The Kendoka's Revenge.
Written by Jlargent.
Me: I admit I have never watched Love Hina, but I have read stories by Snafu the Great and Yoshi3000 based on that universe. So, I decided to try my hand at a story revolving around "The Forever Kendoka." and "Death's a Blessing, Immortality's a Curse." Hopefully, I can do those stories justice. Typical disclaimers apply, I do not own Love Hina or any of its characters.
Mokoto's POV
"You're a surprisingly difficult person to find even after being cursed with immortality." An unrecognizable female voice spoke startling me from my gardening, surprisingly one of the few hobbies that I thoroughly enjoy. Maybe it's the fact that I am growing things that the bitch goddess cannot take away that easily, then again spiting the goddess of death seems to be a thing with me. I turn my attention to the voice and in front of me is a fox woman with long silvery hair and deep gold eyes that seems to penetrate my soul, her attire is that of a traditional Miko, but her power, it was divine and in no way evil.
"I have the entirety of my property warded against unwanted visitors. Apparently, I need to check them again if a messenger of the gods managed to slip in." I snarked.
She waved her hand in a dismissive manner "Now, now, you know better than to shoot the messenger, right?" she reaches into her robes and pulls out an old-fashioned scroll, she lightly coughs before speaking in a formal tone "Motoko Aoyama, I Amaterasu-Ōmikami officially recognize that you have been tricked by Izanami in exchange for immortality, as such we offer a form of compensation on our part for her actions. Should you accept, we shall remove the curse from you." She rolled up the scroll before addressing me "If you are interested in the offer, please come to the Chichibu shrine in Kyoto in three days." She turns to leave but stops at the entrance before turning to face me "Personally? I think you should take the offer, you got the raw end of the deal, the only reason we didn't interfere is the fact that while her immortality has helped you in removing threats to the human world, she reigned in on her deal in not honoring her part and remove the immortality she cursed you with. Just something to think about, okay?" she comments.
"Wait, what is your name?" I asked the messenger.
The fox woman smiled impishly "Isn't it obvious? It's "Mitsune"!" she spoke before vanishing. I stood there for moments before, for the first time in almost two millennia I giggled softly. Then those giggles turned into chuckles before turning into full on laughter loud enough to echo throughout my property. If it were not for the fact that I was cursed, I would have died from the laughter. Even in heaven that woman is ever the trickster, and apparently, she's earned their favor. I regained my breath before heading inside to pack my bags. I should bring some of my premium sake with me. I thought to myself.
Three days later…Chichibu shrine: Kyoto
It has been a long while since I had stepped foot into Kyoto, I think the last time I was here was a few centuries ago when the demon uprising was at its peak. I can definitely remember tearing my way through Shinjuku all bloodied and with clothing that was nothing more than scrap, I chuckled at some of the looks on both the demons and humans fighting that I was wearing nothing more than a thong and wraps around my breasts, ah good times. I shake my head to clear my lingering memories before standing in front of the Chichibu Shrine, I am amazed that it's still standing after all this time. It makes sense I suppose, religion is one of the things that endure throughout time. With a breath I step through the gate, and I open my eyes to see an arena-like courtroom, my eyes scan the massive room and note that every deity was in attendance. I walk to the center of the room as it quieted down, a motherly woman with golden skin and burning hair (No seriously, it was actually on fire!) wearing judicial robes looks at me before commenting.
"Welcome miss Aoyama, to the Divine Courts. Normally a mortal would not be in our presence, but due to the nature of the situation we felt that it requires our direct intervention." Amaterasu spoke "Before we begin, bring in the prisoner!" the doors open to reveal Izanami in all her hideous glory being forcibly dragged into the courtroom before being unceremoniously tossed to the floor kicking up a small cloud of dust.
She rose to her knees groaning glaring at the attending deities "How dare you treat me like this? I am a goddess!" she shouted, she then notices my presence "Well, well, well if it isn't my precious attack dog. I see these fools think that they could dictate the fact I did them a favor by gifting you with immortality." She commented lightly.
I scoffed "Please if anyone is here a bitch it is you. Then again, that seems to be a running gag for you, isn't it?" I shot back.
A light cough from Ame-no-Uzume interrupts us before either of us can build up steam for a shouting contest "Ladies, you can settle your differences after we render judgement on this matter. Izanami, you are here because you violated your agreement to remove your curse on Mokoto Aoyoma after completing the task you had set out for her to remove said curse. You also violated the agreement amongst us that you could not challenge a mortal in combat knowing that you can easily defeat her without any problems."
"Not to mention her actions has painted us in a negative light by assigning Mokoto to deal with threats that resided in the pantheons of other countries. The Greek and Norse pantheons were not particularly pleased when Mokoto had to fight against monsters from there, I remember that Hel and Hades personally wanted to kill her but because of the curse that Izanami placed on her they could not touch her, lest a war of the gods could break out." Izanami's brother spoke.
"Luckily Athena and Thor vouched for her seeing her actions as justifiable since Mokoto is as much of a victim as anyone because at that time she was desperate to remove the curse of immortality." Fujin commented "Of course there was a LOT of damage control when it was all said and done, frankly we were damn lucky that the body count was geared towards the most vile and sick individuals on the planet, not to mentions the demons she slew during the Demonic Outbreak that spread throughout the world half a millennia ago." Raijin thundered lowly.
