Finally, another chapter! I'm so sorry about making you guys wait for a chapter. I'll be honest, I don't think this chapter is the best. I just wanted this arc to be done, so I can write a Christmas and New Year's chapter. Those will be coming soon (hopefully...)
TW: Religious talk, mentions of NSFW, and mentions of past drug use.
Episode IX - The Cost of a Soul
Standing on top of a tall buildings' edge, the chilly wind brushed against her body, Ayano kept her gaze on the bright moon illuminating in the dark, cloudless sky, waiting. Kazuma would be coming, her hands shook as a ball of anxiety coiled in the pit of her stomach. Ayano tightened her hands into fists, she felt the wind pick up around her and saw appearing in front of the moon, Kazuma speeding downwards.
Ayano took in a breath and shut her eyes, clasping her hands together like in a prayer and fell.
Please, Spirits of Fire, heed me.
Hot, sheering pricks only tickled her, a burning flame ignited in her chest. Ayano snapped her eyes open and with a roar, shot out a wave of brilliant fire at Kazuma. Kazuma quickly shielded himself with a spiral of air. She threw another fiery wave at him; he blocked the attack with another shield. Ayano summoned Enraiha and charged. Her sword hit the swirling shield, and with all her might, she was able to push him down just a bit.
"Wow," Ayano heard Kazuma express, "You're not doing that bad!"
Before she could tell him to shut his mouth, his shield cloaked around him, and he disappeared. With nothing under her to hold her up in the sky, Ayano let out a scream as she started to fall. Frailing, she closed her eyes and sent a quick prayer to her Otou-Sama, the Heavens...
Ayano felt a pair of arms catch her. She opened her eyes and saw Kazuma with that irritating smirk on his face carrying her.
"Y-you saved me?" Ayano was bewildered.
"I have to say, that was a pretty impressive attack coming from you." Kazuma said instead, because of course he wouldn't give her a straight answer.
Ayano sputtered, embarrassed. "I-I wasn't trying to impress you!"
"Oh," His smirk stretched. "So, you were really trying to kill me?"
"That's right, dickwad!"
Kazuma shrugged, "Alright then," he'd let her go.
Ayano screamed as she fell into a tree, heard Ren saying that he was going to catch her and landed on his back. As Ren groaned in pain, Ayano hopped up, gritting her teeth angrily.
"No way!" She complained. "I should've lasted longer than that!"
Kazuma landed himself safely on the grass. "Let me guess, you were trying to buy some time?" Ayano wanted to slap the smugness off of his face. "Did you even have a follow-up attack or was that it?"
Ayano wished her eyes could shoot lasers as she struck him down with a glare. Then a lightbulb clicked on in her head. Smirking, she placed her fists on her hips and said, "Do you really think I'd be too stupid enough to challenge you without some kind of back-up strategy to finish you off?"
"Yeah, I do." Kazuma said too quickly for Ayano's taste. He continued, "You're a creature of instinct. You think with your gut, not your brain."
She was so close to smacking him. Ayano steeled herself and her smirk formed on her lips again. She picked up Ren by the hood of his coat and held him in front of her like a shield.
"Try defeating the Ren Barrier!"
Kazuma just blinked.
"I bet you won't even try to attack me, not with this in between us." Ayano felt her smirk turn into a full grin, stretching from ear to ear. "It's the perfect defensive strategy!" She patted herself on the back for her brilliance.
Kazuma started to search around him for something. He kicked a rock with his boot to look under it.
Annoyed, Ayano asked, "What are you doing?"
"Searching for my brain cells."
"Why you-"
"You should be ashamed of yourself as the next Head of the Kannagi Family if that's the best you got," said Kazuma.
"...Quick question," Ren started, sullenly. "Is this awkward for anyone else but me?"
Ayano stomped her foot, "Quiet, Ren! I'm just doing what I have to do to win!"
"But you're not going to win like that." Kazuma told her bluntly.
Flustered, Ayano mumbled, "I-I might..."
Kazuma facepalmed with a groan, "How desperate can you get?"
"Yeah, I don't care." Ayano snarked. "I just need you to stick around long enough to let them finish dealing with Misao."
"I don't think that's how it's going to turn out." Kazuma informed her.
Ayano was confused. "What do you mean?"
