Disclaimer: I don't own Toji no Miko or any characters from it. It's belongs to the creator. I just own the OCs and the idea.
Future Slash I: When Everything End
(1st POV)
I can't forget what happen back then. It's just a normal day, which have important day on it. The National Swordsmanship Tournament has begun and everyone do their best to defeat their opponent and become the best of the best Toji in nation as its champion. I am one of Toji who are representing the Minoseki Academy and this is my first time join in the tournament as I following my senpai's step.
She's my role models, idol and someone I highly respect. Her swordsmanship entrancing my soul and caught me in serenity of its beautifulness. I took courage to ask her to train me and for my surprise she accept it! I don't want to let her down after she accept me, not to mention she's the previous winner of National Swordsmanship Tournament and many students like me want to get close to her, probably want the same thing as I do, so I train very hard so I'll meet her expectation.
She's… well… unique if you ask me. She likes to fight stronger opponent to test herself, even after she win her first tournament she's still try to seek opponent who can satisfied her hunger of exciting battle. Then why she take me as I am weaker to her? She told me that I have many potential and if I can unlock it, surpass her is not even a dream anymore. I felt embarrassed when she said it to me as she thinks highly of my potential, even though I don't think so. I thought that she take me to create a perfect opponent for her, one that she never meet until she graduates from middle school and goes to high school part of Minoseki, but that's just my thought.
Aside from her battle-hunger personality, she's very kind senpai and liked by many students in school, either due her swordsmanship or her cheerful/easy-going/ friendly personality. She might be little harsh in training, but that's how she show her love and respect to me. I can't let her down after all problem she went through to support me and I will prove it to be a winner in this tournament.
After all hard work I went through, I finally goes to final! My friends are supporting me from audience bench and my senpai is watching me over to see how far I can get from here. Before the fight begin, I steel myself for what my opponent would give to me as I activate my Utsushi, drew my blade, "Okami" and ready for fight. As referee going to signal the start of battle, "that" happen.
The tournament got attacked by horde of Aradama. It's actually not a very unusual as we, Toji have been prepared to go against Aradama as it is our duty to purify them. However, strange things happen as our Okatana somewhat become ineffective against them. Many has report that their blade is not even give a meaningful damage to them and many Toji has fallen in battle. It force us to suspend the tournament as everyone is deployed to deal with them.
Right as the report say, as I slash one of them with my blade, not only it felt thick and hard, but the cut is not even deep enough to give it a necessary damage. I keep attacking it but it doesn't work as the Aradama take the chance to sweep its claw to me and blow me back, effectively force me out from my Utsushi. Before it can attack me once again, I saw someone goes in front of me and slash that beast, force it to jump back. That person is none other than my senpai.
"Are you alright?" she asked me while lend her hand on me.
"I'm okay," I take her hand as I tried to stand up, "This Aradama is very unusual. My strike didn't give it a good hit."
"Then strike it harder!" she said, "It might be not work, but at least it will force them to retreat."
"Right, senpai!"
Together with my senpai, we force our way through the horde of Aradama to regroup with the others. After a while, we finally able to meet with other Toji as they're also have a hard time to deal with those creature.
"How's the situation?" senpai asked to the nearby Toji.
"Citizen have been evacuate from city as majority of place are already overrun by this new type of Aradama. Some are already defeated but their number isn't decreasing at all."
"I see… then, did anyone know why or is there any source of where they are coming? It's quite strange that they aren't detected by the newest spectrum sensor."
"Same here. Not a single sensor is off when they're appear," the Toji said, "There's no way it has broken, right?"
"I don't know but we need to find where they come from and deal with the source, fast."
As we're talking, an explosion occurred on another part of city. When I look at where it is, I am shocked as I see very large dragon-like Aradama looming at one of building. I know that in the past there is a giant Aradama and this one can't be compare to its size, but it's still very big that I wonder how much Noro it have in that body.
"Oh…! That one hell of big Aradama there," senpai said as she look at it too, "It might take one quite hard work out to get it down—"
Suddenly, an earthquake occurred as we tried to hold ourselves from falling. It is a quite shake as even Aradama nearby stopped from moving as it look to certain direction. I don't know what it look at but when I put my eyes toward that direction, my eyes widened to what I just witnessing.
