American Kitsune, Volume 6 (Light Novel)

1. Weak to Strong Protagonist (Expect Kevin to grow both mentally and physically as the series progresses)
2. Aggressive Main Love Interest
3. Accidental Perv Moments / Ecchi Shenanigans
4. Harem Hijinks
5. Classic Harem Archetypes
6. Fourth-Wall Breaks
7. Over-the-Top Fanservice

The Bodhisattva sat upon his throne within the large entrance hall of his home. The throne, a construct made of the purest gold with intricate silver designs etched upon its surface, had been forged by the best Mountain Kitsune crafters. It had been a gift from the Great Mountain Clan, who had crafted it from precious metals found deep within the Pico de Orizaba mountain.

As was the case with all kitsune abodes, the Bodhisattva’s entrance hall was an expression of opulence. The marble tiles glittered as light filtered in through the many open windows that made up the left wall. Massive corinthian columns sparkled in a combination of silver and gold, with artful designs depicting the history of the Bodhisattva.

Humans believed the Bodhisattva to be the Buddha and his many former lives. The truth was that the nine-tailed kitsune, the Celestial Kyūbi of the Great Celestial Clan, had always been the Bodhisattva. Each Celestial kitsune whom was bestowed the ninth tail by Lord Inari, god of foxes, became the next Bodhisattva, an enlightened being that existed beyond the comprehension of mere humans and yōkai.

Since the Shénshèng clan’s founding, every leader had been bestowed the ninth tail, just as it had been with the Gitsune Clan. They were the only two clans who retained the title of Kyūbi. The last of the three Kyūbi was always selected from one of the other Great Clans. 

Kneeling before him was one of his sons, his second eldest and the one in charge of gathering and disseminating information. He never stayed in one place for very long, this boy. He often traveled between cities and states and countries, though the Bodhisattva knew that his son had recently taken a liking to the United States. He’d said something about the women there being easy to seduce.

“We have also learned that Luna Mul along with thirty of her clansmen, have been killed.”

The Bodhisattva shifted in his seat. “Luna has been defeated?”

Luna Mul was the current head of the Great Ocean Clan. A kitsune with six tails, she was one of the more powerful kitsune in the world. Most kitsune never made it to their sixth tail. As a world that was fraught with danger, many kitsune were killed before even reaching their fourth tail.

“Yes, Father.”

“By who?” he asked, his frown imperceptible. “The last I remember, she and her clan were securing California for me. It should have been a simple task.”

He had been hoping to use them as a means of gaining a stronghold within the United States. Long had the US been a safe haven for yōkai who belonged to no clan. None of the great yōkai clans be they kitsune, tengu, or Nurahiyon’s Night Parade of One-Thousand Demons resided there. It would have made the perfect stronghold, a bastion with which he could use to move his forces and further influence the world. And also…

It’s the place where the granddaughter of that accursed woman lives.

“According to what we’ve discovered, Luna was using this as an opportunity to expand her slave trading operation. This normally wouldn’t have been a problem, but it appears that she ran afoul of the Sons and Daughters of Humanity.”

The Sons and Daughters of Humanity, they were yet another thorn in his side. They were an anti-yōkai, who did their utmost to kill yōkai wherever they went. So far, he’d managed to keep them out of China, but he knew that they were spread across most of the world.

“The Sons and Daughters of Humanity would not have been able to kill someone of Luna Mul’s strength.”

His son hesitated. “We did learn that Luna Mul was not killed by the Sons and Daughters of Humanity, but someone else.”

Nodding, he asked, “Who killed her?”

Another moment’s hesitation. “Our spies have confirmed that the person who killed Luna Mul was a human.”

The Bodhisattva blinked. “What did you just say?”

“I said that Luna Mul was killed by a human—”

“No, no, I’m sorry,” he interrupted. “I don’t think I heard you correctly. What did you just say?”

His son squirmed beneath him but pressed on. “Luna Mul was killed by a human.”

The Bodhisattva needed a moment. “A human?”

His second son, Zhìlì, shifted nervously before nodding his head. “Yes.”

“A human killed a six-tailed kitsune?”

“According to the report, he caught her by surprise,” Zhìlì admitted. “He shot her with a standard military grade pistol while she was distracted.”

From a purely physical standpoint, kitsune were one of the weakest yōkai races. If they weren’t using reinforcement or some other physical augmentation technique, then they were no stronger than a human. A bullet to the head could easily kill a kitsune who was distracted.

The Bodhisattva withheld his scowl. “Guns. Inelegant creations suitable for a species of apes.”

Zhìlì nodded, though whether in agreement or something else was unknown to him. “According to the report I received from my spies, Luna Mul was toying with two other yōkai: A River Kitsune who goes by the name of Kotohime, and the inu, Kiara F. Kuyo.”

The Bodhisattva’s right hand twitched. While he did not hold any fear of the inu species like many of his brethren, he still hated inu as a whole. He also knew of those names. Kiara F. Kuyo was a prominent businesswoman and owner of the largest chain of fitness centers in the United States. Then there was Kotohime, the bodyguard of Lilian Pnév̱ma, the girl that his youngest had desired with a fervent passion.

The Bodhisattva shunted aside his annoyance at hearing those names and thought about this new information. Luna Mul had always been an incredibly arrogant woman, too sure in herself and too secure in her own power. Yes, he was not surprised that she had been killed. He had even expected it to happen eventually. What surprised him wasn’t that she had been killed, but who had killed her.

Humans were weak creatures, pathetically so. While he harbored no hatred toward the primate race, he didn’t like their arrogant sense of superiority. They were a race who felt entitled to more than they deserved.

Ever since the creation of guns and the atomic bomb, humans had become too dangerous to openly challenge. Kitsune—nay, all yōkai had been forced into hiding. While they might have been able to defeat the humans if they rallied together, such a thing would never happen. 

