Apologies in advance, my Japanese is not that good and if there are any corrections I need to make to make this more readable, I would love it if you let me know. Thanks so Much.
H. M. Stroud
Chapter One
Goddess of Pestilence
Rio pressed her forehead against the cool window pane, watching the rain drops trickle in rivulets down the blue tinted glass. She was antsy, restless, she would have given anything to be allowed to leave the Tsukishiro Family Shrine, but of course she couldn't be seen outside the Shrine gates, not without an accompanying guard the size of a small army. If her father had his way she would never set foot outside of the interior grounds. Rio had seen the village at the base of the Ekirein mountain, but had never been allowed to visit it, Nor was she allowed to associate with any of the villagers that lived there, toiling in the shadow of the great Mountain, upon which the Tsukishiro Shrine resided, The Villagers (Those healthy and determined enough) would, on occasion, make pilgrimages up to visit the Shrine in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Megami no Shimo Be, but personal contact was forbidden, she would be trotted out, dressed in her best robes and then she would be let back to her rooms. Her father considered her his special little treasure, and he had locked her into a gilded cage since she was born.
Rio was born with albinism, a sign of the Goddess' favour, her hair and skin were as white as fresh milk and her eyes were like two drops of blood in the snow. The jagged birthmark on her left shoulder marked her as the Proxy of the Goddess of Pestilence, Ekirei. To the people who worshipped her, this was a blessing. To Rio, who felt the shifting, coiling presence of the Goddess burning behind her eyes, felt her feral power aching to burst out, it was a curse. Rio was afraid of herself, afraid of what the Goddess was capable of, and the Goddess seemed to know this.
Ekirei liked to poke at her when she was alone, liked to unravel the edges of her mind, torture her with images and thoughts of the damage she could cause, the people she could kill if she just took off her sacred bracelets. The bracelets kept Ekirei sealed inside Rio, because Rio could not yet control the presence of Ekirei by herself. Several times Ekirei had brought her to the brink, Rio found herself with her fingers clutching at the beads of the bracelets, they would be so easy to snap off. But she always stopped herself, she had that much control over her own body at least. Ekirei couldn't take all of her, at least not yet.
"Father wants you," the harsh, scornful voice of her elder sister Yuina broke Rio out of her thoughts, she turned to find her standing in the doorway, her face twisted into a sneer. Yuina had always been jealous of the attention lavished on Rio for being Ekirei's chosen vessel, and she made no attempt to hide her disdain for her younger sister. Rio flinched at her harsh glare and looked down at her feet. Yuina snorted, then turned and left, not sparing her sister a second glance.
"Father wants me." Rio repeated to herself. She looked at the floor length mirror that stood in the corner of her room. Her hair was a mess, sticking out this way and that like porcupine quills, and she was still dressed in her night clothes, drool was stuck to the corner of her mouth, and there were visible circles under her eyes. She sighed, she would have to get ready.
~x~X~x~X~x~
Kasumi smiled encouragingly at Rio as she braided her long white hair, the old woman had been working for the Tsukishiro family since she herself was a young girl. And she felt immense sympathy for Rio, she had been a nurse to Rio since she was an infant, and Kasumi felt like she could understand her moods somewhat, despite Rio's rigidly formal behaviour.
"You seem upset, Mi'lady" Kasumi said, coiling Rio's hair into the intricate hairstyle worn by the Megami no Shimo Be.
"I have a bad feeling Kasumi," Rio said quietly. "I don't know what it is, but I just feel like something bad is going to happen."
Kasumi stood and beckoned Rio to stand up so she could dress her in her formal periwinkle and sea-green priestess robes. Rio stood with her arms out at her sides as Kasumi tucked cloth here and folded it there, soon she was wrapped in the heavy silk and chiffon robes and Kasumi was tying a thick silk ribbon around her waist.
"If something bad is going to happen, you know your father will take care of you, he always has." Kasumi said brightly as she turned Rio this way and that, making sure every fold was perfect.
"But what if Father can't protect me," Rio whispered, lowering her face. "Father can't protect me from the Goddess, what if she's corrupting me?" Kasumi paused at this, and Rio saw the worry on her aged face in the reflection of the mirror, but once the old woman noticed she was being watched her worry quickly faded away.
"There's no need to worry about that Mi'lady," she gave the silk ribbon around Rio's waist a final tug "you're protected here, no one will let you come to any harm, and the Priests renew the wards every midsummer" she gave Rio a gentle pat on the back and walked her from her bedroom to the grand hall where her father held audiences.
