Osamu’s eyes shot open, bringing him back from his bout of unconsciousness and delivering him to the world of the living. The pale blue light of the electric lantern sitting on the rotten, wooden floor of the bowling alley pierced his hazel eyes like photon daggers stabbing through his retinas. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe78ScO8Gzr
A glossy sheen of cold sweat dampened his peachy skin and head of shoulder-length, raven hair. His dirty, black thermal was messily unbuttoned, exposing the golden peace sign necklace dangling against his chest as he tried to free his rope-bound wrists. His squirming and struggling made the wooden chair he was bound to creak and shudder, alerting his captor to his awakening.
The echo of high-heel shoes thumping against the ground reverberated through the abandoned bowling alley, serving as a heart-stopping reminder to Osamu that he wasn’t alone.
“I was beginning to worry you had died, Osa.”
His wicked, devilish ex-girlfriend, Yoko Akiyama, emerged from the darkness with the scent of strawberry perfume, vexation, and vengeance around her. Her elongated shadow grew smaller as she passed by the electric lantern, then stretched back out as she stepped towards Osamu. She pressed the heel of her stiletto against Osamu's chest and pointed her glimmering katana at his frightened face. Yoko had a demonic fire in her sapphire eyes, which clashed with her firebrick-colored hair.
The lantern’s light illuminated the outer strands of her hair, enwreathing them in a cyan veil. Her raised leg meant that Osamu caught a glimpse of her strawberry-pattern panties beneath her flowing, pink skirt. She wore a denim vest and a white shirt with the kanji for ‘Love' printed on it, because certainly, someone who would kidnap another person knew what love was.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0OAm2j4ds
"Now then, are you ready to talk?” Yoko inquired, her smile thinly veiling her murderous intent.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIItBJqRqd3
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCWR96hirH
"T-talk? Talk about what?!" Osamu asked, his teeth clattering.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlcDsNEsHm
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAgX7SSIAY
"Oh, I don't know, maybe why the hell you decided to come back to town after what you did!” Yoko lashed out. “Do you have a death wish?! You do, don't you?!”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gaBcI0ysx
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWYEov9flfe
"Yoko, darling, please listen to me!”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡew9BoWn9IY
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOkFVOiOns
"Shut up." Yoko interjected, slowly gliding her sword down from Osamu's lips and to his chest and stopping at his groin.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeorX98IT3
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9y6CITlu3
"You're still as handsome as ever. It's too bad you're nothing but a filthy insect. 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHiiPLPs85
Where would you like me to cut first? Your face? Your biceps? How about your—"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt7x3gAp8M
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESfFkuggAL
“Don't cut me anywhere! This is far too aggressive of a homecoming bash, Yoko! Even for you!” Osamu cried, trying to free his bonded hands.
Yoko sauntered over to the bleachers and plopped down in her seat with her arms crossed. “My my, and here I thought you loved me for who I was on the inside. Well, since I know the truth, I suppose I won’t be giving you the antidote anytime soon.”
She finished her sentence with a teasing wink. Osamu swallowed the burning lump in his throat, imagining some noxious brew of poison flowing through his bloodstream.
“Yoko…you poisoned me?!”
The redheaded ex snickered with amusement. “Nope! I just wanted to see the face you’d make if you thought you were going to die!”
“Please don’t play around with my mortality!” Osamu shouted with his head leaned back in both relief and vexation.
Yoko stifled a chuckle to speak. “However, you’ll never get me to tell you the code to deactivate the bombs I planted in the nearby kindergarten! Not until you formally apologize!”
“You rigged a school?!” Osamu gasped.
“Just kidding! I don’t know how to make bombs!” Yoko tittered.
“Why are you saying that as if that’s the only thing stopping you from committing a brazen act of terror?”
Yoko gasped. “My dearest Osamu, did you seriously believe that I, Yoko Akiyama, a virtuous and good-natured girl, a role model among role models, a paragon of patience and kindness, a beacon of hope and happiness, would ever commit an act of terrorism?”
“I don’t know, you already seem to have kidnapping down.”
“O, ye of little face.” Yoko sighed, shaking her head.
“Faith is the right word, Yoko!”
“Tee hee.” Yoko giggled. “I misspoke. Silly me. Indeed, faith was the right word to use, but I ask that you forgive me for my linguistic blunder just this once. After all, I’m only human. Both of the characters in the word ‘Faith’ contain the ‘Human’ radical, don’t they? It’s a rather beautiful thing. But I digress. I’ve had my fun teasing you.”
