No. No, no, no, no-no-no! What is she doing here?!
Luna leapt back as a sphere of light passed the airspace where she’d been standing.
“Get away from her!” Lilian screamed. She tossed several more spheres, but a wall of water rose up and blocked them.
“L-Lilian… no… get away…”
Luna looked down at her and smiled coldly. “You care for this girl, don’t you? I see. Yes, yes. Would it not be a shame if she were to die?”
The water shifted, transforming from a wall into a spear.
“N-no… please…” Kotohime begged.
Luna’s smile widened. “But it would be even more of a shame if you two didn’t get to join each other in death.”
The spear flew forward. Lilian saw it coming. She moved, avoiding the attack, and continued running. She never saw the spear as it curved around and came at her from behind.
Blood splattered along the ground.
“Ah…” Lilian gasped, looking down at the watery spear, which had pierced her back and was poking out of her stomach. “Ah…” She fell onto her knees. Then she pitched over, falling face-first to the ground.
Lilian did not get back up. She did not move. She didn’t even so much as twitch.
Kotohime opened her mouth to scream.
“NOOO!”
The sound did not come from Kotohime. The voice was male, and it served as a prelude to several loud thunderclaps that Kotohime vaguely recognized but couldn’t quite identify.
Blood rained down on her body and face. It was not her blood, she realized, but someone else’s. Luna’s. She blinked, focusing on the woman above her, whose body jerked and twitched as blood spurted from holes that opened in her flesh. Thunderclap after thunderclap echoed across the courtyard. More holes appeared on Luna’s body, until the sound ceased, and the six-tailed kitsune stood there, her eyes glazing over as her body swayed.
The last thing that Kotohime saw was Luna falling backwards and hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Chapter 16
A Loss of Innocence
Kotohime woke up to discover that she was lying on a bed in a room filled with white; white walls, white ceiling; the floor was probably white, too, but she couldn’t see it. The smell of alcohol and antiseptics hit her olfactory senses—a hospital, then.
What am I doing here? Did this mean that she was alive? But how? And what about the others? Lilian… was she okay?
Kotohime tried to move but couldn’t. Though her body didn’t hurt anymore, she felt sluggish, weighed down, as if someone had strapped 100-pound lead weights to her limbs. She recognized the symptoms of youki exhaustion: when the body had so little youki left that it could barely function.
Blinking when something squeezed her right hand, she looked down to see her sister’s head resting on the mattress. Kirihime’s eyes were closed, and her mouth was partially open. She was holding Kotohime’s hand tightly.
“I see you’re finally awake,” a vaguely familiar voice said. Kotohime recognized it, but she couldn’t recall who it belonged to.
She turned her head to see long black hair, dark green eyes, and a voluptuous figure dressed in a kimono similar to her own.
“Kuroneko-dono,” she greeted the older yōkai, who stood several feet from the bed.
“That was quite the battle you and Kiara got into,” Kuroneko said, half-amused, half-exasperated. “You don’t know how much trouble it was covering this incident up. The media is going crazy. We’re incredibly fortunate that very few people were there to actually witness the battle. We were able to wipe the minds of the people who saw it, and edit the videos to make it look like a localized earthquake caused a rupture in the sewer system, but it took a lot of work.”
“I see,” Kotohime murmured as she sank back into the bed. “My apologies for making your task harder.”
“Ma, it’s okay,” Kuroneko said, shrugging. “I was kinda bored anyway. This is the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since a shit-faced Nurarihyon came to my cafe and started hitting on an oni.”
Kotohime blinked. She was sure that she didn’t want to know.
“Where am I?” she changed the subject.
“You’re at one of the hospitals owned by yours truly.” Kuroneko gestured to herself and smirked. “You didn’t think I was just in the cafe business, did you? I had you, Kiara, and the others transported here after your battle.”
“The others?” Kotohime needed a second to ponder what Kuroneko meant. “Lilian—”
“Is fine.” Kuroneko pushed her back down when she tried to get up. “Her wound honestly wasn’t that serious. I had a River Kitsune under my employ heal her right up. She’s sleeping in the next room with her sister, her mom, and that human boy.”
