Last time, 14-year-old Yura Keikain has arrived into Ukiyoe with the intentions of understanding the power balance of a region without exorcists. As she introduces herself to her new class, she finds that in Kanto no one has apparently heard of the Keikain.

Without a doubt, she is the biggest idiot I know, and I fucking despise her boyfriend. - Ryuuji Keikain.

4 years ago, Kyoto

Yura will have an ordinary day. She knows because it starts like all the other days. First comes the choice.

She stares.

Two uniforms. Two lives. Two pains.

She sighs. The silence doesn't bring with it an answer.

Her school uniform is pristine in comparison to her onmyouji garb. The buttoned-down white shirt is ironed to perfection, and the navy blue skirt smells fresh from being washed. Her mother loves the fact Yura goes to school, and her dedication to her uniform is a clear sign of the approval. If only her mother knew that the perfect and safe world her mind concocted whenever she thinks of school is hardly accurate.

In contrast, her traditional onmyouji garb is crudely sown, where it has torn off during fights. The skirt so maltreated that the silky black has faded to wavering grey. The wide-sleeved shirt is still white, but that is to be expected. It is relatively new.

Ten-year-old Yura stands alone in her pajamas. Her bedroom barely illuminated by the slow coming of dawn. Small, brief light reveals white walls, a white bed, and an eye-catching book stand, which Yura has filled with different tomes. Ofuda and sealing scrolls filling any empty spot there may have been. A couple of fairytales are hidden in the corner, Nadeshiko's input, naturally. Her small rebellion against where her daughter interest lies.

Thinking of her mother brings her back to her unresolved issue. Which uniform will she wear? What mask will she put on today? Fearless or unshakable? Strong or weak? Which wolf inside her will she feed? Two pains. Does it even really matter where she goes? On one, she faces death, and on the other, she feels like death. Choosing is getting harder every time; there are days when she sees no point in it at all.

School won't be for another coupled hours, but even if she does decide to attend, she'd be gone much sooner. Her mother will rise at eight o'clock, and the young girl has no intention of being present for the occasion. It is never pleasant to see her mother, but she is particularly tender when she awakes to an empty bed.

Somedays, Yura goes to school only to get away from home, but at the same time, she fights youkai to get away from school. Flashes of endless mocking and repetitive insults appear on her mind. She grits her teeth. Were she to have any, her nails would have dug into her palm. But as life may have it, they couldn't, raw and bitten down to the buds as they are.

Yura hates how she bites her nails, but most days, she just can't help herself. She doesn't realize she's even doing it until her nail is wholly ruined. Habits.

She turns around, deciding to have breakfast and then making her choice. Hoping that her answer will seem more evident in time and also knowing it won't. Quickly she changes into a simple white kimono and ties back her black hair. It reaches barely to her shoulders, and her family has advised her often to cut it short, but her mother refuses.

Yura doesn't really care, she'd have it short for practicality, but she doesn't really want to upset her mother. So she wears it to her shoulders, as a compromise. Short enough to be tied back easily, and long enough that her mother is happy.

Yura feels like her hair is just one of the many compromises her life is made up of. She's part-time rising onmyouji, which she likes to imagine as her side (though she wonders sometimes). On the other hand, she is the daughter of her psychotic, broken-hearted mother. She's collateral damage in a war started before she was even born. Yura could not honestly say she'd ever seen her mother and her grandfather sit in the same table or be in the same room.

Wiping those thoughts away, Yura finished getting ready, opening the sliding door with care, she leaves her room, making her way throughout the halls. Her house is deadly quiet, and her footsteps are soundless with years of practice. Dawn may seem a bit early to have breakfast, but onmyouji have to take advantage of every second of sunlight that weakens their enemies. Given so, the main breakfast is served just before dawn. There's a smaller breakfast for the late risers that come around seven.

Her mother attends neither. She hasn't for years.

Yura shakes her head. She's trying to have a pleasant morning. Thoughts of her mother only serve to dampen her mood.

The path she takes to the main house isn't nearly as scary at dawn as it is late at night after she arrives from hunting. The creeping feeling she feels isn't as prominent, and instead of dangerous, the stone trail seems enchanted, something out of a fairytale. For a moment, darkness seems to hold fairies and wonders, and not deadly monsters. It almost makes Yura smile. Almost.

Without knowing, her feet have lead into the kitchen, and to her usual seat, she stares into the served food. Fish, rice, boiled eggs, and vegetables. Ordinary, familiar, and comforting. She's distracted, she knows, but not distracted enough to miss Ryuuji's arrival. He stares her way, sending her outfit a questioning glance. It is unlike her to not be ready yet; she knows.

"You're not planning on skipping, right?" he asks gruffly, taking his seat and digging into his food. Ryuuji is in his school uniform like he's every day. No inner conflict or weird balancing is needed. He knows how to deal with their mother. So he takes the night shift. Ryuuji attends classes, spends the afternoon at home, and then goes youkai hunting when the sunsets. Yura usually goes youkai hunting during daylight hours until evening, so she can sleep at night. Most days, Yura stays away until ungodly hours of the night, hoping to not come into contact with her mother at all. The later it is, the more tired she'll be, and the less Yura has to talk to her.

"No, I just don't know if I'm going to school just yet. I may go do some rounds," she answered simply, taking a bite of her fish. It wasn't as crunchy as she'd preferred.

