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You could feel the atmosphere get progressively cooler as the guards were leading you down to the prison cells beneath Yoshiaki's castle. They weren't careful with you, either, treating you like a stray dog that wondered into the sheep's pen. You tried to keep your mind off of your jingling wrists, but the noise they made with every step kept refocusing your attention to them. You were sure the stinging pain was from the right cuff chafing against your skin. You could only imagine how red and irritated it will be when (if) the cuffs finally came off. Your left wrist might be faring better, at least when it came to obvious damage, as from your fingers to your elbow, your arm was wrapped with bandages, though paper talismans were also attached. Your inability to feel anything in your arm made it impossible for you to know, however.
"It looks like you won't have to be alone for your execution after all, monster," one of the guards said, looking toward a hooded figure in a cell. As it was the only occupied cell in the room, you assumed he was your "new neighbor".
With an uncaring throw, you were proven correct when you were pushed in the cell to the left of the mysterious stranger. Once you got yourself situated a little better, you looked at your new and probably last "friend" in this life. By the build, you guess they're probably a guy, but don't want to assume. Either way, they seem to give the distinct impression they don't care for you, as they don't even so much as glance your way... or at least that's how it appears. The cloak makes distinguishing features a bit of a challenge. At the very least, they hadn't given any indication they were paying attention to anything or anyone around them.
They were likely going to get a rude awakening with you, though. You were not known for staying quiet in any situation, and no previous silent companions ever reduced your incessant ramblings.
"So... if I give you my name, would you have any desire to give me yours?"
The stranger's mouth, the only part of them visible, didn't make any indication they had heard you, whether it was a smile or even a more pronounced frown. Their head didn't move, so if they were looking at you from behind the hood, there was no way you could tell.
"Oh well, I guess I might as well tell you what I did to land in this cell, since we have the time... Unless, of course, you want to talk."
Unsurprisingly, there was no answer. Well, you just wanted to offer in case they were interested; it didn't bother you either way. If they weren't going to listen, you could just let out your feelings without worry of judgement.
"I guess... the best place to probably start is back when I was a child..."
You giggled at the sound the snow made as you crunched it under your geta. Hopping from one foot to another, you tried to recreate the rhythm that was rattling around in your head. Although you were definitely too young to be wandering the woods, with your father working in the rice fields and your mother busy selling wares, it was easy to sneak out without anyone noticing.
Pausing in your fun, you closed your eyes and focused on what you could hear, hoping to find the chirp of one of the last birds of the season, or the crunching of snow from a deer. As you strained your ears with a smile, you slowly felt that smile drop.
There was only absolute silence.
Of course, you knew you weren't supposed to be out there, as the adults always said it was dangerous. Animals were fairly harmless in those woods, but it was always possible wolves had decided to move in, and there were the rumors of more magical creatures. The spirits were supposed to be forever watching people who explored in their territory. You'd never seen any at that point, and for a young mind, that was proof enough that you were okay. However, you did keep your eyes and ears peeled, just in case.
As you hesitantly continued, the crunch of the snow under your feet sounded deafening. That's when you saw it: a red stain on white. You may have only been a child, but you were from a farming town, and were familiar with the substance, whether from accidents or when an animal was slaughtered...
It was blood.
You bit your bottom lip, your young mind trying to decide the best recourse. You knew you were further from the path than you were supposed to be, and if you went to your parents you would be in big trouble. You also knew that it was unlikely there was anything you could do. However, you couldn't ignore the slight chance you could do something to help, so hesitantly, you followed the trail.
There were twists and turns around trees, and although you were pretty sure you could find your way back, you couldn't help but hope the trail was easy enough to spot in the dark, as the sun was already setting behind the horizon, and the full moon was rising in the sky.
You caught your breath when you finally entered the clearing the creature had stopped in. Your mind could hardly tell if the fox was corporeal, or simply fashioned from the moonbeams that peaked through the clearing... Judging by the wound, you settled on them being a real, silver fox.
