“Oh, stand up, you foolish drake,” Orin said.
Davin looked up. “What?”
“Must I repeat myself?” Orin sighed. “Look, I don’t care about what happened in the past anymore. When I decided to come all this way with Kevin and his companions, I also decided that I would work with you again. This whole prostrating yourself before me business… it’s nice, but not needed. So, stand up.”
Shocked, Davin was unable to do anything but stand. “But I thought…”
“You thought that I hated you?” Orin finished before Davin could. “I do. I hate your rotten guts. I hate that you tried to shove your ideals down my throat… but I’ll also admit that you were not the only reason that our group broke up. I could have been more understanding. I knew that you just wanted to create a safe haven for yokai, but I didn’t care at the time. Having achieved my goal of living in a land that was free from the influence of various yokai clans, I decided to discard the dreams of yourself and everyone else, and struck out on my own. I am at just as much fault for what happened as you.”
“We all made mistakes back then,” Kuroneko added. “I was more interested in having fun than I was being one of the Four Saints. I could’ve been more responsible and carried some of your burdens, but I didn’t.”
“The mistakes of youth,” Sarah said coldly. “Even we were young and impetuous once.”
Davin did not enjoy showing emotion. He went out of his way to avoid showing others his feelings. However, in that moment, standing there with three companions from his past, Davin had never felt more grateful.
“Thank you, you three, for agreeing to work with me.”
“Che, don’t thank us just yet,” Orin countered. “I might have agreed to work with you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you lead us around by the nose like last time.”
“Of course,” Davin agreed. “I like to think that I’ve matured enough to avoid committing such a grave mistake like that again.”
“Good.”
“Before we go any further in this lovely conversation,” Kuroneko smoothly intervened before anything else could be said, “perhaps you could shed that… mask of yours. It is quite atrocious.”
Davin looked at his large hands, which were attached to forearms that resembled tree trunks. Further down, his girth rolled out of his shirt, the buttons of which were straining to contain his fat.
“Yes, I suppose you are right. I changed my appearance to atone for my sins, but with the situation being what it is now, perhaps it is time I reverted back to my original self.”
Years ago, Davin had locked away most of his power as a means of atoning for breaking up the Four Saints. The seal was a simple one—a matter of mind really. To break it, all he needed to do was desire for it to break.
As the lock inside of his mind shattered, Davin felt the change overcome him. His arms lost their fat, becoming lean and muscled. Veins bulged along them. Likewise, his gut disappeared into his shirt, and his chest became larger, more muscular. As his pectorals strained against his shirt, which was unable to withstand his new build and ripped off to reveal the body of a fighter, his pants were likewise torn as his thighs and calves bulged with muscles. When the transformation ended, Davin looked nothing like that Davin that everybody was familiar with.
Clenching and unclenching his now nimble fingers, Davin sighed in relief as he felt his full power return to him.
“Show off,” Orin muttered before straightening. “Now that we’ve gotten all of this out of the way, there is something that I need to tell all of you.”
Everyone turned to Orin. Davin frowned in curiosity, wondering what the wizened monkey yokai had to say.
“I haven’t seen such a serious face on you since we first settled here in the United States,” Kuroneko murmured as she placed two fingers against her lips.
“It’s funny you should mention that because our enemy is an old acquaintance from way back then,” Orin said, his expression so grave that Davin felt the hairs on his neck tingle. “Our enemy, the man controlling the Yamata Alliance from the shadows, is none other than the Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed snake that we sealed away half a century after journeying to this continent.”
It was still early in the evening. School had been let out, and Lindsay was at home with Future Lilian. Her parents were, fortunately, not home right now.
They had somehow managed to avoid Lilian being spotted by her parents, which was a blessing because it meant they didn’t have to deal with her mother. Lindsay suspected Lilian had used some kind of kitsune technique to keep herself from being seen.
As the two of them were getting ready to go out and do some more training, her cell phone rang. She looked at it, eyes widening when she saw who had called her.
“Lilian?!” she said after accepting the call.
“Hey, Lindsay,” Lilian’s voice came from the other end. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Future Lilian, sitting on the bed and frozen stiff. “How are you? Are you, Iris, and Kevin back in Neo Seiryuu?”
“That’s right! We just got back today. Listen, I’m calling because I wanted to ask if you’d like to have a sleepover. We haven’t done one of those in a while.”
“A sleepover?”
That sounded like a lot of fun, but she wasn’t sure if she’d be allowed to, since she was still training every night in how to be a magical girl. She looked at Future Lilian.
“It’s fine,” the redhead from the future said. “You’ve been doing a good job and deserve a break.”
“I’d love to spend the night,” Lindsay said now that she had permission.
“Great! I’ll see you when you get here! I’ve got a surprise for you, so I hope you are looking forward to it.”
While Lindsay was curious about this surprise, she wasn’t given time to ask before Lilian hung up. She shrugged and began packing. Since she was going to spend the night at a friend’s place, she needed to get her toiletries and a change of clothes for tomorrow. While she did this, Future Lilian watched her like a hawk.
“I’m off,” Lindsay said once she’d packed everything. She glared at Future Lilian. “Try not to cause my family any problems, okay?”
