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. 370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpHQRzREZqF
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8HCakSt9z
"Now then, are you ready to talk?” Yoko inquired, her smile thinly veiling her murderous intent.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EZOXtiJsR
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiF286VCf5s
"T-talk? Talk about what?!" Osamu asked, his teeth clattering.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmtZ5nuKe3
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnY0dj6N3CD
"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?!”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtx7Uo016yY
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0Wg6SoZOG
"Yoko, darling, please listen to me!”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOPzIQjuXv
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8YKgaBoma
"Shut up." Yoko interjected, slowly gliding her sword down from Osamu's lips and to his chest and stopping at his groin.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs900SacjXk
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCbF09Ar4u
"You're still as handsome as ever. It's too bad you're nothing but a filthy insect. 370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwdyKGbdq8
Where would you like me to cut first? Your face? Your biceps? How about your—"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFBHwZSknI
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvCB04Ji7z
“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?!”
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qrZ1Fn0xy
Yoko stabbed the katana down into the ground. It stood perfectly still and upright without her holding it.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUluSi4dxI
"Why?! Maybe because you suddenly moved away from Kyoto without saying anything to me!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5azbdxxVws
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbeEyUJ9YKn
“I left partly because all my exes are insane!”
"What the hell did you just say?!" she furiously belted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqWV1AWU6r
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP70ScTeiD
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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI68NcqsW11
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MTF0amwzQ
Osamu summoned what little defiance he had, shivering beneath Yoko’s wrathful gaze. “This is exactly why I left!” 370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujDnbOzMrD
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMUaMlYboh
"So then? Why did you come back?” Yoko asked, inching her face closer to his.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHLwKXgIWZ
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnnSuc0rCN
(What? Why doesn't she say something? Wait...is she crying?!)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThEEr3JfNJ
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh4YMc3tmZE
Yoko’s timbre had gone from threatening to overbearingly embracing. "Osa, you sweetheart! You really did miss me all this time?"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBU3yLwsEuK
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRbgQ7FVjK
"Uhh..well..." Osamu mumbled.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tqOkBGv5W
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3ub1yVB3R
"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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtQnDPDe6P
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnI3P5T0SkZ
(See this crap?! This is partly why I left!)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDxu2jv2kO
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3CCcAxQZcV
"Holy crap! What are you doing, Yoko?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nD4K6Fr39
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqrmsXHaZo
"Stripping! I want to make love, right here and now!" Yoko gleefully replied, the warm, wheezing, breathiness of insatiable lust permeating in her voice.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrRGo3NLcpT
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOpWWL3yZT
(Do you see why I left yet!?)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCj9pM0EnV
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!”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfklBF3w25
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepSnmL2jTI
Ignoring his protests, Yoko abruptly pressed her finger against Osamu's lips, silencing him as her tongue glided across her top lip.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5Eu0jKXOl
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmn5WfqGHsJ
"I want you to be rough with me tonight. Even if I tell you it hurts and beg you to stop, just keep going."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvQzIbbv2L
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN3XmPaS1Sd
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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlF48QCEuHn
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9IxMUJYpU
“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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Cw3wVhodg
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgX9tqtfBZc
From the explosion alone, Osamu could already discern who was crashing Yoko’s party. ”Oh no, it’s…”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQN53Cyk3Lw
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJihDbdieGR
“Her." Yoko finished.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD4C452NZc
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiryox41T83
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Yoko Akiyama and Osamu Ashikaga. My rival and my first love, both in one place. Perfect."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNmfWEyTDS
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx5kUuMmWSg
Yoko bit her lip. ”Damn it, and I made sure I wasn't followed!"
