Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Though I wish I do)
Summary:
Have you ever heard of Black Magic? What do you know about them? Natsuki is a rising star in the Fuuka Police Headquarter who solves her case based on logic & facts. However, her world is turned upside down when she meets Shizuru. Shizuru lives in a world that can never be defined by logic and facts.
Shizuru brought her toiletries along with a few sets of clothes to Natsuki's place.
Right now, Natsuki was seated at her bed, rubbing her hair dry with her towel.
Her face was still pale even after the warm shower. Shizuru observed.
"Come, I will help to blow dry your hair." Shizuru took a hairdryer and started to blow dry Natsuki's hair. "You will feel more comfortable once your hair is dry."
Natsuki let Shizuru take over without any protests. She was feeling lethargic for some reason and could most probably fall asleep any moment. Though she was still shocked over the earlier incident (Chapter 10) and wanted to ask Shizuru more questions, she was feeling too tired to think much about it. Natsuki guessed it was a good thing because she wasn't dwelling too much on it. Perhaps she would ask the questions tomorrow morning when she's feeling more awake. Natsuki thought absentmindedly.
Shizuru combed through Natsuki's silky hair. "Your hair is so straight, smooth and silky. Not like mine. Mine curls at the tips and it is so hard to manage my hair at times. When I was younger, I hoped for hair like yours. Straight and smooth and..."
Shizuru's words trailed off when Natsuki suddenly leaned against her shoulder. She glanced down only to see Natsuki dozing off in the midst of having her hair blown dry.
"Natsuki?" Shizuru called out softly. There was no reply.
Shizuru chuckled. Who would expect Natsuki to fall asleep so quickly especially after the ordeal earlier on. But at least she managed to fall asleep. Shizuru was worried that Natsuki would have difficulty sleeping after seeing the head called out her name.
Shizuru smiled, a face softened as she continued to blow dry Natsuki's hair. Her hair was thick so Shizuru needed to make sure that her hair was dry before she went to bed. Otherwise, Natsuki might catch a cold, going to sleep with her hair wet.
Once done, Shizuru looked down at Natsuki again. She slept through all the noise from the hair dryer. Natsuki must be very tired.
Shizuru moved aside and gently placed Natsuki on her bed.
Shizuru stretched out and lay next to Natsuki on the bed. It might be better to sleep with Natsuki tonight. She turned on her side and faced Natsuki. She looked so unguarded when she slept. Shizuru smiled as she lifted up Natsuki's hair and placed a gentle kiss on the hair.
"Have a sweet dream, Natsuki." Shizuru whispered.
But Shizuru wasn't going to sleep yet. There were several questions in her mind as she thought about what happened earlier on. Her eyes sharpened. Whoever targeted Natsuki would pay for it.
The caster was definitely targeting Natsuki when he sent out the hovering head. But who is the one that sent out the hovering head and why? Why did he do that?
Shizuru's first thought was Tomoe and at the thought of Tomoe, irritation built up with Shizuru. If it was really Tomoe, then she was getting in the way, making it difficult for her to spend time with Natsuki. Perhaps, it was time to get rid of her. Shizuru wondered.
But on the other hand, she had seen Tomoe's right eye recently. She wasn't the one who practised this Black Magic. And Tomoe didn't have the skills and talent to practise that. So she shouldn't be the one.
If it wasn't Tomoe, then Shizuru found it hard to be someone else. If it was Tomoe, then it would be easy to guess why Tomoe targeted Natsuki. Tomoe got easily jealous of anyone who came close to her.
If Tomoe wasn't the one, then the caster had no other reason to come after Natsuki. Why would the caster do that? Unless he had seen Natsuki and her in the park that night and came after Natsuki? But why only Natsuki? Or was Natsuki's investigation closing in on him. Hence the caster decided to kill Natsuki?
There were many unanswered questions in Shizuru's mind. The situation was getting more complex than she initially thought and she didn't like the fact that the enemy was hiding in the hard.
Shizuru sighed and put her arms around Natsuki. For now, it might be best that she stays with Natsuki for a while, at least until she could find out who sent the hovering head after Natsuki.
She would sleep for now and asked Mikoto to help her carry out some investigation tomorrow.
Morning came quickly and the sun shone brightly into Natsuki's room, lighting up the whole place.
Shizuru woke up and realised that Natsuki was still asleep. She looked at Natsuki and her eyes sharpened. Natsuki's face seemed rather flustered and breaths rugged.
"Natsuki...Natsuki, wake up..." Shizuru gently patted Natsuki's face.
Shizuru frowned immediately the moment she came into contact with Natsuki's skin.
Natsuki's face was warm and her temperature seemed higher than normal.
Fever.
Shizuru tried calling out Natsuki's name and patting her arms but Natsuki did not respond. She would have wanted Natsuki to continue to rest and sleep. But it would be best if Natsuki takes medication first before she continues sleeping. So Shizuru had no choice but to shake Natsuki's shoulders and forcely wake her up to feed her some medicine. And once that was done, Natsuki quickly fell back into bed and returned to her sleep.
