Itsuka Tenma no Shirogane Kitsune

프롤로그- Bulsa

Central Square was abuzz with the shocking electricity of life. Crowded and boisterous, crying kids competed with their vehement parents and the street vendors hawked their wares and swore at the pigeons and seagulls as the birds harassed them.

Cringing at the ridiculous noise level, Add glimpsed down at his hands- now pink from being scrubbed raw, and shifted his gaze to Ara. "What are we doing?" he enquired, sounding surly. The ebonette chuckled gaily, grasping Add by his arm much to his immense chagrin, and tugged him away from the street performers (for which Add was thankful for, the people surrounding them were as plentiful as a locust plague).

"Come on! Lemme show you the statue!" she chirruped, leading the lavender-haired male into a quieter, more secluded section of the square, well-shaded by the leafy boughs of the earthen oaks. "Wait… those statues? Why would you show me that?" He tilted his head to the side, confounded at her behavior.

"It soothes me, makes me feel calm. I like looking at it," Ara replied, taking a seat on an empty cast-iron bench. Add furrowed his brow, looking critically at the magnificent bronze sculptures.

A towering demonic centipede with an expression of utmost malice reared upwards, poised to strike and destroy everything. Standing in front of the centipede in a combative stance was a young man with chin-length hair and a slender one-handed sword in right hand and on the back of left hand was a smooth, flawless topaz cabochon. Curiously enough, embedded in one of the centipede's eyes, there was a gleaming topaz as well.

Though the letters on the bronze plaque embedded amongst the smooth cobble stones were faded and weathered away by the years, Add's keen eyes which could make out dirt in a miniscule crack from fifty feet away were able to discern:

The Final B… Watch… Drabaki… seal… an…

"It is rather well-crafted, judging from the design. I'd have to say it's about a thousand years old…" Add mused, tapping his chin. Ara snorted, shaking her head. "What?" he snapped, giving the ebonette a frigid stare. She sighed, her expression falling, and slumped in her seat. "Ah, it's nothing, but still… That is pretty accurate. You must be a genius or something!" Her expression brightened as she turned towards the lavender-haired male, beaming exuberantly at him.

He smirked, flipping his side-swept bangs. "Pretty astute observation there, I am indeed top of my class, with the highest scores in Calculus throughout my entire school. Best party yet? If I was one of those 'normal' people, I wouldn't even be taking Calculus for about another two years!"

"Woah," Ara's eyes widened, "I'm so glad I chose to become friends with you! I always wanted to be friends with a smart person!" she squealed, leaping at Add with arms wide. "Hey!" He shot off the bench, allowing Ara to face plant into where his rear end had been just a few seconds earlier. "Hue…" the ebonette sniffled, rubbing her now-red nose, her face in a puppy-dog pout. "Why are you so mean?" she whimpered.

Add balked, before setting his face into a hard mask and crossed his arms. "No hugging and no more touching until you get your clothes washed. I don't want to get any more of your germs than necessary."

Ara huffed, looking away from him with her nose stuck up in the air. "Well! You're just being paranoid! What do you think you can get from me?"

He deadpanned, placing a hand on his hip. "Let's see… H1N1 for starters… Streptococcus, Bacillus anthracis-"

"Hold on," Ara interjected, putting her hands in the air.

"What?"

"Can you please speak a language I can understand?" Ara sighed, tugging on her low-hanging ponytail. Add grimaced, raising his eyebrows. "With your hygiene habits, I'm surprised you don't have clothing lice." Ara's jaw dropped, "Is that a thing?!" she exclaimed. Add groaned, face palming himself. "Forget it…"

"Anyways, do you want to get ice cream?" the ebonette queried. Add crinkled his nose, "From like… an ice cream vendor… like one of those street vendors? Eww… no way." She rolled her eyes, throwing her hands into the air in an exaggerated gesture of hopelessness. "You're no fun!"

"Think of the germs though, who knows where that stand has been?" Add retorted drily, his mien impassive. Ara gave him a rueful smile, folding her arms. "Fine, I'll take you to an ice cream parlor."

프롤로그- Scene Change- Ice Cream Parlor

Add had to admit, even if Ara was filthy, whiny, talked too much, overly-friendly, and a bit of a rapid mood-changer, she could pick out some pretty damn good ice cream.

