Author's Note: Before you read this, please be aware that this is being posted long after the chapter it's related to. Sorry about that. If you're confused, you might want to go back and read Still Waters 3, Book 2, Chapter 14: Youkai Festival; otherwise you probably won't understand what's going on. For the sake of reference, I'll add some brief character profiles at the end.

Title: Youkai Rangers...?!

Characters: Endo Haru, Yagi Ryoko, Rex Crimson, Thorne, Nevon Bayle

Genre: General

Rated: Everyone

Timeframe: Nighttime, early morning of the last day of the Youkai Festival

Spoilers: For what happened in Still Waters 3, Book 2, Chapter 14: Youkai Festival

Monday, July 6th, 2009

Haru's eyes snapped open.

She looked around in the darkness for a moment, disoriented. She had just been running through the forest, the scent of her terrified prey strong in his nose, her brothers and sisters running beside her-

She shivered and pulled her blanket up to cover half her face. 'Just a dream...' she hated those wolf dreams. She wasn't a hunter, she was just a girl who liked to ride bicycles. So what if she was part youkai? She was still just a normal girl who liked to go out and play in the city with her friends!

With her heartbeat finally slowing down, she grabbed her cell phone from under her pillow and looked at the time. 'Almost one o'clock,' she thought, frowning at the cell phone. She had school the next day; she couldn't afford to be waking up in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, waking up from that dream the way she had had left her wide awake; there was no way she'd get back to sleep any time soon. But...why had she woken up so suddenly? Had it been the dream? Somehow, she didn't think so. Her breath caught as a horrible thought sprang to life. 'Is it a robber?'

She shuddered and pulled her blanket back up to cover her whole head. Logically, she knew she could take care of any robber that showed up, but that didn't make the thought of someone creeping around in her dorm room while she slept any less scary.

That was when the second pulse came.

Haru jerked in her bed, her eyes going wide. 'What was THAT?!' she thought frantically as she tried to calm her racing heart. Whatever it had been, it had set her youkai side wild. The other Haru was racing around in her head; she was almost frantic in her attempts to get outside, and Haru herself suddenly found the dorm room to be far too small and claustrophobic. With all thoughts of robbers thrown aside, she slipped out of the bunk bed and went to the window. Opening it was the work of seconds, and soon she found herself up on the desk, poking her head out through the open window. Hardly even thinking about what she was doing, Haru glanced back at Kagami, still asleep in her bed, then leaped out into the night air.

Another pulse came as Haru hit the ground running, unmindful of the fact that she was still wearing the shorts and oversized T-shirt she used as pajamas and hadn't put on any shoes. Another pulse came, and this time she got a clear sense that it was coming from somewhere deep in the forest. She took off running and had made it halfway to the forest before another figure came barreling into her from the side. A moment of animal instinct took over and she yanked the other figure off its feet and threw it to the ground, ready to tear her attacker's throat out.

"Haru...!" the figure squeaked out in a girlish voice.

Haru froze, her hands hovering just above the mysterious girl's throat, fingers twitching.

"H...Haru...?"

Haru let out a shuddering breath and climbed off the other girl. 'What did I almost do...?' she wondered, sickened at the sudden rush of images as the possibilities raced through her mind. She shuddered again, wrapping her arms around herself as the girl stood up and looked at her nervously.

"Haru...? Are you alright? W...why were you so scary? Did you go feral...?" the girl asked.

Haru closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself, and when she opened her eyes again she was significantly more relaxed. And, now that she looked at the strange girl, she realized she had seen her before. "You're...Ryoko, right? From the Youkai Festival?" She had met the girl while waiting in line for the power testing ritual Youko had dragged her to; Ryoko had proved to be quite helpful in answering her questions and filling out the required paperwork for the ritual.

The girl smiled brightly at her, her previous concern seemingly forgotten. "Yep! I'm Yagi Ryoko! Are you trying to find that power?" she asked.

Haru furrowed her eyebrows. "Power...?" Another pulse came from the forest ahead and both girls whipped their heads to face it.

