A/N ;; New chapter!
This chapter includes a few new things (in short, writing experiments) that I haven't tried before. The part that was the most different is the first section, which I tried to give a bit of backstory and explanation for how things are going to work in this story. The next chapter will also include a section like that, except it has to do with... No spoilers! :P
Thank you for all my amazing reviewers, who all get cake! - LoverOfWhiteWolves who reviewed the very first chapter (back when it wasn't renewed) but I never ended up thanking them. Sorry about that. Other thanks goes to Daughter of Kabegami, Inoshikko and Spirits and Shadows.
Spirits and Shadows - Thank you for the praise. It makes me happy. :3 (By the way, I just love your username, but I don't why. It just screams epic to me. Haha.)
Random Fact: The inspiration for this chapter was entirely provided by the Pirates of the Caribbean Theme Song.
People who review this chapter will get... Red Velvet Cupcakes.
Kazue looked at a shopkeeper.
The man was yelling loudly, though as his gaze rested on her, his voice suddenly lowered to a whisper.
She looked at Mr. Flower.
He was walking through town, as colorful and calm as ever. He walked past her, not sparing her a glance.
She looked at Aiko.
The small girl spoke with her friends, Chiyo and Hanako. Kaede and a small boy, Haru, had also joined in on the collage of conversations.
Kazue, with her charcoal hair falling down her face in messy strands, sighed. Her eyes shifted to rest on the ground. She began to slowly twist and turn the string that held her newest treasure: a small crystal ball to her neck. She was standing just in front of the exit of the Commoner's Quarters, although she had been commanded to leave the city immediately, she couldn't help but want to linger a little longer.
She didn't bother to pay attention to Chiyo when the girl swept by her to speak with her mother. Instead, she tried to ignore the words that floated through the air – conversations in which every word that reached her ears somehow brought the lump in her throat to return and expand. She felt as though her entire neck braced itself to explode.
Tears pricked the edges of her eyes.
Today was just supposed to be another day in her daily routine. After a few commons words were exchanged among the maidens, they each dispersed to do their assigned duty, whatever it was that day. Kazue didn't receive any different commands; rather, she was to stick to the one job she had been given from the first day she had moved into the palace:
Care for the queen and her most sacred item: the crystal ball.
The crystal ball was a magical item that shone even when light was nowhere to be seen, and it drove those who gazed upon it to either lust for its power or stare in amazement at its size and shape. It was cherished among the inhabitants of Sei'an City. Since it had been a gift from the gods themselves, they considered it a valuable treasure to only be used by descendants of said gods, namely Queen Himiko.
Kazue remembered the glazed look in the queen's eyes when she had been first called into the throne room, when everybody stared and whispers instantly rose from the mouths of her fellow handmaidens. It wasn't something she wanted to see again; the accusing, though almost lifeless eyes that had pinned her gaze instantly.
Never before had she been bothered by depressing things. She always found the bright side of it all – the hidden reasons to smile amongst the darkest times. However, her way of thinking had backfired on her the moment she entered the room. Suddenly, when the accusation was laid upon her, there was no room in her mind to smile. Shock and disbelief flooded her mind.
Her friends had turned on her, whispering and glaring at her. All her life she had always had someone to talk to, someone to spend time with.
Due to her accusation Kazue was alone. She no longer had anyone to turn to when she needed advice or support. She had no one to wish a goodnight to whenever it was time to sleep – someone to lay awake from and stare at the ceiling to the sound of their gentle breathing.
Now she had no one.
"Never say never," she would always tell the other girls when they felt down.
This time, her own philosophy failed to comfort her, because she had no one to help prove it to her.
Ren snorted. He narrowed his crimson eyes at the girl standing in front of the exit of Sei'an City, who was consistently switching between holding her hands together and wringing them other one another. Her expression was a mix of loss and confusion and longing as her gaze drifted over each of the humans that passed by her.
