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. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfWdt7BcLO
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7EEJBMFi7
"Now then, are you ready to talk?” Yoko inquired, her smile thinly veiling her murderous intent.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3KUZF87g4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRU0EvsfAK
"T-talk? Talk about what?!" Osamu asked, his teeth clattering.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXudPy09Dop
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhyyQCoNA5
"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?!”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8cuKOBNgl
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqj3eUf5sKJ
"Yoko, darling, please listen to me!”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNbtcFyiWp
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBIAzO4jHQ
"Shut up." Yoko interjected, slowly gliding her sword down from Osamu's lips and to his chest and stopping at his groin.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJq6LCjQ15
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMteL7Di7m
"You're still as handsome as ever. It's too bad you're nothing but a filthy insect. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONlC84yPqA
Where would you like me to cut first? Your face? Your biceps? How about your—"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHHQErZ2Zd
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFUvS7vqeKq
“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?!”
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjL5v9kBGT2
Yoko stabbed the katana down into the ground. It stood perfectly still and upright without her holding it.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RxrCPwXcI
"Why?! Maybe because you suddenly moved away from Kyoto without saying anything to me!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfGj3hJvWOA
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mhmstIFob
“I left partly because all my exes are insane!”
"What the hell did you just say?!" she furiously belted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNcrYBYtfW
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSDmPrKs4Y
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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgsDR6w1Ep
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvIFgfHXEj
Osamu summoned what little defiance he had, shivering beneath Yoko’s wrathful gaze. “This is exactly why I left!” 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW0aqN1vra
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfnM5HN78h
"So then? Why did you come back?” Yoko asked, inching her face closer to his.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTKH3EO1YzZ
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAvAgmqOEW
(What? Why doesn't she say something? Wait...is she crying?!)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugtNo2g1Fw
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUBt3Tdy1n
Yoko’s timbre had gone from threatening to overbearingly embracing. "Osa, you sweetheart! You really did miss me all this time?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoxnuasZq4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWVglmqZYC
"Uhh..well..." Osamu mumbled.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwul27lzKr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzCN8LYIfg
"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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLwiuBVq5u
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ve0HH5MiB
(See this crap?! This is partly why I left!)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLkBgwc5l0
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxphLv3f653
"Holy crap! What are you doing, Yoko?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFMqcPiOul
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMO1wc3Hwn
"Stripping! I want to make love, right here and now!" Yoko gleefully replied, the warm, wheezing, breathiness of insatiable lust permeating in her voice.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKprU3ya8s0
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiYWobSmPtJ
(Do you see why I left yet!?)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHKvuQ0Wqx
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!”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqspuW3gRrd
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5vhZg87np
Ignoring his protests, Yoko abruptly pressed her finger against Osamu's lips, silencing him as her tongue glided across her top lip.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgFX8TYvmA
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWz6JaXUv9
"I want you to be rough with me tonight. Even if I tell you it hurts and beg you to stop, just keep going."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nFuDWvCKE
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ru3eKIghG
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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIMwleKPwtS
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0h9mvgOI5
“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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡac4jR51ewC
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33IIFkeQxG
From the explosion alone, Osamu could already discern who was crashing Yoko’s party. ”Oh no, it’s…”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FMkWsfeqh
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTYj5KP3M4
“Her." Yoko finished.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlukz8scPr1
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQn1V9165Il
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Yoko Akiyama and Osamu Ashikaga. My rival and my first love, both in one place. Perfect."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjyNWVyo7C
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnuxzXCI1hu
Yoko bit her lip. ”Damn it, and I made sure I wasn't followed!"
