Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

            Gathering ingredients in the forest was one of Wakatoshi’s favorite activities. The forest that surrounded his home was full of trees, flowers, herbs, and much much more. He was gathering some ingredients for a special soup. It was something that was supposed to help the mind and body relax, as well as help the immune system. His mother had fallen ill and he wanted her to have a speedy recovery.

            Wakatoshi had gathered some components of the soup the previous day, and so all he had left to find was the recinto mushrooms. These mushrooms contained most of the power that would give this soup its restorative properties. The mushrooms were found a little deeper in the woods than he usually ventured, and they were far off the path, but Wakatoshi didn’t mind. He had brought his hoe with him in case he got into any trouble.

            As he got closer to the location of the mushrooms, the forest got darker. He could hear some critters farther out, but nothing that sounded too harmful. The sight of the carmine fungus brought a smile to Wakatoshi’s face. He would be able to get home and get the soup made before dinner. After carefully extracting and placing a few of the luscious shrooms in his basket, he started the long trek back.

            Wakatoshi had made it no more than ten steps when he heard a strange noise. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but decided it would be best to get out of the area as quick as he could. He sped up his pace and walked briskly down the path. When he got far enough away that he deemed it safe, he slowed down and admired the flora around him.

            He spotted some pneumatico mushrooms, which really enhanced the effects of the recinto mushrooms. Deciding a few minutes of picking mushrooms would not delay him much, Wakatoshi squatted down to pick the best looking ones. Later on, he decided that he should definitely not have stopped.

            Wakatoshi had gotten two mushrooms out of the ground when he heard loud shouts and rustling leaves. The former of these disturbances concerned Wakatoshi, as not many people ventured too far into the forest. Standing up, Wakatoshi set down his basket and grabbed his hoe menacingly. A bright red blur jumped out of the bushes on his right and disappeared behind him. Wakatoshi didn’t even have the chance to look what it was when another figure appeared from the same bushes. This time it was a human.

            The man had a bow out and an arrow notched. He was pointing it straight at Wakatoshi. “Step aside. He’s mine.” Wakatoshi was confused about these words, as he was the only person there, or so he thought. Looking behind him, while still facing forward, he came face to face with a fox. Wakatoshi blinked in surprise. Not often did he see foxes in the woods, especially not ones that were bright red and had eight tails.

            “I’ve been tailing him for a while now, and if you try to take him from me, you’re going to regret it,” the man said seriously. Wakatoshi wondered why this man was threatening him, and then he realized. The creature hiding behind him must be a kitsune. A fox creature that was capable of changing into different forms. They were worth a lot of money, and they were very powerful. Coming across one and subduing it took a lot of skill and effort. Wakatoshi knew the situation could become very dangerous if he tried to interfere and thought about just simply leaving, but he knew he could not leave the kitsune to get captured, even if it was likely more than capable of taking care of itself. Wakatoshi could at least try to sway the young man with the bow to give up the fool’s errand he was on, and save him from getting killed by the kitsune.

            The kitsune should have no trouble getting away from the hunter, but trying to reason with it and to convince it not to kill him would take some work. Wakatoshi decided he was already involved, so he should try to resolve this conflict.

            “I don’t have all day,” the hunter said threateningly. Wakatoshi disregarded him for a moment, instead glancing over his shoulder at the kitsune. Honestly, he was a little surprised it was still there, as he guessed it would have ran off by now. As Wakatoshi gave it a once over, he noticed a darker patch of red against its side. It was blood. The kitsune was in no shape to run away anymore, probably using the last of its strength to make it this far.

            Wakatoshi knew where his morals stood, and letting a kitsune get captured and likely killed was not something he was okay with. Standing firm in his resolution, he brandished his hoe. The hunter looked slightly taken aback, but then his expression switched to anger.

            “I should have guessed you would try to take it for yourself,” he said. Without hesitating any longer, he let the arrow fly. It whizzed past Wakatoshi’s head and burrowed itself into a tree behind him. The kitsune let out a soft whine; it was in too much pain to move around much more. Wakatoshi had to finish this fast.

            Using all the force he could muster, Wakatoshi swung the hoe at the hunter, knocking the bow out of his hands. He hissed, before pulling out a small knife, swinging it at Wakatoshi. A sharp stinging pain blossomed in Wakatoshi’s side, but he ignored it. Hoping to knock the hunter out, Wakatoshi swung his hoe towards his head, but two screams, one human, one not, and the crashing of trees caused him to stop mid-swing. Debris on the forest floor was forced up by a tree falling, and it was difficult to see clearly.

            Taking advantage of the confusion, the hunter lunged for the kitsune, but something else tumbled into him instead. The forest was then deadly quiet, except for the sound of thunder rumbling in the near distance. When the debris settled, Wakatoshi could see the kitsune where he had left it, except a couple of the trees around it had fallen. A shuffle to his right caused Wakatoshi to find a horse, well rather a pegasus shuffling around. Not too far from where the pegasus was, the hunter as well as another man lay unmoving in a heap together.

            Wakatoshi decided to see whether or not the two were okay, and headed towards them. As he got close, the pegasus whinnied, and blocked his path, getting into a battle stance. It was favoring its left side, and Wakatoshi could see a bunch of scratches littered all over it. Wakatoshi didn’t want to leave the kitsune when it was injured, but he could also not bring himself to leave the pegasus and the two boys, even if one was a hunter. An injured person was still an injured person in Wakatoshi’s mind. Wakatoshi didn’t have much time to ponder how he should progress, as in the next minute, it started raining.

            “If we stay out in the rain, someone is bound to get sick,” Wakatoshi said aloud. The kitsune whimpered when the rain beat down on it harshly, and the pegasus nosed a boy, who Wakatoshi could only assume was its master, gently. It then tried to cover him as best as it could with its wings, trying to keep him dry. Wakatoshi sighed.

            “If you can carry him, you can bring him back to my home,” Wakatoshi told the pegasus. They were smart creatures, and this one seemed to understand Wakatoshi, as it began trying to rouse its master. When the boy stayed unconscious, Wakatoshi approached slowly. The pegasus whinnied at him and became defensive, but Wakatoshi continued. “I’ll help get him onto your back,” he said softly, gently bending down. The pegasus watched him warily, but let him pick up its master and put him on its back.

