Day 8: Goddess of the Sea

Day 8: Goddess of the Sea

"Oribana Makuro," The giant whale confronted a killer whale.

"Yes, Bao-sama," The killer whale replied with a girl's voice. "Is there something you need?"

"We're going to be going to the overworld today," the whale goddess replied. "How is your human form?"

"I can handle one day, Bao-sama," the killer whale replied. "Where will we be going?"

"None of this Bao-sama stuff," Bao said, its huge lips curving upward. "We're going to be going to KFP."

-

"Heads up, Ryan," Edhas said, putting Ryan on edge. "I'm sensing divine magic coming this way."

'Divine magic?!' Ryan gasped aloud. 'As in a god type of divine magic?'

"Exactly," Edhas said. "Most of the evil gods died a few years ago, so they shouldn't be aggressive. Be cautious, of course."

'Got you,' Ryan thought as someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around to see a girl with long, blue hair and a seashell dress and a short girl with a fin on her head.

"Excuse me?" The blue-haired girl asked. "I was looking for a… particular KFP. Would you happen to know where it is?"

"Just our luck," Edhas sighed. "Luckily, it's just Bao-chan. Don't call her that, though. She is a goddess."

"Of course, Bao-sama," Ryan said instinctively, bowing low. "I happen to work at that KFP. Let me lead you there."

"Idiot, you're not supposed to know her name!" Edhas shouted.

'Oops,' Ryan said as the finned girl entered a fighting stance and Bao narrowed her eyes.

"How do you know my name?" Water started to form around Bao's hand as she started to tense. "Are you one of those religious zealots?"

"Wait!" Ryan jumped back, holding his hands up in surrender. "I… the little voice in my head said that you were a deity, so I thought that I was obligated to treat you with respect."

"Wow, way to throw me under the bus man," Edhas grumbled. Bao closed her eyes and concentrated before opening them again, her lips curving upwards.

"I do sense a second reserve of magic in you," she said. "I believe you. No need me to call me Bao-sama though. All these honorifics are suffocating."

"Whatever you say, Bao-san," Ryan said before turning to the girl with the fin. "What's your name? My name is Ryan Shade."

"O-Oribana Makuro…" The girl said shyly before slightly bowing. "I'm sorry for misplacing my aggression. It's just last time Bao-sama and I went to the overworld…"

"Don't worry about it," Ryan offered her a smile, realizing how uncomfortable she felt. "Something bad must have happened."

"You said you worked at this magical KFP?" Bao asked. "Can you lead the way?"

"Of course," Ryan's smile only grew. Today was going to be an interesting day.

-

"Welcome!" Kiara chirped as the three entered the KFP. "Hey, Ryan! Who are these two?"

"Wow, someone entering the store who you don't know?" Ryan gasped, his eyes widening in shock.

"Hey!" Kiara pouted.

"This is Bao-san and Oribana-san," Ryan said. "Bao-san, Oribana-san, this is my boss, Takanashi Kiara."

"Ah, a phoenix," Bao smiled. "I haven't seen one of your kind in millennia."

"Unfortunately, I'm the last of my kind," Kiara's face slumped, her tone sad. "At least until that one girl from Reine-chan's dimension showed up."

"I see," Bao sat down, giving Kiara an understanding look. "I understand how you feel. I too am the last of my species. The evil gods wiped my kind out a couple weeks before the War in Heaven."

"Now that I think of it, I think I've heard your name before," Kiara said, looking upwards to the ceiling in thought. "I think Gura said you name a couple times."

"Gura's here?!" Bao exclaimed, her face rising and her eyes sparkling. "I haven't seen her in ages! Where is she?"

"If you want, I can call her while Tenchou makes your food," Ryan offered. "Maybe you'll meet her wife too."

"She has a wife?!" Bao squealed, turning to Ryan, stars in her eyes. "Oh, I'm so proud of my little shark!"

"Er… I'll go outside to call her," Ryan said, hastily leaving before Bao could go off on him about her "little apex predator".

Ryan dialed Amelia's number and put the phone to his ear.

"Oh, Ryan! Thank god!" Amelia immediately answered the phone, heavily panting. "Help me convince Gura that I shouldn't be ground pounding her!"

"C'mon, Watson!" Gura shouted in the distance. "We're married! Ground pounding is what married couples do!"

"You're still too pure!" Watson shot back. "Gah!"

"Put me on speaker," Ryan grumbled as he heard the sound of two bodies thud.

"Alright, you're o- gah! Get off, Gura!" Amelia said before the sound of glass shattering could be heard from the other side of the phone.

"Gura, this lady named Bao-san is looking for you," Ryan said. "Come to the KFP."

"Bao-sensei's here?!" Gura squealed. "Amelia let's go! My sensei is here!"

"What- gah!" Ryan could only assume that Amelia was being dragged away. "Ryan! Help!"

"Sorry, but you're on your own," Ryan snickered as she continued to shout in protest.

"I'll get you for-," Amelia was cut off when Ryan hung up the phone.

"Oh, I'm getting hell for this," Ryan said, a huge smile in his face before walking back into the restaurant.

-

"RYAN!" Amelia stormed into the restaurant a few minutes after Ryan hung up the phone. She stomped down and pointed at him, much to the confusion of others. "You abandoned me!"

"Hey, maybe if you screwed your wife, then you would have less problems," Ryan offered her a shrug.

"You…" Amelia clenched her fist, a tick mark appearing on her forehead.

"Bao-sensei!" Gura ran past Amelia, tackling the deity into a hug.

"Gura!" Bao squeezed the small shark, a genuine smile on her face. "Your magic has grown a lot! Your height, though…"

"Hey!" Gura pouted.

"I would make a joke, but it would have come up short," Bao shrugged, causing Gura to groan.

