My Dear Ancestors- Part 2

Kuro’s memories swarmed inside her dreams. Old memories of her grandmother’s house, though one look at the family inside sent her spinning. A woman was sitting there with a child in her arms, a smile on her face, while she whispered soft coos to the sleeping baby. She turned her eyes to the man next to her, and suddenly Kuro’s heart was struck with shock. She knew that smile anywhere that was directed toward her double. It was her great-grandfather’s, a smile she never forgot as a child when he ‘snuck’ out to see her. His smile was always a little crooked, and he had a tooth missing from the top row that always made her giggle. It was a smile she could never forget, and even if the face was quite younger, the smile she remembered was similar to the older man she held dear.

Kuro’s dark eyes went right to the mirrored woman as she whispered something to Kuro’s great-grandfather, making him laugh. The young woman suddenly tensed, face screwing up in pain as Kuro’s great-grandfather quickly wrapped his arms around her. Kuro’s eyes widened to see blood at the edge of the woman’s mouth as she coughed. And in a moment, those piercing eyes were on Kuro, as if she could see her.

“Spirit, you stay away from my precious Kino and husband.” She whispered in her weakened state. “Kouken will banish you if you do harm here, away with you!”


Kuro woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and heart thumping heavily in her chest. She laid there, staring as black surrounded her. She shut her eyes again, tightly, and tried to get herself together. She curled and uncurled her hands, they were tingling, and that must meant she had slept on them. She could feel a cool breeze, and she could feel the familiar cool earring lying against her neck. When she was sure she was in a safe place, she let out her breath, relaxing. That is…until she took another breath, and the smell of smoke filled her nostrils.

Her eyes popped open and she was sitting up in a moment, head whirling with the speed. Kuro noticed the gate instantly, and the sky above it was still blue, but she realized when her eyes hit the ground that she knew she hadn’t fallen asleep in the grass like she hoped. A large shadow traced around the property, almost to the gate, and now that she was awake the smell was more clear now. She whipped her head around, stilling when a surprised pair of violet eyes were on her again.

The giant was…real.

Those tawny ears flicked and quickly folded into his golden hair and his eyebrows rose high on his forehead. “Kisana…” He thundered. Kuro felt her nerves threaten her to get up and run, but all she could do as stare as that shocked expression changed to anger, then worry. “You scared me, you little brat!” She couldn’t keep down a scream as a hand swept down at her and before she knew it, she was tucked against that big nose again as it wriggled against her middle. “I had thought you had heat stroke, I had almost forgotten how hot mortals can get in this season! I even brought out a parasol to keep us cool.” He paused and pulled her away, a finger in her face before she could blink. “You’re as mean as ever, Kisana! You don’t bring an offering, try to leave early, pass out, and to top it off you don’t curl up with me like you used to! I even brought your favorite pillow!” When it was addressed, he pointed down to it, and she dared a slow glance over the side of his hand to a large pillow in his lap.

The distance from his palm to the pillow made her sick, and she could only croak like a frog. “Are you feeling alright, young one? I had thought for sure I made it clear you were to come to me if the bad spirits were getting to you…you seem so weak. We’ll get you fixed up right after a little resting session, Kisana--!”

“I-I AM NOT KISANA!” The scream came out of her like a surge of electricity, and when it did, she couldn’t believe she had even opened her mouth. For a moment, she expected to hear the woman that screamed voice her anger again, but with a sinking stomach she realized her own body had made such a statement. Her eyes went wide to stare into the face of a shocked giant. He even looked surprised that such a sound came from her, and for a moment his eyes flicked around the area before returning to her. Her face must have mirrored the same expression, because his eyebrows rose up in a higher arc. Kuro finally got her hands to move, and she swiftly slapped her hand over her lips. What had she done? She had concluded, somehow, this beast was real. Striking out human from the list was easy enough, and that meant that this creature was a spirit. A spirit meant power, it meant magic just like the old stories told humans.

