Tick.
Their conversation halted. Phoebe and Polydora looked at each other.
Tick-tick.
As one, they stood to their feet and silently wandered over to the door. While Polydora grabbed her tonfas and pressed her back against the wall, Phoebe, spear in hand, pressed her ear against the door.
Tick-tick. Tick-tick.
It was footsteps, but the sound of their footfalls was strange—a skittering, ticking sound that was unlike anything Phoebe had ever heard before. She didn’t know what was coming toward them, but it was clearly not human. A yōkai, though what kind of yōkai eluded her.
Tick-tick. Tick-tick. Tick-tick.
Moving away from the door, Phoebe centered herself and took a calm combat stance. Her feet slid until they were shoulder length apart as she spun her spear around her body, ending with it resting lengthwise against her shoulders. From this position she would be able to intercept any attack from any direction by twirling it around her body. It was a stance that had served her well throughout this war, and she was sure it would protect her here.
Tick-tick. Tick-tick. Tick-tick. Tick-tick. Tick-tick. Tick-tick.
The footsteps were getting louder. Whoever was walking, they were walking this way, and they were moving faster than before.
Tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick tick-tick—
Phoebe took deep, even breaths, remaining calm even though she didn’t know what to expect. She was a warrior of the highest caliber. Death had come for her many times, yet she had always beaten it back, and she would do so here too. Over by the door, Polydora calmly gripped her tonfas, getting ready to attack.
—TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-TICK-—
The footsteps stopped. Phoebe held her breath. Nothing happened. Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened. Polydora relaxed her stance. Phoebe began to do the same—
CRASH!
—when the door and wall exploded like an elephant had crashed into it. Polydora was sent flying as a massive figure skittered into the room on six legs. A shriek emitted from a fanged mouth, and Phoebe leapt back as a massive leg crashed down where she’d been standing, piercing the floor and causing abrasions to spread. Dark fur colored like mud appeared dull in the low light, but the four multi-faceted eyes that observed the room contained a bright, predatory gleam as it looked around.
Phoebe clenched her teeth. She knew what this was. Tsuchigumo. Tarantula that lived for a long time and had thus proven themselves to be the most powerful were turned into yōkai. The older they lived, the larger they grew and the stronger they became. Legends depicted the largest tsuchigumo to have been the size of a two-story house. This one was large, but not massive—a younger one then, though still old if she judged by its size.
The spider’s eyes locked with hers. She couldn’t be sure because it lacked a human mouth, but Phoebe almost thought it was smiling.
“So, you are the interlopers who have intruded upon our land. You shouldn’t have come here, foolish mortals.”
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. Tsuchigumo were not very good at distinguishing species, especially anthropomorphic ones like yama uba, which meant it likely thought she was a human. This could work to her advantage.
“Are you the one responsible for the disappearance of our reconnaissance team?” she demanded to know. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Polydora darting behind the massive spider.
“I know nothing of this reconnaissance team, though if they have trespassed on our territory, then I would not be surprised if they are already dead.”
This yōkai was awfully forthcoming, though tsuchigumo were not known for their intelligence either.
“You’re not alone, then?”
“Alone? No, I am certainly not alone. Those who agree with my ideals are also here.”
“Those who agree with your… the Yamata Alliance!”
A dark chuckle rasped from the tsuchigumo’s throat. “I see that you have heard of us. I suppose we are fairly famous. And now, my little morsel, it is time for you to die!”
Webs shot from the tsuchigumo’s throat. Phoebe dodged quickly, moving faster than she ever had before. She felt the web, more than saw it, as it flew past her and stuck to the wall.
Darting forward, Phoebe lunged at the creature with her spear. It reared back, spitting and hissing, however, that was exactly what she had expected it to do.
Polydora, who’d been hiding behind it, used the wall as a springboard to leap into the air. She landed on its back and quickly thrust both tonfas into the yōkai’s furry abdomen. A loud roar resounded as the tsuchigumo bucked, attempting to throw Polydora off. The young woman, not wanting to be on for any longer than necessary, assisted in this by leaping from the yōkai’s back.
