Youkai Street

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As twilight came, good children went to sleep. Adults, too, grew tired, as the sun set, leaving the observable world in darkness. Of course, every time something fell asleep, another thing woke up, and in this case, it was the nocturnal Chiyoko, who's eyes had no trouble seeing in a world of little light. That said, the street where Youkai did commerce was far from dark, what with lights, both traditional and modern, brightly shining this way and that in a whole variety of colors.

The light made the Bake-Danuki easily recognizeable, dressed in her green kimono that didn't quite look like it belonged to a woman, and wearing that leafy hat that had the ribbon and bells on it that she was well known for, her kiseru pipe hanging from it by a string. Her glass spectacles reflected the light in a white sheen, not unlike an animal's glossy eyes would. Of course, her most prominent feature, her bushy tail, swayed gentle behind her.

Many of the other Youkai who recognized the lady greeted Chiyoko as she passed, greetings which she returned in kind with a full smile. She would stop at times to make small conversation, asking them about their evenings. Chiyoko asked Jikorin the Bakeneko if she was in good health, and indeed, she was feeling better after she returned from one of the human graveyards. Chiyoko asked her fellow Tanuki Mouri (who preferred to be in his Tanuki form, but wore rather modern clothes) if his business was doing well and if his wife was in good health. Chiyoko greeted the young Kappa Taro and Jiro, who were apparently debating whether stag or rhinoceros beetles were better, to which she suggested they should have the two kinds of bugs battle it out for supremacy. There were many familiar faces on the streets tonight, as there were every night, and almost all of them knew Chiyoko as a friendly old Youkai woman. When you live in such a small place for a long amount of time, everybody gets to know everybody at some point, even within a human's lifespan.

Still, there was one place that Chiyoko went to almost daily, usually to socialize, but she also conducted business there. This time around, however, it was for connections. Stepping past the curtains into the Rōzuu~ebu, she greeted the Jorogumo barkeep, Miyako, who knew her well. "Good evening, dearie. Has work been treating you well? Are the girls doing well? I reckon with all of you working so hard, this homey place will become back in due time... If you ever want to do anything to improve the place, I'll always let you borrow money at no interest charge, you know that... Oh, I'm not ordering anything yet, I've got matters to tend to. This old lady is always so busy, always working. I could use a day off to relax." Chiyoko spoke with that friendly, amiable tone that always made her seem so nice and trustworthy, and simply fun to be around, even if she droned on and wouldn't stop talking sometimes, not unlike any other old lady.

After a few minutes of pleasantries and small talk, however, Chiyoko decided that it was best to not keep her negotiation partner waiting any longer. He was there, standing and waiting for her, clearly not wanting to be rude. "Excuse me," she pardoned herself with an embarrassed smile and took the seat she was offered.

"I welcome you Chiyoko-dono, please enjoy the sake and don't mind the rather large characters behind us.'' The man greeted before extending his hand. Chiyoko looked at dubiously for a second before giving a hearty chuckle in realization. "Oh, my apologies, young man. I'm not entirely used to the other greeting customs of humans, but of course, I know of them." Still chuckling to herself, she returned the gesture. Chiyoko was also aware of the amount of information one could receive from a handshake. Her grip was firm and steady, even compared to the man's bigger hand.

With that out of the way, the man—Chiyoko knew exactly who he was, seeing as he invited her—decided to proceed with his request without any extra socializing. ''So let's get straight to business, I think you already know of my intentions but i'll explain them to you anyways. I wish to growth my business and power in the Underworld which I know your very influential in. If we could come to some sort of standalone I would enjoy that rather well." When he finished explaining, he offered to toast. "To becoming aquaintenced," Chiyoko offered, before returning the toast. She did not drink yet, however.

The Tanuki asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?" She grabbed the kiseru that hung from her hat and held it in her hands. Regardless of his answer, she took a moment to light it up and take a long, thoughtful drag from it. Chiyoko then leaned back and blew the smoke out and watched it contemplatively as it drifted upward toward the ceiling.

"I think you're sorely mistaken if you think I'm the one you're looking for," the Tanuki said at last, her restrained, old lady voice being replaced with something else entirely, something more devious. She looked directly at Mikado with a sly expression, leaning back in her seat with the kiseru in hand. "No, I know what you want, what you're looking to do. What you're mistaken about is how you think the underworld is run. Yes, I am indeed one of the most influential members, and indeed, I can make things happen according to my whims, but... Well, the underworld isn't some great big organization with any true structure. No, it's a free place, run by Youkai who simply decide they're not going to go by rules arbitrarily set up by someone else."

"Indeed, my power is great, but I'm no empress. I don't put a stranglehold on others and tell them what to do. I'm simply good at meeting people interests and benefiting them, and they do favors for me in turn. It's all about mutual benefit, a force that is the strength behind all interaction, from the bar to the bedroom. Us Youkai are all interested in ourselves and only ourselves, after all. So, do as you please, because I won't stop you... unless, of course, you are in the way of my interests... And likewise, be helpful to me, and I'll support you, like the good partner that I am." Chiyoko paused for a moment to take another drag from her kiseru to allow her words to sink in.

Bringing the pipe away from her mouth, she then leaned forward. "Although, we haven't had a chance to properly get to know each other, hmm? I mean, I know you know much about me, just as I know much about you, but as like-minded individuals, we should really understand each other better. For instance, I'm a big believer in tradition and upholding your family's values. My father before me was honest with his money-lending practices, as am I. Of course, my father was quite the mischievous sort, and I, too, like to follow in his footsteps sometimes. Of course, you've read all the storybooks so you know how it is. Of course, what I'm wondering if you have the same values. Do you find upholding your family's values to be important?" She had this confident smirk, as if she knew something he didn't, and she was clearly implying at something. She sat back and began to explain.

"Yes, I make sure to give some attention to honored names, and if this old lady's memory holds, the Sarubis were once a ruling family of some kind, even if not for very long. Still, your family's actions are quite ambitious, and as shown by the evidence, the ambitious Youkai is much more dangerous than the fickle one, willing to do whatever he can, use whoever he can, in order to get what he wants. If it's power he wants, he's going to do whatever it takes to keep it, regardless of who suffers."

"So tell me," the Bake-Danuki Chiyoko asked, with a wide smile, "Do you have any intention to uphold your family's values? Because if it's power you seek," Chiyoko leaned in again, an intense look in her eyes, but her smile not leaving her face, "I won't hesitate to protect my own interests."

A bright light filled the forest surrounding Ki's host tree as they carefully stepped out from the trunk of the tree and landed on the ground below. Stretching, they watched as their body slowly turned from nothing but a translucent outline into real flesh. Turning their head gingerly, they now watched as the light that they had stepped out of a moment ago dulled, until there was nothing but an ordinary tree left.

Ki wished that they had gotten up earlier. They always enjoyed watching the way that the light from the tree would play off of the morning dew drops. However, it seemed as though night had already fallen over their little town, which meant that all of the dew had long since been brushed off of the surrounding foliage. Now that they thought about it, it probably wasn't a very good idea to stay up all last night following a pack of wolves as they went on their journey through the woods.

