Tamamo had been practically bouncing with energy as she walked away from an outright stunned shopkeeper, fully aware how she was staring at her swaying hips, much like every other hotblooded male in the vicinity. Given her stunning good looks, this was to be expected. It was how she made Toba fall in love with her at first sight. That being said, she perhaps should have chosen another look entirely as the casual clothes she donned when she met the Namikaze Family had garnered quite a few carnal desires. A few brave men had even attempted to flirt with her.
She promptly introduced them to her foot. Her body was reserved to her darling husband, after all!
Speaking of Haru, he reminds me a bit of Toba, now that I think about it… Tamamo pondered as she made her way back to the main road, leading back to the house. As well as that person... What was their name again? Kishinami?
As a side-effect to her full reincarnation, Tamamo had also received the memories of her "fragments" that had been called into the Holy Grail War. Among those memories was her time as the Caster Servant, called into the Moon Cell Holy Grail War. These memories were not perfect, mind you. If anything, they were constantly coming and going at random intervals. Tamamo recalled that her fragment had been summoned by a Master that had no past to speak of. Barely even any emotion. Even so, she could faintly remember the love and devotion she had to them. She couldn't remember if they were male or female, but she did remember them having red hair like Haru. As well as their unwavering determination to see through the war's end.
There were other memories as well. Memories from her other fragments—Berserker, Lancer, Assassin too. The fragments were summoned by another Master, a girl with fiery red hair and golden eyes and a smile that hid the burdens of someone fighting for humanity' future. They were pieces of her. Shards of the being that made up Tamamo-no-Mae. The Tamamo Nine, as her Caster incarnation referred to them. Having been fully reincarnated, Tamamo was composed of all of them. Therefore, she had all of their traits. It was chaotic when she was revived into the world at first: having so many different personalities rampaging and trying to assert dominance. Though they were one of the same, they all wanted to be "Tamamo." To be a single entity. And also because they were unwilling to share their new husband.
Had this been any other Tamamo who had been restored to her full glory, she would have likely have folded or cracked because of the voices, shattering and breaking apart. However, she was the true Tamamo-no-Mae. The Original.
And she promptly asserted her dominance and told the Nine to shut up and listen.
They were in a new world with a flesh and blood body. They were free from the shackles of a servant class container and capable of sustaining their new form. Why use this chance to squander around and bicker when they can explore their new life?
That convinced them to follow her.
Of course, there was the occasional spat every now and then. Mainly in regards to her new husband. Her "Lancer" personality had told her to be aggressive. To go on the attack and just consummate their marriage on the spot. Oh by Izanagi did she want to, but it would be very rude. Besides, Haru was quite cute when he was so flustered and aroused beyond words. A sentiment shared by her "Assassin" personality. The "Berserker" personality had more or less been enthralled by Haru's adorable nature and practically demanded from the others that they should protect him at all costs. It was unanimous.
As for her "Assassin" personality... Well… the less said about her the better. She is very mischievous, sly, and scheming… much more than her other personalities. That being said, she did have a great taste in fashion! In fact, she was the one who designed the clothes she was wearing.
"Now then, what should I make for dinner today?" she wondered to herself. She had just reached the main road when her fox ears nearly perked up and exposed her true nature, immediately catching sight of her beloved husband. A wide smile touched her face, fully intent on embracing him and about to break into a run to reach him before she noticed something… very worrisome.
Namely, the fact that there were two girls next to him. A brunette with glasses stood next to him while he helped up a blonde girl who appeared to be a nun.
Her husband's senses were tingling. She did not like either of them being so close to Haru like that.
Wait. They could just be friends. She tried to rationalize before she went full on panic mode. I can't jump to conclusions! Hubby wouldn't cheat on me, r-right? Even at these thoughts, doubt crept into her heart. One of the girls was wearing a uniform similar to his, so maybe she was his classmate? Tamamo didn't want to be so intrusive on her husband's life, but her responsibility and duty as a wife would not allow her worries to remain! She must uncover the truth! Sneakily, she creeped up on the two, using a charm to hide her presence and form from prying eyes as she sneaked up behind the three.
"... How exactly do you know Italian, Kiryu?"
"We do have foreign language classes." the brown-haired girl called Kiryu reminded him. "And aren't you supposed to be taking English classes?"
