An Unseen Struggle (Noragami RP by Hexeh and Solleh)

[Sol]

Makoto

The Time has Come

A sense of calm had settled over the sleepy rural town Makoto found herself in, though it was anything but calm in the bar she was in. No, inside those walls was not calm but felt more subdued, more sober. She sat in a booth and faced the bar proper, letting her gaze land on a gathering of men seated on barstools and nursing their drinks. One man in particular caught her eye, rather what was following the man was what caught her eye for quite some time now. He was seated with his friends and drinking happily with them but there was no mistaking the way he was carrying himself.


It was a phantom that looked like a dog, except this particular dog filled half the entire bar and was probably affecting the other patrons' drinking. Phantoms don't usually grow that large in small, tight-knit communities like this but somehow this little anomaly was allowed to exist. An anomaly she had to erase and was no doubt the product of one of her brother's tricks on these people. It didn't seem to take notice of her, rather it seemed to focus on the man who was drinking along with his friends. It's fur was a mix of a sickening shade of green near the roots and pink or purple by the tips. The four-legged friend was now an six legged and two tailed freak. The maw of the beast stretched all the way to the halfway point of its body and its sheer massiveness was made apparent every time it yawned.


Makoto was presented with a choice. She knew this was her brother taunting her. She knew that he knew that she had no regalia to call on to slay this phantom. She knew that he knew that this would irk her to no end and that it would make her realize that she is powerless against him. What's worse is that after all that time, she still wasn't worthy of a why from her brother. It slowly frayed her nerves one by one. If she had no regalia, then she could not really banish the beast and if she stayed still her conscience would not allow her to do so and just watch as this man walks out of the bar and probably takes his life. If she fought it would simple drag out long enough for her to grow tired and then be devoured by the blight soon afterwards. It was a classic scene that replayed itself over and over across the centuries upon centuries since the time she decided to clear her name.


She would wait and the man would die and it would just slowly erode her will to fight. Perhaps her will to fight had already eroded because she had unconsciously stood up from her seat and followed the man out after he had said what would be his last goodbyes to his friends. Makoto would not allow it and if the best she could do was delay the inevitable then that was better than sitting out of it. After all, she was unwanted despite still being remembered so maybe it wouldn't be that bad to become a phantom herself and prove her brother wrong just this one time. Just this only time.


Makoto found the mongrel perched on top of a sedan parked opposite the bar and inside the sedan was the man in the bar earlier. He was simply sitting inside the car, almost too calmly. She could hear the dog whisper into the man's head, probably suggesting some ingenious way to kill himself. These phantoms do not realize that they too are unwanted but are selfish enough to drag others down with them.


They have no dignity at all but what made her any different? She had already come to terms that she might become a phantom herself if the blight was generous, if not, she would just join Uke Mochi wherever he is and enjoy his cooking. It looked like a win either way situation, whether she does live or die. The odds were good enough for her to make herself take the initiative and punt the mongrel off the car. It knocked the beast a few meters away but it did no lasting damage. It had easily gotten up and turned its three eyed gaze at her.


It was a tense moment before the mongrel burst running toward Makoto. It had opened its maw and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth probably the size of half her forearm made itself visible. The mongrel did not have enough intellect to realize that what it was doing was blinding itself and relying on the possibility that Makoto had no idea how to side step. She side stepped and it came crashing on the seemingly impervious wall of the bar she was just in. It recovered again and charged her with the same tactic. This time she tripped it with a low sweeping kick and sent itself skidding on the pavement. It had speed but it lacked control, probably the same could be said about the man it hounded. He had speed but he had no control over his ambition or dream it probably resulted into something he didn't want.


The cycle continued for a quite a while. The other bar patrons had already left and yet this man was still seated in his sedan, waiting for whoever would win this fight. If by some miracle, she wins then he would just drive home and sleep all the troubles away. If she didn't win, which was likely, she'd be devoured by the blight and that man would purposefully drive his car off the docks and into the lake. The former would have no trouble happening if she had not been left by her most recent regalia, a young girl who served as her spear in facing phantoms.


However, as the fight dragged on, she could hear more and more about the man's past. The mongrel surely didn't have sealed lips. She learned of this man's suffering bit by bit as the whispers that escaped the mongrel reached her ears. He was a family man, he looked after those he loved and yet he is consumed by guilt. He had royally screwed over his siblings and couldn't live with the guilt. Of course, no one knew of his sins and so it festered in him and attracted this mongrel. But in those whispers of a sin gone unpunished was the hope that he could somehow come clean with his siblings and maybe set things right.


That sentiment caught her off guard.


That sentiment was what got her blighted.


It was momentary that her attention focused on the man instead of the mongrel. It gave the beast time enough to catch unaware and close its maw around her midsection, bite down hard, shake her around and then send her crashing against what was supposedly the tallest building in town. It hurt. A lot. What's worse was that she was probably blighted as a result, sure there was a shrine nearby where she could cleanse herself but that didn't matter anymore since she couldn't kill the monster and she so desperately wanted to kill that monster if only to track the man down and watch him own up to his sins.


It was her fervent desire to acquire a regalia and save the man, a desire that is denied to her. She could easily let this monster go as the man was too far hone to help without a regalia and that was tastier for a phantom than she was. She could walk away and wash this blight away but somehow she couldn't bring herself to do so and launched herself toward the monster again. This time, however, the mongrel was prepared and batted her away in mid-air. She hit the ground hard and skid across along the sidewalk.


Makoto got up and tried to face the monster again, it had taken its perch up on the car and the man finally made a decision and started the car's engine. That was when it caught her attention, seated atop a street lamp was a small wisp of light. It would have to do, even if it would abandon her the second it got its chance, it would have to do.


"A young boy...I'm sorry but you'll be under my employ from now on."


She pointed her fingers at the wisp and began drawing symbols in the air in front of her. Makoto would have a regalia and she would witness that man repent to his siblings. If a human can do it, so can her brother.


"You who have lost your way in life. You who have lost their final destination. You who are doomed to wander this very earth alone. I grant you shelter. I am Makoto. I shall grant you your name and you shall be my servant. From now on you are Kibo..."


The wisp had begun accumulate spiritual energy partly due to the bond that Makoto was forming with it. The wisp became brighter and brighter with each passing second, each uttered word. She was early done drawing the symbol in the air and invoking its power. She was almost done creating the regalia that would help her help that man from making a mistake.


"...as my weapon, you shall be known as KAZUKI!"


The wisp had zipped upward into the air and crashed onto Makoto's outstretched hand. It bathed the surrounding area in a bright light and whipped the air around her into a frenzy. A constant ringing sound had drowned out all the other noise in the area and ended with that of a bell tolling. As the light faded and everything returned to normal, a 9 ringed broadsword was in her hand. She wasted no time chasing the mongrel and had warped to where she believed the car was head. True enough it was en route to the docks at high speeds.


I see a car speeding away from me. It reaches farther and farther and a hand rests itself on my shoulder.


Makoto kicked the mongrel off the car and that caused the man to slow down but was still headed toward the lake. She pointed her sword at the mongrel.


I see children playing all around me and yet I don't feel like I belong here. A little girl approaches me.


"You who would defile the lives of those who make an honestly living."


I wrap my arms around this little girl. She is sobbing but I feel as though I know her well.


"You who would deny those souls seeking to repent for their sins!"