He held up three fingers, "Three," he put down one finger. "Two," he lowered another one. "And one."
An explosion, the ground shook violently, Ayano saw a plume of black and dark purple rising in the air at the Cathedral. She threw down Ren and ran towards the dark ki. Ren followed her.
The Heiress stopped; her eyes widened. She stared at the dead bodies, mangled and scattered in front of the Cathedral. Their blood flowed into the cracks of the Cathedral's cobblestoned pathway as if someone painted them with a crimson coated paintbrush.
"W-what happened here?" she asked, mostly to herself, shakily.
Ren opened his mouth, but no words came out. A long second passed, he was finally able to form words. "...T-this is awful."
Cousin Masayuki was lying in a pool of his own blood, half of his face was ripped off along with his scalp. His gums were exposed and red, his left eye was missing out of its socket. She was disgusted. Cousin Masayuki wanted to kill his own daughter, Ayano remembered him saying earlier that day. Ayano wanted to believe when he saw Misao, Cousin Masayuki would change his mind and only stop her, help her. He was her father after all.
But that is not what happened. Father and daughter fought, and if the torn bodies had anything to say, their fight was beyond brutal.
The daughter won by killing her father. Ayano's thoughts instantly went to her own. Her Otou-Sama was bloodied as he crawled towards them, her and Okaa-Sama, who was lying on top of her, eyes vacant and covered in blood.
As Ayano felt sick to stomach, Misao stood at the opening of the intricate doors of the Cathedral, hands folded in front of her with that same graceful smile on her face.
"Did you really have to kill them?" Ayano peered up and saw Kazuma descend from the sky. "You made a serious mess. You seem pretty comfortable considering you just wiped out all of your remaining relatives."
Misao shrugged, "It was easy since I don't see them as my family. How can I feel any connection to somebody so desperate to impress their superiors that they would even try to kill their own daughter? The only true family had was-"
"Was your brother, Takeya," Kazuma finished. "Right?"
Misao frowned, "Yes," she said, a bit strained. "My nii-nii that you killed in cold blood." Dark ki cloaked Misao. "And I finally have harassed enough power to have my vengeance. The moment has come for you to pay for my nii-nii's death."
Kazuma only said, "Fine."
Misao summoned a ball of dark flame-like ki and hurled it at Kazuma. Ayano didn't worry as Kazuma blocked the attack with a cyclone. Misao scowled and sent off more fire-like balls at Kazuma, but just like the first, all of her attacks were blocked by a wall of powerful wind. Kazuma continued to stay standing without a single scratch.
Misao took several steps back, almost stumbling. "T-there's no way...there's no way for him to have survived that."
Ayano scoffed, "Oh, come on! You honestly think that you have enough power to kill Kazuma? If it was that easy, I would've done it already!"
"Ayano?" Ren questioned.
She continued, ignoring him. "You've gotten stronger, but you're not powerful enough to fight Ren! Yet somehow, you think that you can defeat Kazuma? That's pretty pathetic."
A nerve was struck as Misao's glare was thunderous. Her shoulders touched her ears as her fists tightened so hard that drips of blood poured out.
"THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Misao roared. "I CAN DEFEAT HIM! MY GUARDIAN ANGEL PROMISED ME THAT I'D HAVE ENOUGH POWER!"
"Your 'Guardian Angel'?" Ayano sneered. "What delusional pervert told you that?"
"Such a rude little girl," said a soft, but deep and sensual baritone that had Ayano's cheeks burning.
Coming out of the Cathedral was, perhaps, the most beautiful man Ayano laid her eyes upon. She sucked in a breath. His hair was like golden threads, only reserved for the best and regal of embroidery, long-length and curly around his broad shoulders. His green eyes were like polished emeralds, shining when he stepped into the moonlight. His face appeared to be as if it was handcrafted by the most gifted of sculptors. The purely black suit with a double-breasted vest and tie fitted well on this tall and imposing figure. The most eye-catching were his oxfords. They were the color of crimson, blending in with the blood spilled in front of the Church.
Heat pooled in Ayano's stomach and traveled downwards.
Misao turned to the man with a bright smile, "My angel, you're here!"
The man came to stand next to her, regally with a kind smile. For some reason, Ayano wanted that smile to be directed to her.
