Chapter 5

My home is located just outside Kuoh Town, technically making it a part of a different, and much larger, territory.

Though sparse in people, it more than makes up for in views, a classic Japanese countryside.

And my place was built to take full advantage of that.

Despite being a traditional Japanese-styled estate, or I suppose compound, what with multiple unused buildings around the main house, it still held plenty of modern amenities.

All insisted upon by my Father, who I inherited the place from.

It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that besides this house also came an absurd amount of money.

Enough that I'm set for life, one or another.

In the end, it's just one of the many reasons I'm sitting in a kitchen chair, glaring down at a kneeling Uzui– Uzume, who refuses to meet my gaze.

This girl is so lucky I don't throw her out right now, she can't even begin to comprehend it.

After she finally stopped crying earlier, she got her shit together enough to teleport us all straight here.

Last I checked on Kuroka, she had claimed my big bed in my room as her own in her Youkai form, that being a black cat with a forked tail.

She was looking forward to some rest after whatever went down with her the past week and a half.

Figured I'd get answers out of her later, so I let her rest, she kind of earned it after all.

Besides, I had other things to do.

Like listening to Uzui–, Ugh...Uzume, blubber on for a whole…how long has it been?

3 hours. Fucking hell.

She told me what was up, who she actually is, how I ended up on top of that mountain, the whole works.

A lot to process. Let's start with something simple!

"So. Just to clarify." I suddenly start, keeping my tone decidedly neutral, causing her to perk up, "I applied for Kuoh Academy around 2 or so weeks ago, managed to get in, and you took me out drinking to celebrate. I got smashed on sake made by the Inari Okami so hard, I lost my memories temporarily?"

Uzume slowly nodded.

I whistle, "Damn. And drunk me challenged you to a drinking contest that left you so smashed, you didn't wake for a few days?"

Uzume nodded once more, even slower, and a bit shamefully.

"Well shit." I snorted, "Drunk me sounds hardcore…"

"I know right!?" Uzume suddenly popped up, "I tried to tell Ama that! But she…Ah." her eyes met my glare, and she slowly shrunk back down, "Sorry…"

I huff, leaning back in my chair.

My memories haven't fully come back yet, but I get the feeling everything she's told me is true.

Which, if it is, I have to wonder…

Why in the hell would I want to go to Kuoh when I'm rich?

The answer supplied itself quickly enough, just based on the sheer uneventful and lonely childhood I had.

Friends. That's it.

From what I can gather, I was already ousted from the schools I normally went to due to my antisocial nature and 'strange' hobbies.

Although Japan has an entire section of dance and theater purely for males, I guess it was still niche enough that I wasn't a part of the collective.

Fucking Japanese schooling system.

Regardless, I think I saw Kuoh as a chance to 'start over' that part of my life, the idea of it being a former all-girls school likely helping to push that idea along.

Though, with what I know now about the school now, do I really want or need to go there?

Hmm. I don't know? Maybe I should ask the fucking stack of letters from the school, sitting on the kitchen table behind me.

One is from the School Headmaster, sending me my school supplies list and time to pick up my uniform.

The rest? All from one Souna Shitori, the current Vice President of the Kuoh Academy Student Council, all of which I assume to be about me missing said time.

At least that nugget of info told me where I am in the timeline. Just before Rias and Sona's third year, a few months before Ray Ray shanks Issei with a light shiv, to be precise. I was meant to be joining them that year, but now?

I'm not sure.

Ugh. Fuck it. I'll come back to that mess later.

First, though.

"What am I going to do with you, Uzume?" I sigh, and she flinches. "Look. I'll be frank. You ruined my childhood, or what I can remember of it so far. You weren't so much of a guardian as you were the reason I taught myself to cook, clean, and take care of myself. " I watch as her eyes widen like saucers, and quiver a little.

"On one end? I'm fairly self-sufficient now. On the other?" I snort derisively, "I couldn't interact with people because I didn't know how, and on top of that, my hobbies were 'weird', and thus I had no social life. I was alone…" I trail off, tiredly.

Honestly? When it comes to Uzume? At this point, I'm not even mad anymore.

Just tired, and a little annoyed.

My inherited memories from my old life flushed out my social inexperience, so really? I'm mostly fine now.

Though it might honestly be better to say I just don't care about any of that anymore.

I jerk from my thoughts as something soft impacts my legs and wraps around them.

