Human Side Stories: Sasaki and the Last God. (Patreon)

Human Side Stories: Sasaki and the Last God.

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Wordcount: 5000

Commissioned by zomfgmikeftw

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The kitchen was as it’d always been. Granite countertops, wooden tables, and stainless steel. The refrigerator was an American made ice-room whose door wielded a television screen with casual grace, while also being far too tall for me to routinely dust its top. There were two ovens atop one another, next to a functional fireplace, and the range was custom-built monstrosity of four heating elements and a griddle. The ingredients for the kitchen were all in a storeroom as large as the kitchen itself with temperature-controlled, time-controlled shelves of foodstuffs of the highest variety possible. 

Yes. 

The gigantic fridge that may not have a shackled, imprisoned AI whose sole purpose was to assist in providing me recipes, was solely for takeout and frozen confections. Kita informed me that I was paranoid and crazed when I voiced my concerns and worries about the AI possibly imprisoned in our fridge. The way he’d smiled, as he told me that there wasn’t an AI interred in our fridge made me doubt his every word, but that was something he’d do on a whim as to make me concerned.

But, of course, what is the reason for my current status within the kitchen? Kita is off spending time with Li Song. They are eating at an incredibly luxurious, Japanese restaurant which I’ve longed to visit for the longest time.  Therefore, I had no reason to cook dinner for the night, especially when there was plenty of leftovers, despite a certain someone’s constant attempts to make sure there were not. The number of pre-prepared meals I had at my disposal numbered in the dozens. Some were from restaurants, others I made myself, and a few were emergency, military rations which were fair enough in flavor. 

I ought to simply heat one up and be on my way.

Yet, I stand in the massive kitchen built for me by Kita morose and hungry, but without an appetite to speak of.

Naturally, the hero of my current situation is Angela. 

She entered the kitchen as she always did whenever Miyakuro wasn’t present. Barely dressed in shorts and a loose, stolen shirt, her brownish locks flowed freely and framed her face. She was a beautiful, fairy-like creature that was lithe and slim in all the correct ways, as well as sporting muscle beneath unmarred skin. She didn’t pay me any attention as she entered the kitchen, simply approaching the fridge, taking her share of half-a-dozen prepared portions, and subsequently preparing them all at once. The ones she wished to eat first were set for the microwave, whilst the other three found themselves being heated in an oven.

She was finishing her first plateful of food, before she took notice of me.

“…sup.” Her mouth was full, her plate was full, and she stared at me with wide, scarlet eyes. The surprise she felt was not enough to make her choke. Years of experience ensured that her pace of chewing barely slowed, let alone stop, in the face of embarrassment and shame. “Do you want some?”

The proffered meal was a military ration meant for Battleships. The calories in a single bite was in excess of five thousand calories. The spoon she was using bent beneath the weight and density of the meat-like loaf studded with many flavors and seasoning. I’ve watched many videos of normal citizens trying and failing to eat a quarter of it, as well as stating that they had no need to eat for a week due to its delayed digestion effect if not required by the body, yet Angela had consumed three quarters of it in a matter of moments. 

There was only one possible answer to her question.

“No. seeing you eat is filling enough.” At my words, Angela’s spirits silently shattered as she looked at her current meal, the other meals heating around her, and then back at me. A bright blush formed on her cheeks that formed a band of red across her face that reached the tip of her ears. Cute. Amazingly pretty. Refreshingly adorable. “But I thank you for the offer.”

When did it come to be that the Soviet woman was a statuesque, platinum blonde with curves and lovely padding? How was this elfin creature that blushed so deeply and cutely not the most wonderful representation of Soviet, cultural supremacy? The former stunned onlookers to silence, as well as nearly impossible to approach and speak to with any measure of confidence. But beings like Angela? Fairy-like creatures that blushed so cutely when found doing something strange? There should be one in every household. They should dominate the movies. Whole genres of literature ought to be dedicated to them.

While beauty and grace in all its forms fade… cuteness is forever. 

