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He picked at the bandages. "They are fine," he snorted. "You did an adequate job of caring for your god." He stretched once more before following Kiyoko down the hall, looking at each room as they passed them with curiosity. It had been a while since he had stepped foot into the Hayashi shrine. The last time he had been here there was an old man with a long beard thrown across hit shoulders like a ponytail and a feisty old woman who was blind yet had extraordinary magical prowess. She was able to see as if she had an inner third eye, using it to farm bountiful crops and speak to the god whenever he passed by. This was when he was still a god worth respecting, when he was the god of autumn and metal. He could rest on the roofs of temples and shrines dedicated to him and watch the sun rise and set, spending time with the owners of the facilities.

"Say..." he said, remembering the presence of the temple cat. They were almost always in shrines and temples as well, lurking in every corner. Most of them were quite kind to him, as he recalled. "What is the name of your temple cat? It is quite brave to stand before a god's wrath."
 
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Kiyoko ignored the god's jab, lips only thinning slightly as she turned away from him. At least he had acknowledged that she took care of him, though from the sounds of his voice he thought he had every right to being taken care of. And the worst thing was, he really did. And, biting her tongue to hold back from any more remarks, she started padding quietly down the hallway, leading him out of the offering room. He was going to stay in one of the 'finest' rooms, if there was such a thing. As far as she knew, the rooms inside the temple building itself were uniform and identical, all simply furnished for the temple followers and worshipers who wanted to stay for short amounts of time inside the temple. There was once a time when the shrine was without shortage of people who wanted to contribute, to help clean the temple and make daily offerings.

She looked over her shoulder and at the tall form that easily kept up with her in surprise. "My cat?" Her brows rose slightly, before she looked back warily. What did he want with her cat? "His name is Yuta. He's been here at the temple for ten years." Turning away again, she mumbled, "He was the one who led me to you earlier. It seems he wandered off, though." The miko wasn't even sure about how the grey feline was able to discover and find this man. What room to use... "Ah." She remembered, there was once a room that no one ever used. It was also still inside the temple building, and she had wondered if it was some sort of special meeting room or a room that one of the former mikos once had. Kana, her mother, had always preferred living behind the temple instead.

"Follow me." Their footsteps padded quietly as they crossed through more halls, or at least hers did. She quickly realized that Nishibyakko's footsteps barely made a whisper of sound, and if there was any, it was as soft as the kiss of a snowflake. Her own steps sounded loud in comparison. They headed towards the back of the temple, to the last hallway where a path branched off to lead to an exit area. But they weren't headed there in the meantime. Not looking behind her, the miko led him to a room enclosed within delicate-looking walls and sliding door. Opening it, she peered inside the room. It was dark, she hadn't lit up this room. When well-lit, it was surprisingly... pretty. Delicate paintings covered the walls, and there was a storage place that could be opened in the far wall, to the left. To the right there was a simple low table. Complimenting the paintings of trees and mountains on the walls were scrolls with precise characters scrawled on white paper in stark black ink. "This is one of the nicer rooms in the temple, but I have to prepare your futon and anything else. Would you rather wait here?"
 
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He chuckled. "Of course it did. I have always had an affinity to cats." After all, he was a big tiger himself. "As the White Tiger, you would expect my presence to attract cats." There was no cat god in Japan, but as the White Tiger of the East, cats were able to communicate with him and he could speak to them as well. They kept him company when he was a travelling god, and when he was the God of Autumn the temple cats sat with him on the roofs and talked about their life with humans. They were almost like messengers for him, just like how kitsune listened to their god - Inari Okami. Nishibyakko wasn't surprised that this cat, this Yuta, was the one to find him. There was a hidden spiritual connection tied between him and those mortal feline creatures.