“Relax, I would never do something to cause you or your family trouble.” Future Lilian gave her a very unconvincing smile.
Lindsay sighed and prayed that Future Lilian really meant what she said.
Days after the meeting, Kanya, the nozuchi who Hebi had scolded so harshly, called for a meeting of his top members.
The Yamata Alliance was a very divided group. Unlike humanity, who formed a singular unit, their group was composed of several dozen different species.
Throughout their history, yokai had proven time and again that the many varied races could never get along. Half of the stories that humans told of yokai killing them was an exaggeration at best. True, many humans had been killed at the hands of a yokai, but most of those deaths were not caused with the intention of killing. Humans had simply been in the way of the many wars yokai waged with each other.
Humans were a waste of space and effort. There was no point in waging war against a species that they could kill whenever they felt like it. Why none of the others could understand that was beyond him. Even Hebi, their esteemed leader, didn’t seem to realize that humans posed no real threat.
That was why he had called this meeting. Hebi had proven to be an incapable leader, thus, it was up to him to put down the Four Saints, the true threat.
Walking down the hall of his estate, which was unnaturally silent, Kanya made his way to the meeting room, entering through a set of double doors, which opened into a large dining hall. Several people were already there. They sat in seats that lined a long, rectangular table. He moved up to the head of the table and sat down.
“I’m glad you could all make it,” Kanya said. “We have a serious issue on our hands. It seems that our esteemed leader does not see the threat th
at the Four Saints represent, and he has decided that we are to focus our attention on the humans.”
Muttered whispers broke out. Among those present, a beautiful woman dressed in tight leather clothes with bluish skin and crimson eyes spoke above the muted conversation. “Did he state any reason why he felt the humans were more important?”
“He did not,” Kanya answered.
“That damn snake!” Another figure slammed a hand onto the table. His skin was a dark crimson, and the horns on his head would have made most people think of an oni, though he was nothing of the sort. “He doesn’t even seem to care about this war! Just the other day, I learned that he’s been periodically leaving the battlefield and traveling around with some girl. It’s a disgrace that we have a commander like him!”
A man with dark black hair worn in a ponytail, long nails, and leathery skin, nodded. “Agreed. While I do not wish to cast doubt about our esteemed leader, I often feel like his goals and ours differ greatly.”
A string of agreements passed through the individuals present. Kanya cleared his throat. “I agree with everything that’s been said here, which is why I’ve decided that we should take matters into our own hands.”
The group settled down as he spoke. Clenching his right hand into a fist, he eyed each and every person currently under his commander.
“That is why, starting now, we will wage war on and annihilate the traitorous Four Saints.”
Kevin had gone over to Alex’s and Andrew’s place, so it was just the girls who were staying at their apartment home. Likewise, Kotohime and Kirihime had promised to keep Camellia under control so that her mother didn’t do anything foolish to interrupt their time together. Camellia had been most disappointed, but some head petting from Kirihime had cheered her right up.
Lilian had already called up Lindsay and asked if she wanted to come over. Her tomboy friend hadn’t been informed that she had returned. Lindsay had seemed quite happy to hear from her, and she had agreed to come over.
Unless someone lived in a different district, all residences were very close together. It wouldn’t take long for Lindsay to arrive. In the meantime, Lilian had decided to bust out the video games.
“Ha! Don’t think your weak skills can beat me!”
“I’ll show you weak, ya damn vixen! Ora!”
“Get over here!”
“Don’t quote your characters!”
Lilian was somehow not surprised to discover that Christine absolutely loved fighting games—and she rocked at them. The girl was a beast. They’d already played two rounds, and Lilian had lost them both. Then again, her forte was first-person shooters, not third-person fighting games like Mortal Kombat.
“Come on, Scorpion! Don’t let that stupid ice man beat you!”
“That stupid ice man is going to kick your ass!”
As her fingers flew across the controller, pressing button combinations too quickly for even her to follow, Christine wore the most maniacal grin that Lilian had ever seen. It was one of those Mad Hatter grins that split her entire face in half, an ear to ear smile that revealed her pearly whites. Lilian would’ve shuddered at the look, but she was too busy trying to keep her character alive.
“Come on, Scorpion! Don’t give out on me now!”
“Ha ha! Your health is in the red! Now to finish you!”
“NOOOOOO!!”
Lilian stared in horror as Scorpion was frozen solid in a block of ice, which then shattered when Christine’s character, some dude named Sub-Zero, slammed a fist into it.
“I… I lost,” Lilian whispered as if the world had suddenly come to an end. “I can’t believe I lost again…”
“Believe it,” Christine said with a very un-Christine-like grin. “You just got your ass kicked!”
Her strength ebbing, Lilian fell backwards onto the pile of pillows that they had set up around them. She stared up at the ceiling for a second, then turned to Christine, who was laughing like a loon.
“But, really, I didn’t know you were so good at fighting games,” she admitted.
“Ah…” Christine’s cheeks turned blue. “I-it’s not that I like them. It’s just that, well, I… that’s because I’ve played them at the arcade occasionally. B-but it was only when I got bored, you understand? It’s not like I play these all the time.”
