[Inari Standoff]: The Final Mission

Having rescued Cyanide, Kagutsuchi slouched against the chainlink fence of the hotel rooftop. "What on earth was happening back there, Cyanide?"

Cyanide grabbed his lighter from his pocket. "Well, they invited me to a tea party and I ripped up their invitation."

Kagutsuchi scowled. "I guess you're okay if you can still be so sarcastic."

"Sorry." Cyanide chuckled. "Actually, that wasn't too far off the mark. I went through just about the same thing that Taeko and Shinju did, I'm sure. Those were exorcists trying to kill me. Speaking of which, how are they? They weren't hurt or anything, were they?"

"A lot has happened. It's making my head spin just thinking about it." Kagutsuchi whined. "Here's what's happened so far..."

Kagutsuchi quickly got Cyanide back up to speed on the meteoric events of the past few days. The sun had fallen out of sight and the moon glowed like a white eye above their heads.

"So, basically, everything's fucked." Cyanide sighed.

"Yeah, basically. Taeko actually asked me to scout out the airport, but that was when I ran into you." Kagutsuchi added.

"I can't believe Manami betrayed us. That explains a lot, though. Those guys were trying to smoke me, but I haven't even been added to the wanted list or anything. I didn't think Manami had people on the inside ready to wipe us out." Cyanide groaned, his lighter not working.

Kagutsuchi walked over and touched her fingertip to the cigarette, lighting it herself. "We're not far from the airport now. I just hope I can get in and get Osamu out of there."

"You won't. Not yet anyway." Cyanide said. "That's a Category-One barrier around the airport. The original infiltration plan said they'd try sending in the elites first, which means the barrier has a dynamic formula. The way that formula is passed on, we probably won't be able to enter just yet."

"Then how are we going to get in?"

"If the elites failed, Plan B was to launch a full-scale assault of the place. In order for everyone to be able to enter at the same time, the formula has to be switched to static, meaning it's the same for everyone. We'd only have a little bit of time to slip in before the assault began."

"How much time?"

"I don't know, probably minutes."

"That's it?!"

"Yeah. That's it. So, Taeko and the others are holding Amaterasu hostage right now?"

"They should be, yeah."

"Hmm..." Cyanide moaned as he stroked his goatee. "Assuming Taeko was able to get the formula, she'll be able to enter the airport come morning. That's a serious gamble, though. If the exorcists know her real identity, she could be walking right into a trap."

"But knowing Taeko, she'll happily gamble on that." Kagutsuchi tittered.

"Yeah, that sounds like her. It all depends on how this goes tomorrow. Everything is riding on this..."

The chime of her text tone woke Taeko from her nap. Her back cracked in three different places as she straightened her posture on the green, leather chair she had slept on. She immediately perked up as she saw a message from Kagutsuchi.

"You sure woke up fast." Tsukiakari said, sitting across from her.

"It's Kagu." Taeko said, rubbing her eyes. "She's in position and Cyanide is safe. At least one thing is going right."

Shinju peeked through the blinds, watching the exorcists outside the hospital. "What the hell is going on out there?"

Everyone gathered around the windows, including Amaterasu and Uzume. They quickly noticed what caught Shinju's attention. The exorcists that had been surrounding the hospital to make sure Taeko didn't harm their queen were suddenly backing off. They all broke formation, and even those positioned on the rooftops were nowhere to be seen. It was like they had suddenly lost all interest in protecting the sovereign of their own pantheon.

"They're retreating?" Uzume gasped.

"...This doesn't make any sense." Taeko said. "As far as they know, we've got Amaterasu held hostage. Why the fuck are they backing off?"

One of the exorcist stepped forth, the wind tugging at his brown trench coat. "I have a message for Taeko and everyone else inside! Divine law dictates that if a commanding figure is mentally unfit, incapacitated, or killed, command shifts to the person of closest rank! The squad leaders and operation directors here have unanimously agreed that because of the current hostage situation, we cannot be sure that any orders Amaterasu or Uzume issue are truly of their own will, nor are we sure they're intended to ensure the success of this operation. As such, until the situation is resolved, authority will shift from the queen to that of nearest rank!"

Taeko kicked over a nearby trashcan with a furious scream. "Bastards!"

"As part of our deal, we have order to allow you entry into the airport in the early morning. You'll see the barrier formula appear on your hand come tomorrow." the exorcist added. "That is all."

"It couldn't be any more obvious that this is a trap." Tsukakari said. "We'll have a sliver of time to save Osamu."

"I'll have a sliver of time to save him. You won't be coming, Gekko." Taeko said, sitting back down. "They intend to kill us all in one fell swoop. Osamu, Inari, Shinju, and myself. I doubt they'll give us any time to escape."

"So what will you do?" Amaterasu asked.

"We've got no choice but to spring the trap and make our wager." Shinju said, crossing her arms.

