Kurama awoke early the next morning, and rubbed his aching neck. He turned
his head and saw that Kuni
had already awoken and folded her blanket. He heard sounds in the kitchen,
so put his shirt on and
wandered in that direction. He peeked his head around the corner.
Kuni was looking in the bottom cupboards, muttering to herself. Her ears were flattened in annoyance. Finally finding her quary, she stood and looked in a top cupboard. She put the herb she had gotten into the bowl from the bottom cupboard. She proceeded to crush it with the heel of her hand, getting green juices all over it. Satisfied, she grabbed the bowl and walked towards the entrance. She almost dropped the bowl when she found Kurama.
"Oh! I didn't know you were up. I, um, saw how you fell asleep and decided that you would probably have muscle pains. This will ease them."
Kurama smiled. "Really? Have you fallen asleep like that before?"
She nodded. "When Mum is sick, I make her sleep on the couch and I watch over her."
Both of them walked into the living room, and Kurama drank the minty liquid. Kuni looked at him shyly, then leaned towards him. "Why didn't you wake me up last night?"
He shrugged. "You fell asleep, so why would I wake you up?"
She smiled. " I was not asleep when you moved me, or my hair."
Kurama felt himself turn pink. "It bothered me."
She laughed lightly. She akwardly grabbed a piece of his hair. "Your hair is so soft and light. I cannot grow my hair that long. It would get in my way." On impulse, Kurama grabbed her hand. "I have an idea. I will stay today as well, to help you clean everything up. I will stay until everyone else leaves."
Her eyes lightened. "That would be wonderful!"
Three hours later, everyone in the house was up. Kuni had made breakfast, mostly fish. Kuuyami had attempted to help, but eventually stopped because she poured a bowl of rice all over her little sister. Kuni sent her out of the kitchen and swatted her on the bottom with the spoon.
"Out, you creaton!" She laughed and went back to humming good-naturedly.
Kuuyami had noticed how much happier and ease around the family that Kuni seemed. As Kurama and the sisters sat to their breakfast, with mother still in bed, Kuuyami wandered into the kitchen, where Kuni was sneaking small tastes of this and that for her breakfast.
"Kuni, dear. May I talk to you?"
Her sister stood and looked at her with wide eyes, part of a piece of vegetable sticking out of her mouth.
She swallowed it quickly. "Sure, sister. What is it?"
Kuuyami walked closer. "I have never seen you this happy, even after a birthday. Why?"
Smiling slightly, the youngest neko youkai sister stepped closer. " I am happy because you are here, the others are here with no men, and I have made a new friend."
"But you know that you cannot fall in love! Not until Mother dies!"
"I never said anything about being in love. I simply made a new friend. Why are you so defensive?" Kuni leaned closer. "...Do you want him?" Kuuyami backed up to the doorway . "Do not be ridiculous!" She turned on her heel and left.
After that, Kuni stopped humming and began eating small tidbits of vegetables.
Kurama shifted his eyes as the sisters sat around, talking and eating. He had heard some of the words exchanged. Apparently, the eldest and the youngest were quarreling over something Kuuyami deemed ridiculus. Perhaps she is still upset for being kicked out of the kitchen, he thought. He watched as Kuuyami stormed out and sat down hard in her seat next to him.
"Ridiculus child! Utterly juvinille!" Her face was red with fury, and her brow furrowed.
Kurama sat a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"
She gave him a burning look. "She is under the impression that I am smitten with you! And when I ask her why she is happy, she replies 'I have a new friend!' like she owns you!"
He laughed. "Is that what you are upset over? Goodness." He paused for a minute. "Are you smitten with me?"
Kuuyami gave a squeal of fury and glared. "Absoloutly not!"
He waited. "Is she?"
" To hell if I know!"
Their conversation was interuppted by a slight cough. They both turned their heads to see Kuni. Everyone else turned their head as well. It was a rare thing for Kuni to want attention.
"Everyone... Thank you for coming." Her voice was sad and slight. " I appreciate everything. Mother is not feeling well, so I am am going to have to ask you to leave." She looked at Kurama. "All of you."
Shinta stood. "This is odd. See, I just went in. Mum looks fine to me."
Kuni nodded. "To the untrained, she seems fine. But in fact, Mother has a fever and her hands are clammy. I must take care of her. And for that, I need everyone gone."
Shinta slammed her hands on the table. "You have taken care of her with Kuuyami here!"
" I am aware of this. Unlike you, she has no brothel to darken the doorway of."
Mei stood as well. "I do not believe you. I think you just want the man gone."
