Of Foxfire and Cultivaton Ch.12 (Patreon)

Vali and Onari entered the spectator booth. Inside, they found a scene that was simultaneously expected and utterly shocking. Yu Wu was sitting atop a tied up Lavinia as Suzaku, Tobio, and Azazel watched with a variety of expressions on their faces.

Suzaku looked mortified, but resigned, like she expected nothing less from Yu Wu. Tobio looked shocked and a little reluctant to let Lavinia go, but he didn’t step up in defense of “his friend” so it was his loss. Azazel just looked amused.

“Onari! This young mistress has found us a new girlfriend!” Yu Wu exclaimed, spotting Onari as he entered.

“... Please take care of me?...” Lavinia said, confused but not objecting to the situation at all.

“After the story you just told me, this doesn’t surprise me at all…” Vali deadpanned.

Onari sighed, “Yu Wu, I don’t think we can keep her.”

Yu Wu pouted, “Not fair… This young mistress promises she’ll feed her and take her for walkies and let her sleep in the bed and love her like she’s family!”

“I like walks…” Lavinia piped up.

Onari sighed again before glancing at everyone other than Tobio, “None of you have any objections to Yu Wu adopting Lavinia?”

“Actually, I…” Tobio started to say.

Yu Wu interrupted him, disregarding his opinion entirely, “Of course they don’t! Lavinia deserves a good home, and this young mistress can give it to her!”

A dejected Tobio shrank back into the corner of the room. Onari felt his disdain for the ‘harem-protagonist’ grow even stronger. He barely managed to suppress the sneer that threatened to overtake his face.

“Right,” Onari said, clapping. “I guess we’ll be taking her with us. This can basically be a trial run. We’ll bring her back in a few days.”

Azazel grinned, “Ah, youth. I remember when I kidnapped my first girlfriend… Good times…”

“It just sounds creepy when you say it like that.”

“Agreed,” everyone else in the room said in sync, chiming in to shame the Cadre.

Azazel just laughed, waving off the shame, “Everyone I ever kidnapped was a consenting adult. Satanael is the one you really gotta worry about in that department.”

“The way you run your organization scares and confuses me…” Onari said.

“They’re family. We’ve all been through a lot together. I try to make them do better, but I know I can’t change their natures. Penemue is always going to love NTR, Barakiel is always going to be an M, and Satanael is always going to be… what’s the word… ‘sus’,” Azazel replied, shrugging.

“... I feel like we’re going to have to have a real conversation about the Grigori’s operations in Japan at some point, Azazel.”

“Fair enough. Can’t piss off the landlords too much after all. How about we go fishing when you bring Lavinia back?”

Onari nodded to Azazel and turned back to Yu Wu, “Yu Wu, please untie Lavinia. I’ve already agreed that she can come with us.”

“~This young mistress thinks she kind of likes being restrained like this~” Yu Wu teased in a singsong voice.

An embarrassed squeak left Lavinia’s mouth, “Meep!… No comment…”

Onari sighed, “At least let her stand up.”

Yu Wu pouted a bit, but still got off of Lavinia. Lavinia stood, revealing the perfect rendition of Shibari that Yu Wu had used to tie her up. Soft-looking red rope locked her hands behind her back. It criss-crossed over Lavninia’s torso, creating a window that perfectly emphasized her massive milkers.

Onari looked back and forth between Lavinia and Yu Wu with an impressed expression on his face, “This is good work, Yu Wu. I didn’t know you were paying attention when I tied you up all those times.”

Yu Wu wore a proud expression with a hint of a blush on her cheeks, “Of course! This young mistress can do whatever she puts her mind to. This one has been practicing for this exact situation!”

Suzaku was blushing fiercely at the open discussion of Onari and Yu Wu’s sex life. Azazel shot Onari a wink and finger guns. Tobio’s complicated feelings didn’t matter to anyone but himself, and Vali just rolled his eyes.

“Ahem,” Suzaku cleared her throat. “Let’s just move on please…”

Lavinia walked over and pressed her body against Suzaku’s in as close as she could get to a hug with her hands still tied behind her back, “Don’t worry, Suza-chan. I’m sure they’d include you too if you asked.”