Looking around, Ki's crimson eyes widened curiously as they landed on a note placed by their roots. Crouching down to pick up the piece of parchment, Ki narrowed their eyes as they attempted to read what had been written in the darkness that surrounded them. 'Sanja left his temple?' The surprise was evident on their face, but it soon melted into a soft smile as they stood up and folded the note in half. It was nice that he was getting out of his house for once, he rarely ever seemed to leave. This would be good for him.

Turning towards the direction of Sanja's shrine, Ki decided that they may as well head up there now. They glided silently through the forest, the leaves beneath their feet never making so much as a crackling sound as Ki walked over them. They would smile gently and nod their head in greeting every time they saw a pair of eyes peek out at them from behind the bushes. That was another reason they enjoyed getting up early, one could find all of the animals out scampering around at sunrise. Yet, as the sun set most of them would take to their homes, only to peek out curiously as somebody passes by.

Closing their eyes, Ki lifted their face up to the sky and took a deep breath of the crisp night air. They didn't even need to keep their eyes open to know that they were going the right way, they'd been to the temple way too many times to count. As they approached said temple, Ki's eyes fluttered open to stare up at it. They would have to hike up to it, Ki wondered if Sanja sometimes forgot that they couldn't fly like he could. 'Well, may as well get climbing...' Ki thought to their self as they began the walk up the mountain path.

---

As they arrived at Kurama Shrine, Ki released a small sigh of relief. It wasn't that bad getting up here, but they just hoped that Sanja would stay out on the town long enough to make this actually worth it. Now that they took the time to think about it, Ki wondered why exactly Sanja had gone down to town. It must have been something important for him to leave his home. Curiosity peaked, they headed inside the shrine.

Ki had always enjoyed visiting the temple, it was very relaxing and the architecture was definitely something to marvel at. However, as they walked slowly through the shrine, Ki couldn't help the feeling of loneliness that sunk into their stomach. Down in the forest they at least had their host tree, along with the other trees, and the animals. Plus, people would pass by every now and then. But up here it was obvious that there wasn't very much. Ki wondered how Sanja managed to stay up here by himself for so long, they would definitely have to try and get him to go down to the town more often. Even though Sanja was the one who took care of them, they couldn't help but worry about him every now and then as well.

Looking out at the view that was available from atop the mountain that the shrine was built on, Ki wondered what was going on in the village right about now. Turning around, they then headed further into the shrine to try and find something to keep them busy until the house's owner returned.

After having walked around for a while, Ki's eyes landed on a tea set that was laying out. They began to wonder if they should make some tea for when Sanja returned. It would keep them busy, and it might also make their caretaker happy. Yet, the more they thought about it the more it began to seem like it wasn't the best idea. For one, Ki had no idea when the older male would be back, the tea could have gone cold by the time he returned. And for two, Ki had never really made tea before. That could be a bit of a setback.

They were brought out of their thoughts by the sound of a voice calling from somewhere in the temple. Listening closely as they called out again, Ki realized that it was a voice that they happened to know quite well. Walking into the next room, Ki smiled happily as Shohei poked his head around the doorway.

To the question of if they were alone, Ki just simply nodded in response. But as he questioned where the 'boss' was, they decided to speak up. "Sanja left for the village. He told me to watch the shrine." Nodding their head once more afterwards as if to show that was all they knew, Ki looked back up at Shohei curiously. Why exactly was he looking for Sanjakubo anyways?

However, instead of answering Ki's unsaid question, Shohei then stated that he was going down to the village as well. At the offer for Ki to come with him, they merely shook their head. "Thank you... But I've been put in charge of watching over the temple. And I wouldn't want to betray Sanja's trust." Ki wasn't sure what they would do if Sanja became disappointed or angry with them.

Despite it being the choice that they believed was right, it was still sort of hard to watch Shohei fly away. Now not only would they not be able to find out what was going on down in the village until Sanjakubo got back, but now Ki was once again alone.

Ki likely would have ended up getting lost in their thoughts again if it hadn't been for a new voice that rang out through the building. 'The shrine is very busy tonight' They thought to their self as they went to see who was calling now. Catching a glimpse of pink hair, Ki instantly knew who it was.

"Rika?" They called out quietly, watching the girl's eyes widen with delight as they landed on them. And even though Ki didn't quite think that it was possible, her eyes seemed to fill with even more delight at the mention that Sanja was out at the moment. Surprise seemed to cause Ki's own eyes to widen as Rika enthusiastically clasped their hands in hers. Yet the girl was off again before Ki could give any sort of response, suddenly seemingly entranced with the various objects around the temple.

Ki watched silently as Rika made a bag materialize out of thin air, a tinge of worry striking them as they saw that she was now beginning to stuff items inside of said bag. 'Rika wouldn't do anything bad... right?' They told their self as they watched the pink ball of energy run about. They felt a bit strange when she asked if they could help her add items to the stack, but a couple of reassurances that she would tell Sanja that she borrowed them later quickly wiped any worry Ki had away. 'Of course Rika wouldn't do anything bad!'

After they had finished helping Rika put everything that she wanted to 'borrow' away, Ki smiled softly at her. "Just be careful not to damage anything before you return it to Sanja. I wouldn't want to see him get mad at you." Looking around the room now, Ki began to wonder why Rika came here in the first place. She had been calling out for Sanjakubo, so maybe that was who they were looking for.

Deciding that this was the most reasonable answer, Ki looked at Rika once more before asking, "Will you be staying here until Sanja returns?" Ki didn't mind the girl's company, plus it would be nice to have somebody to talk to. Or somebody to listen to in this case.

The soft but moist grass felt refreshing under her extended body lying down on the bare ground. Maya stretched her arms and rolled to her side, letting her eyes rest on the action going on by the creek that ran through the woods. Even tho the sun had set, her glowing red eyes was able to clear out every detail of the late night nature. Not that she felt the need to see. Closing her eyes, she relied only on her hearing. Water pouring, making a flowing sound so familiar to her ears that one could think she'd be immune to it by now - even so she did not seized to be amazed. The miniature waterfall splashed on to the leaves of the nearest bushes - making the drops caught on the leaves fall down to the surface once again with uneven dripping noises. "drip drip drop drip".

She sighted with a smile and rolled over to her back again, looking up to the starry night sky. For the moment she was satisfied - earlier today she'd "blessed" the forest with a friendly spring shower. Giving life and energy to the plants and flowers. A part of her hoped that Sanja of the Mountain would be happy with her work (even if he was very well capable of doing it himself), maybe even give her a compliment, as she truly felt a bit proud over her tender rain for a change. To her - the rain was emotions. And sure - she could cause a monsoon if she wanted - but this peaceful smattering rain she'd created earlier was a work of art.

