Chapter 1
The week following my graduation ceremony was a whirlwind of activity for the Kusanagi household.
Manabu announced he had been offered a permanent position within his company, requiring a transfer to Osaka, and he had decided to accept. He had been given the week off to prepare for the move; all his time seemed to be spent packing. I felt a little sad, because I knew I'd miss him; he was the brother most similar to me so we often got along. But, I was really happy for him, too!
Manabu wasn't the only one packing, however. I had almost forgotten, with everything else going on, that Jun was leaving soon to take part in a foreign exchange program. He'd be spending his second year of university studying in New Zealand. My parents had to attend a final orientation in Tokyo along with him, after which he would board a plane to leave.
However, my parents wouldn't be returning right away. My father had been asked to attend and give a presentation at a week-long conference for Shinto studies and shrine duties at one of the top religious universities in the country. My mother would also help with presentations based on her experience as a former miko.
Thankfully, I had been able to assure them of our shrine's care in their absence. I felt confident in my ability to carry out the necessary duties, as I had been training little by little since I was young, and even more diligently since choosing to devote myself to its inheritance. I had been working even harder since graduating, rising before my father, even, to begin the day's tasks. It was important for me to get into such habits quickly, and also helped put their minds at ease.
On the following Monday, I was sweeping the path to the main shrine when I heard mother's voice calling the family to breakfast. It was our last day, for a long while at least, to eat a meal all together, but it was surprisingly cheerful. As always, Jun was running late, but even he was able to sit down and join us at the table for once. At times, mother seemed a little sad, as I'd notice her looking around the table at all of us sadly. But father would simply give her hand a squeeze and she'd be smiling again.
After helping mother clean the dishes while the others gathered their luggage, we exited the house and went to the shrine together as a family. As a family, we prayed. Bow, bow. Clap, clap. A final deep bow. Then we made our way down the stairs to the street where a taxi was waiting to take them all to the station.
"Please take care. Come back safely!" I called one last time before the taxi door shut. I stood, watching and waving until the car turned out of sight.
From there, my day continued at a leisurely pace. I finished a detailed sweeping and cleaning of the pathways all throughout the shrine area just before noon. After a quick lunch, I spent my afternoon purifying charms, practicing iai, and greeting the few visitors who came during the day.
As the afternoon waned, I found myself at the bottom of the stairs. I had just seen off the elderly couple from the next street over, the last guests of the day. As I climbed the stairs to return to the shrine and retire inside for the evening, I caught sight of the sky above the shrine gate; it looked like it had been set ablaze. Without thinking, I stopped in my tracks and gazed at the burning red sky and found myself sighing wistfully. It felt as though it had been a long time since I'd seen such a beautiful sunset.
I stood there for a long while, just watching the sky as it gradually changed hue. Slowly, the sun sank closer and closer to the horizon. For some reason, seeing the sun move across the sky like that felt incredibly nostalgic. Though I couldn't recall any particularly impressionable memory associated with the sunset, I felt some kind of attachment to it... Almost like I had spent time with someone, inviting the night together…
"What am I even thinking?! How weird…" I whispered aloud incredulously as I finally managed to tear my gaze from the sky before I continued along the path. As I passed under the shrine gate, I saw someone walking in my direction, coming from the main shrine.
"What…? I thought all our visitors had gone…" I wondered if perhaps this person had arrived and passed me on the stairs while I'd been mesmerized by the sunset. I blushed at the possibility before shaking the thought from my head. The stairs are much too narrow, so it would have been almost impossible for that to have been the case. I must have simply missed him while talking with the elderly couple... After assuring myself that I wasn't absolutely clueless, I turned my attention to him again.
He was slowly walking down the center of the path* with his hands in his pockets. He had a sour-looking expression on his face as he stared at the ground ahead of him. He wasn't anyone I recognized… but for some reason, I found myself with a sense of longing when I saw him. It stopped me in my tracks, just at the top of the steps. It was so strange, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. It was as though time had stopped.
Suddenly, just a few meters before he reached me, he glanced up and our eyes met. In that instant, my heart leapt. I was so shocked by that feeling that I almost took a step back, but another part of me wanted me to move closer to him instead. I stayed in place, staring silently. He had stopped, too; his mouth had opened slightly as though he was surprised. A flicker of recognition seemed to pass through his eyes.
