Wow.
Kyuu was so impressed.
She was stuck in a bamboo room (more like a box with a sliding door) lighting candles. She had been forced to apologise to Migotono, and he had laughed it off. Now he had put her in a room with 50 candles and to tell him when she could light them all. At once.
Kyuu also learned she could barely produce the weakest flame, a red flame. She could sort of flatten it like a fan, and managed to light four candles at once with it. The other 46 candles stared back at her.
Kyuu just had to keep stretching and fiddling with the stupid little flame until it got a bit stronger. Even when she imagined turning the fire blues, purples, all surrounding oranges, yellows, even white-hot flames, the little red flame didn't really do anything but flicker and threaten to puff away.
She gave up for a moment, throwing the flame away and lying haphazardly on her back. Zururi's voice describing the attack right after he'd pulled her away from the shrine back with the humans awoke in her mind.
You didn't seem…kitsune, or human. You had the aura of a god, and your eyes kept flashing between grey and gold. Your flames had somehow concentrated in your palm. And they were bright lights, and I had to turn away. You had this look on your face, like someone who knew they had already transcended any barrier someone could put up. Like you had met death himself.
It sure would be handy if Kyuu could go god-mode again, but tone it down a little so maybe she didn't suck at this. Anything that would get her on track to beat the crap out of Hokiri.
"Kyuu! I have my grandson, and one of my best students here to help you-"
"Hokori?!"
"Kyuu?!"
Migotono stared as Hikori and Kyuu immediately began bickering and arguing. Without saying anything, he slowly stepped backwards, sliding the door closed as a few other students poked their heads out various rooms, trying to figure out who the yelling was from.
Migotono shook his head as he slowly walked away, elderly body strong on the outside, but appearing one of a frail man.
"Let them do that…"
****
"Goddammit!"
Kyuu continued to vent out her anger in punches, tiny bursts of flame around her bandaged fists as she pummeled the training shield Hikori used to protect himself. Hikori winced everytime one of Kyuu's punches slammed into the shield, so hard he still felt the force.
She couldn't do magic, but goddammit she sure could punch. He kept getting slowly pushed back against the wall, and they had to move multiple times so that Kyuu wouldn't just shove him through the wall.
He threw it away and dodged the next attack, catching her fist to stop her on the next.
"Your fire isn't growing enough! Show me your strongest flame!"
Hokori dodged another right-arm hook, and Kyuu exhaled, showing him a flame in her hand. It had grown a bit bigger, now not in danger to be snuffed out by just a little breath. But still pretty pathetic.
"You have to train your magic-"
"I don't care about the magic! Who gives a hell about magic when I have a sword or two!?"
Hokori sighed, "Kyuu, you have to pull yourself together! Who cares about a sword, a WaterKeeper or even an AirKeeper could rip it out of your hands, what will you do then? There are so few FireKeepers here, and Migotono needs to retire soon. Get your crap together, or you'll end up dead!"
Hokori pursed his lips as he waited for Kyuu's reaction. Her gold eyes shimmered grey for just a moment, and her expression flickered.
"Hokiri. I am dead," she snarled in his face, "I am dead to everyone who ever loved me and whoever I loved. Now tell me why I should protect your dumpster fire of a society. What do I owe you?"
Hokori was speechless in his shock. He was only maybe 5 cm taller than her, but he felt much, much smaller as her gold eyes, still occasionally flickering grey, bore through his skull.
Hokori fell silent and bit his tongue as his fists clenched, not turning around as Kyuu started walking past him. His dull blonde hair shook as he whipped around, throwing a punch of fire right behind Kyuu's head.
"Wha-!?"
Kyuu slid to the ground, sweeping Hokori's leg in pure instinct as she dodged the blow, eyes widening as the fire burnt a hole through the wall. She leapt up in anger, standing over Hokori.
"What was that?!"
Hokori glared right back, "You dodged the attack. Which means you aren't dead, and you don't want to die. I don't have a reason to tell you, but the fact you dodged the attack means that something deep inside you is keeping you alive. Figure out what it is."
The gold returned back to Kyuu's eyes and a tiny smile spread across her face.
"You sound like an old man, you know that?"
Hokori flushed, standing back up in a moment, "Hey! Watch your mouth, Nitsunne!"
Kyuu lit a flame around her fist, holding it up to Hokiri, finally a flame that burned slightly orange and didn't die for once.
"I found a reason to fight. To beat your ass."
An argument began brewing again.
"As if! I worked like 20 years to get to this level! Try me!"
