Paying her Respects stiffly to the outsider watchers but sorrowfully beyond their gazes, Chiysau placed the ashes back into their simple urn. Ayumi prayed silently thanking the priestess's soul that lingered to protect the door and guard their return. Reiha was silent, breathing deeply and nursing her injuries, she flicked her eyes quickly in Chiyasu's direction, the countenance of regret and shame over having to use the priestess's ashes as a weapon clear and pronounced once the earth princess could no longer control and hide her inner turmoil. This visage of sadness was not foreign to the princess's of earth face, but it had been a very long while, centuries, since Reiha got to see it again after having witnessing it only once. Carefully monitoring the stressful state Chiyasu was in, she did not want to project any opinion or lectures about the choice the brown - haired princess was about to make. She also was not curious about death, meeting with that force was destined to arrive sooner or later, so she had no questions or interest over what the gate or the passage looked like away from where she stood fighting and protecting her friends' back.
While Ayumi was still visibly shaken and terrified, writhing and bending on herself in agony, Chiyasu quickly regained her cold demeanor. She stepped back from the small altar where Noriko's urn was placed back and shoved Ayumi on her back without any consideration for her wounds or pain, landing her palm where it hurt the most.
"What the… why?!!!"
Ayumi yelped in pain and was about to open her mouth in protest when she felt a surge of a comfortable stream pf warmth seeping through her veins, healing her injuries and dimming the pain in a slow yet steady progression. She raised a surprised face at the princess of the earth. True, Chiyasu had suffered the least in term of physical injuries and her powers were temporarily boosted by Noriko's lingering spiritual aura, but she did not expect this particular princess, even after the heart – warming conversation they shared at the gate of death, if it could be called that in the first place, to use the boost of her energy to help heal her wounds. Chiyasu deciphered that look of disbelief mixed with gratitude and the familiarity coming with "friendship" quickly, so she spoke before the girl sank into any further incorrect assumptions.
"You saved my life, I am paying the debt. That is all to it."
Chiyasu said, then looked in Reiha's direction assessing her condition. The princess of the wind was nothing if not proud and reserved, so her help or anyone's else was probably unneeded. Ascertaining this, she prepared to leave on her own, but Ayumi immediately sprang up and demanded in a tone that refuted any dallying or negotiation.
"What did Amaterasu do to you? How did she curse you? Where did this hatred stem from?"
"From both of us, it is mutual, rooted so seep in each of our hearts, down to our marrows."
Chiyasu answered casually, looking at the sky through the small window of the shrine, crossing her arms and following the flying birds with her verdant eyes.
"What happened?"
"If you think you can gather both the two of us and force us to talk and reach forgiveness, then it is too late. You realize the woman is dead."
Chiyasu returned to her taunts and mockery, but now Ayumi knew these traits hid a grave pain and deep suffering. So she insisted.
"But I am here, and there is nothing that cannot be solved."
"Nothing but this matter, for sure."
Chiyasu was still controlling her temper up to this point, with great difficulty and an effort deserving of praise regarding her ill - tempered impulsive character; reaching the gate of death then abandoning the wish she harbored and hoped for its fulfillment for countless centuries, having to manipulate a dead person's ashes… it all left a bitter and vulgar sensation, almost a beastly violation of her heart. She gave Reiha a quick glance daring her to start a lecturing speech but the latter merely shrugged, she did not say anything to the other princess though she had half a mind to chastise her, but she refrained knowing it was of no value anymore and would only enlarge the drift between them.
At first Chiyasu respected Reiha's choice, but then cursed it since it left her to explain what she did not want to revisit again. But fairly enough, after all what had transpired, Ayumi had the right to an answer, a truthful non – elusive one at that.
Chiyasu had finally though not completely accepted that Ayumi bore no fault in what happened between her and Amaterasu, even the reawakening of the queen's power was not by the girl's will. She was convinced Ayumi could do or fix nothing, time had taken care of the problem, dispersing any hopes of a conclusion or a solution to it yet allowing its pain and agony to persist. Straining every muscle in her body, Chiyasu kept her arms crossed and spoke after a long contemplative pause.
"I loved someone, Amaterasu deemed him evil and destroyed him."
Opting for the shortest version, hatred and sadness still sheathed every syllable and word the princess uttered. Ayumi carefully prodded further.
