by Tj Dixon
“Not my old spirit dance?” Yu Kii asks, clearly puzzled.
“The dance of another god would be insincere. It needs to be your own dance.” I tell her.
“But I’ve only ever danced the one dance.” Yu Kii tells me.
“Just close your eyes and listen to your soul. It doesn’t need to be perfect or elegant. The dance just needs to be pure and honest. It needs to be you.” I tell Yu Kii.
“Listen to my soul… What does that mean?” Yu Kii asks.
“How did you form your old spirit dance?” I ask.
“It was passed down by miko and their trainers. Ara Kii taught me the dance as my trainer.” Yu Kii tells me.
“That bloody lazy cat didn’t even teach you the basics.” I say with a glare through the wall at where Kuro is currently sitting on her throne. Kuro pretends not to notice. “For now just close your eyes and dance without thinking too much, but without moving from that spot.”
“Ok.” Yu Kii says nervously and closes her eyes. She begins with a deep bow. That is so typical of her! Then she begins to dance properly. Her lack of confidence is obvious but her movements are extremely elegant. To avoid moving around she focuses most of her movement on her upper body and her arms. Her dance looks good but it doesn’t really display her soul very well.
“You’re thinking too much and dancing on the spot doesn’t mean not using your legs.” I tell Yu Kii.
“Ok.” Yu Kii says and stops dancing so she can clear her mind. Then she begins to dance again and this time it is a little less elegant but more energetic. Her soul really comes through this time. Of course I can see her soul all the time anyway, but when she wears her soul openly like this and dances so honestly it is a truly beautiful sight.
“That’s better. Keep at it.” I tell her.
“Thank you.” Yu Kii says.
The dancing and Yu Kii’s soul aren’t just beautiful, they’re incredibly relaxing too. I feel the stress of everything fade away as I watch. I quickly lose track of time. I find myself starting to drift off to sleep so I’d better stop Yu Kii. I find it hard to force myself to have her stop though. I force my mouth open but I just can’t bring myself to actually speak.
I wake to find Yu Kii still dancing. It seems I lost the battle with my tiredness. Yu Kii’s eyes are still closed and her dance is just as energetic as before but she is exhausted. I can only tell though because I can see her soul. I check the time. She was dancing for six hours. That’s impressive.
“That’s enough. Good work Yu Kii.” I say without mentioning that I fell asleep.
“Will you accept me?” Yu Kii asks as she opens her eyes. Even if she could hide her exhaustion from her appearance she can’t hide it from her voice.
“Of course. Come here so I can connect to your soul. You already know this, but it will hurt.” I tell her.
“Thank you.” Yu Kii says happily and walks up to me.
I embrace Yu Kii with my arms pulling her tightly against me, being very careful to avoid hurting her with my claws. I connect directly first to the lower centre of her soul in her womb and Yu Kii gasps. Then I connect to the upper centre of her soul in her head and she grunts in pain. The pain only lasts a moment though. Once it is gone the connection is formed between our souls.
“That wasn’t as painful as I expected.” Yu Kii says.
“Kuro never was very gentle.” I say and Yu Kii nods in heartfelt agreement. “Although it’s impossible for our relationship to remain unchanged, as much as it’s possible for a miko and a god, I hope we can remain good friends.”
“I hope so. Whether as a friend or a miko though, I have to suggest that you try to get enough rest. I’m sure Rin would say the same thing if she knew how tired you were.” Yu Kii says.
“You noticed?” I ask.
“Of course. Even with my eyes closed I still have my magical senses.” Yu Kii reminds me.
“Sorry to make you dance for so long.” I say.
“I’m happy that I was able to help you sleep.” Yu Kii says.
“For now you’re the one who needs to rest. You’re exhausted. Sleep on the bed here. I’ll be back later.” I say.
“Shouldn’t you rest more too?” Yu Kii asks.
“Unfortunately I don’t have time to rest any longer. Embarrassing as it is to have left you dancing whilst I fell asleep I did just get some very good sleep. That will keep me going for some time. This body doesn’t need as much sleep as a human body.” I tell Yu Kii.
