Chapter 88

It felt like someone had just told me something of mine had just gone missing. That kind of feeling you get at the news before it sinks in. It took me a moment to realize what it was, and I'd just figured it out when the speaker system on the train spoke.

"We will be arriving at our destination in five minutes. Please, enjoy your time in Kyoto."

In Kuoh, because of the weird spiritual significance of me 'claiming' a shrine, the territory had become 'mine' in a way. The feeling of loss I had just felt, was certainly due to me not just leaving my 'territory' but because I was now in the realm of someone else. Suddenly wishing I had my gauntlets on, but not quite feeling like I was in the dungeon, I took a deep breath and made sure my seating area was clean.

Four minutes and thirty seconds of trying to relax later, the train started to decelerate smoothly as we left the countryside view and entered into the neat urban/commercial area of the city, and the grand Kyoto station. The pictures from the tourist guide didn't really do it justice really. Glass and steel, art and functioning building, it looked to be a train station, shopping mall, hotel, and office building all in one. But even with all that in a small space (though, small was really a relative term, being the second largest station in Japan) it didn't look ugly at all.

"You feel it too Boss?" Delly asked, her voice between my ears as was usual when she 'hid' in my mana. "You might need to adjust your glasses, but do you see it? Just to the left on that office building there."

We were just sliding to a halt inside the train station's platform, so I only caught a glimpse of it, but high up on an office building billboard, next to an advertisement for Boss Coffee, was a weird looking yellow with black stripes... monkey?

"A nue? Was that what that was?"

"Probably. We might have been invited, but we are definitely outsiders here." She replied, "Best behaviour."

"I brought cookies." I smiled.

We shuffled off, got unloaded, and tried not to clog up the platform as the teachers did a head count. Being a good bunch of students, there were no issues, and I found myself standing next to Azazel and Shinkage, who was sitting (to take up less floor space) and still under the influence of the invisibility spell Azazel had put on him.

"You're looking a little twitchy there Sensei." He chuckled, "You might want to put your tails under your coat until you calm down a little, they're going to catch on something."

"Last time I did that I nearly got stabbed by a psychopath with a holy sword." I looked around the lobby, spotting a couple more... people. The glasses made it easier, and with a couple of taps I could see a sort of aura effect around them. "We're being watched." I turned the effect off, since it also looked like everything was on fire in a really subtle way. One of them looked to be much like those two Crow guardians that I met with Kunou, while a few others were just odd looking creatures, hanging off lamp posts, or up in the rafters pretending to be birds.

"Of course." He shrugged, "After we drop stuff off at the hotel, want to ditch the kids and find a place to drink?" He grinned, "I've been looking forward to trying the food here."

"If for no other reason to keep you from turning out like Odin." I grumbled, "Now what to do with you..." I looked to Shinkage.

"Someone is going to bump into me eventually." He said as quietly as he could, though a few random people, normal people, turned their heads slightly, as if hearing something out of place. But they simply kept walking.

"Oh clever, he added a 'disregard' effect too." Delly said, "Gonna remember that one."

"Ah, looks like they're done." He started walking, "Keep him between us, and keep talking. I admire how polite the Japanese are, but it also makes it easier to hide things since it might be rude to not mind your own business." He also switched languages, speaking perfect English.

I switched too, playing up the roll of 'tourist' with him, "If memory serves the hotel..." I took out a bit of paper, "...Really? The Kyoto Sirzechs Hotel?"

"Of course. We're tourists too, now that the war is off." He grinned.

We followed behind the mass of students, moving through the main station's huge open space that was the main 'lobby'. Escalators, signs, shops, it was all here and done in such a grand style, making many of the 'big malls' I'd seen back when I'd lived in North America seem like pale imitations. But, true to form, if you could read the signs (I was getting better, Haruhime would be proud) you couldn't get lost.

We got out into the streets, the mass of students giving us, the ones trailing behind, a suitably wide wake to keep our distance from the rest of the people coming and going. The walk itself was only a few minutes, but I couldn't help but try and look at everything. Many of the students were the same, Issei and his two friends among them, pointing and chatting excitedly at the various sights, like the Kyoto tower. Only a quarter the height of say, the CN tower, the traffic and roads around it weren't clogged (like they were around the CN tower... bleh). It was still early afternoon, so the lights weren't on, but the pictures of it looked pretty neat. Maybe I'd sit on a rooftop later.

