TW: A bit of NSFW
Episode VII - The Price of a Wish
Keiko walked out of the office building, stretched up her arms, back popping, and yawned. Another long day at the office. She was ready to go back home to her apartment, throw on some warm, fuzzy pajamas, and watch some Netflix with a decadent meal known as a Cup Ramen.
It was only a few minutes past 6:00 PM, the sky was dark and the air was chilled. The end of November was near and Winter would soon be here.
Letting out a shivering breath, Keiko tied her coat tighter around her waist, power-walking to the train station. She paid no attention to anything around her. She was more focused on her text messages from her sister, Akiko, who was out with her co-workers for a night of drinking. Keiko shook her head with an eye roll. She knew Akiko was going to have a massive hangover in the morning and she was going to have to be the one to drag her little sister out of bed for work the next morning.
Keiko hopped off the train and hurried out of the station. Her apartment was only fifteen minutes away. She let out a scoff-like laugh when her sister texted her about how her hot, foreign co-worker, Rowle-San, was flirting and asked her to come back home with him. And of course, Akiko really wanted some dick.
When Keiko turned the corner, walking under a street bridge, a safe shortcut, as she playfully texted Akiko to remember to buy some condoms, there was a faint sound behind her. A gurgling and groaning.
Keiko stopped and spun her head. Only the lights flickered above her as the sounds of cars seemed so far away. There was nothing, just the opening of the street bridge, the early night sky, and the bright neon street lights of the city.
Tightening the hold she had on her iPhone, Keiko hesitantly started walking again. It was probably the sewers, she told herself, picking up the pace of her walk. Her iPhone buzzed, another text from Akiko. When she looked down to see the text, the hairs of the back of her neck stood up. That sound...the gurgling and groaning. That sound even was louder. Keiko quickly spun again, her hair smacking her face. She saw nothing. Just an empty street bridge.
Her heart was beating rapidly, about to explode out of her chest as the gurgling and groaning echoed around her. She broke out into a sprint, her nude heels clicked and clacked on the road. She heard the gurgling and groaning becoming louder and louder. Louder and louder. Keiko covered her ears, her eyes burned as tears burst out of her eyes.
Keiko felt her foot slip under her. She fell on stomach. As Keiko crawled back up on her knees, she felt a slimy tentacle wrap around her ankle. She screamed and cried for help. Her iPhone lit up brightly. Keiko dug her nails into the road and the tentacle pulled. Her nails broke and bled as her screams silenced.
Her iPhone buzzed again.
There was a comfortable silence within the Amane and Yagami household. Kazuma was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of hot Black tea with a podstakannik - a metal tea glass holder - as a Chicken Katsu Sando on a plate and a bowl of reheated Chicken Noodle Soup was next to him on a serving tray. The Japan News Network was playing as background noise on the TV. A weatherman explained that this evenings' temperature was going to be about 12ºC. Kazuma grabbed the tray and carefully headed upstairs.
Traveling down the hallway, the faint sounds of Russian words became louder when Kazuma reached the door of Komaki's art studio. He gently nudged the door open with his foot and walked in.
Komaki had a lot of printers. She used them for her art business, Glass Apple. Each one was either for her art prints, stickers, mugs and yunomi - Japanese tea cups. She had a cubby shelf with stylish bins filled with what she needed; her organized system kept everything neat and orderly.
Komaki painted a wall mural a few weeks after moving in. The wall mural was adorable. In Kazuma's eyes, the painting appeared more Moe. Under a star-filled, dark blue sky was a mythical forest home to cute, little fairies with large eyes and round, apple-red cheeks. They were all donning flower-shaped dresses, dancing the night away. There were other miniature paintings on MDF boards around the art studio.
His girlfriend was clicking away on her desktop computer surrounded by her orders, colorful tissue paper, packaging items; stacks of Thank You letters and shipping boxes. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy bun as her face was clean of make-up. Not a lot of people knew that Komaki actually had tiny eyebrows and a few pimples on the left edge of her head, because she keeps that side covered by her hair. Komaki was wearing her round glasses instead of her contacts. Her Smartphone was on a stand and on speaker. She was speaking in Russian to, who Kazuma knew, was her babushka.
Kazuma walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. "Hey, babe, I made you lunch."
"Oh, thank God." Komaki stressed, taking the tray out of his hands. She took a large bite of the sandwich, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she let out a satisfied moan. "So good! You did good on the garlic mayo, pryanichek."
