A week. That was how long it had been since Asia Argento had been rescued from the clutches of the Stray Exorcists. That was how long it had been since Haru discovered he could apparently resurrect someone from the dead. That was how long it had been since he "married" Tamamo-no-Mae.
That was how long it had been since his normal life had gone out the window and thrown into a gutter.
Even as he found himself once again going to school, he couldn't help but feel that the world had changed for him. Back then, all he had to worry about was getting through school, enduring beatings from the kendo team and so on. Now, though, his head was filled with so many thoughts, all he could do was just try and sort through them all and stare out the window.
"Yo, Haru." Aika whispered to him. He looked over his shoulder, finding her face written with concern. "You alright? Usually, by now, you'd be gushing about women and whatnot. Or at the very least make a small comment about how sexy Tama-chan is. What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," he said. Aika gave him a flat stare, making it clear she didn't believe him. He sighed. "Okay, I'm... I'm just worried about Asia. It's been three days, and she still hasn't gotten any better." Aika's gaze turned sympathetic. Truth be told, she was also worried for the girl. There hasn't been any sign of her condition improving, and it was unnerving to say the least. "I just wish I knew how to help her..."
"Cheer up. I mean, Shitori-kaichou's looking after her. I think Devils know how to heal someone up." She paused briefly, as a thought came to her. "Moving away from depressing talk, is it true you've started to bat for the other team?"
Haru choked, suddenly finding himself standing up. "What?!" He realized that his action had more or less brought the attention of the class down on him. Blushing and utterly embarrassed, he bowed his head and apologized before he sat back down. "Where-where the hell did you hear something like that?! I'm perfectly straight! I still get a hard on from looking at hot girls!"
Mostly at Tama-chan these days, though... he thought. It's hard to beat a goddess in sexiness.
"Just something I heard from your boyfriends, Motohama and Matsuda." Aika told him, making him growl. Of course those two would be spreading rumors. They had been avoiding him and shooting him glares ever since they found out he was in a relationship with the woman that was Tamamo-no-Mae. Avatar of Amaterasu-no-Mikoto. "They apparently saw you hanging around Kiba-kun. What's up with that? I thought you hated pretty boys."
The male redhead scoffed. "Of course I do. I just hate his face, that's it." he said. "Besides, I get to hang out with Toujou-chan."
"Better not let Tama-chan hear you say that. Speaking of which, what's she been up to?"
"She likes to stay at the house and clean and stuff like that. She also said she had something nice planned for dinner."
True to Haru's words, Tamamo was humming pleasantly to herself, dancing to her own little tune while she skipped around in the Namikaze household, cobweb duster in hand. She was even dressed in a maid outfit complete with an apron. She appeared so elated. As if nothing could interrupt or ruin her mood. She had just finished dusting the downstairs and made her way up to the next level.
"Fou~"
And then she was promptly reminded that there was another member in their household. One that promptly put her on edge. Carefully, she looked to the side and found Primate Murder sitting on the window sill stationed at the end of the hallway, flicking its tail and pretending to be a cute little white creature of fluff and cuddles.
It would have worked… if it weren't for the fact that Tamamo herself technically counted as a Beast of Gaea herself, when that particular aspect of herself was in the driver's seat.
"I still can't believe darling brought you home with us..." she grumbled, eyeing the creature carefully while maintaining a safe distance from it. So long as it didn't show any signs of hostility, she was fine with letting it be. For now, at any rate. "How did you even get here? This isn't even our universe to begin with! Explain yourself!"
"Fou~" the creature responded with a flick of its tail.
Tamamo continued to glare at it before she promptly sighed in depression, her head hanging low. "I… understand none of that. This totally breaks my image of you. Why'd you have to look like such an adorable little cutie?! It isn't fair!"
Truly, she grew to be envious of Primate Murder, as she noticed how Haru seemed to dote on the fluffy critter ever since the incident in the Church. Why didn't he dote on her like that little Beast?! She was supposed to be his wife, dammit!
"Fou… Kyu..." The critter chirped as it jumped off the sill and scurried off to another part of the house.
Tamamo wrinkled her nose. Good riddance! she thought before she went back to work. As she moved closer to the window sill, however, she noticed that the clouds looked dark and angry. "Did the weather forecast say it was going to rain today?" she wondered idly, cupping her chin. "Hm... Susano'o-sama must be sad today. Come to think of it, I wonder what the Amaterasu of this world is like?"