There were many different yōkai races, hundreds, in fact, and these races did not get along. It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say that most yōkai hated each other. There were always wars going on between one race of yōkai or another.

Yes, yōkai were too embroiled in their own hatred toward each other to focus that hatred onto humanity. That wasn’t even going into the hatred between the many different clans within each race.

His own race was a prime example of this hatred. Few were the clans who got along with each other. The kitsune world was one of cutthroat politics and back door deals. Alliance were forged and backstabbing was most often the end result. While not true of all kitsune alliances, such as the pact between the Great Ghost Clan of Pnév̱ma and the Great Forest Clan of Wald, for the most part, the various kitsune clans did not get along. Almost all dalliances made among kitsune ended in treachery.

Just like his brief attempt at allying with the Pnév̱ma Clan.

The Bodhisattva took a deep breath. What had happened to his son was regrettable, but it was also his own fault. The boy should have consulted him before going after that girl.

However, that did not mean that he would let what happened to his son go unpunished. He had already hired an assassin from a yōkai ninja village located within the United States—he didn’t know where the village was located, as they kept themselves hidden like any good village of assassins—though he had not heard any word since commissioning them for this task. He wondered what was taking so long.

Shaking his head, the Bodhisattva dispelled those thoughts and focused back on his son.

“Tell me what you know about this human,” he commanded. “I am intrigued and wish to know more.”

***

I chased after her, running down the stairs, across the hall, to the entrance, and out of the convention center. The doors slid open and my feet hit the pavement.

She was running toward them, those three yōkai who’d just finished fighting. Two of them were down, and the last loomed over them, her raven locks of hair drifting in a breeze and her six tails writhing behind her like snakes.

She was ahead of me, screaming at the woman, her voice filled with outrage and fear; outrage at how her bodyguard had been hurt and fear at what this woman, the one who defeated her bodyguard, could do. The outrage had overpowered her fear, or perhaps it was the fear that was fueling her outrage. I didn’t know.

Her two tails flailed forward to launch two balls, twin spheres of light, which grabbed the woman’s attention and made her move. Two more were flung and subsequently blocked by a wall of water. The water undulated, then morphed, shifted, and changed from a wall into a spear.

A spear that was soon thrust through soft, pliant flesh. The ground was painted with blood. She stumbled forward, and then collapsed like a marionette without a master.

I screamed, raised the gun in my hand, and fired.

Blood splattered across my face.

***

Kevin jerked awake with a start as the seat that he was sitting on shook. He looked around for a second, wondering where he was. It was only after a loud noise filled his ears and he spotted several buildings and a runway through the small window that he remembered; he was on a plane heading back to Arizona.

It had been three days since the comicon that had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Three days since a group of kitsune and an anti-yōkai faction calling themselves the Son’s and Daughter’s of Humanity fought and killed each other. Three days since he’d fought and nearly died against Ken.

Three days since he had killed someone.

Kevin pressed a hand to his face and squeezed his eyes shut. It did not bring any reprieve, however, as the moment his eyes were closed, he saw the woman that he had killed, her body jerking as bullets penetrated her flesh, blood spraying from her like a fine mist to paint the ground carmine.

The last three days had not been easy. Due to the extensive damage that Kotohime and Kiara had taken, plus Kotohime’s bad case of youki exhaustion, they’d been cooped up in the hospital. Kevin was grateful that Lilian and the others had been there, or he’d have probably gone stir-crazy. His mate and his mate’s sister had occupied most of his time with their antics, which had been a good thing. It kept him from focusing too much on the blood that now stained his hands.

Christine, Lindsay, Eric, the twins Alex and Andrew, and Heather had eventually arrived when they were found by Kuroneko’s people.They’d apparently been stuck in Kiara’s bus, which had been busted to the point that Kiara had deemed paying for the cost of repairs to be a waste. She’d decided to get a nice little bonus check from her insurance company instead—little being a mild euphemism. That check had been anything but little.

During that time, Kevin and Lilian had filled the twins in on the yōkai world—not like they could have kept it a secret after what happened at the comicon anyway.

Alex and Andrew had been not as surprised as Kevin expected them to be.

Everyone was gathered inside of the hospital room. Kevin and Lilian were sitting on a bed. Iris had been sitting on the same bed, but she had tried to grope Lilian, and thus, she had received a tail smackdown that sent her to floor, which was where she remained. Christine and Lindsay were sitting on a pair of chairs. Eric was standing near the back. The twins, Alex and Andrew, were sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Kevin had just finished explaining everything to his friends; the existence of yōkai, who the Sons and Daughters of Humanity were, and the fact that Lilian and her family were all kitsune.

Neither Alex nor Andrew seemed surprised.

“We always knew that Lilian was weird,” Alex admitted after Kevin finished his long-winded explanation.

The russet-haired boy seemed pretty calm about what he’d learned, all things considered. He just sat on the ground, his legs crossed, looking completely untroubled, though Kevin suspected that the young man might have been in shock, or perhaps the information that had been doled out had yet to sink in.

“Oi!” Lilian pouted at being called weird, not that it did much good.

“Yeah, anyone who’s decided that you are the one for them and not me has to be off their rocker,” Andrew added.

“Oi!” Now it was Kevin’s turn to pout.

“Uh, brother, I think you mean anyone who decided to date Kevin over me has to be crazy.”

“No, I didn’t. Who the hell would want to date you?”

“If given a choice between you or me, every girl would choose me over you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course I know what I’m talking about. Face it, Andrew, I’m better than you are in every way, shape, and form. No girl would choose you over me. You’re a loser.”

“That does it! You’ve frayed the last bit of my patience, and now you’re going to get it!”

