Chapter 48
Lost
'Please…'
Eliza didn't know what was going on. Wherever she was, there wasn't a speck of light to be seen or a faint noise to be heard. Ever since she touched Alastor's microphone she's been trapped here. At one point she felt something, but it left as quickly as it came. Whatever it had been, it made the pain stop, but she couldn't move. More to the point, she didn't dare; every effort brought intense suffering, the likes of which made her rebellious wings seem like a dull ache. She's been slapped, thrown to the ground, stomped on, beaten, nearly drowned… She'd take all that over this in a heartbeat.
'Let me out.'
At first she thought to try and find a way out of this dark place, but all attempts led to sudden, unrelenting agony. Whatever power was keeping her here refused to let her go, and she was terrified. How long would she be stuck here? Why did this place hurt so much? What was happening outside? Was Jorōgumo… Did she win? She couldn't win, because then…
'Let me out!'
It hurt. Oh mercy, it hurt in ways she didn't know it could. Why did Alastor's microphone send her here? How did it happen? Still, if it was his magic, Alastor could let her out, right? Maybe he just had to deal with the threat first. Then he could do it. Yes… She saved him; he could at least free her from this. Even if he hated her, if he didn't want to be around her anymore, he'd let her out. He wouldn't just leave her here. Alone. In the dark. Hurting in silence. Forever.
Would he?
'LET ME OUT!'
/Just cut it off already./
/Oh, matriarch, I can't feel my paws!/
/I feel everything…/
/Those spiders bit me in the ass!/
/Don't ask where they bit me./
/Where's the medic?!/
Currently downing his fourth shot of saké, Hari was expertly dodging the onslaught of patients that entered the healing temple when Jorōgumo flooded the festival preparations and bondage houses with spiders. Many of the Kitsune enjoyed partaking in the Nebuta, and a few had been indulging in sinful bondage delights beforehand. Honestly, when the first fox came in with his dick chewed off, Hari laughed his ass off. He couldn't even bring himself to wince in sympathy; it was too damn funny.
Unfortunately, the humor died when a crowd of injured members of the Kitsune Yokai Family flooded in, needing care. Most of his assistants, who took the day off for the festival, were among them, leaving him with a shitload of work and not enough hands. Maybe he should just pull out his needles. If he paralyzed most of them, then he couldn't hear them bitching as he fixed them up. However, even weaponizing his acupuncture knowledge didn't appeal to him now; too many people. Too much work.
So much for his lazy day.
Working for the Kitsune was never truly a simple thing, but after a while most things become less of a desperate problem and more of a mundane chore. For Hari, who was nearly three decades in Hell, few things really surprised him anymore. Having been a yakuza in life, joining Kitsune after his death felt almost natural. Even his soulform was fox-like, colored with the Wild's red that faded to pale blue on his chest, at the ends of his hands and feet, as well as the tip of his snout. He had golden, swirling marks around his eyes, and a reputation for being the Kitsune Clan's biggest asshole healer.
Sighing, he just wanted to retire to his room. Let them rot for the day; Jorōgumo messed up and she should be taking care of this, not him. Whatever possessed that woman to wreak havoc on the Nebuta was beyond him, especially the bondage houses. Oh, the Yokai owners were going to tear her apart for this.
After another moment of avoidance, he was discovered by one of the two assistants that didn't totally abandon him today; a young Jorōgumo named Ayuka. /There you are! I was beginning to think you actually left this time./
/May I be so blessed,/ he grumbled. /Here to lecture me?/
/As if it'd do any good,/ she sassed. /I'm here to drag you back to work!/
/I'd like to see you try./
No one was surprised at all to watch a Jorōgumo dragging out a very unwilling fox sinner dressed in a white kimono, his claws scraping against the tiles as he lazily resisted. The man didn't even bother verbally complaining; it was obvious to everyone that he was very unwilling to work hard on what was supposed to be a truce day.
The moment he was all the way out in the open, she let go of his tail and pointed with a scowl. /Get to it!/
In a barely audible murmur, he said, /Marry me…/
/What was that?/ she snapped.