During this time, Phoebe darted forward, timing herself just right. The tsuchigumo reared up and she rammed her spear into its soft underside. Jerking backward, the yōkai fell onto its back, its legs moving frantically as if trying to find purchase on solid ground. Gurgles issued from its throat, and the acrid smell of blood filled the air. Its movements slowed, becoming jerky and spastic until, at last, it twitched once, twice, and then ceased moving altogether.
Phoebe sighed as she came off from her adrenaline high. Polydora walked up to her, warily eying the creature they had killed. The battle had been quick. Their foe had clearly been expecting easier prey.
“My Lady, I believe we should get away from here.”
“Yes, you are correct. If that tsuchigumo was being truthful, then more yōkai are undoubtedly on the way.”
“That,” a voice spoke up behind them, “or they are already here.”
Phoebe froze as killing intent like nothing she’d ever felt washed over her. It was an icy cold intent that seeped into her bones, freezing them solid. She tried to move, but her body felt like it had been turned into a block of ice. No matter how hard she struggled, no matter how much her mind shouted at her to run, she couldn’t. She couldn’t run. She was having trouble just breathing!
Footsteps sounded out behind her. They echoed ominously in the strangely still air. Out of her peripherals, she saw that Polydora was in the same situation.
A figure appeared within her field of vision. Silvery hair hung down an undeniably handsome face that was marred by scales—bright scales that glistened in the light and crawled up his neck, stopping only after encroaching upon his jaw and some of his cheeks. His body, powerfully built yet somehow sleek, almost streamlined, moved with a fluid grace that defied human logic. He slowly walked, his feet almost sliding against the floor, until he stood in front of them.
And then he transformed.
Reptilian eyes the color of ambers peered out from beneath a fringe of silver. Oddly leathery lips peeled back in a polite smile that showed a row of sharp, jagged teeth. The man gazed at them both, and in his gaze, Phoebe only saw death.
“Hello,” the man greeted them, “when I was told that people were snooping around, I never expected them to be a pair of yama uba.”
“W… wh…” Phoebe tried to speak, but she couldn’t get the words out.
“Now, now.” The man wagged a single finger back and forth in a chastising manner. “I can’t very well reveal my identity right now, can I? Although…” Trailing off, the man thoughtfully rubbed his chin, “I suppose it is bad manners to not at least introduce myself. Hm, but then again, I’d rather not give my name to a couple of people who will be dead once we’ve extracted all of the information we require from them. Ah, but then again, it wouldn’t really hurt if I do tell them, will it? They’re going to die soon anyway.”
Phoebe would’ve found the man muttering to himself to be a little silly, but her current s
ituation negated any potential silliness. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to move. She needed to do something, anything!
Come on! Come on! MOVE!!
“Well,” the man finally finished conversing with himself, “I suppose I can tell you who I am. My name is—woah!” He quickly dodged the spear that Phoebe thrust at him. “You managed to break out of my fear technique. How interesting. I wonder how you did that—ah! You used pain, didn’t you?”
Phoebe didn’t even bother wiping the blood off her lip—her self-inflicted wound—and rushed to attack the silver-haired man.
“Polydora! Get out of here!” Phoebe roared as she spun her spear in complicated patterns, creating a seamless stream of attacks. Her opponent didn’t seem particularly concerned. He wove through her attack patterns with ease, his body moving like he was boneless.
“M-My Lady…” Polydora muttered, finally snapping out of her stupor. “You can’t honestly expect me to—”
“Were you not listening to me?! I said go! Get out of here and find help!” When Polydora remained stationary, Phoebe lost it. “I SAID RUN!”
Jolted into action by her leader’s words, Polydora rushed out of the hole made by the tsuchigumo and ran down the hall. Phoebe didn’t allow herself to feel relieved, however, as even a moment of relaxing the tension in her muscles could very well end in her demise.
