Wishes

Part 13 - The Explanations

"…ouch," Jin mumbled softly, almost uncaring, as the silver-haired man stood and snagged the other Kyuubi from the ground and threw his unconscious form over his shoulder. "That had to hurt…"

He was shorter than Kamui, but taller than Neku, his tails were sleek, but longer, same for his ears. He was dressed in a long, white kimono and hakama, and his eyes were shrouded by light bluish-silver eye shadow, while two lines followed the curve of his cheeks, each, a single blue line painted across his upper lip, and a circle was painted across his forehead, similar circles placed on the back of his hands. He didn't look even half as impressive as Kamui had, muscle wise, and he didn't carry weapons on him, but the fact that the blue-haired fox was scared stiff of him had Joshua wondering if it was wise to be around him.

"…KURASA!"

"EEP!" Neku yelped out when the name was shouted, ducking back behind Joshua even further than he already was.

"Get over here. NOW!"

The redhead whined—actually whined—but he did as he was told and almost crawled out from behind Joshua before he stood and began to walk to the other Kyuubi, ears and tails held down submissively. Joshua didn't blame the redhead in the least; he'd probably do the same after what he had just witnessed.

Ruka was not looking happy in the slightest, one fist on his hip and tapping his foot impatiently as the redhead approached. Once he was in range, Ruka reached out and yanked on the redhead's elongated ear, making the younger Kyuubi howl.

"Just when were you going to tell me that Kamui was running amok in here!?"

"I-I was just…"

"No excuses! I told you a dozen times; if this stupid lug starts messing with your missions, let me know immediately!"

"I-I know, b-but… y-you're always so busy at the shrine that I-I-I didn't want to bother you!"

Joshua blinked when Neku mentioned a 'shrine', but he decided to put off on asking about it until the other Kyuubi had calmed down enough to let the redhead's ear go. And Ruka did not seem inclined to do so.

"And what were you going to do if this idiot had erased Shibuya from Tokyo's wards, huh?! What then?!"

"Okay okay! I'm sorry I'm sorry! Itetetete! Niisama, that hurts!"

Joshua winced as Ruka almost seemed ready to twist Neku's ear clean off, as the smaller Kyuubi's tails flailed about in obvious pain.

"Serves you right! So what are you gonna do if he ever shows up again?!"

"I'll let you know right away I swear! Owowowow! Niisamaaaaa!"

Ruka frowned darkly for a few moments, but finally let go…

"Baka!"

…only to deliver a karate chop to the other Kitsune's head, making the redhead yelp ("Aita!") and cover his head with a whine.

"Don't ever go thinking you can handle this guy on your own again! Got it?!"

"I get it I get it! Sheesh!"

Ruka continued to glare for a few more moments… but after a few more seconds, he cracked and he sighed, his expression going from angry to exasperated as he shook his head. He then placed on hand on Neku's head, moved some of his hair aside and then lightly kissed the smaller boy to his temple. "Whatever am I going to do with you two if you keep making me worry so much, Kurasa?" he grumbled softly as he ruffled the redhead's hair. "What if one of you gets the other hurt, huh? Then what do you want me to do?"

"…sorry…"

Ruka sighed again and lightly knocked his forehead to Neku's. "It's alright… just try to be a little more careful with each other, okay?"

"He started it…" Neku grumbled, which earned him a light swat to the side of his head. "Gah! Okay, okay! I'll be careful…"

"Good boy," Ruka chirped with a small smile, before he sobered and looked to the side and upward to the heavens. "…I should be off, and you should, too… that Angel is coming…"

Neku sighed, but he nodded regardless. "Alright. You be careful, too, Niisama."

Ruka merely smiled, before he turned and walked away, disappearing within the crowds of Shibuya. Neku watched him go for a moment, before he let out a sigh, as his visage returned to "normal" and he tuned himself back down to the RG.

