.

.

The first thing Kazuma is aware of, when he starts to regain consciousness, is the pain. It is a dull, aching pain that sits deep along the gash in his chest, but when he shifts the pain is sharp, searing. Blood seeps through his bandages; he finds it difficult to breathe.

The second thing Kazuma is aware of, as his eyes blearily crack open, is the warmth of his bed, the soft mattress beneath him sinking with his weight. Warm blankets, warm sunlight. Veena lying next to him.

His mind isn't quite working, yet. All he sees, as his vision comes into focus, is Veena's face, just a finger's breadth away from his. Her eyes are closed and she's breathing softly.

"Veena."

"Kazuma."

Her eyes open. She smiles at him, and without thinking Kazuma tilts his head upward and presses a soft kiss to the side of her mouth.

He closes his eyes, contentedly. His thoughts are fuzzy. He burrows his face against her neck, sighing quietly before passing out.

When he comes to consciousness a few days later, he has a vague, uneasy memory about what could have possibly transpired between them. But Veena makes no mention of it, and after a few days of passing back and forth her exchange diary, Kazuma decides there's no way to be sure if it in fact actually happened, and that it was probably best to let the matter drop.

xXx

.

Once again, Yato causes havoc in the Bishamon household. "Didn't you know? He has a ton of pictures of you on his phone!"

Veena knits her brow. "You mean the group pictures we all took together?"

"Yeah, before he cropped them all out." Yato grins wickedly. Kazuma feels his whole world crashing all around him.

Veena holds up one of Yato's doujinshi: R18, with a picture of a half-naked Bishamon cavorting as a lion. Yato's art skills are something of considerable merit, and if one were to flip through the pages, one would see an expertly drawn rendition of Veena masturbating with a lotus flower as she takes her bath.

"Start talking, Kazuma. I'm all ears."

xXx

.

Kazuma escapes to his room. While he had managed to deflect the onslaught - Yato was his benefactor, he was never in the wrong! - his face is still red from embarrassment. Certainly it is not enough to sting his master - how one chooses to worship his god depends on one's personal preference, and if the way Kazuma worships Veena is a little unorthodox, it does not make it any more unseemly. It isn't lust, perverted schoolboy thoughts that would reduce a mighty god into a body with a hole for his pleasure. It is the outgrowth of his devotion for her, and while less seasoned shinki may sting her from the loneliness of harboring an unrequited love, Kazuma understands completely that his love for her cannot be reciprocated. He is fine with that, has been fine with that. And if he touches himself from time to time, he understands it is a base human need for which there is nothing to be ashamed.

It is, however, still somewhat embarrassing to be found out.

There is a soft knocking at his door.

"Kazuma?" Veena opens the door a crack, poking her head in. "Is everything all right?"

"Did I sting you?" Kazuma says, alarmed.

"No, of course not. May I come in?"

Kazuma nods dully and Veena gently opens the door.

She sits beside him on the bed, and it takes Kazuma a flustered moment to realize she's holding the doujinshi Yato had drawn for him. "That rat bastard really is a good artist, isn't he?" Veena says mildly, and Kazuma feels his face growing even more red as she flips to the more suggestive parts of the comic. "Hm. He draws my breasts as big as my head. I don't think this is terribly accurate, do you?"

"Uh..." Kazuma stares at her. "I believe the term is 'artistic license,'" he says, with all the authority and gravitas as he can muster. "But I would be lying to say I was not impressed."

"I see." Veena flips through the comic some more, and Kazuma wonders to himself if she is doing this deliberately to punish him. I deserve this, Kazuma thinks, miserably. Veena flips to another page.

"I am just trying to understand," Veena says, and she flips through the pages again. "How is it that you've had this and you've never stung me. I would just assume you bought this from Yato to humor him, and that you never looked at these or thought of me that way. But I don't know that I can do that. I don't know if you remember, Kazuma, but you kissed me before, back when you were injured. And ever since then I've been greatly troubled."

She looks up at him, quietly. Kazuma stares at her, his mouth suddenly dry. With each passing moment he grows more and more horrified.

"I humbly apologize!" Kazuma says, and he throws himself at her feet. "I was heavily medicated, I was not thinking straight! Please forgive me, Veena! Bishamon-sama! I truly am rubbish not worthy of your attention!"

"For heaven's sakes, Kazuma, calm down!"

Kazuma lifts his eyes to see Veena glaring at him, a pink blush growing along her cheeks.

"It was not unwelcome," Veena says. Kazuma blinks at her, not comprehending. "I had just assumed you didn't remember, and I didn't want to bring it up, but Yato drew these things for you, and you have those pictures on your phone, and I...I don't know how we're going to go about doing this, but instead of bottling things up we should put things out in the open, should we not?"

"I don't understand," Kazuma says. Veena blushes again, not looking at him.

"This is difficult for me," Veena says. "I would much rather pretend it didn't happen and go along together as we always did. But you have always been someone precious to me," Veena says, and her eyes flick upwards. "Kofuku and Daikoku have been happily coupled for some time now, there is no reason why a relationship like this can't work."

She isn't looking at him. Kazuma knows, from all that time he's been at her side, that she's nervous, battle-ready. She twists a lock of hair in her hands, glaring at her lap. Kazuma's eyes widen.

Could it be...? Could Veena actually...?

"I wouldn't be forcing you, would I?" Veena looks suddenly unsure. "You had this stupid comic and all those photos, I thought... Kazuma. If I somehow misunderstood you-"

"No," Kazuma says. He shakes his head. "No, Veena. I- I've been in love with you for a very long time. I never thought something like this would be possible."

She smiles shyly, then hesitantly leans forward to kiss him. The kiss is warm and soft and Kazuma feels himself flushing, heatedly.

"Wait Veena, wait," Kazuma says, pulling back before he loses himself completely and does something Veena might later regret. "We must think about the others. A relationship between a god and her lead could cause discord within the clan."

"That isn't a problem," Veena says. "Actually, Aiha and Tsuguha have been pestering me about you ever since your confession to me, and Kinuha seems to think it's 'cute.'"

"'Cute?'" Kazuma says. Veena smiles.

"You should look at the exchange diary when you get a chance. It seems a lot of the shinki have been rooting for you.

I'm sorry for not saying anything," Veena says. "But after everything that happened, and that kiss afterwards, it was difficult for me to get my head straight."

"I understand," Kazuma says. Veena smiles.

"Just let me work out the logistics," Veena says. "I have to disclose this among the other gods. But I promise you, we'll talk about this more, soon."