Chapter Two : The One Who Awakens
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“But I’m naked, Kozuke! Why do I have to go before a kami naked? I’ve never heard of that before!” Madoka protests as Kozuke pulls Madoka along a hallway outside of the room. There is an ethereal quality to everything around him, and it distracts him queasily how solid and yet not solid it is. As Madoka is pulled along, he notices Kozuke’s fluffy tail batting about as they walk quickly.

There are flames hovering in the air in alcoves here and there along the hallway, and as Kozuke pulls him, they come to the end of the hallway that opens into a garden area that is breathtaking with every beautiful flower he has ever seen in his entire life. Not only that, but the creatures in the garden make his eyes pop as he sees them. In the garden is a pond, and inside of the lovely rock lined pond, kappa caper around cutely. A few of them turn to examine him as Kozuke pulls him through the covered walk through the garden.

Kozuke suddenly answers his question while he’s distracted by the shocking sight. “I would say, because it amuses her. It’s for you to obey the kami’s whim.” Kozuke glances at Madoka and grins, spotting his stunned expression. “Oh… you’ve never seen… well you have seen a youkai, but not of this variety, have you?” he enquires.

Madoka looks into his face and frowns slightly. “No, I haven’t… I didn’t imagine that they actually really exist!” Madoka exclaims, and as he does another fact comes to him, a piece of trivia. Kozuke used to tower over him in the dreams, but he stands at very nearly equal height now, and that fact is shocking to him as well.

“Wait… a whim? Her???” Madoka exclaims, turning bright red as Kozuke pulls him back into a closed hallway on the other end of the lovely garden.

“Yes. It’s a goddess. Had I not mentioned that?” Kozuke chuckles.

“But my dignity…” Madoka murmurs in a small embarrassed tone. Kozuke doesn’t respond. Instead, the doors that they approach open themselves and Madoka is pulled into a room at the end. He squeaks and seeing the kami sitting there with a brilliant aura, a shining hagoromo worn over her shoulder as though floating in a zone without gravity. She wears a white kimono of fine, silky fabric with lilies and leaves embroidered on it. She has long straight dark hair and a very serious expression, though there is something about her face that is vaguely familiar to him.

She sits with her legs crossed and holds up a cup. Kozuke leaves Madoka’s side to kneel beside the kami, lifts a porcelain flask from a nearby table, and pours a clear liquid into her waiting cup. She takes a drink from the cup of what seems to be definitely sake. She sighs lustilly and studies Madoka quietly. The way she sits is somewhat enticing with her legs crossed, and hints of her flawless creamy thighs are slightly visible.

Madoka loses himself in beholding her and has an involuntary body reaction, eliciting a laugh that tinkles like a bell at his reaction. He blinks, comes to himself, and squeaks, crouching to cover himself in embarrassment. He lowers his head and bows low before her.

Madoka can sense the powerful aura of the kami before him. There is no doubt whatsoever of who or what he stands before.

“Kami-sama… w-why am I here?” he asks, bewildered, his eyes still lowered. He is slowly able to recover bit by bit and calm himself, somewhat.

In the corner of his eye he sees the kami rise and slowly walk over to stand before him. After a moment, she extends a graceful perfect hand towards him. He looks up into her eyes for a moment, stunned. She is the most beautiful woman he has ever beheld. She smiles softly. “You are here because of your spiritual power. It slumbers within you, but it flails seeking an outlet. By your power you have unconsciously bridged dimensions unknown to you. What a curious thing. You have touched the consciousness of another version of you. How has this affected you? Spiritual power heightens during the peak of your puberty. How long has this been occurring to you?” she asks him. Her voice throbs with power, dignity, and passion.

Madoka stares for a long moment and looks down again, embarrassed still. “I’ve had dreams for a while… for a few weeks… but I didn’t remember the details until last night,” Madoka murmurs.

“That was when the oni revealed himself to you. He’s a maou. One of power, though not one who could challenge a kami. His name is Yoshimaru,” the kami continues softly.

“Yoshimaru? I… I don’t know the name… but he haunted my dream then, yes. He attacked me.” Madoka’s eyes widen and he wraps his arms around himself with an expression of horror on his face. “He attacked me outside my dreams as well.”