Haru laughed awkwardly as he scratched his cheek, turning his head away in shame. It was such an adorable sight that made her want to glomp him. Tamamo rightfully refrained, lest she blow her cover. She then looked over to Kiryu as she tended to the foreign nun, pulling her up. She was also capable of understanding what they were speaking, given her nature.
"You okay there?"
"Y-Yes. Thank you very much, miss." the nun said as she dusted off her clothes before straightening her back.
Immediately, Tamamo was put on full alert when she looked at her face. She wasn't entirely sure why, but for some reason her tail fluffed up, fur standing on end in alarm. ... Why do I feel threatened around this nun?
"No problem. We couldn't just ignore you like that, could we?" She replied before gesturing to Haru. "Well, this guy couldn't stop staring, so we had to help out."
Haru frowned heavily as he glared at the woman. "I-I wasn't staring!" he tried to deny the accusation, albeit rather weakly. Tamamo wanted to cry. He was still ogling other women?! She knew from Mother that he was a pervert and wanted to have a harem, but she resolved to change those ways and restrict his carnal desire solely to her. If she was unable to do that, then she's failed as a wife! "You don't have proof!"
"Two words. White. Panties."
Ah. So Haru likes white underwear? That'd be good information to file away later. She would've assumed he liked black and lacy. But it looks like his tastes vary. Now that she thought about it, though, when she discovered his abomination of a room, she found quite a few magazines, each with different styles and fetishes. Already, she felt her "Lancer" personality cooking up a plan to ensure that he would have the night of his life. Assuming he didn't pass out from a nosebleed again.
"So, what brings you to Kuoh, Asia?" Kiryu asked curiously. "Are you here for schooling?"
"O-Oh, no. I'm here to supervise the church here in this area!"
Tamamo's eyes drifted over to the dilapidated building sitting atop the hill close by, raising an eyebrow. She came to supervise that place? From what she saw, it hasn't received so much as a single visitor. In fact, when she was at the market, she overheard a few people mentioning that the town mayor had been thinking of tearing down the Church if they couldn't raise enough money to repair it. Something about this smells fishy. She wrinkled her nose, half-tempted to drop the invisibility and confront them. I wonder what this Asia Argento's true intentions are...
It was best if she kept a close eye on this one. Her gut feeling told her she was dangerous. Something her "Lancer" aspect agreed whole-heartedly alongside the "Berserker." Even her "Assassin" could tell there was some form of mischief or suspicion in the air.
Why do I get this feeling that Tama-chan is around? Haru wondered as he found himself looking around every now and then, trying to find his "wife" but found her nowhere to be seen. Ever since they met Asia, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, as if reacting to someone. He could even smell the sweet scent of her lovely hair or perfume or whatever she used to make her smell so damn sweet somewhere nearby. Maybe someone used that same smell? He doubted Aika would. She HATED perfume. Couldn't stand the stuff.
"Your Japanese is kind of good, Asia." Aika said as they walked together towards the Church. "A little on the rough side, though."
"Thank you. I was taught how to speak before I came here. But I'm still not very good. I can't read kanji either..." She replied in earnest.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get it eventually."
"Still pretty impressive." Haru chimed in. "So, why'd you get sent here? I mean, Kuoh isn't anything special. Sure, it isn't out in the sticks, but it isn't exactly noteworthy either. Plus, the church here in town is old." And by that, he meant very old. He was surprised the place was even still standing after it was left to rot in disrepair. "No one's ever come around to fix it since the Priest left town years ago."
He should know, considering that the priest was Shidou's father. When they moved away, no one ran the Church since.
"Truthfully, I don't know. I was just reassigned to be here… but I wasn't fully aware of the details."
Aika raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That's kind of irresponsible." she remarked with a huff. Haru had to agree. They more or less just threw her in here blind without any real knowledge. Did they just expect her to fix the church all by her little lonesome? Ooh, wait. Maybe she was one of those surprisingly strong little girls in manga and anime he's seen before! No, wait. This was real life. Besides, she looked like she couldn't hurt a fly.
Then again, aren't appearances deceiving? a little voice whispered. Look at what happened with Yuma-chan. He winced at the memory, vividly recalling her twisted features and those horrible black wings, spear in hand as she aimed to cut him down. He noticed how his hands were shaking just from the mere memory and tried to calm himself down, taking a breath.
"Namikaze?" He looked to his side, noticing Aika staring at him weirdly. "You okay there?"
