The Okami Hero: Amaterasu

Arc 5: Eight Serpents

Chapter 6: One Trip is Not a Fall

[Tuesday19thApril 2281]

[Shie Hassaikai Compound, Corusantu]

Kai Chisaki, AKA Overhaul, was working busily in his lab, observing some of Izumi's Rewind-imbued Cells under a microscope. The Young Yakuza Boss was fairly pleased; thanks to Izumi's stronger body compared to Eri, as well as her Rejuvenation technique, Overhaul had managed to collect enough tissue and blood from the girl to advance his research by weeks! In a single session, he could take more flesh and blood from Izumi than an entire weeks worth of sessions with Eri.

The thought of Eri made Overhaul pause. Experimenting on Eri had been quite different than Izumi… Eri had never been strong enough, in body or spirit, to defy him too much. The very first session had left her too broken and terrified, and her small acts of rebellion after that had been desperate attempts to escape the pain, but it had been clear Eri didn't think she really could escape, though Overhaul made it clear with psychological manipulation that even if she did get away, she was cursed and evil. It was cruel, but efficient, and Eri had only been a resource anyway. Izumi was made of sterner stuff, being a Reborn Goddess and a Provisional Hero; no matter how hard Overhaul pushed her, she wouldn't break completely… after every session, after Overhaul had reduced the Greenette into a sobbing wreck, she still had a spark of life in her eyes. Overhaul wanted to snuff it out before Izumi got any bright ideas about rebelling, but it would do him no good to torture her or Eri without proper cause… for his psychological manipulations to work, he had to make it clear that whatever punishments he dished out were her fault. Overhaul knew it was only a matter of time before Izumi tried to escape… yesterday's brief sojourn to the Astral Plain had been a reminder of that, though it had likely been accidental.

And when Izumi did finally try to escape, he would thwart her, then force her to watch as Rikiya had his fun with Little Eri, using the tiny girl as a punching bag, all the while whispering that it was her fault. That aught to take some of the spark out of her eyes.

Overhaul's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his cellphone. With a sigh, he removed his bloody gloves and put on new ones before answering. He raised his eyebrow when he saw the name Hari Kurono on his caller ID.

"What is it, Kurono." Overhaul answered.

"We have a problem." Chronostasis said, a hint of worry in his voice, "One of the men called me to the Security Office because one of the Demons entered the kitchens while Amaterasu and Eri were in there. I'm watching the feed now, and it looks like the Demon is taunting the girls. Goddamn it, the stupid creature is bragging about beating both Amaterasu and Eri in the past."

Overhaul pinched the bridge of his nose with frustration. He knew which Demon it was… the stupid Green Imp Roku-Ju. The Evil Little Shit had apparently gotten a lot of respect from the Demon Legions by whipping Amaterasu… back when she was a four year old girl that had no quirk or Divine Powers to defend herself with. Overhaul didn't think it was worth praising him for; it wasn't hard to abuse small children, and the Yakuza Boss was still angry after the previous incident between Roku-Ju and Eri, in which the Imp had beaten the girl until she couldn't sit down. Overhaul accepted that punishing her for hiding was appropriate, but not in such a way that it got in the way of his experiments! He'd had to reset Eri just to fix her bruises and welts, as she wouldn't sit still during the experiments and her wails got on his nerves. Overhaul had wanted to punish the foolish Imp… it's not like killing him would be permanent, thanks to Overhaul's lack of Divine or Demonic Power, but Orochi had demanded the Imp be spared.

"Monitor the situation." the Yakuza Boss said with a sigh.

"Of course Kai, I'll- SHIT! Kai, the Demon is planning to beat both girls for not showing enough respect! He's advancing on Eri." Kurono yelled.

Overhaul growled; "Idiot Demon!"

The Man quickly began marching out of the Lab and towards the Kitchen, intent on stopping this foolishness before it went any further. Beating Eri without Izumi having done something wrong would just make things harder, and beating Izumi would reduce how long he could keep the experiments going later that evening.

