49 Chapter 42

It's odd, I never truly noticed how little this aspect of my powers gets used until I started using it a lot.

That's the singular thought that played through my mind like a broken record, on repeat.

Every time I summoned a water bottle, and handed it off to the still distraught young women clinging to my side.

For…shit, how long has it been now?

Lost track of time after the, I think it was the seventh? Yeah, seven water bottles this girl downed in five seconds.

Each.

Here's how it's been going.

Her tears would finally let up, and she'd look at me, with her little cute red puppy doll eyes, I'd summon water, and she'd drink…

And go right back to crying.

I can't tell if she's getting better, as in less drunk, or I'm just fueling her waterworks at this point. Literally.

Regardless, I've taken to zoning out most of her crying at this point.

Been trying to do image training in my head this whole time, but generally, when that is attempted there's a quiet exterior to mold the tumultuous battles within.

By that, I mean Suzaku is too fucking loud for me to concentrate properly.

So instead of that, I'm eating bagels.

Well, I tried, but she took them and ate them.

I'd have given her death for that, but she's having a…thing, right now. So I'll hold off until later.

But my bagels will be avenged!

Huh. I just realized I've been able to think pretty clearly for a little while now.

I wonder…

My head swivels to eye down at my side, where Suzaku lays still clinging to me, now significantly more quiet once more.

It's muscle memory for me at this point, so as soon as I realize what's happening, I'm already holding a fresh bottle of water out to her.

Once again, I can't help but think it's kind of unfortunate I don't get to use this for more than just…making water bottles.

And tea, Inari gave me that a while back.

Don't even know if I can do more with it.

No time to think more about that now though, as Suzaku slowly reaches out for the bottle…only to push it, and my hand, gently away with a slight shake of her head.

"I t-think I've had enough for now…" she stuttered out between a broken sob, "T-Thank you."

Finally.

"Ready to start talking now?" I half asked half mused, "You do sound significantly more sober…or did you just run out of tears?"

"Aha!" Suzaku giggles mirthlessly, before looking up at me with bloodshot eyes, "A little bit of both, perhaps."

Snarky girl. I'll heal her once this is all over.

Ignoring the light snark, I press forward, "Start from the beginning…try not to rant too soon, alright?"

My return snark is met with a deadpan side gaze, before she steadied her breath, getting it returned to somewhat normal.

"I…wasn't there when it happened." She began, morosely, barely above a whisper, "I only heard about it from the others after I arrived to welcome him…Tobio…home."

She stops for a second, pausing to look back at me, her hold on me tightens significantly as she hugs me, full on.

"Thank you, for that, by the way…" She murmurs into my robe, "Truly…"

I smile lightly, and wrap my arms around her back, "No need to mention it, Suza."

Not like the others have.

Granted, the other girls are probably in a similar state to Suzaku, and Kouki is big mad at the moment, so I get it.

Still appreciated though.

Suzaku twitched at that, looking back up at me with a half-formed frown, "...I will allow that…that name…just this once."

My smile brightens considerably, and a smile of her own threatens to spill out onto her features.

But it's brutally dragged back and crushed, replaced by a distant hollow look as she suddenly picks back up where she left off.

"As soon as he got back, he…well." Suzaku grimaced, "It would take a very long time to explain the relationship complications within the group, so I'll just simplify it."

Suzaku took a deep, nervous, breath. Like she was about to tell some heretical secret knowledge.

"We, myself and every woman in Team Slash/Dog, loved him." She states, voice nearly breaking as she does, "For a long time, four years, we've all been trying to start progressing in relationships with him…to no avail."

Well gee, I wonder why.

Suzaku flushes lightly, tears prickling in her eyes, "Until the other day. When Tobio got back, he rejected everyone, everyone except his old childhood friend.

"Kissed her in front of everyone, and told the other girls off when they tried to get…um…involved.

"He said he only loved one girl, and he nearly threw everyone else out for trying to argue." Her eyebrow twitched, and an expression of rage flicked across her features before it was snuffed out.

Tears stream down her face, and she bites her lip before a broken sob can exit her mouth.

"Damn…fools…" she barely manages out, before relapsing into a trembling sob and slamming her face into my robes once again.

Wow.

Damn.

Okay, so, first! She slammed her face into my ribs, that probably hurt.

Second. Fucking idiots. Involved? In what way? Did they try to ruin the sweet moment with harem shenanigans!?

I require details!

Oh, Heavens I'm becoming a gossip girl. Tone it back.

Third, and finally.