            Eyeing his basket of mushrooms lying by an overturned tree, Wakatoshi picked it up as well. He pulled a sash off of the waist of the hunter, presumably the one his knife had been hidden in, and tied it around the basket’s handle. He then approached the pegasus, setting the basket on top of its back and tying it securely. The animal seemed a little put off but did not object. Wakatoshi gathered the weapons the hunter had been carrying and put them in the basket. Wakatoshi then picked the hunter up and shifted him to his back. The pain in his side intensified, but he ignored it.  After struggling to get him to his back and pick the kitsune up into his arms, Wakatoshi finally managed to get balanced. He began the slow walk back to his cottage in the pouring rain.

            When they finally made it, they were all soaked by the rain. Wakatoshi brought them in, and laid the kitsune out on the livingroom table. He laid the boy on his back in his bedroom, and then went out to collect the boy off the pegasus’s back. It was a struggle to be sure, but after the pegasus realized this was the only way to have its master get better, it gave in, and made its way to the small stable that had horses in it at one point. Wakatoshi took the boy in and also laid him out on his bed.

            He checked in on his mom, who was sleeping in her bedroom, before going to the kitchen to get medical supplies. Deeming the kitsune in most need of help, he went to the Livingroom first. Wakatoshi carefully cleaned the area around the wound and began his work. There was a nasty gash in the side of the fox, and it was extremely deep. Wakatoshi, fortunately, had taken care of many animals in his life, and was able to sew it up and stop the bleeding. The kitsune would have to rest and heal up for a while, but there was going to be no permanent damage.

            After deeming the kitsune to not be in any immediate danger, Wakatoshi checked on both the boys in his bedroom. Both had bruises blossoming on their forehead, the hunter had a cut on his hand where Wakatoshi had hit him with the hoe, and the other boy was littered with small scratches all over his body. Wakatoshi put a block of ice wrapped in a towel on each of their foreheads, and disinfected their cuts. Neither stirred, so Wakatoshi left them be.

            Wakatoshi returned to the kitchen and started making the soup for his mother. He made more than usual, as he figured it would also help his guests have a speedy recovery. As soon as it started cooking, he headed outside into the rain to feed the pegasus some fresh vegetables. He also wanted to look over its leg if it would let him.

            Heading out to the stables with a plethora of different vegetables, Wakatoshi approached the pegasus. It seemed to regard him warily before it happily dug in, too hungry to refuse food. Wakatoshi looked over its right side, and found a particularly large cut in its side, but it had already stopped bleeding. Vowing to bandage it later, he left the pegasus to enjoy its meal.

            Going back into his home, he checked once more on his sleeping mother before he added a few more ingredients to the soup. It was a little boring waiting for it to finish, but Wakatoshi passed the time by working in the garden outside and patching up the pegasus. After a while, he went in to serve the soup into bowls. The first one he took to his mother, who was now awake.

            “Thank you, Wakatoshi,” his mother said. She slowly spooned the soup into her mouth, and Wakatoshi decided it would be a good time to tell his mother about his adventure in the forest.

            “I found a kitsune in the forest today,” Wakatoshi said, his mother immediately set down the bowl.

            “A kitsune? A magical kitsune?” she looked very concerned. “You aren’t hurt?”

            “No. I saved it from some hunters and brought it back here. It was injured.” His mother sat up.

            “It’s here?” his mother said. “We have to get it out of here.”

            “Why?” Wakatoshi knew kitsune were dangerous, but he didn’t think that one would attack him after he saved its life.

            “It is dangerous!” his mother exclaimed.

            “I saved him,” Wakatoshi said, “and he is still injured. He needs somewhere to recuperate.” His mother gave him a displeased look.

            “I will make sure that no harm comes to you,” Wakatoshi said. “I know that he will not attack us.” Wakatoshi didn’t really know whether or not that the kitsune would not attack them, but he hoped that it would not. It seemed like it would be reasonable.

            “If you are sure, Wakatoshi,” his mother said, settling back in bed. She was still wary, but she trusted her son’s judgement. She was also too exhausted to get up, so she figured she would just let him take care of everything. She trusted him. Wakatoshi made sure that his mother was comfy back in bed before he brought two bowls of soup to his bedroom. Neither of the boys seemed conscious yet, but it was hard to tell as one had spread out on top of the other. He left the soup on the night stand and went to check on the kitsune.

            “How are you doing?” Wakatoshi asked, reaching a hand out to caress one of its silky ears. It did not seem too displeased about him petting it, so he continued to do so. It made a whimper and cuddled closer to Wakatoshi. The wounds on its body were healing quicker than Wakatoshi had expected, and it seemed like there were only a few big ones left. Wakatoshi wondered if it would like some of the soup he made, so he brought a bowl over for it.

            The kitsune slowly sat up and began licking the bowl. After finishing the soup, the kitsune stretched out. It seemed as though nap time was over. It circled in place a couple times before hopping off the table. The kitsune then changed from an animal to a man in the blink of an eye. Wakatoshi was surprised by the transformation and startled slightly.

            “Thanks for taking such good care of me,” this kitsune said standing up to his full human height. The man was shorter than Wakatoshi but still fairly tall. He had shocking red hair that stuck up in all directions. A sinister looking smile was on his face, and Ushijima hoped that wasn’t because he was planning on murdering everyone here. “It was real nice of you to save me from those hunters,” he said. Wakatoshi was still a little wary, but he decided to give the kitsune the benefit of doubt.

            “It was what anyone should have done in my situation,” Wakatoshi said firmly. He knew many people would disagree with that statement, as most would have helped kill the kitsune for their share of the reward. The man seemed to realize this as he laughed at Wakatoshi.

            “You are a funny one, uh…” The two of them had never been properly introduced. Wakatoshi didn’t know if kitsune had names or not, but he figured he should at least introduce himself.

            “Ushijima Wakatoshi,” he supplied.

            “Right! You’re funny, Wakatoshi.” Wakatoshi was surprised by the use of his first name, but figured it did not really matter anyway. “So I guess I owe you, don’t I?”

            “You owe me nothing. I did not help you so you could give me something in return, it was just the right thing to do.”