"Oh god they're two of them," Ryan groaned in defeat.

"Sensei…" Gura whined, giving her sensei baby shark eyes. "You're so mean."

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your special someone?" Bao wagged her eyebrows at Gura.

"Ah!" Gura jumped off and ran to Amelia, pushing her towards her sensei with an enthusiastic look. "Ame, this is Bao-sensei! She taught me back when I was a baby shark!"

"Thank you for teaching my little Apex Predator to be such an adorable bean." Amelia politely smiled to the whale deity.

"You better be treating her well," Bao gave Amelia a menacing smile.

"Ame treats me really well!" Gura smiled, shooting her arms up excitedly. "Except for the fact that she won't ground pound me."

"Ah, how my little shark has grown up," Bao pat her head before looking to Amelia.

"Do you think I can ground pound this bean?" She pointed at Gura.

"I guess you have a point," Bao sighed.

"It's nice to see you again, Gura-sama," Makuro offered Gura a sweet smile. Gura then tackled the killer whale in a huge hug.

"Makuro-chan!" Gura cheered, looking at the girl who was roughly her size. "I've missed you so much! Also, I've told you not to call me that! We're friends!"

"Whatever you say, Gura-sama," Makuro chuckled lightly as Gura pouted. "I've missed you."

"Who's this?" Amelia walked over, putting a hand on Gura's head.

"Ah, Makuro-chan was my classmate!" Gura smiled. "We're besties!"

"Mou, Gura-sama," Makuro's face blushed as Gura wrapped her arm around the killer whale. "You're embarrassing me in front of you wife!"

"Eh, it's fine!" Amelia waved her hand dismissively, her smile only widening. "Gura only looks cuter this way, so it's fine."

"Amelia-san!" Makuro squirmed in Gura's grasp.

"Bao-sensei! Let me show you around the city!" Gura ran over and grabbed Bao's arm, tugging on it.

"Whatever you want," Bao smiled softly as she let the shark drag her out of the restaurant.

"Wait!" Makuro ran off, following the two out of the restaurant.

"I guess I'll go follow them," Amelia sighed, turning to Ryan. "I guess it was nice seeing you again. Now if you excuse me, I think I need to make sure the love of my life doesn't spend half of our joined savings in one day."

Ryan waved as Amelia walked off. "Now what?" Ryan asked.

"Hmmm… maybe we'll find you a girlfriend," Kiara said. "We were talking about it yesterday, huh?"

"Absolutely not," Ryan grumbled.

"Why?" Kiara asked innocently. "Do you want a boyfriend?"

"It's not that!" Ryan slammed the counter softly in a pout. "Just… isn't it kind of awkward for my boss to be my wingman…?"

"Absolutely not!" Kiara said, slapping Ryan's back. "I'll let you off for today, but it'll happen one day."

"Great," Ryan grumbled. This was going to be the death of him.

-

"So, when are you going to go down there?" Storm asked, standing next to Grimm. "They think you're dead, you know."

"I know," Grimm nodded, sighing. "Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day after. I honestly have no idea. I really want to see them. They're my students. But… I'm not sure if I'm truly ready to see them."

"I understand," Storm put a hand on his brother's shoulder, offering him a knowing smile. "Ryan thinks I'm a complete ass. I know Edhas knows better, but it still hurts, you know? I know I'm not supposed to have emotions as the herald, but I still do."

"Yeah, I guess we weren't dealt the best hand, but we still have to play," Grimm chuckled dryly. "Still, I can't wait to see how much they've grown."

"They've grown a lot, I promise you that," Storm said, looking at the infinite blackness before them. "Edhas was... damaged by what happened, but he's healing. I feel that Ryan and Kiara are helping him grow a lot."

"I see Kiara's been really helping Ryan out," Grimm smiled. "I have to thank her properly when I come to the real world. She's been a blessing."

"That she has been," Storm smiled.

-

Fubuki walked through a snowy forest, humming her original song. Suddenly, she stepped into a pothole, falling into it. "Hey!" She yelped, looking up at the hole.

"Oh my gosh!" A wolf girl with snow white hair and ears popped her head from the top of the hole. "Fubuki-san, is that you?!"

"Lumi-chan!" Fubuki cheered. "I was looking for you!"

"Why were you looking for me-awoo?" Lumi asked as Fubuki floated up from the pothole, white jets firing from her feet, melting the snow around her feet as she landed.

"My friend opened up a restaurant and I wanted you to come with me!" Fubuki cheered.

"I would love to-awoo!" Lumi cheered, giving her cat fox a big hug. "Let me call Merry! I'm sure he'd love to come!"

-

Merryweather took his navy hat off as he entered his bunker, letting his dog ears twitch, letting them stretch a bit. Having his ears hidden was really a pain. Even if the world was in a time of peace, he still liked to keep his true identity hidden, just in case. He put the hat next to his phone, which suddenly started ringing, showing a picture of his cousin, Lumi posing with him.

"Hello?" Merry asked. It was odd for Lumi to call him, since she lives in the forest. She would have to exit the forest to call anyone.

"Merry! Fubuki-san and I are going to be going to a restaurant! Do you want to come-awoo?" Lumi cheered excitedly.

"I mean, if it got you out of the forest, then I would love to come," Merry smiled softly.

"Hey!" Lumi pouted. "Whatever. Anyways, it'll take us a few days to get to Japan, but I'll call you again when we get there."

"Alright. I'll see you soon," Merry said as he hung up the phone, smiling. Maybe it finally was time for a break.

-

Somewhere, in the deep depths of the planet, the earth shook. A dark and menacing aura flowed through the cave as two evil eyes opened. An ancient beast has awoken, and she wants you to have a nice day.