Not for the first time in her life, Yasu cursed her king... former king. And wasn't that just the best thing that had ever happened. When she'd heard about the exceptionally talented young two-tailed fox, traveling with minimal escort... well she'd been Decalan's queen for more than a century, she knew exactly how he'd respond.
Never mind the fact that a kitsune that talented would be a treasure to the Yokai, and the small number of guards must mean that they didn't need numbers. So her k... former king, was leading her former peerage into what was probably more than they could handle, and then said former king would open his mouth, and make it worse.
Which is how she found herself sneaking, as quickly as she could, down a subway tunnel. If she had her way, she'd slip in, beat her ex, ex-king about the head and shoulders until he agreed to what she wanted, and then lead them all back down the tunnel. Ideally without the Yokai ever knowing they were there.
It, again, wouldn't be the first time.
Unfortunately when she arrived at the platform in question, she found it already much too late.
"I FIND IT INFURIATING THAT YOU WOULD TRY SUCH ON MY DAUGHTER!" Yasu flinched at the sound of the angry roar. And flinched again as the legendary, and usually quiescent wards and enchantments that were worked into every stone, tree, pour of concrete, and structural I-beam of Kyoto, flared to terrible life a moment later. She didn't breathe until they faded and quieted again moments later.
Carefully, the yuki onna pressed herself against the edge of the platform, and peeked over the top to see what was going on.
It was about as bad as she feared.
Her former peerage had each been checked by figures that she had grown up hearing stories about. Yasu had been born in Kyoto, and grown up in the Yokai forest, she knew exactly who these people were.
The two bishops, Lada Yaga, Baba's descendant, and Talulla the selkie, have been effectively shut down by Akemi Seven-Tail, the kitsune who'd been the primary instructor of magic for the rulers of Kyoto for far longer than her mere seven tails should indicate. How she had lived for so long without gaining her last two nobody knew. Though some thought that she actually had far more tails than she should, and simply knew how to hide them, allowing her to avoid any consideration for Yasaka's position.
The Rooks, Dalgan the dwarf and Gaios minotaur, had come face to face with Akuma and Kanayama. A married pair of oni that had been born with an unusual amount of intelligence and blood lust for their kind. Fortunately, they also had an even more unusual amount of discipline. The combination drove them to heights of skill in killing that made anybody who knew about them uncomfortable in their presence. The only exceptions were people who knew the oni posed no threat to them. A very small number of people. The story went that the two oni rampaged through Japan, and refused to bow to anybody that could not defeat them. Yasaka's grandmother was the one who ended up bringing them into the fold, sending champions to defeat them both. Afterwards they had become the most feared pair of enforcers in the Ninetails arsenal.
The knights, Mara the nightmare and Shadow the tulpa, had been surrounded by three members of the Kuro, or the Nine Sons. The brotherhood of nine tengu that had taught Musashi the art of the sword, and had been undefeated since long before that. In fact it had been only one of the Kuro that had brought the oni couple low. Now there were three of them here.
Somebody who didn't know who they were might have thought that the positioning of the Kuro around the knights were just a threat to the knights. Yasu knew better though, they weren't surrounding the knights, they were in the middle of the peerage. A threat to everything around them.
Swallowing hard at the sight, Yasu wondered who the hell this two-tail was, to make not only Yasaka herself put in an appearance, but bring a collection of the most powerful Yokai alive to the party as well.
Then she remembered what Yasaka had roared when she arrived. Her idiot king, former king, had tried to replace her with Yasaka's own daughter? If they made it out of this alive, she was going to have to tell Decalan's mother exactly what he was getting up to without supervision. How Decalan had managed to convince her normally very canny mother to let him find a new queen himself, Yasu had no idea. He certainly hadn't been allowed to put together the peerage originally.
Still, given how the wind was blowing, Yasu decided that it might be best to just stay hidden as well as she could, and wait for things to calm down. Then she'd do what she could to get as many of her former peerage out alive as possible.
"My Lady, if I have offended in some way I most sincerely apologize." Decalan started smoothly. And for a moment, Yasu had hope that things wouldn't get any worse. Decalan had always been a smooth talker, it's a talent that's gotten him out of at least as many problems as it'd gotten him in to. Though those weren't always the same problems.
So wasn't unfathomable that he could talk his way free of this too.
Then some invisible force ripped him off the steps, and sent him flying through the air to the middle of the open space between... Between the two groups on the platform. How had she forgotten that there was another group of people there?
