She probably wants to be with Camellia.
“Is that one of those cell phone thingies?” Violet asked as Kevin pulled out his Android.
“Uh, yeah?”
“Cool.” Violet’s eyes sparkled with disturbing fascination. “I’ve heard of those, but I’ve never seen one before now.”
Kevin looked at Lilian, who correctly interpreted his facial expression.
“Most of the female members of our family aren’t allowed to interact with humans, remember?” she said. “Violet is no exception to this. While she’s done more traveling than me, I doubt she’s ever interacted with humans for any serious length of time. I’m actually surprised granny sent her to retrieve us.”
“You shouldn’t speak like that about your betters, girl.” Violet crossed her arms and gave Lilian a pious glare “Just because I’ve never lived among humans for any length of time doesn’t mean I’m ignorant.”
“And yet you’ve never seen a cell phone before,” the redhead pointed out.
Violet blushed. “Shut up!”
“Could you not shout please,” Kevin said. “I need to make a call.”
“Calling our friends?” Lilian asked.
“Yeah, I… want to say goodbye.”
Lilian’s eyes grew soft and compassionate. “I understand. Would you mind if I said goodbye, too?”
Kevin smiled. “Not at all.”
After placing the call to Lindsay’s house, Kevin put the phone to his ear, listening as it rung. The ringing stopped when someone picked up and a soft voice said, “Hello?”
For a moment, he didn’t recognize the voice. It was so quiet and not at all like the person it belonged to that he needed a second to analyze who it was.
“Christine?”
“Yes?”
“Sorry, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“… Kevin?”
“That’s right. I should have figured you’d be at Lindsay’s house. Is she also with you?”
“… She’s taking a shower.”
“I see. Is everything okay, Christine?”
“I’m fine.”
“You sure? You sound kind of—”
“I said I’m fine!”
“O-okay. Sorry for asking. We haven’t spoken much since… after what happened. I’m just worried about you.”
“I-I know. Sorry for snapping at you. I’m just… stressed right now.”
Kevin wanted to ask Christine what was wrong. He wanted to help her. Unfortunately, they were on a timetable, and even if they weren’t, Kevin didn’t know how much help he could be. What sort of comfort could he give to a girl who confessed to him and got turned down?
“It’s okay. Listen, I have something to tell you. I wanted to tell Lindsay, too, but I guess you can tell her when she gets out of the shower. Lilian, Iris, and I are… going away.”
There was a pronounced pause.
“What?”
“There’s been some trouble between Lilian’s family and the family belonging to that girl who tried to kill us. It’s become too dangerous for us to stay here. We’ll be leaving for Greece soon… I don’t know when we’ll come back.”
“O-oh…”
“I’m really sorry we’re leaving you like this.”
“N-no, it’s fine… i-it’s not as if I care that you guys are leaving me alone or anything.”
“Christine?”
“A-anyway, I’ve gotta go. Goodbye.”
“Go? Christine, wait! Lilian wanted to… say goodbye.” Kevin took the phone from his ear and looked apologetically at Lilian. “She hung up on me.”
“It’s okay, Beloved.” Lilian wore a sad smile that looked out of place on such a normally vibrant face. “We probably should have expected this. Christine is also going through a tough time right now. We should be supporting her, but instead we’re leaving. I understand if she doesn’t want to talk to us.”
Kevin saw the despondency on Lilian’s face, the sadness in her eyes. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and letting her use his shoulder as a pillow. She leaned into him.
Violet made gagging noises.
Lilian smacked the woman with her tails.
***
Shinkuro stood on a balcony overlooking a massive garden. Down below a variety of color spread out before him. Thousands of different flowers were arrayed to create a vibrant image. He recognized all the flowers within, having personally planted and cultivated them for over 1,000 years.
“How long has it been since our clan has fought a war?” he asked of no one in particular. He received an answer anyway.
“Not for at least seven centuries, Father.”
