**Solar Note: As the number implies, the events of this book take place between the events of Descent of Darkness and Blade of Ruin, during the last trimester of Lei and co.'s first year.**
*Akinari*
[Millenia Ago]
I sat on a stomp and wiped sweat from my brow. Phew! Who knew that a hundred swings in a row could be this exhausting?
"You've gotten a lot stronger, Aki," Koko said as he sat down beside me, panting.
I smiled. "Thanks! I do have to be if I plan to succeed Mama!"
He tilted his head. "You think you will? You're not the oldest."
I huffed. "That's why I'm training! To beat my siblings! All they do is play their silly games!"
Koko chuckled. "Some would call our wooden sword fighting playing too."
I blushed. "But it has a practical purpose!"
"So does tag if you think about it."
I hummed. He had a point there...
"Say, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Koko's eyes widened. "You're asking me? Are you feeling okay? Need me to get you some water?"
I huffed. "I'm fine! Why would you think that?"
He snickered. "Well, ya usually talk about ya dreams and likes. It's unusual to hear ya show interest in what others want."
I crossed my arms. Was he calling me self centered?
He stared at the wooden sword in his hands and smiled. "I wanna be the best tool synthesizer in the world!"
"That so? But isn't it a broad field?"
He hummed. "True." He raised his sword. "Guess I'll start by making swords! Then maybe I can do masks or something."
"Mask? Is it because your family has made them for generations?"
He nodded. "Even if I don't plan to be just a mask maker, I still want to continue our traditions."
I stared at the river a few feet away. Traditions, huh? Didn't such things just hold us back?
***
I moved my arm away from my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Why did I dream of my childhood?
I got up from bed and ran a hand through my long red hair. It had already been millennia since I was that bratty kid.
"Hey, Gramps!" Bui yelled as I entered the kitchen. He sat with a big bowl of cereal in front of him. "Want some?"
I shook my head. "You know I hate sugary stuff." Making my way over to the cupboard, I pulled out a cup of instant miso. It wasn't as good as the stuff one made, but at least it was quick.
"Say, gramps. I've been meaning to ask, why do you make yourself look different at school?" Bui asked, looking up at me.
I removed the lid of the cup. "I do so to hide my identity. I've lived for far longer than the average person. I'd rather not be bothered."
Bui grinned. "You really are an old fart!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Call me that again and no cereal for a month!"
He whined. "Okay, I won't call you a fart."
I sighed and sat down. Bui was a smart kid, but sometimes he could be so naive. Wished he was more astute like his cousin Tabiki.
"So, I heard you were heading on a trip out east with the exchange students," Bui said, looking up from his bowl.
"That's right," I said as I turned on the faucet and poured water into my cup. Sadly. The idea of getting stuck watching Lei and his friends was a bother. Unfortunately, their group was too big for just Sonata and my great-granddaughter to watch over. Given they had to watch over Tasunke and Tashunke, they needed all the help they could get. But why did it have to include me?!
He chuckled. "Wish I could join you guys."
If he had, that would've made things worse. Bui was as much of a flight risk as the twins.
"Maybe next year."
Bui bounced in his seat. "So, where exactly are you going?"
"I'm not sure yet. I left the details to Koukyuu and Sonata."
"Wow."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why wow?"
"You usually like running things yourself!"
I shook my head. "Only things that interest me."
He snickered. "Just like me!"
I turned away and went back to preparing my miso. There was a reason why we were similar in that way. Not only him, but Tabiki and some of my other grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well.
"Hey, want me to help ya pack?!" Bui asked, jumping out of his seat.
I smirked. "Already did it. Also, like I'll let you pack my stuff. I might end up missing stuff or bringing stuff I don't even need."
"Hmm, true. You're a lot more meticulous than me when it comes to that. Well, I'm off to see Koiichi!" He put on his backpack and rushed out of the kitchen.
I sighed. He sure packed a lot of energy in that little body of his. I really was too old to be taking care of kids.
My microwave dinged.
I put my hands together and said a silent prayer to Inari, the goddess of fertility and progenitor of the kitsune. Time to eat.
My cellphone dinged as soon as I sat down to eat.
"Ugh, what now?" I asked as I pulled my phone out of my pants pocket. It was a text from my great-granddaughter. Apparently, she wanted us to meet at the front of the main school building. Well, at least she had the prudence to text instead of waste my time with an actual call.
