The Nine-Tailed Fox
Just a redo of one of my older stories that was nice but sickened me at the same time.
-o-
Newly wedded couple Misook and Kang headed to their new house. The sakura blossoms were just blooming, and the air was filled with their sleepy fragrance. Kang quickly fell asleep. Misook opened her pitch black eyes and turned to look at her husband. Her short, light brown hair rustled as her gentle hand rested on Kang's stomach. The look in her eyes was caring, and full of love.
Suddenly, she grinned. She hand had claws. Before Kang could awake, Misook ripped his liver out. She crawled out the window, and headed to the close forest. The full moon was out, and Misook sat on the tree stump in the bright clearing ahead. Misook sat on the stump, her claws clutching the liver.
And that fox-like creature ate it.
The fox changed.
This time the claws withdrew; the wolfish grin was replaced by soft smiling human lips, long black hair, and bright purple eyes. She emitted an aura of grace and elegance, a contrast to Misook's bubbling energy, and made everyone feel like they were special.
She was most men's dream girl. She fit true to her name, Tomoyo.
She ran to a cliff in the far distance, and entered a cave. There her family lived.
The dark haired one spoke first, "Congrats."
The second one looked exactly like Misook except for her bright green eyes. "Hooray."
"Ah, I see Meiling and Sakura have already greeted you." A middle aged woman appeared, with short blond hair and pale blue eyes. "Good job."
"Isn't it customary for a bride to say goodbye to her family, okaa-san?" Tomoyo laughed.
They all hugged her, their hearts beating against Tomoyo's fake skin.
She frowned, if only for a second. While they were all fully human, she was still that creature.
She quickly hid her disappointment. She would save that for her sleep.
That night, Tomoyo stared at the familiar cave ceiling.
How did I get here?
Her mother was a nine-tailed fox. Sakura and Meiling were nine-tailed foxes. Yet they managed to do the task that many of their kind were to lazy to do.
They all found 100 male men, and ate their livers.
Tomoyo's mother had fallen in love with Hiro Daidouji since she was a baby. During his life time she killed and ate 100 livers, so when he was looking for a wife she was fully human. They fell in love, got married, and in a year Sonomi had a baby, Tomoyo. She was the perfect child, more than anything Hiro hoped for.
When Tomoyo was three, however, Hiro found out. Tomoyo was playing with the next door neighbor's son, when she suddenly attacked him. When he went to take them home, he saw Tomoyo crouched over the child's body, blood dripping from her mouth.
When Hiro and Tomoyo went home, he confronted Sonomi. He knew exactly what they were.
Sonomi fled, a confused and full Tomoyo in hand. She ran to the cave, where here cousins comforted her. Not before Tomoyo attacked Hiro. She managed to eat his liver while Sonomi packed their few belongings.
That is where Tomoyo grew up, accepting the fact that she was a nine-tailed fox and that she killed her father. She grew with a cold heart, for thirteen years.
Meiling and Sakura were centuries year older than her, even though they looked physically the same age. They recently turned human, after a 50 year hunt.
Tomoyo had waited and waited until she turned 15 to change, so she could fit in with Meiling and Sakura.
During the past year she was with 97 men, eating their livers and gaining their trust in cities all over the country, from the ocean side cities to the high mountains. Sonomi laughed whenever Tomoyo appeared after two weeks, her skin glowing brighter each time.
"The fastest seduction ever." She would always laugh.
Her first disguise was like Meiling except Tomoyo kept her purple eyes. The guy's name was Syo. He tasted like alcohol, and she was mildly intoxicated during the next two weeks.
The latest man was one Sakura wanted to disappear. Tomoyo granted that wish. Happily.
Sakura had a hard upbringing, with her father dying soon after her mother died three years after she was born. Sonomi was very close to Nadeshiko, her only cousin. Yelan, Meiling's aunt and Sonomi's close friend, sent Meiling to live with Sonomi and 'become a human, already!' because of her several human children. They were the sole reason she lived on after her human husband died. Sakura was seeing Syaoran, one of Yelan's children.
