Clocks (Akura Ou x OC)

Chapter 4: Brothers

Tomoe? Is that the same Tomoe that's in Nanami's class. It couldn't be. Unless, he's a yokai. He'd live for thousands of years in that case. But why would a yokai be following Nanami around. Maybe he wants to hurt her? I doubt it. He seems so peaceful and reserved. Maybe he's an old friend, or maybe he has a crush on her? I'll have to ask when I find my way home.

I went out and ran down until I was in roughly the middle of the building, I hoped, and I yelled at the top of my lungs, "Tomoe!"

A door behind me slid open sharply and there stood a tall man with white hair, white ears, a white tail, and sharp purple eyes. His kimono was hanging loosely off his shoulders and he held a disc from which he was drinking. It was Tomoe, alright. Those piercing eyes were beyond recognizable.

"What?" he asked, looking me over.

"The raccoon yokai women asked me to find you," I said, "A yokai is attacking them."

"What do you want me to do about it?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'what do I want you to do about it?' I want you to help them."

"I see no reason why I should," he said. My eyes narrowed. I stepped forward and slapped him sharply. His eyes went wide in surprise as he looked down at me.

"These women obviously trusted you to protect them. I can only hope for their sake that you are too drunk to understand what I'm saying, because I'm sure it would break their hearts to know you don't care," I said, before turning and running back the direction I came from. I found the room with the women and saw the male yokai had torn off the clothes of two of the women. 

"Pervert!" I yelled, picking up my art bag, which I knew had my seriously heavy art supply box, and hit him across the face with it. He chuckled and looked at me hungrily.

"Well, well, a brave human woman," he said, "To bad you're so weak." He raised a hand and struck me, knocking me to the floor. Tears rushed to my eyes at the sharp feeling of his strike. My cheek would certainly bruise. He laughed again and turned away. 

"Foolish human," he mocked softly before turning to the undressed yokai women.

I and the women jumped in surprise when blue fire suddenly ignited around him and on him. He slowly burned to ash and was gone.

"Tomoe!" the women cried joyfully. I turned and saw him, the white fox, standing behind me holding a fan over the lower half of his face.

"I must take my leave now," he said, "Good night."

"Tomoe, don't go!" the women chorused. He simply left.

"I'm going to go too. I want to talk to him," I said. I took out my phone and discreetly took a picture of the drawing of the yokai women before tearing the paper from my sketchbook. I wrote down my name and gave the paper to Yui.

"To remember me by, since I don't know when I'll be back," I said.

"Thank you," Yui said, hugging me gently.

I nodded and smiled before packing my art items and running after the white fox.

"Hey, Tomoe," I called, running up to him.

"What do you want, human?" he asked sharply.

"I didn't think you'd help them," I said.

He sighed, "Perhaps I have managed to become a little drunk tonight. I have no great liking of humans, so the demands of a human woman only irritated me. However, your slap sobered me enough to understand what you were saying."

He closed his fan to reveal the pink on his cheek where I had hit. I didn't think I could have any effect on a yokai at all.

"I would've felt inclined to strike you back, but it appears that yokai paid you back for me," he said, pointing his fan at my cheek.

"Yeah, whatever," I said, "Why are all the male yokai such jerks?"

"Hmm," he hummed, "Perhaps, you just dislike the male yokai because you don't belong here."

"No. I dislike rude men in general."

"How many yokai men have you even met?" he asked.

"Only you, that one that attacked the women, and-."

"Akura Ou," Tomoe said. I realized he was looking past me and turned around.

"Where did you hide my grey kimono?" Tomoe asked, glaring at Akura Ou.

"Somewhere," Akura Ou said, "I see you found my human. Guess you didn't die after all."

"Nice to know you were concerned horn-head," I said.

Tomoe snorted and covered his mouth with his hand to avoid laughing out loud.

"I said don't call me that!" Akura Ou shouted, his face flushing in anger.

After he had calmed down, he crossed his arms, "Looks like you didn't come out unscathed, though, woman."

"Raya, and yes, a male yokai struck me. What's it to you?" I said, looking away from Akura Ou.

"Which one?" Akura Ou asked 

"So you do care," I teased 

"Of course not!" Akura Ou exclaimed angrily, "But no low-level yokai gets to touch my property."

"I'm not property, Akura Ou," I said sharply, "I'm human, I have a will of my own, and I'm going to find my way back home now. And either way, Tomoe burned up that yokai, so he's gone  Now, good bye Akura Ou, Tomoe."

"You're not going anywhere," Akura Ou said, grabbing my shoulder.

"Like I'd listen to you," I said 

Akura Ou growled softly before throwing me over his shoulder again 

"Damn it, Akura Ou, put me down!" I exclaimed 

"Come brother, let's head home," Akura Ou said 

"When we get there, you're returning my kimono," Tomoe said before following behind us.

"You're brothers?" I asked.

"Yes, which means Tomoe won't save you from me," I said 

"I don't know. If you steal his clothes so often, maybe he will just to spite you," I said.

"Shut up, damn talkative woman," Akura Ou muttered 

I grinned at Tomoe, who looked amused. Even though I was the one flung over Akura Ou's shoulder, it seemed I had more power at the moment