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqXgiJ6Vbj
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XI7XoDMJI
(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!)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgaSsbYuuk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXA2dkXima
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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0KR2QJcTE
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJs9smOPjZ
"L-love?! Osamu, you cheating bastard!" Isabella yelled with a flustered expression.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0Wo0NVhfA
"How is it cheating?! We already broke up!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9jtJEYrIN
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvlumlLshD
"But I still love you, you dummy! How could you just leave like that?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlOurao9Ct
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5xRNep5Ht
"Osamu loves me more.” Yoko proclaimed. “Your affection for him means nothing. Now scram, Gaijin."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7pEBdWZX3
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dyLtLnuJG
Isabella's anger festered and quickly boiled over at the mere utterance of her disgraceful nickname. "Don't...call me...Gaijin!"
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarzky4qo2s
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4wiesRRwQ
"So? What happens now? Are you really ready to die?” Yoko asked, her fierce stare focused on Isabella's eyes.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyVvfrG94Zy
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmaLSDQiPC
"Please, you crazy bitch. I'm the one with the gun here."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEyNhpYEJjF
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyxOIapKEn
"Both of you, stop this immediately! This is cr—"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzq3J3xDvk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eBcAQarRE
(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...)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRf0nJTHrsv
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTP5H9Ra6z
"Damn you! Shoot them!” Isabella ordered, winded from the kick.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQANHQCKm6
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsrXRSL5NGb
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?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2LGQ8Dzlfr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zAgxGLGsL
"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!”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0v9ZSy77Nv
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb1ND66YTKa
"What the hell do you mean?!” Osamu recoiled in offense.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkERwZGyz2w
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBpW1uLtFX
"I saw you posting photos on Twitter, you jerk!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZt7Q8W821y
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsQF81Irmxk
(She stalks my social media?)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUeSBjsyby
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWGyegBHts
"This is bullshit!” Osamu cried, wondering if suicide was really such a bad thing after all.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSiR5Fq88p
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxUK7oAggc
"We lost them for now.” Yoko said, catching her strained breath as she peered out into the streets from the shadows of the alley.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNqREnzNTy
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ52iHU89ZgF
"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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfOWJZbE8m3
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbphN14pgKE
Osamu shook his head. ”No, that's fine! Go ahead and put them back on!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKaiyJckvr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvN5ERHLP0
Yoko shrugged as she began putting her underwear back on. ”Okay then. Don't complain later.”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcJMJsa4f9
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTGlIgVKQ8B
"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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtjDq2bPeo
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKho4i4ZPd
"You?! Coprse!” Yoko insensitively shouted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtccSsf1jM6
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYeYtSOBIIN
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?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuPPZefRWf
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OelngKqlh
"You are Izanami, after all. I assume you're here because of Osamu as well?” Yoko questioned, recovering from her initial surprise.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafkWVxaTSV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14C1QuGw2b
Watching his two exes converse with some familiarly between them proved confusing to Osamu. ”Hold on, since when do you two know each other?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpQ84xHHmI
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTblXf5X42
"It's a long story, Osamu." Yoko replied.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHykQegzk2
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLERPznnsmn
"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?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRp4fIfGVYH
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyaOSldclU
"Listen, I've had the worst night so far!” Osamu said as he tried to reason with perhaps his most reasonable ex-girlfriend.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnkZWKPr1n
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtn9nTdCWyb
"Osamu is coming home with me, and we are going to have rough sex until the break of dawn!" Yoko exclaimed.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kifB2nyPL
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicVbrZyolg
"Like hell we are! I just want to get home!” Osamu protested.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRICi3YWKBl
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kG9GbWngE
"I-is that true, Osamu? Do you still love Yoko?” Izanami fretted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfgORGePUQ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuWtah0W8p
Yoko pointed her blade at Osamu, her blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNrCSvgL6z
"What's that for?!” Osamu asked with a nervous chuckle.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzs7Zsm4aEU
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vb0ocUDsn
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."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0o9j0Cf1o4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGSqqatiQP
"For god's sake, twenty-four?! Are we starting a clan?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28qnNYmNzn
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDlk8CPuBl
"We're revitalizing the Akiyama and Ashikaga clans, to be precise."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4jPK9I6wZ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9QbwKJWrM
"Well? Who do you love?" Izanami curiously asked.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4sBtfQ0car
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4iOnGkNVV
Out from the streets, yet another familiar, apoplectic voice rang out with a thunderous shout. ”Let him go!"
