“…”
“I’m stripping naked.”
“Really?!”
Lilian snapped out of her trance, snapping her head over to Kevin.
He was still dressed.
He was also grinning.
“Of course not. Why would I strip out of my clothes after I just finished changing into them?”
“That was really mean, Beloved.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Kevin chuckled. “I couldn’t help myself.”
“You’re beginning to act more like a kitsune every day.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The two shared a smile before getting back to work. Kevin strapped his gun holsters to his thighs, then strapped his ammo holder across his waist. The ammo was clipped to the back, making it easy for him to slide the cartridges into his gun without having to pull them out of a pouch or something.
Lilian knew that Kevin had spent hours practicing loading and unloading his gun this way so he’d be good enough to use the skill in combat. He also slung a bandolier across his chest. It held half a dozen flash grenades. Unlike Lilian, who didn’t have any weapons—unless one counted her tails—Kevin looked ready to storm a fortress.
“What do you think?” he asked, showing himself off to her.
Lilian gave him a thumbs up. “You look like a super sexy version of Gray Fox.”
“Fitting,” Kevin decided.
“Yep.”
Outside in the living room, Iris sat on the couch, arms crossed and brows knitted together in displeasure. She stared balefully at their nearly matching outfits, though Lilian noticed that her sister’s gaze lingered on her chest and hips more than any other part of her body. Iris also seemed rather interested in the bulge on Kevin’s crotch. Camellia sat beside her.
“Hawa! You two look so cool!” Camellia clapped her hands in childish delight.
“Thank you,” Kevin said.
“Camellia wishes she had a costume like that.”
“Uh, we’ll see what we can do.”
“You two leaving?” Iris asked.
“Yeah.” Lilian tried not to feel too bad for her sister. She knew that despite Iris’s dislike of fighting, she disliked letting Lilian go off to fight even more. However, there wasn’t much they could do, not when Iris couldn’t use her powers without running the risk of being claimed by the Void.
Iris stood and walked over to them. She stopped in front of Lilian, glumly looking at her sister.
“Be careful, okay? I haven’t gotten to join you and the stud in bed yet, so I don’t want either of you dying on me.”
While Kevin smacked his face with his palm, Lilian smiled.
“Don’t worry, Kevin and I will make sure to come back!”
“Right.”
Iris smiled right before she pulled Lilian into a hug. Their breasts smashed together as Iris wrapped her arms around Lilian and held her close. After a moment of indecision, Lilian hugged the girl back, secretly relishing in the feel of the other vixen’s body pushing against her.
“I hate not being able to go with you,” Iris muttered.
“I know.”
“I hate the Void.”
“I know.”
“Hey, Lily-pad?”
“Yes?”
“Can I kiss you?”
“Not until I can convince Beloved to let you join us.”
“… Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
***
Kevin and Lilian arrived at the garage to see nearly five dozen people standing before Monstrang. Kotohime and Kiara stood on either side of him, both appearing ready for battle in their own, intimidating way.
“It is so creepy to see Kotohime caressing her katana like that,” Kevin murmured.
“I know,” Lilian agreed. “Believe me, I know.”
“You two are late,” Monstrang said as he and Lilian shuffled to the front.
“Sorry,” Kevin apologized.
“Whatever,” Monstrang grunted. “Just don’t let it happen again.”
“Yes, sir.” Kevin and Lilian snapped off a sloppy salute.
“All you know what’s going on,” Kiara started, speaking for Monstrang, who Kevin knew wasn’t much of a speaker. “A rogue faction of yōkai have taken several hundred schools hostage. Several of those schools happen to be here in Arizona. The US military’s hands are tied. They can’t help without risking the safety of the students who’ve been taken hostage. That’s why we’re going to rescue them.”
“Why should we rescue a bunch of humans?” asked one yōkai, a kuma, a bear yōkai who looked like a giant lumberjack with hair covering most of his body.
“Yeah! After what they did to us, why should we help save them?!”