Kazuma snorted, "You can thank YouTube for that. Hello, Mrs. Natalia."
"Oh, hello, Kazuma! How are you? Have you eaten?" Mrs. Natalia chirped. "I heard you had a cold. Are you doing better?"
"I feel fine, ma'am. Yes, I ate. Komaki is eating now." Kazuma said in rusty Russian. He could understand Russian a lot better than reading and speaking the language. Hell, his Cantonese was better than his Russian. However, Kazuma wanted to improve.
Besides, Mrs. Natalia's Japanese is a little poor and can only speak in simple phrases. But in a way, her Japanese was cute. Since Kazuma actually liked Komaki's grandmother, he didn't want her to feel embarrassed when trying to speak Japanese to him, so he, to the best of his ability, spoke in her native language.
"Komaki, you're now just eating? Is this your first meal?" Mrs. Natalia asked. Kazuma can just imagine her narrowing her eyes.
Komaki was quiet for a few long seconds, "I've been busy all day. I have about 200 orders to pack. I'm almost done."
"You shouldn't be skipping meals. That's not good for you."
"I know. I know." Komaki rolled her eyes.
"I'm cooking dinner. She will eat." Kazuma said.
"Make sure she does." Mrs. Natalia replied. "Komaki, you're lucky to have him around and-"
"You turned my babushka against me." Komaki whispered in Japanese, glaring at him as her grandmother continued to speak. "How dare you?"
Kazuma smirked. "Don't be jealous that she likes me more now." he dodged a playful hand swipe. "I'll get dinner started." he kissed her and headed towards the door.
"Alright," Komaki said. She went back to talking to her babushka. Before shutting the door, Kazuma heard, "Yes. Yes, I know. No! He hasn't asked me."
Kazuma stared at the door confused. Asked about what? He wondered, but shrugged and walked down the stairs. Kazuma went into the kitchen and took out some ingredients for tonight's Beef Curry Stew. Japan News Network was still playing on the TV.
All of the carrots and potatoes were peeled and chopped and in the crockpot. Kazuma oiled a pan and started to cook the beef with a pair of cooking tongs. Satisfying sizzles and delicious smells wafted within the kitchen. Kazuma never imagined himself doing, well, anything domestic. At the Kannagi Compound, the Fuuga's would take care of everything: the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry; the child-rearing when the adults wanted their children out of their faces.
Kazuma remembers his clothes being newly washed, ironed and folded neatly, tucked away in his drawers. Food was always waiting for him. Perfectly warm and succulent for him to eat as he hardly needed to venture down to the kitchen, only for a quick snack. Hell, Kazuma never once had to clean his bedroom, a Fuuga would do the cleaning for him. When he was disowned by his former family, Kazuma realized that he didn't know how to take care of himself. His older sister had to show him how to use a washing machine at one point, because he was so confused by the buttons and added too much soap in the wash.
However, that was years ago and he was much better at household chores. He actually found it relaxing. Kazuma could see the men in his former family laughing and jeering at him for doing "women's work." At least, unlike them, he could take care of himself and doesn't need Komaki to be a fuckable mother for him.
"And at JNN, starting at 5:00 PM, begins with breaking news in Tokyo. Two more victims of these strange attacks have been found."
Strange attacks? Kazuma stopped chopping onions and went to the living room. He stood in front of the TV, intrigued.
"Good evening, thank you for tuning in and joining us, my name is Kanagawa Shoko," said the white-haired anchorwoman. "The first victim, 24-year-old Shimura Keiko, was found this morning under a street bridge, only fifteen minutes away from her home. She was found by a passerby on his way to work. When he saw her laying on the ground, unmoving, he immediately called the police. Similar to all of the other victims, her body looked as if it had drained of all fluids with her eyes missing. Fortunately, she was identified due to her dental records..."
As Kanagawa Shoko was still talking, a series of furious banging erupted on the front door. Kazuma answered and saw Ayano glaring at him. She held a manila folder.
"Oh, it's you." Kazuma said plainly.
Ayano scoffed, quickly toeing out of her shoes and walked in like she owned the place. "Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint you."
Kazuma rolled his eyes, "That's not what I mean. Quit being so freaking sensitive."
Ayano was clearly judging his house from the way her eyes were narrow. Then she stared at Kazuma's deformed painting on the wall.
"What in the hell-"
"Don't ask."
