, after seeing some of the things I've seen in 12 years on the force, you really can't deny that the supernatural really do have a place in this world."
There was a pause in the conversation, before Souma asked, "what can I do to help? Do you want a police escort back to Fuuka?"
Natsuki almost laughed. "Thank you for the offer, Oogami-san, but I think your officers will probably have their hands full trying to maintain public order here in Mahoroba. And actually, are you sure you should be here? Shouldn't you be at work?"
Souma chuckled. "I'm going back now. I just came back to see if... well, I guess it was difficult for me to be at work, knowing that who determines the fate of the world is actually lying right here in my own home, but that is no excuse." He sighed, and Natsuki could feel the bitterness in that sigh, the desire to help, the frustration of powerlessness. He didn't say anything else as he got up and walked away, leaving Natsuki to her own thoughts.
After a while, Natsuki went back into the room where Himeko was sleeping, and looked over at Nao, who was leaning against the wall.
"Anything?" Natsuki asked.
Nao tilted her head at Himeko. "She's just as you've left her."
Natsuki looked over at Midori. "How much longer can we wait?"
Midori shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. She ran her hand through her hair in frustration. "It's going to take hours to get back to Fuuka at any rate. Maybe we should shove her into the back of a car and be on our way?"
Natsuki laughed weakly. "I suddenly regret turning down Oogami-san's offer for a police escort."
Nao smirked. "I don't. I don't want mama to see me go back to Fuuka in the back of a cruiser. I'd never be able to explain it."
Natsuki couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"In any case- hurk-!" Natsuki's eyes suddenly bulged as a sickening feeling of vertigo suddenly came over her and she doubled over.
Nao's eyes widened. "Oi, Kuga! What are you-"
And then, Natsuki screamed, as her eyes turned red.
You stare at the flower. It's like any other flower on the hedge. There's nothing special about it. But something about it urks you. You reach out, intending to crush it.
... but then, for some reason, you stop, your hand already closed around it, the soft petals against your palm.
You frown, and look to your left. There stands a girl you recognize immediately - she's quite a famous personality in this school after all. Fujino Shizuru looks at you idly, her vivid red eyes glancing from you, then to the flower in your hand, then back to you.
And then those eyes simply look away from you, and she continues to walk right past you, not saying a word. She has seen you, but you are beneath her notice.
You frown. "Wait!" You call, as she passes you.
She stops and turns to look at you, a little confused. "Yes?" She asks.
You swallow, suddenly unsure of why you would have called out to her like that. Your hand is still around the flower. "Um... aren't... aren't you going to stop me?" You ask.
She raises an eyebrow. "Stop you from what?"
You blush. "From... from destroying this flower." You say. "Aren't... aren't you going to say something? About... about how it's trying it's hardest to bloom?"
Fujino Shizuru blinks and shrugs. She seems a little amused. "So is every other flower on that hedge." And then she turns and continues to walk away from you...
You stare at her retreating form, stunned beyond words, unable to comprehend what had just happened...
... what had just...
No.
No!
NO! That's NOT how it happened!
You let go of the flower and quickly run after Fujino... after Shizuru! Shizuru! Your most important person.
"Shizuru, wait!" You cry out as your hand closes on her shoulder. "Wait! Where are you going? You have to stop me! This is how we meet!"
You spin Shizuru around, and the look she gives you now is no longer one of amusement, but one of annoyance. "Ara, I'm sorry, but just who do you think you are?" She frowns. "I'm very busy, and I don't have time to-"
"Shizuru, it's *me*!" You plead. "Natsuki! Your Natsuki!"
Your name seems to strike Shizuru in the head like a bolt of lightning and she reels, taking a step back. "Na... Natsuki?" She whispers, confused. "But..."
In panic, you step forward into Shizuru's personal space and you grab her face. Angling up, you kiss her deeply on the mouth, and you linger there.
'Please!' You think. 'Please, Shizuru! Remember!'
Shizuru's eyes widen in surprise for a moment and she doesn't respond, but then, something seems to go 'click!' in her head and she does respond, passionately. Her arms go around you, as she pulls you closes, holding you tightly, as though she is afraid she will lose you if she lets go.
The world suddenly shimmers, and shakes, and you are no longer in the rose garden at Fuuka, so many years ago.
Instead, you find yourself floating in a sea of endless stars, in the present day, embracing Shizuru so fiercely it almost hurts.
