Persona 4

Ge-Ni-Us

Intermission 3: The Opening Bell

Izanami shook her head in disbelief. The shadow hiding within that boys soul was indeed strong. She halfway wondered if she, in her prime, would have been able to beat it.

But that line of thought was abruptly shattered. She inhaled slowly, shocked at the sight of Susano standing behind the brown haired boy. Then... slowly... Amaterasu appeared. Then Rokuten-Mao. And Yamato-Takeru, and Kamui, and Kanzeon, and... finally.. Suzuka-Gongen.

Their names and faces were not unknown to the ancient Japanese goddess. But the power that supported them currently was something of a mystery to her.

In one sense, it was simply unbelievable. Those -children- had uncovered a power that, with a mere years worth of nurturing, had been able to de-throne a goddess with a few thousand years worth of stored energy.

And now, that power had taken yet another step forward. She didn't know wether to smile or seethe at the thought. She watched as the shadow they'd been fighting inevitably fell before their renewed onslaught. "Those children continue to grow..." She noticed it almost immediately. As soon as the shadow had been beaten, the fog began to lift slowly from the valley. "I wonder how much potential is still left untapped..." For some reason, a small smile found its way to her features.

"I can't wait to find that out myself..."

Izanami stopped a gasp from escaping her. The air around her had grown chilly, almost as if a winter snow storm had blown in on a summer day. She clenched her jaw and kept her eyes down in the valley below. "Are you satisfied now?! Then leave!"

"Satisfied?"

Izanami could -feel- his hot, putrid breath right beside her neck.

"Little One...Someone such as myself could -never- be completely satisfied... you know that."

The goddess shivered. She was thankful her robes hid the motion. The voice was, at once, a thousand pained whispers. And she could hear the amusement in it. And yet... she refused to turn and look at him. She refused to admit his existence, much less his presence.

The figure behind her only grew more amused. His attention was on the small group of children down in the valley below as well. "I wonder... what it tastes like..."

Izanami forced herself to be calm.

"I wonder... what it feels like..."

She could ignore him all she wanted. But even she couldn't ignore the putrid stench of his breath on her skin. "Why are you so interested in mere mortals... I'd think someone like you would have had your fill of them long ago."

The figure behind her chuckled. "Ahh Little One... you misunderstand. The flame of their lives is so very bright. I want to -see- its final flare. I want to -taste- the last moment of its existence...before it is gone completely...."

Izanami made a small disagreeable sound. "I suppose it was naive of me to think this the end of it..."

"The end?" The figure laughed.

The sound of a thousand agonized whispers laughing... It was enough to unnerve even the ancient goddess.

"Little One..."The presence behind Izanami faded... but his voice did not. "This...was merely the opening bell..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: Heya everyone... Just a small intermission to add a bit more intrigue to the mix. I wonder if anyone has an idea who the 'figure' is....EBIL LAUGH

Now that that's out of my system... expect another update soon. Getting the fight over and done with has bolstered my will to keep writing!

R&R as ya like...

Till next time!

--KW