Coyote Tricks: The Bone Eaters Well

Note that all dialogue unless otherwise stated is in Japanese. Readers should note however that without the Bablefiharmharm he wears, Kit cannot understand or speak Japanese. If you have not read the warnings and disclaimers in the first chapter, please do so now before proceeding. This chapter is rated R for violence, language and hanyou bashing.

The Red Kitsune

The arrangements and getting Spirit Singer on the train took longer than expected and Toshiro moved their plans for an outing to the next day. Kit inquired about the area surrounding the house that Shippo informed him was called Nermia. Shippo jumped at the chance to take Kit out for a tour of the neighborhood. He chided himself however realizing it was just an excuse to put off a private talk with Toshiro.

Toshiro and Kit picked up Koto and Juri the next morning. Kit was fascinated by Juri. He had never met a sea demon before. Her ears were fin like and she had a sea serpent like tail. As they set their illusions in place in preparation for heading out into the human world, Juri’s took the form of a young blonde girl of fair complexion. It was very beautiful Kit thought but as he talked with her, he began to suspect she fit the stereotype a little too well.

Toshiro, Kit, Koto and Jspenspent the day hitting the various fun spots in Tokyo, which for Toshiro consisted of various arcades, pachinko palaces and an anime convention. The sun was starting its late afternoon descent when Kit feeling unusually tired suggested going home but Toshiro insisted on taking him to the hottest nightspot in town, the Red Kitsune. The club turned out to be hidden in the back of a nondescript alley.

“They don’t spend much on advertising do they?” Kit asked.
Toshiro laughed “It’s a private club, Youkai only”
Kit raised an eyebrow, “And how do they feel about half breeds?”
“Oh you can expect the usual prejudice but unless they want lose their access to the club they won’t push it usually. Just steer clear of them.”
Kit looked up at the evening sun nearing the rooftops of the city, the unusual tiredness still plaguing him. “That should be no problem; I don’t feel up to any trouble tonight.”

They came up to the door of the club where a large brute of a man blocked their way.
“No humans allowed” he said.
“Bash you stupid ogre you know me. Can’t you sense our youkai?” Toshiro said.
‘He is an ogre?’ Kit thought ‘I didn’t sense him at all.’
“What about him?” Bash said pointing at Kit.
Toshiro turned and looked at Kit for a second. “You know that charm of yours is working a little too well. I can’t sense your youkai either. All right everybody lets drop our illusions we won’t need them here anyway.”
The foursome shed their human illusions.
“See?” Toshiro said to the ogre.
Bash looked at Kit for a moment longe“Ok”“Ok” he said at last and opened the door.

The interior of the club was filled with youkai of all shapes and sized. There was a large bar along one wall being manned by something that looked like a cross between a man and an octopus. Watching him work, the tentacles appeared to be quite an asset. Opposite the bar was a DJ booth. The DJ was a badger spirit wearing a leather jacket and rising sun headband. The dance floor was directly below the DJ booth surrounded by tables. The outer walls were lined with booths arranged and curtained to provide the user with however much privacy they wanted.

They found a booth, ordered a round of drinks and proceeded to dance floor. Kit was really enjoying Juri’s company. She was a little ditzy but a fun to be with and a good dancer. Unfortunately, whatever was making him feel so odd was affecting his dancing to as he seemed no where near his usual gracefulness. He started tripping over his feet so they went back to the booth.

“Are you alright?” Toshiro asked him as they sat down.
“I don’t know what is wrong with me tonight. I’m sorry I’m messing up your evening.” Kit answered.
Toshiro looked at him a second and then leaned over and whispered in Koto’s ear.
“Say Juri, I need to go powder my nose. Come with me?” Koto said.
“Oh I don’t…” Juri started to say then noticing Koto’s expression continued “aw yea sure.”

As soon as the girls left, Toshiro leaned over to Kit. “Kit, I didn’t want to ask you this in front of girls since I know it is a sensitive subject. I’m a hanyou and I know we all have a time when we lose our youkai powers. You are showing all the signs, is tonight your time?”
Kit looked up at him with a frightened look. “No it can’t be that. I keep careful track and this is not the night.”
“Alright I know how that works but still I think we had better head home as soon as the girls get back.”
“Ok good idea” Kit said takingtherther drink. He probably should have stopped as the alcohol was affecting him more than usual but he was feeling nervous. He laid his head back against the wall. ‘I just need to close my eyes for a second’ he thought to himself.

