Who are the Real Monsters? by: Elsbeth Ken Umeki will learn that not all monsters come out at night.

Chapter 19

Ren Shisaa stood in the Hawaiian surf watching his cousin play in the sand. "Why are you playing by yourself?"

Ken Umeki looked up, covering his eyes to block the sun. "I'm not, my friend is helping."

Sitting down in the sand, he looked over his cousins sand castle. It looked a lot different from what he and his sister had built earlier. "What are you building?"

"Hirado Castle, its in the Kyūshū region of Japan." Ken smiled, before speaking in some unknown language to an empty space next to him.

"Who are you speaking with?" Ren asked, not seeing anyone but for some reason, knew that his cousin wasn't speaking to an imaginary friend.

"Her name is Hina'ea, she lives in the sea."

"That's cool, tell her I live in Massachusetts."

"You told her yourself." Ken laughed.

For the rest of the day, under the watchful eye of Aya Yoshida the three played under the Hawaiian sun.

Since that first fateful meeting, if asked who his best friend was, Ren Shisaa would have said his cousin Ken. When at the age of twelve, Ken came to Skogshaven for his cousins wedding the two of them were inseparable. Even though they had only shared a half of dozen summers together, they always remained friends; that was true until Ren turned sixteen.

Taken in the dead of night to an old shrine sitting deep in the woods, surrounded by family, the new sixteen year olds were introduced into the mysteries of the Shisaa clan. Long has the family been the guardians of sacred places, Were Temple Lion Dogs and strangest of all protectors of the Umeki family. That had come as a complete surprise to Ren. Not that he minded, he thought protecting his best friend sounded great.

However there were other secrets, older and darker that each Shisaa member learns upon turning sixteen, these secrets poisoned his feelings for his cousin. Ren learned of an ancient pact made with a Japanese Emperor, a pact that commanded Witch families to protect Japan from the Yoaki. Initially the Umeki family, powerful enough to help other families, had good relations with the spirits. But as the years went by, with their power waning, the Yoaki with whom they had good relations became tools to be used to keep themselves in power.

Ken, of course, being the heir of the Umeki family must have been aware of all these secrets all of his life. Ren began to feel that his cousin and his family must be using the Shisaa clan like the Yoaki, nothing more than a tool. The attitudes of Ken’s mother and grandmother and how they treated his own grandmother and father reinforce his belief.

When Ken suddenly moved to Skogshaven, Ren had planned on giving him an earful. The young Were couldn’t believe that Ken’s mother forced the two of them to share a room. The feelings he once had for his cousin, before Ren turned sixteen seemed a lifetime ago. However, the more time spent as Ken’s roommate the more the young Were realized that his cousin had never changed.

That epiphany came too late. Ren’s father was hesitant at first to come to his son for help, but was pleased at his change of heart. Ken had done nothing wrong; in fact according to Ren’s father, Ken knew nothing of his family history. Because of the wishes of Ken’s mother, something terrible was soon to take place.

At the day of the festival, Ren’s drove his father’s car behind the Shisaa compound planning on rescuing his cousin. When his cousin didn’t appear, the young man climbed the steps entering the shrine just in time to comprehend what Kaede Umeki had in store for his cousin.

When Ken collapsed in Ren’s arms, he understood that his cousin was only dressed as a female; however the soft body that he found shocked him to the core. To think that the Umeki clan would change one of their own to keep the power in the family left him speechless. Aya Yoshida made the point quite well at the time that it would be better if Ren also kept such thoughts to himself.

Most of the Shisaa felt terribly uncomfortable around Ken’s guardian. Masanori explained that Aya Yoshida had been a member of the Umeki family for a long time. He remembered the Warden, when he was a child, what was chilling Ren’s grandmother Rika also remembered Aya when she was a child.

Ken’s transformation to Kimme, beyond the obvious, confused him. Not the why, that was obvious but the result. Ren felt as if Kimme was a totally different person. Ken, quiet and moody at times, was suddenly replaced by this vivacious girl who seemed to make friends with everyone.

Kimme quickly conquered all of the girls in the Shisaa household. Both his sister and Hibiki immediately fell in love with their new cousin. It took no time at all for her to make close friends at school, something that Ken seemed incapable of. Treating Kimme as a princess didn’t seem to bother anyone in the Shisaa family at all.

What bother Ren the most were the boys. He couldn’t remember the number of times explaining to some love-struck guy if he was interested in Kimme they needed to speak to her. And no, he wasn’t going to put in a good word for them. As the weeks went by, Ren even started to have feelings for her. Beautiful, yes, but it was her personality that made you want to be around her. Ren had to just remind himself constantly that Kimme used to be Ken. The whole idea of dating his best friend was just too weird. Thankfully, Kimme still had her relationship with Sile.

With Masanori too busy to keep an eye on his niece, it became Ren’s responsibility to keep a close eye on his cousin. Ren knew of the political infighting among members of the Umeki family. Even the Shisaa didn’t seem immune. When his grandmother Rika stepped down as the head of the Shisaa family, Ren thought things were settled. The young Were was wrong.