Looking down, I found the purple-haired kami wrapped around my legs, snuggling them, tears rolling down her face.

"I-I'm sorry, Noriaki-san~!" I raise my eyebrow at the honorific, but otherwise, just watch as she goes on, "I-I didn't mean to do anything like that! I! I just…!"

"Suck at raising kids?" I try.

"Yeah! That!" she nods frantically in agreement.

Well. It's nice to know she wasn't intentionally malicious. Still…

"Doesn't change the fact that you tried and failed." I nail in.

She just looks down in shame, "I-I know…I…" she bites her lip. "I want to make it up to you."

Oh?

"Really, now?" I mumble dryly, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

If you say anything related to serving me, especially sexually, I swear-

She stands up and drops her kimono to the floor, a blush spreading across her face as she does.

…Son of a bitch. Fucking DxD, man.

"I…can't bring back the time I lost you in your life. But, maybe I can help make the rest of your life less lonely, and more pleasurable~?" she murmurs, with just enough hotness to it to make me shiver.

"Are you…basically offering to become my maid? For the rest of my life?" I very clearly meet her eyes, and continue the contact, making damn sure not to check her out.

She giggles, and slowly kneels before me once more, her hands traveling up the length of my legs, rubbing them softly. "Concubine works too…so does slave, if you're into that? Whatever you want me to be, I'll do it, just say the word~...?"

I click my tongue, and despite myself, I find my pants getting rapidly tighter and tighter.

Needing to buy time to think, I pull from my knowledge of Shinto Mythology and throw one last thing at her.

"Aren't you married, though?" I breathe out through gritted teeth.

She smiles up at me, "Ah? That man? He has a harem, and he's agreed to let me be a bit more…free, because of that." she chuckled suddenly, "I'm also Ama, your mother's, consort…fuck buddy…maid…basically what I just offered to be for you?" she stops for a second, and blinks.

"You know, she…she trusted me with you…and I…" she grimaced, I could see the pained and guilt-ridden expression breaking through on her face being smashed back by a quickly growing sultry one.

"I want to make it up to you~...before she can tell me what to do, I want to take that responsibility into my own hands~..." she looks me right in the eyes, finally, "Please~?"

You know?

I'm not a man to be led around by my dick. I have more pride than that.

But Kuroka has made me around a week and a half backed up.

And Uzume, despite being an actual trash guardian, is hot.

As a Goddess, it's only natural.

I want to fuck her. I'll admit that. Anyone saying they could be the 'bigger man' and not be even the slightest bit tempted has the testosterone levels of a fucking tree branch.

But I want to punish her, as well.

If I bend her over the kitchen table and fuck her silly, that doesn't feel like a punishment, as presumably, she likes sex.

Sure, I'd get to fill her womb with my seed, and it'd feel hella good. But that's all it would be.

The pettiness inside me demands justice. Some kind of justice. Justice that only I dispense, not my mother.

I want to fuck her, sure.

But I have a really hot cat girl that deserves my seed more upstairs.

That doesn't mean I can't fuck with her, first.

I suddenly stand up, causing Uzume to yelp and fall back in surprise.

In the next moment, just as she had done just a bit ago, I dropped my clothes, or what was left of them after my fight over the night.

My member, so close to fully erect it might as well be, slaps her right in the face.

"Ahh~!?" she flinches at the strike, half surprised, half incredulous. Then she takes a look at my rod and stares. "Big~..." she gasps hotly, and I see the moment sheer lust fully enters her eyes.

I roughly grab her hair, lifting her back up to her feet.

She whines as I do, but gives an even greater moan when I reach around to deliver a meaty spank upon her reer.

"Fine, I accept." I mutter huskily, straight into her ear, grinning darkly as I feel her shiver at my voice.

I promptly sit back down once more, bringing her upper body down atop my lower, so my cock is once again right in front of her face.

"Your first task~? Get me ready~." I don't even need to say more, the sheer lust flowing from my voice is all the explanation she needs.

"As you command, Goshujin-sama~..." she moans out, I shiver slightly at her addressing me as 'Master', and watch as she wraps her hands around her breasts and brings them around to envelope the whole of my manhood in soft bouncy flesh.

I grunt, as she slowly begins bouncing her bust on my rod, slowly at first, but very quickly picking up speed as she gets used to my length.

She stares into my eyes, filled with desire, as she sticks out her tongue and begins gently lapping at my exposed tip.

