(Last night was my first night back in Kyoto. Despite all the trouble I got into in just that one night, it really did make me feel like home. Maybe I should take some time to get settled in, since Isabella called an airstrike on my house! Yeah, I guess that sounds all right. Okay, Osamu. Time to get up, big boy.)

Osamu woke up alone in Yoko's bed, his head throbbing from the events of the night before. The cool, morning sun radiated through Yoko's silky, red curtains, converting its light into a dreamy, crimson aura that gently veiled everything in the room.

(All things considered, Yoko's bed is really comfortable. I actually slept like a log, despite being molested. Allegedly.)

"Yoko? You out there?"

Osamu opened the door and ventured out of the room. Only now did he realize how large Yoko's house was. It was certainly better than the little house he had...before it was blown up. He proceeded downstairs, fluffing out his frizzy bed hair, and landed right into the kitchen, where he could see Yoko preparing a meal. She kept her hair tied and wore her shirt from last night over a pair of black panties.

"Umm, good morning.” Osamu uttered.

Yoko smiled and turned her head around. "Good morning, Osa! Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did actually. I...don't really remember you living in a house like this when we first went out..."

"Yeah, well, a lot of things change in four years, right? My father passed away while you were gone, and he left my mother and I a lump sum of money.” Yoko explained, turning away from Osamu.

"He passed?! I knew he was sick, but...I thought…" Osamu stopped, struggling to find the words to say.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I've already cried like a baby over it. I'm old enough to take care of myself, so my mother and I went our separate ways after Dad died. Last I heard, she moved somewhere in Hokkaido."

"Well, at least it's nice and peaceful there.” Osamu said, trying to to find some silver lining in the situation.

(I can't believe Yoko went through all of that after I left. Damn it, I should've at least said goodbye...)

Yoko released a refreshing sigh as she changed the topic. ”Did you want some food? I've got some cold somen here.”

"Really? I'd love to, but I should really get going..."

Yoko's eye twitched as a sharp chill traveled from her spine to her wrist. "Going?!"

Her facade of politesse instantly shattered as her uncontrollable, wild anger possessed her. Yoko threw her knife just past Osamu's cheek, striking it into the wall behind him.

(Holy crap, is she strong!)

Yoko grumbled like an irate demon. ”Osamu...it is rude to refuse something your host wants to give you. It is especially rude to excuse yourself out of their home so carelessly. Where did your respect go?"

"Whoops, you're right, Yoko! My bad! I was being stupid, yeah! You have my sincerest apologies! Please forgive me!"

"Just so you know, Osa, the only way you will ever leave this place is with me. Either we go on dates, or our bloodied bodies are collected and bagged by a crime scene clean up crew!"

Yoko then cheerfully smiled at Osamu, her voice brightening with the joy of love and companionship. ”Food's ready darling!"

(I can't believe how quickly her personality changes...)

Osamu and Yoko sat together as the kitchen's center counter that doubled as a sort of dinner table, the former on the verge of soiling his pants.

"Thank you for this meal." Yoko prayed first, followed by Osamu.

"Thank you for this meal."

Osamu dug into the cold somen, served with an ice cube. It was a perfect dish for the summer heat, and not surprisingly, it tasted really good.

(I should've known. If she's been living by herself this whole time, her cooking is bound to be good. She really has changed since then.)

Yoko let down her hair and smiled at Osamu. "Is it good? I made it with all of my love for you."

"I-I-It's really good! As expected of someone as independent as you!" he said, knowing what would happen if he dared to give her an answer that wouldn't impress her.

"Really?! Yes! I'm so happy! Let me know if you want seconds!"

(Ah, the sun is so bright today. The sun looks so beautiful on her face. Especially that red dot. Wait, red dot!?)

As those two lovebirds ate their breakfast together, a vengeful Isabella laid down on a nearby rooftop, armed with a hot-pink Dragunov sniper rifle fitted with a laser sight attachment to its side, and stabilized with a bipod. Happiness, for her, was a warm gun. It was fair to say that Osamu was sweating bullets.

