A man with scars on his hand taps his fingers on the desk. "We came to combine, yes?" A old man with thick eyebrows, a scarred eye, one is blue. And the other is brown. which is the healthy one. And a braided white beard. He raised an eyebrow. Yoshio nodded. "Yes." Both were kneeling and facing each other. And men from each side were protecting their leaders.
"Tsukoyomi dropped a bomb with his wife…" He crossed his hands together. "I intend to bomb her back."
"I'm afraid it will not be easy, Lord Nuraihyon." Yoshio spoke gnawing his champloo. "If burning Yokai territory was bad. She's slaughtering everyone in the mortal land."
"I can imagine." Nuraihyon. stood up. "I intend to give my soldiers a bite of her each."
From the shadows. A Yokai came through the dojo. Sliding open the door. Their spider legs grabbing the top of the ceiling as the walk in slowly.
The ronin men look absolutely terrified as they yell and whimpered. A Jorogumo, in another words a spider beast. Tilted their mask head.
They didn't speak. But they were armed to the venomous teeth. They had 8 katanas for each leg on her back.
And it climbed slowly upside down on the ceiling. Making almost every mortal uncomfortable. Even Yoshio almost dropped his champloo. Nuraihyon cleared his throat "I apologize. She has never seen mortals." He made them face his back. "Let's talk tactics. What can you bring to the table."
"I do not have my strongest warrior." Yoshio admits. "But she should be on her way."
"No worries." He smiled softly. And looks over at the short furry looking man. "Taka." Transforming into a Tanuki. "On it, sir!" He dashes on fours.
Meanwhile.
Sugi and Yumi were fighting a base back to back. Sugi rolls on Yumi's back as the two warriors exchange enemies. With Sugi slicing the enemies guts with her Kusarigama's sickle. Sliding past him. While Yumi just got done kicking the legs of a soldier and stabbing her hidden blade and Katana from both sides of the collarbone. But just after. A shield slaps her.. She gets bashed and into the air. Ragdolling on the ground as she groans.
"Your uncle would be disappointed." The brute grins. "You are weak.."
Yumi looks up from the floor. And she hears a monotone like voice talk to her. The world turning into a red canvas. "Are you gonna take that, girl? You're proving them right." Her eyes widened. But she couldn't reply back. She just clenches her hand. grabbing a chunk of mud and throws at the brute in the eye. Making him yell. And she walked up to him. And for some reason
She slashed him. "Do not talk about… my uncle!!" And She thrusts at him.
Hours later…
The two bring themselves to a hot spring. Sugi moaning. "Ahh… this feels so good…"
Meanwhile. Yumi is calm in the water. Her eyes closed. Her deep breath is the reason why Sugi can see her. And Sugi watched silently until she spoke.
"For someone who is meditating. You seem like you let your emotions take over you." She tilts her head with a little smirk on her face.
"That is not the case." Yumi spoke with her back straight. "I show no mercy for the enemy."
"Huh. In a way, it was hot." Sugi grinned. And Yumi opened an eye. "What?"
The two had to share a room at the inn. And Sugi was laying sideways with a smug smirk on her face. While Yumi looked at the ceiling with disdain and contempt.
"This is nice." She said softly. Trying to get closer to Yumi. But Yumi gave her the back. Shocking Sugi. But she snickered and didn't stop. And didn't stop her until she actually managed to wrap an arm around her. And than Yumi shoves a pillow on her face. "Stop it!" And tries to sleep. "You like men. And I do too." She closed her eyes as she laid sideways. And Sugi groaned. "Aww… fine." She turned back.
She took a deep breath. And relaxed her eyes. And her cursed armor had the aura of red.
And she woke up in a black void. It had hints of red everywhere. She was already standing up. Her hand was glued to her face. She blinked as she removed from her face. And she looked up.
As she blinked and looked up. A behemoth of a dragon slithered rapidly. Drawing through the air. Before turning back flying and flying through Yumi with it's. Shocked. She ducks. And looks back up crouched.
She grunted in frustration. "A beast!?"
The dragon got ready to attack. But stopped at Yumi's words. And it only slithered closer. Yumi almost looks like a ant compared to it. "You do not know me…?"
"I am Yumi Tachibana." Yumi declared. And it's whiskers followed it's head tilt.
"A Tachibana…" the dragon echoed. "Tsukoyomi's Family legion… you are not a god. You must know Amaterasu… and one of the gods she controls."
Yumi tensed. "What god?"
"Susanoo, My lady." He put his head down. Yumi gasped softly. But she tried not to react to heavily.
"Susanoo?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." The dragon stared into Yumi's eyes. "He was sent by the sun goddess amidst a war to seal me."
Yumi had her chin in her hand as she thought about it. "Is that so? Who are you?"
"I am Ryujin, of course. The dragon of the seas."
Yumi replied back. "Susanoo said that you are dead but your soul is in this armor."
The beast growled. "Liars… they sealed me because other then the Yokai and my dead people. I was the god's biggest threat. And you are on their side."
Yumi looked back into his eyes. And she looked just as fierce. "No. the three worlds are at hold of the sun goddess and her army. Jin, Gakido, and Ten."
Ryujin closed his eyes. "Sorry, The gods tradition, our history, it is wrong. And I want to be free."
Yumi clenched her fist. "And I want my uncle back."
Ryujin stood silent.
