Chapter 58 - Arc VIII: Death of the Flesh- Chapter 8

It had been another week of seclusion. Miko was praying, but not like before. She seemed to be more interested in ninjutsu these days. After a life of nothing but prayer, Yuji could hardly blame her. He had the need for spiritual guidance, too, but he also wanted to enjoy living.

Despite all that, it was surprising when, one day, Yuji walked back into the sparsely furnished wooden cabin to find Miko in full priestess dress. Red hakama, white top, and hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked clean, pure, and incredibly beautiful.

“I’m every otaku’s dream right now, huh?” she murmured, smiling as a slight red hue crept across her pale face.

“More than the otaku of the world could dream of,” he replied, as if they were in love. They weren’t- were they? Yuji hadn’t had the experience necessary to discern between friendship and love.

“Thanks. I, uh…I need a favor, Yuji. This is normally done with another priestess, but…well, you’ll do. You’ve got a pure soul.”

“How can I help?” he answered instantly.

“Get in your hakama. I’m almost done preparing here…”

As Yuji went off to do what she said, Miko kept working. She had drawn a diagram on the floor with white liquid squeezed from a white flower’s petals. She had made roughly a rectangle shape on the floor. It was large enough to take up almost the entire first floor of the cabin. Now she took up a red liquid, from a red flower. She marked two spots on the floor. They were lines, identical in length.

Yuji returned, a curious look on his face. It seemed he was more relaxed these days, though his weapons never left his sides. His dark-eyed glances didn’t hold the malice they once did, and his body seemed to move as thought it were lighter.

“Yuji, this is a ritual. It’s non-denominational, so it shouldn’t offend your personal beliefs.”

Miko knelt down at one of the red lines. She gestured for Yuji to join her. He knelt across from her, not feeling foolish in the least, despite playing the role meant for a priestess.

“Okay, now you need to take put a line on your palms; red on the left; white on the right. I’ll be doing the same.”

Yuji dipped his finger into the liquid, finding it to be surprisingly thick. Almost of a blood consistency. He didn’t ask why he was doing this; it seemed too important to Miko to question.

“Good. Now, hold out your hands. I’m going to touch them, then hold them, folded like in prayer…”

Yuji looked around, noting the four corners of the strange markings, thinking it to be like a barrier jutsu.
“What is this ritual called? Or, what does it do? If you can’t tell me, that’s okay. I’m just curious…”

Miko took Yuji’s right hand.
“It’s called ‘Purging of the Spirit’. It’s one way the most high-ranked priestesses are taught to keep themselves pure. That’s why they can stay pure, even when they’re married and have children. But in my case…our case…it’s a cleansing ritual. It raises emotions through a sort of ninjutsu. It will feel awkward at first, but if you bear with it, you’ll feel lighter. Like your soul has just bathed in a pool of light.”

Yuji felt Miko take his left hand. Her hand wasn’t large, but it was powerful. She gripped his hand with conviction. He, in turn, returned that conviction. He had no reason to doubt the faith her had in her.

“Ready?” she asked simply, to which he nodded. “Okay. Here we go.”

Miko put her forehead to Yuji’s.
“Let your chakra flow freely. Mine will be doing the same. Let them mix outside of our bodies and form the protective shell necessary to expel our inner demons.”

This felt like…well, intimate. Not like sex (not that Yuji would know), but…close. Closeness, trust, warmth- all the things that friendship and love should be. Yuji vaguely wondered again if he was feeling love for Miko. And if it WAS love, what kind of love?

Then he felt the sensation, exactly as she had described. It felt like he water was running over him. It was neither hot nor cold. It’s sensation was beyond description.

All around the two of them, the white lines of the ground lit up. The colors of their chakras- close to white and close to red- ran through the lines, meeting up and creating light. It was a barrier, just as Miko had said. It felt powerful; protecting; safe. It was like being cradled by an immense chakra that had no malice to it.

The chakra shined, as though it was a fine mist lit by powerful light. Yuji could have described it as a ‘mist of blood’, but in the midst of such…purity, the word didn’t even feel right.

