Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own Kannazuki no Miko. Kannazuki no Miko is copyrighted to Kaishaku and Geneon studios.

(A/N: You may have noticed I updated a whole day early. Well, there's a very good reason for that. See, Aloness is beating my fanfic's ass by releasing his/her fanfic "Capturing a Heart" a day after mine. Therefore, everyone would be running to see "Capturing a Heart" instead. So, in order to prevent that, I have to release my fanfic a day early. So here I am, because a better writer beat me to it.

...Oh, and check out this song. It's really good.)

"Brave", performed by Idina Menzel, is copyrighted to 2008 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.

Brave

"If this is the moment I stand here on my own
If this is my right of passage that somehow leads me home
I might be afraid but it's my turn to be brave
If this is the last chance before we say goodbye
at least it's the first day of the rest of my life
I can't be afraid 'cause it's my turn to be brave"

-Idina Menzel

The princess, Chikane Himemiya, had fought for hours. On the dirt, surrounded by all the citizens of Mahoroba, she parried each blow from the rebel leader's sharp blade. It didn't help matters that her opponent was just as strong as she was. Unfortunately, this was not a test of muscle nor was it a test of endurance. Simply, it was a test of will. Her will, usually steady and unmoving, had become drained out of her. Part of her wanted to keep fighting for it was her right as a princess. Another part of her, the majority, told her to throw her sword down. In truth, she felt tired, more tired than anyone could imagine. Fatigue did not attack her body, but her spirit.

As she blocked yet another blow from the rebel leader, she heard his taunts once more. "Is that all the great Himemiya can do? Is this who we've had protecting us? I say, no more! Down with Himemiya!" The crowd seemed to surround her and joined in the chanting. "Down with Himemiya! Down with Himemiya!" They urged for the royal blood to be cast down. Her blade seemed duller, as did her will. She have a brief sigh and took a battle position once more.

"Just give up!" The rebel leader cried, as he circled around her. "Don't you see? You, the spoiled princess, have done your part in ruling this country. We don't need royalty or nobles to dictate how we shall rule. No, we shall only have the people's voice. And what do the people say?" As he turned to the crowd, they chanted once more. "Down with Himemiya! Down with Himemiya!" Chikane-hime watched as her entire kingdom turned against her. "No." she thought. "Not my kingdom. This was always my father's kingdom, or my mother's kingdom. Never once, did I rule these people. Could I have done better? Should I have done better?" She shook her head. Now, the situation had become too far out of hand.

"Face it!" The rebel leader yelled, as the crown pushing forward against the circle of guardsmen. "You've always been pampered and fed while the rest of us starved. You shined your brilliance upon us, showing how flawed and imperfect we are. Tell me, what do you have to be miserable about?"

The princess bit her lip. She wasn't going to show any sign of weakness. She was weak once, but no more.

"What a spoiled brat." She had leaned against a pillar and heard one of them, the young overdressed men waiting to be her suitors. "You think someone like her can smile a bit more. I mean, I wish my kingdom had as many guards as this." Of course. They never understood. Nobody did. She was forever alone. She was alone and yet nobody saw that. No one could look past the money, the power, all the things that defined her before she could even speak. In a word, nobody saw anything else besides a princess.

She looked into the deep blue pool, seeing the cool water shift slowly in the moonlight. She crouched over and felt how inviting the icy cold water was to her. She looked back, seeing all the arrogant suitors, false in their intentions. At least in the water, she could be free. Slowly, she leaned inwards, wanting to feel more of the icy cold water. Then, she dove in, the cold becoming her blanket. She wanted to sleep, sleep until the world around her was nothing more than a nightmare.

Her dream was shook open when her eyes spotted a figure, diving towards her in the water. 'A mermaid?' she thought. Sadly, it was only a man, in a white priest's uniform. As quickly as he could, he began to drag her out of the pool. She cried in protest, not wanting to leave her deep sleep. But the hand held tight. She was pulled up, air forced into her breath and shook awake. All around, all the maids, the suitors and the Elders stared at her with grim looks on their faces.

The man dragged her through the ballroom. The bright chandelier candles showed how her white dress had become soaked and dripping with wather. She felt all the eyes and the whispers pass by her. She played them off as naturally as she could, but at this point, she stopped caring. The world had become a blur to her. She no longer felt obliged to these people. As the door to her chambers was open, she was shoved to her bed.

Her eyes had become fazzed and foggy. Nothing mattered anymore, nor should anything matter.