She looked quickly and spotted two devils in schoolgirl uniforms, one of which looked to have been reincarnated from a nekoshou. A tengu in the standard armor of Yasaka's guard. And of course the little two tailed kitsune hiding behind the nekoshou.
The nekoshou was staggering back from something, but none of them seemed to be responsible for her king, former king's, sudden movement. So Yasu turned her eye back to Decalan, only to see a fifth figure fall from the sky right where the devil king was recovering on the ground.
Yasu wasn't quite sure what to make of the fifth figure. They wore dark black armor, their legs were covered in a nearly floor length skirt of light cloth, and instead of a helmet there was a hood of the same cloth. A hood that when Yasu got a brief glimpse inside of it, seemed to be empty.
The sword, though, is what really demanded attention. Yasu wasn't even really sure that it was a sword in any physical sense. It wasn't just colored black, but seemed more like a cut out in the world, like an absence more than a presence. Except for the iridescent runes that ran down the blade. Runes that the former queen had to admit she didn't recognize in the slightest.
Runes that flared brighter when the blade carved through a barrier that tried to protect Decalan like it wasn't there. Which was worrying, to be quite honest, because that was Lada's magic, and the heir to the Witch of the Woods should not be as weak as that showing made her appear.
Instead of what should happen though, Yasu watched as the blade carved through the magic dome, then the floor, and only moments later Decalan's magic sword. Apparently entirely unfazed by the lightning magic on the devils rapier, which should have barbecued whoever was in that much metal armor. Which was just...
Yasu had simply stopped trying to make sense of what she was seeing, and instead just watched it happen. She tried to commit as much of the events to memory as possible so she could review it later when the shocks stopped coming.
That idea ended when the Armor of Achilles shattered like it was made of spun sugar, instead of the theoretically impervious spiritual might that it had always been. The perfect topper to the evening, was when that impossibly black sword pinned her king's, former king's, head to the ground like a butterfly on display.
Yasu wasn't quite sure how she felt about that.
She had never liked Decalan, his pompous self righteous attitude combined with his delusions of competence made liking him hard. Especially when she was the one always cleaning up the messes he left behind. Still, he hadn't been a bad king as things go. The yuki onna had certainly heard of and seen worse examples.
Lada would take it hard though. She was the only member of the peerage who had joined because of Decalan, instead of in spite of him. Yasu had never been sure if there was genuine emotion on Decalan's part, but she also knew that Lada was convinced there was.
Something to look out for.
Idly, she wondered how many of the peerage she could convince to join her. She liked most of them. Well, Shadow didn't really have much of a personality, and Mara wasn't really used to communicating verbally, having been incapable of it before she became a devil. But those were hardly problems, really.
Even while she was thinking, she was still watching the warrior who'd put down her now very former king. The figure walked towards Yasaka, getting looks from the Yokai elite that said that they maybe saw something in that fight that Yasu had missed.
When the armored figure pulled down their hood and mask to reveal themselves, Yasu was surprised for several reasons. First the figure was female. Most of the time supernatural women dressed to show themselves off, either to distract their male opponents, or just as a form of bragging. Even when they didn't, Yasu had never heard of a woman who dressed to completely hide her gender.
Second, Yasu still couldn't figure out what this person was. She wasn't a devil, there was no sign of devil power on her. She wasn't an angel of any sort for the same reason. Some part of her felt just slightly vampiric, but that was impossible because she also felt something like nature. The way a Sage felt while holding the energy of the world. So she couldn't be a vampire, that natural energy was thoroughly antithetical to the decidedly unnatural vampires. It didn't make any sense. Human was right out, humans aren't that pretty, and can't do any of the things she just watched this stranger do.
The last confusing part of the mystery figure was that she looked tantalizingly, hauntingly familiar. Which was just bizarre because Yasu is certain that she'd remember running into somebody like this.
The stranger and Yasaka conversed, and Yasu just caught the name 'Rhostana-dono'. It said something that Yasaka would refer to this woman as a noble, not an equal but highly placed. Which just confused things even more.
And why did the name Rhostana sound so familiar?
It took a moment for Yasu's mind to work through the shock, but when she did her jaw hit the ground. That was the human girl who'd destroyed her own eyes experimenting with magic? The girl who'd flatly refused the offer to become a devil to stay human? The child she'd tried to recruit so many years ago only to have Decalan ruin... it.. all...