Kotohime felt relief wash through her. I’m so glad she’s alright.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“There’s no need for that.” Kuroneko gestured, waving her thanks away. “I couldn’t just let the heiress to the Pnév̱ma Clan die in a city under my watch, could I? That wouldn’t do at all. Besides, that girl intrigues me, as does her mate.”
Kotohime would’ve felt worry about the tone that Kuroneko used when talking about Lilian and Kevin, but she was too relieved to care. There were other matters to attend to anyway.
“What happened to Luna?”
“Dead,” Kuroneko said. “That human boy—Kevin, I think his name is—killed her.”
Kotohime felt shock course through her like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. “W-what? Kevin-sama did?”
“Yes.” Kuroneko chuckled. “When Lilian was struck down, the boy completely lost it. He brought out a pistol and pumped Luna full of holes. She was so shocked that she didn’t even have time to even put up a defense.” She grinned. “I’m gonna have to find some way to thank that boy. Luna was an absolute pain in my side. I was never able to pin her down for anything, and I couldn’t find her hideout because, I suspect, it was under a multi-layered illusion. Her death is a huge weight off my shoulders.”
Kotohime wondered how Kevin was doing. That had been his first kill. Knowing humans as she did, he must have been feeling sick.
GRRGEGRGHLLGG!!!
An earth-shaking snore rumbled throughout the room, rattling the windows and shaking the bed. Kotohime looked to her left to see Kiara sprawled out on a bed, snoring away, with a snot-bubble blowing out of her nose.
She felt a trickle of sweat run down her face.
Kiara snorted. “Think you can beat me… punk… come on… I’ll beat you into next week…”
“Kiara-san, must you make such unsightly noises while you sleep?”
Kiara didn’t answer. Naturally.
Kuroneko smiled. “It is good to see that two hundred years hasn’t changed the woman much.”
Kotohime wouldn’t admit it, but she had to agree that it was kind of reassuring to see Kiara acting just like she always had, despite what they’d gone through—even if it was only in her sleep.
“Ha!… Stupid jabroni… I’ma shove my foot… so far up your ass… you’re gonna be shittin’ in a bedpan for months…”
It didn’t change how annoying she could be, though.
***
Lilian woke up in a bed, with a body snuggled into her side. She looked around, noting the white walls and white ceiling, and the smell of antiseptic. There wasn’t much in the way of color, just a small potted plant near a brown door. She noticed the cabinet full of medical supplies and deduced that she was in a hospital.
How did I get here?
Sitting up caused the body against her to shift and mumble. Lilian looked down and twitched. It was Iris. She had been expecting—and hoping—that her mate would have been the one sleeping with her.
A glance at the foot of her bed revealed her mother dozing away in her fox form, her five tails lying sprawled on the bed behind her, hanging off the edge. Glancing around the room some more, Lilian finally caught sight of the person whom she’
d been hoping to see the most.
He stood near the open window, the light from the dying sun playing off his blond hair. His back was turned to her, so she couldn’t see his face, but she could tell from his slouched shoulders that he was deep in thought.
Being careful not to disturb her sister or mother, Lilian climbed out of bed. She padded along the tiled floor. It was a testament to Kevin’s state of mind that he didn’t hear her approach. The young man only responded when she hugged him from behind.
“Lilian,” he said softly. It pleased her to no end how he seemed to know it was her without needing to look. “I’m glad you’re awake.”
He reached behind him, giving her a reverse hug. Lilian nuzzled her face into his back. She was always happy when he said things like that. However…
“What’s wrong, Beloved?”
Kevin sighed. “It’s nothing…”
Lilian frowned. She unwrapped her arms from around him and moved to stand in front of her mate. Her green eyes sought out his, locking them in place. When Kevin tried to look away, she reached under his chin and forced him to maintain eye contact.