This is so comforting…it’s like my soul is being purified. I can’t believe such a feeling exists!
Yuji wondered for a half-second how he would get by if he could never feel this again. Was it like a drug? Addictive? But he instantly realized that wasn’t the case. It couldn’t be. This was a mortal feeling of fulfillment, in which the first experience was the most powerful.

All to soon, the ritual was over, and Yuji and Miko were kneeling next to each other, their hands still locked and foreheads still touching. Yuji looked across, and saw Miko crying. He was surprised to find he was, too.

“Emotions…” Miko choked out. “It’s what we’re feeling, but so powerfully that we cry. From the depths of our soul, the tears dispel the blackness in our hearts. And it allows us emotional freedom to say what we need to.”

Yuji wasn’t composed yet, so Miko did the talking. Her voice was free and happy, even as tears streamed down her face.
“You need to know. Yuji, I’m still going to die soon. I don’t know how or why, but my fate is sealed.”

“I won’t accept that!” Yuji exclaimed with surprising restraint. “I will make sure you live. I’ll do whatever it takes. Anything it takes.”

“Yuji…just let this time be happy instead. What is set in stone is set in stone.”

Yuji wanted to shout back at her. Ask her why she was so sure she was damned like this. But then, he always felt the same way. Like he was next to die. So maybe it wasn’t his place to question that. So another question came forward, and most likely because of the emotions that were now flowing freely.
“Why tell me, if there’s nothing I can do about it?”

Miko struggled for a moment, needing to get her breathing back to normal. She was still gulping in air to stop the tears. As they kept raining down her beautiful, pale face, she placed yet another burden on Yuji’s shoulders.
“Shoki…” she said simply, then trailed off.

“But I can’t adopt him. That was the first warning I received! What could I possibly do for him?”

“…Once I’m dead, he’ll have no one. You don’t need to adopt him; you only need to watch over him long enough for him to find a new home, or someone to love him. The Leaf will take him in; of that I’m sure. And with his determination to get stronger, he’ll do good things. He’ll become powerful; and necessary.”
Miko’s eyes locked with Yuji’s; her emotions were now controlled perfectly. The dark orbs didn’t blink as they said one sentence that was absolutely firm:
“He’ll be come necessary; the same goal you strive for. He’ll achieve it; and when he does, you’ll get the confirmation you need that YOU mattered, too. That’s the one thing I fear I’ll never be able to force you to understand.”

I’m hearing this a lot lately, Yuji remembered, thinking of Jiraiya, Sakura, and Naruto and their words of wisdom. Maybe that should be enough, but it’s more likely she’s right, and I won’t realize it until Shoki reaches his potential. I’m stubborn if nothing else.

“Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this, Miko. I can sense the absolute bond of trust needed to make this work. And I can sense that this ritual was more for my sake than yours, despite what you just told me. Your strength is something I can aspire to. And that,” he murmured, sinking into a lower bow before her, “is something that I can get behind with all the effort in this body. Though unworthy, I WILL play my part in this.”

And Yuji meant every word. He just didn’t tell her his personal little ‘footnote’ to that monologue:
That means not letting you die. No matter how certain you are, maybe if I deny it hard enough, you will, too. How can you not have the strength to survive, Miko? How, if you can do all these amazing things, not have the ability for self-preservation? I don‘t buy it, and I don‘t think you want to, either.

After another few minutes, the feelings of tranquility had receded completely. The warmth had not yet left their bodies, but they were drained of energy. It was a satisfying feeling. Like the feeling Yuji got after a workout, when he was totally spent, but still felt a sort of latent energy being tapped, and a feeling of fulfillment..

“Miko, I’ve been thinking…I don’t know if you’ll like this or not, but…”

Getting down on one knee, Yuji looked up at her. He stayed still for a few moments, drawing up the courage to say what needed to be said. Miko was thinking that he was going to pledge his loyalty, as he’d done before.
And she wasn’t wrong. He just said it different than usual. It was the last thing she ever saw coming.

“…Marry me?”

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