AN: I was going for a FrUk fic, but I realised that AsaKiku is a very underrated ship so I went for that first!

Three Times' the Charm

When Kiku was born, his mother passed away during childbirth. Perhaps due to this fact, and also Kiku being the only descendant of the Honda line, his father was extremely strict with him.

He was a Kitsune, and spent most of his childhood training swordplay and magic from his father. His father wanted him to become a strong kitsune, befitting of the Honda clan. Kiku was never allowed to mingle with other kitsunes of his age to play, or to visit human villages to explore.

Overall, his life was just filled with rigorous trainings and nothing more.

Perhaps that's why when he was out collecting herbs one day, he was drawn to the little blonde boy he saw in the , both of them looked the same age. The little boy reminded Kiku of himself. Isolated and alone from the rest, as the boy sat far away and alone from the other children who were playing further down the field.

Thus, like a magnet, he was pulled in.

Curiosity piqued, he walked closer to the boy. He first noticed the dark green cloak draped around the small frame, and the bow and arrows placed on the ground within hand's reach. The boy was petting a small bunny and murmuring softly to it.

Entranced, Kiku shuffled closer to the boy. Suddenly, the boy's head snapped up and their eyes locked.

"What're you looking at?" The boy's face deepened to a frown when he realised Kiku was there.

Right at that instant, there were two dominant thoughts warring within him. One, he was panicking because a human spotted him, when he was supposed to have his invisibility spell still cloaked on him to prevent detection - 'Oh no! It slipped, I'm going to get scolded by Father if he finds out…'

On the other hand, he was trying to keep his face straight, because the little boy has the largest eyebrows ever! It looked rather like two yellow caterpillars stuck to his face.

As if sensing his thoughts, the boy scowled. "Well?"

Kiku blushed and looked down. He stammered, "I was passing by the area, so sorry for disturbing you."

He timidly raised his head and looked at the boy. They both stared at each other for a few moments, assessing each other. Both parties stood there, not saying a word.

Kiku was about to turn around and walk away, when the boy raised his hand for a handshake. "I'm Arthur."

A small smile erupted on Kiku's face as he stepped forward to hold his hand. "I'm Kiku, nice to meet you."

Arthur's eyes widened a little and he turned his attention back to the bunny which was now in his lap, squeaking to get his attention back on her. Kiku saw that his face was turning crimson. He chuckled softly and sat by Arthur, joining him.

A friendship between the two was born on that day. One human and one kitsune, but both little boys just the same.

And the strings of fate start to weave...

Kiku loved routine. They helped him organise his life, making it structured and directional.

His routine before was simple. Wake up early in the morning, train with his father. Have lunch before going to the study room to read up more. After dinner, he'll have the time to himself before going to sleep.

After meeting Arthur, he's more likely to disrupt his schedule just to meet the blonde.

A couple of times per week, in the middle of his study, he would sneak out to the field where they first met. Both boys would then use the afternoon to play and have fun. When the sun was about to set, both of them would head home, and Kiku would sneak back home for dinner, then use the night time to catch up on his studies.

Strangely, he found it to be all right. The newest addition to his life added more excitement and happiness. Kiku was happy to have finally made a friend. He enjoyed the time spent with Arthur, be it running around the fields, chasing critters, or just lying in the shade of the tree together.

However, Kiku always felt a tinge of guilt every time he meets his friend. He felt like he was lying to Arthur, pretending to be a normal human boy through his illusion magic. It was like a heavy weight on his chest, constantly niggling at his mind.

He always thought of revealing himself to Arthur, having trust that he wouldn't be like the other humans, chasing him away. But wild thoughts of Arthur's betrayed or disgusted face always stopped him. He was afraid that revealing it would cause their friendship to break, which he didn't want to.

So, he kept quiet all this time.

The day Arthur found out was less dramatic than Kiku expected.

They were both climbing a large tree by the field they usually play at. Scrambling limbs, each attempting to reach the top first. But haste usually breeds carelessness, and Arthur soon found that out the hard way as one of his hands missed the branch he was about to grab.

He let out a sharp inhale as he lost his balance and gravity was about to make him hit the ground far below, hard.

Kiku saw everything, and his instincts took over. Without thinking, he leapt off from the branch he was on, towards the falling boy and grabbed him. Kiku landed on the ground below gracefully and let Arthur down from his arms.

He looked at Arthur to check for any injuries before noticing his expression. His friend's eyes was wide and mouth agape, staring right above his head.

Kiku startled and his hands flew to the top of the head. Alarmed, he found that his illusion magic had broken and his fox ears and tail were visible to his friend. Flushing at his lack of control over his magic, as well as trepidation at the screaming that is going to occur, Kiku hunched his shoulders, his ears drooping.