He was thankful that his task had finally passed. It allowed him a bit of relaxation without worrying that his crystal was in the hands of a dangerous person (not that he would have any problem overcoming them if they tried to put up a fight). Although he would forever keep his opinion to himself, he sometimes wished that the jewel never existed, never plagued him with the duty of always having to watch over it.
He wished he had never been one of Inari's(I) messenger kitsune.(II)
He didn't like being depended on, despite the praise he had received when he delivered messages to the mortal world. It tired him, stressed him out and had made him feel as if the 'praise' he gained from it all wasn't worth the obstacles that had always stood in his way. He was sick of being chased down, the odd time he was seen, anyway, and he was sick of being asked to do things just because he was more powerful than average kitsune.
He had even come to consider mortals lazy, in which they asked their gods to do their work because they couldn't do it themselves.
And that's why, shortly after he had earned his third tail, he had fled from the domain of Inari, fled to the mortal world and stayed there. His crystalline white fur had darkened over time, eventually shifting into the dark brown – nearly black – color that it was today. The only remains of his former color remained on the tips of his ears.
He let out a short grunt as he eyed the people who spoke with one another all throughout the area below. Their voices came to form a big mesh of mixed conversations – and all about things he didn't care about.
The girl, he noticed, yearned to join in the college of conversations. She longed to have her voice be heard within the crowd. But yet she refused to say a word. She was alone and she hated it.
He had always been alone, always wanting to live without anyone else, because he lacked any kind of partner. When he was still a messenger fox, he had meant to be grouped in with two other kitsune, Airi and Jirou, but due to the fact that he never got along well with Airi, he failed to agree to this. He didn't mind that he was on his own, that the most communication he held with the other kitsune were a few spoken words of encouragement or anger, or perhaps a reminder of a duty that had to be performed.
He was used to be isolated – to having to take care of himself instead of looking out for someone else, or having someone else look out for him.
And he preferred it this way.
Teamwork would only add weight to his shoulders. With such an advantage came the cost of having to look out for skins other than his own. He had never felt the need to have company, nor was he ever jealous of the other kitsune, or anybody, for that matter. He didn't want to do anything for someone else, or risk his life to save them if required.
He didn't want anyone.
He didn't need anyone.
There was him and only him.
The fox snorted again before his eyes wandering over the Commoner's Quarters. When they once again fell upon the figure of the girl, standing in the same spot she had been in for almost an hour, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the sight of her depressed countenance. Her chocolate brown eyes, wide as ever, faced the ground. Her hands played with the jewel that hung around her neck. He hummed in bewilderment, as well as annoyance. He knew very well why the girl was sad.
She had been ignored... again,
He knew that the sudden isolation would be hard for her to deal with, as he had observed her a few days before executing his task. She wasted her time smiling and not bothering to think about the future.
It seems the future hit her hard.
She was alone... like him, friendless. He felt a smidge of sympathy for her, since he knew that she wasn't used to such a lifestyle, but quickly crushed the emotion and resumed his watching.
Ren blinked when he finally saw her make her way out of the exit in a sluggish manner, slow and heavy, like she struggled to take each step. She disappeared behind the gate pillars, and the smallest of frowns crossed his mouth. He took another look below, not at all surprised when he saw that no one had bothered to follow her. Perhaps no one had noticed her departure, even. As the thought lingered in his mind, though, it wasn't that shocking, as all of the people thought of her as a traitor, like a nightmare that just wouldn't leave.
He stood up and careful slid off the side of the mountain. He had to follow her. He had to wait until she was alone.
Kazue left the voice-filled quarters behind and emerged onto the path that led out to Southern Ryoshima Coast. Her eyes searched for a fisherman as she slowly made her way down the golden stone path. She kept her ears open for his voice, as he would always call to her when he saw her – anything to help pinpoint where he was. She hoped for a second that he hadn't gone on another fishing trip.
The sound of his familiar yell expanded outward across the hollow air. Kazue's gaze shifted around for the source. There was an intersection not too far down, where the sounds that followed seemed to come from. She hummed with recognition and approached the area.
