A Crown To Shoulder

-•-

A day and a half later

"Onee?" A monotonous voice rang behind an intersection in search of someone in the big minka of the Yoshinori estate. Black hair styled almost reassembling that of a geisha's with hairsticks stabbed in both sides. Tsubaki flowers adorned the buns of her hair and such a young princess wears not her crown but dressed eccentrically like that of a yokai's.

"Onee-sama?" She took a peek in her older sister's room revealing emptiness just like her tone.

"Sayaka-dono," The young princess of the Yoshinori royal family: Princess Sayaka, the youngest of three siblings, slightly turned to address the small presence of her attendant.

"Kaguya-hime is outside by the koi pond with Kamiya-sama" The handmaiden spoke with her head bowed to show respect to her princess. In an instant, Sayaka disappeared to her sister's whereabouts.

-•-

The Yoshinori estate was a grandiose place built on an elevated hill distances from the capital. Wisteria trees lined the entrance towards the castle passed by a big metallic gate painted with the castle's symbol: a Victoria Crowned Pigeon; native in the land of Jadetown and a highly protected avian.

Jadetown itself was in a different landmass far from Icycilis together with another country by its side and Kayunta far behind the landmass, they formed the Eastern Kingdoms.

The walls of the castle were painted according to the primary colors of the royal family: red for the walls and supporting structures of each building and a complementary violet for its roofings with noren curtains printed with the red fox elegant head hanging around by the entrance of particularly chosen buildings such as the main house. Sakura trees and wisterias stood ground to add a tranquil ambience to the surrounding. Some buildings were built beside a body of water where koi fishes live and lotus flowers are cultivated due to the old rulers' favour of such scenery. One of the most breathtaking places in Jadetown honouring their Gods Abikohara: Goddess of Beauty; Hiroyuki:God of Arts and Music.

"Abikohara-sama?" Prince Kamiya reiterated. His sister, Princess Kaguya slumped on the railing of the wooden bridge admiring the playfulness of kois to their goldfish pondmates.

"Uhuh!...I wonder what she looks like, I've heard of her through every old citizen of this kingdom but never have I met her." The redhead said in a daze.

"I bet she's as beautiful as you" Kamiya said in response to her open ended statement with a longing smile. In an instant Kaguya's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "Onii-sama! Abikohara-sama's beauty cannot be compared to the likes of me, she'll smite this kingdom to the ground if she knows!" She scolds him off receiving a light hearted laugh in return.

"Goshh, you're unreasonable"

Kamiya stroked his sister's hair while the latter pouted, "Apologize to her at once or else!" Kaguya threatened as a joke.

The prince had no choice but to obey his sister, after all, she was deeply beloved. He saw Kaguya's great veneration to the inactive Goddess of Beauty and decided to be docile and just follow her wishes rather than tease her more about it.

"Goddess Abikohara! I seek your forgiveness for the blasphemy I spoke. I shall not and will never compare such alluring grace you possess to anyone anymore" A snow white kitsune jumped off from the walls as soon as he finished his spiel.

Princess Kaguya took out her fan and with satisfaction,"Keh!..that didn't sound sincere"

"You-!"

"Gahh! Sayaka, where did you come from!" The two nearly shrieked after their enigmatic younger sister appeared behind them.

"I've been looking everywhere for you onee" Half-lidded eyes, austere look and a girl emanating mystery, yep that's Jadetown's famed :Spectral beauty'. Sayaka Yoshinori, a total opposite of both siblings: when others slumber she wanders, stealthy like a spectre in the dark and excels in botanical studies and chemistry.

Princess Kaguya, the vivacious and ambitious princess of flames and Kamiya's twin. Unlike Sayaka she's a brighter spark and loves everything resplendent. Carrying her fan around, she's not just a gentle soul as her kindness varies on her mood and the person she's talking to.

Prince Kamiya, marked with sagacity and candor, often with humor that sometimes puts his image in jeopardy. While Kaguya is adept in tessenjutsu, he excels more in naginatajutsu and Sayaka in kendo. The two often spar in castle grounds while Sayaka does her own thing. Kamiya's beauty was disputed all throughout the kingdom as many volunteered as eligible bachelors for the black haired royal.

