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 Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 12:09 pm
"Worthiness? But I'm not..." Ochiba spoke of being "worthy" in reaching Nirvana, the process in which Celestials like herself are born. Lumine questioned what she did to deserve such a grand blessing, and whether or not it had actually been earned. Surely someone with such an air-headed and impulsive nature couldn't have been "worthy" enough to have earned this privilege. Yet, here she was...living proof that that someone, somewhere, once thought otherwise.
"...Yeah, you're probably right. It's just a coincidence! Haha..ha! ... There's no way I could...be that lucky, right?" Lumine stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. "I just hope that...everyone is happy now."
She gave the moon one final viewing before she turned back to Ochiba, collecting her hat from the ground. "Hey...we should probably get going. It's getting kinda late, don'tcha think? And I'm sure you have better things to do than to stick around the human village all night..." The Celestial bent down to pick up the Nodachi, holding with both hands. Turning around, she presented the weapon to Ochiba, holding it in the candlelight for her to see. "The Shinigami...she looks like the woman who used to bear this sword. She was my best friend...no, more than that." Lumine pulled the sword from its sheath, exposing a few inches of its blade. The polished steel shined brightly in the full moon's light. "I... part of me hopes that...maybe she came back...but..."
She returned the blade with a sharp click!, before moving it around to fasten it to her back. "You know what? Never mind... Let's just go..."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:19 pm
"If there is a chance for something to happen It can, who knows, maybe she is your friend. Oh but what a cruel joke, a shinigami who was friends with a celestial." Ochiba commented reaching into her pocket to het her glasses. Placing them on her nose once more she looked to Lumine with a reassuring smile,"Don't worry, I am in no hurry."
As she begun to pack the flute and tuck it away in her Bag, she curiously looked at the large blade shining in the moon light. With the click the rabbit's ears twitched, knowing it was best to let her friend maybe forget the entire problem. "Well if your friend used that thing, I doubt the Shinigami may be her... The shinigami can hardly even use her own scythe. I think she shouldn't be using such a large weapon out of pride's sake." She waved a hand dismissively, "Come on then, I bet you need rest from your long day."
The rabbit slipped on the bag and begun to lead the way out toward's Lumine's humble home.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 8:14 am
"Maemi... wasn't really good with this thing, either."
Lumine followed Ochiba out of the human village, totting along her bag, sword, and the few goods that didn't sell. She counted the coins from the pouch in the palm of her hand; she had earned enough money to cover her expenses for the next couple of weeks as long as she didn't waste it, and now knowing how to find food for herself, that money would go even farther! Maemi would be proud of her for planning ahead like this!...
"Hey, Ochiba," Lumine spoke up, tucking away the coin pouch into her belt. "What would you prefer? To see your master again... or to let him be happy where ever he ended up? Do you think it would be...selfish to want to see a person again, even if they had a chance for something that was... that was much better?"
If Hanari the Shinigami didn't have Maemi's soul, then where was she? Was she still waiting in the netherworld to be reincarnated? Or could she have ascended to Bhavagra? Maybe she would like it there... once there, Maemi would never have to struggle with living a lie, and try to be something she wasn't. She may not need to be a reporter there, but she wouldn't have to strive for something she didn't want to be, either. And she could enjoy all the food and drink she wanted, and never have to train again, and..."
Lumine stopped in her tracks with a gasp. She hadn't realized it, but she had started talking without knowing it. The Celestial blushed a bright red, wondering just how much of her thoughts she had blurted out to Ochiba.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 2:32 pm
"Mh...." Ochiba pondered on it like she had for many years. "I would be happier than ever to see him once more. It would be worth giving my life up for just a little time with him, enough to tell him my story; and the story of his daugther. I would die happy then." She stopped her sentence then continued,"I think... I'd let him exist as he pleased. If he was happy, then it would be okay to not live by him. He was a hard worker, he deserves what he worked for."
The rabbit patiently listened to Lumine's out loud reasoning, she smiled. "Don't worry."
