喰霊－ 零－
Will you kill someone you love, because of love?
この番組は角川書店とご覧のスポンサーの提供でお送りいたします!
Disclaimer: Segawa Hajime, the creator of Ga-Rei and Kadokawa Shoten, the company that serialises it, own all copyrighted material this fanfiction may include such as characters, events, dialogue, et cetera. However, some of the titles are mine, as are most of the events so hah!
A/N: Last chapter mixed in some of the scenes in the following episodes 6 and 7. However, I thought a lot about the mythos in Ga-Rei and how it retold some of the legends of the classic demons in Japanese folklore. That's why I added the Okubi and Kama-kiri, more so than I cared about naming the others. If you look them up online, the Okubi is a demon that brings with it foreshadowing of a great disaster. I coupled it with the Kama-kiri for that literary purpose and as an additional element to the Okubi's legend, since the disasters its appearance warns about are usually nature disasters. The Kama-kiri is a bear/crow-ish creature that cuts the hair of those who are about to wed with a monster. I'm sure you can figure out why I included them now, but just in case you didn't:
The Okubi in my last chapter was stronger than usual and had, infesting it, a horde of Kama-kiri. Its arrival is an omen of an impending disaster, which in this case would be Yomi's turn to darkness. The Kama-kiri in that chapter cut Noriyuki's hair because Noriyuki is Yomi's betrothed and Yomi is going to become a spectre. In other words, Noriyuki is entering a marriage with a monster.
Now, for my reviewers:
Ominae, they'll have a mission soon. They're going to be up against something I found amusing to write about so hopefully, you will, too! Also, someone else will be showing up then, as well.
MaesLawliet, I hope this was soon enough. ^_^;; Mei plays out her role much differently in this chapter than she does in the anime so I hope you like it.
A note to depression76, this following chapter diverges heavily from the actual anime, but it should prove to be just as or hopefully more intense than the original. I also hope that reading the events as they occur in my fiction will motivate you to watch the original as I wouldn't have considered writing this variation had it not been for my love of the series.
So, beheaded. Haha, didn't see that one coming, did you? Did you see this?
呵責連鎖－かしゃくのれんさ－
GAREI -ZERO- episode 07
"Don't come any closer!" Kagura screamed at the nurse, having been backed up into the door of the broken closet where her friends still hid.
Inch by inch, the woman drew near and with every step, Kagura's hold on her Michael 12 weakened. Eventually, she was resigned to her fate, dropping the blade completely and falling to the floor to wait for the end. She only hoped the nurse would be satisfied killing her and spare her friends, but she knew that could not be.
"Kagura, duck and cover!" Yomi's familiar voice called out behind her.
On pure instinct, she did as she was instructed by her sister, rolling to her left to clear the entrance of her classroom for Yomi to flip in, grab Michael 12, catch her footing, and leap straight for the nurse, slicing her head off cleanly. Blood splattered anything and everything nearby, including Yomi herself. As she stood and turned, she saw only the mortified faces of the two girls who should've been Kagura's classmates and Kagura herself, still on the floor following the roll, equally frozen in shock.
"Kagura, are you alright?" She asked, but she would not receive an answer.
"Ministry of the Environment?" Yacchi asked Kazuki later on, once the rest of the team had arrived to clear the scene.
"Yea, Ministry of the Environment Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division." Kazuki repeated, "To put it simply, we take care of those evil spirits wandering about the country."
This explanation was met with curious, but mostly disdainful faces by both Mikuru and Yacchi. Kagura was despondent, sitting by herself on the side, an expression on her face almost as if saying she was still reliving the entire episode. Yomi had tried to consoling the girl, but she was unusually unresponsive. Nori had explained that it was probably traumatising for her to have seen her most favourite person in the world kill someone she knew so calmly and without any hesitation. Of course, given Yomi's very stubborn attitude, she was only angered by that comment, retorting that she was saving Kagura's life as well as her friends. It wasn't like she wanted to kill anybody. She was just doing her duty as a slayer. With a sigh, Nori gave up trying to reason with her, taking instead to staying beside Kagura while Yomi went to speak to the other two.
"I'm glad you two are alright. Kagura would've been upset to lose you. Still, it is important for you to learn from this. These creatures don't back down and they won't stop looking for you." Yomi began telling them, "The best thing to do if you see a murderer, even if it's a normal one, is not to hide, but run. Try to get to safety as fast as you can, and if you can't, try to find help. Don't think that you can just hide in a closet and they'll leave you alone. More often than not, th-"
"What the heck do you want?" Yacchi screamed.
"Yacchi…" Mikuru muttered, worried about the girl's outburst.
"We all loved her! What do you want?" Yacchi screamed again, tears streaming down her face.
Yomi tried to go over and comfort the girl, but as her clothes were still stained in the woman's blood, both Mikuru and Yacchi were only more frightened, prompting Kagura to push past her sister, as well, and comfort them herself. Looking at her sleeve and tracing it to herself, she saw the blood and realised the best thing for her to do then was leave them alone. She took to finding Nori again, heartbroken as to how Kagura was reacting to what she did. As she left, Kagura looked back over, but she was visibly shaken and couldn't bring herself to go to her sister.
Later at the ministry, the chief and Kiri discussed what was in the best interest of both girls, seeing as how Kagura had never been comfortable with the Category Ds. The chief decided to suspend Kagura for a while, allow her to regain her composure. Kiri suggested that they suspend Yomi, as well, as the older slayer had been the closest person to Kagura and, despite recent circumstances, was still the best person to help Kagura through her pain. Meanwhile, outside the office, Yomi had been trying unsuccessfully at getting her sister to respond.
"She was long gone by then, Kagura. There was nothing else to do for her." She told the tearful girl.
"But you killed her." Kagura mumbled between sobs.
"Kagura, she was already dead and possessed by the Akureika. The only thing left to do was exorcise it before it could hurt anymore people."
"But you killed her."
Yomi couldn't understand the fear and grief her sister suffered. It just wasn't in her nature to remember the victims left by all the spirit attacks. It just became a routine for her, her role as a slayer to slay malicious creatures. The humans caught in the crossfire were just part of the clean-up later, not part of her job and therefore none of her concern. Kagura, on the other hand, had become attached to her normal life as a student at the school. Unlike Yomi, she was a classmate, a schoolgirl, as much as she was a slayer and the victims of any of the things she had to face were precious to her. They were alive, they had families and friends that would miss them now that they were gone. How could she bring herself to be their murderer?