"Mmm~..." I grunt lowly, "I should have had you do this years ago~..." I brush strands of hair outs her eyes, as she shoots a sultry smile up at me.

"I wish you did~..." she replies hotly back, "I could have started serving my sentence sooner~..." with that, she goes back down on my wood, enveloping the tip within her lips.

I groan slightly longer, as I feel her tongue twirl around my tip, with my shaft being massaged by her bouncing bust in turn.

It almost makes me cum on the spot.

Almost.

"Well~" I mumble darkly, "there's always the present~..." I sat up, though not enough to dislodge Usume from her work. "Dorei-chan~..." I feel her shiver at me basically calling her a sex slave. "Be a dear for me and go bend over that table over there for me, alright~?" I wave to the table in question.

"H~Hai, Goshujin-sama~..." she gets off my manhood, reluctantly, I can tell, and walks over to do exactly that.

She puts her hands on the table and bends over with an arch to her back.

As I approach, she gives her plump ass a nice little shake. "T~This~...Dorei~," she quivers with a lewd smile at calling herself that, "is here for Goshujin-sama's pleasure~..."

Good god, you have no idea how much that makes me want to fuck you into the ground.

But! I'm not here to please you, my sweet little Dorei-chan ~...

When I approach her, I slap her straight across the ass, "Only for your Goshujin-sama~?"

She moans and nods eagerly. "Y~Yes~! Only for you~! From now on~!"

Good.

With that, I don't hit my entire length inside of her, like every fiber of my male hormones is telling me to do, instead, I jam three of my largest and longest fingers inside of her.

All at once.

Not the same as my nice large dick, but well…

"Ahhnnmmm~!" I feel her quiver around my fingers as she moans, loudly, grasping for breath.

Which I don't give her, as I start moving. Rapidly.

I twist and spin my fingers around inside her with each push deep into her folds, not aiming for quality, but sheer overwhelming stimulation.

"W~Wait~! Maahh~! Goshujin-sama~!" another push in, another breathless gasp and moan, "M~Maaahh~! P~Pleaase~! I can't, hnnghh~!" again, "H~Hahh~! Staahpp~!" again, "Noriaki Goshujin-sama~!" and again, and so on.

I only stop, just as I start to feel her folds tighten, the start of a tension building for her climax.

And I don't just stop, I rip it away.

Pulling my fingers out quickly as soon as I feel it start to take hold, I let her gasp out a shocked moan as my fingers leave her entrance and watch amused as she slowly slides down and slumps to the floor.

She heaves out quivering gasps for air, her body shaking in I realized release.

"Y~You…You…Goshujin-sama…w-why?" she whines out, and I answer fairly simply.

By walking up to her, grabbing her hair, and putting her face right up against my throbbing hot rod.

I smile darkly, watching as she breathes hotly against my shaft, nearly forgetting about her denied climax.

Until I remind her.

"Because you don't deserve this yet." I pulled her head harder against my shaft, "This shall be your punishment, my beautiful little Dorei~!" I feel her shiver, likely in both pleasure and horror as she slowly realizes what I'm saying.

"I won't take you~...my cock won't part your walls, and I won't fill your womb with my seed~..." her eyes slowly start to widen up at me, "Oh sure, I may use your tits or mouth for my release~, but don't expect me to bring you to release myself~!" I chuckle deeply and boop her on the nose, before suddenly pulling back, leaving her to drop to the floor completely with a whining yelp.

"I…y~you~! Noriaki~! That's cruel!" she whines.

"It's Goshujin-sama to you, remember?" she shivers at just how softly I say that, "Don't worry! It's not like I won't ever give a try at breeding you!" she shivers even more at how casually I state that, "Let's see…prepare for, maybe in another 2 decades or so?"

I smirk evilly, as her eyes widen to sheer comical levels, "For every year you took from me, I'll deny you release." I lay out plainly. "Now, I won't stop you from achieving release yourself, but let's be real here~..." I put a lone finger under her chin, and lift her head slightly as I look down in her eyes. "...it just won't be the same, will it?"

And with that, I remove my finger and start walking away.

Uzume just stares at my back, dumbly for a second.

"W~Wait!" she suddenly calls out, "What are you d~doing~!?"

I don't turn back to her, or even stop. "Going to pay a certain kitty who deserves something far more than you do! Feel free to watch, just make sure not to get yourself caught, hmm~?"

My smirk widens into a grin as I hear her choked confused gasp turn into a whining sputter for…something or other, I stopped paying attention.

