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. 521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ82AVZMXsOX
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKKt1XPjen
"Now then, are you ready to talk?” Yoko inquired, her smile thinly veiling her murderous intent.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL9MrxojUyz
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlt62GOcOv
"T-talk? Talk about what?!" Osamu asked, his teeth clattering.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfZDXmCEvt
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfirZUbN8HQ
"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?!”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTV6oJnwg83
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0gKsG467r
"Yoko, darling, please listen to me!”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAgQB4Trln
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFnKjPcgZI
"Shut up." Yoko interjected, slowly gliding her sword down from Osamu's lips and to his chest and stopping at his groin.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tOoCH7Qqj
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIJsFny45C
"You're still as handsome as ever. It's too bad you're nothing but a filthy insect. 521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ621k0ivRWh
Where would you like me to cut first? Your face? Your biceps? How about your—"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KGinVxQcZ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYg1YLVNbg6
“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?!”
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnI0jwLUf6
Yoko stabbed the katana down into the ground. It stood perfectly still and upright without her holding it.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfhSFaiUMCb
"Why?! Maybe because you suddenly moved away from Kyoto without saying anything to me!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtxbb3pMdrY
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lbhq1Gp8e
“I left partly because all my exes are insane!”
"What the hell did you just say?!" she furiously belted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFG6GPrbT9W
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgIYQgaLkk
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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwS7cIMP7Kw
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbBlM26jLq
Osamu summoned what little defiance he had, shivering beneath Yoko’s wrathful gaze. “This is exactly why I left!” 521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJA7Mnr65M
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5gkKZ2djb
"So then? Why did you come back?” Yoko asked, inching her face closer to his.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XPiHkQa2y
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyMcD9egkw
(What? Why doesn't she say something? Wait...is she crying?!)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSrtLpuhYu
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9c3ZYyNNE
Yoko’s timbre had gone from threatening to overbearingly embracing. "Osa, you sweetheart! You really did miss me all this time?"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzAFqYMDOe
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWXdvYOAX9A
"Uhh..well..." Osamu mumbled.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Q2xwOEZk1
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMYWjntKbf
"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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1O3JMktK8X
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyF9FG8awAy
(See this crap?! This is partly why I left!)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0xHxbekW8
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmm9fUuM6z
"Holy crap! What are you doing, Yoko?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvCJJEEELk
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWckJQRyRWW
"Stripping! I want to make love, right here and now!" Yoko gleefully replied, the warm, wheezing, breathiness of insatiable lust permeating in her voice.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWU5My2UHRQ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUp8FttY6j
(Do you see why I left yet!?)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZCZWGicLI
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!”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡam58BhEnh5
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2Rjx4z6bk
Ignoring his protests, Yoko abruptly pressed her finger against Osamu's lips, silencing him as her tongue glided across her top lip.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qDVgEAQR6
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmn3cigkyb
"I want you to be rough with me tonight. Even if I tell you it hurts and beg you to stop, just keep going."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmbsYnnjkS
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnC2MdZ7No
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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kRRZW6QCq
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uet3N2PVf
“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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Piqda5fvs
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuopX4RT6L
From the explosion alone, Osamu could already discern who was crashing Yoko’s party. ”Oh no, it’s…”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7DUCSP4c9
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqovwW3kdK
“Her." Yoko finished.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkyQOAifnm
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5A5G8hdbl
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Yoko Akiyama and Osamu Ashikaga. My rival and my first love, both in one place. Perfect."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryZ1pTJ9cm
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwFP7JSIpk
Yoko bit her lip. ”Damn it, and I made sure I wasn't followed!"
