Kaori & Samira: Kaori's Story: Episode 2 - Event Horizon - Private

The past few weeks since the events that spiraled out of control had been uneventful by comparison for Samira. She spent about a third of it just recovering herself in mind in body. The physical wounds healed but the ones of the heart and mind still had damage. Kaori had vanished again before Samira could check on her well being and talk about everything that happened. The Arc of Destiny was gone from the ports of Hargeon and had yet to return, the lava hawk she knew belonged to the ninja clan leader she hadn't seen, nor had any of the other woman's spirits made contact with her own to send some type of word. When she asked her spirits to find them they all declined to do so, although the reasons for each one were not the same. Some did not wish to break protocol due to having Jing Wei on their team, others felt Samira needed to move on and continue to heal her pain rather than cling to the past, while the rest did not want to have to deal with the newest incarnation of Aquarius. Ikuchi she had noticed was not around either, but then, she had expected him to remain by Kaori's side rather than visit someone he despised. All in all she was trapped in a cage of more unanswered questions than ever, only that time she had the element of worry and sadness added in. It was a depressing period of time that made it difficult to bother getting out of bed.

To get her mind off things she had left Hargeon Town and traveled elsewhere in an attempt to do her part of one of her spirit's contracts. About a weak and a half she spent in some desert with an excavation team that had located some ruins underground. Bastet, the spirit who had mortal world terms with her contract, had a lead that pointed there but the whole trip turned out to be a complete waste. She returned with the same people missing from her life, but the pain was less than it had been before. Moving on had finally started to take place. A few days she had been back within the guild halls of Lamia Scale, where she once again felt at home.

"We should try that desert country. The one run by sultans," said a type of small black cat that was lying on the bed with her paws on an open journal. The feline was not an exceed by any means. It was a normal cute looking cat and was the mortal form of Bastet. She preferred being in the human plane that way as it gained less attention than appearing as some cat woman. For some reason humans were obsessed with cat people to the point of disturbing. The fact it did not use any of her spiritual power was an added bonus. The feline raised her green eyes from the journal and stared up at Samira, who was busy gathering newly bought bathroom items from a small shopping bag. Bastet, also known as Mau while in that form, stared silently as she swished her golden accessorized tail. "You are ignoring me, aren't you?"

"No," Samira said calmly as she made her way to the bathroom to put the items away. "We just got back is all. I do not feel like leaving yet." Her voice echoed through the opened bathroom door and the sounds of opening cabinets and shower curtain movement followed.

"Hmmm," Mau went back to the journal and flipped the page with her tail, its contents making her eyes narrow into slits. "Is it normal for a journal page to be this illegible?" The feline asked curiously as her tail moved to tap upon the blankets of the bed.

"Everything written in there should be written in a neat and organized fashion. What are you seeing?"

"This page seems to indicate the qualities of typical school girl doodles. Were they hieroglyphs you found in the ruins? Should I begin translating them?"

Confused by what Mau was asking, Samira left the bathroom picked up the open journal from the bed. Her eyes widened and she cringed more the longer she looked at it. Bastet had been gone for the majority of the events that transpired a few weeks back, only having showed up during the spirit meeting where she decided to keep her contract going. She had been in the mortal world prior and had departed when the real discussion took place, returning back to human world in her feline form. Anytime she inquired of the events her fellow spirits or Samira tended to throw a ball of yarn in her direction. It worked every time. Reading Samira's mind wasn't really an option she went to either for she respected privacy and that girl's head was usually a chaotic mess. So, that being said, there was no way she could have known that the names of Kaori and Ikuchi scribbled everywhere with hearts and question marks actually meant something more than simple doodles. When the hell did she do that?! She snapped the journal shut with a loud snap and tossed it out the window much to the little cat's horror. "It is trash and means nothing," she said bluntly before storming into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Mau could hear the sounds of water start to spray from the shower faucet as well as the woman's humming and knew it would be some time before Samira left the small bathroom. That woman always took her time when it came to those showers of hers. How human women could stand to tolerate being in the water for well over an hour was beyond her level of comprehension. Now alone in the bedroom and with the journal being tossed away as trash Mau found herself to be bored and left, poofing into black smoke and leaving nothing behind as if she never existed.

About an hour and a half later Samira opened the door to the bathroom and began to walk into her room, still humming as she had done when her shower started. Her thoughts were now clear and she was refreshed and ready to relax before heading off to bed. The air of her room was cool as it touched her hot and damp skin for at that particular moment she had nothing but a towel wrapped around her to cover up. It was common for one to do so when they thought they were alone, after all. She had just begun making her way over to her dresser when she realized something felt...off. As if she wasn't alone and some stranger was watching. Samira turned around and instantly knew the reason why. She couldn't find anyone relating to Kaori when she actually wanted to and now one just ups and shows up in her room? While she was wearing nothing but a towel?! Had she forgotten to lock her door?! Her cheeks turned crimson from both embarrassment as well as anger as she let off a scream as a first reaction. Then as soon as her scream ended Ikuchi just had to go into detail about her having hardly anything to see. Samira was a woman that liked keeping her mind clear. Samira was a woman that disliked always jumping to conclusions without a second thought. Unfortunately, Samira was also a woman with nothing but a towel on and came to the conclusion he had insulted her breasts. Her green eyes looked down at her chest and then back up at him before her cheeks puffed up and she raised her hand to slap him. During the motion he grabbed onto her wrist, making it come to a complete stop. Her eyes blinked at the mention of a request, hardly expecting those words, and then she was given a scroll.

