Kumiko : Hope you all are fine.

Me : (without answering her question) What happened to you sensei?

Kumiko : (tilts head) What do you mean? 😕

Me : You look so different....

Both of boys stood there confused. 😕❓

Kumiko : Oh... You mean this?

Jotaro : We should get inside first... I think there is more questions than about just your appearance.

Kumiko : Right.

She entered the house. As we followed her. Mahiro gave a serious look.

Me : (thinking) I guess he is wondering what he is doing among yokais. 😶

Sensei sits down on her knees and points at the three Japanese cushions set in front of her and tells us to sit down. As we take our respective seats she serves us some green tea🍵.

Mahiro : (looks at her annoyed) I don't think it's a good time to sit around and drink tea.

Kumiko : (sips some tea before continuing) You're right... But sometimes you need to relax...(looks out of the window) and with all those injuries you should relax instead of getting hyper.

Mahiro rubs the blood off from his lips. Then looks away... There was a suppressed anger in his eyes 👀. His whole body was having cuts marks made from swords. His clothes tear open showing his sexy abs.... I kinda gazed at them blushing to Jotaro's great annoyance.

Jotaro : (coughs) Um... So well... Let's continue with the main business....

Me : Y-Yea....

Kumiko : Hmm.... So from where to start?....

Me : Um... Your appearance?....

Kumiko : Oh.. This?... I broke the contract of being a familiar. Now am a full yokai again 😌.

Me : Really?! 😮😮

Wow! Sensei is back to her formal self! ⭐_⭐ Maybe we have already won the war! The great yokai killer 🔪.

Kumiko : Don't be so excited about it. She is out of my league.

Me : What are you saying?! 😱

Kumiko : It's true....

Jotaro : Damn! Even Chiharu is at her side!

Me : I-I never realized that she is a Yokai.

Mahiro : If only I knew before! (makes a fist) That damn Nekomata!

Me : Nekomata....Neko.... Mata.... Wait.... I thought you were the last one left of that clan. (looks at sensei)

Kumiko : (a serious expression covers her face) Was.... Until.... I gave birth...

Me : Birth?.... What do you mean?.....

Mahiro : Of course she means that Chiharu is her daughter 😒. Can't you even get that simple thing? 😑

Me : Hai hai 😅.... Wait what?!! 😱😱

Kumiko : Yes... That's true....

Jotaro : But how?!

Me : And even if it's true... Then why you hid it untill now?? (Standing up)

Kumiko : Calm down.... It's.... Cause.... I thought she died.....

Me : What? (Confused)

Kumiko : Listen very carefully...

100 years ago....

Kumiko : No!!!

She continues searching through the burned down shrine.

Kumiko : M-My baby! (Teary eyes)

A clap 👏 is heard right behind her. She looks at her angrily. Kyuubi laughs a bit and starts walking towards her.

Kumiko : (stands holding her Kanata in with both her hands) How dare you Michiko?!!! You killed my daughter!! The last symbol of my love....

Michiko : (lifting her tails) That human huh. They're just foods. (Licks lips) Weaklings.

Kumiko : You betrayed me as a friend! You have no rights to be alive!

Michiko : I love the anger in your eyes.

Sensei charges towards her blood coming out from her previous injuries. Her breathe becomes heavy when Michiko catches hold of her by her cheeks and smirked. She lifts sensei up in the air. Her kanata lay broken. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. Even sensei couldn't understand how it happened.

Michiko : You have turned out to be so weak after you started serving those pathetic beings.

Kumiko : Y-You're...a monster....I thought we both....vowed... To save them....

Michiko : Yea... Save them....(evil laugh) Cause they can't save themselves!!

She uses the nine swords to cut through sensei's flesh at several places. Blood starts coming out from those places. She glared but kept quiet 🙊. To save her energy.

Michiko : You married one those... And gave birth to a curse. I won't kill you. You will live and everyday would be hell for you!

Throwing her at some distance she wipes off the blood. But before walking off she stopped and turned.

Michiko : It was satisfying to kill that infant. (smirks) Hope you learned your lessons.

Sensei's eyes were blurry. She sees Michiko swinging her tails and laughing before loosing her conscious.

Present day...

Kumiko : After that.. I rebuilt the shrine.... And since then am living all alone... That was the last time I saw Fujiko.... When you mentioned about a kyuubi I knew it was her.... But looks like my daughter is alive....

There was a long silence after that... None of us could muster up enough courage to say something... Nor did we find anything to say... I felt dizzy... And sick... Breathing out a little I finally broke the silence...

Me : I think.... We all are hungry😣🍕... Let me cook something... And Mahiro... Please take care of your wounds....

Mahiro : It's not a big deal.

Jotaro : Show off 😒.

Ignoring his comments Mahiro takes out a long white sheet of paper and writes something in Japanese inscriptions with black ink and holds it in between his two fingers and chants something. The paper disappear creating a white light and his injuries gets healed.