"Hell, if she wasn't cursed by her bitchiness, I would've blessed her back then!" Takemikazuchi laughed "Anyone that can use a sword like her could've definitely have been welcomed in my workshop." He smiled before looking at me "You honor your family and your school with your actions. I want you to swing by my workshop after this, I have something for you." He finished.
"Over the course of the curse, not once has Izanami even hinted that she would remove the curse from you when you accomplished your task. And chose instead to torment Mokoto with further suffering in the form of an impossible task of removing threats from beyond the stars knowing that Humanity has not reached the point where they could travel amongst the heavens." Kagu-tsuchi said.
"And thus, our ruling is this: Izanami-no-Mikoto you are to hereby remove your curse from Mokoto Aoyama since she accomplished an impossible task set out by you. And you will fight Mokoto once again only without immortality from BOTH parties involved. This way things can be settled on an even playing field, should Mokoto defeat Izanami again she will be granted a boon of her own choosing, but if Mokoto lose to Izanami, Mokoto will take over Izanami's position for a few hundred years while Izanami will be reincarnated as a mortal without any memories of her life as a goddess." I paled at that, I spent the better part of two millennia as her lapdog and servant, all the while cursing her and myself. There is no way in HELL I am taking over her position.
I coughed lightly catching their attention "While I appreciate the irony, I spent the better part of two millennia as her bitch. I would rather not become a bitch goddess myself; I'd like to keep from looking like a walking corpse that attracts maggots and worms." I comment, making a few in the audience nod in agreement and giving me the added bonus of making Izanami scowl in anger at the thought of becoming mortal "Perhaps you could discuss her punishment after the duel. That way I would have no input in your decision." I suggested making a few others in attendance agree with my statement.
"I agree with Mokoto, she deserves something other than taking over Izanami's position as a goddess of death. If anything, I feel that Izanami should be forced to do her job for a change." Suijin piped up "She has not done any work for the past millennia and to have Mokoto do it? The paperwork backlog would be immense!" that comment caught my attention.
"Wait, are you telling me, not only is Izanami a bitch but she's a lazy bitch that would rather just let the world burn than to do actual work?" I exclaimed, before narrowing my eyes towards said goddess "Let me guess, you plan to torture me further by spending an eternity of doing your job while you kick back and watch me suffer even more?" I asked her rhetorically.
I walked over to her and before anyone could react, I punched her face in, sending her flying into the wall of the court. I quickly wipe my hand off anything that is composed of her rotting face. I smile before turning to the court "I apologize for this, but she did ask for that."
Amaterasu coughed "We shall allow this one time, but please save the aggression and violence for the upcoming duel." I nodded in agreement.
"Very well then, both parties will take two hours to prepare for battle." Ame-no-Uzume announced. I nodded in agreement as a small kitsune appears "Please follow this kitsune to the preparation room." She tells me. And with that the two of us head towards our respective rooms.
I open the door to reveal a simple room, in the center is a low table with tea already prepared. I sit there and take a sip of the offered beverage. I exhale letting my nerves loosen, it wouldn't do me any good to be stressed and constantly on edge, I sit there for what felt like hours calmly letting the memories of the good times before I wasted it by being Izanami's attack dog, and the regrets that I should've done were being dredge up, the time I spent at the dorms were the best times I ever had, even if I acted like a bitch towards Keitaro. Another regret was that I never apologized for my actions, I admit I had feelings towards Mitsune back then. But with how conservative Japan was about same sex relationships, I was doomed to either be forced to marry a man that I had no feelings towards or being excommunicated from the school. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey, it's Mitsune. Boss lady wanted me to check up on you to see if there's anything you need." The messenger spoke.
"I'm doing fine thanks." I spoke.
"You're not sounding fine. Can I come in?" she asks me. I hesitate for a moment before allowing her in. She sits down on the opposite side of the table; she was silent for a moment allowing me to fully process what's happening "Are you scared to face Izanami?" she asks me.
"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't. When I faced her the first time, I should have known that she intentionally threw the fight, she just wanted someone to act like a janitor on earth. But I was too cocky and drunk on the fact that I had beaten her…but it took the death of my sister that made me realize that mistake. Humans, they aren't made to be immortal." I lamented.
"Can I speak freely?" Mitsune asks.
"Yeah, sure." I replied, she reaches into her kimono and pulls out a cigarette, and casually lights it using her magic, she puffs on the cig for a moment before replying.
"Yeah, Izanami is a bitch for what she did, but you were equally at fault for what happened. You were young and felt as if you could take on the world. You had no idea what was going to happen. But rather than focus on the bad things that happened, you should remember all the good that you did with that curse she gave you. You saved hundreds of lives, killed countless demons and you saved the world. The thing about a curse, is that you turned it to a blessing." I gasped at the words she spoke "Not to mention you have an indomitable will, she tried to break you, make you into a mindless slave, but you didn't submit to her. If anything, I think that Izanami got the raw end of the deal in the end." She finishes.
For a moment I sat there stunned by the fact that inadvertently turned Izanami's Curse against her. It started with a giggle but eventually I threw my head back and laughed at the irony. After a few minutes, I calm down.
"Thanks for that Mitsune." I replied.
