"Father…?"
"No, Shirone."
Igor raised a finger and booped her nose.
"Brother. Big brother."
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|DxD|- Chapter 116- Why Does She Bite My Finger?
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A young nekoshuou leaped from tree to tree. She moved swiftly with supernatural agility and power. Long black hair danced in the wind, and eyes glowed gold with frantic searching.
[Where is she? Where is she???]
Kuroka paused atop a branch high up in the canopy. Her head swivelled, but that familiar head of white was not visible anywhere.
"Argh! Damnit, Shirone!"
She was frustrated. Her little sister had the annoying habit of always wandering off. This forest did not lack predators, and a young nekomata would easily be seen as prey.
Her form flickered and she vanished onto a branch, then another, and another. She darted all over, trying to feel for her sister's energy or scent. She scoured the forest until she found a group of children playing on the outskirts.
[I'll ask them.]
Her choice made, she jumped down and landed on a lower branch with a loud crack. Ears perked up and the little kittens faced the teenager on the swaying branch.
"Big sis!"
"Hi, sister!"
A group of seven girls with swaying tails happily waved.
"Are you looking for Shiro again? I think she went that way!"
"No, dummy! She always wanders off in that direction."
"Didn't she say she was going to pee?"
"No! She said she was going to climb a tree. And it was that one there!"
Kuroka's eyes snapped towards the tree the little girl pointed at. She flickered there, astounding the group of girls below.
"Wow~!"
"Big sis was so fast!"
"Yeah! She went whoosh!"
Kuroka lingered on the branch and took in Shirone's scent. The girl was right. Her little sister had been here.
She closed her eyes and focused her ki. Nature energy was slowly pulled in from the world into her body. There was the sound of static, and her eyes opened. Her power and perception underwent a qualitative change, and the faint scent from before was so clear she could virtually see it.
"Thank you!"
She shouted a quick thanks and flickered away far into the distance. From tree to tree, she skipped on each branch without stopping. She bounded through the forest like a streaking shadow, faithfully following the scent until several energy signatures entered her range. One was so powerful she misplaced her footing in shock.
"Ah!"
She slipped on a branch and tumbled over to the ground. She flipped her body in midair and landed on her hands and feet. Without a moment's notice, she madly dashed forward with fright on her face. Worry had knocked away all preservation instinct.
Shrubs peeled away before her legs. Leaves left green stains on her dress. It didn't take long for her to reach the dirt path. She saw the caravan as long as two houses put together. The lead cart had the men she sensed, and her heart nearly collapsed when her eyes fell upon three of them.
Senjutsu did not lie to her. The man wearing a cape next to the cart driver was a very powerful devil. The other young man was an extremely powerful devil too. The last one holding her sister was strange as well. He was human, but he didn't make sense to her. However, one thing was true. These men were despairingly stronger than her.
"..."
Her back was covered in sweat and her jaw trembled, especially when the cart pulled to a stop. All eyes were on her, and words struggled to form. Their gazes had no malice or overbearance, yet one could never be sure with outsiders.
"Little Shirone. Is she your sister?"
The blonde asked kindly, and Kuroka felt her blood run cold.
[D-Does he know?]
Times in history existed when devils attempted to reincarnate nekomata and promised them glory, power, and freedom. Such matters were always rejected, but Kuroka had been told devils may not remain polite if it was ever discovered that she and her sister were nekoshou.
"Calm down, girl. You're shaking."
A hand fell on her shoulder, and the rising surge of panic was quelled by a strange, yet warm feeling. She looked up, and met serene blue eyes that had her freeze for a moment.
"Little girl. My name is Igor and I've come here with my brother for training under Elder Magari. So believe me when I say we mean no harm, even if it's for a bit, alright?"
"..."
Kuroka remained silent. This was beyond her expectations, and it ignited a deep hope within her. If they weren't kidnappers and Elder Magari was expecting them, then it'd be fine. Everything would be fine, right?
"Igor! She's too young for you!"
Sairaorg called out with a laugh from the cart, and Igor's face darkened. He swore on his liver he hadn't intended to befriend a through-and-through pervert. He glanced over his shoulder and uttered coldly.
"Sairaorg. I swear on Lucifer I will break every bone in your body."
Igor faced Kuroka again and sighed through his nose. He took note of Kuroka's energy and found she had calmed even further due to Sairaorg's jest. The method was disputable, but the results were not.
"Why don't you climb on the cart with us? We're close to your village anyway."
"..."
Kuroka remained silent in thought, yet before her eyes, Igor suddenly appeared on the cart. There was no flicker or sign of movement. He appeared behind Shirone as if he'd never left her side. Her jaw almost fell to the ground, because she finally realised he'd evaded her senses twice.
"Climb on. On the way, you can tell me about your sister and why…"
Igor flicked Shirone on the back of her head.
"...she likes to bite my finger so much."
"Ow…"
Shirone rubbed her head, but didn't attack Igor. She swallowed her grievance and played with the orbs again. And as she played with them, she forgot everything, too absorbed to pull herself away.
Kuroka watched everything from the side with faint wonder and wariness. She was not comfortable around them, but she carefully considered it for the sake of her sister and their closeness to the village. At such a distance, the leaders surely would've sensed them.
"Okay…"
She made her choice and walked closer. With the speed Igor showed, she knew she had no chance against him. She only hoped this wasn't a deeper ploy, because to her, Shirone was worth more than life itself.
Chapter 116
END