[Satori Effect] Day 2 and 1/2: The Most Important Game of Chess

Osamu carried the girl back to his room, plopping her in a bathtub full of steaming, hot water. Before he could do anything, he needed to get her clean. The longer she soaked, the easier the oil would come off of her skin. Yoko, Tsukiakari, and Izanami waited for her in the bedroom, sitting at the glass table as the sun shined through the row of bedside windows.

"Okay, so none of us know why she was drenched in oil?" Tsukiakari asked.

"Osamu said he'll tell us later." Yoko answered. "For now, the most important thing to worry about is getting the information out of her and getting out of here. When she's clean, I'll kiss her and get everything I can out of her."

Izanami spoke with a gentle tone, holding her curled fingers to her cheek. "Will it really be that simple?"

"Of course it will be simple. My kiss always works." Yoko replied. "It worked on Isabella, it worked on Tsukiakari, and it will work on the girl."

"Is anyone else still wondering why, of all people, Satori chose Osamu to do this? How did he even know who he is?" Tsukiakari questioned. "Usually, you'd call an exorcist to come clean up a supernatural mess. Someone like Lucrezia or Shinju would be able to dispatch all of these shikome without breaking a sweat."

"Speaking of exorcists...has anyone heard from Lucrezia since we arrived here?" Izanami asked.

Yoko crossed her arms. "Only Osamu has her number, but I don't think she's called yet."

"She set us up." Tsukiakari said. "But...I'm inclined to believe she has a plan."

"I don't doubt that, I'm just wondering whose side she's really on." Yoko replied.

Izanami leaned her against the wall, the sunlight kissing her cheek. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out."

Osamu and Satori spoke to each other in the stained glass hallway just outside the bedroom. Osamu leaned against a blue window while Satori stood with his back against the red window next to Osamu. A bronze statuette of Bala Shiva balancing himself on one foot with a spear in his mouth stood between them, the radiant light of the windows reflecting off the metal. It had one hand raised towards Satori and another hand lowered towards Osamu.

"Good. Once she's clean, go ahead and talk to her." Satori ordered.

"There won't be any need. Yoko has a curious kind of power." Osamu explained. "Her kiss allows her to gather a lot of information about someone. If she uses it on the girl, I think this will be done soon."

"I see. Well, I sure hope this 'curious kind of power' will work well. She is a dealing a curious kind of girl, after all."

(I honestly don't know if means Yoko or the girl.)

"Oi, are you sure we don't know her name? I hate just calling her 'the girl', you know?" Osamu said.

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. That seems to be her modus operandi in life. As such, she has never uttered her name."

"Are you saying her name is possibly an evil one?"

"Why else would someone be so ashamed of it that they avoid uttering it?" Satori questioned. "Names imply so much, both at a societal level, and at an interpersonal level. A name almost entirely influences our destiny in this world, especially in places that put so much emphasis on one's bloodline and lineage. If that girl couldn't even tell me her name for all of these years, I'm certain it's because that name brings a sense of shame to her. I doubt it's because she doesn't remember."

Osamu turned his head and locked eyes with Satori. "I guess that makes sense..."

"When Tsukiakari was forced into war and died...what was it, five times? She never lost her memories in any of her incarnations." Satori explained. "Even if the girl had died and started from scratch, she would still remember her own name, wouldn't she? I think that girl is purposely forcing silence upon herself to prevent such feelings from ever coming over her again."

"Well then, we'll just have to break that silence."

Satori's hand was trembling as he held his cane. "Do hurry...I might not be long for this world."

"I know. And if you pass, I lose everything."

"Thadda' Boy!"

Satori patted Osamu's shoulder before marching off, seemingly without a care in the world. Osamu took a deep breath and prepared himself to re-enter his room. When he stepped inside, the girls immediately encircled him.

"Osa, are you finally done? Yoko wants to kiss her to make this quick." Tsukiakari said.

"It's the best plan of action!" Izanami urged.

"Yeah, I know. Yoko, go ahead and try it." Osamu said.

Yoko nodded "Understood."

The girl came out of the bathroom, her naked body wrapped in a white towel. With her body fully clean, Osamu and the girls could finally see what she looked like. Her hair was long and dirty blonde, covering her breasts and reaching down to her ribs. Her eyes were a bright pink, and her expression was timid, almost fearful. Her skin was cream colored and blushed easily. She uttered one word. Just one word.

"Cold..."

"...Is she fucking retarded? I think she's fucking retarded." Tsukiakari groaned.

"Oh dear. Please, sit down." Izanami urged. "We'd like to talk to you."

"Gekko, please don't be mean to her. You might make this difficult." Osamu warned. "On the chance that she really is a deity, we can't afford for her to use her powers against us...whatever they may be."

"You're talking to a goddess of war here, Osa. I can defend all of us just fine if Short Bus over there tries something!" Tsukiakari barked.

"It's not about..." Osamu sighed. "Just hold your tongue, all right?"

"Fine. I won't say anything that'll set her off."

"Thank you."

Osamu slapped Tsukiakari's butt as he walked by, getting a brief and embarrassing shriek out of her.

