A/N: Hey guys, back with another chapter. My muse wandered to another story and I haven't had much time to write recently. Did anyone else know that Tasuki had sisters before looking at his character wiki? As always I hope you all enjoy and feel free to leave a review!

Chapter 4

The next morning Yoshiko woke up with dark bags under her eyes and a migraine. Ugh, I did not miss having those. Yoshiko thought, wishing that aspirin was already invented. "Rough night?" Tasuki asks, Yoshiko nodded. "It was just a nightmare, nothing to worry about." She reassures him.

Mitsukake was already gone as well as his fishing rod. The fox was still sleeping near the remnants of the campfire, curled in on itself. Its ears twitched at the sound of her voice and it yawned. Common sense was thrown out the window as Yoshiko couldn't help scooping up the small animal. "You're just so cute!"

The fox was clearly uncomfortable but wasn't scratching or nipping at Yoshiko's arms. Tasuki's eyes narrowed. "Yoshiko, it's a wild animal. We're not taking the fox with us." He says sternly, the fox sneezed. "Why not? He seems harmless." Yoshiko says, rubbing behind it's ears. "Kid, no wild animal is that tame." Yoshiko still looked skeptical but put the fox down. "Or he could be a messenger of Inari. Honestly, yokai and kami in my culture are pretty interchangeable." She says with a shrug.

They decided to forage for food, the small fox still following them around. "Can we name him?" Yoshiko asks, Tasuki sighed. "Why not, you're already emotionally attached to the thing." "How about… Gin?" The fox had silver fur and looked up at her with intelligent eyes.

As they ventured further into the mountain, a dense fog started to cloud their vision. Yoshiko shivered, her hand gripping onto Tasuki's shirt. "This doesn't feel natural." She whispers, wanting to find Mitsukake and seek shelter immediately. Gin squirmed out of her arms and ran into the mist. "Gin!" Yoshiko shouts, running after the small animal.

Tasuki sighed. "So much for staying together." He grumbles. Still, it was eerie how silent the forest was. A shiver ran down his spine. "Wasn't this creepy last time I went through here."

XoXoXoXoXo

Huiliang held onto his prayer beads, lost in thought. Yoshiko hadn't been in school for a day and everyone had noticed. The rumor mill varied from her dropping out to become a NEET to her being dead. All malicious words that made him want to punch the students but he decided to stick with pranks instead. Everyone knew it was him but there was no evidence to trace back to him. The only students spared were those that weren't active in bullying Yoshiko which was a depressingly small number.

"Omnivore." Huiliang looked up at the violent prefect. His first day in school Hibari had immediately seen through his carefree mask and attacked. "You know where the small animal is." Hibari states, pointing a tonfa at Huiliang.

Huiliang just smiled. "She'll be back when she finds her wings again. No need to worry."

Hibari scowled. "She will be bitten to death when she returns." Huiliang laughed. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

XoXoXoXoXo

"Gin, you shouldn't run off like that!" Yoshiko scolds, scooping the fox into her arms. Now the fog made it impossible to see anything in the forest besides shadows. She looked around, Mitsukake and Tasuki were nowhere in sight.

"I guess I should listen to my own advice, huh?" Yoshiko sweat dropped. As she walked further into the forest instead of trees she saw the outlines of modern buildings. Her brows furrowed. "Wait a minute, how is this possible? I thought I had to complete the story to get home."

Her confusion only worsened as shadowed humanoid figures started to appear.

"Ugh, it's Baka-Yoshi. Run away before you catch her stupidity!"

"Poor Sawada Nana, her husband is never home and her daughter is a moron."

"Sawada Yoshiko that got a 20 percent on her test!"

A variety of voices grew louder and louder, the shadows towering over and surrounding Yoshiko. All berating the small, shivering girl.

"Leave me alone!" The fox in her arms whined, pawing at her bracelet. Then the voices became more familiar and sinister in tone.

"Did you really think that someone as useless as you could make friends? The only reason that you're here is that no one from your world wanted you!" A shadow that sounded like Tasuki sneered.

