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Post by mugenginga on Jul 1, 2010 22:04:15 GMT -5
The past week had been the most relaxing the group had been blessed with in nothing short of several months. Now that the world wasn't ending, pretty much everyone had lost a lot of stress. Even Atem was smiling more, although he still seemed to constantly bugged by something. There was still some weight over the group. Yuugi had caught Atem by himself a few times, looking at the Items they had stored away. Five of seven had managed to work their way back to the former Pharaoh. Previously six, but the Ring was as tenacious as before. Malik nor Bakura had contacted them since Malik had picked it up. In fact, that front had been oddly quiet.
But overall, the weight had dropped. Anzu had insisted Yuugi introduce her to the place he had a job, and she was working at the coffee shop as well now. Jounouchi was spending his time pestering Yuugi about Kaiba, usually leading to a topic change from Anzu. It was pretty chaotic, but it was of a positive sort. Jounouchi had gotten over his initial shock about Minato and Ryoji's relationship. Atem and Yuugi hadn't mentioned theirs.
It was just after sunrise on December 25th. Most of the group were in the apartments. Jounouchi was in the laundry rooms. It had caused some jabbing from the group, but he'd walked away in a grumpy huff telling them he'd done it many times before. The conversation had been dropped then, the group was well aware it related to his father. Anzu was dressing up to go out, but she stopped as she was zipping up her jacket.
"Yuugi, can I ask you a question?"
Yuugi blinked and looked up Anzu from where he was digging through a drawer, "Of course! What?"
She fidgeted for a moment, "Do-do you want to do something today?"
Yuugi's eyes widened. Wait, why was she asking him? The short teenager looked over at the calender and confirmed the date. Actually, Atem hadn't brought it up. Anzu had been busy last Christmas and with how busy it could be at his grandfather's store, he'd been wrapped up. He looked back at Anzu with a trapped expression. He didn't want to outright say no, but it was Christmas, and he hadn't talked to Atem about it.
"Yuugi...?" Anzu looked worried.
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Izanami was frowning as she stood outside the apartments. She was wearing a tight sweater and heavy pants, and it actually did a bit for showing off her form. Unlike the attendant disguise she'd used previously, she actually looked feminine with this outfit. She was looking at the second floor of the apartments, and the frown remained. She hadn't sensed Izanagi right in about a third of a month. She didn't know if Souji was home, but the presence of Izanagi was missing.
And of course, this whole thing was a stupid idea. Souji hated her, after all. Showing up was asking to get the events of the Fall rubbed in her face. Well, she'd need to face it eventually. Souji was going to age too, and she scowled a bit more at that. Izanagi was not a god of death, the psuedo-immortality her avatar had wouldn't apply. She shook her head and walked into the complex, heading for Souji's door to knock on it. Izanagi's presence wasn't here... that was concerning. Possibly moreso was why she was even bothering with this.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 10:54:58 GMT -5
In the week that had passed since the Fall, Souji couldn't help but feel... well... relaxed. With the Fall no longer hanging over their heads, much of the depression that had formed over the weeks before had disappeared. "Much" being the key word, though, as Souji was still bothered not only by Izanagi's sudden disappearance but by Adachi's behavior. The man had finally come back to the apartments about a week ago, and he'd been acting oddly since. Souji hadn't seen the man other than when they passed each other in the hallway or when Adachi had to make a coffee run for his boss, but even still, something about Adachi was creeping him out. Considering the events from before, Souji had a feeling Izanagi was still possessing Adachi's Persona.
At the moment, Souji was actually baking a cake. He'd forgotten to do so on Christmas Eve, but it was better late than never. Teddie had still been asleep on the couch last time Souji checked, so he wasn't too worried about him. He looked up from where he was cooking as he heard a knock on the door. "Coming!"
"Sorry, I'm kind of busy right--" Souji froze as he saw who was standing outside the door. "Izanami."
He wasn't sure what to say. He certainly hadn't expected to see Izanami there. All things considered, he probably should have expected to see her soon. But on this particular day...?
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 11:17:07 GMT -5
Yuugi still felt trapped. If he said no, Anzu would wonder why. Not only that, but he didn't want to be rude. He still couldn't figure out why she was talking to him. Was he over reacting? Maybe she'd forgotten what day it was? No, this was Anzu. She wouldn't forget that. So why was she asking him? She knew they were split, so...
"Partner, I-"
Atem stopped with the door halfway open. He'd gone out to get an ingredient they were low on. However, he had seen there was clearly a conversation going on between Anzu and Yuugi. Given the short teenager's reaction, it was pretty apparent what it had been about. Anzu had looked up as he came in. Atem sighed and closed the door.
"Partner, is this about Christmas?"