Joshua watched as the redhead ran a hand through his hair for a moment, before he ran off in the direction of home, though not before sending a knowing look to the Composer. The silverette sighed a bit exasperatedly, looking back to Jin, who remained standing where he was, but he seemed to be content with ignoring Joshua now that the "action" had passed. That didn't last long, however, and soon enough, he pushed off from Hachiko and walked away, never looking back, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Oy, Josh."

Joshua blinked a little, before he recognized the voice and turned to the source with a smile. "Hello, Sanae," he said cheekily with a small wave. "What brings you here?"

Hanekoma looked like he was about to say something important, or at least something serious, but in the end, he decided not to and merely smiled as he shrugged with one hand in his pocket. "Ah, just thought we had a fox slipping into Shibuya again. You been here long?"

"A while now," Joshua said with a small chuckle. "Can't say I've seen any foxes running around here, though. Maybe it was all in your head."

It wasn't a question really, and Hanekoma knew that, so the barista merely chuckled as he rubbed his neck. "Heh… maybe."

Whyever Joshua wasn't telling Sanae about the three Kitsune that had just fled the scene, he wasn't sure, but he supposed it didn't matter, really…

As long as the middle sibling was out of his hair.

As Neku came home, his phone rang the second he closed the door. The timing was too perfect, meaning it could only be…

Bringing the object to his ear after opening it, he demanded: "How'd you get this number, Niisama?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Ruka's voice chuckled out. "Hey, listen Kurasa, I forgot to ask you; can I borrow some of your supplies? I'm actually running low and I don't have the time or leisure to pick new stuff up."

Neku winced sharply. "I don't even wanna know what you've got planned, but fine… send me a text with what you need and I'll send Yon and Nana your way."

"Great. Thank you very much. I'll get it back to you with interest once I'm done."

"You don't have to really…"

"Trust me, you'll be glad I did afterwards."

"Just send me the text already!"

"Heheh. Will do. Love you."

"Love you, too, Niisama."

And with that, Neku hung up the phone and let out a huge sigh. 'Damn… Kamui's in soooo much trouble now…'

Beep beep!

"Ah, there we go," he mumbled, flipping the phone open again and reading the new message. "…I… really don't want to know… ugh. Yon. Nana."

As Neku finished those words, two girls appeared behind him from the shadows, both of them wearing traditional kimono's, their faces covered by Kitsune masks. Nana looked exactly the same as she had the first time she appeared, and Yon had long, curly red hair that hung down her back.

"Yes Master~?" the pair chirped happily.

"I need you two to give me a hand with delivering some stuff to Niisama, can you do that?"

"Sure thing, Master!" Yon said enthusiastically. "Just leave it all to us!"

"Yes, please, Master, it's no problem at all," said Nana as she held onto her stuffed kitten.

"Right. C'mon, let's go get what he wants…"

When Joshua woke up slowly, he groaned as he sat up straight, cricking his neck, before realizing he was in the Room of Reckoning for the first time in what felt like weeks (which, in all honesty, it had been). It took him a while to remember why, though.

After the three Kyuubi had left, Hanekoma had told him it was about time for a new Game, which was to start in three days (now two), and he had decided to start planning ahead. He had been working until well past midnight before he had apparently dozed off.

"Mmmm~… whew… Goodness… that's going to sting later…" Joshua murmured as he rubbed his neck. "Hmm… well, I have some time to spare, so I may as well look around the city a bit."

With that in mind (and little else to do, really), Joshua stood from his throne and teleported away (because he was feeling rather lazy right then) into the streets of Shibuya. And instantly, he was greeted by the sound and sight of Shibuya's ever busy streets and he allowed a small smile. As he looked around, he couldn't even begin to imagine why he had ever wanted to erase this ward altogether, and, while many would say the Game with his Conductor had been a fatal error on his part, perhaps it had been all for the best.

As he walked the streets of Shibuya, sometimes listening to the Music of others when he saw a particularly bright Soul, he wondered to himself… Despite being a Composer, he knew there was a lot he didn't know of yet, and one of them involved the Kyuubi that had somehow wormed his way into the silverette's (after)life.

