[Inari Standoff]: La Vie En Rose

The beautiful Belle rose from her curtsy. With her eyes veiled behind her white blindfold and her lips as still as shallow water, Osamu couldn't decipher what was going through her mind. However, he couldn't lie to himself. Her face, her delicate body, her vibrant skin, and her pure, white maid dress were all too alluring to ignore. The sheathed blade in her hand kept him on guard.

"Those foxes...did you..." Osamu murmured.

Belle nodded. "Yes. Actually, I'm the one who brought them here."

"What?! Damn it, you mean you were trying to bait Inari?"

(No good, I have to-)

"I must inform you, attempting to run away from me would be extremely ill-considered." Belle said. "As I said, I want to talk to you. You can still get out of this alive."

"...Well then...talk. I can't promise you I will agree to whatever it is you have to say, but I'll hear you."

"Very well."

Belle withdrew her blade from its sheath, only for Osamu to discover that it wasn't really quite a sword. As it shined and gleamed in all of its golden glory, Osamu realized the sheathed weapon was actually a golden, jeweled cross. With just a point of that cross, Belle burned the black rope that one of the foxes was hung on, releasing it from the tree and levitating it in mid air, right in front of Osamu.

"Inari Okami has no future. This effort at a prolonged standoff is pathetic. Effective, but pathetic. In the end, you know what's going to happen to her. However, I think it would be wasteful if a human were to be slain alongside her. I firmly believe that missions like these should be handled without human blood being spilled."

"Well, it's too late for that." Osamu scoffed.

"The other exorcists were messy, but I am much more disciplined."

The fox floating before Osamu began to bleed right down the middle of its entire body as Belle severed one vertical half from the other by sheer force of mind, giving Osamu an unsightly display of blood pouring from its severed halves, as well as all the internal organs, bones, and brains of the fox. The sight and smell of him almost made him sick.

"Personally, I want you to survive. I don't want you to become...this, alongside Inari." Belle said.

"And why is that?"

"Because your wife and friends are back there fighting to bring you home."

"Hold on, what do you mean my wife?"

"Tsukiakari Senkumo. You're married to her, are you not?

(She...knows who I am?)

"Tsukiakari went so far as to as to hold Amaterasu and Uzume hostage. She's created a standoff of her own back at base." Belle lamented, the corners of her lips sagging into a frown. "She's serious, and none of us can stand against her. Osamu, please, for the sake of your family, for the sake of this country, get out of this. Come with me, and I can guide you out of the airport. Go back home to your family. Don't make all of this messier than it already is."

"...Just what the hell has been going on outside?" Osamu recoiled.

"Aside from this standoff and the hostages, it seems the Exorcist Program is about to implode. Your friend, Taeko, or Lucrezia, has been found out"

(What? How did they find out about Taeko?)

"You being here only makes this incredibly more difficult for everyone involved. I implore you, come with me and leave Inari behind. You have nothing to gain by allying yourself with her." Belle pleaded. "I know you were forced into this by circumstance. If we take that into account, you could even be cleared for all of the exorcists you've killed so far. But if you keep doing this, there will be no going back. You're an important person to some of the most powerful people in this country. You need to stay out of this."

A storm of sadness brewed within Osamu's chest. Each and every one of Belle's words struck him like arrows ripping through his flesh.

"I wish I could just get up and leave. But I can't." Osamu said. "I can't, because it was Inari that needed help and I was the only one around. I can't because fate decided it had to be the two of us. I will not abandon Inari. Gekko is out there fighting for the both of us, not just me. She wants the both of us to come home. Abandoning Inari now would be betraying not only her, but my wives as well."

Belle laughed out of sheer amusement, her cheeks turning red like roses. "No one who cares for their family would stay in a standoff that's guaranteed to kill them. Osamu, why are you really here?"

"...What are you getting at?"

"Is it guilt? Perhaps it's about that Jikininki you killed half a year ago. Taeko's report mentioned she was a former lover of yours, that the outcome of the mission affected you terribly."

"...Shut up." Osamu growled, his hands balling into fists.

"I know exactly what it is you're feeling right now, what you've been feeling these past six months. And I know you're dressing it up as some sort of heroism, some noble deed to top them all. Stop fooling yourself, Osamu."

"And just what the hell do you know about what I'm feeling?" Osamu screamed, his eyes bloodshot. "She wasn't just some Jikininki, she was a human being! And I..."

"You don't have to say anymore. I may not look it, but I do recognize the quiet hell you're going through. I've killed people too, some of them I loved. You're not alone. Osamu, if you think dying here will bring you happiness, you're mistaken. There's life after guilt and grief."

Osamu closed his eyes, shutting out both the sight of Belle and her words. "No there isn't. I've already made my decision. I'm staying right here."

"Then...that's just how it is. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

(Yeah...that's how it is!)

