Chapter Text
It’s supposed to be an easy job. There’s a ring of thieves camping out in an old, dilapidated barn as they wait out the storm. A few days ago, one of them nicked his client’s beloved jewels right out of their home. It’s the usual in Sakusa’s line of work, so he deploys the usual tactics.
Wait until the lights die down and the wind picks up, slip through two worn wooden planks in the back, and creep up to three sleepy guards facing the front. The ceiling has fallen through here and there, allowing rain and slivers of moonlight to flood in spots. It smells earthy and damp and a bit acrid.
“What if he doesn’t come?” one of the guards asks, oblivious to Sakusa’s poised hand.
Another one yawns. “He’ll come.”
Three well-timed hits have them on the ground. “You left the back open,” he mutters, voice muffled by the black mask covering his mouth and nose. “You guys must be new to this.” Sakusa rolls his wrists before dragging them away from the door and out of sight. It’s odd that there were only three left in charge of such a large horde of stolen wares and pilfered supplies. The sooner he’s out of here, the better.
Sakusa drags a few larger crates in front of the barn doors, just so he’ll have a bit of a head start if reinforcements show before he’s done perusing. He nicks an apple from a wicker basket and drops it into his pack before glancing around the barn with no idea where to start. A gold chest, his client said, filled with gold and jewels of every imaginable cut and color.
The only gold Sakusa’s interested in is the other half of the payment waiting for him. Others would probably snag the chest for themselves and live like royalty, but Sakusa’s life is on the road. He prefers not to stay in one place. Doesn’t care for company or titles. All he needs is enough to get him from town to town without starving or freezing to death.
“Gold chest,” he murmurs, side-stepping a row of stacked crates. There’s no sign of it. Just barrels and baskets and boxes stacked atop another, waiting to be shipped off to the docks. Then, near the back, he notices a dusty sheet haphazardly thrown over an iron cage.
It’s too large to be what Sakusa is looking for, large enough for himself to stand comfortably in, but he’s drawn to it regardless. He fists his gloved hand into the sheet and pulls it down, wincing as dust lands on his hair and clothes. There’s more dust suspended in the air, sparkling in the lantern’s dim light, and it seems to drift to the center of the cage, where something is most definitely moving.
“A dog?” Sakusa muses as it raises its head. Its fur is a deep gold with flecks of brown around its paws, ears, and tail. Sakusa reaches through the bars, stomach twisting at the idea of thugs keeping a defenseless animal locked up.
The dog responds to his voice, revealing glowing gold eyes so hot that Sakusa swears he sees a spark. They’re fathomless, swirling with something that’s absolutely not natural. It’s then that he notices the long lines of parchment plastered around each bar. Each one is scribbled with sealing spells and wards. One tail rises in curiosity. And then another. And another.
Not a dog.
Sakusa withdraws immediately. Though he’s never seen one before, he knows all about kitsune. Man-eaters, soul-stealers, tricksters with a lust for mischief and blood. People and kitsune have been hunting each other for centuries, but it’s hardly a fair fight. Kitsunes have the power of entire armies when they’re in their element. The only reason the entire globe hasn’t been ruined already is because the kitsune seem to think it’s more fun to play with their food.
Looking closer, it’s clear this kitsune has been bound here for a while. There are some claw marks gouged into the metal left uncovered by blessings. There’s some soot sticking to its paws. And a raw, angry expression crossing his face. This time, Sakusa really does see a spark leave its eyes.
Sakusa raises a hand dismissively. “Wrong sheet,” he says, and bends down to pick up the curtain again.
“ Stop.” He freezes. He senses more than hears the kitsune brush up against the bars, a laugh buried in his voice as he adds, “Yer not with them, are ya? The mask, the leather armor, that sword… Yer definitely a merc.”
Sakusa knows better than to reply to a trickster spirit.
“Not gonna answer me? I thought humans loved to talk. Especially about themselves.” The kitsune pushes his nose between two bars. There’s a smile glinting in its stare. “Are ya here to acquire my incredible power?”