“Do you really think she’ll be able to escape?” the man she was fighting asked. “Not only have I decided to come here personally, but I have brought a large contingent of yōkai with me. They will find her, and they will kill her.”
Phoebe growled as she lunged at the man, who slithered around her attack with a strangely boneless quality. His left arm stretched out like it was made of rubber, coiling around her spear and yanking it from her grasp. Undeterred, Phoebe rolled across the ground, dodging his fist, which elongated and broke a hole in the wall behind her. As she leapt back to her feet, she grasped the spear, spinning it around her body in case the man decided to attack. He didn’t. He stood several feet away, smiling at her, as if wholly unconcerned by what was transpiring around him.
“You… you are no normal yōkai,” Phoebe said. “Who are you?”
The man tilted his head in thought. He was still smiling. “Hm, I don’t really feel like telling you my name anymore, so for now, why don’t you just call me Hebi.”
Phoebe barely felt the shift in the air. A slight twitch of Hebi’s shoulders was all the warning Phoebe had before something struck her across the face.
“Gya!”
Sprawled on the ground, Phoebe held a hand to her stinging cheek. She looked at the man, wondering how he could have possibly struck her from so far away.
And that’s when she saw it.
Moving along the ground was a white-scaled tail.
Phoebe suddenly realized that she was very outclassed.
“Don’t give up now.” Hebi’s smile was like that of a python who’d just found a rodent to feast on. “Please, let us continue this little dance of ours.”
Struggling to her feet, Phoebe surged forward with a fierce battle cry. She lunged at him, hoping to wipe that smug look off his face.
Hebi didn’t move, but his tail did, and the carpet soon became stained in crimson.
***
In the days that followed the last battle between Kuroneko’s forces and the army of Yōkai Killer’s, many of the people had begun effecting repairs to the city, which had suffered catastrophic damage. Once towering buildings were now nothing but piles of broken concrete and melted slag. Several skyscrapers, normally gleaming structures of steel and glass, had become skeletal remains. Roadways were reduced to rubble. Freeways had collapsed. The entire city block was a complete mess.
Despite this, no one acted out. Everyone, human and yōkai, worked together to rebuild their city. Teams of yōkai healers worked with a group of inu and several humans to locate injured civilians and heal them. Construction workers brought in raw material. Humans manned large machines to repair destroyed structures, while earth-based yōkai used their powers to shape and build the components necessary for reconstruction. Everywhere he looked, humans and yōkai coexisted peacefully.
Kevin was sad they were leaving.
“I’m going to miss you, my honey.”
On second thought, he wasn’t all that sad. Shudder.
Kuroneko stood in front of them, her hands clasped in front of her. Kevin told himself that his eyes did not go below her face. He most certainly was not eying the way her arms pushed up her bosom, which practically spilled out of her kimono. Definitely not.
“Well, children, it looks like this is it,” she said, smiling at the group. “You’ve been through a very difficult time during your stay here. I am sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Kevin said for all three of them. “We didn’t mind helping out.”
“Speak for yourself,” Iris grunted. “I really despise having to fight for my life, especially when I don’t have to.”
“I kind of had fun,” Lilian said.
Iris stared at her sister like she’d sprouted a head from her ass. “You’re joking right? What part of this trip could have possibly been fun?”
“Well, there was that time we went to the baseball game,” Lilian said.
Kuroneko smiled and nodded.
“Baseball is really boring, but I got to spend time doing something new with Beloved.”
Kuroneko tripped on thin air and fell flat on her face.
“And then there was the time we went to the beach. Sure, we ended up fighting an armada of ships and a bunch of Yōkai Killers, but we had a lot of fun before then. Besides…”
“Besides?” Iris leaned forward and gave her sister a questioning stare.