"What about me?" Kamiya inquired with an awkward smile. Sayaka looked at him dead in the eyes.

"Onii-sama can take care of himself" She professed and hugged her sister tight with Kaguya stifling a giggle.

"I dreamed of you..onee-sama, you were going to leave us." The younger sister finally revealed with a blank expression but the strength of her hands from clenching Kaguya's sleeves tightened.

"Dreams are just...a mirror from your heart" Kamiya advised, placing a hand on Sayaka's head while Kaguya caressed her back.

"Don't worry, onee-chan won't leave you" with that Sayaka showed a thin smile.

-•-

Beneath the beguiling beauty of the country of Jadetown, many places were tainted by the death of old gods who perished in the Thanilyan war. Though kirins were beasts native to the nation, some of them were blighted and became aggressive to be kept in the capital. Those aggressive ones fled and became pets to demons lurking in the corners of the kingdom.

Far off in the dense forests of Jadetown, a fight ensued between the venturers from Icycillis and the small pack of abyssal demons led by Prince Ajax. A portion of the sakura forest was blighted by their activities that the castle soon sent soldiers to aid them from their adversaries.

The fight raged on for hours now as both parties were nowhere exhausted, to be fair, demonic energy is far greater than a human's although the soldiers and the trio showed no signs of giving up.

"What the fuck are they doing?"Cressida alerted Calyx as both gazed up the sky to see Gabriel getting hoisted up by the Abyssal Prince Ajax; the former showed to struggle as they go up.

"Cressida now's not the time!"Calyx wiped the blood off the open cut and pulled his bow to materialize an arrow he used to shoot down a flying gargoyle while Cressida flung a demon's weapon in air before piercing them with her spear

"Look out!"

A rampaging kirin jumped behind her in attempt to bite her down but Calyx was faster. With all his might he ran to kick the beast and shoot it down where it landed.

"Geee thanks, I owe you one" Cressida  brushed dust off her fabrics and tightened the bandages around her chest.

"No need, let's go!" And the two ran off to a different direction of clashing blades.

-•-

"You wise little scum" Ajax gave a loathing smirk when Gabriel quickly grabbed his foot as soon as he loosened his hold, he took note of his swift reflexes. The said man dangled over the high altitude he's brought up, never saying a word.

The Abyssal Prince was nowhere his expectations, he thought demons were all but pretty faces? He admitted to find him exquisitely fine: slightly curved horns, ebony black hair and eyes that of rubies. Gabriel shook his head. Was he distracted?

"So damn adamant"His red eyes shone with eagerness to let him fall to his demise, "If you want to live, beg for it"

"Never" Came a stubborn answer. Ajax could feel Gabriel's grip tighten around added that he shook him like a ragdoll. "Heh, you asked, I deliver" With all his strength he made a swift kick in the air that threw the gun user distances away, a diminishing scream of 'fuck you' was heard.

"Gabriel! Quick! get something he can land on!" Cressida ordered the soldiers in alarm but Calyx huffed and pats her shoulder, "Manda, you should know that out of all of us... Gabriel's never sinking without bringing his opponent down, he'll be fine~...plus, he's already far away"

"What?"The ash grey haired woman looked at the sky again. Most demons they encountered in the forest of Jadetown are dead and all that is left is their prince and some of his dauntless lackeys who await their lord's command.

"Abhor: Flash Glacier" Gabriel muttered and clicked his gun intricately designed by him pointing it to Ajax's direction, even though he's far away from him, he believed his clairvoyance will not fail him this time. Releasing a bullet so fast the demon's prince's enhanced senses can't even calculate its approaching radius and was fortunate enough to evade its eyeshot but his wing was unfavored leaving him to spiral down as icy crystalline crept through his bat-like appendage.

"Passive: Full moon!" Gabriel managed to shoot himself before he landed on the ground, twisting himself to land on his hands and somersaulted back a few feet, the moon shield he has dissipated into thin air.