[ нιмє ]

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Brother,

There are no words to describe how much I hate you. You and ЇѡმႬი both.

Were you content for the two of you to live forever? For all eternity....without me?

I know I was annoying when we were younger. A brat, even. Still....did you  want to erase me from existence that badly?

Was I truly nothing to you? Not your sister, not family, not even a person? Or was I some stranger who was related to you by blood only? A sister, but only in name? Just an annoying bug, an insect?

You were going to forget I ever existed completely. It killed me, it kills me!

Do you know how long I lived in your shadows? Was never noticed, always ignored? It was fine because you two were there! And then, and then...you weren't.

I grew too upset. And you grew away from caring.

Nobody spoke to me. If I was lucky, one of Dad's assistants would ask if I needed something. I'd be asked if I wanted more food. Someone would remark about the weather.

Nobody spoke more than twenty words to me. I know, I counted. Nobody had a conversation with me, nobody ever asked if I was alright.

Not even you.

It hurt, you know that? To be treated like a ghost, something nonexistent.

I was nothing.

Nothing at all.

Did you read that? The second word.

Was.

Guess what I am now, though? That's right, the exact opposite.

I'm not 'nothing' anymore. I'm not no one.

Now, I'm EVERYTHING. I'm EVERYONE. And everyone will rely on me, speak to me, and beg. Beg for the slightest bit of attention, just like I used to.

The tables are turning, now, dear brother.

And I'm not sorry about it. You had it coming from a very long time ago. Not only did you ignore me, and pretend I didn't exist....but you even left me to die. To wither. To rot.

Isn't it ironic your little cult, your group of toys which you don't even use to the full extent of possibilities and potential, focuses on happiness for all those who follow you?

I think so. For a while, you were the beacon in my life. My hope, my idol, my friend, my brother.

And then you only brought me misery. And that's how it's going to end for your little cult, too. With or without my interference.

I have roots in hatred. Deep, deep roots. I hate, and I envy. But that's okay. I'll weed the hate out and destroy it, destroy the bitter hatred. And those I hate will burn with it.

I'll give you one last chance though, a chance to take your pathetic group of emotion-high, devoted puppets and live the rest of your repetitive boring life in peace.

One of you has got to go. The world, the people, and everything that I never got or had is mine. It's mine, and I'm not sharing.

Kill him. Kill him and I'll let you live, brother.

- I/T

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"Hime."

Hime looked over at her older sister, grinding the stone against her knife's edge with a small frown. "What?"

Horibe crossed her arms over her gown of silk; she was nineteen, and the oldest of Hime's sisters. Horibe had long copper hair that was always, and she meant always, brushed to perfection.

It annoyed Hime to no end. In her eyes, in her mind: Horibe was worthless. A pretty face? Maybe. But other than that, what value did Horibe have besides reprimanding others to be better?

"Don't forget to clean up any messes after." Horibe tilted her head to stare at the rock with a slight sneer, as some dust was coming off and falling to the floor.

Hime grit her teeth, and scraping the knife against the rock harshly, the sound hurting her ears.

Horibe glared, her deep brown eyes, the same color as Hime's, focusing on her with a sort of bitter rage. But before she could speak, the tent's door opened with a loud zip sound so fast it sounded like it might break.

Horibe whirled around, controlling her anger just barely. "Hirika," she hissed, "If you keep opening the door that fast, you are going to break it."

Hirika zipped the door behind her, unfazed by Horibe's reaction. She had that same happy-go-lucky smile she always had and joined Hime on the floor.

Horibe raked her eyes over Hirika disapprovingly. Like usual, Hirika's hair - which was long, but not as long as Horibe's - was brushed, but not to perfection like Horibe's always was. Hirika wore a white dress, the fabric a little too short and thin in a way that wasn't completely modest.

Hirika pretended not to notice - and Hime was sure she was pretending - Horibe's disapproval. All Hirika cared about was fun, and Horibe was pretty much the opposite.

"You'll never guess who called me today!" Hirika sighed blissfully, picking the apple from the small table of polished oak wood. 