In her eyes, she deserved some rest and peace for a moment. Huh what was that? The calm and relaxed sensation did not stay for long. Rustling in the leaves, footsteps and unfamiliar voices echoed in the raindrops still lingering in the grass, as dew. Maya stood up and licked her hand slowly.. thinking... They where at least 2 - maybe 3. Familiar creatures whom she'd once belonged to herself. "Humans, you say.." she mumbled - and if there'd been an audience present, they'd probably believed she was crazy and talking with the raindrops... Of course that was not the case - but Maya still though of all kind of water to be precious friends of her - so she treated them no different.

She corrected her black dress and took a deep breath. Her hair was long and as straight as could be, with the traditional japanese fringe swinging once she started moving. Sadly she had this "code" saying she would not go after humans when they where in company. Amaya only played with lonely humans, a group would be hard to enchant and drown. But even so - what would be the harm in teasing them a bit. It was not like they could see her anyways. Starting to follow the sounds out of curiouslity, she began to suspect them of heading for Sanjas shrine. At this time? Very well, guess prayers where welcome any time.

She was not exactly shy - following the humans with straight posture and her chin high - but still kept her distance. That did not stop her from opening her mouth and start singing, maybe in a try to lure them to the shrine. She was being helpful right? Showing them to the right location so they could deliver their prayers. All clueless about what was going on in village and the whole "humans can see youkai-situation"...She went ahead of them and kept singing, leading them to the shrine...

"Come little children
I’ll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come little children
The time’s come to play
Here in my garden of shadows"~~~

She made sure to arrive to Sanjas mountain shrine before the humans tho. Bouncing up and down as she hurried across the front yard. There she came across the "feeling" of a previous chaos- making her open her mouth in a surprised expression. Maybe it was the dew in the grass speaking to her. Or it was just her relationship with "bad luck" that told her there's been some turbulence here. Sanja himself where sitting on a large purple cushion and looked rather... happy? The familiar faces of Ki, Rita and Shohei where there as well.. And her favorite dragon, making her wink and putting on a mysterious smirk as she trotted the last bit. Greeting them all with a playful pirouette, making her black dress spin around her legs. As she stopped, she raised one eyebrow and shocked her head - automatically looking at Rita with an amused expression, almost miming "well done".

"Feels like you suffered bad luck in my absence.. how interesting" she said in a distant voice and moved her finger to her mouth. Tapping her lower lip a few times. "Oh right! There was a group of 3 humans coming this way. I presumed they where on their way to the shrine to present their prayers.. So i made sure to sing them on the right trail.. But it's rather late for a shrine visit - don't you think?.." She tilted her head to the side in a questioning but innocent expression - making her fringe fall over and almost hide one of her "glowing" red eyes..

Ki sat next to Rika, listing very intently to her tangent. There were several times when Ki wondered if they should comment on something that had been said, but as it was they didn't even have enough time to open their mouth before the energetic girl would begin talking once more. Not that they minded. Nodding every once in a while to show that they were listening, Ki let the cat continue until sudden chaos broke out through the shrine.

Everything seemed to happen all at once. The sudden sound of the front doors flying open causing even Ki to jump a little. Turning, they gazed curiously at Sanja as he entered the room. It wasn't until the man began to yell that they realized just how angry he was. It would be a lie to say that Ki understood quite what the man was angry about, but it was obvious enough that the heart of his annoyance was the girl that had now jumped up from her seated position in shock.

Ki stood slowly from their seated position, watching in shock as Sanja bounded over and grabbed Rika by the back of their neck. It was even more shocking as they watched him allow her to just drop to the ground afterwards. Ki had never seen Sanjakubo so angry before. He had taken care of them their entire life. In fact, he had been protecting their host tree even before they turned into a spirit. Ki had never thought that they would ever actually feel scared of him.

Yet, as they watched the genuine terror that Rika seemed to be feeling due to Sanja's illusions, they couldn't help the small trickle of fear that appeared in their stomach.

Realizing what they were just thinking, Ki shook their head in order to rid their self of those thoughts. 'Don't let your mind get ahead of itself, Ki. Sanja would never actually hurt anybody... I just need to figure out what is going on.'

They were brought out of their thoughts by Hakuryuu and Shohei now entering the shrine. A comment made by Haku caused a bit of confusion inside Ki's head. He had called Rika stupid, but why? It was then that everything seemed to sort of fall into place, causing Ki to release a startled gasp. 'Rika hadn't been meaning to return those items?' They suddenly felt very guilty. That meant that this whole mess was their fault. If Ki had just realized what Rika was trying to do, Sanja wouldn't have got so angry. Not to mention that Rika wouldn't be getting yelled at if they had known, Ki would have to apologize to her later.

Looking up, Ki was surprised to see Shohei come stand in between them and Sanja. He seemed to be trying to get his boss to take it easy on them. It was a bit of an unusual thing for the crow to do, and it did indeed warm their heart, but it also served to make them feel even guiltier. Ki deserved to be punished just as much as Rika did.

Feeling this way, Ki began to move to help Rika and Shohei put everything back, but was stopped by Sanja coming over to apologize for startling them. This caused Ki to shake their head a bit franticly as they rushed to tell him that there was absolutely nothing for him to be sorry about. A small smile tugged at their lips as he walked away to help with putting everything back. It seemed that he had truly calmed down now.

A sudden crash echoed throughout the shrine, interrupting Ki's relief. Turning, they inwardly sighed as they saw the vase and tea set shattered on the floor, with a very nervous Rika standing in the middle of it. Peeking over in Sanja's direction, Ki wondered if he would get angry again. Yet, surprisingly, he just burst out laughing.

Staring curiously at the violet eyed man, Ki let out a confused chuckle of their own. Yet, as Sanja explained how much fun all of this had brought him, Ki couldn't help but grin happily. It was great that this whole chaotic mess had actually seemed to do something good. Although they still felt guilty, they were at least happy that Sanja was happy. He deserved to have fun every once in a while to.

Ki smiled and followed Sanjakubo, sitting next to him as he seated himself on a large cushion near the back of the room. Watching curiously as Haku came over to whisper something in his ear. They could have sworn that they heard something about humans being in the village, but they shook the thought away instantly. 'I must have misheard...'

Their attention was brought back to the matter at hand as Sanja thanked Hakuryuu for helping to calm him down. A smile once again graced their lips as Ki bowed deeply in the water dragon's direction before speaking up themselves. "I would like to thank you as well. Sanja would have surely been upset with himself is his anger had grown any larger." Turning their head to give the white haired man a small smile, they added, "Not that they would have done anything too drastic, I'm sure."

Next, they shifted their body slightly so that they could have a better view of Shohei. They then once again bowed low to the ground from their seated position. "I would also like to thank you, Shohei, for standing up for me. You are indeed a great friend. Although, in this case I am not sure if I deserved to be stood up for." Sitting up once more, they threw a wary smile at the others. It was obvious that they still felt very guilty about what had happened.

Gazing at everybody in the room now, they respectfully inclined their head as they stated, "I am very sorry for what happened here today. I did not understand what I was doing wrong at the time, but it is now clear to me. I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again. I understand if you have lost your trust for me." This last statement was obviously directed towards Sanja, as they tentatively peered at him from the corner of their eye.

