Chapter 7

I woke up… I thought that was a good sign. My body ached and I felt unbearably tired. It was almost as bad as when I had first come to this world. My first instincts were to roll over and go back to sleep but then I heard Yuki yelling "Onee-chan!" as I felt her little hands squeezing mine. Despite the weariness of my body I couldn't help but look down and smile, squeezing her hand back.

"She's awake!" The little ghost squealed happily.

Inari leaned over me with a slight relieved smile "Of course she is. All she needed was some rest after that absurd stunt she pulled." She said irritation creeping into her voice.

Though still smiling, Inari informed me "We are going to have a long talk about your actions in that fight after you heal up."

"Uh yeah, sorry I may have overdone things a bit." I managed sheepishly. Being forced now to respond to people I quickly noticed this wasn't my bed or my room. The sheets were silk, the bed was large and ornate, and the room itself was decorated in oak and had paintings on the wall and its own fireplace.

It was about then I noticed someone leaving the room. She looked to be a maid. I couldn't make out much detail as she left.

"Ughh where-where are we?" I managed.

Inari frowned slightly and looked like she was about to answer when the door opened again. A man entered the room; He was in his mid-thirties as far as I could tell. He was a handsome man, tall with short dark hair and grey eyes the color of storm clouds. His had bronze skin and wore a fine gray business suit; everything about him reeked of wealth.

The man looked over to me and smiled. "Ah good to see you're awake" he said stepping forward extending a hand to me. "My name is Katashi Nakahara, I had my associate bring you and your friends back to my mansion after your fight with the Orochi. It was a shorter distance here than your home I am told. Also we had mystics on staff that helped with your healing." I took his hand and shook it.

At this Inari gave a slight frown at that. "We are grateful for assistance. I do have to wonder though why you were so insistent on helping us."

Katashi frowned slightly "When my associate informed me that he had encountered a Campione battling the Orochi it drew my interest. Especially when I heard of the great power she displayed in dispatching it."

"I see, so you're intending to use us." stated Inari.

Katashi cleared his throat "Well I wouldn't put it like that. I do however believe we could be mutually helpful to each other. I had hoped to wait until she was a bit more aware. However, we may discuss it now, if you like." He told Inari before turning to me.

"In a way we are alike. We both have very special gifts. You see I have a unique gift when it comes to heretic gods. Because of my heritage I have the ability to sooth them and to help limit the damage that their powers cause."

"Wow… cool but why are you interested in me then?" I asked, managing to fight back a yawn. It took a great deal of willpower to remain awake for this little conversation.

He smiled down at me. "Well unfortunately we can't help every heretic god, some refuse my help and wish to cause destruction. I have befriended some heretic gods that work with me to contain those gods. However it would be wonderful if we could actually retain the power of those renegade gods and make use of them."

"So you want to hire me to kill gods for you?"

"to put it simply, yes."

There came a knock at the door before it opened. "Hey I heard the little Campione girl woke up." called a voice I had heard once before. A large man entered the room. He was powerfully built standing well over 6 feet tall; The toga and lion's skin that he wore did little to cover the obvious muscle. His face was familiar as the man who had caught me.

"Hey kid good to see you awake. I'm sorry I showed up late. It looks like it was a hell of a fight." He said with a grin as he walked over and offered me one of his huge hands to shake.

My brain was struck dumb for a moment, there was one figure that I knew of that wore a lion skin.

"Wait are you… Hercules?" I asked, taking his hand.

He shook my hand with a vice like grip.

"That would be me. I got to say nice job with the oversized Hydra knockoff."

I couldn't help but smile even through my weariness. It felt good to be praised, especially by one of the greatest heroes ever.

"TH-thank you." I managed.

I have never really met a celebrity but I imagine this was what it was to be a bit star struck.

"Anyways kid you look rough, you should probably get some rest. Looks like the fight took a lot out of you." Said Hercules

"Actually I was about to suggest that very thing. I just made Raven here an offer to work with us, and I felt she should take some time to consider the offer. Raven please feel free to stay as long as you like" added Katashi.

