So, this chapter ended up getting way longer than I'd intended. I guess things got out of hand during the process. But, eh, sometimes having lots of words is better. I had fun with this one.
Disclaimer: Godzilla and all related trademarks are owned and licensed by Toho Co., Ltd, Legendary Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Pictures. High School DxD is owned and licensed by Ichiei Ishibumi and Fujimi Shobo. I own neither series, please support official releases.
"Hey, so what did you get Ojiichan?"
I turned to my brother with a curious expression. Right now we were walking up to our grandparents' house with gifts in hand. Behind us, our parents were unloading some things from their car.
My grandfather, Hyoudou Juzo, was practically on his deathbed. It was no secret, everybody in the family was expecting that he wouldn't last the year. So we were all getting our ducks in a row and preparing for the worst.
I'm telling you now, I still think he's got more than a year left in him, honestly. I mean, I've met that guy. He's not gonna go down easy. Mostly because there are, in his words, breasts he hasn't seen yet. Hyoudou Juzo would not die until he saw one last amazing pair of breasts.
…Now you know where we got it from. Like I said, the old man in the park only planted the seeds. But Jiji was the one who really got us hooked.
"I brought him some Gravure Cosplay Magazines~!" I chuckled.
"Oi?! You're not giving him any of that hardcore shit? For real?!"
"Nii-san, Ojiichan isn't just some boob-loving idiot…okay, he is just some boob-loving idiot," I admitted.
"Yeah, can't really deny that. Not that we can say much-glass houses, hehe~!" Issei smiled goofily.
"Yeah, but he appreciates the classics!" I chided. "What, you only got him hardcore? I'm sure he'll love it, but he's a connoisseur. He needs more than just nudity!"
"Fuckin' fancy asshole with your fancy cosplay lingerie catalogue!" Issei grumbled angrily.
"Hey, I wanted to get something special for him. If something goes wrong…"
My brother sighed worriedly at that. "Yeah, I, uh…I guess I shouldn't be mad. I thought I'd be glad you were getting less mopey, but you're still-" he motioned to my blank expression as we walked. "Yeah, you're still down in the dumps, eh?"
"And you aren't?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"...If he really does, y-y'know!" Issei frowned sadly. "I don't know what I'll do without his guidance. He was always there when we needed him."
"Obaachan will still be here," I mused.
"That's not the same! She doesn't understand our desires like Jiji does!" my brother whined.
"Oh, you would be surprised~!" I mused.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing. Come on, let's go see them," I said with a shrug.
"Ugh! Not only are you moping around, but you're being all cryptic?! Come on, Nii-san!"
When we got inside, one of our distant relatives greeted us-
"Oh, hey, the pervs showed up~!" an older schoolgirl with dark, curly hair bopped my brother and I on the head. "Did'ya bring him his porn? He'll get antsy without it!"
"Ah! Rika-nee! What the hell?" Issei whined.
"Yeah, yeah, we grabbed him some stuff. Different flavors, too!" I told our second cousin. "What about you?"
"I got him some DvDs! I had enough spare change lying around," the girl inclined her head, a worried look on her face. "I arrived about a week earlier, y'know. He hasn't been in the garden, so I was taking care of things…"
"You're worried about his roses?" I mused, shaking my head at her sad look. "Erika, you deserve those roses. You're the only one who cares about them more than he does."
"Yeah, you know how it is," Erika huffed while looking away. "They're just like the old men. They're all survivors…"
Issei and I both flinched at that, to which our second cousin actually paled. We all looked awkwardly away from each other, not taking the initiative to speak.
"Yeah, Jiichan's been through a lot. A bit too much to say, really," Issei shrugged. "We're just hoping this isn't the last of it, y'know?"
I nodded as we walked past our second cousin. "Is Obaachan around? I was, uh, hoping to talk to her."
"Wanna hear more of her old fairy tales~?" the girl teased, though there wasn't much heart to it. "You'll need to wait for a bit. She's with her in-laws. Are your parents far behind?"
"They'll be here in a bit. They're still unpacking some things," my brother chimes in.
"Ah, I missed Obasan so much! Jiichan is in his room, just…t-try not to shock him too much."
"Relax! We know how to be delicate around him," I told the girl as she walked away.
Issei let out a worried sigh. "This is gonna suck!"
"It's not gonna be that bad!" I chided.
When we entered our grandfather's room, I felt my heart drop.
Hyoudou Juzo looked a lot like our father, just older, and his hair was a bit longer and spiky like Issei's. He normally had a visible strength to him-the guy was extremely energetic and cheerful, and he'd always be happy to see us.
The old man used to look so strong and vibrant. It was hard to see him like this-he looked extremely thin and worn out. It was almost like he was barely keeping himself together.
Next to his bed was a tan-skinned man with sharp eyes. When we entered, he looked up with a curious expression.
"You must be the grandkids," he stated matter-of-factly. "Hope you're not here to cause him any stress. If he gets excitable, it could exacerbate his condition."
"What, us? Naaaaaah, we're not here to do anything!" I said defensively. "We just wanna know if he'll, uh, be alright."
The doctor gave me a strained smile while actively looking away from our grandfather. "It's too early to tell. I'll leave you to it, but I'll be back soon."
The moment the man left, Juzo brightened up and turned to us. "Alright, so what'd you bring? Tell me it's the good shit!"
"I brought the latest Jav Magazine I could get on a budget!" Issei smiled goofily.
"I got you a very tasteful Gravure Cosplay Magazine!" I smirked deviously.
"Hah~! You two are spoiling me!" the old man giggled pervertedly. "Come on, bring 'em here!"
"Upupup! Not until you promise you'll restrain yourself. Even if we love you, the doctor just said you needed to take it easy!" my brother chided.
"Oh, now you're sounding like my brothers! How can you be so cruel?!"
"Our cruelty is for your protection! Now, come on, old man," Issei narrowed his eyes at him.
"Fine! I'll keep it chill!" our grandfather said with a huff.
I shook my head good-naturedly while handing him the magazines. "So, other than that…please tell me you're alright."
"Nii-san?!" my brother cried out.
"It's alright, Ise! Yeah, I've seen better days, haven't I?" the old man chuckled sadly. "I, uh…I don't think I'm gonna be able to play action figures with you boys anymore, y'know? It's a shame. I was hoping we could finally settle that old debate~!"
"I know for a fact that we could've punched through your Oppai Barrier, no matter how much Oppai power you gathered!" I said seriously.
"Hell yeah! We can just gather more Oppai power! Oppai!" Issei cheered.
Our grandfather let out a small laugh before letting out a quiet wheeze. "I'm sad, y'know? I'm sad that I won't be able to spend time with you and play with our action figures," Juzo smiled sadly at us. "Oi, h-have either of you gotten closer to your dreams? You always talked about them, right?"
"I…J-Jiichan, I haven't met an Oneesan with big oppai yet! But I'm not gonna give up!" my brother said fiercely. "And I'm going to have my harem, just like I promised! I know it, because you always said you believed in me!"
"Ah~! Ise, you're so determined, I might cry! And Isashi, tell me, have you gotten any girls pregnant yet?"
I shook my head dejectedly. "No, Jiichan, I haven't. I've been trying to get a girlfriend, but I've gotten a bit…uh, sidetracked. I'll get back to it as soon as possible!"
"Hah, you better! If neither of you fulfill your dreams, I'll be disappointed. I want to see the two of you have the best life you can have!" our grandfather said tearfully.
"Jiichan! We'll do our best, we promise!" my brother cried out.
"I…I want you to be there and see it, but I'll do everything to make you proud, no matter what!" I said with determined sadness.