Shizuru raised her hand and using her fore and middle fingers, she drew something in the air. And with a gentle tap in the middle, Shizuru sent something flying into Natsuki's body, creating a momentary glow around Natsuki's body.
It was a good luck spell to aid Natsuki in her quick recovery. Hopefully Natsuki would recover soon.
However, by mid-afternoon, Natsuki's temperature still wasn't subsiding and remained unnaturally high.
Shizuru sat on the bed next to Natsuki. Natsuki's face looked paler now compared to this morning. It didn't look good.
Shizuru frowned as she reached out to touch her face again.
"Natsuki, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes and look at me? Natsuki?" Shizuru gently patted Natsuki's face.
Natsuki groaned but did not respond to Shizuru's request.
Something didn't seem right.
Shizuru quickly pried open Natsuki's left and right eyelids and then moved her fingers to rest on Natsuki's wrist. Shizuru listened to the pulse for a while before her eyes narrowed. Then Shizuru moved her hand again to touch her palm against Natsuki's forehead. There was a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Ara… I was careless ne. Gomen-ne Natsuki. I will make you feel better in a while." Shizuru looked at Natsuki and gave her a reassuring pat.
When Shizuru looked up, her lips were compressed into a tight line. Displeasure evident on her face.
She was careless and allowed the hovering head to call out a part of Natsuki's soul. It was said that a person's soul was made up of ten smaller ones. Using Natsuki as an example, Natsuki's soul resided inside her own physical body. The soul could be extracted from the body, which acted as a shell. Natsuki's soul was actually made up of ten smaller pieces of soul. You could think of it as putting ten miniature Natsuki together would give you a full complete Natsuki. Each miniature Natsuki has its own characteristics.
The first three miniature souls controll the intellect, the consciousness and the life. The intellect provides humans with the intelligence to understand, create and innovate while the conscious part of the soul allows humans to be self aware and to remember. And the last part, life, indicates that a person is alive, to be considered a living thing.
Humans are the only living creatures to have all the three pieces. Humans are the only living things with the ability to understand, create, innovate, be aware of self and to remember past experiences. Whereas, animals, like cats and dogs, only have the last two miniature souls. They are living things who are aware of themselves and remember things but are unable to create and innovate. And lastly, plants are living things, but unable to be self aware and do not have the ability to remember things, let alone be able to understand, create and innovate.
And the last seven pieces of soul controlled the emotions, namely joy, sadness, anger, fear, jealousy, love and vile. Any part of it missing would mean that the person would not be able to express such emotion.
Shizuru did a check just now and part of Natsuki's soul, which was consciousness and joy, was taken yesterday. Hence, this left Natsuki in a semi unconscious state and running a fever. If the soul is incomplete, Natsuki could slip into a coma until her soul pieces are back. Or, if Natsuki was lucky, she might wake up in the end but would not be able to function at normal capacity or what she used to be.
And the best way for Natsuki to recover was for her to take the pieces back. To take the pieces of soul back, Shizuru needed to 招魂 [招: pronounce as zhao while 魂: pronounce as hun]. 招 means summon. And 魂 means soul.
Shizuru would need to conduct a ritual to 招魂 (summon back the soul). But first, she would need Mikoto to bring her the needed items for the ritual. She took out her handphone and sent a series of messages to Mikoto.
An hour later, Mikoto had everything prepared.
Mikoto set out a table covered with a yellow cloth. On the table, she placed two red burning candles, a bowl of glutinous rice and a yarn of red strings. And in the middle of the table was a miniature straw man pasted with a piece of yellow paper. The paper had Natsuki's name, date and time of birth written on it. And the time and date of birth must be in accordance with the lunar calendar.
The straw man was a representation of Natsuki. Shizuru was going to use it as a temporary holding place for Natsuki's souls when it was called back.
Once everything was ready, Shizuru started the ritual. She chanted out the spells and drew out a series of ancient words in the air using her fore and middle fingers, before tapping it and sending it flying in the direction of where Natsuki was.
Quickly, Shizuru took an end of the string and snapped it onto Natsuki's fingers. Strangely enough, with just a snap by Shizuru, the string managed to wrap tightly onto Natsuki's finger.
Shizuru took the other end and wrapped it onto the strawman. The strings acted as a medium connecting Natsuki and the strawman. This would allow the strawman to borrow Natsuki's aura so that her two pieces of soul would think that the strawman was Natsuki and be more willing to enter the strawman.
Five minutes into the ritual, the string between Natsuki and the strawman suddenly snapped tight and became taut between the two ends. Then the strawman began to move as it was alive. It stood up on its own, standing on two legs, without Shizuru holding on to it.
Natsuki's soul pieces were inside the strawman now. All she needed to do next was to move the pieces back into Natsuki's body and seal them inside. Shizuru thought, satisfied that she had gotten Natsuk back.
But just as Shizuru was about to grab hold of the strawman, the string went very taut and snapped. The strawman collapsed lifelessly back to the table.
At the same time, Natsuki suddenly snapped awake with her face contorted in pain. She quickly turned to the side of her bed and vomited.
Shizuru rushed to Natsuki's bedside. "Natsuki?"
But the moment the vomiting stopped, Natsuki went weak and collapsed back onto the bed, fainting into oblivion once again.
