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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 23: Foxy Overture

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

The teahouse selected for this impromptu secret meeting was, by all means, enough of a cover to keep the group Kratos led away from any suspicious Shogun troops.

That being said, he had so many questions currently lulling inside his head as he prodded both the demon girl he had faced, and the so-called 'high priestess of Inazuma' that got caught by said demon girl which may harbor close ties with the Shogun herself. Mikoshi Chiyo and Yae Miko, two names that had relevance over Inazuma's founding, but where only the latter had a lingering prominence.

As Chiyo, the Oni, sat with a pensively look on her face between him and the rest of the group while addressing the pink-haired woman right on the other side of the short tabel, Kratos kept on chipping at any detail that could be essential to handle the mess he was just being told about. Kazuha had been somewhat correct with his account - Inazuma had once been prosperous, but the sudden 'bad behavior' of the Shogun had outright crushed any spirit of innovation, change, and even 'preservation'.

Much to his surprise, this whole Vision Hunting Decree had gone over his head, mostly on the basis of what it truly entailed.

Truth be told, Kratos had never heard of anyone 'losing' their vision and thus warranting the extent of 'loss' they experienced. Kazuha had mentioned it briefly, but it was Yae that came out the most 'prepared' on the topic. Kazuha flinched as the fox woman spoke truly of what was happening to men and women suddenly stripped of such element: their mind was gravely dulled, their spirit crushed, their hopes torn apart. All that was left was a husk of people that once had plans for their own future, both good and bad.

The more he listened, the more Kratos felt mildly irked by another aspect of this situation. Sure, he understood that it was needed to stop the decree at once, and Yae was going to help them secure a summon to the Narukami Palace itself so that Kratos could face the Electro Archon without any intense 'roundabouts'.

But there was something else that weighted on his mind, and that was the idea that a vision could mean so much to someone. From the way Yae explained the matter to them, a Vision was meant to be... more than just a way to harness powers, it almost felt like an 'exchange' than a boost. For powers, one would give up a slice of themselves to the Vision and, once this was deprived from them, they would lose their fragment and be left incomplete.

This was not something he could just ignore. As Yae offered to pay them for some basic living quarters, the group accepted and soon a sense of peace rested as he found himself alone... with Chiyo.

Out of those shaken by the present, the oni was the one still reeling from many things. Such as the death of 'Lady Makoto' and of 'Lady Guuji'. The short woman appeared to be 'fine' for a while, but she soon asked to sit with him in private... before allowing some tears to spill, and for sobs to echo through the small room of his.

There was silence as he stared, part of him wishing to just snap her out of her sorrow, but he realized this was not something one could truly break from as easily as just a verbal slap. No, Chiyo's sorrow was too complex. Years- no, centuries of what had been a feverish dream of combat had actually clouded her judgment as her best friends needed her the most. And the worst part was that she lost her hand to said friend in that frenzy, further hurting her in the process despite her being the one losing a limb for it.

Thus he just watched over her, wondering if all Chiyo sought was a private and yet guarded moment of weakness. And his curiosity was blessed with answers after roughly an hour of waiting.

"You are a parent too, right?" The Oni girl asked, her query more confident than confused on the topic. "I can see it on the way you handle these three in your group, the girls- tell me, is that the case?"

"Yes."

"Do you agree it is wrong for a parent to shun a child by being so egoistic with their pride and ambitions?"

"Yes," He replied strongly, but not with a hint of displeasure as the question hit closer than home, for he too had seen this. "And if you wish to know if there is a way to apologize, then know the only way is to live and make amend by doing good when you couldn't. Not only to them, but to others."

This was the end result of so many decades of bashing his head and then accepting he needed to 'grow old' for the sake of his youngest child. He thought about it so many times, if he could ever hope for forgiveness, when he could hardly forgive his past self for the pain he caused in his own horrible desires.

That made Chiyo perk up, surprised at the suddenness of the response. "You..."

"I wish to not thread on the matter," Kratos firmly stopped her, but the message was clear as Chiyo nodded in understanding. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Yes, actually... you are not going to kill Ei, right? I mean, I wouldn't be too upset since she deserves it after the kind of things she did with her idiocy but-"

"I will not kill her," The bald man assured, quickly spotting relief on the oni's face, and almost felting too tempted in saying the next bit. "But I will beat reason into her. As her sister intended."

Chiyo opened her mouth, then paused, and frowned.

"...How do you know Ei has a sister?"

"She spoke to me in a vision. The older twin sister, she said that she was apologetic of the plight unfolding in Inazuma, and that Ei deserves a beating."

...

"Makoto said Ei deserves a..." Chiyo paused, her lone hand patting her cheek. "I guess that isn't too big of a stretch. While Makoto was a pacifist, she was also a woman with a limited patience. Ei may have been an enforcer of her will, but I remember them both being both active fighters, and it was Makoto that took part to the first line of defense. It still weird she specifically said his sister needed a... beating."

"This is what she asked me to do."

"...Maybe you misunderstood?"

Kratos frowned. "I inquired if what she wanted was for me to not fight her sister, but she insisted on the opposite, demanding I 'taught' her how wrong she was through the means of combat."

...

"Damn, I knew Makoto had a lot saved up in her own attitude for slackers but... well, Ei kind of deserves it."

There was a pause, and Kratos decided to humor the situation with a question of his own aimed at the horned woman.

"What are your plans once this is over?"

Chiyo shrugged. "I will not stick around Narukami. I have to... I have to seen what has been of my family. Surely there are more Oni around. I call bull on Yae saying that my clan is dead, and I will make sure to find them and give them... a chance. If they are willing to give me one."

...

"I think I will leave now," The oni hummed quietly, standing up. "I have to sleep a bit- proper sleep. And... I need to get accustomed to missing an arm. On my own."

Kratos nodded at the simple statements, seeing her leave his room... before sighing and taking to rest by the short bed he was given. He would never understand the purpose of such a thin thing for a bed. And while he had slept on sturdier terrain, this one felt so... unpleasant, and a lie.

A bed was meant to be a bed. Not... 'this'.

Small irritations, not enough to give him much of a bad dream as he just had a dreamless night for himself as he prepared to do what he was there too:

Give a piece of mind to the Raiden Shogun by the way of his fists.

AN

It will be a good day when Chiyo decides to adopt Itto... as his great-grandson. What? He has a granny? Then Chiyo will adopt the granny at the humiliating expense of being twice the hag.