"Burn the witch!"
"Kill her!"
"She must pay for her sins to god!"
"Find her now!"
The voices rung in her ears. She could hear the crackling of fire on their torches. The chants rung deep into her bones, chilling her to her core. They were so quick to murder, it was scary.
She had to keep running. If she hesitated for even a second, it could mean death. She couldn't stop. She needed to get away.
But to where?
...
"Dear Shiori,
I hope this letter finds you safely. I'm sorry I had to leave you. But I want you to try and live a normal life. I am safe. I had collapsed, but a vampire saved me. I am with her and her collection of friends.
If the day ever comes that you are wanted too, I am sure they will all take you in. I cannot risk much information about them in case someone sees this letter besides you. But, they are deep in the unclaimed lands. Where most people won't ever dare go.
I hope it won't come to that, but you have a place to go if it does.
Love, Fumi"
...
Right. There was that place. If she could just reach it, she would be safe. Even getting far enough into the unclaimed lands might work to get rid of the pursuers. It unnerved a lot of people to be on that land. It was home to the most supernatural creatures, after all.
Shiori had a destination now. All she had to do was get to it alive. Which was questionable when you had a hoard of angry townsfolk chasing you down with any weapons they could find. She was already knocking on death's door as it was. She was injured. Quite badly too.
A gunshot had taken out her right arm. It hurt every movement she made. Blood was flowing down her arm in very gushing rapids. She was losing a lot of blood fast.
Shiori was feeling a bit lightheaded. That probably wasn't a good sign. She couldn't afford to stumble. They would be on her immediately it she did. She had to keep going. She couldn't stop. No matter how much her body screamed st her to stop, she couldn't listen to it.
She wanted to live.
And so, she kept running. And, much to her relief, as she crossed deeper into the unclaimed lands, less and less townsfolk followed her. Soon enough, she was alone.
Shiori slowed to a stop and took in her surroundings. She was unfamiliar with this land herself. She never dared venture here incase it aroused suspicion in the townsfolk. She didn't know where to go. How did she find this vampire her sister had spoken of?
Shiori winced. The more important question right now might be if she was going to remain conscious for much longer. Her arms was still bleeding rapidly. She had nothing to wrap around her arm. Her clothes were tattered as is. She couldn't rip them more to make a bandage. It wouldn't be enough.
Shiori froze as she heard a growl. She cautiously turned to face the direction of the noise. She was met by a pair of blue eyes staring out from the darkness of the forest. They didn't seem to be looking at her in a threatening way, more so in a curious way.
"H-help..." Shiori stumbled toward them, making it only a few steps before collapsing to the ground, "Hunters..."
She felt soft fur brush against her, nudging her. The creature, most likely a wolf of some sort, was trying to get her up again. However, Shiori was at her limit. She couldn't move. She could hear the wolf whining.
"P-please... I don't wanna die..."
She was nudged hard. It happened again. And again. And then she realized what was happening. The wolf had gotten under her to put her on their back. Shiori had no strength to move and sunk into the warm fur. Her eyes closed and everything slowly faded away into nothingness.
But, she felt safe. She trusted the wolf would help her.
...
"She does look a lot like her."
"Could she be related to Fumi?"
"Possibly."
"So, she probably is a witch too. And that is why she ended up how she did."
"Yeah..."
Shiori woke to unfamiliar voices. She opened her eyes and tried to take in her surroundings. Everything was blurry. She couldn't see much. She tried blinking a few times. It helped a little bit.
"Ah, she's awake."
Shiori felt something heavy climb onto the bed. Soft fur brushed against her side. A tongue gently licked the side of her face.
"Yachiyo! I told you to stay on the floor!"
The wolf let out a series of huffs, obviously complaining about the rule. Shiori tested her arms. They seemed to be fine to move. So, she turned slightly and wrapped her arms around the wolf. They had saved her, after all.
"Seems she likes Yachiyo, Michiru. Your demands won't do much now."
"Hush. I just didn't want to freak her out."
Shiori felt a hand touch her shoulder. She looked over. There was a girl there.
"Hi! I'm Mei Fan. What's your name?" The girl smiled at her.
"S-Shiori."
"Shiori... so you are Fumi's sister."
Another girl came into her vision. Shiori guessed that was Michiru.
"Y-yes. She's my sister." Shiori confirmed, "That means, you know where she is."
Michiru and Mei Fan exchanged glances, "It's... a long story. For now, just rest."
"Okay..." Shiori looked the wolf over now.
Her name was Yachiyo if Shiori heard correctly. She had pink fur. Not something Shiori had ever seen before.
"Thank you for saving me." Shiori said to her.
Yachiyo licked her face again.
"It's the full moon so she can't shift back to her human form right now." Michiru stated, "She's a troublemaker, so be warned."
"You're cute!" Shiori smiled at Yachiyo, "You're so fluffy."
Yachiyo nuzzled her. Shiori guessed she didn't mind the compliment then.
"Yachiyo, you're in charge of her for now. We better inform Akira about all of this. She should return soon." Michiru stated.
Yachiyo gave a nod to her. Michiru and Mei Fan left the room. Now it was just her and Shiori.
"Is... onee-chan not here anymore?" Shioru questioned.
Yachiyo whined and looked down. This was going to be an interesting conversation if she couldn't talk.
"Something... happened..." Shiori didn't like the reaction.
Yachiyo nodded and placed her left paw into Shiori's face. Shiori examined it, assuming that was what Yachiyo wanted from her.
"This is a... fake... leg?"
Yachiy nodded.
"So... you got hurt and... onee-chan did too..."
Yachiyo nodded again. She nuzzled Shiori again. This seemed to be a hard topic to talk about. Shiori wasn't sure if she should push it or not. She did want to find out what happened to Fumi, but she didn't want to make someone upset to find out that information either.
"So, this is her?" The door to the room opened.
"Yes. Be nice. She's injured and barely knows anything about where she is."
Michiru returned to the room with someone new beside her. Shiori nervously moved and sat up. Yachiyo pressed up against her in fear that she might fall over. She wasn't very strong yet. Her body barely had time to recover.
"You are Shiori." The new person walked over to her, "My name is Akira."
"H-hi."
"What brought you to these lands?" Akira asked.
"I... was found out. The townsfolk were trying to burn me at the stake..." Shiori assumed she also knew about her being a witch.
"I assume you have a lot of questions for us." Michiru piped in.
"Yes..."
"Ask away. We'll see what we can answer."
"Um... you are all... inhuman, right?"
"Yes. You can easily see what Yachiyo is. I'm a succubus. I know, doesn't look like it much, but I am." Michiru said, "Akira and Mei Fan are both vampires."
"Where are we?" Shiori asked next.
"A house deep in the unclaimed lands."
"W-will you tell me where onee-chan is? Or what happened to her? Why isn't she here?"
Michiru sighed, "I told you, Shiori, it's a long story. You aren't ready yet."
"She's my sister! I need to know!" Shiori felt tears stinging her eyes.
Yachiyo whined and nuzzled against her face. Shiori broke down into full-out crying. All she wanted was to see Fumi again. Why couldn't she?
"Shiori..." Michiru came over and hugged her, "I'm sorry, but I don't believe you're ready to hear what we have to say."
"B-but..."
"Shh... calm down first. Tomorrow we can talk about it, alright? Take some time to rest." Michiru gently brushed some hair out of her face.
"Okay..." Shiori tried to wipe away the tears.