"It wasn't...?" Horibe's entire demeanor changed completely, conveying more elegance now than irritation as the annoyance cleared from her face. Hime paused sharpening her knife to look at Hirika.

"Iwaki." A huge grin split over Hirika's face, and she took a bite of the apple.

"And what happened?" Horibe asked, her eyes alert. She twisted her fingers together, her skin turning white from the action. "You didn't humiliate us, did you?" She added coldly.

"Don't be such a killjoy, Horibe." Hirika munched on the apple.
"It was the same as every other time. So very very fun!"

Hime focused her gaze on the rock and knife she held. If she was being honest, she was jealous. But that was no surprise. Iwaki was the leader of the cult and had been for over a hundred and fifty-two years. He was a god. He never died, never aged.

The lines between platonic and romantic were always blurred in this place. The teachings were to chase happiness, seek happiness, and live a life like paradise. Peace and joy. Something Hirika mastered well, which made Iwaki fond enough of her.

Give in only to mutual desires, make the others happy and you can be happy as well. Don't do what you don't want, and want what you do. Live in the moment, because there's a reason that the moment is called the present. It is a gift.

"...." Hime nearly snapped the hilt of her knife, so she dropped the rock and slid the knife back into her belt. "I'm going to see Naname."

Horibe dismissed her with a flick of her finger, which pissed Hime off even more. Without closing the tent door behind her, she stormed out, moving past three rows of large and nicely decorated tents until she found the one with daisies in front of it.

"Nana." Hime pushed past the tent door and came inside. The silence was loud, and there was a puddle of comfortable blankets in a pile, and huddled in them sat her friend.

Naname had medium-length red hair with enough brown in it to make it dim. The shade wasn't bright at all, but more like autumn leaves. Auburn, maybe.

Her eyes were so light blue they were almost glassy, like ice, and focused on nothing. She wore a simple white shirt and white pants as usual, and turned towards Hime's direction almost instantly.

"Hime?" Naname asked, lifting her hand into the air. Her lips tugged into a bitter frown, but she relaxed when Hime came forward and laced her hand through hers.

"Oh, thank Iwaki. I was so bored." Naname's gaze settled on Hime's forehead, glassy and seeing nothing.

"I'm sure," Hime responded. Naname had lost her sight at a young age - when she was seven years old - back before she had joined the cult. It was a traumatic experience that involved thugs and lanterns, apparently.

"Please, take me with you. I don't care where." Naname's grip on her hand became tighter, and Hime pulled her up, the redheaded girl wobbling slightly.

"Yeah, I think I'll go to the forest. If I catch enough food for dinner...." She trailed off.

"Maybe Iwaki will notice." Naname supplied, her other hand reaching to brush Hime's short brown hair, but due to her lack of sight, her finger bumped Hime's nose. "Oops."

"Yeah, Oops." Hime rolled her eyes, but she didn't mind and Naname knew that.

Leading Naname out of the tent by the hand, Hime headed through the neatly lined circle of tents, her eyes flickering to the grandest tent, the outside made completely of satin light gray fabric. Iwaki's tent.

Many of the others, the cult members, the bonded, Hime's friends and family by label, were outside doing various things.

Talking, decorating, setting things up for dinner. Dinner was always the grandest meal, the only meal where Iwaki came to join them. Yet he did so consistently, every single day without fail.

"Himeka, Naname." Hime spun around, tensing slightly at the sound of her name. There was only one person who called her by her name, which she detested, but let it slide because of who said it.

In front of them was Yuriko, the priestess. She wore an overflowing light gray dress that was a contrast against her dark skin, and her aura was gentle and....well, saintly. Yuriko was practically the definition of a saint.

"Going to the forest, right?" Yuriko guessed.

"Yes." Naname was the one to answer, staring blindly toward Yuriko without letting go of Hime, who was pretty much her guide.

"Can you do me a favor, please?" Yuriko requested, folding her hands neatly.

"What is it?" Hime asked warily, not wanting to be stuck doing something she didn't want to, but also well aware that she would do anything Yuriko asked. Anyone would.

"Can you catch a snake?"

Hime blinked at the strangeness of it, looking into Yuriko's deep brown eyes. "A snake." She repeated, and Naname wrinkled her nose.