It wasn't very long after this that Amaya happened to stroll into the shrine. At the mention of humans, Ki's eyes widened slightly. 'It seems that I didn't mishear earlier.' Turning to the man sitting on the cushion next to them, Ki reached out and gently tugged on one of his sleeves in order to gain his attention. Tilting their head in slight confusion, they then softly asked, "Sanja... What is all of this talk about humans?"

Were humans really on their way to the shrine at this very moment? The thought caused both feelings of nervousness and excitement to run through Ki all at once.

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The sounds around her started to reappear again - probably the illusions wearing off. The laughing from the pub, the soft tunes of a flute playing and the water pouring from the fountain. With other words, the sounds of a living and flourishing little village stroking her ears in a surprisingly calming way.. It was really a mystery how the rumors said the village to be abandoned. Because in her eyes - it looked very well taken care off. The streets where clean and tidy, the houses where double stories and everything was built on the height. She had to admit it, it was a really cute and unique village.

“Not in our favor? There are only three possible answers, so we couldn’t possibly get it wrong.” Nao started to blush at the sudden realization. A part of her was truly impressed with Kyo actually using his brain instead of fists for once.. and the bigger part was just embarrassed that she'd missed something so simple - she blamed it on her confused state. Even so she sticked with her words. A quid pro quo would have ment she'd gotten the chance to ask this Susumu person a question. And maybe learn what kind of place this was - and more important what kind of people lived there. Unlike Kyo, Nao actually cared for Komorebi - her home village. And having these strange people live so close, was seen as a big threat in Naos eyes - the least she could do, for the sake of her younger siblings at least, was to find out who they where...

For a short moment, she actually considered to stay and talk with these crazy strangers. But then, a flying man and tails n ears -that was just to creepy to stay around for.. At least she knew their names. Susumu and Sanja. That was something. And it was more than these wierdos knew about her and Kyo. Because she was pretty sure that nether him nor her had called out each others names.. Or mentioned anything about looking for their friends.. Nao smiled to herself. Once again she was impressed over his sharp thinking.. Well maybe it was kind of obvious.. And it was really just this Susumu who was stupid... Or was he just very sure about himself? Nao felt a shiver moved through her body, there was something sneaky with him alright... She looked at her feet and twisted a lock of hair around her finger - being quite unsure about what to do.

The reaction from Kyo made her surprised but also a bit more relaxed. He seemed unbothered by the flying man and the tails and ears? She came to the conclusion that it was probably just she who'd seen it. So there was something wrong with her eyes after all! Puuh that was a relief, for a moment there - Nao had almost considered believing in her grandmothers stories... About a village filled with youkai creatures. But naaah - that could not be! They started walking again. Nao rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. She just had to ignore her vision right now - because clearly it was failing her. Even if she would come across a flying pig - she was not going to believe her sight anymore - but had no choice other than to rely on Kyo who thankfully did not seem to suffer from the same illusions as she did.

The girl with blue hair had joined them. Making Nao stop again, feeling quite "threatened" by the situation since they did not seem to let them leave... Why couldn't they just go away? It was not like she and Kyo where especially interesting people. He was just a troublemaker and she was just a boring school prez. "Do you even know your way back...?" the blue haired girl's voice was a bit too cheerful. Nao raised her brown eyes to get a better look of the girl, and almost lost her breath. She found herself to be incapable of answering the question - and instead she just stood in silence looking at the dreamlike girl. ears... and tails... sure.. But also eyes who made the sea pale in comparison, and long shiny hair in the same intense blue color. Flawless skin with soft and appealing curves. Maybe Nao was jealous? Her mouth turned in to a small tense line, and she turned away her gace - now following the movements of the 5 tails (which she told herself not existed). Ofc she was jealous. Nao herself could probably wear a bikini and still not have any sex appeal what so ever. She would always be the strict and boring school prez - and looking at her from another view was just comical (as in : was never going to happen) ....

“You need to work on your act dude. You sound way too annoying to hold an audience.” Kyo voice sounded.
"How about you show how it's done then? Lead by example, no?"

If the circumstances had been different, she would definitely had laughed by the "blue" girl's second comment. This one seemed smarter than the other tall man -Susumu- at least. She really nailed Kyo there, but Nao still had to speak her mind. Not that she was defending Kyo, but because she really just wanted to get away from them. Even if all the warning signals inside Nao where shouting and ringing - she found some courage in the thought / hope of Sanae and the others being safe...

"It's not we who are trying to hold an audience here - but rather you who are trying to distract us from leaving - right?" She took a step forward, really just "testing them" to see their reactions. And find out if her premonitions where correct or not.
"Why is that?" Her voice was not rude or anything, just her polite, honest and brave leader speaking - curious of their intentions.

Once again, Kyo found himself stopped in his tracks, this time by the azure-haired beauty as she cut into their path. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say they were being shepherded. Maybe that wasn’t the right word - More akin to vultures or sharks circling prey. Still, he much preferred this one to that odd man from before; at least she was good to look at. With her half-bobbed stance, it certainly put some features on display more than others, and he couldn’t help but have his eyes drift a little downward from her face. She had some confidence wearing an outfit like that.

"How about you show how it's done then? Lead by example, no?" The woman’s ear twitched as she cocked her head, looking to him with a mildly sceptical expression. Huh, neat. That costume was really fancy. Still, Kyo wasn’t about to take a challenge like that lying down. Narrowing his eyes to glare back at her, he wracked his brain for either a badass unsolvable riddle, or a witty retort. I’m not about to give you jokers free material? No, no, that wasn’t edgy enough…As Kyo was thinking, Susumu slipped in behind them again, clapping both of them on the shoulder to box them in before launching into another riddle. Kyo briefly showed restraint, but when the man started playing with his hair, he snapped. Swinging round, his arm went out wide and forced Susumu to step back and give some space if he didn’t want to be clubbed. “What’s your problem?!” Kyo demanded, clenching his fists and prepping for a throwdown.

"It's not we who are trying to hold an audience here - but rather you who are trying to distract us from leaving - right? Why is that?" Nao stepped in, possibly seeing that Kyo was about to do something reckless and attempting to diffuse the situation. Kyo simply glared at the two costumed weirdoes, before folding his arms to stop himself lashing out again. These two hadn’t specifically threatened them yet, but it was certainly trying his patience, and unnerving him with their shifty actions.

“Aren't you the smart one? Let me guess—you wear the pants in this relationship, then? Well, in that case, why doesn't he answer this one? Be a good boy and answer me, please~” The two foxes were dividing them, if only slightly as Susumu and Tsuyari began moving between Kyo and Nao. Kyosuke kept his arms folded as he looked at Susumu with a death stare. It took all of his restraint not to bite on the insult that Nao was in charge, or that ‘boy’ line. Bah, he shouldn’t let it piss him off, but everything about this guy was infuriating. Particularly since this riddle seemed remarkably harder than the previous one. Kyosuke wasn’t that dumb, but he certainly wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He was blunt, but still got the job done. Most of the time at least.