Michiru turned around, "And she's left already... great."
Akira had left the room already.
"Well, she doesn't like discussing Fumi." Michiru sighed, "It's late. Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning, alright?"
"Yeah..." Shiori nodded.
"Yachiyo will stay with you. You won't be alone." Michiru said and then left the room.
Shiori looked at Yachiyo. The wolf licked her cheek and nuzzled against her. Shiori hugged her and curled closer. She was warm. It was nice.
"Goodnight..." Shiori yawned.
She closed her eyes. Yachiyo curled up around her protectively.
...
"Shiori~ Good morning~"
Shiori woke to an unfamiliar voice humming in her ear. She was hugging something. There was no fur this time. She opened her eyes. She was met by the same blue eyes, but they now were with a human body.
"Hey, sleepyhead. How are you feeling today?" Yachiyo patted her on the head.
"My arm is still sore." Shiori said.
"It'll be that way for a while. It was a pretty nasty wound." Yachiyo replied.
Someone knocked on the door and opened it.
"Yachiyo! Get some clothes on already!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting on it, Mei Fan."
That was the first time Shiori realized that Yachiyo was without clothes. It made sense since she had shifted back just a little while ago, but still.
Within a few minutes, Yachiyo climbed back in the bed, this time clothed. She pulled Shiori back into a hug. Shiori winced as something cold touched her arm. She looked down and saw that it was Yachiyo's fake arm.
"You haven't been able to inform her of that yet."
"I did." Yachiyo huffed, "I showed her my front leg."
"Alright. Well, have you told her anything about Fumi?"
"Not yet. She just woke up."
"Michiru said you can tell her."
"Dumping everything on me, is she?" Yachiyo pouted.
"It seems so. But, you understand why."
"I know." Yachiyo sighed, "Well, you ready to hear it, Shiori?"
Shiori nodded. She was more than ready to know what happened to Fumi.
"Alright. So..."
...
"Fumi! Fumi, wait!"
Her pleadings were not answered. Fumi didn't turn around. She kept running. Kept getting farther away.
"Please! Fumi, please stop!"
Still nothing. This was bad. She needed to catch her. But how? She was losing ground. Fumi was getting farther and farther away from her with each stride.
"Come on, Yachiyo... you can do it..."
She was trying to reassure herself she would succeed, but things were seeming hopeless. Fumi wasn't slowing down at all.
"Fumi! Please just hear me out! She didn't mean it! Please!"
Fumi vanished from her sight, having gone down a slope. She was losing her even more. This was bad.
She heard a scream. That was bad. She quickly sped up, trying desperately trying to reach her. When she arrived, the sight that greeted her was not a pleasant one.
Just below her was Fumi. Or, what was left of her. There was a hunter and his dogs. The dogs were ripping her to shreds. Unfortunately, she was still alive. At this point, it would be better if she was dead.
"Get away from her!" Yachiyo threw herself into the fray.
She growled and allowed herself to slightly shift. She had claws now. Good. She lashed out at the dogs, easily killing them with one swipe. Then she turned on the hunter.
The hunter aimed his gun at her. Yachiyo charged. A bullet hit her arm and she faltered. Immediately the hunter came upon her with a knife. He slashed down on her arm, almost dismembering it from her body.
Yachiyo screamed in pain. She frantically lashed out. She managed to hit the hunter and kill him.
She collapsed to her knees, crawling over to Fumi. Said girl was in very rough shape.
"F-Fumi..."
"Sorry... I... shouldn't have run..."
There was no way she would survive. It was already too late for her.
"Do you want me to finish the job?" Yachiyo didn't want to see her suffer like this.
Fumi took a deep breath, "Just... if you ever see Shiori... take good care of her for me..."
"I will, Fumi. We all will." Yachiyo promised.
Fumi closed her eyes. Yachiyo ran her good hand across her cheek.
"Tell Akira I'm... sorry too..."
"I will."
Yachiyo took a deep breath. This was it. It was hard to do.
"Goodbye... Fumi." Yachiyo choked out and then quickly slashed her throat open.
It was a very quick death. Yachiyo stood up. She had to get help for herself now. Her arm was probably done for. If she didn't get help, though, she wouldn't just be losing her arm. She'd be losing her life too.
...
"Onee-chan... is dead...?" Shiori stared at her with wide eyes. Eyes filled with tears.
"Yes... I'm so sorry, Shiori..." Yachiyo hugged her tightly. Shiori wasn't the only one who was upset.
"Why... why was she running?"
Mei Fan sat down on the bed with them, "She had a fight with Akira. A lot of bad things were said and she ran off."
"That's why Akira avoids talking about Fumi at all costs. She blames herself for what happened." Yachiyo added.
"Does she not want me around then? Since I'm her sister?" Shiori questioned.
"I can't say. I doubt she'd toss you out, but she may not want to talk to you much."
"Okay..."
"You have to understand, Shiori. They were dating. Losing Fumi took a huge toll on us all, but especially for Akira."
"She was... dating onee-chan?"
"Yeah. So, I would recommend not asking her about Fumi at all."
"Okay..."
"Is there anything else you want to know about?" Mei Fan asked.
"No..." Shiori needed time to take in everything she had just learned.
"Can you get up?" Yachiyo asked as she examined the wound on Shiori's shoulder.
"I think so." Shiori nodded.
She carefully moved to the edge of the bed and stood up. Mei Fan and Yachiyo were both right beside her in case she stumbled at all.
"Breakfast should be done by now."
"We'll take a nice slow walk to the kitchen."
...
Shiori had been welcomed quite warmly to the house. They had given her a room of her own. Though, Akira avoided her a lot. Shiori understood, so she didn't mention it. She did her best to also try and avoid Akira. She wanted to do her best to make her comfortable as well.
"Shiori~" A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Huh? Hi, Michiru. What's up?" Shiori asked, recognizing who it was without having to turn around.
"What are you doing?" Michiru questioned.
"I was reading." Shiori showed her the book.
"I liked that book a lot. It was a fun one to read." Michiru commented, "Anyway, how are you adjusting to this place?"
"I'm doing fine. It's still a bit weird with Akira avoiding me... but I'm trying my best to just move past it."
"It'll take a while before she'll consider talking to you. Though, she had mentioned that you seem to avoid her now too. She was a bit worried about that."
"Oh. I'm just giving her space. I know she doesn't want me around her so I'm trying to stay away too."
"I'm sure she'll appreciate that then. She was worried she was coming off as too harsh and cold to you."
"What is it that makes her unable to face me?" Shiori asked.
"You look too much like Fumi. We all see her in you." Michiru replied.
"Then why let me stay?"
"We promised her that if you ever came here, we'd take you in and care for you in her place. It isn't good to break a promise of a dead person."
"Is there nothing I can do to help things along?"
"I don't think so. It's really all of us that are the problem. We haven't moved on yet."
...
Things stayed the same for a while. Shiori was growing quite used to her routine now. Everyone greeted her with a bit of hesitancy still, obviously seeing Fumi in her. Akira had not spoken a single word to her since the first day they had met. Shiori was questioning if they ever would get on those terms. It was obvious how much she was suffering. And there was nothing she could do to help, unfortunately.
Shiori was currently trying to sleep. It was not going well. No matter what she tried, she just couldn't get comfortable. She decided to get up then. Maybe if she did something for a bit she'd be able to sleep?
Shiori went to the library. She felt like maybe reading a book could lull her to sleep. However, she wasn't the only one there.
