Fantasy A Goddess’ Redemption (Darkmaster006 & Ailixa)

[Ailixa]

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Azumi Waters
23 || 5’6”
Associate Stylist at D R E A M & Up and Coming Fashion Influencer
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Azumi woke up at exactly five in the morning. She had already received several texts from one of the lead stylists at D R E A M, demanding to have their clothing and materials already present at the company building when they arrived at nine. Most would have complained -- and, oh, she did…mentally anyway --, she was also aware that many of the interns and associate stylists had left. Many decided this career wasn't for them within a month of starting. It was expected here. D R E A M definitely wasn't for those who were willing to half-ass anything.

After she noted down everything she had to grab from suppliers and boutiques, she turned on the TV to the local news station. She often turned it on as background noise. Anything was better than the complete silence being awake so early brought.

As she stepped out of the shower and stepped into her bedroom to change, she couldn't help but glance over at the medium sized screen. The lead morning anchor was chatting casually about a phenomenon that occurred late last night. He mentioned something about a strange kind of green aurora borealis. Apparently, it was near one of the shrines, one of ones she used to visit when her father was battling cancer.

She made a mental note not to head in that direction, if she could avoid it. She couldn't afford to be caught up in anything -- not when her schedule was so packed already!

By the skin of her teeth, Azumi managed to make the morning demands by 8:30. The lead stylist wasn't disappointed, nor pleased. It was always a careful neutral with them. But, any morning where they were in a neutral mood was a good enough sign for her.

The morning and afternoon passed by rather quickly. She had been working here for almost three years already, and had ironed down the every day routine. Still, she did relish when she was handed tasks that dealt directly with fashion edits or overviews. If she had to act as a “second pair of eyes” for any stylist, it was a learning opportunity, right? Plus, normally what followed was her own chance to impress her bosses for upcoming fashion shoots.

It was around six in the evening that she received a call from her mother, unexpectedly at that. A few months ago she would have automatically assumed it was bad news: that her father had passed away or had become unconscious. These days…it had been pretty good news. What more could she ask that he be in remission?

“Hey, Momma. What’s up? Did the doctors have something positive to say about Dad?” Her tone was casual, light, as she held the phone between her cheek and right shoulder. Her hands were busy making adjustments to a piece she was working on for the ‘Wicked and Personal’ themed shoot.

“Hi…Apricot. Not…so much. You may want to sit down for this.”

Azumi’s eyebrows furrowed, but she followed her instructions. She took a seat in the corner of the large room, hidden away from anyone else that may be working late.

It didn't take long for Azumi to leave early, nearly running out of the building and toward her parked bike. Cancer patients in remission weren’t expected to be hit with a cold so soon after the good news. It was why they were told to remain in the hospital! But…not every recovery story is the same. There’s always variables. Or…that’s what her mother told her anyway. It was hard to believe that when it was her Dad that they were talking about though.

Still, she knew there wasn't much she could do. It was up to her Dad…and the doctors to help fight it. But…whenever he got worse, or whenever she felt worried about him not making it, she would always rush to a shrine.

Some would mock her for her faith, especially when there was nothing to show for it. But, she needed to do something. To feel like she had done something, even if it was just in her own mind.

Unluckily for her, the nearest shrine was the one that had that weird phenomenon occur. Luckily, it was late enough that, when she arrived and parked her bike at the entrance, it was near deserted. Only one shrine attendant was visible, and she looked preoccupied with cleaning.

When she reached the designated spot, she kneeled and did her ritual prayer. It was what made her feel better, what made her soul feel lighter. It didn't take long, perhaps ten minutes had passed in total, before she stood again, bowed, and turned to head back to her parked bike.

However, on the way back, something caught her eye. She came to a complete stop as she witnessed a woman flash between the trees. The little forest the shrine kept was normally vacant, as the attendants shooed anyone out. They claimed it was for the god’s and goddesses’ use only.

Against her better judgment, Azumi cautiously followed the woman. She wasn't exactly hiding her presence, but she wasn't announcing herself either. Something told her to wait and see.

 

[Darkmaster006]

Kadona (門奈)

Goddess of wood and structures.
Currently in: Forest-garden of a shrine, somewhere in Chubu Region, Japan.
Wearing: Brown hitatare with golden laces and black wooden patterns.

