Kevin watched as Iris began dragging her sister off.
“Sorry, Lilian,” he said, “but you can consider this payback for not helping me when the principal tried to rape me.”
“I’m sorry, alright! Please, help me!”
“No can do. I’ve got lessons, remember?”
“Don’t be mean, Kevin! Kevin? Beloved!”
Kevin watched with solemn eyes as Iris and Lilian disappeared down the hall. Only after they were gone did he notice the observant gaze of a certain maid-slash-bodyguard.
“What are you looking at me like that for?”
Kotohime gave him a mysterious smile that he couldn’t place. “Ufufu, I was just wondering if you might have some kitsune blood in you.”
“Ha ha.” Kevin’s laugh was flat. “Funny. Can we get started on my lesson now, please? I still have homework to do after this.”
“Of course.” Kotohime guided him over to the couch. “We’ll begin our lessons right now. Ufufufu…”
“That laugh of yours really doesn’t inspire much confidence in me.”
***
How long has it been since I’ve taken a bath with my sister?
The question stirred within Lilian’s mind. It had to have been several years at least. She had stopped bathing with her sister immediately after meeting, at the time, a much younger Kevin. Her sister had never quite forgiven her for that.
Sitting at one end of the tub, her knees drawn up to her chest, Lilian tried to get comfortable with no success. Steam rose all around her. Iris lounged at the other end of the tub, one arm and one leg resting lazily off the lip.
“This is nice, don’t you think?”
“I guess.”
Iris cracked an eye open to look at her sister. “What’s wrong, Lily-pad? I thought you would be happy. It’s been so long since we’ve taken a bath together.”
Her sister’s left leg rose from the water’s surface, the movement one of sensual elegance. Lilian adamantly told herself that she didn’t find her sister’s bare leg attractive. Iris bent her leg and set her foot on the lip of the tub, and then began rubbing her inner thigh while releasing a seductive moan that made Lilian look away.
“It’s not that I’m not happy, but I have a mate now. Being with you like this, doing things like this with you, it doesn’t feel right.”
Wearing the flattest expression Lilian had ever seen on her, Iris set her leg back into the tub.
“Doesn’t feel right? What is that supposed to mean? How could it not feel right?”
“Look,” Lilian squirmed uncomfortably, “Kevin is a human. He… he doesn’t really understand how kitsune relationships work, and he would never accept how close you and I are.”
Iris raised an eyebrow. “So?”
“So, I love him. He’s my mate, and I want him to be happy. More than that, I want him to accept me, but I don’t think he can accept me if I’m, well, if my sister and I are… more intimate than sisters should be.”
“Let me get this straight,” Iris ground out. “You’re going to throw me away like yesterday’s trash because you have a mate now? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“I-it’s not like that,” Lilian tried to say, but Iris was having none of it.
“It’s exactly like that. This is why you’ve been ignoring me for the last six years, isn’t it?”
“I haven’t been ignoring—”
“Yes, you have.” Iris’ glare caused any words Lilian might give to die in her throat. “Ever since you started asking Kotohime about humans and their culture, you’ve begun ignoring me. You no longer take baths with me. You no longer sleep with me. It’s like you’ve completely forgotten that I exist!”
“That isn’t it…”
“And for what? Because you met some stupid human a couple of years ago and decided that he was more important than me?”
“Kevin isn’t stupid,” Lilian said through gritted teeth.
“Oh, come off it,” Iris scoffed. “He’s an ape, a lowly monkey. The only thing boytoys like him are good for is screwing.”
Lilian snarled at her sister. “You don’t know anything about Kevin, so I’d suggest you shut up!”
Perhaps she hadn’t been expecting such a strong reaction, but Iris grew wide-eyed at Lilian’s snarling visage. “W-wha—”
“Kevin is an amazing person! He saved me! When I was at my worst, when our matriarch was trying to sell me off like a prized trinket, it was his words that saved me. Not yours. His. And where were you? Sneaking off to join Aster and Azalea for a little lesbian triple play!”