With the sudden arrival of Kimme’s mother Kaede and her entourage of Witches and Wardens, Ren felt afraid for his cousin. It seemed that the head of the Umeki family didn’t just prepare for trouble, but happily searched it out. Kaede immediately took control of their entire household. Except for school and work, all family members had to be ready to help the Witches of the Imai family at a moment’s notice. All of the energy of all three families was now directed at Ken’s ceremony. When asked, his father explained that it was an ancient ritual that would unlock Kimme’s magical powers. Ren felt that his father was not telling him the entire truth.

Assigned to stand at the edge of the Shrine during the ceremony, Ren spotted Kimme and her group of attendants as soon as they came out of the Umeki residence. She moved with grace, even in those ridiculous shoes. The ceremony seemed to go just as planned, until Aya entered the courtyard covered in blood.

What happened next shocked and upset the entire Shisaa family. Ren understood that the Imai Witches were involved with the Fae, but using them for their rituals? When the Umeki servant Katherine appeared, seemingly from a witches knife, Ren knew something horrible was going to happen.

Late last summer, almost everyone over the age of sixteen in the Shisaa family along with most of the Unseen in Skogshaven had assisted the young Fae Princess in the fight against the Unseelie Court. Charging into the troll-kin ranks, Ren felt like a Samurai of old. This was the true path of the Shisaa clan, to protect everyone from the evils of the spirit world.

What happened deeper inside the Fae continued to haunt his dreams since. Little did the young Were understand that the creatures the Unseen had faced were nothing but fodder, the true terrors lay in wait. When the Countess of the Winter Court appeared wielding the black blade, Ren thought that she was just another easy target.

Realizing his folly too late, the Temple Lion Dog felt the Countess’s black blade slip through his ribs. Yui too fell in a blink of an eye. Preparing for his end, Ren felt his life’s energy fading. But he would not die; instead a beautiful angel knelt by his side pulling him out of the darkness. With a warming touch and a soothing voice, Ren realized that Princess Morgan had actually saved his life.

As Katherine shed her mortal glamour revealing herself to be an Aos Sidhe and a sacrifice to the Umeki family, Ren understood at that point the entire Shisaa clan stood on an abyss. Almost as one, they stood up and began to shout as Aya brought her blade high in the air but before it descended, the top of the shrine exploded in activity.

Members of the Shisaa family watched in amazement as Kimme flew backwards off the palanquin, slamming into Aya. Like the Aos Sidhe Katherine, the heir to the Umeki family had shed her mortal trappings. With long black and white hair, adorned with what appeared to be a cat’s tail and ears, Kimme slashed out with razor sharp claws. A Warden, who got too close, found out that Kimme’s claws were all too real while she sliced through his sword arm.

Almost in one move, the cat spirit lifted Katherine from the ground depositing the Aos Sidhe safely of the top of the shrine. With the shock worn off, Kimme’s mother began to scream.

“Subdue her, we cannot allow her to escape.”

Interrupting Kaede, the Shisaa family heard their Alpha give his own command. “Shisaa clan remain where you are, this is an Umeki internal problem.”

“What!” As Kaede screamed, Masanori Shisaa knelt on the ground, amused to see a certain satisfied smile pass over Kimme’s grandmother’s face.

Kimme growled, flying downwards; with one hand picking up Katherine’s knife that had fallen, with her other hand she sent two Witches flying down the stairs.

What happened next, no one expected. Kimme, too intent on not being hit by Aya’s blade, didn’t see the Warden approach her side. As the katana slashed downwards, without a word Sachiko Imai stepped in the blade’s way.

Everyone stopped, as Kimme turned horrified. Her grandmother stood still with two feet of steel sticking out of her chest.

“Obaasan why?” The young girl moved forward to catch her grandmother as she collapsed.

Without a word, Sachiko Imai reached up slowly touching her grandchild’s face, and then it dropped, the light going out of her eyes. Kimme’s mournful wail tore through everyone’s heart, however Kaede seeing a chance ordered Aya to capture Kimme. It was then that the world changed.

The sky itself changed colors; the barren tree in the center of the courtyard which had long lost its leaves bloomed instantly as a bright light settled over the entire compound. In awe, Masanori Shisaa understood that the entire family compound had been drawn deep inside the Fairy Realm.

As wave after wave of Pixies flew over the walls, members of the Shisaa who fought with Princess Morgan over the summer recognized the Aos Sidhe that suddenly walked out of the ancient tree that stood in the center of the courtyard.

Sile!” Kimme screamed as her girlfriend came through the Fae gateway first.

Immediately behind her, others followed. Liam, the tall Aos Sidhe, adorned in silver mail wielding a claymore stood next to his wife, Roisin. Passing the two with a rowan spear in hand, their daughter Emily looked over the Umeki and Shisaa family with murder in her eyes. Two other Aos Sidhe, the members of the Shisaa family didn’t recognize, but the swordsman wearing an old WWII bomber jacket they knew as Lord Alexander, the same Aos Sidhe lord who fought a duel with the Countess. However, the small figure, garbed in the purest white, grabbed everyone’s attention. Quite a number of times the younger members of the Shisaa had passed the Princess in the halls at school always receiving a friendly smile. The look Princess Morgan now gave everyone in the compound was anything but friendly.

