“Beloved!”
As he stared up at the sky, listening to the cacophony of screams and cries, his last thought was inane, a completely pointless thought derived from a mind that could no longer think clearly.
The sky… it’s really blue today…
Chapter 8
In Sickness and in Health
“So, that yōkai gang wasn’t able to kill the Pnév̱ma girl, after all. Oh, well. It’s not like I actually expected them to be capable of succeeding. Low-life dregs such as them lack the intelligence needed to deal with a competent opponent, and that Kotohime woman most definitely falls under that category.”
Cassy stood before Seth, barely masking her disgust of the man. She’d just finished giving an oral briefing of what happened during the assassination attempt. Now she was standing there like an idiot while her “tutor” deliberated.
Seth sat on her couch, lounging back with his feet propped up on her table like he owned the place. He was still wearing the body of Ms. Vis.
He was also shamelessly naked. The pervert.
“The biggest problem will be that four-tails. Kotohime is a well-known warrior among kitsune, a swordswoman of incredible skill. She also has four tails. Even I am not confident in my chances of victory if I have to fight against her,” Seth mused, absently fondling Ms. Vis’s right breast and causing Cassy to wrinkle her nose and clench her fists. She knew that he was doing this to upset her, and he knew that it was working, judging by the hideous smirk plastered on his face.
I hate this man…
“Is she really that powerful, nya?” asked Cassy.
“It’s not that she’s powerful so much as she is highly skilled. Rumor has it that Kotohime is so skilled with a blade that she is capable of fighting on par with yōkai on the same level as the Four Saints.”
“Nya. Surely those are just rumors, though.”
“They are, but even rumors have a grain of truth to them. While I doubt she is capable of fighting on even grounds with someone like Davin Monstrang, Kuroneko, or even Orin, she may be a match for Sarah Phenex, provided she can get past Sarah’s high-speed regeneration. However, with her river blood, she holds a distinct advantage over that woman.”
Cassy remained silent. She didn’t know if she believed Seth, but she wouldn’t deny that Kotohime was a powerful foe. She’d seen the woman cut down the gang leader with nothing more than a sword. The four-tails had split the yōkai straight down the middle like it was nothing, and she hadn’t used a single kitsune art, just swordsmanship.
Still, to speak about Mistress Sarah like that, does this man have no shame?
“Of a more interesting note is that boy you’re so fond of. Defeating a gorilla yōkai is no small feat. Lesser yōkai can’t even scar them. Even a nekomata with your talents would have trouble with a creature like that if you relied on nothing but your claws. The fact that he defeated one shows that he cannot be underestimated.”
Seth observed Cassy with keen eyes, studying the way her hands clenched and her arms trembled. The lips belonging to Ms. Vis quirked in a way that the passionate math teacher would have never done. Then again, Ms. Vis would have never been lounging naked on someone’s couch, either.
“I’ll leave him to you when the time comes,” Seth said, surprising Cassy. “Your job will be to keep him from interfering as I kill the Pnév̱ma girl.”
Cassy’s stare was hard as she searched Seth’s—Ms. Vis’s—face. There had to be some kind of catch here. Seth Naraka was not a kind man. He enjoyed wounding others, be it physically or mentally. The act of inflicting devastating pain was like an oenophile drinking a bottle of Domaine-Marey Mone.
“Of course, should he prove to be a problem, I expect you to kill him.”
Ah, there it was.
“I won’t kill Master, nya,” Cassy spat.
Seth grinned. “Then keep him from interfering with my plan.”
She glared at Seth, who remained on the couch, grinning like an arrogant fool. She hated this man. If she could, she would have ripped his face off. Seth was stronger than her, however, and so all she could do was concede.
“V-very well,” Cassy said, her shoulders slumping. “I’ll keep Master Kevin from coming near you as you kill Lilian.”
“Excellent. I’m so pleased that you’ve come around to my way of thinking,” Seth said, and his—or rather, Ms. Vis’s—twisted lips made Cassy shudder.
Cassy fervently hoped that Lilian took this man down with her when she died.
