'You're late,' Nanashi snarled.
'What? You just arrived yourself,' Hajimo replied.
'Alright, alright... there's no need to play the blame game. For an old man, you sure are childish.'
'Ha! If we're talking about being childish, how about you stop deluding yourself? We both know that you're older—no, not just older, far, far older than me.' Hajimo said with a victorious smirk, which quickly vanished once Nanashi gave him a killer glare.
'Sorry,' he said, bowing his head before continuing. 'No need to take everything I say so seriously. I am an old man, after all.'
'But I am older than you,' Nanashi stated matter-of-factly.
'What? You don't look a day over 30!'
'Excuse me?'
'28?'
'No.'
'26?'
Nanashi shook her head.
'20?'
She still shook her head.
'17?' Hajimo asked incredulously.
'No, stop. You're flattering me,' Nanashi said with a hint of amusement. 'You know, when people see me with Akiza and her mother, they think Suzune is my older sister.'
Hajimo scoffed and rolled his eyes. 'Yes, I could easily mistake you for her grandmother—sorry, sister too. Uhm, let's get to the reason why we're here. What kind of kitsune are you?'
'The normal type. Is there a fox with eight legs?' Nanashi replied sarcastically.
'No, I mean, what element did you start off with?'
'Oh, fire.'
'I thought so. Explains your personality.'
'I know, I'm extremely hot,' she said, winking at him.
Hajimo yawned before answering, 'Here's what we're going to do. We're going to max out your fire power by having you absorb as many fire demons as we can find. Then we'll focus on the other elements. Those are going to be a little difficult to get a hold of.'
'How are we going to get them?' she asked.
'Don't worry about that now. Just follow me.'
Nanashi traced the winding path of the Hajimo, an ancient pathway veiled in emerald twilight. It led her to a hidden meadow, bathed in the ethereal glow of a waning moon. Scattered amongst the swaying blades of grass, like stardust caught in a weaver's loom, danced tiny flames. Their sapphire light flickered and pulsed, some hovering weightlessly, others weaving intricate patterns in the air, as mesmerizing as fireflies performing a silent, celestial ballet.
"Right, here we are. Go on and power up," Hajimo said, pointing at the field.
"No, I'm not. I don't know what they are. They could be bad for me."
"No, they're not. They're kosenjobi, ancient battlefield fire. They're a type of oni or demon fire, formed from the blood of countless warriors and animals that died on the battlefield but never moved on."
"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?"
"I just did."
"Right, time to eat," Nanashi said before changing into her fox form.
"Why are you changing into a fox?"
"Because I need to eat them to power up."
"Really? Geez, that's so primal and barbaric. Why don't you just absorb them?"
"Yes, I could do that. However, I've been a fox for so long that I've kind of forgotten how. Ah, I'm so embarrassed, I could die," she said, throwing herself on the ground and covering her face with her paws.
Hajimo smirked. "No need to be embarrassed. We all have something we don't know how to do. The only thing you should be embarrassed about is being so ignorant as not to learn it, even when you know you need it. Come now, get up and change back into your human form, then I shall teach you."
Nanashi got up and changed back into her human form, "I am ready."
'Huh!' the old man scoffed.
"What?"
"Who, would have thought that after all these years, I would have another student after Sasuke."
'No one, however, what you do know is that I am the best and most beautiful student, you ever had, right?'
"Nanashi, you are truly one-of-a-kind.' Hajimo said, his eyes shining with admiration. 'An undiscovered treasure, wise beyond your years. There is no one else quite like you.'
A brilliant smile spread across Nanashi's face at his heartfelt compliments. It was a real, unguarded grin that seemed to light her up from within. Seeing her joyful smile stirred something deep within Hajimo, resurfacing bittersweet memories he had tucked away long ago.
"Ai!, you making me emotional, let us being.", he scoped up a kosenjobi in his hand and held it in front of her but she was more focused on killing the mosquito bussing in front of her.
"Hey, over here."
"Sorry, I just cannot handle these things, but you have my full attention now?"
Hajimo let out a heavy sigh before continuing his mystical instruction. "The first step is to quiet your mind and feel the essential energy flowing through the object before you. Reach out with your senses until you can perceive its unique energetic pattern, like a hidden melody playing just beneath the surface."
He demonstrated by closing his eyes and extending his hand, palm outwards, concentrating intently. "Once you truly understand the inherent flow, you must then align your own inner energies to harmonize with the object's vibrations. Let them resonate together, beating in perfect synchronicity."
