The Cursed Iris

Sprout 18: Natsume Hoshinomiya

Atsuko continued to walk through the forest alone, confused, and frustrated as she took in everything around her. "Interesting, it seems like we all got separated, and of course I'm all alone."

"I really hope Ayame is okay, knowing Katsumi he'd find her instantly."

She continued thinking about her final conversation with Homura, My will and determination is the key to unlocking my Raiya, she thought.

She looked at her left arm, "The way Homura was able to use it she thinks that I'm supposed to be able to use that thing efficiently then she's a bigger idiot than I thought," she groaned.

"So, you've given up before you even tried?" someone asked her.

She looked around confused, but she saw no one, "Stop looking for me. I'm you crazy little girl," the voice said.

"Now, I'm experiencing the same thing Ayame is going through?"

"Not exactly, that Raiya of yours is going to awaken soon but your will to protect Ayame isn't there."

"What do you mean my will isn't there?" she asked.

"It just isn't. You say you want to protect Ayame, but what do you really want to do?"

What do I really want to do?

"We know what Ayame wants to do now, we know what Katsumi wants to do, we know what Kikyo wants to do. The real question remains what do you want to do? That's why I'm here to help you out; I want to help you come to the conclusion and lead you to awakening the Raiya of yours."

Atsuko eyes felt heavy, and she suddenly collapsed.

"Now Atsuko it's time to go on into your past my dear," Homura said as her Raiya landed on her hand.

*****

Katsumi was still sitting down with the younger Natsume, "Natsume, I have a question for you," he said.

She looked at him with a curious gleam in her eyes. "Yes Katsu?"

"Well, the thing I wanted to ask was what exactly happened to you up to this point?"

Her expression changed again, "I see, so you want to know about that huh?" she asked. Her current persona asked the same question to Kikyo, "Well, I have to tell you everything about myself that I can remember, and the things I had heard my master talk about," they both stated.

*****

"I was raised in a forest to the south alone. The reason why I had been raised there was because of me being me, I guess," they both stated.

"You being you?" Katsumi and Kikyo asked.

"Yes, I was born special due to my magic, and that's why I was sent to that forest in the south. I also found out that I had a twin sister who was sent to the north. We two were the primary reasons why the culling of the slayers began."

"I see, so your magic made you special in a way that the others wanted to kill you?" Kikyo asked.

She nodded, "The gods wanted destroy us both due to the danger we posed to Takamagahara," Natsume stated as she felt her like her heart shrink from her remembering what she went through that day.

"I was born on July 20th eighteen years ago, and the culling of the slayers began," she stated. "My mother was a part of the yin dragon clan, and she was quite the powerful wizard. I didn't know her, but my master told me about her. She was the one who proposed the idea to hide my sister to the north and I the south."

"But why though? Couldn't they have just protected you themselves?" Katsumi asked. Then the answer came to him afterwards, "I remember that the gods will do everything in their power to destroy something they deem unworthy," he stated.