[The End of Osamu Ashikaga]: All Who Knew Him

With but a meager amount of time left to live, Osamu went down the list of people he wanted to speak to and wrongs he wanted to right. After speaking with Taeko, he sauntered down the stained glass hallway and found Kagutsuchi standing on one of the castle balconies, her eyes affixed to the haunting eclipse looming above the world.

A thick, white fog fell upon the distant hills and trees like cobwebs, shrouding the Welsh landscape in its eldritch embrace. The gentle breeze carried with it a scent reminiscent of charcoal and burnt hair. It was too subtle for Kagutsuchi to know exactly what it was. As far as she knew, there weren’t any fires in the area.

She had no idea that smoky scent teasing her nose was the smell of people and land many thousands of miles away being crushed and burned to death. The planet became mankind’s crematorium. The smell was only going to grow stronger and more foul.

Osamu opened the glass door to the balcony, startling Kagutsuchi.

“Osamu…you’re back?” Kagutsuchi asked, clutching the neck of her black, buttoned-down shirt.

Osamu nodded as he closed the door behind him and joined her in leaning forward on the balcony railing. “Yeah. My business in Minvavere is done.”

“Then…you really went through with it? You’re really going to destroy the entire world?”

“…Yeah. By now, just about half of humanity should’ve been killed so far. The horde I released should be making landfall in Southeast Europe and Africa right about now.”

“I can’t believe you can say that so casually…”

“I’ve had plenty of time to grapple with this.”

“And plenty of help, too. Akatsuki visited us and admitted to showing you the past and future. Everyone thinks you were manipulated by the Shoku Twins into doing something awful to humanity.”

“Everyone, huh?” Osamu scoffed. “What do you believe, Kagu?”

Kagutsuchi shook her head and tucked in her lips as her eyes glistened like wet jewels. “I don’t know what to think or believe anymore, Osamu. I wanted to believe you had our best interests at heart, that you were trying to protect everyone. Osamu…why did you go this far? Why did you destroy the world? Why kill all of those people? Wasn’t there any other way?”

Osamu sighed and rested his forehead on the railing. “I could talk about nations, politics, and the future of mankind until I’m blue in the face. It still wouldn’t do any good. I did this because I love this world. I love my friends. Most of all, I love my family. I did this because I don’t want Izanami to be haunted by visions of death, or the Shoku Twins to live as gods against their will, or for Amaterasu to be held hostage by a nation she never wanted to rule in the first place. I did this to end all our burdens, theirs and mine.”

Kagutsuchi’s face went pale as she looked into Osamu’s eyes. It was like she was staring into the eye of a raging storm, or the precipice of a bottomless abyss. They were the eyes of a man who saw no other way out than to plunge the world into a living hell. The corners of Kagutsuchi’s lips dips downward and her brows arched upward as tears raced down her cheeks.

“I hate you so much…” Kagutsuchi sobbed. “You were like a brother to me. I cherished our memories together, but now they’re all poisoned! Every time I remember what you’ve done for me…I just hear the screams of all the people you’re murdering. How could you poison the memories I held so dearly?”

“Kagu, there was no other way.”

“Is that the truth? Or is that what you and the Shoku Twins wanted to believe?”

There was no solid answer to that question. Both of them knew that. Osamu believed fully in everything he did. He was never going to show any remorse for it. And yet, hearing Kagutsuchi’s voice crack under the strain of her cries was enough to pinch him in his heart. It was enough to remind him of the day they met in Satori’s mansion.

For just a moment, her hurt brought out the old Osamu, the same man who risked life and limb for a girl he hardly even knew. It felt like he was standing right there, watching his younger self play that chess match against a mute Kagutsuchi, watching her slowly open up as the game went on. The lingering, smoky perfume of firewood in the air, the warm sun shining on Satori’s cherry rosewood furniture, it all came back to him so vividly it felt as though it were only yesterday.

What was a life or death situation for him in the moment was now a sweet, distant memory now. The harrowing trials and tribulations he faced back then paled in comparison to what he faced in just the past month alone. As crazy as it sounded, he almost yearned to go back to that time. Life was so much simpler and the world still seemed so full of hope.

