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. 551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcfTecP3n4
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.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrarpWimUnT
"Now then, are you ready to talk?” Yoko inquired, her smile thinly veiling her murderous intent.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwegcviY10h
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HQGLWfHKF
"T-talk? Talk about what?!" Osamu asked, his teeth clattering.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrJUGxkSZW
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mncS5EFkW
"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?!”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm54N4Plv52
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"Yoko, darling, please listen to me!”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9zWxMXBwp
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"Shut up." Yoko interjected, slowly gliding her sword down from Osamu's lips and to his chest and stopping at his groin.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWWA9xPJxq
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"You're still as handsome as ever. It's too bad you're nothing but a filthy insect. 551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYtC6qaWe7
Where would you like me to cut first? Your face? Your biceps? How about your—"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fG4RhbB3N
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdM7LXNRg5
“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?!”
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Yoko stabbed the katana down into the ground. It stood perfectly still and upright without her holding it.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlqAAaaJM9
"Why?! Maybe because you suddenly moved away from Kyoto without saying anything to me!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0BzB27hi0
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ow8qCflou
“I left partly because all my exes are insane!”
"What the hell did you just say?!" she furiously belted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzYs7AkRxd
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5c6QsSWZ9g
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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamBEuEYCrG
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTqR7d64MS
Osamu summoned what little defiance he had, shivering beneath Yoko’s wrathful gaze. “This is exactly why I left!” 551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuaIsVyeqNw
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkEAoDO1B1
"So then? Why did you come back?” Yoko asked, inching her face closer to his.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmqhpjmM6m
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.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DHHHZf75a
(What? Why doesn't she say something? Wait...is she crying?!)
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzQIv9eshD
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.
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Yoko’s timbre had gone from threatening to overbearingly embracing. "Osa, you sweetheart! You really did miss me all this time?"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNCpjBTF9e
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"Uhh..well..." Osamu mumbled.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lACVaoLYM
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"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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UCvNlBOSg
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXMT3Xy0oK
(See this crap?! This is partly why I left!)
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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.
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"Holy crap! What are you doing, Yoko?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWMFQZj4lC
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xtdvXJScQ
"Stripping! I want to make love, right here and now!" Yoko gleefully replied, the warm, wheezing, breathiness of insatiable lust permeating in her voice.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡao4RkWxgyC
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEHMbP4Red
(Do you see why I left yet!?)
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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!”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XI9azgyYi
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YG3x9t4i5
Ignoring his protests, Yoko abruptly pressed her finger against Osamu's lips, silencing him as her tongue glided across her top lip.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡki4kixoRqj
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBv5EapdcCS
"I want you to be rough with me tonight. Even if I tell you it hurts and beg you to stop, just keep going."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmSgQ8SGa5
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukXxayIeNk
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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFm6FCgrCK
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQ5ayJnLib
“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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CRVYTn2El
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ANrjRyzHD
From the explosion alone, Osamu could already discern who was crashing Yoko’s party. ”Oh no, it’s…”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzR5SeOyc5
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWjwici50U
“Her." Yoko finished.
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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.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC6DbkgdHA
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Yoko Akiyama and Osamu Ashikaga. My rival and my first love, both in one place. Perfect."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8eP880xNvd
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi72IWfppDY
Yoko bit her lip. ”Damn it, and I made sure I wasn't followed!"
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyBUVOVXIu
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.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTAPmgdMgX
(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!)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPrW0cHjoY
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Z9gejw5Py
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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQft3qU1U3M
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CVJALTYcb
"L-love?! Osamu, you cheating bastard!" Isabella yelled with a flustered expression.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABwqRBb8eM
"How is it cheating?! We already broke up!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI3LQiJkdv
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVikOPNzd7E
"But I still love you, you dummy! How could you just leave like that?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaNP4uwzVs
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeLeG7CHUv
"Osamu loves me more.” Yoko proclaimed. “Your affection for him means nothing. Now scram, Gaijin."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjWRJKyLI7s
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Isabella's anger festered and quickly boiled over at the mere utterance of her disgraceful nickname. "Don't...call me...Gaijin!"
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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.
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"So? What happens now? Are you really ready to die?” Yoko asked, her fierce stare focused on Isabella's eyes.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FeLP4REeb
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"Please, you crazy bitch. I'm the one with the gun here."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAESbDFw2Vy
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPqICHHPgp
"Both of you, stop this immediately! This is cr—"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy4O6uw9Xq
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5hwmipzTo
(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...)
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGCFVPR9BI
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.
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"Damn you! Shoot them!” Isabella ordered, winded from the kick.
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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.
