I Got Reincarnated! - Kitsune Chronicles
~Chapter 19~ After Care
Everyone just watched in silence as the two leaders of Tempest were trying to separate the Beastmen from the pulsing violet core of Charybdis, of course keeping the foolish beastman alive.
A strange blue barrier around the three prevented anyone from getting closer without Kayo calling for them. A white pillar had risen from the ground to cradle the uncurious man so Kayo could work on him more easily. Several small sharp blades in her hands that glowed white from heat as she carefully cut around the veins that held the strange core to the leopard's chest. Both her eyes blackened as they carefully took note of the patient's body, carefully monitoring his vitals that where in the lower acceptable limits. Already having removed the armor and clothing from his chest to better access the tumor like core attached to him.
Rimuru was mostly watching the kitsune at work, having a special job of absorbing the power coming out of the core, keeping it from rooting itself deeper into its host or Kayo as she cuts itaway.
'Almost done.' Kayo informed the slime who nodded, even as the kitsune was hyper focused on seprating the infected flesh from its host. It amazed the slime at how she was keeping the beastman stable and minimizing bleeding, injecting some strange green liquid slowly into the beastman's body to help his body produce more blood.
'There!' Kayo informed as she swiftly cut the last root from the core, severing its connection with Phobio at last. 'Got it!' Rimuru assured his sister, smiling proudly as he was able to consume it, and then have it isolated to be appraised at another time. Kayo's ribbon handing her the needle and sutures to close up the leopard as Rimuru fell to the ground in mental exhaustion, watching the kitsune patching up the troublemaker carefully.
-Notice: Kayo Tempest has achieved Master Surgen, allowing for the user to quickly and more efficiently preform surgeries anywhere. -
'Well, that's good, I didn't think surgery would be of much use in this world but I guess there are still somethings even magic can't fix.' the slime mused as Kayo pulled away, her stitching work done. "This idiot better not die anytime soon." Kayo grumbled before she fell backwards, feeling dizzy from all the stress, only to welcome the scent of a camp fire and cinnamon that laced the arms that caught her mid fall after the sanitation barrier dropped.
"Are you okay, Kayo?" Benimaru questioned worriedly as Kayo closed her eyes, putting away all of the black leopard's medical information away in the back of her mind. "Yeah, just a bit tired." She told him softly, wanting to just fall asleep right now as her body felt heavy. "You think-" Rimuru was asking before Kayo growled and tossed a vile of some white stuff at him, or rather her ribbon did. "Yes. Get the stupid cat awake and talking." the kitsune groaned as her head pounded. The slime smiling as he tossed a glob of healing potion on the still uncurious beastmen, Rimuru questioning if he should really use the smelling salt Kayo gave him to wake the just recovered Phobio.
"Lord Rimuru." Captain Dorf called out to the slime, having dismounted form his steed.
"Ah, Captain Dorf. I appreciate the help your men and the, um, lovely ladies provided for us. We couldn't have defeated Charybdis without you." The slime voiced as he noticed the elven woman approach Kayo and Benimaru.
"Are you Beni?" The elvan woman asked the Kijin who blinked in confusion, Kayo however, perked up as her ears twitched. "I am Benimaru, what reason do you have to speak to me?" he asked the woman unsurely as she seemed to be smiling under her mask. Before she pulled out a little black book, holding it out to the confused kijin. "This is for you, from King Gazel. Take care of your little fox~." the elf mussed as Kayo opened her right eye to take a peek before both popped open as she gasped. "Seriously!?" the kitsune hissed at the amused woman who was walking away. Kayo blushing as Benimaru looked at the item, reading the golden inlay of the strange book, 'How to Care for Your Pet Fox'.
"Why would he give me a pet care guide?" The red Kinjin asked, innocently confused as Kayo was mentally cursing the mind reading king. "I-it's nothing you need to worry about." the she assured him, the fox squirming in his arms before he helped her stand back up, just as they heard Captain Dord laugh at something.
"I see you have a fondness for jokes, Rimuru! If you had such a powerful magical weapon, I wish you had said so from the start!" The knight reasoned and the kitsune felt a little bad as she recognized the man was having a hard time processing the truth. "It's No joke! I'm a Demon lord! I defeated Charybdis!" Milim told the knight before Kayo came over and placed a hand on the girl's head, confusing her as blue eyes looked at the kitsune woman who pulled out a small coin bag and tossed it at the captain.
"What is this? We can't take payment for-" He was saying confused as he caught the bag and was going to hand it back to the kitsune. "Drinks are on me. Go home, have a few drinks and some food. You and your men have earned it for helping us. Oh, and if can you keep our little secret quite too. That would be great." Kayo asked and gave the captain a wink as she pat Milim's head, confusing the girl as she pouted at not being recognized as a demon lord by the knight. "Of course, I will have to tell King Gazel but other than him, your secret is safe with us. I can assure you." the captain voiced and put away the bag, not opening it to see what else was inside. "Charybdis could have had a catastrophic effect on all of mankind, so it's defeat is most fortuitus. Thank you, Lord Kayo, for taking care of my men and the horses. We shall be taking our leave now." He bowed to the kitsune as he mounted his horse to lead his men back, some of the elven ninja's going with them, making Rimuru pout a little.
"Now that their gone, let's get the kitty talking." Kayo hissed as she turned to the now conscious Phobio who was slowly sitting up from the ground, having awoken on his own.
"Where... am I? What... what did I?" He questioned as everyone around him tensed and where ready to attack him should he get hostile. Kayo's golden eyes narrowing at the leopard. "Do you remember what you did?" She asked him and he met her eyes that had looked very familiar to him... her familiar black fox ears and many tails made him gasp as he made the final connection. "Ah! P-please forgive me, princess!" He yelled and got on all fours, his head hitting the ground rather hard, but Kayo glared harder at him after what he had just called her. "I've done something unforgivable to Lady Milim, and I've caused so much trouble for you!" He groveled and the kitsune fought the urge to punch him for calling her princess before asking him some questions, but Treyni beat her to it.
"How did you know where Charybdis was sealed?" the Dryad asked, approaching with her sister who wanted answers. "We won't accept that you just happened to find it." Trya added sternly.
