”So, you were able to escape?”
Yuriko sits down and curls her tail around her paws as she tilts her head sideways.
“Well, he kind of let me go.”
“Nonsense. Why would a bloodsucker do that?”
Yuriko has no answer. She doesn’t know why Shuu let her go but she isn’t going to complain about that.
“Well, all that matters is that you are safe now. Just keep your distance. The bloodsucker isn’t relevant here. It’s more important that we can finally talk, I’ve waited for this so long.”
“It always seemed like you wanted to talk to me…” Yuriko says. It has been years; they have been running through that very same forest over and over again. Always together. She never comes here alone.
“Yeah, but there has been some obstacle in your mind. Like my words didn’t get through at all. Now it’s fading, I don’t know why… and to be honest, I don’t care. What I want is you to help father to open that gate. I can’t do it by myself, nor I can talk to him. His mind is… too human.”
“And mine is not?”
“Yuriko, look at yourself.”
Yuriko does, as she did the last time. She isn’t surprised to see a body of fox, that’s way it has always been in this dream… which probably isn’t a dream at all.
“Dad hasn’t talk anything about a gate…”
“Well, he is nothing but a stupid human, that’s to be expected. I don’t actually care about him. I care about you. I want you.”
“Why?”
“Good grief, you are slow, little sister.”
Yuriko jumps to her paws and stares the other fox whose name is still a mystery to her. Little sister?
“Yuuto?”
“Took you long enough. So, you have figured out my name?”
“It was in mom’s diary. I found it in dad’s study some time ago. She wrote about you, how much she missed you after our grandparents took you away. But I never thought… that you were… a fox.”
Yuuto snorts as if Yuriko has just said something stupid.
“I’m a kitsune, not just a fox. Well, a half kitsune to be exact, because father is nothing but human.”
“So… mom is… a kitsune?”
“Was.”
Something cold flows into Yuriko’s stomach. Past tense. Does that mean…? It can’t mean! She doesn’t want to hear!
“She was a kitsune. She came back for me,” Yuuto continues anyway. “She wanted to take me back to our family but her parents, our grandparents, they punished her. They never accepted the fact she married a human. Before mother… Well, she talked a lot about you, but I had realized years ago there were two of us. Your dreams kind of attracted me.”
“I… can’t… breath… Mom? Is she really…? Not here… anymore…”
“She was a bitch who chose a human and because of her we are nothing but halflings. Hated by our own kind, hated by humans, hated by demons… There really isn’t reason to mourn for her. But if you help father to open that gate, we can be together.”
Yuriko’s home, bedroom
Yuriko gasps as she opens her eyes. The room is dim, almost dark even. She turns to her side and glances the time from her phone. She has slept almost all day and soon she needs to leave for school but right now it feels like the world is ending.
Mother is dead?
She has a brother.
Her brother is a fox, a kitsune.
She is the same.
And mother is dead.
Yuriko: “I hate my life…”
(I need to know more. I don’t know if I can trust Yuuto or even dad for that matter, but they are the only two persons who know something! But dad never talks about mom… or if he does, he just insults her. He’s not going to tell me anything. So… Yuuto is kind of only choice for me.)
Yuriko’s chest hurts as she thinks that her mother might actually be dead. All these years she has thought that mother has left for a good reason and will come back eventually. Well, if Yuuto is telling the truth then mother really did have a reason, but…
(This family is messed up…)
Yuriko falls back to bed and closes her eyes. She pulls blanket over her. She buries her head to the pillow. She tosses, she turns… but it is very obvious she can’t sleep. Her mind is too loud, too occupied with thoughts.
An hour later Yuriko is still awake. She sighs and sits up ruffling her hair. Should she try chamomilla tea or something…?
Or something…
Or something that has worked two times already.
Yuriko jumps from the bed and runs to the bathroom. She is ready for school in ten minutes, doesn’t bother eating anything before running out from apartment and all the way to the school. She doesn’t stop until she is on the door of their classroom.
Teacher: “Nice to see you are enthusiastic today.”
