Chapter 171

–A bit Earlier–

Heather and I were sitting on Yasaka's porch while the three Fox Women were inside preparing a meal for everyone.

"You smell a lot better, Layla. How many baths did you need?" 

"Five." I answered begrudgingly.

"Maybe next time don't stand directly under the demon when you pop him like a balloon," Heather said cheekily.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So what did you want to talk about that was so important?" Heather asked me.

I was dreading having this conversation with her, but I figured it was about time. "It's about your friends, Heather. Hermione, Ron, and pretty much the entire Weasley family," I said.

"What about them?" Heather asked. "Are they all right? You told me that they were doing fine the last time we talked."

I let out a sigh. "That's not exactly the case. The truth is, the majority of the Weasleys are actually in prison right now."

"What!?" Heather exclaimed. "Why are they in jail?"

"They were conspiring against you, Heather. All of them were. I'm sorry, but they weren't your friends," Layla said. She then began to explain what exactly happened when she went to visit them on Heather's request. She mentioned how Hermione was only after Heather's library, and the Weasley family was only after her properties and bank vaults.

Heather broke down into tears when she heard the truth. I reached over and gave her a big hug as she cried into my shoulder. She sat there and cried for a long while as I held her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"You know, part of me always knew. I always knew that they weren't really my friends. Real friends wouldn't have cared whenever I tried to hang out with anyone else, but Ron and Hermione would always go out of their way to stop other people from talking to me. Now I know why," Heather trailed off.

"I'm really sorry, Heather," I responded. "But pretty soon, you'll have a new life, and you'll be able to go to a school and make real friends who really will care about you." I gently rubbed her back.

"That sounds amazing. I'm really looking forward to it," Heather said as she let go of me. She had a small smile on her face, and she was wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"What's it like being older? What's it like having boobs? Do I grow up to like boys, or will I like girls like mama does?" The younger Kunou rambled off.

I snickered when Yasaka did a spit-take at her daughter's inappropriate questions. "That is not a polite conversation topic, young lady!" She scolded her.

Dinner with everyone was a very strange experience. The younger Kunou was doing her best to keep a conversation going with her older counterpart who was going to be very traumatized for a while. She did respond to each one of little Kunou's questions though with a smile I could tell was a bit forced.

Heather was sitting quietly next to me eating slowly. I could tell that finding out the truth about her friends, who she'd been worrying over for months, had hurt her. I know that she's strong enough to get past it though.

…

The next morning I slipped the tight black dress Lady Death gave me over my head as I prepared to transverse dimensions again. I conjured some basic sandals under my feet before stepping out of the guest room and heading towards Yasaka's courtyard. 

Heather was waiting for me there. She looked like she was also ready to go. After a night of self reflection, I could already tell that she was doing much better. She greeted me with a smile. "This was definitely the weirdest adventure I've ever been on, and I killed a 60 foot long snake with a sword!"

"Ready to head back then?" I asked and she nodded.

"Are you sure you have to go so soon, Lady Layla?" Kunou Alter asked me. She was standing next to Yasaka and her younger counterpart. They were all there to see us off.

"I'm sorry, Kunou. But I really do have to get Heather back." I said to the teenage fox girl. Her ears drooped down and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

Kunou Alter–as I had taken to calling her–had understandably become a bit clingy with me after I saved her life.

Thankfully, Yasaka was here and she was kind enough to adopt the older Kunou as a second daughter of sorts.

That was good. Kunou Alter got to be in Kyoto around other Yokai and I wasn't stuck with her on top of Asia and Akeno. Not that either of those girls were much of a burden anyway. An emotionally damaged fox girl that needs tons of therapy would be, though…

'Damn Mephisto!' I cursed him in my mind. I wasn't even sure what his plan was after he wiped out all the supernatural from that world. Did he somehow think all the humans would suddenly start worshiping him next? I shook my head. I couldn't understand his plans at all…

[That's probably for the better, anyway. Evil deities like him are almost always insane. Trying to understand his plans wouldn't be healthy.]

The system's words held some truth to them.

"Come on, Heather." I said as a portal to Earth Marvel opened up in Yasaka's courtyard.

"Bye Miss Yasaka! Bye Kunou and Kunou Alter!" Heather called out.

"Take care, Layla. Next time you visit, I'll be sure to make some time for us to be alone together." Yasaka said as she gave me a final small wave while licking her lips suggestively.

I gulped as I stepped through the portal. …If only I didn't stink so badly last night!

XXX

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