Divine Worlds

By: S.R. Shinohara

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Chapter II

Assistant Goddess’s First Assignment

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It was amazing; no one would think the God of Fire & War actually pouted, but they’d be surprised. Being his servant, he was aware of this abnormal trait quite well and that it only appeared when it concerned a certain goddess. Why? He didn’t know. Hiiro had been with so many women in the time he’d been alive it was unusual to pout over one goddess who simply had more self control then most. It must be the challenge or something.

“Your eyes have that contemplative look to them, Tetsuo,” Hiiro noted, apparently finished with pouting to himself about his botched attempt to woo Saori into his bed and consequently worm his way into her heart, “What’s on your mind?”

Tetsuo let out a small breath of air he hadn’t realized he was holding, emerald eyes which showed his lineage sharp. “I’m simply curious, Lord Hiiro, as to why you’re so intent on this one goddess when you can easily have any other. Is it the challenge?”

Lounging leisurely along his divan, Hiiro tilted his head back over the arm rest and pursed his lips thoughtfully. “It’s like I told her…she’s the only one who fills my head, even when I’m with other very gorgeous women. I can’t see anyone else it seems.”

Tetsuo arched his eyebrow as high as it could go. “So if you adore her this much, why continue ravishing other women nightly?”

The look Hiiro gave him was one that seemed to suggest he were asking about something that should be obvious. To him, Tetsuo had no doubt the answer probably WAS obvious. “I’m still a man you know. I can only ease myself so much unaided by…” He left the rest of that thought for him to finish with an airy wave of his hand.

A sweat-drop ran down his head. “And you wonder why she is irritated by you?”

“What does that mean?” He looked honestly confused and Tetsuo resisted the urge to bang his head on the wall of his room at his ignorance. “Why is she irritated? Do you know?”

He didn’t move; if he did, he just might fall over out of shock, even if his face remained perpetually unreadable. Maybe he’d been around Lord Raikou too long.

“Really, Tetsuo, why won’t she take me seriously?” Hiiro frowned, falling once again into a pout while he brooded over the goddess’s unmatched stubbornness.

“She’s known you too long.” There was just no other way to put it without insulting him and incurring a painful wrath.

“I thought that was a good thing,” he growled, scratching at his scalp in frustration. He wasn’t used to things not working like they should. Saori seemed to defy everything he’d observed about females and used in his techniques to win them over.

Tetsuo felt his pain – literally. It radiated around him like a damn beacon in the night, indicating that he was nearing a dangerous point. “In this case, it’s not. Perhaps it would be beneficial to…study her more deeply.”

Hiiro perked, the dangerous feel around him evaporating in a near instant. “What do you mean?”

“You may want to try not advancing on her as a suitor; go back to being her friend and bide your time, studying her while you do so. Perhaps you can then figure out why she defies everything you know of women.” Hiiro was just too direct; subtlety and cunning were beyond him where as the goddess he desired knew it well. Maybe if he watched her long enough he’d see it. Tetsuo saw it, though he’d be skinned alive if he mentioned it. No one would believe him if he said it anyway.

It actually seemed to sink in, the god mulling this concept over. The black haired assistant nearly sighed in relief. He wasn’t dense, far from it since he was the God of War, but he could never think clearly where this goddess was concerned. It seemed she could short circuit his intricately wired brain with just a thought. Go figure. “I heard she was requested for a mission recently. You may want to follow her and see if you can find out anything. Offer your assistance to her maybe?”

“I’ll do just that!” Hiiro’s silver eyes lit up in a determined fire and he disappeared in a roar of flames, Tetsuo sighing as his eyebrow twitched in irritation. Deities gave him a headache, really.

~*~ : * : ~*~

She loved flying; with Kayoko as her wings, large charcoal colored feather wings that stretched largely in the air, she flew towards the Kingdom in the Sky, Celestia. It was the closest to Tengoku being just below the clouds and home of the Faerie who were often called the Divine Messengers. It was unusual, but her half-brother had been the one who’d requested her help. Since he had her father’s divine blood, it was now required of her that she at least hear his problem and request out. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t have anyway. Even though she had the option of denying his request, she’d probably do it anyway.