***
Kevin woke up with a migraine. It felt like someone had used his head as a gong. His throat was also dry. Fortunately, he didn’t feel any pain, which he presumed meant someone had healed him, probably Lilian or Kotohime.
He was in his bed, lying on his back. His mate was cuddled next to him. She was also naked. He could feel the fullness of her breasts pressing against him, two large fluffy pillows, soft and supple. Her nipples grazing his side were like an aphrodisiac. Kevin wasn’t a pervert, but if anyone ever asked, he would gladly tell them that Lilian had the best sweater stuffers ever.
“No, I wouldn’t,” Kevin muttered to no one in particular.
Yes, you would.
“Shut up,” Kevin groaned, then blinked. “Wait, who am I talking to?”
It was dark outside. A glance through the open window revealed that night had fallen. His room remained brightly lit, though, because the lights on the nightstand next to his bed were providing a soft illumination.
“I see that you’re awake.”
Kevin turned his head. She sat on the edge of the bed, near the foot, her back straight, hands placed in her lap, her demeanor every bit the proper yamato nadeshiko. Her kimono that evening depicted the night sky. He could see a large imprint of the moon, and thousands of little dots representing stars. Dark eyes framed by midnight strands of hair gazed at him with warm fondness.
“Kotohime…”
“Kevin-sama.” Kotohime smiled at him. “I am pleased to see that you are in good health. Everyone was quite worried about you.”
“I’m sorry for worrying you.”
“It is fine. You are alive and whole, and that is what matters. Though you are also quite lucky. Your ribcage had been crushed. Were I not a River Kitsune, I dare say you would have died from those injuries. They were beyond even Lilian-sama’s ability to heal.”
So he’d been injured that badly? Well, he had been crushed by a gorilla yōkai. It only made sense that he had to suffer some major injuries.
“I was very impressed by your battle,” Kotohime said suddenly, startling Kevin.
“H-huh?”
“The way you handled yourself was most impressive. Despite facing off against an overwhelming opponent, you didn’t back down. You even managed to greatly injure him by coming up with an on-the-fly plan.” Kotohime’s smile was one of pride. “You fought magnificently.”
Kevin blushed a bit, but then he remembered how the fight had ended, and his blush receded to be replaced by a grimace. “But I didn’t defeat that yōkai…”
“True, but you are also a human. You have no supernatural powers and you had no weapons to fight with. Despite this, you still stood up to a creature many times your size, with powers beyond your ability to grasp, and you managed to wound him grievously. Even at the end, suffering what must have been incredible pain, you found the strength to act and took out one of his eyes, thereby forcing him to drop you and allowing me to deal with him accordingly.”
“You killed him?”
“I did indeed. Does that bother you?”
Kevin remained silent for a moment. He felt Lilian’s bare body shift, nearly groaning when her softer than silk leg caressed him. God, he was going to have the worst case of blue balls come the next morning.
“I still don’t like the idea of killing,” he admitted slowly. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m human, or if it’s because the idea of killing just bothers me. This isn’t the animal kingdom. It’s not like we’re living out in th
e savannas where we have to kill to survive. This isn’t a matter of survival of the fittest. We’re simply killing because the yōkai world is filled with violent yōkai who thoughtlessly kill each other.”
“I wouldn’t say we thoughtlessly kill each other,” Kotohime muttered, her left eyebrow twitching. Then she sighed. “But I do understand what you are saying. Unfortunately, that is the way things are, the way they have been for thousands of years. Long before I or even the current Pnév̱ma matriarch were born, the world of yōkai has been in a state of constant war.”
Kotohime paused. Whether this was to let Kevin absorb the information, or because she was lost in her own thoughts, he didn’t know. She continued soon after anyway.
“It’s not like the wars that you humans wage, where massive battles are fought and victory can be achieved within a few years. They still exist, battles being waged over the course of centuries. Clans fighting against clans. Different yōkai races constantly fighting for power and territory. Even we kitsune are embroiled in our own conflicts, though ours tend to be more subtle, relying on deceit and misdirection as opposed to straight-up battles.” She paused again, and, almost as an afterthought, added, “Most of the time.”
