"Wake up." A gentle voice was the first thing he heard.
Akio crept his eyes open, but the one active corner of his mind told him that he should return to sleep rather than humor whichever servant currently pestered him. Yet, against his better judgment, he lazily rolled an eye over his shoulder, only to find the silhouette of the servant to be wearing... fox ears? Try as he might to peer more into the world, the morning was being irritating. It hurt to peel his eyelids back and feast his curiosity upon the strange woman kneeling at his side.
So, wanting nothing more than to see, he braced himself before snapping his eyes open and immediately freezing in place, realizing then and there that the woman was no woman at all. He was in the presence of a goddess—a Kami—endued with uncanny features that were just human and yokai enough to blur the line between both.
The fox deity smiled softly at him, feigning ignorance at his panic. "Sleep well?" she teased before stretching her tails out from behind her back, deepening his horror.
He almost fainted. Why had an Inari come to him!? Things never happened this way! It was always the other way around! Had he wronged the gods!? Had he been turned into a servant for them!?
As his mind sped up to the situation, he hastily clambered to his knees, racing to prostrate himself before what he thought was an angered entity. "Forgive me!" he apologized, but before he could bow, the Inari quickly stopped him.
"Now, now, now," she chided. "You don't have to do anything special just because I'm being me. Relax..." She eased him back upright.
He felt his heart stop through the touch alone. "Um... Who are you? Why are you here?" he was afraid to ask her anything.
She touched her chest. "I am Na-" she stopped to flick herself in the head, "Tsukiko," she corrected. "And I am here because I have no other options." She smiled, but there was something off about her expression. Her eyes drooped with the weight of stress, but that wasn't possible, was it? For a Kami to be tired?
She continued, "Currently, the village has lost all manner of leadership, save for little ol' me, of course."
"What?" though still startled, Akio blanched upon hearing her statement. "Where is the Hanshu?" he nervously asked about the grumpy retainer. "He would never abandon his role."
Tsukiko's eyes dimmed as a horrible memory revisited her:
He was slouched against the wall, rigid, cold, statuesque in the way his head was craned upward. A lone tear stained his eye, and whatever frightened him so must have been the most terrifying thing he had ever seen as nothing explained his death other than the stilled heart within.
"Unfortunately, Fir passed away last night to a yokai attack. I am ignorant as to how or why, but I know one thing..." she dipped her head low. "I won't let it happen again," she whispered.
Akio felt his body run cold. "D- Dead...? He's dead? And y- you mean whoever killed the Hanshu is still out there?"
As his palpable fear washed over her, Tsukiko was reminded that this young master was only a boy. However, admitting that he wasn't ready to take the mantle of lord was to say that the very land she loved had become too dangerous from what it was when she was a kit.
"It will not be coming back," Tsukiko promised with a fierce glare. Then she closed her eyes and took a breath, letting the intensity wear off like adrenaline. When she looked back at him, the lids of her eyes once again drooped slightly. "Want to know why?" she vexed before gently tugging him to his feet and grabbing his wrist. She lazily ferried him over to the window at the end of the elegant room, dragging her feet every step of the way. She pushed the window ajar. "Look," she all but whispered with a drunk smile on her face.
The window swung open like a heated oven and Akio felt a strangely comforting warmth enter his body. He looked into the distant streets and found it crowded with life. The echoes of the peoples' din reached his ears. He couldn't see their smiles, nor hear their laughter, but he knew they were happy. He even felt the urge to join them as well and bask in the warmness that lingered in the air.
"This is my gift to you," Tsukiko's voice interrupted his reverie. The Inari had gently placed a hand over his shoulder, as if sharing a piece of her soul.
He drew his eyes to the fox, and in comparison to the uplifting crowds below, it became apparent just how tired she looked.
"Are you unwell?" Akio finally asked.
Upon hearing the question to her well-being, she smiled wider. "In some ways, I'm feeling better than ever." Gradually, she drew her eyes to the floor. "But some things haven't quite healed yet, I'm afraid. I am long overdue for a nice, long, rest. My time is up here. Somebody needs to replace me."
He panicked, "What!? You're leaving!? Those yokai are still out there and so is our lord! Have you forgotten about him!?"
"Akio," she gently spoke his name, silencing him out of sheer respect to her docility. "Nobody will attack this place again. I've imprinted my name, power—everything into the very air we breathe. All you have to do is trust me." Tsukiko faltered for a second. "I am sorry about your lord. I don't know where he is," she apologized for not being better.
"And you want me to lead? M- Me?" he pointed to himself, a clueless kid who was recently bedridden.
"Yes," Tsukiko stated as if it wasn't the most absurd thing in the world. "You are their successor. Not me, not Fir; you," she pointed humbly to him.
"Then-" he made to argue but found he had no point to make. "Where do you plan on going?"
In her weak state, she still managed a wry smile. "I just want some peace and quiet for a while."
"You didn't answer my question," he retorted.
In response, she just smiled. "Am I just that untrustworthy?" she questioned, tiredly smiling in playfulness.
Seeing as he found no humor in her mischief, she rolled her eyes and quickly appeased him. "I'll be in very trusted company, I assure you. We're old friends."
Akio still wasn't convinced. "I don't know. Perhaps you should rest here until you recover," he more or less pleaded, wracking his brain for even the smallest excuse to make her stay.
Tsukiko turned away and pondered for a moment. "How about this..." she twisted her torso to look at him, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. "You keep my little vacation a secret, and I'll check back up on you in... I don't know, a few nights from now?"
Akio had been stunned silent by her offer. It wasn't the offer itself nor her vexing expression, something indescribable stopped him in his place. In this moment, he was reminded that this wasn't a human standing coyly in front of him, this was a goddess that—when sober—one couldn't just stand face-to-face with as a peer. Her presence was a warmth to bask in, as intoxicating as it was terrifying. He hadn't realized it until her radiance suddenly became all too real to him, overpowering his unworthy body.
"So..." she waggled her brows, "Is that a yes?"
Upon seeing her blithe expression- no, seeing, hearing, knowing... He couldn't say no to her.
He dumbly nodded, pleasing her greatly and therefore, him too.
Her sweet smile began to deepen until it suddenly and painfully vanished. When she looked upon him once more, she had lost her reassuring smile, opting to match his expression with a calloused frown. "Do this. Don't question yourself," she said before haphazardly taking her leave.
Akio watched her go, stunned.
As she left, so too did the sadness that permeated around her. The bask of joy was free to wash over him. Yet, something bothered him, preventing him from relishing in the tranquility, and he didn't know what it was.