"Well I will. And I bet it won't take me even one year!"
"Someones getting ahead of themselves!"
"Someone has hair the colour of dirty sand, and in a hairstyle where they clearly have never seen a comb before!"
Hokiri protective pat his head, recoiling at the comment, "I have very nice hair. I condition it and everything."
Kyuu burst out laughing, "I don't even condition my hair! I just take that soap they put there and lather it a 'lil. Who cares for their bad-hairstyle hair that much?"
Hokiri lit his fist alight too, "Alrighty, that's enough! My hair is my pride!"
Needless to say, not very much was accomplished the rest of the day.
****
Kyuu yawned as she used a towel and dried her wet hair. She couldn't lie, the nice warm sauna and bath the kitsune had was far better than anything the humans could do. What's more, there was some sort of charm or device(Kyuu didn't really notice this kind of stuff) that connected her FireKeeping, so she could almost perfectly control the heat of the water.
Towel around her waist and sat atop her head, she sat down on a wooden bench in the sauna, basking in the steam and heat. Her kitsune ears were flopped down the side of her head, and her eyes closed in the midst of the bliss.
"Hi Kyuu~"
Kyuu opened her eyes as Hyemi, followed by another female kitsune entered the sauna. They both had their towels covering their chests, and Kyuu had a brief tinge of jealousy, but only for a moment. She liked her masculinity, it helped her in fights.
Hyemi sat right next to Kyuu, and the other kitsune, still silent, sat beside Hyemi. Kyuu waved a greeting and smiled.
"Who's your friend?"
Hyemi turned to the other kitsune. She had dark maroon hair, the same length as Kyuu's, though both of the kitsune's hair was mostly slicked down their shoulders and back. She had dull green eyes and a small scar across the bridge of her nose.
"Greetings. I'm Natare, I'm an AirKeeper."
Kyuu smiled warmly, "Nah-tah-rei. That's a fun name!"
Hyemi grinned, "She's been my friend since we were still children! Kyuu, have you ever noticed how carved up your body was?"
They all looked to Kyuu's chest, and Hyemi was right.
Her chest, baring some boastful muscles, was all scarred up. There were countless slashes, and a more noticeable one right in the middle of her chest. It tore from her left collarbone, and went down to mid-way of the ribs on her right side.
Kyuu looked down at her arms and found the same things. Many scars and burn-marks and scratches surrounded her strong biceps and muscles once more. It didn't really bother her that much though. She usually had an undershirt on so most people didn't see. She had gotten used to wearing long-sleeved haoris, even in hot weather as well.
Her arms had been torn to shreds, well the skin had been. It seemed almost like a child had used a pencil or something, and had his fun turning Kyuu's skin into a scribbly mess of scars.
Kyuu shrugged, "I guess that fight carved me up pretty bad. It's not that bad, right? Most of this is from the fight when Zururi was dragging me here. I think I lost control of my own power so this is probably mostly because of my own flames. And well, it wasn't all fun and games back in the Corps."
Hyemi's blue eyes shone, "I think they're super cool! And don't worry, your arms are the only ones that have more than usual. It's only really a light dusting of scars other than that one big one on your chest."
Kyuu slumped again, letting silence and steam wash over them.
"Man. You guys are so lucky to have three tails. I'm surprised I even have two. I can barely keep a flame alight on my fist, much less fight or do anything else. I do much better with physical than magic. It's going to take ages to set a sword alight like Hokiri."
Kyuu glared in disdain as she flicked her finger alight, watching the little flame flicker until she brushed it away.
Hyemi playfully elbowed her, "I have faith in you Kyuu! Don't worry, I can tell you'll figure it out soon! And when you do, we can spar together, with Natare as well!"
Hyemi had a strong grin, and pat Kyuu's shoulder reassuringly. Kyuu smiled back. She did envy her to some level. She was feminine, with strong hips, light pink lips, a beauty mark to the right of her mouth, and slightly downwards.
"Um, Kyuu-san, is it true you were raised by humans?"
Natare finally spoke, her voice steady but quiet.
Kyuu sighed a little, "Yeah it is true. I was a member of the Hunter's Corps. We lived to help the random people and villages where the humans lived, killing whatever yokai and any tasks they needed help with. I guess not even a month ago I was doing such things."
Natare turned back to staring at the opposite wall, her dark green eyes now deeper in thought. She had her hand on her chin as she thought.
"Do humans know kitsune exist?"
Kyuu was a bit surprised but smiled as she reminisced about her time as a 'human'.