It was true that Neku (or Kurasa, as his name actually was as a Kyuubi) was a powerful youkai, and definitely something to be feared by most, and yet he had a pair of older siblings who were much stronger than he was, of which one of them seemed to scare him a lot. Hell, he hadn't even dared to use the silver-haired Kyuubi's name and only addressed him as 'Niisama', which in itself showed just how much respect/reference the younger had for him. Joshua didn't blame Neku for that; that guy, Ruka, was not someone Joshua wished to piss off in the slightest, and he was also glad that it wasn't Ruka who had been assigned to ensure Shibuya wasn't corrupt.

That would've been a disaster…

"…haaaaah…"

Joshua blinked when he heard the familiar sound and turned his head, searching, before he noticed the small blue will-o-wisp. The small wisp remained hovering where it was, and then it waved its small limb in a "come over" gesture that made Joshua chuckle.

"Really now?" he murmured, twirling a strand of hair around his finger. "Hihih. Well, who am I to refuse an invitation, really? I have nothing better to do, anyway."

With that in mind, he walked to the wisp, which disappeared when he came close, but a string of wisps appeared in its place, showing him where he had to go. The Composer didn't even question it; he just walked, hands in his pockets and completely missing a certain redhead heading the very way he had just come from…

Neku stretched his arms over his head with a long yawn as he walked, before he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ugh… damn… last night was a major disaster… the hell was Niisama doing here anyway? On that note… how long has he been here?" He didn't know the answers to those questions, and he was aware that he wouldn't be able to obtain the answers so easily, but it'd be nice if he could…

"…Oh well. Let's see now… where was that spot we agreed to meet…? Ah, right."

With a firm nod, Neku turned right, crossed the street and continued along his path until he reached the place. As expected, he was already there.

"Akataiyo."

The brunette in question looked up from where he was soundlessly leaning against the wall.

"…Sakuraba."

The redhead merely nodded in response, and the pair stood in silence for a few long moments, before Neku finally spoke.

"So… how much do you know, and how much do you want to know?"

"…Hold on a moment… where did I end up now?" Joshua murmured thoughtfully as he looked around.

Somehow, he had left the paved path of Shibuya's streets and found himself on a small path littered with pebbles, small stationary lights placed upon the side of the road that were currently unlit due to the brightness of day, and ahead of him stood a large shrine Shinto Gate, and the wisps were going under it and up the massive stairs that awaited beyond it. The thin veils of mist around him made it difficult to determine where he was, but it looked like a forest of some kind, however, when he reached out, he could still hear and feel Shibuya's vibe, meaning he hadn't actually left his ward behind.

Slowly, whilst keeping careful note of Shibuya's Music, Joshua continued along the pathway and began to ascend the stairs, counting softly under his breath. There were a total of 10 steps, each about twice the height of normal ones, but it felt like they were barely there, oddly enough, and then he found himself standing before a small, modest-looking shrine, surrounded by rows upon rows of sakura trees, the mist that had been around him not obscuring what was right before him.

And in the courtyard, humming and smiling softly to himself as he swept his broom across the stones to shoo away the fallen sakura petals, was a figure Joshua had only seen once but would be able to recognize anywhere, minus the ears and tails. Josh didn't get the chance to say anything, though.

"Good day, Composer," Ruka said almost casually without really looking up from what he was doing.

Though the sudden greeting made him jump a little, Joshua wasn't really surprised that the Kyuubi seemed to know who he was. And so, going along with the flow, Joshua smirked as he raised his hand in a small wave and quipped: "Good day to you as well… Ruka, was it not?"

"Yes, that is correct," said the taller man as he gave one last, firm sweep of his broom before he turned his gaze to Shibuya's Composer. "I suppose you are wondering where you are, hm?"

"Rather," Joshua admitted, placing one hand to his chin. "This place does not strike me as familiar, and I know all of Shibuya like I know the back of my hand. Most curious you've managed to whisk me away like that without me noticing."

Ruka allowed a small chuckle. "My apologies, however, there was something I required to discuss with you, and I fear it is about a matter that cannot wait."