You inched forward towards them, careful they could see you, while wary of them getting defensive.
Though the fox tensed, they did nothing but stare straight at you, as if they were reading your soul. Instinctively, you felt like you were being forced to reveal all of your transgressions, down to the extra helping of sweet buns you sneaked last week.
When you were only a step away, you decided to get down on all fours, hesitantly reaching a hand out to their muzzle. You knew the signs canines get when they're about to bite, and while you tried to make yourself as calm as possible, you were also tense in case they decided to lunge, as a cornered, injured animal is prone to do.
What are you doing?
The voice seemed like it was coming from all around you, making you stand up and look around.
Do you always come up to strange animals in the woods? That's a good way to get gobbled up by a tiger.
You looked back down to the fox with curious eyes. "There aren't any tigers in these woods!"
A wolf, then-
"No, none of those either!"
The fox then did something to remove all doubt that he (you were pretty sure from the deep voice) was the one speaking. He rolled his eyes.
You're missing the point. I could be dangerous.
You looked at your feet and thought about what he said for a moment. Quietly, you stated, "But you're hurt."
If you keep doing things like this, I won't be the only one.
"I don't like to see anybody hurt..."
It was hard to tell exact emotions in a canine face, but he just decided to continue looking at you.
"What?"
Fine, you can help... Do you even know how?
You weren't sure. You dealt with scrapes and bruises aplenty, but never anything this bad. Still, anything was better than leaving him to die, right? You thought another minute.
"Mama has some stuff that she always puts on my cuts at the house... It always stings, but mama says it makes sure you don't get sick."
You hear a sigh in your head. Well, I guess that's not nothing.
You looked up, seeing just how late it was.
"I'm gonna have to take you with me... Mama's going to be mad at how late I am, already.. She won't let me leave, again."
Sure she didn't let you leave before, but she might actually pay more attention once she realized you were gone.
The fox hummed in your head. I doubt your mother would be too happy with me. It's probably best that you sneak me in.
You didn't argue with him. She was never all that understanding about animals in the house, especially wild ones. So, you carefully picked him up, flinching when he gave a yelp from the movement. Still, you managed to get him in a more or less comfortable position and made the long walk home.
The stranger remained silent, all the more reason to believe they were probably ignoring you. Still, it was nice to talk about the story without someone interrupting you about how "you shouldn't have messed with spirits!" or some other condescending rebuke.
You honestly never thought you'd enjoy being ignored so much. You shrugged before continuing your tale.
"Mother was furious when she realized I missed dinner, so it was good I didn't try to get him through the door, but instead sneaked him through my window."
"Mr. Fox, am I doing this right?"
If you're wrapping the bandages in hopes that the slightest movement will knock them off, then yes. Otherwise, I'd suggest making them a bit tighter.
You pulled a face on him, but that just made him chuckle. Still, you tried, again, listening as he gave you instructions while wrapping.
There you go! I knew you could put some force behind it if I got you annoyed enough.
You giggled before laying down in front of him, your face facing his. You felt certain you were starting to get the hang of his teasing.
"I'm going to do everything I can to continue helping you, Mr Fox!"
He chuckled, again. I'm sure you will, little mouse.
"Oh, that's right! I should tell you my name!"
When you did, he just looked at you, head tilted. When you tilted your head back in confusion, saying nothing, he sighed and rolled his eyes.
You don't want to ask about mine?
You shook your head. "I thought your kind have rules about names, and you were scared of being controlled, so you don't give them out."
He appeared to be smirking. I'd say you were learning, but you seem to not realize that in giving your name I hold power over you.
You looked at him, slightly confused. "What would you do with power over me?"
The fox just stared at you with his mouth agape. He eventually huffed out an annoyed sigh. Even for your age, being this innocent is a good way to get taken advantage of.
"Who would take advantage of me?" you ask, legitimately curious.
He sighed. I could, for instance.
Your confused expression just made him sigh, again.
I'm starting to understand why Mitsunari annoys Ieyasu so much, he mumbled under his breath.
