Part 1.2 - Miyuki

Martel lay in bed, watching the sleeping face of Freyja. Thinking of how beautiful she was, he unscrupulously inspected her whole body with his eyes. She was truly a gorgeous woman. As he looked at her, he couldn't help but notice that her hair seemed an even stronger golden color then he had previously remembered. However, his thoughts were cut short as the door to his bedroom opened.

Miyuki, dressed in a bathing robe and with slightly damp hair, walked into the room. She quickly and quietly made her way to the bed before the stunned Marty could react.

"Miyuki, what are you doing?" Martel asked with a hushed voice and glanced between her and Freyja as the former began to straddle him.

"Anata, I need you now." She said breathlessly with slightly flushed cheeks as she grabbed his hand and placed it towards her. "That's not from the bath." She whispered seductively.

Martel gulped. She was so alluring and tempting, but he couldn't do that. Tonight was about Freyja. However, before he could refuse, a slightly tired voice spoke.

"Husband, it's all right," Freyja said as she had been awakened.

"No, it isn't. Tonight is your night."

Freyja smiled. "While I'm happy to hear that, I know full well that wasn't enough for you."

"Nonsense! Look, he's more the content." Martel shamelessly said.

Freyja had to look away in embarrassment from his... candor.

Miyuki sighed, "Freyja, what are we going to do? He's so obstinate about this." She said as she helped Freyja sit up.

"I know. He's controlling it with his mind and not being honest." Freyja said meekly.

"Well then, we'll have to make him lose control."

Before Freyja could ask how, Miyuki leaned over and kissed her, hard. Martel went slack-jawed dumbfounded as his brain went blank. Freyja, who was momentarily startled, sent a glance over to Martel's before she began to return the kiss. In her head, and as Martel realized, she was getting back at him for when Caelia had unscrupulously kissed him in her presence, and he had done the same.

When the kiss ended, Miyuki had a sly grin while Freyja looked down with her beet-red face out of embarrassment.

Miyuki looked down, "I see someone else enjoyed our kiss too." She said shamelessly.

"I… This…" Martel stuttered, ashamed.

Miyuki reached over and placed her finger to his lips. "Just shut up and take me." She said as she pushed him down to the bed.

After a couple of rounds, a desperate Miyuki coerced the slightly recovered Freyja, and Martel got to know the happiness of having two wives.

Reminiscence – Miyuki

I, Hanahime, was picking flowers near the sole cherry tree near the house occupied by my father and myself. As I was passing the time, I suddenly heard a sound in the sky like breaking glass. I looked up and saw that the sky was cracked. The usual blue was instead many different colors while the crack itself was pitch black. From the pitch blackness, I saw something fall. It got faster and faster until it struck the ground, flashing light just before it hit. Curious, I went to see what it was.

In the crater, I saw a wounded man. When I got closer, I heard the voice of an unseen woman who asked me to help him. Still being a child, I do not have the strength to move him, so I went and found my Otou-Sama, who brought him to our house. Several days went by, and the man did not wake. My Otou-Sama would occasionally hunt or go to town for food, which left me home alone with the man. I remembered my Otou-Sama telling me about my Oka-Sama, who died to bring me into this world and what she would do around the house. Wanting to help, I quickly learned things like chores. With my skills, I ended up tending for the man. I wondered if this was what it was like to be a young wife. I did not realize how much that simple thought affected me until much later.

One day, as I waited for my Otou-Sama to come back, many bad men came to our house. They kidnapped me and almost killed the man, but seemed to find a use for him charging Energy Crystals. They took us to their secret base and chained him to a giant Energy Crystal. As for me, I was tasked with taking care of him.

I was surprised that they did nothing to me, but I managed to overhear some of them talking that I was a prize for the Emperor. Given that he was the leader of the bad men, I knew he must be the baddest. I was terrified, but I was all alone, so I had to be strong. I couldn’t let them see any weakness.

Then, one day, the man finally woke up. He seemed to have lost his memory, and he didn’t even know his name, so I gave him one. Shiba, the name of a mighty person my Otou-Sama told me about who protected the world. I don’t know why I chose that name, but it may have been due to my fear and wanting to be protected. Given that his chains prevented him from eating easily, I once again took care of him. Once again, I took on the duty of being a young wife. Unfortunately, this peace did not last.

