Mitsuki recognised the voice from her "dream".
"Oyamatsumi-sama?" said Mitsuki as she stood up, looking for the source of the voice. From the altar where the fragment was held, a light floated up, expanded, and transformed into a human-like figure.
A man appeared from within the light. A forest colored cloth blanketed over his whole body and head, creating an impression of a mountain. His earth-colored long hair was swept away as he rubbed his eye, seemingly trying to get rid of his sleepiness. However, it didn't help that he had a certain sleepy look on his face.
"I told you to call me onii-sama, didn't I?" Oyamatsumi retorted with a calm but stern voice, as if sulking.
"Onii-sama, long time no see," Mitsuki bowed with a gentle smile on her face. "Sorry that I've come to be in your presence in such an unsightly state."
Hearing Mitsuki's apology, Oyamatsumi smiled gently. "Don't worry about it," he say, as he added, ".. But it sure has been a long while. I think the last time was…"
"AAAAAAAAAAA!" Mitsuki screamed to interrupt Oyamatsumi's word, not willing to reveal the secret of her age to the guy who was standing behind her. "Sssh, Onii-sama, sssssh!" Mitsuki flailed in panic as she signalled Oyamatsumi to stop him mid-sentence, surprising him.
"Hmmm? Somehow, you seem different?" Oyamatsumi noted upon seeing Mitsuki's undignified, exaggerated reaction. Curious what had made her react that way, Oyamatsumi frowned. Then, looking behind Mitsuki, he noticed Itachi's presence.
"Who is this human?" said Oyamatsumi, frowning in displeasure. It seemed that his distaste upon humanity hadn't changed, even after a long time had passed. Realising this, upon Oyamatsumi's question, Mitsuki quickly took over the chance to answer in regards of Oyamatsumi's spite of humanity before Itachi could introduce himself.
"He is my companion! I mean.. friend.. I mean.. com..rade?" Mitsuki stuttered as she answered in panic, not sure what word would best describe the relationship she had with Itachi.
Upon Mitsuki's word, Itachi followed up by introducing himself politely, knowing that in front of him was a deity of legend himself. "I'm Uchiha Itachi, pleased to be in your presence," said Itachi as he bowed, slightly smiling over Mitsuki's panicked answer and her choice of word for him.
"Hmmm," Oyamatsumi mumbled as he alternated his gaze from Mitsuki's panicked face and Itachi's respectful gesture continuously, as if trying to determine the truth of their relationship.
"Inaba," he called. "I told you to be wary of humans, didn't I?" said Oyamatsumi as he made no attempt to cover up his contempt against humanity.
"It's fine," Mitsuki replied with confidence. "I trust him," she added.
"Indeed, he has a beautiful soul. But even the most innocent of humans can be dyed black too. I've seen enough of my share," Oyamatsumi retorted, as if reprimanding Mitsuki for her carelessness.
"It's fine," Mitsuki smiled at Oyamatsumi, undeterred, her gaze full of affection as she defended Itachi's character. "He's not that kind of person, he got a strong heart," she added.
Seeing the confidence and adoration in Inaba's eye as she uttered her praise towards the human man, Oyamatsumi was caught off guard.
"You.. really seemed to have changed.." he said.
Hearing his word, Mitsuki smiled, recalling her journey so far prior to the return of her memory. The fact that she could remain herself even after recovering a big portion of her memory made her wonder if she had changed for the better, or became stronger than she was in the past. As a person, that is.
"About that.. I would be glad if you would call me Mitsuki from now. As you said, indeed I feel like I'm no longer the Inaba you knew and loved. For that, I'm sorry," Mitsuki said with guilt as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet Oyamatsumi's, pleading, before continuing. "But.. this is who I am now.. If you deemed me no longer fit to be your sister anymore, I'd understand.." In response to Mitsuki's demand and apology, unexpectedly, Oyamatsumi smiled and gave her a pat, stopping Mitsuki from continuing her words that reflected her insecurities. Then, he went ahead and asserted Mitsuki.