Hajimo opened his eyes, leveling Nanashi with an intense look. "From there, you must conjure a swirling void of negative energy within yourself. Do not fear its opposing polarity, for like the celestial dance of sun and moon, opposites are destined to attract and intertwine. My own energies carry a negative charge, enabling me to draw the object's essence inward."
He curled his fingers inward, as if physically pulling something invisible towards his palm. Faint tendrils of azure light began coalescing in his grasp. "Finally, amplify that negative flow, drinking in and absorbing the object's power fully into your very being. Can you feel the potential, the possibility, coursing through you?"
Hajimo's eyes burned with fierce determination. "Understand this technique, Nanashi, and you will unlock the ability to wield the fundamental forces of creation and dissolution themselves."
"Yes, Sensei!"
"Good, now you go.'
'Shhh, enough talk.' She said, picking one into her hand and repeating what her Sensei, said 'Basically, there are three steps, first, feel the energy, second aline energy, third, negative void.' And in an instant she absorb the orb.
"I did it." She shouted.
"Well done, I knew you could."
"Let me, see if I can absorb two at once." She grabbed two at once in each hand and absorbed them both.
"Good." he said applauding her.
"I wonder, how many, I can absorb at once?"
"Wait, now, lets us not rush into things, this could have a negative impact on your body."
Nanashi, paid no heed to her Sensei and with arms outstretched like a goddess embracing the sky, she closed her eyes and became a beacon. The kosenjobi, shimmering like celestial fireflies, felt the pull of her negative void. One by one, they streamed towards her, drawn by an unseen force as potent as a supernova. With each luminous moth nestled in her hand, she surged across the field, a whirlwind gathering the very essence of the night. Not a single kosenjobi dared resist her call. The air crackled with raw power as she swept through the landscape, leaving behind a desolate path a testament to her awe-inspiring dominion over the luminous swarm, 'I am done!' she shouted across the field.
"Great, we will move on to the next target." Nanashi trailed behind Hajimo, her trusted guide leading them deeper into the forest's emerald embrace. Twisted roots and hanging vines created an antiquated labyrinth, challenging them at every turn. Just when Nanashi thought they must be hopelessly lost, the trees parted to reveal a hidden grotto unlike anything she could have imagined.
A soft, azure glow emanated from the boughs overhead, where tiny orbs of brilliant blue and pure white danced among the leaves. The luminous spheres gently bobbed up and down, some even slipping through gaps in the canopy to tumble towards the mossy ground below. But instead of shattering against the earth, they seemed to absorb the impact, morphing into liquid tendrils that flowed back up the trunks to rejoin their celestial choreography.
Nanashi held her breath, utterly transfixed by the ethereal spectacle unfolding before her wide eyes. The orbs continued their mesmerizing cycle, falling and rising in a perpetual, graceful loop. Some clustered together in radiant formations, while others struck out on their own glistening arcs across the grotto. All the while, their brilliant dance cast swaying shadows that ebbed and flowed like the tide across Nanashi's upturned face.
In that transcendent space lost to the outside world, it felt as if Nanashi and Hajimo had stumbled into the cosmos itself. The forest grotto harbored its own sublime rhythms and secret laws of nature waiting to be unraveled by those rare few who could find this enchanted hollow.
"Wooow, where are we, Oh!, look, there is more Kosenjobi." She said in an excited tone.
'No, they are not, they are Tsurubashi.'
"What is the difference?"
"Kosenjobi, did not move, they do."
"So, negative void will not work?"
"Nope, it will."
'Then stop wasting my time son!' she said pushing her Sensei aside, stretched her hands towards the heavens like a king, adorning himself in the praises of his subjects, 'Come to me!' , all the Tsurubashi, flew to her at once, entering her body at a great speed, making the once lit up forest by the Tsurubashi to go pitch black and her skin to glow white.
"I think that is enough for today." Hajimo said.
"No..no.., I am just getting the hang of the this, there is no, turning back now."
"But, I think you have had enough, your skin is literally glowing white, like a ghost, if that is not a sign, then I do not what is."
"What!, this is nothing, I can handle this in a jiff, just watch." She said, closing her eyes and took few deep breaths, causing the glow from her skin started to fade, "Done!"