Yoko lifted herself off the bleachers, skipping back over to Osamu with her katana in hand. She circled Osamu like a vulture sniffing out a fresh carcass, gently rubbing his left shoulder to unsettle him.
Yoko’s bright tone betrayed her poorly hidden anger. “So then, do you want to explain why you disappeared for four whole years?”
“What?” Osamu gasped. “Is that what this is all about?! Why are you so hung up about this?!”
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdr0H5BY79
Yoko stabbed the katana down into the ground. It stood perfectly still and upright without her holding it.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxDIiEp7gl
"Why?! Maybe because you suddenly moved away from Kyoto without saying anything to me!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdAc7roIeH
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ftvhZEzLf
“I left partly because all my exes are insane!”
"What the hell did you just say?!" she furiously belted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lYfRUYimv
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIafrMuecb
Yoko picked up the sword again, pressing it deeper and deeper into Osamu's chest. "We're crazy? Crazy?! After dating you, there's no such thing as crazy! All of this is perfectly normal to me!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKC4kDd5MX9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnCc2W7LlN
Osamu summoned what little defiance he had, shivering beneath Yoko’s wrathful gaze. “This is exactly why I left!” 471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH56ZCLENd
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAw8c9ZGeJ
"So then? Why did you come back?” Yoko asked, inching her face closer to his.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutj8ZcXyvy
The horrified excitement in him immediately died away as he remembered the greatest reason why he decided to return to Kyoto.
His tone grew heavy, tinged with shame. “Because…I wanted to see someone…"
For some reason, he was responded to with an unbearable silence as he looked away.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfscmttQqzc
(What? Why doesn't she say something? Wait...is she crying?!)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWThuyL7zC
Osamu returned his gaze to Yoko, her ocean-blue eyes damp with tears. She dropped her katana and tackled Osamu into a sudden hug, bringing both of them to the ground and knocking around a few of the bowling balls laying around.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKp374LYB5
Yoko’s timbre had gone from threatening to overbearingly embracing. "Osa, you sweetheart! You really did miss me all this time?"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64EJejaSma
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2Rh9sLnsJ
"Uhh..well..." Osamu mumbled.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgMOP3qUM0
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfrar7R7eIy
"I won't lie, I hated you for leaving all this time, but if you want to start over and turn a new leaf, I'd happily do it with you! I love you, Osamu!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOashiZVD9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSui0fidFeg
(See this crap?! This is partly why I left!)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsV5fLgsny
Yoko stood up, her skirt dangling over Osamu. Yoko's hands traced up the skin of her soft, milky thighs, lifting up the skirt. Her thumbs dug themselves underneath the waist straps of her pink and white striped panties. With a slight bend of her back, Yoko lifted one of her legs out from the confines of the underwear, followed by the other leg, and let her sacred, soft, slightly wet pair of panties fall onto Osamu's face. Oddly enough, Yoko's underwear had the sweet aroma of blooming flowers attached to it.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxJ9Jpok1i
"Holy crap! What are you doing, Yoko?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXkLey59Mc
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XS1kmW90U
"Stripping! I want to make love, right here and now!" Yoko gleefully replied, the warm, wheezing, breathiness of insatiable lust permeating in her voice.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqbK6yYVFK
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzewdebhSGV
(Do you see why I left yet!?)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhODrSp9Zm
Yoko stripped off her vest and lifted her shirt to reveal her pink, see-through bra adorned with ribbons at the top of the straps. Her underwear depicted the kanji for ‘Ocean’, since the ‘Yo’ in her name was written with the character. Trying even harder now to free his hands, Osamu used any last ditch effort he could to calm her down.