Overhaul had barely taken a single step out of his lab when Kurono, still on the phone with him, gasped; "OH SHIT! The Demon went to strike Eri, but Amaterasu caught the blow… Kai, she's transformed into that Wolf/Human Hybrid Form! She's using powers!"

"WHAT!? Is the restraint no longer in place!?" Overhaul demanded, breaking into a run now.

"The Restraint is still there, but she's still using powers! She's sealed the door so the Demon can't escape, and is now choking him with some kind of red tentacle. She looks different that normal… her hair and wolf features have turned black, and while I can't see them well in the camera feed, her eyes have changed too… I think the sclera are black now, but I can't see them properly."

Overhaul cursed loudly, "This isn't supposed to be happening! If the girl can use her powers while Eri isn't wearing that shock collar, we can't control her! Is Tengai with them still!?"

"Yes Kai, but he's unable to do anything. Eri isn't looking, on Amaterasu's orders, and Tengai appears to be frozen. Ouch… that had to hurt. Amaterasu is smacking that Demon into every wall and surface in the kitchens… it'll likely need repairs now."

Overhaul's anger grew; "Stay on the line with me and have someone else call Tengai and have him grab Eri while Amaterasu is distracted. We need to get her under control."

"We've already tried contacting Tengai, but he isn't answering his phone. We can't hear the ringer over the camera feed either, so he's likely got the thing on silent again… SHIT! Kai, Amaterasu just smacked the Demon into the camera and took it out. We can't see or hear a thing from the kitchens."

The Yakuza Boss's fingers twitched angrily, just itching to destroy someone. Amaterasu was going to pay for this mess, and so would that Demon if there was anything left of him when the girl was done. "Kurono, I want you, Rikiya and a squad of the expendable grunts to meet me at the door to the kitchen. We are taking control of the situation."

"Got it Kai. I'm on my way."

Overhaul hung up the phone and ran faster, heading for the kitchens as quickly as he could. He could have used his quirk to reconstruct the hallways to get him there faster, but that would just interfere with his back up. He arrived at the door to the kitchens, which appeared to have been fused shut, almost like his own quirk had combined the door with the door frame, and found Rikiya, Kurono and five confused and worried hired thugs standing around waiting for him.

"Stand back. We're going in immediately." Overhaul ordered, slipping off his glove and touching his bare hand to the door. The door began to disassemble and reassemble itself into an open state, which allowed Overhaul and his men to march into the kitchen… and right into a very bizarre scene.

He'd expected to have to fight an escaping Amaterasu, but instead he found her on the floor, embracing Eri while trying her best to stop crying. Overhaul took a glance around the kitchen; the walls were cracked (no matter, a quick use of his quirk would repair that), the camera had been destroyed (though by the looks of it, it had fallen due to the strikes to the walls, not purposely destroyed), and there were puddles of red liquid all over the place, as well as vomit next to Amaterasu (Overhaul sneered at that, he'd be making Amaterasu clean all that up once her punishment was over).

He turned back to Amaterasu and frowned behind his mask. Kurono had said she'd transformed somehow, but she appeared to be in her complete human form. Her hair was green, she lacked wolf features or Divine Markings, and her eyes were shining emeralds, though they were rimmed with red and sore from crying. Overhaul didn't know what had happened, which combined with the mess and the disruption to his routine, just made him angrier.

With a voice like ice, he addressed Amaterasu; "I want answers, girl, or you will suffer for this."

Izumi shuddered, "I-I didn't mean to do any of this! I swear! R-Roku-Ju wanted to hurt Eri and before I knew it… I'd done this." she cried, gesturing to the ruined room; "Please, I can fix everything! I'll clean up the mess and repair everything! I-I'd need Rejuvenation for the damaged parts, but I'll do it if you let me!" she began to beg. Izumi had no doubts she'd be punished for the trouble she'd caused… after falling to Darkness like she had, she felt she probably deserved it… she just didn't want Eri to be hurt.

Overhaul was unimpressed by her begging and was tempted to slap her, but he didn't want to do anything that might reduce how much DNA he could take from the girl later, and any injury would likely effect her stamina. Reigning in his temper, the Yakuza Boss turned to Tengai; "You, explain what happened."

