An Empty Shell

Chapter 30: Bringing to Light

"Shuichi!!!..." she cried out his name with all her might hoping her call would reach him. (From Chapter 28) And with that powerful burst of emotion cracked from what it seemed like void of darkness. Small streaks of light peered through those cracks and Hayami was surprised to see them. Her teary eyes wide open as she finally glimpsed a light that felt like the first time.
"Obachan...what is this?" Hayami asked without averting her eyes from what she's seeing.
"Obachan...what is going on?" She felt cautious and apprehensive about it. Until, she noticed she haven't heard any response from the Lady Fushimi who she thought was still with her.
She began to tremble, slowly looked over her shoulder, her eyes were very watchful as tears started to stream down her face from the fear of discovering that she's alone again. She was dreaded when she found out she's gone.
"Obachan, where are you?!" She started to look around in panic.
"Please, Obachan, don't leave me!" Hayami kept calling out for her in despair while running to nowhere in that darkness. She suddenly tripped herself and fell hard on the ground. With difficulty, she picked herself up slowly while grunting in pain. Then she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them, giving in to her cry.
"Please... please...come back..." She was hopelessly sobbing under her horsed voice.
"Shuichi..."
A crack opened once again right in front of her. She got startled that she scurried back to get away from it. Until, it made her realize something. She stopped and gave it a thorough thought. She looked at the lights that were seeping through the cracks once again. Then she finally decided to approach it, lights reflecting in her eyes. Shinning them, enhancing their beautiful golden umber colors.
Everything will be alright... these words from Lady Fushimi echoed through her thoughts.
And so many other voices she could hear, swirling like a storm in her head. The voices intensified as she got closer. Then she slowly and carefully reached out to that opening with her hand.
I promise... these last words this time came from a voice she's so long to hear.
She smiled with tears in her eyes, face lit up with new hope, like pain was never there.
"I hear you and now I understand," she whispered as she closed her eyes while her hands touched where the crack was. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled to concentrate, then she went down on her knees to chant a prayer..

Great Spirit, you are powerful and I know you've been always there for me...
I can feel your energy channeling within me...
Your warmth,
Your light,
Your protection,
Your presence,
I am becoming aware of it now..
Spirit.. take over my mind and heart. Give them peace in your hands..
Spirit.. clear my thoughts and empower me with wisdom.
Cleanse my emotions and strengthen my will.
Spirit shield and protect me,
banish this negativity by the light of your Grace.
Through You, this negative energy, have no hold or power here..!
With You, I can stand and face them with no fear!
Begone forever you will obey!
From this sacred Spirit within me, you must away!

