And here is chapter four...
You have no idea how much of an achievement it is. Also, I would like to thank the three persons who but this humble attempt in their favourite pile, and the four who are finding this story interesting enough to follow.
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
It felt like a dream, he was a hunter now. And the way it happened...well, it was something one could call a series of contrived coincidence and incredible events.
They; Asahi, Krishna and himself, had arrived just as things were starting to get ugly for the hunters. Asahi had introduced herself and her brother (plus God, no wait, persona) as fully-fledged hunters, which they were not.
Hell, Nanashi was fully aware that the only reason he was alive was due to Krishna empowering him. There was no way he could have defeated all those demons without having a small army of hell spawn to back him up.
Scratch that...he and his sister should have been dead by now. In a body bag and into the furnace.
Well...His body anyway. If it had been up to him, like, he would have no sister to protect, Nanashi would have stayed in Goloka with Krishna while his sister...body would get eaten by Adramelech. Leaving the boss without any reason to live except maybe help out Flynn with the hope to see the actual sunrise...
Which would probably kill him at that point.
Where was he? Right, the sky tower battle.
They had almost fought the practically naked angel only to have Krishna seduce her without the use of a Marin Karin spell. This pissed off her supervisor, Aniel, who was quick to zap her.
And Krishna, being God and all, had saved her by catching the lightning bolt with his bare, delicate hand.
This had almost killed Nanashi...
To see those bolt hitting Krishna's reddish palms...it made Adramelech's stab seems like a pleasant tickle.
He didn't want to see His Krishna hurts.
Aniel had then turned his wrath on Nanashi and his adopted sister, Somehow not seeing Krishna. The fight that had ensued had been brutal, his sister's demon, the pixie was but a smear on the floor. And if not for Krishna, Asahi (and himself) would have been electrocuted to death also. But eventually, Nanashi had won, not without the timely help of Isabeau and Flynn though. But by the time they had arrived, the red-winged Herald had definitely seen better days.
Who would have thought a shovel could cause so much damage. And shoots elemental bolts, of all thing. It had been sweet to beat the feathers off that self-righteous angel. Still, the young boy knew he could have done a better job, he had plenty to learn, especially how to use a fighting shovel.
It is kind of reminded him of a vintage video game...Shovel-Ninja?
After a slightly eventful return trip, the boss had been quick to notice the wounded, and his daughter holding Nikkari's stolen phone.
He would have indeed grounded both for life for running away to a participate in a high ranking rescue mission involving angels- If not for the fact that Asahi had quite the surprise on the phone.
The moment he took the smartphone from his equally frustrated daughter, his rant...stopped dead the moment he noticed that, indeed, that same angel who had her heart stolen by the Lord had formed a contract with Asahi.
Actually, the winged pest had wanted to serve Nanashi, but since the boy in the lion shirt didn't have a smart phone (yet), the angel had to settle for his sister. Much to Asahi's great pleasure.
And thus, the boss had nothing to say but stared silently at the display, desperately trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
His face had been extremely comical, with his jaw nearly hitting the floor.
The Samurai duo then began praising the two youth's battle prowess, mostly Nanashi's skills at fighting with a shovel and his aim. And Asahi's resourcefulness was also highlighted.
Not that she had been of any help once her Pixie had died.
The next thing they knew, both were asked to register as hunters...real ones.
'Hell...I don't even have demons, Krishna, how is it possible?' Krishna, who was casually sitting beside Nanashi at the bar, gave the boy one of his ever-present, ever so mysterious smile. Did he wear a...shirt? A dress? Whatever it was, it was made of this golden gauzy material that let his beauty shine trough.
The reason why he wore something else than the blue kurta?
The Lord had given his shirt to the near-naked angel, cementing his status as 'straight, generous and totally would give His shirt off his back to a girl in need...no matter the species.'
Lucky angel.
Well, not all was lost. Krishna had walked in front of Nanashi...sometime turning around to speak and joke with him. All the while, Shirtless.
It had made the troubles all the more worthwhile.
" Well, you wanted to be a hunter. Didn't you." The Dark Lord asked with some pride as he leaned back onto the bar, holding a lotus flower to his delicate and elegant nose and breaking Nanashi out of his deep meditation.
'Yeah, but with demons...how am I supposed to fight without any demons?' Krishna sighed. " My dear friend, you have Me the supreme personality of Godhead! You do not need any so-called demons to protect you. Do not worry, I will take care of you." The Lord assured.
Nanashi slumped on the counter, the day was not even over, and he was starting to have a headache. 'Krishna, you don't exactly look like a fighter, you know.'
Krishna looked at Nanashi as if he had personally insulted him. The boy...realized that this was God, or at least, that's what Narada said, and he had a strong feeling that the orange sage had been truthful. An yet, this failed to instill fear in him...Krishna was just too...sweet.
Krishna sat straighter, His feathers ruffled. "Oh? I'm not much of a fighter? I will let you know that I have killed and is still killing many powerful demons. Demons that would make whatever is crawling here look like mere field mice."
'Go one Kris, impress me.' the boy in the greenish hair goaded, he wanted to know without appearing too eager. Sure, Krishna was God and all that...but there seemed to be more to him than simply being the supreme being and controller.
Taking the challenge, the glowing, dark blue teen puffed his chest. " I killed the Putana witch when I was but a few days old." he boasted "This Demoness as had smeared a virulent poison on her breast to kill Me. But, since she approached me in the mood of a mother, I drank her milk."
'...and how about the poison?'
"Oh, I drank it along with her life air." He replied as is it was not the first time it had happened.
"Oh..."Nanashi Grunted. He really did not feel well...his head felt as if filled with depleted uranium cotton.
