Tomorrow's Destiny
Chapter 2
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"I want you to be strong, like I know you can."
Dawn crested over the horizon, awakening the small animals that scurried out from beneath the thicket as birds of song flew overhead. The warmth of the sun kept away the early morning chill in the air, as a young boy began to rouse from sleep, tucked away in the midst of long, golden fields. He nuzzled his face further into the soft fur beneath his head, sighing deeply with content.
"Come, son," a deep voice spoke, as they nudged the boy's chin to keep the dreams at bay.
Squinting against the intruding sunlight, Shippou lazily opened his eyes to be greeted with the clear blue skies above. Wisps of clouds rolled lazily by and he could hear the croaking of a toad from the nearby pond. He tightened his hand into a fist and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, his mouth opening in a deep yawn. .
The wet nose retracted from his face. "Day has approached. It's time to wake."
Bright green eyes opened fully to peer up at the demon above him. Armor covered his golden fur, which shimmered in the sun, and his brown gaze held the warmth of fire.
"Father?" Shippou whispered, stretching his arms over his head.
The fox demon chuckled and waited for the boy to rouse completely. "Sleeping the day away is not a wise decision, Shippou. There is still much to learn before the Fox Demon Promotional Exams."
He nodded mutely and slowly stood, causing his shaggy auburn hair to fall into his eyes. His father uncurled his tail from around him and padded out from beneath the tree they had slept under for the night. "Of course, Father," Shippou replied sleepily, shaking his head to clear away the remaining drowsiness. He felt more tired than usual, he noted dully.
It took another few minutes before he was fully awake, and during that time excitement slowly began to build within his chest. Training had always been his favorite part of the day. He couldn't wait to become a great demon – he would grow up to be big and strong, just like his father!
Suddenly, a loud thump came from behind him, causing him to jump wildly. He cried out dramatically, quickly finding cover behind his father's hind paw, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest as fear crept over him like a winter's chill. His father gave out a big-bellied laugh as Shippou noticed the dead rodent laying at their feet. The tall grass parted, revealing a beautiful fox demon. With her humanoid features and copper-colored hair pulled back by a blue ribbon, it was obvious which parent Shippou took after. Upon recognizing her, the small fox demon visibly relaxed and sighed with relief.
"My, that is not the way for a warrior to act." His father chuckled.
"But I'm just a kid," he argued begrudgingly, puffing out his cheeks while his arms crossed over his chest.
Kind, emerald eyes flickered over him, lips pulled into a smile. "Oh dear, you sure are spirited this morning." Her laughter rang like the tinkling of bells. "Shall you eat breakfast before your training? I'm sure no warrior will fight well without a proper meal."
He grinned ear-to-ear at her words, his previous annoyance already forgotten. "Of course, Mother," he answered cheerfully.
He scampered over to her, eager and ready to satisfy the hunger gnawing at his stomach. But when he glanced up, no longer did the beautiful fox demon stand before him. Instead, she had been replaced by the image of a human girl. Obsidian hair spilled softly over her shoulders and she dressed in a strange, white and green outfit. Most of her face was shadowed, darkened, but he could see the up-turn of her lips, the grace of her smile. She waved to him, his name a whisper, "Shippou."
Perplexed, Shippou quickly shut his eyes and shook his head. He must be seeing things, and he was, for when he looked back at his mother's confused expression, the human girl had disappeared.
"Is everything all right?" the female fox prodded gently, concern evident in her voice.
He wasn't sure what to think, but decided to chalk it up as some kind of illusion. He nodded his head curtly and grinned. "Yeah, everything's great!"
As the small family sat around their morning meal, Shippou found his mind elsewhere, studying the pretty girl in his head. He couldn't remember ever meeting someone like that before, so why did she appear to him now? Furthermore, who exactly was she? The human appeared nothing like the villagers he had seen, and didn't resemble a holy person either.
However, he couldn't help but notice the longing in his heart and the sting of tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. He closed his eyes to bring forth the image of her once more, but he couldn't. It was as if she had never existed.
The rich smell of damp leaves permeated the forest as wisps of silver-gray steam curled and danced their way through the air, as if excited to escape the gentle pull of the hot springs. Water splashed quietly over tiny falls as an owl hooted nearby. Eerie noises always accompanied the night, but in the warmth of the springs, it felt like a little safe haven.
Shippou giggled with glee as he jumped off the rocky edge and into the water. A small splash sent a cascading wave over his mother and father, the latter of whom roared with laughter. In this moment, it became the most perfect memory of his family, and Shippou would cling to it for a long time. It was the way his family should always be.
In that snapshot, the undamaged personality of his family was so golden and sacred; he wanted to keep it forever.
"Calm down, Shippou," his mother chastised him from her place against the rocks, holding up her hands to defend against another splash. "There is no need to be so playful."
