Transient Memories (Tomoe x Reader)

Becoming an Earth Deity

Your P.O.V

A breeze catches my scarf in an unforgiving torrent, blowing it into my tear stained complexion. I scratch furiously, attempting to dislodge it from my sullied hold. The current quells and the spring air nips at my exposed flesh.

Nowhere to go.

Water brims my eyes once again and a river cascades down my searing cheeks. My mother and I fell victim to the merciless wrath of an intoxicated driver. She was not fortunate enough to survive and I suffered severe injuries. My father, I never knew. He left long before my birth. Burdened with the suffocating grips of medical debt, the world abandoned me. Our house was repossessed in order to cover the exorbitant amounts of funds necessary for my tiresome treatment. I have nowhere left to go, no family, no home. I bring my hand to my face and press my palms into my sockets in order to suppress the anguish. Suddenly, a strong hand wraps firmly around my weary shoulder. A voice of velvet and assurance whispers into my ear.

"Finally, I've found you." I cock my head in the ominous onslaught's direction, my eyes meeting the gaze of deep chocolate. A frail man stands before me, golden locks of shoulder length flow like a river from his scalp. My body shakes with an eerie aura of familiarity. I feel as if I am connected to this man existentially. "It seems that you have been left behind by the inert current of reality. With nowhere else to go, I will give you a rightful place to stay." My eyes, still wide with shock, watch as the mysterious figure leans forward and plants a gentle kiss upon my brow.

Without another word, the man leaves. A gentle wave is the gesture he parts me with. I can make out the soft mumbles of an inaudible voice, but not the words. Unbeknownst to me, he had uttered an eternally holding verse. "You look just like her."

It takes several moments for me to collect my scattered thoughts, patching together the dumbfounding pieces. My attention is drawn from my vexed state by the light touch of a butterfly as it lands in my lap. Before I have the proper time to study it, it has taken off, soaring throughout the sky. I extend my hand in hopes of reaching it before it disappears. But, it looms in the stagnant air, beckoning me to follow. I stand abruptly and gallantly sprint after it. An obedient aura overcomes my senses, preventing my halt. My sprint slows to a gait as I approach the large arch of a derelict shrine. A monstrous set of menacing steps faces me and I beg my limbs to turn away, but to no avail. The butterfly continues its elegant dance up the unnerving staircase. I follow the omnipotent mirage until I arrive at the door of a forgotten haven. An oak plaque reads 'Mikage Shrine'. The butterfly has disappeared permanently and a stiff silence surrounds me.

"Our master has returned."

"Hooray! Hooray! Time for celebrations!"

Two disembodied voices bellow out from the still air. My spine tingles with fear and I step back cautiously. Suddenly, a pair of small children with the appearance of ceramic dolls float jubilantly in my sights. Festive masks shroud their expressions. They move sheepishly as they inspect my figure.

"This is not Mikage."

"It is a human."

"But, she bears the mark of the land god."

My head spins in disoriented circles, confused by the dilemma at hand. Finally, my constitution snaps and I erupt in unparalleled rage. "What the hell is going on?" I pant and seethe with ferocity.

"I am Onikiri."

"And, I am Kotetsu."

"We are the spirits of this shrine. Children of the Wil-o-the-Wisp's. You have been bestowed with the powers of the land god." The girl called Onikiri places a single finger on the center of my forehead. I bring my hands to my face and gently rub the spot where her touch vacates. In a blur of recollection, the mysterious man's face fills the void of my mind. He must be Mikage. Upon remembering his gentle peck, the two spirits that drift majestically in front of me begin to make deluded sense. I stare at my sweaty palms with disbelief. A land god?