He felt do slow...so sluggish. His brain acting not unlike those really old Portal computer...like the Portal ten edition.
And then something Krishna had said struck him like a pile of brick.
"Wait...you took birth?" Nanashi exclaimed as he sat up, surprising many patrons. Then woefully realizing that he had spoken out loud.
"Well, not exactly. I did, yet not." Krishna explained as He playfully twirled a lotus flower in his hand. A playful smile dancing on his lips.
Where did He get the pink flower...well, The lord would be the best one to know.
"Explanation please?"
Krishna chuckled. "Yes, of course. You see, my dear Kripa, when a human or any living entity takes birth in a particular species and situation, it is not by choice or at random. It is by their karma and their last thought at death."
'Wait...your talking about reincarnation, right?' Nanashi spoke in his heart, careful not to slip up this time. Especially with how the Boss was eyeing him...and Krishna, especially Krishna.
Krishna smiled."Yes, indeed, I am!"
"So Th"- ' 'That's how it works.' Nanashi slipped a bit.
"Yes, reincarnation is the culmination of a whole life worth of impression, reaction to past action and accumulated sins. You see, my dear friend, nothing is left to chance, and everything is under control. Death, the final exam, is but the transition from one body to the next."
"Ah...I see. So how about you?"
The Lord cast a warning sidelong glance at his servant to remind him that he should keep externally quiet.
'Oops...'
"While I am beginning-less and thus birth-less, I do appear on this material plane of existence by My own choosing... it's not that I am not present, only that I show myself when I fell like it and to those who deserve it." The Lord clarified.
"Sometimes I appear amidst the cheers and prayers of the afflicted Demi-gods to save them from troubles. Other times, I come out from unlikely places, like a solid marble column to protect and to please my devotees. And others, I appear to take birth and experience growth like a normal human. But the ever so fortunate women who bore me...are eternally my beloved... they are my beloved mothers eternally." He stumbled on his words as his beautiful golden eyes grew misty. "And they come with Me in whatever universe I am so that we may share...so that I may be her Child." Krishna's eyes grew misty as tears gathered in their pinkish corners.
It was...such a beautiful sight.
'Where are they now?'Maybe he could meet them.
Krishna shook his head as diamond-like tears poured from his eyes. "They are back home.." He obliviously missed them.
"So...you will-" 'you will leave soon then.' I Nanashi tried to stem the quivering of his voice. no need to grieve if Krishna left, its not like he could not live without him or anything, he tried to convonce himself.
"No, I will never leave you." Krishna assured.
'Bullshit They all leave eventually.' Like his biological mother, His adopted mother, this one friend who was taken by the Asura-kai...
Nikari and Manabu.
and then there was everyone who moved away to other places and forgot about him...
'So, who is she?' Nanashi asked. Curious to know who was the eponymous Mother of God and eager to leave the other subject behind.
The lord let out a massive gust of a sigh, and the entirety on the hunter's association bar gained this indescribably, sweet and cooling fragrance. A soft smile played on his ruby red lips and pure love danced in his golden eyes as he remembered Her. By those signs, the boy in the lion shirt just knew the next things that would come out of the Blue youth mouth would be earth-shatteringly good.
"I... Have many mothers." the Lord began, his voice unsteady. "As my incarnation of Prishnigharba, she is Prishni, As Vamanadeva, she is the mother of all the demi-god, Aditi." He began to enumerate. "When I take birth in the sun dynasty, she is queen Kaushalia And...when I appear as I am, in my original form, the one you see right now..." tears poured from his eyes like a pair of celestial rivers. "I...have two mothers...I was born in Mathura to Devaki Mata in the prison cell of her sinful brother Kamsa. But-' The all beautiful lord closed his eyes as his voice choked with emotion.
"But?" Nanashi prodded, mesmerized at the show of loving emotion playing on Krishna's enchanting face.
"But, the source of all the mothers, the shelter of all the qualities of motherhood and the treasure trove of causeless parental love is none other then...then Yashoda Mayi, the wife of King Nanda, the ruling queen of Vrindavan and she who bound my belly with the rope of her causeless, motherly love."
The image of baby Krishna being bound to an upturned grinding mortar was propped upon the altar, at the side of Radha-Govinda. She, like many others, offer the painting a Ghee lamp with as much devotion she could muster.
'Oh Lord Damodara, please accept this lamp on behalf of Yuki, so that he may take birth in a good Family soon.' She prayed fervently to the Lord bound by the rope of His Mother's pure affection. In her mechanical hands, the lamp burned brightly.
Nanashi shook his head and blinked a few time, what the hell happened?
'I was a...Robot...' He realized...not quite seeing the logic of how he could have been a girl robot worshipping Krishna in his previous life. 'Wait...no, this doesn't make any sense, in my previous life, I was Akira, right? A Hunter...and then A king.'
And Akira was an average human, a straight male, and completely normal human, not whatever he was now.
This...was a bit too much... he put the whole "devoted Gynoid' identity in the back of his mind, was not all that important.
' I haven't eaten anything solid for a whole month, and I got really beaten up this morning. The whole thing...must be some sort of hallucination.' He rationalized, keeping one eye of the most beautiful lord to see how he would react.
Krishna just gave him this very innocent yet heavy look...once again, heavy with love. Privately, Nanashi longed to bask in this warm, causeless...energy. He praised the luck of those born in a woman's body...
'...Asahi...she's not affected like I am. What the hell is wrong with her?' Then he shook his head, dispelling those thoughts and the slight dizziness afflicting him. 'No, Nanashi, better you change the subject before you get really weird.'
'So how about us, the soul? When did we start? How did you make us?' He asked Krishna, dearly hoping it would not trigger yet another one of those visions.