"Is that her?"

"Let them gossip." Azazel said as I started to turn my head, "Sort out the here and now, then play tourist. Trust me."

"One gold tail, six black ones... yes it must be!"

"Does she know?" "Will there be a change?" "I wonder if she'll join the parade?" "Her tails need brushing, quite shameful."

We only needed to walk about ten minutes, but for almost the entire time, I could hear the near invisible demons around us gossip, just out of sight, just inside hearing.

"Not bad." I said, moving to a corner with Azazel and watching the students go through another talking to by the teachers.

It was done in a clean western style, that reminded me distinctly of the Gremory castle. Nice carpets, dark wood and bright but soft lighting, white marble, polished steel... It wasn't as nice as the castle, but what it lacked in the ultra ritzy, it made up for in functionality. For example, the nice carpets looked stylish, but were made of a much sturdier thread, meant for high traffic areas in a home.

"Lets follow them up. Though, we'll have to use the service elevator." He looked to Shinkage.

"I will not rise to a potential fat joke. I won't."

Again, a few people, as well as Issei Irina and Xenovia who were nearest, tilted their heads as if hearing something a little off. Spotting us, Issei waved, only to get glared at by Matsuda and Motohama when I waved back.

"First one of those two to call me a Milf will get such a glare." I mumbled, making Azazel laugh, the fallen angel covering his mouth to hide the noise.

After a moment, the students started lining up for the elevators. In a masterful show of crowd manipulation on Azazel's part, Issei ended up in the elevator with us. "Enjoying your trip so far?" He asked.

"Yeah! I've never really travelled before..." Issei seemed to realized he was alone with us, "There isn't a problem is there?"

"Not exactly." Azazel handed Issei a room key, "Through some interesting and convoluted paperwork mishaps, you are in a room alone."

Issei tapped his fist into his palm, "I was wondering why I had no roommate listed on my sheet. Why the trouble though?"

If this were the Issei from a few months ago, he would probably be freaking out about how 'all the weird things happen to him', but now, he was acting rather collected. Puzzled, but not confused. The elevator dinged happily, and we stepped out, "Well, can you tell me a single time we've all been out and about, and there not being a problem?"

He sighed, "I suddenly feel depressed at not remembering a single time there hasn't been a problem." Issei read the number on the card, looked at the doors then led the way, "This one."

He opened the door, and instead of a western style room, with a four post bed and little kitchenette and all that, the room was done in a Japanese style, with eight tatami mats laid out perfectly. This made the room a reasonable four metres or so square, with paper panelled closet doors on both sides of the room, for storage, and I was assuming the bathroom and other comforts.

"I thought I'd be staying in one of those fancy rooms from the travel brochure." Issei looked to Azazel, "Was kinda looking forward to it..."

"Well, we needed a place to meet, in case of a problem." Azazel shrugged.

"And I'm sure the girls all know your room number already." I nudged Issei, "What?" Azazel grinned at me, "This isn't the dojo or combat. The only official warning I am obligated to give him is that if he stays up too late, he wont have as much fun the next day."

Issei started to descend into that perverted pink haze, but snapped out of it when the elevator dinged again. Stepping out, in her nice lavender suit was Rossweisse, "Ah, I was hoping to find you Issei." She nodded to him, then to us, "Just letting you know that you have to be back by evening, and to enjoy your free time."

"Thank you, Rossweisse-san." He bowed, "Maybe I'll look for something to bring back..."

"The 100 yen shop is next to the station." Rossweisse smiled, "It has so much more than the one in Kuoh."

Issei waved and got in the elevator, "Now you..." Rossweisse turned on Azazel, "We have paperwork to do."

"Damn... You're going to spoil the fun! No wonder Odin k-oof!"

I removed my elbow from his ribs, "It might be a little early, but like any good tourist, I did my research. I know just the place to have an early dinner and talk business."

"Ow..." Azazel rubbed his side, "Oh? Where's that? Does it at least have good booze?"

It wasn't next to a bunch of sakura trees, but the bright red Japanese Maple around the establishment added a nice tone for the meal. Next to a gently flowing river, near a nice wood bridge and juuuuuuust far enough from traffic to be a distant buzz.