“L-look, Kita-kun’s on the television!” For a second, I believed that Angela was attempting to lure my smiling gaze upon her, so that she could flee. However, as her eyes widened and her mouth stop chewing, it couldn’t have been a lie. She could certainly open her eyes wide in feigned surprise, but not while consciously stopping herself from chewing. So, I looked and felt my own eyes widen as shock gripped me. Kita was indeed on television, and he was eating with Li Song, but I cared not for his dinner guest. What struck me completely and utterly was that his prosthetics lay on the floor… as he marveled at his returned limbs. “Li’s finally helping him, Sasaki!”

For the longest time, I’ve known that I’ve been unfair to Li Song. Kita chose the path to power even when I told him that I’d leave him. The person whom I loved, the caring man who tries to hide his love behind a continent’s worth of thorns, would always fight against the foe’s humanity faced. Whether Li Song was involved or not was entirely irrelevant. My dearest friend would never simply stand by and watch humanity be preyed upon by anyone and anything, so long as he had a choice.

I’d been unfair for the longest time, since I did not wish to ever fight Kita again about his choices. My choices were utterly petty, inconsiderate, and bull-headed in the extreme. Even when Kita confronted me about my feelings, I had chosen to stay silent as he chastised me. Everything he’d told me that day resounded within my head, as I chose to do wrong even though I knew what was right, but until now I never allowed myself to reflect and react to his words. 

Not until Li Song proved to me that he would choose Miyakuro Kita over humanity just as I would. 

Then, those words crashed down upon me with all the weight they were meant to.

…

The room was bright, warm, and comforting. The shadows in the living room were few, only to make sure that it felt more welcome, yet they seemed almost sinister in the edges of my vision. The television’s noise had been too much, as well as the brightness of its screen, yet I couldn’t decide if the silence from shutting it off was better or worse I did not know how long I sat waiting on the coach, but it felt far too long for me to spend alone with my thoughts. 

However, time moved onward nonetheless and Kita-kun soon arrived. 

“Seriously, of all the people that could’ve been around to help you out, it was Angela?” He had both of his eyes ago. The steely grey he’d had, even before he told me he finally remembered his past life, shone bright in both his eyes. Not only that, but he’d opened the door with his returned hand and stepped in with the leg he’d lost. He was wasting no time in showing me how wrong I’d been. “Yeah? Why not? I respect you. Do you think I’ll lie straight to your face about how terrible you were being? 

“No. I wouldn’t want that.” That was a lie that we both acknowledged the moment it was said. I’m no one special. Just a normal girl raised all her life according to tradition by parents who wanted her to be a trophy wife. The only courageous thing I’ve ever done is run away and leave everything behind… to the utter bastard who’ never do anything I said no matter what. Even as I tried to wipe away the damned snot and tears, all he did was cross his arms and smirk. “…Tell me that you already have enough power already. Tell me that I was wrong about Li. Tell me that no matter what I do, I’ll just never understand you.”

“Okay. I do have enough power to not fuck around with sacrifices anymore. Yes, you were very wrong about Li. And, finally, yes, you’ll never understand me. Why? Because, if you understood me as much as you wanted, we’d all have to be Chimera and there’d be no point in trying.” Kita took a seat next to me, stretched, and sprawled himself across the couch. His smirk was still plastered firmly upon his lips. He returned arm encompassed my shoulder and he brought me closer to him, even as I tried to push him away from the mess he was trying to stupidly hug. “There, I’ve told you that you were wrong. Now, feel better. That was your grand plan, right? It’s worked out perfectly. Now that I’ve chastised you, life can continue as usual, and there’ll no longer be any problems, right?”

The glare I managed was weak, but it was glare nonetheless. 

It even stayed when he brought me close and held me in his arms. 

