Kurenai shook out the red flowing kimono she was wearing, watching with satisfaction as the material hung nicely on her. She looked stunning, and she knew it, what with her tall slender form and pale skin combined with her oh-so-gorgeous locks of black. She smiled as she remembered the reflection she’d caught in the mirror just a moment ago.
‘Once again, my shrine has become a ryokan for this suzaku, hasn’t it?’ hissed Sakuya. ‘May I remind you that I simply detest anything with feathers? Oh wait, I have been reminding you for 1500 years now so why can’t it ever stick into your stupid bird brain!’
‘Bull,’ snorted Kurenai. ‘You’re just jealous that a bird can be much more beautiful than you are, angel girl. Pity, but I can’t help it. I am who I am after all.’
The smug face drove Sakuya up the wall and down the other side. With a shriek, Sakuya moved forward to fight Kurenai. However, at that moment, Akako gave a clear cough and she was forced to stop. Sakuya and Kurenai turned to look at Miki, who was next to Akako, half-asleep. Miki blinked twice and focused upon them, her face breaking into an angelic smile. The duo cringed. Sometimes, Miki’s angelic smile meant she was hiding a huge temper behind it and they have already been on the receiving end of her anger one time too many.
‘So,’ said Miki with a bright voice which was too cheerful to be real. ‘Where were we before this commercial break?’
‘Yes, hime-sama,’ replied Kurenai, sitting in front of the girl. ‘I am very sorry to say that he had just passed away, leaving no heir and no family to continue the line.’
Akako chanced a glance at her master. Miki was absolutely still, sitting there without moving, her gaze glassy. Even though her beloved master was obviously shocked, Akako couldn’t help but notice how Miki looked like a perfect china doll when she was motionless like that.
‘Dead…’she whispered. ‘Again…’
Kurenai bowed her head, knowing that what she just said would bring the girl pain. Even without looking at her, Kurenai could visualize Miki’s face perfectly. This was because this conversation had taken place many times before. However in those previous cases, the ones they were seeking always had children to provide backup for Miki’s plans. This was different as there was no successor to the line.
Kurenai closed her eyes, willing herself to not see the disappointed face. In the background, she could hear the soft ticks of a clock’s hand, providing a constant rhythm which caused Kurenai to take a stroll down memory lane.
*********************************
It was silent. The village of Naoyama was sleeping as its exhausted residents drew the curtains for the day and took their rests in order to start another day. The wind picked up, stirring the birds from their nests in the forest, rustling their wings in agitation. The fog which shrouded the mountain extended its reaches to within the village’s boundaries, causing little animals such as dogs to whine in terror and hide.
Up on the mountain, in the shrine where she was trapped in, Miki was staring up at the night sky solemnly from the window, while Akako brushed her long hair. This was a daily routine back then, one of the ways to keep Miki from getting too bored. Sakuya threw back her flowing sleeves and rose from the floor. The angel walked out from the room without a glance backwards.
‘Do you think I can go back, Akako?’ asked Miki. ‘Do you think my father thinks of me still?’
‘I’m sure he does, Miki-sama,’ replied Akako soothingly. ‘You are after all his only daughter.’
In truth, Akako wasn’t sure. The god of misfortune hadn’t visited Miki at all. It made the young girl wonder if the god of misfortune did care for his daughter. She cursed the fellow for being so cold.
Suddenly, a bright ray of light shone down upon the shrine. Miki scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide with anticipation. From the light, a tall figure was approaching. As the figure got closer, Miki could tell that it was a man and she knew that face from a long time ago.
‘Otou-sama,’ breathed Miki.
‘Pray, is that really my beautiful proud daughter Cherina? I swear she was much taller and much bigger than this child here,’ said the god of misfortune, frowning.
‘Tis is I, father,’ cried Miki. ‘I am your beloved daughter. This body that I wear and this name that I bear might not be the same, but my heart and soul as Cherina remains till this very day and will remain forever your daughter’s, oh my dearest father.’
‘You must be her,’ said the god of misfortune, Yulius. ‘For only my Cherina can speak such words. But my dear, how have you changed! Yet, beauty has not forsaken you, as I can see.’
‘Oh father, have you come to free me?’ asked Miki eagerly. ‘Have you come to bring me home?’
