"Mikoooo-Channn!" He waltzed into the room, singing her name. Stunned by his loud voice, he noticed that she was deep asleep. He scuffed at her and smiled in relief as his favorite person was okay.
"Thank goodness you're okay, or if you were to be hurt seriously, I would've killed Hachiman."
Noticing that her blanket was cricket, he kneeled and fixed it. He wasn't in love with her. As a fact, he knew nothing of relationships. But his deep care for her was enough for him to die protecting her.
Hakai stood up and turned around to feel a sudden tug on the new hoodie he took from Hachiman.
"Hmm?" He turned around, confused, to see that it was Miko who stretched her arm out to stop him.
She laid back down, realizing that he had noticed her.
"How are you feeling?" He kneeled.
"Better, and you?" She blushed, trying to create small talk.
"As you see, I'm as healthy as ever!" He flexed his left bicep and smacked it several times with his right hand.
Miko chuckled, also relieved to see him the same.
"I was wondering..." She stopped her sentence.
"Hmm?" He grunted while placing his hands on his thighs.
"Are you going anywhere?" She asked, wondering if he was to leave the plain anytime soon. Working up her courage to tell him her feelings, she planned a confession in Hachiman's backyard. Just imagining the scene caused her to blush and place her hands over her face. "Ahh!" Her head went up in smoke as she kept thinking about it.
"Hmm, well, It's wrong of me to go against the vote of Hachiman's followers." He smiled, scratching the back of his head with a slight awkward chuckle.
"You initiated that vote. Why?" She asked him, trying to learn more about him.
"Haa, well. When I used to reside with Amaterasu, her followers disliked me. So at any opportunity, the guards and people would condemn me and attack me with rocks and objects." He said, looking down at the floor.
"When I still was a young god, I was oblivious to why they hated me. Yet, I accepted their judgment full-heartedly." He smiled. "So much to that... One day, a crowd formed at the shrine and began to riot against my stay. Realizing I was the problem, as told by a nearby guard, I headed outside to deescalate the situation, but my presence only added fuel to the fire."
"They were armed with torches and whatever they could land their hands on. Upset about my stay, they wanted a revolution. A new Amaterasu, one that would kick me out of the plain and create a sense of peace within every inhabitant's heart." He explained further in detail. "When Amaterasu returned from a mission, she came, appeared before the crowd, and delivered her verdict. Their weapons fell to the ground in fear, and their hearts trembled over her words. I can't recall what she said, but she seemed disappointed, even sad."
"I didn't like seeing her sad. It made me upset, and I wanted to cheer her up. So, I stepped in front of the crowd and proposed a vote had to be made about my stay. Believing that I could win their hearts, Amaterasu had faith in me, but it turned out to be the opposite. Only three percent voted for me to remain, and the rest wanted me to leave the instant the count of votes finalized." His eyes teared up as he remembered the shock that ate over the face of Amaterasu.
"A God has to fulfill the wishes of the people. That is something Amaterasu taught me. So, although the people made the wish for me to leave, Amaterasu didn't want to meet it, and I stepped in to remind her that it was our duty to do so."
"I..." Miko remained speechless, finally learning about his obsession over the vote against his stay.
"Don't worry, that was long ago. I was brought here by Hachiman but also voted out by the people. I also was the one who brought on that verdict." He giggled, wiping the specs of tears away. "The count this time wasn't as bad. I had thirty-seven percent in my favor." His eyes closed, softly laughing.
"It must've been rough on you." Her forehead creased. "Seeing that many people against you must've torn you apart."
"Haa." Hakai gasped.
His eyebrows rose, smiling. "It's all fine. I chose for it to be like this." He stood up and looked her down. "Please, rest well. We'll talk later." He raked his fingers through his hair while walking away. Even the usual dunce can be quite appealing at times.
"Hmm." She grunted while tears streamed down her face.