The room was ice-cold and pitch black.

I tiptoed inside, my heart thudding. The silence seemed to swallow me. I chanced a glance behind me. It looked like I was alone. I wiped my clammy palms against my satin skirt and took a deep breath.

Then I saw the eyes.

Glowing from the centre of the room, like tiny points of light, was a pair of crimson eyes, narrowed to slits. Evil eyes. And they were staring right at me.

Fear snaked down my spine, but I restrained myself from running back out the way I had come. I had to go ahead with this. There was no turning back now.

Suddenly, an eerily familiar voice called out in the darkness.

"Wake up! Yohime!"

I froze. That… That… Thing knew my name?

"Cousin! Wake up or I'll sic Tanrou on you!"

Wait, what?

I blinked and another room materialized before my eyes. Pink curtains. Blue and white forget-me-not wallpaper. A picture of me and my mother, tacked up over a wooden desk…

Oh.

I was in my bedroom. And Yura was hovering over me, frowning. My heartbeat slowed as reality sank in.

Yura had been calling my name. I'd been dreaming.

I'm… Home…? Did the Ayakashi do this…?

"Wake up!"

"I am awake," I groaned, sitting up and brushing my dark hair out of my eyes.

"Well, hurry up and get dressed. We're leaving at twelve sharp for the train station." Yura marched over to the curtains and yanked them open.

"Sausages and eggs for breakfast," She added as an afterthought, preparing to leave, but I called her back, the words 'train' and 'station' only having just hit me.

"Wait. Train station? Whatever for?"

"A fieldtrip with a club I joined in school. Your Grandmother thinks than a few days away from here will do you good – and besides, you can't go around without me."

I understood immediately.

"But they will still come and find me…"

"And I'll kill them all for you," Yura tossed her hair over her shoulders and walked out.

I sighed. "I wish that I shared her confidence…"

After showering and changing into one of my favourite outfits: A white bolero, a blue dress edged with crisp white lace, and a pair of boots, I headed down to join Yura and grandmother in the kitchen. Grandmother was brewing coffee while Yura chewed on her cereal as she pored over a yokai-killing novel.

"Good morning, Yohime. I suppose Yura told you about your trip to Mount Nejireme?"

I nodded, taking the plate of scrambled eggs, sausages and toast from her.

"Yes. I will need to pack though."

"It's already done. Yura and I did it last night."

"I-Oh. I see."

I picked at my food, my appetite gone.

Yura clattered downstairs just as I was pushing the watery remnants of egg around my plate. Her pink canvas rucksack was already slung over her shoulder, and my school satchel was in her hand.

Deciding that now would be a good time to leave; I set my plate down in the sink, and took the offered satchel.

But before I could step out the door, Grandmother called my name.

"Yohime."

"Yes?" I turned to stare at her questioningly.

Grandmother's face was blank, unreadable, as she held out a nondescript white bag, long and thin, with a buckled strap.

"This is-!" My eyes widened at the familiar sight before me.

Didn't I throw it away…?

Grandmother went on, carefully avoiding my eyes.

"Your mother saved it. She said that you'd know what to do with it when the time comes."

I stared at the bag silently, deliberating, before swinging it up into my hand.

I hesitated, before finally saying, "Tell Mom I said 'thanks'."

And then I was off before I could hear her reply.

The train ride was uneventful, possibly due to the fact that I tuned everyone else out after we had taken our seats. Curling up in the plush velvet seat next to Yura, I mindlessly ran my fingers over the bag's smooth surface, over and over, imprinting the feel of the silken material in my mind…

"We're here." Yura announced, grabbing her bag and heading out.

I followed, struggling to keep with her quick pace and long legs.

As we reached the end of the road, Yura took a sudden, sharp left, leaving the blacktop in favour of a gravel trail that appeared between the stands of tall trees. I could feel the gravel crunching beneath my boots, vibrating all the way up the muscles of my legs.

As we headed up the slope, the sight of the mountains against the painted backdrop of the sky made me draw an appreciative breath. Mount Nejireme dwarfed the smaller mountains that surrounded it, making it look as if it were floating above them.

"Where are we meeting your friends?" I asked at last, breaking the comfortable silence that stretched out between us.

"Mm? At Kiyotsugu-kun's villa…" Yura frowned thoughtfully, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper which showed a crudely-drawn map.

After a few alarming tilts of the map to the left, Yura's consultations proved fruitful, and we soon arrived at the villa - a Georgian pile, probably owned by a wealthy manufacturer, with a luxurious open-air bath with a scenic view of the mountainside.

