The wooden floors of the ryokan's hallway creaked beneath Mikoto's feet, each step echoing the heaviness in her chest. The paper lanterns cast soft shadows across the shoji screens, their warm glow doing little to ease the chill that had settled in her bones since leaving the clearing. Hours had passed, but the memory remained sharp–Aya's quiet acceptance, Galluh's fierce pride giving way to understanding, and the unexpected joy from the other mothers-to-be at having them stay.
"Well, that went better than expected," Little Misaka mused, lounging in her favorite oversized chair. "Watching those pregnant ladies practically adopt our friends was... interesting."
"Yeah.." Mikoto whispered without thinking.
She walked down the hallway, the door to her room coming into view. She slowed as she passed a garden view, moonlight spilling through the open panels. The carefully tended stone lanterns and moss-covered rocks reminded her of home, of the gardens where Anastasia would walk with her on sleepless nights.
"You're brooding again," Little Misaka noted. "Though I guess after the day we've had, you've earned it. First, the lake scene with Ronan, though technically not our Ronan, more like the Ronan we wished we could've seen grow into..." she paused, considering her words, "then having to split up the team..."
Before she could answer her little avatar, a flash of blue-white fox magic suddenly lit up the garden, casting ethereal shadows across the stone paths and reflecting off the surface of a small pond. The light danced through the branches of an ancient maple tree before coalescing into a familiar form. Thinning her eyes, she looked for the source of the lighting and found it. "Oh, great," Mikoto muttered.
Aikko emerged from the fading glow, her multiple tails swaying gently behind her as she stepped onto the wooden walkway. Her kimono, adorned with patterns of flames and phoenixes, caught the last wisps of magical light before dissipating into the night air.
Before Mikoto could respond, another flash of fox magic lit up the hallway. Aikko's presence vanished from the garden only to materialize directly behind her, bringing with it the scent of spring flowers and something wild.
Mikoto's shoulders tensed. she wasn't in the mood for Aikko's dramatic entrances, not after everything that had happened today.
"Aikko," she said, her voice carrying a tired edge before taking a deep breath and turning around. "Don't you knock before entering?"
"Oh, somebody's feeling snippy," Little Misaka observed. "Though can't really blame us. It's been one of those 'everybody wants a piece of us' days."
Aikko tilted her head in curiosity, looking as if it was the first time she had heard the phrase. "Don't you knock before entering?" A moment passed, and without changing her expression, she raised her hand, curled into a fist, and knocked as if an invisible door was there. Her fist-hitting wood echoed through the hallway despite striking nothing but air. The fox grinned, "Knock, knock..."
"Why did I see that coming?" Little Misaka sighed internally.
Mikoto rolled her eyes. "I thought it but didn't think she would." Shaking her head, she took a breath. She thinned her eyes and asked, "And what prey tell do I owe the pleasure of this very late-night imposition?"
Aikko's grin grew wider. Hearing the subtle difference between pray and prey, she showed her canines, clearly not taking the hint. "Do vampires sleep?" she asked, her tails swaying with barely contained curiosity. "Do vampire children sleep during the day like the stories say? Or do they stay up all night like their parents?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief, not hiding her probing nature.
"I would most certainly love to watch over them," she continued, her voice softening with genuine warmth. "I would curl up next to them while they slept? if ever you needed some time away from the rambunctious trio."
"Oh, here we go," Little Misaka chuckled, settling deeper into her chair. "Big sister Fox is trying to be all casual about it. 'Oh, just wondering about vampire sleeping habits... and babysitting... and maybe everything else about our secret kids while we're at it.'" The beautiful woman next to her raised an eyebrow at the commentary.
"What were their names again?" Aikko asked, her eyes glimmering with practiced innocence. Her tails swayed in an intricate pattern that seemed to mirror her carefully casual tone.
"Again?" Little Misaka snorted. "Nice try, fox lady. We haven't told you their names even once."