“Yes. I saved you when he attacked you outside Meiji Shrine. It is temporarily in my care at the moment, requested by the Emperor and Empress. It is good that you came today,” she says softly, and extends her hand once more, holding an object between her fingers. A 50 yen coin.

“You were going to pray with this, were you not? It came to you for a reason.” She laughs like a tinkling bell and Madoka stares at the coin, stunned again at the revelation.

“Ah… yes… I bought a crepe with a girl yesterday, and the change was this coin. I did intend to pray with it.” Madoka blinks.

“Such a stud you are, going on a date with a beautiful young girl, though I have to say your choice for meals is certainly not especially manly. I appreciate that quality in you. There is a quality of your aura that agrees with your nature.” She laughs.

“I will now ask you this: what will you pray for? Will you offer your prayer now to me?” she asks of him.

In spite of himself, he looks up into her face again, blushing a little at her comments, his lips twisting and squirming. “I… I was going to wish for blessings for my test tomorrow… oh, is that today?” Madoka’s eyes widen and he jumps to his feet running in place and looking around panicked. 

The kami laughs aloud again. “Yes, your test is today. Regretfully, I think you will miss it. You can make it up. You are a hard-working student, or so I have seen.” She smiles. “I have watched you for a while. You interest me. What will you wish of me now?” she asks him, amused.

“I…” Madoka takes a deep breath and covers himself, blushing and squirms. “I would change my wish, Kami, if you would let me,” he responds.

“What would you wish for?” The kami presses gently yet firmly, placing her hands on her generous hips, though surprisingly her chest isn’t particularly large, he notes.

“Are you staring at my chest or my face?” the kami comments, a edge of threat suddenly in her tone and Madoka shivers from head to toe, fixing his eyes upon hers.

“I apologize, Kami! My deep apologies, please forgive me.” He bows deeply and nearly hits his head against her in his clumsiness.

The kami dances backwards and scowls at Madoka for a long moment before finally waving a hand dismissively.

“Your wish?” she asks him more firmly.

“I… I would ask for your protection from this oni. I want to continue my life without being threatened by evil creatures like Yoshimaru. I’m confident that I can pass any test under my own power in my studies.” Madoka’s voice shakes slightly.

“So confident…” the kami murmurs; her tone softens again. “I’m impressed. Unfortunately, I can’t completely grant this wish. I can continue extending my protection to you, but it is a finite wish. Sooner or not, the wily oni may slip through my protection and devour your essence. That would trouble me.”

“He’ll get me?” Madoka gasps, goosebumps jumping up on his skin from head to toe now and horror churning in his stomach.

“Yes… but there is a way that you might yet live. I think you have strength for it. There is another wish deep inside of your heart that you bury, as well. Speak your wish,” the kami commands.

Madoka gasps, bites his lip and shakes. “I don’t know what you…” he starts.

“The other you… I have seen glimpses of her. Her life charms you, even though her life is full of struggle and adversity,” she murmurs.

“How do you know, Kami?” Madoka gasps, staring at her again, stunned. “How do you know my heart?”

“I am kami,” she replies simply. “I will unlock the power sleeping within you. We will see how your power develops you. Do you have the strength to gain the power to defend yourself from Yoshimaru?” she asks.

“I… I don’t wish…” Madoka starts and stares for a long moment, feeling his determination surge inside. “You’re right, Kami. There is no way I will be safe if I cannot protect myself,” he murmurs, his tone firming.

“Do you consent to be touched?” she asks, a steel tone entering into her voice now.

“I… I do.” Madoka stiffens and bows.

“Very well. I grant you your wish, Madoka, my beloved,” she murmurs, and her hagoromo moves on its own towards him and begins to caress his body. It feels amazingly soft, and yet, at the point where the cloth contacts him, he feels static electricity tickling his skin. It wraps around him suddenly, and it feels overwhelming. The power conducts throughout his body and his consciousness blacks out. The last thing he sees is the gentle loving expression on the kami’s face as his body is filled with electricity.

“Train and work hard, and come see me once again another day. We are bound together by a red string of fate,” she says softly.

Madoka’s eyes open and close. It is pitch dark but for soft lamps dimly lighting the area. He fights to open his eyes and regain consciousness, but it is a struggle. He dozes fitfully, fighting the sluggishness in his body. Eventually, when he opens his eyes again, it is early morning, and he notices that he’s in the grounds of the Meiji Shrine. He sits up and moans softly, putting a hand to his head. After a moment he feels a hand on his head, and he looks up with bleary eyes. He rubs them softly and yawns.

