𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃

v | para bellum

translation — "prepare for war"
song recommendation — emperor's new clothes by jann

" it's all about the power, power, power

climbing up the ladder, ladder, ladder

am i the only one who doesn't want it?

there must be something wrong with me "

four years ago, 2019
kyoto

A rumor had spread all over Japan in the past couple of months. A rumor about not a woman in white, but a woman in black. This woman didn't tempt and kill men who were to commit adultery, but she did kill creatures in the night that threatened the human populace. No one could tell where and when the rumor started, but once it did, it spread like wildfire.

Looking up from the article he had been reading on his laptop, Kudo Yusaku raised an eyebrow at a nonchalant Tamaki. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" he asked rhetorically, but she shrugged her shoulders anyway, adjusting the robe she wore over her pajamas. "Do you know where you were when this took off?"

"I think I was in Osaka," she answered, leaning back in her chair. "I was taking care of a Hollow and I guess someone with some spiritual awareness witnessed the fight."

Yusaku and Yukiko were aware of Tamaki's extracurricular activities at night as they had spiritual awareness. They had initially thought that they were crazy when they each witnessed their first Hollow, but when she was comfortable enough with them, Tamaki had explained everything to them. It had been a very confusing day for all of them, for more reasons than that.

"And are you going to continue after this?" he continued his questioning, trying to mask his worry for the woman. "Will your friends have something to say about it?"

"They're already aware," she said. "I informed them as soon as I first caught wind of the rumors, and they said it was fine as long as it didn't go too far. If it does, there's going to be a nationwide memory loss."

Yusaku couldn't help but grimace at the thought. "Sounds pleasant," he muttered, rubbing his temples.

Tamaki sighed, crossing her arms. "And why did Yukiko ask me to be here?" she questioned. "From what I can recall, she is always your plus-one to these events."

"Sharon Vineyard called Yukiko and asked for a favor," Yusaku explained. "Of course, Yukiko agreed and suggested asking you to come this time." He looked at her, mildly worried. "There's no problem with that, right?"

"I'm fine with it," Tamaki immediately reassured him, eyes wide. "I barely get to see you as is since you don't come to Japan that often."

Yusaku tried to ignore how much her statement hurt, but it was completely true. He and Yukiko stayed in the United States most of the time now since Shinichi could take care of himself, but they did know how much it strained their relationship with both their son and Tamaki. They had no one to blame but themselves, and, thankfully, they knew that. If they didn't, Tamaki would have ripped them a new one. No one knew better than her what it meant to have distant relatives and soulmates.

"But, yeah. Let's go to a party full of authors and publishers and editors and get drunk as fuck so we can't remember what we've done, and then come back to this hotel room and pass out," Tamaki said more to herself than Yusaku, but he was amused nonetheless. "And I'm going to find all of the chocolate and hoard it like a dragon with its gold."