“I haven’t got time for any more of your bullshit you freak. My friend and I are leaving, and unless you want to end up face first in the dirt, you’ll stop bugging us and scram.” Shoving Susumu out of the way, he looked to grab Nao and get out of there. What he saw stopped him dead in his tracks. The blue-haired woman was cupping Nao’s cheeks softly, the gentle embrace drawing the two in closer together. There were centimetres between them, so small was the gap that they’d be able to feel the warmth of the other. An arm found its way to the small of Nao’s back, tugging her in that tiny bit closer. The intensity in the air seemed to crackle briefly, time hanging on a knife’s edge, before the girl plunged forward, locking lips with Nao in a passionate kiss. Kyo watched in silent amazement, unblinking as that moment seemed to last for an age. Slowly, the azure-temptress withdrew, though not without tasting Nao’s delicate lips one last time.

"I'm Tsuyari, what might your name be? I'm pleased to make your acquaintance~" The woman finally identified herself, though that was the least of Kyo’s concerns right now. He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, he was fuming. He’d seen more than enough. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed hold of Nao’s hand, pulling her away from Tsuyari and taking a few steps back to be clear of the two strangers. “Whatever you two creeps are after, step off! Get back under whatever rock you crawled out of!” Somewhat roughly pulling Nao by the arm, he dragged her off, briefly glancing behind him to see if they were being followed.

“What the hell was that back there?! Is that your idea of ‘handling’ it?!” He demanded once he believed they were out of earshot, releasing her from his grip as he looked at her incredulously. “Why in the world would you let her do that to you?!” Kyo asked with genuine disbelief, though he wasn’t sure why that would be important to him in any respect. As they sat in silence briefly, he caught his breath a bit and started regaining some composure. “I mean… Ugh, look. I don’t care what your feelings are, but you just met that girl! Not to mention the creep vibes those guys were giving us… I don’t know about you, but my guts tell me that this place isn’t safe…” Kyosuke glanced around again, having not really paid any attention where he’d taken Nao, other than getting some seclusion. Seemed they were still in the abandoned village, though off the main street at least.

Restless still, though unable to pick why, he shoved his hands into his pockets, looking down the street. “Whatever, I don’t even care. None of my business. Let’s just find those dweebs before they get abducted and get out of here. I’ve seen more than enough today.” Striding off, as he needed to burn off this energy and clear his head he glanced back to Nao. “Don’t worry Prez, your secret’s safe with me. Not that anyone would believe me.”



Rika was dead. There was no way she was getting out of this one. Stepping back towards the door, she gave a soft ‘Oof’ as she felt her path obstructed, very briefly turning to look behind her to see the vines covering the doorway. Eep. Turning back to face Sanja, Rika felt her ears droop, and instinctually raised her arms above herself to brace for impact. But the feeling never came. Instead she heard… Laughter? “Mew..?” Rika opened her eyes again, hoping this wasn’t just one big sadistic trick from Sanja. As she noticed him now doubled over in humour, she slowly found herself laughing as well, hoping that this was perhaps a good omen as her tails swished about.

"You crazy cat, in your complete disregard for my home, my rules and wishes, and me personally. You have brought me some joy that I haven't felt in a long time." Sanja finally managed through his jovial mood, placing a hand atop Rika’s head and ruffling it about. She pouted slightly, as she liked to have her hair neat and pretty, but this was a small price to pay comparative to what could have happened, and she instead purred a little on instinct as he scratched her ears soothingly. “Oooo… Rika do good…?” She asked, not quite understanding how lucky she’d been, nor the fact that the items were simply replicas. She wasn’t sure Sanja heard her as he sat up, clearing the vines and instead having them clear the way, and the mess she’d just made.

"Rika, I shall forgive you for your crimes today. Though, mark my words, Shohei and Hakuryuu shall not be able to save you next time you think to rob me and break my belongings." Sanja calmly and clearly conveyed his warning, Rika eyes lighting up a little as she processed that meant she was in the clear. A quick arm went to her head in a salute. “Yes sir! I promise that next time I won’t even think about it, and you won’t even notice they’re gone! Thank you Sanya!” Perhaps a little too honest for her own good, Rika was a bit of a goofball that way as she completely misunderstood how she’d managed to avoid punishment, assuming that Sanja wanted her to simply perform her ‘job’ better next time.

As Sanja made his way back to his spot atop- Oooo, the comfy cushion! Rika so wanted to nap on the comfy cushion, it even smelled good… Shaking off her desire and slapping her cheeks a couple of times, Rika reminded herself she needed to be on best behaviour. But… Now she wasn’t sure what to do… Since Sanja was in a good mood, maybe she’d get to stay in the shrine..? Tentatively, she took a seat, wondering if the birdie would say anything to her as she spent some time fixing her hair and better appraising the damage that her kimono had undergone in her panic.

"I am very sorry for what happened here today. I did not understand what I was doing wrong at the time, but it is now clear to me. I promise that nothing like this will ever happen again. I understand if you have lost your trust for me." Rika smiled as Ki launched into her apologies to the group, flashing a big cat grin their way. As far as Rika was concerned, her friend had done nothing wrong, nor should they get in trouble for helping out the feline. After all, that was good manners! Sanja had a big soft spot for Ki, so she doubted he minded much at all. If he had, Rika would certainly not have forgiven him at all, and would have done her best to protect them. Well, if she managed to protect herself first…

“…Rest now dear children,
For soon we'll away,
Into the calm and the quiet…”

Rika’s fur instantly rippled through her body as she felt a shudder cross her whole body, pivoting around rapidly to find the source of the noise echoing amongst the temple. “Y-you know, maybe I will le-eek~!” Rika immediately changed expression as she saw Amaya actually make her way into the Shrine, meeting her eyes and reading her lips as she passed a non-audible message to the feline. "Feels like you suffered bad luck in my absence… How interesting." Rika nodded as she scampered over to Amaya’s side, wanting in no way to upset the woman that controlled the weather. She still hadn’t fixed up the hole in her tent, and did not want to end up half-drowned during the night.

“Amaya~! Such a surprise! Yes, yes, what are you doing here? Hmm?” Rika queried, having no intention to make it known that she’d planned to leave before Amaya got here. "Oh right! There was a group of 3 humans coming this way. I presumed they were on their way to the shrine to present their prayers... So I made sure to sing them on the right trail... But it's rather late for a shrine visit - don't you think..?" Rika blinked a bit at hearing Amaya’s comment. Humans? At this time? Ooo, she so liked humans! They were so interesting and cool and… “Nuuu~! Humans can’t come here, I’m a mess!” Rika still wasn’t fully sure when humans could or could not see the Youkai, but the idea that they’d see a perfect feline like her in such a poor state… Well, that would be the absolute worst luck! Scampering back over to the nearby mirror, Rika took the time to start preening herself, hoping she could at least look presentable before the human’s arrived, barely noticing the soft voice of Yukiko drifting into the temple.

