A Fox's Family (American Kitsune Book 4)

by Brandon Varnell

Okay, so bullets won’t work on this thing. That’s fine, I have other weapons in my arsenal.

  Clicking the button on her flash grenade, she fast-balled the object right into the strange creature’s face. The explosion, while not harmful, was incredibly bright. Hopefully, that would scramble whatever this thing used to perceive its opponents.

  With the thing distracted―hopefully―Heather turned tail and ran. She didn’t know what that thing was, but it was already clear to her that, whatever it was, she would not be able to defeat it with her current arsenal. All she had were guns and stun grenades.

  A sound from behind made her eyes widen. She threw herself to the ground just in time to avoid something with a fusillade shooting past her. A rocket. The wall several feet away exploded in a shower of flames and cement.

  Heather scrambled to her feet just in time to avoid being impaled through the back. She warily eyed the weapon; made from the same organic material as the creature, it shifted and morphed. What had once been a clawed hand was now a large gun with multiple barrels. It pointed the gun at her, the barrels spinning with a loud whirr!

  “Oh, shit!”

  There was no time to think after that. Heather bolted. She jinked and juked left and right, zigzagging across the blacktop, avoiding the many hundreds of tiny bullets that pierced the ground and air around her. Thankfully, whatever this thing was, it didn’t have very good aim.

  She turned a corner leading into an alley. A ladder stood on her left. She took it, ascending as swiftly as possible. The thing also turned the corner and saw her. It aimed its gun and opened fire, but she was already on the roof, sprinting across the rooftop.

  It followed her.

  Heather hissed as bullets whizzed past her. She reached the end of the roof and leapt off, landing on the other roof. She stumbled, knees bending, then rolled along the ground and shot back up. She continued running and jumped to the next roof.

  It continued following her.

  Releasing a fierce groan, Heather put more effort into her running. It was gaining on her. She could hear its feet pounding along the ground in a series of loud thack-thack! sounds that struck her ears like a violent heartbeat. The series of roofs ended and Heather jumped down, rolling across the ground to absorb the shock of impact. She ran to the right, quickly turning a corner and ducking into an alley. There, she hid behind a large dumpster, ignoring the smell. She’d rather deal with the scent of rotten eggs and sulfur than whatever that thing was.

  With her back pressed against the dumpster, she could not see the thing as it approached the alley. She could certainly hear it, though. Heather held her breath, careful not to make a sound. She waited and waited and waited, and after what felt like several hours of waiting, she heard it move away from the alley and walk away. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.

  Striding out from behind the dumpster, Heather was just about to begin walking back home when a loud click echoed behind her. Eyes wide, she spun around just in time to see a gun pointed at her chest.

  The sound of a gunshot rang clearly in the alley.

  Chapter 6

  Perverts and Precarious Predicaments

  Kevin stepped out from one of many shower stalls at Mad Dawg Fitness. He grabbed the towel hanging from the nearest rack, wrapped it around his waist, and walked into the changing room. While changing into his normal clothes, Kevin noticed his reflection in the mirror and, being a teenage boy, he ended up doing what all teenage boys did when they saw their shirtless reflections in the mirror.

  He started flexing and checking out his muscles.

  Unfortunately, he was disappointed.

  “Tsk. Doesn’t look like I’ve grown much, does it?”

  While his chest and shoulders seemed a bit broader, he couldn’t see any major differences between now and before he’d started training with Kiara. His pectorals weren’t any more defined and his stomach didn’t have those washboard abs he had always wanted; he looked more or less the same as he always had. How disappointing.

  With a sigh, he finished getting dressed, exited the locker room, and strode to the gym’s entrance. Lilian stood near the door, waiting for him. Kiara was there, too, and Kevin noticed that his girlfriend kept as far from the other woman as possible.

  His lips twitched.

  Even though she dislikes Kiara, she still comes here to support me.

  Every day since the morning that she had first delivered breakfast, Lilian had started coming to watch him train. She woke up earlier than she used to, even though she didn’t have to, and rode over on his bike, despite how cold it had become. It touched him more than he could say. His heart warmed up every time he thought about it.

