Chapter 262: Chapter 246
There were many things I expected from this meeting. I had thought I would have to act subservient to please Yasaka's Goddess. I wouldn't mind, I don't tend to bow to anyone, but I would do it without a second thought if it made Yasaka happy. Actually give respect and reverence to Amaterasu? That was a long shot and chances were that I would be leaving with a lower opinion of the Goddess.
Gods tend to disappoint when you really got to know them. The rare exceptions among them not included.
What I didn't expect, was for this prim and proper Goddess, who dressed out in an elegant dress, and exuded an air of regality, to fall down infront of us. If that were the end of it, I would not have been as utterly baffled as I was right at that moment.
When she tried push herself up after tumbling down, both Yasaka and I noticed a large new tear that split her dress open.
Facing away from us, on her knees and she pushed herself off the ground, both Yasaka and I were greeted with a very pasty butt with a bright red thong between those ample cheeks, nearly right infront of our faces.
There was a split second where she paused, hand reaching behind herself to feel that there was nothing blocking the sight of her pale white ass and our eyes.
"NEEEEEH?" She let out a noise I could only describe as a mix of embarrassment and crying. Flames enveloped her, bursting out and completely covering her for a moment and then she disappeared.
I slowly turned to look at Yasaka. "Did that just happen?"
"I'll tell you when I'm done processing." Yasaka replied without missing a beat. "Bold choice though."
"I didn't take her for a thong girl." I agreed with my fox. "Red seemed appropriate however."
"If I wasn't in a wonderful relationship, I may have taken that as an invitation." She said almost blankly. "Might have helped her get that stick out of her...." She trailed off.
"If she weren't Izzy's daughter, I may have spoken up." I once again agreed with her, only blinking a moment later in realization. "You like girls too?"
"Less than men, but yes." She replied, a small shrug to accompany it. "Does that concern you?" She tilted her head.
"Not at all, was just curious." I just mimicked her action with a shrug of my own. "Makes it less awkward to talk about her butt infront of you, I suppose."
Yasaka let out a snort in amusement. "If that enticed you so much, I'll be more specific on what I pick out of my underwear drawer then."
"If you want to flash me while wearing a thong, I won't say anything to persuade you otherwise." I responded with a rather even tone. However, we both just stared at each other in silence for several second before breaking down in laughter.
The sheer ridiculousness of the whole thing finally washed over us.
I think we would have continued laughing had the temperature not drastically increased again. We both abruptly stopped just as quickly as we began. The familiar flames burst out at the Alter, accompanied by a familiar face.
And she was wearing a different dress this time, acting as if the previous incident had never happened. "Yasaka, my Miko." She intoned. "It's been several years since the last time we've met."
".....yes, several years." Yasaka forced a smile.
Guess we were pretending that never happened, neat. Thankfully, that stiffness in the air was gone from when she first came. You can't really hold onto that kind of atmosphere after flashing your audience.
Amaterasu just nodded happily towards her Miko. Then her gaze turned towards me, her eyes locking with mine. "And you must be the one who fought my brother." Her tone shifted ever so slightly.
It took.....restraint not to say something snarky. "Yes, Lady Amaterasu." I responded with a polite acknowledgement.
She didn't outwardly react to my deference, but I felt like she was pleased with how I acted. "You are....strange." Her eyes narrowed, truly getting a good look at me. "Why do you possess divinity that feels so similar to my brothers? If I had not seen him a few days pass, I would have thought you were him in disguise."
"I respectfully submitted myself to your summons, Lady Amaterasu." I continued my polite tone. Despite the teasing I did towards Yasaka, I did know proper decorum and etiquette for situations like this. Perhaps some nuance was lost between certain cultures, but the general idea remained the same. "And with all the respect you are due, my matters are my own. And thus, I would choose not to speak of my personal circumstances."
Amaterasu didn't react visibly, but the braziers around the room flared briefly. If there's one thing the majority of Gods don't like, it's being told – no, or some variation thereof.
"You would deny me answers?" She remonstrated. A clear indication of her dislike for my answer.
"I believe that I have a right to my own privacy. I am not part of your faction." I pointed out, leaving me a little wiggle room in her demands.
"Part of my faction?" She snorted, the temperature in the room increasing by the second. Wafts of flames flowed out from her standing position as her gaze bore down on both myself and Yasaka. I could easily shoulder the pressure she was putting off, but Yasaka clenched her teeth. She wasn't quite struggling, but I knew she felt it. "I know you. I know all the children born under my Sun. Shimoda Takao, you are a child of the Land of the Rising Sun, no other claims are valid before mine."
I reached over, placing my hand on Yasaka's shoulder, letting my Aura sweep over her. "Be that as it may, I am a mortal living in the mortal world. I have no dealings with the Gods of Takamagahara." Yasaka relaxed slightly in my grasp.
"That point is.....arguable." She said dryly. "You sound as if I cannot sense that you are chaining the majority of your Divinity within yourself, along with that unpleasant sensation you are exuding." She gently raised a hand, pointing her finger towards my chest. "Do not mistake me for my oaf of a brother who has more brawns than brains. I can see it, even through your attempts to hide your nature, as admirable they may be."
Huh, did she backhandedly compliment me? Well, I guess I can't get upset about being found out. It's not like I'm experienced with dealing in divinity and the relation matters. I thought I hid it pretty well, but she's had literal thousands of years to understand the concept.
I shrugged. "There's also the fact that I'm a Half-Devil."
