“I’m not hurting you, am I?”
Satori’s hands ran carefully along Jozu’s body, the sponge numbing the pain from her burns. The question was so rhetorical that Jozu almost wanted to laugh at it.
“No, not at all.” She infused every syllable with as much sarcasm as she could muster. “Actually, I’ve never felt better. Think I might go for a walk, actually.”
“Very funny.” Satori’s expression grew suddenly stern. “Seriously, though, let me know if I’m pushing too hard. It won’t help anyone if I make your injuries worse.”
Jozu rolled her eyes. “Yes, mom.”
Their discussions were interspersed with long silences, where Satori would do nothing but tend to Jozu’s wounds. The shark looked worse than she was - the burns were thorough, but a well-kept youkai would be back on their feet in a matter of hours. All Satori could do to help was make the recovery process a little less painful - but she was doing everything she could on that count.
There was something unnerving about her proximity, Jozu thought. Personal space wasn’t a concept that youkai usually cared for, but having Satori this close made her feel strangely embarrassed. Maybe it was an aftereffect from the burns? Yes, surely it had to be that.
“So how’s your sister doing?” she asked, eager to distract herself. “Is she gonna pull through?”
“Koishi’s fine.” Satori let out a little sigh of relief. “Apparently they cut it pretty close. Another minute or two and she would have been beyond saving.”
“Jeez. That must’ve been awful for you.”
The Siren looked down with a sad smile. “Don’t worry. It’s not the first time.”
The look on Satori’s face struck a chord in the depths of Jozu’s heart. Even with her whole body wracked with pain, all the shark could think about was how much Satori had been through. She wanted to reach out and rip the sadness from that expression, to give the girl something to smile about for a change.
Holy shit, that was sappy. Jozu smacked herself in the forehead. What had happened to her? She’d been a ruthless killer before this whole Siren business, and now she was more worried about a human than she was about herself. The change had been so gradual that she’d made no attempt to resist it.
And the frightening thing was that even now, she didn’t mind what she had become.
Dammit, Satori. What have you done to me?Jozu looked up at the Siren. Satori was the closest thing she had to a friend nowadays. No, friend was the wrong word - friends didn’t make your insides turn to jelly when you thought about them for too long. But even then, it was too late for anything to happen between them, not after what Jozu had done...
“Hello?” Satori clicked her fingers in front of Jozu’s face. “Don’t tell me you’ve passed out again.”
Jozu flinched. “Ah, uh, sorry. I was, uh...distracted.”
Satori sighed and shook her head. She reached down, tenderly putting Jozu’s hand in hers. “Is there something you want to say?”
Dammit. Stupid mindreaders, always knowing when you had something to hide. Jozu cleared her throat, but it only managed to make her chest feel heavier.
“Look, Satori...I’m sorry about everything.”
Satori tilted her head. “Eh? What are you sorry for?”
“What else?” Jozu squeezed at the Siren’s hand. “I nearly got your sister killed, and now the Black Claw is gonna be out for your blood. I tried to help you out, and all I managed to do was make shit worse.”
She couldn’t look. She knew she’d let Satori down in the worst way possible. She’d wanted to play dumb and act like the whole thing never happened, in the hope that maybe they could pretend everything was okay. But there was only so long she could run from what she’d done.
Satori squeezed back.
“What do you mean, Jozu?” Satori’s face brightened. “It’s thanks to you that I can speak with my sister without us coming to blows. It was dicey, maybe, but it all worked out in the end.” Her eyes glistened with a brand new joy. “And I can’t exaggerate just how grateful I am for that.”
Jozu felt numb, the pain in her body falling away. All the fear and dread she’d been bottling up disappeared in an instant. Satori wasn’t just alright with what had happened, she appreciated it. The sudden release of tension made Jozu feel like she was flying.
“Heh heh...that’s good to hear.” She was still blushing, and now she knew it wasn’t thanks to the burns. “I wanted to cheer you up, Satori. It really sucked seeing you wallowing around the fortress like that. Because I, well...”
