The sound of knocking on the door immediately woke Akane up, but it took her some time to come to her senses. The room was pitch dark so she struggled to find the switch and turn the lamp on. She then checked the time, and got confused realizing it was that late at night. She even wondered if the sound was only her imagination, but as soon as the thought has crossed her mind, she felt the presence of a kitsune.
'Kenta...' she thought and jumped out of the bed in an instant. She put on her bathrobe quickly and opened the door only to see Kenta standing there in distress. "Kenta..." she spoke with a look of concern and shock mixed up on her face "What... what happened?"
She moved to the side to let him pass "Come in, come in!"
'Kenta...' she thought and jumped out of the bed in an instant. She put on her bathrobe quickly and opened the door only to see Kenta standing there in distress. "Kenta..." she spoke with a look of concern and shock mixed up on her face "What... what happened?"
She moved to the side to let him pass "Come in, come in!"
He was just turning to head back, defeated when she opened the door. Instantly she invited him in. He gave a quick nod before entering. Once inside, he took a deep breath, trying to calm down enough to talk. "I'm... sorry to bother you so late... I didn't know who else I could talk to..." His gaze was focused down, and he bit down on the tip of his thumb, trying to focus on his words. "Onee-chan I... Think I did something wrong. I don't know what but... Everything is so confusing... It hurts so much, so I had to have, right?" He closed his eyes and let out another heavy breath. Kenta sounded defeated, tired and lost. A completely different person from the one she had met before.
She was seriously worried seeing him in such state, but she tried to keep composed not to make things worse for him. "Don't worry about it. I told you that you can always talk to me, anytime you need it..." she answered to his apology and took a glass to pour him some water.
She listened to him carefully and tried to understand what he was talking about, but it was just too confusing. "Something... wrong?" she repeated as she offered him the glass of water. "I... don't really get what you're trying to say... Well anyways, take a seat first and try to calm down and then you'll explain everything slowly, okay?" she sat on the bed and patted the spot on it right next to her, implying he should follow and sit there. "Make yourself at home." she added gently.
She listened to him carefully and tried to understand what he was talking about, but it was just too confusing. "Something... wrong?" she repeated as she offered him the glass of water. "I... don't really get what you're trying to say... Well anyways, take a seat first and try to calm down and then you'll explain everything slowly, okay?" she sat on the bed and patted the spot on it right next to her, implying he should follow and sit there. "Make yourself at home." she added gently.
"Thank you." He said with a weak and short lived smile before sitting with her. He took a sip of the water, took a deep breath, and thought about where to start. "I... My friend she... Or I guess not anymore... She... Its really confusing." He stopped, took another sip, and started over. "She invited me into her house a couple days ago. After showing me a couple rooms, she told me to leave for... some reason. I don't know what I did. I just followed her, i didn't even say much... She insisted I leave suddenly and I don't... Then I didn't see her again until... I guess it'd be yesterday now... We... We talked for a minute... I didn't mention what happened. I just... thought things would go back to normal... but after some small talk about nothing she...." He took in a deep breath, rolling his head back and letting out a sigh into the air. "She got up to leave and... said we shouldn't be friends anymore because I might leave one day. That I might not always be there..."
Akane focused on the story, but she still couldn't understand a thing. When he stopped talking, she stayed silent for a while summing it up for herself.
'So the girl, moreover his friend, invited him only to tell him to go back without any explanation... And then she asked him to stay away... It doesn't make any sense, except maybe...' the idea of her doing it for his sake crossed her mind.
"How long have you known her? And is there something she knows about you that I don't?" she tried to gather some more information "You must tell me everything. I will never leave your side, whatever it takes." she added trying to assure him that the same thing won't happen with her too.
'So the girl, moreover his friend, invited him only to tell him to go back without any explanation... And then she asked him to stay away... It doesn't make any sense, except maybe...' the idea of her doing it for his sake crossed her mind.
"How long have you known her? And is there something she knows about you that I don't?" she tried to gather some more information "You must tell me everything. I will never leave your side, whatever it takes." she added trying to assure him that the same thing won't happen with her too.
"..." Kenta was silent for a while, his eyes closed. Can I... Tell her... Eventually, he took a deep breath. "Do you... know the story 'the seven angels'?"
He seemed a little disappointed, but not to surprised. He took a deep breath. "Theres a lot of versions of the story, but heres the short version. Once, there was a monstrous creature that would slay endless amounts of people. Some said..." He shook his head and held his hand over his green eye. "No, I know, he was a Kitsune. A silver haired demon. He went around with a sword, killing people. So many people... No story could agree on his reason, and... I don't really know either. Eventually the emperor at the time sent 100 of his strongest samurai warriors and 7 priestesses to try and seal him away... Noone came back, this kitsune included..." He took a deep breath again, as if this last part was harder to tell. "One year after the attacks stopped, the emperor had..." He looked at her for a moment, then looked down again. "He had MY shrine built where he was sealed..." He smirked, as if he didn't expect her to believe it, and as if he truly couldn't either. "And five hundred or so years later... A silver haired kitsune boy with five tails and no memories was found in the temple... By a fairy boy on spring break..."
The look on her face grew more and more serious as he spoke. She was barely able to hide the shock. 'So... it could have been real, after all'
She remembered it all well. She read the story in the book about Shinto. There were some true stories about youkai, but also many of the fictional ones. Or that's what she thought... Hearing this one might have been historical as well gave her shivers.
She stopped thinking about the story, and focused only on what he told her.
"Wait... So you say nobody really can agree if the demon was kitsune or not... And, if I understand it well, you don't have any memories of your past, right? And yet you seem to be so sure that you have something to do with the demon. How come?"
She didn't want to rush to conclusions, although it was all getting clearer. The mysterious shrine, the messengers and now the story written by humans which she thought of only as a myth. It all seemed to fit the picture, but she needed more information.
She remembered it all well. She read the story in the book about Shinto. There were some true stories about youkai, but also many of the fictional ones. Or that's what she thought... Hearing this one might have been historical as well gave her shivers.
She stopped thinking about the story, and focused only on what he told her.
"Wait... So you say nobody really can agree if the demon was kitsune or not... And, if I understand it well, you don't have any memories of your past, right? And yet you seem to be so sure that you have something to do with the demon. How come?"
She didn't want to rush to conclusions, although it was all getting clearer. The mysterious shrine, the messengers and now the story written by humans which she thought of only as a myth. It all seemed to fit the picture, but she needed more information.