You were finally healed. It was almost too good to be true, but here you were. It had been two weeks since Tomoe and Ryuu had seen your wounds, and they had gone overboard making sure you were completely comfortable. They refused to let you do any chores, jumped every time you needed anything, and even went so far as to help you up and down stairs. At first you felt pathetic, but slowly you came to appreciate just how adorable they were. They had even conspired to get you clothes without your knowledge. Now you had a wardrobe full of clothes that were yours. You were a little bummed you wouldn't get to wear Tomoe's kimonos anymore, but it was nice to have something of your own. You had an assortment of kimonos, both plain and ornate, and a few plain outfits for going out in.
You were currently sitting in class, listening to the teacher. You didn't take any notes, but you were still able to answer any question the teacher threw at you. You'd spent the past two weeks reading all the required textbooks, and even some other textbooks you found in the library. You'd become quite comfortable with your knowledge of humans, but you were still caught off guard by some things. Things like animals that were extinct and how there wasn't anything science couldn't explain both amused and confused you, but you'd learned to dismiss statements like those.
The teacher was in the middle of an amusing lesson about Japanese lore, including the yokai and gods. You almost burst out laughing when he went into an explanation of the gods. They made Otohiko out to be a wise and serious god, and Narukami was an ugly troll like brute. Of course, they also had their own impression of you. They depicted you as a savage god who destroyed everything in it's path. It stung a little to be viewed like that, but you'd grown used to that impression.
The bell rang, interrupting his riveting discussion about all the crap you'd messed up. When everyone broke for lunch, Tomoe leaned over your shoulder. "So, did you actually do any of the things they were saying?" He chuckled in your ear, his hot breath tickling your neck.
"Isn't it a little rude to ask an immortal being about their past?" You asked, turning to look at him. "Or, shall we get into a discussion about your less than honorable days."
Tomoe smiled sheepishly. "You're right, but I have to ask, did you really destroy three different shrines?" He probed.
You sighed. "I'm not proud of it, but I would do it again if given the choice."
"What did they do to upset you?"
"The god of war's temple was demolished for nearly killing a yokai I favored, the god of snow's shrine was destroyed for causing a series of blizzards that killed billions of my creatures, and I trashed Ooki's shrine for trying to flirt with me." You replied matter-of-factly.
Tomoe smirked. "I'd expect no less." He chuckled.
You returned to reading your book, when a conversation caught your attention. "Nanami, you really should eat something." Ami was pleading with the young land god. You glanced out of the corner of your eye to see what was going on.
"What do you expect? Her feelings were cast to the side by the one she loves." Kei grumbled, interested in something on her cellular device.
Cast aside? You thought curiously. Is that why she's been avoiding talking to me lately? Maybe she's worried I'll ask her about it. You tried to comprehend the feelings of the human girl.
"You can't continue like this!" Ami protested. "You'll get sick!"
"Geez." Tomoe growled, walking up to the girls. "You didn't touch your breakfast, now you aren't eating lunch. This isn't the time to be fasting."
"I-I'm not hungry." Nanami stated.
"Stop it Tomoe!" Ami inserted herself between the familiar and land god. "Nanami is still in shock after you turned her down!" Ami shouted rather abruptly.
You were startled by her words. Tomoe rejected her? You pondered. You shook the thought from your head, and decided it would be best for you to intervene. It wouldn't be good for the two of them to make too much of a scene. Tomoe had a set of chopsticks in his hand, with a mushroom pinched in between. He reached for Nanami's face, but froze. You weren't sure what was causing his hesitation, but it seemed to bother both of them.
You placed a hand on Tomoe's shoulder. He straightened, and turned to look at you. "Why don't you go buy her a juice from the vending machine downstairs? She'll still get some nutrients, while not needing to force herself to eat." You suggested with a small smile. He hesitantly nodded, dropped the chopsticks, and left the classroom. When he was gone, you looked down at Nanami who was slumped in her seat. "Now, why don't you tell me what has you down?"
She didn't look up at you, she just glared at her bento. "It's nothing." She mumbled.
You chuckled, and pulled up a chair. "I find that hard to believe. You haven't spoken more than five words to me in the past two weeks."
"Why do you care?" Kei looked at you with a raised eyebrow.
"Tomoe and I are what you'd call childhood friends, and I have known Nanami for several months now." You smiled, slightly annoyed by the girl's rudeness. "Both of them are acting strangely, and I'd like to help if at all possible."
Kei and Ami both seemed surprised by your statement. "So, you're the girl." Kei muttered.
"I'm not sure what that phrase means. What girl do you think I am?"
"You're the one Tomoe rejected Nanami for." Kei stated rather bluntly.
You were taken aback by that sudden outburst. "I'm not sure what you may have interpreted, but Tomoe and I are just very close friends." You tried to maintain a smile.
"Nobody would think that considering how the two of you are always together." Kei grumbled.
Is this girl intentionally trying to upset me? You pondered, doing your best to keep your cool. "I couldn't date Tomoe." You replied.
"What does that mean?" Ami questioned in her characteristically innocent way.
You rubbed the back of your neck, trying to think of the simplest way to word it. "Tomoe and I are completely different. Our worlds can't interact that much." You tried to explain.
