Toshi and Ruri walked under the Torii.

 

 

 

Toshi had called his frontman to come pick him and Ruri up after lunch. The other Toshi had called ahead and told the school that Toshi had a doctor's appointment. Ruri just left with them. Nobody noticed her leave. It was also an experiment to see if anyone noticed she skipped out on the rest of her classes.

 

Toshi told his manager to take them to the temple immediately. Toshi had hoped to get ahold of the angel inside his soul, but that angel only appeared randomly. There was no reliable way to get ahold of him. This left Toshi in a desperate situation. He needed to get ahold of someone to take a look at Ruri and find out what was going on. This left only one place to go.

 

Toshi had a fear that somehow he had broken her. Maybe he had disrupted her body and somehow she was fading away. He put on a brave face but inside he was torn up. He didn't want to go begging the angels for help, because he didn't trust them, but for Ruri, he'd press his forehead to the soil. HIs pride was not worth losing his oldest friend.

 

As they walked into the main temple area, Toshi frowned slightly. It wasn't a good sign that there were people present. There was just a scattering, but a few was a few too many. It meant they weren't in a loading screen. He looked around as he tried to figure out the best way to get an angel's attention.

 

"Kimoto Toshi?"

 

His name had been spoken softly, but the woman who addressed him had a way of speaking that cut through the air like a guillotine. He turned to see a tall, willowy woman dressed as a priestess. A woman who looked just like Meiko, except quite a bit taller, and with much longer, straight, black hair.

 

Toshi opened his mouth to speak, but the woman put a finger to her lips, closed her eyes, and shook her head with well-practiced elegance. She opened her eyes to mere slits as she smiled at the pair, then gestured with a single finger for them to follow. The motion was disturbingly seductive.

 

Toshi and Ruri looked at each other, shrugged in near unison, then followed. Ruri leaned into Toshi to whisper, "Is this the expert?"

 

Toshi shook his head, "I was hoping to contact someone else, but... let's see where this goes."

 

As they passed through the surrounding foliage, they entered the inner sanctum. It was a large courtyard with a palace-like building appearing at the other end. The grounds were immaculate. The building was oppressively beautiful. However, that wasn't what caught Toshi's attention.

 

It was the fact that there were two rows of priestesses, easily a dozen on each side, lined up to welcome the pair.

 

As Toshi followed the lady, Ruri grabbed his hand and held on as if her life depended on it. He looked at her to give her a reassuring smile that vanished as soon as he turned away. The women lined up were dressed in traditional garb for the temple. One by one, they bowed deeply as Toshi passed.

 

Ruri finally spoke, "Friends of yours?"

 

Toshi glanced at Ruri and shook his head slightly.

 

The three walked in, passing woman after woman who all stopped whatever they were doing to bow as the trio passed. The woman didn't spare them a glance. However, Toshi couldn't help but look at a few in passing. He noticed that more than one glanced up as Toshi passed, as if they were unworthy of looking upon him, but wanting to steal a glimpse all the same.

 

Eventually, they arrived in a small office. It was humble in how it was decorated. Sparse, but elegant. As they walked in, the woman sat in a chair next to a low coffee table, while gesturing for her guests to sit across from her on a couch. As they sat down, three young and beautiful girls walked in. Silently and with great celerity, they placed a tea set, placed an empty cup down for all three, set up several small sweets to snack upon, and somehow managed to remove Toshi and Ruri's jackets before they even noticed. A few seconds later, the servers filed out and the door slid closed, making barely a sound.

 

The woman who sat across from them bowed deeply towards Toshi, her head practically touching the table between them, "I am high priestess Yamakawa Rin. It is my deepest honor to finally meet you. I am ever so glad that you graced us with your presence."

 

Toshi went white as all the color drained from his face, "'Kay?"

 

Ruri slowly turned to look at Toshi but said nothing. Her eyes were deep and dark as she assessed her friend.

 

Rin straightened up as she turned to Ruri, "And greetings to you as well, Okada Ruri. Any friend of the saint is most welcome as well."

 

Ruri's eyes flickered to look at Rin, and then she refocused on Toshi, "Why does a cult leader know my name?" She closed her eyes and shook her head while holding her hands up towards Toshi, "Never mind that." She threw her hands out to the side, gesturing all around, "WHY ARE YOU BEING WORSHIPED BY A CULT?"