Ayano's attention went towards the TV, Kanagawa Shoko was still talking about the murders. Kazuma saw a sad look spread across Ayano's face.
He sighed, turned off the TV and went back into the kitchen. He finished chopping up the onions. "So, why are you here?"
"I'm here on official business." Ayano told him. She took a seat across from him, eyeing him when he added more ingredients and herbs to the crockpot. She opened the manila folder and spread out the photographs.
The people in the photos appeared like what Kanagawa Shoko described. They were all drained of their bodily fluids, which caused their skin to be sickly gray. Their eyes were missing as their hair seemed to be almost completely gone and pure white.
Kazuma quickly finished dinner, putting the crockpot in a low-heat. He shuffled through the photographs.
"All of the victims are young," Ayano started. "Ranging from their late teens to their early twenties. The police discovered about two dozen of them in just the last week. But if we're going by the missing person report, it might be closer to 100. Only some of them have been identified, because of dental records."
"Riiiight," Kazuma stretched the word, tossing the pictures he had in his hands back on the table. He picked up some different photos. "And let me guess, Juugo wants Komaki and me to investigate this."
"...Yeah, something like that." Ayano drolled. "We need your tracking skills to find the perpetrator. You, Inuzuma, and I are splitting up this case-"
Kazuma blocked her out, flipping through the photographs. What kind of youma would do this? It looks like whatever is doing this, is sucking out the life energy from these people. He had a sinking feeling in his gut. Kazuma didn't want to believe that Misao was behind this, but with how she looked at him, a burning hatred on her face caused him to think otherwise. He has been trying to track her down after his cold, but there was no such luck. It seems that she was somehow cloaking herself from him. It was probably whatever youma was draining people's energy helping Misao hide from him. If he can pinpoint the youma's ki, then he can find Misao.
"The victims are squeezed up and shriveled dry. So I just got to find a youma that sucks energy-"
"Hey!" Ayano banged her fist on the kitchen table. "Were you even listening to me?!"
Kazuma felt the heat radiating from Ayano as her temper was rising. Huh, she would be the perfect bait, he thought. If he could get Ayano to be more angry, then the youma would be attracted to the high level of ki she was emitting. He can use that not only to find the youma, but also Misao.
"Alright, I'll do it." Kazuma said. "Tell Juugo I'll take the case, but there's no reason to involve you."
"W-what?" Ayano stammered.
"If it was a powerful youma, I would consider using you, but I can handle this on my own." he continued. "I don't want to risk you getting in my way. You'll just be a burden."
A flash of hurt flew across Ayano's face and Kazuma actually felt guilty. She grit her teeth and shot up out of her seat.
"YOU'RE THE BURDEN, YOU DICK!" Ayano stomped out of the kitchen. He heard her shout from the genkan, "AND DON'T WORRY, I'LL NEVER HELP YOU EVER AGAIN! EVEN IF YOU WERE DYING AND SCREAMING IN PAIN!" She slammed the front door so hard that the house shook.
Komaki came down the stairs, yawning, "What's going on? I heard Ayano-Chan..." she peered at the photographs on the kitchen table and picked one of them up, horrified. "Kazuma, what's this-"
"It's about the murders that's been all over the News."
"Oh," Komaki said. "See, this is why I don't watch the News. It's so sad." She went through the photos before putting them back on the table. Komaki looked sullen. "How many were found?"
"At least 100, but only a few of them have been identified."
"O bozhe moy."
"Don't worry, babe, I'm gonna find this youma and take care of this."
"You're going to find it?" Komaki said incredulously. "Why can't I help you?"
Kazuma ran a hand over the back of neck, letting out a sigh. "Komaki, I think the person behind all this is Misao."
"Ayano-Chan's cousin, Misao?"
"Yeah, she said that she was gonna get me by destroying everything I love." Kazuma held Komaki's face in his hands. "You know that I believe that you're strong and that you can handle yourself, but seeing these pictures...I don't want you to get involved. I don't want Misao or whatever the hell is attacking people to hurt you. So please, can you stay here where it's safe?"
Komaki was silent, her smaller hands touched his own. She nodded, "Yeah, pryanichek. I'll stay, but please be safe."
He kissed her deeply, the taste of Black tea was now upon his lips. Kazuma sent her a comforting smile, "I will."
As if a lightbulb flickered above her head, Komaki jumped out of his embrace. "If you're going outside then you're going to need your coat!" She ran back upstairs.
