An hour later, agent Smith asked for her third cup of coffee. Since Smith had a habit of popping in unannounced and always wanted coffee when she showed up, Kimihito had taken it upon himself to move the coffee machine into the living room. This was where she spent most of her time when she was here anyway, so Kimihito figured that putting it in there would make it easier.
"Alright, give me your cup then." Kimihito said.
As he appoarched the coffee machine, he looked into the kitchen.
"Whoa!" Kimihito shouted.
This got everyone else's attention and the came to see what the commotion was. What they saw was Kyumaru holding a frying pan, with an egg frying inside. But, Kyumaru wasn't holding the pan over a burner on the stove. He was holding it over one of his tails, the tip of which alight with a bright burning flame. Kyumaru felt the eyes on him and turned to his housemates.
"What?"
"Um, your tail is on fire." Miia said, pointing nervously to the fox boy's tail.
"Yeah, and?"
"Um, Kyumaru-san, they aren't used to seeing how a Kitsune cooks." Agent Smith said.
"Oh! I see. Well, don't worry. This is my fox fire."
"Oh, so that's the magic fire that Kitsune can make." Kimihito said.
"That's right. But, this isn't magic. Humans of ancient times thought it was and so the magic moniker stuck, but it's still not actually magic. It's pyrokinesis."
"Pyrokinesis?" Suu asked.
"It's a psychic power. Kitsune have the ability to control heat and fire with their minds." Agent Smith said.
"Well, mostly heat. You see, fire needs three things to exist. It needs heat, oxygen and a fuel source. Oxygen is plentiful. After all, it's in the air we're breathing right now. And with my power, I can condense the ambient heat around me until it reaches the right level. So there's the heat. And then there's fuel. Where we Kitsune usually live, there's plenty of trees and thus wood available. But, in a pinch, we can use the fur on our bodies as a fuel source. This is what I'm doing right now."
"Well, our gas bills aren't that high. So you don't have to use your fox fire." Kimihito said.
"Well, even so, I'm just used to this. But, if it really bothers you, Kurusu-san, I can stop."
"Oh no, it doesn't bother me. I just don't want you to burn up all your fur just to cook us a meal. And you can call me Kimihito."
"Oh, I see. Well, thanks for your concern, Kimihito-san."
Kyumaru then pointed to the kitchen table.
"Most of the meal's done, if you're hungry."
The group looked over to the table. On it sat large bowls of steamed vegetables and hardboiled eggs, along with a sizeable fried fish and a plate with large pieces of grilled chicken breast. There were also glasses of juice sitting next to perfectly arranged plates and silverware.
"Holy cow, foxy. How'd you get all this done so fast?" Miia asked.
"It's just a gift. By the way, I made the hard-boiled eggs specifically for you, Miia-san. Smith-san mentioned that you liked them a lot."
Miia slithered over to the eggs. She noticed that the eggs had a strange sheen to them and, curious about it, took a whiff. She then involuntarily began to salivate. She caught herself quickly enough so as to not be caught drooling in front of everyone else.
"They smell great. What did you do to them?"
"Well, after they finished boiling, I shocked them in ice water to stop any carry over heat from cooking them past the point I wanted them at. Then I shelled them and gave them a bath in a little teriyaki sauce with ginger and red pepper flake added to it."
"Teriyaki, ginger and red pepper flake on a hard-boiled egg…" Centorea said as she pondered about the eggs.
"I know, it sounds strange, but trust me on this. Go ahead and try one, Miia-san."
"Don't mind if I do."
Miia quickly grabbed an egg and bit it in half. As soon as the flavors hit her tongue, Miia began to tear up.
"Miia, what's wrong?" Papi asked.
"It's just so good. It's cooked perfectly, the texture is spot on and that sauce, as weird as it sounds, tastes fantastic. And it makes me sad because I know I'll never be this good."
"I can teach you a few things if you want, Miia-san." Kyumaru said.
"You have to! You have to!" Miia practically begged.
"Okay, okay. I will. But, first, everybody else dig in. I'm gonna finish this egg and add it to some rice I've got waiting over here."
Kimihito looked at the rice Kyumaru mentioned. It seemed like just enough for one person to have a good sized portion.
"Not a lot of rice there." Kimihito said.
"That's because it's just for me. Sorry but, after I saw all the good quality eggs in the fridge, I just had to make myself a bowl of egg fried rice. It's my favorite. I know it's selfish, but…"
"Selfish? You make all of this for us and then you think making yourself one dish is selfish? Man, Kyumaru-san, one thing we've got to work on is your sense of pride." Agent Smith said.
"Uh, Smith, didn't you say just a minute ago that Kyumaru was very humble and we shouldn't try to over indulge him?" Rachnera asked.
"I did, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be taught to have some pride."