“Bring it, Son! I’ll break my foot off in your ass so hard you’ll be shitting in a bedpan for weeks!”

As the fraternal twins began a scuffle in the hospital room, rolling around on the floor and pulling each others hair out like a couple of middle school girls, Kevin and Lilian continued pouting.

“Lilian, I feel like none of my friends appreciate me.”

“And I feel like they think I’m crazy.”

Kevin gazed into his mate’s eyes, feeling his chest glow with warmth, love, and compassion. “You’re not crazy, Lilian. I’m the crazy one; crazy for you.”

“Oh, Kevin,” Lilian said softly, her eyes growing warm and a little moist. “I’m crazy for you, too.”

“Lilian.”

“Kevin.”

“Lilian!”

“Kevin!”

“I’ll kill you both!” Christine shouted as Kevin and Lilian began hugging.

The feeling of something shuffling against him snapped Kevin out of his reverie. He looked down. Crimson locks of hair framed a gorgeous face that was reminiscent of a fairy tale princess. Her body was pressed into his, her legs thrown over his lap, and her right arm was nestled between his back and the seat. Her lips were parted in a way that enticed him to lean down and claim them in a kiss.

It was against the policies of the plane for people to sit like this, but Lilian had enchanted the attendant who walked down the aisles. Kevin normally would have bopped her on the head for that, but kitsune didn’t like flying, or so he’d been told. Lilian had seemed fine with it, but that might have been because she’d been holding him like a lifeline the whole time.

While Lilian had acted mostly normal, Iris had been freaking out as the plane flew through the air—at least, until she’d passed out in her seat. Speaking of…

Iris sat next to them, also asleep. Her long, shimmering strands of midnight hair resembled silken threads that glimmered like captured starlight. Long, thick eyelashes hid her eyes from view, and her pouty lips, painted a dark crimson, just begged to be nibbled on.

He looked away when he realized that the straps of her shirt had slid down her arms, the slight v-shaped hem falling with it, revealing tantalizing amounts of Iris’s stunning cleavage. Kevin almost wryly noted that, even when sleeping, his mate’s sister looked sexy beyond all reason.

He looked further into the plane. Kirihime, Kotohime, and Camellia were sitting together. Kotohime was awake, he could tell, even though her eyes were closed. Her posture, straight and proper, hands folded in her lap, let him know that she was keeping a wary ear out for potential danger. She’d been on edge ever since the battle with Luna Mul. Camellia was fast asleep, leaning her head against an equally dozing Kirihime as she snored away.

“Hawa-hawa-hawa-hawa… zzzz… hawa-hawa-hawa-hawa…”

Yes, those were snores.

A little ways off, Alex, Andrew, and Eric also slept peacefully. Given all they’d seen, done, and learned, this didn’t surprise Kevin. They must’ve been exhausted.

Alex and Andrew were, oddly enough, resting on each other. Kevin wondered how two people who fought so much could be so close. Then again, they were twins. Eric was mumbling in his sleep.

“Hehehe… I wanna squeeze them big fun bags… kukuku… let me suck on them, please…”

Kevin felt several drops of sweat trickle down his forehead. That boy…

In front of Eric and the twins sat Lindsay and Christine. They were a little behind his seat. Kevin snorted when he noticed that Lindsay was tightly hugging Christine, who was grimacing in her sleep. Christine would occasionally shove the other girl off of her. Lindsay would frown, shifted around some, and then go right back to hugging Christine as if she was a teddy bear. He felt sorry for the yuki-onna.

Sitting in front of him, Lilian, and Iris was Heather and Kiara. They, much like Kotohime, were awake. They were talking about something, though he didn’t know what. He could barely make out their whispers.

He looked back out the window. They were rolling across the runway. The landing must have been what had woken him up. Objects flashed by the window and several other runways were visible, until, eventually, the terminal that they would be docking at came into view.

The airplane slowed to a stop.

Seconds later, a soft ping! echoed throughout the airplane as the intercom came on: “We are about ready to begin disembarking passengers. Please remain seated until our attendants are ready to direct you out. We would like to thank everyone who came aboard, and we hope that you had a great flight.”

Everyone unbuckled and stretched in their seats, luxuriating in the feeling of freedom after the hour long flight.

“Lilian.” Kevin shook the girl awake. “Wake up, Lilian. We’ve arrived.”

“Hmm… ah… huh?”

Lilian blinked several times, her long eyelashes fluttering as she turned her head like she was looking for something. When her eyes landed on Kevin, she smiled.

“Oh, Beloved… good morning.”

Kevin’s lips twitched. “It’s actually the afternoon.”

“Is that so?” Lilian mumbled. Her eyes were a little droopy. “Does that mean I don’t get a good morning kiss?”

“It doesn’t need to be morning for you to get a kiss,” Kevin said as he cupped her cheek, leaned down, and kissed Lilian. Her arms went around his neck as she returned the kiss.

In the other seat, Iris woke up and stretched her arms above her head. Her mouth parted to release a sensual moan that had several of the men around them passing out, their eyes rolling into the back of their heads as they fell back in their seats. They were actually kind of fortunate, Kevin thought, since it meant that they didn’t see Iris’s breasts popping out of her shirt…

… Right, so maybe they weren’t very fortunate. Poor men, passing out before they could even catch a glimpse of glorious cleavage.

On a side note, Kevin had noticed that Eric had lasted long enough to see the already tight shirt stretch across Iris’ boobs, and he, much like Kevin, could probably tell that Iris did not believe in wearing bras. The pervy young man was now lying passed out on the floor, a puddle of blood expanding beneath him as it flowed from his nose.

“Man down! Man down!”

“We’ve got someone suffering from Nasal Sanguination! Quick, call the paramedics!”