This guy just walked in, strolled right up to Sae, kissed her in front of everyone, then told them all off once and for all and officially declared Sae his?

Oh yeah. My guy definitely got laid that night.

I'm buying him drinks the next time I see him. Even if he tries to pay himself!

Guess the guy took his grandma's words…and threat…to heart, huh?

"So that's the gist of it then, yeah?" I speak up, "Guy you, and apparently the others, love, comes back and chooses one and that's got you like this?"

Suzaku gripped my robe, digging her fingers in it as she pulled her head back, looking up at me with this adorable angry puppy look through gritted teeth.

"I-If it was only that, I wouldn't be like this! I could accept it!" She spat out, "Maybe with a bottle of sake or two, but I could have handled it!"

Hmm. I sense a rant coming along.

"But it was never just that! Four years! Four years!" She cried out, continuing, "Of working with the other women, trying to figure things out so we'd all be happy! Of working to let the Clan accept Tobio back!

"Not even talking about him being my husband, but being accepted back at all!"

She lets out a broken stifled sigh, "How much time we…no, I…sacrificed, for this. Trying to balance politics, work, and friendship, all for one man…only for it to never get returned."

"Did he want it?" I suddenly ask.

My words cut off her own, prompting a slight gasp as she became deathly silent, "...w-what did you say?" She muttered, almost in disbelief.

"I asked if he wanted it, Suza." I state, again.

"Don't call me tha–"

"Then how about you answer my question first." I interrupt, harshly.

Suzaku jerked her head, looking away from me, "...I…back then, it was for his best interest…the Grigori, as you've seen, aren't to be trusted, so I–"

"I, I, I." I parrot back, amusedly, "You didn't even ask him, did you? You told him."

Her eyebrow twitched, and she huffed out her nose, closing her eyes, "At first, the idea of getting him to rejoin the Clan was as much for good as it was for politics.

"To force the Himejima to accept change, while getting a powerful ally on our side. To…correct…a mistake made by my Clan a long time ago with the Grigori." She opens her eyes but still doesn't look at me.

"You met that mistake, and the result of it, personally." She states, dully.

Ah, the whole thing with Baraqiel and Akeno being hunted, right?

I nod, though she won't see it, she feels it and continues.

"I admit that I, rather quickly…found myself falling for the boy." A small fond smile etched across her face, "I wished to bring him back into the family, so he'd finally have a family again. He and I…were a lot alike."

I'm not going to comment on the whole being somewhat related thing, though I can't recall exactly how they are related.

Cousins, right?

Kind of rude, and also an old Japanese clan thing. Just try not to think about it.

What I will say though!

"That's a nice backstory," I barely withhold my snort, "I'm still not hearing a definite, 'he said he wanted this' though? Any of this?"

Suzaku grits her teeth, before suddenly jerking her head back to look at me, "He didn't!" She bit out, eyes trembling in rage, "But he didn't need to! It was-"

"There can be no understanding without communication." I state evenly, staring her straight in the eye, "You got so caught up playing a game with the others, that you didn't even think to check how the man himself truly felt, did you?

"You just assumed."

"Game!? Yo-"

"No." I say, plainly, sternly, "Don't deny it. Call it what it is. You were playing a game. Get over it. Because it was never going to work, even if you managed to force it."

Suzaku ground her teeth together as she looked up at me, "Y-You…don't…know that…!" She tried to deny it.

"You've known that yourself, haven't you?" I muse, continuing unperturbed, "But just as he was stalling on putting his foot down and ending all of this, you were stalling on accepting that fact.

"Or, maybe, you knew, but thought you could change his mind?"

"I…I…" Suzaku starts full body trembling.

"That's bad, Suza, really bad." I shook my head, "Even the old man Suou realized it, especially after Tobio told hi–"

I burst into flames.

Slowly, I blink, before looking at Suzaku completely unamused.

Sitting next to me, Suzaku held up a trembling finger gun, "You…dare…believe the word of a man who would hunt down a child!?" She cries, outraged.

I stare at her.

She doesn't fold, admittedly.

But I continue to stare at her.

I continue to stare at her until she wilts back slightly in visible confusion and discomfort.

Then, in one swift move, I eject my aura out around me to quickly disperse and smother the flames.

She flinched as her flames suddenly vanished, and I waved her off.

"Suza. Look. The man's a piece of shit, but that doesn't make his word mean any less. He was a hardline traditionalist, not a liar.

"It's especially hard to just ignore what he says when you had evidence beforehand, and now…" I wave to her.

Right now.

As fresh hot tears stream down her face.