"Yes. I've always wanted to try one. Very recently I've heard from the last group of travelers who passed through that snake meat is actually very good." Yuriko smiled, a happy sort of smile.

"I'll keep my eye out for one." Hime sighed, though in all honestly she'd rather try to catch a snake than a bird, which was the usual preference for meals and surprisingly harder to catch than a snake would be.

"Thank you, Himeka. I appreciate it." Yuriko turned to walk away, her long, soft dark hair spilling over the back of her dress.

"Naname, snakes?"

Naname shrugged as Hime led her towards the forest, this time uninterrupted. "I can't see them, how am I supposed to have an opinion?" She asked dryly.

"Fair point," Hime muttered, leading Naname through some trees and towards the forest's center. There was birdsong, not sweet at all but more like squeaky chirps. Every footstep was loud from the sound of plants and twigs crunching beneath them.

"Alright, so, you wanna sit down, or-" Hime let go of Naname, which was a mistake. The blind girl tripped over a tree root and crashed into the tree, which the root belonged to.

"Ah-shit-I'm fine-" Naname exclaimed, catching herself with one hand against the tree's trunk, her red-brown hair falling over her eyes as she brushed it away.

Hime sighed, shaking her head lightly. "Are you going to wait there?"

"Do I look like I want to sit around any longer?" Naname sassed, staring at Hime's forehead again. Which would've been unsettling if Hime hadn't been used to it.

Hime rolled her eyes. "Yeah, fine. Try not to make out with any more trees, will you?" She tugged her knife from her belt, the sharp tip catching light from a ray of sunshine.

"I make no promises." Naname followed after her, her steps small and clumsy as she made sure to avoid any more roots or branches that might be in front of her.

Shaking her head, Hime went over towards a large tree, and circled it, searching for any squirrels or birds. Unfortunately, there were none.

Hime shoved her knife back into her belt and grabbed the branch above her head. With a grunt, she swung herself up, and grabbed the next branch, using it to keep her balance as she stood.

Naname, who was a few feet away from Hime and the tree, heard Hime's grunt and stopped walking, recognizing it as the noise people usually made while trying to climb into high places.

"A snake's not gonna be in a tree, you know." She pointed out.

"I've seen them in trees before," Hime responded, pulling herself onto the next branch. "Besides, I'm just getting a better view."

"Huh." Naname said and held her hands in front of her face as she walked towards the other side of the clearing.

Pausing for a second, Hime looked down. "Bush ahead," she warned, before hoisting herself to the branch above, wrapping her arms around the trunk of the tree due to the fragility of the branch she was now standing on.

Below her, Naname stopped walking. "Any berries?" She asked.

"Nana, I'm in a tree. How the fuck would I know?"

Scrambling higher, Hime missed Naname's response, which was probably for the better.

"No berries!" Naname yelled in disappointment, halfway in the bush as she ran her fingers over the leaves in search of the berries.

Finally reaching a point with a good view, Hime wrapped her legs around the branch and scooted away from the tree's trunk to get a better view without being blocked by the leaves.

Hime scanned the forest. No large animals such as raccoons, foxes, deer, or wild birds were in sight. The best thing Hime could spot was the river. Maybe there would be a snake under all the rocks surrounding the shallow parts.

"Hime? You're still there, right?"
Naname called.

"Yup, I'm coming down." Hime lowered herself back to the branch below her. Repeating the action a couple of times, until she could jump to the ground without risk of injury.

"Where are we going?" Naname asked as Hime grabbed her hand and led her through the overgrowth.

"River," Hime responded simply. "We'll get fish today, I'm lazy. And there might be a snake there."

Naname took Hime's hand, scanning the forest sightlessly before her eyes settled straight ahead as they headed for the river.

Hime let go of Naname's hand as they arrived and went over to the river. "The net's still here." She confirmed, pulling her hand back from underneath a rock and dragging a net out with it.

Naname had inched over to the river, slowly to make sure she didn't accidentally fall into it, and sat down near it, dipping her fingers into the water.

