Chapter 192

Chapter 192

The two of us soared over the canopies of the exotic jungle in search of Kagatsuchi, the kami of fire. We had no idea where to even begin other than to fly from a bird's eye view. It was like Aokigahara times a thousand. No matter how high we flew, there was no end in sight or any other landmark than the verdant stretch.

"We've been flying for hours! Do we even know where the hell we're going?" Mio asked as she soared slightly ahead of me.

"No... They didn't give us any clues on how to find him. Let's try looking for clues below instead?" I suggested.

We nosedived for the surface and landed in a part of the jungle that looked like that one we initially emerged from. Everywhere looked the same. Mio walked up to a pitcher plant and took a swipe at it like a punching bag. It swung back on the rebound, smacking her across the face.Rêạd new chapters at novelhall.com

"Urk... This thing's packing heat..." Mio rubbed the side of her cheek.

"Amaterasu did warn us not to disturb the wildlife," I reminded my excitable girlfriend.

To find a kami... How would I go about doing that?

The black ring on my finger, proof of my matrimony to Uta, began to vibrate and hum. Suddenly, he appeared in front of me. Uta cupped my cheeks and kissed me deeply, shoving his tongue into my mouth. Off to the side, Mio watched with amusement.

When Uta finally parted from my lips, a string of saliva hung between us until it snapped.

"Hi, my lovely wife!" Uta beamed happily.

"W-What are you doing here?" I stammered, fidgeting from being brought close to climax by my god husband's long overdue embrace.

"Oh, I'm not actually here. Mother would kill me if I was. This is only an astral projection given temporary form. It takes a lot of power to do this, so I'll only be around for a few minutes," he explained.

I clicked my tongue, disappointed that we couldn't get a quickie in.

"So, kid. Whatcha doing here then? You about to help us?" Mio asked.

"That's right. While you're in Takamagahara, I sensed you were having trouble. I'll tell you how to reach my uncle Kaga. Like with any kami, he can be prayed to. However, as the kami of fire, he won't hear you unless you speak into a flame. Whether or not he responds... well, that's up to him. I hope that's enough. I can't stay any longer, because my form is wavering," Uta sulked.

"That's more than enough. Thanks, hubby~" I drew Uta into my arms to make out with him again, and he responded by humping his erection against my belly and groping my butt.

We stayed like that until Uta vanished entirely, much to my dismay.

"Heh. You're a hardcore shotacon, ain't'cha?" Mio sneered.

"N-No, I'm not! It's just Uta that I like, and he's centuries old! Come on, let's start a fire," I insisted, walking off to find kindling before she could tease me again.

We eventually gathered enough twigs and dried leaves to form a pile in the dirt. Mio and I ignited our hands with controlled flames, then held it by the kindling until the pile caught fire. Next step was to pray. I put my hands together, shut my eyes, and called out to Kagatsuchi.

A long, drawn out sigh echoed through my mind.

"Wasn't me," Beatrice interjected.

"Saeko, look sharp!" Mio shouted, kicking me out of my reverie.

I followed her eyes to a massive red boar, charging straight for us. When Mio and I conjured magic, a spear zipped past us and plunged into the beast's head. It crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop at our feet.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but killers keepers," a rumbly voice said.

We spun back around. Towering over us was another major kami in the Shinto pantheon. Kagatsuchi, the kami of fire. Or... at least we thought? Kagatsuchi stood a proud six feet up to his shoulders, because he didn't have a head past that. Only a flickering flame like on a candle perched where his head should be.

"You're... Kagatsuchi, right?" I asked reluctantly.

"I am, yes. You are? Don't tell me my brother Raijin sent you. Go back. I don't need yokai sex workers to cheer me up!" Kagatsuchi groaned, the flames swaying more violently to his emotions.

"If you aren't going to ask, then I will— Where the fuck is your head?!" Mio exclaimed.

The kami of fire tied the dead boar by its legs, slung it over his shoulders, and walked past us.

"I don't want to talk about it. Makes me self-conscious," he said.

I gave Mio a dirty look.

"Like Tsukuyomi said, their father chopped off his head," I whispered.

"You guys keep saying these words, but it's not making any more sense than the first time!" Mio complained.

We hurried to catch up to Kagatsuchi, who had stopped in front of his cabin. He threw the boar onto a butchering table and began to skin it. The organs were cut away carefully, deposited into a bucket beneath the table.

"Still here?" Kagatsuchi sighed.

"I need your help to destroy a weapon. This." I brandished the Blade of the First Temptress, but he didn't so much as turn around to look at it.

"Destroy it? A weapon forged by a god from another realm? Don't make me laugh. It has never been done and neither is it possible," he said.

"Oh, yeah? If it's never been done before, then how do you know it's not possible? Checkmate, headless!" Mio smirked like she got him with a gotcha.

An audible, exasperated sigh escaped Kagatsuchi, and his flames even snuffed out a little in response.

Mio and I exchanged uneasy looks. It wasn't looking like he would budge. Infuriated, Mio stormed up to Kagatsuchi and turned him around.