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrOPVy5jm6
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCquLU6oqu
(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!)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQWV8UN4xx
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Vdh29hpJU
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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6a9wTi8F3V
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJvI7Dx5h9
"L-love?! Osamu, you cheating bastard!" Isabella yelled with a flustered expression.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqjLYmKfVzC
"How is it cheating?! We already broke up!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v3wWrMojz
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxCYO2f2xj
"But I still love you, you dummy! How could you just leave like that?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoiq8YNqH7
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH89jUobcix
"Osamu loves me more.” Yoko proclaimed. “Your affection for him means nothing. Now scram, Gaijin."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbYQWmP54K
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dLFh952jA
Isabella's anger festered and quickly boiled over at the mere utterance of her disgraceful nickname. "Don't...call me...Gaijin!"
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNDHMvews9
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNO3vvQyuIt
"So? What happens now? Are you really ready to die?” Yoko asked, her fierce stare focused on Isabella's eyes.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡypFbjoNMH3
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBFWZBFuCw
"Please, you crazy bitch. I'm the one with the gun here."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssy0PPbunc
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZjyynf1DoG
"Both of you, stop this immediately! This is cr—"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVkCnvTXiU
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRhz027IVh
(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...)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HhzpUbJNU
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3nnCUnhDEQ
"Damn you! Shoot them!” Isabella ordered, winded from the kick.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0GZuKZmxT
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0gTn9OLKE
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?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqw7ThJHoS
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKaK2nAg0E
"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!”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrh4EF6Xb3w
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZWq3BlFmi
"What the hell do you mean?!” Osamu recoiled in offense.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJcKhKOt7ET
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLV6mlQkja
"I saw you posting photos on Twitter, you jerk!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGoU7p1dcA
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIkwBZmSV3
(She stalks my social media?)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm49Z6oNJGi
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFtVqCf096
"This is bullshit!” Osamu cried, wondering if suicide was really such a bad thing after all.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWobFbM2d7
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡson13G6VKJ
"We lost them for now.” Yoko said, catching her strained breath as she peered out into the streets from the shadows of the alley.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSVNtvScNc
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpgjOL9Occ
"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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfok319dfwO
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡewXUD7Ixfy
Osamu shook his head. ”No, that's fine! Go ahead and put them back on!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vZiXH348G
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9phzuhV5LH
Yoko shrugged as she began putting her underwear back on. ”Okay then. Don't complain later.”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCWMnqZ3m9
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kymr1f8ZV
"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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuivpTBRlQ
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBilqcqUJn
"You?! Coprse!” Yoko insensitively shouted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAIsHuWRKEQ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2HIcNQQNz
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?"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuNtiJRuK0
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8CfLqaldV
"You are Izanami, after all. I assume you're here because of Osamu as well?” Yoko questioned, recovering from her initial surprise.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdmvFE8SJn
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6xzEfQJ5H
Watching his two exes converse with some familiarly between them proved confusing to Osamu. ”Hold on, since when do you two know each other?"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWi6nOpTtE
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXks4bIlrtz
"It's a long story, Osamu." Yoko replied.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfI0yya6M8U
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxdDGgoxri
"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?"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnPaMZjjTe
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡra3hQ9r0Tl
"Listen, I've had the worst night so far!” Osamu said as he tried to reason with perhaps his most reasonable ex-girlfriend.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mMjHeXBVH
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYRVRJm8R21
"Osamu is coming home with me, and we are going to have rough sex until the break of dawn!" Yoko exclaimed.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCZeSFTHVs
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbyBspVGG2P
"Like hell we are! I just want to get home!” Osamu protested.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUTwmVSiUzw
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZfO0eBPKy
"I-is that true, Osamu? Do you still love Yoko?” Izanami fretted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVYn6QNlzy
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvpJOh0i7J
Yoko pointed her blade at Osamu, her blue eyes shining fiercely in the darkness.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3el9BVcRhu
"What's that for?!” Osamu asked with a nervous chuckle.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3NkZ6Imxq
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrR8rmkWzx
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."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BSBIdjEhz
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZEZ2X4v3Ol
"For god's sake, twenty-four?! Are we starting a clan?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPdwsWir1X
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBiu0wUU6z
"We're revitalizing the Akiyama and Ashikaga clans, to be precise."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD9lVfD2AMM
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsOS19Et3Aj
"Well? Who do you love?" Izanami curiously asked.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJmaoYBgTc
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7O8nqqzDC
Out from the streets, yet another familiar, apoplectic voice rang out with a thunderous shout. ”Let him go!"