Jozu had exactly one chance to let it out. If she waited for the moment to pass, it would never feel as right as it felt now. Even if she was wrong - even if Satori didn’t understand - she had to say it now before her heart exploded.
“I...I like you, Satori. I mean, really really like you.” The first words were the hardest, but Jozu sped up from there. “Not at first, I admit. I thought you were gonna be a hassle, but you ended up growing on me. Now when I think about you too much I start feeling really anxious and I worry that maybe I’m being stupid about this and how would it even work I mean you’re a human and I’m a youkai and we can’t-”
Her soliloquy was interrupted by Satori leaning forward and kissing her on the lips.
It was a short kiss, but it was enough to make the shark feel like she was on fire. By the time Satori pulled back, Jozu swore she could feel steam hissing from her ears.
“Congratulations,” Satori said with a smile. “I was wondering when you’d finally find the courage to say it.”
“Then-then you knew?” Jozu stammered, any sense of composure scattered in the wind. “But I worked really hard not to think about it when I was around you. I didn’t wanna - I thought it’d be really awkward if you didn’t feel the same.”
“Well, you didn’t try hard enough.” Satori ran a playful hand through Jozu’s hair. “But you’ve got nothing to worry about, Jozu. You’re a very special person to me, too. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable with how you felt before I told you.”
Jozu nuzzled at Satori’s hand, letting her hair rustle between the human’s fingers. It was so subservient she would have died on her feet if anyone else saw it - but with Satori, it just felt so
right.“...But how are we gonna make this work?” She pouted. “I mean, either way this war ends, we’re probably gonna go our separate ways.”
Satori’s eyes quickly hardened with resolve. “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to make it work. Either I’ll hide you at home, or I’ll come live with you on the bottom of the ocean. Whatever it takes.”
She spoke with such power that Jozu had no choice but to believe her. The pair lost themselves in each others’ eyes, sharing a long but comfortable silence.
“...I should probably go.” Satori broke away first, standing to her full height over the bed. “They’re holding a debriefing for the Sirens, so I should probably attend. Don’t go walking off, understand?”
Jozu’s arm creaked as she saluted. “Roger that, boss. Take care.”
Satori nodded, her face erupting into another grin. Just seeing that smile brought a warmth to Jozu’s heart. Her eyes followed Satori up until she was a distant speck in the corridor.
It took a while for her body to remember how much it was hurting.
“Ah, jeez...” Jozu winced as she pulled the covers back over herself. “Would it kill these guys to give me a painkiller or two?”
-----
“So, that’s that.” Nitori fumbled with her papers, clearing her throat in an attempt to quell the growing murmurs. “Assuming there are no objections, we’ll move straight on-”
“Of course I have an objection!” Momiji stood up from her chair, slamming her hands into the desk. She swung an arm around with a flourish as she pointed it towards the dolphin sitting across from her. “Ma’am, Agent Tororetsu violated every rule the White Pearl has. She made deals with the enemy, kept vital information from her superiors, and led one of the Sirens into a goddamn deathtrap. And you’re going to
pardon her?”
Sango bowed her head forward, sweat dripping from her brow as her fingers tapped at her lap. “I-I said I’m sorry, okay? It was stupid and I should have told you guys, but I didn’t mean for things to turn out like they did!”
“The humans say that the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” Momiji growled. “Maybe you should have kept that in mind.”
Nitori sighed, leaning backwards into her chair. She’d hoped that if she glossed over the matter quickly no-one would question it. Why couldn’t anything be simple anymore?
“You’re right, Momiji. What Sango-san did was all sorts of illegal, and normally I’d have made a pretty public example of her.” The kappa shrugged. “But the progress she managed to make with it was pretty damn invaluable, so we can write it off as a learning experience. And the girls are willing to forgive her - right, girls?”
She motioned to the far end of the table, where another half-dozen desks had been added to accommodate the Sirens. Satori was at the very end of the table, as far away from the ‘official’ members of the Pearl as was physically possible.
“Right.” Koishi nodded, speaking on her allies’ behalf. “Sango-san was never planning to hurt anyone, and it’s thanks to her that I got the chance to make up with my sister. She deserves a second chance.”