"Answer them, Phobio." Kayo commanded, using his proper name that make the beastmen shiver as he sat up on his knees, head bowed in shame. "Right... you see... I was approached by these two masked harlequins. They showed me the cave where Charybdis was sealed." He told the kitsune but was shocked as the masked jesters seemed to appear before them, but with two more masked majins he didn't recognize, all of them looking transparent but life sized. "Did they look like any of these four?" Kayo asked, projecting the images she had of the trouble making clowns, the shocked beastman slowly pointed to the pink haired female and the large angry masked one. The second one catching the red Kijin's attention, as it seemed the image was plucked from his own memory.
"Those two are the ones that told me of Charybdis, and I foolishly believed I could control such a monster." Phobios admitted shamefully. "They called themselves Tear and Footman."
"Um. That Laplace guy also..." Gabiru spoke up, pointing to the tallest of the 4 images, taken from Treyni's memory. "You've seen him?" Kayo asked the dragonnewt who nodded in confirmation. "Yes. He once showed up before me as a servant of Gelmud. That is what he looked like, I'm certain of it." Gabiru confirmed confidently. "Also, he called himself the vice president of a jack-of-all-trades group-"
"The Moderate Harliquinn Alliance." Kayo finished, already knowing the group's name, gritting her teeth in annoyance. 'The picture is getting clearer, but there is still much we don't know. Like who are they working for and what they really want.' the kitsune thought before letting out a small chuckle. 'Shame, I could have been great friends with these guys. If they weren't making such a fucking mess for me.' She thought darkly.
"They pretend they're helping you, then use you to for fill their goals without getting their own hands dirty... They sound like they will be trouble." Rimuru voiced out loud and turned to Milim who raised her hands in the air. "I don't know anything about them! In fact, if fun people like that are really out there. I wanna meet them!" she admitted and Kayo felt a little guilty for agreeing with the little demon lord.
"It may be that it wasn't Gelmud, but Claymen who's plotting something in secret." Milim suggested as Kayo glanced at her. "What makes you say that?" the kitsune asked, as her ears and nose picked up on someone approaching... someone who smelled like a lush savanna. "Claymen loves coming up with schemes like that." the little demon lord told her before the kitsune looked away from her and glared at their new 'guest' as they approached.
"Regardless of who's scheme I was roped into, what happened was my own responsibility. It has nothing to do with Demon Lord Carrion, so please... take my life and leave him out of this! I beg of you, princess!" Phobio pleaded, bowing low again to the kitsune and slime only for the kitsune to flick his forehead rather painfully, getting a surprisingly cute mew out of the beastmen as he was not excepting the odd yet painful attack. "Don't call me princess. I didn't carefully cut that core out of you just to kill you. That would ruin all my hard work!" Kayo hissed as she poked his chest that didn't heal like the rest of him, the stiches leaving a white 4-pointed star like scar on the skin of his collar bone. "Learn from this experience and grow wiser. At least learn not trust masked strangers who promise you power to defeat a Demon Lord." She scolded the leopard before pulling out something from her tails and shoving it into the beastmen's open mouth before he could speak again.
"W-what was that!?" Phobio asked as he chewed and swallowed the tasty morsel, she had fed him; he couldn't help but droll from the strange taste, looking up at the kitsune woman with reverence, his tail happily waving behind him subconsciously. "A field ration, you haven't eaten for a while and you need more meat in your diet or at least more protein." Kayo informed him before looking away from him and at their new guest.
"Seriously what are you feeding them, Demon Lord Carrion? I had a hard enough time keeping him alive with how malnourished this kitty is." Kayo asked, glaring at the large blond man that slowly approached them, shocking just about everyone else as the man chuckled with amusement.
"L-lord Carrion!" Phobio shouted in shock at seeing his lord in the flesh.
"You're sharp one, kit. Just like your old man." The Beast Master mussed as Kayo was taken by surprise as her golden eyes blinked in confusion. "You... know my father?" she inquired unsurely, not liking the smirk on the beast master's face. "Of course. Zorro and I go way back. He's told me a lot about you, I can't get him to shut up." he mused, switching to a language Kayo and Rimuru had thought they had been the only ones to know. "How do you know this language?" The reincarnated woman asked, narrowing her golden eyes at the smirking demon lord.
"Your father taught it to me. Didn't think I would ever use it to speak with his little pride and joy too. You don't disappoint at all." He mussed and placed a large hand on Kayo's shoulder, the kitsune letting him, curious about his motives before she saw flashes of his memories.
There were two young men fighting each other, one looking like a young and scrawny Carrion, the other a black kitsune that looked a lot like Kayo, only without the white tips and he had blue eyes instead of gold.
The memory changed, and Kayo could see the two where now fighting back-to-back against some large enemies, the kitsune having 4 tails in the memory before it changed again.
The two males where at a feast, laughing and drinking, of course admiring some beautiful women before a fire kitsune caught the black kitsune's eye. Encouraged by a young Carrion to go after the beautiful fox. Only to get slapped for whatever pick up line he had used. The lion beastmen roaring with laughter at his friend's failure.
Then the two were fighting again, alone in some deserted location, exchanging serious blows before the beast master found himself on his back, a 9 tailed kitsune pressing a large paw to his chest, fangs bared close to Carrion's face before he gave up. The kitsune then left the man that was his friend on the ground, not seeing the defeated lion beastman cry silently at the loss of his friend.
Finally, the last memory was of the Black kitsune returning, beaming excitedly as he talked about his little kit that looked like him a true void fox. Then about the things Kayo had done to help establish Tempest... like he had been watching her the whole time.
"Has...has he been in your territory? For how long?" Kayo asked, as she looked unblinkingly up at the demon lord, a cold chill coming over her as she reasoned that the stranger that had invaded her home... could have been her own father with how strange it was.
"A while, sorry for keeping him away for long, and about your mother. I think you make a great Kitsune Lord in Zorro's place. Thanks for taking care of my subordinates too. Maybe we can have a meal together some time. I hear your hospitality is amazing." the demon lord praised her but noticed the kitsune woman sparking black lighting as she suppressed more of her negative emotions.
"You're the masked Majin who defeated Gelmud, are you not?" Carrion asked, looking at a confused and worried Rimuru, having let Kayo handle the new demon lord who seemed to know her father. "Yes, That's right." The slime responded and everyone tensed, ready to fight the beast master should he attack. "Are you here to avenge him?" Rimuru asked, relaxed as he looking the powerful beastmen right in the eyes, and blinked slowly to show he was not a threat to the feline beastmen, having learned about that silent communication from Kayo.