/I called you a bossy whore,/ he droned from the floor.
She just gave a derisive snort. /Flattery gets you nowhere, boy./ She nudged him with her foot, unwilling to outright kick him in case he tried to use bruised ribs as an excuse to get out of work. When she caught him staring up at her ample cleavage, which was on full display even from his angle, she sighed. Well, she knew one way to get him back to work. /If you get everyone taken care of before the day is over, you can rest on them./
On his feet in seconds, he snapped his gloves on with a glint in his eyes. /Time to get to work./
She just huffed, turning away and opening her fan to hide her smile. /You are insufferable./
After that, the two moved on to patching up all the injured people in the temple. Some were minor injuries, simple bites that needed to be bandaged and the person given painkillers for the intense pain from the venom. Others were missing parts, everything from fingers and toes and private parts to whole limbs.
/Ow!/ one fox complained. /Watch what you're doing, sinner!/
Hari just blinked at him. Pointing down at the man's mutilated crotch, he stated with a grin, /So you'd like this to be permanent? Very well. Ayuka, I need a special strand of silk for-/
/No!/ the fox shouted. /T-that won't be necessary./
/Oh?/ Hari asked, tilting his head. /But you sounded so upset about me making sure it heals properly that I thought-/
/You're doing fine,/ his patient interrupted, blushing as he turned away. /Continue./
Hari just smiled to himself, making sure to pull the strands a little tighter to make him particularly uncomfortable. Being a sinner was typically something to be mocked in the family, but he didn't become their best healer by taking people's shit. Speaking of…
/Where is Chikao?/ he asked suddenly, noticing the little fox pup was missing. /He's supposed to be helping!/
/I released him to run with his friends today,/ his assistant told him.
/What?!/ Hari snapped, standing up. /He's still being punished for-/
/It's a truce day, Hari,/ she reminded him, coldly. /You'd do well to remember that punishments are alleviated on such days./ When Hari pulled out a needle from an inside pocket, she glared at him. /Don't-/
Too late. Hari held the needle in front of him, plucking an invisible string looped through the hole. A small red fox appeared in front of him, trembling. /H-hey, Hari./
Dropping an armful of bandages onto him, Hari stared down at the pup as he lifted his head out of the pile, a single white strip still draped over his snout. /Work. Now./
/But I thought that-/
/Should have 'thought' before trying to steal my needles,/ Hari interrupted, dismissively. /Work. Now./
Chikao almost growled, but the last time he did that he ended up paralyzed and used as Hari's robe rack, so he kept quiet as he carried the bandages around. He hoped that the healers would be done soon; he really wanted to run with Genki and the others for the rest of the day, even with the festival getting canceled. At least he got to eat fried tofu and meet the Magic Cat.
One particular patient, an Oni that joined the Kitsune Clan to settle a debt, started getting violent when the healer went to patch up his leg, or the stump that remained of it. Hari didn't even have time to pull out his needles before strands of silk wrapped around his shoulders, elbows and knee. Ayuka pulled back hard, stomping on his back as all of his limbs were restrained and tied up into a neat knot. By the time she was done, she looked up to see Hari sitting cross-legged and holding his head in his hand, staring dreamily at her. /What?/ she asked, breathlessly.
/Are you sure we can't just-/
A rustling wind caught both of their attention, and a large gust of unnatural smoke drifted through the main part of the temple into the back, taking a private room. Ayuka put her hands on her hips. /Who was that?/
/Someone who doesn't know to wait their turn,/ Hari sighed, standing up. /I'll be back after I kick the guy out./ Walking towards the back, he grumbled, /Private rooms are for special cases, damn it!/
When he actually entered the room, he stopped and stared at something he hadn't expected to see. Honestly, he thought he'd come face-to-face with some high ranking, privileged Kitsune. It certainly wasn't a rare occurrence. In fact, after a moment, he realized that there was a small, golden fox pup on the floor, breathing heavily. The black dragon, however, made him feel hesitant.