When Shizuru walked back to the ritual table, there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. Her eyes glowed a crimson red.
She already had Natsuki's soul pieces residing in the strawman. But before she could return them back to Natsuki's body, someone stepped in and snatched the soul pieces back. And now, the other party was currently holding on to part of Natsuki's soul, refusing to let go.
The Black Magician must have realised that Shizuru had taken Natsuki's soul pieces back and decided to step in and snatch the pieces back.
If Shizuru tried to forcefully recall Natsuki's soul pieces back again, a two way tussle between Shizuru and the Black Magician would only harm Natsuki, causing her pain, just like what happened to Natsuki earlier on. The least she wanted was for Natsuki's soul to be injured in the process.
But she had to get Natsuki's soul pieces back.
Shizuru stared at the table, her hand clutching the strawman. She was furious. How dared that person stole Natsuki's soul from her! He would pay for this.
"Never take anything away from me. Especially not without my permission." Shizuru said as her eyes glowed a crimson red.
She quickly snapped three pieces of talismans into her finger and put them to the fire, allowing them to burn.
"Never try to take her from me!"
At that moment, a gust of wind blew strong and fierce into the room.
Despite the strong wind, the three talismans burned brightly. Shizuru chanted a spell and threw the burning talismans into the air. "Submit to my command! Decent!"
And in the distance, there was a flash of lightning followed by a loud thunder. This was quickly followed by another flash of lightning and roar of thunder. Then another. A total of three. And then there was silence.
Shizuru glanced in the direction of the lightning. It was in the direction of Fuuka University.
This time round, Shizuru did the same as she did previously. She snapped the red string onto Natsuki and the strawman and without much trouble, Natsuki's soul pieces came back and were safely returned to her body.
The result was immediate and visible. Natsuki was no longer pale and sickly and her temperature was slowly going down.
Shizuru nodded her head and was satisfied that Natsuki was safe now. She pulled the blanket up to make sure that Natsuki was properly covered.
"Mikoto, can you help me clear this up? I will be back in a while." Shizuru said as she turned and left the place.
The WhatsApp group chat that Shizuru was in was already abuzz with chats and had been very active since just now.
Apparently a staff member in the university had been struck by lightning in broad daylight while taking a break at one of the parks in the university.
Shizuru entered the park and saw groups of people loitering around. It was rare to see so many people gathered in the park at this time and especially so after the recent spate of deaths in the park. People had been avoiding parks like plague.
Shizuru followed the flow of people and along the way, she saw a number of the students she taught and also a few of her colleagues. And Shizuru was also sure that amidst those people, many of them practised Black Magic. Fuuka University wasn't just any university. Fuuka University was the gathering ground for many people who practised Black Magic or witchcraft. Shizuru estimated the proportion of people who were involved in Black Magic to be between twenty percent to thirty percent of the whole university population. That was quite significant actually.
"Did you see that? The lighting came out of nowhere striking the girl! I am not kidding you. There are lightning needles, tall trees and poles all around. And out of all these, the lightning struck the girl!" A male student whispered to his friends.
"This is so freaking weird!" Another student added. "Lightning all of a sudden when there wasn't even a dark cloud. It was a clear blue sky with no hint of rain."
There was much murmuring along the way as students and staff members discussed what they heard and saw.
Shizuru finally arrived where the lightning strike took place. It was a secluded area in the park. Visitors, unless very familiar with this park, might have difficulty finding this corner. No wonder the caster chose this place.
Shizuru walked past the thick crowd of curious onlookers and saw Tomoe barely conscious, lying on the ground with blood oozing out from her nose and mouth.
Shizuru raised her eyebrows when she saw Tomoe. That was unexpected. She was even more surprised when she saw a man standing next to Tomoe.
Shizuru cocked her head and tried to recall his name. His name should be Wataru Ishigami, if Shizuru wasn't wrong.
The paramedics were already present and in the process of lifting Tomoe onto the stretcher to be pushed out of the park.
As if sensing Shizuru's presence, Tomoe's eyes fluttered open and accurately zoomed into where Shizuru was standing.
"Onee-sama…" Tomoe opened her mouth to call out Shizuru, but no voice came out. Her breaths were coming in short as she tried to reach out in Shizuru's direction.
Seeing Tomoe's restlessness despite her severe injury, Wataru Ishigami turned his head in the direction where Tomoe was looking.
Wataru Ishigami spotted Shizuru immediately and glared at her, unable to conceal the anger and hatred that were brewing within him.
Shizuru smiled and moved towards Wataru Ishigami. Looked like they spotted her. The crowd automatically parted ways, allowing Shizuru to walk through.
Tomoe struggled and reached out her hand when Shizuru was nearing them. But Shizuru just stopped at where she was, a short distance shy of being touched by Tomoe.
Tomoe kept her hands in the air, hoping that Shizuru would reciprocate and hold her hand in return.
But Shizuru only stood here, a gentle smile plastered on her face.
Finally accepting that Shizuru onee-sama wasn't going to give any response, Tomoe gave a bitter chuckle, barely audible given her condition.
"Are you surprised that it's me?" She gasped as she struggled to sit up. But Wataru Ishigami stopped her and insisted she lay down.