The owner, an elderly, leather skinned gentleman with a near polished bald head and a frill of hair around the back and sides, smiled as he put a small stone (not porcelain) bottle of sake next to Azazel and I, and some kind of mildly fizzy drink next to Rossweisse that smelled faintly of grape.

Of course, the 'establishment' was a ramen cart. But not just any ramen cart. This one had a reputation. Fukawa himself suggested I find it, and gave me a general location. Azazel looked less than impressed, while I could see Rossweisse looking at the prices on the menu and sweating.

"My suggestion, my treat." I said, carefully pouring from my bottle into a sake saucer. I glanced at the menu and tapped one of the items, "This one, honoured elder."

The old man smiled and nodded, and the other two pointed at something and ordered as well, "Well, the sake is good at least." Azazel sighed, "Was hoping for a little more... noise."

"You can have all the noise you want, after business." Rossweisse grumbled, "You keep pushing your work onto..."

I held up a hand, and the owner plunked three bowls down in front of us. My message was clear, and the three of us each took a pair of chopsticks and split them.

The reactions from the two of them were kind of amusing. Azazel was... grudgingly enjoying his meal. As much as he didn't want to be here, he was enjoying it all the same. Rosseweisse was just barely able to contain herself about how good it was. I felt kind of sorry for her actually. Her talk of the 100 yen store, and what I knew of her employment with Odin, made me think she was frugal out of need, not because she liked to save money.

I also enjoyed my meal. So much so, I was watching the Honoured Elder as he made second for me and Rossweisse. I felt kind of bad as well, since Delly was pouting about how she couldn't have any without exposing herself. Finally, we each put our chopsticks across the top of our bowl.

"Now then." I reached into my inner coat pocket and pulled out the first pair of bills I felt from inside the envelope Rias had given me. I slid the two 10K notes under the divider marked 'pay here' and waved the Elder away when he started to make change from the register. "I believe you two have business."

"You're just going to leave me here with her?" Azazel sighed, "I didn't know you were so cruel."

"I'm a guest of a different sort than you two, and I don't let my paperwork pile up." I replied, "Rossweisse, don't let him bully you. You've got my number in case something happens."

Shinkage looked at me as I stood up and pushed aside the cloth 'door' of the food cart, "Well?"

"How many are watching?" I asked as we walked along the river path, under the nice maple trees, "Delly? You want to take over on the cloaking?"

"You going to feed me too? Or just let that feeling of good food tease me?" She pouted.

I held up a little box with a couple sticks of colourful dango, "I want to avoid bad fairy karma as much as bad Miko karma."

"Yay!" She poofed into reality next to me, and accepted the offering of sweets. She had to hold one of the sticks with both hands and NOMNOMNOM at it like a cob of corn, but it was gone in moments. "You have made a worthy offering." She grinned, "Just let me..." A pair of small magic circles appeared in the air by her hands, and with a little 'fizz' Shinkage seemed to shimmer like a heat mirage. "There, the cloak is under my control now instead of Azazel's. I also fixed his inferior technique of hiding your voice."

"Not like I talk much. But thank you." we continued walking, "As for how many are watching, I don't feel anything significant."

"Curious bystanders, not guardians." I nodded, tapping my glasses a few times, "I'm going to have to make sure Gasper gets another headpat for these." I gave Delly a headpat before she could comment on me playing favourites or something.

Delly had the other dango stick in hand and was much slower about eating it, "So, where are we going anyhow?"

I pointed south, towards the tallest of the hills in the area, "The Inari shrine of course." I plucked the last dango from Delly's hand, "Hey Loaner?"

A little fox head popped out of my pocket, "Yip?"

"Hey no fair..." Delly pouted as I offered the little ball of candy rice to the white pocket fox.

My offering was accepted quietly, "What? I can't just not feed him."

"Maybe he eats fairy." Shinkage commented, "Though, sparkles are hard to get out from between your teeth."

The sun was just starting to hint at the coming evening, and the three (four, though Loaner was very quiet), were simply enjoying the sights. We were just getting within sight of the 'Senbon Torii' that marked the path up the back of the mountain towards the shrine itself. Something however, was bothering me.

"This is supposed to be a big tourist spot." I mumbled.

"Yeah, said so in the brochure." Delly replied.

"Yet I see no one in sight but us." Shinkage rumbled.

Then my phone buzzed.

Magichand: Kunou just found us at the top of the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Her mother has been kidnapped!

