May 2016.
Due to endless complaints of Jiro about always thinking and being with her friends first, Mizuki decided to have time with Jiro, with just the two of them. Jiro suggested visiting his origin.
"I'm kind of scared. Are you really sure about this?"
Mizuki asked in a matured voice. She's now 17 years old. Her physical features have developed like a woman. Her face, voice, hair, and body have changed. Her skin was as smooth as a pearl. Of course, her way of thinking has changed too. Ever since Mizuki learned all the things women must know, she kicked Jiro out of her room. Once again, Jiro sleeps anywhere he finds suited. He even had to adjust endlessly and adapt to Mizuki's mood swings. The once cute little girl who needed his protection was no longer here. It has been reversed, with him who needed protection.
Mizuki and Jiro were back at Hokkaido, Japan, and the place where they first met. The place brought back memories from that night. That night when Mizuki was so lonely and lost her world and universe and Jiro stealthily came into her room. That night where it all started.
They are currently on a journey to Jiro's place. When they've reached their destination, it was already dark. For Mizuki, it was a new undiscovered world. Glowing butterflies were scattered on-air, enjoying the freedom they have. Fairies welcomed both of them by showering them with petals. They were as big as Mizuki's gentle palm. When they walked past a river, elves were seen playing around. Their ears were pointed and have long white hair. Each of them has a perfect curve or a masculine body with a beautiful face. The centaurs greeted them with a bow, all possessing half body of a human and half of a horse. They usually come in dark colors such as brown and dark.
Unicorns, dryads, and giants were rare said Jiro but Mizuki managed to see one or two of them. She has such a stroke of good luck. Later on, she felt embarrassed as nonhuman beings seem to have been stopping with their business just to take a look at her. She feels like an unidentified object flying around or a lunar eclipse that happened at the night time. She was being scrutinized by these beings, some were seen panicking, while others were jumping with joy.
"Wow! Wow! They are all beautiful!" Mizuki exclaimed to Jiro with glee.
"She can see us?"
"Look at her nape, it has divine protection?"
"Oh my—yes it is! Lord Jiro even brought her here!"
Mizuki was bemused with the murmurs she heard. She glanced to Jiro but the latter just smiled.
They continued walking amidst the whispers. Mizuki got embarrassed and clung to Jiro. They halted in front of a large tree—the largest and tallest tree Mizuki had ever seen in her whole existence. It was twice as big as the largest tree—the giant sequoia or four docks of the Statue of Liberty. It has a hole for stairs that leads to a portal. The portal was twice the height of Jiro, it looks like a mirror but shows no reflection. The middle has swirling colors of violet and pink with a touch of white dots.
Suddenly, it vibrated and a tall man in a lavender robe emerged from it. It has eight tails on its back and looks exactly and stunning as Jiro. Though Jiro was fierce and the temperature surrounding him was cold while the man has a big smile and charming to look at.
His mouth and eyes were wide open.
"Bro! You're back!" He jumped to Jiro, separating him from Mizuki.
"Save me bro, I don't want to take the crown! My shoulders are too weak to carry such heavy responsibilities. How could you leave on the day of your coronation? My goodness, they almost crowned me if not for my excuses that I'm not yet ready and needed to be trained. The Empress and Emperor would be damn glad to see you again! Let's go, come, come."
"You're still noisy, Nello," Jiro replied to the man who was his brother. He turned to the stupefied Mizuki.
"Ready?" Jiro asked.
"Oh! Oh! Why—what is a human doing here? Oh wait, she can't see us! Okay, she must be lost, poor lady. But doesn't she look too good for a human? And.. there's something in her blood. I can smell it. I can sense her in you? Oh fu—oh. A divine protection! She has your divine protection! The most divine. Yes, what—"
Nello said in haste as he circles around Mizuki to scrutinize her but stopped right after seeing the symbol in her nape.
"Hi," Mizuki said shyly and hid behind Jiro. She noticed that Nello looked older than Jiro but only has eight tails wiggling on its back. His hair was the color of mint green. It must have been in their blood that they both looked aesthetically stunning.
"She can really see me. What's the meaning of this Jiro?" He asked seriously.
"I was shocked too when she saw me. And I granted her my divine protection."
"A mere human was able to see us? And bro, that was the only divine protection you can give," Mizuki was flustered. She didn't know what exactly they were talking about. Jiro ignored him.
"Let's go through," he offered his hand to Mizuki in which she accepted without hesitance. Nello just followed them while shaking his head.
They passed through the portal that directly sent them in front of a stunning woman sitting leisurely in her throne with her eyes closed shut. Her skin glows like a moon. She was the most beautiful woman Mizuki had ever seen. Grandeur yet demonic. Her whole body trembled as she felt the impression of an overbearing and majestic ruler in her. The woman looked like Nello and Jiro with also nine tails on its back. Her eyes were peeked out of her long black hair.
