#orokyubi

He could hardly breathe. His heart was racing so fast he felt it in his throat. He couldn't even acknowledge his injuries, all he could focus on was the searing pain that shot across his face, and the sickening smell of charred fur and smoldering flesh.

In the moments before he lost consciousness, he could make out a golden blur out of the corner of his eye.

...

Kyubi helped his partner in the door, Venoct swatting him off of his body as he stumbled forward and leaned weakly against the wall. He took a couple nasty blows to his right arm and leg tonight, just one of thousands of injuries he's dealt with over the past 11 years he'd been doing these patrols. They always exploit his blind spot when his dragons are preoccupied with other targets.

"You know it's not going to heal on its own," Kyubi said plainly, reaching out to help Venoct stabilize himself only for one of the dragons to strike at him.

"Get away from me," Venoct wheezed, struggling to stay standing.

"Will you quit fighting me?" Kyubi snapped, "I'm trying to help you! I had to carry you home because you passed out on the way here!"

"Quit yelling, you'll wake up Lucas..."

"Oh, Enma help me... You're bleeding out and you're worried about Lucas? Let me at least look at--"

"Stay. Away," Venoct hissed, his scarf snapping angrily to keep the fox at bay.

"How many more times are you going to play this game with me?" Kyubi sighed, "You need to be treated, damn it. Stop this."

Venoct didn't even pretend to have a rebuttal, his scarf just kept biting and hissing, insisting that Kyubi stay back. He seemed... scared.

And then it clicked.

"It was the fire, wasn't it?"

"Only took you the entire flight home to figure it out..."

"You could have said something instead of leaving me clueless as to what's been bugging you this whole time. Can I please look at your wounds now?"

"I can still smell it on you..."

"Venoct. Either you let me treat those gashes now, or I am forcing you. I'm sorry, but bathing myself will take too long and you need to be tended to now. Please."

He hesitated, but he really had little choice left. He was in dire need of medical attention and, as much as his brain told him no, Kyubi was his only option here.

"Fine," he huffed, "but can you at least do something to minimize the stench? I'd prefer not vomiting tonight..."

"I have my ways," Kyubi assured him, "Let me help you into the bathroom so you can get undressed, I need to get the medkit."

He brought the snake back into his arms, lifting him up to carry him into the bathroom and set him down on the wall of the bathtub so he could get out of his ruined uniform. There's no way this gi was salvageable, those blood stains were impossible to clean.

"I'll be back in a moment," the kitsune said, exiting the room and closing the door behind him, leaving Venoct to strip himself down in peace.

Venoct waited a few seconds after the door shut before he got to work, needing the combined work of his good arm and both dragon heads to get every layer of fabric off his person. He felt utterly disgusting, between the sweat and grime from being laid out on the pavement like that, there was the blood still drying on his skin and coagulating his open wounds. Those dogs sure did a number on his arm, but his thigh was in way worse shape from the bites. This was about to be awful, but he would manage. He always did.

Once he was finally bare and ready for cleanup, he returned to sitting and rested against the wall in wait. He was so tired after tonight he could probably fall asleep just like this, but he knew his anxiety wouldn't allow it. He was still sick to his stomach and likely wouldn't be able to finally rest until he got his closure for the night.

Before he could go too deep into his thoughts, one of the scarf heads perks up and nudged him in the face, the other coiling his good arm to give it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you both," he told the dragons, "but you boys need to go somewhere. I don't need you obstructing anything."

They both seemed to get the memo and unwound from his body to rest in the far right corner on the bath wall. Venoct just scoffed watching them try to fit, but they eventually succeeded.

Kyubi wasn't gone much longer, knocking on the bathroom door seconds before entering with the medkit and a towel in tow. He was back in his human disguise, his only way to dissipate the residual smell of their last battle hours ago. He shut the door, locked it, then tossed the towel over the rack and set the medkit beside the bath to begin preparing the water for his injured companion. All without saying a word.

"I know you like it hot after a long day," the fox said after a long period of silence, Venoct only nodding in response.

Once the tub was full and properly warm, Kyubi extended an arm out to give Venoct an easier time stepping in, an offer the snake would take without hesitation. His depth perception was atrocious, so Kyubi ended up just using both hands to lift him into the water anyway.

"You didn't need to do that," Venoct grumbled.

"I would rather you not fall face first onto solid tile," Kyubi shot back, "Focus on relaxing for now."

The serpent was quiet as his partner lathered a sponge in his favorite body wash to carefully scrub him clean. Kyubi prioritized the less battered parts of his body first, trying to keep a close eye on him for any sudden changes in body language. He knew Venoct was difficult to read, and that was by design, but he's gotten the hang of reading him over the years they've known each other.

"Do you want to tell me what happened tonight?" Kyubi asked.

