PROLOGUE
I could hear the clinking of delectable dishes being skillfully made in the kitchen across from the bar I was sitting at. My stomach groaned as I patiently waited for what I had just ordered to arrive.
"Here you are ma'am, one pork and Rice Bowl."
At this moment I was so hungry that I almost did a face plant into my bowl but instead glanced up at the waiter and smiled, "Thank you! Mmmm, it smells great!"
I brought the delicious pork and rice to my mouth and was about to take a bite when…
"Time for dinner! I think I'll start with your head…"
(Wait-What?! The waiter turned into a talking pig?! Let me guess, this is my brain telling me I should stop eating pork, right?)
The horrid stench of the pig's breath sent a shiver down my spine. In sudden fear, that this may not actually be a dream after all, I squeezed my eyes shut when suddenly I heard the clear sound of a bell… And then all I could see...was light.
"It's time for you to awaken. You are a special girl…Miku."
I bolted upright in bed and was relieved to find that I was not about to have my head bitten off but was in fact still in my very pig free room.
I glanced down at my blankets and gave a sigh of irritation…
(Thanks to that Nightmare, I'm drenched in sweat.)
"God… I need a little air. That'll make me feel better…huh?"
I slid open the door and looked into the garden. In the darkness, I could make out a full round blood red moon. The Eerie sight of it was making me feel uneasy, when all of a sudden…
Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump
I cried out in pain, my heart beating so fast and hard it made my chest hurt.
(What's happening…! Why can't I move?!)
Just when I thought I was about to collapse to the ground, a strong force steadied me, holding me up from both sides of my body.
I glanced up to find a young man with eyes like that of a fox looking down at me or in this case down on me, "Human, you're finally awake."
His smile, as he spoke, was hardly as kind or gentle as his hold on my arms which only proved to make the whole situation far more confusing.
Human? I thought still too weak to speak, that's fairly rude. I have a name you know!
"You know…" came a voice of another man, "she's not just a human anymore. She's awakened."
This guy was just as handsome as the first…
(What's with these two? They're beautiful. Almost otherworldly…)
"Wh-who are you? What are you doing in my house…?"
But of course neither of them were listening to me…
"Is this seriously her…? She looks like a regular human to me."
The blonde with Fox eyes glanced at me in what could have been disappointment as he said this.
Their total lack of acknowledgement that I was even there in my own home was really starting to piss me off.
"Hello? What, can you two only hear each other? I asked you a question! What the hell are you doing in my house?!"
The man with black hair and Raven like eyes turned to me with an unreadable expression, "Girl… Don't get worked up. It's not good for you. Your body has only just awakened."
I ignored his odd statement and glared at him.
"You two need to leave and if you don't-"
However, I was unable to say anything more since the fox eyed brat cut me off mid threat, "If we don't, what will you do?"
This catches me completely off-guard. I hadn't actually thought of what I would do were they not to leave. The blond man looked at me with a gloating smile clearly realizing this fact.
"Relax, I have a gentle bite."
His gorgeous face drew closer to mine. A luxurious scent in the air, making me dizzy.
The man's breath and hair caressed my skin sending tingles of pleasure down my spine.
?!
Why do I not cringe from him, I thought in desperation and frustration, can't my body tell that I'm disgusted by this freak?!
The man's smile showed that he was satisfied somehow by this reaction of mine.
"What's wrong with you?!"
"Heh. You're turning red. Why don't you give me a little taste of what I have to look forward to?"
He says it like it's an actual question and turns to the man with black hair, whose beauty is cold like the moonlight.
The Brat's companion did not seem at all amused by this behavior, "Cut it out. You make a move early, and they'll really give it to us."
(They…?)
I relaxed a little knowing that something awful could happen to them if they were to so much as touch me before whatever plan of theirs was able to play out.
The man with Fox eyes frowned at his companion and I could almost swear that I saw a pair of fox ears on his head drooping as he spoke, "You're always such a hard-ass. What, you're not into her?"