"Hmm… fair enough, I suppose." Joshua was just glad that this Kyuubi did not appear to have any murderous intentions toward him, which was probably why he wasn't so bothered with the other's presence. "So, what is it you wished to talk about?"

"If you do not mind, I'd much rather prefer discussing this inside," Ruka admitted. "I was just about to set some tea, anyway. Would you care for some?"

"Hihi. Don't mind if I do."

The inside of the shrine wasn't any less modest than the outside and appeared to only hold the basic necessities one would need. After taking off their shoes and geta (wooden sandals), Ruka led them into a traditional Japanese tea room and requested Joshua to take a seat while he worked on the tea. The table was small and low to the ground, traditionally Japanese, and the seats were mere pillows that were actually quite comfortable.

After a moment of silence, though…

"Before we begin, I would like to sincerely apologize on behalf of my younger brothers for all the trouble they've caused," Ruka said, looking like he was fighting back the urge to sigh dramatically. "Those boys always seem to get in some sort of trouble whenever I take my eyes off of them for only a moment."

The statement startled Joshua quite a bit, but he made sure not to show it. "Ah, quite alright. Must be hard, having to deal with two younger siblings…"

"Rather," Ruka confirmed with a nod and a small sigh he couldn't hold back. "It's moments like these that I wonder if I've raised them wrong somewhere along the way…" He paused to pour some tea and then walked over to the table, casually placing the tray with the teacups and teapot on the table before he settled down on his knees opposite of Joshua, his hands resting on his lap. "They mean well, however… so I pray you can forgive their small fits of mischief."

'"Mischief" he says, heh…' Joshua thought absently, before he waved it off. "No worries. It's been rather… interesting," he said with a chuckle.

"I am glad to hear you say so," Ruka said with a warm smile as he bowed just slightly from his seated position. As he straightened up, however, his expression became serious. "In any case, what I wish to discuss with you about is your… well, friend, I suppose, if it's possible to call him such."

"Hm? Whoever do you mean?" Joshua asked as he picked up his cup and sipped. 'Ooh, nice blend.'

"I refer to the Borderwalker," Ruka said as he took his own cup, and Joshua paused mid-sip, the term being a highly familiar one, despite the fact he had only heard it once before. "The one you know as 'Akataiyo Jin'."

"…achoo!" Jin sneezed suddenly.

"Bless you," Neku mumbled from where they sat on the edge on the 104 building.

"Whatever… so what's their motivation to keep running?"

Neku hummed in thought, lightly kicking one leg out. "When the Game begins, Players have to give up something precious of themselves. Actually, they give up what they cherish the most, and if they want it back, they need to win."

"…and if you lose?"

"You lose it, and your right to exist."

"…joy of joys…" Jin snorted as he leaned forward on his knees. "…Does everyone who reaches the end win?"

"…No. Only the person with the most points gets to come back."

"…figures…"

"…You don't seem all that upset by that…"

"…does it matter? Once you're dead, it's over anyway, isn't it? Trying to prolong it… is just a waste of time…" Jin mumbled solemnly.

"…You really think that?" Neku asked, slightly surprised at the other male's attitude toward the world.

"Enjoy the moment," Jin spoke suddenly, and Neku stared. "That's what I intend to do until whatever gives me a solid kick off this coil I'm walking on or whatever…"

"…And yet here you are, asking questions about a Game that's all about getting a second chance," Neku pointed out. "You're really something else, aren't you?"

"…whatever…"

Neku merely smiled and shook his head. "…so, what else do you want to know?"

"'Borderwalker'? Whatever do you mean by that?" Joshua asked, rather confused about the term.

"Let me make one thing clear, though; I would appreciate it if you do not mention to Kurasa – oh, wait… he calls himself Neku, now, doesn't he?" Ruka murmured, placing one finger to his lips before he shook it off. "Well, in any case, do not tell him I told you about this. He is on strict orders to never speak of it to Composers."

"Oh? And you're not?" Joshua asked with a small smirk.

