Kira Yukimura

Winking an eye closed, Bonnie pointed a finger gun at a glass bottle left unattended on the balcony railing. With a whispered, “Pew,” she pretended to shoot the bottle, which exploded like she actually had. A few surprised yelps sounded from the people nearest to the bottle, but they were followed by laughs, dismissals and rationalizations that kept anyone from looking too closely. Leaning back on a railing on the other side of the house, no one was likely to look in her direction anyway. 

While Bonnie knew she should be more careful, she was also bored out of her mind. With everything that had happened with Davina, she’d been hurting for some palette cleansing normalcy. And what was more normal than a college frat party? She was supposed to be playing beer pong with Caroline and Elena against Kapa-Delta-Whatever’s elite, but both of her besties had flaked faster than half-burned croissants, leaving Bonnie to people watch. 

A large part of her had hoped to at least run into Stiles, but he and Scott were probably up to werewolf shenanigans in the Bayou. Cora was probably street racing stolen cars, and Derek was most likely busy glaring at someone to death. Bonnie didn’t think that frat parties were really Marcel’s scene, and Hayley had traded in her “fun” side for an Alpha position. If Bonnie was going to run into anyone it was probably Kol and, while he’d certainly liven up the night, that was gonna be a firm “no thank you” from her.

Expelling a long, bored sigh, she pushed away from the railing she’d been slouched on and entered the house for another serving of god-knows-what. It was fruity, tart, and kind of syrupy. There was definitely rum in this concoction, vodka too, with fruit punch to account for the sweetness and she couldn’t begin to guess what else. It was sweet enough to mask the alcohol, which meant it was the kind of drink that snuck up on you if you weren’t careful. Without anyone to hold back her hair, blasting a beer bottle with her magic was as careless as she was willing to be tonight.

Bonnie wove between partiers, side stepping dancers and skirting around couples making out against the walls, stopping short when frat boys leaped onto surfaces or knocked into each other in an uproar of testosterone, and moseyed all the way over to the drink station. A flash of flaring yellow skirt caught her attention and relief washed over Bonnie so hard her knees almost gave out. She rushed over to the dark haired beauty frowning, curiously into her solo cup. 

Throwing her arms around Kira from behind, Bonnie perched her chin on her shoulder and squeezed her middle. “Kira! I’m so happy to see you!” She released the kitsune and spun her around to hold her by her shoulders. She looked the girl up and down and grinned. “You look so cute. I love your shoes.” 

After tucking Kira’s fringe behind her ear, Bonnie draped her arm around her shoulders and pressed into her side. “How do NOU parties compare to the ones in New York?”

People were either not acknowledging Kira or they were looking at her weird. This should have made her want to blend into the scenery even more, yet it didn’t. What Kira tended to do was become more awkward and ramble until she came across like some socially inept individual. She didn’t really represent herself very well though because she was actually quite clever. One thing with Kira was, she had never seen any need to prove her character. Her father had always taught her to have faith in her abilities and never feel like she should be ashamed of what she was or how others perceived her.

“You got some good moves there...sort of robotic....very eighties....”

She gave an encouraging nod to one guy who was busting moves on the dancefloor. His dance was very dated but she really was trying to be nice. Yet her words obviously didn’t come across that way because he shot a look at his mates and then aimed an indignant look in Kira’s direction.

“Why don’t you stick to that drink of yours and quit with the damn comments?”

She raised a brow, not expecting that kind of response. Her visual swiftly went to her surroundings to check out exactly who was even listening to this exchange and luckily it was just him and his mates.

“I was only making conversation. That’s just downright rude and...well...you’re not even that good!”

She huffed out a air of disapproval before disappearing quickly through the crowds before he could retaliate.

---and the spot she found was where she remained until Bonnie found her.

“Hey!...thank goodness you are here.”

Her face lit up with a warm and friendly smile, realising how tactile Bonnie was and strangely appreciating it at this given time. Kira needed a friendly face and she was more than comfortable in Bonnie’s company.

