A human yokai (Tomoe love story)

The death of a loved one

"You do not have to leave simply because Lira is here." Said Ryuu as Nanami and Mizuki moved towards the door. Nanami still didn't understand why Mizuki was so set on leaving all of a sudden.

"I didn't know that you already had visitors Ryuu. I am very sorry for intruding." Said a beautiful woman who went by the name of Lira. She had long golden coloured hair that had brown tips at the bottom and it was frizzy much like the mane of the lion that was was the reincarnation of. To go with her hair colour she had fluffy ears on her head and a long tail with a brown furry tip that came out of her kimono. Her kimono was also golden colours but it had pretty swirls and patterns on it that were in a much darker shade of yellow and her greens were a forest green colour.

"It's not your fault that we're leaving but Mizuki wasn't to leave all of a sudden." Said Nanami with a shy smile. She didn't understand why he was doing this. Did he know this girl or something?

"I apologise for the sudden departure but we have other things we must do." Said Mizuki politely.

"Did you not come here one business? I believe you wished to see Hikari."

"We did but I realise that now it is too much trouble." Said Mizuki pulling Nanami by the hand out of the door. Nanami turned as much as she could.

"Bye Ryuu and thank you for inviting us into your home." She called with a wave. Ryuu still looked a little confused at their departure but he smiled and waved back.

"Perhaps in 400 years you and I will meet again." He called making Nanami's heart sink. Of course, in 400 years they would be in their time era and that would mean that Ryuu would be dead. This was the last time she would see him. He seemed like such a nice person, Nanami wanted to save him, perhaps she could calm Hikari down a little?

"Mizuki why did you pull me out like that?" She said angrily. Mizuki stopped when they were hidden from the cottage in the trees and turned to face her.

"Do you not remember what Hikari told us about Ryuu's death?"

"Yeah of course I do she told us that she blacked out and she killed him without meaning too."

"That's right but the reason she had a black out was because she came back from town one afternoon and found Ryuu with another woman in their house. A woman he said was just an old friend that stopped by." Nanami's eyes lit up in fear as she put the pieces together.

"No...he dies today. W-w-we have to save him. There must be something we can do. I will calm Hikari down."

"Lady Nanami you can't. The Hikari from this time period doesn't know you. If you are in there you will end up dead. Remember she told us that not only did she kill Ryuu but also the woman he was with. If she comes back and finds with with two women that will only make it worse, she will not listen to reason. You heard Ryuu, when she blacks out she's not herself. She will kill you too."

"So I'm suppose to just keep away while they both die?" She shouted.

"Yes. You said you only wished to observe, you cannot change the past. If you did then Hikari never would have become human, she never would have met you. Who knows where she would be now, you would lose her. If you lost her you might die anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

"What we just saw. The night those three men came at you, Hikari saved you. If Hikari wasn't there because say she was still living with Ryuu in this cottage you never would have been saved and you very well may have died that night. Are you willing to gamble away your life like that? I for one would not let you do something like that. Think of the after effects if you had dies that night. You never would nave made it to 17, you never would have met Mikage that day and never would have become a God. If you didn't do that you never would have met Tomoe and I would still be sitting alone in Lady Yonomori shrine watching the plum blossoms. All these to save a man and woman that are fated to die."

"Hikari would be happy if Ryuu was still alive." She Nanami.

"But that would mean losing you. Hikari's past is painful for her but the things that happen to us shape who we are today. Hikari wouldn't be the kind and loving person she is today if this dreadful thing didn't happen. She never would have learnt to love humans the way she does. If the Hikari that we know was here right now I think she would tell you to stay put."

"But why when she could save the man she loves?"

"Because saving him would be her choosing you over him. Ryuu is already dead but you are alive. If she choose to save Ryuu then you would die. She cannot have both of you together. She would then indirectly kill you I don't think that is something Hikari would do. This is the past it has already happened. We must not change it because the results could be very dangerous." There was a blast of cold air and Nanami and Mizuki looked to the sky to see Hikari appear. She stood completely still on a sheet of thick ice with a snow storm that swirled around her keeping her airborne. She had her long white hair down and her eyes were sparkling with the always did but this time it was different. Despite what she was Hikari's eyes sparkled with warm these ones were cold and distant. Mizuki was right, this Hikari was completely different. She was scary. She wore a beautiful kimono that was white with snowflakes over it which where a icy blue colour, the same as her eyes. She gracefully landed on the ground and without further ado she walked straight into the small wooden cottage. Nanami and Mizuki stayed still waiting, listening but no sound came from the cottage. Nanami sighed and looked at the floor, this felt very wrong to her. There was a sound that sounded like the cracking of ice over a lake. Nanami looked up and saw the wooden cottage freezing over. Soon it was completely covered it a thick layer of blue ice but the ice didn't stop there. It continued to spread, freezing the ground and plants. Thick snow began to pour from a darkened sky and is swirled like a hurricane around the cottage. The whole woods were freezing over. Nanami shivered and tried to get the hair out of her face.

"Everything's freezing." She sounded to Mizuki over the storm. Mizuki looked around him as the ice crept up the tree and large icicles formed and hung over the branches.

"So this is Hikari's power." He said but only he heard it. It was terrifying, she was much more powerful than he ever imagined she would be. He turned to Nanami who was on the ground. Her body was weak from all the time travel and the cold wasn't helping either. "We should leave now." He said helping her up.

"Wait." She said weakly. The storm seemed to be getting thicker but the two could still see a shadow of a woman. She was on her head despite the cold and she was hanging on to something for dear life. Hikari and the thing she was holding was Ryuu's corpse. There was a large piece of ice sticking out of his chest, right where his heart was set. The could hear Hikari's sobs and her voice was carried to them through the wind.

"Ryuu..." She was saying through her tears. "Ryuu, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm so sorry. Please come back to me. Please I'm begging you. Don't leave me alone...please just come back." Tears filled Nanami's eyes as she listened to her friend plea with corpse of the man she loved. Mizuki saw her tears and bent down and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Lady Nanami, let us return home..."