I woke up to silence and solitude.
In a way, it was sort of surreal. I'm only just now realizing that when I deign to actual sleep, I usually wake up with or to someone next to me.
Usually, that's Kuroka's soft purring in my ear…or her tits in my face, something like that.
It's uncanny now. It's deafening. I sit up from my prone position and sweep my gaze back and forth, looking at both sides of the bed.
No half-naked Goddess of Revelry. Who I know physically can't wake up before me to save her life.
No Goddess of the Sun either. Who I suspect would also rather sleep in and find any excuse to stay put in her woman cave.
I flip over onto my back in a smooth motion, my gaze sweeping across the other side of the room, only to find, once more, nothing.
Uzume isn't at her impromptu gaming setup. Ama hasn't stolen the beanbag chair.
Perfect. Quiet.
I hate it. Even the click and clack of Uzume typing incessantly away at the keyboard would be far more welcome than this.
How the hell does my mother stay in here all the time? By herself?
With a shiver, I scramble my way off the bed, nearly getting tangled up in the blanket and smashing my face into the floor in my haste.
What saves me is the fact that I'm far stronger than the blanket, and so rather than get caught on it, my body pulls it along with me, tearing it from the bed instead.
"...Oops." I pause briefly to bundle up the blanket and toss it back onto the bed before quickly resuming my grand escape.
By opening the door and power walking out.
Truly, the most difficult of tasks.
The door shut firmly behind me, and I took a moment, standing there and sighing out.
My hand reaches up, pinching the bridge of my nose between my eyes so hard I start to feel the beginning of a buzz.
I hum at that. Good. So I'm not dreaming then, all of a sudden. I don't think I ever have before, so starting now, right after yesterday, would probably mean something is up, right?
Yet. I can't help shake the feeling that something is up, anyhow.
And I don't mean the good kind of up, as in everyone is busy planning a party.
My vision stretches down the hall, sweeping from left to right, much like the room I was in before.
Still, nothing.
However, it's not entirely silent, unlike the room behind me.
In the distance, I could hear voices.
I can't tell what exactly is being said, as far away as they are, but I can tell they aren't exactly happy.
Already, I could feel a frown slipping onto my face, as my senses hone in on the direction of the voices.
I recognize a fair few, like Ama, Uzume, and glasses, along with a few other kami that I paid sparse notice to last night.
But there's another out there now, whose power feels…familiar.
It's like Ama's. It's almost like mine, but only in shades, and of course, far weaker.
My frown deepens. Who the hell is this new guy?
My feet were carrying me down the hall before I even realized it.
I was paying attention to my surroundings no longer. Instead, I pulled my power inward and held onto it tight, focusing on remaining as stealthy as possible while listening intently.
My hearing isn't as great as my eyes, unfortunately, but it doesn't take long for me to start catching what's being said.
"...Oshi." I hear Ama, as a quieter moment comes up, addressing someone, "I understand where you're coming from, truly, but-"
"I care NOT for your understanding, mother!" A new voice, far deeper and gravely, washes over the quiet like a tidal wave.
I freeze. Mother? Oshi? Who?
"No buts! There shouldn't be any confusion in this manner!" He continues, his rage obvious, voice bouncing across the halls, "So what of his power!? That does not grant him pardon over tradition and custom!"
His? Wait, is he talking about me!?
"Some would say," another voice, who I instantly recognized as glasses, interjects curtly yet calmly, "that your attitude toward your mother and ruler right now does just that."
"My words and actions today come not from sheer arrogance, pride in my power, or anything like!" The man spats, outrage growing, "No, I am here out of a sense of duty! My words derive from such! We are no demons! Nor barbarious youkai, bending to the demands of the strongest and fucking them to create stronger ilk!"
Rage, white hot, spiked through me and bristled within my chest.
I know it wasn't targeted. At least, this guy better pray it wasn't, but his words reminded me of my girls.
Someone snorted a chuckle, probably Uzume, considering how short-lived and cut off it sounded, probably because Ama gave her a look or something.
…She's getting her ass beat for that one later.