The huge tree which stood dead center on Celestia greeted her once she broke through the layers of clouds, homes which the Faeries lived in hanging from the lush green branches like colorful little flower blooms. The palace of the main Faerie was set atop the lush green hill in the distance, normal in size since the queen herself was of “normal” height.

Landing on the single path which ran along Celestia, two glowing orbs came forward and circled around her, both with a Faerie inside. One was donned all in black and the other in shimmering white, but their expressions were peculiar – both worried frowns.

“Nahora, Ayu.” She knew them from her leisure visits to see her brother. It was their duty to greet anyone who came to Celestia, but they didn’t look happy like normal. Well, Ayu never appeared that happy, but she usually at least had a smile.

Kayoko changed forms, wings disappearing from Saori’s back as she took on her taller form with a concerned frown. She hadn’t ever come to Celestia before but she’d heard of the two who guarded Celestia’s entrance. Weren’t they usually bickering little things who smiled? That’s what she’d heard but the ones before her were nothing like what she’d heard. “It seems Kohaku-san wasn’t kidding when he said it was urgent, Saori.”

“Obviously. Can you take me to my brother, Nahora?” The Faerie inside the white orb nodded, Ayu following behind as they led her down the path without a word exchanged between them.

It wasn’t right; they always found something to bicker about as they led her to the palace – ALWAYS. Their silence was beginning to make her want to shudder. All of Celestia seemed…cold. Usually, it radiated life, annoyingly so at times, but always comforting. Now it felt like she was walking through a shadow of the Kingdom, its inhabitants merely mimicking the actions of the daily life she was used to seeing.

Nahora and Ayu stopped in front of the palace, pulling open the huge door with more strength then it appeared they had at first glance. Once the two were inside, they bowed and left, returning to their posts as silent as they’d come.

Saori let go of the shudder she’d wanted to let loose. “That was disturbing.” Looking around, she rubbed her arms with a frown, the feeling even stronger inside the Queen Faerie’s home. “What in the world is going on…?”

“SAORI-CHAN~”

With a yelp, she fell back as a tall young man jumped out from nowhere before her in a cloud of smoke, clinging and crying to her at a speed she’d never heard someone talk before. Eyes spinning as her head began feeling the affects of having hit against the palace’s marble walls, she looked down just as the youth finished talking and wailing, choosing to concentrate on the latter. “Hey, calm down, Kohaku! Stop wailing already!”

“But, but!” Saori twitched as he sniveled up at her with huge teary raspberry eyes exactly like her fathers. “How can I when Ruko-sama has disappeared?!”

“WHAT!?”

Kohaku tumbled backwards with a cry from the force of her exclamation, holding his head as it crashed straight into the wall at the end of the corridor. “Itai!”

Even Kayoko winced, rubbing her ears in pain. Elf hearing was ten times better then anyone’s so it was ten times more painful. “Itai~”

“Gomen, gomen.” Dusting herself off as she got up from the floor, she looked at Kohaku who slowly made his way back while nursing his now large bump on the head. “Now what do you mean she’s disappeared?”

“Well…”

~ * ~

The day had been light and beautiful, the sun shining brighter then he’d ever seen. Raikou was apparently in a good mood, deciding to bless the world with gorgeous sunlight for the fourth day in a row. “It’s beautiful today, ne, Ruko-sama?”

The Faerie Queen’s amethyst eyes were bright and smiling as brightly as her lips. Leaning on her arm, she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as a cool breeze drifted in and brought with it the gentle sounds of laughter from Celes, the huge tree which occupied a large portion of the Kingdom. “Very...It’s wonderfully peaceful and quiet, ne, Kohaku?”

He smiled, cheeks lighting up in a delighted flush. “Hai, and you don’t have much to do today.”

That only made her smile brighter, the wind kicking up her long black hair as it strengthened slightly. “Great, it’s too good a day to be bogged down. Do you think I have enough free time to take a walk?” Her eyes lowered as she muttered, “I have a lot to think about.”