“Yes, but-” Momiji stayed standing, mouth bobbing open and shut as she tried to come up with a counterargument. Nitori pondered how best to defuse the wolf - it was difficult to reason with someone so in love with the rules.
Luckily, Ran intervened before Nitori had to step in.
“Easy, girl.” The fox reached up, putting a hand on Momiji’s shoulder and lowering her back into her seat. “Now isn’t the time to get caught up in petty disputes. We have much larger issues to deal with than a stray dolphin.”
Momiji continued to grumble and glare at Sango, but she eventually gave up on her attack. Her respect for Ran was stronger than her loyalty to the law, it seemed. Nitori eased her shoulders, relieved that the problem had managed to solve itself.
Now she could focus on the difficult part.
“Right, then. With that out of the way, let’s continue the debriefing.” Nitori looked right across the table towards the newest member of the group. “Satori-san, I hope you appreciate the risk we’re taking in allowing you to listen in on this. For all we know, you could just walk out right now and tell Leviathan exactly where we’re hiding.”
“And why exactly would I do that?” Satori took the accusation poorly, folding her arms and rolling her eyes. “I’m not sure if you missed the part where Leviathan tried to kill my sister and my partner in rapid succession.”
The air cooled to freezing point. Every eye at the table had fallen onto Satori - one or two looking on with concern, but most examining her with suspicion. Nitori growled, already knowing she’d started on the wrong foot.
“To be fair, we are dealing with a genius.” Sakuya twirled one of her braids around with a finger. “I wouldn’t put it past Leviathan to set up a plan like that.”
“But she shot Satori-san first, didn’t she?” Mokou scratched her head. “Koishi-san only got hit because she got in the way. Seems like a big risk to take.”
“I’m with Mokou-san on this one,” Komachi said, nodding thoughtfully. “Leviathan’s smart, but she’s not crazy. That plan sounds like too much of a gamble.”
A short silence followed, which was the closest they were likely to come to an agreement. Again, Nitori opened her mouth to try and move the discussion along; again, someone else beat her to the punch.
“Still, I’m rather skeptical,” Ran said, her tails standing on end behind her. “No matter how badly Leviathan may have angered you, it’s hard to believe you’ve changed sides so suddenly.”
Satori frowned. “That’s because I haven’t. I still believe in what my master told me; I’ve just found out that she doesn’t. We’re not allies, Yakumo-san. We simply share a common enemy.”
A collective gasp ran across the table. Nitori mentally smacked herself across the face - she’d expected Satori to be confrontational, but she never thought the Siren would be this blatant about it. The only person who seemed to have been expecting her outburst was Koishi, nodding along in understanding.
“Eeeh?” Sango blinked rapidly, rubbing at her eyes in disbelief. “But you said you’d give up if you lost to Koishi-san!”
“I said no such thing,” Satori retorted, raising a finger in dispute. “Koishi agreed she’d stop fighting for the Pearl if she lost. You assumed the agreement was mutual.”
“But that’s-” Youmu’s hands balled into fists, as if the claim had been a personal offense. “That’s just dishonourable! The odds were stacked from the very beginning!”
The valkyrie smirked. “It’s not my fault Koishi didn’t use her head, is it?”
That was the spark that started a wave of dispute, a dozen voices merging into one another. All of them were aimed at Satori, either stating their disbelief or simply telling her exactly where she could stick her double-crossing tactics.
Nitori grabbed at her temples. This had spiraled out of control with absurd speed, and she had no clue how to stop it. If it was as simple as kicking Satori out, she’d have already done that - but the fact was, the valkyrie was the only way they’d have a chance of finding Leviathan’s hideout. They needed her help - the only problem was getting everyone to play along nicely.
“Everyone, stop it!” Koishi’s voice rose above the rest, silencing the table in a surprising display of force. She reached over and took her sister’s hand in support. “Satori isn’t a bad person. Maybe we don’t agree on everything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together.”
“Wait, why are
you sticking up for her?” Nazrin’s tail whipped against the floor. “I thought you were the one she just admitted to double-crossing.”
