"I'm going into town, Tomoe. Make sure you hold down the fort until I get back, okay?"
Five years. That was how long Mikage had been gone. Five long, hard years.
Tomoe trudged through the door of the shrine, exhausted from the night's activities. "I'm home," he called out wearily, not really expecting answer other than Onikiri and Kotetsu's usual greeting. So, naturally, when nothing but the sound of hushed whispers reached his ears, Tomoe immediately tensed.
It had been five years since Mikage had left the shrine, but it had been over five hundred since Tomoe had had a real fight and now he was itching for one. Slipping off his shoes, Tomoe crept closer to the main room of the shrine, where the voices were coming from.
"Was that him?" The voice was unfamiliar, but it definitely belonged to a man. "What an odd time to be out." An irritated huff sounded before the man continued, "Are you certain she'll be safe around a white fox like him?" Tomoe paused. Are they talking about me? He stepped closer to the door and continued listening.
"Now, now, dear," chided another voice, this one female. "We shouldn't judge him based on his birth. After all, we're not very different." The man scoffed but let the woman speak. "It is safe, isn't it, my lord?"
"Of course," responded another man, but Tomoe was able to recognize him almost instantly. Lord Ookuninushi? Tomoe was puzzled. Almost immediately his stance relaxed; if Ookuninushi was here, then obviously there was no reason to fight. Even so... What is he doing here? Luckily, Tomoe didn't have to wait long for an answer. "Lord Mikage himself swore to me that he would be the best one to leave her with."
Tomoe's lavender eyes widened. Mikage? What did he have to do with all this? And if he was the reason for Ookuninushi's appearance, then why wasn't he here as well?
Everything about the situation was strange and every passing moment only confused Tomoe more. He squared his shoulders and prepared to barge into the room when another voice stopped him. This one, however, did not come from inside the main room, nor was it the voice of an adult. Even so, that voice was the most baffling thing about the entire situation.
"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIYAH!"
Tomoe didn't even get a chance to respond before something hard and hollow collided with the top of his head. An expletive made its way out of the fox's mouth as he clutched his head in pain and stepped back. Unfortunately, the attacker had speed as well as surprise on the white fox and within a moment, a loud crack sounded as Tomoe's gut made contact with the intruder's weapon, knocking him back further. What the hell?! he wondered as the door to the main room opened.
Onikiri and Kotetsu were the first ones outside. Right behind them were a man and a woman Tomoe didn't recognize followed by Ookuninushi himself. Before he could speak, another battle cry sounded from his opponent and Tomoe readied himself for another assault.
Luckily, the others had seemed to understand the situation as soon as they had laid eyes on Tomoe and were able to react far more quickly to the attack. "Hey! Let me go!" Tomoe opened his lavender eyes to see the man holding a young girl in his arms. She was struggling furiously as she tried to break free of the man's hold.
"Are you alright?" asked the woman, drawing Tomoe's attention. He nodded, still in shock from what had just occurred. "I'm sorry about her, she tends to get a little excited." The woman's face was apologetic and she seemed to be studying Tomoe for signs of serious injury.
Shaking the dazed fog out of his mind, Tomoe recollected himself and stood. "I'm quite alright," he assured them.
The woman studied him for a moment longer before nodding to herself in satisfaction. She turned back to the young girl, who was still struggling in the man's arms, though now she was attempting to beat him with what looked like a small wooden stick.
"Miko Tachibana!" the woman scolded. Almost immediately, both the man and the young girl stopped and looked up at her, their expressions terrified. "What is wrong with you, attacking Master Tomoe like that?! We are guests in his home, and as such, we should treat him with respect, not attack him like animals!"
The young girl seemed to recover her previous courage, because indignant fury fill her golden eyes as she responded, "It's his own fault for creeping around like some kind of thief! How was I supposed to know he lived here?!"
"Miko..." the woman began, her voice showing just how angry was becoming.
Luckily, one of the men was brave enough to intervene. "That's enough, Hikari," Ookuninushi said softly. He looked down at the young girl kindly. "Miko was just trying to protect us, isn't that right?" Miko nodded but she kept her golden gaze on her mother. "You can't fault her for that, can you?"
"I can," Tomoe muttered under his breath as he watched the exchange, but a warning look from the blond god silenced him.
"Well," continued Ookuninushi, clapping his hands together cheerfully. "Now that that's settled, let's have a seat so we can discuss the reason for our visit." He turned to smile at Tomoe. "Master Tomoe, if you would be so kind as to make us some tea. It's getting rather late, and I think we'll be needing to stay up for quite a while longer."
"Which reminds me," the man said, looking down at the young girl sternly. She had calmed down enough that he could set her on the floor without fear of another attack. "Why aren't you in bed, young lady?"
Miko glared up at him before pointing at the fox familiar. "I was until I heard him stomping around outside," she replied haughtily. "It's not my fault he's loud enough to wake up half of Yomi." The shock of Miko's words outweighed the sting of her insults. Not even Ookuninushi had sensed Tomoe's presence until he'd called out, but this little girl had been able to hear him sneak in? Tomoe looked down at the young girl. Just what exactly is she?
Ookuninushi sighed and clapped his hands together once more. "Well," he said, "it can't be helped. She might as well stay awake with the rest of us." None of them argued and Tomoe could have sworn he had seen a victorious smirk on the young girl's face before she followed the other adults into the main room.
Tomoe sighed. "Onikiri! Kotetsu!" Twin flames appeared, signaling the arrival of the shrine spirits. He barely even looked at them as he made his way to the kitchen. "Prepare a fresh change of clothes for me while I make the tea," he ordered. "Once it's ready, serve Lord Ookuninushi and his companions some tea." Tomoe paused for a moment as the memory of the fiery young girl with golden eyes came into his mind. "I'll also leave a glass with warm milk and honey for the girl."