"...I know," Suzaku muttered in almost horror, her arms dropping limply to her sides. "I k-know…"

I resist the urge to sigh.

Now we're getting somewhere.

"Look, Suza." I pull her body back up against mine, holding her as she stares out dejectedly, "It's about time the dam finally broke, or else what?

"I have no doubt he would have treated you well if you somehow, miraculously, forced a marriage through.

"But let's be real here? It'd be torture for the both of you, and you know that. Being stuck in a one-sided marriage, where one loves the other, but the other can't return it?

"That sounds like a special kind of hell."

I give an amused snort at that, "And I just got done returning from normal hell. Tobio too. Don't think either of us would recommend it." I move her back slightly, cupping the side of her face in one of my hands, and making her look me in the eye, "Would you want that? For either of you?"

Her eyes gloss over slightly with mist, before she finally admits, "...N-No…No…I wouldn't do that to him. But I…it hurts…"

I nod, solemnly, "I know. Not much you can do, besides, you know, move on from all…this."

"...Just like that?" She asks in a muttered, unbelieving whisper, "After…everything…"

"Well, yeah?" I wiped the tears off one side of her face with my thumb, "It's not gonna be easy, but what other choice do you have? You can't force him to love you back.

"And continuing to perpetuate this delusion, will just make it all the worse when it inevitably comes falling apart anyway."

Suzaku doesn't say anything to that, closing her eyes and leaning her face further into my hand, before slowly settling forward and against me once again.

With that, we sit there, in silence.

I've said my piece, and she got it at this point, I feel.

Now just to let time start healing.

…I'm not doing this for all the girls in Slash/Dog, by the way.

Just need to tell that to myself now, before somehow I get roped into it.

I feel for them, really, but it's not my job to cheer up everyone.

Besides, I'm sure they'll cope better than Suza here! After all, Suzaku kind of had more than just banging a cute guy on her mind.

For a while, we just sit there, basking in each other's presence.

I pet her hair, and Suzaku snuggles me like I'm sort of a stuffed animal.

Until, eventually, she slowly pulls back, taking a deep breath, and clearing her throat.

She gets on her knees, and despite her attempt at what I think is supposed to be sophistication, half her tits and curves are spilling or showing from her half state of dress respectively.

Which gives me a very different image.

I'm fine though, living with Kuroka kind of makes you used to that sort of image eventually.

She lowers her head, slightly, still bloodshot and weary eyes looking down as she finally speaks up once again.

"Lord Noriaki, please accept my humble apolo-"

"No."

"...Eh?" She looks back up at me slowly, as I give her an amused smile.

"Don't start you," I elaborate, "no one's going to get pissy at you for 'nOt ObEyInG dEcOrUm' or whatever bullshit. Hell, everyone has, and still is, avoiding your manor building here." I pause, before adding helpfully, "Probably because you were very immolation happy there, for a while."

Suzaku blinks at that before her rigid posture suddenly slackens, and she gives me a very tired smile.

"Thank you," she breathes a sigh of relief, leaning back against me, "Lor-...Hmm. Noriaki-kun. At least allow me to apologize for that much, sincerely."

I wave her off, "Eh. Don't worry about that, sun deity, fireproof and all that. Still, I appreciate the sentiment!" I eye the room, and bed, around us, "Kind of shocking everything else is still fine though? Especially the bed…kind of odd the covers didn't burst into flame earlier."

Suzaku giggles lightly at that note, before happily elaborating, "As the clan blessed with using and working with fire, we have taken precautions in case a clansman misuses their gift. Or are a child."

She smiles fondly at that, before continuing, "Everything in the compound is made of either fire-resistant material, or enchanted via magic and blessings to be such, so there's no need to worry…well unless you or I unleashed our full firepower here.

"I'm strong enough to simply overpower the defenses, while the defenses aren't made to be able to handle divine power."

Oh yeah, because I blew up places here before during my fight with Baraqiel.

She shoots me a knowing look, and I merely chuckle back at her.

She smiles softly before continuing, "And I appreciate you coming, by the way. I think I needed that." She sighs, "I also think I need to take a break from all…this. It's been a long time since I took over the Clan that I could just lay back and…relax, for a long, long while."

Well…shit.

It would kind of be a dick move to bring up why I came over originally now, wouldn't it?

"Although, a lady can't help but wonder," Suzaku mused slowly aloud, "I know you're not psychic, Noriaki-kun…you came here for some reason, didn't you?"

I wince at that, prompting Suzaku to perk up slightly.