"It's fine. I'm happy to see the liveliness in your eye," he said with a gentle smile as he rubbed Mitsuki's head softly, messing her hair. "It's as if the weights on your shoulder had been lifted.. and even after recalling your memory on what had transpired here, you can still smile, genuinely. For that, I'm thankful."
Hearing Oyamatsumi's word of encouragement and acceptance, Mitsuki couldn't help but smile wryly in relieve. "It was because of him, and the people I've met," said Mitsuki as she took the chance to reassure her elder brother of Itachi further, gratitude for Itachi was reflected clearly in her eyes. Upon hearing Mitsuki's word, Oyamatsumi understood her attempt and frowned as he took another glance at Itachi who was still lowering his head in respect. Deciding to drop his nagging for then, Oyamatsumi sighed and shifted his focus back to Inaba.
"That's good. I like this version of you," he added as he patted Inaba once more, satisfied with the change within her. He was worried about her kind, yet self-blaming nature that she displayed the last time they met directly, yet it seemed to him that the current Inaba, or Mitsuki, had grown much stronger, and much more confident despite her previous display of insecurity. Even if he hate humans, if it was really as Mitsuki said that her change was thanks to her 'companion', for once, he was willing to let the fact that Mitsuki had chosen a human to be her close companion go.
"I still haven't approved of you yet, though, human," he added as he glanced towards Itachi and spoke directly to him for the first time, surprising him. Oyamatsumi's word caused Itachi to lift his head and stare at Oyamatsumi in confusion, causing Mitsuki to correct him in panic, noticing what her brother might have meant between the lines.
"Onii-sama, what are you even talking about? I think you misunderstood," Mitsuki explained in panic as she flailed in front of Oyamatsumi, cutting the eye contact between him and Itachi.
Oyamatsumi gave Mitsuki a doubtful look as she tried to salvage the situation. Seeing the panic and complicated expression on her face, he gave Inaba a soft chop on her head, surprising her as he stopped her from flailing. Then, Oyamatsumi responded to the confused look on Mitsuki's face with a heavy smile.
"Here, take back your blessing," he added as he summoned the light orbs, just like how he did in the past. "To be honest, I've made sure to leave a tiny part of them within you even as you returned it to me, since I was worried that you might need them. After all, your decision seemed to be a rash one."
Wondering if that was why even though her power was sealed, she was still gifted with inhumanely fast albeit limited recovery from injuries, Mitsuki pondered. "Wait a minute…" Mitsuki remarked as she realised something from Oyamatsumi's word.
"My decision?" she confirmed with a confused look in her eyes, surprising Oyamatsumi.
"Amaterasu didn't tell you? You were the one who sealed your own memory and power," he clarified, baffled from her lack of knowledge. Hearing Oyamatsumi's statement, Mitsuki frowned, as she inevitably wondered of what could have pushed the past her to do such thing.
Likewise, Itachi was also surprised by Oyamatsumi's remark and glanced upon Mitsuki who was then seemed to be pondering seriously after the fact as well. Realising the confusion on both Itachi's and Mitsuki's face, Oyamatsumi frowned with concern, wondering if he had unnecessarily divulged too much, contrary to Amaterasu's intention.
"No.. She will eventually know. It's best for her to know it now, so it won't be too late," Oyamatsumi thought as sadness reflected in his gaze as he recalled the image of Inaba's broken state from her past. With a feeling of melancholy, Oyamatsumi patted Mitsuki's head once more, as if encouraging her, before putting a close to their reunion.
"Well then, I'll go back to sleep," said Oyamatsumi as he lifted his hands from Mitsuki's head with a gentle smile, causing her to responf to him with a complicated smile.
"Onii-sama, you sure love to sleep," Mitsuki remarked playfully as Oyamatsumi yawned and turned his back against her.
"Watching humans tires me. I'd rather not know what they were up to next," said Oyamatsumi in response of Mitsuki's tease with seriousness, before adding, "Oh well, if you ever need me, you can call for me here. Amaterasu had let me stay here since it was originally my shrine's land anyway.