Tsukiko had plans, a long time ago, maybe; but nevertheless, Tsukiko had plans. Given enough time, she would have solved the rogue yokai problem in Samura and saved the missing persons surrounding the village. If only things were different... But things never worked out like that. She had exerted too much of herself as is, simply walking was as if underwater. She could only assume that she just hadn't woken up yet. There was no other answer; she just hadn't woken up yet.
Foggedly, she stumbled into the entrance of Reina's shrine, and unconsciously, a dull smile pulled at her lips.
She made it.
The thought of finally falling into the arms of another entered her mind. She took her closest friend for granted. What would the Ryu say—she wondered—upon seeing her worrying state?
Shaking the question away, Tsukiko carefully slipped out of her sandals, gripped the door, and with no small amount of effort, threw it aside... Tsukiko blinked as she looked into an empty home. No Ryu, let alone life shone through the shrine. It was abandoned.
Her mind caught up to speed. She looked wildly from side-to-side, her eyes were prone to pop out of her skull likewise her ears to spring off from her head. Then, almost like a premonition, she looked to the side and froze. Suddenly, she knew where the Ryu was.
Shaking, she pulled herself away from the door and crept along the edge of the building, leaning on the wall as a multitude of concerns and doubts swelled within her mind.
Besides the dread of what laid around the corner of the shrine, another weedy worry took root within. It began to dawn on her why it rained so hard the day she had left the shrine and why the following gloom physically bothered her.
Soon, she turned the bend, and there laid the motionless body of her dearest friend, splayed just down the hill. In a desperate haste, Tsukiko broke into a run, only to slip on a patch of mud and tumble down the hill, landing next to her confidant. Tsukiko feebly pushed herself up, mentally screaming as everything crumbled around her.
She rolled Reina over onto her back and blanched at the ghoulish face that greeted her. The Ryu's eyelids sunk into her skull, in place of cheeks were dark shadows, and her body appeared to shrivel into itself.
The moment of shock passed, and Tsukiko quickly sprung into action. Pulling with all her might, she dragged the both of them back up the hill. Eventually making it inside, Tsukiko set her friend flat on the floor. Looking at her now, she couldn't help but pretend the unconscious body below her was aware. Carefully, she folded Reina's hands over her waist and gingerly rubbed them before pulling her head down.
"I swear..." Tsukiko muttered before pulling the very energy that kept her upright, sane, and alive from her body up into the air. She made the once invisible substance tangible, leaking it from her body as much as shedding it from her skin, until a giant murky ball of condensed energy floated over her unconscious friend.
For the few seconds it was suspended in the air, Tsukiko slowly lost control over the viscous mass. It oozed thick strings onto Reina's kimono, and as if her skin was an ecosystem of hungry piranha, the tiny bits of gray that splattered on her robes were devoured through the very fabric of her clothes.
Wasting no more time, Tsukiko planted her palms on the sphere's side. None of its energy entered through her own skin, she made sure of that, and with one final breath, she forced the sphere down.
Almost as if a magnet was activated, the ball was pulled down and hungrily consumed by the motionless body. Tsukiko was taken aback at first, watching the mass spread and ooze wherever it so pleased with rabid eyes; but ultimately, she found herself relaxing as she watched, knowing her gift had reached its recipient.
As her breathing slowed, so too did her body, and then her mind... She didn't care that the world had become dark, or that her hearing had left. All was right in the world, as it well should.
Tsukiko fell forward, and a wave of accomplishment overcame her, easing her eyes closed, turning her brain off. She didn't realize what was happening, the last kernel of her mind was preoccupied. She wasn't smiling as she slipped away, but she was happy.
Shin spit into the river, rinsing possibly the last strings of flesh down the stream. In truth, nothing short of an exorcism would rid him of the stench settling into the back of his mouth, radiating rot like microwaved garbage. Something changed in him that he couldn't understand, frustrating him.
He had birthed a new blight on the world in that cave. Pain stained the canals like the shadow of a nuclear bomb victim. It was an eternal reminder of an even worse atrocity; an Elephant's Foot imprinted on this world as a casual reminder that evil existed and it can be found on a map.
Did it bother him that it made him... happy? That in his own twisted way, he etched his legacy on history's walls not unlike the way the Egyptians did over five-thousand years ago. All he could give was a small strangled shiver, unsure himself how to feel. If anything, it should bother him that he felt anything at all.
He picked at his teeth one last time before standing up. The river tasted salty; it made him wince.
The sun was soon to rise, and he was ready to move far away from this place, but he couldn't, not yet. A certain somebody had yet to be purged from his thoughts. Oh… If only she knew, maybe she wouldn't have tried playing heroine, but poor Tsukiko didn't know any better.
In a way, he should be cursing himself for becoming borderline obsessed with the girl. The Inari was kind, compassionate, and understanding, and he knew better than to expect all—let alone one of those things from anyone. She was a liar, demonic in nature, and surely a killer. She was more like him than she'd care to admit. All it should have took was a little nudge to expose her real self. There was only one problem: she wasn't budging.
Then again, she wouldn't truly be a demon without that stubborn attitude. He thought back to all the times he was robbed of his belongings trying to recruit others. That was a long time ago now. Nobody would dare take bribes to join his ranks. He wouldn't let them.
Wanting to rid his mind of all that was demons, he relaxed and breathed deep...Just in time for an attracting aroma to waft by like the scent of a warm pie next to an open window. He immediately recognized the smell, more importantly, who it originated from. It seemed, even the isolation of the forest couldn't spare him from her.
He looked off into the distance, knowing that she was the fox now, not the human. It was impossible not to notice her. Like a plume of smoke or light from a flare, she made herself known from one demon to another. On one hand, he wanted to walk away and forget everything about her, and on the other, he wouldn't dream of it. To him, the warmth of her energy was an open invitation. It was almost entirely unlike her to claim territory as her own. Why she had done so baffled him and that only made him all the more interested.
Besides, she had invited him into her life to begin with, it would be impolite to ignore a hostess' call.
In the end, perhaps he was wrong about her; maybe, she had a change of heart. Whatever the reason, Shin had to appraise the change in setting. The village was almost a completely different place now. She was all over it, marking it as her own. To someone... appreciative to power like him, it was as if she stuffed herself on the dinner table with a note that read, 'Stick a fork in me'.
Unlike before, the place seemed to be dressed up in merriment. He could tell from beyond the walls. He was staring as he walked by, entranced by the invisible dome of comfort encasing the village.
Within the corner of his eye he noticed a quirky man. He was dressed as a watchmen of the village and stood guard over the gate. The only reason Shin even happened a glance upon the delirious man was because he was one of the victims of Tsukiko's unusual abilities.
The man had been giving him a sloppy, yellow-toothed grin for some time "Greetings!" he eagerly welcomed Shin, who had slowed down to take in his odd behavior.
