Mountains loomed in the distance, ending in fields. The smell of salt flowed through the air as the bus got closer and closer to the beach. Haru sat with Keiko next to him and in the seat facing them was a tall woman who was glaring at him.

            “Oba-san, are you doing okay?” Haru asked.

            She said, “Don’t call me that. I know you’re here to steal my man.”

            “W-What?” he blinked. “You mean Date-san?”

            “You’re darn right I do. You’re trying to take him from me.”

            Haru pointed out, “I’m also a man, and I have a girlfriend.”

            “Don’t think I’m naïve,” ‘oba-san’ stated. “I know all about you bisexuals.”

            ‘Date-san’ sighed, “He’s not bisexual, just a misogynist.”

            “I told you idiots about the curse,” Erik muttered under his breath as he bashed his head against the bus’ wall.

            “Well, he isn’t sleeping in the same room as Be…” she caught herself when she was about to say his real name. “…shujin.”

            The viking vampire said, “Don’t worry. There’s rooms for everyone.”

            In front of them, a boy sat writing on hanafuda paper. His eyes glanced back at Haru as suspicion crossed his face.

            “A dangerous yokai with his servants…he’s no doubt planning something, perhaps teaming up with the others? In that case, this may be an even more dangerous mission,” the boy thought.

While a cool ocean breeze flowed through the air, it wasn’t enough. The midday sun had come up, and there was no shelter from it. Keiko wiped the sweat off her forehead.

            “It really is hot out here. I’m honestly glad we went to the beach. I’d probably be stuck inside otherwise,” she said.

            Haru replied, “And you don’t want to be around your family too much.”

            “Yes. I’d have to stay at their house or yours, and neither of those are good options.”

            “I don’t want you to be around grandmother either.”

            “So, where’s the beach house?” Hisa looked around. “I want to see where we’ll be staying this week.”

            Erik ushered them forward, “It’s this way. Follow me.”

They arrived at a large house with wooden boards covering most of it. The areas that weren’t covered looked normal.

            Keiko said, “This must have been a pretty cheap house.”

            “It wasn’t, it was really expensive,” Erik replied.

            “How? It looks like it was condemned.”

            “It’s simple,” the vampire explained. “You see, most of the walls were made of glass. I didn’t want people to have that big a view of what we were doing, so I boarded them up.”

            “Couldn’t you have just bought a house that didn’t have big windows?” Haru asked.

            He answered, “I could have, but those houses were all smaller. This was the easier option. Now, come on inside.”

            The interior of the house was well lit from numerous lights in the ceiling. Its floors were covered in tatami mats, and various paintings covered the walls. Many of them showed large, flowing waves while others had images of longships on them. There was one that showed a dragon with feathered wings gnawing on the roots of a massive tree.

            “This is a pretty nice place,” Hisa said.

            Oba-san smiled, “I picked out the Japanese pictures myself. Master Erik chose the rest of them.”

            “We should rest for now. We’re going out tonight,” Erik spoke. “Beauregard, Lenora, prepare the weapons. You should sleep for…”

            Hisa exclaimed, “Screw that! I’m totally going to the beach! Come on, sis, let’s get in our swimsuits. I know your boyfriend wants to see you in it.”

            She grabbed Keiko and yanked her into a nearby room. Erik groaned.

            He spoke, “I pity the onmyoji who have to deal with kitsune on a regular basis.”

            “I don’t think we’ll be able to convince her to stay,” worry flashed through Haru. “Do you think they’ll be attacked?”

            “It’s possible, but unlikely. Still, you should go with them. I have preparations to make for tonight.”

Keiko walked out of the room she and Hisa were in with a towel around her body. Hisa walked out as well. Her bikini showed off her body to its fullest, and there was a wide-brimmed hat around her head. The kitsune’s tail was gone.

            Lenora noticed it, “Where did your tail go?”

            “It was too noticeable, so I changed my disguise,” Hisa said. “My ears are now fox ears. I’m hiding them with my hat.”

            She turned to Keiko, “Now, get out of that towel! Show them all your looks! I mean, you even made sure to change behind me.”

            “No. I want Haru-kun to be the first one to see me in my swimsuit,” Keiko stated.

            A massive blush grew over Haru’s face, “Oh, well, thanks, Keiko-chan.”

            “You’re going to the beach with them, so you might as well get changed too,” Erik told him.

            “Alright,” Haru nodded. “Keiko-chan, stand outside that room. I’ll change in there. We’ll see each other’s swimsuits before anyone else.”

Soon, Haru and Keiko were in front of each other. The former was wearing swim trunks while the latter was wearing a one-piece swimsuit. Still, there was something about this that surprised them both.

            Keiko said, “You have muscles. I didn’t expect that.”

            Small, athletic muscles covered Haru’s body. It wasn’t much, but it was there.

            “I jog a lot, and I have gym class too. Grandmother makes me run through the woods in particular,” he replied.

            She smiled, “Well, I like it.”

            “Oh, thanks. Still, your muscles surprised me. I expected you to have some with your training, but that’s more than I thought there would be,” Haru stated.

            Her body was full of athletic muscles. Keiko’s arms in particular were strong, honed from years of training with boken and heavy kanabo. They weren’t massive, but a warrior’s build.

            “They aren’t an attractive part of me,” Keiko sighed. “I don’t look much like a woman with them. Honestly, I’d understand it if you were disgusted by me.”

            “Keiko-chan, you look plenty like a woman. There are female MMA fighters with more muscles than you,” Haru grabbed her shoulders. “And it isn’t a bad thing. It just means that you’re fit, and fit women are very attractive!”

            “Umm…thanks, Haru-kun,” a blush crossed her face.

            “You’re welcome, Keiko-chan.”

            Keiko said, “There’s still something I don’t understand. I’m much stronger than I used to be since my supernatural powers are coming in, but my muscles are the same size as before.”

            Haru explained, “That’s because your new strength is magical in nature. Erik and his vampires all have super-strength, but none of them will have more muscles than a normal human. Still, it’s possible that you’ll get more muscles depending on what supernatural being’s blood flows through your veins.”

            “I hope I don’t,” she stated. “I like doing some physical things, but I want to feel like a woman more often. I’m really happy that you accept me and that you like my muscles; however, that doesn’t change that I want to be more of a woman. I’ve never even noticed that I felt this way before, not until you noticed my muscles.”

            “You don’t need to worry about that, Keiko-chan,” Haru smiled. “I’ll make sure you feel like the greatest woman in the world.”

Erik stood on a path overlooking the city. He took a deep breath. Bushes lined its sides as the noise of traffic hummed in the distance. The afternoon sun shined over their heads. Haru and Keiko were in front of him.

            “I’m going to need your help,” Erik said. “On Spring break, I want you two to go with me to the beach outside of Okano city.”

            “A beach!” a fox jumped out of the bushes and took a human form. “We’re totally going on a beach trip!”

            “What? Who the Hel are you?” Erik asked.

            Keiko answered, “This is Hisa. She’s a kitsune and a friend of mine.”

            “And we’re hella going on a beach vacation. I’ve totally loved beaches since I accidentally boarded a ship that took me to California,” Hisa smiled.

            Erik groaned, “This isn’t a vacation, it’s a dangerous mission! I wouldn’t even bring along Keiko if she wasn’t some sort of supernatural creature.”

            “Grandmother doesn’t mind where I go,” Haru noted. “So, I’ll be able to help.”

            “And my family will be happy for me to be gone for a week,” Keiko stated.

            Her boyfriend said, “Keiko-chan, I don’t think you should go. You’ve been in enough danger already.”

            “Will this be more dangerous than Baba Yaga?” she asked.

            Haru answered, “Almost nothing is more dangerous than grandmother.”

            “Then I can handle it. I’m going,” Keiko decided.

            “Good,” Erik nodded. “We’re killing a bunch of draugr.”

            Hisa said, “Draugr? I’ve never heard of those before.”

            “There’s a reason for that. They’re a type of undead from my homeland of Scandinavia. Draugr are only found there since they never leave their cairns, being entities that guard them,” he explained.

