Fujishima's Maiden 22: Impressed Huntress

Mikage

She was not sure if she was going to be happy or worried at the same time since Sally suddenly carried her like a bride. She was totally blushing like a tomato on how they looked at but her familiar that she named Soul has to interrupt her thoughts.

‘Focus.’

“Why do you have to ruin my mood?!” Mikage groaned when she heard Soul’s voice in her head making her moment suddenly fly away.

‘Ruckus remember?’

‘Oh, just let her be, she’s cute whenever she blushes for Lady Sally.’

“Oh shush both of you!” Mikage rolled her eyes from what she was just hearing behind her mind and let herself focus on what was going on around the estate.

“Who disturbed it?” Mikage finally asked which Sally sensed something was suddenly different when she heard her voice. But Mikage was too focused.

“Maybe the new shrine maidens around.” Sally answered as she began not only to run while carrying Mikage but she managed to jump

“Dammit, Octie hates it the most. Hurry before she eats everyone.” Mikage hurried Sally who just smirked.

At the moment they jumped high from the tallest tree in the entire estate since it was near the hilltop shrine of their family, Sally’s mask appeared and landed smoothly over the shrine’s roof. Mikage saw that and when they smoothly landed on the roof, she gasped at how mad her Octie was.

“Octie…no…” Mikage whispered worriedly since her family was trying to defend and countered what the huge octopus was doing around the shrine. It was bringing fear over the new shrine maiden in training.

“Sally, can you get me closer to Octie?” Mikage asked a favor to Sally while she was staring worriedly at the octopus and the people around the shrine - her family.

“I can but it will be dangerous for you…” Sally answered but she kept sensing something suddenly stirred up around Mikage’s energy flow.

“Please, take me to her and make sure she sees only me.” Mikage firmly told Sally who just sighed but understand what she was doing.

“Okay, better to hold tight.” Sally pulled Mikage closer to her and used her strength to get closer to the rampaged octopus in their estate.

Sally

Fujishima’s Estate: Fujishima’s Hilltop Shrine

2:30 pm

As Sally began sprinting toward the huge octopus's whereabouts, she began to feel something familiar that came out from Mikage. Then when Sally was supposed to be landing over the roof of another structure, she didn’t. Instead, she landed over the very thin web strings that she knew came from the spider queen that Mikage just got as a familiar.

‘She’s amazing.’

“Amusing.” Sally added to the surprised compliment of her other self residing with her when they noticed how easily Mikage manipulate her familiar.

‘I know and I am impressed.’

Sally kept sprinting and jumping from one string to another until with one more jump up to the sky, Mikage suddenly shouted which made the giant octopus hear her familiar voice.

“OCTIE!” Mikage immediately shouted as they were falling down in front of the octopus while she made a smooth landing for them with the use of the web strings of her familiar.

The shrine maidens of the family suddenly halted from defending and countering the attacks of the giant octopus. It was not moving in such hostility anymore but it was looking straight at their new shrine maiden which Sally was holding protectively.

“Octie, calm down and talk.” Mikage calmly told to the huge octopus but it just ignored her.

‘NO!’

“Then show me what they’ve done to you.” Mikage sighed and said what was the cause of her sudden hostility in the estate. The huge octopus pointed over the pond where she mediated before was now being ruined but to be more precise, the corals were the thing that has being destroyed.

‘THEY BREAK THE HOUSE YOU MADE FOR ME! THEY’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!’

“OCTIE WAIT! ARHG! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE STUBBORN LIKE ME!” Mikage groaned when the octopus went back to focus on the new shrine training maidens. Sally wanted to chuckle over what she just groaned there but halted when Mikage emits her shrine maiden’s power again.

“WHEN I SAID STOP YOU SHOULD STOP!!!!!” Mikage’s voice was totally imperious and intimidating that even Sally would bow if she was not her mate.

Everyone shivers while some familiar beasts were either frightened or forced to hide back to their master’s sides. But as for the octopus, it was immobilized and could not move at all.

‘LET ME GO, MIKAGE! THEY HAVE TO PAY!’

“LET ME DO THAT SINCE THEY WERE NOT WORTHY OF YOUR BEASTLY POWERS.” Mikage shouted that finally caught the attention of the octopus when it looked back at her.