Perhaps Shin's lack of returned hospitality led the guard to open his eyes. The man looked at Shin for only a moment before flinching in horror. His warm expression had been torn asunder, replaced by an acute look of panic, directed not at Shin himself, but something on Shin
Shin touched his chest, feeling a dry, scab-like substance on his chest. He looked down to red, from his chest all the way to his feet. He pulled his hand away, noticing how nothing stuck to it. The blood had dried completely. He clenched his palm shut, cursing yet another mistake he had made before swiveling his eyes back to the witness.
There was an intense level of shock on the man's face, as if his sheltered reality had been shattered. Shin knew immediately that there was no convincing this craven soul of anything. A primitive instinct had been triggered in the man, and this little altercation was about to become a public intervention should he not be stopped. Luckily, he chose not to run away. Instead, Shin watched as a look of resolve possessed the guard's lost posture and swiftly, he made to belt for help.
"Silence," Shin mouthed, sending a curse down upon the man. When it was time for the gatekeeper's words to roar out, only a weak, dying cry left his lips, traveling as far as the front of his face. Panicking, the guard reached for his throat, massaging and scratching it in the hopes that it would eventually allow him to speak. Of course, nothing fixed his desperate exhaling.
The man soon paused his flailing as an audible crunch drew his attention. Shin had cracked a knuckle while slowly shaking his head, warning the unfortunate soul not to try any more useless screeching. Said soul stared back, paralyzed, afraid, unable to move a muscle in fear of losing another bodily function.
Shin pointed at his chest. "Undress," he said.
The man didn't move. He was frozen in place.
Shin gave him one more 'look'. "Now," he demanded.
As if jolted awake, the man quickly reached down and fumbled with the straps of his attire.
Shin wasted no time in ripping the makeshift butcher gown from his body. He held it aloft, and in an instant, the robe was turned to ashes—not even. It was incinerated in a fire so hot, air warped around it, seemingly opening a portal from hell to swallow it whole. Once again, he was left in the tattered pants from a previous life. They may as well have been a part of him now. He would never discard them. It didn't help that he had trouble letting things go.
Meanwhile, the guard only got as far as removing his cloak before he decided to stop and gawk. The display of raw power triggered another primal instinct in the man. Shin could see it in his eyes, the need to run, the desire to escape.
Shin pointed a finger at the man and immediately, the man became as still as a statue. Unfortunately, his eyes weren't so lucky. For only a second, Shin watched them bobble around inside the guard's cage of a body before diverting his eyes to his bounty.
The so graciously gifted garment was a bland robe, just enough to cover Shin's body, just what he needed.
Shin picked it up and felt it in his palms. He hated wearing what was left behind from others, but he knew his current goals needed a guise. So, he slung it over his shoulders and fastened it to his waist.
He paid the seized guard no mind and waltzed right into the village, strutting the streets as if he owned them. He looked around in slight, rapt wonder, stepping into a world completely of the fox's doing.
People and creatures alike flooded the town. They gleefully stocked numerous crates and wagons with produce and trade while others watched in merry amusement. It seemed they had taken to loving each other and showing it in generosity and company. Tsukiko's altruistic self rubbed off into the atmosphere, compelling those within it to do good. Even he had felt a smidgen of an urge to rescue a kitten from a tree had he not been focused on one kit in particular.
Ignoring the stares as he strolled into town, he quickly realized that no matter where he looked, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the all-encompassing sphere of energy.
Each of these little beings carried a piece of the Inari within them. It was as if she had splintered her soul across the undeserving denizens of this place. And even if she was walking among them, he would have been none the wiser.
His eyes plastered along the mobs of people polluting the streets. He checked every face that looked back. They kept their distance from him, subconsciously knowing he wasn't 'one' of them. But among them, there was a soul brighter and more radiant than the rest.
Shin looked beyond, towards the mansion wedged far to the back. There was someone in that place soused in the Inari's radiance. Without much delay, Shin took the road straight to it and merely walked into the luxurious courtyard with little more than a tiptoe. He had been here before, invited by that snake of a lord. Fortunately, that snake was sleeping in the dirt.
The door to the manor slid by like any other, and inside was a damp odor, as if the stale rain from days ago had been trapped inside. Shin made his way down the nearest hall, and just as he turned the corner, a large robe was thrown on him, temporarily blinding him. Before he could react, someone punched him in the gut, hard. It didn't hurt, nor did it make him keel, but it made him budge, which confused him more than anything.
Curious to meet his adversary, Shin ripped the robe off of his head and came face-to-face with fierce red eyes, white hair, and curling horns. Isabelle's glare slipped with a gasp as she too recognized her combatant. Suddenly, her body slackened into a dead-eyed stare.
Shin stepped to the side, watching as her eyes followed him closely. She was put under a spell, and even though she may have snapped out of it recently, looking into his eyes must have reactivated the geis. The way she stared... It was as if his very eyes were glimmering lockets meant to hypnotize and entrance the will of this poor creature.
Sensing an opportunity, Shin tested a question. "What are you doing here?"
"I..." the cow drifted off as her thoughts melted away and she was unable to utter a word. Then, an epiphany passed her face, as if her brain rewired itself and everything became clear to her. "He- He liked me!" she exclaimed in pure adoration. "I did such a good job that he let me be his personal guard!"
"He?" Shin pried.
She bobbed her head up and down. "Mm hmm!" she hummed, and left it there, deeming it sufficient enough of an answer.
Acknowledging it as a waste of time, Shin instantly dismissed the conversation. "Isabelle," he called.
Her name was like a dog-whistle. She blinked her big eyes at attention, hungry to oblige whatever request he may give.
"Do you remember the woman I was with?"
Isabelle looked past him, as if she didn't hear the question. After another moment, a light seemed to switch on in her head. "Oh! Yes, yes! I remember!"
"Have you seen her recently?" Shin finally asked.
The cow fiddled with her fingers as she wracked her brain for an answer. Eventually, she drooped her head despondently to the floor. "I'm sorry, I haven't," she apologized.
Shin huffed before getting ready to move past her. However, just as he was about to leave, Isabelle gasped lightly as an idea suddenly came to her. "But he might know..." she breathed, and abruptly, with the strength of two bears, nabbed Shin's wrist before he could leave.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, Shin had let her lead him throughout the mansion. Instead of looking about in amazement at the aristocratic décor, he only used them to remember the path ahead, and memorizing the turns around each bend and corner.
Eventually, they approached a set of wide doors on the second floor. Isabelle hadn't even bothered to announce herself, she barged right in. "Master! Look!" she exclaimed.
There was someone seated center on the formal padding layering the otherwise sparse room. He was young, his hair was dark and tied into a topknot, and his royal blue clothes were impeccably clean. The young man was meditating and never budged from his lotus position at the disturbance.