Nero, the Emperor, finally appeared. When I saw his face and the way he looked at me, I became terrified. He grabbed me and then got a red-hot poker to hurt me. It was then I heard Shiba let out a roar as well as a massive explosion take place. Shocked, I managed to get out of Nero’s grasp just in time to see Shiba punch his face. Shiba had a scary expression, and his body was covered in black scales, but the moment he picked me up, I felt safe. From then on, he was my hero.

We only stopped to take care of our needs, but he ran for two days without food before he finally collapsed upon finding a shrine. Worried about his well-being, I ran inside to find help. Luckily, they were good people there who helped us; a shrine maiden, who was also a retired Kunoichi, and a retired samurai. These two helped us and trained us to fight so that we could defend our country from the invaders.

After we trained for some time, Shiba went out to find more people to train to have a small fighting force. When he came back, he brought back a bunch of young boys and a girl. That girl, who was around my age, was named Kuromi. Kuromi and I spent a lot of time together. Even though she considered herself subordinate to me, I always considered her to be my closest friend. Living alone with my father, I never had the opportunity to make friends even though I wanted to. Perhaps sensing how much Kuromi meant to me, or being overprotective of her because she was a girl, Shiba was very strict in her training. I remembered the day she came back and showed me how she could blend into the shadows. She secretly told me that Shiba had inadvertently given her this ability. It was around this time that I noticed that Kuromi would look at Shiba differently. I asked the Snow Miko about it, and she told me that Kuromi had probably fallen in love with him.

I remembered my Otou-Sama telling me that when a man and woman love each other, they got married. When I heard this, it felt as if someone had grabbed my heart. I didn’t want Kuromi to marry him; I wanted to marry him! It was then that I realized that I loved him, perhaps from the time I was tiny. I had loved him for so long that it became second nature. Then, I felt guilty. Shiba and Kuromi were the two people I cared about most in the world. Why couldn’t we share him? I’ll only keep him to myself for a little while. Sorry, Kuromi.

Now knowing what I wanted, I consulted the snow Miko on how to seduce Shiba. She readily gave me all the theoretical knowledge I could take. I managed to seduce him, and he took me as his wife. Even though I missed my Otou-Sama, I wouldn’t have changed it for anything. However, there was something from that night I could never forget. As I faded in and out of consciousness that night, I remembered Shiba mention a single name in his sleep with the face of pain; Freyja. I wanted to ask him who Freyja was, but I knew that he remembered nothing. Hence, the question faded into the recesses of my memory.

Time went by, and we began to fight the Romans. I remembered the night we came back after he killed a lot of enemy soldiers. That night, my sleep consisted of me passing out as he continued to forget his woes with my body to the point where it scared me. At that point, I realized he had been holding back and that I couldn’t satisfy him on my own. I tried to include Kuromi, knowing how he cared for her and her feelings for him, but it never came to fruition. His desire to be true to me, Kuromi being unable to express her affection, and their relationship as master and subordinate kept from taking that step. Frustrated, I could do nothing but occasionally bring it up and try to change their minds. Then came that fated day; the day we assassinated the Emperor.

Kuromi was going to attempt to poison the Emperor. However, I wanted to kill him myself after what he had nearly done to me. I infiltrated as a maidservant and successfully administered the poison, but was immediately revealed.

Kuromi, who had been following me in my shadow, took several arrows in my stead so I could run. My heart nearly broke, but to go on living and lead away from the poisoned Emperor to increase the likelihood of our troops’ victory, I ran. As I ran, I realized the terrain was familiar. Eventually, I came across the lone cherry tree, the place I first met Shiba. Perhaps it was poetic fate, but I was wounded and could not continue running beyond it. It was then that Shiba finally caught up and injured Nero, but he too was fatally wounded.

As we lay dying, he remembered who he was, his past. There was so much I wanted to ask him, but there was no more time. My greatest fear was he would regret marrying me; that he had another woman, like Freyja. However, the first thing he said after he remembered was to tell me how much he loved me, and it made me so happy. I married a wonderful man. Then, we left the world as we walked it; together.

