5• The Chained Flower

KAGURA!

Hayabusa shout hopelessly while staring at Kagura hoping that she will respond. He feels ashamed not knowing that Kagura was in danger in the first place. He created doubts questioning his capabilities. Suddenly, the wind blows again, making black petals move in a certain direction. Hayabusa then finally notice and turn his attention to a lot of black petals surrounding Kagura. He wonders--- why? Where did it come from?

In his sudden thinking, a slight move and refusing sound, he hears Kagura, finally. He then turns his head back to Kagura with his eyes wide open. Kagura looks in pain, he sees as it shows in her face. She slowly opens her eyes, but It looks tired and sleepy.

"Mei--Meisa" Kagura said in soft, but in pain voice. Hayabusa reacted with concern. Kagura slightly moves her head to look at him and then suddenly fall unconscious again. Hayabusa then calms himself knowing she is still alive and later carries Kagura to bring her safe.

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It was gloomy night after Kagura was brought home. A night of sadness under a bright full moon. The dark is filled with buzzing insects passing through the wooden hallway outside.

"she is fine now" Hayabusa hears the voice of a lady coming from inside a wide room behind those close sliding wooden doors.

He is standing at the darker corner of the wooden wall and he can hear all the conversation inside the room. He is waiting for any positive response from a lady or any signs that will completely relieve him to leave.

Before that, a few hours earlier, he was silently put Kagura inside her room safe. By his concerns, even he brought her safe, he doesn't want to quickly leave Kagura alone and unconscious. And that perfect timing he found a relying familiar face. The lady which at that moment was approaching through, walking on the hallway. He approached the lady by surprise and ask a favor. The lady was the one he encountered in town this afternoon when he is in the middle of gathering pieces of information on the incident.

The favor he asked was what the lady is currently doing inside the room right now.

Kagura's family was alarmed on what happened to their only successor.

"I can't believe this just happen all of a sudden" A worrying sound coming from a man while having a conversation with the family. They are referring to a lady same age to Kagura as she brought the news. She was commanded by Hayabusa to tell that Kagura got involved in a mysterious event that happened this afternoon making the whole town alarmed.

Hayabusa secretly hears them all outside the wooden wall.

"Please make a bowl of soup and bring it to her" suddenly Hayabusa hears the Lady was commanded.

"Hai" He heard she said yes.

After that conversation, Hayabusa hears a sliding door opening. The lady comes out and slides the door close. She then turns her head left and right looking for him.

"Hayabusa where are you?" she whispers

"here" Hayabusa slightly comes out and she comes near him.

"She's fine now, I'll take care of her" she said and then looking at the door assuming that any moment someone will come out.

"Please do" He insist. The lady just nodded. "Thank you" He said and relieved. He nodded too and then finally leave.

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The next morning...

Scanning the place filled with a relaxing soft dominating pastel pink. Beautiful sakura petals falling from Sakura trees and a nice view of a clear blue sky. Only that this perfect scenery was missing something. Missing a moment of people usually talking there. It remains peaceful but empty. Calm but lonely. The absence of someone makes the scenery also filled with loneliness.

That moment when Hayabusa stares at that certain area a few steps away, in a few minutes. After that, he finally leaves.

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That same moment inside Kagura's room...

She is sleeping. Her face looks calm and fine. The day of the nightmare has been forgotten and she recovered now.

Suddenly, she slowly opens her eyes. Facing the ceiling, she moves her head to the side. She sees a silhouette figure approaching behind the door and suddenly slides it to open. A lady figure revealed. She then closes the sliding door and walks towards Kagura.

"Ohayou! Lady Kagura" A lady greets her with a bright smile while bending her knees down to sit "How's your sleep?" she asks.

"Hisa" Kagura said. "Wa...What happen?" She suddenly asks. She doesn't have any idea until now on what happened after she fell unconscious yesterday. The lady she named Hisa smiles at her.

"Someone brought you here" she explained.

Suddenly, Kagura opens her eyes wider.

"Meisa! Where is Meisa?" She asks, panicking and she even pulls herself up.

"She's fine lady Kagura" Hisa answered. "She actually brought the news in town" she continues. "That's why you were rescued" her concerned tone.

Then after, Kagura calms herself after she finds out Meisa actually got home safe.

After that, she looks at Hisa.

"Thank you, Hisa, for taking care of me" suddenly she says.