Kevin, Lilian, and everyone else grew silent as two paramedics rushed into the airplane. Kevin didn’t know how they had boarded, considering the airplane wasn’t even connected to the terminal yet, but he’d long since learned to ignore the weirdness that happened around him.

“Beboop! Beboop!”

The paramedic in the front released strange noises. Kevin thought he was trying to sound like an ambulance, but he sounded more like the squeals of a dying pig.

“Beboop! Beboop! Beboop! Beboop!”

They carried a stretcher between them, which they placed the passed out, still nose-bleeding Eric on before rushing back out of the airplane. They appeared heedless of the many eyes on them.

“Well,” Iris started, crossing her arms under her chest, “that was weird.”

Lilian and Kevin could only nod.

***

Because they didn’t have the bus anymore, Kiara couldn’t drive them home. She paid for several cabs to take them back instead.

Christine and Lindsay took a cab together, though Christine had been hesitant. The last Kevin saw of them, Christine had been banging on the window and shouting something as the cab drove off. He wondered if she was wary of the tomboy after being used as a hug pillow. Heather went with Kiara, and the twins got their own cab. Eric would’ve gotten a cab, but he’d been sent to the ICU after losing too much blood via spontaneous nasal combustion.

The Pnév̱ma family plus Kevin, Kirihime, and Kotohime, ended up needing a special cab because there were six of them—too many to fit into one little cab. Kiara hired a hummer cab to take them home.

Kevin had to admit that being driven home in a hummer was kind of awesome. How many people could say they’ve ridden in a hummer?

It was late by the time they arrived home. Kotohime prepared them a late night meal while Kirihime unpacked Camellia’s, hers, and her sister’s clothing and toiletries. Kevin, Iris, and Lilian did their own unpacking.

That evening, the family of six sat down to a lovely dinner prepared by their resident yamato nadeshiko; it was a Japanese dish of udon noodles, broiled fish, and pickled vegetables with miso soup. Rather than forks and knives, as would have been the standard utensils used in an American home, Kotohime brought out chopsticks.

Kevin had grown used to using chopsticks in his own house. He didn’t even bat an eyelash anymore. That said, he felt like he was becoming a caricature of real people, like his entire life was being turned into an anime, because, honestly, how many other non-Japanese Americans used chopsticks near daily like he did?

“Hey, Stud?” Iris grabbed Kevin’s attention just as he was getting ready to place some broiled fish in his mouth. He looked up, sighed, and then set his food back down.

“Do you really have to call me that?” Kevin asked.

“Course I do,” Iris said before getting on with her question. “So, have you ever had any cats before? And I’m not talking about the one that came on the trip with us. I mean have you had any cats before Lily-pad started living with you?”

Lilian, who was already digging into her food and had several udon noodles hanging from her mouth, looked up upon hearing the question. She slurped up the remainder of the noodles and focused on their conversation.

Kevin thought the question odd, but he tried to recall if he’d ever had a cat before.

“I… I don’t know,” he admitted, frowning. “Back when I was younger, I used to always bring animals home.” His face scrunched up as he thought about the question some more. “I remember having several pet birds, a couple snakes, a skunk…”

“You brought a skunk home?” Iris asked, her face scrunching up as if he’d admitted to watching yaoi hentai.

“I couldn’t just leave it to fend for itself,” Kevin defended. “It was out in the cold and rain and it was eating from the trashcan. That couldn’t have been healthy for it.”

“So you brought it home?” Even Lilian appeared a little incredulous now.

“Wouldn’t you have done the same thing?” he asked.

“No,” Iris said, Lilian nodding in concurrence with her sister. Even Camellia was nodding along with them. “No, I wouldn’t. I don’t want my place or my body smelling like shit.”

Kevin pouted. “That’s just a defense mechanism they use to keep predators away. So long as you show a skunk that you mean no harm, it won’t spray you like that.”

“Really?” Iris asked, deadpan.

“Really.” Kevin maintained Iris’s gaze for less than two seconds before being forced to look away.

Iris nodded. “Thought so. And you still didn’t answer my question.”

“Why do you want to know so badly?”

“Call it idle curiosity.”

Kevin frowned and tried to remember some more. “I do remember owning a cat once. It must have been… five or six years ago, maybe? I can’t really remember when, but I do recall bringing home a black cat when I was younger. I let it stay for somewhere around a month or so before the landlord and my mom realized I was keeping a cat in the apartment.” Kevin paused, his eyes turning toward the ceiling as if he was remembering something else. “You know, now that I think about it, the cat that I brought to California with us looked a lot like the cat that I brought home back then.” He frowned, blinking some more. “I wonder if they’re related.”

Iris and Lilian shared a look.

“I wonder what happened to that cat anyway?” Kevin asked.  “I hope it’s alright.”

Several miles away, in another part of Phoenix, a certain nekomata sneezed.

“I’m sure the cats fine, Kevin,” Lilian assured her mate. “You know how felines are; they’re always moving from place to place, never staying in one spot for long periods of time.”

“I guess,” Kevin said with a sigh. Sure, they hadn’t known each other for very long, but he really did miss that cat.

Dinner soon ended. Lilian and Kevin forced Kotohime—who should have still technically been resting—to relax while they took care of the dishes.

Because of the late hour, the two did not sit on the couch and watch anime until the desire for sleep claimed them, but they instead went straight to the bathroom and got ready for bed. After going through their nightly routine (brushing teeth, washing face, flossing, etc.), Kevin and Lilian wandered hand in hand into their bedroom.

“You’re troubled,” Lilian said the moment he closed the door behind them.

Kevin’s smile was more of a grimace. “Am I that obvious?”

“To me, yes,” Lilian said, gazing at him with a compassionate expression that few people could have matched. Just being the recipient of her look made Kevin feel like warm putty. “You’re still thinking about what happened at the comicon, aren’t you?”