Waking up wasn’t a waking nightmare. He wasn’t cursed with the knowledge of both past and future events. He was still totally ignorant of the sacrifices he would have to make, of the world-ending mass murderer he would become. He never wanted Kagu or any of his loved ones to suffer or hurt, but the path he chose made that impossible. All he could do was look back on the road he had taken with the Shoku Twins and leave behind all he had sacrificed, his friendship with Kagutsuchi among the most regrettable casualties.

“I’m sorry, Kagu.” Osamu said, the wind tugging at his raven lion’s mane of wavy hair. “You don’t have to forgive me. Just…promise me you’ll take care of yourself…and your mother.”

Kagutsuchi turned her pensive gaze towards Osamu, her eyes glistening with tears. “What are you talking about?”

Osamu cleared his throat as he fought back tears. “I’ll…have to go away soon. In the next few days, I mean. I want to make sure you’ll all be safe before I leave.”

“Where are you going? Back to Minavere?”

“…Yeah. I’ll be staying there, to be their king.”

“So you’re leaving us…”

“You all hate my guts anyway. It’s better this way. So…this is goodbye, Kagu.”

Osamu had told many lies in the past month, perhaps none as cruel as the one he told Kagutsuchi. He just couldn’t tell her that he was going to die in just a few days, and unlike his two close encounters with death, he wasn’t going to come back. This was it, the end of his life.

Osamu was staring the shadowy colossus named Death in the face, and he had to do it alone. How sweet it would’ve been to have had a proper and truthful goodbye, but Osamu considered the possibility that at least one of the girls might try and stop Hima before she can get her hands on his blood and heart. He couldn’t leave any room for the most crucial part of his plan to fail.

And so he lied. The deceit felt like slime and vomit coming out of his mouth, leaving behind a bitter aftertaste laced with guilt and quiet hurt. Nonetheless, it had to be done. Even in his final days, he could not let his loved ones take priority over the mission he had set out to complete.

As such, any supplication, any apology he offered, was worth as much as the dirt of Wales. As painful as the ordeal was for him and as horrified he was to see his loved ones hurt by his own actions, he still put his cause above them.

That made him a strong and dependable king to the people of Minavere, but it meant his relationships with Kagutsuchi, Yoko, Gekko, and the others were as good as dead.

“I don’t need you to tell me to look after Izanami. Of course I will.” Kagutsuchi said. “Even after everything you’ve done, I don’t want you to just disappear. I just…I…I don’t know. What is one supposed to want at the end of the world?”

“Good question.” Osamu said, nodding his head.

“The Osamu I knew would’ve wanted to protect us with all he had. But…I just don’t want to believe he would ever condemn the rest of the world just for that. His heart was too big to make others suffer just to save himself. If that Osamu is still anywhere inside you…even if it’s just a small trace…let him out. Bring him back.”

“It’s…too late for that, Kagu. It wouldn’t change anything.”

“Then I hope you can forgive yourself, because I don’t know if anyone else will.”

“Yeah. I’m prepared for that. It’s only natural.”

Kagutsuchi wiped away the tears staining her cheek as Osamu stood up straight and walked towards the glass door. Both of them were forced to accept this was truly goodbye, the last time they’d ever see each other, and their final night as friends.

All the memories, the pain they shared, the laughter they had together, the meals cooked, the birthdays celebrated and passings mourned, it all culminated in the quiet death of their friendship. The very same virtues that endeared Osamu to Kagutsuchi and to all who knew him worked just as diligently to corrupt him into the man he was.

Kagutsuchi would forever grapple with the fact that the same man that protected her during the Third Great Holy War ordered the deaths of nearly all of humanity. The same hands that fought and toiled to cleanse her of her curse were steeped in the blood of man. Osamu’s horrific deeds would haunt all who loved him for the rest of their days.

“Osamu…”

“Yeah?”

“…Goodbye.”

Kagutsuchi couldn’t stomach the sight of him. She kept her gaze fixed upon the eclipse, and its burning glare beamed right back at her. Osamu departed in silence, the sounds of his footsteps disappearing down the stained glass hallway. He got exactly what he expected in meeting with Kagutsuchi — a damning condemnation and a painful goodbye.