Only a minute later, Komaki threw a black coat, a pair of dark blue knitted gloves and a scarf at him.
"You're going to wear a coat! So, no whining! I bought it for you, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, I remember." Kazuma slipped on the coat, scarf, and gloves. "Oh, dinner's in the crock. Give it a few more hours."
"Alright. Be safe."
"I will." Kazuma put on a pair of boots and left the house, flying into the sky.
It was so easy to find Ayano. She was emitting so much ki that Kazuma was a bit surprised that the youma waited to attack her. Guess the youma liked playing with their victims. What he didn't account for was Ayano's friends being with her. Good thing Ayano was doing her part to keep them safe with Enraiha.
While he couldn't actually see them (the youma more than likely covered the area in a barrier to keep outsiders away), Kazuma could sense Ayano and her friends huddled together in an alley. He should drop in before it gets ugly.
Kazuma floated off of the tall office building he was standing on to land in the alley. Then he found a weak spot and unleashed a burst of wind, the barrier stretched, he entered to see what appeared to be sea-greenish slime rushing towards Ayano. He blew the youma away from her.
"Kazuma?" Ayano lowered her sword slightly.
"Don't look at me. Keep fighting."
Ayano scoffed, "Then don't distract me."
He could tell that what he said to her earlier still stung, his insides gnawed at him. "I'll cover the surroundings. You go straight up and attack the center."
"Yeah, fine." Ayano attacked with a slice, cutting the slime monster in half.
Kazuma blasted away a tentacle away from attacking her behind. Ayano swung a fireball with Enraiha, the youma was cloaked in flames. He felt a pulse vibrating around him.
There she is. The barrier started to disappear and the sky with the evening sun shone.
"Is it gone?" asked one of Ayano's friends, the blonde-haired girl. "Everything looks normal again."
"Yeah, we're safe now." Ayano smiled reassuringly.
Both girls regarded him curiously. "So, is he a Magic-User like you?"
Ayano's smile turned into a frown, she didn't meet his eye. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."
Kazuma crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly uncomfortable. His insides were still gnawing at him. He knew he should apologize for his cruel words, but the problem was he didn't know how to say sorry to anyone else, but Komaki, and even that took awhile for him to do. He would just buy her gifts as an apology just like the men in his former family would do for their wives. No conversation or anything, just throw money at the problem, because "women like gifts," he was told what seemed so long ago. Kazuma knew Ayano wouldn't appreciate that.
"Listen, Ayano, I..." he paused. "I'm sorry."
Ayano finally looked at him and stared like he suddenly grew an extra head. She turned away and bit her bottom lip, "...I know I'm not as strong as you, but you didn't have to say that to me."
"I know. I didn't mean it. I just said that so I could trace our culprit. I thought that your explosive rage would make you the perfect bait."
"'Perfect bait,' really?" she sneered. "You could've just told me."
"Would you have listened?"
"Yeah, because people are being attacked and I actually care."
Kazuma considered what she had said. For all of her faults, Ayano was passionate about stopping youma from hurting others. That he could at least respect. "...I know you do, but don't worry, I'll handle it."
"What do mean 'I'll handle it,' I told you-"
Kazuma interrupted her, "This is something I have to do myself." A spiral of wind picked up beneath his feet. "We can talk about this later." He took to the skies with the faint sounds of Ayano's yelling.
He scanned the ground below him, soon feeling the unbalanced aura becoming heavier, sending cold, unnerving waves to his body. There she was. Misao was sitting on a bench at Shiba Park, golden leaves pooled around her feet as she wore the periwinkle kimono he remembers her wearing the first time he saw her in years at the Compound. Kazuma landed a decent amount of feet away from her.
Misao smiled serenely, "You finally found me."
"Do you realize what you've done?" Kazuma scrutinized. "You go this far to kill me?"
She giggled like he just told her a joke. "Of course. Whatever it takes, though, I'm surprised you figured it out so easily, but then again, that's the amazing tracking abilities of a fuujutsushi."
"Misao, your aura is toxic." he told her. "Do you know how many innocent people you killed just so you can have your revenge?"
Just for a second, Kazuma saw the corners of her lips twitch down, but just as quickly, she schooled her features into a smile. "Yes, I do, but it's worth it to avenge my nii-nii. I swore that I would make you pay. No matter what the consequences were and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind."
"Do you really think Takeya would-"
"Don't speak of him like you knew him." Misao's tone hardened.