“Are you well, child? Why are you sleeping here?” When his eyes focus, he sees an elder priest, his head bald under a cap, with billowy pristine white robes cloaking his form. Madoka gapes at him, jumps to his feet surprisingly lightly, and looks around, noticing that he has been slumbering with his back up against the sacred tree on the grounds; a large shimenawa wraps tightly around it and its trunk is smooth from the many years of hands touching its sacred body. It was soft and comfortable. He looks back to the priest, and the priest looks at him sternly.

“I’m sorry, priest. I… I don’t know why I’m here… I was here with my friends last night and I lost track…” he murmurs. It dawns to him that he feels strange. His balance is difference. He looks down at himself finally, and gapes.

“I see… why are you wearing such a strange getup? Did you come from a convention? I have not heard of one held anywhere near here. Perhaps you were carousing in Harajuku?” He chuckles kindly.

“Well, yes…” Madoka says, stunned. Two large and perfect breasts stand on his chest. His breasts are framed by a white and blue kimono-like top framing those soft looking breasts. Between them hangs a necklace, a green necklace upon which hangs a glimmering golden magatama made of some material that he can’t identify. He lifts his arms and examines himself more in detail.

“Are you confused, child? Do you need assistance? Were you drunk?” He scowls. Madoka looks up a moment to spy that exasperated appearance, but he returns to examine the costume that he… that she? wears.

He wears a skirt that extends halfway between knee and waist that softly flutters in a way that reminds him of the skirt that the other Madoka had worn going to school. A strange sensation of intense happiness surges inside him that makes him take a step back from that emotion and examine it.

“Well?” the priest frowns.

“Ah… no!” Madoka bows deeply. “I’m fine, elder Priest-sama. Please don’t worry about me. I’ll go home. I’m very sorry to have inconvenienced you.”

“Ah… alright. Don’t do it again, child.” He turns halfway away and hesitates before looking back at him. “There is a certain… odd quality about you. That magitama that you wear seems more than a simple decoration, but the costume you wear mocks our traditions. Do you aspire to become a miko?” he asks.

“A miko?” Madoka blinks, stunned at the question. “No… n-not at all… I’m just…” he flounders.

“You seem to be a wannabe priestess,” he chuckles. “If you would like to enroll in training we could use the services of a beautiful young girl at the shrine. Consider it, child.” He grins.

“Um… I’ll consider it… Elder Priest-sama…” Madoka stares at him.

The oni watches as Madoka rushes out of the shrine. It barely recognizes him, but the spiritual power emanating from Madoka is stronger, yet still the same. The odor of the spiritual power is irresistible. It grimaces and extends its hands, brandishing its clawed fingers, and rushes forward to claim its prey.

Madoka dashes out of the shrine and the sandals he… she now wears slap against the pavement of the path through the park towards Harajuku. She’s a little numb as she ruminates as she runs down the path alongside. Suddenly a threatening aura of darkness rushes towards her, and by instinct she trips and the wind of motion sails through where she was. She gasps and jumps to her feet, ignoring her skinned knees, standing to face the grimacing oni standing in the woods nearby, turning back towards her and brandishing its claws.

“So you have changed. You have awakened to your power somewhat. You are still my toy.” It grimaces. “You are even more delectable now.” It laughs and lunges forward again with its squatty grotesque body. Madoka gasps and shrieks; suddenly Kozuke appears between them and the Oni stops right in front of him, its grotesque expression and form exuding frustration.

“Another interloper,” it curses. “Get away from me.”

“I can’t do that. This child is in my care. You will not touch her.” His form morphs right in front of her and Kozuke suddenly takes on the form of a true lion dog. His features aren’t those of the classic exaggerated carved dog lions that protect the shrines; this creature’s features are more dog-like, though there is a slightly feline quality in its face and form. He opens his mouth and growls and yowls; the two face each other, while Madoka watches, stunned, drawing back. She idly notes that she is still around the same height as before, which might make her really statuesque compared to many Japanese girls.