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7u8n0Nt1C
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDycO86gXOK
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRZFuOA2MP
"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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdwu70jZps
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyP1VmOmCGy
"Izanami, let him go! I still owe him a black eye for breaking my heart!" Aika said with fury in her voice.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfTCgHzVOX
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd4XBsrxsh
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-"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcTUhyfXNo
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4hpLdvMDu
(Wait, Yoko said she saw me post pictures on the internet! Does that mean they all stalk my social media?!)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tTjTvGskZ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0Lmh8miGx
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."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhKXfL6rjNY
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDWCCKphFP
"No way! Osamu wants to watch movies with me!" exclaimed Izanami, lightheartedly protesting against Aika.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnPt0d7Bhv
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQ7R1Td1Bl
"He wants to make love to me and rebuild our relationship!" declared Yoko.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HZhc5rBrq
Aika could only respond with a simple yet effective, "Shut the hell up!"
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnMRV7Nj8G
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nUHwHJRMC
Yoko, in utter shock, muttered to herself. "That...that crazy bitch! Run!”
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mEYYfGALZ
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpqn7XyAI3
"Maybe I really should just stay with Yoko..." Osamu conceded as his hope in humanity waned by the minute.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIKMoFuKtW
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNYQ34AAMw
Izanami flicked her eyes to Osamu with a gasp. ”Osa! I thought you loved me!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXewVwj856
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMPF1TTcqu
"I don't like repeating myself, Corpse! He loves me!” Yoko re-asserted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl56XOAktT
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxc41gTATth
"I don't give a damn who he loves! He's dead! Osamu!” Aika interjected as she came around the bend.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡez6IDnIzrA
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJ7kk32j4B
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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmmQg8DLNG
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JK3J460Yd
"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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJWLFO6uBw6
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlKzJgTjAu
"How could you jump to such an insane conclusion, Yoko?!” Osamu cried.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6tQKypPhS
Aika charged towards Osamu with the intent to punch him, but...
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8HI1LSw2n8
“Whoa! Aika, wait!” Osamu warned.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyhBvq86zx
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG3T6tAz4Q
"Don't tell me what t—"
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JQ3lKB1ll
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdjzmJ4pcN
"You were never good at tying your shoes…" Osamu sighed.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ocb2AB8AR
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlKV7DfC04
Aika, with a bloody nose, began bawling like a baby. ”Don't look at me!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOMP2GLgZi
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPjZJ6KPt4
"You were always a crybaby too. Here,” Osamu said as he passed her a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4djnnm7xu
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVJVNadCRs
(Thank god I'm one of those assholes that always carries around a handkerchief.)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMS1kRYU9v
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO57wRmzYo0
"F-for me? Really?” Aika asked, shocked that Osamu would do anything remotely nice for once.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9a5X1set4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19NQWz5z1z
"Come on, go ahead and use it. I've been meaning to talk to you Aika, about a lot of things.”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9u1YP1IGUl
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOBH43cAUl
Aika saw lament in his eyes, her anger dissipating for just a moment.”Osamu…"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8YsaEWkCf2
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEB4zGWN07
"Keep staring at him lovingly like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Yoko calmly interrupted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSRY61r3ii
Aika retaliated. "You don't scare me, bitch!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGdoZyfRVB
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNiP3l9XDN
Izanami simply sulked while the fires of vitriol consumed the group again. ”I want a handkerchief too..."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnX1kpTXvR0
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnd386Y6TnL
"Ah-hah! Found you!" Isabella shouted as she returned in full force.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirl5UG2JAh
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXVW5TYwgp
(There she is again! And she brought her troops with her!)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eWTqrEROw
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBU4KaJ9EKc
”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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7KSaC92cL
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCsoXLea5w
(So this is how I'm going to die, gunned down in the streets like some animal. Here I come, Death. Embrace me gently.)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHWIircljV
Suddenly, one of the mercenaries' digital watches rang out with a rapid-fire beat.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCmWqkd4sD
"What the hell is that? That's not gunfire I'm hearing!” Isabella cursed.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljNGtMfh6e
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGGfllynbz
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."
