An old cabin. It was the same old cabin that it had always been. Separated from the nearby village, with only a few people living within. The owner of this cabin would soon become much more lonely, but she did not mind. In fact, she was rather happy to support the two leaving that any worries within her own mind were washed away. Before sending the two on their way, she gave one final checklist to the children she had raised for many years now.
Inkra: [Toothbrushes!]
Nero and Mena: [Check!]
Inkra: [Multiple pairs of clothes!]
Nero and Mena: [Check!]
Inkra: [Cash!]
Nero and Mena: [Check!]
Inkra: [A book to read while on the boat!]
Nero: [Check!]
Mena: [Check!...I think. Hold on…Yeah! Check!]
Inkra: [Good! Well, that should be about everything. You two know how to get to the port, right?]
Nero: [Just past the village, to the left.]
Mena: [From there, we present our forms and hop on!]
Inkra: [Perfect! I know it's not my place to take credit, but I sure taught the two of you well!]
Moving her finger across the top of her lip, Inkra began to praise herself with a smile on her face and her singular eye closed.
Nero: [Will you be alright on your own, Moms?]
Inkra: [Bah. It's nothing. I've been by myself for years now. A few months without you two will go by in no time!]
Mena: [I bet you'll cry when we’re gone!]
Inkra: [......Sometimes it's nice to not say things even if they're true, Mena.]
Inkra had erupted more and more in a joyful mood, but was quickly brought back down to her original state after Mena made a comment about how she would likely act without them. Many years had passed since she brought them into her home. Despite how long she had lived on her own, Inkra had grown accustomed to the two children she had adopted. If they were to leave, even for a small amount of time, it would likely affect her for that short period.
Inkra: [Oh right, before I forget! I have a gift for the two of you! It's something I personally did myself.]
From her pockets, Inkra pulled out two different pieces of jewelry that were covered in gold. Both ending on a large circular object, with the two being completely different sizes in both width and height.
Inkra: [Took a little bit of work, but thanks to my skills along with that old camera I had, I was able to make these! The locket necklace is for you, Mena. And as for you, Nero, I considered your tastes and went with a pocket watch.]
Nero: [This is quite nice! Thank you Moms!]
Mena: [Aha! It's so nice! Thanks a million times, Moms!]
Inkra: [Dummies. You haven't even looked at the main part of them! Hit the switch on top and open them up!]
Nero: [The switch?]
Mena: [Ah! Here it is!]
The two pressed the switches at the top and their items opened up. Within them was a picture. Both of their gifts had the same picture, but it was a picture that connected with the both of them. A photo of Inkra with a smile, hugging both Nero and Mena as they also smiled to the camera.
Nero: [Moms…The reason you wanted a photo with us was because of…]
Inkra: [There's a reason I took a few! I wanted one for myself of course, and some backups in case anything went wrong. But, the first two were for these! Now you'll always have me around no matter where you are!]
Mena: [Nuw fuwaw Mums…! Yub cang jug goo thag fog ugg…!]
Mena, with snot and tears covering her face, attempted to give a reply to Inkra. Her reply did not have audible words however and after a few seconds of silence, Inkra turned to Nero.
Inkra: [Nero.]
Nero: [She said not fair Moms, you can't just do that for us.]
Inkra: [I can do whatever I want for the benefit of my kids! Even if it means I have to starve or go through an absurdly difficult task, I'll do whatever it takes for you two! Now come here!]
She quickly pulled the two in for a tight hug before kissing their foreheads. The two were then slightly released so they could in turn kiss her cheeks. Her smile only rose higher as they did so.
Inkra: [Now hurry up! Your boat will be here any minute! I better see two new gods when you come back! Unless you fail, which is fine too! No matter what happens, I just wanna see my runts back here soon, got it?!]
Nero and Mena: [Yes, Moms!]
Inkra: [Good! Now go!]
Nero: [Alright, let's go, Mena. Bye Moms! Love you!]
Mena: [Bye Moms! I love you more!]
