The inside of the Furude Manor was larger than it looked on the outside. Like the houses in the rest of the village, there were several large edo style manors with a thatch roof but there were signs of obvious renovation to bring them to the modern-day. There was a wooden pathway lined with small lights and torii gates leading to the main house in the distance. A veritable forest grew within the estate walls. The lush nature within and the sheer size of the place garnered the marvel of the new visitors.

Asia walked down the cobble path, following closely behind the woman she would call mother. Her eyes roamed around, reading the Kanji located at the top of some of the houses and taking note of the smell of smoke that came from the smithy. The sound of wood hitting each other with a satisfying thwack entered her ears and her gaze followed the sound to see two young boys with dark-violet hair clashing blades in the open.

"They're training," Akari said.

Asia looked at Akari.

"In our house, all who undergo training to use the Onigari-Ryuu must master the Gotamashiki before moving on to even greater techniques. You'll join the acolytes during the test," Akari said, smiling at her.

Asia smiled back, her confidence in her skills wavering.

"Don't worry. You'll do fine. You can perform the Gotamashiki without any issues. I've seen you do it multiple times," Shin said, smiling at her.

"But…" Asia looked down.

"You'll be better," Shin said. "Better than the others."

Asia nodded and offered her adoptive brother a reassuring smile. As they walked past one of the torii gates, a presence caught Asia's senses. Her head slowly turned to the forest that lined their path and saw something. A girl with violet hair and a pair of curved horns stared intently at them. Green met violet and the girl looked at her with surprise before vanishing from sight.

"Asia."

She blinked and saw Akane staring at her. The rest of the group was a few steps ahead of them.

"Oh, sorry, Onee. I just zoned out for a bit," Asia said, running over to her.

The walk to the Furude Main House was a rather tedious and long trip. In total, it had taken them a little over 15 minutes to traverse the entire estate from beginning to end at walking speed. The Furude Main House was larger than the other houses. Counting from the amount of shoji (sliding doors) that were visible, the house had at least 6 rooms, possibly even more. There was a second floor.

Ayaka bounded forward and slid the door open, greeting whoever was inside that they were here. Akari and Rowan followed after her, dragging some of the bags with them. Riser carried Ravel and his luggage inside and Asia followed after them, roller bag and backpack in tow.

That just left him and his sister standing outside, counting their bags. Shin glanced over at his older sister, who was beginning to reach for her bags.

"Onee! I can carry them inside for you-"

Shin's eyes widened slightly when Akane swiftly grabbed the handle of her trolley and walked inside, not even batting an eyelash towards her younger brother.

Shin cast his gaze down to the ground, clenching his fists tightly.

"You know you deserve this silent treatment right?" Vivi asked.

Now's not the time, Vivi, Shin thought gloomily. He sighed and grabbed his trolley bag when he felt a pair of hands obscure his vision. His body stiffened, feeling a pair of large cushions press against his back and the hot breath of someone tickling his ear. Had he not known who this was, he would have certainly creamed his pants.

"Kureha, can you get off me?" Shin said.

"Kureha? Oh, you've entered your rebellious phase, haven't you, Shin-chan? It's Kureha-nee-chan," she said in a low tone. Her breath blew gently against his ears and neck.

"Get off me, that's weird," Shin said, grabbing her hands. He turned around to face the girl who had covered his eyes.

Kureha Furude was for a lack of better words, a gal. A kogal as she would say. She had raven-violet shoulder-length hair with a cutesy hair clip on the right side of her head. Kureha had hypnotic, piercing golden eyes that made men weak at the knees with the right expression. She had plump lips and a curvaceous body with a large bust. It was a bewitching, sinful body that could tempt choir boys and monks into the throes of lust. She wore a white school uniform that was slightly unbuttoned at the collar and top, revealing a portion of her cleavage to the entire world. She wore a short skirt and long socks that reached halfway up her calves.

Her golden eyes glinted expectantly and her smug smile rubbed Shin the wrong way. He felt a vein begin to burst in his head.

"Err… Kureha-nee-chan," Shin strained out.

