Eitsu's Nine Lives (永津の九生) [yuri/GL yokai reincarnation story]

20 - Shinigami

Chapter 20, let's goooo!

And now, all of my stories have hit 20 chapters. I'm releasing this bonus chapter early since I wanted to keep all of my stories at the same number of chapters, and after splitting one of the chapters of At the Water's Edge in half, it meant that one story was running ahead of the others. Balance has now been restored.

I still haven't had a chance to edit the published chapters. I swear I'm getting to it. So there are probably a few typos, a bit of inconsistency, and definitely missing footnotes (including this chapter), but I know, I'm aware, that will be fixed soon.

Thanks for reading. Please give the story a rating if you're enjoying it. We're not even half way yet, so I hope you'll join me for the remainder.

***

They sat side by side on the bed, not touching, but close enough.

"We've... done some, honestly, pretty shitty things to each other."

"I believe that what I did was worse."

"Believe all you like, but I literally drove you insane."

"You didn't mean it, though."

"So? It doesn't change the fact that I hurt you."

"I hurt you too."

"We're just going to go around in circles, are we?"

Something that was almost a laugh escaped from Tsubaki's lips, but she sobered quickly. "The eighth..."

"It was Rei. Of course it was Rei. Not that I knew at the time, but I recognised his voice now. He was angry that I kept going back to you."

"Why do you keep coming back to me?"

"Fucked if I know."

Tsubaki jabbed a hand into Eitsu's ribs and she wriggled like a landed fish.

"Ack! Don't do that!"

"I'm asking seriously."

"I think there's a couple of things," Eitsu said, rubbing her side. "In my second life, you said you followed white butterflies to find me, didn't you?"

"Also... also the third. A-and..."

"And? Come on, I think we know exactly what we've done to each other, and yet we're both still here, talking. Is there something else you want to confess to?"

"And your fourth."

"And after that?"

"They stopped helping me." Tsubaki's voice was softer and more gentle than Eitsu had heard in this life. "Well... they let me deliver the jujube to you in your fifth. I had some idea, by that time, of what that... Rei could do."

"And then they came to me instead."

"When? How?"

"In the sixth. I didn't just dance up to your doorstep by coincidence. And the seventh, I think. Not that I could see them."

"I... I see."

"Hm? You seem kind of disappointed."

"No, not at all. I just... being who you are, I thought it was luck."

"Wasn't it a kind of luck? I made it to you twice before that person got to me. Although my eighth life... How did he find me? Do you know anything about shinigami, my priestess?"

"No, only what was spoken about in the meeting."

"I might have to go and find someone who does, then."