"Not really. To them, kitsune were Yokai, but mostly just myth because you never saw them. I knew I was a kitsune the whole time though, but I didn't know anything about it, I guess. I really liked my friends back there. Too bad they think I'm dead. I didn't even have my 26th birthday with them…"
"When was your birthday?!"
Hyemi almost jumped up in surprise, scaring Kyuu so that all their tails had gone straight up for a moment. Hyemi grabbed Kyuu's shoulders, shaking them, "You didn't tell me!"
"First of all, get the towel back onto you."
Kyuu pointed out the fact that the towel covering Hyemi had almost slipped off, and Hyemi shrugged, securing it once more.
"I turned 26 on the tenth."
Hyemi grabbed Natare's arm, "Natare, we need to make Kyuu a present!"
"No-you really don't have to-"
Hyemi turned back to Kyuu, "I insist! I have to go now, see you Kyuu!"
Hyemi leapt up, holding Natare's hand as she dragged the two of them out the sauna, leaving Kyuu alone again in the sauna.
She stared for a moment in this direction they had just left and shrugged, getting up herself. Kyuu knew she had probably wasted too much time there. She stretched, straightening her tails and her muscles in a well-deserved rest.
She slid open the door, drying herself off and putting on a men's kimono. The cloth was a black, along with a light blue shirt on the inside. She fastened toeless boots and made sure her undershirt covered her scars before leaving, heading back to the dorm-like rooms most kitsune that had dojos lived in. She lived right next to Hyemi, and unfortunately, Hokiri.
"Excuse me! Are you Kyuu by any chance?"
Kyuu turned around as a woman's voice called out to her.
"Yes, that'll be me."
Kyuu's eyes widened as she realised this was the kitsune nurse she had walked in on when she was trying to figure out the date. She looked a bit embarrassed, and was wearing a white yukata with a light blue haori. She also had short brown hair in choppy bangs.
"Can you spare a few moments…?"
****
"This is Aki-chan. He's sick, but wanted to see you again. I guess the rumours don't even spare the patients…"
Kyuu looked down at Aki. He was a small kitsune child, about 106 cm. He had thick dark red hair and dark brown eyes, huge eyes in fact that just stared Kyuu down. He wore a very cute dark blue yukata, and had a lolly with him.
"Whatsya name?"
"I'm Kyuu. Nice to meet you Aki."
Aki stared up at her, somehow intimidating her as he slowly licked his lolly. His big brown eyes bore holes in Kyuu's head as they sat down on a bench, observing the stone walkways and small pools of water, along with the bonsai-like trees that dotted the courtyard.
"Why do you suck at your magic?"
Kyuu tried not to glare down at the child as it felt like an arrow piercing her gut. Sweat beaded at the sides of her head as she stared down at the child.
"What…do you mean..?"
"I asked Hokiri-san and he said you sucked, especially since you're a Nitsunne, and also 26. So why does your magic suck?"
Not showing Aki, Kyuu lit her fist alight behind her back. She would get Hokiri back for this one. How dare he talk about her behind her back like this?!
"First of all, I don't suck. Secondly, I have a seal on me making it nearly impossible to use my magic to its fullest extent. So it's not my fault I'm as bad as I am. I really am training, and when I'm done, Hokiri will look like a kit next to me!"
Aki looked down again, swinging his short legs with his little wooden geta and thick white socks. He fiddled with his own fingers and sat in silence for a short moment while he licked the lolly absentmididly.
"I'm sick. That's why my magic sucks. I'm a FireKeeper."
He opened the palm of his left hand, trying to produce flame. Kyuu watched with a tinge of pity as a single spark fell out, and then nothing else happened. He kept the lolly in his mouth and pulled back the sleeve of the yukata, revealing a bruise-like scarring from some sort of disease across his arm, in thick splotches.
"I'm sick. I don't know what, but I'm sick. That's why I can't use my magic. So auntie Chiyi has to take care of me. She's the person you always see me with. She's not my actual auntie though. I don't have a mum or a dad, but I call her my auntie anyways."
Kyuu's soul withered a bit as she listened to Aki's story. It was sad. He was five years old, but the five years were full of disease and abandonment. However, he said it all in such a matter-of-fact way, just licking his lolly as he retold the few pages of the story of his life.
He then held his hand out to her.
"Wanna be friends?"
Kyuu was surprised at the gesture. But she took her hand, placing her hand, at least two times bigger, in his.
"Sure."
