Laura always seemed to have the strangest dreams. There was the one about how she dreamed that Neko turned into a flying tiger that decided to join the NBA . There was the dream that everybody evolved so quickly that every yokai and human on Earth transcended into psychic jellyfish made of pure energy. Then of course there was that same dream she had ever since she was little.
She was walking through the park, a little toddler, wearing the beret that she had just gotten for a present from her father. The leather hat was something she had seen in a clothing store previously and absolutely begged her parents to buy. At the moment, Yuki was holding Laura's tiny hand, instructing her to stay close as Laura's mother had asked Yuki to look after her daughter while she went to purchase a new dress for her little angel.
Soon, the two stopped next to a park bench and Yuki sat there with little Laura on her lap, pointing out different yokai who would pass by in the park and Laura would cheerfully name them all.. at least that's how the dream would go..till it got weird.
Before Laura knew it, the park was filled with a dense fog. One by one, humans and yokai all around fell to the ground and began to sleep. Even Yuki's head slumped onto her own shoulder as she began breathe slower in the bliss of dreamland.
"Yuki? Yuki!" little Laura nudged the sleeping Yuki-Onna. "Please wake up, I'm scared!"
Laura suddenly felt strange..like something was watching her. Laura turned slowly to see that seven strange figures with old cloaks and large obscuring bamboo hats and hoods were standing before the bench, watching her silently.
"She is still too young." Whispered one. "Shall we wait a year before we tell her the truth?"
"No.." whispered another. "She would still be too young. Let us wait longer still, out of respect for her species of course."
"Kayabe Riswaldo's daughter is a strange one." said a stranger on the far right. "She has the eyes of her yokai heritage..but her hair is as black as night.."
"We will return for her." said the first stranger. "When it is time for us to reclaim Japan. But for now, wait."
"She must remember nothing of this meeting." said the second stranger. "She too must sleep."
Laura woke with a start. For a moment she didn't know where she was. She looked around the small but comfortable bedroom. She was lying in a nice twin sized mattress. Next to her bed, was another bed which already had been vacated and made. A poster of Mitsu Matsume, a famous Bakoneko singer was on the wall along with some dart boards. there was a door that was open next to the end of Laura's bed with a light streaming out of it. From the steam that was coming out and the humming, she guessed somebody was taking a shower.
"Oh right.." Laura mumbled. "I got accepted..and I'm in the dorm right now..and Azami is taking a shower. Weird, I thought people around here usually showered before they went to bed."
Laura checked the digital clock on her bedside table. It read 6:30. From what she remembered, classes weren't scheduled to start until 8:00.
Laura reached under her pillow and pulled out her little Misaka doll. She squeezed it a little. It had been 2 years since she last had that dream. She thought that it had finally all stopped, but now she was beginning to think that it might mean something.
Laura got up and stretched just as Azami exited the bathroom wearing a bathrobe. "Hey, the shower's all free if you need it. You'll find early morning showers are gonna be the best times to take one after your first year here."
"I..don't really like showers.." muttered Laura.
"Eh?! Why not?!"
"It's not that I mind warm water." said Laura. "but for some reason soap really irritates me. Yuki says it's my yokai nature, and so did the doctors. But I have no idea what kind of yokai hates soap."
"Well you'll have to take a shower eventually." said Azami.
"Yuki agrees." the door to the room opened to reveal Yuki who had a brush and bottle of shampoo in her hands. "It appears once more Yuki will have to persuade Ojosama the hard way."
"Oh crap!" Laura made to run from the room, but not before Yuki moved in and grabbed her by the ear, pulling her back into bathroom.
There was the sound of screaming and struggling and just like back in Taiwan, Laura's clothes were thrown out of the bathroom and the sound of Yuki throwing Laura into the tub could be heard.
"Why Yuki!?" Laura shouted.
"Ojosama must clean herself..no matter how irritating it is." said Yuki as the sound of scrubbing could be heard.
"Eh.." Azami just stared for a moment, her mouth slightly open in surprise. Then she giggled. "Well, if you need a bathrobe, they're in the closet!"
"Hold on a second." Yuki said. A bar of soap flew out of the bathroom and sailed across the room to the front door where it hit the peeking Neko right in the face and made him fall flat on his back.
"Pervert." said Yuki.