Shizuru stood there watching Tomoe, without giving any response.
"Is she that important to you that you would do this to me?" Tomoe gasped in between her coughs. Pain was wreaking havoc on her body but it didn't tone down the hatred and jealousy Tomoe felt for Natsuki. "Even when you know I love you so much, onee-sama. You know I am the one for you!"
Tomoe swiped Wataru Ishigami's hands out of the way and struggled to sit up again despite his protest. The exertion was making Tomoe paler.
A paramedic quickly came over and held Tomoe down, advising her to stay still and rest.
"I would suggest that you listen to the paramedics." Shizuru advised and stood a distance away, that same smile was still plastered on her face.
Yet everything about Shizuru felt so distant.
So near and yet so far.
The lights in Tomoe's eyes dulled.
Shizuru-sama said "she should listen to the paramedics to stay still and rest". It wasn't the same as "she should stay still and rest".
The former suggested that Tomoe should be obedient and listen to the instructions. It was an indirect way of reprimanding Tomoe for not listening. But the latter sentence, if said, showed a sense of care and concern by the speaker.
Tomoe thought bitterly, as tears gathered in her eyes.
"Why her and not me?" Tomoe struggled relentlessly again and asked as she looked searchingly into Shizuru's eyes.
Shizuru stood there with no intention of answering Tomoe. She had no intention of replying to Tomoe.
"Am I not good enough?"
"Hush. You should rest now." Wataru Ishigami injected as he placed his hand over hers. "I will bring you to see a doctor and you will recover soon."
He urged the paramedics to quickly push the stretcher towards the ambulance.
But before he left, he threw a venomous look at Shizuru.
Shizuru arched her eyebrow and smiled. It was a reply to Wataru Ishigami that she was more than ready if he wanted revenge for Tomoe.
"Alright everyone!" Shizuru turned to face the crowd and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Please don't worry. The lady will be sent to the hospital. Do return to your normal activity now. We thank you for your concern."
Shizuru dispersed the crowd and turned to leave, only to see Masashi Takeda standing a few feet away from her.
Masashi Takeda smiled and walked towards Shizuru.
"That was very daring of you, Shizuru-san."
"Ara… what do you mean, Takada-san?" Shizuru feigned innocence.
Takeda smiled instead and didn't answer Shizuru's question. There are times where answers may not be necessary. Those who were aware would know that this was done by Fujino Shizuru. The lightning that struck Tomoe wasn't the usual natural phenomenon. If you looked at the lightning carefully, there were hints of purple in it. That was unique to the Fujino Clan. And the only person who dared to outrightly call out multiple lightning bolts in the middle of broad daylight could only be Fujino Shizuru. Rumour had it that Fujino Shizuru was the only person in the clan who was able to call out multiple lightning bolts at once. Normally, a person from the Fujino Clan could only call out a single lightning bolt, with time needed to cool down. But Fujino Shizuru had enough power and ability to call out multiple lightning bolts at once.
But Takeda believed rumours had exaggerated the facts and Fujino Shizuru could have used additional aid or tools to enable her to call out multiple lightning bolts at once. Hence, rumours should not be trusted.
"Poor Tomoe. I hope she recovers." Takeda shook her head in pity and sighed before leaving the place. He came here to ascertain certain things and had seen enough for now. Oh, he knew about the salacious details between Tomoe and Shizuru and he never expected this outcome. For some reason, Fujino Shizuru had turned her fangs on Tomoe and Tomoe had paid the price for associating with Shizuru.
Takeda shrugged his shoulders. Well, women can be fickle. He thought. And all the more reasons to get Natsuki away from Shizuru.
When alone, Shizuru turned her head and spoke in the direction where a tall tree was standing, "What is it?"
"Gokigenyou Shizuru-sama. The Elders would like to see you." A shadow hidden behind a tree spoke up. "We have prepared a car for you. Kindly proceed to the car park please."
Shizuru smiled beneath her hooded eyes. Looked like her action had everyone reacting to it.
Well, she still had some time to spare before going back to Natsuki's place. And Mikoto was helping her to take care of Natsuki. So everything should be fine for now. She would go and meet those old men.
There was a black colour sedan waiting for her at the car park and a man in black suit standing next to the car, waiting for her. The moment he spotted Shizuru, he quickly bowed and greeted Shizuru.
"Gokigenyou Shizuru-sama."
He opened the door and Shizuru slid in without much of a glance at the chauffeur.
Once Shizuru was inside the car, the man quickly closed the door and walked briskly to the driver seat.
The drive was a slightly longer one as they moved out of the city. The clan's headquarters and main family were located away from the city. They preferred the quieter side of the country, away from the hustling and bustling of the city.
The gate to the manor opened and the car slowly drove in. Shizuru glanced at the scenery outside the car. It had been a while since she came back and everything, the Japanese style structure and trees, were still the same. Shizuru guessed that this place had been the same ever since it was first built.
The Fujino Clan could trace their lineage back to the Heian Period in 794 and the Fujino Clan managed to survive the various coup, epidemic, civil war and world war throughout the history up until now.