"Izumi-Senpai? Andoh-san? Not funny." The voice came from the doorway, a young girl peering inside. Oh! She was cute! Ooo, and was that a bag? Rika would have to see what was in the bag. Slipping through the shrine over to Sanja, she began lightly nudging him, whispering in his ear. “Can I stay and watch the human? Please please please? If she makes an offering can I have it? Sanya, Sanya, Sanya! Puh-leaasseee?~” Rika began to tug and jostle on his arm like a child demanding attention, which is practically what she was. Of course, she had no idea that the ‘human’ could easily see and hear her.

Just after stepping forward, Nao changed her mind. Susumu looked a bit too guilty, shushing his lips with his finger while smiling. Maybe she could sense the danger that was about to come. And these people did not seem normal after all - teasing them might not be so wise. Nao swallowed and watched the two strangers with a suspicious expression. Susumu seemed to be the weirdest.. but the blue haired girl could be unpredictable as well. She could not let her guard down..

What happened next proved her hunches to be correct. It was like all the color disappeared from her face as the other girl stepped forward as well. With the speed of light and without so much as a sound. Even tho she moved quick and smooth, it seemed like the scene was playing in slow motion. Blue long hair hoovering in the air in swinging movements and her 5 tails wagging. Nao had to face the fight, flight or freeze dilemma - and it was the latest who kicked in. Every muscle in her body turned useless and there was nothing she could do to fight back. She was not very familiar with physical touching and after all, the "blue"girl was an intruder in her precious comfort zone. Even tho she was a girl, she was too close. "Perhaps you two are interesting? Is it wrong to strike up conversations with tourists?" Nao did not comprehend the words, since her brain was currently occupied with a blue enchanting fog - swallowing her from the inside. The new riddle also missed her attention. Even Kyos voice calling her "friend" was something she (sadly) missed out on. A gentle pale hand was placed on her cheek and Nao could not help but to stare into those azure blue eyes, almost like she was hypnotized or magnetized by them.

Maybe this was some sick way to make fun of her, for being a prude and stuck up school prez? A prank. Why in heavens would she do this anyway? The beautiful face of the enemy came closer and closer until her lips where basically brushing against Nao's as she spoke. "Let's get to know each other better, hm?" Nao started to wake up. How about no, she thought to herself and was just about to break free and turn her head to the side when a couple of soft fingers traveled down her arm - creating goosebumps where their touch still lingered and giving Nao a shiver. She froze once again, and before she even knew it - her lips was glued together with the strangers lips - in a kiss! If Nao's eyes had been big in surprise before, it was nothing compared to how they looked now, almost like they would pop out of her head. A very distinct blush appeared on her cheeks and her body was as tense and stiff as a statue. Even so - her lips moved along with the stranger's - against her will. Slowly, a bit distant and "spaced- out" as she was numb and almost in a zombie-like state. Luckily, the girl retreated and the kiss ended.

"I'm Tsuyari, what might your name be? I'm pleased to make your acquaintance~" Nao was shocked! She'd just kissed - a girl! A part of her was furious for having something so precious "stolen" from her without her consent. But her main feeling was confusion, and her brain did not want to process and admit what just happened. So when the girl introduced herself and asked for their names - Nao was in a spaced out "numb" auto pilot mode. Still under the "spell" of blue girls lips. After sharing something so intimate as a kiss, a name would not be so serious? Her lips almost opened by themselves to answer the question.

"Im Izu....--" she felt a hard jerk in her arm as someone dragged her away before she could finish her sentence. "What the hell was that back there?! Is that your idea of ‘handling’ it?!Why in the world would you let her do that to you?!” It was Kyo, and he seemed angry. However, this was excatly what she needed to wake up from her paralyzed state. Nao shooked her head, her strawberry blonde straight and "dead" locks tickled all over her face before she could scoop it away with her free hand, the one that was not being held captive by Kyos firm grip. As he let go, she looked up to meet his gaze. Her brown eyes was foggy and she really looked traumatized. Far from the strict and prude school prez she used to be, it was almost hilarious.

"I mean… Ugh, look. I don’t care what your feelings are, but you just met that girl! Not to mention the creep vibes those guys were giving us… I don’t know about you, but my guts tell me that this place isn’t safe…"

Nao dragged her newly released arm to her, rubbing it gently as the sudden jerk and dragging still ached in her skin. Starting to get back to reality, she broke free from his blue eyes and gazed around her surroundings to notice how they where standing in front of a bar. "Rōzuu - ebu" the sign said, giving Nao a shiver. She closed her fist and raised her chin, collecting enough self control to answer her "friend" and explain her weird... actions.. She blushed just thinking about it, and how to put it in words. After a few seconds she felt ready to share.

"I have no such feelings, for your knowledge! And you don't say Sherlock... I suggest we get out of her. Tell our village council, and they will send out a search team for the others. Plus deal with these people as well. They don't seem.. normal. Cult members, circus people or just creepy. Whatever they are, maybe they will go to jail.. hopefully.. i dont feel safe having them so close to Komorebi"...

She rubbed her temples - feeling a slightly headache. This was just unreal. And even tho she should stay rational - her mind could not help but to think of her grandma's tales about the youkai village... Looking back at Kyo, she ignored those thoughts. IF they'd been youkai... He would have reacted? It was just Nao having illusions.. Simple as that.

"And i did certainly not kiss her, she kissed me!" Nao claimed while crossing her arms over her chest. "Whatever, I don’t even care. None of my business. Let’s just find those dweebs before they get abducted and get out of here. I’ve seen more than enough today. Don't worry Prez, your secret’s safe with me. Not that anyone would believe me." Nao twitched at his worlds giving him a sharp "warning" expression with narrow eyes, but did not bother to answer. Instead she reached down in the little pocket of her dress - pulling out her useless and very old cellphone.

"Maybe i can try calling the others... if they have their cell's with them ofc... huh?.. no signal?!" She mumbled, mainly talking to herself and bit her lip to prevent an annoyed sight from sounding.

Before entering the main shrine, Yukiko made her way over to the chouzuya. She used the ladle to scoop up a generous amount of water before pouring some of the contents over her left hand, then repeated by cleansing her right. Once her hands were purified, she poured some from the ladle into her left hand and rinsed out her mouth. After that, she rinsed her left hand once more. After she was done she replaced the ladle with the mouth pointed in the air to cleanse the rest of the ladle, as was the common tradition.

After she finished the cleansing ritual, Yukiko smiled and went toward the honden. She admired the main building for a moment. Noticing the bell, she rang it, wincing a bit, not realizing it would chime that loudly. When she entered she went to the offering box and dropped in two 5 yen offerings. Just because she was looking for Kyosuke and Nao didn't mean she could disregard the proper protocol of visiting a shrine. However, when she looked up, Yukiko was very surprised. There was a beautiful pink haired woman with... Cat ears?! She had to blink several times but then noticed someone even more otherworldly. There was a tall male with Ivory hair and he was... Glowing!

