Ciel was embarrassed that his actions with George had been seen by his uncle. But then again, they had been behaving in almost the same manner since they had met his relatives. Hong Yang should be used to it by now. They hurried down the steps, trying to keep up with Hong Yang who near fled the scene. Dawn and Yue had somehow managed to keep up with Hong Yang and were halfway down the pyramid already. Ciel was anxious to catch up to the group but the next moment, the backs of his relatives disappeared and all he saw was the darkened sky of a sun almost devoured. Before he could do or say anything, he was enveloped in warm arms and a familiar woodsy scent.
“Are you all right?”
“I…” Ciel closed his eyes as he attempted to push the feeling of light-headedness away. He tried to stand but his legs were so wobbly he was more or less leaning on George for support. He heard George sigh before another feeling of weightlessness overtook him. He gave a yelp and clung onto George’s neck.
“Put me down.”
“You’ve pushed yourself too hard and you can’t even walk. If we wait for you, who knows if we might be stuck here instead of catching up with the others.”
Ciel bit his lower lip. This was true; they needed to return to the cave where Yue’s body was, after all. But to be carried like this…
“It’s not the first time I’ve carried you like this after all. You should be used to it by know.”
That husky chuckle by his ear should be banned. Ciel rubbed his warm ear and refused to look at him. Of course he remembered; their trek through so many worlds had left him more or less glued to George during that time. If it wasn’t because he had been poisoned and was left weaker than he would have liked, he would have insisted he walk no matter what. With a sigh, he nestled his head in the crook of George’s shoulder.
“Let’s go. But put me down when we catch up.” No matter what, he wanted to preserve a little bit of his dignity in front of his relatives.
“Yes, dear.” Before Ciel could say anything to that, they were off. While George was moving at a rapid pace down the steps, he was exceedingly careful and made sure that Ciel was secure in his arms. Since there were no more attempts to attack them, it was a smooth trip down the pyramid. They soon arrived at the foot of base of the pyramid. By now, the ghostly worshippers were gone but the gloom of an eclipsed sun remained. Ciel looked up and was not surprised to see the roof of the cave replacing the sky; they had returned.
They made their way towards the hut where the spider woman was supposed to be but stopped when they realized that what had been a complete hut earlier was now nothing but ruins. Ciel stared in shock and fear. He shouldn't have insisted that George put him down; his legs felt very weak right now.
"The realm is still stable so she's still all right. Perhaps she's with the others in the other hut."
Ciel came out of his daze and gave a faint nod. What George said made sense. But the fact that the hut and its surroundings could no longer be sustained meant that the Great Goddess was weakened. They had to get to the rest and fast. They turned and found an owl sitting on a pile of stones, as if waiting for them.
"Lead the way." Before Ciel could protest, George had lifted him up again and soon they were following the owl at speeds Ciel knew he would not have been able to manage. While he was a little upset at George's highhandedness, he knew that it had been done with good intentions. They reached the other hut and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his uncle waiting for them at the entrance. He gave them a sour look and stepped away from the door.
"The Spider Woman is fusing Yue's soul back to his body. It's getting rather cramped so you might want to wait outside."
Ciel nodded and George set him down on a pile of stones for him to sit. He then sat next to him and started channeling spiritual energy into him, to supplement his lost mana. The warm energy that entered him soon put Ciel at ease. He felt the tension from the previous battle finally leave his stiff shoulders and straight back and he leaned against George, all his energy gone.
"I'm never ever visiting you people at the club. One of you is enough to blind me but my sister and Gin are probably going to make me retch." His uncle's face had been exceedingly black and he had been muttering nonstop when he watched the actions of Ciel and George.
"Mother and Father will take that as a compliment. But believe me, as someone who's been watching them for more than seven hundred years, blindness is only one of the few things you can catch." Ciel smirked at his uncle.
"What else is there?"
"Diabetes caused by excessive sweetness, wanting to poke your eardrums from the cheesy lines, indigestion from too much dog food..."
"You've had it hard."
"Well, now father knows what it's like to be on the receiving end." Ciel smiled wickedly.
Hong Yang was silent but Ciel noticed that he had given him the thumbs up. Apparently his uncle had been victim of his parents' PDA when they were courting. Ciel continued to smile and he looked up to see George looking down on him with a doting smile. He blushed and turned his face away.
