"W-Wait! Wait! I-I'm not Lord Shen or whoever that is! M-Maybe you got me wrong?" Finally having an excuse, Fideus really thought that Kenshin was here to assassinate him but just got the wrong target. After all, he's not the only Peacock Yokai in Japan, right?
There are many others out there like him!
So maybe, just maybe Kenshin's real target is this Lord Shen, not Fideus.
Kenshin stopped in his tracks, tilting his head at Fideus in confusion.
"I was being sarcastic, you idiot."
Fideus's eyes widened in surprise and it became stuck that way as the glint of Kenshin's katana flashed in front of him before meeting the same fate as the others.
His head fell on the ground with a hard thud, much to the surprised eyes of Yasaka and her mother. While her father is long gone unconscious from all the ruckus.
Thud!
"Yasaka…Didn't I tell you? No one else can control your destiny but yourself." Kenshin flicked the blood from the Katana's blade and stared directly into Yasaka's wide eyes.
She looked back to him and muttered his name, her tone containing a mix of relief and worry, "Kenshin…"
She knows what Kenshin just did. Killing not just any Yokai, but one of Japan's wealthiest Yokai!
Not to mention, she was supposed to be married to that kind of guy, which means that her mother, Inari, would definitely intervene.
"Mom…" When she looked back at her, she saw Inari with her head slightly down, hiding whatever expression she was going through.
If her mother ever went down the path of avenging the peacock Yokai due to their deal, then she would be left with no choice…
But to side with Kenshin and fight her own mother together with him!
As if to show her stance, Yasaka approached Kenshin and held his free hand, before standing face to face with her mother sitting on her seat.
Kenshin was surprised at first but he immediately understood. With a soft smile on his face, he reciprocated it and tightly held her hand.
Since Yasaka has come to a decision, he would accompany her to its end.
Now, all that's left is face against Inari if ever she does something.
However, a minute passed and Inari still didn't move an inch.
Just as Yasaka started to get worried, the Queen of Kyoto Yokai faction finally raised her head, a bunch of complex emotions swirling across her face.
"Boy, was it you who helped my daughter escape from Kyoto?" Instead of immediately jumping into action, Inari calmly asked with an indifferent face.
Kenshin didn't hesitate to nod his head and answer, "Yes, it was me.", he was tempted to add 'what's it to you?' but it would sound too arrogant, so he picked his words carefully.
"…Why are you doing this? What's your agenda?" Inari stared directly in Kenshin's eyes, focusing only on him, ignoring her daughter on his side.
"I have no agenda. I'm doing this because I love your daughter, I don't need to have other intentions. Though I doubt you'd understand what I mean." Kenshin confidently stepped forward and said with a puffed chest.
Behind him, Yasaka gasped in surprise. Did Kenshin just admit that he loves her in front of her mother?
"…You're right. I'll never understand what love is. I grew up without it. My mother, the precious Queen, I believe I took the same path as her, ignoring everything else and focusing too much on power." Inari, for the first time in decades, had a soft smile on her face, much to Yasaka's surprise.
Inari leaned back in her chair, "When I first gave birth to Yasaka, I finally felt what love is."
Hearing her voice quiver, Yasaka's confident front slightly waned.
Inari continued, "I was ready to abandon whatever I inherited from my mother and shift my entire focus on taking care of Yasaka, to treat her differently from how my mother treated me." Her shoulders relaxed and Inari looked up at the ceiling.
"But then, came the Five Principal Clan's sudden movement. I received a report that they were hunting Yokais aggressively. Backed by the Shinto Gods, even if I want to pay them back for what they've done, I'm too powerless to resist them, the Shinto Gods behind them are too powerful even for me." Inari sighed in defeat.
"That's why I realized that I had been too lenient with myself. So I started to seek power, at least enough to deter the Five Principal Clans away from the Yokais. When I first got the Kyoto Leylines, I thought that was enough but it wasn't. I was only half as powerful as Amaterasu. So I seek even more power and that's where the Tokyo Leylines came to me."
Inari chuckled in despair, "If Kyoto's Leylines could give me half the strength comparable to Amaterasu, it means getting another Leyline would perhaps, make me as strong as the Shinto Goddess."
She then looked at Yasaka, her eyes now containing regret and warmth, "I did what I thought would be the best for our faction, Yasaka. I understand if you hate me, loathe me, detest me. I'll take it all without turning my back."
Then finally, she uttered the words that Yasaka had been unknowingly waiting for.
"Yasaka, my dear. I'm sorry. All of this is my fault."