 

Toshi's face became the blue screen of death as his brain crashed.

 

Rin hid her smile with her hand as she laughed softly, "Fufufufufufu..." She shook her head, "No, Miss Okuda. We are not a cult. We worship The Creator of the universe, God almighty himself. We are just like any other Shinto shrine in this world. We carry no special doctrines." She gestured towards Toshi, "However, we have been contacted by God's most holy angels to do what we can to protect and help the saint."

 

Ruri looked at Rin, swallowed deeply then looked at Toshi, "Please don't brainwash me."

 

That broke Toshi out of his reverie, "What?" He abruptly grabbed her by the shoulders, "NO." He tried to give her a reassuring squeeze as he spoke, "I would never harm you." He glared at Rin, "Or LET any harm come to you."

 

Rin lowered her gaze in the face of Toshi's displeasure, "And we would never harm anyone who was of importance to the saint."

 

Toshi let go of Ruri and leaned aggressively towards Rin, "Can the saint-crap!" He looked at Ruri, "Honest! I'm as much in the dark about this as you!"

 

Rin kept her eyes down, "I am sorry if I offended you. This is how we refer to you here. How would you like to be addressed?"

 

Toshi thought about it a second, "Just... Toshi. Thank you." He glanced around, "Okay. What gives?"

 

Rin sat up, "Oh. Of course. After the last encounter with the angels, there was much debate about what went wrong. That was quite a setback for the overall plan." She looked sad and slowly shook her head, "However it had been dealt with, it was resolved and so we must move forward. Alas, the orders from God are still in place. We are not to interfere in your life unless you seek us out. We are to protect you as we can, but also give you your privacy." She folded her hands, "It is a conflicting set of orders, but if serving the lord's will was easy, everyone would do it."

 

Ruri furrowed her eyebrows, "Any other day, this conversation might seem strange." She smoothed back her eyebrows, "Okay. I gotta ask. Why is Toshi a saint?"

 

Rin looked at Toshi, "You didn't tell her?" She smiled softly, "Oh, how modest of you."

 

She looked back to Ruri.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"He's the savior of the world."

 

---

 

Harou jumped back.

 

 

 

Hinako couldn't help but notice Harou's change in his body language. Up until now, he had been doing that thing that boys always do when they know they are in trouble and want to get out of it. The big, slightly moist eyes were on the verge of tears. The glance away while looking shy. Blah Blah Blah.

 

It was so annoying.

 

However, there was something... off about him. He wasn't doing it right. His body language was stilted. His tone was far too aggressive. He didn't sound right. He didn't MOVE right. Yet... he also seemed sincere. The part that was getting to Hinako was that she had seen this before.

 

Her brother.

 

Toshi also displayed this peculiar behavior, and it had always unnerved Hinako, although she couldn't pinpoint why. He didn't act right. He didn't move right, but by observing Harou squirm before her, she finally understood. Her brother's unusual mannerisms stirred a protective impulse in her, making her fear that some girl might take advantage of him.

 

It was unthinkable to her. She could NEVER see her brother that way, but Toshi's friend? Yeah... something about him made her feel... aggressive. He was acting ARROGANT. He needed to be punished. To be put in his place. That's why she was so protective of her brother. Deep down inside, in the back of her brain...

 

She worried the way he acted would attract girls like her.

 

"Uhhh... NO." Harou backed up and bounced off one of her bedposts before spinning around and trying to make his way to the exit.

 

Hinako intercepted him and blocked the exit, while still holding out her underwear, "C'mon... you wanted it when you thought I was Whitefox. What's the problem?" She leered at him.

 

Harou switched to a more aggressive stance. He was standing off against her like a girl, confrontational, "Yeah, I thought you were someone else," He retorted. "You're not. You're my best friend's SISTER." He raised a finger toward her. "This isn't happening."

 

Harou maintained direct eye contact with Hinako, delivering his words with a firm and resolute tone. He was direct and to the point. His speech was clear and devoid of submission, and he appeared unafraid as he stood his ground. If anything, he seemed to not take the situation very seriously at all.

 

It was pissing Hinako off.

 

"Oh... c'mon..." She twirled her panties around, spinning them in the air on a finger while she grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt with her free hand. She started to pull it up enough to show off some underboob, "You seemed to like what you saw the last time you were here." Her voice was dripping with suggestion as she smirked at him.