"If Maemi did go to Bhavagra, then maybe think of the fact you left Bhavagra despite all it offered. Maybe she would be happier with you than with anyone else," Ochiba responded, "Maybe she much rather trade all that she got for being able to be with you. And your other friend too. "
"Heaven is different for all of us, the yamas can't please all, so maybe Bhavagra isn't her heaven."
"Then again, she may have not gotten there," the rabbit turned to Lumine,"Hell or Hakugyokurou?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:15 am
The Celestial reached up and pulled her hat down over her face, hiding her blush and tearing eyes. She was embarrassed both by what she said, and by what Ochiba had told her. Lumine knew how much Maemi loved her when she was alive, but would her spirit be able to carry on those feelings? Would... would she love her enough to come back?
She made sure to keep those thoughts to herself.
"If she's in Bhavagra...then maybe she'll come back. If she's in Hakugyokurou, then she'll come back anyway... And if she's in Hell... then I'll go save her!! It doesn't matter if they're Shinigami, Demons, Ghosts, or even the High Judges themselves, I'll fight them all until I find her again!" Even as her voice broke, the determination within it was clear. "Because... I just really want to see her again... I want to see her smile, I want to feel her skin... I want to hear her yell at me...for being annoying..." Her own words cut like knives, making her realize everything she missed about Maemi, and everything she once took for granted. Her body trembled at her anguish, but she remained glued to the spot, white-knuckled hands gripping the brim of her hat.
"Do you hear me?!" Lumine whipped her head back, hollering at the top of her lungs at the night sky and graceful moon. "I don't care if it's selfish or not!! I'll find you again, Maemi, because you belong with me!! And nothing will ever stop me!!!!"
The Celestial stood there, out of breath, having all but forgot about the world around her. The moon was beautiful, casting its majestic glow across the land. Lumine wondered if, perhaps, Maemi was looking at the moon right now, too...
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 7:51 am
Ochiba looked to Lumine. "All too much like Izanami and Izanagi. Some things, dear, are best left in hell, even if they are your loved ones. ... Now, if your friend wasn't a poor devil, then she probably isn't there anyway. From what I know, only real sinners go there. If you were bad, your time in Hakugyokurou is just longer."
She turned around as Lumine stopped, there was no need to look at her hidden face to know what she felt. The rabbit staid in place and listened, even as Lumine hollered out in the night. Ochiba begun to move towards the celestial to comfort her, when over her shoulder her eyes caught the glint of metal in the night.
The rabbit took Lumine's hand and tugged her behind her, staring intently at a spot. "There's someone there." Her rabbit ears where stiff.
Sure enough, as if by mocking coincidence, Hanari knew she had been discovered, and though the rabbit and shinigami stared at each other for an eternity, she knew she couldn't avoid it. Finally she stepped out of the bushes with the scythe balanced on her shoulders.
Indeed, Lumine's screaming had made her curious, and she decided to investigate it. She never thought she'd find the celestial, it was just the things she yelled that brought her here this very night
"You have sharp eyes."
"No, I am merely old enough to look for what others avoid," Ochiba said,"I warned you I wouldn't go easy on you if you appeared again, Shinigami."
The rabbit pulled out a spellcard, holding in infront of herself, while still positioned to shield Lumine.
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 5:54 pm
"Hey, what are you--?" Lumine gasped as Ochiba ushered her behind. With one hand still clutching her hat, Lumine turned to look back, trying to spot what the old rabbit's eyes saw. "I don't see anything there...maybe you just saw something?" She squinted her eyes at the forest as she spoke, scanning from left to right. It wasn't until the figure moved that she finally noticed it.
It was Hanari... it seems the Shinigami sought to make good on her promise.
"...!! Ochiba, that's...that's her!"
