"Fou..."
"I agree. It's raining cats and dogs out there." Tamamo said. She was currently in the kitchen, still clad in her maid uniform and in front of a stove. In front of her was a steel pot, filled with various assortments of foods and whatnot. She was still trying to get used to Primate Murder's presence here, and was still clearly wary of the little fuzzball. "Ooh, I hope Haru is okay." A thought came to her, and she promptly gushed. "But if he is soaked, I can offer to join him in the bath~!"
"Fou. Fou fou kyu..." The little creature barked.
Tamamo frowned. "Oh, zip it, Primate Murder! A wife can dream! Besides, from what Okaa-sama told me, one of his more… questionable hobbies involved breasts."
"Fou..." Primate Murder shook its head in exasperation.
"Hush, you!" Seriously?! Just why was this Beast so judgmental of her?! Can't she enjoy her plans without criticism from it?!
Huffing, she went back to dinner. She had a feeling that it would help boost her husband's mood, if only a little. He had been so hopelessly depressed, waiting for Asia's condition to recover. She was also concerned for the girl, and sincerely hoped that she would get better soon. Unfortunately, despite all the power she had at her disposal, not even someone like her had the power to help her. Another time she once again felt useless, and yet here she was, with all nine aspects gathered and at full power.
What kind of Heroic Spirit was she?
She heard the door open. "Oh! He's back!" Mood improving, she instantly darted out of the kitchen. As she approached the entry way, she had a nice little speech and plan in mind. Given how lecherous Haru was, there was no way he couldn't take up the offer of having "her" for dinner and/or in the bath! That was, assuming his nosebleed didn't stop him. Whenever he had a nosebleed, he always passed out. Now that she thought about it, she was amazed by how much blood could spew from his nose and he'd still be alive. How much blood did he have? Pushing the thought aside for now, she entered the entry way, about to recite what would surely lead to a night of passion, only to freeze. "Goodness! You're drenched!"
Haru looked positively wet. From head to toe, his clothes were completely soaked. His hair, which was usually messy, was now patted down, no doubt due to the heaven pelting of rain. His clothes clung to him tightly, giving her an ample view of how skinny he was. While she hadn't seen him naked yet, on account of him desperately (and embarrassingly) attempting to prevent her from joining him. Clearly, he wasn't used to a girl being so aggressive in their advances. It was certainly cute, and adorable, especially for all his talk of being so perverse.
What made Tamamo confused, however, was the utterly bleak look on his face. It was like a corpse, so devoid of emotion and warmth that for a moment, she thought she was staring at someone else.
"H-Haru?" Tamamo called out to him. "Are you—"
Haru had only looked up at her for only a moment before he lunged at her, his arms snaking around her and pulling her towards him. "Mikou?!" Tamamo squeaked, but not without a blush on her cheeks. How forward! Perhaps a little risque and dinner pillow talk wasn't needed after...
Tamamo's thoughts ceased when she felt Haru shaking, practically holding on to her for dear life. His shoulders trembled, and she could faintly hear him sobbing. She gingerly wrapped an arm around him and patted him on the head in a comforting motion. "There there… what's wrong?"
"A-As… Asia… she… s-she… she's..."
He couldn't finish. Instead, all he was reduced to was a blubbering mess, slowly crumbling to the floor. All he could manage was incoherent gibberish and cries, with the white creature looking on in sadness while Tamamo did her best to comfort him.
It took two hours for Haru to calm down and tell her what had happened at school, and another an hour before his body had caught up with him. The poor boy was sleeping away his burdens, in no small part due to Tamamo putting a charm on him to help calm him down. If he were awake, a small part of him would have been thrilled to experience the famous Lap Pillow, but given what had happened, she was sure he would be more depressed than anything. Her fingers gently stroked his red locks, trying her best to soothe him.
"The gods in this world certainly are cruel." Unknown to anyone but Tamamo herself, a few of her aspects had appeared. Tamamo Cat sat in the kitchen, practically crying her eyes out like she was trying to outdo Haru in that regard while Tamamo Shark sat on the other end of the sofa, knees curled up to her chest. Compared to them, the "Assassin" aspect that was Tamamo-vitch seemed by far the most composed, taking up residence on a nearby chair with an arm folded beneath her bosom. "Then again, when aren't they? I'm surprised the boy hadn't fallen apart on the way here."
The current Tamamo in control scowled, pupils devolving into something primal. "We just found out that Asia-chan is going to die, and here you are, sounding so damned composed." she seethed, glaring daggers at the woman. "Do you feel nothing?"
"She's right!" the "Berserker" aspect cried in outrage, tears still spilling from her eyes. "How cold-hearted can you be?!"
"Because it is pointless to get so flustered over the inevitable." She replied simply. "Humans die, one way or the other. Or have you already forgotten that?" She adjusted her glasses, revealing her eyes that reflected nothing but cold apathy. "We are not human. We are a Heroic Spirit. More than that, we are a fragment of Amaterasu-no-Mikoto. We will live far longer than a human ever will."
"Bitch." the "Lancer" aspect spat coldly.
"I'm just stating a fact. The nun's life was cut short the moment she was hooked onto that device. Her humanity is at its end..." She paused briefly, then shrugged. "Of course, she could become a Devil. That Gremory woman said it herself, her kind can reincarnate humans into their species. Then again, I doubt she'd take her up on that offer. She is a woman of faith, is she not?"
"She is, which is why I don't think that would be an option for her." Tamamo replied.
That, and she still didn't quite trust the Devils. She was still sore about the fact that they took control of a portion of her homeland, even if it had been by legal means. Even if it was not her homeworld, the fact remained that it was still Japan. As much as she wanted to actually trust the Devils, particularly the one with the glasses as she found her far more hospitable than that red haired floozy, she couldn't bring herself to actually take their word for it.
The "Assassin" aspect smiled thinly. "Exactly. Admittedly, I do feel a bit sorry for the girl… but what can you do? Human life is fragile."
"Enough." the head personality snarled. "Why don't you go help the others keep her in check? If I hear another word come out from your mouth, Tamamo-vitch, we will have more than words." Shrugging, the woman shrugged and vanished. Despite being gone, however, her presence still lingered, bringing a sour taste to her mouth.
Tamamo Cat growled. "I hate her. I really do."
"What do we do?" the "Lancer" aspect asked, looking at Haru with misty eyes. "If Asia-chan dies..."
Tamamo sighed and hung her head low before looking at Haru, a finger stroking his cheek. There had to be something she could do, couldn't there?