What he didn't expect was for Arthur to sweep forward and to pet his ears.

"Wow…" Arthur breathed out.

Kiku's head shot up and stared at him flabbergasted. His friend's eyes were bright with curiosity and acceptance, with no sign of contempt.

"You… you don't mind?" Kiku stuttered, feeling like a wee cub again.

Arthur merely huffed and rolled his eyes. "The only thing I mind is that you've kept this from me for so long." He then shyly averted his eyes and mumbled, "You're my friend… of course I won't mind."

The grin that split Kiku's face could have eclipsed the sun.

And so, the adventures of the two boys continued. Two lonely hearts, coming together to blossom a beautiful friendship. Their friendship was stronger than before now that Kiku had divulged his secret, knowing that Arthur didn't fear him.

They got into weird shenanigans, such as Kiku using his fox magic to cause Arthur to have floppy bunny ears. Arthur was extremely indignant as he claimed that the fluffy ears made him looked like a girl. He chased Kiku for several hours till Kiku reluctantly dispelled the magic.

He thought Arthur looked rather cute that way, but kept his thoughts to himself as his friend was already quite huffy.

Kiku was finally happy.

Alas good things don't last forever. Just when you feel like you're at the top of the world, the Fates will always pull the rug under your feet and laugh at you while you fall. Kiku should have known better.

It was on the day when Kiku had a foreboding feeling. He felt extremely angsty for reasons unknown to him. He snuck out of his house earlier today, and ran at top speeds to reach the field where Arthur usually was waiting for him.

However, at the field, there was no Arthur there.

"Perhaps he's just running late. It has happened before." Kiku tried to rationalise the situation, while all his instincts blared at him. It screamed and pounded at him, urging him to do something, but Kiku had no idea what. Breathing deeply, Kiku tried to calm his raging emotions and thoughts.

He sat under the tree and waited for his friend to arrive.

The sun hung high up in the sky. Kiku started to panic once again. He stood up and hastily made his way to Arthur's village. On some days where he had more time, he would follow Arthur back to the village to ensure his friend was home safely. Right now, he was glad to have done so, since it meant he knew the road by heart.

When he reached the village, he felt his heart drop to his feet. The village was devoid of life. Hesitantly he walked in. Holding in a gasp, the first thing he saw was many people dead on the streets. Flies were gathering around the lifeless corpses and the smell was nauseating.

There weren't signs of any attacks, meaning it was a plague.

Kiku got extremely worried for Arthur, his heart raced. How was he? Did he survive the plague? Blinking his eyes furiously to keep away the tears, he ran in the direction to Arthur's house.

The door was ajar.

He took a peek in.

And then he fled.

Ran.

Kiku sprinted as far as his tiny legs could take him. He didn't knew where he was going. He reached a forest clearing, before the bile grew too strong and he puked. Fat tears streamed down his face and he choked. The sight of his friend lying lifelessly on the floor assaulted him. Kiku closed his eyes shut tightly and fell to his knees.

He sobbed brokenly and wailed.

He was fine the last week. If only I met up with him earlier this week. If only I found out about the plague faster. If only…. If only-

Kiku felt so horrible. He felt like he had let down his friend, wasn't there for him when Arthur needed him the most. He didn't even know Arthur had fallen to the illness till today. He felt like a terrible friend overall, and there was no way, no way he could ever make this right ever again.

Just the thought of it sent him spiralling downwards again. He hiccupped and more tears flowed down.

"This is why I didn't want you to go out of the house." A familiar voice said behind him.

Kiku whirled around to find his father staring at him, almost in a sympathetic way. He sobbed and ran to hug his father. Because of course the older kitsune would have realised him sneaking out of the house long ago.

After the incident, Kiku no longer travelled out of the house anymore. Choosing to bury his grief with his training and studies. He made extra efforts to avoid meeting humans too, all aware of their fragility and ease of death compared to him. He didn't want to experience anymore grief.

But if internally, Kiku still yearned for a friend like Arthur… No one had to know, right?

And so, for many many years, Kiku was alone with his father. He grew up and his one tail slowly but surely became nine tails. Soon, his father grew old and his lust for wandering hit him strongly. With the blessings of a grownup Kiku, his father went out to the vast lands and travelled.

Kiku stayed at their house, till the memories were too heavy to bear, before he relocated.

He moved to another part of a wilderness. Far east from where he once stayed. All these years, human civilisation progressed onwards. Little villages turned to towns and ports. But Kiku paid no mind to it, for the only human he cared about, his only friend, was gone.

He minded his own business and training, and was isolated from the world outside.