Krishna smirked, and Nanashi felt as if Manabu was right in front of him. speaking to him the fact of life as they were.
He let the pang in his heartburn then fade with practised ease.
"My dearest Kripa," The Lord pleasantly rumbled. "have you forgotten what my Narada told you about the soul?" The supreme personality of Godhead gave a playful sidelong glance to His servant, and Nanashi realized he already had his answer.
'I'm the same as you.' The wonder that colour his inner voice was undeniable. He had heard it once...well twice. But now, like a curtain being lifted, he partially realized his eternal nature.
'I'm...not this body...I'm..."
"The living entity dwelling within this body you call Nanashi...and Krishna Kripa. You are one of my very dear and beloved eternal servant whom, for the past eternity, transmigrated from one body to the next. Sometimes human, sometimes demon, sometimes a demi-god and sometimes a plant or an animal." Krishna slid his left arm around Nanashi's lilt, sore back and shoulder. It was so cooling, and yet he could feel the unlimited power and at Lord's beck and call. "And now, after long, you have come back to my service." The lord choked on some tears.
He leaned his Krishna's soft side, absorbing this feeling of serenity, pure joy and love without expectation.
It felt...Good to be back.
'No use to deny it Nanashi, you are head over heels for Him.'
And then he realized the boss was openly glaring at Krishna...he saw the whole thing.
It was time for a subject change then. Again.
"...If your mom and dad are rulers, does that mean you are a prince?' he asked as he (Regretfully) moved out of the Lord sheltering embrace.
Krishna smiled brightly. "My Narada was right! You are a brilliant young man." He blissfully praised Nanashi. "I am indeed the Vraja-Raja Kumara; the Prince of Vraja."
The unexpected praise made the young Vaishnava punk blushed as he absentmindedly pushed the 'fried chicken' away from him. "C'mon...was not that hard to figure out." He gently muttered as he grabbed the glass of heavily diluted chemical fertilizer, Instead of the demonized human corps.
No...he was not into meat... especially not demon meat. The smell alone was enough to make him gag. But...well there was nothing else to eat.
'Uh That's cool, God likes to herd cows.' As he 'said' those words. Krishna leaned back further as His large eyes closed in pure Bliss, definitely pleased at what he was heard.
It was such a breathtaking sight...a sight that satisfied Nanashi more than whatever food, touch, sound, smell and sight he could have experienced.
'Sooo...whats a cow?' He asked Krishna, hoping this question would please him more.
The prince of the cowherd just stared at him for what felt like a full minute. Making the teen feel like the most stupid person in the world.
And then he broke into this childlike, loving smile. "Ah right, you lived under a rock most of your life." He teased, relishing the unhappy blushed that bloomed on Nanashi's pale cheeks, "A Cow is not but a mere animal to be indiscriminately slaughter, but one of the Seven mothers who raise the world. She gives milk, the perfect, most complete food in the world. From milk comes yogourt, yogourt is then churned into sweet, nourishing butter, and from butter, Ghee. From this Ghee, sacrifice to the fire is performed, pleasing Me. Being pleased, I bestow blessings trough the demi-gods and thus slowly elevates Humans to the spiritual platform while giving them all amenity for their own pleasure like rain at the right time, health, progeny and nourishing crops."
"But to be honest." Krishna bashfully scratched his glorious cheek. "I'd rather prefer that this ghee, milk, yogurt and butter be used into making a plethora of sweet and savoury treat. it's just much tastier like this." Sri Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead admitted as he rubbed this soft belly, and Call him Crazy, but Nanashi was ready to put his hand on fire that he had heard the Lord's stomach growl in hunger.
'Right...he didn't eat anything since we met.' Nanashi realized. Somehow, this made the Lord that much more approachable...and now his servant began to worry. Krishna was hungry, and there was nothing edible...
Well, there was the onmoraki.
'Hell no! I can't even picture Krishna eating a corps of all things.'
But what could he offer Him? He had so little Macca, and vegetables were devoid of all taste, and those that had some were fertilized with...
yeah, not an Option.
He felt the Lord's loving gaze on him. And sure enough, Krishna was gazing at him with a supremely sweet and grateful smile.
'Oh hi, warm, fuzzy feelings...you got pretty intense, didn't you?' Externally, he began scowling. "What? Krishna...stop staring at me like that. It's weird." and now the boss was staring even more intensely.
The beautiful youth closed his eyes as his smile grew wider. "Oh, my dearest friend...I know the feelings in your heart."
'Shit.'
"You worry about me...as if I was a human being!" The Lord of the Universe spoke with a voice filled with wonder. "It's...it's wonderful. Thank you."
'But...why? I did nothing.'
this caused Krishna to chuckled as he laid his cool, fragrant, and extremely delicate hand on top of his...
Nanashi's heart fluttered at the gesture and once again cursed his unfortunate birth as a male.
"Oh, my friend. To me, only the thought and feelings matters. not the physical medium."
Nanashi openly stared at Krishna. 'One moment you speak to me all those great words of wisdom, and then the next, you act like a normal human teenager...a sexy, super attractive, tall blue and beyond beautiful teen..." Hearing those words, Krishna burst into peals laughter of beautiful laughter.
Under His bliss-inducing gaze and infectious mirth, Nanashi realized he had blurted out something he had wished to keep quiet about.
"A-" 'and how about the rest of those demons? You know, the one you said you killed?" There, A better subject.
"You want to know more?" Nanashi nodded discreetly as he sipped some more 'Miracle grow'. Hopping that Krishna would not comment on his slip of the tongue.
