~The Orochi Return~

"Hm?"

I opened my eyes and tried to make the color fade from my cheeks.

"Was I really? Well, um."

For the first time in my life, I was flustered. My shoulders had been quite a soft spot for me. And so, I couldn't help but have that brightened pink color in my cheeks. I did feel a warmth there but I didn't know I was blushing. I became instantly cautious after the fact that Rin pointed it out.

"No need to be all flustered... You looked kinda cute."

Rin smiled and resumed massaging Chikane's shoulders softly, a small smile on her face. She hoped her friend wasn't too embarrassed, even when she had called her cute.

I wasn't embarrassed at all. I just blinked and continued to relax into her massage, thinking over the comment. It was a nice sentiment, and something I hadn't received in a while. I smiled and thanked her.

"Thanks, to be honest, you're quite cute yourself."

Rin smiled, blushing lightly. She didn't consider herself cute at all. She was tall, had a somewhat cold demeanor at times, and heck, being an Orochi wasn't the hottest trend either. Still, it was special hearing it from Chikane.

"Thank you~"

Rather cautiously, Rin wrapped her arms around Chikane, just wanting to hold her. Her blush darkened, but the smile didn't leave her face.

I blushed a darker crimson color. She was.... holding me? But what for? That seemed a little curious to me, but having someone to hold me, for once, felt nice. Like I wasn't alone anymore. Which had to be one of the best feelings ever. A warmer feeling began to not only heat my cheeks more brightly, but emerge in my heart, fluttering butterflies in my stomach a bit. I closed my eyes and smiled softly.

"You're welcome~"

I giggled. Rin... such a great friend. But then I wondered, this intimacy, should this be shared by friends? I'm sure it was fine, we were both women after all, which made me more comfortable with the fact that we were both unclothed.

Rin let go after a while with a soft sigh. It felt nice to just hug Chikane, plus, it looked like she needed it. For a while, she detected a somewhat lonely feeling in her friend's eyes that seemed to fade away with a simple hug.

"...Sorry about that. I just..."

She trailed off trying to explain herself. She was at a complete loss for words. The hug was so sudden that she didn't completely think through why she did it. Hopefully Chikane wasn't mad at her.

I wasn't mad. Why would I be mad at something like that? It just didn't make sense, and plus Rin was just so sweet; How could anyone be mad with her? I smiled and opened my eyes and looked at her in curiosity.

"Hm? No, don't be sorry. It felt nice. I mean, the hug. It was great. Not many do that to me, so I'm thankful that someone had the courage to."

I smiled sincerely. We were becoming great friends. But, how to deal with the approaching menace of; She's an Orochi and I'm a Priestess. We'd be at odds when the time came to deal with that. And hopefully, I wouldn't have to fight her, but I did sense a war coming and it wasn't going to be pretty..

"Rin smiled sweetly. How could someone be intimidated by Chikane? She seemed like a pretty approachable person, after all. Of course this was coming from someone who possessed the strength to be able to beat her in a fight, which she hoped would never have to happen. There would come a time where they would have to face each other and Rin knew that it was a fight she wouldn't be ashamed to lose.

"Well, then there's more where that came from~"

She laughed teasingly, wrapping her arms around Chikane again. She could tell that they were becoming close friends already, but the thought of having to fight her later on lingered in her mind. Rin didn't want to hurt her again. She didn't know how much longer she could go on if she attacked any more innocent people.

I let her hold me. When else would we ever get a time to do something like this? Certainly not when others were around. I enjoyed her company as my friend and she was beginning to become someone I could trust with things in my personal life. I don't see how anyone could be repulsed by such a sweet and charming girl. Rin was nothing but misunderstood and all it would have taken was an open heart and more understanding about some things. But, from the way she was holding me, so delicately, I could tell she was apologizing for losing her mind and attacking me. She truly didn't like hurting her friends or leaving a spot of bad influence on those whose lives are innocent in all this. She didn't like senseless violence, she found it downright deplorable, wrong, and unjust. She found it meaningless. I suppose like myself then.

And... I savored this moment for its value. For what it was worth, I've never had a friend come so close to me and care for me so much as Rin does. I was impressed by how much caring and compassion she could hold within her heart, despite her being someone who follows the path of evil. I smiled, and thought we would become great friends. The bond between us would never break. But, like all good things, it would have to come to an end at some point. The truth of the matter, and the heart of it too, was that, she was an Orochi and I was a priestess. I had to always keep up my guard for whenever I was around that group now, they were trying to kill me to create a world all their own. No one could be trusted. No one but the one who had given me her trust in return, Rin.

Then my thoughts drifted to the future or what seemed like a vision of...