"Would you believe that I'm a licensed therapist outside of the realms?" she asks me. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise "What? Being a messenger of the gods doesn't pay the bills much anymore, most of the deities tend to have side jobs to make sure that they can still connect with humanity." She explains "A few centuries ago I was also an investigative reporter and before that I was a schoolteacher." She continues "Most of us had to adapt to a changing environment as humanity evolved. And we've became humbler and better for it." She finished.
"So, what about Izanami? Did she become an undertaker?" I snarked.
"Izanami refused to interact with humanity, she still think of them as primitive nobodies that should've died a long time ago." Mitsune commented "It's a shame really, she's stuck in her views and cannot and will not change unless she could actually put in any effort into anything." She spoke "Hell, she still thinks humanity is still in the samurai era!" that earned a laugh from the two of us, after taking another drag, she spoke "So, when you win, what are you going to do?" she asks me.
"Don't you mean "If" I win?" I corrected her.
"Nah, I believe that you can beat her. If you don't have faith in yourself then why have faith in others?" she pointed out.
"I suppose…maybe try dating. I've never had a romantic relationship with anyone because of Izanami. One of my regrets was that I never confessed my feelings towards your namesake. She was cunning, impulsive and knew how to get the most out of life. I was honestly jealous of her free spirit, that's one of the reasons I fell in love with her." I tell her.
"You know if the real Mitsune was here she'd tease you about it and flirt with that landlord of yours just to rile you up." she pointed out.
I laughed "You're not wrong on that. But still, it would've been nice to try." I said wistfully. The sound of a bell rang catching our attention.
"Looks like times up." Mitsune announced, I stood up and make sure that my blade and my clothes were in good condition "Are you ready for this?" she asks me.
"Whether I am ready or not, I need to do this. Besides, I really have nothing to lose." I answer, I stretch my body a bit "Well, here's hoping." I spoke.
"Wait, you forgot something." Mitsune called catching my attention before I leave the room.
"What is it?" I ask her and instead of answering she lunges towards me and much to my surprise she kisses me on the lips, my eyes widen in surprise before I close them, relishing the foreign but familiar sensation. After a moment she pulls away leaving a small string of saliva connecting our lips.
"For luck, and for something to look forward to when you win." She tells me before leaving the room, and for a moment I stood there in surprise and unresponsive. I shake my head to clear the sudden thoughts about her and refocus my attention to the upcoming match. Moments later I stood in the arena waiting for Izanami, and to be honest, I am nervous about facing the goddess a second time but this time the stakes are higher than ever, and Izanami will be giving me everything she has instead of holding back when I faced her the first time.
The doors on the opposite side of the arena revealed Izanami in all her hideous glory, but she was also wearing rust colored armor and when she pulls out her katana, it is stained with blood that has been caked on from overuse. I look closely at the blade, and I could tell that it has several chips along the blade, and it looked to be cracked in several spots. But I knew that it was no ordinary sword if she was going to use it.
A random spirit appeared dressed in traditional referee attire appears "Are both participants ready?" he asked.
I nod my head "I am ready." I spoke clearly.
Izanami smirked "Let's get this over with, I plan on putting my pet into obedience school after this." And that put me on alert. There is no way that she would say that unless she has a plan. I tense my muscles and with practiced ease I shift into a ready position.
"The terms of this duel state that both participants continue until one submits or is killed. Are there any objections to this?" the referee asks.
"I have no objections to these terms." I reply.
"The same with me." Izanami comments.
The referee raises his hand "Fighters, ready…" he calls out, I grip the tsuka tightly, ready to unsheathe the blade to readily defend. Izanami readies herself in a stance that was hauntingly familiar to me "…BEGIN!" he chops the air signaling the start of the duel.
The clang of steel ring as I block her sword strike, the sheer power from blocking it nearly made me kneel from the impact, I could feel my knees shake from that strike, I silently gasp at the speed she displayed. I kick her in the chest to get some breathing room. And I immediately rush at her with a flurry of blows which she parries with ease, she blocks a downward strike, and in a surprisingly cheap move she kicks upwards and sends my sword into the air which she catches easily.
"That move…" I whispered in shock and dread, before a rage consumes me "YOU BITCH! YOU STOLE MY FAMILIY'S TECHNIQUES!" I accuse, and for a moment there was silence save for the murmurings of the audience, her laughter was low, barely loud enough for anyone to hear, she casually tosses my sword aside before unleashing full on laughter loud enough to echo throughout the arena. Finally, she stops laughing and focuses her attention towards me.
"I am the goddess of death. Taking promising souls to use and manipulate is easy for me. And your family have produced the best quality swordsmen and women for millennia. Do you want to know a secret?" she mocked "You see I originally wanted to approach your older sister, but I knew she would refuse my offer. But you? You were young, ambitious, wanting to stand out from your family, a desire to escape from the shadow your sister cast. So, challenging you to face me with immortality as a reward was easy enough to bring you to me." She revealed. It took everything I had not to throw up at the revelation "And the best part? The best part of all of this was that when your sister died…I made her my slave, I took my time torturing her and showing her that you were my servant." A shimmer of light and much to my shock was…
"Sister…" standing there in slave clothes was my sister Tsuruko her neck, wrists and ankles were shackled. My heart was breaking from her appearance, but her eyes, they were empty, as if she had given up on everything.