“Life’s harsh, unfair, and cruel, Sasaki. We’re all fucked up somehow or another. The best we idiots can do is just try our best to not fuck up every time we’re given the chance… or at least get the fuck up after we fuck up.” Kita’s words weren’t what I wanted to hear, but it was what I needed. They were harsh enough to make my tears come forth again, but I didn’t mind since fancy clothes were going to the dry cleaners. As far as I was concerned, the pretty clothes were now a second home for my sniffles and tears. “All we can do is our fucking best, even if that’s pitiful as fuck, that’s all anyone can do, y’know?”

Through all the disgusting feelings, tears, and snot, I managed to take a breath and speak.

“And, I hated Li Song for doing his best all the time.”

“Well, your parents were shit, are shit, and will always be shit, but everyone loves them since they’re strong and great. Imagine who else everyone loves and is also strong and great? Did you guess? I’ll give you three tries and the first two don’t’ count.” Kita laughed as I tried to pull myself away from him. Now this I wasn’t ready to hear, nor did I want to acknowledge, but he held onto me while he spoke. I couldn’t escape. “Naturally, since you’re not a self-depreciating idiot like Hyoudou, you want people you love to be treated as well as you. Therefore, when an almighty authority figure comes in to handle the life of someone you care about… well… I’m sure you know better than me.”

Once the words reached me, I knew why Kita didn’t share those words with me before. If he had told me that I was trying to punish Li Song for my parent’s actions, I would have apologized to him immediately. In fact, I’d have gone out of my way to become his friend through any means necessary for making him the receptacle of all my hatred. There’d have been no stopping me, until I was utterly sure that Li Song was a happy, normal boy… completely out of a sense of personal loathing of the highest caliber. 

The relationship we would have had would’ve been one composed entirely of lies. 

Lies which will be unveiled sooner, rather than later, given the company he kept. 

Sometimes… I really disliked being with someone who knew me better than I knew myself.

“Yeah, it gets pretty old really quick, to be honest.”

I almost laughed.

Almost. 

…

“Heeeyyy, you knooowww thiss issn’t going to heellpppp.” Elma Freischutz spoke into the spinning blades of a fan, as she sat in the center of my room. Not the one I shared with Miyakuro, but the room which he provided for me to pursue my hobbies in. He naturally gave me more than I needed. The room was as large as a dojo, with the floor panels each being perfectly original, soft tatami panels. The equipment to manufacture kimono were all perfectly arranged in all over the room, while still permitting me a place to entertain my friends. However, all my machines were now silent, as I strove to decorate and fill the hand-made basket I’d weaved for Li Song with Elma’s “aid.” “He likes simple stuff. Fancy, rich things are just going to go over his head!”

“And, could you have not informed of that before I went out of my way making this?” It had not been a terribly difficult affair to construct what I had before me, but it had taken a certain amount of time. All the materials I required were present for my handicraft project. There was some leftover wicker from my enterprise to create traditional, wide-brim hats and there was plenty of fabric that should not be wasted to line the insides and the handle. The basket was a quite nice affair that I would be very pleased to receive, a rustic affair on the outside, but still elegant and ergonomic. Yet, now I was being told that it would not be appreciated, as I wondered how to fill it. “Elma, I’m very disappointed in you.”

“Well, you hadn’t asked, my dear.” Elma sighed and sprawled herself out on the tatami. Her usual, childish demeanor was nowhere to be seen, since I’d seen through her ploy. Initially, she’d been aghast at being seen through, but now she was a refugee who stole Miyakuro’s shirts and offered them to me in tribute, so that she can slack off in my room. He disliked his favored shirts being patched up, thus he stored them away with magic, but now I had a means to get at them! One that was quite the nice conversationalist, too. “If you’d only sought the wisdom of you elders, then you would’ve fared less poorly!”

“Mhmm. Indeed, yes. So, I now seek your venerable wisdom, my dear. Grant me some succor from my failings.”

“Yes. Very well. I shall since you’ve asked so nicely!”

Elma giggled first, but I laughed shortly after. It didn’t take long for her to rise and join me to stare at options I was staring at for gifts. Her brow furrowed, but it was not out of frustration, but instead an action brought by deep thought. As I watched her think, I couldn’t help but feel the need to dress her up in a perfect kimono. She was lithe, small, and fairy-like, despite her age, so she was the perfect model who’d save me much work and fabric. The perfect partner for a spoiled hobbyist who wanted to make the most of another’s kindness. 