Koishi’s face hardened, seeming to age by almost a decade. “Does that even matter? So what if Satori disagrees with us? It’s like she said - we’ve got a common enemy, and we’re only going to beat the Black Claw if we team up.”
“Koishi-san, with all due respect,” Momiji said, in a tone that implied no respect at all, “I don’t think you’re in a position to make a judgement here. Your relation to Satori compromises your viewpoint.”
“Maybe it does,” Koishi said. “But we need her right now, and nothing’s going to change that.”
The bickering voices stayed silent, unable to offer a response - not because Koishi’s argument was foolproof, but because it was anything but. There was no logic to it, and without that there was no way to offer a meaningful retort.
“...As unpleasant as it is, Koishi-san has a point.” Nitori made the most of the silence, stepping in before anyone could restart the debate. “We need Satori-san’s assistance if we’re going to find where Leviathan’s hiding. It’s not going to be pleasant for any of us, but we’ll have to grin and bear it.”
She turned to Satori. “Until further notice, you are under my direct command. You don’t move, think, eat or breathe until I say so. Understood?”
The valkyrie frowned, but as she turned towards her sister her expression softened. Finally she managed a shrug. “Alright. I’ll play nice.”
“Good.” Nitori wiped a layer of sweat from her brow. “Now, I’ve already asked Jozu about the specifics of the Black Claw stronghold. I’ll be discussing it in more detail with her shortly; Momiji, Ran, Sango-san, you’re to come along with me for that. The rest of you, hang tight for an hour or two while we figure out where to go from here.”
Nitori put down her papers and shuffled her collar. “Now, unless anyone has something they want to add-”
“Actually,” Koishi said, raising her hand, “While I’m at it, there’s something else I need to say.”
Oh no. Nitori did her best to hide her concern. “What is it, Koishi-san?”
Koishi bit her lip, seemingly unsure where to start. “This is going to sound pretty crazy, but while I was unconscious, I...” She paused, visibly struggling for the words.
“What is it?” Ran said sharply. “We don’t have all day, girl-”
“I met Yakumo-san.” Koishi blurted the sentence out all at once. “Yukari Yakumo-san.”
Ran’s look of dismay was quickly replaced with utter shock. “Wha-What sort of joke do you think that is? My master’s been dead for centuries.”
“Exactly,” Koishi said. “I only met her because I nearly died myself. This isn’t the first time, either - I met her once before when I was a little girl.”
Satori’s eyes widened at that one. Nitori saw her mutter “the lake” beneath her breath. No-one else seemed sure how to approach the claim, looking on with varying expressions of shock.
“...Boss, there wasn’t anything in that healing gel, was there?” Sango said. “You didn’t put her on an acid trip or something.”
“What sort of scientist do you think I am?” Nitori pouted, insulted by the accusation. “Still, what Koishi-san is claiming is...not unheard of, but it’s immensely rare.” She turned back to Koishi. “Did Yakumo-san happen give you anything to prove you were there? When a soul visits the Boundary, anything they’re given should be brought back with them.”
“Yeah, she-” Koishi reached for her pocket, then stopped abruptly. “...Wait, never mind. I made a mistake.”
Nitori furrowed her brow. It was a clumsy lie, and everyone at the table could tell. It wasn’t hard to tell where she was hiding the evidence, either.
“...Alright,” she said, with a shrug of her shoulders.
“What?” Momiji jerked her neck around. “Ma’am, she’s clearly hiding something-”
“I know,” Nitori said, her voice slow and steady. “But I also know Koishi-san isn’t the type to lie. If she’s keeping something from us, it’s because Yukari told her to. That means it may as well be an order for the rest of us.”
Koishi managed a small nod of confirmation. “Sorry.” She bowed forward before slipping back into her seat. “You’ll just have to trust me on this one.”
“Sure thing,” Komachi said. “Not like this is the strangest thing that’s happened to us, is it?”
The Sirens murmured their agreements, and even Momiji sighed as she gave up on arguing. Only Ran stood her ground, eyes wide open as she stared straight towards Koishi. The fox clutched her chest with one hand, like she’d been struck in the heart.