  “Are you ready to go, Kevin?” Lilian’s eyes brightened like million-watt bulbs as he walked up to her.

  With his gym bag slung over his shoulder, Kevin grinned. “Yep.”

  “Great! Then let’s get going.”

  “Thank you again for training me,” Kevin addressed Kiara, who merely smirked at him.

  “Don’t sweat it, boya. You’re a good student. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as determined to get stronger as you. Keep at it and I’m sure you’ll be strong enough to take on some of the less powerful yōkai someday.”

  Kevin blushed at the praise, just a bit. “Ah-hahaha, t-thank you.”

  “Come on, Kevin. Let’s go.”

  “All right, all right, no need to rush.”

  He and Lilian left the gym and rode back to their apartment. Kevin didn’t even need to enter to know what he would find; Kotohime cooking breakfast, Kirihime doing laundry or cleaning, Camellia still sleeping, and Iris taking a bath. He’d gotten used to their habits. It was hard to believe that they had only been living with him for three weeks now.

  After locking up his bike, Kevin opened the door.

  “HAWA!”

  And suddenly found himself getting a face full of breasts.

  The world around him spun as he and Camellia tumbled down the stairs. After smacking various limbs against the hard cement of the staircase, Kevin found himself sprawled on his stomach, on top of Camellia, with his face still embedded in her massive cleavage. Blinking several times, he looked up to see Camellia’s not-quite-conscious face.

  “Hawa,” the woman mumbled in her semi-concussed state.

  “M-My Lady! Lord Kevin!” Kirihime rushed down the stairs in a panic, Lilian following close behind. “Are you two alright!? You’re not hurt, are you?”

  “Ugh, I’m fine,” Kevin mumbled, sitting up. He looked down at Camellia, whose eyes held the glazed-over appearance of someone who’d been knocked for a loop. “Don’t know if I can say the same about Camellia, though.”

  “Hawa,” Camellia mumbled again, seemingly in agreement.

  ***

  Kevin and Lilian sat at the table, the amazing food cooked by Kotohime arrayed before them. Camellia wasn’t sitting at the table with them, and instead sat on the couch, watching some kind of early morning kids’ cartoon, Adventure something or other. He didn’t know what it was called, since he didn’t watch American cartoons.

  “Something wrong, Kevin-sama?”

  “Hm?” It took Kevin a moment to realize that he’d been staring at the same space for over five minutes. Returning to reality, he tossed Kotohime a grin. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  “You seem to be doing that an awful lot in this story.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” Kotohime waved off his question while Lilian giggled into her miso soup. “What were you thinking about this time, if I may ask?”

  “Just all the changes that have happened.”

  Kevin looked around. Lilian sat next to him, Kotohime stood by the redhead’s side, Camellia sat on the couch while laughing at something he couldn’t see, and Kirihime stood beside her while wearing a gentle smile.

  “So much has changed. Even now, it’s hard to believe that not even four months have passed since I met Lilian.” Kevin sent the redhead a warm look wh
ich actually made the girl blush, allowing him to chalk up another point for himself. Kevin: Five. Lilian: Over 9,000. “I never imagined my life would take such a drastic turn, but you know what?” His warm look turned into a joyful grin. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

  “Kevin…”

  “That’s some pretty deep stuff you’re talking about there, kiddo―I mean, Kevin.”

  Everyone looked up. Iris stood in the kitchen entrance dressed in a dark red skirt, tan winter boots with fur lining the top, and a red shirt with a black jacket thrown over it. Her hair was still wet from her bath.

  “What do you want?” Lilian asked menacingly. Iris flinched, but tried to hide it. Kevin placed a hand on Lilian’s left thigh and rubbed it in slow, concentric circles.

  “Easy,” he said. Lilian shuddered, her cheeks flushing just a bit as she released a breathy sigh, relaxing completely under his ministration. And with her no longer hissing like an angry viper, Kevin greeted Iris. “Morning, did you sleep well?”

  Iris looked stunned for a moment, but recovered admirably. “Yeah, I slept fine… thanks for asking.” She sat down opposite the two, dark eyes the color of blood peering at them; conflicting thoughts visible beneath her calm facade. “So… I imagine you slept pretty well, right? After our little talk, I mean.”

