July 5, 5:15 p.m. JST – Japan; Honshu; Kanto region; Taito Prefecture; Taito
It's raining. Clark Kent, currently in his guise as Superman, unconsciously decreases his speed as he approaches the Yanaka district. The thought that he might have lived his life without knowing the consequences of his actions, it's hard to swallow.
He thinks back to when he came to Japan two weeks ago. The trip was brought up through a misplaced bout of nostalgia, what with how he had been an exchange student at Waseda University for a semester that ended tragically all those years ago… but that was neither here nor there.
With his return to Japan, he hears of the feud between the rival crime families in Tokyo that result in the deaths of civilians. He learns of the married vigilantes, of Gunshin the "Military God" who has control over gravity, of his wife Byakko "the White Tiger of the West" who can ghost through walls, can slip her hands into Clark's chest and grip his heart without much effort. He knows of how they play the roles of judges, jury, and executioners in response to the criminals. He tries to compromise, to get them to stop their vendetta, to instead find peace through bloodless means, perhaps through the Justice League.
They refuse his offer, he actually has bruises to show for it. They tell him of the crimes committed, of dozens of innocents slaughtered as a result of inaction. They tell him of Gunshin's mother, of how she was taken from them. They tell him to stay out of it. "Choujin has no place in this matter."
He learns of what became of his former friend Tokai, Sakki as he now calls himself. He learns of how he perfected his pyrokinesis, the heat capable of burning Clark's skin. He sees how he lends his services to the head of one family, Kojiro, and how he slaughters anyone who gets in his way.
He interferes with a fight, is nearly brought down by Sakki. Byakko saves him.
He asks Gunshin to spare Sakki, tells him that he is his responsibility. He owes Gunshin a blood debt.
He helps to bring the feud to a halt, the crime families are brought to justice. Sakki escapes.
He searches for Sakki but he is too late, Gunshin is dead and a lonely Byakko mourns in silence.
July 5, 5:17 p.m. JST – Japan; Honshu; Kanto region; Taito Prefecture; Taito; Yanaka District; Yanaka Cemetery
Clark touches down just outside Yanaka Cemetery, the black band around his upper left arm suddenly weighs him down.
He looks ahead to see a woman's back, the last vestiges of dark brown bleed out of her hair leaving startling white in its place and denying him her true form. She faces him with startling blue eyes not unlike his own, but they've lost their vibrancy. She is dressed in the traditional funerary garb: a five-crested plain black silk kimono, black obi worn over white undergarments, black zori sandals and white tabi split-toe socks. That alone does not change her, rather, the exhaustion in her visage, her stark white skin managing to look sickly, Clark can barely recognize her.
She stands straight. "Choujin." The rain makes it hard to discern if she has any tears. Her voice, while subdued, is easily heard in the empty cemetery. "I did not know that you became aware of what had happened."
Clark bows his head in remorse. "I almost wouldn't have known if I hadn't met Sakki again before I lost track of him. Were you ever going to tell me?" He raises his head, blue meets blue. He doesn't get a response. He continues on. "This was my fault, and I know that this won't bring him back, but for what it's worth… I truly am sorry." He bows his body at the waist, his torso parallel to the ground.
Byakko appraises him for a moment, says nothing. Just as Clark begins to feel dejected, he sees the tension leave her shoulders and she calls out to him. "Come, stand with me."
He quickly does as asked, aware of her eyes on him, but also aware of the lack of righteous anger. He isn't sure of how long they stand under the rain. He looks upon the family tombstone engraved with the name 佐藤, it is taller than him. He finally breaks the silence. "Your family name is Satou."
"…Yes. Satou belonged to his mother, he never knew his father." She licks her lips and takes a breath. "Masuyo had raised him in Oshidomari, in Rishirifuji on Rishi Island with the help of her sister Bunko. My husband loved her dearly, always willing to do anything she asked. She wanted to come to Tokyo for her birthday, she wanted to view the gardens in Shinjuku Gyoen. She never got the chance because of the feud. That's why we had her buried here, so that she would always be near flowers." She grows quiet for a moment. Clark thinks of his own mother, the quiet fear for her always in the back of his mind. "When she was taken from us he renounced his humanity and took the name Gunshin."
"He thought himself a god." Clark winces, knowing that his intention may have come out wrong.
To his credit, he only got a hum from Byakko. "Gods do not have to deal with the troubles of man." She looks at him from the corner of her eyes. "You should be familiar with that."
"I'm not a god."
"That you can still make that distinction says a lot about your character, Choujin."
"What was his name?" He can read it clearly in front of him, 正, but he knew it meant more for her to say it.
"His name…" her voice cracks slightly, she swallows. "He was born with the name Masa." She stands a bit taller, as if relieved that she can finally speak his name after so long.
Correct and just, yes that fit him perfectly. "…What about you?"
Byakko regains her composure, a smirk on her lips. "What about me?"
Clark holds back the sudden urge to roll his eyes. "Did you have a name before Byakko?"
"I did. Although in my new identity I did not truly renounce my humanity," she stares at the engraving, an odd look in her eyes. "I did it to support my husband. I was born with the name Chiyome."
"Chiyome." Eternal woman? Wait… "Like Chiyome Mochizuki, the first female ninja?"
That actually gets him a small smile. "Not everyone knows that."
He smiles in turn. "I studied Japanese history in college. My interest is what led to my being an exchange student at Waseda for a semester." He frowns toward the end, the memory of blazing fire invading his thoughts. Thankfully Chiyome doesn't pry, doesn't even ask for his own name.
They continue to stand in silence, until the sun begins to set and the rain finally stops.
"With his passing, the blood debt falls to me to carry out."
Clark feels himself tense. "I won't compromise my morals."
Chiyome is quick to appease him. "I would not ask for something like that."
He relaxes, just slightly. "Then I will do my best to pay the debt."
She appraises him once again, nodding at something she discerns for herself. "He left me with child."
That shocks him. "You're pregnant?"
"Yes, I am about two months along…" She smiles cautiously as she raises a hand to her abdomen and Clark forcibly pushes down the urge to use his x-ray vision. "We… my husband and I have angered many people in our quest to carry out justice. I fear for the future of this child, Choujin." She turns to him, fully looks him in the eyes. "Please look after them."
He's flabbergasted. "Pardon?"
She smiles fully. "I name you my child's godfather."
He reaches a hand up to scratch his cheek. "Well, I'm not a Buddhist."
Chiyome barely resists the urge to roll her eyes which makes him crack a smile. She waves away his reasoning. "The title is symbolic. I am asking that in the event that I cannot look after my child that you please make sure that they are safe, that they will be taken care of." She becomes serious once again. "I am trusting you with the life of my child. If you can do this for me then you can consider yourself forgiven and your debt will be paid."
Clark grows silent, he looks at her. He thinks of the responsibility of possibly having to raise a child if need be. Then he thinks of his own parents, both human and Kryptonian. Finally he looks at her abdomen once again. He hears a pulse, it's small but strong. It's not difficult for him to come to a conclusion, he hopes he's choosing the right one. "Okay." He swallows. "Okay, Chiyome, I will be your child's godfather."
Her smile returns and so does his, a tentative friendship is formed. They stand in silence once again as the sun disappears over the horizon.