“Human, tell me.” Ran cleared her throat as she regained her composure. “My master. Did she seem happy?”
Koishi nodded, looking towards the fox with a sad smile. “Yakumo-san...yes, she looked peaceful. She asked for you by name, actually. You must have meant a lot to her, Ran-san.”
Ran’s tails fluttered about behind her back. For a moment, Nitori could see tears forming in her eyes, but the fox promptly covered her face with a sleeve.
“I see.” Ran’s mouth was still visible, locked in the widest smile the kappa had ever seen from her. “That’s good news. I’ve always wondered where she went after...after things went wrong.”
The fox rose to her feet, still rubbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry, I need a few minutes. I’ll catch up with the rest of you.” She shuffled out of the classroom, closing the door behind her as she walked down the corridor.
“OK, then.” The kappa cracked her neck, trying to regain her focus. “Anyone else got a near-death experience they’d like to report?” She was ready for someone else to raise a hand in dispute, but thankfully the crowd was silent this time around.
Thank god.“Excellent. Then you’re dismissed for now.” Nitori cracked her neck as she rose to her feet. “Sango, Momiji, I’ll meet you in the nurse’s office. Just let me grab a stiff drink first. I get the feeling today’s gonna be a long day...”
-----
“Unyuuu~”
Utsuho let out a little squeal of joy as Satori ruffled her hair, her fluffy wings flapping about behind her. Rin was slightly more conservative in her display of emotion, but she still let out a long, deep purr.
“It’s good to see you again.” Satori took care to divide her attention equally between her two pets. “I hope I didn’t worry you too much.”
“Of course we were worried, Satori-sama.” Rin’s ears bounced around on the top of her head as she spoke. “You just disappeared without a word. I mean for ages I thought you’d never come back!” She looked away. “...Not that I didn’t believe in you or anything.”
Utsuho nodded along. “It was scary at first,” she said, with a pout that quickly turned into a smile. “But Koishi-sama was a really nice master, so everything turned out okay.”
Koishi looked away, sitting next to her sister on the stairway. “Honestly, you two, it’s not that big a deal.”
Satori frowned, turning towards Koishi while she tended to the pets with both hands. “Koishi, you shouldn’t be so humble about it. If the world was full of people like you, we wouldn’t be having this war to begin with.”
Koishi shook her head. “Maybe, but that’s a silly thing to ask for. The world’s never going to be perfect; there are always going to be people who get misled or lose track of who they are. We should be trying to help those people, but it’s a fight we can’t really win outright.”
Satori leaned back, mouth hanging open. Her expression warmed into a proud grin. “You really have grown up, haven’t you?”
“I had to, didn’t I?” Koishi wrapped her arms around her sister. “Someone had to stand in for you while you were gone.”
The valkyrie leaned into the hug. She’d forgotten how good company like this had felt - a sister and pets who loved her with all their hearts. Her feelings for Jozu were different -
romantic, she wanted to say - while this camaraderie was much more familial. She wondered how she had ever managed to cope without them.
Then she put those thoughts aside as a more serious matter came to her.
“Utsuho, Rin, could you run along for a bit?” she asked. “Koishi and I need to talk about something serious.”
“Nyaah?” Rin stuck up her nose. “No fair. You’ve only been petting me for five minutes now.”
“And my hand’s about to fall off. I think that’s long enough.”
“Muuuuu.” The cat grumbled as she shuffled away, pouting at her master as she rose to her feet. “C’mon, Okuu. Let’s go scribble on some of the chalkboards.”
“Unyu?” Utsuho tilted her head. “But Orin, isn’t that something bad people do?”
“Maybe.” Rin smirked as she started running down the corridor. “But that’s why it’s so fun.”
As she darted into the distance, Utsuho scrambled to her feet and gave chase. “W-Wait for me, Rin! I can’t run that fast!”
Satori giggled beneath her breath as she watched her two pets dive into a classroom. This was her first time seeing them in youkai form, but somehow she’d always known exactly what sort of people they were.
“Rin’s a bad influence,” Koishi said. “I’ve been trying to work her out of it, but Utsuho keeps coming to her defense.”