Ayano let out the breath she was holding, still staring like a fool at the beautiful man and blurted, "A-an angel? Seriously?" She didn't want to believe that the man Misao was serving was a heavenly being.
Things like Angels and the Christian God was something the Kannagi Family didn't worship. Even if Misao attended that Catholic Girls' Academy and for some reason converted, the idea of such a pure creature helping a vengeful person like Misao was mind-boggling.
But the man was so handsome, just like the angels Ayano seen in Renaissance paintings.
Misao dropped to her knees, and Ayano almost turned away from the inappropriate image. Misao's hands clasped together in a prayer as she gazed deeply into the eyes of the stunning man. "Help me, my angel." she begged. "Please offer me your wisdom and guidance. I must not be using my power properly. Please...please show me how to take my revenge."
The man, Misao's "angel" said, his sweet tone almost caused Ayano to shiver, "Oh, Misao, that'll never happen. There's no way that someone like you could defeat Yagami Kazuma. It's simply impossible."
Misao's face crinkled, "B-but you...I-I don't understand! You said that I've absorbed enough energy! You said I was ready!"
"I did, didn't I?" He knelt down in front of her and touched her face with his hands delicately like a lover. He brought them closer together, almost kissing, noses grazing. The heat in Ayano became hotter as she saw Misao lean in for a connection, only for him to turn away and whisper into her ear, but Ayano heard him clearly. "You're such a sad person, Misao. Your desperate need and desire to be seen and loved. As if there was anyone in the world who truly loves you. Quite pathetic actually."
"W-what," Misao gasped, her body shaking. "B-But you said-"
The so-called "angel" interrupted her, "The truth is that your ability to harness and control energy is determined at birth." he tilted his head, examining Misao with faux sympathy. "It's sweet that you put your faith into me, but you'll never be able to use the power you collected. You must have known. You come from a magical family. You just ignored reality, didn't you?"
"This can't be!" cried Misao. "You promised! You told me I could!"
The "angel" shook his head, "I simply told you what you wanted to hear, Misao. Never doubt the human capacity for delusions. Once they get their mind set on something, they'll believe what they want to believe. And as long as you agree with them, you can convince them for just anything. Like for example," he leaned in closer. "There's nothing you're doing. It's not a sin if your wish is pure. The desire for vengeance is righteous in God's eyes."
Misao's face crumbled.
The handsome man continued, his own face twisting like the cruel Devil himself. "You can do anything you want, because your wish is the only thing that matters. Slaughtering hundreds of innocent people, their lives are insignificant compared to your revenge. Why," he leaned back and took in the sight of the mangled corpses of Cousin Masayuki and the other Ogami men. His chuckle was rich and dark, like fine chocolate. "You can even murder your own entire family if they get in your way. God, Himself, says it so."
Misao pulled as if the man's hands scorched her. "THAT CAN'T BE! IT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S NOT!" she shook her head violently.
"Oh? But you believed it, didn't you?" the man mocked. "You took the lives of hundreds, and you did it for nothing."
Misao breathed rapidly, heaving, shaking like an avalanche. Then she let out a horrifying scream. Her piercing scream could've shattered the Cathedral's windows. She slumped to the ground.
The man stood up, straightening the cuffs of his suit.
Ayano's feet moved on their own. Even if Misao needed to pay for her crimes, she still cared about her.
A wall of vicious ki knocked her back and down on her knees. "Shit..."
"That collective ki from her victims," Kazuma said. "Is uncontrollable, because she's unconscious. It's pouring out of her like someone is squeezing liquid from a sponge and that "angel" guy is just soaking it up, harnessing it for himself." He glared at the man. "You suckered her into doing your dirty work."
That gentle and soft smile sharpened on the man's face. "That was the plan. I needed a medium strong enough to harvest the energy like a Kannagi. It was truly a fortunate coincidence that Misao and I wanted the power to defeat you, Yagami Kazuma."
"Is that so?" Kazuma questioned. "Mind telling why?"
"Oh!" the man perked up like he'd remembered something important. "How rude of me, I haven't formally introduced myself." He gave them a gentleman's bow. "My name is Michael. Michael Harley. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
This guy is so cringy, Ayano thought.
