She spun and kicked out low, taking the legs out from beneath the one who had tried to hit her from the rear. He went down with a whoop of surprise and Kisaki followed up by stomping down upon his midsection and knocking the wind completely out of him. He didn’t even have enough left after that to cry out in pain.
The one with the crooked nose managed to grab hold of her arm when she spun his way. He twisted it, which she realized should have caused her pain, but didn’t. If anything, it was like a small child, or youkai cub, doing little more than holding her hand. She flexed her muscles and saw the look of surprise in his eyes as she overpowered him. It almost mirrored the one on her own face at what she was doing.
His friend came in on the other side, grasping her free arm to stop her from driving it into her other opponent, or at least trying to.
She dragged him forward, slamming the two together with considerable force. Blood erupted from the already crooked nose of the first one.
Broken again, she mused before kicking out at the second.
She caught him dead-on in the midsection and sent him airborne, much to her surprise. He landed a good ten feet away, hitting the ground stunned.
Rather than admire her handiwork, she grabbed hold of the bleeding male’s arm, spun, and forcefully flipped him onto his back where she drove the heel of her foot into his crotch.
He let out a high-pitched wheeze and began to actually cry as his hands moved to cradle the spot she’d struck. Kisaki wasn’t quite certain what she’d done, but it appeared that he was likewise out of the fight.
That was five. Only their leader remained.
Interestingly enough, the smug look was gone from his face. He was their leader, their general, but he was also a sham. His expression told her he relied on his troops to do all the work for him. Without them, he was nothing.
Kisaki folded her arms and glared at him. Multiple history lessons played out in her mind, telling her that surrender was imminent. Then it would be up to her to decide how to proceed, to be wrathful or merciful.
She honestly wasn’t sure which she wanted at that moment. It was as if her higher brain functions had been pushed to the side in favor of that cold logic, and that logic was apparently equally as fine with breaking this human’s neck as it was with letting him go.
That sudden realization scared Kisaki – to think she might be capable of such violence when she’d never so much as hurt a fly before today.
“Listen, I was just kidding before about that side of rice crap,” Robbie said, his hands up in supplication. “It was just a joke.”
Kisaki struggled to push that coldness within her away, back down to whatever dungeon of her mind it had originated from. While it remained, she was uncertain what she might do. This man-child before her was a worm, unworthy of her consideration, but she had friends nearby. If she let the coldness stay, it might eventually begin to influence her with regard to them.
She didn’t let the war raging inside of her show on her face, though. To do so might embolden her foe again. If that happened, she was almost certain whatever befell him would make the beating his friends had suffered look tame by comparison.
Instead, she reached up and touched her jaw where she’d been struck. “A joke, you say?” Kisaki took a step forward, enjoying the way he flinched at her approach.
“Please! I have money.”
“I have no interest in your money. I...”
“Sure we do,” Tamiko said in his language, running up to stand by her side. “How much?”
Kisaki fell silent. She wasn’t certain what her friend was getting at, but was curious to see what would happen next.
Robbie pulled something from his pocket, some kind of folded pouch, then tossed it to the ground in front of him. “That’s everything I’ve got.”
“Good,” Tamiko said. “Now get lost. Don’t let my friend here see you again.”
They stepped to the side to let him pass. He didn’t even pause long enough to wait for his friends, who were just now struggling to get back up.
“Heed the human’s words,” Shitoro said as Robbie drew near him. “Pray we do not cross paths again.”
Robbie’s eyes opened wide as saucers as he looked down at the little tiger demon. He let out a screech of panic and ran.
Seeing their leader broken, the rest of his group pulled themselves to their feet and ran after him. Kisaki and Tamiko watched them wordlessly until they were gone from sight. Then Tamiko strolled over, picked up the pouch Robbie had dropped, and looked inside it.
“Why did you do that?” Kisaki asked. “We do not need anything of his.”
“I beg to differ,” Tamiko said, counting green-colored paper. “We’re in a new land with no money. American money, anyway. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to want lunch at some point.”
Kisaki couldn’t discount her logic even if it felt a bit petty to have done so. Still, she’d heard of warriors taking trophies from their defeated foes, so perhaps this was customary.
“Hey, um, thanks.”
She spun as quickly as she could. In the heat of battle, she’d completely forgotten about the young man she’d been intent on saving. He was back on his feet, leaning on the wall of the alley for support. Though a bit disheveled, and with a bruise beginning to color his cheek, he seemed otherwise unhurt. “I am pleased you are okay.”
“I wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t come along. That was ... incredible.”
“I’ll say,” Tamiko added, stepping once again to Kisaki’s side. “How come you didn’t tell me you could do that?”
“I...”
“We should get out of here,” the boy said. “I’ve known that dickhead for years and he doesn’t give up easily. He’s going to want some payback. He and his idiot friends are probably going to convince each other it was a fluke and then come back for round two.”
Kisaki nodded. She wasn’t particularly worried about a round two, whatever that was, but was curious about the person she’d just saved. It would be difficult to learn anything about who he was, where they were, and where they could find her father, if she was busy picking fights with the local populace.
