Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

As even a sip of [Inari’s Grace] was enough to make Shuten intoxicated, it took several hours for her to recover from her drunken stupor. When she awoke, she found Ibaraki clinging to her with a happy expression on her face, a large volume drool leaking from her mouth. This wasn’t that uncommon, but, considering the circumstances, her expression turned into a deadpan as she silently cursed, "I didn’t think that man was such a coward...haaaa..."

If he had heard Shuten’s remark, Vahn would have had a similar expression on his face. Instead, her words awoke Ibaraki, who, due to her poor sleeping habits, had nearly slipped out of her kimono. She slovenly scratched her exposed stomach, sleep clouding her judgment as she saw Shuten’s serious expression and asked, "Shuten, what is the matter...ei?"

Hearing Ibaraki’s question, Shuten’s expression defaulted to a mischievous smile as she mused, "Ara? You were so ’vigorous’ last night...did you truly forget everything~?"

The moment her brain processed Shuten’s words, Ibaraki’s expression became froze into a look of abject shock. Various thoughts began running through her mind, causing her face to turn a deep shape of red as she began to mutter, "Awawawawawa...?"

Seeing Ibaraki’s reaction, Shuten couldn’t help but giggle as she ran her finger along the yellow-haired Oni’s exposed abdomen, sending a shiver through the former and causing illusory steam to rise from her head. Then, overwhelmed by the steamy thoughts clouding her mind, Ibaraki’s brain shut down, causing her to faint as a silent ’awawa’ continued to escape her lips.

Teasing Ibaraki was one of her guilty pleasures, but, with other matters to attend, Shuten ignored her surprisingly innocent companion, snaking her way out of the room. It didn’t take her long to find Vahn sitting on the veranda, his yukata exposing part of his chest as he leaned against a pillar, casually drinking a fragrant, steamy, sake. When he saw her appear, he only offered a slight smile in response before adjusting his position, lightly tapping the spot next to him.

Never one to refuse such invitations, Shuten giggled mischievously before making her way over and taking a seat next to him. She had left her kimono back in her bedroom, so, other than black bands covering a very small part of her body, she was basically naked. Even this didn’t seem to elicit a reaction from Vahn, however, causing her to wonder if he simply didn’t find her charming.

Before Shuten could ask, Vahn preempted her, explaining in a calm tone, "There are a number of women at my side with features comparable to yours, including the mother of two of my children. Do not concern yourself over such meaningless things as appearance and preferences. The most important thing, at least in my opinion, is that your desires are sincere, not selfish..."

Though he still intended to try and arrange a partner for Shuten, Vahn knew she would be able to see through him if he tried to be roundabout. Thus, he spoke a partial truth without going into the finer details, punctuating his statement by offering her a small cup of sake. It was weak compared to anything they had used during the drinking contest, but, as it was a product of the Dryad’s that called Avalon home, Vahn was partial to the sweet, mana rich, taste.

Since she didn’t detect any falsehoods in Vahn’s words, Shuten graciously accepted the cup of sake before leaning against his shoulder and asking, "What is her name? How many women do you have at your side...?"

While he had no need to answer such a personal question, Vahn stared at the contents of his own cup for several seconds before answering, "It is hard to say, really. This is not my original world. In my travels, I have met many amazing women, siring various children between them. Even now, I’m certain that my actual harem is larger than the number of women I sleep with...it is a complicated matter, to be sure...as for the woman you’re curious about, her name is Circe..."

Shuten wasn’t actually surprised by Vahn’s words, as, even though it was undetectable through normal means, she could ’smell’ dozens of scents intermingling with his own. This included the familiar aroma of Tamamo, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste in her mouth as she didn’t get along well with Amaterasu’s Bunrei. Now that she had staked a claim to Vahn before her, Shuten found her ’fondness’ for the vulpine woman decreasing rapidly...

Rather than waste her time thinking about others, Shuten just giggled in response to Vahn’s words, musing, "I’m envious. I wonder, Ten’nō-sama, what does it mean to be sincere when you surround yourself with so many women? Is it so wrong to simply desire a physical connection?"