"I…I plan on leaving you some things," Juzo gave us a sad smile. "All of your favorite action figures, for one thing. And the special ones I was saving for when you got older. But, more than that, some keepsakes. Two are important to me, and I've wanted you to have them. But the other two are important to our family, and I think you deserve them…"
I stepped forward anxiously when Juzo lifted himself off his bed. "Wait, Jiichan! Please, don't stress yourself-"
"Relax! I'm just getting a few things ready!" the old man huffed. "These two first. They're the heirlooms I've been keeping for my family, and I want you two to have them. They've got quite the stories behind them, if you're willing to listen…"
"So, I heard you wanted to spend time with me~!"
I turned to see my grandmother walking towards me and motioning for me to follow. I entered the little room she'd always bring Issei and I into when Jiichan was busy. It was where she'd always tell us her 'stories', even when Issei seemed to disbelie of them.
My grandmother was maybe nearly ten or twenty years younger than Jiichan, and she could pass as ten years younger than that. She has long, silvery-gray hair that seemed to always shine in the light, and her amber-colored eyes were normally sharp with mirth and curiosity. Right now, though, they looked sad-everything about her, from her hair to her clothes, looked disheveled.
Still, she had a wily smile when she spoke. "So, tell me? Did you get him the good shit?"
"Obaachan?!" I chided.
"Come on, don't give me that! I'm getting them when he passes, and I wanna make sure the material is good!" the old woman chuckled pervertedly. "After all, I can't make good novels without some A-Class stuff! Come on, spill!"
Yeah, Obaachan and Ojiichan were made for eachother. In fact, I'm sure both Issei and I got some of our desires from her just as much as we did from our grandfather.
As I spoke to her, she was tilting her head curiously, almost like she was searching me. I tried not to meet her gaze, but the look on her face grew sour at that.
"Isashi, is…is everything alright?" my grandmother sighed when I looked away. "You're trying to hide something from me, aren't you?"
"...What would you say if I told you I flirted with a Nine-Tailed Fox and a Snow Woman?"
"Hah! Dumbass~!" the old woman let out a barking laugh and pointed at me.
"Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up!" I clicked my teeth angrily as the woman devolved into a fit of giggles.
"Oi, don't get all pissy! Even I never got a shot at a Ninetails~! Let alone a Snow Woman! You're a cracked up little punk!" my grandmother shook my shoulder playfully. "Ah, but I've nabbed a couple of kitsune and bakeneko! Damn, was I in heaven~! I still miss those times-not that your Jiichan was bad, I promise! But you haven't lived until you've gotten a tongue-bath from a nekomata! Kami that was the stuff~!"
I gagged slightly at her words. "O-Obaachan?! Come on?!"
"Oh, quit your whining, ya' big baby! Hey, tell me, were they worth it~?" she asked excitedly. "Give me the deets! Come on, tell me if they got that gyatt!"
"Gyatt? Seriously? When did you even hear that?!"
"Less whining, more spilling! I gotta know if they can throw it back, damn it!"
"I should've kept you away from social media. Hell, I should've kept you away from the internet period!" I sighed while inclining my head. "For the kitsune? 112/58/96!"
"For real?! And you haven't locked that down yet?!" the old woman bopped me on the head playfully. "Dumbass! If she hasn't killed you yet, you might have a chance! Same with the snow-woman! Can you imagine what that's like? I bet it'll be like licking ice cream!"
"Obaachan?!" I groaned.
"Don't give me that! I've heard tales of them! Those heavenly peaks may seem frigid to some, but they're twin beds of joy to others~!" my grandmother sighed blissfully before turning back to me with a flat glare. "Don't tell me you're still a 'one and done' with the flirting! You think I stopped after one time?! Hell no, I kept on trying no matter what! And here I thought you boys inherited our best traits~?"
"Nowadays, that's considered sexual harassment, regardless of which gender is doing it," I deadpanned to the woman. "And it's not like I wanna join Ise in that regard. He's still peeking at girls in their changing rooms!"
"For real?! Tell me he's got some good stories! You always keep me from telling him, you know that?" the old woman 'tsked' while tapping a finger on my shoulder. "Shame on you for hogging Obaachan's wisdom! Let Ise hear more from me! I can tell him about all the steamy times I had with my old partners! Heh, actually, I wonder if those girls are still around…"
"Obaachan, I sincerely doubt your old girlfriends would want to reconnect," I sighed.
"Hah! You can never know for sure~! Though, I admit, I've gotten a bit too seasoned for some of those fine ladies," my grandmother sighed wistfully while inclining her head. "Ah, but it's not simply that, is it? Isashi, I can tell you're not in a good way."
I flinched at her words. "Ah, h-how could you tell?"
"Almost ten years ago, you hit your head. Goodness, when we heard you had a tumble like that, we were worried," she frowned thoughtfully as she faced me. "We were glad you were okay. But…I noticed something early on. You used to be shy and soft-spoken, you were often frightful, and you'd barely leave your shell."
"Yeah, I remember that…"
"And then you hit your head. And we were so worried about what would happen to you. But, you were alright…or, so we thought," my grandmother's eyes crinkled as she looked at me. "You were completely different. You were more outspoken, more confident. You became snide and acerbic. The old Isashi was gone, and I was sad because I would never see him again."
"O-Obaachan! I…I'm still me, I promise. But, getting conked on the head changes your perspective on things," I chuckled nervously.
"Oh, Isashi, you haven't let me finish! See, right now I'm seeing that shy, soft-spoken, and frightful boy who's curled into his shell again. And you know what I've realized?" the old woman cocked her head to the side with a flat look. "I realized I don't like him. He sucks!"
"Oi?!"
"Yeah, no, you going back to your old self really made me realize it. I liked the you that hit his head better!" she let out a barking laugh at my indignant shout. "You were suddenly sixteen years older, it felt like~! And you were funny as hell! I loved hearing about the shit you got up to-like that time you were banned from a church!"
"Yeah, Irina's family weren't pleased to hear that I called their 'loving god' out," I sighed.
"Plus, you actually believed me when I talked about my old life. Helps that you were wondering if you were the crazy one, but still…" my grandmother trailed off dejectedly. "I never had anybody to talk to about that. It was lonely. And now…you're closing yourself off for some reason."
"I…it's not just because of Jiichan, I promise. I'm getting nervous, that's all!" I said sadly. "That fox girl, she's been stalking me. I think you're wrong about her not wanting to kill me. Plus, there's more yokai showing up in town, and I think they're eating children. It's not looking good!"
"There's a lot more to it, isn't there? Something you're not telling me, huh?" Obaachan huffed while leaning towards me. "Isashi, whenever I've been talking to you about all the hot sex I had with yokai girls in my youth, what was the one thing I always told you in between that?"
"Never use protection?" I smirked goofily.
"Well, that, yes, obviously! Give me great-grandchildren, damn it!" she shared a laugh with me for several moments before giving me a determined look. "I meant the other thing, when I was talking about yokai as a whole!"
"Don't be afraid of them?" I offered.
"You misinterpreted that~!" the old woman chided before sharply tilting her head. "Though I suppose that's my fault. What I told you was to not show your fear-now I'm going to set it straight!" she quickly clapped her hands and leaned forward with a fierce grin. "Don't let fear rule you!"
"E-Eh? Wait, what?"
"Don't let your fear hold you back. Don't let it control your life!" Obaachan sighed tiredly while shaking her head. "I've encountered dangerous yokai before-had to fight them, actually. And trying to not be afraid of them was hard as shit. So yes, I was afraid. But I didn't let that hold me back, not once. I kept pushing forward, no matter what!"
"...I thought it'd be better to never have to be afraid. That, if I could truly be fearless, then nothing could stop me."
She gave me a smile, and suddenly I swore she might've been a decade younger than before. "It's okay to be afraid, Isashi. Kami, don't I know what it's like. But never let it keep you from pushing forward. You can always overcome it, no matter what!" the old woman let out a chuckle and tilted her head. "Being fearless is one thing, but that can easily go hand-in-hand with being foolish. It takes a truly brave person to push past what scares them to get what they want. Do you understand?"
