Welcome back everyone! It's certainly been a while. I apologize for leaving without so much as a warning but I had to take a break and focus on studying for a while. It's been a few months since I've written anything so hopefully the quality hasn't degraded too much. I did have fun writing this though so I'm optimistic about further updates. Don't worry too much about any temporary issues with Ibaraki's powers they are just that, temporary. With that, enjoy :D.
Chapter Text
When I awaken, the first thing that hits me is pain. Imagine a headache if you will; spikes of pain assaulting your head sporadically, a constant dull ache, the light piercing you as your eyes open, and when you close them the ringing in your ears jumps in intensity. Along with these symptoms a nausea so profound it feels as though your entire being is in turmoil, tearing itself apart at the seams with every slight movement.
Now take those feelings, those wonderful annoyances, and move them into your soul. That may be hard to conceptualize but think of a limb that you're aware of and can't control. An itch that you can't scratch, somehow connected to you even if you are certain it's beyond your reach.
Now take that limb, and light it on fire. Those symptoms then radiate into your body from that place, crashing into it like waves of agony through that link. Molten rods of iron being shoved into your back. Not smoothly and all at once, no, like a jig is being danced on those molten rods.
Naturally, my thoughts go toward why I feel like this. Yet even that small exertion of thought sends my stomach into my throat. I roll over, ignoring the physical agony this brings me, and manage to not make a mess of myself.
Sadly, the floor isn't as lucky.
A comforting presence approaches me and I groan, not being able to properly speak. The sounds that come in response are simultaneously too sharp and too far away for me to grasp any meaning from them. A small warm pressure ghosts over my forehead and small circles are rubbed into my back.
I go to speak but any energy I have is drained away and a yawn comes out instead. I try to fight and stay awake as my body begins to slump bonelessly but all it takes is a stray thought wondering why I'm trying to stay awake and blackness overtakes me.
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When I wake up the next time the pain has dulled a bit. It's still at a level that is closer to crippling than annoying but I've dealt with pain often in this life. I force myself upward until I'm sitting and take stock of my surroundings.
Blinking as I adjust to the dull throbbing behind my eyes, I notice I'm in my room. Frowning, since my last memory was me fighting Susanoo on the ocean, I try to call on Byakko to give me an answer. The response I get is a spike of pain and a growl in the back of my mind.
The response is enough to give me pause. The feelings transmitted through the growl tell me not to try calling him again for a while, warning me that I wouldn't like the outcome of doing so. Considering there seems to be a fairly large gap in my memory between my last one of Susanoo threatening my family and now, I decide to take heed of Byakko's warning.
My body aches as I stand up so I draw on my Ki to force my body into motion. The Ki responds to my call far more enthusiastically than I expected as my first step ends with the floor splintering under my foot. I sigh and shake my head, adjusting the flow of energy to a trickle as I continue padding across the floor. I can feel my Ki bubbling up inside me, almost angrily instead of excitedly, wanting to be released. After being pushed to my limits in my fight against Susanoo it seems my body doesn't want to be restricted again.
When I reach out to slide open my door, I overshoot my target and shove my hand through the paper barrier. I groan in exasperation and resist the sudden urge to just walk through the wall like a savage. On my second attempt I open the door with something resembling competence and slide it gently closed.
I stretch my Ki sense out to find my mother and grimace at the sudden rush of information. Another subconscious limiter seems to have been released here, considering the size of the area I can sense and the clarity have both jumped significantly. It takes a few minutes but I manage to pull my focus in, leaving just the house in my radius. The fidelity of the image I get is enough that I could navigate through the house by Ki sense alone, which while welcome, is annoying that I couldn't do this before.
Akeno and Shuten are currently being given a lesson by the Zen Master in the garden and my mother is cooking in the kitchen for a guest? Akeno's aura feels like a mixture of determination and frustration with a tinge of worry swirled in. Shuten's in contrast consists of a thin veneer of mischievousness and joy covering a pit of anger, fear, and the same worry. I'll have to address that now that I'm awake, especially since the anger and fear are directed inwards.
As I round the corner into the kitchen I smile at my mother and turn towards her guest.
I see Susanoo tip his hat at me and smirk causing a snarl to slip through my teeth. My Ki threatens to explode outwards and my muscles tense in preparation, recognizing a threat so close. Yet a single glance to where my mother stands is enough to crush any intent to attack Susanoo. It takes a major exertion of will but I'm able to swallow my rage, suppress my instinctual response, and not start a fight here.
My mother, upon hearing me snarling, turns to me and smiles, "It's good that you're up, it's been a while since you were that heavily injured. You almost had me worried there."