“Just calm down and come to me. Let’s build your knew home.” Mikage smiled and opened her arms to the octopus who sighed defeatedly and went to her arms.

‘You better punish them.’

“Oh don’t worry, I will since I put a lot of effort there. They didn’t know how much hard time I did just to find the right coral for a picked octopus.” Mikage might be sounded sarcastic but she mean them

‘Shut up, you just love me.’

“I know right? Oh, by the way, Octie, this is Sally, my mate. Sally, this Octie my first beast friend when I was ten.” Mikage simple introduced them but Sally could sensed that the octopus beast knew who she was since it gave a respectful nod at her. She just dismissed it and was casual.

“Nice meeting you and you did quite of a damage around.” Sally chuckled as they jumped down to the ground and landed smoothly.

‘Hmp! They deserved it. Now they know how it feels.’

Sally could understand why the beast suddenly went into its rampage since octopus beasts were not trouble markers unless they were misused, mistreat or their humble home has been destroyed. Like what just happened to Octie’s house.

“Octie, point who are those responsible for your house destruction?” Sally put down Mikage as she asked Octie that was in still her arms. Sally could feel strange power between the two of them but she could not sense the familiar and master bonding between them. But they just had a kind of bond that was very rare for a beast and a human.

‘All newbies apart from that girl. They’ve been bullying her because she could not do anything in their class but she’s a good water manipulator.’

Sally could sense the fright all over the newbies which made her shake her head but she noticed something again. She felt growing powers from her mate and it was pulling her more.

‘Dammt. I want to claim her.’

“You know that it’s too soon, she was still learning.” Sally reminded her other self when they both feel the strength that was molding around Mikage without her knowing.

‘I know but her entire being was calling me even her heart and I know you feel it too.’

“I know…we’re just whipped.” Sally smirked and her other self started laughing behind her mind. But their conversation has been cut off when Mikage started to invade her hearings.

“Water affinity…hey, you, what’s your name?” Mikage nodded at that information and called the girl that Octie was referring to.

“Miya.” the shy girl answered as she was being pushed forward to meet them. Mikage glared at the person who did that since Miya almost loses her balance from that push.

“Okay, Miya, I will be assigning you to take care of this stubborn octopus and her name is Octie. Don’t worry she’ll protect you if you do good.” Mikage softened her gaze when she meet Miya’s and handed Octie to her.

“But I am not confident to be her master, my lady.” Miya was shocked but wary since she was not sure if she could take care of the beast before her.

“Neh, she’s the only one who can tell who’ll be her master.” Mikage shook her head and handed the octopus beast to her. But instead, Octie decided to wrap her tentacles around her right arm and left her markings over it.

‘That’s right. Don’t worry, you’re promising you're just a late bloomer.’

Everyone was shocked since when Octie did that, Miya’s maiden’s sleeves on the right began to rip apart and revealed a shoulder to wrist markings. They were all surprised at what happened to the girl’s arms and the elders were about to exorcize it but Mikage stopped them.

“Don’t waste your energy. She was not possessed, right Octie?” Mikage stopped the elders from doing what they think they should be doing. Sally smirked at how Mikage sounded like a responsible shrine maiden there. Everyone in her family was surprised as if they recalled someone her age acting like that before.

“Just like her mother.” Sally muttered to herself as she watched everything on the sidelines.

‘Yeah, why you always think whenever put their mark on a human, you think they were possessed. But guess what, that mark that I gave to her was a mark that she’ll be my tame at the right time. It will grow small as soon as she grows and hits maturity. So leave her be.’

“You heard the beast. So now, for the punishment, all newbies have to build Octie’s new house while you, Miya, and my sister will train you since finally, Octie had a familiar.” Mikage firmly said as soon as she clapped her hands once. She even called her elder sister because she knew that her sister was the only one who can help her with her mark.

‘Shut up, Mikage. Oh, take me to the pond, I need to get wet.’

The young lady sweetly giggled and take Octie back to the pond and let it rest while her house was about to be rebuilt. But Sally looked over at Mikage and quickly grabbed her hands while she was talking with her sister.

“What is it?” Mikage waved her hands to her sister as soon as Sally grabbed hers.

“I’m just impressed with what you did.” Sally leaned closer just to whisper what Mikage made her feel there.