Months ago, Kevin would have asked why they didn’t just erase the memories, but he already knew the answer. One couldn’t erase what happened here. If a bunch of people suddenly lost their memories of an event that other people knew had happened, it would cause a panic, which might end with the existence of yōkai being revealed.
“Oh.” Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. “I understand.”
“I’m glad you understand. Now you’d best head back to your friends. I hear one of you was put in the hospital, and it looks like your mate is getting anxious.”
Kevin looked behind him to see Lilian shivering in place. To any normal person, it would have looked like she was cold. To Kevin, it looked like she was two seconds away from pouncing on him.
He turned back to the police officer, whose eyes with slit-like pupils flashed yellow under the moonlight.
“… Right.”
Kevin adamantly told himself that he was not sweat dropping.
***
Alexander Ramirez watched as the human boy named Kevin entered a small car with his mate, the other two humans, and the yuki-onna. As the car thrummed to life and drove away, no doubt in route to the hospital, he released a hefty sigh.
That boy had clearly been through a lot. They all had, but it was more obvious in the boy. As a police officer and a yōkai, he knew what signs to look for, and he’d seen them in that boy’s eyes. Kevin Swift had killed. Not only had he killed, but he’d resigned himself to the inevitability that he would have to kill again.
This is the reason yōkai aren’t supposed to reveal their existence to humans.
While it was true that many yōkai lived among humans, that didn’t mean the yōkai and human worlds were connected. They were more like parallel worlds that just happened to share the same plain of existence, rather than being two separate dimensions. These two worlds occasionally intersected, but for the most part, they were separate worlds unto themselves.
The yōkai who lived within human society were a part of human society. Rather than simply existing alongside humans, they co-existed with humans. Of course, because of humanity's irrational fear of the supernatural, yōkai living amongst humans had to hide the fact that they were yōkai.
That was why yōkai like him were around. He was damage control. It was the job of him and those like him to ensure no human discovered their existence. The only reason Kevin and his companions hadn’t had their memories altered was because Davin Monstrang had told everyone that they were not to be touched.
He had no idea what made this group of humans so special, but when the man up top gave an order, that order was obeyed.
“Hey, Alex.” An officer walked up to him. “We’ve found something that you may want to see.”
Alexander looked at the officer, his fellow yōkai undercover, and took careful note of the man’s uncomfortable shifting. Whatever his fellow nekomata wanted to show him must have been something big.
“Lead the way.”
It turned out what his fellow officer, one Jackson Polluck, wanted to show him was off campus. They strode through the desert, away from the high school and over to the junior high—or the ruins of what had once been a junior high school.
Even though he’d seen plenty of destruction in his life, Alexander still gawked in surprise at the demolished building. The entire structure had collapsed. Rubble lay strewn across the ground, ranging in size from large chunks of wall to small glass shards. Several fires still burned brightly, lighting up the night sky, while plumes of smoke blotted out the stars. It reminded him of the buildings that had been bombed during Pearl Harbor.
“What happened here?” he demanded.
“From what we can gather, the boiler room exploded, which set off a chain reaction causing all of the gas pipes running through the building to detonate as well,” Jackson informed him.
“I see…”
He’d already taken statements from Lilian Pnév̱ma and Christine Fraust, so he knew that a yōkai had fought them. He was surprised the yōkai in question had been a kitsune, as they were well known for their dislike of combat, but he guessed there were some clan politics involved, perhaps a feud between one or more of the Thirteen Great Clans. Without knowing the full details, he couldn’t really make any accurate judgements.
“That isn’t all, Alex,” Jackson said conspiratorially. “We’ve just received word that two other battles have taken place. One was at Mad Dawg Fitness. According to eyewitness reports, Kiara F. Kuyo was also attacked by a kitsune.”
Alexander turned to Jackson.
“A kitsune.” Blink. “Attacked Kiara F. Kuyo?” Blink. Blink. “In broad daylight?”
“Yes.”
“They must have had a death wish.”
