The figure, shrouded in the darkness of the night, stood on the big branch without needing to lean or support his weight on anything, like a perfectly trained acrobat. Ayumi's heart was trembling with fear but she was trying her best not to show it, demanding in a sturdy voice:
"Who are you? You are clearly after me!"
"Yeah, doesn't take a genius to figure."
The mellow yet sarcastic voice clearly belonged to a female, in her twenties or even younger, maybe the same age as Ayumi. But despite that, the latter was terrified to her core, her voice inclination betraying the strength she wished to display. Still, she went on demanding once again:
"Were you the one responsible for all the accidents that are befalling me? You realize you could have harmed other people too… even tonight, you could have killed my grandmother!"
"Yes indeed, that is within my power."
The mysterious girl replied with a chill – tone cutting off the high school girl ranting. But Ayumi did not stop, even when she realized she was most likely dealing with some psychopath who has the ability to control rocks and plants, a crazy fact she filed to the back of her mind for now.
"What business do you have with me? Why do you want to harm me?!"
"Really, Amaterasu?! You dare ask me this question?!!"
"I am not this "Amaterasu" you are after for some reason!!"
Ayumi defended herself, hoping the revealed misunderstanding will conclude this craziness. But on the contrary, the other girl's eyes widened in the dark, shades of green shining purer than the moon, anger and wrath clearly weaving their vision.
"You imbecile! You dare feign ignorance and shock!"
Ayumi took few steps backward at the sudden change in temper the other girl's voice implied; anger, loath and disdain all dropped like venom from every word she uttered, but the confused girl only managed to hit the walls of roots blocking her escape route.
"There is obviously a misunderstanding! You see, my name is Ayumi , and I have never seen you before or hurt you!"
"You will always remain the same to me, you miserable excuse of a queen! No matter what name you take or form you change!"
At this point and at the sharpness the last sentence was spoken with, Ayumi knew there was no opening for negotiation or clarifications. There was one thing to do; escape! And as her back route was closed she charged in a desperate attempt onward, screaming for her life and help but strangely no one noticed or heard. It was the middle of the night alright, but surely there was ought to be some drunken teenagers, partying groups, or policemen around, but none seemed to hear her screams and calls.
"You fool, I have put a barrier around this place, no one can enter, let alone hear you childish cowered pleas for help!"
"What barrier??!"
Ayumi muttered to herself, running foolishly forward, toward her enemy, trying to evade every sprouting root and storming rocks attacking her across her path, injuring her non-fatally for the sole purpose of the enjoyment of the watching mystery girl who laughed manically, taunting the weakness and cowardice of the girl in the pajama. She was playing with her for the value of entertainment, giving her few openings to slide through and try to run away only to block her way again and direct vicious attacks at the poor student.
"Why are you doing this to me! I am not who you are looking for! Besides, no one deserves this cruelty!!"
Ayumi panted, after collapsing on the ground embracing her wounded body, surrounded by floating rocks and sharpened roots. She was still pinching herself to awaken from this horrible nonsensical nightmare although the pain she was dealt and the seeping wounds were enough evidence this was not a nightmare, everything was too painful not to be true.
Suddenly, the roots seemed to make an opening for a coming figure, and Ayumi turned around terrified almost snapping her neck.
"Amaterasu, you dare talk of cruelty?!"
Ayumi tried to get up but her wounded legs failed her. Her last words had unfortunately triggered more anger and vindictiveness out of the girl who jumped lithely from one tree to another, before landing on earth and walking slowly toward the lying girl. Emphasizing her hot temper and murderous intentions with every step she took in her high heeled boots.
"You have always been one for just punishment, that was your duty. And now, I am giving you what you deserve, your own just punishment!"
"I am not who you think I am!"
Ayumi tried to drag herself away to no avail, shouting in desperate attempts to correct the weird situation, but that girl was beyond reason; she was totally convinced who her foe was and she eager like an untamed tiger to pray on her.
"You may not know it yet, although I don't believe that, but you are precisely who I am looking for! You think I would have troubled myself and manifested in this form for the sake of a mere pathetic mortal girl like you!"
The clouds slowly parted, revealing a perfect full moon that illuminated that figure coming after the girl, relishing in her fears and desperation, and eager for one final attack to end this cat and mouse play she had allowed for her own amusement. Ayumi watched the deranged girl in fear; she was tall, with brown hair cascading without care or tending down her shoulders, her eyes glowed with emerald green, pupils wide and beautiful like blossoming flowers, although no tenderness were left in them. Her beautiful features were distorted with a malicious smile and hateful anger that robbed the ethereal beauty of that perfect face. She did not seem from around the country, and her clothes; a black shorts with long leather high heeled boots, and a cut purple and pink top revealing a perfectly toned body, like that of a runner or a fighter, added to her ominous aura.
"You deserve a far more painful death than what I can ever give you, but I will do my best!"
