Unselfish Wish

Chapter 13- A New Dilemma

Fumiko arose, her face looking worse than the previous morning. She had barely slept, and her dreams were a whirl of deciding between Tsukiyomi and Kiyoshi. She had to admit that if it were possible, she'd choose Tsukiyomi, since he'd been with her for so very long. Allowing her to worship and romantic love were two very different things. But she didn't imagine it was possible and she knew that she also loved Kiyoshi. Her issue was that she did not feel it was entirely fair to either one for her to be torn. She also supposed that she was getting ahead of herself, since neither had indicated that they desired her devotion, but she felt it was important to settle on a firm path. She went down to the shrine, feeling a little guilty that she was asking for help when it was about the god she was asking.

My dearest, most beloved Tsukiyomi, she prayed. I find myself torn. I have two people in my heart, and I seem to be unable to determine who is more precious to me. Will you help me?

Silver eyes watched her. With the danger he'd stayed all night to keep watch. He'd seen her fitful sleep. Precious to her? How could he possibly help with such a task when he wanted to be the one? He sighed, feeling rather grumpy. It had never been his nature to be patient and ten years was beginning to wear on him, even if it was a tiny portion of his existence. That said, he could not say no to her, and whirled off to change forms.

Kiyoshi soon appeared at the gate. Fumiko was outside already and heard him, running over to let him in. She completely forgot that she was wearing her nightgown, a simple and thin white silk gown. He stared at her, hurriedly closing the gate and pushing her towards the door. He was still holding her arm when they reached the door to the house.

She was blushing. He abruptly let go, then cleared his throat.

"Um, Fumiko, you know..." Her face showed confusion. "Er, that nightgown, um, well..." He looked down. He could see EVERYTHING. His desire to possess her was nearly overwhelming. "To be honest, any man would have impure thoughts. Sorry." She Flushed a brilliant red.

"Oh, my, I- um, let me get changed. Do come in." He stood in the doorway while she ran upstairs. He was startled by Fumio's sudden appearance. He had a huge grin on his face. He waggled his eyebrows at the flustered god.

"I saw that, you lecher. Impure thoughts indeed. Well, if I hadn't already consented to your courtship we'd be having a VERY different... conversation. God or not." He raised a brow, enjoying Kiyoshi's discomfort. "Can you really restrain yourself? It's been ten years."

"I can, and I will. As I'm sure you know, Fumiko is worth every moment." Fumio nodded.

"Yes, yes of course. I'll leave you to it." So saying, he departed for work. He smiled to himself as he left. He knew Tsukiyomi was older than him by a vast amount, but somehow he felt the elder in this situation. So serious! He laughed, thinking of the embarrassment he'd just watched.

Fumiko dressed quickly, her face very red. How embarrassing! Though a part of her was a little disappointed too. What was I expecting, really! A kiss? A hug? More than that? Her face got redder. She cooled her face with water before going downstairs. She wasn't quite sure what to expect but decided to apologize and move forward. As she came down the stairs, she looked at Kiyoshi's handsome features. She couldn't believe that such a fine person as her friend cared for her so preciously. He turned and smiled at her. It'll be fine, she thought.

"Kiyoshi, I must apologize for my earlier attire. I was praying and didn't think about it. Please forgive me." So saying, she bowed low.

"Please, Fumiko, stand up." She did, confused at his slightly exasperated tone. "It's I who should apologize for... er... looking." He blushed. "Regardless of what you are wearing, I should not have done so." She laughed and he looked surprised. The playfulness had returned.

"How silly we both are. It's not that serious, really. You only did what was normal, after all. I should have thought to cover up more before going outside but I was desperate to... um, well, in any case, I should have been more careful. Let's go to school, shall we?" He nodded, nonplussed at her change in demeanor. It hadn't been her habit to behave playfully. Probably Hinata’s influence, he thought.

They walked to school, Kiyoshi on the lookout for Yokai, while Fumiko was occupied thinking about her feelings for Tsukiyomi and her feelings for Kiyoshi. She couldn't say for certain which one she would choose, should such a choice be necessary. This was bothering her quite a bit, since she was sure that she was in love with Kiyoshi, but she was extremely devoted to Tsukiyomi. If he asked, she'd do anything he asked, even give up her own life. She looked at Kiyoshi, who was looking around quite a bit.

"What's wrong Kiyoshi?" He was slightly startled.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just checking for danger." He said.

"Danger?" Ah dammit, he thought. Now I've done it. "You mean like the Yokai that have been lurking recently?" He stopped and grabbed her wrist.

"You knew?" He looked so serious. She giggled then stopped. He was obviously very concerned.

"Er, well, of course I knew. I told you my grandfathers are gods. One thing they made sure to teach me very young was how to watch out for and protect myself from Yokai." She smiled brightly and flipped her hair. "Not that they told my father they did it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, your father had no idea so we, well, created a group to protect you." He looked down at the ground, oddly embarrassed that he had somehow underestimated her. She smiled and began to laugh. Strangely, this cleared all negative energy for about a mile. He stared at her. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was more than a demigod.

"I'm sorry, I know you're completely serious. It's just that even my father should know that I am not so weak. Very well then, I will use these practice sessions with you to show you my power. We can spar. How's that?" She tilted her head.

"Yes, agreed." I'll have to go easy on her, but at least working with me will help her combat skills considerably.

"Oh, who did you convince to be my guards?" She asked curiously.

"Sayuri, Kaori, Yutaka, Hinata, and Atsushi. Of course they wanted to help their friend." Her smile dimmed a little.

"Oh. So, they know about me then?" She seemed sad that they knew about her.

"Yes, and to be honest, they didn't seem very shocked."

"Well, neither do you, shrine maiden." He blushed. She started to skip ahead.

"At least call me a monk or priest!" He called as he ran after her.

Over the next several weeks Fumio, along with Aiko, taught the newly appointed guardians as much magic as they could learn, building on the skills they already possessed. Yutaka and Hinata were both students of Kyudo and were taught ranged bow-style skills and other wind-based attacks. These were Aiko's specialty. Atsushi and Sayuri were both students of Kendo and were taught sword-style skills along with ice and thunder techniques, a blend of training from both Fumio and Aiko. Kaori was a musician and gardener, so became the healer and shielder of the group, most of the skills being water based. These were Fumio's specialties.

Fortunately, they were all quick studies and developed quickly. Atsushi was a little disappointed that Kaori was not his practice partner, but the friendly Sayuri wasn't bad either. Kiyoshi and Fumiko had explained that the plan was revealed, but that they would complete their practice separately as planned. The camaraderie was strong. Fumio and Aiko were pleased, as it reminded them of their own childhood, when they were paired together to help protect each other, at their fathers' request.