“Nope.” Sakusa tosses the sheet back over the cage. It sags until it’s only covering half, letting the kitsune peer around the cloth in surprise.
“WHA - HEY!” he barks angrily. “Don’t cover me up and walk away! Get back here!”
Sakusa frowns. “Sorry, but this job doesn’t pay high enough for conversation.”
There’s a pause. “So ya are a merc. Let me hire ya, then.” When Sakusa doesn’t answer, he adds, “It’s just a little thing. See, all these spells are keepin’ me tied down, and these bandits’re scrubs. They’re not even good at stealin’ shit.”
Sakusa huffs. “They caught you, didn’t they?” He clenches his jaw. Stop talking to the human-eating fox.
“They cheated!” The kitsune paws at the bars angrily. “It wasn’t a fair fight! If it had been, Samu and I woulda… Look, just open the door. Let me out. And then ya can name yer price. All the gold ya could ever want. Or maybe ya want power. I can grant both and more.”
“No.”
“Seriously!?”
“I know your type. You’re going to eat me the second you’re out. I’m not stupid.”
“I’m not gonna eat ya! Just get me the hell outta here!”
“No.”
Sakusa walks away and ignores the flood of furious yells from the cage. He lifts a lantern and starts his search on the opposite side of the barn. He’ll have to be quick. If there are other thieves nearby, it’s only a matter of time before all the barking and howling catches their attention. “Gold chest,” Sakusa says again, mostly to block out the kitsune’s whines.
“Gold chest?” the kitsune parrots, abruptly calm again. Sakusa rolls his eyes. “Is that what they hired ya for?”
Sakusa ignores him, raising the light higher as he squeezes between two rows of boxes.
“Hate to burst yer bubble, but there’s no gold in here.”
“Shut up.”
“Poor little mercenary man.” He sighs. “Yer so worried about me trickin’ ya, ya don’t realize ya’ve already been tricked.”
Sakusa slows to a stop. The kitsune’s words crash over him like ice as he holds the lantern further out, illuminating a small cache of swords and lances bearing a very familiar insignia. Quickly, he turns to the nearest barrel and kicks it over.
“Careful,” the kitsune sings. “Watch where yer puttin’ that lantern.”
“Gunpowder,” Sakusa whispers. That explains the acrid smell he noticed earlier. It’s been a long time since he’s been around it. “Are all of these boxes full of it?”
“No. Some are filled with alcohol. Some are just wood and old parchment.” The kitsune chuckles. “Not even the rain will stop this place from lighting up like a firework.”
“Damn it.” Sakusa moves away quickly. “I knew this all seemed too easy.”
The kitsune lays back down, resting his head on his paws and blinking sleepily. “Here they come.” He yawns. “Hope yer better at fighting than at talking.”
Sakusa ignores him. He heads for the way he came in, but stops short when he sees shadows pass between the gaps in the wooden planks. He crouches down, keeps his hand on his sword, and listens.
“What’s the hold up?” a man shouts. “Sakusa Kiyoomi should be dead already! Just burn it all down.”
Sakusa peeks through a hole and frowns. There are several men stanced with weapons right in front of his exit, and they aren’t bandits. They’re decorated in the silver-plated armor of the kingdom. Sakusa has no doubt that there are plenty more surrounding the entire building. He’s almost flattered someone would go through this much trouble to try to kill him.
“The plan was to kill Sakusa Kiyoomi, retrieve the fox, and burn the evidence,” the soldier hisses. “That monster is still in there. You think the king is going to be forgiving if it dies, too?”
The king? Sakusa presses his ear to the wood harder. He can think of at least seven reasons why the king would want Sakusa dead, but why would he want a kitsune alive? Sakusa looks back to the cage. The kitsune looks fast asleep, but his ears twitch whenever the soldiers talk. He’s paying attention.
Sakusa backs away, looking around as if a plan will magically pop into his head, until he brushes against the iron cage again. “Yanno,” a voice coos into his ear, “I could help.”
