The Red Bridge

2: Tea Party For Two

Itsuki was planting more rice and Chikao was frowning at him. Itsuki had been working in silence for most of the morning and past noontime before Chikao had decided to come out of the house and bother him.
When Itsuki had woken up he had found himself alone. The other futon had been neatly folded up and placed in the corner of the room. That made Itsuki wonder if Kitsune needed to sleep. He had thought he might ask Chikao, but he hadn't seen him anywhere.
Now it was an hour past noon and Chikao seemed just as snooty as the day before. He narrowed his eyes at Itsuki.
"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it," Itsuki smiled over at him. "Good morning and afternoon, by the way."
Chikao frowned, "I'll have you know that your home is boring."
"Boring?" Itsuki chuckled, "what did you expect?"
"The woman who sealed me away was certainly powerful, so I expected whoever lived here must be even stronger. I was wrong, obviously. And now I have to live in this... shed..."
Itsuki rolled his eyes, "you know, the faster I get these transplanted, the faster we get money." He shook a handful of sprouts at him.
Chikao scoffed, but didn't say anything.
"What, are you all tuckered out from walking yesterday?" Itsuki bent back down.
The Kitsune glared at him, "you're horrid."
"I'm sure you'd be much worse off if I were a powerful exorcist like you imagined," Itsuki stated.
Chikao clenched his jaw, "what I would give to strangle you..."
"If you wanted me dead you would have done it already," Itsuki sighed. "I may not be rich, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."
"I never said you were." Chikao swished his tails and picked up the basket of seedlings.
"What are you doing?" Itsuki asked as he stood up and wiped his hands on his makeshift apron.
Chikao turned up his nose, "helping. And I'll just as soon stop."
Itsuki took another handful from the basket with a shrug, "alright." He hid a smile as he turned back.
"What? No teasing? No praise? You haven't even had a heart attack?"
Itsuki laughed, "so you did that to surprise me?"
Chikao frowned deeply, "now I am tempted to throw all your shoots into the wind."
"If you do that, we will starve," Itsuki chuckled, getting back to work.
The sprout in Itsuki's hand moved on its own and planted itself. Then several more followed suit and planted themselves until the basket was empty.
"I'm hungry." Chikao stated plainly.
Itsuki blinked up at him, "why didn't you do that before?!"
"Because I'm tired! Waking up after being asleep for who knows how long isn't the most pleasant thing! It isn't my fault that my magic hasn't returned." He folded his arms with a scoff.
"Your magic hasn't all come back? You mean this is all you can do?" Itsuki gestured at Chikao's appearance in shock.
Chikao grimaced, "one more word and I'll tear you limb form limb. Come, lunch isn't going to make itself." He started walking back towards the house, apparently done with the conversation.
Itsuki looked up at the sky. He hadn't noticed that it was already passed noon. Had Chikao really been gone that long? That meant he hadn't eaten anything since he had reawakened. No wonder he was always in such a bad mood!
Itsuki looked back over the field and hoped Chikao had planted everything deep enough. They'd pay for it later if he hadn't. He quickly went to wash up before heading inside.
Once Itsuki was inside, a wonderful aroma filled his senses. He followed his nose into the dining room to see Chikao silently drinking tea.
"Despite how much like her daughter she is, Nori's mother seems to have good taste in tea." He stated as he set his cup down and started pouring another for Itsuki.
"Oh." This was one of the last things he had expected to see. He thought that Chikao would continue to treat him like a slave and make Itsuki do everything for him.
"Just sit down," Chikao frowned at him. "Enjoy this while it lasts, you'll probably never have tea this expertly prepared for the rest of your puny life."
Itsuki smiled as he seated himself, "well, thanks. As I said before, you aren't so horrible and I don't know why you choose to act like you are."
Chikao turned up his nose, "once my magic is back I'll smite you. Then we'll see how awful you think I am."
Itsuki's chuckled as he took his cup into his hands, smiling at the warm feeling. "Really, thank you."
Chikao only scoffed before ignoring him completely.
Itsuki was pleasantly surprised by the peach taste of the tea. It was very, very tasty. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, as if Nori's mother were hugging him without cutting off his airway.
"I recall Nori speaking of a sister?" Chikao was apparently already done with ignoring Itsuki.
"Yes, her name is Rika," Itsuki nodded.
