"Wait, so I'm confused about something."
The sun was high in the sky, and Kagome was positively exhausted from the morning spent trying to expand her sense. Youko had been using his youki to move objects around in the forest, and it had taken all of her willpower to concentrate on exactly where that movement was taking place. And then try to stop it with her own.
Youko seemed a little tuckered out as well, or perhaps he was just being lazy. He lay flat on the forest floor, eyes closed to the sun. "About what?"
"Well, see, you live with a bunch of other kitsunes, correct?"
"Yes." He paused for a moment, as if debating whether to elaborate. "My clan is quite…populated."
"But you also have a forest."
"Yes."
"Well aren't those two things at odd with each other? You can't be a pack animal and be territorial...can you?"
He chuckled. "The forest is mine, a land I've staked through reputation, just as the clan is mine as well. It is a reprieve of sorts."
"Okay…" she agreed slowly "but uh…well, isn't this forest also a place to escape to?"
Kuronue, who had spent the better part of his morning distracting Kagome from actually being useful, piped up. "Youko's forest is a place where he can hide, but others can find him. They do not know about this one."
Kagome frowned. "So this is a place to escape to when your other one isn't anonymous enough?"
"Precisely!"
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