pretty little kitsune
"Little boy, little boy, won't you come out to play?" the soft whisper echoed through the trees, sounding almost like the whisper of the wind. He turned around, searching for the speaker, but he couldn't see anyone. "Little boy, little boy, won't you come out to play?"
There it was, that voice again. He swallowed, getting nervous – he could feel his heart pounding away in his chest. He shouldn't have come so deep into the forest, but their pet dog had run all the way in here after he threw her stick too far, and he dove into the trees without a second thought, back then frightened of the possible scolding he would get if he let their dog go missing. He forgot entirely about the warnings his parents always told him.
Never enter the forest, no matter the circumstances. The forest behind their house was considered sacred to a particular forest tribe, and while he had never seen these mythical people of the forest before, his parents warned him that if they caught him on their land, he might be severely punished for his transgression. He was beginning to feel nervous. In the past, he always thought of those stories as mere superstition, horror tales meant to shock and terrify little children. But now, in this thick, quiet forest, those tales sounded like they just might be true. He looked behind him – he knew he couldn't find his way out of here…
"Hoshiko! Where are you?" he called, hoping beyond hope that their dog would respond to the name and come bounding out from the trees, and he could just go home after that. But nothing happened, and the forest barely even stirred. He groaned, stepping carefully across the leaf-strewn ground. He could hear the birdsong all around him, but other than that the forest was eerily quiet, and that unnerved him. Shouldn't there be more wildlife around?
"Hoshiko!" he called out for their dog again, unsurprised when there was no response. The forest seemed to be an entirely different world altogether. It was as though he stepped through a portal into a different dimension once he took his first step into the trees. The sound of his shout reverberated through the forest, but his voice was quickly swallowed up by the dense undergrowth. He could see small flowers blossoming wherever he looked, and all around him were the signs of life awakening after a long winter…but still no dog.
He was going to lose his mind when he finally found their family pet. Maybe he ought to give up for now and just head back home. But he hesitated, torn between finding his way to safety and avoiding being scolded for his negligence. Besides, his little sister would probably cry nonstop if he admitted he had lost Hoshiko. Sighing, he pressed onwards, hoping that he would find the dog before the sun set and he was stuck in the forest after dark. That was a scenario that he would really rather avoid. The forest was terrifying enough in the daytime.
"Little boy, little boy…are you lost?" the voice seemed to whisper through the trees again. He shook his head, wondering if he was beginning to hallucinate now. There couldn't actually be another person nearby, saying all these things to him, right? Surely he would have spotted them by now. He ignored the voice, turning around to scan his surroundings in the hopes of seeing a familiar blob of white fur. But their dog was still nowhere in sight.
He would never enter the forest again. It was just no good for his nerves. He slowly spun one more time, then suddenly he thought he glimpsed a flash of white. He shot around to where he saw the flash, and spotted some white fur peeking out through the undergrowth. "Hoshiko!" he shouted, but instead of responding, the dog dashed away through the trees, ignoring his voice entirely. Cursing quietly in frustration, he ran after the dog, hoping that this infernal chase wouldn't go on for much longer. They had wasted enough time in here!
He chased after Hoshiko, and as he ran the trees seemed to thin – eventually, he burst out into a clearing, and he saw Hoshiko slow down in front of him as well. "Well, there you are," he growled, about to lunge out and grab the dog – but then the dog came to a stop in front of someone standing in the middle of the clearing, and he halted as the person crouched to stroke the dog between its ears. Hoshiko barked, not sounding entirely pleased about being petted but not rejecting the person either. He stared at the newcomer, and she smiled.
It was a girl. She looked hardly any older than him, maybe thirteen at most. She had long, lustrous teal hair that glimmered in the sunlight, and bright green eyes filled with curiosity. Her skin was fair and delicate and somehow, he was reminded of the pure radiance of the full moon. She was dressed in, of all things, a long green kimono, embroidered with golden flowers. "Hello," she spoke, and her voice was sweet and melodious, like the birdsong that filled the forest. "Is this your dog? She has been chasing me throughout the forest for quite some time now," she giggled. "You must be an energetic girl, aren't you?" she cooed.
