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A few years ago, Yuuta met the cutest child he had ever seen. He had seen the child picking flowers near his shrine. He watched the child for a few hours, until the child started crying. Overwhelmed with the desire to help the child, he shifted into his fox form and tugged at the child’s sleeve.
Of course, the child was frightened. In order to calm him down, Yuuta had picked some more flowers from the shrine and gave them to the child. Hesitantly, they reached down and took it from him, all the while petting Yuuta.
Once again, Yuuta tugged on the child's sleeve and gently coaxed the child into following him. Yuuta had seen this child before. Well, not really. But! Yuuta thinks he had seen the child's father before.
So, Yuuta led the child through the forest and helped them make their way to the village. That is when he heard the child squeal, and tug their sleeve away from Yuta's mouth.
"Toge!" a woman cried.
Quickly, Yuuta ran back to the forest, far enough that the woman couldn't see him yet close enough to hear what the woman was saying.
"Toge where did you go? Come along then, silly boy. Your parents must be worried sick." She said,
She picked up the child who held out the flowers he picked out to her. She cooed at him and took him farther into the village. Yuuta quickly ran back to his shrine, where Rika, a friendly traveling spirit, was waiting for him.
“Yuuta? Wow! You actually left the shrine! What happened?” Rika asked.
Yuuta simply replied, “I met a cute kid.”
From then on, Toge visited the shrine day after day. And, day after day, Yuuta would play with him as a fox. This was the daily routine for perhaps 10 years. Through those ten years, Yuuta began seeing Toge less and less. Yuuta watched this boy grow and comforted him at times.
Sometimes, Toge would vent to Yuuta, thinking that Yuuta wouldn’t understand. But Yuuta did. Yuuta understood very well. He learned of Toge’s familial situation. He learned that his parents weren’t the best people. He learned that Toge often had to sneak out to get away from their abuse. Just thinking about it made Yuuta want to tear their throats out.
One day, Yuuta saw two hooded figures. One of them was carrying something in their arms. Yuuta stalked closer in order to hear their hushed whispers.
“Over here! No one will check!” Said one.
“Thank god we’re finally rid of him.” said the other.
The one with their arms occupied dropped what they were carrying. Yuuta’s eyes widened when he saw Toge, limp and lifeless. He kept staring at the limp body of his friend as the two figures began shovelling up dirt and making a pit.
Then, Yuuta saw red as everything clicked into place. They had killed him. They had killed Toge. Poor precious Toge. He never did anything wrong and yet those two killed him.
Well, Yuuta got his revenge for Toge’s sake at the very least.
The next day, the village found the bodies of Toge’s parents, deep into the forest bordering the village. The body of their child is yet to be discovered.
-x-
Many years had passed since then, Yuuta had never forgotten Toge. Not once had a year gone by that he hadn't thought of the boy.
Today, he was going to visit his friends, Maki and Panda. Maki is a mountain spirit living deep in the mountains while Panda...well...Yuuta didn’t really know what kind of creature Panda was. Yuuta stood in front of the entrance to Maki’s cave. He was about to enter when.
Splash!
Yuuta was suddenly drenched in cold water. He whipped his head around, trying to find the perpetrator. He then heard soft giggling and airy wheezes coming from behind a group of rocks. Upon closer inspection, Yuuta discovered a platinum haired cat spirit, giggling away.
“So you set all this up?” Yuuta attempted to reach a hand out to help the cat spirit get up from their hiding place. They responded with a shriek and they ran inside Maki’s cave. Yuuta brushed himself off and went to go meet with Maki.
Imagine Yuuta’s surprise when he sees the spirit, on top of Panda as he carries them.
“Hey, Yuuta. Toge tells me he tricked you in front of my door?” Maki said.
Stunned, it takes a few moments for Yuuta to recuperate. “Ah? Toge? Is that...Um! Yeah. He poured cold water all over me.”
Maki narrowed her eyes, studying Yuuta’s soaking wet yukata before saying, “I can see that. Toge also said you looked familiar. Have you met him before?”
At that question, Yuuta took the time to study the Cat boy’s features. He truly did look like the spitting image of his deceased human friend all those years ago. The only difference being the markings around the spirit’s mouth and well, the ears and two tails.
“Many years ago I met a human named Toge. He looked exactly like er...um...he looked exactly like...Toge.” Yuuta said.
Maki solemnly nodded and gestured for Panda and Toge to come over.
“Toge, meet Yuuta. He says he met you back when you were human. Remember anything about that?” Maki said.
“Kombu. Okaka...Tuna? Tuna mayo?” Toge said.
Yuuta was confused. Those weren’t real words with meanings. Just simple rice ball ingredients. Yuuta didn’t understand, that is until the meaning flooded through his mind.
“Hello! No, I don’t really remember him. Unless, were you a fox? You can turn into a fox, right?”
Yuuta’s surprise and shock must’ve shown through his facial expressions because almost immediately, his three companions began laughing. “Toge was cursed to only speak in onigiri ingredients. Thankfully, the meaning just flows through your mind.” Panda explained.
‘Creepy…’ Yuuta thought.
“Mentaiko!”
“How rude! You didn’t even answer my question! Yuuta is so rude!”
That’s when Yuuta realized that he had called Toge creepy, out loud. The next few moments were spent with Yuuta frantically apologizing and Toge cackling and waving around his two tails.
“Ah...right your question. Um...yeah. When I met up with that human, I was always in my fox form.” Yuuta said.
Toge curiously gazed at him and demanded he shift into a fox. When Yuuta compiled, Toge squealed happily and immediately latched onto Yuuta’s arm the moment he transformed back.
“Looks like he remembers you,” Maki teased.
-x-
Once Yuuta began his journey home, the two tailed cat boy insisted on following him. Yuuta, having long since developed a soft spot for Toge, agreed. The journey back to Yuuta’s shrine ended up taking much longer than it did to travel to the mountain.The reason being that Toge kept getting distracted and wished to cause trouble for every other traveler they encountered.
Yet, despite Yuuta’s troubles in reining him in, Yuuta’s heart merely grew even fonder of Toge. When Toge was a human, Yuuta observed the boy’s mischievous side and doted on him. Now, seeing it fully fledged out, Yuuta can’t help but coo whenever he hears the sound of his beloved’s mischievous giggling.
Toge was petty, mischievous, a troublemaker and he loved to tease Yuuta. Despite all that, Yuuta can’t help but see him as the adorable, slightly clingy and kind person he truly is.
-x-
A few months have passed since then. Toge took to constantly staying right beside Yuuta at all times. He’d also practically moved into Yuuta’s shrine. Yuuta had never noticed how lonely it was until Toge came back into his life.
Yuuta had shown Toge the graves of his old parents, (Toge promptly spat on the soil) and in return, Toge had given him company. Although sometimes Toge's actions were destructive, Yuuta pampered and spoiled him. Finally having the ability to properly treasure Toge, Yuuta vowed to keep him safe.
Toge was happy, and so was Yuuta. So long as his beloved Toge was by his side, there’s nothing else Yuuta would ever truly want.