The garden lay quietly save for the gentle splashing of water over rocks. She was serene, like a white jade orchid unfurling in the moonlight. Kuro sat regally in her stone chair, all nine tails arranged with perfect grace. Before her, a smooth black lacquered writing box lay open, revealing her carefully arranged tools.
She lifted the ink stick, grinding it against the stone in smooth circular motions, adding drops of water until the ink reached the perfect consistency. Her movements were measured and deliberate, a reminder of a ritual unchanged for over a few millennia.
"Father never has time anymore," Minako muttered, her single tail betraying her mood. "Not since that... vampire arrived." The last words came out as a tiny growl.
Kuro selected a brush. Her sleeve gathered elegantly at her wrist to prevent staining. Each brush stroke flowed with practiced grace across the rice paper. "Mikoto Misaka," she corrected, her focus never leaving the delicate characters forming beneath her brush.
"I don't care what her name is," Minako huffed, ears flattening when her mother's eyebrow raised. Her tail curled tightly around her leg, a kit's instinctive show of defiance.
Silently, she cleaned the brush and gently set it next to the others. Allowing the ink to dry properly.
With practiced hands, Kuro folded the letter with precise creases, securing it with a red silk cord. Her fingers found their way to her daughter's head, stroking gently between her ears, down her back, soothing the bristled fur of her tail. "Deliver this for me?"
Minako glanced at the name on the outside of the folded paper. Her ears flattened against her head, and her tail bristled. "Mikoto Misaka?" she practically spat the name. "But Mother-"
"And afterward," Kuro's lips curved into a knowing smirk, "you might find your father near the lake in the western gardens."
Minako's ears perked instantly. She snatched the note, and with a flash of foxfire, the garden held one less kitsune.