I survived the cat and now am sporting some new scars. Nevertheless, here I am with the release of Chapter 4 of Fate/Aduniad.
Whelp here we go -
Bang!
Kiyohime! Why are you - is that a knife... Oh, crap baskets.
Time to summon my inner JoJo.
逃げるんだよ! Oh, right, some of you can't read that.
Run Away!
=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(`;OwO )┘
ᚠᚨᛖᛚᚨᚾ
I noticed the shift in the taste of the air the moment Tamamo and I came through the Oblivion Gate. It was so fresh, so clean, so robust. The only times I ever tasted this type of air was when Mashu and I Rayshifted into the past.
It was also how I knew that I was still far from home.
Gwylltorrwr carried us through the gate, decimating the last remnants of Nyarlathotep at the same time. Something that brought a smile to my face when I saw the bloody bastards head go flying, then burning, then gone. But that smile faded when the blade dragged me and Tamamo downwards into a sea of trees, smack through several of them, and finally straight down into a rushing river.
The moment I saw the river come into view, I grabbed Tamamo's waist with my left arm, smothered her into me, then let Gwylltorrwr drag us closer to the ground. Just when we were about to impact, I twisted myself and aimed the blade away from our drop zone, and toward a cliff face a few distances away. With the blade no longer dragging us, it was our own momentum that launched us into the rushing stream. My back acting as a shield for both of our more important parts.
Thankfully, my body was still supplying mana to fuel the reinforcing magecraft that was used on my body to resist and-slash-or repel damage.
Needed a couple… a dozen of them when I began my match against Nyary.
Yay for magical pain killers!
It took us a while to pop out of the water, and a bit more to get out of the rushing rapids. But Tamamo and I were able to heave ourselves into the muddy riverbank. We just sat there, next to each other, looking upwards into the night sky. The heavy sounds of our exhausted breaths could be heard from a mile away. The only other sounds around us were the river, some insects and critters, and the occasional wandering bird.
It was peaceful.
I almost thought I had died, again. That I was in some kind of heaven.
But that thought was dashed when a searing pain racked against my chest.
Nope. Still alive.
So here I am, alive, in pain, and next to the one I loved under a starlit sky.
I gave a single dry chuckle. Followed by another. Then another. Before I knew it, I was full-on laughing myself stupid.
Tamamo called out to, tried to shake me out of it, but she soon found herself joining me in the uproarious laughter.
We were laughing because we were alive.
We were laughing because we survived.
We were laughing because we beat .PH.
We were laughing because we saved Rin, Hakuno, Leo, Rani, and all the other masters on .PH.
We were laughing because we beat Nyarlathotep.
We were laughing because we had nothing else to do.
We were laughing because we were alone.
Yet, we had each other. So, we laughed.
It was also a way for us to ignore the blinding pain we were no doubt feeling. It was obvious that the penalty for using that much power to beat Nyary was going to be, most likely, excruciating pain.
I had used mana given to me from an extra source, in excess; burning up and nearly destroying my magic circuits in totality. I had performed acrobatics that no normal person should perform, and definitely ruptured and jury-rigged multiple muscles back together. I kept defying crippling injuries, just so that I can keep moving and survive. I had utilized a sword and curse to their full extents; stretching and straining my soul more than I needed. I had done so much to myself, in order to survive, that I had to pay a price.
The pain was the lesser and more desirable penalty.
Tamamo was in a similar state as I was, yet she too was content with the penalty that she and I were suffering.
From what I could tell, being completely still helped alleviate some of the pain. Not all of it, but most definitely some of it. So, we just enjoyed our time on the cold riverbank. Just relaxing as the stars hanged over us. Not a sound being said between us after we calmed down our laughter. For a moment though, I feel that there was something missing from this moment.
But what was it?
Hmm…
… Oh! Of course! How could I forget?
"Hey, Tama. I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
"Well, I did promise that the next date will be a proper one and that I would take you stargazing. So, sorry the drive here was so rocky and bumpy. My bad. But I guess I showed you a good time, right?"
It took her a moment to process what I was alluding to. The moment she got it, she flushed pink, clasped her hands over her face, and started giving the cutest embarrassed squeaks I have heard to date.