I put my phone down on the table and returned to eating.
*Lei*
I gasped as I found myself in the same dark space as when I'd gotten eaten by that panther. Why was I here?
A couple of weak meows echoed from the darkness. It sounded injured. I scanned the area but I couldn't see any cat.
"Kitty? Where are you?" I asked, walking toward one of the shadowy rapids. The physics of this place made as much sense as that of a dream.
"Meow," a kitty said before falling to the ground. Like I thought, it had to be unwell.
"You okay?" I asked, picking it up.
It opened its mouth but it failed to even meow this time. Poor thing.
I stroked its back. Was it hungry or sick? Maybe it couldn't breathe well? I reached into my pants pocket for my inhaler, until I remembered I'd left it on the nightstand. Maybe healing magic would help, although I was nowhere as good as Adela.
"You'll be okay, little kitty," I said, covering in green energy.
It meowed a little stronger than before.
I smiled. "Feeling a bit better?"
The kitty jumped out of my arms and ran off into the darkness where it vanished.
Was that cat the abysmal within me? Why had he become so small? It used to be the size of a panther.
I woke up and saw my siblings giggling. Yen held her phone up. I wiped the sides of my mouth with the back of my left hand, but there was no drool.
"W-what's so funny?" I snapped.
"Look how cute you look!" Yen said, turning her phone around. She had taken a picture of me asleep with my hands tucked close to my chest like those lucky cat statues Kyuu Seishinians sold at their festivals.
I laughed. "Is that for real?"
Kun nodded. "You looked like a total cat boy!"
I snickered. Did I do that because of Mr. Cat? I pouted. Why did he make me do such a weird pose? Sure it was cute, but it was also embarrassing. Ugh, knowing Yen she was going to use it to blackmail me into doing her favors.
*Vermeil*
"Come on," Hal said said as he yanked on my arm.
"Hal, I don't feel like going anywhere," I said, trying not to trip.
"You haven't done much the past couple of months."
"I can't help but worry about An. He hasn't awakened from his coma yet." After the games, Adela had him taken to her country for treatment. Yet, nothing seemed to have worked. Maybe An's brain really had died. If so, he was only a husk. No, I couldn't let hope slip out. I needed to trust that the God of Dawn would heal him.
Hal chuckled. "That's exactly why you need to go on this trip. You can't mope until An wakes up. Don't think he'll like that to begin with."
I cast my gaze to cyan-carpeted floor of the hallway. Hal had a point, but I just couldn't bring myself to do much. Even showering and doing my hair had become a chore.
"Ny!" Hal yelled.
Nyima put her hands on her hips and sighed. "Who said you can call me that?"
He laughed. "I heard Lei call you that, so I figured I would too." He smirked. "Or is Lei special?"
Her chocolatey cheeks reddened. "W-what do you want anyway?"
Hal pointed at me with his right thumb. "Can you help Ver out? She looks like a banshee."
I stoked my curly hair. My once bouncy locks were now poking out in various directions. Some parts had even gotten all tangled up.
Nyima gave me a slight smile. "Sure."
Hal grinned. "Thanks!"
Nyima held her hand out and took hold of my left arm as Hal let go of my right. "This way, Lady Vermeil."
Lady Vermeil? Was she roleplaying or something?
Nyima took me to her room which she shared with Adela. Ade's puppy slept on the bed while her pet rat slept in a glass box with small holes which sat on top of her desk. Was Adela going to bring them with her?
"Sit," Nyima said, pointing to a small square cushion stool in front of a blue dressing table with a three part foldable mirror. On the table were several kinds of makeup and styling utensils such as scissors and tweezers.
I stared at myself in the mirror. My once flawless skin had been replaced by dry skin and puffy eye bags.
"You have to take care of yourself better," Nyima said as she picked up a elastic band from the table and tied my hair with it. "Now, how would you like me to cut your hair?"
"You decide," I said, looking at my knees.
Nyima picked up her scissors and started trimming away at my locks. "Hal might be a bit forceful, but he has a point, you know." She put down the scissors and picked up a brush.
I winced as she yanked against the tied up ends.
"Seeing your hair in such a sorry state is heartbreaking," Nyima said. He grunted as she tried to brush it some more. The thing had gotten stuck.
"Hey, not too hard," I said, wincing.
