Companion

After just weeks since Suou's death, school goes on break as winter comes.

There's no snow in Kuoh, but the air does turn chillingly cold. Not that it bothers me all that much, considering I can regulate my own body temperature using Primal Energy. Doesn't mean I won't hide myself in my room from time to time, snuggled up in my blankets and reading through the backlog of books I've inevitably built up.

I doubt that'll happen this winter break, though.

Ever since I awakened her dormant Primal Energy, Akeno's been bursting with energy, and she's tackled her workout routine with admirable strength. Just weeks ago, she crashed into the dirt after using just one 'Weight' Ofuda on each limb. Now she easily handles one on each limb, though she does have to remain fairly still to keep herself standing.

Once she finishes her workout, I'll use my 'Gathering' Ofudas to infuse her body with Primal Energy. It's terribly inefficient; her body doesn't immediately absorb Primal Energy like I do, but we make do. I'd usually make a small incision on her arm, and I'll then guide the Primal Energy the Ofuda has gathered into her body.

As I expected, it doesn't take long for her to begin breaking through her own 'thresholds'. The first one was extremely painful, and it'll continue being painful. She hasn't experienced any overt physical changes just yet, but I can already see that she's already grown an inch taller.

When night falls, I'll head out for my own training. I'll train long into the night, hidden in the shadows of the forest. Recently, I've been diving into Suou's history, using the longsword I retrieved weeks ago as a jumping point.

It's enlightening, really. Despite being from the same clan, the way Suou trains is vastly different from his servants. It's not as cruel, but it's similarly demanding in focus. Where the clan servants are trained as assassins, Suou trained in elegance. His sword followed a series of techniques passed down through the Himejima Clan, and put all together, it almost looks like a dance.

I, happily, decide to steal those techniques for myself. A little compensation for all the horrible deeds Suou has committed.

And it's hard. Beautiful as it is, my eyes are quick to point out several flaws in its design. It's deadly, but slow. Elegant, but too showy at times. A great catalyst for Elemental Shinto Magic, but relying on magic to increase a blade's cutting power is terrible.

Trying to learn the Flame Sovereign Blade without inheriting its flaws is difficult, but my eyes can show me the path, and so I make do. It does mean I have to basically break the techniques down and build it back from the ground up, but it's not the worst thing I've done.

Everything's going fairly well, really. Although-

"Again…?" I whisper incredulously, staring at Akeno. She's asleep on our bed, lightly snoring. She seems to be dreaming about something. It must be a nice dream, considering the light smile she has on her lips as she hugs the life out of the teddy bear my big sister got for her a couple months ago.

But as peaceful and prim she looks, my eyes tell me otherwise. She's been secretly training whenever I head out for my own training, using the 'Weight' Ofudas for some additional training. She's also tried making some of her own Ofudas too, it seems. Though they aren't functional just yet.

I sigh. I'm not adverse to additional training, but rest is paramount, especially since she can't substitute sleeping with meditation like I can. At least not yet.

I smile slightly as I pat her head. She's truly a breath of fresh air. I love my new family dearly; I won't replace them for anything, but I can't deny that the secrets I've kept from them make me feel lonely from time to time. Having someone I can talk to about the supernatural is pleasant. She may not understand everything I say, but she's more than willing to listen.

…

My smile falls.

Not all's well, of course. The Fallen finally came to Kuoh a day ago. They've rented a house by the outskirts of the town, close to where Suou and I battled. They won't find anything there, but the fact that they're here slightly puts me on edge. Those that have come aren't dangerous, but the same can't be said about their fellow Fallen.

Between fanatics and warmongers and straight up racists, there's a plethora of Fallen for me to worry about. Chief among them being Kokabiel, a powerful and charismatic cadre of the Grigori that hungers for war. He bears no curiosity about Suou's death, but the fact that he even lives doesn't bode well for the future.

And that's not even adding in all the dodgy things the Fallen have been doing in secret. There's too many to count, but just knowing that they have a lethal tool that pulls Sacred Gears out of people makes me grimace. I mean, there's only a few of them, but those things are abhorrent. I'll make sure to destroy them in the future.

