The following morning, Nanashi, found herself in an rather unusually place, rather than her own home as a familiar scent lingered around her and the sweetest and cutest voice she hand ever known echoes through the background of her dreams.
“Nana..Nana..Mama, Nana, dead?”
“I do…” just before Suzune, could finished her sentence, Nanashi opened her eyes.
“Who!, Me! Dead!, hahaha, do not make me laugh, I will kill death before it can take me, and if it does, I will simply escape again.”
“Again and from where?”
“The underworld.”
“Is that even possible.”
‘Of course it is, I have done it twice before.”
“Truly, just who are you?”
“The strongest!” Akiza, shouted with pride.
‘That is my girl!, come here and give me a hug, I love you so much, I could just eat you up.”
“Please don’t.” Suzune said.
“I did not mean it literally, see, this is why I do not like you, you do not know how to take a joke, I simply cannot handle serious people," Nanashi said with a sigh.
"Okay," Suzune replied plainly, seemingly unbothered.
"Anyway, how did I get here?" Nanashi asked, looking at Suzune. But just as Suzune opened her mouth, Nanashi turned to Akiza. "Huh?"
"Uncle Sasaki!" Akiza exclaimed.
"Why?" Nanashi questioned.
Suzune answered, "He found you passed out in front of your den. Out of concern, he brought you here."
"Where is he now?"
"Outside, helping the villagers put on the final touches for Himiko's arrival."
"Himiko?"
"Yes, the high priestess and queen. She's soon to arrive."
"No, I'm not ready yet," Nanashi said, suddenly agitated.
"Ready for what?" Suzune asked, confused.
With her heart pounding against her chest, Nanashi bolted from the house, the urgency of her mission lending speed to her steps. She had to reach Sasuke, had to deliver the warning that clawed at her throat. But the shadows of the house were treacherous, and before she could spot a hint of him, a force yanked her aside, dragging her into the obscured confines beside the silent house. Her breath hitched, fear and adrenaline merging into a potent cocktail that coursed through her veins, as unseen hands gripped her with an iron resolve.
Top of Form
“Unhand me!, right now, or you will regret it.”
“Not as much as you are about to”
Nanashi's lips curved into a playful smirk as she found herself face-to-face with Sasuke in the intimate shadows. “Well, well, Sasuke,” she purred, deliberately licking her lips. "I never took you for the type to get so... handsy.’
Sasuke immediately let go of her and asked, “Do you ever take something seriously?”
“Nope, I do not like serious things and serious people, negative energy is just not for me you know, anyway, you the one that pulled me here, like some passionate lover.” She said winking at him.
“Ai, why cannot my life not end, I brought you here, so you do not go out there looking like someone from the red-light district, you forget these people have seen you before, as a temple maiden, so please change, before anyone sees us.”
“Okay, but before I do, I have something to tell you.”
“Good, but before you do, change.’ He said turning his back towards her.”
“Argh!, fine!.’ She said but not before, kicking his leg and slapping him behind his head.
“Ouch, why!”
“Because, Sasuke, you are stupid.” She mumbled, then quickly changing her clothes, “Done, now as I was saying…”before she could finish, there was a sudden eruption of cheers and applause from the villagers, grabbing Sasuke’s attention immediately.
The crowd hummed with anticipation as Sasuke gripped Nanashi's hand tightly. "She's here," he whispered, a strange intensity in his voice.
Before she could respond, he tugged her forward, guiding them through the mass of people until they stood at the very front. Raising their entwined hands, fingers laced in an almost ceremonial pose, Sasuke's eyes were locked ahead with laserlike focus.
A hush fell over the throngs as an ornate carriage appeared, rolling down the street towards them. Nanashi couldn't tear her gaze away, her heart pounding with a sense of nervous excitement.
As the carriage drew nearer, Nanashi found herself inexplicably drawn to the figure within. Their eyes met through the window, and a jolt of recognition shot through her. The woman's delicate features struck a chord deep within Nanashi's mind, stirring up flickers of a half-remembered past.
Then, the woman's lips curved in a slight, mysterious smile as she gave Nanashi the smallest of nods. In that moment, Nanashi felt an uncanny connection to this stranger, as if they shared some profound secret.
A shiver danced along her spine, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. There was something more here, a deeper mystery waiting to be unraveled. Nanashi knew in her core that this was no mere chance encounter.
“I know, her.” Nanashi muttered
“What!”
“I said, I know her or have known her.”