"You think you can just die on me?" The man spoke. The princess didn't bother looking up from the green locks that dragged down. The priest was always lecturing her. She stopped listening. "You think you can do something so selfish and get away with it?" The princess simply stared at the floor, as if nothing mattered. "You do not do these things in this kingdom! How dare you do something so foolish and idiotic at the same time? I won't let you get away with this, you pampered child!"

She stared at the floor, wanting to lay on it forever. "If you have a death wish so bad, then earn it! Your father died while fending off an assassin. Your mother died trying to stop poverty in this kingdom. But you? You don't deserve to die. You haven't earned it."

The princess woke up from her daze and realized what had happened. The rebel leader had rushed forth for yet another pitiful strike. She blocked the overhead shot, but silently looked at all the people there. "Himeko..." She thought. Then, she felt her fingers let go as the blade fell tip first into the earth. The audience gasped as did the royal guards. She looked at the crowd, hoping to find that glimpse of sunlight. She couldn't. As princess began to sit with her legs tucked underneath her thighs. "Himeko. I know you're out there somewhere. Even if I can't see you here, at my weakest moment, I'm glad. Live happily, Himeko."

She began to wait. She heard the crowd's anticipation, the captain's orders not to interfere and lastly, she heard the rebel leader's sword cutting the air. The princess waited for the blade to end her life, when she heard something else.

"Chikane-chan" She blinked. "Even now, God wishes to toy with my emotions."

"Chikane-chan!" Her eyes broke opened, realizing the voice was not an illusion. Soon, the rebels around her began to hear the same thing too.

"Chikane-chan! Chikane-chan!" It was that pure, high-pitched voice of an angel. It was the voice that gave her hope. Soon, she rose from her seated position to spot a white stallion, with a simple girl riding on it. The princess shook her head, realizing how fast the horse broke through the thick of rebels. "Himeko," The princess thought. "You fool! Why, why did you come? No. There's still a way. There's still a way to save you."

"Ow, Saotome-san! Quit pulling!" Souma cried, being dragged towards the middle of the conflict.

"You coward." Makoto Saotome smirked. "I thought you wanted to see the princess be slain."

"Look, I've been waiting for this for a long time as well. But my brother gave us orders to stay at camp."

The auburn-haired girl looked at him with a suspicious look. "You think I'm going to miss out on this because you're too eager to listen to your brother?"

"I'm saying-Wait, do you hear something?" They moved their heads, as if imagining the noise. They soon, however, realized the high pitched voice, and who it belonged to. They turned around to find the golden haired girl, riding on a white stallion, breaking through the rebel defenses.

Himeko held on for dear life as the white beast began to ram through the crowd of rebels. She nearly failed to dodge the various blades and pitchforks that were aimed at her. Her breathing became short. The very fact that she was rushing through this was astounding. She feared of failure but she couldn't fail, not after coming all this way. She rode, alone, through the patch and leapt the final line of guards only to land. She dismounted her horse, seeing the princess, beautiful as always. She merely dodged the rebel leader's blade and tackled the princess, causing both of them to fall.

"Chikane-chan! Chikane-chan!" She sobbed, her tears running into the princess' robe. "You promised, Chikane-chan! You promised that you wouldn't die alone! You promised!"

But as quickly as she tackled the princess, the azure-haired royal pushed her off, her eyes began to fill with a dark hate.

"Get away from me."

Himeko couldn't believe this. It was as if the princess was just as cold as the night she banished her.

"Please, Chikane-chan! I want to-"

"I don't need your help. I can take care of things of my own."

"No, Chikane-chan, please, I need to talk to you"

"Get out of the way!" Tsubasa commanded Himeko, his crimson eyes narrowing.

"Don't speak to her like that!" The princess' voice rose with each passing argument. As if this were some sort of joke, the audience watched with eager. Himeko didn't care if the world or the Gods were watching. She had to do this.

"Please, Chikane-chan! You have to listen to me!"

The princess turned to her. Himeko whimpered, seeing the cold hate in the princess' deep blue eyes. She never saw such anger, nor such hostility from Chikane-hime. She simply stood still, seeing the princess eye her down.

"Listen to you?" She screamed, looking at the girl. "Why on earth should I listen to you?"

"Because I love you!" Himeko watched the princess' reaction to the forbidden words, realizing what she had said. It was if for that brief moment, the world stood still. Himeko watched as the guards, the rebels and even Tsubasa were frozen by these words. Perhaps, the very idea was so impossible, that it caused a shock to all parties, Himeko included. However, the false peace was short lived, seeing the princess' angered face once more. Perhaps, the princess wouldn't be swayed after all.