She was right. He didn't really know Takeya, not like she did. What he did know was that the Ogami Patriarch and Matriarch always regarded him more than Misao. That made her more pitiable in his eyes.
"Do you think that you can defeat me?" Kazuma asked.
"Oh, I know I will." she said coolly with a hint of condensation. "I don't care how much power you have, you're still just a human. It doesn't matter how strong you are, you only have the strength of one man that I'll absorb the energy of thousands of people until I defeat you."
"Assuming you'll be able to control that power."
Her smile upon her angelic face became more malicious. "Don't worry, I'll manage. I only need enough to kill you. After that, it doesn't matter." Misao tilted her head like she remembered something important. "Oh no, it seems that your girlfriend slipped my mind."
Kazuma bristled.
Misao waved the concern away with a hand, unbothered by the glare Kazuma was sending her. "I'll make sure to kill her too. Maybe I should make you watch?"
"You're not putting a finger on her," he warned.
"I would love to see you try to-"
"Are you just going to talk all day?" Ayano's voice suddenly broke through the two of them as she panted out of breath and covered in sweat.
"Oh, it's you Ayano." Misao said, completely bored.
Kazuma groaned, muttering, "Not now."
"Even I can see how your aura became sick and I know what you've done to make it that way." the Kannagi Heiress proclaimed.
Misao, unbothered, said, "Mind your own business. This doesn't concern you."
For once in this whole conversation, Kazuma agreed. "Stay out of it. This is just between us."
Ayano ignored him, standing tall. "Misao, if you want to kill Kazuma, then you're right, it isn't my place to stop you. On the other hand, I can't just look the other way and let you get away with killing all of those innocent people."
"So what then?" Misao asked.
Ayano clapped her hands and summoned Enraiha, the glorious sword exploded in fire.
Kazuma was starting to become more annoyed by the second. "I told you to leave this to me."
Still glowering at Misao, Ayano responded, "No. I'm a member of...no, I'm doing this, because I want to."
He tucked in what she was about to say in the back of mind as he made a grab for her hands, trying to lower her sword. Ayano was fighting against him.
"Let go!" she shouted.
"I won't!"
Then Ayano did something he didn't expect her to do along with what he didn't expect himself to do. She burst herself into flames and he flinched.
Misao watched gleefully, standing up off of the bench. "I hate to interrupt, but I'll be on my way. You obviously need to sort this out between yourselves."
When his brain finally caught up to him, Kazuma shouted at her, "Misao, wait!"
"I don't have enough power to defeat you yet, so there's no need for me to stay. I'll see you soon too, Ayano."
"You're not going anywhere!" Ayano swung her sword at Misao, but swirls of black mist spirited away. Misao was gone.
What the hell was that? Kazuma never flinched when he dealt with his other former cousins when he fought them the first time he came back. So, what made Ayano so different?
Maybe it was because it happened so suddenly, so close to him? It took him back to the times the men in his former family tried to awaken Fire-Magic in him, their flames were always so sudden and close. He could feel the heat near his skin.
He saw the flaming tip of Enraiha in his face.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Ayano shrieked. "You let her get away!"
Kazuma took a small step back. Thankfully Ayano didn't notice. He spoke calmly, "That's not exactly what happened is it? I was actually trying to talk to her first."
"Look, I'm not an idiot! If you actually wanted to stop her then she wouldn't have gotten away so easily! I have a duty to make sure that Misao pays for what she has done! And if you try to interfere-"
"Just who the fuck do you think you're talking to, little girl?" Ayano flinched under his heavy tone. Good.
She wanted to say something, but Kazuma beat her to it. "If you really want to try and stop me, then try using your power, not your mouth." He took off one of his gloves and lifted up his hand, sending a cool, but strong breeze on Enraiha. "Anytime you think you can, you have an open invitation."
The flames of Enraiha vanished.
Ayano's mouth dropped, staring at her sword. Kazuma walked away and disappeared.
High arched ceilings and stained glass windows, Misao always thought that Gothic Cathedrals were beautiful. She stood with her angel in front of the altar, draped in a pure white silk robe. His skin glowed under the light of the setting sun through the windows, giving him much more of an ethereal appearance.
Beauty couldn't even describe her angel. He was flawless. His golden curls fell on his wide shoulders, reminding her of wheat on a warm day. His eyes were sharp, but gentle and soft when he set his gaze on her. They were green as the land on God's Earth. Chiseled face, arched brows, and a Grecian nose.