"Uh, yes, this is my dog," he almost stumbled over his words, wondering if he ought to approach this mysterious girl to get Hoshiko back. Did she belong to the forest tribe that his parents warned him about? But they didn't tell him that the people of that tribe would be so…pretty. She was easily the prettiest girl he had ever seen. "Her name is Hoshiko," his lips moved of their own accord, and he blinked, wondering when he had decided to say that.
"That's a cute name!" the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly. "Hoshiko, Hoshiko," she called, petting the dog again. Hoshiko looked at the girl, but thankfully didn't bite or anything – which was strange, because their dog was sweet only to their family and usually didn't handle strangers very well. Maybe Hoshiko really liked her, for some reason? That was a good sign, right? He listened to the girl cooing over the dog and realised that her voice was vaguely familiar – it sounded like the wind whispering between the trees…
No, he was definitely imagining things now. He had already decided that there had not been anyone speaking to him in the forest earlier, and he didn't want to start hearing voices where they weren't any. "What's your name?" he decided to ask, hoping that this girl would be able to show him the way out. The girl blinked at him, as though she had forgotten about his presence. Well, she did seem to be a lot more interested in Hoshiko than in him…
"Oh, my name!" she tapped a finger against her chin, glancing upwards like she was trying to recall. "It's been a long time since I last told my name to anybody…well, you can call me Miku. Just Miku-chan will do," she grinned. "I haven't heard my real name being said in a long time, actually…for a variety of reasons," she fidgeted, now looking almost upset.
"Miku-chan," he repeated slowly, letting the name roll off his tongue. It was a strangely exotic, almost enchanting name – simple and sweet, yet at the same time so intriguing. "That's a nice name you have," he smiled. "My name is Kagamine Len," he offered when she just continued to grin at him, her fingers still twined through Hoshiko's white fur. "It's nice to meet you. Do you live here, in the forest?" he asked, gesturing at the trees around them.
She nodded. "I've been here ever since I was born!" she explained. "Okaasan says it's best that we don't leave the forest because the outside world is dangerous, but I'm really interested in knowing what lies beyond these trees. You're not from here, are you? I've never seen you around before," she frowned. "And you smell…you smell different, so you can't be from the forest!" she declared, clapping delightedly. "In fact…are you human?"
He blinked. This girl was beginning to talk funny. Of course he was human – what else could be possibly be? "Um, yes," he stared quizzically at her, but she simply continued to beam at him, as though he was the most fascinating thing in the world. "What else could I be, right?"
Miku shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, so many other things. You could be one of the ayakashi who visits okaasan so often. Or maybe you're a kappa," she giggled, hiding her face behind her long kimono sleeve. Len stared at her. Now she was talking about demons in mythology as though they really existed. Maybe she was going crazy from living out here for so long. Yokai didn't exist, right? It'd be all over the news if people spotted demons running around, wreaking havoc everywhere. He definitely shouldn't have come out into the forest.
"Well, I'm human through and through," he finally muttered, still wondering how to get out of here. The girl nodded excitedly, and he decided to at least get the dog back to his side. "Come here, Hoshiko," he called out again, and he swore the dog actually looked up at the girl once before it bounded back to him. He stroked Hoshiko, slightly reassured by the feel of her soft white fur between his fingers. Miku looked at them wistfully, green eyes dreamy.
"I'd like to ask you for stories about the human world, Len-kun, but it's time for you to go back to where you belong," she nodded. "Just go back that way, between the two trees over there, and follow the path! You'll find your way back to the human world before long," she explained. Len thanked her and, Hoshiko on his heels, he followed her directions, heading towards the gap between the trees she pointed out. "Goodbye, Len-kun!" the girl called out as he left. "I hope we meet again someday!" he waved back at her, but didn't say anything.
He didn't think he would run into this strange girl again, since he had promised himself that he wouldn't ever step back inside the forest. It would be nice to see her though, since she was…well, she was really very pretty, even if she seemed to think a little differently from everyone else.
