A Fox's Family (46 page)

“Three.
One of them is Kotohime. I’ve tentatively identified the other
as Kiara F. Kuyo.”

Kotohime
is here?!

Lilian
felt a surge of hope. If Kotohime had come to rescue her, then surely
everything would be alright. No one, not Jiāoào or this
new three-tailed kitsune, could defeat a vixen of Kotohime’s
caliber, especially if Kiara was with her.

“I
see.” Jiāoào grimaced with repressed disdain. “So,
the great Swordswoman of the defunct Slina clan is working with a
dog, is she? That’s fine. I shall have them both dealt with.
Who’s the last one?”

“A
human male around fifteen years of age with blond hair and blue eyes.
It’s the one that I told you about in my report.”

Kevin!

Lilian’s
eyes widened. Kevin was coming to rescue her! Equal amounts of
warmth
and terror filled her chest. Coming here would put him in incredible
peril.

I
have to do something!

“I
see.” Jiāoào’s body went through a series of
shudders. “It seems that Lilian’s toy has come to rescue
her. How amusing.” His cruel chuckle set Lilian’s teeth
rattling. “I shall have to give this boy a warm reception,
then.”

Lilian’s
eyes widened. He couldn’t!

“Ling,
I want you to deal with Kotohime. You don’t need to beat her,
just stall her long enough for me to deal with the human.”

“Yes,
My Lord.”

Ling
left the room, and Jiāoào looked at the redhead by his
feet. “Maddison, tell
Shílì
that I have found a worthy opponent for him.
After
that, you are to guard this door and let no one aside from myself
enter. Fail to do so, and I will ensure that you experience so much
pain and suffering that you’ll wish I had discarded you like
the trash you are.”

“Yes…
Master.”

The
chain was taken off and Maddison was allowed back to her feet. The
redhead sent one last withering glare at Lilian, then marched out of
the room.

Jiāoào
stared at Lilian for several silent seconds before making one last
parting comment. “Enjoy the last few days of your freedom, my
Lilian. Once we leave this Inari-forsaken country, I will take great
pleasure in breaking you.” With that said, he vacated the room
as well, the door behind him closing with a light
click.

The
moment she was alone, Lilian began to struggle against her bonds.

I
have to break free and help Kevin!

***

Kevin
felt his stomach leap into his throat as the car he was in hit a
speed bump and became airborne. Sitting within the driver’s
seat, Kiara laughed like a loon.

“Fear
me road, for I AM YOUR DOOM! Hahahahahaha-BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

They
were traveling down a dirt road. Dust and rocks and the gods only
knew what else were kicked up in their wake. Ever since they had hit
this out-of-the-way desert road, Kiara’s driving had taken a
turn for the insane.

“Now
this is what I’m talking about! WHOOOO!”

“AAAEEEIIIII!”

Kevin
could have sworn he saw his life flash before his eyes as the car
sailed through the air. When they hit the ground again, he nearly bit
the inside of his cheek.

“Kiara-san,
must you drive so recklessly?” Kotohime asked, somehow managing
to remain poised, the perfect picture of calm, despite Kiara’s
driving.

Kiara
sent her foxy friend a fierce grin. Her eyes twinkled with joy,
though Kevin thought insanity was a better term to describe it. “Of
course I do. We’re off road, Kotohime. Off road means no cops,
and no cops means flooring it!”

Kevin
clasped his hands together and started muttering under his breath.
“Our father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. My
Kingdom come. My will be done—”

“Are
you praying?” Kiara asked.

“Yes!
How can I not with the way you’re driving?”

Kiara
merely laughed his words off and stomped on the gas. Kevin shrieked
like a little girl as they bolted further along the road, hitting
bumps and dips, catching air and slamming back down. The tang of
blood filled his mouth as he accidentally bit his tongue. He clenched
his eyes shut, praying to God, Izanagi, Izanami, Inari, Allah, Shiva,
Ifrit, Thor, Odin, and every other god he could think of to make this
crazy woman stop.

“Shit!”

A
curse escaped Kiara’s mouth. Loud squealing reached Kevin’s
ears as he was thrown forward, his face thunking against the front
seat. He knew that was going to leave a rash come tomorrow morning.
The car swerved several times, left and right, left and right.
Kevin’s face turned green as he fought against the breakfast
that threatened to spew from his mouth.

