Chapter Hundred and Two

Holy

 

His sleep wasn't long, only deep.

When Nekohiko awoke, he knew immediately he was in Ise even though he had never been in this city before. But having heard all about Ise's Spiritual background was more than enough. The city's Spiritway aura was so strong and so all-encompassing, surging through his body, that Nekohiko felt nourished and healed by his mere presence here.

Thus, he wasn't worried, waking up. Merely bleary and disoriented.

He lay in a floor bed inside a... room?

It was hard to tell because it looked like nothing human hands would have been able to create, even with Binding. This was more of a natural cavern made of tree bark and crystallized amber. Windowless, shadowy -- yet somehow glowing. Perhaps due to the Spirit Moths and Butterflies surfing through the air, luminescing in all the tints of tender blues, greens, pinks...

The aroma of incense and the sound of a purling creek nearby only heightened the feeling of being in a magical place. Which, Nekohiko guessed this was.

The aura of holiness permeated the air. More so the proximity of more Spirits -- which he couldn't see now.

He tried to sit up to take a better look at his surroundings, but --

"Neko!"

"Nnnnhg!"

He froze, afraid to disturb the rigidity in his body. His chest, abdomen, and the entire middle section of his body. They hurt.

Aaagh.

It didn't hurt that badly. Not compared to the agony he'd experienced when his spell had gone astray. But these were the aftershocks of that pain, still resonating through him at every move.

"Do not stir, what are you doing?" Abihiko leaned over Nekohiko to gently lay him down again.

Abihiko's shadowy silhouette shielded the rest of the room behind him, and his long, silky hair swopped down onto Nekohiko's face, tickling.

Because the room wasn't very well lit, Nekohiko couldn't see the expression on Abihiko's face, only guess by his tone.

His tone was touched by anger.

"I am fine, no need to fuss," Nekohiko muttered. "It was just a mere malfunction in the spell -- you know how it goes. But nothing major was ruined, so--"

"You shouldn't speak either." This time, Abihiko sounded murderous, even. As if he was threatening Nekohiko and would shut him up by himself if Nekohiko didn't oblige. "You should rest. And let the Shrine do its job on you."

"We're in Ise?" Nekohiko asked, just to make sure.

"Yes."

Finally, Abihiko shifted a bit to the side, and Nekohiko could see his aloof face on which the deep-dark eyes looked all the more fervent and... scared.

"This is the Grand Ise Shrine, and the High Priests allowed us to take lodging in their pilgrim rooms. I went here straight away. To take care of that ailment."

"Tsk, it was only a miscast spell," Nekohiko sighed again.

Why did Abihiko make such a big deal out of it? He himself had wrecked some spells when they were children and the spell had been unfamiliar or too complex to them. This was common.

And yes, the pain sucked, but Nekohiko had been literally toying with the pain Aspect in his own bodies! What else should one expect if they engaged with something like that? To be tickled if it malfunctioned??

"I'm fine," Nekohiko said with a faint chuckle. He smacked Abihiko's hand that still held him down. Then he started asking Abihiko about the High Priests of Ise and how they reacted to the two damn Emperors barging in on them just like that -- since no doubt locals, high with Spirituality, would be able to tell who Abihiko and Nekohiko were just from a single glance.

But he didn't get a single word out.

Abihiko clutched Nekohiko's fingers in his own and twisted Nekohiko's limp smack aside.

He wrenched his hand almost to the point of pain -- but not quite.

Just a strain that could break off into discomfort any moment now, yet never did. Because Abihiko took care not to push it. He only held him in his hard grip. But for a very, very long time.

What--

Why?

"You are not fine," Abihiko said, barely withholding the anger brimming in his tone. "You almost..."

"You're over-exaggerating."

It truly hadn't been that big of a deal. As an experienced Binder, Abihiko would know it better than anyone.

"Nekohiko. I thought I might lose you."

...

Something so small had scared Abihiko so greatly?

Nekohiko stared. All his words and thoughts fled him until they suddenly burst out in another lost chortle. "Even if it were more serious than it was... It's just one single body. I have others, one of which you are wearing on your neck right now."

Abihiko's heat almost seared into him through their touch, so strong his hold was on Nekohiko's wrist. Yet, even strained, the grip didn't bother Nekohiko.

He even liked its security and firmness. Its unapologetic need.

"And hey, you said before that the seashell would have been enough for you anyway, so what would be the issue?"

"I lied," Abihiko whispered.

Oh.

What shocking news.

"You lie a lot, I see," Nekohiko said.

Abihiko let go of his hand and left Nekohiko's skin feeling cold after his passionate touch, then reached out for the small stone incense-burner beside the bed and fanned its curling smoke with his hand.