The discreet nod Yu Wu gave Suzaku when she glanced at the young mistress caused a little shocked gurgling sound to escape her throat. She quickly recovered and shook the naughty thoughts from her mind.

“Can we just hang out normally? I don’t get many opportunities to hang out with all my friends and I’d like to take advantage of today…” Suzaku pleaded.

Yu Wu took pity on the sexually confused older girl, “Of course. This young mistress will show you how to really have fun… Starting with the magical medium of video games!”

After an afternoon of fun with their friends, Onari and Yu Wu returned to Kyoto, tired but satisfied. They had just dropped Suzaku back off at Himeji Castle, and like they promised, they had taken Lavinia home with them. Lavinia had been untied at some point, but she was still rubbing her wrists fondly as she took in the sights of the Youkai faction’s main castle.

Shortly after getting back, the trio was ambushed by a sneaky Yasaka, “~Ara ara ~Who’s this lovely young flower?”

Yasaka snuck up behind Lavinia and started gently caressing and teasing the blonde witch’s boobs. A surprised moan escaped Lavinia’s lips at the sudden contact. Yasaka proceeded to play Lavinia’s body like a musical instrument until she got over the shock of pleasure enough to speak.

“Oh! H-Hello? I’m Lavinia, Yu Wu and Onari’s new girlfriend. It’s nice to meet you… I think…”

“Hello, dear. I’m Yasaka, Onari’s mother,” Yasaka chuckled, continuing to toy with Lavinia’s body as she turned her attention to her son. “Gone for only a week and you bring me back such a delicious toy? What did I do to get such a dutiful son?”

Onari rolled his eyes, trying to hide his blush at the praise, “It wasn’t me. The credit for this goes entirely to Yu Wu.”

“Ah, blessed with a dutiful daughter-in-law as well? Truly, fortune smiles down upon me.”

Yu Wu puffed herself up with pride, “Of course! The luck of the heavens is always with this young mistress!”

Yasaka smirked, “Indeed. You three even made it back in time for the ball.”

“Fuck, I thought that was supposed to be yesterday…” Onari muttered.

The foxy smirk on Yasaka’s face grew, “I delayed it a day so that my most important person and his fiancee could attend.”

“A ball?” Lavinia asked.

“Yes, dear. A bit of a special event. Much of the Shinto faction will be in attendance. We’ll have to get you a dress, but I think you’ll have a lot of fun. Yu Wu? Would you be a dear and help Lavinia with that? I’d like some alone time with my son…”

Yu Wu glanced at Onari. Onari smirked, “Don’t look at me like that. You said you would take care of her. Go have fun. I’ll see you two in a little bit.”

Yasaka reluctantly released Lavinia’s magnificent breasts as Yu Wu grabbed the witch’s hand. Yu Wu looked back at Onari once as she dragged Lavinia away into the castle keep. Through the bond, she sent a feeling of ‘haha, I get to play with her first’ as she glanced at him.

Onari just smiled, knowing that Yu Wu would save memories of any spicy moments and share them with him through their connection later. A pair of heavenly breasts, even bigger than Lavinia’s, settled against his back, pulling his attention back to Yasaka.

“You know, Onari dearest, the sun goddess recently came to me with a proclamation,” Yasaka said, hugging Onari from behind.

Onari scoffed, “More like a text message…”

Yasaka ignored his cheek, “She said that the bond between a mother and her son is the most important and beautiful thing in the world. She told me she’s very ~proud~ of our relationship, and that she only wishes we could be… ~closer~”

Onari shivered as her warm breath brushed his sensitive ears, “Will Amaterasu be at the party?”

“Yes. Do you have something against that?”

“Not so much ‘something against’. It’s more of a feeling of resignation for dealing with her antics. She’s a virgin goddess, and I think she has a tendency to try and live vicariously through you…”

“Fufufu~ Do you dislike it when the goddess and I plot and scheme together?”

“It fills me with dread,” ‘and arousal…’ Onari finished in his mind.

“Oh, we’re not that bad, are we?”

“Remind me, what happened last time you two got together?”

“Pfft, come now. Was walking in on the two of us naked really the worst thing that could have happened?”

“... No,” Onari mumbled, looking away from where Yasaka’s head was hanging over his shoulder.