            Haru asked, “Do you think a necromancer could be controlling them?”

            “Possible, but unlikely,” Erik answered. “Draugr are sentient undead. They are compelled by their nature; however, sentient undead can’t be controlled by necromancers. Well, except for ghosts.”

            “Why are ghosts an exception?” Keiko wondered.

            “It’s because of their material,” Haru explained. “They’re pure souls outside of the afterlife. That makes them weaker than things of flesh in the world of the living. Even grandmother can control them, and she’s not a necromancer.”

            Hisa said, “So, we’re going on a beach vacation where we get to beat up some undead? Best. Vacation. Ever.”

            Erik smiled, “I have to agree with you on that. It’s been far too long since I’ve had real battle; however, killing them isn’t our biggest priority. We need to figure out what they’re doing in Japan. Yokai have been sighted, so they could be part of an even bigger threat.”

            “Will we be staying at any particular place?” Haru asked.

            “We’re staying at my beach house,” the vampire answered.

            Keiko spoke, “You have a beach house?”

            “Not there, so I’m buying one,” he replied.

            “You have the money to casually buy a beach house?”

            “Of course I do. I’ve had hundreds of years to build up my wealth, and selling some useless book that I raided from a monastery in the 800s and 900s will get me more money now than then.”

            Haru said, “If you have so much money, couldn’t you go to a private school or something?”

            “It’s all the same to me,” Erik said. “I’m just doing this because I was turned when I was a teenager. I’ve memorized most of what we’re taught long ago.”

            He then turned and walked away, “Prepare yourselves. Keiko, Hisa, I’ll bring weapons if you don’t have any. They can be difficult to transport with Japan’s laws, but I have more connections than you do.”

            The week ended and Spring break came. Haru waited by a curb with Keiko and Hisa.

            “Yes!” the kitsune smiled. “I can’t wait for this hella awesome vacation!”

            Keiko replied, “Erik told us this isn’t really a vacation.”

            “It’s close enough, right?”

            “Well, I have magical ingredients and beach shorts with me,” Haru spoke. “Did you two bring anything?”

            Hisa said, “I brought beach clothes too, and…that’s about it.”

            “I have my kanabo,” Keiko stated. “Erik’s probably bringing swords, but I wanted to bring a weapon of my own.”

            She showed them the box with the kanabo inside of it before continuing to speak, “I figured out that you could store other things in there too, so I put a bunch of sunscreen and other beach supplies there. The box doesn’t have unlimited space, so it’s pretty packed at this point, but it reduces the weight.”

            “Let me see,” Hisa grabbed the box, only to fall to the ground.

            “It’s…so…heavy.”

            Keiko picked it up, “Are you alright?”

            “Yeah, I am,” the kitsune replied. “Man, I don’t know how you can lift it like that.”

            “Can I try to lift it, Keiko?” Haru asked.

            She answered, “Sure.”

            He took the box and with great effort lifted it.

            “This is pretty heavy…I don’t doubt that your training made you stronger than me, but there’s no way it can be easy for you to lift this.”

            “It is,” Keiko took the box.

            Haru said, “Then this might be your supernatural powers starting to manifest.

            “My powers…that sounds good, but will it affect my personality? Will I be able to keep my humanity?”

            “You should be. Having these powers won’t change who you are. It isn’t like vampires who get personality changes when they turn.”

            Erik arrived and spoke, “Our personalities don’t innately change when we turn. Only those of us who are weak are affected mentally by vampirism, and that can be stopped with proper preparation and mentoring.”

            “And half-humans don’t get their personalities changed by their powers?” Keiko asked.

            He answered, “Not unless they let it get to their heads and become arrogant. Now, are you all ready to leave?”

            “I’m totally ready for this beach vacation,” Hisa smiled.

            “The rest of us are too,” Haru added.

            “Good,” Erik spoke. “We’re taking a bus there to avoid attracting attention. My subordinates are already on the bus. As far as most people are concerned, they are my parents. So, call me Kenji or Date-kun, the man Date-san, and the woman oba-san. And…be ready for them.”

            Keiko said, “What do you mean by that?”

            “They’re a pair of idiots,” he told her. “I turned them into vampires when I started to realize that I would have to get two people to pretend to be my parents. I chose them because you’d have to be an easily manipulated idiot to willingly pretend to be your boss’ parents until Ragnarok or forever. It was a necessary decision, but one that I’ve regretted numerous times.”

            She sighed, “This is going to be troublesome, isn’t it?”

            The vampire nodded, “Yes. I doubt they’ll accept Haru even though I’ve told them about the curse.”

            “’Fucking great,” Haru groaned. “As if I wouldn’t have to deal with enough people already.”

            “Well, I’ve arranged for weapons to be stored at my beach house if you need them,” Erik focused his attention on Hisa. “I’d recommend a spear or, if not, some sort of club and a shield.”

            “What about a gun?” the kitsune asked.

            “Too loud and risky for our operation with Japanese law. Besides, guns don’t allow you to take advantage of supernatural strength and you need a big gun to do anything to undead,” he answered.

            Haru said, “Is that everything we have to go over?”

            Erik replied, “Yes, it is.”

            “Then let’s get going!” Hisa spoke. “Show us to the bus! A beach vacation where we get to fight undead sounds hella awesome!”

A storm brewed over the sea. Waves racked jagged rocks as a menagerie of maniacal monsters gathered on them. One of them, a serpent with a woman’s head, a nure onna, spoke.

            “My friends! We have gathered here today to discuss the overthrow of humanity!”

            There was no response, just the crashing of waves and the thunder of lightning.

            She shouted, “MY FRIENDS! WE HAVE GATHERED HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS THE OVERTHROW OF HUMANITY!”

            “What?” a woman, dripping with water, replied.

            The snake woman repeated it, louder this time.

            Another yokai said, “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? I can’t hear you.”

            “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” she shouted, having the same problem.

            “I THINK THE STORM’S TOO LOUD!” a massive, dark, monk-like creature managed to shout over the weather. “WHY DID WE DECIDE TO MEET IN THIS STORM?”

            “BECAUSE IT WAS DRAMATIC!” the snake woman shouted.

            A watery woman replied, “What did you say?”

            “FORGET THIS! WE’LL MEET AGAIN LATER!”

            “What?”

The next day, the group of yokai met on the beach. Violin music floated through the air.

            “There,” the snake woman said. “This is much better.”

            “Yeah, we can actually hear you, Sadako,” one of them agreed.

            “Now, we are here to discuss the overthrow of humanity!” she stated.

            “Yes! We shall get our revenge on the humans!” the monk-like figure, an umi bozu, spoke. “But how? There are billions of humans and not many of us.”

            Sadako smiled, “It’s simple, really. We attack humanity and gather more yokai as we do. We get more and more momentum until we outnumber them. Then we take over Japan! That way, we can avoid facing billions and instead only fight millions!”

            “That’s still a lot,” a watery woman, an iso onna, pointed out.

            She said, “Perhaps, but we have abilities they don’t. When we get a hold of some of the advanced human weapons, they won’t stand a chance!”

            A kappa smiled, “Yeah! We’ll show those humans!”

            “We’ll get their livers and eat them all!” another kappa spoke.

            “And what of the onmyoji? They are still a threat to us,” the iso onna stated.

            “They are a danger,” Sadako agreed. “However, have you heard of an invasive species?”

            There was silence.

            She explained, “When a new species comes to an area where they weren’t previously, they are unstoppable. Nothing there knows how to deal with them, and they are able to triumph. Onmyoji are trained for dealing with yokai, but not monsters outside of Japan!”

            “Then why attack Japan at all?” the iso onna questioned. “Why not attack some place without yokai where they won’t know how to deal with us?”

            Sadako said, “Because shut up and do what I say.”

            Hatred flashed through her as she was questioned. This was her conquest, dammit, not theirs! Sadako had no intention of letting anyone steal her glory or jeopardize the invasion’s order.