"Good boy," Kureha said, patting his cheek. Her eyes roamed around as if searching for something. "Hey, where's Issei?"

"Oh, he's not here this year," Shin said, grabbing his luggage.

"Eh? Not here?" Kureha walked after him. "What do you mean by that? Did you guys fight or something?" her voice lost its seductive edge.

Shin didn't answer her and walked up the stairs.

"Hey! Once you're done! We can hang out like always! And bring those new girls with you!" Kureha yelled.

"Yeah, yeah!" Shin yelled back. He silently walked up the stairs, using magic to levitate his bags, and walked towards his room. Well, it was a guest room that was designated to be his room. He slid the door open and plopped his bag down. The futon was already set up for him. Shin smiled and walked over to the bedside table. There were a series of photos sitting on top and he grabbed one of them.

May 21, 2010

It was a picture of him, his older sister, Issei, Irina, and Kureha standing in front of the old Furude Shrine. He smiled wistfully, seeing Kureha and Irina clinging to Issei's arms while he stood proudly next to Akane.

Shin placed the photo down and turned around to see his older sister standing in the doorway. Her eyes lacked emotion. "Mama told me to give you this. It's a fan," Akane said.

"Thanks," Shin said, accepting it from her.

The two stood silently for a few seconds.

"Hey, Onee, about before I-"

"No need. I know perfectly how you feel now," Akane said, turning around and leaving the room.

"Onee! Wait! Can we tal-" his voice was cut off as Akane entered her room and slid the door shut in his face.

Shin sighed and leaned against the wall. His heart clenched when he heard sniffling coming from her room.

"Are you two alright?"

He turned around and saw his father standing at the end of the hallway.

"Hey, Dad. Where's Mom?" Shin asked, wiping a few tears from his eyes.

"Kari? She's showing Asia around the house. Old Man Tenma is by the creek if you're looking for him and I think Kureha is outside," Rowan said.

Shin nodded.

"Did you and Akane have a fight?" Rowan asked.

Shin clenched his jaw and stiffly responded to his father. "Something like that…"

Rowan sighed. "What was it about?"

Shin didn't respond and Rowan rubbed his forehead. "Well, you two are adults so I'll let you sort this out together. But, remember Shin, Akane is your big sister. Remember that whatever you two said or did, remember that she loves you more than life itself." With that, Rowan patted his son on the head before walking back to his room.

After a short bath, Shin put on a change of clothes, putting on a blue hoodie shirt and shorts. He saw Asia standing outside of her room, wearing a white shirt and some dark violet volleyball shorts. She had a small hat on her head and she waved.

"Is Onee still in her…?" Shin asked.

Asia smiled sadly and nodded. "Want me to get her?"

Shin shook his head and walked past her. "If Onee wants privacy, then we should respect her wishes."

The two walked out of the house to find Kureha looking at her phone outside. She glanced up from her screen and saw Shin and Asia standing in front of her. After placing her phone in her pocket, Kureha eyed the two up and down. Her gaze settled on Asia and she eyed her intently, making the girl extremely uncomfortable.

"Um, ano," Asia said, shifting where she stood. Kureha's golden eyes made her feel completely naked.

"How do you not have roots? Is that hair even a natural blonde?" Kureha asked.

"Eh? Um, yes, my hair is naturally like this," Asia said.

"And it's so smooth too!" Kureha grabbed some strands of Asia's hair. "And soft!"

"Fue? Fuehhh!" Asia didn't know how to respond to the girl's forward personality.

"Kureha… nee-chan. Let go of her hair. You haven't even introduced yourself yet," Shin said, pulling her back.

"Mou, you really have entered your rebellious phase, haven't you, Shin-chan?" Kureha said, pouting. She dusted herself down and grinned at Asia. "I'm Kureha Furude. Third Eldest in the Furude Family. I'm this guy's twin and cousin. You can call me Onee or Onee-chan!"

Asia nodded and bowed her head slightly. "M- My name is Asia Ar- Faulkner," she almost slipped and called herself by her old last name, "I'm the youngest daughter of the f-family! I'm still getting used to having parents and a family so please take care of me!"