"And she is quite beautiful according to Nori," Chikao leaned back as he set down his cup.
Itsuki nodded again, "yes, she is. Why? Upset someone is prettier than you?"
Chikao glared down his nose at the human, "I'll have you know that *no one* is prettier than me."
Itsuki chuckled, "of course not."
"Maybe one day you will be blessed enough to see my female form," he flicked his tails. "With the way you're acting it won't be any time soon."
Itsuki stood, "of course not."
"What? Where are you going?" Chikao eyed him, "we aren't finished, there's still tea left."
"I don't know about you, but I can't live off of just liquids," Itsuki smiled, "so I'm going to make some actual food."
Chikao frowned but couldn't argue with that. He watched Itsuki carefully as he went into the kitchen.
"Mortal," Chikao stood, "what are you going to make?"
"I have a name, you should use it," Itsuki stated. "Why do you call us mortals anyways, I don't recall many spirits being *immortal*."
The Kitsune folded his arms, "unless someone knows how to do it right, I'm practically un-killable."
Itsuki rolled his eyes as he went through some cupboards. "Mhm... That reminds me, yesterday you said you had a shrine?"
Chikao sighed, "yes, though it isn't much to be spoken of. It's all grown over, it can't really be called one."
"Is that where you were earlier?"
Chikao didn't say anything, he only continued to stare at Itsuki with a displeased expression.
"I won't pry," Itsuki said, "I was only curious."
"Well curiosity is what gets humans killed," he stated coldly.
"Right..." Itsuki spoke quietly as he went about preparing their meal.
It was simple meal of miso soup and lotus root, along with some other steamed vegetables.
Chikao didn't complain, which made Itsuki pleasantly surprised. He started to think that maybe Chikao wasn't as "proper" and "privileged" as he acted.
The Kitsune pressed his hands together in a quick and silent prayer before eating.
"You pray?" Itsuki asked.
Chikao smirked, "just because I'm not human doesn't mean I don't pray. There are plenty of spirits that are quite devout worshipers of the gods. Now, just because I pray doesn't mean I think the gods will do anything for me," He pointed his chopsticks at the human menacingly, "it's not like they have time to listen to every petty request for blessings or protection. I pray out of habit and respect."
Itsuki paused to think. Then he smiled, "we're a lot more similar than I'd like to admit."
Chikao scowled, his face wrinkling up, "shut your mouth and eat."
"Well? Which is it? Shut my mouth, or eat?" Itsuki raised an eyebrow.
"Don't get cocky with me," Chikao glared.
Itsuki chuckled before filling his mouth and his stomach.
After their meal Itsuki washed the dishes and was about to go back to work. Then, Chikao slid the back door open, calling out to him, "follow me."
"Where are we going?" Itsuki slipped his sandals on.
"Just follow," Chikao stated.
"No offense, but we just met. I can't exactly trust you yet," Itsuki smiled as he followed the Kitsune outside.
Chikao folded his arms as he led the way down a small path marked out by large stones. They seemed to have been a part of a zen garden once. Now they were spotted with moss and the grass around them was overgrown.
The Kitsune stopped at where the stones met a thin but relatively tall structure. It looked like a sort of Kamidana, or god-shelf. In other words, it was the kind of small shrine kept inside the home for daily worship.
Itsuki looked it over and it was in the same state of disrepair the pathway and most of the area surrounding his house was in. "This is your shrine?..."
Chikao sighed heavily, a frown weighing his lips down. "Yes. I am almost embarrassed to say so. It's so close to your home and you didn't even know it was here."
Itsuki tilted his head to the side, "Hmm... I feel like I've been here before, but I don't remember seeing it... I used to come out here with my brothers to play in the woods, but I don't recall there ever being a shrine... Was it worse earlier? Were you cleaning it?"
Chikao frowned more deeply, "it's absolutely caked on. I couldn't do much without threatening to break a nail. You probably never noticed it because it blends in with the rest of this mess." He gestured vaguely at their surroundings.
Itsuki nodded, "probably... Why are you showing me this? Earlier-"
"Why I'm showing you doesn't matter." Chikao turned up his nose, "all that matters is that you know it's here so you cannot call me a liar."