Suddenly this made a whole lot more sense. Somehow the girl remembered the incident in her school. If she remembered the damage done, and the classmates lost, the way she went after Decalan made a lot more sense. She probably blamed him by some twist of logic, for everything that had happened back then. And if that was her introduction to the supernatural...
Well...
"Now maybe we can deal with our last guest?" Yasaka's voice cut through Yasu's musing, causing her to sigh. Not being noticed was basically a dream once she'd seen which Yokai had arrived. Still she'd have liked to introduce herself differently.
Without hesitating, Yasu pulled herself onto the platform, and headed over to where everybody was gathering. The little fox's tengu guard shadow-stepped the kit next to her mother, where the child latched onto her mother's leg, and sat on a paw bigger than she was. The peerage was excited to see her, even as they were pushed to one side to allow her to approach Yasaka.
Reaching the foot of the stairs Yasu stopped and bowed, "Lady Yasaka."
"What brings you here, devil?" The huge fox asked, her entirely human voice incongruous with her current shape.
She spoke without rising from her bow, "I had heard from various sources that a young kitsune would be traveling a fair distance with minimal escort. The thing is that my sources are, were, also his sources." Yasu waved a hand at where her former king's corpse was still cooling on the ground, "I was his queen for more than a century, I knew exactly what he'd do with this information. I came to try and keep him from doing anything stupid." She glanced back at the body without rising, "Clearly I didn't make it in time."
"Clearly." Yasaka agreed, dryly.
Yasaka was about to dismiss them and leave, when Yasu managed to speak up, "My lady?" Yasaka turned her attention back to the yuki onna, not saying anything, but the invitation to speak came with her attention. "Um... may I speak with the peerage? I know they'll have to be extradited, but none of them really had a choice about being here. They know me, and I'd like to help them if I can."
Yasaka considered for a moment, then nodded, before turning to leave with her kit. The guards she brought stayed behind, surrounding the peerage that had been herded into one group off to the side, while their former queen and Yasaka talked. The guards stayed far enough back though to grant at least the illusion of privacy.
Yasu joined the peerage, and was welcomed like the old friend she was. Gruff greetings, back slaps, getting nosed by Mara, and Talulla even hugged her. The smell of ocean that clung to her oddly soothing. The only one who didn't greet her was Lada, the bishop apparently still in shock.
Finally, all greetings done, Mara asked the question they were all thinking, "Yasu, what was that?"
Yasu sighed, and scrubbed her face with her hands, "That was old foolishness coming back to bite Decalan in the neck."
"You know who that was?" Gaios rumbled, even as he continued to keep an eye on the two oni watching them.
"You do too," Yasu told them. "You remember Decalan and I got into a fight about him being too free with memory alterations?"
Talulla was the one that got it first, "That was the girl you were trying to recruit?" The selkie asked, her Irish accent coming through thickly, "I really wish you'd managed."
"I really want to know what she is now. 'Cause she ain't no devil." Dalgan groused and spat to the side, which drew thunderous expressions from the oni, and amusement from the tengu. Yasu would have told him to stop antagonizing the guards, but he'd never listened to her about it before, why would he start now?
"I have no idea. But I doubt any recruitment is possible now. She threw off the hypnosis that Decalan put on her, somehow. She remembers everything that happened that day." Yasu told them. It caused most of the peerage to pause, looking sympathetic. Some looked understanding. Again the only one not to respond was Lada, which was beginning to make Yasu worry.
"No wonder she's pissed." Talulla muttered. Though as soon as the selkie said it, it rang false to Yasu. Now that she thought about it, Ericka had fought with short and choppy motions. The grace that somebody as skilled as Ericka clearly was, nowhere in evidence. Yasu considered the way she'd had to stop and check what was going on around her like she couldn't keep track of the fight, and her surroundings at the same time, how hard she'd been breathing when the fight was done. Maybe she was reading too much into things, but that didn't add up to anger to her.
"Do you know who she joined?" Gaios asked, "What she's become?"
"She's human." The tengu guard that had been with the fox princess, spoke up, "Quite insistent about it really. She nearly threw down with one of the peerages in Kuoh, when they pushed the idea of joining a little too hard."
Yasu blinked, trying to make sense of things, not the least of which when the guard had gotten so close to them. The rest of the peerage seemed to be in a similar state of confusion.