I am on a roof seeing the sun rise so many times and beside me is a girl. Yet I know she is the same one I comforted.


"I, the former Tsukiyomi, now Makoto...."


My nose is filled with this very unique fragrance. Once that sets my heart ablaze with passion.


"...bear the word of my siblings and that word is..."


I place my hand on her hips and we dance the night away. The fragrance intoxicating my senses.


"Begone."


She wraps her arms around my neck and mine around her waist. It does not matter which of us pulled the other. What matters is that we are able to taste one another.


Makoto bolted forward like lightning striking the mongrel, delivering an upward cut that launched her and her opponent into the air. She twisted her body around to face the monster and then bolted toward it again, slamming it on the concrete. While her blade was embedded in the monster's flesh she charged forward, her blade tracing a line that ran the length of the monster. Rings of light surrounded the phantom and then imploded, crushing the monster.


She turned around to see the car skid to a halt just barely from the dock's end. Makoto felt proud that for once, she had decided to defy her brother's expectations, to defy her own expectations as well. She was slated for death or worse and yet she came out with the result that had no chance of success. A burning sensation on her midsection snapped her out of her victory and forced her to retreat to the nearby shrine. There she stripped her top and began splashing her blight covered skin with the shrine's purified water. It had taken a while before she had completely cleansed the taint off herself. Any lesser kami would have succumbed to that much taint but not her. She then put her shirt on again and faced the sword she propped up against a post.


"Show yourself...Kibo."


The symbol she drew in the air before had reappeared over the blade and it was enveloped in a bright light. As the light faded away, what was once a sword was now a young boy garbed in white.


"Welcome back to the living, wandering soul. You are now under my employ."


She tossed the windbreaker she was wearing at him. The night was cold and that white robe probably did nothing to ward against it.

 

[Hexed]

A bright flash of light. A young boy with black hair, that almost covered his eyes, and blue eyes. A strange feeling. Feeling... What was this? What was it that was going on? Where was he? Who was he? All questions that were waiting to be answered. Opening his eyes he realised something was different, no, it wasn't different, it couldn't be different because he didn't remember... He stood surrounded by white, nothing to bee seen from any direction just an endless white light. He was very confused and slightly scared by this, though he didn't call out or speak instead he just stood there staring off into the space as if there was something to see.


Then he heard something, a woman's voice, she was calling something...what was it? Kibo? His name was Kibo, as a weapon Kazuki. What did that mean? He didn't understand but he still did not say anything, he didn't feel like he could say anything or even if he did that no one would hear him. There were more words coming from that same voice but he couldn't quite make them out, they were more slurred and muffled than before, that was not all though. There were sounds as if there was a battle going on somewhere but he didn't know where exactly, there were no battle around him, no one was fighting...what was this? Eventually he gave up on listening to them and took another look around. Still there was nothing up white, it was confusing to say the least but hearing someone's voice and seeing nothing was not something that you experienced every day, at least he thought not...


For awhile the voice stopped and there was no sound but then again he heard that name being called again, Kibo. There was an even brighter light that seemed to engulf the boy before he found himself standing upon the concrete, a shrine in front of him. Around him there were trees and now he could actually see, a woman with short, greyish black hair and glasses stood in front of him. So did that mean that he now worked for her? There was no way he was just going to accept that, it seemed as though this boy was a stubborn one. He didn't look as confused anymore ut instead looked slightly annoyed and suspicious of the new person. She...welcome him back to the living? Did she just say he was under her employ now? What the hell did that mean? Was he...had he been dead? If was the first thing that came to mind when she said the words but how on earth could he die and then just be standing here as if he was alive? It made no sense whatsoever.


Thinking about it he didn't remember anything, he didn't remember dying, he didn't remember what he'd been doing before magically appearing here, he didn't know who- He didn't remember anyone, he didn't even know if he'd known anyone, it was like amnesia. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't remember anything, the only thing he did remember was standing surrounded by white and then appearing here in front of this girl. This made no sense to him, people didn't suddenly just appear, how was that possible?


Snapping out of thought and turning back to look at the woman he suddenly realised just how cold it was a shivered slightly, looking down he realised what he was wearing. A white robe? Who the hell wore a white robe? Nevermind in this weather. It seemed that she had that covered as well though since he threw him a windbreaker that she must have been wearing before hand, quickly he slipped it onto his shoulders and fastened it up. It was definitely better than just being in that robe but he was still slightly cold.


"Where am I?"


His own voice seemed to surprise him slightly, how old was he? He didn't sound much older than maybe thirteen or fourteen, considering that and the fact that this woman was definitely quite a bit taller than him he probably was around that age. As if wanting an answer from her straight away he looked up and narrowed his eyes, very distrusting of this person since he didn't know where he was or what he was doing here, though she seemed slightly more comfortable than he was. All he wanted was to know what was going on, something just didn't make sense to him.


Still he seemed quite confident, for some reason he felt as if he had to be or at least convince people he was, and though it was bizarre and disconcerting to just suddenly find himself here in front of a complete stranger he looked as if he was dealing with it quite well. There was much that he wanted to know from this woman but he would not ask it, some of it may not even make sense to her.

 

[Sol]

"Where are you? Well you're back among the living. Anyway, you must be feeling warmer now, I admit that windbreaker has kept me warm on many cold nights. Now I pass it on to you since you're my servant now. The able to feel cold and warm again, feels great doesn't it?"





Makoto tried to sound as welcoming as she could, going so far as to shiver in the night just to prevent this one from running away from her right from the get go. Every time she was abandoned by one of her regalia it eroded her hope, ever so slightly. Small attempts stacked on top of each other makes things possible. Things like making her desperate to cling to whatever regalia she could get her claws on as was the case right now.


"I would have treated you to a steaming cup of ramen but what we just did never warranted payment so yeah. I'm sorry. I mean I do have some ramen over at my place but uhh, the water heater doesn't work anymore but I promise cold ramen is just as good as hot ramen...I think. Anyway at the very least it would get us away from the cold. Take my hand."


She tried her best to be accommodating despite the apparent lack of basic amenities her apartment in Tokyo lacked. Her wardrobe consisted of clothes appropriated from a bunch of donation boxes some of which were for men but she had no choice in the matter. She just had to lift what would fit her and hope that no one would notice the odd shirt missing from the piles. Makoto stretched her hand out for Kibo to grab. She would bring him to his new home and hopefully she wouldn't wake up to find him breaking a window and trying to escape using bed sheets and old laundry. Even though that window has never been replaced and instead has a makeshift cover made out of various cardboard boxes taped together and held over the hole where the window once was. Another issue those escapees created was that the laundry they used in their escape or attempted escapes usually came back torn.


Her hand was outstretched long enough for her to start feeling awkward.


"Anytime now, Kibo, I mean I can wait. Yeah I guess I can."

 

[Hexed]

That didn't answer his question at all, first shed said 'welcome back to the land of the living' so he knew that he was somewhat alive, say it again with slightly different words didn't answer his question at all. Instead of bringing it up he just sighed and shook his head, it didn't feel good to be able to feel the cold...again? He didn't have any recollection of ever feeling the cold before, but he guessed that that was because he didn't have any memory of before these last few minutes. It was as if he'd just been born yet he knew how to speak, walk and do a lot of things he just had no memory of learning it, or of any experiences.


