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Under a blanket of stars, the air carried a cool, crisp breeze that rustled through the leaves of the dense forest. Whispers of ancient magic danced in the wind, twirling around the strands of Katsuki’s hair. It spun like lace through the branches and enveloped him in a cloak of invisible wisps.
Its ethereal, powerful aura alone was enough to make his fox ears twitch and his tail swish behind him.
At the heart of the forest, where the trees stood tall and proud, Katsuki found himself in the sacred sanctuary of an overgrown oak tree. Its branches, stretching towards the boundless sky, appeared to defy earthly limitations, as if aspiring to touch the very heavens. Adorned with vibrant green foliage that perpetually graces its boughs, the tree formed a natural canopy, casting a protective embrace over him.
Katsuki lets his gaze return to the Kitsune in front of him. Correction, him and his mother.
She was smiling, and the sight was like nothing he’d ever seen from her before. The corners of her lips were perched high enough to crinkle her eyes, but the deep crimson shade that circled her pupils didn’t burn with its usual sparks of mischief or pride.
Despite being an immortal creature, an ageless being, grief weighed on her spirit. Weighed on her skin that creased between her brows. Made her look older than her eternally youthful form should allow.
Despite the gentle air that swayed the grass beneath them, the world felt still. Dead.
It was unnatural.
Against the backdrop of night, a canvas painted in cold hues, they both stood out like specks of light in the darkness. With their ashen blonde hair, their fair skin, and bushy, white-furred fox features that told of their divine heritage, they were an otherworldly presence amidst the shadows.
She was returning to the shadows, to the domain where they all came to be. At the brink of dawn, a few days prior, she confessed her plans to leave the mortal plane, for the spirit realm that called for her. At the time, her solemn voice broke at some syllables as she spoke, as she held his father’s cold body against hers.
They need me , she had whispered. And it was as if Katsuki was under a curse of silence, because his lips never parted, his throat never mustered a single noise, if only just to ask, who?
How could he have, when his father was laying barely a meter away from him, horribly, horribly , mortal.
He couldn’t, not when he was still grappling with what her words meant. What the loss of the life in front of him spelled for his future. His future, as the next guardian of the threshold between the human and spirit realm.
“You better keep this place safe, brat.” His mother said, voice soft. Her ears were drooping, pointing downwards, and her tail differed with his with the way it was practically limp behind her. Katsuki could tell that she was trying to maintain her composure. She was still trying to act like the overbearing, annoying hag he knew her to be.
It was unnatural. Unnatural she had to try at all.
Katsuki doesn’t remember what he said in response at the time, if he said anything at all. That was unnatural, too. Being a Kitsune, he should have a resilient memory, yet he can’t recall what happened afterwards.
Now, however many moons later—Katsuki is not counting, he stands under the same tree that houses the gateway to the spirit realm. He senses something, someone prancing along the invisible boundary marking the threshold he has the duty to protect.
So, like any competent guardian would, Katsuki investigates. To not pose as an immediate threat to the intruder, he decides to shift into his fox form. In a deliberate puff of smoke, Katsuki’s humanoid figure disappears, and emerging from the smoke walks a little white fox with orange-tipped ears and tails.
Katsuki leaps into action, weaving his way through the enchanted forest. His nimble body slips between moss-covered rocks and under low-hanging branches, perfectly adapted to the forest he’s spent his entire life in.
Sniffing, Katsuki trots along the meandering path, making sure he’s going the right way before continuing. Whoever this is possesses some form of magic. Another yokai, Katsuki knows it.
As a Kitsune, he can smell the scent of magic due to the heightened sense his extra fox features provide. Any animal-based yokai can do the same.
This magic smells like… rocks? Katsuki can’t describe it. Maybe debris is a better word.
With agile steps, Katsuki traverses the forest floor, his delicate paws barely disturbing the carpet of fallen leaves. Sunlight filters through the gaps in the foliage, lighting his path while still offering shade from the heat.
The subtle fragrance of damp earth mingles with the sweet scent of wildflowers that dot the forest floor, infusing the surroundings with a delicate perfume. Despite that, Katsuki’s nose can still track the scent of that intruder yokai, wafting towards him and intensifying as he presumably gets closer.
His pointed ears twitch, catching every rustle and whisper that drifts through the trees, listening to the sound of his own steps to differentiate that to another creature’s.
Then, he hears faintly, a man’s voice.
Katsuki momentarily freezes, honing in on the sound. Could that be the yokai? He takes a silent step forward, his fox form moving with calculated grace through the underbrush.