Everyone gasped, except for Kuni. She lifted her head up high, and took on an imperial look. Kurama looked at her. Did she really want him gone?
"I will have you know, Mei, that Kurama and I are friends. I have learned to not trust any man due to the nasty, vulgar, disgusting, lecherous ones all of you, save Kuuyami, have brought. But thanks to him, my opinion has changed slightly. So I would watch what you say, dearest sister. I am most definatly not in a good mood."
Mei turned red and turned to storm out of the house. When she opened the door, she barely had time to screamed before her skull was split open by a blade. All the women screamed and stood, while Kurama moved towards the door.
Nine oni's, clad in black armor, entered the house. They began killing the sisters, one by one. Turning over furniture, setting fire to anything flammable, they began their ransack. Several ran upstairs. Kuni ran after them, to protect her mother. Her scream ran through the house as she witnessed her mother gutted and stripped naked. The oni's saw her, and began chasing her. She ran downstairs and tripped over the final step.
Right before the blade reached her, Shinta jumped in front of her, taking the fall. A final smile graced her lips as her eyes began to blank.
"Kuni..."
The youngest did not have time to cry, because Kuuyami grabbed her and pulled her to corner. She held herself protectivly over her sister.
"Kuni, listen to me. Live, because you are something greater. You must live because you are a prodigy-"
The eldest sister was stopped as she vommited blood. Kuni looked up to see the largest oni of the nine with his polearm through her sister.
He smiled wickedly. "Hm..I like them dead." He pushed Kuuyami aside, and kicked Kuni in the ribs. He was about to run her through when he himself was run through. Kuni looked to her attacker to see bloody hand sticking out from his abdomen. He coughed blood on the cat, then fell off the hand. Her attackers killer stood, wiping his hand on his pants. Kurama looked over the bottom half of the house and took a body count.
".... Seven, eight... Shit. I need nine." He ran up the stairs, and Kuni shuddered as she saw deep black blood running down the steps. She realized she was being surrounded by flames. She yelled, but her voice was so quit that she barely heard herself through the roar of the flames. Then a hand thrust itself through the flames and grabbed her arm. It yanked her through the fire and pressed her against the body it was connected to. She was ready to scream for Kurama when she realized that it was Kurama she was pressed up against. He picked her up and ran with her out of the house.
As they ran, Kuni took one last look at her house. It seemed that as she watched the place burn, with the bodies of her family inside, that she watched her soul go up in flames with it.
Kuni was looking in the bottom cupboards, muttering to herself. Her ears were flattened in annoyance. Finally finding her quary, she stood and looked in a top cupboard. She put the herb she had gotten into the bowl from the bottom cupboard. She proceeded to crush it with the heel of her hand, getting green juices all over it. Satisfied, she grabbed the bowl and walked towards the entrance. She almost dropped the bowl when she found Kurama.
"Oh! I didn't know you were up. I, um, saw how you fell asleep and decided that you would probably have muscle pains. This will ease them."
Kurama smiled. "Really? Have you fallen asleep like that before?"
She nodded. "When Mum is sick, I make her sleep on the couch and I watch over her."
Both of them walked into the living room, and Kurama drank the minty liquid. Kuni looked at him shyly, then leaned towards him. "Why didn't you wake me up last night?"
He shrugged. "You fell asleep, so why would I wake you up?"
She smiled. " I was not asleep when you moved me, or my hair."
Kurama felt himself turn pink. "It bothered me."
She laughed lightly. She akwardly grabbed a piece of his hair. "Your hair is so soft and light. I cannot grow my hair that long. It would get in my way." On impulse, Kurama grabbed her hand. "I have an idea. I will stay today as well, to help you clean everything up. I will stay until everyone else leaves."
Her eyes lightened. "That would be wonderful!"
Three hours later, everyone in the house was up. Kuni had made breakfast, mostly fish. Kuuyami had attempted to help, but eventually stopped because she poured a bowl of rice all over her little sister. Kuni sent her out of the kitchen and swatted her on the bottom with the spoon.
"Out, you creaton!" She laughed and went back to humming good-naturedly.
Kuuyami had noticed how much happier and ease around the family that Kuni seemed. As Kurama and the sisters sat to their breakfast, with mother still in bed, Kuuyami wandered into the kitchen, where Kuni was sneaking small tastes of this and that for her breakfast.
"Kuni, dear. May I talk to you?"
Her sister stood and looked at her with wide eyes, part of a piece of vegetable sticking out of her mouth.
She swallowed it quickly. "Sure, sister. What is it?"
Kuuyami walked closer. "I have never seen you this happy, even after a birthday. Why?"
