Mikage
Sally’s singing voice might be sounded a very low whisper in the air yet it was very clear to Mikage’s ear that made her smile out of the blue. Her smile was calm and very light as if she was being touched by something precious angel. Mikage glanced over her shoulder and that’s when she knew that Sally fell back to her sleep. She might be disappointed that her crush, Sally was fallen asleep on her shoulder but she could not care much about it especially when she saw Sally was already totally at ease sleeping close to her.
‘Like the lady sleeps beside you, Mikage?’
“Shut up, Soul, but there was something in her that I could not tell whether it was good or bad.” Mikage might be instantly blushed at that question but she was also being honest when she answered her familiar that she named Soul while she caressed the head of Sally.
‘Well, it will depend on you.’
“Me? Why it has something to do with me, Soul?” she wondered what her familiar just told her.
‘You’re a maiden, you can tell if the spirit or a soul was bad or not.’
“I know that as I’ve been trained to but Sally, she’s different. She was the only one that I could not read much than I do with others.” Mikage already got that part but only Sally was the only person she could not tell what lies within her. It was like Sally’s aura was like a hollow with no life but at the same time, she does. She was a bit confusing to Mikage when it comes to that area – everything about Sally was indeed mysterious to her.
‘Possess?’
“If so, what kind of lost spirit would possess a huntress like her?” she wondered when her familiar suddenly drop that guess on her. Mikage takes it into consideration since it could be possible as she could not tell the spirit of Sally ever since they met.
‘I am not sure but when she came into the warehouse with the Shinichiro, she was totally not affected by my malice. There’s something inside of her that makes me cower. I know she’s more powerful than me but I can’t tell much if she’s royalty or just being possessed for years.’
“That’s something if she was either. Well, we’ll know about that tomorrow. Help me put her back in the futon.” Mikage took note of what her familiar just informed her before letting Sally sleep even more over the futon that was being laid on the wooden flooring. They already let Sally rest in the rehearsal room since she just took a very draining defense over their entire estate’s safety.
‘As you wish.’
As Mikage’s familiar shifted its form into a huge silver fox creature, it began on releasing such power to wrap around Sally’s sleeping body and carefully went inside before letting her body rest once again over her futon. When it already rested Sally back on the futon, her familiar shifted back into its cute and small silver fox form while Mikage settled Sally comfortably on it. She smiled and was about to get up to head out to the porch when Mikage felt the same warmness that only Sally could give to her. She felt them coming from her wrist and that’s the wrist that Sally managed to grab. She was surprised by it but what surprised her more when Sally’s eyes were not the usual eyes that she saw from her. Soul, Mikage’s familiar quickly shifted into his beast form and was about to protect Mikage but Mikage halted her familiar.
“Do I know you? Where’s Sally?” Mikage quickly asked as she stared at those familiar deep dark orbs of the night with reflections of stardust. Honestly, Mikage found herself not surprised by what she was witnessing over the unconscious body of Sally. Possessed?
“Yes and no also don’t worry about Sally. She’s asleep and resting from what she had done to save the entire family that you’ve cared about.” A different energy suddenly took over Sally’s body and talked to Mikage with such calmness that she once heard before.
“And you, who are you? Are you possessing her?” Mikage rained her questions that made her chuckle and Mikage could not believe that she was feeling embarrassed. Though she already could tell that it wasn’t Sally.
“I’m either possessing her or not, it’s up to us. Sally called me, Serene.” Serene was smiling genuinely at Mikage who was blushing a little from those smiles. Mikage felt the same attraction whenever she was with Sally.
‘So right name for a powerful beast.’
Mikage was caught up in her thought regarding the presence wrapping around Sally that took over her body as well when her familiar just talking to it. From that interjection of Soul, Serene turned her attention to it as it turned itself into a beast form that could fit in the room.
“Silence, you soul beast. Remember your place.” Serene warned him with such power but Soul still glared at her in such puzzlement.
‘My place?’
Another wondering tone from Soul when it heard what Serene was saying to him. The more he tried to know what she meant, he began to groan in pain which made him be forced to bow down at her. Soul quickly recalled the same presence and power that it felt when Sally made it talk while it was still in the warehouse.
‘You’re…a soul beast…’
Soul tried to speak up even though he was totally being forced down.
“Am I now?” Serene sounded flat but she was very taunting when her eyes turned into such pure darkness when Soul tried to speak up even if it was totally being forced down.
“Stop it, Serene, please. He’s my familiar.” Mikage stopped Serene by holding her hand as she did not want to lose a familiar that she just gain. Plus, she does not want these two creatures before she stirred up something again. The entire family finally came to rest after what just happened.
“Oh, right. Remember your place, Duke.” Serene quickly responded to Mikage’s touch and immediately calmed herself as she also sent a warning tone to Soul once again.
“Duke?” Mikage wondered what she called over her familiar and Soul recalled something that made him turn into a small fox again.
