– Journey –
The heat of the day is stifling, but they're still so far from their destination. Kuon stops to pull a pair of water bottles from his bag, one small enough for a pair of paws to hold, the other a normal size. "Sorry Kyoko, if I'd realized how far it was I would have rented a car". The small squirrel chitters in response trying to let him know that she's not upset about their current situation, whether that's true or not completely beside the point. Kuon picks his bag back up, and reaches down for the squirrel to scamper back up to his shoulder. "it shouldn't be more than another hour until we get there." He murmurs. Kyoko fluffs out her fur trying to get catch a bit of the breeze as she rides on his shoulder. She's been stuck as a squirrel for nearly three months now, never in their wildest imaginations did they think the little squirrel he'd found in the park that strange day some years ago would lead to Kyoko being turned into one! Kuon had brought the squirrel he'd found that day to her home with the Darumaya couple to introduce the two, and they'd hit it off straight away, eventually coming to the decision that on alternating weeks Kyoko and Kuon would take turns caring for her. Only as the squirrel began to approach old age and the pair had finally moved in together did the inklings of a magic spell become apparent, they still weren't entirely sure what had caused it to happen, one night Kuon had gone to bed earlier, and Kyoko was sat up watching tv sharing a bag of nuts with the squirrel 'Little-Kyo' the next morning, Little-Kyo was gone and there Kyoko was in her place. Kuon had been beside himself trying to find Kyoko, tearing the apartment apart before a shrill scream from Kyoko the squirrel had caught his attention, and he realized that the squirrel was holding up a pen and a piece of paper saying 'I AM KYOKO! LITTLE-KYO IS MISSING!'. Kuon nearly fainted reading that before composing himself enough to provide Kyoko more paper so she could properly communicate, and learning that somehow…. SOMEHOW his fiancé had been turned into a squirrel.
In the distance the sun had finally begun to set, Kuon and Kyoko were nearing their destination, a shimmer filled the air, "can you feel that?!" she chitters excitedly? He chuckles "I can feel something, I hope you're right". She stamps her foot indignantly on his shoulder chittering on offense "yes I know we don't have many other clues to go on, but I never thought…." He trails off as he enters the thick of the trees, his feet easily finding their way though it's been many years since he'd last been to this place. Kyoko falls silent as well, the weight of the moment finally hitting them both. Kuon walks through the trees in silence, a calm, pensive silence. Kyoko counting his steps as she surveys the trees around them from her perch, she sends out a silent prayer 'please, please let this cure me'. Moments pass, the world around them silent but for Kuon's footsteps. A light begins to break through the trees, their hearts speed as one, Kuon begins walking just a bit faster, the trees clearing a bit more and a bit more ahead of them the sound of a stream filling in the silence, at last, they've made it! The stream of their childhood, they stand in awed silence for just a moment. The emotion palpable in the air.
What seems like an eternity later Kuon turns to Kyoko still sitting on his shoulder, "you ready to give this a try?" she nods, clambering into his waiting hand and he gently lowers her to the pebble filled ground, she skitters over to the edge of the stream before cautiously dipping first one toe, then her entire foot in followed by her other foot, finally dipping herself entirely into the stream. Kuon watches on optimistically, but then he realizes…. She's still underwater…. She's still not coming up for air. Dropping his bag he dashes to the edge of the stream and scoops the squirrel out of the stream, and quickly turns her over gently smoothing the fur away from her face clearing her airway. Kyoko now much resembling a wet toupee gasps for air, catching her breath after nearly being dragged under the water. "Are you ok!?" Kuon asks in a panic Kyoko still gasping reaches one tiny paw out giving a small thumbs up. "We're not doing that again!" he exclaims, she nods in agreement finally having caught her breath, sitting up in his hands. "We'll find some other way to change you back into a human, I'm sure of it." He says with confidence he's not quite feeling as he pulls a towel from his backpack using it to dry her thick fur, much the way he had for little-kyo many times before after a sink bath.
Finally dried out, Kyoko and Kuon sit beside the stream watching the stars, the sun now completely dropped beyond the horizon, a shimmer appears over the stream, a figure seemingly appearing from thin air, "your journey is not yet complete young ones, only once you think and act as one, and return to the first moment will your journey reach it's end and it's beginning" the figures melodic voice sings along the gentle breeze. "What do you mean? What journey? Please help us!" Kuon calls out to the figure, Kyoko chittering the same alongside him, the figure melting back into the stream as though it had never been there in the first place. The pair look between the stream and each other, 'our journey is not yet complete?' the question silently ringing in the air between the pair 'return to the first moment? What does that mean' the questions swirling in their eyes, with a sigh Kuon reaches out for Kyoko, "well we aren't making much progress sitting here in the cold, let's get to the inn, and we'll figure out our next move in the morning" Kyoko clambers back up to her perch on his shoulder.
The next morning they set out at dawn, walking back the way they'd come, back home pondering the riddle neither was quite sure whether the figure had been a dream or not.