The way that we looked at the moment, with my armor and underclothes being shredded and rendered apart, barely being held. Her own blue magician's kimono being cut and torn all around. Finally, with the setting we were at; it all pointed towards what could be mistaken as a couple relaxing in the aftermath of a very, Very, successful date.
I had to tease the fox. She's too cute!
"Goshujinsama is the Worst!"
"But you love me still!"
"Pervert! Taking advantage of Tamamo at her weakest moment! I'm Tamamortafied!"
"You're still using your name as a pun!"
"Yes I am Fway-Fway."
"You know you're the only one that I let get away with calling me that."
"Hai! Faelan is a good boy. Yes he is!"
"Inu janaiyo! Okami da!"
Pat pat. Rub, Rub.
Let the record show that Aomori Faelan does not purr if he is pat or rubbed on the head. He is an awesome, cool, and manly man who has slaughtered demons, dragons, monsters, and heretical heroes from different ages and…
… and…
… and…
…
…
… grrrrrrr fffuuu…
Damnit. This is so embarrassing.
Yet, Tamamo just kept rubbing my head with one hand, smiling at blushing at my expense.
When we calmed down, it finally dawned on us how exhausted we were from the whole surviving Nyarlathotep and Oblivion fiasco. Both of us were barely keeping conscious as we were. Tilting my head as slightly as I could, without irritating my strained muscles, I looked at Tamamo, seeing her just barely keeping herself awake.
I gently moved my hand towards her own and began interlocking our fingers.
When she sent me a questioning look, I replied with a reassuring one.
"Tama, it's okay. Go into spirit form and let yourself recover. I'll be alright. Just give me a few."
"But -"
"No buts. Please, I hate seeing you like this. And it's not like I'm asking you to leave. You'll still be here. Close by. So, go ahead."
I knew that it was mean of me to order her to do that. Here I was, wounded and exhausted, and I'm telling her to focus on herself, over focusing on me. She was one who wanted to live while devoting herself to someone, to give onto them as much happiness as she could. Despite her history, it was this trait about her I fell in love with.
Because I could relate to it so well. And I felt that she deserved to have someone devote themselves to her as well. To make her feel, normal.
Not as one of the Three Great Evil Yokai of Japan.
Nor as the Caster Heroic Spirit.
But simply, Tamamo no Mae, formally Mizukume; a good girl, now woman, who had such a beautiful heart and soul. Playful and kind to those she held dear. And very clinging. That wasn't always a bad thing. In the way she did it, it was both endearing, charming, and reassuring.
I loved knowing she was always nearby.
And that was why asking her to return to spirit form was such a hassle and cruel thing to ask of her. In that state, it will allow her to heal so much faster than if she remained physical. But, it will make it harder for her to revert back to the physical once she began healing as a spirit. In the event that I, while incapacitated, needed her to save me, she won't be able to right away.
Nevertheless, it was the right thing to do in my heart.
She hesitated for just a bit more, before she sighed, telling me she was letting me win this one. She gave my hand a squeeze and reached over to peck me on the lips, before closing her eyes. It made sense since, in a way, she was going to sleep. We kept our eyes locked to each other as she drifted to sleep, and began to shift in motes of blue lights.
"Please be safe, Goshujinsama." Her eyes had fully closed, and physically, I was alone. But I could still feel her nearby. Her presence was like a warm blanket that wrapped around my heart.
It was cheesy, but that was exactly how it felt. That fox girl was trying to smother me, even in her sleep. As a spirit no less! Not that that was a bad thing though.
Silly fox. Can't even stop trying when you should be resting.
A wave of fatigue erupted in me when I thought of the word, resting. Just that alone, reminded that Tamamo was not the only one that should try and recover some of their lost strength. I wouldn't be anything more than dead weight on Tama if I remained as I was now. And, unfortunately, I was still too injured to move on my own, let alone find a hospital.
If there was one around.
I didn't even want to play the whole 'what if' game with my own doubts at the moment. Whatever it was in my body that was ordering me to go to sleep had effectively made its point.
It didn't take long for sleep to overtake me as soon as I let my eyes droop to a full close. My last thoughts were on how everyone back home was doing.