“I can help.” Yu Kii says.
“You can help best by keeping yourself in good condition by getting enough sleep.” I tell Yu Kii.
“Ok.” Yu Kii agrees reluctantly.
“Sleep well.” I tell Yu Kii as I get up.
“I’ll try.” Yu Kii says as she climbs onto the bed. She lies down face up and looks towards me for a moment before closing her eyes.
“I’ll see you later.” I say and leave her in peace. I wander through to the throne room where Kuroneko is sleeping on the throne. She wakes as I approach.
“Sleep well?” Kuro asks.
“Yes.” I answer with a small nod.
“Good. You took so long that I fell asleep too whilst I waited for you. Anyway, be grateful that I let you have her. She was mine originally.” Kuro says.
“True, but you sold her to Contractia.” I point out.
“I didn’t sell her. I traded her for protection that Contractia wasn’t able to provide.” Kuro protests.
“Either way you let go of her before I took her.” I say brushing Kuro’s protest aside.
“I never let go of her sister.” Kuro reminds me.
“No, I took her before you let go of her.” I say with a grin.
“With most gods you’d have ended up at war.” Kuro growls.
“I know, but you’re not most gods. We go way back.” I tell Kuro.
“If you take any more of my miko I may just forget that.” Kuro tells me pointedly.
“As long as you don’t take any of my people I’ll leave the rest of your people alone.” I tell Kuro.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going after your friends even if they are mere mortals.” Kuro assures me.
“Good. So how was your nap?” I ask.
“I wasn’t asleep.” Kuro says indignantly.
“You just said you fell asleep waiting for me.” I remind her.
“Oh. It was fine.” Kuro says sheepishly.
“That’s good. Since you were waiting here though, I assume you must have something you need from me.” I say.
“Do I always have something I want from you every time I want to talk?” Kuro hisses.
“Yes.” I reply instantly.
“I protest that!” Kuro complains.
“So you didn’t have something you wanted?” I ask.
“Well as it happens this time I do, but I don’t every time!” Kuro protests.
“So what did you want this time?” I ask.
“Your alchemist has some spare time now, right?” Kuro asks.
“Yes, I suppose she does.” I reply.
“So how about we have her develop something to help protect my temple whilst we’re away?” Kuro asks.
“We’ll be leaving in a few days at most.” I remind Kuro.
“If she can come up with something to wake those angels this quickly I’m sure she can come up with something helpful in three days.” Kuro says.
“I’ll ask her but don’t get your hopes up too high.” I warn Kuro.
“I’m expecting miracles.” Kuro says.
“You’re a god, so you’re the one who’s meant to provide miracles.” I remind Kuro.
“I’ll leave the boring divine duties to you.” Kuro says.
“Thanks.” I say with a sigh.
“You’re welcome.” Kuro purrs.
“I’ll see what Rin and her mother can do.” I tell Kuro.
“Good luck.” Kuro says and shifts away.
I consider walking to save power but Rin is
on the other side of the temple and I hate walking. So I decide to shift instead. I shift right outside the door to their alchemy lab and peer through it. They’re not there so they must be in their room next door. I walk to their door and knock.
“Who’s there?” Rin calls out sleepily.
“It’s Peter.” I call back.
“Just a minute! I’ll meet you in the lab.” Rin tells me sounding wide awake now.
I wander over to the lab and wait outside for a couple of minutes. Then Rin opens the door. She’s wearing white shorts and shirt but is barefoot.
“Come in, Peter.” Rin says with a smile on her face.
“Thanks, and sorry we didn’t get the chance to talk for long earlier.” I tell Rin as I enter the lab.
“It’s fine. I understand that you’re busy. I’m glad you came to talk to me though.” Rin says.
“I’m afraid I came here to ask for some more help.” I tell Rin.
“I should have known, but it’s still a chance to talk. How’s Yu Kii?” Rin asks.
