Kusanagi caught sight of Orihime’s unmoving body, and saw that the girl’s eyes were closed. Kusanagi hurriedly swam towards the unconscious girl, worried that she was already too late. As Kusanagi looked around for any signs of an enemy she saw that there was no one else in the water with them...how odd. Kusanagi grabbed Orihime and swam with her back to the pool edge, and then got her up and out of the pool to set her down on the cement area that surrounded the pool. But - she wasn’t breathing. Oh come on, you can’t be serious? Kusanagi moaned in her mind. I have to give this bitch CPR! Kusanagi leaned over her but as she approached Orihime’s face she suddenly felt nauseous. Ugh. Shit. I can’t do this... Kusanagi suddenly had an idea. “RANMARU!”
Ranmaru, dressed in his butler uniform once again appeared out of nowhere. “You called, Oujo-sama? ”
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Kusanagi nodded, “Ranmaru, I order you to give Orihime CPR now.”
Ranmaru blinked but didn’t otherwise hesitate and bowed.
“Hai Oujo-sama. ” He bent over and began to perform CPR on Orihime, alternating between blowing air into her lungs and pressing down on her chest in time with his own heartbeat. A few moments later Orihime turned her head and began coughing up water.
While Ranmaru was performing CPR on Orihime, Kusanagi turned her attention back towards the pool. And then something or rather someone unexpectedly caught her eye. Azumi!
Azumi was in the pool, fully clothed in her Academy uniform, facedown and unmoving. Had something also pulled Azumi into the pool? Oh no!
Kusanagi didn’t hesitate to dive back into the pool to rescue Azumi. Kusanagi swam to Azumi and grabbed the girl’s body, prepared to swim back to the pool edge with her, however-Azumi suddenly moved in Kusanagi’s arms to face her, a cold vacant look on her face. “Why did you save her Kusanagi? I was trying to do you a favor.”
Kusanagi’s mouth gaped open in shock, “You-what? You tried to kill Orihime! But why?”
“I hate girls like her... envious girls...she envies you Kusanagi and she’ll continue to make your life a living hell as long as she’s alive. So I thought since I liked you that I’d do you a favor and get rid of her - so you could stop being sad and be happy. I want to see you smile Kusanagi because we’re friends…”
Kusanagi blinked at the girl in shock and then her stare turned angry. “Happy? You thought this would make me happy?
Making me see ‘it’ again? Going through the pain and hopelessness that I may not be able to stop Death from coming for her? You are a complete idiot. I thought we could be friends Azumi, but I was wrong. I can’t be friends with a person who thinks Death can bring about a smile!”
Azumi looked shocked and then her expression turned to anger. “You ungrateful bitch...I did it for you! Envious girls like them will only turn on you in the end! I was trying to protect you!
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So that you wouldn’t end up like me!”
Kusanagi blinked, expression turning to confusion, her brow furrowed, “What are you talking about? What did they do to you...?” Kusanagi reached out her hand to touch Azumi’s tear streaked face and a vision came upon her...
FLASHBACK
Kusanagi saw visions, flashes of Azumi’s past. How she was once a beautiful, tall girl, with long black hair, luminous dark eyes, thick lashes, skin like porcelain. How the entire school admired her. And how she had a handsome boyfriend too. But there was another girl hidden in the shadows that was always watching Azumi, a girl who was envious of Azumi and her boyfriend. A girl named Madoka.
Madoka knew that Azumi couldn’t swim and so one day told the girl that she had a very important message from her boyfriend Renji, which had said to meet her at the pool that day after school. Afraid of the pool but trusting her boyfriend’s words and Madoka, Azumi went to meet Renji there but instead encountered Madoka, who pushed Azumi into the pool in order to drown her.
Azumi sunk helplessly under the water, but accepted her death, looking up at the sky through he water; she noticed how beautiful it was. She had always wanted to see what the sky looked like from underwater. And realized it was like becoming a part of the sky...
She was happy, content, at peace and had no regrets. However, a voice suddenly questioned her if this was really true: Don’t you have regrets? Don’t you want to avenge your murder? Warn your boyfriend of the girl’s intentions? She intends to steal him away, you know. Don’t you want...revenge?