That is until one day, he felt his gut wrench and a tugging sensation followed, before his house around him disappeared and he came face to face with familiar green eyes. Kiku stood tall in a magic circle. He was at what seemed to be a basement of a house. Ah… he was summoned.

"You've summoned me?" His voice resonated around the cellar.

While his summoner was startled, he took this chance to observe her. At a glance, she was a rather petite female. She had long blonde hair, tied into twintails by two black ribbons. She was wearing a blue and white dress, and a pair of red spectacles to frame her face.

"I'm Alice, and I've summoned you… to- to become my friend." His summoner spoke, and was hesitant at the end of her sentence.

A wave of nostalgia and bitterness hit Kiku. His summoner reminded him so much of his only friend. Not only physically, but personality wise as well. Summoning a kitsune to be friends with him. This kind of idiotic thing was what Kiku could imagine Arthur doing too.

Kiku continued to stare impassively at Alice. Should he just run away?

The last friendship he had had costed him so dearly. But the familiar green eyes staring back at him was so hopeful while uncertain at the same time. He felt that if he were to run away now, the sad disappointed eyes would kill him, reminding him of how he let his first friend down.

And thus, the kitsune stayed, with the lone human girl.

Kiku found that Alice wasn't well liked by anyone and was alone almost all of the time. She was an orphan and had no family left. While her skill as a nurse was decent, her witty and scathing remarks often caused many, if not all, potential friends to run far away. When she wasn't at work, she usually just preferred to sit alone in the corner, reading books. This became the favourite pastime of Kiku as well, as the new literature intrigued his curious mind.

The duo fell into an easy routine, as if two fitting jigsaw puzzle falling into place. Kiku felt as if Arthur hasn't left at all, with the familiar company Alice provided.

Alice visibly became happier, having someone to talk to and listen to her willingly.

But this time round, Kiku learnt. He didn't become as attached to Alice as compared to Arthur. He remembered about human's mortality clearly as if it was the day before.

Though despite his efforts, he still soon grew fond of the human girl. Her quirks were rather endearing to him, reminding him of a time long past.

While Kiku was happy, he always passed the days with a bated breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And drop it did.

Kiku normally didn't travel out of the house. He preferred the peace and solitude Alice's house provided, rather than mingling with the bustling crowd in town. However, when the sun was starting to dip and Alice still wasn't home, Kiku got worried.

Alice would usually reach home a few hours before this timing, so what had held her up?

Casting an invisibility charm, Kiku silently exited the house. He walked in the direction of the hospital. Anxious, he realised that the streets were deserted. The few people he saw passing by were hushed and tensed. Not liking the foreboding feeling, Kiku raced quickly to his destination.

Passing by the town square, Kiku halted his steps.

It was extremely noisy and crowded, as if the whole town had converged here. But that wasn't what stopped him. It was the sight of Alice, battered and bruised, tied up on a wooden cross. She was in the middle of the town square, with the rest of the townsfolk surrounding and screaming at her.

Her pretty twintails were let down for once and flowed freely on her back. Her fringe came down over her face and hid her glistening eyes. But with his superior sight and hearing, Kiku could see the tears streaming down her face and her muffled sniffles.

The cheers of the townsfolk grew higher as the sun begun to set. Kiku saw red as he saw a human lit up a torch with fire and was slowly heading towards the stake.

"Burn the witch!"

"Kill the witch!"

"Repent with your life, witch!"

Kiku saw Alice trembling as the fire got closer and closer to her. With a snarl, he dropped his invisibility. Rage clouded his vision and all his instincts screamed at him to save his friend from these insolent mortals.

Kiku extended his fangs and claws, giving in to the animalistic side of his nature. With his inhuman speed, he dashed through the crowd and sliced at the offender's hands who dared to attempt to burn his friend.

"Ahhh! It's the devil!"

"The Devil has come to save his witch!"

"Run! Oh my Father in heaven, save us from the Devil!"

The crowd screamed at the sight of Kiku and started to scatter. The person who dropped the fire torch backed away nervously.

Enraged, Kiku was a sight to behold. His eyes narrowed and pupils became slits. His mouth opened to bare a set of sharp fangs, while his claws were extended, free to slash anyone who came close. His nine tails towered high above him, intimidating anyone who sets their eyes on him.

Using the humans' fear and confusion, he untied Alice, freeing her from the bonds. "You saved me…" She whispered. Her tearful eyes revealed how relieved she was, and thankful for Kiku saving her from being burnt.

Kiku was about to reply, but an arrow whizzed past them. Glaring downwards, it seemed like some of the humans were foolish enough to not only not flee, but to take up arms against him. He was about to leap off the pile of wood into the crowd to decimate those arrogant apes, but Alice merely grabbed his arm and shook her head minutely.

"Let's just go," She pleaded him.