Akira was in there. She looked to be rearranging some books. She paused as she heard Shiori let out a quiet squeak.
Shiori went to leave. She shouldn't intrude.
"You don't have to go. I don't care if you stay." Akira called to her.
"You sure?" Shiori asked hesitantly.
"Yes. I... need to stop being so lost in the past."
"Onee-chan meant a lot to you... right? It'll be hard to move on." Shiori mumbled.
"Even so, I... really need to stop avoiding you. You've done nothing to deserve it." Akira took a deep breath and faced her.
"It's okay..."
"Come sit with me. Perhaps talking to you a bit may help." Akira motioned her closer.
Shiori nodded and allowed Akira to lead her to a pair of chairs. They sat down.
"How old were you when she left?" Akira asked first.
"I was ten." Shiori replied, "She had been accused of making someone ill because she was a witch and had to run."
"Was this accusation true?"
"Yes... he was always picking on me because I'm... I'm very sickly. Not as much now, but back then I was. Onee-chan had enough and made him feel my pain."
"She always talked about you with a lot of affection. She really cared deeply about you."
"She was all I had. Mom and dad died when I was seven. She had to take on the role of caring for me when I was barely able to leave my bed sometimes." Shiori said.
"And what set off the hunt for you?" Akira changed the topic.
"I... was falsely accused. They said I tainted the town's water. I didn't. But they would have killed me without listening."
"Humans are dumb creatures." Akira grumbled, "Always blaming others when they are the issue."
"I guess you've had issues before then."
"Indeed. Before I came here I too lived amongst humans. But they started having people die. And I was the strange one, so they blamed me." Akira stated, "They were too stupid to realize they were dying because of the poor quality of their food and water."
"And so you came here? How did everyone else get here?"
"I... nearly downed during my escape. Michiru saved me. She decided to tag along to make sure I didn't die. We just grew close and stayed together. Yachiyo wandered onto our land and was injured. We decided to heal her and she wanted to stay. She was apparently kicked out of her pack. As for Mei Fan. She was a human once. She took a dare to come here and we met. Surprisingly, she wasn't really scared of me. And we became friends. Then one day she just asked me to turn her so I did." Akira explained.
"And you found onee-chan? Or did she find you guys?"
"Yachiyo found her unconscious in the woods. She had blacked out from exhaustion."
"Yachiyo's really nice. Michiru said she's a troublemaker, though. I've never seen her be that way."
"She's been very behaved for once. Normally she isn't like this. I guess she's trying to act better around you. I'm sure you'll witness her antics before too long."
"Um... I've been afraid to ask but... is there a grave for onee-chan?"
"Yes, however her body was not recovered. It is just a stone." Akira replied, "In the morning I could take you there, if you want."
"I'd like that." Shiori nodded, "But, why didn't you bury her?"
"We couldn't find her body. I know it sounds bizarre, but her body was gone when we went to get it. It was only the hunter and his dogs who had corpses there. We still have no clue what happened to her body."
"That's... really weird. Is there any explanation you can think of?"
Akira shook her head, "No. It doesn't make sense that the other bodies were left untouched but hers wasn't."
"You and onee-chan were dating?"
"Yes. She told me first. I was a bit stubborn to start a relationship, but ultimately I did. I don't regret it. But, you can see why it's been hard to face you."
"I know. I'm really glad you're trying to talk to me, though." Shiori smiled at her.
"Yeah... it's not as bad as I thought." Akira replied.
Shiori yawned, "Mmm... I'm tired, but I couldn't fall asleep."
"Would you like to spend the night in my room?"
"Huh?"
"I... I want to make it up to you for how cold I've been to you. Perhaps staying with someone would help you sleep?"
"Um... sure."
"Shall we go?" Akira stood up and offered a hand to Shiori.
Shiori took it and allowed Akira to lead her away. They went to her room. It was definitely bigger than the one Shiori had. That was to be expected since Akira was technically the owner of the house. She was entitled to the biggest room if she wanted it.
"You're room is quite... messy." Shiori commented.
There were many things strewn out all over the floor. It was a mess. But, it was easy enough to navigate the room still.
"I know. Michiru keeps telling me to clean it. I don't see the point in doing it. I've had it this way since we moved in here."
"Oh."
They laid down on the bed together, facing each other. Shiori didn't know how to feel about this. She didn't want to reject the offer when Akira was trying so hard to make it up to her.
"You really do look like Fumi. But you don't act very similar." Akira said.
"I've always avoided fights since I was too weak to fight back. Onee-chan always had to defend me." Shiori replied.
"I see."
They laid there in silence for a while. Shiori didn't know what to do. Should she just try and sleep? Should she say something else?
"Shiori... what do you think of me?"
"Huh? What do I think of you? Well... you're nice, even though you've been avoiding me. But, I haven't gotten to know much about you yet, so I can't say much."
"Do you like me? Or do you not trust me?"
"I like you. I know I can trust you."
"Shiori..." Akira moved closer until their faces were inches from each other, "I... I like you... and not because you remind me of Fumi. Seeing you be so kind... it made me want you."
Shiori had definitely not been expecting a confession. She barely knew Akira. But...
"I like you too. Every time I've seen you, I always feel weird."
"You feel the same way?"
"I think so."
"Can I... kiss you?"
"S-sure."
They both knew this wasn't right. This wasn't what should be happening. Akira wasn't done grieving. She shouldn't be doing this. Shiori shouldn't be encouraging it when she knew it too.
But, that night was something they both didn't think they would regret.
...
"So, you finally start talking to her and somehow she ends up in bed with you?"
Shiori woke the next morning to talking.
"So?"
"Y-you're... did you... you... nevermind. Just get dressed and come join us in the living room when you're ready."
The door shut quite fast. Shiori could feel that Akira was already sitting up. She started running a hand through Shiori's hair.
"Mmm... morning..." Shiori yawned as she sat up. Now she could feel the aching on her body. Last night had been... intense.
"Good morning. Sleep well?" Akira greeted her with a kiss.
"Yeah. I'm a bit sore, though." Shiori stretched.
"Nothing too bad, right?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Then I guess we better get up." Akira climbed out of bed.
"Akira? Last night... was everything you said true?"
"Yes, Shiori. I love you. You aren't Fumi. You're your own person and that person is who I love."
"I never expected this to happen. But, I like it."
Shiori got up as well. She stretched a bit and then retrieved her clothes from the floor. It didn't take long before they both looked presentable enough to leave the room.
"It'll be a while for breakfast. Do you want to see her grave while we wait?" Akira asked.
"Sure." Shiori agreed.
They left the room. They ran into Yachiyo along the way.
"Finally trying to get to know her? Good." Yachiyo smiled at them, "Where are you off to?"
"She wanted to see Fumi's grave." Akira replied.
"Understandable. Mind if I tag along?"
"I don't care, do you?" Akira looked at Shiori.
Shiori shook her head, "No. I don't mind."
"Then let's go."
The three of them exited the house. They went around to the back. It was a bit overgrown in the back. However, there was a path of trampled undergrowth that was easy to walk on. It seemed this was a very often used path.
"Here we are." Akira stated, "The other graves are from before we came here. The ingravings on them are too faded to read. Fumi's is the center one."
Shiori knelt down in front of her grave. She ran a hand down the stone, feeling the small indents where the words were. It felt so surreal. Her sister was dead and she was at her grave. It didn't feel real.