"Let him play," his father contended with a grin. "He will only be a boy once. He should enjoy it." He growled happily and nudged his mate's cheek with his nose.
Shippou snickered, watching as his parents loved one another.
"Yeah, Mama," he joked. "I'm just a kid."
That earned him a playful glare from his mother, whose next words quickly died on her tongue by her mate's kiss. Heat crept up Shippou's neck as he glanced away, embarrassed by his parents' show of affection.
It wasn't uncommon for them to be tender toward one another. He considered it normal for his family, but as he grew older, he found himself wondering if he would ever have those feelings. He didn't have any friends, but his father assured him he would meet plenty of other fox demons once he entered into the Fox Demon Promotional Exams. Ever since then, he only dreamt about all the other foxes he would meet.
Shippou turned on his back and floated on top of the hot springs. The water moved softly around his outstretched fingers, caressing them warmly, moving circularly in their wake. He pulled his hand back and watched the drips, both transparent and opaque from the steam.
He glanced upward, his eyes ghosting over the half-moon night, accompanied by a flurry of stars. They illuminated the darkness, bordered by tall tree branches overhead. It was another perfect evening, so innocent and full of love. His parents' mumbled conversation could be heard in the distance, but as he dunked his head into the water, their voices became muffled completely.
He closed his eyes and simply floated beneath the water, letting his mind wander to everything and nothing.
"Think of all the fun things you can do when there's two of you," he heard himself say.
"Listen kid…" a gruff voice replied with annoyance.
"Mom and dad and I always took baths together, and we had a really great time."
"Remind me to explain it to you when you're a bit bigger."
His eyes shot open in alarm and he struggled to the surface of the pond. He pushed through the water into the steamy air above, gasping for breath. He quickly glanced around the hot springs, his eyes darting between the rocky shores, but there was nobody there.
"Is everything all right, Son?" his mother called, worried from where she sat upon one of the rocks.
His chest heaved as he drew in breath, blinking against the water dripping from his bangs. What was that just now? The conversation felt so real… surely he had never said those things. And that gruff voice… where had it come from? Who had it belonged to?
"Son," his father said sternly, moving through the water toward him. "What's wrong?"
Shippou quickly shook his head and gave his father a shaky smile. "N-Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."
The elder fox demon gave him a skeptical look, but finally exhaled deeply before returning to his mate's side.
His head whirling from what he had experienced below the water, Shippou couldn't help the fear creeping up his spine. That vision, those voices… it felt almost as if he was remembering something, a figment of his imagination long forgotten.
Was that truly what it was? A memory?
The adrenaline flooded his system, right into his blood. He felt like his heart would explode and his eyes were wide, letting in every ounce of the fading light. His body wanted to either run fast for the hills or work to find some kind of weapon, but instead he stayed perfectly still right where he knelt. Sometimes freezing became the best choice, and in reality, he only had three choices anyway.
Shippou fought to quell the hammering in his chest, but he knew that would never happen. He watched through the brush carefully as he hid behind a tree, his ears alert to the surrounding forest life. He didn't regret coming. It had been his mission, after all. But he wondered why he felt so scared? No other demons seemed to be. Maybe they were, he silently noted. Maybe they were scared all the time. Perhaps that was the definition of bravery.
An agonized howl reached into the darkening sky as rain fell from the heavens.
Shippou blinked away the memory, shaking his head to regain focus. Suddenly, golden light from ignited fire appeared a few paces to the east. His adrenaline surged so fast, he almost vomited. He could feel the saliva thickening in his mouth as he swallowed past the hard lump in his throat. At some point, he would have to move, but he was frozen in absolute terror.
"I'm just a kid," he whispered aloud into the night air, his voice trembling even to his own ears. "Why me?"
"Come out, little fox," a grating voice taunted through the forest. "I know you're here somewhere."
The demon drew closer. Shippou squeezed his eyes shut as he battled with himself to move. He could feel his legs shake beneath him and his hands were no better.
"Father," he cried out softly.
"It's okay to be afraid, Shippou. Without fear, there would be no courage. A strong demon knows when to run and when to fight."
"R-Right," the fox kit mumbled, opening his eyes. "I have to be strong."
With a deep breath, he ventured from his hiding spot and sped through the forest, his heart pounding as he heard his pursuer's quickening footsteps behind him. He had to think of something. His mind racked over all his fox magic and tricks, contemplating which one to use. Time was running out. He needed to make a decision fast.
Furrowing his brows, he jumped up and climbed the trunk of a tree high into its branches. From there, he could have a better vantage point of the forest floor. He rested one arm over his bent knee, waiting quietly for his opponent. His abilities were not very strong yet, and they were mostly for defensive maneuvers, but he had to try.