"Your sister was surprisingly stubborn, she held on for a few centuries, despite everything I threw at her, all the torture, rape and cruelty I subjected her to, she held on, firmly believing that I would actually honor my deal with you. Of course I have no intention of releasing you from our deal, but when I revealed that to you…I showed it to poor little Tsuruko. And I could hear it. That familiar sound of a soul breaking, the moment I revealed that you are mine for eternity broke her. I really have you to thank for that by the way." She cackled out. I dropped to my knees at the revelation that I broke my sister, and she became a slave is Izanami.
She stops laughing and throws my sword aside and slowly approaches me, taking her time until she was looming over me with her sword raised "I am going to kill you, and your soul will be mine. I admit you were the best swordswoman your clan had ever produced. You had truly surpassed your sister, take comfort in that as the two of you will lament your failures when I reunite you…eventually." She started giggling before it grew to outright laughing "Don't think that you won't be punished for raising your hand against a goddess. Now, how to properly punish a naughty slave? Hmmm…. Oh! I got it!" she sneers at me, lowering her blade to where the edge was kissing my throat, applying enough pressure to nick the skin and letting blood drip from the sword "You kept referring me as and I quote "A bitch goddess" you gave me a wonderful idea, I am going to take your soul…and stuff it in a female dog, and you will be a literal bitch in heat. Maybe after a few centuries as one you will learn to respect and obey your goddess like a good little doggy." She pulls the edge away from my throat "As a courtesy for your many, many years of servitude I will grant you the right to speak one last time before I end this." She sneered "I suggest you make peace with yourself." She raises the blade on high as if it was a guillotine.
I could see my sister standing there with a blank expression on her face as tears stream down my face. I lower my head and spoke in a sorrowful voice "Sister, I'm so sorry. I was an immeasurable fool, she tricked me with false promises and lies, I don't deserve forgiveness from anyone, especially you. I wronged our family in the worst ways possible because I was too full of myself and violated the sacred art of our school and our family name. I became nothing more than a common sell sword, bound to Izanami's will and I foolishly followed her orders because I wanted to be free of my burden. And as a result, she broke you, and then she further drug our family through the mud because of my selfish desires…I don't deserve to be your sister." My tears kept flowing when I raise my head to meet her eyes "I can only hope that you can forgive me for my stupidity." I said to her.
Izanami wiped her eye in fake sorrow "For a moment, I almost felt bad for what I was about to do. Keyword being "Almost". Now, I have a schedule to keep, and I need to find you a nice little collar for you to wear." And with that she brings down her blade in a swift motion.
"MOKOTO!" A familiar voice rang out, surprisingly enough I didn't feel the blade touch my neck. I reflexively closed my eyes to spare myself from seeing my own decapitated body. I open them to see…
"Sis?" indeed it was my sister's ghost holding Izanami's arm tightly and preventing her from executing me.
"GO! Grab your sword! This isn't over yet!" she yells out and I instinctively got to my feet and rush towards my discarded sword. I put myself into a ready position, Izanami finally throws Tsuruko off and glares at the two of us as my sister floats towards me, the chains rattling and extending so that she could stand by my side.
"HOW! I broke you, I made sure that you could not fight back so how in the underworld did you resist me?" Izanami screams at her.
"While it was true that my mind may have been broken by your actions, but hearing my sister beg for forgiveness woke me up." my sister spoke before turning to me "Mokoto, I forgave you a long time ago. True, you were tricked into becoming her slave, but you were not at fault, it was all her fault. She just wanted someone to torture and manipulate. I'm sorry that I did not help you throughout all of this, but I am here now." She tells me, and I could feel tears of happiness fall down my face.
"Sister…" I whispered.
"And not just me…" she declared, as one by one soul flames appeared all around us until they practically swarm the arena floor "But also…every member of the Gods Cry School! The members of our family! The entirety of those that have suffered at her hands!" she shouts as each flame takes on the form of a member of the Aoyama Clan, former students of our school, the people that I had kill on her orders were there, and each and every one of them were glaring at her. My sister's glare was especially harsh towards Izanami as the shackles shattered for some reason.
"This…this is IMPOSSIBLE!" Izanami roars "I am the goddess of DEATH! You belong to ME, you obey ME!" she was ranting at the situation. The sound of a gun goes off, and Izanami was screeching in pain, clutching a bloody hand with a bullet hole that was showing, we turn our head to the source to reveal the woman that I had killed in Roanapur, her gun was smoking, she casually reaches behind her and pulls out a cigarette. She then uses her flames to light it and takes a drag from it.
"Yeah, yeah, you may own our souls. But I think we're all in agreement that your ass belongs to her." She points to me "The way I see it, while each of us has a beef against her, we're in all agreement that you're an even bigger bitch than she was." The crowd murmur in agreement with her words "Now I freely admit that I probably deserved to die but being forced to be your bitch? That's all kinds of wrong. So, consider this our resignation." She grins viciously at those words.
"You know Revy, this is one of the few times I am in complete agreement with you." A nun wearing triangular shaped sunglasses steps up next to her. And pulls out her own firearm.
"Glad we can agree on something at least Eda." Revy smirked as the crowd pull out various weapons, I could see a young woman with purple hair and a noticeable scar on her throat brandishing a chainsaw. She revs it up in preparation.