"Oh, Natsuki!" Shizuru breathes in panic, hugging you so tightly it hurts. "Natsuki! For a moment, I couldn't remember you! For a moment, I-!"
"What's going on?!" You cry. "Shizuru, what's going on?"
Shizuru swallows. "I... I think I'm hurt." She finally says, and then her eyes bulge as a trickle of blood leaks out from the side of her mouth. She looks down at the piece of metal protruding from her chest, and she looks almost embarrassed. "Yes... yes, I am. And I think Chikane-san is trying to save me by turning me into one of her necks..."
You boggle. "What?!"
And suddenly, the universe starts to shake, and you scream as something appears to be trying to rip Shizuru away from you.
She screams too, as her body is suddenly lifted up into the air. A dark, swirling maw appears behind her, and tendrils of dark energy have wrapped around one of Shizuru's legs like a dark cyclone, gripping her lower half and trying to suck her away from you. "Natsuki!" Shizuru screams.
You hang onto Shizuru with all your might, stubbornly refusing to let go. "Shizuru!" You scream. "Shizuru, no! I won't let you have her! I WON'T! SHE'S MINE!"
And you scream, and cling to Shizuru with all your might, all your strength, and resist the pull of despair, the unwinding and rewriting of time...
"Kuga!" Nao cried in panic, grabbing onto Natsuki's body. "Kuga, what's going on?! Snap out of it!"
In Nao's arms, Natsuki continued to scream and convulse, her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she thrashed so hard, Nao had to let her go, or risk being pummeled.
"N-No! NO!"Natsuki rasped through gritted teeth, struggling against some unseen phantom that seemed to have gripped her body. She clawed at herself, thrashing and rolling, ripping at her t-shirt so hard she tore it in an absolute fit of thrashing madness.
Both Nao and Midori had to hold her down to keep her from hurting herself, and then, between the two of them, they managed to pin her down.
"HELP!" Midori cried desperately, even as she struggled with Natsuki's arms. "Kazuki, please! Anyone! HELP!"
The commotion prompted the Oogami household to come running, Kazuki and Souma (still in his police uniform) both burst into the room while Makoto held onto her frightened son and stayed by the doorway.
"What's going on?!" Souma cried as both he and his brother tried to come in and help Nao and Midori hold Natsuki down.
It became abundantly clear that Natsuki was no ordinary girl, and neither were Nao or Midori for that matter, as she was able to fling both men around the room like they were paper weights. Kazuki slammed against a desk, stunned, while Souma hit the wall hard.
Souma recovered first, and rushed back, tackling on top of Natsuki and holding her down through sheer grit and tenancy. "What the hell!" He yelled, snarling as he struggled. "What happened?!"
"Midori, look!" Nao cried, pointing at Natsuki's back.
Underneath the rips in Natsuki's shirt, everyone could see her Hime mark on her lower back glowing and seem to shift into another shape - that of a purple crescent moon cradling a massive of interconnecting lines.
Kazuki boggled. "It's the mark of Orochi!" He cried.
But even as he said it, the mark seemed to shift back into the red circle of the Hime mark, and then back to the mark of Orochi, and then back into a Hime mark...
The entire time, Natsuki continued to scream and thrash. "No! That's not-! That's not right! That's not what happened! Hnnggh! No! NO!"
And as Kuga Natsuki struggled against her new destiny, tiny purple scales began to appear on her skin, surrounding her Hime mark. At first, there was only a small patch. But as Natsuki continued to struggle, and as everyone watched, the patch continued to grow, and grow, until it covered almost her entire back.
Somehow, though they could never have seen it before, both Kazuki and Souma's eyes went wide as they saw the scaling - as though they recognized it.
Midori caught the look on the brothers' faces. "What?!" She cried. "What is it?!"
"She's fighting against it." Souma replied, even as he continued to hold down Natsuki. The astonishment on his face bespoke that he had absolutely no idea how he could have known this. "She's fighting against Orochi, and he is cursing her for it! God! It's spreading fast!"
With everyone's attention on Natsuki, no one noticed when Himeko's eyes snapped open, and then blink a couple of times.
No one noticed as Himeko slowly sat up from her futon, a completely blank expression on her face.
No one noticed as Himeko turned to look at the scene in front of her, taking in the situation with absolutely no reaction or clue to show that she comprehended what was going on in front of her. After a moment of observation, she frowned, and her eyebrows set in determination.
No one noticed Himeko until Makoto, from the doorway gasped her name, for the tawny haired woman had gotten up and had crossed the room quickly and purposefully, pushing Souma aside to take his place by Natsuki's side.