Her protector was literally carved to perfection.
"I'll always be here for you, my sweet Misao." he said, his deep voice sending delicious shivers down her body. "As one of the direct servants of our Lord, I'll grant you your wishes according to his commands." he tucked some of her hair behind her ear, his warm hand traveled down from her cheek to graze her lips with his thumb.
Misao blushed, unable to look away from the depths of his eyes. "And I thank you, my darling angel."
With a swift motion from his hands that found their way to her shoulders, her silky robe dropped to the Cathedral's floor, leaving her naked as the day she was born. He took a moment to view her body up and down. Misao wanted to cover up. She wasn't perfect like her angel and he didn't need to see her like this.
She moved up her arms to wrap around her breast, but he caught them and smiled at her like a lover.
"Don't." he said softly. "You're beautiful, just the way you are."
Misao felt tears in her eyes. Only her brother told her she was beautiful the way she was. She was always told to wear make-up as it was bad manners not to wear any as a girl, but not too much or bold, because "only harlots do that," her mother told her countless times. She was always told to dress nicely, but not revealingly. She needed to look soft and modest, because "girls who show too much skin, only attract bad attention," her father said to her once.
She liked wearing make-up. She liked looking cute. She liked being feminine. But it was never her femininity.
Misao felt her tears being wiped away by her angel. "Thank you, my angel."
"This is the day you'll be much closer to fulfilling your wish. You'll be absorbing all of the energy we've been collecting. Are you ready?"
"...Yes, I'm ready."
Her angel released her from his warmth, she walked down to the crossing and felt the cold slime-like substance coat around her ankles. She jolted back when she heard screaming in her head, her stomach twisted in a tight knot.
"Misao," her angel said smoothly. "Don't be scared. It's going to be alright. I'll be here when the absorption is finished. You want power, don't you?"
She turned to see him staring at her questioningly, like he couldn't believe her hesitation. Guilt filled her. She didn't want to disappoint her protector.
"I-I do, but-"
"There's nothing wrong with this. Your wish is pure, so it's not a sin. Your desire is based on vengeance, so it's righteous, just like what God has done in the Bible. Don't you agree?"
There was a lit in his tone that made her recoil, but she was able to say, "Y-yes. Yes, I do. I'm sorry."
She was given the kind smile she was now familiar with. "It's alright. Now, remember, I'll be here when the absorption is complete."
Only a second later, Misao felt her skin being tightly blanketed by coldness. She heard all of the screams, crying, and begging of the people who were absorbed.
The last thing she saw was her angel's beautiful smile.
The next day on a Sunday morning, Ayano was with Ren in the Meeting Room as the men from the Ogami Clan were seated across from her and her Otou-Sama was sitting in his usual seat.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You're telling me to keep away from Misao?"
Her Otou-Sama nodded, "We have come to the conclusion that her fate should be left in the hands of the Ogami Family. This is our final decision."
Cousin Masayuki bowed deeply. "As Misao's father, I assure you that we will handle this properly." The other Ogami men behind him bowed in suit.
"But I know I can do this." Ayano said.
"That's not an option. The Ogami's are too valuable to us to lose their allegiance." her Otou-Sama responded.
Ayano knew. There has been whispers and gossip amongst the other Family Branches about what has been happening in the past few months. The return of Kazuma, the deaths of numerous family members, the Fuuga Clan Revolt; a member of the Main Family getting kidnapped, their most powerful family member is still in the hospital and now the sole and only living child of the Ogami Family Head is a murderer. A lot of them were questioning and feeling uneasy with the sudden changes.
She heard some of them blame her father. If he loses favor with the Ogami Clan, then the other Branches might follow, then there would be even more issues like a civil war.
But there was still Misao...
"So, you're just going to write off your own daughter for selling her soul to a youma?" Ayano narrows her eyes at her Cousin Masayuki. "Then you're just going to pretend that she never existed at all?"
Steely, Cousin Masayuki stated, "Misao made her choice. She chose to be an orphan. She's no longer my daughter, because she's an abomination. By taking the lives of innocents, she has brought shame to our family and the only recourse is to annihilate her from this world."
"K-Kill her..." Ayano heard Ren mutter.
Ayano wanted to be sick. Cousin Masayuki wanted to kill his own daughter. She knows that Misao has killed innocent people and she needs to be punished for her crimes, but if Ayano was going to be honest, she still cared about Misao. She didn't want her to be slaughtered.