Ah...this is going to be fun~!

~ A New Sun ~

I enter my room, to find a very familiar sight greeting me on my bed.

One very naked black cat, laying on her back, with one hand behind her head and body sprawled out.

Despite the deadpan she sent me the moment I walked in, she was already blushing.

It got worse once she saw I was as naked as the day I was born.

"I thought you had forgotten about me up here," she mumbles softly, her eyes seeming unable to move off my manhood, "you two weren't exactly quiet down there, you know~? Nya~!?"

She yelped when I dived onto the bed next to her.

Ah. Big bed.

I casually wrap an arm around my kitty, pulling her soft nude body against my bare side.

Perfect.

"Ah? You mean with Uzume?" I feel her eyes suddenly widen against me.

Oh yeah, she wasn't there for the ted talk, huh?

"Yeah, that Uzume." I grumble, "I'll…explain everything to you tomorrow. For now, just know that she's my maid from now on and that I didn't fuck her…quite the opposite in fact."

Kuroda blinked. "Eh? Then those noises downstairs?"

I chuckle, giving her a devilish smirk. "Punishment. I fingered her to the edge, then pulled out. Came up here to do you instead, and she won't be feeling anything inside her for a little under two decades…"

Kuroka blanched at that, "That's…Nori-kun, that's cruel, nya~..."

Then why are you shivering and holding onto me tighter, huh?

"Hmm. You seem to be into that, though~?" suddenly, I turn, pushing her onto her back, with me right on top of her.

My hand comes down, right next to her head, and I stare down into her eyes.

"Maybe~...I should give you the same treatment, hmm~?" I mumbled deeply.

"Nya~!? That's not what I! Nori-kun~! It's cold! You're warm~!" she stifles a gasp, subduing her whining as she feels my other hand travel down her stomach, to her thighs, before finding her somewhat wet entrance.

"Right~," I huff out, amused, "like you weren't keeping yourself warm before I got here~..."

I slowly trace the boundaries of her entrance, staring her deep in the eyes as I do, watching with mirth as the lust and desire slowly builds up with them.

"You know," I hum out nonchalantly, "I don't have any condoms~..."

Kuroka hisses a bit at that, "So~!? I want kittens, nya~!"

I chuckle, going down to place small kisses at her neck and collar, smiling at every shiver and poorly kept mewl and soft moan she lets out, before slowly going up to her ear and whispering.

"You and I both aren't ready to be parents yet, you know that…" I trail off, leaving the mention of our obvious unresolved personal issues unspoken.

Also, the fact that lust does not make a relationship.

If I'm gonna be a Daddy, I sure as hell am going to be there to raise my kids, and I'd like to love my kid's mother and have a proper relationship beyond just sex.

After a beat, I feel Kuroka wrap her arms around my head and sigh.

"I know," she whines sadly, "but being a Devil…well, let's just say it might take a while, alright~? We have extremely low fertility~..."

I chuckle, causing her to look at me slightly in confusion.

"Then, how about we call this…" I whisper huskily, directly into her ear, "breeding training~..."

She stills the moment the words leave my mouth, letting out a low, hot moan shortly after…

As my longest finger, my middle finger, finds purchase and enters her tight folds.

"Don't worry, though~..." I continue through a small smile, "as I am a most generous trainer, and this is your first session…I'll make sure you're ready for me~..." Kuroka gives a near-sputtering lewd gasp as I lay a gentle lick across her ear, and begin to slowly and steadily finger her quivering quim.

"And, don't worry~!" I say just as cheerfully as lustfully, "I'll be gentle." I lie. Straight through my teeth.

The way her folds suddenly tighten around my finger, and the way her eyes light up with sheer desire makes me think she enjoys that idea.

Without further adieu, I quickly increase the pace of my fingering.

Okay. I'll be truthful. I'm finger fucking her if the way my hand slams against her entrance with loud wet slapping sounds.

"N~Nya~!? Nori-kun~!" she whines and moans, "Don't~! You~! Nnnghhh~!"

I shut her up, by stretching her out further, having another of my fingers join the first in getting her nice and ready.

I hum as I do this, almost casually, smiling down lustfully at her as I go.

"You know~?" I suddenly began. "You can help me out too~!"

"N~Nyahh~!? How~...?" she moans in a lust-filled daze.

My smile widens. "Beg~." I answer simply, succinctly, and huskily.