I envisioned it being a windy, rainy, STORMY day and the sun had already set it, it was the beginning of evening and the moon was just rising with all of its stars in the sky as decorations to accent its light. I was standing atop Ame No Murakumo with my lunar blade given to me once Ame no Murakumo is awakened, as well as with a bow and arrow on my back to use to fight if necessary. For my clothing, the shinto robes of the lunar priestess were upon me. Rin, .... she had this evil look in her eyes. The normally peaceful and beautiful eyes that belonged to this kind and understanding person, had suddenly turned red with hatred, denial, and ultimately blood-thirst. She completely turned against me and was muttering the phrase: 'KILL THE PRIESTESS!' with demonic undertones to her normal pitch. My eyes focused on hers determinedly, she smirked and I prepared myself. We were already both out of breath, as though the fight had already been going on for a few minutes. The ultimate and epic battle between friends on opposing sides... it's the friendship that could never be... or rather, that wasn't meant to be.

Frightened by this thought and the idea of losing Rin as a friend, I thought to myself: 'There has to be a way to keep Rin as a friend and not have to battle her ... when the time comes. There has to be a loophole somewhere. And I'm going to find it.'

There had to be, there just... had to.

Rin just held Chikane without another word. She could tell that the other was thinking deeply about something, whatever it was. It seemed that she too was experiencing a similar vision.

It was now the ultimate face-off. Two who had once shared such a deep friendship were now forced to fight each other. Rin, now sporting small, jagged horns stop her head and fangs that peeked from under her top lip, took on a more demonic appearance. Her body was now bathed in blood, slash marks from the lunar blade visible almost everywhere. Still, she held back, like there was still some sliver of their friendship left to hang on to. Making one last attempt, Rin charged at Chikane. If one looked close enough, they would see that Rin was deliberately charging toward the sword. The last thing she could see was Chikane's sword pierce her through her chest, then her body crumpled to the ground.

Rin was troubled by this vision. She didn't want to have to battle Chikane and would do everything in her power to see that it never happened. Their friendship would be preserved. With a somewhat frustrated sigh, she pulled Chikane closer to her, resting her chin on the top of her head. She held her tighter, almost possessively, like she was the shield warding off the approaching darkness surrounding them.

'I won't hurt you anymore. Not now, not ever.'

She held me tighter, possessively. Did she wish to have more intimacy with me or wish to show me something else? Perhaps she was experiencing the same vision I was? In a way completing it; So it was plaguing her mind like it was plaguing mine. Rin must have been terrified, mortified at the thought of going berserk again and hurting me. She must have thought ill of the fact that we would have to battle, and so then this question came to my thoughts; Would she actually go to sacrifice herself for our friendship, for me? For the sake of not hurting me? That was ridiculous. Sweet but ridiculous. Why? We're all doomed to get hurt in our lives, both physically and emotionally. Sometimes both at the same time. The thing is, having to go through it with a friend is better off than going through it alone. And I was lucky to have Rin for that.

I placed my own hands softly over her arms that held me and smiled softly as she rested her head on the top of mine. I thought to myself, as if in response to hers...

'And I won't let you get hurt anymore... I won't let you get hurt for the sake of me, or our friendship. I will take the hit with you. And I will never put you in danger again.'

Soon the lunar symbol on the back of my neck began to glow and emit a warm, comfortable light from it. I was unaware since my eyes were closed. Rin must be... special.

Rin felt the warm hands gently touch her arms and felt her cheeks heat up. She just rested there, not wanting to let the other go. She had to protect her... she had to try. She snuggled closer to her. Her amber eyes seemed to have this deep look of innocent affection with a barely noticeable hint of fear. There was no doubt that Rin was scared out of her mind, not only for her own life, but Chikane's as well.

Rin thought to herself about everything. She and Chikane were never meant to be friends, in fact they were supposed to hate each other. It was how it was supposed to be. Still, the more she wanted to push away from this friendship, the more she found herself trying to make it stronger. Tears began to slowly trickle down her cheeks. Why... Why did she have to have emotion? She wished now more than ever to have tried to hang on to her cold heart, her protective shell. Letting people in only caused her to suffer.

She didn't want Chikane to see her in such agony, her tough exterior torn apart like this. The tears just wouldn't stop.

My empathy kicked in. Was Rin crying? Why was she so upset? Had the vision upset her that much? Had it terrified her to tears? I wished I knew the reason she was crying. This agony between this unwanted friendship, it shouldn't be experienced. There had to be a reason we were friends despite the universe setting our destinies opposite each other. Setting it up so that we were supposed to hate each other. And yet, it brought upon this unprecedented, unheard of friendship. Could this be a sign? Could things be different this time around?

