"Ama! Come on! You're gonna miss it!"
"I-I'm coming, Tsukuyomi!"
I followed my twin sister, Tsukuyomi, up the hill, struggling to keep up with her speed. Our mom and dad stayed behind to watch us to make sure we wouldn't go too far. Today was the day of the total eclipse, the biggest event for the Eclipse Tribe and it would be the first time me and my sister would ever see it.
"God, Ama! You're so slow!"
"I'm not slow, you're just fast!" I said, panting a bit after struggling to get up the hill.
"Yeah, yeah. But look! It's happening!" Tsukuyomi jumped up as the light darkened, eventually disappearing. Everyone was looking up in awe at the sight and beauty of the solar eclipse. Our symbol of hope and prosperity.
"Isn't it beautiful, Ama? It's really cool too!" Tsukuyomi said ecstatically, jumping up and down.
"Yeah! It's beautiful." I responded, in a complete trance looking up. It was such a beautiful sight. And I may never see it again. Who knows. I was only seven. I might as well look forward to seeing this again with Tsukuyomi. Me and my sister. Forever together…
A year later, me and my sister were celebrating our birthday, our parents being the only attendants, but we didn't mind. Our parents were enough for this party. Just our family. We could never be torn apart.
"Happy birthday, Amaterasu! Happy birthday, Tsukuyomi!" Mom and dad yelled out with joy. They had two small cakes for both me and Tsukuyomi with a small candle lit on each one.
Tsukuyomi looked at both the cakes before asking, "Why are the cakes so small? There won't be enough for you and dad."
Mom looks at dad before looking back at me and Tsukuyomi and smiling. "We only had enough to make small cakes for both of you. Your dad and I won't be having any."
Me and Tsukuyomi look at eachother with a frown then Tsukuyomi speaks up again. "We can cut the cakes in half! It's not fair that we only get cake."
"Y-yeah! It's not fair!" I said in a soft, timid voice.
The determination me and my sister had was obvious. We weren't gonna take no for an answer. This made mom and dad laugh. Mom put the cakes down and then grabbed a knife, cutting the cakes in half. Dad brought out two more small plates and placed them on the table and mom proceeded to put the two new slices of cakes on them. Tsukuyomi and I smiled and waited for mom and dad to sit down before we started eating.
"This will be a special year for you both." Mom said with an excited expression. "You both will be going to school next week and learn your strengths and weaknesses."
Tsukuyomi's face lit up at this news and quickly turned to face me, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you hear that, Ama!? We get to learn at school!"
"O-Oh uh yeah that's g-great." I said nervously, giggling slightly, but trying to keep a smile to keep Tsukuyomi happy.
"Come on, sis! This is gonna be fun!" Tsukuyomi pinched my cheeks and made me smile more. "I bet we'll both be great warriors!"
"Yeah jush l-let go of my fash!" I tried to say to let go of my face but it came out muffled. Tsukuyomi luckily understood what I was trying to say and let go. I rubbed my cheeks after.
"Now, Tsukuyomi, your sister won't feel the same way as you do," My dad with a smile, "but I'm sure she'll have fun as long as you're with her."
"Hm, I bet you're right, dad!" Tsukuyomi responded before turning to me. "Don't worry, Ama! We'll have lots of fun together!"
I wanted to believe her, but as school began, she showed lots of talent in a bunch of different things while I only managed to show promise in music and agility but I never really trained in my agility, I focused on music. My sister however, became extremely skilled in almost everything she's done while I was average at best. The only thing I had over my sister was musical ability but that wouldn't get me as much recognition as my sister would get for all her skills. Needless to say, I felt inferior. I realized just how different me and Tsukuyomi were. She was talented, but I was an average person that happened to be agile and good at music.
As I grew older, I started to live in my sister's shadow. While people in school surrounded her with attention, I was just there. No one really noticed me. I had my own smaller group with other people that liked music, but that was about it. Despite living in the shadow of my sister, I didn't mind it. I didn't like attention, so being a shadow, and having no one notice me, it was an absolute blessing. This doesn't mean me and Tsukuyomi weren't close, we were still close, but when in school, we usually kept to our own groups. People didn't talk to me unless they wanted to know where my sister was or if I could introduce them.
When Tsukuyomi and I turned 16, the High Priestess made a sudden announcement. All six tribes must begin their selection process of all eligible candidates for the next High Priestess. Quickly, the whole Eclipse Tribe chose Tsukuyomi as the Eclipse Tribe's candidate. The Eclipse Tribe hasn't had one of their candidates become High Priestess since the first three High Priestesses in the Roku Tribe Union's history, so the people were desperate for another candidate from the eclipse tribe to become High Priestess. While me and my sister were the only two eligible candidates, I was not even close to being even considered as a candidate for the High Priestess selection, so I easily conceded to my sister and fell even more into the shadow.
After the Eclipse Tribe unanimously chose Tsukuyomi as the candidate, she got a lot more special treatment at school, the teachers gave her special training, and the students tried to get even closer to her. It bugged me but it's not like I could do much about it. When I thought about it though, it did sound pretty cool to possibly be the twin sister of the High Priestess. As the months went by, Tsukuyomi showed more and more skill in anything she was being trained in. It was kind of amazing how much more skilled she's become since we were eight. I wish I was as skilled as her, but at the same time, I think it was better I wasn't. Me and Tsukuyomi didn't need to compete for the position of candidate, and it pulled the attention away from me. Yeah, it was better this way. My sister will go compete to become High Priestess, and I'll stay behind and push my career in music further!