With these words, she girl raised her hand and the roots amidst whirls of air carrying soil, sharp leafs and rocks agitated furiously before aiming at Ayumi who was screaming in fear and horror trying to curl on herself in a wasted effort to protect herself. She was going to die brutally for a reason she did not understand or was responsible for, by a girl she did not know and who seemed to be no human with the power she possessed, just like that, without understanding a thing! Like a cruel play of fate! She had always wanted more out of her life, dreamt of breaking her routine, wished for a beautiful secret of her own and now she was getting the weirdest unexplained death... her prayers were answered at last with such a foul joke!
"Wait… wait… wait…"
Ayumi was pleading, fear rendering her voice a shy whisper, she tried to squeeze of her palms that same light that protected her before to no avail. Having no choice but to surrender to this madness she closed her eyes praying for a miracle, her mind dominated after failing at producing that powerful light, by the thought of that protective wind and...
It came!
A giant storm blew out of nowhere, pushing the girl controlling the earth and roots few steps back and cutting the assaulting roots in half, like sharp knives of thin air, even the rocks and leafs floating fell down no longer supported by the whirls of soils the first girl had produced.
Ayumi raised her head, eyes widening in disbelief; was she going crazy?! She took a quick glance at her opponent who was still as angry, but shocked and irritated now as well.
"Reiha!!"
The girl hissed at another figure, appearing gracefully from within the wind storm that stopped when Ayumi was no longer in danger, that feminine figure manifested as if drawn by the whiffs of air; long blonde hair bordering on platinum grey, with a similar yet more lithe figure than the earth girl.
"Chiyasu, stop this madness now."
The intervening figure demanded calmly in a total contrast to the wind she raised. These two were surely acquainted somehow.
"You can't command me!"
Chiyasu, apparently the name of the girl attacking Ayumi, challenged the newcomer who was not incited in the least. She merely replied:
"This is true, but I can stop you."
With the last sentence, the third girl's voice deepened, as her eyes narrowed baring her intentions of not backing down.
"Really? You will stand in my way to protect this pathetic woman!!"
Chiyasu yelled, running out of patience, and tightening her grips ready to give her power another round. But Reiha, the girl coming out of the wind calmly explained, trying to knock some reason into her feisty counterpart.
"First of all, she is still a young girl unaware of what is going on and you had no right to make attempts on her life, endangering her and other people!"
"This is none of your business!"
The girl with the brown hair exclaimed angrily, directing a bunch of sharp roots toward the blonde – grayed girl, who without lifting a finger, cut them off with a powerful gust of wind.
"Maybe this is true, I can't fathom what happened exactly in the past between you and Amaterasu but this young girl here is clearly not her... or not her entirely at least, so you have no right to do what you have done! It is a treason to our oath and vow!
"To hell with that!"
Chiyasu shouted more desperate herself now. At the sidelines; Ayumi who was the center of the conversation somehow was totally left out, they were even referring to her as "a young girl" while they themselves did not appear any older. Ayumi alternated her gaze between the two of them, one with a crass bold choice in clothes, clearly on a revenge agenda, the other totally missing the new sense of fashion; wearing a simple dark skirt down to her knees and a pale blue blouse and binding her beautifully colored hair in a low braid making her look like a school teacher, she even spoke with the calmness of a counselor coaxing an angry little toddler into admitting the wrong thing he did, in contrast to her storming ruthless wind; she was totally missing the chance of flaunting her beauty, dimming it with a bland dull look and attire. Ayumi finally rose from the ground, taking the side of the blond – grayish girl, her protective angel apparently and interfered in the heating argument with shy, scared whispers:
"Look, I don't know who you two are, and how can you pull these stunts…"
The last sentence earned her a judging stare from both girls, but she went on ignoring the chill that went down her spine:
"But there is clearly some kind of a misunderstanding here… you are speaking of another girl… this Amaterasu person… and you yourself… admitted that I am not her… so please I don't wish to be involved in this madness… I have nothing to do with it.. with this strange theatrical show!"
Ayumi spoke regaining some of her courage, pointing her last statement at the wind girl who flipped her braid sighing before she replied:
"That is not entirely true… you have just witnessed your true power, though it is still not under you control, but you can't deny what you have seen, and it is what has been calling me here."
The calm girl slowly spoke, directing a disdainful look at the other brown - haird girl who merely shrugged at her failed attempts at keeping the wind girl out of this with some silly distractions here and there around the city. Ayumi recalled the golden light she'd emitted trying to protect herself and her grandma, and which she wasn't able to replicate again. All these incidents that occurred this night, the roots and the ivy and the attacking wind, even these two girl who possessed the power to control natural elements somehow could be attributed to a hallucination, or a very long and complicated nightmare, one which she has not been able to wake up from yet but at that moment, all these strange things felt so real, and the injuries testified for their real exitence. Since Ayumi did not find any way to get out of this madness, she instead opted to play alongside it.
"What do you mean, (it is not entirely true)"?
The confused girl directed her question at the wind girl, who until now seemed to be on her side, protecting her repeatedly. But the other girl, her temper running even more foul, shouted out of patience:
"It means she knows so well that you are Amaterasu, and that she had no right to interfere!"