Kevin’s smile was tremulous. “Yeah…”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Kevin thought about her offer. He hadn’t told anyone about his feelings yet, and the temptation to open up was strong. So much had happened during that time, and he was struggling to wrap his mind around all of it: The battle between yōkai and the anti-yōkai forces, his shameful defeat at the hands of that blond fop, the battle of Kiara and Kotohime against the six-tails, and their subsequent defeat.

Lilian getting stabbed by a spear of water.

His rage as he watched her crumble to the ground.

The way he’d taken the gun in his hand and shot someone, killing them. It didn’t matter if that person had been evil. It still made him sick to his stomach just thinking about it. Even now the urge to vomit remained strong. Even now he could see the blood stains covering his hands.

“Maybe… maybe some other time,” he said with a strained smile. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to talk about what happened.”

Lilian stared at him, her eyes gentle and benign, a sea of viridian surrounded by beautiful fair skin. She closed the distance between them so very little space remained. Tilting her head and leaning on her tiptoes, Lilian pressed her mouth to his.

Her kiss was soft and ephemeral, a gentle caressing of lips that caused his body to grow warm. Kevin relaxed. He rested his hands on her waist, feeling the warmth of her naked skin as they slipped under her shirt. He took her lower lip between his, and then switched to her upper lip where he gently suckled on it.

They pulled back after another kiss. Lilian’s tender smile did wonders for his heart. The purity in her expression soothed him in ways nothing else had.

“When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here,” she said, and Kevin felt his heart constrict. Six months ago, these words would have been meaningless, but now they were his panacea.

“Thank you,” he said, his emotional voice a soft whisper.

Lilian took his hands and pulled him onto the bed with her. Kevin laid down on his back as Lilian took residence on his left, snuggling against him. Her head rested on his chest. Kevin didn’t wear shirts to bed anymore, so her ear was pressed against his bare skin. He wondered if she was listening to his heart beat.

“Good night, Beloved,” she murmured. “I love you.”

“Night, Lilian. I love you, too.”

Kevin felt it when Lilian fell asleep. Her tense body relaxed, the muscles in her legs, arm, and stomach went slack. Her breathing evened, which caused her chest to slowly push into him. She mumbled a bit, her warm lips kissing his chest before her head turned and she tried to snuggle deeper into his pectorals.

Kevin did not close his eyes. He couldn’t—or more like he wouldn’t. He had no desire to fall asleep, not when he knew what awaited him in his dreams. Anger. Blood. Hatred. Violence. A nightmare from which he couldn’t escape was all that awaited him if he allowed himself to be taken in by exhaustion.

So he stayed awake, listening to the sound of Lilian’s breathing, holding her close, until his mind became addled and his body relaxed against his will. He fought and struggled, but it was no use. The body could only stave off exhaustion for so long, and he was exhausted; his mind, his body, his heart, his very soul was worn and weary, desiring nothing more than to embrace the darkness.

Darkness came, and with it, Kevin re-experienced the moment that had turned him into a murderer.

***

Christine and Lindsay exited the cab parked right outside of the Diane residence. Together, they walked up to the decently-sized house. Behind them, tires screeched as the cab sped off.

After much cajoling and several minutes of begging, Lindsay had convinced Christine to spend the night with her, claiming that she didn’t want to be alone right now.

Christine honestly didn’t want to be near Lindsay at the moment. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the girl, but rather, that she didn’t like being used as Lindsay’s pillow. While she would never admit this out loud, the only person that she wanted holding her like Lindsay had been doing on the plane was Kevin.

“I’m home!” Lindsay called out as she and Christine entered the house, closing the door behind them. They took off their shoes and put them onto the shoe rack off to the side. Footsteps echoed from down the hall, growing closer until a large woman appeared around a corner.

“Oh, Lindsay, darling!”

“Hey, Mom—ack! W-wait! Don’t—murgle!”

“Oh, I’m so pleased to see that you’ve returned safely. When I saw the news about what happened at that convention thingy that you and your friends were going to, I grew so worried! Oh, dear girl, you should have called to let me know you were all right!”

Christine watched with the utmost amusement, enjoying the entertaining sight of Lindsay’s face being smothered in her mom’s large breasts. Mrs. Diane was a plump woman, not fat, but still large. She and Lindsay looked nothing alike. Only their blond hair appeared similar, and even that was different due to their hair-styles. Lindsay wore a pixy cut and her mom had long, curly hair.

After assuring Lindsay’s mother that, yes, they were perfectly alright and unharmed and that, no, they’d not been present during the “earthquake”—a blatant lie if Christine had ever heard one—the two adjourned to Lindsay’s bedroom.

“Dinner will be ready in a few hours,” Mrs. Diane had told them. “I’ll call you when it’s finished.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Breathing a relieved sigh, Lindsay flopped face first onto her bed. Christine entered more gracefully, walking over to the desk, avoiding the scattered soccer balls that littered the floor. The desk was on the wall opposite the bed. She moved the chair back and sat down, her shoulders slumping as if they were weighed down by twenty pound weights.

“Hey, Christine,” Lindsay spoke softly, her voice muffled by the bed.

“Yeah?”

Turning her head to look at Christine, Lindsay asked, “Do you think Kevin is all right? He seemed kinda…”

“Depressed?” Christine offered when Lindsay seemed unable to think of an appropriate word. “Mopey? Angsty? Emo?”

“Yeah…” Lindsay grimaced.

Christine felt her shoulders slump further. “He did seem really down about something. I’m guessing something happened during the comicon and he’s not telling us so we won’t worry about him.”

That was just like a man, refusing to tell them anything to not worry them, heedless of the fact that by keeping it all in, he worried them even more. Honestly, if she didn’t love him so much, she would have hit him.

