Of Yokai and Hopeless Romantics

Chapter 7

Benihime and Yayaka were having their weekly get together on Sunday. The two always set aside lunchtime on Sunday as time just for them to be together. That Sunday was a warm sunny day, so they decided to eat their lunch outside like a picnic. No matter what was going on in her life, Benihime always had this quiet time with Yayaka, something she would lose if she returned to the Yokai World.

" How is your search for a male partner going?" Benihime asked.

" It's going nowhere since Shoji-kun chose Noriko-chan. I'm worried that any human boy will fall in love," Yayaka said.

" What about a yokai boy? They should have greater resistance to your succubus aura," Benihime said.

" The captain of the track team is a Raiju, I've been thinking of approaching him. Then there's the captain of the swim team, he's a Kappa, maybe I'll let him go searching for the shirikodama," Yayaka said laughing.

" Yuk, do not be disgusting Yayaka-chan," Benihime said, the shirikodama referring to the made up mythical organ that Kappa's ripped out of someone's anus.

" Lighten up Beni-chan, I'm just joking," Yayaka said.

Benihime knew that Yayaka was probably into some very exotic forms of lovemaking, but decided it was best to not ask questions she didn't really want the answer to. " Why don't you try to go out with one of the yokai boys?"

" You probably don't notice it Beni-chan, because you've always been around me, but my aura is very strong, especially when it comes to boys, I think even the yokai boys won't be able to keep from falling for me."

" Inna-san was able to work out an agreement with you," Benihime pointed out.

Yayaka let out a sigh, " That's part of the problem. Inna-san understands we have an open relationship, I fool around, but it's just physical, not romantic like with her."

" You really do care about her don't you?" Benihime asked.

" Yes, I do. I wish I could be with an Incubus, that would make things easier, but they're too precious," Yayaka said.

Benihime wished she could help her friend offer some sage advice, but she was out of her depth. Yayaka wanted to have sex with a boy for the first time, in part because of her responsibility to her kind. Succubuses could only give birth to other succubuses if they had sex with an incubus. The problem was that succubuses tended to only have female offspring, so there was a shortage of incubuses. Yayaka was one of the few succubi in her generation who carried the genes to give birth to an incubus, she was special. Still, there was a danger with an inexperience succubus having sex with an incubus as succubuses were significantly stronger. Her friend might seem like she was just sex crazy, but she was actually trying to secure the future for her whole species. Benihime couldn't begin to relate to her friend, she was a twice-born, she felt no kinship towards other yuki-onna. Yet she knew this was important to Yayaka so she reached out and hugged her, " I am sure you will find someone."

" Enough about me, how has Mari-chan's matchmaking been going?" Yayaka asked.

" She seems to believe that Ukitake Shigeru is the boy I should be with, but I have my doubts," Benihime said.

" Shige-kun, really? He's a nice boy, but he seems to care more about his paintings than he does girls," Yayaka said laying down on the grass.

" He's very sensitive to yokai aura, one of his ancestors might have even been a yokai, so Mari-chan is presenting me to him as a kind of muse. That is not what I want though, I am no longer a hopeless romantic, who wants a boy to fall hopelessly in love with her and worship her. I want a boy who sees the true me not some idolized version, a boy who will point out when I am at fault and help me be a better person." Benihime said.

Yayaka let out a little laugh, " I'm sorry Beni-chan, but you're looking for a soulmate and that is still a romantic notion."

Benihime wasn't angered by her friend's laughter, " I think it is a less silly notion than how I used to view things."

" It is and who knows may Shige-san will be that boy, that cat is a very good judge of character," Yayaka said.

" I do not know, when I look at Shige-san, I do not feel anything special from him. I hope that does not sound mean of me to say, " Benihime said.

" Give it time, not every boy is the type to just wow a girl right off the bat. Look at Shoji-kun, when he was interviewing us only Noriko-chan was really drawn to him. Yet in the end, we all ended up falling for him," Yayaka said.

" That is true, perhaps I just have to be patient, Mari-san does have until the end of the semester," Benihime said.

" What do you mean she has until the end of the semester?" Yayaka asked.

Benihime had to think quickly, " that is the timeframe I gave her to find me a boyfriend."

" You're not telling me the complete truth, you know you're a horrible liar. What is really going on?" Yayaka asked sitting up and locking eyes with Benihime.

Benihime was caught. She knew Yayaka was right, she was not good at deception, still, she did not want to let her friend know about returning to the Yokai World. Benihime tried to think of a way out of her current situation, but knew, in the end, she would have to tell the truth. " My parents have asked me to consider returning to the Yokai World at the end of the semester."

" Permanently?" Yayaka asked, her tone serious.

" Yes, they have been less than pleased with how my romantic life has gone," Benihime said.

" So they told you to return to the Yokai World, because of Tanahashi-san," an edge like a razor blade had crept into Yayaka's voice, an angry succubus was truly terrifying.

" No, and don't go doing anything drastic. They told me to think about whether I should remain in the Human World and decide on my own. You know my parents though, if they are suggesting it, they must have a reason, I can not simply brush off their suggestion," Benihime said.

" Yes you can, you're going to stay here with me. I don't care who your parents are, they can't tell you what to do," Yayaka said getting emotional.

This was what Benihime feared, Yayaka could get emotional and irrational when it came to those she loved. Benihime almost envied how she could just let her emotions take control of her. Benihime had to handle her friend delicately. " You know it is not as simple as that Yayaka-chan. My parents are not cruel and have always had my best intentions in mind."

" That doesn't matter, this is not the time for logic, you have to go with your emotions on this one. You want to stay don't you?" Yayaka asked.

That was a question that cut to the heart of the matter. Benihime had her reasons to stay, yet there was still the heartbreak from Keiji, deny it as much as she might, it was still there. What truly got to Benihime was her anger at herself more than her anger at Keiji, she had misjudged him so badly. It was that doubt in her own judgment that made her question staying in the Human World. " I made a big mistake with Keiji-san, I can not make mistakes like that."

" Yes you can, you're just a high school girl, you can't expect your first romance to be perfect. You have to move on, you can't ruin your life over one mistake," Yayaka said, starting to calm down a bit.

" That is why I agreed to Mari-san's proposal," Benihime said.

" You don't need a boyfriend to stay here, there are plenty of girls who go through high school and college without having a boyfriend," Yayaka said.

" That is true, but I want to eventually have a husband, I want to be a wife. If I can not find that in the Human World, then maybe I can find it in the Yokai World. The longer I stay in the Human World the harder it will be for me to leave," Benihime said.

" Maybe I should also try and find you a boy," Yayaka said.

Benihime gave her friend a polite smile, " I appreciate your want to help Yayaka-chan, but we both know that would not turn out well."

" You're right, we have completely different taste in men," Yayaka said sighing. " I guess it really is all in that cat's hands. I want you to stay even if she fails though."

" I ...."

" You don't have to answer Beni-chan," Yayaka said interrupting. " Let's enjoy our lunch, I know things will go well."