小狐丸

Still, he wasn’t quite used to navigating it, and ended up lost–ultimately stopping before a shrine.  It felt more familiar to him than the other buildings, the aesthetic almost nostalgic to him, and he soon found himself seated as he hummed quietly to himself.

When the voice spoke up about his scarf, Clear promptly yelped in surprise, practically jumping a mile into the air before bowing.

【☂】 “Ah–!  S-sorry, sorry!  I didn’t mean to intrude!”

However, the other didn’t seem angry, at least, which was good.  After a brief moment, he addressed the man’s questions.

“Aaahh..?”

The tachi shook his head and motioned for the other to take a seat again. “Come now. You can sit for as long as you like.” It was about time he took a break anyway. Before this, he’d been tidying the area around the shrine. Sweeping away any debris came first.. And it was doing so that lead him to find the strange person at the shrine’s entrance. 

“Why stay for only a few minutes? Would you mind humoring an old fox with your company for awhile?”

And so, it seemed, he was welcomed among the brood of foxes. Perhaps they were guided forward by the little fox’s insistence of trust – or perhaps, in their own way, they understood the gift he had been given. In no time at all, half a dozen foxes were crowded by their feet, and the Saniwa took his place on the floor to greet each and every one.

Time revealed what they were after. Six pairs of fox eyes bored into him, and in turn, bored into Kogitsunemaru as well. Issei pulled at a strand of his hair in thought, looked to the oldest of the foxes, then looked at the little fox tachi beside him. If he wanted new friends, the choice was obvious.

‘… this one.’

‘Can you name her? I think she’d like that.’

The swish of the mother fox’s tail promised that she would. Or perhaps it did not.

“Ah--? Me..?” 

Kogitsunemaru knelt next to the agile mother, stroking her fur. “I wonder if she’d be alright with it...” For a sword to name something. He was unsure and the fox? She seemed a little discontent as well but she warmed up to the two of them. 

“The nurturing fox... Ah? Or..” 

He ought to be surprised, but it’d be a lie to say he is. Love, hate, anger, sorrow–do they really need to be human to experience these things?

“Is that so? I’d like to hear all about it, if you’re willing to share,” Mikazuki replies, still with fingers that roam and touch, curious, as ever, to see Kokaji’s work brought to life with divine intervention and blessing. Kogitsunemaru is not the most beautiful, but he is lovely in his own way; he is not the most powerful, but he is formidable, also in a way none other is.

(And it makes Mikazuki wonder, as he has always been wont to do, why this collaboration between man and god has spawned a beast. Poetically, it is a tragedy; in reality, it is… a mark. A symbol, perhaps.

He always questions, without fail, if there is something carved on the whites of Kogitsunemaru’s bones, something of Inari’s that Issei has allowed through.)

Or was that an excuse? 

Yes. It might just be an excuse. He was more than willing to give some of his time to this one, after all. As much as he wanted. With every curious touch and look, Kogitsunemaru was more sure of it. “We have all the time in the world, don’t we? I’ll tell you everything I know of this place.” Perhaps it was selfish of him but he wanted to be in this one’s presence as much as he could be... To make up for lost time. 

“Aaahh...” The Gods were different, weren’t they? His reaction seemed to portray that thought. He turned his head away, scrunching his nose as if to disagree-- This was just for a moment, however. He’d peeked back at Mikazuki with a huff. “... I suppose you’re right. I’ve felt hurt... Lonely. But also happy and relieved. And, as we’ve all felt now...” 

The beast took the other’s arm in his grip suddenly, raising it just enough to sink his teeth into the flesh. Well.. Not enough to break skin, of course. It would be shameful of him to leave some mark on this being. When he released Mikazuki, he smiled. 

“Pain.. That too, right?” 

Would you tell me, if I asked? Would you bare your secrets, speak what none other can hear, let me see that which is so elusive there are some who call you myth and legend?

(Ah, of course not. After all, you are just a little fox.

Is that not so? Kogitsunemaru.)

