Alright, time to kick my lazy butt back into gear and keep writing. Cause apparently all of you are very eager to see just what happens next. Throws me off, honestly, cause I'm not THAT good of a writer, I think. I look over my story and go 'damn, I could have done this better,' or 'that definatly needs more detail.' Meh. Must be me and my own issues. xD

I felt a hand caress my cheek softly as I began to wake up, tickling the skin and making me scrunch my nose. The hand stopped when I moved my face away and let out a satisfied sigh, but then I felt it pinch the skin and tug it away from my face. Whoever it was was being gentle, but I really just didn't want to be played with like that just yet.

I started to move a hand up to give the person a good smack, but a sudden, sharp pain in my ribs made me gasp and put it down. The hand let go of my face and instead fell to my shoulder. A familiar voice murmured to me, coming from right next to me.

"You shouldn't move just yet, jellyfish. You've got a few broken bones."

My heart leaped from my chest, and I forced my eyes to open, glancing in the direction of the person I most wanted to see. The blunette was there, smirking down at me with those bright golden eyes soft as he patted my shoulder. I found myself smiling back and trying to sit up, just so that I could get a better look at him, maybe even hug him.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be right about the broken bones, and I hisses at the feeling of pain that stabbed me all of a sudden. I lay back down and pouted. "Dammit."

Takeru chuckled before leaning down and giving me a light kiss on the forehead before pressing his own to it. "You feeling okay?"

"You want an honest answer?" I asked, frowning at how raspy my voice sounded. "Water please?"

The god grabbed a waiting glass from nearby and helped my lean up enough to take a few deep gulps of the clean, cool water. I sighed in relief before settling back down. "So...where are we?" I asked, turning my head to look around the room I was in.

It looked like a traditional Japanese house, with shoji decorated with beautiful art of the oceans and sky. A window was set high in the wall, letting in what seemed to be the midday sun to brighten up the room. It had a very comfortable atmosphere, and I found myself relaxing despite not knowing where I was.

"You're in my home," he said, shifting to a more comfortable position as I stared at him in shock.

"Y-your home?!"

"I did just say that. He hit you harder than I thought, apparently," he said dryly, a frown appearing on his face. "How the hell did he manage to get you, anyway?"

I frowned as well, closing my eyes and sighing heavily. "Well, Nayomi tried to threaten me with a knife to come with her, but I ended up running. Then that bastard appeared and knocked me out with a chemical. I came to in the cave, already bound up." I looked over at him, suddenly remembering. "Hey, where is Nayomi? You guys brought her back too, right?!"

Takeru nodded, then pointed beside me. "She's right there, actually."

I turned my head and was relieved to see the other girl, still fast asleep. I couldn't blame her for being passed out after having to go through such an ordeal.

"Is Manabe-san awake yet?"

I heard Tsukito's voice from the door, as well as the rustle of fabric. I turned and was surprised to see not just him, but another god as well. He was clearly not Japanese, if his loose fitting attire was anything to go by. Most of his chest was exposed, and the burgundy and green fabric wrapped around him shifted as he moved, barely leaving anything to the imagination. His long red hair made his twinkling gold eyes stand out, as well as the jewelry adorning his body as well. If I were to be honest, he looked like he'd just come from a romp in the sheets, taking the sheets with him.

I blushed slightly and glanced away before looking back, wondering just what I was supposed to do. Takeru turned and looked at the two other gods.

"Yeah, she's awake. Nayomi's still out, though."

"..." Tsukito moved into the room wordlessly, going over and crouching by the dark haired girl to check up on her. It stuck me as slightly odd, but I figured someone had told him to watch over her. I looked back at the stranger, one eyebrow raising in question.

"Ah, the princess has awoken from her slumber," he said with a smooth smile. The redhead came and knelt by me, taking my hand gently and kissing it politely. "I am the Greek god of Fertility, Dionysus." He winked in a flirtatious manner, and I couldn't hide the deepening of my blush this time.

"Oi, bastard!" The Sea god growled, taking my hand from the flirt and glaring at him. "I told you before that she's mine."

"Ah, sorry sorry! I just can't help myself when I see a pretty young lady~" Dionysus chuckled, giving me a sly look that meant he had only wanted to tease Takeru. I grinned at him, liking this one.

