(Remember when you were little and your mom had to take you with her whenever she went shopping, and it seemed like something that should be so simple ended up taking hours to get done, mostly because she ended up getting distracted from what she actually went there to buy? Well, I do. For that reason, I've never liked going shopping with girls, because the stereotype of them getting distracted while in a store has always rung true whenever I accompanied a girl on her shopping spree. I learned that much from dating Isabella.)

Osamu remembered the time he accompanied Isabella at the mall when he dated her. They originally went there to find some new shoes and a few clothing items, but things got kind of hectic. As they walked hand-in-hand, Isabella stopped when she saw a book store. Her face lit up as she tugged at Osamu's arm.

”Let's go in there! I wanna find some books on the mechanical workings of firearms!” Isabella urged.

"I don't think you'll find anything like that in there!” Osamu groaned.

(Then, the lingerie store...)

Isabella pointed towards the underwear section with a devious, smug smile. ”Osamu, look! Maybe I can find some cute lace panties for our next movie night, huh?"

"You already bought like eighty pairs of them at the last store!"

(And then the donut place...)

"Osamu! You won't judge me if I eat a dozen of these, right?"

"Have some self-control!” Osamu chided.

"You'll be happy if the fat goes to my butt!” pouted Isabella

"No, I'd still scold you for being a shameless glutton!" Osamu said, resisting the stimulating mental image of Isabella's plump rump.

(Shopping really isn't my element, but, I wonder how it will go today with Izanami. She seems responsible enough. Well, guess I'll get out of bed and see.)

Osamu’s eyes peeled open and met the morning light. He sat up in bed, looking to his right to see Isabella just barely waking up next to him.

(Ah, I almost forgot. Isabella sleeps in here now since Yoko lost the race.)

"You up, Osamu?" Isabella whispered in a tired voice, her eyes still shut in exhaustion.

"Yeah. I'll go see if Izanami is up and we'll go find something for Aika. You uhh...you aren't getting up?"

Isabella shook her head of messy, blonde hair. ”I would, but...."

“What?" Osamu asked.

“I’ve got a really bad tummy ache and my body is so sore! I can't move an inch!"

(Yep, that tends to happen when you work out too hard. Lesson learned, huh Izzy?)

"Serves you right, loser. That's what you get for speeding up my treadmill and slamming me into the wall!” Osamu chuckled.

"It's not my fault you've got the leg strength of a six year old girl!" Isabella hissed.

"Whatever."

Osamu peeled out of bed and stretched his limbs, yawning as he did so.

"Just take it easy today, all right Izzy?" Osamu said with a smile.

"You don't have to tell me twice. Have a good day with Izanami."

The sound of water pouring out of the kitchen faucet nearly drowned out the clicks and clangs of plates and pots as Osamu ventured out from the bedroom. Turns out, Izanami was already up and had already eaten breakfast.

(An early bird as usual...)

"Good morning." greeted Osamu.

Izanami turned around and smiled at him, the sun hitting her snow-white skin and red eyes. "Ah! Good morning Osa! Sleep well?"

“Yeah, I think I did.”

It was only now that Osamu realized what Izanami was wearing. It was a one-piece pajama with a back flap and a hood. It was also made to look like whoever was wearing it was a penguin, and the hood was the head. It even had googly eyes on it, something that was both adorably odd and oddly adorable.

(Maybe this day will be good for her! She can get a taste of fashion that won't make everyone think she's weird!)

"Hmm? Something wrong? You're just staring at me." Izanami said, as if he didn't have a good reason to stare.

"Oh no! I've just never seen those pajamas before..."

"Oh yeah! Isabella ordered those for me online! Pretty sweet, right? She said penguins are fierce animals and symbols of courage!"

(It all comes back to Isabella...)

"Oh, sorry, I didn't make you anything. Did you want breakfast?" Izanami asked.

"Oh no! That's fine. Actually, I was gonna go ahead and get dressed so we could head to the mall. It'll be fast since you already ate.” Osamu explained.

"Ah that's right! You sure though? You shouldn't start your day without eating breakfast."

"I'll be fine, I swear.” Osamu assured.

(Now that I think about it, every time I've started my day without eating breakfast first, I've always been a royal wreck. But I already said I'm fine, so I'll look stupid if I take it back.)