“We should let them die!”
Several of the yōkai present voiced their agreement with the kuma. Kevin masked his flinch. It looked like the tensions were running so high that some of the people here didn’t seem to want a peaceful resolution anymore. That was not good.
“If you let them die, then that would validate everything the news has been saying about us.” Kotohime stepped forward. “Do you want to prove the Sons and Daughters of Humanity right? Do you want to prove to the world that we truly are the monsters they say we are? No? I didn’t think so. Now remain silent and listen. Time is of the essence, and I for one would like to save those children.”
Kotohime’s words had their intended effect. Everyone who might have disagreed suddenly clammed up. None of the yōkai there wanted to be called monsters. They might not have been human, but years upon years of mingling with humanity had left an aversion to being called monster, a title that many yōkai had once taken pride in. She’d hit them where it hurt.
Kevin smiled as Kotohime took a step back. Leave it to our resident swordswoman to cut straight through people’s arguments like a katana.
“That was so unbelievably awesome,” Lilian muttered. “She sounded just like a shōnen protagonist.”
“She could probably give Natsumo a run for her money in the ‘moving speech department,’” Kevin agreed.
With everyone settling down, Kiara stepped in once more and outlined their plan. They would be divided into six groups of five. Each group would travel to one of the designated schools, subdue the rogue yōkai, rescue the children, and then leave before the authorities could do anything. It was a simple plan, but Kevin knew that sometimes the simpler plans were best. Hadn’t some general centuries ago mentioned something about how “every plan goes FUBAR” once contact with the enemy was made”? Kevin was sure it went something like that.
After delivering their plan, Kiara divided them into groups. Kevin didn’t pay much attention until they got to his group.
“Kevin, Lilian, Mack, Kirihime, and Dave will comprise group four, who will be traveling to Desert Cactus High School.”
“Kirihime?” Kevin and Lilian said at the same time.
“Indeed, Lady Lilian, Lord Kevin.” Kirihime stepped out of the crowd and walked over to them, giving them a demure bow. “I shall be accompanying you two on this mission. I hope we work well together.”
Kevin was surprised since he assumed Kirihime would be averse to leaving Camellia on her own. Then again, the situation was such that they needed all the help they could get, and Kevin knew that Kirihime was a skilled fighter.
Before either of them could speak, Monstrang started shouting.
“You know what your assignment is. Now get going!”
“All right, you four, follow me,” Mack ordered, apparently the yōkai leading them on this operation.
They were led to one of the many Hummers, which appeared to be this group’s go-to vehicle. They climbed in. Lilian, Kevin, Kirihime, and Dave sat in the back. Unlike a regular vehicle, these Hummers’ backs consisted of a wide-open space in the center, and benches on either side. Lilian sat next to him, while Kirihime sat beside Dave.
Kevin eyed the only yōkai there that he didn’t know. He didn’t look all that diffe
rent from a human—unless one counted his green skin. His hair also looked kind of like seaweed, his pupils weren’t round but small slits instead, and his arms seemed oddly boneless. He also had a rather large nose and a small twirly mustache.
“So, Dave—”
“Eet ees not Dave,” “Dave” snapped. “Eet ees Davide.”
“Right.” Kevin nodded. “Daveed.”
“No, not Daveed. Davide.”
“There’s a different?” Kevin asked.
“Apparently so,” Lilian murmured.
“Okay, Davide,” Kevin started, “do you mind if I asked what kind of yōkai you are?”
“I am an akkorokamui.”
Akkorokamui are gigantic octopus yōkai that supposedly lurk near Funka Bay in Hokkaidō, Japan. They were best known in Ainu Folklore, and the Ainu reverence of them has leaked into Shintoism. Some people claim they are actually a minor god, though anyone who knew the truth about yōkai knew that to be false. What isn’t false is that akkorokamui have incredible healing powers due to their affinity with water.
“Awesome.” Kevin nodded.