The smooth silky taste of hot fudge mixed with the icy creaminess of the chocolate ice cream melted in his mouth, rich and satisfying, making him savor each bite. Ara… on the other hand… was a different story. Greedily, she wolfed down her triple-decker banana split, smearing whipped cream and frosting all over her top lip while the corners of her mouth was caked in the hot fudge. Combined with her baby face, she looked like an eight-year old, making his stomach flip. Another random fact about Add, he hated little kids. Their loud, high-pitched voices made his head hurt while their sticky, germ-breeding hands made his skin crawl.

Obnoxious, hyperactive, and grubby, they were his worst nightmare.

"Ara… please… take this…" he grumbled, reaching into his coat pocket for a packet of moist wipes. The ebonette just stared at the gleaming, sharp-cornered plastic packet, completely incredulous. "Huh?"

Add snorted, shaking his head. "Please… for the love of the El Lady, wipe your face off… You're going to make me sick with how messy your face is." She smirked, setting down her stainless steel spoon on the smooth granite tabletop, making the lavender-haired male wince. "You obsess over the weirdest things…"

He shook his head, massaging his temples profusely. "I just want to live past my thirtieth birthday," he snipped. Ara laughed, before throwing her arms around Add and giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"NO! HEY! HELP!" he screeched. "POLICE! SOMEONE!? HAZMAT SQUAD!?" He thrashed around wildly, knocking them both into the white linoleum floor. Using all his strength, he was able to pry Ara off of himself.

"Don't…" he gasped, "do…" his breath was forced, his words coming out as a wheeze, "THAT!" he roared, bolting out of the parlor. "Hey! Wait! Add! It was a joke! Come on!" Ara wailed, rushing out after him.

"You!" He swore zealously under his breath, storming down the street with a pissed expression. She hung her head, tears trickling down her red cheeks. Add flinched, a pang of guilt jolting through him as he saw her tears. Dammit! Not the waterworks again!

A cold breeze whipped through the area, making the lavender-haired male shudder and draw his coat tighter around him. "S-sorry…" he whispered, looking away from the ebonette.

"N-nah," she sniffled, smiling feebly, "it's my bad… It's just that… I never really had a friend before…"

"Huh?" He tilted his head to the side, staring dubiously at Ara. "Really?"

She nodded wordlessly.

He laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head in disbelief, and rubbed his forehead, rumpling his bangs. "Wow… I would think that you would be one of the popular kid types. You know, since you're so bubbly and outgoing. I tend to hate people like you."

Ara grinned ruefully at him, shrugging her shoulders. "Well, can I say you don't hate me since you're hanging out with me?" she inquired. He smirked, cantering his hips sassily, "No… not yet. But you are a rather annoying little girl."

All Ara could do was laugh. "Aww, thanks!" she chirped. Add flashed a roguish smirk at her before taking on a contemplative expression. Seeing this, Ara cocked an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

Add shook his head, a thoughtful hrrrm coming from between his pursed lips. Ara snorted, stamping the ground with her foot. "Don't lie to me! Friends don't lie to each other!" she cried, looking indignant. He laughed hollowly at her. "You think so?" he quipped, much to Ara's chagrin. "Well! You obviously have something on your mind, so spit it out!" she demanded.

The lavender-haired male snickered, narrowing his eyes. "You are an awfully presumptuous little girl aren't you? Not to mention very… hmm… 'unique'." Ara frowned, placing a hand on her hip. "So?"

"I'm just wondering about you is all. You don't have any friends or family, and I haven't seen you attend school, so why is that? Are you homeless?" Add probed, staring suspiciously at the ebonette who silently shook her head.

"No, I live on Fifth Avenue, at the Fleur de Chevalier."

Add's jaw dropped, his eyes growing huge. "Are you kidding me?" he gasped. Ara stared intently at him, "What?" she queried. Add shook his head, blinking his eyes as if snapping out of a trance. "That's the ritziest place in Velder! Were your parents rich or something?"

Silence overcame the ebonette.

"Huh?" Add sucked in his cheeks, critically scrutinizing her. "Are you a freeloader?"

"No! Of course not! My brother taught me better than that!" Ara snapped, thoroughly riled.