“Agreed,” Tamiko said, pocketing the money and discarding Robbie’s pouch.
“Great,” he replied. “Follow me. We can go back to my house. At the very least, I can offer you guys a place to clean up and maybe a glass of lemonade.”
“One moment,” Kisaki said, remembering she’d dropped something very important. Now where was ... there! The Taiyosori was lying in the puddle where it had fallen, looking like nothing more than a simple feather quill.
Such ado about so simple of a thing. Whatever it was, though, it still belonged to her mother. She was in trouble enough already without having to confess she’d lost it.
Kisaki picked it up, gave it a quick shake to wring the water out, then stuffed it back into her jacket before turning to follow the young man, who seemed quite eager to leave this place.
He led the group out of the alley, stopping at the entrance and looking around, perhaps to make sure his tormenters were no longer in the area. After a moment, he waved them on. “The way you took care of those guys was seriously awesome.”
“Thank you,” Kisaki replied.
“By the way, how did you manage to throw your voice so it sounded like your cat was talking?”
21
They were mostly quiet as the boy led them along. He seemed nervous, as if Robbie and his cohorts might be waiting around every tree.
Kisaki decided that further conversation could wait until he was in a place where he was more comfortable. She remembered her own embarrassment at being bullied and how she’d felt much better once she’d followed Tamiko home.
Through some minor miracle, Shitoro held his tongue as they walked, seemingly not in the mood to argue with the boy’s earlier cat comment.
Kisaki tried to take in her new surroundings – Cartersvill
e, Tamiko had called it – but instead found herself stealing glances at their new companion. He was a good head taller than she and appeared to be of comparable age – in appearance anyway. He was tall, thin, and with a strong chin. Kisaki had few reference points to judge attractiveness but decided he was pleasant to look at, certainly much more so than the brutes who’d accosted him.
“Where are we going?” Tamiko asked as he led them down a side street off of the main thoroughfare of the small town.
“Like I said, my place. Or my parents’ place anyway. They’re not home, though. They’re gone for the week, visiting my grandparents. I had to work, so I stuck around. Trying to save up for a car. You know how it is.”
Kisaki did not know how it was, but his answer seemed to satisfy Tamiko, so she decided to trust in her friend.
After about fifteen more minutes of walking, they came to a small dwelling. It was a drab beige in color and two stories in height. A portion of the street lay alongside it – a driveway, if Kisaki recalled correctly – and it was surrounded on all sides by a wooden fence that didn’t look sturdy enough to keep out anything that truly wanted in.
“It’s not much to look at, but it’s home,” the boy said brightly enough. “Come on in.” He walked up a few steps to the door and opened it before frowning down at Shitoro. “Is he one of those hypoallergenic breeds, by any chance?”
Kisaki opened her eyes wide in confusion. She turned to Tamiko, who merely shrugged uncomfortably.
“It’s just that my mom is allergic to cats. Nothing horrible, but she’ll end up sneezing for a week if too much fur gets on things.”
“Oh,” Kisaki replied, not entirely comprehending. “He is...”
“Then it is a good thing I am not a cat,” Shitoro said suddenly. “A fact that you humans seem to have some issue discerning.”
The boy let out a laugh. “Which of you two is doing that? Because seriously, that is kick ass. We’re talking Jeff Dunham level shit right there.”
“Jeff Dunham?” Kisaki asked.
“It’s her.” Tamiko hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “She and her cat have a special bond.”
“My claws are going to form a special bond with your leg, human, if you keep calling me that,” Shitoro growled.
“Wow,” their would-be host said. “That is wild. I can’t see your lips moving or anything.”
Shitoro let out a disgusted sigh. “Is the entirety of your species this dense? I swear, one would think opening that door would present a challenge to you. It’s beyond me how primates such as yourself managed to spook the bulk of the celestial court.”
“Shitoro,” Kisaki warned.
“Is that his name?” the boy asked. “I had him pegged as more of a Fluffy.”
That caused Tamiko to burst out laughing.
Shitoro, however, seemingly found the comment less than amusing. Before Kisaki could say anything to stop him, his eyes flashed and he transformed to his youkai form. He stood there glaring up at the wide-eyed boy. “I have had to endure a lot in my time, but I will warn you once and only once, that I am not fluffy!”
♦ ♦ ♦
Anything further Shitoro might have had to say was drowned out.
“Holy shit! What the hell is that thing?!”
Though the nearby dwellings weren’t nearly as close together as some Kisaki had seen on Tamiko’s island, she suspected they were close enough to hear the panic coming out of her new friend’s mouth.
Tamiko was apparently thinking the same thing. She whispered, “We need to get inside,” then grabbed the boy from behind and dragged him through the door.
Kisaki glared down at Shitoro. “Go on.”
“It would be rude of me to pass through first without holding the door for a lady such as...”
“In, now!”
Perhaps it was the tone in Kisaki’s voice, but Shitoro hurried through the doorway as quickly as his little hind legs could carry him.
As soon as he was inside, she followed and closed the door behind them, hoping they hadn’t attracted any undue attention.