The god silently trailed after the girl, his footsteps silent like a cat. Even in his true form each step was like an autumn leaf falling to the ground, a bare whisper of movement as he moved his huge, almost-mountain sized body. He stuck to the walls, some rooms lit with a gentle orange lantern, illuminating the temple and bathing it as if it was caught in sunset. It was beautiful, and it reminded him even more of the current season. As they paced down quietly down the winded path of the hallway, she led him towards the inner areas of the temple. There were less lights, as the hallway was covered in darkness, but he could see quite well in the pitch blackness.

He entered the room with her, watching as she quickly lighted up one of the lanterns on the side. He blinked at the room and the paintings that hung from the walls like snakes, showing different scenery from the world around them. He reached out and touched one of them, a long scroll of a painted landscape with a sea of autumn trees. Nishibyakko spotted two sparrows in the air, their tiny wings spread open as they took flight. The old man had painted this, aside from his duties the god remembered his hobbies well. "I remember this painting," he said aloud, admiring the skill it took to produce such an art piece. "This was my room, a long time ago. I stayed here."
 
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The lantern lent the room a warm golden glow, light flickering from behind the paper enclosures. "This room?" The miko asked, eyes trailing across the beautiful paintings of sprawling mountains and lush trees, all drawn with a delicate hand. It was odd to find such a fine-looking room in the temple, when the other rooms were all clean and elegant, but simple. This was the only room to have such paintings. Her gaze drifted over to the god in curiosity at his words. "It must have been a really long time, then. My parents didn't tell me about this room." Kiyoko looked away afterwards, suddenly remembering that the god had questioned her relation to the Hayashi earlier. Or rather, he told her she wasn't a member of the bloodline. Remembering this caused her to abruptly turn away from him, her feet hastily taking her back to the entrance of the room. "They said no one has seen you here in more than five generations."

She looked at him warily for another moment. "I'll go and get a futon from the house." Leaving the god to his own devices in that room sounded questionable to her own sense, but she had to. The miko made the walk back to the house behind the temple, her shoulders relaxing once she was out of the god's proximity. Kiyoko hadn't even realized how tense he could make her, biting her lip at the feeling of her aching back. How strong did that man have to be to bruise a small human girl? Not much. The miko had a sinking feeling she was going to be even more sore tomorrow morning. "And I have to work tomorrow too," she sighed in the open air, stepping gingerly in front of her house. "Where the heck is Yuta?"

After having gotten a futon to spare, one of the better ones, Kiyoko carried it back to the room in the temple. Without looking at Nishibyakko, she muttered, "Here is your futon." The miko went to lay it out on the side of the room across from the table. "I think I'll prepare your food offerings first before doing anything more, but you can lie down if you want." She was hurrying to finish this. What if he suddenly switched moods again or remembered his remark about her bloodline earlier and then decided to question her?
 
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"I must say, I am surprise it isn't-" he dragged a finger across the low table in the corner, "that dusty." The god turned to look at her with narrowed eyes, "Not sure if your parents simply did not tell you or the earth has been looking after me well." Stepping closer to the miko, he blinked at her with piercing pale violet eyes as if he was judging her from head to toe, one hand on his hip. Confidently, he leaned in and took a deep whiff, closing his eyes to analyse the smell. Though he had not been here for many generations - as she said - he could remember the smell of each of his individuals. That way it was easier to sense intruders, he was a feline god and that title was not for naught. "I can tell you are not a full blooded member of his clan," Nishibyakko grinned at her. "Perhaps that is why this room remained a secret to you."

He was quiet when the miko left to fetch a futon, turning around to examine the room further. He had been admiring the paintings, ones of trees and beautiful flowers. He was especially paying attention to one of the goddess Amaterasu, another woman of similar features standing beside her. She, like the goddess of the sun, had a halo around her head. They both had hair as black as night, but their skin was a porcelain white. They looked delicate but also powerful. While Amaterasu's hands were open, showing her sunlight to the world, the other figure was sitting at a beautiful loom, weaving out the material of the gods. After a brief moment of silence, he stood up and took the painting off from the hook, rolling it up gently before placing it aside without a word.

