The Okami Hero: Amaterasu
Arc 9: Academy of Heroes
Chapter 14: The Servant in the Shadows Part 1
[Sunday9th April 2282]
[1-A Dorms, U.A High School]
Izumi happily hummed to herself as she bustled around the dorm kitchens, preparing the food for the picnic she was planning with Eri. She was in a great mood after her talk with Shoto; it had gotten off to a rough start and had a few shaky moments, but she'd finally managed to get through to him enough for him to accept her as a friend. As far as Izumi was concerned, things were going great! Thinking on this, she put some cheese sandwiches under the grill and checked her phone to see how everyone was doing.
Ochako had sent her a few pictures of the gang exploring Valour Village, with a lot of them focusing on one of them showing Eri something and then playing around. Eri was smiling brightly in every picture, and Ishiko was glowing brightly on her horn, showing she was having a great time too. Quite a few 1-B students were in the pictures too, playing with Eri and the 1-A students. Izumi giggled at the sight, and sent a confirmation text to Ochako, whose last message had been a warning that she was heading back with Eri. Seeing as she had a little time left, Izumi put the now grilled sandwiches off to the side to cool as she checked everyone else.
Hawks and Dabi were patrolling together as part of Dabi's work experience, so they were being spotted all over Musutafu. Jin was spending lunch with Rei in the hospital, learning to cook with her. Most of the Konohana Household were hard at work, having expanded their jobs to other parts of the building now that the teens' absence gave them less to do. The Onikawa brothers were patrolling the school grounds, and Sakuya was stuck in a boring board meeting. Lastly, Inko was out on a date with Toshinori, enjoying their day off together in town. Izumi was tempted to send messages to them all, especially Rei (so she could share her success with Shoto) but Eri and Ochako would be back any second, so Izumi decided to save that for later.
Working fast, she gathered all the food and drinks she'd made and wrapped it up and placed them in a basket, along with a blanket. She'd just put the finishing touches on everything when the dorm doors opened and Ochako appeared, carrying a cheerfully chattering Eri on her shoulders, along with Ishiko on her usual perch of Eri's horn.
"Hey there Izumi!" Ochako greeted with a big smile.
"Mama!" Eri said brightly, carefully climbing down Ochako's back and leaping at Izumi. Her mother giggled and caught the girl, spinning her a little before bringing her in for a hug.
"Hello Sweetheart! Hi Ochako; I take it you guys had fun?" Izumi asked.
"Uh huh! It was super fun! There are lots of little shops with tons of weird gadgets and doodads! And food places with all kinds of food I've never seen or smelled! And one of the shop people had a doggy! It was black, so it wasn't like you, but it was super friendly!" Eri gushed.
Ishiko chuckled; "It was a Black Labrador. He loved Eri too, and kept trying to follow her around the village. The owner had to come drag him away!" she explained, thoroughly amused. Animals were drawn to Divine beings like Izumi, and Eri had inherited that particular aspect along with her other powers.
Izumi grinned, remembering the dog from the pictures Ochako had sent. "I'll have to go say thank you to him for being so nice to my little pup! Thanks for looking after Eri for me, Ochako."
The Gravity Girl blushed lightly and smiled widely; "Aw, it was no trouble! It was tons of fun! Eri's a sweetheart. Oh hey, have you seen Todoroki since his teacher meeting?" she suddenly asked.
Izumi's eyes widened slightly; "Er, nope!" she said, not technically lying since she really hadn't seen him since the "teacher meeting." Of course, Ochako didn't know that meeting was with her, but she didn't need to know that bit. "Why, did something happen?"
Ochako nodded; "Yeah, it was kind of weird. We passed him as we were coming back. I waved and said Hi without really thinking, and I just figured he'd ignore me. But he didn't! He actually looked at us and said hello back!"
Izumi hid her smile by pressing her face to Eri's hair, giving the little girl a soft kiss. Shoto was still an awkward and cold teen, but it looked like he was at least trying. "How nice. Maybe he's getting used to us." Izumi said.
"I hope so. Do you think that meeting was about him being nicer to everyone?" Ochako asked.
"Probably not. Maybe he was just in a good mood."
Ochako made a noise of acknowledgement; "Say, do you know what the meeting was about?"
"Sorry Ochako, but I couldn't tell you even if I did. Private matters, you know?"
"Fair point. Well, I should go back! Katsuki showed up after his training, and he, Eijiro, and Togaru have convinced us to try a Mexican place for lunch so I need to get there before one of them orders me the "Super Spicy Stomach Destroyer Supreme" or something! Enjoy your picnic!" the bubbly girl said, before hurrying off with a smile.