"Try not to scream too loudly, it would be rather inconvenient." She spoke in a clear voice. Before the swarm launch themselves at her. The crowd was kicking up enough dust to obscure her appearance while the spirits were attacking her. I notice that my sister was not joining in.
"Sister?" I ask her.
"This will not last long, despite losing her immortality she is still a goddess." She tells me, I strain my ears to hear Izanami fighting back against the surprise attack.
"What can we do? We'd just be back at square one at this point." I questioned.
"There is one way…" she mutters.
"What is it?" I asked her.
"My final technique." She answers.
"A final technique?" I exclaimed.
"It's a move that I created, but I never had a chance to use it before I died. But the requirements…" she trails off and then looks at me and then at the crowd attacking Izanami before a look of realization spreads across her face "This might work!" she exclaims.
"What is it?" I ask.
"I was never able to use my technique because it requires a massive amount of spiritual energy. But…" she trails off before my own realization hits. I turn my attention to the crowd that was now starting to lose against Izanami.
"EVERYONE!" I shouted out catching their attention "I need your help!" I raise my sword up and the crowd rush over to me. Tsuruko places her hand on my forehead.
"Here.." she spoke before her hand glows and a rush of information enters my head. I turn to face her.
"Is that…?" I questioned.
"Yes, it is, since I never named it, I feel it should be appropriate that you should." She spoke, she wraps her arms around me in a hug "I love you so much Mokoto. You have surpassed me in every way possible, I can rest easy knowing that the school and our family will be in wonderful hands." She spoke as she started to fade away, her flames going into my blade, and she wasn't the only one, everyone that showed up were glowing and their flames were adding onto my attack. And soon my sword was wrapped in sapphire flames. I could feel the power coming from this, it's overwhelmingly strong.
"HOW!? HOW IN ALL THE HELLS ARE YOU DOING THIS?" Izanami screeches, her already rotting body was cut, stabbed and shot at, it was a wonder that the crowd did not kill her.
"Revenge is a great motivator bitch. Everyone had gotten theirs, but now? Now it's my turn! And believe me this will hurt like the bitch goddess that you are!" I raise my blade up, and the flames intensify waiting to be unleashed.
"No…NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" she screeches trying to escape her fate.
"God's Cry, Final Technique…TSURUKO'S REVENGE!" I scream as I bring the sword down onto the ground and a massive pillar of flames shoot out and engulfs Izanami, her unholy screams echo throughout the arena as the flames consume her. Soon the attack ends, the flames slowly die down and I look at the now burnt corpse of Izanami. It falls over onto the ground and suddenly bursts into a cloud of ash and scatters to the wind.
I fall to my knees, exhausted from the strain of the technique, I panted from the adrenaline pushing my body to their very limits. Suddenly I heard a cracking sound, I look down at my sword which was burnt black and had noticeable cracks throughout the length of the blade. I stare at it before it literally shatters into tiny pieces. For a moment I mourned the loss of the Aoyama family blade but that feeling passed at the satisfaction of it was able to perform its final duty. The sound of clapping hands catches my attention, I look around to see Mitsune applauding me. And one by one each member of the audience contributed until the sound of the arena was filled with the applause and shouts of approval from the various gods.
The referee raises his hand "The winner of this duel is Mokoto Aoyama!" he shouts and that makes the crowd grow more excited, suddenly the applause slowly stops, I look to see Amaterasu walk down to the arena floor, I bow my head to her.
"Raise your head Mokoto, you need not bow before me. You have earned a hard-won victory even though your opponent tried to cheat by using the souls of her victims as cannon fodder. You have suffered greatly from Izanami's actions and for that I apologize that we did not intervene sooner." I raise my head, my face in shock at her words.
"But…" I start only for her to raise her hand stopping my protest.
"No, it is us that should ask for forgiveness." She spoke "Our inaction led to this. And you nearly suffered for it again." And much to the shock of everyone she bowed in an apologetic manner "I only ask that you forgive us for not stopping Izanami before she did this." She insisted.
"You have nothing to apologize for, it is Izanami's actions that are her own. She was at fault and thus she should be held accountable for her actions." I tell the sun goddess.
Suijin laughs "Well-spoken Mokoto! While it is true that we should have stopped Izanami's actions, ultimately, she brought this upon herself." He pointed out.
Amaterasu rises up "I thank you for your kind words. You are obviously tired from the duel." She claps her hands and Mitsune appears.
"Yes, your majesty?" she asks her.
"Please escort miss Aoyama to the medical wards to have her examined." Amaterasu ordered.
"Yes ma'am." She reaches down and to my surprise, she carries me in her arms.
Amaterasu's POV
I heard some chuckling; I turn my head to see Ame-no-Uzume watching the interaction between Mitsune and Mokoto.
"Is something amusing to you Ame-no-Uzume?" I ask her.
"Nothing really, but…" she trails off.
"What is it?" I was curious as to what she sees.
"Something that Mitsune and Mokoto would be good for each other." She explained "But that's just my opinion." She clarifies.
"You haven't been wrong about your predictions so I'm willing to believe that it can happen. To be honest, I agree with your assessment of Mokoto and Mitsune. And I think I know what's going to happen when we reward Mokoto with a boon." I tell her.
"Oh, what is it?" she asks me.
"Now that's a secret." I reply.