"That one!" Ryoko said, her cat ears twitching as her tail lashed back and forth.

"Y-yeah..." Haru said. She felt her ears and tail trying to pop out, but blocked them with a supreme effort.

"Come on, I wanna see what it is!" Ryoko said happily as she took Haru's hand. "Let's go!"

Haru's ears and tail did pop out a moment later as they neared the woods. The sheer power in the air made her eyes go wide as she looked around at the trees. What was going on...?

"This is...it's really neat," Ryoko said, smiling as she breathed deeply of the nighttime air. Her ears were standing at attention and her tail had stopped thrashing and instead stood up with a little curl on the end. When she looked back at Haru, she could see Ryoko's eyes were completely dilated.

Another pulse shot through the night, and Ryoko was off like a shot. Haru followed as closely as she could, but she soon lost sight of the cat girl. Soon, however, her sensitive ears detected something crashing through the brush a hundred yards or so off to the right. She didn't have much time to wonder what it might be, however, as she burst out into a large clearing in the woods, in the center of which stood an imposing figure. Haru skidded to a stop to keep from running into Ryoko, who stood stock still in front of her, her tail fluffed up and twitching nervously.

"...Ryoko?" Haru whispered.

"Y-yeah?" Ryoko whispered back, her nervousness coming through in her voice.

"Who's that?" Haru asked, her eyes glued to the big man standing in the center of the clearing. Another pulse shot through the night air, and Haru jerked. Whatever that pulse was, that man was at the center of it.

Another figure burst out of the woods a short distance away and skidded to a stop with a yelp. Haru looked over at the strange boy gaping at the figure in the middle of the clearing. She noted the familiar looking beret he was wearing, but the light wasn't good enough to pick out any distinguishing features.

Someone stepped on a dry twig behind her and Haru let out a yelp of her own and whirled about to face the two figures who had just stepped out from between the trees.

"Well look at this; I didn't think I'd meet you again any time soon," The larger of the two said. Haru felt a shiver run down her at the man's voice; she had been in a duel against him not too long ago, when Youko brought her to the Youkai Festival.

"You know her?" the other figure asked, an unfamiliar female voice. Haru strained her vision to get a glimpse of the woman, but she couldn't make out much beyond the woman's thin, wiry body. Something about her brought the image of Sakurazaki Setsuna to her mind, though she didn't know why.

"You could say that; she's the one Youko took under her wing," Rex Crimson, the first figure, said as he stepped out into the moonlight.

"Oh," the woman said as she followed. Haru found herself staring. The woman's appearance was striking; her jet black hair and dark eyes stood in startling contrast to her pale skin, while her movements were tight, constrained, as if she could explode into a flurry of violent motion without the slightest warning. Haru shuffled nervously; the woman was staring at her ears. "The one who kicked your butt?"

Rex smirked. "That's the one. Nothing to be ashamed of either; I went all out, but I was too slow," he said as he moved to stand facing her, looking down at her and meeting her gaze. Haru looked back, her eyes wide and her ears lying flat on her head. Ryoko was hiding behind her, whimpering, the figure in the center of the clearing temporarily forgotten.

Then Rex grinned at her, Haru blinked in confusion, and he laughed and slapped her on the back, making her stagger. "It's good to see you again, Haru. Oh, and don't let my friend here scare you; she won't bite. Or peck," he said, motioning for the strange woman to step forward. "Endo Haru, meet Thorne, of the Crow Tribe."

Haru looked from Rex to Thorne and back, her mouth trying to form words and failing until Thorne smiled crookedly at her.

"Nice to meet you," the Crow woman said, giving her a nod of acknowledgment.

"Ah, uh, n-nice to meet you too..." Haru said hesitantly, nodding back. She realized Ryoko was peeking out from behind her, and moved aside. "Um, this is my friend Yagi Ryoko," she said. "Ryoko, this is Rex Crimson of the Red Fox Tribe and Thorne of the Crow Tribe.

"Ah! Hello," Ryoko said, bowing politely. Haru noticed Ryoko kept looking at the Crow woman, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Isn't she the one...?" Thorne said, eyeing the cat girl suspiciously.