Now it was Iris’s turn to be on the defensive. “That isn’t what I was—”
“Kevin is the only reason I haven’t been sold off to that idiot Jiāoào yet! Kevin is a kind and determined young man. He’s accepted me even though I caused him nothing but trouble since I started living with him. I love him, and I’m not going to listen to you insulting him like this!”
Iris’ eyes widened as Lilian stepped out of the tub. “H-hey! Where are you going?”
“I’m clean, so there’s no point in staying in here,” Lilian responded, wrapping a towel around her torso. “I’m going to see how my mate is doing with his lessons.”
“W-wait a minute! You can’t just leave like that! Damn it, Lilian, you’re my sister! Why are you taking the side of some human?”
“If you can’t figure out why, then telling you would be pointless.”
I knew I shouldn’t have let Iris talk me into bathing with her. She just doesn’t understand.
Lilian stormed out of the bathroom and slammed the door before making her way to hers and Kevin’s bedroom. After getting dressed, Lilian strolled toward the living room, where she could hear Kotohime lecturing her mate.
***
Kevin sat on the couch. In front of him stood Kotohime, her hands clasped behind her back, and her katana resting against the coffee table. She looked down at him, her gaze sharp and penetrating as any blade.
It was disconcerting, but Kevin didn’t let her know that. He looked straight at her.
Kotohime nodded in approval.
“Why don’t we start with a quick recap of what you already know about kitsune?”
“A recap? Why?”
“Because it’s been a long time since any information on the different types of kitsune has been given. Three whole months, in fact. This is as much for your benefit as it is for the readers.”
“I see,” Kevin murmured, then frowned. “But wait, won’t the readers get mad at us for repeating information?”
“T-they might,” Kotohime stumbled over her words, but quickly recovered. She then gave Kevin an appraising look, as if seeing him in a whole new light. “However, the author also feels it would be good to start this lesson off with a recap, you know, just in case they forgot and need to have their memory jogged.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Kevin nodded. “That makes sense, I guess.”
… A pause. Kevin blinked, his face scrunching up in confusion.
“What were we talking about again?”
“Nothing.” Kotohime waved Kevin’s confusion off as one might swat at a fly. “Now then, why don’t you tell me about the different types of kitsune?”
“All right. Well, let’s see… there’s fire, earth, river, wind, and thunder. Those are the, uh, lower tier, I think…” He looked up at Kotohime, a question in his eyes, to which she answered with a nod. “And then, erm, there’s the middle tier. That’s spirit, forest, mountain, and sound.”
“Good. Very good. And the last tier?”
“Celestial and Void. Those ones are easy.”
“Excellent. It seems you remember your lessons well.” Kotohime clapped her hands together. “I suppose it would be appropriate to tell you about the last tier of kitsune types.”
“You mean there’s a tier above the upper tier?”
“In a way. The last tier isn’t really a tier because it only has one type of kitsune. Time Kitsun
e.” Kotohime’s nose scrunched up in a way that looked strangely adorable. “Time Kitsune are a complete mystery: a combination of myths and legends. Several times in the distant past, there have been people who claim to have seen or even met a Time Kitsune, but no one truly knows whether they exist or not. That being said, if they do exist, they would exist on a tier higher even than Celestials and Voids, simply due to the nature of their power. The ability to manipulate time is a frightening thing.”
Kevin nodded. He thought it would be kind of awesome to control time, but he also knew how dangerous that kind of power could be.
“Now then, among the many hundreds of kitsune clans, there are thirteen that stand above the rest. These clans make up what is known as The Thirteen Great Kitsune Clans. They are the most powerful clans of their particular type. You will not need to worry about most of them. The lower tiers, for example, tend to stay as far from kitsune politics as possible, only getting involved when those they have made a pact with call on them for assistance, such as during a war between kitsune clans.”
“Does that happen often?”
