Chain Yokai: Book 1. The Hunter

Yokai..What Are We?

Laura opened the door to her apartment and gloomily walked in, only to spectacularly slip and and fall on her back.

"Careful Ojosama" said a voice. "Yuki just mopped their Ojosama"

Laura looked up from where she lay to see a small girl who looked around 14 with long white hair and a bright white kimono, gleaming bright yellow eyes and a very unreadable expression  kneeling next to her with a wet cloth in her hand.

"Yuki.." said Laura. "Hey..how's it going?"

"Ojosama has come back late again." said Yuki as a literal cold mist began to eminate from her body. "Yuki was wondering when Ojosama would ever get back...Ojosama was worrying Neko.."

"LAURA!!!!" Suddenly, a small boy who looked around 5 wearing a black t shirt and blue jeans and who had brown cat ears and a tail jumped out of nowhere and right onto Laura's stomach, and began hugging the life out of her as tears poured down his face. "YOU WERE GONE FOR HOURS!!! I MISSED YOU!!!"

"All the life...being choked out of me.." gasped Laura. "Must..have...air."

"That is enough Neko." said Yuki pulling the boy cat off of Laura by his shirt collar. "We musn't kill Ojosama with our affections." (Note: Ojosama means princess or My Lady in Japanese.)

Laura sat up groaning. As it so happened, Yuki and Neko were both yokai familiars that she had inherited from her mother. Yuki was a Yuki-Onna, meaning she had control over cold and ice. Neko was a Bakoneko, a yokai that was originally thought to be cats made into human form before the scientific community proved that Yokai were created through human emotions.

Both of them had agreed to serve as Laura's mother's familiars after she had saved them from a harsh neighborhood and took them into her home like her own children. Now after the death of Laura's mother, they had become her familiars in turn.

"Sorry to do this to you guys again." said Laura rubbing her head sheepishly. "Another kappa's been seen drowning and eating children at the local pool."

"Yuki thinks you should leave that to law enforcement Ojosama." said Yuki.

"I know..I know.." Laura as she strode over to the large red sofa that was at the end of the small living room and collapsed in it. "But I couldn't just do nothing."

"Hmph!" said Neko. "At this rate you'll never make it into the Japan region like you've always dreamed. You need more self control!"

Laura eyed Neko deviously. "Coming from the boy I found sneaking through my diary for three nights in a row?"

Neko blushed a little. "Ehehehe..come on, I said I was sorry."

Well Yuki is glad that you are back safe." said Yuki. "Yuki has already drawn a hot bath for Ojosama.."

"Bath?" said Laura, her eyes widening a little nervously. "Aw come on...I don't need a bath.."

Yuki's eyes suddenly gleamed with a steely resolve. "Perhaps Ojosama didn't hear Yuki clearly...Yuki has drawn a hot bath..and Ojosama will get herself clean or else.."

"No thanks!" said Laura suddenly shooting some chains out of her hands and opening the balcony screen door with a pull.

Retracting her chains, Laura ran for the balcony, but not before Yuki glided forward and grabbed her ear painfully and began pulling her towards the bathroom.

Necko watched as Yuki dragged Laura into the bathroom. Several yelling and arguing sounds later, Laura's clothes were thrown out of the bathroom and a splashing sound could be heard as Yuki had just thrown Laura into the large tub.

"Yuki has scored 2 points with Ojosama." said Yuki's voice. "Nothing but net."

"Not funny Yuki!!" squealed Laura.

Necko suddenly got a devious expression on his face, his cheeks blushing really red. "Oh boy..this is my big chance!"

Necko snuck up to the bathroom door and made to peek around the corner, suddenly a soap bar shot out of the bathroom and smacked Necko straight in the forehead, causing him to fall onto his back.

"No peeking...pervert." said Yuki's voice from the bathroom as she could be heard forcefully scrubbing down Laura's back.

Later that night, Laura was in her striped pajamas, sleeping peacefully within her small room as Yuki placed a blanket over her. Before Yuki could leave the room however, Laura stirred.

"Hey...Yuki..?" Laura asked. "Do you think I could pass the entrance exam for the Japan region? The international testing date is tommorow..."

"Has Ojosama studied hard?"

"Yes."

Yuki looked around at the piles of books on Yokai and Yokai Hunters that were all over the room.

"Then I see no reason why you shouldn't pass." sad Yuki.

"Yuki?"

"Yes Ojosama?"

"I'm nervous."

Yuki nodded. "It's natural Ojosama....Yuki is also nervous."