"I just pushed myself a little too hard. It was really nothing to worry about." I give my mother a gentle smile and a small shrug of my shoulders. I send a quick glare at Susanoo when my mother turns back to the tea she's making.
"That's a relief but you need to take care of yourself better! Unlike me, your sister has never seen you like that." Mother clicks her tongue and moves past me to set the tea down on the table. She hands Susanoo a cup which he takes with a roguish grin.
My toes dig into the floor and blood drips from my fists as I catch a slight blush on my mothers cheeks. Susanoo takes a sip of the tea and grins, "This is delicious, Asuga-chan. I might need to drop by often, if only to partake in your tea."
My eye twitches as my mother giggles behind her hand like a shy maiden. Her nose twitches and she turns to me with a frown, gaze darting to my hands. "Are you sure you're alright? Your palms are bleeding."
I cough, in embarrassment more than anything, "I'm fine, just a muscle spasm."
Susanoo snorts in amusement and wiggles his eyebrows at me mockingly but my mother manages to miss it. Either that or he somehow made it so only I would hear him and see the crude gesture. "As long as you're sure. Susanoo-sama said that he had some good news to share with you!"
He leans back slightly into a more lazy posture and he's all smiles again. "Please sit at Ibaraki-chan. We have so much to talk about."
I roll my eyes but follow his directions for now. I grin at him maliciously, my eyes narrowing into a glare at the same time. "I'm not sure what you mean, Susanoo-sama. Remind me, how did we meet?"
"Oh, that's easy! You took quite the hit to your mind so naturally you might be foggy on the details." He nods to himself, stroking his chin. "I was out on the sea, valiantly, courageously building a barrier to protect my people from the effects of Jormungandr's 'battle' with Leviathan."
My mother sighs beside me with her palm on her cheek, totally enthralled by this bullshit story. "Then, to my surprise, a foolish, ignorant but brave soul stumbled upon the battleground. In my haste to protect them I neglected to conceal my power and they fainted; unable to handle my raw presence."
"I feared the worst, of course. No mortal would be able to take the full impact of my power and survive. Yet against all odds, despite your weakness, you held on!" He clenches a fist in front of himself and closes his eyes as though caught in reminiscence.
"This poor child was holding on so tenaciously to life that even I was moved! So I resolved to keep her safe and take her under my wing if she survived." I have to bite my lip to stop myself from calling him out on his bullshit.
In contrast, my mother is falling for this crap hook-line-and-sinker. I hear my mother blowing her nose into a tissue, tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes.
I can't really blame her since, while the original Ibaraki-Douji was the village's patron 'God', everyone was aware that Gods existed outside the village. Since Ibaraki-Douji's plan was to breed an army that would take his revenge, they were all taught to -not exactly worship but respect the Gods.
After all, It wouldn't accomplish any of his goals if the moment the Oni left the village they were wiped out by an angry deity.
"Then I brought her back here and met her lovely family." He winks at my mother before smirking at me. "It is a shame that you took three days to recover. If it wasn't for me being able to build a temporary avatar and have it wait here we wouldn't have been able to talk."
That at least explains why I didn't recognize him immediately. His power is nowhere near what it was when I met him out on the ocean. It's only… double mine? A depressing thought considering this is basically an empty shell composed of divinity. No more than a water clone in essence.
"There! Now you're all caught up." He leans forward and smirks, amused that I haven't tried to contradict anything he said.
Yet he knows exactly why I won't. He had the initiative with the presentation of events and could have told my mother straight out that I had my ass handed to me in a fight with him. He loses nothing by telling the truth because in the grand scheme of things, my mother's opinion of him means little. Instead, he presented a scenario in which I still look stupid but the cause of my embarrassment is an external factor that I can publically redeem myself against later. In this case, the monsters who were causing the storm. If I'm correct about that then he wishes for me to be an ally or at least a minion.
"What exactly would you like to talk about then?" I decide to move things along so I can get him out of my hair. The sooner he leaves the better.
For the first time in this conversation, his face morphs into something approaching seriousness. "Those serpents are two immensely powerful beings. Thankfully, they both hate each other and they don't 'play' often. Sometimes decades pass and if we're lucky centuries before Leviathan gets a scratch she needs itched."
"Naturally, their spawn is also immensely powerful and being draconic beings, insemination is guaranteed. In around six months Leviathan will abandon her clutch as they hatch and draconic serpents will rush towards civilization." He pauses as we take this information in. Beings that from birth are near or firmly inside ultimate-class, flooding civilization en masse...
"It used to be a major issue but with time it has become something of… a right of passage. A place where we can show off the strength of our next generation. A political statement if you will."