Then
they stopped. Suddenly. Abruptly. And without warning.

Kevin
quickly undid his seatbelt and was just about to bolt out of the car—

“Hold
it, boya.”

—when
Kiara stopped him.

“What?
Why?”

“Because
we have company,” Kotohime answered calmly as she undid her
seatbelt.

Kevin
looked out the front window to see that, yes, there was indeed
someone impeding them from continuing. Her long purple hair, tied
into a ponytail behind her head, flowed gently like streamers caught
in a breeze. Her short-skirted kimono reminded him of Kotohime’s,
except it was all black. He wondered why Kiara hadn’t just run
her over, but then he noticed the three tails waving behind her and
the fox ears that sat twitching on her head.

A
kitsune. Great. This is just what we need.

“I
shall handle this.”

Kevin
felt a jolt of surprise. “Kotohime?”

The
kimono-clad female offered Kevin a conciliatory smile before stepping
out of the car. “You two should go on ahead. I will take care
of this one and then catch up with you.”

Kiara
shrugged and shifted out of neutral. “Alright. I don’t
expect it will take you very long to beat her anyway.”

“Indeed.”

***

As
she closed the passenger door and Kiara took off, the other
kimono-wearing kitsune tried to stop them by shooting a large
cylinder of fire from her tails. It was negated before it could
travel ten feet by the equally large stream of water that Kotohime
launched at it.

Loud
hissing echoed across the desert landscape. Steam billowed outwards
from where the two attacks met, covering the area in a thick, cloying
cloud of evaporated moisture. Kiara used it as a smokescreen, driving
right past the kitsune and bursting out of the cloud. Kotohime could
hear Kevin’s shriek of fear along with Kiara’s laughter
as the car took off down the road.

Ling
made to attack them before they could get too far.

Kotohime
did not let her.

Several
spikes shot up from the ground almost too quickly for the naked eye
to follow. Ling barely avoided the first spike, and only managed to
keep from being impaled by the second by launching herself into the
air. The third spike erupted from the earth right below her, but
Ling’s tails burst into flames and she used them to shatter the
ice crystal.

“
Fire
Art: Fire Tail Whip.”

Ling
landed on the ground several feet away from Kotohime, who smiled
congenially at the woman.

“
Water
Art: Glacial Crystals.
It
is a rather basic technique, I’ll admit, but it gets the job
done.” Her eyes, sharper even than a hawk’s, observed the
kunoichi-garbed woman before her. “I do not believe I’ll
need anything more than basic techniques, not for this battle.”

Ling
frowned and slid into a combat stance, knees bent, center of gravity
lowered, and arms set in front of her in a basic martial arts stance.

“Do
not think defeating me will be that easy just because I am a three
tails,” Ling declared in an emotionless voice. “I assure
you that if you underestimate me, it will be the last mistake you
ever make.”

***

The
house was getting closer. Kevin could make out the more intricate
details as they drove. It was a massive construct, built to the size
of a mansion. It looked like something out of the late Victorian era,
with two spire-like towers standing about three stories high. Red
tiled roofing and brick walls made for a stark contrast with the tan
desert colors surrounding it.

Before
they could go much further, the ground in front of them exploded.
Black flames burst into existence and sought to devour the car. Kevin
had never seen such flames before, and his eyes widened as the dark
fire leapt forward to consume them.

“We’re
gonna die!!”

Kiara
swerved the vehicle, turning hard. They avoided the flames, which
reversed course and continued to follow them until they seemed to
move out of their range.

The
car then skidded to a halt.

A
figure had appeared in front of them.

“Looks
like this is where we start hoofing it. Outta the car, boya.”

Kevin
scrambled out of the car at the same time as Kiara. They walked
towards the person standing before them, wary of potential traps.
None were forthcoming though, and they reached the man soon enough.

Dark
hair descended from his crown to frame an effeminately beautiful face
marred by dark rings surrounding the man’s eyes. His eyes,
which were black enough to make the night jealous, stared at them
politely, but Kevin could practically sense the insanity rolling off
them in waves. He wore a very unusual outfit, black slacks and a
black penguin jacket with a white undershirt. Equally white gloves
covered his hands. He had four tails swaying behind him, making him
the same age as Camellia.