"Isabelle," he spoke slowly through the side of his mouth, "You know I can't see without my glasses."
There was a pause as Isabelle stared rapturously at her awaiting master.
The noble blew a loose strand of hair away from his face, not bothering to open his eyes. "Please bring me my glasses," he spoke as if the interaction had already drained him of his willpower.
Upon hearing the order, the bipedal cow scampered over to a little table at the corner of the room and withdrew a narrow pair of glasses. Skittering back, she crouched to his level and as delicately as the bull of a woman could, nestled the frame onto his head. After accomplishing her task, she shot away, treating them as a house of cards that could fall at the slightest breeze.
"Thank you, Isabelle," he said before finally opening his eyes, only to balk at Isabelle's appearance. The holstaur had only a bandage wrapped around her chest. If the cold bothered her, she didn't show it. Even after Akio's incredulity, she had only tilted her head to the side, confused by his reaction.
Akio looked sharply away before taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began meditating once again. "Where are your robes?" he asked.
She looked down as if she hadn't noticed they were missing. "Oh! I- Um..." she bowed deeply. "I forgot them," she admitted with shame.
Akio sighed and placed a hand on her head, taking care to avoid her horns. "It's okay," he said, "Now what did you want to show me?"
Isabelle lit up at his imploring gesture. "I brought a friend!" she waggled to the side, revealing Shin by the door.
Immediately, Akio noted her friend's frown, his disheveled appearance, the almost intolerant anger in his eyes, the stillness of his body. He could tell that this 'friend' was impatient just from one look, and maybe even long before that.
Quickly taking charge as the host of the manor, Akio swiftly greeted his guest. "Good afternoon, Sir...?" he trailed off, expecting the boy's name.
"Shin," he said it so slow, so distastefully, that Akio couldn't help but feel that Shin had a bottled up resentment towards his own name. Shin narrowed his eyes as he appraised Akio. "I am looking for someone, an Inari."
Akio blinked, partly from Shin's waspish attitude and again not knowing how to digest the information. "And you believe she resides here?"
"If you haven't noticed..." Shin leaned forward. "Your town reeks of her," he said.
Akio nervously pinched his palm, and backpedaled. "I have met with such a woman; that I cannot refute. What I cannot say however is where that woman is now. I have no control of her life. Who's to say she isn't lingering around the town to lend a hand?" Akio said, locking eyes with Shin.
Isabelle poked Akio's shoulder, drawing his attention. "But you told me how upset you were that she left," she pouted as she recollected, finding his dishonesty more troublesome than anything else.
Akio pursed his lips. "Isabelle," he called, watching her bovine ears perk up. "Leave us," he ordered, instantly deflating said ears.
"B- But-" she started, only to be stopped.
"Now!" Akio demanded, sternly facing her down.
Isabelle flinched from his tone. She rose with disappointment, and kept her head low as she walked past Shin to the still open door. Her hooves clopped against the grain wood of the hallway and soon after she closed the door, all went silent.
Akio patted his lap. "Excuse my abruptness. I would rather her not be present at this instance," Akio said. "Before I say anymore, tell me one thing. Why must you know her whereabouts?"
Shin lifted his head, posed with an interesting question. "She is someone important to me."
"If she's so important to you, why didn't she mention you?" Akio felt protective of the young Inari. To humans, it was just as natural to protect the gods as much as they protected them.
Shin almost sighed. He didn't know why the Inari had omitted his presence from this boy, but he had a pretty good idea regardless. "To keep me safe," he answered, feeling his pride dwindle slightly.
Akio blinked in recognition. "Are you an 'old friend' of hers?"
Shin's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What did she say?"
Akio sighed. "I don't know where Tsukiko went," he admitted. "All she told me was that she was visiting an old friend."
Shin had been listening closely. "I see," he said slowly, taking several steps back. He opened the door from behind his back. "That will be all," he said before stepping out into the hall.
"Now wait just a minute," Akio said, expecting Shin to stop. "Where-" he didn't get a chance to finish, Shin had slammed the door shut and began retracing his steps.
Isabelle was standing right where he first encountered her. She was struggling to put back on the robe she 'forgot'. Upon hearing footsteps, she looked back and her eyes lit up at the sight of him. "Oh, Shin!" she chirped, "Did you find out where your friend is?"
"I guess," he said, briskly passing by her.
"Take me with you!" Isabelle blurted out.
The small request stopped the demon. He looked over his shoulder. Isabelle had a gleam of hope in her eyes, something usually vacant in her blank expression.
"What about your master?" he asked.
Isabelle timidly stepped forward. "I want to follow you," she said, staring pleadingly into his eyes.
Shin was partly curious about what she saw in him, or really, how his magic influenced her. The cow didn't look at him as a lover, a father, or a son, she just stared and swayed, as if admiring a painting.
It didn't matter much, he supposed. Shin gave her one last look. "Don't," he said before carrying on.
To his surprise, she didn't follow.
He had been walking for some time. For once, he was becoming impatient. The fox had been bobbing her presence above his head like bait in the water. Now, when he was closer than ever to her trail, nothing. He had walked away from the sunlight into a mire.
What had she done?
He was prone to break off in a run but had to remind himself that it wasn't worth it. She was just a girl that he had only known for a couple of days. The anxiety he was feeling must have been from his pride, it had to be. It had nothing to do with any sort of comradeship with her or anything.
When the shrine appeared in the distance, Shin sped up, quickly marching up to the porch. The door was ajar and a dull odor leaked from beyond it. Without hesitation, Shin ripped through the entrance and immediately honed in on the center of the room.
There were two bodies. One was the Ryu, the other was the Inari. Neither of them seemed alive, but both were breathing. Tsukiko was slumped over on top of Reina, struck in the pose of a mother shielding her child.
Shin approached the heap of half-women. He crouched behind and peeled Tsukiko off of the Ryu and into the cradle of his lap. Her head lulled back in his direction and her mouth slacked open. Her lips were pale and chapped along with the rest of her vampiric skin. There wasn't any tension in her muscles, her body was as malleable as a deflated balloon.
The one thing sustaining her body, she gave away.
Idiot.
She would have given up everything for the one on the ground. It was foolish. If they both had their way, they would trap themselves in an endless cycle of suffering, trading each others' lives for the other. It was odd behavior from a pair of demons. No demon was selfless, not even for the closest of friends; he would know.
It was obvious she would continue doing this until it killed her, and he wasn't ready to say goodbye, not yet.
And it was ironic still, his place between the two of them. There were quite possibly millions of more responsible arms she could have fallen into, but she fell into his. It would be best to rid her from his life, for the both of them. However, she would live on forever in his mind should she die here, should her life be prematurely snuffed out.
