Emotion II

[WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TOPICS THAT MIGHT BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME READERS.]

Cleaning the kitchen was an unbearable task, even if I was able to finish it within only an hour. As I was finishing up, Fumiko suddenly called out, "You're finished now, correct?"

"Yeah, I just now finished. Gotta say though, I'm surprised that your lungs haven't turned to ash yet." 

I hear a faint chuckle escape Fumiko. I sit down in the chair beside her as she begins to speak again. "I tried contacting my little brother today, but it went pretty downhill." She struggles to make eye contact with me, keeping her vision fixed on her lap. "After looking at some old pictures the other day, I wanted to check on him since it's almost been 2 years since we last spoke."

"And how could this have gone wrong?"

There's a long pause in Fumiko's words before saying, "It's about our big brother. I thought that my little brother was more resilient than I was, but he decided to blame me for our brother's death and told me not to ever show my face in Osaka ever again."

"That sounds harsh. How did your brother die?"

Fumiko's expression becomes dispirited. "He was captured by the DES. They threw him in the Proliuem Arena and met his fate. Sanity told me that I should've been the one to die instead, so I tried doing him a favor." 

An argument with her brother on top of all that trauma. How could one's brother even say such a thing to someone like that anyway? Also, if the DES apprehended her older brother, that means…

"Your older brother was a deceit?"

Fumiko nods. "He was a really good guy, though. He took great care of me and my little brother for years and always protected us from the cruelty of the world."

She must have done something for the DES to have caught their older brother. Maybe I could try sorting things out myself. I have the time now, of course, but would her brother like that? I sigh before asking, "What if I meet your brother and sort things out?"

Fumiko was bewildered by my sudden undertaking. "I don't think that's a good idea! I recently found out that he is the Proeliuem Arena Champion! Do you understand what that means?"

"Ah, so he's the fighting type of guy. You know how much I've been looking for another strong opponent to fight, and I'll always come out on top if he even tries to lay a finger on me." Proliuem Arena's champion, huh? Why am I not surprised that her bloodline is full of violent fighters?

Fumiko bites her lip. "If you end up mentioning my name, he'll probably turn you into shreds! It's my problem, so don't intervene!"

I stand and stare out the window displaying the depressing set of Kyoto. "Osaka, right? It'd make a pretty good vacation for my promotion. I'll let you know if I end up catching him there." 

"Wait, what? Ugh, dammit, why don't you ever listen!" I hear Fumiko's voice become muffled as I rush outside and make a run for it. It was a very defiant move for me to make, but I think that settling this for her would make things a lot better for her. Her little brother almost made her take herself out, and I couldn't let that just slip by me. What did slip by me, however, was asking for his name. 

———————————————

Chikao and I were on our hotel room floor discussing a plan to capture Yamata no Orochi's vessel. Chikao is rolling on the floor as he is "thinking" of a plan. "Maybe we should make snake food?"

"But they're serpents. Wouldn't we need giant snake food?"

"I suppose you're correct. That would be too much of a drag to get a hold of, though."

"I heard Australia has huge monsters!"

"That's only a hoax, Yu." 

"So we're here in Japan fighting against the deceits and vessels of deities, but we cross the line at their being deadly monsters in Australia?"

He squints at me and stops rolling. "What if we make a giant snake head to lure him in, maybe? Like a decoy of some sort."

"That's a wonderful idea!"

A voice of a girl suddenly interrupts us. "You two are both idiots. How did you come here unequipped with a plan?" Katagiri is sitting on the edge of my bed while looking at our dumbfounded faces. 

"Well, we just formed a plan, Katagiri!"

Katagiri scowls at me. "Don't think that your cute face will keep me from pointing out how stupid it is. Though there is some possibility."

Chikao immediately replies, "We can make it an arts and crafts project!"

Before he can say more, the air in the room grows heavy, almost suffocating. Shadows ripple around Katagiri's hands as she conjures a serpent's head, its scales gleaming like obsidian and its eyes glowing with crimson malice. The sheer power emanating from it makes my chest tighten. Without warning, she tosses it at me.