The black-haired one seemed to be scrutinizing me with his eyes, "Well… She's not what I expected."
"What the hell are you talking about-"
I hated not being included in a conversation taking place in my own home!
However, before I could finish my angry sentence, fox eyes cut me off…again, "Whatever. We'll meet again soon. Besides, time's almost up."
(Huh…?)
I found myself unable to say anything more as my eyes drooped in exhaustion.
The two men were barely visible as my vision began to blur and the blonde's voice seemed far away, "It's time for you to sleep. I look forward to our next meeting."
He reached out his long fingers and stroked my throat, and even as I flinched, I instantly felt my body relax.
I couldn't look away from his enchanting eyes as everything went dark, and I lost myself in them.
. . .
. . .
The twittering of Birdsong could be heard outside my room.
"…Morning?"
(I'm so exhausted. Man did I have weird dreams. First there was that one where I ordered a pork bowl and the waiter turned into a pig, and then…)
That inhumanly gorgeous guy and his unbelievable smile. The feeling of his breath, the way he smelled…
For a moment I almost found myself hoping it hadn't been a dream, but then I remembered his arrogance…
"Relax. I have a gentle bite."
I felt my cheeks go quickly red…
(Oh my God! What kind of dream did I have?!)
"Well, I have no boyfriend, I'm too serious, and I work too hard… Maybe it's finally getting to me."
. . .
. . .
"Good morning, Miku."
I smiled as I turned to the owner of the voice, "Good morning, Samon."
Samon stopped cleaning and looked up at me with a smile. Samon was the priest at my family's Shrine. He's basically its caretaker.
"Thank you so much Samon for all your hard work. You make this place so beautiful every morning."
"I've only been living up to what was entrusted to me, so there is no need to thank me."
There was a hint of sadness in his voice and worry in his eyes as he said this and then he looked at the sky as though he saw something that only he could before turning back to me, "If you remain standing around talking with me like this, you're going to be late."
Samon had always been like a kind older brother, always watching over me. Living in such a big house all alone, it's been so wonderful to have someone there in the morning to greet me.
(plus, it's all thanks to him helping out here that I can keep up my work as a librarian.)
I realized that I must have looked pretty dumb gawking at nothing in particular, "Well, I'm off."
"Have a good day at work, Lady Miku."
I heard Samon call to me as I began heading down the steps, that led out of the shrine.
(My legs are fairly strong after going up and down the stairs every day, but I'm still feeling pretty run down lately.)
Just as I reached the last step, a black cat suddenly ran out in front of me. I cried out as I felt my feet give way beneath me. Losing my balance I closed my eyes.
(I'm going to fall!)
I braced myself for the collision I was about to have with the concrete ground but just then…
"Miku!"
I slowly opened my eyes and found a very worried Samon, "It doesn't look like you're hurt. Thank goodness."
Held close in his arms, his face peered down at me from close range.
(Samon's eyelashes are so long… they might even be longer than mine…)
I blushed at my incredibly lame train of thought.
"Miku?"
Of course the train to stupid thought land just kept on chugging…
(Wait a second. Just cleaning the shrine grounds? How did he get here so fast…?)
"Are you sure you're all right? You're not hurt, are you?"
"O-oh, I'm fine!"
(Oh my God! I was just looking at him, like a total moron!)
I slipped out of his arms and gave him a quick reassuring smile, "W-well, I'm going to be late, so I have to get going! Thanks again for all your help!"
At first he looked hurt by my seemingly sudden rejection of his holding me, however, when I thanked him for like the third or fourth time this morning, he gave me a glowing smile. This, unfortunately, had me suddenly embarrassed, and I hustled off, fleeing the scene.
(Samon's arms felt so strong and sturdy… how have I never noticed this about him before?)
"Well that could be because he's never actually attempted to hold you up until now…"
I mumbled these words quietly to myself as I ran to work.
Several moments later at the library…
"What the hell! Lies, all lies!"
"What are you so excited about?"