With the smell of smoke, I, Miyuki, woke up. My ears were ringing, and my head hurt as a plethora of memories had come back to me. I’d always had flashes from before, but perhaps the traumatic experience of the car crash helped me remember entirely. However, I did not have time to reminisce as my parents were injured. Moreover, I quickly realized that there was nothing accidental about the crash. Because of the technology used to cut Energy Crystals, my parents were now in danger. A couple of men approached the car. I heard the groans of my injured parents and knew I had to protect them. I tried to bring out my Soul Armament but failed. Then I realized I needed to awaken it, which I successfully did. I quickly cast a spell and combined it with my fan to blow a gust of cold wind, which froze the assailants before they could reach the car. After ensuring that the assailants were incapacitated, I turned to my parents, looking at me with surprise. I was scared.

Even though I was Hanahime, I was also Miyuki. I love my parents very much, and I was afraid they would shun me because of it. Luckily, my parents were very understanding. In fact, they were exceptionally proud that their daughter was the Snow Miko that saved Kuhon. For the next year, I happily enjoyed the company of my parents, but only for a year.

Once again, my parents were in a car accident, but this time it was without me so I couldn’t protect them. I cried for days. My entire world seemed to darken, especially my shadow. If not for the fact that I had learned that everyone behind the attack was brutally tortured and killed by an unknown assailant, I probably would’ve gone mad. I now found myself alone with only my uncle.

My uncle was a kind man, if not a little cowardly, but he never took advantage of me, and I was fortunate to have him. He took care of the business and let me do whatever I wanted, mostly to wallow in my sadness. My only concern was to spend my time in my dreams of Shiba and Kuromi. Those memories were the only reason I could smile, though they also reminded me how much I missed them. Luckily, I would not miss them for long.

Years later, I lay dreaming beneath the crystallized lone cherry tree where I had so many memories before. For whatever reason, I dreamed about the first time I had seen him falling from the sky. In my haziness, I did not realize that my surroundings mirrored my dreams. Wanting his touch; his kiss, I reached out to the man in my dreams only to find that my dream was before me. The amount of happiness I felt at that moment could not be described. I was momentarily shocked when he said he had no memory of me, but I knew it was him, and I had hoped that time would let him remember. His theory about what happened that a future of himself had fused with his current self brought me some comfort. As we interacted, I was relieved to find that he truly was no different than before. His character persisted, regardless of his memories.

Then, my company was attacked by the soldiers of Nero, all of which had also reincarnated. In that fight, I witnessed his strength, which seemed beyond what I remembered because he could control it. However, what surprised me most was the fact that Kuromi had been with me for years. I was disappointed that she had never revealed herself to be before, but happy that we are all together again. Later on, when I recalled my parents, I realized that the one who had avenged them was most likely Kuromi. I never brought it up because she would most likely remember it as a failure to protect them, although I would never blame her.

A lot transpired, but it eventually ended when we killed Nero. I was very proud that Martel had used magic that utilized my love for him to give him strength. Then, I managed to persuade him to bring myself and Kuromi back to his world.

When we got there, I was utterly dumbfounded. It turned out that my loyal Shiba was living with a bunch of girls. I didn’t mind as I was grateful that we were reunited. If I had to share him, well… That would be more of a relief for me. I was heartbroken for him when I realized that Freyja had already passed on. I had hoped that, because it was his past, I could ensure that they would not be separated, but I was too late.

After a short matter of time passed and we eventually went to the world from which Freyja and Morgan belonged. Then, he brought back Freyja. Perhaps I should’ve been worried, but I was happy for him instead. Her name permeated through his very soul, so it was apparent how much she meant to him. However, I didn’t realize at the time that he had made a deal to save her, the price being his death. He would have to slay the dragon Nidhogg. To do so permanently would be to take the Dragon within himself and then die so that Nidhogg could not be resurrected through his body. However, I came up with an idea to give him and the power to defeat Nidhogg without dying. Instead of killing him, we would give him the flame of our love. It was risky because it was not guaranteed to work, nor did we know if we would live, but none shied away from attending to save him. Luckily, we were successful.