“If you’re an akkorokamui, where are your tentacles?” asked Lilian.
“I keep zem ‘idden until I need to bring zem out,” Davide responded.
“Oh, cool,” Lilian said.
“Everyone, buckle up back there,” Mack called out.
They all did as told. The Hummer started up, roaring to life, rumbling and causing the seats to vibrate. Up front, Mack shifted gears and pulled out of the parking lot, driving toward the tunnel that would lead them out of the base.
Having never been in a military vehicle before, Kevin couldn’t deny that he was a little excited, but that excitement was also mixed with worry and fear. What would they find when they arrived at Desert Cactus High School? Were their friends okay?
“It’ll be all right.” Lilian grabbed his hand. “I’m sure our friends are fine, and when we get there, we’ll beat up those stupid yōkai who are holding them hostage.”
“Yeah.” Kevin smiled. “You’re right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Lilian puffed out her chest proudly. Given that her body was wrapped in what looked like tight spandex, it made her bouncing breasts stand out more than usual, which was saying something. “And after we rescue them, we’ll become heroes, just like Straw Hat Luffy.”
“You mean like Natsu Dragneel.”
“Psh! Who’d wanna be that lame Salamander?”
“Don’t diss Natsu! He’s a cool character!”
“He’s a Fire Dragon Slayer. I don’t think you can use cool to describe him.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Luffy is better.”
“Nuh uh.”
“Yes huh.”
“No, he’s not.”
“He is so.”
“Natsu has a hot blond girlfriend.”
“Luffy has a harem.”
“Are you including Roronoa Zoro in that harem?”
“Of course!”
“Huh, didn’t know you were into that kind of thing.”
“Would you two be sileent!” Davide, having finally grown sick of their banter, roared in his strange accent. “We are een ze middle of a mission. We cannot afford to act like a couple of cheeldren.”
“Sorry,” Lilian and Kevin said simultaneously.
“It’s very cute how you two said that at the same time.” Kirihime smiled at two. Kevin and Lilian both grinned back, and their entwined hands tightened.
Darkness engulfed much of the vehicle, with only a few lights flickering periodically in through the windows. The bright yellow beams highlighted their features, casting dark shadows across their faces.
Silence reigned for several seconds, with only the loud rumble of the Hummer’s massive V-8 engine to break it.
Kevin suddenly looked over at Davide, who appeared to be playing with his mustache.
“Are you French?” he asked, trying to start a conversation.
He wasn’t very successful.
CHAPTER 9
ROGUE YŌKAI
Kevin couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, but he once remembered hearing about how waiting was the worst part about war—he thought it had come from a movie he’d watched long ago.
Before this moment, he had never believed that statement. How could anything be worse than the combat itself? The frenetic pace of a battle, balancing on the thread between life and death, adrenaline and fear pumping through your veins in equal measure. Surely nothing could be more frightening than that. Those had been his thoughts.
I was naive.
The waiting before the battle was definitely the worst part of combat.
He sat in the Hummer, the engine rumbling beneath his seat. Sitting by his side was Lilian, who was surprisingly silent. Whenever he looked her way, he saw that she appeared to be deep in thought. Kevin didn’t want to intrude, so he didn’t try to start a conversation, but still, he really wished someone would speak up.
I hope my friends are okay.
Kevin wasn’t worried about himself. The fear of death had left him a while ago. He still didn’t want to die, but he wasn’t afraid of facing it anymore, which he considered a good thing, considering how many times he and death had already faced off. Kevin would even go so far as to say that death was a close friend of his.
His main concern was for his friends. Even though all of them had been aware of yōkai for a while now, they still didn’t have much experience with the violence in that world. Aside from their stint in California, during the Comic Con, they’d never been part of the dangerous situations that spilled over from the yōkai world.
Damn those Sons and Daughters of Humanity. This is all their fault.
Kevin wasn’t prone to swearing often, not even mild swearing. However, given the circumstances, he really wished he could find the Sons and Daughters of Humanity’s leader and curse them.