Lumine wrenched her hand free from Ochiba's protective grasp, and ran forward to confront the Shinigami, closing the breach between them. "So you came back! I knew you were too stupid to stay away, Shini!" She took a moment to wipe her eyes again; why was she always crying whenever Hanari appeared? "If you think you're gonna take my soul today, or any day, then you're gonna be disappointed... I just decided that nothing will stop me from my goal, and certainly not an uncool Shinigami like you, so you might as well just get lost!" Despite her talk, Lumine never made a movement to arm herself. It seemed she really just didn't want to fight Hanari right now, or rather, she didn't want to fight the one with Maemi's appearance. "...Why are you here, anyway? I mean, that's why you came, right?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2012 10:28 pm
"Ah-?...! Lumine-!" The rabbit followed after the celestial one or two steps. Remembering how Lumine had some attachment to the shinigami, the old youkai staid her ground, gritting her teeth and carefully over watching the exchange.
--
"What?" Hanari raised an eyebrow as Lumine ran up to her. What was it with this celestial? "I told you! My name is not Hanari!--- I mean not Shini! And stop calling me uncool! You sound like a kid desperate to look cool every time you try that. Gaaah you got me saying 'cool' too. Grrah, annoying!" She shook her head as if trying to shake the celestial's influence.
"You confuse me, woman!" The shinigami planted the scythe's shaft into the soil, making the stressed rabbit behind Lumine twitch. "First you challenge me to come back and now you think I'll back down?! Of course I am here for your soul,"In a sort of aside, she muttered," Well I was here moon Viewing and having a drink on my own, but fate just happens to be on my side. A bonus to a nice eve would be to please Akira-sama after all."
"No matter! Why else would I be here? Unlike you, I am not hear to break down and yell at the innocent stars," Hanari said defensively, feeling it was her getting all the rap from the blue headed celestial. She wasn't about to let that happen, even if the small, bipolar rabbit not far away blasted her into the stars that had already taken Lumine's voice so well.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:11 am
Lumine looked to the side, feeling a bit embarrassed by Hanari's words. "Oh...s..so you heard that, huh?" What was she talking about? It'd be surprising if the Lunar Capital itself hadn't heard the Celestial's voice. Maybe she overdid it this time...
She approached Hanali further upon hearing her 'desperate kid' remark. "HEY! I am not a kid!" She was now in the Shinigami's face, both puffing up her chest and standing on her toes in an attempt to match Hanari's height and physique. "I'm every bit a full-grown woman as you are, see?!" Her face was red with both embarrassment and an inflated ego, nearly falling over as she stood on her tip-toes.
"Wait, what was that? You were drinking? Hah, I knew all you Shinigami were lazy! At least I was being productive tonight!" Lumine stomped her foot, sticking her tongue out at Hanari. "Mleh! You'll never catch me like that!"
It was obvious that Lumine had completely overlooked the possibility of danger in the situation, and possibly even Ochiba's presence behind her.
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 4:24 pm
Hanari scoffed,"We aren't all lazy! We need to take a break too." She crossed her hands under her chest as Lumine stood on her toes to look into her face. "The way you act says otherwise!"
As Lumine stuck out her tongue at her, the shinigami's face turned red as well. She flicked the celestial's forehead... Though that turned out to be a bad decision. A jet of blue danmaku shot past Lumine and straight into Hanari, sending her sprawling back.
Ochiba had her hand point forward with the card in her fingers. Behind her the red danmaku outlined a heart with a rippling blue center, with how the rabbit was positioned her card's full powered was blocked.
Hanari gripped her scythe and used it to stand once more. "... OUCH." She said indignantly,"What was that for?!"
--
Ochiba scoffed. "Don't dare hurt her, even if you are joking, you excuse of a Shinigami."
"You didn't have to shoot me. A warning would be nice! She rubbed at her stomach where the danmaku had impacted her.
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:28 am
Hanari's 'attack' shifted Lumine off balance. She fell over backwards and onto her rear, knocking her hat off and, unbeknownst to her, the pouch of coins from her belt. "Wha--OW!" she exclaimed, just as the blue light flashed over her shoulder and elicited a similar response from the Shinigami. Lumine rubbed her forehead, the small flick stinging her skin, though the pain felt was mostly from the feeling that she had been insulted.