"I don't know who you're talking about, but why would you take advantage of me?"
Most creatures, little mouse, are willing to take advantage, no matter the reason why.
You shook your head, obviously continuing to not understand.
Your "guest" continued being as snarky as the first day he was with you, but his constant questioning about what you were doing when you were out too long, and seeming obsession about whether you were eating enough or not showed his true motives. He also seemed to be convinced that you were going to get hurt whenever you went into the forest. However, at the end of the day, you couldn't be angry at the attention.
In return you'd ask questions about him and his life. He basically never responded, except sometimes in riddles, but you were determined not to give up. Sure he could just be using you to get medical help, but you were certain that his true self had to be nicer than he was acting... probably because he wasn't acting nice enough. If he was really trying to just use you, than he'd be trying to butter you up and put you in a false sense of security.
Well, you weren't going to let your new friend get away with pushing you out. Besides, it wasn't like it would have been better treating him in silence.
"Why did you get hurt?"
Does it matter?
"I don't know..." you trail off, "are there bad guys I should be on the lookout for? I haven't seen any ninja or monsters."
Besides me, you mean?
You tilted your head at him. "I don't know what you mean... Are you a ninja!?"
Damn, it should not be possible to be this naive.
"You shouldn't swear!"
Seriously?
You hmpfed.
In any case, you should be fine... No one will be looking for me.
You knew most people would say you'd be crazy to trust him, but you truly did.
"What about your friends? Won't they come looking for you?"
He rolled his eyes. I don't have any.
You could feel your brow furrow and your lips purse.
"Yes you do! I'm your friend and I'll always come for you when you need me!"
He was silent for a moment, just watching you. Then, like snapping out of a reverie, he finally "spoke".
Well, when I need a little girl to rescue me from killer dumplings, I'll make sure to keep you in mind.
You stuck your tongue out at him.
Life continued like that for a while. You: asking him questions, and him: giving you snark.
You noticed with both pride and dread that the cut was getting smaller, slowly but surely. You were proud that you had helped, happy that he was feeling better, but dreading him leaving because of it. Soon, it would go back to being just you, and you were honestly unsure if you could go back to that, anymore.
"Mr. Fox, how much longer do you think you will stay?"
He didn't say anything, and unlike usual, he didn't look at you, either. Perhaps it was just your imagination, but you thought he might be sad about leaving, too.
"You know, even when you feel better, I don't mind if you want to stick with me. If I'm your only friend, I don't want you to spend your time alone out there. Besides, you should be safe, here. You won't have to worry about whoever hurt you, or anyone else, and we have enough food for you. We could always be best friends."
If you didn't know better, you might have thought he was ignoring you. Still, you did realize what his silence meant, even if your young brain didn't want to accept it.
"It's not fair! You shouldn't leave!"
For probably the first time since you brought him home, he didn't sound snarky, but instead you were pretty sure he was being sincere.
Sorry, little mouse. I have responsibilities out there.
"That's what all the grownups say! They're always talking about their 'responsibilities' but I know that really just means they don't want to spend time with me, anymore!"
"Of course," you continued the story to your "captive" (pun absolutely intended) audience, "even at the time I knew he was right. However, while I kept talking about me being his only friend, I was leaving out that he was my only friend, as well. Though, if you know kids, you know they can be selfish little brats. After that, I kept taking care of him, but stopped talking to him. I made a show about crying sometimes, though. Again, if you've ever been around kids, you know how they can be."
Unsurprisingly, you still got nothing from the person in the next cell.
Are you still ignoring me, little mouse?
You, as you had done since your talk yesterday, didn't respond.
Well... you don't have to respond, but I have a present for you...
That, of course, got your attention. You tried not to make it obvious, but you were known for not having a knack for subterfuge, so you're sure he saw you looking over.
He was able to get up by himself... Whether you had gotten yourself to truly realize it or not, a part of you was aware that this was when he was leaving.