"Nah. Phobio, get up." The beast master mussed and addressed his beastketeer, walking over to him calmly. "Y-yes, Sir!" Phobio was quick to follow his lord's command, standing back up on his own two feet before the beast master grabbed his head, and rammed it hard into the ground. Shocking many but angering the kitsune woman out of her thoughts. "HEY! Don't destroy any more of the few brain cells he has left!" She scolded the demon lord who chuckled, even as Kayo poked him in the chest angerly while she poured a small vile of healing potion onto the newly injured Phobio who groaned from the pain.
"Sorry, Kit. I had to teach him a hard lesson. Why not come back with me to Euranazia? I'm sure your old man would be excited to see you." Carrion suggested and held his hand out for the kitsune to take, but Kayo crossed her arms over her chest. "Hard Pass. My home is here in Tempest, if my sire wants to see me, he can come here and face me himself." Kayo hissed angerly, suspecting something else was going on, finding it strange he didn't mention her siblings or why her father wouldn't meet her in Tempest.
"Sorry about that. It seems my underling here was out of control. That means I was negligent in his over site. I hope you'll forgive him." Carrion turned to the slime as Kayo and the monkey beastmen were looking over Phobio who looked ashamed. "S-sure. We forgive him." Rimuru spoke on his sister's behalf as she was monitoring the injured beastman again, Benimaru and Souei giving the leopard death glares as Kayo helped him off the ground, even if the monkey beastmen was also helping, Phobios seemed too happy with the woman's attention. Even more so when she gave him a simple black cape to keep him warm as the kitsune had striped his torso to treat him.
"I owe you one after all this. If anything comes up you can always count on me." The beast master assured Rimuru with a confident smile, but the other inhabits of tempest looked at him unsurely. "In that case, we would appreciate it if you'd enter a non-aggression pact with our nation." Rimuru suggested, only to make Carrion chuckle and point his thumb at Kayo. "That's all you want? You have one right there, I'm not going to attack my little niece." he joked before the kitsune shot him a glare. "So if I leave, you'll attack my home then? Be serious, Uncle Carrion." Kayo hissed, addressed the demon lord who was shocked for a moment before letting out a loud laugh and ruffled the annoyed kitsune's hair.
"All right, all right. You're too cute for being one of Zorro's kits." he mused before making his declaration, Kayo fixing her messed up hair.. "I, Demon Lord... No... The Beast Master of the Animal Kingdom of Euranazia, Carrion, swear on my name to never raise a blade-"
"Hand, Paw, or Claw." Kayo added, making Carrion chuckle as he realized what the kitsune was doing.
"Nor a hand, paw, or claw, against-"
"The Jura Tempest Federation and her allies." Kayo supplied and Carrion repeated her words with a proud smile. "The Jura Tempest Federation and her allies. Is that to your satisfaction my little niece?" He asked the kitsune who nodded. "For now." she added before the man pulled out what looked like a letter from his shirt and held it out to the confused fox.
"Your father asked me to give this to you, unless you're re-thinking of visiting your home." the demon lord suggested, holding out the strange letter to Kayo before she carefully took it. "Tempest IS my home, but I wouldn't mind visiting Euranazia one day. Right now, I'm kinda busy with another matters." she informed Carrion who nodded in understanding, a small smile on his face as he noticed Phobio's cape had a cute purple bow around his neck, the leopard was even purring in contentment.
"Come on, we're leaving and you're going to have to explain to Zorro what you did to his little kit as well." Carrion told Phobio who instantly paled and looked terrified as he recalled what he had done upon first meeting the kitsune woman. The beast master having a tight hold on the terrified leopard, before he turned to Kayo and Rimuru with a knowing smile.
"I'll see you both again soon." he mused and then teleported him and his men away before Phobio could utter a sound.
"Well, now that's over. Let's head home." Rimuru sighed in relief, turning to his forces who happily agreed but glancing at Kayo, he could see her still pondering over the letter the demon lord had given her.
"Kayo? Are you okay?" the slime asked looking at her worriedly as she was staring at it hard, a black wax seal on it with a white 4-pointed star at the center. "I'm fine. Just... thinking too much." Kayo sighed and her legs gave out before Souei was quickly by her side, holding her in his arms.
"I have you, Kayo. You have done a lot today, please rest." the ninja asked Kayo who was blushing mostly from him using her name and how he easily seemed to cradle her in his arms. "I can't, I've got to speak with the elders about the peals and a few other things." she reasoned with a sigh, tucking away the letter in her tails for later, not wanting to have to deal with her absent father. "But you can still carry me back to the village." the kitsune sighed, resting her head on the ninja's chest, eyes closed as she felt emotionally drained.
Missing the hurt look on Benimaru's face as he watched his friend carry the kitsune so lovingly.
~Dinner Time~
"Agh. I feel sick." Kayo groaned, placing a hand over her nose and mouth, having sat down on a cloth covered bench with Rimuru, watching everyone prepare the few intact megalodons for a village wide feast. "Eh? I wonder why that could be." Rimuru muttered, looking at Benimaru as he said it, only to be poked by the annoyed kitsune. "Oi! It's not that, you pervert. I checked. It's probably just nerves, I did have to re kill 5 of my foxes." she told the slime, annoyed and a bit sad as she could still see their sprits lingering around, even without the demon's eye being active, their pearls already being in the care of the elders.
"Oh yeah. My condolences for your loss... so... should we really be celebrating then? It seems rude to have a feast after our own have died. Wait, there are no kitsune here." The slime noticed; Kayo sighed tiredly once he realized that the foxes that had helped with the battle and were normally seen in town were missing. "They're in the Kitsune Village, the funerals for the fallen will be held tomorrow and mourning will be held for 3 days. So, you might not see me for a while still." Kayo told him, looking sad but putting on a smile as a goblina offered her a glass of water and a plate of the cooked Megalodon dinner.
"Thanks, Haruna" Kayo thanked her as the goblina beamed. "Please enjoy, Lord Kayo. You seem really tired after the battle. If there is anything you need, just ask." she told the kitsune who nodded politely as she drank the water slowly once she turned to leave, pushing the plate over to the slime who took on his human form. "You're not even gonna try it?" he asked, but picked up the plate and inhaled the delectable aroma. "No. You can have it, I'm not hungry." Kayo told him and dogged Rimuru's attempts to make her eat it. "Hey, come on. Just try a little~." he pouted and tied to get the kitsune to try a bite of the megalodon meat before she slapped it out of his hand. "I said no." Kayo growled lowly, a few villagers already watching the two odd siblings, a few looked shocked that the kitsune was refusing delicious food.
