Chapter Text
Miko was quite a difficult child. Always running away, not listening to Saiguu very much (nor anyone else really), making a fuss and playing around instead of attending training like the other shrine maidens. Even now, as a teenager, she was still as difficult (if not more). She wasn't the most serious student either, far from that. She was incredibly smart but she made good use of that brain of hers to run away from work and Lady Saiguu, to Saiguu's exasperation. She always wondered what happened to Miko for her to become an orphan but she always believed it was fate that brought her to find Miko and take her under her wing (or tails). Despite her character, she was quite the gifted child, which let her use it to her own advantage to escape training.
One of her favourite places to go and laze around was the Chinju Forest. Especially at night time. With the moon hanging high in the sky, its reflection in the water, the silence of the forest, Miko felt at peace. There was something comforting about it. Maybe it was the sound of water, or the wind breathing through the leaves, or the smell of nature and earth that she liked so much. She never really understood why she always felt so drawn to this place. She guessed it was because of the reasons above.
But tonight she felt drawn to go further into the forest, closer to the pond. It had rained during the day, and water was dripping from the leaves onto the pond, making little drippling noises that sounded satisfying to her sensible ears. The air was a bit cold, but she liked it this way. That night she heard a noise : footsteps in the forest. Her ears dressed up on her head, she stood still on her tree branch. Who could be there at this hour ? She's never met anyone during the months she came here. Did Lady Saiguu find me ?
She expected to see a pissed off kitsune grab her by the tail and drag her down her tree branch, but instead it was another figure that she recognized. Deep purple hair and purple glowing eyes, two distinctive features of the Electro Archon. What is Makoto-sama doing here ? She asked herself. But as the silouhette came closer and closer, she noticed her clothes. It was not anything like Makoto-sama would wear. She was also wielding a Naginata and there was a single mole, right under her right eye. This can't be Makoto-sama. She squinted her eyes, trying to confirm her theory. She's met Makoto-sama a few times since Lady Saiguu was her familiar (and she was kept under close watch by the older kitsune) and this was definitely not her. Then who is she ? An imposter ?
She stayed silent. She wasn't supposed to be there. Not that she was forbidden to go here, more like she was expected somewhere else. Her ears flopped down, hugging the side of her head, as she stood still. She was curious to know what that stranger was doing here. They could be a menace, or part of a plot as far as she could tell. She knew nothing of this stranger. It was disturbing enough that she looked almost identical to the Archon. After a few more seconds of silence, only disturbed by the heavy footsteps of the god impersonator, she noticed red stains behind her as well as a cut in her clothes. She's bleeding. That realization broke Miko's concentration and her foot slipped. She let out a yelp as she felt herself fall down from the branch directly into the pond.
She felt her body hit the cold water in a loud splash and she quickly sank. She tried to swim to the surface but she's never learned to swim. She didn't like water, she didn't need to know how to swim, she simply needed to avoid it. In her chaotic attempts to get out of the water, she had used all of her breath and she started to suffocate. Right as she expired the last bits of oxygen left in her lungs, she felt something –or rather someone - wrap around her waist and quickly pull her out of the water. As soon as her head was out of the water, she gasped for air, coughing. She was then carried to land and put down with more gentleness than she expected.
"Are you hurt ?" The stranger spoke.
Her voice is gentle, she thought. She shook her head as she coughed a few times. She felt like she had water in her lungs, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination. She was quite thankful that in her fright she didn't turn into a small fox, that would've been humiliating –plus, wet fur is the worst feeling.
"I'm... fine..." She answered between two coughs and a shiver. That water was freezing cold.
The god lookalike stared at her, up and down, with a worried expression. "Stay here, I'll be right back."
Before Miko could say anything, she walked away. How embarrassing . She felt her cheeks flush and her body heat up just thinking about what happened. But she didn't have time to sulk or run away in shame when the mysterious woman returned with a few dry branches. She disposed of them close to Miko and with her fingertip, summoned an electro particle that set the wood ablaze. Miko frowned. How can she create Electro particles ? She looked for a vision, but she couldn't find anything. Just who is she ?
The stranger scooped the wet kitsune in her arms and set her down, just as gently, next to the fire.
"It'll warm you up, you seem cold." She spoke again.
Miko was a bit taken aback. She didn't expect her to be so thoughtful. She stared at her dumbfounded for a few seconds. "Thank you." She whispered, feeling weirdly shy.