“She’s fine. She convinced me to accept her as a miko.” I tell Rin.
“When she didn’t come back I assumed she must have. It was what she wanted, so I’m happy for her.” Rin says.
“I’m very lucky to have her as my miko.” I tell Rin honestly.
“You certainly are! Don’t forget she’s your friend too though.” Rin says.
“I won’t. All my miko are my friends. Have you had a chance to talk to Hermes recently?” I ask.
“Just the once. She seemed happy.” Rin says.
“What about the rest of our friends?” I ask.
“I’ve spoken to a few of them. Cherry, Sherry and Aventurine have pestered us more than a few times.” Rin says.
“What did they want?” I ask.
“Nothing short of a miracle.” Rin says with a sigh. Then she frowns. “So what miracle are you after this time?”
“Kuro was just wondering whether there’s anything you could make to keep the temple safe whilst we’re away.” I tell Rin.
“That’s vague, just like what Cherry asked for.” Rin says.
“With three gods living here you must be wondering why everyone comes to you for miracles.” I say and Rin laughs.
“I’ll send them your way next time.” Rin says.
“That’s fine. I’ll just send them straight back to you.” I tell Rin with a grin.
“In that face you look a little scary when you grin like that.” Rin says.
“Don’t worry. Only our enemies need to be scared of me.” I say.
“I know. It’s not that I’m actually scared of you, but you still looked scary.” Rin says.
“Hopefully my enemies will think so too. I’ll leave it up to you to try and come up with a miracle. Hopefully nobody will realise we’re gone though. If need be my angels will protect you and the temple, but it will weaken me if they have to.” I tell Rin.
“Could the faeries trick the enemy into thinking you’re still here?” Rin asks.
“Maybe, but if it goes wrong it might actually expose my absence. The empire has been chased off and the Fallen Angels under Azrael are still besieging Portalis as far as we know. That just leaves Contractia as a threat. I don’t consider them the enemy, but seeing as how this temple is on Contractian land they may consider us to be enemies. If they do though, I can only hope that they have the sense to prioritise dealing with Azrael.” I tell Rin.
“Does that mean we’re likely to be attacked once we’ve beaten Azrael?” Rin asks.
“If we stay here for too long it is quite likely.” I admit.
“There are a lot of Contractians here though, so would Contractia really attack us?” Rin asks.
“That makes it even more likely. They can use you as an excuse by pretending you’re hostages or by treating you as traitors.” I tell Rin.
“Would the queen really allow that? For that matter would she allow you to be attacked after all the help you’ve given her?” Rin asks.
“Even assuming she survives the war she is a queen so she has to consider the interests of the whole nation of Contractia. Her own personal feelings are unlikely to sway her decision. It’s not even guaranteed that she’ll be involved in the decision to put down a few rebels or to kill a few invaders. I hope she survives though, because I think she’ll make Contractia a better place.” I tell Rin.
“It was so much simpler when we were just hunting monsters and practising our magic.” Rin says.
“It really was. If the empire hadn’t invaded everything would have stayed so much simpler.” I say.
“And we could have gone on our date.” Rin says wishfully.
“We still can once we’ve dealt with Azrael and found somewhere safe to live.” I say.
“It’s not the same if you look like that.” Rin say shaking her head.
“I can take human form too. I can’t afford to do so right now, but once it’s safe I can.” I tell Rin.
“You’d still be a god though. It just wouldn’t be the same.” Rin says.
“I suppose not.” I agree.
“It might be nice to go out as friends in your human form and have some fun again when the war is finally over. Not just the two of us but Hermes and Yu Kii too. I suppose even Midori and that blasted Cherry. Aventurine and Neko too. Actually, forget that. Just Hermes and Yu Kii.” Rin says.
“Sure. We can do that.” I promise, adding a silent ‘if we all survive’.
“I’ll have a think about your request. I’m sure you must be busy.” Rin says.
“Ok. Let me know if you come up with anything.” I say.
“Of course. Take care Peter and goodbye for now.” Rin says.