"Thank you. Honestly though I think I would rather rest up back at home." I told him.

"Very well I hope you will be in touch. I'll give your friends the information on how to reach me."

I yawned and nodded "thank you."

To be honest I really didn't feel like moving and my body groaned in protest as I tried. I was grateful for Inari's help when she wrapped an arm around me and helped me up.

When we left I was surprised to find Mitsuko waiting with the car. Apparently not only had she been the one to go back and pick up Yuki from Amakusa's care but had been the one to straighten things out with them. Consequently I would be receiving another fat check from them in a few days for cleaning up the mess.

I thanked her profusely for taking care of things but she merely said she was doing her job. Though I thought I spotted a faint smile at the praise.

On the way home all I really wanted to do was close my eyes and drift off to sleep. However Inari was quite insistent that we discuss matters about the fight with the Orochi. She made it clear to me that she was upset that I hadn't told her that I could duplicate her power, because if I had she would have trained me to use them properly. She was also not pleased by the current state I had gotten myself in. After I assured her that I wasn't hiding any other powers from her and that I hadn't really thought about duplicating gods' abilities before she seemed to calm down. I understood she was worried about me. I don't blame her.

When we got home I was ordered to bed for a few days of bed rest. Not that I was intending on fighting that. A few days of just sleep sounded very nice at that point…

Yeah, that was a nice plan but then we got a call that my parents were going to return home early, that very day in fact.

So I had to drag my sorry behind out of bed and get dressed.

I just love crowds. They are probably my favorite things in the world, next to spiders and heights… Thankfully I didn't have to deal with them much at the airport as I wasn't conscious for most of it.

A gentle nudge managed to wake me when my parents arrived.

I yawned and rubbed my eyes just in time to get up and return their hugs.

"Oh honey we missed you so much." Said my mom as they took turns hugging me. "We missed you, you don't look so good. Are you alright?" asked my dad.

"I missed you guys too. I am glad you're back. Ummm well I had a rough day at work?"

"Honey… did that agency ask you to do something for them again?" displeasure creeping into my father's voice.

"Yeah Dad, look I'll talk about it at home. I got some stuff to tell you but not here."

My father clearly looked displeased and my mom looked concerned.

Thankfully they were a bit tired and were willing to put off the discussion.

I am grateful for Mitsuko's magical inhuman strength. I half heartedly offered to help with the luggage. That was shot down both by my parents and Mitsuko.

I nodded off in the car, normally I'd feel bad but exhausted.

Next time I was conscious we were pulling up to the house.

I was a bit groggy when I heard the bright cheery cries of "Onee-chan" as the little silver haired ghost came running out of the house, Inari following her. Somehow I could tell she was still not pleased that she had to stay and watch Yuki.

As I got out of the car I was glomped by the little ghost.

"Honey who is this?" asked my Dad as I reached down and ruffled her hair.

"Ah, Mom, Dad this was one of the things I needed to talk to you about. I went out to the property today and we found her all alone. Her name is Yuki" I began.

My mom bent down and smiled Hello Yuki. Even my dad smiled "Well hello there." He said leaning down.

It was funny. We had only just met Yuki recently but I couldn't help but marvel at how her smile and cute demeanor brightened things up.

Yuki giggled and smiled doing a little bow "Hello." She said happily.

My parents immediately took to Yuki. Despite the fact she was a ghost she was adorable and her cheery personality was infectious.

They even made comments about me having a new little sister… which was wrong, parents or not they are not stealing my Daughteru.

They got to know Yuki, who was sitting in my lap. She still wasn't able to remember much about her past life. She did mention how I saved her from the monsters which led to my abridged version of what happened at the future construction site. They were a bit concerned about the tale of the ghosts and I felt Yuki trembling at the memory but I played down the danger a bit.

The Treasure… well my dad had always wanted to find buried treasure like that and he was less than happy that I had decided on my own to give parts of it away. He reminded me that technically it belonged to them. So I would be covering the cost for the portions that were to be given away. I had a girlfriend/fiancé who could bless me with limitless wealth; it was no big deal. Come to think of it as I now had a source of basically infinite money. I should probably think about doing more with that myself.