"Wha?" Souma boggled. "Himeko?"
Then, everyone noticed as the mark of the sun blaze to life on Himeko's chest, where the sleeping yukata she had been wrapped in had loosened, as she reached out and placed her hand directly on top of Natsuki's Hime mark.
There was a blinding light, and everyone had to look away, as Natsuki screamed once more.
When the blinding light faded, Natsuki had stopped thrashing. She laid on her front weakly, her whole body heaving as she gasped for breath, a look of weariness in her tired green eyes, as though she had been through a terrible ordeal.
The dark purple scales on her back were completely gone, thought Himeko still had her hand on Natsuki's back. She slowly lifted her hand away, revealing Natsuki's Hime mark was glowing a brilliant gold, and moved that hand to Natsuki's head, stroking her hair comfortingly.
"Are you alright, Natsuki-chan?" Himeko asked gently.
Natsuki turned to look at Himeko weakly and was stunned.
Himeko seemed... a very changed woman. She looked about the same, but now there was an ancient sort of solemnity and wisdom in her amethyst eyes that hadn't been there previously. "What... what happened?" Natsuki asked weakly. And then her eyes widened as she struggled to get up. "Shizuru! She's...! Is she safe?!"
Himeko thought about this, and shook her head solemnly. "She is not. No one is."
Then Himeko looked outside the window, and everyone else followed her gaze.
They all boggled.
Outside, the solar eclipse had been replaced with a giant swirling maw entirely, shrouding the world in darkness. All over the sky, tiny rips and tears had formed, and from them things were falling.
The world was starting to fall apart.
It wasn't too difficult for The Ends of the World to find the Obsidian Lord, hiding within the folds of reality. Normally, when a God didn't want to be found, no one would be able to find them, but the Obsidian Lord was screaming so loudly through the fabric of reality, even minor gods and spirits were scurrying away from him.
Akio bent over, picked up the crackled marble crystal up between his thumb and forefinger, and brought it up to his face.
'YOOOU!' Screamed the Obsidian Lord savagely, 'HOW DARE YOU! YOU *TRICKED* ME! YOU PROMISED ME REVENGE! YOU PROMISED ME!'
"I promised you the Hime," Akio replied tonelessly. "And I was well on my way to fulfilling my end of the bargain. Himeno Fumi and Suishouhime. Minagi Mikoto and Miroku. They were both within your grasp, and in a few more days, the remaining Hime would have fallen to Orochi as well. But you just weren't patient enough, were you? You just had to pressure Chikane so. You are a fool, Obsidian."
The broken incarnation of greed and ambition could only continue to scream and rage at the Fallen Prince, his words devolved into mindless screaming and wrath.
Akio's eyes narrowed. "Just be thankful that your incompetence has not cost me my goal, or you will cease to exist. As it is, Obsidian, you have one more chance for revenge. One."
'?'
The Obsidian lord was no longer capable of words, but the End of the World could tell that somewhere in there, he understood.
Bringing the cracked marble crystal up to his face, Akio calmly pushed the jewel into the bindi on his forehead, and absorbed the Obsidian Lord.
His brilliant green eyes (the same shade as Ame no Murakumo's) shifted, and changed into a bright menacing yellow.
The paradox was too strong.
From one direction, powered by the Moon, and Despair, one Fujino Shizuru's past was being rewritten to a past where she had never come to meet, and love Kuga Natsuki. From the other direction, powered by the Sun, and Hope, Kuga Natsuki stubbornly resisted this change, this incorrect retelling of her life, where she was so adamant to have met and fallen in love with Fujino Shizuru. And despite the pressures and tensions reaped on them by ancient entities powerful enough to be called gods, the two girls caught in between it all absolutely refused to let go of one another.
Something had to give.
But it wasn't going to be Fujino Shizuru. And it wasn't going to be Kuga Natsuki.
In the end, it was the world itself that couldn't take it - reality itself that couldn't take the torsion that those who could manipulate it with their wills were putting on it.
With a giant groaning, screeching sound heard halfway around the world, reality was pulled too roughly, and it finally began to unravel entirely at the source of the discord.
A gigantic crack, half as large as Fuuka Academy, split the air, and through it rained a storm of monsters and strange objects - things living and not, that didn't have a chance to exist in this world, and then, suddenly, was given the chance to, as the world seemed to suddenly forget what had actually really existed in it with what it thought could have existed.