Nyou can still hit him, nya.

Christine felt her cheeks burn like dry ice as a feline voice bounced around inside of her head. You again? Don’t you ever give up? Besides, I know where you’re going with that, and I’m not hi-hitting on Kevin. He already has a girlfriend?

So? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having a mistress on the side.

Despite not wanting to, Christine did imagine what it would be like if she was Kevin’s mistress.

She sat on the bed. Kevin stood just a few feet away. She was dressed only in a translucent nightgown and Kevin a pair of boxers that did nothing to hide his erection.

“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Christine asked in a husky voice that sounded absolutely nothing like her. “Your mate will get upset.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kevin said.

He walked over to the bed, climbed onto it, and animal crawled up to her. Christine laid down as he moved on top of her. She gasped when he leaned against her, pressing his erection against the junction between her legs.

“I can’t take this anymore, Christine,” he whispered into her ear. Christine shuddered. “I need you.”

Christine whimpered when Kevin took her ear into his mouth and nibbled on it. She placed her hands on his back, and her nails scratched against his skin as if she was trying to find purchase.

“K-Kevin…”

“Christine,” Kevin spoke her name in a low-pitched growl.

“Kevin.”

“Christine…”

“Christine. Christine? Hey! Christine!”

“Gya!”

Christine screamed as Lindsay’s face suddenly appeared in front of her. She lost her balance and tumbled off the chair, her arms windmilling until her head smacked against the floor. Trying to blink the stars out of her eyes, Christine lay there until her friend’s face appeared within her field of vision.

“You okay?” Lindsay asked.

Heat rose to her cheeks as Christine stood up. “I’m fine,” she mumbled, trying to play off what happened.

Lindsay didn’t look convinced, but she also didn’t argue. “If you’re sure.”

“I am sure.” Christine calmed her racing heart. Damn that stupid cat for putting delusions in her head. “A-anyway, what were you saying?”

It took Lindsay a moment, but then her eyes widened and she said, “Right! I was talking about Kevin. I said that sounds just like him to keep everything inside so he doesn’t worry us.”

Christine nodded. Lindsay had known Kevin for a long time. They’d been together since elementary school, so it only made sense that she likely knew more about him than anyone else. Even Lilian probably didn’t know Kevin like Lindsay did.

“Has Kevin done this before?” Christine asked.

“Plenty of times,” Lindsay admitted. Grinning, she went back over to the bed and sat down while Christine took the chair again. “Kevin hates troubling other people with his problems, so he always suppresses his feelings when he’s facing some kind of hardship. I remember when Kevin used to get picked on for being too different. He never told me what happened. I didn’t even know about it until much later.”

“Different how?”

“Come on. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen it,” Lindsay said. “Kevin’s not like most boys. He’s too… responsible.”

Christine nodded. She had seen it. Before Lilian had shown up, Kevin had always done things by himself. He lived by himself, he took care of his mom’s apartment by himself, he cooked for himself, and he even had a part-time job to pay for his own activities. None of the other boys in their group did any of that.

Back then, when all she’d done was watch him from a distance, she had thought that Kevin acted too responsible. Teenagers like them should have been having fun, not working and cleaning.

Lindsay leaned back against the bed and sighed. “I remember the times when Kevin would have to take care of his mom when she was going to college. He’d always come to school depressed. Whenever I asked him why he was sad, he’d give me this really fake smile and say, ‘nothing. I just didn’t get enough sleep,’ or some other stupid excuse.”

“Now why are you looking all depressed?” Christine asked, noticing the way her friend’s shoulders had slumped the longer she talked. “Don’t tell me talking about stuff that happened in the past is making you sad?”

“No, no, it’s not that.” Lindsay waved off her friend’s words with a strained smile. “I was just thinking about how Kevin will be fine so long as Lilian’s by his side.”

Christine wrinkled her nose. “Ah.”

Thinking about Lilian and Kevin put a damper on Christine’s feelings. She liked Lilian. The girl was outgoing, open, and that made it hard to hate her… but she was also dating Kevin. That made Christine’s feelings about the kitsune conflicted.

She always asked herself those “what ifs.” What if she had been the first person to reach out to Kevin? What if she and Kevin had reconnected before Lilian showed up? Would they be where they were now, or would their relationship have deepened?

When she had confessed to him, Kevin had told her that the only reason he could even talk to her was because of Lilian, because Lilian had helped him find the courage to speak with girls. Christine often wondered, if she had been the one to help him overcome his nervousness around girls, would she be dating Kevin instead of Lilian?

Then she would remember that Lilian was more outgoing than her, and that the chances of her helping Kevin overcome his weakness the same way the redhead had would have been slim, and then she became disheartened.

“What do you think about what happened at the comicon?” Christine changed the subject.

“Which part are you talking about? You’ll have to be more specific. A lot happened, you know,” Lindsay pointed out.

“Of course I’m talking about the fight that happened. What else would I be talking about?”

“I guess I should have expected that.” Lindsay shivered. “I remember what happened to my mom when Lilian was kidnapped, but I wasn’t actually there when that happened. I had no idea that stuff like this happened in real life. It’s scary. Is the yōkai world always like that?”

“You mean is it always that violent?” Christine asked for clarification.

“Mm.”

“Hell if I know. What?” Christine shrugged when Lindsay looked at her. “I’ve never really been part of the yōkai world. I’ve lived around humans my entire life. Before coming to Arizona, I lived in Alaska with a bunch of orphaned human children. I didn’t even know that I was a yuki-onna until my benefactor found me.”

“Benefactor?” Lindsay asked.

“That’s right, I never told about my benefactor, did I?” Christine said. “He’s the guy who adopted me. I don’t call him dad because he’s never acted like one. Honestly, I can’t see him as anything other than a pervy old man with a loli fetish.”