"You love the princess, don't you?" The azure-haired girl responded in such a dark tone, she captured the attention of the entire kingdom. "You just love the princess, like everyone else in this kingdom!"

Himeko shook her head furiously. "No, Chikane-chan! That's not what I-"

"I'll tell you this. Love me, put me up in statues, adore me, praise me to no end, slander me, insult me, even kill me, but just don't come close to me!" The princess quickly showed Himeko her back, leaving the blond with a confused look on her face.

"She's angry at me, but why?" Himeko gasped in realization. "Was it because I...I bowed down to her before she banished me?" Himeko's amethyst eyes blinked wide open, realizing what had happened. From the people, to the Spaniard King, to the devoted fans, to the maids, Himeko realized her fault. "When I bowed down to her, I recognized her as a princess. I'm no better than everyone else. All they saw in Chikane-chan was a princess. When they should have seen was a..." Himeko's thoughts faded. She rose up, and spoke out loud.

"I don't love Chikane-hime or Miya-sama, the daughter of the king and queen. I love Chikane Himemiya. All this time, I've been a fool. I've seen the real you, and I didn't recognize it. You like to play the piano, and you love to ride horses. You love your people and would do anything for them, but you were scared, unsure if you would fail or not. I know this, and I want you to know something." Himeko took in a deep breath, and breathed the following words, hoping for the best.

"You can cry too, Chikane-chan."

It was if the princess' ears were finally awakened to Himeko's words. Her pupils had shrunk to a significant size. Her mouth had quivered. Her entire body began to still at these simple girl's words in disbelief.

"What?"

"All this time, you've been trying to become the best, didn't you? People saw you as perfect or as some kind of goddess and never talked to you. And all this time, you made calm and gentle faces to make sure no one could see the real you, didn't you? But you don't have to hold your tears back, not with me. If you cry, I can be your handkerchief. And you can cry with me, a simple girl. You can cry too, Chikane-chan."

The princess' began to lash out. Her arm swung in a direction, but Himeko caught it by the wrist.

"No! You don't understand anything. You don't-you don't" Himeko watched as fresh streams of water fell from the princess' face. She watched as the princess tried to shut those tears, but her arms could not wipe them all away. She began to sob furiously, as the arm that tried to strike Himeko, soon embraced her.

"Himeko," Chikane sobbed gently. "Thank you."

"It's okay, Chikane-chan. It's okay." The audience stood still to the scene that played before them. Himeko didn't care. She could have died then and there, because she was in the gentle warmth of the princess. She felt the audience stir, and the rebel leader lose his patience. She didn't know what would happen, but as soon as the silence began to end, she heard a baritone roar.

"Himeko!" The blond turned to see the priest in his uniform and oblong hat, yelling from behind the guard line.

"Oogami-sensei?"

"Himeko, listen to me!" The man urged, while being blocked by the royal guards. "I understand."

Himeko's face lit up with joy. The way Kazuki said it, fatherly, lovingly, made Himeko smile in delight. She not only found hope, but she once again found the man who had cared for her all this time. She felt glad.

"And I'm telling you," he spoke, "It's not worth it."

Himeko gasped. All of her hopes and her joy had drained in an instant.

"Don't choose your alliances over simple infatuation! There's no way you can survive! There will be...other women! It'll hurt but not for long." He put his hand forward, offering it. "Come with me. Come with me and we can live happily in the new world. Come with me, and I could be your father."

Himeko watched, looking at Chikane's shocked reaction and Kazuki's calm and forward manner. How could he? After all this time, how could Kazuki abandon Chikane and Himeko? Himeko shook her head, and held on to the princess' arm tightly. She wouldn't let go, not after all she had been through. She wouldn't let go ever again.

"You see?" Tsubasa cried, addressing the audience once more. "You see, how these whores stomp on your religion to satisfy unnatrual lusts! What say you, my people? What fate should befall these harlots?"

"Kill them both! Kill them both!" They cried and roared with cheer as he took his broadsword and dragged it to the ground.

They never saw her.

Himeko and Chikane had nowhere to run. Chikane, took her blade from the ground, eager to defend her love, while all the guards could do nothing but watch.

She was so fast, no one saw her running.

As Tsubasa raised his sword demonically, Himeko guarded Chikane with her body. She saw the blade come down and shut her eyes. She did expect the blood and the sound of cutting flesh. What she didn't expect was that none of the blood belonged to her. She opened her eyes, to find her body clean and a set of auburn hair blocking the sword with a small dagger and a right shoulder.