Though she was talking he wasn't listening properly, something about ramen, bla bla bla bla. Instead he was thinking up answers to his own questions, if he couldn't get them from her then he'd try and understand all of this on his own. He was at a shrine in Japan he believed, his name was Kibo, her name was...Me-Makoto? How did he even know that? She'd said it once, when he couldn't see her. Was he alive? Supposedly so. That was the basics, the things he could answer himself.


To Kibo Makoto seemed as if she was trying too hard to get on his good side. What was up with that? She said she had a place that they could go to at least, that would be a bit better than standing out here in the cold anyway. Though not fully trusting Makoto he really had no other choice but to go with her considering he didn't really understand what was going on yet. Had she called him a servant earlier? As if he'd be a servant to anyone!


Take her hand? He wasn't five, he was perfect capable of walking on his own. So insteas of taking her hand Kibo looked up at her with a disinterest clear on his face before he turned his back to her and looked on out past the shrine. The sooner they got out of this cold the better.


"Let's go."


Without another word to Makoto The young boy just started to walk forwards, of course the woman would have to take the lead eventually but he wanted to get moving as quick as possible. There were still many questions that had been left unanswered and he was determined to find the answers to them all one way or another. She must know more than him since it seemed as though she had given him the only name he remembered, maybe she knew more than she was letting on about. If he asked them all now he wasn't sure if she's just shrug it off or not so for now he'd have to resist the urge to know more. Anyway, there was always the possibility that she actually knew no more than he did.

 

[Sol]

It was clear that her efforts were already ineffective at swaying the young boy. Makoto was sure she had done all she could to sound as welcoming and accommodating as she can and yet he simply brushed off her attempt. She did not let that deter her though, anything that doesn't involve a struggle is probably not worth it to begin with. He was simply playing hard to get and she just needed to put a little bit more effort in getting him to trust her.


Makoto did, however, spend a good time just standing there looking dumbstruck watching her regalia walk away. He probably had no shortage of pride in himself in his past life and that probably had the biggest bearing upon his spirit. Except that he had no idea where he was going and she was also sure he had no idea that her place was in Tokyo, not in the ass end of Kyushu. It was also clear that this boy was confused but tried his best to make it look like he knew what was going on.


She tried to run after her but stumbled after a few steps. Another fresh wave of images crashed against her, the memories of her regalia's past life. Like being abandoned by them, she thought that she had also desensitized herself to it. Makoto found herself kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she witnessed and felt the boy's final moments. Ironic how he was happiest at the moment of his death, not because he knew that he died but because he was on his way to meet her, arrangements to be adopted into her family or some such. She couldn't help but feel anger at the cruelty of fate, he had been through a lot and yet he was denied his happiness at the end.


Makoto thumbed the tears away and clenched her teeth, refusing to scream out at the world for her regalia. Despite all her conscious effort to be welcoming to the boy, there was still that small part of her mind that grounded her in reality. He'd leave her like the rest and not even once look back as he walks away to serve another, more loved deity. She wanted to scream on behalf of him, to get angry on behalf of him but she kept herself in check and simply got up on her feet and chased after Kibo.


She overshot him and stopped in front him, her hands on her waist and wearing the best smug look she had. It was something her brother taught her, looking smug.


"You do know why I asked you to take my hand right? Unless you have a method of reaching Tokyo from some rural town in Kyushu you're going to want to take my hand. I have a faster, more efficient method of arriving at my apartment's doorstep. Teleportation. C'mon take my hand."


Makoto stretched her hand out to the boy again.

 

[Hexed]

One minute he'd been walking and then the next he'd just stopped, it wasn't the fact that he didn't actually know where he was going, it was pretty stupid of him to just walk off and expect her to follow especially when it didn't seem like she had any intention of doing so at that moment. The reason he'd stopped is because he'd heard a small thud like someone hitting the ground, for a second he thought that maybe Makoto might have passed out but he didn't turn around. He didn't know why but something just told him not to, he should just stand still and wait.


Then Kibo had heard the soft sobs of someone crying, they were coming from behind him, from where Makoto should be right now. Why was she crying? It was extremely quiet so maybe she wasn't crying? Who really knew. Again he wanted to turn around but again he told himself not to, so instead he put his hands into the pockets of the wind breaker and looked up at the sky. Did he do something to make her cry? He really didn't think he'd done all that much since he'd only been around her a matter of minutes, he couldn't have possible upset her, could he?


It seemed as though she'd recovered from...whatever, pretty quickly because within a few more seconds the woman was standing in front of Kibo and looking pretty smug, now that was a look that he disliked. He didn't completely understand why he disliked it but part of it was definitely because he thought she had something on him and he didn't like that feeling, in return he just scowled and looked up at her, what did she want to tell him them?


They were in Kyushu? He didn't know that...not like he expected to since he'd just come out of the middle of nowhere, maybe he should have listened to her in the first place and just saved time. Now he was just slightly embarrassed and feeling kinda dumb. Kibo looked down at the floor and his cheeks went slightly red, idiot, if he'd listened to her in the first place... No, it wasn't that big of a deal after all, all he'd done was get one thing wrong. Quickly he wiped the expression off of his face and looked back up at Makoto with a slightly sigh, he didn't want to take her hand but he had to didn't he? Who ever heard of someone who could teleport anyway?!


"Fine then."





Kibo brought his hand up to hers and grabbed hold of it, she could be joking and just trying to make a fool of him again but if hewanted to get out of this cold then he'd have to trust her. Teleportation, he'd never heard of something more ridiculous.

 

[Sol]

Makoto beamed with delight as Kibo decided to just shut up and follow her lead. Good thing this scowling young boy had enough sense in his head to make things easier for both of them. She had no yen, per se, to purchase a boat ticket that would bring them back to Honshu and who knows how long it would have taken the pair to walk the remaining distance on the off chance that they did not have to swim gap between Kyushu and Honshu. Her grin probably bisected her face. For once, her regalia decided to just go along with her.


"Now you might feel a little bit strange and dizzy. It's all normal."


She squeezed his hand and closed her eyes, willing herself to be back at her relatively cheap apartment. Makoto felt herself disassemble and then reassemble right in front of her apartment's door. A rusted number five was tacked onto the worn blue door. She let go of Kibo's hand and fished the keys from her pants and inserted into the keyhole, struggling against the old and worn lock. Her head was shifting from side to side, just to make sure that no one just saw their neighbor materialize out of thin air in front of her apartment. Finally the lock clicked open, she withdrew the key from the hole and she opened it.


"I told you, you'd feel strange. Now welcome to your new home. It may not be much but its looked after me for a while now."


Makoto went in first and tried the light switch. The lights didn't turn on and her apartment was still very dark. She tried it again and again before giving up and fishing a matchbox from her pants and then lighting a matchstick. Sometimes the breaker didn't agree with her unit and that was also why the price was cheaper. At the very least, water was constantly flowing in her apartment which was welcome when the pipes decide not leak all over the place. She walked over to the kitchen counter and lit the candles that she had set there, after all she had navigated this apartment unit in the dark for so many times it became second nature for her.


The soft glow of the candles illuminated her quaint dinning area which was inside the kitchen area, surrounded by the counters. She had a stove, a fridge and a microwave oven. It was fairer to say that the counters were her dining tables and the stools were her dining chairs. She walked over to where the bathroom was and lit the candle she had ensconced near the bathroom door. Right next to the bathroom door was a ladder and she had also lit the candle near it. This apartment unit was the only one with a loft but that didn't seem to raise the price much since its services were all basically shit. It was in the loft over looking what passed for her living room that she spent her nights sleeping on a sorry excuse for a futon. Her living room in general was the small space between her kitchen dining area and her bathroom loft access.