Don’t you want to see your boyfriend’s face...one...last...time...?
Yes. Azumi found herself answering in her mind. YES!
She yelled out in her mind and so the kappa demon that had been tempting her consumed Azumi’s soul and body in order to turn Azumi into a kappa demon herself, and in order for her to gain the power she needed for her revenge...
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Azumi, consumed by the kappa water demons, now a demon and a ghost herself, came up out of the pool, and was standing on the swirling pool water to confront Madoka now that she had control over the element of water. Madoka’s eyes widened in fright as she saw Azumi come up out of the pool in such a way and that her appearance had changed. Azumi now had pointed ears, and greenish hued skin.
“A...monster...!” Madoka declared as she turned to run away.
Azumi smiled a chilling smile, “No, that’s what you are.”
She said before controlling the pool water so that it turned into a giant hand that reached out to grasp Madoka’s fleeing body. Then the giant hand wrapped its fingers around Madoka’s small body and consumed her within the water. Madoka struggled to free herself from out of the giant fist made of water but to no avail. Azumi’s eyes were hard, as cold as ice, “Look up. Isn’t it beautiful? Look at how the sky looks when you’re underwater. Now you’ll become one with that sky too...”
Madoka panicked and struggled and then opened her mouth to scream but ended up swallowing water. She drowned in minutes. Azumi smiled, her revenge had been sweet. Now...to see her boyfriend Renji again...
Azumi sought Renji out intending to tell him everything that had happened to her but when he saw Azumi’s ‘new form’
he screamed, called her a monster, and had tried to run away from her! Azumi became hurt, enraged, and had captured his fleeing form with a giant fist made of water in order to stop him.
“Why are you running away?” She demanded, voice cracking, “You said you loved me! That you would always love me! No matter what! You liar!” Azumi despaired and unconsciously closed her water fist down and around her boyfriend. Before Azumi realized what she was doing her boyfriend had drowned within the hand made of water. Azumi looked at the sight of her drowned boyfriend in shock and gently set him down. “Why...why did you make me do that? Baka...I loved you so much...” Tears streaming down her face, Azumi laughed. “Isn’t revenge bittersweet?”
END OF FLASHBACK
Kusanagi gasped when her eyes cleared of the vision. Bitch 161
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Azumi, the girl before her was...dead! Flashes of that school day went through Kusanagi’s mind. Suddenly, everything made sense. That explained why the girls in art class thought she had been talking to herself. Also, Ranmaru’s concerned stare at lunch when he had asked her who she had just been talking to. He had known...
“Azumi...you’re...?” Kusanagi gasped.
Azumi’s eyes hardened. “You should stay out of people’s minds. Or did you see my past? What are you?” Azumi shook her head. “No matter, I know what you are. You’re an ungrateful bitch. And now you will die! A beautiful death!” Using her yokai strength Azumi grasped Kusanagi’s body and dragged her underwater...
As she was being pulled under Kusanagi looked up at the sky through the water. It really was beautiful. But Kusanagi wasn’t ready to die. Not just yet. Not until she had managed to get her revenge on HIM. Ranmaru! She thought frantically. But no - there was no way he could hear her right?
However, there was a sud
den splash as Ranmaru dove into the pool to save Kusanagi.
Ranmaru! Kusanagi could see Ranmaru swimming towards them, with a slightly pained expression on his face?
Naw. Kusanagi reached out her hand towards him and he quickly grasped it while at the same time punching Azumi, who was forced to let Kusanagi go.
Ranmaru swiftly swam back to the pool’s edge and deposited Kusanagi there safely.
“Are you alright, Oujo-sama? ” Ranmaru was watching her, a slightly concerned expression on his face. Kusanagi coughed the rest of the water out of her lungs.
“Y-yes, thank you, Ranmaru.” She thanked him before she realized what she was doing and a stunned, somewhat guilty expression formed on her face as she realized this. A small knowing smirk formed on Ranmaru’s mouth as he watched Kusanagi’s amusing internal conflict.
But just as Ranmaru was easing himself up and out of the 162
pool something grasped his ankle and pulled him back into the water. It was Azumi.
