Title: Winter Solstice
Author: lapis lazuli
Rating: PG
Genre: General, I suppose, or mystery; you'll see when it gets good
Status: a few paragraphs and such...slowly progressing
Pairing: Not really a "romantic pairing," but the life of Bikini and Iris
Summary: Guests hardly every arrive at Hazakura Temple in the midst of winter. On a normal day for the nun Bikini and the acolyte Iris, a rare occasion comes to surface when a woman visits the sacred temple. She claims to be part of the mythical Fey Clan, but Bikini states otherwise, saying that there's obviously no spiritual energy flowing through her. Iris, benevolent and blissful, tends to the woman's every need, despite what she throws at her. As the two slightly bond after a few days, the guest finally reveals her name: Dusty. Along the way of trying to discovering Dusty's true identiy, Bikini will reveal hints about Hazakura and Iris is desperate for the answers that she was quite not expecting...

The characterization is a bit off in my opinion and I don't know what Iris' acoltye clothes are, so I'm referring to it as a kimono. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Oh, and by the way, nothing from the summary happened yet. -_-"
Enjoy!




The glacial winds died down, the sun gradually rising into the somber ash sky. Very little radiation found its way to thaw out the snow. It was so incredibly feeble that the frozen droplets of rain soon returned, though lightly, which kept the sun in front of the clouds. A female acolyte slipped silently into her clothes; a heliotrope kimono with a crimson sash, salmon pink sleeves, and white cloth for the hands. A necklace adorned around her neck, with two pearls on either side of a curved violet bead, or a Magatama, as the Fey clan preferred to call it. Iris ran three fingers through her raven black hair, braided into two at the top, and pushed open one of the many sliding doors. She remembered Sister Bikini telling her that the three doors on the right all led to her room and the three doors on the left all led to Iris' room.

Stepping into the Hazakura Main Hall, Iris waved a polite hello to the nun whom had nurtured her since she was a small child. Bikini had never told Iris the story of how she had gotten at Hazakura in the first place, but the acolyte never did compel her to tell. Bikini laughed cheerfully, her gleaming cheeks bouncing up and down. Though portly and seemingly petite, she was outgoing and sturdy, which made Iris feel safe at the snowy sanctuary. Bikini was unhurriedly mixing this morning's breakfast in a large bowl. She gripped onto the wooden spoon with a rigid grasp, as the nourishment was thick and hard to dig into in order to get the freshness perfectly right. Iris watched without saying anything, respecting the procedures at Hazakura. Her eyes closed as the aroma of breakfast descended into her pupils, slightly agonizing to her because she was used to it.

Not wanting to disturb Bikini, Iris courteously blew out one of the eight garnet candles in the back of the room. Bikini grumbled a reluctant liberation that enabled the tranquil girl to step outside for fresh air. She smiled, jovially gliding into her slippers while simultaneously putting on the white robe to let her camouflage within the environment. "I'm making sure no guests have arrived," she assured the nun, who shrugged her shoulders and nodded. Iris inaudibly opened the doors and walk through them, locking it behind her as tight as she could. Bikini had stressed that this would prevent the cold from seeping through the cracks.

Iris was enthusiastic to see if guests had arrived. Even though she had told Bikini no one would come in the middle of winter, she remained optimistic. Everyday brought a new adventure that was just waiting for her to walk through the doors. Along the way going to the temple entrance, she came across the unspeakable Dusky Bridge. The rickety steps across it had been replaced nicely, but not without consequences. The construction works who had come two weeks ago irately told Bikini and Iris that the temple was not safe. To ensure that the bridge would not burn if thunder hit it, they deliberately hammered in powerful steel wires across the wooden platforms, making it impossible to cross over without one hurting themselves. Bikini had an intense quarrel with the eight men, saying that guests would not be able to release their inner spiritual power if they could not enter the training hall, but she had lost the fight and the men had vowed sarcastically to tell everyone to come to Hazakura. Iris was just glad that nothing serious had happened, ignoring the fact that she desperately wanted the bridge to be opened once again.

She should her head briskly, carefully reminding herself that it was not in her power what went on at the temple. She ran a hand over the rock with the words Dusky Bridge etched in it, surprised at the bitterness that raced through her hand. Iris sorrowfully recalled hearing about a trial concerning her twin sister, Dahlia, and how she had leaped into Eagle River below the bridge. Right now, she didn't want to contemplate on such unimportant things that were not in the agenda for today. Sighing, Iris walked past the ancient bridge and onward to the temple entrance, completely overlooking Heavenly Hall. She suppressed a good-humored laugh as the corner of her eye spotted a painting of herself. Larry Butz had portrayed it, claiming that she was "so perfect and picturesque as to be his model." A canvas of himself was on the opposite side of the shack, but he had not painted it himself; impossible, Iris concluded.

The wind began to pick up its pace, slamming into Iris forcefully, as if to push her towards the bridge. No, she disagreed, wrapping her body tighter into the robe. Although there wasn't any fur or winter protection inside of the piece of fabric, Bikini was only able to supply so much, which Iris was inwardly grateful for. Her body thought differently, however, as she began to shake feverishly. Ever the persistent one, she trudged forward through the gathering snow around her slippers, one cautious step at a time. The cold almost seemed to burn into her robe and it blistered her skin harshly, but her body didn't notice the effect of it for the time being.

Iris' breath nearly came out as icicles as she continued to maneuver towards the temple entrance, barely able to see the large wooden gates that were tightly locked shut. "No visitor would ever come in the dead of winter," as Bikini liked to put it, and for once this seemed factual to Iris, to her mere disappointment.


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I'll update daily, I promise.
Questions, comments, and criticism is encouraged and welcomed greatly!

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Finally, a fanfiction on the life of Bikini and Iris. I have been searching for this kind of story online, but it proved to be impossible. Quite a new take on the two. Is there a certain purpose as to why you chose the name "Dusty"? It's a rare one, to say the least. Once again, excellent details and your characterization isn't off, perhaps only slightly, but neither that nor a few grammar mistakes interfere with the story. I look forward to seeing more!

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Regarding the name of the woman, I was searching through my bookshelf for name ideas, as I could not find one situable for her online. I came across one of my favorite psychological thrillers and the protagonist's name was Dusty; I especially found it interesting. Other than that, there's no "meaning" to Dusty's name. Thank you for commenting. =)

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