            “So, we should make an alliance with monsters outside of Japan?” the umi bozu asked.

            “Yes,” Sadako answered. “And in fact, I’m ahead of the game. Introduce yourself.”

            The violin music stopped. A man who had handsome inhuman features, long water-logged hair, green so dark it was almost black, and was clad in a leather jacket, leather pants, and a white button-up shirt stepped out from behind a rock. He strummed his violin again, and the female yokai turned to him with intrigue.

            He smiled, “I am Alver, a nokken from Denmark. I lure humans to their death by drowning them in lakes.”

            “Oh, you’ll fit right in with us ayakashi, handsome,” the iso onna stated.

            Sadako glared at her but said nothing.

            ‘If anyone’s having that handsome man, it’s me,’ she thought.

            Alver said, “It’s nice to meet you all. I too have a grudge against humans and wish to overthrow them.”

            A kawahime asked, “Whatever could they have done to you?”

            “My story is a sordid one,” Alver sighed. “Centuries ago, nay, over a millennia, I lived in Denmark. There, a woman caught my eye. Sadly, she was a cruel mistress and refused to come to me.”

            “You poor thing,” Sadako tried to get his attention. “Any woman who would refuse you is no doubt cruel.”

            “Indeed she was. She called upon a man from her village, who sought to kill me. I fled into the water, but he pursued.”

            “Oh, and that must have been hilarious,” the iso onna smirked. “You no doubt triumphed over him. A human can never beat an ayakashi or anything like us underwater!”

            Alver sighed, “If only that were so. He possessed strength beyond that of a human. At times, I suspected that he was really a vampire. It would have made my defeat less humiliating. I was dragged out of the water and put on display. They were to execute me before the whole village. I narrowly managed to escape certain death.”

            “When we’re done with Japan, Denmark is next! We will avenge your defeat!” Sadako declared.

            The kawahime said, “Yes! The humans will suffer for this!”

            “Indeed they will,” Alver strummed his violin. “And I have allies too.”

            Several husks of men left the water. These creatures were blue as death, reeking of decay and swollen to the size of an ox. Long claws hung from their fingers, once fingernails that mutated as undeath took them.

            Sadako smiled. The humans wouldn’t stand a chance with these things by their side.

Erik Egilson stepped inside his house. He plopped some of his homework down on a table and groaned.

            Lenora walked over to him, “Master Erik, how was school today?”

            “As boring and annoying as ever,” he sighed.

            “I bet you’re looking forward to Spring break!” she said.

            Erik nodded, “Yes, I am. I can stay inside and play video games all day. There’s a new viking game out. I’m looking forward to playing it.”

            “That sounds fun! You love those games so much.”

            “Even the least accurate of them are nostalgic,” the head vampire stated.

            “Well, I hope you have fun with it.” Lenora spoke, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to cleaning.”

            He sighed, “Not this again. The house is spotless.”

            “Yes, but you can never be too clean.”

            “I suppose not, but you are a vampire, not a slave. Don’t embarrass me if someone comes in,” Erik ordered.

            “Oh, don’t worry. They’d barely notice that I’m there.”

            He wanted to bash his head against the wall.

            “Master Erik,” Beauregard’s voice called out from a room. “You should see this.”

Erik went inside. Beauregard was sitting at a computer.

            “What is it? Did the humans do something?” the head vampire wondered.

            Beauregard replied, “No, it isn’t about them. Something weird’s going on by the sea. I think some yokai are up to something.”

            “Yokai are always up to something. Let the onmyoji handle it. It’s their job,” Erik shrugged.

            “I think there’s more than just yokai there. Take a look at this,” he pulled up an article and got off the chair.

            Erik sat down and looked at the article. He focused as he read it and absorbed the details. Confusion overtook his face.

            “Master Erik, is something wrong?” Beauregard asked.

            He said, “What the fuck are draugr doing in Japan?”

Akechi Jubei stood outside Yoko Oni high school with the morning sun to his back. He tapped his foot as his patience drained away. A black cat ran out of the school and passed by him. Soon after, Haru walked inside the gate with Keiko by his side.

            “You’ve finally showed up,” Akechi said.

            Haru asked, “I’m not late for classes, so why do you care?”

            “Because I wanted to talk to you. I expected you to show up at your usual time and you didn’t. Therefore, you are late,” he answered.

            “Just tell me what you want to say.”

            Akechi stated, “I’m giving you one last chance. Break up with Keiko now.”

            “Go fuck yourself,” Haru replied.

            “Then break up with him, Keiko,” Akechi turned to her. “Think about the school’s reputation and your own.”

            “You know my answer already,” Keiko said. “We’re not backing down from this.”

            “Very well, then. I hate that it’s come to this,” he sighed.

            Akechi punched himself in the face. A black welt covered his eye.

            Haru was shocked, “What the hell are you doing?”

            “My other plans are taking too long, so I’ll take matters in my own hands. If you beat me up, then you’ll get expelled for sure!” he slammed his own fist into his gut.

            Before Akechi could strike himself again, Keiko grabbed his arm.

            She said, “This is insane! You hate Haru-kun that much?”

            “It isn’t an issue of hatred,” Akechi spoke. “Image is everything, and the group is everything. Truth, justice, the individual, none of that matters. After all, aren’t people cheered for sacrificing themselves for the group?”

            “They aren’t dragging innocent people into their sacrifice when they do that,” Keiko stated.

            “Who cares if they are or aren’t? If people think that the person is guilty, the same thing is accomplished by them being sacrificed as if they are actually guilty.”

            “Akechi,” Haru glared. “Maybe I really will kick your ass?”

            “What? Why?” shock and confusion overcame him.

            “If I’m going to get expelled for because you lied, I might as well actually do what you accused me of. That way, I’ll at least get to really make you pay for it.”

            “Well, that’s good for me. It saves me the trouble,” Akechi smirked.

            Keiko asked, “What are you doing, Haru-kun?”

            “Trust me, Keiko-chan,” he told her. “Akechi, you said that you’d sacrifice yourself for the school, but what are you doing? You’re giving yourself a black eye and a few bruises. Do you know what I’d do to you?”

            A hint of fear crossed into Akechi’s voice, “What would you do?”

            “Broken legs, broken arms, pain for days. You’ll suffer. Are you willing to go through that?”

            “I’ll…I’ll let you off easy this time,” Akechi turned to the school. “I’ll say that I fell down some stairs.”

            When he was gone, Keiko asked, “How did you know he’d back down?”

            “Because he isn’t doing this for the school, even if he says he does. Akechi’s doing this for his own ego. The school looking good makes him look good. I’m surprised he was willing to hurt himself for it at all,” Haru explained. “Now come on, we have a job to do.”

Akechi Jubei stormed through the school.

            “Dammit,” he said. “Even if I report him now, he’ll probably attack me. Or was he bluffing? No, I’m not going to risk it.”

            Moving towards his first class, Jubei saw that the door was closed and…the handle was gone.

            “What the hell?” confusion flowed through him.

            Jubei pushed on the door; however, it wouldn’t open. He pushed on it harder. It still wouldn’t budge.

            “Dammit, how am I supposed to get to class?” rage welled in Akechi’s body. “First, that damn Haru and now this.”

            Looking around, Jubei saw that a crowd had gathered. They were looking at the door and wondering where the handle went. As he marched to the teachers’ lounge, he caught a glimpse of red fur, but dismissed it as cosplay of some sort. The group of students followed him, wanting to find out about the handle too.

            Akechi opened the door, only for a bucket of honey to fall down on him. He jumped back to avoid it. A sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere. It hit the honey and blew it onto Jubei. His entire body was coated in the sticky liquid.

            The students around him started laughing. Jubei’s cheeks turned bright red. Then a barking noise came to him. Akechi turned and saw a fox running over. It ran over and jumped on his face, licking the honey off him. He tried to pull it off, but the animal growled when his hands got close.

            “That fox, it’s attacking him!” a girl said.

            Another replied, “No, it isn’t. It’s licking the honey.”