"No, I am not," Ruka confirmed, sipping his tea. "I give orders, I refuse to take them."

"Oooooh." Joshua had to suppress the urge to wince and he made a mental note to never piss Ruka off, ever. "So anyway… I promise I won't tell him. So, what exactly does 'Borderwalker' entail?"

Ruka took another sip of tea before he saw fit to answer. "A Borderwalker is what we have come to call those who 'walk along the border of Music and Static'. You are aware of Music, but below Music, there lies what we call 'Static'."

"Hmhmm… and this Static does… what?"

"On its own, it's harmless. The most it would give people is a slight migraine from prolonged exposure, and some might never even notice the sound." Pause to sip his tea. "To Borderwalkers, on the other hand, it is both very loud and painful, and there have been cases where they end up killing themselves to rid themselves of the noise in their ears."

"Ouch." Joshua couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. "Hmm… but Jin is still alive, is he not?"

"Yes, and that in itself is a rarity," Ruka said with a small nod. "In fact Borderwalkers are a rarity in and off themselves, as the rate of birth is only one in a million, but to see one make it past the age of 10… is even rarer."

"Wait… past the age of 10?! You're saying that those…?!" Joshua started, a slight edge of horror lining his voice.

"Yes. If a Borderwalker is born and he or she does have the strength of mind to suppress the Static, they will take their own life before they reach their 10th life year." Ruka's face was completely void of emotion as he said it, but it was clear it disturbed him as much as it did Joshua. "If a Borderwalker does make it past the age of 10, it's usually due to some traumatic experience in their past from what I've seen…"

"…Such as seeing your parents being murdered, I suppose."

"Yes."

"Tragic… and what's so… 'grand' about them?"

"Well, I assume you've already seen that Jin has much more Imagination than a normal human should have. Especially given his age. Borderwalkers are always born with much more Imagination, than normal, and are exceptionally skilled in manipulating their Imagination, even in the RG. They can summon what we call 'White Noise', which is a type of Noise that preys on other Noise, because Noise, to Borderwalkers, are so noisy that it will physically hurt them. It is like a defense mechanism for them, I suppose you could say. There is also the fact that they can see into both sub realms; meaning the UG and LG."

"LG… Neku's mentioned that. What is it, though?"

"The Lower Grounds… is where the youkai live," Ruka said calmly. "It is a realm that rests just beside the UG, but it's difficult to view it these days. Long ago, it was much easier, but the higher ups placed barriers between the UG and LG, to keep the youkai from preying on the souls of the dead that played the Reapers' Game."

"…They did that quite a lot, I assume?" Joshua asked slowly.

"The Reapers used to have whole Games that were mostly based around murdering youkai," the Kyuubi sighed out. "People eventually decided it had to stop."

"I see. And Borderwalkers are the only ones who can see them?"

"No, children are also able to see them at times, though as they age, they lose their touch with it and it eventually fades away entirely. It's only on rare occasions that adults can still see them as well."

"Hmhmm… So why did you want to tell me about this?"

"Simple." Ruka finished his tea and set his cup down, before he looked up to Joshua seriously. "Because I wish to request of you to take this boy as your Conductor."

"…Beg your pardon?" He'd already been considering it, sure, but he certainly wasn't expecting to hear it from the Kyuubi.

"If a Borderwalker's soul is not refined or placed into the Game, the HG takes them… and, the last time they got their hands upon a Borderwalker… it was a disaster… He lost control of his own powers and accidentally unleashed it upon the shores Japan, causing a flood to overtake much of the land. Afterwards, he unleashed that very power on numerous high-ranked Angels, incinerating them, before aiming that power unto himself, erasing his very soul from existence." Ruka shook his head slowly. "The HG doesn't understand that merely bringing the soul to their side doesn't ensure that the Borderwalker will just lay down and listen to their orders. After all, young Borderwalkers would want to 'die and disappear', and older Borderwalkers have gone through a trauma that will never let them go. Forcing either of those to obey you…"

"I see where you're going… but why ask me to make him Conductor? Wouldn't you say he'd feel the same way about me?"