"Please, do not move, all right? We need to take care of you," he said matter-of-factly. "I will check with the High Priest and tell him you're awake so he can take a look at you."

Nekohiko gaped, somewhat aggrieved at the disappointing turn of events. Although he didn't even know what he would consider a pleasing turn of events instead, he knew this wasn't it. Yet as he opened his mouth to argue and bicker again -- just for the sake of it --

Abihiko leaned over him and placed his lips over Nekohiko's forehead.

Feeling his temperature, sweeping Nekohiko's bangs to the side with a tender brush of his fingertips against Nekohiko's skin.

A caress that shut Nekohiko up in a flash as a sweet shiver ran through him in response.

"You seem better." Abihiko pulled away. "Of course, I don't know where the source of most pain had been, so--"

"Here," Nekohiko rasped. He fumbled, pulling apart the ties over his robes to reveal his chest and abdomen all the while unable to take his eyes off Abihiko's face.

They were so close and so... personal.

Just like the old times.

"This is where it hurt most," Nekohiko went on whispering. "Can you check it...? I'm worried if there's something wrong I cannot account for--"

What was he even saying?

He'd burn down in shame if he had time to properly assess the nonsensical pitches he was making, but he relied solely on his instincts now.

"Mn. Let me... check," Abihiko murmured back.

His eyes swooped up and down Nekohiko's exposed stomach and the smooth, polished lines of his body. Looking at it as though from an unfamiliar point of view, Nekohiko saw that it didn't even look like a human body. It was a doll's body, and it gave one an odd jolt of uncanniness when the wooden surface rose and fell with Nekohiko's breaths or when his stomach seemed to tense up from fear.

Abihiko said he could check it, yet he didn't dare to touch Nekohiko's wooden surface to take a proper look. He kept away, competent yet cold -- as though reluctant of the connotations a more intimate touch could summon.

And after the first impulse, so became Nekohiko.

Gradually, he grew embarrassed of having pulled his inner robes open to show Abihiko his unsightly wooden torso. The sliding disks and the ball-joint at its center to allow his body to turn and the plates of wood to account for the general body shape...

It wasn't nice to look at.

"Ah, so ugly. Sorry." Ashamed, Nekohiko wrapped himself back into his clothes and pulled the blanket to his chest. "It seems to be fine anyway. No damage, no injuries, haha..."

Abihiko stiffened. "Not ugly. Neko... you have a nice body."

Nice body.

What! Abihiko, lie better than that.

But Abihiko was on fire, apparently. "A-a-and this body looks like it needs a small sip of this herbal brew. Liquids are important in recovery. Here."

The sound of a ceramic shifting over the wooden floor, then Abihiko poking him in his shoulder again. Nekohiko was so annoyed, he glowered over his shoulder.

"I am a doll, and you are shoving liquids up my wooden throat? Trust me, I'll be fine without them."

"Neko, rest, drink lots of fluids, get better," Abihiko said. The familiar sound of his words almost gave Nekohiko a flash of nostalgia. Was this... a quote from the past? From that one time when Nekohiko had taken care of Abihiko during their exams and had been very, very persistent with his herbal brews?

"You, as a doll, bleed, salivate, breathe, sweat, and have a heartbeat. I genuinely think you would benefit from something that improves your blood flow and gives you nutrition even if you think it's unimportant." Once again, Abihiko raised a small mug, gently pushing Nekohiko to turn and lean into the drink. Though the drink was clearly only tepid, in Abihiko's hand, it soon began steaming when he channeled some heat into it. "Now, come on. Drink."

"I don't want to. It looks awful," Nekohiko said.

"I made it sweeter, I swear."

Yeah, after you lied so much to me, you think I'd believe you?

Sheepish, Nekohiko inclined his head to taste at the rim of the cup and the green, sheer liquid inside it. His tongue flicked against the edge -- but of course Abihiko tried to sneak an actual gulp of it, pushing the cup upward.

"Hey," Nekohiko protested. "It ends up in your face if you force me."

"Tsk, and someone earlier dared tell me you swallow, not spit out."

"..."

The liquid really wasn't that bad, but still had so much bitter under-taste in it. It rushed down Nekohiko's wooden insides, bringing so much warmth and -- yes, even a sense of healing with it. Nekohiko already pondered about how they would draw this liquid out of him later, but for now -- it didn't matter.

"You could have sweetened the bitterness with something else," Nekohiko said, trying to sound very, very suggestive about it solely to punish Abihiko for it. "If you know what I mean."

Abihiko slumped.

"Last time we forced bitter brews into each other, you didn't know what such a shameless phrase would even imply," he said. "And now... You have lost all your innocence, Neko."

Oh well. Whose fault was that?