I can see it; instead of a rating game debut or something limited to your society, you sick your rising stars on a tide of dragons. Whoever drags back the most corpses must be the strongest, most impressive youth. A place where the young can sharpen their fangs on a real opponent in view of the whole world.
It suddenly hits me why we're discussing this, "You want me to represent you."
Susanoo laughs, "I'm debating it. You aren't bad, a bit unpolished and rough around the edges, but you have spirit."
He smirks and beckons me close for a conspiratory whisper, "A bonus is that my sister probably planned on asking you to represent her. The sky will be dark for weeks when she learns about this."
I sigh and palm my face, "So I'm a pawn in an infantile spat between deities."
"Don't think about it like that, every powerful mortal ends up caught in a divine argument eventually." He shrugs completely fine with my assessment. "Think about the opportunity this presents you!"
I stare flatly waiting to be 'enlightened' because as much as I enjoy fighting, this seems like a bad idea to get involved in.
"Ugh, mortals have become dull apparently. Luckily, I am magnanimous enough to simplify things for primitive apes like yourself." My teacup turns to powder in my hand and my other fingers twitch with a restrained urge to choke the life out of Susanoo.
He raises a finger, "You get to meet all the 'official' up and comers in multiple factions. This allows you to make allies or at the very least learn about future enemies."
A second finger joins the first, "You keep what you kill. Dragons, even if they are closer to sea serpents in this case, are incredibly valuable materials. Oni are talented blacksmiths, no? Surely you could find some use for such valuable material."
He misinterprets my thinking face as a blank look and sighs, "At the very minimum you can eat their remains. Dragons are both delicious and extremely nutritious. Dragon meat equals big muscles."
"Third, I don't enjoy being embarrassed. This should have been obvious but I won't allow someone weak to represent me." He looks at me and nods at the understanding in my expression.
Him putting his name on the line and tying it to mine means some measure of support. I doubt he plans on personally training me but he won't leave me hanging completely.
"Good, if you can understand that then there is some hope for you." I notice a fourth finger joining the rest of the set.
"Lastly, if you are going to pull the Principal Clans under your heel you will need my political support." My body stills at this utterance, not expecting him to know about that plan.
He snorts, waving his hand idly, "Please, don't insult me. It's only the mortals that don't know about that and the more minor deities. I keep tabs on my sister's pet fox, if only to not be caught unaware when my sister makes a move."
"If you represent me here and show off my discerning eye for talent, I will help you with your endeavor." He grimaces. "Even if the idea of working with my sister on something is unsavoury."
"Don't some of the Principal Clans receive blessings from you?" I ask incredulously.
He sniffs in disdain.
"Boring sycophants the lot of them. All they do is quiver in fear at outsiders. Especially those who wield a Longinus." He lets out a boisterous laugh.
"As if a normal human with a fancy trinket is enough to kill us all." I neglect to bring up that Longinus users have killed Gods in the past. In fact, one of them was from his Pantheon. He definitely already knows though and just doesn't care.
He does have a point. If a Longinus was that threatening, their wielders would be perpetually killed in infancy. If the Fallen can find a Longinus as easily as in canon, before the wielder in question even knows, others can too. Plus the moment a wielder awakens their Longinus, they will bump into someone while they try to grow stronger.
"If it weren't for them being paralyzed by fear, the biblical factions wouldn't be so entrenched in Japan." I say, trying to gauge his opinion on that topic.
He narrows his eyes at me, "You can't use nationalism on me kid, not when you don't even care about it."
I rub the back of my neck sheepishly at being caught. "I do agree that they should be fighting more though. They've all grown so soft and set in their ways. Real pity too, some real powerhouses used to come out of those clans."
"What does my daughter need to do then?" I startle, having forgotten my mother was here for a moment.
"Deal with her issues mostly. I've already corrected her reticence to use her full power; now she just needs to fix what's up here," He taps his head meaningfully before tapping his chest, "and in here."
I snort and shake my head at that. Some power of love and friendship bullshit won't help. Of course, I pay for it when my mother swats the back of my head.
"Thank you, Asuga-chan." Susanoo beams at my mother and I grumble about traitors.
"I meant your emotions and motivations kid." He tips his hat and stands up, quickly thanking my mother for the tea.
"Wait, you're going to leave it at that?" I stand up and growl that out.
He laughs as the construct begins to fade, "I'm not a child therapist, figure it out yourself. I'll be in touch if you prove yourself worthy of my attention."
"Tch, asshole." As I say that a small rain cloud forms over my head, soaking me from head to toe.