Itsuki smiled to himself, "alright." It was quite obvious that Chikao wanted to be remembered. If Itsuki were able to live forever, he probably wouldn't want to be forgotten, either. He certainly wouldn't want the only evidence of his existence to be left overgrown and unrecognizable...
Itsuki made a decision, "looks like we have a project to take on."
"What are you talking about?" Chikao scoffed.
Itsuki turned around, "we're going to clean this up. I've got some tools that might help. Plus, you've got magic, too."
Chikao hurried after him, "what on earth- No! This isn't your responsibility!"
"Then whose is it? It can't be yours, the shrine is *to* you. And, you don't have any shrine keepers to tend to it. Therefore, it's no one's responsibility. Consider this, mm, an act of kindness." Itsuki shrugged.
"But why?"
"Why not?"
Chikao halted in his steps in a confused state. Then he laughed, "who *are* you?!"
The human looked back with a smile, "Matsushida Itsuki, at your service. Well, I guess it's more like you're at my service, since you're chained to my house."
Chikao shook his head, smiling, "well then, Itsuki, I certainly have some learning to do. I've exhausted all my magic for the time being."
Itsuki turned and started walking again, "really? So you don't have that much at all..."
"No," Chikao sighed as he strolled along side him, "it's not even a fraction of how much power I used to have..."
Itsuki chuckled, "then I guess you're no different than a mortal right now."
Chikao growled, "it's like you *want* me to permanently silence you..."
"But you won't," Itsuki smiled innocently.
"Humans aren't supposed to be so slimy," Chikao narrowed his eyes.
"Then find yourself a loophole, you *are* a trickster, aren't you?"
"Hmph! I don't have to listen to you," he flicked his tails as he turned his face away. "Tell me, is your family proud of bringing up such an annoying child?"
Itsuki shook his head, "I wouldn't know, they're all gone."
Chikao hesitated, then lowered his voice, "that's why your house feels like..."
"Like what?" Itsuki asked.
"Lonely..."
Itsuki continued to smile, "I don't think it's lonely. Or, at least, not anymore. Now I've got you."
Chikao blinked, "what?"
"Well, for a few more days, anyways," he shrugged. "And Nori is over quite often, too."
Chikao blew air out of his nose harshly, "if you consider me good company, I pity you."
"Huh? What happened to your self-absorbed attitude?"
"I am wonderful company to people I *like*. However, I am stuck with you and have no choice in the matter. Of course I'm going to be unpleasant towards you."
"Ah, so you're a well-behaved little fox around your friends?" Itsuki smirked.
"Why, you little!" Chikao took a swipe at him.
Itsuki's eyes went wide as he was expecting to be clawed in half. But that's not what happened. Nothing happened to him at all, save for the wind swishing his hair.
Chikao had vanished. A moment later he reappeared a few extra meters away.
Itsuki blinked, "why did you..." he pointed to where the Kitsune had been standing and to where he was currently.
"You think I did this on purpose?! No! It's the stupid binding curse on me!"
"You..." Itsuki began to smile again, "you can't hurt me..."
Chikao snarled from where he stood, "saver your protection, the second I am free I'm going to maul you."
Itsuki chuckled as he went back towards his house. Chikao's threat almost sounded real. Almost. Itsuki made a mental note to ease up on the teasing a little bit...
"Alright," Itsuki handed Chikao a hand shovel once they were inside the nursery, "you can use this for scraping and I'll get water and some rags."
Chikao looked him up and down, "do you *really* think you can undo centuries worth of the earths corrosiveness?"
"We won't know until we try," Itsuki shrugged as he walked to the far side of the nursery to grab more supplies.
The Kitsune looked over the shovel, surprised to find that it didn't look quite as decrepit as a lot of the other tools laying around. "Why are you trying to restore my shrine? It isn't like I can grant your wishes. Or that I even *would*."
Itsuki's only response was: "because I feel like it."
"Because you 'feel like it'?!" Chikao sounded outraged, "I'll have you know I don't accept charity work!"
"It isn't charity," Itsuki walked back over with a large bucket that had a few rags and some sharp tools in it, "we're both doing this together. And if you really feel that bad about it you could pay me back somehow." Itsuki smiled cheerily as he walked past Chikao.
Chikao frowned deeply as he followed the human back outside, "*slimy*..."