"Yoko, wait, I'm not ready for this!”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rw1xl1COF
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqoA3TlcdM
Ignoring his protests, Yoko abruptly pressed her finger against Osamu's lips, silencing him as her tongue glided across her top lip.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKLVhbKHAf
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKSsUTIKVh
"I want you to be rough with me tonight. Even if I tell you it hurts and beg you to stop, just keep going."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZwDYJLxpJ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH09o36eCcP
Yoko pressed her finger through Osamu's lips and inserted it into his mouth, for reasons that surely only had to do with love. She removed her finger and sucked on it, her face blushing at the taste. "You're so delicious, love! I’m so happy I get to taste you again! Let’s do it!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvV9GG0N6Fx
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoBpkwtDhz
“Wait!" Osamu yelled as a sudden explosion through the wall rocked the bowling alley and disrupted them. Osamu coughed and wheezed as smoke filled the bowling lanes as well as his lungs.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnoAghggZpo
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZnMZ6qmel
From the explosion alone, Osamu could already discern who was crashing Yoko’s party. ”Oh no, it’s…”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxcIoe2lVP
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l38V4Z2oI
“Her." Yoko finished.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gk9CwpDF6
An armed squad of mercenaries stormed the bowling alley and pointed their guns and blinding flashlights at Yoko, casting her shadow upon the dilapidated bowling lanes behind her. A rather familiar voice rang out from the smoke.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWgIoZrR0a
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Yoko Akiyama and Osamu Ashikaga. My rival and my first love, both in one place. Perfect."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPIlOoytR9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5uZh2zTqhC
Yoko bit her lip. ”Damn it, and I made sure I wasn't followed!"
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0r5Jck78t
Out from the smoke came Isabella Bailey, an American girl with long, blonde hair decorated with metal beads, emerald-green eyes, and quite the nice rack. Her nails were each painted red, white and blue, in honor of her home country. A silver angel wing necklace dangled below her collarbone.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaKxwgRdHS
(Yoko, you're so stupid! You can't forget her father is a U.S. general! She has connections to the U.S. military and even more connections to mercenary groups across the globe!)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSv7xPPYzaR
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMapJElgQL
Yoko boldly stepped forth two paces, as if to guard Osamu. "How rude of you, Gaijin. We were just about to make love after four years apart." Yoko always loved to call Isabella 'Gaijin' for being just that—a foreigner.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikPGTsy5tl
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn3VFpoRIHP
"L-love?! Osamu, you cheating bastard!" Isabella yelled with a flustered expression.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgD7P7vvYI
"How is it cheating?! We already broke up!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxzQZTwVURb
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSXhxtPr7HE
"But I still love you, you dummy! How could you just leave like that?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrEA2qAjzW
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZqMLMKZVsg
"Osamu loves me more.” Yoko proclaimed. “Your affection for him means nothing. Now scram, Gaijin."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡele4LaCZop
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm14beVe9yc
Isabella's anger festered and quickly boiled over at the mere utterance of her disgraceful nickname. "Don't...call me...Gaijin!"
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3h9jbnYXuH
Isabella whipped out her lustrous, golden desert eagle and aimed it at Yoko. At the same time, Yoko grabbed her panties and katana off of the floor, pointing the latter at Isabella. The two were locked in a deadly, jealous standoff.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW8Myb4duw
"So? What happens now? Are you really ready to die?” Yoko asked, her fierce stare focused on Isabella's eyes.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1tJsN9dol
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1NaNr7AUI
"Please, you crazy bitch. I'm the one with the gun here."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRv8bWXW9T7
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6m7Sr1SYO0
"Both of you, stop this immediately! This is cr—"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHjmOmgl0Q
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWoVm5RqJr
(Wait a minute! This is the perfect time for me to get out of these ropes and escape! They might kill each other, but I can at least be free! Just gotta work these ropes off...)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMchxZKVsB1
The two exes stared daggers into each other’s eyes, ready to interpret the slightest movement, the slightest twitch of the eye, as a threat. When Isabella dared to blink, Yoko suddenly had the excuse she needed to escalate the violence. Yoko slashed the gun in half with her katana and kicked Isabella into her squad of guns for hire. She dashed back to Osamu, quickly cutting his ropes and taking his hand.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAsX09DJS2
"Damn you! Shoot them!” Isabella ordered, winded from the kick.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYDjsj8smU
As they ran out of the bowling alley and out into the empty, dark streets, they avoided the storm of bullets behind them that tore apart the walls and shattered the glass of the abandoned building. They kept on running, refusing to even look back.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXuxyd1HwE
Osamu lamented this twisted trick of fate as Yoko led him by the hand. “I knew I should've just stayed home! This is all your fault, Yoko! Why did you have to kidnap me?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZYjBzKw6dQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98spagif4s
"My fault?! What am I supposed to do against her?! She has too many connections! If anything, it's your fault for making your return so high-profile!”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBvB8tWx25
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhtsjdXDwWB
"What the hell do you mean?!” Osamu recoiled in offense.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTBAYPV1oY
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQVDsFhvW6R
"I saw you posting photos on Twitter, you jerk!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxinNdEah8j