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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?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKNzFQwgLS
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqb05wxXTi
"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!”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2aKVHlLvW
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡergXXeWmAK
"What the hell do you mean?!” Osamu recoiled in offense.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV4aTKkPT9
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡediWT8RnfP
"I saw you posting photos on Twitter, you jerk!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC46md4gUCD
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzm30NbfALz
(She stalks my social media?)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzXYogdQJO
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"This is bullshit!” Osamu cried, wondering if suicide was really such a bad thing after all.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRdYpnZHjX
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.
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"We lost them for now.” Yoko said, catching her strained breath as she peered out into the streets from the shadows of the alley.
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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.
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"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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSZVl22Ex9
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gU8XMtJA8
Osamu shook his head. ”No, that's fine! Go ahead and put them back on!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4QoqgC5rl
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8g6IwNzi0
Yoko shrugged as she began putting her underwear back on. ”Okay then. Don't complain later.”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTMGi7pvxK
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXAcziqmL1n
"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.
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0klt4Cidzu
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.
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"You?! Coprse!” Yoko insensitively shouted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRQY2KJoyu
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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?"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PJvjS0Nih
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqOLmAeTO0
"You are Izanami, after all. I assume you're here because of Osamu as well?” Yoko questioned, recovering from her initial surprise.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZRPfWs0Xd
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Watching his two exes converse with some familiarly between them proved confusing to Osamu. ”Hold on, since when do you two know each other?"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BQHV5vuYj
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsyFWVtl3lk
"It's a long story, Osamu." Yoko replied.
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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.
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"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?"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2H0ZNt8TQS
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cFHVxkN9x
"Listen, I've had the worst night so far!” Osamu said as he tried to reason with perhaps his most reasonable ex-girlfriend.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxlzQSbBDQ
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"Osamu is coming home with me, and we are going to have rough sex until the break of dawn!" Yoko exclaimed.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnwQkHvTfXC
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftTmwmRCHX
"Like hell we are! I just want to get home!” Osamu protested.
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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.
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"I-is that true, Osamu? Do you still love Yoko?” Izanami fretted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgwmgP0mkVZ
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Yoko pointed her blade at Osamu, her blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFrsBhTZ6j
"What's that for?!” Osamu asked with a nervous chuckle.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVKJvok3qV
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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."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsUP6cHQp2
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8I1C2zUzy
"For god's sake, twenty-four?! Are we starting a clan?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyPytCYRnS
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0XwbrI7oW
"We're revitalizing the Akiyama and Ashikaga clans, to be precise."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oT9SPKVg5
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxiLhrB9DO
"Well? Who do you love?" Izanami curiously asked.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kwmk2XwqC
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Out from the streets, yet another familiar, apoplectic voice rang out with a thunderous shout. ”Let him go!"
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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.
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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.
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"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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡha3KI3RH28
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"Izanami, let him go! I still owe him a black eye for breaking my heart!" Aika said with fury in her voice.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQpKkynldn
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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-"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I9y6zc6H4
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(Wait, Yoko said she saw me post pictures on the internet! Does that mean they all stalk my social media?!)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg3Ffh1H4w
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv04FWMXnu5
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."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOOwxW7g8X
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"No way! Osamu wants to watch movies with me!" exclaimed Izanami, lightheartedly protesting against Aika.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZWwa9GwaiX
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"He wants to make love to me and rebuild our relationship!" declared Yoko.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4jo9SUEXLV
Aika could only respond with a simple yet effective, "Shut the hell up!"
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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.
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Yoko, in utter shock, muttered to herself. "That...that crazy bitch! Run!”
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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.
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"Maybe I really should just stay with Yoko..." Osamu conceded as his hope in humanity waned by the minute.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW35GX4H3K1
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaBemJhZe4
Izanami flicked her eyes to Osamu with a gasp. ”Osa! I thought you loved me!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYChWk2ZViz
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5yeLZ0aZq
"I don't like repeating myself, Corpse! He loves me!” Yoko re-asserted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZStm2TJHC
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAq0BG6xTY
"I don't give a damn who he loves! He's dead! Osamu!” Aika interjected as she came around the bend.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmTdzeFUdW
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyEWHJ351g
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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHH4ZpYM7FD
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeGwFzVnrZ
"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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QwvYHNwxF
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZxGpEqpzoW
"How could you jump to such an insane conclusion, Yoko?!” Osamu cried.
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Aika charged towards Osamu with the intent to punch him, but...
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“Whoa! Aika, wait!” Osamu warned.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8aHqpjq4M
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"Don't tell me what t—"
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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.