            “Aww, c’mon, Wakatoshi! Don’t you want anything?” Wakatoshi figured by now that the kitsune did not have a name, as he still hadn’t been told one. He thought about coming up with one for him, but that seemed rude. The kitsune noticed he was being ignored, so he began to pout. “Well Mister Selfless,” he started, “if you feel like you have to help anyone in need, why don’t you help me?”

            “With what?” Wakatoshi asked, curiosity piqued.

            “I need some of a rare herb that can only be found in a special location. Problem is, I don’t know where it is,” the kitsune looked solemn.

            “What kind of herb is it?” Wakatoshi figured between his mother, himself, and their botany books, they could get some sort of clue where this mystery herb could be found.

            “I need a piccante leaf.” Wakatoshi thought about it, but the plant did not seem familiar to him at all.

            “I know where that is!” a loud voice cut in. Wakatoshi looked up to find the pegasus rider standing at the threshold of the livingroom. He must have been eavesdropping. The kitsune got into a defensive stance and growled ferociously at the boy. The rider squeaked and ducked back into Wakatoshi’s bedroom. Wakatoshi gave the kitsune a disapproving stare. He went into the bedroom and saw the pegasus rider cowering in bed behind a sleepy looking hunter. The hunter yawned and glanced up at Wakatoshi through bleary, sleep-filled eyes.

            Instead of attacking Wakatoshi, the hunter sighed and tried to flop back down on the bed. The only problem being the pegasus rider taking sanctuary behind his back. The two ended up banging their heads together again, but luckily did not pass out.

            “You said you have an idea where to find the piccante plant?” Wakatoshi asked. He didn’t really care about any past history that might have been between the kitsune and either of these boys, as long as they could work together and help each other out. The pegasus rider stopped rubbing his forehead, and nodded his head enthusiastically instead.

            “I heard some guys talking about it, and I remember repeating the name several times, because it sounded so cool! Piccante, piccante, piccante,” the boy started mumbling the name to himself several more times. Wakatoshi ignored it. He figured the boy would move on eventually, but he was starting to give up hope.

            Apparently the kitsune had gotten bored, because he came into the room, still looking wary. He stood next to Wakatoshi and growled at the hunter. The hunter ignored the kitsune and rolled over onto his side, curling up against the pegasus rider still mumbling piccante. Seeing that they were getting nowhere, Wakatoshi decided to act. He started getting his things put together for a trip. He made sure to bring extra supplies in case some of his travelling companions were not well stocked. The other three watched him curiously.

            “Wakatoshi, what are you doing?” the kitsune finally asked the question on everyone’s mind. Wakatoshi was confused. What he was doing was obvious, was it not? They would get ready to go soon too, right?

            “Are we not leaving to find the herb?” Wakatoshi then turned to the hunter and pegasus rider, “Are you not well enough to leave with us? We are going to need your help finding the plant.”

            “Woah, woah, woah,” the kitsune objected almost immediately, “we are not taking the two that tried to kill me are we?”

            “They won’t do it again,” Wakatoshi said firmly. The kitsune blinked at him and then laughed.

            “You really are a funny one, Wakatoshi.”

            “Do I have to go? I’m tired,” the hunter whined. Wakatoshi could not believe that this was the same boy from earlier.

            “After you eat your soup, we’ll be off.” Wakatoshi said. The two seemed to just now notice that there was food in the room, and they climbed all over each other in order to reach the bowls. Once within their grasp, they slurped it down greedily. As they ate, Wakatoshi decided to check over the kitsune’s injuries to make sure that he would be okay for leaving with them.

            Wakatoshi lifted up the kitsune’s shirt, and laid his fingers gently beside the wound. His cold fingers on the kitsune’s skin made the latter squeak. He checked the stitches and they seemed to be holding up, and there was no blood or pus leaking out, even after the light activity. Wakatoshi let the kitsune’s shirt fall back into place and spoke, “You should be good to go with us. If your injury starts to bother you, we can rest.”

            “It’ll be fine, Wakatoshi. Us kitsune heal faster than humans.” The boys had both finished their soup, and were sitting on the bed watching Wakatoshi and the kitsune.

            “AH!” the pegasus rider screamed suddenly. “I forgot about Sir Peaches!” He ran out of the room faster than anyone of them could blink. Wakatoshi did not know who Sir Peaches was, but he wanted to find out. So far, he did not know any of these people’s names, but they all probably knew his by this point. Wakatoshi wondered if he could get away with calling the kitsune something like Sir Peaches.

            “He has peaches?” the hunter got up out of bed, “That sounds yummy.”

            “He said Sir Peaches… not exactly sure who that is…” the kitsune said. Wakatoshi was bored with waiting, so he decided to try and see where the other boy went. The house was empty, save for his mom and the two remaining in his bedroom, so he headed outside. The stable doors were wide open, so Wakatoshi headed inside.

            “Sir Peaches, I’m so sorry,” the pegasus rider was blubbering into his pegasus’s mane, snuggling his face in and planting small kisses all over its neck. Wakatoshi realized that he must have been referring to his pegasus all along. Now Wakatoshi knew one name.

            “Will Sir Peaches be joining us?” the name rolled off of Wakatoshi’s tongue nicely, and he decided it was a good name. The rider snapped his head up, not seeming to notice Wakatoshi come in.

            “Oh, uh, yeah. I don’t go anywhere without him,” the boy said. He shuffled his feet awkwardly. “I’m sorry!” he blurted out. Wakatoshi saw no reason for this boy to be sorry. As far as he knew, the boy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. “

            “What are you sorry for?”

            “Being a bother and trying to hurt your friend and stuff! I just thought that maybe if I caught the kitsune, people at the village would think I was cool!” Sir Peaches nuzzled against the boy, trying to reassure him that it was okay, and Wakatoshi had to agree for the most part.

            “Hurting someone that has done nothing wrong is not really the way one can become respected,” Wakatoshi said. “Helping those in need is the best thing to do.” The boy pondered those words. Wakatoshi turned around to leave, as he had to finish his preparations to leave, and let his mother know that he would be leaving.

            “I’ll help you find those herbs! Me and Sir Peaches both!” the pegasus rider shouted. “Sir Pegasus can carry two people, so if your friend is still hurt, he can ride on him!” Wakatoshi thought about correcting the boy, as he and the kitsune could hardly be called friends, but decided against it in the end.