"Well!?" The man continues, "Tell me my words aren't false! Did we not wage war on the Earthly Kami, on the Youkai, for such vile propagation!? Did we not civilize the material plane, bring it order, peace, laws, tradition, and more to stop such inept and chaotic governance?!"
"Correction." Ama answered, her voice far stiffer, devoid of most emotion, almost like when she was dealing with Odin, "You did no such thing. I sent two to pacify the world. I originally wanted you to rule them, to bring that order, but you refused. Your son did not."
Holy fuck, I can feel that burn from here.
Though that story…
"And where is he now, hmm!?" The man bit back, quieter, yet beyond bitter.
"That was his own mistake!"
I nearly fell over as the entire palace rumbled at Ama's voice. I heard the startled cries that followed, as several within the throne room fell.
Ama continued, the power in her voice withheld, but the fury behind it still present, "You can't, won't, continue blaming me for his death!" She hissed, "Blame your cowardice instead for not going when you were intended! Blame his poor decision-making for letting himself get cursed! Blame the one who cursed him in the first place! But do not blame me for giving him the choice to step up where his father failed!"
My mouth hung open, while my head lay devoid of thoughts. I had never heard her talk like this before; I never even thought she could.
And she wasn't even done.
"Let's stop beating around the bush. I know what this is, in truth." She continued, voice dangerously low, "You're jealous of your youngest brother, aren't you? Don't be." It wasn't a recommendation, it was an order. "As my son, you were given privileges. The ability to choose, for one. He is much the same. If he chooses to eschew tradition, he can suffer the consequences."
What's left unspoken, of course, is how much I'll actually suffer from those consequences.
The answer? Not at all.
"He is not." To my shock, the other guy still has a voice to bite back with, "He is not one of us!" He hisses back, "The way he treated you, everyone around him, that is not our way!"
"He was not raised here, like you, that is true, but he is one of us." She states, "And this is final. Do you understand?"
For a moment after her words, silence reigned.
But only a moment.
"...No." Was the eventual reply, almost like a snarl, "I will gather my brothers, we will make you understand, you must see, mother! The way forward doesn't lie with him! It can't!"
Before any more words could be exchanged, I felt divine power and light pulse, and his power vanished into the wind.
All in all?
I really want to punch that guy in the face.
But the infuriating thing is that it would kind of prove his point, wouldn't it?
I let out a low click of my tongue as the throne room explodes into several voices once again.
But before I could filter them through my senses and put those who agreed or disagreed with that guy's stance to their powers, Uzume's voice cut through it all.
"Say!" She began, more than a touch uneasy, "Don't you think that whole shaking the palace thing woke him up?"
My eyes widened. Oh fuck.
Wait a minute. I don't care if I get caught. This is kind of important stuff to know.
And if they were planning on trying to hide all this drama from me, I'll spank them both!
I relaxed significantly at this realization.
"Oh no." Unlike a certain other goddess, who heard Uzume's words and immediately let out a panicked squeak.
I didn't need to see her tumble off her throne; I heard it, along with Uzume's barked laugh at it.
By the time the doors leading from the throne room into the halls swung open, I had already positioned myself perfectly.
So, instead of an empty hall, the two goddesses met with me, leaning against the wall, a nice little smile stretching across my face.
For additional dramatic effect, I even made my eyes active, so they spin and glow slightly!
Uzume and Ama froze in place like a couple of doe caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck driven by seven bears deep deadbeat.
The kami behind the two, those who were watching them scramble to leave, also saw me.
They paled and stiffened instantly.
I tilted my head slightly to the side, "Hey, girls." I began, my voice as easygoing and melodic as I could make it, "What'd I miss?"
Uzume was, unfortunately, the first to manage speech.
"...Please don't fuck my ass too hard?" She causally asks and or begs.
Ama promptly started choking on Uzume's sheer, well, there isn't a word to describe whatever the hell just graced our ears.
Uzumeness? Yeah. Ama started choking on Uzume's Uzumeness.
It didn't take long for Ama to decide that Uzume should join in, as she swiftly turned and grabbed said Goddess of Revelry by the throat.