Her grandmother and great-grandfather used to tell her stories through her childhood of mischievous spirits that liked to pick on humans. Not many of those stories were innocent, many of them were to warn her of what spirits could do. And as her family’s stories told her, spirits were either saviors or bad news. And usually…it was the later.

The giant’s head tilted slightly under the paper umbrella, blinking those purple eyes down at her as he arched an eyebrow after his parted mouth finally closed. “Not Kisana?” He echoed, tilting his head to the other side. “This must be another game, yes? My little Kisana, that doesn’t sound like a fun game! Why don’t--!” The voice abruptly cut off, that big twitching nose once again coming to life. If it weren’t for the fact that Kuro was staring at the giant, she would have missed the flash of expression he had before confusion took hold.

Kuro heart fluttered relentlessly against her chest as those purple eyes were once again focused entirely on her. She was a fool; it was clear at this moment that even her blood that ran cold inside her body told her she was foolish. Before she could even dare to take a breath behind her clasped hands, the giant’s face was once again in hers. Dark eyes pulled her breath out of her body as they narrowed, and she nearly jumped out of her buckled shoes when something brushed against the side of her face.

At a low rumble that sounded closer to a wild animal, she froze up like stone. The growl sounded close to a bear, and if she could get any paler, she would have at this moment. Shivering, she realized a large fingertip brushed her cheek to move her long hair. She could feel a sharp claw hover by her ear. Whatever the beast had seen had surprised him, and Kuro couldn’t even get her ear to twitch let alone move her head away in the clawed finger. The young teen let out a squeak as the same appendage pinned her to a leathery surface. Kuro didn’t dare move, at least on purpose. Her body was shaking like a leaf in fall, but having a dagger sized claw hovering so close to her made her heart nearly stop dead in its tracks.

Kuro would have laid there as long as it took for the giant to move his weapon, that is, until she realized what the giant’s aim was. She was pinned there on his hand by a claw on her shoulder, and two of the huge fingers had pinched her tucked shirt were pulling it right out from under her skirt’s waistband.

It was the fox’s turn to jump as the tiny girl released a scream, and seemed to allow his fingers to be shoved away, if only for a moment. Embarrassed swarmed over her fear, and she couldn’t even think of what the spirit could have seen. All she could think about was that she had lost some buttons already, and hoped that her white blouse covered her up. Did spirits torment women? Did he expect to torment her? Did they have the same figures? Questions urging her embarrassment on swam inside her head until another growl sounded from a large chest, and Kuro tried to swiftly get her bearings again. That is, if it weren’t for the sudden drop that made her queasy stomach return with a vengeance.

Kuro’s swarming thoughts tried to piece something together, but before she knew it she was laying in the long grass with hands the size of the red Torii gate digging into the earth beside her. “Where is she? Where is my little Kisana? Are you a spirit that has taken her from me? You should have half a mind to tell me where you have her, or you’ll be burnt to ashes! I have little patience in my old age, and if you were foolish enough to disguise yourself as someone close to me, you should know exactly what I can do to those I dislike.” A voice roared over her quivering bones.

She couldn’t fight the tears that suddenly swelled in her eyes. This was it, her final mistake, her final straw. After this afternoon, she doubted she’d live to see the stars again. If this spirit was speaking the truth, that smoke barreling out of his mouth now was just the first step to a fire that would fry her in her buckled shoes. And it was all because she had listened to her crazy old grandmother one last time  that drove her into the same spirit world that old woman had been chanting about for years.

This couldn’t be a nightmare, she could feel her sweating palms, warm tears, and stinging split lip urging her to believe her imagination couldn’t be this elaborate. She wouldn’t feel the pain in her chest that such a desperate situation brought nor the twists in her belly from the heights. The realization brought on more tears, more shaking, and finally her dry lips parted to let out a sob.