Another 12 minutes later, the roommates were all sitting at a small round dining table in the kitchen while Azami hummed and made some coffee. The kitchen for the dorm room was fully loaded with a bar, a coffee maker, a 6 slotted toaster, oven, microwave, and even had some Tsukumogami frying pans and spatulas which would come out and make eggs for you if you asked them nicely.
However, the breakfast on today's menu was frozen waffles, so the Tsukumogami just slept blissfully away in the overhead cabinet.
Laura took a look at the dark blue shirt, yellow tie and black skirt she was dressed in. "Hmm..this uniform isn't my usual style."
"It's something that sets us apart from a lot of the other branches." said Azami. "Wearing uniforms is supposed to show off our pride in the school. Especially whenever representatives are picked to go to international competitions and missions"
"So am I supposed to bring anything to class?" Laura asked. "What exactly is my schedule?"
"I've got em right here!" said Azami bringing out a massive stack of textbooks and piling them on the table.
"Holy fish!" said Neko. "Is Laura gonna eat at all?"
"It's a handful I know." said Azami. "But this is a prestigious school after all, so you'll just have to study extra hard."
"Oh man.." muttered Laura. "I think I just lost my work out time.."
"Actually, there's a gym scheduled every morning before your first class at 7:30." said Azami. "It's required so we better hurry down."
After a hurried breakfast, the foursome headed out of their dorm room and proceeded downstairs to the entrance area. The pool was currently empty and being cleaned by what appeared to be sponge Tsukumogami. Cho was hovering right by the front door humming to himself, his little lantern light flickering underneath his paper skin.
"Heading out?" asked Cho. "Well then, take care you two, and Azami, please keep an eye on that Lily girl for me, her Shikigami just nearly stepped on me during my morning inspection of the tile floors in the bottom laundry area. I think her arrogance might be a source of dangerous recklessness."
"I'll keep an eye out." promised Azami. "Take care Cho."
"Do me a favor and bring back some sake." said Cho. "Life around here is boring for the staff without a good motivational drink now and then."
"How would a Tsukumogami even drink alcohal?" Laura muttered as they went out the door.
"They have a very curious anatomy." said Azami. "Though, whatever you do, never do what Cho asks when it involves alcohol, he actually really can't hold his liqour. One drop of sake and you can bet your life that he's gonna be drunk as a sailor.
Laura had to admit, she wasn't used to traveling to school by public transportation, when she had been in Middle School, Yuki had usually driven her. (Yokai are legally allowed licenses at around age 13 in yokai years, as that is the age one becomes an adult in the yokai world.) She still remembered when she was little how she would constantly complain to Yuki and her mother from the back seat about how Neko wouldn't stop messing with her hair.
After a few bus changes and a ride on a very new subway that was just built last year, The group found themselves entering the main school building. Laura once again felt awed as she looked at the tremendous inside of the building.
"Not getting lost is gonna take some getting used to." said Azami. "So just stick with me for now, and we should be able to- eh?"
Azami stopped talking as they suddenly found their way blocked by a strange looking group of people wearing brown hooded robes to obscure their faces.
"You shall not pass!" said the smaller hooded figure. "Not until you agree to pay the toll!"
"And let me guess." said Laura. "We first answer these questions three..to get to the other side you see."
The hooded figures looked at each other, seemingly confused.
"Oh come on." said Laura. "Have any of you...weird...um...whatever you guys are, seen Monty Python?"
"Monty..what?" said the small figure.
"We cannot afford to get side tracked now!" said a taller figure. "You must pay the toll!!"
"And what's this toll?" Neko asked. "Some better clothes?"
"You must..." said the smaller figure with a dramatic pause. "Join our club!!"
There was an awkward pause, Laura thought she could hear the wind whistling in her ear.
The group looked at each other..then at the hooded figures. "No thank you."
They made to walk off, the hooded figures suddenly moved in and blocked their way.
"Hold on!" said the small hooded figure. "If you don't join, you can't pass!"
"Oh yeah?" said Laura irritably. "Watch us."
"Then you leave us no choice." said the small hooded figure. "We must use our mega black secrets of the dark arts on you!! Show them fellow members!!"
The group suddenly held hands and surrounded Azami, Neko, Yuki, and Laura in a ring. They began turning rotating rapidly around the group like Ring around The Rosie.