On that note, Sacred Gears.

They're not something I've really considered; they're supposedly rare artifacts made by God. I say supposedly, because I've found over twenty Sacred Gear wielders in Kuoh alone. None of them are activated, but that's still a lot. I mean, it has something to do with the concentrated leylines running below Kuoh, but still.

Sacred Gears aren't all that important to me, but here's a scenario:

Let's say a group of morally ambiguous people come into Kuoh looking for power. They bring with them the Fallen's Sacred Gear Extractor, a tool that allows them to see dormant Sacred Gears, and a lack of regard for lives.

Spare lives may be plenty, but giving power to undeserving madmen like those just won't do.

It's almost comical, really. Trouble just keeps piling on me. First is that Stray Devil, then Akeno's pursuers, then Himejima Suou, and now the Fallen. What next? Gods? World Wars? Galactic eldritch beings capable of tearing reality apart by the seams?

I shiver. Those aren't good thoughts-

Suddenly, I feel something warm wrap around my hands, and I look down to find that Akeno's abandoned her teddy bear for my arm. She's giggling softly in her sleep, still deep in her own dreams.

The sight makes me feel rather tired, actually. Not physically, but I can feel undeniable exhaustion creeping up on me.

When's the last time I slept? Weeks ago? A month ago? More?

A yawn slips past my lips, and that seals the deal. Fluidly, I slip under the cover of our blanket, and I sigh contently as I feel the warmth wrap around me. It doesn't take me long before I fall asleep.

Tomorrow comes, and I wake up slowly. The combination of the cold air outside, and the warmth of both the blanket and the 'Home' Ofuda at the corner of the room makes my waking moments slow. It takes me minutes to realize that I'm even awake, and I take nearly an hour to wrangle enough effort to eventually rise from the bed.

No one's awake just yet. Seems like everyone's trapped in the same comfort of their own blankets. Not that I can blame them. I'm sorely tempted to slide back into my bed.

But my morning routine takes precedence. So I change into the tracksuit my father bought for me some time ago, and with my own set of keys, I lock the door behind me and begin my jog around town.

Well, I call it a 'jog', but to everyone else, it's more akin to a spirited run. Not quite a sprint, but faster than a jog.

I make my way around Kuoh, following the route I've used for nearly two years. It takes me from one end of Kuoh to the other, before looping back around and ending back at my house. It takes just under an hour at the speed I'm going, and it also serves as a good excuse to look around town for anything suspicious.

I find nothing too suspicious. The Fallen are still asleep. The abandoned church remains abandoned. Kuoh park is as silent as always. The streets are sparse.

It isn't until I start making my way home that I find something…odd.

As I run across deserted streets, I run past a seemingly normal man. He's dressed in a sharp black suit, and he carries a small suitcase in his hand. I make no outward reaction as I run past him, but I quickly use my eyes to investigate.

The Eyes of God are quick to deliver.

In truth, that man is a Youkai. Shikaku is his name, and he's a type of Youkai known as Ungaikyos. Humanoid in form, their true ability lies in their power to show the past, whether it be by sharing the memories of someone or by summoning deceased souls from the netherworld.

It's his motives that strike me the most. Just like others, he's here to investigate Himejima Suou's final destination. But unlike the Fallen's simple curiosity, Shikaku is here on a mission. Knowing of the growing suspicion from the Youkai towards the Five Principal Clans, he plans on finding Suou's corpse and using it to summon Suou's soul and interrogate him.

Immediately, I know I've found the key I need to strike at the Five Principal Clans.

I don't turn to talk with him, but I keep him in mind. Shikaku will remain in Kuoh for three days and leave if he finds nothing. He's just arrived this morning. I have three days.

Not for me, of course. If I had my way, I would immediately go and talk to him.

No. It's for Akeno. Because despite how she acts, she's still deadly afraid of Kyoto. It might not be where the Himejima Clan is directly located, but it's close enough, and she's gone to visit Kyoto many times when she was younger.

But I can't leave her here either. She's my companion, and she deserves to see what I'm planning to do. She is the victim here, and as they said, justice is best served cold.

So, plan made, I continue my run back home.