Something strange was going on. Why would a kitsune attack Kiara, of all people? She was one of the strongest yōkai in Arizona. Attacking her was foolhardy unless…
“These events are related somehow…”
“Did you say something, Alex?”
“No.” Alexander shook his head. “Continue please.”
“Right. The last attack happened at Le Monte Apartment Complex. We have no clue what happened there, but over half of the complex is in ruins. Our sensor on sight detected massive amounts of celestial and spirit youki, along with youki that we suspect belongs to a River Kitsune.”
“Casualties?”
“We’ve confirmed two dead—an elderly couple. A dozen more were injured. All of them have been sent to the nearest hospital.”
“So you’re telling me that we’ve had three battles happen in one day, and at least one of those battles ended with people either dead or in the infirmary?”
“That about sums it up, yes.”
Alexander sighed. He so did not need to hear this right now.
“Monstrang’s going to have someone’s head for this.”
He surveyed the demolished school again, already imagining the headache it was going to cause. A battle on a soccer field they could cover up. A school building being blown sky high would be much harder to cover. Either way he sliced it, he and the rest of the Saint’s Bureau Office were going to have a long week.
Alexander was about to start issuing orders—when a sharp pain erupted from his back and stomach. He looked down to see something sticking out of his belly. It looked like a spear with a leaf-shaped blade. It wasn’t made of solid mass. Its form was ethereal, composed of golden energy.
“Wha…”
Alex saw more than felt his legs give out. He collapsed to the ground, falling on his side, his arms and legs curling around his stomach. Several feet away, Jackson also crumpled to the hard earth, his eyes sightless and glassy, a spear impaling his chest.
The sight of his dead partner was the last thing Alexander ever saw.
***
When Kevin arrived at the hospital with Christine, Lilian, Lindsay, and Heather, it was to find several people already there. Kiara, Kotohime, Kirihime, and Camellia were all present.
They were just outside of the room where Iris no doubt resided. Kevin noticed that it was the same room she’d been placed in after being attacked by Jiāoào’s servant on October of last year. Kotohime sat in seiza by the door, her katana in hand and her eyes closed. Kirihime was sitting on a padded bench opposite the door, while Camellia slept on the next seat over, her head resting on the three-tail’s lap. Kiara was leaning against the wall, her only remaining hand tapping against her knee. She looked up as they walked over.
“Hey, boya. It seems you’re always getting yourself into trouble.”
“I’d love to deny that accusation, but for some reason can’t.” Kevin walked up to the group alongside everyone else. Lilian and Christine were on either side of him. Lindsay stood next to Christine, while Heather walked ahead to stand beside Kiara.
“Heh, you’ll have to tell me all about what happened later on, then.”
“I can do that.”
“Lilian-sama, Kevin-sama.” Kotohime opened her eyes
. Kevin noticed that she wasn’t wearing a kimono, but a gray business suit instead. He wondered why. “I am pleased to see that you and your friends are safe. I was worried when I realized that you were also being attacked.”
“Wait, so you were attacked, too, Kotohime?” Lilian sounded shocked.
“Indeed.” Kotohime’s grave nod emphasized her point. “Our foe was most formidable. Had it not been for Camellia-sama intervening when she did, I dare say that man would have defeated me.”
“Mom did…?” Lilian gawked at Kotohime, then looked over at her mom.
“Hawa-hawa-hawa… zzz… hawa-hawa-hawa…”
Kevin also looked at Camellia, who lay with her head on Kirihime’s lap, snoring away. The fox in the French maid outfit petted the woman’s hair while wearing a gentle smile. There was a snot bubble coming out of Camellia’s nose.
Lilian looked back at Kotohime. “Are you sure you weren’t under some kind of illusion? I love Mom, but she’s kind of, well… she’s kind of useless.”
“Ouch.” Lindsay winced. “That’s a harsh thing to say about your own mother.”