"Haha!" said the small figure. "Behold our Secret Spinning Wall of Doom! You will never be able to get past this super...uh...super.."
The small figure's voice began to sound more and more dizzy as the other hooded figures began to moan a little from dizziness as well. After about 5 more seconds, the club collapsed from dizziness.
"Well.." said Laura. "That was easy."
Suddenly, the small figure leapt back to her feet. "Aha!! Well played, getting past our Secret Spinning Art of Doom! But what you didn't count on, was my Secret Secret Rubberband Gun attack!!" The small figure got out a small rubberband and stretched it, aiming it at Laura. "Cower fools!"
There was another silent pause as Yuki calmly walked over to the hooded figure.
"I-I'm warning you!" said the small figure as Yuki came closer. "I'll shoot!!"
Yuki stopped right in front of the small figure. She raised a hand, and jabbed two fingers right in the hooded figure's forehead.
"EEEP!" The small figure fell down, her hood and cloak fell away to reveal a small girl with pink hair in the Academy uniform. The small girl sat up looking frightened. "Oh-oh dear."
"Boss!!" said the other hooded figures. They gathered around the girl. "What are we gonna do boss? They're too powerful!!"
"We musn't retreat!" said the girl. "This club will gain new members even if we must lay down our lives!"
"Whoah whoah!" said Laura. "Okay, this is overkill, nobody's gonna do any laying down of lives here! Who the heck are you people!?"
The small girl grinned. "Well I'm glad you asked! Fellas, time for the grand club introduction!!"
"Yes Boss!!"
The tall figure threw away his hood to reveal a large catfish like yokai, with fin-like limbs his uniform had been stretched to accomadate his bulky fish body.
"I am Isuke! The shining Namazu!" said the catfish doing a pose.
A second figure threw away her cloak to reveal a girl with vibrant red hair and a confident grin. "I am Lisa Patterson! This club's American Food Expert!"
The final hooded figure threw away his hood to reveal a tan well built man with sunglasses. "I am Jaques Romana, the handsome rapper of from the edge of the world!"
"And finally!" said the small girl. "I am Aiko Shizuri! This club's shining leader!!"
"Together!" they said. "We are the Shikigami Club! HURRAH!!"
They all did a dramatic pose formation.
Another silent pause.
"You guys watch a lot of Power Rangers don't you?" said Neko.
"Shikigami club?" said Azami. "I don't think I've heard of you.."
"Of course not!!" said Aiko. "Our club's so small, our reputation in the whole school is barely noticable!"
"What does a Shikigami club even do?" said Neko.
"We are experts and pioneers in the creations of different kinds of Shikigami!" said Isuke as his fish tail flopped around excitedly. "The art of creating powerful artificial familiars to help others is the glorious mission of the Shikigami Club!"
"However, thanks to our lack of members." said Lisa. "Our club has been threatened with disbandment by the official student council of clubs...our existance hinges on recruiting at least one more member to our cause!"
"So please." said Aiko as she and the rest of the club members got down on their knees dramatically. "Join our club!!"
More silence.
Aiko looked up and her jaw dropped in shock. "WHAAAAT!? They're already gone!"
And so they were. Laura, Azami, Necko, and Yuki had uncomfortably snuck away from the dramatic group. They really didn't have a choice after all as their gym was supposed to start in 5 minutes.
Unlike the school's training area, the gym looked like your basic high shool gym. It had a indoor track course, a rope set, basketball courts, the whole works.
The track clothes for the girls and boys weren't that different, the while both consisted of black gym shorts and white shirts, the female shirts were sleeveless.
"It's not like I don't feel for them or anything.." Laura whispered to Yuki who looked strange in Laura's opinion without her usual kimono. "But we both know how Neko really doesn't like Shikigami."
"True." said Yuki. "Neko has always felt the use of artificial familiars undermines the bond between real yokai familiars."
"Well he's going to have to get used it." said Azami who had just returned from 5 laps around the track. "Shikigami are becoming more common every day. They're being seen as a chance to ensure fewer Yokai Hunter injuries and deaths in the field..a lot like military drones, they aren't living to begin with, so fewer lives are lost."
"Yuki admits." said Yuki. "This use of Shikigami does sound more appealing."
