The story will be faster from this chapter onwards, as the first served as worldbuilding. I think I forgot to mention that the ages of the characters here will be different.

Enjoy!

[Kuroko No Basket belongs to Tadatoshi Fujimaki]
[English isn't my first language, so please be kind]

2

Kitsune

Sana P.O.V.

I hoped the young man would realize I was the wrong girl. That maybe he had magically fallen here next to me, completely naked, and hugged me by mistake. I really wanted to believe that, but the animal ears on top of his head made everything more difficult.

That young man was not human, he could not be.

He put one of his legs around my waist and I froze. My clothes were intact, I wasn't feeling strange, that is, he hadn't hurt me, but I could feel everything, his entire body, including his...

Suddenly he woke up, he opened his eyes, which were golden like the fox's, with a little brown that slowly mixed with the black of the irises. His long eyelashes looked like fans framing his face, and he smiled when he saw me, and that wasn't just any smile. He was hugging me on purpose.

- You're awake, Sanacchi - His voice was pleasant, not scary. He spoke in a calm and loving tone, I guess.

I had no idea where he got that nickname from, or how he knew my name.

I should have screamed, but I froze when he caressed my face. His nails were a little long, almost sharp like claws, but his touch was meticulous. He smiled even wider when I got goosebumps from his nails.

He pressed his arms against me even tighter as he leaned forward to give me a good morning kiss, as if wrapping his leg around me wasn't enough. His face was so close to mine that I couldn't move away and soon I felt his soft lips touch mine, full of movements and thrusts like a fast-paced dance.

I felt like I couldn't close my eyes or he would end up completely dominating me, so I caught a glimpse of his yellow tail swaying over his body.

"Kitsune", the word came to my mind before I could even speak. He really was the fox that I had saved in the forest. I recognized his expression, the eyes and smile on that human face.

- Stop! - I shouted as I pushed him, and I thought the fox let me get away from him, because I don't think he could beat him by force.

I ended up sitting down and dragging myself to the opposite corner of the wall. The blanket I had used for the fox's wounds was still there with bloodstains, but there was no blood on the body of the man in front of me, just scars on the side of his stomach, but no sign of injuries on his head.

- You don't have to worry about me anymore, Sanacchi - the fox said, I couldn't stop calling him fox, because his ears and tail distracted me, which, when I think about it, was actually a good thing, otherwise I would stay there all the time staring at his open legs. - You took good care of me, healed me, saved me from an untimely death and took me as your mate!

I blinked, astonished.

- What?

- You saved me.

- I know that, I didn't understand the other part.

- That you saved me from an untimely death?

- I understood that, damn it!

My voice sounded too loud, but he wasn't startled. I brought my hands to my face. That had been my first kiss, my first kiss with a silly fox!

- Oh! - the fox seemed to understand - that you took me as your mate!

- That's it! - I pointed at him - what does that mean? How… How did this happen?

He smiled proudly. His legs were still open and I didn't know if it was an invitation or a fool's act.

- I don't let just anyone pet my head, Sanacchi, so I left the flower in your room, the peony, it was my marriage proposal, and you accepted it.

I gasped when he said that. The flower in my room, the peony I thought Kagami had placed in my window.

"Of course it wasn't him", I thought, "Kagami doesn't think about anything that isn't work".

- I chose the best flower, from the best garden I could find in one of the mansions outside the village - he crawled towards me, but I reached out my hand, forming a barrier between us - I was chased here for breaking into the mansion and stealing the flower, but I managed to leave it in your window and I saw you pick it up with so much happiness on your face! Oh, I almost died of joy!

The fox held my hand, pressing it against his cheek.

- I wanted to have appeared here earlier, to have taken her with me on the first day, but I had to distract the miserly man of the mansion. He ended up hurting me, but I managed to reach our spot in the stream and you found me!

I couldn't interrupt him, I couldn't form words, I think I was dissociating.

- I knew you would find me, Sanacchi, and now we can live happily ever after!

He came towards me, ready to give me another hug, but this time I was quicker, pulling away from him.

- I'm not your mate, wife, whatever! - I said - I took the flower thinking it was someone else's gift!

- I don't care, Sanacchi, and look! - He pointed at me - You accepted my kiss, you belong to me now.

I shook my head, and my legs finally had enough strength to run out of the stable. I didn't look back until I reached my house, entering through the back kitchen door, locking it this time.

That's when I realized it was still too early, not even my parents had gotten up yet. My hands were shaking, my heart was beating too fast. That had to be a dream.

I went up the stairs towards my room without caring about the noise, closing the door and windows of my room fearing that the fox might find me.

"He said I belonged to him"...

- What if he did something to me?