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GpPQORzzr
(She stalks my social media?)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCBTV0v3ZH
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66gejZ1Jn8
"This is bullshit!” Osamu cried, wondering if suicide was really such a bad thing after all.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPambzXoyj
Yoko took Osamu into an alleyway, where they could hide from Isabella's army of mercenaries. Even if just for a moment, the darkness and silence of the alley offered them a sense of peace after all of that chaos.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw73Xna6k6Z
"We lost them for now.” Yoko said, catching her strained breath as she peered out into the streets from the shadows of the alley.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Chv1f61SX
She held up her pair of panties, remembering she still hadn't put them back on. Of course, any normal girl would recognize it if it felt a little too breezy between her legs, but for Yoko, it always felt like that when she longed for Osamu.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4BUNa8RO0
"Oh, did you want to have a whiff before I put these back on?” Yoko offered, as if it were a matter of common sense and politesse.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjvUCU6zUrp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZqYUP7lQs
Osamu shook his head. ”No, that's fine! Go ahead and put them back on!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIAPXJDuAw
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uOyD92Jl0
Yoko shrugged as she began putting her underwear back on. ”Okay then. Don't complain later.”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYlpQMiLvl
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhRdDiXOrK
"Believe me, I won’t!" he sternly replied.
“…You weren’t complaining the first time we slept together…” Yoko mumbled.
A caravan of chills traveled down Osamu’s spine as the cold of the night sunk its fangs into his skin. Goosebumps riddled his skin, forcing a nervous shiver out of him. This chill felt familiar, almost nostalgic to Osamu. He remembered this exact sensation, this gnawing, supernatural bite of cold. Once he recalled the sensation, he also remembered the person it belongs too. He turned around and saw yet another ghost from the past before his eyes.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50eSKIfYKK
Out from the darkness of the alleyway emerged a beautiful girl with raven hair, skin as pale as rainclouds, and lips stricken with cyanosis. As beautiful as she was, the girl bore the visage of a corpse drained of its warmth. The thing is, that’s exactly what she was. More specifically, she was the one and only Izanami-no-Mikoto, an actual, living goddess. Her sleeveless summer dress depicted swaying branches of cherry blossoms, drawn against light, white fabric.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD9ist8bt8
"You?! Coprse!” Yoko insensitively shouted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUKDe7w8Mq
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRR0G2mcvB
Izanami's voice was as gentle as a spring meadow, which made her audible offense even more guilt-inducing. "Corpse? Why would you say something so hurtful?! What have I ever done to you?"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4q8Sl2sCE2
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ720nXWPeb8
"You are Izanami, after all. I assume you're here because of Osamu as well?” Yoko questioned, recovering from her initial surprise.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRhbzKJN1e
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qjk5ihmVn
Watching his two exes converse with some familiarly between them proved confusing to Osamu. ”Hold on, since when do you two know each other?"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl3yutfqUz
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXz3FKWvW5
"It's a long story, Osamu." Yoko replied.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuG6BIZzW8K
Izanami hugged Osamu from behind, refusing to let him go as he resisted. She spoke with a playful bounciness in her tone as her cheeks turned pink with excitement.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡArhmoU6vkb
"I heard the noise up ahead and knew it was Izzy. The only thing that drives her crazy enough to use deadly force is Osamu! Why didn't you tell me you were back in town, Osamu?! Do you wanna come over to my place and watch movies? There's no hard feelings between you and me, I promise! You left without any warning, but I forgive you! Let's catch up and talk, okay?"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDNZib2rPO
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk195fa65Vh
"Listen, I've had the worst night so far!” Osamu said as he tried to reason with perhaps his most reasonable ex-girlfriend.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjqeUoXtqv
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToDyVSlsPG
"Osamu is coming home with me, and we are going to have rough sex until the break of dawn!" Yoko exclaimed.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGRNoWmmTn
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5p5hIWAUyr
"Like hell we are! I just want to get home!” Osamu protested.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bpHYAE7fL
Those words echoed through Izanami's precious, porcelain heart. She began to cry as she fell to Osamu's knees, hugging onto his leg as she looked back up at him with tears running down her cheeks.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkDu79CcNh
"I-is that true, Osamu? Do you still love Yoko?” Izanami fretted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7G4tIqQ5Y
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFg0lBS6QoN
Yoko pointed her blade at Osamu, her blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB832TmFzAI
"What's that for?!” Osamu asked with a nervous chuckle.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEePYQcMNw
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZdkBEO1zN
Yoko didn’t blink once as she began her prattling. ”Well, Osamu? You do love me right? Go on. Tell her. Tell her how much you love your beautiful, precious darling, Yoko Akiyama. Tell her you love me, we're getting married soon, and we're going to have twenty-four babies."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatwKnDjHsp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJA9ThT1AMh
"For god's sake, twenty-four?! Are we starting a clan?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWl4kchPcy
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ8jfBVNIDi
"We're revitalizing the Akiyama and Ashikaga clans, to be precise."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgzJfJEpXG
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0E6BUx7IZ1
"Well? Who do you love?" Izanami curiously asked.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHMsM5MsyK
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvvaeZuiK6
Out from the streets, yet another familiar, apoplectic voice rang out with a thunderous shout. ”Let him go!"