The woman responded with a very subtle smile, almost imperceptible, as she sat down across the fire. Miko observed her silently. Her face twisted in a grimace as she undid the top part of her kimono, revealing the clothes she wore under it and a heavily bleeding wound on her left biceps. The sleeve was cut open, and blood was dripping from her left arm to the ground. With a swift but firm gesture, she tore the fabric apart and exposed her entire wounded arm.
"You're hurt !" Miko gasped.
The woman slowly moved her eyes up to meet Miko's. She smiled and she folded the fabric she just tore and applied it on the wound to stop the bleeding.
"It doesn't hurt anymore." She simply stated, like she was commenting on the most common thing in the world and she wasn't badly wounded.
Miko's ear twitched in response. "Just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean you're not hurt. Let me help."
"I don't need your help, just keep yourself warm." She replied almost dryly.
Miko felt offended. "I'm not cold anymo-" She was interrupted by her own sneeze. The woman stared at her in silence, the corner of her mouth curved upward in a smile. Great, just great. She felt her body heat up again. In embarrassment, she stood up and walked to the other woman, her eyebrows angrily frowned.
"Don't be so bull-headed." She spat, out of embarrassment and frustration. The woman's eyes widened at the sudden insult but she let out a huff of air through her nose.
She didn't let the other respond, she sat down next to her and put her hand right above the wound. She closed her eyes, her eyebrows still frowned, as she focused. A lilac coloured light emanated from her jointed hands as she felt a very comforting warmth spread through her hands. She opened her eyes and smiled, happy that she remembered the healing lessons from Lady Saiguu. She looked up at the woman who stared at her with a pair of big glowing orbs, her mouth slightly open in surprise.
"You're Saiguu's pupil." She spoke, softly.
Miko's ears twitched again. She didn't like being referred as Saiguu's anything. It felt like she was stripped from her own identity. But most importantly, this woman knew about Lady Saiguu and their bond. "How did you know ?" She asked, arching an inquiring eyebrow.
The woman opened her mouth, but closed it before any sound could come out. Miko felt frustrated that her questions were unanswered but she decided not to press further. She had to focus on the healing spell anyway. After long minutes of silence, Miko broke the spell. "You should feel better."
The woman nodded and pulled the fabric away. The wound was almost closed and it was no longer bleeding. Miko grabbed the bandages that were left right beside her and started wrapping it around the stranger's arm. The latter didn't say anything, only stared at her with so much intensity it was almost uncomfortable. But for some reason, she didn't want to run away. It made her heart beat fast, but not in an uncomfortable way. When she was done, the woman moved her arm away and started flexing it.
"It feels way better. Thank you... Yae Miko." She smiled at the Kitsune.
She felt her cheeks flush again. She was thankful for the night and the fire to help her hide the shade of red on her face. She always found Makoto quite pretty, but this woman had something else that made her heart do all sorts of shenanigans. She was breathtakingly beautiful. But now, she was even more curious as to who this person was to know, not only her bond to Lady Saiguu, but also her name.
"If you're not her Excellency, then who are you ?" Miko asked.
Her eyes widen again, seemingly in surprise. "So you know I'm not Makoto ? How ? " She asked.
"You don't exactly look like her, she doesn't have any activity that might end up with such a wound, and... you just seem like a different person." Miko answered.
The woman smirked and sighed. She looked amused, or maybe relieved ? " Ah ... It's been a long time since anyone has been able to tell me apart from my sister, or even acknowledge my existence." She leaned back, resting on her arms, and stared at Miko. "My name is Ei."
Miko stared with a visible frown on her face. Lady Saiguu never told her Makoto-sama had a sister. "So, you're also a God ?" She asked.
Ei looked up to the sky, pensive. "You could say that." Her face was unreadable and her answer only left more confusion on Miko's mind. She then lowered her face again to look at Miko. "And what is a young kitsune in training doing in the Chinju Forest at this hour ?"
Ah . She couldn't possibly say she ran away from Lady Saiguu, right ? "I just like coming here, it's serene." Miko dodged the subject. She wasn't technically lying. She genuinely liked going there.
Ei hummed in response and closed her eyes. "Yes, I think so too." She opened her eyes again, a smirk drawn on her lips, and stared at Miko. "I met Saiguu on the way, I believe she's told me about a certain shrine maiden of hers that has missed training the entire evening."
Miko felt a wild shiver run through her entire body. Ei was smirking, staring at her so intensely she could combust on the spot. Miko's face turned bright red, and she was certain the other woman saw it when her eyebrow twitched.