For a miko managing a rather large temple, there was sure to be a lot of futons to let out in the sun and pat down. It was thick and comfortable, able to keep him warm at night, just how he liked it. Big, as well, plenty of space for him to roll around. Looking down at his bandaged chest, he looked up to grin at her. "Fetch me a sleeping yukata as well, miko. Unless you wish to see a god walking around dressed indecently."
 
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Standing up from her kneeling position after having smoothed out the futon, the miko turned to him. Her eyebrow ticked slightly upon hearing him speak, before her eyes flickered towards his bandaged chest. Of course the girl knew that chest. She had treated it earlier. Taking a deep breath, she averted her eyes from him and moved across the room, keeping her distance from the god as she did so. "Yes, I'll do that." What was the exact requirements on serving or treating a god when he was here in the flesh, anyway? Kiyoko didn't know. She was just going to be a good servant of this temple and do her job. Even if Nishibyakko Okami-sama's words and bearing tried to make her job difficult. At least it was bound to be a somewhat interesting and eye-opening experience about her god. And his rather difficult personality.

If all gods were this annoying and terrifying, Kiyoko thought with an inward groan, she would have been happier not knowing them personally. Now she would remember this god while she was doing her work around the temple, giving up offerings and performing her ritual dances. Him and his smug-ass face, she thought darkly in the safety of her own mind. She wasn't brave or stupid enough to tell him that to his face just some time after he had threatened to kill her. Or was it to eat her? Shuddering at the memory, she moved further towards the edge of the room, sliding the door open briskly. "And my name is Kiyoko. Ki-yo-ko. Not miko nor girl." At least try to remember the name of the one who treated you, she thought with a huff.
 
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He nodded, "Good. Try to fetch me something comfortable. Nothing too thin, nothing too scratchy. I assume there is some good material here in this temple." It was one of his temples, most things in his places of worship had plenty of good food and plenty of good clothes. They should be thankful that as his followers, they could live much happier lives. Wasn't it better than living in poverty surrounded by dying plantations and wilting crops? Better than serving gruel and only fish on the table, while those who believed in him earned the right to eat plump fruit and vegetables. He loved the fruit his earth produced, it was always delicious and filling. At least the Miko knew how to do her duties.

"Kiyoko," he repeated, blinking at her. Nishibyakko burst into laughter, almost falling over on his back on the futon as he thought of the characters that could make up her name. "Kiyoko? Pure child?" he said, guffawing at the thought. "Your foul mouth makes that name unsuitable for you, girl."
 
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Her hand gripped the wooden panel of the door tighter, her fingernails digging into it. Kiyoko felt a bright red flush spread over her face as she listened to those loud guffaws, her free hand trembling as she curled it into a fist. Oh, if this was a villager... No, if this god was just a man. She would have wrung his neck. And that was a little disturbing, considering it took only an insult to the temple and not to herself for her to get son angry. Maybe it was because she had expected more out of this god, her own god. After all those years of defending this temple so hard, and those scrapes and bruises she would get fighting villagers out to insult her family and the shrine? "Pure? Who cares about pure these days? At least I can do my duty and what I am meant for well," the girl spat, spinning around with narrowed eyes, the red irises glowing brighter in the room. She didn't notice, before hissing, "Unlike a certain god who only has his power and his pride backing him up instead of any real substance. What is a god without a purpose?"

Before Nishibyakko could say anything, the miko fled the room, running down the hallways without looking behind her. She couldn't believe she said that. Upon reaching her house, the girl panted as she stepped on the threshold, before hurrying through the corridor. There should be a yukata here. No. She couldn't even dare go into the houses of the family compound at this hour. Something about that place scared her. The dead would rather not be disturbed, even if the bodies were long gone.

That meant she had to get her father's own yukata. They were quite nice, seeing as he had been the head warrior and clan head when he had been alive. That god had better appreciate it. Her heart beat louder as she neared her parents' room. Kiyoko swallowed, going into it had always hurt. She could still remember her parents going out of their room like yesterday, alive and well. But she had to get this over with. Hurrying over to the old wooden chest made of fragrant lumber, she sought for the old yukatas. Her mother's. Then her father's. It was a good thing yukatas were naturally roomy and big. Her father wasn't as tall or as broad as Nishi, she remembered him being a slim and thin-featured man with long black hair.