"Look, buddy. We need that sword destroyed, and we know you're the one who can do it. What's it going to take for you to help us?" Mio asked in desperation.

"The jokester grows impatient! Is it ambition that drives you to demand this of me? Or perhaps you do this for the sake of someone else?" Kagatsuchi turned his fiery head to me.

"There's another soul inside me. An unwilling one. She's going to take over my body and mind if nothing is done, and destroying this sword is the only way to free us both," I explained.

Kagatsuchi wrenched away from Mio and sliced a piece of meat off the boar. He lifted the bleeding chunk up to his face, searing the flesh briefly before somehow biting into it. Mio and I watched with our stomachs churning. He was clearly eating it, because pieces of the meat were disappearing before our eyes.

"Want some?" Kagatsuchi asked.

"No..." I shook my head.

"I prefer my meat erect and not bleeding all over the place," Mio said.

"This is a female boar," he replied with one hand raising the animal's hind leg.

"Kagatsuchi, please. Is there something, anything we can do in exchange?" I asked pleadingly.

The kami stabbed the skinning knife into the boar and wiped his bloodied hands on a towel. He faced us, but I wasn't sure this time if it was me or Mio he was looking at.

"It cannot be done because I do not possess the forging hammer with which to do so. The tool is guarded by the Mizuchi, a sea serpent which belongs to my sister Mizuhanome," Kagatsuchi explained.

"Then quit stalling and point us to where this Mizuchi and Mizuhanome is," Mio said.

He looked at us like we were crazy. "You're both insane. Mizuchi is a legendary sea dragon, and Mizuhanome is the kami of water. You really expect to just waltz over there and take it from her?"

Mio and I looked Kagatsuchi in the eyes.

"Yes," we answered.

"Well." Kagatsuchi chuckled. "In that case, you can find her in the lake which sits at the center of this jungle. Take my shrine to reach her."

"Wait, really?" I asked.

"I lose nothing by you failing and dying. If you somehow succeed, I get my forging hammer back. Follow me." He gestured into his cabin.

We entered the kami's home, a single room furnished with a bed and cabinet. Some hunting equipment like spears, fishing rods, and traps, hung from nails on the wall. The place was otherwise very modest.

"No... stop... I'm— aaaaahhhhhhh!" Mizuhanome convulsed and climaxed, and I reared my head back as she squirted all over the dragon's scales. Even though it was her piss, it somehow tasted fresh like natural spring waters.

The disheveled kami laid there. Defeated. She wept into her arm which covered her red face.

"How's that? I'm more than down to go again." I grinned.

"You... win... I give." Mizuhanome panted.

"You did it!" Mio tackled me off the kami with an embrace, knocking us both into the waters.

"Yeah... we did..." I hugged her back and felt Beatrice's presence retreat back into the depths of my mind.

Kagatsuchi was waiting at the shore, applauding us as we landed in front of him. Mizuhanome slinked out of the waters with her head down, still red as a tomato.

"I believe I'm owed my hammer," Kagatsuchi said.

"Screw you, brother." Mizuhanome reached into her sleeve and pulled out a simple blacksmithing hammer.

The kami of fire snatched it from his sister's hands and cradled it like a long lost baby. As for Mizhanome, she turned to leave but stopped at the edge of the water to look at me, pressing two fingers together in embarrassment.

"I-I have a shrine in Minato city and Higashiyoshino if you want a rematch. That's all it's going to be, okay? A fight. Nothing more!" Mizuhanome exclaimed before diving into the water.

Well, who was I to deny her that?

With the hammer in hand, Kagatsuchi brought us back into the depths of the jungle. As if willing the earth to life, he raised a forge and anvil from the very dirt.

"Oh, how I've missed this. Thank you. Truly. For returning me my beloved hammer and thoroughly humiliating Mizuhanome. I quite enjoyed that show, though I wish to erase the image of my sister's orgasm from my mind. Anyway, your sword? I can destroy it as you wish." Kagatsuchi extended a hand to me.

Now that we were finally at this point, I hesitated to give it over. I had every reason to. I would finally be rid of Beatrice, but... then I would really be rid of Beatrice for good. Did I not want that?

"Saeko? Something wrong?" Mio asked.

"No, it's nothing," I said and put the sword into Kagatsuchi's hand.

The kami of fire placed the Blade of the First Temptress onto the anvil and glanced over his shoulder to look at me.

"You're sure about this? About destroying this weapon? There is no repairing this once it is done," Kagatsuchi said.

There was a moment of pause that gripped my chest. Beatrice wanted to object, but she fought the urge to. She knew it had to be done. Instead, my body was compelled to look at Mio, and Mio looked at me. Another urge not of my own wanted to embrace her but just as quickly casted it aside as an impossible thing.

"Mio," I called out to her.

Just by looking in my eyes, Mio somehow knew. She averted her gaze from me at first, then wrapped her arms around me. At that moment, I took a backseat and let Beatrice take over.

Warmth, sadness, love. All these conflicting emotions that were coming from my former enemy washed over me. Beatrice, in my body, was unsure if she deserved it. Ultimately, she caved and lifted her arms to hug Mio back. She squeezed hard. Her fingers tightened, not wanting to let go.