            “That would be helpful,” Wakatoshi said. The boy perked up.

            “Hear that Sir Peaches!? Let’s go get some herbs!” To Wakatoshi, the boy was way too excited about getting herbs.

            “I’ll go get everything, and we should be ready to go within the next half an hour.”

            “Half an hour? That long?” the boy seemed to be trying not to whine much, but it was clear he was disappointed. Wakatoshi vowed to try his best to keep preparations short. He headed back inside.

            “Meet Sir Peaches, Wakatoshi?” the kitsune asked, waiting for him right inside the door.

            “Yes. Though, I suppose Sir Peaches and I met earlier,” Wakatoshi answered. “You will be riding Sir Peaches to our destination.” Not noticing the kitsune’s surprised and confused face, Wakatoshi went into his bedroom.

            “Are you ready to go?” Wakatoshi asked the hunter.

            “Do I have to?” he asked. “I mean, what’s in it for me?”

            “The satisfaction of helping someone out. I doubt the kitsune will be able to fight, since he is injured, and I am not sure whether or not the pegasus rider is able to defend himself. I would feel more comfortable having someone else there, but I suppose it is not necessary, as I am capable of keeping them both safe, myself.”

            “Well, the thing is, I don’t do things for free,” the hunter said, sitting up. “If you tell me where my stuff is, I’ll be going.” Wakatoshi got the hunter’s bow, sash, and knife for him. “Thanks, I’ll be seeing you or something like that.” Wakatoshi nodded back in understanding and wished him well on his trip.

            “Wakatoshi, what is going on?” his mother asked, as soon as he entered her bedroom.

            “I am going on a trip to help the kitsune find a herb he requires.” His mother gave him a disappointed look.

            “Wakatoshi, leave the kitsune be. You should have left it there to die. It could kill you! Those things are dangerous, no matter whether you helped them out or not. They are bloodthirsty monsters!” Wakatoshi listened to his mother and thought about what she said.

            “Not all kitsune are alike, and I do not believe the one that I am about to travel with could be described as a bloodthirsty monster. I suppose I will see though. I put the leftover soup in the fridge, and I should be back by tomorrow. I will stop at the village after my errand, to pick up anything we need.”

            “If this is what you want to do with your life, Wakatoshi, so be it. You are just as foolish as your father.” Wakatoshi always looked up to his father and did not see him as foolish, so he took what his mother said as a compliment, and left the room. With one final check to make sure he got everything, he took the kitsune out of the house.

            They found the pegasus and his rider waiting for them. “You guys are here!” the rider shouted excitedly. “Let’s go!” He ran forward with Sir Peaches trailing behind. “I can help you up,” he said to the kitsune.

            “I’m not really fond of riding. I’m fine to walk,” the kitsune said.

            “It would be better for you, since you are injured,” Wakatoshi said.

            “Wakatoshi,” the kitsune admonished, “didn’t I tell you? Us kitsune heal faster than humans. I’m fine.” Wakatoshi had no proof to disprove what he was saying, but he vowed to keep an extra close eye on the kitsune.

            “Fine, you can walk,” he turned to the pegasus rider, “Can you and Sir Peaches show us the way?” The pegasus rider nodded, and in one swift motion, he mounted his pegasus.

            “C’mon Sir Peaches. Do you remember that funky part of the forest that was creepy and we didn’t want to go in?” The pegasus nodded in response, slowly, not seeming to like where this was going. “Yup, well good, because we need to go back there!” The pegasus seemed to sigh, before begrudgingly trudging towards the forest. Luckily, the rain had stopped, but the ground and trees were still damp. Water from the branches would drip on them occasionally. Wakatoshi hoped the wetness would keep most of the beasts away.

            The walk through the forest way mostly uneventful. There was an encounter with a herd of bullfrogs, but Wakatoshi managed to steer the group around and away. As they continued along, the forest started getting darker, as the trees got more dense. Wakatoshi didn’t commonly go this way, so he did not know what to expect. He almost wish he could have gotten the hunter to go along with them, in case they got blindsided. Wakatoshi wondered where the hunter had even gone. Would he be off to hurt more creatures? Would he change his ways? Did he even make it out of the forest okay? Did he get lost? Wakatoshi had many questions swirling in his head that he might never get answers to.

            “If you’re wondering about that other guy, he took the trail around the forest back to the town,” the kitsune said, a sly grin on his face. Wakatoshi wondered if he even knew how to properly smile.

            “I see. Then he should make it back to town all right.”

            “Hey! Aren’t you going to ask me how I knew what you were thinking about!?” the kitsune protested, wanting to show off his skills.

            “No?” Wakatoshi asked. He didn’t see why he would need to. Likely the kitsune knew that the hunter had never told him where he was headed to, and Wakatoshi never really saw him off. It was only logical that kitsune would know Wakatoshi would wonder about him at some point or another.

            “You’re no fun, Wakatoshi,” the kitsune pouted. It was silent for a little bit, but then the pegasus rider spoke up.

            “Is Wakatoshi your name?”

            “It is Ushijima Wakatoshi,” Wakatoshi began to grow excited. It was finally time for introductions. He would learn their names, and wouldn’t have to keep referring to them by titles in his head.

            “Oh, okay,” the pegasus rider said. Wakatoshi took this as a dismissal. The pegasus rider nor kitsune wanted to reveal their names. The pegasus gave a whiny and looked up at its rider, but the boy was too busy staring off into space. Sir Peaches rolled his eyes and returned to facing forward.

            They got to a section of the forest where there was a little nook in the trees. It was completely pitch black past this point, and Wakatoshi regretted not bringing more than one light. He handed the flashlight to the kitsune and decided to go in first. Sir Peaches did not fit, and Wakatoshi was having doubts of himself fitting as well.

            Surprisingly enough, Wakatoshi fit. The pegasus rider and kitsune followed after him. Around them, the air felt damp, and Wakatoshi could hear some sort of creature. He couldn’t tell what it was or if it had noticed them, but it was close.

            “We’ll want to stay quiet, and proceed cautiously,” Wakatoshi said. Wakatoshi took the front, walking carefully. There was no trail in this area, so he could only hope that they would stumble upon the piccante plant soon. He did not really know what he was looking for, so he hoped the pegasus rider or kitsune would be able to recognize it.