The valkyrie shrugged. “It’s harmless enough. Let them be.” She turned towards her sister, expression hardening. “More importantly, why did you lie about the knife?”
Koishi almost smacked her head against the stair behind her. “How did you-”
“I’m a mind reader, remember?” Satori wore a wry smile. “You can’t hide anything from me, Koishi.”
Koishi sighed, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out a glittering dagger, its blade running the spectrum as it hummed with raw energy. “It’s called Aptera,” she said. “Yakumo-san said it was our duty as Sirens to decide how to use it, so I didn’t want anyone else to know. If we’re meant to make this choice, we shouldn’t let people like Kawashiro-sensei colour our judgement.”
Satori blinked, and a stream of thoughts poured from Koishi’s mind. She parsed them one at a time, needing a few seconds to process the raw data in full. When she was done, she placed a hand on her chin and lost herself in thought.
“...I see. That’s quite a dilemma she’s laid on us.” Satori leaned backwards on the stairway, staring intently at the ceiling. “Forcing one race or the other to lose their powers forever.”
Koishi nodded. “I don’t know how we’re meant to choose. Whatever we pick, it feels like we’d be changing the world for the worse.”
“True. It’s not a decision we can make lightly.”
They sat in silence together for a while, crunching the problem in their heads. Satori could see little in the way of progress coming from her sister - her mind was a jumbled mess, unable to stop on one side or the other. It would take a long, thought-out debate for her to come to a decision.
Then again, that was why there were seven Sirens.
“You might want to gather everyone here,” Satori said. “This is our chance to talk it over while all the youkai are distracted.”
“Right.” Koishi pulled herself upright, looking down the corridors for any sign of the other Sirens. “Wait here for me, alright?”
“Sure. And Koishi?”
“What?”
Satori’s face darkened. “Don’t expect an easy answer.”
-----
“So let me make sure I understand this.” Mokou paced the length of the corridor, hands fumbling around in her pockets. “If we want to use this super-weapon Yukari gave you, we have to decide which race will never be able to use magic again?”
Koishi nodded. She looked down at the dagger on her lap, running a finger along its edge. It was hard to believe a weapon so small could demand such a hefty price for its use. A small part of her still wanted to throw the thing out the window and be rid of it, but that wasn’t her decision to make.
“Awful rude of her, I say.” Komachi rubbed at the back of her neck, her brows knitted and her expression clouded. “I sure as hell didn’t sign up for a choice like that.”
“I don’t think any of us did,” Youmu said, sighing with every breath. “There’s no way to go half and half, is there? Rather than draining all the power from one group, we take some energy from both of them?”
Koishi shook her head. “Yakumo-san said it had to be one or the other. I’m guessing the two energy sources aren’t compatible or something like that.”
“Hm.” The swordsman frowned. “Well, there goes that idea.”
“Right, let’s judge our options.” Mokou raised her hands upwards, as if trying to balance them. “Nazrin-san, what would happen to the youkai if they couldn’t use magic any more?”
Nazrin grimaced. “That’s a tough question to answer. Magic is the only upper hand the youkai have left, and they’ve built their society entirely around it. Taking that away would be ripping away the foundations of their entire civilisation.”
“But could they cope without it?” Youmu said, pushing the question. “Would the youkai survive even if their magic was gone?”
The mouse coiled her tail around her leg. “I really have no idea. Best case scenario, the races come together and make do with what’s left; worst case scenario, they all blame each other for letting this happen and their squabbling leads to bloodshed. There’s no way we can really tell how the youkai would react before it actually happens.”
“Basically,” Satori interjected, “consider what would happen if the human race suddenly lost the power of electricity. All the little gadgets we’ve built our civilisation on - phones, appliances, computers, the internet - just turn off and stay off. Of course we
could survive. After all, we lived fine without all those conveniences centuries ago. But that feeling of loss would make us sensitive, even vengeful against whoever we thought was responsible. We might be fine, or we might raze our own cities to the ground.” She shrugged. “That’s what we would be putting the youkai race through if we took their magic away.”