"You still sound so wooden when you say this, I can't help but think you don't mean it." Abihiko smiled, gathering the empty mug and getting to his feet before heading for the door. "It's cute that you can joke like that. It means you really do feel better. Wait, I'll go get the Priest."

...

Joke?

Don't mean it? Why was Abihiko so adamant about dismissing everything Nekohiko did to prompt intimacy between them?

This was so frustrating.

 

 

---

***

 

 

Emptiness wrenched him while he was waiting for Abihiko to return with the Priest. He didn't even care much for when an old, bent-down man showed up to give Nekohiko an oblivious smile and his bows. As Nekohiko had predicted, the High Priest of Ise had not only recognized his Imperial aura just by looking at Nekohiko -- but also didn't find anything strange in Nekohiko being here.

Spiritually-attuned people were just so laidback, they didn't care much about reasons and explanations.

"The Emperor should be just fine with a little bit of more rest," the High Priest rattled to Abihiko in his frail voice. "He can rest and heal at the same time, too."

"Are you sure, Your Holiness? He seemed very hurt to me. And very weakened now."

"Ha-ha-ha... He's far stronger than he looks. He'll be fine."

With that, the Priest waved a hand outward as though inviting Nekohiko to leave the bed and the room and see what Ise had to offer him. And Nekohiko was intrigued, himself.

But also... not. His gaze flicked from the dandelion-like puff on the old man's head to Abihiko's tall stately figure beside him. And there, on Abihiko's stone-cut face, it lingered, unable to stray away.

"Yes, we will come. Please give me a moment," Nekohiko told the Priest. He rose in his bed on his elbows and winced only a little when he imagined some leftover pain in his abdomen.

But from such a small thing, Abihiko flinched to hold him. He knelt by Nekohiko's side, his brow furrowed.

"Do not move if it hurts. I can carry you out."

"Mn. No need. I think I can on my own--"

Nekohiko swatted at him while Abihiko did his best to overpower him in turn.

"Neko," Abihiko breathed into his face as the two of them struggled in their odd desire to get Nekohiko to his feet -- with or without Abihiko's help.

It was awkward.

"Yes, Abiko?" Nekohiko mocked.

"Kitten," Abihiko retorted. By now, he sounded a bit menacing, too. "Behave."

Grrr.

"Mmm, Little Abi?"

"..."

With a cringe, Nekohiko threw a helpless look at the High Priest who stood in the entrance, peering at him and Abihiko with the most mesmerized mien. A subtle smile roamed the Priest's face, but no shame whatsoever at seeing something so no-doubt personal.

Typical Spiritually-attuned people. Not giving a damn that somebody was having a moment here.

At last, Nekohiko tackled Abihiko aside long enough to preen out his robes and adjust his collars. He followed the smily Priest out of the room, maintaining a certain distance from Abihiko.

Yet Abihiko wasn't so easy to ignore today.

Because of the scare Nekohiko had given him, Abihiko was now slinking after him like on a leash! Constantly trying to catch Nekohiko by the elbow when Nekohiko stumbled, or trying to jump in front of him whenever a stranger came too close to them in the hallways.

Agh! So annoying!

"Stop, what are you doing--" Nekohiko slapped Abihiko's wrist whenever he bent too close again.

"You are not well. I am making sure you get to your healing unscathed," Abihiko mumbled back.

"Well, I offered you to make sure I was very much well but you didn't dare to touch me. Or to take my 'jokes' about it seriously. I guess because my body repulses you so."

Rough, Abihiko gripped Nekohiko by the elbow and turned him so that they faced each other.

"What? None of your bodies would ever repulse me."

"Tsk. Whatever."

Nekohiko didn't mean to harass Abihiko like this. He didn't doubt for a second that Abihiko wasn't so shallow as to reject him based on his wooden doll appearance.

But at the same time, it still hurt, to not be touched by him. Or to have dodged Nekohiko's kisses. Or to refuse to hear innuendos in Nekohiko's words.

It felt like a rejection.

"You know what? I believe you when you say this," Nekohiko said. "But then why? Why are you so cold and distant whenever I want something more from you? I am no longer even aggressive or vengeful toward you. I still feel in need to vent and to punish you for what has come between us, but... it's easier to suppress with each day. And when I do, I can't help but want..."

Closeness.

Safety.

I want to be cared for as only you can do for me.

Nekohiko glanced up at Abihiko's withdrawn face. "I miss you. You are my best friend, my only friend. Throughout my life, I had nobody by my side but you..."

Spirits, I just miss you so, so much.

You... moron.

And there it was. The usual. Nekohiko wanted to reach out to him in need of a hug in Abihiko's big arms, but -- nope.

Abihiko shifted aside, just as he usually did.

"Neko."