"I'll get dressed now.” Osamu said as he made his way back upstairs.

"I will too!” sang Izanami

And so, the two got dressed for their day out. It was bound to be another hot, unforgiving, summer day, so Osamu wore a white shirt with the Ashikaga clan crest in the center of it and a pair of light-blue jeans.

(All right. Let's get this done for Aika.)

As Osamu walked down the hall, Yoko quietly snuck out of her room, being wary of waking Aika. Osamu and Yoko whispered between each other as they walked down stairs and headed to the front door.

"You guys leaving now?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was going to let you know to lock the door when we leave.” Osamu said.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I've got spare keys for you."

When they got to the door, they saw Izanami standing there waiting for Osamu. She wore a red ribbon in the back of her hair, which was used to tie it into a half-up. She surprisingly went with something really nice and casual, wearing a long, white dress with red polka dots on it.

"Wow, you actually look normal for once. I'm impressed." Yoko complimented. Osamu was rather confused.

"How exactly did we go from samurai armor to this?” he asked in vexation.

"If you don't like it, Osamu, I can always change into something else…" Izanami pouted, nervously fiddling with her hands.

"No, that's not what I meant!”

"What he means is that you look gorgeous, Izanami. Right, Osamu?" asked Yoko, saving Osamu’s hide.

"R-really? I do?" Izanami asked with wide-eyed smile as bright as sunshine.

"Absolutely! You look stunning!" Osamu assured.

The pale goddess blushed and bowed. Yoko reached in the closet and handed Izanami a pink umbrella.

"Here. It's going to be hot today, so just in case the sun bothers you too much, you can use my umbrella. But since it's going to be a beautiful day anyway, you two should make the most of it. Don't just stop at getting Aika a gift.” Yoko instructed.

(So weird...Yoko would draw her sword at the thought of me going on a date with anyone but her. But she's been encouraging things like this lately. Maybe I'm being too paranoid. This time around, it could just be because she doesn't want us getting home too soon, so we don't run into Aika in the kitchen or something.)

"Okay! Thanks Yoko!” Izanami cheered.

"Ahem!" Yoko conspicuously shouted, clearly directing it towards Osamu.

“W-what?" Osamu recoiled.

"What do you mean 'what'? Walk the lady out like a gentleman!" she angrily nudged.

(Your expectations of me are too damn high!)

With that, Osamu took Izanami's hand and Yoko wished them off as they sauntered out the front door.

"Have a good day! Call me before you get back! I'll make sure the coast is all clear!” sang Yoko as she waved goodbye from the front door.

"All right! See ya!" Osamu called back, followed by a final salute from Izanami.

"Ba-bye!"

(Yeah...I think that's it. Everything she's doing right now is for Aika's sake. Whatever she saw, I'm surprised she cares this much about it. Maybe she's doing this because she's been down that road before. She knows, better than anyone else, what Aika is going through. She's the ideal person to handle it. I've just gotta trust her then.)

Osamu and Izanami walked together to the mall, traversing through the cozy quietness of the neighborhood and into the crowded, bustling city district. Izanami kept her umbrella over her head as the sun beat down on the city, filtering the light that came down upon her into a cool, pink shade on her face.

It was clear that people were doing double takes and looking back at Izanami as they walked by. She didn't seem to notice or mind though. She happily walked the sunny, lively streets with Osamu by her side.

(What are they looking at, exactly? Her skin? Yoko was smart to give her an umbrella that would cast its own color on her if the sun shined through it. It the best we can do to keep eyes off of her. Not like anyone would suspect she's a deity, but I know Izanami can be self-conscious sometimes...)

"Hey, Osamu?" she called out, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Yep?"

"Any idea what Aika would like? She's kind of a hard book to read."

"Yeah, that's a good question..."

"You mean you don't know?” Izanami asked in shock.

"Heh heh…nope..."

Pathetic, isn't he? Izanami puffed her cheeks in anger at Osamu.

(Is this supposed to be her angry face? She just ends up looking really cute!)

"W-w-well! I do know that Aika loves music, sweets, and cool clothes." He said with fumbled words.

