Today was the day. The day that Oku would be broken out of that terrible place, under the thumb of the Youkai king. Lawrence was absolutely ready for things to go back to normal, and was hoping they could get the king to stop bothering them as well. Maybe they could prove all this so well the king couldn’t do anything about it. It was an early morning but the gang was ready. After all they’d went through to get this sorted out it seemed as if they were unstoppable. Hato and Koichi led them to the portal where Chief Kano and Aimai waited in the capital. They’d come as sort of a police escort, and started rushing to the court as soon as they entered through the portal. Their spirits were high and everything was in order. Kuun waited in limbo, after being given a stern talking to by Inari, and although Mark had contacted Doro and Gorgo it seemed as if they had something important in the forest to attend to. It had sounded like they were cleansing evil spirits so Lawrence made a point to tell them about the happenings after the trial. Even Seph seemed excited, though a bit groggy.

As they walked, Kano whispered to Koichi, causing him to stop.

“What?! You’re kidding.”

“Afraid not.”

Koichi’s gaze drifted over to Lawrence then swept the surrounding area.

“Well everyone, it looks like the king is starting to get desperate.”

Hato looked up from the ground and tilted her head at the comment.

“How so?”

“It looks like they’re out to get him.”

Koichi pointed at Lawrence in a very dramatic motion, smiling. Chief Kano came to the forefront and calmed the group.

“No need to worry, I’ve posted our officers around. If there’s any trouble on the way to the court, we’ll know about it. You’ll be safe kid.”

“How can ya be so sure?”

Mark looked back to Seph, who had spoken up.

“If Kano thought we were going to get taken down do you really think he’d even have Lawrence come?”

“Hmm… perhaps.”

Seph just shrugged and put a hand on his sword. This might not be as easy as it sounded. As they walked, Lawrence was quick to notice one striking thing. The roads were absolutely silent. Where the other times he had been here there were farmers lined up on the cobbled road with their goods, today it was silent, and one could even hear the wind blowing. Between the large buildings were very dark alleys, seemingly enlarged by the absence of any Youkai around. Mark would have felt a little bit better if Reinhardt had accompanied them, however the large man had simply said he would join them at the court later. If this did turn out to be a fight, he wanted as many together as possible. As they looked around the silent streets, a Youkai suddenly turned the corner and bolted towards them. He was not an enemy though, and had come with a message for Kano. As he spoke it the large Youkai’s eyebrows went up and down, and he scratched his face.

“I’ll be damned…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Koichi, come here.”

A few seconds later, Koichi’s eyebrows had a similar reaction, and he turned back to the group.

“Well… it looks like the assault fizzled out for some reason. The king must have called it off.”

Lawrence looked around the silent streets once more. Would he have really called it off? That couldn’t mean that he was just giving up on Oku, could it? Inari voiced his worry, and Kano looked back at them.

“No, this can only mean one thing. He’s gotten what he wanted in the first place.”

Aimai cocked her head a bit.

“What does he want though chief?”

“Good question. I think we’ll be finding out in a few minutes.”

With that, Kano began trudging quickly towards the court, the rest of the group following. Whether they liked it or not they were about to find out what Oku was hiding. Lawrence thought to himself. She’d been inside of him, learning about him for so long, yet he was finally about to learn something big about her. It was strange. Perhaps she would finally be less of a mystery to him.

When they arrived, the king himself sat at the judges pedestal. Looking bored, he barely glanced at them as they entered. Sighing loudly, he pulled himself up and faced the group, smiling broadly, and in his high pitched voice, spoke.

“Let us now get underway, I have very important matters to attend to.”

As he spoke, Reinhardt entered from the front, and Mark pointed with his eyes for the large man to join them. He did so, and two large boar Youkai escorted the sleepfathers into their jury positions. The gavel was struck, and they began. The first question was brought up by Koichi.

“Where is Orchid?”

“Oh? She is being kept in custody. War criminals are treated this way in secondary trials, I am truly sorry for the trouble.”

Koichi looked down at the desk in anger, but brought back his usual smiling face once again.

“Well then, I would be very appreciative if you would allow our first and only witness to the stand. Kuun the Intrepid.”

The king’s eyebrows rose, but strangely enough he didn’t become angered. He allowed the action, and Inari called Kuun from the orb. Mark leaned over to Lawrence.

“Is this too easy? Why isn’t the king fuming?”

Stolen novel; please report.

“I… I don’t know…”

“I suppose it depends on what he wants, and if he’s already gotten it. We thought that he simply wanted Oku, but was that right?”

A light filled the room suddenly as Kuun’s spirit energy entered back into the Youkai realm through Inari’s body.

“Ahhh! Feels great! How are you, captain?”

Rage filled the king’s eyes but he kept a calm disposition.

“Very well, strategist. Though most call me king these days.”

“I’ll remember that captain! Anyways, you said that Orchid killed me isn’t that right? Oh you know that isn’t true! After all, when the war ended we were going to run off together! Your Omoikane killed me, right after I teleported Orchid from our fight. She’d tried to come save me, but it was just a bit too late. If anyone should be tried for war crimes I think it would be Omoikane himself! Your general threatened to burn down the forest of the only Youkai I’ve ever loved. Could you blame me for allowing myself to be taken as a hostage? I was tortured by Omoikane you know.”

From the seats, Lawrence’s jaw nearly dropped. Kuun had loved her?

