The Posthumous Life of Sakine

Chapter One

Chapter One; Sakine

"Kaki," Kato called, reverting Utari back to her physical form.

Utari stumbled, nearly collapsing from her injuries. Her breathing was ragged as she crawled over towards her master. He held up two fingers in front of her and her name began to glow at the base of her right wrist.

"Kato," she breathed, her eyes widening. "Please don't."

The blight was spreading across his body, creeping down his arms. He gasped at the pain of the strain of keeping his hand up.

"Utari, I revoke your posthumous name." He began the ritual with a shaky voice.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she squeezed them shut. Utari began to rock back and forth, tears slipping down her cheeks.

It was over in an instant. The name he had granted her when they first met was gone. There was no mark left on her wrist, just a blank sheet of pale skin and blue veins.

Kato lay a few feet away from her, dying. His last act had been to revoke her name and cast her down as his exemplar. She had no other family, the rest of the Ri clan had been corrupted and had not survived the ablution.

A hand rested on hers and Utari's eyes snapped up to gaze into Kato's.

"You were the best regalia I could have ever asked for." He coughed up blood, staining the pavement below a dark crimson. "Go find a new master..."

Her tears had stopped, drying on her cheeks. They threatened to spill over again onto his now cold body.

"Live..."

Utari shot up from the park bench she had taken up residence upon. A cold sweat had broken out across her forehead as she panted heavily. She ran her fingers over her face, hearing her heart pound in her ears. Shuddering from the nightmare, Utari stood up wearily. It was the same dream that had haunted her for years, the same dream that had stung every master she had since.

"Hello." There it was again. That ominous, high-pitched voice whispering to her from the shadows of a lone tree in the park. "Come closer."

Utari leapt backwards, skidding on the dirt. Her hands flew up to protect herself as a huge phantom lumbered out from the darkness. Its spotted body was round with eight, spindly legs emerging from the sides. The four, looming eyes blinked at her in unison, the pincers jutting out of its mouth snapping viciously. She raised two fingers in defence, falling into a fighting stance.

The phantom took a step towards her and she reacted immediately. Utari took a running jump over the phantom spider, flipping in mid-air until she landed behind it. She drew her fingers up in front her and slashed them out towards it.

"Borderline!" She screamed... Only to realize that she had no master and couldn't call upon her Borderlines anymore.

A bolt of white light erupted from behind her and hit the phantom from behind. It screeched in pain and lurched forwards. A spirt of blood sprayed from the wounds as it franticly turned to face Utari.

Another cry. "Boarderline."

It hit the phantom dead on, directly in the eye. It cried out and fell to the floor, exploding on the spot. She rolled her eyes in disgust as a voice came up from behind her.

"Utari, are you still picking fights with phantoms when you don't have a master?"

She sighed and spun on the ball of her foot to face him. He was taller than her by at least a head, with brown hair falling over his mesmerizing emerald eyes. His thick rimmed glasses shone in the moonlight.

"Kazuma, what are you doing here?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

He smiled at her and held out a basket. "Food. A gift. I hope you're well."

Utari parted her pink lips as a light laugh escaped her. She reached out and took the basket from her friend and former exemplar. She set it down on the bench and took a seat, patting the spot next to her lightly, signalling for him to sit next to her.

"So, have you found a new master yet?" Kazuma asked. "Or should I say lately? You do jump from master to master."

"It seems you'll be calling me Utari for a while longer." She said. "No luck."

Kazuma sighed. Utari blew out a sigh, her breath visible in the cool night's air. She swung her legs back and forth beneath her, tearing off a piece of bread with her teeth.

There was a shuffling in the bushes nearby and hushed voices. She stood up immediately, the piece of bread dangling from her mouth. She called out another borderline ripping the bushes to shreds. Two figures leaped out from the shadows.

"Ouch!" A voice exclaimed from the taller man. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking ashamed for spying. Or, at least, for being caught spying. "Uhh..."

The boy next to him, placed his hand on the other man's back and forced him into a low bow. He was a blonde boy with vibrant red eyes. There was a name on his collar bone, Yuki. He was actually... cute.

"I apologize for my stupid master." He said, bowing along with his god.

Utari rolled her eyes, motioning for them to stand.

"So why exactly were you watching us, Kami-sama?" She scoffed.

"I, uhh..." The god stuttered.

His Regalia sighed. "My name is Yukine, this is my master, the god Yato." He pointed at Yato. "And he was looking for a new Regalia. More specifically, you."

Kazuma's eyes sparked with interest. Utari gazed deep into Yato's eyes and found no semblance of lie in them. She nodded in confirmation.

"I, the god Yato, grant thee spirt the posthumous name..."

He traced out the name in the air and it formed the character...

"Sakine!"

Word count: 980

Published: August 1st 2018, 19:51