"I have a new job for you." Hijunaki hissed. His snake form echoing the hate he had felt for me ever since my torture. Well, he'd say it had merely been him reprimanding me for gaining Akumie's hatred. My body had not yet healed from the torture. I could function and look like I had healed, but I hadn't. With only three months passing I could barely get over the psychological trauma. Though many didn't think I was emotional enough to experience any type of trauma.
"What is it?" I asked and bowed deeply. I didn't want to anger Hijunaki more than my presence already had.
"One of my my human slave girls, Yamaka, has escaped." Hijuanki paused a moment. "You know what I want you to do?"
"Kill her for disobeying you?" I replied. "That's what you would do."
He hissed back at me and I tried not to show any fear on my face. Which was the one to my main male human form. And hiding fear from a snake that was hundreds of feet high was not easy.
"Not always." Hijunaki finally answered. "You are proof of that."
I nodded. "Then you want me to bring her back."
He nodded and a smile formed on his face. "Yes, and do so quickly."
"May I take a partner on this trip?" I asked.
"Of course, I wouldn't think of letting you go out on your own so soon." He replied and I was glad my offer had been part of his original plan. Now he would think I was more scared of him than I already was. "Who are you thinking of?"
"Jirou." I replied.
Hijunaki nodded. "You may take him with you. He is loyal, unlike you. Now go."
I bowed to Hijunaki and left quickly. I didn't like being sent out on a mission and having a partner, but at least I'd get out. Maybe I could gain his trust again. Or at least have him be less outwardly violent to me.
Since Jirou and I had been friends, or something similar, I knew where to find him. Knocking on his bedroom door I could only wait. I hoped he'd agree to join me, since I didn't want to go with someone that I wasn't as familiar with.
"Rig?" Jirou said after he opened the door. "I don't want to fence today."
"No, it's not about that." I said. "Hijunaki said I had to take a partner on a mission."
"So you chose me?" He asked and I nodded. "Give me a minute and I'll be ready."
He shut the door and I started to wait for that minute to be over.
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The wind was with me today. Since I was flying in my raven form, I was especially glad for this. I had made this raven form have better eyesight than an eagle's and as good of a sense of smell as a wolf. The real wolf, or half-wolf, was running on the ground and looking for Yamaka.
I landed on the half-wolf's shoulder when he stopped to rest.
"Jirou," I said. "You can't stop now. We are so close to finding her."
He looked at me angrily and I was glad that his head was human. Being next to wolf fangs wasn't something I wanted right now. Especially when I was in raven form.
"You are just impatient to get Hijunaki's favor again." Jirou said and flicked me off his shoulder. I spun around in the air for a few seconds before righting myself and then landed on a branch. "But if we don't do this correctly then you won't gain his favor. Also, the possibility of losing your life will be greater."
I nodded. I wanted to argue with him but that wouldn't be wise. Jirou was one of my only defenders. Well, my only defender.
"Can't you communicate to the spirits, Jirou?" I asked.
"They don't liked to be disturbed for unimportant matters." He replied. "And no matter what the situation is for us, it won't always matter to them."
"I'm already hated by a goddess, why not be hated by a few spirits?"
"You're not the one who will speak to them."
"Can't you promise them something of mine? Like my life after death?"
Jirou thought for a moment. "It would be odd, but it might work."
I would've smiled, if ravens could smile, and watched him. The words that came out of his mouth were beautiful and dark. He contacted the spirits of all the elements. A moment of silence followed what can only be described as a song. Then Jirou went into spasms of pain as he heard what the spirits had replied.
Jirou had described the voices of spirits as hard to handle and he wasn't yet trained enough to control his pain. I wanted to help him, but there was nothing I could do. So I tighted my grip on the branch and waited.
In a split second he was up and running. I managed to start flying after him before he managed to get out of my view. When he finally stopped, I realized this mission wouldn't earn me Hijunaki's favor. It was impossible now. I landed on the ground and shifted to my main male human form.
My human nose, unfortunately, was still able to smell well enough. Luckily, though, the body wasn't that decayed. But how it had been torn when something had eaten it was not pretty. Not even standable or appetizing. Well, I shouldn't call the corpse an it as it was a she. And her name was Yamaka.
---------------
All the sounds and smells of the forest were more noticable than they were before. The form I was in now was human except for my arms, which were blades. Jirou was behind me carrying Yamaka's corpse. I was hurrying back to Hijunaki's Palace, though I would've liked to never return. Especially because of what Jirou had told me about the spirits' reply.
The good news was that when I died I wouldn't have to worry about paying back the spirits. The bad news was their reason for deciding so. Looking back at Yamaka, seeming to rest peacefully in Jirou's arms, I tried to prepare myself for the pain I'd be experiencing. I knew something horrible would happen because that's why the spirits hadn't accepted my offer. I would be experiencing enough pain already.
I turned my head away from Jirou's gaze before he could try and comfort me. I decided to put all my attention in making sure we weren't attacked. But that didn't work. How could it when I kept imagining all the pain I'd be going through?
Finally Hijunaki's Palace could be seen in the distance and then we entered it. We passed by creations and slaves going about their usual business. All seemed quiet, but that was because of my fear. We arrived in the main chamber and Hijunaki looked at me. I bowed and then Jirou came in.
Jirou placed Yamaka in front of Hijunaki and went behind me. But did so in a way that downplayed his fear. I thought that Hijunaki would start to yell at me but then I saw something I had never expected to see on his face. It was a tear.
That tear was followed by many more. A cry like a dying beast came from his throat. I was moved by this. I realized the pain Hijunaki was showing was not because of losing a slave. If that had been the case, he'd have killed me like Katashi.
As Hijunaki's mourning continued, I realized that he had loved Yamaka. And if such a hateful thing could find it in his heart to risk loving someone: Couldn't I?