Standing several feet behind and to his left was his eldest son, Chao.
Like his father, Chao had blond hair, but his was cut short. His light blue eyes complimented his fair skin, and his bearing was strong and regal. He would have made a perfect heir—too bad Lord Inari had declared that Jiāoào would gain the ninth tail instead of him.
“Seven centuries,” Shinkuro murmured to himself. “Seven centuries without war. I suppose it was inevitable that we would fight after such a long period of peace.”
“Indeed. I have no doubt that we will crush the Pnév̱ma Clan beneath our heels.”
Shinkuro sighed. “That attitude is likely the reason Lord Inari decided that you would not be my successor.”
He didn’t need to turn to imagine the scowl on Chao’s face. “Jiāoào was even more arrogant than I am, Father.”
“True, but Jiāoào was also young and had room to grow. You have gained your eighth tail already, and you have still not grown since you became a true kitsune.”
Before Chao could say something to dispute him, a young servant arrived and bowed before them. His bald head and orange shaolin monk robes denoted him as a member of the branch family.
“My Lord, I know that you said you wish not to be disturbed; however…”
“You are right. Father did say he didn’t want to be disturbed,” Chao said, his voice a low growl. “And yet here you are, disturbing him. I hope you have a good reason for it.”
The servant quaked as Chao stared him down. Shinkuro felt a sense of tiredness come over him. When would his son learn?
Shinkuro turned to face the man, who stiffened as he came under the effects of the Presence of the King, the aura that Shinkuro acquired after gaining the ninth tail.
“Be at peace, Chao,” he said.
Chao’s startled glance spoke volumes to him. “But Father—”
“If he has risked my wrath to disturb me, then he obviously has a good reason for doing so.” He looked down at the man and consciously willed his presence to lessen. “Well, child? For what reasons have you disturbed my musings?”
“Lady Fan and Lord Li have returned from the United States, My Lord. They are waiting for you in the receiving room.”
“I see. Thank you for informing me. You are dismissed.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
As the servant bid a swift retreat, Shinkuro turned to his son. “You must learn patience, Chao. Had I let you continue tormenting that boy, it would have taken even longer to get that information out of him. I have been waiting for Fan and Li to return and have no wish to delay our meeting.”
“I understand… Father.”
His son clearly didn’t understand, but he chose not to say anything. If time and age did not bring understanding, then few things would.
Shinkuro walked the halls of his home. The freshly polished stone floors gleamed with the shine of marble. Red walls decorated with artwork stood on his right. The left was open, with only a guard railing and red columns to block his view of the massive gardens that surrounded his residence. He soon entered the mansion proper, passing by many doors, his son’s footsteps echoing behind him, until he reached the receiving room.
Fan and Li were waiting for him, kneeling in the center of the receiving room, their heads bowed in deference even though he had
yet to arrive. That was good. That was proper. That was the way they should be.
He walked past his daughter and grandson, up the dais toward his chair, and gracefully seated himself. Chao stood two feet behind and to his left, as always. Only once he was situated did he speak.
“Li, Fan, I am pleased that you have answered my summons so promptly. Please, raise your heads.”
They did as told.
“Father,” Fan said. “If it is not presumptuous of me, may I ask—”
“No, you may not ask,” Chao said with a scowl.
Fan glared at him. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was speaking with Father!”
Sensing the argument and seeking to end it before the situation became worse, Shinkuro released his power. The trio stiffened. A cold sweat broke out on their brows. Shinkuro watched with indifference as they began to shake. Only when he felt they’d had enough did he reel his powers back in.
“I did not ask you two to come here so that you, Fan, could argue with your elder brother. Nor did I allow you to follow, Chao, so that you could antagonize your younger sister. I understand that arguing is a part of being siblings. However, neither of you will argue while in my presence again. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Father,” Fan said, her voice meek.
“I understand, Father,” Chao said.
“Good. Now then, Fan, ask your question.”