“It’s not nothing. I know you, Kevin. Something is bothering you.” It was easy to see. His shoulders were stiff, his eyes had bags under them, and they contained a haunted demeanor. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me anything.”
For a long moment, Kevin was silent. Lilian didn’t break this period of stillness and introspection. He would tell her in time. This was just his way. He was thinking, determining which words would best convey his thoughts and feelings.
After another moment of silence, Kevin pulled her into a hug. Lilian felt confused, but she accepted the hug nevertheless, burying her face into her mate’s chest and breathing in his scent. It was comforting in ways that still astounded her.
“I’m just… really glad that you’re okay,” Kevin said finally. “When that spear pierced you, I was so worried. I was so, so incredibly worried. It felt like a part of me had died, and when I saw you fall and not get back up… it felt like my entire world had come to an end. I was so relieved when Kuroneko arrived and said that you’d be okay.”
Lilian absentmindedly wondered who Kuroneko was, but there was something else that was bothering her. Kevin was not being entirely honest. His words rang true, and yet, it felt as if he was purposefully leaving something out.
She lifted her head. “Kevin—mmph!”
Before she could say anything, Kevin leaned down and hampered her lips with his own. For one second, she thought about pushing him back so that she could ask him about what he was hiding. It only lasted for a moment, then Kevin, his mouth still grazing hers, spoke the words that stroked her passion more than anything else.
“I love you so much, Lilian.”
Lilian kissed him back. Her arms went around his neck, and she pulled herself as close to him as physically possible. She didn’t want even an inch of space left between them. She locked her lips with his in a veracious kiss, opening her mouth and allowing his tongue entrance.
Soft moans and delicate whimpers slipped out of her mouth as Kevin grasped her butt and began kneading her cheeks, sending delicious arcs of pleasure through her body. One particularly loud yet pleased gasp escaped when he caressed her tail, stroking the underside where her weak spot was. Wanting—no, needing more of this feeling, she leapt on him and locked her legs around his waist.
As Kevin continued to kiss her, Lilian forgot about what she wanted to ask him. It probably wasn’t important anyway, and if it was, then she’d most definitely remember it and ask him later. All that mattered to her right then was enjoying her mate’s actions.
She did feel a moment of confusion when Kevin suddenly stopped kissing her, however.
“Beloved?” she asked breathlessly when Kevin pulled back, his face scrunching up. “Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, his frown deepening. “It’s weird, but I feel like we’re forgetting something.”
Lilian also frowned, but she couldn’t think of anything they might have forgotten. “It’s probably just your imagination.”
“You’re right,” Kevin agreed. Then he began kissing her again.
***
They’d been stuck in there for hours: her, Lindsay, the twins, Heather, and Eric. The twins were sitting together. They’d been quiet for a while now. She would have wondered what they were thinking, but she honestly couldn’t bring herself to care. Heather sat on the mattress and leaned against the wall. She hadn’t recovered from her head injury, but she was at least conscious.
Lindsay had yet to leave her side. Christine wondered about the girl. She seemed to have become abnormally clingy, though Christine chalked it up to their experiences of the past few hours.
Justin was missing. None of them knew where he was, nor did they know when he’d gone missing. It was like he’d just mysteriously vanished sometime during the chaos. Christine wanted to say that she was worried about him, but they had never really interacted outside of group activities. That said, she still hoped he was okay.
“Where are they?! How come they haven’t come to rescue us?! My Lord, where is your divine protection?!”
Sitting on the wall of their overturned bus, Christine’s right eyebrow twitched violently as she watched Eric freak out. The perverted male ran along the wall like a chicken with its head cut off.
“Oh, God! This is it, isn’t?! We’re all going to die here!”
The twitching increased in intensity, and it brought friends.
Her left eyebrow began twitching as well.
“I don’t want to die! I still have too much to live for! I haven’t accomplished my goal of peeping on every girl in Desert Cactus High School, or groping that kimono-babe’s titalicious tattas, or rubbing my face against Goth Hottie’s marvelously flat chest—guwagh!”
“SHUT UP!”