Yasaka giggled, “~Didn’t think so~”

The pair were silent for a couple of minutes before Yasaka spoke again, “I do have to tell you something before the party though… Tsukuyomi will be there…”

“Ugh…” Onari groaned. “Why does that dude hate me so much?”

“Hmm, I think it’s a combination of several things… To start with, I’m pretty sure he’s a sis-con. He doesn’t like how his sister/wife seems to fixate on you and me so much.”

“... I hate that I can call one of our gods a sis-con incel and be accurate.”

“Incel?” an amused Yasaka asked.

“Involuntary celibate. Like, since Amaterasu is a virgin goddess, Tsukuyomi isn’t getting any…”

“Fufu, Amaterasu will love that. I’ll have to tell her about that one…”

“Just… Just make sure it doesn’t get tracked back to me. I don’t need to give Tsukuyomi another reason to hate my guts.”

“My lips are sealed, dear… Now, you should get moving. You still have to get dressed for the party and find your darling fiancee and your new girlfriend.”

“Hai, hai, I’ll go do that. Love you, mother.”

Yasaka planted a lingering kiss on Onari’s cheek, dangerously close to his lips. Onari quickly turned away to hide his blush. Yasaka smirked and sauntered away. The hypnotizing sway of her hips made it impossible for Onari to prevent himself from glancing at her retreating back.

“Damn vixen…” Onari grumbled quietly to himself, adjusting his crotch discreetly.

He set off into the castle, looking for Yu Wu and Lavinia. Finding them was as simple as following his bond with Yu Wu. When he did find them, he was struck silent by the scene that awaited him.

A blushing Lavinia was now clad in an elegant dress of all white. It hugged her voluptuous figure tightly, and had two slits up both of her legs to allow for mobility. She also wore a white witch’s hat and a hair brooch made of ice.

Yu Wu’s arms wrapped around Lavinia’s waist from behind. From over the blonde girl's shoulder, she was shooting Onari smug, lidded eyes. When she stepped out from behind Lavinia, Onari was treated to another vision of regal beauty.

Yu Wu still wore her signature color scheme of black, red, and gold. Her more casual red robes were replaced with much more intricate ones. The robe was shorter in the front and had wide slits on either side that reached up to Yu Wu’s hip. To top the whole outfit off, she also wore an honest to god crown on her head.

“I’m not even dressed, and I feel like I’ve already lost this game of fashion…” Onari commented, making Lavinia giggle.

Yu Wu nodded, “You have. Perhaps if you beg, this young mistress will assist you in looking half as good as we do.”

Onari took one of Yu Wu’s hands and fell to one knee, “Please, venerable young mistress Yu Wu. Please, aid this ignorant one in the ways of looking sexy as all hell.”

Yu Wu struggled to hide her blush at Onari’s dramatics, “O-Of course! Is it not this young mistress’ duty to ensure that her beloved does not embarrass himself!?”

Onari laughed, standing and sweeping Yu Wu into a hug that made her squeak, “Eep! Careful, careful! Watch the dress!”

After a short fashion montage, Yu Wu and Lavinia eventually settled on what Onari would wear to the ball. The final outfit was relatively simple. It consisted of black and white kimono, with the white being a base and the black as the over-robe.

To spice the fit up, Onari was given a decorative fox mask to wear on the side of his head. Yu Wu also managed to find a white fur coat that matched Onari’s hair. He draped it over his shoulders. It hung off his frame in a way that made it look like he was cloaked in his own ‘missing’ tails.

The fur cloak made a subtle statement to anyone who would notice it. It drew attention to Onari’s lack of tails. He wore it with pride, telling everyone that he had no shame in the way he was born.

Within the Youkai faction, the ‘tail-less’ talking point had lessened over the years. Onari had never seen the big deal of it. He correctly thought the people who complained were just stuck up and stubborn old men with nothing better to do.

After Onari had proved himself by defeating the Gashadokuro, he had begun to gain a small following of support from some corners of the faction. That following had grown over the years, until it developed into a proper subfaction with Satoru at its head. There were still some who disliked and opposed him, but they were much less open about their disgruntlement now.

With all of them dressed and the ball having already started, the trio made their way through the castle. The ball was being held in a space that Yasaka had long ago designated for parties and events. Half of the venue was open air and the other half was indoors. The two halves of the venue were connected by a wide opening that allowed people to come and go freely between them.