“You too. Take care and bye for now.” I say and shift back to my room.
Yu Kii is lying there drooling on the pillow and spread out on the bed, mostly under the duvet but not entirely. She really was tired. There’s just one problem. What happened to her clothes? Oh, she was wearing spirit clothes and they only last as long as you’re conscious. I’d better get her a real miko outfit.
Chapter 15 (Peter)
It’s been a few days since I made Midori, Hermes and Neko into my angels and since Yu Kii became my miko. The mana they have given me already is enough to make me feel like a true god and certainly more than the mana I used strengthening their souls. That is only possible because our soul links are so strong.
That my soul link with Neko is so strong was the biggest surprise. Neko’s is still the weakest but only just. I expected it to be a lot weaker, because we didn’t have such a strong bond. It seems that a connection like this is more natural for Neko than it is for Hermes, Yu Kii and Midori though and Neko had very strong feelings for me that made up for the lack of such a strong mutual bond.
Once I’m in hell the supply of mana from my angels will be severely reduced. My angels in their human bodies would die if they went with us though so it can’t be helped. Teaching them to take on new bodies would take too long and I’m not sure I’d want to do that anyway. I will have to rely on the demon souls to replenish my power, so victory will depend on how efficiently we can kill the demons and drain their souls.
If Ferdinand notices us too quickly we will be in deep trouble, but with just Kuro and Juliet with me it should be ok. The ice hell is a very large place so the presence of two lesser gods and an angel shouldn’t attract too much attention until we start to cause some serious damage. By then we’ll have our tactics refined and should know our enemies’ weaknesses. Also if we can kill our enemies efficiently we’ll have increased our mana reserves.
“What was the point training her if we aren’t taking her with us?” Kuro asks.
“I’m the one taking you. I’m also the one who wants to kill Ferdinand most, so I’m not happy about this either.” Sor reminds her.
“You didn’t need to learn how to drain souls to take us to the gate.” Kuro complains.
“Sor has important work to do whilst we take car
e of Ferdinand.” I remind Kuro.
“Taking the elf king wherever he needs to go, but again she doesn’t need to drain souls for that work either.” Kuro complains.
“It may take a lot of power depending where Dairon needs to go. Anyway, Sor would have needed to learn sooner or later.” I tell Kuro.
“Can I take you there yet?” Sor asks clearly wanting to get rid of us. Well, mainly wanting to get rid of Kuro.
“Kuro, are you ready?” I ask.
“Yes.” Kuro says.
“Juliet, are you ready?” I ask.
“Yes.” Juliet says sounding a little nervous.
“Yes, please do.” I say and Sor shifts us to the celestial gate. I don’t wait to watch her shift back. I just throw myself through the gate before we get caught up in the surrounding battle. If I had looked behind me I would have seen Hades with a very stunned expression on her face. I didn’t look though so I didn’t see it.
The celestial gate currently appears as a grey stone circular gate with a constantly swirling, distorted rainbow of dark, mostly metallic colours filling the gateway. As we enter it we’re entirely surrounded by the constantly swirling colours. My body feels like it is being pulled on from every direction and at the same time pushed forward.
As we move forwards the colours take on a purple hint and eventually we are entirely surrounded by dark purple. Then the purple takes on hints of blue before becoming a dark purple and blue swirling mass. As the dark blue becomes stronger the purple fades until it is entirely gone. Then the blue becomes paler and paler until we can see clearly.
We are surrounded by ice. Even my body feels the chill of absolute zero. It won’t kill me but it will gradually drain me and my comrades. We must hurry to absorb the souls of the resident demons. If we can absorb and purify them all this hell will eventually become a divine realm. Even if we can’t do that however we must kill Ferdinand.
There is ice under our feet but there is no air as such. Instead there is just empty space all around us. If we were human the cold would kill us first, but even if we were immune to the effects of the cold the lack of air would kill us. It also prevents sound travelling so we can’t talk. In fact the lack of air causes pressure all around us crushing our bodies.