Here was a beast the size of a building, looming over her with claws that were more knives than finger nails. If his size wasn’t enough, it was the smoke pluming from his mouth behind sharp white fangs. Kuro had always thought she was a strong young girl…yet all she could bring herself to do was cry, much like a child, in the face of something that was inches away from taking her life.

All she could hope was she would not get closer to a smoking death.


Kouken almost couldn’t help himself when this creature stumbled upon his resting place. After all this time, a spirit that resonated much like Kisana had made their way back onto his earth. He had awoken so quickly, that he almost had forgotten to brush out his unkempt hair. He knew immediately when he had awoken, a long time had passed. His body was achy, and when he emerged from his resting place, everything seemed to be overgrown.

Though, lone and behold, his favorite human returned to him; the same young woman that had taken this flaming inferno of a spirit into her own hands. He had always had some trouble with humans, with their short life span, and selfish ways that made this guardian strictly do what most spirits always did, wander. It wasn’t until an ancestor of Kisana’s stumbled upon him one day in this very forest, and sealed his tail right into the very rock he so comfortably slept now.

At first, he had raged for years, making the heat nearly unbearable around the stone. It kept the trees from growing anywhere near the bolder, and it made him wonder how many centuries it had been since he had been locked inside the dreaded thing. Before the rock, he’d roamed all over the planet, teased as many humans that could sense him, and took anything he liked. Spirits normally weren’t as big as him, so it made it fun to play with the smaller ones too.

Though, all spirits had something special that let them separate from the physical world. It was a two room house-like area that if they so willed it, they’d return to. His home was not unlike the humans he’d seen, but did not hold the same physical form as they did. His did not need to rest on the earth, it could be brought with him just by will. Of course, not all spirits had such a nice dwelling as he did, but he did have the power to make it a comfortable place to rest. The best way he had explained it to Kisana at one time, was that it was an underground room he could slip in and out of.

He had been locked in that very room for centuries under the damned rock, until one morning he realized something was different. A spirit stepped into his reach, and if he so desired, he could turn up the heat. However, before he could even think about how hot he wanted to make it, he was flat out on the very earth he hadn’t felt in years. He laid there on his stomach, chin in the dirt, staring into a child’s face that glared at him. At first, all he could think was if he had ever seen a human so young before, then how easily he could trick her into taking his seal off this boulder. Why burn something that could be of use?

However, she did not fear him, the only thing she held in her hands was a bucket. He almost expected a weapon, even from a human child. The downed spirit only stared at the human girl, beginning to growl about how he’d banish her to the ends of this land if she didn’t release him right at that moment. Yet, the young girl didn’t do what he asked, instead she threw a bucket full of water into his face.

Rage came back just as easily as it had under the earth, and it didn’t take long to catch the rash human. Although, when he had caught the creature, all she did was laugh and claim that she deserved another round. Honestly, Kouken wasn’t sure to make of this human. He had fought many of them in the past that were too weak to take him on, yet he’d never seen a human have such a reaction to him.

And that is when he made his first mistake of his life; he released the child.

Months passed by, and he would fight with the young creature until a time came that he realized that he became to enjoy her company. He expected her to come back to his home, and she wouldn’t fail him in bringing him something interesting. It got to a point that he would even walk down the mountain after he had weaseled his way into making the seal weaker. At first he couldn’t believe such a thing was possible in his long lifetime, yet here he was enjoying their banter and games.

Kisana was but a child when she took on this old beast, and he found that he had warmed to her. The plan was originally to trick the child into finishing off the last of the seals to free him from this land, but on the eve of the child’s second decade, she did something he never would have imagined. She asked him, a powerful spirit, to protect her own spirit when she passed.

He had laughed at the time; she was but a young self-centered human as well. Though, as the woman visited him, he felt his bond with her grow stronger. Never did a living being stick with his shenanigans so long, even a decade proved a new record. On the child’s thirtieth birthday, he allowed himself to admit that this girl was important…and he wanted to protect her.