If one concentrated hard enough they would see the patchwork cardboard box window she had made for herself and notice the laptop computer below it.


"Okay so this probably doesn't make the best first impression but let me tell you. The breaker only refuses to function when it feels like it so half the time there's electricity in here. Make yourself at home I guess?"


She fixed him with the best smile she could muster. A very unapologetic smile that had a hint of pride in it. For a going rate of 4,000 yen a month, it was good deal at the time. Makoto still believes it is.

 

[Hexed]

Makoto seemed pretty happy about the fact that Kibo actually just went with her, he didn't understand that but he didn't try to. After he grabbed her hand something happened, he didn't really understand how it happened or what actually did, all he knew was that he next realised that they were in front of a blue door with a very old looking number five on it. How was it possible to teleport to wherever you felt like? The experience had been bizzare to say the least, who knew that there were such people who could teleport.


Just as she had said he started to feel slightly strange and dizzy after they appeared at the apartment, he felt as if they world was spinning and was very light headed. After blinking a couple of times and taking in some deep breathes he attempted to steady himself and look towards Makoto, the woman was trying to open the door but also looking from side to side quickly, probably checking to see if anyone had seen them. It would be strange to just see your neighbour materialise out of the middle of nowhere now wouldn't it? Though he doubted that her neighbours would do anything except stand there and stare at her in shock, they probably wouldn't know what to do.


She was right about one thing, it definitely wasn't much. Makoto seemed to be trying the lights but to no avail, after that Kibo really wasn't watching her, instead he was trying to make out as much as he could around the room in the dark. The darkness of the apartment didn't really unnerve him, in fact it didn't really bother him at all, he could probably sit in it all night and be fine. A small area of the room illuminated with light, though he didn't see the light source, enabling him to see more of the room. It seemed as though she had a small living space and then there were ladders up over to a loft of some sort? What exactly was up there he wasn't sure.


Makoto had made her way over to that part of the room before Kibo had turned around, once he did he found himself staring into the small flickering flame of a candle. The kitchen in front of him was definitely quite small and it seemed that she used the counters as a dinning space and stools as the chairs for it, though he saw all of this out of his peripheral vision because he couldn't quite make himself take his eyes off of the small flame of the candle that was illuminating the room. He was more than away of several other candle throughout the small space and at the thought of it his chest tightened slightly, it was as if he was slightly afraid of that tiny flame on that candle yet he couldn't quite figure out why, he didn't remember why. Still, his breathing seemed to quicken slightly and he felt like screaming, though the question that went around his mind was why?





After a few tense moments of just staring into the bright flame he forced his eyes shut, then turned his head to the side before down so that when he finally worked up the courage to reopen his eyes he'd be looking at the ground and towards none of the candles. A sudden wave of heat shot throughout his body, making him sqeeze his eyes shut even tighter. What was this? It was just a candle, that's all, but it didn't feel like just a candle. Instead of focusing on what might be causing him to feel this way he tried to clear his mind a slow back down his breathing, the more the thought about it the worse it was going to get.

 

[Sol]

"You...alright Kibo?"


Makoto made her way to the boy to see what was wrong. He was just standing there being quiet and trying to keep his eyes shut. Furthermore it looked like he was heaving. Did he have trouble breathing? Though that was impossible he should be free from mortality. He could only die through very complicated processes. She put her hands on his shoulders and squat down so that she could see him better. Then it dawned on her that she may have just done something stupid. A new set of images flooded her head.


I know there is a fire burning right now. It won't allow me to leave my room. Why didn't anyone warn me? I want to see her again. I don't want to burn. I don't want to burn. But the smoke is coming in. My window won't open. My chest feels tight. I can't breathe. I feel so light.


The boy had a fear of fires. A candle was a miniature flame. She knew what she had to do to make it all better. Makoto made her way to each of the candles and blew out the flames. However she couldn't abide living in the dark, she wasn't afraid of it, she was afraid of stubbing her toe in the dark or stepping on something she shouldn't be stepping on. So she made her way to the cardboard window and tore it down to allow whatever ambient light from the street lamps to filter in to help illuminate her shitty excuse for a shelter. So much for her promise of keeping things warm as she felt the night pre-winter breeze roll in.


"All better? Wait let me get you something to help against the cold. I was able to acquire some winter clothes but they might be a little too big for you and are also probably for girls. Still it's better than nothing yeah? Wait here."


She fixed him with another smile before disappearing up into the loft. She had a general sense of where she put the heavier jackets and sweaters and the like. Makoto found the pile and then rummaged for what she thought would fit the boy. It was hard to judge the size of the clothing if she only had ambient street lamp lighting to help her see but she had found some clothes that she believed would more or less fit Kibo. It was better than nothing and she felt like she needed to have prepared better for his arrival, not let him see her in a state of severe poverty.


"I'll just toss down the clothes. You can sleep up here if you like, it's warmer up here for some reason. Not that you need sleep but you know. I like that human concept of sleeping. Helps kill time."


Despite what she said, she ended up going down the ladder with the clothes in tow, which was a down vest, a long sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. She presented them to Kibo, hoping he'd take it.


"I don't really know if they'll fit right."

 

[Hexed]

Kibo heard her voice but didn't react to it, he didn't want to show any weakness to anyone. That was why he just stood there and tried to sort himself out, because for some reason or other he felt as if he couldn't show weakness to anyone, no one was allowed to know what scared him or what made him upset. If the knew what he was afraid of then they could just use that against him, if he trusted them then they could use that against him also. He didn't know why he thought like this, he just did.


When the candles were blown out he knew and was finally able to open his eyes again, he looked around and saw hardly anything in the dark. With all of the candles gone it really was very very dark, though slowly his breathing slowed and he started to feel a lot calmer than he jut had. A little away from him he could hear Makoto's footsteps walking over to somewhere or other, then a small stream of light entered the room, accompanied by a cold draft. Turning to see where the light was coming from he realised that it was from a street lamp outside and coming in through a smashed window, so that's why is was suddenly cold.


How had she known? How had she known that it had been the candles that were the problem and not something else? Not even he had known why he was afraid of them, he hadn't even known he was afraid of them until he'd seen them so how did she? It was strange to say the least but there was probably some rational explanation for it, he had been standing in front of a candle after all.


Now it was a lot colder, if was almost as cold as it had been when they had been outside and was making Kibo shiver slightly. He wrapped his arms around himself and looked over to Makoto, who seemed to be heading up into her loft to search for clothes for him now. That was right, he was still wearing just that stupid white robe thing, anything was better than that. It didn't matter if it was too big, which he assumed they probably would be, as long as he kept him somewhat warm.


He walked over towards the ladder and watched as Makoto descended from it with the clothes, even though she'd said she was going to throw them down, they really weren't all that bad and would probably keep him warm enough. Although he was slightly reluctant to take them from her, it took his a second or two before he actually reach out and grabbed hold of the clothes before quickly turning away from Makoto again and looking over at the shttered window.


What on earth could have happened to cause that? A ball through it? Golfing in doors incident? What?