"Uhh, Yoko!” Osamu called out, frantically shooting out of his chair.

Yoko remained oblivious to the laser sight trained on her temple. ”Yes, love?"

"Let's take a bath together!"

(Of all things, why the hell did I just say that?!)

"A bath? Okay, can it wait until we're done eating?"

(No good! If I don't hurry, Yoko will get shot!)

Osamu tackled Yoko onto the ground just before Isabella pulled the trigger and shattered the window with her shot. Yoko immediately knew that it was that accursed, blonde, snivelling, little harlot known as Isabella that threatened to ruin her morning with the love of her life.

"It's her again!” Yoko screamed, realizing why Osamu was acting weird. “That bitch! Trying to kill me in a bowling alley is one thing, but damaging private property is a whole different kind of offense, especially when my husband is with me!"

(Is there some sort of marriage form I filled out while I was unconscious?)

Isabella bit her lip in frustration as she readjusted her scope. "Damn it! Why are you protecting her?"

Yoko aimed her sapphire eyes at the broken window, formulating a plan of action. ”Osa, thank you for protecting me, but I need you to move."

"What the hell are you going to do?” Osamu asked, terrified of letting her go.

"I'm going to grab my weapons, and then I'm going to cut her legs and arms off. After that, I'll sew up the wounds to stop the bleeding and leave only a little opening in the sutures so I can hang her from my ceiling and laugh at her as she slowly dies from hunger, dehydration, or infection! Then I'll feed her corpse to the vultures!"

Osamu tightened his grip on her arms withstanding her verbal barrage of "Absolutely none of that is happening!"

(I've got to stop this!)

"Wait here!” Osamu shouted as he sprang into action.

“Osamu!" Yoko yelled, failing to keep a hold on him before he bolted off.

Osamu ran through the house and barged out the front door, hoping to find Isabella perched on one of the rooftops. As soon as he stepped out, a loud, explosive bang pieced his eardrums like daggers, bringing him face-down on the sidewalk.

(I don't understand...what is this?! Why did I suddenly fall?)

Osamu guided his trembling hand to his stomach, realizing he was bleeding through a bullet wound above his belly button.

(Oh god, no! Please no! I can't die like this! Damn it, Izzy!)

"Damn! I thought Yoko would be the one to step out!” Izzy cursed to herself.

(Izzy, you idiot! Don't you check your targets before you pull the trigger?!)

Yoko stood at the front door, petrified by the sight of her dying darling boo. “Osamu!”

Before Yoko could get to him, Izanami abruptly appeared out of a vortex in front of Osamu, immediately rushing to his side. Her beautiful, white kimono, adorned with cherry blossom patterns on the back, wrinkled and folded as she knelt by his side.

(Izanami? How did she..)

"Osamu! What happened?! I suddenly felt your life start to drain!” Izanami explained with distraught breath.

"You can feel that?!” he asked.

"Of course I can! I'm the goddess of death! Hang on, I’ll fix you up!”

Izanami held the heavily bleeding Osamu up and pressed her lips against his. The sight of their locked lips caused both Yoko and Isabella to stop in their tracks, frozen in awe and boiling anger.

(The bleeding ceased...and I can't feel pain anymore!)

Osamu was able to stand by himself. The hole through his shirt revealed a small part of his abdomen that was covered in dry blood, but the wound was perfectly healed.

"I.Za.Na.Mi!"Yoko groaned, gnashing her teeth.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Izanami recoiled, slightly incensed by being seen as the villain here. ”What? I just saved his life! It's Isabella that almost killed him!”

Yoko stepped outside and stared at Isabella from the front of the house. She stood frozen on the nearby rooftop, blushing and crying as she hugged her hot pink Dragunov like a child.

Yoko sighed, showing her rare bouts of rational thought. “For once, I actually agree with you."

And so, the afternoon came. Yoko and Izanami brought Isabella into the house, where she bowed as they scolded her. Osamu had just taken a shower and had to wear one of Yoko's shirts. Streaks of orange sunlight splashed through the opened blinds of the house, shimmering on the reflective tile in the kitchen like glowing puddles of molten gold.