“I don’t see why not…” Kohaku noted her contemplative demeanor with a concerned frown. “Is something wrong that you can not talk with me about?”

“Yes.” Kohaku nearly fell over with a pout – she was so honest. “But don’t worry, Kohaku. It’s probably nothing but my thinking things over too much.”

He watched her walk toward the doors which led outside, his eyes sad. “Please be careful if you leave Celestia, Ruko-sama. You know it would die without its Queen.”

“I shouldn’t be long,” she called over her shoulder with a smile that made him blush, “Kohaku is cooking tonight, right? You know I love dinner when Kohaku cooks. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

~ * ~

“But she DID miss it~” he sniffed, chewing on a clean handkerchief Kayoko had conjured up for him. With a disgusted twist of her lips she waved her hand and made the huge pile of dirty handkerchiefs next to his sniffling form disappear, sweat-drops running down her head. “I’ve tried to run it in her place but she’s the Queen! No one can replace Ruko-sama~!”

Eyes closed, Saori frowned deeply in thought. She’d help him, of course; couldn’t let the Faeries die out or hell would break loose among Tengoku. Deities relied on them heavily to send and receive information from the worlds below the clouds, so if they died out…Saori shuddered to think about the reactions. “So she can be anywhere…I suppose Phylos is the place I should start looking first. It’s the only place she’d go to think, right?”

Kohaku nodded, his eyes still tearing. At least he had enough energy to maintain his wild expressions. “I knew I could count on imouto-chan~!” Again, he jumped her in a hug, wailing in happiness. “Arigatou~!”

“OK, OK! STOP WAILING ALREADY!” Saori twitched, his tears finally starting to recede. She hated tears – they made her twitch whenever she saw them. And in her own eyes? Oh hell, they made her livid then. They were annoyances, really, and seeing them on other people made her skittish. “I just need to go back to Tengoku and report this before I can go.”

“Oh yeah…” he sniffed, smiling broadly and cleaning his glasses, “I never congratulated imouto-chan on making rank! An assistant goddess with a reputation already!”

Her eyebrow quirked, looking to Kayoko who was rapidly become ten shades whiter in complexion. Well, apparently she’d been keeping something from her. “What reputation?”

“A reputation as being a cunning goddess,” he smiled, apparently proud by the fact she’d even had a reputation established after only a few days. Kohaku found pride in the oddest things. “Mischief personified!”

She really should be angry about that. So what? She liked having a little fun now and then at someone else’s expense. It wasn’t as if she didn’t make fun of herself too. That was no reason to call her mischief personified, even if the title was one she was secretly very proud of. It had its perks. “Is that right? Well, all the better for me then.”

A smooth, silky laugh resonated inside the palace; it made Kayoko bristle tensely and veins began popping out of Saori’s head as it echoed in her ears. She knew it; it hadn’t taken long for him to start following her. Kayoko wasn’t too pleased either, nonchalantly stepping in front of her friend and master should he get any bright ideas to seduce her again. “You’re the only one who has ever taken that title as a compliment.”

“What do you want, Hiiro?”

“You know what I want,” he shrugged with a smile, leaning casually against the wall with his arms crossed, “But that’s not why I’m here. I’d like to assist you.”

Oh, really now, why was she looking at him like that? Was it so weird that he wished to help her? No, it wasn’t, and by the slow easing of her tensed shoulders she seemed to remember that. “So you were listening for how long?”

“Since you yelled ‘what’ and nearly made Kayoko there go deaf.”

She grimaced with a sweat-drop running down her head. She’d have to make that up to Kayoko after they found Ruko.

“So will you allow me to help you find Ruko?” His smile was wistful as he mused lightly, “It’s been a long time since we’ve had some fun on Phylos. Remember our last trip?”

Saori narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She remembered it; Phylos nearly got destroyed because of a fight they’d had while down there during the war Hiiro had created to balance out the population of mortals and demons. The mortal population was still a little lower then it should’ve been, but it was rapidly climbing so no one was worrying about it too much. They just had to make sure the demon population didn’t grow too big now. “Yeah, I remember it. The large crater I created is still there I believe.”