“Thank you, Father.” Fan wet her lips. “I just wished to know: Why did you pull us away from our mission? I thought you wanted Lilian Pnév̱ma dead.”
“I did indeed.” Shinkuro nodded. “While it would be a pity for such potential to be wasted, I deemed her death necessary after the damage she inflicted upon my son. However, I am beginning to think that I may have acted too hastily. Tell me, Fan, what do you know of psychology?”
“Um, very little, Father.”
“I thought as much. You do not pay much attention to humanity, so I do not blame you for this. I myself do not think much of the species. That being said, I have had my best healers, and even some healers from the still warring Mul clan, attempt to cure Jiāoào of his ailment. It seems, however, that whatever is affecting my son and leaving him in this sorry state is not any enchantment or illusion, as I first suspected.”
He paused at his daughter’s expression.
“Something you wish to share with us, Fan?”
“N-no, Father,” Fan stuttered. “It is just… I was simply remembering something a human once told me.”
A human?
Shinkuro shifted in his seat, resting his head against his left hand. “And what did this human tell you?”
“He said that…” Fan swallowed. “… That he was the one who defeated Jiāoào, not Lilian Pnév̱ma.”
Shinkuro leaned back in his chair, silently contemplating this information. “So I see. Tell me, this human, his name would not happen to be Kevin Swift, would it?”
Fan looked visibly startled. “Um, yes. Yes, it is.”
“Peculiar,” he murmured softly to himself.
“Father?”
“I know of this Kevin Swift that you speak of. He is of little consequence right now, however. The fact remains that Jiāoào’s current state is not the cause of a technique, but a result of him withdrawing into his own mind. Perhaps his humiliating defeat at the hands of a human is the cause. Regardless, I have recently heard that sometimes it is possible for people to be drawn out of their mind by hearing the voice of someone important to them. Jiāoào has always been rather taken in with Lilian Pnév̱ma, despite my wish to see him with someone else.”
Fan scowled at the mention of Jiāoào’s infatuation with the Pnév̱ma girl. His daughter had been even less approving of that relationship than him.
I would have preferred having the Pnév̱ma girl mate with one of the branch members. Fan probably simply wishes she were dead.
“Then you are saying that you no longer wish Lilian Pnév̱ma dead, Honored Grandfather?” asked Li, speaking up for the first time.
“That is, indeed, an accurate summation of my desire,” he told the son of his second eldest. Zhìlì had birthed the most children among his three sons. In fact, most of the branch members came from his second eldest son. “I have other designs for Lilian Pnév̱ma now, and I shall require your help to see my vision realized.”
***
“I didn’t know that your family had their own private jet.”
Kevin knew that the Pnév̱ma Clan was powerful within the yōkai world, and the kitsune world in particular. He even knew they had a lot of money. However, knowing of their wealth, of their power, and seeing the evidence of it, were two completely different things.
Violet shrugged. “After hearing about how convenient planes are, Mom decided to buy one for the express purpose of traveling to places where we haven’t set up a Shrine Gate.”
Shrine Gates were small shrines known as toris that connected the territory of a kitsune to somewhere else. Kitsune territories, he’d been told, were built within a temporal dimension, a plane of existence that had been phased out of the real world. It basically took the concept of an Extra Dimensional Storage Space, and cranked the power and sheer absurdity of it to over 9,000.
“Oh.”
After arriving at the airport, Kevin and the others had been directed toward the Pnév̱ma Clan’s private jet, a Boeing. Soft carpet ruffled against their feet. Low lighting. Varnished wood walls. Several lounge chairs sparsely populated the interior, which made Kevin feel like he was in a five-star resort’s luxury suite. It even had a bolted down table and its own bar.
They placed Iris on a bed located within the back of the plane, which was where he and Lilian sat. While he tried not to pay attention to his mate tenderly stroking her sister’s hair, it was difficult, especially when he noticed the despondency she wore like a glove. On any other occasion, he might have found it ironic that Lilian was now the one giving her sister affection. Not now. He couldn’t find the humor in it.