I try to call upon my flames to burn the water away but my head pounds and Byakko growls at me again. Without access to mana or intent through my soul, the best I can do is make a small barrier above my head out of Ki.
To add insult to injury, the raindrops evaporate before they hit the ground, meaning I'm the only one that has to deal with it. After about a minute of me pouting while my mother laughs, the cloud fades away.
"Quite arrogant, isn't he?" Mother huffs in amusement as she takes in my expression, which naturally is one of surprise given how she acted around him.
"You realize I have practice with people like him and appearing how they want to see me? I don't actually have any faith in that story he gave me." She rolls her eyes in exasperation a wry grin tugging at her lips.
"He lacks the power required to knock you out with his aura alone. I believe I know my daughter fairly well and it wouldn't be out of character for you to throw yourself into a fight with a God." I grin at her, not at all embarrassed by that assessment of my character.
"Now that Susanoo-sama has left. It's my turn to talk some sense into you." I gulp when I see the smile my mother is wearing.
It manages to be devoid of the warmth of a normal smile and full of immense disappointment without appearing overtly threatening.
How formidable.
"When we first saw the storm on the television I remember saying that you would handle any issues that come from it 'deftly and with grace'. It would seem I was incorrect." I grimace at that, understanding the viewpoint.
"I only planned to go have a look." My mother narrows her eyes further.
"A look for someone to fight, correct?" I flinch at the spot on accusation but don't attempt to deny it.
"It isn't like I have plentiful opportunities here. I can at most have an amusing spar with Fujiwara. There are no opponents I can let loose on." I've built up a head of steam now and started pacing.
"Yasaka won't fight me and she can create a spatial barrier which would prevent us from destroying Kyoto!" I growl and my Ki lashes outward crushing the table.
"I can't fight the Principal Clans either because even if I won the Gods would use that as an excuse to execute our entire race!" I pin my mother with a glare and she has the decency to look ashamed at not having thought of my motivations.
I take a calming breath and draw my Ki back inward, "What exactly do you expect me to do?"
My demand comes out sounding more like an exhausted whine. Mother sighs and pulls me into a hug. "I didn't want to have to do this. I honestly thought you would be able to meet the people of Urakyoto and pull yourself together. Sadly, things have gotten worse."
"Tomorrow you are heading back to the village." My mother nods to herself even as I gape in shock at her.
"What- No, I have so much to do here! I have people that I'm responsible for here. An entire organization to take care of!" My lips pull back and unbidden I bare my teeth. My hairs stand on end as I feel the weight of my mothers resolve threatening the life I'm trying to build here.
"You have nothing here that can't wait." My mothers aura swells and I realize she hasn't slacked off since arriving here.
It isn't as powerful as mine but it is still formidable. Enough so that it takes me by surprise.
"You have people back in the village you are responsible for." I blink, her words cutting through my thoughts.
"You have subordinates who can handle things for a while." I open my mouth to refute her but no sound comes out. I open and close my mouth wordlessly trying to come up with an argument.
"The Oni in the village have been fine long before I was born. The people here under my command were on the verge of being wiped out by biting off more than they could chew. If I leave what is stopping them from fucking up again?" I frown and cross my arms, openly showing my displeasure.
"You trained them, correct? You beat the stupid out of Kintoki-san and Yaeko-chan. The other heads of the family are all too afraid of you to try anything you wouldn't like. What could you have to worry about?" I nod along with her points, knowing she's correct but hating that she's right.
"And if the Fallen or Devils decide to start something the moment I leave? They will figure out I left." That's the real concern. I wouldn't be too upset if they destroyed the Golden Dragons in my absense but if they went after my family? I think that would truly shatter me.
"Yaeko-chan and Kintoki-san are strong enough to deal with anything that comes," She smiles at me knowingly, "Your sister and I are also more than capable."
"Besides, Yasaka-sama, Fujiwara-san, and the Tengu clan all have a vested interest in guaranteeing our safety. Go, we'll be fine." She gives me a reassuring smile and I almost groan aloud as another argument is ruthlessly crushed.
However, I still have one final gambit.
"Um, Shuten! And Akeno too. I can't just leave them alone-" Mother sighs and shakes her head. I grit my teeth, not enjoying being cut off again. Really if this was anyone else, I grumble.
"Shuten will be fine. I'll be watching her here. You've felt her aura since you've awoken, right? She's going to be too motivated -trying to get stronger- to cause problems." Part of me feels disgusted by the idea of my sister trying to get stronger to protect me but I know that's hypocritical.
"As for Akeno-chan, she's going with you." What?