"What! What is it?! I know you feel guilty and I know you think nothing can happen between us because of what you did! And I don't care," Nekohiko said, low. "Take all your guilt and shove it up your-- argh! I need you, can you be here for me and stop thinking all about yourself for a moment?"

...

"I am."

At last, Abihiko clumsily drew Nekohiko into a hug. But it was a wrong kind of a hug. Not the ones he'd given him years ago. Not a hug of two best friends, of two lovers, of two people Bound together by fate.

This was a fatherly, distanced hug.

And though joy sparked inside Nekohiko even at this small display of affection between them, he still hated the impersonality of it.

"Neko, if I am nicer to you now than I need to be, it will hurt you so much more later. I can't... allow that. This isn't easy for me either," he said into Nekohiko's hair, so hushed that Nekohiko almost couldn't hear.

Cold dread settled in Nekohiko's heart at these words. He softly pulled away, far enough to look Abihiko in the eye.

"Because you're dying? From your Binder's corruption?"

Rather than admit this, Abihiko nodded on to the hallway down the Shrine they were in. His touch gentle, he prodded Nekohiko to keep going.

"There are many reasons, really. But yeah, that, too. In any case, we have a lot to do now, so talking about this is not very productive, is it?"

Evasive and distracting. Two qualities that Nekohiko was learning to hate in Abihiko's adult persona.

Yet he also understood where Abihiko was coming from. They did have far too many issues to deal with, for now. Kasuga's trial and defense, Morokata's trickery, all the doll magic Nekohiko was trying to master...

And healing from the curse. They had made this whole trip here solely to do that. To heal him, and to quell the curse.

However...

"Your health deteriorating is nothing a fully-powered true Emperor can't fix," Nekohiko told him. "You do know that I can probably manage your aura corruption, too, right?"

Abihiko scoffed.

"I can. You are not dying, I promise you. At least not unless I let you. And I -- will not." Stubborn, Nekohiko gripped Abihiko's fingers in his own and squeezed them firmly. "If you think death will free you from my wrath and my punishments for what you've done to me -- you are gravely mistaken."

His hold on him only hardened as he dragged in onward.

With this out of the way, Nekohiko finally spared a few glances around to anything that wasn't Abihiko. And once he did, he slowed to a halt in the middle of the hallway they were in.

He jolted, throwing his head backward to size up and down the walls of tangled branches surrounding them -- then to the diffuse glow of afternoon sunlight coming in a few steps away down the hallway from a gap in the wall. He could not call it anything else -- not a door, not a gate, not even an entrance.

Because most things in Ise weren't made for humans in the first place.

Here was the domain of the Spirits, not mortals. And nothing like anything Nekohiko had ever seen. Even the insides of this "building" looked far less like a true building and more like a cavern or a thicket grove. A beautiful and mellow grove. A fusion between the human and Spirit preferences.

Ah, the flutter in Nekohiko's chest!

The excitement!

"I need to look," he told Abihiko and broke into a run down the hallway to see the blessed outside.

The Holy City of Ise.

 

 

---

***

 

 

So it was true what Nekohiko had always heard about it: Ise was a city like no other.

A place where humans and Spirits not only coexisted like everywhere else, but where they interacted.

The Spirit Binding here was at its highest level, which meant that it was made to accommodate not only humans who used Binding to make their natural surroundings a bit more convenient for their liking, but also to make it pleasing to the Spirits. And what did Spirits want?

Nothing!

Yes, exactly. If humans always tried to change and mold and Bind things together, then Spirits preferred the raw nature of things. The day-to-day banality and beauty of it.

The utter lack of the desire to improve things, but to instead honor them for what they were already.

Which naturally resulted in a very bizarre look to the city's streets and houses and the overall layout. There wasn't exactly a city here, but a wilderness that was... lived-in. The city was mostly populated by Binders, so of course they didn't mind not having traditional human houses to live in as long as they could share this space with the Spirits to the Spirits' convenience.

The local Binders settled down within tree trunks, having promoted their growth with Binding to house a few amenities inside. The tree branches above were thick and twisted together, forming a labyrinth in several stories overhead. Most people didn't even need beds or roofs here, so in-tune with the Spirits, they entrusted their lives to them and were naturally protected from cold, hunger, and rain.

Between the branches, spread hammocks of silken threads, or woven twig beds to offer people places to sleep in whenever they wished. Some Binders still had houses, perched high atop the trees, or looking like giant mushroom-like shrines underneath the trunks. The hanging bridges and ivies decorated the canopies, and people and Spirits moved across them -- lighting the darkwood city up with the cheery faces and the spectral forms of the glowing Spirits everywhere one looked.

And Nekohiko looked.