"She's under Konoe protection, and it's just Masashi being petty anyway; it doesn't matter," Rex said.

Thorne gave the cat girl a good long mistrustful look and finally nodded at her. "Nice to—gah!" she let out a startled squawk as Ryoko pounced on her.

"Um...shouldn't you stop them...?" a boy said nervously from nearby. Haru and Rex turned to see a boy about Haru's age wearing, absurdly, a beret. Haru noted nervously that he, like the Crow woman earlier, was staring at her ears. Then his gaze moved to her fluffy tail and her face went red in embarrassment.

"Nah, it's just her instincts," Rex said as he turned back to look at the other two. Ryoko now had Thorne in a whole-body hug and was rubbing her cheek against the Crow woman's hair while she squirmed indignantly.

"And you would be...?" Rex asked as he turned back to the boy. Haru gave Ryoko one last nervous look—she wouldn't try to bite the Crow woman, would she?—and turned her attention back to the boy. Really, he wasn't anything impressive; he was just a few inches taller than her, maybe a little handsome...nothing next to Negi-sensei, however. But at least he had stopped staring at her...

"Er...I'm Nevon. Nevon Bayle..." the boy said. "Gold Fox Tribe..."

"Well then Bayle, I'm Rex Crimson of the Red Fox Tribe, this is Endo Haru, the one getting molested over there is Thorne of the Crow Tribe, and the one doing the molesting is Yagi Ryoko, of the Cat Tribe."

"I see you all have introduced yourselves." The almost absurdly deep voice startled the group to silence as they whirled to look at the speaker, the big man who had been standing at the center of the clearing a moment ago. He was very large, but Haru thought it looked more like muscle than fat; with the man's height and all that muscle, she mused that he was probably far above three hundred pounds. A quick glance was sufficient for Haru to see that Ryoko had disentangled herself from Thorne, and the two stood nervously, seeming ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger as they stared at the big man.

"There is no need for that," the big man said.

"You're the Steward!" Haru suddenly shouted, pointing at the big man. Rex heaved a sigh and pushed her hand down.

"It's rude to point," he said.

Rydan Draos, Steward of the Youkai in the Absence of the King, smiled slightly. Haru got the feeling he wasn't much of a smiling type of guy.

"Are...are you the one that did that...that thing to make us come here?" Nevon asked, clearly nervous at speaking directly to the Steward, who had attained an almost mythical reputation among the youkai. The stories about his adventures and the famous events he had participated in were so numerous and absurd that many thought they must have a total fiction created for the sake of presenting a certain kind of image, but here, standing before him and feeling the power he put out up close, Haru found she could believe even the few stories she had heard from Youko about the man.

"I am," he replied.

"Why?" Rex asked. Haru decided to let the big Red Fox youkai speak for them. She didn't feel up to the task of facing the Steward. At all.

In response, Steward grinned rather unpleasantly. "The Blessing of Steel," he said, looking at Thorne. The Blessing of the Sea," he said, looking at Nevon. The Blessing of the Forest," he said, looking at Ryoko. "The Blessing of the Flame," he said, looking at Rex. Finally, he turned to Haru. "And finally the Blessing of the World."

He let them soak that in for a moment. "Yes, I have called you together here for a very good reason. You five," he said, fixing each one with a good long look before continuing, "are the five heroes upon whom our future as youkai depends. From time to time a youkai with one of the blessings may be born, but rarely is there more than one at a time. And with all of the blessings handed out in such a short time...you five are the prophesied heroes of all youkai."

Haru just looked at the Steward blankly for a moment. Heroes? She wasn't a hero, she was just a girl who liked to ride bicycles! She looked over at Ryoko and Thorne, who were looking at each other wide-eyed, and realized for the first time how young Thorne must be; the Crow woman had lost her aura of danger, and now that she was no doubt just as confused as Haru herself was, she didn't look to be much older, maybe a few years at most. A quick look at the boys showed Nevon to be just as lost as she was; only Rex maintained his composure, though he looked troubled.