And even if she had the power to choose whether or not this was her final resting place, it wasn't her choice to make, and it so happened he had trouble letting things go.
He slowly put a palm over her mouth and held her close.
Heat rose to his palm, and it was so close to scorching her lips, but he hesitated for a second, and a second was all it took.
Shin reluctantly let his hand fall to his side. This wasn't what he wanted. If it was him that brought her back, she wouldn't be the same person that grew an abnormally-sized, tumor of a presence in his heart. The opportunity to truly test her would vanish forever, and he would be left with a husk of his own doing.
It was in his wishes to ensure that they would meet again, as they were, as they will be. And he would make sure of it.
Gently, he laid her on the floor. It would require something more human than him to do this task. It may have been wise to seek a nurse, but he didn't want anyone else near her. Besides, he understood intimately what demons craved above all else: sustenance.
No, he knew exactly knew what she needed.
Shin looked to the second occupant in the room, who rested peacefully.
And he couldn't do it alone.
The market bustled with life. Whichever way Shin looked there wasn't a frown to be seen or sneer to be had. The residents slaved away unloading carts and stocking shelves, all in nauseating cheer. To him, the laughing was an incessant rabble over the streets. It made his head spin. Had he not noticed the mercantile the last time he had come, he would not have bothered returning here for that reason alone.
However, his renewed sense of purpose overpowered the utter disdain he held for the sycophants of life. He carried on. He was used to feeling ostracized anyway.
"Hello, Sir! You look like you could use some help!"
What could only be described as a tout butted into Shin's vision. She was a young, healthy face on a smooth, tawny body, and she wore little, probably to catch eyes on purpose. She wasn't human, like many things were. He figured that out when a whisker from her cheek almost poked him in the face. She had tiny slits for eyes, the eyes of a predator. She had taken him as her mark, whatever that entailed.
"Well let me tell you!" she began in a high pitched voice. "Right now we stand at the plaza of our little abode! Here, you can find just about everything you need from some succulent fish to a hand to hold! And- Oh, look! Off over there is the-" Off she rambled, telling him of every activity and facility under the sun. He continued walking, paying her little mind, and she followed.
"-Look! There's another friend of mine!" This bout of screeching drove his attention to follow her gaze.
A fluffy girl was slumped over a merchant stand, snoozing on the job. He tore his eyes from the sleepy sheep to the merchandise before her. There were various baskets carrying food on the stand. Fruits made half the selection, vegetables made the other. He frowned. They were perishables, and he didn't want to make another trip. He eyed the stand again, seeing blank sacks of burlap sat over the counter. With that, he decided to give the place a shot, if not because it was isolated from the bustle of people.
He took one step. One.
"Oh? Are you going to visit her? I guess I should go too. My work here is done! Tell her I said hi!" She yelled.
A miracle happened next. She left. Her steps didn't follow him further. She had sauntered back onto the streets.
Getting down to business, Shin rapped a knuckle on the counter, next to the sleeping girl's sunken head. Nothing. He tried again, feigning patience. Again, nothing. Just as he was about to give up, someone gently grabbed his hand before it could leave the counter.
"Excuse me, sir, and apologies for the wait." A different woman had appeared on the tending-end of the stand. She had the mascara of a raccoon and puffy ears on her head. After the introduction, her smile morphed into one of playful mischief. "I take it you're in the market for something?" she asked as she rested her elbows on the counter.
"Rice," Shin said, watching her closely.
With a finger, she delicately pushed one of the bags he had been eyeing a moment earlier forward. "Got some right here, but I'm going to need a little..." she rubbed her fingers together. "It's simple due process."
Shin paused. It never occurred to him that he would have to pay for anything anymore. Luckily, he had been mindful enough to snag a souvenir off of his last obsession. Swiftly, he reached under his robe and fished a gleaming object into his fist before taking it out and dropping it onto the counter.
The woman's eyes twinkled and she snatched the object up the moment it hit wood. "Is this a tooth?" She held the rugged bone up to her eye. "A gold tooth?" She put a magnifier up to her eye. "A genuine gold tooth..." she said in awe. "Should I ask where this came from?" she didn't look at him as she asked.
"No," Shin said.
The merchant hovered a firm squint over him for a few seconds, until it was gone, replaced with a cheeky smirk She whisked the tooth behind the counter, and it was gone. "Okay, deal! Take your rice. Hell, take two." She pushed another bag forwards. "If you got anymore trinkets under those robes, make sure to spend 'em here," she winked and clicked her tongue.
Silently, he took the bags and crept back into the masses, their joviality was panoramic, inescapable. Even safely in the woods, their drain of joy insisted to follow him. Perhaps it was something he was meant to take home.
A chill ran down his spine at the implications, that whatever transformed those sullen denizens into radiant beings of happiness could also do the same to him. He was a blight on this planet. There wasn't a purpose for things like him to exist in this world. There wasn't an antithesis to demand his erasure from the annals of existence, not anymore. He just... was, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about that.
And as much as he wanted to explore the world, there really wasn't anything for him to do out there, certainly not anything he cared about. So, he quietly returned to perhaps the only place he felt a sense of purpose in.
When he finally made it back to the shrine, he was still distracted but noticed one thing: someone was awake.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw a snake-like body coil protectively around something. Purple hair flung into the air as Reina whipped her head to the door, looking the most fearful Shin had ever seen her. That look fell away as she slowly recognized him.
"It's you..." she muttered in disbelief before slowly unfurling her tail, revealing Tsukiko's ghastly complexion. Her eyes followed him into the room, still wary.
He dropped the sacks by the door. "Hope you like rice," he said, taking no small amount of enjoyment from her confusion.
Instead of accepting the gift, she stared, confused. "For us?"
He didn't say anything.
Gingerly, she pursed her lips and smiled awkwardly, partly in and out of disapproval. "You shouldn't have."
"But I did, so you'll just have to live with it." he said, before sauntering over to them, moreso to check on Tsukiko. Together, they looked down at her.
"She's fallen into a hibernation of sorts," Reina said.
There was a silence. "She's sleeping?" Shin questioned blankly, almost irritably.
"Does this look like rest to you?" Reina traced a claw against one of Tsukiko's colorless cheeks. Below, her mouth was parted as if to aid her soul's departure.
Shin said nothing.
Reina stilled. "I was a fool..." she whispered, shaking her head.
Shin stared at her regretting self. He had half the mind to ask what happened but knew it would hardly matter; what's done is done.
Reina was kneading her friend's forehead, soothing more herself than the unconscious Inari. "Don't worry, she'll be okay. She just needs time to recuperate."
For a moment, Shin was transfixed on the Inari until the grim claws of her handler started moving again, breaking his trance. "Can you cook?" he asked, directing her attention away from her friend.
