Yokai (32 page)

“
I’ll hold you to that,”
she said, trying to make light of the serious expression on his
face. She paused before the mirror that Brian suddenly indicated
with a wave of his hand. It was one of the few in frames, and this
one was framed with gold, with an elaborate floral pattern. She
hesitated and reached out to touch the frame. “This is
it?”

Brian nodded, watching her.

Yumiko swallowed hard as her eyes
drank in the mirror, the frame. This was the mirror that she’d been
born from. The mirror that had found her so captivating that it had
created her from her counterpart. “I still can’t believe that this
is how I…” She shook her head, suddenly full of emotions that she
couldn’t give voice too, let alone name.

Through the mirror, she saw the
courtyard of the castle.

“
Is this the mirror world
I’m looking at?” she asked.

“
Yes. I didn’t want to risk
leaving it in the real world, where it could possibly get damaged.
It’s much too important for that.”

Yumiko nodded as she stared at the
image, noting the statue of Ame-Onna that had been created in honor
or her sacrifice, standing tall in the center of a fountain. Water
rained down over her, much like when Yumiko had first seen the
yokai all those years ago.

Since Ame-Onna had destroyed the
mirror when they’d left Hell, there was no way to reach her, no way
to save her from her fate. But she’d chosen her fate, in the end.
And Yumiko had to trust that she’d known what she was doing, and
that it was for the best.

She didn’t realize that Brian was
standing so close until she felt his arms slip around her
shoulders. She leaned back into him without hesitation and felt his
lips on her ear. She sighed, content.

***

Shou scowled as Yumiko stepped into
the library from out of the mirror in the corner. “Do you have to
do that?”

Yumiko raised an eyebrow. “Do you find
it unsettling?”

“
Yes.”

She grinned. “Good. Then I definitely
have to do it.”

Shou rolled his eyes, but she caught
the flicker of a smile playing at the corner of his lips before he
returned to practicing with his sword.

She turned to regard Reina at one of
the desks, Tanuki hunched on the tabletop, enthralled by the book
she had laid open.

“
What’s that?” Yumiko
asked, sauntering over to them. She leaned against the desk and
peered down at the yellowed pages.

Reina pushed the book away from her,
annoyance written across her face. “Mori’s got me researching more
than ever now,” she complained. “Now that you aren’t around as
often, it’s like she’s shoveling all of your work onto
me.”

Yumiko smirked. “Don’t
worry. I’m back now. I think they have things under control back at
the castle. Or
castles
.”

Tanuki looked up at her and blinked.
“You’re staying here?”

“
Of course. I live here,
don’t I?”

Reina smiled knowingly. “Brian’s bed
not keeping you warm enough?”

Yumiko felt her cheeks heat up. “No. I
mean, it’s nothing like that. When I was staying there, I was in a
guest room the entire time. Nothing inappropriate
happened.”

“
Sure,” Reina winked at
her. “Of course, Yumiko.”

Yumiko knew better than to attempt to
argue with her and just tried to ignore the comments.

“
Well, we’re glad to have
you back, my lotus blossom,” Tanuki said, beaming at her. “Someone
needs to put Shou in his place.”

“
I heard that,” Shou
announced as he swung his sword down quickly in a fierce
strike.

“
Good.”

Yumiko glanced back at Shou. “Well,
it’s not like all of the yokai problems out there are going to just
disappear overnight. There’s still work to be done
here.”

“
I’m glad to hear you say
that,” Mori said, stepping out from the ante-chamber.

Yumiko bowed, smiling.
“Sensei.”

Mori made her way over to the desk and
scowled down at the book that Reina had open. “You’re not going to
find anything on Onikuma in this volume. Get the book on
forest-dwelling demons.”

Yumiko watched Reina mumble under her
breath as she walked over to the shelf with the book. “Missing
horses?”

“
Missing horses,” Mori
nodded, a smile lighting up her face.

“
Alright,” Yumiko said,
standing up straight. “What can I do?”

Mori watched her for a moment, then
nodded toward Reina. “You can help whip that one into
shape.”

“
That will probably take
some time.”

Mori sighed heavily. “You’re telling
me.”

About the
Author

Dave Ferraro grew up in Brooklyn Park,
Minnesota, where he was warped by a steady diet of comic books,
horror movies and young adult novels. He is the author of the
paranormal fantasy series "Hunters of the Dark," as well as "Dark
Genesis" and the gay teen paranormal romance "Twice Bitten." He
graduated with a B.A. in English and creative writing from Saint
Cloud State University, and currently resides in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin.

Hunters of the
Dark

Her Dark Destiny (Book
One)

Night Cries (Book
Two)

The Tomb
(Prequel)

Face the Dark (Book
Three)

Dead of Night (Book
Four)

The Shape of Evil (Book
Five)

The Abyss (Book
Six)

Other Books by Dave
Ferraro

Dark Genesis

Secret Santa

Twice Bitten

The Young Adult Book
Club