Izumi, Eri, and Ishiko smiled and waved her off, before turning to their own lunch.
"Are you guys ready? I packed a lot of stuff and know a nice spot." Izumi said.
"Yeah!" Eri and Ishiko cheered. With a pleased laugh, Izumi took Eri's hand and grabbed the picnic basket, then led her out to the spot she'd picked.
The picnic spot was on a grassy hill near the wooded area, and it had a great view of the Dorms and Valour Village in the distance, as well as shade from the nearby trees (not that the Sun Goddess and her daughter needed to hide away from the sun). It made for quite the scenic view, and the ideal spot to have some food. With a little help from Eri, Izumi spread the blanket out and the trio sat down on it and began unpacking the food. Izumi had prepared a lot of different things, including some of Eri's and Ishiko's favourites. Once it was all laid out and they began to eat, Ishiko couldn't help but grin cheekily.
"Thanks for the food, "Mom"! You've gotten better." Ishiko teased.
Eri giggled as Izumi rolled her eyes; "I'm not your mother, Ishiko. You're way older than me! Besides, I've got my hands full with this little tyke!" she grinned, reaching over to poke Eri in the side, making her giggle again.
Their meal continued, with Eri enthusiastically telling Izumi all about her morning in between bites, and Ishiko occasionally supplying extra details or clarifications so Izumi wouldn't be confused by her daughter's somewhat disjointed story. They had just finished up the main part of their meal and were moving onto dessert while Eri chattered on about some weird lifting competition Eijiro had gotten into with Tetsutetsu, when they suddenly heard something from the woods behind them.
The three girls turned to look, seeing bushes shaking and hearing twigs snap as something made its way towards them from the woods. Eri and Ishiko were unconcerned, but Izumi was on guard after the attack during the Entrance Exam, so she subtly transformed into her Demi-God Form. Almost immediately, she relaxed and transformed back, smelling the familiar scent of her classmate.
A moment later, Tokoyami emerged from the woods, Dark Shadow resting on his shoulder and both looking mildly surprised to see the girls.
"Hi Tokoyami." Izumi greeted, "Out for a walk?"
Tokoyami nodded bashfully; "Er, yes. Todoroki's "teacher meeting" got a little loud at one point and I could hear it from my room, so I left to make sure I didn't overhear something I shouldn't." he said, giving Izumi a meaningful look, which made the girl blush slightly and nod thankfully, "The woods here are thick enough that the light doesn't bother Dark Shadow, so it made a good place to spend some time."
"That's fair enough. I've had a look around in there too; it's quite a fun place to explore when you've got the body and senses of a Wolf." Izumi said, trying to give the boy an apologetic look for disturbing him before, without letting on to Eri or Ishiko that Shoto's meeting had been with her. She'd promised not to tell anyone, and she was going to keep that promise.
While Izumi and Tokoyami were talking, Eri had begun edging closer to Izumi in an attempt to hide behind her without drawing the boy's attention. Izumi took notice and looked at her strangely; "Are you okay Eri? Still feeling a little shy?" she asked. Izumi was a bit surprised; Eri seemed to have warmed up to everyone by this point. Was she just caught off guard by Tokoyami's sudden appearance?
The little girl didn't answer and just watched Tokoyami carefully. The boy frowned, which made Eri flinch and retreat further behind Izumi. Of course, seeing the obvious sign of fear from the girl sent a pang through Tokoyami's chest, and he looked down ashamedly while Dark Shadow seemed to deflate and hide behind his master. Izumi and Ishiko looked between the two with confusion; what was going on here?
"Eri? Tokoyami?" Izumi said questioningly.
"It's fine, La- uh, Amaterasu. I probably scare her. I should leave you to enjoy your time together." Tokoyami began, turning on his heel to retreat back into the woods.
"Hold it a moment, Tokoyami." Izumi called, and the boy immediately stopped and turned back to her. His sudden obedience was a bit surprising, but Izumi was more concerned by Eri.
"Are you really afraid of Tokoyami, Eri?" she asked.