The orange-haired woke up at... wait... when had she gone to sleep? Or, like, had she gone to sleep? And... where was she?! She was laying down, of that she was sure. On fallen leaves and grass. She... did not remember what she had been doing before she had awaken, or, actually, before... now. She barely knew three things: her name, Kadona; and that she was in Japan. She felt there was someone... missing, but couldn't pinpoint who or how. Nothing would come out of staying here, she had to find answers! Answers to what? She had no idea; but something was amiss here.

The sky was dark and weary, with a half moon that shone brightly over the little forest that Kadona had woken up in. Kadona looked around as she got up slowly, getting a feel for her body, which also seemed weary, tired, unused, as if it were a husk that had been laid down for show inside a casket. It felt like she'd just escaped some sort of suffocation; before she woke up, but she didn't understand any of these... feelings, hints, whatever they were. She had to march on. She got up, finally, resolutely.

The trees, as far as her eyes could see in the night, seemed coloured in all sorts of red and yellow. Autumn, indeed. She stood there, looking around, trying to look farther away, the trees seemed to end abruptly at one point, but she could not see clearly. She saw some sort of weird lights coming from all directions, but she did not understand what they were. Was this not a forest? She ambled around the little forest-garden, trying to get to one end of it... whoosh! A light breeze swept some fallen leaves away, and, abruptly, she noticed she was almost at the end of the "forest"; it had seemed larger at first, but maybe it was just a little enclave of forest somewhere? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a torii, a shrine's gate, yes, a shrine, that seemed familiar... In what way? She had no idea.

Ultimately, she plopped down on the edge of the forest, tired. She was about to fall asleep when she heard steps, a clinking noise, more steps, then nothing... some minutes passed, and again more steps... this time, Kadona stood up. She was curious! She had not realised until now that she'd been wearing a hitatare; she remembered this one: brown with golden laces and black wooden patterns!, it had been a gift by... by whom again?, she had no idea, again. It was starting to get tiring not to have any idea. Either way, she decided to walk slowly at the edge of the forest and wait to see what happened. Nothing happened! But, then, she saw someone, just across the trees, maybe ten meters across?, anyways, she saw her, a rather short girl with long hair; unlike her, tall but short hair, hah! That could have meant something, she thought, maybe it was destiny. But she was nervous, how could she interact with her? She'd forgotten how to interact with people and, well, she didn't remember much, of course. Instinctively, her hand reach her hitatare's pocket, where a small wooden cube, among other things, was located. She fished it out.

Now, maybe exiting the forest the proper way is important, she thought, and so she started walking along the edge, hoping to find some sort of entrance or exit. She walked for a while, feeling the girl's gaze on her through the trees. She had no idea if she was looking, but she felt it, even though she could barely see the girl properly. Eventually, of course, she was distracted: she tripped over a fallen log and fell down: "Aaah!", her shriek was short but very audible. Well, there goes the proper way!

 

[Ailixa]

Azumi was acutely aware of how dangerous Japan could be at night. The daily news reports of a new murder case or of someone winding up seriously injured due to gang activity was pretty widespread at this point. She knew that was pretty much everywhere these days. There could be no avoiding it, but this was particularly at the forefront of her mind as she tentatively and quietly examined the stranger in the “forbidden” shrine forest. The shrine keepers wouldn’t allow anyone dangerous to cross into the forest, but they had their limits. They were only human, after all.

Azumi came to a halt when her eyes could finally make out a few key features of the stranger: reddish orange hair -- cut short with a long bang --, tanned skin or perhaps it was naturally dark, and taller than she was. From what she could recall, the woman didn't match any reported suspects in her area, but, still, she knew better than to simply approach another in this kind of setting. Her curiosity, she felt, had been satisfied by confirming her eyes had not been playing tricks on her in the darkness. But…it could have also been because she had half-expected a god or goddess to visit her to answer her plead.

The gray-haired female had been about to turn on her heel, her hand placed against a tree to ensure she did not trip on a root mid-turn. With how the roots poked upwards in certain places, it would be easy to snag your foot on--.

A noise, akin to the sound of a soft impact, reached her ears and she immediately ceased turning. She was used to reacting to that kind of noise, for her father had issues walking when he was in chemotherapy.

Azumi cast her gaze on the figure she had been following, but she had to lower her gaze and shift to the left to catch a glimpse of her this time. So, that’s what caused the noise! She bit her tongue to avoid a small, relieved giggle from escaping her lips. Still, it would be rude to just pretend she saw nothing. There was a chance she was injured, and the least she could do was escort her out of the forest. She doubted anything aside from a light scratch or a twisted ankle would have resulted from such a light fall.