"Hmmm...Okay! I'm sure we'll find her something then! We're on a mission, Osamu! We're going to give Aika the best birthday party ever!” Izanami cheered.

Izanami's innocent, infectious smile was enough to turn Osamu’s face beet red. She was always like that for as long as he could remember, always optimistic and hopeful.

(You know, Izanami. I'm really glad that we met.)

They finally arrived inside the mall. Izanami handed her umbrella over to Osamu, no longer needing it since they were indoors. The mall was large, wide, and of course, packed with shoppers. Izanami had never actually been to a mall herself, so the sight was quite breathtaking to her.

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She was fascinated by the amount of stores, the smell of food, and the volume of people that gathered in one place. A constant noise of people talking, laughing, and music playing filled their ears, like a homogenous and continuous hum.

"Wow! I've heard a lot about these places, but to actually be in one is so cool!" Izanami sang as she took in the breathtaking excitement of being in a mall.

(At least her ignorance of the modern world makes her incredibly humble)

"Well? I can imagine Aika wanting some music books. We should probably start there, on the second floor." suggested Osamu.

"All right! Lead the way!"

(Gosh, she's such a trooper.)

Osamu and the overjoyed Izanami held hands, as not to get separated from one another amidst the crowds. And even here, especially with Izanami not using her umbrella, the stares continued.

Osamu already knew why people would be staring at them, but Izanami herself didn't notice. She was too busy having fun, pointing out the direction of certain stores that might be good for a gift. The tension only made Osamu grip her hand tighter, as if to protect her from their insensitive gazes.

They got into the book store and immediately went up to music section. Izanami was on her knees looking through the various kinds of books, searching for the most informative and comprehensive work she could find.

"Let's see...Aika likes Jazz and Classical...ah! I found a good Jazz book, Osa! It's got chord charts, samples, and everything! It's pretty cheap too!"

"Great work! Now to just find something for Classical.” Osamu said.

Osamu stumbled upon a classical guitar book with a collage of classical artists on it, including Sebastian Bach, one of Aika's favorite composers.

(This is perfect. She never did finish learning Bouree in E Minor. I'm sure she'll love to continue.)

"Found it. Let's get this and be—"

Osamu's stomach growled louder than he talked, stealing an amused chuckle from Izanami.

(Great work genius! You knew this would happen and you still tried to play The Cool Guy! Damn it! Now I look stupid!)

Izanami wagged her finger as if she were scolding a child. "Hey, Osa, I think your tummy is mad at you! If only you had eaten breakfast, right? Tsk tsk tsk. I always thought you were a smarter man than this."

"Believe me, I'm mad at myself too..." Osamu shamefully conceded.

(Idiot, idiot idiot, idiot!)

"Let's get some food, Osa! They have a food court right across from here!"

"Yeah, I think that's a smart idea."

"Oh really? Only now do you think that’s a good idea?” mocked Izanami.

(Don't make fun of me, I'm already suffering over here.)

After picking out the best books, Osamu and Izanami made their purchase and carried them out in a plastic store bag. Izanami suddenly took charge and led the way to the food court, the aroma oozing out of the different stores leading her by the nose. The whole way there, those ghastly stares greeted them again, and yet, Izanami didn't seem to notice.

(What the hell is wrong with people? I guess they can't help it if they see a girl as pale as Izanami...but still, how rude...)

Izanami and Osamu stood in front of Sakura's Sushi, running their eyes up and down the menu.

"Hmmm...what do you want, Osa?” Izanami asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Well I don't know either. I was just gonna have whatever you thought of having."

"All right, how about we order one item and share it?” suggested Osamu.

Izanami blushed once she heard the word ‘share’. She couldn't even look at Osamu anymore.

(What? Don't tell me she's too shy to share a meal with me.)

"T-that sounds perfect!" she concurred with giddy tone.

Izanami looked at Osamu once more and flashed her pearly white smile of sunshine.

(I might die from just how cute she is...)

They ordered one tray of sushi and took it back with them to one of the nearby tables. They snapped apart their chopsticks and dug right in.

"Thank you for the food." prayed Osamu, followed by Izanami.

"Thank me for the food!”

