It was bizarre to be quite honest with himself…the Shinto Kami knew not how to indulge in deep thought at the current situation. The more he thought about it…the more he started to think he had lost his damn mind after spending so much time in this barren prison.
"Uh…got any thirds?" asked the boy…the boy he hated with passion. The boy whom had caused him so much suffering. The boy whom he had come to respect and view as an equal.
He had heard him be scared, mildly terrified, mad with fury, full with loathing, tangled with slight sadness…but hearing him act so casually in his presence stirred up…odd emotions. It wasn't nervousness nor contempt, nor even disgust…just something weird which he couldn't describe.
"…No, I don't." he answered, trying to sound as casual as his 'opponent' was, but somewhat failing at it.
It's kind of funny though…even when indulging in the stupid activity of playing with a deck of cards, they still seemed to intensely oppose one another, yet at the same time…there didn't seem to be much hostility between the two enemies.
But at this point…could Amenominakanushi really call himself an enemy of Issei Hyoudou?
They were not friends, that was most definitely sure, nor had they been allies yet, thank the heavens. They were no rivals, either. They most definitely had to be enemies still…yet why was it that the casual posture of Hyoudou brought this slight temporal ease at his mind.
As if whenever the child of Amaterasu would stare at him with an impression that bared no hint of contempt or murderous intent…he felt he could breath and relax a bit.
The thought of it…well, it puzzled the ancient shinto deity greatly, but it surprisingly didn't make him feel sick. That's one step of progress, he supposed. If this was happening during one of their very first encounters, Amenominakanushi would've immediately thought the child of Amaterasu to be a pathetic weakling.
Looking at it from a much different perspective though, Amenominakanushi could only feel a niche of appreciation for this generous gesture.
But even with that realization...the answer to his invert question was not given. He still could not comprehend it. For the majority of their conflict, Issei Hyoudou and Amenominakanushi viewed each other as the absolute worst scum in the world.
At first, Amenominakanushi viewed the child of Amaterasu as just that…a naïve child given immense power. A toddler given a gun. And while that was somewhat true, the supposed 'toddler' knew how to properly aim and reload, alright.
Despite being extremely young for a deity, he had managed to pummel him to the ground quite a lot of times…His resolve to save his foolish little family, his determination to stop his schemes, his rage over the most trivial of things…A while back, Amenominakanushi saw that as weakness. He saw Issei as weak. He saw his family as his weakness.
But now…now, the Shinto Kami had nothing but respect for the Solar God. It was a spite-filled kind of respect, but respect nonetheless.
And that in turn, caused him to change his view on others as well…After discovering the courage and strength the spiritual support of a loving and caring family could give to someone face-first, Amenominakanushi also began to acknowledge the importance of family.
He began to understand why Issei Hyoudou had been so persistent in 'defying' him. He didn't regret most of his actions…He did not regret threatening to kill and torture Issei's family…But even he could see now, that doing so clearly comes with some harsh consequences.
And what about his Unwanted Harem…or whatever that Apocalypse Dragon called the concept. Amenominakanushi was going to be honest with everyone of you…he did not know what to think of that, either. So did the child of Amaterasu, too.
He supposed it was another mutual thing between him and Issei. It was certainly weird and mostly baffling though…how someone so young and naïve could drive the attention of so many ancient entities?
What was even more bizarre was that most of them seemed to prefer to take on perplexingly attractive female incarnations so to become closer with the child of Amaterasu.
It was as if an imaginary mating instinct had kicked in them. Even the Above, the literal Progenitor of everything and the most ancient entity, seemed to have taken a liking on the boy.
Dear heavens…he really was the only primordial entity who didn't feel attracted to Issei Hyoudou in any shape or form. It was an astonishing thought…he felt like he should be proud of that fact, but he also felt disturbed as well.
Still though…despite the triviality of it all, after hearing from Issei about some of his little shennigans with that foolish little cousin of his and the snake he calls his 'wife', Amenominakanushi began to feel the tiniest bits envious of Issei's situation.
It sounded stupid and pointless everytime he listened to these ridiculous little tales…yet, in its own way, it charmed him. He wondered what would it feel like to have a wife…to have someone you've known for the majority of your lifetime, greatly care about you and genuinely love you.
Heh…it's kind of funny. He remembered having viewed Musubi as that person, but the illusion hadn't stayed for long.
Still, he wished…he wished someone was there to care for him. To give cheer him up everyday...
Yet…he wondered if he even deserved such a companion. He was paired with two horrid women, whose hearts were filled with coldness and cruelty to the brink…perhaps, he was no different from them? Perhaps, he deserved only them.
Agh, how he hated this…this feeling of self-loathe!
With Issei Hyoudou being no longer a target of his utmost negativity and the allies that helped him destroy Amenominakanushi being too worthless to be acknowledged, the Shinto Kami's hatred could either be focused on the near-forgotten image of the Issei-disguised Samael or…himself.
Another sad and funny thing about his existence…no matter how much older than he was than the child of Amaterasu, the boy had done fifteen times as much as he has in his entire lifetime AND all of his afterlife up to the present.
What Amenominakanushi had done could be summed up pretty quickly: Create the Shinto faction. Rule for quite a bit. Summon the Kamiyonanayo. Comfort Izanami. Cause Issei Hyoudou immense mental and physical trauma. Obliterate the Sun. Release Samael. Merge with Samael. Purify God's Poison. Become a being powerful enough to bring even the Infinite and the Apocalypse to their knees. Obtain the Amenonuhoko. Nearly destroy the Universe in an epic final showdown with Issei Hyoudou.