"I still do not know and I should know better but if you are willing than follow me!, we are going to a big one." Hajimo said enthusiastically
"Hai!"
Nanashi, ever the eager student, accompanied her Sensei on another odyssey. This time, their destination was a coastline where the very air vibrated with anticipation. As they neared the shore, a spectacle of unimaginable wonder unfolded before their eyes. Multicolored orbs, like spilled jewels from a celestial vault, danced and whirled above the churning waves. These spheres of light, imbued with the vibrant hues of sunrise and twilight, dipped and soared in a mesmerizing ballet. Then, in a moment of breathtaking awe, the orbs began to converge. They swirled together, a symphony of light coalescing into a magnificent form. From the depths of the ocean, a mighty dragon rose, its scales shimmering with the borrowed brilliance of the orbs. Its form, sculpted from living light, pulsed with an otherworldly power. Witnessing this celestial fusion, Nanashi stood breathless, forever etched in her memory the spectacle where the very essence of the sea coalesced into a mythical being.
"What are those?" Nanashi asked.
"Ryuto, also known as dragon lights, no one knows where they come form or their origin but they show up often, do you know how to walk on water?"
"Nope."
"That's it!, I guess we are calling it a night." Hajimo said, starting to walk away.
"I can do it."
"Are you serious, that flame is more than 200 meters away, are you going to swim to it?"
'No, I am going to use the negative void to suck it in.'
"Nanashi, I warn you do not do this." Hajimo said, in a firm and assertive voice.
"Watch closely," Nanashi called out, her voice ringing with sublime confidence as she approached the shore. The gentle waves lapped at her bare feet as she waded into the shimmering depths. With arms extending gracefully to either side, she tilted her head back and released a mighty cry: "Void!"
The word erupted from her lips like a thunderclap, the very air trembling at its ethereal power. A massive vortex of unseen forces coalesced around Nanashi's form, whipping her raven locks in a tempestuous frenzy. The maelstrom rapidly intensified as it drank in the iridescent dragon-lights scattered across the heavens, inexorably drawing their brilliance inward.
The entranced spheres swirled and pulsed, resisting the void's insatiable pull for only a moment before ultimately converging together. In a blinding cosmic explosion, a titanic dragon of crimson flames burst into existence with an earth-shattering roar. The behemoth immediately wheeled about, frantically fleeing the voracity of the vortex devouring its very essence.
Yet Nanashi remained unwavering, pivoting smoothly to track the dragon's desperate attempts at escape. An ethereal light blazed from her eyes as she maintained her draining weave of magic, toying with the fearsome beast for what seemed like an eternity condensed into mere minutes. Only when the swirling tempest sputtered and waned did the fiery leviathan finally halt its futile flight, sensing its opening.
With an ear-splitting bellow, the dragon arced around, hurling its full terrifying mass towards the solitary figured standing amidst the dying winds. But Nanashi simply smiled, serene admist the onrushing oblivion as she spoke the words, "Pride and vanity will be your end. Trust me... Void!"
The overwhelming torrent rematerialized with catastrophic force, a swirling tsunami of energy that slammed into the charging monster like a celestial battering ram. The dragon's forward momentum was first checked, then overwhelmed as it was gradually subsumed by the infinite depths of the void. Within moments, the last ethereal embers winked out, their fire at last extinguished.
Nanashi's knees buckled as the ultimate vestiges of draconic power were absorbed into her very being. She collapsed in a boneless heap, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. Yet her lips curved in a triumphant smile. For she had faced the primal fire of creation itself and emerged victorious through the sublime mastery of the void's infinite potential.
"Where to next Sensei?'
"Home."
"No, I can still.." before she could protest, she passed out, her Sensei, summoned a low breeze, lifting her body off the ground, and carried her all the home and left her sitting up right infront of her burrow, Nanashi, moved around and groaned as if she was having a bad dream.
"Shhh!, it is okay, I am sorry, I am making do all of this, I also hope, that I did not make you refigure your body and made permanent void, if so, than I am afraid to say, that you will have to say good bye to your friends forever." Hajimo said in a heavy sad tone, and ruffling the top of her head, like a proud father would his daughter, before vanishing into the night.
The following morning, Nanashi, found herself in an rather unusually place, rather than her own home as a familiar scent lingered around her and the sweetest and cutest voice she hand ever known echoes through the background of her dreams.
"Nana..Nana..Mama, Nana, dead?"