Sakusa looks up with a glare. The kitsune tries to look cute with his ears lowered and eyes wide, but Sakusa sees the hunger in its relentless stare. “I don’t think so.”
“I dunno who ya are, Sakusa, but I doubt a single human can take out an entire squad by himself. But I can. Make a deal with me.”
“And give you my soul as payment? Do you think I’m stupid?”
“For the last time, I’m not gonna eat ya or steal yer soul!” He huffs. “Besides, I bet you taste sour and bitter.” He sticks his tongue out.
Sakusa rolls his eyes. He didn’t know kitsune could be so childish. “Can you even fight?”
“I know my fluffy tails and innocent smile may confuse ya, but I am actually quite old. I don’t just know how to fight. I know how to win.”
“Something isn’t right,” a soldier calls out. “It’s too quiet in there. We can’t wait anymore. Send in a squad.”
“Fine,” Sakusa hisses through his teeth, “fine. How do we do this?”
“Alright!” There’s a gust of wind, the smell of smoke, and Sakusa turns to find a young man standing in the kitsune’s place. The same gold hair, the same glowing eyes, and the same shit-eating smirk. “Just repeat after me: I, Sakusa Kiyoomi, do swear to share my life with you.”
Sakusa scowls behind his mask. “I… Sakusa Kiyoomi… do swear to share,” he pushes the words out, “my life with you.”
“For better or worse.”
“For better… or worse.”
Nothing happens. Or, at least nothing feels any different. Sakusa waits, and waits, until the kitsune bursts into hearty laughter. “I can’t believe ya actually said it! Yer so embarrassin’!”
“Fuck you.” Sakusa fumes. “You mean that was a joke?”
“Sorry, sorry.” He wipes a merry tear from his cheek and winks. Sakusa thinks his human form is more aggravating than the fox one. “The best way to seal the deal is with a kiss.”
“Not happening.”
“Worth a shot.”
“Stop fooling around!” There are more voices gathering outside the doors. “We are both about to die.”
“Okay.” He hums. “I think a pinky promise will do just fine.”
“What?”
“Pinky promises. Oldest magic in the world.”
“You’re actually insane, aren’t you?” Sakusa glares at his proffered hand. “Are you being serious this time?”
“Like a heart attack,” he swears. Sakusa shakes his head, but he raises his own hand. “Ah. You’ll hafta take the glove off, though. I need to actually touch ya for this to work.”
“I don’t touch anyone,” he says firmly. The kitsune sighs, leaning his forehead against the bars and gesturing to the barn doors. The sound of splintering wood quickly convinces Sakusa to pry the glove from his hand. Discomfort trickles down his back as he extends his pinky and laces it with the kitsune’s. It’s warmer than expected.
The kitsune closes his eyes. “Let’s start, then.”
All at once, white flames erupt down Sakusa’s hand, twisting down his arm and snaking over his shoulder. Sakusa pulls back, but the kitsune holds him still as he mutters a mantra. The heat edges towards the end of his pain threshold, but it’s not burning him. Instead, it’s seeping in, boiling the blood in his veins and igniting something deep that he’s never felt before.
The flames grow. Colors flicker into sight. First gold. Then red. Sakusa falls to his knees and watches as an image of a seven-tailed kitsune is burned into his skin in black ink, wrapped around his forearm. The paper seals burn into ash in an instant, and the iron bars crumble like charcoal.
Too much, he thinks desperately. It’s consuming me.
Then, just as Sakusa feels ready to faint, the flames subside. The kitsune now stands before him, his red and black robe billowing as his power returns to him. He gives an excited smile and faces the soldiers now surrounding them.
“Ya’ve got the legendary Miya Atsumu at yer side now, Kiyoomi.” Embers float away from Atsumu’s hands, sparks fly from his eyes, and six tails fan out as he sinks into an offensive stance. He sends a smirk over his shoulder. Sakusa glares back as the energy surging through his body embeds the tattoo into his skin. “Just try to stay outta my way, okay? This’ll be over quick.”