“You mean war between clans? Not anymore, no. It wasn’t uncommon hundreds of years ago, but ever since the technological advancement of humanity during the early nineteenth century, kitsune—nay, all yōkai, have learned not to squabble as much. For our own safety, you understand.”
Kotohime gave Kevin a moment to ponder her words.
“Of course, it does still happen on rare occasions. Just like human society, politics in our world are very cutthroat. However, unlike your human politics, ours are decidedly more deadly. If one kitsune clan wishes to usurp the position of another clan, then they may wage war, provided they do so in a way that does not reveal our existence to humans. Naturally, a clan from a different kitsune type, for example, a fire kitsune clan, cannot usurp the position of, let’s say, the great water clan.”
“Has that happened recently?” Kevin was captivated by Kotohime’s words.
“Not recently, no. The last time this happened was around two-hundred years ago, when the Great Water Clan of Ślina was destroyed, and their position was usurped by an upstart clan called the Mul Clan.” Kotohime paused for a moment, her eyes glazing over, before they regained focus and she continued. “While clan usurpation doesn’t happen much anymore, there are still a lot of cutthroat politics going on behind the scenes; assassinations, backdoor deals, and political backstabbing to name a few.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“It is indeed, and it will be more dangerous for you, seeing how you’re human.” Kotohime’s intense stare made Kevin gulp. “Fortunately, you only need to worry about one clan right now. The Shénshèng Clan, the greatest clan of Celestial Kitsune in the entire world, has stood at the top of our race for many generations. They, along with the Great Void Clan of Gitsune, are the only clan to have never had their position as a great clan usurped. The ruler of the Shénshèng Clan is the Bodhisattva, Shénshèng Shinkuro-dono, who has been hailed as the most powerful Celestial Kyuubi to have ever graced the earth.”
“And it’s the son of this Bodhisattva guy who wants to marry Lilian, right?”
Kotohime nodded. “The kitsune you’re referring to is a young two-tails around the same age as Lilian-sama. He’s an impetuous child, and has a very strong sense of entitlement. That is, I believe, the entire reason he wants Lilian-sama so badly in the first place. She is one of the few people in the world who has denied him, and the only one who has done so with such vehemence. He will come for her, eventually, and you will need to be ready when he does.”
Kevin breathed in, held it, and then breathed out. There was no need to be nervous or frightened. This was why he trained with Kiara, wasn’t it? So he could stand up to this guy when the time came. Lilian was his. She had chosen him, had pushed her way into his heart with the subtlety of Eric in a girl’s locker room, and he wouldn’t let her go.
“Kevin-sama?”
“I’m fine.” Kevin released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Please continue.”
Kotohime smiled, and this time, Kevin was certain of it. The smile was genuine.
“Kevin?”
Before the lesson could continue, Lilian entered the room, dressed in flannel pajama shorts and a spaghetti strap shirt. Kevin didn’t know where to look; her legs, her ears, her tails, her butt, her swaying breasts, or her feet…
… Wait. What?
“Something wrong, Kevin-sama?”
“No.” Kevin grimaced. “I’m fine. I just had a really disturbing thought is all.”
“I see. Ufufufu…”
“I really wish you’d stop doing that.” Kotohime merely smiled at him, which Kevin ignored and turned to face Lilian as she down on his left. “Not going to spend more time with your sister?” He was startled to see Lilian’s face twist in a rictus of anger. It only lasted for a second, and when he blinked, the expression was gone, making him wonder if he hadn’t imagined it.
“I would much rather spend time with you.”
“If that’s what you want…”
“It is.”
Not satisfied with where she was sitting, Lilian crawled onto his lap. Kevin stiffened when she wiggled her bum against him to get comfortable. Grinning, the red-haired vixen wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. Kevin tried not to squirm and returned the gesture, his own arms going around her waist.
“Comfortable?” A vein throbbed on Kotohime’s foreign as she stared at them, visible due to its bright red hue.
“Um!” Lilian smiled. “I’m very comfortable.”