"How long ago did she die?" Shiori asked as she looked back at the two girls.
"Two years ago." Yachiyo replied, "Actually, I believe in a few days it'll turn to three years."
"It's been that long..." Shiori turned back to the grave, "Is there a reason no one tried to tell me?"
"Fumi always told us we weren't to tell you anything worrisome. Incase you tried to come find her. She wanted you to remain in that town for as long as you could." Akira said.
"It's been so long since I've seen her... and now I guess I'll never get to..."
"One day you will." Yachiyo knelt beside her, "In the afterlife I'm sure you'll get to meet her again."
"But that's so far away..." Shiori frowned.
"I don't think she'd want to see you so soon." Akira added, "She would want you to live your life to the fullest before you die."
"I know... but it's hard."
"We're here to help, Shiori. You aren't alone." Yachiyo patted her on the head.
They fell into silence for a while. Shiori was staring at the grave. It was still hard to process everything.
They all paused as they heard rustling nearby. Akira and Yachiyo went on the defense. They knew it wasn't Michiru or Mei Fan. It was someone else.
Yachiyo lightened up, "Oh, it's fine. It's Yuyuko."
"How do you know?"
"I can smell her scent."
Moments later a pale orange wolf entered the small clearing. She was panting heavily. After a few minutes, she shifted back to her human form. She shifted back fully clothed. She knew how to do that whereas Yachiyo didn't.
"Yuyuko. What brings you here in such a rush?" Yachiyo questioned.
"I was patrolling around and I heard some hunters talking. They're trying to kill our pack. And so far they've been succeeding. They want us dead too. They had a list of names and ours were there." Yuyuko stated quite fast.
"So we're being hunted? Just great." Yachiyo sighed.
"How will they track you down?" Akira questioned.
"They're those type of hunters. They have those special tools that can sense supernatural creatures. If we get too close to them, they'll lock on to our location." Yuyuko explained.
"What can you do to stop them?"
"The only thing we can do is to kill them or move far away."
"You're alone still, aren't you? It might be best you stay here for a bit." Yachiyo said.
"Oh, I found a group." Yuyuko replied, "I'm fine."
"Do you have a plan then?" Akira asked.
"Not yet. We aren't sure what to do." Yuyuko sighed.
"How good is this group you're with?" Yachiyo asked.
"We'll be fine. Everyone is pretty tough."
Shiori was awkwardly watching the conversation. She wasn't sure what to do. Did she say something? Or did she just stay out of it?
"Hmm? You have a new one?" Yuyuko noticed her.
"Yeah. This is Shiori." Yachiyo wrapped an arm around Shiori, "She's Fumi's sister."
"Oh. You definitely look similar." Yuyuko stated, "Hi, Shiori. I'm Yuyuko. It's nice to meet you."
"H-hi..." Shiori mumbled back.
"Could we meet this group or yours, Yuyuko? Perhaps if both of our groups work together we can make a good plan." Akira suggested.
Yuyuko tensed up slightly, "Um... they don't really want to meet with you guys..."
"Why not?"
"It's not something I can really tell you. Sorry."
"I don't care. We are meeting them. You'll take us there once we get the other two." Akira stated.
"Akira, I don't think being forceful will make them want to work with us." Yachiyo said.
"I know what I'm doing." Akira stated and turned away, "Let's discuss this with Michiru and Mei Fan."
Yuyuko exchanged glances with Yachiyo. Yachiyo shrugged. She started leading them after Akira. There was nothing else they could do from the look of it. She didn't seem like she would be persuaded to not do this.
...
After breakfast and a long discussion, they had agreed to go meet with this group. No one was able to talk Akira down from the idea.
Yuyuko seemed very nervous about the whole thing. The walk there was tough. She was glancing around constantly, asking if they really wanted to do this. She obviously didn't want them to meet.
No one was sure if they should try and ask her why that was. Would she even tell them? It was obvious whatever it was was quite a big secret. But, they did want to talk to this group too. If they banded together, they could hopefully eliminate the threat with ease.
That is, if they were willing to compromise. If this group didn't want to help them, things would be a lot more complicated. They had to hope they'd be allowed to talk to them.
"Alright. Just past here is the house we're staying at. Please remain outside until I tell them you are here. They don't take kindly to strangers." Yuyuko stated.
Everyone agreed to the rule and waited outside as Yuyuko went in. No one spoke while they waited. The atmosphere was tense.
After a grueling few minutes, the door opened again. Someone new came out. It appeared to be a girl. She had pink hair and there were noticeable horns on her head.
"You may come in. Don't you dare wander or I will kill you. You follow me." The girl stated with a glare.
They followed her into the house. They were brought into a room. It seemed to be like a meeting room. Inside were two others and Yuyuko.
"Sit." One of the others said. She looked to be in charge.
The five of them sat down as instructed. They definitely didn't want to piss anyone off. They needed to get on their good side.
"I said I didn't want to meet, so why did you insist she take you to us?"
"Could we at least have your names first?" Akira asked.
"No. Answer my questions first."
"Very well. I don't know why you don't want to meet us, but I believe it will be in both of our interests that we do this. You know of the hunters. If they find their targets, who is to say they won't find us as well? And what if they try and kill more than just who they were after?"
"You doubt your abilities to win a fight?"
"We do not know who would be coming. And how many. Even the strongest creatures can be overwhelmed if the number is high enough." Akira replied, "You should know also that they have been inventing many new tools to catch us with. It is a lot more dangerous now."
"You have made valid points. I will hear you out then. My name is Tamao. I am the leader of this group." The girl finally relaxed a bit, "Beside me is Rui and the one you met at the door is Ichie."
Akira introduced them all as well. They had made progress. Tamao appeared to be willing to work with them. That was a huge improvement.
"May I ask what you all are?" Ichie eyed them up, "We will tell you if you tell us first."
Everyone said what creatures they were. It didn't seem like anyone had too much to say about it.
"I am a demon." Ichie stated, "Rui is a siren. She has a contract with me that gives her a human form so she doesn't need water to live. Tamao is human, but is immortal from a contract with me."
"A human?" None of them knew what to say to that.
"A human who is scorned from society." Tamao said, "You see, I dable into dark arts. One could call me a necromancer, if you will. I find it quite fascinating to study corpses and revive them."
"So, you aren't much different from a supernatural being then." Michiru stated.
Tamao shook her head, "I am not. Some have even called me that before."
"So, will you consider an alliance to stop these hunters?"
"Yes. Tell me what plans you have come up with."
"The easiest one would be to ambush them."
"But if they have sensors for you, it could be hard to sneak up on them now."
"Yeah..."
...
They had reached a plan. The five girls were allowed to stay over for the night. However, they were not to leave their rooms without permission. It was for safety reasons, they were told.
However, someone didn't feel like listening to those rules. Akira wanted to see their house more. So, she quietly snuck around. It didn't appear anyone was awake.
She was heading down a dark hall when she heard something. It was coming from a room nearby. She quietly went over and peaked in. She froze in place at what she saw.
She had to be seeing things. Fumi was... dead. She couldn't be seeing her right now. But, who else could she be seeing.
Fumi was in that room. She was reading something and taking notes. She looked very much alive and well.
"Fumi?" Akira couldn't just walk away. She had to know if this was real.
Fumi jumped and whipped around. She was staring at Akira with wide eyes. This was bad. She had been caught.
"You aren't supposed to be wandering around." Fumi stated, "Leave."