            “This is priceless,” a boy pulled out his phone. “I’m getting this on camera.”

            As some students took pictures and videos of the scene, a few more ran over to pull the fox off Jubei’s face. When they got close, he turned and ran with the fox still on his face.

            “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! What the hell were they trying to do? I’ll never live this down either way!” Jubei screamed.

            The fox jumped off of him and ran into the distance, leaving the school.

After classes had finished, Haru and Keiko walked to the outskirts of a forest nearby the school. Hot wind flowed through it and towards them.

            “It’s getting warmer out,” Haru noted.

            Keiko replied, “Spring break is around the corner. So, we’ll have a bit of time to cool down then.”

            He spoke, “I’m looking forward to it. Still, we should…”

            “Hey, sis!” Hisa ran out of the forest. “That was a hella great trick! I got honey and the look on that guy’s face was hilarious!”

            “Do you think we’ll have to worry about Akechi still?” Keiko asked.

            Haru answered, “I doubt it. He doesn’t know it was us, and he’ll try to avoid being seen after being embarrassed like that.”

            “We’ll still need to be careful,” she said. “We’ll be in trouble if Akechi figures out we’re the ones behind this, big trouble.”

            “I know, Keiko-chan. Don’t worry, we can handle this,” he replied.

            Hisa spoke up, “So, I heard you guys talking about Spring break. I still don’t know much about humans, so what’s that?”

            “When us humans learn, we get breaks from it at certain times of the year,” Keiko explained. “So, we’ll be able to do whatever we want for a week this Spring.”

            “That’s totally awesome! I’ll find a way to get a break from my job so we can hang,” the kitsune smiled.

            Keiko said, “Haru-kun, do you have any ideas of what we can do over Spring break?”

            “I don’t know. Travel isn’t an option with the curse on me, and I doubt your parents would let you stay home and play video games,” Haru stated.

            “They’re fine with me getting out of their hair, but they don’t want me to enjoy myself in our household,” she confirmed. “And I really don’t want to go to your house again.”

            “I’d rather stay out of there for a while too.”

            Hisa smiled, “Hey, you have some time to think of it. Besides, you have me here. Even if I had a bad first impression of your mate…boyfriend, sis, I’ll help make sure that no one messes with you two.”

            “Thanks, Hisa-chan, I appreciate it,” Keiko spoke.

            Haru replied, “We’ll just have to think of something to do. That is, unless something important comes up.”

Blood trickled from Erik’s forehead as he slammed it into the side of the school. Thump! Thump! Thump! A crack formed in the wall from the force of impact. Keiko was backing away from him while Haru stood firm.

            “I spent two days in Baba Yaga’s house…” Erik said. “…and it turns out that the Journalism Club was after you this whole time?”

            Haru replied, “Yes. You ended up going there based on a mistake you made.”

            The vampire groaned, “Dammit, how could I have been so stupid?”

            “Not stupid, just insanely paranoid,” he said.

            Erik bashed his head against the wall again.

            “Are…you alright?” Keiko asked.

            Erik answered, “I’m fine, just wishing that raiding was still a socially acceptable hobby.”

            He took a deep breath.

            “Still, I have to thank you. Most people would have tried to lie to me to avoid my wrath.”

            “I’m not worried about that. You have honor, Erik,” Haru stated.

            The vampire smiled, “Without honor, humans and vampires alike are no better than beasts. People of this era have forgotten that, insulated from the world by their technology and distance from nature.”

            Keiko said, “So, what do we do now?”

            “Now,” Haru spoke. “I find a way to crush Akechi like a worm.”

            “Crush him? Isn’t that going a bit far?” she wondered.

            “He’s trying to get me expelled. I’ll curse him until he doesn’t know left from right.”

            “It’s been a while since I’ve seen justice that harsh,” Erik smiled.

            Resentment flowed through Haru. Feelings of hatred towards humans and the world boiled under his skin.

            “Justice? No. It’s less than what that little shit Akechi deserves,” his teeth ground. “Just when I start to have good things in my life, he comes in and ruins it! I’ll…”

            “Haru-kun!” Keiko grabbed his arm. “Please calm down. I want Akechi to be punished as much as you do, but you’re not thinking straight.”

            “You’re right, Keiko-chan. I need to keep calm,” he took a deep breath.

            Erik said, “It sounds like you’re really mad.”

            “I am,” Haru admitted. “Sometimes I wish I could tell the entire world to go to Hell, but I can’t. There are a lot of them and only one of me. So, I have to keep putting up with everything they throw at me.”

            Keiko embraced him, “You don’t have to do that, Haru-kun. You’re not alone anymore. You have me.”

            He hugged her back, “Thanks, Keiko-chan. And Erik, I need to pay you back for your help.”

            Erik replied, “I’ll think of something for you to do. Right now, focus on defeating your enemy.”

            The vampire walked away.

Haru turned to Keiko.

            “We need a plan, something that won’t expose me as a witch and that would get him to stop.”

            “I thought you weren’t worried about being exposed?” she asked.

            “If a few people know I’m a witch, it’s fine; but, I can’t show off my powers around too many people,” Haru answered.

            Keiko nodded, “Maybe we could humiliate Akechi in some way? If no one took him seriously, he’d lose a lot of his authority.”

            “And for someone who cares about appearances as much as he does, it’d crush him as a person too. If he weren’t trying to get me expelled, I wouldn’t go so far, but he’s the one who escalated this first.”

            She pondered, “Do you have any spells that could help with that, any curses or anything?”

            “The humiliating curses that I have…wouldn’t work here,” Haru stated. “They’re all ones that would affect body parts he wouldn’t show off.”

            “What parts are those?” Keiko asked.

            “His groin. I have spells that make people impotent.”

            “Ohhh…”

            Haru smiled, “I think that my wind spells will be good enough for now. I have some subtle ones and we can set up some sort of trick on him with minimal magic.”

            She said, “But if he finds out it was us, he’ll want revenge. So, we’ll need to use enough magic to cover our tracks.”

            “That’s something I can do,” he stated. “Now, as for our plan…I have an idea, but it’s complicated.”

            “What is it?”

            “First, we’ll need supplies. We should get honey, a badger, a bucket, and…some sort of illusion. I don’t know any illusion spells, so we might have to get a projector or something,” Haru spoke.

            “Hisa can help with illusions,” Keiko replied. “She isn’t very good at them yet, but she can do some.”

            “Can she make a door?”

            “I think she can.”

            “That’ll do,” Haru nodded. “And we can switch out the badger for a fox. We just need to make sure she’s up for it.”

           Keiko smiled, “She’s a kitsune, so she’ll be happy to help with a trick.”

The Monday afternoon school bell rang. Watanabe opened the door to the journalism club’s room.

            Watanabe asked, “Did any of you find anything?”

            All the other club members were huddled in a circle around a table.

            Jirogame said, “We can talk about that later. We have a problem.”

            She joined the circle. A black cat had its ass planted on a stack of their papers. The animal hissed whenever one of them tried to reach towards it.

            “That thing looks rabid,” Watanabe spoke.

            “No, it doesn’t,” Eiji disagreed. “It’s just a normal cat.”

            “What are you talking about? It’s clear this cat hates all humans,” Michi stated.

            Watanabe frowned, “How many of us think there’s something wrong with this cat?”

            All of the club except Eiji raised their hands.

            “Can we agree on what’s wrong with it?” she said.

            Silence fell. Watanabe broke it.

            “Something is weird about this whol…”

            Before she could continue, the cat jumped on Watanabe’s face and then ran out of the room.

            Jirogame chased after the cat, “We have to get it before it hurts someone!”

            He ran through the doorway only to slam into Baba Haru and fall to the ground. The other members of the journalism club ran out of the room. They saw the two of them struggling to get up from the floor. Watanabe couldn’t believe her luck that Baba Haru was right there.

            “What the hell are you doing here?” Jirogame sneered.

            “You see, I’m actually a witch,” Haru said. “I turned into a black cat and snuck into your room so I could read your records and find out if you’re looking for vampires.”