"Well, I'm going for my run." said Laura as she headed towards the track.
As Laura began to jog around the track she began to hear some hurried panting from behind. Laura looked over her shoulder to see none other then Aiko riding on top of the Namazu named Isuke's back as the yokai struggled to keep up.
"Okay, howabout this!" said Aiko taking out a stack of fliers. "If you join our club, we'll create your own shikigami for you, custom built to your specifications, soul materials, and soul energy!"
"Umm...sorry." said Laura. "Gotta run!"
Laura began to jog a little faster, glad that Namazu weren't exactly fast Yokai when not in mud or water."
Suddenly, Laura heard a different set of breathing and looked back in shock to see that Aiko was back, now riding on Jaques's shoulders, who in contrast to Isuke's big fish body, looked lean and fit as a marathon runner.
"Okay, how about we give your friends some free Shikigami as well!?" said Aiko. "Like this prototype we've been working on. He's a class B Fire Elemental!"
Aiko held out a flier with a picture and description of what appeared to be a humanoid creature made entirely of fire. "We call him Kago..Ka for fire and go for...er..well we couldn't figure out anything else..so we went with go!"
"Sorry, um, I'm busy..jogging." said Laura. She ran faster this time, the increased strength from her yokai heritage allowed her to easily outrun Jaques despite his extroardinary physique.
"Glad that's over." muttered Laura.
Of course though, she was wrong. Cause now she heard even more pants behind her as Aiko reappeared being carried by Lisa Patterson, who was unbelievably able to keep up with Laura even though from what Laura could tell, she was human in every way.
"You won't escape from me that easy!" said Lisa with her confident grin. "I'm the most athletic student in the entire school Lisa Patterson, expert in American Dishes!!"
"What does being a food expert have to do with being athletic!?" Laura demanded.
"Funny you should ask!" said Lisa. "Behold the results of a healthy diet!"
Lisa ran a little harder, this time making it so that Aiko was only inches away from Laura.
"Here's my mega super addition offer!" said Aiko. "If you join, we'll give you the super premium membership where we'll get you started on learning to create your very own Shikigami right away instead of having to wait the usual 20 days!"
"Okay, to be good and honest." said Laura. "As interesting as this club sounds, I can't join, my familiar Neko thinks Shikigami are an insult to yokai familiars, so he wouldn't like it!"
And with that Laura thrust out her hands to her sides as a reddish aura burst from her eyes. Immediately a massive wave of iron chains burst out of the ground beneath Laura's feet carrying her forward like a surfer and leaving Aiko and Lisa far behind.
However, just when Laura thought it was truly over, she turned to find with absolute shock, that Aiko was coming after her alone this time, flying alongside the chain wave like a mini super girl, her body glowing with a light blue aura. Coming out of her backside was a long serpent-like dragon's tail with beautiful light blue jewel-like scales.
"I'm not falling behind!" said Aiko. "I am the 4th strongest of the Seven Bridges, The Dragon Dancer Aiko Shizuri! Now if you consider our other offers.."
"Why are you so desperate for me to join your club!?" Laura shouted.
That's when Aiko did something unexpected. She started crying.
"P-please.." said Aiko as tears poured out of her eyes. "Nobody else will join..you're my last hope."
Laura sighed. Her chains sank back into the floor like holograms and she came to a stop as Aiko's tail faded and she landed next to Laura.
"Fine.." said Laura. "I'll join your club."
"Y-you mean it?"
"Yeah.."
Immediately, Aiko's attitude changed. "YEAH!! New club member!! Everyone come and greet your new sister!"
Immediately Laura found herself being piled on by all of the Shikigami club.
"Oh this is going to be great!" said Aiko. "We're going to do so many things...like a little bit of this..and a little bit of that.."
As Aiko continued to ramble on and on, Laura couldn't help but ask one question. "Erm...can I please finish my jog?"
Notes:
Aiko, despite her petite appearance, is actually 15 years old. She is a full 4 ft 4.
Dragons are very rare yokai, and were not previously classified as yokai until further research determined that they were created by human emotion. Like Land God yokai, dragons must be formed by the combined intense emotions of thousands of humans at once, one of the reasons why they're extremely rare. 3 of the world's most famous dragons were formed as a result of human emotions from the Holocaust and the aftermath of Hiroshima's bombing.