“What, I cannot hear you, let’s get out of here.” Sasuke grabbed her hand and lead her out of the crowd.
“Twice in one day, you are getting fresh, are you not?”
“Could you stop, for a second, and tell me, what it is?”
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“I said, that I know her, or have met her before.’
‘When?’
“A long time ago.”
“No, way, I would have sensed if there was something off about her.”
“But”, she tried to explain but was interrupted by Sasuke who placed both his hands on her shoulders startling the things she wanted to say out of her mind.
“Nanashi, I think that you are very tired from whatever you were doing the last night, I think it is best you go home and rest, I will look after Akiza for the day, alright?”
“Yes, you are right, I am feeling a little funny.”
“Sure..sure, Oh my gosh, she is getting out, I will come check on you later, HIMIKO!..HIMIKO!, I am over here!” he shouted, running over to the carriage, leaving Nanashi, with an unexplainable feeling burning in her belly.
“Ha, he actually, left me, in my state, when, I told him, I am not feeling well, he will see, wait..why,am I even upset, I do not need him, all men are the same, chasing after anything with a dress.” She walked away mumbling some foul words, all the way to her den.
Later that night, Nanashi, was woken up by the sound of popping fire wood and someone humming ancient mantra.
“So, he finally, showed up, bored with that other woman but I will not even talk to him nor leave this place…wait, is that spicy chai, I am smelling, my favourite, I guess, I will go out, pretend to be his friend, while, I enjoy the tea, the fool, will not see it coming.” She told herself and walked out.
When she emerged she saw that that there was no one outside, only the fire burning and the kettle boiling.
“Come out, Sasuke, I forgive, let us just sit here and enjoy this tea you have brought for us.”
The silence was shattered by a soft, tinkling sound that drifted through the trees like distant chimes. With each movement of the shadowy figure edging closer, an ethereal symphony of delicate noises enveloped her. The gentle melody seemed to beckon her deeper into the heart of the ancient woods, luring her with its haunting call. Ornate jewelry adorning the mysterious form caught the fading rays of sunlight, casting kaleidoscopic patterns that danced across the forest floor. An arcane power radiated from this enigmatic presence, at once entrancing and unsettling.
“Holt, who goes there?” Nanashi asked.
“Holt!’, the figure said in a mockingly voice, “just look at you, how far the great have truly fallen, my teachings, has gone to a complete waste on you, how pitiful and disgusting!” the voice roared.
“How about you come out and say that to my face.” Nanashi, replied, changing, into her human form.
“As you wish .” the voice replied
Nanashi tensed, readying herself for battle, but before she could even assume her fighting stance, a deafening crack split the air like a whip lashing out. In the same breath, the high-pitched jingle of a small bell rang out, and an invisible force slammed into her chest with staggering power. The breath was violently ripped from her lungs as she was sent hurtling backwards, her body a ragdoll at the mercy of the unseen assault.
“Ha, not bad.” Nanashi, wiping off the blood of her mouth and looked up to find.
Amidst the flickering flames, a figure of profound enigma materialized, her presence commanding reverence. Draped in garments that whispered ancient tales of long-forgotten civilizations, she exuded an aura so captivating, so alluring, that wonder and awe were helplessly drawn to her like moths to a flame. An otherworldly power seemed to emanate from her very being, weaving an intoxicating spell that bound all who dared gaze upon her ethereal form.
With movements flowing like water over polished stone, the enigmatic woman brought her hands together in a sacred gesture. Her voice carried the weight of eons as she uttered the words, "Namaste, Lady Kayo." Each syllable reverberated through the very fabric of existence, echoing timeless wisdom and unbridled might. "Long time no see."
“How do you know that name, who are you!” Nanashi, roared.
“My..my.., still fiery as ever, I see, but what truly disappoints me, is how you do not remember, the first person to ever believe in you and had taught you everything you know now, I am truly heart broken.” The woman said, pretending to sob.
“Raktabija.” Nanashi said, completely awe struck.
“In the flesh, my dear.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Checking in on a former student of mine of course, I even brought your favourite chai, see, I take my job as a teacher and a mentor fever seriously.”
“Mentor!, Teacher!, ha!, do not make me laugh, you were the first to disappear where the king prosecuted me and wanted to kill me, you could disappear, quicker than a fart out of an anus.”
“I do not know, why you are acting all surprise by my sudden betrayal, you and I both know that, I am not a good person, argh, lets us not dwell on the past, let it stay there and besides, bad things happen to good people all the time, uhmm, the tea, looks ready are you not going to offer me some, I am parched.” She said, touch her throat.