"How come? You're usually such a glutton." The slime pointed out, now really worried something was wrong with Kayo.
"I am not, enjoy the meal. I think I need to get some- MILIM!" Kayo yelled the Demon Lords name in a sudden burst of panic, startling the slime and many of the villagers around her. The Demon Lord herself confused as she had just grabbed a plate of Megalodon meat before the kitsune was taking it out of her hands. "You're not eating that; you're coming with me young lady." She said strictly and grabbed the demon lord with her fluffy tails.
"Huh!? Why sisy!?" Milim asked, shocked as she struggled to get out of the kitsune's fluffy tails genuinely, having tried to pull at the tails only for her hands and legs to touch nothing but fur or void. "It's bad for you, but I've got something else you can try. You can be my taste tester." Kayo told her, trying to sound playful but was feeling a bit over whelmed, planning on taking the dragonoid away from the forbidden temptation. A memory fox having brought the reason why they shouldn't be eating the megalodons, and why there had been bodies of lesser dragons near Charybdis when it was set free.
'We can't eat the body of our Lord and Kin. That sick fuck!' Kayo thought angerly, sparking dangerously only for a familiar face to step in her way.
"Not now Akito." she hissed at the young star fox who drew his katana on her. "My brother and his team are dead... yet you're here celebrating? Some Kitsune Lord you are! Do you even feel anything!? Did you not care that you sent your own family to die? Or did you want to look strong for your harem!?" the kitsune accused while Kayo gave him a cold blank stare. Everyone around them was quiet and watching the confrontation.
"Go home, Akito." Kayo told the fox coldly, Milim had stopped struggling and relaxed in the soft warm tails to watch the drama, strangely the ribbon offered the demon lord some potato chips to snack on, she didn't question it as she happily munched on the salty fired spuds.
"NO! Why are you hiding us away! I thought you trusted the slime! That he was your family! We are your family by blood, cousin! Are you ashamed of us!? Are we to weak for the powerful Kayo Tempest!? The one who made us give up our pearls in exchange for names and safety during the Orc Disaster!?" Akito asked as Kayo noticed his blade was shaking and tears where in his eyes, full of fear, anger, and hurt. While her eyes where a dull yellow in attempt to suppress the hurricane of feelings and keeping control even as her reputation was being muddled.
"Shut up, and go home. This is not the time nor place for this conversation." Kayo coldly told the young 2 tailed star fox, Rimuru slowly approached them, having noticed the black lighting arching around the kitsune and the blood dripping from her clenched fists. "Your name is Akito?" he asked the fox who took his eyes off the black kitsune who was looking down at him with cold emotionless eyes.
"Y-yes." Akito said nervously, looking fearfully at the confused slime.
"I think you should go home. Kayo has her reasons, and it's not her fault your brother lost his life in the line of duty." Rimuru tried to assure the fox but Akito just laughed. "Line of duty? Lord Rimuru, Your more powerful than Lord Kayo, right? You could have brought my brother back! Why didn't you?" the young fox pleaded as he fell to his knees, dropping his weapon before Kayo spoke up coldly. "Because Kyoya doesn't want that... none of them do." Kayo voiced as she watched the spirit of Kyoya kneel beside his brother, his team watching on in helpless sadness.
"What!? T-they lost their lives guarding a monster that broke out anyway! They turned on you and you killed them instead of saving them!" Akito accused and picked up his weapon again and ran at the black kitsune with a sorrowful cry... and his weapon missed striking the woman's stomach. The little fox was shaking and panting as he looked up at her narrowed golden eyes that were full of emotion. "Do you think hurting me will bring them back?" Kayo asked as the young fox broke into a cold sweat, feeling the killing intent coming off several of Tempest's strongest residences, but none of it was from the Kitsune herself.
"N-no. I-I'm sorry! Please! D-don't kill me!" the young fox begged as he tried to pull away, only for his arm that held the katana to be grabbed by her bloody hand. "Your grieving, Kit. Everyone grieves differently, as a leader of Tempest, and guardian of the Jura Forest I cannot let emotions dictate what is best for the future of my people and the land I protect." Kayo told him, as she gripped him painfully hard, making him whine and ears pinned down to his skull as she gave him a chilling smile.
"Do you want me to show you how I feel? Would that make you feel better? To see how your leader grieves for the loss of their people?" she asked coldly and let go of the terrified fox who fell to the ground as Kayo turned into her beast form and Milim watched in aww as the woman became massive and towered over the buildings, her black tails swaying calmly as they avoided touching any one as they could only watch as Kayo grew to her massive size, glaring down at the small terrified kit.
"K-kayo... clam down." Rimuru voiced, having a bad feeling before he heard the sudden roar of thunder, looking up he saw black clouds swirling in the once clear night sky... and a familiar aura filled the air. "Is this?" Rigurd questioned as he looked up, mouth opened in shock at the dark clouds swirling above the kitsune, the goblins trembling in fear at the sound of the thunder. "This aura... it feels like... The Great Storm Dragon, Veldora!?" Treyni voiced in confusion, before Kayo growled lowly, but it was powerful enough to shake the bodies of the powerful monsters around her, before she let out a powerful and angry roar, sounding more like a dragon then a fox. Black flames and lighting shooting from the kitsune's mouth as an intense pressure came over everyone, many of the weaker ones fell to the ground and only a few where able to stay upright during the emotional assault.
~Kitsune Village, Meeting Hall~
"SO YUMMY!" Milim gushed as she took the first bite of something she had never even seen before, the hot strange savory white stuff melted over spicy red covered bread, topped with some yummy meat and other stuff. "Glad you like it." Kayo mussed tiredly, watching the Demon Lord and the Kitsune's enjoy the pizzas she made, having been experimenting with the milk she managed to get from some small human villages just outside the Jura forest's borders, as well as the toppings.