I felt my lips moving for several seconds before realizing that no sound was coming out. I shook my head, a shocked laugh passing from my lips.
"Yeah, I gotcha, Obaachan."
"Now, tell me about these shitty pickup lines of yours!" the woman demanded. "If they're not good enough, I'm smacking you! I swear, if you used any of the last set, I'm gonna be really pissed!"
"Oi, lay off!" I groaned.
It was a handful of days after I'd visited my grandparents. The doctor had, with some trepidation, announced that Ojiichan still had maybe a good year or so left if he took it easy. That set my brother's mind at ease, same with my parents.
But I wasn't quite calm.
I placed a hand on my chest and sighed. If…if that guy is in me, then I can never be calm. Even if he can't get out, that's still a big fucking problem for me. The moment he wakes up, he'll make things difficult.
'Don't let fear rule you!;
"...Damn it, that old bat has to be so damn wise!" I groaned while sliding off my bed.
Night was coming, the sky was turning to a very dark and mysterious blue. And outside my home, I could sense just the barest bursts of energy telling me that many yokai and spirits were arising with the night. I took a deep breath and slammed my palms against the windowsill, a low growl building in my throat.
"Ah, fuck it!" I pulled away from the window and stretched my arms out while arching my back. "Don't let fear rule me, eh? Guess I need to take steps towards that, huh?"
A few seconds later, I had my ear to a cell phone and was listening to the dial tone. Just for fun, I began humming the theme songs for a bunch of game shows while waiting.
"Hello?"
"Well, you sound wide awake~!" I teased.
"...Isashi?!"
"Yeah, it's me. Hey, Tsubasa, listen…about what you said." I let out a tired breath and inclined my head. "I changed my mind. You still need help?"
"Absolutely! Tonight, if you're available."
"Sure thing! Just tell me where to go…"
Several minutes later, I'd gotten ready and was leaving the house. I'd slapped on some camo pants, a black wide-collared turtleneck under a charcoal gray blazer, and thick boots, while holding a black satchel over my shoulder. I cracked my neck with a grunt before opening the door.
"I'm heading out for a bit! Be back, promise!"
"What?! Where are you going?!" I heard my father call out.
"Training run? I'm gonna exercise, and it's a nice night out!" I called back.
"Okay, just, uh, be safe!" my mother said cheerfully.
I tilted my head curiously for a bit before shrugging. Issei was busy dicking around with the other three members of the perverted quartet, so maybe they were happy to have the house to themselves. I can't really judge them for being happy for the peace and quiet.
Walking to my destination took a little over half an hour. The last embers of daylight were fading over the horizon, and my weird energy sense was going on overdrive as more yokai became active. Thankfully, none of them were getting close or paying attention to me, but that could change if I wasn't careful.
I walked down the street Tsubasa had directed me to, my movements smooth but purposeful. I eyed the surrounding forest fiercely for a few moments before turning my head to look at the streetlights. A chortle escaped me when one light flickered ominously overhead.
"Ha! The only way this could look more 'cliche horror movie' was if this was on purpose!"
"I agree," a voice echoed from nearby.
"Ay~! You've got the whole 'slithering out of bushes' thing down," I mused as Tsubasa seemed to just phased through a nearby bush. "How long have you been training for stealth? It's like you get your best material from MGS."
"You're rather talkative tonight. I heard you were moping around school like you were depressed," the bluenette cocked an eyebrow curiously as she approached me. "Your change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?"
"...Official, mundane explanation? My Ojiichan isn't doing well. Doctors are saying he might have only a year left." I looked away dejectedly. "Obaachan isn't happy either, but she's staying strong."
"Your grandfather? Is…is that where you got the watch?"
"Oh, hey, you're sharp! Yeah, this is one of the watches that belonged to my great-great-grandfather. Issei got my great-great grandma's," I mused while holding up my new keepsake sadly. "Jiichan wanted us to have them. He, uh, thinks he's got less time left, and he's happy he finally got them running again…"
"That was stopped? And he managed to fix it?" Tsubasa tilted her head curiously, almost appraisingly. "That's…sweet, that he held onto them and passed them along."
"Yeah, he's great. I…I'm still worried about him," I said sadly.
"Well, that makes sense why you're moping. But you said the 'mundane' explanation," the bluenette frowned when I looked away. "What's wrong? Is…is Tamane-"
"It's not about her, I promise. Remember how I said there was only one thing I was afraid of?" I tilted my head as the girl fidgeted in place nervously. "Let's just say that even thinking about him drudged up way too many bad memories. It put me in a funk, and combined with my Jiichan, it's gotten worse. But I'm trying to get out of it."
"And you think getting into fighting against yokai is a good idea to help?"
"My Obaachan gave me a pep-talk. Basically, it was 'stop being a scared little bitch and take control of your life'. But she said it in a lot nicer words than that."
Tsubasa chuckled at that. "Your Obaachan sounds great. Well, I'm glad her words helped you change your mind."
"Speaking of which…how close are they? And how many we talking about?"
"I figured out where their general haunt is, so we're not far away. As for how many…" the bluenette's look turned sour. "About six of them. I don't know if they've gotten up to their…activities yet. But I'd like to stop them before they cause any more problems."
"Sounds great! Alright, lead the way!"
"Before I bring you into this, I need to make sure you're aware of what we're getting into. You…do realize we'll be killing them, right?"
I sighed anxiously when she said that. "I've, uh, killed some things before. Wild game birds, fish-my grandparents live out in the countryside, and there's stuff to do there. But, uh, yeah, this'll be a lot different from that," I looked away worriedly while clasping my hands together. "I'm not sure whether I have the stomach for it. But…well, you mentioned their 'activities', right? I'd rather that not happen."
Tsubasa nodded and turned away, motioning for me to come along. "We can talk about it on the way over. Just try to be quiet, please."
The girl led me into the woods while urging me to move cautiously. Halfway there, I could sense them. Six significant energy signatures nearby that exuded a feeling of malice that made my skin crawl.
I frowned and walked past the girl while holding a hand out. "Not this way!"
"Excuse me?!" the bluenette stage-whispered.
"Look, just trust me! I can sense them, but we need to go a certain way and hide in a certain place." I narrowed my eyes at her with a flat glare. "Just listen to me, okay? Follow me. Don't crush any grass or kick any rocks around, or snap any twigs and stuff."
Tsubasa sighed in annoyance. "Fine, but you'll need to give me an explanation…"
A few moments later, we were creeping in a set of bushes, looking at the six yokai sitting in a circle at the center of a large clearing. Thing is, there were actually seven, though it was apparent that I hadn't sensed the final yokai. Likely because it wasn't as significant as the other six.
"Okay, we're good!" I said evenly. "If we'd gone your way, we'd have gotten into the fight too quickly. Right now, the forest spirits are willingly hiding our presence."
"The what? Wait, they're what?!"
"Remember how I said yokai as a whole couldn't be ascribed as good or evil? That doesn't mean there aren't good yokai," I motioned to the trees, bushes, stones, and dirt around us. "Just as there are genuinely evil yokai, like those guys over there, there are good ones. The spirits in the forest don't seem to agree with these wackos…heh, I'll have to give them offerings later as thanks, actually."
"They're hiding our presence?"
"Yeah, right now our natural voices aren't being filtered through the trees. If those guys hear anything, it'll be too imperceptible for them, barely even a tiny whisper," I nodded while glaring at the six monsters that were only a few dozen feet away. "If they do hear us, they'll think it's the sound of the forest spirits. Or the dead."
Tsubasa tilted her head towards the trees appreciatively. "That's very helpful. We should return it in kind…and we can start with those freaks!" the bluenette said icily as she turned back to the six yokai. "We should deal with the oni first. He's clearly the most dangerous."