“Oh thank you!...I got the skirt from that little store down the mall and the shoes were some I bought before I moved here...it was this store that...well..that part doesn’t matter...but let me say, you look great!....your whole outfit...not that you ever don’t....you always look perfect.”

Placing a gentle touch to Bonnie’s waist as she slipped her arm around it, Kira let out a sigh.

bennctwitch‌:

Breathing deep, slow breaths in through her nose, out through her mouth, Bonnie found her center. The smoky, woody scent of Yerba Santa filled the space as Kira waved the smudge stick around the lit circle. It helped her dive deep into that quiet place in her mind, that warm, welcoming space that connected her to her magic and her magic to the world around her, to the ley lines and energies, to life itself. 

.It was a nurturing quiet, the comforting embrace of a womb. Whatever fear she’d felt before was set aside. It felt distant, like it hadn’t belonged to her at all. In this safe place where her magic was a blanket that swaddled her, Bonnie knew that she was okay. She knew she was strong enough to find out what had caused the assault. She knew she could face it. She was ready. For her friends, she had to be.

Soft warm hands slid into hers and she sucked in a surprised inhale. The jolt of energy was something like static shock. Except that it wasn’t physical, not a spark of crackling atoms that lit up between their hands as Kira grabbed a hold of her. It was more than that, deeper. Kira was energy. She was a tempest, an electrical storm trapped in the body of one of the sweetest girls she’d ever met. There was no end to it, to her, just spears of lightning, bursts of electricity, an infinite charge that Bonnie was almost afraid to harness. 

“Kira,” she whispered, breathless, amazed. “You’re beautiful.” Since here eyelids were shut, Bonnie didn’t mean physically –though Kira was that too. She meant truly, genuinely beautiful. Down to the crackling core of her being. She was a spring storm on the horizon, grey clouds strobing with bursts of light. She was breathtaking. 

Still not opening her eyes, Bonnie gave Kira’s hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze, muttering, “Whenever I need to channel someone you’re going to be my first call from now on.” Sucking in a deep breath, she refocused herself to the task at hand: communing with the Spirits. 

Diving into that dark heat in her mind was kind of like diving into a cave that dropped into the center of the Earth. She fell and fell, and fell… and fell. Deeper and deeper, and deeper still, with nothing but Kira’s sparking energy to both tether her and propel her further. Bonnie let herself fall, waiting for the Spirits to catch her, cradle her, whisper their secrets into her ear. 

She didn’t know how long she fell, or how long they sat like that, hand in hand, crossed legged on the glass speckled floor of Ida Maes. All Bonnie knew was the dark and the warmth and her desire for answers. 

When the whispers started in her head she thought she might have squeezed Kira’s hands again, but her mind was too far from her body for her to be conscious of her actions. She listened intently, trying to make out the words, frowning as she made sense of their hushed tones. They poured into her senses until the words were screaming inside of her head.

Possessed by the energy of the ancient forces of nature and divinity, and magic itself, Bonnie threw her head back with a gasp. “The Nemeton… She hungers… blood… blood… blood… She demands more blood…” The flames of the candles surrounding them surged up, up, up, burning tall and furious as Bonnie’s layered voice speaks for the ancients. “The last sacrifice will not satiate Her. The Harvest is completed but the Nemeton still hungers…”

Another gasp and Bonnie was suddenly released from the Spirit’s hold, no longer their mouthpiece or vessel, just a hollow shell and cold to the bone. Not because she was empty, but because of what they’d said. The last sacrifice… The Harvest is complete… That could only mean one thing. It meant. Oh, Spirits, it meant…

“Davina’s dead.”

Wiping her face dry with both hands, Bonnie shook her head. Not as an answer but as an absence of one. Was she okay? Physically, yeah, she was fine. Mentally, emotionally, spiritually? She didn’t know what she was other than confused and exhausted, and determined to get to the bottom of whatever that flash flood of power had been. 