"Hm, probably Hibiki" Miko lied. "But how about you ? What brought you here ?" She quickly changed the subject, hoping Ei wouldn't insist.
She looked up at the sky again, her smile fading. "I come here to tend to my own wounds." Right there, her face was unreadable again.
"Why don't you go to the Narukami Shrine ?" Miko tilted her head on the side, curious. Shrine maidens are trained for healing.
"I do not wish to worry Makoto. If she saw me like that she wouldn't have the heart to send me back into the battles we need to fight."
Miko was speechless. She didn't expect her to be so honest. Makoto was known for her kind heart, it wasn't difficult to see. And even if it was, Lady Saiguu had been very vocal about her God's kindness. Miko had always thought the two were oddly close. She suspected they had some underlying affection for one another. She knew better than to pry though, Lady Saiguu liked her but she was still an old hag that would beat her up. It wouldn't be the first time she takes a beating from Lady Saiguu.
Now that Ei had spoken, Miko remembered that legend about a Shadow Warrior, the Kagemusha. She always thought it was people's imagination but turns out it was true all along.
"So, you're the infamous Kagemusha... " Miko whispered. "I thought you were a legend."
"Makoto and I like to keep it that way. I'm just her shadow after all. No one needs to know about me." She smiled. But it was tainted by something else . Something Miko couldn't quite point out yet.
"What do you mean no one ? Don't you have friends ?" Miko asked, bluntly.
Ei looked at her again then laughed. Miko felt confused, she didn't say anything funny, did she ? I like her laugh .
"I do, actually, have some friends." Ei said with a chuckle. "Saiguu is one of them. Only my friends know Makoto and I are different people."
"So that makes me your friend as well." Miko affirmed, not giving Ei any choice in that decision.
Ei raised her eyebrows and chuckled. "I suppose you are, Yae Miko."
Miko sneezed again.
"Still cold ?" Ei asked, looking worried.
There was no use denying things at this point. "Yes, a bit." She admitted.
Ei hummed with her eyebrows furrowed. She looked around for a bit before looking at Miko again. "You have a fox form, don't you ?"
Miko arched an eyebrow. "Why do you ask ?"
"You'll warm up quicker in your fox form. And I'll hang your clothes so it dries. Otherwise you'll catch a cold." Ei replied.
Miko felt her cheek burn red. Well, technically, Ei wasn't wrong. But that was a bit... embarrassing ? Miko felt shy. As if Ei could sense her feeling, she smiled. "I won't look, if it makes you feel embarrassed."
Miko huffed. "I'm not embarrassed." She lied.
Ei chuckled, amused, but she closed her eyes anyway pretending to rest. Miko quickly turned into a fox and made a little squeaky noise to tell Ei she was done. Ei picked up the clothes and hung them on a branch near the fire so it could dry quickly. She then sat down and looked at Miko.
She was absolutely tiny. Like a little ball of pink fur. Ei smiled at her, visibly endeared, and tapped on her thighs. "The ground is still damp, you can rest on me if you don't want to get mud on your fur." She spoke softly.
Miko felt even more bashful but she still hopped on Ei's thighs. She didn't like feeling mud on her paws either. Thankfully, Ei couldn't tell she was blushing because she was now a small pink fox. As soon as she settled herself comfortably into a little ball, Ei started stroking her fur. Miko purred in response, and slowly her shyness went away. Ei was warm. It was comfortable. They rested for a few hours, enjoying the crackling sound of the fire, its warmth and the peaceful night.
______
"Miko you little brat-"
Miko hurried herself out the window, and right before she heard her room's door open, she was able to close her window and run away. In the distance, she could hear Saiguu's voice looking for her. She chuckled, amused by the situation, and ran towards the Chinju Forest.
Today, Ei was returning from battle. It's been... what ? 3 months since she last saw her ? She was excited to see her again. They've been seeing each other regularly for the past few years, always meeting in the Chinju Forest. She even prepared some sweet treats for her return –she stole them, but Ei doesn't need to know that.
She arrived a bit earlier than they planned. She wanted everything to be perfect. She put down a blanket on the ground, the same spot as the one of their first encounter. This had become their spot ever since that day. Because of the Kagemusha duties, they didn't meet as often as she'd like to, but at least they met. And it was always this place near the pond, with the moon hanging right above them. She laid everything evenly and prettily.
