- Haha. What bunch of funny people. They so easily disarmed Kyuubi's assassin.
Hahaha. "Disarmed". Shiny Mantis ran away from the battle after miss kitty chopped off his arm. Only to fall into her trap, getting cut in half.
- Well, lets see what they'll do next.
- A trip to the mountains?
- Yes Yuuto. Kagetsuki passed a message from ayakashi in the north-east who run mountain resort. They want to talk to you. Nano.
- Well...
- They are offering free lodging and access to their skiing facilities and onsen.
- Oh, that sounds nice!
- Yes! Can we go? Please?
Liz and Rinko interrupted their discussion. They seemed to like the idea of skiing. Or onsen.
- Okay, if they are trustworthy, there is no reason to refuse. Let them know we'll come.
- Yay! Skiing trip!
How happy those two are. Lets see who else will come.
Ageha?
- Yeah, sounds kinda fun.
- Are you going to take Sasa?
- No. He can barely walk without tripping onto his face, I doubt he could ski. In any case, he is no fun to be around.
How could. Kuesu?
- Sorry Yuu-chan, I have a demon-hunting business to attend to, but I'll try to wrap it up quickly and catch up with you.
- Okay, no problem. Try to do so though, you don't want to miss hot spring.
She blushed. Next thing you know they'll call her red sorceress. That's right, we hadn't done it in a place like that yet.
Yuu? Hmm... nah. If he'll be negotiating with ayakashi, it might be bad to involve someone not in-the-know.
Sae-chan? NEXT!
Himari? No questions to ask, though she might not appreciate cold.
That would make him, Himari, Lizlet, Rinko, Shizuku, Ageha, maybe Kuesu.
Most of group didn't wait for a moment after arrival to try the slope. With some notable exceptions.
- Aren't you gonna ski, Himari?
- No. I have no interest in that. Besides, its too cold.
I guess cold was the main problem.
Shizuku, while not exactly cold blooded, wasn't exactly good with handling it. He looked half-asleep.
- ... Haha.
Rinko chuckled under her nose, visibly happy.
- What?
- I did it! A sport I am better at than Himari!
Rinko _is_ happy. That's a new one. Well, to be honest, those days, she is cuter, happier more often.
- Are you sure Himari? Shizuku?
- We will stay at the inn, nano. We'll look around, see if there's anything dangerous.
- Okay. What about you Ageha?
- I'll try the beginners course with you.
I am gonna ask someday when Rinko and Lizlet learned to ski so well.
- Stupid Yakouin!
Kuesu stormed out of creepy detective's office.
- To think I wasted precious opportunity to have fun with Yuu-chan, only to hear all that trashtalk.
Was it not that she was suspicious Yakouin used Yuu-chan and Himari to kill Shiny Mantis, she wouldn't even bother visiting her. She got into car, and spend most of road daydreaming about her and Yuuto in on onsen. Doing this and that.
- Miss, you are drooling.
The driver noticed in his mirror.
She quickly wiped her face.
Himari and Shizuku were watching from the distance as Yuuto, Rinko, Lizlet, Ageha and local Yuki-onna were frolicking in the snow.
At some point he tripped and fell on top of Rinko. Others didn't want to stay behind and also "accidentally" fell on top of him. Go figure.
- They are having fun.
- Uh huh.
- I am pissed.
- Uh huh.
- Wanna do something?
Himari briefly contemplated how to spoil their fun.
- Nah. He'd just get pissed and snuggle tonight with Lizlet and Ageha instead of either of us. And its too cold to sleep in separate beds. Nano.
- Damn. Good point.
Young master wasn't the type to get angry easily, especially not at them, but him telling: "Go to your rooms. Good. Night." was not outside realms of possibility.
- Lets just go inside, hot ramen is waiting.
Eventually, Yuuto went back to inn, to talk with Zenjyu, local top-ayakashi. He also looked like a tree stump, so Yuuto struggled to keep straight face. So did Shizuku, but she was better at it. To put it bluntly, locals were afraid of Tamamo Mae and Shuuten Douji, and wanted help, since were very weak.