"A request?" Her eyes then narrowed as she processed the words. He was the same person that said he had despised her and now he had the audacity to show up in her room uninvited and demand a request of her? Samira jerked back her hand, although still held onto the scroll. Half of her was glad to see him but the other half couldn't stand to be around him after everything he had said. She wasn't even sure which side was the more dominate one. All of this after she had just begun moving on with her life. "Why would I help you of all people?" The only reason she even listened to the answer was in case it was something to do with Kaori, who apparently had vanished so far off the map even he didn't know where she was. That was rather unsettling. Samira took a deep exhale through her nose, allowing her momentary anger to fade. She said nothing further as Ikuchi walked out the door and left. He wasn't going to give her any choice in the matter it seemed. Would that not mean it was more of an order than a request? Maybe he needed to be slapped with a dictionary rather than her hand.

Samira walked to her door after it had shut behind Ikuchi and opened it to peer out to make sure he had gone. He was. She turned the knob of her door, testing it out, and then checked the locks. They appeared to be in working order. Standard locks apparently were not going to keep him out. Samira went back to her room and locked the door before falling backwards onto her bed to stare at the ceiling. "Just when my life had become calm once more..." What kind of adventure was she getting herself into now? She noticed the scroll was still in her hand and opened it, skimming the contents. Pergrande? Was that not the nation that despised any form of magic? The scroll slid from her hands as she allowed it to fall onto the floor and a deep sigh escaped through her mouth. Wonderful.

The next morning Samira made sure to be at the docks early rather than be 'claimed'. She had enough of that for her lifetime and it wasn't exactly a great feeling of being held in such a way by someone that said they hated her. Samira stood there patiently with her arms crossed below her chest and waited for some sign of Ikuchi. She wore the attire she had always tended to wear in every mission thus far, along with her small knapsack strapped around her shoulders.

'So let me get this straight.' Susano started to say while she waited. Her spirits had the complete story due to generally always knowing what was going on around her and what she thought, but the wind spirit still had to get confirmation on the newest case of insanity. 'Not only did you not attempt to pulverize him the moment you saw him in your room, but you decided to go on a mission with him? A mission in a country that despises anything to do with magic? To fight monsters from Sin which is known as hell on earth? With a beast that I could of sworn I told you wouldn't know what humanity was even if it smacked him in the face and said hello? And don't tell me I didn't say that because I clearly remember that overdone lecture I had to do to get you off your crazy case of looping voices. Seriously, don't make me listen to that ever again. It's annoying.'

"That is correct," Samira said quietly in monotone, choosing not to comment on the last part of his comment.

'I am getting you a therapist. You have completely lost it. Do we have one of those up here?' Susano's voice then trailed off as he was likely off talking to the others about whether or not there was an actual spirit that specialized in mental therapy. His opinion on matters was of the side that she needed to move on and Ikuchi just showing up out of no where with her accepting to tag along for the ride was a huge backtrack on that goal. Regardless of that opinion, she was there, waiting.

(Word Count: 2047)

It had turned eight am and oddly enough there was no sign of Ikuchi anywhere nor was there any type of ship around that was prepared to leave. The feeling of foolishness started to creep inside her as she considered the possibility it had been some sort of cruel joke. The idea was farfetched, she knew that, but so was the thought of him being late. As the time became a minute past eight he appeared in his normal out of no where way of doing so while still going over his appearance and apologizing for his tardiness. It was only minute. Somehow she felt she could forgive him for that regardless of the fact she had started to feel like a fool for standing around waiting. The name Cassidy was unfamiliar to her so she made no reaction to it, but at the mention of Gabriella being the reason for the rest of the night's activities Samira had wanted to start tuning out whatever came next. Thankfully he decided not to go into the details of whatever intimate relationship they may of had. "I would be most grateful," she said in a tone that would suggest she would of been uncomfortable otherwise.

The question asked of her that followed just caused her to stare blankly at him. "You stayed up teaching her how to bake?" That was...rather ridiculous, but at least it was better than the other possibility. Maybe. It wasn't as if he said the whole night was baking instructions. Nevertheless, she answered the question. "She's a female seraphim. Most women often use baking as a form of attracting attention from someone they desire to please and gain affection. I thought holy beings were immune to such wants, but I suppose she may of obtained some brain damage after the coliseum matches." Samira's tone of voice was calm and relaxed as if she were giving a boring lecture and held no trace of spitefulness regardless of how she ended it. She also left out the possibility that Gabriella was likely learning to bake with the intention of him being the target for her homemade treats. It would of been rude to get that theory out in the open without knowing for sure. He could draw his own conclusions.