Yomi saw that the professional air wasn't going to work on the girl, Kagura having known the victim. It was just like this before, with the suicidal woman from the Tsuchigumo incident. Kagura couldn't bring herself to defend either of them against the woman, no matter how close to death that brought both of them. It was her greatest weakness and needed to be remedied, but she needed to understand that on her own terms. One day, she would need to stop someone she didn't want to, but Yomi felt confident that Kagura would grow stronger and exorcise that person, no matter what.
For the moment, a subject change was needed, "Hey, are you hungry? Maybe I'll cook tonight. What do you want to eat?"
Kagura slowly looked up at her sister, nodding a little before trying to say something, but struggling to get the words out.
"How about cream croquette? I know you like it and I'll use all fresh ingredients." Yomi said in as cheery a voice as she could muster.
Nodding silently, Kagura sniffled and blinked away her tears, putting on an awkward smile and trying to move past the previous nightmare. It was Yomi, after all. How could she be upset with her? Besides, she was right and Kagura knew that much. In the end, the nurse had been turned into a Category D and there was nothing left to do but exorcise the creature possessing her dead body. It had been Kagura's own fault. She felt the signal and saw the Bakezori on the roof. Did she not think to stay by the nurse to make sure nothing got into her office? She was careless and the nurse paid for it in the end. She wasn't about to let Yomi become scapegoat for that, even if it was terrifying to watch her sister speed toward her and behead her without a thought.
"You know what? The chief just worries that you're still upset over it, but I think going home would be better for you and since those guys look busy, let's not bother them. C'mon, let's get you home." Yomi said cheerfully.
As they left, the chief's office received the report. A body had been found at a warehouse and was identified to be Isayama Naraku, head of the Isayama clan. Immediately, Kiri rushed outside to tell Yomi only to find both she and Kagura were gone.
The walk home started quite droll, Kagura using every fiber of her being just to hold her half-hearted smile in place. Meanwhile, Yomi kept trying her usual stunts, her voice getting louder with every attempt as if volume would get through to the girl. However, it did provide Yomi with some comfort to hear something besides complete silence, even if hearing her own voice booming out toward the evening sky wasn't all that terrific.
"Do you think I should making some pudding, too, maybe for dessert? It could be yummy, nyan." Yomi shouted, her meowing making her loud outbursts seem extremely juvenile.
Finally getting herself together and seeing just what her sister was going through on her behalf, Kagura swallowed her fears and doubts, opting to bury them from herself despite how much they wanted to return to the surface.
"Yea! I want vanilla!" She chirped, raising one hand to the air.
Smiling with a tear freeing itself from her happy eyes, Yomi nodded and said, "Sure, I'm in a vanilla mood, too."
For the rest of the way, the two would joke like always, Kagura even mustering up the energy to tease Yomi about her relationship with Nori, particularly about the intimacies regarding it. Of course, with all this from her loved one, Yomi didn't even mind the embarrassments she felt at the subject. She was just thrilled to have Kagura back to normal, honestly back or faking it while pushing the truth back. Yomi knew they could always have the heart-to-hearts or the midnight ice cream sessions later. At present, she only wanted her little sister happy again, an innocent girl like she should've been had it not been for this recent rise in spiritual activity.
As they entered the house, Yomi called out for her father only to find that it was empty. It was unusual for Naraku to be out as his old age had weathered him, forcing him to walk with a cane. It would have been an inconvenience for him to leave the house, which he always noted as an excuse for Yomi's earlier requests to spend time together as a little girl. Going up to her room to freshen up before heading back downstairs to start dinner, she found that her treasured Shishio was missing from the room. It was said that the sword helped a person's spiritual energies, offering a small boost to the slayer's personal attributes. Could her father have taken Shishio in response to the last incident? He had sternly wanted her to spend the day as a normal girl, specifically away from slaying evil spirits. However, in his current state of health and with how much she knew him, he would never have gone to fight. He had long ago accepted Yomi as a very worthy slayer and trusted her in any dangerous situation to pull out fine. Shaking her head at her silliness, she dried her hands on a towel and went downstairs.
"Yomi, where is Uncle Naraku?" Kagura asked her, having taken out the ingredients needed for the cream croquette.
"He must be out." Yomi answered her, just then recounting her conversation with her father from earlier in the day.
He had been worried. He worried about Mei and the rise in anomalies that were producing creatures stronger than normal. Nori had mentioned it, too, that the Okubi they just faced together was
much more powerful than the typical variety. Also, no Okubi she had known appeared in tangent with the Kama-kiri. Her father had been worried about this, about Mei, and also worried about Yomi herself getting involved in the situation. Naraku trusted Yomi with her duties as a slayer. He trusted her to carry on his legacy, for sure, even she knew it despite him never mentioning it outright. However, if he was that distraught over the recent events, would he? Shishio was missing from her room and her father was out. Her Shishio that never left her side and couldn't have disappeared on her own coupled with her father, who never liked leaving the house of his own accord, leaving without any notice on the same night didn't ease Yomi's worry.
"Yomi?" Kagura asked, walking over to her sister.
Casting her eyes to her pocket, Yomi pulled out her mobile to find it had been turned off. That was right, she had turned it off to save her and Nori from any further interruptions. When the Okubi attacked, she and Nori defeated it and it was Nori that received the report of more signals, one in particular being at the school Kagura and her friends went to swim. She hadn't gotten the report herself, but she was only thinking about Kagura and after all that had happened to the girl, the last thing on Yomi's mind was her phone. Quickly turning it on, she waited for it to load and, as she had feared, she found numerous missed calls coupled with at least a dozen sms. Looking at Kagura with concern blatant in her eyes, she checked her inbox to find almost all the messages had been left by her cousin, Mei.
*From: Isayama Mei
Sent: Today 8:03PM
Yomi, come to the hospital, quick!*
*From: Isayama Mei
Sent: Today 8:10PM
Yomi, where are you?*
*From: Isayama Mei
Sent: Today 8:34PM
Yomi… I'm sorry.*
*From: Isayama Mei
Sent: Today 8:37PM
Please, Yomi, where are you? Come to the hospital.*
*From: Isayama Mei
Sent: Today 9:01PM
Yomi…
Uncle Naraku…*
Each succeeding message read about the same. Mei's panicked and anxious words were enough to tell Yomi something was very wrong. Her cousin was never nervous about anything and held a stoic poise no matter the circumstance. What could have caused her to leave those messages was obviously very troubling and should've met with Yomi's undivided and immediate attention, but her phone was off. Taking several deep breaths, Yomi scrolled to one of the only messages in her inbox not sent by her cousin. It was a voicemail from the ministry.
"Yomi, if you get this message, we have very grievous news to tell you. Please call us." Kiri said on the message as it played, "Message received at nine forty-eight PM."
