Mizuki flings open the sliding door at the end of the hall with ease, pulling Sanemaru along with her onto a stone landing.
Standing on stone connected to a spiral staircase leading deeper into the mountain, she releases him.
Jumping up and aggressively fixing his clothes, they nudge each other playfully before dashing down two thousand steps carved in the mountain wall.
A tree growing from the middle of the floor behind them holds dark bark, vibrant green leaves, and glowing, yellow fruit.
Polished, glittering sunstone flooring highlights every flicker of light as they face large, double doors carved from solid, red wood arching high above their heads. Flower scrolls and vines crawl around the broad frame bordering a sea of glorious, glassy wood. A dragon's face with prestigious, gold pointed horns protrude with fire opal eyes separated in the center where the doors meet.
Mizuki pushes one open by silver dipped teeth to reveal a grand, royal hall with stained glass windows depicting scenes of a blue dragon all the way down.
The duo steps onto gray cobblestone draped by a teal carpet lining their centered path.
Fire-bearing sticks of silver rest in brass holders mounted to the wall between every door and around every window in rotating, metal ribbons below winding chandeliers hanging below an arched, suffocatingly pure darkness overhead. Five sets of stately archways inlaid with jewels face one another down an intricately simple, great hall.
At the end of the doors lies a staggeringly massive and ostentatious throne.
Tugging Sanemaru playfully along to the second, seemingly ordinary wooden door on the left, she forces him inside of Tsukiyomi's study then waits outside. Stumbling into the vast, round room with glowing crystals filling the ceiling, Sanemaru straightens and pats his shirt.
Gazing first upon a four-legged, carved wooden table with a matching chair to the inside right, a quick glance displays how every piece of furniture is an ornate dragon's claw clutching a gemstone orb. Two wooden chairs with arm rests and short backs sit empty, facing the comfortably seated Tsukiyomi.
Surrounding walls are lined with stone and wooden shelves of neatly packed scrolls, books, boxes, statues and trinkets from around the world.
A woven tapestry hangs behind Tsukiyomi and his desk, pitched under a milky, white light with no discernable source that illuminates glittering threads. Stitched into the fabric is a full moon above red, plum-blossom trees at the foot of a snowy mountain. The night sky, between a glorious moon and the mountain's crest, is filled with the magnetizing body of a silver, blue-green dragon.
Armorless in his kingly chair, a teal back arches above his head and below the face of a realistic, woven dragon that seemingly follows him around the room. Casually approaching his master's workspace, Sanemaru notices a white, linen wrapped parcel bound by a golden cord resting on the edge facing the door.
Tsukiyomi glances from the bundle to Sanemaru, "For the human," he returns to watching a vibrating, orange crystal move across an open, blank scroll.
Tiny bursts of red light flicker within the stone, pulling red lines of ink to the scroll's surface as it glides to form a map.
"Is it special?"
The steed tilts his head, "Servant gowns don't come like that..."
Grabbing his tail to hold it in front of his stomach, "Won't that make her stand out -too- much?"
Sanemaru steps closer to the desk, glancing around cautiously and whispering, "I can think of quite a few people that'll get jealous when they find out," he releases his tail and gently taps the tabletop.
"One. In. Particular," he strums his fingers over the wood before crossing his arms, standing up straight, and nodding his head back at the door.
His gaze follows suit, "If you bag my berries?"
After no word or recognition from his master, Sanemaru places one hand on his hip then holds himself up with the other on Tsukiyomi's table to lean in. Ensuring he is close enough to be heard and understood, he watches the top of his master's head as the crystal moves to bring detail and characters into view.
Suggesting freely, "Wouldn't a servant's linen be better for her, considering why she's here?" He slides his fingers under the smooth cord to lift it from the table and hold the bundle over his shoulder.
"Is this defiance?"
Tsukiyomi's peaceful gaze shifts from the scroll into Sanemaru's soul when he stops what he is doing to fold ivory hands on top of the table. His blank expression and steady tone unsettles the horse yokai.
Sanemaru's ears and tail perk up, "No, of course not, no, that's not—."
Sanemaru chuckles uncontrollably while stepping back, "I don't know what it came across as, but that's not what it is at all."
Shaking his head, bringing his hands to the front of his body in surrender with the cord hooked around his fingers, the parcel hanging down the back of his hand, "I'm confused, my lord. That's all."
Correcting his demeanor and standing up straight, "Stitching it," he makes a sewing motion with his free hand across his lips, "My confusion is not your concern, -master-."