Takeru huffed and muttered something to himself, keeping a hold of my hand. I let him, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"So, why am I in your world?" I asked him, watching as Tsukito straitened Nayomi's hair, clothes and blankets to make her more comfortable.

"I wanted to bring you somewhere safe," the blunette admitted, scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment. I grinned at how cute he looked. "You'll be able to stay here while you recover as well, while Sukuna-san tends to your wounds."

"Sukuna-san? God of medicine?"

"Yeah. He's the one who bandaged you up when I brought you here a day ago."

I gasped. "I was out for a whole day?"

Takeru nodded, his thumb rubbing my hand slowly. "I'm just glad you woke up, honestly."

I grinned at that, tone teasing as I spoke up. "Well I guess my little sea monkey can worry about things."

Dionysus snorted, covering his mouth to hide his laughter. "S-sea monkey?"

Takeru shot him a deadly glare before leaning back and crossing his arms. "Aye, just like she's a soft little jellyfish."

The Greek snorted again, failing to contain his amusement as I hissed at the god before me. "One that can still sting you if you rub me the wrong way!"

"Nah, I prefer to bop that silly head of yours. Much more amusing," he smirked, clearly enjoying making fun of me.

I scowled, throwing my arm up despite the sharp pain to attack his stomach. He fell backwards at the first tickle, hitting his head against the wall in an effort to get away. Both Dionysus and I busted out in laughter as he held his head, glaring in my direction.

"I'll get you back for that one!"

"Only when I'm all better, but by then you'll have forgotten~" I teased, pullng my arm back down to make the pain stop.

"Not likely," he huffed, sitting back up.

I heard a low groan of pain beside me, and turned my head to see Tsukito pull his hand back as Nayomi opened her eyes, focusing and unfocusing rapidly.

"Ow..." She pulled up a hand to press to her eye, the one that had been hurt the most by Kouta's abuse, only to pause when she saw the bandages adorning her arm where the cuts and bruises were. Her eyes widened and panic and she sat up quickly, only to hiss in pain and clutch her abdomen.

Tsukito leaned over and put a hand on her back to steady her. "I would advise against swift movement. Your body has taken quite a beating."

"Well at least she can sit up on her own!" I griped, feeling rather jealous of the fact.

Nayomi's head whipped around to see all of us, a panicked expression on her face as she flinched away from the god of the Moon. "Wh-what's going on?! Where am I?!"

"Miss, please calm down. You're safe." Tsukito didn't seem to mind her distress, speaking in a calm, level tone that drew her attention. I watched the two, slightly facinated.

"Wh-who are you guys? Wait..." Her eyes landed on Takeru and I as I tried to sit up, the Sea god helping me to do so. I leaned back against him gratefully, glancing back at him to give him a small smile, which he returned. "I-isn't that your boyfriend?" she asked, pointing at him with a trembling finger.

"Yeah, why?" I said, not really getting why she was freaking out so much.

"Why is he dressed like that? Why are all of them dressed like that?!" Nayomi demanded, turning back to look Tsukito up and down. "Are they in cosplay or something?"

"No, they naturally look like this." I raised an eyebrow.

"Yukino, she doesn't know that we're gods yet," Takeru muttered. I blinked, feeling incredibly stupid at that point.

"Ooohhh..."

Dionysus laughed at that, throwing his head back and putting his hands on his hips. "You definitely took a good knock here and there if you can forget that fact, Yukino-chan," he said.

"K-kouta!" Nayomi blurted out, her head whipping around fearfully now. "Wh-where is he?"

"Gone." Takeru was the one who spoke up, eyes hard. "I made sure that he wouldn't harm either of you again. Should have just killed that damn bastard."

"Takeru, it would have been troublesome for us and the rest of the gods if you had done so," Tsukito reminded him, only to receive a shrug from his younger brother.

"Can someone just tell me what's going on?!" Nayomi demanded, her voice exasperated. I shook my head, snapping my fingers to gain her attention.

"Alright. You better believe me when I say this, cause honestly, it's all true. You know Takeru," I said, nodding my head to the god behind me. "He's also known as Susano'o. This is his brother Tsukito, though his real name is Tsukuyomi. This one is Dionysus," I pointed to the redhead, who bowed low with a grin. "He's the first Greek god I've met though."

