(一) Chapter-One; Fire-Fox

As the nights grew colder, resources went scarce and then air-dried. Jukai's health slowly deteriorated with the flow of time. He could no longer get out of bed without aid and had lost so much weight that he resembled a man with cholera. This ultimately stressed the then sixteen-year-old Hinatsu, which weighed her every day.

As for Tetsuya, he seemed, for the most part, unfazed. That's not to say that he did not care about the former samurai. Instead, it had more to do with the fact that as a mortal, Jukai was bound to die at one point or another, a truth that Tetsuya learned to accept.

One fall afternoon, while Hinatsu was out searching for medicinal herbs. She heard what sounded like an animal crying in pain. Out of pure curiosity, she followed the sound to its root.

Upon reaching the source of the cry, Hinatsu's dark brown eyes dilated out of shock. Tetsuya was lying unconscious on the ground in a pool of his own blood with a bloody arrow sticking out of his back right leg. The female swiftly approached the fox spirit before kneeling in front of him. She then placed her hand on top of his neck. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt Tetsuya's heartbeat.

From a distance, Hinatsu heard the faint sounds of people conversing and horses galloping, causing her to shift her attention away from the youkai. She hesitated initially but decided to leave Tetsuya's side to investigate the sounds. She approached the noises; they grew increasingly apparent. Eventually, she spotted eight different figures in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed a band of six men and two horses. Two of them were carrying bows and arrows, another pair wielded swords, the team had spears, and they all wore lightweight armor. With this revelation, Hinatsu swiftly dashed in the direction where Tetsuya lay. However, she did not realize the band of hunters had taken notice of her and began chasing after the female.

As soon as Hinatsu spotted Tetsuya's unconscious form, she carefully approached him and was about to lay his head on her lap. But then she heard the unmistakable racket of horses galloping. Without thinking twice, Hinatsu lifted the youkai up and ran off toward a familiar cave.

The female quickly entered the cave and leaned her back against the hard stone wall, the fox spirit still in her arms.

A drop of sweat raced down Hinatsu's forehead as she heard the unmistakable sound of hunters communicating and horses galloping, implying that they had chased the eight tails of Tetsuya.

The female gazed upon the pile of human bones and skulls when an idea entered her mind. She would throw those in the direction of the hunters to scare them.

Hinatsu slowly reached out her hand to take one of the bones while maintaining her hold on the youkai. She then flung the body part towards the band of six, which caused the hunters to stop in their tracts. Then Hinatsu threw about a dozen more bones and skulls in their direction.

Then the band of six entered the cave, where Hinatsu and Tetsuya hid. However, instead of scaring them off as Hinatsu expected, it only aggravated them. Then, Hinatsu knew that she had lost this game of cat and mouse and thus awaited whatever was about to be brought upon her.

The grass and flowers outside the cave withered away and died as the hunters entered the area. However, upon briefly searching it, they found nothing but human remains, which certainly raised suspicion. Yet, they ultimately concluded this was a waste of time. Then the band headed back to their home village.

After an hour, Hinatsu opened her eyes and found a stone wall in front of herself and Tetsuya. The brightness of this now enclosed area was no different than before that wall appeared, which was indeed bizarre. The female reached her hand out to touch the wall, and it went right through it as if it were made out of air. She then gazed down at Tetsuya, whose eyes were barely open.

The wall disappeared as Hinatsu laid the fox spirit down on her lap. She stroked his fur gently with gloved hands as she slowly pulled the arrow out of his leg. The cacophony of Tetsuya's pain-filled cries echoed throughout the cave, piercing Hinatsu's ear drums.

Eventually, the crying died down, and Tetsuya relaxed once again. He then slowly opened his bright green eyes. Then he was met by seeing a female with pale skin, a long, dark silky ponytail with a pair of wooden hairpins sticking out, and a red yukata.

"Tetsuya!" Hinatsu exclaimed as he gazed around his surroundings; one of the first things he saw was an arrow with a blood-soaked head.

"Your wound... ... it's deep." Hinatsu panicked, only to earn herself a light chuckle from the fox spirit, which perplexed the female.

"It takes so much more than just a mere flesh wound to kill a kitsune," Tetsuya uttered as Hinatsu calmed herself down from all the chaos that led up to this moment. She gazed outside the cave and noticed the sun was beginning to set, indicating it was time to head home.

Then Hinatsu, along with, made the long trip home, despite the shame of returning empty-handed. Although, at least that's better than losing her best friend. However, as soon as she made her first step inside the house, all the gradually building stress of her mentor standing at death's door flooded her mind. However, she forced herself to pull through, bandage up Tetsuya's leg, and enter her and Jukai's bedroom.

There he laid, barely conscious and his breath slow. Hinatsu knelt in front of his bedside, taking his hand with her heart dropping when she felt the faint pulse of Jukai's heart. Tears filled her eyes as the warmth of his hand grew increasingly quiet.