"Alright." Krishna leaned back and closed his eyes. His snake-like arm still around his F-servant's shoulder... "After the death of Putana, Kamsa send out more demons to try to kill me." The Lord explained dispassionately, his long, Golden eyes distant. "After the poisonous witch, he sent her brother, the whirlwind demon Trnavartha."
'Let me guess, he failed.' Nanashi internally sighed as the lord let that one slide. He knew he was being extra weird right now...But at the same time, he also knew there were some boundaries not meant to be crossed.
Krishna gave a mild smirk. "He thought he could kill me by dropping My infant form from the stratosphere." He chuckled, dispelling whatever fear could have sprouted in Nanashi's heart. "Little did he know that within me, the entirety of the material and spiritual world reside. Needless to say, he was the one who plummets to his death, crushed under my unlimited weight. He did serve as a nice landing pad though."
It was Nanashi's turn to smirk as he visualized the whole event. 'Alright, that's a bit more impressive. Anyone else?'
Nanashi's question seemed to break the Lord out of his reveries. "Ah...Yes...after that, on the Celebration of the start of my Crawling phase, a body-less demon took over a cart and tried to crush me under it."
The boy cringed...He had the misfortune of seeing crushed bodies. "Dang...He really wanted you dead, didn't he?" He then realized he'd spoken out loud again, but this time, the boss was talking with Flynn of the side. Still keeping an eye on Krishna despite the animated conversation he had with the younger man.
"I struck one of the wheels with my heels, and his days of sinning where done and over with...my poor mother though was at her wit's end." the Lord spoke regretfully, obliviously reliving the events as He narrated them.
'No shit. I don't know how your mother could survive seeing her Son getting almost killed by demons before he turned one.' And in hindsight, even the Putana demoness sounded like a gruesome woman.
He...felt the name to be very familiar somehow. But then, if he were to trust his visions.
'wait...why should I trust those visions? I was Akira before...right? And that blue-haired boy, that's just this weird recurring dreams, right? I mean, no human has blue hair...'
"Yuki naturally has blue hair and blue eyes...as you have green hair and yellow eyes." Krishna turned to the teen and, once again, it was the Lord of all Lord that spoke. "I could tell you more about those visions...but you are not ready for the truth, not yet at least."
'Why? Come on Kris, what's going on here? Am I Akira? or..." If he were Not Akira and but the other person of this memory...it would destroy everything that he considered reality...and After meeting Mister friendly, Aka God Himself...aka Krishna, Nanashi had more then enough paradigm shift to last him a lifetime or two.
Krishna gazed at Nanashi for the longest time, assessing him with unclouded eyes. The young punk shivered, all of his secrets where exposed, all his lies brought to light. The Supreme Personality of Godhead then licked his plump, sweet, red lips and finally spoke.
"Kripa...You are the eternal soul, separated from this body made of flesh and sixteen elements which includes the mind and the false ego. You never took birth, nor will you die. This body that you are in, like all bodies, is temporary, meaning, it does not exist in the past, nor will it endure in the future. This body only exists in the present."
'Krishna...what are you getting at?' Nanashi asked with a raised brow, he was really not into cryptic message and shit. He liked it when things were simple.
"What I am saying is this;" Krishna explained without really looking at Nanashi. Once again, his eyes distant. "The false Identity of Akira does not apply to you anymore, Nor did the other previous identity as the sister of Yuki. Right, now, you are Kanzanami Krishna Kripa, and later you will have another identity. That's all I can tell you for now." He concluded.
'But why?'
Krishna turned fully to Nanashi, making the boy shiver in both bliss and a bit of awe. His contrite eyes never failing at inducing a plethora of feelings deep within the young punk's heart. "Dearest friend, I would love to disclose everything to you. But as we speak, it is neither the time, the place, nor the circumstances. Just...Be patient, and everything will be revealed to you. And no, it will not end in a blood bath, this I swear to you."
This...was not what Nanashi wanted to hear. He once again slumped on the dirty bar, sipping his drink like most patrons were. Yes, he knew Krishna had some secrets, but at the same time...
At the same time, he wanted to know what was happening to him, he had the distinct feeling he needed to know. No, he already knew...but the knowledge was behind a curtain, just beyond the boy's reach.
It was beyond frustrating, but what could he do?
As he finished his life-giving drink, Nanashi let his hearing drift toward Flynn and his Adopted father.
"Anyhow." Flynn brought back their attention to him. "We'll be heading to Ginza next, to meet with Masakado. I will return to you after that."
A smile bloomed on the Bosses sober face, and the rest of the demons hunters gave a loud cheer for their messiah, Nanashi arose from his seats, ready to bide goodbye to the saviour of Tokyo.
And then something miraculous happened; Flynn walked to Nanashi, put his right hand on the back of God's latest servant and smiled.
"Actually...I wanted to speak to you before I left."
"ah...Really? But...I'm a nobody."
"Not to me, everyone is Tokyo count." Flynn smiled warmly as he sat beside the boy as an old friend.
Nanashi...did not share the feeling, but simply awe at the fact that FLYNN THE FREAKING LIBERATOR wanted to speak to him.
"Yeah...sure...w...What t..do you want to spoo about?"
'real smooth Nanashi...real smooth.' Well, not just awe robbed him of his ability to speak...but also the repeated dream of the Liberator cutting his head to 'save' everyone...only to have the whole plan backfire horribly.
"I just wanted to check up on you...Aegis, was it?"
'Oh my God, he already knows my hunter name!' "Yes...Yes I. Yeah that's me now." He felt so flustered, and Nanashi lost all his words.
"You looked quite pale and tired as we came back. You fought a very powerfull angel at the sky tower, and I was worried that he may have wounded you."