"Irrelevant." She waived her hand through the air, dismissing my comment. "You are also Half Human, thus you are under my Sun."
I was about to respond, but Yasaka spoke up instead. "I believe this will continue to go back and forth without any conclusion." She said evenly, recovered from Amaterasu flexing her power earlier. "Wilhelm is not in any meaningful relationship with the Shinto Faction. The status of his birth does not change this fact."
Amaterasu snapped her head towards her Miko, her eyes narrowing. "You disagree with me?" The Goddess didn't raise her voice, but there was a certain daring tone in her words towards her Miko. As if to tell Yasaka that she didn't appreciate the fox going contrary to her intent.
Yasaka, to her benefit, didn't back down. I had expected complete and utter subservience to her Goddess, but Yasaka was being a bit.....prickly. "I merely speak the truth of the matter." Yasaka navigated around the blunt denial of Amaterasu's 'claim'.
It was obvious that Yasaka was sitting in my corner here and I don't think the Goddess like that very much.
Amaterasu's expression shifted into a scowl as she crossed her arms. "I believe it's time to forgo the formalities and speak more candidly." She spoke in a surprisingly casual manner.
"....if that is your desire." Yasaka stiffened at the request. The reaction of my fox was an indication that this was not a normal occurrence. "What do you wish to speak about, Lady Amaterasu?"
"I think that's obvious at this point." She frowned, taking a....measured step down the small bit of stairs. Her gaze shifted between us, measuring for something only known to herself. "Your.....lover is the talk of many of us." She continued her steady steps until she stood only a few feet away from us. "My brother's defeat was not something easily brushed aside."
"Ah, it's making you guys look weak." I voiced out loud.
"Yes." Amaterasu looked annoyed, but forced out the response. "There have been whispers about us, started from those lesser Gods who wished to stir trouble."
Yasaka shot me a look, but seemed helpless at the turn of events.
"What exactly is it that you want from me?" She's the one who wanted us to speak more plainly, so I would oblige. "If you're looking for answers, I can tell you what happened. If you're trying to dig into my own matters, then I'm afraid we won't have much to talk about."
Amaterasu scowled again. "Not many beings in this world can deny me answers I demand."
"And we're just going in circles at this point." I crossed my arms. "I thought you wanted to be more candid?"
"You are an enigma. You are barely a man even by mortal standard, yet you battled a God such as my brother and won. You should not have been capable of such a feat, yet you stand before me as you are now." She sunk into a deep frown before grumbling. "Be honored, for the Gods of Takamagahara are extending you an invitation. A formal declaration of intent to have you join among our number. When you accept, you will receive a position in my court that –"
She was actually inviting me into her faction. That's a little surprising in of itself.
"I will respectfully decline."
Amaterasu's expression darkened considerably. "Many a God would kneel and kiss my feet should I utter a single word in accordance. I have personally come down to this mortal world to invite you and you still decline?" With each word spoken, the fires around the room flickered in an ominous movement.
"Yes, that's what I just said." I mustered the driest voice I could. "And before you go off, I believe I have valid reasons to do so." I would rather she not implicate Yasaka by association of my declining her invitation to join her faction.
"I will be the judge of that." She glowered. "Speak your words, if I find them unsatisfactory, you will become intimately familiar with how hot the Sun burns."
I rolled my eyes at her threat. "First, I'm a Half-Devil."
"I – "
"Tell me that I wouldn't have to endure a ridiculous amount of discrimination in your court due to my heritage." I looked at her waiting for an answer. She looked like she wanted to respond, but held her tongue. I decided to ignore her and keep going. "Second, I'm technically associated with your faction already. As you said Yasaka and I are together, she is your Miko afterall."
"Sophistry, no one important would assume that based on such a relation."
"And third." I held up my fingers. "It would make my relationship with Izzy weird if I became your subordinate."
"Izzy?" Amaterasu questioned.
"Oh, it's the nickname I have for Izanami, your mother." I couldn't help but let the corners of my lips curl up.
"W-what!?" Amaterasu squeaked out. "My mother!?"
"Oh yes, we're very good friends."
Yasaka had a mischievous smile form on her face. "She comes over often"
"Yasaka!?" Amaterasu snapped her head towards her Miko. "You would allow m-m-my mother here!?"
"Why not?" She tilted her head. "If it wasn't for Lady Izanami, my daughter would have died. I prayed and prayed for help when my dear Kunou was kidnapped, and thankfully lady Izanami answered my prayers. She's always welcome in my home, and she even comes to visit sometimes. Well, we mostly go down to Yomi to visit her."
"Speaking of, Kunou's been wanting to go see her too. We should schedule a get together, maybe dinner or something? Izzy sure does love to play host with all of us." I shared a knowing look with Yasaka as Amaterasu appeared to be frozen in shock.
Amaterasu opened her mouth and closed it a few times.
"I wonder if she's around right now? You know how she likes to come up at random times...." I remarked.
"I-I must depart. I have many duties to fulfill and I cannot waste more time here." Amaterasu quickly sputtered out.
"Of course, you are a busy Goddess." Yasaka nodded. "We wouldn't want to keep you."
Amaterasu ascended the small staircase back to her Alter which acted as a sort of bridge to Takamagahara. The flames wrapped around her as she was about to depart.
"Oh, and Red is a good color on you." I shot her a thumbs up right before she disappeared, the flush of red that covered he cheeks were brighter than the flames that surrounded her, only match by the color of her panties. And an embarrassed sound filled the halls for the briefest of moments.
***
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