Venoct thought for a while before he answered, "I don't know. I suppose I... I heard a child scream in the distance and it broke my concentration, then everything spiraled out of control from there..."

"You were distracted again," Kyubi replied, "Is there something you aren't telling me, Venoct?"

"I'm tired, Kyubi," the snake groaned, "It's the exact same reasoning it has been for more than a decade now. I'm tired and it's been affecting my battle performance. It's nothing you don't already know."

"Somehow I don't believe that's entirely true," Kyubi pried further, Venoct turning to make direct eye contact to fully convey his agitation.

"You giving me that look tells me I'm right."

The serpent sank into the water again in defeat, sighing heavily. Kyubi had to lean him forward to wash his back, and was laid back against the wall again within a minute or so.

"These attacks are getting all too frequent," Venoct continued, "At first it was just one group every few days, but now it's escalated to multiple bands across town each night. I fear they're bound to resort to process of elimination any day now..."

"The abundance of White Yo-kai has you stressed out, that's what it is?" Kyubi asked, to which he got a slow nod.

"What is it specifically that has you so stressed?"

"I've... been having dreams," Venoct said quietly, "They've been keeping me awake. They each follow the same formula: I'll be performing my usual duties of keeping Lucas safe, then he--"

He paused the second he felt a dry heave hit, but he didn't feel the need to continue. The rest of his statement should speak for itself.

"I understand," Kyubi told him, "no need to force yourself. Breathe."

The snake did as instructed, taking in a deep inhale and letting it out slowly. It did little to put his nerves at ease, but it did slow his pulse down enough to be less nauseating.

"Nothing will happen to Lucas," the fox stated, "Remember, he doesn't just have you to protect him, it's all four of us here in Springdale."

"But--"

He was cut off by the sting of that same sponge going over his clawed arm, hissing in pain. Kyubi took that brief moment they were talking to change soaps to something milder so as to avoid irritating the wounds further.

"Venoct, listen to me," he said more sternly, "You're getting yourself worked up over what-if scenarios, I need you to focus outward. Is Lucas currently in danger?"

Venoct sheepishly responded, "N-no..."

"Correct. He is alive and well, and nothing is going to change that. Not McKraken, not the White Yo-kai. You have done your job incredibly well, and I know our late lord would be proud of you. So please, you have nothing to worry about. Lucas is safe with us. All of us."

That bit of reassurance seemed to help him calm down, at least until he clung to Kyubi's arm as he grazed over his badly bitten thigh.

"You're alright," the kitsune said calmly, "I'm almost done. I assume you'd like your hair done separately after I've wrapped your wounds?"

"Please."

Kyubi went silent for a moment before reaching a hand over in front of Venoct's only functioning eye in warning.

"Permission to touch?" he asked.

Venoct pondered for a moment, then said, "Permission granted."

The kitsune brought that hand up to slowly and gently comb Venoct's hair out of his face, all so he could get a good look at his scarring. It never got easier to look at, the gruesome burn that was left behind was horrifying to see in person, but the gnarly claw marks across his eye were what really put into perspective how severely he was impacted by his demise.

"You can stop staring any day now," Venoct snarled.

"I'm sorry," Kyubi apologized, a sincerity the serpent rarely got to hear from him.

The fox said nothing as he tenderly ran the sponge over the sensitive scar tissue, wanting to make sure it didn't get any worse from neglect. Venoct was clearly in pain while letting him do this, but he didn't fight it like he used to. This was mandatory.

Once he was finished, Kyubi dropped the clump of hair he was holding out of place to let the snake go back to the comfort of his obscurity.

"There," he said, "Can you stand?"

Venoct shakily picked himself up and attempted to stand on his own, but damn near slipped and needed Kyubi to catch him.

"I think that's a no," the snake chuckled, trying to play off the shock.

"How are your dragons?"

"Tired, but they'll be alright to carry me for the rest of the night."

Kyubi nodded and lifted his partner out of the bath, standing him up on the mat and reaching over to grab the towel he set aside for him.

"I'll do my best to make this quick, I know you're exhausted," the fox muttered, working diligently to dry around the wounded areas so he could treat them quickly. They weren't severe enough to warrant much more than just some antibiotic ointment and careful dressing. Surely Venoct's dragon blood would kick his recovery into high gear.

The serpent was still as he watched his companion toss the towel over his shoulder and reach for the medkit. Under any other circumstances, this would be both awkward and humiliating, but he and Kyubi were something far beyond friends at this point.

And Venoct couldn't be more grateful for that.

Sure, Kyubi had a habit of running his smart mouth, but he knew it was just how he was. He does care, even if he never says it out loud. He wouldn't still be considered a guardian spirit if he didn't.

The snake winced and dug his nails into Kyubi's shoulders once the ointment made contact with the inflamed skin of his thigh. The kitsune said nothing, just remained focused on making sure it was thoroughly massaged in.