"I-I'm fine." he lied rather lamely. She could easily tell he was lying, too. "Just… shaking off some bad thoughts."
"Hmm..." She stared at him in a scrutinizing manner. As much as she wanted to call him out on his lie, she could tell something was bothering him and he really didn't want to talk about it. She would ask him later. "Meh. Fine. I'm surprised a guy like you has bad thoughts given how dirty of a kind you have."
"Well you're just a pot calling the kettle black, aren't you?" He retorted.
"How many men have you scanned?"
"That all depends. Do you want to know what your two buddies' sizes are?"
Haru gagged. "Hell no!" Why the hell would she even bring that up?!
Mentally, Aika grinned in victory (although, it was seen externally as well). She was able to get him out of that funk. A depressed Haru was a rather off-putting one. She rather enjoyed Haru when he was at his high-time of perversity. As a fellow pervert, she quite enjoyed his company. And, of course, his impressive size. It was a wonder how in the world nobody noticed that noticeable bulge that sometimes appeared when his lust was at its peak. Perhaps he hid it rather well? She noticed how Asia was staring at the two in confusion, wondering what they were possibly talking about. So beautifully innocent. What sort of face would she make if she taught her indecent stuff? More importantly, how naughty could she make that nun dress look?
"It's nothing." she assured the innocent girl. As they grew closer to the church, Aika noted how the church was more broken down than she thought. There were quite a few cracks on the surface, a stained glass window was shattered and muddy, and the nearby vegetation was seeping into the building, vines wrapping around one of the doors. The other was smashed in, likely due to vandalism. "This place really is shoddy. How is it even still standing after all this time?"
Haru shrugged, though he could picture Shidou's face if he saw what became of the church they used to play in way back when. He glanced over towards the small playground off to the side. The jungle gym was all rusted, missing numerous bars. The slide was lopsided, metal bent and warped. Even the rubber tire was slashed up and marked with graffiti. I remember we used to hide away in that tire all the time when we played hide-n-seek from our parents. he thought vividly. For a moment, a memory played out as he and a brown-haired child ran around the playground, diving into the rubber tire and scrambling inside, giggling all the while. It practically was our little secret hideout. Though I do remember how he always said we should build ourselves a treehouse.
Asia and Aika continued their approach towards the church, the redhead found himself stopping and wincing in pain as he felt yet another headache ravage his mind. Urgh... Seriously. Why do I keep getting these headaches? Do I have a tumor or something?!
"You doin' okay there, Namikaze-kun?" Aika asked him in concern.
Just as Haru was about to reply, he caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Something black, with a thin long pole. Turning, he soon recognized the figure and his eyes widened before he rushed at the two girls, pinning them to the floor. "Get down!"
Something hot whizzed over his head, hot air blowing up against his back. Moments later, something slammed into the ground with a thud. Aika, stunned and confused, pushed Haru off of her and looked at the source, only to stare in shock. Asia, on the other hand, looked surprised to see the object. "A light spear?" she questioned before she turned her head. When she did, her eyes widened. "F-Fallen...!"
"Tch." Raynare scowled. "I missed!"
Beside her, a lolita with blonde pigtails frowned. "You tryin' to kill the nun or something?" she asked, folding her arms. "Work on your aim, you cripple!"
Haru froze upon seeing the two. Already, he was having flashbacks from that day at the park. Cold sweat drenched his skin, pouring over his face while he remained frozen. "Y-Yuma..."
"Oh? If it isn't Haru-kun..." the fallen sneered. "To think you would be here as well? Such a lucky day!"
"Y-You know these guys?" Aika asked shakily. "W-Why do they have wings?!"
"They tried to kill me!" He stammered.
"What?!"
Mittelt rolled her eyes. "So dramatic..." she muttered before she turned back to Raynare. "There's an extra with them. What do you want to do?"
"We kill her, of course." Raynare replied, causing Mittelt's eyes to widen. "I want to finish this up quickly."
"Y-You do realize if we kill her, we might attract Gremory's attention, right?" the lolita stuttered, not wanting to anger the younger sister of Lucifer. "Can't we just, you know, kill the kid, take the nun and wipe her memories?"
Raynare turned and snarled at the little girl, bearing her fangs down at her. "Are you questioning me, Mittelt?!" she seethed. "Did you forget that Azazel-sama put me in charge of this mission?! If I say, kill her, you kill her!"