The atmosphere was somber but lightened a little as Kayo had presented the odd creation to them. While unsure at first the Pink haired Demon lord happily enjoying it convinced them to at least try it and love it as Kayo had added fried tofu on top. Watching all the foxes smile a little as they ate and drink some freshly made lemonade, that seemed pretty popular among the kitsune. Sake being a close second only because it was reserved for the older kitsunes.
The Void Kitsune taking small sips of the yellow liquid and picking up the beef topped pie slice to take a bite, softly moaning at the familiar taste. 'I've missed this so much~. I bet Satoru would love this... or maybe a cheeseburger?' she thought of the slime fondly. Trying to brush away the feelings of shame for what she had done back in Rimuru city. Where she had unlashed her ugly emotions and attempted to use up the rest of the power Veldora had given her when she 'asked' for it.
'I didn't think he would actually DO it. I might even be confused for him if I try that again.'
She sighed as she looked around at the remining foxes, a few only absent because of their duties outside the Jura Forest keeping them away. A few fairies fluttering around and happily chatting with the foxes and mostly enjoying the fruits as they were too small to eat the pizza without shrinking the hot pies first.
The meeting hall mimicking the large tatami room in Rimuru city, extra special shoji doors painted with the images of foxes, the color depending on where certain kitsune sat but for the most part all species of kitsune were mingled together. Behind Kayo was an image of a black and white 7 tailed fox with the Kajin for Tempest on its body, which confused the 'Kitsune Lord' until she counted her own tails. The door having been enchanted to display her power as she sat on top a slight dais that put her, the Kitsune leaders, and Milim a few inches above the rest of the kitsune in the room. While also giving Kayo a nice view of the flower garden just beyond the building, the smell of wisteria blowing in from the gentle wind that blessed the night after her thunder storm vent session.
"May I have everyone's attention." Orion spoke up, the blind kitsune carefully standing up with the help of his grandson, Icarus. The foxes and fay quieted as they looked to the Kitsune Elder that sat at Kayo's right as Kayo's brother Antony sat to her left flaking the demon lord. Even Milim looked at the elder as she kept eating the amazing pizza.
"While we are here because we lost 5 of our own, we must live on in their honor. Life, be it of a Human, a Beast, or a Monster, is a gift that can be taken from us at any time. We may morn their deaths now, but the life these 5 lived should be celebrated." Orion voiced sagely, and nearly all eyes turned to the alter that had special paintings that was made of the lost foxes along with meals for each fox that was an offering to their souls.
Kayo said nothing as she saw the fox sprits sitting near their paintings, looking forlorn over their fate.
"Kyoya, The Star fox., was a brave leader Lord Kayo trusted to help keep the monster Charybdis sealed away. He would have given his life to see his mission threw." Orion voiced sadly before the other elders spoke up, the green fox Kayo had named Demeter.
"Ginger, The Forest fox, was a timid and shy girl when it came to other creatures. However, give her some seeds and she would bloom like the most beautiful, yet deadliest of flowers." The Forest Fox sadly mussed, a hand on her heart as she had adopted the orphaned kit, holding back her tears.
"Rocky, The Earth fox was a strong and hardworking lad. He would have been the first one to jump to his kin's defense, and show them the might of Earth Kitsunes." Another elder, a muscly brown fox Kayo called Atlis spoke up, flexing his arms with a confident smile.
"Ash, The Fire fox was... strong willed, determined, and loyal. She would have fought the hardest to not only see the mission threw but also keep her teammates safe." Antohny spoke up soberly. Having been made the Leader for the fire foxes after Kayo took them in. The Kitsune lord feeling even worse having lost a strong candidate for her eldest brother's mate.
"Otto, The Water fox was intelligent and gentle, more suited for work in Lord Kayo's Hospital lab then out in the field. Yet, they wanted to ensure that their friends would come back unharmed." The Water Fox elder, Neptune voiced, not having touched the pizza and was slowly sipping some Sake that his mate, Oceana, poured him dutifully as she held back her tears, looking at their eldest child's painting with sorrow.
"If you want to blame anyone for their deaths, blame me." Kayo spoke up as all eyes turned to her in shock. "I trusted them with this mission that was requested by the Dryad, Treyni. I granted the Dryad my power to reinforce the seals that had kept the monster at bay for centuries already." The Void fox admitted, taking the warm Sake that was offered to her by Orion, looking at her reflection in the liquid before looking back at all the eyes watching her. "I trusted these foxes to guard the already reinforced shield, and if by some chance the seals broke. They would be able to deal with Charybdis or be swift enough to escape and report back alive... I did not prepare them for the unexpected... that someone else would know, let alone want, to set Charybdis free." She admitted and raised her glass.
"So this is why I make this declaration, same as I made in Rimuru City. Stand with me or stay out of my way, but do not stand against me. As those who took the lives of my kin, shall face my wrath, ten million-fold!" Kayo declared strongly, raising her glass as the other's copied the action, the kitsune's present cheered in agreement as Kayo and the other Kitsune drank to her conviction.
"Yay! This is going to be fun~!" Milim clapped and giggled before biting into the crust of the pizza, only to be surprised as there was also cheese and meat stuffed inside!
~Sleep? Rimuru's Stomach~
"What was that move that you used on the kitsunes!?" Veldora immediately asked Kayo as the woman appeared inside of the slime's stomach, the massive dragon looming over her, his scaly tail wagging behind him in excitement.
"What?" Kayo questioned as she didn't mind when the dragon picked her up and held her close to his large snout, smirking she extended her hand and gave the end of it a gentle Boop that made the dragon feel strangely warm. "That thunder move, Rimuru called it Thunder breathing. Where did you learn it? Is it from those sacred texts?" The dragon asked with great interest before she decided how to answer the Weebo Dragon.
"Yes, it's from a manga called Kimetsu no Yaiba or Demon Slayer. It's used by one of the main characters but he can only use the first from, called Thunder Clap." She explained to the excited dragon, that had found a way to access Rimuru's 'library' of manga. "Here it is." Ifrit helpfully found Rimuru's memory of the manga, jumping into the Dragon's claws and kneeling next to Kayo, handing it to the woman who took the manga with great care and reverence.
"Demon Slayer, did you use these texts teachings to fight that demon?" The fire sprit questioned, curious and intrigued by the cover, a scared young human male holding a demonic looking young girl almost protectively with the black of his sword held outwards and away from the demon in his arms. "Um, not really. These teaching require precise breath control and a special sword made to cut threw demon's skin with ease. I had nether and the fight was more of a..." she couldn't find the right word to describe her fight with the demon.