Inkra: [Idiots! I love you two the most! I'll see you both when you get back!]
They waved off to each other, and eventually, the two children she had seen every day were no longer in her sight. She picked up the photo from the nearby countertop and smiled at the sight of it.
Inkra: [Thanks to this, I'll have no reason to cry these next few months. Those two will be back in no time.]
Once again, Inkra was by herself within this old cabin
Unlike before however, the sadness that persisted throughout had perished, replaced by the joy of a mother who had not even given birth.
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The boy woke up on the nice bed provided by the inn he had been staying at. He felt incredible upon his awakening. Perhaps it had to do with how soft the bed had been, maybe even the sheets. There was likely something else that played an extra part in this feeling he had. During his sleep, he felt the warm embrace of a girl who had been an entire foot smaller than him. Her skin was soft to the touch, and her hair felt as smooth as silk. The very bed that he laid on paled in comparison to this girl. The two did not take any further actions than just holding one another, but it was enough. They enjoyed the moment they had even if it had been small. The boy often enjoyed performing his duties in order to feel much better about himself during the day. But in this moment, after embracing that girl, he felt that he wanted to go back to sleep with her in his arms.
He moved his head down to face her but was only met with a side of the bed that was no longer covered in a sheet. The boy grew confused as to where she could have been. Perhaps she rolled over on top of him and he did not notice? Maybe she fell onto the floor while sleeping after she brushed past his arms? He looked around his bed for clues. Eventually, he turned his eyes towards three people who had been on the right side of the room. Two kitsunes and a snake girl who were all staring forward. The older kitsune turned to the boy with a neutral expression and pointed towards the direction they had been looking. He turned his eyes in the same direction to see–
Nero: [Hm? What are you two doing?]
He looked across the room on the opposite side of where his bed resided to see two girls with their backs turned towards him. They were staring at a mirror that was laid out in front of them as they assisted each other with their hair. Their hairstyles however were odd, as what the boy was used to with the two of them had now been reversed.
Shiro: [I’m not sure, Yoro. My hair isn’t long enough for this.]
Yoro: [I think it looks great! There are short versions of pigtails after all. So it’s not entirely odd to have such a style.]
Shiro: [I guess…But I don’t know that it’s my style though. Yours looks great though! I’m kinda shocked with how long your hair is. Though I guess if your pigtails are as long as they are, then obviously your hair itself is long. But I really dig it! The long flowing hair, plus the long side ponytail. It looks great!]
Yoro: [I do like it…However, I think Nero enjoys my pigtails. I’m not sure that I would like to change it.]
Shiro: [I’m sure he’d be open to other styles. After all, he likes you for who you are, right?]
Yoro: [Hmm, That is true…I think. I’m not sure though. He might not like me without them.]
Nero: [I would enjoy you with whatever hairstyle you may choose, Yoro.]
Shiro and Yoro: [AH!]
The two jumped and turned to face Nero on the opposite side of the room.
Shiro: [I didn’t know you were awake!]
Kōkatsu: [He literally called out to the two of ya. How did ya not hear ‘im?]
Yoro: [Nene! I…did not hear you before. I’m sorry! What do you…What do you think of my hair?]
Nero: [I like it. It is quite beautiful, though I am not sure how I feel about seeing Shiro’s hairstyle on you.]
He gazed at the two girls who had swapped hairstyles. The two then looked at one another, and then back to Nero, before moving their focus to taking off the bands holding their hair in place.
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Yoro: [...I’m not sure what we were thinking.]
Shiro: [...Me neither.]
Kōkatsu: [Finally, somethin’ we all agree on.]
They styled their hair back to their usual appearance, and Yoro quickly ran over to Nero’s bedside. She grabbed one of Nero’s hands with both of her own and looked back at him.
Yoro: [How did you sleep? Was everything alright?]
Nero: [It was nice, yes. I felt very relaxed while sleeping. Were you alright? I hope I did not crush you or anything like that.]
Yoro: [I was fine! Don’t worry. If anything, I felt fantastic! Your body is so big, it made me feel like I was protected the entire night! I’ve never slept better!]