After retrieving the net, Hime stepped into the water and walked through it. The water in this part came up to just below her knees, and she accidentally splashed Naname as she moved past.

Setting up the net to the other side by digging the edges of the net underneath stones, Hime set up the bottom before tying the net's top to the trunk of a small tree growing near the river.

Doing the same to the other side, Hime stood. Naname had guided her hands towards the net and wrapped her fingers around one part. With a tug it would come loose, something they were both counting on.

"I'll scare the fish over here,"
Hime said and climbed out of the water, running alongside the river until she could see a group of fish in the water.

Hime moved until she was a good way behind the group before getting back in. The fishing tactic was probably the most stupid one ever, but it worked for her.

Moving closer to the fish, Hime slammed her feet into the water. The fish scattered from each other, a group of around eight or nine.

Continuously stomping towards them, Hime herded the fish towards the net that Naname held. Whenever one tried to turn, she stuck her hand into the water and attempted to grab it, changing its direction instantly.

"Now, Nana!" The fish were pretty close to the net. With a swipe Naname undid the next and pulled it down over the fish, undoing the other side with the action. Practically leaning into the water, Naname held the net down over them.

Hime waded through the river over to her, gently pushing Naname out of the way as she took over the net and looked down at it. There were only a couple of fish.

Naturally, fishing in such a way like that wouldn't get very many fish, especially not when the person with the net was blind. Hime wasn't even sure how Naname managed to catch any fish at all-a normal person would have trouble catching even one.

And especially for someone without sight like Naname, too. Hime always assumed it was natural talent or some skill Naname possessed.

"How many?" Naname asked, as Hime scooped the net around the fish and lifted them out of the water. Droplets splashed back into the river as she tied the next, allowing the fish to die from lack of air.

"Two." Hime responded, and handed the net with the fish to Naname, who closed her fingers around it the blind girl held it.

"Now you need a snake." Naname pointed out, causing Hime to sigh.

"It's way too humid out here. Normally I'd check under some rocks, but we'd have better luck looking in a cave." Hime explained, grabbing the elbow of Naname's free arm.

"There's one nearby, right? You chased an iguana or some sort of lizard into it once."

"A gecko," Hime grumbled. "Annoying son of a bitch." She hadn't caught it.

"It was a big one, you said. Green." Naname recalled as they walked.

"They're all green. Well, some are brown. The dead ones are gray. But most are green."

Spotting the cave up ahead, Hime wove through the trees, stopping by the entrance. "Well, we're here."

Naname wrinkled her nose, moving the net with the two fish away from herself. "Nice. Hurry and find the snake, will you? Fish smell absolutely vile."

"Mhm," Hime answered with a noncommittal hum, walking into the cave with Naname taking baby steps to follow her.

Kicking aside piles of clustered dirt and rocks, Hime turned over the stones, but didn't find anything. "Nothing's here. Shitty moving sticks..."

"Are there any holes? Underground holes." Naname clarified, and Hime shrugged and started looking at the cave flooring.

"Yeah, a few..." Hime began looking through the holes. She came to one that appeared to be more of a small tunnel than a hole and froze.

She was staring eye to eye with a snake, and the two were equally as surprised as the other.

Hime and the snake reacted at the same time, the snake slithering out of the tunnel in a panicked attempt to get out, and Hime later realized it was due to the fact the tunnel had been caved in.

When it attempted to go past her, Hime's hand shot out, grabbing the snake by its scaly white body.

The snake twisted in her grip instantly, hissing loudly-which caused Naname to take a large step back-and aiming to bite Hime's hand in an attempt to get free.

Issuing her other hand, she managed to wrap her fingers around its neck. Holding it with two hands, Hime kept the withering snake under control. She was surprised honestly that she had managed to catch it.

"We bring it back alive." A grin crossed Hime's face. "I wanna shove it in Horibe's face and see her reaction."

"Naturally..." Naname muttered. She took a few steps closer, causing the snake to hiss louder. With a sort of frightened noise, Naname reached out to grab the end of Hime's shirt, closing her fingers over the fabric. "Let's go back now before I have second thoughts and tell you to strangle the snake."

