My real mother?

Being woken up by the sudden yelling in the other room, I wondered what the hell Tomoe was doing. I still felt too exhausted to get out of bed so the best I could do was lean one of my ears up against the wall since they are paper thin and my room isn't far from where the yelling is. 

It also helped that I had exceptional hearing thanks to being a kitune, and there was no sound veil being put up to prevent me from hearing. 

"Anyway, enough bickering, I want to know the truth about Sakura." 

'Sakura? Is she talking about me?' Sakura was my last name, so who the hell could they be talking about? 

'Also, who is my mother talking to? I never knew she had friends.' I had never seen my mother talk to anyone else, so it was quite a surprise. My initial thoughts were Anna or someone related to her, but something is telling me that is not the case. 

'I can't even sense her mana. I know something is there, but I can't tell what it is or exactly where she is.' I couldn't comprehend this overwhelming feeling, which led me to believe this person is extremely strong… stronger than Tomoe. 

"Are you sure this is the right place to talk about your daughter's real mother? I'm sure if she wakes up, she will hear everything." It was an unfamiliar female voice that had a constant undertone of lewdness. If it weren't for the topic, it would sound like she is constantly flirting. 

'My real mother? I know Tomoe isn't my actual mother, but I thought she knew nothing about her.' I didn't want to freak out yet as I still had little to no context about the conversation. 

*Sigh* "I doubt she will wake up. Plus, I've been too scared to tell her everything, so maybe whatever you have to say might convince me to finally tell her." 

"Oh look at you being worried for her, it's what makes you so cute."

"Tsk, shut up before I kick you out. It was her mother's request that I didn't tell her anything until she was older anyway." 

I felt my heart pound as I got a little bit more context on the conversation and I couldn't believe it. I wanted to feel angry because Tomoe had kept it hidden this whole time, but at the same time, if what she said was true, she was following the will of my real mother. 

"Ooo~ so scary, gonna make my panties wet." 

'...' Who the fuck is this person?

"I swear to god I'm going to kill you. We broke up over 200 years ago and you are still a horndog." It was clear Tomoe was getting frustrated with this person, but broken up 200 years ago?

'Is this her ex-girlfriend????' I was even more confused than I was before. 

"Doesn't change the fact that I still want you, you were my first lover after all." 

"And what would the council say if the love god Ayase suddenly got a girlfriend while she was out on a mission?" 

'Council? This person is part of the council?!' I was in complete shock, as I've only heard about the council by name and never thought I'd ever be in the presence of a member. It also clicked in my head the name, as its the god we call on for good fortunes. 

It was one of the gods that felt out of place, as the rest were based on elements, while this one was about love and fortune. However, there was a deep history behind it, so it became the exception amongst the gods. 

This would also explain the weird feeling I get when I try to sense this person's mana. 

'The night is just getting crazier by the hour… first Kasumi gets taken and now there is a council member in Tomoe's house who turns out to be her ex.' I felt my chest cramp at the thought of Kasumi, but I needed to stay strong. 

"No one has to know~, plus wouldn't it be beneficial to have a direct connection to the council? If you want to know the truth, then at least go on a date with me~, for old times sake." 

'Is this actually happening?' I was almost rooting for Tomoe, but at the same time, I have no idea if this is a bad thing or a good thing. 

"Come on, you can't just sign a spirit contract and add more conditions to it." 

'Spirit contract? What is that?' It was a spell that I've never heard of before, but it sounded strong if it was a contract made of magic. My best guess was that there would be some kind of major consequence if the contract was broken. 

"Fufu~ caught me there, but pretty please~." 

"Urgh fine."

'Maybe I should try to follow them tomorrow.' I was very interested in this date, as I know Tomoe has at least thought about dating recently. She may not of said it, but I can imagine she is feeling quite lonely without anyone really around. 

'Although this is a council member so it can make things quite tricky, but at the same time it comes with its benefits.' 

"Hehe~ thank you darling, now back on topic."

"FInally." 

'Now things are getting more interesting,' 

"First things first, the person who wanted her dead was the kitsune of wrath and lightning. As you know, we are the heirs to the gods, as we are the only ones to have achieved divine magic. However, Sakura had almost obtained such power without being an heir to a god." 

"Of course it was the most powerful gods that wanted her dead, but they couldn't do it themselves." 

"Ironic, I know, but they were afraid. If Sakura had succeeded, she would technically become a member of the council, and that would of caused the Highlands to go into chaos. No one has been able to achieve such a level of power, so it would question the legitimacy of their role." 

'Wait, my mother was a nine tailed kitsune and she went above that? It kind of make sense that she became a target, but how was she defeated if it wasn't the council?' I had no idea the implications of the politics, but it definitely wasn't a small ordeal for the council. 

"Bastards are just thinking for themselves. What were you doing alongside the other gods?" Tomoe's voice was filled with malice, which was fair, as why didn't the other gods do anything? It was clear from how Ayase was making it sound that the other members were against it. 

"We were unaware of their plan and by the time we found out, it was too late. There isn't a way to prosecute a fellow member, so we could only lock up, incidentally, your adopted daughter's father. We wanted to lock up Sebath, but due to his connection to the lightning kitsune and lack of real evidence, we couldn't touch him." 

'W-what? My father was the one that killed my real mother?' Things got a whole lot more complicated as to why he would have killed her. 

'Don't get caught up in your thoughts, I don't even know his face... I shouldn't even consider him my parent since he wasn't even a part of my life.' 

"Should have locked Sebath up regardless, he has been a thorn in my side recently." Tomoe seemed to have calmed down at the explanation and wasn't directing any malice at Ayase. 

"What has he done now?" 

"He has a daughter that he has been watching over like a hawk. Somehow my daughter became friends with her and was about to start attending university, but he just kidnapped his own daughter back. Its the reason why Ayame is well, she was knocked out by one of his men." Tomoe explained the situation with clear disdain for Sebath.

"That fucker! I'll go over and kill him right now!" A surge of power went through the house and it felt almost suffocating to even be in the area. 

"Oi! Control yourself. Ayame is only a two tailed kitsune." 

"Shit sorry." The feeling of suffocation suddenly vanished and I could breathe again. It was crazy to think that by just being in her presence, a person could die. 

"Anyway, there is no point in getting personally involved. I plan on getting Kasumi back and getting her out of Sebath's hands." It was reassuring to hear Tomoe was going to help get Kasumi back, the only issue is finding her. 

"You know I could solve this within a day?" Ayase was clearly agitated, but she kept herself in check to ensure I wasn't effected by her presence. 

"I know, but as bad as it sounds, this will be a great chance to make Ayame stronger. After all, Kasumi has feelings for my daughter, so I want the first person Kasumi sees to be her rather than a slut." 

It was touching to hear, but at the same time, I feel like it was more important to get Kasumi back than to make me stronger. 

"I am no slut thank you very much, but I do see your point. I'll compromise then. I will help you locate them and ensure that Kasumi is not in mortal danger, but if things look like they are getting bad, I will step in, or if you request me to." 

"I appreciate it. This may take a couple months, as I intend to train Ayame up some more before we even attempt to save Kasumi." 

'Oh god not even more training.' Tomoe's initial training was already hell, but if there is more, then I can't imagine the pain that is to come. 

"Anything for my dear Tomoe and her daughter~, plus I've got nothing better to do." 

"Yeah, yeah whatever makes you happy." 

"Hehe~ now its time to uphold on your end of the contract. We can discuss more on Sebath tomorrow." 

"Tsk, you remembered." 

'Hmm?' My brain was already overloaded with information, so what else could there be to talk about?