"Someday we will have to confront our past. And put it aside. Tsukoyomi and his legion are presumed dead or banished. I can free you if you help me save my uncle."
"And who's your Uncle?" The Dragon held his breath. "Haruto Tachibana did not have a brother."
Yumi looked down. Her face unreadable as she clenched her fists. "The Tachibana are no longer. I am the last of my family…."
The dragon watched Dazed. But he bowed his head. "I apologize, my lady."
She closed her eyes. Bowing back. "You'd be a great surprise. If we work together, we can achieve great things."
The dragon closed its eyes. Slithering in the air back. "Heh. I don't have a choice. But I'll put you at word, my lady."
Yumi smiled. "Give us time."
"And I'll give you my power. you must wake up." He finished the sentenced. says as he vanishes. Leaving Yumi shocked with her arms crossed.
"What are you—" the void vanishes as she suddenly falls infinitely. Yelling. Before sitting up straight almost instinctively. All she hears is yells from Sugi from afar. Who's already up and fighting. Yumi gets up to see the ruckus. And it's a fight between multiple warriors.
"!!" Yumi slid the door shut. "Army ambush!" She got up and went for her Katana. But it was only the sheathe. Not the sword.
Before she can say anything else. Someone barged and destroyed the door. It was a soldier with her Katana trying to back stab her.
But she reacts immediately and with her sheathe swallows her Katana as she elbows them in the face to let go. And spins around and unsheathes it as she slashes them across the shoulder. And she breathes rapidly. "Bastard." She looked at her armor. While Sugi called her out. "Yumi!!" Getting ready to fight what was coming.
At Amaterasu castle.
Amaterasu had her head down. Her hands locked together. And she muttered the name. "Tsukoyomi…"
She closed her eyes. And she thought of the things he told her.
Tsukoyomi had a cold look on his face. "We are honorable, Ama. We are not survivors among our people. We soar over them."
Amaterasu looked concerned. "We made legions to help the people become independent without us. Not to make a hierarchy."
Tsukoyomi didn't show his face. "You are scaring me, my love. He turned his back on her.
"How?!" She asked frustrated. Gritting her teeth.
"You do not know what it means to be a god." He looked back. And she stopped frozen her mouth. "A god loses their reputation by simply sacrificing. being on the same ground as mortals." He continued.
"The gods came down to save this world from destruction. We must show that the gods are still here. We are not folktales. And those who think we are, must be put to bed."
"But it's what's right." She put a hand on her chest. "You know, I helped a few people who came all the way from Jin. They were poor. They had no where to go. But they looked to us. I gave them a space in the inn where my soldiers lived. And they killed them because you terrified my soldiers. they were "invaders" to you!"
"Sometimes… he side glanced her. "Even the right thing can be awful."
She stood in silence. She was betrayed. She reached her hand out. "Tsukoyomi…" as the sun goddess. Her eyes dimmed.
She dropped to her knees. Almost exactly how days after. She read the note of Tsukoyomi.
"Amaterasu,
Do not seek me in the corridors of this castle again, for I will not answer. I will not kneel before you, nor sit beside you as we once did, dreaming of a world worth saving. The gulf between us has grown too wide—your hands reach down to mortals, while mine are meant to remain above them.
You call it mercy. I call it weakness. You clothe beggars in our robes and open our halls to outsiders, and you cannot see what it costs. Every time you bend to their cries, you strip us of the reverence that kept this world in balance. A god is not their companion. A god is their horizon—untouchable, unquestioned, and feared.
It pains me, Ama, to write these words, but love has become a chain around your neck. You would drag our names into the mud for the sake of what you think is right, and in doing so you would doom us both. And so I will do what you could not: sever what binds us.
In the days to come, your light will falter. I will take from you the very essence you wield so freely. The people will no longer look to you as their savior, but as a faded ember. Only then will they remember what it means to bow before a god.
Do not call this betrayal. Call it inevitability.
You've asked for too much.
—Tsukoyomi"
She looked tired. She was furious. You'd expect the sun to burn everyone right? Wrong. Everything was a frozen wasteland. Without the weather, Ten was almost the sister of heat. A frozen wasteland. She went cold. She couldn't believe it. She felt so disrespected and belittled she was on fire.
In front of her. Was a woman In her pale skin. She had a cloth over her face as she whimpered and was tied hands and feet. "Tsukoyomi…!!" She called. "Baby!! I need help!!" The woman screamed. And Amaterasu watched lifelessly.
"I'm sorry, mother in law. But This…This Is war." She grabbed the dagger. And she popped the woman's neck up. Slitting her throat with the dagger.
"My lady!" The soldier called. Snapping the sun goddess back to the present. "What!?"
"My lady, We've lost several of our soldiers to the samurai. Some are saying she's lost her honor. And… said she's coming."
"So what? Bring more men to her." She looked away.
And the man spoke panicked. "My lady… you don't understand…"
She looked at the soldier with hatred in her eyes. "What is there to understand, Mortal?"
"You're asking for too much…! I- You're asking for a man-slaughter!"
She clenched her fist so hard to the point her Thrones handles broke. "Too much? I'm asking too much!?"
"No, no, no, my lady! We will be going with your protection… right?"
Amaterasu only stared. She didn't say anything back. Leaving the man mortified.
"…Right?"
She responded coldly. "That is up to you. Now go." She spoke tight lipped.