"I agree with Smith-san. This is some amazing work, Kyumaru-san. You should be proud of your skills." Kimihito said.
"Well, I, uh, heh heh." Kyumaru chuckled embarrassedly.
"Hey! Can we eat already?" Papi called.
"Yeah, go ahead, everybody. Dig in." Kimihito said.
Everyone else sat down and started to fill their plates while Kyumaru continued to work on his egg fried rice. Kimihito noticed that while Miia and Papi grabbed the foods he figured they would, they also took servings of the steamed vegetables. He knew those two were stone cold veggie-phobes, so he wondered what Kyumaru had done to make the vegetables look appetizing to them. Meanwhile, Suu had already downed her glass of juice in one quick gulp and was eyeing Meron's. Kyumaru noticed this and walked over to the fridge. He pulled several bottles of water out of the fridge. He then took them over to his slime housemate.
"Here you go, Suu-san. Smith-san said that slimes need water more than anything to maintain their bodies. But, I figured some vitamins and minerals couldn't hurt, so I dissolved some tablets into these bottles. So here. Drink up."
"Oh, thank you, Kyumaru." Suu-said, while taking the bottles from her housemate.
"Hey, Suu spoke and didn't mimic anyone. That's pretty rare on any day and you got to hear it on your first day here, Kyumaru. You should feel special." Miia said.
"Is it really that rare?"
"Yup. She usually just plays parrot when somebody speaks to her. No idea why. We know she's more than intelligent enough to speak normally. Maybe she does it just to mess with us."
"Well, regardless, you're welcome, Suu-san."
Kyumaru sniffed the air.
"Oh! My egg is ready." The fox boy said as he walked over to the rice bowl.
Kyumaru situated the egg on top of the rice and drew some chop sticks out of a nearby drawer. He then sat down next to Suu and began eating. This was when Kimihito took a closer look at his new housemate. He looked over Kyumaru's overall appearance. For all intents, he could pass for human. All he would need to do would be to cover up the fur on his hands, cut his claws and hide his ears and tails. Some nail clippers, gloves, a hat and a long coat would disguise him as a human perfectly.
"So, if all Kitsune look like him, how could anyone not think that they are people with fox like features? I mean, I know Kitsune have a reputation for magic and mischief, but seriously. I see a young man with a few fox parts tacked on. What kind of greed do those poachers have that could convince them they're shooting animals and not people?" Kimihito thought as he looked at Kyumaru.
"So, foxy, where are you from?" Miia asked.
"A tiny, hidden Kitsune village just outside the limits of Kyushu. Population is about four hundred. So, everybody knows everybody pretty much."
"Um, yes, about the population. told us about your people's situation. I'm so sorry about what's happening to you. I wish there was something we could do." Meron said.
"I say give me about twenty minutes with just a few of them. I'll send them away with a message to spread to the others….amongst other things." Rachnera said darkly.
"Well, I appreciate the thought, Rachnera-san. And I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about starting a few 'witch hunts' myself. But, they think we're just beasts imitating the forms of people. If I attacked them the way that dark part of me would like to, I'd just be helping prove them right. I must keep on the high road. I have to be the bigger man, no matter how difficult it is." Kyumaru said, his eyes lowering sadly.
"Kyumaru…" Suu muttered.
Suu reached over and hugged Kyumaru.
"Heh, thank you, Suu-san."
"Man, getting Suu's slime out of your fur is gonna be difficult." Miia said.
"No, it won't, Miia. Look closely. Suu is being careful to make sure her rain coat covers the area that is touching Sir Kyumaru." Centorea said.
"Huh. How come she can't be that considerate with us?"
"I do not have the foggiest idea."
"Somebody pass the chicken, please!" Papi jutted in.
And so the meal went, without incident. Kimihito was thankful for that. He didn't want Kyumaru to see what a cycle of chaos this household could be on his first day here. After the meal, Kyumaru entertained the crowd with a foxfire pyrotechnics display. After this, agent Smith took her leave. She reminded Kimihito that the remodelers would be there tomorrow to the fix up Kyumaru's 'man cave' and that she would be sending the rest of his things soon. Following this, the crew played some video games, which Kyumaru proved to be surprisingly good at. He was best at the motion controlled, martial arts fighting game. He soundly handed Papi, Suu and Lala their heads in this game. Miia, Rachnera and even Centorea took a shot at Kyumaru. However, their inhumanoid lower halves prevented them from being registered by the games controls below the waist.
"Okay. This is so not fair! Kyumaru can kick, punch and even knee the crap out of our characters, but all we've got are our fists." Miia complained.
"Well, this game wasn't designed for Liminals. At least, not ones without humanoid bodies." Kimihito said.
"What about Papi? She has those big old wings for arms and talons for feet. And Suu's practically made of water for crying out loud. Why does it register them perfectly and not us?"
