When the fox with the strange name had finished his tale his words seemed to linger in the air. Heavy with significance. Aya shook her head. She almost could see the girl from the story. How she was brave, how she had overcome all those difficulties to save her brother. Aya envied her. She clenched her fists and tried to ignore the sting in her eyes.
The fox tilted his head. "Did you like the story?"
Aya nodded, not able to push any words past the lump in her throat.
"You know you could be like that girl," he said sweet and alluring. "You could save your brother. He is not dead. All you have to do is come with me. I'll show you the way."
"I don't know..."
Aya furrowed her brows. What if the fox spoke the truth? Could she trust him? She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. The little prince had a fox and it was a wise advisor. And weren't foxes said to be intelligent and associated with Inari, the god of rice, the protector of food and the bringer of prosperity? But they could also be tricksters, leading one astray from what was right and decent.
His voice broke the silence. "I see. You do not want to see him again. He must have upset you quite heavily."
"That's not true!" Aya sprung from her seat. "It's just...I don't know. I have believed him to be dead for so long now."
The fox narrowed his eyes. "For how long?"
She started to fumble her dress. "I tried to count the days, but after the first wall was covered I stopped making marks. It was pointless anyway. And San said.."
"San?" The fox perked his ears and than shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. He looked at Aya again. "Who is San?"
"She lives in the woods and she...she is very brave, too. She and her wolf friends protect us from what lives behind the forest."
The fox fell silent, obviously thinking. Aya did not know what to do, so she just waited for him to finish his thoughts. It wasn't something she was not used to by now. Waiting.
Finally he gave up his brooding.
"What if you told San that you want to cross the forest? Would she come with you?"
Aya's eyes went wide. "Of course not. I once asked her about it, but she said I would be safer here. I guess...if I tried to go into the forest she would probably..." She did not finish the sentence. Somehow the fox's questions made her feel awkward. Suddenly she wished he hadn't come. But what about Ran? Was he really still alive? Wasn't she obliged to find out whether he had said the truth?
The red-furred animal sighed. "You don't believe me. And why should you? After all, you don't know me. If we had more time I would be pleased to get to know you. You seem like a nice girl. Unfortunately, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Your brother and other people are in danger and they count on me to help them. So I guess it will be the best to leave you here in your little happy place with only your own thoughts to keep you company."
Aya blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about? I have friends here. They all helped me after...after my family had died."
"They did?" The fox snorted. "As I see it they lied to you all along. Out of the best of intentions I suppose. Nevertheless the kept you away from the truth. The truth that lies behind the forest."
"But..." She looked around in her little home and felt the fox move to her side.
"You know this is not real. Deep down inside you know it. Why haven't your dumplings gone bad? Why does your incense miss the smell? Why are the cherry trees always in bloom? Why do the animals talk?"
"But you talk," Aya said defensively.
The fox lowered his head. "That different. I'm really a human, but a wicked witch has turned me into an animal. I need you to get my human self back."
He looked so miserable that Aya wanted to reach out and stroke him. But that would be wrong if he really was a human being. Could that be true anyway? What if he only told her what she wanted to hear to get her to do the things he wanted? She uttered a short, sad laugh.
"Next you tell me that Ran was turned into a raven and that I have to save him."
"A cat."
"What?"
"Your brother has been turned into a cat," the fox snarled. "And he is the most annoying cat I have ever met. And that includes his stupid dog friends and the rabbit."
Aya tried not to laugh. She put her hand over her mouth, but it was no use. Finally, she broke into laughter and and laughed and laughed until her eyes were wet with tears. She wiped them away and smiled at the sulking animal.
"You really are funny," she managed to get out before giggling again. He looked like he had bitten into a lemon.
"I'm so glad I could humor you."
Aya got up and smoothed out her dress. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving and you must be hungry, too."
Instead of an answer the fox's belly started to rumble.
She bowed. "I'm sorry. I'm an awful host. Please, make yourself comfortable. I will cook something for us."
Aya went to the small kitchen area and started to get everything she needed from the cupboard and shelves. She felt the fox watching her, but she tried to concentrate on her hands. Her laughter had taken away some of her tension, but now it came creeping back on ice cold spider legs. His words tumbled about in her mind and made her heart ache. A cat. He said Ran was a cat. It would be like him, but what about...