"Hinatsu... ...I do not have much time left... ...so please listen well." Jukai managed to say, with regular pauses in his words. Hinatsu whipped her tears away as she focused all her attention on her dying mentor.

"When you devote your life to pursuing ideals... ...rather than seek the truth. You gradually destroy yourself... ...until finally losing sight of not only yourself... ...but reality as a whole." Jukai uttered as his words slowly replayed themselves inside Hinatsu's mind, even though she could not grasp their meaning or purpose.

Jukai slowly closed his eyes as his pulse grew weaker, and his senses abandoned him. Jukai took his final breath before his heart stopped. Then tears clouded Hinatsu's vision as she burst into sobs of grief. A part of her could hardly believe it was time to say goodbye to the man who had taught, raised, loved, and sheltered her for as long as she could remember.

Tetsuya watched as Hinatsu cried out loud in pain and sorrow. He slowly approached before putting his head on her lap, snuggling into her thighs. The dark-haired female's hands trailed to the fox's fur, then gently stroked him.

After what felt like a millennium, Hinatsu pushed Tetsuya aside, stood up, and gathered the materials to weave a casket for Jukai.

...

It had been six days since Jukai left Nakatsukuni; the mortal realm, for Yomi no Kuni; the realm of the deceased. Hinatsu had worked tirelessly, weaving a casket made of dried grass, which she planned to burn. Jukai's corpse had been left inside his bedroom, where it decomposed, stinking up the residence. However, Hinatsu thought it would be disrespectful to put him outside, where the beasts would probably devour his remains. Luckily, Tetsuya had shapeshifted into a human form to help Hinatsu. On that very same afternoon, the fox spirit approached Hinatsu while carrying a stroll.

"Jukai told me to give this to you once he was gone." The kitsune uttered before the black-haired female grabbed it and carefully unrolled it.

Dear Nagayori Hinatsu,

As of reading this, I presume that I am by now deceased. Regardless of what I tell you, I hope it will not change your perception of me as an individual.

In the year 2273 Hitoyo, a vicious civil war broke out in the southern capital, and the ruling clan, "the Nagayoris," were all brutally executed. However, one member did survive, and her name was Nagayori Hinatsu, who was six years of age at that time. Although, at least to my knowledge, she was stolen away and nearly sold as a concubine to a foreign noble.

Luckily, I managed to rescue her and hide her away in the mountains. To top it all off, she does not seem to remember what happened to her.

I know this must be hard for you to understand, but I did all of this because I could not bear the thought of letting you live a bleak life and die a miserable death.

~Yours truly, Hayagawa Jukai

As soon as Hinatsu read the manuscript carefully, her eyes dilated out of shock.

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"This can't be real! There's just no way!" She exclaimed while slamming the manuscript against the floor. Was her life all simply a beautiful lie fabricated to hide the absolute painful truth? She did not know who or what to believe anymore. She knew everything in the letter was true yet could not help but deny it. And to rub salt into the wound, she was also a descendant of a fallen noble clan. She wondered why she couldn't just be Nagayori Hinatsu, a former samurai's apprentice and someone of no significance. Rather than Hinatsu; the last Nagayori.

These were all insanely exhausting thoughts, ones that kept her away from doing what needed to be done; weave the casket and then cremate Jukai's corpse. Hinatsu eventually decided to set these new discoveries aside and return to work.

...

Six days after Hinatsu learned the truth about her past, the woven casket had been finished. Hinatsu and Tetsuya were ready to say one final goodbye to Hayagawa Jukai. The black-haired female prepared everything she needed; the casket, a rock that would serve as his tombstone, giant wooden chopsticks to pick up the bones, and a plank of wood with ink and a brush. Unfortunately, she did not have an urn for the bones, but she can work around that predicament. All that was truly missing was the corpse.

Hinatsu opened the sliding door to her and Jukai's bedroom, only to be met by a solid foul smell and the sight of foam coming out of her mentor's mouth and nose, while the now red and bloated corpse was devoured by maggots. It was indeed unbearable, yet Hinatsu was willing to do what needed to be done. She lifted the corpse up, which was not too surprisingly light in weight. She then placed the body inside the woven casket and gazed upon his rotting face one last time before closing the casket.

"Light it up, Tetsuya!" Hinatsu ordered, then fire spewed from the kitsune's mouth, setting the casket ablaze as the grass and flowers died around him. Tears clouded the female's vision as she watched her guardian go up in flames. She silently uttered a quick prayer, wishing nothing more than for Jukai to safely enter Yomi no Kumi; the afterlife and never return as a hostile youkai.

...

In the town not far from the mountains, a man in his twenties is going about his day as usual until he spots dark gray smoke in the distance. He gathers his five friends and points in the smoke direction to ensure he is not just hallucinating. They all manage to find it and collectively agree that this could be the work of the kitsune, which they were unsuccessful in hunting. So the six men grab their weapons and armor before securing their horses. They then head in the direction of the smoke.

...