"G-god...? They're all gods?" she murmured, looking at Tsukito closely. "Are you sure?"

I sighed, understanding her doubt. I looked back at Takeru expectantly. He raised an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes and summoned some water into his hand, forming it into a ball.

"Hey, look here."

She turned her head, only to have her eyes nearly bug out of her head at the sight of a ball of floating water. "Whoa..."

"Told you so," I said, unable to resist the smirk on my face.

Nayomi turned and eyed me for a few seconds, clearly not liking the fact that I knew what I was dealing with while she was rather lost. Tsukito drew her attention when he sat back on his legs, looking at her.

"Regardless, know that you are safe here, and will remain in our realm while you recover," he said, his golden eyes watching her reactions.

"...Fine." the dark-haired girl relented, laying back down on the bed and staring at the ceiling. I just barely heard her mutter, "Still don't believe you're all gods..."

I snorted a laugh at that, shaking my head. She'd learn in time that it wasn't a lie, just like I'd learned.

It took a few days for me to be able to stand on my own without aggravating my ribs to the point of agony. It hurt to breath if I stayed up too long, but at least I was able to get out of bed and take a look around.

Takeru stayed nearby at all times, only leaving my side either to fetch me something or to sleep. And even then after a few nights he wanted to sleep in the bed with me! Much as I loved the god, I just couldn't get over how embarrassing it would be to sleep curled up next to each other.

Nayomi had been taken away to Tsukito's house nearby, since she and I had been getting into an argument at least once a day. She was grateful that I'd saved her, but the bad blood between us still hadn't gone away, and I wasn't quite ready to bury the hatchet with her.

She seemed to be doing fine, as I saw her occasionally chatting with Tsukito, normally trying to persuade him to let her do something she probably shouldn't be doing. Much to the credit of the Moon god, he never relented, which clearly caused her a lot of frustration since she was used to getting her way.

I stood in the doorway one day while Takeru was off, having to do his daily god duties in the morning, so I was in the house alone. I was watching the cherry blossoms fall to the earth as a warm, gentle breeze blew. I pushed my bangs from my face before adjusting the kimono I'd been given to wear, as the clothes I'd come to this world in were torn and bloodied beyond saving.

I saw an older man walking through the garden out of the corner of my eye, and I watched him casually while I nibbled on a riceball I'd swiped from the kitchen. He didn't seem to stand out much, other than the rather extravagant robes he wore, but my eyes were drawn to him for some reason. I tilted my head as I watched him proceed through the garden.

He seemed to have sensed my eyes on him, for he turned a minute later and spotted me at once. I blinked, not expecting him to look directly, but just smiled and lifted my hand in a friendly wave, taking another bite of onigiri. His expression seemed a little surprised, but he lifted his hand in a return wave before continuing on his way.

I brushed my hands together to rid them of the few grains of rice sticking to them after I finished my riceball, deciding it would be nice to take a walk myself. I wouldn't go too far, since I still tired easily, but it would be nice to feel the sun on my skin for once. I delicately stepped down onto the stone path that wound through the lovely garden and made my way to the center cherry tree, quite happy already.

However, that changed when I realized that I wasn't the only one taking a walk.

A familiar goddess was sitting beneath the cherry tree, looking very prim and proper in her highborn mannerisms. I unconsciously scowled at the sight of Kushinada enjoying herself in the midday sun.

I was about to turn and leave when she just so happened to notice me. A slight smile appeared on her painted lips, and I muttered a curse under my breath as she beckoned me over. I shuffled my way over, eyeing her cautiously. I didn't trust this one, not after the heartbreak she had caused me with just a few simple words.

"I'm surprised to see you walking about already, Manabe-san," she said in a casual tone. "I thought your ribs were broken."

"They are, I just know how to move around without agitating them now," I said in a wary voice, standing a few feet away from her.

"That's good. Sukuna-san is also an excellent healer, so I knew you'd be up and about soon enough." The dark haired goddess leaned back slightly, watching the petals fall from the tree above. "How are you liking our world here, Manabe-san?"