Mokoto's POV
"You're in excellent shape Miss Aoyama, you're just exhausted. Feel free to rest here until you recover your energy." The doctor spoke before heading off to attend to another patient.
I sigh and fall back onto the bed "I am never doing that ever again." I moaned.
"Which part? Fighting a death goddess, getting immortality, fighting all the evils in the world, fighting against a demonic outbreak, fighting said goddess of death a second time or unleashing a spiritually powered attack that left you bedridden?" Mitsune quipped.
"Yes." I replied simply. And for a moment neither of us spoke until I snorted, and that unleashed giggling between us and gradually laugh at the absurdity of the situation. After a few moments the laughter finally died down and I wiped a tear from my eyes.
"I'm surprised that you haven't broke down and cried yet." She commented, at my raised eyebrow she clarifies "I mean you're finally free of Izanami's influence and free to finally do whatever you want to do without immortality holding you back." She explains.
"It probably hasn't really hit me yet. Like it's not real at the moment." I raise my eyes to the ceiling "I'll probably have a proper breakdown and cry once I return home." I tell her.
"But until then, you might as well enjoy your time here. How many mortals can say they did what you did?" she rhetorically asks.
I chuckled "Hey Mitsune, mind getting my carryon bag for me?" I requested. She nodded and left the room for a few minutes and returned with my bag. I thanked her and reached in to pull out something that I felt was appropriate for the situation "I had a feeling that I may need this but…" I pull out a sake bottle "One of the things I learned was how to make quality alcohol, and this is my private stash. I only drink this on very rare occasions and this qualifies." I tell her pulling out a pair of cups "Care for a drink Mitsune?" I ask the kitsune.
"Sure, why not? I mean you did mention that it is a special occasion." She answers, I carefully pour the liquor into the cups, I take a moment to appreciate the feeling of this moment, I take a sniff of the beverage and the scent triggers the memory of when I first made this batch almost a century ago. I smile at remembering that first taste.
"Whelp, bottom's up!" I take a sip and the smoothness and heat from the sake courses through me.
Mitsune whistled "Damn, that's good stuff. Better than some of the drinks I had back when I was pub crawling in Shibuya. I swear the quality of alcohol has dropped since the demonic outbreak happened." She complained.
I nodded my head in agreement "So what's going to happen now? I mean Izanami's dead. What does that mean for humanity?" I ask her.
"No clue. I mean Izanami isn't the only death god out there remember?" she pointed making me remember the time I met Anubis in Egypt "Also technically Izanami isn't really "Dead" per se. more like put into timeout or suspended animation. Boss lady can easily summon her back but that's not happening until they come up with a proper punishment for her." She explains. Before I could pour myself another cup a spirit dressed as a traditional blacksmith enters the room.
"Ah, Miss Aoyama, I was sent here by Master Takemikazuchi. I am to remind you that he wishes to speak to you after the duel." He spoke bowing.
"Will you please tell him that I am well enough to meet with him and that I will be there soon." I tell him, he nods and leaves to inform him.
"I'll take you there myself, I've been to his forge a few times, so I know where it is." Mitsune tells me. I slide out of the bed and redress myself, making sure that I was presentable. And soon the two of us were at a large building, and I could feel the heat of the forges emanating from even outside of the building itself. Mitsune pushes the doors open and a wave of heat hits, this was stronger than what was felt outside, and I was already sweating. We make our way through the forge and eventually see the god bending steel into a sword.
He sees us and douses the sword in oil letting out a gout of flame "Ah, good of you to make it. Just give me a moment to check this." And he pulls out the blade from the oil and carefully inspects it looking for any flaws or defects, he eventually nods his head and places the unfinished blade onto an anvil for later forging "Okay, please follow me to my office." At my surprised look "What? All the gods have an office, I just rarely use mine." He tells me, we follow him to a rather simple and plain office. And on the desk was a long square box.
"First things first, I was really impressed with your skill with a blade. I've been watching you for awhile and you held up the tenants of your school. That being said, it is a damn shame that your family sword shattered after you roasted the walking maggot." I snorted at his description of Izanami "So, I have something for you." He opens the box to reveal a golden katana, it was intricately carved and forged. It looked like a perfect blend of a decorative piece and an actual sword.
"No doubt that Izanami is going to be salty as hell from what happened. And this will give you a leg up on her, I also added a few security measures." He tells me.
"What are they? "I ask him.
"Well first, the standard nobody but you or your descendants can use it, also a camouflage mode that makes it look like a wooden sword to everyone else. Next, I added in some elemental magic to it to give it a bit of extra oomph, in addition I added a feature that allows you to summon it to you no matter how far you are. And finally, I added a dead man mechanism, if you or your descendant were to be killed, the blade will automatically hunt and kill the people involved before it turns to gold dust. Even if the perpetrator is Izanami herself." He informs us.
I bow to him "I thank you for the wonderful gift, Lord Takemikazuchi, I will be sure to cherish it." I tell him.
"You know if you want, I could reforge your family's blade as well." He tells me.
I shake my head "That is alright Lord Takemikazuchi, I was glad that it served its purpose at eliminating evil." I reply to him.
"Fair enough Mokoto. Still, you did a hell of a job against Izanami, I'm willing to bet that we will never forget this for a long time." He walks to the exit "Well, back to work for me." He announced.