Hisa smiles "It is my pleasure, lady Kagura" and she suddenly remembers something "Well, I'll bring you your breakfast, please wait" she bows and leaves the room.

Kagura just turns her head down staring blanky. She suddenly becomes occupied in her deep thinking. When left alone, silence occupies her room as if no one is there. A sudden silence...then after a few minutes...

"Does he know about this?" the questions that pop in her mind. "I didn't see Hayabusa the whole day" she added "...but I think he already knew about those unusual things happened yesterday" she closes her eyes and sighs and open it again "where is he right now?" her questioning mind while trying to catch up on things she missed after the incident.

She then decided to go outside. She stands up and walks towards the door. She opens it slowly and reveals the beauty of a morning view. She steps out of her room and feels the morning air, it was so calm and soothing. After that sudden moment, She then slides the door close and walks on the hallway.

Before she approaches the big main door of the room, she hears voices

" For now, we should stop Kagura for using the Seimei umbrella" A voice of a woman declaring something that made her stop for a second. Kagura decided to listen to them secretly. She makes herself closer to the wooden wall. " That could be the reason for threat in her life" So her family already knew the incident yesterday.

"What's new?" a voice of an elder lady. " The Omyouji family were used to unusual events for many generations" the elder said, " We practice onmyōdō and we are very well on using a Shikigami" She said.

"on what happened to her are not something we recently encounter" She explained. "...is it really a good idea?" suddenly, the elder lady asks.

"I think, for now, it is a much safer idea" the lady answer.

" I think Kagura is much safer when she has the Seimei umbrella" Kagura smiles, at least the elder is on her side. " That incident brought her in a critical state because she doesn't have the Seimei umbrella with her"

" Do you think so, mother?" The woman asks with concern. " it was just two days after we decided her to use it and then...this happens" full of worries in her voice. " I think that incident is about her being overpowered by her own strong capabilities" the lady assumes " And the Seimei umbrella, it might influence her and she will end up being uncontrollable"

"Are you doubting Kagura's capabilities as an Omyouji?" the elder asked

" I just don't want to think that she is mastering the use of the Seimei umbrella yet, she will end up being the one controlled by it" she explained. Kagura becomes sad after hearing that. The Omyouji generation is doubting her " I think it is too early to hand it to her" Later then, the lady insists. Kagura is shocked. Now, she thinks that she is not a deserving successor for the Seimei umbrella.

"Lady Kagura" Suddenly a voice behind her. She turns her head and sees Hisa smiling "your breakfast is ready" she said. Kagura just gives a plain sad face. Hisa wonders on her reaction while Kagura ignores her and walks back to her room. Hisa just looks at her then gives a sudden turn of her head in the room and returns to Kagura's direction. Hisa thinks she was listening to people inside the room.

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One afternoon before sunset...

The town is at peace for a moment. No signs of the unusual dangerous threats. People are normally doing a daily task in their lives.

While in Omyouji clan...

A lady was rushing, she runs quickly passing the village and few villagers. The day is almost ending. The sunset colors make the surroundings look a bit lonely. The running lady is Kagura and she seems sad. She is heading to their clan's sacred place. While running she remembers what she heard earlier inside her room.

"She's fine but looks so sad and it was an hour now, she still doesn't want to go outside her room" she hears Hisa explained. They're talking outside her room as she sees their silhouettes reflecting on the sliding doors.

" We are about to return the Seimei Umbrella and lock it to our sacred place" The lady said. Kagura was shocked. So this is her last day to see the umbrella herself. And now, all of it was pictured perfectly in her memory while running towards the place.

When she is about to get near the place, she suddenly stops. She is in a quite distant view. She then steps near behind one of the Omyouji houses. She looks so sad and disappointed.

After a minute, the elder lady comes out and seems like she brought something inside and was guarded by two men.

The place is forbidden for any people trying to go inside without permission. It was guarded by chosen Omyouji with a hundred of Shikigami that being commanded to attack any trespassers. The sacred place has a small room where all the important traditional sacred materials were placed there. And that includes the Seimei umbrella.

The area is located at the back of the sacred temple, the center of their land. The front seems like a garden surrounded by lots of plants, flowers and some monuments that said to be their ancestors.

Kagura locked her eyes staring at the elder leaving the main door of the place.

"Am I incapable because I am a girl?" suddenly, she asks while staring at it.