My smile becomes a grin as her eyes widen, and she loudly mewls lewdly, and dare I say, a tad bashfully?

"Beg for me to fuck you. Beg for me to do what no other man will do, and fill you up with my seed. Beg, and know I will do it when you ask~..."

I saw the moment, the moment sheer burning lust and desire enveloped and ignited in her eyes.

She pulls me down, so her mouth can easily go up to my ear.

Her next words were almost slurred with desire, the sheer heat coming off her breath made me shiver.

"N~Nori~kun~! P~Please fuck me~! I~I've been waiting for so long~! Please~ nya~!?"

I smile.

Yeah. I think she's ready now.

In the next moment, I move, pulling my fingers from her desperate folds and moving to place the tip of my member right up against her entrance.

I move forwards, my own legs pushing hers up into the air before settling back down over mine.

Mating Press.

I smirk down at Kuroka, whose body trembles, eyes filled with anticipation.

"P~Please, n~nya~?" Is all she says, with a lewd mewl tacked on right at the end.

I slam down into her, my rod easily sliding into her soaked passage, bottoming out into her shortly after.

"N~NYAHHH~!" my cat girl screams out in pleasure, and her insides mirror the action by locking my shaft in a vice grip, causing me to give a pleased low groan.

After a second or two of letting her adjust to the pleasure thrumming through her veins, I start moving again.

Not slowly, no. Just as 'promised' I started being the opposite of gentle.

I started pounding into her, roughly slamming down into her eager folds, causing the bed to harshly shake, over and over and over again.

"Ngghhyaahh~! Nori~! Ghhaa~! Kun~! Maaahhh~!"

Besides her desperate, heat-filled moans, the only other sounds to fill my room were the rough sounds of flesh slapping together and my poor bed ready to fall apart.

Looking down at her face now? With her mouth wide open, her tongue hanging out, and the literal hentai hearts in her eyes.

Only made me go harder.

"MMNNNGHH~!" suddenly, her arms and legs wrapped around my body held me tight.

Her walls clamped down on my shaft, and I nearly came with her as her climax exploded.

Her entire body started vibrating and shaking profusely, as the hottest, lewdest moan I ever heard went right into my ear.

"Nyyaaahhh~...N~Nori~, kun~..."

I shiver and let out a deep groan, "Fucking hell, Kuroka~..."

"Nya~!" she gives me a dazed, sultry cheshire grin, and goes up to slowly lick my neck. "Where's my seed, Nori~kun~...I want it~...give it all to me~..."

Say no more.

I promptly continue right where I left off, pistoning into her, but this time with a different goal in mind.

Filling her up.

"NYAAAHH~!? That's it~! Right there~! Mmmmm~! Fill up your pet~! Fill her up~!" she begs and moans, straight into my ear.

I pin her down on the bed, pushing her into the mattress as I hilt myself completely inside her, and gave her everything she begged for.

She clings onto me, giving a loud lewd cry in time with the several long seconds it took for me to empty every drop of seed I had deep inside of her.

"A~Aaahhn~...Nori~kun~..." she gives my neck and chest several lewd kisses and small licks, seemingly in a pleasure-filled daze.

"F~Fuck~..." I huff out. "Kuroka~?

She just continues kissing and licking my chest and neck, hell, she's purring now? And rubbing up against me?

Admittedly, it does feel good. But…

"Kuroka~...Pet." I say a little more sternly, smiling with glee as she perks up.

"Nori~kun~? Nya~?" she slurs, looking up at me and tilting her head to the side.

I look her right back in the eyes.

My next words cause her to still entirely.

"I'm not done with you yet," I grumble huskily, "let's flip you over, on your stomach, hmm~?"

I sit up, pulling her up by her shoulders as I go, her eyes glazed over with lust, yet mounting with confusion rapidly.

It's only when I actually flip her over onto her stomach does she give a somewhat coherent, yet confused mewl.

"H-How are you still- NYA~!?"

I cut her off, by putting my still very hard member right between her cheeks.

As it would turn out, breathing techniques that energize my entire body with oxygen gets the blood flowing.

Everywhere.

Not too sure if I have any seed left in the tank, but there's only one way to find out, right?

"Y~You~...? Nori~kun~! Answer me-"

My answer comes in the form of me pushing down and into her still very wet folds!

"NYAH~!? W~Wait~! Nori~kun~! Not like that~! I'm still not~! Maaahh~!"

What was it that I said I was going to do to her way back when we first meant, hmm?

