Isher Notra

Kreef:

By Tizohi's antlers, why did he accept being a part of this?!

The Amikiri was about to sneak on trained guards, even though he wouldn't fight anyone. It was nerve-wracking!

But that Baku was so cute, imploring for his help! Besides, the feeling of being dependable was intoxicating! Much better than being reminded constantly of what a failure he was. "Thanks, Mom and Dad..."

He was already at the window of the elders' bedroom, manipulating the air currents so his scent wouldn't be picked up by anyone. He chuckled internally at the memory of turning their bedroom into a warzone last month. That Kappa thought it was their partner. Kreef had the laugh of his life that day.

The room itself had its charms, he had to admit. Two beds, suspiciously close to each other, with one having a forest green sheet and the other a dark yellow. Their fishing rods were hung on the same wall as a shelf with shiny golden trophies. They ranged from sumo wrestling tournaments to cooking and fishing contests.

A portrait of the Frog and the Kappa stood on the nightstand between the two beds, with rods in hand, in front of the house. They seemed happy.

Kreef almost regretted pranking them so much. Their reactions were always the funniest, so it was an impossible task.

Well, that was enough snooping around. Time for the mission! He had already accepted it, so there was no room to chicken out!

The Amikiri hovered out of the bedroom, terrified of anyone spotting him the moment he opened the door. There was no one. Great!

He then descended the stairs but never went all the way, just enough so he could hear their conversation.

"Stella! Please, let me have some!" Kreef couldn't recognize her voice, but it was definitely a child. A tween, perhaps.

"No! You already reenacted all vegans' worst nightmare not too long ago! You're not hungry!" Kreef already knew what the Human sounded like.

Judging by the whining afterward, the other kid was a Wolf, too, most likely. Another nose he had to worry about because, apparently, it wasn't enough.

"I hope you two had fun here because it's a long road to Pantsti." A mature female voice cut through his attention. Jackpot!

He got the information! Now was the time-

"Hello, my dear Amikiri! What brings you here?!"

"No... No way... But he- SHIT!"

Kreef was shaking, sweating (literal) salt, and slowly rotating his head to see The Silver Knight standing at the top of the stairs. His googly eyes expanded even more.

"Knight, who're you talking to?!" That voice again. He was screwed!

"Why, I was talking to this charming-" The guard was suddenly pushed down the stairs by an unknown force. Thankfully, the Amikiri dodged him and did not waste time escaping from where he came from.

Ignoring the commotion from downstairs, the only strange thing he saw on his way out was three blurs entering one of the other bedrooms. He wouldn't ask questions.

Flying out of the house, Kreef immediately dived down the Kara River to throw them off his scent. He had lost concentration on his odor-concealing spell the moment he got caught.

He silently waited in the depths, processing the thrill of it all. He never felt such a rush before! Going against the law, spying on them, almost getting caught, and fleeing! Kreef was always a delinquent, but this was a whole new frontier.

After an hour of lying underwater, the Amikiri slowly slithered back to the surface. He knew where his new accomplices were waiting for him, so his stealthy retreat was successful.

"'Sup, guys! I did it!"

Gentō rolled backward, unintentionally spooked. "What the hell!? What happened there?!" He whispered. Good thing he didn't forget they should be covert.

"I'm sorry, man! I was caught! But I got the info. They're going to Pantsti!"

Hanaken could be seen with two thumbs up in the distance.

The Baku starts doing a... ridiculous dance. It would be easy for Kreef to tease him, but he was in a surprisingly good mood. "Finally! Ultimate power will be within my grasp!"

Now, that opportunity he wouldn't waste. "I don't think it's as impressive as you think." He points his pincers at his tiny hands.

Gentō furiously stomped the ground, gritting his teeth. "You will not mock me when my scheme comes to fruition!" He snickered. "But not even my current, great might is assured of claiming the Human. That's why I need my minions ready to back me up!"

"Eh, cut that minion crap, alright?" Hanaken gave the Baku a death stare.

He sighed. "Fine! I'm content at calling you my bargain-basement partners. How does that sound?"

She huffed. "Acceptable."

Did she know what "bargain-basement" meant? You know what, it was better to let these weirdos be weird.