“When you extend such a gracious offer, how could I refuse?” 

And indeed, he does not. Mikazuki draws back, but not away–and when he does, it is only so that he can one more get a clearer look on his companion’s fair visage. His fingers drift away from Kogitsunemaru’s fur and to his face, tracing the sharp angles of his jaw before resting on his cheeks. They stroke his cheekbones, ghost along his eyes, skim just barely to where pretty lashes extend as Mikazuki remembers: regardless of where you are, you will always wait for me.

It’s a sweet sentiment, and he wonders if it should mean more or less than it currently does.

“Let us see what this world has to offer us, then. All things both enjoyable and mundane, exciting and terrifying… ah, I can only hope you haven’t experienced too many of these things without me.”

A beast with no master. No one to belong to. Wild until the day his blade dulled.. He was to be out of reach just as the moon was-- Yet, he seemed to yearn for something. Kogitsunemaru was a wild fox who longed to be tamed completely. He reached for the hands that could not touch him and for what he could not have.

“You won’t refuse me? Then I’m glad...” His body had relaxed but the moment Mikazuki shifted, he dug his nails into the other.. Kogitsunemaru grasped the other as though he didn’t wish for him to pull away completely. Of course, he eased up and relaxed once more. He leaned into the other’s touch and with that alone he seemed content. Truly, he was.. He allowed it, of course. Every touch and glance. While it was frustrating not to know what the other was thinking like this, he was still happy. “I haven’t.. Not really. I thought once that I experienced something like love but.. That’s only for humans, isn’t it?” 

Certain emotions were strange. But he couldn’t care about something like that now. He hadn’t thought about it in a long time, actually. “There is plenty more to experience and things I would like to share with you as well.” Mikazuki’s actions were mirrored.. The hands that held the other were brought to the other’s cheeks. 

“It almost doesn’t seem real that you’re here... I am truly happy that you are.” 

Which was almost a startling thought to have. The Saniwa was slow to answer as he rolled it over in his mind – how many days and months it had been since he’d thought that way, when relaxation was not a necessity but simply more of a hobby. The idea sounded fun, and he blew out a surprised breath, confessing honestly. ‘I’d like that. Strange as it is.’

He’d only chosen a name for something once before.

But the fox, it seemed, was excited by the prospect. He closed the distance between sword and Saniwa again, squirming and darting around the space in between them. Issei followed him with his eyes – and when that grew too tiring, he leaned back on his hands, tilting his head in the fox’s general direction.

A name, then.

‘… Kogitsunemaru wouldn’t work, would it?’ he said, amused by the idea. This fox was smaller than Kogi would ever be, had ever been, and yet it seemed truly out of place. ‘Kitsune… Akagitsune? Sekiko?’ He passed the names out as if looking for evaluation, but the fox kept his circling, refusing to settle down in acceptance. ‘Ah… Yuuko?’

And then – he did stop.

“The brave fox.”

He was serious, it seemed. As silly as it must have been, Kogitsunemaru seemed to pout at the very suggestion. The tachi was glad that the Saniwa was having fun with this but he was tempted to shoo the little fox away... If only to try gain the other’s attention instead. Instead, he reached over and pet the fox swiftly before it had dashed away to greet Issei again. 

Yes. This was certainly fun..

The bigger fox watched the little one.. Listened to his master’s suggestions. He even tried to think of a few names on his own, murmuring a couple of them under his breath. His ear flicked at the last one and he met Issei’s gaze.

And how often did things go awry when it came to the Saniwa’s plans? Rarely. Yet – there was the slightest bit of hesitation before Issei held his hand out to the fox, eyes jumping between the kit and Kogi with increasing curiosity. As any animal might, the fox drew away at first, but was eventually overtaken by its own excitement: it all but leapt at the chance to sniff his hand some seconds later. It may have judged, but it – no, he – did not seem taken aback by what he found.