I held onto her closer and tighter. A small smile creeping across my face. I was upset too, scared even as well, but I kept my composure. I needed to for her sake. What would it be like if I broke down in front of her? The strength I've had throughout these years I've been living would have been lessened to nothing. And I wouldn't let that happen. Nonetheless, I held onto her, the lunar symbol on the back of my neck shining almost its brightest glow.

'Rin...'

Even with Chikane's tighter embrace, the tears didn't seem to lessen. In fact, they seemed to be getting worse. Rin felt as if she was constantly suffering, like something was trying to kill her from the inside out. This pain.. She didn't want it, she just wanted salvation.

The hatred buried deep within her suddenly arose as she wanted to lash out at Orochi itself.

'What do you want from me? Why do you enjoy watching me suffer?!'

Rin started to finally calm down. She had to stop crying, she didn't want Chikane to worry about her, to be dragged down. After some time, she finally relaxed into her friend's arms. A look of sheer desperation didn't seem to leave her face.

'Please... Don't leave me.'

"Rin, why don't we finish up and have some nice breakfast? I'm sure that Otoha has prepared a lovely spread for us."

I chuckled lightly, perhaps trying to lighten the mood. That was the only thing I could think of. This moment that was saddening both of our hearts, placing a heavy burden on our minds, it needed to end. The moment that was once so blissful turned sour and sorrowful at the visions of paranoia. The atmosphere needed not to be so heavy right now, it should be light and happy. And what would fix that? A nice breakfast.

The light on the back of my neck stopped glowing and faded rather quickly, as I opened my eyes and began to softly move away from her hold. I was done bathing and I started on my way out of the waters to place on my robe and head for the door. I pointed out some clothes for her, flashing a soft smile as I opened the door and headed out, waiting for her to change and then we would make our way to the dining room to eat. ^^

"Alright, I guess I am a little hungry."

Rin wasn't very hungry after all the things still on her mind. What was that vision all about? Was that Orochi trying to possess her? So many questions, but no answers.

Following Chikane out of the bath, she changed into the clothes laid out for her, smiling the best smile she could muster. Anyone who knew her well enough, though, could see right through to the pain she was still feeling. She didn't understand why she was feeling like this all of a sudden, it just sort of happened. As Chikane began to head out, she quickened her pace, able to follow behind her not long after.

"Hey, wait up!"

"Good morning Otoha. What's for breakfast today?"

I smiled as I entered the room. Somehow Otoha had beat us back here and was ready to serve Rin and I. There was no look of jealousy on her face, that I could notice, and she didn't seem to be out of breath or tired. She wore a happy smile on her face and held a plate, ready for her next command.

"Well Miss Chikane, we have a lovely selection of toast and it comes with butter and cream cheese squares. Orange juice and tea or coffee if you prefer. We have sunny side eggs, scrambled eggs, and hard boiled. Bacon strips cooked to your liking, if you would like them. Bagels, rolls, and of course, a light nice choice of ramen."

"You always are very good to me Otoha. You've cooked all of that and yet you don't seem tired. You should allow yourself a little break, perhaps come shopping with us later, if we decide to go." I took a break in my speech and smiled softly, before continuing. "I shall have a slice of toast with butter on it, a bacon strip and some eggs. Perhaps half of a half of a bagel. Oh yes, and some tea, please. Thank you Otoha for your loyal service."

I smiled sweetly and kissed her cheek. She lightly blushed and made her way over to Rin to take her order, feeling as if heaven had just smiled down on her and she'd just been kissed by an angel. Ah, the heart when it was all aflutter, such a... cute thing.

Rin had to practically keep herself from drooling. She had pretty much starved herself the past few days. All of her favorite foods were there, she wanted a little bit of everything, but then she remembered her currently small appetite.

"I'll just have some scrambled eggs and a slice of toast with butter please."

"Of course, comin' right up."

Otoha went to go assort the dishes we've just placed an order with her for. I smiled, not really knowing what to speak about at the moment.

"So, uh..."

Rin scratched the back of her head awkwardly, trying to piece together what she wanted to say.

"Sorry... About all that..."

She didn't even look up at the other's face as she stared blankly at the ground. Hopefully Chikane would understand that she was apologizing for suddenly starting to cry for seemingly no reason at all. Not only did she hate crying in front of others - as it showed a sign of weakness - it was what she cried over that was bugging her. Just what was that strange vision about anyway? Did Chikane see it too?

Just thinking about it made her somewhat scared, so she decided to just put the whole thing aside. Finally looking up at her friend, she smiled a little.

"You don't have to apologize for anything."

I smiled, but the smile had a very somber quality to it. It was very melancholy. I took a pause before adding to my statement.