 

[Sol]

"Well then, I think you can take the loft for tonight. I won't take no for an answer, Kibo. Your body does not lie and your body is shivering from the cold. So get up there after you get dressed or something. I'll just be down here."


After Kibo had taken the clothes from her and she had given him her instructions, she wasted no time making her way toward the small sofa in her living room. It was a bit on the stiff side but she couldn't complain. She just needed to find some other way of making money. Sure working part time at a local fast food joint was all well and good but it was only just enough to cover her rent and other bills while having some minuscule amount leftover for whatever she wanted.


Makoto plopped down on the sofa and turned away from the loft, facing the hole in the wall turning her gaze over to the moon or rather, the minor copy of her she left behind to illuminate the night. If she herself was up there, the moon would shine so much brighter but she had to clear her name first. She had to find her older brother and defeat him. Most of all, she needed to know why she was framed. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes. The only blanket she had was up in the loft and she had already told Kibo to use it. He was young after all so he needed it.


"Hey Kibo..."


She half expected to wake up to find Kibo gone from the apartment. She half expected to go out and look for him and then formally dismiss him so he could serve someone who could actually provide for him what he needs. It would be easier if she would let him go come morning. Despite her desperation at keeping a regalia, she can't bring herself to keep him here where even she could barely live. The barest of the bare necessities were all she had to her name. It didn't seem like the kind of life for a regalia, they needed to be somewhere regal, true to their name and status as a servant of a deity.


"...have a good night, alright?"

 

[Hexed]

She wanted him to take the warmer place for the night? Why on earth would she want that when she could stay warm herself? She wasn't selfish? Or was she still trying to get on his good side?


Kibo didn't reply and didn't look back at Makoto but he walked over to the bathroom and went to get changed, as expected the top was slightly big for him but the jeans seemed to fit fine. Once he walked out he realised that he was a lot warmer than he had been in just that robe, Makoto had made herself comfortable on the sofa already and she was turned away from the enterance to the loft. He expected her to be turned to face it to check that he didn't go wandering or something stupid like that but no.


Just as he'd grabbed the ladder to climb up to the loft he heard her say something, turning to her he nodded slightly and looked down at the ground before quickly realising that she couldn't see the nod because of the way she was face. So instead he just made a slight noise as a yes in reply.


"Mm."


He put his second hand on the ladder and then proceeded to climb up it and into the loft, of course the loft was a little smaller but it had a sort of futon in it and blanket too. Walking over to it he pulled back the blanket and kneeled before laying down upon the futon and pulling the blanket back over himself, Makoto had said he didn't need to sleep right? But that she liked the human idea of sleep. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant for him but he might as well try to get some sleep so, once he was comfortable, he closed his eyes and tried to fall into some sort of sleep. Rest was important...right?


After turning over again and again and making an attempt at sleeping he couldn't take it anymore. Kibo's eyes shot open and he sat up, the blanket that had been tucked up to his neck fell off of him leaving just his legs covered by it, he couldn't sleep. Being told he didn't have contributed slightly to the fact that he couldn't even seem to make himself even slightly tired, but it was more than that, there were too many questions whizzing around his head for him to even think about sleeping right now. He needed to go and do something, something that would help him understand all of this, or at the very least take his mind off of it.


Soundlessly he stood up and made his way over to the ladder that led down into the living room of the small apartment, after climbing down it he looked over to the sofa where Makoto was sleeping, she still had her back turned to him so even if she did wake up it would give him a few seconds to hide. Once he'd made sure that she was definitely asleep he made his way silently towards the door and opened it, in the silence the small creak that it made as he pulled it open was defening.


Once he'd safely made his way out of the apartment and closed the door he looked around, there were a set of stairs to his left and so he made his way towards them, although he wasn't quite sure where he was going. Every step was bringing him closer to wherever it was he wanted to go, so he kept going and going and going and going, all the way to the top. The stairs ended in a rather small room with a metal door to one side, Kibo walked over to this door and flung it open.


It revealed a rather flat roof top that looked down upon Tokyo, although it was nowhere near the tallest building in the city, there were no high walls to stop people falling but instead there were low metal railings. For some reason he felt better up here than he did inside, it didn't give him answers but it was enough. He walked over to the metal railing and slid his legs under the bottom rail whilst leaning his arms on it and looking out into the city.


The sun was just starting to rise so he must have been trying to get to sleep for some time, maybe he did even drift off for a moment or so? He didn't remember even seeing a sunrise before yet he seemed to know exactly what it was and what it could look like, that was another question to add to the list. Why did he remember what things were yet he had no memory of them? It seemed as though even this couldn't take his mind off of all of the different questions that had been bothering him since he 'came back to the living', it seemed as though he could do nothing but try to answer them. Yet when he couldn't he started to get annoyed. With a sigh he leaning his head on his arms and just watched as the sun rose up above building after building.

 

[Sol]

The sun was well on its way up in the sky when Makoto decided to finally wake up. Though it was more appropriate to say that the sun woke her up from a very deep sleep by trying its hardest to blind her with its rays of light. She sat up and stretched, yawning all the while and then climb up to the loft, nearly slipping on the floor but she managed to regain her balance despite the miniature heart attack that it gave her. It didn't come as a surprise to her that Kibo was gone, all regalia didn't need sleep and he probably thought he had better things to do. The problem in all of this, however, is that she'll have to search the immediate area and bring Kibo back. It was a hassle but that there was little else she could do so she decided to head to the roof to get a bird's eye view of the surrounding area.


As she stepped out of her apartment her neighbors, Minako and her brother Touru, were also leaving for the day. After all both of them had school and she bid them a good day before moving past them to go to the rooftop access. She climbed the set of stairs until she reached the top and then swung the door open to see the most surprising thing of the day. Sitting down at in front of her was Kibo. So the boy had not run away like the rest but that's maybe because he had no idea who she was. Makoto was proud of her given name but would not use it until she has wiped the stain off of it.


In any case, Kibo was looking lonely sitting on the roof all by himself. Makoto thought to remedy that by joining him watch the city. She made her way toward him and took a spot next to him, following suit and slid her legs through the railing, letting them dangle in the air. She leaned leaned back with her two hands supporting her and gazed up at the sky. Surely he needed the company and no one could exactly see him much less interact with him. It was a bit of information she had purposefully withheld from the boy. Young people want to find a place they can belong and knowing that they were invisible to the rest of the world may just complicate matters.


"Nice view isn't it? You get to look down on all the people of Tokyo from her rooftop throne. So how does it feel to not be a wandering soul anymore? You know, I half-expected that you'd run away like all my other regalia then I realized something. I haven't exactly told you who I really am. So here goes, I am Tsukuyomi. You know the guy everyone in Takamagahara despises. Don't ask why I was given a man's name, my father must have thought it to be funny at the time."


She let out a small chuckle when she realized he wasn't reacting at all. Makoto did have something to say that would grab his attention though. She turned to face the boy.


"As my regalia, I know everything about you, Kibo."

 

[Hexed]

He'd spent hours just sitting and watching the sun rise in the sky, it was a little relaxing and a lot better than sitting in a dark room trying to get to sleep when you knew you just couldn't. Kibo didn't really know why he liked the idea of heights so much but he just did, he liked it more up here than on the ground, maybe it was something to do with that fact that up high he felt untouchable. Most may think they might fall and die from this height but it didn't worry him too much, he felt like it never had really worried him.