Dragging his hand down his snout as he collected his nerve, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. When the beast made no move to do, well, anything, he turned his attention to the breathless pup. He knew exactly who it was the moment he saw that she only had one eye. /Kichi?/ he called out. /What is… I mean who…/ He took a moment to find his words. In truth, he didn't know where to begin. /What the hell is this?/
When the girl lifted her head, she looked about ready to answer before her eye unfocused and her head fell back onto the floor.
/Shit!/ he hissed, kneeling down to check on her. /You keel over and Eichi will have my ass!/
/Genki…/ she breathed. /Bring Genki…/
Hari just snorted. /I don't want your brother anywhere near my-/
/I need Genki!/ she cried, though her voice was quite weak. /He can help… See what's wrong… With the Tofu Dragon./
/The what?/
/Do you need help dragging them out, or-/ Ayuka began, entering the room right behind him. /Oh, my! What is that?/
/It's the Tofu Dragon, apparently,/ he exclaimed with a bewildered shrug. /Ask Kichi, I have no idea what's-/
/Oh dear!/ the young woman gasped, kneeling down and collecting the exhausted pup into her arms. /What happened to her?/
/Overexertion,/ he answered, easily. /She used magic to drag this… thing into my temple. Apparently she wants us to treat it./
/Genki,/ the pup repeated, weakly. After another moment, she started struggling until Ayuka released her. As soon as she was on her paws, she limped over to the dragon, snuggled in under one of its wings and closed her eyes. Before she started snoring, she said once more, /I need Genki…/
When Ayuka shot Hari a confused glance, the sinner just groaned and hung his head. /Call Eichi for me. I don't need him trying to skin me for this shit./
/What about her brother?/ Ayuka asked, gently. /Should we..?/
/Her father first./ Giving a lazy gesture towards the dragon, he grumbled, /We'll deal with the rest later./
When Eichi eventually arrived, he was positively frantic. /Where's Kichi? Is she OK? It's not like her to go off on her own and I-/
/She's in here,/ Ayuka told him, motioning to a closed sliding door. /She… brought something into the temple with her./
/Called it the 'Tofu Dragon,'/ Hari added, inhaling deeply from an opium pipe. The saké just wasn't cutting it anymore.
/Eliza's here?/
The two of them stared at the Kitsune in surprise. Ayuka was the one that finally spoke. /You know this dragon?/
When they opened the door, he recoiled slightly at the sight of the large, injured beast that his daughter was cuddling with. /I've… never seen her like this./ Cautiously, he took a step forward and knelt down to scoop up his daughter. /She's a foreigner that visited my oden cart earlier today./
Hari barked a laugh. /You served a foreigner? You? Oh, that's rich./
Standing up with Kichi in his arms, he petted her head with a chuckle. /Well, it's not every day a foreigner thinks to come bearing gifts./
/How thoughtful,/ Ayuka acknowledged.
Hari just rolled his eyes. /Let me guess; the Tofu Dragon brought fried tofu?/
With a nod, Eichi looked over the injured sinner. The healer was surprised to see the usually aloof chef actually look concerned for a stranger. /Kichi became rather fond of her in a very short time./
/I got that from the snuggling,/ Hari snarked.
/How unusual,/ the Jorōgumo observed, quietly. /She's normally so shy!/
/So, where is she from?/ Hari asked, reluctantly moving to look over his newest charge.
/The West Point./
/American, then,/ Hari surmised, turning the beast's head to the side and opening one of her eyes. It was pure white. /Looks like there's more to this than just physical injury./
/She has that, too,/ Ayuka stated, examining Eliza's back carefully. /These wounds are extremely deep./
Taking a look at the sinner's chest, Hari tsked. /They go all the way through. Look./
/You don't think this was a blessed weapon, do you?/ his assistant asked.
