To My Darkside

5

"Kura... this is my Aunt Katherine," Rykel said, her voice trembling but firm. "She's important to me, you know that, so you need to be nice, okay?"

Kura's red eyes flicked towards Aunt Katherine, and for a moment, she felt as if her very soul was being scrutinized. The creature's grin widened even more, and it spoke in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of the earth itself.

"Aunt Katherine," it rumbled, each word dripping with a sinister undertone. "It is nice to finally get to meet Rykel's savior in person."

Aunt Katherine swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. "Rykel... what is this thing? How... how is this possible?"

Rykel sighed, lowering her hand but still keeping a wary eye on Kura. "It's a long story, Aunt Katherine. Kura is... a protector, of sorts."

"Oh my god..." Aunt Katherine quickly made the sign of the cross over her chest, kissing her fingers afterwards. Kuragari chuckled.

"I find your antics quite amusing," it mused, peering at Rykel's aunt with something like menacing amusement.

Aunt Katherine glared at Rykel, her eyes flashing with a mix of fear and anger. "You brought a demon into my home, Rykel! Are you out of your mind?"

Rykel stepped closer to her aunt, her voice soothing but firm. "Aunt Katherine, please, listen to me. Kuragari is bound to me. It can't harm you or anyone else unless I allow it, and I never would. It's here to help us."

"Help us?" Aunt Katherine echoed incredulously. "How can a demon possibly help us?"

Kuragari's grin softened, though its eyes remained sharp and penetrating. "I understand your apprehension, Katherine. It's only natural to fear what you do not understand. But I assure you, my purpose is not to bring harm. I am here to protect Rykel and, by extension, you."

Aunt Katherine narrowed her eyes. "Protect us from what?"

Rykel took a deep breath. "There are forces at work, Aunt Katherine, dark forces that are far worse than Kuragari. Kuragari is the only one who can help us fend them off and protect us."

Aunt Katherine turned her gaze back to the demon, her expression a mixture of skepticism and reluctant acceptance. "And what, pray tell, are these dark forces?"

Kuragari's eyes darkened, the air around them seeming to grow colder. "Creatures of the void, beings that thrive on chaos and despair. They seek to unbalance the very fabric of this world. If they succeed in their mission, your lives, your very existence, will be at risk."

A shiver ran down Aunt Katherine's spine, but she held her ground. "And you expect me to believe that you're our only hope?"

Kuragari nodded solemnly. "Yes. For now, I am your best chance at survival."

Rykel placed a reassuring hand on her aunt's shoulder. "I know it's a lot to take in, Aunt Katherine, but you have to trust me. Plus, I'm not the only one in danger. People will be after Kura, they want to kill it and send it back to Hell."

"How on earth did this thing attach itself to you?" Aunt Katherine inquired.

"Well, to give you the short version, when Page and I went to the library last week, we got pulled into a magical book that transported us to another world. There, we encountered a deranged werewolf named Yupanki and met two other werewolves, Quill and Rudd, who helped us out along with Kura."

"...uh-huh..."

"So, we managed to save that world and returned to this one, but Quill and Rudd came back with us, as did Kuragari, though I didn't realize it at the time. That's why I was so down when I got home; Kura wasn't here initially but then it returned and bonded with me." Rykel took a breath. "It's been with me ever since. We don't get along the first time we met each other but we slowly grew on each other over time. Now we're inseparable."