"Nah, just some scratches and burns, nothing really big or spectacular." Like this morning. "I just needed some food in." He sipped from his glass again, now noting that it didn't taste strong enoug. 'Oh crap...and we are running out again.'
Flynn gave a dubious glance at the liquid. "This...does not look worthy of human consumption."
"Well...Still better than demon meat." He gave another sip. Calculating how much vital element was in the water and coming up with some very low number. 'It's just blue water...that's it, Greg has to go.'
Flynn lowered his eyes as his resolved grew.
"Listen, when I defeat Merkabah and Lucifer, and the celestial vault will be lifted, I promiss you that I will personaly treath you to a feast."
Image of a hall packed with people eating off the floor met Nanashi's mind's eyes. and once again, this blue-haired boy...Yuki smiled to no end as he ate from a paper plate more food than usual.
"Aegis? Is everything alright?" Flynn asked.
"Affirmative."
A very uncomfortable moment pass as Flynn owlishly stared at Nanashi as if he had grown a second head.
The next thing he knew, the samurai of Hope gave him a whole loaf of fresh bread.
'Oh wow! It smells so good...oh, Krishna.' The punk feing to take the loaf as he slid it to Krishna. 'Here...please eat this. It's bread, real bread!' He felt the lord take the loaf, and then the sound of the crust told him that the offering had been accepted.
That, and the sound of pure satisfaction that God emitted as he savoured the daily bread.
"Thank you so much!"
Once again, Flynn stared, his mouth slightly open and his green eyes wide. "...What...Ah."
"Oh, Hari's a friend. He saved my life this morning and ow he's hangign around. I think he liked the bread." Nanashi glanced back at a very satisfied Krishna joyfully chewing a mouthfull of the daily bread." yeah, he liked it!" He smiles broadly as he turned back to Flynn.
"A-ah...I see." the samurai squinted a bit. "Well, I am glad your friend appreciated. As long as you get your part, that is."
Oh...That was supposed to go to him.
"Now, there's something else I'd like to ask. It's not related to any quest, or even saving the world. It's simply a personal inquiry of mine."
"Yeah, shoot."
"Where did you find this shirt?" Flynn spoke as he eyed the brand new printed shirt. "I have never seen anything so...rightous in my life."
"Ah...A friend...A friend gave it to me... But, I can give it to you if you like"
"No, It's alright. Please keep it" Flynn raised his two hands, a gentle smile on his lips. "Can I take a picture of it though?"
'Oh my GOD!' "Sure!" Nanashi practically jumped off the barstool, pulling the shirt taut, his face bright with a goofy grin as the Samourai of Hope took a few pictures of the shirt (and the boy that was in it) on his digital camera.
In the background, unseen by all including his dear servant, Krishna smile as he lovingly gazed at yet another dear servant.
"Flynn, It's time to go." Isabeau reminded the samurai, coming back from Asahi's side of the bar. Her red eyes weary as her gaze fell on Nanashi's green scar.
He had also ran out of tapes...thankfully, no one in the hunter association outlet had noticed...expet for her.
"Indeed." Flynn paced the camera in his bag again and bid farewell to one who should have been his friend. Nanashi gazed at him until he wad out the door and the gossip started.
He could hardly wait for his triumph, and yet, Nanashi was also well aware that nothing was over until either the lid was lifted, the angels and demons met their end...Of Flynn failed.
Time would tell.
As he returned to his seat, he noticed that the loaf of bread was there, completely intact. not even a bite had been taken out.
'Krishna...Why did you leave it here, it was for you.' Nanashi could not hide his disappointment.
"I already ate, you may take the rest." Krishna gave one of his ever-fresh smile that never failed to make Nanashi's heart melt. The boy dubiously eyed the intact piece of sourdough. "I swear on the head of my Mother and the nine million cows of my father that I ate this bread." Krishna grabbed the loaf and playfully stuffed it in his servant's mouth.
An incredible flavour filled nanashi's mouth; it was sour, yet crispy, and Nanashi could taste an indescribable sweetness from the soft and moist piece of bread.
As he blissfully chewed on his first-ever solid meal in a few years, he felt Krishna slid His lotus behind Nanaashi's left ear. The teen paused his eating to stare at the lord.
Krishna was reclining on the bar, his playfull eyes not leaving Nanashi, fiiling his with...with...
So far, time told him that everything would be alright.
"Hare Krishna, Mukhara speaking." A short woman answered her headset in the middle of a busy park in the late afternoon. She wore a dark violet dress with long sleeves and a pair of black leggings.
The otherworldly woman had short, platinum hair naturally styled as two erected horns. She wore glasses, a bag for her chanting beads and a Tulasi leave tilaka proudly proclaimed to which Vaishnava sect she belonged too.
"Hare Krishna Mukhara, All glories to Srila Prabhupada." Spoke the man at the other end of the connection.
Mukhara's Golden eyes shone with Bliss from behind her vintage glasses as she folded her prosthetic hands in reverence. "Oh Maharajah, All glories!" She greeted him with joy. "How are you? How may I serve you right now?" she asked as she moved away from the busy Edmonton park lane to somewhere less busy and noisy, and with a convenient bench.
"Well, as fine as I can get at 95 and with a new pair of knees." Her beloved spiritual master reminded his disciples of this fact. Mukhara's eyes, lost their shine, Her Guru-deva, her Savior and link Back to Govinda was getting on with age, and while his health was still good, and his body completely spiritual, it was cleared he longed to return back home back to Godhead.
She...didn't want him to leave. And yet she knew it was an eventuality even Erin's hourai elixir* could not prevent. Love is, after all, the most potent of power; and pure love for Krishna is even more so.