Hiiro’s smile widened. “It is.” He loved the fire and energy she had; it was so intensely attractive and had never once died down with all the stuff Tengoku through at her. “So?”

“So long as nothing like what happened at the feast occurs, I don’t care,” she frowned, her cheeks reddening slightly as an image of it came into her mind, “And stop sending me those mental images you jerk; I can remember things fine on my own.”

“What happened?” Kohaku asked with a frown. He didn’t like the smile which was rapidly growing on Hiiro’s face or the fact that Saori was blushing. Taking Hiiro’s reputation into mind, it brought disturbing thoughts. “What did he do?”

“And what images?” Hiiro blinked, smirking widely. “I haven’t sent you any images for quite a while. If I did, it would’ve been of something MUCH more intimate.”

Oh, there it was; the tiny seed of a headache. And look, it was blooming.

Wonderful.

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The songs of the birds and the god of music’s tunes drifted through Illusian’s open windows, the breeze carrying it to his ears and soothing his skin. He loved Illusian’s location; it was the very reason he’d had it built here within the forest where divine animals roamed, the only other person inside its depths being the Goddess of Illusions & Dreams. She was on the other side and horribly reclusive though, so no one ever really saw her, not even him. Many actually questioned her existence.

Of course, those who did usually got frightening visits from her that night – visits they NEVER forgot. He’d still never forgotten his, and she was his sister. He didn’t want to know what she actually did to people NOT related to her.

Oddly enough, even though he’d never met her once, Kosuke could see himself starting to become like her, withdrawn from everyone within Tengoku. Now with his youngest working as an Assistant Goddess it was horribly quiet, her presence inevitably gone for long periods of time. Now what could he do? He didn’t have an assistant – Kayoko usually did anything he asked for him – so he had no real companion, and his other children were either pissed at him or busy with their jobs. He could maybe go to Aiko…

No. Kosuke shook his head with a sigh. She made her choice…I made mine. I can’t stay with someone who can’t be civil at the very least with my own daughter. She didn’t even make an effort.

The smell of roses seemed to drift into his senses to taunt him, frowning as his closed eyes twitched. Snapping them open, he turned around when he felt her presence. “Aiko.”

“You sound unhappy to see me.” Long pale pink hair fell wavy down to her waist, azure eyes sad. “I remember a time you used to sound happy whenever you saw me.”

Kosuke glanced to the side sadly, standing from his seat. “I also remember a time I thought I knew you.” He didn’t even flinch as a slim hand rose to touch his cheek longingly. “The one I knew could be civil at the very least with a man’s child.”

Her empty hand fisted tight enough to turn her knuckles white. “That girl…is that child some woman dropped into your lap really more important then your son and I? The happy family we had…”

“She’s my daughter,” he said flatly, “I didn’t ask you to love her – just to be civil. She never once bothered you…even Souhi learned to be civil with her. You always instigated and taunted her first, making her so…” His eyes hardened, not willing to finish that sentence out loud. “And then you gave me the ultimatum. You destroyed it first, Aiko, not me. We tried and we failed. Our marriage is over.”

Her face had contorted into an angry and dark expression he’d gotten used to seeing lately. She’d changed so much he didn’t know what or who he was looking at anymore. “Then you should be glad…be glad this has come!” With an angry and hateful glare she threw a scroll at him before disappearing in a harsh gust of wind and rose petals, unwilling to stay in his home any longer.

Kosuke let out a tiny sigh; he knew it would come soon. He was just disappointed his daughter was away when it had come, but maybe it was better. She didn’t have to see Aiko at all now.

Mutely, he picked it up and stared at the first words that greeted him as he unrolled it. Divorce Decree.

“Kosuke-papa!” Her timing was impeccable, really. Walking up to him with a grin, Saori tilted her head when she noticed the official looking scroll in his hands. “Lord Joutei sent you a decree?”

“Yep.” He held it up, his smile sad despite himself. It was silly of him to be sad; his marriage had crumbled long before Saori had come. “I’m officially unattached again.”