"Then how?" he pressed exasperatedly, feeling ticked. She was hiding something from him, something that he felt was vital to know. Ara wilted, looking everywhere except at the lavender-haired male. "I'm waiting," he drawled, rapping his foot against the ground. Ara gulped, appearing like a deer in headlights before slowly creeping towards Add, her face as pale as death.

"Promise me you won't freak out or blab if I tell you?" she whispered nervously in his ear. He recoiled, now wary against her. "It depends, are you a mafia boss or a serial killer?"

Ara snorted, pinching him hard on his arm.

"Ow! Ow! Stop that!" he yelped, jerking away from the ebonette. "Of course not!" she cried petulantly. Add huffed, rubbing his sore spot. "Ok, then I won't… but that was really unnecessary," he grumbled dourly. She sighed, taking a step closer to Add and leaning in ever so slightly so her mouth was hovering just centimeters away from his ear.

"I'm actually half-demon and half-god, so I had a lot of years on me to collect money by doing odd jobs. Plus I get a small fraction of all offerings given to religious shrines," she whispered, sounding uncertain.

Add snorted, taking a step backward from Ara and shook his head, rolling his eyes as he did so. "Funny, real funny," he snapped, glaring at the ebonette. She pouted, burrowing her chin into her chest. "It's true!" she protested. "I'm a descendant of the Haan clan! A powerful line of celestial beings that were born from the union between a Kumiho and Rama!"

Add groaned, This bitch is crazy… "Well, prove it," he snipped, biting his tongue. The ebonette smirked, reaching for the adroitly crafted hairpin she wore. "You sure about thaaat?" she drawled in a light, teasing tone. He just stared.

"Ok!" Ara sang and yanked the pin out of her hair, allowing her locks to tumble freely down her back. Nothing happened. Add snickered, "Crazy bi-"

A luminescent aura enveloped the ebonette, making even the sun look feeble and insignificant. A choked cry of alarm escaped from Add as a hot breeze laden with the scent of clove and lilies caressed his cheeks. When the light faded, Ara had white hair. White. Pristine as fresh-fallen mountain snow. And her eyes were a deep blood-red, with small golden. cat's eye pupils. Also there were nine shimmering fox tails; gently they swished back and forth, the opaque silver fur glinting with sparkly rainbow hues in the sunlight.

Though the most curious thing was that everyone ignored her. No one seemed to be paying attention to the fact that there was a chick with red eyes and nine fox tails standing outside of an ice cream parlor.

"Mother El Lady!" Add yelped, his hands flying over his mouth. "What in all blazing layers of Hades was that? And how come no one is noticing? And wait, what are your special powers? And does that mean you're like a million-"

She held her hand up, cutting him off. "Silence mortal," she barked, her voice deep and powerful. Add winced, before regaining his composure, highly affronted at her condescending tone. "Why-"

A chilly death glare was all it took to shut him up.

"I am Eun, the patron deity of the Haans," she stated coolly.

Add shivered, Ara- Eun- whatever she was, scared the crap out of him. "So… I guess, it is true…? What she was saying?" Eun narrowed her eyes, the sharp gleam in her eyes making him feel uncomfortable. As if he was getting sized up before eaten by a ravenous wolf- or in this case, fox.

"Yes, indeed. The woman you were speaking to was Ara Haan, the sole active survivor of the Haan lineage, and my ties to the mortal realm- Elrios," the silverette explained, calm and dispassionate. Add sweat dropped profusely, shuddering as an unwonted piece of information from literature class crossed his mind.

The Kumiho shares many similarities to the Huli Jing and the Kitsune. All legends explain fox spirits as being the result of great longevity or the accumulation of energy, with Kumiho said to be foxes who have lived for a thousand years, and give them the power of shape-shifting, usually appearing in the guise of a woman. However, while Huli Jing and Kitsune are often depicted with ambiguous moral compasses, possibly good or bad, the Kumiho is almost always treated as a malignant figure who feasts on human flesh…

And didn't Ara say she was descended from the lineage of a Kumiho? Add quivered, paralyzed under the overwhelming power radiating from Eun.

Fuck. My. Life.

"AAAAAHH!" he screamed, dashing the opposite direction, his hands waved wildly over his head. All eyes were on him as he sprinted through the winding streets, half-tripping over his own feet. Eun watched him go with much amusement.