"Ugh. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree... I'm going to see the progress inside." At least one half of the couple inside was still unconscious. Except when Hong Yang walked in, he was greeted by the sight of Yue giving Dawn a very passionate kiss. All the abused single man could do was throw his hands into the air and walk out with a disgusted look on his face, throwing a curt "He's awake." at the other couple before he walked off somewhere into the jungle. He wondered if he could find any creatures or enemies, anything that would allow him to vent. The only saving grace was that his mother had not come with them or he would have been nagged to death on top of having to see all this unrestrained affection.
* * * * *
Ciel was overjoyed to see that his sister's lover and also his personal good friend had his soul restored back to his body. He also realized why his uncle had fled the scene but Ciel did not mind it in the least. As he told Hong Yang, having been exposed to his parents for so long, he'd been immune to all the displays of love and affection that made others feel embarrassed. The jaguar that had been keeping the Great Goddess company however, was losing its patience with the long separated lovebirds. It gave a growl and pushed its way between the couple in an attempt to separate them.
"Maybe you should save that for later..." Ciel couldn't help but interject.
"You're right, this isn't the time or place but it's been ages since we've seen each other..." Dawn smiled, giving Yue a slight push.
"One hundred years, three months and fifteen days..." Yue muttered aside.
"How did you manage to keep such an accurate record?" Dawn looked surprised
Yue looked at her in the eyes. "Because I've always been counting the days until we could meet again."
Ciel rolled his eyes as he watched his sister blush. Yue could compete with his father for the cheesiest pick-up line but he had a feeling George could also be a contender and he was not interested to judge. He turned instead to bow to the Great Goddess.
"Thank you, Goddess. You have our undying gratitude."
The Goddess waved him away. "I'm tired now. The strain to leave the grasp of the shadows and to keep this world intact has left me drained. I wish to rest."
Ciel looked at the the figure before him and realized that what he saw was an old, old woman. There was nothing that denoted the ferocity or the vitality of the Spider Woman in the myths. Even her plumed headdress had been removed and was placed on the table beside her, the feathers faded and ragged. Ciel understood what she meant but it did not stop the tear that had welled in his eyes to slide down his cheek. He could only bow again to the Goddess, who was already at the end of her life.
"Do not grieve for me. I've had a long and fulfilling life. This is a last gift from me."
Yue had already gotten up and with Dawn helping him to keep steady, they both walked towards the Goddess and bowed. She had saved Yue's life, and in turn, kept Dawn alive. The four people in the room could only give their thanks to this ancient woman, goddess who was at the end of her belief.
"Tell Tlaloc... tell that child that I lived like the warrior I was, and died a free spirit. That I was not a slave to the shadows when I breathed my last."
"Yes."
"The eclipse is almost over. When the sun shines properly in the sky again, the gate to the underworld will close. You have to leave before then. My child will guide you." At her words, the jaguar reluctantly rose from its position by the Great Goddess. It rubbed its head against its master, whining.
"Go. Guide them to the gate and come back quickly." The jaguar cast another unwilling glance at the Great Goddess before it stalked out the hut. Ciel and others quickly raised themselves from their bow and followed the ghostly feline out the door. Before they left, Ciel glanced one last time at the ancient figure. Surrounding her were the creatures of the dark that came to keep her company in her last moments.
"I will not be lonely, child. You are not meant to stay here so return to the land of the living. Be at ease."
Ciel smiled a sad little smile and left the dark and gloomy hut. He found that everyone was waiting for him and set off as soon as he reached them. The moment the mouth of the cave came into sight, the jaguar stopped and gave a growl. It then turned around and returned back into the underbrush where it came from, not sparing the group a single glance.
"Let's go, before the entrance closes." Hong Yang was relieved to finally leave the confines of the underworld and hopefully get back to his sanctuary, away from these lovers. They stepped into the cave and Ciel could feel the sensation of walking through a barrier. There was a sigh and Dawn, who had been standing tall next to Yue collapsed. When Yue lifted her up, he was met with the slender, white-haired figure of a fainted Kou. They were back; and the cold naked truth that had been revealed in death was back to being shrouded by the everyday lies of the living.