He dropped an object he was apparently carrying in his mouth only for you to see it was what looked like a marble, and everything from the color to the stone-like material didn't appear to be very interesting.
Your anger temporarily forgotten, you reached out slowly to it, but the moment your fingertips touched the marble, it disappeared and you felt a warm, lingering sensation in your left hand: the same hand that was still stretched out.
You looked to the fox, puzzled.
My hoshi no tama is now a part of you.
"What does that mean?"
It means, little mouse, that you will be protected after I leave.
"I'd like to say that I realized the importance of what he told me at that moment. I didn't know that a hoshi no tama was so precious to a kitsune. I didn't know that it housed a bit of their power... as well as a bit of their soul."
You had closed your eyes, head leaning back against the cell wall.
"Instead of trying to understand, I just went back to wailing, and I refused to look at him when he left me... He did give his name as he left, though, and I don't think I'll ever forget it..."
"If he didn't make himself clear, I don't know why that's your fault."
Your eyes shot open and you stared at your companion. He made no indication that he had spoken, and a part of you had wondered if you had finally gone insane and imagined it.
"...You wouldn't mind assuring me that you really were the one who spoke, would you?"
He chuckled, and his eyes opened. You couldn't see them well, but they appeared to be a liquid gold, very slightly glowing in the dark dungeon.
You felt your cheeks warm and you couldn't even guess how red you were to his eyes. It's one thing to tell your life story to someone who isn't paying attention and couldn't care less, it was another to have told it to someone who was listening... especially since looking into his eyes seemed to draw you into a familiar pool of vivid emotion.
"You were a child when all this happened, right? If the kitsune was half as good as you seem to believe, he wouldn't hold what you did against you."
You smiled at him. "I'd like to hope so."
There was silence between the two of you for a few moments before he spoke, again.
"Well, you never did finish your story. How did all of that lead you here?"
"You really want to know?"
"I think I can find time to hear the rest, though if something comes up, I hope you'll be able to pause your story, at least."
He chuckled at his own teasing. You just sighed in response.
"Well, I don't like leaving things unfinished, so I guess I can tell you the rest of my story.
"The hoshi no tama gave my left hand some kind of power. It almost has a mind of its own. Nothing bad has happened, but I quickly found I could do all sorts of things with it. It has more dexterity and strength than it should, and I've found I can punch my fist through stone and open any lock. I truly do have the power of a kitsune."
"It sounds like you should be avoiding trouble, not getting into it."
His voice was even, but you got the impression from his coldness that he had already started to guess the turn your story was about to take.
"I suppose always having been the odd one made it easier for everyone, but once people started to notice, they became frightened of what I could do. I never hurt anyone or had shown any reason for them to fear me, but that didn't matter... not even to my own parents. By the age of 12 I was kicked out of my village. They said I had a 'cursed' hand. It was ridiculous, but what could I do?"
He remained silent... contemplative.
"I went from town to town after that. My left hand did keep me safe, but it also kept me from finding a home. I thankfully usually didn't have to steal, as I was able to do odd jobs at the places I visited, though there were a couple times when my hunger was too much and I had to take some things."
"Are you here because of your hand or the thievery?"
You laughed. "My stealing days are long behind me. I've found quite a few legitimate ways to earn my keep that I've remained on the right side of the law.
"Unfortunately, it turns out despite helping people, the oddities that surround me caught some people's attention. I was caught in a trap."
"I am aware of kitsune traps, though I didn't know they affected humans 'possessed' by a kitsune."
You lift your hand to show off the various wards plastered all over it.
"I tried removing them, but whatever they're using is a bit too tough to remove, at least with my normal, human hand. My other hand is completely numb, so I can't even lift a spoon with it."
This makes your cell mate chuckle.
You glare at him. "Yes, our immanent deaths are hilarious. I may act flippant when I'm irritated, but I still would prefer not dying."
"Oh, no, it's actually quite the opposite, little mouse... It looks like everyone has underestimated us."
Something within you stirred, hearing a familiar nickname from a voice you had just started to recognize.