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8h4hd3MW7
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpO8bjclW1J
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUR3s6RNcS
"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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTCR998U95
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYR5g9Z2R7
"Izanami, let him go! I still owe him a black eye for breaking my heart!" Aika said with fury in her voice.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHQnWbtV34
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKUAOOk4kk
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-"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mWnsk2Jg5
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rw6p9klii
(Wait, Yoko said she saw me post pictures on the internet! Does that mean they all stalk my social media?!)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Kahq7lVJ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJ2u9P88GW
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."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGl3J3rEhPZ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKH6cuHpZ1P
"No way! Osamu wants to watch movies with me!" exclaimed Izanami, lightheartedly protesting against Aika.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZ0V67dpVI
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmN1tzLFet
"He wants to make love to me and rebuild our relationship!" declared Yoko.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVjrTPjIXb
Aika could only respond with a simple yet effective, "Shut the hell up!"
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrbax2XusK
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sjrBBmX4Y
Yoko, in utter shock, muttered to herself. "That...that crazy bitch! Run!”
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgCxxyJ7P7
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjt4wxqY9y
"Maybe I really should just stay with Yoko..." Osamu conceded as his hope in humanity waned by the minute.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0Ykt2EOBs
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbqZKiqN0z
Izanami flicked her eyes to Osamu with a gasp. ”Osa! I thought you loved me!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmjj5zZzZa
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2loCje06S
"I don't like repeating myself, Corpse! He loves me!” Yoko re-asserted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuRPRqBQe3
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxl14U44Iv
"I don't give a damn who he loves! He's dead! Osamu!” Aika interjected as she came around the bend.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPwRVTwSM8
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDc0roUIKC
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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqIOTDCccU
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7Ccqqsjbn
"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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUH70MuHLp
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5R3bgxLGU
"How could you jump to such an insane conclusion, Yoko?!” Osamu cried.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQgA443uiG
Aika charged towards Osamu with the intent to punch him, but...
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqs8D39mwk
“Whoa! Aika, wait!” Osamu warned.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssao8oShkQ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYjUOqJFM3
"Don't tell me what t—"
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIysO9bJ4Y
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72fk33eHLY
"You were never good at tying your shoes…" Osamu sighed.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnW6jpAx5M2
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYqkQ6h2nb
Aika, with a bloody nose, began bawling like a baby. ”Don't look at me!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM279NsD3d8
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYExmahymfG
"You were always a crybaby too. Here,” Osamu said as he passed her a handkerchief from his shirt pocket.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNwiHeXqxzt
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBT4xMRYqS
(Thank god I'm one of those assholes that always carries around a handkerchief.)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAnvjc0wQD
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomJkihcleN
"F-for me? Really?” Aika asked, shocked that Osamu would do anything remotely nice for once.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE60V9JCrY
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKDS6peSNkl
"Come on, go ahead and use it. I've been meaning to talk to you Aika, about a lot of things.”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSqWmysqQC
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto2YCj1tjH
Aika saw lament in his eyes, her anger dissipating for just a moment.”Osamu…"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlynPWd7y2
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYX4uifIQx3
"Keep staring at him lovingly like that, and I'll gouge your eyes out.” Yoko calmly interrupted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHQtCsqHCS
Aika retaliated. "You don't scare me, bitch!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYcEUxJnUUm
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡESQnCb1IZ7
Izanami simply sulked while the fires of vitriol consumed the group again. ”I want a handkerchief too..."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwwGoPlLcb
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6vP0oeosH
"Ah-hah! Found you!" Isabella shouted as she returned in full force.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSdX9QgCpd
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1hy4JKJLb
(There she is again! And she brought her troops with her!)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgR6LRXiIoQ
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvCnxmdY1s
”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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hA7OVKqVN
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl5QsGXAYZi
(So this is how I'm going to die, gunned down in the streets like some animal. Here I come, Death. Embrace me gently.)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYukINCMSLS
Suddenly, one of the mercenaries' digital watches rang out with a rapid-fire beat.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhVCWVe7mY
"What the hell is that? That's not gunfire I'm hearing!” Isabella cursed.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYWugji2Ug
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mfH7abm91
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."