Len didn't think about the mysterious girl again until a few years later, when he was eighteen years old. He never told his parents about his adventure in the forest, and slowly the incident slipped from his mind, a passing curiosity, a barely-remembered nightmare.
It wasn't all bad. There was that girl, after all. She had been the one thing about the entire experience that wasn't traumatising. But Len forgot about her too, until the day he heard a knock on the front door and opened it to find an injured fox. It was a small fox, and its fur was shimmery golden instead of russet like he expected, which made it very strange. The fox looked like it was almost still a cub, and it was just lying on the front steps, bleeding from its hind leg. The fox gazed up at him with its deep brown eyes, looking almost pleading.
Hoshiko trotted out from behind Len, sniffing at the fox, but to Len's utter surprise the dog didn't bark or try to attack the fox. Instead, Hoshiko laid herself down in front of the fox and began to lick its golden fur, and the fox closed its eyes readily, as though perfectly comfortable with Hoshiko's attentions. Which was really very strange, because Hoshiko tended to chase after anything which moved. "Injured fox, huh," Len muttered, looking up and down the street to see who had left it at his door. Why his door, anyway? It wasn't like he was a vet or anything like that. But there was no one else in sight, and he couldn't just leave it there…
He sighed. Crouching down, he hesitantly held a hand out towards the fox, allowing it to sniff him before he touched it. He didn't want to risk being bitten by a wild animal. The fox opened its eyes and shifted slightly away from Hoshiko, craning its head towards his hand. He watched warily as the fox held its head up, smelling his scent, before it rested its head back down on the ground and closed its eyes again. It seemed willing to trust him, so Len carefully picked up the injured young fox and closed the door, shooing Hoshiko back into the house. Rin was out with her friends, and his parents were at work, so it was just him today. He wished his sister was around. She was more interested in wildlife than him and might know how to take care of an injured animal. He had no idea what to do now.
Maybe he should call wildlife services…but the fox's leg was bleeding pretty bad, and he was afraid that it might die from blood loss or something before they could arrive. Maybe he ought to staunch the bleeding first before doing anything else. Running around, he tried to find the first aid kit, hoping that human medicine would be okay to use on a fox. He was just cleaning a wound and bandaging it up, not feeding it something, so it should be okay, right?
Hoshiko continued to lie next to the injured fox, which Len placed in the middle of the living room. The fox still had its eyes closed, and he wondered whether it had fallen asleep or if it had passed out from the pain. He was sure that the fox was in a lot of pain – the wound looked deep and fresh. He returned with the bandages and some water, and began the careful process of cleaning the wound. The fox barely even flinched, and Len thought that it seemed almost stoic in its…humanness. He stared at the fox's face while he worked – this was definitely the first time he had seen a golden fox. He didn't even know such creatures existed. It wasn't even light red or brown, like most foxes – its fur was pure, true gold.
"I wonder why you were left at my doorstep, of all places," Len muttered, now wrapping white bandages around the fox's injured leg. "It's not like I know how to look after injured wildlife…I guess I ought to give wildlife services a call," he continued speaking as the fox opened its brown eyes, watching him. It almost seemed to understand what he was saying, but of course it didn't, right? It was just a fox. "I hope you get better soon, little buddy."
"No, don't call wildlife services," a soft voice murmured, and Len blinked, stunned, before he looked around wildly for the voice – he was definitely sure he hadn't just imagined that. Then he stared down at the fox and saw, to his utter shock, that the fox was standing on all four legs now, as though its injury wasn't bothering it at all. The golden fur seemed to glow with unearthly light, and right before his very eyes the fox grew – within mere seconds, the fox was gone, replaced by a slender girl with long teal hair and bright, curious green eyes.
He had to shield his eyes against the bright glow which emanated from her skin, and after a while the glow faded, and he could put his hand down. He gaped, finding the girl incredibly familiar, and when she smiled and called his name, he remembered. "You're that girl from the forest!" he exclaimed, still too shocked to really think properly. "From five years ago!"
