Ice and soot covered the entire area. The fountain, which was perhaps the defining feature of the park, had been partially destroyed. Half of the concrete walls that contained the water was smashed open, letting some of the contents spill out. Small fissures and craters rested in the pavement, or rather what was left of it. Benches had been reduced to shards and splinters, some of which had been completely destroyed. The water fountain had been completely frozen over from top to bottom, making it look like some kind of demented ice sculpture. A good majority of the trees in the surrounding area that provided such a superb background had been also destroyed beyond recognition. A few were scorched beyond repair, branches naked while others had been reduced to mere disgraceful stumps.
"About a good hour has gone by, and the magic power that fills the area is still prominent." Sona remarked coolly as she adjusted her glasses. Beneath the item were sharp eyes that gleamed with both annoyance and calm fury. "The attacker was very powerful and well-versed. Moreover, the amount of power was assuredly meant to kill whoever they were fighting." She turned to Rias, who looked equally as angry yet at the same time just as spooked. "And according to Toujou-san… the one responsible for this was Tamamo-no-Mae?"
The heir of Gremory nodded. "Yes. She said that Hyoudou-kun summoned him." She pursed her lips, folding her arms beneath her ample bust. "That boy possessed no magical power… and yet I know Koneko wouldn't lie. ESPECIALLY not about something like this."
The girl had been absolutely serious in her report. There was no mistaking that expression of fear she had.
She had good reason to be afraid, if it truly was Tamamo-no-Mae.
Sona looked back at the devastation before her. Such a sight was ugly, and more importantly, insulting. Such destruction, and in the middle of the territory she shared alongside Rias. Territory they were supposed to maintain. It was utterly disgraceful.
"Kaichou." Tsubaki called, approaching from behind her. "We've created a bounded field. It should last for a few days. Long enough for us to repair the park."
"Thank you, Tsubaki."
Her Queen was silent. "... do you really believe it really was Tamamo-no-Mae?"
"Logically speaking, no." the King of the Sitri peerage answered. "She died long ago at the hands of soldiers and magicians alike. However, logically speaking usually refers to ordinary humans. She was a nine-tailed fox on top of being the Avatar of Amaterasu-no-Mikoto. The only true way to confirm this would be to monitor Hyoudou-kun closely."
Rias, mulling over the situation herself, noticed something lying on the ground. Curious, she bent down and picked it up. It appeared to be a black metal container, bearing a golden insignia resembling some sort of dragon. "What is this?" she wondered, opening it to find nine cards, each depicting a different figure with a name attached. "How curious..."
"What is it, Rias?" Sona asked.
"This. I found it lying on the ground." She gave it to Sona, who took it and looked it over. "Strangely, it survived the destruction around it. Completely unharmed, I might add."
The Sitri heiress remained quiet as she inspected the container and its contents. How strange. The cards themselves seem to be composed of normal card stock, yet there was something different about them. Of what, she couldn't say. She gently rapped her knuckles against the container. "It seems to be made of some sort of metal." she inspected. "And it's magically reinforced. Whoever created it meant for it to withstand virtually almost anything. I'd wager it could handle your Power of Destruction and still come out unscathed."
"Really?" Rias asked, surprised. "But why reinforce something as simple as a box full of cards?"
"Who can say? For now, let's find Hyoudou-kun and our troublesome youkai." Sona's eyes narrowed dangerously, showing that she meant business. "If this truly is Tamamo-no-Mae we're dealing with, then we'd best be on our guard here."
"S-so, let me get this straight. You're Tamamo-no-Mae."
"Yep."
"The same Tamamo-no-Mae from Shinto folklore?"
"That's me."
"A-and the reason you saved me from Yuma-chan was because I summoned you."
"That's it." Tamamo said with the same sing-song tone, all the while grinning like a fool. Then her face melted into a small frown. "Still, that hag was quite rude! Attacking me after you went through the trouble of bringing me here! Who does she think she is?" Her frown grew further, puffing her cheeks. "And all I managed to do was just get a wing off of her. Hmph!"
Haru stared at the woman who had called herself his wife not too long ago, not sure whether she was perhaps insane or if he was still dreaming. He was too confused to tell, and this damned headache that has plagued him all day was not helping matters. "Um, okay..." he said, sighing. "This is so weird. Too much stuff happening way too fast..."
First his supposed girlfriend tried to kill him, then he passes out, then he wakes up on a lap pillow of a girl who claims to be the incarnation of Amaterasu from Shinto legend as well as his wife...
It was too much.
My head hurts. Haru thought. His skull felt as if it was about to crack and shatter apart. Dammit, I think it's worse than when Kaichou let me go home early the other day.
"Are you alright, Husband?" Tamamo asked him, face written plainly with concern. "You look like you're in pain."
God this felt so weird. Any other day, he'd be happy to have someone like this call him like that. Especially a girl as cute as this. However, given everything that's happened to him today, it just felt so… strange. Out of place.
"It's nothing." he told her with a small smile. "My head's just been hurting for the last couple of days. So, um, Tamamo-san–"
"Tama-chan."
Haru blinked. "Eh?"
"Call me Tama-chan." Tamamo told him with a strangely serious face.
"O-okay, Tama-chan..." he corrected himself. The woman now smiled.
His heart went aflutter, seeing such a beautiful smile. Aaah, he must have been the luckiest guy on the—no, wait. Focus brain! "S-so, what happened to Yuma-chan?"
"Oh, you mean the hag?" Tamamo pouted. "The filthy crow got away before I could clip her wings." Then a wide smile formed across her face. "But I think she got the message. Nobody messes with a newlywed!"
"N-Newlywed?!" Haru gaped. Just what happened when he was unconscious?!
"Uh-huh!" Tamamo chirped. "A summoning is like a marriage contract, no?"
Haru stared at her, mouth agape. Summoning? What?! The hell was going on?! Was this another weird-ass dream?! He knew he was dreaming of a girl that would be like a housewife or something, but this was not what he had in mind?! He soon cringed in pain when his skull throbbed once more. Damn this headache of his. It was only making things worse.
Maybe he should just head home for the day. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. At least then he'd get… some...
"... oh my god." he realized as he palmed his face with horror, much to the fox girl's confusion. "My parents are going to MURDER me..."
It was late, so freaking late! He was supposed to have been home hours ago! Forget Yuma, they were going to tear him apart!
Tamamo was oblivious to his obvious plight, though she didn't really mind. Instead, she merely giggled to herself. He's so adorable, she thought giddily. To think I have a Master like him! I'm so lucky. Then she paused and reflected on the situation. No, that wasn't right. He wasn't her Master. And she wasn't a Servant, either. At least, not anymore. It was so strange, how she was called into the world in such a strange manner. She flexed her hands, letting her prana flow through her. Compared to her time as a Caster-class Servant, the power that flowed through her was in much greater force.
There was also, of course, the fact that she lacked an astral form. This body was nothing but pure flesh and blood. It was quite a strange phenomenon. Servants summoned by the Grail are granted a physical body made of Prana. Yet her body is physical and real.
It made her quite curious about her new husband. What kind of summoning method did he use? Could it even really be called that? If she remembered right, there was a magic that could resurrect the dead. The Heaven's Feel. It was what was used to call forth Fragments of Heroic Spirits: the Servants who embodied their legend. She classified as a Caster, Lancer and Berserker, but only one version of her could exist. And each Servant only had a fraction of her power. Of course, it was natural. She was a Divine Spirit, so her power was obviously limited.
Yet she had access to all that power. It felt quite strange.
At present, though, she didn't need to worry about the details of her apparent summoning. For now, she'll just enjoy her time with her darling husband!
I wonder what his parents are like?