She returned to the room in the temple at a less hurried pace, slowing down as she remembered she had just insulted Nishibyakko. To his face. Even if it was spoken in the heat of the moment. And with how unpredictable he had proven to be in the past hours, was that a good thing?
 
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He stared after her as she left, not even bothering to shut the screen door behind her. It was incredible how the miko did not have any self-restraint at all, and simply blurted out what she felt. Nishibyakko laughed to himself, those kind of miko were extraordinarily rare. After all, they were raised to be girls who respected their god and answered whatever they wished. He wondered what sort of upbringing Kiyoko had to have that sort of personality. It really had been a long time since someone who supported him as a god talked to him like that. Even so, it was usually in jest. Many of his followers talked to him as if he was their friend, like a mortal. The tiger god, at the time, was happy to know such accepting humans. But that was before the incident, after all. The Emperor and his greed could not be sated and it even passed down his bloody line. And once he lashed out, they began to hate him. Humans were like a cruel network of bees, one action affected the entire species.

Nishibyakko yawned, waiting for the priestess to return. Would she even bother, since she had insulted him to his face? But he was hearing her less-than-quiet footsteps on the floorboards outside, hesitating to come back inside. He grinned, "The proper question was, what is a god with backstabbing followers?" he said in a loud voice.
 
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The miko was hesitating to approach, biting on her lip as she heard no angry snarls or even anything in the room. Had he been quiet to himself when she had run out? Did her speech not offend him or anger him? Appearing at the edge of the entrance, she sighed as she realized that she hadn't even closed the sliding doors. It was really difficult sometimes to have the temper she had, but she had already gotten better at controlling it. With her experiences with the villagers, she kind of had to be good at not blowing up at everything that happened, only letting out that anger or annoyance when she thought it well-deserved. Hearing his voice speak aloud, she blinked at his words in confusion, before narrowing her eyes.

"I never spoke about you to other people in a way that counts as backstabbing," the miko said haltingly, entering the room. Approaching his lounging form, which was stretched out on that futon, she knelt down to hand him the yukata gathered in her arms. "Then again, I never met and knew what you were really like until now." Kiyoko pursed her lips and glanced at him. "You're not exactly the benevolent god in the old texts anymore, and you haven't been for a long time. People won't exactly support you if you're like... This." Sighing, she shook her head. Her expression towards him was caught between a frown and something almost sad. This place, this temple, must have been remarkable in its golden days. When Nishibyakko was still the god that people loved. If what he said was true, he had been here before. Perhaps met previous generations of priestesses and warriors. "And you have long lost most of your followers in this area. Maybe you should stop complaining about what remaining few you have."
 
"I have the right to complain when I do not know if they are going to be loyal," he said, taking the yukata into his lap. "I was a fool and thought my supporters would never disobey their god, but even a deity can be wrong, girl." The god looked around the room, at how it wasn't a mess and a wreck of wood and paper. How many times had he stumbled across a pile of nothing but fire wood, left burning under the rising sun? And how he screamed at Amaterasu who simply took no action and watched the world around him turn into ash? He leaned forward, arms pressing against the tatami mat floor as the pale violet eyes thinned like a feline in danger and threatened. "You have no idea what has happened, ignorant miko, so you should keep your mouth shut." He hissed at her, too much like a true cat. She didn't even look of age, she was still a cub compared to him. He saw the way they banded together and attacked him even though he helped them all this time. Gold, good food, protection, he looked after all under his paw. As a miko of his name, why did she not know what kind of god he was, and how it all fell apart in a single month? "I have seen and witnessed your species at its worst."