Eun… that wasn't very nice… Ara's voice mewled within her thoughts. The silverette demon smirked, crossing her arms. Ah, smart kid, if you didn't like him so much I would just eat him for a snack… though he'd probably give me indigestion.

Ara sighed. You know how I feel about you eating people. Eun shrugged lazily, releasing a loud, drawn-out yawn. Hey, I gotta eat too, kiddo.

Shouldn't you go after him? Ara mumbled resentfully. You were the one who scared him off…

You were the one who released me, and he was the one smart enough to put two and two together.

Please!?

Fine…

Her nostrils flaring, Eun stuck her hand into the air, conjuring a silver and gold war lance with an ax-blade and twirled it around effortlessly, like it was a cheerleader's baton, not an extremely powerful and ancient weapon that could blow up the entire plaza in Central Square.

With superhuman speed, she jumped into the air, dashing on it as if she were on solid ground. This is going to be fun! she thought with a wicked giddiness.

Eun… Ara groaned, mentally face palming herself.

프롤로그- Scene Change- Dark Alley Way

"Haah," Add wheezed, his legs burning and his face flushed as he collapsed against a wall in some alley way, too exhausted to even care that the ground was hideously befouled. "I think…" he gasped, "I… lost," he grimaced as his body sucked in more oxygen, setting his throat ablaze. "…Them…"

He buried his face in his hands, mumbling fervid curses to himself for not applying himself more in gym class. He was spent, tired beyond repair. The sheer grime factor of the alley was the sole reason he had not collapsed out and slipped into a deep sleep so he could recover from this intense bout of exercise.

"Found You!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he shrieked, whipping around to find Eun hunched over him, a demonic smile on her face. "PLEASE DON'T EAT MY FLESH! THAT'S REALLY UNSANITARY! I DID NOT PAY TWO THOUSAND ED FOR SOME NEW FLOOR SOAP JUST TO GET-"

The silverette clapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him. "Be quiet you idiot," she hissed, baring her teeth in a fearsome scowl, revealing abnormally sharp canines. The lavender-haired male whimpered, clasping his hands together in prayer.

Eun snorted, releasing her hand. "I'm not going to eat you, even though I'm really hungry because: one, your flesh smells too sterile, two, Ara actually likes you, though I fail to see why," she snarled, kicking him in the chest.

Add heaved a deep breath, holding his hand out. "O…k… You just insulted me horrifically and knocked me into the dirtiest patch of asphalt I've seen in a while, but I'm too damn scared to really care at this point. Can I just please have Ara back?" he pleaded.

Eun chuckled, summoning the hairpin and placing it back into a ponytail. Gradually, the white became black and the red gave way to warm gold, all cruelty and cleverness melting away into a baby-faced innocence. She was back.

Thank El… Add wiped his brow, shuddering one last time as the vestiges of Eun's overwhelming aura disappeared from the area.

"I'm sorry about that… you can probably see why I don't have any friends," Ara apologized, dipping into a deep bow. Add rolled his eyes, staggering to his feet and taking his coat off. "No, I don't see any problem," he replied tartly. Ara cringed, "I-I'm… I-"

"Forget it, I understand it's not your fault you got some crazy, flesh-eating bitch as a host of sorts, and that she is ruining your friend-making ability."

She beamed, "Ah! Thank you! I hope we can still be friends!" The lavender-haired male paused, absolutely frozen. "Really?" he grumbled.

Ara's face fell, "W-why n-not?" She began to sob.

Damn all criers to the bottom corner of hell. Those tears are stupidly overpowered, someone please nerf. Add covered his ears, gnashing his teeth together. "I-it's weird!" he cried. Big mistake. She just began to cry harder.

Minus ten hit points Add… change your battle plan.

"And besides," he hastily added, groping desperately for an excuse, "how old are you?Kumihos can live a long time, right?"

She stopped crying, regarding Add with her large, expressive eyes. "I-I'm… About one thousand and seven hundred years old," she informed. He let out a low whistle, "Damn… that's old… Really old." The ebonette chuckled feebly, rubbing her eyes. "But I don't see how this affects us being friends," she muttered, staring poutishly at the lavender-haired male. He rolled his eyes, smiling inwardly at stumbling across such a sound excuse.