Izanami scolded Izzy like a disappointed mother. "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I'm sorry! I thought it was you, Yoko!” Isabella cried.

Yoko's eye twitched in anger. "It would be a real shame if you were to never come out of this house alive! Maybe we should start by ripping off your fingernails and plying out your teeth! Would you like that?! Maybe my crawlspace would make a nice grave for you!"

"Y-you wouldn't!" Isabella said, reassuring herself more than anyone else.

Yoko suddenly grabbed Isabella by her cheeks and kissed her deeply and profoundly, as if the two were in love. The seemingly random move left Izanami speechless, and Isabella feeling utterly violated.

"W-w-what the hell was that?!” Isabella stammered, flustered.

Yoko gleefully elaborated. ”I can tell exactly what kind of person someone is by kissing them. Isabella Bailey, born in the state of California, loves sushi and hates veggie pizza, has a collection of Yaoi manga under her bed, prefers Maybelline to Covergirl, wears frilly panties just for the fun of it, perfectly memorized Hiragana and Katakana but still has no idea what kanji Osamu uses for his name, eighteen years, four months, twenty-eight days, seventeen hours, and four minutes old, always breaks the yolk when she tries to make fried eggs, scared of insects, has a tough exterior but is really a dimwitted fool who uses too much force and realizes it too late, excellent at mathematics, especially in polynomials and complex equations, and dries with pink towels after taking a shower!"

Izanami broke into soft, impressed applause. "A-amazing! You can seriously do that?"

"Well? Did I get that right?” Yoko smugly asked.

Isabella shook her head side to side. ”This is so embarrassing! Just kill me already!"

"Not until you apologize to Osamu!" Izanami sharply demanded.

(I thought I heard noise downstairs. Turns out they invited her in so she can apologize. Lo and behold, Isabella now bows before me.)

"Osamu! I'm so sorry for sniping you in the stomach and calling an airstrike on your house! Just so you know, I had also arranged for a SEAL team to conduct an operation to kidnap you, but I cancelled that as well!"

"Stop using your connections to burn down the order of this country!" replied Osamu with righteous fury.

Izanami, being the kindred spirit she was, decided to be the voice of lenience. "Please, as much as she's done, go easy on her. I can tell that she really does feel remorse for her actions."

"Fine. I forgive you, Isabella.” Osamu bitterly mumbled.

"Now that you've apologized, you can go home." Yoko said, hoping to catch some alone time with her darling.

Izzy nervously chuckled as she scratched the back of her blonde head.”Hah....about that. See, I spent a lot more money than I should have on those military services, so..."

"You racked up a large debt and now your life is in danger because you owe vicious mercenary groups money?” Yoko swiftly concluded.

Seen through like cellophane, Izzy admitted to it. “Haha…yep..."

"Yeah. Get out.” Yoko dryly commanded.

"You can't just kick me out on the street like a cat you don't want anymore!” Isabella cried with real tears.

"Of course I can. It's my house. Unless you'd be willing to lend me your spine to make a nice necklace out of, you have no value in this household. "

Izanami once again chimed in as the voice of lenience. “Now now, Yoko. I know Isabella has done some horrible deeds today, but it's not right to turn away someone without a home. Besides, this could be an opportunity for her to pay back what she caused in damages."

Yoko crossed her arms, pondering over a more merciful end to all of this. “Hmm….Well, you did shoot my husband, and you also broke a window. Letting you go now would just be letting you off the hook...fine. You can stay here. But if you don't want to die, you will wash my back every time I bathe, you will handle the dishes and most of the housework, and for every time you so much as glance at Osamu...I will kill you. Slowly. With a spoon."

Isabella, badly needing to lay low, accepted the terms. “F-fine…”

Yoko hid half of her sinister grin behind her hand. ”Oh, really? That's fine to you? My, my, don't tell me you like to be abused."

"That's not true! I was just agreeing to the conditions, you witch!”

(Actually, as her ex, I can tell you personally that it really is true. Isabella may be a brash girl, but that sense of power is really only due to the fact that her father is influential. Take that away, and she's just like most other girls.)