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlTTffn4NB4
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSiMBEiViG
"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?"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvn383xPlXk
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNIfToMeJu
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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiC2qHoDs7P
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoNGj6r0rL
"Don't talk that way about my eternal husband!” Izanami harshly interrupted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcc3Xo3laq
Osamu's mind was blown from the sheer boldness of her assertion. "Husband?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wnCgX3GLb
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaBWNPJlub
"You don't want to get married?” Izanami questioned, confused by Osamu's confusion.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJlVFLGROM
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0rlP3Chvn
“H-hello?" Isabella nervously muttered.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZkQo7d5eD
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMuxH5h68d
"Isabella, this is Fox One-Niner, target in sight and JDAM being released in five, four…”521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSYBYYH9aS
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhF7jdvk5KT
"Oh my god! Duck!” Isabella shouted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZh1bPVpLF8
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQvbGWsJyq
Osamu stood utterly dumbfounded and perplexed by Isabella's sudden panic. "What's happening?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjsX1rQzk59
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPEyBnggkJj
"Just duck!” Yoko screamed as she forced Osamu down to the ground with everyone else.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhoxP2vOibA
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgg1SOPX0e
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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgpF3kkKzN8
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubs4MRy3bY
Osamu’s hands shot up to the back of his head. ”Izzy! Did you call an airstrike on my house?!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLAvZHY3LSp
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1HoLuXQoi
"I'm sorry! He came late!” Isabella said, verging on tears.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBm0086C5GK
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiuaubuN88
"That's not the problem here!” Osamu shouted.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ3NE1HfmA
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZTimvur4vP
"Isabella, this is Fox One Niner, good effect on target. The building is completely destroyed. Returning to base, over and out."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Gg6m7HwXu
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXodyAiatx
Yoko smugly rubbed Izzy's mess up in her face. "See? You always mess everything up."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgA2V2VSnor
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAhDdu6vtj
“Crap…” Izzy regretfully moaned.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHsTXgh7Ga
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRDJLf4L1K
"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.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxnj4qrbRp
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwPDqZJJFn
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!"521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8YCjoiEXs
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOee3HQAzFS
His vision coning, Osamu slumped down on the sidewalk, cursing his predicament. “I hate my life..."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY3UVklz7h
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiR3oKFH7oN
(I think...no way...I'm so angry...that I'm starting to lose consciousness...)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OcQdrutMo
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUoPakRdTv
(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.)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgisFVdyMV
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.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFylp5FnzUX
(What is this? Was it all just a bad dream? Did I die? Or...)
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4X7ttTr8GE
He turned to his right and saw a naked Yoko cuddling with him, half-asleep and softly breathing onto his chest.
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1VrmodkeJ
(This is Yoko's place?!)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFIU5xB2w2
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsriahCnLpK
Yoko, half asleep, moaned with soft breath. ”Mmmm. Osamu, you beast. That felt so good."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7kFcGyBaA
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxDX5Mgatr
(Dear god, was I molested while I was unconscious?!)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkOd5BCcHV
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3onmF1dPD
Osamu nervously grinned, curious enough to ask a question but ultimately scared of the answer. ”Umm..did we..."521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1gZORFedr
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0kw2gYUXH
“No. That…was a ruse…” she whispered, drifting back to sleep.521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5myoUXrhSs
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rk6zgHSQM
(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.)521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJAG6crnwx
521Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikaGeqCgGs
End of the First Day