"Wrong!" I said smugly.
"Eh? What do you mean wrong?"
I tilted my head while eying the Oni. He looked like a leanly muscled human with skin that had been dyed red with blood. He was wearing a lightly furred loincloth and scraps of leather across his chest. His two horns were small and blunted.
"He's not the strongest one there. For starters, he's barely five and a half feet tall-that's probably his max height," I shook my head cheerfully. "Sure, he'll be strong, but only about as strong as a strong human. I've taken on worse."
"But he's clearly the leader-"
"Like I said, you need to learn more. Because that guy is the leader!" I said, while motioning to the largest of the yokai.
The demon in question looked like a shinto priest, draped in the common robes that they wore, even if they were a little disheveled. That was where the similarities ended, because he was about six-foot-five, his skin was leathery and blue, and his toes were oddly numbered. And more than that, his head was very much misshapen, and he had only a single eye.
"That's an Ao bōzu. They're extremely strong, fast, and capable of using magic. They're well known for eating children…they also like to forcibly hang women from ropes." I frowned as I watched the yokai speaking animatedly, the Ao bōzu only watching them impassively. "He's the big cheese. The others listen to him, no questions."
I then pointed to the next monster. It looked like an old woman with wrinkled, graying skin that was tinted red around her fingers and lips. Her eyes were brilliant and glowing yellow, almost like a hungry beast.
"That's a Kokuri babā. She's the weakest here. Her kind are supposed to live in the back rooms of old, derelict temples." I tilted my head as the monstrous old woman flashed her teeth to one of the other yokai. "They're also normally only supposed to eat the flesh of the dead, but there are stories about them doing otherwise. The temple she lives in is probably somewhere in town, maybe just on the outskirts."
The third and fourth monsters looked eerily similar, but there were differences. Both of them looked like humanoid ape-men, completely covered in fur and having animalistic faces.
One of them was slightly smaller than the oni, and he was extremely thin and barely muscled. But his eyes were opened wide, almost bulging out of their sockets. When he'd speak, the other yokai would groan or get annoyed and lightly berate him.
The second ape-monster was leanly muscled and large, nearly as big as the Ao bōzu. His hair was much longer and wilder than the first monkey creature, making it look more feral. Its mouth was wide and possessed long, flapping lips that curled far across its face when it smiled. Now and then it would let out a small laugh, and its lips would pull back so much they nearly covered its eyes.
"That's a Satori and a Hihi. They're fairly similar, they're both very fast and they'll eat humans if given the chance. Uh…but, for you, it's a bit…w-worrying."
"What do you mean by that?" Tsubasa asked nervously when I pointed the two monkey yokai out.
"They rape women," I said flatly, deciding to rip the bandage off quickly. The look she gave me was of complete, uncanny horror. "Yeah, I figured I shouldn't mince words. If you'd fought these guys alone…w-well…"
"Yeah, I think I get the picture. Holy fucking shit!"
"The Satori can read your mind and spit your own words at you before you could even speak. So because of that, you normally wouldn't be able to catch one by surprise," I tilted my head thoughtfully while looking at the wide-eyed monkey creature. "To counter them, you're supposed to 'empty your mind', because then they'll be unable to read it. Let's interpret that as just playing 'Baby Shark' or 'Patty Cake' on a loop in your head. Or just think of the entire Bee Movie script."
"...Wat?" the bluenette gaped at me.
"The Hihi is a easier to deal with. To bring them down, you need to make them laugh. Then their lips will peel back and cover most of their faces, meaning they won't see your next strike-plus, they'll be too busy laughing to move out of the way," I chuckled as I saw the creature laugh again. "They apparently laugh very easily, it seems. Also, you could probably drink its blood, get a better ability to sense yokai and spirits and stuff."
"Drinking that thing's blood would enhance my ability to sense yokai?"
"Or it gives people the ability to see them if they haven't already," I shrugged before pointing to the last one. "That one is pretty familiar. I've seen him hanging around playgrounds and stuff, but I don't know what he is."
It was that same old monster from months ago. The large, black creature with a tusked oni mask and a long, shaggy mane of white hair trailing to the ground. Right now, it was carrying a wriggling sack over its shoulder.
I didn't need much context to know what was in the sack. Thinking about it made me shiver, especially since I could hear the noises already.
"I figured it must be a dark spirit of sorts," Tsubasa hummed. "I tried some reading at a library a few days ago, and everything I've gotten on yokai says that sometimes the real vicious ones are born from Onryō. It could've just been a wicked spirit that turned into a monster."
"Yeah, makes sense," I mused.
"What about…ugh, that thing," the bluenette pointed to the last yokai.
It looked like a man dressed as a monk, but it was clearly inhuman. Its skin was pitch black, it had pointed ears and glowing yellow eyes, and a long tongue emerging from its small mouth. It crawled on all fours, with its hands and feet being hard to discern, seemingly having blunt claws but also being hidden in shadows.
"Eh? Oh, that's a…Kuro bōzu? Egh, no, do not want!" at the girl's confused look, I sighed. "They're basically just creepers. They break into the homes of women and lick around their faces and shove their tongues into their mouths and noses while siphoning the energy from their breathing."
"Ew!"
"Yeah, ew is right. He's probably just a hanger-on, since they don't really like eating children. Like I said, it's women or bust." I frowned as the masked spirit hauled the bag forward and laid it in the center of the circle the yokai sat in. "I'm gonna try to put up a barrier really quick. No matter what, don't-"
*And I need you~! And I miss you~! And now I wonder~!*
"B-Bwuh?!"
*If I could fall into the sky~? Do you think time~? Would pass me by?*
"Shit, shit, shit!" I hissed while grabbing my phone to shut it up.
"What the fuck!? Why didn't you put that on silent?!"
"I forgot, okay?!"
*'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles~! If I could just see you~! Tonight~!*
*BEEP*
"Haah! Thank fuck!" I wheezed out. And then I felt a chill run down my spine. "That totally blew our cover, didn't it?"
"It did~!" a deep and rough voice sing-songed.
Tsubasa and I turned to see the five of the six yokai looming over us. The Ao bōzu was smiling at us mirthfully, the Oni was leeringly grinning at us viciously; the Satori was excitedly bouncing as he smiled at us; the Hihi was giggling madly while leaning forward, and the Kokuri babā was glaring at us hungrily. The masked spirit was hanging back just a bit, while staring at me oddly, and the Kuro bōzu was shuffling about, visibly inching its way away from the clearing.
"Ohohohoho! Look at the little babies with PTSD thinking that it's a good idea to fight a bunch of demons~!" the Satori teased, causing me to look at the bluenette in confusion. "Did you really think you'd be able to take us?"
"And here we were, ready to dig into our newest meals! Ah, but it seems those might be appetizers~!" the Ao bōzu chuckled as his single eye locked onto us. "After all, we've just been presented with the main course!"
"...Welp, balls to the wall then," I shrugged while standing up slightly.
"Eh? B-Balls to the wall?" the blue monster asked.
"Oh, oh! It's a western expression that means to go 'full throttle'! It's meant to convey that somebody is about to go all out! Ah, he's also saying it as a reference to the fact that he's about to hit you in-" the Satori let out a gasp, his expression falling as he turned to the Oni and Ao bōzu. "Your balls!"
"Wait, what?" the Ao bōzu blinked at the monkey demon.
I took that chance to cock my fist back and slam it straight into the one-eyed yokai's groin. I quickly followed it by doing the same to the Oni.
The Ao bōzu let out a loud, pained wheeze when my fist connected, his single eye suddenly tearing up as he fell to the ground clutching his family jewels. There was a loud, wet cough resounding throughout the clearing as he let out spittle and vomit in response. Meanwhile, the Oni let out a downright musical cry as the blow hit home, his eyes rolling back into his head as it tapered off. The horned monster grabbed the area as he fell back, a dull whine escaping him as he hit the ground with a loud thud.