Looking at her bright emerald green eyes, Kiku sighed and agreed to his friend's proposal He held her tightly and sprinted away. They quickly exited the town and reached a green grassy field. Kiku gingerly placed Alice down. He cradled her head gently and inspected her wounds.

Using his haori sleeves, he gently wiped away the dried blood and grime on her face.

"Where shall I go now?" Alice despondently asked him. "The town was my home for my entire life. I have nowhere to go now."

She choked back her sobs as tears gathered at her eyes again. Kiku looked at her, and sympathised. Her small frame huddled and closed up as she put her head into her hands. Being turned away from her only home, with no place to go to.

"Why don't you come back to my house first?" Kiku offered. "A place to hide out, and when things settle, you can move to another human town if you want to."

Alice gazed up and she bit her lips, looking extremely grateful. She murmured, "thank you, Kiku."

He smiled softly at the human he grew to like as a second friend, before turning eastward and tugging Alice along with him. Back home.

It was his mistake.

A loud bang resonated in the field. Birds in the surrounding trees squawked loudly and flew away.

Kiku whirled around, heart thumping loudly. He saw Alice turning around to confront the other figure a few feet away from them. The other female had short blonde hair and was holding something that was smoking, aimed directly at them.

"Amelia…" Alice said weakly, before slumping down.

Kiku stood there stunned, he saw a wound on Alice's back which bled profusely. It stained her blue dress crimson red, and her blood even pooled on the ground. He couldn't react in time, as Alice fell to the ground.

"Haha! Serves you right you witch!" The girl, now identified as Amelia, crowed. She laughed and rejoiced at her success of injuring Alice severely.

Kiku snarled and in a flash, he was right in front of Amelia's eyes. He relished in the fear he saw in her widening eyes, and with a strong twist of his hands, her neck snapped before she could react. He gazed apathetically at her prone body on the ground, feeling satisfied at her death, before hurrying back to Alice.

Alice was coughing wetly. Kiku kneeled and grasped her, putting her on his lap.

"Hold still, I'll try to heal you." He assured her, as the incantation of an advanced healing spell spilled from his lips.

Alice gazed at him blearily, as though she was losing her vision and was unable to focus anymore. She raised a bloodied hand towards his cheek. "It's useless, I've lost too much blood. Amelia's guns were always very deadly…"

Kiku stared down at her sorrowfully. He knew that to be true, the amount of blood loss was already fatal to Alice. Even if he healed the wound, she still can't be saved. It was already too late. For a strong nine tailed kitsune like Kiku, helplessness was a feeling unknown to him.

It felt like Arthur all over again.

Alice saw his grief-stricken face, and chuckled softly, before hacking out a mouthful of blood. "Don't worry… Even though I will die today, I'm happy to be able to have such a wonderful friend like you. I don't regret anything in this life, and perhaps, all I wish for, is to have more time with you."

Kiku felt a lump in his throat and wetness on his cheeks. Realisation dawned on him that this was probably the last time he would ever hear her speak again. He gripped the human in his arms tighter, "You were a wonderful friend as well… I'll miss you." Alice stroked his face tenderly and smiled. Her glassy eyes closed for the last time and her hand fell weakly to her side.

Kiku heaved a sob, and then another one. Not before long, he hugged the prone form of his friend and wailed in despair to the heavens.

Feelings of unjust and anger swirled in him.

Calling out to the Gods above, Kiku screamed and clawed for their attention.

If you do listen, and care. Please, I beg of you. I'm willing to sacrifice anything. My remaining life force, my magic… anything! I just wish- wish for my friends and I to be happy together.

And somewhere high above, They heard him. With a swish of Their hands, the lone kitsune and the body of a blonde girl in his hands shimmered, before leaving no trace of them being there.

Being dragged out of isolation was not in his plans. But the irksome foreigner who landed onto his lands basically all but threatened him out of his isolation.

He huffed silently in annoyance at the insolent young people these days, as he slowly navigated through the hall, where people like him have gathered for their first meeting together.

He was navigating towards the corner, planning to stay put there till this entire farce ended, but he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Ah I'm so sorry," His respectable upbringing reacted first, and he apologised to the figure who he had bumped into.

"It's alright," The person replied. Somehow, the voice of this unfamiliar person put him strangely at ease. There was a stirring of something deep inside him, which he squashed, trying to focus on the situation here.

Raising a hand up for the standard handshake greeting, he said, "I'm Japan."

The other male smiled charmingly at him and grasped his offered hand, and replied, "England."

High above them, the Gods cheered and the Fates continued to weave the strings of these two. No matter which time, no matter which world. They will always find their way together.

AN: Finished! Hope that the formatting was fine. Do leave a review if you've enjoyed it! :)