Inari's voice, the tone of it, was the familiar voice of who Inari used to be. When she was still doting on Yasaka.
It was finally back.
Yasaka immediately bolted forward and launched herself at Inari, engulfing her in a hug as the familiar warmth of Inari's body made her cries louder.
"Mom! I-I thought I'd never be able to hug you again like this." Stuttered Yasaka, trying her best to form the words that she's been waiting to say to her mother.
"Shh~ It's okay now, Yasaka. Mommy is sorry. She won't do it again."
Seeing such closeness between the two mother-daughter duo, Kenshin now felt a bit embarrassed for being too aggressive and killing the Yokais and the peacock recklessly.
However, such action has woken up the Queen of Yokais from her lust for power and even reunited her with Yasaka, which seemed to be a good outcome, so Kenshin didn't regret it.
Kenshin stepped on the side and let the pair have their private moment.
A few minutes passed before the two were finally satisfied then Inari dropped a bomb.
"I'm passing the mantle to you, Yasaka."
"W-Wha-!?" Yasaka's eyes widened in surprise, unable to form a word.
Even Kenshin was surprised by it.
Inari chuckled at her reaction before explaining, "I don't think I'm fit to be the Queen of Kyoto Yokais faction. The series of attacks from the Five Principal Clans and the Shinto Gods pressured me too much to the point that I made various grave mistakes."
"But you, my dear, are better than me. Despite what I did to you, you never lost hope and you even found yourself a very formidable ally." Inari's eyes darted towards Kenshin who had been quiet in the corner.
"Thank you, boy, for helping my daughter. For snapping me out of my madness." She softly smiled at him.
"Everything I do, it's for Yasaka." Kenshin shrugged his shoulders.
Inari then turned back to her daughter.
"I'm passing the Kyoto Leylines to you, Yasaka. I hope you won't make the same mistake as I did." She stretched her hand to Yasaka before holding her hand.
Inari continued, "Tomorrow, I'll officially announce you as the new Queen. But for now, it's time I clean up my own mess."
She was referring to the various dead Yokais around them and the consequence of having the wealthiest Yokai in Tokyo killed inside her territory.
"You can go outside and see your friend off first, Yasaka. Then we'll chat about the new changes."
Nodding her head, Yasaka stood and led Kenshin outside, whereas some Yokais from earlier were missing.
Her mother must've dealt with the remaining guards of that peacock, Kenshin mumbled to himself.
Once they got out and away from any eyes, Yasaka suddenly turned around and engulfed Kenshin in a hug.
"Thank you…for everything," Yasaka spoke as her face was buried in Kenshin's chest.
Without saying anything, Kenshin simply raised his hand and caressed the back of her head.
After a few seconds passed, Yasaka asked, "About what you said earlier…"
Of course, she'd remember that, Kenshin rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"Why? Did I say something wrong?" Kenshin pushed his head forward and silently whispered into her ear.
"After what we did in my bedroom. I don't think there's anything wrong with what I said."
His words were like a tickle to her ears—combined with his breath, Yasaka felt her skin tingling. If she had a whole body fur right now, they would stand straight as a stick.
"H-Hah~" Yasaka breathed heavily, her legs shivering slightly as she stretched her arms and held Kenshin's shoulders for support.
Kenshin chuckled, holding Yasaka's waist, and helped her stand straight.
"Since you're going to be busy being the new Queen of Yokai. I guess I'll be taking my leave for today. But before I go…" Taking out something from his inventory, Kenshin held Yasaka's hand and pried it open.
It was a necklace, a heart-shaped necklace.
Yasaka's eyes glowed as she gasped, "This!?"
"Consider it a gift from me, for both your protection and to show my affection to you." Kenshin smiled.
"Want me to put it on you?"
She furiously nodded her head much to his joy and circled behind Yasaka, the necklace in his hand.
Kenshin used his hand to sway a few strands of her golden hair, displaying her smooth and kissable nape. With a click, the necklace now rests on her neck.
Kenshin smiled, "It looks good on you."
[Necklace of Love
- A necklace made by Alistair Abara in hopes of finding his first love someday. Have various enchantments and capabilities such as a protective shield that could tank any kind of attack no matter how strong for an entire minute. If the wearer is in danger, it would teleport the creator to the former instantly.
This necklace is the undeniable proof of Alistair Abara's determination to find love!]
|-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_|
[Power Stones!!]
.
.
.
[Next Chapter: Ch. 51 - Sawako meets Alya!]