/No, she's not erased,/ Hari informed the room, sounding rather confident. /But this is beyond my capabilities. The wounds I can patch up, but I doubt it will restore her consciousness. That is something else entirely./
/Perhaps that's why she asked for Genki,/ the spider demon suggested. /If it's magical in nature, he could see what it is./
Hari's eyes and ears flattened in annoyance, and he growled softly. He didn't want to do this, but… /Chikao!/ he snapped, loudly.
The small Wild pup ran in, looking alert. /What? I wasn't doing anything!/ he defended, quickly.
/A statement I will never believe from you,/ the sinner hissed, standing up. /I need you to fetch Genki./
The fox just gave Hari an irritated stare. /He won't come here! He hates you./
/The feeling is mutual, but Kichi has asked for him. Bring him here. Now./
Looking up at Eichi, he saw the girl asleep in his arms and tilted his head. /Is she OK?/
/She'll be fine,/ the golden fox assured him with a small smile. /But please fetch Genki for us, little one./
/Bring him here, and you'll be relieved from your service to Hari./
The sinner's head snapped around to look at Ayuka. /Now hold on just a moment! I never said-/
/I'll be back as soon as I can!/ Chikao promised, his tail wagging as he disappeared out the door.
/…I hate you,/ the healer grumbled.
/You couldn't hate me if you tried,/ his assistant teased with a cocky grin.
/Well, let's patch her up. Never thought I'd see the day Kichi would bring a stranger into my temple. A foreigner, no less!/
/A well informed foreigner,/ Eichi mentioned. Moving Kichi around until she was resting comfortably in his right arm, he summoned a blue box in his left paw. /She brought this box for us, as well as a red one./
Hari glanced up at him, skeptically. /She knew about the colors? How strange./
/I didn't mention this to her,/ setting the box down, he sported a smirk as he told them, /but it tastes very similar to your tofu, Hari./
/Don't flatter the girl,/ he droned in a bored tone.
When Eichi lifted the lid, the smell spread quickly throughout the room, and Hari's nose twitched. /I figured you wouldn't take my word for it, so I saved a few for you. See for yourself./
Standing up and pulling out a needle, the healer stabbed one of the leftover cubes and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing almost angrily. /The taste is a bit off, but there's no doubt about it. This is my recipe./
/She used your recipe, she knows about the boxes, speaks a little Japanese…/ Eichi gave him a sly look. /Did you take on a foreign protégé in life and fail to tell us?/
/No!/ he denied, adamantly. Then, after a quiet moment he looked away and mumbled, /Not exactly…/
/So you did!/ Ayuka exclaimed in surprise. Then, taking an uncertain look at the dragon, she asked, /I know you said you never had one of your own, but I never thought to ask if you adopted one./
/Absolutely not! Never could stand kids. And since we don't even know if this is the girl I'm thinking of, stop speculating about it. Let's just get her fixed up so we can go deal with everyone else until Genki arrives./
His assistant and Eichi just shared a knowing smirk. Ayuka turned back to him, her features softening slightly. She found it endearing that he had actually attached to someone like this. Unlike her mother, she always found the sentimentality of others rather adorable. /Of course, Hari./
He huffed and looked away. /Don't give me that look. And I have a reputation to maintain, so if I hear anything about this outside this little group, I'll paralyze you both and use you as bandage racks./
Eichi laughed, gently petting his daughter's head as she squirmed in his arm. /Sure you will./
Alastor knew Husk said he had a contact, but when the cat just started putting on a magic show in the middle of the street, he walked away with a sigh. Whatever plan his companion had, it would probably take a while, and in the meantime the wendigo had his own problems to take care of. First off; he was starving. Granted he was eternally hungry as a rule, but his hellish punishment aside, this was a different kind of hunger. It was one thing to never feel satiated, but now his body craved energy, and there was one tried and true method of obtaining that.
Normally he found pain to be a rather exciting thing, but his body ached in a way that made him desperately want to rest. Every movement hurt, and it disturbed him that he wasn't sure how long this would last. Surely there was some form of antivenom, but he didn't dare trust anyone trying to peddle it. No, he would have to ride this misery out. However, while he could resist the pull towards common food, he didn't dare remain so low on power. If someone took Eliza, he needed to be sure he had the strength to take her back by force if necessary. Who would take her, though? Surely she hadn't already gotten the attention of a powerful figure; she's been here less than a day.