"Aw, you're so cute. Where'd ya find her, Shin-chan?" Kureha asked.

"In Kuoh. She was tricked by Fallen Angels and we saved her," Shin said. "And Asia, you don't have to change your last name if you don't want to. We can still call you 'Argento'."

"N-No! It's fine," Asia said. "Argento was my past. Faulkner is what I am now. This name saved me from my despair and brought me the happiness I have now. Onii, Onee, everyone in the Occult Research Club and Hatch Potch, and… Issei. I want to live as the me of now and not the me of the past."

Shin's eyes widened slightly before settling on a smile.

Awww… wait, Issei? Fufufu, Kureha's eyes twinkled. "Issei, huh? Why'd you emphasize Issei so much?"

"No reason!" Asia said.

"She has a crush on him," Shin said.

"O-ONII!" Asia yelled, pounding her fists on Shin's arm.

"Really? Issei?" Kureha asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Aside from Irina, you've got competition. Hmmm, also Issei is a Devil now so he also has Rias Gremory and a bunch of girls from her peerage fighting for his affection-"

"ISSEI IS A WHAT!?"

The three walked down the winding dirt road of Serikawa village, passing the farmers who waved at Kureha and Shin and marveled at Asia's appearance. The three had slowly exited the town bounds, following the path towards Mount Benizakura.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me! Just how far into your rebellious phase have you gone, Shin-chan!" Kureha said in faux protest.

"Er, your school doesn't really allow contact with the outside world," Shin said.

"Still, that's a big thing! Make sure to tell your Onee-chan next time, okay?" Kureha said.

"Hah? Onee-chan? Only for two more weeks, Kureha," Shin said, forgoing the use of honorifics and poking her chest.

"Kyaa, Shin-chan, you know I'm saving my body for Issei. Don't go poking me in the chest so lightly like that," Kureha said, covering her chest in fake embarrassment.

Asia smiled, watching the two argue. It was like watching a pair of twins arguing. Wait… she called herself Onii's twin, does that mean…? "Um, why do you call yourself Onii's twin, Kureha-nee?"

The two stopped arguing and split apart. Kureha placed a finger on her chin thoughtfully before coming up with an answer. "Well, Shin and I have the same birthday," Kureha said.

"Wait, really?" Asia asked.

"Yeah, our Moms even gave birth in the same hospital at the same time. But, Mom never told me who was older and the only thing Aunt Akari said was that one of us came three minutes later than the other. This is why we agreed when we were little kids that every year, we would compete to see who was the older one and the other would have to call the winner Onii or Onee for the next year," Kureha explained.

"Hey, Kureha-nee-chan, why are we in the forest around the base of the mountain range," Shin asked.

"We're not fully inside. We're just around the outer part of the forest. I was thinking we could use this opportunity to get Asia-tan a shikigami. There're lots of yokai that live here. The more dangerous ones, the Ayakashi and the Mononoke live deep at the base of Mount Benizakura," Kureha said. "Or did you not know that? I know you found Ran at a Shrine dedicated to Amaterasu during the storm but… you really should have basic knowledge of our clan's customs."

"I know that. I mean why now? We should let Asia adjust first a little into the family," Shin said, "Besides, finding a Shikigami takes a while. Shikigami and their Wards resonate together. It's not something the ward or the shikigami chooses."

"Maa maa, you sound like Aka-nee," Kureha said, trudging on. "I'm sure we can find a nice nekomata or an inugami for her to resonate with or even a kitsune? Hopefully."

"If Onee finds out we took Asia into Benizakura Forest, then…"

Asia followed after the two. But her feet stopped when she felt someone watching her from the brush. Her head turned slowly and her green eyes caught sight of the violet-haired, horned miko once more. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds before the girl retreated into the forest.

"Hey! Wait!" Asia ran after her, leaving Kureha and Shin none the wiser. She quickly ran, never taking her eyes off the violet-haired girl's back. She never noticed that the forest had changed around her. Nor did she notice that she could no longer hear Shin and Kureha's voices. Her eyes were hypnotically fixated on the violet-haired girl in front of her.

