It was around evening, we left after taking a little rest, Hiroshi, Takashi being our guards. And along with them a few fox masked Arashi's men.

The carriage had arrived before the castle entrance as I hopped on it, Arashi sitting beside me.

As Kairo and Hana were newly wedded, Hiroshi gave him a week off so the couple could settle down in their new home.

I heard Arashi and Hiroshi allotted him a house as he had been staying in the soldiers quarters up until now. And I was happy with that decision.

I just hoped my gift could make them happy too. I wanted to make something for them by my hands but I had no time so I had asked the painter to paint them and make the painting look welcoming and meaningful in their lives.

Both of them had suffered a lot and while it wasn't enough to make their sufferings go away, I still wanted to give something that would make them happy.

My eyes were gazing around the beautiful scenery of the early evening as the sun was setting. The horizon looked like it had bathed in the last light of the day.

"What are you thinking?" Arashi asked.

I smiled but my eyes were outside as I said, "Nothing... I just want everyone to be happy...even though it is impossible." I looked at him as I grinned, "But I'm glad that you have given Kairo and Hana that house. I mean..."

I looked down and muttered, "They, at least, have each other to look after and have a home to go back..."

I knew how important it was to have your own home where you always can get back. Wherever you go, you know that there is a place where you belong. I knew somewhere in me I had lost my motivation in my life because I never belonged to my previous house, to my father's house.

But I can always go back to Shinkyo. To my home.

Arashi smiled. "Well, it is not upto us to make everyone happy. What we can offer some support, protection and sympathy. And maybe some love."

I nodded and he continued, "I just wanted Kairo to have someone in his life. I know he wouldn't leave Shinkyo but there was always an empty place in our hearts which can only be filled by someone else."

I asked, "But how did you know making him marry Hana would fill that emptiness of him?"

Corners of his lips turned up as he smiled gently and said, "Because my heart was empty too... Until I met you."

And my heart skipped a beat as blood rushed to my cheeks. I knew about his past. His heart was empty after loosing the woman he loved for almost his life and I was glad that I could at least filled his emptiness...

I shyly looked away and muttered, "That is same for me..."

He leant back and closed his eyes as he said, releasing a breath, "I know. Sometimes, we need someone to fill our hearts with love when we can't do it ourselves even when it belongs to us."

With warmth spreading over my chest, I fell asleep beside him. I woke up at my own growling stomach.

I was hungry...again.

Arashi chuckled as I made a face. Heat surging from my belly to my head. It was embarrassing...

I complained, "Don't laugh! It is your child's fault!"

He nodded, "It certainly his fault. It seems it is growing fast but don't worry, I knew you would be hungry so I have made the preparation already."

And I grinned as he brought out my snacks and my mouth immediately became watery.

I didn't know I was this hungry until I ended up devouring most of his snacks. I asked, looking worried, "Where all the food is going? I ate like three hours ago!"

He laughed. "And you have started to eat more than me..."

My face reddened as he chuckled again...

"Shut up! I'll have to restrain it then..."

He said, "No... It is a sign that everything is normal and both you and the baby are fine...but you do need to stop eating unhealthy foods or snacks."

I pouted. "Who eats vegetables all day?"

He let out a sigh as he shook his head and then he said looking outside, "Anyway, we are almost there..."

I peeked out from the carriage window and immediately my breath caught in my throat.

There was a temple in the forest as the trees had surrounded it in their darkness but still the temple head was peeking out in the sky. It wasn't large like the sun temple but it wasn't small either. Different kinds of algae and ferns had taken the walls as their residence and almost from everywhere they hung on the temple, creating a velvety coat on the temple's rock surface. It looked like it never had been maintained properly but there was no dirt. It was clean.

In the darkness of the forest, only moonlight illuminated, making the temple more darkened than already it was and there was a different kind of chill that hit me.

The aroma of the various vegetation sprouting out of the surface strangely reminded me of the goddess of Wansai's cave. It was the same feeling I felt. And I felt my nerves pumping through my whole body.

I caught Arashi's hand in an instinct as he asked, "What happened?"

I shook my head. "It's just too dark..."

He smiled. "Don't worry. It won't be dark for long..."

I looked at him questioningly, "What do you mean?"

He smirked, "You will know soon."

Our carriage halted just before the temple's stairs and we came down from the carriage.