It wasn't that he saw her approach him so much as he heard her. Makoto opened the metal door with a clang and entered out into the roof where he was, she really did sleep late since the sun was already high in the sky by now, she made her way over towards the boy but he didn't look back, he didn't want to. Moving his head around on his arms he turned it away from where she was, he didn't want to talk right now, he didn't care what she wanted, it couldn't be all that important after all so why did she follow him? All he wanted right now was to be left alone. He knew that she'd sat next to him but again did now react to it, in order to make her go away he couldn't react to anything she did, did she not understand that he'd come up here to be alone.





Makoto started to yap on about her regalias always leaving her or something along the lines of that, then something about who she really was but he wasn't pay any attention to her, he didn't even really know what he was, or who he was, he couldn't care less about running away right now. Anyway, where would he go? Tokyo was big and he remembered nothing so he knew nothing of this place, he wouldn't know where to go for a start. Though the name Tsukuyomi rang a bell in his head, he still didn't fully understand who she was, neither did he care, but he definitely knew that name from somewhere or other.


There was a short pause before she spoke again, it seemed that she knew how get his attention because this time Kibo was all ears. At the mention of her knowing everything about him he was suddenly intrigued, he turned his head to face her and looked up, his eyes slightly wide and a little confused. It didn't make sense how she knew everything about him and he knew nothing, how on earth could she know what he didn't? That's what intrigued him the most, he had a desire to know more, to answer his questions, and if Makoto knew it then he wanted that knowledge.


"I want to know."

 

[Sol]

"And you will know, bit by bit in due time. For now, why don't go celebrate the fact that you're alive again? I mean sitting on the rooftop of an apartment complex doesn't seem like celebrating the fact you're alive."


Makoto went for a lighter tone, suggesting something that might put a smile on the boy's face. Ever since he came back from the dead, Kibo did nothing but frown and furrow. He was thinking too much on all of this and she wanted to tell him everything but she had no idea what might happen if she did. Makoto didn't think it was the right time. but she had no idea when the right time really was. It could be easier if she said everything now and then just let events roll rather waiting for him to burst once he realizes all the things that come attached to being "not dead anymore." No, she had made her choice and that she would allow him glimpses at a time, but not the entire story. Not until she knew he could handle it.


"Alright, first thing's first. You're not dead anymore but you did get hit by a truck on your way to what I assume was your girlfriend's place. Now let's go have some breakfast. You're not dead so you should feel hungry too and I know just the place if you would accompany me."


She patted him on the back and then left her spot to go back to her apartment and gather what small amount of yen she had saved over the years. The occasion called for a celebration after all. She could celebrate for Kibo being alive as well as for him not turning tail and abandoning her well into the first day of their partnership. Makoto had shared a little bit about herself but he seemed largely detached and wasn't the least bit interested, but that was how it went with the younger people. In her mind, she excused his very sour attitude, not that she had the power to do anything about it.


Of course, the eating would have to wait, because for the first time in who knows how many centuries there's someone out there asking her for help. She could hear a voice in her head, though she heard no mention of either of her names. The voice was clear as day and she was addressed to as the guy in the windbreaker who saved my life last night. Makoto was damn sure she wasn't male. In any case, the voice was asking for help from her, but what she had to do was not specified. It would be prudent to go to this caller and see what he wants, but she had to wait for Kibo first. There was a chance that she might need to deal with some phantoms. If it was the guy she thought it was then they would go back to that ass end town somewhere in Kyushu and maybe wrestle with a few more phantoms. The place had enough negativity for those monsters to congregate and feed on.

 

[Hexed]

Alive again. It was weird how she said that he was alive again, he didn't remember ever being alive before, but he didn't know anything and she seemed to know everything. It made him slightly annoyed, and she wouldn't tell him either... Bit by bit, was what she said, what on earth did that mean? He didn't like that at all, he just wanted to know right now. He wanted to know why he was here and who he was, because he didn't have a clue at the moment. Kibo didn't really feel like celebrating anything, he didn't really feel that there was anything to celebrate, after all what could he celebrate when he didn't even know that he'd been alive before? Celebrating a new life when you didn't even remember the old one seemed a little odd.


Before he'd thought that maybe if he remembered one thing or was told something it all might finally come back to him but it didn't, Makoto had said that he'd gotten hit by a truck on his way somewhere but, yet again he hadn't been fully listening to her because he tended to get bored when she spoke to him. That didn't ring any bells whatsoever, even when he tried to remember ever getting hit by a truck he didn't, no images and no recount of it. It was strange to be told something happened to you and not even have a recount of it happening in your head, who knew if she was even telling him the truth? Who knew if she actually knew that or was just trying to seem as if she knew things about him when really she knew nothing.


" I don't-.....want to."


Before he could even finish Makoto had disappeared back below the stairs and towards her apartment, looked like he had no choice but to go with her now since she seem all excited for it anyway. With a sigh he moved away from the metal railing and pushed himself up onto his feet before putting his hands in his pockets and taking on final look out over Tokyo, there was a lot he had yet to learn wasn't there? Maybe there were things that he didn't want to learn as well but all of it would probably be necessary to Makoto, did he have to follow her around all of the time? What was up with that? He didn't want to spend his time around someone he hardly even knew.


Kibo trudged down the stairs and shouldered open the door to Makoto's apartment to see the woman standing there as if in thought, instead of bothering her he looked around and silently walked over to a corner of the room before leaning on the wall and looking over to her. She'd obviously tell him when she was ready and until then he didn't really care about anything that needed doing inside of here, he looked down at the floor and moved his foot around as if he was kicking something, though there was nothing there.

 

[Sol]

Sure enough it didn't take long for Kibo to come back to her apartment. Though it had only just occurred to her that it was also possible to walk back up to the rooftop and look for him. In any case the important part was that Kibo was back at her place and they could leave as soon as she wanted. Though she did not want to leave her apartment exposed to the elements, she had no choice but to do so. Boarding up the place with cardboard could be accomplished when they both got back from work.


She was brimming with excitement and anticipation when she heard that someone needed her help. Almost no one prays to her and when they do it's usually some occultist group thinking everything's just a joke they could get a kick out of. Usually it had something to do with plunging the world in total darkness or destroying it outright, things she couldn't be bothered to do even if she was capable of it. She made sure to put on roughly the same outfit as she had last night, so that this guy, whoever he was, gets who he was praying for. It wasn't a formal call for help but at this point Makoto couldn't care in the slightest.


"Good. You're here. Let's go!"


Makoto skipped over to where Kibo was standing, grabbed his arm and pulled him along with her. She had willed for both of them to arrive at her petitioner's residence or wherever he was right now. The fervent desire for help seemed like a beacon that she could focus on and that helped her pinpoint where the man was. It wasn't just a beacon it was also tinged with desperation enough to make it feel very tangible, which meant that she was sorely needed which just made her all the more excited to arrive there.


Makoto, with Kibo in tow, materialized right next to a man bowing his head in prayer. He seemed so into it, not really knowing that who he was calling for had arrived to hear his plight and make things right.


"Your savior has arrived!"


That seemed to shock the man out of his prayer and he recoiled in shock and surprise. There was also that hint of mild terror probably because he was aware of her awe-inducing powers even though she had not shown him anything yet. It didn't help that he was at a loss for words and was stuttering, trying to say something but probably didn't know what to say. The important thing was that Makoto was here and she knew exactly what he wanted as if the oppressive atmosphere did not make it obvious enough, he probably wanted someone to help his family get better. He did look relived though, which was nice.