"So, we got the books. What else did you say she liked?" asked Izanami, right before she snapped her fingers in remembrance. "Oh, that's right! Sweets! We should totally get her some donuts!"

"'Totally'? That's not like you. Since when did such a phrase get into Izanami's lexicon?” Osamu scolded. “And besides, we shouldn't buy her food a week ahead of her birthday."

“Well, excuuuse me! I was just trying to blend in with my boyfriend!” Izanami jested, realizing she had just referred to Osamu as. “I mean…Sorry.”

"Huh? Don't worry about it. I don't blame you, since–you know–we are technically on a date right now."

Izanami's face turned as red as blood from that statement and nervously fidgeted with her pale, slender fingers.

"Dummy, we're here to get Aika her gifts!" she cried in embarrassment.

"Yeah, but Yoko also told us to make full use of the day! So, technically, you and I are on a date!"

Izanami covered her mouth. "Does that mean we're gonna kiss and have babies?!"

"Totally. I want seventy of them, okay?” joked Osamu.

"Seventy?! Why so many?! I-I'm not ready for that many children and my boobs aren't big enough for breast-feeding!” Izanami cried in rapid-fire fashion.

Osamu broke out in hearty laughter and Izanami puffed her cheeks in a pout.

"Relax Izanami, I was just kidding. Oh, you gonna eat that last roll?"

"You can have it." Izanami permitted.

”Thank you!"

Osamu met Izanami's eyes as she rested her head against her upright hand, her black eyes staring longingly into his. It was like she was watching every little move he made, every slight smile, every occasional blink, and falling in love with it all.

(I think Izanami really did get cuter. Looking at her now honestly has my heart in a pinch...)

Realizing she had been gazing at him the entire time, Izanami fixed her posture and cleared her throat as Osamu finished eating.

“Let's get going to the next store.” Osamu suggested.

“Sure!" she cheered.

Next up, they went and bought Aika plenty of graphic shirts with music-related designs, as well as a new leather jacket, beaded bracelets, and necklaces. It got much easier to pick things up when they were focused on apparel. They could just look at an item of clothing and envision Aika sporting it. For Izanami, it also felt like a chance to get to know Aika better. But, again, all throughout the store, people kept staring at Izanami.

The space was so tight that it was impossible for Izanami not to notice. This time, she just ignored it. With the second store cleared, Osamu decided to spend the rest of the money he had on Izanami, but wasn't quite sure what to get her. They walked hand-in-hand through the mall, each carrying a bag of Aika's gifts.

(It's a stupid thing to do, but perhaps I should ask her...)

"Hey, Izanami? I was thinking of getting you something too, but I don't know what kind of gift you'd like."

"A gift for me? Oh, no no no! Please, save your money! I don't need any gifts!"

"Are you sure?" Osamu asked, his eyebrows curved upwards in worry.

"Yep! I'm fine just like this. This day has been pretty wonderful so far." she replied with love in her tone and joy in her smile.

As they walked, Izanami saw a sample stand. Apparently, they wanted people to try out their new pretzel, dashed with sea salt and glazed with honey mustard.

"Ooo! I'm sorry Osa, can I go try the pretzels?"

"Of course you can. I'll wait here."

Izanami gleefully skipped over to the pretzel stand and approached the confectioner with a cheeky smile. "Good day to you, ma'am! I'd like to try out one of your pretzels, if I may!"

The woman initially looked at Izanami with a repulsed and fearful expression. She collected herself and handed a cup of pretzel sticks to her, her hand shaking as she reached out.

"S-sure! Go ahead and have some…” the confectioner said, feigning a jovial tone.

Izanami bowed, always minding her manners.

As Osamu sat and watched Izanami indulge herself in the delight of the pretzels, his ears caught the chatter of people behind him Women, men, and children talking about her pale skin, how she looks like a corpse.

"Is she sick or something? She looks like she's dead..." Whispered one teen to his date.

"Did you see her eyes? What's with her?” she asked.

Whispers from strangers, all crawling around Izanami like flesh-eating insects.

(This can't be good...how could they talk about her behind her back? I need to say something.)

"Hey, excuse me, but it's incredibly rude to point out people's appearances. You'd best shut up and go about your day." Osamu sternly stated.