"UZUME!" Ama cried in sheer and utter outrage.
I sighed, seeing Uzume's face immediately start flashing through the colors of the dawn, my mother's grip so vice around her throat that she can't even let out a choked sputter.
This is going to be a long, long morning, isn't it?
~ A New Sun ~
"Right. So." I clasp my hands together as I stand before the beanbag, as though praying, because in a manner I am.
Maybe that's a bit presumptuous, considering we just got back, but still. It's for a good cause!
For Uzume to miraculously remain tied up and gagged via blankets, as she is right now.
Currently, she's wriggling around on the bed like a worm, trying and failing to escape or free herself.
Not sure how long that'll last, though.
Not even sure how strong that blanket actually is, damn.
Peak Maou Class blanket?
Anyhow, sitting in said beanbag chair, has been since we got back, almost like a child about to be scolded, was Ama. Her face was twisted in a pained frown, like she could decide whether to be ashamed, angry, or depressed, all at once.
It went like that almost as soon as she got done tying up Uzume over there.
"...Let's start at the beginning." I finally settle on saying after a moment.
It takes even longer than a moment for her to finally begin, but when she does, her voice just sounds broken.
"It was just supposed to be a normal court meeting." Uzume's struggles behind me cease at once as soon as Ama spoke up, "That's all it was. Oshihomimi, Oshi, he's my first son, and after so long, he has returned home." She shook her head, "I should've known it wouldn't have been normal. With him, it never could have been."
I kneel to her, placing my hand on her knee with a sigh.
"Yeah, I could sort of tell," I say, tactfully not mentioning his son. Seriously, you'd need to be denser than the arena that's still probably floating overhead not to figure that out.
Ama cringes, almost painfully so, "Y-You were there for even that?"
I nod, "A little bit before that, too, yeah." I confirm, causing the goddess to slump into her chair even more.
Of course, I also know the story. It pertains to the human half of my lineage, after all. The son of Oshihomimi, Ama's grandson, Ninigi. The great-grandfather of Japan's first Emperor, Jimmu.
Like Ama said, he's the one she sent down to rule Japan. And though she didn't mention it back then, not like she'd have needed to, he's also the one she gave the Three Sacred Treasures. The sword, mirror, and bead.
This guy, this kami, is basically the connection to Amaterasu that lets the Imperial House of today claim descent from the Goddess of the Sun.
Still, though, something is bugging me.
Ama mentioned he got cursed. In myth, from what I know, he does get cursed. He loses his immortality; basically, he was cursed to have a limited lifespan.
But he's still a kami, right? He shouldn't stay dead. And the way they were talking about him makes me think he did.
A powerful curse like that being around would be way bigger news; it and spells derived from it could be used as a tool against all the gods, not just the kami.
Ama curls up slightly in the beanbag chair, "N-Ninigi," she pauses, almost choking up on the name, "we aren't sure why he hasn't returned. Nobody knows. Not even mother, or father, or the Amatsukami. Iwanaga," she hisses, "the bitch who cursed him, not even she knows! Only the Amatsukami have the authority to revoke divine powers and turn a kami mortal. When he 'died' he should have come home, not-"
I squeezed her knee, just a tad, causing her to stifle herself before she ranted out of control.
Well. Good to see that's a mystery I'm going to pray I never have to solve.
"So he blames you," I cap off that entire mess for her, "even though Ninigi chose to go down."
Ama gave me a stiff nod at that, "He never got over it," she let out a shuddering breath, "none of us got over it. Everybody loved Nini; he was, hmm…" for just a brief moment, a reminiscing smile washed over her face, and her eyes glowed fondly.
I know the myth of how he got cursed, so I'm going to personally reserve judgment on his character based on the girl he picked.
No, seriously. This is the World of DxD. It made the Yuki Onna into Bigfoot. It wouldn't shock me if the only difference between the girls he was given was chest sizes or something stupid like that, and he picked the biggest or smallest of two, and that's what did him in.
Tactfully, I kept such thoughts internalized.
Ama sways from side to side in the beanbag chair until she abruptly snaps out of her thoughts, perking up. A single tear flowed down her cheek.