“Is
that a butler’s outfit?” Kevin asked in surprise. It was,
indeed, a butler’s outfit.

“You
must be the one known as Kiara F. Kuyo.” The kitsune gave a
graceful bow at the waist. Kevin felt a drop of sweat trail down his
face. This man definitely acted like a butler. “My name is
Shílì,
however, you may call me the Black Butler.”

“Ugh.”
Kevin felt like vomiting. “That was so lame…”

Shílì’s
eyes widened. “W-what do you mean it’s lame? I’ll
have you know that I spent a lot of time coming up with that
nickname. Hours even.”

“Oh,
please. We both know you stole that name from
Black
Butler
,”
Kevin shot back. “Now stop butchering one of the anime I like
and think up your own dang nickname!”

“Your
words are harsh, young one, but I can see your point. It wouldn’t
be a very good idea for me to so blatantly use the name of an anime
for my nickname. Copyright issues and all that.” He placed a
hand on his chin. “So, then, what should I call myself…”
After mumbling to himself a little more, the black-haired kitsune
nodded. “My new nickname shall be Sebastian Michaelis!”

“That’s
even worse!”

“Ciel
Phantomhive?”

“Not
on your life!”

“… Tanaka?”

“Absolutely
not!”

“Then
what should I call myself?”

“How
about you just call yourself by your own name?” asked an
annoyed Kevin. “You know, that series of letters you were given
upon your birth?”

“Hmm…
yes, yes, I guess I see your point. It would not do to rip off of
another person’s fame. That is, indeed, in very poor taste. And
as my master’s butler, I must keep myself to the highest
standards possible. Very well, then.” Another formal bow. “You
may call me Shílì. I am Master
Jiāoào’s
butler and servant, his sword and his shield, and I have come to
challenge you, Kiara F. Kuyo!”

Seeing
that it was finally her turn to play a part, Kiara looked at the man
pointing a finger at her with amusement. “Oh? You wanna fight
me, huh? I’ll admit, I’m pretty curious to see what sort
of tricks a four-tails has up his sleeve.” She sniffed the air.
“Especially one with the powers of darkness.”

“Noticed
that, did you?”
Shílì
pouted, as if she’d just ruined his big surprise. “I do
not know why I was born with this accursed power, though I shall be
the first to admit that it has come in handy.”

“I’m
just surprised someone like you is willing to serve a brat from the
Great Celestial Clan.”

“A
series of mitigating circumstances led to my fortuitous role as
Master
Jiāoào’s
bodyguard and butler. I will admit, it was very difficult at first,
but I have since come to terms with and learned to enjoy my work.”
A strange gleam entered the butler’s eyes. “I especially
enjoy when it leads me to strong opponents like you.”

“Heh.”
Kiara chuckled and shook her head ruefully. “You really want to
fight me?” A smile grew upon her lips and her eyes gleamed
dangerously in the light. Kevin could feel the air around him become
thick with something frightening. Bile rose up in his throat.

“Indeed
I do.” The kitsune’s smile matched Kiara’s. It
spoke of danger and insanity, of a bloodlust that could only be sated
through brutal combat. “There are few things more enjoyable
than fighting and killing a strong opponent.”

Kiara
slid into a stance that Kevin didn’t recognize. He could see
that it bore a slight resemblance to Muay Thai, but Kiara remained
too light on her feet for it to be that.

“I’m
surprised to hear a kitsune say that.”

“Not
all kitsune go out of their way to avoid a good battle. Some of us
actually enjoy pushing our physical capabilities to the limit.”
Shílì
began bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hands dangling loosely
at his sides. “For me, there is no greater joy than finding the
limits of my strength and overcoming those limits. Pushing my
abilities as far as they can go is my greatest joy and happiness.”

The
air grew thick, and Kevin found it difficult to breathe.

“However,
I’ve not had an opponent who can push me to my utmost limits in
nearly a century.” Shílì lamented, his arms
reaching up to the heavens. He brought them back down and smiled at
Kiara. “I hope very much that you succeed in giving me the
challenge I so crave.”