"Don't you wanna know how snakes look?" Hime joked, walking out of the cave at a slow enough pace that Naname could keep up without tripping over her feet. "How are you afraid of something you've never even seen?"

"They sound terrifying." Naname shuddered. The snake hissed, as if agreeing that it was in fact terrifying.

Hime rolled her eyes. She'd held a dozen of snakes before, and was at this point extremely lucky she hadn't been bitten and poisoned by one. "It's the same color as Iwaki's hair." She said.

"White....like snow," Naname said, a sort of confusion flashing over her face. Hime assumed she was trying to picture it in her mind.

"Yep. And it's got black eyes. Or maybe it's a really dark brown. I can't tell."

"Oh." Naname sounded uncomfortable at the description of the snake.

Hime pressed on. "As I've said before, it looks like a very fast stick. A lot less straight."

"You think I know what a stick looks like?" Naname grumbled.

Hime paused for a second before walking again so that Naname didn't crash into her.
"I mean, you had to have seen a stick before the incident, right?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," Naname mumbled. Taking it as a sign to shut up, they walked the rest of the way in a silence that started as awkward, but became somewhat peaceful. Once they managed to ignore the snake's hissing, anyway.

—

"You're good now, right?" Hime let go of Naname, who gave her a nod.

"I can navigate this place without dying. Probably."  She said, and Hime hummed in acknowledgment.

"I see Horibe." Hime realized and instantly headed towards her older sister, keeping her grip on the snake firm. She pressed her finger into the side of the snake lightly, and it hissed loudly as Hime walked over and held it a few inches away from Horibe's face.

It was a jackass move and Hime knew it. Normally it wasn't something she would do, but....here she was.

Horibe yelled out, taking a step back in wide-eyed realization, and she retreated a few good steps backward. "Hime," She snarled. "What were you thinking."

Hime shrugged, and the snake had pretty much given up at this point, hanging limply in her grasp. "What's wrong? Scared of a little snake?" She questioned, her tone not light at all.

Horibe gave her a death stare. Before she could respond to lecture Hime, she was pushed aside by Hirika, who had spotted the snake. "Hime! A snake?" She exclaimed excitedly.

Reluctantly Hime held it out to her sister, and the taller girl stroked the snake's scaly head with her fingertip, smiling. "It's so cute."

Horibe scrunched up her eyebrows in a sort of disgusted disagreement, and Hime also gave her a look of doubt that went completely ignored.

"Himeka, you got the snake." Yuriko had come up behind Horibe and Hirika unnoticed, and the second her presence was announced Horibe straightened her spine and relaxed her shoulders, lifting her chin slightly.

"Yep. You want me to kill it for you?" Hime asked her, causing Hirika to make a face of exaggerated despair.

"Thank you, but no. I'd like to do it myself." Hime was a little surprised. She couldn't imagine Yuriko hurting an animal, much less ending its life.

"If you say so." Hime handed the snake into Yuriko's outstretched hands.

The snake, which had previously been limp, took its chance instantly and lashed around, sinking its teeth into Yuriko's forearm.

Yuriko let out a slight gasp, dropping the snake, which gladly dropped to the floor and attempted to slither away. Her other hand went over the bite, grimacing with pain.

"Yuriko!" Horibe rushed to the other girl's side, gently lifting Yuriko's free hand off her bite mark, and brushing her thumb over the girl's dark skin to get rid of the few drops of blood.

Hime blinked, staring at Yuriko for a second and turning to glance in the other direction. Hirika had chased the snake down rows of tents, and some of the others had noticed the commotion. They started to gather around Yuriko and Horibe, and Hime shrank back a bit.

"Yuriko, Horibe, over here!" By one of the tents, one of Hime's friends...family? Friends....called out. It was Aya-she was one of the youngest in the cult, two years younger than Hime and fourteen. Like Hime, she had been born here. Unlike Hime, her parents were still alive.

Aya was small compared to the others, but not carefree. There was a look in her eyes that suggested she was always thinking, always analyzing. Which unnerved a lot of people who found thinking so deeply unnecessary.