“I’m glad. May I continue with my lessons now?”
“Right. Go ahead and continue.” Lilian waved her hand up and down from its position on Kevin’s shoulder. “Just pretend I’m not here.”
“Ha… right.”
Kotohime was about to continue her lesson again—
“M-My Lady! Please be careful with those bags!”
“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. I’ve got―HAWA!”
“MY LADY!”
“Hawawawawawawa!!”
—When another interruption occurred.
Kevin, Kotohime and Lilian listened as a series of crashes and screams echoed from outside of their apartment. They winced as one when a particularly loud bang! signified someone hitting something hard and unyielding. Then the screaming and the crashing stopped, and absolute silence returned.
Several crickets broke the silence, chirping ever so quietly in the background.
“Please excuse me,” Kotohime mumbled. “It seems we will have to continue this lesson some other time.”
Kevin sweat dropped.
“… Right.”
***
Iris stood on the balcony, her forearms resting against the wall, allowing her to lean forward. She stared up at the night sky, ignoring the almost loving whispers that wanted nothing more than the absolute and utter annihilation of everything she held dear. The stars were rather pretty that night, and she didn’t want to ruin the moment by listening to them.
The door slid open. Iris did not turn around. What she did do was sigh. “Is there something you want, Mom?”
“Hawa… I just… Camellia heard that you and Lilian got into a fight. Camellia… Camellia doesn’t think Iris and Lilian should be fighting. It’s not good for sisters to fight, so please don’t do it anymore, okay?”
Gotta give the woman credit for trying, I guess.
“Ha…” A longer sigh this time. “If this is your attempt at being a better mother to us, then I’ve got tell you that you’re about sixty years too late.”
“Hawa… Iris is so mean.”
“Whatever. Look, just leave me alone, alright? I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”
Camellia’s eyes became dewy with unshed tears. Iris didn’t care. This woman had never been a good mother, and even though a part of her knew it wasn’t Camellia’s fault, it didn’t change the facts.
&
nbsp; The door slid open again and Kirihime walked onto the balcony. She placed a comforting hand on Camellia’s shoulder and offered the beautiful, if childish, mother a tender smile.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed, My Lady? I will speak to Lady Iris on your behalf.”
“Hawa…” Camellia wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her maid a bright smile that should not have been possible for a woman her age to produce. “Thank you, Kiri-kiri.”
“You’re welcome.”
With Camellia gone, Kirihime marched up to her mistress’ dark-haired daughter. She didn’t say anything at first, just stood there with the younger kitsune, staring up at the moon and stars as they painted the velvety sky with their brilliance.
“Having a sister of my own, I can sort of understand how you feel,” Kirihime finally spoke. “Back when I was a two-tails like yourself, Kotohime had fallen in love with a young man, a human much like Lord Kevin. I remember how jealous I was of her new mate. He took up so much of my precious sister’s time that I couldn’t stand it.”
Iris finally showed interest in what the maid was saying. “What did you do?”
“I tried to kill him. Multiple times.”
In the presence of Kirihime’s bright, wondrous smile, Iris felt a small thrill of fear traverse her spine all the way down to her tails.
“I failed, of course.” Kirihime’s smile turned both wistful and disappointed. “Kotohime foiled my attempts at every turn. It was frustrating at first, but I was eventually able to accept him after several dozen more failed assassination attempts, and life eventually got better.”
She gave Iris a conciliating smile.
“It’s okay to be jealous, you know?”
“Pfft!” Iris snorted and turned away. “Why would I be jealous of that kid? He’s just a human brat.”
“Just so,” Kirihime agreed, “but he is also your sister’s mate.” Iris’ face darkened at that reminder. “I am not saying you need to like him, but you should at least be nice to him. Right now, he is the most important person in Lady Lilian’s life. However, that will not always be the case. Lord Kevin is a human, and he will die before Lady Lilian even gets her fourth tail. Do you really want to cause a rift between you and your sister over something as transient as this?”
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