"It will be good for her to make new friends. Also, since she's far better at that than you, she can help you do the same." Ouch. Not wrong but the lack of faith still hurts.
"How are you going to convince her?" My mother smirks victoriously and I sigh.
"She already has! I'm really excited to visit your home, Ibaraki-san." Akeno chirps excitedly behind me.
I love the kid like she's my own sister but at this moment I really don't like her.
"Onee-sama." I turn and see Shuten staring at me with pure determination on her face.
"I'm going to become strong, okay? So go back home for a bit and don't worry about us." Suddenly the mischief is back in her expression. "When you get back I'll be the one protecting you and you can be my minion!"
I try to stay angry but I can't fight the smile that makes its way on my face. "I'll hold you to that alright, little sis?"
She gives me a thumbs up and her centipede hisses in agreement from the neckline of her hoody. I suppress a full body shiver as I realize that insect is literally wrapped around her torso.
Foul creature. This is why you don't let kids choose their pets.
"What if I decided to go somewhere else instead?" I ask innocently.
My mother cackles maliciously and this time I can't suppress the shiver.
Scary.
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The next morning, we pack everything we'll need for the trip; clothes, some snacks, books for Akeno to continue her studies, and her staves for training. The further we travel after setting out, the more I want to turn around and go back. I know that I need to do this but I can't help myself from shying away from the task.
By the time we've left the territory of Kyoto I've asked Akeno if she'd forgotten anything a half dozen times and she's down to just groaning and rolling her eyes.
"...So… Is there anywhere you want to visit instead of my home village?" Akeno just flicks a ball of light magic at my head in response.
I sigh and prepare to continue walking when a bolt of lightning hits the ground in front of us and a funnel cloud does the same right beside it.
When the commotion dies down a red Oni surrounded by floating drums with lightning connecting them and a blue Oni carrying a giant sack over his shoulder appear. It isn't hard to guess their identities considering their unique appearances. The fact that out of all the Shinto Pantheon, I was a fairly big fan of the two in my past life makes it easier.
"Fujin, Raijin, it's nice to meet the two of you." I even bow slightly so I don't show too much excitement with my expression.
"No need to be so formal, little cousin!" Raijin laughs, his voice booming like the thunder he's famous for. Each noise rises up swiftly from his diaphragm and cracks outward, swift as a whip.
"We're here on a personal visit after all. Get to know our extended family." Fujin's voice lacks the intensity of his brothers but is filled with a boundless depth of power. A breath like a typhoon, with power that swells with each word.
"Also, your mother asked us if we would be willing to escort you back home and we had some spare time, so we thought, why not?" Akeno giggles beside me at Raijin's words and I now know why my mother was cackling yesterday. How she convinced two gods to chaperone me, I don't even want to know.
"After seeing you fight Susanoo-sama the other day we wanted to talk to ya for a bit. You seem interesting enough." Fujin finishes his statement with a shrug and a grin.
Only now does Raijin notice Akeno and his ears twitch. His lips curl back into a vicious grin as though he's heard something exciting. "Where'd you pick up the little crow? Her Thundersong is pretty lively. A bit bleak and desolate for my ears but strong and determined. Good rhythm too."
Akeno squawks in indignation at the 'crow' comment, going red in rage. I'm more interested in the rest though. "Back in Kyoto. I found some weaklings picking on her and took offence to it"
I leave the details out because it isn't really my story to tell. If Akeno wants them to know why she was on the streets she will.
"I didn't know the 'Lightning of God' had a kid. I'm assuming if she's with you someone found out and tried to prod at a weak point." Well, I guess Akeno doesn't have to say anything. To be fair it's a pretty easy conclusion to come to.
Akeno is steadily growing madder as Raijin speaks. Tendrils of lightning are coming off her and charring the ground below her.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Raijin laughs and he grabs the lightning bolt she throws at him out of the air. He stretches the bolt out and it starts to pulse rhythmically, a musical beat echoing through the air.
I listen to the song that comes from the bolt and Raijin's comment makes more sense. It's a quiet, lonely beat but it grows in intensity as it plays. Akeno is frozen in disbelief at the ease with which Raijin handled her lightning. To be fair it is the Holy Lightning that gave Barakiel his reputation but this is Raijin not just anyone.
Raijin scratches his chin and a drum slides in front of him, along with two bolts of lightning that turn into drumsticks. He nods to himself and starts to play along with the beat.
Akeno's lightning bolt sits in the air, playing its rhythm on loop but as Raijin starts to play his drum the beat begins to shift. Layers of depth are added to the quiet beat, the amplitude of the sound rises, and the pace shifts into something I can't help but bob my head to instinctively. Even more impressive, with each pulse of the beat, the intensity increases by a fold. After a minute I can feel the rhythmic pulse deep in my bones.