Kyuu jumped back as a frog emerged from the sleeve of his yukata, a sticky pale green skin of a frog stuck onto Kyuu's hand, and a cute frog face emerged.
"Hey-what?!"
Kyuu whipped her hand back, and Aki smiled as he held the little frog in the palm of his hand.
"You passed. Gi also wants to be your friend."
****
The following month went by fast. Kyuu was either training with Hokiri, arguing with Hokiri, complaining to Zururi, seething in her dorm room, or playing with Aki. Aki was a very demanding five-year-old, and Kyuu turned into his supervisor somehow.
He dragged her around everywhere, even when she had just done 6 hours of training with Hokiri and was very burnt out. Over the course of the whole month, he had dragged her for caramel apples, fishing, birdwatching, senzados petting, and playing in the woods, and spying on the Ichitsunne of the Fire Dojo.
Aki really liked spying on the apprentices of the Fire Dojo actually. Dressed in his yukata, he'd peek through the door or the windows at the few young FireKeepers who wanted to join. There weren't many, about 5 total. However, Aki even insisted Kyuu train him as well.
But Kyuu couldn't blame him. She always felt bad as she watched Aki in envy. Even try to produce flame, where nothing but maybe a spark would greet him once more. Kyuu herself was making progress. Not much, but progress nonetheless. She could now hold the slightly orange flame around her fists, but in a fight the fire didn't really burn, it ended up turning into some party trick for lighting matches and singing hair.
"Kyuu-chan. Help me do some charcoal grilling."
Kyuu snapped out of her thoughts as the child beckoned her to help him. She sighed, getting up from the bench. She had just let her hair down after training with Hokiri. Her fire-red hair went down her shoulders, and her kitsune ears flicked out of instinct as she got up.
She was wearing a deep red haori over a black undershirt with black burcas leather pants on, wearing some toeless black shinobi boots. Kitsune tails, just being extensions of one's spines, could disappear and reappear to the kitsune's will. This allowed them to easily wear the same pants as anyone else. They all really just had a hole seamlessly incorporated into the design, and there was always just one slit no matter how many tails you had, the slits could fit very many tails.
Kyuu calmly ushered Aki away as she heated up the shichirin, the grill they were using. She put her fist inside the grill, setting her coals alight with her own fist. She looked up as she shook off the coal dust, watching as the night began breathing its first breaths across the sky.
"Kyuu-chan~!"
Kyuu turned around as Hyemi, Natare, Zururi and Hokiri all walked towards her. They all wore something relatively casual. Hyemi had on black tights with leather round-head flat shoes. It was topped off with a turtle-neck cropped beige sweatshirt.
Zururi had dull yellow short-cut hakama with sandals on. His fluffy grey hair and spiky window bangs, plus just some random tufts of hair that stuck out shone a bit in the moonlight. He also had a grey shirt on top, a funny cat design crudely painted onto it.
Hokiri had dark red shorts with a medium grey muscle shirt on, crudely outlining his abs and the scars that littered his arms every now and then. He carried a paper bag with something Kyuu couldn't tell inside. He had sandals, similar to Zururi.
And finally, Natare. She had knee-length pale blue socks, and black ankle boots. She had a light maroon skirt on, almost matching her hair, and a cute pale-blue shirt. Her maroon hair was in a braid down her back, with her middle bangs and side-bangs curving around her face.
Kyuu began putting her hair up and smiled warmly as she greeted them all. Even Hokiri. Actually, after having to train together for the past 20 days, the two had learned that in a fight, no one gives a damn about differences, and they should just make a truce than argue for most of the sessions.
"Hello Zuri, Hoki, Nata, and Yemi."
Aki gave them a tiny wave hello in his little yukata, crouched before the slightly smouldering charcoal. There were three wooden log benches around the grill, and they took their seats. Hyemi next to Natare on one, Hokiri and Kyuu on one, and Zururi with Aki on the last.
Hokiri nodded his greetings to Kyuu and opened up the paper bag. Putting a small wooden stool on the ground, he put skewers of burcas meat, squid, octopus, fish, and other meats all onto the little stool-table.
He grinned proudly at the display, "Here we go people. Dinner under the stars while Zururi babysits the kid."
Hyemi and Kyuu laughed, Natare choosing to try and stifle her laughter as Zururi, who was showing off a few LightKeeping spells, looked over and glared.
Kyuu's tails whipped side-to-side in anticipation as she eyed the rows and rows of good meat. Sparks flew in her hand as she prepared for the mini-feast that awaited her once they began grilling.