            As they walked, Wakatoshi began to notice breathing. It was not his own, nor either of his companions, so he could only assume it was the creature he had heard when they had first came through the nook. It seemed to be following them, so Wakatoshi hoped it would be harmless. He thought about having the kitsune turn off the light so they would not attract the attention of anything else, but realized they would not be able to find the plant that way.

            “How are we going to know when we find it?” the kitsune asked. “I’ve never seen it before.”

            “Apparently, they grow in the center of this place, and there will be a little bit of light shining in from between the trees. That’s the only spot that has any sort of natural light,” the pegasus rider answered.

            “How do you know all of this stuff, kiddo?” the kitsune asked. The pegasus rider huffed.

            “I am not a kid! I heard some of the soldiers in town talking about it. Apparently one of them had to get it for the queen and--” Wakatoshi stopped and placed his hand over the pegasus rider’s mouth, effectively cutting him off. Something here wasn’t right.

            Wakatoshi’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the surroundings. He couldn’t see anything out of place, so he wasn’t sure what set him on edge. Behind him, the kitsune prickled, and growled. That’s when Wakatoshi noticed, he could not hear the breathing anymore. Something wet dripped on his arm, but it was not cold like rain water.

            Wakatoshi took the flashlight from the kitsune, who was hunched up in a defensive stance and shined it above them. He caught sight of a massive beast with a large mouth full of teeth staring down at them. As soon as the light hit it though, it lunged down aiming to eat them alive.

            “Move!” Wakatoshi commanded, grabbing hold of the pegasus rider. The kitsune moved on his own, shifting into his animal form.

            “Go find the plant,” Wakatoshi said to the pegasus rider, shoving him off. “We’ll hold off this beast.” The boy gulped and nodded. He thought he could see a faint light in the distance, easier to see with the flashlight dropped on the ground, so he headed off in that direction.

            “I can’t see well without the light,” Wakatoshi called to the kitsune, picking up the broken flashlight. “I’m going to need your help.” Wakatoshi heard a bark in response, and felt a soft head press up against his palm.

            Judging by the location of the beast and the glimpse he got of it earlier, Wakatoshi deduced that it was probably mostly blind and could only see light and darkness. It likely relied on its sense of hearing to find its prey.

            Getting in close to the kitsune’s ear, Wakatoshi whispered his plan, “I need you to create a hole in the gap of trees. I cannot see it, but once I can, I will call upon the earth to help me fight this creature.” The kitsune most have trusted Wakatoshi, because it ran off. Wakatoshi could hear the sound of tree branches breaking, and hoped the kitsune would be all right. Wakatoshi stayed very still, so the creature would not hear him make noise and go after him.

            Wakatoshi originally thought of causing an earthquake, but decided that would be too much destruction, and it would probably ruin the homes of all the animals living here, and kill most of the naturally growing plants by burning them with overexposure to sunlight. He settled for using the fallen debris to attack the beast.

            Wakatoshi began concentrating, finding the branches littered among the forest floor with his mind. As soon as he could see the beast, he would be ready for an attack. He heard a loud yelp and the sound of a tree falling. It ended up knocking against another tree and not falling over completely, but it let in enough light for Wakatoshi to see.

            With a gust of wind, the branches Wakatoshi had found raised up from the forest floor and flew at the beast at high speed. It didn’t cause a lot of damage, but it did cause the beast to be distracted. The sound of the branches being snapped upon impact was enough to drown out the sound of anything else. Wakatoshi ran forward and swung his hoe into the towering beast’s foot. It roared in pain and swiped at Wakatoshi. Another gust of wind brought forth more branches. Wakatoshi worked on causing damage on that one foot, until the beast was forced to bring it off the ground. Being bipedal and so large, the beast could not keep its balance and came crashing to the ground.

            Wakatoshi spotted the kitsune laying in a puddle of blood near the tree it had knocked down. Two large gashes were seen where the beast had swiped the kitsune with its claws. Wakatoshi could see the damage was bad, so he scooped up the kitsune into his arms, being careful not to jostle it too much.

            The pegasus rider was not back yet, but Wakatoshi knew they had to get out of there before the beast attacked again. He could not guarantee the safety of the kitsune if they stayed here.

Chapter Text

            Knowing that he needed to get the kitsune out of the forest, Wakatoshi gently carried the kitsune back towards the hole in the trees that allowed them to access this area of the forest. Wakatoshi was not quite sure that he was going the right way, but he was fairly certain. If he could get out of this place, he could find his way out of the forest.

            The light trailing into the forest was not enough for him to find his way, as he could still barely see. The flashlight from earlier was lost to the forest, and Wakatoshi had no time to figure out where it went. He continued on trying to find a path or something that would indicate that he was going the right way. He could feel the kitsune in his arms struggle with breathing. If he didn’t get out of here quick, the kitsune might not make it.

            The kitsune in his arms started wiggling around, so Wakatoshi crouched down to lay it on the forest floor. He figured he was probably pressing against a wound he could not see when he carried the kitsune like that. As soon as the kitsune had its paws on the ground, it began walking away from Wakatoshi.

            “You are terribly injured, walking around would not be a wise choice,” Wakatoshi said firmly. The kitsune ignored him and kept walking. It stopped when it noticed Wakatoshi was not following and gestured for him to follow. Wakatoshi changed his direction to follow the kitsune. It must be able to see better than him in the poor lighting of the forest. They weren’t moving very fast as the kitsune was limping and seemed to have trouble even standing up.

            Wakatoshi scooped up the kitsune back into his arms. “We will never make it back in time at this speed,” he said solemnly. “Let me know if I start to stray off the correct path.” Wakatoshi wasted no time in seeing if the kitsune had replied with a head shake. He could barely see anyway. He just headed in the same direction they had been going in. He made it a couple more yards before the kitsune nudged his left arm with its head, and Wakatoshi changed his course so he was heading slightly more to the left. It was a bit trial and error to get to the right direction, but as soon as Wakatoshi had the actual path under his feet, he was feeling more confident.