"I should have been a better sister." Beatrice sighed.

"A shitty sister is all you'll ever be, but... I felt your aura back there when you guys were fighting the water bitch, so thanks for helping, Bea. Bye," Mio whispered quietly.

"Heh. Don't suppose that earns me a few tears from you, does it?" she asked.

"Fat chance."

Beatrice flashed a smile. She brought a hand to Mio's cheek. I thought she was going to go in for a kiss, but control of my body was given back to me.

Are you sure? I asked internally.

"What for? This is your body. Not mine. So it is yours to live alongside my little sister," Beatrice said.

I turned to Kagatsuchi and nodded to give him the go ahead. The kami of fire lifted his forging hammer above his head, preparing to strike the Blade of the First Temptress.

"Bye for good, Beatrice." I offered her a smile.

"Perhaps you have what it takes to be queen after all. Don't go fucking it up now, you hear?" Beatrice said as the hammer came down hard on the artifact sword and shattered it on impact.

A massive pulse of energy erupted outwards, knocking me into Mio's arms. Shards went flying everywhere. Kagatsuchi struck a second time and only dust remained on the anvil, remnants of the weapon that brought about this whole debacle.

"It is done. The sword has been destroyed," Kagatsuchi informed us.

My mind was quiet. Not a single peep.

A strange, fuzzy ball of energy rose from the pieces of the sword and into the sky. We all watched it go until it vanished from thin air.

"Was that...?" Mio hesitated to finish asking.

"That was the soul. Gone to rest in peace among the realms of Takamagahara. It may not belong here, but like all kami, we will ensure it is cared for." Kagatsuchi nodded to us.

Mio couldn't take her eyes off where the soul had disappeared. It took until I tugged on her hand that she finally snapped out of it. Together, without a word to each other all the way back, Kagatsuchi returned us to Takamagahara city, and subsequently back home through Kon's boat.

We decided against telling the others for now. A lot happened in one day, and I could tell Mio was deathly exhausted. As soon as we got home to our apartment at Tsukiji, Mio skipped a bath and threw herself into bed. I joined her not too long after and slept right beside her.

The moment my head hit the pillow and sleep overtook me, I woke up in front of Beatrice's cottage again. Part of me was hoping for her to come out and surprise me, invite me to fish and eat with her, and even tell me stories about Mio when they were younger. Nope. Only the steady waters and rustling leaves.

"Is she really gone?" Mio asked.

I glanced over my shoulder, surprised to find Mio had entered the same dream.

"Looks like it," I said.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't expecting to see her or anything. I just... I dunno. I wanted to see what kind of place she was living in all this time," Mio explained with a slight quiver in her voice.

I grabbed her hand, and we walked inside the cottage together. Everything was tidied up. The fireplace was cold. There was a letter on the table that wasn't here before. While I didn't recognize the handwriting, it seemed by Mio's gasp that she did. This couldn't have been anyone other than from Beatrice.

"Do you want me to read it?" I asked.

"No. I will," Mio said, then steadied herself before beginning. "To my sister. I thought about going quietly. Every step of the way I also thought about going back on my word and seizing this body for myself. Saeko, that cunt. I can't believe she has you in her clutches so tightly. But I get it. Along the way, I started seeing what you saw in her. Goodness, it's because of her that I'm writing this accursed letter! My greatest fear as an older sister has always been leaving you alone, but now..." She started choking up and cleared her throat. "But now, knowing that Saeko is by your side, I'm quite content that you will be fine. You were the one to transform her. Maybe you can be the one to help her grow some balls for once. As the queen, she will need them. Oh, I almost forgot. Saeko told me you punched Delilah. Good. Fuck that bitch. Anyway... Farewell, little sister. Should we find each other as siblings in the next lifetime, I shall not lose you a second time."

I almost didn't believe that Beatrice wrote this.

A couple of tears dripped onto the letter. Mio shoved it into my hand and turned away. She walked over to the window, casting her gaze out at the creek.

"Do you need a moment?" I rubbed Mio's back to let her know I was here.

"Nah. I'm good. How long is this place gonna last?" Mio asked, still facing outside.

"I pretty much have it committed to memory, so it's here to stay unless I want to erase it. Why?"

"Let's keep it around for a while. I kinda like it. Maybe drag Kana in here and mark the place with a threesome," she suggested.

Without warning, Mio peeled away from the window and whisked past me. She threw open door after door until she found the bedroom.

"Mio!" I called out, putting a stop to her hyperactive solo tour. "If you're sad, it's okay to cry."

"Tch. Cry for what? That shitty sister of mine?" Mio asked.

"Trust me, it helps. Just because you cry for Beatrice, doesn't mean it's going to invalidate her being shitty. You can still cry about losing her."

I figured I had read Mio all wrong, that maybe she really didn't have any tears to shed. Then I saw her shoulders shaking and tears dripping onto the floorboards. As though the last traces of Beatrice's consciousness compelled me, I hugged Mio from behind. We stayed in the cottage all day, and I held Mio as she cried into my shoulders for as long as she needed.