Chapter 18: The Master of Irrevocable (Part 7)

Akito would freely admit to being in something of a mental bind at the moment, mind trying to reconcile the sight of the stunning woman before him and the memory of an effeminate but clearly male Vampire from not more than a few minutes ago.

How could he have missed something like this? This wasn't on the level of just missing a few bodily cues or being dense, he was a Kitsune who truly did enjoy his fast friend's company and spent all sorts of time and effort towards hugging or embarrassing him. He would have known beyond a shadow of a doubt if Charles had tits.

"And that just begs the question of whether 'her' companions know of this. They must, right? And wouldn't I have noticed some kind of illusion if it was made use of to disguise her gender? And why would she disguise her gender?"

Akito felt his brain begin to smoke, remembering the time they had spent in Gastofield and finding it even more bewildering as yes, he did remember the Vampire having a cock then. So was he just hallucinating or-

"A-A-Akito, what are you...how are you...why are you-"

Charles' increasingly high-pitched inquiries in a tone of voice the fox-eared male found positively adorable prompted an automatic response, one brought about by his species' inclinations and nature.

"You put even Lady Amaterasu to shame with your beauty, Charles."

An atomic shade of red that had nothing to do with the steaming waters colored the Vampire's features, Akito finding it to compliment her eyes quite nicely-

-and found himself expertly dragged off his perch into the heated waters below with surprising strength for such a fragile body, Charles sporting a panicked and hysterical look as she loomed overhead, crimson blade of blood extending from her wrist as she held it to his throat, wavering voice hissing out, "If you a breathe a word of this to anyone I swear to whatever deities and divine spirits you worship I will absolutely-"

"Kill me?"

Ruby orbs widened, feminine voice rising an octave as she squeaked, "NO! What gave you such an insane idea?!"

Feeling incredibly aroused by his friend's demeanor and actions - third leg rising to attention - the Kitsune cocked his head, cheerily remarking, "Well what else would the blade at my throat be for?"

Charles withdrew the sharpened edge as if she was burned, stammering, "T-that was just, I don't-"

Smack!

They both paused, Charles tentatively reaching behind her and exploring the firm but slightly squishy organ her retracted hand impacted...before switching from flaming red to white as a sheet.

"You...you…"

"Sorry, but the thought of you about to end my life while being as beautiful as you are was arousing in a way words can't truly describe."

The Vampire's jaw worked up and down with soundless disbelief, hand still firmly locked around his length...and Akito yelped as Charles punched him square in the jaw, lower lip quivering and frustrated tears welling in her eyes as she yelled, "What is with all of you?! Do you all live in a state of perpetual arousal or some other base state of being?! Bad enough I had to travel with those three and listen to their fucking all the time now you as well?!"

Blinking at the halfway hysterical cry the Kitsune was delegated to the role of observer as the bloodsucker leapt from the water, grabbed a towel and ran away...albeit not before he got an eyeful of smooth, rounded ass that ensured he stayed hard even as he floated there with aching teeth and cool air flowing around his full mast.

"Well what do you know? I was actually laying down the roots of early romance without even knowing it."

"I wasn't aware that the prince of the Shinto got regularly popped in the chin. Some custom I'm not familiar with?"

Mildly relieved that Harris had evidently concluded his meeting with Lady Amaterasu - he had a number of questions to ask - the Kitsune decided to go with blunt, asking, "Did you know that Charles was a woman this whole time?"

"Seriously? I traveled with the young lady for almost two years, of course I knew."

Akito blinked several times in surprise at the man's direct words, distantly noting the sounds of muffled conversation that sounded quite a bit like his younger sister-

-and one of the sliding doors flew open, revealing the Vampire in question alongside his sibling as they both stared at him, Charles' eyes widening...and Yasaka scoffed at her brother, slamming the door shut as a silencing ward completely shut down any noise leakage while Harris affixed him with an amused look.

"Peeping on a girl in the baths is poor behavior, Akito."

Feeling his ears instinctively flatten before perking right back up the Yokai asked, "How did you-"

"There's only so much femininity one can keep under wraps when traveling the roads. Private bathroom breaks, private washes, 'lady troubles' once a month...not sure what kind of illusion or cloaking spell Charles uses but even that impressive bit of spellcraft can only cover for so many obvious tells."

