The kyubi trotted back to the Naku home, still angry from his conversation with (or should we say scolding from) Chasouzou. He snorted again, Cha-cha, she's going to try and make it impossible for me to marry Kira. I know she's looking through the rules, trying to find anything forbidding me to make a human my lady. He reached the porch to Kira's room, and jumped in, curling up just as Kira awoke. "Good morning, Kit." she smiled, "Sleep well?" The kyubi rolled his eyes, before stretching and jumping next to Kira. She grabbed the kyubi, and walked to the kitchens, where servants quickly bowed before resuming their duties. One sevant girl smiled at Kira, but that was all the friendliness in the air there was. Kira remained expressionless when a grouchy woman brought her some breakfast, and some meat for the kyubi. Kira nodded at the woman, then slowly walked to the garden, where a girl was sitting. She was beyond beautiful, she seemed to emit a light from her body that made your eyes hurt when you started too long. Kira smiled and waved, "Itsu!" she ran over to the girl and smiled, "You came back."
Itsu smiled, "Just in time for your wedding, little sister." The kyubi nearly lost control of his senses when he heard that, plain Kira and this drop dead gorgous Itsu... related? Itsu looked at the kyubi questioningly, "Did father finally agree to you being a kunoichi?"
Kira shook her head, "No. He's simply letting me keep Kit as a pet. If I became a kunoichi, Father would disown me as well."
"And I have no regrets," Itsu snapped, "Father simply wanted to control me. He planned to marry me off to the highest bidder and make sure to breed strong healthy men, just like he's doing to you. In comparison, when I'm a kunoichi I have friends, I can date a man without planning to be his wife, I can breathe and not worry if I'll be punished for it."
Kira looked cooly at her sister, "That is your decision and your's alone. This is mine."
"No, it isn't" Itsu stood up angrily, "It's Father's decision and you're going along with it! You don't even know this man, and Father doesn't care. What if he rapes you, or beats you, or something else? Father won't even care as long as you have a son!" The kyubi growled lightly at the thought, and Kira stroked him. "Aren't you even the least bit frightened?"
"No, I trust Father's judgement." The kyubi looked up at Kira, "He won't let that happen to me." The kyubi heard a low growl, and turned quickly to see a wolf. It was a normal wolf, not a demon, but it knew the kyubi was. The kyubi returned the growl, ready to fight. He felt Kira's grip tighten on him and he looked up in annoyance, "Your wolf's scaring Kit. Can't you put her somewhere else?" That mutt? Scaring me? Yeah right.
"Pan, go somewhere else. Sister wants to pamper her little pet." The wolf, called Pan, gave a growl that clearly said, "You better not try anything." The kyubi turned his nose up at Pan, giving a loud sniff. Pan glared at the kyubi, before dashing off. Itsu shook her head, "Pan doesn't like that fox. But, that means she sees Kit as a threat. So, if Pan thinks he's strong enough to hurt me, then he must be strong enough to protect you."
Damn straight! The kyubi gave a satisfied sigh and rested his head in Kira's arms. He turned his eyes up and looked at Kira. Kira smiled and stroked the kyubi. "Well, Kit doesn't seem like a pushover. And he was pretty beat up when I found him, so he's probably a thug." Kira smiled fondly at the kyubi. "A cuddle-thug." The kyubi rolled his eyes at the thought.
"Well, if Kit's going to be protecting you, then I can stop worrying about..." Itsu drifted off and stared angrily at something behind Kira. Kira turned and saw her father, his eyes fixated on Itsu with disapproval written all over his face. Itsu's mouth was a straight line as she glared at her father, "I'll see you later Kira." She walked off, Pan soon behnd her, whining anxiously at her mistress's distress. Kira sighed worriedly and walked over to her father.