It was just after she had gotten Kagura out of the ministry, which was now over an hour ago. Quickly, she called back and tried to get in touch with anyone at the office, but to no avail. They must have rushed off to whatever they needed her to call them about. Turning to Kagura with very worried eyes, Kagura nodded and they both went for the door.
The trip to the hospital took only a few minutes on Yomi's scooter, but both of them already knew they were too late. It was over an hour since the reports and Mei had already stopped sending messages. She had Kagura send one back to tell her they were on their way and the following "please hurry" was the last they were in contact.
As soon as they entered the hospital, they headed straight for the Emergency Room where one of Mei's messages said they'd be. The first of the rooms behind the information counter saw a crowd, the most notable ones being that of her uncle, Yuu, and her sullen cousin.
"Uncle!" She cried out, rushing with Kagura to them, "What happened?"
"Yomi, where have you been at a time like this?" Yuu growled, his eyes piercing into his niece, "We couldn't even get a hold of you! We've been trying for a long time now."
"Father." Mei tried to say, putting her hand on the man's shoulder.
Shrugging it off, he stormed right to Yomi, the rage in his eyes uncanny, "What kind of a daughter are you to abandon my Honoured Brother at a time like this!"
Mei ran to her father, holding him back from getting any closer to her cousin, tears pooling from her eyes as she cried, "Stop! We don't need this right now!
"Mei…" Yuu grumbled, frowning at his daughter before turning his back on both of them.
Mei, taking several deep breaths before facing Yomi, struggled with the words she wanted to say, about what had happened to Isayama Naraku, but eventually only managed to feign her usual stoic guise, pointing at the room behind her and requesting that she say her goodbyes to her father.
Yomi's eyes grew wide at her statement, hearing them repeat inside her head over and over, echoing through the halls and corridors of the hospital, resounding from the corners of the dark room, looming over her as she peered down at the body lying in the bed, and rang out with the loudest and most sickening din as she removed the cloth from the person's face.
"Yomi, please bid your farewells to your father. Isayama Naraku has passed."
There, on the bed with a pale and sunken face lay the barely attached head of her father, the stitches from his neck so evident now that his skin had begun to shrivel that they might as well have been a beacon pointing out just how savagely he had been taken. His neck was cut cleanly through; even the spinal cord had no frays, just a clean tear. Yomi felt sick. She crumbled to the floor in shock and disbelief. She didn't want to admit what she just saw, but the body was still there in front of her, the dark red wounds glaring at her sadistically. He was gone. Her father was gone.
At the funeral, even with all the other families and every Isayama in attendance, consoling her, Yomi could only cry over her dead father's body, never forgetting how she had found him even as his body had been mended and made to appear as before, as though Isayama Naraku had not been decapitated and was merely sleeping, having developed a slight wrinkle in his neck due to age and nothing more. Nothing was going to change the fact that under that wrinkle were a great many stitches, the only thing keeping the
man's head from falling off his shoulders. Nothing was going to change the fact that the man who had cared for her her whole life, the one that sheltered her after the storm that destroyed her former life, and the one that gave her purpose in building a new one was dead.
"Father took me in, a homeless and wandering street rat and was kind enough to raise me up." Yomi uttered with Kagura sitting just opposite her, "He was always so kind and righteous. For me, he will always be the best father. I didn't even get a chance to repay him. I have nothing to give back to him for all he's given me."
Kagura didn't respond, on the one hand knowing that nothing she could say would be of help to her big sister at that moment and on the other that she herself couldn't muster up the strength of mind needed to say anything anyway. She was still broken over the nurse and all the other difficulties of the like that she faced as a slayer. She had just pushed it all back for Yomi's sake, because Yomi was trying to help her, but now Yomi was broken, too. Kagura just didn't know anymore.
"Yomi… May I intrude?" Mei muttered lowly, her head lowered as she entered the room.
Yomi wouldn't respond and Kagura wouldn't substitute for her, either. Mei took it as a sign, but she had been sent by her father and had no choice but to get her attention. It was shattering her heart that she was responsible for all of this, for causing Yomi the pain she was in. All she had wanted was to be considered for what she felt was her rightful place in the family as the only true bloodline descendent to the Isayama name that had been doing her duty as a slayer. That was all she had wanted out of her uncle, but all the circumstances that followed her simple plan had caused so much damage. She realised now, only too late, that it wasn't worth the cost. However, regardless of how much she knew she regretted her decisions, she still had the desire to become the heir to her family's leading position. It was her birthright, not Yomi's and it was cruel of her uncle to have gone so far as to push her away in favour of an outsider. In the end, there was probably nothing that could have been done to change what happened. She would just have to help her cousin in its aftermath. That was all that could be done.
"Yomi, I'm really sorry to bother you with this now, but the heads of the other families have arrived. Please come downstairs and meet them." Mei mumbled, kneeling down beside Yomi and offering a look of great sympathy.
"Okay." Yomi replied softly, her voice exuding as if she had no life left in her.
"Today, at your most inconvenient hour, I must call you all together under very grave circumstances and I am deeply apologetic for doing so. I believe you are all aware of it by now that my Honoured Brother, Naraku, has been murdered by malevolent spirits." Yuu announced before the procession, "Even though the details of this have as yet not been discovered, it must have been the work of a very powerful spirit to have been able to defeat such a well-trained and highly-talented slayer as Naraku was. I request that you all take heed and keep your guards up."
To this, the procession nodded their full understanding and compliance. Whatever the being was who had murdered him, it must have had superb capabilities to have bested the head of the Isayama clan. Even in his old age, Isayama Naraku was a formidable warrior in his own right. He had been found with the family's treasured legendary blade, Shishio, but he would have been a force to be reckoned with despite having its power. To have been brutalised as he was, the foe must have been one of the strongest they could encounter and for that, they needed to be careful.
"Also, in spite of how unsuitable these times are, it is quite difficult to warrant these chances and so I would like to inform everyone of another matter: According to the head of the Isayama family, Naraku's last will and testament, I, Yuu, will take the role of active leadership. Obviously, I alone cannot possibly handle the dealings of this family; therefore, my daughter, Mei, will take the true responsibilities
of leadership. However, as she does not have much experience in the role, I ask that you all aid her in any way possible."
To this, both Mei and Yomi were taken aback, Mei even gasping at her father's obvious lies to the other heads. Even though this was exactly what she had wanted, she knew she didn't want it like this. She didn't want to live a lie and knew she didn't deserve it at the moment, being the cause of her premature promotion. Mei had resolved not to consider the title until after she'd repented and made reparations for her actions, brought respect and dignity back to her name even if only she knew that it had been tarnished.