Everyone in the household was there, sat on their knees on velvet cushions dyed the imperial crimson, the floor beneath them was cedar wood, polished so brightly that Rio could see her reflection in it. Rio's family sat on a raised platform around a carved bamboo table on which sat a small lacquered box, Rio's father Shichiro sat to the left of the centre of the table, and Rio's mother sat to the right, Yuina sat a little behind their mother, her hands folded elegantly in her lap, and Rio's elder brother Kaoru sat behind her father, looking visibly pale and sickly, the centre spot was reserved for Rio, the Megami no Shimo be. Rio felt all eyes on her as she ascended the steps to the platform. The entire Nakano family was there. Hiraku Nakano and his two children, eight year old Suzu and 16 year old Naoki, Naoki scowled at her as she sat down, and Rio looked away, embarrassed.
When Suzu saw Rio she grinned and waved enthusiastically. Suzu followed Rio everywhere like a duckling with it's mother, Rio had looked after her since she was a baby and she felt almost like Suzu was her own little sister. This irritated Naoki to no end, Rio could see it on his face. But she couldn't help it. Suzu was her only friend, the only person on the entire mountain that didn't have some personal agenda, Suzu only wanted to be her friend.
"The Megami no Shimo Be has arrived, we may begin," Shichiro said, his voice booming like thunder throughout the great Hall Rio flinched and then glanced nervously at the assembly of people before her, the Nakano family in the front row. "I have received news from the Capitol this day," Shichiro said, moving his arms in the dramatic gestures of feigned sorrow. "Our esteemed Emperor Ryoujirou Kami no Ko has succumb to his illness, and passed away four days ago. His eldest son Crown prince Noboyuki Kami no Ko has ascended the throne, may he have a long and prosperous reign."
A respectful hush fell over the people gathered in the great hall, though none of them were truly that affected, the Emperor Ryoujirou had been a petty and tyranical ruler, and his son Noboyuki was promising to be no different. But due to Rio's divinity status by rights they couldn't be affected by any of the Emperors laws or commands. Those who lived atop the mountain of Ekirein were exempt from law, save for the laws the Master of the Tsukishiro shrine's, or Rio's when she came of age.
Once again, without truly knowing why, Rio sought the gaze of Naoki Nakano, he was looking away from her, talking and laughing with a few of the shrine guards. She envied him that, the ease he showed in speaking with others, it was not something afforded to The Goddess' Proxy. She ducked her head down and listened to her father's low conversation with her mother.
"...Could be a danger to Rio...Very unstable...Need to keep a respectful distance..." was all she could catch over the noise of the room. Feeling stifled by the activity in the room Rio got to her feet and walked away, taking the long, flower lined path to the koi gardens outside.
It felt good to be alone, with the slightly cold breeze rustling through her hair, the air was thick with the smell of peonies and roses, and the chiming of the shrine bells gave the whole place an atmosphere of peace and purity. Rio closed her eyes and shuddered, feeling the presence of Ekirei with her even now.
"Why can't you just let me be" she whispered, there was no answer. "I don't want you," she continued, hearing the strain of desperation in her voice. "I just want to be myself."
"What are you whining about now?"
Rio turned to come face to face with Naoki, his trademark scowl on his face. He was really quite handsome, with slightly tanned skin, messy black hair, and wide purple eyes. But he was cold, and always had something cruel to say, nothing she did was ever enough for him, he looked at her like she was useless. She pressed a clenched fist to her chest, determined not to cower before him. "I-I'm not complaining," she said. Wincing as her voice cracked.
"You're such a coward," Naoki spat on the ground "I can't believe someone like you is our Megami no Shimo Be," he turned and headed back into the great hall, Leaving Rio alone again.
~x~X~x~X~x~
"No Rio-hime, your form is all wrong!" dance instructor Hoshiko whacked Rio across the left arm with her folded fan. "You can't just thrust your arm out like a sword! You must let it drift like a flower petal, like this." Hoshiko-sensei let her arm drift away from her body, gently opening and closing her fan like the fluttering of a butterflies wings. Rio tried to mimic her, but once again she did it all wrong and got another smack for her efforts.
Dancing was her worst subject, but also the surest way to summon the Goddess, Shichiro insisted that she take dancing lessons everyday until she had perfected the basic Summoning dance, the Torii Dance. Rio sighed in frustration and noticed Yuina watching her. A smile of smug satisfaction on her face. Suzu in contrast was looking at Rio with encouragement, at only eight years old Suzu Nakano was a much better dancer than fourteen year old Rio, who was much better at singing and art than dancing.
"Perhaps Rio isn't ready for such an advanced form Hoshiko-sensei" Yuina called out. Hoshiko examined Rio and pinched her thin lips tight. "Maybe not, but we will proceed regardless. Rio-hime only has a limited amount of time before she begins her official training, it is time she takes her dancing more seriously." she said this with a pointed glare at Rio, and Rio felt the blood rush to her cheeks. With a sigh Hoshiko-sensei dropped her fans and turned "That's enough for today though, it's clear you aren't making any progress, go back to your rooms and rest until supper time. I am tired for today."