However, Ayano didn't know what a proper punishment would be for Misao to appease the many innocents she killed.
"But what about Cousin Tomoko? How does she feel about this?" Ayano asked. "Do you really think she wants to lose another child? Look how she's been since Cousin Takeya died-"
"Don't speak like you know our family, child." Cousin Masayuki's voice was controlled, but she could tell he wanted to scream at her. "I've mentioned our plans to Tomoko and she agrees. She understands that this will save our family from shame."
"It's shameful that you guys always told Misao that she's only good for popping out babies! You-"
"Ayano-!" Her Otou-Sama warned, but she interrupted.
"No, Otou-Sama, it's shameful that they can say what they want about girls and women and expect us to be quiet! If we don't stay in line, then we're not good enough! You do the same thing with me whenever I voice my opinion! You always shut me down like I embarrassed you!"
The whole Meeting Room stilled, all of the men and Ren staring at her, especially her father like he was seeing her for the first time.
What felt like an eternity, her Otou-Sama, sternly, but gently said, "Ayano, I do the things that I do and say the things that I say to you, because I'm your father. My job is to make sure that when you become an adult, you'll be prepared for the world, especially in our world and whatever else is thrown at you. Your sex has nothing to do with it. I would do the same thing if you were a boy."
"Really?" she dared to question.
"Yes," he answered with no hesitation. Just like that he switched from being her father to being the Family Head. "We have a partner with their investigative assistance, we're making every effort to find Misao."
"A new partner?" Ren asked.
"That's right. Once this source is able to pinpoint her location, the Ogami Family will deal with her immediately."
"Sousho, I've been informed that you had originally hired Yagami Kazuma and his wife-"
"Girlfriend." Ren corrected. "They're not married."
"For this," Cousin Masayuki continued on, ignoring Ren completely. "has it been brought to their attention that their services will no longer be needed?"
"I've already told Kazuma that he and Amane-San have been removed from the case. Amane-San didn't want to be involved to begin with, but Kazuma warned me that he would still proceed, despite any repercussions." her father replied.
Ayano still couldn't for the life of her figure out why Kazuma was still so determined to save Misao, even after all of the shit she's done to him.
"Sousho," started Cousin Masayuki. "Even if we mobilize all of our available resources, we can't afford the distraction of Yagami interfering. We won't be able to focus on destroying Misao. I strongly urge you to do whatever it takes to stop him."
Ayano made her decision and stood up. "Otou-Sama, please allow me to do it."
Her father asked her, "Are you sure?"
Ayano nodded, determinedly, "If you let me, I'll stop Yagami Kazuma."
Sunday morning became Sunday night. Ayano, Ren, and the Ogami men were in a hidden location surrounded by computers and monitors. To Ayano's surprise and dislike, that blonde woman she saw with Kazuma was here. With a black Bluetooth in her ear, the blonde woman was chatting with Cousin Masayuki while surveying the Gothic Cathedral on the computer screen. When Cousin Masayuki left with his men, the blonde woman greeted herself.
"It's nice to properly meet you, Ayano-Chan." she said. "I'm from the Section Chief Metro Police Special Investigations Unit, Detective Tachibana Kirika."
Ayano crossed her arms, "So, I'm guessing that you're the new outside help that my Otou-Sama partnered with?"
"Yeah, I guess so." Tachibana turned to Ren. "And it's finally nice to meet you too, Ren-Kun."
"Who, me?" asked Ren.
"You're Yagami Kazuma's younger brother, aren't you?" the older woman smiled, amused.
"Y-yeah, I am." Ren blushed, "I guess I'm kind of surprised. I've heard rumors about the police being involved in Spiritual Cases before, but I didn't think it would be true."
"We don't have the resources to compete with the Kannagi's, but we have our purpose. And besides-"
"Now that the Fuuga Clan is gone, you can take over the investigations." Ayano cut in. "That's what you were gonna say, right?"
Tachibana didn't look offended by her rudeness, in fact, she kept her amused smile. "It was, but it's also important to us that we keep a good relationship with your family. So, if either of you are interested in working for us part-time, let me know."
Ayano scowled, "Is that what you were doing with Kazuma the other day when I saw you? Recruiting?"
"Ohh," Tachibana's smile changed into a teasing smirk. "Is that what it looked like? Were you hoping that I would reassure you that I was only discussing business with him?"