Me : Amazing. (I was watching it amazed)

Jotaro : Nothing special. Anyone can do it.

Me : Can you? (looks at Jotaro)

Jotaro : I-I.... Um....

Mahiro : Don't even try... It would burn you.

Jotaro : Tch!

Me : Don't even start. (walking towards kitchen) I think I should make some sushi 🍱🍣🍤.

Few hours later I came out with two plates filled with sushis and placed it in front of them.

Together : Bon Appetit!!!

Taking sushi in our hands we start eating.

My eyes got distracted by Mahiro. He is a messy eater. His cheek and hand got covered in rice. Putting the side of his thumb in his mouth he starts licking it. His eyes are looking out of the window.

Me : Um.... Mahiro.. (I tried to bring disgust in my voice)

Mahiro : (face full of rice) Yea?

Me : Um... (points at the rice stick on his cheek) Remove it....

Mahiro : I don't get it.

Me : Are you dumb?

Mahiro : Whatever.

I didn't feel like arguing with him. So I dragged myself towards him and sits in front of him.... Taking my face near him.. I start removing those pieces of rice from his cheek with my hand... He tries to move his head away in embarrassment.... Using my left hand I hold him by his chin and made him look at me as I continued removing them with my right hand... Our eyes met...I even could hear his breathe.....My heart started beating faster. A small blush came over my face.

Jotaro : What's cooking? (He looked jealous)

Coming back to my senses I came away from him.

Me : N-Nothing.

Mahiro : (wiping his face off) Thanks.

Kumiko : So cute 😊.

Me : S-Sensei!

Kumiko : Wha.... (she raises up alarmed) Shhh......

Me : What happened?... (in a low voice)

Mahiro : She is here.

Jotaro : Damn! Get out of here!!

Kumiko : No time! Lay down!!

As we laid down.The whole house breaks down on us. Pushing the away ruins that fell on top of us we came out of the no-longer-a-house.

Kumiko : Is everyone alright?

We looked at each other our faces and body was filled with dust. Even little injuries were also there. But we nod telling her we were alright.

We heard a faint footsteps 👣 and looked at that direction. They were standing right in front of us... Don't know why... But for the first time my blood boiled with anger instead of getting scared. I caught hold of Jotaro's hand who starts blushing.... I guess he got me wrong.

Me : Jotaro... Turn back to a sword... I need you....

Jotaro : Anything for you.

Turns into shark sword. I rolled my eyes taking him into my hand.

Michiko : Meeting you after a long time Kumiko.

Chiharu : (bows) Let me take care of that woman...

Michiko : Go ahead.

Before she could attack sensei. I came in front of her. Changing my from to Nure-Onna I glared at her with my snake-like eyes and hisses.

Me : Not so fast!

Chiharu : Very well. Fighting against best friend would be more thrilling. (Her claws grow)

Me : Don't even dare to call me that!

As my sword and her claws strike against each other... Sensei and Mahiro took care of Kyuubi.

The sun started setting.... We have been fighting for hours now... From the looks of it... Kyuubi is not even taking it seriously. Both of us pants. Sweat drops are seen on our foreheads.... Our energy is going down. Chiharu is getting tired so am I... Something strike my head.

Me : Why?.... Why are you on her side?..... Why you hate sensei?.....

Chiharu : You asking why?!! Cause she left me!!! To die! I hate her! She!!...

Me : Wait she left you to die?! Are you a nuisance?? She tried to save you.... But....

Chiharu : But what huh?! You think you will lie to me and I will believe you!!

Me : No... It's the truth... Kyuubi tried to kill you.... Sensei still loves you more than anything....

Chiharu : (stepping back) No... It's a lie.... I-I don't believe you....

Me : Believe me or don't believe me... The reality won't change.

Chiharu : (teary eyes) You mean mom... Loves me?.... And I hated her for no reason?....

Me : Yea (putting my sword in it's place)

Chiharu : Akari am So.... Arg!!! (blood comes out of her mouth)

Kyuubi who was in her full Yokai form used three of her swords to stab Chiharu from the side. She uses her fox fire to attack me.... But in the nick of the time Chiharu pushes me away using her last bit of strength burning herself. Sensei came running towards her picking up her body on her lap sitting down she starts crying.

Kumiko : Chiharu!!! No!!

My eyes were moist as I couldn't understand what should I do now. I felt like killing that bitch.

Michiko : Pathetic... Anyways she was useless... Soon my child will take birth...

Me : I will kill you!!

Saying this is charged towards her with my sword. But something weird happened... She circles her hand in the air making a magic portal appear... The air in that place chances... Something starts sucking me inside the hole as I disappeared into the darkness of the portal.

Mahiro : Akari!

He comes after me only to get sucked inside it! The portal disappeared along us in the thin air.....Kyuubi's evil laughter covered the place....

To be continued......