"My parents. Are they still alive, too?" Her tone was casual, but the way her fingers clenched around the rim of the rice bowl were giving her away.
"No, they are not. I know that you know that. You wouldn't have erected that forest if it wasn't like that."
She paused, the kettle with the boiling water still in her hand. "What do you mean? I did not erect the forest."
"You did," the fox insisted. "You wanted to stay here and never go back. So you hid yourself behind those trees and decorated your little world with characters from books and fairy tales. Do you still think this is real? Let me show you, it isn't."
Her hands started to tremble. She put the kettle down and did not dare to turn around. She looked at the indigents she had gathered and suddenly wondered how they got into her shelves. She certainly had not put them there. So why were her cupboards always full? Why was her garden always filled with flowers? Why did it never rain like on that night? And why had she never noticed that before? It was like the fox had shattered her world and she could not fit the pieces back together again. The spell was broken, her safe haven gone for good.
"How?" Her voice was barely audible, nothing more than a frightened whisper of a child hiding in the dark.
"Let me take you to the other side of the forest. If I am lying, there will be nothing there but another meadow. But if I am telling the truth..."
"I will see Ran again." The words had fled from her mouth before she could hold them back. She swallowed and turned around slowly. "All right. I will come with you. But before we leave, we will eat."
Schuldig waited for her to finish the meal preparations. If he had been to choose, he would have pushed her out into the fields to get her to that stupid forest as soon as possible. To his discontent she was stronger than he had expected. He still could not turn back into his human form and that limited his options to pretty much nothing but waiting. It also made him wonder about her gift. A kind of telepathy was very likely, but it had to be different than his.
'An empath maybe' he thought to himself. Empaths came in varying strengths. Some were merely a living lie detector, whereas others could not only feel but also transmit emotions and plant fear and pain into the heart of their enemies. Those were, of course, very rare and he had only met one or two by the time being. One had been part of a team with her twin sister, able to create powerful illusions. Those two had been quite impressive as they could manipulate and fight back even large groups. He wondered where they were now...
"Diner's ready!"
Schuldig startled and blinked down at the bowl of soup before him. It smelled good and the girl's smile made him smile in response. She sat down and started to eat silently. He sniffed at the soup and felt something warm rise inside him.
'Definitely an empath. I can sense her friendliness seep into me and weaken my determination. It makes me want to stay here and let her fondle and stroke my like a stupid pet. It's about time to get out of here.'
He gulped down some of the soup and licked his lips. It wasn't half bad..for inner world food. Her gift even made him feel the taste of it and let him imagine how it smelled. It was fascinating now that he had a grip on what she could do. It was, however, questionable if she could transfer her abilities to the outside world. Maybe if they spent more time together, he would be able to...
Schuldig stopped mid-thought and shook his head. She was influencing him! Impudent little brat. Instead of concentration on her fear she tried to make Schuldig warm and comfortable so he would let her stay. He smirked as her spell fell from him now that he had noticed.
'You future husband better be wealthy. I guess he will buy you anything you want just to keep you happy. I really don't envy Aya..Ran of getting you back.'
He looked at her as she put away their bowl. Would she be worth training? Would it be possible to make her a powerful weapon? To even use her against Weiß once this adventure was over? This would be so entertaining. He really should keep that idea in mind. Crawford would know more about it. He was the one for scheming and making up plans. Schuldig would contribute all the information he had gathered and see what came out of it.
"I'm ready." Aya did not look like she was ready, but he did not care. All he had to do was to get her to the other side of the forest.
"Let's go then," he answered cheerfully making a show of being the friendly, friendly fox. It would not do him any good if she became suspicious now.
They left the house and saw the boy with the three animals standing on a small hill.
"Hey, Aya-chan, where are you going?" he shouted and waved at her.
She smiled and waved back. "I'm going home, Momotaro-kun. Don't forget me."
"I won't," he promised. "And if you need help with some monsters, just call for me. I will be there for you."
His outlines blurred and then he was gone. Aya gasped in surprise.
"Where is he?"
"He's with you," Schuldig answered. "He was the image of your courage and you need him on your way. All of those that live her with you are in a way projections of you character traits. Kindness, compassion, generosity, selfishness, curiosity, vanity. All of them live her together with you. But you are more than that and you have to go back to those who love you. You have to save your brother."