Itsuki giggled to himself as they walked down the deteriorating stone path and back to the overgrown shrine. Itsuki handed the other tools to Chikao, "you get to scraping and I'll be back with water in a minute."
Before Chikao could make a nasty or aloof remark, Itsuki was already briskly walking away.
Chikao narrowed his eyes at Itsuki's receding figure, "what a weirdo.
"'Because I feel like it'?" He scoffed, "what kind of an answer is that?"
At first Chikao was begrudgingly scraping moss and greenery off of his shrine, but after a few minutes he began to find the work sort of therapeutic. Chikao hadn't done any physical labor in... well, a very long time. He found it quite satisfying when he was able to cut away the filth into even strips.
Is this why humans worked so much? Was it *all* this satisfying to them?
Itsuki came back and wordlessly began scrubbing away at the bottom of the shrine.
Chikao was slowly becoming more and more immersed in his work, being careful not to scrape away at the wooden surface of the wardrobe-shaped shrine. It would probably never look as nice and polished as it used to, but he didn't want to ruin it any more than it already was.
Itsuki smiled, once again pleasantly surprised at how not-mean and not-violent Chikao was being. He still didn't understand why the spirit tried to pretend he was so big and bad.
Chikao sent him a glare, "what? Why are you smiling at me?"
"Is it a crime?" Itsuki smiled wider.
Chikao frowned deeply, "no, but it's odd, so stop it."
Itsuki shook his head, focusing back on scrubbing, "I smile because I'm happy."
"Wow, thank you so much for enlightening me," Chikao said sarcastically. "What do you have to be happy about? We're *laboring*. Isn't this supposed to be tedious and annoying?"
"Maybe it is," Itsuki nodded. "But I'm happy because I can tell that you are enjoying this, which means that I sort of made *you* happy. And making other people happy makes me happy."
Chikao stared at him for a long moment, then he scoffed and turned his face away. He only muttered rather loudly, "I will never understand human logic."
Itsuki's smile grew larger as he chose to believe that Chikao was only pretending not to understand.
Itsuki set down his rags and started pulling out all the weeds, vines, and other plant parts that had decided to make their home inside the shrine box. As he was uprooting, his hand closed around something hard that definitely wasn't a plant. Or, at least, not a live one.
He pulled it out and got rid of all the plant matter that was fused to it. It revealed itself to be a small, wooden sculpture. It looked a lot like a children's toy.
"What is it?" Chikao asked, leaning down to see it.
Itsuki laughed, "it looks like a little kid made you a gift!" He held it out to the Kitsune.
Chikao plucked it from Itsuki's hand and examined it, "huh..."
"It may not be expertly crafted, but someone wanted to make you a statue for your shrine," Itsuki chuckled.
Chikao turned over the little wooden fox a few times, "hmm..."
"Well?" Itsuki looked up at him.
"It's not... horrifyingly ugly..." Chikao said slowly.
"Way to put it nicely," Itsuki rolled his eyes. "It's probably been centuries since it's been moved. I'm sure it used to look a lot better."
Chikao nodded slowly, "probably..."
"It looks like a spitting image to me," Itsuki laughed.
Chikao grimaced, "I may not be able to physically harm you, but I'll find other ways to make you miserable..."
"You know," Itsuki went back to working, "that little figurine reminds me of a story my parents used to tell me and my siblings. It was about a fox spirit who hated humans so much that he ate one every night and demanded sacrifices to appease his wrath. They said he was so angry because a badger and a human killed its mother. The badger was long dead, but the fox continued to keep killing humans... Eventually someone was brave enough to slay the fox, finally putting him to rest..."
Itsuki paused, "now that I'm older I feel like this problem could have been solved without killing the fox... but not everyone gets a happy ending in real life, either..."
"No," Chikao set the figure down on one of the stones that was out of the way, "they don't."
"There you are!!!" Nori's excited voice came from behind them. "I've been looking all over!!!" She rushed over, "ooh! What is that?! A shrine?! Oh, is this Chikao's shrine?!"
Chikao growled under his breath, "not right now it isn't. Look at the condition it's in!"
Nori giggled, "I'll help you guys! Then we need to go see the Old Man! Ogawa told him everything and he wants to meet with us as soon as possible."
"Then we better hurry up," Itsuki tossed Nori a rag, "get to scrubbing."
She laughed, "okay!!"