A ship she had known as The White Mermaid then pulled up, indicating that the ship would be their method of travel. Samira had been given permission to make use of it some time ago, but she had never taken the offer for one reason or another. It would be her first time actually seeing the inside of it, and she felt her curiosity build up. An old man came down the ramp that had lowered and as he and Ikuchi talked Samira remained silent so she could hear the conversation. Eavesdropping was unbecoming of a lady, but it wasn't as if they were trying to hide it and the fact it was regarding Kaori was more important to her than a few reputation points. Disappointment filled her as it turned out there was no true word of her, just the rumor of her ship being spotted at Capital Crocus. That wasn't enough to satisfy her state of worry for her friend. But then, anything short of a face to face conversation would not completely satisfy her.

As Ikuchi began to make his way up the ramp and into the ship, Samira grabbed hold of the straps of her bag on her shoulders and was about to do the same. She stopped herself though when the elderly man called her by her first name. Considering she was told before to use a code phrase to enter the ship she did not expect anyone on the transport to know her by name or appearance. She had been wrong, and it had been Kaori herself that told him many things about her, and the fact there was an entire room made just for her had to of been Kaori's doing as well. Her friend really did go above and beyond for her, and it was a little saddening that she had never made use of the ship before then to see it. "Salty will do just fine," Samira said with a small smile as she followed him up the ramp, happy to be treated as someone close to Kaori rather than as the enemy she had become a few weeks prior. "Thank you for the introduction."

The cargo bay area was as she expected, large and spacious, although at that moment mostly empty. Inside the ship her eyes filled with the sight of a rather lovely looking interior. No doubt it was an expensive type of decor for a ship she had thought to be for simple transportation. Kaori really did have a large amount of wealth at her disposal and even seemed to take appearances for the simplest of things seriously. Her first stop would be to see for herself if there really was a room with her name on it. Samira slowly ascended the staircase that led to the second floor, gliding her hand gently over the fancy railing as she made her way up. The room had proven to be real and not an exaggeration. She had quickly found the door that had her name embedded on its surface in solid gold. "So it was true," Samira muttered to herself, barely believing it even after seeing it for herself. She opened the door and took a glimpse inside before stepping fully inside and shutting the door behind her. The room was small but comfy and she could tell a great deal of money and care went into it. Her bag was tossed onto the bed as she made her way to the bathroom to check that out as well. It was likely even more important to her than the actual bed itself.

Eventually Samira had been fully satisfied with examining everything in the room and made her exit to make herself familiar with the rest of the ship. Along the way, a child she did not really know but had seen one time before ran up to her saying her name before clutching onto her in a warm hug. It surprised her and caught her somewhat off guard, for she had never said a word to the child before and yet she was being treated as if they had been best friends forever. Children really were such sweet and innocent creatures...most of them. Samira gently pushed the girl away so she could kneel down a bit and be at eye level with her. "I do not know for certain of her current whereabouts," she began to say and then pulled the girl closer so she could wrap her into a hug and place her forehead against hers. "But I believe she is in no danger. She will return to us when she is ready." Words of comfort for the child that Samira also believed. Kaori was in no danger and she would return one day, it had happened once before. The fact whether she was fine or not was still up for debate. It was likely Kaori was facing her own emotionally and mental troubles just as she had, only worse. Samira soon pulled herself away and gave the girl a warm smile as she took her small hands within her own. "Do you like games? My spirits have a big collection. Maybe some will even play with us."

Later on Samira had allowed Ikuchi entry to her room for the sole purpose of going over the mission details. Considering they would be within the Pergrande Kingdom and dealing with monsters from Sin, it was important to keep a line between the actions of the past and what was going on in the present. Hatreds and feelings had to be put aside if they were going to accomplish anything. She was mature enough to handle that at the very least. Her eyes kept a lock on the map as Ikuchi began to explain the plan. It seemed like a reasonable one and she took no offense to humans being called slow. There were some naturally quick ones as well as those that used speed enhancement magic, but as for herself she lacked both. Athletics was not exactly her forte back when she was growing up and it certainly was not now. The most she had were spirits that could aid with travel speed such as Janus and Chronos, but that meant using magic and so far the plan contained none, likely due to the laws of the country.

Samira nearly jumped out of her skin when it was suggested for the young girl to use a mini-gat. "You are not serious, are you? She is just a child." Clearly she greatly disapproved of such a course of action but the alternative was even worse. There really was no one else he could of had tag along on the mission to operate the ship weaponry? Even Gabriella would of been a better choice since she had battle expertise. It also was not the first time she had fired a gun? A great wave of concern for the girl surged through her. Children were not supposed to be handling such things. They were supposed to be...children. At that rate she was going to grow up too fast and have to face the dangers of reality before even enjoying what was left of her childhood. Perhaps a discussion about it was in order later on but for now Samira would have to go with it regardless of how much she disliked it.

She sighed as Ikuchi left to put Ashley to bed and then once more when he came back to say they had permission to use magic. Well there was that relief. She did not go through all of that mess from the past to tell her spirits they would go ignored and unused again.

'Damn right, you didn't. It's too soon for me to do another lecture. I don't care how much you like the sound of my voice in teacher mode.'

"Did you find an adequate therapist?" Samira asked of the spirit as she took to lying on the small bed. Even she was considering the fact she needed one.

'...No.'

'Lying is a sin, brother. You found yourself in that counseling chair, did you not? You were in there all day.' Amaterasu's voice added itself to the conversation, the tone of it being very amused and almost mocking.