Clearly, the girls needed work on their diplomacy skills, so Osamu stepped in and resolved the issue. “Isabella, there are dishes to wash from the meal Yoko made earlier. You should go ahead and do them."

You could almost hear the faint splash of a water droplet as Yoko's face blushed and her eyes widened. "Osamu! That's so manly of you, telling a woman to piss off and do the dishes!"

"O-okay! If you say so, Osa!” Isabella cheered. She went right to work, leaving Osamu in the room with Yoko and Izanami.

"Izanami, there's something I want to ask you. In private." Osamu said with a grounded tone.

"I'm not included?" Yoko sulked.

Osamu sighed. “Sorry, Yoko. Just wait outside for a bit."

"Fine. Only because I love you. Don't touch him while I'm gone, Corpse.”

"No promises." said Izanami with a rather innocent smile.

(I see that rivalry isn't going away any time soon...)

Yoko left the room and shut the door.

Izanami curiously tilted her head to the side. ”What is it?"

"I came back to Kyoto because there was someone I wanted to see.” Osamu responded bluntly.

"Hmm? Who?"

Osamu rubbed his hands together, trying to stifle the cold chill spreading through them. “Aika’s mom passed away shortly before I left, but I didn’t get to console her about it. I originally came here because I wanted to visit her grave and give my condolences to Aika. Maybe, I thought, we could even be friends again. But then, I also learned that Yoko's father passed away after I left. I really did leave at a horrible time, didn't I? And I'm sure that you were lonely because of my absence. No offense, but it's not like you can just walk into any public establishment and be friends with anyone."

"No offense taken.” Izanami assured, waving off his worries. “If there's one thing that hasn't changed about you, it's that you're too sweet for your own good. You came all this way just to visit some graves and console a past love. That's noble, Osa."

A relieved sigh escaped Osamu's lips. “Thanks. I really needed that after the crazy things I've been through already."

Though Izanami looked like a dead girl, she still had an absolutely precious smile, one that made roses bloom in Osamu's chest.

"Ah, I see why you told me this. You want me to point you to the grave?” Izanami asked with a spirited grin.

"Yeah, if you can do that for me, that would be great. You are the goddess of death and creation after all. It's getting late, so let's go out tomorrow and get it done. Is that okay?”

"Works for me Osa!" she cheerfully replied.

"I appreciate it. You know, I really missed you too, Izanami. I'm sorry for just leaving so suddenly, especially after everything you did for me. I could never find the words to properly thank you for what you did."

Osamu's chest tightened as he could feel tears gathering in his eyes. Just thinking about his nights with Izanami before he left Kyoto brought forth an overwhelming mixture of sorrow and gratitude. His melancholic memories with Izanami conjured up the bittersweet pain of an old, sacred scar on his heart.

"You saved my life, and I thanked you by leaving you behind. I always hated myself for that. Out of everyone, I'm thankful to you the most, Izanami. I hope...I hope you can forgive me for that terrible sin."

Izanami patted Osamu's head, her soft smile holding no grudges against him. "You made the choice you felt was best for you. As someone who loves you, how can I argue against that? It's all right. You don't have to apologize."

Forgiveness was always in plentiful supply with Izanami. That alone brought Osamu immense comfort, allowing him to accept his past decisions.

(Izanami and I…I suppose you can say we share a certain agony. Her cheerful attitude always keeps my mind focused on the present, on the here and now. But sometimes, I can’t help but think of the past. Particularly, the night I met her. The memories present themselves as quick flashes, as if my mind is dipping its toes, so to speak, in the recollections of the unpleasant past. A lonesome, secluded shrine cradled by trees beneath the summer moon. A sloppily written suicide note nailed onto the torii entrance. A young woman’s corpse floating upon the shrine’s moonlit pond. It’s not something I’m quite comfortable talking about in detail. It’s a story so sacred to me that reciting it feels like a betrayal of some sort. No, maybe I’m just terrified of reliving those nights. Regardless, just know that Izanami and I have always had a strong bond. I daresay I play favorites with her from time to time…)

The sun crept below the horizon, plunging the sky in night’s darkness. The moon's light dominated the night sky as Yoko, now stuck with far more guests than she wanted, delegated sleeping arrangements to everyone. Isabella was given her own room. Osamu wanted to sleep in his own room and bed as well but...