"You two do understand that it's suicide, right?" Tsukiakari growled. "I should be down there with you! At least then you'll have a fighting chance!"

"I've already told you, no!" Taeko shouted. "Like I said, in the event Shinju and I are arrested, we're as good as dead if you're behind bars with us! You're our insurance. Don't fuck this up, Gekko."

Tsukiakari leaned against the window, dragging her hands down her face. "So I just have to watch while you two risk everything?"

Shinju nodded. "That's where we are right now. Come on, don't worry about too much! Taeko and I have survived all this time. This is just another gamble for us."

Taeko smiled. "She's right. It's been adventure after adventure. We'll give this one our all, our final mission as exorcists. Shinju and I will go prepare for tomorrow."

"Uzume and I will stay here." Amaterasu said.

"We will?!" Uzume recoiled before clearing her throat. "I mean, of course we will."

"I may not be in command anymore, but I am still their queen. They won't rush this building as long as we're both inside of it." Amaterasu said.

Taeko stood from her seat. "I appreciate it, Amaterasu."

With tears in her eyes, Taeko bowed to Amaterasu. "Thank you for everything."

Amaterasu embraced Taeko in her arms for a long hug goodbye. Both of them knew that whatever happened tomorrow, there'd be no going back. Taeko's life as an exorcist would be over.

"I should be thanking you. What a life you've lived..." Amaterasu said, her eyes glistening with tears. "Best of luck to you, Taeko."

"In case I don't make it out of this, just promise me one thing." Taeko murmured. "Please take Lucrezia's remains and bury them. Give her a proper grave. Make sure she gets the honor and respect she deserves."

"I will." Amaterasu assured.

As soon as Taeko slipped out of Amaterasu's embrace, Tsukiakari ran and threw one arm around Shinju and the other around Taeko.

"Please be safe. Both of you!" Tsukiakari cried.

"Thank you, Gekko..." Shinju whimpered.

"We'll try our best." Taeko said.

Everything was riding on tomorrow. The fate of Inari and Osamu, the lives of Taeko and Shinju, and even the future of the whole nation. Everyone involved was putting all of their chips in and making the most dangerous gambles of their lives. It occurred to Taeko she wasn't the only one willing to risk her life in all of this.

She ventured down to the underground level of the hospital and crept into Manami's room. It was the first time Taeko had seen her since the hotel bombing. Only then did she see the damage she inflicted upon her. Manami reposed in her hospital bed, her skin burned, limbs missing, flesh exposed, and half her scalp scorched clean.

Taeko stood at her bedside as she lied unconscious. "Looks about right. This is usually what happens to people when they try to cross me. Why on earth did you do all of this, Manami? What was more important to you than your career as an exorcist or your allegiance to me? If it weren't for you, we would've already gotten Inari and Osamu out of there. Who was more important to you than Inari Okami herself?"

Manami wouldn't be able to answer any of those questions anytime soon. It was immensely frustrating to have gone through so much because of her and not have any reason for it.

"I'll tell Yoko you're still alive. I've also asked Amaterasu to give Lucrezia a proper grave. Those are my last favors to you. I'm sorry it all had to come to this. You didn't leave us any choice. Goodbye, Manami."

Taeko planted a soft kiss on Manami's forehead and left the room. There was no need to kill Manami or spew venom at her. She couldn't respond to any of it, and for all Taeko knew, she would very well be killed at the airport the next day. If Taeko was going to die, she wasn't going to take a grudge against Manami with her.

That night, Osamu and Inari lied awake on their makeshift beds in the bakery, the moonlight splashing in through the windows. Without power, the airport remained plunged in darkness. Osamu turned on his cell phone's flashlight and lied it down between himself and Inari.
"I can't believe we survived all of this." Osamu sighed.
"Don't get confident, Osamu. They're going to return with reinforcements." Inari said.
"And if we find ourselves surrounded?"
"We'll either win or die together."
Osamu smiled. "That's right. Even if you had the opportunity to run, you wouldn't take it?"
"I could, but what would be the point? I'd rather finish them all off here than keep living my life on the run. Besides...I've found a reason to keep fighting here. It's you." Inari admitted. "You saved me twice in this airport. Once when you found me, and again when you told me your story and listened to mine. I've held in hundreds of years of pain, and you listened to every bit of it. I don't know if I can ever trust humans in general, but I know that I really can call you a friend, Osamu. Aside from Tenji, you're the best man I've ever known."

"I..." Osamu stammered, his eyes welling with tears. "That means the world to me. Thank you, Inari."

Inari inched closer to Osamu, bringing their faces intimately closer together. "I have to ask something extremely selfish of you, Osamu."
"What is it?”
Inari rubbed the tip of her tail against Osamu's peace sign necklace. "I know your heart belongs to other women, so I won't ask for you to fall in love with me. But, do you think...you can also show me what love is? I want to experience it for what may be the last time."