I knelt on the pillows, picking up the mirror I used to fix my hair every morning and I had to cover my mouth with both hands to muffle my scream of fright.

My dark hair had changed color; the thick, wavy strands were yellow like the fox's fur.

When the day at the inn started, I had managed to cover all of my hair with the help of a scarf. This time I spent hours combing my hair and looking for the right hairstyle and I think I managed to create a perfect, firm bun.

I would try to get that strange color out of my head later, when I finally had time to take a hot shower, but I had given up on getting the blood stains out of my clothes. I didn't want to keep memories of the fox.

Service with guests was fast and we had a new group of last minute travelers who asked for help, apparently the group had been attacked on a road outside the village, which left us scared as we hadn't heard from bandits in a while.

Of course my mother was scared, but my father volunteered to form a group with the village men to watch the roads, of course Kagami would be among them and they would gather at the inn later today. I should have been more scared, or excited to see Kagami, but when I wasn't cleaning tables or carrying baskets of laundry I just stood at the counter, staring into space.

"So that's how a man's body looks like," I thought, "I mean, without the ears and fox tail."

- Why are you blushing? - My brother's voice broke me out of my stupor and I slapped myself in the face. What was I thinking?

- I'm not blushing! - I lied - I'm staying motivated!

- Weird - Sota said, but I didn't pay attention to his childish teasing this time.

In fact, I was constantly staring at the inn's main door, afraid that the Kitsune would appear again, naked, but the hours passed quickly and nothing happened! If it weren't for the yellow hair on my head, which I sometimes ran to the mirror in my room to check if it was still there, I would have said it was all just a strange dream.

My mother told me to serve a bowl of noodles to the travelers who were attacked. Apparently our village was not their final destination, but they ended up running here out of fear and of course we wouldn't deny help.

- I couldn't see his face properly - one of them said, he was just an elderly man.

- I'm sure he had golden eyes - said a younger man - but I didn't see clearly.

They continued to discuss the identity of the bandit among themselves, and I noticed from the good fabric of their clothes that they must be important merchants. I didn't know what had been stolen, but it must have been valuable things.

Sometimes I dreamed that a young and handsome merchant would appear here one day and take me away, but I was tired of dreaming, and time was passing.

- Good afternoon, hello, nice to meet you!

I instantly recognized that sweet voice.

- I want your best room and a bowl of noodles - the fox looked in my direction, he was well dressed, with a long blue hakama and a white nagagi with thread details in lighter shades of blue. He eagerly shook my mother's hands and she seemed enchanted by his smile.

I almost dropped the tray I was holding, because even though his tail wasn't visible I could clearly see the fluffy ears on his head and I imagined the others could too, but my mother didn't seem scared. Why?

- Oh and I want that pretty young lady to keep me company!

I started to choke, until the travelers I had just attended pointed at the fox:

- Wait, is he the...

The younger man didn't even finish the sentence, as the fox snapped his fingers and soon he and the elderly man started talking again.

I think he gave my mother a good amount of money, because she ran to the kitchen and ordered Sota to bring the man a nice bowl of noodles. The fox then approached me, holding me by the wrist and making me sit with him at the nearest table.

- They can't see my ears - he smiled at me, charming, playful and completely insane - only you, Sanacchi!

For some reason he kept addressing me informally with that silly nickname.

- I don't want to see either!

- Really? - He seemed startled - I thought you would like it, but it's okay.

Suddenly his fluffy ears disappeared, and he looked like a normal young man.

If he managed to do that, then that means...

- My hair - I pointed to my head, full of hope and despair - fix my hair!

- I can't fix it - he said - because it's not broken.

I placed the tray on the table, rubbing my forehead, completely stressed. That couldn't be true. Why was I being tested by the heavens?

- But I can stop the others from seeing - he said.

I looked up, he had done something, I didn't know how I knew, but I knew something had changed.

- You can take off the scarf, your mother won't notice.

I didn't move, so the fox leaned forward, using his long arms and steady hands to remove the scarf from my head, loosening my hair, revealing the blonde curls to the world. People must have stared at me, thought I was strange, a magical freak, but nothing had changed.

- See? - He said, still smiling - Only I can see your blonde hair, blonde because it matches with me, because you are mine.

I felt my hair, stretching the strands in front of my eyes. They were still light and blonde, but appeared black to others.

Suddenly my brother approached the table and served the fox with a large bowl of hot noodles, along with some eggs, pieces of meat and seaweed. Sota stared at the fox for a moment, then looked at me, not understanding what I was doing sitting with him.

- He didn't notice your hair, Sanacchi - the fox said - are you happy now?

I don't know if he realized how frustrated and surprised I still was, but the fox seemed more concerned about the food now. He seemed to struggle in picking up the cutlery.