Yomi was lost to her thoughts. Most of her was still in remission, grieving and trapped in that grief, incapable of taking a stand for anything at the moment. However, the part of her that was strong and righteous, the part that was nurtured by her father, stood defiant of any injustice even if her heart couldn't back her up. Coming to a stand, she questioned her uncle about his words, about the validity of his ascension and that of her father's last will. She had always known her father's intention to make her take the lead after his departure. It was no secret she was favoured so her uncle's words had to have been a lie, but how could he?
"Your taking the position as head, is that really true?" Yomi asked.
"Yes," Yuu blatantly lied, his face scornful, "this was exactly how my Honoured Brother's last will and testament read."
"The will…" Yomi muttered, thinking of a way to divulge the truth, "How could this be? You opened his last will and testament without me, his own daughter, present? And his funeral procession was just a while ago! Does the position as head mean so much to you? What do you take my father's death for?"
"Silence!" Yuu roared furiously, "Who let the situation become so dire then, Yomi? Who was the one that entered this distinct slayers' family and then decided to be irresponsible in her duties? And who is the one that allowed my Honoured Brother to be murdered and let his killer escape? Honoured Brother endured hardships and bore his scars from battle then stayed to take on the heavy burden of leadership for the sake of this family; is it too much to ask that you protect him? If the leadership position of our family is left vacant, there will be much more injury and death with our line of work. Do you not realise how much thought I put into making this decision?"
Taking a breath, he then added, "Yomi, I've heard that when my Honoured Brother was being attacked by those evil spirits, you were out fooling around with some man."
"Father, that's enough!" Mei yelled, standing in front of Yomi to shield her from those wretched words.
During this time, Yomi had shrunk down, knowing her mistakes and having to accept the consequences. However, Mei knew the truth and knew that even with whatever Yomi might have done, the guilty party lay with her. Her halberd was the weapon that murdered the head of the Isayama clan, herself being the "evil spirits" her father had kept focusing on. Both Yuu and Yomi were unaware of this, though, and this allowed Yuu to vent all his frustrations about her freely, without needing to fear the wrath of his Honoured Brother.
"No matter how strong you've become or how much of a name you've made for yourself, don't feel you're so special. You couldn't even save the one person who cared and fostered you. What kind of a prodigy are you really? You have nothing to show for all of Honoured Brother's hopes and expectations. In the end, his faith in you is what caused him his life."
"Father!"
Mei went to Yomi's side, cradling her in her embrace to try and mitigate the damage done by Yuu's tactless words. However, Yomi was broken already from the death and had already been blaming
herself. Regardless of the validities of Yuu's claims, Yomi wholeheartedly believed him and accepted how useless she was. As Mei continued to coo her while trying her best to calm her father, Yuu remained stern and Yomi remained utterly defeated.
Yomi found herself back in her room following the meeting, being taken there early by Mei so she didn't need to hold her poise for appearances anymore. She needed her rest after the ordeal and agreed with Mei that the best thing for her was to sit the remainder of the meeting out up in her room and try to take in all that had happened. It would take a lot for her to heal from this, but for the moment, given some time to herself, perhaps she could bury it until there was a more suitable span for her to work through it.
The first thing she thought to do was take out her phone and look up Noriyuki's number. She played with the idea of calling him and having him swoop in and save her from this nightmare, but she knew that wasn't going to happen. In the end, she couldn't even bring herself to make the call just to have someone to talk to, a few tears dripping onto the Picture ID as she kept looking at her chance for escape slipping away.
It was an odd scene for Mei to witness as she spied on her cousin, peering from behind the door. Yomi, despite how miserable and filthy she had been the first day she was brought before the Isayama residence, always showed poise and strength. Back then, it had been in an act of defiance and silent oath of vengeance for her slain family. She stood tall and strong ever since in memory of that promise and additionally for her new promise to the Isayama family. To see her wallowing in grief, indecisive, vulnerable, despicable, it wasn't an easy sight to behold. Knowing that she had created this Yomi made it sting in Mei's heart even further. No, she didn't like her cousin. She had been the thing that stole her rightful role as heir, but that didn't justify what she had done, not on behalf of justice or the vow of the slayer. Unfortunately, Mei wasn't there just to play wall-fly to her peer. The meeting had concluded and her father had other instructions for his new heir. Callousness was the goal and Yuu spared no expense at reaping it, rewarding Mei with the task of delivering those next hopefully painful blows.
"Yomi…" She muttered barely at audible levels.
"Mei?" Yomi looked up, immediately wiping the stray tears from her face to keep up appearances.
Mei cringed at the sight, but knew she had no choice but to continue, "Father had a few more requests."
"Requests?"
"I'm sorry. As you know, Father wants to make this the new base of operations. It would be best if I were able to live here."
"Uncle wants to move in here?"
Quickly following her words as a pointless ploy to mitigate how hard she thought Yomi would be taking the news, Mei added, "I told him that taking the guest room would have been fine with me… but it would be looked at as a loss of dignity for the daughter of the Isayama clan's head to reside in a guest room while accommodating someone else."
It hurt her deeply to be saying those excuses from her father and she didn't even use the exact description he had for Yomi, which had been hard enough for her to hear.
"What about me?" Came her cousin's weak reply.
Looking away, Mei appeased, "What about Kagura's room? Kagura is already at an age where she could fend for herself. It could be a good opportunity."
"So you're saying-" She could hear Yomi's voice start to change from grief to anger.
"I mean her active duties in this household are remarkable, better than even you when you were her age." Mei haphazardly noted, which unknowingly only hit Yomi harder, "She shouldn't be playing the helpless girl anymore. Depending on someone else forever isn't good."
Yomi understood what Mei was trying to say to her and knew that it was meant to solve the trouble her uncle had caused with his wrath, but Kagura was the most precious thing she had and she never felt the girl was depending on anyone. Rather, Yomi had already admitted to herself that she depended on Kagura to play her role as little sister more than Kagura actually needed a big sister.
Seeing Yomi calming was a good sign for Mei, but there was more stinging at her from the back of her mind. The room wasn't everything her father had wanted Mei to announce to her cousin. There was just another thorn left to drive into Yomi that couldn't be left alone.
"Yomi…" Her cousin looked up at her again, "Could I- could I have Shishio? Father said to have you release ownership of Shishio. He said… he said if you couldn't protect Uncle, you may not have the power to wield Shishio." Mei felt like vomiting; she couldn't believe she had to say that.
"What?" Yomi growled, pushing her tightened fist into her mattress.
Mei rushed to pull Yomi into her embrace. She knew how hard it would be for her cousin to hear those words. Shishio, despite how much she knew it belonged with her and a true Isayama, had almost been a part of Yomi for years. Carrying with it not only the power and honour of the Isayama clan that Yomi wielded with pride but also being one of the few lingering mementos of her departed father, she knew her cousin cherished the weapon.