“No.”
“Really, man, I brought the stuff, at least pour me some, you have no manners what so ever.”
“Do not worry, I have heard the many times since, I arrived her, anyway, you still did not answer my question, why are you here?” Nanashi asked again, this time with more sternness, in her voice.
‘Oh, Lady Kayo.”
“Nanashi.”
“Excuse me.”
“My name is Nanashi, now.”
Himiko, stared at her intently, then broke into a sinister childlike laughter, “Are you serious, your name is nameless, that is so silly.”
“Yes, I know, hilarious, could you stop beating around the bush and spit it out.”
“Alright..alright, always straight to the point, I always liked that about you.”
Nanahai nodded in agreement.
“I am here for an army, revenge and the souls of all these people of this island, ‘why, you ask?”
‘Nope, never asked.”
"I shall rain devastation upon the pathetic realms of Dugra and Shiva, reducing their lands to smoldering ruins beneath my unstoppable wrath. Their feeble gods will be the first to feel my fury as I ascend through the heavens, consuming their divine essence like a black hole devouring stars. One by one, I'll extinguish the flickering flames of each celestial being this insignificant blue rock dares to worship. Until at last, I alone shall reign supreme - the one true Goddess enthroned upon a cosmos remade in my dark image. Let those who once basked in their false lights tremble, for the age of the ultimate villainess has begun! Mwahaha!, you know the regular villain stuff.”
“So, why this isolated island?”
“This isolation is perfect. No bickering deities to whisper warnings or clip my magnificent wings. Here, they adore me. Every soul thrums with devotion, blind to the grand tapestry I weave. They are but pawns, utterly enthralled, destined to be instruments in my glorious ascent. Their unwavering loyalty… quaint, isn't it? A stepping stone to a far greater purpose. The land of Hindustan will be mine, its riches a mere prelude. Life essence, not mere souls, will fuel my inevitable dominion. The divine hierarchy? A tangled mess, ripe for reshaping to my glorious design. This won't be a petty conquest; it will be a symphony of power, orchestrated by me, the one true ruler of all.”
“You have become quite fruitful since the last time we met.” Nanashi taking a sip of her tea.
“Yes, I am totally for environmental conscience, I believe in reduce, reuse, recycle.” She sang those words, with her hands shaking like a tambourine.
“I am a firm believer in that notion too, like whenever, I eat another yokai, or something smaller, I dig a whole poop in it and cover it up, so it can provide the soil with its due nutrients.”
Himiko’s left twitching upon hearing this and managed to muster up an, “Mhmm” for a moment before she continued, ‘Glad on the same page, so you will help me than?’
“No.”
“Excuse me?” she asked leaning slightly forward.
“I will definitely not help you.” Taking a sip of her tea.
“Why?”
“Let us just say, I have a lot on my plate and I have a deal with someone, regarding the people of this village and, and!, how could I possibly trust someone, who left me, in the pit of fire, when I needed most, I am not naïve like Sasuke.”
“Let go girl!, the past is in the past but if you feel like that, then I take it we are enemies.”
“I suppose we are, my dear teacher and mentor.”
“Ahh, how unfortunate, I was really looking to rekindle our fire, but I suppose it would not be a problem if we sit here and enjoy a last cup of tea together for old times sake?’
“I suppose not.”
The night sky blanketed Himiko and Nanashi as they sat together, the soft glow of the stars reflecting in their eyes. For hours, they reminisced about the cherished memories of their time as teacher and student in India - the failed plots that had made them laugh until their sides ached, the mischievous adventures that had bonded them like family.
As the night wore on, a bittersweet realization settled over them. Himiko rose slowly, Nanashi following suit. They stood facing each other, the weight of their parting clear in the slight trembling of Himiko's hands as she reached out to gently cup Nanashi's face.
“I guess this is where our master and student relationship must come to an end,”Himiko said, her voice thick with emotion. "We must now be enemies."
Nanashi's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he covered Himiko's hand with her own. ‘You know what they say - all good things must come to an end. That's the rule of life.’
Himiko shook her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "That rule does not apply to us."
They both let out watery chuckles, pulling each other into a fierce, lingering embrace - two souls who had been intertwined for so long, now forced to part ways.
“Goodbye, my dear teacher,” Nanashi murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Goodbye, my dear student,” Himiko replied, her own words catching in her throat. “Until we meet again.”
Reluctantly, they parted, each carrying the other's memory in their heart as they went their separate ways into the night.