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Izanami gave a grumpy expression at Souji's reaction. She also noted that Teddie was asleep on the couch, in his human form. Well, at least she wouldn't have to deal with his glares. She didn't stand a chance of being on the Shadow's good side if she couldn't at least get Souji to tolerate her.
"You could have the decency to call me Mana, that is the name I'm using at the moment."
Izanami looked as if she was about to say something more. However, her nose scrunched up. In a way it was a bit cute, if you could get past who it was. She let out an irritated sigh and pushed past Souji, not even asking if she could go inside. She seemed to be headed for the kitchen...
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 11:22:00 GMT -5
Souji looked confused for a moment at the name Izanami used before he remembered that flier that had led him to Izanami's shrine in the first place. The name on it had been "Mana Tadoru". That must have been the name of her avatar.
However, he couldn't say anything else before Izanami pushed past him and headed into the kitchen.
"H-Hey, Iza-- Mana! I'm making something in there!" Souji yelled. And now she was messing with his cooking. He followed after her, an annoyed expression on his face.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 13:44:48 GMT -5
Teddie sat straight up as Souji yelled. He wasn't awake yet, but he was up and looking towards the yell. Izanami was moving fast enough that Teddie didn't catch her as she moved past the couch. She ignored Souji as he shouted at her. She looked at the oven for about half a second before she pulled it open...
And proceeded to stick her bare hand into it, grab the pan, and place it on the counter. The skin was burning as she put it down. She took her other hand and placed the palm flat atop the hot cake before turning to Souji. You could even see the rather severe looking burns now on both of her hands as she put them on her waist.
"You can not tell me you planned on keeping that in there for another five minutes," she stated, sounding annoyed as if Souji was the one who had done something wrong.
"....Sensei?" Teddie mumbled.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 14:34:18 GMT -5
Souji's eyes widened as Izanami stuck her bare hand into the oven and pulled out the pan, and then stuck her other hand onto the obviously hot cake. He didn't even hear Teddie as he grabbed both of her hands and forced them under the faucet.
"A-Are you stupid!? You don't just stick your hands into the oven like that!" Souji scolded. He turned on the water and started rinsing Izanami's hands with cool water, then pulled one out of the stream to examine it.
"This is a second degree burn at least! Just because you're a goddess doesn't mean you can just hurt yourself like that!" Souji cried. He really didn't want to have to make a trip to the hospital for something like this... "Teddie, can you get in here and heal Iza--" He looked back at Izanami. "--Mana's hands?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 15:41:50 GMT -5
Izanami had let out a sudden breath in surprise as Souji grabbed her hands and yanked them under the faucet. She stood there, avoiding eye contact as he began scrubbing her hands. There was a very faint bit of pink on her cheeks, but her eyes were turned away from Souji so he'd have difficulty seeing. He was just a normal human like this, after all. He probably didn't even realize this form was only kept living by the fact that as a goddess, she was undead. Or that a little burn like that didn't even register. He didn't have Izanagi's memories, after all.
She looked a bit annoyed as he called for Teddie. She didn't really need to be healed. And that had gone in a direction she hadn't wanted. So he was just reacting normally? She frowned and jerked her hands away from Souji. She would have liked that direction to continue, but he'd had to call Teddie. She looked rather miffed now, and a vein was all but popping from her forehead. She took her hands, which Souji would have realized was a third degree burn by the bit of dead flesh that she wiped off her free hands before crossing her arms and looking away from him.
Meanwhile, Teddie had been getting up, wondering where Souji had gone, when the teenager had shouted for him. He was on his feet and halfway there when he heard the name... Izamana? Teddie shook his head, feeling a bit on the slow side, and then suddenly realizing what was going on. Wait, Izanami was here!? Teddie burst into the room and glared at her.
"What are you doing in Sensei's apartment!?"
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 16:12:23 GMT -5
Souji gave Izanami a rather annoyed look as she pulled her hands away. He'd realized as he was cleaning them that those were definitely third-degree burns, and they needed medical attention badly. His expression didn't change as Izanami crossed her arms and looked away, and Teddie came into the room.
"I don't know either, Teddie, but she stuck her bare hands into the oven and pulled out that cake I was making, and now she's got really bad burns all over her hands," Souji said. He sighed and put a hand on his forehead. "Just heal her, okay?"
Actually, Souji could make some guesses about why she was here. Izanagi's absence, the fact that it was Christmas, important things she needed to talk about, the fact that it was Christmas... All of those options were things he didn't particularly want to talk about, but he wasn't going to turn her away now that she was already inside his apartment... yet, anyways.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 16:25:05 GMT -5
"I am merely visiting and attempting to help with the cooking," Izanami stated, "If he had left that cake in there another five minutes it would have been too dry."
Teddie was glaring at her. When Souji made the motion as if he had a headache, Teddie looked worried. He nodded as Souji insisted and summoned the blue card. Izanami looked up.