“It’s kinda true, though,” Kevin told her. “Trust me, Camellia has trouble just getting dressed in the morning, and she’s always tripping over her own two feet. I should know. I usually end up with her breasts in my fa… ace…” He trailed off as he remembered how such instances had been happening far less lately. “I wonder…”
“Kevin?”
“It’s nothing.” He waved off Lindsay’s concerned glance.
“I am as surprised as you are,” Kotohime admitted. “Camellia-sama may have once been a formidable kitsune, but she has not been capable of combat since giving birth to you and Iris-sama…”
As Kotohime trailed off, Lilian’s expression turned worried. “How is Iris?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Kiara told them. “My personal physician is currently checking her over, but he hasn’t come out to give us his diagnosis.”
“Were you able to heal her injuries at least?” Kevin asked Kotohime, who shook her head.
“I am afraid not—at least, not fully. While I did indeed manage to heal the injury and internal damage, because of the primitive sewing job, I suspect she will likely have a scar.”
“O-oh.” Kevin clenched his hands. He was the one who’d sewn her wounds shut. If she gained scars from what happened, it would be his—
“Stop that,” Lilian demanded.
“H-huh?”
“That.” Lilian gave him a look. “You’re blaming yourself for what happened to Iris, aren’t you? You’re probably thinking something like ‘It’s my fault that Iris is going to have scars,’ right?”
“W-well, it is, isn’t it? I mean, I’m the one who—”
“It’s not your fault.” Christine’s soft voice startled everyone present. She’d barely spoken two sentences since leaving the Sonoran Junior High building. “You saved her life. If you hadn’t sewn her wounds, she would’ve died before she could get treatment.”
Kevin looked away, wondering why his face felt like it had been hit with a flame thrower. “I-I only did what I thought was best at the time…”
“And it likely saved her life.” The door to Iris’s room opened and Kiara’s physician walked out. “Had you not sewn her wounds shut when you did, Ms. Pnév̱ma would have bled to death.”
Kiara’s physician, a strange man whose face reminded Kevin of a toad, glanced at everyone present. He was the same doctor who’d first fixed up Iris back when she’d been attacked by Jiāoào’s servant. Iris had received a scar from being stabbed back then as well. This would make her second scar—fourth if he decided to consider the entrance and exit wounds as separate injuries.
“There.” Lilian beamed at Kevin. “You see? If it wasn’t for you, Iris would have died.”
Kevin returned her smile with an uncertain one of his own. “Yeah… I guess.”
“How is Lady Iris?” Kirihime asked, speaking up for the first time.
The doctor’s mood visibly shifted to one of concern. “Unfortunately, while Ms. Pnév̱ma is alive, she is currently unresponsive.”
“What do you mean?” Kotohime frowned at the doctor.
“What I mean is that her body has shut down. It is similar to being placed in a coma, but also different.”
His words alarmed all those present. Lilian looked particularly horrified.
“So she’s… so my sister is…?”
“I’m afraid so.” The doctor nodded. “I believe the reason for her body shutting down is due to how she was attacked.”
“This isn’t something we should be talking about out here,” Kiara interrupted. “Perhaps we should talk about this somewhere else, maybe inside of Iris’s room? That way, Lilian and the others can see her while we talk.”
The doctor paused for a moment before slowly nodding. “Yes, I believe that would be okay.”
Everyone was directed into Iris’s room. Kirihime woke up Camellia who, after several “hawas,” followed them inside.
Plain white walls greeted them. Iris was lying on a bed near the window. Dressed in a white frock, her pale form was deathly still. Lilian broke off from Kevin and rushed to her sister’s side. He followed silently, placing a hand on his mate’s shoulder as she grabbed one of Iris’s hands and brought it to her face.
“Her hand is so cold,” she whispered, pressing Iris’s palm against her cheek. Kevin could do nothing but give the redhead a comforting squeeze, offering his silent support, even though he felt like crying himself.
“H-hawa… I-Iris…?”
