Of Vows and Tribute

HOTARU LIVED ON BORROWED TIME, and the only way to pay off her debt hinged on procuring corruption. She had roamed the land for six years already, but the cursed energy she had purified wasn’t nearly enough.

“Her time is running out,” said Reigetsu, coiled around Ryuuji’s shoulder. “And now at the cusp of disaster in the Obon Festival, she finds herself at a crossroads. Will she allow her enemies to claim their victims, in exchange for the corruption she needs? Or will she foil their plans, snuffing out her own hope for survival?”

It was a cruel, terrible choice.

Hotaru was paying for sins that she had taken for the sake of others. She used her powers to stop a calamity she didn’t cause, but no matter the potency of her Kotodama, she was still just a human. No person alive could’ve endured the burden she took on that day, and she inevitably crumbled.

Yet as the saying goes, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

No matter what she intended to do, in the end, she became the cause of untold tragedies… and this was a burden she would have to carry until the end of her days.

“To this day, her circumstances were a secret and the choice was hers alone. Yet she confided in the young one, and I confided in you as well. Two more threads have been added to the crucible of fate, which raises a question for me. Hasegawa Ryuuji… how shall you exercise your agency in this? Shall you follow the same path Hotaru had envisioned? Or shall you stray from her will to carve out a path of your own?”

To Ryuuji, that was an easy question to answer.

“Hotaru didn’t tell me any of this because she intends to die. She’s always been like that. Ever since she was a kid, people have been terrified of her because of her power… but no matter what kind of looks she got, or what experiments she was dragged to, she was always such a kind and gentle soul. Even now, after all these years and all the horrors she has gone through, she’s still a caring and compassionate girl. Knowing this, I want you to tell me, Reigetsu-sama… do you seriously believe I could abandon her?”

The dragon crawled away from Ryuuji, retaking his spot in the veranda railing. He had to meet Ryuuji face to face to give an answer.

“No. Your love for her is such that you would choose her every time, even if you had to do so over the entire world.”

“Is that how it looks to you?”

“It is. That is the decree the stars have made.”

“Then I fear the stars aren’t paying attention. This isn’t our first rodeo with death, you know? Back when Hotaru was corrupted, I could’ve gone with her. I could’ve taken her offer for immortality and ruled with her over the ruins of the world. But I didn’t. And once we got to talk about it, neither did she.”

As Ryuuji recalled the events of the New Years’ incident, Reigetsu remained in silence. He’d been there, too. He should’ve known Ryuuji’s answer.

“We love each other dearly, that much is true, but we have something else in common. Hell, it might be the whole reason why we’re in love in the first place.”

“And what would that be?” the dragon asked, his voice full of meaning.

“Common decency,” was Ryuuji’s plain reply. “We have respect for ourselves and respect for others. We are grateful for the blessings we receive in life, and make a conscious effort not to hurt anyone when we can help it. So if you’re asking whether or not we’re letting the Obon Festival go up in flames, the answer is no.”

“Even if this would doom the woman you love?”

“Yes, even if it would doom her. She would hate me if I betrayed the ideals we stand for, so if it comes down to it, I’ll die together with her for them.”

“Very well. If that is the extent of your resolve, then I have nothing to object to.”

With the dragon’s reply, it would appear his conversation with Ryuuji was done. However, there was a question left tugging at the back of his mind.

“By the way, Reigetsu-sama… There’s something bugging me about all this.”

“Hm?”

“Why are you painting the Obon Festival like it’s her last chance?”

That was the catch. Hotaru seemed like she was stuck between letting the festival be ruined or not, but to Ryuuji, it hardly looked like the end of the road.

“She still has four years left, doesn’t she? All we need to do is to find enough corruption for her to purify before then. And the Red Thread just so happens to be hoarding it, so if we find their stash and raid it, we’ll save her and the world in one go.”

“Indeed, it is possible. Hotaru reached the same conclusion, and she has already gone after several facilities. But the sins she accrued run deep. To have any hope for salvation, she’d have to strike at more than mere outposts.”

“That can be arranged. Unlike her, I have extensive military training. With the right intelligence and preparations, we could pull it off.”

“Even if this made you an enemy to your own people?”

“The Red Thread aren’t my people. And if the Bureau, the military, or anyone else has been infiltrated by them, they must be exposed and dealt with. I will not back down from this fight, no matter what.”

“Fufufu… You are a magnificent find, Hasegawa Ryuuji. Stout and fearless.”

Reigetsu raised his serpentine body, towering over him with quiet majesty.

“You have proven yourself. You’ve been tried, you’ve been tempted, and yet you’ve remained righteous. Henceforth, I deem you worthy of my blessing. Should you ever need my aid, I shall answer.”

At the dragon’s words, Ryuuji could feel a surge of power melding into him. It was the blessing of a Greater Kami, filling him with a profound sense of serenity and understanding of the natural order… and this understanding gave him a glimpse of the world Reigetsu could see.

Alas, the dragon wasn’t bluffing. Hotaru remained very much in danger, without certainty for her survival even if she took down the Red Thread. Furthermore, his prophecy for Ryuuji’s corruption was real, and now Ryuuji himself could see it.

At some point in the future, he’d have to make a choice. The exact circumstances remained unclear, but the outcome was evident. His humanity was on the line.

“So that’s how it is…”

“Indeed. I warned you.”

“That you did. And you also said you would help me, just now.”

“Hah. You don’t waste any time; but I am not omnipotent. I shall aid you to the extent of my power. I cannot offer any more.”

“That’s fine. You’re a dragon, I’m sure you have what I need.”

“And what could that be, I wonder?”

“Dragons are said to hoard treasures, right? At least the Western ones do.”

“I do not hold such greed.”

“Oh, I’m sure you don’t. But you do have at least one relic you can part with, no?”

“That’s a first. I blessed you only a minute ago, and I’m already starting to doubt you.”

“Right, sorry. My mercenary mind kicked in, I got a bit comfortable. But now that I have your blessing, I can see Hotaru and I really are done for if all the pieces stay the same. So, I’d like your help to get some outside assistance.”

“And what would my relic have to do with this?”

“Well, it’s simple…” said Ryuuji, working out the math in his head. “If you let me have something juicy enough, I could buy out the Amaterasu Unit from the Red Thread. I do have a friend there. He should listen.”

“I’ve roamed the sky since times immemorial, and even to this day, you humans never cease to amaze me.”

Ryuuji scratched his head, hoping the dragon meant that in a good way.

“Very well. Let us try this plan of yours.”

Such was his final answer, and before he had a chance to regret it, Ryuuji took out his phone.