Taking over the Abyss

38- Better Call Sangonomiya

Thanks to the detour Itto took, it ended up taking longer than it should've to get onto Kannazuka Island. Itto had landed the boat on the beach that connected the main part of Kannazuka Island and the Kujou Encampment together for good measure. Thankfully, nobody at the Kujou encampment spotted the two of you.

Itto dragged his boat into some bushes to keep it hidden, then strolled back over to you, stretching and rolling his stiff shoulders. When he was right in front of you, he planted his hands firmly on his hips and gave you a wide, toothy grin, "So, you ready?"

"Ready to rumble," you replied, beginning to walk alongside him. You could see some of the wandering vagrants in the distance, but none of the green haired maniac that Thoma had mentioned. Internally, you breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. You'd love it if you could get to the fort that the Watatsumi Resistance was occupying without any troubles.

You and Itto took the long route to avoid going anywhere near Tatarasuna, although it's not like you two could've gone through it anyway because of the barrier. In the end, once you reached Yashiori island, the two of you ended up running away from some very hostile Electro Whopperflowers. By the time it stopped shooting lasers and chasing you, you were almost at the fort.

Itto looked none too happy to have go back that way, but decided to grin and bear it. He was too close to both the skeletal remains of Orobashi and the fort for comfort. Not wanting to risk getting Itto in trouble for just helping you, you spun around on your heel to face him and say goodbye.

"Looks like this is it for now, huh?" You started, flashing a bright smile despite your nerves, "Thanks for everything, Itto. You're a real one."

The tips of Itto's pointed ears flushed red at the praise, as he averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Aww... you're a real one too. Let's hang out again sometime once everything is settled, alright? I'll break a boulder half for you to celebrate, maybe get you fitted up in the official Arataki gang uniform too, huh?"

You laughed at the thought of Itto breaking boulders, wanting to see it for yourself, "Sounds great, I'll be waiting to see that. Tell Shinobu she's a real one too, okay, homie?"

You held out your hand for a high five, to which Itto immediately followed through on. "Sure thing... homie."

Grinning, you gave Itto finger guns and walked backwards slowly, winking at him and giving him one last word, "Stay gold, Arataki boy."

Itto snorted, and the two of you parted ways. You turned around and walked towards where the fort was. Soon enough you spotted the Sangonomiya emblem being displayed on banners set up as a sort of wall. Two of the soldiers stationed as guards spotted you approaching and got ready, shifting their hold on their basic looking polearms into something more alert.

You held up your hands to show you weren't a threat, walking slower. Slowing to a stop once you were close enough to not need to shout at them, you pulled out Ayato's letter from your pocket and showed it to them, "I've got a letter from the Yashiro Commissioner, I'm not here to throw hands."

The two guards looked at each other before one of them shrugged. Begrudgingly, they let you into the fort, although they followed after you with their spears ready. You were led to their main fort, which was right next to their main entrance. You paused briefly at the sight of a bushy orange-brown tail, belonging to none other than Gorou.

By the time you were standing on the steps out front, the guy with the tail finally noticed you. The fluffy looking ears on top of his head twitched as he narrowed his eyes, trying to determine if he knew you or not. When he found that he didn't recognize you, he frowned and spoke up, "Who are you? I've never seen you before."