The next day I returned to the shrine. I was stopped in my tracks by the overwhelming voices I could hear coming from inside. Soon I figured out that Akane had returned. I peeked in from an upper window and saw that indeed she had returned. Something inside me ripped me apart. With all the guardians in the room celebrating her return. I couldn't stand to see any more so I simply took my eyes off of the scene but I couldn't leave. I continued to listen to their cheers. I was only the replacement.

"Akane, let's move you back into your old room! This way you can continue to stay here and actually do something. The fake priestess just lazed around doing nothing and complained all the time." Tenma said drinking another cup of sake.

"Oh no, we can't do that. It wouldn't be nice. I will just find a different room."

"Don't be silly, that room is for the priestess and you are the official priestess."Some of the guardians and some servants howled with laughter. Usually they would not laugh like that but because they had so much to drink.

After that I had heard enough and quietly went back to my room to gather what few things I had. I looked about the room and those days of me lazing around didn't seem so bad anymore and now I had to leave, but I knew this day would come eventually.

"You know, you don't have to leave." It was Akane. She has somehow managed to leave her own welcoming party and sneak all the way here.

"Yes I do, now that you are here there is no need for me to be here."

"You could me my advisor. I heard that when the villages were being attacked you went up to the mountain by yourself and then the attacks stopped. They keep giving me the credit by I insist that I didn't do anything but they won't listen to me."

"There is a surprise." I said to her placing my things in a small bag prepared to put on my horse and leave this place forever.

"What did you do?" She asked sitting down on the bed that now belonged to her.

"Nothing really, I just talked to this guy. I highly doubt that he stopped the attacks."

"Who did you talk to? What did he look like?"

"Well he had blue eyes and blonde hair, sorry I am not very good at descriptions but he did say his name. I think it was Kurama, no Akurama, no Akuram. I don't remember." Her eyes widen at the last name I said. I took that as a sign that she knew him.

The voices in the hall were calling for Akane. The voices came from the guardians and the others who were in the shrine. "See, it's not my name they call. It's yours."

"Wait," she said in an attempt to stop me from leaving but it was too late. She continued to stare out the window exited from. The door burst open and there was everyone excited and happy still in the celebration spirit.

Akane was staring off into space and once the group noticed that she wasn't paying attention Tenma asked, "What's wrong?"

She mumbled to herself at first then she spoke again where everyone could hear her. "Blue eyes," her eyes were lost in her fantasies and her face was longing to see those eyes she had imagined.

"Hi mom," I said walking in the door of my small house I consider to be a hut.

"Hey honey, what are you doing here?" She was stirring a pot of soup of a small fire in the middle of the room.

"She came back."

"Akane?" I nodded my head. I told her what happened minus the part where I met a demon in the mountains and had a normal conversation with him. "Well it is about time she came back. I mean what kind of Priestess of the Dragon God just disappears like that? Honestly, she has no decency. I wonder what she was up to all this time. But now that you are back you can help your father with the farm. Haru has been helping out as much as he can but he has a family of his own to take care of…" my mother went on with her story and I simply looked out the window and saw my dad coming working the field. I went outside to greet him.

The day passed by quickly and I found myself awake around 11 at night. I couldn't help but slightly miss my old life because now my life was full of mystery. I don't know what my dream means, I don't know why I felt the way I did when I saw Akuram and most importantly I don't know what is going to happen next.