"I'm no hero," Rex said.

The Steward just looked at him, but the Red Fox youkai met his gaze and held it for a solid minute until the Steward grinned. "You may not be a hero yet, but you will be; that proves you have the strength of mind," he said, referring to their impromptu staring match. "You have a great deal of experience." He turned to Thorne. "You have much skill for one so young." He turned to Ryoko. "You have the tenacity to survive anything." He turned to Nevon. "You have the innocence of a pure heart, but you are not as naïve as you seem; do not let yourself be led astray." Finally, he turned to Haru. "And you, you have the power to change the world, if you so choose. You five are the prophesied heroes; of that I have no doubt. However, the prophecies also speak of the trials you must go through, trials only you can know. The five of you have already taken your first steps on the path to your destiny; there is no turning back."

Haru looked at the others to see if any of them had any idea what was going on, but all she got back were blank looks, though Rex was making a truly terrifying scowl as he locked eyes with the Steward.

"Is this some game made up by the council?" he asked, his voice deadly quiet.

"No," Rydan Draos replied, his voice deathly serious. "This is no political move, this is no power play. This is about your destiny, and what you must accomplish. Dark times are coming, sooner than you may expect. The time when you can laze about is past," he said, sweeping his stare over the five of them. "This is the true purpose of the office of Steward; since the prophecies were first recorded, the strongest and most trustworthy of us have been chosen to act as the Steward. For forty thousand years we have carried this burden, and the signs are unmistakable. Now is the time. The final confrontation is fast approaching, and many will die. You five are the only chance the youkai have of surviving in any meaningful way. If you fail, we may live on...for a time. But make no mistake, if you fail, it will be over"

Haru's mind raced as she tried to take in everything that was said and what it meant to her as a person, but it was a little overwhelming. She was some prophesied hero? Yeah right! The only time she'd ever done anything noteworthy was when she had overpower Rex in that duel the day Youko took her to the Youkai Festival. What other accomplishments did she have? Causing the Bicycle Club to disband? 'Some hero I am,' she thought bitterly.

"What should we do?"

Haru looked up sharply at that voice, but Ryoko ignored her and continued looking up curiously at the Steward.

He turned his attention on the little cat girl and spoke, not unkindly. "Work to increase your strengths and lessen your weaknesses; the prophecies are vague as to the trials each of you will face, but make no mistake: there will be trials. Persevere and work to overcome whatever may come. I see the makings of a hero in each one of you, whether you see it or not. Persevere, stay true, and become strong. That is your only chance."

"...is this like some sort of...superhero team? Like in those comic books the guys back home read?" Nevon asked. Haru couldn't help but see that the boy was incredibly nervous; an effect of speaking to what amounted to the leader of the youkai, she had no doubt.

The Steward's crooked grin widened. "You could say that," he allowed. "But if one of you falls, there will be no miraculous recovery. If you die, it is over, and the future of the youkai will be in greater danger. But so long as at least one of you survives, we have a chance. Train, become strong, and that chance grows. That is all." He turned his back on them and started to walk away.

Haru finally found the nerve to speak up. "W-wait! Wait a minute!" she said, running after him. He paused and half-turned toward her.

"Yes?"

"I'm...I'm not a hero," Haru said frantically. "I think you have the wrong person. There must have been some mistake..." She trailed off when she saw the kind look on the Steward's face.

"No...you are not a hero. Not as you are now, Endo Haru. But rest assured, the bearer of the Blessing of the World is spoken of in the prophecies as The Strongest. Be true to yourself, do not be afraid, and don't fall to doubt and misery. You may believe me when I say this: your power is terrifying. When I recall what you managed during your short visit to our festival, I feel as if things I have come to doubt in my long, long life might be true. No, you may not be a hero, but you have already saved me. The future may be hard, but you have the power to overcome any obstacle put before you. Good luck," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. Then he turned and leaped into the air. A pair of dragonlike wings sprouted from his back, and he flew off over the trees and was soon lost to sight.