Michael Harley continued, "I'm afraid I've been selected to kill you, Yagami Kazuma, and nothing will stop me. Tonight, you'll die in the name of Stars and Wisdom."
"What?" Kazuma's eyes widened.
Michael's laughter vibrated his shoulders. "You have to remember, Yagami Kazuma. You must've overheard my Master say it before, since you're actually related to him." his head tilted, his wide sharpened grin showed canines. "Think back. Those feelings of yours can't be buried forever."
Kazuma gasped, taking a small step back. Swirls of wind surrounded the Fuujutsushi, his mighty glare told Ayano that Kazuma was now meant to kill.
"Thanks for reminding me. Let me show you my appreciation by sending you to Hell!" Kazuma threw a sharp wind-blade, Michael stood still as the attack went right through him.
Dark ki caped around Michael as Misao's unconscious body floated in mid-air. He chortled, "I'm afraid I'm not going anywhere, Yagami Kazuma."
The same disgusting ooze Ayano fought to protect her friends in an alley sprung out of the Cathedral's stairs, coating both Michael and Misao, forming an enormous Western dragon with blood-soaked red eyes. The dragon was almost as tall as Tokyo Tower.
The dragon's wings spread into the night's sky, releasing a ferocious roar.
At St. Lucia's High School for Girls, Misao felt free for the first time in her constrictive life. She was raised to be a lady and proper wife for her future husband. St. Lucia's was a prominent school for mostly daughters of wealthy families with an extraordinary academic curriculum and immaculate faculties. The important aspect about the school is it was created by maidens for maidens; therefore, the students wouldn't be distracted by boys and still be virtuous during their time at the school.
Even though she was just going to be a wife in the future, her parents at least wanted her to be educated.
Despite the difficult curriculum, Misao fell in love with the school. Her favorite pastime was being in the ornate church connected to the school, singing with her friends as a nun played the piano.
But behind closed doors when the lights went out for bed, some of the girls threw away decorum and rebelled.
This is where Misao got her belly button pierced. It was from a girl across the dorm hall, who knew how to do piercings without the risk of infection. She would make cash for every piercing she did.
This is the place where Misao, not only received her first kiss - which was awkward, still enjoyable though - but also her first sexual experience where a roommate went down on her. In the simplest way to describe the feeling, it was otherworldly.
St. Lucia was the place where Misao didn't feel like a bird stuck in a cage, only allowed to fly as far as her bars let her. There were rules, true, but she wasn't met with disappointed eyes or words whenever she made a mistake. Misao wasn't compared to others or smacked on the hands by a ruler until her pale skin was ripe like fresh strawberries.
She was just like the other girls at the school, experiencing life.
Misao wishes she could go back.
Kazuma's blood was dripping out of him and onto the concrete.
He opened his coat and checked his wound. That dragon slashed his side. Kazuma pressed on the injury, gritting his teeth. Ayano was kneeling in front of him, staring at the blood. She told him that Ren and she will take care of Michael Harley and his dragon, while he'll recover. Kazuma could tell she felt guilty for being the cause of his pain when he saved her from the dragon's attack. It wasn't completely her fault, Kazuma just wanted to save her.
He just wanted to protect everybody. He has the power to do so, but now, he has to deal with a stupid wound. Kazuma wished Komaki was here with him, she knows how to make him feel better. But she was better at home, where it was safe.
"Pryanichek!"
Kazuma saw Komaki flying towards them with his Star Wars sweatshirt covered in paint. She landed beside him and gasped when she saw the wound.
"What happened?!" she cried.
Kazuma ignored her question. "Komaki, you're supposed to be at home."
"I know but imagine my surprise of seeing a literal dragon outside my window." Komaki said, "Everybody in the neighborhood could see it. They're standing out on the street now watching."
"Noisy neighbors..." Kazuma grumbled.
"Kazuma! Right now, is not the time! You're hurt!"
"Babe, I'm fin-"
"No, you're not." Komaki turned to Ayano. "Can you cauterize the wound, Ayano-Chan?"
"C-cauterize," she stuttered, like she just heard of the word for the first time. "You mean, heal the wound with my fir-"
"Absolutely not." Kazuma finalized. Komaki stared at him. She was about to say something until he beat her to it in Cantonese. "I know you want to help with my wound as quickly as possible, but I don't want fire near my skin. Okay?"