"Wait! Please!" she panted. Something hit her foot and Asia tripped, falling face-first to the forest floor. Groaning in pain, she got on her hands and knees and noticed something was wrong.

Her shadow was far larger than it should be. A hot breath tickled the back of her neck and she turned around. Above her was the face of a massive fowl-like bird with flaming feathers on its head. Its body resembled a rooster and its scarlet plume radiated a flame-like glow. Its tail feathers like its head feathers were lit ablaze.

"Inuhoo," Asia muttered, backing away slowly.

The massive flaming chicken clucked, watching her and slowly approaching her. Its eyes held predatory intent and Asia could see the hunger growing on its face.

"No, I won't be…" Asia grabbed a pebble. Her back hit the trunk of the tree behind her. Divine power slowly began to enshroud the small pebble inside her hand.

The flaming rooster crowed and lunged at Asia.

"Rekku Madan! Kyu kyu nyo ritsu ryo!" She aimed the rock at the rooster and fired. The pebble shot from her hand and hit the rooster in the neck. The force knocked it off course and caused it to careen into a tree.

Asia got up quickly and began to run.

The shrill crow of the cock resounded through the forest.

"I need to find an open area otherwise, I'll be trapped inside the forest with that thing," Asia muttered to herself. She channeled divine power to her legs and enhanced her speed. The training she received from Shin was paying off. Even if she was currently one of the weakest fighters in their group, Asia can still do something as simple as this.

She burst through the brush and came to a stop in the clearing. Her stance widened as she waited for the Inuhoo to break through the woods.

The Inuhoo erupted from the tree line with a shrill screech. Its wings flapped violently, sending gusts of wind blowing through the clearing. The flames on its feathers brightened and blazed wildly.

"You're not Kokabiel," Asia said. A blue kanji character for sky appeared beneath her feet. "Rekku Madan! Kyu kyu nyo ritsu ryo!" Asia jumped into the air and spread her wings. The ground that she once stood under was ripped out and thrown at the Inuhoo.

The Inuhoo unleashed a breath of explosive flames. The two projectiles collided, creating an explosion that rocked the clearing.

Asia raised her hand and created a light sword. "Onigari-Ryuu: Gotamashiki!" She rushed forward with surprising speed, slashing the Inuhoo five times in one second. She reappeared behind the Inuhoo, her light sword stained in fresh blood.

The Inuhoo screamed and turned around. A violet-black mist wafted from its wounds that were slowly closing.

"What? It can heal…?" Asia's eyes were wide in shock. She bit her lip. Even now, she can't even beat something as simple as a flaming chicken. "No, no, I'm not weak anymore." She positioned her blade in front of her. "I'm not dying here!" Divine power surged from her body. "Onigari-Ryuu: Gotama-"

A flash of violet light cut through the air.

The Inuhoo suddenly stopped screaming. The girl that Asia had been chasing appeared before her, holding an odd sword. The sword's blade had six branch-like protrusions extending from it. The girl slowly made the motion of sheathing the blade. The sword vanished from her hand.

"Onigari-Ryu: Isshin," the girl muttered.

The Inuhoo collapsed to the ground. Its torso had been sliced open and its intestines had spilled out all over the forest floor. It was only then that Asia noticed that the trees around them had been cut down. The force of that girl's swing had cut down everything within their vicinity while taking care to miss her.

"T- Thank you!" Asia said, getting to her feet and bowing profusely.

The girl's personality softened. "E- Eh! No, it was… It was no problem really!" she said, waving her hands in an attempt to placate Asia.

"Still! You saved my life so thank you!" she insisted.

"Auu!" the girl's blush was growing. Asia lifted her head and smiled a little. Her personality had completely shifted from the cold swordswoman to an embarrassed girl. Now that Asia had gotten a better look at her, she noticed that the girl appeared to be her age. She had long violet hair reaching down to her mid-back and she was dressed in a miko outfit with long red furisode sleeves. The girl had a delicate face and a pair of long curved horns.

The two stood silently, basking in each other's presence for a few moments.

"A-Are you a yokai?" Asia asked.

