I gotta say this right now, this AU and title was inspired by the song "Kami no Manimani" by rerulili. Go check it out if you haven't! It's got a catchy tune and nice lyrics.

Yes, another multi-chap from the procrastinator herself. Amazing. Let's see how well this goes. Updates will be mega slow for both my stories now. This is also unedited since I ran out of time, so please tell me about any mistakes. Thank you. ;v;

Kagerou Project belongs to Jin.


They were often called "The Snakes of the Haze". And while there was one major deity above all of them, there were a trio of gods who looked after the world in a much more thorough fashion.

Shintaro was the Recording God. He looked after everyone's memories, good ones and bad ones, for thousands of years. It was a little overwhelming, and that was something he could admit. But because of all the memories he possessed, he became much more intelligent than the other two gods.

Takane was the Opening God. She was gifted with the ability to slip out of her consciousness and into a being called "Ene". Now, Ene was like a ghost, and was used whenever there was war or tension on Earth. Takane would use Ene as a way to whisper into people's ears and bring them to do the right thing, which was kind of ironic, considering her irritable personality.

Haruka was the Awakening God. He had great strength, often accompanying Ene when war seemed to wage out. He would be the one to stop them as another being. Those war heroes in those textbooks students read at school? Those had been him in a different form. However, shaping himself to be someone different often strained his brain, making him lose memories here and there. Which was what Shintaro was for, right?

They were all ruled by Azami, the God of the Heat Haze. She was able to control the snakes that were inside the three gods, as well as others that would talk a long time to list. She had ultimate power above all the snakes, using them to protect the Earth below them. It was a cycle, and Azami was usually always busy to talk to the other three gods.

Until today.

"Eh, Azami wants us now?" Takane looked up from her poised position, the large blue jacket she wore ruffling as she stood up. "Gee, I was about to go down there, too."

"To do what? Mess around with some of them?" Shintaro retorted, tugging on his red jersey. "It's so hot in here, I swear. Sometimes I wish I wasn't here."

"Aw, but what would we ever do without you, Shintaro?" Haruka whined, his green cardigan too big for him to wear. He still wore it, despite Takane telling him time and time again to wear something else.

"It's more like what you would do without me," Shintaro immediately snapped back, crossing his arms. "Seriously, it's such a hassle having your memories with me, too."

"You were all taking too long."

Darkness loomed over them, and the black-haired ruler appeared in front of them. As if it was a reflex, Takane hid behind Haruka, who only stepped back in shock. Shintaro stood still, rolling his eyes at the sight. Azami grazed her stare over all them, her unwavering crimson eyes shining in the dim environment. When silence washed over them, she spoke.

"There is a fourth god." The surpised look on their faces was something Azami expected, and so she continued. "It happened again. How could I be so foolish…"

"What do you want us to do?" While Takane and Haruka had hazy memories of their deaths, Shintaro knew theirs as well as his pretty well, and he knew that this meant bad luck if they didn't do anything.

"I cannot go down to Earth like I used to," Azami said, looking down at the ground. "I have the snakes to control, and they are getting much more restless than ever. So…"

"You want us to go?" Takane piped up, her narrow gaze resting on the higher god. "Well, as if we don't go down there already! We'll just – "

"No, do not use your other forms!" Azami commanded, stopping Takane in the middle of a sentence, which was something one shouldn't do. But the Opening God let it slide for now, the urgency in Azami's voice being a bit too alarming for her. "It is dangerous."

"But we're gods…" Haruka trailed off, lost in thought for a moment. "Wouldn't it be okay? I mean, they would know about us, right? So why…?"

Azami kept looking down at the ground, which caused Shintaro to mull through his endless archive of memories. When he finally came to his conclusion, he realized their dire situation.

"Are you telling me…that the reason the snake escaped was because of him?" Shintaro stared at the higher god, who did not reply. Although her eyes did flicker a bit, the red tint showing concern and worry. "I see. Then it wouldn't help if he knew there were three gods on Earth."

"Him?" Takane scoffed, crossing her arms. "Gee, what's he been up to in his little 'Outer World'?"

"Takane, Haruka." Azami finally spoke, and their attention turned to her. "You are used to going down to Earth, so you are more familiar. However, Shintaro has never left, so please look out for him. This is not the time to be fooling around. Bring them here quickly. I will turn you into your human forms and drop you off to the snake's location, but finding them is your one and only mission. Now, off you go."


"Tateyama…? Oi, over here!"

"E – eh?!" Ayano stood up, the teacher's eyes narrowing on her as the blood drained from her face. "What is it, sensei?"

"I just asked you a question." When the girl seemed to not pick up on what they were saying, they sighed. "How did the Snakes of the Haze come into existence?"

"Oh!" This was a story that Ayano told her siblings often, and so she spoke about the gods with an enthusiastic tone. "A long time ago, the god Azami ruled the world alone, the snakes following her every word. But on the day August Fifteenth, they grew restless and swallowed four people up from their deaths. Since the snakes were now their life sources and gave them immense power, Azami gave them two options; they would either keep their snakes and become gods like her, protecting the Earth, or they would have their snakes ripped out, leaving them as dead corpses. Three of them chose to be gods, but the other refused both options, and he went off to create the 'Outer World', where he uses his snake's powers to bring tragedy."

"Oh, so you did pay attention to the lesson about these legends, then." The teacher replied, to which the class tittered in laughter.

"They're not legends…!" Ayano muttered as she sat down, face red as the teacher continued their lesson. "At least they think they aren't…"

Her siblings were very much precious to her. They were her light, and she would do anything for them. So if it meant jumping in front of that truck to push them away from harm's way, then so be it! It was a miracle that she wasn't injured that much – just a scrape here and there. It was like new life was breathed into her.

All she remembered was darkness surrounding her after she got hit, and then she woke up with her siblings crying. That was when she realized that she was lying in the middle of the street, her red scarf sprawled out. People were talking, someone said the ambulance was coming, and there were strangers asking if she was okay.

They truly believed in the gods much more after that. They were also convinced that the reason Ayano was alright was because she was swallowed by a snake. As if! She was no one special, just another face in the crowd. Why would a snake swallow her up?

Although, right after the incident, her eyes turned red at random times. Now why was that…?

She would find out soon enough. For now, she tried to focus on her studies.