Yukiko rubbed her eyes quickly, making sure that her two brown orbs were not playing tricks on her. He was incredibly handsome, and his amethyst eyes were alarming. Even his eyelashes were white!! He looks so young though... is white hair more common in today's youth than I thought? The more she thought it out, the more she began to wonder. The question was on the tip of her tongue, all she had to do was ask. However, if she was wrong, she would have felt incredibly stupid, especially after all that bullying she went through at her previous school before moving to Komorebi village.

Yukiko bowed very stiffly, before straightening back up, "Are you... Etto... I mean... how do I put this...?" She struggled, trying to not offend the rosy and ivory haired duo. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to address the two... Senpai? Sama? What was correct? Twirling a strand of her reddish brown hair around her finger nervously, Yukiko managed to finally spit out what she was trying so hard to ask, "Are you.... actual Youkai?" She asked the two Youkai timidly, but there was an undeniable amazement in her eyes. This was what she always wanted as a child, to meet Youkai, to have tangible proof that she wasn't crazy... Yet now she was kind of nervous. She had no idea what kind of Youkai she was dealing with. What if they were malicious toward humans?

"Forgive me!" Yukiko quickly bowed again, her reddish brown hair whipping to catch up with her sudden movement. She was incredibly embarrassed that she had forgotten to introduce herself, "I am Nakahara, Yukiko... I just moved with my family to Komorebi a few months ago..." she trailed off, hoping that the Youkai would overlook her nervous fumbling. All the research, all the manga, none of it prepared her for this. While she wasn't scared yet, she did feel as though she should tread carefully. The two visible Youkai were both exceedingly beautiful, and that made her feel very uncomfortable. One she was dressed in blue jean shorts, sneakers, and a pink scarf and a thin long sleeved v neck top... that alone made her feel too casual inside of the shrine. Two she was alone with two very likely to be unidentified Youkai... Three she had no idea where her classmates were. Her anxiety matched with feeling inferior, it was an odd sensation. Compared to other humans Yukiko felt she was just a little below average looking, not ugly but definitely not gorgeous... but standing near the two Youkai she immediately felt unsightly.



The humans ran off before Tsuyari could get the girl's name, but also without answering the riddle Susumu presented to them, causing Tsuyari to pout. The girl had kissed her back, so she didn't understand what had went wrong. Normally it wasn't in Tsuyari's nature to hit on the humans, but the girl was rather adorable compared to most. What was the harm every now and then? She DID manage to not absorb the human's oxygen supply after all... so no harm was actually done...

Her blue eyes shifted to Susumu, and Tsuyari let out a soft sigh before transforming back into her preferred form. No Kitsune tails or ears, just an aqua-haired little girl wearing a white loose fitted sundress. Tsuyari stretched her arms out, her body back to its familiar figurelessness once more, "Should we follow them or continue on to the bar?" She asked curiously, tilting her head a bit. Her long blue hair shifted with her every movement and Tsuyari began to float, tired of walking even though she had only walked perhaps twenty to thirty feet that entire day, "Oh! Before I forget! What was the answer to that riddle anyway...?" Tsuyari asked in an energetic manner, always thrilled to learn more. She was inherently a Kitsune, but being on the younger side, riddles were not her strong suit. She was still learning about how to behave as a Kitsune and what was expected of her behavior wise, and Susumu's company made that a lot easier to digest. Her isolated younger years left her rather culturally shocked compared to most Kitsune her age.



Finding himself incredibly bored in his cave. It was nicer than most; clean water whenever he wanted due to the natural spring, light illuminating through a large hole in the top at the far back end of the cave, and most of all peace. No one smart trespassed upon the lair of a venomous snake. Here Takumi could brew his famous sake in peace without others attempting to seduce the ingredients out of him. He would never share those details, as it was the cure to his own venom. Sharing his secret recipe would initially be the same as ripping his fangs out. He refused to intentionally disarm himself.

Taking another sip from his sake as he laid upon his makeshift bed made from fur, both from wolves and bears. The bedding was incredibly soft despite being nestled upon a crevice of stone. His sleeping area was more like a large coffin, with the side cut out. Five feet tall, seven feet wide, and seven feet long. It was plenty of space for himself and any company, not that he ever had any consenting company anyway. It had been over a thousand years since he had shared his bed with another... well, another willing person. There were plenty of young human men he 'played' with, not to say he didn't have to use a bit of brute force...

Heh. Though very few he 'played' with in such manners ever lived to tell the tale... not that the survivors would ever admit that a male Youkai molested them to other humans.... He never understood how humans functioned. They were so cute, so timid. They always seemed to care so much about what others thought of them... Takumi wasn't even sure why being gay was considered such a bad thing. In fact, he preferred relations with men over women any day.

Taking a sip of his sake, Takumi let out a sigh and decided it was well past time to get out and socialize. He had been cooped up for far too long. He snapped his fingers and a small white snake inside of his cave immediately grew in size until it was large enough to support his weight. Takumi got on the snake, his jar of sake in tow. He never left it alone, ever. He learned his lesson many years ago and did not wish to repeat his mistakes. As he soared through the sky on the back of the snake, he noticed that Youkai Street seemed to be more lively than usual. He hopped down, despite the fall being nearly thirty feet, landing gracefully right in front of Miyako's bar. While he knew she likely would not appreciate him bringing his own Sake, he was prepared to purchase some of her own vintages as well as compensation. He simply could not part with his most prized possession.

Takumi strolled in casually, dressed in a white and salmon colored Yukata and zori sandals. He immediately noticed someone he would have never expected to run into at such a place and a huge grin spread across the ivory haired God's lips. The Hakuja no Myojin ran over to Ryuunosuke and immediately wrapped his arms around the prince in a familiar fashion, definitely considered to be far too forward when pertaining to royalty, "Ōji-sama~!" Takumi chimed, practically nuzzling his cheek against the prince's. The serpent loosened his hold on the prince a little, but did not completely remove his arms which were draped around the Oni's shoulders, "Miyako-chan~! I'll have what our prince is having~!" The serpent chimed giddily, extremely happy to be in handsome company. The prince never once accepted his advances in the past. There was no reason that the Serpent God should have felt comfortable getting friendly with the Oni Prince, but that is exactly what kept the white serpent interested in the prince in the first place. It was only after he ordered his drink that he noticed the prince's loyal companion, "Hanyo-Kun! It's been a while." Takumi smiled very kindly, despite himself being a God and Tutsrugi being a Hanyo. He really didn't pay much attention to such details anyway unless he felt he was being severely disrespected in some way.

Folding his arms together and leaning against the wall, Kyo didn’t have much to say at Izumi’s plan to contact the others. It wasn’t like he was on either of their friends lists, so he couldn’t exactly assist in calling them. Not that it looked like it would do any good as Nao complained about her signal strength. With a brick like that it was no surprise, but he wasn’t in a joking enough mood to pick on her about it anymore. Instead, he turned towards the sound of approaching footsteps, still more than a little on edge after their last encounter.