            “If you’re going to lie, at least try to make it believable,” Michi sighed.

            He replied, “No matter what I say, you won’t believe me. So, why should I bother trying?”

            Watanabe knew it was their chance to get information, “Actually, there are a lot of people who would believe you.”

            “Really? You’re lying,” Haru stated.

            “No, I’m not,” she said. “In fact, I’d like to do an interview with you.”

            He was about to refuse when he realized this was the perfect opportunity to find out why the Journalism Club was following Erik.

            Haru agreed, “Alright, interview me.”

They sat in chairs across from each other. Haru suspected she had a sinister motive behind the interview. For her part, Watanabe knew that getting anything out of Haru would be like pulling teeth.

            Haru thought, ‘Then this is a battle of wits.’                    

            Watanabe thought, ‘There’s no way someone as ordinary as him stands a chance against me.’

            “First question,” she said. “Haru, have you ever not never been involved in activities that some people won’t describe as not illicit?”

            “That depends on what people we’re talking about,” Haru replied. “Some people think of rock and roll that way.”

            “Oookay…you have a poor reputation at the school. Why is that?” Watanabe asked.

            “Well, many people think badly of me for a number of reasons. There are plenty of people who see me as one thing and…” he droned on about nothing.

            ‘Dammit! He won’t give me anything. Why…’ she thought. ‘Why is the first worthy opponent I find already in a relationship?’

            Haru spoke, “Now, I have a question for you.”

            Watanabe said, “You’re not the one doing the interview.”

            “I suppose not,” he leaned back. “But I could walk out of this room any time.”

            “Fine, I’ll answer your question,” she sighed.

            “Has Akechi been in this room last week?” Haru asked.

            “Akechi?” Watanabe’s thoughts turned inward, ‘Does he know Akechi told us to spy on him?’

            “Well, has he or hasn’t he?”

            “He is the student council president,” she chose her words with care. “It’s only natural for him to visit clubs. Now, onto my question. Haru, have you ever done any student activities, anything that would benefit the school?”

            Watanabe smiled, ‘If he says no, I’ll have something small on him. If he tries to justify it, I can twist it in my favor. What will you do now, Haru?’

            “I’d love to help out the school, but Akechi won’t let me,” said Haru.

            The first part of Haru’s words was a lie, but it was true that Akechi wouldn’t let him.

            “Why won’t he let you?” Watanabe asked.

            Haru put on a poker face as he thought, ‘I have you now.’

            “Akechi wants to keep up the school’s image,” he said. “And he’d rather have someone as hated as me do nothing than help the school out.”

            “Ugh, that is just like him,” Watanabe groaned. “But he isn’t important right now.”

            Haru took a shot in the dark, “Isn’t important? Why would you interview someone like me if he wasn’t involved?”

            A bead of sweat dripped down her face, “Like I said, there are people who would believe what you say. I want to bring the truth to light.”

            “Alright, ask your next question,” he made sure not to press too hard too soon.

            Watanabe asked, “When was the last time you pulled a prank on someone?”

            “About five years ago. I put a bag of squirrel poop on my grandmother’s doorstep,” Haru answered.

            “That has to be a lie. Squirrel poop is too small to get enough for a bag,” she said.

            He replied, “It is small, so you’d have to be pretty nutty to pull a prank like that.”

            “I suppose so,” Watanabe conceded. “What do you think of the student council?”

            Haru stated, “I don’t think of them. They’re busy with their work and I’m not involved in it. As long as I don’t do anything, Akechi leaves me alone.”

            “Then you did do something to get his attention!” she thought she had him.

            “I have his attention?” but he had her. “I didn’t know that, and I don’t see how you could know either.”

            Watanabe said, “I’m part of the journalism club. We look into everyone.”

            “Spying on the student council president? I didn’t think you’d stoop that low. Maybe I should tell Akechi?” Haru smirked.

            “There’s no way he’d believe you.”

            “I’m recording this,” he pulled out his phone. “Everything you said is here.”

            “You’re…really smart. I can’t counter that,” Watanabe admitted.

            Haru replied, “Then will you tell me what I want to know?”

            “Yes,” she nodded. “It’s my loss.”

            “Is the Journalism Club spying on Date Kenji?” he asked.

            Watanabe answered, “We aren’t.”

            “Are you spying on me?”

            “Yes.”

            “Did Akechi put you up to it?” Haru said.

            She stated, “He did. Akechi told us that he’d tell everyone our worst secrets if we didn’t find something he could use to get you expelled.”

            “That explains a lot,” he spoke. “I’ll deal with Akechi if you stop spying on me.”

            The members of the journalism club grumbled.

            “We can’t trust him,” Eikoh muttered.

            Himari nodded, “Yes, he’ll use his recording to tell Akechi we’re spying on him.”

            “If Haru wants to do that, we can’t stop him,” Watanabe said, “And we’re not resorting to violence. We’re cornered.”

            Haru stood up, “I know that none of you like me, but we have a common enemy right now. Stop spying on me and I’ll stop Akechi.”

            They glared at him. Watanabe thought for a moment.

            She came to a conclusion, “You have three days. We’ll start spying on you again if he doesn’t call it off by then.”

            “That’s more than enough time,” Haru smiled and left the room.

Noon had come and gone. Baba Yaga gathered Haru and her two guests in front of her hut. The crone looked over Keiko and huffed.

            “You’ve passed all my tests so far,” she said. “And you’ve been here for almost two days now. It’s time that you’ve left.”

            Keiko bowed, “Thank you for the stay, Baba Yaga-san.”

            She had told her parents that she’d be back home Monday, but Keiko didn’t think they’d mind her coming back sooner. Then again, remembering how they treated her, Keiko had some doubts her parents would be happy to see her.

            “Don’t start celebrating,” the old crone spoke. “There is one more test left.”

            “And that is?” Keiko asked.

            Baba Yaga answered, “During your stay here, you saw three riders. One was white, one was red, and one was black. Who are those riders?”

            “The white rider is Day, the red rider is Sun, and the black rider is Night.”

            “You’re a smart one,” the witch replied. “Very well. I accept you as Haru’s girlfriend. Before you leave, I have a gift for you.”

            She pulled out two boxes, one large and one small.

            “Pick one,” Baba Yaga said.

            Keiko knew this was another test and pointed at the small box, “I want this.”

            The witch ordered, “Don’t open it until you leave the forest. Haru will show you the way out.”

Erik breathed a sigh of relief when they got back onto the city streets, “I’m glad I’m out of there.”

            “So am I,” Keiko nodded. “That was stressful.”

            Haru spoke, “Sorry that you had to go through that. I don’t know why grandmother always takes things too far.”

            A shiver flowed down Keiko’s spine as she remembered something Haru said.

            “You told me before that she’s threatened to castrate you, and I’m sure she’s serious,” Keiko commented.

            “We should look on the bright side. At least she stopped eating people a century ago,” Haru said.

            “It’s no wonder why the Russians are terrified of her,” Erik stated. “I’m going to go home. Haru, remember that you’re going to deal with those people who were following me.”

            He replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

            When Erik left, Keiko looked at the box.

            “Haru-kun,” she said. “Baba Yaga told me to not open this until we were out of the forest, but I don’t want to open it at all.”

            “I can open it for you,” he offered.

            Keiko was nervous, “Are you sure that there isn’t a trap or a demon in this box?”

            “If there was, it would only show up in the forest. It should be safe now,” Haru replied.

            He took the box and opened it. Seeing that nothing happened, Keiko looked inside. Somehow, this box that was no larger than her head held a 152 centimeter kanabo.

            “She gave me a weapon? Why?” Keiko asked.

            Haru answered, “She has given people weapons before, but I have no idea why she gave you one.”

            Keiko said, “I mean, I like the gift. I trained with a kanabo almost as much as I did with a shinai. I’m just confused.”

            “Hang on,” her boyfriend said. “Keiko-chan, your parents made you train with a kanabo?”

            “Yes. I was in kendo club, so most of my training was with swords, but I know how to use a kanabo too.”