            There was a visible light up ahead, though it wasn’t the brightest, it was still noticeable in the dark of the forest. Wakatoshi made it through, careful not to jostle the kitsune or bump it into the sharp branches of the trees. Once out, Wakatoshi’s eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim brightness of the forest. The Sir Peaches was waiting outside of the forest impatiently. When he noticed his master was not with them, he starting whinnying worriedly. Wakatoshi had no time to reassure the pegasus, nor did he know the state its master was in. Instead of worrying though, Wakatoshi started down the path to the village.

            There was no way that Wakatoshi would be able to cure the kitsune himself. He was going to have to go to a healer in the village. Most villages had at least one healer, even though it could be pricey to use their services. Wakatoshi hoped that he would be able to trade something or offer a service, as he had little money to his name.

            The kitsune had stopped moving in his arms. Likely it had passed out from the amount of damage it had sustained. If they could not find a healer who was able to help the kitsune and would do it for what Wakatoshi had to offer, there was a chance the kitsune would not make it. Wakatoshi sped his pace up a little, hoping he would not be too late.

            The forest path ahead had a lot of branches on it, and Wakatoshi felt guilty when he felt the kitsune jiggle in his arms from the unevenness of the ground. After he had made it past this though, he would be in the village. Or so he would have been, if the gates were not closed.

            There were many people standing outside the gates, waiting to get in. Wakatoshi did not know what was going on, as they would rarely close the gates to the village. Having a wounded kitsune out in the open for everyone to see would not be good, so Wakatoshi hung back in the forest. He found a secluded spot at the base of a tree trunk to leave the kitsune. He covered him up with a bit of foliage so people would not be able to see him.

            Heading back, Wakatoshi decided to try and find out what was going on with the village and see if he could get in to find a healer. He approached a middle-aged woman with a child by her side. “Excuse me.” The woman startled at the sound of his voice. She looked up at his imposing figure. “Why are the village gates closed?” Wakatoshi cut straight to the point, there was no time to waste.

            “O-oh. Um. There are some young men in there causing a havoc. They have threatened the mayor and are taking hostages.” Wakatoshi’s eyebrows knit together. A group of men were threatening the town?

            “I see. Do you know if there is a healer nearby? My friend has been gravely injured.” The woman pondered a moment.

            “In the village there was a healer, but she passed away a few days ago. I don’t know if there is one now, as her apprentice left for Shiogama to get some herbs,” the woman looked had a concerned look on her face, and Wakatoshi was sure his mirrored it. If there was not a healer in town, then he could not get someone to help the kitsune. The nearest village from here was still a half of a day's walk.

            “Mom, what about the horse guy?” asked her son. Wakatoshi knew many “horse guys” in the village, so he had no idea who they could be talking about. The mother brightened up instantly.

            “Oh yes! A young man was in town the other night looking for burro di arachidi flowers. Apparently they don’t grow where he is from, and he had to travel a long way to get here. He had some medicines that he gave out for free. He was such a sweet young man.”

           “Thank you,” Wakatoshi said politely. He was about to go off to look for this man, since he was his only hope.

            “Wait,” the woman grabbed his sleeve, “I don’t know if he is still in town, and even if he is, he probably is inside the gates.” Wakatoshi pondered this for a while, before deciding his best bet was to try and talk his way in. He approached a man standing in front of the gate. He was holding a gun and had a spell book tucked in his bag. If he could wield both with skill, he was probably a fearsome foe. No wonder no one tried to break in yet.

            “Excuse me, I need to get into the village,” Wakatoshi said to the man.

            “Oh, do you? Well let me think about it.” Wakatoshi was ready to wait patiently and let the man think, but he responded quickly. “No! And unless you have some info on a kitsune, don’t even bother asking again, alright.” Wakatoshi couldn’t understand why this man would not let him in.

            “I have a friend who is injured. I need to get him healed.”

            “Look, I don’t care if your friend dies. We are looking for a kitsune, and we know he’ll be coming this way. Since one of our hunters fucked it up, we are relying on the people's here to find and kill it. They are bound to eventually, I mean it’s injured and in the forest here. The locals will probably be able to sniff it out faster than we could.”

            Wakatoshi processed this information. The best plan of action would be to sneak in, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to. The gates were shut pretty tight. Climbing the fence was an option, but he would really stand out, so he would have to wait until night. He wasn’t sure that the kitsune could wait that long.

            “Hey, time to switch shifts,” a familiar voice said. Wakatoshi recognized it. It belonged to the hunter who he caught trying to kill the kitsune.

            “Just don’t fuck it up, okay? We don’t need you causing another disaster.” The hunter sighed, and shrugged, earning a harsh shove from the person he was replacing. As soon as the first guard walked away, Wakatoshi approached the hunter.

            “Oh, it’s you,” he said nonchalantly.

            “I must get into the village. The kitsune is badly injured and needs help.” The hunter seemed to think about this for a minute.

            “I guess I could let you in.” Wakatoshi was surprised.

            “Won’t your clan be upset with you?” The hunter shrugged.

            “I guess I don’t really care. It used to be fun, you know? Just a couple of odd jobs here and there. We just wanted to make a little bit of pocket change.” The hunter started to open the gate. “Now that we’re “professionals”, we have to do a lot more dangerous jobs, and it’s just not fun the way it used to be.” The hunter sounded wistful.

            “Why don’t you just leave?” Wakatoshi asked. To him, it was the most obvious thing in the world. If you didn’t like something, why would you continue to do it? The hunter laughed.

            “I don’t have anything else. If I left, I would be poor and homeless. Life would be completely pointless.”

            “You could find something else to do, or join another clan of hunters.” The hunter didn’t respond. The gate was opening slowly. Wakatoshi knew he needed to bring the kitsune in, but he didn’t know how to do so without everyone seeing him. “I’ll be back.” Wakatoshi headed off towards the forest. As he was making his way through the crowd, he could hear excited whispers about how the gate was being opened. He saw the mother and child he had talked to before.

            “Did you get them to open the gate?” the mother asked. Wakatoshi did not know if the hunter was going to let anyone else but him through, so he struggled for an appropriate response. The mother seemed to realize though, and nodded her head thoughtfully. Wakatoshi spied an unused blanket sitting atop her belongings. It was big enough that he could easily cover the kitsune with it.

            “If you do not mind, would you please lend me that blanket?” Wakatoshi asked, pointing at said blanket.