"Ah.. sorry for dirtying your shrine, really," Mitsuki exclaimed in regret as she noticed the bloody mess on the shrine's floor. Hearing the guilt in her voice, Oyamatsumi turned his back once more with a bitter smile.
"It's not dirty. After all, you shed it for the people you cared about," Oyamatsumi said in assertion, causing Mitsuki to smile awkwardly in return.
"Speaking about it, what happened to the villages afterwards?" Mitsuki questioned with hesitation, worried about what might have happened as she couldn't yet recall that part of her past.
Frowning upon Mitsuki's doubtful tone, Oyamatsumi noted, ".. I won't let your sacrifice gone to waste, you know that, right?" he asked, as if offended. In response, Mitsuki chuckled guiltily even as uncertainty hadn't left her eyes yet. Seeing the worry in Mitsuki's questioning gaze, Oyamatsumi decided to elaborate clearer.
"They are fine. They thrived and developed until now. The medicinal village you recently visited was one of them," said Oyamatsumi, as if clarifying Mitsuki's earlier suspicion, and reassuring her at the same time.
"Just that," he added with hesitation, "Those who consumed your flesh.. let's say it didn't turn out for the best for them.."
Mitsuki stared at Oyamatsumi in confusion, while Itachi was caught by surprise by Oyamatsumi's bizzare statement. However, not long after, Mitsuki realised that Oyamatsumi was referring to the wild, carnivorous animal who partook in her flesh as the villagers discarded her body.
"After all, they consumed a divine being. It was akin to consuming a blessed meal, yet it also incurred on them a curse for the blasphemy that was feasting upon a divine being.." Oyamatsumi smiled bitterly, and Mitsuki found herself wondering about what had happened to those animals. Seeing Mitsuki's concern, Oyamatsumi waved at her lightly, as if trying to dismiss her thoughts. "It's fine though, just let the humans deal with it. They deserved at least that much," he added mysteriously. As he did, Mitsuki could see slight anger in his eyes as Oyamatsumi got lost in his thought, as if recalling the past. With both gratitude and sadness, Mitsuki glanced towards Oyamatsumi and whispered,
"Thank you, Onii-sama.. for everything."
"Anything for my cute little sister," Oyamatsumi replied lightly as he turned his back once more and dispersed into the altar as he walked away.
Itachi and Mitsuki had soon left the shrine, but not before making sure to remove the trace of Mitsuki's blood on the shrine's floor. After Mitsuki's insistence in cleaning the shrine, assisted by Itachi's suiton and purified by Mitsuki's blessing, Mitsuki went and cleaned the shrine in both respect and gratitude, leaving the shrine in a better state than it was before their coming. As a bonus, Mitsuki had even made sure to plant some flowers around the shrine, in Oyamatsumi's honor.
"You have a nice big brother," said Itachi as he kept watch over the forest. In the river behind him, Mitsuki was soaking herself and her clothes in the river, washing away the blood on her.
"You think so?" Mitsuki laughed. "We are not actually siblings by blood, but I guess it doesn't matter much among the Kamigami* compared to the bond of our duty," she added with a light chuckle.
Smiling, Itachi remarked lightly as he recalled Oyamatsumi's words and personality, "It seemed like there are a lot of types of Gods.."
"Mmhmm, after all, we are Yaoyorozu no Kami*. We come in a lot of different shapes, and size.. and personality," Mitsuki added with a smile, unknown to Itachi who had insisted to keep his eyes away from her figure, before the two drifted back to silence.
"Hey, Itachi-kun," Mitsuki called suddenly. Without turning his head, Itachi let out an acknowledging voice in response to her call. The two stayed in silence for a while as Mitsuki paused, seemingly finding herself at loss over words.
In truth, Mitsuki had been meaning to ask. Why Itachi, despite knowing the truth about her identity, didn't begin to treat her differently. Of course, she was thankful for that fact, however she was also afraid that if by asking so, she somehow made Itachi more aware of it, something would change within their relationship. In doubt, Mitsuki decided to switch the topic away.
