Scott stared out of the window at all of the twinkling lights. He knew this was going to happen, it was only a matter of time. He exhaled at length, and pressed his fingers between his brows. Celeste’s strength lately had amazed him. The past had normally resulted in a complete wipe of her memories. But she took Lain’s condition in stride. The girl was in critical condition, but she was stable at Children’s Hospital in Downtown Dallas. Celeste had wanted to fly back, but Matilda reassured her that she and Carrie would take care of Lain. It took him hours to convince her to stay, Celeste was livid. After her meeting in Downtown Tokyo this morning, he sent Daniel and Celeste to Hakone to relax. Scott smiled thinking of her tenacity. She had attended the meeting and got through the entire morning without a hitch. When had his little girl grown up?
He felt guilty for lying to her, but he had to think about the entire world before his conscience. He hadn’t been entirely truthful about John, but he hadn’t lied either. It was best to keep things this way. Tomorrow night would be the Harvest Moon, he hoped that it signified the end of his worry for the year. They would find out. He made the arrangement for him and Celeste to continue their family tradition by visiting the Grand Ise Shrine. They usually went every so many years together to remember Kotone. What Celeste hadn’t known, was that was how she was given to the couple. He remembered it as if it were yesterday.
Twenty years ago
Kotone giggled and ran from Scott as she crossed over the bridge. It led into the forest that surrounded the entire shrines. They had just gotten back from their trip to Hakone and now they were visiting the inner Shinto shrine, Naikū, in what the locals called Ise Jingū. The inner part of the Grand Shrine of Ise was dedicated to Amaterasu Ōmikami, the goddess of light and order, who governed the plane of heaven. Kotone had loved the deity, so much that every year she had to walk the long path to visit the forests and feel the light wash over her. She felt deeply attached to the forest that surrounded the shrine. She knew it was against the rules to go within the shrine for the deity, only imperial descendants were allowed within the walls. It never stopped her from gazing outside at the walls that guarded the shrine.
He laughed as he finally caught up to her. She was peeking around a cypress tree and smiling. He swore Kotone was part woodland creature. Nature was her first love and music her second. To her, they fell hand in hand. He understood this part of her and never complained. The forest was not really his favorite place to go, but Scott had his own quirks and she always tolerated his.
They strolled through the forest for some time, hand in hand. The forest was dense and hard to walk through, but Kotone seemed to know which way to turn and inevitably stand outside of the cleared area where Amaterasu Ōmikami’s shrine stood. It was fabled to have housed one of the three sacred treasures, Amaterasu’s sacred mirror, Yata no Kagami. It was wrapped in cloth or a box, and placed within a cupboard at the main shrine. Kotone dreamed of that mirror once and told Scott that one day their wish of a child would come true. The Goddess of Light had appeared to her and said that she would have a girl child. This child was special, ruled by both the Sun and the Moon, and to be loved without conditions.
Amaterasu Ōmikami had stressed this last point and looked to a nearby river of stars. The stars separated the Earth from the Heavens and continued the length of the entire Universe. When Kotone had turned to face Amaterasu Sama and ask what she meant about the special treatment, the goddess had vanished. Kotone was a deeply spiritual person. She believed that fate was something that was predestined and that inevitably, no matter which route you took, the roads would intertwine and you would be led back to the path you were always intended for. He loved her quiet energy and sunny outlook on life. It kept him from turning into a bitter person.
His own father had dumped him into the military as soon as he had turned eighteen. After traveling around and ending his service, he decided he enjoyed being a consultant and started his own company. At that point, Kotone was pregnant with their first child. Celeste had never known about the other children and he didn’t have the heart to tell her. After the second spontaneous abortion, doctors explained that Kotone’s body rejected and attacked the baby as if it were a foreign body. Kotone still had faith in Amaterasu Ōmikami’s words, however she finally agreed to adopt after a few years of trying without success. It had happened on their four-year anniversary, two nights before they traveled back to Tokyo to start the long process of adoption.
Kotone had taken her camera and wanted to walk through to snap pictures. Scott let go of her hand and said he would wait there for her to return. He knew how she got when she wandered into the woods. Scott watched her disappear and then leaned against a tree and closed his eyes.
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He wasn’t sure how long he had been out, but he woke up very stiff. The Sun was almost down. He jumped up and called for Kotone. He knew the general direction she had gone and walked forward to see if maybe he could spot her. Scott was worried that she might have twisted her ankle or been attacked by an animal. It wasn’t common here, but it still happened. He followed all of the broken twigs and bent foliage. When he spotted her shoe imprint he sighed in relief. At least he could make that out, but it wouldn’t be long before the sun went down. He called her name every twenty feet, keeping to the paths that he could see she made. Scott was so caught up in his search that he almost plummeted off the side of the cliff in front of him.