Eri shrugged, refusing to meet her mother's eyes. Izumi frowned and gently stroked Eri's hair. This was weird; why would Eri be scared of Tokoyami? They hadn't interacted much and she was sure Tokoyami hadn't done anything scary. Eri wasn't afraid of the dark and didn't seem bothered by Dark Shadow, so what was upsetting her about Tokoyami? Izumi turned back to the boy and looked him over carefully to see if he was wearing any scary designs on his clothes or carrying anything that might frighten Eri, but the boy looked completely normal. He was just wearing dark jeans and a black hoodie. He'd look like any other boy if it weren't for his unique bird features…
Izumi nearly facepalmed as the realisation hit her.
Bird features. Tokoyami was a human with a raven's head, and to Eri, it looked like he was wearing a bird mask. He reminded her of the Shie Hassaikai!
"Oh Eri…" Izumi sighed, leaning down a little to kiss Eri on the forehead, "Tokoyami isn't one of those Yakuza, you know that right? I'd never let him near you if he was."
Ishiko and Tokoyami both gasped as they reached the same conclusion Izumi had, and Eri looked down in shame. The little girl knew she was being unfair to the boy, but the sight of the bird head atop a human body just sent her heart beat into overdrive and drove her mind wild.
"I'm sorry…" Eri whispered, ashamedly.
Izumi sighed; "It's okay Eri, you can't help it." she looked over to Tokoyami; "Would you mind joining us? We've got plenty of food, and I think it'll do Eri some good to see that you're safe, and that your features aren't a mask."
Tokoyami fidgeted; "Is this really a good idea? I don't mean to question you, but if I scare her, surely it would be best for me to leave?"
Izumi gave him a weird look; why did he care about questioning her? She wasn't acting as his teacher at the moment… Maybe it was because of her affinity towards light? For the shadowy Tokoyami, it might be intimidating. She decided to answer as kindly as she could; "It would be nice to have you join us. It isn't good for Eri to be scared of you, but she'll never get over it if she doesn't face it. Best to do it over good food and when she knows she's safe."
The Raven headed boy hesitated for a moment, but ultimately complied. He awkwardly sat down on the blanket, in the spot Izumi pointed him too. It was in the shade of the trees, so he was marginally more comfortable, though he was still very much aware that Eri was watching him cautiously. He bowed his head politely, silently willing Dark Shadow to hide for the moment.
"Ah, Lad- I mean, Miss Eri. You don't need to be afraid of me. I would never harm you. This truly is just my face. If it would make you feel better, you can touch it and see for yourself." he offered. He wasn't very comfortable with people touching him, but if it meant that Eri wouldn't be afraid of him, Tokoyami would deal with it.
Carefully, Eri edged towards him and reached out her hands. She lightly brushed her fingers over the feathers, then upon feeling that they were real and attached, fully placed her hands on Tokoyami's cheeks, brushing one hand back to feel the feathers on the back of his head, and one hand down to touch his beak, then to his neck. Tokoyami remained still throughout the light touches, only feeling a slight discomfort when Eri would occasionally pull very gently on a feather or part of his beak, as if trying to pull away a mask. Eri was entranced by the boy, who looked so much like her old tormentors yet allowed her to essentially manhandle him. His feathers could be mistaken for normal hair or fur, as they were extremely soft and fine, while the ones toward the back of his head were longer and stiffer, like normal feathers. As for Tokoyami's beak, it didn't really feel like a beak or lips; it was like hard rubber, in that it was solid but malleable and behind it was a set of clearly human teeth. His skull was also shaped like a halfway point between a bird and a human, sharing features with both.
"You see? It's real. My father was born with the Quirk: Murder of Crows. He's a Crow Person that can control crows, and while I didn't inherit his quirk, I did inherit some of his features, though I look more like a Raven." Tokoyami explained.
Eri nodded, her expression becoming ashamed again; "'m sorry I was scared. You're not a bad guy."
"It is fine. I feel no ill will towards you. Since we have come this far, I shall formerly introduce myself; I am Fumikage Tokoyami." Tokoyami said, awkwardly patting Eri's head as he straightened up.
Eri smiled softly. She was still a bit nervous; the psychological effects the Shie Hassaikai had on her weren't going to go away after a few seconds in Tokoyami's presence, but she did feel more confident. "I'm Eri Midoriya. I hope we can be friends."
Tokoyami nodded, the edge of his beak pulling up in a small grin. Dark Shadow slowly edged his way out from behind his master and waved. "I'm Dark Shadow! I wanna be friends too!"