He woke a few moments later to a hand shaking his shoulder and a voice saying something but he couldn’t understand what. He opened his eyes to see Toshiro with a concerned look on his face, speaking in Japanese. ‘What happened to the babelfish charm?’ he wondered.
“I don’t understand you” Kit said.
Toshiro blinked once and switched to English. “Your ears are gone and your hair has changed.”
Kit’s hands flew to his head and confirmed that his coyote ears were gone and beneath his hair he could feel the human ears that had taken their place. He didn’t need to feel behind him to know his tail had gone as well.
That explained the babelfish charm; it was tied to his spirit energy. If he had become human it no longer worked.

“No! This can’t be right! This is not the night!” he said in a rising panic.
Toshiro reached across the table and caught hold of his shirt collar to get his attention. “Look whatever the reason it has come early. I need you to keep your wits about you and deal with it until we can get out of here, OK”
Kit met his eyes the panic draining out of him as he composed himself. “OK” he said at last.

Toshiro turned to the girls and switched back to Japanese. “We need to get him out of here. Club rules or not there are a lot oukaoukai that won’t pass up a chance to take advantage of his condition.”

Toshiro stood first and reaching behind him brought out a Wakizashi sword and scabbard seemingly from no where. (A/N: The Wakizashi is the shorter of the two swords traditionally carried by samurai. It usually has a blade around 20” and was used in more close quarters combat where the longer Katana would be a hindrance.) Knowing Kitsune magic, Kit was sure it had been strapped to his back all along hidden in an illusion.

“You expect trouble?” Kit asked.
“I hope not but it never hurts to be prepared or to advertise that you are” Toshiro answered.
Kit nodded suddenly wishing he could summon his spear and shield right now.
“I hate being human” he muttered to himself.

They got up and proceeded through the crowd towards the doors, Koto and Juri on either side of him and Toshiro bringing up the rear.
Kit thought they were going to make it without trouble when he ran right into a wall. He looked up into the face of an 8 foot ogre flanked by cat and lizard demons. The ogre looked over Kit at Toshiro.

“You know it is bad enough they let you dirty half demons in here but this foreigner has to rub it in by stinking up the place with his human scent.” The ogre said pointing at Kit.
Kit couldn’t follow any of it except he remembered the word hanyou for half demon and gijin for foreigner.

“We don’t want any trouble, we are leaving now” Toshiro answered as his hand edged toward his sword.
“I don’t think so” the ogre yelled and swung a fist the size of pile driver right at Kit’s head. It missed as Kit reading the move grabbed the girl’s arms and dropped to the floor carrying the girls with him.
“FOX DAZZLE” Toshiro’s voice cried out and the air around them filled with sparkling fireworks through which Toshiro came flying landing a kick right in the ogre’s chest sending dropping onto his back.

Toshiro landed, sword in hand. The ogre’s companions moved to his sides, the cat slowly swinging a metal chain and the lizard’s claws were dripping something that smoked when it hit the floor. The ogre got back on his feet and faced Toshiro.
“Look, we don’t have to do this. We just want to leave in peace” Toshiro sai“You“You can leave in pieces” the ogre answered.

The chain flew out and entangled Toshiro’s sword. He flipped it loose with a twisting motion but doing so left him open for the lizard demon to rake his side with his claws. Toshiro let out a cry of pain as he swung around to strike the lizard demon. The demon leapt easily out of the way. Toshiro realized the ogre was coming in to land a crippling blow from his open side but Toshiro couldn’t turn to block in time. These three were obviouslactiacticed at fighting together, he realized with a fatal fascination.

The ogre’s blow didn’t land however as Kit leapt up from behind him and smashed a bottle of sake over the ogre’s head. The ogre paused and turning to face Kit developed a grin that did not bode well from Kit’s view point.
“Oh Shit!” Kit said and swung a hard right into the monster’s midsection. The result was like punching a brick wall and Kit drew his hand back clutching it in pain.
“Damn, I hate being human, I hate being human!” muttered to himself.
“Is that all you got, gijin?”

Kit didn’t understand the words but the meaning was clear enough.
“FUCK YOU!” he yelled and kicked the ogre hard in the crotch.
The monster bent over grabbing his crotch in pain.
“HA!” Kit shouted with a big grin on his face.

The ogre roared and backhanded Kit sending him flying into the wall so hard that the only thing preventing him from breaking bones was the bodies of several demons he smashed into on the way. He fell face down to the floor. He tasted blood in his mouth and he ached all over.
‘At least thatns Ins I’m still alive’ he thought to himself as he rolled over onto his back.

He looked up to see the ogre standing over him grinning and raising his fist to deliver a blow that would surely crush his skull.
‘Or maybe not’
He closed his eyes as the blow started to fall.