[Inari Standoff] The Big Bang

Taeko and Shinju rushed outside, fleeing through the halls along with the dozens of other panicked guests, the fire alarms blaring from all directions. Steam and black smoke billowed from the penthouse suite two floors above, darkening the view from the windows on the ninth floor. With all the panic and civilians around, the snipers across from the hotel would have no way of getting a clean shot on Taeko or Shinju.

"The emergency exits!" Shinju urged.

"Right, just follow the crowd!" Taeko ordered.

With the fire alarms engaged and smoke detected on the floor, the elevators were put into fire service mode. The doors were stuck open and couldn't be used to for transport, meaning everyone had to use the stairs and emergency exits to escape. Taeko and Shinju went with the panicking crowd and made it back to the ground floor, where every guest in the hotel flooded. As they rushed out, firemen and paramedics rushed in.

Across from the hotel, an exorcist spotter scouted the entrance of the hotel, knowing full well that Taeko and Shinju would try to escape. However, with all of the civilians clustered together, it would be impossible to identify them among the crowd, let alone get a shot in without hitting any collateral.

"Damn it..." the spotter cursed. "All units, stand down. Do not fire. I repeat, do not fire. They got us."

Shinju and Taeko managed to slip away from the hotel unharmed. They snuck through nearby alleyways, staying off of major streets.

"Holy fuck! They really did try to trap us!" Shinju cried.

"Looks like we're already past the point of no return." Taeko said, stopping to catch her breath.

"How? How did you figure out Manami was the traitor?"

"The only people who know about the Shoku Twins are myself, you, Cyanide, and Manami. Not counting Izanami, Gekko, and the whole family. Obviously, it couldn't have been Izanami or Gekko. It wasn't you, me, or Cyanide either. The only person who could've directed Inari to the Shoku Twins was Manami. It all makes sense now.

"She confirmed she made contact with Inari, and her report stated that she watched other exorcists die in the encounter, and yet, she was the only one that made it out alive. It must've happened then. That was when Manami told Inari where to find the Shoku Twins, and that's why Rousoku's ritual went pear-shaped. It's why she stalled her return to Kyoto, and stalled for more time by hanging out with Yoko."

"Then why did she bother warning us if she was trying to trap us?" Shinju asked.

"She needed us to trust her, and she already knew she was one step ahead of us."

"Fucking Manami! Why is she doing this? Revenge for Lucrezia?"

"It can't be that simple. Delaying her return was her way of throwing Amaterasu off, but at the same time, she sabotaged us and tried to take us out. She's playing both sides."

"Then...whose fucking side is she on?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Either way, Manami had help from the other exorcists just now. It must mean Amaterasu doesn't trust us after all. She must already know that I intended to rescue Inari from the start."

"So, we're fucked, basically?"

Taeko nodded. "Yeah. Our lives as exorcists are over. It's exactly as Lucrezia thought would happen. She knew the mission to grab Inari would result in a huge shift among the ranks of the exorcists. That's why she prepared the 'way out'.

"Where should we go? Shouldn't we try to find Cyanide?"

"We're gonna have to leave him and hope for the best."

"No!" Shinju protested. "We can't just leave him out there! They're trying to kill us!"

"Use your head, Shinju!" Taeko roared. "We linger in the city too long, we're dead. For all we know, he might've already been captured or killed. We have to get out of here, first and foremost. Going on foot is too dangerous, and we'll stick out in these hotel robes. They've probably got the bookstore locked down as well, so we should avoid that place for now. There's a bus station close by. We'll hop on and take a ride back to the neighborhood. We'll lay low at the bowling alley and have Gekko bring us some supplies."

"God damn it..." Shinju cursed, leaning against the alley wall. "There's just one problem with that plan."

"What?"

"...We don't have any bus fare."

Taeko leaned against the wall and laughed, unable to believe that a lack of bus fare could actually get them killed. "That's great..."

"Oh! Rei! I'll call her! She can pick us up!" Shinju said, whipping out her phone.

"Ah, good thinking." Taeko said.

Rei answered the phone after a few rings. "Hey Shinju! What's up?"

"Rei, we need a favor." Shinju said. "How quickly can you make it downtown?"

"Downtown? I mean, I'm free today, so I can go there now. Is something wrong?" Rei asked.

"We'll explain it to you later. I need you to meet us at...let's do Sugar Club, the dessert place. Taeko and I need to get out of here immediately."

"Okay, I can be there in fifteen minutes! I'll get going right now."

Shinju released a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Rei. We'll see you soon."

Shinju hung up the phone, sliding it back in her robe pocket. "Thank god we've got some good friends. We can slip on over to Sugar Club through the alleyways."

Taeko nodded. "It'll take a while before that hotel is evacuated. They'll realize we're gone soon. Let's get going."

Shinju led the way, the two of them slithering through dark alleyways like snakes as police cars and fire trucks rushed to the hotel, their deafening sirens blaring from the streets. Crowds of people stopped and gazed at the pillar of black smoke rising from the hotel, none of them having any idea what was going on.