Izumi and Ishiko smirked as Tokoyami rubbed the space between his eyes, frustrated by his quirk's overly jovial personality. Eri giggled, completely unbothered by Dark Shadow's own bird-like features since he was so different from a person. She reached out and pet the quirk creature, who reacted by lunging forward and hugging Eri. Tokoyami looked mortified and began to stutter out apologies while trying to recall his errant quirk, but Izumi and Eri assured him it was fine. They liked the cheerful quirk a lot, and Eri pet him like he was the Black Labrador from Valour Village.
With Tokoyami joining their little picnic, Eri began to get more and more comfortable as she spent the time playing with Dark Shadow, who was just as glad to play with her as she was with him. Eri especially enjoyed feeding bits of food to the sentient quirk and watching it melt away into the bird-like shadow. While Eri and Ishiko were distracted by Dark Shadow, Izumi talked with Tokoyami. The boy was clearly nervous about something, and Izumi had no idea what it was, but she was keen to make him feel more comfortable, just as she wanted the same for Eri.
They chatted about Heroes, since it was the only point of similarity between the two, with Tokoyami expressing his love for Dark Crystal, a hero that was rarely mentioned. Even Izumi knew only a little about them, but she did recognise that Tokoyami's choker resembled theirs, and Tokoyami confirmed it was worn in their honour. Tokoyami relaxed fairly quickly, but never dropped his formal attitude, which made their conversation feel a little odd. It reminded Izumi of chatting with the Onikawa brothers.
The two were also extremely different; almost like night and day. Tokoyami enjoyed the dark, and liked grim, gloomy things and places, while Izumi was definitely a being of the light, being the Sun Goddess. She didn't hide away from the dark like Tokoyami recoiled from the light, but it definitely made her feel uneasy and lethargic. Their tastes in most things were very different too; Tokoyami enjoyed medieval gothic style things and could be described as a bit of an edge-lord, while Izumi loved traditional Japanese aesthetics and was the sweet type (sickeningly so, if you were to ask Kacchan or some of her more seriously minded friends). The two certainly made for a bizarre pair, but as neither were the type to turn this noses (Snouts? Beaks?) up at someone else for having different tastes, their conversation became a friendly debate on the merits of their preferred styles.
As the debate was going on, Ishiko giggled and turned to Eri; "Look Eri, it's the rare and elusive Aesthetic Nerd. Two of them in fact!"
"Hush you." Izumi said, half heartedly swatting at the Poncle. Ishiko laughed and dodged effortlessly.
Eri and Dark Shadow snickered together and both reached into the picnic basket to retrieve the last snacks packed; fresh red apples.
"Apples! We love apples!" Dark Shadow cheered, holding one of the precious fruits aloft like a trophy.
"We?" Izumi asked.
Tokoyami nodded; "Dark Shadow is an extension of myself. Our behaviour is different, but our tastes are the same. Apples are my favourite." he said.
Eri's eyes shone; "Mine too! Here, you have one too!" she said, grabbing another apple from the basket and pressing it into Tokoyami's hands.
The boy was surprised; "If this is your favourite, surely it would be better for you to have it. They were meant for you after all."
Eri just smiled; "They're your favourite too! And I've got one too, see?" she said, showing her own apple, "I like sharing and I since we're friends now, I'll let you have one of my best things!" she said cheerfully.
Tokoyami looked touched, and Izumi smiled proudly at her little girl, whose attention was now fully on her apple. The first bite made Eri's face light up with bliss, and she had soon slipped into her Demi-God Form out of pure enjoyment, her tail wagging away behind her. Dark Shadow laughed happily and began gnawing on his own apple like a chipmunk, savouring the rare treat.
"Heh, look at him go. I guess eating with a beak is kind of hard." Ishiko commented as she watched Dark Shadow.
"It can be difficult. I prefer chopsticks for eating because of that." Tokoyami said, having to place his apple at the side of his mouth in order to bite into it.
"Want me to chop that up for you? A little Power Slash would make it easier, and the ink disappears once used so you don't have to worry about ingesting it." Izumi offered.
Tokoyami shook his head; "Thank you, but you shouldn't waste your Divi- er, Quirk, on something so small. I'll deal."
Izumi paused mid-way through taking a sip of her tea, and watched Tokoyami out of the corner of her eye. This was the third time he'd had a strange verbal slip, and this time, Izumi was sure he was about to say "Divine" in reference to her powers. Putting that in context, his previous slips had sounded like he was going to call her and Eri "Lady", and he continued to call Izumi by her Hero Name. It brought a strange, tense feeling to Izumi's stomach as she considered what this could mean.