My stomach started growling from watching that bowl of noodles cool while he figured out how to eat like a human. Frustration grew and I was ready to help him, but the fox looked at the next table, at the travelers who were eating quietly, it took a moment for me to realize that he was closely watching their movements. All of a sudden the fox managed to get the cutlery easily this time, first tasting the noodles, then the meat.

- This is delicious, Sanacchi! - he said, from his expression he really seemed to be enjoying the food - I don't think I've had a hot bowl of food in years.

- Years? - I said, confused, but it made sense. According to legends a Kitsune lived for many years - How old are you? What are you doing here? And why do you keep calling me that silly way?

- Let me see... - he continued eating while thinking, then he put the cutlery aside and drank the noodle soup straight from the bowl - I don't remember!

- What do you mean you don't remember?

- I think I must have hit my head while I was running - he scratched his head, that's when I remembered that the fox's head was bleeding when I saved him. - and the nickname is not silly, I'm a creature who shows proper respect to the people I admire, and I admire you.

I nodded, I didn't know whether to feel flattered or cursed.

My brother walked by our table, looking curious. The fox looked back at him with a smile, he had a straight and perfect nose, but my brother didn't seem impressed.

- What is your name? - I asked hoping he would at least remember that, I couldn't keep calling him a fox out loud.

- People like you call me Kise.

"Kise", I thought, "Yellow? It suits him".

- Now say goodbye to your family - Kise said - we need to leave.

- What? I'm not going to say goodbye to anyone, I'm not going anywhere!

- Don't tell me this is where you want us to have our first night as a couple.

My face turned red of embarrassment this time.

- What do you think you're saying? - I wanted to scream, but I couldn't, so I raised my voice as much as I could, getting closer to Kise - We're not a couple, there's no such thing as a "first night" for us!

Suddenly a group of men entered the inn, it was my father with some of the villagers, with Kagami among them. I noticed that he looked for me in the middle of the room, but I couldn't wave back because of the presence of the fox in front of me.

When I looked at Kise again, his expression had changed, he no longer had his playful smile on his face. It was as if an eclipse appeared in the middle of the sun.

- Don't look at him, Sanacchi, it annoys me.

- You're the one who annoys me! - I hit the table, my patience had run out and I was hungry and tired - Go away!

I ran back to the kitchen, hiding in a strategic corner among the crates of vegetables. When my mother wasn't looking I made myself a big bowl of noodles and ate them all at once, then I think my body finally gave up and I must have dozed off, because I woke up to Sota poking my shoulder.

- What are you doing there, weirdo?

- Leave me! - I replied, still drowsy - I'm going to stay here forever now.

- Really? Well, mom and dad are discussing your marriage with that strange blonde haired man.

That was enough to revive me from my tired state. When I returned to the other room, my parents were indeed talking to Kise, the fox, but of course they didn't know what he really was. The men from the village were still there, talking to the travelers from earlier, Kagami was among them, sometimes he looked sideways at my parents, trying to hear what was going on in the conversation.

- Let's talk - I said to Kise when I approached the table.

- Sana! - my mother looked at me, from her expression of happiness she seemed to be enchanted by Kise, or maybe by the possibility of someone loving me romantically - This young man wants to be your suitor.

"Great," I thought. I called Kise with my hand, I was in a hurry before it got worse. "And there was a time when the idea of a foreigner taking me away seemed lovely to me."

- Excuse me, Mrs. Masaki - Kise bowed elegantly before getting up from the table, I didn't know where he had learned that, maybe he must have seen someone else make the same gesture.

Kise followed me to the back of the inn, I took him to the stable area where it all started.

- What happened, Sanacchi? Are you angry? I thought talking to your parents would make you happy.

- I want to end this - I turned to him and tried to keep the most serious expression possible - I want you to go away.

For a moment I thought I caught a glimpse of his ears.

- You can't... We are…

- We are nothing! I saved you, but because I don't like to see anyone suffering!

I sighed, why was I feeling bad for saying those things?

- If you don't end this "bond" we supposedly have, I'm going to go back to the inn and tell the men in the village that it was you who attacked those travelers on the road.

- How do you know that? – The fox seemed shocked.

He was really naive.

- Your clothes and the money - I pointed at him - you were naked when we met.

- I thought it would be rude to appear naked here - he sighed - but you can't tell them, Sanacchi, those men would kill me!

- Then leave me alone - I said - I'll do anything to make you leave!

Maybe I shouldn't have said that. The fox tilted his head to the side, his playful smile returning to his face.

- Someone like me can't end a bond like this out of the blue, you need to do some things for me first.

I felt my throat close.

- What kind of things? - I asked, even though I had the feeling that I shouldn't.

His smile got even bigger, he had something on his mind.

I wouldn't be able to get rid of him that easily.