Tengai flinched at the cold tone, but obediently began recounting what had happened. Kurono nodded along, the former Monk's testimony lining up perfectly with what he'd seen in the Security Room. Getting to the parts after the camera had been destroyed, Overhaul and his followers were shocked and privately impressed by the power and ruthlessness Izumi had shown.

Still, they were all worried. Despite having her powers supposedly sealed by the Cursed Restraint, Izumi had somehow transformed and displayed several techniques that Orochi hadn't warned them off… fusing different materials together, producing and controlling blood, producing bone blades, and the coup de grace, producing a corrosive red liquid capable of rotting flesh and corroding concrete… all very frightening powers, and all unrestrained.

Overhaul was torn; from the sounds of it, Izumi had acted to protect Eri from an uncontrolled threat and wasn't simply rebelling, but she'd still killed one of Orochi's Demons which might cause him problems later… He was left with the choice of punishing her (which would likely impede his experiments), punishing Eri (which might cause her to use those bizarre Dark Powers again), or letting her get off scot-free (which would make him seem soft and potentially embolden the girl).

Almost reluctantly, he turned his eyes on Eri; "I warned you, Amaterasu, that acting out would get you punished… I can't risk your health right now, so Eri will take your place." the Yakuza Boss said, handing down his sentence like a Death Row Judge. With a gesture from Overhaul, Katsukame took a few menacing steps forward, intending to grab Eri (who was now cowering behind Izumi).

Izumi panicked; "NO! Please, this wasn't her fault! She's done nothing wrong! Punish me, not her! Please, I'll take anything you dish out! I-I have Astral Resurrection, remember? W-When I revive from death, I come back at peak condition! You can work me to death in the experiments today and I'll come back! You can take even more flesh for your experiments! Please, just don't hurt Eri!" she begged, bowing her head to the floor in front of Overhaul.

The Yakuza Boss was mildly surprised; he knew the Girl was self-sacrificing, but he never imagined she'd so easily toss aside her own pride. Hero Wannabes were usually so arrogant, and he'd expected worse from the Reborn Goddess. The idea of using the girl's Astral Resurrection to double the experiments was also appealing; Orochi had told him of the Resurrection, but not that it restored her Stamina… For Amaterasu to make such a bargain… Overhaul wondered what else he could get out of her.

"I can have Eri punished and simply force you to use your Astral Resurrection by killing you when you're too weak for my quirk to reset you. Why shouldn't I just use force?" Overhaul asked, his voice dripping with evil.

Izumi paled and Eri began to silently cry, while Katsukame chuckled darkly and took another step towards the girls. Overhaul waited, eager to see what tactic Amaterasu would choose next…

Unfortunately, he realised he'd pushed too far.

"GO AWAY!" Izumi screamed, her eyes turning red again as the Darkness once again asserted its grip on her. She hadn't fallen completely, so she only had red eyes, but that was enough to have all the Yakuza Thugs scrambling backwards. A few of the nameless grunts even turned tail and fled, making Overhaul resolve to kill them later.

Overhaul panicked as he realised his gambit had failed. He'd pushed the girl and now he had to either back down and appear weak, or continue pushing and pray the girl didn't fall to darkness again and slaughter them all.

Thankfully, he was saved from making that choice by the room suddenly growing colder, followed by a deep, sinister voice.

"That is enough, Mr. Chisaki."

Everyone in the room froze. The voice, deep and rumbling, seemed to come from all directions and filled those hearing it with dread. Only Izumi wasn't effected by the fear, instead feeling something else deep within her… recognition.

Overhaul grimaced; "Orochi. Punishment must be issued." he said, trying to sound braver than he was.

Izumi's eyes widened; that was why she recognised the voice! It was the voice of the Eight Headed Demon General: Yamata no Orochi!

"Orochi!?" she growled, her eyes returning to their normal green.

"Okami Amaterasu. It is a shame we have yet to meet face to face… or at least, not since you gained a new, human face. How did your brief taste of Demonhood feel? Was it not glorious? Did you not enjoy slaying the Imp that beat you, stole your mother's soul, and abused your child?"