The kyubi felt his fur bristle when he saw Lord Naku, but the large man paid no heed, "Kira, were you speaking to Itsu? After I forbid contact between you two?" Kira hung her head in shame, and the kyubi gave Naku a low growl. "Kira, Itsu is a rebellious and disobedient girl, and I don't want her influencing you. Poor Sei already had his heart broken by one of my daughters, are you really thoughtless enough to make it two?"
Kira spoke in a small voice, "Sorry Father."
"I don't want sorry. I want you to tell me you'll never speak to Itsu again. Am I understood?"
"I understand Father." Kira look at the ground determinedly, refusing to meet her father's gaze. Naku narrowed his eyes at Kira, before turning on his heel and leaving. Kira gave a distracted sigh, but would not reveal her thoughts. The kyubi nudged at Kira's arm which she ignored. He then gave a short bark, finally getting Kira's attention, "Sorry Kit, I was just thinking..." Kira shook her head sadly before walking across the grounds.
Servants were running to and fro, bustling and sweating to make the Lord's daughter's wedding the best. Despite the fact that this festival was all for Kira, no one gave the plain girl and her pet a second glance. Kira walked determinedly towards the house, and was only a step away from a running pace towards her room. She threw herself on the bed, looking at the kyubi sadly, "I don't want to marry Sei. He doesn't want to marry me either. He likes Itsu the most, and a lot of other girls more than me." The kyubi yawned in response. "I'm not supposed to speak to Itsu, both my father and Sei forbid it. Sei always says that she escaped him, like some prey. I don't want to marry a man like that. But..." Kira choked up, "I have to. Father isn't cruel, he's angry right now. But, if I marry Sei, he'll be nice and love me like he used to."
"Do you really believe that?" Kira turned quickly and saw Itsu, Pan at her side. "All Fa-, that man wants is for you to produce a strong heir, like he was breeding horses or something. Please Kira," Itsu looked helplessly at her sister, "don't marry Sei. He'll just use you to become head of the clan."
"I know." Kira sighed, "He'll make me have a child, then he'll turn his attention to other, more attractive women. He'll leave me alone." Kira looked away from her sister and at the kyubi with sad eyes.
"You don't deserve that Kira. All my life, I've wished I was more like you." Itsu sat on the bed with Kira and grabbed her hand, "I've always done my best to be a good person, but it just comes naturally to you. You be good for the sake of being good, not to please father like so many people say. You're so pure, and I'm sure you'll become a beauty that is the envy of all women."
"No I won't." Kira took her hand back, "You're the pretty sister, and I'm the plain one. I can either consent with this marrige, or live my life without one."
"No!" Itsu stood up, "What makes you think that?"
Kira turned her head up to her sister, "Remember Yuki?" Itsu froze, Yuki was a young man who stayed with them for a while that Kira was smitten with. "One day I told him how I felt, and he told me the truest words I've ever heard. "Don't be ridiculous. An ugly girl like you, made even uglier by the beauty of her sister? What makes you have a chance with me?" He was right."
The kyubi growled, What an asshole. I may be thoughtless, but that's just intentionally cruel. That bastard...
"Sister, not all men are jerks like him. You just need to try again."
"No," Kira responded firmly, stroking the kyubi in an attempt to calm him. "I'm not stupid. Men turn their heads when they see you. I'm invisible to them. They'll ask you for your heart, they'll ask Father for my money. It's my destiny to be plain, so I may as well make the best of it."
"You're wrong," Itsu turned her back on Kira, "but if you want to make your life miserable, go ahead. Just remember that you'll have no one to blame except yourself." She disappeared in a puff of smoke, along with Pan.
Kira sighed and layed back on the bed, her eyes closed in thought.
"She's right Kira. You deserve better than that scum." Kira shot up, looking around the room wildly, but seeing no one except the kyubi. "K-Kit?"
AN: Ho-ho! The kyubi finally speaks. Quick question, would you all prefer if I called him the kyubi or Kit? Kira's gonna always call him Kit, but which do you prefer? I was thinking Kit with Kira and people, but the kyubi with Chasouzou and other demons.