Nero: [That is good to hear. I was a tad bit worried though. Shortly after I had gone to sleep, you left the bed for whatever reason.]
Yoro removed a hand and started to scratch her head, puzzled by what Nero had said.
Yoro: [Left the bed? I don’t think I did. I didn’t need any water. I didn’t need to use the washroom. Hmmm. Left the bed…Left…the bed-OH! I DID! WAIT RIGHT HERE PLEASE!]
She jumped up, full of energy that had not been there before, and rushed towards a bag the group had purchased for her while they were shopping the day before. They felt it was inconvenient to have her carry things by hand, so as an act of kindness, they paid for a cute animal plush bag to pack what she had needed.
From within the bag, Yoro slowly pulled out different pieces of clothing. She made sure not to drop them or move them in any way, as she did not want to ruin them in the slightest. One by one, she laid out more and more across the countertop. Eventually, all of it had been taken out, and she simply picked the entire pile up and presented it to Nero.
Yoro: [Here. It’s for you.]
Nero: [I’m not sure I understand. What is this?]
Yoro: [I’m not really familiar with all of that love stuff, but people usually give gifts to each other when they’re in love, right? Well, in honor of…us, I made this. I-I was gonna make it regardless. So I guess that takes away from it. But…I wanted this to be my gift to you. I know that’s cheap, but–]
Nero: [Yoro. How long did you spend making this?]
Yoro: [I-Well…It took me a few hours. I….I didn’t get very much sleep. But I enjoyed the sleep that I had. Still, I wanted to make this for you. You don’t have to like it. I just wanted to do something.]
As the two spoke, there were noises of sobbing on the opposite side of the room.
Shiro: [She risked her own sleep….despite our mission…to make clothes for the guy she loves…It’s beautiful…It’s so beautiful…]
Kōkatsu: [Awwww! Are ya cryin’, Shiro?]
Shiro: [I’M NOT CRYING! MY EYES ARE JUST ITCHY! SH-SHUT UP!]
Kaoru: [I can understand where you are coming from, Miss Shiro. My eyes are having a difficult time holding back tears as well.]
Silvia: [I do not mind. My tearssss and I have undersssstood each other.]
Kōkatsu: [Yeah. I can’t lie, this is kinda nice. Don’t know that it’ll make me hit that point, but the two of them are kinda startin’ to be real sweet.]
Shiro: [LIKE I SAID! I’M NOT! SHUSH!]
As the other side of the room continued to form a water park with their tears, Nero looked down towards the clothing being presented to him. He moved his legs from the bed, and softly picked them up. He then stood up without a word, and moved towards the washroom.
Minutes of silence filled the air with occasional sounds of sniffling. Yoro had sat down, and looked towards her own hands laying on her lap. Her brain began to conjure the worst thoughts imaginable.
He’ll hate it.
He’s not gonna like it in the slightest.
It’s probably not his style.
What if it doesn’t fit?
Did I measure him wrong?
What if I accidentally stained it somehow?
Did I have a drink with me yesterday?
Maybe he thinks I’m crazy?
I made all of this in a few hours.
On top of that, I got almost no sleep.
Maybe he’s upset about our mission.
I might not even have the stamina for it now.
I’m such an idiot!
Just then, the door opened. The first thing that followed was the sound. The sounds of spurs rattling with each step taken. The steps themselves gave a loud clap as they touched the floor. From there, everyone within the room moved their eyes upwards. Black leather pants that looked soft to the touch, but also gave the appearance of something rather graceful. A black belt with gold in the middle. The gold piece was missing a specific pattern that matched his birthmark perfectly. A heart in the middle, with a crown on top of it, and two tail shaped arrows from below the heart moving diagonally up and to the right, before turning the other way and pointing towards the crown. Then a biker jacket that gave a refined appearance just like his pants. It did not look intimidating per say, but focused more on the elegance that Nero himself had embraced. Buttons replacing what would normally take up the space of a zipper. Black gloves were also made to fit with his attire, adding a needed finish to his arms. From the open space in his jacket came a silk white scarf that protruded outwards. It was folded over many times, before a final fold moved it forward, pushing it past the jacket’s depth. Finally, a black cape that hung over his shoulders and moved down towards the top of his boots.