"Hey! I was reading that. Give it back!"
A young boy reached up trying to retrieve back the book that had just been snatched from him.
(Huh? What's going on over there?)
It's just after lunch when I heard some men's voices echoing loud and clear throughout the reading room.
(Geez, these guys are cute! The one with the red hair is kind of a pretty boy.)
(The tall one looks just like a model. They're kind of a funny pair.)
Red hair looked down at the Young boy, who seemed like he was about to cry or scream or possibly both, "Momotaro it's full of lies. Don't read that drivel."
The boy blinked a couple times and then turned back to the red haired pretty boy, "Momotaro's full of lies?"
Red Hair nodded, "Of course it is. They really had to distort history to make the demon out to be the bad guy."
Then Red Hair gave the boy a proud smile, "Got it, kid? Demons are strong and cool. Don't you forget it."
The boy looked down at the cover of the book and then back at the red-haired guy and started to laugh, "What are you talking about? The demon's wearing tiger print under pants. That's so not cool."
At this Red Hair shouted, "Yes, it is!"
The young boy burst out laughing…again, "What, are you wearing tiger print Underpants too?"
"I am not!" Red averted his eyes ever so slightly as he said this.
The taller of the two gave a sigh of a long-suffering companion, "All right, Shinra. You have got to let this one go."
The tall man was holding a copy of Little Red Riding Hood in one hand as he groaned.
"Don't you hate how they make the wolf a pervert who's into little girls? I'd take a woman over a red hooded child any day."
Tall guy turned to the young boy as he continued, "I mean, who would you eat? A little girl, or a sexy young woman? So stupid."
The boy totally confused blinked again and looked up at the tall guy, "What exactly is a pervert?"
Tall guy's eyes widened slightly as he blushed, "Ummm…you don't need to know that right now."
I smirked and slowly shook my head.
(They're a couple of total weirdos)
I made my way quickly over to them to stop any further insanity and weirdness.
"Excuse me?"
All three turned to look at me.
"Yeah, hi. You're disturbing the other patrons, so could you please…"
"UGH! Are you telling me that demons are the ugly jerks this book makes them out to be too? Is that it?"
"Of course not! But you're being too loud."
Shinra's face softened, "So I'm loud. You're too sensitive…"
(Seriously?! God, he's so rude!)
Tall guy turned back to Shinra and put Little Red Riding Hood back on the shelf, "Okay, that's enough. No more flirting."
At this Shinra shouted, "Kyo! I'm not flirting!"
At this point I was becoming quite irritated myself, "Look! I said I need you both to be..."
However, whatever I was about to say was forgotten as a loud crash rippled throughout the entire building.
I cried out and looked up at the unfamiliar, inauspicious sound, only to see one of the bookshelves crashing down overhead.
(Oh my God! I'm going to die!)
I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut.
(…Huh? Nothing happened.)
The man called Kyo had his arms wrapped around me.
"I just barely made it."
Kyo must have shielded me from the falling shelf.
I glanced up at him and gave a shaky smile, "Th-Thank you…for saving me."
He gave me a look that suggested he did this kind of thing all the time, "It was no big deal."
My eyes widened when I noticed a small trickle of blood sliding down the side of his face, "But you're Hurt! I'm really sor-"
My tall savior placed a gentle finger on my lips to hush me, "I said you didn't have to worry… Then again, it is just a scratch. A kiss may be all it takes to make it better."
He suddenly drew his face close and smiled softly.
I, of course, started to panic, "Wait-what…! A ki…?!"
(Make it better with a kiss… Is this some kind of joke?)
A voice called out from around the corner, putting an immediate stop to all the madness, "That noise…the bookshelves fell?"
Followed by another voice, "They almost got the librarian!"
The tall man carefully let go of me and groaned in what I could only assume was frustration, "This is bad. More people are showing up. I wish we could catch a break just this once."
The red-haired pretty boy then gave me a sharp look, "Hey, you!"
I almost flinched at the sharpness of his tone, "Y-Yes?"