“Yeah,” Violet continued their conversation. “Because we weren’t granted permission to set up a Shrine Gate in the United States, we have to use other methods of transportation. Ships take too long, and they can’t reach certain parts of the United States anyway, so Mom decided to buy a jet.”
Kevin shook his head at the ridiculousness of someone just deciding to buy a jet. He knew they were rich, but really, who the heck threw that much money into something like this? And from the sound of it, the matriarch had bought this on a whim.
“It was actually this very jet that brought Mom, Iris, Kirihime, Kotohime, and I to the United States,” Lilian added, looking up from her sister. “Granny bought this about a year after I met you.”
“Huh, interesting.”
Kevin looked around the interior some more. Kotohime was sitting on a couch. She had a cleaning kit out and was lovingly cleaning her blade in a most disturbing manner. Kirihime stood behind Camellia who sat at the bar… writing?
Kevin blinked, then rubbed his eyes. Yes, Camellia was, indeed, writing something. He didn’t know what, but he could see that she had a pen in hand and was very clearly moving it across a sheet of paper. At least, he hoped she was writing on paper. He didn’t want to think about how hard it would be to get pen out of that wood.
“Where’d your brother go?” asked Kevin when he noticed that the bishy was missing.
“Men aren’t usually allowed in the same place with us,” Violet said. “Even at home, they aren’t allowed in the Pnév̱ma Clan grounds unless the matriarch requests them. Right now, only about three Pnév̱ma males are living there, and they’re merely there to serve as bodyguards and servants.”
“Oh.” Kevin took a second to absorb that. “Then why am I here?”
“Because you’re my mate,” Lilian said. “I’m not going to let some stupid rule keep us apart.”
“Actually, it’s because you are not a member of the Pnév̱ma Clan,” Kotohime said. “The Pnév̱ma Clan’s rules only apply to member
s of the clan. As an outsider, you are exempt from these rules.” She paused, tilted her head, and then added, “Of course, you being Lilian-sama’s mate is the only reason you’re even here to begin with.”
“Uh huh…” Kevin had nothing to say to that.
“I apologize for the wait, Lady Violet,” a voice said over the intercom. “But I thought you would like to know that all of our preparations have been made, and we will be departing shortly.”
“Thank you. Please carry on.”
Kevin wondered if he should tell Violet that the woman speaking couldn’t hear her, but he decided not to.
“So, was the person we heard over the intercom your maid or something?” he asked instead.
“Naw, I don’t need a maid.” Violet waved a hand in the air. Her left leg bounced as she set it on her right knee. “That girl is just one of the kitsune who works for the Pnév̱ma Clan. She lives in the village that Mom built some eight hundred years ago. She used to work at the resort, but ever since Mom bought this jet, she’s been its pilot.” Violet grimaced. “I feel kind of bad for her, though. Learning how to fly this couldn’t have been easy.”
The plane soon began to move. Kevin ignored the rumble and light shaking as tires rolled across the bumpy road toward the takeoff strip. The bed didn’t have a seatbelt, but the takeoff seemed smoother than normal airplanes, so he didn’t fear falling off. He felt the hand in his grip tighten, and he looked at Lilian to find her clenching her teeth.
“You okay?” he asked.
Lilian shook her head. “I’m a kitsune. You know that we prefer remaining grounded.”
Kevin nodded noncommittally and squeezed her hand back. Lying on the bed that he and Lilian sat on, Iris jostled only slightly.
He glanced around some more. Kotohime looked tense, as did her sister, but they were old enough to control their fear. Camellia wasn’t even bothered. She hummed a happy tune as she continued to write. Weird. As for Violet…
“You’re afraid of flying, aren’t you?” Kevin asked. Violet blushed, then sputtered.
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