Deceitful World

Fumiko was sobbing her eyes out as I entered the house. She must have gotten the news about Mayumi today. As she meets eyes with me, she snatches my shoulder with a firm grip. 

"My poor Romeo! He was so brazen to protect nature from that bigoted deceit." She started making dramatic movements like it was a theater play. "Such a handsome soul was so tragically lost today! Thy shall be remembered and commemorated for his bravery! He was such a hunk of a man and is leaving his poor widow distraught!"

"You're not even married for crying out loud." 

Fumiko makes baby-doll eyes. "Aren't you worried about my excruciating loss?"

It was clear that she was playing an act. I wonder if she did this whenever she was alone. "You can quit. You know he's perfectly fine."

Fumiko lets out a large sigh and says, "You're no fun, man!" She lights a cigarette, and her expression becomes mellow. The smell of smoke filled the house almost instantly. "This incident was so sudden. Once Mayumi wakes up, we'll probably end up getting some good intel on the situation. Also, we'll throw a huge party for his recovery, but knowing how he is, he'll probably end up tailing that thing until its head is in a trophy case." 

I nod as I cover my nose from the smell of the cigarette. "We'll have to wait and see! I have some homework to do, so have fun in your nicotine chamber!" I say as I bolt upstairs. 

I check Mya's room to ask how she felt about the news because she didn't talk to me at all during school, but that was usual. The strong smell of lavender hits me as I enter the colorful room. I spotted a note lying on her bed. I hesitate before grabbing it. It was probably just another love letter she got and decided to throw it away later. 

'Slicing and dicing those devils. I'll be back soon! >:)'

Today of all days? She is probably just taking out her anger on some deceits because of the incident. It was honestly up for debate due to how her mind works in an obscure manner. Ironic how she goes out on a dangerous day and didn't want to risk her life to possibly save the world. 

A little nap wouldn't hurt before a long session of work.

———————————————

I'm suddenly greeted with the eerie red sky and the warmth of the red peonies. Damn it. 

"New Kami! Stand on your feet!" 

Hearing Izanagi's rough, yet energetic voice made me sigh. The matching red kimono and black haori were surprisingly still on me. His expression was more bold than it was before. As soon as I stood on my feet, Izanagi vanished. A kick sends me flying, my body rolling across the field of flowers. 

"You have to think faster, Kami. Your head would have been bitten off with reaction time like that." Laughter erupts from Izanagi. 

"Nothing's funny! I thought I was gonna die!" I get back on my feet. No surprise came along with the action this time.

The air became cold as Izanagi summoned a wooden katana. As I catch it, he says, "Since we're dealing with a vessel of one of our targets at such an unforeseen time, I want to go ahead and teach some tricks! My vessel being eaten by the vessel of Yamata no Orochi isn't very pleasant for us both." 

Training on my own was no longer an option, unfortunately. The situation has now become dire enough to the point that harsh training would be needed. I raise the wooden katana in his direction and say, "I'll take you head on and defeat you!"

Izanagi bursts out laughing. "You sound so cliché! One-liners don't grant you any power boost, bud." Izanagi summons his signature katana.

"Hey, that's not fair, man!" 

Izanagi's expression darkens as he unsheathes his katana. He places one foot back. He replies in a stern, deep voice, "Disappointment isn't fair either."

Our blades clash as I block his swift attack almost instinctively. His eyes flashed a bright red. He deflects my blade. My arms recoil, causing me to lose control of my blade. 

"Don't look so shocked! Hesitating only wastes time, Yukimura!" 

I hurriedly ducked beneath Izanagi's katana. He was open! However, the concept of vulnerability was foreign to him. In what seemed like a fraction of a second, he sheathes his blade and slashes at my neck again. My vision blacks out.

Izanagi enters his stance as I regain my senses. Izanagi's expression looked enraged as he spoke. "You know who you're training with, correct? Get off your ass and take me seriously!"

Our sparring became a prime example of insanity. With every death that occurred, Izanagi would get increasingly more frustrated with me.

'Can you not swing a damn sword!?'

'Your footing all messed up!'

'Maybe I should have chosen Yamata's vessel instead.' 

The count of my deaths was probably absurd. We finally took a break, which helped me regain the feelings in my hands and feet. Izanagi lies down in the bed of red peonies. "How's your neck holding up, Yukimura?" 

Oh yeah, that too. "Forgot I even had one up until you mentioned it just now." He went in for my neck so many times that I couldn't feel the pain anymore. 

Izanagi's voice becomes the energetic and rough voice that it usually is. "Well, you ready to get to it again?"

Are you fucking serious? "Are you fucking serious?" The thought slips out of my mouth. It was the most genuine response I could relay to him, though. I became physically and mentally drained from the experience.

"What are you so snappy for? Not my fault that you come up again and again. I was getting bored too, you know!"

"Can we just move on to something else now? Like how you can do that quick draw, for example."

With an ecstatic smile, he replies, "Of course you can learn my amazing technique!" Izanagi jumps onto his feet. "Shinkuro is all about creativity. You know how you can move faster by focusing your shinkuro flow to your lower body, right?"

"Just do that but with my hands?" 

Izanagi shrugs at my reply. "We'll see next time I bring you back here."

I'm left with unanswered questions once again.

———————————————

A thick black fog covered the girl's surroundings. A lifeless body of a person that appears to be in their late teens falls onto the floor in front of the girl. The girl's eyes widen. The girl squats down to examine the body. Their messy black and red hair felt soft, their pale skin felt velvety, their lips were smooth. "So sad to see a spectacle like this die so soon."

A chuckle from an older woman could be heard in the distance. "Looks like we found our guy."

"So this is Izanagi's vessel. Shame that your fate can't be changed." She kisses the cheek of the boy. "Let's get back to Earth, Izanami."