She giggled. "Oh, you remember! I'm glad you remember who I am, Len-kun," she went on earnestly, reaching out to grasp his hands in hers while she spoke. He didn't pull away from her, still unable to react from the shock. "I almost expected you to forget. It's been a while, hasn't it? In human years, at least. To me it felt like just a blink of an eye, and suddenly you look very grownup, Len-kun," she continued. He felt himself blushing at her comment.
"You're…you're the fox," he stammered, his hands still in hers. Her skin was incredibly soft, her hands slim and supple. She nodded, green eyes staring wonderingly at him, and he just gaped at her, unsure if he was just dreaming or if this was all somehow, miraculously real. "But…how can you be a fox?" he shook his head, this entire situation feeling like some kind of bizarre dream. "You're human, aren't you? I mean, look at you! You're definitely human!" he exclaimed, looking her up and down.
She was startlingly pretty. Her long teal hair fell all the way to the back of her knees, and her skin was so fair that she seemed to emit an ethereal glow. Her wide eyes were the same bright green as the forest in spring, and she had the loveliest, most delicate features he had ever seen – she looked like a porcelain doll, a work of art, every stroke and line of her face made with only the greatest care. She was, like the first time he met her, dressed in a heavy kimono – this time, she wore a pure white one that was a few shades paler than her own skin. She looked like a snow maiden, a princess – someone who didn't belong in his modern, humble little house. If he had to guess, he would have thought she was ancient royalty.
"I am the fox," she agreed, giggling. He blinked, unsure what to say, and she hid her face behind one of her long sleeves, only the bright green of her eyes visible over her arm. "My name is Hatsune Miku. I am the daughter of Megurine Luka – humans know her under a different name, of course," she continued thoughtfully, musing to herself. "Humans know her as the Nine-Tailed kitsune of the Ancient Forest. I'm supposed to be meditating now, in fact," she sounded a little sulky here, "but I don't have the patience to get my next tail…"
"Kitsune," Len repeated, mind blank. The girl put down her arm and nodded, all the good humour on her face suddenly gone. She looked remarkably serious. "Kitsune…they're just tales from old stories, aren't they?" his lips seemed to be moving on autopilot. "There are no such things as fox spirits or demons. They're just stories! If they were real, then why haven't people been reporting sightings, why isn't anyone afraid?" he almost shouted at her, unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing. Hoshiko flinched away at the sound of his raised voice and went over to the girl, who petted her with the same coos and gentle laughter as five years ago. Then the girl lifted her gaze and looked steadily at him.
"Just because you've never seen something before does not mean it doesn't exist," she pointed out sagely. He shut up. "There are many other things you humans believe in that you may not have ever seen, yet you still have faith in the unknown, don't you? And if you really want proof, I can always turn back into a fox for you," she added, a challenging edge to her cheerful voice. He shook his head hastily – witnessing that transformation once again might just give him a heart attack. She smiled. "But you are right to be suspicious, Len-kun! It's true that it is very odd, that I should show up at your doorstep unannounced."
"So why are you here?" he decided not to think about her…fox-ness, for now. He still found the whole thing difficult to believe. The girl, Hatsune Miku, placed a finger against her lips and glanced around shiftily, as though she was looking out for eavesdroppers. With a flick of her slender wrist, all the window drapes pulled themselves shut, throwing the entire house into dim shadow. Len started, staring at the covered windows, then back at the girl, who grinned at him, clearly pleased with herself. Before he could say anything, she held out her hands, a glowing golden light cupped between her palms, and threw the small orb into the air.
The ethereal orb of light floated up towards the ceiling, illuminating them in a way normal lighting could not – the whole living room was bathed in a warm, almost nurturing glow. He couldn't explain it, but there was a sudden sense of drowsy warmth flooding through him as he basked in the light. Hoshiko, too, curled up next to the girl and placed her head on her paws, closing her eyes. "Now we can talk," Miku chirruped. "The light hides me from the eyes of outsiders, and will warn us if anyone approaches your house. It took a really, really long time before I could slip away from the forest and come to visit you, Len-kun," she added, still in the same earnest tone as before. He thought that he might be blushing again.