The other yokai stared at me in shock and horror. I took the time that gave me to reach into my satchel and pull out a handful of talismans. With a single, albeit clumsy move, I threw as many as I could onto some of the surrounding trees before clasping my hands together and calling out a small prayer. A barrier slowly flashed into existence as the talismans glowed bright blue, soon causing a bubble to surround the clearing and locking us all in.
"Right, let's go!" I said while throwing my satchel off and bringing my arms up. "Time to square up, fuckers!"
"Isashi?!" my companion cried out.
"Balls to the wall Tsubasa! You take the old woman and the Noh-Face ripoff! I got the monkeys!"
"Take me?! Take me?! Foolish boy, do you really-"
Tsubasa cut the Kokuri babā with a single punch, knocking her to the ground. She then grabbed the wrinkled monster by the head and began kneeing her in the face.
I quickly charged at the Satori and threw several quick jabs at the hairy creature. He dodged, jumping behind the other monkey yokai. The Hihi darted past me, and I barely ducked beneath a massive, clawed hand as it sailed towards me.
Fuck it, time to get into a rhythm.
"According to all know laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly!" the Satori said manically as it darted past me. "Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible!"
"Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow!" I chimed in alongside the lanky creature while dodging another swipe from the Hihi and slamming a fist into its stomach. "Let's shake it up a little."
"Barry! Breakfast is ready!" the Satori said loudly as it pounced towards me, only for it to slip on a patch of loosened dirt and fly too high.
"Coming! Hang on a second," I replied, while ducking beneath the wide-eyed monkey creature and grabbing it by the tail. "Hello? Barry? Adam? Can you believe this is happening? I can't. I'll pick you up."
"Agh! What the actual hell is this?!" the Satori cried out as I threw it into the Hihi. "When people say 'empty your mind', this is not what they mean!"
The Hihi suddenly began to laugh hard and loud, and its lips peeled back so much that its eyes were almost completely covered. I jumped towards them with a drop-kick. The Satori, still splayed across the other yokai's chest, quickly rolled away just as I impacted.
"Looking! Sharp! Use! The! Stairs!" I growled angrily while repeatedly slamming my fists into the feral-looking yokai's face. "Your! Father! Paid! Good! Money! For! Those!"
"Holy shit!" the Satori gaped in horror at my senseless beatdown of his comrade. "Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you-how are you still thinking that?!"
"A perfect report card, all B's!" I roared while slamming one last punch into the Hihi's face before rising to my feet to face the other monkey demon. "Very proud! Ma! I got a thing going here."
"Okay, wait, let's talk about this-" the Satori let out a horrified wheeze as I flew forward and slammed my knee into its gut. "Y-You got lint on your f-fuzz. Ow! That's me!"
I quickly slammed an elbow strike straight into the wide-eyed yokai's face while cackling madly. The monkey creature let out a pathetic whine as I threw a quick flurry of punches straight towards the center of its chest, face, and stomach. I threw two quick lunging punches into his chest before slamming the back of my shoulder straight into his torso.
I smirked wildly as the lanky monkey creature flew into a nearby tree and sunk to the ground. "Ya like jazz~?"
"Agh! Get off of me!"
"Hmm? Ah, Tsubasa?!" I cried out.
"Isashi! Help me!" the bluenette cried out while the dark spirit attempted to force her into its monstrously wide mouth. "It's gonna vore me!"
"Like hell it will!" I cried out while running towards her, charging forward with a lunging snap kick. "Fuck off with that shit!"
"BLAAAAGH!" the dark spirit spat loudly as the kick connected to the side of its torso, spitting Tsubasa and several gallons of thick and foamy spittle forward. "G-Gaaah! Damn human!"
"Agh! The fuck?! It's sticky, and it's everywhere!" the girl whined.
"Ha, phrasing!" I chuckled.
Tsubasa gave me a look that said 'really?'. Before I could make a verbal response, a loud fit of 'hee-hees' echoed from behind us. I turned to see the bruised and battered Hihi, probably mid-way through attempting a surprise attack, breaking down into a fit of wild giggles. I turned back towards the bluenette before cocking my head towards the monkey yokai.
The girl jumped to her feet and charged alongside me. Our fists slammed straight into the feral-looking yokai's face. I jumped behind the creature to follow up with multiple rabbit punches, while Tsubasa hit the creature with a few uppercuts.
The moment the Hihi dropped to the ground, the bluenette lifted her leg and practically jumped, slamming her heel into the monkey creature's throat. She did this several more times in quick succession until an unsettling crack echoed throughout the clearing. When she removed her foot, the creature's head lolled to the side, still having a giggling grin despite its now blank eyes.
"No! Damn you! You filthy humans!" the Kokuri babā shouted hatefully as she charged forward. "I'll tear you limb from limb and feast on your insides!"
One of the rocks embedded in the dirt seemed to jut out just as the old woman stepped on it. Her violent charge became a violent trip as she tumbled forward. I tilted my head before cocking my fist back.
"Okay boomer!" I said, while punching her hard enough to knock some teeth out and throw her across the clearing.
"Pfft! Really?!" the bluenette cackled as the elderly demon rolled across the ground.
"Hey, I saw the chance. I took it," I shrugged.
"Okay, we should try to stick to the plan!" the girl said between giggles.
"We…we were supposed to have a plan?"
"We were. Then your phone went off," Tsubasa huffed.
"Oh, this is just bullshit!" the Satori whined as it rose to its feet. "They don't even got a plan. They're just making this shit up as they go along!"
"That ends here!" a voice growled. I turned to see the Oni stalking towards us, a vicious snarling grin stretching across his face as he brandished his claws. "You pathetic little humans die now. And I'll enjoy chewing the meat off your bones!"
His growling, gravelly voice was extremely intimidating. Unfortunately for him, the intimidation attempt failed because he was still walking stiffly and bow-legged. Even as he leaned forward, I could see the strained tears pooling at the corners of his eyes.
"Yeah, sure, I buy that~!" I teased the horned yokai. "How are your balls~?"
"Rrrraaaagh! I'll kill you!" the Oni roared while charging.
My response was to throw two snap kicks straight towards his face to knock him back. When he tried to get up, I grabbed him by the horns and began slamming his face into my knee as hard as I could. The horned monster wrenched himself from my grip with some difficulty and pushed me back offhandedly.
Before I could right myself, the demon grabbed me by the throat. I grabbed at its arms and glared at it as it tried to bite me, with me barely bobbing my head away in time. The creature then tried to choke me. Seeing no other options, my foot once again came up, causing the creature to cry out and wheeze.
"Agh! Why do you keep doing that?!" the ogre growled as it released me.
"Because you fucking eat children!" I cried out while jumping towards it.
The Oni threw a clumsy claw attack towards me, to which I ducked beneath it and slammed my fist into its face. I then darted forward, slipping beneath the horned yokai's armpit to lock my arms around its limb and neck, then flinging my right leg behind his left leg to sweep him onto the ground. Within a few moments, I'd laid my body flat against the ground while holding my head ear-to-ear with the ogre as I tightened my arms around his neck.
"You f-fucking human! You think you can k-kill me like this?!" the horned yokai growled as he pushed upward with a burst of strength. "I'm not gonna die to some human! Rrraaaaagh!"
The demon threw me off of him, causing me to roll across the ground. When I looked up, he was charging me with a look of feral rage. Before he reached me, his foot snagged on an oddly placed root, causing him to fall forward and tumble. Halfway through that, he started violently crawling towards me before jumping on top of me.
My response was to lock my legs around his waist. Before the ogre could counter, I grabbed his left arm and quickly pulled it across while shrimping my position so that my legs crossed his far hip. I immediately grabbed at his shoulder to lock his arm down and began slamming my elbow into his skull.