Smiling slightly, the youngest neko youkai sister stepped closer. " I am happy because you are here, the others are here with no men, and I have made a new friend."
"But you know that you cannot fall in love! Not until Mother dies!"
"I never said anything about being in love. I simply made a new friend. Why are you so defensive?" Kuni leaned closer. "...Do you want him?" Kuuyami backed up to the doorway . "Do not be ridiculous!" She turned on her heel and left.
After that, Kuni stopped humming and began eating small tidbits of vegetables.
Kurama shifted his eyes as the sisters sat around, talking and eating. He had heard some of the words exchanged. Apparently, the eldest and the youngest were quarreling over something Kuuyami deemed ridiculus. Perhaps she is still upset for being kicked out of the kitchen, he thought. He watched as Kuuyami stormed out and sat down hard in her seat next to him.
"Ridiculus child! Utterly juvinille!" Her face was red with fury, and her brow furrowed.
Kurama sat a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"
She gave him a burning look. "She is under the impression that I am smitten with you! And when I ask her why she is happy, she replies 'I have a new friend!' like she owns you!"
He laughed. "Is that what you are upset over? Goodness." He paused for a minute. "Are you smitten with me?"
Kuuyami gave a squeal of fury and glared. "Absoloutly not!"
He waited. "Is she?"
" To hell if I know!"
Their conversation was interuppted by a slight cough. They both turned their heads to see Kuni. Everyone else turned their head as well. It was a rare thing for Kuni to want attention.
"Everyone... Thank you for coming." Her voice was sad and slight. " I appreciate everything. Mother is not feeling well, so I am am going to have to ask you to leave." She looked at Kurama. "All of you."
Shinta stood. "This is odd. See, I just went in. Mum looks fine to me."
Kuni nodded. "To the untrained, she seems fine. But in fact, Mother has a fever and her hands are clammy. I must take care of her. And for that, I need everyone gone."
Shinta slammed her hands on the table. "You have taken care of her with Kuuyami here!"
" I am aware of this. Unlike you, she has no brothel to darken the doorway of."
Mei stood as well. "I do not believe you. I think you just want the man gone."
Everyone gasped, except for Kuni. She lifted her head up high, and took on an imperial look. Kurama looked at her. Did she really want him gone?
"I will have you know, Mei, that Kurama and I are friends. I have learned to not trust any man due to the nasty, vulgar, disgusting, lecherous ones all of you, save Kuuyami, have brought. But thanks to him, my opinion has changed slightly. So I would watch what you say, dearest sister. I am most definatly not in a good mood."
Mei turned red and turned to storm out of the house. When she opened the door, she barely had time to screamed before her skull was split open by a blade. All the women screamed and stood, while Kurama moved towards the door.
Nine oni's, clad in black armor, entered the house. They began killing the sisters, one by one. Turning over furniture, setting fire to anything flammable, they began their ransack. Several ran upstairs. Kuni ran after them, to protect her mother. Her scream ran through the house as she witnessed her mother gutted and stripped naked. The oni's saw her, and began chasing her. She ran downstairs and tripped over the final step.
Right before the blade reached her, Shinta jumped in front of her, taking the fall. A final smile graced her lips as her eyes began to blank.
"Kuni..."
The youngest did not have time to cry, because Kuuyami grabbed her and pulled her to corner. She held herself protectivly over her sister.
"Kuni, listen to me. Live, because you are something greater. You must live because you are a prodigy-"
The eldest sister was stopped as she vommited blood. Kuni looked up to see the largest oni of the nine with his polearm through her sister.
He smiled wickedly. "Hm..I like them dead." He pushed Kuuyami aside, and kicked Kuni in the ribs. He was about to run her through when he himself was run through. Kuni looked to her attacker to see bloody hand sticking out from his abdomen. He coughed blood on the cat, then fell off the hand. Her attackers killer stood, wiping his hand on his pants. Kurama looked over the bottom half of the house and took a body count.
".... Seven, eight... Shit. I need nine." He ran up the stairs, and Kuni shuddered as she saw deep black blood running down the steps. She realized she was being surrounded by flames. She yelled, but her voice was so quit that she barely heard herself through the roar of the flames. Then a hand thrust itself through the flames and grabbed her arm. It yanked her through the fire and pressed her against the body it was connected to. She was ready to scream for Kurama when she realized that it was Kurama she was pressed up against. He picked her up and ran with her out of the house.
As they ran, Kuni took one last look at her house. It seemed that as she watched the place burn, with the bodies of her family inside, that she watched her soul go up in flames with it.