The girl looked taken aback for a few seconds. A brief look of confusion passed through her face before fading into realization. Asia didn't know who she was. It was only natural. The girl was not of this village. But the fact that the Devils knew her but the others didn't only added to her confusion. She was fairly sure that Japan talked regularly of her in folktales.

"N-No, I'm not. I'm…"

"Then are you a spirit?" Asia asked.

Spirit was a good way to describe her. Sighing, the girl merely nodded but opened her mouth. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"Why did you follow me?" she asked after a few more seconds of silence.

"I… I don't know. I just felt drawn to you for some reason. Is that weird?" Asia asked.

"Yes, it is extremely odd to follow a stranger just because you felt drawn to them. You could have gotten killed by that Inuhoo," the girl chastised.

"S-Sorry, I was with my family to find something here but I got sidetracked," Asia said, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"And what were you looking for?" she asked.

"A Shikigami."

"Shikigami?"

Asia nodded. "My brother and cousin took me here to the forest to see if they can find me an enchanted guardian before I meet the rest of the family. I don't want to leave here and waste their time without finding one so I was hoping to find one before we leave," Asia said.

"I see. Perhaps you'd be better going back to the trail and finding yourself a bake-danuki or a nekomata," the girl said.

"You said you were a spirit right?" Asia asked.

"Y-Yes, I am," the girl responded.

"T-Then, will you please become my Shikigami?" Asia bowed deeply before her.

Furude, Mitejima, and Amawaka. Those were the Three Families that ruled Serikawa Village and every year, members of their family would head into the forest surrounding Mount Benizakura to find a Shikigami, an Enchanted Guardian. And many years, she had seen Youkai go. But none of them had seen her. So, it was understandable to say that she was very surprised by Asia's request.

It had been over a thousand years since she was someone's Shikigami. For a brief moment, Asia's image overlapped with the image of a violet-haired woman's. Both of them were bowing deeply before her.

"Akatsuki…" she whispered.

"Eh?"

"I mean to say why? Why me? There are many other youkai here," the girl asked, prodding Asia for her true intentions.

"I… I actually don't know. I just feel like we're supposed to be it, you know? Do you think so too?" Asia asked.

The girl's eyes widened slightly. So this girl resonated with her? Impossible. None of Akatsuki's bloodline were able to so why could she? A gnawing feeling nibbled away at her resolve as she watched this blonde-haired child looking at her with begging eyes. In the end, she could not deny that she, herself, felt that inexplicable feeling the girl just described.

"I never got your name. I'm Asia Faulkner," Asia said, introducing herself.

Faulkner... like the last name of the former Heiress who married out? "Nice to meet you, Asia-san. I am Mori," Mori said, introducing herself.

"So, um, Mori-san, is it alright if-"

"Asia!"

Asia looked over her shoulder and saw Shin and Kureha breaking through the bushes. "Onii, Kureha-Nee," Asia said.

"Jeez, like, don't disappear on us!" Kureha panted. "Ahh! These shoes were not made for running!"

"What are you doing all the way out here? We were worried sick when we lost you," Shin said.

"Eh? I was just following this girl," Asia replied.

"What girl?" Kureha tilted her head to the side.

"This girl right here. Her name is Mori-" Asia turned around and gestured to the person she had been talking to but found the spot to be empty. Her eyes widened in shock and distress. She was gone? But she was just right here. There was no way she could have just vanished without Kureha or Shin getting at least a momentary glimpse of her.

"Asia, there's no one there," Shin said.

"But but! She was here! She had violet hair and horns and and she killed that Inuhoo with a sword that had six spikes on it!" Asia protested, pointing to the dead rooster.

Shin and Kureha turned their gazes to the diced and disemboweled carcass of the massive rooster youkai a few steps to their left.

"Asia, are you alright?" Shin asked.

"What…?" Asia just looked at them in shock. Had they really not noticed nor sensed her?

"I think we should head back to Serikawa and get some rest, yeah? Like Asia-tan looks like the heat is gonna get to her," Kureha said.

Heat? Asia didn't know how to react. Her older brother and cousin had not seen a head or hair of Mori. She just nodded mutely and followed her family out of the forest and back to the village. All the while, she never noticed that a black talisman had snugly inserted itself into the pockets of her shorts.