He downright gaped, standing on the high "balcony" of the Grand Ise Shrine at the heart of the city. The thick boughs under his feet formed just a solid enough floor that he felt as if watching off the high balcony in a Palace. But really -- he was more likely akin to a sparrow peeking out of a tree hole than a guest in any kind of a Palace.

Not that he minded. Ise's way of life desperately appealed to him. Almost on a subconscious level.

Because -- the Spiritside. Having so many Spirit-attuned Binders around resulted in the Spiritside veils being open left and right, hidden beyond the general tree and wild flora of the city. Most would never notice the Spiritside so close and open to the human world. Nekohiko could bet someone like Abihiko couldn't see all the secretive gaps between the realities around the city "streets" due to Abihiko not being Spiritually-attuned.

But even then, everyone had to be aware. Ise city had many space distortions or bizarre flow of time in certain spots. Hard to ignore if one's footsteps suddenly became mirrored, or instead of going left, you went right without realizing and ended up coming exactly where you wanted to be, to begin with.

Walking down the woodland "streets" of such a place would no doubt be a bizarre experience, and the first in Nekohiko's life. The last time he had been close to Ise, in his youth, he couldn't step a foot in because he hadn't ascended his throne yet.

And as it was typical with at least some of the more savage Spirits in such a Spirit-heavy place, they might have become angry at him. They would have pursued him and, if not directly attack him, then at least expose his presence to anyone who would want to hunt him down.

Back then, Nekohiko hadn't dared to come close to Ise and had only wistfully heard about its Spiritually-rich streets from other accounts.

Now, honestly, he was giddy.

The green, translucent hush of the woodland streets and the vague hum of the conversations between Spirits and humans on the background sounded more like leaf rustle than any real talk. It filled him with reverence and the desire to explore and check out this store that looked mainly like a crag, or that district of a marshy grove...

"This is so beautiful," he told Abihiko dizzily as he turned around.

Abihiko smiled.

"I suspected you would love it here." Yet his manner had a tint of reluctance to it as he spoke. "If you want, we can go down and explore -- after we begin your healing."

"Mn! Yes, please!" Nekohiko glanced over his shoulder to the luminous street --

-- and lurched in fear when he found himself staring directly into some Spirit's googly-eyed face.

A... Spirit!

Wait, not just one Spirit. From the sides, as though drawn by Nekohiko's coming out of the Shrine and into the open air -- several translucent shapes were drifting closer.

And though Nekohiko was wary of their approach, he wasn't scared. There was no Spirit in his Empire that he should be scared of, as the true -- and ascended Emperor.

The nearest Spirit was that of a very plump man the color of rice cake and the consistency of jelly. The Rice Bun Spirit? It gave Nekohiko a sheepish smile and kept looking at him, sweet and hushed as though awed.

"Emperor," it said in a tiny, cute voice. "Pretty Emperor."

...

From beyond the trees in the vicinity of the Shrine, at first tentatively, a flock of pale-colored Spirits peeked out -- deer with twined branch-like antlers, horned rabbits, beautiful serpentine horses, humanoid Spirits representing various smaller Shrines in Ise...

Their surfaces glowed with diffuse starlight, filling the small shaded balcony with gentle lambency.

Most of them just smiled dumbly and blankly at Nekohiko, their gazes unreadable and incomprehensible like only Spirits' were. But some of the Spirits were much more sociable, and had learned to speak the human language properly -- like the Rice Bun Spirits, for instance.

"The Emperor..."

Lisps and whispers from everywhere.

"The Supreme Divine Majesty..."

"Daddy!"

Ah...

Hm.

"I am not your daddy," Nekohiko blurted, too baffled to notice he was arguing with Spirits, most of whom probably didn't even understand the concept of "daddy".

But the Spirits of course didn't care about linguistics. They purled and cavorted and cheered as they poured onto the balcony to get a good look at Nekohiko. And the more of them came, the more Nekohiko saw that they... might just never end.

Ise was open to the Spiritside, after all. The Spirits who saw him here in all his glory would want to call their Spirit friends through the Spiritside, and so on and so forth.

Erm, it wasn't that he didn't like their attention and appreciation. Because he did. But at the same time...

How many of them were there?!

Worse still -- the Spirits might have been happy to see him, but when their attention shifted to Abihiko nearby...

All hells broke loose.

It was as if the Spirits saw Abihiko for the very first time.

And they really did not like to have him nearby.

Abihiko's fingers twitched over Nekohiko's wrist as he pulled him back. "Nekohiko, we have to go. We have a business to attend," he said, trying to sound as impassive as ever.

But Nekohiko could feel the tension Abihiko emanated.

He did not like the Spirits paying him such close attention, at all. That probably explained Abihiko's previous reluctance to go down into the city.

Had the Spirits of Ise been hostile to him earlier, when Abihiko had brought Nekohiko here through the Ise streets?