Though, as all spirits do, he needed to rest. Normally, a spirit would rest for a decade at once without problem, unfortunately, Kouken had been waking up every day for nearly thirty years. And one day, when he returned to his resting room, he’d gone to sleep. Usually, he had control of when he woke up, but this time he could not resist the lull of rest.

Thankfully, Kisana had roused him by touching the seals on the gate, and that was enough to nudge him awake. He had a feeling she had done this many times, but this time was the charm, and he’d awoken to her waiting for him in the overgrown grass. He admitted it was odd she hadn’t kept up with the place, but all that mattered to him was that she had returned to see him.

Unfortunately, she was acting strange today, and he would have thought it was because she was mad at him for sleeping for so long. He couldn’t place it, but it was just…odd. She bolted as soon as he spoke, and he remembered her being a lot slower than she was. Even when he had grabbed the pillow and parasol from his room while he held the young girl, he couldn’t seem to spot what was off about her. Kouken had even watched her a bit while she slept; letting his memories swarm with a familiar smell. It wasn’t exactly as he remembered, but it was very close.

Now here he was, growling and snarling at a face that made his heart ache.

Violet eyes softened, and his lips slowly laid back against his teeth to see tears appearing from the very face he had sworn to protect. Even if this creature was a spirit, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to hurt her. He visibly flinched when the tiny being let out a loud sob, making his stomach twist up in knots.

Was this being even a spirit?

If it was, and they were trying to win his affection…they were successful. How could he leave a being that looked so much like Kisana cry like this? He hated to admit it, but he couldn’t remember his old friend’s smell, so he couldn’t place anything wrong with this one. The one thing he knew was off about this creature, was the giant scar that was once on her belly, was completely gone. It made his own stomach knot up with worry, if this girl wasn’t Kisana, she held her likeness well. Despite her having the family earing, she missed a crucial part of who Kisana was. It was soon after she bore her child did she earn that scar, and it hadn’t healed right after the surgery. Kouken offered many times to heal it for her, or at least make it a little more bearable, yet every time she refused. She used to say it was something that made her…well her. He didn’t understand it, but now seeing a body that resembled hers without that large gash, it felt very odd.

Hesitantly, the spirit removed his hands from lacing themselves in the grass, and brushed them off on his legs to be rid of the dry dirt and grass. “Ah…n-no tears now…come now, even my Kisana didn’t shed a tear in her lifetime.” The words surprised even him, he wasn’t sure it was safe to trust a being he wasn’t even sure was human, but he pushed it aside to scoop up the tiny body.

He could remember a time that he enjoyed humans cowering away from him, pleased to be left alone to his own company. But after Kisana…he wasn’t sure he could go back to feeling like that, especially with this face so like hers. Kisana never had feared him, even as a child, and that was something he had never experienced before meeting her. It allowed his old heart to soften, and grow to enjoy another creature’s presence. If this tiny girl in his hands could see him, spirit or human, then she must have been told where he was. It wasn’t well known where he had been hiding for centuries, and he wasn’t exactly taking part in the spirit’s gatherings.

Most spirits avoided him, and if humans could see him, they would do the same. Now that he thought about it, this being had tried to escape his clutches as well when he revealed himself. Just thinking about her expression put his insides in a twist. He barely thought about lying the girl against his chest while he hummed in deep thought about old memories. If he focused enough, could he remember what Kisana smelled like?

That would be a good test against this stranger in his hands. Perhaps she had amnesia, and forgot him? It was mean, but humans were indeed more fragile than spirits thought. Or perhaps that scar had actually healed while he was sleeping? It was very unlikely, but he couldn’t help clinging to the small hope building inside him. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out of his voice box. His trap shut immediately, feeling embarrassed for the first time in quite some time.

