Sally
Fujishima’s Estate
Evening
Before the incident happened, as Mikage has to perform her fox ritual dance, Sally at the same time was about to take her post when she saw a glimpse of Mikage. Mikage was being escorted by the other shrine maidens as they started walking at the lantern path that was leading to the lantern ring where the ritual dance will be held. Sally was indeed mesmerized and captivated but she snapped her attention and just went to her designated post where she could see clearly the lantern ring and the warehouse where the soul beast was being held captive – resting. She already asked permission from the family and the spirit that was living at the cherry blossom tree as it never wither ever since the family maintained the shrine.
‘All clear here, boss.’
“Same goes here but be on guard. Something was already wavering around the perimeter.” Sally pressed the earbud that was over her ear before she responds to her team about their position as well.
‘Noted, boss.’
As she was totally guarded and keeping an eye on everything, the ritual dance began and after Sawako made her cleansing dance, Mikage stepped in without breaking the transition of the dance. Even without initially looking at the spot, Sally suddenly sensed the change of air around the shrine when Mikage took the spot. Again, to Sally, a beautiful smooth movement of a geisha kitsune traditional dance of their family was being performed and it was making her blood rush beneath her skin and veins. She knew well about the sudden rush beneath her skin yet she did not utter any words regarding that matter. She just continued watching Mikage dance wonderfully.
But along the traditional movement, it suddenly changes into something firm and powerful yet still has the touch of traditional. Sally found herself smirking as she was seeing on how Mikage owned her very own ritual dance that she was performing. Then from the mixed up of powerful and traditional movement, it quickly shifted into fun and energetic and Sally found herself excited all of the sudden. She felt excited and wanted to join her graceful dance. Then it suddenly went into slow and meaningful movement before ending the whole performance back into the original and their traditional ritual dance. Sally was about to get off the tree but there was something else happened when she locked eyes with Mikage.
Yes, she was proud of her but there was something in her chest that was bursting with such power to which exactly the warehouse also reacted and went to where Mikage was and making the ritual summoning complete. But to Sally, there’s another thing just happened there. It was a quick flash into her sight but it happened. She already knew that she was drawn to the maiden – particularly to Mikage and she loves the feeling that it was sending her way.
“I am very pleased, my young lovely maiden.” Sally smirked through her mind and a thought came flashing as soon as their eyes locked and the soul beast went to her side. As that was being said, at the same time, the bursting power began to crawl over her entire body then the alarm went on.
‘They’re here and so many.’
When Sally heard that, she quickly uses her ability and looked at her surrounding as she began sensing those beasts around which she doesn’t like of it. She excused herself to the tree that she was staying at for good navigation and dashed to where it was coming but when she got there, she was quickly being thrown like the other defender of the family though she was still standing than them.
“I will handle it from here.” Sally dashed to the beast that suddenly came out from the old shrine back making her recall what the old maiden told her. The guardian was already leaving the land and Sally must hurry before it quickly vanished.
“Are you sure?” one of the defenders asked as he pierced his lancer to a beast's heart.
“Protect your family; I’ll try to hold them here.” Sally reassured him as her knuckles began to glow in the dark flame of the night – meaning it has silver dust flaming along with the black flame.
“Thanks.” He said as Sally made an opening for them to help the other member of the family.
As soon as they were gone and Sally was being left alone to handle every fallen beast around, she did not just activate the knuckle flames that she had but she activated also all the yin yang magatama beads that she dropped around the perimeter of the estate when she was doing her own rounds. When she activated it, it helps the barrier to hold for more hours but it also means that her energy will drain her quickly. But it was Sally, meaning, she did not care about it. She just went on the fight even though she knew that the barrier that she put in will also drain her to the core.
Yet, Sally kept fighting them dead seriously in hand-to-hand combat by doing a couple of combos of punches from hook, straight, and uppercuts. Then she even let her black flame go to her feet whenever she was using her different types of kicks and sometimes she’s going to mix it up with different kinds of dodging or blocking stunts. With each hit that she was making, her flaming knuckles sends those beasts into such crisp, ashes or they just simply vanished along with the thin air. Due to the exchange of power that Sally was emitting, all of the beasts took notice of it and went on roaring in anger. They even changed the course and directly charged Sally. She did not hesitate on dodging, crossing fists or kicks with them and just kept fighting them head but the barrier was taking its toll on her to the point of making her bleed. She was coughing blood and even her nose was starting to bleed as well.
All the beasts took notice of it and like that effect on her that made they all decided to take advantage of it. Yet, she kept her composure as if it was nothing and just let her mind be as clear as crystal while she kept exchanging blows to those beasts from hand or kick combat combos that she could come up with alongside her flames that burn them even more. Sally was one of the well-known huntresses of the Reynolds whom they also called the Night Flame since none could ever have seen her flames until it was already burning.