Izumi frowned; her child? Did he mean Eri? "I won't listen to your tricks!" she spat, holding Eri to her chest as she looked up at the ceiling, as if Orochi was hiding above her.

The Serpent Demon made a displeased grunt; "Now now, it is only appropriate to show proper manners to one's host, especially as I just stopped Overhaul from further hurting your child. Answer my question honestly, or I shall allow Overhaul to have his fun with the girl."

Izumi grimaced. As much as it disgusted her, she couldn't risk letting Eri be hurt. "Yes." she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "I enjoyed it… I liked hurting him. I liked killing him… and I HATE MYSELF FOR IT!"

Orochi gave a sympathetic tut; "That is merely the guilt of the inexperienced. You have slain Demons before, yet you somehow feel monstrous now because you killed one using Demonic Powers? Remember, Amaterasu, it wasn't the Sun Goddess that saved your child from the latest abuse… it was the Demon Wolf of the Sun!"

Izumi wanted to be sick, but she didn't argue. She was tired, and her chest felt like someone had burned through it with acid. She hadn't heard the voices of the Brush Gods since her brief fall, and the guilt that she might have inadvertently hurt or betrayed them was torturing her.

"P-Please leave Izumi alone!" Eri cried, plucking up all her courage, "I don't care if she's a Demon or a Goddess! I don't know what those are anyway! I just want Izumi!"

Overhaul was about to snap at the girl, demanding she be silent, but a soft chuckle from Orochi stopped him.

"So the Wolf Pup has grown her first fangs, how wonderful. Hone those little fangs, Child; you may make a fine Demon yourself one day. Mr. Chisaki, do not harm either of these girls for their actions today. Amaterasu's fall to the Darkness should not be punished, but celebrated, and the Child has impressed me."

Overhaul reluctantly nodded, "Fine, I'll let them off without punishment. But what of your Demon? Amaterasu did kill him."

Orochi laughed cruelly; "Roku-Ju was a mere Green Imp. He was incompetent, riding the coattails of his single achievement until he got ahead of himself. His death will be a lesson to the rest, and is no great loss."

The room began to warm up again shortly after that last word, signifying Orochi's presence retreating to whatever part of the base he usually resided in.

Overhaul sighed deeply and turned to Katsukame and the girls; "Rikiya, take the girls back to their room. Don't lay a finger on them; I won't lose one of my Bullets because you chose to defy Orochi." he ordered, before focusing on the girls; "Count yourselves lucky. If it were up to me, I'd be having Rikiya wear out his belt on your asses. Now get out; the experiments will continue as planned tonight."

Izumi didn't need to be told twice; she picked up Eri and almost ran from the room as Katsukame lead them back to their room. Overhaul growled as he turned back to Tengai and Kurono; "Clean this mess up. I'm going to go deal with the men who fled." he said darkly, before taking his leave.

Kurono and Tengai were left to clean up the kitchen, both sighing as they got to work.

Back with the Girls, Katsukame grumpily led them to their shared room before locking them in, clearly angry that he hadn't gotten to "play" with the girls but too afraid of defying Orochi and Overhaul to do anything about it… not to mention his more private fear of what the Dark Izumi would do to him. Once Izumi and Eri were locked in, Izumi set Eri down on the bed and immediately ran to the bathroom, were she promptly emptied her stomach again, not that there was much to bring up after already throwing up in the kitchen.

Eri followed her, closing the door behind her, and Ishiko promptly emerged from the vent to see what had happened.

"Izumi, Eri! What the hell happened!?" Ishiko asked, hopping down to land on Izumi's shoulder and pet the girl's cheek comfortingly. Izumi was nearly catatonic and couldn't speak, so Ishiko turned a desperate look to the confused and worried Eri.

"The Mean Monster that hurt me came to the kitchen when we were making Lunch. He said he was the same one who hurt 'Zumi and took her Mama's soul." Eri explained.

Ishiko's eyes widened; "Roku-Ju!?"