"Hmm?" she hummed, lost in thought, before realizing what he asked, "Oh, yes! Why? Do you want some of that rice?"
Shin stared. "It's for you," he reminded her.
Reina frowned a little. "Are you not hungry?" she asked.
"I just ate," he assured, which did nothing to alleviate her frown.
Reina stared at the fox, displeased at the notion of leaving her side for even a second. Eventually, she caved, "Well, I guess I do need to keep my strength up." She looked back to him. "Watch over her, will you?" she asked.
Shin faintly nodded, letting her know he wasn't going anywhere.
Reina offered him a sad smile before getting up and leaving.
Alone now, Shin turned to face the Inari once more. Reina had wrapped her up in the only blanket she had; made a bed roll out of it for her dearest friend. His friends would have never done that for him, but then again, neither would he do that for them.
He diverted his eyes quickly. Some things would never leave him, he supposed. It was too bad those memories couldn't be switched off. That was another life ago. It wouldn't be true to say he even made them. They belonged to someone else now...
The sun went down, and Shin had taken the moment to get away from it all for a bit. While Reina grew her strength and tended to the sickly fox, he found a tree some ways away to hunker under.
He scraped his charred shoes against the dirt. It was unusual for him to idle by, not resting, not running, not killing, just waiting. He felt a strong compulsion to do something, as if he had a constant, waiting purpose. The urge to move was not unlike a predator's instinct to hunt and kill. Except, he was no slave to nature. No, as he rejected subservience, he would reject this chaotic existence he lived now. The urge would remain just that, an urge, and he would fight it back tooth and nail.
"Hey," a voice spoke from behind him.
He barely turned his head. Reina was looming over his shoulder with a small smile..
"I was wondering where you were," she started. "I wanted to thank you properly. You helped us, after all," she stated affectionately.
"Don't," he said. "Trust me."
Reina's smile disappeared quickly. She sighed and leaned her head against the tree, staring at him for a time; Shin could feel her eyes on him. She must have been deep in thought. " I want to," she said, "You were here for us. You still are," she reminded sadly. Her voice began to waver. "That's why-" She choked up, cutting her words short.
Reina hid her face and turned away. Shin peered over at her, curious as to what it was that upset her. Then, she turned around, and it was there before her barely restrained tears and raw vulnerability that Shin became entranced, as if struck by a spell. He couldn't describe what he felt. It wasn't that she was desirable or even attractive, just looking deeply into her glassy eyes could only make him think of one thing: Want.
She slowly drew her lips apart. "Thank you. Thank you so much." Her eyes squinted in pure, earnest, sincerity. Then, all too quickly, it was gone. She jumped up, brushing a hand over her eyes, and with the sleight-est of hand, replaced her tears with joy.
"I have something for you!" she exclaimed. "Just stay right there and don't move!" she said before sneaking behind him.
She hadn't needed to tell him twice. Shin had been staring blankly in her wake. He felt violated, or something like it. She wasn't a being capable of rending a mind. Yet, his mind was in manic disarray, convincing him that he had been attacked.
Why did she have this effect on him? Had his fake human face longed after another, or had he truly let his guard down?
Shin flinched as something was laid around his neck. He looked down and saw Reina's bulky claws drape a necklace over him in unusual grace. A tiny, adorned tile of wood was attached on the end. Shin flipped the charm into his hands. It was a simple pendant with an odd symbol depicted on its face.
"It's an onamori," Reina quipped, moving to his front. "I made it myself; to watch over you, to guard you, to be with you..." she ended longingly.
As Shin stared at the charm, an overwhelming warmness flooded over his body, like he was being hugged. Something significant was happening, but he couldn't discern as to what it was. Slowly, he panned his eyes up to Reina...
She appeared ethereal. The air around her melted away to give stage to her renewed grief. In this moment, she was all that mattered. Her morose came at him in waves. It hypnotized him. It invigorated him, and it was succulent.
Tears filled her eyes as she wore a small frown. "It's just..." she stopped to look into his eyes. "I worry."
As soon as he looked into her glimmering eyes, Shin was taken to a faraway place. The doubt racing within her chest, the desperation in her actions... It enhanced her worth in his eyes. She was perfection incarnate, not unlike the Inari she held in her heart. This moment reinforced the fact that these women-hybrids weren't people, they weren't even real as far as he was concerned. They were dolls made of flesh, bone and the mysterious ingredient that drew his usually uninterested self into the Venus flytrap that were these demons.
He was attached to them now, whether they wanted him to be or not. It wasn't their fault. It was in their nature to help those in need. He looked like a teenage boy, they couldn't leave him be; it wasn't even a question. Perhaps this was always meant to happen, and their interactions were as simple as a chemical reaction: as long as they met, this was the natural course their lives would take.
There was a brief moment of clarity in which he returned to reality. He hadn't realized he had left, nor how much time had passed, but he was back here, the picture he wished he could forget in front of him once again.
There was no awkwardness as they stared into each other's eyes, if anything, they understood each other clearly, and all she wanted in this very moment was to be understood. She touched him as if to share what she felt... But it didn't matter, he couldn't give her what she truly wanted.
The moment ended and his reverie fell apart like severed ends. He jumped to his feet and walked off, feeling her claws slide off his clothes, running horrible tingles down his sides. Without even a glance back, he left, wanting nothing more than to silence his wild thoughts.
He hadn't seen her the rest of the day, maybe he was getting irritable because of that. Though he never bothered with meditation, here he was now, trying, and failing to keep his thoughts in check and his teeth from grinding into dust.
It wasn't that he was unused to feeling overwhelmed, it was the lack of control that irritated him. Emotions were controllable, manageable. At worst, he could use them as weapons to be directed and fired. But this-
His heart raced as her face zipped by in his thoughts like a stray bullet.
This wasn't part of the plan.
"Shin?"
He tensed.
The subject of his thoughts crept up behind him. "It's late," she stated, leaving that fact to ferment in the midnight breeze.
He was silent, scarily so. His breathing had stopped, and not even the wind could move a hair on his body. It seemed instead, all his energy was routed to imagine Reina standing idly in the dark, a worried curl to her brows and a plea on the tip of her tongue.
"Please," she begged, approaching him against his wishes. "It's cold."
In hindsight, he should have relocated much farther than her backyard, but he didn't; he hadn't wanted to.
It was too late to escape anyways. He had known once before that there was no running from what one was meant to do in life. This was that moment, and he would face his problems head-on, as he always had.
It was a blur what happened next. One moment, he was resting on the grass, the next, he was standing inside the dragon's domain and the door was skidding shut behind him.