"Th..that wasn't nice, ya'know...?!" She quickly rolled back onto her feet as Hanari stood, using her scythe for stability. "...Are you okay? ...I mean, not that I would care or anything!" She turned and crossed her arms, holding her chin up high with an air of pride. "O..Ochiba! You shouldn't waste your magic on her - she can't even fight with her scythe, so it's not worth the energy!" She said in a masked attempt to keep the rabbit from hurting Hanari further.
"Y-You should just go home, Shini! Tonight's moon is too beautiful to harbor any bloodshed, and to be honest, I...I just don't wanna fight you right now, that's all!" 'Honest', indeed. In truth, she didn't want to see Hanari in pain, especially in the way she held her stomach right now...
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:07 pm
Ochiba joined the two, scooping the pouch up and placing it on the celestial's hand. "Don't get over confident... While this Shinigami is young, they are like wolf pups, they are harmless, but once they grow they are ferocious."
The rabbit gestured to the shingami who stood staring dumbfounded. "She will eventually grow of some use. Be careful."
[b"I am a shinigami! I AM meant to fetch souls. ... And I am fine..." Hanari grumbled, taking the scythe in both hands.
The old youkai glared at her, then looked to Lumine,"Yes, let's spare the moon."
"What."
"Be on your way Miss Shinigami," Ochiba said," There will be no fighting today."
The shinigami clenched the scythe and glanced from the rabbit to the celestial.
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:56 am
"...C'mon Hanari, can't we just enjoy the moon tonight?"
Lumine dropped her charade of pride, her face turning soft with a smile. Seeing Hanari in the full moon's glow, the young woman who shared Maemi's visage, brought back a lot of pleasant memories to her. "We can fight anytime...but a moon like this only comes once in a while, y'know? Especially one this beautiful. You... used to like watching the moon a lot..with..." Her words trailed off into the night air.
The Celestial turned to Ochiba, taking the pouch of coins she had dropped from her grasp and this time, placing it in her bag. With a smile, she pulled out a fresh, sweet fruit, a peach, and offered it to Hanari.
"Hey, Ochiba, do you still have that 'moon viewing drink'? I'd like... to offer some to our friend." She tilted her head, her smile broadening to a grin. "Maybe I can tame the pup~?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:27 pm
The shinigami blinked as the celestial softened, losing the air of arrogance she carried about her. Slowly, she released her scythe, letting the shaft rest on the floor with a sigh before swinging it on its axis and letting it stab into the earth. "Alright, but only this time!" The shinigami crossed her arms under her chest, still skeptic.
Ochiba glanced at them, and as Lumine asked for the fresh spring water, with that smile, the rabbit could not help but think she was letting something awful be imprinted in the history; the fate that would follow the night. Still, she felt not allowing this happen would be equally disastrous.
Ochiba pulled out the thermo with water and offered it. "Alright, then, let's enjoy the moon."
"Peach...? Wait tame the pup..?" She blinked as she took the fruit.
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:35 pm
The Celestial laughed as Hanari took the fruit. "That's right! Even wolves can be nice! Just look at the Tengu!" Lumine said as she took the cup from Ochiba, and drank from its contents, saying a silent prayer for Ochiba, for Michiko, even Hanari, and both Maemi and Seijin's soul. "...Haha... It's only water, but it tastes really good, y'know? So c'mon, drink up!"
She held out the cup to Hanari, offering the rest of its water to her. "I used to know a really nice wolf. She would treat you like family, and take you into her home if you didn't have anywhere else to go. Her daughter inherited this trait, too." Lumine looked at the moon, its bright glow illuminating her face in return. "So not all wolves are bad...even if they can grow to become ferocious, they're still loyal through and through. Am I wrong, Ochiba?"
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