Blood splattered against the ground, staining it red.
"Little fox," the demon called out again, coming to stop just beneath him. His snake-like tongue flickered out of his mouth to taste the air. "I can smell your fear. You're here somewhere."
Shippou gulped, taking out a small top from an inside pocket. "Here goes nothing," he whispered. "Smashing top!"
In one fluid motion, he threw the top straight toward the green, lizard demon, which looked up with wide-eyes. The top grew in size, spinning and causing a large wind to encompass them. It landed straight on the demon's head, forcing him to crumple to the ground.
Wasting no time, Shippou threw a ball of blue fire from his hand, surrounding the spinning top with flames. It spread and spun in a dizzying fashion, setting the strong wind around them on fire. It seemed to stop the demon for the time being, but unfortunately it was only an illusion and wouldn't hold him for long.
Shippou turned and jumped along the surrounding trees, galloping across the branches to put distance between him and his opponent. When he could barely feel the rush of the wind from his attack, he dropped to the forest floor and placed a leaf upon his head. "Transform!"
In a cloud of smoke, he vanished, and in his place stood a young man who looked like any ordinary villager. He quickened his pace through the trees, praying he somehow tricked the demon in order to make his escape.
His father knelt down, clutching a body to his chest, as auburn hair spun softly over his arm, a blue ribbon shifting with the breeze.
"I have to be strong," he muttered to himself, memories of that dark day swirling through his mind. I need to protect the ones I care for. I need to—
His thoughts were cut short as a slimy claw wrapped around his body, the ground disappearing beneath him, bringing a shriek from his throat as his disguise vanished and reverted him back to his small, fox demon self.
"Let me go!"
The demon picked him up to look at him, tongue hanging out as thick saliva dripped from his mouth. "Thought you could fool me?" he sneered, eyes narrowing with rage.
"Don't eat me!" Shippou begged as he clenched his eyes shut, pushing and tugging against the claws that held him in its grasp. "I don't even taste good!"
A sudden howl of laughter reached his ears, startling the kit. He opened an eye, peering curiously at the demon. "You've done well, Shippou."
The demon suddenly began to shrink, changing back into its original form as a mere toy, and Shippou was released onto the ground. A large, fox demon appeared and picked it up, stuffing it back into the pocket of his vest. He chuckled at the boy's annoyed glare. Shippou puffed out his cheeks and crossed his arms over his chest.
"That was playing dirty, Father," he grumbled.
"Nonsense," the elder fox demon claimed, setting his hands on his hips. "I told you I wasn't going to hold back."
"You didn't have to be so scary," he argued, a blush dusting the bridge of his nose. "Besides, how can I defeat that terrifying of a monster? I'm not that strong yet."
"But you will be one day. I'm simply preparing you for what to expect when the time comes."
Shippou tugged at the blue ribbon that held his hair back, letting his fingers linger on it, before pulling away and straightening out the rest of his clothes. "I'm never going to be ready at this rate."
His father scooped him up in his arms and placed him on his shoulder. "You will be," he assured as they ventured toward home. "We just need to train a little harder."
"Great job on that lizard demon, Shippou."
Emerald eyes wide, Shippou quickly scanned the forest in search of the owner of the voice. It felt so familiar, and yet the trees surrounding them were empty. Only he and his father were present, leaving the kit to wonder if he had even heard the man's voice at all.
"Yeah," he finally replied distractedly to his father's statement, looking down into his hand. He clenched and unclenched his fist, mulling over the voice before chalking it up to a figment of his imagination.
But he couldn't deny that he felt a little surer of himself.
Sun filtered through the green canopy above as fresh fallen rain dripped from the leaves. Shippou eyed the red apple in his hand curiously, twisting and turning it every angle as he pondered. Advancing in the Fox Demon Promotional Exams had been harder than he thought. It had been fairly simple at first; trick a few lowly villagers and jump three ranks no problem. But now, he had to do that to a dozen villagers to even gain a tenth of a point.
He wrinkled his nose as he took a bite of his apple, wet and crisp as it broke between his teeth with a soft crunch. His father had stayed behind at home, encouraging Shippou to return once in a while to let him know how it was going, insisting that this was a journey the young kit had to take on his own – to find his strength and independence. Which was why he had traveled away from the other competitors only hoping to find some new meat to toy with.
Suddenly, there was the sound of bells. He closed his eyes in response, the clanking of metal sounding so familiar. Of course it sounds familiar, he silently admonished. It's metal. But he couldn't figure out why the sound of the bells was accompanied by the image of a monk's staff, the rings jingling as the owner beat the path beside him.
Images came to him in rapid flashes; a male figure leaning against a golden staff - the same golden rod used as a weapon in battle - shouting over his shoulder, the gleam of the staff catching his eyes - talking to this man like an ally - all too fast to make sense of, and all too strange to be done by what he presumed was a holy man.