"I don't need to be healed! A few bandages and I'll be fine in a few days! Souji, would you tell him I'm fine!"
Either there was something more than she was saying or she didn't understand the severity of the burns. It was true she didn't seem to be in much pain. Given the burns, that was a bit odd... Teddie hesitated and let the card fall into his hand. He looked over at Souji, clearly expecting some kind of instruction.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 16:56:41 GMT -5
Souji was still giving Izanami an annoyed look as she insisted that she would be fine. "No you aren't! You've got third degree burns! Those won't be 'just fine' after a few days unless you've got some kind of super-healing factor or somethi--" He paused and sighed. "Right, goddess. It's fine, Teddie, just... go back to sleep or something. I'll take care of this."
He walked out of the kitchen and to the bathroom, where he grabbed the first aid kit on the counter. He grabbed the kit and walked back to the kitchen and set it down next to the sink. He pulled out a roll of bandages and then grabbed Izanami's hand before beginning to wrap it up.
"You're still an idiot," Souji said. "I was right about to take it out when you showed up; you didn't need to do anything."
Something about when she'd been talking earlier clicked in Souji's head at that moment. "And since when have you been on a first-name basis with me?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 17:05:44 GMT -5
Teddie opened his mouth to object, but Souji was already leaving. Izanami gave Teddie a flat stare in return to his resumed glare. She expected him to say a lot of things, but the blond just turned away and walked out of the room. The time taken meant that Souji had to stop to let him past. The blond seemed unusually annoyed.
Izanami didn't fight as Souji took her hand and was beginning to wrap it. She did note that he was rather good at that. Then again, he'd been with his cousin for about a year, and at her age it was possible he'd had to learn how to do bandages if he hadn't known before then. She was about to respond to his initial question when he asked about her first name usage. She paused before finally answering.
"Would you rather I called you Shadow?" Izanami said with a flat expression. She turned away, "As for the cake, you shouldn't even have to cook that. That's what a woman's for."
She was grateful she hadn't had to go into the details of the healing. This body was dead, and had been for a few centuries. It was kept alive only by her own power. The blood flow that had caused the earlier blush and the warmth Souji would be feeling from her wrist was only because the body needed it to not rot. With focus, she could heal the burns away by manipulating the way the human body worked. All of that was possibly minor in comparison to what she'd just said. Even Yukiko hadn't been that bad, and she was fairly traditional in regards to her ethnicity.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 17:27:20 GMT -5
Souji had tied the bandage around Izanami's wrist and had been moving on to her other hand when she made her comment about calling him "Shadow". He had a pained expression on his face and moved on to her other hand as she made her second comment. He didn't stop wrapping that hand, but he looked right at Izanami and glared at her.
"Don't say things like that," Souji said flatly. "And I cook because I like to, not because I have to."
And with that he went back to looking down at her hand. He finished up on that hand and tied the bandages before looking back up at Izanami.
"There," Souji said. "Now why did you come here?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 17:33:14 GMT -5
She actually frowned in response to his reaction to her comment. Honestly, Seta-san would be more polite and proper. He didn't deserve her anger, the person before her wasn't Izanagi despite his unknowing similarities. She felt his glare more than saw it. She didn't turn back. Maybe he enjoyed it, but it was her job. Well, his wife's job. She scrunched up her face. She liked him for him but it didn't change that it wasn't always easy to seperate him from Izanagi, even with the hair color differing from the one she had married. Those eyes...
"I came to ask..." she hesitated. She came to ask if he wanted to spend the day together. She looked away again, "I came to ask why I can't sense Izanagi from you. You didn't repel him, I can still feel him, but not in you."
Well that was a blatent lie.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 2, 2010 18:03:28 GMT -5
Souji frowned at the blatant lie. He supposed he shouldn't have expected her to tell him the real reason. And this had been one of the things he'd expected Izanami to come here to talk about. He sighed and looked away.
"I yelled at him over something stupid, I guess he decided he'd finally had enough of me, and he disappeared. I think he possessed Adachi's Persona, because the next time I saw Adachi, his Persona ended up possessing him and trying to kill me," Souji said. "And I think he's still possessing Adachi, because every now and then I get the feeling some part of me is acting up."
That wasn't the entire truth. That feeling hadn't stopped in two weeks. That was more than "every now and then."
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 2, 2010 18:07:56 GMT -5
Izanami's eyes widened as Souji spoke. Wait, he possessed Adachi's Persona!? She jerked her head back towards Souji. Her expression was dead serious, grim, and a bit pissed. However, the latter didn't seem directed at him.
"Adachi. Tohru Adachi," She wasn't asking him, but was ordering some thoughts in her head, "Adachi's Persona is nothing more than a concentrated manifestation of my brother's anger and malice. If he's expressed in that Persona.... Has he tried to attack you?"
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