“Let’s sit down,” Lilian offered. “This is going to take a while to explain.”
Commander Paine sat at his desk, listening to the report that came in from one of his spies via the intercom affixed to his desk.
“Athena has failed in her mission to kill Justin Verrator and erase the data. We believe she managed to destroy some of the information, but there is likely a lot that she was unable to erase.”
So even Athena has failed. That is… unexpected.
“Do you know what she was able to erase?”
“No, sir. I only know that she was captured and tried to poison herself.”
“Tried?”
“It seems the poison was extracted before it could kill her. I couldn’t get much more than that. Security has become tighter since the Four Saints vanished.”
Commander Paine knew about the Four Saints’ disappearance. He didn’t know much, but they had apparently gone off to fight against a great monster known as the Yamata no Orochi. Reports coming in from California, which indicated that a mountain range had been obliterated, supported this information.
“Will Athena pose a threat like Justin Verrator?”
“Doubtful. While the poison didn’t kill her, it seems to have affected her. I don’t think she’ll be a problem.”
“Then ignore her for now. Keep your eyes open and let me know if anything changes.”
“Yes, sir!”
Leaning back in his chair, Commander Paine contemplated everything that he’d been told. There was still a chance that Neo Seiryuu, the only hindrance to his goals, would find out about what he planned on doing.
I should think about speeding up my timetable…
Pressing a button on his communication console, he spoke into the speaker. “Get in touch with the president of the United States. Tell him there’s been a change of plans.”
Ten
Of Fire and Rebirth
The days seemed to pass at a snail’s pace. Only a few days had gone by since the Athena incident, and while life had returned to normal, everything appeared to move slowly.
Kevin would admit to having grown restless since, while a part of him wished these days could last, the rest of him was wondering how long it would be before the next big threat showed up. The Four Saints had not returned. The rumor spreading around was that they’d fought against someone powerful from the Yamata Alliance and were defeated. He didn’t like to think anyone could defeat all Four Saints, but he’d heard Mack mention that a mountain range had been destroyed in California. He wondered if the Four Saints’ disappearance had anything to do with that.
It was a mostly normal day for Kevin. He and his group of friends had decided to head to one of the outlying parks for a picnic and some games.
They’d already spread out the blanket, upon which a smorgasbord of food rested. Kotohime and Kirihime were sitting by the food. Camellia was running around with the others, laughing and smiling, which brought a smile to Kirihime’s face—until Camellia tripped. Then she rushed over to help her mistress.
The yama uba were playing soccer with Lindsay’s friends. They’d mixed teams so they were even, with each side having the same amount of humans and yokai. Kevin had noticed that Phoebe made an exceptional center forward. The only member who wasn’t there was Thoe, who was currently at the hospital with Athena.
Lilian had joined them for a time, but she wasn’t really a soccer player and had quit after growing bored. His mate wasn’t really into sports. As for Kevin’s friends…
“This next one is going in!”
“That’s what you said last time. You’re never gonna make it.”
“Shut up! Just watch me!”
“Uhuhu, you brothers are always having a male pissing contest with each other. So amusing.”
“Ge!” Alex and Andrew said at the same time.
Kevin’s friends had decided to play beer pong. They’d set up a fold-out table and arranged the cups, which were filled with the lightly frothing beverage. Kevin didn’t know how they’d managed to acquire the beer, but he wasn’t going to say anything.
Iris stood on the sidelines, goading them on and forcing their concentration to slip with innuendo-laced commentary. The ones playing were Alex, Andrew, Eric, and Justin. No one had invited Kevin to play. He thought it might have been because he sucked at throwing things, though he wouldn’t have played even if he had been invited. The idea of losing his inhibitions didn’t appeal to him.
“Damn it! How could I miss again?”
“Because you suck?”
“Shut up, Alex!”
“I don’t know if you boys know this, but I suck too. I also swallow.”
“U-uh… I didn’t know that, but now I’m insanely jealous of Kevin!”
“Damn that Kevin!”
“My lord’s greatness knows no bounds! He is truly a man among men!”
“… You really freak me out sometimes, Eric.”
“Tch. I liked you better when you were quiet, Justin.”
“… Quiet… like… this?”
“And now you’re mocking me!”
“I-if Master is angry, then he can take his frustrations out on this willing sla—”
“Not another word out of you!”
Justin seemed more relaxed now that he was no longer keeping secrets. He smiled a lot more and no longer wore his glazed, half-lidded look. He hadn’t seen his parents yet. Kevin had tried to convince him to visit them, but he’d been reticent when the subject was brought up. It didn’t help that his parents lived in Phoenix.
Kevin had noticed that Justin kept looking at him every so often since he’d returned. It wasn’t something obvious, but there were occasions during class or lunch where he’d feel the other boy’s eyes on him. He didn’t know what was going through his friend’s mind. He also didn’t ask. If Justin had something to say, then he should just come out and say it.
I hope it’s not a confession. That would make things awkward.
Deciding to leave his friends to their beer pong, Kevin wandered over to the food. Kotohime was already waiting for him with a plate.