Kevin tried to imagine what she was saying, but it was hard. The idea of supernatural creatures battling each other over the course of several centuries was unfathomable. Something like that wasn’t a concept that a human like himself could truly comprehend.
Though it did remind him of this one manga he’d read. It was about a yōkai family living in modern day Japan as a group of yakuza. What was that series called again? Nura-something? He couldn’t remember.
“In either event,” Kotohime continued, “I just wanted to let you know that I was very impressed with your fight against the gorilla yōkai. You didn’t delude yourself into thinking you could win in a straight up fight. You kept calm and used your head, your cunning, and the environment against him. Even if you didn’t defeat him in the end, the fact that you survived against a creature like that is inspiring. I can tell you right now that most yōkai would not have survived against that gorilla unless they were particularly powerful.”
“So I did good, then?”
“You did very good,” Kotohime confirmed, standing up. “Now, then, I shall leave you to your rest. You should get some more sleep. I might have healed your wounds, but you’re still going to be fatigued. A good night’s rest will fix that.”
Kevin knew that she was right. His entire body felt weighed down and weary, like lead weights had been strapped to his arms and legs. Even his fingers refused to move, worn out and exhausted to the point that just getting them to twitch was a task in and of itself. He was just. That. Tired.
“Yeah… that sounds like a good idea.” Kevin was about to go back to sleep, lulled by Lilian’s warm body, when something occurred to him. “Kotohime, do you mind if I ask you something?”
Kotohime paused at the door. “Not at all. What do you wish to ask of me?”
“Why am I naked?”
“Ufufufu…” Hiding her smiling lips behind the sleeve of her kimono, all Kevin could see of the woman was her dark, mirthful eyes. “That was Lilian-sama’s doing. I believe she wanted to be as close to you as possible and felt that your clothing was in the way.”
“Hm…” Kevin thought about it, then slowly nodded. “That makes sense. Another question, if I may?”
“Of course.”
“Why is Iris in my bed? And why is she naked?”
“That was two questions.”
“Just answer them already.”
Kotohime looked at Iris, who also lay cuddled up to Kevin on the opposite side of her sister. For a girl who seemed to be a major siscon, she appeared rather content holding him like he was an oversized teddy bear.
“Do you really need me to answer that question?”
“…”
“I thought not.”
***
The next morning, Kevin woke up and took a shower.
Contrary to the belief of his friends, Kevin didn’t always take a shower with Lilian—they would never get to school on time if he did. Most mornings he took a shower by himself, reserving joint showers for weekends.
After stepping out, drying off, and getting dressed, he made his way into the living room. The news played on TV. The news anchor was reporting about a couple of vandals who’d destroyed an office building not far from where he lived. When Kevin saw the building in question on the TV, he felt a small droplet of sweat run down his face. It was, in fact, the very same building that he, Lilian, Iris, Christine, and Kotohime had battled those yōkai in yesterday.
Just great. Now I’m a vandal.
The only silver lining he could see was that no one actually knew what happened, aside from them. The yōkai who had attacked them were all dead, from what he’d gathered during his conversation with Kotohime last night. It was a silver lining, he supposed, though not one that he was proud of.
Everyone was already in the kitchen when he entered. Camellia sat at the table, holding her chopsticks in a fist, showing that she still didn’t know how to use them. Kirihime stood behind her, demure as always, a kind smile on her pretty face. Kotohime was positioned in front of the stove. Kevin could see something being baked in the oven, though he couldn’t tell what.
“Morning, Beloved,” Lilian greeted him with a smile from where she sat. Kevin smiled as well. He walked up behind her, leaned down, and gave her a good morning kiss.
“Hawa!” Camellia tried to stand up. “Camellia wants a kiss, too!”
“L-Lady Camellia, please don’t joke about such things!”
“Hawa…”
Kevin ignored Camellia and Kirihime. It was just the poor maid trying to force Camellia back in her seat. Nothing new there.