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHfqO74znl
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pHGq5wt9V
(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!)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQRDHYvFZk
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r0aMBUUAw
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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBro5rlwkFv
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zkcWwYyF3
"L-love?! Osamu, you cheating bastard!" Isabella yelled with a flustered expression.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0w9FbRnu7
"How is it cheating?! We already broke up!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfsxDbSBRa
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GpTyl0DFM
"But I still love you, you dummy! How could you just leave like that?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlufepGAkAg
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoG1n6Q8FC
"Osamu loves me more.” Yoko proclaimed. “Your affection for him means nothing. Now scram, Gaijin."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnhHN0Zgzr
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAP2kZV04j
Isabella's anger festered and quickly boiled over at the mere utterance of her disgraceful nickname. "Don't...call me...Gaijin!"
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPiZctT744
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVNUspUcA2
"So? What happens now? Are you really ready to die?” Yoko asked, her fierce stare focused on Isabella's eyes.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84QZKEgktf
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu2nFRk9xK8
"Please, you crazy bitch. I'm the one with the gun here."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNIHeElQJL
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1UIlFGz5T
"Both of you, stop this immediately! This is cr—"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPaDbj1uOGp
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlzIUjuPlm
(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...)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGrw2G8dpQ
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRRgIeMHvd
"Damn you! Shoot them!” Isabella ordered, winded from the kick.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSAKMcD6Gb
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVT1TlleX6
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?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMLjSJiCyV
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgBAPyTjOD
"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!”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4z7MmR6wMP
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH928p7HyO
"What the hell do you mean?!” Osamu recoiled in offense.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4nF9u0qvwt
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbP47nKmqyE
"I saw you posting photos on Twitter, you jerk!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnkZdADCrQ
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINq3rH14Gk
(She stalks my social media?)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvGos6UHzy
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ14mZTSByhX
"This is bullshit!” Osamu cried, wondering if suicide was really such a bad thing after all.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GqWBjoHAa
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaeVvmHmV1
"We lost them for now.” Yoko said, catching her strained breath as she peered out into the streets from the shadows of the alley.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnM2IpLhYZ
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgP0SOb8A4
"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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTDAdfnFZK
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBe8NDl5l7
Osamu shook his head. ”No, that's fine! Go ahead and put them back on!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiDRgEISzO
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHozrrta5vo
Yoko shrugged as she began putting her underwear back on. ”Okay then. Don't complain later.”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsA4sqONkVe
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4yLtXdYeoE
"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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbvZKG3LO0
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBEoZCOEPs
"You?! Coprse!” Yoko insensitively shouted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCSMD7Qv2b
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRhfBQWLlc
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?"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVsXcqJTjH
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0kx723T4j
"You are Izanami, after all. I assume you're here because of Osamu as well?” Yoko questioned, recovering from her initial surprise.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZopK6M3RYz
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzKctUYrqh
Watching his two exes converse with some familiarly between them proved confusing to Osamu. ”Hold on, since when do you two know each other?"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGT3yNuVYpQ
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kHhmX17lz
"It's a long story, Osamu." Yoko replied.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPGb6nehrY
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7jRHvinOR
"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?"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8getetUb31
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGdn1ItMzC
"Listen, I've had the worst night so far!” Osamu said as he tried to reason with perhaps his most reasonable ex-girlfriend.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsLRNDJyxy
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8APOxqWq2b
"Osamu is coming home with me, and we are going to have rough sex until the break of dawn!" Yoko exclaimed.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjEi3vzx4K
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPginjQXar
"Like hell we are! I just want to get home!” Osamu protested.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGviH7gpcJT
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwImvvgz8D
"I-is that true, Osamu? Do you still love Yoko?” Izanami fretted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SGt0O7esL
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAjIOuVCgC
Yoko pointed her blade at Osamu, her blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIY6GBm4mFs
"What's that for?!” Osamu asked with a nervous chuckle.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Os6DYjg6k
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbpeeJuRxa
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."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7e1MotElr
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMVK2KNIuJ
"For god's sake, twenty-four?! Are we starting a clan?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9H8RjqJwQt
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzws0JKGSt
"We're revitalizing the Akiyama and Ashikaga clans, to be precise."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPtouAK2fDi
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOaG7egDBSm
"Well? Who do you love?" Izanami curiously asked.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5al6iNRQ4
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPsLNSH0vL
Out from the streets, yet another familiar, apoplectic voice rang out with a thunderous shout. ”Let him go!"