As soon as he was disoriented, I climbed on top of the Oni, hooking my left arm under his and locking my legs around his waist. I then hooked my hands together while pressing my wrist against the back of his neck, and pulled, causing the two of us to roll to the side. With his neck exposed, I quickly freed my hands so that I could lock my arms around his neck.
"Isashi!" I heard Tsubasa calling out. "Finish him! Don't hold back, just put him down for good!"
"Put…m-me…down?! You ain't got the nerve, kid!" the ogre growled viciously as I tightened my grip. "You're too scared! I can s-smell it~! You're a scared little boy…scared of the m-monsters around him! Do you really think you can kill me?!"
I closed my eyes with an enraged growl. An eye opened in the dark, the ocean depths rumbled and crackled. My own eyes opened as a snarl tugged at my lips, and I grabbed the sides of his head and twisted.
There was a loud snap. And then the body I was holding onto went limp in my grip. I held there for a few more tense moments before letting it go and rolling away. The yokai's body barely twitched as I left it, a blank look in its eyes as it laid there.
I felt my breathing go ragged as I turned to the other three Yokai left. "Alright! Who's next?!"
"Y'know, as intimidating as this is, I already know you're losing steam~!" the Satori hissed gleefully while his eyes darted around. "In fact, both of you are!"
Further away, I saw Tsubasa in a karate stance, breathing similarly ragged. The girl took a step forward while glaring at the three demons.
"We're not giving up! We can still fight!"
"Even after you locked yourselves in here with us, little girl~!" the Kokuri babā chuckled viciously. "You aren't that Paimon bitch or her pet traitors! Neither of you scare us~!"
"Ah, what's that tropey cliche thing? Oh, right!" I smiled darkly as I raised my fists. "We're not locked in here with you! You're locked in here with us!"
"Actually, they're not locked in here at all~!" a deep voice chuckled from behind us.
I watched in shock as the barrier suddenly cracked apart; the talismans flashing brightly before popping loudly as they immediately burned to cinders. I turned behind me to see the Ao bōzu standing only a handful of feet away, a wicked grin across his face as he held up a brilliant ball of floating energy in his palm.
"Ah, shit!" I muttered.
"They're not going to give up! Grab the bag and go!" the blue yokai huffed. "I'll hold them off-"
"Like hell!" Tsubasa cried out while darting towards the bag.
"Stop her!" the old woman cried as she charged towards the girl.
I shot forward, slamming a flying knee straight into the Kokuri babā's gut. I followed it up by jumping up, locking my legs around her upper torso, and letting loose with a flurry of blows into her face. The elderly yokai cried and whimpered as I punched her hard enough to send several teeth flying out.
The old woman backed away reflexively as I punched her. Halfway through that, she tripped on a patch of wet grass, causing her to fall back with a grunt. Before I could make the final blow, I heard Tsubasa crying out.
"Damn it! Get the bag!" the Ao bōzu cried out.
I rose to my feet and charged towards the Satori. Before I could act, the lanky demon turned tail and booked it. I watched as he went before turning back to my ally.
Tsubasa was on the ground in front of the bag. The blue yokai was standing above her. I quickly shot forward with a lunging punch, slamming it straight into the Ao bōzu's stomach as it turned to face me. I followed it up with several thrusting strikes and elbow strikes. The one-eyed demon was pushed back only a few feet, so I finished the set by stomping my foot into the ground hard and throwing a punch towards his solar plexus.
It knocked him back a bit, but he simply rolled to his feet with a feral grin. "I gotta hand it to ya'. You pack a punch. But you're not as strong as you think, kid~!"
"Yeah, yeah! Smurf you too!" I called over to the demon. "You gonna keep running your mouth? Because you should be running them hands!"
The Ao bōzu tilted his head cheerfully as Tsubasa rose to her feet. The bluenette took her karate stance while I raised my fists. The two of us fanned out slightly while taking cautionary steps towards the demon, the girl not straying too far from the squirming bag.
"You should give up!" Tsubasa growled hatefully. "Leave now, and you might live another day. I won't let you get them! Do you understand?!"
The blue monster just cackled at that. "Ah, I do love the touch of bravado you have, human~! It'll make this all the more amusing!" the Ao bōzu then clasped its hands together. For a second, they glowed brightly, then he pulled them away to reveal a thick rope that he slowly twirled. "Tell me, would either of you like to hang by your necks?"
"...If we say 'no', will you disappear and leave us alone like in the stories?" I asked cautiously.
The yokai just pulled the rope in his hands taut while leering at me viciously.
"Yeah, I had a feeling that'd be the answer," I sighed, before smirking at the demon viciously. "Oi, how 'bout I ask you a question? How'd you like some black with that blue?"
"Eh? What do you mean-"
I interrupted the Ao bōzu by lunging forward and slamming a fist straight into his eye. The blue monster cried out angrily and clutched his face.
"You little shit! I was thinking I might just kill that girl and torture you with her body before leaving you alive!" the blue monster growled angrily while clutching its eye. "Now I think I'll just kill both of you! Maybe you'll make good meals!"
"You mad, bro?!" I chuckled.
The Ao bōzu growled loudly before thrusting his palm forward, a set of symbols flashing over it. A small ball of light darted from his hand and flew between Tsubasa and me, before suddenly expanding. I felt myself being flung into the air. My eyes were stinging and there was a ringing sound in my ear.
When I regained my bearings, I heard Tsubasa grunting desperately while the monster let out a strained growl. I turned to see the bluenette holding onto the Ao bōzu against the ground with a very sloppy triangle leg hold. The girl locked her legs together hard while pinning the blue yokai's arm against her chest, causing cracks to resound from the restrained limb.
"L-Let go!" the creature hissed.
"Just die already!" Tsubasa cried out.
The blue demon slowly rose to his feet while grabbing at one of the girl's legs with his free hand. Tsubasa noticed this and swung one of her legs over the monster's head, throwing him to the ground as she tried to pull back its elbow. Unfortunately, the demon was able to grab onto the girl's waist, allowing him to wrench himself free from her hold and throw her to the ground.
Before Tsubasa could get back up, she suddenly had a rope around her neck. The Ao bōzu pressed a foot against her back as he pulled. The girl suddenly let out a horrified wheeze as the yokai chuckled.
"Don't worry! Once you hit the hay, I'll be sure to hang you up~! Wonder what the other humans will think when they find it!" the demon chuckled viciously as the girl's eyes rolled back. "I'm gonna enjoy dragging this out-"
I charged forward and jumped straight onto the Ao bōzu's back, wrapping my legs around its waist while putting him in a guillotine, locking my arms around his neck and pulling back. The blue monster let go of the rope, causing Tsubasa to wheeze loudly and desperately. The yokai growled, to which I tightened my hold.
"O-Oi, blue meanie! I think you need to be a darker shade of blue!" I chuckled while tightening my grip. "Come on! Start getting bluer, bitch!"
"You…f-fucking…shitty human!" the Ao bōzu gasped out.
"What, don't like this?! Oh, you can dish it out but you can't take it, huh? Is that how it is, Papa Smurf~?" I teased as I tightened my grip as hard as I could. "Hey, how are your balls doing? Remember from earlier? Bet they still fucking hurt like hell!"
"R-Raaaaaagh!" the demon moved around furiously to try and shake me off. "Fucking get off! D-Damn it!"
I held my hold the entire time, even when he started slamming me into nearby trees. He blasted small bursts of magic around us that stung and burned my body. He even rolled across the ground in a last ditch effort to get me off.
"Come on, bitch! Get bluer! Fucking choke already!" I growled angrily.
The blue monster let out a strangled gasp as the veins on his head bulged, and his eye grew bloodshot. He let out a horrific rattling noise as he struggled for air, and the noise drew out as he continued trying to shake free. Then he stopped, continuing the noise as his eye slowly rolled back.