"Ayiyi, are you having trouble with your phone, dear? Reception is really poor out in this little old place sometimes." The voice drifted in from the older woman approaching them, though at least she didn’t look to associated with the freaks from earlier. The relatively normal outfit was the best indicator Kyo could find of that. Remaining against the wall and listening to her extensive introduction, Kyosuke looked to Nao to see how she would respond, before deciding he’d had enough of that. He’d left her in charge last time and look how that turned out. "And who might you youth be?"

“I’m Kyosuke. The dork behind me is Nao.” Kyo tilted his head towards his compatriot before looking back to the woman. “So, which one are you?” He asked, likely eliciting some confusion from the old lady. He took a moment to clarify himself, though it wasn’t any less rude a question. “You said only strange people and animals are out at this time. So, which are you old lady?” Kyo remained against the wall, completely unthreatened by the woman, but making it clear with his attitude that he wasn’t in the best of moods. Nao would likely need to step in and apologise for him, as he wasn’t about to do so himself, and it wasn’t exactly the nicest way to respond to someone trying to help. Still, Kyo felt like he needed to cause Nao a bit more trouble in revenge for earlier.



Rika was buzzing and beaming, even after Sanja’s very clear warning for her to keep her sticky fingers to herself. Bobbing slightly behind him in anticipation, as the human finally came to enter the shrine and see them, it became immediately apparent that they’d been noticed judging from her reaction. Rika would have jumped in then and there, but Sanja threw her a little off balance as he stood, glowing with that aura of his and drawing the focus of attention straight to his impressive visage. Rika pouted a little as she caught herself, watching the spectacle. Sure, Sanja was ancient and powerful and impressive, but the little feline felt she was important too, and she certainly didn’t like being overshadowed. Somewhat subtly, she tried to shift in front of Sanja, but it seemed the Tengu was quick to notice as a blinding illusion cut in front of her, ensuring that the girl’s eyes would still be directed cleanly at him.

"Are you... Etto... I mean... how do I put this...? …Are you.... actual Youkai?" Rika blinked a bit, confused by the question. Of course they were? Why did she feel the need to ask that? I mean, honestly, what else could they be? Humans could be strange, but that just added to what made them intriguing. Still, she wasn’t about to let the cute little human have any misconceptions. “Yes, yes, that’s what we are. What exactly did you think we were?” Poking her way closer to the human, Rika had finally had enough of Sanja hogging the spotlight, and unceremoniously gave him a shove and slipped past him to greet the human.

"Forgive me! I am Nakahara, Yukiko... I just moved with my family to Komorebi a few months ago..." The girl suddenly launched into a bow, apologising and seeming pretty worried about something. Oh, it was probably Sanja! She didn’t need to worry about that, he was just a big ol’ pussycat. “Don’t worry about Sanya! He acts all scary sometimes, but he’s really nice! Just don’t take his offerings, he doesn’t like that…” Rika moved up at the last comment, using a hand to block her mouth slightly and whispering to Yukiko like it was some big secret.

Jumping back slightly to be in front of Yukiko, Rika smirked, eying her up and down. It’d been a while since she’d been up this close to a human, not to mention able to converse with one! She was cute and friendly and polite! This was great! Spiralling around the girl and looking her over from all sides, she noticed the nervous expression the girl had and realised that she must have been waiting on Rika to introduce herself. How silly of her! She’d just gotten so excited!

“Oh, that’s right! You don’t know any of us!” Smirking, she grabbed Yukiko around the shoulders and began dragging her around the shrine, gesturing to each person. “See Yuki – Mind if I call you Yuki? - that there is Sanya, he’s the big birdie in charge of the shrine. And over there is Ki! They’re a tree spirit, they're really nice! Say hi Ki! Oh, and that’s Haku and Shohei, he’s a water dragon, and Shohei’s kinda icky but he’s alright for a little birdie, plus he has lots of treasure somewhere!” Rika’s tangents were a little strange, but at least she was getting the basic introductions out of the way. Spinning out of her grip of Yukiko, she stopped about a metre away from her, posing in her best cat-girl posture in an attempt to look adorable.

“And this key-yoot~ kitten is Rika Nekonyankoo, at your service! Meow~!” Batting her arms like paws a moment, she let Yukiko comment, getting ready to field any questions she had. If Sanja didn’t eviscerate her in the next few moments for her transgressions.

Nao had been so busy, with her nose basically diving into her lousy phone, she had not noticed the other woman's arrival until her voice sounded: "Ayiyi, are you having trouble with your phone, dear? Reception is really poor out in this little old place sometimes." Nao looked up in surprise, realizing it was an older woman with glasses who looked very friendly... and harmless.. (Thankfully) Very different from the others they'd met in this place.

The woman continued: "Seeing as I don't recognize you, you young folk must be from that one village over yonder, Korembi, am I right? Did you get lost this late at night? Only nocturnal animals and strange people wander around at night so deep in the forest, especially around this old place. Don't worry, though, because this old lady is willing to help. Ayi~, where are my matters? I'm just an old lady who just talks too much. You may call me Chi-Chi, that's what my grandkids called me." She held out her hand as to offer it to Nao and Kyo."And who might you youth be?".

Nao rested her eyes on the woman for a while - traveling from top to toe looking for a tail or ears, studying this "Chi-chi" person, trying to decide wether she was someone to trust or not. Being a bit older and actually looking like an ordinary human being was reassuring. The woman's aura was just screaming "friendly grandma" and Nao relaxed a tiny bit, her shoulders sinking probably an inch. Kyo, who was standing in front of Nao seemed to feel the same - considering how he answered her with their names. It all began so well... Then she heard "dork" followed by "old lady" and blaming the woman to be strange or an animal - Nao just wanted to do a facepalm and roll her eyes, but instead she placed her phone back in the pocket of her dress and cleared her throat while giving Kyo the death stare. "Thank you kindest for introducing me Kyo, minus the d- word of course" her voice was soft and humble, but filled with irony. Nao was not all mad over the rest tho, since she also wondered what kind of people lived out here in this "not so abandoned" village...

Instead of apologizing for his bad manners and step in, Nao stayed where she was. It was kind of nice having Kyo like a "protecting wall" in front of her. Plus, she was not very eager to shake the strangers hand. Instead she did a polite curty bow and smiled towards Chi-chi. "Excuse our manners. Youth this days.. You know.." she mumbled tilting her head slightly to the left. Sure, the lady wanted to help. But how smart was it to go out there in the dark forest with a stranger, even tho she looked like friendly grandma. Just the thought of how dark the forest was right now made her feel a shiver down her spine. Darkness... Her right hand traveled to her pocket just to make sure the flashlight from erlier was still there - and it was. Once again, she was relieved and she raised her gace to watch Kyo and the stranger.

"And im actually agreeing with him. What are you people? And what is this place? The residents we met earlier was... peculiar... indeed. And we thought this village was supposed to be abandoned.." she said, not moving her eyes from the woman.