After a brief moment of silence, he leaned back, crossing his arms. Nishibyakko was clearly still boiling, but the aura around him settled down now that he had spoken his heart. "Though I commend you for keeping a shrine active, Kiyoko. And that you still offer me food." He said this almost reluctantly, his eyes narrowing as he met Kiyoko's. Not with her attitude he should be praising her, she should be showing him respect - more respect, and submissively.
 
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Uncertain of what to say after all she had just shared, the miko just frowned wordlessly at his words. Kiyoko had, of course, heard of past betrayals. It was a known story within the clan that there were greedy humans out there who wanted Nishibyakko's treasures and power, betraying him time and time again. Before that, he was supposed to have been a kind and benevolent god, right? But she couldn't see anything of that in the man in front of her, the arrogant set of his jaw and his cold violet eyes. She shivered and drew back as the god moved forward again, but didn't cower away from his angry glare this time. The more he spoke, the more Kiyoko saw in him something harsh and bitter, something she had already noticed hints of in his sleeping appearance.

"Just because you have seen our species at their lowest does not mean everyone is the same." Reiterating those words firmly, albeit with inner nervousness, the miko drew further away from him. Kiyoko stared hard at him for a long moment, before shaking her head. Suddenly, she just felt tired going back and forth with this god. He was angry and he only knew lashing out where she was trying to tell him something. And perhaps she could have been more respectful, but he didn't know how to treat her with respect. "I may not know everything there is about my god, but my family loved and respected you for a reason. And I hope that one day I may see it," she said quietly.

Standing up, she looked away from him and at the exit. "There must be a reason why we all waited for you all this time," she muttered. "I'm willing to stick around and see it, but stop treating me like I'm lower than dirt. I'll give you offerings soon, I just need to prepare."
 
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Nishibyakko was silent. What did she know? If she ever wanted to see an inkling of the kindness he wasted on humans, she was going to have to do something that didn't displease him. Humans have given the god a bad taste and a single miko wasn't going to change anything. "You can do what you wish, but do not be shocked if you do not get what you want," was all he said to her before she left to gather up a plate of fruit offerings to the god. He wasn't going to stay here, after all. Once the screen was shut behind her, he changed into the yukata. It was of decent material and was loose on his body, the sleeves covering the bandages that were wrapped around the bruises and wounds on his arms. The material smelt like the sun, as if she had just dried them earlier in the morning, which was sufficient enough.

The miko offered him a plate of seasonal autumn fruit before taking leave herself, leaving the god in the innermost chambers of the temple. He devoured the pears and apples and grapes he was offered, chewing on a slice of persimmon before he went to rest. The familiarity of the room was comforting to him, the shadow of a memory where an old man sat beside a dark and featureless figure, a board game occurring between them. The old man looked thoughtfully at the game, stroking a long white beard, before chuckling as he removed one of the god's pieces and replaced it with his own. Nishibyakko felt surprise and amusement before replacing one of the mortal's pieces, the two men laughing over a simple game. Those days, however, were long gone. Once he was well rested, he was going to leave.

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His clothes were tattered and destroyed, so the god left the temple grounds wearing one of the travelling yukata he had found, with his old coat thrown over to hide from the cold winds of an autumn morning. He shivered as he stepped outside, admiring the light grey sky as Amaterasu peeped her head from the heavens, shining her light on the world. Grumbling at the horrendously slow pace of her movement, unable to warm himself up, he thanked the statue of himself one last time for protecting the earth and for the food before heading towards the forest he had been found by without looking back once.​
 
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A soft yawn broke the still morning air in the courtyard of the temple, coming from the drowsy, sleep-deprived miko of the property. She blinked tiredly at the lightening sky, before shaking her head. "It's that late already?" Sighing, Kiyoko looked away. The miko had been unable to get more than just a few blissful hours of sleep the night before, tossing and turning in her futon as she thought of the slumbering god only a walking distance away from her house. Harboring a god was something that naturally had her worried and concerned about the state of the temple, as well as how things would proceed in the morning. Or even during the night. What if Nishibyakko had decided to just take her life in her sleep? What if he was capable of doing more terrible things than just that? But those were fears that she had to dismiss. Not after she had spoken those words to him before she left him in his room.

