Gomen, Reader-sama. I was aiming to have this up earlier, but alas. The disclaimer is standard: me no own, you know sue. (I don't even get why we have to do this things. If we actually owned it, wouldn't we be making it a reality instead of just writing?) Enjoy the chapter.

"Well, I can't say I'm glad to back in this thing again," Kohana said as she stepped out of the bathroom stall in her brand-new Obelisk Blue girls' uniform. She held a plastic bag filled with the clothes she had changed out of.

"Oh, but it looks cute on you, sister dear," Ayume said with a wry smile. Kohana glared at her older sister.

"Oh, its not that bad, Kohana."

Ayume stood up and headed for the door. "Come on," she said, looking back at her younger sister, "I may be your sister, but I will not tolerate tardiness to my class." Kohana nodded and followed.

Kohana was a tomboy. That was a fact. Some of her best friends were guys and there were very few of her friends who were girls. Back in Domino, it wasn't unusual to see her in the boys' uniform. Although, as to not blow her cover, Kohana forced herself to wear the girls' uniform. Now that she no longer had to hide, she had tried to get the boys' uniform. Unfortunately for her, no amount of begging, pleading, or puppy dog eyes worked on the two temporary headmen.

Kohana hated skirts. That was also a fact. She once swore she would never be caught dead in a skirt, but now she was parading around wearing, in her opinion, slut-wear. If the guys back at Domino City Junior High could see her now, she'd never live it down. In Kohana's opinion, guys would never take a duelist in a skirt seriously. Back home, she was one of the best. Smart, logical, pretty, strategic, and with a good deck to boot, Kohana was not one to be taken lightly.

Kohana hated white. This was a more recent fact. She used to not mind white, but now she hated it with a vicious passion. The Kessha had demented her view on the 'color' that much. And, much to Kohana's displeasure, most of the girls' uniform was indeed white. She was contemplating dyeing the thing another color.

"Hey, Yuki-sempai! Over here!"

Kohana looked up to see Sho and Kenzan sitting by her dead-to-the-world brother. She walked over to them and sat down next to them.

"Aniki, hist, Aniki!"

"Here, let me handle this," Kohana said as she pulled something out of her bag. It was a small vial of smelling salts. She opened the bottle, sniffed it, and (after nearly throwing up) waved the bottle under Judai's nose.

"EW!" Judai shot up immediately and covered his nose. He looked over at Kohana.

"What the hell was that?"

"O'de Trollette1. You were snoring so loud I wouldn't be surprised if people in France heard you."

Judai mock-glared at his baby sister. She merely smiled a smug 'I-won-and-you-know-it' smile. Judai huffed and pouted. Kohana giggled slightly and opened her notebook as Ayume summoned the students' attention.

Orpheus hissed in pain as a young female youkai applied salve to his various wounds courtesy of one Yuki Kohana.

"Fuck. When'd the brat get so powerful? Ah, be careful will you! That fucking hurts!"

The female gasp softly and bowed her head.

"Forgive me, Master," the poor girl whimpered as she gently began bandaging a particularly nasty slice on his left arm.

A commotion coming from the front hall caught Orpheus's attention. An older manservant hurried in.

"Master, a Lord Yoshikazu is here to see you."

Orpheus cursed as he recalled the name with a painful memory.

"Send him in."

The manservant nodded and bowed respectfully and was about to obey when a voice filled the room.

"Such respect is wasted on a lowly demon. You are lower than a half breed."

Orpheus wanted to attack, but he knew he wouldn't win against Yoshikazu.

The taiyoukai walked into the room. The female servant's mouth hung open slightly as she was struck by this youkai's utter beauty. Yoshikazu was the spitting image of his father. With the white-gold hair and the cobalt eyes, if one didn't know better, they would think he was his father. There were differences, of course. It was no secret that Yoshikazu was far colder than his father and his cobalt eyes were narrowed, cold and calculating. Orpheus knew only a fool would attack such a demon.

"You have business, Yoshikazu-sama?"

Orpheus made a pitiful attempt to hide his obvious hate for the elder brother of three very predominate thorns in his side.

"Your attempt at hospitality is pathetic, Orpheus."

The aforementioned man was clenching his fists, desperately longing for a swing.

"I have received word that you launched an attack on Judai and Kohana. I have also heard that Kohana sent you off with your tail between your legs. What surprises me the most is the rumor that Kohana's aura has become gold. Is this true?"