'Shut up! Damn bastard tricked me. Kept asking me "how do you feel about that?" I ended up walking out with a bill that'll take a century to pay off! Hey! Stop laughing! I went in there for you, remember?! I am adding this bill to our contract!'

Samira could only giggle somewhat quietly as a response. Whatever happened, she had learned that they at least would never abandon her and were always who she could consider as friends and family. They had made her laugh and kept her company throughout her whole time of depression. She only hoped Kaori's spirits were able to do the same for her. Eventually, Samira turned in for the night to gather the energy she would need for the mission.

(Word Count: 1886
Total So Far: 3933)

Samira heard the announcement clearly and had already been awake and ready to get going when it came through the intercom. The spirits had a way of acting as an alarm clock when they wanted to, and they used that to wake her up early to go over mission details of their own in case something went wrong. "It appears we have arrived at our destination. Is everyone available today?" She asked the voices in her head as she made her exit from her room and closed the door behind her.

Serqet: 'All except Jing Wei. Too much work to do.'

Ra: 'Work that you have created from your childish behavior. Have you no pride or respect for your position?'

Serqet: 'All I did was make a scavenger hunt she would think was fun. Is it really my fault I forgot where I put some of the contract scrolls? She was supposed to be the one finding them, not me!'

Susano: 'I discussed it with her before sounding the alarm clock. She'll come if called, but I doubt you'll need her. She's kind of useless as a fighter and her role can be done by some of the others. One of the perks of having your own army.'

Athena: 'Do not forget that our power is yours to wield personally now. However, be cautious. You cannot use us in such a way one after another. Do so only if you must.'

Samira nodded her head silently as she continued her way towards where everyone else was gathered. From the helm she could see that the fight below was rather tragic. No wonder they had requested assistance even though their laws against magic users and creatures was strict. Samira remained silent as she took a look around, having no idea what some of the things in the room were. Airship technology wasn't something she was well versed in, and it was a little embarrassing that a small child knew how to operate its weaponry when she herself didn't even know where the controls for it were. Relief set over her as it seemed the child would not have to take control of firing, at least not yet. She still greatly disapproved of it, and at first was glad Ikuchi had decided to deal with clearing the way by using the airship weaponry to destroy the large group of Cyclopes below. The key words being "at first." Samira felt her eyebrow twitching repeatedly as she heard him start to sing rather loudly while firing an endless stream of attacks at the monsters. Her own sweat bubble formed, and no doubt in the celestial world every single one of her spirits had one as well due to being able to hear it clearly while in her mental space. Well, all except Amaterasu.

Amaterasu: 'He amuses me.'

Ra: 'Your willingness to accept such things as simple amusement worries me.'

Serqet: 'I know this is a bit sudden but I just thought of an idea. Lets all sing while we are on the field and do attacks! It actually looked like fun!'

A very loud unified no from all spirits sounded in Samira's head, followed by a threat from Kali to never again make such a stupid suggestion again or Serqet would find her tail cut off and displayed outside her home in the celestial world. More eyebrow twitches on Samira's side.

The ship made a landing and soon afterwards Samira exited the ship to stand on the battlefield. It was a sorry sight and with how the knight's seemed to be impressed with the airship's weapons she hoped the kingdom would actually learn that bows and arrows and a sword were inferior to magic when it came to dealing with powerful monsters. The paladins of Pergrande were supposed to be highly skilled, but it appeared either they were all assigned elsewhere or their expertise with hunting supernatural creatures was overly exaggerated. Her eyes narrowed as more monsters were starting to come through the broken wall. It was time to no longer stand idle, and since they were monsters there was no difficulty in dealing with morals unlike if they were human. They were all going to die for being creatures of evil that harmed mankind, a way of thinking she had obtained back when she used Amaterasu's powers. There were no second guesses.

A small group was heading towards her as Ikuchi dealt with his own set. Two cyclopes and a two-headed snake were coming in for what they expected as an easy kill, but as Samira saw them coming she had her keys ready for summoning. “Open, gate of the Avatar, The Shining Light! Amaterasu!” As she slashed her key to create a rift between the celestial world and the normal one, a bright light emitted from the gateway, blinding the three foes coming at her and stopping them. By the time the light had come to an end, the two cyclopes were falling onto the ground, having obtained rather large cuts along their necks that nearly decapitated them. No blood came from the wounds, but rather a more purifying light that flickered like flame. Amaterasu jumped from the shoulder of one of the cyclopes as it began to fall, landing on the ground and flicking her sword and sheathing it.

During the blinding effect of the light, Samira had equipped and thrown her chakrams at it. When it had opened its mouth to perform a sort of smog attack the chakrams turned vertically and got stuck between the jaws of each mouth. All that was left was her to activate the main ability of the weapon, which she mentally did. The chakrams then began to twitch within their spot in the monsters jaws and soon they broke free, slicing through the top half of each head and then spinning around rapidly around the creature until it was in pieces. The ring-like weapons then returned to her grasp automatically. "We should move with the next stage of the plan before another wave comes."