“Times up for me. Some of the family was about to wake up and Sally as well, tell Sally to check the old shrine. She’ll know what to do. See you around, my dear maiden.” Serene did not answer and just cut their conversation since she was already feeling that somebody was about to wake up from their rest. But before she left and let Sally take over her body again, Serene managed to place a lingering kiss on Mikage’s forehead before laying down on the futon.
Both Mikage and Soul, her familiar were totally speechless at the sudden turn of events in a short period of time there until they noticed something around Sally’s energy. It was calming down and as if on cue, the dark surrounding was starting to light up as the sun was about to rise up. Mikage sensed that and went to the porch where she was sitting before she let Sally rest again.
‘Aren’t you going to sleep?’
“Maybe later. Go ahead and rest.” Mikage smiled at her familiar worried tone which made her pull it to her lap and made some patting over its fur.
‘Okay. Wake me whenever you need my help.’
As her familiar went into its slumber, Mikage waited for the sun to rise up since it was the first place that was going to be hit by the sun when it was about to touch the earthly ground. She was feeling the warmness of the morning sun coming its way when she once again heard some rustling sound coming from Sally’s bed. This time around, Mikage did not turn to look if she was awake or not, she just let it pass by and she began to feel a familiar presence beside her again.
“You met her, didn’t you?” Sally quickly dropped that question as soon as she sat beside Mikage again. This time she was fully rested.
“You mean Serene, the one who’s possessing you?” Mikage just wanted to make sure they were talking about the same creature.
“Possessing? Y-yeah.” Sally answered a bit confused when Mikage mentioned her getting possessed.
“She’s nice and had the same vibe as you. Just like her name. She’s serene with sort of temperament issue to others that don’t matter to her.” Mikage honestly answered that made Sally giggle lightly then looked over the morning sky.
“You bet it right. But to be honest, she only responded or even let herself know about you. I am not sure if she’s being picky or just being overly protective of me.” Sally smiled as if she went into her old days when she met Serene.
“Meaning?” Mikage was being curious but Sally just smiled genuinely at her. Mikage softened from that smile because she felt that it was total a sincere smile that Sally rarely showed to anyone.
“Well, you know soon.” Sally just told her. Mikage just rolled her eyes from what she just heard there but still stared at her.
“Right.” Mikage might be staring at her but Sally was not planning on saying anything more about it that made her sigh in such defeat.
“Anyway, did she mention anything to you?” Sally might have chuckled over it but she just changed the topic when she asked something that Serene might tell her before they took turns over her body.
“Oh right, she mentioned going there at the old shrine with me.” Mikage recalled what Serene just mentioned before it let control over Sally again.
“I see. She wanted to check something.” Sally nodded as she took note of it.
“Something?” Mikage wondered but her eyes were not keeping up anymore which Sally noticed.
“You’ll know later. Just have some rest. I’ll watch you this time.” Sally chuckled as she watched Mikage trying to fight her drowsiness.
“No need…” Mikage was about to say her reason but Sally put her index finger over the center of Mikage’s forehead.
“I told you, you need it.” Sally smiled really assuredly at her which made Mikage’s sights start to get blurred and her drowsiness was getting heavier every second she was trying to fight it back.
“Wha – how…?” Mikage was about to ask Sally how she does it but she could not anymore because she just fell down over Sally’s open arms. She was totally tired and Sally knew that.
Sally
Fujishima Estate
Dawn – 5:30
‘Thank you, for letting her sleep.’
“Well, she’s a maiden and she needs to learn how to take care of herself, or else she’ll collapse. You have to remind her that.” Sally reminded the familiar of Mikage who woke up to check on his maiden.
‘I know but she’s stubborn.’
“I could tell.” Sally agreed as she caressed the head of the sleeping Mikage around her chest.
‘Are you not going to tell her you’re secret?’
“Maybe soon or one day…” Sally looked hopeful about something that has a connection to what Soul just mentioned.
‘Hope you will because she’s feeling something about you that she could not figure out.’
“And you do?” Sally countered that making him slightly chuckle.
‘After meeting lady Serene, how can I not? She was indeed a powerful soul beast and she became more because you’re together.’
“Don’t tell what you’ve learned, it might stir something.” Sally could not agree more over it since Serene has an effect on her kind.
‘Then be careful. There are like those beasts from last night.’
“They never left my tail ever since I learned about it but I will try not to die because of her. Go ahead and rest. I’ll just warm up.” Sally looked over at Mikage before she carried her like a bride and took her inside the same room. She let her sleep over the same futon that she used.
Silence took in while Sally stared at Mikage’s sleeping face and smiled. She decided to let the maiden rest alongside her familiar fox, Soul before placing a lingering kiss on Mikage’s forehead. Then she went outside just to make some warming-up exercises before she could make her rounds for the last perimeter check of the Fujishima estate like she did not go into a very draining task last night.