            “Of course, I want you to be able to help your friend!” she handed him the large blanket, and Wakatoshi thanked her and headed back to where he had left the kitsune. Draping the blanket over the trembling body, he scooped up the kitsune and hurried back to the gate. Another hunter was there, obviously questioning why the gate was open, but it was still open.

            Knowing this would be his only chance, Wakatoshi quickly ran towards the gate. As he got closer, it started to shut, a bunch of the townspeople were clamouring and trying to make it inside. It looked like a few lucky individuals did, but there were now hunters trying to subdue the crowd. A round of shots fired quickly quieted the crowd, but Wakatoshi was not stopping now.

            “Hey, stop that one!” he heard someone yell. He could not tell if they were talking about him or not, but he did not want to take any chances. He heard a few more shouts, and a gunshot. He felt himself tense, knowing there would be a good chance that he was hit. The only thing he hoped was that the kitsune would be okay.

            “Taichi, what the hell are you doing? You idiot!” There was a groan and a thump, but Wakatoshi was not hit. He made it to the gate, and had to push the kitsune through before trying to squeeze through himself. The gate shut almost as soon as he made it through. He picked the kitsune up in his arms, but it felt heavier than before. He ignored it, only making note of the increased weight and the larger shape of the kitsune in the  blanket mentally, before continuing on.

            Wakatoshi need to find the healer that had came to town, but he had no idea where to begin his search. The town seemed relatively peaceful, but very quiet. It was likely that most people were staying indoors to try and avoid the hunters, or that they were taken captive. Wakatoshi did not know what state most of the village was in, so he decided to tread carefully and see if he could gain information. Wakatoshi saw that the bakery’s chimney had smoke coming out of it, so he decided to ask around there first.

            “Wakatoshi! I’m surprised you made it in!” the large man who ran the shop cried. He had a large smile on his face and clapped Wakatoshi on the back with his slightly floury hands. “What’s this?” He gestured to the blanket. Blood had began to seep through the cloth, and Wakatoshi just hoped that he did not leave an obvious trail behind him.

            “My friend here is injured,” Wakatoshi was only able to get that much out before he was interrupted.

            “Oh, poor woman. The apothecary passed away. I think her apprentice went out of town, and she hasn’t yet returned!”

            “I was told that a boy came to the village and he had medicine with him.” The baker looked confused.

            “I don’t remember anyone like that… Maybe you could try the Inn. They too, have managed to stay in business and open. Not that there are really any customers. Most of the townspeople have been locked up in the mayor’s house. It all happened late last night, and come this morning, there were barely any people left on the streets. Everyone who went out yesterday and this morning haven’t been let back in from what I’ve heard,” Wakatoshi nodded along, but was feeling desperate. He didn’t know how much longer the kitsune had, and he really needed to get out of here and to the Inn. Too bad the baker was long winded.

            In the middle of the baker’s recollection, the kitsune shifted around in the blanket. “Wakatoshi,” the kitsune drawled out, poking a very human head out from the bottom of the blanket, “can we please just get some medicine.” Blood trailed down the side of his face, and that was enough for the baker to shoo him out and demand that Wakatoshi get his friend some help.

            The blanket and kitsune were rearranged so that he was still covered, but carried more comfortably. The Inn wasn’t far from the bakery, so Wakatoshi made it there quickly. Luckily, he did not run into any of the hunters on his way.

            “Excuse me,” Wakatoshi said to the Innkeeper, whose head was buried in his log book. He jostled around and looked up startled. He pulled his glasses up onto his face and squinted at Wakatoshi.

            “Wakatoshi! I thought you were one of those darned hunters,” the elderly man spoke slowly. “I’m glad to see you. Is everyone doing okay?”

            “I’m not sure, everyone outside the gate seemed to be fine. My friend here is not though. Do you know if the healer who came to town is staying here?”

            “Oh yes! He is in the room three doors down to the right. The hunters keep harassing him though. He’s a feisty one. Keeps refusing to heal them or make the medicine that they want.” Wakatoshi thanked the Innkeeper, as he was as long winded as the baker if you let him get started.

            On their way to the room, they passed the Innkeeper’s wife. She, as soon as she saw the state of the kitsune, rushed to the healer’s room. She knocked, and went in, gesturing for Wakatoshi to follow.

            “Kenjirou, this is Wakatoshi, he helps out everyone in the village, and his friend…” she trailed off waiting for a name, looking to Wakatoshi for help. The kitsune was no help, as he was only half conscious by this point and mostly being supported by Wakatoshi. So, Wakatoshi  just shrugged. Kenjirou took that as the end of the introduction.

            “I’m Shirabu Kenjirou,” he said, moving from his spot on the bed to clear off the table in the room. “Put him down here.” Wakatoshi followed the instructions, and carefully helped lay the kitsune down on the table. Shirabu examined the kitsune, looking him all over. He then picked up a staff, and started chanting. The healing magic worked its way through the kitsune’s body, patching up injuries quickly. The healer then dug around in a small bag and pulled out two vials.

            “When he wakes up, he should drink these. One will help with the pain and the other will help heal his wounds quicker. He should be okay now.” Wakatoshi felt an immense relief. The Innkeeper’s wife quickly excused herself, assuring them that she would tell her husband the good news. When Wakatoshi noticed how much blood they tracked in, he offered to clean it up, but she assured him she would take care of it.

“So,” the healer’s eyes were now on him, “Who is he? Just a random stranger? Someone important? I find it odd that you didn’t know his name.”

            “I met him today, and he never gave me his name. He was already injured when I found him, and we went out looking for something together. He got injured in the process.”

            “I see…” There was a long silence. It was broken, when the kitsune groaned and sat up.

            “Man, did that hurt,” Wakatoshi gestured for him to drink the two vials, and he did so, but not before sniffing them cautiously. After drinking them, the kitsune coughed harshly. “Why are these so strong?” he choked out, tears streaming out of his eyes. Shirabu shrugged.

            “That’s just how they are made.”

            “That’s not how they are made! Healing potions shouldn’t taste like you mixed hot peppers and vinegar!” Wakatoshi had to agree. Most potions he tried tasted a little bitter at most, but a majority of them had sweet ingredients added so it would taste a little better. Shirabu huffed.