Schuldig saw her gaze waver for a moment, then she lifted her chin and walked towards the forest in a straight line.
'Yes, I did it. Now all we have to do is cross the forest and...oh no.'
Schuldig flattened his ears and growled. The San-girl and the two wolves had stepped put of the forest and waited for them. She did not seem to be very amused.
"Aya!" The fierce girl yelled. "Where are you going?"
"San..." Aya had stopped and her face was suddenly anxious, her voice shaking. "We...we want to go to the other side of the forest."
San was wearing a black and white dress and a white fur, probably from a wolf, was draped around her shoulders. She had three red, tooth-shaped marks painted on her face which made her look wild and intimidating. The spear in her hand hit the ground with determination.
"I will not allow it. It's dangerous out there."
While Aya seemed to be rooted to the spot, Schuldig stepped forward.
"Who are you? What feeling or trait do you represent?"
The girl narrowed her eyes and the wolfs came closer and growled at him. "What do you mean?"
Schuldig calculated his chances to win against the three opponents and decided to go a different way. He smiled and bowed.
"Excuse me my rudeness. My name is Schuldig. I came here to rescue Aya."
"She doesn't need to be rescued." The girl sneered. "I am here to protect Aya from every harm."
Schuldig tilted his head. "I see."
'So she can be arrogant and short tempered as well. Her responsibility and stubbornness might be mixed in, too. So let's see. How do we get past this female white knight? Words won't be the weapon of choice I guess. If we want to get past her, we will have to force our way through.'
Schuldig stood close to Aya and whispered, "I will keep them occupied so that you can escape into the woods. Run as fast as you can and don't look back. I will find you on the other side."
Her eyes went wide. "You will fight San? But..."
He cut her short before she could go on whining. "No time for buts. Just do as I say. Run when they don't look your way."
Aya looked at him with tears in her eyes. He felt a warm wave wash over him, but shook it of immediately. He could not afford to be warm and fuzzy now. He had to be sharp and fast. Very fast. The fact that this world was not real did not make it any less dangerous. If he died in here he would also be dead in the outside world. And he did not plan to let that happen.
"Go!" he snapped before she could wrap her arms around him and cry him a river. She braced herself, choked back her tears and nodded. Finally!
He turned around and snarled at the San-girl. "A fight it is then. If I win you let us go."
The wild girl bared her teeth and growled in unison with her wolves. The started to spread out, trying to circle him and Aya. He had to prevent that from happening or she would be trapped. Thus, he sprang forward and snapped at one of the wolves. It barked in confusion and growled even louder. The sound was deep and intimidating. It made Schuldig's fur rise. The yellow eyes sparked with anger and hatred.
"Your bark seem worse than your bite...dog." Schuldig laughed and danced around the wolf a bit to get in to turn away from Aya. Suddenly he noticed the other wolf behind him. He'd let himself get surrounded.
'Damm it. You better be a good runner little Aya. Now GO!'
He saw her whirl around as if she had heard him, but then the giant white wolf blocked his sight. Its hot breath promised pain and death. It growled again and all of a sudden it leaped forward, its fangs aiming at Schuldig's throat. Schuldig ducked down and made himself as flat as possible. He rolled over and kicked the wolf's stomach making good use of his claws while snapping at one of the wolf's hind legs. He felt the skin rip under his assault, blood tainting the white fur. He was kicked off and tumbled over. The wolf yowled and limped away. The other one lowered his head to pounce on Schuldig, but he quickly got up and jumped out of reach. The uninjured wolf growled and and snapped the air in frustration. Growling it tried to get close to Schuldig again.
"Stop it!" San yelled and came towards Schuldig with her spear. She tried to stab him, but he caught the weapon between his teeth and broke it into. It was easier than he had expected.
The girl stared at her broken weapon. "That's impossible. You cannot...you...you are a demon!"
Schuldig bared his reddened teeth and grinned. He barely resisted to grow some extra tails and horns, now that Aya's grip on her world was fading. "Maybe I am. But you are stupid. You have let your precious Aya get away. Now she's too far and you will never catch her."
San's eyes went wide and she looked downright horrified. "What have you done?"
Schuldig's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "I have awoken the sleeping beauty."
Music: "Moi... Lolita" - Alizée