The more they walked together, albeit not side by side, the more she found this entire situation interesting. It was another classic case of light versus dark, good versus bad, but those on the bright side always had it easier when it came to deciding what was kind and what was evil. Perhaps it seemed a bit funny to her, but it was thanks to her brother/ex-husband and his manipulation of others’ tendency to lean either one way or the other did she end up in situations like these almost on a daily basis.
She didn’t feel rage or grievance, however. She almost wanted to take him under her wing, and teach him the ways to distinguish true kindness and true evil, without relying on whatever superpower he had that was watered down by his humanity, his mortality. But if whatever happened between Shuhua and Osiris before taught her any lesson, it was to never meddle with the business of demigods unless they ask for it.
Therefore, Izanami merely calmly nodded with a relaxed smile and proceeded to fill out whatever form the demigod asked for, pen flowing easily on the paper as she detailed the circumstances which she had found the cat in. “Yes, I can join. And I’ll be more than happy to pay for all charges.”
For a long time, In-Soo had thought that he was able to distinguish good from bad. For him, evil things took the shape of black smoke haunting his house and dreams, hiding in the corners, ready to jump on him and devour him. But as he grew up, he discovered that wickedness could hide behind a seductive grin and empty promises whispered in the night, behind hot hands on his body. The awakening had been rude and now he knew better than to trust a warm smile.
Only Hua had been able to bring down his defenses, to allow him to feel safe again. Maybe he was naive but he was ready to take the risk.
"I’m In-Soo" he announced as he came back into his office, depositing a mask, gloves and a plastic apron on his desk. "Are you a goddess ? I feel a strong aura coming from you." She was confusing too, her dark vibes contrasting with her luminous appearance. Maybe all what he thought to know about good and evil was wrong, maybe he was fighting the wrong battle after all. "Those are for you" he added, patting the pile he just brought. "I’m alone so I’d really appreciate your help."
He hesitated a moment, shuffling on his feet as he watched her fill the form. Guilt had seized him again and he gulped, looking for his words. "I… I’d like to explain why I reacted this way towards you. Would you agree to hear me out once we’re done with the cat ?" It was still hard for him to tell others what had happened to his family, especially to strangers, but she deserved an explanation for putting up with him.
"And thank you. In exchange, you get to choose a name for the cat" In-Soo offered with a smile.
“Yes.” Izanami’s reply was a comparatively friendly one, her ‘strong aura’ announcing her presence with ease that came with eternities of existence. “I’m Izanami. Nice to meet you.” She didn’t tell him what kind of a goddess she was, nor did she give a straightforward response to his sudden confession just yet, though. She merely took the gear from the countertop and slipped everything on effortlessly, before gesturing at him to guide her to the operating room.
“I’m sure she’s in good hands,” she murmured instead after a long silence, watching as the feline purred in discomfort that should end soon. “I’m not sure how I’d be able to help, but you can let me know what I can do.” Little did he (and many others, only judging her by her affiliation to the underworld) know that she was also a goddess of creation, and therefore could have done the healing herself in the blink of an eye. She watched, though, and let the cat’s fate fall in the hands of exactly that, and instead put her focus on giving her a new name.
A hand rose to cover her small chuckle at the grave task. “I’ll name her Haruki. Because I found her under the shining sun.” A very typical name for a cat that would perhaps belong in a happy household full of laughter. Perhaps that was a blessing to this poor cat, and with that, she nodded in satisfaction.
“Would that name do?” Youth tarnished by trauma of a malicious nature shone beneath a guilty posture, and it only revealed just how pure this soul remained, even though he himself might believe otherwise. “Also... don’t worry. I’m not offended by you at all.”

























