[Inari Standoff]: Hate

(The time came to bury Inari. Shinju did a swell job cleaning her body and dressed her in white robes adorned with wisteria flowers. Inari really did look beautiful that day.)

It was a clear, sun-bleached day. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. That day, Amatsuki's men delivered Inari's body to Yoko's house where the funeral would be held. Everyone attended, even Aika and Rei. Clad in black, Osamu's friends and family waited in the back yard in total silence, all of them standing before a small pyre.

They all turned their heads towards the glass door as Izanami stepped outside, cradling Inari's lifeless body in her arms as if it was the body of her child. Her face wet with tears, Izanami slowly marched towards the pyre as the wind tugged at Inari's snow-white hair and the frills of her pristine funeral robes. 

Every agonizing step of the way, Izanami's gaze crawled over Inari's face. It was hard to believe she was really dead. She looked so peaceful, as though she were only sleeping.

Izanami carefully set Inari down on her pyre, her tears plopping onto Inari's face like drops of rain. Ever since she first went missing, Izanami longed for the day when she'd meet Inari again. She had countless daydreams about it, but never did she imagine she'd reunite with her beloved friend like this. Izanami stroked Inari's hair and softly kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and finally, her lips.

Tsukiakari approached and performed the same ritual, her tears distorting her vision. "We'll always love you, Inari..."

The three kisses were standard fare for Tsukiakari and Izanami. It originated within the Senkumo clan as a means of displaying the utmost love and affection for someone. Tsukiakari herself started it. What neither of them expected, however, was for Yoko to approach Inari's body and do the same thing. After Yoko came Rei, then Aika, the Shoku Twins, Osamu, Shinju, and then Taeko.

Seeing them adopt the ritual for Inari's sake, Tsukiakari slapped her hand over her quivering lips, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to muffle her sobs. Tsukiakari wiped her tears from her burning eyes, trying to speak with what felt like an anchor in her chest.

"Thank you for accepting her. Izanami, I think you should be the one to do it. You were her first friend."

It was time. Izanami stepped forth. "Please step back, everyone."

Inari's newfound friends and family stepped away from the pyre as Izanami summoned her black scythe into her right hand. A blue spark shot out from one of the three blades of her scythe, setting the pyre alight with deep, sapphire-blue flames.

"I'll collect the ashes." Tsukiakari said. "We'll set them next to Isabella's shrine. Dead or alive...those two will always be part of this family."

Together as a family, everyone watched as Inari's body was slowly reduced to ash, the smoke carrying her spirit whisked away by the wind and disappearing beyond the oceanic sky. At long last, Inari was finally at rest.

(Rest in peace, Inari.)

Osamu heard the doorbell ring as everyone continued to watch Inari's pyre. Both he and Yoko went to see who it was. Looking through the peephole, Yoko flung open the door in anger, starring daggers at Amaterasu.

"Yoko. Osamu." Amaterasu said, her eyes red and swollen. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Get off my property." Yoko growled, her voice cracking in sorrow.

"I came to say that I'm sorry. I truly am." Amaterasu lamented. "Osamu, by the time I learned you were in that airport, the exorcists had taken control of the operation out of my hands. I couldn't stop them from continuing the assault."

"You hunted Inari to the ends of the earth for centuries. She didn't know a day's rest, and it was all because of you." Osamu said.

"You saw for yourself what happens when someone uses blood magic!" Amaterasu protested.

Osamu slammed his fist against the wall. "Don't lie to me! Your initial reason for hunting her...it was because Izanami had set her up as an usurper! But Izanami dropped her vendetta against you and focused on taking care of Gekko. You should've left Inari alone after that, but you didn't. You only discovered her powers after you had already tried to kill her, and then you people used that as justification to murder her!"

"Osamu...we couldn't just let that kind of power roam free. You know that. You all know that. What if someone had captured her? What if another country or some foolish god plotted to take that power for themselves? Do you have any idea what it would've done to the world? How many wars would've started? How many leaders would be bent to someone else's will? How many gods would be enthralled to the whims of a single person? All it takes is one person with ill-intent to control every human and god in this world like puppets. We had no choice."

"To us...you were the bad guys. We killed because it was necessary." Osamu said.

"I could say the same, even if my initial reasons were unjust. I can admit that they were." Amaterasu murmured. "But you can't possibly tell me you can't see this from my perspective."

"I'm sure you can see it from mine as well." Osamu said. "It doesn't change anything for either of us, does it?"

Amaterasu's golden, unflinching flare met with Osamu's. "No. It doesn't."

"To think we loved you and trusted you so much." Yoko hissed. "You aren't welcome here anymore, Amaterasu. Leave."

Not wanting a confrontation with her in-laws, Amaterasu backed away. Yoko shut the door and locked, her hand flat against it as she leaned forward and released a heavy sigh. She looked at Osamu and saw his eyes glisten with tears.