“Bread, jam, and some persevered meats will do the trick.” My dreams of dressing a snow-white-haired fairy with ruby eyes were dashed away by the worst suggestion I’d ever heard. Elma must have noticed my thoughts and emotions regarding her suggestion, since she spoke to defend her poor suggestion. “What? That’s the best possible gift to give to Li Song! Pick out some nice, simple food he’ll enjoy with tea!”

“Of course, the best gift to give a man who lives in a modern palace filled with world-class maids is food for him to enjoy.” I was not bitter about not living in Preserver’s HQ. I enjoy my current standard of living quite a bit. Being withint a secluded dimension, having access to downtown Tokyo, and enjoying whatever I wished from any restaurant or any recipe leaves me with very, very little things to complain about. However, even if I was a fair cook, I couldn’t exactly compare to the likes of Homunculi maids who prepared feasts every night that shall please all who gathers around the table. “Li Song’s table is filled with culinary delights the world over and you suggest that I assemble some bread, jelly, and preserved meat?”

“Hmph, then you’ve assumed wrongly of Li Song due to lack of spending time with him! Allow me to tell tou the simplest of facts about Li Song: he is never ungrateful for anything he’s been given! That boy was lived and bred in the wasteland and it shows every single day in his every action.” Elma clambered up onto the low table to make her declaration. The fluttering of her skirt due to the fan, as well as her scandalous underwear, would’ve caused a stir amongst me, but I simply appreciated the sight and moved on to hear more about the man who I’d wronged from the moment we first met. “Anything new, anything freely give, and anything from the heart… will reach his own heart without a shred of doubt!”

“Even something sent by a jealous, crazy bitch?”

“Yep, even from you.” I hadn’t needed to confirm Miyakuro’s words, but the question and answer came merely as a matter of course in our conversation. Angela was cute, endearing, and refreshing, while Elma is someone who I can confide in and share all my innermost concerns. That is simply how things have been since I’ve met the two. “Heck, you can just give him the basket and he’ll appreciate what you’ve done. Sure, he’s sometimes a bit dull-witted, but he’s sharp and picks up cues very well!”

If anyone else said those words, I would’ve contested them, but instead I found myself looking towards the screen hovering upon the table. With a few strokes of the haptic board, I located all that which Elma suggested and had them set to be delivered to the front of my home. It would be at least a few hours before the deliveries arrive, so there was plenty of time to rest and relax with my friend. 

There was no need for me to admit she was right… I only needed to repay her for her troubles. 

“So, what shall it be this time? A new pillow or a new set of pajamas?”

“Negligee. Breezy. Black.”

“Denied.”

“Then, the pajamas, please! Make sure they have pockets, too!”

“Of course, I don’t believe in pants without pockets.”

“Preach!”

…

“And, she killed all but one of them.”

“What happened to the last one?”

“She left him to die via impalement on a tree.”

“Wonderful.”

“Yep, she’s exactly your type, so go seduce her and make sure she’s okay about everything she’s loved denying and being given power that she doesn’t deserve.” Of all of Li Song’s gifts to Kita, the current one was the strangest and also the one ravenously consuming everything in her path. The Chinese girl was beautiful, with snow white hair, and a figure that shouldn’t belong to a young woman raised off of scraps as cattle. “She’s a good kid, but I need to spend some time making a something that’ll make her talking reasonable, but until then you’re on your own. Make her a lot off. More than what you’ve got there. Or, something along those lines. I’m not your boss. Just making some lovely suggestions to my lovely lover. Kita, out.”

Before I could admonish him for being such a relentless bother, even though I certainly cared enough for him to ignore that fact, he hung up and left me with yet another pretty young woman on the patio. Alas for me, I must invite a tall, leggy, pretty girl into the house I share with the person who I love and adore. Woe is me for being a woman who only likes men! Truly, all is utterly lost and I have no prospects in the future whatsoever. 