(Word Count: 1010
Total So Far: 4943)

Edit 3-7-20
Post above completes the 7000 B rank WC for original turn in 3933 and 3989
New WC: 1010

Amaterasu had begun walking over to her summoner after gazing over at the breach of the wall when she was stopped by the instant appearance of Ikuchi in front of her. She merely stared at him with an amused smile as he poked her cheek and became curious about her armor. He was a curious thing and she was slightly surprised he took so much interest in her considering he never bothered paying much attention to Samira's other spirits. It was a welcoming change when dealing with someone from Kaori's team. Her few moments with Aquarius, while his anger and actions that came with it were also classified as amusing, was less fascinating and adorable.

'What. Are. You. Doing?!' Susano demanded of his sister in her thoughts once she was held bridal style by the very man he always used the term beast for. 'He is a monster. You can see the hellfire in his eyes and yet you allow him to hold you? You are supposed to be slaying things of his kind, not listening to flattery.'

'Calm yourself, brother,' Amaterasu replied with her thoughts in a calm and relaxed tone, taking no issue whatsoever with the hold or of his request. 'His curiosity is healthy for his growth if he is to remain among humans. It is not as if he undressed me or touched sensitive areas. Also...'

'You find it amusing?'

'The shades were a nice touch.'

Susano's palm met his forehead. A light spirit his sister was, a being that was used to fight against darkness and slay monsters of evil. The flaw was that she could see the good side in most sentient beings and had an insane amount of tolerance. Most actions amused her rather than anger her, and she had the tendency to be naive and innocent when she was not fighting. Amaterasu could feel the winds of her brother's annoyance, which was an added bonus.

Samira just blinked her eyes and placed a hand on her hip as she watched Ikuchi poke and examine her spirit, even going so far as to remove his mask to do so. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets though when he picked Amaterasu up and actually asked to borrow her for his training. "No! You may not borrow her! Now put her down this instant!" Not only did her contracts not work in terms of borrowing she was not about to allow herself or her spirits have to see and deal with him twice a week. After the mission was over that was it. Request fulfilled. Goodbye, Ikuchi. A sort of stab was made at her when he brought up the hairstyle Kaori did for her, but she figured it was unintentional. He wouldn't get very far with his deal if he said it because he knew it'd bring up bad feelings. Her annoyance with him died almost instantly as soon as he said it and her mood became solemn. "The answer is still no," Samira said rather coldly as she started to make her way further into Sin, ignoring the rather humorous interactions between Ashley and Ikuchi. She wanted the mission over and done with, and it seemed only Salty had any sense to not stand around before more monsters showed up.

Amaterasu watched Samira start to walk away during the interactions between the child and Ikuchi. For once, she was not amused. "Forgive my summoner, hound of dragons. She wishes for the mission to end as soon as possible. We are also not tools to be borrowed, and while I do not personally mind aiding you with your training while your master is away I cannot appear too far from the one that has my key. Your problem lies in the fact my summoner has no desire to see you, not that she dislikes the idea of assisting you." The light spirit began to follow Samira but stopped herself to face Ikuchi once more. "You have a curious nature that borderlines being a complete...smart ass. So, I will inform you now. No, blindfolding or disabling my summoner's sight in any way so she cannot 'see' you will not work. If in time she gets over it herself and you convince the child to allow me to work with you, I would be fine with your request. If you are still under orders of needing a male version then my brother would be more than adequate." She then vanished in a flash of light before reappearing again by Samira. The spirit had every intention of remaining for a while longer. Slaying monsters of hell and darkness was her specialty, after all.

'You did not just mention me being a sparring buddy for that beast!'

'He will lose his skills if he does not continue, and the child is rather jealous of the women that flock his way. You were the only one to come to mind. The hound is not evil, just learning, and he cannot learn if he is not properly taught. Does he truly deserve the title of beast?'

'Yes. I am not doing it. You weren't there until the end so you wouldn't understand.'

'You are very biased, my brother. Will you soon turn into Chaac?'

'...Dammit, that is actually a scary good point.'

'I knew you would see it my way.'

Susano could practically feel the victory smile Amaterasu had on from where he was in the celestial realm. Older sisters were a bitch.

As the trio walked to their destination another wave of monsters were making their way through the land, likely making their way towards the breach of the wall along the border. It was smaller than the ones before but still presented a problem. Well not really. Amaterasu unsheathed her sword and powered it so it was glowing brightly. Without saying anything she lunged forward as a quick beam of light and made her attacks against the group of monsters. All Samira could see was an Amaterasu sized beam of light moving around rapidly until it finally stopped with Amaterasu standing in front of the monsters with her back turned rather than facing them. The monsters stood still for a moment before the flickering light cuts appeared and severed them into pieces. Two chimera and nine snakes became corpses for other monsters to feast upon at a later date. Easy victory for a spirit that could move quickly enough to be exaggerated and classified as the speed of light.