No one wanted to hate Amaterasu, and Amaterasu clearly never wanted to hurt them, but they were pushed into two different sides by their own senses of right and wrong, and by pure circumstance. From that day forward, Amaterasu would never be allowed inside of Yoko's home again.

With Inari's ashes at rest next to Isabella's shrine, time felt like it was moving again, albeit slowly. A week after Inari's funeral, Osamu marched down to the kitchen, his nose following the scent of blueberry pancakes. Amatsuki and Tsukiakari were cooking up a storm.

"Morning, Osa." Tsukiakari sang, smiling.

"Morning." Osamu said, taking his seat at the island. "Pancakes today?"

"We thought we'd do something special for you." Amatsuki said, flipping a pancake with a spatula. "But...it's okay if you're not hungry."

"Actually..." Osamu began. "May I have three pancakes please?"

"Three?" Amatsuki gasped, trading shocked glances with Tsukiakari.

"Yeah." Osamu chuckled. "I don't know if it'll beat Inari's recipe, but it's been a while since I felt this hungry. Is three okay?"

Tsukiakari wiped the tears from her eyes and got work whisking her bowl of batter, her voice cracking as she cried. "Say no more! Three pancakes coming right up! Your first good meal in a while!"

His own eyes drowned in tears, Osamu smiled. "Thanks, you guys."

Osamu and the girls sat down at the kitchen island together and enjoyed their breakfast. Amatsukia and Tsukiakari couldn't stop smiling as they watched Osamu scarf down his food, a good sign he was beginning to recover from everything that happened.

"So, Osamu, have you found out what you're gonna wear?" Tsukiakari asked.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Osamu questioned.

Amatsuki sighed. "Yeah, it makes sense you forgot. Remember the whole reason why you even went down to the airport in the first place?"

Osamu dropped his fork onto his plate. "I completely forgot! It's still happening?!"

(That's right. The reason I was picking up Aika from the airport was because she had come back from a trip to Germany...to go see the new house she'd be living in with her husband. Aika was getting married.)

"I can't believe that girl helped around the house while we were all mourning, all while planning a whole ass wedding and the next few years of her life." Amatsuki said. "Aika sure is impressive."

"It's in three days. You still wanna go?" Tsukiakari asked.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Osamu said. "Damn, I need to get a nice tux."

"Gekko!" Yoko shouted from upstairs. "Did you guys make breakfast?"

"Yeah! Pancakes!" Tsukiakari shouted back.

"Can you bring some for me and Izanami? We'll take two each!"

"Sure thing!" Tsukiakari responded, devouring the last of her pancakes as she got up to cook some more.

"Finish your food, Osa." Amatsuki ordered.

Osamu looked at his plate and cringed in disgust. He forgot he had dropped his fork handle into a pool of maple syrup. "Damn it...I hate when that happens."

(Aika's wedding...after that...she'll be moving away soon. It's unbelievable how much life has changed in just the past six months.)

"Guess I'll call Taeko and see if she wants to help me pick something out." Osamu said.

"Why Taeko?" Amatsuki asked.

"She's the manliest girl I know. I trust her taste." Osamu tittered, earning a slap on the shoulder.

"Just don't get anything with shoulder pads, okay?" Tsukiakari begged.

Osamu nodded. "I know, I know."

Finishing the last of his pancakes, Osamu threw on his white leather jacket and slipped his feet into his sneakers. "I'll be back later with a fresh new tuxedo. Call me if you need anything while I'm out."

"Okay! See ya later, babe!" Tsukiakari sang.

Tsukiakari gathered everyone's plates as Osamu shut the front door. Amatsuki stood opened up the dishwasher, a silent indicator that she intended to help with the dishes.

"Have things gotten any better with your mom?" Amatsuki asked.

Tsukiakari said nothing as she scrubbed her plate clean, handing the soapy dish to Amatsuki.

Amatsuki sighed. "Yeah...that makes sense."

"Once this little grace period is up...I might end up having to kill her."

Amatsuki's heart nearly stopped. She almost thought Tsukiakari was kidding, but her tone and expression were both deathly serious. "Gekko...that's your mother you're talking about."

"If we go through with Taeko's plan, none of it will matter. We won't be mother and daughter anymore. Just...enemies. The only thing that would stop that from happening is if the pantheon got its head out of its ass and decided to leave all of this blood magic crap alone. But they won't. We all know it."

Amatsuki's skin turned pale and the color in her lips faded. She looked as if she had seen a terrible nightmare. "But if we ally with Hima, won't the gods view it as handing something akin to a nuke to an enemy of the state? Did Taeko actually think this through? Or...is she seriously considering starting a war with the Shinto pantheon?”