"Gah!" The serpent head is my head and lands in my lap. "At least warn me first!" 

"Save me those tears for later. If you guys want to try using this decoy, then I recommend you go into a vacant area to prevent any damages happening if he does end up taking the bait. The head will be infused with my energy, which is evil alignment, so he should probably come if Yamata doesn't run his mouth."

The idea didn't seem half bad, but there are a few concerns. "When should we place this, and what if he does come?"

"I recommend you drop it down somewhere by nighttime. It seems that those are his most active times, and it would also help him keep his identity from the public eye. If he does show up, then simply fight him and eliminate him."

Chikao chimes in with a crucial question. "I also have a burning question. May I ask why you can't get rid of him and save us the trouble?"

Katagiri's expression darkens. "It's… not my task, okay? Why would you ask such an absurd question?"

Chikao tilts his head, feigning innocence. His voice becomes tentative. "Not your task, or not your priority? Could it be for personal gain?"

Her glare sharpens. "You sure like running your mouth, smart ass!"

A sly grin emerges on his face. "Izanami, is it? You're also a vessel of an evil deity, so why are you choosing to help us eliminate Yamata no Orochi's vessel?"

Katagiri grimaces, and she lowers her voice. "I wish the two of you the best of luck." She disappears once again. 

The tension in the room lingered after Katagiri's departure. Her cryptic behavior wasn't new, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Chikao, however, looked unfazed. He stood, stretching his arms above his head.

"Well, guess it's time to gather ourselves. We've got a big night ahead of us," he said nonchalantly, as if we weren't going to possibly be going face to face against Yamata no Orochi's vessel. 

I sighed. "Don't start causing problems with deities, man. The last thing we want is an evil god haunting us until we're flesh and bone. That's Izanami, for god's sake!"

———————————————

After hours of messing around in Otsu, we arrived at a vacant area where we placed the decoy serpent head. The moonlight shone on the menacing serpent head as if it knew the significance it held. Chikao begins to sit next to the serpent and scroll on his phone as we wait. 

"Are you seriously scrolling as we wait for Yamata?"

"Yeah, Daitan. Seriously. Stay on the lookout for me, okay? This novel I'm reading is getting to the good part! They're so about to kiss!"

"Kissing you would be more entertaining than me just sitting on the lookout right now…"

Chikao's head shot up, a playful grin spreading across his face. "Awww! Was that a confession, Yukimura?"

"Ah! Just hold your tongue, dammit! Keep reading your novel!" 

"But you just confessed! It would be rude to ignore—" Chikao is cut off by the loud crash in front of us.

Psychotic laughter rang out, chilling and echoing through the night. A white-haired man in a tattered grey cloak emerged from the shadows, his eyes wild and gleaming. Without hesitation, he grabbed the serpent head and began devouring it, chunks of energy-infused scales disappearing into his mouth.

"Oh nice, he's a cannibal." Chikao puts away his phone and stretches his arms out. 

The Serpent Deceit's aura darkens the environment. It glares at the both of us before speaking. "More of you damn scum! You damn executioners never know when to stop!" 

I summon my katana, slowly unsheathe it as I speak to the deceit. "So you're the bastard that Mayumi fought against."

The deceit looks at me with a shocked expression and then begins to smile. "So you knew the guy? Takes one pathetic piece of trash to know another, I suppose." A serpent emerges out of the ground as the deceit raises a finger. "I won't let you get away this time like I did with the other one. I'll make you two a serving for the all mighty gods!"

Chikao's hair becomes green as a surge of air blows across our surroundings. 

"Nice hair dye, Chikao!"

He replies in a chill tone. "We can spare the jokes for later. Let's get this over with, Yukimura."

Izanagi begins speaking.

[ This is going to be your first major battle. I recommend you don't let it get away and end it before it can gain any more power! ]

The grip on my katana tightens, my resolve strengthening. "Right, let's end this once and for all."