#mod aqua

The low candlelight glimmered in Ivry’s eyes as Witch approached the table. Ivry’s silver locks glistened as if they were woven with starlight. She winked when she caught sight of Witch; her lips tipped in an incurable smirk. 

“You’re a vision, as always,” Ivry appraised.

“And you’ve cleaned up nicely,” Witch returned, taking her seat across the table.

The healer’s cackle echoed across Edens garden, “I clean up better elsewhere.” Ivry flirted, eyes lidded. 

“You may have to remind me.” Witch teased; Ivry was a bit more fun after she had gotten a rise out of her, “you didn’t leave enough of an impression last time.”

“You’re the only one who’s ever accused me of that,” Ivry reclined, chin resting on her hand, with an all too familiar ravenous leer. Impossibly irresistible and enticing. The stars above as their sole witness, Witch’s appetite grew at an untenable pace. All-consuming.

Witch licked her lips in anticipation. “Well, I’m not unreasonable.” 

She kept still despite the advancing inclination to squirm under the healer’s ever ardent gaze. Even from a distance, the heat radiating from the other woman was palpable. Her heart stuttered at the prospect of what was to come. “I would be delighted to grant you an opportunity to prove me wrong.”

On the prowl, Ivry sidled up to her with predatory regard. A manicured finger tipped her chin up. Their gazes locked as Ivry leaned until she was a whisper away. “I’d be delighted to satisfy that request, eclipse all of your expectations.” She paused, the air became increasingly thin. Her hand lifted to caress Witch’s cheek with a gentle reverence. “Better, I’ll grant you an unforgettable night.”

The practice sword didn’t have the same heft as Archenemy, but it didn’t need to for Kagura to commit the movements to memory. Her form would be perfect when the fateful moment arrived, the moment when she would avenge Simon and Millianna. Perhaps, then there would be peace.

Midnight was long past when her arms began burning. Her strikes became increasingly feeble, her steps clumsy.

So when something warm encircled her arm, naturally, Kagura nearly jumped out of her skin.

"You're still up or…?"

Millianna. Kagura's shoulders sagged. Millianna excelled at stealth; however, she never masked her steps from Kagura. Perhaps it was time to call it.

"No, I took a reprieve prior to beginning my daily training."

"Yeah…" A slight quirk of her lips did nothing to disguise the somber look in Milliana's eyes as she guided Kagura towards her room. "I had trouble sleeping too."

The balcony outside of Milliana's room was cozy. Jasmine curled around the wrought-iron balustrade perfuming the air with sweetness. Once they were settled on the wicker loveseat, Milliana rested her head on Kagura's shoulder, her tail involuntary around Kagura's waist. 

"You know, every star has a story. Grandpa Rob used to say they're like people in that way."

Kagura hummed in reply. She cared little for far off constellations; nevertheless, she did care for Millianna; it was no hardship to feign interest on her behalf.

"There was this crack in the roof of the cell they kept us in. When we couldn't get to sleep, we would make stories for the stars about how they got there, why they're there." She pointed at a cluster to the northeast. "Er-chan used to say that constellation, told the impossible tale of a woman. She fought a hundred monsters only to fall after striking the last fiend. The spirits honored her sacrifice by granting her a place among them, weaving a celestial tapestry commemorating it."

Kagura inclined her head, "And that constellation to the west?" 

"Fiore’s was once ruled by dragons when the final dragon breathed its last; its spirit rose in an eternal flight among the stars." Millianna peered up at Kagura. Moonlight illuminated her face in breathtaking splendor, stars glittered in her eyes. "What do you think that one means?"

 Under Milliana's earnest gaze, Kagura felt lighter. They looked like stars in all honesty. Nonetheless, she let the feeling embolden her, "Perhaps, it's a cat."

Millianna's puffed in an endearing pout. 

Kagura couldn’t stop a chuckle from bubbling forth. "Let me finish before judging, please," she chided lightly. "Each of the nine stars represents one of its lives. Every lifetime the cat conducted a myriad of good works by the end of its final life, they were guided to a perch in the stars where they could rest."

"That's sweet," Millianna swiped furiously at her glistening eyes. "You know kitties are my soft spot. It's not fair."

"I could always give it another go."

"Really!"

Millianna's enthusiasm was nothing if not infectious.

"The brightest star in the sky is a guiding light. True north. Two lovers torn apart by circumstance could only meet clandestinely under cover of night. They needed a way to find each other in the dark, and the Celestial Spirit King swayed by their plight, placed it in the sky to guide them."

Millianna buried her face into Kagura's shoulder as she cuddled closer. "That story's almost as beautiful as you, Kagura-chan."

Kagura nearly missed the muffled compliment. 

"It all pales compared to you," she replied as a furious blush overcame her face; she thanked the spirits for the cover of darkness. No matter what the future held, she knew that so long as they were together, there was a way forward to something brighter than what they left behind.