"I'm so tired," she muttered, drawing the soft cotton over coat tighter around her. Already having bathed and dressed before the crack of dawn, she was wearing warmer clothes than usual over her usual attire. Her hair was long, already falling somewhere below her knees, and she had to wash herself quickly before starting the day. The soft brown locks were still a bit damp by the time she had made her first rounds around the grounds. It was like a morning walk as well, before she had to go and check on her vegetable garden. And the fruit trees. Kiyoko had forgone a breakfast of rice and vegetables to complete her morning work faster, realizing she had to see what had happened to the god.

Now she was heading towards the temple building. As soon as she had gotten inside at the entrance, the miko shook herself to wake herself up more and walked past the silent hallways. But when she had gotten to his room, he was no longer there. "So he really planned on leaving without saying anything." It was murmured to the empty room with a sense of loneliness, almost. No one really stayed here with her. "Or maybe..." Maybe he was still somewhere in the family lands, outside of the temple grounds itself. She felt a brush against her foot, and looked down to see bright green eyes peering up at her. Yuta had been quietly trailing after her at his own leisurely pace, but he led her to Nishibyakko once before, right? Smiling a little awkwardly, she asked, "Can you lead me to him again?"

The cat blinked at her slowly, once, twice, before turning away, looking in the direction of the exit to the grounds. Kiyoko smiled as the cat stalked forward, and they made their way out of the temple and into the cold and crisp autumn morning once again. Yuta's tail flicked lazily behind him as he went down the path to the exit, the miko following him quietly out the grounds.
 
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The land outside of the temple remained untouched, the earth still heaped over the treasure mine of gold and precious ores. He could see that long ago, people had tried to dig some up, only to excavate useless rocks. Since then, his home had recovered from the wounds of the Emperor and his sons and his men ruining his land, only leaving it alone when he discovered the curse. He could see some of Kiyoko's older plantations, or perhaps the Hayashi family's old crops, some still weakly growing without water. Soon, he would approach the borders of his territory, then he could leave this place in peace. No god hunters would come and harm those nearby. Nishibyakko had been rude to that miko, but the last thing he wanted was to see that beautiful shrine and admittedly hard working girl be burnt down and be another site of destruction.

Nearby, there was a dirty shrine covered with overgrown grass and autumn leaves. It had not been cleaned or scrubbed in a long time, moss covering the rock that marked the earth. This was... the god's eyes widened. These were even rarer than his shrines. With a sad expression, he knelt down on one knee, sweeping aside the orange leaves that littered the small rock shrine. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?" he said to no one in particular, though his eyes remained on the rock. A past goddess of the sun... even if she was mostly forgotten these days, she still needed food. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a plump persimmon, one he had saved from last night, placing it in front of the rock. "For you."

The two giant oak trees, heavy with autumn leaves, stood where he had fainted yesterday. Nishibyakko sniffed the air, there was no smell of the god hunters nearby. No doubt had they tired of waiting and decided to return to whoever was leading them to report of their failures. He chuckled to himself at the thought of their leader's anger, or even better the Emperor's reddening face as a vein popped on his round, fat face. What a pompous man. Now feeling more confident, he stepped outside the border... only to be pushed back. "What?" he blinked, stepping forward again. A force pushed him back into his own territory, preventing him from moving forward. The god growled as his eyes flashed, who was playing a trick on him? With a powerful slam - now that his strength had returned - he pushed against the barrier, dragging it out further than it had before as if he was stretching it... he pushed and he pushed - maybe he could break though... only to be bounced right back.

"This... Azumaseiryuu. This is your doing, isn't it?" he snarled. He roared angrily, loud enough for even that overgrown serpent to hear him. "How dare you! You cannot do this to me, you fat snake!"
 