Here he was, an elegant fire fox, sworn to protect only one human, holding a creature that already stated she wasn’t that very human he wanted to protect. How much he wanted to believe this girl was his, he was leaning more toward the side that he doubted in even his hope. For once he felt like the foolish one, and wondered if he made a mistake in not letting this creature run off. What would he do with this thing now? He already proved he didn’t have the heart to do more than threaten the female with the face she had. And now he was consoling her much like he had with his old friend. Perhaps he should transfer her to a land far away from him, go back under the earth until the true Kisana returned. As thoughts ran through his head, he took to gently trying to comfort the sobbing creature that only seemed to sob more in his touch.

He groaned, feeling out of place, but let his eyes trail across the once tamed meadow. The trees had kept their distance, but the weeds and grass had overgrown their normal length. He frowned, just about to ignore the area until his eyes caught something that certainly wasn’t there before. Cautiously, he reached out to touch the gray object, fingers brushing the top. He easily concluded that it was a rock, and he was going to dismiss it as that until his fingers felt unnatural grooves in the stone.

A chill went through his body as he moved away the grass to show off the face of the stone. Most spirits couldn’t read human writing, it changed too often for them to learn, but this spirit knew at least these words staring him in the face. A name.

It was a name that put his already uneasy stomach in a bind. There, before him, was a stone that claimed it was Kisana. She had once mentioned that humans buried their dead, and mourned for them with a large ceremony. To his knowledge, no other ceremony would have put a human’s name on a stone, and that only meant one thing. The deep pit in his stomach grew deeper; his eyes swiftly looked back over the meadow where there were very few rocks just like this one.

Kisana’s was the closest to his own resting place, and the others were scattered around her. His eyes slowly drifted to the shivering girl under his hand, ears falling as realization sunk in. A part of him whispered faith into his ears, but this fox knew what had happened while he slept. He took a deep breath, his purple eyes moving back to the stone. He needed to do it; he needed to find what he had missed while he slept.

He tucked the child against his robes, grabbing his pipe from a stand he kept nearby. With a heavy heart, he dug in his body for the breath. Years of practice had went by to tame this fire burning inside him, and it had paid off. With a soft exhale, he felt warmth surge up his throat to his lips where it did little but brush his lips.

Kouken grabbed a fallen branch nearby to light the end with his colorful fire. He let his fire dance for a moment, ache already starting in his belly as he leaned down to prop it against the very stone his fingers had brushed by. He was careful to pat down the overgrown grass to get it out of the way, for the last thing that he wanted was for the meadow to catch fire.

It was a simple trick he had learned in his old age. He just needed to wait until his fire could attract the right spirit. When the time came, she would return and speak to him…even if it would be for a short time. He had faith that this familiar fire would attract the human spirits that knew him, which were very few. He only hoped the right one would come first. All spirits knew that most human spirits went elsewhere for their resting place, for they didn’t live very long, and sought out places they liked instead. Though, only the spiritually strong would be able to appear before the living. He only hoped a little fox fire would be enough. If Kisana really was gone, and this stone was to mark her death, he would be able to find out.

He allowed himself to watch the fire dance at the end of the branch, a blue flame that he hadn’t used in a long time. His fire was especially warm, and it was the reason he took up using the pipe to channel his smoke. It was something he could hardly help, and Kisana used to tell him it would smell like a ‘camp fire,’ though he wasn’t sure what that was like. Once again, memories made themselves home in his heart, bring the ache back full force. He sat there watching the flame move while once in a while he’d find himself bouncing the would-be spirit in his palms against his shoulder.

Once and a while he’d catch himself doing the old action, and managed to stop, though other times he’d find himself lost in thought. Unfortunately, it was an old habit that Kisana had taught him in her young age after her first born, which stuck with him. She used to tell him that it would calm down children, and he hadn’t believed her until he had done the small action with her after watching her with her own child. It took quite some time to get used to measuring how much strength to use, but after all that time comforting the young human, he found himself doing it later in her life without thinking much about it. Despite it being so long since he had been awake, it seemed the old habit didn’t want to quit now either.