Very likely.

The closest cuddly Spirits that had floated to Nekohiko to admire him were several bodyless heads stacked on top of each other, with tentacles coming out of them. They were so happy to see him, they got close way too fast, so when they noticed Abihiko nearby, they froze over, spooked.

Then, all of a sudden, they recoiled.

"Kinslayer," the closest head hissed, disgusted. "Murderer."

"Tainted... corrupt..."

Immediately, all the others -- the monkey Spirits and the winged foxes and others who had braved a step closer moments ago, stilled in a stupor, too. As their eyes took Abihiko in, they grew agitated -- in all the wrong ways.

Nekohiko even drew back, so stunned he was at a change of the atmosphere on the balcony.

"The murderer of innocents!"

"Heathen..."

"Forsaken! Unholy--!"

"Emperor!" the most humanoid-looking maiden Spirit called Nekohiko from the swerving crowd of the Spirits now brimming on the balcony. "Punish him! Make him pay! He is... appalling!"

"He is rotting from the inside, look at his aura! No wonder no Spirits want to help a forsaken wretch like him..."

...

Quite dramatic, wasn't this?

However, one could not tell if Abihiko cared about it. His expression hadn't changed at any of the insults thrown at his face by the Spirits nor by their disturbed, hateful glares as he pushed through them, pulling Nekohiko back toward the inner hallways of the Shrine.

"Punish him! This fake Emperor, murderer, monster! Condemn him!"

Nekohiko turned his head, wishing to answer something or to stop the Spirits pouring insults at Abihiko, but he really didn't know what to tell them.

They were right. In a Spiritual sense, Abihiko was the things they were saying.

And like Okinaga had predicted before the wedding, the Spirits had much longer memories than Nekohiko himself. Spirits never forgot the crimes against their wellbeing.

They could hate forever.

For a Binder, the resentment of Spirits was as good as a death sentence -- the Binder's corruption, the weakness, the scorn that came with it -- and the Binder's magic would invariably suffer. If before, Abihiko had been on the Emerald Throne nominally -- then now, Nekohiko was on that throne as well. And the Spirits could definitely tell the difference between them.

Between the pure, raw power of Nekohiko. And the deformed and corrupted power of Abihiko.

Abihiko could act like he didn't care, but of course he did.

Anyone would.

"Punish him! Torture him! Hurt him!"

Moving through this mess was nigh impossible, so Nekohiko's patience burst even though he had never pictured himself snapping at the Spirits like that.

"Hey, enough! We're doing our best, and we actually do need to be somewhere! Can you just... tone it down a little?! Thanks!"

Like oil in water, the Spirits swooped aside to open the path for Nekohiko to go through. But the few lingering Spirits still floated beside him, observing him with odd fascination.

"The Emperor is angry...? Why? Does not resentment at this heathen dwell within you as well?"

Actually, I came here solely to get rid of this resentment.

Instead of answering, Nekohiko only waved his hand majestically. "If anyone here knows how to punish my husband, it is me. And I am not asking anyone's opinion on that. Got it?"

"Wwwwaaaah, the Emperor is so wise."

"The Emperor is so vengeful and just!"

"The Emperor knows best how to punish the villain! Be merciless, The Emperor!"

"Torture the bad boy!"

...

"Boy? I am an adult," Abihiko mumbled under his nose with exasperation. Once he and Nekohiko finally got back inside, he leaned his back heavily against the wall and smiled at Nekohiko with sadness.

"And you were asking what issues can stand between you and me," he said. "You don't even know the first of that long, long list, Nekohiko."

But Nekohiko could not care less about what Abihiko thought stood between them. Not now, at least.

Now, he only wanted comfort.

And a bit of joy.

"Be a good boy, then, Little Abi," he told Abihiko as he ushered him to hurry down the hall. He headed to where the High Priest had been leading them earlier -- the inner sanctum of the Shrine, past the strings of guest pilgrims crowding the side corridors and the few lesser priests snooping in the distance. "And once you do, I might consider decreasing the number of punishments you deserve, on that list."

"..." Abihiko's eyes flared up as did his cheeks -- although it was hard to tell, with how shadowy and intimate the lighting here was. "Neko. What do you think you're doing?"

"Mmm? I want to heal my body and soul in this place."

"Yes, but what do I have to do with this? Go to the sanctum alone."

...

What do you have to do with it? Everything, stupid.

You are part of my healing. How can you not see that?

Regardless, Abihiko didn't hinder Nekohiko's decisive walk, but neither he looked excited about what awaited him at their destination.

It hit Nekohiko, why.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling amused. "Little Abi, are you scared? That the Priests will turn you away and call you a forsaken heathen, too? When you came here with my being unconscious -- did Priests mistreat you?"