'Tussle.' The demon supplied helpfully, sounding mentally worn out from watching 3 seasons of colorful pony friends' adventures. "Tussle. Yeah, that sounds about right." Kayo nodded and sighed as she seemed to be the only one to hear the demon at the moment. "Why is he protecting that demon? Or does the lad not know how to use a sword?" Veldora asked, inspecting at the cover carefully before the Kitsune pondered if they should read it... or watch it.
"How about instead of reading it... we watch it? They made an anime out of it; the visuals are stunning as well as a hit movie. I loved Kyojuro Rengoku, he was HOT and delicious~!" The kitsune gushed freely, thinking of the handsome Flame Hashira as the two looked at her in confusion. "Who is this, Kyojuro Rengoku? Does he have more of your affection then the two Kijin?" Veldora questioned, confused before Kayo corrected him. "No, no, no. Benimaru and Soeui are real, Rengoku is a just fictional character created by someone to be in a fantastic story. Even if he was real, he's not in this world and would be very out of place here. Not to mention... he plays an important role in the story but I don't want to spoil it for you guys." Kayo mindfully added with a sigh.
"What if you were in his world? Would you still hold affection for them?" Ifrit asked as Kayo was quiet. "Maybe... if I knew of them. Heh, I wouldn't doubt the slime ball would make an interesting main character of some Isekai. Then again, he is a middled aged man in a slime's body, and most main characters are teenagers. Huh... hey Veldora, Ifrit, did either of you see any elves in Satoru's memories?" The kitsune questioned, having an interesting idea as the two trapped beings looked at each other and then looked at her.
"What are you thinking of doing?" Veldora asked, an amused smirk on his face as the fox told them of her plans and intentions.
~Rimuru City, Hot Springs, Female Side~
"Is Kayo going to come back?" Eren asked, looking worried as she and the other girls plus Rimuru soaked in the hot springs to relax after that freighting display the kitsune had put on.
"Lord Kayo was holding back so much. She has so much compassion for her fellow kitsune, even when losing 5 of them. She even knew their names and their close family members." Shion mentioned soberly as she and Shuna shared a look, having experienced their village being destroyed, their friends and family perishing overnight.
"Is it true she made a village of Kitsune?" Souka asked the slime, curious if the information the little kitsune had exposed while confronting his leader.
"Yeah, Kayo told me about it. I haven't seen it in person yet, but she thought making a village for just the foxes was a good idea. They don't have the best experiences with humans and are a bit too wild to live in traditional housing." The slime told them, as he floated in the water, worried for his little sister who had so much bottled up. 'What would get her stress levels down? Eh? Maybe? Well, her sensei did give her protection.' The slime was thinking, blushing as his mind went to Benimaru and Souei taking care of Kayo earlier that day, how happy she seemed to be with the affection.
"Hot Springs!" Milim cheered as she skipped over to the hot springs in only a towel, egger to just jump in and not wash. Much to the horror of the young kijin and the slime before she was stopped by a barely covered Kayo in her kijin form.
"Lord/Kayo!?" most of them shouted in shock, save for Souka who sunk into the water, looking away from the powerful woman.
"Hey. Come on Milim. You know the rules. Wash first and then you can play in the bath." Kayo scolded the little demon lord who pouted. "Okay sisy but can you braid my hair into buns for me?" she asked the woman excitedly as Kayo gave her a soft smile. "Sure, I know a cute new style you might like." the woman mussed as she helped the demon lord wash up.
"Ah! Lord Kayo! Allow me to wash your back!" Shion offered as she eagerly came out of the bath and towards Kayo. Helping the transformed fox wash up as she took care of Milim who was calmed by Kayo's hands scrubbing her scalp with the lavender scented soap. "Kayo really knows how to handle Lady Milim." Shuna sighed as she watched the 3 other females in admiration, trying not to let her eyes fall to the large plump masses on the older women's chest as she placed a hand over her own smaller lumps.
The Slime seeming to be looking away before Kayo shouted in shock.
"Shion! Stop grabbing my breasts!" Kayo blushed as she scolded the purple Kijin who smiled as she got really close to black kijin, who felt Shion's chest pressing into her back. "But Lord Kayo~, how do yours look and feel so firm?" Shion asked as she lifted and squeezed the other woman's breasts that didn't even fit into her hands. "There naturally like that, and I use this new thing called a bra. I have one for you too if you want to try it. I can say for sure your back pain will no longer be an issue and will keep them from sagging a little while longer." The kitsune told her, pulling her hands away from Milim to pull Shion off her chest.
'I'm just going to ignore that, but what else relaxes Kayo?' Rimuru pondered as Kayo explained bras to the other girls as he relaxed in the water, sad to not be able to feel its healing warmth until he saw tan arms wrap around him and felt two firm warm mounds of flesh press into his body. "Hey slime ball, you enjoying this side of the hot springs?" Kayo teased, her hair up in a braided bun after doing Milim's hair up into two cute cat like ears that she admired happily. The slime blushed as he appreciated the odd warmth before realizing what he was being squished into.
"Agh! Kayo don't do that! Your naked and I'm your brother!" The slime yelled as the other girls froze or blushed as Rimuru mentioned his 'gender' "Then why are you on the girl's side? Didn't you say yourself that there was no co-ed bathing? Or are you just a little pervert getting up close to see some young naked girls~?" Kayo teased as she sat back with the slime cuddled to her bare chest, he almost seemed to have turned pink he was so embarrassed.
"What do you want?" Rimuru asked quietly as he noticed the transformed kitsune smirking deviously. "I get to go into the male baths, since you get to come into the female baths." Kayo whispered to the slime who had a bad feeling, his 'sister' dunked him under the water and into 'her' lap... where Rimuru felt something poking him... before he was allowed to come back up to the surface.
"Okay. Your allowed to go into the male baths." he said solemnly and floated away from his 'sister' in silent shock at what had just touched him, Kayo smirked at the slime's discomfort. "Shion, pass the sake." the transformed kitsune asked as the kijin woman handed her a cup of the warmed alcohol and sat back in the bath contently. Milim swimming in the bath but Kayo let the powerful young one get away with it like Rimuru and Shuna.