“I think I’m okay,” she answered, sniffing, rubbing the streaks of mascara out from under her eyes. Checking to see if her fingers were coming back clean, and that she didn’t look like an emo band album cover, Bonnie’s thoughts raced as she absently explained, “I don’t know what happened, only that it was powerful magic like I’ve never felt before.”

Following her lead, Kira loosened the circle of her arms, then dropped her protective embrace entirely. Cold filled the absence of Kira’s arms around her shoulders. Bonnie had to stop herself from curling up beside the younger girl, needing the comfort of a friendly touch more than she could say, but there were things that they needed to do if she was going to understand what the hell had just happened to her. 

Bonnie shook her head, this time in a straightforward answer to Kira’s question. “No, just powerful. Not good or bad, just nature. It felt kind of like a reclaiming but…” she shrugged, “I don’t know how to explain it. The energy in town has been off for months now. Whatever the heck that was, I know it’s related.”

Pushing up onto her feet, Bonnie ran for the door, intent on locking up Ida Mae’s so that they could work in privacy. Glass crunched under her feet and she realized that the glass had exploded. Not just the windows but the display cases, too, the containers and vases. All the glass in the shop was now glittering on the floor and she had to stifle a groan. It was going to take a month’s pay to reimburse the damages, maybe even two. She’d worry about it later. Right now they had bigger concerns. 

Sign flipped and Yerba Santa in hand, she walked over to the space where Kira had arranged candles in a circle and nodded her approval. She stepped into the circle’s center and motioned for Kira to step in, too. “I need to commune with the Spirits. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to channel you to strengthen my connection.” The candle encircling them lit up with barely a thought from Bonnie. 

Gaze locked with Kira’s, she opened her palm and another flame flickered there, blooming like a cherry blossom in spring. She used the fire to light the Yerba Santa smudge stick. Once it was smouldering, smoke streaking for the ceiling. Curling her fingers into a fist again, the flame disappeared from her palm and Bonnie handed the smudge stick over to Kira with the instructions, “Use this to cleanse the circle. Just wave the smoke around the space and, when you’re done, put the smudge stick in this dish. It’ll work like incense while I commune. After you’re done sit across from me in the center of the circle and take my hands, okay?”

Bonnie offered Kira an encouraging smirk before she sat down, cross legged, in the circle’s center. She placed a small metal dish in front of her, where Kira would put the burning smudge stick once she was done cleansing the circle. While the other girl got to work, Bonnie shut her eyes and steadied her breathing. If she wanted to connect with the Spirits she needed to empty her thoughts and find her center. They had to know what was happening, and then she’d be able to figure out what she needed to do to keep her friends safe.

To hear Bonnie state she thought she was okay, came as a relief to Kira. She might not have really meant it, but the fact she was coherent and seemingly over the worst of it, made her breathe out heavily.

“I have never seen anything quite like that before.”

She had witnessed things in the past relating to what she was, but Kira was somewhat at a loss when it came to what she had just witnessed. This didn’t mean she wanted to steer clear of it all, not at all. To be fair, it made her want to help Bonnie all the more and get to the bottom of it.

“Right yes...okay....no that’s fine...that’s alright.”

She nodded seriously and let Bonnie know she had her full attention. There was a sincerity that the witch seemed to give off which made Kira feel like she could trust her. She might not be a witch herself, but some things she did sense and was a good judge of. It would be stupid to assume there was no apprehension there--even if it was just a little, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to do it. This was something that interested the hell out of Kira and she was definitely willing. So she followed Bonnie’s lead and stepped into the circle, not doing anything unless she was told to do so. The was a certain degree of intensity to it and Kira made sure she kept her gaze on the other for as long as she was meant to. She could see the flame flickering and there was a temptation to look at it, but Kira didn’t want to screw anything up and someone’s eyes were always going to be seen as the windows to something else--they always showed when there was a problem long before the body physically showed it.

There was a small confident nod as Kira took the smudge stick and wafted it through the air so that the smoke from it filled their surroundings within the circle. When done she placed it into the dish liked Bonnie had stated, then sat down opposite her on the floor and took hold of her hands.