Well, what is today’s plan of attack?

Kita informed me that she didn’t speak Japanese at all and her dialect of Chinese was so intentionally terrible Translators barely functioned. Therefore, sitting down with her on the patio overlooking the backyard guarded was not applicable. Still, there was other ways to sway the hearts of others and she was presenting a fair amount of her preference towards one of those ways at this very moment. The new girl was yet another black hole for food that would be a joy to feed… and watch Kita groan about having to supply. 

So, I headed straight for the kitchen and gathered all that I could that could be rapidly made hot. Dumplings were placed into a steamer to rapidly heat. Patties were set upon a sizzling, hot grill. Toast was buttered and placed beneath a broiler. A one-pot pasta recipe came to my rescue, primarily due to its volume guaranteeing that I shall eat well too. Of course, I’d inquired if she had anything against consuming meat, before I set about crafting the quick-and-easy meals. My repertoire of vegetable dishes was limited, but I did pride myself in making a rather hearty vegetable soup on occasion. 

While cannibals certainly deserved their place in… the bad parts of Hell, I was certainly thankful that that they did not limit me to my measly, less-practiced recipes and allowed me to cook dinner for the rest of the household, too. Perhaps, I’ll offer a prayer for their souls, so that they won’t be reborn as cockroaches and as rodents instead, if the afterlife worked as I imagined. 

Anyhow, I soon had a smattering of plates before my guest. They weren’t the Japanese cuisine I too pride in, but they were hearty dishes that I was able to whip up rapidly. American hamburgers of the correct variety, bereft of any vegetation and condiments, as to let cheese, bun, and meat perfectly prepared sing. The stroganoff was a hearty affair with a thick, cream-based sauce, bits of meat, and strong, egg pasta. The toast was presented with simple, creamed ricotta and jam, as to provide a very filling dessert. 

I arranged it all in the patio, once it was all finished simultaneously. I carried the array of foods on a large tray with plates and drinks for two. Given that I didn’t train regularly, it was a struggle to carry the ten kilograms in one hand with a basket of utensils and glasses in the others, but I managed. Still, I managed and arrayed all of my creations before the awestruck survivor that Miyakuro placed on our doorstep. 

Overall, the meal was the sort I’d avoid cooking regularly, given that I was no soldier or Enhanced human. It was something I could only eat twice or thrice a weak without worrying about gaining weight. Miyakuro had told me that human beings could survive on the calories of the meal for a week, when humanity had not been changed foundationally for the better, but I could hardly imagine the notion. Even this young girl from the Wasteland, who only received genetic-treatment thanks to raided rations sent to Earth, absolutely demolished the assembled foods and pitches. 

She actually ate my portions too, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

The girl was practically filling out as she ate. Not in the physical sense, but the emotional one. The wonder in her eyes at the foods she saw both shattered and repaired my heart in an instant. As her eyes brightened at her first taste of sweetness, I couldn’t help but feel my own hunger be sated. The contrast between simple burgers, pasta, and toast utterly dazzled her, leaving her reeling with wide eyes and yelling out in excitement, and though I enjoyed the food she was consuming all by herself… I derived more pleasure watching her eat than I would have myself. 

It was most definitely a strange experience, but one that I planned to cherish forever, too. 

Even without a single word shared between the two of us.

…

The Arcology was quiet. Empty streets stretched in every direction, but it was not bereft of life. In the alleys, at cafes, and even a few shelters, people congregated to hear the news Kita shared with me. Humanity’s whole frontline was devastated to the man, with only one of the Preservers remaining to hold back the tide of Chimera, while the other had to be brought back from near-death in order to supply a single message. 

I was aware that I didn’t understand the extent of it as much as others.

The life I’ve led is that of a prize meant to reward exceedingly good relations. What I was judged not to require was omitted from my education. Out of necessity and the limits of time, I was given only what I would require in the future. Nothing more. My attendance of mandatory schooling, the only normalcy I had in my whole life, was of the barest minimum possible, due to the intent under which I was cultivated. 