She was so beautiful, and hearing an attractive…girl like her talking about him this way was admittedly flattering, even if she wasn't entirely human. "Uh, so what's all this about?" he asked lamely, wondering if he could just zip his mouth shut before he embarrassed himself in front of her. She blinked at him, those limpid green eyes suddenly completely serious.
"It's about us. You and me," she started, taking a step closer to him. His heart began to beat faster at those words, and he wondered what she could possibly mean by that. He wiped his hands on his pants, his palms slightly sweaty. She was making him nervous. "You see, I've always been very curious about the human world, but because of who I am, all the other ayakashi would never allow me out of our domain. I can hardly even wander around the fringes of the forest without being dragged back to my mother's abode," she explained.
He had to wonder where all this was going. She could probably see the confusion in his expression, because she carried on after a pause. "But I have finally managed to slip away, since today is my mother's…birthday, I suppose you could call it. I don't even know how old she is, but she is really, really old. And she wasn't exactly born, she just sort of sprang into existence from nowhere – but you get my drift," she added, noticing his frown. "The main point is, today was a busy day, so I slipped away and all the ayakashi are probably searching for me right now. But they won't be able to find me if I hide in a human's house. It's the last place they'd ever expect me to take refuge in, since kitsune tend to actively avoid humankind."
"Why do you do that?" he asked, curious about her last statement. He never knew that the kitsune would have any reason to stay away from humans. After all, from what he knew, the kitsune were revered fox-spirits who could take on human form, and were believed to be able to grant wishes and give one great power. No one would ever offend a kitsune for fear of bringing great wrath and harm upon themselves and their family. Miku seemed troubled.
"Because humans fear the kitsune the most out of all yokai," she answered. "Foxes are the strongest, and they are both respected and feared. In the past, there have been humans who have…hunted us, and trapped us for our pelts. It is believed that the pelt of a kitsune would serve as a charm of good fortune, and as a result many fox-spirits have been hunted and killed, our hearts eaten in the hopes that it will extend life and lead to immortality. But those are all just useless rumours. Eating the heart and liver for youth and power…that only works if you're yokai," she grinned, and noticed Len's grimace. "Oh, but I won't do that to you, Len-kun!"
He continued to grimace. Len thought that he might have a difficult time understanding her, since everything she said – it made sense, but it wasn't logical. If she had such a reason to avoid mortals, then why was she still here, in his house? She seemed remarkably unafraid of him, given what she just said. "But how can humans kill kitsune when we are mortal, and you are yokai?" he asked slowly, still reluctant to believe in the existence of mythological beings.
She giggled. "Oh, Len-kun. There are many humans, and very few kitsune. Most fox-spirits live in seclusion, far away from their brethren. How is one poor little kitsune supposed to defend itself against a greedy horde of villagers?" she asked. Len felt a little uncomfortable hearing her describe humankind this way, but he supposed that it was true…at least, in the past it was true. Humans were hardly this uncivilised nowadays. Her next words echoed his thoughts. "But I know that things change, and life itself can change. I remember that when I met you, you were nothing like the bloodthirsty, violent humans my mother described to me in my childhood. You seemed…almost like another ayakashi. It made me curious – I did not think that you would have killed me for my heart and liver, so I began to wonder if the other humans in this time period would be like you. If so, there is nothing to fear, right?"
He nodded slowly, agreeing with her. He didn't think she had anything to fear from him, at least. He just wanted to get on with his life and avoid any trouble – the last thing he would do was to traipse through the forest, searching for fox-spirits and yokai. "I see. Yeah, I guess you're right," he shrugged, scratching his head awkwardly. So, if he understood this bizarre situation correctly, this girl was actually a fox-spirit who had an interest in the human world, and she slipped away from the other…the other ayakashi, and right now to avoid them she was hiding in his house, since it was the last place those ayakashi would think to search.
Something seemed off about this. "But how did you even know where I live?" he asked, frowning quizzically at her. Miku blinked, staring back innocently at him. "I mean, how did you know to come to my doorstep – did you follow me home or something, that time you saw me in the forest?" he accused, feeling like this was an extreme violation of his privacy.