"It would be sad for you. You're going to outlive me unless you die in a freak acc-"

"I'm straight-up immortal. I can't be killed in a freak accident, not unless I wish to die or I am killed more than seven times in fifteen minutes." Ara interrupted, chewing on a strand of hair. Add nodded in acquiescence, struggling to not let his self-satisfaction show. "See? Even more pain for you. What would happen if I was hit by a bus?"

Much to his dismay, Ara chuckled, smiling brightly.

Dammit! Please tell me that she doesn't have some weird, immortality-bestowing power on her!

"It's no problem," she sang, taking a step closer to the lavender-haired male. His eyes widened, stumbling as he took a step backwards. "Wh-what, what do… do you mean?" he stuttered, utterly horrified.

"I can bestow you with the Haan immortality! Don't die seven times within fifteen minutes and you will be able to stay forever with me with this immortality."

Add's jaw dropped. "Hey-"

Her lips crashed onto his, warm and soft, tasting of vanilla and sugar. He blushed, the warmth prickling his cheeks. The sweetness was abruptly cut by a warm, coppery taste, a cloying metallic odor assaulting his sense of smell.

Oh my El… That isn't… is it?

A warm liquid dribbled down his cheek. Numb, he wiped it away with his hand, his fingers stained with a sticky crimson. "Wha…" he gasped, his face turning an ashy white.

"That's my blood given to you with my consent, by ingesting it, you have obtained my level of immortality," Ara stated plainly, as if suddenly becoming immortal via a random kiss with someone you just met barely two hours ago was the most normal thing in the world. "Now, we have that obstacle out of the way so we can definitely be friends!"

Add fumed, grinding his teeth together. "Are you… fucking… ki-"

"ADD!" Ara screeched, clapping her hands over her mouth, her face turning wan.

Hot pain erupted throughout Add as something cold and metallic shoved its way through his spine, blood erupting in a misty spray, splattering the grimy asphalt with dark, liquid rubies. The lavender-haired male saw a blood-soaked silver blade protruding from his chest before his vision went black, slumping to the ground with lifeless eyes.

Tears welled up in Ara's eyes as she stared, transfixed, at Add and the attacker- a pale man with hazel eyes and ash-blonde hair drawn back into a severe ponytail, his elegant, but cruel face a calm mask of boreal disdain.

"Y-you!" she stammered, taking a nervous step backwards. "Wh-who… are… who are you?!" she gasped, backing up into the alley walls. The blonde male snorted brusquely, withdrawing the slender silver sword he wielded, and kicked Add to the side, taking a step closer to Ara.

"I am Alex Raveal," he said in a chilly voice. "And you must be Ara Haan."

RC: Aaand cut! Hope you enjoyed this long-ish chapter of Itsuka Tenma no Shirogane Kitsune! I'm really thankful and surprised about the 7 reviews I got on the last chapter. =w=; I guess I'm so used to anything that isn't some weird fetish *cough* Elesis x Elsword incest *cough* or uber-popular and beaten in *cough* RS x EM high school, or just high school romance in general *cough* getting zilch reviews. I forgotten that love and effort does still hold some say in the responses! But yipee! I hope you enjoyed how shit got real in the end of this chapter, and appreciated the socially awkward but charming Ara and le random kisses.

Addition: You. Killed. Me. D:

RC: You'll survive, suddenly a lifetime with Ara isn't looking so bad, no?

Addition: You...

RC: Hands off of Elesis and hopefully Eve, but definitely... STAY AWAY FROM ELESIS.

Addition: I wouldn't dream of dating a meddling wench like her anyways. :L

Elesis: And I sure as hell wouldn't date a creep like you! D:

RC: Good, now that is all worked out, message to Mario. Someone has already done it, you can see Add's face on Levi's body.

Raven: I see you dragged in my traitorous friend, Alex.

Alex: You mad, brah?

Raven: :L

RC: Reviving the role of some old antagonists, stirring up the old glory days when things were unique, out of this world, and a giant acid trip on the forums. But still... Killing Add soothed me... Made me relaxed enough to get things worked out for my collab with Shadic and the "shet starts to get real" chappie of IS: AA. After that is the nice red spray paint I'll be coloring Gate of Sheol with (And it will only be tease of what's to come)

Eve: D:

RC: But remember to R&R! Ja Nee! *Flies out the window*