The charcoal-scented breeze slithered through the shrubs and evergreen hedges of Moonglow’s garden. It tugged on Taeko’s raven tendrils of hair as she walked along the garden’s stone steps embedded in the grassy ground. She stopped as she spotted Yoko and Manami together on a wooden bench inside a half-circle of azalea shrubs and a tall partition hedge. Yoko lied down on the bench, sobbing as she rested her head in her mother’s lap. Manami gently stroked Yoko’s hair, occasionally wiping the tears off her cheeks with her thumb.

Each teardrop and broken gasp were liked knives plunging into Taeko’s heart, the blades wet with the poison of sorrow and misery. Yoko suffered the deaths of two close friends, lost a child, and had her very life threatened in just the span of a month. Unbeknownst to her, in just a few days time, she was going to lose the love of her life. Just as no one could stop the sun from rising or the moon from pushing the tides, there wasn’t any way for Taeko to assuage such immeasurable heartbreak.

With the wind pushing against her, Taeko approached Manami and Yoko, the three Akiyamas having suffered the brunt of Osamu’s long string of betrayals and sacrifices. Taeko sat down on a large, smooth rock just across from the bench, letting out a pent-up sigh.

“I’m so sorry, Yoko.” Taeko said. “This wasn’t how your mother and I planned for things to happen. It must’ve been terrifying for you.”

Manami’s baggy, darkened eyes beamed a burning glare at Taeko as she continued to comfort Yoko. “We should’ve saved Johan, not Osamu. That was our one chance to stop all of this. The blood of the world is on your hands.”

“Stopping Osamu at the cost of destroying Minavere wasn’t an option, Manami.” Taeko asserted. “You know that.”

“Give me one good reason why it wasn’t.” Manami said.

Taeko raised her chin towards Yoko. It was all she needed to do to get her point across. “You’re not Osamu. I don’t believe for a second you would’ve really made the same sacrifice that he did.”

Manami’s eyes softened as she bowed her head, the mere thought of letting Yoko die bringing her to tears. “…You’re right. So, we just wait here until the world is destroyed?”

“Yeah. But…there’s something I need to tell you, Yoko.” Taeko said.

Yoko lifted her head off her mother’s lap and sat up to face Taeko. Her eyes were red and swollen like two setting suns, her cheeks stained with the residue of dried tears. She could tell by Taeko’s sullen eyes and ruminative, pale face that it wasn’t good news.

“I don’t know how much more I can take, Taeko…” Yoko said, her voice devoid of all bass and resonance.

“Nevertheless, I have a responsibility to tell you this.” Taeko said. “It’s about Osamu.”

“I’m surprised he has any secrets left to keep.” Manami interjected.

“Before we embarked on this war, we agreed to keep this a secret from the rest of you.” Taeko said. “He was worried you’d all try to stop him if you learned the truth too quickly, but considering the shape you’re all in, I don’t think that’s happening any time soon.”

“What is it?” Yoko asked, her longing eyes begging for the answer.

Taeko took a deep breath as she crossed her arms, her gaze falling to the grass beneath Yoko’s feet. “Osamu is going die very soon. When we arrived here at Moonglow Castle, Osamu made an arrangement for Hima to take his blood and heart after the founding of Minavere. It took a little longer than expected since we had to deal with Johan, but it seems the time has come. Osamu intends to die and leave the world in the hands of Hima and the lords of Yakutsk, including myself.”

Manami seemed the least surprised to hear the news. After all, it was always Lucrezia’s intent to give Inari’s unworldly powers to the enemies of the Shinto pantheon in the event it killed Inari. Surrendering his powers to Hima was the only way for Osamu to fulfill Lucrezia’s wish.

However, Yoko was in the dark the whole time. She had no idea what anyone was planning, what arrangements were made, or even that Osamu was working to found an entirely new country until a week ago. What little truth she knew about Osamu’s plan for the world had already come down upon her like a landslide. Hearing he was going to die left her as pale as a ghost in the twilight.

“What…did you say…” Yoko murmured.

Taeko’s words petrified Yoko, each syllable coursing through her veins like snake venom. Her face felt fuzzy and her hands went numb. Her hearing cut out, replacing the sound of the wind and rustling leaves with an incessant ringing. Her chest pushed in and out at a piston’s pace as her breathing hastened.