"By destroyed…"
"She killed him right in front of my eyes."
"Could she not have purified him?"
"Ask her if you can."
The questions and the answers were carefully imposed and explored like a land mine.
"What about you?"
Ayumi asked, her hand clenching at her heart, but Chiyasu had already had enough from this painful recollection. She gestured at Reiha saying.
"She can explain better than me…"
"This is your suffering… I want to hear it from you!"
Ayumi exclaimed desperately, but the princess of the earth had already disappeared within a sprouting bush of dried roots and dead flowers.
"Wait!"
Ayumi tried to follow her, but she could not move with her wounds and had to sit still until that healing power ran its magic. Reiha commented.
"Of course she can describe it better than me, and that is why she left."
"Then please tell me Reiha... why did Amaterasu do that? What exactly did she do to Chiyasu? Was she not benevolent and caring?"
"These traits also indicate the need for severe unwavering decisions when danger threatens anyone's safety."
Reiha answered, not necessarily justifying Chiyasu's case, then she pondered for few minutes, seemingly thinking of the best simple to way to explain the curse or the punishment Amaterasu retaliated with to Chiyasu's defiance. She tilted her head, mulling over the explanation, as if not wishing to reveal much.
"You are the queen now… you should know of this… better now than later I suppose…"
Reiha finally spoke, reaching a resolution out loud, and Ayumi could sense nothing good or pleasant was coming.
"You see, we were ordinary mortals, we did not come from fancy palaces or respected bloodlines… we had no hidden talents or promising futures... at least this is the case of our current group, though I cannot tell for certain about Amaterasu. Anyway, maybe that was the reason our souls were freer and more in touch with the simplicities of life; we adored small details that others would not a spare a brief thought or dwell at taking it for granted or a fixed part of the cycle of life.… a fresh blossom to gaze at and remember hope, a gentle whiff to bring inspiration and calm longing, a small fire to give us warmth and light beautiful memories , a sunny ray to raise morals and rebirth determination… we were more in touch with these graces often taken for granted. Each of us fancied an element subconsciously and when faced with dire situations, it were these elements we unknowingly drew courage from what protected us… after the previous cycle came to pass, reaching its end, once saved, we became one with these elements, controlling their powers, both their graces and wrath, it was our turn to sync the cycle of nature and watch over the ever collapsing and rising kingdoms."
Reiha stopped thinking again, going over her words and Ayumi waited patiently with deep intrigue in her eyes, mingled with a puzzled look, because there was a piece missing about herself compared to what the other princesses felt and went through.
"When we get too tired or need to rest and isolate ourselves to restore our peace of mind and balance the two edges of our powers, we can transform and become one with the element that chose us. This situation is similar to reaching enlightenment, every one of us wishes for it and seize the opportunity through peaceful times to experience this sensation of elation and peace... it is a form of freedom… of healing your inner soul… you lose yourself completely into a tranquil yet empowering slumber. It is a haven, a window to save our minds from straying and from the burdens of our duty. "
"And…"
"And Amaterasu cursed Chiyasu to never blend with her beloved earth ever again, caging her in her mortal form and fettering her powers to an extent.
"This mortal form is beautiful, it reminds us of what we once were and thus keep our powers in check. Remembering we were once humans who suffered natural disasters, felt their fear and fell to their despair, it serves as a potent reminder so we would not abuse our powers. However, we have become one with the element we loved, the wind is my shield and sword, so is the earth to Chiyasu, it is her haven and safety… and Amaterasu denied her that peacefulness, denied her the berth that nursed her lonely soul and flourished her love, that bloomed to her laughter and withered under her sorrow… this course of action shocked us all… it was extremely harsh, some said it was unnecessary and to a point… completely merciless."
"A punishment unbefitting of the crime."
"A punishment surpassing of the crime."
Reiha corrected Ayumi. The princess of the wind had always spoke with great respect whenever Amaterasu was mentioned like a loving friend and defended her like a loyal subordinate, but she was neither a friend nor a subordinate. She was a dutiful woman who stood for what was right, and retelling this incident, she neither spoke with conviction nor defended the act but rather narrated the details straight and without polishing the harm or justifying the choice. Through this time, her face remained unchanged, but her eyes were indeed looking beyond the wooden walls of the shrine, they were gazing into a distant time, as if the incident was unfolding once again in front of her eyes.