"I'm not leaving. You're alive. How? You can't just leave me with nothing." Akira walked closer.
"I owe you nothing. Get out or I'll make you." Fumi threatened.
"Why can't we talk? I'm sorry about everything. I know I messed up. Please, Fumi."
"You've always been stubborn. But please leave. I doubt you'd want to run into Ichie. She can be scary if you make her mad."
"Tell me how you're alive." Akira persisted.
Fumi sighed, "Tamao."
"She... revived you?"
"Yes. Now leave. I've answered your question."
Akira shook her head and walked closer, embracing Fumi, "I've only just found you. I'm not leaving yet."
"Aki-"
"Fumi~ Where are you~?"
"I warned you, Akira. Ichie's coming." Fumi grumbled, "You're a stubborn idiot."
"I don't care if she sees me. I'm not letting go." Akira stated.
"Then I'm sorry about this." Fumi took a deep breath and whispered something. In seconds, Akira went limp in her grip.
She didn't want to have to do that to her, but she was at more risk being awake when Ichie arrived. At least this way she could say that she was dealing with Akira already.
"Fumi~" Ichie entered the room.
She paused and eyed up the scene. Fumi had not had time to readjust Akira in her grip. This wasn't exactly the scene she wanted Ichie to stumble upon.
"She was sneaking around it seems. She saw me. I've put a sleep spell on her already. I'll return her to her room." Fumi picked up Akira properly.
"Are you erasing her memories? So she won't remember seeing you?" Ichie questioned.
"Do I have to?"
"Tamao would prefer you did."
"I don't know that I want to. It won't hurt anyone if she knows." Fumi replied, "As long as she doesn't tell anyone else, that is."
"Your choice. I'll let you deal with her then."
...
"Akira? Time to get up."
Akira woke up feeling very groggy and out of it. She really didn't want to get up.
"Come on, everyone is waiting for you." She felt someone kiss her on the cheek. So Shiori was trying to wake her up.
"Give me a minute." Akira sighed and opened her eyes.
She knew why she felt this way. As much as she didn't want to admit it, that wasn't her first rodeo with that spell. Fumi had used it before. At least this time she knew what to expect.
"You okay? You aren't sick are you?" Shiori worriedly felt her head.
"I'll be fine, Shiori." Akira reassured her.
She carefully pulled herself into a sitting position. Shiori worriedly watched her.
"Shall we go?" Akira stood up.
"Okay. Just, say something if you don't feel good." Shiori said.
Akira kissed her on the head, "I will, Shiori."
As they walked, Akira realized something. She was in love with Fumi still. And now she was in love with Shiori. This was going to get very complicated very fast if either of them found out. Who would she even choose if it came to that?
"You've arrived."
They made it to the rest of the groups. They took a seat.
"So, I have been told that there is something I should inform you of." Tamao stated, "I am aware of what happened with Fumi and... well, she is actually alive. I revived her. She decided she was fine if you all knew that."
With those words, Fumi entered the room. All eyes locked onto her.
"Onee-chan!" Shiori practically bolted over to her and hugged tightly, "You're alive..."
"Yes, I'm alive, Shiori. I'm glad to see you again." Fumi hugged her tightly back.
"So that is why you didn't want to meet us. Incase we saw her." Michiru commented.
"Indeed. I... wasn't ready to face any of you yet." Fumi mumbled.
"That was all we had to discuss right now. Since you know about her, you are free to explore the house now."
Everyone slowly left the room. Shiori hadn't let go of Fumi yet. Akira was watching them both.
Fumi noticed her, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did Yachiyo recover from her wounds?"
"She lost the arm. Mei Fan knew someone who could make her a new one and so we did that." Akira replied.
"Has that effected her shifting at all?"
"At first, but Michiru managed to find a way to make a fake leg for her."
"That's good."
"What now?" Shiori asked.
"Would you mind letting me and Akira talk alone?" Fumi requested.
"Okay." Shiori nodded and left the room.
"So, why'd you decide to let everyone know?" Akira asked.
"Because I couldn't trust you not to tell anyone about me." Fumi replied.
"I've really missed you, Fumi." Akira hugged her.
"I have too..." Fumi whispered.
Without any hesitation, they kissed. It felt so natural despite how long they had been apart for. Neither wanted it to stop.
"Come stay in my room tonight." Fumi said as they pulled back.
"Very well."
Akira knew she should say something, but she didn't. As long as Shiori didn't find out, it would be okay. She just had to careful. It couldn't be that hard, right?
...
Fumi spent most of the day with Shiori. She hadn't seen her in such a long time. It was good to be able to be with her again.
However, when night fell, it was time for Akira. Fumi found her and led her to her room. They sat on the bed in silence for a bit.
"I think you know why I asked you to stay the night with me." Fumi stated.
"Yes. I'd love nothing more than to have this back again." Akira replied.
It wasn't long before the clothes came off. Fumi was pinned to the bed. They kissed passionately, relishing in this moment between them. It had been too long.
They didn't hear the door open. The last person they would want to see this came in.
"Onee-chan? Akira?" Shiori was frozen in place in the doorframe, staring with wide eyes at the two of them.
"S-Shiori!" Fumi yelped as she quickly separated herself from Akira, "W-what are you doing here? You should be in bed."
"I couldn't sleep so I thought I could stay with you..." Shiori looked broken.
"I-I'm sorry. Um..." Fumi didn't know what to say. She also didn't know the true reason Shiori was looking that way.
"Shiori." Akira faced her, "I... I'm sorry..."
"You lied to me! You were just using me as a replacement! You never loved me! I hate you!" Shiori yelled and then ran off.
"What?" Fumi reeled back at the outburst, "Akira... don't tell me you..."
"I'm sorry... I know it was wrong. I shouldn't have done anything romantic with her, but... I needed something... and I do love her, Fumi. Even now that you're here, those feelings haven't faded for her..." Akira sighed. She had messed up big time.
"You went after my sister when you thought I was dead?" Fumi glared at her.
"Please... I'm sorry..."
Fumi sighed, "There's no point in being mad at you. I'm going to talk to her. You stay here."
Akira nodded. Fumi got up and dressed. She then left the room to hunt down Shiori. Akira dressed herself too. She sat on the bed and stared off into space, replaying the scene in her head.
...
"Shiori..." Fumi found her crying in the hallway a few doors down, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry..."
"Why did I ever believe her...?"
"She does seem to genuinely love you, Shiori." Fumi said, "I don't think it was a lie."
"But she wants you more than me..."
"If I had known about this, I would've rejected any advances she made on me. Our relationship is in the past. Yours is the current one she is in. I'm not going to do anything with her again." Fumi stated.
"But... what if she wants you and not me anymore?"
"Then I'll knock some sense into her."
Shiori hugged her tightly, "Thank you, onee-chan. But... I don't want her to be upset anymore. She was hurting so much. Being with you would make her so happy. I was just a stand-in."
"No. She loves you too. And she has to sort this out herself. We're going to talk to her together and ask her to choose." Fumi stated.
"Fine... but I know she'll choose you..." Shiori sighed, "Why even bother?"
"I want her to see you upset then. Make her feel bad about it. She deserves to for doing this."
"You said it seems like she really loves me. She wasn't just after me because I reminded her of you?" Shiori asked.
Fumi shook her head, "From what she's said, I think at first it was that, but then she did find feelings for you as your own person."