That brought us to the Orochi, I had put it off as long as I could…

It was late, I was tired my brain couldn't come up with much so I basically gave them the truth about the giant 8 headed serpent of death that I battled.

It's funny but when describing a monster that big it's hard to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

I could tell by the looks of horror on their face as I told the story that their response wasn't going to be good. Come to think of it, this was probably why most anime have the protagonist's parents missing or dead, to avoid situations like this.

"What were you thinking going out and fighting something like that?" Asked my dad

I gave a soft groan. I was exhausted and I was severely lacking in caffeine if I was to deal with this. "Look, I went there because they said it was an emergency and people were dying. They said they had nobody else."

"What about this Godou Kusanagi, the other Campione in Japan? Where was he?" He asked

I shrugged "I don't know, they said he wasn't available, I was the only one."

"Well that always seems to be the case, what's wrong with that guy?"

"Well I'll ask him why he is so busy if we ever meet."

My father turned to Inari pointing a finger at her. "What about you? You were supposed to be protecting her."

I winced slightly as I knew this wasn't going to be good. I was about to say something but Inari beat me to it.

"I commend your bravery for talking to me in such a way but I would advise you not to point a finger at me. I will allow it once, but don't do it again. I will answer your question though. Your daughter asked me to stay back and to save her if she needed it." Though calm her voice carried an authority to it that would allow no challenge.

"To be perfectly frank I never wanted her to face that beast to begin with but even I have to admit I was surprised at how well she handled herself. I am not pleased that she failed to inform me that she could use my abilities, something that I have informed her already. I will be training her in the proper use of my abilities so that she doesn't wind up in such a state again."

My Father was taken aback by her reply.

"Now wait just a minute, god or not You are living in my house…" he began his anger increasing.

Inari smiled "I am your guest. More than that I understand you're upset and further why you're upset. I know you're afraid for your daughter. I know you're upset you can't protect her."

My flinched as if he had been hit.

"I ask that you put some faith in your daughter. She is not as fragile as you seem to believe."

"I have faith in my daughter."

"Maybe for some things but you are afraid she is going to get herself seriously hurt or killed. Honestly I was worried this time as well but proved she is stronger than either of us thought. I am not going to lie to you and say what she is doing isn't dangerous but rest assured I will not let anything happen to her. I refuse to lose anyone else that I love and if something does happen it will be over my dead body."

My father leaned back uncomfortably "I see…" he said finally. He looked down for a moment but then looking back up. "Alright I accept that you are there to protect my daughter but I not going to stand for the Historical Compellation Committee sending my daughter on these suicide missions."

I shook my head as I tried to stay awake. "Actually Dad can we discuss this tomorrow. I don't think I can stay up." I said finally. I wasn't lying at that point.

My father nodded "alright we can discuss this when you are a little more awake."

I got Yuki to scoot over so I could get up. "Wait." said my father. My parents got up and hugged me.

"Listen Honey we love you, and we are proud that you want to use your powers to help others." My Father said.

"I love you both too." I replies hugging them back.

"I'll admit I am not comfortable with your new situation, but I'm trying." He added.

"Yeah I understand. I am still getting used to things myself."

"Good night honey, sleep well." My mom added.

I let go and turned to Inari and Yuki.

"Hey guys you want to sleep with me tonight?" Yuki gave a happy yay and glomped my leg and Inari smiled and nodded. I turned back to my parents who didn't look happy with this. I am guessing more inari than yuki.

"I just want Yuki to be comfortable and Inari and I are the people she knows best." I explained. They didn't argue with it.

I didn't bother getting undressed or anything like that. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

It wasn't until late afternoon the next day I regained consciousness. My body felt heavy as if crafted out of lead. It groaned in protest as I tried to move but through force of will I was able to overcome the immense gravity of the soft bed. My stomach growled telling me it was time for a breakfast/lunch or whatever.

I managed to climb out of bed, which was a herculean feat in itself. I was alone. My bed mates had gotten up much earlier. It was for the best.