...

A sure possibility, here. Even compared to Izumo, Ise Shrine was a truly Holy Place -- the greatest in all of the Empire. If Izumo still had to maintain its humanness to teach the new Binders how to ease into the Spiritual concerns, then Ise had abandoned its humanity far and long ago.

Thus, most Binders serving the Ise Shrine were Spiritually-attuned.

And not much different from the Spirits in their loyalties and attitudes. They might retain some of their human behaviors, but nobody could know for sure if they wouldn't get angry at Abihiko's proximity when the true ascended Emperor was here in the flesh to compare them to one another.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you, Little Abi," Nekohiko told him, kindly.

Abihiko blinked.

"I see we're back again with calling me 'Little Abi'? Seriously?"

Well. Yes. Even though now their difference in height was more pronounced than ever, Nekohiko still could and would call him that, thank you very much!

It wasn't his fault his height didn't reflect his age and superiority over Abihiko.

"I am older," Nekohiko said.

"Yes, and also tinier. Should I not call you Little Neko, instead?"

Nekohiko slowly shook his head, stony with disappointment. "You are only resorting to such petty name-calling because you are insecure about Spirits bullying you. This is clear as day."

The two of them ascended the steps and went past the rows of monks and nuns praying in the main hall.

The inside of the Shrine sanctum was cool and Bound with echoing, meditation-promoting spells, and thus, all the human voices were amplified, giving the space a murmury, mystic feel. A waterfall-like curtain drenched Nekohiko and Abihiko when they entered the sanctum, a symbolic purification to come so close to the holy heart of the Shrine. The chilly water wrenched out a gasp out of Nekohiko and made Abihiko's unruly hair cling to his face and get into his eyes. They fumbled around, shaking off the excess moisture as they padded down to the biggest flock of priests.

"We have come here to heal," Nekohiko told them instead of greeting. Though he bowed to them, and they bowed in return.

And really, he didn't need to say much more than that.

The trained eyes of the priests took in Nekohiko's form, looking as though far deeper than Nekohiko's wooden surface. He doubted these people could even see his physical body, so highly-Spiritual they were. One glance, and the Spiritway priests nodded at Nekohiko, then proceeded to give Abihiko a cursory look, too.

"Your Supreme Divine Majesty," the entire group sang in unison, cupping their hands to salute him. "Your ascendance to the throne has been such a blessing to the Spirits these past few days, ah!"

...

They couldn't even give a damn he was a literal dummy doll, apparently.

Heavens, how deeply Spiritual people here were! No wonder Suminoe had prohibited Nekohiko to come to Ise years ago for the fear of him being found out immediately!

"I have a small curse inside me," Nekohiko said.

"True, true," the same old priest from before, a bent old man, replied. The High Priest of Ise, carefree and mellow in his bearings. "But easily fixable. The curse is of amplifying the resentment already inside. Thus--"

"I just need to stop giving it power over me," Nekohiko finished, to the High Priest's admiration. "I know. But I am not the only one in need of healing."

And with that, he snapped his hand up, in which he was gripping Abihiko's wrist -- tightly clutched.

Abihiko didn't even have the chance to resist, so sudden this was.

"N-neko--"

"We both need healing," Nekohiko announced.

"Yesss, indeed," the High Priest drawled, giving Abihiko a concerned up-and-down. "A lot of taint and corruption, inside you, dear. Hard to heal completely, but life can be prolonged for a few years. Or saved as long as someone truly powerful can help you. Like the Supreme Divine Emperor, for instance."

"No, no no. That level of corruption cannot be healed at all," the other, stingy tall young man replied. He was frowning at Abihiko, flapping a hand before his face as though wishing to make Abihiko's very image to disappear from his sight. "My gods, what have you done to have come to this stage! The evil clings to you so deeply... Do not stand so close to the Supreme Divine Majesty -- you might dirty him with your presence!"

Abihiko stiffened, then stepped aside. Deeply, he bowed as though wishing to disappear out of the Priests' sight. "The true Emperor is the one who needs healing, not me. Actually, if I am a burden at all, I would rather leave. As long as he can be properly treated here--"

But Nekohiko could only hear those words the High Priest had said.

The corruption can be relieved or lifted.

So he didn't let Abihiko flee aside. He grabbed Abihiko's wet sleeve and dragged him back in.

"He goes wherever I go," Nekohiko stressed for everyone to hear, especially those few younger priests who seemed so appalled with Abihiko's presence. "Actually, Your Saintliness, we do both require healing, so we'll take up your offer, thank you!"

"Of course, dears." The plump old man beamed like sunrise.

"Grrrr, Neko--"

"Shush, Abi."