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"You were never good at tying your shoes…" Osamu sighed.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwh60vsWfV
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZAswYS9JA
Aika, with a bloody nose, began bawling like a baby. ”Don't look at me!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TdpPR403r
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmIdg5uuNh
"You were always a crybaby too. Here,” Osamu said as he passed her a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSf9vy9K3p
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37XoSup1cj
(Thank god I'm one of those assholes that always carries around a handkerchief.)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWgeWhcvN2
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYm6UYnVNh
"F-for me? Really?” Aika asked, shocked that Osamu would do anything remotely nice for once.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMylW9WTGa6
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap5Wv6NM9n
"Come on, go ahead and use it. I've been meaning to talk to you Aika, about a lot of things.”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJ429JnkT4
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1olD67oNF4
Aika saw lament in his eyes, her anger dissipating for just a moment.”Osamu…"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaKcPcjGC8
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"Keep staring at him lovingly like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Yoko calmly interrupted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ8i7Rxhib
Aika retaliated. "You don't scare me, bitch!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqK9V1uWUad
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Izanami simply sulked while the fires of vitriol consumed the group again. ”I want a handkerchief too..."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZ6MYSg2ci
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrZZqLqUbN
"Ah-hah! Found you!" Isabella shouted as she returned in full force.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOn7IPHLYXP
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYimLNtwJz
(There she is again! And she brought her troops with her!)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WQrkzNFwK
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”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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHM2oteUHM
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbrIv0AZbI
(So this is how I'm going to die, gunned down in the streets like some animal. Here I come, Death. Embrace me gently.)
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Suddenly, one of the mercenaries' digital watches rang out with a rapid-fire beat.
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"What the hell is that? That's not gunfire I'm hearing!” Isabella cursed.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PDCoIQQv0
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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."
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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.
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"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?"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWv30XvT2XX
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKYcNLchQS
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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQC6wsOVWH
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICdxoNssXE
"Don't talk that way about my eternal husband!” Izanami harshly interrupted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t71oEUxQU
Osamu's mind was blown from the sheer boldness of her assertion. "Husband?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdkBe4iHfEc
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"You don't want to get married?” Izanami questioned, confused by Osamu's confusion.
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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.
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“H-hello?" Isabella nervously muttered.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4I0oIvJnC
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"Isabella, this is Fox One-Niner, target in sight and JDAM being released in five, four…”551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXV5wRSJjN5
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyJKr7IEju
"Oh my god! Duck!” Isabella shouted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKRi7jYtQF
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Osamu stood utterly dumbfounded and perplexed by Isabella's sudden panic. "What's happening?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhfP2uQ7AP
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"Just duck!” Yoko screamed as she forced Osamu down to the ground with everyone else.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqezTcQXzJu
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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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomLhrwPNJT
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Osamu’s hands shot up to the back of his head. ”Izzy! Did you call an airstrike on my house?!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLl6QzD9ZQX
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"I'm sorry! He came late!” Isabella said, verging on tears.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuglUc6VPb
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"That's not the problem here!” Osamu shouted.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdK3kK1NDNL
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6KptmtEzt
"Isabella, this is Fox One Niner, good effect on target. The building is completely destroyed. Returning to base, over and out."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAstoZJi3KH
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBnEOyGYFJ
Yoko smugly rubbed Izzy's mess up in her face. "See? You always mess everything up."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBjlicStjv
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“Crap…” Izzy regretfully moaned.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ai5YETIBz
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"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.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmcPIHC07g
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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!"551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDF0ZD13yBo
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmheOyYqcY
His vision coning, Osamu slumped down on the sidewalk, cursing his predicament. “I hate my life..."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkavmkm4vV
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(I think...no way...I'm so angry...that I'm starting to lose consciousness...)
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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.
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(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.)
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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.
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(What is this? Was it all just a bad dream? Did I die? Or...)
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He turned to his right and saw a naked Yoko cuddling with him, half-asleep and softly breathing onto his chest.
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(This is Yoko's place?!)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnEsGGVFsO
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Yoko, half asleep, moaned with soft breath. ”Mmmm. Osamu, you beast. That felt so good."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqnBe40M3Q
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHT2QvcyHI
(Dear god, was I molested while I was unconscious?!)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PX4ViNcXj
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMIpkViw4R
Osamu nervously grinned, curious enough to ask a question but ultimately scared of the answer. ”Umm..did we..."551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RxS57Kfk3
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“No. That…was a ruse…” she whispered, drifting back to sleep.551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYIGBtCNEi
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCQ5lcvIwM
(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.)551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkpLO3MrXUU
551Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXBPB6r7Mm
End of the First Day