Yuriko doesn’t even bother to glance the teacher. She stares the empty seat next to her desk.
(No! No! No! Why isn’t he here?! He was here yesterday!)
Teacher: “We are starting. Take your seats.”
Yuriko wanders to her desk and slumps into her seat. The math lesson hasn’t ever been longer than now. She doodles on her notebook. She needs to get out of this classroom and find Shuu. But how? She has met him in storeroom and in the library… Could he be in one of those places again?
(Maybe I should ask from someone…)
Yuriko’s gaze travels through the classroom. She notices the other blue eyes which glances her way, but she turns her head quickly. Shuu never talks with the Mukamis anyway. But there is someone, someone from his family.
That Reiji Sakamaki. He is probably a vampire too, but he has always been polite. Distant but polite, so he might be safer choice than Shuu’s other brothers.
(I’ll ask him when this math class is over.)
It takes forever but finally the class is over. Yuriko rushes from her desk and stops next to Reiji’s. Her heart is beating loudly, and she can’t help but wonder if he is able to hear it. Either way she has no other choice than ask…
Yuriko: “Umm… Reiji-san?”
Reiji: “Yes?”
(His voice is so… cold, but I need to…)
Yuriko: “Did Shuu-san come to school tonight?”
Something in Reiji’s expression changes, only a little, but Yuriko notices it. There is tightness on his temples.
Reiji: “As far as I know he did but it is to be expected that good for nothing does not show up in the class. Why? If it is about the school, you are better away to ask me.”
(Well… I could ask him to… NO WAY! If it needs to be done, I want it to be Shuu-san.)
Yuriko: “Eh, thank you, Reiji-san. But I really need to find Shuu-san.”
Reiji glances Yuriko over his glasses. Something in his smirk is really frightening, and Yuriko sees a flash of his fangs. A vampire indeed.
Reiji: “I’m sure I can help you better than him. Trust me, you don’t want to waste your time with him.”
(Oh my gosh! This is like Laito-kun all over again! If I allow Reiji-san to take me anywhere, I’m sure he will try to… Well, that’s what I actually might need to do to see Yuuto again, but there is no way I let Reiji-san… eeeehhh!)
Yuriko backs up.
Yuriko: “Thank you but no. I think I go… to the… somewhere. See you later, Reiji-san.”
Yuriko turns around and escapes from the classroom. It seems that she doesn’t have any other choice than look around for Shuu. She visits the library and the storeroom, but he is nowhere to be found.
Suddenly Yuriko sees a blond girl who is talking with some girls from second year.
(Komori-san? She dragged Shuu-san to the classroom on my first day. Maybe she knows where he is!)
Yuriko walks to Komori and other girls. She swallows before opening her mouth. Why is this so hard?
Yuriko: “Um, Komori-san? Do you happen to know where… ummmhh… Shuu-san is?”
The blond girl turns and smiles broadly, but Yuriko’s gaze glues to her neck. They are barely visible but there are bite marks. So, she also has experienced her fate. Was it Shuu who bit her too? Yuriko nibbles her lower lip as the unpleasant feeling of coldness hits her chest. She shouldn’t care even if Shuu spent all his time biting this girl. It’s none of Yuriko’s business.
Komori: “Yuriko-senpai, wasn’t it? I heard Laito-kun talking about you last night…”
(Eeh? Really?)
Yuriko: “I see. But do you know, where Shuu-san is?”
Komori smiles to her again.
Komori: “Actually I do… not that it’s a good thing. I saw him slipping to the broadcasting room. There isn’t broadcasts tonight, so… he probably figured he could nap there whole night. If you need him for a school project, you should look for there.”
Yuriko: “Thank you, Komori-san! You are a lifesaver!”
Komori: “You can call me Yui. I hope you’ll find him. Tell him to go to his classes!”
(No way!)
Yuriko: “Sure, I’ll do that! Thank you again, Yui-san! See you later!”
Yuriko walks as quickly as she can. To the broadcasting room. She surely hopes she’ll find Shuu there.