"You little..." Tsukiakari moaned.

The girl sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the fireplace, her eyes darting across the room in awe and confusion. The girl turned her shy eyes to Yoko, and before she knew it, the two were kissing as if they were lovers. The girl's cheeks reddened like tomatoes, initially paralyzed by the seemingly random act. She panicked and pushed Yoko off of her. At the same time, Yoko screamed out in pain, her tongue reddened and burned.

"Hey, Yoko! Are you okay?!" Osamu asked.

"That bitch! She burned my tongue!" Yoko hissed.

"Burned?" Tsukiakari asked, immediately turning to Izanami. "Izanami...you don't think..."

Izanami turned her gaze to the girl. "It might be. I barely recognize her, but that might be a result of what happened. I don't know. We have to hear it from her if we want to be sure, but I agree. Everything is starting to line up."

"Yoko, did you see anything? Anything at all?!" Osamu questioned.

"Just a small flash. It's hardly any helpful information at all!" Yoko cried.

(Damn it...this girl managed to defend against Yoko's kiss? Was she prepared for something like that to happen?)

"Izanami, Gekko, please go and give Yoko some ice and cold water." Osamu ordered. "Let me handle this. I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Okay, but...are you sure? She's already proven to be so unpredictable." Izanami warned.

"Izanami, have I ever let you down?" Osamu asked with a smile.

"Yes."

(Ouch!)

"Well, I won't this time, all right?! Just trust your husband."

"Okay. Good luck. Come on, Yoko." Izanami said.

Osamu took the girl into the next room over, a dining room, where they could talk in privacy. The name of the game was making the girl as comfortable as possible so she could lower her guard. Whereas the bedroom's color theme revolved around red and gold, the dining room was mostly white with black highlights and trim. A large, black brick fireplace drew the eyes towards the center of the room, while stained glass windows the left and right of the fireplace washed the place in a rainbow of color.

"Uhh...sorry about that. Yoko can be a bit brash, and to be fair, I put her up to it. You have my apologies if we scared you." Osamu lamented.

The girl remained silent and turned her eyes away from Osamu.

(Tough crowd...)

"Anyway...I really need your help. Satori is afflicted with some sort of curse that's eating away at his body. He had to replace his limbs in order to slow down the necrotization of his tissue, but soon, it's going to come back and kill him. He came to me for help because he knows my history with women, especially with goddesses. He knows that I have the best chance of getting through to you."

The girl still remained silent.

"Please help me. Even if we just start with baby steps. Tell me all about you. What's your name? Your favorite foods? Where were you born? What's your favorite color? If we can just start there, I'd be very happy."

The girl blushed and stuck out her tongue, revealing the kanji for fire printed upon it.

"Is that how she was burned?" Osamu asked.

The girl nodded.

(Still no words...but at least we're getting somewhere)

Osamu saw a chess board with pieces grouped in bags on the marble countertop behind her. He got up and brought them back to the table.

"How about we play a game? Have you played chess before?"

The girl stared at the board for a few seconds before taking one of the bags of marble pieces and correctly assembling them on her side of the chess board.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Osamu began assembling his pieces as well. "For every piece I take, you have to tell me something about you. The same applies to me for every piece you take. Sound fair?"

The girl nodded.

"Good. Go easy on me, I haven't played in years."

The girl made the first move, moving her pawn up two spaces. The two quickly passed turns on to each other as they got into the game.

(The girl has quite the experience with chess. I can already tell she's pretty good. It's also telling of her personality. She's quiet and reserved, but not stupid. If she can manage be a good opponent here, it'll say a lot about her ability to plan ahead and solve a complex problem. A simple chess game...that's how we're talking right now.)

The girl took one of Osamu's pawns with her bishop.

"Ah crap. Guess you strike first blood, huh? All right then. My name is Osamu Ashikaga. I was born and raised in Kyoto. Is that enough for one kill?"

The girl nodded.

The game continued, and Osamu managed to take one of her pawns with one of his own.

"Looks like I got this one. Tell me something about yourself."

The girl's lips trembled as she blushed. She mustered up the courage to speak nonetheless. "I was...trapped in the sun"

"Trapped in the sun? Well, that's a start."

(A sun deity preceding Amaterasu, perhaps? Hmm...)

Through another series of careful turns, Osamu took another one of the girl's pawns.

(Just aim for the easy pieces. We can get a lot of information that way.)

"I don't remember what happened these past five hundred years. It's all just...blurry to me." the girl admitted.

(Full sentences! Okay, we're getting somewhere!)

"I see. That's interesting."

(So now, we know she's definitely a deity.)

The girl took Osamu's knight.

"I'm a man that absolutely loves walks and mochi. I'd kill for those two things. Crap, now that I think about, I really miss the mochi they had back in Kyoto!"

The girl giggled in response, holding her balled hand to her lips.

"Hey, am I that funny?" Osamu asked.

"My apologies. Please continue." the girl said.

A slight smile brought warmth to her face. With a few more turns, the girl took one of Osamu's pawns.

"Wait." the girl said.

"Huh? What is it?"