"I'm scared to confront her, onee-chan."
"I know. But we have to." Fumi stood up and offered a hand to Shiori.
Shiori took it and allowed Fumi to pull her back to her feet. They took a slow walk back to the bedroom. Akira was still on the bed. She faced them, but refused to make any eye contact.
"Akira, you have to choose. Who do you want to be with. You aren't dancing around and trying to juggle two relationships. Pick one." Fumi stated firmly.
Akira took a while to respond. From the look on her face, it seemed she was debating her answer very deeply. It was a tough choice.
"Fumi..."
"You want me?"
"Yes."
Shiori was hurt even though she knew it was coming. Part of her still had hoped that maybe Akira would pick her. But she should've known that was never an option. She loved Fumi more. Of course she would choose her in the end.
"Sorry, I'm not taking you back."
Shiori looked at Fumi in surprise. What was she doing? She had been chosen. Why was she saying no? That wasn't agreed on.
"What?" Akira seemed just as confused, "Then why give me the choice?"
"To see if you'd make the right decision. You've moved on with Shiori. I've moved on with Rui." Fumi said, "I shouldn't have made an advance on you, but Rui said it was okay for one night. But that was it. We're through. We've both moved on with our lives already. It's time to move past our relationship."
"Onee-chan?" Shiori had no words for what she had just been told.
"I should've told you before we did this, but I felt it was better this way." Fumi said, "So, you two can decide if you're willing to work this relationship out or not."
"I... I need time..." Shiori backed away and left the room.
"Shiori..." Fumi sighed, before turning to look at Akira, "You have a lot of work to do if you want her to ever forgive you."
"You're okay if I date her?"
Fumi nodded, "Yes. As long as you treat her right, I won't stop you."
Akira stood up, "So... you found someone else."
"Yes. Rui and I have been together for two years just about. I'm happy with her."
"I guess I better go talk to Shiori..."
"Good luck."
Akira left the room. She wasn't sure where to go to find Shiori. Where would she have went to? Her room, perhaps? But she was sharing it with Michiru. Akira really didn't want to face her right now. She had told Akira this was going to happen at some point, both before and after finding out Fumi was alive. But, of course Akira didn't listen to her at all.
She would be getting an earful from Michiru before long. There was no way she wouldn't find out about this. She might already know for all Akira knew. Shiori could have told her already.
Akira went to the bedroom and just as she predicted, Michiru was with Shiori. That was the opposite of what she had wanted. But, she didn't have a choice. If she wanted to talk to Shiori now, she would just have to face Michiru too.
So, Akira entered the room. Immediately Michiru was glaring at her. That wasn't a good sign. This was already starting off bad for her.
"I told you this was inevitable, Akira. You should have listened to me." Michiru grumbled.
"Sorry..." Akira mumbled in reply, "I want to talk to you, Shiori."
"Then talk. I'm not leaving." Michiru stated.
Akira sighed. Of course Michiru was going to be like this with her. This was just wonderful.
"Shiori, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I... I know you think I only said I love you because you reminded me of Fumi... and maybe that was true at first. But now I do love you. I know I messed up bad. Will you give me another chance?"
Shiori didn't say anything for a while. That made Akira worried. Was she about to lose Shiori too?
"Please leave. I need some time alone." Shiori whispered.
Akira frowned. She glanced at Michiru. Michiru nodded to her. Akira sighed and exited the room. Looks like Shiori needed time to consider her options. She would have to wait to find out if she had a chance.
She started heading to her room, when she heard a loud bang. Someone screamed.
"Hunters!"
That wasn't good. Hunters had found them.
Akira ran toward the noise. They would need everyone to fight. When she arrived, there were already a few of them there. She launched herself into the fray and took on a hunter.
The fight was hard. The hunters had a lot of new tactics and tools no one had ever seen before. They were severely unprepared for this fight. But, they couldn't give up. They had to keep fighting. Otherwise they were all going to die.
The hunters started spreading them out from each other. That was probably a bad sign. They had a plan. What that plan was, none of them could really say. All they knew as they had to try and regroup as fast as possible.
Akira got pushed back into a different room. There were three hunters surrounding her. She was very cautious of them, watching their every moves. She would try and attack one of them, but they dodged most of her blows.
One of them raised a gun toward her. Akira lunged forward, hoping to knock it out of the hunter's grip before they could shoot it. However, she realized too late that she fell right into their trap. That had been the plan. Distract her with the gun so the other two could strike.
She felt something pierce into her neck. She stumbled backward, reaching a hand up to her neck. She didn't feel any blood. That was weird. And not a good sign. Just what had hit her then?
The hunters all started circling her again. She kept trying to watch them. She found her movements were becoming slower. That she wasn't able to focus on the as easily. Her body felt heavy.
They must have drugged her. That was what hit her. That was bad. She was at a very heavy disadvantage now. What did she do? Could she run and try to regroup with someone else? Would that work?
"Tie her up. I doubt she'll pose much of a threat now."
Akira lashed out as one of the hunters came at her with a rope. They jumped back. She growled at them.
"Perhaps the dose needed to be a bit stronger." Another hunter said, "Allow me."
She didn't get a chance to turn around before something hit her on the head hard. She collapsed to the ground and everything went black.
...
"Akira? Hey, can you hear me?"
Akira came to to a lot of pain. Her body ached. Everything hurt. She tried to take in her surroundings through feeling. She was on something hard. She must still be where she fell.
"Akira? Did I not heal her enough?"
Akira recognized the voice as Shiori's. She appeared to be talking to herself now. Akira opened her eyes. She immediately regretted it as her vision swam. She closed them again and took a few deep breaths.
"Oh, you are awake. Thank god. I was worried." Akira felt Shiori run a hand across her cheek.
"Shiori?" Akira opened her eyes again, relieved to find her vision remained the same and not moving.
"Yeah, I'm here. They got you pretty good. I did my best to heal you. I hope it worked."
"What happened after I blacked out?"
"They toyed with you for a bit, just harming you slightly. It seemed like they wanted to capture you and not kill you." Shiori replied.
"Where are they now?" Akira carefully shifted to test her strength.
"Dead. I killed them."
"Are they all gone?"
"No. They're still fighting."
Akira winced as she sat up. Her entire body hurt, but especially her head. At least it seemed the drug wasn't affecting her anymore.
"Are you alright?" Shiori asked.
Akira rubbed the back of her head, "I'll be fine. Just a bit of pain still."
"Let me try and heal you a bit more." Shiori said.
"I'll be fine. Save your power." Akira brushed her off.
She attempted to get up, but lost her balance and fell back down. Shiori immediately was beside her, staring at her in worry.
"Are you okay?"
Akira sighed, "I guess maybe you can try to heal me more."
"Alright. Just relax, okay? It'll feel weird for a bit while I do it."
"Okay."
Shiori carefully whispered a spell. Akira felt her body tingling. The pain eased up more. She definitely felt better than before. That was good.
"Is that better?" Shiori asked.
"Yes. Thank you."
"Um... you should hang back from the fight. Just to be safe. You still aren't fully healed." Shiori stated.
"I can't sit back when everyone's lives are in danger." Akira shook her head and stood up.
"Please... I don't want to lose you..." Shiori grabbed onto her arm, "You aren't fit to fight anymore. Please just stay out of the fight. "
It was hard to go against her when she was looking at her like that. Akira sighed. She would have to listen to Shiori for now.
"Alright. I'll stay here then." Akira promised.