And it wasn't just at Fuuka either.
The entire fabric of reality threatened to unravel, with holes and patches appearing not just all over Japan, but all over the planet.
Collectively, humanity screamed in terror as thousands, perhaps millions of creatures and items, some tiny, some massive, suddenly started to rain down from the skies, all over the world, simultaneously. Where these tears in reality formed over the oceans or in wilderness, there was little casualty, but where they formed over heavily populated areas...
The worst part wasn't even that it was the monsters themselves causing harm, so much as it was humanity, in its blind ignorance and panic, hurting itself.
It was the last straw.
The Gods could no longer stay idly on the sidelines, content to let humanity figure it out on their own. All of reality was at stake. Something had to be done.
In the abandoned shrine on the moon, the new Prince's ocean blue eyes snapped open.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
That's right. If Shizuru doesn't love Natsuki, then the world is wrong and must be destroyed. =P
Or, in guubear's words, "... did Shiznat just destroy the world?"
A few chapters ago, I think I told everyone to go read Dezopenguin's "Madness of the Sun". I hope you all have, 'cause I think it's a brilliant piece into how Himeko works, and has also become a litttle piece of Kannazuki no Canon for me. ^_^ I didn't really want to cover the exact same ground as that fic though, so Dezo, I hope you don't mind where I went/will go with that theme...
I struggled a bit with some of the flashback scenes at the beginning of this chapter. For a long time, I tried to include one that flashed back to the rape scene in the original Kannazuki no Miko but I just... I just couldn't do it. Argh! _
Things are gearing up for the last hurrah here! Thank you to all of you for sticking with me this far!
And, as always, a big thank you to guubear, without whom this fic would still be languishing as incomplete!
Cheers,
jen-chan
jen-chan-shaw. livejournal. com
OMAKE I: Wrong Fandom
[MAKOTO, SOUMA, KAZUKI, HIMEKO, NATSUKI, NAO and MIDORI are all at OOGAMI Shrine staring up at the Solar Eclipse with thousands and thousands of orphans falling out of it.]
HIMEKO: [Very sombre] It's the paradoxes. It's too strong. The world is done for.
NATSUKI: What can we do?!
MIDORI: Wait, I know! In cases like this, a man usually shows up!
[Cue a wheezing, whooshing sound, and suddenly, a navy blue POLICE BOX - the TARDIS - appears from nowhere into the middle of the room. The 9th DOCTOR (you know, the one with the black leather jacket, who dealt with paradoxes in that episode by locking everyone inside a church) jumps out of the TARDIS.]
DOCTOR: Nobody panic, I'm the Doctor!
[Suddenly, a giant HALISEN appears from off screen, and smacks the DOCTOR and the TARDIS out of the scene until they disappear as twinkling stars in the sky. The CAMERA pans over to HARUKOW, standing on her hind legs, holding the HALISEN in one hoof, while the other hoof holds a sign.]
HARUKOW: Moooou. [SIGN reads: 'No More Characters From Other Series Until I Get My Screen Time.']
OMAKE II: One of the Last Few Remaining Mai-Hime Style Previews
[AKIRA's voice can be heard doing the voice over for a series of fast paced clips edited together very confusingly and with deliberate misrepresentation so brazen the producers should be ashamed of themselves.]
AKIRA: [Clearly nervous and anxious] N-Next time, on Revolutions, a... a...
TAKUMI: [Cocks his head confusedly] What's wrong Akira-kun?
AKIRA: [Bursts into tears] Waaah! [Pulls TAKUMI into a hug]. It's all my fault the world is ending! One of my shuriken killed Shizuru-san!
MAI: [Slides on screen beside TAKUMI and AKIRA and pats AKIRA calmly on the head]. Oh there, there, Akira, it's not your fault. The author said it herself: Shiznat destroyed the world.
SHIZURU & NATSUKI: Hey! Don't blame us!
MAI: [IRRITATED] Well it did! Dude! I'M the main character of Mai Hime! Me! And yet, no one seems to care whether I end up with Tate or Reito or Mikoto! All fandom seems to care about is the two of you! [Storms off in a huff.]
SHIZURU & NATSUKI: ... ... ...
TAKUMI: [Still trying to comfort AKIRA] Um, don't mind Nee-chan. She's just a little jealous. Anyway, Akira-kun, do you want to finish the preview?
AKIRA: [Nodding weakly]. Please stay tuned for Chapter 22 of Revolutions, Climax III - Prince.