            “If you don’t like it, then don’t drink it. I just healed you, for free, mind you, and you complain the minute you are conscious. I think you should just be grateful that I was here to heal you.” The kitsune looked like he was going to protest again, but Wakatoshi spoke up.

            “We both do very much appreciate what you have done. If you require payment, I will give it to you.” Wakatoshi pulled out his coin pouch, “Just tell me what I owe you.”

            “It’s fine,” Shirabu said, after a pause, seeming to have calmed down. “I don’t need you to pay me.”

            “Good! It would be outrageous if you made us pay for something that tasted so horrible, why I—”

            “Would you stop!?” Shirabu shouted at the kitsune, who had a wide smirk on his face. He seemed to enjoy riling up the healer.

            “Let’s all try to get along,” Wakatoshi said, giving a pointed look at the kitsune. The kitsune held his hands up in mock surrender.

            “Fine, fine. So, who’s going to fill me in on what I missed? I heard bits and pieces, but not much.”

            “Well,” Wakatoshi started, “we managed to make it into the village, but a gang of hunters has taken hostages and they are preventing many people from entering.”

            “What do they—? Oh!” the kitsune seemed to have a sudden realization of what they were after. “Then they are the ones…?”

            “Yes,” Wakatoshi affirmed. Shirabu’s eyes darted back and forth between the two, trying to make sense of what they were talking about. After receiving no sort of explanation, he seemed to give up.

            “Well, I say we get out of here and find our friend… Hopefully he found the piccante leaves.” The kitsune said, getting up from the table. The injuries that had not yet fully healed seemed not to bother him much. Wakatoshi thought about what he said.

            “I do not know where he is, nor how we are going to get out of the village.”

            “How did you get in?” Shirabu asked curiously.

            “A member of the clan let us in. He is displeased with what is going on here, and wanted to help us.”

            “Must be Taichi,” Shirabu murmured to himself.

            “Taichi?” the kitsune asked. Wakatoshi hoped it was Taichi who let them in, as that would be one more face that he could put a name to.

            “Kawanishi Taichi,” Shirabu said. “He is the one who said he would free my horse.” Wakatoshi supposed Kawanishi must be the hunter from before, as from what he had seen, most of them did not have an ounce of sympathy.

            “Maybe he could help us get out?” the kitsune ventured.

            “I believe he is on the outside of the gate,” Wakatoshi said, trying to remember where he had last seen him. A sudden thought came to him. “Though he might be injured. They would have probably brought him inside if that happened.”

            “Injured?”

            “I think he could have been shot while I was making my way into the gate. He took the hit for me.” The other two pondered this for a while.

            “Well if that is the case, then he is probably in their HQ. The mayor’s office,” Shirabu said. “They probably are going to fix him up with the medicine they confiscated from me.”

           “We should head there then. While we are at it, we could free the people held hostage there,” Wakatoshi said.

            “My Wakatoshi, what a hero! You just want to help everyone, don’t you? Miracle Boy, Wakatoshi, that is what they are going to call you. Far and wide! Ooh, maybe I could be your sidekick! I’m going to have to have a cool title too!”

            “Yeah, you two are really getting ahead of yourselves, aren’t you? What are you going to do, just walk into there and expect them to let everyone go? Taichi’s just going to be allowed to open up the gates and let you two walk out?”

            “No,” Wakatoshi cut Shirabu off before he could continue down his incorrect line of thought. “We are going to force them to let them go.”

            “Ooh! Wakatoshi, that sounded so cool and tough! Let’s go kick some ass!” The kitsune looked excited.

            “You two have fun,” Shirabu said. “And remember, I don’t have any medicine left, so don’t come back crying to me.”

            “We don’t want your medicine anyway!” the kitsune said, poking out his tongue.

            “You should come with us,” Wakatoshi said. The kitsune and Shirabu looked at him with surprise.

            “Why?” they both asked at the same time.

            “What if they have injured the hostages? Shirabu, you can still use your magic to heal them, yes? Besides, that is probably where your horse is being kept. You can make your escape at the same time.” Shirabu blinked in surprise.

            “I mean… I guess?”

            “So our party is back up to three!”

            “But!” Shirabu interrupted the kitsune. “I want to know who you are,” he gestured to the kitsune, and why the hell you want piccante leaves.” Wakatoshi was finally going to have a name to call the kitsune. He wouldn’t have to keep referring to him as “the kitsune” in his head, nor make up a name for him, which would be offensive. He would have a simple easy way of talking to him or about him, without having to stumble around and look for a way to call him something other than a kitsune.

            “Oh, well I’m—” Gunshots from outside cut him off. The three of them quickly hurried to the window to see if they could see what was going on. A large shadow covered the ground, before disappearing out of site. Wakatoshi headed out of the Inn, ignoring the cries of the Innkeepers. A couple of the hunters were roving the streets, seemingly searching for something.

            “What’s going on?” the kitsune, still unnamed, asked, coming up beside him.

            “I’m not sure,” Wakatoshi said, heading out onto the street as soon as the hunters passed. “I think they are looking for something.” He heard the faint sound of a horse whinny, and a male voice.

            “Sir Peaches, we have to be quiet! They are looking for us!” Wakatoshi headed for the sound, finding the pegasus and its master.

            “Just who we were hoping to see,” the kitsune said, slinging an arm around the pegasus rider. Said rider jumped in surprise, having not seen the kitsune or Wakatoshi come up.

            “You guys ditched me!” the pegasus rider whined.

            “We didn’t mean to,” the kitsune protested, “we just had to get some medicine. Even if it was disgusting.”

            “Are you still going on about that?” Shirabu asked, unimpressed. He had joined them outside shortly after Wakatoshi and the kitsune found the pegasus rider.

            “But it was dark and scary, and there was no one there!” Tears were present in the pegasus riders eyes.

            “Aw, but you made it out okay, right? It’s because you’re cool and tough! I mean, just look at how cool your bangs are!” the kitsune danced around the pegasus rider as he spoke, poking and prodding at him. The tears seemed to dry up, and a determined look made itself present on the pegasus rider’s face. “Maybe one day you’ll look back at this and realize it was the point in time you became a...hero.” The kitsune had said the last part as a mere whisper, right next to the boy’s face. The boys eyes immediately lit aflame.

            “Yeah! I’m going to be a hero!”

            “So, hero, did you get my piccante leaves?”