Eri nodded; "I think so. He threatened us and 'Zumi got angry. He threatened to hurt us both, and went to hit me with his funny stick thing… then 'Zumi did something strange. She got Doggy Ears and a tail, and all her hair turned black! Her eyes were kinda scary too, all red and with black bits on the outside. 'Zumi did some really scary moves to beat up the Monster, then made him disappear, but I didn't see how 'cause 'Zumi told me not to look. Then 'Zumi turned back to normal and started crying and got sick."

"Red eyes? Black hair and "Doggy Ears"!? T-That sounds like her Demi-God Form, but c-corrupted!" the Poncle grimaced, "Izumi… did you…?"

Izumi whimpered and nodded; "I became a Demon… I was filled with so much hate and anger… Roku-Ju hurt me and stole Mom's soul! He beat Eri and was going to do it again, and I couldn't do anything to stop him! I wanted so badly to protect Eri and get revenge, that I allowed myself to fall to darkness! I let the Corruption overtake me and I became a Demon! I tortured Roku-Ju to death and I loved every minuted of it! Now I feel like a monster, and the Brush Gods won't talk to me! They're either hurt or they hate me and it's all my fault! I failed Sakuya and everyone else!"

"Izumi..." Ishiko said sadly, unable to find the words to comfort the girl. The Poncle was too shocked that someone as nice and gentle as Izumi had fallen to darkness in the first place! Though she supposed that if it was going to happen, it would be because Izumi was trying to save someone… Izumi would do anything required to be someone's Hero, even become a Demon.

"How can I be a Hero after what I've done?" Izumi sobbed. She had never felt so small and worthless… even when she'd believed herself useless and quirkless, she'd at least been able to comfort herself with the knowledge that she wasn't a bad person, but now? After torturing someone to death? Sure it was her duty as Amaterasu to slay Demons, but that didn't mean she had to torment them!

Ishiko had no idea how to help Izumi, but Eri had a different problem; she had no idea what Izumi had done wrong.

"'Zumi? I don't understand… you told me stories about Heroes. You said their job was to save people and stop the bad guys." Eri said nervously, unsure of if she should be speaking. Izumi was always nice to her, but she'd learned enough from Overhaul to know that when people were in bad moods, they could become like different people.

"That's right Eri. A Hero saves the innocent and stops Villains and Criminals. It's their job to maintain peace." Izumi sniffled, trying to compose herself for Eri's sake.

Eri nodded, a little more confident, "But then I don't understand… why can't you be a Hero after what you did?"

"Eri?" Izumi looked confused, an expression Eri mirrored.

"You saved me and stopped the Bad Guy. Isn't that what a Hero does?" Eri asked.

Izumi felt her heart warm a little. Eri was so innocent… despite all the horrible things she'd been put through, she still had such a big heart. "Oh Eri… It's not that simple… Heroes don't do the things I did."

Eri's face fell and she looked ready to cry; "D-Does that mean that I'm a bad girl? Was the Monster actually a good person?"

"What!? No! Eri, you're not a bad girl! You're a little angel and that Monster was irredeemably evil!" Izumi cried, pushing herself away from the toilet bowl and holding her arms out for Eri. The little girl walked into those arms and cuddled into Izumi's chest.

"I'm so confused… Heroes help good people and stop bad people, but you did something bad by saving me and stopping the Monster, but I'm still good and he was still bad? I don't understand." Eri said, looking up at Izumi with sparkling red eyes. Her face was mostly pressed into Izumi's chest, so when the Greenette looked down, all she saw was those eyes, and it made Eri look like a worried puppy.

The feeling that had settled in Izumi's heart after meeting Eri for the first time began to grow stronger.

"Eri… Saving you and killing Roku-Ju wasn't the bad thing I did. I did a horrible thing by torturing him, and the power I used was bad. You said yesterday that your quirk was a curse… well I know your quirk isn't, because the power I used today was a REAL curse… it's a power you can only use when you give in to anger and hate… it's a power you can only use if you become a Bad Person." Izumi explained softly.