If the giant Aradama from the past is very large that can cover an entire island for its size, this one is far more than I can image. As its body towering over the tallest building in the city, I see one, two… eight serpent-like heads looking around the place with its mouth ready to devour anything on its path. I almost think that was the real-life Yamata-no-Orochi, but when I look over that giant Aradama, it almost fit the description of that mythological beast that people described or imaging. I can't say anything when I saw that giant creature and almost let go of my blade out of shock.
"H-how we can defeat a beast like that?" one of Toji said with shaking voice and seems ready to run away for her life. I too want to run as far as possible from this place when I first saw that Aradama, but my will doesn't allow me as my feet got struck at the ground. Then, I felt someone touching my shoulder as I snap back from my shock before I look at who has do that, which none other than senpai herself.
"Rinko, if you want you can get out from this place," she said seriousness on her tone.
"B-but how about you, senpai? Did you plan to take on that thing!?" I asked which I can tell what is in her mind.
"Well… it might sound stupid but we can't let that monstrosity alone as it might attack the nearby city," she said as she hold my shoulder, "Listen, you still have a long way to your future and I don't' want you to throw it away."
"But how about you!? You're the one who want to throw it away!" I said as my tears dropped from my eyes, "If you aren't escape then so I am!"
"B-baka, this is not a joke! You're seriously will lose your life!"
"Same as you too! I know you're strong but it's still suicide to take that thing!"
"Like I say, I—"
Her words halted as another quake happen. I looked at the giant Aradama and found it roaring to the sky. From there, I look upward and see the sky become strange as I can see a very large mirror-like surface appear on it. It spreads through the city and continue to spread further. It almost like that event, when the gate to Netherworld opened by Tagitsuhime, the giant aradama takes form like a human, almost devour the world.
The giant serpent Aradama's eight head moved to certain position before it let out another roar. As it roared, the hole opened on it as the vortex occurred and suck in everything on the city. I used my blade to anchor me to ground like everyone does, but my hold isn't strong enough as I slowly ascent to the air and got sucked by the vortex. However, my senpai reach take my hand before it did.
"Don't let go my hand!" she said as she grip my hand.
"I tried!" I answered as I hold her hand as hard as I can. However, the vortex is too strong as senpai also got thrown to air with me. We're hovering around as we slowly getting close to the hole of vortex. When I looked at senpai, she seem have a plan as she drew her blade and use it to stick to one of giant aradama's head. It work as her blade got stuck at its skin and she pull me in for me to stick my blade to it too.
"Hold on!" she said to me, "Dammit! How can this happen!? Can anyone explain what's going on!?" as if it was the clue, her phone ringing and she took it out. I look at the screen a bit and found someone is tried to call her, "At the time like this…! Hello! Who am I talking to!?"
[Is this Asako-senpai?]
"Damn right! Can you call later because I kinda busy right now!"
[No! Please hear me out! We found the source of what that summon the giant aradama!]
"Really!? That's good but we're stuck here so I don't think we can help you out with it," she answered with her usual easygoing tone, even in our current situation.
[Where exactly are you?]
"Let's see…" she said while looking downward, "I'm with Rinko-chan at few hundred meters above the ground right now."
[Um… can you repeat it again?]
"We're on one of that giant aradama's head!"
[Dammit, Asako-senpai! You're always caught on strange situation but this is the strangest thing I ever heard in my entire life be friend with you!]
"Seem like in my blood so I can't do anything about it."
[Yeah, right. I forgot you're her grand-daughter. Anyway, from what our Intel get, this giant Aradama, which we called Orochi is not appear by itself. It was called by someone!]
"You mean a person is responsible for its appearance!?" senpai said with anger on her tone, "Who is it!? Who is this person that insane enough to call this beast out here!?"
[That person *bzz* on the *bzz* *bzz*]
"Hey, what did you said? Your voice is kinda static there!"