When Shizuru alighted from the car, she chose to go to her room and take a shower first. She didn't want to meet the Elders so soon. They could wait a little longer.
When she changed into her kimono and was ready, a lady in waiting led her to where the Elders had been waiting for her.
Outside the room, the lady in waiting kneeled on the floor and bowed, announcing the arrival of Shizuru.
Approval to allow Shizuru to enter was given immediately and the lady in waiting gently slid the door open.
Shizuru smiled and stepped into the room.
Ara ne… All the seven old men were here.
Shizuru mused when she saw the Elders already waiting in the room and seated on two rows, three on the right and four on the left.
Shizuru slowly walked to the front, where a zabuton (cushion for traditional Japanese sitting posture) was already laid out for her. This was where the Head of the Fujino Clan was supposed to sit.
Taking her time, Shizuru slowly lowered herself onto the zabuton.
There was silence in the room.
But Shizuru smiled and waited for them to speak first. They had always been like that, trying to use silence to intimidate whoever comes in. Shizuru guessed that these old men must be quite bored with their lives to be wanting to use this to intimidate the younger clan members.
Finally someone spoke up and he was the oldest amongst the seven Elders, the Number One.
"Shizuru-sama, this morning's commotion seemed a bit too much."
"Ara… news travels fast ne." Shizuru commented. She knew and expected the Elders to be alerted about her duel with Tomoe. There were just too many pests hovering around her, reporting her actions to the Elders. Thus, within an hour of her duel with Tomoe, the Elders already knew about it and asked to see her.
"I see the commotion as a good thing. Don't you think so?" Shizuru smiled and tilted her head slightly. "As the Head of the Fujino Clan, I represent the clan. This afternoon's commotion is a warning to others, those who dare to challenge the Fujino Clan, must be ready to pay the consequences."
There was silence as the Elders contemplated Shizuru's reply. The Elders had their considerations and priorities too. What Shizuru just said was true. In recent centuries, many small clans and guilds had formed up and had been trying to challenge the status quo in Japan. It might be good to reaffirm their dominance once again.
Shizuru's action might have brought much attention to their clan, but it also indirectly showcased the clan's ability to easily suppress any challenges, warning others not to mess with them.
Number Three chuckled. "Well, I would say this is a good warning shot. It is good that others know of our strength. Otherwise, they might think that our clan is getting outdated, weak and complacent."
Others harrumphed and reluctantly agreed with Shizuru's point.
Case closed.
Time to go back and check on Natsuki.
"Looks like we are all agreeable to it then. I shall take my leave first. Gokigenyou." Shizuru bid everyone farewell and stood up.
But as Shizuru was standing up from the zabuton, Number Two suddenly spoke up.
"Shizuru-sama, I heard about the incident about the hovering head. Please leave this alone."
Shizuru paused mid action while standing up. She looked at the floor for a moment before she smiled and looked at Number Two, politely declining his request.
"I wouldn't be able to do that."
An outright rejection of a request and it didn't sit well with the old man. It was a complete disregard of him and his authority.
Upset that Shizuru outrightly rejected his request without even a slight pause or consideration, Number Two glared at Shizuru.
Insolent young lady! Number Two thought as he released his aura, putting pressure on Shizuru, trying to pressure her into submission.
But Shizuru simply stood there and smiled.
There was a stalemate as silence filled the room, thick and tense. A knife would have easily cut through the tense atmosphere.
Number Two wanted Shizuru to leave the hovering head alone but Shizuru refused to. So everything boiled down to who was going to give in in the end.
"Hai hai…" Number Seven clapped his hand twice, breaking the silence. "I don't think there is anything wrong if Shizuru-sama wants to intervene. It is just a small issue anyway."
"Anyway, who are we to even intervene with Shizuru-sama's decision?" Number Three intervened again and added his point of view. He gave Number Two a sideway glance. This man was getting old and senile now. Couldn't he see that his pressure wasn't working on Shizuru-sama? If this continued without them interrupting, he was going to embarrass himself. "Strictly speaking, she is our Founder, the origin of Fujino Clan. She has the authority to decide what she wants to do. We should not dictate her decisions."
Number Two frowned and glared at Number Three, upset that Number Three did not support his request to Shizuru. His decision would be the best for the clan and Number Three's suggestion did not sit well with him.
Number One sighed. "Number Three is right. We shall not intervene with Shizuru-sama's decision. Meeting has ended."
Number One declared on behalf of everyone and ended the meeting, ignoring the look Number Two gave him.
Case closed once again.
"I will leave first then." And this time round, no one stopped Shizuru from leaving.
Meetings with the old men had always been boring. Shizuru thought as she sat in the car in her kimono. It was always the same old tactic and argument.
Shizuru glanced at her reflection on the car window. Her crimson coloured eyes staring back at her.
According to the record of history, the founder of the Fujino Clan was a female with crimson coloured eyes and a birthmark at the left side of her waist. It was rare for a woman to be the founder as well as the head of a clan at that time. But she was so powerful that nobody had any issue with it. Those that disagreed with her being the head of the clan or had issues with it, mysteriously disappeared in the end. And just before she passed on, it was said that she would return to the Fujino Clan one day. It wasn't so much as to bring glory to the Fujino Clan once again but to bear the karma that the Fujino Clan had accumulated.