"Your hair really is thick! Think I might have to thin it. Or at least use a leave-in conditioner. It'll help you regain your curls and return some much needed moisture to your mistreated hair." She took up the scissors and cut the brush free. She let out a grunt. "I really have a lot of work ahead of me." She smiled and stroked my hair. "But, I don't mind a challenge."
I tried my best to sit still, but it proved hard at times with all the yanking.
"Alright, I think you're finally looking a bit more like your old self," Ny said, smiling as she put her hands on my shoulders. She poked my face. "Now, to take care of your face. Let's start with those ghoulish eye bags." She stretched and picked up one of her many concealers. They were all various shades. Did she do the makeup for the other girls too?
Nyima grabbed a brush and started applying the concealer as soon as I closed my eyes. I felt as if I was back at home. Usually I would do my makeup, but before big meetings, my maids would do it for me.
She smiled as she nudged me to look into the mirror. "You can barely know that you've been crying your eyes out, right?"
The girl sure was as blunt as the princess. "Y-yeah."
"Now, how about we moisturize that dry skin of yours?"
I stared at her makeup. There didn't appear to be any.
I gasped as she put her hands on my face. A blue light radiated out of them and flowed into my skin. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from my face. Magic? She used magic to moisturize? No wonder her skin was always so lustrous.
She smiled. "There we go! If you'd like, I could try to make you a longer term moisturizer."
I touched my face. "My skin will dry up again."
"My spell does have a time limit. Not that your lips will instantly become chapped again. They will gradually dry up as the added moisture disappears."
My lips were dry too? Not that I thought about it, they did feel a tad scaly.
"Seems you don't keep track of yourself. Adela said that your big brother seems worried about you."
Haroun was? Why hadn't he said a thing? Or did he want to give me space? Brother, he must've been grieving the loss of Lucette, yet he still had time to worry for me.
Nyima picked up a blue bottle and applied whatever was inside on my hair. Was it the leave-in conditioner she mentioned? I didn't know she made her own.
"I made this with everweed, my moisturizing spell, and lavender," Nyima said as she spread it throughout my hair with her hands. Thankfully, she had cut it first, else what was in the bottle might not have been enough for my bushy hair.
"You'll make a great stylist one day, Ny," I said.
She smiled slightly. "Y-you think so?"
I nodded. She was very attentive to my skin and hair care needs.
"That said, you could maybe try to be a little less rude?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Rude?"
Wait, she didn't even notice? So, she mustn't have been doing it on purpose.
Nyima scratched her head. "Sometimes, it's hard to tell what is rude or not. For me, being honest is being polite."
So that's why she was so unapologetically blunt.
I chuckled. "It's okay if you do it with me. I'm used to it, thanks in part to the Princess."
The door suddenly opened by itself. Sarah rolled her chair into the room. After the battle with Aida, she'd been relegated to it. Nyima, Xue, Arima, Adela, and Kun were trying to help her walk again, but thus far she hadn't had much success.
"Hey, Sarah. Want me to do your makeup and hair?" Nyima asked, grabbing her brush. She turned to look at me as Sarah continued to stare at me. "Oh, I'm done with her."
Sarah leisurely wheeled her chair in and smiled at me.
I touched my hair. "Does it look nice?"
She nodded.
I smiled. "Thanks, Nyima. I feel a bit better now. I'm going to go see my brother before heading out."
Nyima stared at the blue wall clock above the mirror. "Try to get something to eat with him. There's not much time."
I rubbed my stomach. "I'll try." I ran out, only to see Hal leaning against the wall. Had he opened the door for the Princess with his wires just now?
"Were you waiting for me?" I asked, tilting my head.
He smirked as he stopped leaning. "Yeah. Seems it turned out well."
I touched my hair and blushed a little. "Thanks."
He laughed as he moved his hand, closing the door behind me. "Thank Nyima."
"Already did, but I also wanted to thank you for nudging me to get out of my room."
He ruffled my hair. "Don't mention it, we're buddies, aren't we? Now, let's head to the kitchen. Haroun would probably cheer up a bit if he were to see you."
I chuckled and followed after him. If I could call anyone my best friend, that would've been Hal. I was thankful to the God of Dawn for having allowed us to meet as kids.
**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Me and this series have been on Wattpad for 7 years already! I wrote this book as an idea of a movie for the series (with the idea of the full numbered ones as seasons).**