"I...see. And did you never bring that up in conversation with her?"

The man shrugged, lacing his hands behind his head and leaning back into the comfort of a simple chair before replying, "She never brought it up in conversation so we just decided to respect her privacy, however much she thought she could hold onto."

The Kitsune settled for a brief nod, deciding that he was going to have to face the music eventually - that door was the only way out of the room, after all - and instead asked, "What did you and Lady Amaterasu speak about?"

"Oh, this and that. All sorts of subject matter that isn't of particular interest to those not of the political sphere or other similar walks of life."

Akito favored the man with a dull stare.

"Ah, of course. It's obviously not something I - a prince - would find any sort of relation or familiarity with."

Chuckling at the retort Harris idly waved a hand, advising, "Don't worry about it, it was mostly small talk and all sorts of reassurances on my end that I wasn't about to drag all of Japan down to the dark ages or anything destructive or like that."

He paused.

"Never mind, the dark ages joke doesn't work."

The Kitsune rolled his eyes, dryly commenting, "I'm not entirely sure I believe you."

"Relax already. Amaterasu decided not to pull me inside out and incinerate whatever was left over, that's good enough for everyone else, isn't it?"

"The fact that you managed to so thoroughly and swiftly agitate the goddess - who is nothing if not composed and sure in all other matters of life - in such a short amount of time IS rather impressive. Even more so that she decided to spare your life."

Shrugging in resignation the fox-eared youth inquired, "Were you telling the truth, when you spoke in the hall? That wasn't just some ploy to distress and impress?"

"I spoke nothing but the truth, Akito. Not so much as a single white lie left my lips and I'm sure everyone else was able to discern the truth of my words."

Consigned to not getting anything truly meaningful from his conversation partner Akito abruptly found himself pulled into a headlock, Harris enthusiastically scratching his ears as the shapeshifter teased, "So what's this about you having an interest in our darling little crossdresser of a Vampire? She came in all hot and bothered by how easy you were to turn on while my personal take on things is even more damning."

Akito frantically tried to escape with little success, squirming for all he was worth to retreat from the overly affectionate onslaught.

"You met your childhood friend and all of the sudden there's the chance for true romance to bloom? I mean as far as strong starts to a wonderful relationship go it's not bad at all. Mutual hardship breeding mutual empathy and understanding, right?"

Managing to snake his way out of the constricting hold the Kitsune tenderly rubbed his ears, frowning before stating, "That's quite the leap in logic to make, Harris. I was just surprised, is all. I was certain beyond doubt that Charles was indeed a man."

He paused, tails nervously curling before the young man haltingly asked, "Do you happen to know why she disguised herself as a man?"

Lightly shrugging as he dropped back into his chair Harris idly mused, "I have theories but you're better off just asking her directly. Charles may have been timid and shy when we all first met but she's toughened up over the years and isn't a fragile wall flower. If she decided she was going to pass herself off as a male it's because she's got a plan...and the little bloodsucker is indeed becoming a schemer. I'm proud that we're rubbing off on her so much."

Akito gave the man's words some consideration, realizing that he was indeed making a compelling point. Not all factions were willing to let women or girls lead them - it was even more widespread among plenty of Human cultures - and the Vampires were very much one of those that relegated females to more domestic or inferior status.

It certainly explained Charles' meek and demure mannerisms when they first met.

"It sounds like I've missed out on quite the bit of interaction between the four of you over the years."

"That you have...but the best part of missing out during our travels?"

The Kitsune found himself put into yet another headlock, albeit this one was much more friendly and less neck-breaking than before.

"Now you have a perfectly valid and worthwhile reason to speak and interact with the young lady outside of your rather embarrassing and setback-ridden encounter within the baths. People like it when you take an interest in their circumstances and situations, this is your chance."

"You seem quite convinced that I'm aiming to pursue Charles as a partner rather than just shocked 'he' is actually a 'she'."

"Aren't you?"

Before the Kitsune could respond to that knowing statement the door slid open, the young man catching a glimpse of Charles furiously staring at him with a pink flush before Yasaka slammed shut the entryway, giving her sibling an unimpressed look.

"The two hours are up, brother. If you're quite done traumatizing our guests and making them uncomfortable it's time we leave."