Akane sat, cross-legged in the Furude Garden atop a small mossy rock in the middle of a pond. Around her, the lily pads floated lazily by. Her ears took in the sounds around her. The croaking of the frogs. The slight fin twitches of the fish. The flapping of the birds in the trees around her. The squirming of the worms. And the heavy footsteps of her boyfriend approaching.

Her sunset red eyes opened and she looked over her shoulder.

"I know what meditation is and what you were doing was not that," Riser said, leaning against a post. He had a warm smile on his face.

Akane let out a tired sigh and got to her feet. She jumped and landed next to him, barely disturbing the water and the sediments on the pond bank.

"Mmm? You look more depressed than usual," Riser said.

Akane said nothing and leaned on him, resting her head on his chest.

The sweet shampoo smell flooded Riser's nose and his thoughts scrambled. It took him a moment to compose himself before seeing the small tears streaking down her face.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Riser asked, holding her in his arms.

Akane's quiet cries worried him. He hadn't seen her cry for a while. In the five years they had known each other, he had only seen her break down once and that was two years before they started dating. When Shin had been nearly killed during an altercation with Slash Dog.

"Hey, hey," Riser cooed, "It's going to be alright."

"R-Riser… am I a bad sister?" Akane whispered.

"What? What brought this on?" Riser asked, pushing her away and facing her directly.

"Shin… I had an argument with Shin and he thinks that I think he's worthless. And then he… he…" the voice of her brother blaming her for his near-death four years ago entered her head again.

"Akane, fights between siblings are normal. Me and Ravel fight all the time but at the end of the day, we're still family. It's gonna take something more than some petty argument to rattle us," Riser said.

"But… Shin thinks that I'm abandoning him. He thinks that I agree with that God," Akane said.

"Tell me everything," Riser said. The two sat down on the shoreline with Akane leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

She recounted the argument they had to him. How she asked if he was okay. How their conversation was normal like always until she brought up taking a break from learning the Musou-no-Onigari-Ryuu. How she was going to outline a new plan to see him move forward and that she would be there every step of the way. But, what she didn't expect was how visceral her brother's reaction would be. Akane recanted how his accusations flew from his mouth like the energy bolts of Failnacht.

"And then… he said that I abandoned him to die at Tobio's hand-"

"He did what?" Riser's blood pressure spiked and flames began wafting off his hair. Shin did what? Shin said what!? Red pinpricks began to pool at the edges of his vision. His fist clenched and his demonic power spiked even more.

Noticing this, Akane grabbed Riser's wrist and gripped hard.

"Akane?"

"No, you're not going to confront Shin-chan over this," Akane said.

"But, Akane! He's being a petty, ungrateful little shit! Someone needs to beat some sense into him!" Riser protested. "You were just trying to help him and find an alternative to a style that not even Shiva, the God of Destruction, can learn without ripping his asshole into ribbons! And Shin has the gall to pull shit like that? To you? To the woman I love? Like hell! I don't care if he's your brother! Next time I see him, I'm going to punch some sense into that thick egotistical skull of his!"

Riser soon found himself crashing through a tree before sliding to a stop several dozen meters away.

Akane appeared in front of him with an angry look on her face.

"Riser, for the last time, you are not going to go confront my Shin-chan over this! I brought you here to get along with my family! Not to start shit!" Akane said.

"So what? You're just going to let him walk all over you like that? You? You who sacrificed parts of your life for him? You're practically his second mom!" Riser bit back. "And that kid's going to be my brother-in-law, so I'm going to set him straight!"

Akane took a step back as her boyfriend got to his feet.

"Look, look, fine. You don't want me to go beat up Shin. That's understandable. But someone has to go slap a dose of reality into him that he can't just be an ungrateful piece of shit to the people who love him just because they're trying to help!" Riser said.

"I…"

"Akane, your parents already know that you two got into some sort of fight," Riser said.

Akane bit her cheek and gripped her arm.