Hiroshi stood beside Arashi as he stretched his arms and said, "I feel like sleeping..."

"You should. You will get wrinkles soon if you don't get any rests..." Arashi said as Hiroshi pouted.

"But I need to get back to the palace. They need my guide..."

Takashi gave him a look and said, "Nobody wants your guide. Koji can do the rest."

At that Hiroshi became depressed as he sat pressing his knees to his chest and said, "Nobody wants me anymore..."

"Just get married already! You are 29! You old hag! Even Koji is married!" Takashi hissed as Hiroshi looked at him with an anger face but with tears glinting around the corners of his eyes.

"Hidoi! Takashi is bullying me, prince Rian! See, I'm his sempai yet he has no respect for me!" He complained like a child as I laughed and Arashi gave him a face.

He muttered, "But you act like a child! And he is telling the truth, you should get married already! Who will be the stand in guard for my child then, you workaholic bachelor?"

Hiroshi complained again and ran to the forest, "Prince Rian is bullying me! Hidoi!"

I said, "Don't bully him! He will get someone special real soon!"

Arashi said with a frustrated sigh, "And how will he get that special someone when all he does is work all day? He is surrounded by only men!"

Takashi said, "And when he is not in our quarters, he is surrounded by those elders or children... He needs to get surrounded by women to have a 'someone special'..."

Err...

That's true...

The only way to get a wife for him was to make him marry someone forcibly or make him go meet a few women...which was impossible.

I sighed...

I had never seen an workaholic until brother Hiroshi.

Arashi said, "Let's go, today is full moon. You don't want to miss this chance."

He stretched his hand as I placed my palm on his hand. I wanted to ask him but he led me toward the stairs.

We started to climb up and soon I found out there were many stairs which I hadn't noticed.

After climbing up, my breath caught in my throat as we reached the entrance door.

The temple had another open door just opposite of the entrance door and in the middle of it, the moon shone as if it had come to visit from the other door.

The moon looked exceptionally large through it and just before it was a small water pond, it's water stayed still where the moon's image was being reflected. The moonlight illuminated from the water and penetrated the whole temple in its silver glory.

It seemed like we were watching two moons today.

It was dark outside but it looked beautiful inside as the round glasses across the walls reflected the moonlight from the pond water. It felt magical.

I smiled and said, "This is... outstanding..."

I had no words to describe it's beauty as my eyes gazed around the whole temple. The round glasses were placed just there where they could reflect the light and make the temple look like it was coated with silver.

And then my eyes fell on the statue where the moon goddess stood in its glory.

And I got shivers running down on my spine.

It certainly looked like Arashi's mother, standing there with cold eyes yet warm smile on her face. The rock had carved carefully to give every details with perfection that it could have been mistaken for a person standing there.

But I felt shiver not because of the realisation that it certainly looked like his mother, I was shivering because the statue was wearing the same ornaments that the Wansai goddess's large statue was wearing.

Were they the same goddesses?

Because the Wansai goddess's statue was enormous, I couldn't see it's face when I was inside the cave.

The torch light wouldn't go up there. The ornaments she had on her feet were exactly the same. I remembered it because while hiding from those assassins, I had touched them.

Suddenly I felt dizzy and caught my head as Arashi came beside me, holding my weakened body.

He asked, panicking, "Bianka, what happened?!"

I said, "Are the Wansai goddess and the moon goddess same?"

He shook his head. "No... They are different."

I said, "Then it could be weird since they wear the same ornaments..."

Yes, since they were in Wansai, maybe the creators had made the statues same...

He said, "The Wansai goddess doesn't wear any ornaments..."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The Wansai goddess only wear her crown which is made of leaves and flowers... She represents nature..."

I said, "But she was wearing ornaments in the cave."

Arashi burrowed his brows and said, "That's impossible. I have seen the statue many times. She doesn't have any jewellery or such. Even all of her statues are made the same way."

I nodded now feeling more chilly than ever.

What was going on?!

First the non existing secret door and now the statues...

I gulped down the bile that had formed in my throat and looked at the statue of the moon goddess.

The whole time I was there, I had no courage to leave Arashi's side. I kept a strong hold on his hand. While we kept seeing and admiring the temple and its beauty, my eyes would instinctively went toward the statue. I felt like it was watching me. Although I wasn't feeling any malicious feelings, I felt like it was alive.

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19th January, 23
1906