“How are you feeling?” Lilian asked as Kevin sat down next to her.
“I feel fine. Nothing seems to be broken at least.” Kevin rotated his shoulders, testing them. “I’m a little stiff, but that’s to be expected.”
“Indeed it is,” Kotohime said as she walked up to the table, a tray in hand. “I can heal many types of damage: Blunt force trauma, broken bones, and lacerations. However, not even a River Kitsune can heal fatigue and overused muscles. Those will only heal with time.”
She set the tray down on the table. While everyone else began putting food onto their plates, Kevin stared at the breakfast like it was some kind of alien tentacle monster.
“That’s not Japanese cuisine.”
“Ufufufu, I thought I’d make something different today.” When Kevin looked at Kotohime, she presented him with a beautiful smile. “Think of it as my way of saying ‘I’m proud of you.’”
Kevin felt warmth, both in the chest and the face. Great. Now he was blushing.
“T-thank you,” he mumbled.
Kotohime raised the sleeve of her kimono up to her mouth. “Ufufufu… you’re most welcome, Kevin-sama.”
“Iris isn’t awake yet, is she?” Lilian asked as she began eating Kotohime’s French toast.
“Last I saw her, she was still asleep,” Kevin said, standing up. “I’ll go wake her. Save some French toast for me.”
“M’kay,” Lilian mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Upon entering his room, Kevin discovered that Iris was indeed still sleeping. He walked up to the bed and, for a moment, simply observed the girl as she slumbered. It was almost ridiculous, the way these fox-girls could make even the most mundane of activities look like a piece of art.
Iris lay on her side. Her gorgeous legs were on full display, milky thighs and gently sloping calves that ended in a pair of small, cute feet and erotic toes that begged to be sucked on. Her hips were partially covered by the blanket, allowing her to keep a semblance of modesty while teasing him with the tantalizing shape of her amazing figure. Her breasts were completely uncovered, as she had slept naked last night and the blanket wasn’t covering her chest. Her arms were pushing her notorious bos
oms together. It made them seem even larger than they actually were.
A work of art indeed.
Iris looked so much more peaceful asleep than she did during the day. With her eyes closed, thick lashes concealing her carnelian gaze from the world, and her pink mouth partially opened, the condescending expression that she normally possessed when awake was absent.
Shaking his head and silently cursing his teenage hormones, Kevin lightly shook the girl awake and called her name. It took some time, but she eventually woke up, her eyes fluttering open as she sat up in bed.
Kevin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as she stretched her arms in the air, her bare bosom jiggling enticingly. From the devious curvature of her lips, Kevin knew that Iris knew that he was looking at her.
Her arms came down, and she leaned back on them, her crimson eyes shimmering as they locked onto Kevin.
“Mornin’, Stud. How’d you sleep?”
“Fine.” Kevin tore his eyes away from Iris’s breasts. “And you?”
“Never better.”
“Right. Well, you should get up now. Breakfast is on the table.”
“Right. Breakfast.”
Iris swung her legs over the edge of the bed, then lowered herself to the carpeted floor. She stood up and took a step forward, and then she stumbled after seemingly losing her balance.
Kevin’s eyes widened even as he moved forward to break her fall. Rather than tumble to the floor, she landed against his chest. Kevin stiffened when he felt the fullness of Iris’s body press into him. She placed her hands on his chest and looked up, appearing just as surprised as him.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Iris said, blinking. The look of astonishment disappeared and was replaced by amusement. “Huhuhu… thanks for catching my fall, Stud. I guess that makes you my hero.”
For some reason, Kevin did not like the sound of that. “Uh…”
“And you know what they say,” Iris continued, leaning up on her tiptoes. “Heroes deserve a reward.”
Kevin panicked. He tried to pull out of her grasp upon realizing her devious intentions, but Iris kept a firm grip around him. Instead of jerking himself out of her grip, he sent them both tumbling to the floor. Now, instead of a naked fox-girl hugging him, it was a naked fox-girl straddling his waist.
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