“I… kind of enjoyed all the fighting and stuff.” Fidget. Fidget. “It made me feel like a hero from a shōnen manga…”
The sound of Iris smacking her face echoed across the parking lot. “Of course that’s why you had fun. When did you become such a battle maniac?”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say…”
“Tch!”
“Like I said,” Kevin continued while Lilian and Iris bantered, “we really didn’t mind lending you a hand. I’d like it if this war could end soon, and I’ll do anything I can to help with that.”
Kuroneko’s cat-like smile made Kevin feel unusual, like his stomach was about to soar out of his throat, but he wasn’t about to let her know that.
“You’re a very strong young human. I am truly interested in seeing where you go in life.”
“Uh, thank you?”
“She’s not becoming part of your harem,” Iris stated suddenly.
“Who has a harem?!” Kevin shouted back.
“I agree. She’s too old to be in your harem,” Lilian added.
“There is no harem!”
“Although,” Lilian continued, “I do like her more than the kijo.”
Said kijo growled at the redhead.
“And she’s probably a tigress in the sack,” Iris added. “She’s, like, really old, right? I bet she has lots of experience. We could probably learn a thing or two from her.”
“If you two are done screwing with me, can we please get ready to leave?” Kevin asked dryly.
“Sorry, Beloved,” Lilian apologized. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Kitsune: Pranking is in their blood. Enough said.
“Whatever. Anyway, I guess this is goodbye for now.” He turned back to Kuroneko and her small entourage.
“Indeed,” Kuroneko replied mildly, though Kevin saw her lips twitching. Was she taking enjoyment from his suffering? How uncool. “Now, then, please remember what I told you. Your first stop is Wayne National Forest. That’s where Orin is. Here.” She handed him three plane tickets. “These will take you to Columbus, Ohio. After that, take a train to Lancaster. You’ll meet with someone who’ll take you to Orin once you’re there.”
Kevin grabbed the tickets. “Got it. Well,
I think we’re going to head off.”
“Very well. Have a pleasant trip. Try not to get into too much trouble.”
“Farewell, my honey.”
Kevin shuddered as he, Lilian, and Iris entered their car, which had miraculously survived their battle against Justin. Turning on the car, he shifted into reverse, pulled out, and then drove off.
Silence descended upon the group. Only the sound of the motor thrumming could be heard. Kevin didn’t think it was a particularly uncomfortable silence, but rather, it was the kind that came after a massive storm. Even though the battle for Saint Byakko had been over for several days, now that they were finally leaving California, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
“Well,” Lilian started, “all of that just happened.”
“Lilian, have you been reading fan fiction again?”
Lilian tilted her head, green eyes becoming perplexed. “No, why?”
“Never mind.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I think we deserve a little R and R,” Iris quipped.
Kevin felt a grin split his face. “It’s too bad we’re going to be traveling on a plane in a few hours.”
“Geh!” Iris’s face turned green, as if she was already imagining being up in the air. “That was a low blow, Stud.”
“That was for mentioning my nonexistent harem.”
“Oh, it’s real,” Iris said, cackling in a very evil, yet really sexy sort of way. “Pretty much every girl we run into gets added to it.”
“Shut up! I don’t have a harem! I don’t. Lilian, tell Iris that I don’t have a harem.”
“…”
“Lilian?”
“Is this a trick question?” Lilian asked.
“Lilian!”
“You know I’m just kidding, Beloved.” Lilian’s lips curled into a smile. “I remember what you said about not wanting a harem.”
“Thank you,” Kevin said.
Silence descended upon the group again, until…
“Nom nom nom. You hear that, Stud? That’s the sound of your harem being fed.”
“IRIS!”
***
He stared down at his defeated opponent. Phoebe lay face down on the ground. Cuts littered her body, many of them still bleeding. Several bite marks also marred her skin, running along her arms, legs, and back. They were tiny puncture marks, large red bumps, that stood out starkly on her pale skin.
A Fox's Alliance (American Kitsune Book 10) Page 33