            Haru had an idea, “Keiko-chan, I think I…”

            “There you are, sis!” Hisa ran over to Keiko and hugged her, only wearing the censor bars over her chest and waist.

            Haru covered his eyes. He stepped backwards, tripped over a rock, and fell onto the ground.

            Keiko ran over to him, “Haru-kun! Are you alright?”

            “I’m fine,” he kept his gaze away from Hisa. “Just get that kitsune some clothes.”

            Haru didn’t have any clothes for someone about Keiko’s size back at Baba Yaga’s hut. Keiko looked around and saw a clothing shop. She blasted inside like a rocket ship on crack. The clerk jumped when he saw her.

            He asked, “Why are you going so fast?”

            “No time,” she yanked a shirt, skirt, and undergarments off the shelves and brought them over to the cash register. “I need to buy these.”

            The moment she paid for them, Keiko ran outside and threw the clothes at Hisa.

            “Put these on before you’re arrested for indecent exposure,” she said.

            Hisa jumped into a nearby bush.

            Haru stood up, “Thanks, Keiko-chan.”

            “Honestly, I should apologize to you,” she sighed. “I’ve befriended someone troublesome.”

            “Who’s your troublesome friend?” Hisa walked out, wearing the clothes.

            Keiko replied, “Never mind. How did you find us here?”

            She stated, “I’m a fox. I can totally smell you.”

            “I’d like to stay longer, but I have to get back to grandmother,” Haru said. “Are you okay with me leaving you here, Keiko-chan?”

            “Don’t worry, Haru-kun, I’ll be fine,” Keiko spoke.

            As Haru walked away, Hisa smiled and wrapper her arm around Keiko’s shoulder.

            “That guy was your mate, wasn’t he?” the kitsune asked. “I can’t approve of a fox hunter, but I’ll trust you.”

            Keiko answered, “Humans call them boyfriends unless we’re married, and he isn’t a fox hunter.”

            Hisa noted, “There’s a lot I don’t know about the human world.”

            “I have some time before I have to go home. I can tell you about it,” she offered.

            “That sounds hella good,” Hisa said. “But it means I owe you more ones.”

            “Don’t worry about owing me anything. We’re friends, so we’ll help each other,” Keiko spoke.

            Her friend smiled, “Awesome! I’ll get us some food!”

            Hisa ran over to a dumpster and dived into it. After a few moments, she popped up, holding a rancid smelling piece of rotten meat.

            Keiko stated, “That’s almost as disgusting as the stuff Haru-kun eats.”

            “What do you mean by that? Isn’t this food you humans like?” Hisa asked.

            “We don’t eat it after it’s thrown out. I’ll get us some real food. Anzu!”

            The demoness appeared, “What dost thou wish of me this time?”

            “Make us both food,” Keiko ordered.

            Anzu sighed and disappeared. When she came back, she was carrying two bento boxes.

            She said, “Would that be all?”

            “Yes, Anzu. You can go now.”

            Keiko handed the food to Hisa, who smashed her face into the box and wolfed it down. She made loud chewing noises.

            “This food is hella good!” Hisa finished eating and smiled.

            “I’m glad you like it,” Keiko replied.

            The kitsune stated, “It’s better than garbage. You humans eat this all the time?”

            “We do,” Keiko nodded, “And we have a lot of other food too.”

            Hisa said, “I’m totally gonna learn how to make this. Then I’ll give you and your boyfriend all the food you want.”

            “Do you have a place to make it or even a place to stay?”

            “I’ll figure it out. Oh, what’s this?” Hisa ran over to a help wanted sign at a restaurant. “I can totally work here!”

            “That will give you money, but you don’t have any id or anything for taxes,” Keiko pointed out.

            The kitsune smiled, “I got this, sis. Check this out. There’s a government organization for helping willing yokai to integrate into society. All we have to do is act like humans and cause slightly less trouble than usual!”

            She blinked, “The government does that? How long have you known?”

            “Since yesterday. An onmyoji told me. They handle it at the office of vehicle registration,” Hisa said.

            “That’s amazing,” Keiko spoke. “There’s more to the supernatural world than I thought.”

            “You bet your ass there is,” the kitsune said with a wide grin.

Night blanketed the forest. Keiko looked out the window. In the darkness, she saw the glowing eye sockets of the skulls that hung from Baba Yaga’s fence. Her spine tingled with fear.

            A horseman rode to the fence and stopped. Both horse and rider were pitch black, clothes and body alike. The rider looked up at Keiko before riding into the night.

            She sat down on her bed, “I’ve seen three riders: one at dawn, one at noon, and one in the night. What do they want with Baba Yaga? I better call Haru.”

            Keiko pulled out her phone and started texting.

            He replied with great speed, “The riders are servants of Baba Yaga. She might ask you a question about them.”

            “What kind of question?” Keiko texted.

            “If I had to guess, I’d say she wants you to figure out what their names are. The white rider is Day, the red rider is Sun, and the black rider is Night.”

            “Thanks, Haru-kun.”

            “No problem, Keiko-chan.”

Elsewhere, deep in the forest, the fox that Keiko helped gazed into the sky. It waited until an hour past midnight, the time it was born ninety nine years ago. When that hour came, the ninety nine years became one hundred.

            The fox barked into the air over and over. As it did, its pitch and tone became more human. Soon, words came out of the animal’s mouth.

            “Cast, cast, cast, cast, cast, cast, cast, cast…”

            It stood upright. The fox’s arms turned to human arms, its body transformed into that of a woman, and its head changed into a woman’s head. Long and luscious black hair coated the head and trailed down her back. The only remaining fox feature was her tail.

            “Not bad for my first spell,” she said, “Now I don’t need to worry about humans kicking me out of their cities! I can totally eat hella garbage and no one will stop me!”

            Maniacal laughter flowed from the kitsune’s mouth. She looked over her body.

            “First, I need to find some new threads. Humans don’t like other humans walking around naked. I’ll need to find something to hide my tail too.”

            The kitsune then grabbed her face, “Oh, no! I totally forgot about the girl that helped me! I need to pay her back.”

            A smirk crossed her face.

            “Well, at least I’m safe now. Forest animals fear humans.”

            A low, ominous growl echoed in the darkness. The kitsune turned. Her eyes met a bear stalking towards her. Another noise caught her attention. It was the mewl of baby bears behind her.

            “Listen, I’m not going to hurt your children,” the kitsune said as she backed away.

            With a vicious roar, the mother bear charged her. She returned to her fox form and jumped into a hole in the ground.

            “Ugh! Now I need to wait until that damn bear leaves to pay that girl back!” she said.

Morning came and Keiko found herself outside of Baba Yaga’s hut. There were two pillars made of human bones with a line of rope between them. On the ground was a vat of water and a pile of clothing.

            “Today, you’re washing my and Haru’s clothes,” Baba Yaga told her, “I’ll be back at noon to make sure it’s done.”

            Keiko asked, “Why am I doing it out here?”

            “What do you mean? Would you rather spill water over my house?” the old witch narrowed her eyes.

            “No,” she said. “I should rephrase that. Why am I doing it out here when you have a washing machine?”

            Baba Yaga replied, “I don’t have one.”

            “I saw Haru-kun…”

            A cold glare moved from Baba Yaga’s eyes and flowed into Keiko. It was one of the strangest and most terrifying sensations she felt in her entire life. Complete and utter dread filled her.

            ‘That must have been some sort of spell.’ Keiko thought before speaking, “I’ll do your laundry out here.”

            “Good. Don’t give me any more back-talk or I will kill you,” Baba Yaga said.

            Keiko nodded as fast as she could. Satisfied, the witch walked into the house. Turning to the laundry, Keiko grabbed a shirt and dunked it in the tank of water.

            “Hey, do you, like, need some help with that?” a voice came from nearby.

            She looked up. In front of her was a woman with a fox tail. The woman was naked except for two black censor bars floating in front of her chest and groin.

            “What the hell?” Keiko jumped back, “Why are you naked?”