Just as carefully as before, Issei took the fox in his hands –

– and this time, he did leap from his grasp. The Saniwa drew back, the fox landed on his feet, and he immediately began twisting circles around the Saniwa’s ankles. It was frustrating, if only for the way the mother seemed to glare and how he nearly lost his balance. But given more time, the fox seemed to approve all over again, and settled near Issei’s leg in apparent satisfaction.

When Issei sat down to pat him on the head, there was no complaint at all.

‘… it’s hard,’ he admitted sheepishly, ‘When you can’t hear what they’re thinking.’ But it was, in its own way, exciting. Frustrating, but interesting. ‘Does this one,’–he indicated the kit with his hand, who rolled on his side lazily–’Have a name?… You don’t name them, do you?’

An amusing one.. Kogitsunemaru was ready to catch Issei if he did happen to fall. He held his arms out just in case too-- But thankfully it never happened. Instead, the two were able to sit together once more after the fox became content with Issei. Yes.. He took a seat once more. This time allowing himself to fully relax. “Hm..? Then use their body language, nushi-sama.. Watch them. You’ll understand them a little better.” From the way they walked.. The way they moved their tails. Even the way they looked at you. One could come to understand something they never thought they would. 

“Names? Ah.. I’ve never thought of naming them.” By now, he knew most of the foxes well... But naming each and every one of them? He hadn’t even considered it until now. They had some understanding tat didn’t seem to require names. “Something like a name. Do you believe it would make you feel closer with them?” 

Issei’s curiosity was now shared.. 

Kogitsunemaru pondered this a moment. “I have an idea, nushi-sama.. Why don’t you name this one?” The little fox seemed to know it was being spoken about and it’s ears perked up before it looked back at Issei again. 

“We can name him together if you’d like..” 

Even now, he doesn’t know if he ought to pity them or envy them for having something to miss at all.

“I would’ve thought it to be natural, especially given these human bodies,” he continues, and lets his fingers sift idly through the long locks of Kogitsunemaru’s fur. “Now that we’ve been granted the ability to move about as we please, I admit that even I found myself a little eager to try many things. Feeling the spring breeze, drinking a freshly brewed cup of tea, and even trying a hand at fieldwork… all enjoyable in their own way, but more so with pleasant company.”

And yet, experiencing these things by himself does not make him feel lonely, does it? Even alone, there are things he enjoys fully, that he sees with more clarity than when he is with others.

The other seemed as though he was out of Kogitsunemaru’s reach.. An untouchable thing. Even now while they were so close, he wondered.. Was this one ever truly in his grasp? The same could be wondered about himself.. Could just anyone lay their hands on a piece crafted through the aid of a God? It seemed as though it wasn’t so. Whether he was missing or a myth. 

The Kogitsunemaru was out of reach.. Perhaps that’s why he felt lonely. 

He was thankful for this human body. Grateful to their master. It was only because of this human body that he was able to feel as he did. Loneliness. Warmth... Even pain. Things and feelings he wished to share as well. And it seemed as though it wasn’t an unusual desire. “Oh?.. Then we should do more together now that you are here. ” Everything Mikazuki mentioned were experiences shared.. “Battles have been fought as well.. Alone or with each other. But here?” Hive City was different. There would still be battles ahead of them but it was still very different than what they both knew.

“There is a lot for us here.. Fun to be had. It should be enjoyable, right?”

Kogitsunemaru wouldn’t say it out loud-- He didn’t wish to be alone. “What do you think? There is a lot I could show you..” More than what could be done in a day. 

“So will you join me?” 

Kogitsunemaru’s name is one that falls easily off the tongue, like Ishikirimaru’s, Iwatooshi’s, and Imanotsurugi’s. It does not make them family or connect them in any way that Mikazuki can ever care for, but it makes them familiar. There are things in each of them that he recognizes as his own.

And yet, does it not feel so much more gratifying like this?

(Who are you, Honebami had asked, and Ichigo, too, had forgotten. But Kogitsunemaru remembers, he seeks, and once he finds, Mikazuki is granted this.