"Remember, you can't use your human disguise until you've recovered," Kyubi warned him, "I'll make sure Lucas knows you made it home safe and need to be left alone to rest."

"Thank you," Venoct breathed with relief, "for everything tonight."

The fox retained focus as he patched up the bite marks and wrapped them snugly. His pacing seemed to slow after a while, until ultimately stopping as he rested his face against Venoct's chest.

"Kyubi?"

"This is my fault," Kyubi uttered.

"What?" Venoct queried.

"When Sir Berus leapt at you, I hesitated to use my foxfire. I thought you might've been able to hold your own as you always do, but seeing how quickly he took you down... I couldn't-- I had to do something."

"You were holding back? Why?"

"Because I know how poorly you handle fire. I didn't want to subject you to that again, so I've been doing patrols alone for months to make sure I don't induce another episode. I can hold my ground in melee combat just fine, but my true strength comes from my fire magic, so..."

"...You've been restricting yourself for me?"

"Do I have to explain further?" Kyubi snapped, "Yes, yes I have."

"Oh, Kyubi," the serpent sighed, "and all this time I thought you were avoiding me because you were upset with me."

The kitsune scoffed, "You annoy me, but never enough for me to leave you stranded. You're my partner guardian, we're supposed to help each other. You can sit back down now."

Venoct did as he was told and sat back down on the wall of the bath so Kyubi could look at his arm. This one was much less tender by comparison, but still hot and sore to the touch.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel as though you had to hold yourself back," he said, gritting his teeth when he felt that same hand against the gashes.

"Why are you apologizing?" Kyubi asked, "It's not something you have control over."

"I know, believe me I know," the snake snorted, "but please don't force yourself into that position again? I know you hate seeing me in such a state, but I can survive a panic attack. I can't survive being mauled to death by a giant, murderous man-dog... thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. If I throw up, I throw up. All that matters is that we make it out of that encounter alive. I feel like this should be obvious."

"Tch, alright, you got me... Let me finish dressing your arm, then I'll go get you a change of clothes and take care of your hair. I know you bought that dry shampoo for a reason."

Once Venoct's arm was bandaged, Kyubi stood back up and approached the door, unlocking it and exiting slowly so as to not reveal too much on his way out.

It was here Venoct whistled to call his dragons back to him, both perking up and slithering back over to climb his arms and coil his neck again, yawning as they rested on his shoulders. Their embrace was a warm, cottony hug against his damp, cold body. He got a little too comfortable, almost nodding off on the spot.

While Kyubi was on his way back downstairs from Venoct's room, he froze when he saw Lucas standing in the hallway looking for him. He didn't think he was that loud earlier, but apparently not.

"Justin, where's Vincent?" the boy asked sleepily, only barely able to make out the figure of his other godfather without his glasses on.

"He's downstairs, he just got out of the bath," Kyubi told him, "He had a rough day today... You can go back to sleep now, sorry if we woke you up."

"Can I see him?"

"Sorry kid, he's not really in a good mood," the fox lied through his teeth, "It'll just be me and you in the morning, okay?"

"I-is he okay?" Lucas panicked, walking up to him.

"Oh, one of the dogs at the shelter got a little too rowdy, that's all," Kyubi made up an excuse on the spot, "Roughed him up pretty good."

The boy mumbled, "Oh..."

"He'll be okay," the kitsune reassured him and ruffled his hair, "I think his heart hurts more than his arm does, heh. You can go back to bed, promise he'll still be here in the morning."

"Okay... Good night, Justin," Lucas said with a yawn.

"Night, Lucas," Kyubi responded, waiting until after he watched their young lord slink back into his room and close the door. He had to move quick to get Venoct in bed before Lucas got suspicious.

...

Venoct's dragons had dozed off while waiting for Kyubi to finish helping him get dressed, which meant he actually did need to be carried upstairs.

"Well, isn't this just romantic?" Venoct muttered jokingly.

"Not the first time I've had to carry you to bed," Kyubi hummed, "Don't get any cute ideas."

"I wasn't, I know what we agreed on," Venoct said.

Kyubi opened Venoct's bedroom door and came up to the bed to set his partner down on top of it.

"Unless you need me to rock you to sleep," he remarked, "I'll be in my room. You know how to get my attention."

"Alright, smartass," Venoct grunted, "get out of here. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Kyubi answered with a giggle, then slowly pulled the door shut behind him.

Venoct swiftly buried himself under the covers to get himself warmed up. Naturally low body temperature be damned, but he'd manage. Hopefully these wounds didn't keep him on lockdown for too long, he hated to keep Lucas in the dark like this for long.

It's fine, Kyubi would handle it.

He always does.

They were a team for a reason.

His worries now at ease, Venoct could finally relax enough to sleep soundly for once. A rarity these days.