Chapter 33:Scream!

That night, Katie and Komasan were at the train station waiting on his brother, Komajiro, who was arriving in the city today.

"Can't believe I finally get to meet your brother today," Katie said carrying her lion-dog friend up to the station, "I wonder if he's as cute as you are!"

"Aw, shucks Katie, y'all are making me blush," he replied, "Oh, Ah can't wait to see Komajiro, last time we talked was back on the family farm!"

"Well you'll have plenty of time to catch up," Katie smiled, "hey Whisper, you ex- HOLY CRAP, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!"

"Why whatever do you mean, mistress?" Whisper asked, not acknowledging how his appearance had drastically changed. Rather than his normal form of being blob shaped with skinny arms, he was now more like a 7 foot tall, bony humanoid.

"Y-you look terrifying!" Katie nearly screamed.

Whisper looked down, he spoke again, though his voice had suddenly deepend, "Well this isn't good."

"Um… wha not?" Komasan asked confusedly.

"Well you see…" Whisper's voice boomed as he his long frame seemed to disagree with him walking, "This is an alternate form I have, I call it Scream…"

Scream: A rank

Eerie

"You see, Scream only really happens when something completely horrific is about to accrue," the now dubbed, Scream finished.

"Completely horrific?" Katie questioned, "um… I'm sure you're just paranoid!"

Although, in true anime fashion, of course something was going to go wrong the moment she said that.

Roughly a few blocks away, stood two exorcists, black hair in a bull cut and armed with a staff, the other blond with a ponytail, a yokai watch in his hand and a black lion dog with orange flames in front of him, though this particular lion dog looked much more akin to a hound than a lion.

Both were standing on opposite sides of an alleyway, between them was what looked like a magician, clown and pied piper had been mashed into one person. This yokai's skin was a light lavender, with yellow, unblinking eyes.

"Give it up Slackerjack, there's nowhere for you to run!" the blond exorcist yelled.

Slackerjack: S rank

Eerie

"Reginald! Prepare the chant!" he continued, "Komaries! Strike him!"

The lion dog in front of him growled and leaped at the larger yokai, barring flaming fangs. Before it could land any attacks, Slackerjack blew into his flute, causing a shield of musical notes to appear around him. When the lion dog hit one, it was knocked back into the blond exorcist's chest.

"Easy as pie! Badda-bing!" Slackerjack laughed.

"Or is it!" the dark haired exorcist yelled, he began chanting in japanese. A golden aura began to form around Slackerjack as a portal to the yokai world formed above him.

The yokai struggled to move his flute to his mouth to launch another attack, but the chant was too strong.

However before the aura took full effect, a redheaded woman kicked the exorcist in the back, breaking his concentration and causing him to drop to the groun. She held a gun to the back of his head and said, "get outta here!"

"Many thanks, my friend," Slackerjack bowed, before floating off.

"W-what have you done?!" She heard the other exorcist say in pain, she turned to him as he said, "that yokai has been feeding off the souls of children, it took us all day to corner him, if he's left unchecked this city's youth will be nothing but husks!"

"Pst, like I'd believe an order member," the woman said, running off. Little did she know, that wasn't a lie.

Slackerjack cackled as he began searching for his next victim. Nearby he felt a young, kindred aura.. She'd do just nicely.

Back with Katie, the Midnight Hexpress rolled into the station, as the smoke of its arrival began to fade, she saw the outline of a yokai similarly shaped to Komasan exit the train.

When the yokai stepped out of the smoke she could see his pale orange fur and brown flames, along with starry, blue eyes.

"Komajiro!" Komasan exclaimed, running up and giving his brother a hug.

"Eh, good ta see ya too, big bro!" Komajiro spoke with a lighter accent, though it was still present.

Komajiro: D rank

Charming

"... I can't wait ta see the big city with yas!" Komajiro said as the brothers broke their hug, "I've heard so much from yur letters and the kainet, but I'm really glad to see it in person!"

Katie walked up and sat on her knees, "Hey Komajiro, I'm Katie!"

"Hey, you're the one mah brother keeps mentioning! Glad to meetcha!" the lion dog smiled, he then turned to whisper, "and I guess that makes you Whispcream! Uh… yur a lot bigger than I thought!"

"Erg, IT'S WHISPER!" the deformed djinn yelled.

"Um… let's get going, shall we?" Katie said, "we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!"

The four of them left the train station, preparing to head back home. However, something caught Katie's attention. She heard a faint, almost hypnotic song. As she heard it her legs practically moved on their own, the concerned words of her friends falling on deaf ears.

She continued to follow the sweet song as it gradually grew louder. Until finally she met its source.

The piper yokai laughed manically as it laid eyes on it's target. At this point Katie felt she should run, but her body just continued to move forward. No matter how hard she tried to stop, she just kept walking.

As she caught a look of the yokai's face, the unblinking eyes, she felt a sense of dread.

Thankfully, before anything else could happen, Scream swooped out of nowhere and grabbed her, hoisting her on to his back before flying off, and not just floating actually FLYING. The Djinn butler's body had grown wings!

"I told you, completely horrific!" he yelled, "That was Yokai Slackerjack, he laurs children away to feed on their souls!"

"Sorry I didn't listen, At least you saved me," Katie yelled back.

"Not yet he hasn't!" a third voice said.

Katie turned her head to see Slackerjack right on their trail, preparing to play his flute again.

"Quick, summon Shadow! He's the strongest yokai in your arsonal!" Scream yelled.

Katie didn't need to be told twice, she pulled the ninja yokai's medal out of her pocket and inserted it into her watch, it chimed, "Summoning, Slippery!"

"Shadow Venoct!" the yokai said as he appeared in midair, "How may I assist?"

"Can you take down that guy?!" the girl pointed to the approaching boss yokai.

"I am sorry, Katie, for I am a pacifist," Shadow shook his head.

"Sucks to be you then!" Slackerjack said, blowing him away with a blast of sound.

The shadow yokai regained his footing in time to see the boss yokai close in for another attack on Katie. He growled as he leaped forward, one of his dragons swatting the flute out of his hand.

"What the!" Slackerjack said, confused.

"I may be a pacifist, but I will not let harm befall my friends!" Shadow said swirling his aura, six more dragons sprouted from his scarf, each baring their fangs, "SHADOW… DRAGON!"

Each dragon began to strike the pide yokai rapidly. Biting his skin again and again, until finally he fell out of the sky and plummeted to the concrete below.

Scream dived down to the surface, Shadow flying close behind. Upon reaching the ground, Scream set katie down and reverted to Whisper in a puff of smoke.

"Ugh, I hope I never have to do that again, scream always leaves me exhausted," he said with a yawn.

"Thanks Whisper," Katie hugged him, "you too, Shadow"

"My pleasure," the ninja yokai replied looking over Slackerjack's unmoving body.

"THERE HE IS!" they heard someone yell.

Katie turned as she was two men coming, one ran over to Slackerjack, the other caught sight of Katie.

"Kid…" he said in shock, he looked to Slackerjack, then back to her, "did you take down this guy?"

Katie was unsure what to say, the fact this man could see yokai was suspicious, "um… yes…"

"Kid, that was extremely dangerous," the man started, "that being said, taking down an S rank yokai at your age… it's nothing if not impressive."

The man took out a cross shaped earring, "have you ever thought of being an exorcist?"