A Few Needed Adjustments

Midnight Stories

Midnight is known as the witching hour in most cultures. The time when ghouls and goblins and other spirits rise from their graves to cause havoc on the mortal world. Natsume saw or had heard of this ever happening.

The most action she ever saw at midnight was the one time Jibanyan came home drunk and flopped himself on top of her in a ball, crying into her comforter.

It was the most awkward four hours of her life.

But now was not the time to remember a memory she failed to repress; now was the time for meeting that needed to happen for thirteen years.

Midnight also meant her parents were definitely asleep and it was the time she agreed that Keisuke and her should meet up in the living room.

Hearing the muffled alarm under her pillow, Natsume discretely silenced it and slid out from her covers. A good thing about being half fox was the paw pads that softened your steps and your eyes being able to pick up trace amounts of light.

She walked on the balls of her feet, watching for creaky floorboards as she crept out of her room. She cringed as even as she it slowly and with velvet gloves, it still creaked long and slow. Looking at the end of the hall, she spotted her brother's figure in the darkness, walking slow like her. She waved a tail at him to get him to notice her. A thumbs up showed that he saw her.

Natsume went down first. For an odd reason, she automatically switched from a crouching position to a quadruple stance. When raising her heels up, they stuck, clicking even, when only her toes were on the floor. She didn't feel scared, only the familiar feeling of disconnection as she felt when the first transformation. Keisuke, on the other hand (or paw), looked horrified.

Yet they marched on, Natsume leading the way down. Once the both hit the floor, Keisuke whispered a question.

"What the hell was that?"

Natsume shrugged.

"I'm guessing another part of transformation. Now come on, the living room is right here."

"Ugh, fine."

"Did you bring your questions?"

"Eeyup."

Keisuke showed off his badly beaten notebook, the cover having "English" scrawled across in Sharpie.

"Good. Now that we have enough space," Natsume sat up in a squatting position, "time to summon."

"Wait!" Keisuke whisper/yelled, "don't the summonings usually make a lot of noise?"

"Yes, but I just found out how to lower the volume."

She manually opened the panels on the top of the watch and adjusted a small copper dial on the top right.

"There, it should only be a whisper now. Alright Keisuke," she took a deep breath, "Yokai Watch...summoning!"

"Light!" a whispery male's voice came from the machine. Natsume prepared the ark in her hand.

"Come on out my...my..."

"Friend." Keisuke finished for her.

"Kyubi!" as she quietly blurted out the last word, a light irradiated from the watch, not enough to light the room, but enough to cause a stretched shadow behind Natsume. A black and cloudy figure with yellow eyes emerged from the shadow, jumping to the front of the girl. When the scentless smoke cleared, it revealed a tall humanoid fox, clad in a purple kimono with a red obi. His fur was golden and the tips of his multiple tails tipped with indigo.