He half expected her to cheer; after all, Aiko had done some pretty horrible stuff that he still wouldn’t have believed if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. It made sense she would cheer.

Instead she looked sad. Honestly, she was too confusing. “I’m sorry Kosuke-papa. I know how much you wanted it to work out.”

He shrugged, rolling the scroll back up and placing it on a nearby bookshelf with some other scrolls. Most were birth decrees – all of his children’s birth decrees to be exact – but some were divorce decrees too. Now he could add one more to that pile. “It’s nothing new.”

Geeze, it had to come today, didn’t it? She didn’t want to leave him alone right after getting his divorce decree but Joutei had more or less threatened her with exile if she didn’t find Ruko and SOON. “I was just stopping back to say I’ll be gone for a while. My first assignment seems like it’ll be long.”

“Alright, be safe then.” He gave her a smile and it broke her heart. She could see it as clear as she could see Celestia’s tree when she broke out of the clouds; he wanted to cry. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. Just do a good job, huh? Make the one who took Ruko cry in regret, Saori.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How did you…?”

“I’m you’re father,” he said casually, and for a second she believed he was as unruffled as he appeared, “I know everything about my daughter.”

She didn’t want to know why or, more importantly, HOW he would know everything. She also didn’t doubt he was serious, biting back a cough as she wondered exactly how much he knew of her situation with Hiiro. “In any case, I’ll try to be back as soon as I can.”

“Ah…good luck.” She turned to leave when he suddenly called out, as if it were a second thought, “and don’t have too much fun with Hiiro, ne?”

The crash that followed could be heard from the darkest corners of the underworld as her cry of surprise echoed through the entire kingdom.

~*~ : * : ~*~

Tetsuo was surprised to say the least. Hiiro had actually taken his advice and followed it exactly? Where was a damn tea cup when he needed one? The end of the world must be coming.

“I still don’t see anything,” he grunted, preparing a small sack of necessities and hooking his sword around his waist. He definitely needed that now, didn’t he? “She’s acting like she always does, and all I see is my fiery goddess – the very one, mind you, that learned all she knows of fighting from me.” He absently rubbed his stomach, the spot she kicked him the night at the fountain still a little sore.

“Maybe that’s the problem.” He’d muttered it so quietly and incoherently, he doubted Hiiro heard him.

Apparently, however, he’d underestimated Hiiro’s hearing. “What do you mean?”

No use hiding it now. “Perhaps you need to stop seeing her as the child you trained to see the true girl she is. What you see because of the past may not be the same as what she is.”

Obviously, he wasn’t completely absorbing it. His eyes blinked, comprehending the part about not seeing the real her but probably not the tainted view part. Tetsuo sighed again, finally brewing himself a cup of tea and taking a long drink. Man, he needed it. “Will you be requiring my assistance on this trip, Lord Hiiro?”

“I don’t know…” He scratched his chin, his ponderings of Tetsuo’s words in the back of his mind. “Saori’s bringing Kayoko, so maybe I will. Finding Ruko will be a pretty hard task so it would be best if you joined me.”

Ruko? They were trying to find Ruko? Eyebrow arching, he inquired lightly, “The Queen of Faeries has gone missing?”

“Yep…for a week now, apparently, and Celestia is really suffering. Chichi-ue is having a fit that the Faeries will die out if she’s not found soon.” Scratching behind his head he mused, “I’m thinking a mortal managed to capture her.”

A set of furry tiger ears twitched as they popped up on top of his head. “Is that right…?”

Hiiro sweat-dropped as he watched him drink his tea as if nothing odd were going on. “Your demon traits are showing.”

He merely wagged his long black striped white tail in response. Count on the Faerie Queen to do something interesting like disappear from her kingdom. Ah well, at least he didn’t have to stay cramped up in Joutei’s hall now.

More sweat-drops fell down the fire god’s head. Tetsuo was just way too disturbing like this, sitting there sipping his tea with twitching ears and a wagging tail, pointed teeth showing as well. Yare, yare…I guess even he’s not exempt from demon habits. His face was dark as he thought flatly, but if he starts hissing and clawing at mice I’m getting a new assistant!

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