The female carefully weaved through the trees as she cautiously approached the stranger. Sure, she wanted to help, but she wasn't naive enough to believe that there was no chance this person didn't pose a risk to her. Just because she was doing the “human thing” didn't mean she was stupid.

When she reached the red-haired woman, she held out a hand to her, offering to assist her back onto her feet. “You alright? Do you feel pain anywhere?” Her tone was light, friendly, but it was clear by the way her body was a bit tense that she was on guard. She could defend herself if need be, but she also wouldn’t attack if no reason was given.

 

[Darkmaster006]

Kadona (門奈)

Goddess of wood and structures.
Currently in: Forest-garden of a shrine, somewhere in Chubu Region, Japan.
Wearing: Brown hitatare with golden laces and black wooden patterns.

The fall wasn't pretty. Still, she got away with only a light graze on her knees; her hitatare had probably helped lessen the scrape. Thankfully, her face didn't touch the ground, as she managed to cushion herself with her hands... somewhat. Still, the embarrassment... well, she could live with it, it's not like she'd have to make a friend out of this person, right? She wasn't good at making friends... probably? That she remembered, at least. She tried to clean her hitatare as much as possible and laid down on the grass, face up; she was tired.

A few moments passed; she ignored the sounds of the steps coming towards her, too preocuppied with what she was going to do later, with where was she, with what could she even do, with what would she eat... she was losing it; she definitely didn't expect the long-haired girl to come help her, so when a hand popped up just inside her view, gracefully sliding between (so she thought) the treetops, she didn't hesitate to take it. Her hands shaked as she tried to steady herself, dazed by all this not-remembering stuff (or maybe she was just that unremarkable?!).

She grabbed the girl's hand and was pulled up, then quickly separated their hands, as she felt hers were too sticky and shaky, probably. "Ah, uh, greetings!" she mustered up. "No, no, undoubtedly not, no pain, simply a light fall, a light fall, indeed," she said, sounding unintentionally very formal, and went on, "nothing earnest, genuinely, merely," she paused, "had some poor luck with these tree logs", which is ironic, she thought. She did feel she had some sort of connection to something in the forest, to the logs and the trees, and... actually, she had a miniature wooden cube she'd fished out from her pocket but... where was it?!

Before the girl could say anything, and before even introducing herself, she quickly added: "So, uh, you think you, uh, could, help me find this... you know... you don't?", she looked directly at her for a moment, but then looked down, couldn't even get a look, she was probably puzzled, or laughing, "...miniature wooden cube that I, manifestly, have, for some reason?", which, admittedly, was probably the weirdest question asked in the weirdest way she could have asked it, but that's what she got out. Looking still mostly at the ground now, she waited for whatever was bound to happen, tapping her fingers on her side intermittently.

 

[Ailixa]

Azumi had started to think that maybe there was something wrong with this person, as it was rare for someone to just casually lay down in the grass like that. That was especially so when they were in the middle of an area that was restricted by the staff of the Temple. She could probably get in a lot of trouble if they caught sight of her, as they had warned her about the forest already. She didn't want to get banned from this place as it was the closest Temple she could visit without going out of her way too much. Plus, she did feel comfortable coming here at night, which said something. If her dad took a turn for the worst, she’d at least be able to find some comfort here.

That hesitation partially evaporated when the strange woman took her hand and finally got to her feet. The slight shake that traveled to her hand and up to her shoulder was enough of a reminder as to why she had followed this person through the forest. It had been a stupid move, considering how much more likely it was to be some bad person. But…she didn't think this woman had the strength in her to kill anyone and drag away their body to gods know where. After dealing with her father after his chemotherapy appointments, she could tell when someone was being genuine with symptoms.

“...greetings?...” Azumi’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she heard the outdated greeting. Her confusion was further compounded by the way this person spoke. It sounded…jumbled, like she had hit her head when she fell. Azumi didn't believe she had seen any point of impact like that, as there surely would at least have been a small bump or a red mark. From this angle, she couldn't see either anyway. But the dark lighting certainty didn’t help that examination.

When the woman mentioned a wooden cube, Azumi exhaled. She was beginning to regret reaching out to this person, but she was in the thick of it now. It would be bad if she just turned her back on the woman now, especially when she could tell there was something really wrong.