His ears drooped a bit when he realized that, if anyone could pull that off, it was her. How she managed to gain favor with important figures so quickly, intentionally or otherwise, was beyond him. How could someone so reserved get so much attention with so little effort?
As he projected his weakness openly to draw in a potential victim, he could not help but dwell on recent events. The contract, her clause, his reaction, her being here at the same time as him… Husk seemed more than aware of her presence here, but when he demanded answers the cat just shut him down and said, "Ask her yourself; I ain't playin' the middle man." He wanted to intimidate him for answers, but between the fact that Husk was immune to his threats and the need to save his strength, he was forced to accept his refusal to elaborate.
When a beautiful woman approached him, he immediately sought to drive her off with a threat display. However, the creature didn't so much as blink, and for a moment he worried that she could see how weak he was. Then she bowed. He never noticed before, but the bow was very similar to Eliza's preferred greeting. Has she been to this nation before? "Forgive me, I do not mean to frighten. I bring a message."
Her imperfect English was an improvement to not understanding, but he didn't drop the display. "What do you want?!"
"My matriarchs ask you to read," she said, holding out an envelope.
Cautiously taking it, he examined it closely with magic. Sure enough, it seemed to be clean, and he used his claw to open it.
Greetings to Alastor, the Radio Demon. We wish to inform you that our sister, Jorōgumo, is in our possession, and should you seek further retribution against her, we would be open to negotiations on her behalf. Should there be a way to buy your forgiveness, make your demands known, and we will consider it. For now, please accept this gift as compensation for Jorōgumo's rudeness.
The Sisters of Pleasure.
"A gift?" he asked, seeing nothing with the envelope. When the woman once more bowed submissively, he scoffed. "I think not. Return to your matriarchs, I have no desire to-"
"I am here to offer strength," she told him, softly. "You are weak, and must eat, yes?"
Alastor stared at the girl in shock. "You're joking."
"No," she denied, still not raising her head. As he looked her over, he noticed that she was trembling. "I am tribute to appease. I hope to be satisfactory."
For a brief moment, the wendigo was truly tempted. A willing victim would make this so much simpler, as even in this form a tussle with a brute would be difficult with the venom still flowing through his veins. But even as he raised his claws to strike, he could just feel his mother's disappointment pressing down on him. Finally, he lowered his hand with a sigh, returning to his regular form. "I'm afraid I am most unwilling to oblige, my dear. I have no quarrel with you; be gone."
Looking up in alarm, she attempted to argue, "But the matriarchs will punish me if-"
"If they wish to keep their sister, give them this." Summoning the invitation letter from Jorōgumo, he grinned broadly. "Should they match the promised patronage for the hotel, I will no longer seek revenge on the woman. Any less, and I will be most displeased." When she reached out to take the letter, she cried out in surprise when he grabbed her wrist tightly. "However, you will answer a question first."
"Yes," she agreed, nodding nervously. "Ask; I will answer."
"Did your matriarchs take a black dragon from the bathhouse?"
Looking deeply confused, she shook her head. "No; no dragon was taken."
"Then who took her?"
Attempting to pull away, she started to panic when he didn't release her wrist. "Please, I don't know! We took the sister, no one else!"
"When she was taken, there was smoke," he described, "and the sound of wind. Does that mean anything to you?" When she paused, he saw the recognition in her eyes and pulled her closer. "You know who took her, don't you? Tell me!"
After taking a fearful look around, she murmured, "Smoke marks Kitsune magic. They are foxes; many celebrate the Nebuta, but they left. Many were injured by the spiders. I don't know more. Please let go!"
After a moment of struggle, Alastor released her wrist, allowing her to distance herself from the red-clad overlord. "Thank you, my dear. You have been most helpful. In fact, there is one more way in which you can help me. It may also help to appease your mistresses."