Lindsay tilted her head. “Loli fetish?”

“But, he does pay for my apartment and all of my necessities, so he’s not all bad,” Christine continued, ignoring the questioning stare of her friend. “We don’t talk very often, though. I’m not even sure where he is right now.”

Thinking of Orin made her wonder what that perverted old monkey was doing. Knowing him, he was probably hitting on some unfortunate young lady, or getting his ass kicked for hitting on some unfortunate young lady.

“Doesn’t he at least call you?”

Christine shrugged. “Of course he does. He calls at least once or twice a year to make sure I’m doing okay.”

“That’s so sad.” Lindsay hugged herself around the waist. “My parents are usually busy with their own lives, but I at least see them every day and know they love me.” She suddenly shuddered. “My mom, at least, sometimes displays a little too much love for me.”

Christine snorted in amusement. “Whatever, it’s not like I really care about that. I’ve lived on my own for most of my life. Not being able to see a man I’ve only met a few times is no skin off my bones.”

“Don’t you ever get lonely, though?”

Christine looked at Lindsay, and then looked away. “Sometimes,” she admitted. “I’ve been alone all my life, so it doesn’t really bother me too much, but there have been times when I wished someone was there for me. Ah! B-but it’s not like I’m lonely or anything! I’m not! I just would’ve liked someone to occasionally talk to! That’s it!”

“Hm. So you get lonely occasionally?” asked Lindsay.

“N-not in the least!” Christine felt a chilling coldness rise to her ears. They were most definitely turning blue. It wouldn’t have surprised her if steam was rising from them, too.

“What about now? Are you still lonely?”

The coldness that had spread to her cheeks slowly vanished at her friend’s questions. Calming herself with several deep breaths, she looked at Lindsay as the other girl stood up and walked over to her, and then looked away.

“N-not recently,” she said, stuttering only a bit. “Not since—kya! What are you doing?!”

Christine squawked as Lindsay pounced on her, sending them both spilling to the floor. She hit her head on the carpet, again, and then squeaked when she realized that someone was sitting on top of her. It was, of course, Lindsay. Her tomboyish friend was wearing the largest, creepiest grin that Christine had never seen.

“I think someone needs a hug!” Lindsay sang as she leaned down, presumably to give Christine a hug.

“I do not need a hug! Get! Off! Get—kya! Stop that! W-what are you—WHERE ARE YOU TOUCHING?!”

It was during this moment, as Christine and Lindsay rolled around on the floor, looking almost like a pair of lovers in the middle of a hot make out session, that Mrs. Diane opened the door.

“Dinner’s ready, you two—”

She stopped.

And stared.

Neither Lindsay nor Christine noticed her peering into the room, thus they continued rolling around on the floor. To the impressionable mother, it looked like her daughter was having a very heavy petting session with her loli lesbian lover.

“I’ll just… leave some food in the fridge for you two to grab whenever you’re hungry,” she said, slowly shutting the door behind her and walking the other way. She could still hear their voices coming from the other side of the door, however.

“Hahaha! Come on! What’s wrong with a little affection between friends?”

“Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean you can—H-hey! What the—cut it out, Lindsay! Stop grabbing me—no—wait! Don’t!—iyahn!”

***

“Nya…”

Cassy Belladonna looked at her depressingly empty fridge. Her stomach was rumbling and she was on a quest to find some food. Most unfortunately, there wasn’t much—a slice of cheese, an almost empty carton of milk, and half of a fish. It was barely enough to make a halfway decent meal.

I guess this is what happens when you fail all of your missions.

Feeling awfully downtrodden about her lack of foodstuffs and her failure to kill Lilian Pnév̱ma, Cassy took everything that she had left and prepared a measly meal for dinner.

She sat down at her small, rickety table in silence. Her chair creaked precariously underneath her weight. She didn’t weigh much, barely 110 pounds. The chair was just that old and decrepit, much like the rest of her residence.

Cassy lived in a studio apartment in the bad part of Phoenix. The worn walls had paint peeling off and the ceiling had several holes in it. She thanked the Shinigami that it didn’t rain very often in Arizona. Even so, she kept several buckets on hand for when the stormy season came. Much like the walls, the floors were old, weathered, and ragged, and the carpet was rundown and missing chunks in several places. Her furniture, too, held the appearance of something that she had found in a junkyard.

This apartment didn’t actually belong to her. The complex that it was located in was rundown, derelict, and abandoned. The person who had owned it died several years ago, supposedly murdered, and no one wanted to live in it afterward. It would have been demolished and constructed into something new, but because of its inconvenient location, the government had decided not to waste the money and left it standing—a ghost complex in the middle of the ghetto.

After her disappointingly sparse dinner, Cassy lay down on her ratty old couch, the torn fabric scratching her skin as she tried to get comfortable. She didn’t have a bed, just the couch. It was, in fact, one of only six pieces of furniture in her entire apartment.

Before she could get too comfortable, a loud ringing penetrated her eardrums. Cassy winced as she sat up and fumbled around inside one of the pockets of her leather pants. She pulled out her cellphone, accepted the call, and placed it against her ear. Only one person could have been calling her. Only one person even had this number.

“M-Mistress Sarah,” she stuttered, “I didn’t expect you to call while I’m on nya mission, nya.”

“On a mission? Truly?” The person on the other end was a woman with a young yet harsh-sounding voice. “Is that what you’re calling it? You failed to kill your target, and now, instead of returning in shame like you should have, you’re loafing around in Phoenix. I should have you locked up for insubordination.”

Cassy winced, but she still tried to defend herself. “B-but you never gave me the order to return!”