“I think going to a hospital is much more important than a wooden cube. You don’t look okay.” Now, Azumi said *looked* because she wasn't a big fan of the word ‘crazy’. It painted a whole bunch of complicated issues under one negative word. “Head trauma is no joke, okay? We can always tell the shrine staff to look for it too.” It’s also possible that this person had just forgotten it at home by accident too. Plus, she did need to get enough sleep for work tomorrow, and spending hours looking for something that wasn't there…well, it would be a waste of time.

 

[Darkmaster006]

Kadona wasn't really able to see, in fact, how the other girl's face showcased confusion, annoyance, probably tiredness... probably she was getting exasperated by her, I mean, she didn't see those emotions, but she could feel them... or at least she thought she could. Now, she probably just overplayed the slightest tint of annoyance she heard into the biggest one ever, as she always did. Either way, Kadona definitely did not expect the girl to talk about 'head trauma', whatever that was (head? yeah; trauma? what?); or a 'hospital' which was, apparently, more important, for some reason, than her wooden cube. Maybe a hospital was some sort of sanatorium...? The girl said she didn't look okay. Which, granted, she probably didn't.

"Uuuh..." She really had no idea how to answer that. She found it even harder to look at the girl straight in the face, so ended up looking at the trees behind her and the leaves intermittently most of the time she took to conjure up a coherent answer. Somewhat coherent, at least. "I've got not the slightest idea what 'head trauma' is, so beware", she said, matter-of-factly, raising one finger, "but, yeah, I seeeeem to have lost my memories, part of them, at least," she sighed, "now, still, it doesn't seem to me like I need to go to a sanatorium," because, yeah, that's what it must be, "and I do feel a... need to get my wooden cube, please, if you could help me?" she said, almost teary-eyed, almost breaking with every word that came out of her mouth, her voice shaky. She didn't want to be seen like that, so she crouched down and started looking around the leaves for her wooden cube, regardless of whatever the girl were to say, which, hopefully, wouldn't be too harsh.

 

[Ailixa]

Azumi’s right eyebrow flicked upward when this stranger stated plainly that she had no definition to associate with “head trauma.” Considering that medical term had been around for a long time -- or so she believed --, it did make her even more certain that this woman had hurt her head somehow. She doubted a small fall like the one earlier would have resulted in an injury that would have had this much of an impact.

The young woman couldn't help but to exhale slowly. She slowly gathered her confusion and slight irritation and balled it into a knot of patience before she addressed the stranger yet again. “Are you sure you had your cube with you here? If you lost your memory, how could you know for sure you had it with you? It could be at your home…wherever that is.”

If this person was indeed as confused as she seemed, it would be dangerous to pressure her to see a doctor. Azumi also doubted that she would be able to soothe her enough to explain what a hospital or head trauma was. She wasn't exactly too well-versed in most medical diagnoses. Sure, she knew about cancer and what the stages were and entailed, but that was solely in relation to her father.

“I’ll help you search for it if you can at least confidently say it’s here somewhere. You really should get a doctor, a healer, to look at you. If you hit your head or something bad happened, they’d be able to at least treat you. You do want to regain your memories, right?” Not everyone wanted to remember. Azumi was probably one of the few that would be able to state that she wasn't certain if remembering would be in her best interest. If her father passed, she’d likely be less hesitant to regain them. Still, not everyone was running away from their reality or what the future may hold.

 

[Darkmaster006]

As she rummaged about the leaves looking for her cube, she felt like crying. True, this had happened to her many times; true, she would not expect more from this dangerous? new place she'd just awoken into; true, she was being quite... uncooperative; still, could the gods not help her this time, at least? The gods... somehow, she felt like she knew them... she felt like she'd met some, one more awful than the other... some, nice... Still, sometimes, she wanted to be able to just be and not be doubted. Maybe if she found the cube... she wouldn't sound as crazy... maybe...

"All right, I... I don't know about a healer now, but maybe... but first, the cube, I will... find it, you know, I am not... crazy," she said, hurt. The girl was only trying to help, of course... but she could not see it like that, she could not see it like she had second intentions, and she did not know why.

A blue light shone for a second. It seemed like a little ocean wave that penetrated the air. Kadona noticed it, but did not understand it. Yet, she did not care, for the moment, because... there it was! The wooden cube, atop the leaves. Beside it, a wooden sphere, polished, shaped well, but with rough edges. Kadona simply felt that was also hers. She grabbed both and stood up, her eyes a tad swollen, but a bright smile upon her face.