'Holy man? More like a ladies man.' The memory called out to him, the sound of his voice causing a sharp pain that brought him to tremble.
As if on cue, he heard a shuffling beneath him and glanced down between the leaves, catching sight of a man walking along the dirt path. Dressed in purple cloth, it appeared as if he was a holy person of some sort. A monk or priest perhaps? His heart leapt into his throat at the similarities before he quickly shook his head.
Now was not the time to have a mental break down. Training his thoughts back on the Fox Demon Promotional Exams, a sly grin slid onto Shippou's face as he finished his apple and stuffed the core into a hole in the tree.
If he was able to trick a man of the cloth, he would jump ranks in the exams.
"Come to papa," he snickered, quietly dropping down to a lower branch to catch a better look.
The dark-haired man came upon a fork in the road and glanced in both directions. He jingled the golden staff he had in his left hand before promptly letting it fall to the ground. It landed on the path veering toward the right.
"So, I should go right," he murmured, furrowing his dark brows as he glanced down the aforementioned direction.
Two traveling village men walked up behind him, conversing with each other. "Did you hear about the new woman working at the rest house up ahead?"
The monk glanced over his shoulder at them.
"They say her fair complexion and beautiful eyes are unparalleled," the second man responded. "And I understand she's unattached."
Laughing, the first guy sarcastically snipped, "I could use a bite to eat," as both men continued down the path to the left.
"Just what I was thinking."
The man watched after them for a moment, before placing his foot on the edge of the staff and turning it so it pointed toward the other path. "Divine intervention."
Emerald eyes peered closely at the man as he grabbed his staff and stood, immediately following after the villagers. He raised a brow. "I thought he was a holy man, but he sounds like a ladies' man to me," he grumbled.
An evil grin pulled at Shippou's cheeks as he narrowed his eyes. He now had an idea as to how he was going to trick the poor monk.
The sound of bells kept pulling at the back of his mind, making his head ache, but he forced himself to ignore it. Getting distracted would certainly spell failure, and he really needed to win this one.
Quickly running through the brush to get ahead of him, Shippou placed a leaf on his head, whispering, "Transform." In his place was a beautiful village woman, who apparently had fallen and twisted her ankle. He snickered, hearing the monk approach. This was going to be good.
Groaning in obvious distress, the woman rubbed her ankle gingerly. The man of the cloth waltzed up, his brows raised, as he eyed the predicament she had gotten herself into.
"Oh my," he spoke. "What do we have here?"
"Oh, Priest, I've fallen and hurt my ankle. I don't think I can walk," she beckoned, tears springing to her eyes.
He kneeled down beside her, offering her a warm smile. "There, there, now. I'll help you to the rest house ahead."
"Goodness, you are so kind, Priest," she purred, batting her eyelashes.
"I'm a monk, not a priest," he clarified, offering his hand. When she grasped it believing he would help her stand, he instead clasped his other hand over hers. "You are so beautiful. Would you grant me the honor of bearing my children?"
Is he serious?! Shippou felt heat creep up his neck and flush his cheeks. "U-Uh… O-Oh my, monk," he replied, his voice quivering. Stay in character! he mentally chastised himself, clenching his jaw as he tried to keep his transformation intact. I won't last much longer…
The monk only continued to smile, making Shippou wither under his gaze.
"Y-Yes, I will bear your children!" the woman finally agreed quickly.
His brows shot up in surprise. "You will?"
"O-Of course! For such a kind man as you, I will do anything!"
Poof!
Oh, no! Shippou inwardly groaned, feeling his tail twitch in the open air. Hopefully he didn't notice!
"Anything?" the monk questioned, violet eyes twinkling, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as if ready to pull her to her feet.
"A-Anything," she replied in earnest. Come on, stupid! Take the bait!
He cleared his throat, and quickly dropped her hand. "Then perhaps do better than a woman when trying to trick a pure man such as myself."
With that, Shippou's transformation ended, the cloud of smoke revealing his small fox demon self.
"Why you!" he called out, shooting an angry glare at the man. "How did you know?"
The monk shrugged. "I've known since I first saw you. Your demonic aura is weak, but detectable. Did you honestly think that ruse would work on me? I am a man of the cloth. Your tricks can do me no harm."
He turned away and began walking down the path once more. "Wait! I'm a demon. Aren't you going to slay me?"
Turning, the man gave him a smile and a knowing glance. "You're just a child, hardly a threat to anyone."
"Oh, I'll show you!" he grumbled, scrunching his nose and puffing out his cheeks in distaste, watching the monk walk away from him.
Inwardly, Shippou swore he would get his revenge on that monk. No matter what! He had a reputation to build, after all.