Kusanagi had seen Azumi’s past and had felt her pain and sadness. Because of her Grandfather’s stories about spirits that he sometimes told her Kusanagi knew what had happened to Azumi
- her body and soul had been consumed by the elemental kappa demons and she had become a ghost demon herself. At Death’s door, Azumi had found a way to cheat Death. To escape the Grim Reaper’s clutches she had given her soul away to the demons who had consumed it. How very interesting. Azumi...like herself was an enemy of Death.
Kusanagi felt that Azumi and herself were kindred spirits despite everything and didn’t want to see her be destroyed, and was worried that Ranmaru would easily destroy her having been witness to his strength. “Ranmaru! Don’t kill her!”
Kusanagi tried to look down into the water where she saw Azumi and Ranmaru fighting and exchanging rapid blows. She expected to see Ranmaru with the upper hand but - it looked like just the opposite. Ranmaru was remaining still in the water and had to await Azumi’s attacks as she swam at him with rapid speed. Ranmaru was on the defensive and blocked these attacks while trying to get an offensive attack in on Azumi before she would swim away again but it seemed futile. Azumi was just too fast, too much in her element. Azumi could not only control all of the water in the pool so that it felt like it was closing in and around Ranmaru, trying to crush him from all sides, but she could also become the pool water itself.
Ranmaru was at her mercy.
Uh oh.
Shinichi and Katsumi suddenly showed up and Kusanagi was surprised to see that it appeared that Orihime had brought them there.
“Kusanagi!” Katsumi called out.
“Kusanagi- chan, what’s going on?” Shinichi questioned nervously.
“Guys, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Kusanagi frowned and shook her head.
Orihime surprisingly spoke up. “Ranmaru is fighting that girl...she must be a kappa demon or something...”
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“A kappa yokai?” Katsumi breathed worriedly. Munch, Munch
Shinichi looked down into the pool, while munching on a bag of potato chips. “This looks bad...”
“Bad? But Ranmaru is-” Kusanagi began, somewhat frazzled.
Only to be cut off by Katsumi. “Unstoppable? Invincible?
Extremely powerful? You know that better than anyone Shinichi.”
Shinichi shook his head, “You two are forgetting something. Ranmaru is a nine-tailed fox yokai. That makes him a fire-type yokai and so his weakness is water. In fact, water also has purifying properties and effects, and so Ranmaru as a pureblooded yokai and being a fire-type yokai must be in excruciating pain right now. It was extremely dangerous for him to dive into the pool in the first place...so why...?”
“He did it to save Kusanagi.” Orihime put in helpfully. Kusanagi looked down at the water. “Ranmaru...”
Ranmaru can’t really be in danger can he? How long has he been down there? How long can he hold his breath before...?
He’ll drown. He’ll drown if you don’t help him. Drown? That idiot! Why did he do something so reckless in the first place? If water is his weakness why did he dive in and- He did it to save you, Kusanagi. Ranmaru cares about you...
No! “No!” Kusanagi gripped her head and cried out. No! I told myself I wouldn’t let anyone care about me! I’ve been such a bitch to him too! Why...why...why hasn’t he quit yet? He can’t really care about me can he? Why! Kusanagi moaned and continued to grip her head in her two hands.
“Uh...is she okay?” Orihime asked tentatively, as Kusanagi spazzed out due to another of her internal struggles.
“Think she got possessed?”
“Naw, that’s perfectly normal.” Katsumi explained with a chagrined smile.
“Normal? That girl really is crazy. She makes me so 164
hungry watching her expend all that energy...” Shinichi declared shoveling handfuls of chips into his mouth.
Kusanagi’s inner voice continued. He does care and he wants to protect you. Whether you like it or not, Kusanagi, you are no longer alone.
A fierce look formed in Kusanagi’s eyes, her mind was made up. She had to save Ranmaru. She wouldn’t let anyone die for her sake ever again. She could...protect him! Save him!
“Ranmaru!” Kusanagi yelled as she dove in after Ranmaru, the need to protect and save Ranmaru foremost in her mind.
“Kusanagi no!” Katsumi called after her and ran towards the pool edge, only to hiss down at the pool. Cats hated water after all.