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Without a warning, Yuta had broken off into a dash, similar to yesterday. "Yuta?" Immediately alert, Kiyoko remembered the state that they had found Nishibyakko in the last time the cat had been this urgent. And it was morning now, so she could easily follow the patch of grey that streaked through the grass-covered land. The miko didn't hesitate to run after the cat, quickly realizing the path they were taking was the one that they took to the place where they had found the god. Knowing this, she didn't call out for her cat to stop or to wait for her, tightening her lips and running faster. Her sandals came down hard on the earth, and she no longer took in the usually calming sights and smells of the autumn morning.

"What could have happened now?" The miko questioned to herself in between gasps. Despite how he had been last night, she still felt a bit of worry for the god. He had been badly hurt just the night prior, what if he tore his bandages or reopened a wound on himself? What if something or someone had caused him to get hurt again? "Dammit, Nishibyakko-" He could have stayed a little longer inside the temple, if he really wanted to rest well and recover. After tossing and turning all night she had already had a lot of thoughts and guesses about how he ended up here. Chased by those who hunted him, wasn't he still in danger even now? Maybe he was stronger on his land and he could fight them off, but if he intended to leave...

The sight that rose to greet her took her off-guard. There the two oaks rose larger and larger as she neared, and then there was Nishibyakko. Kiyoko sucked in a breath, not holding back her shocked gasp. There was some kind of nearly transparent barrier between the two great trees, and the god was throwing himself against it. She could hear something crackle and sizzle upon contact, the barrier seemingly straining at his brute force. "What?" She stared for a moment longer before hurrying forward, hearing him snarl and shout some things. The miko could only catch the words 'Azumeseiryuu' and a slew of other angry insults coming from those snarling lips. And then she remembered, eyes lighting up with remembrance and then worry.

"Nishibyakko-sama!" Jolting herself form her staring she grabbed at his arm as he was once again thrown back. "Stop doing that, you'll only hurt yourself!" She couldn't see his torso or most of his body under his new clothes, which she recognized to be a yukata from the temple and his own coat.
 
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He turned and snarled at the miko who had grabbed his arm, flinging her away from him. His eyes glowed as they glared at her, accusing her for his predicament. "You- You! You called him, didn't you? You made that stupid snake put up the barrier!" he spat out each word, still pushing the barrier with his back as he did so. It crackled with magic, buzzing and hissing against his clothing as the two forces began to fight. Though they had different personalities, and they were associated differently, he was just as powerful as the Dragon of the East.

But that did not excuse the miko for what she had done. She had summoned him with those beads of her, the snake always listened to any prayers and helped suit. Even people considered villains, he would show them what was right. Karma would do the rest for those wrongdoers. The chances of the dragon hearing a holy woman, a miko, was too high. And now he wasn't allowed to leave his own territory. "Azumeseiryuu-" he hissed, his aura already turning more and more menacing as his rage built. His shadow, a mansized wisp behind him, began to contort and grow into that of a beast. The tiger, the one that everyone should fear and be afraid of.
 
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All she heard was a snarl before she was flung back, landing harshly on the ground. Kiyoko winced, gasping as her bruised back was jostled painfully. The girl pushed herself back up from the ground, fingers digging into the soft earth and the dead leaves, before scrambling further away from him. "What the hell was that for-" Her eyes went wide as she caught his own words, meeting those flashing violet irises. He was glaring at her with far more anger than even last night. She openly cringed, ducking away from his glare and looking around at the barrier instead. It was her doing? "I-I didn't think he would-" She made an effort to defend herself from his accusations, blanching all the while. While she knew those beads were particularly strong, it wasn't like she even expected it to work on this god. Or that her prayers to other gods would be answered.

And then she caught something moving just past him and near the barrier. She started quavering in front of him as she glimpsed his own shadow behind him begin to warp and change shape. "W-w-what?" Stuttering, the miko reached into her sleeves in a hurry, groping for the prayer beads she knew she had brought with her. At least she was prepared, but she never expected to have to use them again so soon! Quickly uttering the prayers under her breath, she pushed herself off the ground and stood up before throwing the beads up into the air. The string of polished wooden beads glowed, before shooting towards Nishibyakko. "If you're not going to calm down, I have to do this!"
 