Iwaki appreciated it, thinking it to be a trait that set Aya apart- like Horibe's elegance, Hirika's endless joy, Yuta's paintings or his kindness, Yuriko's etherealness, Tatsuya's loyalty, Hime's hunting skill, and so on.

Snapping from her daze of thoughts, Hime realized Horibe and Yuriko had already reached Aya; the younger girl was cleaning Yuriko's bite with a damp washcloth.

"Hime! Hime!" She sidestepped just in time to bypass a hug from Yuta, who managed to catch his balance instead of falling.

"You're so mean..." he muttered, frowning at her. Hime shook her head lightly.

"You act like a child, you know that?" She told him.

"Careful. You're starting to sound like Horibe." Yuta's eyes glittered, knowing this remark would get under Hime's skin.

"Shut up." Hime's face wrinkled into a scowl at those words. There was no idea she hated more than the possibility she might be anything like her older sister.

"I will if you'll help set up the dinner table! Naname brought the fish you guys caught. Tatsuya's also being mean, he won't help!" Yuta huffed, looking at her pleadingly.

Hime started to shake her head no, but then realized she had nothing better to do and might as well help. "Fine."

"Yay!" Yuta cheered, over-enthusiastic. Hime could see why he and Hirika got along so well.

Following him to the long table of polished wood, Hime could see the others setting up. The adults and some of the others her age were setting out plates, and cooking meat over a fire.

"Where's Tatsuya?" Hime asked, spotting Yuta's younger sister, Yuka, placing a handful of berries on each plate.

"I don't know, he wandered off towards one of the tents after saying he had somewhere to be." Yuta took Hime's hand, dragging her over towards his mother, who was adding seasoning on the fish. Someone else had caught fish too it seemed, because there were five instead of only two.

"Yuta, Hime." Yumara acknowledged her son and his friend, taking a knife and cutting the fish into halves, so that would it be enough to double the amount of portions and still be plenty filling.

Yuta smiled, his fingertips tapping on Hime's wrist rhythmically. Hime was never sure whether she found it annoying or not, so she said nothing. It was just a habit that Yuta had.

"We're here to help!" Yuta said, and his mother, finishing with the fish, piled it all onto one plate and held it out. "Here, put this on the table, will you?"

Letting go of Hime's hand, Yuta took the plate of fish and started towards the table. Hime looked at Yamura, waiting for instructions.

"Here, Hime." Yamura was the type of mother to treat all kids as her children, which made Hime fond of her, seeing Yamura as her mother figure.

Hime took the plate of meat Yamura had handed to her. Yanira gave her a gentle smile, which Hime returned, before bringing the plate of meat to the table. It was pretty much set up by now-she didn't have to help much.

"Hime!" Yuka, Yuta's eight-year old younger sister, ran over to her, grabbing Hime's sleeve. "You got fish? I hate fish."

"It was easier than catching something else." Hime defended, while Yuka stared up at her in disappointment. "When is turkey season? I want turkey."

"Yukana, you're being rude."

Yuka jumped, the little girl turning around as a boy placed his hand on her head, ruffling her hair and staring down at her.

"Sorry, Hime."  Ducking under Tatsuya's hand, Yuka hugged Hime's arm without removing her eyes from him.

"I know you are." And she did. Yuka never knew she was being rude, she just acted before thinking. And very rarely did Yuka ever realize when she was acting bratty. Yamura hoped she would grow out of it.

As for Tatsuya and Yuka, the two were fairly close. Tatsuya had a strange mix of treating Yuka as a child and as someone his own age, although he was a condescending person in general.

"TATSUYA. You bastard." Tatsuya was tackled from behind, and Hime was unsurprised to see it was by Yuta. "I had to find Hime to help me when you could have!"

Tatsuya grunted from Yuta's weight. "Nah." He said, reaching up and placing his hand against Yuta's forehead in an effort to push the other boy off.

"Ouch! You're meaner than Hime and ruder than Yuka!" Yuta ducked his head, squeezing his arms around Tatsuya's neck so that he didn't fall. Yuka watched in silence, though she didn't seem too happy about it.

"Yuka, let go." Hime tried to tug her arm out of Yuka's grip.