“I see. You can’t protect him… her from me forever. Your vigil will slip someday and I will claim her then. I have resources that will confound you. Do your best to keep her from me. It will be an interesting fun, won’t it lion dog?” It cackles and points towards Madoka threateningly. “Your spirit will be mine. I will feast on it, and your flesh.” It cackles before running away.

Kozuke looks back at Madoka. Run back home. I will watch after you as much as I am able. I will chase him now. He bounds after the Oni, snarling. Madoka watches, stunned, for a long moment before finally breaking into another run down the path. After three minutes, she starts to see people making their way towards the shrine. Some miko and priests, others normal people. Madoka heedlessly runs down close to the center to avoid running into people, even though it’s bad manners. The passing by people stare at her as she runs, her skirt fluttering in the dewy morning air. Miko particularly stare at her and point at her as she rushes down the path. Finally she reaches the street and the shrine bridge, and the crowd here is thicker by now. She runs across the bridge, glancing backwards from time to time, but doesn’t see either Kozuke or Yoshimaru.

Madoka reaches the last intersection to cross before reaching the Harajuku station. She waits impatiently for the light to change and the chime to go off. She stands there self-consciously as people stare at her curiously. She looks down and presses her skirt down, blushing. She has a moment to take a deep breath to recover and consider how she feels now that the rush of the situation has passed. It’s a little cool this morning and there is moisture on the pavement indicating that it may have rained lightly the previous night. The stockings she wears are warm, but the zone above the stocking below the skirt is cool and breezy; it’s an odd sensation. She considers, then, what she’ll do when she reaches home and her family finds out what has happened to her. How will they receive her, she wonders?

She barely notices when the chime goes off and the intersection changes and beckons her to cross with a crowd of people. She notices after a moment of numb staring and the motion of people around her makes her come to herself; she crosses the street quickly, and walks briskly the rest of the way towards the station where most passersby are bound, naturally in this direction.

She enters the station and moves to reach into her pocket to find her wallet and panics suddenly, realizing she doesn’t have pants pockets anymore. She pats the skirt all over its fluffiness and realizes that she hasn’t found the wallet. She gasps, looks around, and bites her lip, her eyes welling.

“Why did the kami do this to me…” she moans softly.

“This isn’t the time to wonder, child,” Kozuke says beside her.

Madoka shrieks and leaps into the air, hair standing up, as she turns to see the familiar form of Kozuke. He looks just like he did in the dream now, wearing a suit and lacking the ears he had in her dream.

He bows elegantly again. “I’m very sorry to have startled you, Mistress. I am your assigned servant familiar for a time while you develop.” He looks around and leans towards her. “This really isn’t the best time to discuss the matter, but I understand that you are lacking something very important.” He reaches into his pocket and removes Madoka’s wallet with a big smile.

Madoka gasps and reaches for it and Kozuke relinquishes it. “Oh my kami… thank you, Kozuke-san!!!” She gasps and flips through it, and as she’s retrieving her IC card she notices that her student card is different. She slides her student card out of its card pocket and stares at it, noting that a picture of her new self is on the student card and her current gender is reflected on it.

“What is this, Kozuke-san?” Madoka asks, gasping.

“A little modest work in paving your way a little in your change. Now is not the time to talk about it, but we’ll discuss it in more detail later. Please continue on your way, and…” He reaches out to one of her tied-on cute baggy sleeves. Madoka notes suddenly that yellow lilies and leaves are embroidered on the sleeves much like the design that the kami’s kimono had embroidered on hers. “Just like any kimono, you can find a pocket right here… when you are done with it, you can slide it in here, like so.” Kozuke pointed out with a smile, pushing his hand into the sleeve. “Do you understand?”

Madoka stares at the sleeves and laughs. “That is very convenient, isn’t it?” Madoka manages to reply.

When she looks up to thank him, she sees that he’s gone already. She frowns, looks around through the increasing crowd, and sighs, moving towards the IC stand and sliding her IC card across it. She rushes through, sliding her card back into her wallet and slipping it into her sleeve as Kozuke had shown her. She runs to the platform, and rushes towards a train quickly, dashing into the closest train car before the door closes behind her. The people in the packed train stare at her, and she stares at them, though more than one face breaks into a warm smile for her. Madoka blushes and squirms and looks down.

Finally, a man nearby rises and looks at her. “Please take my seat, girl. I don’t need it.”