It had something to do with fucking her senseless, making her stop thinking about dragons, all that jazz, right?

Time to make full due on that promise.

~ A New Sun ~

Several hours later, it's now the middle of the night.

I walk now down a small path on my estate, heading towards a particular building that, from my memories so far, shouldn't exist.

Only reason I saw it was because, after our sex-a-thon, I decided to take a nice long look out my window and noticed it.

Ah! By the way, I left Kuroka in a sex coma in my bed. Fun times.

Didn't get to try everything on her, and it turns out that although I can keep a rock solid hard-on basically forever, my sperm bank is indeed limited.

Sadge.

Even during our breaks - she did have to eat after all - I played with her, teased her.

Me thinks she's learned her lesson about being a little tease, but my rational mind calls bullshit on that.

We'll see about that.

Anyhow, a strange building that just seemed to have…appeared, on my estate. What's up with that, hmm?

Taking the path that avoids the moonlight the most makes this little trip take longer.

Ugh…that's another thing I need to look into, huh? This almost built-in hatred for the moon and night.

I don't like being predisposed to bullshit like this. I'll have to ask my mother about that when I get the chance.

Regardless, I made it to the building, a large rectangular building built in the same style as the other buildings amidst the estate, traditional Japanese.

As soon as I approach the sliding door, I feel something like…my entire body passing through a soap bubble? Or maybe a liquid plastic film?

I blink. A barrier of some kind? Is that why I couldn't see it before?

What changed then? Is it because I now have powers?

I shake off those thoughts for now. Just another thing to check in later about. Another thing added to my plate of bullshit I needed to sort through.

With that joyous thought in my head, I pulled open the door.

To reveal…a dojo?

Sheathed in darkness, lit only by candles this late at night, huh? Still, it looks rather nice…

I still, my blood turning ice cold as a thought breaks into my mind.

Who the hell lit all these candles?

"Ah, Goshujin-sama!" Oh for fucks sake. I recognize that voice.

I turn, finding Uzume standing there holding a lit candle, the politest smile on her face I've ever seen.

She's…also wearing a maid outfit.

Nice.

Still. Kind of ruins the whole mood this place gives though, doesn't it?

"Ah, Uzui-chan!" I clap and smile right back, relishing in the confused blink she gave me at my impromptu name switch. "You have fun earlier today?"

Her polite smile twitches.

My smile turns into a smirk.

According to Kuroka, she was watching but had tapped out at one point or another.

Poor girl. At least she didn't leave any trace of a mess around?

Good maid! I'll give her head pats later as a reward!

Ah, shit. Okay, Nori! You're doing it again! Focus! On secret dojo! For now!

I cough into my hand, my smirk dropping as I look about the place.

"So," I start, a tad awkwardly, "what's up with this place?"

Uzume blinks at my awful attempt to change the conversation but takes it regardless.

"This is a Dojo your Father had built so he could train in peace," she explains, whilst walking to place another candle down, "you're here because you never saw this place before, correct?" I nod, and she continues.

"Your Father had a few of his friends from the Bureau of Onmyo put up barriers around the place, to hide it from the mundane world. Now that you have powers, well..." She waves nonchalantly around the place.

Okay. The only bit I got was the first and last bit.

I don't know much of anything about my Dad. Only his name, Kunihito, and that only came from a very drunk Uzume talking about how much she misses him.

Besides that? I got nothing. So, he was a fighter of some kind? Had connections to some Bureau?

"You lost me." I outright state, causing her to flinch and look directly at me. "I mean, why did Dad need any of this? And a Bureau? Like, you never told me anything about him, so I don't…" I trail off, my eyes slowly widening, as I look at Uzume.

Quietly crying, tears gently streaming down her face, as she stares at me with this dreadful expression across her face.

It's like someone mixed grief, horror, guilt, bitterness, and anger in a pot, and drank the whole damn thing in one gulp.

"Uzume?" I step towards her, raising a hand, "Are you okay…?"

She nods shakily, "I…" she takes a labored breath, and shoo's my hand away when it gets close, "No. No I'm not actually." she states through gritted teeth, "I had forgotten that, you didn't really…know anything about your Dad."

Tears still streaming down her face, she glances up towards the sky. "Fuck it. Ama can't hear us now, anyways. You deserve to know."

I blink at that. "Huh?"

Before I could ask for more, she turns and walks away.

"Follow along, Akaruihiruotoko." she more so orders, then asks.