"Mako-chan!" Himeko cried, seeing her best friend guarding both of them.

"What are you doing?" Tsubasa cried, his anger waning.

"I might be confused," Makoto said determined. Himeko noticed she took one look back, looking both at Himeko and her love. "Okay, really, really, confused, but I won't move. I won't let you hurt my sister!"

Just as she held Tsubasa's blade in a steady position, a sound of thunder rang out. Himeko gasped seeing, a rock pass through Makoto' right calf.

"Ahh!" Makoto cried, falling to the side, holding her seering leg.

"Go ahead with what you were going to do, Tsubasa-sama." Himeko didn't even need to look to see who was behind it. Miyako's voice was rarely unrecognizable.

"Now," Tsubasa said in a sickening voice. "I'm going to cut you down like the traitor you-Ahh!" Himeko watched as Tsubasa clutched his foot. She realized it was Makoto's doing, stabbing the knife into his foot. Himeko couldn't help notice the blade had said, "Tsuba-", assuming the last of the letters were embedded into his foot. As he winced and cry, Himeko tried to drag Chikane to a different place.

"What are you waiting for?" He yelled, addressing the audience. "Shoot them! Shoot them both!"

"No!" Kazuki cried, trying to reach for the blond, only to be blocked by the guards. All the rebels aimed their new weapons at the two figures running. The cold steel ends were ready to explode. Even if they ducked, the rifles aimed at their feet would've hit them. So Himeko did the only thing she could have done. She wrapped her arms around Chikane and held her close, making sure any bullet that would hit her would hit Himeko as well. As if one last brief moment, Himeko whispered to her lover's ear.

"I love you, Chikane-chan."

"Of course you do." As they held each other close, the heard a million cries of thunder roar out.

The results were catastrophes. Any ore that aimed for the two girls either missed and hit another rebel, or the guns exploded in the arms of the rebels, giving them severe burns. Himeko was amazed that only two shots had grazed them: one on Chikane's left shoulder and Himeko's right side, missing her stomach. As they held each other, they heard the rebel leader scream. "You idiots! Didn't I tell you to perfect the weapon before we left? Why did you load it with so much cannon powder!"

As if this were a brief moment of relief, the lovers gasped, seeing the rebels beginning to charge through the imperial line. The circle began to close in as they looked at each other with gentle eyes.

"Oh Himeko," Chikane whispered with a smile on her face. "All I want now is to die here with you."

Himeko watched as the captain and his men began to lose ground. Those with the weapons still in their hands began to put more gun powder into them, readying another shot. Makoto and Tsubasa, injured, lay on the ground, holding their wounds. Kazuki tried desperately to stop a few of the rebels but to no avail. Himeko gave one final look to Chikane and asked a simple question.

"What...what if there was another way?"

Chikane, her azure hair blowing in the wind, looked at Himeko with doubtful eyes. "What?"

"Chikane-chan," Himeko breathed, trying to find the words to say before they died. "What if there was a way to live together, to be together forever, but you had to give up everything you worked for? Would you do it, even if it meant losing your kingdom, even if it meant losing your entire culture, even if it meant we would hate each other decades later? Chikane-chan..."

The azure haired girl looked at Himeko with honest eyes, wide with innocence.

"Would you accept my burden?"

Even now, Himeko could see Chikane's answer in her smile. Her eyes and her face had reach a certain beauty. They had grinned so sincerely, Himeko could see Chikane's tears well up. They both knew the answer to that question.

"How can anything of yours be a burden? Yes, Himeko. I would give it up a thousand times for you." Himeko wrapped Chikane around her arms and stood on her tip toes. She grabbed the golden watch, Makoto's gift, and rose it up in the air. The rebels pushed forward. Breaking through the line, they prepared to strike both girls dead, but suddenly several arrows brought them to a halt. They stopped and looked at each other when a single arrow hit the center ground.

That arrow lit aflame with a light blue light.

All of a sudden, sounds of horses' neighs and the marching of troops came out of the forests. The rebels and the guards watched as a sea of white had flooded the forest. Demons, wearing broken masks, and in white robes marched towards them. There only a sole figure led them into battle. His jaw gave a wide grin, as he led his army to the footsteps of the rebels. Himeko sighed. "Please. Please, keep your part of the bargain. Just let me and my love survive. That's all I ask." Himeko winced, unsure if she could see what would happen next.

One by one, they unsheathed their katanas, and prepared to strike.

"Grind, Pantera!" The Spaniard king cried. And they did, unsheathing their swords, bearing her teeth.