She stares at him, suddenly, perplexed. “I… why I’m… I…” she flounders.

“You don’t want it?” he asks again politely.

“I… I’ll…” She considers and feels self conscious again about the skirt she wears. “Um… I’ll gratefully accept your offer; thank you, sir.” She bows, moves to the seat and sits, adjusting her skirt. For a wonder, she realizes that she sat down with her legs closed naturally, as ladylike as she could wish. Perhaps the other side of him… her… had rubbed off on her over the last few days. There were a lot of body languages that she had been emulating subconsciously. Had Harue had noticed that? Was that what had attracted her to him? What a strange thing!

She stares at nothing for a long moment, clutching her skirt, thinking about her situation. Finally, the man speaks again.

“You’re a very tall girl, aren’t you. Are you a model?” the man asks her out of blue.

“What? Oh… no… not at all.” Madoka laughs. “What would make you think that?” she asks, looking up at his face.

The man shrugs. “You’re very tall and beautiful. Those types usually end up working as idols or models.” He grins and suddenly produces a card, handing it to her.

“I’m Goto Daisuke, an agent with Sparkles Agency. An idol agency. If you’re interested in breaking into the career, I guarantee you’ll do well.” He winks and grins.

Madoka gapes for a long moment and finally accepts the card, stunned. “Um… thank you… I’ll think about it…” Why am I getting so many weird offers suddenly! A miko? An idol or a model? What is this???

Madoka numbly fishes out her wallet from her sleeve and opens it to slip the card into it, bowing to the man.

“That’s a very manly looking wallet. Are you a tomboy type? I can see that with those skinned knees like that, though with that body type and face, it’s hard to see it.” He laughs.

“Um… I guess you could say that.” She laughs, studying her knees. Come to think of it, they are a little scraped up and one knee has been bleeding.

“Were you climbing trees in a cute weird costume? Come to think of it, why are you wearing that? You seem like an actress or a professional cosplayer,” he comments, and offers her a tissue.

Madoka blinks and accepts it with a grateful smile. “Thank you. Yes… you could say that… yes… a cosplayer.”

Madoka stands at her house’s front door, panting breathlessly, her skin pebbling with goosebumps again, and she looks around, but doesn’t see anything unusual. On the way running from the station, she thought she had spied a no-face youkai. Madoka ignored it as much as possible, and it hadn’t approached her, though it did make her anxious for a moment. Her skin is still pebbling at the moment, however.

Now Madoka hesitates with her hand on the knob to her front door. “What am I going to do… how will they react to me…” she mumbles, and moans a little.

“They will embrace you, I’d imagine. I’ll help convince them.” Kozuke says again next to her. Madoka shrieks and almost collapses with her mouth foaming.

Mana and Nobuo look back and forth at each other skeptically as they study the pale girl in the very miko-like costume and Kozuke, who stands in front of them with his beast ears standing on his head and twitching.

They particularly stare at that, not to mention the bushy tail that suddenly peeks out at that moment and starts swishing back and forth lazilly.

When Mana noticed the screaming at her doorstep, she had rushed to open the door, to see the strange miko-like girl and the youkai holding her, looking like a handsome, normal-looking man. She had offered to let them in to have a cup of tea and recuperate being as the girl had looked out of sorts and shut down. She couldn’t help offering hospitality to them.

After the door closed and they all sat down, with the girl fidgeting and squirming, looking back and forth between them with a deep blush from head to toe that was extremely charming, Kozuke ran his hand over his head through his dark luxuriously dark short hair, and suddenly his beast’s ears appeared. To say that they yelled at witnessing the appearance of those ears was an understatement. When he demonstrated a full transformation into the form of a lion dog and back and forth, it elicited a similar reaction in Mana to that of the girl previously. Nobuo comforted her for a long moment, despite his lack of time because of being due back to work soon, looking stunned himself.

“I am an honest to goodness lion dog, a servant of the kami and temporarily a servant of this girl, who is a miko in training for a newly raised kami. She is in my care, but also yours as she is your child, Madoka. Her powers have affected a change in her deeply, her gender being one overt examples of those changes,” Kozuke explains.

“Miko in training?” Madoka gasps, staring at Kozuke. “Kozuke-san… this is the first time I’ve heard this… why didn’t you tell me?”