The founder introduced Black Magic or witchcraft to the clan. And Black Magic, as the phrase already said it, Black Magic wasn't something that was meant to be used in the open. It was an unorthodox practice, something to be practised in secret rather than in the open because Black Magic was used to bring harm to others. And in doing so, accumulated bad karma and retribution.
Basically, you reaped what you sowed.
Karma, a term that is mentioned in many religions. It refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect). Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering. The karma may not take effect immediately. It may occur ten years or even thirty years later or even perhaps in your next life.
And this also applied to those that practise Black Magic. Black magic was not something anyone should get involved in. Whoever involved themselves in it must bear in mind that he would receive retribution for the bad deeds that he had done.
For those in the Fujino Clan, they had done a lot more than anyone. And there would be karma and retribution for what the clan had done. And the person rumoured to be receiving the karma on behalf of the clan would be the founder of the Fujino Clan. The founder would return to the clan again to receive the burden on the clan's behalf and it was predicted to be Shizuru.
So when Shizuru was born, her ogaa-sama saw Shizuru's crimson eyes and the birthmark and knew that Shizuru was destined to be the one to receive the karma and carried the weight of the Fujino Clan on her shoulders. To avoid that, Shizuru's ogaa-sama secretly left the clan and went into hiding, even to be adopted by the Viola family. This was done in an attempt to change Shizuru's fate.
Everything went well until she was twelve and ogaa-sama lost the fight against fate and the Elders in the Fujino Clan found her.
In other words, Shizuru would suffer and die on behalf of the Clan in order to repay the karma the Fujino Clan had accumulated throughout the centuries.
Had she not met Kuga Natsuki, she wouldn't mind doing it for the clan. Everyone dies in the end anyway.
But now that there was Natsuki, she wondered if she should perhaps fight for her future?
Things had become complicated ne…
"How is Natsuki now?" Shizuru asked Mikoto the first thing she stepped into the house.
"Her fever has subsided and she has been sleeping the whole day."
"Good." Shizuru replied as she placed her palm on Natsuki's forehead. Her temperature was back to normal now.
"Mikoto, Marguerite Tomoe is involved in this somehow. She was the one holding on to Natsuki's soul pieces earlier on. And Wataru Ishigami was with Tomoe. I need you to check the relationship between the two."
"Hai, Shizuru-sama."
But just as Mikoto was about to leave, Shizuru stopped her. "Oh and clean up the pests that are hovering around us. I don't like pests."
"I will do that." Mikoto bowed and left the place.
Shizuru took out a few strings and beads and sat on the armchair. While waiting for Natsuki to wake up, she would do some braiding and make a bracelet for Natsuki. This bracelet should be able to absorb an attack on Natsuki. And because Shizuru included a strain of her hair in the braided bracelet, when Natsuki was under attack, the bracelet would send an alert to Shizuru, alerting her that Natsuki was under attack. At least Shizuru could come to her rescue.
Natsuki finally woke up during the evening and by the next morning, she had more or less regained her health, though occasionally she would feel giddy.
But Shizuru told her it was an after effect of having part of your soul taken from your body. The different pieces of soul will take some time to finally piece back together.
"Ne Natsuki, I made this bracelet for you." Shizuru held Natsuki's hand and tied the bracelet over her left wrist. The red-colored braided bracelet looked striking against Natsuki's pale skin.
Natsuki touched the bracelet on her wrist and scrutinised it. There must be something to the bracelet because Shizuru made it herself.
"Your soul is unstable now and the bracelet will ensure that your soul remains stable within your body. And this bracelet has a talisman embedded in it. So it would offer you some form of protection."
The moment Shizuru said that, Natsuki's eyes brightened up. To be honest, ever since the past incident of ghosts and hovering head, Natsuki had been feeling jumpy and paranoid. Having this bracelet gave her the assurance that she would be safe and there was something that she could protect herself with when in need.
"Thank you so much Shizuru."
"Ne Natsuki, I told you briefly yesterday that Tomoe used the hovering head and took part of your soul right?" Because Natsuki was still recovering and slightly disoriented, Shizuru only managed to share with her a brief summary of the incident and left out many details. But now that Natsuki was better, she would want to update her with the details.
"Yes you did." Natsuki turned serious the moment Shizuru brought this up. This Black Magic had to do with the case she was investing now. "I am planning to find out more information about Marguerite Tomoe and see if there is any way we can investigate her and from there establish any possible link between her and the three victims. If she indeed is the one who killed the three students, even in the form of a hovering head, there should still be traces of DNA or something."
Natsuki was doing reverse engineering. It would be impossible to use Shizuru and Black Magic as evidence or proof that Marguerite Tomoe was the murderer. Police required hard facts and not the supernatural account that could not be proven by science. But based on information given by Shizuru, she should be able to narrow down to Tomoe and from there on, establish possible links or evidence to prove that she was the one.
"I know what you are thinking. I think she is involved but I am not sure if she is the killer." Shizuru had thought about it a lot yesterday and decided to share her thoughts with Natsuki.