"…I know he may not seem it," Ruka admitted, "but Jin is a good child. He has merely… lost his touch with humanity."

"Hm? How do you mean?"

"Well, he's lost contact with them… the people around him barely seem to care, or even notice him… well, except for Neku and his friends, I suppose…" Ruka moved some of his bangs aside, thinking. "Hmm… ah. I suppose you could compare Jin to a dog, in a way. He's looking for attention, but he's also afraid of a rebuke. He doesn't look for people, but he doesn't reject their company, either. He wants to be closer, but doesn't know how. He wants to enjoy himself, but has only himself to keep him company. Do you understand?"

"Yes…" Joshua nodded slowly. Jin's words from his childhood were still very clear in his mind even after so long.

"…what do you want? …leave me alone… …I want to stay here…"

He wanted to be left alone… but he wanted to stay where he was at the same time, even though there were so many people around him at that time (none of them who had been able to see Joshua, of course). A mess of contradictions, just like Neku had pointed out. Solitude and company… he wanted them both, but he only knew how to get and keep the former.

"The higher ups don't understand what torment people like Jin go through… they believe that anything can be fixed with enough time, love and care… but not everything does…" Ruka said with a soft sigh. "I am not just saying it for his own sake, but also for the sake of all who live in Japan. The boy who caused the flood was only 15… and his power was nowhere near Jin's current potential, and he's keeping himself back already. Even I am not certain how much power he truly has… Thus, I fear for everyone's safety… not just for—"

"Alright."

"…? Excuse me?"

"I said; Alright, I'll take him as my Conductor when his time comes." Ruka blinked, twice, before he allowed a smile, but Joshua brought up a hand. "However, I do expect him to prove his worth in the Game before I let him in."

"Naturally…" Ruka agreed with a small nod. "It is only wise to witness a person's strengths before employing them."

Joshua giggled before he finished his tea. "But of course."

Ruka looked like he was about to say something else, but just then, a bell rang somewhere above them, making the Kyuubi look up curiously. "Ah… seems I have to get to work," he murmured as he stood, bowing politely to Joshua as he did. "Please excuse me a moment."

Joshua merely nodded and watched Ruka return to the entrance of the shrine, getting back into his geta as he went before he stepped outside. This left the Composer to his own devices for the time being, and if anyone else was there, they'd say this was a bad thing, but there wasn't, so Joshua merely stood up after setting down his cup, and began to walk around the shrine.

As he had expected, there wasn't really all that much to see, but after a while of walking, he came into a room that caught his interest; it was a room with a small fireplace built into the wall, and there were several frames placed along the fireplace's mantle and a few bigger ones hung along the wall. The pictures, from a distance, appeared to be photographic, but upon close inspection, it turned out they were all painted with a traditional Japanese brush, the colors filled in carefully so as not to disturb the black ink or paint, whatever it was that was used.

He walked to the mantle and carefully lifted one of the picture frames. The picture was made in the same way as all the others, but it was still incredibly detailed, though it seemed the painter had opted to leave out the mouths during the drawing, which Joshua couldn't blame him for. After all, painting eyes with the type of brush he must've used was hard enough, drawing mouths would be even harder.

The picture he held was one of what had to be Ruka, still in his human form, and he was holding a small, red-haired child on his lap, whom was curled up protectively against his stomach like a small kitten… or perhaps "fox cub" was the better term. They were sitting in the very room Joshua was in right now, and the light from the fireplace in the picture made it seem a little mysterious.

'Cute.'

Joshua smiled and set it back, walking a little further before he snorted on laughter at one of the other picture. The mass of bluish-purple hair told him that the man lying on the ground had to be Kamui, and sitting on his back, peeking out from under the older man's mass of hair, was the same little kid from the last picture. What made it funny, however, was the small 'black cloud' over Kamui's head to indicate his displeasure, and the tilted question mark by the boy's head, as though the kid couldn't understand what he had just done wrong. To Joshua, it looked like a scene that could come right from an age-old manga.