He arched his left brow in concern, "I want you to be careful today."
(Why's his face so serious now… Is he honestly worried about me, someone he only just met?)
At that moment, Ikumi Sato, my coworker, came running into the room, a panicked look on her face.
"Miku, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
I quickly shook my head, "Nope, I'm fine. These people saved me… Huh? Where'd they go?"
However, she wasn't listening and was instead examining the fallen shelves, "Listen, you need to look at this. The fixtures on the shelves are all bent weird." Her face went suddenly pale, "They were broken. By force."
It was my turn to feel sick, "What? No way. People can't just break these things. They're not strong enough."
Ikumi seemed to be on the verge of a massive panic attack, "Well the shelves aren't old and on their way out. They wouldn't warp like this naturally, you know?" She was now glancing frantically about the room with her eyes. "There must be something here…"
Now my heart was pounding, "Stop! You can't just say things like that when you know that I know you're a psychic!"
'I want you to be careful today.'
(I wonder why he had said that…)
...
Well, that was weird…but nothing actually happened after that.
Several thoughts whirled through my mind as I made my way home in the dying light of the sun.
(No one was hurt, even the books made it out unscathed. So, I guess I'm thankful?)
(What a long day, though. I sure am hungry.)
"I'll make a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home," I said to no one in particular.
A sudden mass of shouts and screams had me quickly dragged out of my happy thoughts.
"Kyaaa!"
"Hey, run! Watch out!"
I glanced around for the source of the commotion, "Huh?"
I turned around to see a car recklessly hurtling down the road at top speed.
(Am I about to get run over?!)
Frozen in terror like a big dumb deer, I closed my eyes and waited for the impact.
Right after, I felt like I was floating in the air.
A gruff relieved voice spoke carefully to me, "Looks like we made it."
A black feather fluttered down into my line of vision. I suddenly wondered if I was daydreaming.
I came back to my senses only to find that a strange yet unmistakably gorgeous man was holding me in his arms.
(Did…he save me…?)
Then something odd occurred to me.
(Wait…I know I've seen him somewhere before…)
The oddly familiar man tilted his head toward mine, "Are you hurt?"
"For a moment, I thought you were an angel…"
I blushed realizing how dumb I must sound to him.
But of course, I kept on babbling, "Just now. I thought I saw black wings coming from your back."
For a split second I thought I saw him smile but then he narrowed his eyes and, "Quiet!" dropped me flat on the ground.
He crossed his arm and glanced down at me, "If you're in that good a mood, you're fine."
(Owwwww…Why'd he have to drop me like that?)
I carefully stood back up and brushed of my butt, glaring at him.
(Actually, forget that-what was with that car?!)
I glanced around me. My jaw just about hit the ground. The car I narrowly escaped from was stopped by an abnormally large snowball by the grocery store.
WTH?!
SNOW?! But it's still so warm out!
Nobody seemed to be hurt at least.
A young man pressed his face against the window of the car and just about fell back from what could only be shock, "There was no driver!"
And once again a sudden rush of voices flowed around me.
"What?! That's not possible…"
A crowd had formed before I could even blink.
But I wasn't focused on them, since I was still staring at the giant snow ball.
"That car was awfully out of control. Are you hurt?"
"!"
The guy I was now staring at averted his eyes and frowned, "Is it too painful to speak?"
I felt like a total idiot for staring at him, "Um, no, I was just enamored by your beauty."
(This guy's skin is amazing. My good-looking-guy karma is through the roof today!)
The guy just smiled before saying, "And here I was distracted by your beauty."
I literally felt like I was going to swoon, I know, how moronic.
The guy must have seen me leaning back and probably thought I was faint from nearly being run down, since he quickly grabbed my arms to steady me.
A shiver went through me.
(His hands are cold as ice!)
I glanced at the giant ball of snow and back to him, "Don't tell me YOU'RE the one who made that snow ball?!"
"Now that would be a superhuman feat."