Her eyes were wide, but that last statement kept her from running away. "What is needed?"
"I had hoped to be marked as an easy target," he told her, "but I think you will make much better bait. I will not eat you, but if you help me find a suitable meal, I'm sure your matriarchs will be most forgiving."
When she learned of his preferred prey, it was a simple matter to find a brutish man interested in carrying her to a nearby alley for a forceful time. Despite how terrifying the foreigner was, watching him devour the ruffian made her swoon. Who knew that he would have so much in common with her kind? Then, after all of that, the man had the decency to help her to her feet and kiss her knuckles. "You have been a magnificent help. Give your matriarchs my regards."
"Y-yes," she agreed with a blush, watching him walk away with far more energy and flare than when she first saw him. Before he disappeared, she said, "If you ever seek family, the matriarchs would have you. You fit well."
When the overlord paused, she wondered briefly if he was considering it. However, when he turned to give her a sidelong glance, she saw that he seemed rather offended. "I assure you, we don't 'fit' in any way," he growled. "Never make that offer again."
And with that, he was gone, leaving her utterly alone.
'Mine.'
Eliza couldn't get away from it. Whatever it was, it was clinging to her like a shadow. It wouldn't let her leave; wouldn't let her speak, move or even think. There was a possessiveness to this place, and it wrapped around her like a shroud.
'Mine!'
She begged it to let her go, but every time she tried to speak to it, it made it hard to breathe. Everything felt darker, and the silence was invading her mind. She couldn't even hear her own thoughts anymore. There was only the shadow, and the strange, abstract sensation that was its single, all-consuming thought. There was no voice, and yet she felt the word in her soul.
'Mine!'
It almost felt like arms wrapping around her, but there was nothing to see. Nothing to touch. Just darkness.
'All mine…'
Genki and his friends regrouped. /Did anyone see Chikao?/
/Yea,/ one of the two girls told him, quietly. /I saw him at the healing temple helping Hari!/
Growling in annoyance, the one-eyed pup grumbled, /It's a truce day! Why did he call him back?/
/Lots of people were there! Looks like the spiders hurt a lot of our family./
/Stupid spiders,/ another pup grunted.
/Can we get him out?/ the other girl asked, quickly.
/Get past Hari? Are you kidding? He'll skin us all if we try to help Chikao!/
/That, and he has a needle on him,/ Genki reminded them. /Even if we free him, Hari can just summon him back./
They needed a distraction of some kind; maybe a powerful Oni or something. If they could cause enough chaos at the temple, maybe it would give them time to find the needle. Genki tried earlier, but once they got far enough away, the magic was so weak that even he couldn't see it, and they had to give up or else they'd never have had any fun for the day.
Always one to think on his paws, Genki motioned for the others to follow as they roamed the streets. Honestly, the pup was in a bad mood already. Jorōgumo and her spiders ruined the festival, and a lot of demons withdrew to recover from her outburst. When the bathhouse crumbled, it made the whole area reek of dark, nasty magic, and Genki was the only pup who had to suffer its stench because he's the only one who could see and otherwise interact with it on a raw level.
Lucky him.
Then he heard something that made his ears perk up. /Hey, anyone else hear that?/
Mimicking him, another pup exclaimed, /It's the Magic Cat!/
Sure enough, the skulk took off in the direction of the sound and found Husk putting on a big show. He had his coin, his cards and even got his hat involved. Genki really wanted to watch the show, but he shook his head and started to walk away, his friends looking between him and the Magic Cat as they couldn't decide to watch or follow. The little pup needed to find a way to free his buddy; he didn't want Chikao stuck serving that asshole forever, and Hari wasn't going to just let him go.
When he turned around, his ears fell back as he noticed his friends had decided to go watch the magic show. It looked really fun, and he guessed this meant that he was done working.