The density of people and Youkai increased as they neared the venue proper. Onari was instantly recognized at the venue’s gate and the three of them were nodded through. Lavinia looked around in awe, trying to take in all the sights of her first Shinto faction function.

The sky of the open air half of the venue was filled with paper lanterns that were kept from escaping with magic. Fairy lights twinkled in and out of existence around the party, helping the paper lanterns light up the night. Music filled the air, and fireworks could occasionally be seen past the blanket of lanterns.

The gathering of attendees was a stellar example of how diverse the Shinto faction truly was. Humans and almost every species of Youkai had traveled from all corners of Japan’s supernatural world to attend this event.

Members from each of the Five Principle Clans were present alongside smaller clans and organizations that were sprinkled throughout Japan. Suzaku should be somewhere amongst the crowd. Yu Wu offered to go look for her while Onari stayed with Lavinia to show her around.

As Yu Wu disappeared into the crowd, Onari started to tell Lavinia about the various different species of Youkai he recognized in the throng of people. He picked out Tsukumogami, Oni, Tengu, Inugami, other Kitsune, and a variety of other Youkai. Lavinia listened intently as he described them all.

“And that’s an Onikuma. I guess you could describe them as demon bears, but I wouldn’t say that to one’s face. They’re usually really chill, but if they get angry, they can be a force to be reckoned with,” Onari said, pointing out the giant bipedal bear and guiding Lavinia through the party with a hand on the small of her back.

“Wow… This is so cool! Do Onikuma like to cuddle?” Lavinia asked.

Onari chuckled, “I don’t know. I assume they do. They still hibernate like their feral relatives.”

“I never knew there were so many species of Youkai…”

“Yeah, it can be fun to see how crazy and unique some Youkai can look. From Tsukumogami, who can be any object, to Kitsune, who are natural shapeshifters. Hell, there’s even a feral Youkai called an Umishika. They’re half deer, half fish, live in the ocean, and eat meat and sometimes people…”

Lavinia giggled at the mental image Onari had just put in her mind. The pair walked into the indoor portion of the venue. Yasaka caught his eye through the crowd. She was sitting on her throne, surrounded by a decently sized group. The look in her eyes told Onari that he wasn’t getting out of his duties as her heir.

Onari sighed, “And now for the part of these parties that I hate… Greeting important people and playing nice.”

Lavinia cocked her head, “What do you mean?”

“As Yasaka’s heir, I’m expected to put a certain amount of effort towards politics at these events. Usually that means greeting faction and subfaction leaders and other influential people. And I… strongly dislike some of those old geezers, to say the least.”

“Oh…” Lavinia’s face briefly fell before her bright, perky personality came right back in the next moment. “Well, this time, I’m here! We’ll greet those meanies so hard… They won’t know what hit ‘em!”

Onari smiled fondly at Lavinia as the two of them started walking over to Yasaka, “Thanks, hun.”

“Oh! Pet names! Now that we’re dating or whatever, we should totally give each other pet names! I think I’d like ‘baby’…”

Onari chuckled, “I’m sure Yu Wu will come up with some creative ones for you.”

The crowd around Yasaka’s throne parted for Onari and Lavinia, revealing five people (including Yasaka) that were sitting on a slightly raised area of the floor. This raised area acted as a sort of VIP lounge for the leaders of the Shinto faction.

As the host of this event, Yasaka had the center seat. On her right, a pair of wrinkled old men were sitting in matching thrones. One of the old men was bigger than the other, but both were basically identical. Both had long, shrunken heads and slouched postures. And both were ugly as all sin.

On Yasaka’s left, sat a pair that was completely opposite to the old men on Yasaka’s other side. The two people, a man and a woman, were like a matched pair of otherworldly beauty. They radiated this sense of presence that drew people’s eyes and shut them up in awe.

The man was delicately handsome. His long silver hair and golden eyes contrasted beautifully. He wore a crown of clouds, with a crescent moon positioned in the middle of his forehead. His robes were elegant and refined, befitting royalty or divinity.

The woman was absolutely stunning. The only way she could be described was as a heavenly beauty. Her hair was long, black, and silky. Her eyes were a piercing ice-blue. Her mannerisms painted the perfect picture of purity and innocence.