The aroma, a mixture of earthy debris and an enigmatic essence, grows stronger with each passing moment. Katsuki can feel his heartbeat quicken automatically, following the voice and locating the source.
Quietly, he leaps over fallen logs and navigates around rocks blanketed in greenery. A familiar river slots into view. Behind a barrier of bushes, the crystalline waters shimmering under the sun.
The voice is much louder now. He’s here, Katsuki recognizes, hastening his pace. He crouches and shoves himself through the bushes. He hopes to use the leaves as a disguise almost, even though his white fur is hard to miss.
Katsuki’s head pops out to the other side, and that’s when he sees him, fishing by the riverbank—an Oni . The red horns that protrude out of his forehead is evidence enough, but there’s more. His hair is a similar shade, wild and styled strangely. Katsuki would cringe if he could. His muscular build also suggests that Katsuki is right, he can see clearly from the lack of a shirt.
He sits cross-legged on the dirt in mere pants, his waist wrapped in a sash, and his feet clad in sandals. Not far from the Oni rests a vibrant Happi coat, dyed a deep crimson hue, and decorated with the kanji character "友."
Katsuki is well aware of Oni. Oni bring bad luck, and cause mischief wherever they go and as they please. They’re known to be ferocious and smart, and even vengeful. Moreover, that old fox hag told him that Oni don’t often flee the spirit realm, so if this one has, he must not have good intentions. He’s not some otherworldly tourist.
She’s warned him about the rumors that say Oni collect souls and haunt those who encounter them. And he’s this close to the sacred tree? Katsuki won’t allow it. Not for himself or potential travelers.
Katsuki, eager to know more about this threat, adjusts his pose to draw closer. Yet in a moment of pure stupidity, he forgets he’s in the bushes, and the movement makes a distinct rustling sound. The leaves and branches brush against each other, producing a soft, whispering noise.
The sound reverberates through the stillness of the forest, catching the Oni's attention. Seemingly alert, the Oni whips around, eyes narrowed and teeth baring. Katsuki pretends he doesn’t tense at the sight of how sharp they are.
The Oni’s gaze lingers above Katsuki, as if assuming the source of the noise was something bigger. His piercing red eyes scan the area, searching for any signs of more movements before finally, his attention zeroes in on the spot where Katsuki is huddled in the bushes, and his eyes widen in surprise.
His whole demeanor shifts and a weirdly welcoming smile spreads across his face. “Hey there, are you stuck?” The Oni asks, his voice gentle with a subtle rumble.
Katsuki, in the face of such an unpredictable response, ultimately, and embarrassingly, freezes, wondering internally if this is a trap. Soft would not be the word to describe this Oni, if anyone were to go off simply by looks. This Oni is nothing but sharp, in every sense of the word. From his teeth to his keen sense, this Oni isn’t to be underestimated in strength or wits.
And yet, his expression, his smile, tells a completely different story. He doesn’t reek of danger, there is no blood disguised in the red of his clothes or the strands of his hair. Katsuki feels no urgent need to be alert, and somehow, that’s even more concerning than if he did.
When the Oni reaches out to him, Katsuki swats him away, claws unsheathed and muzzle curled in a snarl.
“Ah! Easy, I'm not gonna hurt you!” The Oni claims, hands raised in surrender. His bearing is one of shock, with a hint of sheepishness. “Sorry, must’ve startled you, huh?”
Katsuki lets out a wary growl, burrowing further into the bush, only to find himself more entangled within the thicket, the branches caging him in. Katsuki’s ears flatten against his head in embarrassment, his whiskers twitching in annoyance.
With a final determined effort, he manages to free himself from the foliage, emerging with slightly ruffled fur and a decidedly unamused expression. Katsuki’s eyes narrow at the Oni, who looks to be surprised.
“Oh, you had it all covered! Sorry to underestimate you, then.” The Oni remarks, adorning an amused grin at the end of his statement.
Damn right. Katsuki can escape any sort of trouble with no assistance. But this situation feels different—unpredictable, even. He couldn't shake the feeling that there’s more to this encounter than meets the eye. That disarming smile is hiding something, Katsuki knows it.
Before the Oni can get out another word, Katsuki scurries away, devising a plan in his mind. He swiftly weaves through the forest and follows the path from whence he came. When he reaches the shrine, he’ll perform a ritual, a spell that’ll ban the Oni from stepping onto the sacred grounds he was bound to preserve.
Katsuki doesn’t catch the Oni’s face when he leaves, but from his voice, trying to call him back, Katsuki knows he made the right decision.
He will banish this Oni by sunset.