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAejWVJfESE
Osamu’s world stopped for just a brief moment. All of the chaos surrounding him seemed to melt away as the girl’s familiar voice enticed his ears. Taking a gander at her, his eyes confirmed the girl’s identity as Aika Mihara.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v8NYfSHYa
Aika stood just outside the alleyway, the tendrils of her wavy, chestnut-colored hair flowing in the wind like a tattered battle flag. She wore a floral t-shirt with a leather jacket over it, the shirt depicting thorn-covered roses and tiny hearts broken in half. Her brown eyes matched her hair, and her black, torn jeans matched the darkness of her jacket. The shirt was a little too short, teasing a partial view of her pierced belly button.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGixvuR3QU
"Seriously?! You too?! How the hell am I gonna get rid of three bodies?!” Yoko asked, as if she were actually considering committing a triple homicide.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoXdyivBUN
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cMH1fywAo
"Izanami, let him go! I still owe him a black eye for breaking my heart!" Aika said with fury in her voice.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBTyrh8eijm
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9yJ6HbbTt
Osamu could only look around at his assortment of ex-girlfriends, darting his eyes from one girl to the other. “How does everyone know I even-"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjwhXYSnhI
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt0vpwf9ych
(Wait, Yoko said she saw me post pictures on the internet! Does that mean they all stalk my social media?!)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrA4xFE95Tj
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMVPpRPnRX
Seeing the evils of social media, Yoko gave her sage advice to Osamu on the matter."You should really just throw all of your electronics in a river, Osamu."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQe4xvx17nG
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0DLhK2CdJc
"No way! Osamu wants to watch movies with me!" exclaimed Izanami, lightheartedly protesting against Aika.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlN4Wb4z2Tp
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGvpb0QGcs
"He wants to make love to me and rebuild our relationship!" declared Yoko.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvzzbEFFjR
Aika could only respond with a simple yet effective, "Shut the hell up!"
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡckJTRYVcDO
In a bout of callous hatred and probable insanity, Aika tossed a bundle of live fireworks into the alley, their fuses already hissing as sparks traveled from their tips towards the explosives.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvku3oV8EA
Yoko, in utter shock, muttered to herself. "That...that crazy bitch! Run!”
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbluWx7QU0
Everyone bolted out of the alleyway and back onto the street as the fireworks splashed inside the alleyway and flashed blue light all around, accompanied by explosive blooms and ear-ringing whistles. Once again, everyone stopped to catch their breath, unable to believe that the night could get any worse.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gbNAlwpKN
"Maybe I really should just stay with Yoko..." Osamu conceded as his hope in humanity waned by the minute.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDg2aNr9cP
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCeY1QKOYH
Izanami flicked her eyes to Osamu with a gasp. ”Osa! I thought you loved me!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEmA2gNT6N
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvbrMHr4837
"I don't like repeating myself, Corpse! He loves me!” Yoko re-asserted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZMtCkdawM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu4H3TD84h
"I don't give a damn who he loves! He's dead! Osamu!” Aika interjected as she came around the bend.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki3uh6pLQi
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqKTHi5ABr
Osamu, trying to reason with maniacs, did his best to curtail Aika's wrath. "Aika, baby, lets talk about this! There's a lot that none of you guys know!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKEkv398lo
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNoLpsz6xR
"Baby?!" Yoko shouted, like an inquisitor that just caught a whiff of heresy. "Oh, I see what's going on here, Osamu. This Rock n' Roll whore is your mistress!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKjD0dVnK4
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKk2S9fviJ
"How could you jump to such an insane conclusion, Yoko?!” Osamu cried.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiII61WiDPo
Aika charged towards Osamu with the intent to punch him, but...