The spirits nodded and ran off to complete their tasks. Tomoe paused for a moment, pondering the recent events. He sighed once more and looked up at the full moon through the window. "What are you playing at, Mikage?"
He stood like that for a long moment, but the moon was as cold and silent as ever. Eventually, Tomoe began working, and as he poured the milk, thoughts of a little girl with golden eyes continued to fill his mind.
Tomoe took a sip of his tea and pretended not to notice the dark-haired girl staring at him. Now that he could see her in the light, she really was quite lovely. She looked almost human, aside from the black tattoo-like marks running down the sides of her face and down her neck, the small black tail poking out from under her lavender pajamas, and the pointy black ears sticking out of her jet black hair which ran down to her waist. Her skin was pale and she had delicate features marred only by the scowl in her golden eyes. She seemed to be incapable of smiling at the white fox, though she often graced the spirits and Ookuninushi with a toothy grin.
Ookuninushi cleared his throat, drawing the familiar's attention. "Master Tomoe," he said kindly. "Thank you again for your hospitality. I'd like to introduce you to my familiars, Ryota and Hikari Tachibana." The man and woman smiled and bowed their heads to Tomoe. "You've already met their daughter, Miko." Another glare from the young girl. The resemblance was obvious in the light; Miko had inherited her mother's appearance, but her father held the same determined fire in his jade eyes as Miko did in her gold ones.
"Five years ago," Ryota began, glancing at his wife tentatively. "Hikari fell ill. She was already eight months pregnant with Miko, but our physician said neither of them would survive childbirth." Tomoe's eyes widened at this revelation. Even so, what did that have to do with Mikage?
"Lord Ookuninushi had been visiting his mother, Lady Izanami, in Yomi so we were unable to contact him for help," continued Hikari herself. "At the time, Lord Otohiko was the only god we were able to reach." Tomoe shuddered as he pictured the poor couple being forced to deal with the wind god. "Luckily, he was able to put us in contact with Lord Mikage, who rushed over and helped us birth Miko safely." That definitely sounded like something the matchmaking god would do. Suddenly, Tomoe had a thought, one that might help explain the whole reason for Mikage's disappearance.
"When is Miko's birthday?" he demanded abruptly. If he was right, then Miko was the reason Mikage had disappeared all those years ago. Maybe she was the key to bringing him back as well.
"I turned five last Thursday," replied the dark-haired girl defiantly, no fear in her golden eyes despite the white fox's sudden change in attitude. Tomoe didn't need any time to recognize the date. September 26th. The day after Mikage disappeared. The timeline made sense. So this is the girl who stole Mikage away.
"Did he say where he was going after you recovered?" demanded Tomoe, turning back to the couple. They shook their heads sadly and Tomoe sighed. "I had imagined as much." Taking a breath, he squared his shoulders and continued, "Well, it can't be helped. But I must ask, what does that have to do with your visit to the shrine?"
Ookuninushi shared a grim look with his familiars before speaking. "Before Mikage left, it seems he left a message with Ryota and Hikari," he said. "The message was that, should they ever need someone to watch over Miko in their absence, they should come to Mikage shrine and leave her in your care, Tomoe." Tomoe's lavender eyes widened. What?! He grit his teeth. Damn you, Mikage, if you ever come back, I'll jump-kick you as soon as you show your face.
"There must be some kind of mistake," protested the fox. "Are you sure Mikage meant me?"
The blond god nodded grimly, a strange thing for his usually cheerful countenance. "You see, Master Tomoe, Hikari and Ryota are wolf yokai."
"Wolf yokai?" repeated Tomoe in surprise. Wolf yokai were extremely rare; Tomoe thought they had gone extinct over 500 years ago.
According to legend, the wolf yokai were Lady Izanami's most beloved creations, gifted in both mind and body. Their physical strength and agility were matched only by their quick wits. Lord Izanagi, seeing how powerful the wolf yokai were, and realizing that if they were left unchecked, could surpass even the gods themselves, cursed the wolves, forbidding them from having more than one child per family; any more and either the mother or the child would die in childbirth. In addition to this curse, wolf yokai took almost as long to mature as humans, which meant that the length of time between the current generations and the next ones would be even greater.
Ryota nodded and looked at his wife lovingly. "Miko is the last pure-blooded female wolf yokai left," he explained. "As such, she is sought after by many gods as well as yokai. In exchange for Miko's protection, we have agreed to let her become Lord Ookuninushi's familiar when she is of age."
"I imagine there is a pure-blooded male wolf yokai waiting for her to mature as well?" Tomoe asked with a raised eyebrow. The couple nodded, confirming his suspicions, and Tomoe glanced down at the young girl who was gulping down her milk, completely oblivious to the implications. "I see."
"Until now," Hikari continued, "I have been the one caring for Miko while my husband attends to Lord Ookuninushi during Kamuhakari." Tomoe suddenly realized where this was going and he didn't like it. "But, as you've seen, Miko is at the age where she enjoys running about wildly." Miko huffed and crossed her arms, insulted by her mother's words. Tomoe fought the urge to smirk at her milk mustache. "I fear that one of the gods may try something if they see her, and Izumo is too busy this time of year for me to be away from the shrine for so long."
"So you want me to watch her while you two work?" finished Tomoe for the woman. Ryota and Hikari both bowed down pleadingly.
"Please, Master Tomoe, watch over our daughter!"
Tomoe watched Miko, who was still glaring at him defiantly. Five years old, and she was already engaged, not to mention a future contract with Ookuninushi. The things we do to protect the people we love. Tomoe smiled bitterly.
He looked back up at the adults and replied, "Sorry, but this isn't my problem. Go find someone else to babysit her."