"I do…" just before Suzune, could finished her sentence, Nanashi opened her eyes.
"Who!, Me! Dead!, hahaha, do not make me laugh, I will kill death before it can take me, and if it does, I will simply escape again."
"Again and from where?"
"The underworld."
"Is that even possible."
'Of course it is, I have done it twice before."
"Truly, just who are you?"
"The strongest!" Akiza, shouted with pride.
'That is my girl!, come here and give me a hug, I love you so much, I could just eat you up."
"Please don't." Suzune said.
"I did not mean it literally, see, this is why I do not like you, you do not know how to take a joke, I simply cannot handle serious people," Nanashi said with a sigh.
"Okay," Suzune replied plainly, seemingly unbothered.
"Anyway, how did I get here?" Nanashi asked, looking at Suzune. But just as Suzune opened her mouth, Nanashi turned to Akiza. "Huh?"
"Uncle Sasaki!" Akiza exclaimed.
"Why?" Nanashi questioned.
Suzune answered, "He found you passed out in front of your den. Out of concern, he brought you here."
"Where is he now?"
"Outside, helping the villagers put on the final touches for Himiko's arrival."
"Himiko?"
"Yes, the high priestess and queen. She's soon to arrive."
"No, I'm not ready yet," Nanashi said, suddenly agitated.
"Ready for what?" Suzune asked, confused.
With her heart pounding against her chest, Nanashi bolted from the house, the urgency of her mission lending speed to her steps. She had to reach Sasuke, had to deliver the warning that clawed at her throat. But the shadows of the house were treacherous, and before she could spot a hint of him, a force yanked her aside, dragging her into the obscured confines beside the silent house. Her breath hitched, fear and adrenaline merging into a potent cocktail that coursed through her veins, as unseen hands gripped her with an iron resolve.
Top of Form
"Unhand me!, right now, or you will regret it."
"Not as much as you are about to"
Nanashi's lips curved into a playful smirk as she found herself face-to-face with Sasuke in the intimate shadows. "Well, well, Sasuke," she purred, deliberately licking her lips. "I never took you for the type to get so... handsy.'
Sasuke immediately let go of her and asked, "Do you ever take something seriously?"
"Nope, I do not like serious things and serious people, negative energy is just not for me you know, anyway, you the one that pulled me here, like some passionate lover." She said winking at him.
"Ai, why cannot my life not end, I brought you here, so you do not go out there looking like someone from the red-light district, you forget these people have seen you before, as a temple maiden, so please change, before anyone sees us."
"Okay, but before I do, I have something to tell you."
"Good, but before you do, change.' He said turning his back towards her."
"Argh!, fine!.' She said but not before, kicking his leg and slapping him behind his head.
"Ouch, why!"
"Because, Sasuke, you are stupid." She mumbled, then quickly changing her clothes, "Done, now as I was saying…"before she could finish, there was a sudden eruption of cheers and applause from the villagers, grabbing Sasuke's attention immediately.
The crowd hummed with anticipation as Sasuke gripped Nanashi's hand tightly. "She's here," he whispered, a strange intensity in his voice.
Before she could respond, he tugged her forward, guiding them through the mass of people until they stood at the very front. Raising their entwined hands, fingers laced in an almost ceremonial pose, Sasuke's eyes were locked ahead with laserlike focus.
A hush fell over the throngs as an ornate carriage appeared, rolling down the street towards them. Nanashi couldn't tear her gaze away, her heart pounding with a sense of nervous excitement.
As the carriage drew nearer, Nanashi found herself inexplicably drawn to the figure within. Their eyes met through the window, and a jolt of recognition shot through her. The woman's delicate features struck a chord deep within Nanashi's mind, stirring up flickers of a half-remembered past.
Then, the woman's lips curved in a slight, mysterious smile as she gave Nanashi the smallest of nods. In that moment, Nanashi felt an uncanny connection to this stranger, as if they shared some profound secret.
A shiver danced along her spine, raising the fine hairs on the back of her neck. There was something more here, a deeper mystery waiting to be unraveled. Nanashi knew in her core that this was no mere chance encounter.
"I know, her." Nanashi muttered
"What!"
"I said, I know her or have known her."
"What, I cannot hear you, let's get out of here." Sasuke grabbed her hand and lead her out of the crowd.
"Twice in one day, you are getting fresh, are you not?"
"Could you stop, for a second, and tell me, what it is?"