"It's like I'm in a completely different world m... you humans enjoy working nowadays??" Chikao was utterly confused.
Nori shook her head, "it's not the work we enjoy, but who we do it with!"
Itsuki chuckled, but didn't add anything.
Chikao narrowed his eyes, "really? Itsuki works by himself and doesn't complain."
"I don't think Itsuki has the ability to complain," Nori laughed.
Itsuki rolled his eyes, "I'm not working alone anymore." He gazed up at the Kitsune with a smile, "I have you."
Chikao scoffed, "planting those sprouts for you was a one-time thing, I'll have you know."
Itsuki and Nori giggled as Chikao flicked his tails haughtily.
"Come on don't be such a sourpuss! You both need the company," Nori was beaming as she scrubbed down the back of the shrine. "Besides, you two survived a whole night and day together without fighting! I think that's a good sign that the two of you can get along!"
Chikao scowled, "speak for yourself."
Nori giggled, "Itsuki, don't let him bully you, okay?"
Itsuki smiled wide, "he can't, anyways."
"You shut your slimy little mouth, human!" Chikao pointed at him menacingly.
Itsuki continued, unperturbed, "he can't lay a hand on me."
"What???" Nori leaned around to look at them.
Chikao's hands were flexed as if he were about to strangle Itsuki. Itsuki was diligently working, as if an angry spirit weren't plotting his death. "The seal on him prevents him from harming me."
"Woah, no way!" Nori exclaimed.
"Don't sound so happy! Once I'm free I'm leveling this puny town!"
"Hm, then maybe we'll lay off on visiting the Old Man for a while. I dunno, I kinda like the idea of having extra hands for planting..." Itsuki mused, meaning to tease.
Chikao snarled at him, "one more word and I'll-"
"Okay! Okay!" Nori laughed, "I get it! The only reason you two haven't killed each other is because Chikao can't hurt you! But still! I think you two can get along great if you try!"
Chikao huffed, "as if this mortal could even dream of getting close enough to kill me!"
Itsuki only chuckled to himself. He set down his rag as he stood up.
"What are you doing?" Chikao asked, a suspicious tone in his voice.
"I figure this can wait until later. Let's go into town now so we can get home before dark." Itsuki stretched his arms out.
Chikao stared at him in bewilderment, "but you just said..."
Nori laughed as he put her rag in the bucket, "don't take Itsuki so seriously! He may have a serious face, but he's a jester at heart!"
Itsuki smiled as he shrugged and started walking down the path.
Chikao picked up the small figurine before Nori noticed it. He placed it inside his robes for safekeeping.
"Are you going to use the same disguise as yesterday?" Nori asked as they all walked together. "Or do you have another appearance you want to take?"
"I understand that most humans would foam at the mouth at how utterly gorgeous I am, but can't we just let them? Why must I disguise myself?" Chikao held himself higher as he spoke.
Nori giggled, "we can't have anyone dying from looking at you! Then there'd be no one to help us set you free!"
"That's a fair point..." Chikao frowned. "I suppose I'll use the same appearance as yesterday. I have no need to come up with a new one."
"How many appearances do you have???"
"Just three human ones," Chikao explained, "this one, the one I used yesterday, and my female form."
"Ooooh! What's your female form look like???" Nori pestered him.
Chikao folded his arms, "your eyes would melt right off your face if I showed you."
"Now I really wanna see it!!!" Nori ran in place from excitement.
"I doubt you ever will. I only use it if I really, *really* need to." He looked Nori in the face, "and I mean *really*."
Nori paused to think, "Hmm... I don't really get it..."
Chikao sighed, "all you need to know is that men are disgusting, but sometimes they have things I want."
Nori furrowed her brows, "okay, yeah, sure... but why don't you use your female form unless you really need to?"
Chikao folded his arms a bit tighter, "it's none of your business."
Nori poked his arm, "come on~ Aren't we friends now? You can tell me!!!"
"Will you stop asking me stupid questions if I tell you?" Chikao sighed.
Nori nodded, "sure!!"
Chikao heaved a loud and annoyed sighed. "To be perfectly honest, I don't feel comfortable in that form."
"Hm? Why not?"
"I just don't."
Itsuki chuckled from in front of them.
"What? Have something to say?" Chikao glowered.