“Why does that old man have a mini version of himself sitting next to him?” Lavinia whispered.

“That’s Nurarihyon and his son, Junior. They’re the leader and heir of the East Youkai faction. Recently, Nurarihyon has been trying to expand his power base by installing Junior as a replacement for me…” Onari whispered back.

“Ah… They’re some of the meanies…”

Onari chuckled and shook his head. He grabbed Lavinia’s hand and led her up onto the raised area. He bowed shallowly to everyone there, saving his mother for last. Lavinia followed his lead, bowing slightly deeper than Onari each time.

“Mother,” Onari greeted. “This is a wonderfully planned event. You’ve already been introduced to my companion for the evening, but allow me to introduce her to the rest of our guests.

“I would like to formally introduce Miss Lavinia Reni: witch, ally of the Grigori, and wielder of the Longinus Absolute Demise.”

“Where’s your other girlie, boy?” Nurarihyon asked in his stereotypical grouchy old man voice.

“Oh, Yu Wu is around her somewhere. She’s searching for a friend of ours. It was actually her idea to bring Lavinia into our relationship.”

Despite his ambition and dislike of Onari, Nurarihyon couldn’t help but bark out a laugh, “Ha! That’a boy. Maybe Junior will see how much you lucked out with them and finally decide to settle down…”

Junior glared at Onari, but Onari ignored him in favor of turning toward the other two guests, “Lady Amaterasu. Lord Tsukuyomi. It’s a pleasure-...”

“You will use our proper titles when you address us,” Tsukuyomi coldly stated.

Onari barely hid his indignation by gritting his teeth, “Lady Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and day. Lord Tsukuyomi, god of the moon and night. It is a pleasure to see you again…”

Amaterasu shot Onari an apologetic look as Tsukuyomi huffed pompously, “Better. I see you still have much to work on when it comes to your courtly manners.”

“And you’ve still got much to work on when it comes to the stick up your butt,” Onari mumbled, making Lavinia giggle quietly. Tsukuyomi stiffened but didn’t call out Onari on his mumbled words.

“... So, Onari,” Amaterasu said, daintily covering her mouth with her hand and changing the subject after her brother’s faux pas. “Does this sudden addition of the lovely Miss Lavinia indicate a change in your relationship status. Like maybe, you and your partner opening up your hearts to… ~additional suitors~”

For the sake of preventing an inopportune erection, Onari forced himself to ignore the goddess’ side-eyed glance at Yasaka.

“I-” Onari started to say before a disturbance made itself known in his bond with Yu Wu. “... I think we’ll have to put a pin in this lovely topic of conversation. Something urgent has just come up…”

Five minutes earlier

Yu Long appeared at the Shinto faction function in a storm of petals. When the petals settled and disappeared, she briefly looked around. She strode up to the entrance and into the party. Her gait was so confident that no one stopped to question her uninvited presence.

“Where are you, Yu Wu?” Yu Long asked herself quietly.

Her eyes scanned through the crowd. Seeing so many humans and Spirit Beasts mingling was a bit disconcerting. It would take some getting used to, but Yu Long liked to think she was an open-minded woman. At least, more open-minded than her subordinate, Xiao Li.

She closed her eyes and spread her Qi senses out over the venue. She quickly hit upon a presence that reacted to the feel of her metaphysical gaze. She instantly made a beeline for that presence.

Pushing her way through the crowd, Yu Long soon found herself staring at a mirror image of her younger self. Her daughter looked so much like her. The resemblance tore at her emotions. It physically hurt. Yu Long felt something that had been buried deep within her stir and tear at heart.

“Y-Yu Wu…” she said quietly, but still loud enough for Yu Wu to hear.

Yu Wu turned to the mystery lady who knew her name, “Hello? Does this young mistress know you?”

Yu Long rushed toward Yu Wu, wrapping her up in a tight hug, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

A flustered Yu Wu hesitantly patted the woman’s back, “I-I’m sorry too? Ahem, this young mistress still does not recall who you are, ma’am.”

The sudden hug had broken through Yu Wu’s young mistress persona, but Yu Long was too caught up in her grief to notice. She pulled away slightly, looking Yu Wu in the eye.

“I’m… I’m your mother…”