“I’m sorry, Yoko.” Taeko grumbled. “I really am…”

A loud thump suddenly startled both Manami and Taeko. Yoko had fallen from the bench onto the floor, clutching at the collars of her white shirt and maroon cardigan as she wheezed uncontrollably.

“Yoko!” Manami screamed, falling to her knees and turning Yoko on her back. Taeko followed suit and grabbed hold of Yoko’s right hand.

“Yoko, breathe!” Taeko urged. “You need to focus on breathing!”

Yoko’s vision slowly tunneled and faded to black. She lost consciousness right then and there in the garden. Somewhere in the darkness, she thought she saw afterimages of those early days with Osamu, Aika, Isabella, and Izanami. She thought she saw Osamu’s smiling face and their children playing in the front yard.

Those phantom images faded into the all-consuming darkness, their purity and color forever tainted by Osamu’s horrific deeds. The life and love she thought she had with him were well and truly dead. The most painful misery of it all was the fact there would be no chance to even try to repair the damage done to her relationship with Osamu. He was more than content to leave his relationships in the same shape he was leaving the world — in ruins.

After departing from Kagutsuchi, Osamu sauntered down the snaking, stained glass hallways of Moonglow Castle. Each step he took echoed down the cavernous halls, the sound ricocheting off the walls and back into his eardrums.

He walked with the weight of the dying world stuck firmly on his shoulders, for he was the one that ignited its funeral pyre. He was commander of the ruinous hordes of the apocalypse. He was the grim reaper, the pallbearer carrying mankind in its ebony casket.

The immensity of his wicked machinations paled in comparison to the beauty it would all pave way towards — a world without war. A world where war isn’t even a concept. His dream was merely a few days away from him.

That alone gave him the resolve to swallow the bitter vinegar of repudiation from those he loved, for nothing could’ve soured the honeyed realization of an idyllic dream, a single man bending the once-inflexible, iron nature of humanity itself.

To his left, the door to one of Hima’s studies was left agape, the warm, amber light of the fireplace spilling into the hallway and clashing with the cool, starry light of the stained glass windows. He took soft, quiet steps towards the doorway and saw Tsukiakari sitting on the red, leather sofa across from Shinju, a fireplace with burning applewood positioned in the background. Everything from Plato’s Republic to Les Miserables and the complete works of Edgar Allen Poe sat upon the bookshelves lining the walls of the study.

It seemed Shinju and Tsukiakari weren’t there to enjoy an evening of reading, but to sit in languid silence and cast their gazes upon the dancing flames of the fireplace. The simple joy of the fire offered respite from the cold, harsh reality of the omnicide happening beyond the castle walls, however brittle that respite was now that the man responsible for it stood at the study entrance.

Noticing Osamu, Tsukiakari clutched her sheathed blade as Shinju stood from the loveseat across from her.

“You’re back?” Shinju asked in disbelief.

Osamu nodded as he looked around the room. “Yeah. We won. Minavere fought back against the world and the Sommerists.”

“How did you convince an entire race of people to participate in omnicide?” Tsukiakari asked, her brows scrunched together and divided by deep wrinkles between them. “How did you make every man, woman, and child there accessories to your slaughter?”

“It’s not as difficult as you’re making it seem.” Osamu said. “Life is a precious thing and people will do anything to protect it. If that means wiping out an entire species, then everyone will do what they can. They leave the justification of it all to me. My reason becomes their reason, my ideology their ideology.”

“Well?” Tsukiakari questioned. “Was it all worth the price you paid?”

Osamu looked dead in the eyes, his own wife, a woman he nearly crippled just to protect his plan for the world, and gave her an answer too fetid and and rancid to swallow.

“It was worth everything I sacrificed and more.”

Tsukiakari searched Osamu’s eyes for even the slightest ounce of regret, but his eyes only held an iron austerity and assuredness within them. He had the unbreakable determination of a true king, his moral code a matter of circumstance and gradation rather than dichotomy. Tsukiakari saw there wasn’t even a single vestige of humanity left in him. He became the same thing Amaterasu became, and the very thing Tsukiakari herself had always sought to avoid; a crucible.