The guy winked at me after having said that.
"Haha, I didn't make it. I'm just always very, very cold."
As if that explained anything, however, I was not about to argue with one who had clearly just saved me, "I know, of course… Sorry, that was a weird thing to ask."
(More importantly, did those people just say that nobody was driving that car?!)
The man with a gruff voice glanced at me in annoyance, "Are you an idiot? You were warned to be careful today."
"I-I know, I'm sorry."
(But, wait. It was someone else who told me that.)
"How-how did you know that…?"
(Do these people have something to do with that out of control car…?)
But that didn't make any sense I mean why would they have saved me if they did…?
Either way I just wanted to get away from all of this and go home.
"Well, I have to get going." I bowed to him, "Thank you for helping me," and then turned and ran off, though not before the snow guy said, "Hey, wait a second…"
Course I wasn't listening, I hightailed it out of there, not wanting anything else to happen. A voice from behind me tries to keep me from leaving, but I ignored it. I had to get out of there.
…
Several moments later…
"Whew, finally…I can see the shrine!"
Something caught my eye as I neared the entrance, "What's that on the ground? A cat…?"
On closer inspection, however, it appeared that I was wrong.
(A fox?! How'd it get here?)
I knelt down before it and gently petted its head, "It doesn't look like you're hurt. Are you okay? Can you walk?"
When the cute fox lifted his head I could see small red markings on his face around his eyes.
The little guy's eyes grew suddenly wide, "H-Hey!" The fox jumped…not on me, but into the plastic grocery bag I was carrying.
In the bag was what was supposed to be my dinner...Inari sushi. It's sushi wrapped in fried tofu.
"You want some? Okay, okay! Just don't eat the bag!"
Once inside, I placed the food bag on the dining table and cringed as the fox jumped out of the bag, knocking all the contents onto the floor.
I groaned in frustration, though I couldn't help but smile as the fox sauntered up to me with the sushi package in his mouth. He placed it at my feet and then gave me a look that seemed to say, "You had better open this or else…"
This of course made my smile widen, so I opened the package and gave the fox the Inari sushi, which he wolfed down in about a second.
I sat on the floor in front of him, "Maybe it's true what they say about foxes liking Inari sushi."
"Arf! Bark!"
After his silly reply, the fox scampered up to me and rubbed his face against my hand.
"You do like it? You're so silly. It's like you understand what I'm saying. But now you're a little dirty. Come here. I'm going to take a bath. I'll clean you up."
I waved the fox over. He kept his distance but followed me in.
…
In the bathroom…
"Okay, now stay calm. I'm going to give you a bath."
The fox, however, did not seem to like that idea.
I scrubbed the wild fox's body as he struggled unhappily. I kept going until he was so clean, he was barely recognizable.
"Okay, last up's your tail. You're almost done… Ahh!"
Poof!
The moment I reached for his tail, I heard a popping sound and the bathroom filled with steam.
*cough*
"What's going on….?"
"That's my line," came a young male voice, "That was sure a lot of touching."
I slowly glanced up to find that the fox had transformed into a handsome, (naked!), man, though he still had the tail and the ears.
"Kyaaah!"
"I didn't mind it when you were touching my body, but my tail? You surprise me."
The fox guy tilted his head to the side and gave me a crooked smile, "I'll have to do something good to thank you… Don't you think?"
His long fingers crept along my neck. I could smell his sweet, masculine smell against my skin, wet with hot water.
"I-I remember you now! You're the intruder from last night!"
(That wasn't a dream)
The fox guy glanced me over with his eyes, the crooked smile still in place, "Hmm… I like you better than I thought I would. Your body, too."
"My body…"
(Oh my freaking GOD! I forgot. I'm naked right now…!)
I scrambled for a towel and cover up.
I fixed the man with a warning glare, "I'll have you know that I don't live alone here!"
The fox man seemed to find this amusing, "Call out to them, call the police if you must. I'm an Ayakashi. I'm not bound to your human world."