            The woman replied, “Hey, I’m not naked! I like have these bars. That makes it okay, right?”

            “Hang on…are you the fox I helped yesterday?” she said.

            “Totally! Today was my hundredth birthday!”

            Keiko was shocked, “One hundred years? There’s no way a fox could…”

            She shook her head.

            “Why am I questioning this?” Keiko said, “My boyfriend’s a witch, I have a pet demon, and one of my friends is a vampire. Kitsune existing shouldn’t be a surprise.”

            “So, can I like help you? We can totally chill while we do laundry,” the kitsune said.

            She replied, “I could use the help. My name is Mae Keiko.”

            “A name…” the kitsune sat down and started on the laundry, “I’m gonna need one of those if I’m gonna pretend to be a human. Could you like, help me with this? I’ll owe you one again.”

            Keiko suggested, “You’re a fox that lived a hundred years. Maybe you could call yourself Hisa? It means long-lasting.”

            “That’s a great name, sis! We should totally hang more often,” Hisa smiled.

            “By the way, how did you get those bars?” she asked.

            The kitsune answered, “I used an illusion spell. I just got my magic, so this is about all I can do.”

When noon came, Baba Yaga left the hut. Hisa ran into the bushes and hid. The witch walked to Keiko. All the laundry was on the line between the bone pillars.

            Baba Yaga said, “Hmph. So, you somehow passed this task? You must have the speed of two people.”

            Keiko decided to keep her mouth shut about Baba Yaga giving her a task that she was certain she would fail.

            “Well, I have a new job for you,” the witch stated.

            “What is it?”

            “Take the laundry inside and put it in the dryer. I don’t want bugs flying on it as it dries.”

            Hiding her rage and frustration, Keiko grabbed a bunch of the clothing and carried it inside. As she did, Haru walked beside her.

            He said, “I’m sorry about this. Grandmother can be unreasonable.”

            Keiko replied, “It’s fine, Haru-kun. Your advice got me out of this.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “The fox,” she whispered, “that I helped the other day did the laundry with me.”

            “How did a fox help you? They don’t have hands,” Haru questioned.

            “It kind of had hands,” Keiko sighed, “By the way, do you have an extra pair of clothes about my size?”

            He got what she meant, “It was a kitsune, wasn’t it?”

            “Yes, and not just that, but a kitsune that talked weird. Now, I know a demon and a kitsune that do that,” a beleaguered smile crossed Keiko’s face.

At the end of the hall, an old grandfather clock chimed twelve times.

Keiko said, “We’ve finished just in time.”

Haru replied, “I haven’t made Japanese food before, so I’m sorry if I slowed you down.”

“It’s fine, Haru-kun. What matters is that we got it done.”

Keiko rushed to the table. As she did, her attention was drawn to the window. There was a figure outside, a horseman. Both the horse and the rider were red, clothes and body. They rode into the distance.

“I think I’m noticing a pattern,” Keiko muttered.

Baba Yaga walked down the stairs.

“Is the food ready yet?” the old witch asked.

Haru answered, “It is, grandmother.”

Erik stepped forward as Baba Yaga walked to the table.

“Lady Baba Yaga,” he said. “Your house is admirable.”

A smile crossed her face, “Thank you, dear. I’ve spent over a thousand years working on it.”

“You have an incredible sense of interior decoration. Is it some sort of magic spell?”

Baba Yaga sat down at the table, “No, it’s simply a skill. Why don’t I give you the basics of it?”

“No thank you,” the vampire said. “Interior decoration is a bit sissy. It isn’t baddass.”

“Are you suggesting I’m not a baddass?” she narrowed her eyes.

Erik replied, “No, nothing of the sort.”

“Then you will learn interior decoration from me when lunch is over,” Baba Yaga commanded.

At that moment, Erik regretted his life choices.

After lunch had finished, Baba Yaga clenched Keiko’s arm and yanked her to the side. Her cold eyes looked into Keiko’s face. It was like she was looking into her very soul.

            Baba Yaga said, “I need to talk to Erik. In the meantime, I have a task for you.”

            “What is it?” Keiko asked.

            The old witch answered, “You will go into my basement and bring me ten rat tails.”

            “Okay…”

            “Here’s a sword,” Baba Yaga waved her arm and a sword appeared in her hand. “Take it and use it to kill the rats.”

            She walked away.

            Keiko looked over the sword. It was a one-handed Western-style sword; however, whoever made it didn’t know what they were doing. The sword was too light to do real damage, its edge was dull, and it was unbalanced.

            “I have a crappy sword and have been ordered to kill rats.” Keiko said, “What is this, an RPG?”

            Haru explained, “Grandmother’s been obsessed with games recently. Whenever she’s not cooking or casting some spell, she spends her time playing. It’s what she was doing in her room.”

            She was surprised, “I never thought that a witch would like video games.”

            “It’s really annoying.” he complained, “She uses my gaming console to play them and I never get to be on it.”

            “I’ve never played a video game…hang on!” Keiko realized something.

            “What is it, Keiko-chan?” Haru asked.

            “We’re here talking about video games,” she answered. “When I’ve been told by Baba Yaga to kill rats!”

            An ‘oh, shit’ look crossed Haru’s face, “You’re right! The basement is this way!”

            He ran over to a door and opened it. Keiko looked down and saw stairs descending into darkness below.

            Haru gave her an oil lamp, “Watch out for the legs. That sword won’t hurt them, but it will startle them.”

            “Legs? What legs?” Keiko said.

            “The chicken legs. You’ll see when you get down her.”

Keiko crept down the steps. Her lamp illuminated the basement. The first thing she noticed was the pair of massive chicken legs that were below the house. They jutted out from too floor joists.

            “I guess the legends are true. Baba Yaga’s hut has chicken legs,” she said.

            She looked around, and saw a group of rats. They scurried away and disappeared into holes.

            Keiko spoke, “Haru-kun said that I’d need to help animals in case Baba Yaga gave me tasks to complete. Maybe the fox could help me, but it isn’t here.”

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, “I doubt it could get into Baba Yaga’s hut. Anzu!”

            The demoness appeared out of thin air, “Thou hast called me, boss?”

            “Yes,” Keiko nodded. “There’s something I need you to do.”

            “Please tell me it isn’t maid work,” Anzu groaned.

            “It isn’t maid work,” she reassured her.

            “I thank thee,” the demon breathed a sigh of relief, “What is it?”

            Keiko said, “I need you to kill ten rats, give me their tails, and leave.”

            Anzu scowled, “Dost thou take me for a churl? Thou art using a demon as a pest exterminator!”

            “Do I need to bring Haru down here?”

            “No, no,” Anzu freaked out, “I shall slay thine rats.”

Close to dinnertime, Baba Yaga held the rat tails in her hand.

            “Congratulations. You killed ten rats. I suppose you’re good for something,” Baba Yaga said.

            “It wasn’t that easy.” Keiko tried to be humble, “I mean, you gave me a pretty bad sword. I guess you really did base this on an RPG.”

            Baba Yaga lied, “Yes. It’s a bad sword because the task was based on an RPG. Of course I know how to make swords.”

            “You don’t know how to make swords?” Haru asked.

            “No, no,” she shook her head, “I know how to make swords. There isn’t much to it. You just cast a spell and the sword is there. It’s not like you need to know about swords to use it properly.”

            “Then could you make me a sword?” Erik asked, “I don’t have any scimitars.”

            Baba Yaga blurted out an excuse, “There is no spell for making scimitars.”

            Haru was confused, “The spellbook you gave me said that there is an incantation for making scimitars.”

            “You’re right. Silly me. I just don’t know the spell myself.”

            “You don’t know how to make swords, do you?” Erik said.

            Baba Yaga ran to the kitchen, “Oh, would you look at that, I need to make dinner. I almost forgot.”

            She pounded with a knife and pretended to ignore everyone.

            Keiko said, “She doesn’t seem so dangerous when she’s like this.”

            “Don’t be fooled, grandmother is dangerous,” Haru replied, “But she acts like a somewhat normal person when she isn’t being dangerous.”