Kaede Umeki, with her mother dead and her child shifted back to her Yoaki form felt that her grip on events was coming apart. Understanding immediately that the Yoaki in white posed the most threat, she commanded Aya to kill Princess Morgan.

The Japanese Witch felt satisfied as the girl didn’t realize her danger but her satisfaction was short lived. The Aos Sidhe in the old US Army bomber jacket simply stepped in front of Aya, easily blocking her attack. Everyone stood in shock. To those of the Shisaa and Umeki family, Kaede’s Warden had always seemed to be unstoppable. With little effort, Lord Alexander started to push Aya back, blocking her attacks without counterattacking, as if waiting for something.

Without even breathing heavy, the Aos Sidhe Lord suddenly called out. “Morgan, is she the one?”

“Yes.”

Stepping underneath the black blade, Lord Alexander brought his shining sword around. Aya Yoshida cried out, collapsing on her knees, the sword falling from her grasp.

“Morgan?”

“I’m not going to kill her, Sile.” Morgan walked forward placing her hands on the Warden’s head and heart. “A certain family demands that their cousin be returned.”

Kaede Umeki stood in shock, like every other mortal she was unable to move. The power that emanated from the small form held her in awe. Suddenly, the Japanese Witch understood exactly what Princess Morgan planned on doing.

“No, don’t”

Aya Yoshida, Warden of the Umeki clan unknown to most as a Yoaki sealed away during the Edo Period, began to scream. A high pitched scream, full of loss. Like Katherine and Kimme, the Aya form melted away revealing a beautiful white nine-tailed Kitsune. Still crying at her loss, heartbroken that she had been forced to kill her own kind throughout the years, the Yoaki reached for her sword to end the pain. Before Aya could reach the black blade, sensing what was happening, the young Aos Princess quickly knelt down taking the fox woman into her arms.

Around the courtyard no one moved, no one spoke as the Princess spoke quietly to the Kitsune. Suddenly, Aya’s body shuddered. Nodding, she rose from the ground kicking the sword, the symbol of her pain away from her. With a nod from Princess Morgan, Roisin came over and took the Kitsune by the hand.

“Morgan Hime.” Masanori began but stopped seeing the look of utter disappointment in her eyes.

“Where is Caitrin?”

“I am up here your Highness.” The Aos Sidhe shouted as she jumped to the ground. With tears running down her face, she moved quickly towards the Princess, coming down into a deep curtsey.

For the first time since she arrived, the Princess smiled. Reaching down Morgan helped the Aos Side from the ground. “Are you ready to go home?”

Caitrin, once called Katherine could only nod.

“Sile?”

“The knife is over here Morgan.” Sile knelt next to Kimme, who sat on the ground holding her grandmother’s lifeless body.

“You have no business being here.” Kaede finally found her voice.

Ignoring Kimme’s mother, Princess Morgan turned to Masanori. “Did you know about Caitrin?”

The alpha of the Shisaa family nodded sadly. “We knew she might be like Aya.”

Morgan slowly walked up the stairs to the shrine, turning around she shouted angrily. “Someone explain to me why I shouldn’t leave all of you stranded in the Fae Realm.”

“Morgan Hime?”

“Kimme?” Morgan knelt down.

“You can’t kill them Princess, she wouldn’t want that.” Kimme said quietly as she stroked her grandmother’s hair. Who she was, no one was exactly sure. “I just don’t…don’t want them to be able to hurt anyone again.”

“What are you doing, Kimme?” Kaede, looking stunned called out to her daughter.

“Deciding your punishment.”

“You can’t, you’re not…”

“What mother? I’m the heir to the Umeki family.”

“I Masanori, of the Shisaa family also acknowledge Kimme Umeki as heir to the family.”

“Know this, I am Princess Morgan, The Arbitrator, Daughter of Mab the Warrior Queen of the Summer Court and I hereby take away what was so lovingly given to your ancestors ages so. A gift that you have used so evilly is now taken back.”

“Let’s get this over with then.” Morgan walked over to the closest Japanese Witch. “I’m afraid this is going to hurt quite a bit.”

As the Princess touched her head, the two of them began to glow. Seconds later, the woman began to scream, then suddenly collapsed.

Morgan looked down sadly, and then turned to the next Witch who tried to get away.

“What did you do?” Kaede Umeki whispered, finally understanding the full power of the Summer Court. “Did you bind her?” Kimme's mother understood the power to bind a Witch and for one to be able to do it without help seemed unbelievable.

“No.” Morgan said simply. Touching the second Witch, she too screamed after a few seconds then collapsed. “I took away her magical ability, all of it. She has no more power than any norm, nor will her line ever carry that ability.”

Kaede Umeki sat there terrified, her mother’s predictions seemingly coming true. Her screams of terror fell on deaf ears as moments later Princess Morgan turned around to impose justice on the former head of the Umeki family.

Authors Notes: A special thanks to djkauf for a little elvish editing. If you like the story please leave a Kudos, if you have the time I would love to hear from you. Thanks to all for reading! - Elsbeth