"You don't have to stay Maharajah. You can go when you want...I'll...I already went through a horrible heartbreak, I can survive a second one." Not really, but she didn't want her Guru-deva to suffer further.
"Mukhara...I can't, Not yet at least." He hinted, "Now, enough about me. How are you?" He emphasized.
"I'm fine, Maharajah. It's been years since I've been in Canada. The Edmonton Yatra has improved tremendously since the last time I visited."
"Yes, I am well aware of that. But how about you?" Rupanuga swami interrupted her, his concern was resounding clearly in his wizened voice.
"Maharajah... I.. I've told you, everything is fine now. I feel alive again, I go to sankirtan practically every day and my workshop is filled with the finest and most affordable Archa-Vigraha of the lord. I sleep fine, I eat fine, and all my rounds are chanted." she enumerated. And then her guts told her something was...not amiss, but it was clear her Guru-deva had something to say...something that caused the saintly man to worry about her well being more than usual.
Once again, the sombre realization of the dept she had toward her Master brought tears to her eyes. He was a real father to his disciple...and to whoever needed him. He had saved here, and weather she was preaching in Russia or Kenya, she still felt him close, leading her and advising her from within.
"Guru-deva...you have something to tell me, don't you?" Mukhara sat down, whipping the tears away..
At the other end of the connection, her Guru-deva let out a heavy sighed and stayed silent for some time. Obliviously, He had something weighty to say.
"Mukhara...Are you sitting down?"
'OK, either he has six months to live, one of my godbrother or sister is about to die, some of our more troublesome members have breached the none aggression contract or...' She took a deep breath in and silently recited the Narashimgha-Kavacha. 'no, no use letting my mind run wild.'
"Yes, Maharajah, I'm sitting down. Just tell me plainly."
"Alright...Her worshipable honour, Shiki Eiki Ya-ma-xana-du* just sent me a letter with some... confusing news concerning your family."
Mukhara raised her brows. "Really? Why didn't she contact me directly then, and didn't she received her initiation recently?" she asked as she ran a prosthetic hand into her horned shaped hair.
"She uses her old name for official business. And she knew you would believe me."
She could feel a headache mixed with a heartache coming her way. "Alright...I'm all ears."
She could just hear her Guru-deva composing himself. And it scared her to no end.
"Your son Died yesterday."
pause.
"Wait...no it can't...But he died-"
"Fourteen years ago, I know. But Madam Eiki was clear about this point."
"Oh, Krishna...Oh, Gauranga..."
"Mukhara... I'm not done yet."
Away from the public, the disciple of the Walking monk let out a whimper as the horrible memory of that Sunday afternoon assaulted her.
Her son, Lord Krishna's causeless miracle...
She knew he had died the moment the EKG blared for a whole minute and the desire to save her little boy waned from the heart of the ER staff.
She whipped away the streaming tears from her eyes as she recomposed herself. The pain may have faded away, but it had still left a mark that would never completely fade.
"OK...What else is there to know...and do we have some clues how my dear K.K died twice?"
"Well, that's the thing. He didn't."
It took her a slight moment to restart her brain after that one. Then her mind raced to try to find how could this incongruity even exist. And then...she remembered...
After his funeral, no ashes came back...
There had been talking about it, a horrible conspiracy theory that had given her false hope for a time. But soon, this illusion broke...
But now, this terrible nightmare...'Those were not just hearsay, my shishu had been kidnapped.'
Anger began to burn, but, after years of practice, she knew how to control it.
'Ah, it doesn't matter, my baby would have grown as a stranger...as someone probably doesn't know Krishna...probably an anarcho-atheist. And probably wouldn't care much about dharmic principle and the Path of Bhakti." She rationalized, keeping her emotions away from herself and acting with detachment.
It still stung though and made her quest for an answer burn brightly.
'May I get a chance to have them? Or is it yet another dead end?'
"Anything else I have to know? Where did he die? When? How?" Mukhara spoke briskly, burying the weeping mother under the veil of professionalism. It would be illogical to get overly emotional over something she had grieved enough about.
"that's...another mystery. The report said that he passed from this world right in the middle of Kinshicho park at 8:51 last evening. And yet, it also said he was in Aogikahara also."
Mukhara's brows shot up as she sat straighter.
"No...Not that's not possible. I was in a Sankirtan there...no one died! It was jammed packed, and Radha was there also! She would have smelled him!"
"So...I believe we have a mystery on our hands." Her Guru concluded. "what do you want to do now?"
"Whatever you see it as the best option, Maharajah." Personally, she would love to investigate the Aogikahara forest hermitage for some time now. But the Celestial mai-Mother Held her Guru's desires above her own and anybody else.
"Hmm...I feel that you have to look into that matter..." Rupanuga Swami carefully deliberated. "I've got a hunch you may find something...at least you'll be able to get closure and an adventure to boot."
"yes Maharajah...thank you."
"Why for?"
"Maharajah, When Krishna passed a-...when he was taken from me, I...we could not do his final rite. And...and I now have so many questions."
"You want answers."
"We all want them. I know it was by Krishna's will, not an atom moves without his desire, and to lose him...to have our child kidnapped at such a young age and all that drama. That was my karma, and we all know we deserve much worst...but..." her voice chocked once more. "I want closure...just to put yet another one of my spectacular failures to rest..."
A moment of silence descended on the Master and His disciple.
"And I think my K.K was taken by a hermit. So that's another reason to shove my nose in yet another adventure."
"Hmm, I see. And how do you know It's a hermit?"