"Thank you." Shiori smiled at her.
"Does this mean..."
Shiori nodded, "Yeah... I... I'll give you another chance."
Akira was going to reply, when a scream rang out nearby.
"That wasn't good." Shiori quickly took off toward the noise.
Akira had promised to stay here, but she couldn't. Not after hearing that. She followed after Shiori.
The scene they came upon was not good. Two hunters had trapped Yuyuko in a net. Said net seemed to be dangerous as everywhere there was rope touching her body, blood was seeping out of Yuyuko. She was in her wolf form.
"Finally got you." One of the hunters taunted, "Not so tough now, huh? Enjoy the pain. We aren't killing you yet. I want to see you suffer."
Yuyuko yelped as they stepped down onto one of her paws. She whimpered. She couldn't move. If she did she just cut herself open more.
"Get away from her!" Shiori charged in.
Akira only saw now that she had a weapon. Did she make it from her magic? Probably.
Shiori started fighting the two hunters. Akira was about to join her, but paused. She was handling them okay. And she would just worry and distract Shiori if she joined the fight.
Akira turned her attention to Yuyuko. She knelt down beside her and examined the net. Yuyuko let out a series of whimpers and whines.
"Hang tight. I'll get it off of you soon." Akira tried to sooth her, "Try to be as still as possible."
Yuyuko continued to whine as Akira examined the net. She couldn't find anything to grab that wasn't dangerous. Oh well. A cut hand was nothing.
"I'm going to lift it up, okay? It'll hurt a bit, but soon you'll be free. Try not to move much." Akira said as she grabbed hold of the net.
She carefully lifted it off of Yuyuko and tossed it to the side. Yuyuko sprung up and launched herself into Akira's chest. She curled up close and whimpered. Akira cautiously ran a hand down her body. Yuyuko tensed at first, but slowly relaxed as she continued.
"You got her out. Good." Shiori knelt down beside them, "I've dealt with the hunters."
"Good job. You're a lot tougher than I thought."
"When onee-chan left, I started learning how to defend myself." Shiori replied.
Akira nodded. She looked down at Yuyuko. She looked up at Akira in return.
"Can you shift back?" Akira asked.
Yuyuko shook her head and whined.
"They gave you something to trigger a shift, right?" Shiori asked, "I heard they were researching that."
Yuyuko nodded. She was stuck as a wolf until the drug wore off of her.
"Do you think you healing her would get rid of the effect?" Akira questioned.
"I don't know. I can try." Shiori replied.
She recited the spell. Yuyuko looked at both of them. Moments later, she was back in her human form.
"So I can cure stuff like that too. Cool." Shiori smiled, "Are you alright now, Yuyuko?"
Yuyuko nodded, "Thank you. That was horrible. Even worse than the full moon shift."
"Shiori? Could I bother you to maybe fix up my hand. I had to just grab the net so I got pretty cut up." Akira showed Shiori her hand.
Shiori winced at the sight, "Yeah. Let me fix that for you."
She healed Akira's hand with ease. Akira thanked her. It was useful having someone who could heal.
"Are you alright then, Shiori? I don't know how much capacity you have for your power. I don't want you overusing it."
"I'm still good. No side effects have started yet." Shiori reassured her.
"So, now what?"
"We should go help the others." Yuyuko stated, "They may need support too."
"I've been banned from fighting as I am recovering from some wounds still." Akira said, "I would have to hang back, but you two could go."
"Actually, this was good. You should come along. Just stay out of fighting. If someone needs assistance you can do that while we handle the hunters." Shiori said.
"Very well. Let's go then." Akira agreed.
They went searching for where the others could be at. The first ones they came across were Rui and Ichie. Ichie was in the middle of some ruins, which seemed to be keeping her in place.
Rui was getting overwhelmed by the hunters. She was struggling to keep up with all of their blows. Yuyuko dove in to help quickly. Shiori followed her.
The three of them fought together, pushing back the hunters. Akira would like to go and help Ichie get out, but there was a hunter guarding her. They were eyeing her up as it stood.
"If you can smudge the writing even a bit, I can break free." Ichie called to her.
Akira nodded. She ran forward. The hunter went on the defense. She ignored him and went straight for the ruins on the floor. She easily messed them up and Ichie regained control of her body.
Without any hesitance, she killed the hunter. She joined in the fight with the others, helping them easily finish off the hunters. They were good now.
"Are you both okay?" Yuyuko questioned as she examined their bodies for injuries.
"I can heal myself, don't worry about me." Ichie stated, "Are you hurt, Rui?"
"I don't think it's anything that needs attention immediately." Rui replied.
"Alright. We should see how the rest are doing. These hunters have a lot of tricks up their sleeves." Ichie growled.
"That they do."
"I think we can split up. Too many in one place will just overcrowd it." Ichie said.
"Who will go with who then?" Shiori questioned.
"I think by group is the best."
"So... Yuyuko will go with you guys instead?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Then we'll be going. Stay safe."
"You do the same."
It was just Akira and Shiori again. They exchanged glances for a while.
"I guess we should go see if anyone needs help." Shiori said, "They really came prepared for this attack..."
"Yeah... they did."
They went searching for more of their friends. It was hard to locate everyone when they had all been spread out so much. It also was worrying at the distance between each fight. No one could save you if you got taken down. It would take too long if you were stuck in a fight of your own.
They ended up outside. Michiru and Mei Fan were fighting together. On closer inspection, they saw that Yachiyo had been trapped similarly to Yuyuko. However, instead of a net, it was actual chains holding her down.
Shiori ran to help them fight. Akira spotted a knife discarded on the ground. She saw the body it once belonged to not that far away. Akira picked up the knife. It would be useful. Just incase she did have to defend herself.
She eyed up where Yachiyo was. There didn't appear to be any hunters watching her. There also didn't seem to be any traps laid around. She should have a clear shot to reach her.
Akira glanced over at the fight. They were evenly matched. Neither side was making much progress. And then she noticed someone. They quietly snuck away from the group and toward where Yachiyo was. Akira saw a glint come from their hand. They had a weapon. They might be trying to kill Yachiyo.
"Drop your weapons or I'll kill your friend."
Akira had been right. The hunter held the knife at Yachiyo as they eyed up the three girls. None of them knew what to do. If they tried to run at them, they could easily kill Yachiyo before they got close enough.
Akira didn't think she had been spotted by them yet. She quietly ran toward them, using her powers to hide herself a bit. Before she knew it, she was beside them. She quickly appeared again and rushed at them. She sunk the knife she had found into their chest.
"I've got her covered. Focus on them!" Akira called to the three of them.
They all returned to their fight. Akira could handle a stray hunter if she had to. Though she did have to say she was exhausted from using her powers. She hadn't had to use them in such a long time, after all.
Akira knelt down beside Yachiyo and examined the chains. Yachiyo nudged her. Once Akira was looking, she pointed over to a small tree stump. Akira went over. The keys to the chains were there. That was a bad hiding spot, but she was grateful it had been easy to find them.
She returned to Yachiyo and started unlocking all the chains. All her paws had been chained down and a muzzle had been placed over her mouth. Akira looked her over for wounds, but didn't see any that needed immediate attention.
"Are you alright?" Akira asked as she gently rubbed a finger over the spots where the chains had been. They had been way too tight and had left marks.
Yachiyo looked out of it. She just shook her head at Akira and then closed her eyes.
"Did they drug you?"
