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An had never had a particular penchant for dolls. She had kept the doll not because she wanted it but more-so because it reminded her of herself—pitiful, lost, and pathetic.

The life of a kitsune was a solitary one, An had discovered from a young age. Her furry ears and fluffy tail made her an abomination, her pointed fangs and sharp claws made her untrustworthy. The villagers had said there was no place in the village for a sly, deceitful creature like her and had cast her out of the only home she had ever known.

From then on, the woods had become her home. She could slip soundlessly through the foliage by day and spend her nights in a cave. If she wasn’t hunting rabbits and fowl or feasting on berries she could easily sneak into the village and steal a loaf of bread or perhaps a pastry from the baker without being noticed. The villagers feared what lurked in the woods so she was left alone and unbothered.

An stumbled upon the doll one day abandoned upon a patch of flowers in a small clearing, mud staining her hand-sewn outfit and caking her dainty porcelain skin. With a curious tilt to her head, she knelt down upon the dirt and lifted the doll up into her arms. Nobody ever entered the woods… where had this darling little thing come from? An peered around the clearing, called out in the hopes of finding the doll’s owner, and when no reply came and the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon she adjusted her hold to cradle the doll against her chest and slinked through the woods to return to her cave.

Gently An sat the doll down on the cave floor, resting comfortably before the campfire she’d built. She swiped the dirt off of the doll’s smooth cheeks, combed her fingers through the soft blonde pigtails. From head to toe, the doll exuded an elegance that An could only dream of ever mirroring. “Who would be cruel enough to leave someone as adorable as you all alone in the woods?” She asked, her voice bouncing back and forth between the cave walls. “It’ll be okay! You have me now, so neither of us will be lonely any longer.” She tapped the doll on the tip of her dainty little nose and smoothed out the frills of her skirt before laying down beside her and drifting off to sleep, dancing through her dreamscape hand-in-hand with a beautiful pigtailed girl…

♡♡♡

An awoke to the usual chorus of birds just beyond the mouth of her cave. She stretched out from the points of her ears to the tip of her tail, breathing out a long and refreshed yawn. The campfire had long since fizzled into a pile of charcoal and ash, its warmth and light now replaced by that of the sun streaming into the cave. It was so soothing An very nearly drifted back into slumber, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks…

She was jolted back to attention by a sudden realization washing over her, her senses picking up on the presence of another, the sound of someone else breathing beside her—she wasn’t alone. Her fur standing on end and her eyelids flying open, she shot up to a sitting position, her gaze dashing left and right, surveying the cave until it fell upon the lovely pigtailed girl sleeping sweetly and soundly upon the cave floor nearby.

An jumped to her feet, one hand over her mouth to stifle the startled sounds that threatened to escape it. Surely it couldn’t be true, surely she must still be dreaming. She knew precisely what she saw and yet she could hardly wrap her head around it—where once had been a delicate porcelain doll now lay a whole living, breathing girl.

The sudden movement must’ve jostled the girl awake because she began to stir, one hand coming up to drowsily rub at her eyes. A sweet little groan slipped past her lips, soft as a melody as she sat up and blinked her eyes open. For a moment her gaze simply wandered along the floor, drinking in her surroundings, until finally she let out a frightened gasp. She stared down at her hands, her fingers trembling as she turned them over and over. She jumped up to her feet but her knees wobbled weakly beneath her and she fell back upon her frilly skirt.

An’s previous bewilderment quickly dissolved, concern settling in to take its place. She rushed to the girl’s side, taking her hands in her own to steady her. “Hey, are you alright? Deep breaths, it’s okay!”

The girl peered up at her with glistening brown eyes, her quivering fingers tightening around An’s. Brushing a thumb across the girl’s knuckles, An marveled at the sensation of her skin—soft and real and alive yet smooth as china and cold to the touch.

The girl took a moment to compose herself, her bottom lip trembling when she finally spoke. “I’m so sorry,” she stuttered, “I can’t seem to recall how I got here… I don’t remember… oh…”

The events of the previous night returned to the forefront of An’s mind. A sudden wave of embarrassment and perplexity washing over her, An sat back a few paces away from the girl, slipping her hands from the girl’s grasp and running them through her short locks of blue hair. “Oh, well, I found you out in the woods, but back then you were… um… anyway, I couldn’t figure out where you came from so I brought you back here.”

The glimmering fear in the girl’s eyes was slowly beginning to subside, a sparkling curiosity igniting instead. “Oh… oh, how kind of you!”

There was something in that voice that enraptured An, something in those eyes that drew her in like a moth to a flame, but the imperious voices of the villagers rang in her mind and she set aside the affection that rose within her. “Oh, no worries, it’s no problem, but surely you should be getting back home soon.”

The girl tilted her head, confusion gracing her features. “Oh, have I overstayed my welcome…?”

An gave a wry chuckle. “Well, if you haven’t noticed…” She raised a hand, pulling her lips aside with one finger to reveal the sharp fangs that hid behind. “I’m not exactly good company.”

The girl furrowed her brows. “Hm? I wouldn’t say that.”

An’s hand dropped from her mouth, her ears and tail perking up in surprise. “So you’re not… scared or anything…?”

“Why would I be?”

The words came as a surprise to An, who had only ever known a world where she was a monster, a world that was better off if she was left alone, and despite herself she could feel the walls of her heart beginning to crumble.

The girl’s soft brown eyes glimmered, sending An’s heart aflutter. “I was lost and alone in the woods and you were kind enough to take care of me. I’m endlessly grateful for your hospitality.” For a moment, her blush-painted cheeks grew just a little rosier. “My head’s rather foggy actually, so if you don’t mind… perhaps I could stay with you a little longer…?”

An clutched her chest, her heart threatening to burst right out of her ribcage. She was utterly powerless against the softness in this girl’s eyes and the sweetness in her smile. Never before had such a kindhearted assessment of her been made and she wanted nothing more than to believe her words to be true.

And so, she melted under the warmth of those brown eyes. “Yes,” she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, “it would make me so happy if you would stay with me.”

The girl beamed, her cheeks glowing a bashful shade of pink. She timidly fidgeted with the ribbons in her pigtails as she voiced her next question. “Oh, um, may I know your name…?”

“Oh! Of course, it’s An!” An smiled, baring her fangs with a newfound pride. “I guess I should’ve said it long ago but it’s nice to meet you! And what should I call you then?”

“Oh… I’m not really sure.” The girl stretched her lacy-stockinged legs out before her, tapping the shiny toes of her elegant shoes together. She spread out her skirt, smoothing out its frills, and in doing so noticed something embroidered along its hem. With a curious tilt of her head, she bundled the hem of her skirt in her hands, bringing it to her eye level. “Oh… how about Kohane!”

Curious, An scooched closer to the girl, peering over at the fabric in her hands. Sure enough, embroidered there in simple cursive lettering was the very name she had spoken. Kohane.

“Kohane… I like it!” An nodded, her ears perking and her tail swishing cheerfully.

Kohane giggled, the sound sending fireworks launching in An’s heart and butterflies aloft in her stomach. She peered at An through intricately handcrafted eyelashes, a timid smile dancing across her lips. “An-chan, I’m very happy you were the one who found me,” she said, her crystal-smooth cheeks tickled pink. “I can’t explain it but… I’ve never felt more alive than I do now.”