I blinked at him, "A-Ayakashi? What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Of course he is," sneered a voice in my head, "Tail, ears, What else could he be?!"
Apparently the fox guy was just as unamused as my subconscious, "You're an ignorant girl. Listen good. You do understand that you were targeted today, don't you?"
I blinked…again, "Targeted?"
I thought back on the bookshelves that inexplicably fell and the abandoned car that had hurtled towards me.
(How can those mysterious events have anything to do with this creep?)
"I can protect you from all the bad things that are after you."
The same sweet, masculine scent I smelled yesterday was now making me dizzy.
He gave me a smile that probably for him passed for kind, "In exchange for my protection…you'll give me your body."
"I-I don't understand. Bad things? I'm a target…and how the hell would giving my body help you protect me?!"
"You're not a terribly perceptive human."
Now I was getting mad, "Whatever! Why are we talking about this when we're naked?!"
The creep acted like I was overreacting, "Ugh. Don't get so worked up."
He snapped his dry fingers, and we're both dressed. It was like magic.
"What the hell was that?"
"It's not magic if that's what you were thinking. It was sorcery." He gave that same kind-but-not-kind smile, "I am going to take your clothes off, so I don't see a problem with being naked, but…well, whatever."
Okay, I admit I felt panicked and unable to speak while the man with the eyes of a fox smiled insolently beside me.
"Oh, I almost forgot. My name's Miyabi. Remember it."
He continued to smile at me. It was a bewitching smile that befit his name, which which meant 'elegance,' and I started to feel butterflies in my stomach despite my obvious disgust.
I made a quick exit and dashed my way to the dining room…only to find that it wasn't empty.
There were 4 men sitting around the table…the same men I had met earlier today.
"Finally," sighed the one I remembered having cold hands.
The tall guy that had saved me at the library was also there and fixed my bathroom pervert with a sly gaze, "You're late, Miyabi. I'm not going to ask what it was you were doing in the bathroom with the girl."
The red haired guy fixed Miyabi with an angry glare, "I thought we agreed no move making!"
"Shush…" The guy I had previously believed to be an angel now fixed them all with a look of annoyance.
They were in my house, like they lived here.
(All these guys know each other…?)
Cold Hands gave me a kind smile and cocked his head to the left, "I'm sorry we scared you. It was never our intention."
He then introduced himself as Yukinojo.
"You're the guy who has super cold hands!"
He winked at me and smiled again, "Yes, I'm a yukibito. A snow spirit. I don't do well in warm climates."
"It's not just Yukinojo. They're all Ayakashi, not human."
Miyabi tilted his head slyly at the tall man with brown hair and eyes like a wolf's, "That slacker over there is Kyoga. He's a wolf demon."
"Keep badmouthing me and I'll sink my teeth into that pretty face of yours." Kyoga's eyes and expression were calm and kind which only made his threat seem that much more unconvincing.
"He is right," said a pretty boy with red hair.
It's suddenly occurred to me where I had seen these two before.
(it's the odd couple! The Momotaro book...!)
The pretty boy then veered his gaze to meet mine, "I'm Shinra, from the oni clan. I'm the most decent of any of these guys here. Just putting that out there."
Miyabi almost bust a gut as he burst out laughing and then just as quickly regained his composure.
Shinra's cheeks flushed a bright Crimson, "Wh-what the hell is your problem?!"
Miyabi smirked, "Oh my, you're completely red. Which is befitting of what you are."
Shinra's previous embarrassment was immediately replaced with anger, "Stupid Kitsune! You want a fight?!"
The tall black-haired man I had previously mistaken for an Angel gave a heavy sigh and shook his head slowly, "Cut it out. We're not getting anywhere."
"So you're not an Angel then..."
The man named Chikage rolled his eyes and sighed, "Of course not. I'm a Tengu. We have black wings."
Mr. Fox Eyed pervert turned back to me, a sneer curving his lips, "And I'm Miyabi. Kitsune. A fox demon."