"Nice place you have here. So tell me, do you want me to solve your family's problems? I mean you're not really wanting in anything if I could use this room as an example."


A 60 inch wall mounted TV. Blatantly comfortable feather bed. An ornate dresser, sitting on top were a number of what she called 'rich man' colognes. A rack of fine designer shoes. Airconditioned room. Lovely curtains. Lots of western style ornaments on top of a study table with what she assumed was a high-end and well maintained computer sitting on it as well and a high-backed chair reminiscent of what she'd usually see bosses sit on in animes or whatever dramas she could catch on her latptop. The man himself could afford nice clothes and they probably designer clothes just like his shoes. Granted she had no idea what designer clothes looked like in general but thought that it made her sound rich to use such words.


Makoto moved over the boss chair and turned it around, plopped down on it, put her fingers together to make a bridge, rested her face on said bridge, crossed her legs then leaned forward. She always wanted to feel like a boss even though she was already a deity but deities don't have things like these. She wanted to give off an air of total superiority despite not looking the part. In any case the man seemed to recognize this but what of Kibo? She glanced over at him but had her attention caught when the man shouted something.


"WINDBREAKER-SAMA! My name is Shinzo Wakaba, I beseech you to do unto my family what you have to me last night. I do not know what you did but I ask that you erase the crushing weight on my family as well."


As if to punctuate his point he prostrated himself before her. It was getting a little but embarrassing on her end to be so held in high regard, it made her cheeks flush and her bow lower.


"Very well. I will do what I can."


Makoto got off of the chair and knelt down to level with him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye as he raised his face in confusion. No words needed to be exchanged, she nodded and went off. There was no mistaking it, this place is frequented by phantoms and they have grown large. Larger than what she faced the night prior. Erasing this so-called weight would be difficult to say the least.

 

[Hexed]

(Yeah that's right. Start walkin'!)


When Makoto turned around Kibo noticed that there was something off about how she was looking at him, she looked almost excited for something...for what exactly? Before he had time to ask her that question the woman had grabbed his wrist and pulled him along behind her, where they were going now he didn't know. Who got so excited about food anyway? It was only food and the celebration part wasn't really all that important, well at least not to him, so she didn't need to get all worked up.


"Wait what- Whoa..."


Before he'd had time to finish the two of them had been in the middle of a very well furnished and, dare he say, rich looking room, he had that weird and dizzy feeling like he had had before when she'd teleported them. She'd done it again without even warning him this time, after blinking a few times and steadying himself he scowled up at Makoto and crossed his arms. She couldn't just go teleporting him around anywhere without asking if it was okay before hand, what if he'd fallen over? Or broken his arm or something? Oh wait...was that possible? He was dead after all...


After surveying his surrounding and finally coming to the conclusion that he could call this place fancy and rich looking he looked down to see a man sitting in prayer, was he the one that had called for Makoto to come here? After all this wasn't a food court so it looked like it wasn't food that she'd been excited over after all, it was something else. He had no clue who this man was but maybe she did, he glared down at the man for a second before jumping and covering his ears as Makoto spoke.


"You don't have to be so loud."


The man looked up at her with a look of shock mixed with slight terror, who could really be scared of Makoto? From what he'd seen she wasn't all that scary. Savior, she was really into this, that was for sure, but what exactly was she going to save him from? Well she quickly answered Kibo's question with her next statement. He had family issues did he? Kibo was not aware of what Makoto did for people nor did he know what all of this meant but he'd listen for now and see what this man had to say to her, he still didn't get why he'd had to come along though.


With a slight shake of his head he turned away, what was she doing? She looked like a detective or something who was about to listen to a very serious case, with a roll of his head he walked over to a wall nearby her and leaned against it to look at the man. He wanted to listen, to know what this man wanted.


Windbreaker-sama was what he called her, did that mean that he'd seen her last night when she'd been wearing the windbreaker she'd given Kibo? By the sounds of it she'd helped lift some weight off of his shoulders and he wanted the same for his family now, although he didn't really get it Makoto must have some power in order for her to get called out here to help...lift weight off of people.


"What's he doing? What is all of this?"


The man looked ridiculous on the ground in front of Makoto and Kibo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as if he was saying 'really?'.


"Hey! What's going on?"


Kibo pushed himself off of the wall and walking over to stand near where Makoto, he wanted to know what they were helping with.

 

[Sol]

Not wanting to look like she was crazy in front of her first petitioner in how many centuries, Makoto rose from her spot and grabbed Kibo to lead him out of the room. The last thing she needed was for Shinzo to see her to talking to nothing but air. She still had to tell Kibo that mortals can't see him but she didn't quite know to phrase it in such a way that it wouldn't set him off.


She had led the boy out on to the hallway. Looking left and right, scanning for anyone who might be present to witness her talking to herself. Nothing but the paintings on the wall were present to judge her. Makoto was impressed by what her first petitioner was capable of, which means she might get money enough to leave that run down apartment unit and find another slightly expensive one. She aimed for double the rent at 8000 yen a month. Her hands rested on Kibo's shoulders and she did her best to try and keep his attention on her, she noticed that he had a penchant for looking bored and disinterested in general but what she was going to say was important.


"What I mean is that we'll help his family and in turn I ask for an exorbitant amount of money as an offering and we get to find a better apartment. Now as for helping his family in general we'll be fighting the phantoms that leech of this man's family members. Of course, I can't kill them which is why I need you, my regalia. You have the power to kill them but only as a shinki, not as you are right now."


She let go of Kibo and turned around to survey the hallway one more time.


"We'll tour the household to see if there are any phantoms nearby. I'm sure you could feel the weighty atmosphere here, correct? That's because there's so much negativity here it's practically a phantom breeding ground. C'mon, let's go."


Picking a direction at random she started walking, relying on what she could feel to guide her. Usually if it felt heavier she was going in the right direction. Makoto did not discount the possibility that there were a fair few phantoms roaming the house, but she had no idea of their relative size and if they might merge to make something bigger. Hopefully, Kibo had at least some small degree of trust in her or they might very well perish and she'll be remembered as a murderer and a fool who couldn't inspire loyalty.

 

[Hexed]

Before he could protest Makoto had grabbed his arm and led him out into the hallway, that looked pretty damn good as well, this guy was definitely one rich man. Kibo didn't really understand why she'd felt the need to bring him out here to talk to him, why couldn't she just say what she wanted to it that room? The man, who's name he hadn't taken the time to learn, wasn't going to say anything because it was him they were helping, he knew more about all of this than they did.


She'd grabbed his shoulders as if trying to keep his attention on her, which just made him want to look away more, the boy couldn't seem to keep on task without getting at least the slightest bit bored, yet he did want to know what exactly was going on. So for solving this guy's problems she would get money? They had to slay whatever the hell a phantom was and he had to help her? As a what now? A shinki, he could kill them as a shinki but not as he was now. That all confused the boy but he tried to act as if he understood at little and nodded his head, Makoto had never taken the liberty to explain all of this properly to him.


"I guess but- Hold up a second! Where are you going!?"