Wait a second…
Genki looked up at the ruined remains of the bathhouse, which the cat had been spying on. The tofu dragon said he needed to see what was happening, and right before everything went crazy he said he needed to work. Was that his magic that destroyed the place? Was the Magic Cat more powerful than he realized? No, that can't be right. Anyone with enough power to kick Jorōgumo's ass and destroy a building like that would reek of nasty magic, and the cat's magic was weak and smelled more like sparklers and alcohol. The tofu dragon didn't reek of it either; she was more like a weird mix of fire and ice.
This was more like putrid flesh and sickness, and it made his face scrunch just thinking about it. Still, the Magic Cat had to know something about what happened up there, and if the person who destroyed it is still around, then maybe…
When he turned back to the show, he saw that it was finishing up and ran over.
"Hey, guys," Husk grunted down at them, calling them forward. "I was hopin' to find you. Where's your boss?"
"Right here!" Genki called out, skidding in front of the group.
"Sweet, cause I gotta question," the veteran told them. "Uh, you remember the tofu dragon?"
"Yea, why?"
"Well, she's missin', and my boss and I ain't leavin' till we find her. She's hurt and needs help, but someone took her and we don't know who. Do you know anythin'?"
Taking a moment to think, Genki turned to his group and they started talking in barks and yips, making Husk's ears fall back in annoyance. Finally, the group turned back around, their leader grinning mischievously. "OK, we'll help find the tofu dragon, but we need some help freeing one of our friends."
"Thought you looked one short," Husk snorted. "But my boss ain't exactly the helpin' type, especially if you don't know where she is, and he won't want to waste time."
"That's OK," the one-eyed leader barked. "All I need to know is how to make him get really angry and chase me!"
As the memory of the bull demon from before ran through his mind, Husk grumbled, "This a thing with you guys?"
"Oh, we like making people mad!" another fox piped up. "But this is to help Chikao! He's stuck working and we want him out!"
"So," Genki started, stepping forward confidently, "you help us, we help you. Deal?"
When a small red fox went running through the streets carrying a monocle in its mouth, no one thought anything of it. It was no secret that the Wild skulk liked to cause chaos in the area, and today was no different.
The howling shadow demon chasing him, however, was another story.
People screamed and ran as the unknown assailant raged forward, darkness coating the ground upon his approach and lingering behind him. Anyone that didn't clear the path in time was consumed, and honestly Genki wasn't doing any of his dodge-and-weave tricks. He knew he was dead if he slowed down in any way.
This guy will be the perfect distraction!
Then, as he was running, he spotted Chikao in the distance and perked up his ears. When Genki caught up to him, the other pup turned around and matched his speed, fleeing the onslaught of destruction. /Genki! What's going on?/ When the one-eyed pup just glared at him with his mouth full, Chikao decided to forget the question and keep talking. /Look, Ayuka said I'm free from Hari if I bring you to the healing temple! The tofu dragon is there, and she's hurt!/
Blinking in surprise, Genki gave his friend a quick nod and decided against the scenic route. If it turned out that he was taking the guy directly to the person he was looking for, maybe he'd survive this after all!
Chikao felt absolutely frantic. He could only hope Ayuka wouldn't blame him for this; after all, he is bringing Genki to the healing temple like he was told. It wasn't his fault that his friend decided to bring an angry, powerful demon along.
Then he had a funny thought. /Hey, if this guy eats some of the patients, you think Hari might forgive us because he'd have less work to do?/
Genki nearly dropped the monocle when he laughed.
Author's Notes:
Took me a while to figure out how to write this chapter. Honestly, some stuff got revamped, and the part with Alastor interacting with another Yokai (I didn't mention her race because he doesn't know and it was mostly his perspective, but she was a Nikusui) was not planned in the slightest. I just hate having him not be active in some way. From what we know of him, I just get the feeling he's a guy who has difficulty sitting stuff out, you know? And now he's tearing through town chasing Genki. Fun times.
Ugh, writing all this stuff in the North Point makes me miss Japan, as I have also spent four years of my childhood there and I miss it so much. Believe it or not, I was there when Pokémon started. Do you have any idea how old that fact makes me feel?