Mitsune bows "I'll escort her out sir." she replies and the two of us leave the forge.
"So, what now Mitsune?" I ask her.
"Hot springs?" she suggested.
"Yeah, why not?"
The next day…
"Ugh, my head…" I clutched my head in pain as a hangover was running its course through me. I gingerly get out of the bed and make my way to the bathroom, wincing every time my foot touches the floor. I wash my face and try to piece together what happened at the hot springs. A soft knock at the door catches my attention.
Mitsune walks in with a tray full of food "Morning Mokoto!" she spoke setting down the tray.
"Please tell me that I didn't do something stupid last night in front of the gods." I moaned.
"Nope! You drank a bit before passing out from the heat." she tells me "I was the one carrying you back to your room." She replied.
I blushed deeply at that "Thanks." I reply.
"Meh, no big." Mitsune commented.
"Why is it that you're so casual with me but all business with the gods?" I ask her.
"Don't get me wrong, not all the gods are into formality nowadays. But some of them practically demand it." She answers, "Don't want to piss them off right?" she finishes. I dig into my meal not realizing how hungry I was from the battle yesterday.
"This is really good." I complimented.
"It should be. My talent in the kitchen is nothing compared to the royal kitchens, but I make do." Mitsune commented.
"So why are you here aside from bringing me breakfast?" I asked her.
"Boss lady wants to meet with you to discuss your reward and for me to escort you to the gate." I raise my hand up "Before you say anything, mortals can't really stay in the divine realm for too long. It's better to send you home right away before something happens to you." Mitsune tells me.
I nodded my head "I understand. Might as well enjoy my last day here before I return home and have a proper cry." I tell her. Soon my food was finished, and I was standing in front of Amaterasu's presence.
"Welcome to my throne room, first off we shall deal with Izanami's punishment for losing her duel against Mokoto." With a casual gesture the ash that was scattered from her "Death" was gathering until she reappeared in all her ugly glory.
"Wha-what happened?" she asked, obviously still out of it from her resurrection.
"You lost Izanami and I'm about to pass judgment onto you." Ame-no-Uzume reminded her.
"You-you BITCH! YOU CHEATED!" she screeched at me.
"You cheated first, and you still lost." I pointed out, making her snarl at me.
"Enough!" Amaterasu almost shouted making us stop before another fight broke out "You lost the duel even though you tried to stack the odds in your favor. And as such you are still bound by the terms of the duel that were set out." she spoke.
"Grrr…." Izanami growls at me.
"You lost, get over it." I tell her.
"Your punishment is as follows, since you look down on humans so much, you will be stripped of your godhood and reincarnated as a human, and you are not allowed back into the Divine Palace until you learn some humility. In addition, you shall lose your memories of ever being a god, and every time you die you will reincarnate as a human until you learn your lesson." She spoke.
"Who's going to take over my position as a goddess of death? You need me to keep the mongrels from overrunning the planet." She sneers.
"You are not the only death god in the world!" Amaterasu shouted making Izanami cringe back from the expression "Or has your ego made you forget that?" he questions "Until as such time you can properly retake your position the souls in the afterlife will manage it under strict supervision." She commanded. Izanami had no response to that but instead look at us seething in anger as two guards were dragging her away to be reincarnated.
Ame-no-Uzume sighs "I don't know what happened to Izanami for her to act like this. Hopefully this helps her realize that she shouldn't become so arrogant." She lamented.
"Now that the matter with Izanami has been taken care of our next topic is what boon Mokoto is to be given." Suijin reminded her.
"Indeed. Miss Mokoto, what is it that you desire? I am willing to grant you anything you want." Amaterasu asks.
"After thinking about it, my only desire was to have my curse removed from me. Now that it's gone, I really can't think of anything that I actually need." I tell her.
"Are you certain of this?" the goddess asks me.
"I'm sure about this." I replied, "But if you insist on rewarding me, then I insist on granting Mitsune the boon in my place." I revealed. Mitsune gasped at my sudden generosity.
"A-are you sure Mokoto?" she stuttered in surprise.
"I got everything that I need Mitsune. I think I deserve to rest and live my life." I commented.
Amaterasu nodded "Very well then. I can respect your decision." She said as a kitsune appears "This kitsune will escort you back to the main gates, from there you can easily leave." She stands up from the throne "Again, I apologize for what happened to you and the suffering that was inflicted upon you." She spoke "Mitsune, I would like to discuss your boon at length. But that can wait, for now I would like to say farewell to you Miss Aoyama. May you return here under better circumstances." She spoke.
I bowed to the goddess "I thank you for the hospitality that you have shown me and the chance to end my curse." I turned to Mitsune "Even though we knew each other for a short time you became a friend to me, and I hope to see you again when I pass on." I tell her, I give her a hug which she returned. Finally, we pull away and bowed to them before departing.
One week later…
I hum as I look around for ingredients for dinner tonight. It's been a week since I fought and "Killed" Izanami and the burden of her curse was gone as if it never existed. I freely admit that I had cried for almost two days after I returned from the battle and made it to my bedroom exhausted from the events that transpired there. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm no longer cursed or the fact that I never really noticed it, but the colors of everyday life has become more sharp and vivid, the food tasting better than I had ever eaten and even my sense of hearing and smell has heightened. I guess it is true what they say, you never know how good you have it until you lose it all.