Hollowed out on the inside, cold and impenetrable on the outside. Within him, he held only his own ideology and the wishes of the people he called his subjects. In all respects, he was the perfect leader, but an exceptional king could never be an exceptional nor moral person.

“I see…” Tsukiakari murmured as tears gathered in her scarlet eyes. “Then there’s nothing for us to say to each other.”

“I’m sorry things turned out the way they did.” Osamu said. “We couldn’t let you stop us.”

“Stop, Osamu.” Shinju urged as the flames enwreathing the applewood crackled like an unfurled whip, growing louder with each passing, agonizing second.

“I tried to stop you from doing something that would devastate your soul as much as it has devastated the world.” Tsukiakari retorted.

“My soul?” Osamu scoffed.

“Cut it out, both of you!” Shinju shouted, her lioness roar falling upon deaf ears.

“I have never felt more hopeful for the world.” Osamu said, his eyes locked with Tsukiakari’s. “My soul died during the years you wasted trying to stop this war from happening. It was like trying to snuff out a pyroclastic flow with a cup of water. You knew the futility of it, and yet you kept begging, prostrating, and supplicating like a meek, little girl! If you weren’t such a raging failure, you might’ve actually achieved something in the seven years you threw away!”

Possessed by rage, Tsukiakari pulled her sword out from its sheathe. Dainty strands of electricity pulsated around her right hand as it gripped the blade’s handle. Using her empty scabbard to stand herself up, Tsukiakari lunged out of her seat and pressed her blade into Osamu’s neck. Shinju reacted quickly, grabbing Tsukiakari’s sword-bearing hand with her left hand and aiming her finger gun at Osamu with her right.

Osamu stood perfectly, unnervingly still. He kept his hands in his pockets and his oppressive gaze fixed firmly upon Tsukiakari as a thin line of blood dripped down his neck and onto his collarbone. Shinju’s had the eyes of a deer stuck in headlights as she realized that Osamu would’ve been dead if she had been a split second slower.

Bestial grunts passed through Tsukiakari’s slightly parted lips, her heart galloping in her chest. Fearing no reprisal, Osamu took a step forward, pressing Tsukiakari’s blade yet further into his neck. He gripped the sword’s razor edge with his bare hand, streams of dark red blood dripping down his arm from his sliced open palm.

“There she is…” Osamu growled. “There’s the war goddess. Where was that anger when the pantheon ordered my death?”

Osamu knocked on Tsukiakari’s chest with his fist as he leaned in closer. “ Where was that fight, hmm? Where was that fury? My soul never needed saving. It’s your soul that has lied dormant ever since Inari died. She gave her life to stop the standoff and spare our lives. She didn’t do it so we could yield to the pantheon. She did it because she knew we were the only people that could end this.”

“You think she would’ve wanted this? For the whole world to burn and suffer?” Tsukiakari asked. “You think you knew my friend better than I did? The Shoku Twins really did wreak havoc on your head.”

“Gekko…” Shinju began, “Killing Osamu won’t stop the massacre. If anything, it ensures we have no way out of it. He’s a monster, I know that, but this won’t solve anything either.”

“You unleashed an unspeakable tragedy upon the world, Osamu!” Tsukiakari shouted, the veins in her neck and forehead bulging from beneath her skin. “Inari would’ve never wrapped up so many innocent people in this bullshit! That’s why she chose to save your life! That’s why she ended the standoff! Inari’s powers were destructive and her life was a hellish mess, but in the end, she was still a loving and merciful person! That should’ve been her legacy, but instead, you took that power and used it to wipe mankind off the face of the earth!”

Shinju pushed them both apart from each other and continued to stand between them. Tsukiakari slid her sword back into its scabbard, her eyes bloodshot with anger.

“What did you come here for? Just to insult us?” Tsukiakari questioned.

“To see what was left of our relationship.” Osamu answered. It’s unfortunate, but it seems all that remains is contempt and resentment. You’ve always been a brash girl. I used to really like that about you. It’s just a shame to see the bitter coward standing before me now, so resolute in their beliefs, yet so scared to act on them. You’re no war goddess, just a passive spectator — a reactionary.”