Then she waited. The moon was high in the sky, which was the time they were supposed to meet. But Ei was still nowhere to be found. She waited one hour more. Still nothing. She was considering returning back to the shrine, but she couldn't believe Ei would simply not come. Not without a notice. So she waited another hour. After two hours of waiting, she started to believe Ei simply forgot. Which made her feel incredibly disappointed and frustrated. She'd been looking forward to this for the past two weeks since she received Ei's letter. Was it not the same for her ?
Miko started packing back everything, frustrated and angry, when she heard noises in the forest. She froze.
Foot steps.
She focused on the footsteps, trying to see who was coming her way. After a few seconds, she recognized Ei's steps. But it sounded like she was dragging herself. Quickly Miko ran toward the sounds to find Ei, barely standing and bleeding. She gasped, horrified. "Ei !"
The Kagemusha, badly wounded, smiled in response. "Miko." Her voice was weak. "Sorry... Late..." She managed to say. Miko rushed to her side, putting her arm around her shoulder to help her walk. Ei winced in pain and right after, Miko felt her entire body relax : she just lost consciousness.
"Ei !" Miko yelled.
No no no, this isn't good !
Ei was not responding at all. Thankfully, she wasn't too heavy. So Miko managed to drag both of them over next to the pond. She laid her down on the blanket and checked her vitals. She's still breathing, good. Miko opened up her kimono. She had lots of bandages around her body, and they were all drenched in blood. She must've opened her wounds again. Miko put her hands above Ei and started focusing. She got better at healing ever since they first met –she was no longer a teenager- but still. From the bleeding, she could tell they were fresh wounds. If she didn't come in time, she could've bled to death.
"What the hell have you done to yourself Ei..." Miko mumbled angrily.
It wasn't the first time she had seen Ei in such a state. She was so stubborn in her decision not to go to the Shrine that she'd sometimes wait for Miko right here to come and heal her. It has become a habit of hers, one that Miko found endearing when the wounds were superficial. But this time it seemed worse. She's never fainted before. It made her feel sick to her stomach.
After thirty long minutes, Ei finally moved. A little. She let out a low groan as her face twisted in pain.
"Don't move." Miko asserted. And Ei stopped moving instantly.
It took her around another half hour until she was finally done healing Ei. She had used up almost all of her energy. She let out a loud sigh and fell on the side, laying next to Ei, her forehead slightly sweating from the intense effort. She was breathing heavily. Ei remained silent, although she shifted so she could face Miko. The latter was glaring at her, angrily. It took her a few minutes to catch her breath. And as soon as she did, she flicked Ei's head.
"Are you crazy ? Why would you drag yourself out there instead of going to the shrine to heal !" Miko scolded.
"We got delayed, and I was already late. I didn't want to make you wait too long." Ei justified, with a soft voice.
"How is that an excuse ?! Ei you could've died !" Miko sat up, crossing her arms.
Ei did the same, she tried to sit up but winced in pain. "Miko, I'm-"
"I told you not to move." Miko growled, and Ei simply obeyed. She slowly lied back down and sighed.
"I wanted to see you. I didn't think the wounds would open up again." Ei slowly moved her hand and rested it on top of Miko's thigh. "I'm sorry Miko."
Miko wanted to jerk her hand off of her, she wanted to yell at her some more, she was being so reckless it was infuriating. But Ei was looking at her with her glowing puppy eyes and she couldn't say anything. Damn her and her stupid pretty eyes. With her eyebrows frowning even more, she huffed and looked away.
"I'm still mad at you." Miko replied.
"What can I do for you not to be mad anymore ?" Ei asked after a few seconds of silence.
Miko stared at her for a minute. Now was the perfect opportunity. "Come to the shrine with me."
Ei's eyes widen. "Miko-"
"I managed to close the wounds but you still need to rest properly. Come to the shrine, and I'll take care of you for a few days." Miko continued. When Ei opened her mouth again to argue, Miko cut her off again. "This is non negotiable."
Ei closed her mouth and sighed in defeat. "Fine. But don't tell Makoto."
Miko nodded. "Let's go then."
The kitsune helped Ei stand up, packed everything up and the both of them left for the Shrine, slowly but surely. Ei was still in pain, but she tried her best not to show it. Her best still wasn't enough to fool the fox' senses. Ei's breathing was ragged, so was her walking, and she could clearly feel her weight on her shoulders.
It took them half an hour to reach the Shrine. At this hour, everything was silent so she was able to sneak Ei into her room.
"Just sit here. I'll go grab-"
She was interrupted by her door slamming open and the light flashing.