Matching actions to words the younger Kitsune grabbed her brother by the sleeve and pulled him along, Harris amicably waving while stating, "Don't worry, I'll smooth things over for you so that you aren't in the negative. Sweet dreams!"

Yasaka cut off the shapeshifter's parting words with a final CLACK of the door, her golden eyes staring up at Akito as he blandly returned the laser-focus directed his way.

"You're an idiot, brother."

"Thank you, I'm aware of that."

"Hmph! Honestly, mistaking a girl for a boy by making her cry..."

Lips briefly quirking in equal parts agitation and amusement Akito withheld a sigh, instead reflecting that he had some apologizing to do.

"Actually, is her name even Charles? Maybe that will be a good way to break the tension…"

"We expected this journey to be full of unexpected happenings...but for our paths to cross with none other than the slayer of Charlemagne and slighter of a Satan is quite the surprise."

Smiling at Amoghasiddhi's calm and even statement Harris popped another slice of fish into his mouth, savoring the taste and texture as some kind of local sauce that probably predated teriyaki by a fair few centuries added a nice kick.

"My reputation precedes me? Goodness, and here I thought I'd managed to stay under the proverbial radar."

"You did indeed manage to remain under this 'radar' but rumors, hearsay and even a few brief eye-witness accounts of your actions during the battle that resulted in the christian king's death were scrutinized quite heavily. It isn't everyday that a complete unknown comes from nowhere, achieves what many known and dangerous individuals have failed to accomplish and vanishes without so much as a seeming trace."

Amoghasiddhi was an unassuming figure for a being that was quite literally divine in origins, with a simple and unremarkable chivara adorning his lanky frame, already dark skin further tanned by the sun as wise eyes of soothing brown met Harris' own with polite intrigue, the pair of them seated in a modest but comfortable meeting room located in the outer edges of the imperial palace in what was no doubt intended as a slight to the Bhuddist party, some kind of childish, 'you get to sit at the kids table' kind of mud slinging.

"Suspicions were only confirmed when Beelzebub put out a realm-wide bounty for your head, for the crime of murdering his offspring and spiting a contract between the two of you."

Perking with visible delight Harris inquired, "Did he now? Well I'll be damned, I never thought the aloof bastard would actually go and fess up that I even got so much as a single win over him."

Amoghasiddhi smiled in mutual amusement, informing, "The actual statement is more of a derogatory tearing down and demonizing of you than what I previously described, it's just that those of us in the know can read between the lines. Once Lord Gremory returned with news of their faction's victory Lucifer was quick to announce that it was both his servants and his own direction that put to rest Charlemagne while Beelzebub suffered only losses."

A gentle smile dotted the god's features.

"You were no doubt a convenient scapegoat for Beelzebub to pin his perceived failures upon."

"Well that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I had no idea I'd gone and pissed off the fool so much. Although that's quite the number of assumptions you made in regards to me being the deciding factor in Beelzebub's fuck up. Who's to say I'm just not - as you said - a convenient target for pinning the blame?"

Acquiescing to Harri's roundabout way of fishing for information the deity stated, "As I previously mentioned many eyes were upon that battle, pivotal as it was. Lucifer's faction were in no position to achieve what they proclaim they did while Shalba Beelzebub was spotted in your company, shortly thereafter meeting with an unfortunate end in an ambush that quickly spiralled out of control, allowing an unknown individual to pull of an assassination that had stymied many for no shortage of time."

Amoghasiddhi spread his hands, neutrally stating, "There are indeed assumptions and minor leaps in understanding being made...but there are missing pieces to the puzzle and you were the most consistent factor."

Shrugging in an amiable gesture Harris replied, "Well I feel somewhat awkward now, you seem to know a great deal about me while I know almost nothing in kind. Bad manners on my part."

"Rest assured, you remain a steadfast mystery beyond your actions. One of those very mysteries being the nature of your visit to Japan at this contentious hour."

Reading into the far-from-subtle accusation the shapeshifter merely smiled, replying, "Believe it or not, my arrival in Japan at the same time as you was mere coincidence."

"A nice little white lie. I intended to be here because I knew the capital being moved was a big affair but yo4u, my godly friend, were indeed a coincidence."