Some more time went by, and Martel finally grew a conscience and began to consummate his relationship with us. First, of course, was Freyja. I was a little disappointed, but it was understandable. I had a lifetime with him all to myself, so I was not in a position to complain. However, it was absolute torture. I wanted him to embrace me, so I waited until I was sure that Freyja was passed out before I entered the room, and I nearly forced myself on him. With a little help from Freyja, I managed to break all of his defenses and get him to attack me. However, it worked a little too well. As he had done one time before, he lost all control. Luckily, Freyja noticed, and the two of us fought together, albeit to no avail. The two of us eventually went unconscious. However, I’m sure I passed out with a smile on my face.

Part 1.3 - Kuromi

Martel looked over the bodies of the two women nine before him. However, he was not in a current mindset that was capable of enjoying the scenery. Or perhaps, the view is what caused it. If he could look in a mirror, he would see that his eyes were glowing red, though their shape was still human. Before passing out, Miyuki had realized that he was too excited and had somewhat lost control of his inhibitions. Because of this, the only thought going through his head as he wanted more. He was sane enough not to attack the two women lying next to him, but that didn't stop him from seeking more prey. He could smell them, two of them, ripe for the taking. One of them was hiding within the room while the other was beyond the door. With a thought, a light suddenly flared, which revealed Kuromi in a delicate posture as she tried to cover herself.

"Captured spies get punished." He said with an evil smile as he grabbed her. He ignored the pattering feet running away from the door as he pulled Kuromi up and kissed her. "Now, you're mine."

Kuromi looked at the past out Miyuki with some hesitation. Yet, her flushed cheeks betrayed her stoic face with her excitement and desire. "Master, please be gentle." She whispered.

Martel grinned. "Master, I like the sound of that." However, he wasn't so far gone to lose his patience or care, so he abided by her request.

End of Day 43

Reminiscence – Kuromi

I remember the first time that I, Kuromi, saw him. I was worried he had seen me steal food. I was famished, but I was not alone. Many young children found themselves to be orphaned. Orphanages were overcrowded, and food was scarce. When I got back, I saw that there were many starving children, more so than me. So, I gave them my food. I was strong enough to get more, and my parents always taught me to help others. They were good people; why did they have to die?

Then, he showed up again. I was scared because I thought he might want to capture me as I’d stolen, but it was nothing like that. Instead, he wanted me to join them; to learn how to fight. I agreed because I wanted to end the suffering; because I wanted to avenge my parents; because I hated my weak self.

When we arrived at the shrine, I remembered seeing Miyuki for the first time. She ran out to him and ecstatically hugged him, and he happily returned it. My entire cognition of Shiba crumbled, although for the better. Miyuki and I got along really well, or rather, she insisted on being my friend. I was somewhat antisocial and never able to express my emotions very well, but she didn’t care. It was a silent blessing, but I could never truly think of myself as her friend. I was her and Shiba’s subordinate. He saved me from that awful fate; clothed, trained, and fed me. It was all I could do to pay him back.

Time went by, and Shiba trained me especially hard. It took me some time to realize that he did it out of care. He would never want me to be captured by the enemy and emphasized my safety above all else. Then, that day, when he gave me the power to merge with shadows, I realized how much he cared for me and how much I loved him. However, I also realized that Miyuki loved him too. Given that I was his subordinate made it even more inappropriate, so I didn’t dare express my feelings, not that I knew how. I could only bury them along with my other emotions; bury them deep.

Finally, training ended, and I began to take assassination missions in the real world. I went on several missions and killed several high-ranking Roman officers. After getting over the initial shock of killing, it was replaced with my arrogance. My ability to blend into the shadows made me overconfident. Unfortunately, my ability was far from perfect. It would not work in total darkness, but required light to cast a shadow. If the shadow wasn’t dark enough, I could do nothing. Additionally, if the area of the shadow where I resided was attacked, be it physical or magic, I would still suffer from pain, potentially revealing me to the enemy. On one of my assassinations, the enemy had prepared light sources. After I assassinated the target, they were all lit, which left me nowhere to go. In desperation, I tried to run but was quickly swarmed. I despaired.

I had realized the possibility but believed myself nigh-invincible in the dark. If not for Shiba, who recklessly charged the enemy camp to save me, I would have died. From then on, I had truly fallen; My master, my love, my hero.

I did not allow myself to be overconfident and conducted myself more appropriately. Time went by as we fought the Romans. Miyuki and Shiba had married. I was envious but only buried it along with my feelings. After some time, Miyuki even wanted me to become his concubine. I had some expectations in my heart, but Shiba did not wish for it, so I could only lie and say I didn’t so that he would not feel guilty. Being with them… It was enough.