He is not the only one who waits.)

“Mmh, it has,” Mikazuki agrees, and accepts the small fox into his arms. This is the sort of greeting he’s come to like, and the sort of boldness he cannot help but be fond of. Admiration is not very much at all when it stops at sight. 

“Though, to know that you’ve waited for me for so long makes me happy. Of course I’ll stay.” But he does not specify for how long. “Have you been well, Kogitsunemaru? Were you lonely?”

Admittedly, he was glad when his actions weren’t discouraged. It was warm.. The embrace of another like this was still strange to him.. Foreign. But it was something he couldn’t help but appreciate. The warmth and comfort of an embrace was.. Good. Simple yet-- 

Uplifting.

In a way, it made this more real. This person before him was there.. His senses were overwhelmed by Mikazuki. Kogitsunemaru could hear him.. Feel him. He even recognized his scent. There was no promise to how long this would last or how long the other would be this close to him but that didn’t seem to matter. Kogitsunemaru was satisfied with the answer he had been given.

“Then I am happy as well. As long as you are here, I will keep you company...” It was the least he could offer. That, of course, could mean anything. A partner to spar with or someone to simply take care of Mikazuki.. He was sure at least one of those might be necessary. “Hm.. I wonder.”

Lonely...

But Kogitsunemaru had said it: be patient. And thus, he was.

And though it took a long moment of silence, those were the words that most paid off.

A red fox was the first to brave his challenge, coming forward on cautious feet. His approach was followed by several other foxes who stayed back from the fray, but formed a sort of barrier around the animal, as if they meant to protect him. It was a slow-burn development that had Issei fascinated, and each breath brought the fox the tiniest bit closer. Closer he came, and even closer, and he came so close he was able to lean forward and sniff Issei’s fingers –

Until the Saniwa gave a huff and his hand twitched, and the fox bolted back to the realm of safety.

‘… ah.’

‘They’re very… skittish,’ he murmured, as several of the foxes began to circle again. ‘… could you …

‘– could you bring one over? I’m… not very good at this.’

But this was their first time meeting Issei.

Perhaps he was having a little too much fun watching the scene unfold. When the bravest of the bunch bolted back, Kogitsunemaru chuckled. Ah.. It was quite fun to watch like this. “Hmm.. You’re admitting defeat now?” Nevertheless, he intended to do what was asked of him. Even if the task was small, he wouldn’t disobey an order so easily. Well, it may be a mere request but it was one he wouldn’t ignore. So he stood.. His ears flicked and his eyes wandered over the surrounding foxes..

“Ah..”

When it seemed that he had chosen one, Kogitsunemaru approached the foxes. Some bounced back hesitantly but the one in question came forward in an excited manner. “This one is young, nushi-sama.. Curious. And he has interacted with humans before.” Perhaps it was unsafe.. But the mother watched carefully not too far away. At least she seemed to trust Kogitsunemaru for he was able to carefully pick up her young without much fuss. 

 “Here we go...” With the fox carefully cradled in his arms, he made his way back over to Issei. He knelt before the other once more before shifting the excitable fox in his arms to hold out. “Let him know you.. Your scent first. And then take him from me carefully, nushi-sama.” 