Instinctively, half the Sirens reached into their pockets for their cell phones. “OK, so that’s really not a good idea,” Komachi said. “Now, if we drain the power from the humans instead-”
“Then the youkai will go to war.” Sakuya leaned on the back wall, absent-mindedly shuffling a deck of cards. “Maybe I’m crazy, but I’m not fond of the option that leads to our whole species getting wiped out.”
“They won’t kill the humans.” Nazrin said. “It’s not like we’re a bloodthirsty army of-”
“But Naz, what about the whole incident at the zoo?” Shou emerged at Nazrin’s side, folding her arms and shaking her head. “Those youkai would have killed plenty of humans if we hadn’t stepped in.”
Nazrin sighed. “Okay,
most of them won’t kill the humans. Is that better?”
“Sorry, Naz.” The ghost pouted at her pet. “I know you’re seeing this from a different angle, but we aren’t going to get anywhere by sugar-coating our options.”
“I know, I know.” The mouse pulled her ears back. To her peers she seemed to be talking to herself, but they knew better than to interrupt. “It’s just such a big change, and magic is all the youkai have left going for them. Is it that weird to want to defend it?”
“Not at all.” Satori stepped forward, placing a hand on Nazrin’s shoulder. “The youkai have been on the receiving end of a lot these last few millennia. It’s only natural to look for some sort of payback.”
“OK, then, another question.” Mokou raised her hand to get the crowd’s attention. “If the youkai aren’t going to kill the humans, what
are they going to do?”
“Well, first off, they’re gonna take their land back,” Komachi said. “We built over a lot of their monuments and ruins and whatever, and I’m guessing they’re slightly mad about that.”
“Can you blame them?” Satori said, stepping in when she saw a moment to push the initiative. “Imagine if a foreign country walked in and knocked down half of Tokyo. There’d be an uproar, and rightfully so.”
“As for us...” Komachi looked at her shoes, her lips a tangled mess. “Well, we’ll get some credit for being decent masters, so they’ll probably take us in as pets. They’ll look after us and treat us well - as long as we behave, that is.”
“And if we don’t behave?” Sakuya asked, the question so pointed she could have cut her tongue on it.
Komachi let out a long, hard sigh. “Well, what would you do to a rabid dog?”
The silence that followed was deafening.
“That’s...” Mokou almost fell over as she sat on the floor, grabbing at her head. “Man, I didn’t realise how shitty the youkai had it until you put it like that. They’ve got to do what we say, or we put them down...shit, that’s brutal.”
“Isn’t it?” Satori said, standing over Mokou and making the most of the height difference. “The youkai have been suffering in silence for too long. It’s only fair that they get to claim some sort of recompense.”
“And where does that get us?”
Koishi’s voice caught Satori by surprise, forcing her to jerk her head around. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Let’s say this all happens like we’re assuming it will,” Koishi continued. “That means that generations of humans - generations that had nothing to do with the incident that started this whole mess - are going to be in the same position the youkai are in now. They’ll be powerless and unable to stand up for themselves.” She met her sister’s eyes, refusing to budge an inch. “Nothing will change, Satori. It’ll be the same problem as before, just in reverse.”
The valkyrie furrowed her brow. “And what’s your point? The alternative is taking away the youkai’s only chance of doing something about it. Better to offer them some reprieve than to kill off their one chance for rebellion.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like being a pet’s all
that bad.” Nazrin bounced up and down on the spot. “I mean, you get all your meals for free, you don’t have to work a day in your life, and you’ve got a master who loves you. What’s not to like?”
“Exactly.” Satori nodded. “For the most part, the youkai hold themselves to a higher moral code - we’d be better under their command than they’d ever be under ours.”
“Higher moral code?” Sakuya scrunched up her nose. “Did you miss the part where Leviathan nearly murdered you?”
“No, but she was an exception. Most of the youkai aren’t as wretched as-”
“Stop it, Satori.” Koishi stamped a foot against the floor to get her sister’s attention. “There are wicked humans, maybe, but there are wicked youkai too. In the end, there’s no point in favouring one or the other.”