Her senses were being assaulted. All of them at once by something she couldn’t grasp with any of them at all. The scent of earth, of smoke, of blood. The taste of earth, of smoke, of blood. The sound of a leaves shifting in the breeze, of chanting too far off for her to make out the words, of wet coughing and gurgling. Her vision was blurred, lights so out of focus they were nothing but flickering orange motes, a flash of white, the vacuum of black. She was cold, then shocked with draining heat, then colder than she’d ever been. 

It was too much. Her body couldn’t handle the attack, her mind couldn’t process it. As power flowed through her all that registered was pain. Something in her chest broke into a million pieces. Fear flash froze her blood. Regret punched her in the gut and ripped it out through her navel. Sorrow hollowed out her insides. A thousand emotions that weren’t hers tore at her like a flock of condors right out of an Alfred Hitchcock film. 

She only realized she was screaming when she tasted blood. She only realized she was crying when her hair clung to her face and her shirt stuck to her chest. Bonnie only realized she wasn’t alone when a pair of arms squeezed her with a kind of reassurance that didn’t need words for her to feel their meaning. ‘You’re okay. You’re gonna be okay.’ Throwing her arms around the other person, she clung to them like they were the only life raft in a storm tossed ocean. Her fingers curled into their shirt, into their back, and she squeezed them right back with a desperation that didn’t even belong to her. 

As the last of the overwhelming, mind muddling power washed through her, a final sob broke loose from the empty cage of her chest. Bonnie sniffed and panted, trying to orient herself again after that crippling assault. She blinked rapidly, clearing the tears from her eyes. After careening through that white water rapid of magical energy, she felt exhausted and confused. 

What the hell was that?

Refocusing on the world around her, she realized that she was crushing Kira in the circle of her arms. “I’m sorry, Kiki,” sniffled Bonnie as she pulled back and wiped the moisture from her face. More confused blinks and she realized that none of the lights in Ida Mae’s were on. She must have blown them out during whatever that magical surge had been. 

Unfocused gaze staring through the occult shop, she shook her head, murmuring, “Something happened.” A blink and her focus was on Kira. Bonnie explained, “That was magic like I’ve never felt before. It was… terrifying. That kind of power…” she shook her head, paused for a pensive moment, then pushed onto her feet so that she could run for the door. 

Without looking back at Kira, Bonnie instructed the other girl to, “Grab as many candles as you can and set them in a big circle. We’re going to figure out what the heck just happened.” Once at the door she flipped the “Open” sign to “Closed” and locked the door. Her next stop was behind the counter to grab one of the Yerba Santa smudge sticks from behind the counter.

Kira was panicking and yet trying so desperately hard to remain calm. She wasn’t the sort of person who would run away when fear hit her. It was okay to be scared, but you had to harness the fear and try and use it to your advantage--at least that was what she had learned along the way. It was difficult though when your new-found friend looked like she was dying in your arms--and that was in no way an exaggeration. Bonnie appeared to be struggling to breathe as though something was obstructing her airway, her eyes looking but not actually focusing on anything as they seemed to glaze over slightly.

A noise left Kira’s lips that vaguely resembled a squeak-come-gasp, as the windows of the store suddenly blew and shards of glass flew everywhere. She had to protect both of them whilst Bonnie was going through whatever it was, so instinctively her body covered the other girl more.

The screaming from Bonnie seemed to echo through Kira like a sickening wave of nausea that found its way into the hollowness of her lungs and crushed them until she found it hard to breathe herself. She quickly inhaled deeply and exhaled, then inhaled again through her nostrils so that it was more controlled.

“It will pass...and I am here. Just focus on my voice.”

Kira really didn’t know if she was doing right from wrong but she had to try and do something. So when Bonnie arms gripped her, she continued to talk just to let her know she was there and she could hopefully find her way back.

She remembered how her mum would soothe her when fear took hold and Kira found herself stroking Bonnie's hair, not in a way that was to a small child, but more like a friend would that was trying to stop another from crying. She was pretty sure her own heart would break free and leap out of her chest if this was to carry on any longer. 