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBscwOOPuWv
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjeNDyPnVNq
"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?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxecNknDFxs
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwwYYdPKGe
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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkOAq3UBnN
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJdMTwQsih
"Don't talk that way about my eternal husband!” Izanami harshly interrupted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn12jV2dhpq
Osamu's mind was blown from the sheer boldness of her assertion. "Husband?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2gMkLcPab
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEKLk0kKGv
"You don't want to get married?” Izanami questioned, confused by Osamu's confusion.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3WQNqRvjk
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF8uClOpfD
“H-hello?" Isabella nervously muttered.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLaDG1IvTM
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFVxpXEDlP
"Isabella, this is Fox One-Niner, target in sight and JDAM being released in five, four…”568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9Wl1ouNqi
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZW9O8ssAG
"Oh my god! Duck!” Isabella shouted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjxFBnbd2b
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcbT9jto6X
Osamu stood utterly dumbfounded and perplexed by Isabella's sudden panic. "What's happening?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqGDSR0U6E
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBo5XE9sPd
"Just duck!” Yoko screamed as she forced Osamu down to the ground with everyone else.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiluZyUFRT
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTluLK22myx
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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8o41MqiH6U
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlBp305U7V
Osamu’s hands shot up to the back of his head. ”Izzy! Did you call an airstrike on my house?!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPMrejfuRK
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpV2RXRugKM
"I'm sorry! He came late!” Isabella said, verging on tears.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEA7KJC0vb9
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTatdW0YXW
"That's not the problem here!” Osamu shouted.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupDqua2DN2
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYqQdKNmDM
"Isabella, this is Fox One Niner, good effect on target. The building is completely destroyed. Returning to base, over and out."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7ITIOjTLQ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOiRF0Va9N9
Yoko smugly rubbed Izzy's mess up in her face. "See? You always mess everything up."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuu6NVhqfIn
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3nq6QEI52
“Crap…” Izzy regretfully moaned.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODlnShUJzb
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZosWkv0ld
"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.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡycmffktH8o
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkogEZynT0J
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!"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTx9FvP9knw
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScJ8Ji1Hyy
His vision coning, Osamu slumped down on the sidewalk, cursing his predicament. “I hate my life..."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWZQPlGsU5
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHJKJ8pnji
(I think...no way...I'm so angry...that I'm starting to lose consciousness...)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPotR7c4ytz
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYidzv6xW0
(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.)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqq54ehGjR6
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.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwocDQupbEO
(What is this? Was it all just a bad dream? Did I die? Or...)
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGXif6Rjeh
He turned to his right and saw a naked Yoko cuddling with him, half-asleep and softly breathing onto his chest.
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbL0jSdqyf
(This is Yoko's place?!)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUVg6w0wTl
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgtFKWmGdl
Yoko, half asleep, moaned with soft breath. ”Mmmm. Osamu, you beast. That felt so good."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7uqcA2gFR
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf16QMgQ4mb
(Dear god, was I molested while I was unconscious?!)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWG309ozQa
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDbraEfAVi
Osamu nervously grinned, curious enough to ask a question but ultimately scared of the answer. ”Umm..did we..."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzB0IGnngip
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTlcLmIgVx
“No. That…was a ruse…” she whispered, drifting back to sleep.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjMnSprKrg
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ29UM1xe3yy
(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.)568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Hd71A5VIc
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZp1NadfCa
End of the First Day