Haru watched him go and then turned back to look at the others. She nervously swallowed the lump in her throat and trudges back to them.

"So that's how it is!" Ryoko said happily.

Haru stared blankly. "What? What's going on?"

Rex smirked at her, looking rather amused even though he obviously didn't want to be. "Ryoko here has decided to assign us colors, based on some television show she likes."

"What?"

"That's right!" Ryoko said, smiling brightly. "I'm pink, and my buddy here is black!" she said, grabbing the bemused Crow woman beside her in a hug.

"I'm blue," Nevon offered shyly.

"And apparently I'm green," Rex said.

Haru blinked at them. "But..."

Ryoko beamed at her. "You're red, Haru-chan! That makes you the leader!"

Haru opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out so she closed it and tried again; still nothing. What had she gotten herself into?!

Character profiles!

Endo Haru - Student Number 17

Age - 14

Apparent Age - 16

Race - Human/Wolf Youkai/Fox Youkai

Skills - Bicycling

Titles - Youkai Red

Tribe - Unafiliated

Youkai Skills - Transformation to Animal Form

Blessing - The Blessing of the World (a blessing relating to a prophesied hero of the Youkai race)

Notes - From an awkward, friendless loser to prophesied hero of the Youkai race in three months...not bad Haru; not bad at all.

Nevon Bayle

Age - 28

Apparent Age - 16

Race - Youkai

Titles - Youkai Blue

Tribe - Gold Fox Tribe

Blessing - The Blessing of the Sea (a blessing relating to a prophesied hero of the Youkai race)

Notes - This is the guy who developed a crush on Kondo Kai, an oni, which youkai in general and the Gold Fox Tribe in particular are supposed to hate. He showed up several times during the festival and again at the youkai festival.

Rex Crimson

Age - 473

Apparent Age - 30

Race - Youkai

Skills - Advanced weapon usage

Titles - Youkai Green

Tribe - Red Fox Tribe

Youkai Skills - Transformation to animal form

Blessing - The Blessing of the Flame (a blessing relating to a prophesied hero of the Youkai race)

Notes - Rex knew Miyoshi Youko from a long time ago, before her imprisonment; they used to be great friends. The only reason he's working as Masashi's head bodyguard is because he knows where Masashi goes, he has a good chance of getting into a fight, which for him is one of the most enjoyable things in life. He participated in the tournament and was featured throughout the Youkai Festival.

Thorne

Age - 41

Apparent Age - 18

Race - Youkai

Skills - Advanced sword skills

Titles - Youkai Black

Tribe - Crow Tribe

Youkai Skills - Flight

Blessing - The Blessing of Steel (a blessing relating to a prophesied hero of the Youkai race)

Notes - Thorne is the heretofore unnamed Crow Tribe bodyguard of Masashi during the Youkai Festival. Judging by her reaction to seeing Setsuna's white wings when Setsuna and Konoka came to interrupt the brawl between Masashi's followers and the Blight Brothers during the Youkai Festival, she seems to have a grudge against her.

Yagi Ryoko

Age - 33

Apparent Age - 13

Race - Youkai

Skills - Knot tying

Titles - Youkai Pink

Tribe - Cat Tribe

Youkai Skills - Transformation to animal form

Blessing - The Blessing of the Forest (a blessing relating to a prophesied hero of the Youkai race)

Notes - Ryoko has been featured off and on all through Still Waters 3, ever since the Kyoto Trip way back in Book 1. Most recently, she was saved from the Blight brothers by Rosemary and Fujiko during the festival, and made an appearance or two during the Youkai Festival, where she became friends with Endo Haru.

Rydan Draos

Age - ?

Apparent Age - 60

Race - Youkai

Skills - ?

Titles - The Steward of the Youkai in the Absence of the King

Tribe - Dragon Tribe

Youkai Skills - ?

Blessing - ?

Notes - This is an important youkai. He is incredibly ancient even for a youkai, and all but rules the youkai race at the moment since they don't have a king yet. He is also responsible for many other things, including making sure the prophesied heroes are aware of their importance.