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GYGSROF3F
“Whoa! Aika, wait!” Osamu warned.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDs2bcIIqG
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm5rqMDfJ96
"Don't tell me what t—"
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLY2JQgVGF
She suddenly fell face first on the pavement. She tripped on her shoelaces, of all things. Truly a blunder among blunders, an embarrassment among embarrassments.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBhDSMtjLV
"You were never good at tying your shoes…" Osamu sighed.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85gV6kgIVr
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQMqqiGVb6
Aika, with a bloody nose, began bawling like a baby. ”Don't look at me!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLWpE4j6TR
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PDYUw6uIs
"You were always a crybaby too. Here,” Osamu said as he passed her a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjATuz68Vyr
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6MP3JvE9q
(Thank god I'm one of those assholes that always carries around a handkerchief.)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQi0OU9MlE4
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjHNAR8mmQ
"F-for me? Really?” Aika asked, shocked that Osamu would do anything remotely nice for once.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1DJZLPECd
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TTZwTAEgg
"Come on, go ahead and use it. I've been meaning to talk to you Aika, about a lot of things.”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbzgIbPmcC
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseugYAqUAb
Aika saw lament in his eyes, her anger dissipating for just a moment.”Osamu…"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEHx5fZzsQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVDlKLxj9M
"Keep staring at him lovingly like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Yoko calmly interrupted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxb6nY4G1d
Aika retaliated. "You don't scare me, bitch!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyByzDu6hKa
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjffrJExaN
Izanami simply sulked while the fires of vitriol consumed the group again. ”I want a handkerchief too..."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHOuLw29E7
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlJc9alMqo
"Ah-hah! Found you!" Isabella shouted as she returned in full force.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1wrGNB172
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4uMEqrt1N
(There she is again! And she brought her troops with her!)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrXk24JO1k
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTlT45XGVB
”Oh, so it looks like all of the exes have come out of the woodworks!” Isabella teased. “It's time to die, everyone! Are you ready, boys? Fire on my mark! One! Two! Three!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjNT3e3fkI
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxxTtTEqeSz
(So this is how I'm going to die, gunned down in the streets like some animal. Here I come, Death. Embrace me gently.)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctscnnoyyv
Suddenly, one of the mercenaries' digital watches rang out with a rapid-fire beat.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgH1ZVz2Jx
"What the hell is that? That's not gunfire I'm hearing!” Isabella cursed.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiesiZc61C
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPAZ4El9IIp
The mercenary captain gave the signal to his comrades to end their operation. “All right, pack it up folks! This is all the time we got paid for, Ms.Bailey. Have your father wire the money whenever he can."
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFR8esWjhY
The soldiers for hire all dispersed into the streets and headed back home, leaving Isabella all by her lonesome. It was a beautifully euphoric moment for Yoko, who erupted into taunting laughter as Isabella's face turned beet-red.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RL8p5oKrn
"Oh look at that! Gaijin is all by her poor, lonesome self while I have my man and my blade! What are you going to do, Gaijin? Will you run and cry back to the United States of Crybaby Land?"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpWrjm94KUM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHR56KvIFEB
Flustered and infuriated beyond belief, Isabella's power and maturity seemed to devolve into that of a bratty little girl. "Damn you, Osamu! Why did you come back here?! You should've stayed gone!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK9gOiw4z9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvXm9NNgTag
"Don't talk that way about my eternal husband!” Izanami harshly interrupted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidpoBrl4Li
Osamu's mind was blown from the sheer boldness of her assertion. "Husband?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgq69Tiu7y
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp59zCbSjom
"You don't want to get married?” Izanami questioned, confused by Osamu's confusion.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVQOjMCrbt
Amidst their arguing, the howling roar of a jet engine cut through the air. The deafening power of the droning jet hushed the entire group. Isabella’s phone rang in her pocket, and she hesitantly answered the call.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPqZ3bVaYK
“H-hello?" Isabella nervously muttered.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5VqHL9OQn
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJW6Q7OzpC
"Isabella, this is Fox One-Niner, target in sight and JDAM being released in five, four…”471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiX1fKD9FQ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc6ekaiCtPH
"Oh my god! Duck!” Isabella shouted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWO9FYVqcs