Yachiyo nodded. Akira sighed and patted her on the head.
"They're playing very dirty tonight."
Yachiyo shakily stood up. She looked at the fight. They were slowly pushing back the hunters now. That was good.
Yachiyo nudged Akira and motioned for her to follow. They went deeper into the woods. They found a camp the hunters had obviously been using. In said camp were two hunters and... Fumi. She was tied up and appeared to be unconscious. The hunters were guarding her.
"I'm guessing you can't fight right now." Akira said.
Yachiyo shook her head. There was no way she'd be useful in her current state. It was a miracle she was even standing.
"Then stay here. I'll handle them."
Akira disappeared and moved to the hunters. She appeared before them and quickly slit one of their throats open with the knife. She dodged back as the other hunter came at her with their own weapon.
She swung at them with her knife, only for them to knock it out of her hand. Akira growled as she backed away. She needed time to figure out a plan. She most likely would have to use more of her powers to kill them.
She took a deep breath and allowed her power to come out again. She ran forward and met them head-on. She grabbed them by their throat and crushed down. She heard a loud snap and dropped them to the ground.
Yachiyo came over to her and nudged her. Akira walked over to Fumi and knelt down. She looked her over for any wounds.
"Do you see a key?" Akira asked Yachiyo.
Yachiyo looked around for a key. She found it on one of the hunter's bodies. She brought it over and gave it to Akira.
"Thank you." Akira got to work unlocking the chains, "I'm guessing you're stuck in that form for a while. Yuyuko faced the same issue."
Yachiyo nodded. She whined.
"Shiori might be able to help... she healed Yuyuko and it worked..."
Akira felt lightheaded. She had overdone it with her power. She held her head with a hand.
Yachiyo whined as she nudged her.
"I think I... used too much power..." Akira leaned against Yachiyo. She closed her eyes.
Before long, she went limp. Yachiyo wasn't sure what to do. She couldn't bring both Akira and Fumi back to the others. She would have to leave them and fetch the others first. That wasn't something she exactly wanted to do. That was very risky right now.
"Yachiyo? Akira?"
Thankfully, it seemed the others were coming to find them on their own. Yachiyo let out a short howl so they could track them easier. It didn't take long before they arrived.
"Oh... so that's why you left."
Yachiyo nodded. Shiori came over to her.
"Do you need me to heal you?" Shiori asked.
Yachiyo nodded. Shiori did just that then. Yachiyo felt way better now that her body didn't hurt from where the chains had been. She attempted to shift and found that she could. However, now she was completely naked.
"Here. Use my jacket." Mei Fan tossed her the jacket that had been tied around her waist.
"Thanks." Yachiyo quickly threw it on.
"I can understand Fumi being unconscious, but why is Akira?" Michiru questioned.
"She had to use a lot of her powers to fight them and overdid it." Yachiyo explained.
"I guess we've lived in peace for so long our powers aren't as strong as they used to be."
"Nngh..."
Fumi was waking up. Shiori went right to her and hugged her. She was looking her over in worry.
"Shiori...?" Fumi opened her eyes.
"Onee-chan... are you okay?" Shiori asked.
"I think so." Fumi stood up.
"Are you sure?"
"I'll be fine." Fumi reassured her. She felt a bit dizzy, but didn't want to worry Shiori.
"Alright." Shiori accepted it.
"I guess we better head back and see if they need more help."
"Everyone good to go?"
"I'll carry Akira." Mei Fan offered.
"Alright. You'll have to hide away from the fight then. Fumi, you should probably stay out of it too." Michiru said, "Of course, they could be done already for all we know."
"Let's go find out then."
As they came back, it seemed like the fighting was done. Yachiyo vanished to go get some proper clothes on. Mei Fan took Akira to her room. Fumi remained with the rest. She wasn't ready to leave.
"There you are, Fumi! What happened to you?" Rui found them and immediately ran over to Fumi.
"Don't worry about it." Fumi replied.
The other three soon came into the room as well. They all were a bit battered, but overall looked fine.
"They are all dead. We are good for now." Tamao stated.
"That's a relief, but they may send more again. We may not be safe here any longer." Michiru stated.
"You do have a point. They found our location once. They can find it again." Tamao sighed.
"We should rest for now. Once everyone is feeling better, we can discuss what to do." Ichie said.
"Sounds good."
"S-Shiori!" Fumi yelped in panic.
Said girl had collapsed. Fumi had caught her and was holding her close. She was looking at her very worriedly.
"She must've used too much magic." Michiru said.
"Take her to bed then. Let her rest."
Fumi nodded and picked her up. Rui followed behind her as they walked toward the bedrooms.
"Are you putting her in your room?" Rui asked.
"I'll leave her with Akira."
"So, everything has worked out between them?"
"I believe so."
"That's good."
Mei Fan was still in the room with Akira. She looked worried as they entered with Shiori.
"She's fine. Same issue as Akira, I suppose. Just overdid it with her magic." Fumi said as she laid Shiori on the bed, "You don't have to watch them. You can go."
"A-alright." Mei Fan nodded and left the room.
"So, what do you think we're going to do now that our location is compromised?" Rui asked.
"Something tells me we'll be offered refuge with them." Fumi replied, "As for if Tamao will agree, I can't say."
"They're really nice. I think she might be okay with it." Rui said, "They saved us quite a bit during this fight."
"Yeah... let's leave them to rest."
"Okay."
...
Shiori woke up to someone hugging her. She yawned and curled closer to them. She had overdone it a bit too much.
"You're awake." She recognized the voice as Akira's.
Shiori blinked up at Akira. Akira smiled at her and kissed her on the head. Shiori returned to burying herself into Akira's shirt. She wanted to sleep more.
"You used too much magic, didn't you?"
"Yeah..." Shiori mumbled, "But I didn't want to leave anyone hurt if I could help it."
"I suppose I can't yell at you too much considering I did the same thing."
"I'm tired still..."
"Go back to bed then. I'm not leaving anytime soon."
"Love you..."
Akira smiled, "I love you too, Shiori. Sweet dreams."
It wasn't long before Shiori fell back to sleep. Akira kissed her on the head again and ran a hand through her hair. It was a relief to hear her say that. She truly was being given another chance. And she definitely wasn't messing this one up.
The door opened to the room, "You're up. Good."
Michiru entered the room. She took a seat on the bed and looked over both of them.
"What is it?" Akira questioned.
"With this location being compromised now, they need a new place to stay. Would you be fine if we offered them a place at our house?"
"That's fine."
"Alright. I'll talk to Tamao about it then. You focus on recovering."
"Is everyone else alright?" Akira asked.
Michiru nodded, "Yep. Everyone is doing just fine."
"That's good."
"Well, I'll let you rest some more. I'll return to tell you if she accepts the offer later." Michiru stood up from the bed.
Akira nodded, "Okay."
Michiru left the room. Akira turned her attention back to Shiori. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep as well. She needed to rest more as well. She still wasn't at her best yet. She had really drained her energy using her powers like that.
Hopefully that was the last time they would have to do something like that. Their house was more hidden. Deeper in the land. Less hunters wanted to venture that far out into it. Hopefully they wouldn't have to deal with any hunters again for a long time.
But, they would be prepared if it happened. They wouldn't let themselves be caught off guard like they were today. Akira had a lot of planning to do. But, that could wait. She was no use if she wasn't strong enough to help.
So, she drifted off to sleep, holding Shiori close.