Kazuma watched Komaki bite her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving his wound. She nodded, taking off the paint covered sweatshirt and turned it inside out. Komaki tied the sweatshirt over his wound. He hissed a little. Komaki flinched, she fiddled with her bracelet.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much now that you're here."
A little smile popped up on her face and he truly did feel better.
"Alright, give me a quick run-down of what's going on?" Komaki asked Kazuma and Ayano.
Both cousins gave her a quick, Sparknotes version of the events of what just occurred. Komaki soaked in everything like a sponge. When she asked about the Kannagi Purification Fire, Ayano bitterly answered that only her father and his own father have that ability.
Komaki clicked her tongue and stood up. "Okay, I'll take care of this."
"Babe, no-" Kazuma stood up too hastily, his wound stabbed him with what felt like a hot poker.
"Pryanichek, you're hurt," she told him with a leveled stare. "And Ayano and Ren can't purify that dragon, but I can with my lightning. Ayano-Chan can grab Misao while I do the purification."
Ayano blinked at Komaki, "I can? But how are you going to do this? We told you, you can't hurt Misao."
Komaki placed a gentle hand on Ayano's shoulder. "I know. I can purify the dragon by calling upon my ancestor."
"Ancestor? What do you mean by that?" Ayano asked.
Komaki just gave her a smile, "I'll tell you later."
"...Are you sure about this?" Kazuma questioned.
"Kazuma," she said his name with such heaviness. She hardly ever used his real name, mostly calling him by pryanichek - her beloved gingerbread man. "I know you want to protect me and everyone else, but you can't do that if you're hurt. We can protect you too. Right, Ayano-Chan?"
Ayano nodded, glaring at Kazuma. "Yeah, we can. You're no good to us bleeding to death. You made a promise and I'm hold you to it! So, you better stay out of our way until you've recovered or you're going to have to deal with me! You got that?!"
Kazuma stared at both of them in awe. Komaki, his beautiful and strong girlfriend. He fell more in love with her just at that moment. Ayano, his younger spitfire cousin...
He let out a deep chuckle and ruffled her hair like he does with Ren. She sputtered and pulled away.
"You know what kid; I think you might turn out to be a damn fine woman one of these days."
Ayano's jaw dropped, then she scoffed, "Thanks for the lack of confidence, but I know I'll be a good woman."
"I guess I'll have to see." Kazuma replied. Ayano looked as if she wanted to throttle him. "Komaki, if you're gonna do this, then I want a front row seat to see you kicking Harley's ass."
Komaki giggled, "You can have the best seat. Nobody hurts you and gets away with it," She turned to the Heiress. "Ayano-Chan, can you hold him off for a few minutes?"
Ayano nodded. Kazuma watched Komaki take off into the dark sky. She was strong, he knew, but an image of Komaki bleeding out like a sacrificial lamb plagued his mind whenever they weren't near each other.
He didn't want her to end up like their sister. Kazuma gripped on the rose-pink bead of his necklace.
Ayano helped him find a good front row seat next to some trees. Kazuma wiped sweat off of his forehead as he pressed his wound. He was probably going to need stitches.
A cloud went across the bright moon as several more clouds gathered together and turned black. Kazuma saw Ren and Ayano throw fireballs at the dragon's head, destroying it. Though each time they did, the monster's head would reform and attack with evil ki.
Gigantic black clouds shadowed the area, streetlights flickered rapidly. Kazuma saw Komaki floating above the dragon. Her inky black hair and plain clothes coated in a messy rainbow of paint fluttered in the wind. She narrowed her eyes, gazing at the dragon like it was a simple pest.
He was going to marry that woman.
With the beat of thunderous roars and intense crackles of lightning, Komaki raised her arms, chanting a prayer in what he knew was Old Russian. Light blue lightning spirits sparked and circled around her, converting into a shade of shining gold. The streetlights exploded as, from what Kazuma could see, the city lights were going out too. She swung an arm down and Kazuma had to close his eyes from the dazzling lightning bolt while covering his ears, muffling the raging outcry from the dragon.
Kazuma opened his eyes and saw pieces of the dragon blow away like dead skin. He uncovered his ears and heard Ren and Ayano cry and scream Misao's name. Kazuma stood up, careful of his wound and walked towards the others. Ayano cradled Misao in her arms as Ren draped his salmon pink coat over her naked body. Komaki wobbled on her feet, Kazuma ran to her, ignoring his pain and caught her before she fell.
