Hanako x Nene (Oneshots)

Sneaky Devil~ [p2]

"We have come to an agreement, Aoi, come here child." Aoi looked up in expectance, a small smile on her lips as she walked to the elders and leader, her eyes drifting to Nene, who looked a bit worried. "Aoi, you have been chosen to be the new Maiden, please put on your finest silk kimono and I will bring you a penchant."

Aoi nodded to the leader, going into her house and getting what was asked of her. "For those of you who know, you must not come to the place if you know where it is, please stay home and rest, knowing that a spirit has given us a chance to banish more evil."

Nene didn't want to stay home, she had to see what would happen. she went to her house and put on her darkest clothing which was a navy tunic she took from her father and some mud colored trousers, considering they were farmers of a sort.

at the time of the ceremony, Nene followed quietly from behind the houses, dipping down into the bushes as they reached the forest edge. Aoi looked as beautiful as ever, Nene was almost jealous she was the maiden, but shook the thought away. She had to make sure Aoi would make it back, the others didnt- they weren't as strongly willed as the leaders had hoped.

when they got to the springs, there was a pile of chopped wood and some rugged material, the leader having Aoi sit in the middle, having her read the penchant and recite a verse of prayer afterwards. two elders put the other material around and even on the wood pile, chanting something in a weird language she couldn't understand. yet as soon as Nene saw a spark, she knew, she covered her mouth in reaction to not be seen, tears forming at the edge of her eyes.

as the fire leaped and ate the kindling, it lapped at the fine silk, slight burns forming on the material, Aoi flinched, yet stayed praying thinking it was the evil spirits trying to get at her. Yet when the fire got to all the logs and the silk, the sudden scream of pain that was heard echoed, it was long, agonizing, and scared. it lasted for 5 minutes before it was a whisper and heavy breaths, soon becoming coughs and silenced cries. Aoi no longer looked beautiful, she looked burnt and the area smelled of wood smoke and burnt hair, and yet she lasted much longer than the 5 minutes the leaders had expected.

Nene had stayed throughout the night, watching the embers and now dead friend be left for the wind and animals, all that was left were burnt bones and the stone bead bracelet that was made for the two of them. when the leader and elders left, Nene weeped as she went to the still smoldering pile, wincing at the embers on the ground, she didn't care- she reached into the center grabbing the bracelet and burnt bones, almost dropping them from how hot it was

"Aoi... Aoi I'm so sorry- I didn't want this- is this what they went through?! why- why did they do this to them-" Nene's eyes were red from the tears that were falling and sizzling against the hot coals, holding back her cries of grief was hard, she wanted to scream, to cry aloud, but she didn't want to face the consequences of the leader finding her there.

"I- Im going to see you Aoi- soon- very soon- please- please wait for me...." Nene stood, placing the bones and bracelet into a small pocket, going back to her house and sneaking in, grabbing parchment and a brush, writing an apology to her mother, Aoi's betrothed, and to the leaders, writing what she saw and for the villagers to leave the area. "I'm sorry mother, I'll be joinging Aoi now- please don't be sad...."

[Time skippp]

It was dusk now, Nene had hidden herself in her room for the entire day, not eating and staring out the hole in the wall looking towards the cliff that was nearby an ocean, be it a shallow ocean or a deep one, no matter what she would rather be with Aoi than suffer knowing what happened. Nene had hurried to the cliff, avoiding the branches and trees, stumbling awkwardly as she went from walking to running, tears clouding her vision as she ran.

when she reached the cliff, the salt in the air made the burns from the early morning sting, making her instinctually rub them on her shirt, which hurt them more and opened the blisters. "May the good spirits lead me to my friend and my family in the afterlife, and may my soul be used to banish the evil in the area." with that final notion Nene jumped.

[End flashback]

"..-Ene? Nene!? Hello? You in there?" Nene flinched at the sudden voice spraying water towards the current unknown figure, soon seeing it was Hanako "oh- sorry.... eheh...." Hanako frowned shaking of the water and looking at the angel "You have some nerve... here you are in a spring and you are practically submerged! you wouldn't answer me for 5 minutes!" Nene blinked, how long had it been? It didn't feel like she had been there long. "Sorry? only 5? goodness- I must have dozed off..." Hanako sighed, shaking his head, holding a hand out for the angel. "You didn't doze off... more like you were reliving something, and to the aspect that you have tear stains- it wasn't something happy."

Nene hesitated, taking the offered hand and allowing him to pull her out of the water. "What was it... did I... say anything bad?" Nene tried to keep her words neutral enough but her tone gave everything away, she hadn't meant to speak about what she had done.

Hanako shook his head again "No, although if you do want to talk about it, you know where I am... Now- considering I was about to have lunch, how about some berries and a bit of rabbit?" Nene looked shocked, looking at Hanako like he had gone mad "What? spirits eat- although all it turns into is energy for us to exist longer... it doesn't fill anything..."

"you can just consume things normally? Like people or food or flowers?" Hanako shook his head. "That isn't quite right- but considering how spirits like us used to be alive, eating is an absentminded occurrence... And yes- people can be on the list- though only for the demons..."

Nene sat down under a tree, looking at the rabbit that Hanako was poorly cooking with his spiritual power "If only I could use fire-" "No!-" Nene stopped herself, seeing that she had suddenly stood and had her hands held out, a wave of blue halting just before splashing into the ground "Please- no- no fire...."

Hanako stared at the puddle that formed from Nene's outburst, understanding why she couldn't use the spiritual light energy as much. "Hmm, that's why.... there have been many others like you, except they could either use spiritual fire or light energy, you can use very little light energy, yet- as I am seeing from the poor tree behind you... you can use water spiritual energy- and that water is heavily influence by emotions..."

Nene stared at her now shaking hands, spiritual water? wasn't that a form of healing? although it too can destroy- "so- so what you are saying is.... Is that I do have spiritual energy... but I have to be stressed to use it?" Hanako hummed, pondering the question, yet shrugging when he couldn't find an answer from the many years he was a spirit "You are the first in many decades, there was another like you, but he was very defensive... not even I could get through his walls..."

It was strange, she remembers the ocean and jumping yet everything faded there until when she woke up at the shrine, and she still had Aoi's bracelet, even if it was now tattooed onto her pale skin. "... I may not be ready to talk, but I will come to you for advice... so thank you... just for being here."

Nene bowed her head, then left, not waiting for a response and running to the village as fast as she could.
As usual the sky was darkening as night approached, but it didn't bother her much, it was comforting and familiar, even if she wasnt entirely familiar with the place. She walked over to her little shrine area, looking at the new incense, dousing it out with a small drop of water, putting it outside of the shrine, leaving a bowl and some glowy water in it's stead, a lotus bud sitting in the water as it took to the spiritual power and slowly bloomed.

"Kiko, hear this, and hear this well, you as my shrine maiden shall never allow fire near this shrine, nor anywhere in the forest around this village, only inside the houses to warm the villagers in the winter. may you get this message and wake up to tell the leaders."

(bloop, Kiko is ofc not a canon character just a name.)
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