She sincerely hoped that whoever they may be, she was better than the one she knew of. She was a piece of the Sun Goddess, but simply because she was a fragment of her did not mean that the Amaterasu of her universe was a kind one. She vaguely recalled how she would have burned anyone who dared to enter her sanctuary to little more than cinders, no matter who they were. She could be amused at times, but the concepts of morals were beyond her, much less the ideas of "Good" or "Evil." That was what it meant to be a god.
And Tamamo was hoping that this world's Amaterasu had some idea of what it meant to have emotions.
Unknown to anyone at the time, however, there was activity stirring in Kyoto. Especially in the central region, where a barrier had been erected. Inside this barrier was a compound, far larger than the likes of Osaka castle. In this compound was a young girl with chin-length choppy blonde hair with matching eyes, wearing a traditional miko outfit with a white haori with puffy sleeves and red hakama slacks. Swishing about behind her were nine small golden tails, which flicked about in a carefree manner.
She was sitting in front of a pond, watching a small gathering of koi fish swim about as they performed neat little tricks in the hopes of amusing her. It did little, however, as the girl looked at a double set of doors leading into a room she was forbidden from entering for the time being. She gave a small little pout before turning back to the pond.
"Kaa-sama is taking a long time." she muttered sadly. "How come I'm not allowed to go in?"
Inside that room, there had been a good reason as to why the girl was not allowed in. It was utter chaos, with various kinds of youkai screaming at one another. Not a thing could be heard over the intense and angry shouts that were directed at each other. The worst part was that it had started the moment a piece of news had been delivered by a Karasu Tengu, shortly after it made sure to validate the report in order to confirm its accuracy. The message was short and simple, and it was powerful enough to incite such chaos. Few dared to attempt to bring the conversation back to the main point, as many of those involved were known for their malignant temper.
One such individual, however, made them all cease with a slam of his cane. "Enough!" the old youkai bellowed, his wary and wretched old tone demanding respect and authority. He was a small old man with wrinkly old skin and frost-white hair, most of which mostly being his long beard and thin eyebrows. There was no hair on his head, and stranger still it resembled some form of gourd. "If you have already forgotten, Yasaka-sama is standing in our presence! Do you intend to show such disrespect?!"
"Be quiet, Nurarihyon!" an Ogre with dark blue skin and green hair roared, bearing his fangs as he slammed a hand down on the tatami mat. "This is serious! If this report is true, then—"
"It is a lie!" a youkai that more or less resembles some sort of beast, body composed entirely of electricity, snapped. "It is impossible! She cannot have been resurrected! The Killing Stone has shown no signs of damage, not since the day that monk drove out her malicious spirit!"
A particularly giant youkai, a monkey covered head to toe in white fur and a gaunt dark face, frowned heavily as it cupped its chin. "Even so... The power we felt on that day was just like that of Amaterasu-sama." the Yeti/Yuki-Onna said. "Even if she is not her, it cannot be coincidence that her power is that of the Sun. Could she be the Avatar of a foreign deity?"
"What do you think, Yasaka-sama?"
All attention was directed to the single, most powerful individual in the room. A beautiful woman with long golden hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing a revealing yellow kimono that exposed an ample amount of cleavage, a black-and-gold obi hanging around her arms and spilling along the floor with the rest of her attire. She looked to be an older version of the young girl sitting outside the meeting room, completely with her own set of tails, only far larger and with a more vibrant golden sheen.
Yasaka-Tamamo, the Leader of the Youkai Faction, had been oddly silent since the news arrived. Not only had she not spoken when the shouting began, she had been silent even now. Her eyes, which had been closed meaning she was deep in thought up until now, opened to reveal dark brownish-gold eyes. She turned her head to her messenger, a Karasu-Tengu covered in dark raven feathers and a dark red beak.
"Assuming it is true, and that she has been revived..." she began slowly. "What of this human she has apparently taken fancy to? What is his name?"
The Karasu Tengu raised its head. "Milady." he said. "The one supposedly responsible for reviving Tamamo-no-Mae-sama is a human living in the Kuoh District, ruled by the Devils Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri: Namikaze Haru."