Kazuma kissed her, "You did amazing, babe. You alright?"
Komaki yawned, nodding, "Yeah, I'm fine." she looked at his wound. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Kazuma looked over at Michael Harley's unmoving body. Being struck by direct lightning usually causes cardiac arrest. The man's green eyes glistened as his mouth was wide opened. His body, similar to the dragon, broke down and blew away like dead skin. Only his clothes were left behind. "I am."
Komaki stared at the discarded clothes and cursed in Russian. She mentioned their sister.
Misao arose from her unconsciousness and Ayano spoke to her softly. "Misao, let's go home."
Misao's eyes were dead. She mumbled as quiet as a mouse, "Please, let me die."
"Misao, I-I can't let that happen." Ayano swore. "I'll figure something out. Just let me talk to my Otou-Sama."
"Ayano, look around you." Misao was on the verge of tears. "This is all of the terrible things I've done. I have to atone for my sins. Dying is the only way I know how to do it."
"Now wait just a second," Kazuma cut in. "You're not getting away with this that easily. How many hundreds of people did you kill?"
"I-I..."
"Do you really think that you can wipe the slate clean and atone for all of them by giving up your own life? You're just trying to avoid the guilt and forget what you've done." Kazuma scoffed. "Well, I'm not gonna let you run away from this by dying."
"B-but what else am I supposed to do?" Misao cried, tears streamed down her face. "I-I can't go home! I can't face Okaa-Sama!"
As upsetting as her words were, Misao was right. Her mother, Tomoko, hasn't been doing so well since Takeya's death. From what Kazuma has heard, she cried herself to sleep surrounded by alcohol bottles.
"Is it even possible to make amends?" Misao continued to cry. "Even after committing such unforgivable sins?"
"...I don't know." Kazuma answered. "But I do know how you can get started. First, you need to forget about the dead and straighten out your priorities. You caused me the most trouble, so I'm number one on your payback list. That means you have to find some way to make it up to me."
Ayano glared daggers at him and hugged Misao tightly. "You're not putting your hands on her, perv!"
"A-ayano," Ren stammered, putting his hands up to pacify her. "I don't think he meant it that way."
Kazuma rolled his eyes, "I already told you. I'm not into my cousins." His hold on Komaki tightened.
Misao wiped her tears, "I guess you're right. I've got a life of atonement ahead of me and I won't be able to do it if I'm dead. And with everything I've done to you, you should be first."
"Damn straight," Kazuma replied.
Misao smiled in what felt like forever, "Whatever you want then."
As the winter snow fell onto the Earth, December officially came. All of the lights in the city were fixed and the Christmas ones started to illuminate Tokyo.
Bundled up in a heavy coat and scarf, Kazuma was with Komaki, who was also bundled up, Ayano and Ren. Those two only held umbrellas to block the falling snow. The four of them were in front of two tall doors of a Nunnery.
Dressed in black and white Japanese nun robes, Misao held a wagasa with one of her serene smiles. "Hello, everyone."
All of them smiled and greeted her back. Misao leads them down the stone steps and through the Nunnery's bamboo forest for a simple walk.
"So," Kazuma started as he held Komaki's hand through the walk. "You decided to run off to a nunnery without even saying goodbye?"
"Actually, this is what Juugo-Sama decided for me after Ayano spoke to him."
"Ayano?"
"Hey, don't sound so shocked!" yelled Ayano. "I can come with some good ideas!"
"But why a Nunnery?" Komaki asked.
"Well, I remembered Misao attending a Catholic school and you know about Christianity and forgiveness or whatever. So, I asked my Otou-Sama if we can do something about that." Ayano said. "Turns out that school has a Nunnery connected to it. The Sisters were more than happy to accept an old student into their Convent."
"Huh? I never thought I would see the day of you using your brain for once, kid." Kazuma snarked.
"Do you want me to stab you with my umbrella?!" Ayano shouted, holding up her pink umbrella like she does with Enraiha.
Misao's giggles sounded like little bells.
"What're you planning on doing now, Misao?" asked Ren.