Rather than break out in another bickering match, all Nekohiko did was give Abihiko his creepy, giddy smile. And when Abihiko saw it, he seemed incapable to resist.

His eyes swooped to Nekohiko's lips.

"...this is the first time you smiled like that after the marriage," he whispered.

Why now? he might as well have asked, so conflicted he seemed about it.

And Nekohiko's smile only grew wider.

"Because I am happy, that's why."

Abihiko made huge eyes, innocent. "Ah. You're really into Spiritway healing rituals that much, huh."

...

"This way," the old priest told them, urging to follow him into the side "hall" from which the purling of spring water sounded so ethereally, like music.

Nekohiko leaned closer to Abihiko's ear, just to get the final word, now and forever.

"I am into spending more time with you, dummy."

But, as it had always been with Abihiko, one could not simply get the final word in teasing him.

"You will regret saying this, and you know it," he muttered, but still went along.

Yes, Abihiko.

I will.

Gladly.

 

 

---

***

 

The small waterfall grove within the east wing of the Shrine was filled with luminescent Spirit butterflies that moved through the air like beams of glowing light -- tender blue, pink, mystic green, mellow orange. The shadowy green and blue of the watery grove swayed in this glow, giving the entire place a magical feel. Though the water fell from some bizarrely-tall height, hidden in the mists over the translucent bamboo -- the noise wasn't at all overwhelming.

Instead, the water barely hummed, falling, more like a transcendent melody than the roar of the waterfalls.

Nekohiko exhaled in relief and sweetness from being in such a holy, sacred place.

He rolled his shoulders and arched his back, getting out of his clothes to step into the warbling brook. He needed to wade through the water to get to the waterfall under which he had to sit down and meditate for hours for his purification to begin. Frankly, he couldn't wait! So, however much he despised undressing in his doll-like form and reminding himself how little humanity his body possessed, he didn't mind doing so now.

Not like anyone around would notice, anyway! They were so good at seeing his true essence, they wouldn't know he was a doll, to begin with. Let alone, naked.

Yet as he opened his eyes after spreading his arms wide to fully stretch out his sore body, he remembered...

Abihiko.

Abihiko was not quite as Spiritually-attuned, and of course he would see--

He did.

He saw.

That was why he was turned away right now, stiffly waiting for Nekohiko to go down into the water.  Himself, Abihiko was clothed in his inner robes. But because he had also been drenched in water upon entering the Shrine -- his flimsy inner shirt and pants didn't exactly hide much. They clung to his skin, having become transparent to... a degree.

"Uh... under the waterfall, yes?" Abihiko asked the old man who had led them here again, cautious. "Any spot is fine?"

"Let the water flow through you," the old man said with a profound air, and Abihiko hurried to wade through the brook toward the cliffy wall from which the water swung down in the eerie glow.

"Thanks," Abihiko said with one last spooked glance at Nekohiko.

Then he sat down, crossing his legs and assuming a praying, meditative pose under the direct hit of the water falling from the above.

...

Nekohiko observed him, his head cocked to the side.

Finally, he turned to the old man, smiling all over again. "We'll take it from here. You can go."

With a knowing look, the old man bowed before leaving. "Good luck, Your Supreme Divine Majesty."

Good luck, indeed.

Slowly, Nekohiko walked through the water, his eyes solely on Abihiko's pristine, self-serious, and utterly nervous figure sitting before him.

The gush of water hit him, and Nekohiko bit in a startled gasp from how cold and merciless the water was. But also... oddly nice. As if infused with some Spiritual essence that already made Nekohiko's body that much more mellow as he accepted the water's flow over and through him.

When he sat down close beside Abihiko, so close their folded knees touched, he couldn't help but smile.

And dream.

And imagine...

Until he couldn't help but want to not only imagine.

He turned to peek at Abihiko's profile next to him and saw just how solemn and absorbed Abihiko was in his meditation. How many hours had they spent like this?

How many countless minutes of just sitting here... barely-dressed or utterly naked, together?

Nekohiko's hand reached out to brush a stray wet flock of hair from Abihiko's pale face, but Abihiko was onto him.

He squeezed open an eye and glared at Nekohiko's outstretched arm.

"This is a holy place. Behave," he warned Nekohiko.

To which Nekohiko could only blink, slow and aggrieved.

"My very body is Holy. I am the Emperor. Yet it had never stopped you before, did it?"

"Times change," Abihiko started saying in a self-satisfied, mocking manner. "And so do people. I have matured and realized the error of my ways."

Argh -- Nekohiko could not let him take this final word as easily as that. Never.

He rolled onto his fours, poking his head through the waterfall sheet and toward Abihiko.

"Prove it," Nekohiko said, then tilted his face to lean into Abihiko from the side.

And reach his neck gently with his lips.