"Kundalini Devi Dasi just knows one sennin who is staying somewhere in Aogikahara. And Krishna...His birth, his body and his parents are not mundane, and I do know one...person, who has a knack for collecting interesting personality for her own pleasure." she shuddered. "she was also into sneaking into places she shouldn't. I just didn't expect her to have remained in Japan."
"You are referring to your old 'teacher' aren't you?"
Mukhara made a face, the mere remembrance of this... wicked person was enough to sen shivers down her spine. "Yes..."
"Alright, I understand." He sighed. "Just be careful and return to me in one piece this time."
"yes, Maharajah, I will." Mukhara grinned as she flexed all of her ball joints.
"Alright, and may Krishna protect you...and Krishna Kripa."
"Take over."
"Yes boss." the new trainee spoke with much more confident, it seemed meeting Flynn and Isabeau had given the poor man a boost in much-needed confidence.
'Not just the rookies, everyone got affected by him.' Oh yeah, the samurai of hope was all, and more then what the Tokyoite population need and wanted; He was their life, the assurance that their wish to see the light again was not so far-fetch as first thought. Looking around the dark bar, he could only see his man (and woman) carrying big smiles on their face and bright eyes, and while booze flowed freely from the tap, everybody was too busy floating of a cloud of bliss to even take a sip.
'Oh well, they can waist as much booze as they want, as long as they are sober when we need them.' He did not have any illusion, he knew many more association Master would send their best man, more would actively participate. And all man (and woman) had to prep and get ready for the grand slam.
They all knew full well that they may not survive the fight. But those who fought only had one aim...to make sure Flynn succeeded so that the next generation could live without constant fear, free to see the sun, the moon and the stars without having a feathered fiend spoiling their first date...and demons chewing on the remains.
The Boss also knew there was a whole lot of revenge involved, many hunters had scores to even out with the two factions.
And then there was the Ring of Gaia and the Asurakai.
' Nope, it won't be all that rosy all that soon. With every big shift of power...Oh Axiom above, this will be a huge mess.' The boss realized, there was no way the two marginal groups would not try to establish their own ways after the whole thing would blow over. Taking over most of the population with promise of fame, power, woman, money and plenty intoxication. Well, maybe the rings of Gaea would be easier to deal with since their leader was dead at the hands of Flynn, but the 'Kai?
The boss shook his head, no. He would not let that get in the way of a beautiful event. Yes, there would still be plenty of problems with the whole political climate. But at least he could finally leave this terrible barman job...
He had enough of seeing the grieving waste away their lives in cheap booze over the loss of friends, family and lovers. It reminded him too much about his dad and how his liver just gave up, leading him on the path of a slow, agonizing death.
The Boss of Kinshicho entered his own private bedroom and heavily sat down in on his worn-out couch, being equally worn out from the day's event. And he knew it would not end soon.
Oh no, the fate of his guild, the funerals of Nikkari and Manabu and two other good men, his daughter and adopted son's adventure...and around fifty more social and material issue all amounted to his usual load of stress plus unwanted extra. So much so that the impromptu visit of Flynn and Isabeau did very little to mitigate his worry.
The boss removed his shoes and glasses, laying back to try to get some forty winks...but his mind had other ideas...like re-posting this image of his boy being embraced by this so-called Persona. Hari, he had called him.
"Bullshit...Hari's not a persona." He should know, he had one.
Personas had no personality, they where just an extension of their owners. They had no free wills, could take no initiative and would simply return to where personas go when not on the battlefield.
Hari...did not follow this well established constant. from what he could see, the flute bearing being had a personality; laid-back, expressive, flirty, self-assured and possessive of Nanashi...a bit too possessive. He could talk to his son, probably had free will and, most worryingly of all, he was still out and very friendly with his boy.
And he had embraced his son so lovingly...this male entity had his adopted son in his too-long arm, glowing with joy...
The Boss closed his eyes as he rubbed them; He knew Nanashi was not human and his taste was...not in line with many people nowadays, especially with how low and old the population was getting. They needed new blood...
Of course, with Nanashi being...part plant, the prospect of him having human descendant was slim at best...or even having descended, if the good doctor was right. A lack of everything made sure of that. But...not many knew that, and the boss made sure it was one secret even the hunter association was not privy to.
And now this stranger, this glowing, human-like creature bearing a crooked grin, more beautiful then Adonis and more attractive then Narcissus and made cupid looked repulsive compared to him was now being a bit too friendly with his boy.
Oh, the Boss may need glasses, but one had to be really blind and deaf not to notice the being shamelessly Hitting on Nanashi, only still an innocent boy despite it all.
And Nanashi in all of this?
Very quickly falling under the strange creature's spell...and too fast for the boss to do anything about it. Well, he could speak to his wise son, but something told the boss this was not something he could simply stop with a sound grounding.
'Well...at least he seemed to care about Nanashi somewhat..." He closed his eyes as he tried to drift to sleep. but his mind would not let him have this grace. "Oh Who am I kidding? It had only been a day, and already this demon has his bloody hands all over him!'
And nobody in the association did anything to stop him. There was no reaction when this...Hari floated in, nor was there a reaction from Flynn when he was talking to Nanashi.
Asahi...could, she sees him? Was he the reason why she was holding an angel in her phone? And was the bloody harpy wearing Hari's shirt in the first place?
"Maybe...maybe it's just some hallucination. I must be working too hard again."
But this didn't sound right. This Hari...Nanashi could see him, he spoke to him. And yes, even touch. Meaning he was real for two persons.
Still...there was something about this being; He...was surprisingly familiar. 'I know I've seen him before, but where?' He closed his eyes, trying to dredge up from where this Lustful being came from.
And then, it hit him like a sack of brick.