"That name again, huh?" I mumble, seeing the moment for how serious it was, I follow along behind her without a complaint.

As she leads me through the long wooden halls around the Dojo, she suddenly begins.

"You have three names, Akaruihiruotoko, the Kami name Ama picked for you. Norihito, the human name your Father picked for you, and…" she chuckles good-naturedly, "Noriaki, the compromise name I came up with when your parents couldn't decide!"

"Don't they…all just mean variations of the same thing, though?" I ask, confused.

"Yup!" Uzume agrees, amused. "It's…a tad bit complicated, but let's just say that neither of your parents wanted what the other wanted for your life," she shakes her head, "let's not go into that, though, for now. I want to tell you about your father."

Eventually, we make it to a wide-open indoor space, shaped like a long rectangle.

At the very end of the space? A katana stand, holding, well…a katana!

Specifically, an odachi, a larger variant of the katana. With a red hilt, wrapped in soft black cloth, and a dark golden guard.

And in front of it? A small picture frame, holding the visage of a man…

Dad?

I didn't realize I had walked straight up to the stand and picture until I was already in front of it.

The man in the picture…didn't look much like me, I'll admit. I think I got basically everything from my mother.

Uzume, who stood off to the side of it, smiled slightly as I kneeled before it.

Regardless, it is still my father. Shame I don't have any incense around to light.

"I won't give your father's entire life story," she began, "you've been hit with enough new stuff lately already, and it's not like I won't have plenty of time now to tell you more later."

She waves toward the weapon. "This Odachi, it was a gift from your mother to your father when they first met." I trace a finger down the charcoal-black blade, absolutely mesmerized, and yet... "It's made of Hihiirokane, Brilliant Scarlet Metal straight from Heaven. Ama made it herself for him…"

"So why is it black, then?" I suddenly ask.

"Huh?" Uzume looks at me.

"It's…" I frown, "not supposed to be, right? I can feel it, the sword feels…dead?"

It's the strangest thing. It feels like something crucial is missing here…

Uzume smiles sadly, "I…of course you could tell."

She walks over and places a hand on my shoulder, "When your father fell, the blade turned black, because, Ama…well…" her grip tightens slowly, I can feel her trembling through her hand, "she didn't take it well."

I take a slow, measured breath, "How did he die?"

Uzume gulps and huffs a sigh.

On her hand, I can see it, inklings of an orangish dawn-like light, sputtering off her.

But I can also feel it. For the first time, another's Holy Spirit Power, as hers throbs out in irritation.

Compared to mine? I feel like a puddle next to an ocean.

"Some context, Nori…your Dad was on a one-man mission," Uzume began, "to expel all the 'Darkness' from Japan, as he liked to put it. He left behind his family, his responsibilities, his inheritance to do so."

Uzume gave a choked sigh. "Devils. Fallen. Yokai. Their strays. He hunted them all. With the Five Principles Clans too busy fighting amongst themselves, and the Yokai Factions not having much sway outside their territories, Japan was, and still is…w-well."

Slowly, Uzume came down to her knees, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"It's not great Nori. But, at least it's not America? Yeah? Hah…" she gave a sad chuckle, and I got a small smile out of that, though for reasons even she couldn't have suspected.

She snuggled into my back, mumbling as she continued listlessly. "He…H-He always told us he'd die out there. Fighting. Ama gave him the sword so maybe he wouldn't but, in the end? He was right."

The sound of sad, slowed-down party music wafted into my ears as her holy spirit powers flexed a bit.

"They ganged up on him. The Fallen and Devils. Ambushed him." she dug her head into my back. "Ama smote the entire block once she felt his soul cross. Ashed a whole Grigori cell, and Devil Peerage."

Uzume gave a long, tired chuckle. "Ah, the meetings afterward? Fun. But I won't bore you with those details, Noriaki."

A beat of silence passed, and I just sat there, processing all of…that.

"Nori-kun." Uzume suddenly spoke, causing me to look slightly back at her, seeing her still crying softly. "The sword is yours now. And," her arms tighten around me, "I'm sorry, after he died, Ama forbade me from talking about him. And I just…" slowly, she trails off into soft sputtered sobs.

As the night ticked ever onwards, I sat there in silence, letting Uzume cry it out behind me.

In my hands, I hold a perfectly sized Odachi for my fighting style, preferences, and tastes.

And yet.

The blade couldn't feel more empty.

Just like me.