The third picture appeared to be a group shot. The small boy, though he was a little bigger now, was sitting on Kamui's back and pointing ahead enthusiastically, and Kamui looked a little less than happy as he held the boy's hands and carried the boy over a collection of rocks in a river, while Ruka walked by beside them, watching them go. As he saw that picture, though, Joshua frowned in question. Kamui looked like he was about 14, judging from his size, and the boy was about 7… but Ruka was already an adult.

How much older than the other Kyuubi was he?

"Enjoying yourself?"

Joshua jumped and almost dropped the picture, but Ruka caught it before it could hit the ground. The fox chuckled.

"It's fine. I enjoy coming here once every while myself, as well." Ruka carefully placed the picture back amongst the others. "He doesn't look happy, does he?" he chuckled out suddenly.

"Hm? Kamui, you mean?" Joshua asked, before he, too, chuckled. "No, I would say he's far from pleased."

"You should've seen him after this," Ruka said with a smile. "We were one stone away from the edge… and he slipped up." He covered his mouth to stop his chuckles. "Kurasa landed on a stone and managed to stay dry… Kamui fell right into the water!"

Joshua couldn't help himself and he laughed, which was enough for Ruka to start laughing as well. "Hahahahah… goodness, he must've been soaked!"

"Drenched! He was completely drenched!" Ruka choked out amidst his laughter. "Hahahah… He-he looked like a drowned rat!"

It took them a few minutes to be able to calm themselves enough so that they'd only snicker when recalling the event.

Ruka didn't seem to mind telling Joshua a few things about the pictures he had set up, and Joshua had to admit, the Kyuubi was surprisingly fun to be around (as long as you didn't piss him off, of course). He could recall all the events that had transpired on the pictures, as though it was only the day before, and he seemed to enjoy recalling those fond memories very much.

"Hm? What's with this picture?" Joshua asked as he picked the picture in question up.

"Which one…? Oh this one," Ruka murmured thoughtfully, watching the picture of him holding a young Kurasa above a crib, and the small boy was staring into the crib in awe. "This… was the first time I showed Kurasa one of my… hmm… well, one of my 'children', I suppose you could say."

"…Your… children?" Joshua questioned, staring at Ruka a bit strangely.

The Kyuubi let out a sigh, his eyes getting a faraway look to them, as he ran a finger along the glass pane. "You recall I said I do not listen to orders, correct?" Ruka continued once Joshua nodded. "There is… one job I was willing to take upon me. One that my grandmother assigned to me; to try and prevent a woman from not becoming a mother."

Josh stared at Ruka for a moment, before he murmured: "You mean to prevent stillbirth?"

"Yes. However, when a soul has gone, especially from one so young, they cannot be retrieved, as the Heavens immediately confiscate the soul and send it to be reincarnated immediately. And they forget about the mother who has just lost her baby…" Ruka stared at the picture wordlessly for a while, before he set it back. "My special ability… is to breathe life back into those children, by granting them a small part of my life-force." Ruka briefly shook his head, before he continued. "For the duration of their life, they carry a part of my life inside them, and once they die, it is returned to me. They cannot live indefinitely like we Kitsune can… but at least they are able to live… and their mothers will not have to go through the torment of losing their child."

"…" Joshua remained silent as he looked upon the picture. The facial expressions were basic, but even then, it wasn't hard for him to imagine the look on the small boy's face as he stared down upon that little baby, fast asleep in the crib. "…is that when he decided he wanted children as well?"

"Ah, he's told you about that?" Ruka murmured, before he smiled. "But yes, it was then that he said he wanted children for the first time… We told him he was still too young for that, which he didn't take too well." Ruka shut his eyes as he remembered something. "It's strange how fast time goes sometimes… before you know it… kids are all grown up and moving away from you…"

Joshua watched Ruka for a moment, but the fox waited a long time before he opened his eyes and pulled out another picture. "Here," he said, handing it to Joshua. "This, was just after Kurasa received his last tail."