"But can we really cover this up?! If we kill both the humans, Gremory is gonna be suspicious for two deaths you know!"
"It doesn't matter! They're just humans! No one would miss them!"
"And that is that kind of thinking why the detest you crows so much." A familiar, sharp voice cut in. Haru's body was unfrozen, head whipping around so fast he thought he felt his neck snap. Behind him was Tamamo, clad in her blue kimono with a dangerous look in her eyes. The moment the Fallen Angels realized that she was standing there, Mittelt let out a yelp and pulled back. Raynare's face, however, was racked with fury and loathing towards the woman. "I'm beginning to grow annoyed by your attempts to kill Our Husband, you filthy hag." Tamamo said, her eyes narrowed and a murderous aura poured out of her body. "First you have one of your cronies dare attack him when We were not looking, and now you try to kill him again, and before Us no less. You must have a death wish."
"Shut up, filthy youkai!" Raynare roared. There was an almost manic, crazed look in her eyes. Her beautiful features were marred, almost foreign now. "If it weren't for you, that little shitstain would have been dead by now! I had him in the palm of my hand, and you fucked it up!"
Haru whimpered, the memory playing out again. The taunting smile, the spear. It was too much. His hands clamped over his head, sniffling and trying to block out the memory and words playing out in his head. Seeing this, Tamamo's heart ached for him. This was the woman who had captured his heart before and then played with him before shattering it. Then her face contorted into silent fury as, unanimously, all of the Tamamo Nine agreed that the crow didn't deserve to die so quickly. She was going to suffer in the worst, possible way imaginable.
"R-Raynare, what the hell're you doing?!" Mittelt screamed in panic. "Are you trying to get us killed?! That's Tamamo-no-Mae you're pissing off here!"
In response, Raynare backhanded her, causing the poor girl to recoil and clutch her cheek. "Shut! Up!" She didn't care anymore. She was just so furious. Being looked down upon, humiliated, and disgraced. She didn't care if it was Tamamo-no-mae. She wanted the fox bitch dead.
However, in her rage, she didn't notice the talisman fly and stuck to her extended arm.
"Just shut up already." The deity said coldly.
The Fallen's world was consumed by blinding heat, frigid cold, and sharp lightning all at once. In seconds, she went down back to Earth. Mittelt let out a yelp, recoiling away. Aika and Asia stared at the sight in utter shock, looking on in disbelief at what was happening. The former was the most affected, having finally been exposed to the world of the supernatural.
But it was still a gruesome sight.
"What-what in the..." Aika stammered. "What is—I don't—-what's going on?!" She looked back at Tamamo, pointing a shaky finger at her. "Y-You! Namikaze's girl! W-Why're you dressed like some kind of youkai?!"
"Take Our Husband and get out of here." Tamamo commanded the girl with a voice that left no room for arguments, much less any vocal disagreements. "We are going to incinerate this whore."
Aika was only stunned for maybe four seconds before she grabbed a still-out-of-it Haru and began to drag him away, along with Asia, who looked behind her with shock. Before long, they were slowly becoming dots in the horizon. Mittelt saw them leaving, but made no move to try and go after them. Something Tamamo noticed and stared at her, causing her to shrink. "At least you have some wits. Not so much this bitch."
"Y-You..." Slowly, Raynare rose up from the ground, no worse for wear. Tamamo had purposely lessened the power of the talisman in order to get a point across: she didn't need to go all out. She could beat her easily. And she didn't even need to try. Raynare realized this fact very well… and it only served to enrage her even further. "YOU FUCKING CUNT! I'M GOING TO TEAR OFF YOUR TAILS, STUFF THEM DOWN YOUR THROAT, AND RIP OUT YOUR HEAD AND PRESENT IT TO AZAZEL-SAMA! I WILL NOT LET SOME DELUSIONAL FOOL GET IN MY WAY!"
Somehow, this served to amuse the incarnation of the Sun Goddess. Enough so that a wry smile touched her lips. "Delusional? Hmph. Have you not been taking a better look at yourself? You clearly think you can win this." She took a step forward and swung her hand, creating several talismans. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, hag… let Us say this as clearly as possible."
Together, the Tamamo Nine surged and her smile turned into a feral grin, just like that of a fox out for a hunt.
"Hellfire can't possibly compare to the Sun."