Providence: Book One

Chapter Two: Unworthy

　　Chapter Two

　　Unworthy

　     It was hot, burning hot, and the air was heavy with black smoke, Rio's lungs burned like they were on fire and her head felt as if it her skull had been cracked open and boiling water had been poured into it. She squinted through the smeary blackness, trying to make out her surroundings, the crackling hiss of a fire was coming from the hallway and Rio could see it's red glow flickering like fingers under her door. The Shrine was on fire! From inside she could hear people screaming and coughing, choking on the smoke. She had to get out and go get help, but how? Thinking fast, she opened her windows and swung her legs over the side of the frame dropping onto the grassy patch outside without a hitch. The smell of smoke was thicker outside of the Shrine Interior and Rio looked up to see the sky roiling with demons, black and twisting like a mass of squirming eels in the sky, thick and oily.

　　She closed her eyes tight, so tight she could see stars and dropped to her knees her head flooding with the sound of the cold, echoing laughter of the Goddess.

　　

　　Rio bolted awake, her skin covered in a thin, sticky layer of sweat. She sat up and hugged herself, rocking slightly, trying to silence the cacophony of thoughts that had gathered in her head.

　　"But what if it's not a dream?" a cold voice asked in the back of her mind, the Goddess rearing her ugly head. Rio clamped her hands around her ears "It is a dream." she whispered. The Goddess said nothing more, and Rio, her muscles screaming in protest climbed out of bed, still shaking.

　　Her bare feet made soft padding noises on the wood as she headed towards the Koi Garden. It was chilly outside, but Rio barely noticed, she walked as if in a daze, her head lowered, her eyes blank, the only thing that snapped her out of it was the sound of sandalled feet clacking on the garden's paving stones.

　　She spun around quickly and locked eyes with a very tired looking Naoki. He had bruises on his neck and his left eye had begun to swell "You're..."

　　　　"Yeah I know," Naoki snapped spitting a wad of blood onto the marble walkway.

　　　　"What happened?" She asked, taking a hesitant step forwards. Naoki leveled a malevolent glare at her and she retreated back, bunching up the fabric of her night dress tightly in her hands.

　　　　"Don't stick your nose into places it doesn't belong, Rio-hime," he hissed, spitting out her title like a curse. Rio flinched and stepped away from him.

　　　　"Why am I stuck serving a coward like you?" Naoki hissed, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth, "How can anyone say you're special after looking at you?" he motioned at her with disgust. And for the second time in a 24 hour period Rio felt like she was going to cry.

　　 "You don't do anything for yourself and you're afraid of everything!" he ran a hand though his already tousled hair in an expression of exasperation. "What could you ever do to protect yourself? That's why you need me, and that's why I hate you."

　　Rio's hands curled into fists, she was getting angry now, inside her Ekirei surged and writhed.

　　"It's not like I asked for any of this!" her voice was louder than she intended it to be, but she didn't care, tears of absolute fury were pouring down her face and she was shaking with the desire to lash out and hit Naoki.

　　Naoki himself look surprised, he took a step back, his one good eye widening.

　　"I was born with this weird mark--" Rio pulled the collar of her robe down, exposing her shoulder and the two jagged marks that marred her perfect white skin. "And now everyone treats me like glass, and those few people who don't act like I'm a porcelain doll treat me like a disease! I never wanted any of this!" she scrubbed furiously at the tears that were pouring out of her eyes. "I can't even go outside, not ever. At least you're allowed to have friends"