"Favor is favor. I used to camp alot in these mountains when we came here, but mostly when I was younger." Kiku looked back at the grumbling Heracles. "A little hiking won't hurt you, will it, Heracles?" He teased, stopping to let him catch up. The Greek rolled his eyes, avoiding the question.
"But you came here from Japan to this little town- how come?" Heracles tilted his head to the side (much like the cats who acted like he was cat nip) and waited for Kiku's reply. The petite teen smiled faintly.
"My mother came here hoping to find a job requiring her priestess skills. I'm the only one who is actually related to her. Everyone else is adopted, even if Yui is oldest. My mother -our mother- disappeared a few months after we arrived here. That was five or six years ago." Kiku looked away, dark eyes emotionless. Heracles' only move was to pull him closer, holding him.
"My mother died when I was younger. She wasn't like any other woman, no. She was, to be honest, a fighter. She always protected me and died doing it." Kiku moved back to look him in the eyes, brushing away a stray tear from his cheek.
"I'll always be here for you, Heracles. You know that, right?" He nodded slightly, not letting Kiku go just yet.
"There you guys are! I said that I'd accompany you to Locke, you know?" Roselita rolled her eyes as the two blushes and got up from where they were sitting, fingers intertwined "I've got nothing against you two being together. An old roommate of mine is a lesbian, so I've heard and, unfortunately, seen everything to be seen. She lives in Locke. We can visit her when we came back, sí?" Fray bounded ahead, but came back at the Mexican's command. "You brat- stay near me!" The fox simply sat on her foot.
Heracles and Kiku walked ahead, both half-listening to Roselita scold Fray for causing several of her metal to rust a few days ago. "Well, I'm sorry." A new voice mumbled, not sounding sorry. "It was the Witches' Hour* and I needed to pee." Fray yawned, his dark eyes on the Sun. "Also, you snore. Loudly. Hurts my ears." The three stared at the fox. "And that Japanese boy there has the blood of a- gyaah!" Kiku had stepped on Fray's tail, dark eyes sparking.
Roselita just walked ahead, more or less mortified. Kiku fell back, not talking. He paused, skin prickling. "Is there a barrier around Locke, Rose?"
"Sí! It's set up so that once you've stepped through, your true self is seen instead of your human facade. A lot of inhuman creatures live in Locke due to it. Antonio's vampire friend lives here and you'd be surprised at how a real vampire without its human cover on looks like." She kept walking.
Fray bounded ahead, disappearing around a bend. The three rounded the bend and spotted the city down a steep grassy hill. Fray stood at the edge of the slope, his eyes glittering. "See you in Locke!" He backed up and took a flying leap off the slope. Rose slid down the slope, grunting every so often about her skirt riding up. Kiku was hesitant, looking down at Locke with almost fearful eyes.
So Heracles gave him a push. The shorter male rolled down the hill from the 'slight' push. Heracles bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud at Kiku's messy dark hair. He slid down the slope in time to watch Kiku walk into the town.
Kiku shook himself off as he stepped up to Roselita's side. Her dark green eyes focused on him, curious. Heracles stepped through finally, finding Kiku immediately with slightly confused green eyes.
"You're a..."
Kiku looked very much like a kitsune*, complete with three tails; the outer two black, the middle white. His hands (covered by the sleeves of a long-sleeved kosode*) held a lantern that possessed a tongue and gave off an eerie blue light. Baggy blue short-style pants were partially obscured by bandages that hid his legs. Floating blue balls of fox fire flickered in and out as he noticed Heracles.
He disappeared into thin air the next second.
*Witches' Hour - Usually considered midnight to 4 am. (Or 3 am to 6 am, according the Wiki on it).
*Kitsune - You're kidding. This should be really quite easy. :I
*Kosode- Both worn as an undergarment and overgarment.