“Now, we both know that the laws do not prohibit war criminals from showing their faces in court, and I’m sure a keeper of the ancient laws such as yourself would not change something as sacred as this.”

The king’s smile curled downward, but he shrugged and motioned for his servants to bring Oku out. As soon as they did so, her eyes widened and she spoke.

“Kuun?”

“Commander!”

Kuun, who was still in Inari’s body, skipped over to Oku and kissed her, leading Oku’s face to grow red. At this, Kuun looked back to the king.

“Is that not all the evidence you need? We had a bond.”

“Hmm… Perhaps, but-”

“In that case, your honor, we have this.”

Reinhardt held up a large scroll to the king, and he flicked his fingers, transporting the scroll to his large desk. Struggling to roll it out, the king called for his two bodyguards and they held it open for him.

“Hmm… So the exorcists propose a release to their court hmm? They demand it? Ah well, you’ve gotten me. I truly respect what you men and Youkai have achieved together today. You have proven that even a king can be wrong, and I bow my head in defeat. I only wish that I had been presented with this information before the trial in the first place, and I issue a formal apology to Orchid. I hope you will forgive me, and I thank you for taking the time to travel back to the capital for this trial.”

He smiled once again, and snapped his fingers. One of the guards lifted the small king onto his shoulder, while the other led the sleepfathers out. Koichi looked to the sleepfathers for some sort of confirmation, but they were already looking groggy. It was too strange. The king’s guards untied Oku’s hands and she was released to them. Oku locked eyes one last time with the king, who snickered. He then exited the building, leaving a very stunned group of humans and Youkai both.

First to speak was Seph.

“You serious? That was a friggin’ sham!”

Koichi slumped down in his chair.

“Yeah… it was…”

Kano approached Koichi and put a hand on his shoulder, looking at Oku.

“So, he got what he wanted then.”

“I…”

Mark looked from person to Youkai for some sort of answer, but realizing nobody was going to talk, stated the obvious.

“What the hell did he want?”

“Orchid? No… Oku? What did he want?”

Oku looked up at Inari, still Kuun, with dead eyes.

“He was going to kill Lawrence… I couldn’t…”

Lawrence came to Oku’s front, and put both hands on her shoulders.

“What did he want. Please.”

“I had to tell him where… where Lady Ukano was…”

“She went into hiding?”

“Kuun… I couldn’t lose yo- I couldn’t lose another person I loved. I couldn’t.”

Kuun put a hand on her shoulder.

“I understand… but what now?”

At this, Oku’s face twinged, and Hato looked at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ha… Hahaha!!! That idiot! He really believed that Lady Ukano would go to the eastern mountains?! That damned idiot!”

Lawrence looked yet more dumbfounded.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I lied to him idiot! He’ll be looking for Ukano in those mountains for centuries!”

Kano and Koichi burst out laughing as well, joined shortly by Mark and Reinhardt. Seph still looked stupefied though.

“So, what. Everything’s fine now?

“Unless he somehow finds out that I was lying we should be just fine.”

“Well that was stupidly melodramatic for no reason at all.”

“If the king didn’t believe I’d told the truth would he have let me go? I had to be melodramatic, exorcist.”

Seph shrugged and walked out the door.

“Well, it’s time to get back to the office Aimai.”

“Right chief!”

Kano gave them his regards, and he and Aimai left back to the station.

“Looks like some of this might have been a waste of time. I can’t believe we forgot about the cunning of a fox, bahaha! Well, it was still fun to go on the hunt with you two boys!”

Reinhardt left as well, giving a jolly wave. This left only Hato, Mark, Inari, as Kuun, Oku and Lawrence left in the court. Hato jumped on Lawrence’s back.

“What now?”

“I suppose we’d better head back to the inn.”

“Good point, I’ll take her back with me. You follow up in a few minutes.”

Mark pointedly pushed Hato out of the room, leaving only three left. Or four, if you count Inari subconsciously inside of her body.

“So… what’s up?”

“Kuun, how did you come back.”

“You’ll never guess! These two came for me in limbo, it was crazy! Then the girl I’m inside told me to wait a day or so and I’d get to see you again. So obviously I went for it!”

“Right… but what you said…”

“I had to tell him the truth right? Oku?”

“But-”

“Well, you’ve helped us a lot Kuun, but I think it’s time you left the rest to the living.”

“Oh, yeah? Heh, getting jealous kid?”

“Not at all. I’m just stating the facts.”

“Kuun, we can talk again soon but I think he’s right. We need to recover.”

“Alright alright, if the lady says it.”

With that, Inari crumpled to the floor, the orb on the table losing it’s luminescence. Oku transformed into a fox and they put Inari’s body on top of it, balanced by one of Lawrence’s hands. In the other was the orb, and they walked back towards the portals near the front of the capital slowly.

“So… you’re ok?”

“Yeah, nothing to worry about. I’m sure my lie worked. You all played along well.”

“Thanks. Oh right, about Kuun. I was just wondering…”

“Yes, I loved him.”

At such a straightforward answer Lawrence reeled back a bit, almost causing Inari’s lifeless form to tumble off Oku’s back. As he steadied her, the fox chuckled.

“But who know’s about now. Maybe I still do and maybe I don’t.”

Lawrence wasn’t sure how a fox could shrug, but she did so anyways. Teasing him was truly one of her pastimes, and he was just glad to have her back, no matter some previous relationship with Kuun.