♦ ♦ ♦
If it hadn’t been for the panic in the boy’s voice, Kisaki would have found the interior charming. It was simple compared to the celestial palace, even compared to the resort she’d stayed at with Tamiko. If anything, it reminded Kisaki of a peasant dwelling, but that wasn’t to say it was bad. What it lacked in finery and grandeur, it certainly made up for in comfort.
And then there was the smell. She couldn’t put her finger upon it, as she’d never smelled anything like it before, but the dwelling had a pleasant, lazy odor about it. The brown-haired boy had called it home, and that struck a chord with her. Indeed, it smelled like what one might imagine a home should smell like.
Taking in the sights and scents would have to wait, however, for Tamiko had her hands full. She’d pulled the boy into a room off of the entranceway and was trying to get him to sit down.
“Get off me!” he protested. “What is that thing? Who are you people? And how hard did that blockhead hit me back there in the alley?”
“Calm down,” Tamiko said. “This is all fairly new for me, too.”
“I am not going to calm down. That ... cat talked to me, and then it turned into a ... I don’t know, a freaking garden gnome or something.”
Shitoro’s fur ruffled at his words and he opened his mouth, but Kisaki pushed past, then turned and pointed a finger his way. “That will be enough.”
“But...”
“I’m serious, Shitoro. It can wait for the moment. Just stand near the doorway for now until we calm him down.”
The youkai made a sound of disgust. “Such insignificant creatures. Why I even bother trying...”
Kisaki stepped into the room slowly, attempting to appear as harmless as possible. She looked around and then took a seat on a comfortable, if worn-looking chair. “Your home is really nice.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” he asked. “That’s the best you’ve got? You just kicked the crap out of six guys who’ve hounded me since the second grade, you have a talking gnome cat, and all you can say is ‘your home is nice?’”
“It really is,” Tamiko agreed before stepping back when he turned to glare at her. She turned to Kisaki and inclined her head before taking a seat of her own. The look on her face said it all. Scared and confused as he was, at least he was talking, which was infinitely better than screaming.
“I’m gonna call the cops,” he said. “Tell them you forced your way inside and are holding me hostage.”
“Cops?”
“Please don’t do that,” Tamiko replied, and then to Kisaki, she explained, “American slang. It means the police.”
“Ah, the enforcers of your laws. Yes, as my friend just said, kindly do not do that. It is unnecessary.”
The boy laughed, although there was a manic quality to it. “Not sure what I’d tell them anyway, at least that wouldn’t get me locked up. They threw Mr. Dawkins, that’s our neighbor three doors down, in the drunk tank for the weekend after he claimed to have seen Bigfoot out in the woods. Can only imagine what they’d do if I started yelling about talking gnomes.”
“Shitoro is not a gnome,” Kisaki said. “He is a youkai.”
“A tiger youkai, if we are being specific,” Shitoro added from the doorway to the room, where he looked to be busy pouting.
“Yes.” Kisaki smiled at him. “He is a ferocious and loyal tiger youkai.”
“Youkai?” the young man asked. “I’ve heard that before.”
“It basically means demon,” Tamiko explained.
“Oh yeah. From like manga, right?”
She nodded.
“My mom’s into that and I’ve read a few.” He turned toward Shitoro and blinked several times, as if not believing what he was seeing. “So you’re actually telling me they’re real?”
“Hopefully not all,” Tamiko replied. “I’ve read a few stories t
hat are a bit ... disturbing. But trust me. I was just as surprised as you.”
“Are there any others like him?”
Tamiko turned to Kisaki with an expectant look upon her face. Kisaki realized this was her friend’s first chance to ask questions, too. She’d met Shitoro, only to be whisked away before she could properly process things. If anything, they were sharing the same surprised emotions. The boy’s were just a bit fresher, that’s all.
Speaking of which, she couldn’t keep thinking of her host as “the boy.” “My name is Kisaki. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You’ve already met Shitoro, and this is Tamiko.”
The boy nodded. “Are you two ... y’know?”
“Y’know?”
“I think he’s asking if we’re youkai, too,” Tamiko said. “I’m not. Just a fifteen-year-old girl from Kabira Beach. Heck, two hours ago, I was in your shoes.”
“Kabira Beach? Is that in New Jersey?”
“Ishigachi ... it’s west of Okinawa.”
“Okinawa?” The boy paused as if thinking. “As in Japan?”
Tamiko nodded.
“You’re Japanese ... I mean, obviously, you look like it. I mean, you look Asian, that is, not...”
“Oh great. Another broken human,” Shitoro muttered.
“Sorry,” he continued, throwing a quick glance the tiger youkai’s way before turning back to Tamiko. “So you’re really from Japan?”
“If you ask my father, he’d give you a long answer to that,” she said with a smile, “but yes.”
Their host didn’t seem to know what to say to that. “Um ... your English is really good.”
“Thanks. My dad runs the resort there. I get a lot of practice with the tourists.”
“I bet,” he replied, still wide-eyed. “I’m sorry, maybe I’m thick, but I still don’t get it. You said that two hours ago, this was all new to you. But you’re here now?”
“Yes. A short while ago I, we were there standing on the beach back home. It was dark, and then poof, suddenly we were here and it was morning.”
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