The couple walked away, but onlookers still remained. Izanami finished her pretzels and dumped the cup into the garbage, but her movements seemed a lot less energized now. She walked back to Osamu with a smile that even he knew was fake.

"I'm done now. Sorry for keeping you, Osa. Let's go." she said with exhausted breath.

And so, they continued walking through the mall together once more, making one last sweep through the stores to make sure they didn't miss anything Aika would've liked.

"Hey, Osamu?"

"What is it?"

"I'm...I'm not embarrassing you, right?"

(Oh no...I was so stupid. Of course she could hear what people say about her. Yet, this whole time, she was smiling...)

"I've pretended to brush it all off today, but I can hear them all talking about me...and you too. You can go home if you want. I don't want people thinking ill of you just because you're hanging out with me.”

"I'm not going anywhere." Osamu reassured. "I'm on a date with Izanami and no amount of rude stares or remarks are going to make me any less happy than I am right now. All right? Don't think so lowly of yourself."

"You're right..." Izanami said, her head bowed.

Time just seems to burn away when you're in a mall. The sun was already hanging low in the sky, hanging just above the horizon. Deciding to wrap up the day, Osamu and Izanami left with their bags. On the way out, Izanami accidentally bumped into a child who was running off on his own, knocking him down to the ground. She bent down and reached her hand out to help the little boy.

"I'm so sorry! Are you lost? You shouldn't be running around such a huge place without your parents around!" she said.

The little boy was terrified of Izanami, refusing to take her hand. He ran away, back into the arms of his mother, who gave a snide stare before walking off with her son. Izanami hung her head as Osamu tried to find a good string of words to say.

"Well...you know how kids are. They're adventurous, but they're always terrified of the things they find. You okay, Izanami?”

Osamu could only see both her hands move to cover her face. With a closer listen, he could hear Izanami faintly crying.

"I'm sorry, Osa..."

Before he could say anything, Izanami disappeared into a vortex, wanting to be alone after the barrage of ridicule today.

(Damn it! Where did she go?!)

Osamu's first instinct was to call Yoko. He held both bags with one hand so he could reach the phone. Yoko picked up almost immediately.

"What's up? You coming home yet?” Yoko asked.

"No, not yet! Listen, Izanami...she just did that thing with the vortex! Did she go home? Is she there?"

Yoko looked around and saw no sign of her. "No, she isn't here. What happened? Why did she just disappear?"

"Because people kept talking about her behind her back. I think the straw that broke her back was when she tried to help a kid who fell, but she ended up scaring the little guy."

"Oh no...do you want me to look around? I'll search the neighborhood for her!"

"Yes please! I'll be in the area shortly."

"All right!"

The call was ended, leaving Osamu to stand by the entrance of the mall.

(It's always been this way, hasn't it? Nobody ever accepted her when they saw her. Makes you wonder if she stayed away from this world because she preferred to reside in the world of the dead...or if being here among the living was too painful for her. Either way, I've got to look for her. That house wouldn't be a home if one of us was missing from it!)

Osamu ran all around the neighborhood searching for Izanami, as did Yoko. They both ran around for what seemed like hours. Osamu stopped when he came across a flower shop that was just about to close its doors. With all of the roses, hydrangea, and azaleas on display, blooming in the light of the setting sun, he couldn’t help but think of his beloved Izanami.

(Izanami...I know you didn't want one, but I'm going to get you something nice.)

Unsure of where to go, Izanami sat in the abandoned bowling alley, crying so hard she couldn't stand up. She sat on the bleachers settled in front of the column of stained glass windows, the sunlight piercing through them as radiant shafts of color. The sound of footsteps and crunching glass in the hallway startled her. Osamu stepped into the room, knocking around the bowling balls on the ground in his clumsiness.

"Damn it...you're here!" he managed to wheeze out from his labored breath.

Izanami tucked her head into her lap. ”Please leave me alone."

Osamu took out his phone, sending a text message to let Yoko know that he found her in the bowling alley. He defiantly stepped closer to Izanami.

"My entire life, people have talked to me like I'm less than nothing. At the same time, I have to help those people when it's their time to leave this world.” Izanami said. “It hurts...being judged for things you can't change about yourself. Even Yoko called me Corpse when I first saw you again. I wouldn't mind it so much today if it was just about me, but I ended up dragging you down too. I'm sorry, Osamu."