"...Ah. Yes, right, we were," she gives a sad little huff, "honestly, Nori, I'm not entirely sure why he has it out for you now. That whole thing about traditions, and customs," she waves off with her hand lazily, "we used to be super duper strict on that stuff in the past, true. Not so much anymore."
Uzume tried to say something at that moment. Thankfully, her gag prevented it. So, Ama continued on unabated, "It would only become a problem if you actively started abusing your power to get what you want, at the cost of the whole Pantheon in general. He might stir up fears of you doing that, bring up your, uh…" Ama looks away slowly, "taste, in women."
I gagged, visibly, at that, before quickly bringing up, "H-Hey! Hey now, let's not be too hasty. I keep Uzume around because I was ordered to!"
Outraged and indignant cries could be briefly heard behind me, before both of us cracked a small smile and started chuckling.
Wiping away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes, Ama continued, "No, no, you know what I mean, Nori."
My expression stiffened, just a tad, "Yeah, yeah. I know." I pause a second before adding with a deadpan, "You know, you mentioned this in the context of the Amatsukami not being pleased about plowing cat and fox girls. Not like this."
At that, Ama flushed and looked away again, "W-Well, that's because I thought they would! I don't know why they didn't even mention it! They normally don't accept that kind of thing!"
My blank stare buries itself in her soul.
She starts squirming around in her chair, "S-Stop looking at me like that!"
"You can't even see me right now." I point out.
"I know!" She cries, her squirming picking up speed, "But I can still feel it!"
Heh, this is good fun.
Also, anything's better than the sheer depression from before.
I really do wonder why the big guys upstairs didn't say anything about my tastes in women.
Right now, I guess I'll stick with them, not deeming it a big enough issue to press when I can clearly kick their asses.
Well, one of their asses, still something.
After settling that in my mind, and boring into Ama with my stare a little while longer, I chuckle and rise to my full height, releasing her from my sight.
"Righto. I think I know exactly how to deal with this!" I announce grandly.
"Ah!?" Ama sits up in her chair suddenly, "Nori, wait, you can't just-"
"Do! Nothing!"
"-go up and punch him in the…wait, what?" She stops, her head tilting in confusion as what I said settles.
Heh! Lucky I had time to think that through a little, my first instinct was to punch him in the face.
I shrug, "Beating him up would just prove his point. And I can be…very petty, in other ways." A devilish smirk crosses my face, "Let me guess, he's going to gather up the rest of your kids, then push the court to do something about me, right?"
"They're, uh, your siblings too, Nori." She adds weakly, but nods, "But, yes, you're probably right. I'm not going to do anything to you. So, they'll push the court instead to try to force my hand."
I cackle, just a bit, "Then if the court loves me?"
Ama blinks at me, "Well then, they can't use that avenue anymore, and going against you from then on out would be… ill-advised, socially, anyway."
"Not like they could come at me power-wise already," I add, to which Ama easily nods in agreement.
"True, which would leave them with…" She blinks in thought, "Huh. I, can't really think of anything else. Well, anything else that wouldn't leave them woefully open to severe punishment and strangulation by you."
My smirk only grows.
A plan rapidly forms within the back of my mind.
My hammer arm starts itching.
I'm no master politician, but I do understand one thing.
People love power. Sure, it may not run Takamagahara like it does the Underworld, but surely, increasing the power of a place, or faction, in general, would win more than a little support, no?
A ghost of an idea I didn't really start thinking up, not until right now at least.
Of course, to pull something like this off, I'm going to need a ton of raw resources and input from people who know more about this kind of stuff than me.
Ah. Hold on. Resources?
"Tell me," my gaze turns back onto Ama intently, causing her to flinch and nearly fall back into the chair, "the arena. It's still floating up above, right?"
"Um…yes? Why?" Ama answered, a bit too quickly despite how hesitant she sounded to do so.
Is my face really that scary right now?
Whatever. Resources, secure.
Next, I need to find someone who can answer a fair few questions.
Like, for instance, how viable is it really to stuff a full-blown kami in something, then jam said item into a person in turn?