"Now that is a Thundersong!" Raijin grins and the bolt of lightning starts to orbit Akeno's head. Looking at Akeno now, I notice she's shaking and tears are welling up in her eyes but what stands out the most is the soft smile that she wears.
The song fades away but Akeno's smile stays as she bows to Raijin. "Thank you, Raijin-sama, I don't know how I can repay you."
"Build me a shrine in my honor and we'll call it even! Oh, and a ten meter tall statue depicting my gre-" He's cut off by Fujin punching him in the side.
"What he means to say is that repayment won't be necessary. We do what we want, especially if we get to hear some good music." I raise a brow at Akeno, silently asking if she's alright but she just shakes her head and smiles.
"Well, with that out of the way, how about you tell us about yourself while we travel, little cousin?" I open my mouth to introduce myself, when Fujin cuts me off.
"Do it in song!" My eye twitches and Akeno starts to laugh.
"I'm not singing you windbag!" Said windbag smirks and loosens the strap on the bag he's carrying. A gale rips through the clearing, punting me into the forest.
I yelp in shock as I flip head over heels. "I said 'Sing, brat'!"
I start to laugh as I run through the forest, dodging blasts of wind as I go. Occasionally, I flip backwards and stick my tongue out at Fujin. This gets a laugh out of Akeno and a playful growl from Fujin everytime.
I know he isn't trying but still, I'm having fun.
After playing around for a bit we settled down into a stable pace ambling towards the village. I told Raijin and Fujin an abridged version of my life story -not in song!- and they shared some of their exploits. Fujin talked about how he repelled the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281, though he coughed in embarrassment when Raijin ribbed him about Kamikaze attacks being named after his exploits. In return Fujin mocked him for getting trapped in a sack by Sugaru.
Akeno and I laughed when the two started butting heads and trading insults. I did have to pull her out of the way when the two caused a storm to appear. Eventually though, the two had to return to their duties and left the two of us with a standing invitation to visit them at any of their temples.
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Once they left we picked up the pace. I spent most of my time contemplating the power the two displayed so casually. There was no calling up energy, formulating spells, or focusing involved. They merely breathed and the world bent to their will. They are their power and their power is them, an immutable truth of the world.
With a calmer head now I can look back on my interactions with Susanoo and see the same truth there. That storm I fought him in on the ocean was as much his body as the flesh I fought against on the water's surface.
All this gives me ideas about how to apply my own power, as well as a new angle to view the misconceptions I previously held about my own abilities. I've been thinking about my Ki, Mana, Youki, and Intent as a confusing bundle of conflicting energy sources but is that really true?
Ki is a physical energy, certainly, but it is also spiritual no? How else can Touki alter its properties in response to the will of the wielder or even just their determination. It is thought that Ki is tainted by anger as well and that is true to an extent. Yet isn't it more true to say it is tainted by emotion and experience?
Ki doesn't only supply a physical enhancement, it can be used to transcend physical ability and natural law through pure skill. Doesn't that mean that it sympathizes with the experience of the wielder?
Youki is like Mana but relies on being a Yokai at birth to generate. The question is whether species is a physical trait or a spiritual trait. Essentially, whether the body shapes the soul or the soul shapes the body. Considering that I was a human in my past life, I would say the body shapes the soul. Otherwise, how else could I be born as an Oni?
This makes Youki a physical energy that is tainted by the mischievous and mercurial nature of Yokai. Simply put it is Ki that is more heavily reactive to the emotional component or in other words, more reactive to spiritual energy.
Mana is considered a spiritual energy, directed by the mind to achieve a result. It is thus accurate to say it is a spiritual or mental force that is directed by the body. Physical energy directs the spiritual energy and gives it purpose and direction.
Lastly, Intent is a purely spiritual energy that is altered through the direction of aspected spiritual energy. Killing Intent is spiritual energy that is tainted by bloodlust and anger. Sword Intent is spiritual energy tainted by emotions and ideals about what a sword is.
To sum everything up, I've been needlessly complicating my development. I have two energies, physical and spiritual energy, that can be combined to form more readily usable blends. All I need to worry about is expanding my reserves of both and figuring out the ideal ratios to accomplish the effects I want.
Eventually, the process will be instant and instinctual, my power and habits engraving themselves on my very being. Like the Gods I've met so far.
I'm jolted out of my thoughts when I sense a familiar Ki signature off in the distance. I feel a bit embarrassed that I forgot about the human boy I taught for a few hours.
What was his name again, Yamashiro?