(Word Count: 1083
Total So Far: 6026)

Edit 3-7-20
WC: 1083
New WC: 2093

Samira remained silent ever since they left the borders, and she was rather grateful that Ikuchi had been keeping his distance. The comment over the hairstyle had soured her mood beyond repair. Unfortunately, once Amaterasu had finished off the group of monsters he broke his distance and advised for her to call her spirit back. Regardless of the past and her feelings she knew well enough to trust his judgement when it came to incoming dangers. She could not allow her mind to become so clouded that her spirit's well being was put in jeopardy. 'Amaterasu. Return to my side. Something may be coming.' Samira told the spirit mentally as it was certain she would hear that quicker and more clearly than her voice. 'As you wish.' The light spirit vanished from her position in a flash of bright light and reappeared next to Samira. There the two remained, eyes fixed ahead and watching Ikuchi go further away from them.

"A dragon!" Samira exclaimed once the creature appeared, hardly believing that one had been so close. When the dragon unleashed an attack that split off to create a safe cone, Amaterasu pulled Samira in closer towards herself as a precaution. The opponent they faced now was more dangerous than a hundred of the normal monsters crawling around Sin. They continued to watch as Ikuchi made a flame display of his own which, in the end, resulted in the much larger dragon bowing towards him. "What is going on? I have never heard of a dragon bowing before." Due to their distance the summoner and spirit duo could not hear the conversation. Ikuchi's part of the conversation was silent and as for the dragon itself only bits and pieces could be heard through its loud voice.

"I am unfamiliar with dragon customs. Perhaps it was a type of greeting," Amaterasu guessed as she continued to watch. With Ikuchi being a dragonhound it was as good a guess as it was going to get. Still, she did not think a hound of dragons would ever earn such a degree of respect from a true dragon. She found herself more amused with him. "Ao Kuang would have the answer, but he has no desire to be active currently, and communicating with him before you are ready is greatly ill advised."

Soon the black dragon had returned to where it had come from and Ikuchi continued forward without giving any type of signal that it was even safe to pass. Amaterasu concluded it was clear anyway and after wrapping her arms around Samira the two disappeared in a flash of light before reappearing closer to him, but still giving somewhat of a comfortable distance between the two that seemed to hate each other so that they were not standing side by side. "Forgive my ignorance on the topic, but there is very little knowledge about dragon kind even in the celestial world. The dragon spirits there do not share the secrets of their proud heritage so freely. May I ask for an explanation for what just transpired? I will hold no negative judgement towards you if you decline to answer." Both Samira and herself were interested in the answer, but Amaterasu felt she would get a better answer if she made it seem she was the more interested one. What she did say was true though; she would have no negative thoughts for him if he kept it to himself. She was rarely judgemental or emotional like her brother or the other spirits in Samira's collection, and it was his right by blood to not give away draconic traditions to a spirit he just met, and a human he did not care for.

Edit 3-8-20
WC: 619
New Total: 2712

Both summoner and spirit listened quietly as the question had been answered, although it did surprise Samira quite a bit as to how much information was actually given. The question had only asked for an explanation for the power displays and the bowing yet he went so far as to actually go into his origins and even mention information Kaori herself did not know. No doubt it was probably because Amaterasu had asked in a respectful manner instead of she being the one to question it. She barely knew of the names he mentioned as his parents due to not being overly familiar with dragon lore. Her grandfather only had a single book in his entire collection and it was quite old as well as in a different language entirely. Samira had only looked at it once when she was a child and had been scolded for handling the rare text. Not that she could understand any of the writing within it anyway.

Amaterasu had some familiarity with the names since they were among the divine and she herself was a representation of the real Amaterasu listed in fables and myths, although there were not that many that represented dragon gods as far as she knew. As proud as dragons were their gods were likely even more so and therefore would not allow a spirit to live and act with their name attached. The tattoos were also something she found interesting and had begun to contemplate getting a closer look and touching them when she felt a rather unsettling wind that only she could feel. 'Remain calm, brother. I only wish to study them for the sake of knowledge. I have no desire to jump his bones, so to speak.'

'Jump his- Who the hell is teaching you these phrases? Do you even know what that means?!'

'I heard you use the phrase in a sentence once when you were in a drinking contest with Bacchus. You were discussing your infatuation with Nu Wa, so I assumed it meant giving some form of affection.'

'...The one time you listen to what I have to say is when I am drunk and talking about women spirits?!'

'It amuses me.'

'Ama!'

Amaterasu allowed her thoughts to come back to reality fully. Even during her conversation with Susano she could still hear what was being said around her. "Fear not, your secret will remain so. I thank you for your time to educate me," the spirit said with a nod of her head and a small smile before glancing over at Samira, who had took to changing the direction of her gaze towards the ground. The tone of his last words seemed to have the trait of sadness within them and she had allowed her defenses to lower, allowing some sort of concern for him enter her heart. While she showed annoyance and disdain for having to come along a part of her knew one of the reasons for that was because she was afraid of having past feelings return. Feelings that were buried weeks ago and should of remained so. "I will say nothing," she said quietly, indicating that if the secret ended up out in the open then it would not be because it came from her.

Amaterasu and Samira stood by as Ikuchi handled the next group of enemies that came their way. They were forced to stay there with the burden of having to feel the waves of negative emotion that leaked from his ability, telling them what was truly in his heart. The attack came to an end, freeing the both of them from it. His next words, while gave some form of relief for the mission being nearly done, were said in a way that still felt like a slap to the face. Samira's defenses came back up and she too became cold once more. "So it is." As they walked, Samira and Amaterasu had a mental discussion with one another. Mainly because even if they whispered Ikuchi would of still been able to hear clearly.