This was the outfit that Yoro had crafted for him. How many materials were needed, how much effort this required, how much blood she put into this, only she knew. It had been clear as day to all who had been in the room that this was a difficult task for her. Despite this, she was able to perfectly create what she had desired.
Nero walked towards Yoro. She was still unsure with how he had felt. However, she was stunned. She weaved such an outfit into existence, and yet, the boy standing before her, no, the man who stood before her had completely shocked her. He was incredible. His outfit was immaculate. In her eyes, he was someone who stood above all others. There was not a single person who would not respect a man like this. There would be no such being that could not accept Nero Virtuoso.
He kneeled down, and took one of Yoro’s hands with both of his own. His eyes stared into hers as he began to speak.
Nero: [Yoro.]
Yoro: [...Yes?]
Nero: [Thank you. I swear to you, there will be not a single woman in this world who replaces you. No matter what is bargained, no matter what is given, none shall match you. I will be yours. This is my promise.]
He then pulled her close. For a moment, Yoro grew worried if this would be the moment. She did not mind the idea, but she wanted to build such a thing with Nero. Instead, she was met with an embrace. Nero’s head resting near her shoulder as hers did as well. He held her, gently holding onto both her hair and the back of her black dress. Yoro accepted this, and held him in the same way. She started to become angered with herself ever so slightly. Both for thinking that Nero would hate her gift, along with the idea that she would possibly receive her first kiss here. After all, they only spoke about it the day before. Why would all of that talking be put to waste after such a short amount of time? The two sat there for several moments, enjoying their time with each other.
On the other side of the room, Kōkatsu had moved over to where Shiro had been. The waterworks festival had once again started, and an extra member was added to the show.
Kōkatsu: [Fuckin’...hell…I was sayin’ all that shit and now look at me…Hold me, Shiro! Us sisters gotta cry together!]
Shiro: [I’m not crying! I said it before…and I’ll say it again! Stop getting your snot all over me! It’s gross!]
A loud honk came as Shiro gripped Kōkatsu’s kimono and blew her nose into it.
Kōkatsu: [Stop usin’ my clothes for a tissue! Just because I started usin’ yers for that doesn’t mean…ya get to do it to mine!]
Shiro: [There is no snot! I’m not crying! You just had something on there and I needed to get it!]
Kōkatsu: [With yer nose?! Ya stupid…fuckin’...]
Kōkatsu could not finish her sentence as her brain could not produce an answer with all the emotions welling up from within. Kaoru moved over to hug her, which only led to louder crying from Kōkatsu. Silvia then moved to the back of the group, tears dropping down her face in silence as she did not want to disturb the moment like the others had done.
Nero and Yoro slowly let go of each other. Smiles formed on both of their faces as they felt the warmth of their love burning from within. Yoro was not the only person who had such a selfish desire. Nero too had a feeling that was rising from within. For the first time in his life, he felt it. There were many urges demons had, but two specific urges were always the strongest. He had felt one of them a very long time ago. But now, he felt the other deep inside his heart. He wanted to take Yoro and embrace her further. He wanted their lips to touch. He wanted to caress her body. He wanted to go even further. This urge was one he had hated.
No, did he truly hate it?
The urge he felt a long time ago, that was an urge he had hated. It was violent, it was harsh, it made him sick. He hated violence, he hated killing, he hated all of it. That urge was horrible. This urge was similar, but there was something about it. It meant he would show Yoro his love. It meant she would understand more about him, and he would understand more about her. It would bring both of them pleasure. Is this how she had felt when she first met him? When she had taken his hand? When she spoke with him? What a truly fascinating feeling. It was no wonder that it had such a tight grip on her heart. It was beginning to do so with his very own.