"You'ver been doing rounds all week, Yura, and you pulled a muscle yesterday." Yura's head snapped towards her brother's at lightning speed.

"How did you...?" she started.

"Akifusa told me." He eyed her, and Yura wonders if her inner conflict is as apparent to him as it is to her. "Take today and tomorrow off, go to school and relax, I have the feeling you've been overworking again."

Yura freezes. A colorless, disappointed, empty stare flashes through her mind. Pale, cold hands grip her heart. The only word registering through her mind is no, no, no, no, no.

"I'm not. I'm fine," the young girl denies, heart, threatening to beat right out her chest.

"Still," her brother grumbles.

"Ryuuji..." she says pleadingly, "you can't do this..."

"Do you really not stand her so much?" he asks, his stare isn't judging or disapproving, but Yura feels shame overwhelm her all the same. She knows Ryuuji understands; how could he no? But Yura still thinks he understands their mother too, and it pains him that Yura can't. That she can't see through her mother's distress and her coldness and her distance. Maybe Yura doesn't try enough, or perhaps she's too tired of trying. Maybe she feels that it's time her mother realizes she's just ten years old and that as an adult, she's the one who should be trying to understand her. Not the other way around!

But she doesn't say any of this and just sighs. In her lack of words, she looks away. She doesn't want to lie, but she doesn't want to confirm it either.

This time, Ryuuji sighs.

"It's not that, Ryuuji." She mumbles weakly, in a tone that betrays how many times this conversation has taken place.

"You cannot live your life avoiding her." A part of Yura is tempted to tell him that she's been doing just fine up until then. She doesn't, though. Instead, she says:

"I know." But I can try.

Ryuuji sees something in her stare (probably unending desperation) and gives in with a long measured breath that goes through his mouth.

"You're still going to school, and you're only doing evening hours for the rest of the week." Yura doesn't even bother protesting because that's as good as she's going to get. Ryuuji doesn't do it just because, but Yura has to make herself see that most times.

Despite getting what she wanted, she feels no relief. Yura knows she just missed the fire pan and jumped right into the fire. She's not sure the bullying, the mocking, and the ridicule beat her mother's stare. School is just another form of hell. Her classmates are slightly different devils than the ones she's trained to face. Undefeatable, since she can't really fight them, now can she?

Yura finishes her breakfast. There really is no way she's facing her mother, after the morning she's had.

Today will be an ordinary day, miserable as always.

Present Day, Ukiyoe

Yura's fantasy of attending school without the weight of the Keikain last name dissipates from existence between her arrival and lunch in the shape of a classmate. The girl is pretty and tall, with short light-brown her and tired eyes. She smiles kindly as she shatters Yura's dreams.

"My name's in Kana Ienaga," she bows in front of Yura's desk, "I'm the President of Ukiyoe Middle's Occult. I'm sorry for asking but, you are from the Keikain of Kyoto, yes?" Yura has the genuine urge to deny it, but what's the point?

"I... am."

Last time, it took her cousins purposefully haunting her classrooms to scare the crap of her classmates before Yura got any form of respite. Even then, she was always singled-out and envied, resented, and fear. Whatever it took for exorcists to fit into regular society, Yura doesn't have. Ukiyoe is going to be very lonely once this gets out.

"This is absolutely brilliant, I am a huge fan of your family's history," Kana smiles, and Yura's negativity falters. She stares into Kana's brown eyes, looking genuine enough.

"...You are?" It's so unexpected that it leaves Yura reeling a little. "Why?"

"Well, you guys fight evil spirits, right?" She says happily, but her eyes darken as she continues, looking over at someone else too fast for Yura to catch specifically who. "We need plenty of that around here."

Something clicks in Yura's brains.

"You guys have an occult club?" Kana nods her head solemnly.

"We do. We've been tracking local and national stories for years, and try to make people conscious about the dangers they might not know about," her explanation becomes almost shy, her hand coming to play with a lock of hair. "It's nothing grand like what you guys do, just basic things like avoiding certain places or small charms."

"Against youkai?" Yura asks in skepticism.

"Well, ayakashi, in general."

"You believe in ayakashi?!" Yura hates how the question comes out; in the same judgemental and disbelieving tone, she has been the recipient of too many times. It's not on purpose; she really is just that surprise. Kana recoils, going as far as taking a hesitant step back.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes, withdrawing into herself in a move Yura has practiced many times. Reaching out and getting burn.

"No, I-" she breathes in, "I do! I'm sorry, you just... I was just... surprised. Most people do not..."

"Ukiyoe is... somewhat special," Kana answers, her smile is cautious, but at least it's back. Yura lets out a breath she didn't even notice she was holding. "Most people don't believe in them either, I understand."

"What do you mean, special?" Kana blinks, understanding sinking into her slowly.

"I mean, yeas, why... no reason for you to know, I guess," she mumbles to herself. This conversation, Yura realizes, is a treasure mine. Not only did she find another girl who believes in youkai on the first day, but she also runs a club of people who also believe in youkai. And, she also seems to know about the weird power vacuum in the area. Yura cannot actually believe her luck. "Well," Kana continues, seemingly able to find the right words to explain, "Kanto is yokai territory."

"Hah?"

The format errors in chapter 2 have been fixed by the way!