"I'm really worn out after all this, you really scared everyone once you let it go." the slime scolded Kayo who sipped her sake. "My bad, I was under a lot of stress and in a bad mood. I will issue a public apology if that helps." Kayo offered as Shion poured the kitsune lord more Sake. "No need. It was just shock, but your boyfriends are worried about you too." the slime teased as Kayo choaked on her drink a little and the Dragonnewt let out a gasp at hearing the confirmation from the slime himself. "I-I'll be sure to talk with them." Kayo muttered, face bright red and putting away the sake cup. Stretching her arms above her head to get the kinks out of her back, a few soft pops coming from her stiff body.
"Why are you two here anyway? Doesn't the kitsune village have its own hot springs?" the slime questioned, before Milim happily chimed in. "They do, but it's more fun to come bathe with my big sis and bestie too!" she told the slime with a genuinely happy smile. "Plus, we both like the cute little slimes here." Kayo mussed as she gently poked a red floating slime toy.
"Thanks again for today, Milim. You were a big help." The slime praised the little demon lord.
"It was nothing! It's only natural I'd do that much! Feel free to thank me more!" Milim happily soaked in the praise from Rimuru. "You two where really something yourselves! I bet you two could have handled it all by yourselves easy since he was crushing on big sis!" She praised the slime and made Kayo groan in disgust, as Milim started to happily swim across the large bath, her head above the water as to not ruin her cute cat ears. "If you two plan to become Demon Lords, I'd have no objections!" Milim cheerfully, trying to plant the idea into their heads. "A Demon Lord? You know I wouldn't become one of those." Rimuru voiced honestly as Kayo yawned. "Hard pass from me, if slime ball doesn't become one, I won't." the kitsune explained simply.
"Is there any merit to being one?" Rimuru asked Milim who paused her swimming.
"Merit?" she parroted in confusion.
"Why did you become a demon lord?" The reincarnated slime asked, curious as everyone was looking at Milim and not Kayo who stiffened and winced as a strange memory came to her attention.
A pink haired girl in a black dress, crying loudly and powerfully as the landscape around her was obliterated, the cries of millions of dead souls, the booms of powerful attacks resounding in her skull, images of magenta and red flames devastating a landscape before it all became quiet as she heard Milim's voice.
"Why did I?" The pink haired demon lord asked, barely recalling the first time she met the other demon lords for the first time. "Did something bad happen and make me become one out of frustration?" she questioned, recalling the emotion she had felt as she touched her collar bone gently, becoming confused when she didn't feel a familiar thing around her neck.
"Oh well! I can't really remember, it was so long ago I forgot!" She chirped cheerfully, shrugging it off but she did see that Kayo looked concerned for some reason as she had gone a bit pale.
"I see." Rimuru nodded, confused by Milim's strange shift.
"Oh, yeah! I just thought of one merit!" The demon lord looked proud of her self for thinking of it. Popping out of the water suddenly, much to the shock and dismay of the slime she picked up. "It's because I became a demon lord that I found myself a bestie and a big sister!" She reasoned happily as Kayo gave a weak chuckle along with the others but the slime was less impressed.
"R-right." Rimuru agreed as he tried not to look at the loli demon lord while she was nude. "Any way bestie, I need to get back to work now." Milim explained as she lowers the slime and he looked up at her face, fearing Kayo's sharp eyes mentally stabbing him.
"Work?" Shion questioned, sounding a bit shocked the young-looking girl had anything resembling 'work'.
"Right now?" Shuna questioned as it was rather late in the night to be doing any kind of work.
"That came out of nowhere." Rimuru voiced, confused as something seemed off with the childish demon lord. "Well, it doesn't mean I'll never see you again! We'll only be apart for a little while!" She told the slime and tossed him back into the water as she hopped out and did a pose Kayo had taught her, along with a special phrase. "Pretty, pretty, starlight transformation!" she called out and was covered in bright magenta light, before magically she was in the outfit that they had first seen the child demon lord in. The girl striking a pose as she was proud of herself and had a bit of fun while doing it.
Kayo and the others happily clapping in amazement of her 'pretty' transformation. Rimuru popping out of the water and spluttering, even if he didn't need to breath, it was just pure reflex. "I'll be sure to tell the other demon lords not to mess with this place, so don't worry about that!" Milim assured the slime confidently, both hands on her slender hips.
"You're going to see the other demon lords?" The slime questioned, a little intrigued and terrified to think of how many more there could be just as powerful as his bestie.
"Indeed, that's my job!" Milim explained proudly before the slime gave her his final words.
"Careful you don't let them trick you." he advised her as did the other girls with some form of the message of not letting anyone trick her into doing their bidding. It deflated the proud demon lord a little. "Y'all worry too much. They can't trick me, I'm too smart!" Milim told them, having picked up on some of Kayo's strange phrases while giving a confident laugh, even as Kayo had been silent before she gave the demon lord her final words.
"Come back soon, Starlight. Tempest and your big sis will be here to welcome you with open arms." Kayo encouraged the young girl who stopped her laughter and looked moved as she gave a soft smile... her blue eyes glittering with a bit of moisture.
"Thank you, Kayo~. I'll be back soon okay. I'm off now! Fwooh!" she said cheerfully before flying off into the star filled night. Kayo watching her fly off with a worried smile and then stared up at the stars, the others talking about how they envied the demon lord's free spirit, while their leaders shared a concerned look for Milim.
~Rimuru City, Central Plaza~
"This... nowhere else but here in Tempest can one sleep out in public without worry." Kayo voiced as she silently walked through the plaza, avoiding stepping on any of the sleeping goblins that had tired themselves out during the celebration, smiles on every face she could see. It warmed the kitsune's heart, as it was warm enough for her not to worried about their health and their immediate safety wasn't a concern either. Even when dressed in a light blue colored yukata with a thin black belt loosely holding it closed, her ribbon wrapped around her hair near her neck to hold it into a low ponytail. Her feet for once had some familiar looking black and white striped sandles with no socks of course.
"I want to protect this, but nothing lasts forever, not without paying a high price." she mussed, looking up at the clear stary sky with some hope, folding her hands in front of her chest. "My Lord Veldanava, please grant me the ability to keep protecting this nation, my family, my people, my bother. Forgive this foolish servant of yours for their selfish desires." Kayo prayed to the stars, almost hoping to hear the true dragon's voice again... but it was quiet. The sound of crickets, the fountain that decorated the city center spewing water and the soft snores from sleeping goblins were around her.