- Well, I don't mind helping, but its not like we can stay here forever.
- Its all right, we will fell safer just knowing you can come to help. For now, please enjoy yourself.
Most of team was busy playing Mahjong. Yuuto however, was aching form all the exercise, and went for a soak in hot springs.
- Haha. This is nice.
Kinda lonely though.
- Yuuto-sama! I've come to wash your back.
Yuki-san?
- Alright.
He answered casually. She was cute, but he'd rather stay professional, unless she was one to make in unprofessional... stay down boy, you are getting too excited.
- This is the only way I can show gratitude to your for helping us...
That's nice, but we barely know each other... he though, but not said.
*Splash*
- Hold it! There will no service without me!
Lizlet appeared.
- What! You too?!
And Ageha just tried to sneak in.
- So, why is everyone here?
Yuki-san tried to ask sudden interruptors, but it was obvious all three had similar idea.
- I do not understand game everyone was playing, and went to serve my master instead.
- Mahjong is for kids, so I went to see how is Yuuto doing instead. What's your excuse, snow tramp?
- Aahaha. (Tramp?) Please, let us all get along?
I don't mind the company. Gazes at them. Not at all, but nice soak in Onsen is something he wanted to try too... he was kinda tired, but no too tired.
Then someone else appeared... I don't recognise her.
Tall, nude blonde woman, with large breasts.
- Long time no see.
- Huh?
She hugged him. She would be really cute, wasn't it for the fact she was acting so unemotional. Even if she type of pervert who would sneak into bath with random men, she'd would at least blush, if not from shame then from excitement.
Something is wrong. I can tell, but not what. Even if she is kinda cute... no! Focus!
- Hmm. Who are you?
- What's wrong, don't you love naked women?
Lizlet, to her credit, quickly noticed something was wrong with Yuuto, and asked:
- Uhm, could you stop? You are bothering Yuuto-sama...
*SLASH*
- LIZ!
Her body was cut in half, and fell into the onsen. There was not damage to her cup, which was nowhere in sight, so she should be fine, but...
- You bitch!
That did not made him any less angry or horrified.
- Tsk. I had to release my power.
Yuki started to panic and try to find Lizlet, who seemingly went to the bottom, while Yuuto was raging helplessly.
Ageha, to her credit, quickly covered distance while Tamamo Mae was talking to herself, grabbed him and jumped few meters away.
When Tamamo noticed there was no one in her embrace any more, she was too distracted to notice Lizlet suddenly rising from the water, punching her in the face.
- Bwah!
She would flew twenty meters, if wall hadn't stopped her.
- Damn.
She picked herself up. She was bleeding from her nose, but seemingly otherwise undamaged.
- I can't go easy on them.
At this point, Himari, who sensed release of power, jumped in from the window (knocking of mahjong table in process), and slashed Tamamo's wrist. Normal human would be probably cut in half three times over from an attack so powerful.
- DAMN! Will you people buzz off!?
She threw Himari away with move of hand, and finally concentrated enough to put up a protective barrier.
- Himari, watch out, I think its Tamamo Mae!
- Yes, I figured out, Young master (damn! Why she must have bigger boobs than me in this form?!)
Ageha, Yuki, and Lizlet on the other hand, were appropriately terrified.
- What! Its her!?
Tsk. Those three getting in the bath with young master. Especially Yuki-onna will have to be taugh a lesson, since other two were already master's women.
Ageha was still holding Yuuto-sama. They were both naked. Tsk. Still, Young master seemed unfazed by being nuzzled in her bosom. At least one good thing came from his philandering, that he was able to remain calm even when in situation like this.
- (The way he was when I met him again months ago, he would forget about battle, hypnotised by the naked bodies of those wenches. Sigh)
For the sake of young-master... I'll have to release my limiter.
Their battle began.