“Here you go, Kevin-sama.”
“Thanks.”
“Ufufufu, you’re welcome.”
“Where are Heather and Kiara?” he asked. “I thought they would be coming.”
“They are running a little bit late. Mack has been working those two rather hard lately.”
“That sounded really wrong, so I think I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” When Kotohime just smiled, he sighed. “Has there been any word on where Monstrang and the others are?”
Kotohime hesitated. “There has, but it is not something that we should discuss in public. I honestly should not even be telling you at all, but if you wish to know what happened, speak with me when we are back home.”
The tone in her voice, more than her words, made Kevin pause. Without her having to say anymore, he knew that something bad had happened.
“I’ll talk to you about this at home, then.”
“Good. Now, why don’t you bring some food to Lilian-sama and Christine-san?”
“Um, right.”
Carrying three plates like a waiter at a restaurant, Kevin ambled over to Lilian and Christine, who sat several yards from everyone else. Christine was reading something, Inuyasha, it looked like. Meanwhile, Lilian had the latest tankōbon of To Love Ru Darkness.
“Hey, Beloved. How come you don’t boob fall as much as Rito?” was the first thing out of Lilian’s mouth.
Kevin’s dry expression put deserts to shame. “Because I’m not a klutz like that idiot.”
“You don’t think falling into the breasts of every female you meet would be fun?”
“W-what the hell are you saying?!” Christine sputtered, her face the same shade as a blueberry popsicle.
“I have your breasts… and Iris’s. I don’t really care about the boobs of other women.”
“Don’t answer her question in such a bla
ze manner!” Christine shouted.
“Anyway, here you two go. I figured you might be hungry.” Kevin set a plate down in front of them both, then sat down himself. Lilian and Christine simultaneously placed a bookmark in their respective manga and picked up their plates, which were filled with delicious food.
“Thanks, Beloved!”
“Thank you.”
As he, Lilian, and Christine ate, the two yokai held a most interesting conversation.
“I really think you should read To Love Ru.”
“No thanks.”
Wha—why not? It’s a great manga. You must read it.”
“I insist. No thanks.”
“B-but it’s such a fun manga…”
“Its entire story revolves around some idiot falling facefirst into women’s boobs and c-crotches for absolutely no reason. It’s disgusting.”
“But it’s funny…”
“It is not funny!”
“I’ll read it with you after lunch, Lilian,” Kevin said. “I haven’t read the latest volume anyway. By the way, where did you get that? I didn’t think you could get imports anymore thanks to the war.”
“Ufufufu, that’s a trade secret, Beloved. If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
“I think I’d rather not know anyway.”
“Hmph! I-if Kevin is going to read it, then I guess I-I can read it, too.” Christine pointed at Lilian. “B-but I’m only reading it because I’m curious, got it?!”
“Got it,” Lilian said, sharing a grin with Kevin.
While the three of them conversed, Iris eventually bounded up to them, regally sprawling herself on the grass next to them like a professional pin-up model.
“What are you kids doing over here? Reading manga? How lame.”
“Did you come here for some reason other than to insult us?” Christine asked.
“Not really.”
“Tch!”
Iris seamlessly inserted herself into the conversation, listening to them talk while occasionally teasing one or all three of them. She seemed fond of picking on Christine.
“You know, I remember a time when you said that you didn’t like manga.”
“I-I never said that. I just said that manga is… that it’s…”
“For children?”
Poof! Steam rose from Christine’s head as her entire face turned blue.
As the conversation continued, changing topics at random to anything that struck their fancy, Justin walked up to them. Something was troubling him. He stood with a stooped posture, and his fingers were twitching.
“Kevin,” he said slowly, “I need to talk to you for a minute.”
Coming to a decision, Kevin stood to his feet and gestured for Justin to lead him away. His friend turned around and moved off. As he followed, Christine tried to stand, but she was stopped by Lilian placing a hand on her shoulder.
“What are you—”
“Whatever they’re going to talk about is their business.”
“B-but what if it’s something shameless?!”
“Shameless?”
With steam pouring out of her ears and her face turning into a bona fide popsicle, Christine waved her arms about furiously as she ranted. “What if Justin wants to confess his undying love for Kevin, then ask Kevin to insert his carrot stick into his peanut butter hole?!”
“That was a terrible pun,” Lilian said solemnly.
“Have you been reading my BL?” asked Iris, who shrugged when Lilian looked at her. “What? Even I have some stuff that I like to read.”
Kevin, who could hear the entire conversation as he walked away, facepalmed.
“Those girls are quite something, aren’t they?” Justin said conversationally.
“You have no idea.”
“Maybe I should confess to you, just to see what happens.”
“Please don’t.”
They walked far from the others. Standing on a hill that overlooked the fields, Kevin couldn’t help but admire the view. Neo Seiryuu was an unusual place—an underground city that had been constructed in haste with temporary lodgings that were meant to be taken down once the war ended. Even so, many of the yokai with a forest or earth affinity had put a lot of effort into making this place beautiful. Flowers and trees and grass rolled across his view, and the basic structures of buildings presented an aesthetically pleasing contrast.
