A/N: This story is facing a rough start or so it seems. XD What did you like so far and more importantly, what didn't you like?

Chapter 3

The Heavenly Commanders were the strongest exorcists in the world, having inherited the titles and powers of Abe no Seimei's shikigami. In this moment and at one point, the best exorcists were gathered and with them was Mayura. Intimated did not quite catch the way Mayura felt. She had met most of them in the last months, separately and on meetings of the noble families. She had joined them at the ceremony that was held when she became an official Heavenly Commander (1). But being surrounded by all eleven made her so nervous, that her hands quivered. Holding both in front of her chest, she hoped nobody saw her anxiety. Swallowing harshly her eyes passed that of those strange people with their strange appearances and habits. She felt eyes on her and turned around. Her gaze came to rest on the fuchsia haired man with eyes as blue as the sky on a summer's day. Among those people he seemed rather normal and young. But if one looked into his eyes, you could see the power and strength held in them. She was feeling less nervous watching him, knowing a private side of him. A side that cared deeply for his sister, a side that adored her own father and was determined to fight to protect. But it would appear strange if she looked only at him the whole meeting. She couldn't do that, could she?

While she was still weighing the advantages and disadvantages of starring at Shimon the whole meeting, the head of the exorcists Tsuchimikado Arima entered the room. He seemed cheerful as most of the time she saw him but Mayura knew better than to trust that look. She had seen a very dark look in his face in the aftermath of the fight against the two Basaras. Since then she was careful about him, she had a natural dislike towards people who put on an act. He had saved her but had put the life of her friends on the line although he could have stopped the conflict.

The people around her started to move forming a circle leaving just enough space for her to enter. Shyly she walked to that spot when Tsuchimikado-sama rose his voice. "Mayura-chan, can you step forward for a second?"

She froze as the twelve pairs of eyes rested on her. Swallowing down her fears, she nodded quickly and crossed the circle so she stood in its middle before the Exorcists' Head.

Tsuchimikado-sama smiled at her rather friendly and grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her around like he wanted to present her to the others. "Otomi Mayura is only 16 years old and the newest addition to the rank of the Heavenly Commanders. After two years Byakko demanded for a substitute and in the battle against number four and nine of the Basara he gave Otomi his powers. Otomi will therefore take the seat of her father. Congratulations again."

"Eh... Arigato." Hadn't they done that already at the Ceremony of Accession a few weeks ago?

"Welcome to the rank of the Heavenly Commanders, Byakko."

'That title still feels strange,' Mayura thought.

He leaned towards her and whispered with a much colder voice. "You may return to your spot."

Mayura turned around, questions ran through her head as her gaze was glued to the floor. 'What was that for?'

As she crossed the circle again, someone cleared his throat in a very obviously matter.

Her steps faulted only once. But still Mayura kept on walking to her spot which was between the blue haired Inanaki Arata (2) and the rather short Zeze Miku (3). When she looked up she saw last person mustering her. "I know she is Seigen-san's daughter but is she really powerful enough?"

That weird grinning guy with glasses – he was called Ujii Kengo (4), if she remembered correctly – voiced his opinion directly. "Agreed. Just because she is his daughter does not qualify her to be an Heavenly Commander."

Mayura felt the weight of being unworthy pressing on her shoulders as another voice shipped into the discussion. "She has developed a lot since she's here."

His voice rang in her eyes gaining her attention. "Don't forget it is neither our nor her choice. Byakko qualified her worthy and we have to respect his choice." Respect Byakko's decision... Not worthy herself, he meant. It felt like a knife being stabbed in an open wound with her closest confidant failing her.

"Shimon-san is right." Even Ioroi-san (5) who was always very nice to her jumped onto the same boat.

She had enough. They might be the most powerful exorcists and much more stronger than her but that didn't mean they were allowed to talk about her like that, these superstar ice villagers! Her anger gave birth to a new determination as she straightened her spine and rose her voice. "Excuse me, may I say something?"

Not one of the present people had looked at her through their discussion about whether she deserves being a Heavenly Commander or not. Now she was in everyone's focus again. She had to make a standing, now. "I know I am weak and I don't deserve the title as Heavenly Commander in the form I am now. I wasn't raised as exorcist like you all were. Otosan always wanted to protect me from that fate. He always said, that it's the adults fault children have to be made exorcists. But I'm not a child anymore and I make my own decisions. This is what I want because I won't give up on the people I care about. I am going to protect them and I'll be there when Rokuro and Adashino-san create a new future."