She gets shaky hands it sees in her right hand that touches the wall. Showing that she has a determination and firm decision. She has something to prove to her clan.

"Oneechan" suddenly a cute girl's voice call her behind. Kagura then turns her head to see and it was Meisa smiling at her.

"Meisa!" Kagura is surprised she even bends her knee to level at Meisa.

"Oneechan, are you sad?" suddenly the girl ask

Kagura then slightly change her expression and trying to change the topic. She slightly smiles

"How are you?" later then she asks

"I am fine Oneechan" She smile. Kagura then looks at the sky, it almost sunset.

"C 'mon lets go home," Kagura said then she grabs Meisa's right hand. When she holds it, a sudden strange feeling comes out that makes her reaction to that. "Huh"

"Oneechan what's wrong?" Meisa is curious

"Uhmm...Nothing lets go" She said and then they walk.

A few minutes of walking heading to Meisa's home, suddenly, Meisa looks at her

"Oneechan" Meisa calls her while they're walking

Kagura turns her head to look at Meisa

"Are you a master?" Meisa ask. Kagura doesn't get it. This kid must be just playing with words. She smiles and turns ahead. After a minute Meisa speaks again...

"An Omyouji mastering the Seimei Umbrella" Suddenly Meisa continues. Kagura suddenly stops. She is shocked at what she heard as if this kid understands those things despite her age. She stares at Meisa for a while. She also sees Meisa staring at him with curiosity. Then after, she bends down and holds Meisa on both shoulders. She looks at Meisa straight to the eye.

"Why you know that?" Full of curiosity in her tone.

Suddenly, the surrounding starts to get gloomy. It is sunset but the sun suddenly disappears so quick. Kagura looks up and then turns her heard left and right. The surrounding slowly turns gray like a storm is about to come. What is this all of a sudden? Something strange is happening right now! Their place becomes clouded from gray then becomes darker and darker until finally becomes pitch-black and empty.

In her attention to that, quickly two small hands grab her neck and choke her. She gives a sudden reaction to that unexpected approach. She sees Meisa smiling while choking her. "Mi...Meisa" Her refusing sound while wondering what is happening to this girl. Despite being a kid, she is really strong. She tries to lift her hand "Mi...Meisa" her refusing tone. While resisting, she lifts her left hand and puts on Meisa's chest. She gives a lot of force to finally push Meisa away. Then the darkness dissipates along with that and reveals the normal scenery and time. The moon and the night sky. Kagura turns her head left and right wondering about those sudden changes around. She is puzzling out about how they actually got there. It was already night and they are somewhere high. Scanning the surroundings, she sees they are actually on the roof of a castle.

After that, she turns back her attention to Meisa. Meisa's eyes are locked into her. She bravely comes towards Meisa. She really wants to know everything about what is happening. When she got near, she holds Meisa on both shoulders, tighter.

"Who are you?" she shouts while shaking Meisa's upper body " what did you do to this kid?" her eagerness, assuming someone is actually controlling Meisa.

Meisa grabs her to her shoulder too. With her unbelievable strength, she quickly pushes down Kagura and flips her near the edge.

"Huh" Kagura reacts to that quickly like she is being pushed by a masculine strength to the edge and not by a kid. In this state, any wrong move, she will fall down from the roof and it is quite high. Meisa quickly grabs her neck again. She looks at her and sees Meisa seems hypnotized, her eyes are glowing red while giving mischievous smile to her. Kagura is hopeless in that position. She gasped for air and then put her hands to Meisa's arms desperately trying to pull it off.

"A...Are you...yu...using Shi...Shikigami...to...to control Meisa?" Her refusing voice.

Suddenly, Meisa's hand loses. Kagura finally able to catches her breath after that. "Are you an Omyouji?" She asks while gasping for air. Meisa just stands blanky while her loose hands remain an inch away from Kagura's neck and can take it back if she wants.

"I am not an Omyouji" Meisa answer with a malicious smile. "I'm just looking for someone" Meisa continues. Kagura reacts with wide eyes "...and you can be an answer" Meisa said.

"What?" Kagura asks. Without hesitation, both Meisa's hand quickly moves down to her chest and pushes Kagura.

"Huh" Her sudden reaction while trying to catch her balance on the edge. That was quick! She just shouts as she finally falls off the roof. In her point of view, she sees Meisa just staring down at her...

What will happen to her?