“Madoka???” Mana and Nobuo exclaim simultaneously, staring at each other and at her.

“She’s incredibly lovely… I can’t believe it,” Mana gasps.

“It’s very much true. This is your child. Please show her your support and love.” He smiles charmingly at her and Mana swoons a little at that smile.

Nobuo looks back and forth between the two and grimaces.

“I’ll accept it. I’m a pious man and I revere the kami. I will cherish her as my daughter, but please would you refrain from making eyes at my beautiful wife?” Nobuo asks plaintively.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to do that, sir. My deep apologies!” Kozuke stands and bows deeply. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t dally with humans even though she is a fetching lady.” He grins winningly.

“She is, isn’t she?” Nobuo grins at Mana, who blushes from her hair to toes. Apparently that is genetic.

“There are a few important details. You must keep Madoka’s transformation as low profile as possible. It would be best to enroll her in another school immediately. I am her guardian protecting her from youkai which are hunting her. It would be best if I remain close to her. May I stay?” he asks charmingly.

“Yes, of course!” Mana exclaims eagerly. “We do have a spare room we can give you.”

“We would normally charge rent.” Nobuo frowns. “But since you are a holy person…” he trails off.

“I don’t eat much. I will offer my service as a butler for your whole family during the times when Madoka is in her home. I will prepare delectable meals for you and clean your lovely home in my spare time.”

Mana and Nobuo’s eyes widen and Madoka frowns. The widened eyes of Mana and Nobuo turn quickly to grins and Nobuo’s attitude changes entirely, as they both eagerly accept him, for slightly different reasons.

Madoka looks down at her feet glumly. “I don’t have the choice, Kozuke?” Madoka asks. “I don’t want to be some kind of priestess,” Madoka protests.

“Your fate is bound to the Kami-sama. I will fashion you into an exemplary miko, but don’t fear, she’s not a jealous mistress. You’ll have plenty of personal freedom.”

Madoka gapes, stunned. “But… but… but…” she whines.

 

Postface

Alcoves - AKA Tokonoma. A raised up area in a room that is set aside to not be stepped upon. It is specifically used in a way that a shelf is. It's how you might use a coffee table as well, but obviously you don't eat on it or put drinks on it. :D

Cosplay - Dressing up in fanciful costumes typically designed after written or animated characters.

Familiar - A classic term for a beast/creature/youkai who has a contract with one and serves them.

Hagoromo - A classic part of classic kami raiment. Frequently they are portrayed as floating about them in a halo-like fashion.

Kappa - a bald youkai that carries water with it in a trough on its head, classically. They're usually turtle-like but also have beaks typically that more resembling that of a bird's. They are usually small and cute like turtles, but on occasion, they're portrayed as human size. Mine are not. Mine are more like this: 
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/kakuriyo-no-yadomeshi/images/8/81/Kappa.png/revision/latest?cb=20180402210929

Maou - Another term for a demon, but unlike the Youkai general term for 'demons' it is a term for a particularly malevolent one. The demon term Youkai is a more benign term than one would think. Maou is evil.

Meiji Shrine - I've already mentioned this term in the previous chapter, but I am adding an additional note here. The last Meiji Emperor and Empress are enshrined here as kami. They are pretty important figures.

Miko - A classic shinto priestess, or Shrine Maiden. There is a typical raiment associated with them: a bow, a white haori (kimono jacket), and some white or red hair ribbons, with red hakama (pants skirt).

No face - A classic black robed youkai with a face that appears to be a mask. If you've ever seen Spirited Away directed by Miyazaki, that's the classic look for one. Also Vaste Lorde from Bleach sort of resemble them, but of course are not enormous, really.

Pray - You know what this is, but to explain the process in a Japanese shrine, one throws a coin of the variety that typically has a hole through the center, typically 5 and 50 coins. One bows, ring the bell at the front of the shrine, throw the coin into the offering box, bow your head twice then clap your hands twice followed by another low bow. While exiting the shrine, one typically would bow to the Torii gates for a final bow.

Red String of Fate - A Japanese legend of a non-physical binding that ties one to another. It is usually used in terms of romance or love, but also it can symbolize being connected to another.

Shimenawa - A ceremonial large rope tied around sacred trees and strung on the grounds of Shrines. Using for ceremonial purification.

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