Gavin skipped gaily through the forest with Koto. After thirty minutes of skipping Gavin realized the entire forest looked like a shrivelled raisin that was cracked open and looked like someone licked the inside of it then left it in the refrigerator to freeze for three days. Besides the beach there was nothing fun about this reserved place.

Gavin convinced Koto to go back to the beach. Gavin jumped into the water and splashed around. Gavin dived in the water and splashed out. Koto wouldn't go in the water. She stood on the beach watching Gavin play around. She looked like a mother who was too old to swim so she didn't go in the water. Gavin tried to convince her to come in.

" Come on, Koto. I know you're a cat but that doesn't mean you have to skip out on water."

" I think we should call it a night, Gavin. Juri and I have to rest."

" But there's no tournament tomorrow. This sucks."

Gavin pouted. He looked at Koto with giant dog eyes and pouted for her to come in. Koto shook her head, giggled a little from Gavin's silly face. Gavin acted like a zombie walking out of the water and amble walked out of the water. Gavin pretended to grab Koto to bite her and transform her into a zombie, but Koto smacked him away.

Gavin walked slugged behind Koto on their way to Juri's special spot. Gavin really wanted to spend more time with Koto. He was so happy when he was around her. He only wished they met under different circumstances. If they were both human, Koto didn't have cat ears and fox tail, and Gavin didn't have a wrinkled guardian who looked like a witch. Maybe then they could get along.

Gavin and Koto reached the special spot where Juri and Iyo should have been. Koto didn't see them anywhere. She looked left, right, and even in the water.

" I don't see Iyo or Juri anywhere," Gavin said.

" They're probably at Lover's Peak."

" Lover's Peak?"

" That's where Juri likes to go every time we take a guy to the beach."

" How many guys have you brought here?"

Koto didn't answer Gavin's question. Koto brought some men up here and Gavin was curious to how many. Did Koto make love to them? Gavin imagined vulgar men groping Koto's enormous breasts, blowing in her ears, kissing her in the part only women have, and shadows of men more handsome than him. It made Gavin envious what kind of men she dated.

Koto and Gavin went to her and Juri's special spot. Gavin saw a tree engraved with hearts featuring Koto and some other guy's names. Gavin's rage was incessant. The only thing that would calm his rage would be to burn down the tree with so many names.

" I don't see them anywhere," Koto said scouting the area for Iyo and Juri. " It's strange. I thought Juri would have brought him here."

Gavin had to let his anger go to help his friend Iyo. Even if it meant forgetting about what happened between her and those men, Gavin would forget all of it to help her. Gavin looked around the kissing tree and found something.

" I see footprints." Koto's ears twitched when she heard Gavin's voice. Koto walked up to Gavin. " These are Iyo's alright. What other person in this beach has the feet of a demon?"

Gavin didn't know how insensitive he was being. He looked at Koto and saw how worried she was. Her hands were covering her mouth looking at the footsteps. Gavin comfort her rubbing her hair. Gavin thought about Iyo's feet. They were small, almost the size of a dog, and three toes. The footprints were three toed but much larger and wider.

" Koto."

" Yes?"

" I don't think we are alone."

XXX

Akarenjya hated every member of Team Maddening Whispers. He was treated like a slave on the team because he was a slave. Akarenjya hated Gavin because he was loud and annoying. He hated Iyo because he was quiet and uncommunicative. The member he hated most was Ugo.

Ugo invited demons from the crowd to join him in a game of Backgammon. Ugo even invited trampy demons to keep him company during the roll. Ugo was a giant lecher who only thought about himself and only did things if they would merit him. Akarenjya and Showtaro sat in separate chairs together and watched Ugo playing Backgammon against a demon who looked like a shaved Wookie

" Lucky hand don't fail me now." Ugo rolled his dice on the Backgammon board: 5-5. Ugo got off his chair and pumped his hands up. " Yes."

" I thought you were going to train us," Akarenjya said.

" This is training. I'm going to make you two become men."

Akarenjya glared at Ugo with much hatred in his eyes. A blue skinned succubus walked up to Akarenjya and Showtaro. She wore giant red robes with gold trimmings. Underneath the robes loincloth was wrapped around her breasts. She kneeled down to Showtaro who was flustered.

" Your new blood. How old are you?"

" Old enough to know you spend time around other men."

The succubus took her hands off Showtaro's knees and touched Akarenjya. Akarenjya wasn't embarrassed around a demon whore. He was disgusted by her dirty fingers.

" How about you, handsome? Want to spend the night with me?"

" I don't like women who are too clingy."

" Lighten up man." Ugo walked up to Akarenjya and Showtaro holding a bottle of wine in his hand. Ugo was plastered. He turned his glass of wine upside down, not a single drop spilled out. " You need to learn to have a little fun."

Akarenjya growled at Ugo. He was an idiot. Akarenjya couldn't believe a shithead like Ugo could beat Momorenjya, his second best teammate. Akarenjya turned to Showtaro. Already he had succumbed to the lust of the prostitute and squeezed her chest. Akarenjya wouldn't stay in this room. He got up and walked out of the hotel room…the two were too drunk and stupid to see him go.

XXX

Juri couldn't think properly. Someone dosed her in a drug they used to rape her. She could only see a shadow of a tree branch. Was she still outside with Iyo? Was Iyo dead? Juri could barely think. She couldn't even remember a simple Math question. The moment Juri recovered her eye sight…she saw a giant fishing bowl. A giant cylindrical fishing bowl, green water, with four pudgy greedy men standing outside. Juri had every reason to be afraid—she was inside the fishing bowl.

" She's a fine specimen. An aqua demon. Level is very low, but she makes up for it by being a beaut. Let's start the bid with ten thousand yen."