It had to have been nearly an hour when he realized he didn’t hear the spirit’s sniffling. His eyes left the strong fire for his hands where he had caressed the human against him. His eyebrows rose in shock to see a sleeping being, leaning against him. At first, his heart had skipped a beat that brought back many days where Kisana slept against him. Though, once he took a breath, the sour smell of terror stuck to the air. His ears turned back, the deep aching feeling returned soon enough. Kouken let out a sigh, using one of the pads of his thumb to brush the child’s cheek were her hair stuck from her salty tears. The more he held her, the more he believed this girl was human.

Through the third brush of her skin, he concluded the child must have tuckered herself out. Hesitantly, he took a hand away from her to retrieve the pillow he’d practically thrown aside, and set it back into his lap. Kouken slowly lowered the girl back into the fluffy pillow, frowning down at the girl that lay there more like a porcelain doll than a human. She was so still, and she looked far smaller than he remembered Kisana had under his hand. Kouken left his hand lying against her, leaning back against his ‘sealed rock’ as he turned his eyes back to his blue fire, and not too long later a spark appeared in the fire.

Like a punch in the nose, he drew back from the stone as black spots danced over his vision. He quickly blinked, lifting his free hand to rub at his eyes with a low growl. He would have cursed if not for the female that only seemed to shiver with his movement. He was about to pass it off as foolishly thinking that his fire would call Kisana’s spirit, and was about to turn his attention back to the human in his lap if not for the woman that flashed into his vision by the stone that marked her name.

The breath in his lungs disappeared, purple eyes watering at the sight of a teenage human staring back up at him. It was the woman he had been waiting for, taking a human-like shape if it weren’t for the transparency of her figure, giving him the most innocent expression he’d seen for a long time. He knew she was not of this world, this woman was a spirit, something very rare when it came to humans. It was a long shot to have called on her, because most humans didn’t have a lot of spiritual energy. Although, some were lucky and able to spot creatures like Kouken, or even reside longer on this planet if they tamed it. And this woman certainly had before her passing.

If it weren’t for her transparency, this woman looked just like she had when she had stayed with him. Long curtains of black hair fell down her back, and over her shoulders hiding a light summers gown. He remembered hating that very gown, because she had playfully told him that day would be the day she’d try a new hobby, horse-riding. She didn’t return that day, but came back the next to show off a broken arm. That day had many hours of scolding in it, and he hated himself for not trying to go with her with the loosened seal. Her eyes were the same as the child under his hand, so dark brown that they appeared black, though he knew better.

He found himself speechless against the slender woman, but she just hid a smile behind her hand as she tilted her head up to him. ‘Kouken, you don’t have a single gray hair yet?’ The woman impishly grinned as she climbed atop the very rock he had touched, a familiar laugh sounding from her lips.

Kouken never would have imagined that hearing that laugh would hurt, but he knew that inside his chest, his heart cracked. “Kisana.” He breathed in such a low voice he wondered if he thought it. It hurt to speak her name, but he couldn’t waste this chance seeing her now. The child in his hands flinched, but his attention entirely went on the transparent woman that giggled at the teary eyed fox.

‘Aw, my sweet fox, what is that expression? Without a little nudge, I would have been waiting even longer for you to come back. As you can see, it’s been pretty hard keeping my form here.’ The thin woman looked down at herself, and seemed to take to trying to pluck a tip of grass off the stalk by her, but thought better of it. ‘What a mess…I should haunt my daughter for this.’ Kisana laughed again, but it grew more hollow until she cut it off, a frown finding her features as she met the fire fox’s eyes. ‘Kouken, listen to me, I don’t have a lot of time. With your help, I can speak, but my spirit is weak from staying in this area for too long. I will be going soon, but I must tell you something.

I’ve been watching a long time, and that girl you’ve shown your teeth at, well, she’s my great-granddaughter. I have watched over this family in your place, and I never thought I’d see my great-grandchildren, but I had a surprise.’ She paused to allow a hand through her long hair. ‘It seems she’s taken my style, what do you think, my sweet fox? She’s inherited my lovely looks, hasn’t she?’ Her eyes trailed to the shivering girl dwarfed by Kouken’s hands, a small smile finding its way on her face.