The cremation took around eight hours, and Hinatsu dug a hole big enough to store all two hundred six bones right in front of the tombstone. She then took her enormous pair of chopsticks, dug through the ashes, picked up the bones, and carefully placed them inside the hole. Fortunately, the gap was located just beside the pile of ashes. Otherwise, it would have taken longer than three and a half hours. Hinatsu then buried the bones and inscribed the name, year of birth, and year of passing on the wooden plank.

Hayagawa Jukai

"Rest in peace, Teacher," Hinatsu uttered, her body aching, probably due to working tirelessly for nearly two weeks. However, now that she no longer had anything important left unfinished, the thoughts about her true origins plagued her mind. However, she set them aside for the time being, entered her house along with Tetsuya, and slept for a long time.

...

Tetsuya was awoken by the faint yet unmistakable sounds of horses galloping. He lightly pushed Hinatsu's body with his paw, waking her from a deep slumber.

"The hunters are coming!" Tetsuya said. Despite the slight irritation of being abruptly awoken, Hinatsu wasted no time before appropriately dressing and collecting her weapons.

"Tetsuya, run while you still can! I'll fend them off!" She uttered in a worried voice.

"But won't it be six against one? There is no way you will stand a chance!" Tetsuya replied, his voice not as stoic as usual.

"This may very well be the day I die, but you have a far longer life ahead of you than myself. So why waste it?" She said before she began to leave the residence until Tetsuya called her name.

"Hinatsu! You're a fool!" He scolded. The pair continued to argue until they both agreed on Tetsuya watching from a distance, interfering if or when things looked bleak for Hinatsu.

The band of six arrived at the tiny house and were met by the sight of a young female carrying two blades by the waist.

"You must be the one hiding the kitsune. Well, hand it over, and we'll leave you alone." One of the hunters said.

"Over my dead body!" Hinatsu replied before drawing her katana. Then one of the two men carrying a sword charged at her, ready to slash her to pieces. However, Hinatsu countered the assault with her own blade before sending another slash his way. Suddenly, an arrow was fired in the direction of the young female and almost landed on her neck. Yet, she tilted her head, then jumped into the air. She swiftly pulled out her wakizashi and cut through the hunter's neck, beheading him. His blood splattered onto her face and clothes.

As his severed head rolled onto the ground and blood spattered on Hinatsu's face, the gaze of the remaining five shifted from one of confidence to that of shock and fear. The young female ultimately used this to her advantage and dashed towards the one archer who sat on horseback. He attempted to fire another arrow at her, but before he saw it coming, the archer's leg was severed, and he lost his balance. The horse ran off to escape danger. As the wounded hunter screamed and cried in pain, one of the spear wielders stabbed Hinatsu in the shoulder. However, she turned around and impaled him with her wakizashi while holding back cries of pain.

The other hunter, who sat on horseback, jumped off the animal. Then an arrow was fired into the creature's rear, causing it to dash toward Hinatsu. She countered the animal with both her blades using all of her strength. Hinatsu was hesitant at first but ultimately stabbed her wakizashi deep into its chest, causing it to collapse. Two of the remaining three hunters retreated, fearing the fate that may very well befall them. Unfortunately for them, Hinatsu rushed toward them despite her severe shoulder wound. She stabbed one through the head, littering her katana with blood and brain tissue. One of the two remaining hunters tripped on his own feet and begged for his life as Hinatsu stood before him with an ice-cold gaze. She then slashed off his right arm so he could not correctly wield his sword anymore.

Hinatsu looked upon the mess of blood, gore, limbs, and corpses surrounding her house. Until her eyes met the sight of the final hunter, who was a spearman, who rushed towards Hinatsu's house with a torch, with the hope of at least trapping the kitsune. As Hinatsu spotted him setting her home ablaze, she dashed towards him before stabbing him through the stomach. The young female then watched with grief as the only home she's ever known went up in flames, the pain from her wound slowly eating at her being. She then slipped out of consciousness.

...

Hinatsu slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying under a tree with a bear hide draped over her body. Her chest was wrapped with bandages, and her clothes were nowhere to be found.

"I see you've awoken. Please try to take it easy; you do not want your wounds opening up, do you?" Tetsuya, who had shapeshifted into a human, said as he stood beside her form.

"Where are my clothes?" Hinatsu questioned.

"They're drying right by the river. Also, while I was taking off your clothes. I discovered an interesting burn mark on your back." He said, which earned him a curious expression from the young female.

"Draw exactly what you saw," Hinatsu commanded; the fox spirit nodded before drawing some form of symbol in the shape of a lotus flower. As soon as Hinatsu gazed upon it, for unknown reasons, it seemed very much familiar. However, why would she have a burn mark in that very symbol? That was a question with a very much vague answer. Then an idea popped into her mind.

"Tetsuya, do you know the location of the southern capital?" Hinatsu asked.

"Of course, I know this nation like the back of my paw." He replied.

"Well then, as soon as I've recovered, we'll head there!" She said.

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