The Binding Vow of Lazarus

Chapter 101

"You insolent cur! Unbind me this instant, you have no right! This is my body!"

Sarah snarled and snapped, her arms and legs hog-tied behind her, bound in black rope. Suguru, Satoru and Nanami took a few steps back, all three of them watching her flail on the ground uselessly. Nanami sighed, Suguru and Satoru shared a grimace, Boe and Rin moved in to set more talismans they'd readied and everyone was completely silent until finally Rin broke it.

"Okay, so, that's not great," Rin said, taking a deep inhale to calm herself before she stood and turned to the others.

"Yeah, I thought something was up with her this morning," Boe agreed, then swatted her hand Satoru's direction, "then you gotta start drama."

"I had nothing to do with this," Satoru muttered, then stepped forward to use his foot to push Sarah— well, Tamamo, back in between them all from where she'd managed to scoot. She whipped around to bite his foot and he yanked it back with a grimace.

"Alright," Suguru sighed. His arms were crossed, his cheek resting on his fist. His eyes looked her over before they narrowed. "This is... not ideal."

"It is not," Nanami agreed, both of his hands sitting on his hips.

Satoru's eyes narrowed before he was flipping her over onto her back and moving to stand over her. He squatted down. His eyes were wide, the glitter of blue light dancing across her cheeks. "Go on. What's the deal to get her out of you."

"You need her alive," she cackled, fluttering Sarah's eyelashes and smiling up at him, "you need her to get home. You need her to—"

Satoru waved his hand impatiently his eyes rolling before he glared down at her. "Yeah, yeah, threats, but what do you want?"

"I want her out. You will take me into the castle," she said with a sneer. "Take me to the fox shrine inside and I will force her out there."

"So what keeps you from killing her immediately after?" Suguru asked, "And where do you intend to put her?"

Tamamo sniffed conceitedly and tipped her head away to ignore him. Suguru scowled, then turned to the others. Satoru was still staring down at Tamamo as he rose up slowly, his brows bunched tight. The six-eyes were alight and scanning over her, searching for something he could do. His hands were tensing at his sides, balling up before relaxing again to flex his fingers.

"... she can use me."

A long silence stretched as the shock of that idea settled in. It was Nanami who was the first to break it, already shaking his head.

"No, that seems like a terrible idea," he said, "aside from the moral complications, we have no idea what a resonate soul would do to your cursed energy. That could potentially be catastrophic."

Suguru seems to ask the right questions. "You're worried we can't find a living body to put her in completely willingly?" He suggested as an explanation, "That, and it also has to be a body we can trust."

Satoru nodded, pulling up his blindfold and sweeping back his hair in a smooth motion. His jaw was set when he knelt down, picking her up carefully — respectfully, in way he wasn't usually with Sarah's body. He gently placed her into the cart sitting up, then knelt down to look up at her.

"I know you're not transforming into yourself to fuck with me," he mumbled, "and I know you know it's working. But I also—" he scowled and mumbled, "I am sorry about all the... inappropriate stuff. I actually feel guilty."

"Well," Tamamo smirked, "I suppose I can forgive you—"

"Don't make a joke about it," Satoru scoffed, "just take the apology, please. I don't want to get into it."