Meiling was hanging around a dojo, and training with the master's interesting son.
Tomoyo rolled of her futon and headed towards the house she recently inhabited 4 hours ago. She faked Misook's death by beast, and went back to the cave to sleep, all the while muttering 'one more, one more.'
The next day Tomoyo headed towards a reasonably far town, Hang-un, or Luck.
Fufu. How fitting.
And so, she headed to the little house at the edge of the small village. She waited.
A week later, while looking around town for any eligible boy, she was stopped.
"Young miss, have you seen a man about your age with round glasses and blueish hair?" A frantic looking bald headed man asked. He was sweating and looked like he was running around for awhile.
She pointed at a busy street. "He just passed by over there."
He left before she finished her sentence, shouting, "Young master, young master!"
Just then, the real 'young master' appeared from the shadows.
"Thank you." True to the bald man's word, he had black-blue hair, dark blue eyes, and round glasses that gave him a sense of silliness. His pale skin showed a sense of royalty.
"Always." Tomoyo glanced around to see many girls glaring. He is quite popular.
That was their first meeting.
The day after that Tomoyo was pushed into a blind date by Sakura and Meiling.
"How do you even know anybody in Hang-un already!" Tomoyo complained. Her natural appearance was being played around with by those two.
"Well..." Meiling was starting into a long discussion.
"Syaoran-kun has a cousin in this village that we know you will love." Sakura interrupted with a wink.
"Or at least have a mutual friendship with." Meiling laughed.
"It'll work out!" They chorused.
Tomoyo sighed, and saw her date.
"Run-away-san?"
"Oh, it's Ms. Help-it."
That was their first date.
Tomoyo and Eriol Hirragizawa dated each other for one month, much to the dislike of the village girls and Sonomi.
"Hurry Tomoyo. Or you won't make it."
Tomoyo agreed, but whenever she saw Eriol's crooked smile, her worries washed away.
Soon the wedding bells were ringing, and Tomoyo was nervous. Yes, Tomoyo Daidouji was actually nervous. Which made her even more nervous.
The wedding was simple, and Eriol was soon married to one of the most beautiful women in Hang-un.
That night Tomoyo avoided contact with Eriol, knowing what happened. The worst thing she ever did. Even worse than her father's death.
She lost the teetering battle of fake love and real love.
That night, when Tomoyo stole away to her mother, Sonomi sympathized. Tomoyo knew what she had to do.
In her head a heated argument was going on.
Are you going to do it?
No.
Why?
Because.
Are you going to get rid of all that hard work?
...
Forget about him! Just find a cutie later and that's it.
No.
Are you serious?
...
Well?
...
Fine. See if I care.
You are going to care.
Why?
Because I say so.
Right.
...
Fine. But whatever your going to do I'm not going to like one bit.
I love you too.
But I still think your insane, for heaven's sake.
Thank you.
-o-
Tomoyo climbed the cliff with ease. Unknown to her, behind a boulder was Eriol. He was smarter than most of the men she married and followed her up here.
Below Sakura and Meiling were silently crying. Syaoran and his many sisters watched in stony silence as Yelan and Sonomi quietly whispered to each other.
"Why this place? Why couldn't I have sent her to another village? Then we could've came here and Tomoyo would've gotten her happy ending." Sonomi said with great remorse.
"At least she found love at last." Yelan looked at the full moon with sad eyes.
Tomoyo took a deep breath. Her black hair flew in the wind.
That night, the village of Hang-un was filled with a beautiful, eerie song.
With each passing note, Tomoyo's voice was lowered. The last note was a forced whisper.
She fell. Eriol sprung from his hiding place.
"Tomoyo?" He stroked her cheek.
She looked at him, all lies gone.
"I love you. I know you will hate me for it, sooner or later, but I do."
She slowly turned into a sleek black furred fox with dead purple eyes. There were nine tails, and the tips were exactly the same shade of blue as Eriol's eyes.
-o-
That's it folks.
I think my favorite line was the very last one.
-TheMidnightGhost