‘Kouken, this is my great-granddaughter, my darling Kuro. She will not remember me, it has been far too long, but she will remember my husband. I do not want you to be sad, Kouken, this child has not taken me in any way. She is but another of my lovely great grandchildren. I have many of them, but only this one visits my old home. My sweet fox, I have passed from complications with my body very many years ago, as you may have guessed from this.’ She murmured, kicking her feet. ‘The spirts in this yard won’t respond to you anymore, but that child has my gift with spirits. As you might have seen, since she certainly can get you to move that big tail of yours.’ She let out a soft laugh before her head lifted with a determined expression painting her features. ‘Teach her, Kouken, my daughter is far too old to take on a youngster, and her daughter has left the house and family. Since you left me for so long, this is your punishment.

I want you to take care of my family, you lazy fox. Stop her tears, and stop your tears. I have been mourned for just like any other human, I have lived my life. My daughter mourned far too long, and now she can barely visit my grave in her age. And now, I’ve seen your ageless face do more than pout. Please, Kouken, do not let me ruin that fire of yours; I want it to burn for a long time. I hope someday to see you on the other side, with all my great grandchildren old and withered. I don’t want them going like me; use your medicine, you stupid fox.’ The fire flickered, and so did her form, causing the young woman to frown. She stepped off her grave, and lowered her head in respect to the fox towering before her. ‘Goodbye Kouken, take care of my—your children.’ Just as the woman looked up, she managed one last chiming laugh before a wind took her form away just like the blue flame behind her. All that was left was smoke that plumed from the end of the branch where his fire once burned bright.

And just like that, Kouken dared to blink, and the last signs of Kisana were gone. He released the breath he hadn’t realized he held, eyebrows knitting up as he stared at the stone with dismay. So it was true…he’d lost her in his sleep. The precious child that had introduced him to so many things had left this place long ago, leaving him with a descendant that seemed more like a spirit. This child felt so detached from him, the family used to be so close to him. Despite not being able to see him, they would talk to a tree as if he was sitting in it. He found it quite amusing to be sitting in the forest, smoking his pipe, only for one of the family to freeze and excitedly greet him. It had become something of a tradition when Kisana was around.

His ears fell along with his eyes, pinning on the sleeping child that barely moved on the pillow. So this child was actually Kisana’s kin, and much younger than her at that. He allowed himself a big huff as he gathered up the child back into his hands. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, and he knew it wouldn’t be good for the child to be here much longer. No doubt Kisana’s daughter was waiting at the base of the mountain for this child to climb down, and he would return her on time.

He allowed his eyes to soak up her tiny form for a few more moments before he lifted her to his lips, where he gave a light kiss to her cheek as best he could. It was a form of affection he had never given before he met Kisana. She had so often asked him for affection when she was young, and he’d only realized later in her life did humans gave far more affection then spirits ever did. It just felt right to do this with a relative of Kisana. “I hope you forgive me, tiny one, I was quite mean…” He exhaled quietly, allowing himself to once again burrow his nose into her belly. It was always the perfect place in a human that he could nuzzle, it was soft, and he felt as if the human body fit so perfectly with the curve of his nose.

His eyes closed with another breath, ears wilting further against the side of his head. “I will protect you, my tiny fox fire, you will burn just as brightly as Kisana.” He cleared his throat, already feeling the lump surface at the base of his throat. “I promise.” He murmured before he took her away to move the pillow on his lap and start down the mountain. For now, he needed time to mourn…and no doubt this child would return to him in just a few days. All humans were curious, she would definitely return to him. At that time, he swore to himself that he would not snap at her, he would treat her as he did Kisana, and how she would have wanted him to act.

“You are my kin now as well, Kuro…my little fox fire, I will see you very soon.”