(She smiles so often, you forget how painful it actually is to be her...)

Osamu sat besides Izanami, aligning her hand with his own. He held them up together, forcing Izanami to take a long, hard look at the differences between them.

“Nothing would ever make me ashamed of being with you, Izanami. If the whole world was against you, I’d remain by your side. I owe you my life, after all.”

“Your life?” she asked.

Osamu giggled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “Don’t make me say it.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Osamu nodded, his smile wilting into a frown. “Yeah. Alive or dead, human or goddess, it doesn’t matter. You mean the world to me. If you think a few nasty remarks or stares are going to tear us apart, you don’t know who I am. I’m Osamu Ashikaga, a man whose life was saved by a goddess of death. And she’s the cutest little birdie I ever did see!”

Izanami slapped away Osamu’s hand as he tried to pinch her cheek, her tears turning into a fit of laughter. “Osa, stop it!”

“Stop it? How can I when you have the cutest dimples in the world? Let me touch them!”

“No! My dimples are mine!”

When her tears dried and her usual, cheerful smile returned to her blessed face, Osamu sighed in relief. He got up from the bleachers and walked back towards the entrance, picking up the gift he had hidden behind the wall.

“I never gave you anything before I left, despite everything you did for me. So, please, accept this.” Osamu said, returning with his hands behind his back.

He revealed a bouquet of stargazer lilies, their white petals bearing a deep shade of reddish pink in the center. Izanami grabbed hold of it, shocked that Osamu bought her something despite her earlier protests.

"I know, I'm four years late. Better late than never, right?" he jokingly asked.

Osamu stood up and reached his hand out to Izanami, smiling upon her. "Let's go home, beautiful. There are people who love you waiting for your return. You even got Yoko running all around the neighborhood looking for you!"

Izanami grabbed onto Osamu's hand, laughing at the idea of Yoko caring enough to find someone else when they're missing.

"You're right. Let's go home!"

They departed the bowling alley and made their way back to Yoko's house. She was waiting for them on the sidewalk, wearing a hoodie and black yoga pants. When she saw Izanami holding flowers, she knew that Osamu had saved the day.

"My, my! Don't you look happy?" Yoko teased.

Izanami's radiant smile was even further proof of Osamu's work. "Yeah! All thanks to Osa!"

"Oh! These are the gifts." Osamu said.

Yoko took the bags from him. "Good. I can take these to the back and keep them stashed until the day arrives. Aika still doesn't know what's coming. You guys go on inside, you look beat."

Izanami bowed. "Thank you, Yoko." she said.

They both walked back inside and left their shoes by the door. There was a certain joy of being able to kick off your shoes after a long, eventful day, especially when that day was spent with the adorable Izanami. Osamu sat at the counter as Izanami prepared dinner, relieved that everything had gone well in the end.

"Did you have a good day?” He asked.

"I sure did! Thank you, Osamu. I love you."

Osamu looked around, making sure none of the other girls were around. "I love you too...don't tell anyone I said that!"

Izanami snickered with glee. "Don't worry, it will be our little secret!"

(Good. I'm glad the day turned out all right for her.)

And then came Isabella, energizing the room with her usual greeting and exuberant personality.

"Oh baby, I'm starving! What's for dinner tonight?" she cheerfully questioned.

"Maybe you should go and help out instead of acting like that." Aika suggested with a vexed expression.

Having secretly stashed the gifts away, Yoko returned inside through the back door, joining everyone in the kitchen.

"Hey guys! I'm making grilled salmon tonight!" Izanami proudly declared.

"Perfect! I'll help you out!” volunteered Isabella.

Aika and Yoko sat down with Osamu as the sky grew dark once more and laughter filled the kitchen.

(All of them are like the ingredients we find in our kitchens. Spicy, sweet, sour, and salty. I think this house would be a lot less colorful if any of them were missing. Perhaps they realize that too.)

And so, the moon rose over Yoko's house, a beautiful, golden crescent acting as the crown jewel of the night sky. Yet another day had passed, one that was beautiful, one that brought everyone together in the end.

End of Day 12