“I have a long history with war, Osamu.” Tsukiakari said through gritted teeth. “That is exactly why I would do anything to avoid it. You call that cowardice. I call it sage wisdom.”

“I have seen every war that has ever been fought upon this planet’s soil.” Osamu retorted. “That’s exactly why I know it’s the only way to change this world. Goodnight and goodbye, Gekko. You too, Shinju.”

Osamu closed the door behind him, leaving Tsukiakari to stew in her rage and resentment of him. In truth, he had known since the day Chiya died that his relationship with Tsukiakari would never truly recover. She swallowed the pain of a terrible tragedy, all to give Osamu the benefit of the doubt that although his methods were horrific, his goal must’ve been good. Her trust in him was repaid in betrayal.

Had she known what her husband was going to do to the world and how many people were going to die because of him, she would’ve killed him long before her unleashed the apocalypse at Fukuoka.

That regret, that missed opportunity to save the lives of billions of innocent people, would forever haunt her for the rest of her days. She had no more room in her heart to love the man responsible for so much death and agony across the globe.

Osamu continued down the hall, nearing the bedroom Hima afforded his family. The door was left ajar and the room was submerged in almost total, suffocating darkness. Faint beams of orange light slipped through the slightly parted curtains, shining on Amatsuki’s head of silver hair as she sat on the bed, cocooned in blankets. Osamu stopped and glared at her, waiting for her to react to his presence. She raised her head and locked eyes with Osamu.

The mere sight of him brought her to tears. Her lips trembled and her eyes gleamed like sun-washed glass. She buried her face into the covers, refusing to look at Osamu any longer. Her violent sobs shot out from her chest and and broke past her lips. Her voice awash with sorrow, Amatsuki managed to string together the words she needed to ask Osamu a question.

“Why? Why did you use my brother?”

The question was of no surprise to Osamu. He knew his manipulation of Satori would upset Taeko, Kagutsuchi, and especially Amatsuki. He knew it was an unthinkable crime to disturb Satori’s well-deserved rest, to rouse him from his grave only to use him to aid in the completion of Dark Dawn.

“My brother died protecting Kagu and me. He died so we could have better lives. But you forced him into this! He would’ve never helped you of his own will! Tell me why, you monster! Tell me!”

“He was already dead, Amatsuki.” Osamu said. “I did what I did so you can sit in this castle with full assurances you’d be safe. I did it to protect you.”

Osamu walked away, leaving Amatsuki to cry out in rage and sorrow. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

Amatsuki’s screams were like the cries of a harpy, reverberating in every direction down the halls of Moonglow Castle, which became less a castle and more a prison of grief and misery for her. Everyone there was sentenced to a punitive period of waiting and agonizing, and Osamu himself was their jailer.

Osamu continued down the halls, unsurprised and unfazed by the state of his relationship with the girls. It was all exactly what he expected; hatred, resentment, and grief. There would be no loving goodbye for him, no emotional reconciliation, and no final embraces.

Ever since the day the Shoku Twins agreed to help him, he accepted that he would be remembered as a monster by the very family he hoped to protect. He had already decided he would suffer their venom and repudiation, regardless of what they thought of Dark Dawn. And so, suffer it he did. If he would die unloved and unforgiven, then so be it. None of it would matter once a peaceful world emerged from the chaos and destruction of Dark Dawn,

Osamu ventured into the dining hall, the long table clear of all dishes and utensils. He sat down at the chair at the head of the table, laying his arms on the white tabletop. He smothered his face with his hands and let out an exhausted sigh. After the arguments and grief he had just seen, the dining hall’s quietude provided much needed respite from it all.

The crystal chandeliers hanging above his head illuminated the vaulted ceiling, their residual light reaching down to the dinner table. The silver cutlery reflected the myriad, orange lights from the chandeliers as clearly as sunlight reflects off of freshwater. The dining room was further illuminated by the dozen candelabras lined down the length of the table, the flames dancing upon the candle wicks and slowly eating away at the wax.