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHxrDZppFj
Osamu stood utterly dumbfounded and perplexed by Isabella's sudden panic. "What's happening?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjjttzE2a0h
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATs6Ox0Gpi
"Just duck!” Yoko screamed as she forced Osamu down to the ground with everyone else.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4dzueMtJzG
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJpC33xJje
Everyone huddled on the sidewalk together as a fighter jet released two JDAM's in the direction of Osamu's house. The explosion and subsequent tower of black smoke was visible from their position, rocking the entire neighborhood like Godzilla's footsteps.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yAOXv66x0
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjUmln3U8G
Osamu’s hands shot up to the back of his head. ”Izzy! Did you call an airstrike on my house?!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWuoL24sul
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWve5YbdN2
"I'm sorry! He came late!” Isabella said, verging on tears.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCRQ3QEXiB
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcALcFSdpx
"That's not the problem here!” Osamu shouted.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUeeMGvR1T
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNIyzacEVb
"Isabella, this is Fox One Niner, good effect on target. The building is completely destroyed. Returning to base, over and out."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmjM9TLhTV
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvA9UdpAgE
Yoko smugly rubbed Izzy's mess up in her face. "See? You always mess everything up."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCVSKhy3O3
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0iZirV4Zv
“Crap…” Izzy regretfully moaned.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrsI7ZzEVTO
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF88lW3LYFU
"Now I have nowhere to live...I'm homeless! I'll have to beg for money and dig for food in trash cans!” Osamu lamented.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDJinvhd8B
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfnsbdHp9Cb
Yoko threw her arm over Osamu's shoulder, holding him tight like a graceful savior. "Save your tears, my love. Tears do not belong on a man's face! Until Isabella can find you a new place, you can come live with me! It works out great, because now I can massage you to relieve you of your stress! You know, down there!"471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoq5mgb6JUi
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqpxYhvHz0
His vision coning, Osamu slumped down on the sidewalk, cursing his predicament. “I hate my life..."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDZxjafi5Kg
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0tUbKqkAD
(I think...no way...I'm so angry...that I'm starting to lose consciousness...)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVJj09ogr7
Osamu blacked out right then and there just from the sheer anger and stress of it all. The girls shrieked and huddled around him in the middle of the street, each of them wearing oddly angry expressions on their faces. It was as if they felt it was unfair Osamu was able to fall unconscious instead of being awake to comprehend their rage and psychotic love. Despite their attempts to keep him lucid, Osamu fell into a deep, dark slumber.
Raptured away from his maniacal exes, Osamu used this time of freedom to air out his thoughts to himself. The stupefying intensity of his exes’ expressions of love and hatred were to be expected upon his return, in all truth. Perhaps not to the degree they displayed that night, but in a way, their irrational actions did make him truly feel like he had finally come home.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs145dS7DRJ
(That was her...the one I wanted to see. I mean, I wanted to make amends with all of them, but especially with her...with Aika. I wonder what she's been up to since I left. I wonder how she's been. I wonder...if it's too late to say that I'm sorry for her loss.)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHeaAKN7Rk
When he awoke, he was in a bedroom, laying in a king-sized bed. A blue lava lamp on the table next to the bed provided a ghostly glow of ocean-colored light.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45kNWHngV2
(What is this? Was it all just a bad dream? Did I die? Or...)
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcRjsf0nr2
He turned to his right and saw a naked Yoko cuddling with him, half-asleep and softly breathing onto his chest.
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEb460lEID
(This is Yoko's place?!)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXOjBCjBCJ
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8K09NqOqvZ
Yoko, half asleep, moaned with soft breath. ”Mmmm. Osamu, you beast. That felt so good."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡipIerEM0Ls
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtYYpw8q4F
(Dear god, was I molested while I was unconscious?!)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEMqfBj8tM
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5u9X1EXVL0
Osamu nervously grinned, curious enough to ask a question but ultimately scared of the answer. ”Umm..did we..."471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3u6Glhyy1h
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZq3heaaXke
“No. That…was a ruse…” she whispered, drifting back to sleep.471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlcQPUBXKc
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xOUpRvRi8
(I don't know whether to be aroused or to call the police...but I guess...this is how my first night back starts, huh? This is going to be one hell of a ride.)471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsaaZ7DDE9
471Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUcczbQHQN
End of the First Day