"Wait…" Akane raised an eyebrow. Part of Riser's earlier sentence registered inside her brain. "Brother-in-Law?"

Before she could poke her boyfriend any further, a large gong resonated through the entire manor and village. Akane looked towards the main house. She grabbed Riser's hand and held it tightly.

"What's going on?" Riser asked.

"Come on," Akane said, dragging him towards the main house. "Aunt Ayaka and Grandfather are calling for a town hall."

Shin, Kureha, and Asia stood in the middle of the village road, hearing the gongs coming from Furude Manor.

"What's going on?" Asia asked.

"A town hall," Kureha said.

"Yeah. It means that Aunt Ayaka called one to… introduce you to the Elders of Serikawa," Shin said.

Asia gulped audibly before following her brother and cousin back to the manor.

[]

Mori

A mysterious young girl with a pair of large horns on her head.

She is clad in traditional miko attire.

Her destiny is tied to a Priestess of a foreign land.

Her favorite food is Mochi Dango. Although she may be a little sickly and shy in front of others, her sharp words often serve as a reassurance to anyone who listens.

[]

Kureha Furude

The Interim Heiress and Shrine Maiden of the Ryuugami Shrine in Serikawa Village.

She is the cousin of Shinku Faulkner and Akane Faulkner.

She has a crafty personality and is not above using her looks as a weapon.

Normally playful and seductive when it suits her,

she is a pure and innocent girl blind to the struggles of love.

She strives for the heart of the Red Dragon Emperor and is referred to by Irina as the Final Boss.

[]

Rowan Faulkner

The father of Akane Faulkner, Shinku Faulkner, and Asia Argento.

He is known as the Cobalt Star and is feared across the entire Supernatural World.

Despite this, he is on the edge of retirement and wishes to settle down to be with his beloved wife.

Yet his faith in humanity slowly dwindles with each day.

His skill is praised by his oldest daughter and is stated to be enough to occupy 2 spots in the current generation of Stars.

[]

Akari Faulkner

The mother of Akane Faulkner, Shinku Faulkner, and Asia Argento.

She is known as the Lavender Star and is feared across the entire Supernatural World.

Despite this, she is on the edge of retirement and wishes to settle down to live a slow life with her beloved husband.

She believes that despite the cesspool that humanity is becoming, there are people willing to step and fight for the light.

Her skill is praised by her oldest daughter and is stated to be enough to occupy 2 spots in the current generation of Stars.

[]

Ayaka Furude

The mother of Kureha Furude and the aunt of Akane, Shinku, and Asia.

She is Akari's younger twin who looks exactly like her.

In contrast to her sister, she has an extroverted and boisterous personality.

She is highly attached to her older sister.

Due to circumstances, she stands at the top of Serikawa, ruling as the head of the Three Families.

Her skill has allowed her rule to go unchallenged.

Sorry if this chapter appears to be all over the place. We're chugging right along you see. I've slowed down my updates to... whenever I can update basically. This allows me more time to properly convey my thoughts and think on them instead of impulsively updating on a set schedule. This is better for the time being I feel.

Anyway, Kureha is the first "gyaru" type character I've written so she'll be an interesting experience. Yes, she and Shin have the same birthday. Born at the same time. Same hospital. Only 3 minutes apart. If anyone gets that reference to an older fic of mine that I shall not speak of, then here, have a virtual cookie. So, yeah, expect her later on... not now... to be teasing and cheeky. Oh, you know how gyarus are. If you're gonna ask why not now, please remember that not all of us live in Alabama. As for her combat skills, well, we'll leave that for later.

By the way, she has attempted to seduce Issei 370517 times.

Next is about Akane and Shin's relationship. Yes, Shin is a little shit. He is going to be a little shit for this arc before he gets the shit slapped out of him. You all heard him. He's blaming his older sister for his near-fatal injury. He's blaming everyone around him for not being able to progress forward when it's a problem with himself. So expect some yelling. Some indignation. Some denial about how the him of now is the best version of him. I won't even begin to try and fix their relationship until after this arc and the same goes for Issei and Irina.

Well, that's it for now. Please remember to leave a review and to have a great day/night or not, the choice is yours.