"This isn't fair for you, I know. Yomi, I'm sorry for all of this. I hope one day you can forgive me and forgive Father, but I know I don't deserve that kindness." She whimpered, cringing at the guilty memories flashing through her mind.
The next words would destroy her, "Mei, I don't blame you or Uncle for any of this. I'm the one that wasn't there to protect my father. It is no one's fault but mine. Uncle is only acting this way because of grief. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you're being so kind to me right now. Thank you, Mei."
Mei felt numb from the mix of emotion. Her cousin was her most hated rival ever since it could be seen that her uncle favoured the outsider more than anyone in the family. She loathed having her take up the mantle of the Isayama clan and take from her any opportunity she could have had at succeeding her uncle. To have that same person now hugging her back, taking full responsibility for actions Mei knew had been her own fault, then even going so far as to say Mei need not be forgiven broke Mei's heart into splinters. What had she done? How could she have caused so much pain to someone this good?
"Anyway, maybe you're right about Kagura, but I don't need to take her room. I think Uncle would be more pleased without me around. I think it would be best if we both left. We could take up temporary residency at her house for now." Yomi added, wiping away the stray tear in Mei's eye with a soft smile.
"Yomi…"
"Yomi!" Kagura exclaimed, seeing Yomi exit the house.
As she made her way to her sister, she overheard a vocal conversation off to her left near one of the further houses on the estate. Leaving the building was Izuna Norisada, a displeased countenance to
meet his company, Isayama Yuu. The two heads of their respective families engaged in an angry discussion over the fates of their descending generation.
"Isayama-dono!" Norisada growled, "This is not right! The previous head had already stated he was giving his position to Yomi."
"I already explained this earlier, Izuna-dono. I am only acting in accordance with my Honoured Brother's will." Yuu replied.
"Who are you trying to fool? It is only because I heard that Yomi was going to inherit the position that I agreed to allow Noriyuki to marry her." Norisada countered, that statement alerting Kagura to the truth behind her ideas of a happy family with her sister.
"It doesn't matter what you heard, that arrangement was between you and my Honoured Brother." Yuu noted, "And I am not Yomi's father. Asking me to deal with Yomi's marital situation isn't proper."
"Since it's like that, this arrangement will need further consideration before a formal decision is to be made."
Having heard the whole thing, Kagura immediately went to Yomi's side, taking her away from the area and back inside. Seeing Mei inside made Kagura uneasy, but she didn't know why. It was then that both of them would inform her of the new situation, of how Yuu had decided that the head of the clan should stay at the main house and that Yomi should vacate the premises, which they had decided on having Yomi leave with Kagura to live at her house.
"But that's-" Kagura tried to protest, but Yomi would stop her.
"It's alright, Kagura. I know you must have grown attached to this place, but it was never supposed to be permanent anyway. This is to help Uncle and Mei with their duties."
"But Yomi, it isn't fair!"
"Kagura, the decision was already made and we should respect that. Now, go pack your things so-"
"Yomi, it's fine. She can take as long as she needs. We should go attend Uncle Naraku's cremation." Mei interjected, pulling Yomi away as Kagura's eyes filled with tears.
After Naraku's body was cremated, Yomi returned to Kagura's room to make sure she was doing as she was told. Though she had been packing her things, Yomi could tell she wasn't trying to be as cooperative as she had hoped. Sighing, she walked herself downstairs, choosing to abandon her things. What did it matter anyway? Nothing in that room had ever held any real meaning to her. Besides, she had something else on her mind now. Sitting herself by the window sill, she lifted her hand to reveal part of a wing belonging to a blue butterfly. Closing her eyes, Yomi recalled how she came to obtain the object.
Watching her father's body burning in the furnace had been painful and overwhelming for her, but she held her composure well enough not to draw attention, particularly the undesired attention of her uncle who wanted any excuse to loose his full wrath upon her. However, Mei was unusually expressive of her emotion and wanted to comfort her cousin in any way she could, which only provoked the reverse effect. Yomi became suspicious of her odd behaviour. With the pressure of maintaining her posture in the presence of the other family members while bearing witness to burning of the only Isayama who had ever taken her in, Yomi's mind was on edge and bordering on paranoid as it coped with her grief.
Afterward, when she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts and recollect the fragments, she found herself again in the company of her over-attentive cousin. Without warning, she took Yomi into her
embrace as if a mother sheltering her from the harmful world. It was safe to say, with the memory of Mei having been lukewarm toward her at best, Yomi resented this abrupt change of heart. Her normal response was to simply take it as a ploy or ironic discomfort the moment someone finally accepted her, but circumstances weren't normal and neither was she in a logical state. Then, her confusion would become clear. Amidst the whimpering and condolences, Yomi saw the object she dreaded despite it confirming her expectations. There, clinging to the fibers of Mei's yukata was a blue butterfly wing, one of the same variety that she had seen when Kagura's mother was killed.
Yomi twirled the wing about with her fingers as she gazed vacantly at it. On the inside, however, she was screaming. It was already clear to her what had been going on underneath and it made her sick. The words she had happily shared with her father to praise her cousin resounded throughout every recess within her and would have caused a shudder if she was still capable of feeling anything apart from the growing rage. She only needed to maintain her slayer professionalism, which was what she currently awaited. Following her discovery, she tore off a piece of the wing and had one of the ministry's associates take it for analysis. Part of her prayed the findings would be inconclusive or would direct her elsewhere because she didn't want to proceed down her current path. Her present situation allowed her the small luxury of pushing back the imminent confrontation.
"Yomi?" Kagura's voice whispered to wake her from her misery.
"Come sit." She replied, smiling weakly.
Kagura quietly took a seat next to her sister, asking, "Yomi, will you be alright?"
"I'll be fine. It's just returning to how I used to be after all. I never was a person that needed any material things."
"What are you saying?"
"All I need is you, Kagura." Yomi clarified, hugging her close, "You're the only thing I treasure."
Kagura entrusted herself to Yomi and hoped she could one day be strong enough to end her sister's plight. It had been unjust the decisions made against Yomi and after she had to suffer such devastating losses that led to them. However, the girl had no idea what was actually destroying Yomi then, the pulsing throbs of betrayal within her with the knowledge of the truth she could only ignore for so long. Every moment as Kagura began to relax and surrender to her own emotional exhaustion, Yomi was losing the battle waging inside her heart and soul. She clung to the younger girl tighter and struggled to block out the images, replaying countless times how her father must have died at the hands of her own cousin. Her sister was the only one she could use to shield herself from it, but it was a feeble attempt. Eventually the report would come and then she would have to face it, no matter what. Her instinct already knew it, her mind had figured it out for a while now, but she refused to accept it until there was nothing left to deny.
