Atarashii’s Kooky Love Chapter 9
“How’d you get here, you witch!?” Atarashii yelled furiously. Oki laughed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You honestly don’t know? I followed you and the others out of the well!” Tapping the side of her head, she cackled, “You never were the sharpest tool in the shed! Ha! Ha!”
Atarashii growled. Looks like I’m gonna have to fight this one alone, she thought to herself. Out loud, she said, “Brains or no brains, I am going to defeat you Oki! And stop calling me Ichi, I’m ATARASHII!!”
Sneering, Oki only said, “Call yourself whatever you say. You can have a thousand names when I kill you!”
The sea-witch plunged downwards and swung her staff at Atarashii’s. The two poles met with the loud “clang!” of metal striking metal. Grimacing against the force of Oki’s blow, Atarashii struggled not to be pushed backwards or knocked onto the floor. But because of the slippery floor combined with the perfectly smooth tiles, she found staying upright quite a challenge. “Hah!” Atarashii swung her staff to the right, and, because she had been putting all her weight and strength into her pole, Oki began to fall swiftly towards Atarashii’s face. Atarashii swerved her pole back left, crashing it right smack in Oki’s face. Shrieking in pain, Oki pulled back, this time with trickles of blood coming from her nostrils and mouth. Laughing, Atarashii smiled cockily and said, “You know, that’s really a good look for you!” Aiming her staff at her foe’s head, she yelled, “Cherry Blossom Blizzard!” and unleashed her attack. Oki flew out of the way and blasted her way through the roof. The whirlwind of petals demolished the pantries and the sink of Minami’s lavish kitchen instead. “Curses,” Atarashii muttered angrily as she took to the air through what was once the galley roof and after Oki.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Atarashii sung quietly as she soared slowly over the wide plains of Kaioshin-kai. She had been searching for the sea-witch for nearly half an hour, and had found no clues. It was as if Oki had disappeared from the planet all together. “For such a heavy talker, she sure is a coward,” the teen Guardian muttered to herself. “Maybe she did leave-“
“HAH! RAGE OF THE TSUNAMI!!”
“Nani!?” Before Atarashii could react, a tornado-like blast knocked her out of the air. All the air rushed out of her lungs when she landed hard on the dirt, and all she could do for a few seconds was listen to her lungs crinkle and her breath whistle in and out of her body. “Oh...”
Laughing her head off, Oki emerged from the lake and landed on the ground beside Atarashii.“I can’t believe I took you by surprise, dear Ichi! Ha! Ha! Ha!”
“Atarashii,” the other snarled.
“Whatever.” Oki pointed her staff at Atarashii, only inches from her face. “Now I shall kill you, and you will feel the pain I felt when you imprisoned me, my immortal lover.”
“I TOLD YOU ALREADY! I’M NOT ICHI!” Atarashii screeched up at the witch, having regained her breath. “I am Atarashii N. Aoi! I am the reincarnation of Ichi, who was killed by Buu!” She took in another gulp of air and kept going. “Look, I am really, really, REALLY, sorry that Ichi imprisoned you! But she was upset too, and didn’t want to!”
Oki sniffed. “Maybe you are Ichi, and maybe you are not, young girl-“
“I’m glad we agree on that.”
“-but I know that you/she confined me to that well with utter hatred for me in her heart!!” To Atarashii’s complete surprise, she heard a distinct sob in Oki’s voice.
I don’t believe it, she thought, Oki’s still in love with Ichi! Grunting, Atarashii pulled herself up to her knees, and then to her feet. Oki did not stop her from doing so; her cold, heartless eyes were now blank, like someone trapped in a bad memory. Atarashii thought back to the day her grandpa Thomas had died. Her father had had that exact same look in his eyes, the look that a part of the living person had died with the person they loved. “Look; I’m sorry that Ichi hurt you so badly. But you were hurting people, Oki!! You killed Rou’s girlfriend, Nasai!! Ichi may have loved you, but her first and foremost duty was to protect the Kaioshins, and you were threatening them!” The witch’s eyes began to moisten and she dropped her staff. But Atarashii ignored her, and kept ranting. “I know that you still love Ichi, and I also understand why you hate her so! But...but she’s gone. There’s nothing we can do to change that...nothing.” She shook like she was cold, and tears dripped off of her face. Looking at Oki, she continued, “But I will say this; please, please leave my friends alone! I don’t want to hurt you, but I WILL if you refuse to stop what you are doing!” Oki just blinked in confusion and despair. Her face twisted, trying to remember how to do anything other than scowl. A crystal-clear tear trickled from her eye, forming a tiny river down to her chin.