[The identity *bzz* person is *bzz* *bzz* *pip….*]
"Dammit," she said as she looks at her phone, "the signal is lost. How we suppose to know who this person is?"
As senpai fell frustrated over the lack of information she almost got there, I saw something when she was focusing on her phone call. Among the rubbles that hovering toward the hole in the sky, I see something out of the place. Something, or someone is standing right on one of those rubbles while looking to the sky. I can't get the clear picture of that person due they are wearing a coat with coat over their body. However, one thing I clearly see on that person hand, a blade. A jet-black sheathed long size katana with blue aura glowing around it. I can't tell if that is a Okatana or not, but based on what senpai's friend told us that there's someone who's responsible to this mess and that person just stand there normally as if they know what they are doing, it might be the suspect we both want to find.
"Senpai!" I shouted while pointing at that cloaked person, "Look! There's a person over there!"
"Where!?" she asked as she looked over where I pointed to, "There's a person there, and whoever this person is, they are too calm to be in here. Let's see if that person we ae looking for," using our remaining strength and momentum, we're activate our Utsushi and use Jin'i to get close to where that person is, "Oi! Are you the one who's responsible for all of this?" and senpai just goes straight to question once we arrive on there.
At first, that person seem doesn't notice us. The person is still stay still while looking at the sky. Senpai then shouting at that person and they finally notice us and turn toward us. Eve under the hood, I can't clearly see her face but I know that she is a girl. She has black hair with white and blue streak over it and have azure colored eyes. The fact that she hold a blade means she is a Toji like us, however one thing I don't understand is this uncomfortable feeling I felt once her eyes are over us. I felt like… undressed, like every part of my body is being watched over by her eyes, analyzing it and uncover it. I look over senpai and found she also felt same as she immediately draw her blade, "Raiden" as if she felt threaten by something.
"I ask again, are you the one who's responsible for—" senpai can't finish her words as that person suddenly vanish from where she's standing and suddenly appear in front of her while slash downward. Out of instinct, senpai immediately put her blade forward to block her attack but the strike seems strong enough that she got thrown back a meter away from her standing point, "it seems we got our target. Rinko! With me!"
"Yes," I drew my blade and launch an attack on her, but the mysterious girl is able to evade my attack and launch counterattack. In other hand, senpai use that chance to strike again, but the counterattack to me is just a bluff as she suddenly turn toward senpai and slash her again. However, this time she knows where the attack coming from and ready to evade it and launch a counter, but something strange occur to mysterious girl. Her body looks "phasing" for a second when senpai's attack hit her. To be my surprise, senpai's slash just went through her body as if it wasn't there in the first place and she kick senpai's stomach and force her to fell back, "Senpai! Damn you!" I attack her once again but the same thing happen to me too as my attack went through her as she using her hand to grab my neck and choke it, "Guagh!"
"Rinko!" I see senpai rushed to the girl but before she can strike her and save me, the mysterious girl put my body between them and use me as a shield. Got caught by it, senpai stop her blade before it hit me but the mysterious girl just went straight and pierce my body toward senpai's blade. I'm lucky that my Utsushi is still active but I don't know how long I can hold on before it went off and make my body get really thrusted by senpai's blade.
She doesn't stop by it and use my struck body to thrown off senpai's blade balance and force her to let it go. She let go of me and went to strike defenseless senpai, or so she though.
"Don't you think I'm defenseless without my blade!" using her hands, she's able to catch the blade, barely but successfully hold the blade movement before sweep it to side, "I got you now!" caught off guard by senpai technique, Mutou-tori, or Bladeless Takedown, she can't do anything than being forced to ground by senpai as he blade thrown to side, "Now, let's see the face under this hood," senpai went through to open her hood and reveal her full face. However, rather than intimidated by senpai stare, she's just smiling as if there's something funny there, "Oi, stop laughing! Are you insane or something!?"
"No," she finally talks, which her sound suddenly giving me a chill over my body, "but you are too late."
"Huh, what are you—" her words cut off once again as the place where are standing suddenly shaking very hard. The crack appears around us and it thrown senpai out from the mysterious girl body. Using than chance, she leap out to her blade to retrieve it but I stand between them. However, to my surprise and shock, she just goes "phasing" and go through me and take her blade before jump out to another rubble.