I smile at how I was feeling, like I was on a high that I did not want to get off of. Now that I was free from my burden, maybe I should start teaching again. I have taken in pupils in the past and now that I have more freedom to do what I want, I think I should bring back the Gods Cry School. I think my sister would've wanted that.
"Hey Mokoto!" a familiar voice snaps me out of my inner monologue. I turn my head and to my shock it was Mitsune.
"M-Mitsune!?" I squeaked "Why are you here?" I asked the kitsune surprised that I would see her again after a week.
"Weeeeeeeellllllllll. It turns out that I have some vacation time saved up. So, here I am!" she chirped.
"How long is your vacation time? A week? Two weeks?" I inquired.
"More like…. a lifetime." She confessed.
"Huh?" I was stumped.
"Well divine beings have a different sense of time compared to mortals. For me a lifetime is a two-week vacation." She explained.
"Is that the boon that you asked for?" I questioned.
"Yes, it was. And I did ask to be mortal actually." She confessed much to my confusion.
"But you're a kitsune." I pointed out to her.
"Not anymore. I specifically asked boss lady to make me mortal so that I can fully enjoy my "Vacation" to the fullest." She tells me.
"I-I don't know what to say." I replied.
"There's also another reason I did this." She commented "You see, I have a confession to make." She tells me.
"What is it?" I ask her.
"In truth I had been watching you since you were younger." She confessed "Your mother encountered me one day and asked that I watch over you." She continued "Since your mother was so faithful in our religion, I agreed to watch over you, and that's what I did. I had been watching you when you first stepped foot into the Hina Dorms to when you had to face Izanami." I stood there in shock that the fox that I met earlier had been watching me.
"Then why didn't you stop me from making that deal with Izanami? I could have been spared more pain and suffering than anyone should have." I nearly shouted at her in anger.
"Unfortunately, Izanami somehow found out about the promise I made with your mother and forbade me from keeping watch over you and that I was to never interact with you ever." She told me "And it was because of Amaterasu that I was able to interact with you and give you the message for that duel. It took everything I had not to hug you and tell you everything. But I had to act like I didn't know you to maintain my cover." She tells me.
"I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm still trying to get over the fact that I am free from Izanami. Please continue." I reply.
"When the time for the duel came up, I had a suspicion that Izanami would pull a fast one. So, I did a bit of cheating on my end." She continued.
"How?" I ask her.
"I infused your blade with the ability to shatter spirit chains. The same chains that was holding your sister." She said, I gasp at the revelation.
"That kiss of good luck!" I tell her.
"Bingo! But I also added my own luck to your own. Most people don't know that kitsune's are natural born gamblers and as such we have the ability to transfer our luck to others for a short period. I was just tipping the odds in more of your favor." She replies, "And there was also the added benefit of kissing you." She spoke softly.
"Why? I mean sure I needed the luck but why kiss me if it was an added benefit?" I questioned.
"Well, to be honest, at some point in watching you I started to fall for you, in a romantic sense." My eyes widen at the confession.
"Wait, you mean that…" I trail off at the implications.
"Yep, Mokoto Aoyama, I know this is all very sudden, but would you go out with me on a date with me?" she asks me.
"I-I don't know what to say." I answer trying to process the scene in front of me.
"Well, you don't have to answer right now. I mean I did drop a major bombshell on you. You need time to process this after all." She tells me.
"Um…" I trail off.
"When you're ready I'll be staying at a nearby hotel for your answer." She tells me and before she could walk away…
"WAIT!" I shouted making her stop.
"What is it?" she asks me.
"I can't say that this is all too sudden but, would you like to have dinner at my place?" I hesitantly asked.
"A-are you sure?" she was surprised by the question.
"To be honest I've been…lonely ever since I was cursed. And having some company would be appreciated." I explain.
"Then I accept your offer. If you want, I could help you in the kitchen." She offers.
"If its anything like what you made me back in the palace, then it will be wonderful." I laughed.
"By the way, what are you going to do with your school now that you're free from Izanami?" she asks me.
"To be honest, I was planning to bring it back. But my main concern is not only getting enough students to qualify to be an actual dojo but also that eventually I will need an heir. I mean I could adopt or get artificially inseminated, but I feel like that it wouldn't feel right to me." I tell her.
"You want to have a child with someone that you love right?" she questions.
"Yes, that is a concern, I want my child to actually know their parents and I want a healthy relationship with someone. I know that you just confessed to me, and I would like to know you better before we could have children." I tell her.
"Hey, it's no problem. I actually have a solution to that but…that can wait until we are sure if we can get together." She answers.
"Okay then, I guess that I'll have to trust you." I said, I wrap my arm around hers, and I pull her along "Let's get those groceries and then go home to eat." I smiled at the start of a new chapter on what has been a very long and very thick book of my life, but this time it's time for my story to finally end. And at least I'll have company along the way on this journey, I don't know what's ahead of me, and for the first time in a VERY long time I'm excited and apprehensive about it.
Me: I had this on the back burner for awhile and it took my internet going down to finally buckle down to actually finish it. And this turned out a lot longer than I expected to. It can't be helped on that regard. But it's worth it to actually read your own finished product and get a sense of accomplishment when you get reviews out of it. Anyway, that's it for this story. So, until the next story.
As always Hoody Hoo!