'He has a great deal of negative emotions within him.'

'We all do.'

'You misunderstand. It is not common for one of his kind to be in such a way. I am uncertain if he even knows how to deal with them properly while in the world of humans.'

'Have Susano give him the contact information for that spirit therapist.'

'Samira, he is not human nor is he a spirit that understands or even comes from the realm of humans. What happened in the past he dealt with as best as he could with his level of understanding. It is not fair to judge him as if he were human no matter his appearance. Will you really continue to let him go on this way while his master is away?'

'There are others closer to him that can offer that type of aid. In case you have forgotten we can barely tolerate completing this mission with one another.'

'And yet he chose you to help in this request for his master. There is some form of trust there, however minimal it may be. Think on that for the wall of pride was not torn down just to be replaced by spitefulness.'

Soon after Amaterasu's last words to her summoner were made four large chimera could be seen, making their way towards them after catching the scent of fresh prey. Guardians of the monster hive foolishly leaving their post. Not that it mattered since either way they were going to wind up as corpses. Amaterasu grabbed onto her sword once again and sped forward in her typical flashy light style. She reappeared standing on the back of one of the chimera before fixing her sword so it was held vertically and then stabbed the blade end into the neck of the creature. While it started to flail around, shrieking in pain, she moved to the next nearest one, leaving her sword in the neck of the first. With the second chimera she rammed herself hard into it, knocking it off balance so it would run into the third. Back to the first, she pulled her weapon out and allowed it to bleed to death from the fatal neck injury and went on to decapitate the second chimera in quick fashion. The third was equally dealt with as it was still recovering from being knocked over by the second. That left the final one which took a few attacks from Samira's chakrams before becoming the target for the beams of starlight that erupted from her dagger that had been thrown into the air moments prior. Thus far, she was doing well to complete her part with only Amaterasu and herself.

With the enemies cleared and their destination within sight it was time for the next stage of the plan. Once her weapons had made their return, Samira crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head. "Now comes part three," she stated, making an observation she knew was quite obvious. "I suppose you will now tell me how to set these charges that are required, correct?" Somehow that part had been missed during their discussion of the plan the night before. Basic instructions probably should of been given then rather than when they were right outside the home to a horde of monsters.

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WC: 1231
New Total: 3943

Samira took hold of the explosive devices and gave a slight nod of her head. It seemed simple enough and if it were anyone else they would of been embarrassed at having to ask for instructions for something so simplistic. Not her though. It was better to ask to be sure than to take a wild guess and assume she knew what she was doing with something so alien to her. One the trio reached the entrance of the cave system more instructions were given. "I understand," she simply stated before heading on in with Amaterasu beside her. There were no enemies to be seen and eventually the silent walk came to a fork where Ikuchi had split from them. It made sense with the plan and she had no objections to it.

The summoner and spirit did not have to go very far and their trip through the tunnel system was very uneventful. If they ran into a monster it was generally one that was by itself and just traveling through, of which Amaterasu ended rather quickly. Her natural glow made it nearly impossible to hide in the shadows or avoid unwanted attention in a dark tunnel. She could of been dismissed to allow Samira to do so, but the woman hated traversing through dark tunnels. The spirit's light was needed. Finally Samira came to a stop at a point where she thought was far enough. "This should be a good place to set the charges. Possibly."

"You are unsure, summoner?" Amaterasu asked, almost smiling at the thought of what could go wrong if they were not deep enough.

"Do I resemble a demolitionist to you?" Samira asked as she begun setting the charges in a crack in the wall nearby.

"At this moment? Yes."

Samira could only sigh as she pressed the buttons to arm the charges. She could only hope doing such a thing did not become normal. Setting off bombs was not exactly what she had in mind when she set out to become stronger as a mage. With the bombs set the two began to turn and head back the way they came but stopped and looked farther into the cave when the sounds of many footsteps could be heard in the distance. "It would appear this tunnel is less occupied than I had thought. Either they smelled our scent or our voices were heard. Either way I do not wish to fight here. We are within their territory and as such there are too many. We must depart."

The summoner was already thinking about taking off before her spirit suggested it. For a quicker approach, she called on Athena's power rather than summoning her. She just needed access to her shield ability and it just saved time to not do the actual summoning. Samira's clothing changed into a white colored dress that was stylized in a way that represented the greek have no idea what country that'd actually be in earthland so pretend it just blew off the map origins of the spirit Athena. A shield also appeared and with its appearance and magical power fused into it, a barrier was formed that pushed the incoming enemies back several meters. It would hold them off while the two escaped the cave system. Amaterasu grabbed onto Samira's hand and quickly dragged the girl in a sprint through the tunnels. They made their exit and as the barrier eventually fell any monsters that continued to give chase and made it to the entrance were quickly obliterated by a little girl with a big gun. Eventually Ikuchi had completed his part of the mission and things went boom soon after. Samira returned to her room while Amaterasu dismissed herself and went back to the celestial world. At least for a while.

Amaterasu returned with her own power the moment she felt Samira fall into a sleep.

'I know what you are thinking.'