The two girls soon made it outside of Sugar Club, where they spotted Rei pulling up in her white SUV. She unlocked the doors as she spotted Taeko and Shinju in her rear view mirror, letting them right in. Taeko and Shinju quickly shut the doors and ducked their heads in the backseat, taking extra precaution that no one would see them.

"Guys, what the hell happened to you?"

"We'll explain on the way! Just take us to the abandoned bowling alley! Go!" Taeko ordered.

Rei immediately hit the gas, taking the girls out of Downtown Kyoto. Once they'd gotten out of the city and back into the sleepy suburbs, Rei let them know they were all clear. Taeko and Shinju sat up in the backseats, both of them slumping their shoulders in relief.

"We're sorry about this, Rei. I know this was a sudden call." Taeko said. "The truth is, the exorcists just tried to assassinate us."

"You're kidding, right?" Rei asked.

"I'm afraid not. That mess back there with the hotel? That was us." Shinju added.

"What the hell, you guys did that?" Rei recoiled.

"I knew from the beginning she was leading us into a trap." Taeko said. "If I had put up a fight at the hotel entrance, Shinju and I definitely would've gotten sniped. There was no cover out there. So, we sprung the trap on purpose. Well, I did, anyway. We excused ourselves to the bathroom, filled it with steam, and I left some superheated graphite inside of it. That's what caused the explosion. Shinju and I were able to slip away in the chaos, and here we are."

"So, your own people just tried to kill you?" Rei questioned.

"Yes, long story short." Shinju said. "Because today's the big day, the day where they try to kill Inari Okami. Taeko and I always planned to rescue Inari, but I guess they knew that, somehow."

"I'm sure Manami told them that, too." Taeko groaned.

"Wait, Manami? Isn't that Yoko's mother? Is she okay?" Rei asked.

"I..." Taeko stumbled, realizing she let Manami's name slip. "She's the one that tried to kill us. That blast back there was meant for her. I have no idea if she's still alive."

"...Holy shit." Rei gasped. "Did you kill Yoko's mom?!"

"I don't know!" Taeko shouted. "I rigged the blast to kill, so she'd be lucky if she was still alive! What the fuck should I have done? She was going to get us killed!"

"Okay, let's just calm down for a second and take things one step at a time!" Shinju urged. "Rei, the bowling alley! I'll let Yoko and Gekko know to meet us there too."

"Fuck! Okay, okay!" Rei cried, refocusing on driving.

A half hour later, they finally returned to the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Rei pulled up in front of the abandoned bowling alley and hurried the girls inside, sitting them down on the benches in front of the row of colored glass. The rainbow of vibrant light from the windows shined down upon them, enwreathing their hair in their glow and reflecting off of the wooden floor and cracked bowling balls. At least for a moment, Taeko and Shinju could enjoy some respite.

"Thanks, Rei." Taeko sighed, exhausted from the getaway.

"What are you guys going to do now?" Rei asked, folding her raven hair behind her ear.

"First, Shinju and I need a change of clothes. We should explain everything to Yoko and the others. They need to know the other exorcists are not to be trusted." Taeko said.

"Shouldn't you guys try to get out of town? Won't they be looking for you?" Rei questioned.

Shinju shook her head. "The best men in the program are all converging on the airport right about now. That's where Inari is. I doubt they'll be able to spare any capable manpower to kill us for now."

"Wait...airport?" Rei repeated, her teeth chattering.

"Yeah? Why? Is something wrong?" Shinju asked.

Rei slapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes filled with tears. Something was terribly wrong. It was written all over her face. "Osamu went there today to pick up Aika!"

Taeko shot up onto her feet, her eyes widened in horror. "Osamu is down there?"

"It should be okay, right? I mean, they would've used that rapture spell to empty the place before going in there, right?" Shinju questioned.

"No, that wouldn't work!" Taeko cried. "Osamu swallowed Rousoku's ashes! That spell filters out supernatural beings from non-supernatural beings, but if Osamu swallowed the ashes of a jikininki, he wouldn't have been raptured out! It would've fooled the spell into thinking he was a jikininki!"

"So he's still fucking down there?" Shinju shouted.

"....My husband is in that airport?"

Startled by the voice, Rei, Shinju, and Taeko turned their heads. Yoko stood there to the left with Tsukiakari, Izanami, and Kagutsuchi with her, holding a plastic bag of spare clothes, water, food, and first aid supplies. Shinju had only asked for Yoko and Tsukiakari, but she wasn't surprised to find everyone had assembled. Between the exorcists locking down the area around the airport and the bombing at the hotel, the news must've been having a field day.

"Yoko..." Taeko mumbled.

"I tried calling him earlier. I couldn't reach him." Tsukiakari said. "If the exorcists shut down the airport, then that must be why. So, they've finally found Inari?"

Taeko nodded. "Yeah. They've got her trapped at the airport, but because of her powers, they don't want to risk a huge assault just yet. Right now, Inari and the exorcists are at a standoff."