Then came the time to assassinate Nero. It was initially my job, but Miyuki wanted to do it herself. I was quite conflicted, but eventually acquiesced to her request when she promised to let me be her shadow. The poison was successfully administered, but that also meant she was caught. Before she was apprehended, she managed to get away, but arrows began to rain down towards her. The last thing I wanted to see was my family die again. I blocked the arrows with my body and insisted she continued to run.

As I lay dying, I found myself mixed with feelings of contentment and regret. When I had fallen, I had heard Shiba’s cry in response. It contained so much pain that I finally realized just how much I meant to him; he to me. I was content with having someone who loved me so much; regretted, we had never acted upon. I promised myself, if there was a next life, that I would be his. As much as he would allow, I would be. With that thought, I finished the spell that destroyed my body so that I would not be tarnished, and I died.

I remember when I, Kuromi, finally accepted my name. I had flashbacks; memories of a life that wasn’t mine, but now I recognized them as my own. In this life, I never knew my parents. From the very beginning, I had grown up in an orphanage. It wasn’t too bad, but neither was it good. I waited for several years until I regained all of my memories and had trained to a certain level before leaving the orphanage. I wasn’t too worried about leaving at such a young age because, with my abilities, it would be too difficult for me to obtain food, even if it was not legal.

Because I was so busy with my training in my spare time, I didn’t follow the news. If I did, I would’ve known that Miyuki had also been reincarnated. It wasn’t until the day of her parents’ death that I happened to overhear her news. I blamed myself completely. It happened so close; she was always so close, but I didn’t know. I failed her. With my skills, I managed to find someone involved, and, through torture, I found more information until I was assured that I had killed everyone involved.

After I had avenged Miyuki, I went and found her. There was so much sadness in her eyes that I contemplated what I should do. I thought about showing myself to her. Perhaps it would make her happy, or maybe she would blame me for not being here sooner. In the end, I decided it would be simpler to be her shadow and watch over her. As I spent time as her shadow, I realized that she would often daydream about Shiba. The first several times I heard her mumble my name, I was tempted to reveal myself, but held back. The absence of Shiba hurt her much more than hurt me, perhaps because I was never as intimate with him as she was. Then, that fateful day happened.

Miyuki was dreaming beneath the lone cherry tree. It was her and Shiba’s sacred place where they held so many good memories. Then, the sky changed color, cracked, and a figure fell. In her shadow, I watched the figure as he approached her, ready to protect her at a moment’s notice. However, I soon became dumbfounded by his appearance. He looked like, no; he was Shiba. I tailed two of them as they reunited.

Shiba, or Martel as he called himself now, seemed not to have his memories, but it appeared to be only temporary, so I was not worried. Miyuki eventually brought him to her company, where they were attacked. He was surprisingly strong, but one of the enemies moved to attack Miyuki, most likely to make her hostage beyond the fact that she was their goal. I didn’t want to take a chance, so even though I knew it might mean that we would have to be separated, I protected her. I was scared and wanted to leave, but before I did, he called out my name. He called out my name even though he did not remember anything substantial about Miyuki. I felt a flash of pride but quickly shunned it. Unable to run, I knelt at his feet, ready to accept any punishment two of them may have had. However, they were overjoyed at our reuniting. I realized that I had been a fool, and I should’ve revealed myself in the beginning. But now, at least we were together.

To my surprise, Miyuki immediately insisted that the two of us seduce him together. I was astonished by her straightforwardness, but I surprised her more when I quickly agreed, even though I did not know how I would become his. Seducing him was extremely embarrassing, even for me. When he regained all his memories as Shiba, he acted as though he immediately accepted both of us. Only, something held him back in the end.

Eventually, Miyuki and Martel killed Nero, and we went with him back to his world. I was stunned to find that he was cohabitating with so many other women given how staunch Shiba had been with Hanahime, but this also gave me hope. Time went by, and a lot of things happened, including Martel nearly dying fighting a Black Dragon. I naturally helped him and gave him my meager strength because I did not want to lose him again. Luckily, everyone survived, and we went back home.

