"Wow... would you look at that?" Muchi said, examining her watch. "That happened muuuuch quicker than I expected. Ah well, I suppose. I guess we better we'd better get going, Shi. We don't wanna get in the way of that sweet, innocent young girl getting killed for saving your miserable little life."<br/><br/>A flood of different emotions washed over Shimasu as his mother began to leave, muttering to herself about how ashamed his father must be of him in the next world.<br/><br/>The strongest of those emotions was fear, of course. Who wouldn't be afraid of that hulking behemoth walking out of the ocean. Most people didn't want to die, and he was no exception. But then there was also the fear that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Tawny sacrificed herself so that he could live. That fear actually overpowered the other, because he already knew that he would never be able to accept that. Sure, marriage was also a scary concept, but that was nothing compared to the other possible outcomes.<br/><br/>The final emotion that he felt was resignation. Once he had realized which course of action was the right one for him, what other choice was there but to accept it and do what needed to be done.<br/><br/>He didn't noticed his mother watching him with an amused expression on her face. He was so lost in his thoughts that didn't actually notice she was still there until he felt sting of a whip across his butt, causing him to unintentionally squeal like a girl.<br/><br/>"Oh, our little boy is finally behaving like a man, Kiken!" She exclaimed to his dead father, with a strange mix of pride and amusement as she continued to smack him. "He may not be such a disappointment after all! Now get up there and do what needs to be done, Shi!"<br/><br/>"Damn it! Mom! Stop it! I'm going! What is wrong with you?! You don't have to smack me with that stupid whip every time you get excited just because your name is Muchi!" He yelled at her between smacks.<br/><br/>And he turned away from her just in time to find himself face to face (well, face to neck would be more accurate) with the huge man who had just walked out of the sea.