Natsuki cocked her head sideways. "What do you mean?"
"I meant to tell you more yesterday. But you were still very sick then. Even though Tomoe used the hovering head to call out your soul, there is no black line that cuts across her eyes. And I checked that yesterday. There was a guy with her yesterday and his name is Wataru Ishigami. I have seen his eyes too and he doesn't have the line too."
"They didn't?" Natsuki sighed. That meant that they might have to dig further to find the killer.
"Hai, they didn't. But something has been bugging me for a while. That night, after I set the keikai (boundary) and sealed up our smell, I suspect that the hovering head actually wanted to move forward to search for our smell but it didn't. At first I thought that my keikai managed to seal all our traces. But later, I realise that it was because someone could be controlling the hovering head, preventing it from moving forward to search for us."
"So that means that someone could be either Marguerite Tomoe or Wataru Ishigami. And they saw us that night."
"Hai… one of them could have seen us that time. There is another way to practise that kind of Black Magic. Rather than the caster placing the curse on himself, detecting his head from the body in a painful process, the black magician can use a medium in place of him. And the medium is selected based on a set of stringent criteria. The medium has to be related to the caster by blood. And secondly, the medium has to be below the age of eleven, and the best age is between the ages of nine to ten."
Horror immediately replaced curiosity on Natsuki's face. "They would even do that to their own family members? To a child even?"
"Hai… which is why people harbour a sense of hatred and horror towards Black Magic. The things they do to people, even to their own family members. Hence, there is nothing good about Black Magic. That's why people in the past would go to great lengths to identify the Black Magician, even if it meant killing the wrong person. To those people who practise Black Magic, nothing is as important to them as being able to stand at the pinnacle of power."
"Bastard!" Natsuki cursed beneath her breathing as she clenched her fist. "Then is there still hope for that child, even though he is being used as a medium?"
"Gomen-ne." Shizuru shook her head. "Once the child is used as a tool for Black Magic, there is no return. The soul of the child will be forever a slave to the black magician. The only thing we can do is to end the child's misery as soon as possible by destroying the head."
There was a moment paused as Natsuki took in the information. She sighed.
"I see. Alright then. Let's find the child then. I will see if I can do a background check on the two of them and see if they have a young child in their family."
Shizuru settled herself comfortably in the armchair next to the window. It was drizzling outside and Natsuki wasn't home yet. She took a sip of her tea and looked outside the window. A smile tugged at her lips as she tapped her fingers on the armchair, apparently in a good mood.
Who wouldn't be especially after yesterday night?
She had been staying in Natsuki's place for a while and she saw a very different side of Natsuki yesterday night. Totally unexpected but it was a very pleasant surprise. And she still remembered how she "stumbled onto" the surprise yesterday. Shizuru smiled as she recalled the incident.
As the sole occupant and owner of this apartment, Natsuki was used to walking around her in whatever clothing she was comfortable in. On that fateful night, Natsuki decided to function on autopilot mode and went to shower without bringing with her a change of clothes. That was what she would usually do because it was always hot after the shower and she needed time to cool down before she wore her night wear.
And she only realised her mistake after she finished showering. She opened the bathroom door only to see Shizuru drinking water in the kitchen. There was a momentarily pause before she slammed the door shut again.
Natsuki wasn't the only one who was shocked. So was Shizuru. Rather than shock, Shizuru would say she was pleasantly surprised. She was drinking water when the bathroom door suddenly opened and she saw Natsuki standing there with just a bath towel draping over her shoulders. Shizuru arched her eyebrows and then smiled in appreciation of the view as the door slammed shut. That was an awesome view if she could say. Shizuru narrowed her eyes as she recalled what she saw just now, thanks to her good memory. Natsuki had a lean and well proportioned body. Her breast wasn't too big but the right size and the right shape. The breast looked nice and pert that Shizuru wanted to cover it with her hands. She slowly clenched her fist.
Shizuru could recall the taut muscles on Natsuki's body, flushed from the hot shower. There wasn't an ounce of fat on Natsuki's body, with her flat stomach and tiny waist. Shizuru's eyes glowed a deep crimson red as she remembered the water droplets from the showers dripping down from the taut stomach down south to the hidden zone. Shizuru licked her lips. She could imagine her lips following the same path before plunging into the soft petals beneath. Shizuru's breathing was getting heavier.
How long had it been? Shizuru asked herself. How long had it been since she heated up the sheet with a partner? She couldn't remember. She only knew that ever since she met Natsuki, her thoughts had been preoccupied with her. Rather than anyone, Shizuru wanted Natsuki. Not just for her body, but more than that. And it was the "more" that had Shizuru pausing. She wanted Natsuki's attention. And not just that. But her care and concern. She wanted Natsuki's attention, care and concern only on her and not on anyone else.
But her thoughts were interrupted by Natsuki.
"Erm… Shi… Shizuru, are you still there?" Natsuki asked from behind the closed door. She was blushing with embarrassment from flashing herself in front of Shizuru!
Shizuru chuckled. She could imagine Natsuki blushing a bright red now, from head to toe. And Shizuru wouldn't mind tracing the blushes on Natsuki's body with her lips.