"Yes," Orpheus growled.

Yoshikazu sat down. "They say that an orange aura means that one has the ability and desire to control someone and that one loves exercising their power. Or, in your case, the little fragment of power that could do no more harm than a gentle breeze. A gold aura, however, is said to be the sign of a powerful spiritual teacher. Someone capable of showing and using their unique abilities. Now, tell me, if you are as great as you proclaim to be, why that half-breed has a more powerful aura than you?"

"The great Yoshikazu, asking me for an answer? Ha! I never thought I'd see the day."

Yoshikazu narrowed his eyes and in a flash, he had Orpheus dangling in the air, a graceful hand suspending him.

"Now, do you wish to answer the question, or should I merely kill you and seek the answers else where?"

"If I knew, trust me she'd be dead already! Ayume and Judai following!"

Yoshikazu released his grip, dropping the man on his rear end. The impassive demon lord turned and started heading out. As he passed the doors, he gave orders.

"Aoi. Seiki. Mushi. We're leaving."

The comment was followed by a cheerful, "Yes milord!" The voice was obviously female.

Orpheus glared at the door as he rubbed his neck.

"Such a strange demon."

"My lord."

Yoshikazu turned to see a female tiger demon. The woman had brown skin and wore an orange dress with a colorful yellow cloth wrapped expertly around her. Her clothes were obviously Indian, and he suspected she was from India. Tiger demons are native to mainland Asia and many reside in Northern India.

"Yes? What do you want?"

"I am Jayanti, my lord. I believe I may have an answer to your question."

Yoshikazu studied the female and contemplated her offer. A little black-haired girl in pink kimono with colorful butterflies and flowers sewed onto it peeked out at the strange new demon from behind Yoshikazu.

Jayanti lifted her eyes and noticed the little girl. She was human, but her scent was mixed with demon, from both Yoshikazu and his vassal Mushi. But there was something else about the girl's scent. There was the unmistakable whiff of death.

Jayanti noticed another human. This one was a young boy, a year or two older than the girl. He had dark brown hair put into to a short high ponytail. The boy wore a plain gray-blue long shirt-looking thing (Jayanti failed to recall the article of clothing's name) tied around his waist with a cloth cord. But it was his eyes that startled Jayanti. This boy's coco brown eyes were dead. His gaze flickered over to the little girl and Jayanti saw a flicker of life in him. She smiled. That girl was his lifeline. He would need her, and soon, undeniably, she would need him.

"Fine then. State your answer."

Jayanti looked up and stood. She dusted herself off.

"You said your younger half sister Kohana has acquired a gold aura. As you stated, a gold aura is a sign of incredible power. In fact, Buddha and Jesus Christ both possessed the same aura. But, compared to them, your sister's is weak. She is no more a spiritual teacher than you are a human. The aura simply means your sister has grown. She has learned something and that caused her to grow wiser. Before, she possessed an orange aura. That meant she was power-hungry. She knew she could manipulate people and she didn't hesitate to. Now, she has stopped that habit, vowing only to use it if absolutely necessary. She has grown up. Does that answer satisfy you, my lord?"

Jayanti had a funny feeling she was being bold, but she wouldn't know for sure. After all, she was born and raised in India.

"You are from India, aren't you?"

"Yes, my lord."

The little girl pipped up. "Why don't you come with us, Jayanti-sama?"

"Aoi," Yoshikazu said in a warning tone.

"I would love to, that is, if Yoshikazu-sama agrees."

Yoshikazu merely huffed and turned around. "She may come if she want. Now we must go. Aoi, Seiki, Mushi. Lets go."

The two humans followed him. Aoi turned around and looked at her.

"Come on, Jayanti-sama!

"Aoi! You silly girl, you're keeping the lord waiting!"

"Sorry Mushi-sama."

Jayanti smiled and hurried after the group. The little imp was busy scolding Aoi, who was paying no mind. Maybe she would find her place in this little rag-tag family.

Okay, I was thinking about pairings. I already had one lined up (anyone who reads my work knows what I talking about) and two more hit me in chapters 3 and 4. Now, I just got two more pairing ideas. (Cookies to whoever can guess the pairings.) Sorry if this seems like a crappy chapter. I'm suffering from a mild case of writer's block.

1.) This is a joke from the live-action movie "Hansel and Gretel". If you didn't see it, you probably don't get it.