They looked at the smiles on their faces before Nero broke the silence that persisted.
Nero: [I’m sure you felt it as well.]
Yoro: [Hehe!♥ Yeah, but we’ll get there eventually.♥]
They turned their gaze to face that of their friends who were crying, and began to giggle at the sight of them. Nero then pushed himself up from his knees and spoke with them.
Nero: [Kōkatsu, I assume you finished what you needed to with Shiro?]
Kōkatsu: [Yeah…I punched her and she kicked me…and we consumed each other.]
Her words were slurred, still being affected by the sadness that filled her body. Upon hearing them, the room fell silent as they did not understand what she had meant.
Yoro: [Consumed?]
Shiro: [You know…We accepted each other’s fists…like sisters…and rivals…and all that…By doing that, we understood each other more…So we basically consumed each other…]
Nero: [Ah I see. Perhaps that feeling is one I know now.]
Yoro: [Consume. That’s quite a good way to put it. I’ll have to remember that.]
Kōkatsu: [WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!]
The two of them looked at each other, but quickly jumped up in shock over a noise produced by Kōkatsu.
Shiro: [Kō…What’s wrong?!...]
Kōkatsu: [Shifu…]
Shiro: [Please just call me by my actual name…and not that nickname…]
Kōkatsu: [That was probably…the last time we’re ever gonna fight each other…]
Shiro: [...What do you mean…]
Kōkatsu: [...Cause after this…we’re gonna get all busy…and old…and my tits are gonna sag…and then we won’t even have time to fight…and we’ll die without fightin’ again…]
Shiro: [...]
Kōkatsu: [...]
Shiro and Kōkatsu: [WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!]
The duo gripped onto each other, crying into their clothes as they came to their devastating realization. Though Nero and Yoro were able to understand where they had been coming from, Silvia and Kaoru continued to find the sight of this odd. Regardless, they moved towards their friends to give the two of them a needed hug. Nero and Yoro looked at each other once more, and proceeded to join them. After some time, the sister-like rivals were able to calm themselves down and once again they prepared for what was next.
Shiro: [Right. So. Now that I’m done…uhhh…wiping my itchy eyes, let’s talk about what we need to do.]
Yoro: [May I make a suggestion?]
Shiro: [Hm? Sure. The floor is yours.]
Yoro: [There’s something I should teach all of you before we move on, and it’s not exactly something easy to educate others on. So all I’m gonna say is listen to my words and actions, and try it on your own when you’re able to. I talked about how you can form matoki into greater attacks, right? I’d like to explain that.]
Yoro moved towards an open space in the room and then turned back to face the group.
Yoro: [There’s a lot that can happen regarding matoki attacks. The best way to put this is, use your imagination while crafting them. Obviously, you start from the most basic element of this. Forming the matoki into a physical blast like so.]
A pink ball of light started to form from her hands as her body produced the same color around it.
Yoro: [Now, technically speaking, this isn’t what you want. Your attack should be made even before this step. I’m mainly using this as an example. Before you craft the attack, it’s important to mold that matoki. It takes practice, a lot of it. Both physically and mentally. This isn’t the sort of thing that can just naturally come to you. Both if you do enough molding, if you do enough to produce what you really want, you can achieve different sorts of attacks. For example, we have my Carawalls. Those have a sticky-like substance to the attack that can allow enemies to stick right onto the surface of it. Along with that, I then molded the attack to be pushed forward. I crafted it into something entirely different with that alone. There’s also things like my Landpies where on contact, the blast held within a matoki attack will occur. My walls did not have a blast, but the mines did. The walls focused on a sticky surface, while the mines focused on contact from the enemy. You can even combine your elements into these attacks with enough practice for added speed, strength, durability, whatever you require. It’s complicated to think about, I know, but there’s one thing I will say regarding this for all of you to remember.]
Yoro raised her arm in the air, and swiftly brought it down to point at the group. A determined look now occupied her face.