❝I have nothing I can give, but this chance that you may live.❞

❝I pray we’ll meet again.❞

❝Be still, love, don’t cry.❞

❝I’ll be with you when you dream.❞

❝Second born, second place!❞

❝You’ve always looked up to me.❞

❝You don’t think we’ll get in trouble for this, do you?❞

❝One weak link can break the chain of a mighty dynasty.❞

❝All he cares about is your approval.❞

❝You are rather pathetic.❞

❝Why is it every time you start something, I’m the one who ends up in trouble?❞

❝You know what your problem is? You care too much.❞

❝Your problem is you don’t care at all.❞

❝I won’t be given to anyone.❞

❝You’re here! After so long – at last.❞

❝Now you go too far. You shall be punished.❞

❝You will regret this night.❞

❝Now I am home.❞

❝Now you know the truth. Now forget, and be content.❞

❝When (the) God(s) send you a blessing, you don’t ask why it was sent.❞

❝Everything I thought to be true is a lie.❞

❝I’m not who you think I am.❞

❝I can’t stay here any longer.❞

❝Sit with me!❞

❝It seems to me that you don’t know what’s worthy of honor.❞

❝To one lost sheep, a shepherd boy is greater than the richest king.❞

❝You’re just one man.❞

❝I’m coming with you.❞

❝What on earth are you dressed at?❞

❝Alright __, I know you. What’s this really about?❞

❝In my heart you are my __. But things cannot be as they were before.❞

❝God has never answered my prayers. Until now.❞

❝But there is one thing he/she/they can’t take from you. Your faith.❞

❝Once I thought the chance to make you laugh was all I ever wanted.❞

❝I wish God had chose another.❞

❝All this pain and devastation, how it tortures me inside.❞

❝All the innocent who suffer from your stubbornness and pride!❞

❝How could you have come to hate me so?❞

❝Is this what you wanted?❞ I will not be dictated to, I will not be threatened.

❝Let my heart be hardened.❞

❝You were always getting me into trouble.❞

❝You were always there to get me out of trouble again.❞

❝Who am I to lead these people?❞

❝ I will not be dictated to, I will not be threatened.❞

❝I did not see because I did not wish to see.❞

❝I am showing you all the respect you deserve: none.❞

❝ And there shall be a great cry in all of _, such as there never has been or ever will be again! ❞

❝__ you bring this upon yourself.❞

❝I hoped I would find you here.❞

❝Please talk to me. We could always talk here.❞

❝This place…so many memories.❞

❝Why can’t things be the way they were before?❞

❝I/we are not afraid, although I/we know there’s much to fear. ❞

❝We were moving mountains long before we knew we could.❞

❝There can be miracles when you believe.❞

❝Though hope is frail, it’s hard to kill.❞

❝Hope seemed like the summer birds: too swiftly flown away.❞

❝I’m standing here with heart so full, I can’t explain. ❞

❝Who knows what miracles you can achieve?❞

❝Kill them! Kill them all!❞

Sinbad runs a single finger along the fatal vein in Kogitsunemaru’s exposed neck, right up to his jaw, to the end of his chin. Their eyes meet, gold on burning gold. The wonder he sees must reflect the desire in his own. “As long as you’re willing,” he murmurs, “so am I.”

The space that follows provides ample opportunity for Kogitsunemaru to act or object before Sinbad takes one hand in his and flashes him a warm smile.

“Sinbad...”

Perhaps his mind was cloudy. Kogitsunemaru yearned for this man.. Even still, he seemed hesitant. His eyes were filled with curiosity but also.. Uncertainty. He trusted Sinbad. Really, he did.. “Mm.. I wonder.” If it was as nice as the kisses he’d already received... 

     He supposes that he shouldn’t question it lest the blade makes himself out to be less than a benevolent presence.

     “I don’t get you,” Jin responds flatly. Frigid words are commonplace when spoken by a man just as cold. “One of a kind is starting to sound like a ruse to me. The Hive has its ways of showing the you that you’re not all that different from someone else in another word.”

     “What is highly unusual– maybe even one of a kind– is your constant returning to me regardless of how often I cast you aside.”

“It is no ruse. Kogitsunemaru is considered a sword of myth. It’s believed to be a missing sword while others believe it to have never existed. Yet you stand before it.” His ear flicked in response to Jin’s mention of casting him aside. His gaze moved down and he thought carefully.. “Truthfully, I would be... Mm.. I would like to be by your side. Even if you cast me aside, I will appear before you just as I have tonight.” 

He couldn’t understand it himself. He had a master and that person was present in the city. As were his comrades.. But it was the man before him that caught his attention on more than one occasion. The more he was pushed away, the more stubborn he was to just be there. 

“... What do you think of me exactly? What am I?”