"See! Cube and sphere!" she shouted, almost too loud, very enthusiastically, "I knew it... I knew it..." she murmured. "Do not doubt my memory, heh, heh, if it's wood, I know it!" she exclaimed. "My memories... I do want to regain them. But I feel... they will come with time?" she said, calming down a bit. "I do remember... this is my favourite piece of wood," she said, pensive, looking at the sphere in her right hand (the cube was in her left, and she was holding both with her hands open, palms pointing down), "but I don't know why..."

She looked at the girl, expectantly. Now that she'd found her cube... what would she say?

 

[Ailixa]

Dear gods and goddesses, what had she willingly gotten involved in? Azumi had more than enough on her shoulders with her father’s regression, but now she had to handle a genuinely mentally ill person on top of it too? Whatever happened to this person was not her responsibility after all, and she had tried her best to get her to see a doctor that would be able to lend proper aid. She should have just left before they had spoken to each other, or she should have left right after the woman declined to go to a hospital. Any sane person in this century would understand that it was in their best interest, after all!

“You say you aren’t crazy, but any sane person would want to see a healer to regain their memories.” Azumi lightly shook her head. She was growing more and more incline to follow her gut instinct to gun it out of here the instant the woman took her eyes off of Azumi. One more word or action that confirmed the woman just didn't want to receive any suitable help, and she would simply chalk it up to the increasing decline of her city.

And that instinct was right. As soon as she saw that mysterious blue light, Azumi took *several* steps backward. It was a very effective way of distancing herself from whatever this was. She was not one for handling any supernatural event. Sure, she believed in the gods and goddesses that most people her age had willingly forgotten, but this was taking it a step too far. Plus, the fact that this unstable woman had this tied to her somehow? Well, if her feet weren’t rooted to where she stood out of shock and unease, she would have already reached the entrance of the Temple!

It took several minutes for Azumi’s mind and body to overcome the shock paralyzing her and, when it did, she turned on her heel.

“Well, see you!” With that, she took off and, as her misfortune would have it, she collided into a temple attendant the second she stepped out of the forest. Azumi mumbled out an apology to the man before she retrieved her bike and took off back toward her apartment.

By the time she reached home, she had willingly forgotten the encounter and all that was associated with it. She concluded it was just her mind playing tricks on her, and that it was caused by the sudden increase of stress.

As for the temple attendant, he followed the footsteps Azumi had left behind, which naturally led him to the woman. “The head priest has been waiting for you to be discovered. He has prepared tea in the inner room.” His tone and posture were nearly rigid from being polite, which was accentuated by his very short brown hair. However, there was a spark of kindness in his gray eyes.

 

[Darkmaster006]

It would seem that she'd say nothing, for, when she looked up, the girl was no longer there. Among all the things she said, she did hear a faint "see you" but paid it no mind... until... she was gone. Not that she was expecting anything else. She... faintly remember now... the times this had happened. People leaving cause she was... weird... or something. Her mom... faint words... about how... it was not her fault. Her face, tensed up, relaxed for a moment, only to tense up again... she could not remember her own mother well!

Cube and sphere in hand, she plopped down, on her knees, crying softly. She felt like that blue light and her new sphere should lend her a hand somehow, but nothing happened. She wiped her tears, trying to calm down. After a while, she again sat down on the ground, then laid down. Then she stood up fast when she heard footsteps. Could it be the girl?! Maybe she'd gone to find help! And yet... it wasn't. It was another person, a man, dressed in priestly robes, but he didn't seem to be the main priest. He didn't introduce himself, yet he politely asked Kadona to go meet the head priest.

Discovered? What was she, some sort of specimen? She did not like the wording, but she tried to pay it no mind, the man seemed to hold no malice in his voice, and he offered tea. The head priest... could he know something?

"I understand," she said, solemnly, wiping her swollen eyes with her hands, "please, lead the way, as I... do not know where the head priest is... or where we are, in fact..."

The brown-haired man bowed, said "as you wish" and walked straight out of the garden and into what seemed to be the main entrance of the temple, with Kadona following behind him. They entered the temple; it contained many wood structures, Kadona felt... at home. The man gestured for her to sit and wait for the head priest, who was finishing the tea, bowing for the inconvenience and saying that the head priest was "sometimes too distracted, but not rude".