‘Let me out now.’
“Are you sure about that?” Sally heard a very cold and deep voice of a lady whispering from within.
‘As if you did not want me to, plus, she’s going to get worried over us.’
“So be it then. I don’t want her to cry too.” Sally agreed that exactly her flame went deeper and wider. It even made the night sky begin to crumble in such anger before letting a bolt of lightning strike the ground directly hitting Sally followed by a scream that turned into the roar of a beast.
With just one strike of lightning, every beast that wasn’t that strong enough immediately flee while some decided to stay and instantly got killed because the lightning was ordinary lightning. It stays where it was striking and it spread if there was a creature that came with a threatening idea or presence it can easily kill them. It could make them crisp or vanish like what her night flame knuckles can do.
Fujishima’s Estate
Dawn – 2:50
Sally woke up from the singing voice of a lady echoing through the dawn of the night and she groaned from the pain over her head to which she doesn’t have any clear recollection of why her head hurt. But at the same time, she noticed that she had a bandage over her head and she was not wearing her mask which she looked for. She released a sigh when she saw that it was being into half once again until she groaned in the bugging pain over her head. Yet, it did not last long as the pain was forgotten when she heard a familiar singing voice and she knew it was not from the ancestral maiden of the Fujishima family but from Mikage.
“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Mikage quickly apologized as soon as she noticed that Sally had woken up from resting from what just happened to the ritual dance.
“No, but can you tell me what happened to my head, Mikage?” Sally slightly groaned as she touched her bandaged head to ease the sudden throbbing pain on it.
“Oh! Ahmm…I sort of dropped you and your face was the first thing that hit the floor. Don't worry, I did not let them see what lies beneath your mask.” Mikage was a bit shy when she answered how Sally ended up having a bandage over her head since she does not have any slight recollection of any beasts that managed to hit her that hard on the head.
“I see…did we make it out from their attacks?” Sally wondered as she went over to the small porch where Mikage was sitting while petting a silver-white fox on her lap. Sally already could tell that it was the soul beast and it took a fox of a pup.
“You did. Thanks to you and your team, everything went fine and no grave causality happened, just injured but the rest, everything is fine.” Mikage answered briefly before looking to the serene night sky of dawn.
“Good to hear. So, you saw my face…” Sally trailed off as she carefully rested herself over the wooden post not far from Mikage. Mikage nodded instead of speaking because Sally’s face had a battle scar over the right corner of her eye down to her cheek and neck which she received from a knife five or six months ago.
“Are you afraid now?” Sally was looking at the same moon as she was a bit afraid to see what will be the reaction of Mikage regarding her face looked like.
“No, I’m not afraid of it since it was your battle scar that you’re carrying. I don’t mind seeing them whenever you’re alone with me.” Mikage smiled genuinely at her and Sally likes the sound of her voice rings through her ears that remind her of the song that Mikage was singing when she woke up.
“What are you singing?” Sally decided to sit comfortably closer beside Mikage and looked at the serene sky as well.
“Come what may.” Mikage answered not minding that Sally was sitting beside her already.
“Can I hear where you left off? I might know them.” Sally wondered what made Mikage look in disbelief but Sally just gave her a genuine smile that she couldn’t say no anymore. Mikage likes to see those smiles more often.
“Okay but I am not a good singer.” She just answered making Sally chuckle lightly before looking up to the night sky again.
“I am not complaining. Let me hear them.” Sally still insisted on hearing what Mikage was singing when she suddenly woke up.
“Okay.” Mikage just gave up as she swallowed her nervousness and let her singing voice be heard by Sally.
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
Mikage sang the second stanza of the song Come What May from the soundtrack of Moulin Rouge since there’s where she left off when she noticed Sally suddenly woke up. As for Sally, she did not know why but she just did suddenly lean her head over Mikage’s shoulder. There was a sudden jolt but it was just a few seconds and both just savored the message of the song that Mikage was singing to her.
And there's no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather
And stars may collide
But I love you
I love you
Until the end of time
Sally found herself smiling but there was something else getting out of her body that also made her feel so tired and needed some more rest. Though that feeling crawling beneath her was not very dangerous but it was imperious enough to make the fox-formed soul beast over Mikage’s lap jolt and quivered in fear. But it did not stay that long since Mikage placed her free hand that was close enough to caress the head of Sally. Sally likes the warmness that was radiating through the hand of Mikage as soon as it was placed over her head, the energy around Sally came into its calmness and made her rest even more around Mikage’s presence.
“Come what may
Come what may
I will love you
Until my dying day…” Sally sang very low like a whisper in the night but it never escaped from Mikage’s ears and made her smile lovingly. Then just right there, Sally went back into her rest while her head was still resting over Mikage’s shoulder.