The Adventures of Mizukume-chan 2 - (Fateverse, Tamamo!SI)

First (and a half) Legend: The Meeting among young Monster Hunters

The Imperial Capital was massive. At least, that was within the mind of the young lady that lonely wandered its busy streets, ignoring the few glances aimed at her due to her feminine face dressed in such a 'fierce' manner. Despite her tough looks, the teen was frightened by the size of Kyoto.

Not only was it bigger than any settlements she found along the way out of her home, a humble temple, but she also found it so... loud. And so populated. Many normal girls would feel terrified of being overwhelmed by such a human presence, but for this unique teen... it was the opposite.

Minamoto-no-Raikou was frightened by the idea of losing control.

The monks at the temple had assured her the seal put on her by her father would hold for as long as she maintained herself in charge of her unease, but it was so troubling to imagine the kind of slaughter she would cause by failing to keep balance of her instincts.

Born the avatar of a very dark being, Raikou had been originally a monster going by the name of Ushi-Gozen. But her father, Minamoto-no-Mitsunaka ultimately decided to battle her and, by lying, giving her a chance to be 'reborn' as his 'son'. Minamoto-no-Raikou was, after all, the 'troubled child' at the temple that was given proper education in handling monster-slaying.

She would regain trust from humanity by assisting them in killing those akin to her. Except... those monsters deserved it. They were born to be evil, and they did evil by choice. It was the right thing to do, even though her inner self, that sliver of that sealed oni, complained about it being a blatant lie she sought to make true by carving it into her mind.

Raikou minded not the barrage of snarls and growls, animalistic at best, and yet unable to dent at her resolution... but it was the oily words of someone that held an intimate hold over her own unease that truly faltered her at times.

And as she ventured such a dangerous place of her country, Raikou's steps took her to a nearby bar. The place was packed with people and, like Kyoto itself, was huge compared to other similar bars. Yet, what truly gained her intrigue was the tension that existed even before her arrival. It was so clear to her perception that she took very little to realize who was the source of such distress from others.

Two ladies sitting by the counter, both looking about a bit younger than herself. The tallest of the two, a girl with long green hair and a miko dress, was chatting giddily with the shorter girl, a pink-haired child wearing a yellow battle-kimono with a comically-long sword resting sheathed near her lower waist... right beneath her fluffy foxy tail.

As she got closer to the scene, she could fully discern these two were actually yokai. The former had white horns protruding from the sides of her head, a bit above her ears. The other was an outright kitsune that was happily slurping from a strange yellow liquid.

Raikou's eyes narrowed as she approached the counter with a tense look, her sword's hold squeezed by her hand as she took a seat and... looked at the bartender. The owner appeared surprised by her arrival, but shook his head to her - this wasn't a dangerous situation.

It didn't soothe the teen's worries, but Raikou's hand left the comfort of her blade's handle.

Instead, the kitsune took notice of her and... she beamed.

"Wowie, you look cute, missy."

W-What a smug and brazen comment! And what's with that loopy smile?

"Don't ya think so too, Hime-chan?"

'Hime-chan' spared Raikou a look. Oddly so, both Yokai girls shared yellow eyes and it felt like they were siblings or something of the kind.

"Hmm... she is kind of cute, yes."

Raikou couldn't believe it. Was this a ploy? A trick?

"Neh, boss-chan, don't ya think so too? She's pretty, isn't she?"

The childish tone felt difficult to understand. Was this mockery or-

"She is quite pretty," The old man nodded in agremeent much to Raikou's shocked look. "So, what are you ordering, missy?"

Why are you playing this game too!?

"W-Water please-"

"Try my newest brew, pretty-chan!" The fox girl offered. "I swear it is quite the simple human drink!"

...A threat? Raikou looked at the bartender, and the owner pointed at the other clients. The brew was indeed being drunk by others. The yellow liquid was conquering the minds of many and, while Raikou felt unsure if this was a ploy or not, she was tempted to buy it-

"I'll pay for Pretty-chan's tab!"