When things started to return to normal, or should it be when Bonnie started to, Kira let out a sigh, but her expression was quickly supportive of the witch.

“Hey no. Don’t be sorry. W-What happened?....but more importantly...are you okay?”

Slowly, she loosened her hold on the other girl, though if she was honest, it was reluctantly done. It felt as though as long as she held her then nothing like that could happen again, which of course was untrue.

“Powerful magic....as in bad magic?”

Okay, so she knew what NOLA had to offer but now she was finding out there was far more to be concerned about than she first thought.

“W-What?...oh yes...of course....of course...”

Kira was up and on her feet, swiftly looking around and grabbing all the candles she could hold and placing them in a circle. There was a gap so she went and grabbed a couple more. Quite discreetly she touched the bulb that was in the lamp on one of the tables. She tried to light it up but it didn’t work due to the element inside being totally burnt out.

“Is there anything else you want me to do?”

The scratch of a pen to a sales order slip competed with the crinkle of a paper bag being shaken into usefulness. Bonnie watched the customer sign their name on the bottom of the receipt as she placed the amethyst pendulum into the bag, as well as some fat, white candles, and an assortment of dried herbs. One of these days she was going to have to talk to someone about getting Ida Mae’s caught up with the times. A tablet and emailable receipts were not only more convenient for all parties, but environmentally conscious to boot. 

Once the customer had signed their life away, Bonnie traded them their goods for the signed sales bill. The bottom copy went to the patron with a smile and a cheerful, “Have a great day.” Their wave was returned and she leaned over the counter to watch them leave. 

Sleigh bells chimed from the hydraulic arm as the door opened and the customer stepped out into the thoroughfare outside Ida Mae’s. Once it shut again, Bonnie rounded the counter and scampered over to the table near the back of the occult shop. “How’re we doin’, Kiki?” she asked with a grin, dropping into the chair across from the raven haired beauty seated at the table.

Though they’d bumped into each other plenty of times at NOU, the tie that connected them best was –surprisingly– Scott McCall. As far as werewolves went, she was closer to either of the Hales, and maybe even Hayley, than she was with Scott. But he and Stiles were the Turk and J.D. of NOU, and she and Stiles were… talking? Add Kira being friendly with Scott to the mix and, vualá, squad goals hashtag trends once more.

Kira was sweet. A little artless in some areas, but smart as heck and maybe a little too compassionate for her own good. Her presence in Ida Mae’s was at Bonnie’s invitation. Elena said she was going to drop in on Alaric after classes, Caroline was Spirits knew where doing Spirits knew what, and Bonnie had needed help rifling through historical records. That, and she genuinely enjoyed Kira’s company. So, two birds, one stone. Luckily, today was one of those days with not a lot of foot traffic through the occult shop slash bookstore. 

Grabbing her own pile of papers, Bonnie scanned through the information, muttering the reminder, “So we’re looking for unexplained natural disasters over the last hundred years. Localized earthquakes, sudden electrical storms, wildfires, animal deaths by the dozen, that kind of thing. When the magic in an area is wonky your first and last warning sign is nature.” And the magic in New Orleans was the textbook definition of wonky. All its synonyms, too.

Marcel had stated that this kind of thing had happened before. If Bonnie could figure out when she could also figure out why, and if she knew why she’d know how she’d be best able to protect her friends.

Not finding anything interesting on the first page, Bonnie moved it to the back of her pile and started reading the fresh page. She didn’t make it far before a force so powerful crashed into her like a tsunami. It felt like she a hurricane in a bottle, overly full with cataclysmic power, unable to contain the energy that didn’t wash over her, but bulldozed through her; a stampeding herd of elephants bottlenecked with nothing but her to block their path. 

A pained shout burst out of her. It blackened her vision and the world around her. Bonnie had a brief sense of falling out of her seat but was too caught up cradling her head to care that she’d collapsed. Curled into a ball, face hidden behind her hair, Bonnie cried out as unspeakable power crashed into her, flowed through her, then poured out of her again.