"...Honestly, I like it a lot," I said truthfully, looking up as well to see the white clouds in the blue sky above. "It's beautiful here, never uncomfortable. It's a bit monotonous in weather terms, but I don't mind it that much."

"Monotonous? How so?" she asked, actually looking interested.

I shifted my weight back and forth slightly, humming a note while I thought how to put it into words. "It's always fair here, I've noticed. No heat waves, or cold spells. No thunderstorms that come through, no rain at all. I like change in the weather a little bit, as long as I can know what to expect and plan to do before hand."

"What do humans do when they know what to expect?"

"Well, on sunny and hot days, one might go to the beach to take a swim and cool off. On days like this one, they might plan a picnic of a nice hike outdoors. When it's a bit cold or raining, they'd stay inside and curl up with a heater, maybe reading a book or enjoying the company of their family, even taking a nap."

"It seems humans can find plenty of things to amuse themselves," she commented, looking at me with her bright golden eyes. "And what do you prefer to do on those hot days?"

"Well, rain or shine I go to the ocean. I've always loved it, and even just being able to hear the waves in the distance has the ability to calm me." I smiled as I talked of the sea, a few memories from my past and recent times floating to the forefront of my mind.

"Is that why you like Susano'o?"

My head snapped back down to look at the innocently smiling goddess, my blue eyes narrowing at her. "What do you mean by that?" I asked her, tone edging on frosty.

"Is your love of the sea why you like Susano'o so much? Because he is the god of your favorite place?"

My fists clenched as my anger sparked to attention. I took a slight breath to calm myself before answering her with care.

"My preference of the sea was part of what drew me to him at first, yes, but as I got to know him better, that didn't matter anymore." I let my mind wander to the days we'd first started talking to when we eventually got closer and closer, a smile tugging at my lips. "At first he was really standoffish and prickly, and it made getting close to him a challenge, but as we opened up to one another, I found things below that rough exterior that I could relate to.

"He's kind, caring and very protective of those closest to him, especially his brother. He enjoys little things, like taking walks in the surf or watching the sunset, even collecting shells. I found we both have a few issues trusting others, but were able to trust each other wholly. There's no one else I'd lay down my own life for," I said firmly. "Just as I know he would do the same for me."

Kushinada looked at me while my face softened as I talked, seeming entranced by the expressions I made as I talked about the God I loved. She almost seemed thoughtful when I turned to look at her again, her head tilted to the side.

"You truly love Susano'o?"

"I do." There was no doubt in my voice as I answered, nodding.

"Hmm, then this will be a problem indeed," she mused, sighing dramatically.

"What will be a problem?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes as the goddess beside me.

"You love him, but my engagement to him still stands." Kushinada pulled a fan out from her sleeve, lightly flapping it before her face as she looked falsely perturbed. "I don't know what you'll do after you're healed. Will you be sent to your world again, or will you try to break up our engagement? Though that would be very rude of you to do."

I felt my lips pull back into a snarl at the woman, nails digging into the palm of my hands to stop myself from throttling her. I knew she'd pull something like this!

"Well you'll just have to find a way to catch his attention, now won't you?" I challenged, not about to back down from this bitch as I had before. If there was someone worth fighting for, it was Takeru.

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" she cooed, standing up and looking down at me. Damn tall goddess...

"Yes, it is. If you can find a way to snatch him away from me, not half assed, all the way, then you can have him."

"And you?"

"I'll return to my world. You'll never hear from me again."

Kushinada fanned her face again, contemplating. "And if I don't manage to get him?"

"The engagement is off. You leave him and I alone for the rest of our time together." I held my head high, meeting her golden gaze without flinching.

"Hmm...I think I shall take this bet of yours, Manabe-san." Her lips tilted in a confident smirk, and I felt my own mouth curl into a smile. "The Emperor must be notified of this, but I believe he shall find these terms agreeable."

"So we have a deal?" I asked, holding out my hand for her to shake.

Kushinada eyed that hand, a flash of caution appearing in her expression at the confidence I had. Then she delicately took the hand I offered. We both squeezed at the same time, not hard, but we both measured each other's will as we shook, sealing the deal.

"May the best woman win," I said.

I may have felt confident on the outside, but on the inside I was yelling at myself in utter panic.

Are you retarded?!