I read the message twice, then looked up towards the summit, only to have my view suddenly obstructed by a mist so thick I couldn't see more than maybe two metres. Looking back at my phone I saw I had no signal.

"Now now." A voice I didn't know said from somewhere in the mist, "No need to run off to the rescue."

I tapped the side of my glasses a few times, but the mist remained totally concealing. All my glasses could tell me was the fog was magic in nature but there was so much of it that it was drowning out any other information it might have given me. "Who are you?" I asked, "Delly?" I whispered.

"You might have heard of me. The devils you work for are quite adept at information gathering." The fog thinned out ever so slightly revealing a young man. Dressed in something that looked like a black school uniform and black pants though with an ornate armoured belt much like a Chinese emperor, he looked like just about any well mannered adolescent on his way to school.

Except that he had a huge spear in his hand. Running a hand through his black hair, and gazing calmly at me with sharp blue eyes, he tapped the butt of the spear against the ground once. The spear, over three metres long before the point, radiated power from its faintly glowing point and golden trails of what looked like small braided leaves that curled back down about half the shaft. At the light tap on the ground, the spear's head glowed a little brighter, clearing the fog around just himself, while leaving the rest of the clearing obscured.

"That spear... You're part of the hero faction, aren't you." I only knew what Azazel told me, and that was 'they all had a sacred gear or legendary weapon'. And that spear... Now that there was power flowing through it, my glasses saw it like a softly glowing sun.

His eyes sparkled with amusement, "I am." He bowed slightly, "Cao Cao is my name. And I have the honour of addressing Kodori Haruhime, the Demon Fox from another world, who bested a greater Devil in single combat, brought the downfall of one of the greatest fallen angels, and slain the legendary wolf Fenrir." He seemed even more amused that I was getting into a combat stance, "You've also had a hand in beating Vali, survived a clash with Loki, and lived through a clash with my dear friend Georg."

"How is he doing anyhow?" I was getting tried of listening to him already, and wanted him to get to the point already.

"You see, we were hoping you'd like our little gift. And perhaps return with him. You see, we know what you're looking for, and have some of them too." He tapped the ground again, "But since you refused his offer, we decided to simply go with our original plan."

"Something to do with Kunou's mother Yasaka?" I guessed.

"Why yes. Since you know of our faction, you know what we stand for, correct?"

"To my understanding, you see yourselves as heroes, and like all heroes, you kill monsters."

"Seven out of ten." He smiled, "Anything that isn't human, is a threat to humanity." He looked at me, "As the descendant of one of the greatest generals to have ever lived, I will lead humans in eliminating all the monsters, dragons, demons, devils, fallen, angels and even fairy." He glanced at a spot just over my shoulder, "Yes I see you, and your cat."

"Dragon." Shinkage corrected.

"So Georg's invite was more a trap than something of good will."

"Well yes."

"And working with Ophis?"

"She has given us the key to summoning the Great Red, and when we do, we will slay him."

"And Ophis?"

"Of course."

"And Yasaka?"

"Her power, and death, will summon the great red to us."

"And me?"

"Rendered harmless, now that you are here, in this place. Georg wanted you to suffer a little, for what you did to him, and he thinks a slow agonizing death by starvation will do nicely. To make up for the weeks he spent in a wheelchair." He smiled, tapping the ground again, "We've been watching you, and we know you're quite dangerous. Better to have you removed from the board, then have to deal with you."

I frowned, taking a deep breath and finding almost no mana in the air. This was more than just a barrier space. "You said you have more of the dungeon fragments?"

"You could say that our early attempts to find a way to the Great Red were a little off target." He smiled, "Leonardo was actually quite amused at what you could do with them."

"I'll make you a deal, right now." I said, feeling the edge of my anger rising, "You let me out of here, and give me those fragments, and I'll step off the field and leave the devils on the field already to try and stop you."

"Oh? And if I disagree with that trade?"

"Then when I get out of here, I will ask your second in command." I replied calmly.

He smiled, then laughed sharply, "HA! I'll have Georg collect your bones in a month. Or if I'm feeling generous, I'll let you out in a couple of weeks, and let Leonardo experiment on you!"

He tapped the spear once more, the mist closing around him as he started to fade away, "I warned you."

For all my words (they were not threats) I didn't see any immediate way out. Ten minutes or so later, the three of us had found no new information at all about our situation. What we did know didn't amount to much either.