I didn't know what to say... I didn't know him, but it felt unmistakably like I had met him before. He moved a few steps closer to me, closing the gap between us. Even more, I felt my heart reaching out to him for unknown reasons.
"Kusanagi," he said it quietly, his voice seemingly choked with emotion. He was unmistakably looking right at me; I felt as though his gaze was piercing through me to see my soul. At that moment, I knew he was definitely speaking for no one to hear but me.
My heartbeat had quickened, though I didn't understand why. Yet with great force of will, I still managed to sound calm when I replied, "Um…who are you? Why do you know my name?" My voice was barely above a whisper as well; it felt like there was a palpable tension in the air around us.
When I asked him that, a pained expression flashed across his face before he covered it with a smile. Though his smile still looked painful; lonely. It was as though he was holding back some kind of emotion threatening to overflow. I didn't understand, but I felt a pain in my chest to see it. After a moment, he spoke, "So you really don't remember…"
"Huh?" I couldn't stop myself from asking in my surprise. The way he had said it, it sounded like I had forgotten him.
"I was afraid of that…" his eyes fell for a moment and he continued murmuring. I couldn't make out the rest of his words, though it definitely sounded at one point like the name Zeus crossed his lips. My eyes flicked back to meet his when he stopped speaking and looked up. He took another step closer; his voice was stronger now, "Totsuka Takeru. That's my name."
"Totsuka Takeru-san…" I let my eyes fall as I said his name quietly a few times, trying to jog my own memory. It was the first time I could recall ever saying it, but it felt like I was already used to it. I couldn't shake the feeling that I had forgotten something very important.
"It feels like forever since we said goodbye that time…" his eyes never left mine; he took another step closer. "I didn't want any regrets, so I came to see you, Kusanagi."
He said my name with such familiarity, I was surprised. He looked so sad, yet there appeared to be a hint of joy in his gaze as well. My heart began to ache at the sorrowful, yet gentle, way he was smiling at me again. "I…" I didn't know what to say.
He held up a hand, "That's okay." It's as though he knew what I meant without me having to finish. "It's not your fault you can't remember." He let his eyes fall, and for a second he looked even sadder...until he glanced back at me. Determination steeled his gaze, "But I'll think of a way. I found you again. I'm not going to give up so easily." His smile became more genuine, and my heart fluttered again, "After all, you're the one who taught me that my dreams can be realized as long as I never give up, yeah?"
"I…did?" I felt so silly, just staring at him so bemusedly. I still couldn't think of what to say. I wanted to remember this person so badly, felt like I should remember him, but I couldn't.
It appeared as though he began to reach his hand toward me for the smallest of moments before he seemed to reconsider and let it fall unceremoniously back to his side again. A part of my heart felt disappointed. The rest of me simply became more confused, so I continued to watch him, in a vain hope to figure it all out.
Then he was smiling at me in that sorrowful way again. I found myself missing the joy it had held earlier, "I'll think of a way to help you remember, Kusanagi. I promise. So, please…just give me a little longer."
I found myself nodding without thinking and watched him as he began to slowly walk past me and away. My heart fell at the thought of him leaving; my mouth moved on its own, "W-wait!" My cheeks flushed with embarrassment; I didn't know why I had shouted that. We stood staring at each other for another moment. Even though he was already a few steps down the staircase, I could see the somewhat hopeful look in his eyes. I became more flustered, "Um…that is…Please take care. G-good night!"
I let my embarrassment get the better of me; I swiftly turned on my heel and hastened inside as quickly as I could without being completely rude.
I didn't hear his whispered response.
Author's Note: As you can probably tell, this scene was heavily inspired by the game itself, though it certainly deviates from its events.
So now, some personal thoughts that may give further credence to my motivation behind this story… I actually really preferred the ending where Yui chose to go back to her own world instead of joining Susanoo in his. I felt that to do so fit so much better with her strong-willed nature. Her family, and her duties, were always incredibly important to her, so for her to drop everything, her entire life, for a guy (god, love, etc or not) seemed really naïve and out of character to me. (Even if the CGs from her life in his world were super cute!) Plus, it's much more romantic – to me – for him to wait for and find her after all that time!
*The center line from the shrine gate to the main shrine is considered the "path of the Gods" so it is important to walk on one side or the other of the path, not directly along the center line of stones. Here, Takeru is walking down the center because he IS a god, not because he's a delinquent like he may appear. :P