She pulls back slightly, looking up at me, a worried look crossing her face, "Is…everything alright? Did something happen?"

"Well, uh. Kinda sorta? To both?" I rub the back of my head as her eyes narrow at me, "Look, it's two things…one of them can wait for a little bit. The other? Can…kinda? It's a whole thing alright?"

"A whole thing?" Suzaku gave a very unladylike huff at that, "Noriaki? It's fine. You may tell me, and in fact, I implore that you do…anything to take my mind off…everything that just happened."

Ah. You know what? Fair. Probably should have seen that coming.

After a little rumination, I give in with a sigh, "Okay. Fine. Bigger thing first. So, what did Tobio tell you all that happened down there, in Yomi?"

Suzaku tilted her head slightly at the question, "He said you freed his mind from Yomi's influence, and together, the two of you beat down the King of Yomi before leaving…" she put a hand on her chin, "Although…I always suspected it was more complicated than that, judging by the storm god's rather fickle nature."

"Well, actually, no, that's all that happened." Suzaku blinked at me, shock clear.

No need to divulge my time-out training session with Izanagi.

Even if it would be funny to troll Suzaku like I do Uzume with it.

"But he kind of left out one important elaboration…" Suzaku's eyebrow raised, "We didn't just beat Susanoo, we killed him."

At that, Suzaku's eyes widened into veritable saucers.

"T-That…" she staggers, trying to find the words, "I see how monumental that is, especially for the Kushihashi…the Storm God is one of their main deities, after all, but I don't…"

"Aha!" I give a short, exasperated laugh, "Yeah, because, for you? Well, mostly your Clan as a whole, it's what I got from his death, and uh, also what he told me? That matters most."

"Okay…?" Suzaku sounded out slowly.

Time to speedrun shattering a girl's worldview.

"So. Kagustuchi." I start, "He's dead dead. Like never coming back dead." I ignore the way she damn near falls off the bed at that and press forwards, "Susanoo took his powers, his divinity, a looong time ago, and has been pretty much role-playing as him this entire time.

"When he died, those powers left him trying to return to their original owner. They couldn't go to Tobio, or rather, his sword due to its curse, so they went to the guy with pretty close authority to the original Kagustuchi."

I slowly point to myself. "Me. I've got your main god's powers and divinity now. So…uh." I spread my arms out, form my halo at my back, clear my throat, and intone with a stupid smirk.

"Be Not Afraid."

Silence.

Then I get pushed off the bed, flopping to the ground like a kid's stuffed animal getting punted in the middle of the night.

Suzaku holds a palm to her mouth, giggling lightly, "Really now? That's what you have to say after all that? That's not even…" she rolls her eyes, "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

My thumbs up reaches just over the side of the bed, my voice carrying right behind it, "Maaybe~!"

She gives an annoyed huff at that before she takes a sharp breath and gets quiet.

"Eh?" I sit back up, looking over the side of the bed and up at her, "You good Suza?"

Speedrun world record get?

I raise my eyebrow slowly as I see Suzaku sitting there, hand covering her mouth, and her face beet red.

She seems to be muttering something into her hand, rapidly, repeatedly, without stopping.

I clamber back onto the bed, Suzaku not seemingly to immediately notice me, so lost in her daze as she is.

I get close enough to finally hear her, and well…

" .IjustventedononeoftheGods."

I deadpan straight at her, then proceed to slap her over the back of the head.

"Ah!?" Suzaku flinches back, snapping her eyes back on me, "Noriaki!?"

"Really. Suza. Really. I've always been a god, technically greater than your average one!" I exclaim, "And you've done something like this before, as much as I jest, nothing's changed now!"

She winces at my words, "It's, well…that was…technically…you weren't…" She struggles to find the words, "I-it's complicated, alright!?"

I snort, "You're telling me. I've just been going with that, as I possess the authority of the God of Fire, I'm him, but I'm not him; Kagustuchi. Just the acting God of Fire, essentially."

"That…would still make you our main god, Noriaki." She brings up weakly, only for light to slowly glimmer in her eyes, "Although…that does give us some…opportunities."

She cackles, dark and softly.

I merely sent her an amused smirk.

Well, one thing is for certain, the Himejima as a whole are certainly going to get corrected soon.

But for now?

She sighs, before flopping back down on the bed, "However, all that is for later…I am officially on vacation now!"

I chuckle lightly, "How's that for a distraction?"

Suzaku hummed, before asking, "That's it? I thought there was one other thing?"