She'd just set off down the hallway like that, of course he felt the slightly heavy atmosphere but he didn't know that that was anything to do with what a phantom was. It seemed as though he'd have to go with what she did for now, after all he didn't want to die again. Though he didn't know what they were going to do when they got to these so called phantom things, what was Makoto's plan for those? She had to have one right? She said that they were going to kill them but with what? There were no weapons around here and so she could not use one, she was going to kill them with his help but how on earth could he help her?


After standing there with an annoyed expression on his face for a few seconds Kibo set off down the hallway and quickly caught up with Makoto. He still did not have a clue where they were going or what they were doing but it seemed she did and so he'd have to go with that, for now. Whatever these phantoms were he had a feeling that he could live without ever seeing one.

 

[Sol]

"Since you don't seem like the kind who'd learn by being told and are largely disinterested with what I'm saying anyway. I thought a live demonstration is in order. This place is a nest of phantoms so we have no shortage of things to test various skills on."





Makoto made it to the end of the hallway and turned right. She made her way through another hallway but stopped at the first door on her right. If she needed something for them to practice on, it had to be something relatively small and harmless. She had no intention to bring Kibo into harm's way and would intercept anything that'd interrupt their training.





"First thing is first."





Makoto opened the door and saw several small black wisps floating lazily around. This was probably where one of the children slept. In any case, these small ones are simply there to leech off any leftover gloom. Perfect targets for Kibo to use his most core skill. The boundary.





"I want you to make a boundary. Just put your two fingers together and then draw a horizontal line between yourself and those things. Doesn't matter where and what angle as long as its between you and them. The boundary doesn't allow phantoms to pass and usually scares off small ones like these guys."


If he couldn't handle this simple task then she'd have to be twice as vigilant for both of them. A boundary is what can keep phantoms at bay or slow them down since it is temporary in nature. There were probably other skills for Kibo to learn but she had no idea what they were. Though she had no qualms of dragging herself on mud if it meant someone could teach him properly. But that is a sentimemt that could wait for another time, after this job.





"Oh yeah, these boundaries are only temporary in nature. So don't expect it to last long."


Makoto was confident in her ability to handle multiple phantoms at a time. Though with a rich man like this who knows how large his household was and if it involved the helpers.

 

[Hexed]

Demonstration? What on earth was the woman on about now? Kibo couldn't have been more confused by her, skill, phantoms. What was all of this? Still he followed her down the hallways and took the right along with her, even though he didn't know what he was doing. There was a door in front of them now, they must be going in that room, it was the first of many doors.


"What are we doing?"


As Makoto opened the door Kibo peered inside, his eyes widnened at what he saw, everywhere he looked there were small black things floating in the air. Were those the phantoms that she'd been going on about earlier, they must be, what else could they really be?


"Boundary? What are you on about? I can't do that, y'know I still don't understand how you expect me to create a boundary out of thin air."


Even though he complained he still went to do it, he turned to one of the small black wisps and held out his arm before putting two fingers together as instructed. Quickly he drew a straight line in the air, he saw a white line slowly start to appear in front of him though it was very weak and only lasted a matter on seconds. That annoyed Kibo a lot and he scowled down at the floor, as if he was just going to accept that for what he could do, though he was surprised he could do anything at all.


"Not good enough!"


This time he gritted his teeth and thrust his arm out again before briskly sweeping his arm across the air in a horizontal line. The white line appeared again in between him and the wisp yet this time it was a lot stronger and stayed there in front of him. He grinned, proud of his own accomplishment.

 

[Sol]

"Nicely done, Kibo. At least now I don't have to worry about keeping both of us alive on my own. So let me get some practice in...but this might feel a little bit uncomfortable on your end. Just bear with it yeah?"


Makoto felt that she needed to send some sort of small warning to Kibo for what she was about to do. She had no idea just how they felt but she could tell that it was almost always uncomfortable for all her past regalia when she first wielded them consciously in battle. In any case, she had to wait for the boundary to die out before she could turn him into a weapon and cut up these wisps. He was overeager though and did much more than what she expected new regalia to accomplish. Finally as the boundary dissipated she had called out his name as her regalia.


"I call on thee, Kazuki."


She kept her hand open as Kibo was enveloped in a bright light transferring him onto her hand and taking on the appropriate form of a 9 ring sword. Makoto kept spinning him in her hand to gain momentum despite not needing any to sever these small black wisps that are now hopelessly scrambling away from her. They know what will happen next and what it means for them. She knows that those things need to be destroyed before they become something malicious. That said, she took her time and slowly made her way to each of the floating little wisps. One by one, she had cut them apart soon enough the room was silent, a contrast to the numerous yet small murmurs and whispers that came from those wisps. It should lighten the load of whoever lives in this room but the threat is far from done.


At the very least, Makoto still had her skill with a sword. The past few regalia were spears or guns.


"Return, Kibo."


The sword in her hand was enveloped in a bright light and transferred itself onto some vacant space near her. The light dissipated and Kibo was back in his human form.


"So how uncomfortable was it? To be touched by me, I mean. Well we still have work to do, let's go."

 

[Hexed]

Uncomfortable? What did she mean by that? At the words Kibo started to become a little more uneasy, he looked a step back from Makoto and narrowed his eyes as if she might eat him or something. Of course the young boy really had no idea what the woman was planning on doing and that's what made him feel a little unsettled, he liked to know what was going on and why when he didn't it scared him just slightly. If she wanted to kill him then she would have done it by now, so it wasn't that, could it really be all that bad?


"Wait what's-!?"


Before he could think about finishing she'd called out a name and a strange inscription had appeared in the air above his right arm, he looked around for a second but couldn't really react to anything. Then before he knew it something had changed, what the hell was he now? Unlike before he could see but it didn't feel as if he could actually move properly, it was a strange and indescribable feeling, he didn't really know if he liked it all that much. The wisps all disappeared pretty quickly and he didn't really have chance to register it, he knew something though, he was a weapon of some kind...


Just as quickly as he'd changed before he changed back and looked aorund frantically before touching his own arms to make sure they were actually there, with a sigh Kibo relaxed again. That was more than strange and he didn't really know how ot react to it. The room was now silent since all of those small phantoms had been taken care of by Makoto, and pretty quickly too.


"You could have phrased that so much better."


That was the only thing that the young boy said in response, he thought she had to work on how she phrased things.


"Wait! Where are we going now?"

 

[Sol]

"We are going to find more of these things to purify until this house is rid of of all those things regardless of size. This might be what will put us on the map and wipe off a thin layer of grime from my name."


From where they were in Shinzo's large house, they could either continue sweeping the residential wing or head down to search for the servants quarter. At least Makoto assumed there was one. Usually in the animes she's watched western-style places like this had a place where servants would sleep. It couldn't be that far from the truth since Shinzo seemed like a man of means.


In the end she decided to continue investigating the resident's wing and proceeded down the hallway. She made it a poiny to open all the doors and check each room for any signs of the gloom. It was at the room at end of the hallway that she could sense another phantom the other 4 rooms before it were devoid of life and gloom, most likely spare guest rooms.


Makoto pressed her ear to the door and concentrated. The moaning was much loudet this time and deeper. Something other than those wisps lay behind the door. Somethibg much bigger, she bet it was a hound but had nothing to bet with.


"Alright, Kibo I need you to work with me again. Can I count on you?"


She turned to face the young boy. Makoto couldn't afford to not have him cooperate with her or else they may not dispel the phantom inside. Now he knew which means she could plead for his cooperation and he would give it to her. Or so she hoped that would be the case.