I considered letting go there, but the way his arm suddenly gripped at me made me rethink that. I instead held my grip as tight as I could, gritting my teeth and growling angrily as I held on fast for several more moments. The croaking gasp echoing from his mouth slowly faded, and his body soon went limp.
I kept my arms locked tight around his neck, less because I wanted to be one-hundred percent sure, and more of the fact that he'd been on the ground trying to crush me with his weight, and I was underneath him. I had a feeling he was probably full-on dead because he was starting to weigh a hell of a lot more than he did before. I let out a low groan as I tried to reposition myself so that I could escape.
"O-Oi, Tsubsasa? You still alive?"
"Hell of a thing to ask!" I heard the bluenette gasp out.
"Hey, I'm actually happy about that. For, uh, m-multiple reasons. But, uh, Papa Smurf is probably going through rigor mortis, and I'm stuck!"
The girl let out a wild laugh. "For real?! You just choked him to death, and you're still insulting him?"
"Yeah! Fuck 'em!" I snorted while trying to push the dead yokai off. "You mind helping me out?"
"Yeah, yeah! Just give me a minute!" Tsubasa said haggardly.
A few moments later, I felt the dead monster grow lighter as the girl's grunts resounded from above. I unhooked my limbs and pushed, rolling the yokai's corpse to the side with a grunt.
"Agh! T-Thanks!" I huffed as I rose to my feet. When I noticed the bluenette blushing, I frowned. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good!" she squeaked out. "It was just a really rough fight. Ah, you, uh, g-got a bit dirty!"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's not too bad," I shrugged while dusting myself off. "I'm, uh…still trying to figure this out."
'This' being the three dead yokai strewn across the clearing, two of them very much by my hands. The Ao bōzu's single eyed had gone blank and was staring at the sky unblinkingly, the remains of spittle and foam pooling from his mouth. Nearby the Oni's body remained unmoving, face still a mask of pure rage despite his dead eyes.
"I've never…I haven't…"
"Hey, calm down! Listen, it…gets easier? Is that the wrong thing to say?" Tsubasa frowned and cupped her chin thoughtfully. "It weighs on you less once you get used to it, I guess. Once you remember why you're doing it, you understand that it's necessary."
"I mean, yeah, that makes sense. I'm still gonna have to tell you about the Slippery Slope Fallacy so you get why I'm not all gelling with this…then again, the Trolley Problem also exists~!" I hummed while inclining my head. When I noticed the bluenette giving me a confused look, I shrugged. "Don't mind me, just having philosophical musings about the morality of killing."
"Right! Ah, speaking of which, the others…"
I followed the girl's gaze to see that the Kokuri babā had disappeared, along with the dark spirit. Funnily enough, they'd left the bag behind. The only one I'd realized was fully unaccounted for was-
"Oi, where's the Kuro bōzu?" I wondered aloud.
"That thing? You didn't see it, but it ran off the moment you punched those two in the jewels. It managed to avoid getting caught in the barrier."
"That makes sense. I've never really heard a story about those things getting into fights," I huffed.
"We should get back to the matter at hand. We interrupted them for a reason, remember?" the bluenette hummed while turning away.
I followed the girl straight to the wriggling bag, a frown tugging at my lips as I heard familiar whimpers coming from it. Tsubasa and I shared a look of muted horror before we got to work trying to open the bag. There were some shouts and cries from within, to which I gently replied that we're here to help and to be patient.
When we finally got the bag untied, I saw the exact thing I didn't want to see. Four bruised and sobbing children huddled together in a tangled mass of limbs. Two were twin girls with red-rimmed eyes who might've only been ten. The other two were boys, one being around three years younger than me, and the other being a toddler.
"Hey! Hey, it's okay, we're normal!" I said kindly, while kneeling down and holding my hands out. "Those guys are gone now! We took care of them! You don't need to worry about them anymore!"
I flinched when one of the girls slammed into me, wrapping her arms around my upper body and desperately crying. The toddler was tearfully curled around Tsubasa's leg while crying like he'd gotten away from hell itself. The other two had similar reactions.
I frowned and turned to Tsubasa with a nod. "We should try to find a police officer or something. If they didn't come home, somebody would be looking at them."
The bluenette hummed worriedly at my words. "Sounds about right…"
"Hah~! I'm surprised children can be less dirty than an evil spirit," Tsubasa whined after we'd gotten the kids to safety. "I still think I've got slobber in some odd places. Fuck, it's gross! I can never get used to that."
"At least it cleaned most of the blood off," I mused as we walked down the street.
"That's the only upside. Still, this went better than most nights," the bluenette inclined her head tiredly. "Whenever I've fought yokai and spirits, I usually just observed them to see if I could even take them on. Sometimes I have to book it because I'm not even sure what they could do, and I didn't want to chance it."
"So you're glad that my expertise was useful?" I offered.
"Yes! I would've tried to take that one on-the, uh, 'Hihi'? I would've tried to actually fight it straight instead of using its weakness against it," the girl shook her head as an exasperated chuckle escaped her lips. "I'm all for a good fight, but this isn't about fun. Some of these things need to be dealt with."
I flinched at the way she spoke and sighed. "Just tell me you don't go after all of them? I mean, sure, those guys were evil and shit. But not every prankster Bakemono should be on sight, y'know?" I noticed the girl looking away in annoyance. "You did realize that half of that wasn't just dumb luck, right? Some of that was very much the local nature spirits helping us out by screwing with their footing."
Tsubasa was silent for a few moments before clicking her teeth. "Yeah, okay, I understand. So long as they're not killing humans, I'd only whale on them," the bluenette gave me an appraising grin. "I'm glad you're getting less 'mopey'. I was kinda worried the world might end. Are you gonna be back to your old self anytime soon?"
I inclined my head thoughtfully at that. "Hmm? Okay, let me think about this…ah, I think I can test that out~!" I held my hand out to her with a sly grin. "I'm going for a walk. Would you hold this for me?"
"B-Bwah?!" the girl's jaw dropped as she stared at me, eyes wide and cheeks tinged red. "For real?! And you're even asking me when you look…l-like that?!"
I blinked in confusion when she looked away bashfully. "Eh? What are you talking about? What's wrong with how I look?" I tilted my head while patting myself. "Is it because I'm dirty? Oh, is it the bloodstain?"
"N-No, not exactly!" the bluenette squeaked. "I think we should call it a night! We can try to deal with those other demons later."
I tilted my head in bewilderment before shrugging. "Yeah, sounds good. I'm probably gonna have to face the music at home anyway," I noticed the dejected look on Tsubasa's face when I said that. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" the girl said while nervously smiling and waving her hands placatingly. "Just remembering stuff. Ah, I'm glad you're getting back to your old self, at least!"
I huffed tiredly while inclining my head. "Maybe not entirely. But hey, it is a start…"
Sato didn't know how it had happened again. Once those two older kids had brought them to the police station, there'd been some questions before his parents had come in. He wasn't sure they'd believe him, so he just followed along with the teens.
"Scary people grabbed me and put me in a bag."
That was the cover they'd use. Of course, the younger kids were more vocal about 'monsters', but he knew saying that would sound crazy. The police, strangely, seemed to translate that-to the younger children at least-the 'people' that had taken them only looked like monsters from their perspective.
Sato wouldn't say otherwise. But even as he was being hugged by his parents at home, he knew they were out there. He had a creeping sensation down his back as he looked at the windows and door worriedly. But his mother's reassurance made him doubt he was in danger.
His parents were now lying on the floor, unconscious, his father bleeding from his nose. Looming over him were the two monsters from before-the old woman and the skinny monkey with the big eyes. They were leering at him with vicious grins, despite their bruised and battered appearances.
"Did you really think you'd get away from us?" the old woman said in a saccharine sweet voice. "Those fools couldn't have possibly stopped us from getting what's rightfully ours! Ah, your flesh will be so sweet~!"