"Oh yeah, can't forget about this." I snap my fingers in realization and continue, "My original purpose for visiting before I got caught up in all…everything else was looking for a blacksmith for my sword."

Suzaku blinks at that, "Your…sword?"

I nod, "Yup. Susanoo broke it during our fight. So I need to get it fixed at some point."

Preferably before the whole thing with the Norse happens, but I still have plenty of time there.

Suzaku rubs her chin, staring up at the ceiling in thought, before finally speaking, "Well, you've certainly come to the right place. We do indeed have smiths who can help, but you need to understand that we may not be equipped to reforge a weapon of that caliber.

"Though we own most of the forges, they serve the Five Clans as a whole, fixing and forging arms and artifacts of a Holy Spirit variety is one of our jobs.

"A standard Totsuka Sword would be easy for us, but your sword…" she trails off, worried.

I, however, wave her off. "It's okay if your guys can't fix it, but, as you're probably aware, Kagustuchi-"

"Is a minor patron of smiths, yes, which means you are now as well." Suzaku finishes for me with a nod, "Yet you've never picked up a hammer before, have you?"

I nod right back, and confirm, "Not a day in my life, nope!"

"Well, teaching you up to the required level, with your authority boosting you," she muses, "That should be doable, I believe." She stretches out, and yawns, "So easy doable in fact, that it can probably wait a little while, hmm?" She looks at me, smirking lightly with one eye open.

You little shit.

Despite her clear dislike of Kuroka, she sure can act just like her, huh?

No wonder my kitty likes her so much. Could she sense it all, this whole time? Buried deep within?

"I know you don't like her all that much, but you and Kuroka sure can act a lot alike, you know?" I brought up casually.

Suzaku's eye twitches, "Oh really now? How so?"

"You're both too lazy now to put on or pull up all your clothes." I state with a smirk.

To which Suzaku…smirks back?

She rolls onto her stomach, full cleavage pouring out under her chin as she turns to face me, an absolutely devious look in her eye.

"Ah, but you see my Lord~...there is a difference…" A shiver goes down my spine at that.

The way she said it…wasn't like how Uzume says it.

Suzaku here? She said it with just as much reverence as she did lewdly.

Suzaku continues regardless of my inner thoughts, "That cat does it because she can't be bothered, I do it because it no longer matters. You're my Lord, after all.

"Thee God of Fire, of my Clan, of which I am the head, you know~? As head, I serve you, worship you~, and fulfill your wishes, whatever you desire…with all my body and soul~..."

She flutters her eyelashes at me, and points a finger to her lip, smiling sultry, "So, my Lord~, whatever shall you ask of me~?"

My eyebrow twitches.

I sigh, deeply, out through my nose.

One of these days, if this becomes a consistent thing, I will fuck an impression of her in her bed, I swear to me.

I'll admit, this type of attack? Not used to it, at all, and it hits some very dangerous, very horny, buttons inside me I didn't know I had.

She's lucky I don't do anything now, mostly because I'm not Zeus, but also because I'm pretty sure she's only doing this because of…everything else going on.

Wouldn't feel right to take her like this, right now.

With a click of my tongue, I finally say, "Alright. Fine. You win this one."

She smiles, "Yaaayy~! I thank you for your grace, my Lord."

"Stop calling me that." I demand lightly.

"Hmm? Hmph~!" She flips around on her back, and mock pouts, crossing her arms under her breasts, although, unlike Kuroka, she doesn't need to lift them to show them off, "Only if you'll answer my sincere prayer."

I roll my eyes, "Fine, fine. What it is."

I get a slightly bad feeling about this, but also, I am curious as to what this feels like.

After all, no one's ever actually prayed to me before.

Suzaku smirks, before clapping her hands together twice, and closing her eyes.

All of a sudden I hear her voice speak in the back of my head.

O' Kami-sama, would you please care for this fair maiden in her bed for just a little while longer~?

…Okay. So.

First thing.

How does one make a prayer so sexually charged? Is that a skill, or does it run her family?

Can it be learned? Because if it can? Oh boy! I'm going to bully the fuck out of Uzume with that, sometime.

Two.

Fair maiden my ass!

I did a full body shiver as her words passed through my head, luckily enough, she couldn't see it, but still.

She opens one of her eyes, looking up at me, "I request cuddles…you are very warm, you know~?"

…how am I supposed to say no to that!?

I look her straight in the eye, "If you fondle me, I'll fondle you right back." I warn, and as she giggles with amusement, I flop down right next to her.

You may have one this battle, but I promise! For my bagels! For my blue balls! You will pay!

The war is not over yet!