“Atarashii-“
“FREEZE, WITCH!” Both Oki and Atarashii whirled around to find the Kaioshins, Taihen, and Judaiko behind them. All looked very angry; Minami was preparing a ki blast, and the two teens were gearing up their staves, ready to attack.
“NO!” Atarashii ran out to them, arms outstretched. “Stop! Don’t attack!” Her friends gave her dumbfounded looks, but she ignored them, and turned back to Oki. “You were saying?” Oki smiled a bit crookedly, like she didn’t know how to perform the simple gesture.
“Atarashii...Kaioshins...and other Guardians. I am sorry, truly sorry.”
Taihen snarled. “You’re gonna be.”
Atarashii scowled at her friend. “Shuddap!”
Oki carried on without paying attention to Taihen’s comment, seeming to be lost in her own world. “I have caused you all great pain.” She took in a deep breath. “Ichi is gone, so I must go too. Goodbye...Atarashii.” A blinding flash filled the sky, like every single star in the universe had all gone nova all at once. When it was gone, Atarashii lowered her arm.
“What?”
Oki was gone, and only one thing remained: a necklace of a wave upon black thread. Looking at it, Rou said softly, “That was the pendant Oki wore as a sign of her marriage to Ichi! See!” He took Atarashii’s staff in his hand and it reverted into a necklace. Putting the two together, they fused into one pendant: it was like a yin-and-yang necklace, but instead of black and white, it was a purple cherry blossom merged with Oki’s wave pendant.
“Gorgeous...” Atarashii whispered, taking the necklace from Rou and fingering it. When she put it around her neck, she felt the same soul-filling warmth she had experienced when she had received her first pendant. “Simply gorgeous.” She felt a hand slide into hers. Looking up, her eyes met Minami’s, and she smiled. “The danger is gone, my love.”
Smiling back at her, the southern god swept her up into his open arms and kissed her lovingly. “Yes, it is.”
“And do you, Atarashii/Judaiko/Taihen, accept this man, Minami no Kaioshin/Kibito/Kaiobit, as your lawfully wedded husband?” Atarashii stifled a laugh, then looked over at her friends. She felt ridiculous, dressed up in this huge, goofy, white gown and holding a bouquet of snapdragons (her all-time fav. flowers) while reciting vows on Dai Kaio’s planet. Her train, along with those of her friends, had to be longer than a redwood tree was tall! That, and being surrounded by not just Kaios, but a whole bunch of dead people too, was a tad intimidating. Taihen, as usual, had that look of “I can deal with this!”, and Judaiko was right at home; the center of attention for all to awe at. Her friends gave her confident smiles, reassuring her and giving her strength like they always had, then all three said loudly, “I do!”
The Kaio holy man grinned widely and held up his hands. “Then I pronounce you, all SIX of you, that is, husbands and wives!” The crowd cheered madly, clapping and hooting and whistling all at once, as the three brides each kissed their own husband. Minami smiled as he held Atarashii tightly, and she returned it.
“I can’t believe we finally did it,” she breathed.
“Believe it, my love,” he whispered in her ear, tickling it. “But if it’s a dream, then please don’t wake me up.” She laughed loudly and hugged him all the more tighter, reveling in his strength. Atarashii had her face to the crowd, amused by all their faces. But then...
“Oki!” She jerked out of Minami’s arms and rushed down the aisle, ignoring everyone’s gasps of shock. She was sure she had seen Oki, sure of it! Running down the street with her dress hiked up so as not to trip on it, she saw her and waved her arm at her. “Oki! It’s me, Atarashii!”
Oki turned around and stared at Atarashii, perplexed. Pointing a finger at her face, she said, “Who me?” Atarashii started to answer, then realized that this wasn’t Oki after all. Her hair was different, cut short and braided. She was younger too, about fourteen. But still... Scrunching her eyes, Atarashii focused on this girl’s ki signal. It was just like Oki’s...could it be?
“What is your name, girl?”
“Me? I am Shinobi O. Kai, madam.”**
Atarashii blinked, then put a hand on Shinobi’s shoulder, pulling her back to the wedding. “Boy, do I have a whopper of a tale to tell you, young lady.”