The girl pouted. "I didn't follow you that far…I saw you come into this house after you got out of the forest and I just remembered where it was. I wasn't doing anything wrong," she defended herself. He didn't know what to say – if she was just some creepy human stalker, he would probably get really pissed off and call the cops or something. It just wasn't right to follow someone all the way to their house and memorise their address. But then, this girl was not human, and he was a little afraid of what might happen if he tried to scold her or raise his voice at her. That fear was the only thing that kept him from bursting out at her right now.
In the end, he just sighed. "Just…just don't do that again," he muttered. She tilted her head, clearly wondering why, and he sighed once more before he explained. "I don't know what it's like in your world, but for humans it's just not good to go around following people. It's seriously creepy, and normal humans don't do that. You understand, right?" he checked.
She nodded eagerly. "I just want to learn a little more about humans!" she promised. "I think that if I find out enough and can prove that the humans aren't really as violent as they used to be, maybe I can persuade okaasan to let me go beyond the forest and explore the world outside. I'm tired of being cooped up and forced to meditate for my powers," she exhaled, looking dejected. "I mean, I definitely don't want to go around eating human hearts and such, but meditating takes such a long time…I'll never get my next tail. I have no idea how okaasan grew all nine of hers. Do you think she'll ever get to ten?" she perked up, suddenly excited.
Len shrugged helplessly. This was not his area of expertise. Miku tapped a finger against her chin, looking thoughtful. "Oh well, it's interesting to wonder," she mused to herself. "Since you're the only human I know, Len-kun, would it be all right if I stayed with you for a while?" she asked, turning her large green eyes upon him. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt a little weak at the knees. "I promise I won't be any trouble! I'll just turn back into a fox whenever there's anyone else around, and you can say you…you found me in pain, so you took me in to look after me, or something along those lines," she promised. Len hesitated.
It seemed very dangerous to harbour a fox-spirit in his home. Besides, didn't she mention that her okaasan was the Nine-Tailed kitsune, who was one of the most powerful yokai in mythology? If the kitsune decided to come to his house searching for her daughter, what was he supposed to say? How would he handle such a situation? No, scratch that – even if other yokai came looking for the fox-spirit, he wouldn't know what to do either. All this was happening way too quickly, and his mind couldn't catch up. Yet, if he told her no, there was no telling what the girl would do to him. He was too frightened of offending her to voice out his opinions. The stories he was told in his youth all came to mind, foreboding warnings.
"I don't know if that's really a good idea –" he began, but before he could continue the warm golden light flooding the room suddenly turned vivid red, and the girl spun around quickly, her green eyes darting from corner to corner of the house. Len could hear someone at the door, and he knew immediately that his younger sister must be coming back home. He saw the padlock on the door sliding open as Rin unlocked it, and he panickedly turned back towards the kitsune – however, to his surprise, the girl and the mysterious light were already gone, and instead there was a small golden fox curled up next to Hoshiko, resting peacefully with its eyes closed. He didn't even have time to exhale in relief before the door swung open and his sister strolled in, her bag slung over one shoulder. She kicked the door shut behind her.
"Yo, oniisan," she greeted him casually, throwing her bag onto the couch. Then her gaze landed upon the fox and her blue eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, a fox! It's so cute!" she squealed, rushing over to Miku and petting the kitsune between her ears. The fox lazily opened her eyes and stared up at Rin before shutting them again, tucking her small head between her paws. "You're so adorable!" Rin cooed, twining her fingers through Miku's golden fur. "And your pelt…your fur, it's so beautiful! I've never seen a golden fox before. Are you going to keep it, oniisan?" Rin stared up at him pleadingly. Len swallowed.
He still remembered what Miku said to him right before his sister came home. Given the way Rin was fawning over the kitsune now, he didn't think he had any other choice – his sister would throw a fit if he tossed the kitsune back into the forest. So, he supposed Miku could stay in his home for now. He'd try to make her leave as soon as possible.