Yoro: [Your matoki knows you best! Use your matoki in the way your heart desires! I’m the Deathly Sweet girl, so therefore, my attacks are that of desserts. Just Desserts as I call them! Each of you have your own personalities, your own things that you like, your own souls. Therefore, don’t just try to copy something because you see it. Take that thing and craft it into what you know best! If you can do that, there’s no telling where your matoki attacks will end!]
They were completely dazzled by her words. She spoke with such confidence and pride that they could only help but listen. Her appearance even matched the very words she spoke, as what stood before them was no longer just an ordinary girl but a warrior.
Yoro: [Welp. That’s all for now! Let’s get going then!]
Following this, Yoro returned back to her normal cutesy appearance, and the warrior quickly faded away. She moved over to her bag as the others digested her words, preparing to move out themselves.
Kōkatsu: [Moldin’ my matoki into my own thing, huh? I think I can manage that.]
Silvia: [It doessss ssssound difficult, but I believe with training I can go far beyond what I am capable of.]
Kaoru: [This is it! This is my chance to prove myself to Lady Kōkatsu! I’ll hone my skills to the fullest!]
Amongst those that spoke to themselves, two people remained silent. A boy and a girl, both of which had opposite colors to themselves. Nero turned to face Shiro as he had noticed the same predicament he was dealing with had remained with her as well.
Nero: [It’s certainly quite the taxing thing to think about, isn’t it?]
Shiro: [Molding an attack into my own. I’m not sure how well I can do that.]
Nero: [May I make a suggestion then? For you at least.]
Shiro: [Sure. What’s up?]
Nero: [You seem to have a great amount of pride in your speed, along with your affinity with the thunder element. It may be difficult to form, but perhaps something like Yoro mentioned regarding the combinations may work?]
Shiro: [That’ll take a lot of practice, but yeah, maybe…]
Nero: [I believe I may be slightly misunderstood. There is something to be said about that, however, I’m referring to using both in combination without truly combining them.]
Shiro: [Without combining them? What do you mean?]
Nero: [Matoki itself does not react well when met with an element. There are downsides to coating your body with both, and thus, using both in a separated fashion could cause a problem. However, that problem could also become your very own benefit. If you were to use them in such a way where they could meet in the middle, and then have their negative effect, that would likely work out quite well. There is no guarantee of course, but I do believe this should be noted. For now, we should focus on our next task before putting our full attention on this.]
Shiro: [Yeah, you’re right. But thanks for the help, Nero. This does give me some ideas.]
Nero: [There is no need to thank me. Helping others is the very reason I was born.]
WIth a smile, Nero walked back towards his bed to retrieve his bag. Shiro looked on towards him, before casting her eyes down at her hand. A long lightning bolt appeared, and as it dispersed, a green sheathed katana replaced what was once there. It had been the sword that Shiro stored within her Illusion World. The sword that was crafted by her closest friend and rival. The sword that was named Storm.
Shiro: [Can I really do it? Can I really become that strong with my skills and wits to craft something like that?]
It did not respond, as it had no means to respond. Despite this, Shiro continued to talk with her speechless companion.
Shiro: [Even if I can, even if I can’t, there’s one ace in the hole I’ve yet to use. Isn’t that right, Storm?]
She smiled back towards the weapon that could not smile back to her. Her own reflection however produced the appearance of a smile within the scabbard.
Shiro: [I guess that isn’t entirely correct. I still have a few other things. But also, I guess if we’re talking about that, then I shouldn’t call you Storm. Isn’t that right–]
Kōkatsu: [Oi, Shiro! What’s with all the talkin’?! Let’s go already!]
Shiro: [Oh! Coming!]
Shiro moved her eyes up in surprise to see everyone ready to depart, she quickly turned to grab her things and zipped up her bag. She moved Storm back into the Illusion World, the blade disappearing like smoke, and picked up the bag from the floor. She moved towards her friends as they opened the door to leave, all the while a determined smile rested on her face.
Shiro: [Just you wait, Daroma! I’ll show you what I’m really capable of!]
The final task was at hand.
Their movement had now begun.
A battle most fierce was soon on the way.
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