"Mortal's cann'a do what we just saw." Dalgan growled just loud enough to hear.
"It's just not possible." Lada murmured, though whether she was agreeing with the dwarf or simply in denial was impossible to tell.
The tengu guard shrugged, "Impossible Mortal is a good description of her."
Yasu shook her head. It was something for her to pursue later. For now she started talking to her former peerage about their future. Most of them agreed to join up with her. The only one who didn't was Lada.
"I can't believe you people!" Lada snapped when she finally came out of her daze, "Our king," She let out a soft sob, "is dead. His murderer is out there and you're talking about..." The bishop waved a hand at them apparently too angry to speak, "We should be talking about vengeance!"
Nobody moved. "Lada," Yasu said slowly, "She just kicked Decalan's ass. Who despite being a self-entitled idiot was still more powerful than any of us."
"But not more powerful than all of us together." Lada said feverishly, her eyes wide and manic, "Together we could..."
"Do nothing. Especially not when surrounded by Yokai guards who are obviously her allies." Yasu stared the witch down, making sure she was being listened to before continuing, "Besides, at the moment she has nothing against us, at least she had no issue using my flyer. I doubt we'll get her to join any time soon, but we might be able to make her an ally if we don't do something to piss her off. In time who knows?" She glared at Lada, "Anybody have any problems with that?" The Russian witch started to speak, only to stop at Yasu's raised hand, "Anybody else have any problems with that?"
The rest of what she still hoped to make her peerage, shook their heads, but it was Dalgan who gave voice to what they were all thinking, "I don't think any of us have any problems with making the 'Impossible Mortal' an ally. Certainly better than the other option."
###
Finding where Ericka had gone wasn't hard. There were Yokai guards everywhere, and Yasu had kept in enough contact with her people that the Yokai were still largely willing to talk to her, current status as a devil or not. So she was directed quickly enough to a coffee shop kitty corner from the subway entrance.
Stepping inside the coffee shop was a shock. A stark reminder that no matter how serious her own issues were, the world went on without her. The people inside went about their business blissfully unaware of what had almost happened, almost underneath their feet.
Which was understandable. The supernatural went through a lot of effort to keep the mundane world unaware of what they were up to.
What made less sense, was how everybody seemed to utterly miss the heavily armed and armored woman who was sitting in a window booth, looking shell shocked.
Was this her first kill?
That seemed... unlikely.
Yasu quickly ordered her own drink and headed to Ericka's table. The woman seemed totally out of it, so the yuki onna invited herself to sit. Something that evidently took her table mate by surprise, as Ericka started and tensed in a slightly worrying fashion, given recent events.
Yasu's thoughts scrambled. She needed to say something quickly that would indicate that not only was she not here for violence, but that she wholeheartedly approved of Decalan's death.
After only a moment the answer came to her, and she raised her glass, "Toast?"
Ericka blinked once then raised her glass and clinked it against Yasu's before taking a drink and grimacing.
"Not angry? I did just kill your king." The impossible mortal asked, just a hint of caution coloring her tone.
Yasu snorted letting out a little puff of frozen mist, "Decalan Eligos may have been my king, but getting powerful enough for my own peerage, and out from under his thumb, was the greatest day of my life."
"I do recall the two of you not getting along." Ericka muttered, fidgeting adorably with her apparently unwanted drink.
Yasu nodded, then frowned, and decided to see if she could get an answer to one of her long standing questions. It just had to be asked carefully. Ericka was already on edge, and the last thing the devil wanted to do was push her into being defensive, "I knew when you summoned me that you remembered more than you should, but we never did discuss how much you remember, or how you remember at all."
Ericka studied her carefully, looking for something, and clearly deep in thought. After a tense few moments the other woman sighed, and began to explain in a clinical fashion that she'd had an impossible degree of self awareness as a small child. Also unprecedented mental discipline, since she apparently undid devilish hypnosis by thinking about it really hard.
It occurred to Yasu, as Ericka explained her past, that she was looking at a woman that discovered the supernatural at a very young age, and discovered that it would chew her up and spit her out if given half a chance. But instead of going into denial, or cowering, or joining the supernatural for protection, Ericka looked back at the literal monsters of legend and said, 'Not if I get you first.'
This sounded like the kind of girl that the yuki onna wanted to keep in touch with.
As Ericka left Yasu wondered, if she survived long enough, how many satans, dragons, and gods Ericka would 'get first'.