"The First Prince is a close friend of mine after we met during my liberation of Gastofield. Seeing as how it'd been around two years since we crossed paths I decided it was high time I paid him a visit. Not to mention I would like to sightsee and explore more of Japan when given the opportunity, this seemed like the most optimal chance. Rest up for a while at the capital, catch up with old friends then go off an adventure, that sort of thing."

Amoghasiddhi raised an eyebrow, commenting, "Did you become involved with the Shinto merely to sightsee?"

"I think what you mean to ask is did I cause untold chaos and upending of established power structures merely to wander about the proverbial countryside?"

A noncommittal shrug from the deity, Harris chuckling as he explained, "Life isn't all battle, bloodshed and triumph. There's plenty of room for fun and revelry alongside all the chaos...or do you ask because you believe this place won't be a calm haven for much longer?"

A genial and slightly amused smile adorned the god's lips, tone friendly as he replied, "Of course not, I desire conflict and strife over this matter no more than the Shinto do. I am here to softly and intelligently argue why we should not allow this disagreement to give rise to spilt blood and shattered families, that there exists a more hopeful and satisfactory solution for all sides."

"You're a sight more optimistic than I am about all of this, considering what I've heard of negotiations thus far."

A genuine look of regret and dismay came across the deity's expression, words distant as he said, "Indeed. Kaiyo was a truly impressive soul, brilliant and learned in a way I have seen in few others. Speaking with her I truly believed there was a bridge between our people, one that could have ended peaceably."

The male deity leaned forward, tone more light and easygoing as he whispered, "Just between you and me, I believe Lady Amaterasu desires nothing more than to incinerate me on the spot and leave it at that."

"In all fairness to the lovely solar lady I would be suspicious and wary as well. A mysterious illness with no clear origin or means of catching that afflicts one of the greatest minds set against your continued control of Japan, putting her out commission permanently? I'd be more surprised if Amaterasu didn't consider you suspect numero uno."

"Indeed, it is a perfectly understandable - no matter how incorrect - assumption and all I may do is regret the loss of Kaiyo, wonderful woman that she was."

Shrugging at the man's calm insistence Harris more cheerfully remarked, "Regardless of all that you really were the right one for the job, weren't you? A god of resistance and immunity to poisons, delusions and daggers in the dark does sound like a rather good match when you wish to debate with a Kitsune, charmers and schemers that they are."

"I will certainly not deny that point, although I would daresay my opposite was skilled enough in the art of words and diplomacy that such esoteric means of persuasion would have been most unnecessary."

"If you say so."

Languidly stripping a bit of fish with contemplative motions Harris bluntly commented, "To skip past all the foreplay and feeling around in the wordy dark I have no intention of getting involved with your disagreements, at least not to the extent I did in taking down Charlemagne."

"Oh? And here I had believed that your 'vacation' would run in a similar vein to the one that led to the death of the christian king."

"I'll reiterate. Fun and relaxation aren't always related to raining on someone's parade. Just some of the time. And it's not just you who would prefer it that I keep my nose out of this particular business, Amaterasu was also tearing her hair out over my unannounced arrival at such a momentous time."

Mirroring Amoghasiddhi's earlier movements Harris leaned forward, whispering, "Just between you and me, I believe Lady Amaterasu desires nothing more than to incinerate me on the spot and leave it at that."

An amused grin dotted the deity's features, tone curious as he inquired, "And just what have you told the Shinto goddess that has her worried so?"

"Oh, nothing serious or all that damning. Just a bit about my past and personal inclinations, which apparently left her wondering if I was going to magically shift into a piranha made of malice and maleficence before taking a bite."

The man took no small amount of pleasure in watching how the Bhuddist deity hid his abrupt wariness behind a mask of geniality, stating, "That seems like a rather extreme reaction, if one were to ask my opinion on matters."

"It's even funnier when you remember she could turn me to a pile of embers with the flick of a wrist. Honestly, you think she would be more confident when speaking with me."

The damage was done, the slightest hints of caution clear to see in the god's eyes even as conversation moved to more pleasant matters, Harris pretending that he hadn't just set a seed of distrust and hesitance to bloom at a later date.

After all, when graduating from killing a king to a god care had to be taken, especially a god that had fooled an entire people into believing he was innocent.

Reviews of people complaining about there being gay butt sex in this story are now retroactively funny. The joys and curses of uploading stories one chapter at a time.