Immediately bowing his head, staring at the ground and wiggling his toes a few times, Sanemaru soon glances at Tsukiyomi for the next steps only to find him sitting with closed eyes.
Sanemaru's forehead wrinkles when the lord captures him in an intense stare, "The human," Tsukiyomi's unbiased tone refreshes Sanemaru's memory of his prior engagement.
"Oh," he places his free hand on his chest, relieved he is not undergoing a punishment.
"Oh?" He tilts his head, the platinum blue stare of his lord distracting him before he his memory is jogged, "Oh!"
Perturbed, "She was taking a bath and I--!"
Tsukiyomi flies past him, items from his table crashing down with the gust of wind his body creates.
Up the tower in a wink, Sanemaru closes the distance with the bundle in hand followed by an uninformed Mizuki.
*****
A bathing Umeko searches for peace, discovering only the spoils of trauma every time her mind silences. An inescapable reality reminds her of the world's cruelty, and generosity, to innocent bystanders.
I should've gone back...to see if anyone needed help...
She sighs, hugging her knees in chest high, dark waters, sitting surrounded by blue and pink stone clusters.
I couldn't of helped anyone if I wanted to…
Groaning, she rests her chin on her arm to fight back a pitiful, scornful chuckle. Blowing a raspberry on her wet forearm, she grumbles and buries her face in the damp flesh of her inner elbow.
I couldn't even…help my own mother. If I tried harder…she'd still be with me.
Umeko lays back into the water, floating through steam as liquid spice releases its hold on her hair and its aroma fills her nostrils.
Everyone there always looked out for each other! …and all I did... I–!
The young woman rolls over in the water, screaming the words echoing off the inside caverns of her skull, "COWARD!"
The velocity of air trapped in bubbles slowly fades along with the upheaval of her agony.
I have to go back just once. I can't– I won't. I won't take no for an answer.
Resting her knees on the unfathomably soft floor of a rocky spring, she slumps in the water with her nose just grazing the surface with a shaky inhale. Slicking her hair back before wiping her eyes, she gets lost in the water as its ripples still and she can see the outline of her face.
I'll beg Tsukiyomi if I have to. No matter what, I have to bury her. …and everyone else I turned my back on. I owe them that much…
Grimacing, the muscles in her arms twitch hard enough to remove clenched fingers from indents in her own palms after unknowingly balling her fists too tight. With a frustrated groan, "Why couldn't I've just been killed with them?!"
Slapping and punching the water, muttering quietly, "I hate this. …I don't wanna be here…"
Shivering before another wave of anger takes over, she dives to pull herself along the strangely spongy floor, watching the sharp edges of glowing crystals bend under the weight of her hands instead of slicing her open.
Numb to the otherworldly magic around her, If everyone had real weapons and learned to fight instead of digging holes in the dirt and stuffing our faces, this wouldn't've happened!
The familiar stinging of a nose readying for a good cry, she rises, her lungs filling with air as tears mix into the streaks of warm water cascading from her roots.
Grandma was right. Comfort forges weakness. And bandits only attack the weak. They crumbled like senbei (rice crackers) to Tsukiyomi. It's our leader's fault for not preparing us!
Stiffening, Umeko focuses on an unusual sound suddenly echoing off the stone path behind large boulders on the other side of the pool.
Stealthily moving to the furthest edge of the water, she presses her back against the cave wall and shrinks to hide behind an opaque, green rock.
That big weirdo said he'd guard the door and he doesn't seem like the type to peek...
Clutching the rock at a thought that never crossed her mind, Was he lying? Is this some kind of 'play with the human' game?!
Dismayed in her own head, I don't want to say anything if it's one of the hungry demons he warned me about!
Chewing her lip as tension floods her cells, she molds her damp body along the crystal, her hot flesh sliding against a perilously smooth, warm surface.
He wouldn't let one of those types in…I hope… Can they move through walls? It's not Tsukiyomi, right?! ...Wh-what if it is—a-and he's looking for a rut?
Subconsciously easing out of her fear, imagining the ways their bodies would fit together, her bottom lip massages her front teeth when she pictures long, flowing locks cascading down his statuesque features and into the water as he approaches her.
That wouldn't be so bad...
Tapping her forehead on the rock to cast away her imagination, Really?! How can I think about that at a time like--!
Swallowing hard, the blood vessels within her widening from internal heat, He could probably eat you whole without a second thought…
A naughty grin creeps over her lips before she shuts her eyes and forces the thoughts away.
GAH! Stupid horny body! What do I do right now?!
Panic strikes as firm footsteps audibly approach her side of the spring, and a broad shouldered silhouette enters her view through the steamy blanket covering her.