Mikoto met Aikko's eager gaze with a steady one of her own, years of keeping secrets evident in her measured silence.
Aikko's expression shifted into an exaggerated pout, her bottom lip jutting slightly as her ears drooped. But beneath the playful facade, something flickered in her eyes – a deeper purpose, a hidden weight to her seemingly innocent inquiry. She straightened, her pout transforming into a knowing smile. "Well, can't blame a fox for trying," she said lightly, but her tail's movement had become more deliberate, almost calculating.
Then, as if switching tactics entirely, Aikko's expression softened. "Were you able to find Father?" she asked, her voice carrying a gentler tone.
The sudden change in topic caught Mikoto off guard. Her chest tightened as memories of the lake scene flashed through her mind. Heat crept up her neck as she realized what Aikko might be thinking – about her and Ronan, about what might have happened. The thought of Kuro's reaction made her stomach clench.
"Oh boy," Little Misaka murmured, "this just got awkward. Quickly say something before she starts imagining things that did not happen. Well, it hasn't happened yet. Won't happen now? Time travel makes tenses so complicated."
"It wasn't what you think happened!" Mikoto blurted out, her words tumbling over each other. Her face flushed deeper as she realized how defensive that sounded. "I mean... we just talked. By the lake. That's all." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking away. "Nothing else."
A brief flash of calculation crossed Aikko's face as if filing away this reaction for future reference before her expression settled into something more understanding. "What happens between Father and those he either does or doesn't is none of my business," she said, her tone casual but knowing. "That is between Mother and him. Besides," she added, her eyes holding a depth of comprehension that caught Mikoto off guard, "even I know why he does it."
"Why he does it?" The words slipped from Mikoto's mouth before she could stop them. Her eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?" She hesitated, surprised that this young-seeming kitsune might understand what she had struggled to comprehend about Ronan.
"Oh, now this is interesting," Little Misaka leaned forward in her chair. "The daughter knowing something about daddy's habits that we don't? Do tell."
Aikko crossed her arms over her chest, her tail slowly swaying behind her. "I have heard of the family tree theory. Mother has often talked about it. The father dies and is born again along the mother's family branch. The more branches and flowers, the more chances of being born again." Her grin widened knowingly, "not that it matters, but your two vampire companions were more than happy to indulge." She nodded, letting that sink in before continuing, "And how his blood affects the vampires. I mean, I was and am very surprised by the changes in them..." her eyes fixed pointedly on Mikoto, "...and you." she added. " you seem a little more…" she tilted her head, eyeing her like a predator, "full…"
"WAIT! WHAT? We could have indulged, but there would have been no recourse. Well damn," Little Misaka whispered, "guess we weren't the only ones doing some observing around here."
Mikoto growled, "Those two... are going to..." She shook her head, frustration evident in every line of her body. "Never mind, now," she crossed her arms over her chest, fixing Aikko with a stern look. "What do you want?"
Aikko's eyes lit up instantly, a hopeful smile spreading.
"Besides that!" Mikoto raised her voice, cutting off the inevitable question about her children's names before it could even form.
"I am just here to see if you need anything before tomorrow's journey," Aikko said, her voice acting innocent as she gently waved her hand. "Directions, supplies, to talk, maybe someone to lay with, provide comfort..." Her tails swayed suggestively behind her. "I mean, I am here for you to..."
"Oh, she's good," Little Misaka chuckled. "Sliding that offer in there like it's just another item on the list. Wonder where she learned that trick? Maybe we should ask for a massage... with or without the happy ending?" The beautiful woman next to her shot her a disapproving look.
"Shut up!" Mikoto hissed internally, her cheeks flushing crimson. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to compose herself. She could feel a headache forming between Aikko's suggestive offer and Little Misaka's commentary. "Why are you like this?" she muttered under her breath, though whether she meant Aikko or Little Misaka was unclear.