However, Kevin didn’t follow Justin to admire the view. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“This isn’t an easy thing to say,” Justin hesitated, “But I wanted to talk to you about your family.”
“My family?”
What does he mean by that?
“Specifically, I wanted to talk to you about your father,” Justin amended, his gaze containing a somber note. “Kevin, I know who your old man is.”
Kevin sucked in a breath. “W-what—how? How would you even know something like that? Not even I know who my dad is!”
“I know. Your mom never told you. I suppose she didn’t want to remember the man who ruined her life.”
This was shocking. No, this was more than shocking. Justin knew who his father was, despite the fact that Kevin had neither spoken of nor heard anything about the man. Given his friend’s former position within the Sons and Daughters of Humanity, there was only one conclusion that he could reach, and it wasn’t pleasant.
“My old man is a member of the Sons and Daughters of Humanity, isn’t he?”
“It’s much worse than that,” Justin told him. “Kevin, your father is the commander for the entire Sons and Daughters of Humanity. He’s the very reason this war started.”
Two days after having the massive picnic, Phoebe once again found herself and several members of her group patrolling Phoenix.
The outside world had changed a lot since the war started. While the outlying sections of Phoenix, the urban zones that people lived in, remained pristine, the inner city was a mess. Buildings had been toppled, several structures looked like Swiss cheese, and debris from numerous battles littered the streets. Very few people lived in Phoenix these days, making the place feel like a ghost town.
With her that day were Polydora, Thoe, and Menippe. There were several other groups aside from them, but they had different patrol routes.
“It’s been surprisingly quiet, hasn’t it?” Thoe asked as they wandered down East Van Buren Street near the Herberger Theater and Phoenix Convention Center.
“True.” Menippe stepped around the remains of a gutted-out tank. “We haven’t been attacked by anyone for a while now. Normally, we’d have to fight at least one or two groups looking for the location to our home.”
“What do you think, Lady Phoebe?” asked Polydora.
Looking at the ruined remains of a derelict building that had collapsed during one of the battles, Phoebe answered her friend. “It does seem strange, but considering what I’ve heard from Mack, both sides have suffered great casualties.”
Reports coming in had indicated that the fighting had come to a standstill. Humanity had lost a lot of soldiers, though all they had were guesstimates of human casualties. The Yamata Alliance had also suffered numerous setbacks. Not only had they lost a lot of people in their attempt to destroy Neo Seiryuu, but their leader, the Yamata no Orochi, had gone missing. No one knew where he was.
Of course, it wasn’t like they were in great shape either. The Four Saints, their leaders, had vanished. She knew they’d gone to fight the Yamata no Orochi, who’d been close to regaining his power. Many of their members suspected that they were dead.
“Phoebe!” Thoe called out to her. “Come over here!”
Her friend was inside of an alley, standing next to a pair of lumps. As Phoebe rushed over, she noticed that what she had at first assumed was debris, was actually two people. What’s more, she recognized one of them.
“T-that’s Sarah Feniks!” Polydora gasped.
Phoebe quickly took charge of the situation. “Menippe! Get in touch with headquarters!
Inform Mack that we’ve found Sarah Feniks and are requesting medical support! Thoe and Polydora! Keep a lookout and make sure there are no enemies coming our way!”
“Yes!” they all shouted before moving off to do as Phoebe ordered.
As they left, she knelt down and turned Sarah onto her back. The woman didn’t appear to be injured. Her white skin, laid bare before Phoebe’s eyes, was as pristine as winter snow. Holding up Sarah’s wrist and placing two fingers against the woman’s throat, she found a strong, steady pulse.
It looks like she’s alive, but what happened to her? Does it have something to do with the other person beside her?
Phoebe decided to check on Sarah’s companion next. She had russet orange hair and pale skin that was covered in ash. Her clothing was that of a school girl, a plaid skirt and a green blazer over a white shirt. Long eyelashes and pink lips lent her a feminine air, while her toned thighs and calves told Phoebe that this girl was in good physical shape. She judged the girl’s age to be around sixteen or seventeen.
Nearly half an hour later, an ambulance came and took Sarah and the girl away. Phoebe continued her patrol. However, while she acted as if nothing was wrong, her mind was on Sarah and the unknown girl.
Who was that girl?
Lilian was worried about Kevin.
Her mate had been in a funk for the past two days, and she didn’t know what was causing it. Evidence pointed to his talk with Justin. Ever since he’d gotten back from speaking with his friend during the picnic, Kevin had been quiet. He’d smile and speak when spoken to, but unless someone else started a conversation, he remained silent.
Something needed to be done about it.
It was after school. Kevin had gone off to spar with Kiara’s three disciples nicknamed the idiot brothers, and Iris and Christine had gone off somewhere on their own. Lilian returned home alone that day.
“Kotohime?” she called out to her maid, bodyguard, and friend.
“Yes, Lilian-sama?”
Kotohime was sitting in the living room, on the floor, in seiza. Lilian had never understood why the four-tails felt the need to always sit like that. It must have been uncomfortable sitting with her legs tucked underneath her butt.
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