"Inari, come on...we'll make it out of this."
"Just in case we don't. Do you think you can kiss lips that have tasted flesh and blood? Can you meet with a tongue that has devoured hearts? Can you embrace skin that has become guarded, yet fragile? Will you melt these cold eyes and make them warm again? Even just once?"
Osamu did not hesitate to kiss her lips, to meet her flesh-eating tongue, and to embrace the skin on her cheek. He was not scared of her crimson gaze or the alluring glow of her eyes.
"Describing yourself like that...It's like you don't think you're worthy of love anymore. But, you are." Osamu said.
"I could say the same to you, Osamu."
"We've got to live like we're about to die, and die like we're about to live for the first time."

Inari nodded, her cheeks turning pink. "You're right. This is our darkness. No one else's."

(I remember this feeling. This is what it feels like to fall in love for the first time...all over again...)

Osamu awoke next to Inari early in the morning. She slept beside him like a baby with an unguarded light radiating in her eyes.

"Looks like you finally got some rest, huh?" Osamu chuckled softly.

Inari sat herself and stretched out her arms, her tails fluttering behind her. "Let's go get some breakfast, Osamu."

"Hmm? Breakfast?"

Osamu and Inari strolled around the empty airport, on the lookout for food. They first stopped at the sushi court, but found an unpleasant surprise in the fridge. The stench of rotten seafood wafted out of the opened fridge, prompting Inari to slam it shut just as soon as she had opened it.

"Ah, god damn it!" Inari shouted, pinching her nose.

"Damn that smells! It must've gone bad during the black out!" Osamu said.

Inari laughed. "I guess fish is out of the question, huh? Maybe the bakery's ingredients are still good. If so, we can just make a Western-style breakfast!"

Inari took Osamu by the hand and skipped back over to the bakery, checking the fridge and hoping for the best. She began checking the ingredients, starting with the eggs.

"These are still good. This fridge was able to stay cool during the black out, so it doesn't look like anything went bad." Inari said. "Whew, except for this milk!"

Inari wagged her tails as she stuck her head inside of the fridge. "Ah! The owners were smart!"

Inari pulled out a carton of almond milk with a relieved smile. "They kept non-dairy milk in here! This should still be good, and it's sweeter than regular milk! We can make pancakes with-"

Osamu couldn't help but laugh. "You just looked adorable just now! You were wagging your tails like a happy dog! It was cute!"

"Sheesh, where do you get off trying to flatter a goddess." Inari tittered.

"My bad. So then, pancakes? Can you cook?"

"Damn right I can!"

Inari threw on a white apron, and put two pans on the burners. She quickly threw together a pancake mix with added cinnamon, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and frozen blueberries. She whisked the mix by hand and then poured some onto each of the sizzling pans. Osamu watched with all the glee of a child, each step in the process only making him hungrier.

"That's amazing! How did you learn to do this so well?" Osamu asked.

"Watching humans do it, really. Then, I just so happened to find a cook book during my runaway days. It was the only thing I had to read, so I soaked in a lot of the knowledge."

"Honestly, cooking like that, I'm surprised you haven't had more people propose to you. Guys would kill for a good cook these days."

"Is that so?" Inari laughed.

Inari picked up both pans and flicked them forward, flipping the pancakes inside without so much as a spatula. Osamu showered her with applause for her stunning dexterity.

"Thank you, thank you!" Inari snickered as she took a bow.

With their breakfast finished, Osamu and Inari sat at the bar to eat their pancakes, their first real meal in days. Osamu had nearly forgotten what proper food tasted like. He was already starting to grow accustomed to the metallic taste of blood being stuck in his mouth for most of the day.

"My god...it has the perfect amount of sugar!" Osamu squealed. "It's light and fluffy, with just a little bit of crisp to it! And the blueberries, they taste so fresh! This is pancake heaven! This is the breakfast of the gods! Inari, you're amazing!"

"It's that good?" Inari asked.

Osamu held Inari's hands as the light of the heavens sparkled in his crying, yet still manly eyes. "These pancakes can cure any ill of the soul and body!"

"Well, there's plenty more where that came from! Hey, maybe we can eat at one of the tables outside, too!"

Inari poked her head outside and came across a peculiar scene. Some strange, blond girl wearing a purple, short-sleeve hoodie and turned the corner and met eyes with her. Both of them shrieked at the other and came quite close to entering combat before Osamu ran out to see what was going on.

Of course, Osamu recognized the intruder in an instant. "Kagu?!

"Osamu!" Kagutsuchi exclaimed, her face beaming with joy.

The last time Inari saw Kagutsuchi, she was still known as the Phantom Maiden, the fiery ghost that haunted Tsukiakari and the Senkumo clan.

However, looking at her more closely, Inari quickly recognized her. "Wait...Kagutsuchi? Is that really you?”