"I said, that I know her, or have met her before.'
'When?'
"A long time ago."
"No, way, I would have sensed if there was something off about her."
"But", she tried to explain but was interrupted by Sasuke who placed both his hands on her shoulders startling the things she wanted to say out of her mind.
"Nanashi, I think that you are very tired from whatever you were doing the last night, I think it is best you go home and rest, I will look after Akiza for the day, alright?"
"Yes, you are right, I am feeling a little funny."
"Sure..sure, Oh my gosh, she is getting out, I will come check on you later, HIMIKO!..HIMIKO!, I am over here!" he shouted, running over to the carriage, leaving Nanashi, with an unexplainable feeling burning in her belly.
"Ha, he actually, left me, in my state, when, I told him, I am not feeling well, he will see, wait..why,am I even upset, I do not need him, all men are the same, chasing after anything with a dress." She walked away mumbling some foul words, all the way to her den.
Later that night, Nanashi, was woken up by the sound of popping fire wood and someone humming ancient mantra.
"So, he finally, showed up, bored with that other woman but I will not even talk to him nor leave this place…wait, is that spicy chai, I am smelling, my favourite, I guess, I will go out, pretend to be his friend, while, I enjoy the tea, the fool, will not see it coming." She told herself and walked out.
When she emerged she saw that that there was no one outside, only the fire burning and the kettle boiling.
"Come out, Sasuke, I forgive, let us just sit here and enjoy this tea you have brought for us."
The silence was shattered by a soft, tinkling sound that drifted through the trees like distant chimes. With each movement of the shadowy figure edging closer, an ethereal symphony of delicate noises enveloped her. The gentle melody seemed to beckon her deeper into the heart of the ancient woods, luring her with its haunting call. Ornate jewelry adorning the mysterious form caught the fading rays of sunlight, casting kaleidoscopic patterns that danced across the forest floor. An arcane power radiated from this enigmatic presence, at once entrancing and unsettling.
"Holt, who goes there?" Nanashi asked.
"Holt!', the figure said in a mockingly voice, "just look at you, how far the great have truly fallen, my teachings, has gone to a complete waste on you, how pitiful and disgusting!" the voice roared.
"How about you come out and say that to my face." Nanashi, replied, changing, into her human form.
"As you wish ." the voice replied
Nanashi tensed, readying herself for battle, but before she could even assume her fighting stance, a deafening crack split the air like a whip lashing out. In the same breath, the high-pitched jingle of a small bell rang out, and an invisible force slammed into her chest with staggering power. The breath was violently ripped from her lungs as she was sent hurtling backwards, her body a ragdoll at the mercy of the unseen assault.
"Ha, not bad." Nanashi, wiping off the blood of her mouth and looked up to find.
Amidst the flickering flames, a figure of profound enigma materialized, her presence commanding reverence. Draped in garments that whispered ancient tales of long-forgotten civilizations, she exuded an aura so captivating, so alluring, that wonder and awe were helplessly drawn to her like moths to a flame. An otherworldly power seemed to emanate from her very being, weaving an intoxicating spell that bound all who dared gaze upon her ethereal form.
With movements flowing like water over polished stone, the enigmatic woman brought her hands together in a sacred gesture. Her voice carried the weight of eons as she uttered the words, "Namaste, Lady Kayo." Each syllable reverberated through the very fabric of existence, echoing timeless wisdom and unbridled might. "Long time no see."
"How do you know that name, who are you!" Nanashi, roared.
"My..my.., still fiery as ever, I see, but what truly disappoints me, is how you do not remember, the first person to ever believe in you and had taught you everything you know now, I am truly heart broken." The woman said, pretending to sob.
"Raktabija." Nanashi said, completely awe struck.
"In the flesh, my dear."
"What are you doing here?"
"Checking in on a former student of mine of course, I even brought your favourite chai, see, I take my job as a teacher and a mentor fever seriously."
"Mentor!, Teacher!, ha!, do not make me laugh, you were the first to disappear where the king prosecuted me and wanted to kill me, you could disappear, quicker than a fart out of an anus."
"I do not know, why you are acting all surprise by my sudden betrayal, you and I both know that, I am not a good person, argh, lets us not dwell on the past, let it stay there and besides, bad things happen to good people all the time, uhmm, the tea, looks ready are you not going to offer me some, I am parched." She said, touch her throat.
"No."