“Kevin?”
“Yes?”
Lilian bit her lip. “I was wondering… I mean, I wanted to talk to you about Iris…”
Had Kevin not been sitting, he would have fallen on his face. “N-now?”
“Yes.”
“I… look, do you think this can wait? At least until after we save our friends?”
Lilian hesitated for a moment. Perhaps she saw his reticence toward this subject reflected in his eyes, or maybe even his body language. A moment passed in which nothing happened before Lilian shook her head.
“I… I’d really rather just say it right now. Otherwise I might not have the courage to say it later.”
Kevin sucked in a breath, then slowly exhaled and forced his body to relax. “A-all right.”
“Thank you,” Lilian murmured. “Look, I know that you’re not interested in other girls, and I really do appreciate that. It makes me feel special. But I also want my sister to be happy, you know? And I don’t think she’d be happy in another relationship.” She paused, took a deep breath, and looked at him. “Um… do you maybe think we could include her in our relationship? It wouldn’t be a harem! It would just… be the three of us.”
Kevin remained silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts and debating on what to say. He needed to tread carefully here. Saying the wrong thing could hurt Lilian, and he didn’t want to do that.
“Maybe if Iris wasn’t your sister, I wouldn’t be so… so… reluctant, I guess.” Kevin tried to maintain eye contact, but it was harder than it looked. “The problem is that Iris is your sister. Lilian, what you and she are suggesting is, well, it’s incest, and I, well, I don’t want to say it’s wrong, but…”
“You think it’s wrong.”
Kevin looked away. “I’m sorry.”
Lilian grabbed his face and turned it so he was facing her. She smiled at him, and even though it didn’t reach her eyes, he could tell her genuine smiles from her fake ones. This one was genuine.
“Don’t be. I know that a relationship like that is considered wrong in human
society. I understand that. I don’t blame you for feeling uncomfortable about this.”
“Thank you,” Kevin said, “but it’s not—”
“I blame your society.”
“Eh?”
Lilian stood up in her seat, suddenly and without warning, causing everyone to look at her. There was a fire in her eyes, a literal blaze of bright red flames that burned beneath her viridian irises like a forest fire gone out of control.
“This is the fault of your misguided human society. If I want to change the way you think, then I’ll have to change the way society thinks! I refuse to give up, Beloved! I simply need to change my approach!”
“Uh,” Kevin had absolutely no clue what to say to that.
Kirihime, apparently caught up in Lilian’s passionate speech, quickly stood up and bowed before her. “Lady Lilian, your passion has moved me. I do not know how much help I will be in this matter, but you may count on my aid regardless.”
“Thank you, Kirihime. It is nice to have people I can count on.”
“You’re welcome. I, too, feel the same way that you do.” Kirihime placed a hand on her chest. “I also wish to change society. That way I can hunt to my heart’s content and not worry about any laws that might be put in place to stop me.”
… Silence.
Kevin awkwardly glanced between Lilian, who looked ready to vomit, and Kirihime, who was smiling demurely, as if she hadn’t just said something completely gross and insane. Also, if he strained his ears, Kevin could swear he heard crickets chirping even over the loud rumble of the Hummer’s V-8.
“Kirihime?”
“Yes, Lady Lilian?”
“You really freak me out sometimes.”
Kirihime could only tilt her head and look adorable. It was very disturbing.
***
Lindsay knew their situation was dire. The entrances were blocked off, and the few people who’d tried to escape were now moaning on the ground, their bones broken, the yōkai having snapped them like peanut brittle. To make matters worse, some of the yōkai who’d not originally been involved had joined the group holding them hostage.
The humans were huddled together in fear, some crying, most sniffling, and many whimpering. Wide eyes bulged from sockets. Snot dribbled from noses. Tears leaked from ducts, streaking down the faces of scared humans. Lindsay thought she was among one of the few people there who hadn’t broken down into tears.
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