The beads around her bracelet began to glow with an indigo light, the shadows backing away from their prey warily. Yoshiko looked up from her fetal position, looking at the beads in awe. It was different from the flames she had called on before. The energy wasn't as warm and it felt... playful? It reminded her of her senpai that had given the beads to her in the first place.

A shadow fell across her face. "You're wrong." She says quietly, slowly standing to her feet.

"Huh?"

"I may not be the smartest person or the strongest either." An orange glow illuminated her body as she glared at the illusions. "But I am not useless and my friends would never abandon me!"

XoXoXoXoXo

Tasuki felt a chill run down his spine as he heard feminine giggling echoing around him. He still thanked all the deities that Yoshiko was nothing like his sisters, she was too timid and empathetic to try pushing her own will onto others. It was refreshing to be seen as an older brother figure instead of someone to boss around or show off.

"Little brother." A voice whispered with a hint of mischief. "Wash my linens will you? Or Eimin will find out you forgot to feed the chickens."

"Tasuki! How many times have I told you not to bring weapons in the house?! A real man uses brute strength and doesn't use a weapon as a crutch!"

"You left us and all your responsibilities on the farm little brother. Stop this foolish quest and come home to fulfill your duty for the family."

"No way, I am not going to be my father!" Tasuki exclaims. He was slowly being surrounded by four slender feminine figures and a stout one. The nails on the shadowy figures extended, prepared to slice him to ribbons physically as much as they were verbally.

The mark on his arm gave off a bright light, the shadow creatures hissing as they backed away from bandit. Tasuki smirked for a moment before realizing why the mark must be glowing. "The little lady is in trouble! I don't have time for this!"

XoXoXoXoXo

Huilang took out a tattered book, giving a sigh of relief. It was nostalgic, reading Yoshiko's story. "It's a good thing I gave her those prayer beads, there wouldn't be a link to this world otherwise." It was a tall order having the young teen face physical manifestations of her own personal demons and he winced at the actions of the fox. "So many years of damage is difficult to overcome in such a short time."

He watched as several paragraphs appeared, vaguely describing how Yoshiko had escaped and met up with Tasuki to rescue Mitsukake from his own personal demon. "It would be interesting if this followed more than just Yoshiko-hime but she is the main character."

Huiliang heard footsteps approaching him and closed the book, he was wondering when the prefect would lose patience and track him down again. "Again, I'm not telling you where she went Hibari-san. From what I can tell from my short time here, returning too soon will just make things worse for Yoshiko-hime."

Hibari's grip on his tonfa tightened, not liking the implication that his efforts to make Namimori safe wasn't enough. "For withholding information you'll be bitten to death."

Huiliang only smiled, tilting his large hat. "Only if you can catch me Hibari-san." With a dramatic burst of wind creating a swirl of leaves, Huiliang and the book disappeared. Hibari slammed his tonfa into a tree trunk with a scowl. "Troublesome omnivores."

XoXoXoXoXo

"We are never splitting up again. Everyone agree?" Yoshiko asks, Tasuki nodded and Mitsukake still seemed to be in shock. Yoshiko put a hand on his arm and tried not to show her insecurity when the man flinched. "It's okay Mitsukake-sensei, sometimes we all need help to face our problems. You're not alone."

Yoshiko yelped as Tasuki pulled her into a one armed hug, playfully messing with her already messy hair. "The same goes for you too. Next time you hear one of those voices, just point 'em out and I'll punch 'em for ya!" Yoshiko giggled, enjoying the warmth and brotherly role that Tasuki had placed himself in.

"I probably won't but the offer is very tempting." Yoshiko joked with a grin. The fox that had started everything was nowhere to be seen, all but forgotten after their ordeal. In it's place was a monk watching the group intently. "Hm, she still needs to gather the other warriors. I'll ask Sunukake-Baba if she has any information." After using his magic to disappear, Yoshiko turned towards the branch he was previous on. Tasuki and Mitsukake both tensed. "Something there?" Tasuki asks.

Yoshiko shook her head. "Nothing that meant us any harm. I wonder why that energy felt so familiar."