"Ah, you're scared! You're scared that we'll kill your parents! Don't worry, we'll only make them suffer~! They'll live!" the monkey teased spitefully, a wicked laugh escaping his swollen lips. "Ah~! You're also confused?! Oh, you're confused about who those girls behind us are-wait, what?"
*FWOOOOOOSH*
"C-Cold! Cold! C-Cold, c-cold!"
The monkey cried out through his chattering teeth as he was slowly frozen in a solid block of ice. He then fell to the ground with a loud thud, a low whine escaping from inside the ice as he rolled across the floor.
The old woman gaped in shock for several seconds before suddenly being consumed by a pillar of mystical blue fire. A loud, pained wail echoed through the house as she was immolated. The fire cut off, and the now burnt elderly yokai fell to the floor in a sizzling heap, a whimper escaping her as she hit.
"Well, that was rather easy."
"I thought they'd be more of a problem than this. Weren't there more of them?"
Sato's jaw dropped when he saw them. Two gorgeous, buxom older girls who seemed to glow like angels.
The one on the left had pale skin tinted blue, her eyes were a beautiful icy blue, and her hair was dark blue-violet. She was dressed in a glacial white kimono that possessed long, wing-like sleeves and was decorated with snowflakes, complete with white slippers and purple socks.
The girl on the right was slightly taller, with silver-furred ears and nine flowing tails swaying behind her. She wore a blue, black, and silver dress, with long detached sleeves, that showed off her thighs and cleavage, and dark blue stockings. Her pink hair was decorated with bows, she had a long black and silver sash tied around her waist, and she wore platform sandals on her fluffy feet.
"Are you two goddesses?" the young boy asked in awe.
"Wah?" the ice-girl asked blankly.
The fox-girl, on the other hand, cupped her now red cheeks as her eyes went starry. "Bwah! Kawaii!"
"No!" the pale girl told the kitsune flatly. "We have a job to do! Fawn over cute children later!"
Sato reeled back at the girl's words with a surprised blush. 'Hah~? She thinks I'm cute?!'
"Right, I'll take care of it!" the fox-girl gently approached the child and leaned towards him, a sweet smile spread across her face. "Hey, don't worry, these two won't bother you or your family again, okay? But I need you to promise me something~!"
"Uh? W-What do you want?" the boy asked shyly.
"I need you to promise that you'll never tell anybody else about what you saw tonight, 'kay?" the girl giggled at Sato's confused look. "These monsters were bad, but there are monsters like the two of us who are nice. If people find out about the mean monsters, they'll get mad and try to hurt them, but they might also hurt the nice monsters like me. And I don't wanna hurt anybody either. So you've gotta promise not to say anything, okay?"
"I-I, um, I-"
"I'll even make sure your parents are alright. But they won't remember a thing. I don't wanna take away your memories, so I'm asking you nicely." The girl cupped the boy's cheeks and brought him close. "What if we pinky-swore on it? Would you do that for me?"
"Uh, y-yeah~!" the boy said, nodding fiercely while blushing. "I can do that!"
"Good!" the kitsune said sweetly while holding out her pinky. "Promise?"
"I promise I won't say anything!" the boy said bashfully while locking his finger with hers.
"Good! Mwah!" the fox-girl kissed Sato on the cheek before pulling away. "Thank you so much, sweety!"
"Bwuh!" the boy fell back onto a soft space on the floor, a dreamy look on his face. "Is this real? I can't believe that just happened…"
A few moments later, the two yokai-turned-devils had left the house after finishing their 'cleanup', all while hoisting their two prisoners behind them. Once they were further into the woods, the snow-woman gave her companion a very unimpressed look.
"What?!" Tamane whined.
"You really think that kid isn't gonna talk?" Sashiro deadpanned.
The fox-girl's lower lip trembled. "W-Well, he pinky-sweared! Nobody would ever jeopardize the sanctity of a pinky-swear!"
The ice-woman sighed tiredly while pulling her prisoner behind her. "Let's just get these two back to Andora-sama. She and Lady Sitri will be very curious to know what they've been up to."
"Do you ever take a break?" the kitsune mumbled.
"Graah! Damn humans!" the dark spirit growled angrily as it walked through a section of woods. "As if I needed to have any more problems. Now they'll be hunting me too! Ah, and that one with…with that thing? What was it? It's inside him, I think."
The surrounding forest gave no response. This simply made the yokai more annoyed.
"Grrrr! I'll find them! I'll find them and make them suffer! I don't even care if it's too public! That damn devil and her pets won't be able to stop me!" the masked demon chuckled viciously as it turned towards the nearest human buildings. "Yes, soon~! Soon I'll bring them to their knees-"
*CLACK*
The sound was somewhat like the muffled sound of metal clanking against itself. But the pain that came after that was blinding. The dark spirit let out a keening wail as it dropped to the ground, clawed limbs emerging from its shadowy body to grab at the injured spot.
There was a burning, glowing hole in its side. When the creature pulled its fingers away, it saw a strange, dark liquid running down them.
"Target engaged!" a voice called out. "Say again! Target engaged!"
"W-What is this?!" the yokai hissed as shapes moved through the trees.
Several humans dressed in black body-armor, with glowing green goggles over their helmets, emerged from the woods. They carried long, black weapons, and wore thick packs over their shoulders. The group quickly surrounded the spirit and pointed their weapons at the creature.
"You? H-Humans?! How?!"
*CLACK**CLACK**CLACK*
The yokai hissed and screamed as bullets quickly filled it. Soon it was riddled with glowing and burning holes. The dark spirit let out one last whine before transforming into a massive puddle of bubbling ooze.
"Get it ready for pickup!" one man growled.
"Copy!" several of them cried out as they encircled the now dead monster.
Behind his helmet, one operative chuckled darkly. "The eggheads are gonna love this…"
So, the yokai that showed up as the bad guys for this chapter are in actual Japanese folklore. They're usually pretty easy to make out as villains, because they do villainous stuff-like, y'know, eating children. Didn't need much to make them look like bad guys.
I am disappointed that, at no point during writing the Ao bōzu portion, could I come up with a 'one-eyed monster' joke. I mean, I've got plenty more chances since there are a bunch of cycloptic yokai in folklore, but still...
This isn't the first time a Kuro bōzu has shown up btw. They showed up in a 'blink and you'll miss it' in chapter 5. So it's not simply an 'oh, that's a neat reference', no there's foreshadowing there.
Now then, onto the reviews.
Dr. RK: Isashi's astral projection was his mind, not his soul, being projected. The Agency has ways of separating souls, but they don't need to do that to bring their 'charges' to communicate.
TheJSmooth: Yeah, sorry, his suffering isn't quite gonna last...I mean, it's still there, but he's getting better.
Zet4: The yokai girls have misread the situation just a bit-and they'll likely misread it more once they're finished question their new prisoners. Andora, since she's capable of synergizing with sea creatures, isn't quite sure what to think-either his Sacred Gear is causing problems, or something happened that inadvertently agitated the creature in his Sacred Gear. It's not occuring to any of them that said creature is the cause of his distress. As for Isashi's problems with the Agency, per a user on SB "at this point Isashi is probably pissed enough to sell his soul out of spite". For Akeno, she isn't interested in MC (Issei is getting his canon harem ffs), she's just trolling Tamane and Sashiro because they're easy to troll.
DrgnDrake: Yeah, chalk it up to the fact that I've dealt with people like that IRL. Kind of just sucks that it happens.
For anybody whose interested, you can check out my P a treon. Unfortunately, FF. Net doesn't do the links well, so you'll have to close the spaces below/rewrite it slightly on your browser.
P a treon. com(slash) Locksoli
As always, please leave any thoughts, questions, and constructive criticism in your reviews. And thank you for reading.