Silence – thick enough to cut through – filled the room. She took in deep, huffy breaths. Tears stuck to the corners of her eyes.

Again Zeze Miku began to speak first, this time one corner of her mouth was lifted very slightly, appearing like a trace of a smile. "Hmm... Maybe there is more of Seigen-san in you then I had thought."

Ioroi-san roared with laughter. "That sounded more like Yukari speaking."

Shimon having his arms folded, interfered in a very calm tone: "It's true she lacks in many points as an exorcist..." Really? He was still going at her weakness now? "... On the other hand it is a fact that nobody is more suited to represent Byakko. She shines were we other Heavenly Commanders have unlearned to be compassionate. Maybe she is the addition we needed." Shock, then happiness, then disbelief rushed through Mayura. This might be the nicest thing he'd ever said about her. She stared at him while he pointedly ignored her.

"Well said, Shimon." Tsuchimikado Arima who hadn't joined the discussion was smiling at Shimon in a very odd way. "With that said, I would like to discuss our first topic for this meeting."

She had to concentrate very badly to stop herself from groaning. She was exhausted and tired and they hadn't even started with the actual meeting. The people on the island loved to praise the fact that they were different from those from the mainland but in politics they were the same.

At least she would be able to lean back for a bit since she was fairly new to this Heavenly Commander kind of thing. "First topic of today's meeting will be Otomi Mayura."

EEEEHH?! Haven't they done that just until now? Starring at the Head Exorcist who was grinning at her she was totally taken aback. Everyone else in the room seemed to be surprised about this topic, too.

Tilting his head Tsuchimikado-sama, observed her. "Mayura-chan, do you remember the day your father lost his arm?"

The day Otosan... She hadn't tried to remember back then. Her father had already been in the hospital when she came to. She had cried for him, watched over him. But she didn't know what had happened. Before she lost consciousness she talked to Rokuro and then... she didn't remember.

"On that day, the very day Adashino or rather Ijika Yuuto took Amawaka Seigen's arm you'd been marked with the sign of Douma Houshi."

Adashino...? Ijika Yuuto...? Douma Houshi...? "But-" And then she remembered the voice in the back of her head. The inhuman, mocking voice that had rumbled through her head. It had been familiar because she heard it before.

"Oh? So you do remember?" Taking a pause the tall, silver haired man changed the tone of his voice. It was now low and cold. "What happened to you, is a taboo among exorcists, a phenomena called Kegare ochi."

Mayura didn't understand. What was he saying? "Ke-gare ochi?" Did he mean she was an impurity? Or had been? If so then how was she alive?

"Kegare ochi aren't normal impurities born by negative emotions and thoughts gathering in Magano. They are exorcists turned artificially into impurities. Luckily for you the Twin Stars were able to cleanse you with a spell called Furu no koto."

'I was cleansed? By Rokuru?' Dread filled her. Too much, it was too much. She needed him to get to the point. Her eyes were twitching. "What are you-?"

"Kegare feed on the weaknesses of humans. Even if the Furu no koto was strong and exorcised the impurities within you, we don't know what could happen to you. It would be catastrophic if the yin aura from Magano would take over you."

All those information, they blurred, she couldn't grasp onto the core. Some devastating truth seemed to lurk behind all this. Should she call her mother a last time? Should she thank her father for everything he did to protect her? Tears were flooding her eyes, she bowed her head. Too much, too much. She felt like being trapped in a bubble where she could still hear the voice of the Head Exorcist who went on and on with his vague talking. "I see it's all new to you. Seigen-san didn't tell you what really happened at the Hiinatsuki dorm, did he?"

Suddenly another, angry voice penetrated the dark veil that lay upon her."Enough! Arima-sama, don't you see it's already to much for her to take in?" His voice, it was his voice again.

Barely registering the silence in the room, Mayura felt like she was slowly returning to reality only to see the Chief Exorcist smiling at her almost friendly. "Hmm... I think Shimon-kun is quite right. I make it short."

She noticed the people sitting around her, frowning and looking guilty. She herself felt like waking up from a nightmare just now, wondering how she could have forgot they were in a meeting.

"When you turned into a Kegare ochi, you were a potential danger. Although you were untrained, your spell power was enough for you to become a higher form of Kegare, able to defend against Seigen-san's Byakuren Kohou and pushing him into a corner. Imagine what would happen if you would now after two years of training with much more spell power, imagine what would happen if you as one of the Heavenly Commanders would turn into one again. We can't risk that now, can we?"