"I estimate that you've had a vision. Not to worry. Ever since I turned 16 I've been having these visions come to me at sporadic times. I mean they came to me before, but never as clearly as they did after that birthday of mine. Random visions of destruction and love and lust and every element of human nature you could possibly imagined, mixed together in these visions. I hadn't the slightest clue as to what they could mean or what they were supposed to mean. So I just learned to live with them. But now they rarely come ever since I've turned 18."

I thought a moment more, trying to think of what else I could say.

"I've learned to take these visions indifferently. Some do come true, and some don't. It's all a part of something I know exists, but can't decode. I feel they have some sort of emotional attachment to me though, almost as if these visions aren't just the cold truth of the future, as if they're my memories."

I was trying my best to take her mind off of the current vision she must have had. Why else would she have been crying for no reason in my presence? I didn't do anything to jerk that emotion from her, the only thing reasonable to have justified why she was crying was a bad thought or vision she must have seen. It must have scared her senseless.

"I've thought about these visions and why they come to me, where they come from and all of that, but I have drawn no conclusions. So, Rin, if you did happen to see the same thing I saw, which, I am pretty sure you did; You have nothing to fear. I will make certain that we do not have to fight each other when and if the time comes for that. All this nonsense, it needs to end. This cycle I am a prisoner to, and of course, that curse placed upon you that you... seem prisoner to as well."

I smiled softly. It was then that Otoha had come back with the plates full of our food we wanted. She smiled and I thanked her. After that she stood off to the side in case we needed her for anything else. While she wasn't looking and perhaps fixing the drinks for us, I wrote on a napkin something and slipped it to Rin.

What it had said on the small piece of cloth was: 'Do you wish to be free?' And it had a 'yes' box and a 'no' box. She was to check whatever box her heart wished. I didn't even look at her as she received this and only ate my splendidly prepared breakfast before me, waiting for an answer back.

Rin read the note and smiled faintly. Taking out the fountain pen she took from Reiko, she checked the 'yes' box, turning the napkin over to write a short note back.

'I wish to be free more than anything, but it is impossible. I don't even know about what I am, other than the fact that I get extremely violent when angered and I can't distinguish friend from enemy. My fate is inevitable and I've learned to accept it.'

When Otoha looked away again, Rin slipped the napkin back to Chikane. Slowly she began to eat, feeling better now that she talked about what was bothering her a little bit.

I read the note as she handed it back to me. So she did wish to be free. I smiled in her direction, winking. I would make sure she was set free no matter the cost. I would make such a thing happen and free her from her fate. There was some part of me that didn't agree with this, some eviler, darker part to me that wanted to keep her under my belt, as a friend just so I coul use her for her and her benefits. I wondered where that part was coming from. That wasn't at all what I naturally felt, so where was that coming from? I blinked and wrote her a note back.

'I promise then you shall be set free. I swear on my love for the moon and its ocean's currents. I'm aware that your heart is a stormy ocean and that mine once cried out in the same agony yours does. I understand and feel what you do. Rin, I will make sure you live your life freely.'

I smiled as I wrote it and signed it with a little lunar symbol at the end with a small chibi winking. I thought it was appropriate. Otoha once more was distracted and looked away, and that was how I was able to pass her the note once more. A promise to a friend, I would never break.

Rin smiled as she read the note. What a dear friend. Now she would make it her top priority to learn more about her 'Berserker' self. Putting the note into her pocket, she continued to eat. She figured Otoha might suspect something sooner or later if they kept passing the napkin around.

Rin finished eating after a while, pushing her plate away from her a little with a satisfied smile. That was probably some of the best food she had ever eaten and Chikane got to have it every day. Lucky...

"What should we do now?"

"Well, I think it would be a good idea to go for a walk and go into town. Perhaps something exciting is happening there. We could go shopping for some nice clothes, even meet and greet some people."

I smiled in Rin's directly in a friendly way. Being that Otoha was protective, she looked at Rin curiously and then back at me.

"Oh but miss, are you sure you want to go out there? Just the other night you returned quite out of your mind state. Or rather... well, let's just say you may not have clear memory of that night, but I remember having to force you to take sleeping pills to get you to go to sleep. I apologize Miss Chikane, but it was for your own good. I am just looking out for you. So if you MUST go out on the town today then have fun. But just be careful."

"I assure you I will Otoha, thank you for watching out for me and being not only a good maid but a good friend to me. You are my most trusted person around these parts and I would not have it any other way. But, I must remind you it is the middle of the day and if it makes you feel better, I shall carry my dad's switch knife in my pocket and be safe. Besides Rin and I will never part. You have my word I'll return home safe."

Otoha, with gleams of worry in her eyes, nodded in my direction and it was at that time that I grabbed anything I might need, a light coat, my dad's switch knife and made sure I was in appropriate clothes before heading out the door and to town to look around. It was such beautiful weather and I could tell it was going to be an interesting day.~