"...Holy fuck..." Tsukiakari sighed, slouching against the wall. "So she really was alive this whole time..."

"This is bad, though, Gekko!" Izanami said. "Amaterasu's the one leading the mission to kill her! And now Osamu's stuck in the middle of all of this!"

"Not only that, but these two told me the exorcists tried to kill them!" Rei added. "I picked them up and got them out of Downtown Kyoto. The whole place was swarming with people and police."

"What do we do, Taeko?" Kagutsuchi asked, her pink eyes glistening with tears.

"First...there's something I have to explain to you, Yoko." Taeko said.

"What is it?" Yoko asked.

"I'm...not sure how to tell you this." Taeko sighed, leaning forward and tenting her fingers. "I'm sure you saw that hotel blast on the news by now. Shinju and I did that. Your mother tried to kill us. So...I blew up the penthouse we were in. I don't know if she's dead or not."

Yoko's lips parted, but she couldn't say a word. She dropped the bag of supplies and took her phone, calling her mother. She didn't even get a ringtone, just an automated message saying the number wasn't available. Still, Yoko tried calling over and over again, each failed attempt filling her eyes with tears.

"It's useless. Her phone was definitely destroyed in that blast." Taeko said calmly.

"This can't be happening!" Yoko sobbed, falling to her knees. Kagutsuchi rushed to her side, embracing her as she wept.

"What do you mean Manami tried to kill you?!" Izanami cried.

"I had suspected there was a traitor in the Exorcist Program ever since Rousoku's ritual went tits up. The blood moon we got that night wasn't supposed to happen. Turns out that Inari was the one who forced the Shoku Twins to do it. However, she couldn't have known where the twins were unless someone told her, and only a few people in the program even know that information.

"The only one of us who made contact with Inari was Manami. It was also strange that in her report, she described being there when Inari killed several other exorcists. She was the only one that made it back alive, and with no wounds or signs of a fight. Inari has killed some of the best men in the ranks. Why is it that Manami encounters her and comes back with no scratches when the others ended up dead?

"Something happened between them during that encounter, and it's clear to me that Manami directed Inari to the Shoku Twins in order to initiate the blood moon. For what reason, I'm not totally sure. It's possible that the blood moon could've helped heighten Inari's power somehow, but after that incident, we didn't see Inari again until today. Why make such a bold move against such important targets, supposedly to heighten your powers, only to run away and not use them?"

"And then today, Manami told us Amaterasu summoned us to the Skyline hotel for a meeting." Shinju added. "We hadn't heard back from Cyanide since the Cat-One alert went live, which had us worried. But Manami didn't even ask where Cyanide was. I didn't notice that at first.

“I assumed she didn't ask because Cyanide was already on his way, but when we got to the hotel, Cyanide wasn't there. And Taeko also noticed that the suite they used was far more exposed than the one we usually use. It was in perfect view of exorcist snipers across the way. The first thing Manami did was walk up to the glass door facing the snipers. Taeko took that as her confirming to them that we had entered the hotel."

"And thus, I blew it to kingdom come." Taeko finished. "I'm sorry, Yoko. I know she was your mother, but if I hadn't done that, Shinju and I would be dead right now."

Tsukiakari shook her head in disbelief. "Couldn't you have gotten away without killing Yoko's mother?!"

"Look, I did what I did!" Taeko screamed. "If Shinju and I had just walked out by ourselves, we both would've gotten plugged! The blast created the chaos we needed to leave without getting fucking shot!"

"Okay, okay!" Izanami shouted. "Let's just all calm down! Please! This isn't the time to be fighting each other! Osamu is the one who's in the most danger right now!"

"Aika's flight was on the way to that airport, too. She should've already landed." Rei said. "Is she stuck there too?"

"There's a good chance Aika got caught in the rapture if she already got off her flight." Shinju said. "I wouldn't worry too much about that."

"That still leaves Osamu, though..."

"You...you better fix this." Yoko cried, standing up with Kagutsuchi's help. "You killed my mom, Taeko. Don't let my husband die, too. Do you fucking hear me? If Osamu doesn't come back to us in one piece, you're fucking dead!"

"Yoko!" Kagutsuchi gasped.

"Yoko, it doesn't sound like they had much of a choice!" Rei interjected.

"I don't care what choice you thought you had!" Yoko screamed. "Now I've lost both my parents! The only thing I'm asking in return is for you to save my husband!"

"...I understand." Taeko said. "I promise you what I did was in self-defense, Yoko. But of course, I don't blame you for being angry regardless. In the heat of the moment, all I thought about was getting me and Shinju out of there in one piece. I'm sorry."

Shinju stood up, grabbing the bag of supplies off the floor. "It's been a wild day for all of us. Taeko, let's get patched up and rested. Like Taeko said, they won't risk a full-scale assault on the airport yet. Osamu and Inari should be okay for now, at the very least. Everyone, we'll put together a plan to save Osamu and Inari. We won't let either of them die. We promise.”