"Really, man, I brought the stuff, at least pour me some, you have no manners what so ever."
"Do not worry, I have heard the many times since, I arrived her, anyway, you still did not answer my question, why are you here?" Nanashi asked again, this time with more sternness, in her voice.
'Oh, Lady Kayo."
"Nanashi."
"Excuse me."
"My name is Nanashi, now."
Himiko, stared at her intently, then broke into a sinister childlike laughter, "Are you serious, your name is nameless, that is so silly."
"Yes, I know, hilarious, could you stop beating around the bush and spit it out."
"Alright..alright, always straight to the point, I always liked that about you."
Nanahai nodded in agreement.
"I am here for an army, revenge and the souls of all these people of this island, 'why, you ask?"
'Nope, never asked."
"I shall rain devastation upon the pathetic realms of Dugra and Shiva, reducing their lands to smoldering ruins beneath my unstoppable wrath. Their feeble gods will be the first to feel my fury as I ascend through the heavens, consuming their divine essence like a black hole devouring stars. One by one, I'll extinguish the flickering flames of each celestial being this insignificant blue rock dares to worship. Until at last, I alone shall reign supreme - the one true Goddess enthroned upon a cosmos remade in my dark image. Let those who once basked in their false lights tremble, for the age of the ultimate villainess has begun! Mwahaha!, you know the regular villain stuff."
"So, why this isolated island?"
"This isolation is perfect. No bickering deities to whisper warnings or clip my magnificent wings. Here, they adore me. Every soul thrums with devotion, blind to the grand tapestry I weave. They are but pawns, utterly enthralled, destined to be instruments in my glorious ascent. Their unwavering loyalty… quaint, isn't it? A stepping stone to a far greater purpose. The land of Hindustan will be mine, its riches a mere prelude. Life essence, not mere souls, will fuel my inevitable dominion. The divine hierarchy? A tangled mess, ripe for reshaping to my glorious design. This won't be a petty conquest; it will be a symphony of power, orchestrated by me, the one true ruler of all."
"You have become quite fruitful since the last time we met." Nanashi taking a sip of her tea.
"Yes, I am totally for environmental conscience, I believe in reduce, reuse, recycle." She sang those words, with her hands shaking like a tambourine.
"I am a firm believer in that notion too, like whenever, I eat another yokai, or something smaller, I dig a whole poop in it and cover it up, so it can provide the soil with its due nutrients."
Himiko's left twitching upon hearing this and managed to muster up an, "Mhmm" for a moment before she continued, 'Glad on the same page, so you will help me than?'
"No."
"Excuse me?" she asked leaning slightly forward.
"I will definitely not help you." Taking a sip of her tea.
"Why?"
"Let us just say, I have a lot on my plate and I have a deal with someone, regarding the people of this village and, and!, how could I possibly trust someone, who left me, in the pit of fire, when I needed most, I am not naïve like Sasuke."
"Let go girl!, the past is in the past but if you feel like that, then I take it we are enemies."
"I suppose we are, my dear teacher and mentor."
"Ahh, how unfortunate, I was really looking to rekindle our fire, but I suppose it would not be a problem if we sit here and enjoy a last cup of tea together for old times sake?'
"I suppose not."
The night sky blanketed Himiko and Nanashi as they sat together, the soft glow of the stars reflecting in their eyes. For hours, they reminisced about the cherished memories of their time as teacher and student in India - the failed plots that had made them laugh until their sides ached, the mischievous adventures that had bonded them like family.
As the night wore on, a bittersweet realization settled over them. Himiko rose slowly, Nanashi following suit. They stood facing each other, the weight of their parting clear in the slight trembling of Himiko's hands as she reached out to gently cup Nanashi's face.
"I guess this is where our master and student relationship must come to an end,"Himiko said, her voice thick with emotion. "We must now be enemies."
Nanashi's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he covered Himiko's hand with her own. 'You know what they say - all good things must come to an end. That's the rule of life.'
Himiko shook her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips. "That rule does not apply to us."
They both let out watery chuckles, pulling each other into a fierce, lingering embrace - two souls who had been intertwined for so long, now forced to part ways.
"Goodbye, my dear teacher," Nanashi murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Goodbye, my dear student," Himiko replied, her own words catching in her throat. "Until we meet again."
Reluctantly, they parted, each carrying the other's memory in their heart as they went their separate ways into the night.