Quite a lot of achievements right? Well, they were laughably small compared to everything that boy had done…And to think he once saw him as weak and pathetic. Oh, he still wanted to call Issei Hyoudou all kinds of names…but not 'weak' or 'pathetic'.
And to Amenominakanushi…he was no longer just 'the child of Amaterasu'. Previously, that had been the only thing of importance for the Shinto Kami. But now...No, he wouldn't say it! He wouldn't say that he…that he saw Issei Hyoudou as the greatest result of his work…
'Well…too late, I guess.'
He released an audios sigh. This was all so confusing…and conflicting.
How could someone like him have such an effect over people around him, his enemies included. He could make elder beings swoon over him 'lovingly', turn old enemies into allies or make them re-think their lives.
But with Amenominakanushi…there was something unique in their relationship. Something which Amenominakanushi did not know how to properly put it with words…He just felt it. Maybe…maybe he ought to ask Issei Hyoudou about it? And maybe right now is his only chance?
"Issei Hyoudou…" he called out the name, voice calm, stern and mostly neutral. The child of Amaterasu, obviously heard him and he put his cards away.
"Yes…?" Issei asked, steeling his posture.
"What…What are we at the moment?"
That was it. He asked it. The question that plagued his thoughts ever since Issei Hyoudou visited him in the afterlife.
For the moment, he dared not look at the boy's deep brown eyes. Not out of shyness or embarrassment…out of puzzlement at his own words and whether or not a proper answer to them was even possible to be given.
At first, Issei Hyoudou had not understood the question. It confused the very core of his being…but upon repeating it in his head, he eventually understood what the Shinto Kami had meant to ask. Adopting a serious thoughtful expression, Issei's nose wrinkled and he began rubbing the back of his head.
"Well…not that we are no longer at each other's throats constantly, I suppose we are not 'hated' enemies. But we aren't friends either…We aren't even allies."
Amenominakanushi wanted to chuckle sarcastically. He suppressed the urge to shake his head and do it right now.
'What an answer, Issei Hyoudou…' he thought mockingly. It was a sad kind of mock…a melancholic one.
"To be honest…I'm quite unsure myself." Issei eventually sighed in half-defeat. He had moved from rubbing the back of his head to rubbing his jawline. "We're not friends…but we are not fierce enemies either. So…I guess we could be thought as…'frienemies'?"
At that Amenominakanushi's head snapped up and he stared at Issei Hyoudou with the most perplexed expression he had ever mustered. What did the boy had just called them? 'Frienemies'? Was…was the child of Amaterasu joking with him?
Noticing Amenominakanushi's expression, Issei coughed and began to clarify.
"I know…the term doesn't make much sense to me either. And yet…we have done activities that both enemies and friends do, so…I felt like combining the terms 'enemies' with 'friends' works."
"I…I never supposed you'd consider me a 'friend' after everything that happened between us. It makes no sense…" Amenominakanushi asked, genuine astonishment filling his voice.
"Well, believe or not…neither does to me. I actually haven't told anyone about my visits here. Only Grandma Musubi and another person know." Issei responded.
"Who is that person?"
"Uh…You will…I'll tell you about them…eventually." Issei said, as his thoughts seemed to drift for a split second before he came to his full senses. A moment of awkward silence ensued between the two powerful deities who have once wanted nothing more than to tear each other to shreds. And now they stood here, having these idle conversations…How far they've come.
"You never answered my question, Issei Hyoudou…Why do you consider me as one of your friends?" Amenominakanushi, finally having enough of the silence, broke it shortly after.
"It is true that you are one of the worst entities I've ever had the displeasure of facing off against…I've also started to respect you a lot more. I think…I'm even starting to like you little by little, as an individual. You're still an asshole, yes…but you are a cool-kind of asshole. On top of that, I think that it'd be kind of heartless on my part to not consider you a part of my family. You ARE my Grandpa, whether either of us likes it or not." he paused for a moment, letting his words sink deep in, before he lit up and offered the amazed Shinto Kami a small smile. "I guess you could say…we have a pretty 'bizarre' sort of friendship, don't we…Grandpa?"
Issei's words had left Amenominakanushi frozen in time. Frozen within his conflicted emotions.
One side of him was telling him that the child of Amaterasu has gone insane, while the other was completely understandable of these ridiculous words. And they were ridiculous…coming from Issei's mouth, towards no one else than his worst enemy and in such a tranquil tone.
It was maddeningly perplexing, as if anything else wasn't already with that godling…Feeling like his head was about explode from all these different thoughts, Amenominakanushi felt the need the let out a primal growl.
And for the first time in a long while ago…Amenominakanushi decided to express what he felt in his heart and not in his thoughts. Because right now…thoughts were going doom him.
"Indeed we have…my proud descendant." Amenominakanushi nodded his head in agreement, eyes closed, lips curled up into a sly smile and throat filled with a faint chuckle. He released an air of relief. A breath he had been holding onto for a long time since he and Issei started playing that damned card game. He then repeated his words, accepting them with no regrets. "Indeed we have."
It was silly, to be honest…they were the one beings who understood each other best…yet, they were each other's biggest enemies.