"No, thank you. I don't need anything," Mikoto replied politely, turning away and taking hold of the doorknob. She opened the door and stepped inside but then paused, remembering something. She turned back to Aikko, her expression curious. "Did you put that magical... sigil? On the ceiling above the bed?"
Aikko's playful demeanor shifted slightly, her tails stilling as she nodded. "Yes, I did. It's meant to help you sleep and provide comfort, but..." she paused, her expression growing more serious. It's also an alarm. Despite Father asking Mother to leave you be, she can be somewhat protective of him—a little jealous, even."
Her ears twitched as she continued, "The sigil isn't powerful enough to keep Mother out - nothing is - but it should give you enough time to get out of the way if needed." Aikko's eyes met Mikoto's directly, conveying the gravity of her warning. "Just a few seconds' warning. That's all I could manage without Mother noticing."
"Well, that's comforting," Little Misaka muttered. "Nothing like the threat of a jealous fox goddess to help you sleep soundly."
"Of course, since you will be leaving tomorrow morning, you are pretty much safe," Aikko nodded, then added with a grin as if told a joke, "Pretty sure." Her tails swayed playfully behind her. "Anything else?"
Mikoto thought for a moment, breathing, and murmured to herself, "I am going to regret this..." She looked back at Aikko, resignation clear in her voice. "Do you have paper and something to write with?"
"Oh?" Little Misaka perked up. "Are we actually going to...?"
Aikko nodded silently, holding her hand out palm up. Small glittering lights swirled around her hand, settling into her palm and forming into paper. With a wiggle of her fingers, a long feather appeared and drifted down softly across the paper.
Mikoto suspiciously looked at the stack of paper and feathers, remembering the scene from the library—Vita and Ren doing research, papers floating behind them, self-writing by thoughts alone. "I want ones that cannot be copied or read by others. What I write will only appear on the paper you are giving me. Complete privacy," she tapped the paper with her finger, emphasizing each word. "I mean it... no one, unless I give them to that person and only that person."
Aikko's eyes lit up at Mikoto's demands, a slow smile spreading. Her expression was almost prideful as if being considered clever enough to need such precautions was a compliment. Her tails swayed with barely contained pleasure at the implied recognition of her fox-like cunning.
"Of course," she purred, though a fleeting shadow crossed her features – a quick flash of hurt at the mistrust, gone almost before it appeared. More fox magic swirled around the paper and quill, leaving traces of blue-white light that settled into the fibers. "These will remain private, completely protected. Not even Mother's magic could reveal their contents without your permission."
She offered them to Mikoto pleased to be of service despite the stringent requirements. "Only the one you give them to will be able to read them. I promise on my tails," she added, her earlier theatrical pout replaced by genuine earnestness.
"Is there anything else you need?" Aikko asked, her tails swaying gently behind her.
"No," Mikoto replied softly, clutching the enchanted paper and quill. After a moment's pause, she added, "Thank you."
Something flickered in Aikko's eyes at those simple words - a mix of excitement at being useful and genuine gratitude for the trust, however small, that Mikoto had shown. She bowed her head deeply, a gesture Mikoto returned with equal formality.
The door closed slowly between them, and Mikoto was left alone with her thoughts, the magical paper, and whatever secrets she would choose to entrust to it.
A comforting silence filled the room as Mikoto sat at the simple writing desk. The enchanted paper spread before her like fresh snow, waiting for footprints. The feather quill felt delicate between her fingers as she studied the dress she'd worn earlier.
She went over the memories of the day's events -Kuro and the portal, the lake, the clearing, the mothers-to-be, and now this moment of decision.
"Well," Little Misaka whispered from her favorite chair, for once choosing gentleness over sarcasm, "I guess some secrets are meant to be shared."
Mikoto's hand moved to the paper, the feather's tip gleaming with ink in the moonlight. She paused momentarily, then began to write, her words appearing like silvery threads weaving across the magical surface.