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwNIhz6yRB
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjt1NV62B3Y
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpNxS2SS86
"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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoWDjqxPTb
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqK78iY55uj
"Izanami, let him go! I still owe him a black eye for breaking my heart!" Aika said with fury in her voice.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7lCPixdDD
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqock9hudHn
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-"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tMNwB7sSF
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMPnu2mlT2
(Wait, Yoko said she saw me post pictures on the internet! Does that mean they all stalk my social media?!)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1I4DRGAsn
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdNQmT4oFx
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."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OcQ5aa7Hu
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZspiGiwOL
"No way! Osamu wants to watch movies with me!" exclaimed Izanami, lightheartedly protesting against Aika.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15Rl0oISCK
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBVyj81UYt
"He wants to make love to me and rebuild our relationship!" declared Yoko.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh0g9IvLkB
Aika could only respond with a simple yet effective, "Shut the hell up!"
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKAlfocvPh
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnMJOKxH6F
Yoko, in utter shock, muttered to herself. "That...that crazy bitch! Run!”
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLLbgVetP9
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxFiVjmKNk
"Maybe I really should just stay with Yoko..." Osamu conceded as his hope in humanity waned by the minute.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaprQMOZ4F
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjkiAlwZpm
Izanami flicked her eyes to Osamu with a gasp. ”Osa! I thought you loved me!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyaWgyzrtv
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjw9SQLmBM1
"I don't like repeating myself, Corpse! He loves me!” Yoko re-asserted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6brBTePCy
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcgAXuP3uLs
"I don't give a damn who he loves! He's dead! Osamu!” Aika interjected as she came around the bend.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ukIJ1tZQj
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauA6hIsuWp
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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ9HSqdJnA
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bLBt64twP
"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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpmVVci64GC
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnED8H2IX6M
"How could you jump to such an insane conclusion, Yoko?!” Osamu cried.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wAKvlTF1N
Aika charged towards Osamu with the intent to punch him, but...
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiRtT01XpE
“Whoa! Aika, wait!” Osamu warned.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinfB5JzC0U
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNM7XsGYntg
"Don't tell me what t—"
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdpKPCLqrXu
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo56HMhntuf
"You were never good at tying your shoes…" Osamu sighed.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKRclMALuIR
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBxS9hw3zRz
Aika, with a bloody nose, began bawling like a baby. ”Don't look at me!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeEOYFz8PYc
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQFsk9SgvQ
"You were always a crybaby too. Here,” Osamu said as he passed her a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9yFKxkFNC
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw16b3DUvQp
(Thank god I'm one of those assholes that always carries around a handkerchief.)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBYPvd0HWo
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPV9UmCv1F
"F-for me? Really?” Aika asked, shocked that Osamu would do anything remotely nice for once.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXsV85UwNx
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4XjhKdQ0ip
"Come on, go ahead and use it. I've been meaning to talk to you Aika, about a lot of things.”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3kSYow5nT
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjMmUe7yia
Aika saw lament in his eyes, her anger dissipating for just a moment.”Osamu…"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhDySf5xea
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNh6ZIEGKS
"Keep staring at him lovingly like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Yoko calmly interrupted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5URlqmbgG
Aika retaliated. "You don't scare me, bitch!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQyja7MzTV
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVmLWXrzoo
Izanami simply sulked while the fires of vitriol consumed the group again. ”I want a handkerchief too..."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfYD3xmbRF
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXpeAxWWoT
"Ah-hah! Found you!" Isabella shouted as she returned in full force.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00NXDAxnNq
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLT5l7LbCi
(There she is again! And she brought her troops with her!)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6lhJhnMfP
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkvC9ruIvm
”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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIF6Q3HeeJ
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKu5ch8rl5
(So this is how I'm going to die, gunned down in the streets like some animal. Here I come, Death. Embrace me gently.)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlALuo6wt0
Suddenly, one of the mercenaries' digital watches rang out with a rapid-fire beat.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzu7LBF7l4D
"What the hell is that? That's not gunfire I'm hearing!” Isabella cursed.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoALaBhCior
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF6TCVqXYa
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."