The inside of the Kiyotsugu country retreat looked a little like a high-class heath farm, with one difference: the paintings and the furniture were all genuine, with glittering chandeliers and wall-to-wall carpeting.

Yura's friends were already there, exclaiming over his house, and I hung back shyly, letting Yura do all the introductions in my stead.

"Hey, Yohime, did you see the hot-springs?" A tall and willowy blonde, with a soft face – Maki, I think her name was – turned to strike up a conversation.

"No, I have not. Is it good?" I replied politely.

"No clue. Hey, you should join us! The boys are going off on some yokai expedition, but we girls need our rest, right?" She stared expectantly at me, and I felt gratitude well up in my heart, touched by her willingness to include and reach out to me.

"You'd be very welcome!" Kana, a petite girl with shoulder length brown hair, chipped in brightly. "Tori and Yura have already gone ahead, but I'm sure they'd love to have you!"

"I-"

Then I felt it: warm air on my skin. A yokai, its too-hot breath on my neck, sniffed my hair. His pointed chin pressed against my skin, and made me feel faint.

Resisting the urge to gag, I forced a smile.

"M-Maybe later. I have to use the bathroom, but I will join you soon!"

I kept my eyes glued to their faces, anywhere but at the horde I could feel entering the room. Even when I looked away, I could hear them: Gnashing teeth and expectant panting, a cacophony I couldn't escape.

I walked away from them, trying my hardest to keep my smile in place, consciously not staring at them. I fought to keep my steps even, calm, everything I wasn't feeling inside.

I had to get away. The yokai watched me as I went, their stares boring into my back. They should have followed. But they didn't. I wasn't worried – Yura was there. And as long as the girls stayed with her, they would live.

I stepped outside, heart pounding, and stumbled away from the mansion. The smells of the woodlands surrounded me, along with the dank, earthy scent of leaves left to decompose. The air was moist and thick with a kind of misty precipitation that seeped through my clothes and my shoes, until it was pressing itself damply against my skin, chilling me to the bone.

Still I headed in deeper, threading my way through the trees and picking my way over rocks and gnarled tree roots. But I was unable to shake of my growing feelings of unease.

I… I am safe now, so why…?

Then a shrill, ear-piercing scream rang out through the dense woods, and I knew instinctively that this was not a prank. Someone really was in danger!

Without thinking, I yelled back, as loud as I could, as hard as I could. "I am coming! Hold on!"

I ran as fast as was humanly possible through the tangled ground cover, beneath the expanse of towering trees. I squeezed my way through branches that lashed at me, whipping my face and arms, grateful that I kept finding a solid place to land.

I could hear my laboured breathing, punchy with each hard footfall, as I concentrated on finding my way.

"Where are you?" I yelled out.

There was no reply.

My foot caught against something sticking up from the ground, and my footstep stuttered, but not enough to really slow me down. I didn't know how much longer I could keep this pace. For all I knew, the girl could have been murdered already. My lungs were burning with the fiery strain, and the stich in my side was pinching tightly.

The voice came again. Louder, much louder now. I could hear the words… And I recognized who it was.

"Don't tell me… You knew he's the Third Heir…?! Then… Why…?!"

"It's Gyuki-sama's idea!" I heard her attacker reply.

A dense copse of trees stood in my way. I dodged between them, finally breaking through the cluster of trees and bushes.

An effeminate boy stood over a young girl, a blade in his hand, the tip coated with ice that sparkled like diamonds. It was inches away from her throat.

"It is you!" I realized, with a start, my blue orbs flickering down to her bleeding foot. "And you are hurt!"

She looked like she wanted to cry with relief, but she recovered fairly quickly with a sharp, "No, don't come any closer! Run away!"

The boy clicked his tongue, and swung his blade with a graceful flick of the wrist.

CLANG!

The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed throughout the clearing.

"How did you…?" The girl, Yuki-Onna, I think she was called, breathed in surprise, her every word tinged with pain. "When did you get a sword…?"

I turned to smile comfortingly at her.

"Everything will be okay, I promise. You just rest. I will… Definitely beat this guy!"

"Ah? Just you try to beat this Gozumaru!" A mean smirk spread across his face.

And before I could even blink, there was a sharp clatter and my rapier was lying on the ground.

"Heh. This is interesting." A wry smile flickered across my lips as I bent to pick it up. "Alright then. Let's dance!"

Hey guys! Sorry for the late update - school and CCA have been taking up what little social life I have. But here's the latest chapter! Stay tuned for the next one - lots of action there! Review and comments are much appreciated!