His mind caught up to his actions and he began looking around. Tsukiko was asleep on the floor, wrapped up like a burrito. She was undisturbed but not in peace, and who would be in this dreary place? It was pitch-black; Hell, a place he was vacationing away from. There wasn't any light in the home, if one could even call it that. It was somehow sadder than it was before, not exactly surprising Shin, but he expected Reina to leave a light on or something. Speaking of which...
He peeked over his shoulder to see that the Ryu hadn't moved from the entrance. She must've feared that he would try to escape should she step away from the door.
The stress must have been getting to her as the days rolled by and Tsukiko still slept lifelessly in her fabric casket. He had the power to change that- No, everything that ailed her, but he wasn't a nanny, nor was he the good Samaritan looking out for others. He was a monster, not unlike them, and he didn't want to do the 'good' thing, or even the 'right' thing. He lived too long doing things for others, it was time to be selfish and do what he wanted.
Whether or not she noticed his staring, Reina continued standing awkwardly by the door, nervously drawing circles on the floor with her tail.
So he let her be. He sat himself down right there on that cold patch of floor and closed his eyes, taking himself anywhere but there. Ironically, he felt a sense of calmness inside the hut, next to the both of them. It was as if his mind accepted his predicament, that he had slipped off a cliff and nothing could be done to stop himself from hitting the ground.
He could hear something being dragged from behind him. Reina was inching away from the door. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" she whispered, fretting not to disturb her slumbering friend.
Shin inclined his head, wordlessly encouraging her to speak.
"Does my..." she bit her lip while she thought of how best to word it. "Do I bother you?" He could hear her shuffle around, dragging her tail in circles across the floor, trying to explain herself without using any more words.
"No," he said.
"Really!?" Surprised, Reina bounced over to him. "Then-" she piped up before abruptly silencing herself.
Shin perked up. "What?" he asked, stopping himself from sounding too impatient.
"Nothing. Forget I even asked." Reina backed up, quickly propelling herself away with her tail. Shin blindly reached behind him, snagging her tail into his hand. The action caused her to freeze on the spot rather than cower away.
Thinking he made a mistake, Shin looked back to check on her. The Ryu was scared, scared for a mixture of reasons, reasons Shin could only describe as pitiable.
He released her and turned back around. "Sorry," he said. What had become of him to behave like that over something so trivial? He didn't know.
After a few seconds, Reina spoke quietly from behind. "I just thought that the both of us could use a hug," she admitted, sounding weak and ashamed.
After that, there was an awkward silence in the room. Reina was beginning to shrivel into herself when the disquiet was broken. "Sure," Shin said abruptly.
The Ryu snapped her eyes up. "H- Huh?" She stared at the back of the boy's head, believing that she had misheard.
"If there's something you want to do, do it," he restated himself, not bothering to look at her while he spoke.
She turned meek and stood still, too nervous to move. Eventually, she moved close, brought herself low, and slowly snaked her hands around his abdomen. Pacing herself, she crept her claws to his front and looped them over his chest. In one last motion, she softly rested her chin on his shoulder and took a deep breath.
Her breath grazed his cheek, "This isn't too much, is it?"
If he said anything, she didn't hear a word of it.
It was late and Shin was miserable. In her sleep, the Ryu had gotten a little too comfortable and now hung from his body. He wasn't surprised by the result. Things like her tended to succumb to desires.
He was content as he was until sometime into the night, when he felt the undeniable presence of a person, or more specifically, a creature, like her. He could smell them like the fumes from smoke. He wanted to investigate further, but his body had become ensnared by the hostess. She had fallen asleep over his shoulders.
Then, an idea came to him, a devious one. Shin reached behind his waist and lightly pinched a soft part of her scaly flesh. The dragon shifted uncomfortably and sighed on his shoulder, right into his ear. He pinched again, but this time, looked behind to gauge her reaction.
Reina slowly awoke, shifting around and smacking her lips as her glowing eyes slowly began to open. The moment she saw him, she panicked, and began pulling herself away. That was when he struck. Shin pushed her, sending her tumbling onto the floor head-first. She gave a hurt cry as her antler-shaped horns cracked against the ground.
While she was disoriented, Shin made for the exit. The door was right behind him. It took no time at all to reach it, less still to open it and disappear into the night beyond. Reina desperately called out for him to come back, automatically believing herself to have been in the wrong and apologizing profusely for it.
She raced outside after him, stopping on her wooden porch before frantically looking around, but no matter which way she looked to next, there was nobody to be found. Then, she heard a branch snap. In an instant, she shot her head to the side, and noticed a silhouette trying to escape. Without hesitation, she crossed the perimeter of her home. "Stop! Please!" she begged as she crashed into the shadow, bringing them both onto the ground.
Reina wound her captive tightly with her lower half while smothering Shin's face into her chest. "Forgive me, please. I didn't mean to be untoward." she begged, holding him close. She could hear him yelling into her bosom, accepting her apology, no doubt. Reina gently pulled Shin's ponytail back so she could look into his beautiful pink eyes... That was when she realized that the masked person in her arms was not the young man she had been expecting. This person was-
"A kunoichi!?" Reina shouted in shock, still holding the ninja in her grasp.
"You will know pain by siding with that monster!" The assassin glared at her with such hatred and loathing that Reina could not help but physically flinch, unknowingly leaving an opening for the woman to exploit. The ninja gripped a small knife from her sleeve and dragged it across the tail that was holding her hostage.
Reina released the woman with a yelp, still shocked at the revelation before her and the storm of anger that followed.
Kneading her tail. Reina watched the woman sprint away. As she thought about what she heard, she realized—rather irrationally—that the kunoichi knew Shin; not only that, but that she could have been the reason he had disappeared! That's what kunoichi do, disappear people!
Then all of a sudden, all that shock from the unexpected guest and the pain that came with it ceased to matter. She sprung up and gave chase, lunging forward with inhuman speed. It took only a few seconds to catch up, and in those seconds, she stretched her tail out in front of her, meaning to hook it around the kunoichi's ankle. However, just as she was ready to act on her plan, she was forced to stop. The edge of her land—where she was forbidden to cross—stood a hair away from her. Reina watched the ninja escape, oblivious to the doom she so narrowly eluded.
Once the kunoichi had disappeared from Reina's sight, the gravity of it all crashed down on her. She collapsed onto the dirt. Her face was stoic; yet, she felt a surge of uncontrollable emotions swell within her. Sadness. Hatred. Loathing. None of those feelings could possibly compare to the anger she directed at herself. She could have stopped that woman. She could have brought Shin back. But she was a failure, she couldn't do anything. This was atonement for her wrongdoings, a punishment for being born.
One and only one tear slipped from her unblinking eyes, then nothing. She had sat there, letting the world be. She hadn't noticed the rustling of footsteps from behind, or the approaching hand nearing her shoulders. The moment something touched her, she violently snapped her head back, expecting an enemy to be hovering behind her. Instead of an enemy, a familiar face greeted her.