"MIKO THERE YOU-"
Ei and Miko suddenly turned back, panicked. They were faced with a look of confusion plastered all over Saiguu's face. And right behind her was Makoto, standing there, looking just as confused. All that confusion sooned turned into worry when they noticed Ei.
"Ei !" Both of them exclaimed.
The wounded one sighed. So much for trying to sneak in. Makoto rushed to her side and helped Miko put her on the bed.
"Makoto, I'm fine-"
"Don't you dare." Makoto scolded her.
All three of them held their tongues and breath. It was the first time Miko ever heard Makoto with such a tone. She's heard this in Ei's voice a lot before, but never Makoto. The Electro Archon turned to Miko, her eyebrow furrowed.
"What happened ?" She asked, with a serious tone.
Miko bit her lower lips. They had kept their meetings secret up until now, she didn't want to say too much about it. But she didn't want to lie either. Makoto seemed genuinely worried, and she more than anyone else could understand it right now. After all, she's the one who found Ei.
"I don't know, I found her like this in the Chunji Forest." Miko admitted.
"What were you doing-" Saiguu started.
"Now's not the time." Makoto cut her off. Saiguu nodded and kept her mouth shut. "Ei, tell me." She turned to her sister.
Ei sighed. She settled herself on the bed and winced again.
"We got ambushed on our way back. We made it back safely, but I got wounded. I patched up my wounds on the way but..." She glanced over at Miko. "I guess I wasn't careful enough, it opened up again."
Makoto crossed her arms. She seemed unconvinced. Ei looked at Miko again. The latter sighed and nodded. Clearly they weren't getting out of this situation without explaining things, entirely. Ei then drifted her gaze back to her sister.
"I was impatient to see Miko again, and while rushing over to the forest I tripped and fell. It opened up the wounds again." Ei admitted.
Miko caught a glimpse of the very faint shade of pink on Ei's cheeks. Even she didn't know the full story until now. She was mad at Ei for being so reckless. But she couldn't help but find it absolutely endearing. She felt her heart get all warm when she realized Ei wanted to see her. So bad she tripped over something. But Makoto didn’t feel this way. She turned to Miko.
“Will you leave us for a moment ?”
It was less of a question and more of an order. Either way, Miko nodded and quickly left the room, accompanied by Saiguu. Once the door was closed, the back of her head was loudly smacked by the older kitsune.
“Why didn’t you tell me where you were going instead of running away ?” She scolded.
Miko sighed. “We wanted to keep it secret.”
“Why ? You guys got something going on ?” Saiguu asked bluntly.
This made the younger one blush wildly. “Wha- No ! O-of course not !” She stuttered. “It’s just… Ei didn’t want Makoto to know !” Miko lied, partly.
“Kiddo you’re bright red.” Saiguu pointed her finger right at Miko’s face. Miko smacked her hand down, feeling embarrassed.
“Get your finger out of my face.” She argued. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Fine, I won’t pry…” Saiguu put her hand in the air. “How long has your “not-a-thing” thing been going on ?”
Miko frowned but decided not to argue anymore. The old kitsune was stubborn and she didn’t want to end up with more training or tasks than she already had.
“A few years.” Miko replied. She felt like a child caught doing something bad. “I heal her wounds whenever she needs to.” She continued, hoping it would clear up the misunderstanding.
“I’m glad to see you use your training for something more useful than avoiding your responsibilities.” Saiguu teased. “I suppose that the reason the cooks reported several dishes and deserts mysteriously vanishing was your doing ?”
“How did you figure it out ?” Miko asked.
“Well, first off, I didn’t really think anyone else but you could think about stealing these. And second, now that I know you were meeting Ei, it all made more sense. If she wasn’t a god she’d probably die from eating so much sugar.” Saiguu explained.
Miko hummed in response.
“I appreciate you taking care of Ei though.” Saiguu continued, her tone more serious this time. “She doesn’t let people in easily.”
Miko drifted her gaze towards her mentor, silently staring at her with curious eyes.
“Makoto and I have known for a while you two have been meeting up.” She continued. To that statement, Miko widened her eyes. She’s always made sure not to get caught. “Ei was never a very good liar.”
Miko facepalmed herself internally. Of course , she thought. For the few years she spent with Ei, she noticed it quite easily. Ei tended to be honest. Even to the point of bluntness.
Saiguu stared at Miko for a few seconds. “Miko… How do you feel about becoming Ei’s familiar ?”