Either Tokoyami was just taken in by the fact she'd used a God's name for a Hero name and was just trying to stop himself from being overly dramatic by calling her Quirk "Divine" or referring to her as "Lady"…
Or he knew the truth and was hiding it.
If Tokoyami knew who she really was, then there could only be a handful of possibilities as to how, as well as only a few reasons to keep it hidden from her. Izumi needed to tread carefully, in case he was working for their enemy. She wanted to believe he wasn't, but she wasn't going to risk it with Eri so close.
Needing to ensure Eri would be safe if things suddenly took a turn, Izumi acted as if she'd just received a text and pulled out her phone, making a show of "replying" when she was actually just typing a message to show Ishiko. She caught the Poncle's eyes and the tiny woman hopped up onto her shoulder to see what the "text" was.
Izumi had written; "I think Tokoyami knows the truth about me. Need to investigate and see if I'm right. If he does anything I don't like, I'll drag him to the Astral Plain for interrogation. If that happens, take Eri back to the Dorms and alert the family."
Ishiko nodded, her grim expression thankfully hidden by her tiny stature. She hopped back over to Eri, but didn't say anything to her just in case it made the little girl react and give the game away. Izumi put her phone away and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry about that. Mom's having a day in town today and wanted to know if I needed anything." she lied, once again needing the Hanagami Monkeys to feed her a line for her to copy. She really sucked at lying.
"Your mother? Do you mean the Commission President or your biological mother?" Tokoyami asked.
"Bio. I, er, I tend to call her Mama while calling my adoptive mother Mom, but it's kind of embarrassing to say that in front of people outside the family." Izumi said.
The Bird Boy chuckled; "I understand. My own mother usually ignores me when I speak unless I call her Mama first. It's her way of teasing me. It's not so bad usually, but she's done it in front of my classmates in the past."
Izumi giggled and finished her tea, then waited for Tokoyami to finish his apple. Once he was done, Izumi began packing up the leftovers of the picnic into the basket. As she was doing this, she watched Tokoyami out of the corner of her eye again. He was completely relaxed now, and watching Eri chomp away on her own apple, now being the only one who still hadn't finished. The edges of his beak had moved upward into a small smile. With his attention on someone else, Izumi spoke to him.
"Hey Tokoyami, can you do me a favour and hand me the Poncle?" she said, holding her hand out while still packing away the rest of their picnic supplies. Ishiko looked at Izumi strangely, but without even thinking, Tokoyami reached over and gently picked her up, before depositing her in Izumi's hand and turning back to watch Eri, who was edging away from Dark Shadow now; the Sentient quirk trying to take a sneaky bite of her apple.
Eri's resultant giggle ensured that Tokoyami didn't hear Izumi's whisper of "Gotcha."
Izumi waited a few moments as Eri finally finished her food (she gave the core to Dark Shadow, since he liked them) and then reached over to the edge of the woods just behind her. She grabbed a stick and grinned.
"Hey Sweetie, how about we burn off some energy with a quick game of Fetch?" she said, showing Eri the stick.
Eri, still in her Demi-God Form, immediately grew excited at the sight of the stick, her canine instincts driving her. She hopped to her feet and waited eagerly for her Mama to throw the stick. Izumi giggled at Tokoyami's surprised expression, then reared back and tossed the stick as far as she could. It landed all the way at the bottom of the hill, but Eri had charged after it long before it hit the ground, her eyes firmly on the sky as she slipped into her full Puppy Form. Tokoyami couldn't help but laugh at the little girl's enthusiastic charge.
"It's pretty cute, huh?" Izumi said quietly, as soon as Eri was out of ear shot.
"It is. She really is like a real puppy. My family were always Dog people, er, metaphorically speaking of course. Their actually Bird people biologically." he said.
Izumi giggled at his joke. "That's pretty funny. Want to hear something else funny?"
"Sure. I may prefer gloomy things, but I can appreciate a good laugh." Tokoyami answered.
Izumi smiled and turned to look at him; "What's funny is… you knew Ishiko was a Poncle, despite me NEVER calling her that in front of you or our classmates."
Tokoyami's body went rigid. It was quite interesting to watch the colour drain from his face; as only his beak seemed to change colour while his eyes widened. The rest of his unfeathered skin was pale enough that there was no difference. Izumi didn't even realise his beak could change colour! She'd have to investigate that sometime… assuming Tokoyami didn't end the day in a jail cell for working with Demons or Villains.
"I-I don't- That's… I'm-" he stuttered out, trying to come up with an excuse, "I-I just assumed she was the Poncle thing you mentioned?"