“So you say,” Iris said, “but the kind of talent you displayed reveals the truth. You’re actually a big fan of fighting games, aren’t you?”
“Wha… no!” Christine blustered.
As Iris teased Christine for being a fan of fighting games, the doorbell suddenly rang.
“I’ll get it!” Lilian leapt to her feet and raced to the door. Opening it revealed the person standing on the other side, causing a grin to break out on her face. “Lindsay!”
“Hey,” Lindsay greeted with a grin.
Lindsay was one of Lilian’s best friends. They had met when Lilian had decided to go to Kevin’s school two years ago. She was a tomboyish girl with pixie-cut blond hair, a slender figure from playing soccer, and doe-like brown eyes. The jeans that she wore fit snugly on her hips, and her t-shirt rose over the slight swell of her modest bust. She was holding some kind of stick in her left hand.
When she and Lindsay had first met, Lilian had not liked the girl at all. Lindsay had been an obstacle on her path to seducing Kevin. However, ever since the blond girl had shot Kevin down so Lilian could be with him, Lindsay had become someone she dearly cherished.
After sharing a ferocious hug that might have cracked a few of Lindsay’s bones, Lilian grabbed the girl by the hand and pulled her inside. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise, huh?” Lindsay gave her an amused smile. “You mentioned that over the phone. What sort of surprise could you be… talk… in…” She trailed off when her eyes landed on one of the other people in the room. “C-Christine?”
Hearing her name being called, Christine turned around and froze when she saw Lindsay standing there. “Ah… Lindsay, um, hello.”
Lindsay’s entire body seemed to tremble as she stared at Christine. Her feelings were completely laid bare, the many conflicting emotions more than visible on her face as it twisted into an expression filled with shock, disbelief, and hope.
“Christine, is that… is that really you?” Lindsay asked.
“Er… y-yeah…” Christine said, holding her left arm at the elbow. “It’s really me.”
There was a moment of silence before, like a sudden hurricane appearing off the coast of Greece, Lindsay slammed into Christine and engulfed the girl in a hug.
“H-hey, don’t just hug me so suddenly! You can’t—”
Christine was unable to finish her sentence. Lindsay was crying. The blond was bawling into the yuki-onna’s black pajamas, her raucous sobs piercing the room.
In the face of such a strong emotional reaction, Christine could say nothing. Sighing, she smiled wanly and patted Lindsay on the head.
“There, there. It’s okay.”
The words just made Lindsay cry harder.
Lilian stood off to the side, allowing the two their reunion. She smiled sadly, both because this moment was so touching, but also because she knew that nothing would come of this. Lindsay loved Christine, but Christine thought of Lindsay as nothing more than a friend.
Iris walked up to her. “Are you sure it was a good idea to invite the tomboy over?”
Turning to her sister, Lilian observed Iris with a steady gaze. “Maybe not, but I thought it would be better if we got this over with. I don’t want any of my friends getting hurt, but if they’re going to get hurt anyway, then I want it to happen quickly so they can heal faster.”
“I guess.” Iris shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I care.”
“Denial is an ugly thing, Iris.”
“Oh, shut up.”
Giggling, Lilian turned back to Christine and Lindsay. Her tomboyish friend seemed to have finished crying, though she’d yet to let go of Christine, who was
beginning to look vexed at being someone’s plushie. Lilian wondered if the yuki-onna just didn’t like cuddling, or if it was because Lindsay was the one hugging her.
“I-I’m really glad you’re back,” Lindsay choked back a sob. “You don’t… know how much I missed you.”
Christine sighed. “I know.”
Finally releasing the girl in her grip, Lindsay stood up and took several steps back. She clutched at the object in her left hand as if hoping it would lend her strength. “Sorry for getting all clingy.”
“It’s fine,” Christine murmured, looking away when she saw Lindsay stare at her.
“…”
An awkward silence suddenly filled the room. Lilian stared back and forth between Lindsay and Christine, who both looked uncomfortable now that the heartfelt reunion moment had ended.
Should I say something to break the ice? Or maybe I should just leave them alone? Giving that idea a moment’s thought, Lilian shook her head. No, that would be a bad idea. I don’t think Christine is ready to tell Lindsay how she feels, and I’m not sure Lindsay is ready to hear it either.
Clapping her hands together, Lilian grinned at the pair as she said, “Lindsay, how about you change into some pajamas? Then we can do something fun.”
A sheepish expression, like someone who just realized they’d made a mistake, suddenly crossed her face. “Actually, I, uh, forgot to bring my pjs.”
“That’s okay. I’ll lend you some of mine,” Lilian said.
“Oh. Okay, then. I’ll get changed.”
“Awesome.”
“By the way,” Iris interrupted as Lilian prepared to drag her friend to her room, “what’s with the stick?”
Everyone looked at where Iris was pointing. Held in Lindsay’s left hand was a strange looking stick. It appeared to be a long metal rod. Studs ran along the circumference near the base, protruding like tiny circular bumps, and a large purple, heptagram-shaped jewel sat on the top. While the jewel did give it a mystical feel, the rest was all stick.
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