  “Talk?” Lilian snapped out of her pleasant fugue.

  “Nothing important.” Kevin tried to wave her question off.

  Iris saw the opportunity for a prank.

  “Oh? You didn’t know?” A sinful smile. “Your mate woke up late last night and comforted me in my time of turmoil.” A dreamy sigh. “He was so gentle and tender. I can see why you like him so much.” Iris winked at the gobsmacked Lilian. “He’s quite the charmer.”

  “That’s not how it happened at all! Don’t say things that could be so easily misunderstood!”

  “Kevin…”

  Wincing, Kevin turned to see Lilian. She was angry. Well, sort of angry. He imagined that if he ever saw an angry chipmunk, it would look a lot like Lilian did right then.

  “Now, Lilian,” Kevin wanted to run away, but resisted that particular urge. “Iris is just pushing your buttons. I woke up last night to get a midnight snack and saw her standing on the balcony. We talked for a bit and came to an understanding. That’s all.”

  “He also offered me his carrot stick.”

  “Right.” Kevin nodded. “I also offered her my―wait.” He blinked. Then he blushed. “I did not! And it was just a carrot! A CARROT!”

  “Beloved, I can’t believe you would do this to me!” Tears sprang to Lilian’s eyes. “How could you offer her your carrot stick when you haven’t even offered it to me!”

  “Would you stop it with the carrot innuendo already?!”

  “Huhuhu,” Iris snickered behind her hand.

  “And you stop laughing!”

  While the three youngsters bantered amongst themselves, Kotohime placed her hands on her cheeks and smiled. “Ara. It’s so nice to see these three getting along.”

  ***

  Despite the zaniness during breakfast that morning, Kevin, Lilian, and Iris made it to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare.

  Upon their arrival, Kevin immediately started sulking several feet away. He crouched next to the stop sign and drew circles on the ground with his right index finger. His HP gauge had taken several hits that morning, and he needed some time to grieve. That meant Iris and Lilian were alone, which gave them a chance to talk.

  “Why don’t you tell me what really happened last night,” Lilian demanded, not asked. It wasn’t a request.

  Iris sighed. “It’s more or less exactly how Kevin put it; he woke up, got a midnight snack, saw me on the balcony, and we talked.”

  “About?”

  “About how I shouldn’t dislike him until I’ve gotten to know him better.”

  “And?”

  “And I agreed to try and do that.” When Iris saw Lilian smile in her direction, she looked away. “Don’t look too into it. I doubt I’ll ever like him. I just don’t want you to hate me. I couldn’t care less about your… mate.”

  “Hmm,” Lilian looked pensive, “I guess… so long as you’re willing to not interfere with our relationship, then I’m willing to let bygones be bygones.”

  “I won’t make any promises.”

  “Ha… I suppose that’s the best I can ask for.”

  An awkward silence fell upon them--until Iris broke it.

  “By the way,” she glanced down, “what’s that in your hands?”

  “Hmm? Oh, you mean these?” Lilian held up the objects in her hands.

  “Yes.”

  “This one right here is a kunai.” Lilian shook the leaf-shaped blade used by every shounen manga ninja in the multiverse, the same kunai Kevin had bought for her. “And this is a whetting stone to sharpen the kunai.” She then shook the strange gray block in her other hand. “I’m going to use the whetting stone to sharpen my kunai.”

  An awkward silence ensued. During this time, Iris stared at Lilian like she was an idiot.

  “There are so many things I could say to that, but I won’t. It would be too easy,” Iris declared. “And has anyone ever told you that you’re beginning to take after Kotohime way too much?”

  Lilian just tilted her head. “Hawa?”

  ***

  School had yet to start, but there were still plenty of people milling about, both students and teachers alike. Sometimes they walked in groups, other times alone. A few sat at the stone tables littering the courtyard, enjoying the crisp morning air, while some went straight to their homerooms.

  Christine stood near the entrance, trying to calm herself down with a pep talk.