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The beads sprang to life, wrapping around the body of the god. The shadow was affected as well, as his mirror image, the beast struggling to break free as if its arms had been restricted. He growled and he snarled, trying to push the beads away from his body. "Get these-" he snapped," away from me!" Grabbing one of the string of beads that had wrapped itself around him, the god tried his best to tug it away, almost pulling it into his teeth to pull even harder. "You goddamn miko, I'll tear you to shreds!" For such a low-life mortal to dare call upon that serpent to treat him like this, to confine him within his own home and prevent him from moving on with his life... it made him sick. His sole purpose in life was to travel, that was all. He had to travel and he had to move away from people, from villagers. The Emperor didn't care about his own subjects, if he needed to wipe a place from the face of the earth than so his command shall be. Nishibyakko was cruel, but he wasn't that cruel.

No matter. He could attack even with his arms behind him. With a lunge, he opened his jaws wide, revealing sharp teeth that could easily tear her face right off-

"Stop right there." There was a flash of blue light, shining all over the god's body. He couldn't move, couldn't even twitch a finger. A sensation of cool calmness washed over him, and he already knew who it was. He gnashed his teeth at the sight of a man surrounded in a pale light, his body appearing out of nowhere as clouds dissipated around him. He was tall, the same height as the tiger god himself. Though his hair was bright, ever changing like the world above them, including flecks of white like clouds. He donned on a white kimono, sweeping behind him like mist. Although his voice was stern, his expression was one of calmness with a hint of sadness in the sky blue eyes - so blue that it was unnatural. "Azumeseiryuu. You dare show your face here?"
 
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The fear from last night when he had attacked her came rushing back, causing the miko to stumble back and away from Nishibyakko as the beads glowed, tightly wrapping around his body. She was frightened, oh so very frightened, but she had done it. Someone had still answered her calls and had imbued those beads, that talisman, with the power to at least... Subdue a god. One thing that she knew she hadn't done on her own. Kiyoko gulped, hands clinging tight to the front of her hakama, as he snarled and roared. She was beginning to wonder if she should have come after him, but if his efforts to leave had proven fruitless, he might have come back to tear into her in the temple grounds anyway. Trying not to shudder away at his words, the miko muttered phrases under her breath. "It will work, it will work, it will work-" But had it even worked for long last night? She remembered that the beads had fallen from his body. Her other seals wouldn't work on him now, either. He looked much stronger than he did last night.

And with how enraged he looked right now... Would he even spare her? "Please, no-!" Crying out, she could feel her heart pound loudly in her chest, every beat suddenly loud like the pounding of drums in her ears as she stumbled back once, twice, as he bared sharp, elongated teeth that didn't belong on a humanlike appearance. Her sandal caught on something and she fell to the ground, bringing her arms up futilely -

Kiyoko closed her eyes tightly, bringing her arms around to herself just as he was almost upon her. She was going to die. The miko knew she was somewhat brash and impetuous, but this was - her giggle was out of place before it trailed off into a small sob. But one moment passed, and then another, and when she didn't feel the pain of his 'promise', she peeked upwards. He was frozen, stiff in position with just enough space between them. Stifling another terrified sob, she let her eyes trail over to his. His expression was still harsh, teeth gnashed together but what was he looking at? "A-Azumeseiryuu?" What was he talking about? She nearly stood up on shaky legs, but at the last moment was backing away and tucking her hands into her sleeves, reaching for her paper seals. The miko was angry at her own faltering just earlier, even if her seals didn't cut it, she could still have tried! "Y-you're such a bastard, Nishibyakko Okami," she hissed. "I was only worried for you but it looks like my worries were unfounded. If you would come as far as to kill me, are you even still the god my people love?" She was still trembling after that close call, but she was starting to get angry again.
 
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