Hearing Shuten’s question, Vahn took a sip of his sake, organizing his thoughts before releasing a hot sigh and answering, "Honestly, I can’t really answer that question. I’m nearing 160 years old, yet, despite being involved with actual Goddesses of Love, I can’t confidently claim to understand its complexities. All I know is, I would do anything for those girls, even letting them go if that was their true desire..."

Though he would fight tooth and nail to keep them, Vahn would never force any of his women to stay at his side. It might cause him some pain, but, unless they had betrayed him, he would always do his best for their happiness. This was his responsibility after selfishly injecting himself into their lives, reshaping, for some, what it means to be happy...

Sensing the conviction in Vahn’s words, Shuten found herself staring reflectively into her own drink, emulating the former’s actions from moments prior. Truthfully, she didn’t understand his words, but, with one of her parent’s being an unfeeling Dragon God and the other being a vile and crazed Witch, this wasn’t entirely her fault. She had lived true to her desires from the moment she had become self-aware, never regretting her actions even as her head was severed from her body...

As this thought crossed her mind, Shuten absentmindedly stroked her neck, a reminiscent smile on her face. Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "Does Ten’nō-sama possess the ability to see into the future~?"

While it wasn’t an incorrect way to view things, Vahn knew his ability didn’t match what Shuten was thinking. Thus, after filling his cup again, he answered, "I can see the various paths towards the future, not the future itself. Every action, no matter how big or small, has a subtle effect on the Flow of Fate...I see things as a series of currents, some intersecting, others fusing together. It isn’t easy to explain exactly what I see, but calling it the ability to see the future isn’t accurate...it would be more accurate to say I see ’possibilities’...endless, never-ending, paths..."

Hearing the profundity contained within Vahn’s words, Shuten couldn’t help but issue a sonorous laugh, her voice echoing through the surroundings. Then, with an amused smile on her face, she lightly poked Vahn’s chest with her finger, musing, "Such a powerful yet unfortunate ability...I do not think I would be able to live happily with such a burden on my shoulders... Ten’nō-sama is an even greater man than I thought~."

After rolling his eyes in response to Shuten’s teasing, Vahn grabbed her hand, preventing it from snaking between his thighs. This caused the unrepentant temptress to snicker before finishing the contents of her cup and asking, "I wonder, what intentions does Ten’nō-sama have for? Now that I am your possession, I can only hope you have properly considered my uses. Given that power of yours, perhaps you have even decided my fate~? How overbearing, ufufufu~."

Understanding what Shuten was insinuating, Vahn turned to stare directly at her as he stated, "If I had already decided your fate, I wouldn’t have come here like this. You are free to make decisions on your own. So long as your actions do not bring harm or interfere in the happiness of others, I will do my best to make sure you, and all Yokai, are able to live peaceful lives. Defeating you in a drinking contest was just to make sure you would properly consider my words, rather than discard them the moment something catches your interest..."

Sensing the shift in Vahn’s aura, Shuten realized she had offended him with her previous words. In spite of this, her smile only became more pronounced, giggling mischievously as she leaned her head against his shoulder. She found his ’thoughtfulness’ amusing, and, though it was more than a little overbearing, it didn’t really bother her. Rather, even if he became possessive and wanted to treat her as an object, she wouldn’t really mind it...

As this thought crossed her mind, Shuten tried to extend her ivory fingers towards Vahn’s waist, earning a light slap on the wrist in response. This only incited her onwards, however, causing her to giggle, once again, before musing, "I’m certain Ten’nō-sama has some kind of plan. Unless it is something truly unexpected, however, you won’t be able to stop me from pursuing you. Even if you were to exile me from the Empire and forbid me from entering, I would continue yearning for you until you took pity on me. I wonder, will a thousand years of painful abstinence be enough to show my sincerity~?"