"I guess it's because they're humanoid in overall shape. It doesn't matter what parts they have or what they're made of. The game's just looking for the basic shape of a human."
"Hmph! Stupid racist game! Darling, we should get rid of it and find one that incorporates non-human liminal forms too."
"Does such a thing exist though?" Mero asked.
"I'm sure somebody's made one, somewhere." Miia said.
"I'll help you look, Miia-san. I'd like for all of us to be able to enjoy ourselves with this game." Kyumaru said.
"Well, thanks, Kyumaru. Alright, then let's get to work. The sooner, the better."
"It's gonna have to wait until tomorrow, everybody. It's getting late and we should all go to bed."
"Oh, alright. Tomorrow then! Goodnight everybody." Miia said and slithered off to her room.
"I'll be off too, then. Come on, scales. I'll carry you to your room on the way." Rachnera said.
"Thank you, Miss Rachnera. Pleasant dreams everyone." Mero said.
"Boss, Papi wants to play some more!" Papi said.
"Suu does too!" Suu said.
"Sorry, girls. No can do. Now off to bed." Kimihito said.
"Fine. Night, Boss." Papi said and flew off to her room.
Suu turned to Kyumaru and hugged him once more before going off to her room.
"She seems to really like you, Kyumaru-san." Kimihito said.
"It could be a case of opposites attracting. Suu is water while Kyumaru is fire. It is interesting to see two opposing elemental liminals living together so easily." Lala said.
"Yeah, I guess." Kimihito said.
"Mortal, I have a request."
"What is it, Lala?"
"I wish to stay and study this fox. I sense a palpable aura of death around him. I simply must see what fate this intails."
"I shall answer for thee, milord. You shall do no such thing, you soul reaping pretender. No off to your quarters." Centorea said.
"You dare defy me, Centuar?"
"I doth indeed dare. Sir Kyumaru has just arrived and I for one will not tolerate any of your 'grim' fantasies involving him. Especially not this soon and not considering the plight of his people. Now be gone for this eve, dullahan."
"I will study him one way or another. But you shall have it your way for tonight."
Lala then turned on her heel and headed for her room.
"You shall have nothing to fear from her, Sir Kyumaru. She is, in truth, harmless. But her obsession with death due to the legends about her people is something you needn't deal with on your first night here. Do not worry. My quarters is next to hers. I shall hear her if she attempts to come bother you, no matter how quiet she tries to be. And I shall stop her."
"Well, thank you, Centora-san. But, please, don't neglect your own need for sleep."
"I shall be fine. But I appreciate your concern. Now, I must take my leave. Goodnight, and welcome, Sir Kyumaru." Centorea said and left.
"Well, come on, Kyumaru. Let's go get you some bedding to sleep on." Kimihito said.
"Right behind you."
Around midnight that night, Miia woke up with a bad case of dry mouth. So, she slithered down stairs to the kitchen to get a drink. After she finished, she turned to return to her room when she heard a groaning sound coming from the living room. She went to investigate and saw Kyumaru grimacing and grumbling in his sleep on the couch. Suddenly, he shot upright with a sharp gasp escaping his mouth. Miia quickly hid behind the nearby wall and peaked around the corner and continued to watch him. She saw Kyumaru turn into a sitting position and holding his head in his hands.
"That damn dream again. What do I have to do to shake it? Why do I have to be tormented by it so much? I know it's my fault. So please, make it stop." Kyumaru said, looking straight up the ceiling.
"I know it's my fault. So please, God, make it go away. I can't stand living like this. My heart's already heavy enough. I can't stand having to bear this guilt even in my sleep. So, please, make it stop. And…and tell my father, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I hadn't been day dreaming like I was then that hunter would've never gotten a bead on me. And then dad wouldn't….he wouldn't…oh god. I'm so sorry, dad."
Kyumaru then laid down and quietly sobbed to himself. Miia, not knowing what to say or do right now, slithered quickly to the stairs before Kyumaru could notice her. She then headed up to Kimihito's room.
"Darling? I need to talk to you. I'm coming in."
Kimihito woke up to the sound of the door opening.
"Miia? What do you want?"
"Well…."
Miia explained the situation to Kimihito.
"I see. His father must've been killed while trying to save Kyumaru from the hunter. And Kyumaru blames himself for his death. And, I guess this self-blame makes him relive the memory in his sleep every so often. Damn, I knew looking after him wouldn't be easy after I heard what was happening to Kitsune in general. But now I see how personal this is for him."
"What do we do, Darling? I feel so bad for him. I can't imagine the pain he's in." Miia said, tearing up.
"The only thing we can do, Miia. We show him that he's safe here. That he has people who care about him. Like Smith said, we show him that we are his family too and we do all we can to comfort him."
"Roger that, Darling. I knew you would know what to do. Alright, tomorrow begins operation fox family!"