"Are you not going to ask me anything about the previous scare?" she questioned jokingly, while averting the topic from her actual concern.
"That can wait," Itachi responded briefly without hesitation in his voice. After all, he believed that when she was ready, Mitsuki will talk to him about it, just as they both had promised.
"Heee," Mitsuki muttered playfully, "How understanding." At her playful words, Itachi scoffed.
"Thank you, Itachi-kun," said Mitsuki suddenly, confusing Itachi.
"For?" he clarified, still in confusion.
Smiling, Mitsuki replied with a warmth in her heart, "For being the way you are.."
Short Omake:
Inside some bar in Takamagahara:
Oyamatsumi took a big gulp of sake directly from the gourd. With a loud, frustrated thud, he put back his gourd on the table and complained, "... my cute little sister is in love with a human and she didn't even realize it yet..."
Benzaiten, the pretty lady of the group, smiled knowingly. "Ara.. what a predicament," said the Goddess of Love teasingly, to Oyamatsumi's suspicion.
Susanoo, sipping his sake calmly, added a simple "Indeed," to Oyamatsumi's annoyance.
"OI, SHE IS YOUR SISTER TOO, YOU KNOW? SHOW MORE CONCERN!" Oyamatsumi shouted in frustration, pointing his finger towards Susanoo as he stood.
"Hahahah, I haven't got the chance to meet her yet you know? After all, I'm quite busy.." said the Hero God who once sealed Yamata no Orochi with pride. Annoyed, Oyamatsumi retorted.
"Don't lie.. you have been slacking for the last few centuries..," said Oyamatsumi, before adding, "... And don't make me tell Amaterasu on what have you done in the human world.. I noticed it, you know.."
"GIKU-," Upon hearing Oyamatsumi's threat, Susanoo's finger twitched.
"Again, you always favor warrior clans.. now if only Amaterasu knew.. and that boy just now.."
"AAAH, OK, I give up, just don't tell Amaterasu, I'll stop slacking!" said Susanoo, flailing in panic as he begged Oyamatsumi to stop revealing his secret, his expression quite unbecoming of his stature. Hearing his plea, Oyamatsumi sighed and moved on.
"... What a sad thing tho.. That boy.." he muttered, "His life will not be long.. I hope Inaba.. no.. Mitsuki will be okay.."
The group fell into silence as the three experienced a loss of word. Suddenly, Benzaiten remembered.
"Pfft, I just realized.. How hypocritical of you criticizing Susanoo. If I remember correctly, you've been sleeping for the past few centuries or so as well, right?" she said with a mischievous tone, prompting Oyamatsumi to avert his gaze away and Susanoo laughing.
"HAHAHHA, IT'S OK BROTHER, I'LL KEEP YOUR SECRET WITH ME, HEHE," said Susanoo loudly to Oyamatsumi's annoyance as he raised his sake gourd towards his sleepy looking brother, as if striking a negotiation.
Author's note:
A short and chill chapter, but kinda made it clear about how others could see the importance of Itachi in Mitsuki's heart. A break from all the heavy stuff :D
Extra notes:
(*) Kamigami refers to the Gods, the divines, in plural form as an entity.
(*) Yaoyorozu no Kami, (八百万の神, Eight Million Gods) is a term referring to kami (God) in Shinto. The phrase "eight million gods" in Shinto religion does not mean that there are exactly 8 million gods. It means there are too many gods to count. At the time infinity was not a known concept [2] and 8 is a lucky number in Asian culture. This doctrine says that there are countless Kami, including those that control natural phenomena such as the ocean, mountains, and wind, as well as those that are closely related to human life. Yaoyorozu no Kami describes the numerous gods that exist in the world. These gods are often depicted as having human-like qualities and forms. They are believed to be protector deities that can bring blessings or harm to humans. They are also called "guardian gods" that provide blessings to people, but they can also torture or harass humans. This dual nature of Kami makes them both revered and feared. (Cited from the Wikipedia)