"Sh- Shin?" she hesitated as the man himself stood over her. He looked disappointed, baffling her.
"You stopped," he stated, and as much as she wanted to be happy that he was here in the flesh, she couldn't help but frown as a saddening realization crept into her. He hadn't been taken. He hadn't been taken at all! Instead, he had watched as she tried and failed to be a worthy Kami!
"You... You were testing me? I- I thought we-" she turned around to shy away her tears. "I thought we were friends."
Shin's eyes glazed over after hearing that word.
Friends.
He couldn't stop from balling his fists.
He ignored her, staring into the treeline where the woman left. Only one thing mattered: an enemy had escaped, and he couldn't allow that.
He moved to follow the trail of the woman but was suddenly stopped. He looked back. Reina's tail had grabbed his wrist. The thing was like a third arm, reaching out and protecting what it deemed important. If anything, he should feel flattered the damn thing fondled him so frequently.
"Where do you think you're going?" Reina asked low and dangerously.. "Maybe you don't realize this, but you are a part of my life now whether you'd like to be or not. I'm not letting you walk out of it and disappear for..." she stopped to think, "For nothing!" she exasperated. "No..." Tears began welling in her eyes. "I'll cocoon you in my scales if I have to. You—are—not—leaving! Over my dead body." she ended in a whisper, constricting her tail tighter and tighter around his abdomen.
Shin only stared as she slowly squeezed him. His eyes stayed trained on her. Without hesitation, he grabbed the base of her tail and began pulling her backwards, towards the edge of her land.
It didn't take Reina long to realize the danger she was in and visibly panic once more. She tried to pull away but it wasn't enough. She was dragged over that imaginary line in the dirt that she tried her hardest to avoid.
Instantly, and as if struck by electricity, she became paralyzed with a look of unimaginable pain on her face. Then, an unholy scream tore from her throat, piercing the once tranquil air. Shortly after, she fell to the ground with a thump. Convulsions twitched throughout her body, spontaneously rising and falling in violence. After some time, her contractions ceased and she was able to breathe again, albeit, in desperate heaves.
Shin slowly approached and walked around her sinuous body. There was a look of pity on his face, as if he couldn't believe the state she was in. He knelt close by her side; the Ryu stared soullessly ahead. Calmly, he cupped a hand to her chin and moved those vacant eyes towards his own. Upon seeing him, recognition sprung into her eyes. He knew this was his chance.
"Do you want freedom?" he asked.
Like clockwork, her eyes turned to glass in a way that gave him pause, and in that one euphoric moment, he realized what had drawn him so to the Ryu. She had been yearning from the depths of her soul to be free, and he understood all too well being enslaved by expectations. She hadn't needed to say anything for him to understand.
Shin moved his hand away from her face down to her hand. "Follow me, just this once," he said. It wasn't a question. It wasn't a demand. It was a proposal from one demon to another.
Lost in the moment, she cracked her mouth open to speak, but could only quiver her lips in response. Shin didn't hear what she said, but he understood perfectly what she deeply, truly wanted.
He closed his eyes. There was only one thing she had to do. "Come when I call," he instructed her before standing up and marching after the intruder.
The ninja had fled to a ravine. There was little doubt in his mind that she had tattled, drawing attention to his whereabouts. It didn't matter, everyone who defied him would pay the ultimate price, he would make sure of it.
Truthfully, Shin couldn't help but feel disappointed. He had tried to steer himself away from the path of chaos, but here he was, not only walking it willingly, but coveting it. No doubt, this occurrence will only become more and more prevalent until it comes to a head. Shamelessly, he looked forward to that day. Even now, he glanced to his hands and imagined the heads of his enemies dangling from them like lockets. Biting his tongue, he banished those vivid images to the back of his mind and took a breath to calm himself, but he smelled them on the wind. They had come.
"Misfit!" a raspy voice barked in the distance.
He turned around. A woman with skin like ash, stood behind him. Skulls, bones, and tribal ornaments hung loose from her bare thighs all the way up to her charcoal hair. Shin could tell by her rotten stench that she was dead, or had died once before; only, she was far too youthful, far too pretty to still be a corpse.
She had a sword sheathed on her waist. The undead kept a hand on said sword, twisting it as she leered at Shin. "Face me, and I will grant you a warrior's death!" she said, fiercely staring him down with the squint of a killer, perhaps believing herself invincible against injury or death.
And she wasn't alone. There were eyes above, looking down in the gorge, ready to witness the result of the skirmish, whether or not it boded well for them.
Shin stared back. His blood boiled at the challenge. He was one step away from giving in and slamming her face into the mountain, along with all of those that lingered in the shadows, until he remembered something important.
His hand went to his chest, twirling the charm under his neck. He clutched it then and there, knowing that it wouldn't be his judgment that would decide their fates. Quickly, he closed his eyes and meditated.
Shin was silent as he waited and listened. There was a piece of the Ryu in the charm. It was the ticket to share what he felt, what he wanted. She would know that it was time for her entrance, and that she was needed, maybe even wanted at this very moment.
As the seconds rolled by, and Shin made no motion to move, the undead's squint became narrower. "One!" she announced, crooking her discolored thumb under the guard of her sword.
There was a coldness under his hand, linked to the void in which he attempted to summon. He could almost see the blankness from under his eyelids. Still, he waited patiently.
"Two," the corpse mellowed, and popped a slit of steel from its sheath, ready for battle.
However, Reina had yet to answer his call. Was he wrong? Did she have second thoughts?
Suddenly, the warrior across from him had loosed a war cry. She had charged, blade held like a vice in front of her, ready to impale him.
Then, like a trickle of rain, he felt a presence touch the palm of his hand, and in that instant, he grabbed hold of it, and threw his hand to the sky.
A deafening bang ruptured the air as lightning struck the charging warrior's path. It settled into the atmosphere, leaving an equally stifling silence in its wake. Then, rain started to fall.
The warrior had stopped sprinting. Her sword almost fell from her hands as an enormous, elongated shadow loomed over her gawking face. An azure dragon glared upon her, a righteous fury across its maw. This was the face of judgment. They may have believed nothing could have looked down on them and smited them until today, that their lives couldn't be forfeited in the span of a couple of seconds.
It was one thing to anger a monster, it was another to anger a god.
Shin stepped away from the incoming fight. A cruel smirk twisted his lips.
The Seiryu roared, and lightning struck twice.
AN: I'm deeply sorry for the wait. I have a lot going on. Good news is that I will have the next update posted in around a week or so. Once again, I am sorry for the delay and if this update feels sub-par (I don't feel too optimistic about it).