Each of her word intensified the light that's peering through. Then finally, through her last words, burst out radiance that quickly enveloped the darkness. Just like shattered glass from a powerful force breaking through.
Hayami remained on her knees with her eyes shut, unaware of her surrounding.
Until, she felt a presence. She slowly opened her eyes to get her sight adjusted due to the intense brightness from before until everything became more clearer. Surprised, her eyes grew from the creature standing in front of her, glistening in white. Another kitsune but neither her obachan Fushimi nor Tamamo no Mae. However, she couldn't help but to contemplate the feeling that she has already seen him before.
"You...are..? I have seen you before. Have I?" Hayami carefully construed the familiarity of him. Then it occurred to her, a memory of the past.
"You are Shuichi's spirit...my once spirit guide.." her voice was a little shaky as
a flash of memory took her back from when she first met Shuichi and when she saw him transform that night on a full moon. From the beginning, Hayami could already see Shuichi's true form, a kitsune known as Youko Kurama, and this was the very reason why she feared him. Until the Lady Fushimi made him her spirit guide and put a spell to blur that sight of Hayami to him when they were once at the shrine before she disappeared (Chapter 5). Consequently, the spell had broken during that full moon when Shuichi morphed to his spiritual form, that later Hayami had discovered once again (Chapter 21).
"Yes, I am..." the kitsune spirit softly replied. He approached and sat down in front of her who was still on her knees, needing not to say anymore words and just waited for her to continue to speak.
"I see... but why are you here?...F-forgive me, I am just a bit confused... I-I know, S-Shuichi is..he has.. I'm sorry..." Hayami's voice croaked, words stuttered. She was having a hard time composing herself when she came to recall Shuichi's passing once again, she couldn't even look up. She was thinking his soul should have already went to the Spirit world.
"Why do you always apologize?" The kitsune smiled then slowly reached for her face that was facing down and gently lift her chin up. He was stunned and perturbed to see how she wept her eyes out.
"Hayami..." He softly spoke her name as he reached out his other hand to hold her face in his palms.
"Shuichi may not be me, but I am him. And I may not be Shuichi but he is me. We may differ in many ways but we are one. Hence, I am aware of his conscious and feelings in his human body and so does he. I am here because you have summoned me.." His description of his connection to Shuichi was rather deep and vague to Hayami.
"S-summoned? But I thought you're no longer my spirit guide. And I- I felt your energy just now, and it was different from before...?" Hayami was still trying to assimilate this new discovery about the spirit in front of her.
The creature smiled and slowly stood up.
"Here, let me show you.."
He offered his hand to help her stand up, even though she's still a little bit wary of him, she complied as she instantly wiped her tears. Then he carefully stepped back as if he was trying to show her something. He put his hands together over her chest and slowly, a ball of light just the size of his hand appeared.
Hayami couldn't believe to see what was just taken out of her by the spirit that eventually floated and landed into her hands.
"W-hat is this?" she was staring at it with most curiosity.
"That is the reason why you were able to summon me. That is my hoshi no tama, and I finally able to reach you Hayami. You were the only one able to break through the barrier that your ancestors cast a long time ago to hide you from Tamamo no Mae because of your ability, albeit concealing me at the same time. Kuzunoha, no... your obachan Lady Fushimi tried to find my spirit who wandered in the Makai World and became a yokai for a thousand years until I finally possessed a human body in the form of Shuichi in this world. You've used to sense my presence as a yokai. This is my true spiritual energy, I came from the heavens and this is my seikoki. I am the Tenko, Youko Kurama." The spirit unfolded an incredible revelation of his origin as a mark on his forehead, revealing the symbol of the Gods, lit up.
"You..are God's messenger.. forgive my impertinence, Tenko-sama! I have wronged you in so many ways in the past and up until now..!" Hayami finally realized the divinity of the spirit she just summoned and knelt down once again, bowing to the ground for forgiveness.
The Tenko slightly chuckled. He held Hayami's hands and guided her to stand up once again.
"Hayami, look at me.." he put his face in front of her to see. Hayami hesitated, still with eyes close.
"Forgive me, but I shall not, Tenko-sama!" In their culture, it is irreverent to directly look into someone's eyes, especially those who are most powerful, influential or divine.
But the Tenko did not mind, instead he gently pick up her chin to turn her face towards him.
"This is still me." He waited to open her eyes and she slowly did.
Then their eyes finally met, not saying any word but the way they looked at each other can tell many words. Those beautiful bright golden eyes staring back at her with such longing.
"Please, don't ever think so highly of me as I am with many shortcomings. And I thank you for bringing me back." He softly said as he leaned on her forehead with his.
"Now, let me take you back home." He looked at her so lovingly and softly put a kiss on her forehead. They suddenly glowed into a blinding light, disappearing from that dark and cold abyss.
As a consequence, with the Tenko's spiritual energy, Hayami's soul was extracted from Tamamo No Mae's trapping curse, sending it back to her body, eventually, expelling the dark energy that consumed her. And with the amount of time that she was possessed her whole body and energy were exhausted, not to mentioned she also used her own spiritual energy to summon the Tenko.
The Tenko swiftly caught Hayami's body and carried her away from the dark source.
He carried her so carefully like a fragile glass and instantly healed her wounds but her life energy needs more time to recover. And with the touch of his feet on the ground, grass and flowers suddenly bloomed in a manner like they grew under his command, making a soft bed for her. He gently laid her delicate body down.
"Now, rest my beloved... it will all be over soon... I promise." He whispered and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.
Then he stood up to gather himself after sensing presence he always knew around.
"They are here.." he smiled showing a little excitement to be finally reunited with them.