No, no... Sake miko?
... something prince. Akihiko?
Er, definitely not that either…
Whatever, it'll probably come up and I want to see how he's improved anyways. "Yo, Akeno-chan! We're taking a detour, I have someone I want you to meet!"
Akeno has been flying ever since I picked up the pace because she can't keep up on foot. Thankfully, since angel flight is a magical process she isn't dead tired from exertion. If they flew with anything other than magic their wings would have to be around twenty feet long after all.
She stares down at me with distrust radiating from her. I pout at the response, "You aren't just trying to avoid going back are you? Asuga-san told me to make sure you didn't try to avoid going home."
"Ugh, no! I want you to meet my… student… ish person." Akeno crosses her arms and raises a brow, no doubt unimpressed by my description.
"I taught him how to use a sword for a bit. Nice kid." Akeno sighs and gestures for me to lead the way. I simply grin, victorious.
Although I'm starting to wonder if my mother trusts Akeno more than me…
I hone in on the Ki signature of my wayward student and build up speed. Nothing like an unexpected attack to stress test a minion.
As I start to get close I hear him panting in exertion, leaves crunching under his feet, and occasionally the sound of his sword flying out of its sheath, the steel singing as it cuts through the air. I make no effort to hide my presence or sneak, my raw speed being enough that by the time he starts to turn in my direction my claws are resting against his throat.
At the very least he started to turn towards me and draw his sword. Not bad.
I back off a bit, watching him gulp as a bead of blood runs down the hollow of his throat. "Hey kid, practicing hard I see."
It takes him a second to catch up, his mind not processing what's happening but when he does his reaction amuses me. He bows a full ninety degrees and shouts, "This disciple greets Shishou!"
I cough to hide my amusement stroking my chin and nodding sagely. "Hm, good. You haven't forgotten your respect since I left."
My ears prick and I hear Akeno laughing in the trees behind me. Tch, at least one kid respects me properly.
My 'disciple' straightens up and I blink as I'm blinded by the twinkling of his eyes. "Of course, Shishou! 'One day as your teacher, like a father for lifetime.' "
My face goes red in a mixture of embarrassment and rage. I'm a woman dammit! I know what the saying means but damn you kid! Don't say it so earnestly too or I can't even hate you for it. Akeno nearly falls out of the sky as she busts a gut laughing.
I steamroll through my embarrassment instead of commenting. Looking him over I can see he's been training hard. No longer is he a soft wimpy child, instead I can see calloused hands, and toned muscle. He may be sweating but his breathing is steady, and his Ki is flooding his body in rhythm with his breath.
"You've been training hard." I nod with a small smile. I honestly forgot about the kid but it seems he really took my short lesson to heart.
"Mhm! I've never forgotten what you showed me." His eyes go distant as he remembers my lesson and I'm intrigued to note the sword at his hip glows in response. When he comes back to reality he doesn't even seem to realize what happened with his sword.
I look around at the forest, seeing his footprints worn into the ground all around us. It amuses me to see traps and trip wires set up all around us and from the wear on the mechanisms it seems he's using them for training rather than defence against intruders.
Some have targets on them with slashes all over them while others are simply obstacles. The ones with targets have small wounds all over them but increasingly deep wounds in vital areas. As he became familiar with his course and handling his sword his attacks have grown more accurate.
Overall it's amusing how similar his setup is to what Tanjiro Kamado went through training under Urokodaki. Mostly when I consider he came up with this training on his own.
"I assume you've been practising your Iaido as well?" He nods and his face smooths out with his breathing.
As he slips into his stance, I watch his muscles tense and see his eyes dull as all extraneous thought leaves him. The most interesting thing that happens is the way his aura transforms and his Ki moves. His Ki stops pulsing with his breathing and condenses in his chest, wrapping around itself, constricting tightly. His aura goes from a smooth flow and instead morphs into a sharp spike that vibrates hungrily.
My eyebrows lift slightly in surprise as the sword howls out of its sheath, his Ki exploding outward with the motion. His aura too explodes at the same time, taking an almost physical presence.
The technique is still in its infancy and takes much too long to deploy but all in all it's impressive.
He pants, exhausted from the sudden release of energy. Still he properly 'cleans' his blade and returns it to its sheath before showing his true exhaustion.
"How… hah… was that… Shishou?" I smile and ruffle his hair.
"Pretty good kid. If you can improve that much in only a couple months, you'll be an impressive figure in a few years." He pouts at the 'pretty good' part but preens at the end of my sentence.
"You're going to need a lot more stamina though." I poke him in the forehead and he falls backward into the dirt. "If there is more than one person trying to kill you, the second one will easily tear you to shreds."
