Chapter 4

"Mother."

A small, high pitch voice spoke softly but judging from Yasaka's tensing shoulders, it was more akin to a yell.

"Kunou-chan!"

The blonde looked on guiltily at the short girl who were flanked by a black haired girl with cat ears and an incredibly tall blue skinned Ogre. The girl in question had almost identical looking golden hair and eyes. Even her ears perked up and swiveled the same way. She wore clothing similar to a traditional shrine and judging from how effortless the imp walked in those tall geta, had been wearing them for years.

Honestly looking at her, the immortal couldn't help but overlap Yasaka's feature over this middle schooler.

"Let me introduce you two!" Yasaka said quickly, after receiving collective heavy stares from both her daughter and her master," This is Kunou-chan my daughter."

"My name is Kunou, princess of the Kyoto Yokai. It is a pleasure to meet you."

With practiced eased, the short lass cupped her hands together and gave the mysterious man a bow. Who in kind returned the greeting.

"Hello, my name is Yamato Iori." He couldn't help but quirk his lips at her attempt to use her position to put some kind of pressure on him. And judging from the harsh glares he got from both the Ogre and nekomata, they expected him to kneel or something.

'Like daughter like mother..'

Iori wasn't beyond bullying a child, not back then and definitely not in this current era.

"Senjutsu Grandmaster."

"For a 'grandmaster'," The blue skinned Ogre snorted," You don't seem any different from any other pit-"

'Ah yes, the generic face slapping fest.'

He was waiting for someone to say something honestly, knowing no one except the smug looking Yasaka knew exactly how much he downplayed his own prowess. With a mere thought, he softly unwrapped the thin veil of Ki. Pressure billowed out from his figure. Making anyone close by feel as though they had gained an additional 40 pounds. In the next breathe, that weight disappeared entirely.

For supernatural beings, that amount of weight wasn't anything to write home about. Hell some of them even ate that much for breakfast. But the suddenness of not just its entry but departure had rather...scary implications.

The nekomata while pale, still hopped in front of the dazed little girl and the almost beacon of Ki. While the Ogre stood off at an angle with a gnarled club etched with the kanji of '滅', and judging from the veritable veins of energy cycling through the wood it wasn't just for show.

"Calm down everyone." Yasaka purred, commanding the 2 Yokai to stand down," Master Yamato is hear as my guest."

"Then Master Yamato." Kunou bowed again to the smiling man, feeling as though he had been infected by her mother's antics," I apologize for my subordinates actions."

"No harm done." Iori waved her away dismissively, trying and failing to not see this child as just another noble. Her blank expression didn't help him in that regard. At least her Ki was honest. The plasma like energy bubbled and flickered in agitation, easily showcasing how alarmed the kid was at his little display.

"We will prepare a guest house for you stay for the duration of your stay."

It was obvious to him that this little kitsune wanted him as far away from her as possible, sooner rather than later.

"No need Kunou-chan." The buxom blonde interlocked her arm with Iori," I have just a place for him."

"Mother you wouldn't mean.."

It was the first time the banished immortal saw the girl's mask crack, putting his heart at ease somewhat. He wouldn't know how to react if his disciple turned her own child into a robot. It wouldn't have been new to him, that didn't mean he wouldn't have hated it though.

"Exactly!" She plump lips curled into a charming smile, for anyone else they would've been captivated by the blonde's actions but for Kunou? It caused her to shiver slightly as she knew a lecture and teasing was in her future. "Master Yamato will be staying with us for the duration of his visit."

"But-" The young girl cut herself off before she could try to fruitlessly fight against the older kitsune before her," Of course mother.."

"Excellent!" She chirped," Come with me, I'm just showing Master Yamato around."

"Yes.."

Now it didn't take Iori any form of high leveled insight to see how the girl sulked as her mother practically dragged her through the market. While he did feel somewhat bad, but he wouldn't let a face slapping moment to pass. As a cultivator it would be a sin to do so.

'Maybe I should go find some fallen angels to bully…'

"Master Yamato," Kunou after a few minutes of sulking finally condensing enough nerves to ask her question," If it wouldn't be too much to ask, what is your connection with my mother."

While she knew the Yokai Faction as a whole was being hemmed in on all sides, she didn't expect her mother to look outside for allies. Especially not some human that looked to be in his late 20s.

"He's my Master!"

Yasaka announced proudly.

"But he's human, how?"

Honestly, she had been confused ever since this man had came out of nowhere and this didn't help matters at all. Looking around her mother's rather enviable bust, she locked golden gazes with a pair of kind otherworldly blue eyes. Nearly causing her to freeze in place. The evening sun framed his ordinary looking face, sending orange flames through his calmly billowing black hair.

'Why didn't I notice it before?!'

The man in question had long black hair. When she said long, she meant enough to be dragging far behind him. Inky as a starless night. And regardless of the fact that it dragged on the ground, it didn't even look the slightest bit ruffled or dirty. The closer she looked, Kunou noticed how now one dared to even walk over those strands. Leaving a wide berth from the inky black river.

"I'm old Fox junior." His words were like the nail in the preferable coffin, the image slowly coming together. The young girl had read the occasional story from China about people cultivating to point of reaching Immortality. Of course, they were just stories to her and didn't seem possible at all. There was already ways to stop aging and her species of kitsunes would already live for a long time naturally.

But this man, with his otherworldly bearing brought those stories to the forefront of her mind.

'An Immortal…'