"Kagura, we'll be together as sisters forever and leave all of it behind us." She lied, cradling the sleeping girl in her arms.
She buried her face into Kagura's hair and focused on its scent and the warmth of her body. All the while, her heart was racing as she waited for her peace to break with the ringing of her mobile. And then the first one would come, followed by a second, and a third. She played with the thought of not answering, but it was painfully clear what she had to do.
"Hello?" She answered weakly, her mind fragmenting once more as she imagined all the better outcomes that could be offered to her.
"We've confirmed it. There are stains on the wing that were identified as coagulated blood droplets. The blood belongs to Isayama-sama. Yomi, where did you-"
Yomi ended the call immediately. She prayed she would feel tears well up in her eyes or feel weakness in her knees, even vomiting from the stress of hearing the truth, but her heart had stopped pounding. Her body was cold. Her soul that had been clinging to the innocent days only recently passed no longer held such delusions. Reality had struck her down and left her with nothing left inside. She gazed blankly at the girl lying on her window sill, slowly forgetting her last remaining treasure. Her eyes trailed towards the Michael 12 lying beside her and the sight began filling Yomi with other ideas. She began counting the sequences that had passed through her mind regarding just what her reaction should be to her father's murder. She could feel it in her hands as the bag was cast aside; she could feel the power beneath its scabbard. This was all that mattered to Yomi now, that and her sole remaining memento of her father. She had to retrieve it and reap her vengeance upon the one who had caused all her strife.
*From: Yomi
Sent: Today 6:37PM
Mei,
Could you meet me at the warehouse where they found my father? I think closure is what I need right now and I think I can get it there, but only if you help me.*
The slayer continued to peer at the message as she made her way to the area. Her guilt forced her to face Yomi and be there for her, but her heart pounded heavily in her chest for the same reason. This was the scene where she crossed the line and could never return. Rightfully, she should admit her crimes when she saw her cousin and accept any retaliation without resistance. However, deep within herself, resentment was growing.
Every step that drew her nearer to the site echoed those words to her, 'All of this shouldn't have happened. If only my uncle had done the right thing and given me what was rightfully mine, I would never have had to concoct such a risky plan and then it wouldn't have led to making the most destructive deal in my life. My damnation is all Yomi's fault!'
However, that didn't change the bottom line which was what she had done. She was a slayer who had gone against everything her upbringing had taught her, everything that she had sworn to uphold. She'd released malevolent miasma knowing it would poison the world. She had forged an alliance with evil her family was charged with eradicating. She had murdered one of her kin in the face of an enemy. Regardless if her intentions had been justified, nothing could remove the taint from her hands.
"Yomi?" She called out, entering the dark and empty warehouse.
Silence was her answer as she timidly perused the large facility. She was mindful of the taped crime scene spots, shivering as she passed by, trying her best not to let her eyes fall upon them. Moving to a darker area, she placed her hand on the side of a box. There was a blood smear on it that she knew would be there. She recalled the motions that had allowed her uncle's blood to splatter onto the box and she closed her eyes, a part of her sensing that an end was approaching. A tear slid down her face before she calmly wiped it off and called out for her cousin once more.
Mei reached an open area under a catwalk and took a breath. It had been at least ten minutes and the fruitless search had begun to frustrate her given the conflict inside her. Looking to her left and then her right, she made one more step forward before something fell in front of her. Gasping in surprise, she looked down to identify the object and was horrified to find half of a blue butterfly's wing, stained with blood. Shifting her gaze upward, she saw a figure with its eyes glaring into her, the gleam off the blade it carried telling Mei who it was.
"Yomi!" She called out as Yomi dropped down.
"I praised you." Yomi's voice uttered, her tone weak and broken.
"Yomi, listen to me. There's more going on than you know!"
"I believed in you." She continued, shaking.
"Yomi, I didn't want it to come to this." Mei pleaded, knowing she would never have forgiven herself let alone her heartbroken cousin.
"Father was suspicious about you, but I was so proud of how strong you were."
"Yomi!"
"Father was trying to warn me about you, but I was caught up in your façade. I was even angry with myself for thinking less of you in the past." Yomi continued to mumble, casting her eyes at the ground before her cousin.
"Yomi, please believe me. I never wanted this. I thought I was doing the right thing." An obvious lie, but she could fool herself for the moment.
"You were my elder. I wanted to respect you even if you didn't respect me. You saved me when I resented you and I felt so embarrassed. I wanted to make up for it by trying to be closer to you like Kagura is to me. You were always so solitary. It felt lonely."
"Yomi."
"Uncle wanted to know how I could have allowed Father's killer to escape unscathed. How could I have known that I wasn't only letting her go, I was adoring her and trying to ask her forgiveness. Maybe he was right for banishing me and taking my inheritance. How could I be an effective leader for our family if I couldn't even detect our enemies?" Yomi cringed, tightening her grip on her weapon.
"Yomi, I'm not your enemy. I didn't mean for Uncle Naraku to die. It was a trick. I was fooled into believing-"
"QUIET!" Yomi screamed, raising Michael 12.
On instinct, Mei unsheathed Shishio to defend herself, but this only enraged her cousin further. "How dare you raise that against me. I will return Father's sword to its rightful place. As a slayer, it is my job to eliminate those who spread the taint of death to the human world."
Mei was taken aback by those words used against her and took great offence. She had taken full responsibility for her actions as a slayer who had murdered her own, but she would not accept being considered in the same rite as one of those wretched creatures. They stood mere feet apart, weapons held in opening stance. Yomi's heart filled with hatred and rage, her eyes seeing only a villain in her sights. Mei was more complex. She was embittered by the outcome of her schemes, the belief that she had been betrayed, lured, and baited into defiling herself appealing to her present state of mind, but she was still a slayer and knew her responsibilities. She wanted to lie to herself so there was some shallow possibility for forgiveness, but the truth was right in front of her eyes. Yomi was avenging her fallen father, doing what was expected of her as a proper daughter. What had she done? How had she honoured her family?