Joshua wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he took the frame anyway and looked down upon it.

Once again, it was a group shot of all three Kyuubi; Kamui was facing away the side, looking pretty much the same as Joshua remembered him, and Ruka, too, wasn't much different from what he looked like now.

Kurasa, however…

Black kimono with silver lining, he remembered that, but his hair is long and dark red, its tips white and secured in ponytails (or should that be "fox tails"?), one of them for his bangs that hung past his right eye, two that rested upon his shoulders, and if Joshua had to guess, the rest of his hair that hung on his back divided into six.

'…wait…'

How did he know the hair on his back was divided into six if it's not visible in the picture?

A sharp pain suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks and he groaned, grabbing his head as he swayed on his feet. He barely heard Ruka asking if he was feeling alright (which is a definite NO, obviously) before his vision began to fail him, and he didn't even feel his legs giving out as all that runs through his head is a quiet, but kind voice…

He knew that voice… he knew he did… but… who was it?

Whose voice… was that?

Gee, I wonder…

Anyway, Doll update!

Name: Yon "?"

Number: Four

Actual eye-color: Unknown as of yet

Source: Eri

Info: Yon has only appeared once, but she appears to be a hyper bundle of energy, much like Eri herself is. She appears to do small jobs such as deliveries for her Master from time to time, and other than that, nothing else is known of her.

.

-UPDATE!-

Name: Nana "?"

Number: Seven

Actual eye-color: Unknown as of yet

Source: Misaki Shiki

Info: Nana appears to also help the Kyuubi with small chores besides dealing with any potential threats. While not as hyper as Yon, she enjoys making herself useful.

And now… a little something extra!

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KYUUBI

Name: Sakuraba Neku (Kurasa)

Age: 20~21 (3000+)

Height: 6'0"

Hair: Dark red (Red with white ends)

Eyes and eyeshadow: Dark blue and black (ice-blue and black)

Weapon(s): Nine-pronged sword

Job: To prevent cities/wards from becoming corrupt by confronting the Composer and forcing them to take action.

Special skills/abilities: Doll-creation, time/world travel (?), hearing the Song of Composers

Info: The Kyuubi who inhabits the body of Sakuraba Neku is originally known as 'Kurasa' and is a little bit of a sadist when it comes to his 'punishments', but he never takes it too far to cause permanent damage (both mental and physical). Because he accidentally sealed his memories 20 years ago when he entered Neku's body, he actually forgot his mission until he was able to recover them, and just in time to exact his promised punishment from the Composer of Shibuya. However, it seems that those twenty years of living as a human have changed him…

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Name: Kamui

Age: 3300+

Height: 6'5"

Hair: Bluish-purple

Eyes and eyeshadow: Ice blue and deep blue

Weapon(s): Masamune katana's

Job: To erase corrupt Composers who have no chance/desire to prevent/stop the corruption of their corresponding city/ward.

Special skills: Summoning Pandemonium Noise

Info: Kamui is a cold, brooding Kyuubi who seems to view the world as one giant fox trap and he's not afraid to show his hatred of the world around him. He pays no attention to the well-being of others if they are not youkai (unless he's scolded for it by Ruka), and he prefers to keep to himself, however, he seems to be very (over)protective of Kurasa and this makes him act rather rashly that more often than not gets him into a heap of trouble.

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Name: Ruka

Age: Unknown

Height: 6'3"

Hair: Silver

Eyes and eyeshadow: Forest green and light bluish-silver

Weapon(s): Unknown

Job: To guide people to their fates and to return lost children to their homes; to prevent stillbirth where he can.

Special skills: Summoning will-o-wisps, impregnating humans

Info: As the eldest of the three Kyuubi, Ruka often keeps himself quite calm and composed, unless his little "brothers" get themselves into trouble in some way. He's a bit of a sadist, but he loves both his brothers very much and he'd never hurt them if there was another way around it. He refuses to take orders, stating that he is the one giving the orders, and given his slight sadistic nature, it'd probably be in your best interest to do whatever he orders you to do.