            “That’s pretty strange. I’d think she’d be more dark and mysterious,” Keiko stated.

            “And this is why we witches never let our clients see what we do in our spare time,” he stated, “It ruins our image.”

            Erik nodded, “I can relate. If people saw what I do on the internet, they’d never take me seriously as a vampire unless I tried to kill them.”

            “What do you do on the internet?” Haru said.

            “There’s no way I’m telling you that.”

            Haru speculated, “Do you watch loads of internet porn?”

            “Everyone does that,” Erik scoffed, “My reputation would be perfectly intact if people figured that out.”

            Haru and Keiko shared a look of doubt.

            “Well, I know what you do,” Keiko said.

            “And what do you think that is?” Erik smirked.

            She stated, “You make videos of viking movies and TV shows and point out every way they’re inaccurate.”

            The vampire’s eyes widened in shock, “How did you know?”

            “It’s from something I hid from my family,” Keiko said, pulling out her phone and opening a video app.

On it was a channel called ‘Vintage Viking’ that had an image of Erik in his natural red hair on it. Erik fell backward and landed on the floor.

            “My reputation as a vampire is ruined,” he moaned. “No one could take a vampire who spends their spare time making internet videoes seriously.”

            “Cheer up, Erik,” Haru said, “You’re still a great vampire to us.”

            Erik put his hands over his face, “That’s even worse!”

A cool wind blew through the forest as the sun rose on the horizon. Keiko looked into the deep, dark forest. A man riding a horse passed her into the woods. Both man and horse, as well as their clothes, were pale white. They faded into the darkness.

Erik walked over.

            “I see that you’re already here,” he said.

            Keiko replied, “Yes, and Haru…”

            “Right here!” Haru ran out of the forest, “Sorry it took so long.”

            “You told us to get here at dawn. Arriving a few seconds after that isn’t long,” Erik pointed out.

            Haru replied, “With grandmother around, you can never be too sure.”

            “Erik, are you sure you’ll be alright?” Keiko asked, “You’re a vampire, and you won’t have access to whatever you use to avoid getting killed by the sun.”

            “I don’t use anything to stop the sun from killing me,” he stated.

            She said, “You don’t?”

            “The sun doesn’t kill vampires. That’s a myth. It’s irritating and we get worse sunburns than humans, but we can go out just fine.”

            Haru turned to the forest, “We shouldn’t keep grandmother waiting. Follow me.”

Trees loomed overhead like the ceiling of a dungeon, dominating the sky. Tangled roots covered the ground in a web that threated to ensnare their feet. The forest was silent like death. No birds sang, no crickets chirped, nothing.

            Keiko spoke, “This place is creepy.”

            “Witches tend to live in creepy places,” Erik replied.

            “Why?” she asked.

            Haru said, “Because it enhances our image.”

            “Your image?” Keiko tilted her head in confusion.

            “When people hire witches, they look for that occult, dangerous mystique,” he explained, “No one goes looking for a witch in the middle of a town.”

            Erik’s head snapped around, “Hang on, that’s why you live in those places, so people can hire you?”

            “No, it’s so they want to hire us,” Haru stated, “Think about it this way. If you wanted to hire a witch, would you rather go with the one who lives in a creepy forest or the one who has a nice, cozy office with a soft cushion and a polite secretary in the waiting room?”

            “That’s…a pretty good point. Anyone who claimed to be a witch and worked in a place like that would be dismissed as a charlatan,” the vampire said.

            A low whimpering came from the bushes. Keiko looked over and saw a fox with a thorn in its paw. Remembering Haru’s words, she knelt and pulled the thorn out. The fox licked her hand before running back into the forest.

Soon, they arrived at a clearing. Baba Yaga’s hut towered over them. Keiko gulped when she saw the fence of skulls. A piece of her regretted her choices up until now, but a larger part of her was determined to see this through.

            Haru led them through the front door, “Grandmother, we’re here.”

            “So you are,” Baba Yaga was stirring a cauldron, “I see that you brought the vampire here as well as the girl.”

            Erik bowed, “I apologize if I’m intruding; however, I simply could not resist meeting the famous Baba Yaga.”

            “Oh, my, you are a charming one,” a smile creased her lips.

            Baba Yaga turned to Keiko with cold eyes, “So, you’re Haru’s girlfriend?”

            “Yes. Thank you for inviting me here, grandmother,” Keiko said.

            “Thanking me?” the witch chuckled, “You know how to kiss my old, wrinkly ass at least. Now sit down on the table. We’re having breakfast.”

            They did as she said. Erik pulled out a packet of blood he brought with him and sucked on it. Baba Yaga planted three plates in front of Haru, Keiko, and herself. Each of them had a disgusting blob of jelly filled with shredded meat. It quivered when Keiko poked it.

            She said, “So, this is the sort of food witches eat? What spells were used to make it?”

            “Spells?” Baba Yaga asked, “Haru, hasn’t she seen Russian food before?”

            Haru answered, “She’s seen some, but not much. This is holodets, a type of meat jelly.”

            Keiko quivered when she realized that this was normal Russian food. She forced it into her mouth, hiding her utter disgust. Her stomach quivered, but Keiko made herself smile to remain polite.

            ‘If Haru-kun and I ever get married,’ she thought. ‘I’m doing all the cooking.’

After breakfast, Baba Yaga yanked Keiko out of her seat.

            “You’re coming with me. I have something to show you,” Baba Yaga said.

            She pushed Keiko to the back of the house and opened the window. There was no forest outside. Instead, there was a cavern that extended beyond sight. Rotting corpses and pale, translucent figures shuffled around inside.

            Baba Yaga cackled, “I must admit that Yomi is different from the Slavic Underworld. I prefer the dark cave to Veles’ green fields of Nav.”

            Keiko was frozen with fear. She couldn’t even tremble.

            “This is…the Underworld,” Keiko got out some words.

            “My hut is connected to it.” Baba Yaga explained, “Wherever it is, it opens a portal to the Underworld on one side. The other faces the normal world. If you walk around my hut when the door is facing away from the normal world, you will be trapped inside the Underworld forever.”

            “That must be convenient,” she thought fast.

            Baba Yaga was confused, “Convenient?”

            Keiko said, “Yes. If you want to throw garbage away, you just toss it into the Underworld.”

            There was a moment of silence. Keiko tensed up. She hoped she said the right thing.

            “I thought the same,” Baba Yaga sighed, “Then Veles got annoyed and made me swear to not throw anything out in the Underworld.”

            She put Keiko down and walked away, muttering something to herself. As Baba Yaga moved upstairs, Haru ran to Keiko.

            “Man, that was close, Keiko-chan. Grandmother was trying to scare you,” he said.

            “It worked,” she replied, “I thought she was going to throw me out there.”

            Haru stated, “You did great. Erik, could you distract grandmother when she comes down?”

            The vampire spoke, “I will without fail. I’m getting an idea of what she’s like.”

            “Seeing Yomi there was a pretty big shock. I had no idea the hut connected to a place like that,” Keiko shivered.

            “You didn’t know? Didn’t you look into grandmother’s stories to prepare for this?” Haru asked.

            She answered, “I would have but my family doesn’t let me go online.”

            “They don’t let you surf the internet?” Erik was shocked, “In this day and age? Not even for school work?”

            “Not even for that. The teachers let me turn in all my work on paper.”

            Haru said, “We’ll have to deal with your family too at some point. Right now, we should get ready for lunch.”

            “For lunch?” Keiko wondered, “Why do we?”

            “I make lunch whenever I’m home. Grandmother told me that she wanted you to help me today,” he explained.

            She shuddered, “Then let’s start. What are we making?”

            Haru led her over to a fridge. He opened it. Inside was a horrific menagerie of Russian food and ingredients. Keiko choked at the mere thought of having to eat one of those things. Her boyfriend reached inside and grabbed a few items. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see what he’d bring out.

            “We’re making sushi,” Haru brought out fish and rice, “Grandmother wants to try Japanese food.”