The fog was magic in nature, and we were in what Delly called a 'high level' barrier space. Something close to being in a total different dimension, and not just 'a little to the side' like the barrier spaces used by the devils. The second thing we knew, was I couldn't escape by teleporting to my shrine. Either the space itself was too closed off, or my shrine being in bits was stopping me. And lastly, the space wasn't very big. Maybe a hundred metres square.

"Ideas?" I asked.

"Well, I can use magic." Delly replied, spinning a couple of small magic circles from her palms and making some light. The fog soaked it up though, and it really just made the fog look more ominous, "But, there is almost no magic in the air at all."

"Biting the walls seems to drain magic, but it is far more powerful than anything I've bitten before. My mana storage was filled in moments, with no effect."

"And punching the walls didn't do anything." I scratched an ear, "Hey Loaner?"

"Neh?" The fox wiggled out of my pocket (oddly, it wasn't the last pocket I remember him being in) and sat at attention in front of me.

"First." I gave him all kinds of headpats. Something to be said about a happy fox tail. Then, "Can you get out of here?"

He looked at me, head tilted to the side, then he sunk to his belly with a sad noise.

"Hm. Okay." I started pacing, "The fog is magic, the walls are magic, and we are in a box with no way out, even for two people who have magical means of teleporting." I found myself pacing the same two steps/turn that I would when back home, when Hestia would hold my tails while I thought about things. "But, you CAN drain the magic from the walls." Pace pace, "And we can all use magic still, so long as it's personal? Delly? Can you effect the environment?"

"Like how?"

"Move the air, or the like."

She spun out more little circles, and a thin breeze picked up from out of no where. Next, a nearby cobblestone very slowly worked itself loose, almost like something was growing under it. Lastly, a small ball of fire appeared over her palm, though it sputtered like it was about to go out.

"It all seems very muted. But I can yeah."

While she was doing that, I was looking to see if there was any other effects going on. The fog seemed a little thicker, though like any normal fog, it still reacted to being blown about, or heated up.

"Okay, seems the fog is part of the problem, so it has to go." I said, "Shinkage?" I put a hand on his back, "Delly?" I wrapped my hand around her carefully, "Hm are you gaining weight?"

"Hey! How rude..."

"Too many snacks for the snack... is that cannibalism?"

"Loaner? Back in my pocket please." The fox hopped up and into a side pocket without a problem, "Shinkage, hit me with your defence system and turn on your passive collectors. Delly? I want a tornado. A closed box like this is nearly perfect for making a circular air flow pattern." I smiled, "Actually, lets get you to pull power right from the walls too."

"Who knows how long this might take though..." Delly replied, wiggling a little and adjusting my fingers so I was holding her in the most comfortable way, "One day, I'm going to get a proper hug from someone..."

"I'm not sure I could restrain myself if there were two snack sized people around. I am ready."

The build up was very slow. Shinkage was basically hitting me with one of his defence spells, the 'Akeno special'. Not that I had any problem with redirecting it, I could feel my muscles twitch and spasm a little painfully. Delly, thanks to the power flowing through me, getting filtered and fed into her, was basically just getting pure power.

The wind started to pick up, starting as little more than a whisper, like a breath over the ear. Slowly though, over the next ten minutes or so, it became a little stronger, and I was starting to feel the barest hints of a breeze over my cheek. Under my palm, I could feel Shinkage's internal mechanisms clicking and rotating, emptying and charging.

"Both good?" I asked.

"No problems. Intake and outflow steady."

"I can handle more Boss. No need to be so gentle, I did eat part of a demi god after all, right?"

I used a finger to pat her shoulder, "You both honour me with your friendship." I took a deep breath, "Shinkage, dial it up slowly, Delly, let me know if it's too much."

Over the next half hour, we slowly dialed up the power. I could feel Shinkage's body heating up to scalding levels as he focused his 'no biting' defence magic into the plate I had my hand on. Delly was starting to spark with electrical overflow, and we were at the very edge of our own little tornado.

Then the walls started to crack. The mist was almost gone now, soaked up by Shinkage's mana intakes and the steadily growing control Delly was able to exert over the wind as the mist lessened. But now, what ever was holding the walls together was coming apart, and we were at the edge of what was basically a disaster level tornado, only able to stand in place because of my unbreakable grip and Shinkage's weight and claws that were dug into the ground.