"Mother," Jiro kneeled his left knee and bowed his head. Mizuki copied him hurriedly. Jiro's mother, which was also the Empress, opened her eyes leisurely. Her long black lashes fluttered like a butterfly. Mizuki was awed but shivered at the same time when she saw his mother's eyes. It was beautiful yet frightening. A deep black slit with a golden line was revealed.
"My son, you finally came back after almost a decade. The Emperor had just left for a reunion. You even brought a human with the divine protection of yours. Have you forgotten the pain you have experienced on the past human you had?"
It was cold. The temperature fell down rapidly along with Jiro's mother's cold voice. She spoke slowly and vividly. Every word seems to enchant and lure a guest to serve her, to pay respect. The past human he had? Mizuki looked at Jiro probingly. The latter stiffened his back and darkness crossed his face.
"I no longer pay heed to her," he said straightly.
Nello who was standing beside their mother looked over Jiro with concern. He contemplated if he should tell Jiro of what he knew or feign ignorance. But in the end, did the former.
"The night you left us, the divine protection you gave that past human vanished. You must have done or triggered something for it to be removed. Hours after that, the flower which represents her withered and burnt to ashes. I investigated and found out that… she really died."
Jiro's eyes immediately widened as feel his throat turn dry.
'I only have one divine protection!' Jiro thought. His divine protection is the most powerful and divine of all protections that ever existed. Even death will evade the person who has it. But there is only one. Only he has the capability to bestow it. And Mizuki owns it now. He remembered that he erased all his connections in all beings to hide his place and to make his presence disappear. He can't believe he made a stupid mistake. How could he remove his divine protection to the person he loved the most? Now, she's gone. He will never see her again. He had lost Nami forever.
"Jiro?" Mizuki called out. She looked exactly like Nami, he thought.
"Are you okay?" She was growing nervous and afraid. Jiro felt it. He stood up and hugged Mizuki who only reached his chest.
"Son," Jiro froze when her mother called him.
"Protect that human now. My heart aches to see you in pain. Just come back when you're ready. We will wait for you. This Nello, your brother, is too difficult to train."
Nello scoffed and rolled his eyes with his mother's words. But in his heart, he's actually celebrating. He's free once again.
"I will try. Let's leave now," Jiro casually answered and didn't bother bidding her mother and Nello a farewell. He hastily grabbed Mizuki's hand and went to a different portal.
Jiro and Mizuki passed through the portal and it led them to a top of a mountain which able them to see the vastness of the forest below. Mizuki was astounded. Small lights in different colors were flickering everywhere. It was magical and she was filled with elation. But it quickly disappeared when she met Jiro's eyes. So lonely, she thought. It was the saddest face he ever made or perhaps it was the first he showed this kind of face. He was broken. When Mizuki heard the whole conversation, she was extremely shocked. Jiro fell in love with a human before but was already fetched by death. That human even died on the day he left Nello and his mother, nights before they met. Moreover, that human has been dead for already a decade but Jiro just found it now. She could understand how devastated and pained he must be.
"Jiro," Mizuki called him and left 'big bro' out.
Jiro turned to her and was enveloped by a warm embrace from Mizuki. She patted his back gently.
"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault. Things are meant to happen. It's okay, it's okay," she comforted.
"Hmm," he replied.
Being an immortal comes with great advantages and dreadful disadvantages. Sure, one won't die and would have the luxury of living eternally. But meeting and being attached to mortal beings and watching them disappear slowly without the fact of coming back is a huge heartache. Every farewell would carve a scar in his heart yet every scar would stay forever without the ability of healing and dissipating.
"Thank you," he broke out from the hug and looked intently at Mizuki. He wonders how Mizuki could possibly look exactly like Nami. When Nami first met Jiro, he had disguised himself as a human. Therefore, humans can see him. But after she found out the truth about Jiro's existence, she was frightened and decided to leave. Ever since then, Jiro never disguised himself as a human. Nami married a human and eventually conceived a child. Every day of watching them tortures Jiro's soul and shatters his heart into small pieces. He gave her divine protection, left, and never looked for her again.
Mizuki felt embarrassed with his stare when suddenly a shooting star crossed the sky beautifully. It happened abruptly but Mizuki surely saw it.
"A shooting star! Make a wish, hurry, hurry!"
Mizuki hurriedly closed her eyes and wished solemnly. After it, she opened her eyes to take a look at Jiro who's now staring at her. Thinking that he had just finished making a wish, she asked him.
"What did you wish?"
There was silence. Jiro stayed mute. But his unexpected answer made her heart stopped beating for a second.
"I wished that this time I could protect you."