Misao shrugged, "I don't know. Crying did help for a while, but it won't take back everything I've done. I guess I have my entire life to figure out how I can make up now.
Kazuma nodded understandingly. "I see."
A wave of comfortable silence went by. Misao stopped, her feet crushing under the snow. "C-can I ask you something, Kazuma?"
"Shoot," Kazuma said.
"After all of the terrible things I did, why did you want to save me? It would've been so much easier for you just to kill me. I even threaten to kill Amane-San."
Komaki snorted, "You're not the first person that threatened to kill me. I've been used to that since I was a child." She waved away the alarmed looks from the Kannagi cousins.
Kazuma sighed, squeezing Komaki's hand. "I have a good memory. You know that not every Kannagi can control Enjutsu. A kid in particular was...terrified of it."
Kazuma dropped, tucked, and rolled when he was covered in flames. His clothes and skin were burnt. Everything hurts.
"What's the matter, Kazuma?" One of his cousin's mocked in a baby-ish voice. "Can't stand a little fire? You're so pathetic."
All of his other cousins, who decided to pick on him, heckled like jackals.
"He's a whittle baby." Another cousin copied an infant and started to fake crying with his fists. "Whaa! Whaa! You're so worthless! A shame to our family!"
"He calls himself a Kannagi!"
"Hey, give him a break! I think he's starting to cry!"
They all laughed at him as he did start to cry. Not from the burns on his body, but the heart-stabbing words.
"I think he just needs to lighten up!" the largest of the cousins lit up one of his hands.
Kazuma was frozen, staring into the flame. Then a little girl in a kimono and Midnight blue hair stepped in front of the cousin with her arms out as if she was a shield.
"Leave him alone!" she shouted. "It doesn't matter if he can't control his fire! He's still a member of our family, so quit being mean to him!"
Kazuma saw, just like a true Kannagi, fire burned within her too.
"Wait, so, you're telling me that the reason you wanted to save me was because I helped you when we were children?" Misao looked at him in shock.
"Yeah," Kazuma gave Misao a little smile. "Something like that."
Ayano wasn't impressed, "Are you serious?"
They continued their walk back to Nunnery. Misao asked Komaki, "Amane-San, why did you save me? I tried stabbing Kazuma, and we don't know each other. So, why?"
Komaki mulled over the question for a long second. "...You're important to Kazuma and I guess I regret not being able to save your brother." she gazed down at her hand. "I have the power to control metal through my Raijutsu, but I wasn't quick enough to save him. With everything you've done, just for him, he must have been something."
"Y-yeah, h-he was." Misao took in a shaky breath.
"I wanted to save him, because I thought it was the right thing to do at that moment." Komaki's smile was melancholy. "You're not the only one who deals with guilt."
"Maybe one day, you can be free of your guilt too." Misao said.
"Yeah," Komaki agreed. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence."
Misao gasped. Kazuma and his young cousins were confused.
"Ephesians 1:7 through 8!" Misao exclaimed. "You know that passage."
Komaki's melancholy smile turned sly. "I went to Sunday School back in my hometown. I only went for free refreshments though. I stopped going when I started doing acid and snorting cocaine."
Ayano and Ren's eyes bugged out of their heads.
"I'll come by and visit you sometime, Misao." Kazuma said.
Misao smiled, "I'll be waiting."
Kazuma and Komaki walked down the stone steps with the two Kannagi's in tow. Misao bowed when they left the Nunnery. Ayano and Ren were still staring at Komaki, flabbergasted.
"Did I hear you correctly about doing acid and cocaine?" Ayano asked slowly, mainly for herself and not Komaki.
Komaki nodded, unbothered by the incredulous looks. "Yeah, you heard correctly. Remember those Rave Parties I told you about?"
"...What the hell kind of parties did you go to?"
"I'll tell you about them later."
"You always say that!"
Misao Arc is completed! Now, it's time for some fluffy and slightly angsty chapters ahead! I know it kind of feels like a cope-out for Komaki just to come in a save the day, but I just wanted to get this chapter out quickly.
Speaking of Komaki, we learn more about her, which means she's starting to trust others in knowing her past. Of course, Kazuma knows, but Ayano and Ren, they're still in the dark mostly.
So now, it's Christmas and New Year's, along with a mini-chapter about Ren!