I tried to yell 'Turn it off' but was unable to even hear my own voice over the screaming wind. Instead I stopped feeding mana into Delly, pulling her back into my body as my familiar. This left me with about a half second or so of taking what was basically having my hand in an electrical socket before Shinkage cut the power.

And as the last of the wind died down, the walls of our prison shattered, leaving us standing exactly where we were before getting captured. Shinkage's back, where I had my hand, was glowing red hot. My hand was smoking, and the fur on my tails was standing painfully on end. And Delly was twisting around inside my mana, the aftereffects of me pulling in, but not letting go, of Shinkage's electricity.

I wiggled my hand a little to peel the leather of my gauntlet off without ripping it, and let Delly back out again. "Sorry." I said, catching her as she appeared over my shoulder and fell like a stone.

"ow."

Shinkage nudged me with his shoulder, "Partner."

We were surrounded. Monsters of every shape and size, like dozens of things right out of nightmare, were standing around us, staring coldly. I was about to bring my hands up to get ready to fight, but realized suddenly they were all nightmares I'd seen pictures of. "Forgive the disturbance." I said, "But can I make a phone call first?"

One of the demons, an odd creature that looked like a bamboo umbrella with a single foot, replied, "Please."

I poked a few settings, then put in a couple of key words into my next text.

Fox2: Report, all lines.

Magichand: Sensei! We were looking for you.

100yenRose: I'm with the other teachers, sorry.

Teacher: We've only gotten a bare description of the situation here.

Boss: There are no issues here otherwise.

SmilingKnight: We met with Kunou, and had some of her demons looking for you.

Foxinthehat: Don't disappear like that...

Food Vendor: We've been helping the teachers, student council stuff.

HealingSmile: The ones who needed healing didn't really see much of who took her.

Fox2: Thank you. I was stuck in a weird barrier. It was hero faction. He didn't expect me to get out, and told me basically everything. Too much to type, but I'm pretty sure I'm safe now.

Magichand: We're all stuck in the hotel until tomorrow.

100yenRose: Rules are rules.

Fox2: Someone get in touch with Az. I'm going to follow the party here.

100yenRose: And who chose my handle? (sad emoji)

I looked up from my phone at all the expectant faces, "Thank you."

"We were told to bring you to the Inner Capital, honoured guest." said the little umbrella demon, a Karakasa.

"Understood." I replied, "Delly?"

"Do not worry." Another one, a big head in the middle of a wagon wheel, said "While you walk with us, no one will see you."

"yay." Delly groaned, "Move over fox, this is my pocket now."

Walking with the demons was by far the oddest thing that I'd ever done. Sure, I'd done some crazy things, but at the end of the day, I could tell you how I did them. This though...

It was like I was walking in the middle of a pack of living objects. Hopping umbrellas, origami that flew on the barest currents of air, flaming wagon wheels with the faces of the elderly in the middle, kappa, small oni, wind chimes with eyes... And all the while, as we moved through the streets of Kyoto, not a single person, human person at least, noticed us there. Small animal shapes ran along side me and between Shinkage's legs, birds with beaks longer than their bodies rolled along the walls, and all the while, invisible from the 'normal' world, we were slowly collecting more creatures.

Flaming skulls, fox spirits, women wearing fine porcelain masks who left behind frosty footprints, that nue I saw earlier... And the mists got thicker as we moved.

Then someone offered me a drink.

"-why she's half drunk? I said treat her properly!" A young voice, angry. Kunou?

"But Kunou-sama..." A lower voice, a little hard on my ears. Maybe that karakasa...

"I said bring her here directly!"

"We couldn't help ourselves! It's been too long since the last march."

The younger voice growled, while the lower voice made a quivering noise, not quite a whimper. "Just... Please leave, she's here now."

"Yes Kunou-sama."

"Sorry for the trouble." I felt something nudge my shoulder carefully, "I noticed a moment too late."

"I am so glad I'm not hiding in her right now." That voice, was followed by a tiny hand playing with an ear.

"The March has a certain power to it... My mother could explain better. I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault she can't hold her alcohol." Another nudge on my shoulder, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Realizing, through the haze around my mind, that I was being asked a question, I replied with the first thing that came to mind. "imma need a bucket."