"I-I have the money to afford it," Raikou whined back, but she was also surprised by how cheap it was- it was almost as cheapy as water itself. Soon Raikou had a glass filled with the liquid, whihc was called a 'Tachibana Sweet Juice'. The bartender explained it was a special brew created by the kitsune, addressed now as Mizukume, by using a sweet fruit called Tachibana Orange with a few other ingredients to 'temper the intense flavor'. "Uh."

The teen was jolted by the first sip onward. The sudden 'tingle' from the refreshing flavor was alluring and she ultimately got driven to the point of sipping it intensely. The flavor was just too much for Raikou to ignore and... she sighed in relief once she was done drinking it.

"Good?"

She nodded at Mizukume's query. "Yes, thank you."

"Oh you're welcome... you?"

Raikou blinked, and then realized what this was suggesting. "My name is Minamoto-no-Raikou."

And then something unusual happened. Everyone suddenly turned at her with a shocked look and... then Raikou remembered her family name was already legendary. The brew had been so relieving that she may have mellowed more than she needed.

The rumors were spreading. A Minamoto girl? Where does she come from? Was she some bastard child of the famous Mitsunaka? Impossible, he had a son and he was too righteous to go for courtesans. Then... an adopted daughter? Nay, it has to be... a demon!?

The whispering grew wilder and wilder until someone huffed. It was Mizukume herself!

The fox-eared child then rolled her eyes, walked up to the teen and, ignoring Raikou's unease, grabbed her right wrist; lifting her arm up before striking. Raikou shivered involuntarily, her eyes wide open as she realized that Mizukume had planed her nose against her clothed armpit and-

"SNIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFF!"

...

HEH!?

And Mizukume took a lengthy huff of her scent!

Retreating her nose, now slightly stained by the older girl's sweat, the pink-haired kitsune nodded.

"Smells like a normal girl to me. Dunno where y'all got the idea she's some scary monster, but Rai-chan definitely ain't one."

Outrage mixed with embarrassment as Raikou was stuck on how to react to this. This- this should have been a horrible sight, and she could see from the eyes of the many clients of this place, plus the bartender, that they agreed with her perspective.

"Hm? Why are ya giving me that look?"

"Y-You just sniffed my armpit?"

"And? How do you think I should have seen if you were a demon or not?"

"B-By..." Raikou's righteous annoyance was cut short by that very good point. How? Maybe through magic? Weren't Kitsunes supposed to be spiritual beings with their powers?!

"Ah! You don't know either! So, why would my fool-proof method fail?"

"D-Do you even know how a yokai smell?!"

"Well duh, I have smelled Hime-chan many times in our cuddling sessions," Mizukume proudly stated, and the aforementioned green-haired girl was... patting her own cheeks and smiling like a fool.

"Tee-hee~."

Why are you even looking so proud of such a deed?!

Raikou felt her mind losing this battle as logic didn't seem to apply around those two but...

"Still, why are you so upset? You are pretty human to me or anyone giving you a look. And if you're really a member of the Minamoto Clan, then you will prove it through the way of deeds rather than words. Let those whining and rumoring about your truth be either swayed or crushed by your truthful actions, Rai-chan."

These were the last words she heard from Mizukume before she left with a giggly 'Hime-chan'. And while the interaction prior to these words had been insane in their logic, that sentence struck her true. It was an advice the other monks had told her about - she could not boast of something she had yet to gain proof of through her own powers.

Nodding decisively, Raikou felt her drive rekindled as she ignored the other clients' quiet chatting and got to work.

After all, she wasn't going to become a proper monster-slayer by doing nothing all day long!

AN

In this chapter: Mizu-chan and Hime-chan meets (and befriends) Rai-chan; and Mizu-chan gets an early sniff on those future mama-tier pits.

The growth spurt is going to be legendary, especially since Raikou at this point (15) is still quite flat.