After a moment of hesitating, Yuka let go. She was possessive over the people she cared about or admired, especially Tatsuya. Though she wasn't too close to Hime, Hime knew Yuka admired her. Both Yuta and Yamura had confirmed it.

"I'm going to find Naname." Hime stated. She watched as Tatsuya managed to shake Yuta off his back, flicking his forehead, as Yuka reluctantly let Hime leave.

Weaving through the others, Hime noticed some people starting to sit down. Besides the berries though, no one added to their plate. Waiting.

"Nana?"

Naname reached her hand out, hearing her, and Hime wrapped her hand through Naname's and pulled her into a random seat, before sitting beside her.

"Yuriko got bit?" Naname asked incredulously. "How? Didn't you kill the snake for her?"

"No," Hime responded, as more and more people sat down at the table. Hirika took a seat, and Yuta sat beside her, dragging Tatsuya and all but forcing him to sit on his other side.

"Why is that?" Naname asked, curiously. The conversation had begun to hush and slowly die down as the last people sat down at the table. Scanning the seats for Yuriko, Hime noticed that both the priestess and Aya were missing.

"I'll tell you after," Hime promised quietly, her eyes on the largest tent. Iwaki's tent.

After a moment, he came out. Nobody spoke. Iwaki wore a silver robe, something he always seemed to favor. He had a serene smile, his gray eyes calm and ethereal as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"Good evening, all my family, all my friends." Iwaki's words lingered in the air before he continued. "There's so much I want to say, but never any time."

All eyes were focused on Iwaki, including Hime's. She barely noticed when Naname held her hand from under the table.

"So here's your reminder, the way we live." Iwaki paused to close his eyes, and then he continued.

"Give in only to mutual desires, make the others happy and you can be happy as well. Don't do what you don't want, and want what you do. Live in the moment, because there's a reason that the moment is called the present. It is a gift."

Iwaki opened his eyes, holding his hands together. "And now, we eat."

Everyone started piling food onto their plates, with Hime scooping fish onto Naname's and guiding a fork to her friend's hand.

The conversation started up again as people spoke between bites of their food. Those closest to Iwaki struck up a conversation with him, his gray eyes settling on them with a sort of gentleness that made Hime wish she had gotten a seat closer.

She wasn't the only one who felt that way, as the others also looked at Iwaki with a similar adoration. Their leader, their guide, their god.

"Hime, stop staring at Iwaki. You see him every night." Naname said, her words stifled from a mouthful of fish.

"You're blind, how would you even know that?" Hime whispered.

Naname swallowed her food. "Because I know you." She said simply and stabbed her utensil onto her plate instead of the fish. With a sigh, she tried again, this time managing to get the food on her fork.

_____

𝓐fter the meal, Iwaki was on his way back to his tent, pausing outside as he turned. Everyone was waiting, just like usual.

Hime stared at him in silence, half-hidden among the others. This was the time when Iwaki would choose one of them to talk with.

A one-on-one conversation with their god.

Hime held Naname's hand tightly, but her friend didn't seem to mind. She was listening, too, and waiting.

"Tatsuya." Hime's shoulders slumped a bit, though she did her best not to show her disappointment. It had been at least a month since she was chosen. Or weeks? She didn't know, but it had been a long time.

Naname squeezed Hime's hand comfortingly, as Tatsuya followed Iwaki towards his tent. He followed the white-haired god inside, as the crowd scattered. Hime stared at the tent that Tatsuya and Iwaki had just walked through, wondering what the two would even talk about.

"Maybe tomorrow." Sensing Hime's deep disappointment, Naname let go of Hime's hands and wrapped her arms around her, pulling Hime into a hug.

Hime was more than a little surprised, but after a moment she returned the embrace. "Nana?"

"Don't be sad, Hime." Naname mumbled, sounding more tired than usual. "We love you."

We love you.

We, as in the cult. We, as a family. A love that was stronger than any other, bound by belief. Bound by Iwaki.

In silence, Hime rested her chin on Naname's shoulder and felt her breathing pattern align to her friend's.

"Yeah. Maybe tomorrow." Hime answered quietly, her arms around Naname.