"What?"

"Oh no! Quick! Get a bucket! Mother will kill me if the tatami is ruined!"

With that out of my system, a little cleaning up, and now holding a warm cup of tea, I found myself sitting in what could only be described as 'the prayer hall Akeno's shrine wished it could be'. Almost three stories tall, with a second floor 'balcony' on either side of the shrine/altar, done in nice soft whites browns and reds, this felt like something more than just 'a big prayer hall I was trying hard not to be envious of'. It had the subtle air of a throne room. A place, and seat, of authority and power.

I sat, not on the lower landing, where I would assume most petitioners would be, but instead at the top of the small flight of three steps. Aside from my boots, I was more or less exactly as I had been before escaping from the mist prison. With Shinkage at my left, laying much like the cat he looked to be, and Delly on my right, quietly having a tug of war with Loaner over a plate of dango, I felt... almost perfectly at ease.

Kunou, with her two Karasu-tengu guards standing on either side of her, looked positively tiny compared to the shrine behind her, but, not out of place.

"Again we must apologize for the trouble." She started after we both had a sip of tea, "With my mother suddenly missing, and the arrival of the students of Kuoh, the inhabitants of the Inner City have been more excitable."

"I'm guessing my presence didn't help either?" I used my free hand to give the smallest of Karate Chops of Justice to both Delly and Loaner.

"Yes and no. At first, your arrival seemed too timely. My mother gone, and an adult Kitsune appears?"

"You've more tails than I do." I motioned with a hand.

"I was born with them, but have yet to grow into the power they symbolize." She sighed, "Unlike yourself and mother, I am a half Kitsune with an auspicious birth."

"Kunou-sama!" One of the guards said, probably shocked at the bald admittance of being weaker than me.

"No, it's okay." She smiled at me, "I must show trust. How else will I be trusted?" We sipped our tea again, "I was born on the ninth full moon, on the ninth day, of the ninth month of the year. That, and my mother being a fully grown nine tailed Kitsune, gave me the gift of being born with nine tails myself."

"That explains your name." I nodded, "Don't worry, I have no interest in taking over. I do however, have an interest in stopping the people who have taken your mother." I reached into my pocket and took out my cell phone, "Just let me get permission..."

Fox2: All lines.

Fox2: Any issue with telling Kunou everything?

Boss: No.

Teacher: No.

Magichand: Say hello for me!

100yenRose: Please do.

HealingSmile: And thank her for the snacks.

I waited a moment, and got no further texts, "Issei says hello, and Asia wants to thank you for the snacks."

"Ah! I was hoping they would arrive at the hotel on time." Kunou smiled.

"Kunou-sama sent a thank you gift on behalf of the wounded Asia-san healed." One of the guards added.

"Excellent." I nodded, "Let me tell you what I know first, then get to what just happened before I got here."

I was amazed at how calm she remained during my brief explanation of the events that had happened over the past few months. I told her about everything that might have been, or was, something the Chaos Brigade had taken part in, then finished with Cao Cao telling me his 'master plan'. All the while, she calmly listened, and sipped tea.

I was going to have to order another Number One Mom shirt...

Only when I finally stopped talking, nearly an hour later, did she speak up. "This is..." She frowned, "How..."

"I don't know how they plan on opening up a path to the dimensional gap, where the Great Red is, but I do know it can't be easy. I've only seen a high powered magical sword do it, and those were very small, just over person sized openings. The Great Red is a hundred metres long or more."

"Something like this would require a lot of power."

Delly, who was now leaning back against the little fox and patting her belly added, "Ritual level wide scale stuff probably."

"If they have my mother, then they will have the power they need." Kunou sighed, "I... I don't know what to do."

"If Delly is right, a ritual would need a place. Are there places in Kyoto..." I stopped myself, "Of course there are, its Kyoto..." I shook my head, "Places that hold power, but are not frequented by youkai? They've only just revealed themselves, so they are likely trying to avoid notice until the last possible moment."

Kunou perked up, her moment of uncertainty replaced by a direction to move in, "Yes! Have all the less populated places looked at. Kodori-dono, could you please help us relay information to Rias-san's peerage?"

"They are under restrictions since they are here on a school trip, and have to keep up appearances, but, I will help as much as I can." I nodded.

"Thank you, fetch a map!"

NOTES!

There we go. :) See you in five days.