It was fun while it lasted, but Kreef should let them to their devices. He hoped he didn't screw their plan THAT much.

When he redirected his body to return to the depths, Gentō's voice chimed in. "And where do you think you're going?!"

The Amikiri was speechless. Hadn't he done enough? He almost jeopardized their plan if not for those three strangers. They definitely wanted nothing more from him, right?

"You talking to me?"

The Baku's eyes narrowed. "Of course! I've just said I need my min- partners! Plural!" He impatiently tapped his crocs on the ground. "That includes you, idiot!"

Offense aside, this Monoke was still requesting his services. Wow... They must be THAT desperate, huh?

"Uh, did you forget I botched that recon mission?"

"But you didn't! We know where they're headed! And I got the perfect, sneaky scheme! Keh keh keh!"

His laugh was still insufferable, but...

"Yeah, kid. We can't do this without you. Two people are better at stopping Shorty over there to screw things up." The Oni's words and facial expression were oddly comforting.

Gentō was clearly upset but didn't retort. "What she said." He extended his chubby arm and hand. "Can I count on your partnership, Kreef?"

Kreef didn't think twice. Again.

They shook hands. Well, hand and claw. "Hell. Yes."

???:

Who were these three figures earlier?

Scratch that. A better question is, can I enter the interlopers' perspective?

Frankly, my skills are still unrefined. You already saw that with the Amikiri incident.

Oh, well. It won't hurt to try! Maybe if I start by where they fled, I can get a good lead.

It's fun being a voice without a body, roaming invisibly through this world. However, if I stay like this for too long, I somehow feel nauseous. If it doesn't make sense to you, you can imagine how it is for me. I stopped seeking answers a long time ago.

Enough about me! I'm at the bedroom they entered, the one where Lien found that centipede. I already described this to you, haven't I?

There's nothing of note here. Who are those guys? Ninjas?

I'm exiting by the window. No signs of them. Crap.

This was a stupid idea. How can I even-

Lien. She located the Cat's Saniya without need for sight. But that's silly! I don't even have Saniya!

......I think.

Mmmm...

Closing my eyes.

Calm your heart, clear your mind, and...

I... did it?! I DID IT!

Three blurry spots on my mind's radar, moving fast on a straight line.

It was easier than I thought, but hey, not complaining!

Here we go!

Matsu:

Well, what do you know! They ARE ninjas!

Sorry! I'll resume the narration.

Three Weasels flew far away from their assigned post. That Amikiri was an unexpected intrusion, but they had already gotten what they wanted by then.

Matsu didn't care about the fellow invader, but his brothers wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he refused to help. They were assassins, but they weren't heartless.

Their clan's services hadn't been needed since the war, with only a few secret jobs once every decade. That didn't stop them from training, though. Who knew what the future would hold?

This mission is a case in point. The Human was less impressive than they expected. However, thanks to the quality and quantity of her bodyguards, she proved impossible to ambush.

But with the Weasels' help, the Tizohi's Chosen would be untroubled.

All of them had white fur and wore a purple ninja garb. Matsu, the oldest of the triplets, had a black bandana covering his right eye and was riding on his scythe, which was slightly taller than him.

Totsu, the youngest, had his yellow bandana wrapped around his left arm. He had two kunai kept in his pocket. The middle child, Setsu, wore a wooden jingasa, a red bandana on his neck, and wielded a katana.

Together, they formed the deadliest ninja trio in Sayama, the Kamaitachi.

And look! They had reached their destination.

They landed on a dimly lit section of the woods. The black, crooked barks highlight the ruby-red leaves, appearing like twisted, bleeding creatures. Their interest, however, lay in what was hanging on them.

A pale, woman-like shape, gently swinging with her body limp. The corpse wore a beige kimono with white flower patterns. It was such a shame seeing such a beautiful being tragically losing its life.

"Hello, ny dears! How did the nission go?"

Or not.

Before you ask, the last sentence was not a typo. You heard it right.

Matsu knelt before the hanging lady and reported. "鶏は犬の餌皿に卵を産みます。とんでもないオムレツを作ります。"

A glint sparkled from the black void above. "Terrect."