His balance shifted from one side to the other and he fell on his ass. Shaking his head, he got to his feet. She had to have come through here, her footsteps ended at the─ oh god. His stomach clenched. He didn’t want to look over the side, but he had to know. He braced himself and peered over the ledge.
“You know, I hear falling from really high places is a leading cause of death in humans.” Scott jumped and turned toward the voice. “She’s fine,” the man drawled standing in front of him. He was tall and thin but good-looking. Scott could tell that the guy was ripped. His face was angular but his jaw was not weak, and his long black hair fell to his mid-back. He had never seen such a walking contradiction.
“What?” Scott asked, “Who’s fine?” “Kotone, brainiac,” the man taunted, “She’s fine, she’ll return to your realm in less than, 3-2─” there was a blinding flash and Kotone stood next to a beautiful Amazon. Scott had barely processed what the strange man said. Humans? What the hell did the strange man mean? The fair woman that stood before him had onyx hair with a blue sheen. It reminded him of a scarab. Her eyes were the most unnerving. They were completely devoid of white. It was as if they were made entirely of an iris. They were an incandescent blue─ glowing and stunning. He couldn’t help but stare.
“Forgive my subordinate, he finds pleasure in being matter-of-fact,” the woman said. Her voice was as smooth as velvet and her clothing reflected the light. Her robes were the color of the setting sun, complete with a golden sheen. Kotone walked next to Scott and laced her fingers through his. “This is Amaterasu Ōmikami Sama,” Kotone explained. Scott bowed stiffly, doing his best to remember how long to stay down before returning upright. The Goddess’s laughter was surprisingly airy and soft. “You need not be so formal with me, Scott. Kotone-San has told me all about you and her.” Scott was taken aback by the humbleness of the woman before him. To use an honorific, to a lowly human was something special. Did I really just accept this as reality? Scott started, looking to both of these otherworldly beings. His mind was racing uncontrollably. Was he dreaming? He managed a smile and inclined his head. “It is a pleasure to be graced by your presence,” he said.
Amaterasu-San beamed at him and took his hands into her own. “It is real, I assure you,” she said. Scott gaped at her ability to read his mind and flushed a deep red. Kotone smiled warmly at him and hugged on his arm. She had a faraway look as her hand caressed her belly. Scott looked down dazed, and then back to the two deities. Amaterasu’s voice came out knowing and kind, “You will be blessed with a child. One that will be born of this Earth, but not from its people.”
* * *
John lunged forward, and was easily thrown to the ground. He was getting tired─ sloppy. Rashnu sighed as his moss creatures pinned John to the floor. He sauntered up and placed the end of his scythe to John’s neck, “I can’t let you pass, Uriel. You no longer have a soul. I can’t pass judgment, if you have nothing to judge.” Michael lounged behind them sharpening Excalibur. “You know, you could at least cheer me on,” he called back, “it’s getting a little embarrassing over here,” John muttered. Michael left and then came back, brandishing his phone. The garish pop music started playing, “Hey, I just met you─” John roared and burned through the moss creature he had been fighting. He manifested beside Michael, threw the phone to the ground, and crushed it with his boot. Michael sighed and crossed his arms, “You do know what the pause button is, right?” John rolled his eyes and walked back to Rashnu.
“Look, I don’t know where she is, who she’s with, and what they may be doing with her. But I do know this─ the Harvest Moon is tonight, and unless I have the binding spell, we’re all fucked.” “Language,” Rashnu said irritably. He sized John up and looked to Michael. “This true?” Michael inclined his head. Rashnu pointed his index finger and repeatedly poked John in the chest while he spoke, “If you get caught─,” “I snuck around and squeezed through the crack between the thirteenth and fourteenth post where Zael sleeps every third week of the year.” Rashnu straightened up and thought about it, “He does that?” Michael and John lost it, “Dude, you seriously didn’t know that?” John asked. Rashnu’s face burned scarlet. “I thought it was common knowledge.” “Looks like someone is getting demoted this month,” Michael whispered loudly. Rashnu turned his back and stormed toward the gate entrance.
John furrowed his brow at Michael, panic setting in. If he didn’t agree to this, it would mean that John would have to find another way through. And they were out of time? no more second chances. They may have laughed earlier, but this was very serious. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn’t get anything done without the Angel of Judgment allowing them in. Gabriel was in charge of safe passage, but it was Rashnu who ultimately decided who got through the gates. Rashnu paused and turned back to them, “You have ten minutes,” he growled, “Not a second more.”
* * *