His Possession - Yuriko's Story: Dark

Dark 06

For the longest time, Yuriko pulled herself out of bed after sleeping only a couple of hours. She made sure that her neck was fully covered when she showed up in the kitchen where her father, Keisuke, was currently enjoying his breakfast... if you could call coffee and a mere slice of toast fully breakfast at all.

Yuriko didn't say anything. She poured coffee for herself to keep her eyes open. Usually, she would have chosen hot cocoa but right now she felt like she was dying from tiredness. Yet she wanted to do this, waiting wouldn't give her the information she needed. She had tried to concentrate on school, she had tried to search for answers on the internet and from books... but the truth was that only her father or Yuuto the fox could tell what had happened.

"Dad..." Yuriko started as she sat down at the table. Her father raised his gaze from his phone and frowned.

"You are up suspiciously early," he commented. "Do you need money?"

"Umh... I guess, no. We still have money for groceries," Yuriko answered and shook her head. Now it was not time to get distracted. "I... I need to know something else. About... about... you know... umh... Yuuto."

The toast dropped to the table as Yuriko's father stared at her. Yuriko swallowed. She had half expected her father to tell her that he had never heard such a name, but his face revealed the truth.

"How do you know his name?"

"I've met him."

Suddenly Yuriko's father was on his feet. With two quick steps, he was next to Yuriko, grabbing her arms and yanking her from the chair. Coffee spilled on the table, but Yuriko was able to keep her hold of the cup.

"Where? Where did you see him?" Keisuke asked.

"Umh... in... a... dream..." Yuriko mumbled.

"Lies! Don't you dare to lie to me! I need to see him right now!"

"It's not a lie! I really... He really... He has been appearing in my dreams for years now as a fox! And some time ago he called me a little sister..."

The hold on Yuriko's arms was almost painful but Keisuke's hands were warm, very different from Ruki's touch. Though currently, Keisuke might be causing bruises on her skin. Yuriko tried to meander from his grasp, but her father held her too tightly.

"As a fox?" Keisuke repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"Umh... Dad... You are hurting me..."

Keisuke released Yuriko as fast as he had grabbed her, staring at his palms. His whole being was shaking and Yuriko didn't know what to think.

"Dad?"

"A monster... He has truly become one of them..."

"A monster?"

Yuriko put the cup on the table, her eyes leaving her father's trembling form. Keisuke clenched his hands into fists, his mouth deforming.

"It's just a dream. It doesn't mean anything," Yuriko said. "Maybe... I've heard his name before and that's why I'm having dreams about him as a fox..."

There was something in Keisuke's eyes when they bored into Yuriko's. She had never seen him like that, like a wild trapped animal. Yuriko opened her mouth, but no words came out. It slowly started to dawn on her that her dreams... probably weren't dreams at all.

"You weren't supposed to know," Keisuke said. Finally, he started to relax. "We never talked about him. They took him, your mother's relatives, but I'm going to save him. We are, together."