"That makes no sense." Kei barked.
You sighed, and tried again. "Think of it like a fox and a hound. While the fox and hound may interact, it would be detrimental to the fox if they interacted for too long." You clarified. This analogy seemed to catch Nanami's attention. You looked her straight in the eye. "No matter how much the fox and hound care for each other, the hunter would eventually come and kill the fox. That's why it is best for them to stay apart. The best way for the hound to show its love of the fox, is to forsake its own heart, and, in doing so, save the fox's life." Nanami looked at you, shock in her eyes. You could tell that she was slowly beginning to piece it all together.
"Whoa, that's a pretty deep analogy." Kei seemed impressed, but you could tell she didn't catch the full message.
Nanami seemed to relax a little, and smiled at you. "I'm sorry I've been such a jerk." She apologized.
"No worries." You returned her smile with an even brighter one. "I can't hold your feelings against you, so why dwell on it."
"We were talking about visiting the beach, why don't you come with us!" Nanami chirped.
"I've never been to the ocean, and I'm actually scared of the water." You smiled sheepishly.
"That's not a problem. You can just lay on the beach and soak in some rays." Kei shrugged, being nicer now that Nanami had perked up.
"If you are alright with it, I'd be happy to join you." You chuckled.
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You spent the rest of lunch talking with Nanami and her friends. It was nice. For a little while you could imagine you were a regular human girl. When lunch ended, you were a little sad. After lunch came P.E., and you weren't exactly that popular with the other girls. The only thing that kept your spirits high, was that today was kendo. I know what you're thinking, what would a goddess know about sports. The answer, a lot. You'd watched people do kendo and all the other sports since the games were invented. You loved playing all the different sports.
You got changed in the bathroom, as always, before you headed towards the gym. To your extreme pleasure, the teacher decided to host a tournament of sorts. One v one matches where the first person to score two points won. Each match eliminated someone, until only one remains undefeated. The first few days of kendo in P.E. had been reviewing the basics, and you'd held back the whole time. Now, you could show what you were really made of. The teacher didn't really care to much about the basic rules. He didn't require you to shout before your strike, nor did he care much about holding perfect form. Basically it was just his excuse to let a bunch of students wail on each other with bamboo swords while he read a book.
There were sixteen preliminary matches. Thirty-two people would go down to sixteen, then down to eight, then four, then two, then one. The first matches were done all at once, so you didn't get to watch any of your opponents. Your first opponent was a rather annoying boy that always hung around Isobe. You quickly defeated him with a swipe across his belly, then a thrust to his throat.
When everyone was done with their matches, you noticed Nanami and Ami had already been eliminated. It didn't really surprise you, they weren't the kind of people who would have an easy time in this type of sport. Kurama, Tomoe, Kei, Isobe, and your bully (Akira) had moved on. You quickly glanced at the chart the coach had drawn on a dry erase board. If your prediction was correct, you'd face Akira in the third round, Kurama in the fourth, and have a final match against Tomoe. You smiled when you glanced at the half Tomoe was on. If Isobe won the next match, Tomoe would have the pleasure of destroying him. The second round proceeded exactly as the first. The brat Akira knocked out Kei, and moved on to the third round, while everyone else you recognized remained strong.
It wasn't until the third round that the matches happened one at a time. You watched as Kurama easily beat one of Akira's friends who was going gaga over Kurama the entire time. Next was your turn. You climbed onto the rectangular mat, and faced the girl that had made it her mission to humiliate and infuriate you. Today was the last time you were going to take it.
The coach started the match, and Akira surged towards you. She slashed downwards, aiming for your head. You easily sidestepped, and watched the girl tumble past. Before she could react, You spun around on your left foot, and slammed the shinai down between her shoulder blades. The girl staggered, but managed to keep from falling over.
You waited for her to ready herself, before going on the offensive. You shot forward, and brought the shinai across the girl's neck. You smiled at the satisfying crack of the bamboo against the padding. The coach called the point, and you walked back to Tomoe and the others without a second glance at the startled girl. While the next match got underway, Tomoe leaned over to talk to you.
"Where did that sudden ferocity come from?" He chuckled in your ear.
"That wasn't ferocity. That was just getting a little serious." You smiled at him. "Unfortunately, I dare not show my strength any more than that around humans. Besides, kendo isn't as much fun as the real thing."
"I've never seen you touch a sword, much less use one." Tomoe grinned.
"Meet me in the finals, and I'll let you see a little of my old self." You smirked at the boy, before he too had to leave for his match.
It was amusing to watch him deal with Isobe. Tomoe was particularly motivated for once. Not that you could blame him. The chance to humiliate the twerp who'd caused Nanami so much grief before becoming the land god was too good to pass up. The coach ended the match when Isobe started running away from Tomoe, who was doing his best to terrify the blond-haired boy.
"Alright, the fourth round is about to get underway. Will Kurama and (Y/N) please step onto the mat." The coach called above the rabble of students.
I'm going up against a yokai. I suppose I don't need to pull my punches as much. You tried to hold back a grin that tried to spread across your face. This might be more enjoyable then I'd previously anticipated.