I made a quick trip to the bathroom to cover necessities and then stumbled downstairs to rummage for food.

I was barely off the stairs when I heard a cheery cry of "She's Awake!" from an energetic little ghost from the front room. There was a little white blur and I found myself hugged by Yuki. "Good morning" she said happily. "Wow you snore loud." She added drawing a giggle from Inari and a few laughs from my parents.

I chuckled and patted her head. "Sorry I hope I didn't keep you up."

"Ah it's alright." She said with a bright smile.

"So you're finally up. I was wondering if you were going to miss dinner too." Said Inari from the front room

"Yeah, well speaking of food…" I began

"Well it is getting close to dinner time, why don't you head into the front room to wait while I go fix an early dinner." She said heading to the kitchen.

"Come on I discovered a magic box that shows pictures and stories." said Yuki excitedly grabbing my hand and pulling with surprising strength.

I couldn't help but laugh "Alright I'll come see the magic box." I said, following along.

In the front room my Parents sat on the couch watching Tv. "Morning." I said to them "Oh afternoon Honey." said my mom. "Hey, you're looking better." My dad added. "Thank you."

Yuki took me to a spot in front of the television and plopped down. I found a spot by her that wasn't in the way of my parent's view.

There was a movie that was older than I was, it quickly became clear that the movie was just average at best. However looking over at Yuki I saw she was transfixed on the television set, eyes full of wonder. I found myself enjoying it just for Yuki's reaction.

It seemed like only a few minutes after I sat down that Inari called everyone into a dining room.

Yuki was disappointed to leave the television but grudgingly agreed when she smelled the meal that Inari set out for us.

Things looked to be going well until Yuki asked "Where is mine?" We had set a spot for her at the table but being a ghost we hadn't put out any food.

Everyone exchanged nervous looks around the table.

Inari sighed and cleared her throat. "Umm yuki, dear; are you hungry?" she asked.

The little girl frowned and shook her head "No but it smells so good I wanted some."

She gave a sad smile "I truly wish you could have some."

"Ah… why can't I?" she asked confused.

Inari took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment letting the breath out slowly before opening up her eyes again. "Well Yuki. I don't know any other way to tell you this but… You're a ghost."

"A Ghost?" she asked, surprised.

"Yeah… it means you died. You're a spirit without a body. That's why you couldn't touch stuff. Even though you could bite food if you tried you couldn't taste it. You don't need to eat."

Yuki blinked surprised and seemed to be processing this "Umm so I really can't eat the food you make?" she asked, disappointed.

"I am afraid not."

"Oh…" she said sadly.

"It's alright Yuki, one day I am sure we will find a way for you to be able to taste Inari's cooking." I assured her

She smiled "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know when but I'll try and find a way for you to have all the things you missed by becoming a ghost." I added.

She smiled and leaned over and hugged me "Thank you." I smiled and returned the hug with one arm. "Your welcome."

The meal carried on with mostly small talk. My parents informed us about their trip and all the places they went. It was a pleasant meal. It was actually nice to have my parents back.

The meal ended and Mitsuko picked up the dishes, I was going to leave when my father asked if I had a minute.

I had been dreading this. I did not want a continuation of last night.

"Your mother and I have been talking." He began. "You are still a minor living under our roof and we have decided that you are no longer going to work with the Historical Compellation Committee."

"You know what, that's fine. Remember that rich guy who was with Hercules. He offered me a job anyway."

My father sighed "Honey do you really think that he is going to be any better than the Historical Compellation Committee was?"

"He has Hercules. For Hercules what I fought was a slow Tuesday. Most of my jobs will probably be him holding the Renegade gods while I stab them." I responded

"Are you really alright with killing these gods?" my Mother asked.

I sighed "I don't know, honestly I didn't even want to kill the Water serpent or the Orochi but I wasn't given much of a chance. I don't like killing or anything but I guess sometimes it has to be done. I mean a lot of people would have died if I hadn't."

"Well we will talk with this guy and set some ground rules, we won't let you be taken advantage of like you were with the Historical Compellation Committee." said my father.

"OK, I understand." I agreed.