He sits trying to catch his breath, frowning while deep in thought. I roll my eyes and sling him over my shoulder, ignoring his exclamation of protest. "You've impressed me kid. I hadn't expected you to improve so much. Here, meet Akeno."
Akeno drops out of the sky near us and the boy flails around on my shoulder. Probably embarrassed at being treated like a child in front of a girl. Tough shit kid.
"Let's head to the village, I've gotten an idea seeing your progress." I cackle as he continues to struggle. Akeno, instead of laughing at his predicament, sighs at my antics.
----
I put the boy down when we got close to the village since he had caught his breath by then and he continued explaining his training plan. Most of it was focused on building stamina since he had also realized that issue early on. Sadly, he wasn't blessed with a supernatural constitution at birth so he was stuck doing things the hard way.
Apparently his sword hadn't left his side the entire time I've been gone. He said it was to bond with the sword, citing my comment about meditation. An… unorthodox approach but it seems to have paid dividends even if he doesn't realize how strong his connection with his katana is yet. He is still blissfully unaware that he's obtained sword intent and I don't plan on telling him at this time. It will be better if he figures it out himself.
Aside from his physical fitness, he has also managed rudimentary Ki enhancement based on his breathing technique. His ancestor left some journal that he's been studying and he read about Qigong on the internet which together formed his makeshift method.
It isn't terrible and it also has the benefit of growing his Ki while being a constant subconscious ability. For those reasons I also won't be correcting that.
No, I'm not simply too lazy to teach another method, thank you very much.
Like I had guessed when we first met, he has no outstanding talent. What he does have is a pure, unrelenting determination. Unlike my sister and Akeno who were born with ridiculous talent, he's more like me, a self-made monster. Well, he isn't a monster yet.
I got nods from the villagers as we passed them, though they took a double take at Akeno. I forgot that they had all seen Suzaku and I have no doubt they can see the resemblance. By the time canon came, the two looked like twins rather than cousins.
"Benefactor, welcome back to our humble village!" The elder notices us approaching and calls out to us, giving me a rather embarrassing title.
"Greetings Elder. I hope all has been well." Akeno looks a bit shocked that someone thinks of me as their benefactor and I give her a playful glare. I can do nice things too! I'm not some musclehead who only runs around starting fights.
"Haha, our village has been blessed since you slayed the Tengu in the woods! Trade has even picked up again." He looks at his grandson fondly. "Takehiko-kun has been causing enough of a ruckus in the woods to scare away any evil doers since you left."
Takehiko -I knew his name was something-prince. Is the Take kanji military or bamboo though?- blushes at the praise and shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm glad. I actually came to speak with you about your grandson." The Elder's smile dims a bit but he nods.
"Yes, I had thought this would happen eventually. My grandson was adamant that he would receive no further teachings from you but you didn't seem like the type to abandon a child like that." Actually, I'm exactly that type considering I forgot about him but sure praise me more.
"I knew one day he would need to leave this village and spread his wings in the wider world. His parents would be so proud of the young man he's becoming. I know I am." A single tear rolls down the old man's face and I hear Takehiko sniffling beside me.
"Ibaraki-sama, you have my blessing to take my grandson from this village and continue training him." He takes a deep breath and firms his posture, piercing me with a glare.
"I trust you but remember, he's the only family this old man has left. Do right by him." His eyes soften a bit, "Please."
My chest feels tight as I see the love this man holds for his family, "Of course. Only the best for my student."
"Good, I'm glad." He sags in relief and smiles. "Now, who might this young lady be?"
Akeno steps up and gives the man a small bow, "Greetings Elder, my name is Akeno Himejima, it is nice to meet you."
"You as well, young lady. Hm, are you related to that young lady who visited at the same time as Ibaraki-sama. Suzaku, was it?" I nod while Akeno stills at the mention of a family member. It was only Suzaku who was close to her outside her immediate family.
"Ah, yes actually." The village elder nods.
"A nice young lady. She came to help our village with the Tengu when nobody else would. If it weren't for Ibaraki-sama arriving earlier then it would be her who is our village's benefactor. If you are anything like her in character then I have been blessed to meet another kind soul." Akeno doesn't seem sure what to do with that praise.
I pat her gently on the shoulder and take over so she doesn't have to respond, "Thank you for the kind words, Elder. I would love to stay and catch up with you but we really should be heading out."
He chuckles and waves me off. "Kids these days, always in such a rush. Well, don't let me keep you."
We wait for Takehiko to say his goodbyes and collect his things. In a short time later, we're off again with a new companion in tow.