"How can I help her?"
Ayumi demanded, pulling the princess of the wind out of her reverie.
"The woman who put the curse is dead…"
"But I have her power!"
Ayumi protested loudly and desperately, Reiha smiled fondly for the first time at the girl's sincerity despite the many occasions that Chiyasu did not spare to try and kill or harm her. She patted her shoulder with a palm light like a spring gust and suggested.
"Maybe as you grow stronger, you will find a solution."
"So we should just kill Noboru?"
Reiha shook her head, and Ayumi needed no words to understand. The queen's of the light power did not come from killing and defeating enemies alone, that was a small portion contributing to its growing magnitude, a small stream supplying a greater river that flowed more strongly and solidly with the purification of sadness and despair.
The other detail that lingered in Ayumi's mind was the incidents through which the princesses became what they were today and their connection to a specific elemnt that they felt comfortable with and drew courage and hope from. According to Reiha's tale, they seemed to have faced some kind of a tribulation but nothing of the sort happened to Ayumi, she simply woke up one day and discovered that she possessed a strange power after a near killing attempt on her life. In the same sense, she had never paid much attention to her surrounding, whether modern buildings and garden or old forests and historical land marks. Nature was a fixed cycle to Ayumi, interesting her solely in securing a working fan in the summer and an affordable heater in the winter. Reiha read her mind and explained as the girl were lost with what words to choose and how to ask.
"The cycle our our time was not broken, we are still here and only once we finishes our duty and fulfill our oath together, new princesses will be born and bestowed with our powers. It is a heritage of some sort… in your case, I do not know why Amaterasu's power chose you to complete and end the cycle… but now I firmly believe it was not a wrong choice!"
Ayumi was feeling miserable for two reasons; the first one was quickly glossed over as it seemed trivial compared to the second reason. They could not defeat Noboru, and he managed to retrieve his demonic dangerous sword, though weakened and half purified from its evil aura yet he still managed to escape, and for now, they had no clue to what his plans for this time were. However, after hearing Chiyasu's tale, Ayumi's focus was completely drifted to this tragic injustice, hoping they were more layers to it than it seemed, giving the late queen the benefit of doubt, while at the same she grew fiercely determined and more adamant to find a way to help Chiyasu break her curse.
Looking at Ayumi's face, twisted in a myriad of complicated thoughts and conflicting feelings, Reiha nudged the girl gently, the fond smile still curling her lips.
"Leave her be, she will return more sarcastic and skeptical than before... We have all seen some dreadful things today."
Ayumi gazed back at the princess of the wind, who had finally showed a glimpse of her real smile, the fondness harbored in it lightening her eyes with a vivid brightness and the girl liked this smile so much and wanted to hold to it forever, to see it every day. Still, in an impulsive act provoked by the sight of that smile, the girl could not stop herself from asking.
""You seem to be fine… aside from your injuries…"
Ayumi quickly added, fearing to insult the princess of the wind or downplay her sacrifice in holding Noboru and Laila back while she went to retrieve Chiyasu from her suicidal wish.
"You did not seem to be frightened by death, that place did not affect you… mentally or…"
Ayumi rambled on, afraid the princess of the wind might change her opinion of her and turn her smile into a frown. However, although Reiha's smile vanished, she still answered leisurely.
"The one I am waiting for is still alive somewhere, so I have no reason to die. Were I to meet my demise, it would not be without a fight, and then it will be all up to destiny."
"Is not this postponed reunion in itself a reason to fear dying?"
"Did we defeat Noboru?"
Reiha countered with a question of her own, and Ayumi nodded negatively to which the princess of the wind shrugged her shoulders answering.
"Then there is no reason to fear death yet."
Was this true? Could they not die until Amaterasu's call for revenge was heeded and exacted? Did Reiha modify the story about how the princess gained their power? Did she substitute another word with the word "enlightenment?" Ayumi's heart pound fast and fearfully.
The story was still missing many pieces indeed, but Ayumi feared pushing Reiha too much, and she feared the answers more.
Maybe ignoring these details was the best choice for now, the fight had just started, and Noboru and Laila were not easy to deal with.
"Let's take you home."
Reiha stood up and summoned her cloud, ending the discussion of her own accord, as if having the same thoughts as Ayumi.