"Erm Shizuru, could I trouble you to go to my closet and bring me a T-shirt and my pant… panty please. Any shirt would do. As for my panty, it's in erm in my second drawer in the closet. Anything will do. Yeah." Natsuki stammered as she gave out the instructions. She rubbed her cheeks with her palms to cool down her heated cheeks. It was embarrassing that Shizuru saw her naked and to have Shizuru bring in her panties.
"Sure. Anything for Nat-su-ki…"
Natsuki could hear the laughter in Shizuru's voice and her face became redder.
Shizuru opened up Natsuki's closet and she got the second pleasant surprise of the day. She smiled through heavy laden eyes. This was definitely a side of Natsuki that she hadn't expected. A very pleasant surprise indeed.
In the closet, there was a very wide range of women's clothing, from garter belts to waist nippers and corsets. Different colour and design. She could imagine Natsuki wearing them beneath her clothes.
Shizuru's eyes lingered on the garter belt. Her eyes glowing red as she imagined herself slowly taking the garter belt off Natsuki using her mouth. It would be a painful pleasure.
Shizuru's hand moved to the second drawer. She couldn't wait to see what Natsuki's preferred undergarments were.
Shizuru pulled open the drawer and drew in a sharp breath. Natsuki really had good taste and she had been hiding some amazing stuff beneath her usual jeans and t-shirt. Shizuru ran her finger down the series of undergarments, imagining those undergarments on Natsuki.
As she was about to pick a pair of underwear for Natsuki, Shizuru heard a series of hurried footsteps drawing near.
And suddenly, the door to the closet slammed shut and Natsuki, wrapped in a simple towel, was leaning against the closet. Her chest was heaving from the run.
Shizuru glanced down at the barely covered body, her crimson eyes hidden beneath the heavy laden eyes. Her eyes lingered on the beautiful globe and valley that were barely concealed by the tiny towel. And then there was the shadow that Shizuru could glimpse between Natsuki's legs and the tiny towel.
With a gentle tug, everything would be revealed. Shizuru thought, her hands itching to do that.
"Shi… Shizuru…" Natsuki said in between short breaths. "I… I think… I could get my… my clothes on my own."
She just dashed from the bathroom to the bedroom, after realising that Shizuru might see her "special collection" in the closet! If Shizuru really saw that, it would be another embarrassing incident! Natsuki hadn't told anyone about her "special collection", not even Mai! She had a slight obsession with certain types of woman clothing and she was embarrassed to let others know. Who knew that she would wear this kind of feminine undergarments beneath her standard and utilitarian clothing? It wouldn't fit her image. She had to protect her image!
So imagine her horror when she saw that Shizuru had already opened the closet and was picking out a pair of panties for her! She could just die of embarrassment on the spot.
Natsuki sucked in a deep breath and faced reality. Shizuru had seen her collection!
"Ne, Shizuru, do you think you could forget what you saw just now?" Natsuki asked as her smile appeared strained.
"Ara… which part would you like me to forget?" Shizuru asked in a low tone as she slowly closed the distance between the two of them. It was like a predator closing in on the prey. "The part where I saw your beautiful collection or…" Shizuru's voice drifted off as she leaned forward towards Natsuki. "When Natsuki appeared naked in front of me."
Natsuki's face immediately turned red and the red tinge didn't stop there. It spread from her face to her ears and finally to her whole body.
Shizuru gave a low chuckle. She reached out her hand and trailed her finger from Natsuki's cheeks to her chin and down the neck before lingering at her collarbone.
Natsuki's mind went blank. She could only feel. The sensation of Shizuru's finger moving gently over her skin, sent shivers down her spine and yet at the same time, made Natsuki yearn for more.
Shizuru leaned forward and whispered into Natsuki's ear. "But Natsuki is so beautiful that I don't think I can forget it."
Natsuki quickly clutched her ears with both hands. She could still feel Shizuru's warm breath on her ear. Her heart was beating too fast!
"Shi… Shi… Shizuru…"
Shizuru finally leaned back and looked at the beautiful picture in front of her. Natsuki was all flustered and staring at her with her innocent doe eyes. It just made Shizuru want to do more dangerous things to Natsuki.
Shizuru reached out her hand again and caught a water droplet dripping off from Natsuki's chin. Shizuru brought it to her lips and licked the water droplet off her finger.
It wasn't the right time. She wasn't going for just the sex now but something more. She knew there was something more beyond the physical attraction.
Shizuru smiled and took another towel and draped it over Natsuki's head.
"It's going to be winter soon. Stay dry and warm." Shizuru said as she rubbed the towel over Natsuki's wet hair. "Your hair is still wet. I will help you dry up."
This sudden change in tone left Natsuki confused. Whatever happened just now seemed like a dream.
What just happened?
A/N:
Manage to post this before 2024! Haha…
Happy New Year. Have a wonderful celebration.
I hope the new year will bring about new hope and peace for everyone. I hope that everyone will be kinder to others and to yourself. For those who are experiencing pain and suffering, I pray and hope that you will find peace. Please take care everyone.
I am done with the next chapter. But I am not too satisfied with it. Will try to update here as soon as possible.