The clerestories on the left and right sides of the room let in the faint, ghostly light of the eclipse, its orange luminescence washing over the onyx tiled floors. It was a dining hall fit for mass celebrations and banquets, but instead, the room played host to Osamu and his loneliness. He wished more than anything that the girls could understand his position. The thought even crossed his mind to manipulate them into simply agreeing with him, but achieving an understanding that way would’ve been a hollow, meaningless victory.

Had he the vanity and all-consuming self-obsession of Julius Caesar or Adonis himself, it might’ve been an enticing option, but for all of his ambition to bind the world to a single, pacifist ideology, even Osamu couldn’t deny a simple, human fact; that being loved totally and willingly was an irreplaceable joy in the world.

Suddenly, Osamu heard footsteps echo from the dining hall entrance from behind him. He turned his upper body backwards to see who had come to join him in his banquet of loneliness. Sure enough, it was the Shoku Twins.

“Girls?” Osamu said, with an upward, surprised inflection. “Weren’t you going to bed?”

“We couldn’t sleep.” Omagatoki said. “Sis and I…want to talk to you about something, if that’s okay.”

Osamu smiled as he raised his hand towards the empty dining table. “I’d love to, but as you can see, I have guests to feed and entertain.”

The small jest stole a giggle out of Akatsuki, her face brightening like the sun and reddening like fresh beets. “Our humblest apologies, sir. How shameful of us to intrude upon such a splendorous event such as this.”

Osamu chuckled softly. “Nah, come on. Sit.”

Akatsuki and Omagatoki pulled up their chairs close to Osamu. Now it was a banquet for three.

“What’s keeping you up?” Osamu asked.

The twins exchanged glances, as if silently deciding who was going to speak first. After a few seconds, Omagatoki reached her hand out and took gentle hold of Osamu’s hand.

“We thought about what you said in Yakutsk.” Omagatoki said. “Sis and I…don’t want to live anymore.”

Osamu’s eyes glimmered and reddened as his tears blurred his vision. He gave the girls an understanding nod and a melancholic smile.

“It wasn’t our choice to become gods.” Akatsuki said. “We’ve been forced into this role for centuries. We know that Izanami only had the best intentions, but now that it’s finally come down to this and we can make our own choice, we’d like to finally take our rest. We won’t die right away. We’ll wait until you’re ready to give Hima your heart and blood.”

“I see.” Osamu said. “I guess this is the end of your burden as well, then.”

Omagatoki nodded, smiling as tears streamed down her face. “You say ‘burden’, but really…it wasn’t all bad. We got to see so many places and meet so many people. There was pain and misery, sure, but the years we spent with you and your family were some of the best years of our lives. You were like the best big brother we never had.

“For all the amazing things we’ve seen in this world, our fondest memories are those lazy, summer days in that house with you. How we lied about with the windows open, a cool breeze tugging at the curtains, the taste of pineapple juice on our tongues, and the smell of wondrous cooking filling the entire house. How you’d take walks in the middle of the day and come back with a bag full of snacks. How you’d wave farewell to us when we were leaving your house and returning to Izanami’s shrine…”

Akatsuki hand shook as she wiped away her tears, her face tinged with pain and sorrow. “They’re the simplest memories, but…the happiest. We only regret you had to walk such a horrific path, that you can’t go back to those days. We’re sorry, Osamu.”

“There’s no need for apologies.” Osamu said. “You two gave me everything I could’ve possibly asked for. You stuck with me through thick and thin. You walked this path with me when you had every right to leave me alone. You…were the best little sisters that I never had. This ordeal would’ve been a thousand times more unbearable without you two giving me the strength to carry on. The decision is yours to make. They’re your lives, no one else’s.”

“Osamu…we don’t know what to say.” Omagatoki said, standing from her seat. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.”

Akatsuki stood and embraced her sister with one arm, and Osamu in the other, bringing everyone in for a final, loving hug.

“Thank you so much, Osamu.” Akatsuki wept. “Thank you. Thank you…”

Osamu hugged Omagatoki and Akatsuki tighter than he had ever hugged them before. He held onto them as though they would vanish at any second. All of them took solace in their love for one another. Although the world would remember them as ruinous devils, their memories of each other would remain pure, untarnished by resentment and pain as they were for Yoko and the others.

At the end of the world, all of them held onto the last surviving fragments of love and joy they had — each other.