We don't talk about Jouno

Story time

The next day, Snorri sat across the table from Teruko. She might have looked like a kid, but she knew how to terrify her opponent. It was a bad day for Snorri. Even without the power canceling restraints, they still wouldn't have been able to fight her. Snorri was channeling Loki today, a shapeshifter. They could turn into anything, from a bird, to a bear, to a kindly old lady who just happened to be in the bank at the wrong time. But they couldn't fight Teruko.

"You knew he was alive this whole time." Teruko said, her voice low and quiet. "I'm sure he told you he had people that cared about him." Snorri nodded. They didn't like that part of things. But the boss needed Jouno. They couldn't fix the world without him. Sometimes the end justifies the means, even if Snorri really did like Jouno. He was a good friend.

"He told us about you guys a bit." Snorri admitted. "I think you're hilarious, by the way. You're an adult that looks like a kid. You can get away with all sorts of things, like murder even maybe, because kids aren't supposed to do that. Nobody wants to believe a kid did it. That's brilliant." Teruko rolled her eyes. "Try being stuck like that forever. Then see if you think it's brilliant." Snorri realized they'd made a mistake.

"Can I go home now?" Snorri asked. "John will be very sad without me." Teruko rolled her eyes. "You're going to tell me why you guys took Jouno, or this is going to be very unpleasant." According to Gogol, Fukuchi frequently talked about his hunting dogs team. From what Snorri had heard about Teruko, they didn't doubt her statement.

"They don't tell me much." Snorri said. "But it's something about being able to get the full book. Not just the page. Do you know why they'd need Jouno for that?" Teruko shook her head, clearly confused. Snorri didn't know either, to be honest, but their boss was smart. It wasn't like she'd be wrong about anything, right?

"You're sure you're right about that?" Teruko asked menacingly. Snorri nodded. "I didn't like the idea of kidnapping people. It seemed mean, even if we had to." Teruko blinked. "People?" Snorri played with a strand of their hair. "A few others. Nobody you know, don't worry." Teruko sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know, you really remind me of someone. Have you ever met Gogol?"

Snorri clapped their hands together in excitement. This was someone Snorri knew. "Yeah, I do. I'm his decoy." Teruko frowned. "So, do you mean to tell me that all the decay of angels so far have just been decoys?" She asked. Snorri nodded. "We got you good, eh?" They asked.

Teruko slammed her hands down on the table. "Do you think this is some kind of a joke?" She yelled. "No." Snorri said, deadly serious. "My whole family was killed by an assassin when I was ten. If I help my boss get the book, she promised she'll use it to bring them back. I don't like her methods. But I will do anything for her results."

Teruko's eyes bored into Snorri. "I understand your pain." Teruko said. "I lost my sister a few hundred years ago, and it still hurts. I carry that loss wherever I go. But that doesn't make me want to take over the world. That's not how I'd honour her." Snorri bit their lip. "How did it happen?" They asked. Teruko looked down. "The same way I became stuck like this. Do you want to head a story, Snorri?" Snorri nodded enthusiastically. They loved those.

"Once upon a time, there lived two sisters. One was Amaterasu, the goddess of radiance and the sun, and the other was Susanoo, the fiery goddess of storm. Susanoo had long neglected her duties in the mortal realm in order to acquire her magic sword, Kusanagi. Amaterasu got so mad at her for that."

"One fateful day, the sword was stolen. The only person who would help Susanoo recover it was Raijin, another, lesser storm god. One with demon's blood who had always been an outcast, but was loved by Amaterasu like family. She was smart, that Raijin. Together, she and Susanoo questioned all the gods and searched the whole realm, but the sword was nowhere to be found." Aggie paused. "Guess where it is." She said.

"Where?" Snorri asked, clearly in the mood to play games, but obviously very bad at them. "The commander had it. Why do you think I wanted to join the blazing katanas? Amaterasu said anyone with the sword has to be a good guy. It's why we were friends. I thought if you had the sword, it meant you were a good guy. Look where that ended." Her bitterness was palpable.

"Finally, Susanoo figured it out. Raijin took the sword out of petty jealousy. She was in love with Amaterasu, you see, and she was angry with Susanoo for so many reasons. She was the best storm god. Everyone loved her. They all completely ignored or shunned Raijin. Raijin proposed a deal. Susanoo would participate in a god making competition. If she lost, she lost her divine soul, and the same would be true for whoever her mystery opponent was. If she won, she got the sword. She needed it, no matter the risk. It was the weapon that protected the gods from the demons."

"Susanoo won the competition, but she lost where it really counted. Raijin was a cruel woman. If she couldn't have Amaterasu, no one would. But she couldn't bring herself to kill the goddess directly. Oh, no. She had to trick Susanoo into taking her sister's soul."

"With her immortal soul gone, all the years of Amaterasu's life finally caught up to her. She aged to dust in Susanoo's arms, leaving her with nothing more than a parting smile. She never got the sword. She was never going to. Raijin didn't even have the decency to kill her. She simply sealed her divine powers, and left her an outcast, destined to wander the human world."

"It doesn't even end there, though. No, she knew someone who didn't age would draw too much attention in this day and age. With Amaterasu's soul, Raijin now had the power of a god. She gave Susanoo an ability. Age manipulation. In Raijin's words, now everyone Susanoo fought could die like her sister did. Raijin was a wicked woman indeed. It's a rare story when the villain wins in the end, eh? But my life's never been a kind one."

"As for Susanoo, she's doing okay." Teruko said, smiling to herself. "She found a pretty decent place in the human world. Stole herself a name off a tombstone. It's okay, the owners don't mind. She's happy, though. She has some friends, and she does what Amaterasu would want. Protect the people who can't save themselves. There. Not such a bad ending, is it?"

When she stopped talking, Snorri started crying. If not for the power canceling restraints, they'd cross the table to hug her. "On my gods!" Snorri exclaimed. "That is the saddest thing I've ever heard. I'm so sorry." Teruko looked like she didn't know what to do here. "Yeah, well, I'm used to it." Teruko said.

"Look. I'm giving you a choice here, because that's what my sister would have wanted. I have to consciously remember that. If you want out of the decay of angels, I'm sure we have a spot to spare." Snorri could feel something stir deep within them. Surprise. It was rare that anyone was ever kind to them. "Snorri. I don't know your family, but I'm sure they wouldn't want this."

Snorri looked down. "What happens to me if I don't cooperate?" They asked. Teruko shrugged. "I hear they're rebuilding Mersault." Snorri shivered at the thought of that. "If I was going to help you, what would that entail?" They asked. "And can John help too?" Teruko looked less than impressed, but said "if John wants to." That was nice of her. Snorri got the impression those two didn't get along.

"If you were going to help us, it'd start with spying on the archangels from the inside out. Get close to them. Basically, be our Tachihara again." Snorri's eyes lit up. "Like, real life undercover work?" That sounded exciting. Teruko smiled. "Exactly." Snorri's excitement flickered, though. "Does that mean I won't get my family back, though?"

Teruko didn't make eye contact with Snorri. "Look, Snorri, you seem like a half decent person. A bit on the naive side, though." Snorri didn't like where this was going. "What I'm trying to say is that someone might be manipulating you. What proof do you have that your boss will actually bring your family back?" Snorri came to the sudden, horrified realization that they didn't have any. "You think she lied to me?" Snorri asked. Teruko nodded. "Yes," she said, her grin never leaving her face. "So now it's time you lie to her."