 

Harou froze. His face turned beet red. He stared right at her chest as she teased the reveal. Shuddering all over as he let out a whimper, he abruptly slapped himself across the face, shook his head to clear it, then held his hand out flat in her face, "NO."

 

Hinako started speaking in a sing-song voice while peering around his fingers, "Oh... C'mon! You do this... I'll keep Toshi in the dar-ark!"

 

Harou had finally started to get annoyed, "Look. I'm a pervert. I have issues. I went too far. I got it. I'm sick in the head." He crossed his arms in front of his chest to form an 'X', "But I came in here to steal your underwear, not your virginity." He stabbed a finger at the exit, "I'm out." He started to push past her to leave.

 

Hinako boxed him in with a wall slam.

 

"And... what makes you think I'm a virgin?"

 

Harou's eyes went wide as sweat started to form on his brow

 

Hinako grabbed Harou's chin and lifted up slightly as if she were about to kiss him, "I am the most popular girl in school. I have a small stable of willing boys who want to bang." She brought her lips in close enough for him to feel her breath, "And I have been stuck here for over two weeks. And I hate to admit it, I had a bit of a dry spell before that." Harou's eyes somehow grew even wider as she got nose to nose with him, "I haven't gotten any in a MONTH." She bit her lower lip, "And Dad is gonna be gone until three."

 

Harou finally started to show fear.

 

"C-c-can't. We can't. I am not going to seduce my friend's sister." Harou tried to duck out.

 

Hinako grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him back against the wall, "Seriously? You think you're seducing ME?" She laughed lightly, "How about this?" She licked her lips and looked to the hallway, "How about I call my mom, the head of the police's forensics depart for the entire city of Tokyo..." She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "And have you thrown in jail?"

 

Harou froze.

 

Using one of her finest intimidating glares, Hinako slowly turned back to lock eyes with Harou, dead on, "You're gonna have a HARD time explaining to my brother why you are in prison for breaking and entering, attacking his sister, all for the purpose of stealing her unmentionables." She bared her teeth as she loomed over her prey, "Now you can do HARD time, or you can give ME, a HARDER time." She grabbed his crotch, "Know what I-"

 

Both of them froze.

 

Hinako's head dropped as she looked straight down at what she was grabbing.

 

Harou was like a deer caught in oncoming headlights.

 

Hinako lifted her hand, pressed it against his belly, then slipped it right down his pants and inside his underwear.

 

Harou let out a squeak as she squeezed what she found there.

 

She slowly lifted her head to look Harou right in the eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Do you seriously have a boner?"

 

 

Harou realized that he had seriously underestimated his friend's sister. He had foolishly discounted her as a threat just because she was a girl. Harou grabbed Hinako by the shoulders and pushed. She was taken off guard and wound up grappling with one another. Harou spoke rapidly, trying to get her to stop, "Hold it! HOLD IT! ALRIGHT! I ADMIT IT!"

 

Hinako halted the struggle and looked at him expectantly.

 

Harou, sweat rolling down his cheek, started speaking with as much sincerity as he could muster, "I honestly think of you as Honey Whitefox. I honestly have whacked off to a mental picture of you many times. I find you amazingly attractive and would love to fuck you."

 

Hinako looked rather shocked by the confession.

 

"But!" He practically shouted directly into her face, his anxiety spiking as he grappled to regain control of the situation, "I am friends with Toshi! He's a GOOD friend, and I PROMISED I wouldn't touch you! Alright? I am many... many things, most of them not good, but Toshi is my wingman, alright? I... CANNOT... betray him!" He placed his hand flat on her stomach, slowly pushing her away, "If you care about him, you won't do this to him."

 

She backed off and stared at Harou. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, his skin flush as sweat poured off him, and a tent in his pants from his raging hard-on. He couldn't look Hinako in the eye, just staring off as he wiped the back of his hand across his forehead and struggled to regain control.

 

Hinako stared intently.

 

"I didn't do this to him."

 

Something in the tone of her voice made the hairs on the back of Harou's neck stand up. As he turned to look at Hinako, she stepped closer to loom over him, staring down her nose at him.

 

The sun outside passed behind a cloud.

 

A dark shadow fell over Hinako.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"YOU did this to him."