The Kannagi Heiress scoffed, "Why would I care? That's not what I was asking."
"Well then I don't see the need to tell you."
"Huh?"
Clearly Tachibana was having fun irritating her. "Whether it was business or pleasure, there's really no reason to discuss my personal life with you. Why don't you ask Kazuma?"
"Because he'll lie to me." Ayano replied. "Do you even know that he already has a girlfriend?"
"Yes. Yes, I do. Amane Komaki. I know her too."
"Then why-"
"Ayano-Chan, you do know it's possible to add another person into the mix. It's quite fun."
Ayano just stared at her, the clogs rotating in her head. Ren beside her caught on and his face was as red as a tomato.
Is she talking about a threesome?
"It's about to start," Tachibana said, her playfulness melted away from her. She turned to the computers, watching the Ogami men climb up the stairs to the Cathedral.
Ayano watched the screens intensely.
"Aren't you two supposed to be helping them?" Tachibana asked from behind her.
Ayano saw the two mugs in the older woman's hands. She took one silently as Ren took the other, saying a polite "Thank you."
It was Hot Chocolate with little marshmallows floating around and sticking together. Ayano took a sip.
"No, we're actually here for something else." Ayano answered, solemnly.
Tachibana caught on fast. "You're here to stop him." At least she was smart.
"Yeah, you're right."
Tachibana frowned, "Are you sure about this? Trying to stop Yagami Kazuma is no simple task. Thank the Gods that Amane is sitting this one out."
Ayano didn't want to think about the possibility of having to fight the both of them. Let alone Inuzuma. It still irked her a bit that she didn't know Inuzuma's full capabilities.
"Maybe so, but I'm still their only shot." Ayano said. "Anyone else and I doubt that they'd last three seconds against him." she took another sip of her beverage. "But I might be able to hold him off for about three minutes if anything goes as planned."
"...Don't get yourself killed." said Tachibana with worry laced within her voice.
"Don't worry." Ayano said, "I got Ren here to help me."
"You didn't tell me that I would have to fight." Ren whined.
Ayano smiled sweetly and pinched Ren's shoulder.
"Ow!" cried Ren. "Ayano, stop that!" Ayano pinched harder. "That hurts! Let go of me!"
Her sweet smile was still on her face as she said, "We're going to work together on this, right Ren?"
Ren pouted and groaned in defeat. "Yeah, sounds good."
When it was close to midnight, all of the sections were checked and secured. The Ogami men stood in front of the doors of the Gothic Cathedral. Ayano saw on the computer screen the tall double doors open.
There she was.
Misao came out of the Cathedral in her favorite periwinkle kimono under the moonlight, her pale skin glowed beautifully.
Ayano heard Cousin Masayuki and Misao speak to each other. It was one of the rare moments she heard Cousin Masayuki raise his voice. He called Misao shameful and she was the one who jeopardized the existence of the Ogami Family, their name and their honor. Misao just regarded her father calmly, unbothered by his anger and disgust. In fact, she seemed to have reveled in it.
Then Misao asked about Kazuma, but didn't seem bothered when her father refused to answer her.
"I'm surprised that Ayano isn't here." Ayano heard Misao say. "She wouldn't pass up the chance to kill me for the simple sake of family duty. No matter what she says, she won't change. The Kannagi Clan will just continue on what it's known for. Judging others and casting out the undesirables. Perhaps it's a good thing that you disowned me, Otou-Sama. I don't want to see the family be absolutely ruined under Ayano's lead."
Ayano slammed her mug on the table, Hot Chocolate splashed on her hand.
"A-ayano!" Ren stuttered, alarmed.
Misao was wrong. Ayano read the family's history. She was learning. She...she didn't want the Kannagi Clan to continue on being what it is now.
But she didn't know how to do that.
"Do better, Ayano-Chan." Inuzuma's words echoed in her head.
"Ayano," Tachibana's voice, so unlike Inuzuma's, brought her back to reality. "He's here."
I wanted to change a characters' appearance for the sake of wanting to express religious themes with sexuality. Now that I think about it, I see this in a lot of shows (or, at least, the shows that I've seen) deal with the themes of religion and sensuality and sexuality, like in most of the European-based Period Dramas I've watched and are watching currently. Besides, that character is inspired by a Biblical figure and I've seen paintings of this figure and was like "I want to write this."
So, hopefully you like this chapter!