She frowned. So he meant she was a risk to exorcists but if so, what was the point of having her come to this meeting? She tried her best to throw him a look of resentment. Somehow she had the idea that he liked to tease and torment people.

"Ohaaa, what a scary look. Don't look at me like that. I am not the one you should hate." His tone had changed back into its cheerful singing way. But she didn't trust this spontaneous sense of reconciliation.

Carefully she asked: "What do you expect me to do?"

"Otomi Mayura, Byakku of the Heavenly Commanders, as the head of the exorcists I hereby order you to go-"

She heard one or two gasps, Ioroi-san barked out a quick "Oi!" but before anyone could interfere any further, Tsuchimikado Arima continued, "... on a VACATION!"

"H-U-H?" Mayura nearly fell over, her mouth was wide open in shock.

Tsuchimikado-sama held up a finger. "Balance is vital for an exorcist. Otherwise they are likely to be controlled by the miasma that gets into their system. Before you enter Magano again, you should regain some strength and train your control over your enchanted powers. Just to be on the safe side. Of course you're allowed to to school."

He drew something that looked like a colorful tube out of his sleeves and threw it into her direction. Just as Mayura read the title Tsuchikado island: Sightseeing and favorite spots he went on with his crazy order: "Take at least two weeks to regain your strength. Shimon-kun shall help you train and will watch out for you. If he feels you're strong enough, you can come see me again."

Was that guy serious? A vacation was the solution? Couldn't he have explained the situation in a normal way? And why did he punish Shimon of all people? It wasn't fair. Two weeks were enough to throw him back in his training. It was so not fair. "That's not fair."

Arima seemed unfazed. "Nevertheless, it's an order."

"Otomi, it's fine." Although he didn't seem to enjoy it, Shimon accepted the uncommon order. "If you're going to be a good exorcist both your body and soul should be at peace. I won't be able to rely on you in a fight if it isn't."

Across her that overbearing Unomiya Tenma (6) sighed. "Maaan, what do I have to do to get a vacation ordered like bird-maru and kitten-chan?"

For the rest of the meeting Mayura tried to sort out everything she had learned so far. Actually, all she she knew for sure was that she had once turned into a Kegare ochi and was saved by Rokuro and Adashino-san. Seeing herself as an impurity was a very scary and ground-shaking thought. Hopefully Shimon could explain to her what really happened at the Hiinatsuki dorm four years ago after this meeting.

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Shimon felt like this was the hardest meeting he had ever attended to by just watching Arima-sam wearing Mayura down. What was he thinking? Couldn't he have ordered her to take a vacation without throwing the truth at her face? Well, maybe it was for the best. If she knew about Kegare ochi and why she should be careful, maybe she won't risk her life in every fight. Grumbling he had his hands in his trouser pockets looking at the ground. Suddenly he remembered she was following him and had been awfully silent for a while now. He stopped and turned around.

She herself seemed to be carried away in thoughts because she almost ran into him. "I'm sorry, Shimon."

Unlike her cheerful self, she had her head bowed down. He didn't like this sight even a bit. "No problem, just follow me."

He directed them towards the Ikaruga estate. At this time of the day there shouldn't be too much commotion. Funnily Mayura seemed to take no notice of where they were heading until they were almost there. She looked at him in surprise when they entered the estate. He directly went to the garden and sat on the spot where he had sat with Chiiko (7) the day before waiting for Mayura to join him.

They sat for a while in silence. He wondered if the cold breeze of the beginning fall wasn't too cold for her to sit in a skirt on a bench. Mayura broke the silence. "Shimon, do you know what happened at Hiinatsuki?"

He nodded, but was hesitant with his reply. This world was cruel, Hiinatsuki was one of the most prominent examples when it came to cruelty. He remembered when Seigen-san had returned to the island as a broken man, having lost so many young students. It wasn't easy to stomach the truth. "Yes."

He mustered her, he took notice of the small rings under her eyes and the sickly paleness of her skin but he saw strength in her eyes, even though there was a lot of fear. "Please, tell me."

Leaning forward he rested his elbows on his legs. He looked away from her as images of the burnt down dorm raise to his inner eye. Back then he had just become Heavenly Commander. "You know four years ago all the pupils of the Hiinatsuki dorm died, all except for Enmadou Rokuro. What only a few people know is what really happened. Although the official report says otherwise, there were no impurities from Magano."