‘Hold your horses, my child. I’m afraid I cannot do so. Rules are rules,’ sighed Yulius. ‘And I cannot stay either.’
Miki looked so crestfallen that Yulius couldn’t bear it. It was in his nature to please his daughter, no matter how ridiculous her wish. Yet Yulius was proud to say that his treatment had not made Cherina spoiled, which he considered as a success on its own. He racked his brains, trying to think of a way to lift her spirits.
‘Ah yes, that reminds me,’ said Yulius. ‘Although I cannot do anything, you can try to find the blood of the person who confined you. That way you may be freed.’
‘Alas, father, I cannot leave here,’ wept Miki. ‘None of us who reside in this shrine may leave as long as the enchantment remains.’
‘I have a new servant, and I was wondering if you’ll take her,’ suggested Yulius. ‘She is quite competent and I dare say she may help you achieve your goal, for she was not included in this spell. What say you, my love?’
Kurenai was summoned by Yulius that night to be Miki’s eyes in the outside world. And ever since then, Kurenai has been on the trail of the holy magic practitioner’s heirs so that Miki can be freed, causing mayhem and spreading misfortune in order to attract the ever righteous blood in the heirs.
*********************************
‘You have done well, Kurenai,’ whispered Miki. ‘You have been loyal to me for the past millennium. However, this is saddening indeed. I expected better but death stole a march on me once again.’
Her devastated look made Kurenai feel like it had been her fault. She hung her head low, remorse washing through her. Sakuya eyed them, her eyes becoming distant, and then she dropped the bomb.
‘The last drop has fallen,
The blood is lost
All is forgotten
A heart stays still.
A forgotten child
A cut off branch
Of blood impure
The name is forgotten
Sixteen years of past
Remains unseen
A leaf fluttering in the wind
Its roots it lost
Where the tree dies
The flowers no longer blossom
Yet a cast aside leaf
Grows magnificently
A child long forgotten
The secret of the house
Will you seek the truth?
Or will you seek the end?’
Miki’s eyes widen with surprise. Her lips parted to form a perfect O. Akako stared at Kurenai; her confusion mirrored in the latter’s expression. Sakuya regained her senses and jumped to her feet in horror.
‘Curse these angel divination powers!’ she snarled, fleeing away from the room.
‘A forgotten child,’ whispered Miki. She sat still, hope infiltrating her expression.
‘Enlighten us please, Miki-sama,’ pleaded Akako.
‘There is an heir,’ said Miki. ‘Someone who is not acknowledged by the family. Someone who was not given the rights to bear the family name. Someone with impure blood, maybe someone whose parents’ marriage was not approved by that family. A cast off branch.’
She broke off, noticing the still baffled looks upon her followers’ expressions. Sighing, Miki deciphered the message for them stanza by stanza.
‘The last drop has fallen, / The blood is lost /All is forgotten / A heart stays still,’ quoted Miki. ‘The last drop and the blood are connected, meaning that the bloodline has ended. A forgotten child / A cut off branch / Of blood impure / The name is forgotten. This means that there is a child of impure blood - perhaps an unapproved relationship between the parents - and the child has been cast off from the main family tree and his name is not found in the family register. Sixteen years of past / Remains unseen / A leaf fluttering in the wind / Its roots it lost. This tells us the age of the child – sixteen. His history is ‘unseen’, which technically means unknown. He’s a free agent, shall we say, no strings attached to him yet no ‘roots’, meaning he has no family to go to, no claim to his name. Where the tree dies / The flowers no longer blossom / Yet a cast aside leaf / Grows magnificently. The family tree dies out, the blood and its ‘flowers’ – heirs - have already met their end. Yet the forgotten one remains alive and kicking. A child long forgotten / The secret of the house / Will you seek the truth? / Or will you seek the end?. This is telling us that the child himself is a secret of the main house; no one else outside of the house knows of his existence. The last part is asking us if we’ll seek the child or will we just stay here and wait for the end, which for Akako and I, means forever.’
Hope was blossoming in the trio’s hearts. There was still a chance, a slight chance, a one shot at freedom. If they fail, they will never get another chance. This was what they were all gambling on. The stakes were ridiculously high, but the cards have been dealt and all that’s left for the players to do is to place their bets. In this case, it was all in. All or nothing.
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