"Let me announce it to you Toji's," she said as she open her hands wide, "You're already too late to do anything! There is no hope over this! The earth is finish!"
"Like hell we give us just because what you said!" senpai shouted as she tried to stand.
"Oh… you're quite interesting fellow I say," she said while putting her hand on her chin, "however, like I said it is too late! Looks around you!"
I do as she told us to do and I become completely shock. The entire city, the region, is getting consumed by the hole in the sky. There's no building remains as far as we can see as everything and anything in here got sucked into the hole. I can't hold myself as I fell to my knee from my shock, "This…. isn't real, is it?"
"Sorry to said this but that's the fact and the reality," the mysterious girl said before looked to the hole in the sky, "The black hole that summoned by the "beast of the end" will devour everything until this planet is gone for good."
"Why…" I asked, "Why did you do this?"
"Ah… the question that I had already expected," she said with boring expression, "It's a quite simple, little girl. Everything that live, including this planet would soon meet its end, and from that end the new beginning will be born. I just speed up the process as I though the world need it," she jump out toward me and pull my face toward her, "Is that wrong? I just pay the favor to the universe by hasten it."
"Damn you…!" I can see her, but I can heard senpai shouting at this girl, "What's make you have right to choose it!?"
"Hah… Even if I explain it, you won't understand it," she release my face and goes to grip my neck and raise me to air, "Alright, I don't have any business with you two so… I'll just end it," she tighten her grip, make me out from my Utsushi before stab my gut in process.
"Gaagh…!"
"Well, then nice to meet you, girl with the name Rinko… and good bye," after she drew out her blade from my stomach, she throw me to the hole in the sky. I can feel my body floating as the loss of blood make my conscious become blurry.
"
"Rinko!" I can hardly tell but I heard senpai shouting at me. I forced myself to look at where it come as I saw her jump toward me and tried to reach me before I got devoured by the black hole. However, when I tried to reach her hand, I can't. Not because I can't reach her but before her hand reach mine, she doesn't realize one of the head of the giant aradama Orochi is heading to her way and bite off her lower body. I was shocked as her blood spurt out from her mouth and dirtied my face. That's the last time I saw her before I got engulfed by eternal darkness.
(?)
"Senpai!" I abruptly wake up as I dreamed that day, which more like a nightmare to me. Even though I hope it's all a dream, "Where… am I?" I found myself in some kind of forest from all trees around me. When I tried to stand up, I felt a sting of pain through my stomach, "Ouch!" I look down and found my clothes is drenched by some blood, means it's all real and the wound that girl inflict to me was real, "I need to cover it… fast," I tried to reach anything that I can used to cover the wound, but the only free clothes I have is my handkerchief, which not enough to over cover all of it, "I got no choice…"
Slowly I put off my uniform to see how the wound is. After I clarified where it is, I drew my Okatana and used it to cut one of sleeve of my uniform and tear it to make a makeshift bandaged for my wound, "It might be little sting… ouch!" I firstly cover the wound with my handkerchief, which quite sting of pain to stop the blood first. Then I used my makeshift bandaged to tighten the cover until I found it's enough, "Well… at least this is enough for now, but I still need a real treatment or it will be worsen overtime."
I put on my blood drenched-teared off uniform before slowly stand up by using my Okatana as a support, "First, I need to get out from this forest. I hope I don't meet any Aradama in my way," then after I check everything, I begin to move. I following a faint noise I heard beside the wind in here. It's very faint but I'm sure it's a sound of vehicle, means there would be civilization not far from it. After some minutes later, I finally get out from the forest and saw the city in front of me. However—
"Wait, is this Kamakura? But…" I looks over the building, "Why everything looks… old?" I saw a piece of paper heading to my way and I catch it before it horribly crash into my face. I found that it is a page of newspaper and to fulfill my suspicious, I look into the date of the newspaper, especially the year, "This year… it can't be…" I check it for second time to make sure my eyes isn't wrong, but I found it's still same, "I… got thrown into past."