Eri seemed to grasp what Izumi was saying, recognising that torturing even a bad person was still a bad thing to do, and she certainly understood what it meant to have and use a cursed power… but she didn't agree with that last part.

"Are you sure you did it right? If using that Curse makes you bad, then you must have done it wrong, 'cause you're not a bad person! You're the best person ever!" Eri said, completely serious.

Izumi giggled despite her tears. Logically speaking, the only other people Eri knew were Demons and Yakuza, so being the best of a bad batch wasn't that much of a compliment, but Eri was so earnest and transparent with her feelings that Izumi couldn't help but feel a little cheered up.

"Eri… Thank you. I think you're probably a better person than I am." Izumi said, gently kissing Eri's forehead and making the little girl smile again, which just further melted Izumi's heart. Eri didn't smile much, but whenever she did, Izumi felt like everything bad in the world was vanishing around her. "I need to apologise to you." Izumi said, hugging Eri tightly.

"What for?" Eri asked.

"For doing bad things in front of you. For letting Roku-Ju even touch you. For calling you mine, as if you were a thing to be owned… I am sorry." Izumi apologised.

Eri smiled again, and reached up to pat Izumi's head the same way the Greenette often patted hers; "It's okay. You saved me! And..." Eri blushed a little, "I don't think I'd mind belonging to you. The Bad Man says I belong to him, and he hurt me, but when you went all Dark and Scary, you said I belonged to you, but you love me and treat me nice. No one else ever did that, so I'm happy being yours."

Izumi's heart lightened, and Ishiko (who'd been silent through the adorable exchange) smiled. Eri believed that she belonged to Izumi, but without even realising it, Izumi's heart now belonged to her. Ishiko recognised what was happening, as she knew a fair bit about the side effects of Izumi's Divine Nature, but she decided to keep it secret for now. If Izumi knew the truth, she'd act differently and that might tip off the Yakuza, which would only lead to disaster.

Izumi hugged Eri to her and began to feel the self hatred leave her. No sooner had the hatred disappeared when the voices of the Brush Gods seemed to slam into Izumi's mind simultaneously.

"Great Mother!"

"Okami Amaterasu!"

"Divine One!"

The sudden shouts made Izumi stumble, then her eyes widened as she recognised the voices.

"Everyone!? You're okay!" Izumi thought, her sudden change of expression confusing Eri and Ishiko, who naturally couldn't hear the Brush Gods.

"Of course we're okay! We sealed ourselves up in the core of your heart, nothing can get to us there!" Yomigami said, relief clear in his voice.

"You did?" Izumi asked, surprised.

"Of course! When you had that encounter with Roku-Ju, the Corruption and Darkness began to encroach on you. The voice you heard tempting you was the voice of your Dark Side. We tried to reach you to try and block out the voice, but the Darkness you felt began to try and imprison and corrupt us too, since we were inside you." The Dragon God explained.

"That was when your Inner Light fought back." Bakugami cut in, "It acted to protect us and held back the Darkness long enough to give us time to flee deeper into your being, allowing us to seal ourselves into the core of your heart, the source of your light, in order to prevent us being turned into Demons alongside you. Unfortunately, when the Darkness overtook you, your heart locked itself up tight to protect itself, leaving us unable to get out or properly connect to you. That's why we couldn't contact you."

"Yeah, we were safe but kinda trapped." Tsutagami said.

"Like we were in a cage of light, dangling in the abyss of Darkness." Sakigami continued.

"We only got out a moment ago, when your heart opened up. You were so upset that your heart was on the verge of being plunged into the darkness again." Hasugami finished.

Izumi's eyes widened; so that was why she hadn't heard from the Brush Gods! She was the Divine Goddess of the Sun; the source of light, so the light within her heart had served as a safe haven and protected her Brush Gods. It wasn't until Eri had helped soothe Izumi's heart and push out the last of her dark feelings that Izumi's heart had opened up again, freeing the Trapped Gods.

"Everyone… I'm so sorry. I was weak, and it almost got you all corrupted. I became a Demon! It's a miracle I was able to return to normal!" Izumi thought sadly.