Following Shuten’s statement, Vahn could feel the Flow of Fate around her converge into a much larger stream. Though it still deviated at many points, his prior words seemed to have awakened her interest in a ’dangerous’ way. This was one of the downsides to being able to see the Flow of Fate, as, unless he used it to measure all of his decisions in real-time, never thinking on his own, it left him susceptible to ’surprises’ like this.

As she could read his thoughts as they formed, Sis couldn’t help but sigh within Vahn’s mind, her voice possessing an accusatory tone as she said, (*You are becoming more careless after hearing Artoria’s words. You’re on the verge of repeating the same mistakes as before, allowing yourself to be swayed by the moment rather than taking hold of it...*)

Not expecting Sis’ sudden reproach, Vahn broke eye contact with Shuten, causing even greater misunderstandings as he mentally retorted, ("What am I supposed to do? Should I try to shut her down completely? I don’t think she’s joking about waiting for a thousand years...I might be here that long, but it will become troublesome later, won’t it...?")

While waiting for Sis’ response, Vahn lightly swat away Shuten’s hand again, eliciting a giggle that was slowly starting to grate on his nerves. As for Sis’ response, she plainly stated, (*You have said it yourself, many times, in fact. You aren’t responsible for the happiness of everyone, only making sure they have the chance to be happy. If she wants to hole herself away for a thousand years, that is her own prerogative. That just gives you more time to arrange things so that she will be happy for ten-thousand years after that. Don’t let her words pressure you, as it only incites her further...!*)

True to Sis’ words, Shuten was becoming emboldened by Vahn’s reactions, her eyes glimmering with amusement as she decided on a less ’direct’ method. Instead of trying to sneakily cop a feel, she began snaking her hand down her own body, asking in a sultry tone, "Did you enjoy watching me drink the [Virgin’s Cry]? The men that ravished my body looked a lot like you, Ten’nō-sama~."

As her fingers approached the paper-thin black bands covering her lower body, the fabric began to rapidly peel away. Since her outfit left little to the imagination, however, this didn’t have much of an impact beyond causing the fruity aroma in the air to become more potent. As for Vahn, he just gave her a deadpan stare before surprising her as he extended his hand toward her chest...

Shuten’s heart began to beat a little faster, but, as soon as Vahn’s fingers contacted her soft flesh, a startling jolt of electricity passed through her body. This wasn’t the same stimulating energy that she had felt before, however, but an unfiltered shock that ran through what constituted a Yokai’s version of the central nervous system. As a result, she released a similar ’wawawa’ sound as the unconscious Ibaraki, her toes curling before she collapsed against the cold wooden floor...

Understanding Shuten’s body converted even physical pain to pleasure, Vahn wasn’t too worried about causing her any actual harm. His ’attack’ would just leave her stunned for a bit, allowing him to rise to his feet, saying, "Forcing people to acquiesce by doing outrageous things isn’t sincerity. Trying to earn my pity in such a way will not end the way you expect. In those thousand years you keep locked away, I will undoubtedly meet hundreds of women, siring thousands of children, all while living a fulfilling life. If you are serious about pursuing me, consider all of my previous words and think about their actual meaning."

Without waiting for Shuten’s response, Vahn tossed a warm blanket over her body before slowly rising into the sky. Moments later, his figure had completely disappeared, his next destination the location of the Heroes Faction. A few hours had passed since he entrusted Shirou with gathering them, so, after using his ability to read the Flow of Fate, confirming that they had mostly gathered, Vahn decided it was time to wrap things up...

Back on the veranda where Vahn had left her, Shuten stared toward the sky, continuing to lay on the hardwood floor even after her faculties had recovered. She noticed he had left her a parting gift of sake, likely as an ’apology’ of sorts, but, rather than sample its contents, she took his words to heart, considering their deeper meaning. This ultimately didn’t amount to much, however, so, deciding it was something she could figure out after establishing the Yokai District on Avalon, she rolled over to where Vahn had been seated, curling up around the still-warm spot and comforting herself beneath the blanket he had given her...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Teasing the banana~’,’TFW the entity that shares your thoughts is tired of your shit xD...’,’Shuten is really helpless...’)