"I want...to ask a question."

"Well...okay, sure."

"What's important to you?"

"Well...I suppose, right now, making sure the women I love are happy is the most important thing to me. I'd do anything for them. And believe me, I've already done a lot. And honestly, if I had to..."

Osamu thought back to how he saved Aika, Tsukiakari, and bid farewell to Isabella. He'd overcome so many tragedies and hardships, and he couldn't help but think that all of gave him the tools to deal with the situation at hand. "I'd do it all over again."

Osamu took another one of the girl's pieces. It was her turn to say something.

"I really wanted to die. I still do. Living is painful. Earlier today, I was drenched in oil. I tried drowning myself in one of Satori's oil drums..."

(Suicidal. When she couldn't burn or stab herself, she tried to fill her lungs.)

The girl took Osamu's other knight.

(Damn it. I really suck at this.)

"I once knew someone who used to be just like you, and didn't have any light or hope in her life. But I think that if you pick yourself up like she did, and remember that your time as a goddess is infinite, you can really turn your attitude around. I truly believe that for you."

The girl smiled and blushed, losing another piece to Osamu.

"I'd like to ask a question this time too." Osamu said. "Why do you want to die so badly?"

The girl squeezed her legs tighter together and cast her eyes away from Osamu. "Nobody loves me or remembers me. They say I'm dangerous. I only hurt people. I want to make people happy, but...I can't. I feel worthless...and cold."

"I see. But, you can't die, right? You kept regenerating. I saw it with my very eyes. Your limbs were snapped and broken beyond what could ever be considered repairable, but you're all fine now."

The girl kept quiet and took another piece from Osamu.

"I feel sorry for you, to have lived for so long and felt this way. Worst of all, you couldn't free yourself through death. At the same time, I'm glad, because you and I got to meet. And because we met, I'm playing chess for the first time in years. Thank you."

After a few more turns, Osamu took another piece from the girl.

"Have you ever lost someone close to you, Osamu?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. I lost someone just last year, in fact. Her name was Isabella. She's the one girl that even a guy like me couldn't save. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss her. The other girls do too. We all loved her."

"So you're no stranger to pain either..."

"Not at all." Osamu lamented.

The girl and Osamu both only had a few pieces left. Osamu managed to take her last rook.

"I truly love Satori. But I can't love him without killing him. I don't know how to stop..."

The girl took Osamu's queen.

(Damn it! Such a useful piece too.)

"I've been down a similar road, where my love was more like a burden to someone. "

"How did you handle it?"

"I destroyed any memory she had of me. Overtime, I just moved on and let her live her life, far away from her own past. She's happy now. If she's happy, I couldn't be more satisfied with my decision."

"You really are valiant. Doesn't it hurt your heart?"

"Hey now, you got to take a piece to figure that out." Osamu giggled.

"Right. My apologies."

The girl was getting dangerously close to winning. Osamu only had his king, a few pawns, and a bishop left.

"To answer your question, it did hurt." Osamu admitted. "Sometimes it still does. That's just how loss works. I think we unnecessarily treat our hearts like sponges, letting them soak up all of the hardship and misery until they just can't hold anything anymore. I had to let go and accept the reality in front of me. In my opinion, acceptance of one's circumstances is freedom. It's how I've learned to get by."

"You can say that because there's an end for you. There's an end to your story. Would you still have that belief if you lived forever? Can you live for billions of years and never question the meaning of life? When you see kingdoms and peoples rise and fall...could you still have that kind of love for life?"

The girl had tears streaming down her face, and a burning sensation within her throat and chest. "I envy you, Osamu. You humans catch only a brief glimpse of life. The sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, and the people that inhabit them all seem so special and grand to you. It doesn't work that way when you're a god. The meaning of things like love and life fade away.

Osamu, albeit taking heavy losses, took the girl's king piece. "I win."

"Jerk." the girl hissed. "You're supposed to say 'Check' when the opponent's king is in danger. You cheated."

"I wasn't talking about the chess game." Osamu said. "Even if you had won the game, I still won the battle. The whole point of this was to get you to open up. Now I know a bit about you, and you know a bit about me."

"I see you're clever too." the girl sighed.

Osamu handed the girl a tissue. "Dry your eyes, beautiful. From now on, you have a friend to lean on."

The girl happily took the tissue and wiped her eyes, her tears turning into smiles.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Osamu suggested.

The two put all their chess pieces back in the bags, pushed in their chairs, and exited the room. The girl was the first to get out into the hallway of stained glass. She took a deep, refreshing breath as Osamu closed the door behind him. Osamu turned his head, his eyes nearly blinded by the multi-colored glow of the stained glass windows and their reflections off of the shining, marble floor. Among all that lively light and color, the luminescent glare from the girl's pink eyes was the brightest.

"Oh, hey! You still haven't told me your name, you know?" Osamu said.

"Oh, that's right!"

The girl flashed a friendly smile, her hands clasped behind her back. "It's Kagutsuchi. I'm the goddess of fire. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Osamu smiled back. "Kagutsuchi. It's a pleasure to meet you too."