Having finally made it back towards Osamu's direction, Inari blindsided Belle, cutting her across the neck with her sharp claws in a fast, clean swipe. Blood spewed out of Belle's neck, painting the reflective floors in pools of red as she plopped down in a pool of her own blood. Her beautiful white maid dress was painted red as she laid there lifeless.

"Good timing, huh? I think our team dynamics are getting better!" Inari cheered.

Osamu took a massive sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. "Inari, that was a little too close...any later and she may have killed me."

"Heroes always arrive at the nick of time, after all. More importantly...I see she was using my foxes as bait."

"Yeah, she mentioned that."

Inari, holding in her anguish, began releasing the foxes from their nooses, gently laying them down on the ground next to each other.

"Inari...are you okay?" Osamu asked.

"It's my job to protect these little guys, and look....I can't even do that much. That's how utterly helpless I am right now. It's unfair that they have to pay the price for my ineptitude. If she was using them as bait, I imagine most of them have already been hunted down and killed."

Osamu turned his eyes to Belle. His heart froze for a moment as he witnessed Belle, who should've been dead, stand herself up off of the floor like Lazarus out of the grave.

(What?! How is she still alive?! Inari slit her throat!)

The sound of her chiming bells alerted Inari to her movement, allowing her to quickly react and slash Belle across her stomach before she could swing her golden cross. Inari's, slammed her fist into Belle's jaw, sending her flying out of the lounge window and down to the parking area for the airplanes. Inari and Osamu were absolutely bewildered.

"What the hell was that?! How could she stand after losing that much blood?!" Inari cried.

Even as she laid on the tarmac after receiving Inari's crushing hit, Belle still managed to stand up. Her jaw was completely blown off from Inari's merciless punch, exposing her mashed tongue, teeth, and the rest of her inner mouth all spilling from underneath where her jaw should've been. The earlier claw to her stomach caused Belle's intestines to spill out and dangle over her dress.

Inari watched from the broken lounge window above as Belle's slashed neck healed itself almost instantly, bringing her sliced vocal cords and skin back together. She stuffed her intestines back into her stomach with one hand, and the bloody gash healed itself as well. Her jaw, teeth, and tongue all steamed and simmered as her flesh was built anew.

"Even for an exorcist, this kind of healing is..."

Belle shouted out to Inari and Osamu. "I'm giving you one last chance to surrender and resolve this easily! This is your final warning!"

Without turning back to Osamu, Inari uttered one word. "Ready?"

Osamu nodded. "Yeah. Do it."

The two met eyes, allowing Inari to disappear and take control of Osamu's body. He knelt down to one knee as his head throbbed with agony. Once the divine vixen was settled in, the pain went away, and Inari was in complete control. Belle, taking the silence above as noncompliance, waited for at least one of them to appear before the window again as the strong winds blew her hair and dress around wildly.

Osamu was silent as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans, walking calmly past the pool of blood and dead foxes. The wind from outside invaded the lounge of the airport through the broken window, chilling his exposed chest beneath his partially buttoned cardigan. Knowing now that there was no compromise to be had, Belle took hold of her golden cross.

With his eyes turned blood-red, Osamu stood calmly at the broken window where Belle could see him. Though they were working together this way, Belle knew that the fierce, vengeful gaze directed at her was purely coming from Inari.

"Well then. Shall we begin?" Osamu challenged.

Osamu leaped from the lounge towards Belle with incredible speed and strength. Belle readied her cross, swinging it just as Osamu closed in above her and knocking him right into one of the airport shuttles. His impact was so forceful he went right through the passenger door of the shuttle and landed inside.

Flinching from the pain, he raised his arm to assess the damage. His forearm protruded through his skin, and his hand was completely crushed and mangled. The fingers were all broken, and several large gashes revealed the flesh and fat in his hand.

"Damn it! She knocked us out like a baseball!"

Suddenly, the sound of Inari screaming reverberated in Osamu's head. It was as if she was burning alive.

"Inari?! What's wrong?!"

"I don't know! It burns so much!" Inari wept.

Osamu raised his hand to his face, noticing the heat waves flowing from his wounds. "I...I'm starting to feel it too! It must be that cross! Whatever you do, Inari, just make sure that we don't touch that cross again!"

"All right...sorry, Osamu. I'll be more careful."

Belle waited as Osamu finally stepped out of the shuttle as blood dripped from his mangled arm.

"That was a good hit. I'm impressed." Osamu said.

"Is that you talking, or is it Inari? No...I suppose it doesn't matter. Quel dommage..." Belle responded.

"I don't speak French, you flowery cunt!" Inari screamed.

Osamu flung himself towards Belle as she readied her cross. Instead of hitting her directly, Osamu slammed his fist into the tarmac, ejecting a suffocating cloud of black dust and huge chunks of broken concrete into the air along with Belle. With another powerful jump, Osamu leaped up towards the airborne Belle like a skyward bullet, breaking through the cloud of smoke with his fist raised.

