Zodiac Story

The Bay Road and the Teal River Converge Upon Pink and Azure Plains Part 2

"Hehe⁓oh that tickles!" Mihira giggled as the blue-green crystal burrowed snugly into her wings. For the past few days, it spent more time with her than Hua-san and the other crystals, always tickling her or wrapping itself in her wings. Hua-san told her that it was harmless, so she let it be. It was a nice companion. She wanted to name the crystals, but she couldn't think of names for them. For now, this one was dedicated to soaring with her in the air next to Hua-san. Sometimes it would blow puffs of wind in her face to tease her.

Above the sky, she had never felt so carefree and happy. The wind was still there, occasionally whistling and imploring Mihira to "find the land that resists the sea." She still didn't know where that was. Hua-san had a few ideas but most of them were far away, like America or Europe. They confirmed that it wasn't in East Asia after searching along the coastline. Hua-san thought it was referring to a saltwater dam or something along the coast.

"What's on your mind?"

Mihira turned around, the blue-green crystal disentangling itself from her wings. Hua-san's massive head was craned towards her back, where Mihira was lying on.

"Nothing, but thank you for asking!" Mihira paused. "Is there anything on your mind?"

"Me? Not at the moment." Her head turned towards the storm behind them. "Other than the Calamities. Was your furred beast causing the Calamity? I remember you mentioned that it was hidden among the clouds. Did you notice it forming hail within its mouth or its paws? You also mentioned..."

Hua-san asked more about the beast that Mihira saw, but all Mihira could think about was her beautiful green-tinged blue eyes and how they shined whenever she talked. Her antlers were gorgeous and so shiny, and when she was a human...Mihira had seen elegant women in her favourite anime, but she had never thought she would experience how graceful and kind Hua-san was. She was so successful too! She was in charge of running satellites that monitored the world for Calamities! She was so mature and willing to listen to Mihira talk about anything. And she was so strong, with her power over storms and the weather. She was very knowledgeable about Calamities, too. Hua-san had explained to her about the classifications of Calamities, how measuring the strength of a Calamity worked, and how the satellites functioned, but all Mihira could think about was how her movements were so refined and soft. It made Mihira wish that she had been there on that Friday afternoon. She also loved her fish, so much so that she brought him along with them.

Ménmén stared at Mihira through the glass container. Hua-san has good taste in fish, she thought. He also looked beautiful and healthy. Hua-san set out a list of instructions of when exactly to feed the carp and what to feed Ménmén. So far, Mihira had followed the instructions to the letter. Sometimes, when she was napping on Hua-san, she could hear Hua-san conversing with Ménmén. Ménmén must be a special fish, she thought. Maybe he had secret powers, or he was advising Hua-san on what course to take. Kaede would love Hua-san. They could talk about Calamities and satellites and such.

Meanwhile, Mihira had no clue where they were. The last time she had asked, they had been close to Tibet.

"...Tenhou Mihira?"

"Oh Hua-san!" She blushed. Oh no, did she catch her not paying attention? "Sorry about that!"

"It's fine. I wanted to ask you more about the Calamity you faced and the being within. So you managed to talk them down?"

Mihira nodded.

"I see. There's a morphological and possibly psychological difference between the beings we encountered. If the others had encountered other creatures, then we can pinpoint if their appearance and the Calamities are connected. Based on us, that would be true, but I would like to meet others." Hua-san looked behind her again, the antlers catching the glow of the Sun. "That only started when I started thinking about, hmm...something I'll tell you later. Another thing: Who would you want to meet?"