Humanity’s loss against the Chimera did not completely reach me.

Kita had been frazzled and surprised by the outcome, to the point where he forgot to explain the matter to me in a manner that I would understand, so I chose instead to see the outcome of the situation myself. 

There was a girl crying alone in an alleyway. She wore a simple, high school uniform, with pants replacing her skirt. Though the Tokyo emblem was proudly borne upon her chest, her hair was a brilliant gold and her features were both Japanese and Western. My parents would not have approved of her in the slightest, so I naturally found myself gravitating towards her, while riffling through my purse for a handkerchief. I found one I’d just recently embroidered and offered it too her. 

I noticed that I made a slight mistake when she looked at me with surprise and awe. 

“Huh?” It might have been a bit much to offer such an expensive fabric with many hours of work upon it. Not because I wished to keep it, but because of humanity’s renewed interest in the supernatural. It did not help that I was fully garbed in a traditional, handmade kimono of my own creation.  “A-are you a goddess?” 

“Thank you, but I am not.” It was a tad difficult to speak to someone who compared me to a deity, especially after I’ve met with a few who truly were gods. Elma, despite her bad habits and impish personality, was a beautiful creature who wouldn’t be out of place in a fairy tale. Then, there were the likes of Altringham and Stiles, as well the pictures Kita shared with me in regards to Camille, Alyss, and Shi Ru. Each one struck a different form of appeal, but it was without a doubt that they were beyond the norm in physical appearance. Especially, Alyss. Ah. No. “I’m just passing by… and wanted to help someone after all I saw.”

“That’s… pretty goddess-like of you, though.” I must have been more flustered than I thought, since the high-schooler lightly laughed as I felt my face heat up. Still, she took my offered handkerchief and dabbed at her tears. Her eyes were red and swollen, but the rest of her features remained immaculate. Every next generation of humanity seemed to benefit form the last more and more. “Are you sure that you’re not? Everyone else… just kept walking by…”

“It can’t be helped.” Kita’s response to her words would be different. He’d lambast her, call her an idiot for thinking help is something only gods can give, and then tell her she’s alone because other people were just self-centered assholes. Then, there’d yet again be another woman to keep him line. Alas, he was minding himself more carefully nowadays, and that was making my plans to cage him in very difficult. “Everyone is handling the situation poorly. I’m feel strange by being one of the few waiting for more news”

Everything and everyone was no intrinsically connected to the point where changes in society happened at a break neck pace. Having been raised to wait quietly, to be patient, and to be calm when bereft of news, I saw the world in a slower, calmer manner. Not to say that it was superior to the current means and methods of societal response, especially since if everyone thought as I did humanity would simply be another world’s worth of mass for the Chimera, but it did give me a certain view point others lacked. 

A view point that might help someone in need, despite how difficult it made my life.

“Why don’t you join me and wait? Put away the communicator and other things and simply walk with me? I’m told that I’m quite boring, so I might even be able to lull you to sleep.”

“Phaha. Sure. It’ll be like a No-Connection hike, huh?” The girl laughed, perhaps at the simple absurdity of my offer, but she took my proffered hand and stopped leaning against the sidewalk. Her grip on my hand was tight, even though her smile was easy, and she followed me without a mote of resistance. She was beautiful, strong, funny, and smart, yet she remained a child nonetheless. “Sure, sure. Lead the way, Megami-sama.”

I nodded and did without complaint, managing to do something right as her eyes widened and some of her forced joy faded away and her eyes turned towards her feet. She shivered and shuddered, but no tears fell as she followed me in my walk through the city.

Kita and the others were already going through. Humanity’s attack has been launched. Many eyes are glued onto screes, watching and waiting in anticipation, as humanity’s gathered allies and armies wait to follow the Preservers. 

All I could do was comfort one person who’d been crying and overwhelmed by it all.

But that was enough for me.