Reiha adapted a fighting stance, ready to release another blast of wind but nothing came out from Chiyasu. So, she relaxed and turned at Ayumi to explain:
"You may not be Amaterasu, who is long dead and buried in a realm beyond our reach, but you do certainly carry her powers within you. For many decades, even centuries, we have been looking for her power to manifest again, and only now did it show although it is still weak and beyond your control. That light you emitted out of fear, at a certain era, would have destroyed an entire herd of demons and toppled a whole castle."
"What does that suppose to mean? If you desire this power then take it! I don't want such a destructive thing!"
"I will gladly take you out!"
Chiyasu gritted her teeth thinking she got her opportunity to attack again, but Reiha stopped her with a single stern stare that stopped her for an unknown reason. The latter elaborated further:
"Mass destruction was not the purpose of her power, only the destruction of evil it was. And she kept carrying that duty until her untimely demise. She was killed by an enemy far dangerous than any demon or monster. Her powers reawakening had forced us, her followers and soldiers to manifest into these forms and investigate the matter. We fear that that enemy may have awakened again, and we can only imagine what chaos and destruction he will be capable of after succeeding in killing the queen of light."
Ayumi listened to the briefed story baffled, it fell on her ear like a children story would fall. And at that moment, she decided she could not put up with anymore of this strange show.
"I don't know what kind of drugs you are on, or I am on for the matter… there is seem to be some mistake, I must be hallucinating or imagining this whole thing but I am not wasting any more moment listening to this childish story of a light queen and soldiers and demons… I am going home to check up on my grandma, if she wakes up to our half destroyed house, thanks to you, and doesn't find me she will go crazy with worry, that is far more important to me than you drug – addicts stories. So, if you will excuse me!"
Ayumi built up her courage, and bowed to the two girl for a reason she attributed to fear of the first one and gratitude to the second one, then gave them her back and walked few balanced careful steps to give the illusion of confidence while secretly checking with her eyes for growing roots and flying rocks before darting on her way home.
"You… you don't even dare admit being that hateful woman resorting to escape! Even she would not have done that!"
Chiyasu's furious words resounded throughout the park, but Ayumi chose to turn a deaf ear to them. She sensed she was after her again, as the roots around her shook and twisted but nothing else happened. It was probably the wind girl's interference.
After Ayumi disappeared from the park, the remaining girls dropped their fighting stance. The earth girl realized she would not get her desire of revenge with the other one around. She would not permit this on the pretense of an old collapsing vow.
"Why are you after her?"
Reiha asked, not a hint of curiosity in her question. It was a strategic one, to know how to plan ahead should a similar situation should rise soon. The other girl replied without guilt or care:
"you don't need to ask me that! And yes, I will keep making attempts on her life as long as I can, and this time you won't be able to stop me!"
"We have manifested for a reason, many years we have resorted to our intended forms. I can't understand how you won't be alarmed by this."
"Speak for yourself Reiha, I have never left this form."
Reiha awaited few seconds for an explanation that did not follow. Chiyasu carried on:
"I know you have been interfering with my plans, protecting that girl with your wind. Then I thought, why the petty attempts, I will lure her and confront her directly but she was such a disappointment!"
"And that's precisely why we should not harm her. I won't stand for that… nor allow it."
Reiha stated as a matter of fact, not keen on challenging although her words carried the message.
"Always the loyal one, Princess of the wind!"
The princess of the earth, Chiyasu mocked but her subject of mockery was not interested in petty talks. She merely concluded her argument:
"That girl for some reason carries our queen's power, she needs our help to master it. We have to break things slowly to her. What was normal and acceptable in the past is now a fantasy and lunatic talk. I don't blame her, but I won't let her neglect her duty either. We vowed to our queen to protect this world, and now its biggest threat is likely to lured out at last by the return of that power. Besides, we have made an oath, a unitary oath among all the princess who served her, to ourselves, to her and to her priestess to avenge her death and keep her palace a beacon of hope. I am not going to go back on my word."
A sense of sadness laced the wind girl's words; what guilt and tragedy the past held was still unclear, and none of them spoke of it. Chiyasu, however, chose her mocking tone again, although not for harm this time:
"These are gone by days. What is in the past is in the past. The woman died, a deserving death in the least! I made that vow but I don't care to uphold it now, it's been ages and it brought me nothing but pain and despair. That girl can never be Amaterasu but still she will pay! So leave the past behind, Reiha… unless you have another agenda!"
At the last accusation, the mockery meant for harm and provocation returned but Reiha was not affected, her features remaining calm and taking no offense.
"If it is all in the past, why are you still after your revenge, wanting to take it from a girl you refuse to admit it is Amaterasu's reincarnation or that she holds her power and destiny at least?"
Reiha asked the question, before warping herself in a strong gusts of wind and disappearing within them leaving the princess of earth alone in the park meditating the damage she had caused. Huffing, with a snap of her fingers, the garden returned to her previous state without dents or wild roots.
"It might be in the past, and might be a sacred vow, but I have a vow of my own as well, and it is all what I intend on honoring. In the end, for me at least, unlike all of you, the past is never dead, and I am entrapped forever in its consequences…"
Looking at the full moon, reflecting pale shadows over the beautiful face distorted with anger and frustration, Chiyasu walked into the depth of the garden disappearing inside the entangled branches.