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd666HUY5X6
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFk6Q0STqmM
"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?"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8bKWHLYzs
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡluaiJcTO9a
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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15sLM1duR1
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcNAyTzMStc
"Don't talk that way about my eternal husband!” Izanami harshly interrupted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhHs9RJ5edi
Osamu's mind was blown from the sheer boldness of her assertion. "Husband?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAI7EOIC3r
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyofsIr9AH
"You don't want to get married?” Izanami questioned, confused by Osamu's confusion.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlvny9QciS
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8Je7qfIF0
“H-hello?" Isabella nervously muttered.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgBmxGiFD4Z
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcSO2YY9mg
"Isabella, this is Fox One-Niner, target in sight and JDAM being released in five, four…”370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSHoyrWLXy
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tEy5kK4R8
"Oh my god! Duck!” Isabella shouted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDppBOlXASn
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgB7geAsRLE
Osamu stood utterly dumbfounded and perplexed by Isabella's sudden panic. "What's happening?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsANCzkIklA
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5siTegKvX
"Just duck!” Yoko screamed as she forced Osamu down to the ground with everyone else.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzRP7LIFYi
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8ciEAVa7I
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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbM995gg2s1
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCXQGPl0bC
Osamu’s hands shot up to the back of his head. ”Izzy! Did you call an airstrike on my house?!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡINeEtvkHvS
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6ucACSLav
"I'm sorry! He came late!” Isabella said, verging on tears.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cyC7mLfuW
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKMtCPZYnj
"That's not the problem here!” Osamu shouted.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8wvn2vweJ
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VHfPdA63s
"Isabella, this is Fox One Niner, good effect on target. The building is completely destroyed. Returning to base, over and out."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTu9jgLEqo
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ppPRu34D9
Yoko smugly rubbed Izzy's mess up in her face. "See? You always mess everything up."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxJgqToQNz
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocFMevRSTW
“Crap…” Izzy regretfully moaned.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5g1ONPmvSt
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPViQ1qvRZf
"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.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENVnCge8KG
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz16Ub5ztmG
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!"370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXh3EkSzHLd
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXG4jFd6Zdd
His vision coning, Osamu slumped down on the sidewalk, cursing his predicament. “I hate my life..."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpuIQq8Qlq
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETrf2Z0nm5
(I think...no way...I'm so angry...that I'm starting to lose consciousness...)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEx0ywMFZm
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvefhO7Dtem
(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.)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2L3xI1AsL3
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.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQeHBxvG0U
(What is this? Was it all just a bad dream? Did I die? Or...)
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12QQGJUELP
He turned to his right and saw a naked Yoko cuddling with him, half-asleep and softly breathing onto his chest.
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdERlAiroH
(This is Yoko's place?!)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOaJuiE3Mx
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhnEwpkIr3
Yoko, half asleep, moaned with soft breath. ”Mmmm. Osamu, you beast. That felt so good."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQRzAXXVGj
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7vWGIh40d
(Dear god, was I molested while I was unconscious?!)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUeTzQC5mc
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzGq2KgBZJ
Osamu nervously grinned, curious enough to ask a question but ultimately scared of the answer. ”Umm..did we..."370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRS1BKo2UFo
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYhS4eEs0R
“No. That…was a ruse…” she whispered, drifting back to sleep.370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt16sOoOGON
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAu2ahHSCY
(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.)370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfE56Pq0qS4
370Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt15cy0dD2l
End of the First Day