Yomi lunged forward before Mei could react, distracted by the guilt she desired gone. Michael 12 pressed against the Shishio and its user pushed Mei back before going for a series of powerful strikes. Mei's body was unwilling to strike back, plagued with the knowledge of her guilt. Tears streamed from her eyes as she knew her time drew near. After another volley of strikes, Yomi forced her opponent to flinch enough to break her defence and remove the sword from her hands. Seeing Shishio fly and plant itself into a nearby box, Mei quickly guarded herself with her halberd, catching Yomi's next attack and twisting to trip her. Yomi recovered quickly, angered further by the retaliation. She turned and made a low cut, going
for Mei's waist, but the attempt was met with the halberd's staff. Mei flipped back and positioned herself into a defensive stance. Her eyes widened in fear as Yomi was already upon her. Striking down, Mei held out her halberd horizontally, the force behind the assault pushing her back a few steps. Still, the callous maneuver alerted Mei to Yomi's state, which posed a potential vantage point for her. Distraught as she was, Yomi was attacking like a mad bull, uncalculated and a victim to her emotions. It made her power much greater than usual, but her technique and training was completely forfeit. Though she couldn't bring herself to attack, basic instinct also forbade her from staying herself so the next moment Yomi struck, Mei moved her halberd against the Michael 12's blade, causing Yomi to stumble and fall into the boxes ahead.
When Yomi recovered, she realised what she had been doing and tried calming herself. She wanted her revenge, yes, but she wasn't going to get it using the mad rampage tactic. It had been a disgrace that she had allowed her father to be slain; it would only further shame her and her father if she was to be defeated due to a reckless charge. Scanning the arena, she saw that Shishio wasn't too far from her. Michael 12's design was superb, crafted by the skill of Master Michael, but Shishio was her family's treasure. Not only was it better if she could avenge her father with their family's most prized weapon, but the spiritual power of the Shishio far surpassed any other blade. Equipping Michael 12, she assumed the same ballistic assault she had been using and lunged for her cousin who prepared to deflect in the same way. However, just as she reached, Yomi pulled to the side, surprising Mei and smacking her in the back with her knee. Mei fell and, with that position, Yomi planted her feet against her side and pushed herself into a roll. She came out of it right in front of Shishio and reclaimed it without trouble. Tossing Michael 12 to the side, she leaped forward with the familiar weapon, poised to make a proper killing blow.
Mei saw in horror what she had just fell for and looked about for any options to save her life. By this point, she had convinced herself that Yomi's anger hindered any chance of her being a worthy head of the Isayama clan, providing her with more justification to deny her cousin of her revenge. Her body began to accept it and she began to believe her excuses, thinking to herself that all of this was Yomi's fault if not her uncle's. Now knowing Yomi had her focus back, Mei knew she had to be careful. Lesser than her or not, she was still a strong slayer and very talented. This coupled with the fact that her new weapon bolstered one of the greatest of all spiritual beasts, she was more than likely to arise the victor. She would have to be careful.
As Yomi arrived, Mei flipped back, hitting another wall of boxes. Pushing off them, she struck Shishio with the side of her halberd's blade, and spun to land behind Yomi before throwing her heel into Yomi's back. Her cousin fell forward, but quickly recovered into a roll before stopping herself and swiping her leg for a sweep. Mei flipped to the side and stabbed, but the blade of Shishio guided her halberd into the boxes and Yomi closed the gap immediately, using the short range advantage of her sword to force Mei to let go of her weapon. Without a weapon and facing a slayer with Nue for a trump card wasn't where Mei could afford to be so she readied herself for any opening. Seeing it in Yomi's horizontal slash, she ducked underneath, the blade taking off strands of her hair and the flower she kept in them. However, the maneuver allowed her to regain her halberd, which she quickly pulled against the ground to send sparks into Yomi's eyes. Yomi's training, however, saved her from it as she put up her hand and slid, landing her foot into Mei's ankle. As she fell, Yomi slammed Shishio down, but Mei was able to bring the halberd up just in time to catch it. Their momentum placed Yomi on top of Mei, but Yomi's footing wasn't steady and a roll of her staff allowed her to trip her cousin. Before Yomi could grasp her head with her knees and maintain her advantage, Mei pulled the halberd back and pushed Yomi's legs away. Her cousin would only use this, as well, tucking and rolling back to her feet just to swing her sword around and catch Mei across her chest as she tried to stand. Mei would stumble from the wound, but dodge the following stab and regain her footing.
Kagura's eyes opened slowly and began surveying the area to remember where she was. Seeing the familiar stairs and hall before her and feeling the wooden sill she had been lying on, she identified it as the residence of Isayama Naraku and recalled how she had fallen asleep while trying to comfort Yomi. Looking around, though, she found no sign of her sister and knew trouble lay ahead on instinct. She got up and took a few steps until her foot hit something on the floor. Yomi's mobile was strewn upon it and
showed missed calls. Kagura took the device and viewed the call records to see that they had all come from the ministry save one. Using her own phone, she contacted the ministry only to find that there had been an attack, signs showing it to be a Category B, Kasha. Nori, Kazuki, and the others had already gone off to take them and it was unanimously agreed that they would keep Yomi and Kagura out of it given the recent events regarding the two. Acknowledging this, Kagura ended the call and went to the missed calls list to find Mei had been the only other one to contact Yomi. Kagura guessed that Yomi found out about the mission and wanted to have Mei with her so as to let Kagura rest. It was the most likely action her sister would have made. Sitting back down, she began looking through Yomi's messages casually, eventually seeking out the message Yomi had sent to Mei. With a disappointed sigh, she opened the message and began reading its contents.
"Warehouse?" Kagura asked, confused by the odd words Yomi had entered.
She wanted to leave well enough alone because this was Isayama business, which she could not take part in despite considering Yomi to be her true sister. However, something didn't feel right and it was worrying Kagura. Using Yomi's phone, she redialed the most recent number to find it was actually directed to the lab at the ministry. She would learn that Yomi had wanted blood analysis on a fragment of a blue butterfly wing, which came back as Naraku's blood. Kagura realised that Yomi was seeking to avenge her father and that meant she would have gone directly to face such an enemy. She had gone to a warehouse and asked for Mei's attendance. Perhaps the enemy was powerful enough that Yomi knew she'd need help and what better company could she have in avenging a fallen Isayama than a fellow Isayama?
"But…" Kagura mumbled aloud.
Still unsettled by this development, she took to finding the warehouse and hopefully offer her own abilities in slaying her uncle's murderer. She only prayed that Yomi would be safe and that her sister would return to her as she used to be before everything in her life went to ruin. Praying this to be true, Kagura hurried off.
Shishio had made Yomi's onslaught much more devastating due to the morale it brought her. The weapon's craftsmanship aided her passes against her cousin, but she felt more at peace with it by her side. It was no longer in enemy clutches and could therefore be saved from further defilement. It was a tool bearing with it the essence of Isayama Naraku, which made it the only fitting item to exact her vengeance.
"Yomi, don't do this." Mei pleaded, the words only having the reverse effect.