"Kayo!" The kitsune tensed, having let her guard down enough for someone to sneak up on her, but being wrapped up in the wonderful scent of a campfire with hits of cinnamon made her relax as familiar arms wrapped around her tightly. "Benimaru?" She sighed the kijin's name as she felt familiar cool but rough hands cupped her face and gently wiped away the tears she didn't know where falling from her eyes. "Souei?" she questioned, blushing as she saw the ninja Infront of her, her face in his hands as he looked at her with a stoic face... but his blue eyes gave away his concern.
"Why did you disappear?" Benimaru asked, his hot breath caressing her sensitive fox ears. "What happened to them was not your fault. You couldn't have prevented what happened. You would have been lost to us as well." The Kijin leader told her as the kitsune tried to get herself under control before her cheeks where pinched by Souei. "Don't bottle up your emotions. It only causes you harm." the ninja told her and showed her the bloody paw prints that had been the only evidence of her outburst on the paved streets. It had been sectioned off for the moment, what the goblins or Rimuru wanted to do about the large bloody paws were unknown.
"I'm a psychotic bitch, why are you comforting me?" Kayo asked them as they looked at her worriedly before they gave amused chuckles. "What?" she asked, confused by their reactions, fearful of them just abandoning her... the thought of them betraying her...
"You're a Vixen, not a bitch." Benimaru corrected her with a handsome smirk that made the kitsune blush, being caught a bit off guard, even more so as he planted a soft kiss on her lips that set her heart on fire, even after he pulled away, she could feel the warmth spread threw her body. "Ouch!" Kayo was snapped out of her daze as cool hands rested on her shoulders and pressed into the knots that had built up in her body. "Let us care for you, Kayo. We will never abandon you." Souei assured the kitsune and planted a soft kiss on her neck that sent a delightful chill threw her body that made the woman moan in delight.
"Fuck me~." she sighed, only to blush at the shocked looked the two Kijin gave her, Benimaru turning a dark red at what she had said, Souei just seemed amused as he chuckled at her slip.
"Do you really want us to?" he asked with an all to handsome smirk, making the woman go speechless as she tried to come up with an answer.
"Yes... no. Not here. Let's... can we go to your place Souei? We should talk before... this goes further. All 3 of us." she responded maturely, strangely Lust seemed quiet threw out the encounter. The two kijin looked at her in confusion before the ninja nodded in understanding. Benimaru picking Kayo up into his arms like a princess. Smirking as he saw her blush darken and her arms wrapped around his neck as he took her to Souei's hidden little home.
~Souei's House~
"Mew?" A small black green-eyed kitten greeted the 3 as they walked in, Benimaru having let Kayo down as soon as they reach the door as she requested. "Is that?" Kayo asked, a bit shocked to see the familiar feline in Souei's home as Benimaru chuckled.
"Souei has always had a soft spot for cats." he told the kitsune, before Souei spoke up. "Don't be fooled by his size, he can be a deadly predator and is not fond of-" the ninja was warning Kayo but was shocked as the woman kneeled down and the black kitten happily ran into her arms. "Aww so cute~ I love cats." Kayo admitted as she was happily giving the kitten a gentle scratch that made him purr loudly, the two kijin looked on in shock.
"What's the matter?" Kayo asked, confused as the two males looked at each other and then back at her and the oddly happy cat in her arms.
"It's just that... that cat doesn't take to strangers. It's a shock that it came to you so eagerly." Benimaru explained as Kayo giggled at their confusion. "Oh, this isn't my first time meeting him. I got scratched the first time I met him." the kitsune admitted as she loved on the cat that was now okay with her. "How did you become so friendly with my neko?" Souei asked, curious and amazed as he saw the cat started to fall asleep against the woman's chest, its paws kneading her breast and rubbing it's scent on her.
"Hmm mostly time and food. He's a good hunter but my foxes kept the pests under control so there wasn't much easy prey for him, I guess. I offered it some food but he refused it out of pride until I offered him some salmon." The kitsune mussed and smirked as she went into her tails as the cat's ears perked up at the mention of the fish... and then the smell had it drooling.
Kayo having pulled out a small ceramic bowl with small chunks of the fish and other things mix in. Eagerly the cat started to eat before the kitsune could even set it on the floor. Both kijin watched as Kayo cooed over the little creature, having found its weakness. It amused the two kijin at how easily the kitsune seemed to know the way into the hearts of many, or rather their stomachs.
"Okay. We need to get serious now... we need to talk about... this, about us." she told them, giving them serious and stern looks. "What do you want to talk about?" Benimaru asked her seriously as the three of them sat at a low table in Souei's small home. The ninja having some tea ready for his guests? Lovers? Boy/girlfriend?
"First off... what are we to each other? Relationship wise?" Kayo asked, blushing as she looked down at the tea she was given, taking a polite sip before setting it down to look at the two males.
"You are our boss; the Guardian of the-" Souei started before Kayo shook her head. "No, I don't mean that, I mean... are we... boyfriends and girlfriend?" she asked them, her face adorably red as her ears where flat against her head, bracing for their answer.
"I thought we were your mates. Like your kitsune brother has implied." Souei asked ask Kayo looked at them both with shock. "W-well... do you want to be my mates? Being mates would imply that...we would have babies... and honestly, I don't think I can handle having my own children." She admitted to them, the silence worrying her as the two males looked at her in wide eyed shock.
"B-but at the school, you were so good with the children there! They loved you! You even brought a few of them into this world yourself!" Benimaru voiced, still shocked at the information Kayo had shared with them, the two males already having their own thoughts on offspring. "True, but having my own, rising them, never mind birthing them... it scares me. That I won't be good enough to raise them, that they will be sick or weak like I was." She admitted to them and was worried about what the leader of the Kijin would say... given how few of his kind where left and his family line coming down to just him and Shuna.
"Kayo." Benimaru called her name as she looked at him as he gave her a stern look in return. "If our children were born as weak as you, they would still be some of the most powerful and beautiful in all of Tempest, if not the world!" the kijin told her seriously, Kayo's jaw dropped, and her face burned dark red at the kijin's words. "O-OUR CHILDREN!?" Kayo repeated those words in shock, and Benimaru realized what he had said, slapping a hand over his mouth as his face turned a dark red. Souei watching them with amusement, petting the very happy neko in his lap.