Camellia walked up to her daughter’s side. The look on her face was telling. Despite her mentality being that of a child, Kevin knew that somewhere in there, locked away behind a prison of insanity, was the woman who’d birthed Lilian and Iris. She had to be in there.
There’s no way tears like that can be faked.
“You said something about the manner in which she was attacked being the reason she won’t wake up,” Kotohime softly prodded the doctor to explain.
“Yes, I did.” The doctor turned to Kotohime. “While I was scanning Ms. Pnév̱ma, I noticed that traces of celestial youki are still inside of her body. As you know, celestial and void powers are polar opposites, anathema to each other in every way. When Iris was stabbed, the celestial youki injected into her played havoc on more than just her body. It damaged her psychologically, mentally, perhaps even spiritually. It wouldn’t be inaccurate to say that having a power that is so diametrically opposed to her own has caused Ms. Pnév̱ma’s mind to become locked away.”
So Iris’s mind was essentially locked inside of her body? Kevin supposed such a thing wouldn’t be improbable when dealing with yōkai. After all, if people could affect the mind through illusions and enchantments, then locking it away shouldn’t be outside of the realm of possibility either.
“When will she wake up?” Kotohime asked.
“I can’t say with any certainty. The problem is that her mind has been locked away by a foreign power that is the exact opposite of her own. In a case such as this, it’s a matter of willpower. She could wake up as soon as tomorrow. Consequently, it may be years before she awakens.”
Kevin heard the unspoken “She might never wake up” in the doctor’s words. Lilian obviously could, too, because she stifled a sob. Christine, who had walked over to the other side of the bed, shed silent tears, and all the while, Lindsay stood behind the yuki-onna with a helpless expression.
“I see,” Kotohime said. “Is there nothing you can do?”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor replied, “but I’ve done all I can. The rest is up to her.”
***
“I see. So you two are leaving?”
Kevin stood in the hallway with Christine and Lindsay. Heather stood several feet away, giving them a moment of privacy. She was going to take them home. Lilian was still inside of Iris’s room with the others, refusing to leave her sister’s side.
“Yeah.” Li
ndsay’s apologetic smile looked tired thanks to the bags under her eyes. “There isn’t much we can do. Half the stuff that doctor was talking about flew straight over my head anyway.” She shook her head, her smile becoming strained. “Yōkai. Kitsune. Celestial. Void. You sure have gotten yourself involved into some pretty messed up stuff.”
“I guess I have.” Kevin ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry for getting you mixed up in all this.” He looked at Christine. “Both of you.”
“Psh! What are you apologizing for?” Lindsay crossed her arms. “It’s not like you’re the one who decided to stick around. Don’t forget that I could have stopped hanging around you guys after I found out about this whole yōkai thing. I chose to stay because you, Lilian, and Iris are my friends. I’m not gonna just up and abandon you.”
Kevin gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Lindsay grinned back before surprising him with a hug. “You take care of yourself and that mate of yours, got it?”
“I will.” Kevin returned the hug.
As Lindsay stepped away, Kevin looked down at Christine. The tiny snow maiden remained silent. He didn’t know what was going through her head, but the lack of violence and tsundere moments from her bothered him.
Deciding to test his luck, he pulled her into a hug. Christine stiffened in his arms, but he ignored that and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She felt so small, so much more fragile than Lilian or Lindsay. It made him want to protect her.
“You take care of yourself, all right?” he said.
Christine remained silent, her arms not moving. For a moment, Kevin wondered if she would headbutt him or maybe try to freeze him in a block of ice. The moment soon passed, and a pair of tiny arms wound around his waist, while small hands gripped the back of his shirt.
“Kay.” Christine’s voice was abnormally soft. “You take care of yourself, too. I don’t want the person I lo—one of my friends dying because he decided to do something stupid.”
“Heh, now that’s more like the Christine I know. I was beginning to get worried.”
Kevin’s heart lightened just a bit when he noticed the steam rising from Christine’s head. It was a good sign.
A Fox's Revenge (American Kitsune Book 7) Page 15