Swinging hard from her right, Yomi broke through Mei's defence and loosened her grasp of her halberd. Following through, Yomi swung up and forced her cousin's arms in a compromising position. Knowing this, Mei angled the blade enough to partially deflect and block Shishio from finishing its next strike, but Yomi saw her opening and wasn't going to allow Mei to take anything else from her. Pushing through with all her might, the blade scraped harshly against the halberd and plunged itself into Mei's forearm, slicing through and out of her wrist. As Mei screamed in pain, Yomi cast a sadistic grin and twisted her blade to sever the limb. Mei pressed what remained of her arm to her chest and struggled to keep her hold on her halberd, but Yomi was on her within moments, striking the weapon from her hand.
"Mei." Yomi breathed, her hair concealing her visage from her terrified cousin's view.
"Please no." Mei begged, tears freely flowing from her eyes, "Yomi!"
"Be silent!" Yomi spat, revealing the cold, dead gaze that was hidden earlier, "I don't want to hear you ever again!"
Raising Shishio, she released her Ga-rei, Ranguren, and hovered over Mei's fallen and defenceless form. Mei looked from her cousin to the menacing spiritual beast and understood her fate. Her mind
shrieked with the injustice she felt she now faced and her heart began filling with hatred for Yomi rather than the sorrow and grief she had had earlier. Every moment Yomi used to be vindictive only helped in agitating Mei further and thoughts echoed inside her mind. She felt the fate she was handed was far from fair and that Yomi was taking more glory out of her strife. She had only made those poor decisions and that foolish alliance with Mitogawa because of what her uncle had mistakenly done for Yomi. That led to her unforgivable murder of Isayama Naraku and signaled the last chapter of her life, which Yomi appeared only too happy to carry out. What gave her the right to play the unfortunate victim and avenging hero? What justified her current place as the evil entity?
"Ranguren-" Yomi growled, her teeth bared as she commanded her Ga-rei, "Houkoha!"
"Chief, thank you for bringing me here." Kagura said again with a bow.
"Don't worry about it, Kagura. As I said, we had been picking up scant signals around this area anyway and if Yomi is here, she may need us."
"Kagura, you said Yomi asked Mei here?" Kiri asked.
"Yes, I saw the message in her outbox." Kagura confirmed, showing Kiri the message, "You don't think Yomi is in trouble, do you?"
"It's strange. Her message was sent just an hour before the signals began to appear in this area. Maybe-"
A scream pierced through the air and the ground shook. Once the ministry recovered, they immediately sped for the warehouse, their youngest member fearing the worst and hoping the scream hadn't come from who her mind was thinking about. As soon as the doors were open, Kagura burst through and rushed to the sound of the next scream only to find Mei, bloodied and battered, pleading with Yomi to stop her torture. She couldn't believe it nor could any of the other gasping members of the ministry.
Yomi didn't even notice their arrival, her mind closed off to anything else apart from the squealing mouse struggling before her. Taking in a few more ragged breaths, she growled, "Ranguren! Houkoha!"
The blast tore apart Mei's skin and the cracking sounds showed that the continuous blows had broken some if not all of Mei's bones. The concrete floor was fragmented and jagged and the surrounding boxes where all but shreds. Mei's blood-spewing body writhed weakly and her eyes gazed blankly in different directions, one of them hanging partly from its fractured socket. Choking out more of the crimson fluid, Mei's mouth seemed to be saying something, but her larynx had long since been crushed.
"Ranguren…" Yomi began again.
"Yomi! No!" Kagura screamed, striking Shishio from her hands with Michael 12.
Yomi's eyes opened wide as she finally took notice of the new presence, taking her eyes back to Kagura soon after. She couldn't believe what had happened and didn't want to accept the event stopping her from finishing the job.
"Kagura…" She mouthed, her heart shattering, "Why?"
"Yomi, stand down! Now!" The chief ordered, having Kiri on guard.
Once she realised her delicate position, Yomi quickly clutched some of Nue's hair and had it leap from the building. All the while, her mind replayed Kagura coming to defend the one who'd caused all of it,
siding against her to do so no less. How could she have done that to her? Who did she have now without even her last most treasured person?
'How could that filth do this to me?'
'I'm sorry, Yomi.'
'I was going to get what was rightfully mine!'
'It was all my doing.'
'She'll pay for the pain I had to endure!'
'What have I become?'
'Look at what she did to me!'
'I must repent. This is the fate I created for myself.'
'When I'm done with her, she'll beg me for death!'
'Please… forgive me.'
A stray tear fell from her eyes as Mei's consciousness slipped into the darkness. The Mei she had wanted to be slowly blurred into nothing and freed the growing irrational Mei born in response to Yomi's ruthless assault. Pain coursed through her and brought foul emotions to her. Her former envy exasperated as she contemplated the outcome of their encounter and her hatred followed suit. As she reached her final breaths, the ideal Mei vanished into death and left her a corpse filled only with grief, regret, and vehement rage.
"Such a miserable warrior. What became of your destiny? How did it come to this?" Mitogawa purred, humouring himself with his success.
Mei's eyes directed themselves at his voice as best they could, her body trembling with anger. She desperately forced her limbs to move and lift her back up. All she could think about was hurting something to appease her own agony, but her muscles were bled out and her bones were barely holding her body together. She was helpless and it only fueled her wrathful heart more.
"All that delicious emotion. My dear Isayama Mei, you are beautiful." Mitogawa continued, leaning over her form.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to be able to do anything besides just lying there waiting for her death like some hapless victim. She was better than that. The head of the Isayama clan was going to be her title. How could she just die like this, an insect squashed by an orphan?
"Do you still want to take what should be yours? I can give you the power you need to get it if you want to." Mitogawa grinned, crouching over her.
Yes, power, power like he had. She wanted the power to take back her life. She wanted the power to fight the destiny she was cursed with and correct its mistake. It was only just. Yomi never belonged in the Isayama clan. She was robbed of her place in life and slapped in the face for trying to get it back. Her own ability hadn't been enough. To give herself what she should've gotten, she'd have to take it by whatever means necessary and she'd need the Sesshouseki.
"Tell me what you truly desire." He said, a vile glow erupting from his eye as his lips curled into a hideous grin.
次回、喰霊-零-:
復讐行方－ふくしゅうのゆくえ－
GAREI -ZERO- episode 08
Translations:
呵責連鎖－ かしゃくのれんさ －
Kashaku no rensa
Chain of Blame
Akureika – Evil Spirits
Tsuchigumo – Ground Spider
Bake-zori – Living Scandal
Okubi – Giant Head
Kama-kiri – Hair-cutter
Yukata – A casual summer kimono
Kasha – Fire Wheel
次回、喰霊-零-: 復讐行方 － ふくしゅうのゆくえ －
Jikai, Ga-Rei Zero: Fukushu no Yukue
Next Time on Ga-Rei Zero: Whereabouts of Revenge