Kusanagi swam down to where Ranmaru was and found that he had already lost consciousness. Epp! Azumi was moving in on him like a shark preparing her final strike for the kill. Ranmaru! That bitch! How dare she do that to my Ranmaru!
Kusanagi thought as she reached the two of them. BITCH! She mentally screamed as she got in front of Ranmaru and punched Azumi hard as she was upon them. Azumi was shot backwards through the water from the force of Kusanagi’s killer punch, and Kusanagi used this opportunity to grab Ranmaru’s lifeless body and swim them back up to the pool’s edge.
But Azumi was not one to be deterred that easily and shot back through the water towards Ranmaru and Kusanagi. Silly girl, she isn’t even paying attention, let alone looking behind her!
Ha! She’s as good as dead! Azumi thought as she raised her clawed webbed hand, prepared to strike Kusanagi from behind. She brought her claws down upon Kusanagi’s back-However-Azumi’s claws hit an impenetrable and invisible barrier and bounced back. What the? Azumi tried to attack Kusanagi and Ranmaru again but her hand kept hitting this invisible shield. What is this? But when Azumi concentrated her yokai senses she was able to See and identify what it was - a spirit shield. A pure white light was emanating from Kusanagi’s body, and enveloping both her and Ranmaru’s body protectively.
Kusanagi was using her spirit energy unconsciously to shield and protect them both from the yokai Azumi. Spirit energy Bitch 165
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as pure as that naturally repelled a yokai’s energy therefore repelling Azumi. Azumi blinked. That could only mean one thing. The girl was a miko, or at least had the latent powers of a miko or she had the potential to become a miko buried deep within her. Sealed perhaps...?
Kusanagi swam them both to safety and to the pool’s edge where her friends helped to pull both Ranmaru and Kusanagi up and onto the surrounding cement tiled area.
Katsumi looked worried as she looked at Ranmaru’s unmoving form, “Is he alright?”
Shinichi bent over Ranmaru, “He’s not breathing!”
“Quick! One of you perform CPR!” Orihime declared. And in unison all three turned to look at Kusanagi expectantly. Kusanagi took a step back. “Nani? Why are you all staring at me for! I can’t perform CPR on...on...that baka!” She waved her hands frantically before her.
Save him Kusanagi! Kusanagi’s inner voice spoke up, laced with urgency.
I can’t...it would be the same thing as kissing him!
I can’t...!
Admit it to yourself, ever since you laid eyes on him you’ve been wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Kusanagi blushed. I have not!
Remember you can’t lie to yourself...
Kusanagi began to spaz out in total embarrassment and began speaking out loud accidentally, “Mou! I have NOT been dreaming about kissing that baka! God dammit you baka! This is way too embarrassing! Wake up already dammit!” Kusanagi beat her fists frantically down upon Ranmaru’s chest. And then Ranmaru turned his head and began coughing up water. Whew. Close call there. Safe. Kusanagi sighed in relief. “You see...I didn’t need to perform CPR after all.” She turned to look at the others expectantly.
Everyone was giving Kusanagi odd shocked looks however.
“Oni...she’s a devil alright.” Shinichi eyed Kusanagi 166
warily.
“Tough love. She’s an ‘S’ alright.” Katsumi was shaking her head and looking down at Ranmaru sympathetically.
“What a total bitch.” Orihime glared at Kusanagi, her golden eyes flashing.
Kusanagi frowned and glared back at them. “Oi! Hey!
Don’t look at me like that. He’s alive isn’t he? That’s all that really matters anyways! Hmph!” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Ranmaru unfazed stood up and blinked at everyone confusedly. “What...happened?”
Katsumi became all excited, practically bouncing in place. “Kusanagi dived in and saved you! And then she performed-”
Ranmaru’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Kusanagi slapped her hand over Katsumi’s mouth before she could say any more misleading things and laughed nervously,
“Ehehehehe...don’t listen to this bubble-head, Ranmaru. I did not...do anything weird to you.”
Ranmaru gave Kusanagi a small smile and Kusanagi rubbed at her eyes sure that she must be seeing things. Ranmaru DID NOT smile after all.
However-Evil laughter suddenly filled the air. It was Azumi.
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