Yukinojo glanced back to me with a brilliant smile, "We would never do you any harm. Please, here us out."
To be honest I really did not want to hear them out. I didn't care what they had to say! However, there was something strangely powerful about these five gorgeous guys and I found myself stupidly nodding.
They all seemed to relax a little and as I continued to gaze at Yukinojo I couldn't sense anything other than an overwhelming kindness radiating from him which only proved to irritate me since this only made it more difficult for me to decide whether or not I could trust them.
The snow spirit cleared his throat and then continued, "I'll get right to the point. We are here to make a request."
I wasn't quite sure what to make of that odd statement from a group of five strangers who turned out to be demons.
"What kind of request?"
Yukinojo winked before saying, "We'd like to have a child with you."
The room became so quiet that I swear you could hear the crickets breathing.
I stared at all of them for a moment completely taken aback by such a ridiculous request.
"You wha-you want what?!"
The man Miyabi had called Kyoga gave the snow spirit a look of disgust, "Geez Yuki, you couldn't have sugarcoated it a little?"
Yukinojo blinked and gave a look that suggested that he had no idea what was wrong with what he had said. Then as if realization dawned on him, "Oh. Well, we'd like to live together with you and give birth to love."
I could feel the vein in my temple begin to pulse causing my brow to twitch no doubt, "You have a nice smile and all, but that was not much of a save!"
Kyoga tilted his head to the right in careful thought, "Okay, you're right, but listen. A child descended from your bloodline is said to possess great power.
"Incidentally, you have special powers, too."
I could hardly believe this to be true, "You're kidding, right?"
"Of course not."
I turned to the voice to find Miyabi staring at me, a sneer tugging at his lips, "Your blood and your body can give strength to an ayakashi."
Chikage, who had remained silent through most of the conversation finally spoke, "...So we want both you and the child. That's the short of it."
(They want me to have a baby with them because I have some kind of bizarre power? This is insane!)
I turned on the lot of them and narrowed my eyes into angry slits, "What the hell's wrong with you people?! I don't have any powers! I'm just an ordinary human!"
Of course none of them were phased by my outburst of anger. Miyabi least of all.
"However, last night, you awakened under the red moon."
(What the Hell does that have to do with anything?!)
Shinra flicked his eyes to mine, a gleam of deep seriousness swimming within them, "That's why you kept meeting with all those disasters today."
Whatever I thought I saw in his eyes however was replaced with a pure look of cockiness, "You've awakened, so now some jerk offs are targeting you."
"No... What the hell...?"
Miyabi gave his own version of a cocky smile, "Give us your body and we'll protect you. That's the agreement."
"Like hell I will," I mumbled.
Yukinojo ran a hand through his incredibly silky looking hair, though his expression remained soft and kind, "I know this is sudden and confusing, but please accept our offer."
It was my turn to sneer at them, "You didn't honestly think I would believe you, did you?!"
Chikage appeared to be losing patience, he gave a heavy sigh and brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose, "But it's the truth. If we don't protect you, you're going to die tomorrow. The agreement benefits both parties. So unless you would prefer to go to an early grave I'm pretty sure that accepting is the wise choice."
"Excuse me?!"
My parents are a fantastic couple. I always admired them as I grew up. So, I always believed that one day, I would fall in love, too, and make a home with that person.
(But instead, I get this insane story and I'm being forced into having a kid…?!)
Suddenly Kyoga snapped to his feet, "...On your feet, guys!"
Yukinojo's kind expression was quickly replaced with one of grave concern, "I'd like nothing more than to give you time to think about this."
Miyabi's sneer was replaced with that of concern, "It doesn't look like we have time for that anymore."
"What?!"
"They're a bunch of jerks, those guys. Completely obnoxious..." Kyoga mumbled in irritation.
Chikage rose to his feet as well, and folded his arms, "They wouldn't be stuck in the lower echelons if they were sophisticated."
Shinra was the last to jump into action, "Listen to me, Miku. Stay close!"