"It was no miracle." Moegami said, "You are the Sun Goddess, the source of Light just as Yami is the source of Darkness. As the Sun Goddess, it should actually be impossible for you to fall to Darkness at all, since your natural light holds back the tide of evil, but you are not ONLY Amaterasu now… you're half human."

Yomigami made a noise of agreement; "Humans are blank slates. Unlike Demons, Spirits, and Gods, Humans have no inherent good or evil. Their morality reflects their desires, personalities, and the society in which they live. By being reborn within a Human Body, you have the potential to be corrupted just like them. However, that also means the Demonic Power can leech off your Divine self like a cancer, corrupting you into a Demon Goddess. You avoided that today as the corruption only went halfway but still…Even so, the light within you can become trapped, but it cannot become extinguished. You were able to return to normal once the negative emotions that caused your corruption ceased to exist, allowing your light to reassert itself."

Izumi nodded along, just about being able to keep up. She internally compared Corruption to a Black Flame; it burned within her so long as it had the fuel, but once that fuel was gone, the fire would splutter out. "S-So I'll never become a Demon permanently? I'll always be able to turn back?"

"Yes, Great Mother." Tachigami said, not having spoken much yet, "But be warned; you are Half Human, and Humans are notoriously good at holding on to all the dark feelings within them. You can only be healed of your Demonhood if you let go of the darkness. So long as you are able to do that, you'll be able to return to the righteous path. But beware; the power of Demonhood can be intoxicating and the lust for such a power can be enough to corrupt you as well, making it a vicious cycle. Do not long for that Power, Great Mother; it will darken your path."

"I understand." Izumi thought. She couldn't deny that using the powers of a Demon had been exhilarating, especially after being essentially powerless for several days. It also hadn't escaped her notice that her Demon Powers had been the inverted versions used by the Brush Demons; she'd used Akuma-Tachi's fusion power on the door, Akuma-Hasu's blood power to strangle and smack around Roku-Ju, crucified him with Akuma-Saki's bone power, and then killed him with Akuma-Yomi's destruction power. Still, as amazing as it had felt to use those powers, the things she'd done with them still disgusted Izumi.

"I'm sorry everyone. I'll do my best not to fall again." Izumi promised.

Yomigami chuckled kindly; "Great Mother, you did not fall. That was a mere trip; a brief stumble. A true fall would have been more… well, it would have just been more. However, be it a trip, a stumble, or a genuine fall, all can be made well again by standing back up. We Brush Gods will be the pillars on which you can support yourself… and the Child will likely become quite a pillar herself."

Izumi turned to Eri, who was still happily hugging her. Izumi smiled and stroked the girl's hair; "Yeah." she thought, "I'll never stay down. And as much as I hated it… my trip to the Dark Side did save Eri."

"Then perhaps the Voice was not wrong." Yomigami said, "Perhaps to some extent, even a Demon can be a Hero… or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that a True Hero turned to Demonhood is still a Hero at their core. We shall allow you to rest for now; your escape plan is nearly ready, so prepare yourself."

Izumi nodded, and each of the Brush Gods said a brief farewell as they cut the connection, leaving Izumi to rest and recover. She was still upset and conflicted over everything that had happened, but for now, she'd simply rest and prepare. Izumi would save Eri, defeat Overhaul, slay Orochi, reclaim her Mother's soul and win back her freedom!

Next Chapter: Slipping the Collar

To be Released: TOMORROW!

Hey there! Now we've reached the home stretch on the "captured" part of the arc! The next chapter will end the captured half and then the Escape/Rescue will begin with Chapter 8! We got to hear from Orochi, see things from Overhaul's perspective, experience some fluff between Izumi and Eri, and learn a bit more about Izumi's brief trip to the darkness. Kind of an emotionally heavy chapter!

The next chapter will be out tomorrow; usually it would have been the 3rd so I have my usual day break, but I have a familiy commitment that day and I didn't want to delay getting to the Rescue/Escape, so I'll be releasing this chapter and the next back to back!

I hope you enjoyed! Please Comment and Review; it really encourages me!