"Sleep in your own bed? Sure, I can arrange that...if you want to wake up and find a knife plunged into your heart!" Yoko declared when the issue was brought up.

So, that was out of the question.

(Thankfully, there's no molestation this time. She's sleeping, but I really want to grab some mochi! Quietly, Osamu. Quietly!)

Osamu could be quite light on his feet, and was able to sneak out of the house by himself. The convenience store wasn't too far away. It'd be nice to grab some snacks and get a good walk in as well. He slipped on his shoes and ventured out into the neighborhood, the midnight air chilling him beneath his hoodie. However, on the way there, Osamu heard music coming from underneath the bridge built over the river.

Following the tune that caressed his ears, he stepped off of the sidewalk and walked down the slope. Beneath the bridge, he saw Aika sitting on the grass, playing the guitar. She only had her cellphone flashlight to see.

Aika was always a mystifying woman, one that was so fascinating to watch because you could never truly decipher what was going on in her head. All you could do was wonder and dream, and so, people's perception of her was based on those dreamy falsehoods, like travelers disillusioned by a siren's song.

Aika was the kind of woman that made no effort to banish those illusions or bring reality to those sweet mirages. In fact, part of her seemed to enjoy it. It walled her off from people, kept her heart shielded from just about everything. Never had those walls felt as insurmountable as now, four years after his departure, as Osamu finally approached her.

"Uhh, hey Aika.” He mumbled at an unintentionally loud volume.

Aika was startled by Osamu's appearance and set aside her guitar. "What do you want?"

"Can I sit next to you?” Osamu asked.

Aika’s brow shot up in surprise, and perhaps a bit of offense. “What if I say no?"

"I guess I won't mind. You don't have to if you don't want to."

Aika snapped her eyes away from him. “Then go away. I don't ever want to see you again. You don't get to just leave and come back as you please."

Osamu sighed. ”I understand. I came because I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for your loss. I mean, I know it's four years late, but...I just hope you'll forgive me."

"You mean her...my mother.” Aika presumed.

Osamu nodded. ”That's right."

"Why would you care? You left so easily and didn't say anything to anyone. Did you date anyone else in that time?"

Osamu’s lips opened to speak, then closed. He tried again, mustering a vague sentence that could just barely satisfy her curiosity. “I met a few girls, sure. It never quite worked out. You still play guitar?"

Aika hesitated for a moment. "Yeah."

"Get into any new genres?"

"Jazz and Classical."

"Wow, the complicated stuff, huh? How about singing?"

Aika stood up as soon as the word "singing" came out of his mouth. "Y-you know that I'm no good at singing! I'm only good on guitar, piano, and the koto."

"Okay, okay. Fair enough. But I do hope to hear you sing some day, Aika. How about it?”

"It's not like I owe you any promises.” Aika huffed.

After softening her up with small-talk, Osamu returned to the topic of sitting together. “If I can't sit with you, can I sit behind you?"

"What a stupid question. Fine...but you have to sit five meters behind me."

(What kind of command is that?)

Seeing that was the best deal he was going to get, Osamu accepted. “All right. I'll compromise."

Aika sat by the water, continuing her melancholic instrumental as Osamu sat on the grassy slope behind her. She never looked back at him, not even once. After a short while, the music came to a stop, and Aika put aside her guitar.

Osamu was unable to see that Aika had withdrawn a tightly folded piece of paper from her jacket. Slowly, with trembling hands and cloudy eyes, Aika unfolded that small piece of notebook paper, but then promptly put it away.

(She's still like that too, huh? Still hiding away whenever she's sad. I have to make everything right while I still can.)

Meanwhile, back at home, Yoko went into DEFCON 1. ”He's not here?! That sneaky little man-whore! I'll be sure to cut off his feet next time!"

End of Day 2