I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could get even one word out there was a deafening roar, followed by a fierce blast.
A second later, an unbelievable sight materialized before my eyes.
A super creepy guy dressed in old style clothing stepped out of the settling dust, "Meheheh. I knew I smelled something tasty. Hand her over."
"Oh dear, I think we have all the good noses we need around here."
I turned to Kyoga and nearly jumped out of my skin. He actually looked like a wolf now.
He tilted his head to the side in irritation, "I don't want a lesser character like you stealing my limelight."
"No need to joke like that now, Kyo. We have an uninvited guest."
I turn to Yukinojo who now looked like a genuine snow spirit. He was absolutely beautiful otherworldly even.
His kind smile faded only to be replaced with a pure look of disgust, "I wouldn't want you all to forget your hospitality."
"I think I know just the kind hospitality you mean."
I turned to Shinra who now had horns coming out of the top of his head. (He really is a demon an Oni!)
(These guys really are Ayakashi!)
"More of them are on their way. They want your power."
I turned to Miyabi. He now had the ears and tail of a fox. He was also very beautiful almost...God-like.
The evil creature apparently had had enough of our bantering as he stepped forward towards me, "Come here, girl! I'm going to suck you dry. You won't have a drop of blood left!"
"Like hell I will!" I made a mad dash for the open doorway leading to the garden.
(Am I going to be chased by these wretched ayakashi for the rest of my life?!)
"Miss Snow! I said stay behind us!"
I could hear Shinra yelling from behind me.
They all tried to stop me, But I ignored them and ran straight for the garden.
(I've heard enough about my blood and my power and their stupid agreement!)
I turned my eyes up to the heavens, "All I want is to live an ordinary, human life...!"
All of a sudden, something was grabbing my shoulder with tremendous force.
I whipped around to see that the demon caught up with me.
"Let. Me. GO!"
All the demon did in response was glare at me, a hunger in his eyes, "You're not getting away from me, human. Now, give me that sweet smelling blood."
I saw no means of escape he was just too powerful. The demon faced me and right when he attacked...
?!
... He fell flat on his face.
I looked up to see Shinra standing over me gripping a long sword in his hands, "Good fucking Lord! Would you quit moving around?!"
I blinked up at him, not quite sure what to make of what had just happened.
(Did he… Just attack that demon with his sword? He was so fast, I didn't see it coming...!)
Chikage swooped in black wings sprouting from his back, "You should be letting us protect you..."
He gave me a look of discontent, "... but instead you ran off and nearly get yourself killed. Humans are so difficult."
There was a massive amount of bitterness in his voice. I was about to tell him just what I thought of him and their stupid agreement when...
"Now you understand, don't you?"
Yukinojo knelt before me, the kindness back in his eyes.
But of course, it quickly vanished as he looked away, "You can't even protect yourself from an ayakashi, even a little demon like that one."
I was quickly growing angry with all of these jerks, "And how exactly is that my fault?!"
(Even so, it's true… it's just as these guys are saying, if I stay on my own, I'll be killed.)
(Which means my only option is to get their protection... In exchange for my body.)
I could feel my stomach lurch at the very thought.
"Look at you. You're crying. Are you really that scared? Geez! Looks like I have no choice. I'll protect you."
Shinra's crimson hair shimmered in the bright light of the moon.
"Don't be scared. Nothing bad will happen to you. Not if you choose me, anyway."
I wasn't quite sure I believed Kyoga as he said this.
"If you're not into drama, choosing me is probably the wise choice."
I highly doubted Chikage's promise worth believing either.
"I can promise you that I'll treat you better than any of the others here."
(Is this some kind a test to see how stupid I am?!)
"You must be joking. I can love a woman better than anyone."
(What the hell does that have to do with any of this?!)
I felt my stomach lurch, again.
Miyabi's lips curled into a sly grin, "So...decide. Who will protect you?"
(This has got to be some kind of sick joke…it just has to be...)
But before I could stop myself I blurted out his name...