Yuina chuckled as Hoshiko-sensei left, but Suzu gently clasped Rio's hand.
"I can help you practice if you want?" she said, her voice a gentle chirp. Rio smiled and nodded at her, embarrassed despite herself. The two of them walked together to the garden. Suzu insisted on holding Rio's hand, despite Rio's protests, all it would take to poison Suzu would be for one bead on her sacred bracelet to snap off, but Suzu insisted that she didn't care, her small act of acceptance comforted Rio, if only a little.
They sat side by side talking and laughing, despite the age gap Rio felt like Suzu was her one true friend inside the Tsukishiro clan, everyone else had their own agendas and expectations for her. This coupled with the frequent, immobilizing headaches brought on by the appearance of Ekirei made Rio extremely reserved, she trusted no one, no one except Suzu who had always been on her side, and had always idolized her.
"What do you think of my big brother?" Suzu asked out of the blue, Rio blinked at her, confused.
"Naoki?" she asked dumbly. Suzu nodded her head. "I think..." Rio searched for the right words. Naoki had been a constant presence in her life, two years older than her he had lived at the Shrine longer than she had and had been her constant companion throughout her childhood. But the two of them were far from friendly towards one another. And Naoki never missed the opportunity to mock her for her timidity. He was an enigma. She took a deep breath before continuing her answer "...I think Naoki can be very scary, but I don't think he's bad."
Suzu tilted her head, the small silver bell in her hair ornament chiming. "So do you like Naoki?" she continued.
Suzu bit her lip, thinking. She didn't want to outright tell Suzu that she didn't like her big brother, or that she thought he was a bully. "I...I'm not really sure how to..."
"Sorry, am I interrupting a confession?" both girls turned at Yuina's mocking tone. The older girl sneered as she sat down beside the two of them, her every muscle relaxed. She reclined, catlike, assessing her younger sister's discomfort and loving it.
"Yuina? Why...?"
"Is there something wrong with me wanting to spend time with my baby sister? Besides the weather is lovely today, it would be such a shame to spend all day trapped inside." Her tone was saccharine, but her posture was predatory Yuina's golden eyes swept over her sister's trembling form. "Isn't it sad that your only friend isn't even old enough to have breasts."
Rio flinched, she knew that her sister was enjoying this, and to her endless shame she felt tears prick the back of her eyes. Inside her head a voice that wasn't hers whispered "Coward."
"I wonder if The Goddess regrets choosing you?" Yuina stood up and stretched, her shoulders popping like firecrackers. She turned her back on the two girls and began to leave, her black hair billowing about her in the wind like a cloud of ink, but before disappearing entirely behind a cluster of ornamental pear trees she turned her head, fixed Rio with a hateful glare and said "It should have been me," then she was gone.
Rio bowed her head, trying to hide the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks. She felt Suzu's tiny hand grab the long sleeve of her robe.
"She's just jealous of you Rio-hime, because you're special." her small voice was trembling with concern. Rio sniffed once and wiped the tears from her eyes with her trailing sleeves. Then she turned to smile at her small companion.
"Of course you're right Suzu-chan," she squinted and looked up at the sky, making her sensitive red eyes swim. "It's probably close to supper time, we should go back before they start worrying about us." Rio knew that if she was even a moment late her father would send the entire Shrine after her.
Hesitantly she offered Suzu her hand and the younger girl took it and squeezed it tightly in hers. As they walked back to the shrine together, deliberately choosing a different path than Yuina had taken Rio began to think that maybe her elder sister was right, maybe Ekirei choosing her had been nothing more than an accident, a mistake, a cold fist curled tight in her throat. Choking her.
~x~X~x~X~x~
Rio leaned against her window frame, head in her hands , she had opened the double windows and the fluffy white curtains that framed them flowed ghostlike in the scant breeze. The moon was full in the sky and the clouds that scudded over it glowed a sickly green. A feeling of intrusive dread washed over Rio for the billionth time that week. Something was going to happen and it would happen soon.
She stepped back and shivered, wrapping her arms around her slender shoulders. She didn't know why her sudden chills were brought on by the cold or if it was her fear of the future.
She closed her eyes tightly, for the first time in her life willing the presence of the Goddess to enter her. She wanted to ask her what her sense of absolute terror meant, what was going to happen, and if it was her fault. But for once Ekirei was absent. Rio nearly screamed in frustration. Angry and helpless, she slammed her windows shut and drew the shutters.
Crawling into bed she closed her eyes and wished with all her might that Ekirei had chosen Yuina instead of her. Then maybe, just maybe she could be free.