@kitsunexkira

“This place is unreal...”

Kira’s visual shifted from one thing to another in the store as her interest went into serious overload until she didn’t really stay with one thing too long before her line of vision was caught by something else.

“..I mean....not unreal as in it isn’t here because it is...but it’s amazing. We never had anything like this back home.”

Kira loved the stores on the main street, some were unique and you had to believe that magic was true to really invest any time in them, but she knew about healing crystals and herbs, she’d always been interested.

“You’re lucky to work here....”

Her dark hues looked over to her friend and she offered her a warm smile, not really taking much notice whether she had been listening to her the past few minutes. It was only as the last customer left the shop, Kira smirked when she realised her error.

“Sorry...I was just talking out loud. Well, I was talking to you but I got too carried away and didn’t notice you were dealing with a customer.”

Slouching down a little in the seat she had just plonked herself in, Kira interlaced her fingers so that her hands were clasped together.

“I’m doing good, thanks. I think I am really starting to find my feet here.How are you?”

She hadn’t been too sure at first when her family came to live there, especially with some of the stories she had heard, but with each passing day, Kira had started to settle, even more so since making friends.

“Righteo....lets get started then.”

This was in no way boring--this was brilliant and she had no problem at all looking through the papers.

“Nature has the answer to many things if we look close enough and understand.”

She picked up a pile of papers and started to read and digest what was on them. Then something happened.....

Kira felt the energy...well she felt something, but what really made her jump up from her chair was when Bonnie appeared to look like she had just been hit by a ten-tonne truck.

“B-Bonnie??”

Within seconds she was at her friend's side but not in time to stop her falling from her seat, only enough to perhaps soften the thud as her body found the floor. Panic filled her body and she didn’t know what the hell was going on but knew she needed to just be there until it hopefully passed.

“It’s okay. I’m here...look at me, Bonnie....it’s going to be okay.”

Kira Yukimura ↠ 21 ↠ Human ↠ Kitsune

Not All Monsters Do Monstrous Things

Life was average in New York. Having grown up in a small town just outside of the Big Apple, nothing exciting ever really happened to Kira Yukimura. She’d never been particularly popular. She kept her GPA high and her parents happy. She participated in extracurricular activities and put in her volunteer hours. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was coasting through life, like there had to be more to it, and to her. College was supposed to offer her that ‘more’ that she was looking for, but two and a half years in and all it’d offered was more of the same.

When Kira’s father got a job opportunity as a history professor at NOU, the decision to follow her parents from New York to Louisiana wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. After the drama of transferring credits, and over a thousand miles later, Kira’s more hopeful than she’s ever been about what the future holds. Good or bad, it’ll be a change, and she’s never been more excited about a change of pace. As one of many non-native New Orleans transplants, she’s still figuring the city out, and her place in it

The Past That Haunts & The Connections That Bind

▶ SCOTT MCCALL: She doesn’t know how he was roped into being NOU’s welcoming committee, but she’s glad he was. Kira’s never been that great with first day jitters, but his easy smile made her first day that much easier. They haven’t had a lot of opportunities to hang out since that first introduction, but Scott seems like a good friend to have and she’s a little short on those since the move.

▶ GIA DHILLON: Talk about intimidating. How exactly their paths crossed is still somewhat of a question mark to Kira. There was a walk home from a party, and then there was a Gia. In the time she’s had to think about that first meeting, Kira’s decided that the encounter wasn’t so random. Maybe Gia was looking out for her that night. Maybe they can be friends…

▶ BRAEDEN ALDAINE: With her dad as a history professor, and Braeden’s close relationship with NOU’s Head Master, they’ve met on a few occasions. Mostly in passing after that first introduction. Under the impression that Braeden isn’t the kind of person to be pinned down to any one place, Kira’s not sure how long she’ll be in town. But, while she is, maybe there’s a thing or two she can learn from the older girl.

Oh How She Whispers In The Night

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