Eric fell to the ground and curled up in the fetal position. Christine dismissed the ice hammer that she’d slammed into his gut, which created a small puddle on the floor when it dissolved back into water.
“God, that idiot pisses me off,” Christine declared. “Seriously, is the only thing on his mind boobs and butts?”
Alex, Andrew, Lindsay, and Heather all stared at her.
“Are you seriously asking that?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah, you should know by now that nothing is more important to Eric than a nice pair of tits,” Alex added, nodding his head.
“My apprentice is indeed a most lecherous young man.” Heather wiped a small tear of pride from her left eye. “He takes after his Master.”
Lindsay eyed the sniffling woman, then turned to Christine. “I’ve got nothing to add. You should know how Eric is by now. That’s just… how he is.”
“That doesn’t make it any better!” Christine scowled.
“Hawa—gyah!!”
“Don’t use other people’s catchwords!!”
***
Still decked out in his costume reminiscent of a certain Solid Snake, Justin walked through a brightly lit hall made of metal. His boots clunked along the grated floor. There were no doors in this hall, and only a few people walked past him. Several noticed him and nodded in acknowledgment, but most ignored him. He reached the end of the hall, where a plain-looking door sat, with only a small plaque etched into it to signify its importance.
He knocked precisely three times.
“Enter,” a voice called from the other side.
Justin entered the room. It was a spartan office with next to nothing in the way of decoration. The walls were bare, and there was hardly any furniture. There was only a desk situated near the back and a pair of metal chairs in front of it.
Sitting behind the desk was a man. His bulky frame strained against his military-esque uniform. His buzzcut did nothing to hide the large scar that started from his widow’s peak and traversed along his right eye, over his mouth, and past his jaw. Justin could only won
der at what had given him that wound.
Justin stood in front of the desk, hands clasped behind his back, feet spread shoulder-width apart, and his back straight. The man looked up, revealing hard blue eyes.
“Commander Paine, I’ve come back from the field.”
“At ease, Lieutenant,” Commander Paine said in a gruff voice that reminded Justin of an onikuma—a bear yōkai.
Justin did as told, his posture slumping into a half-resemblance of his lazy mien that he used at school. Commander Paine scowled, but he didn’t say anything. Justin mused that the commander more than likely realized that nothing he said would make him act differently
“I will have your report now, Lieutenant.”
Justin nodded and began his report.
Afterword
Hello, everyone! It's been awhile since I've done an afterword. This time, I thought it would be prudent to talk about kitsune: Their history, their place in mythology, and how kitsune fit into my story.
Since ancient times, oriental nations such as China, Japan, and Korea have told stories about spiritual beings that took the form of foxes. In Japan, these creatures are called fox spirits, fox yōkai. I call them kitsune to make it easier in my story, but the truth of the matter is that kitsune just means fox in Japanese.
There are many different beliefs on the types of powers kitsune possess, though all are known to have certain powers regardless: Superior intellect, the ability to shape-shift into a human form, and magical powers.
In American Kitsune, kitsune are given three basic abilities. Known as enhancements, illusions, and enchantments, these are abilities that all kitsune learn to one degree or another. Beyond these three powers, each kitsune has a specific affinity for one element based on the principle of thirteen elements: Fire, earth, river, wind, thunder, forest, ocean, mountain, spirit, time, sound, celestial, and void. Outside of their element and the three aforementioned abilities, a kitsune is no more powerful than a human.
I tell you this now to explain how a kitsune with six tails can be killed by a mere gun. Kitsune are not all-powerful beings. If a kitsune is cut, they will bleed. If hit, they will bruise. If shot through the heart or head, they will die. A kitsune's physical defense is no more powerful than those of a human's. Even when using enhancement to increase their strength, they do not receive a major boost in defensive capabilities. The only way a kitsune could survive being shot was if they were using their affinity to create armor. For example: If an ocean kitsune had encased their body in armor hardened with their own youki, they could theoretically block bullets, depending on how much youki they had fed the armor. That said, without the armor, no kitsune can withstand getting shot.
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