Finally, Martel was going to consummate our relationships. Given how little we had confirmed our feelings, I was a bit worried. Miyuki told me not to worry. After what happened with the dragon, my heart and my love had reached him. Then came Freyja’s night.

Miyuki was going to help with Freyja’s preparation, but I realized she had taken too long. When I went out to find her, she had just entered Martel’s bedroom, scantily clad. Curiosity got the better of me, and I merged his shadow and went under the door into the room. What I saw was utterly embarrassing. I couldn’t help but watch as I learned many new things, shocked by their boldness. My legs squirmed as my body felt a heat it had not before. When Freyja and Miyuki were unable to continue, I saw his attention turned to my direction. I knew that I was exposed as the light flipped on, revealing me. From his look, I was a little scared, but also excited. He grabbed me, looked me in the eyes, and said: ‘Now, you’re mine.’ I was already his, his for more than a lifetime.

Part 1.4 - Miyuki and Kuromi

Martel broke into a cold sweat after he woke and found himself surrounded by three beautiful women. He chastised himself for losing control. He would absolutely appreciate a woman’s appearance but wasn’t one to get swept up and lost. However, that seemed to have been what had just happened. Martel could only make a bitter smile and take solace in the fact that it was with his wives.

After the three ladies woke up, and got over their slight embarrassment, excluding Miyuki, who was teasing them, they had an excellent breakfast.

“So, the order of my plans are all messed up now,” Martel said as they were finishing up eating. “Freyja, I was planning on spending the rest of the day with you, but I can’t help but feel a little guilty for the other two now.”

“It’s fine,” Freyja said with an understanding smile.

“Why don’t you have Freyja follow us since we did for your day?” Miyuki asked.

“I’m fine with that,” Freyja replied when Martel glanced in her direction.

“Well, how about this. We’ll have one quick stop to make, and then we’ll chill around the house together for the rest of the day.”

“I’m up for that,” Miyuki replied happily, and the other two agreed.

After they cleaned up breakfast, the party of four suddenly disappeared through Marty’s Dimension Door.

“So, this is Kuhon?” Freya asked when she garnered her surroundings.

“The cherry tree is a bit of a giveaway, isn’t it?” Miyuki said with a chuckle as they had appeared next to the crystallized cherry tree.

“Should Freya and I leave?” Kuromi gently asked as she knew just how much of a sentimental place this was for the 2 of them.

“Absolutely not.” Miyuki immediately replied.

Martel smiled but defaulted to Miyuki’s reply. “Miyuki, does this place make you happy or sad?”

“Happy, undisputedly happy. This is where I met you, the place we left together, and the place we reunited.”

Martel gave a slight smile. “Then, let’s add another happy memory.” He said as he got down on one knee. “Miyuki, will you marry- *muph*” Martel started to ask, but it was interrupted as Miyuki tackled him and immediately started kissing him crazily.

“Hurry up and put it on me,” Miyuki said with a smile after they separated.

Martel slipped on the ring engraved with the words ‘My Love, My Flower Princess, My Snow Miko.’

Miyuki looked at her ring with a giddy expression. Then, she turned to Kuromi and quickly pushed her in front of Martel.

Kuromi’s usually stoic face had a rare trace of shyness while her eyes had a certain air of excitement.

Martel looked at her gently, but something was obviously bothering him.

This did not go unnoticed to Kuromi, who quickly got a distraught look on her face. “Master, you don’t have to force yourself. If it’s a bother to you then-” she began, but Martel quickly shut her up with a kiss.

“Don’t you ever talk like that again,” Martel said after they separated. “I’m sorry I made you think that way. I was disappointed in myself because I couldn’t think of something special for you. I am in no way hesitating in any way, shape, or form. Kuromi, I love you.” He said as he got down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Kuromi could only nod as tears streamed down her face. Because of his relationship with Miyuki, and because of their previous relationship as master and servant, she felt insecure. However, now she could only feel happy as Martel gently slipped the ring engraved ‘My Love, My Right Hand, My Shadow’ on her hand.

Martel gently kissed her again, only to be quickly joined by Miyuki.

“Bedroom, now,” Miyuki said, panting heavily.

Martel, who certainly wasn’t going to refuse, teleported the 4 of them back directly into the bedroom and practically threw Miyuki and Kuromi on the bed.

End of Day 44