Izumi snorted; "You're almost as bad a liar as I am. You didn't just assume; your actions were too confidant and automatic for that to be true. If you didn't know for certain, you'd have paused or asked me to clarify. I had suspicions after your slips earlier, nearly calling Eri and I "Lady" and nearly calling my powers "Divine" instead of a quirk. Now I'm certain; you know what I really am, don't you?"
Tokoyami sighed and nodded sullenly, his shoulders slumped. "I do. You are Okami Amaterasu; the Sun Goddess. Specifically the third incarnation." he said. There was no point in trying to lie his way out of this now; Amaterasu had his number, and if he wanted to get out of this with any honour whatsoever, he had to be honest.
"Thank you for finally telling the truth. I'm sure that's probably hypocritical of me to say, considering I'm keeping such a big secret from everyone, but I don't really have a choice." Izumi said, looking down to the bottom of the hill. Eri had the stick in her mouth now and was chewing away with wild abandon; she tended to do that a lot when playing fetch. It would be a little while before she made her way back up.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, my Lady." Tokoyami bowed his head, Dark Shadow looking extremely nervous beside him.
"You're showing me a lot of respect here. I appreciate it, but it's not necessary. It does leave me a bit conflicted though; your respect implies you aren't my enemy, but your hiding that you knew me leaves me thinking you're here to spy on me. Considering the attack at the Entrance Exams, I'm understandably wary, and with Eri so close, I'm not taking chances. Answer me honestly; are you a threat to me, my daughter, or anyone else here?" Izumi asked, her eyes turning silver as she stared into Tokoyami's red ones.
Tokoyami shook his head vehemently; "No! I swear on my very soul that I am not here to harm you or anyone else! Nor am I spying for anybody! I came to U.A to genuinely become a Hero and had no idea you'd be in my class! I'll admit that I knew you would be attending, since that fact was broadcast in the media frenzy after the Orochi battle, but I had already made arrangements to apply here before that! It is a coincidence, I assure you… or perhaps it is fate."
Izumi watched his face carefully. He spoke earnestly, and his eyes shone with sincerity. She believed him.
"Alright, I understand. I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time, Tokoyami. I believe you're telling me the truth." she told him.
Sighing again, this time with relief, Tokoyami nodded; "I understand. I should have spoken to you and confessed from the beginning but I was… afraid."
"You can tell us all about that, but not here." Ishiko suddenly interrupted, "We're outside where potentially anyone could stumble upon us, and you won't hear them coming if you're in human form, Izumi. We should take this elsewhere."
Izumi and Tokoyami both nodded in agreement and stood up. Izumi quickly picked up the picnic blanket and stored it inside the basket, which Ishiko then stored with her quirk. "We'll continue this talk in my apartment. It's the most private place available." Izumi said.
"As you wish." Tokoyami nodded. The two made their way down the hill, picking up a mildly confused Eri along the way. The child was disappointed that their game was being cut short after only one throw, but Izumi promised they'd play more later, briefly explaining that Tokoyami had something important to tell them in private.
They returned to the Dorm and immediately headed up to Izumi and Eri's apartment. After putting aside the picnic things to clean up later, Izumi made a fresh pot of tea and sat down across from Tokoyami in their living room. Eri sat beside her mother, holding Ishiko and looking confused as to why Tokoyami was so tense, and Dark Shadow was so timid all of a sudden.
"Alright Tokoyami, no one will hear us in here. Explain how you know about me." Izumi ordered, trying to be firm but kind.
Tokoyami nodded and sipped some tea to calm his nerves. Finally, with a deep breath, he confessed, bowing as he did so.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly, Lady Amaterasu. My name is Fumikage Tokoyami; Grandson to Hideyori Tokoyami, the current Head of the Raven Clan. I am a descendant of the Ancient Sparrow Clan, and pledged to your service."
Next Chapter: The Servant in the Shadows Part 2
To be Released: January 20th 2022
A bit of a shorter chapter, but the full thing was too long, so I cut it in half. This chapter was primarily Izumi and Eri having some happy fluffy family time (to make up for the fact Eri has been largely absent for the last few chapters) and to introduce the final piece of our puzzle for this arc: Fumikage Tokoyami, Scion of the Raven Clan.
Next chapter will have Izumi learn of Tokoyami's past, the truth of the current Raven Clan, and receive new memories, one of which haunts her with past failures.
Thank you all once again, and I look forward to reading your thoughts on this chapter and the ones to come!