Clocks (Akura Ou x OC)

Chapter 25: Shikigami Brothers

After the Divine Assembly, Nanami and I shopped and were tourists. I hadn't told her about my discovery. Tomoe explained that he had recognized me more clearly from the past, which is why he entrusted me with changing him with the hammer and after he and Nanami returned, he became her familiar again. He also expressed his anger with me for going to the Underworld and worrying him, so I apologized. Mizuki kept close to Nanami and I as we toured, mostly hiding from Tomoe, who was angry with the snake yokai for losing their god. Nanami had been able to speak to Mikage, but she didn't talk much about it and she had also made a trade with the medicine god using food, in exchange for his miracle cure of peach pills. Mamoru had changed human once while Nanami and I played a board game to give her some advice, which scared me and Nanami to death. He looked like a cute little kid and he was very huggy with Nanami, but also felt a small connection with me, which I knew came from my god powers. When we finally left, I had some outfits that had splashes of color and I ended up falling asleep on Mizuki's shoulder while riding home in a flying wagon, which was cool, but I was extremely tired.

"Alright," Tomoe said. It was the next morning and we were all gathered together, "You, Raya, are able to see the shrine spirits, Onikiri and Kotetsu, which only a god can see, so we need to find an explanation for why you can see them."

"I'm the god of the World Over Yonder. I'm the bridge among yokai, humans, and gods," I said.

Tomoe raised an eyebrow.

"That's my purpose, so I've heard," I said.

"You're a god!" Nanami exclaimed, "That's incredible."

"I met Lady Izunami in the Underworld and she was able to shed some light on what I am and why I can get along with most yokai easily. She said that my god mark was somewhere that only certain people can see, although she didn't say who, and I would assume I can't see other god's god marks."

"Yes," Tomoe said, "All of that sounds right. I have never heard of a god of the World Over Yonder, though."

"Master Tomoe, such a god was said to exist, but appeared and disappeared over the course of little under a year," Kotetsu said.

"It was said to be a female who sang to the yokai," Onikiri said, "Mikage had wanted to meet her once. He expressed relief that someone else would selflessly help wayward creatures, but she disappeared so quickly."

"I've had my god power all along, I suppose, which is why I probably survived the Red Light District when I went back in time. I think that I was the god they are referring to then."

"How so?" Onikiri asked.

"Akura Ou's behavior followed a specific timeline in that time, didn't it?" I said.

"Yes. A week of peaceful behavior, three months of murder, about another week of peace, three months or so of murder, and then, all of a sudden, peace," Kotetsu said.

"And my visits to the past coincide perfectly," I said.

Tomoe seemed shocked, "Incredible. You altered the past and present."

"What if I didn't, though?" I said, "Before I went to the past, you had met Mikage, right? And you don't have much memory of your past before Mikage."

"Yes," Tomoe said.

"So you wouldn't remember me, but if I went and didn't affect anything leading up to now, then maybe I was always meant to go."

"Maybe," Tomoe said.

"This is making me dizzy," Nanami said.

"Me too," I said, "To sum it up, I'm a god in the present and the past."