Satori’s eyes were wild now, almost desperate. “But Koishi, we can’t just watch this happen-”
“And what about the casualties?” Youmu said, her voice stern but carefully pitched. “Even if the humans are outgunned, they won’t give up without a fight. If the races go to war, thousands are going to die. Maybe millions.”
“I know!” Satori yelled, her voice echoing through the corridors. It took her a few seconds to recover her composure. “I know that. I know this change would do more damage than it could ever fix. But I’ve got to do
something, Koishi. I can’t just sit back and let the youkai suffer.”
Koishi took a deep breath as she rose to her feet. “No-one’s disagreeing with you, Satori. We all want to help the youkai. We just feel like there’s got to be a better way than this.”
Slowly, the valkyrie let her shoulders drop as she heaved out a sigh. “OK, then, fine. Let’s try and play it your way. First of all, did Yukari tell you how the knife actually worked?”
“She said it channels the power of the masquerade,” Koishi said. “It’s probably become a lot stronger since there are a lot more humans now than there were in her time.”
“But what matters is we’re going to need a lot of power to make it work.” Sakuya folded her arms and tapped at her shoulders. “Is there any sort of other source we can use as an equivalent? One that doesn’t involve neutering an entire race.”
“Given the magnitude we’re talking about?” Satori shook her head. “It seems unlikely we’ll find one at such short notice.”
In her peripheral vision Koishi realised that everyone - herself included - was looking directly at the knife. The weapon had an almost hypnotic aura to it, the sheer power locked within making it difficult to look away from. What sort of atrocities could the Black Claw commit if they got their hands on it?
“There’s one thing I don’t get here.” Komachi closed her eyes as she lost herself in thought. “What’s the point? Why would she give us such a kickass weapon if it came with such massive drawbacks?”
“Maybe it’s a precaution,” Youmu said. “Just in case we’re desperate.”
“No, that doesn’t sound right.” Koishi heard Yukari’s words echoing in her ears. “Yakumo-san said it was a choice we’d have to make. It’s not a precaution - she thinks we’re going to have no choice but to use it.”
“But why?” Mokou asked. “Leviathan’s on her own now. She’s not
that strong, is she?”
Unheeded, everyone turned their attention to Satori. The valkyrie’s lips shrank into a small line.
“I’m afraid I never met Leviathan myself until today, so even I don’t know the extent of her power. But if she’s got sole control over a group as violent as the Black Claw, we have to assume she’s extremely dangerous.”
An eerie silence hung over the Sirens. They looked down at Aptera, watching the light dance across its edge. Koishi felt amazement and disgust flow through her body in equal measure.
“...We can’t use this.” Koishi picked the knife up and placed it back in her pocket. “It isn’t worth the price, whatever we choose.”
“And if we have no choice?” Sakuya tapped a foot against the floor. “What if that knife is the only thing that’ll keep us all from getting killed?”
“I know where I’d stand on that,” Satori said. “The rest of you are another matter though.”
“If it comes down to that, we’ll figure something out.” Koishi sighed, the knife feeling heavier now than it had five minutes ago. “Until then, we’re not even going to consider-”
In the distance, a door clicked open. Koishi stopped mid-sentence, looking in the direction of the sound. A set of footsteps started to travel along the corridor, accompanied by another flurry of profanity.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Nitori flailed her arms about, almost manic as she came into view. “It’s not like I’ve had enough to deal with today. Oh no, now she goes and ups the ante and-” She stopped dead, frozen mid-rant as she saw the Sirens gathered in the stairway. “Eh? What’re you girls talking about?”
Koishi tensed. “Uh, we were...that is, we-”
“We were discussing battle strategies,” Youmu said, bowing towards the kappa. “Since there are seven of us now, we need to work coherently as a team.”
Nitori raised an eyebrow, but her suspicion quickly gave way to exasperation. “Well, at least this makes my job a lot easier. I need you guys back in the briefing room, right now.”
Nazrin’s tail whipped at the ground. “That doesn’t sound like good news.”
“Believe me, it isn’t.” Nitori stormed past the Sirens, cutting a straight path towards the classroom. “We just got ourselves one hell of a deadline.”
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Next Week's BGM: Second Strike