“Because I had decided to allow you this chance,” her mistress explained. “Since you were so eager, I thought I would let you prove yourself to me. Unfortunately, much like I have come to expect, you’ve proven yourself to be nothing but a sore disappointment. Not only have you failed to kill your target, but you spent more time hanging around that boy you’re so fond of… while in the presence of your target, I might add.”

Even though she was only speaking to her mistress through the phone, Cassy couldn’t keep the shiver from escaping her. “N-nya, t-that’s because…”

“That is because you are a failure,” Mistress Sarah spoke harshly. “You’ve never once completed the missions given to you. Every single one of them has ended in failure.” A tired sigh came from the other end. “I honestly have no idea how someone with so much talent can be such an abject failure, but there you have it.”

Cassy didn’t know what was worse: Her mistress’s harsh words, or the fact that everything her mistress said was true? “I-if you give me one more chance, I’m sure I could—”

“You have been given many chances,” Mistress Sarah cut her off. “Too many. Twenty-four missions I have sent you on and twenty-four missions you have failed. This is the last straw, Belladonna. I can’t have you lowering the reputation of my village.”

“You’re ordering me back?” Oh, that was not good. Receiving an order to return was the same as being told that she was a failure, which she didn’t need anyone telling her. She already knew that she was a failure.

“No, not yet at least,” Mistress Sarah said, but before Cassy could sigh in relief, the woman spoke some more. “You are too talented to just take back, however, I have come to the conclusion that you lack the necessary ability to harden your heart and steel your mind to complete your assignments. That is why I have decided to assign you a tutor. He will teach you, train you, and work with you on this assignment. You will listen to him and do everything that he tells you to. I will not suffer another failure at your part any longer.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Cassy replied meekly.

“Good.”

A soft click emitted from the other end and the line went dead. Cassy dropped the phone on the floor and lay back on the couch, raising her left arm and covering her face.

“Nya…” she moaned piteously. “It looks like my life is going from bad to worse.”

In the stillness of her apartment, the only sound to be heard was that of the crickets chirping.

“I didn’t even find out who she’s sending, did I?”

***

Long after the sun had gone down and everyone else went to sleep, Kotohime remained awake.

She stood on the balcony, staring up at the night sky. A million stars shone with a brilliant luster, their formations creating shapes and patterns that Kotohime recognized but was not necessarily familiar with. The world of twilight was so different from daytime; it was a beautiful vision of the phantasmagoric night given form by the moon goddess, Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto.

Hovering several feet above the ground in front of her was a kudagitsune, the small, ephemeral creature’s tube-like wraith body giving it away. Kotohime extended a small scroll for the creature, which took the parchment into its mouth, swallowing it and causing the entire thing to disappear. The kudagitsune then took off into the night.

She waited until it was gone, and then went  back into the living room. She noted with some amusement that Iris was no longer on the couch anymore. Kotohime assumed that the girl had snuck into Lilian-sama and Kevin-sama’s bed again. It was something that she’d been doing a lot, especially recently. Whether she was doing this as a means of pranking her sister and her sister’s mate, or simply because she didn’t want to sleep alone, Kotohime had no idea.

As she stepped further into the apartment, a noise caught her attention. She paused and tilted her head, listening.

“Hawa-hawa-hawa-hawa… zzz… hawa-hawa-hawa-hawa…”

A small droplet of sweat formed on her temple and trailed down the right side of her face as Camellia-sama walked into the room. The woman’s eyes were closed, her mouth was half-open, and she was completely naked.

Is she sleepwalking?

After further observation, Kotohime determined that Camellia-sama was, without a doubt, sleepwalking. Her gate was slow and stumbling. She’d bump into a wall, and then turn around and walk off in another direction, only to bump into another wall.

Kotohime trailed after the woman, unsure whether or not she should wake Camellia-sama up. The decision was soon taken out of her hands when Camellia-sama opened the door to Kevin-sama’s room and walked in. The door shut it behind her, leaving the hallway in stark silence.

“Oh, my,” was all Kotohime could say.

Step-by-Step Guide to Sideload EPUB Files Purchased from Shopify onto Kindle

Amazon now supports EPUB files on Kindle, but you need to send them through Send to Kindle or convert them. Follow these steps to get your EPUB books on your Kindle.

Method 1: Send to Kindle (Recommended)

Amazon now allows you to send EPUB files directly to your Kindle via email or the Send to Kindle app.

Step 1: Find Your Kindle Email Address

Go to Amazon → Manage Your Content & Devices (Link).

Click the Devices tab.

Select your Kindle device and note the "Send-to-Kindle Email" (e.g., yourname@kindle.com).

Step 2: Send EPUB to Kindle via Email

Open your email client (Gmail, Outlook, etc.).

Compose a new email to your Send-to-Kindle Email.

Attach the EPUB file you purchased.

Send the email. Amazon will convert it and deliver it to your Kindle.

Alternative: Use the "Send to Kindle" App

Download the Send to Kindle App (PC, Mac).

Drag and drop the EPUB file into the app.

Select your Kindle and send it.

Method 2: USB Transfer (For Advanced Users)

This method requires converting the EPUB to Kindle’s MOBI or AZW3 format.

Step 1: Convert EPUB to MOBI or AZW3

Download Calibre (Link).

Open Calibre and add your EPUB file.

Click Convert books → Choose MOBI or AZW3 as the output format.

Click OK to convert.

Step 2: Transfer to Kindle via USB

Connect your Kindle to your PC/Mac using a USB cable.

Open the Kindle folder in File Explorer (Windows) / Finder (Mac).

Drag and drop the converted file into the Documents folder.

Eject your Kindle, and your book will appear in your library.

Bonus: Use a Third-Party App

Apps like Send to Kindle for Android/iOS or Readwise Reader can also sync EPUBs to Kindle.

Now, enjoy your book on Kindle! 📖🔥