"Haribol, Junpei-san!" Yuki greeted him heartily, an uncharacteristic smile illuminating his usual dour face. beside him was Aegis dressed as an Indian woman also glowing with natural bliss and colour powder... They had come back late at night after a festival held by the 'other' cultist, the Hare Krishna.
The Boss, Junpei, all but jumped out of the couch at the images of his deceased high school friend at his happiest.
"No...Oh, sweet axiom..." He hoped he was wrong, he really hoped he was dead wrong.
He rushed to his closet and pulled out the massive trunk that was buried under clothing, ammo, and whatever else he had stuffed there.
Taking a deep breath in, he braced himself for what was inside.
Then, he opened the trunk of all things related to those who had left way to early.
His wife's picture, wedding ring in a silk bag and unfinished picture book met him.
Then there was the picture of his father...death by liver cirrhosis.
'At least I got to have a bit of quality time with my old man before he kicked the bucket.' His father had managed to sober somewhat up for his only son's marriage, had even given his blessing for plenty of children and long life for Junpei and his new bride.
'Yeah...he was not sober when he blessed us...should have known it would backfire.'
He moved on from the only happy picture of his dad he had left to the biggest stratum, the result of his obsession with his best friend and, S.E.E.S field leader; Makoto Yuki.
After his unexplained death and disappearance, Junpei and the rest of the gang had begun a frantic search for the body's location. To no avail. And yet, even if they did not find his remains, they had discovered more about Yuki's tragic and...unexplained past then they had cared to learn.
He had no birth certificate, was a natural blunet and greenish-yellow blood. He had a loving family consisting of a father, Makoto Koki who used to be the Fukushima plant director, a stay at home mother by the name of Makoto Toshie, with a background in electrical engineering and an elder sister named Makoto Hamuko, a high school graduate.
All had died in a horrible car accident on the Moonlight bridge, saved Yuki, who had miraculously survived.
Well, his body did. But the whole experience had left him orphaned and emotionally dead. Add to that the way his (many) so-called foster family he had treated him and his PTSD, it was a miracle he did not commit suicide...but from what he had learned from one very loose lips councillor, Yuki was practically a dead man walking, just doing what was expecting to him without really caring about any consequence.
Just waiting for death...
He...was well known to the constable. Not that he was part of a bad crowd...he was just too pretty to be left alone by the creepers.
Which was the reason why he had been transferred to Iwatodai...officially anyway.
No, reminiscing about his mysterious friend was not why he had plunged into the past; he was here for a picture, a picture taken around a month after the Nyx avatar had been soundly defeated and the humanity saved...whether they liked it or not.
Digging deeper, Junpei moved the cult trinket Yuki had amassed over the final month of his life; some prayer beads in dark blue bag, a key chain with the world goofiest smiley face named Jagannath, the worlds weirdest spider plush toy and some book by an individual called 'A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.'
'Still, don't know what possessed Aegis into letting Yuki join this Hare Krishna cult. Maybe they managed to hack her system.' The Boss mussed. 'No...I don't think they had the technology to do that. Still, he's dead...'
They must have made him drink some 'cool-aid' after those orange cultists had learned of his orientation. His nature as an alien... Or something along those lines.
'He had been fine the week before...definitely happier too. Had a cold but...hmm.' he internally hummed as he paused his rummaging. 'Maybe it was exhaustion. I mean, I was pretty beat up after Tartarus and the failed fall...But, we had months to recover and work up our grade, and I know Yuki's heart was not into his study, never where really. His health took a turn when he started staying at that place.' Junpei shook the idea away, it was all in the past now.
'But not far enough... I swear, I've seen this Hari somewhere..." he grumbled as he resumed his search.
And then, he found it...Yuki's favourite picture.
It was a pair of marble statues, the white one was definitely a woman dressed as an anime Indian princess, her wide blue eyes almost touching her hears. But the white icon was not his focal point. It was the black one.
Bent in three places in an alluring pose, a holding a golden flute to his cherry-red lips, a dreamy smile that stole the mind of all.
'That's him...that's Hari.' colds sweat and anger's fire fought for dominion within the Boss as he tried to quell the horror welling up in his gut.
"You didn't have enough of Yuki, now you want my son." he all but snarled at the pretty picture, crushing it. "Not on my watch."
Getting up from his kneeling position, Junpei reached withing his closet for two items that would aid him; His sword, and his evoker. The modified gun still held so many memories...so many battles against shadows and yet another cult.
And an epic battle to save the world too...from Yuki's ex Boyfriend.
'Alright, time to get back into action.' He resolved as he tied the belt around his waist...or tried too.
As it turned out, he was much thinner back then.
'...I think I'll need some de-rusting first...yeah, sound like a plan.'
And maybe just to try if a scare tactic would work first, Nanashi was pretty wise and would probably get the hint. If not...
Strike!
Here you go, chapter four in all of its glories.
Half of it would have been significantly different, and a good chunk got removed and replaced too.
Also, remember, this is a triple crossover between SMT, Persona and Touhou project. As you may have noticed by now.
Also, should I merge the smt and the persona tag together and make it an SMT/Touhou Project crossover, o I just leave it as it is?
...technically, there also a good chunk from our Holy scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita. With some things lifted for the Krishna in Vrindhavan book series.
The first set of books is under the authorship of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder Acharya for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The Krishna in Vrindavan series is from one of his disciples, His Holiness Shivaram Swami.
Yes...I'm doing some shameless promotion there because of how much I ow to those great personalities, more then I could write. Let me glorify their names for without them...
I would be either a junkie or a Hikimomori...
or both.
They have all saved my insignificant life...out of love for a complete stranger.
Please leave a comment...a nice one, constructive criticism or any question you may have. I will do my best to answer.
Om Tat Sat.