Hyemi nodded, pulling something out from behind her, "Kyuu, I got you a gift! Take a look!"
Kyuu was surprised as Hyemi passed her a tiny box. She cracked it open and her eyes widened to two earrings. Dangling ones, so there would be a gold rod attached to her ear about 3 cm long.
Kyuu smiled, hiding the tiny box in the pocket of her haori, "Thanks Hyemi, but you really didn't need to. Anyways, shall we get started? Hopefully no one from the rooms goes downstairs to join us considering we're behind the building."
Hokiri shrugged, "Don't really care. For later, I also have a few drinks. Come on, let's get this started!"
****
Kyuu gnawed greedily at the grilled dango as they laughed merrily. Hyemi exchanged stories when she, Natare, and Zururi were all children, Hokiri adding on with stories of his younger sister as well.
Kyuu returned by explaining all kinds of wild human beliefs and everything humans did differently. It was a bit strange as she laughed, her best friends for two decades were just a bit away, doing those 'silly' human things in their 'silly' human minds.
She continued to chow down onto skewers, this time with chewy squid onto it. Even Natare seemed to enjoy herself, her eyes shimmering as the fire reflected off the green diamond-like eyes. She flicked her finger, using her AirKeeping to fan the flames of the grill and occasionally flip the skewers.
Hokiri dug around in the bag once more, revealing a few medium-sized gourds of sake, along with a few small cups. He brought one out for himself, and nodded when Hyemi and Natare declined, not bothering to ask Zururi or Aki.
He offered one to her and Kyuu smiled, waving it off, "Thanks, but I don't drink."
A sudden sly and smug look crept onto his face as he filled the tiny cup with sake for himself, "What a shame. Seems like Nitsunne here can't hold her drink. To be expected from one with two tails."
Kyuu grabbed the cup so hard it almost broke, smiling but glaring straight into his soul. "Actually, I changed my mind. Mind pouring me some?"
Hyemi and Natare would briefly look up from their hanafuda game to Kyuu and Hokiri bristling and glaring at each other while trying to calmly drink the sake. And Zururi, with the immaturity of Aki, was goofing around and tussling, doing random LightKeeping tricks that entertained the two small-minded kitsune.
One gourd. Two gourds.
By the third gourd, both Hokiri and Kyuu had blush warming their faces. Kyuu felt a bit sick, but she wasn't going to step down and make a fool of herself in front of Hokiri.
Their heads, tails, and ears drooped and as they both slumped down and looked down at the next cup of sake, they made a tiny bit of eye contact.
"Draw?" Kyuu whispered, hoping she didn't throw up or something.
"Draw," Hokiri agreed, and they stuffed the gourds right back into the bag. "So, who won?" Hyemi's ear twitched as she smiled. She laughed as neither of them answered, now slouching down from the alcohol, too bothered to announce the draw. Kyuu was too tired to even grab one of the last skewers from the grill.
****
"No … can I at least have the leftovers …?"
Kyuu sat on the ground, leaning against the wooden log bench as she reached towards Hyemi as she put out the grill packing up in place of the two FireKeepers. Natare was also there, packing up the previous hanafuda game.
"Sure!"
Hyemi shuffled in the bag, pulling out a bento box where she put a few of the skewers in. She also put a tiny bit of dango inside, placing it next to Kyuu.
"Thank you…" Kyuu said as she breathed out, slumped over the log.
Zururi walked over, holding the soundly sleeping Aki in his arms. He nodded to Kyuu and Hyemi, "I'm going to go bring this guy back to his auntie. Goodnight, see you guys!"
Kyuu raised her hand to wave but sighed as she was too tired to actually wave. In fact Kyuu was very intent on falling asleep right then and there. She wasn't going to get up to walk to her room anyways.
"Natate you mind helping me drag these guys back to the dorm? We can't leave them here."
"Haha, sure!"
A hand of wind suddenly grabbed the back of Kyuu's haori and Hokiri's muscle shirt, the air constricting behind her neck and dragging her and her bento box along as Hokiri and Kyuu barely protested.
Hyemi and Natare chatted about something Kyuu didn't bother to listen to as she side-eyed Hokiri.
"Next time I am so beating you."
"You wish. No training for us tomorrow, because we'll probably barely wake up breathing."
"Sure." Kyuu shrugged stiffly.
"See you guys tomorrow!"
Hyemi and Natare dropped Kyuu and Hokiri in front of their dorms, right next to each other.
They both dragged themselves up and glared one more time before going into their dorms and immediately collapsing onto their futons.