'I only wish to question him, my brother. I need to understand some things that I cannot get from Samira. Our position is too one sided for my liking.'

'Has that beast truly enticed you, sister? His position is not something I care about, and you should not care either.'

'So judgemental of you, brother. Have you forgotten he belongs to a friend our summoner treasures?' Silence followed. 'Keep your eyes and ears away from my activities. I am the eldest, and I do not need you watching over me. Your contract is to Samira. Keep your focus there.'

After the mental conversation ended Amaterasu started to look around the floor with the bedrooms until she found the one she was looking for. Gold plated name tags certainly made that a lot easier. While she could probably have forced her way in with some form or another, she took the more polite and respectful approach and knocked. "Hound of Dragons, I wish to speak with you." Her voice was not quiet nor timid, but firm and serious. If she were let in she would enter and then speak. "We have not been properly introduced. I am Amaterasu, The Shining Light, daughter of Izanagi in myth, and celestial spirit of Samira Nassar. You are Ikuchi, son of Izuchi and Ryujin, and servant to Kaori Lareci, head of the Lareci clan. You and I are of serving roles with masters, so let us speak as such respectfully." If she were to be ignored and not allowed in she would respect that and leave, saving her questions for another day.

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WC: 922
New Total: 4865

Amaterasu smiled as Ikuchi began to analyze the situation as to why she was bothering him in the middle of the night. Having someone already take a guess made a conversation much more smoother than having her go through the awkwardness of requesting answers. She had also taken note of his statement and tone about who he served but made no mention of it. "Very well," she calmly stated and took a seat at the end of the bed. The spirit was quite content with standing for the conversation, but she was grateful at being offered a seat. That at least meant he was willing to have a decent discussion. Just as she felt herself get comfortable he had rested his head upon her leg and revealed the full question she had been wanting to ask, although his mood seemed to take a turn for the depressive side rather than the cold hatred he had displayed previously whenever Samira was around. "Yes, although, is it now customary for one to rest their head on another for this type of discussion?" The light spirit didn't exactly mind him doing so, but she was a stranger and the act seemed more for those that were trusted. Somehow what she had thought to be a serious discussion between servants had turned into one where she was the sole servant and the other seemed to believe he had lost his place. It was saddening and she felt sympathy for him, so she allowed him to use her as a temporary replacement for his master even if she lacked the ability to link hearts in the same way. Her ability to listen and remain unbiased towards him would have to be enough.

Quietly she listened to the tale and noticed the longer it went on the more emotional he would get. He clung to her armor and had even allowed tears to shed in her presence. It was a display of weakness and vulnerability, something she knew he would of never allowed himself to show to others on a normal basis. Only his master knew of such things, and with her gone there was no one else to listen or give comfort. He was far from being the simple beast her brother had become accustomed to calling him. The hatred he felt for her summoner was not from just simple jealously, but rather for fear that he would lose his place by Kaori's side and become obsolete. All of his goals and dreams had been taken away, having been fulfilled by a single person however unintentional. He had hurt Samira because he himself hurt, and it was natural for even humans to lash out when they did not know how to handle such strong emotions. The fact he even had to fight his own master to protect Samira, a person she had loved, was yet another wound he had forced himself to suffer. Now he had been left behind to suffer as a final stab with the only goal to redeem himself. A trait she found similar within Susano's story. They had more in common than her brother would of liked to believe.

As he begun to finish his tale Amaterasu begun to gently glide her hand over his head in a petting manner. She felt no ill will towards him unlike some of the others, and she understood his pain. He needed comfort and guidance, not waves of hatred or cold attitudes. If requested to stop she would do so, but otherwise she would continue the action to bring some relaxation and temporary peace of mind. "I do not believe you are fully capable of the hatred I was led to believe existed within you. I see you now as a gentle creature that has come to love his master, would do anything for her, and has had each dream and goal of happiness taken away one by one. You do not hate, Ikuchi, you hurt. You understand more about being human than that of your dragon brethren. I only wish you did not have to suffer this hardship to further understand it."

Amaterasu went quiet for a moment as she took to staring at the wall, although still petting if she was allowed to do so. "I will not ask you to forgive Samira, but do understand the feelings your master has grown towards her was not of her doing, at least not intentional. If there had been a choice, I am sure she would have distanced herself to prevent hurting you in this way. You do not choose who you love, and it is unfair to judge my summoner so harshly. If you cannot understand that now, then perhaps you will allow yourself to in the future. Your wounds require time to heal, as do the emotional wounds of your master. She will return when she is ready, and I have no doubts that you will stand at her side once more. You used your love for her to protect what she loved, and there is no greater honor than that." She gave a small pause again as she lowered her gaze towards him. "Now rest, Hound of Dragons," Amaterasu said warmly and almost hypnotically. "I will remain a while longer," her pets continued and her words indicated she was fine with being used as a pillow of sorts until he fell asleep. If he had allowed her to stay and actually did try to sleep, Amaterasu would start to hum quietly, as if she were singing a lullaby to a sleeping child. If any of her words angered him and she was asked to leave, she would do so respectfully.

Edit: 3-8-20
WC: 949
New Total: 5814

3500 for B Rank Freeform
1500 for C Rank Freeform
500 for D Rank Freeform