Belle swiftly blocked Osamu's punch, which Belle could feel through the cross and arms. Even with its power, Belle held her cross firmly and and slammed it into Osamu's side, shooting him hundreds of feet down the runway. He rolled backwards as he landed holding his hand over the burning and boiling skin where the cross hit his ribs.

"Ow! Damn it!" Osamu cried.

"How is this happening?! I can feel it burning too! I think that cross hurts the body and whatever spirit dwells within it!" Inari groaned in agony.

As she gently landed on her feet, Belle's short, white skirt lifted and revealed her white, high rise panties before gently laying back over her underwear. She twirled her cross, passing it back and forth between her hands. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between herself and Osamu, and in another flash of speed, appeared right in front of him. Both Osamu and Inari were completely caught off guard.

"Damn her!" Inari screamed.

Osamu was just able to duck and dodge the horizontal swing of Belle's cross, at the expense of a few burnt hairs. Inari started to understand Belle's rhythm, finding it easier to dodge the cross as Belle continued her attempts to hit Osamu. The swings were always close calls, burning away more and more strands of Osamu's hair every time he evaded her strikes.

(Damn this hurts! She's making me do all of this when my ribs are cracked!)

"Put up with it a little longer! I'll figure something out, Osamu!" Inari said.

Tired of the acrobatic games Osamu was playing, Belle struck her cross into the ground, causing the tarmac to heat up and explode in a flash of blue flames. The explosion blew both of them away in the opposite direction, leaving a burning pit of molten tarmac between them as the clouds rolled in and shrouded the airport in darkness.

Belle's left leg was completely blown apart, leaving nothing left but fragmented bone, de-gloved skin, and torn flesh. It came as a surprise to Osamu that he was alive. His vision was fuzzy and his ears ached with a piercing ring. Somehow, he still had his limbs attached to his body. Not even any shrapnel has passed into him.

As he sat up, he realized Inari had ejected herself from his body at the last minute, shielding Osamu from the blast and taking most of the damage herself. Her black, frilly dress was ripped apart and stained with a pool of her crimson blood as she knelt on one knee in front of Osamu, her breathing labored.

"Osamu! Are you all right?!" Inari asked.

(Her leg! What happened to her leg?!)

Inari's leg was completely blown off in the explosion as well, along with a few of her fingers. It explained why she was brought to her knee as Osamu surveyed the runway for her leg. He spotted her missing leg, which was covered in blood and burns on the thin strip of grass dividing the lanes of the runway. While Osamu's heart violently tried to beat its way out of his aching chest at the mere sight of Inari's wounds, Inari herself laughed it off.

"I don't have to look at you to know what you're thinking." Inari chuckled." You're probably getting emotional behind me, aren't you? Maybe you're searching your mind for how we can still win this when we're both busted up beyond belief."

"Stop playing it off like it's nothing, Inari! Look at you! You can't move like this and Belle has the edge on us in speed!" Osamu cried.

"Isn't it all right, Osamu? Why don't you calm down?" Inari suggested.

"Calm down?!" Osamu recoiled.

"Remember what we promised each other? We either win here..."

"Or we die here..."

(What is this...I suddenly feel calm. Is this what you're feeling too, Inari? Is it the comfort that even if we don't survive this, we can at least die together? Of course...how I could I forget? We'll be free either way, won't we? Whether we win or die...we'll be free of our burdens.)

"Maybe this is the one where we finally lose, huh..." Osamu sighed.

"Don't give up just yet." Inari said. "We can both move if I just go back inside your body. It's true she has the edge in speed, so we need to change our strategy. Fighting out here in the runway gives her too much room to use her abilities. We need to lure her inside, into a tighter area within the airport. She won't be able to be so reckless with her speed that way. In fact...though I despise the thought of it...I can eat one of my foxes to heal my wounds

"What?! Inari!" Osamu recoiled.

"We're in a desperate situation, Osamu. I'm not going to let either of us die before we thoroughly exhaust all of our options. Even if I have to eat one of my own foxes, I'll do it. I can use their blood to heal you too. For now, we'll retreat inside of the airport and come up with a strategy. Got it?"

Osamu slapped his cheeks and steeled himself for a fight. If Inari wasn't ready to give up, that neither would he. "Yeah. Got it!"

Meanwhile, Belle's flesh and bones steamed and hissed, her leg regenerating as if nothing happened. Her white stockings for her leg was gone with the explosion, as well as one of her shoes. She kicked off her other high heel, resorting to walking on her bare feet to make her movements easier to handle. Part of her skirt was ripped from the blast, exposing her upper thigh and the strap of her high rise panties. The bells on her choker and armband chimed as she stood again with her cross struck into the ground.

"She was willing to pull off such a near-suicidal attack because she knew she would regenerate. Honestly...her healing abilities will be troublesome..." Inari hissed. "And so the bloodletting begins..."

The fight was only just beginning. Inari and Osamu had no choice but to figure out how to kill an enemy capable of regenerating any wound, no matter how severe. Belle had already proven to be their most difficult enemy by far.