  You can do this, Christine. There’s nothing to worry about. All you need to do is tell Kevin that you want to speak with him a-a-alone and―ah―a-a-and tell him that you… that you… that you hate his guts! No, wait! Tell him that you l-l-l―want to kill him! N-no, that’s not it! That isn’t―agh! This is so stupid!

  Christine was trying for another confession. Despite the fact that Kevin was dating Lilian, she still felt confident in her chances of making him see that she would be a much better girlfriend than the redhead. Yes, she would not allow the person she l-l-l-lo-lov―sorta liked to be with someone other than her.

  It took a while for Kevin to show up. Because of Iris, he no longer rode his bike, which was actually faster because there were no stops along the way. When the bus he rode in rolled to a stop, he disembarked, his left hand clasped in Lilian’s right, with Iris trailing behind them. As they started walking to their homeroom, Christine walked up to them.

  “K-K-Kevin!” she shouted, even though she was only four feet away.

  “Um, morning, Christine,” Kevin greeted warily. “How are you?”

  “I-I-I-I, uh… ah―I needed―I mean, I wanted…”

  “Is she alright?” Iris asked Lilian. “She looks like she’s about to explode.”

  “She’s fine,” Lilian assured her sister. “This is natural for tsunderes.”

  “Right, right. I forgot that this girl was a tsundere.”

  “Uh, Christine?” Kevin was looking more concerned by the second. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine!” Christine snapped before calming herself. “I wanted to―I needed―I, ah, um… what I mean is… I-want-your-babies!”

  A stiff breeze blew through the now silent clearing. A tumbleweed rolled between Kevin and Christine. Kevin tracked the tumbleweed until it rolled out of sight, and then turned back to Christine.

  Um, what?” Kevin looked dumbfounded.

  “Ne,” Iris leaned into Lilian’s ear again, “what’s up with tsun-tsun over there? She looks like an ice cube.”

  “Just wait for it,” Lilian whispered back.

  “Um, Christine, can you repeat that?” Kevin rubbed the back of his head. “I didn’t quite catch that?”

  It took Christine exactly 2.6 seconds to register her own words.
It took another 2.6 seconds to comprehend them. Exactly six seconds after that, Christine’s face exploded with color as steam poured out of her ears.

  Tsundere protocols: activated.

  “Y-y-y-you… how dare you, ya damn beast!”

  Kevin’s eyes widened fractionally.

  “What—Gu!”

  He then received a brutal headbutt to the face, which sent him sprawling to the ground.

  “Y-y-you stupid, IDIOT!”

  “Holy crap!”

  Kevin rolled to the left, avoiding the heel stomp that crashed into the pavement. He stared in horror as a spiderweb of cracks spread out from the point of impact, followed by a sheet of ice that crawled across the ground.

  “HOW DARE YOU MAKE ME EMBARRASS MYSELF LIKE THIS!”

  Kevin scrambled to his feet, then got the hell out of Dodge when a fist sought to bash his face in. He avoided it. The poor light pole behind him wasn’t so lucky. It emitted a loud metallic shriek as it bent where Christine punched it.

  “I’LL KILL YOU!”

  “Why are you being so violent?! What did I―Holy Berserker on a stick!”

  “STAY STILL AND DIE!”

  “How about no―sweet Mary MacBeth!”

  Iris and Lilian, along with the other students present, watched as Christine chased Kevin around the courtyard.

  “Aren’t you going to help him?” asked Iris. “He is your mate, after all.”

  Lilian gave Iris a solemn look. “I love Kevin very much, however, even I am not stupid enough to get in the way of a tsundere and her target.”

  “Makes sense,” Iris agreed, and then returned to watching Christine try to pound Kevin’s face in.

  I wish I had some popcorn.

  ***

  Eric strolled around a corner and stepped into the courtyard.

  He didn’t normally come back this way since his class was located on the opposite side of school, but he felt obligated to greet his new lord these days. After all, it would be wrong of him to not pay proper homage to his lord, like those mongrels who didn’t pay respect to Gilgamesh, a character from one of his favorite visual novels.

  “My Lord!” Eric greeted in a booming voice as he stepped in front of Kevin—only to barely avoid being struck stupid when the boy in question nearly ran him over. “What the hell is—”