As she walked further down and around the corner, Shin's figure came into view. He sat on the ground with his back against the stone. His short hair stuck to his face. His arms held his knees close to his chest and he stared out towards the ocean with a glare planted firmly on his face. His posture leaked with attention – so much that Kazue had to steel herself to speak to him. She walked closer until Shin snapped out of whatever trance he had been in. His eyes drifted to her, in which a suspicious stare covered the usual friendly, welcoming gaze he usually held.
Kazue frowned.
"Hey... Shin," she said, her voice a bit shaky.
She felt that he probably would have lectured her then and there and told her whatever he wanted to say to her – about the accusations that were laid against her. But, his eyes seemed to soften slightly as he looked over her, and he turned towards her a bit more.
"So... what happened?" was all he could say. His tone wasn't 'angry' or 'disappointed' or 'annoyed.' It was emotionless, as if open to any emotion she needed it to be.
Kazue turned away. Not once did anyone ask her that question since the accusation, but it didn't surprise her that Shin, of all people, was the one who had bothered to ask her. He had done similar things before – knowing how far to push her and what to ask.
She didn't answer because she didn't know what to say. She didn't want to sound pitiful or weak, but she knew she couldn't hold it in forever.
"You can tell me, you know."
Kazue blinked. She turned to eye Shin and watched as his gaze narrowed as he stared up at her, his arms crossed over his chest. He already knew what had happened, news had spread incredibly fast. She confirmed it with a weary nod and a mumble of his name as she came to sit down on the wall beside him, though there was a bit of space between them.
He sighed and moved closer to her. He look at her; instead, he kept his eyes directed towards the ocean ahead.
"Listen..." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know what you went through in there. Yes, they accused you, but... it doesn't mean you did anything... feeling bad about yourself isn't going to make them change their minds."
Kazue turned her head away and took his words into mind. She had given advice of similar qualities before, but the sole fact that it came from Shin made it feel different.
Her fingers began to subconsciously play with the string that hung around her neck.
"I know what it feels like to be accused of something you know you didn't do..." he added. "You know that. I know what it feels like to feel like you don't have anybody to turn to because they all turned on you." His eyes held hers. "You were the one that accepted me after they cast me away." A smile moved like a ghost across his face. "Don't you remember?"
"I just..." she started. Her voice hinted at fresh tears, although she tried her best to hold them in. "I feel so alone, Shin... I don't want to be alone. I don't want to leave here."
Shin turned away again, his mouth closed in a firm line.
"What if... You could live with me for a while...?"
As if frantically correcting a phrase that would cause worldwide mayhem if uttered, Shin quickly slapped his hand over his mouth.
He shouldn't have said that.
He shouldn't have said that.
He almost reluctantly turned back to Kazue, though he didn't grimace at her expression, as he thought he would. Her face had the remains of a small smile dripping away, but there was no realization, no hope, no thankfulness.
"Shin... no. You don't have to do that."
He nodded slowly. "I thought you would accept," he said.
"You have enough trouble providing for yourself."
Shin hummed, but didn't say anything.
Then he turned to her and opened his mouth. Kazue cocked a brow, and he quickly said, "Just one day. One day. Let me help you this time."
She reached out and placed her hand on his, then brought him into a gentle hug. "Thank you so much, Shin."
Ren grimaced as he watched the girl and her friend embrace near the small watering hole. She smiled as she pulled away from him and he grinned back at her. Drying tear marks lined her face, and he could only guess what she had been crying about this time.
He pulled back behind the stone wall.
"Shin, are you sure this is okay?" her voice reached his ears and he idly realized that it was the first time he had heard it. It was soft.
He didn't hear the boy's answer, but there was a short silence before an "Okay" sprang into the air, following by a gentle giggle.
His ears perked up.
Another first.
(I) Inari: God of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes and industry.
(II) Kitsune: Japanese word for foxes. Second note, messenger foxes are servants of Inari and are always pure white, signifying their loyalty to her.
A/N ;; So, the names are revealed now, huh? You like 'em? I do.