He stopped. This part of the story was still as tragic as it could be. Folding his hands he braced himself a little bit. "Kegare ochi. Adashino Yuuto or rather Ijika Yuuto turned the children of Hiinatsuki into Kegare ochi like he did with you. Enmadou had to exorcise all of them."

Patiently he waited for her reaction, when he heard a very low mumble. "Ro-ku... -ro." Looking at her, Shimon noticed how her face was turned away, how her fingers tightly grabbed onto her skirt, shivering in effort. Then there was a sob almost inaudible before she threw her hand to her face and stared crying.

Without much thinking he put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. He let her cry and he held her. He held her as she cried for another one and for the children she'd known. She was a caring and compassionate person that shared pain of others. Shimon wondered how much she could take without breaking or if her honest and kind nature would be changed here on the isle. Arima was right, she needed a vacation. However, not only to regain her spell power. She needed some hope and some happiness.

She cried for a long time, sometimes whispering things like "Why didn't you tell me?" and "How cruel... Everyone..." and Shimon hold onto her until her sobs ebbed away.

After a while she finished crying. Dry sobs were leaving her body a few last times. She looked up at him with red rimmed eyes. Her expression turned from sadness to embarrassment in seconds and she jumped away from him. "S-sorry, Shimon, for overstepping my bounds. I've got carried away and -"

He felt the need to interrupt her. "I understand. It must be hard for you." It was the most natural thing to soothe her, like anyone would do, seeing someone else in such a pain. And why was it, that she saw herself to be less in comparison to him, he always wondered. Both had the same rank now and were both from respectable families. "You apologize too much."

With a still blushing face she smiled a little and held a protective hand in front of her chest. "It felt good to get that of my shoulders. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She now was less pale but still didn't look to be in her best shape. The new tragedy that had taken form in her life now added up to a fresh return from the hospital. He wondered what they could do the rest of the day without stressing her. Maybe Chiiko had an idea.

"Do you mind if we train a little bit together?" Mayura's smile didn't reach her eyes.

Seriously, that girl who looked a bit better than awful had to be mad. He understood her dedication but he wouldn't allow her to exhaust herself. He shook his head. "I do mind."

"You do?" Her hands grabbed the material of her skirt.

"What you need most is a day off. If you push yourself too hard too soon, you'll end up in the hospital again. It would be better if you take the fun part of the vacation more seriously." He didn't talk about impurities or Kegare ochi, they had enough of that already for one day.

"Oh, okay. I guess then I'll better leave so you can train. You probably have a full schedule." Rising she straightened her skirt and send him a last smile.

"Wait!" Grabbing her arm he stopped her. "Ugh, it's a pain but I was ordered to keep an eye on you and you might walk around exhausting yourself, sooo..."

"You don't have to do that." She winked her right eye at him. "I won't tell anyone if you skip the fun part to train."

She was making this extra hard on him. It's not like he loved to skip training and shaping up his skills on missions. Normally his dedication to change the world wouldn't allow such a behavior but today he had another duty. Also they could train their minds a little bit over some strategy games. „Chiiko also asked for you, I thought, maybe we could spend the day with her..."

Her big blue eyes widened in understanding. "Now I get it," Mayura smiled softly at him. "Let's do this then, shall we?" He wondered what she meant, when she said she got it as they entered the house together.

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(1) In the sixth volume of the manga, there was a special in which Shimon's Ceremony of Accession was shown. Apparently it is an official event to which all exorcists are invited to when a new Heavenly Commander is announced in a big stadium.

(2) Inanaki Arata is the blue haired guy that went with Seigen and Arima to school.

(3) Zeze Miku is the pink haired woman with the large pony tails who didn't want Rokuro to join her family when he was introduced to the great exorcist families. She is also the oldest member among the Heavenly Commanders.

(4) Ujii Kengo is the one Heavenly Commander with the glasses and the abacus. His family is the one who maintains the shield at the Magano gates. He joined the Heavenly Commanders before Shimon.

(5)Ioroi Narumi is the blond bearded Heavenly Commander with the huge weapon who controls the earth. He also went with Seigen to school.

(6) Unomiya Tenma is the strongest among the Heavenly Commanders. He doesn't need talismans or to chant spells to purify impurities. Also he is a little bit older than Shimon and has two differently colored eyes.

(7) Shimon addresses Ikagura Sayo with Chiiko. Although they aren't siblings they have a very close relationship. I'd forgotten to explain that in the last chapter.

A/N: Shimon comforting Mayura. That's one head canon for sure.^^

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