Itsuki shook his head, "no, nothing important to say. Only that Nori never stops asking questions and she doesn't think any of them are stupid."
"True!" Nori laughed.
Chikao kneaded his forehead, "of all the people to be stuck with..."
"Yup, you got us," Itsuki smiled back at him.
"I'm going to enjoy killing you both," Chikao muttered.
"Come on, you know you love us~" Nori leaned against his arm, batting her eyelashes at him in an exaggerated manner.
Chikao looked down his nose at the young lady, "what do you want me to call you?"
"Uhm, nothing mean please," Nori smiled.
Chikao shook his head as he placed his hands inside his sleeves, "I mean your name?"
"I already told you my name?" She tilted her head.
"I know, but-" Chikao sighed, "do you all call each other by first names? Is that how things work now?"
Nori put her hands behind her head, "that's how it's always been for me? Everyone in town is pretty close with one another, so there's no need for honorifics unless you want to use them. Last names are usual only something your parents or mentors call you when you're in trouble, haha!"
Chikao nodded slowly, "Hmm..."
"Haven't you been calling Itsuki by his first name, as well?" Nori asked.
"He hasn't corrected me..." Chikao commented quietly as he flicked his eyes towards the subject of their conversation.
Itsuki looked back as if he knew they were both looking at him, "I don't really care what I'm called. But I really don't care for 'human' and 'mortal', it feels demeaning."
Chikao flicked his tails, sneering, "then I would prefer to not be called a 'little fox', either."
"Works for me," Itsuki shrugged as he looked back forward.
Nori eyed them both, "did you two have a fight or something? Chikao seems especially grumpy."
"He's just upset that he can't hurt me," Itsuki stated plainly.
The Kitsune growled, "exactly. Things would be so much easier if I could just destroy my problems."
"Oh... that doesn't sound healthy..." Nori pursed her lips.
Chikao huffed as he turned his face away from her, "Hmph!"
Nori paused to think, "Itsuki fed you, right?"
"Don't phrase it like I'm some pet!!!"
Nori giggled, "okay, good. I hadn't expected him to let you starve, but I don't know what Itsuki's like when he's angry."
"You've never seen him angry?" Chikao asked curiously, his eyes drifting back to Itsuki's form.
Nori shook her head, "not even a little bit. He's so calm all the time! I've seen him cry, but I've never seen him get mad at anyone or anything! It's like he can't be angry! Itsuki, have you tried being angry before?!"
Itsuki laughed, "have I *tried* to be angry?! Why would anyone want to be upset? All that does is make you feel even worse about everything once you've calmed down."
"I dunno," Nori went on, "sometimes feeling angry and kicking a rock really far makes me feel better."
Itsuki nodded, "everyone expresses their feelings differently."
"True, true," Nori agreed. "So... did Itsuki make you sleep outside or something? Why's re you so upset?"
Chikao frowned at her, "I did not sleep outside. I am not an *animal*."
"Right, so why are you so cranky, then?"
Chikao scoffed, "I don't have to tell you anything."
Nori giggled, "you don't have to... but I can be pretty annoying..." She had a devious look on her face.
Chikao shook his head with a heavy sigh, "of all the humans... it had to be this one..."
Nori laughed, "come on! Spit it out!"
Chikao closed his eyes tightly for a moment before slowly opening them again and sighing internally. "I don't enjoy being tethered to one place, especially since I have no control over what goes on in said place."
"Ohhhh, so you're dealing with power withdrawals!" Nori clapped her hands together, "this will be a humbling experience for you! And! It'll be good for you in the long run! Yay! Self betterment!"
Chikao made a guttural sound from the back of his throat as he spoke through his teeth, "what will be good for me is slitting all of your throats when I'm free."
Nori shook her finger at him, "nu-uh! That's how evil creatures talk! You said you weren't evil! You can't go contradicting yourself, it's just as bad as lying."
Itsuki chuckled as he listened to them talk. He found it quite entertaining. He stopped in front of the little red bridge and turned around as he reached for Chikao's arm.
Chikao took a step back, "what?"
"We're at the bridge," Itsuki gestured and held his hand out.
Chikao scoffed in annoyance and his complexion shimmered as he took on the appearance of his previous disguise. Then he — quite begrudgingly and with a large scowl on his face — placed his hand in Itsuki's grasp.
Nori giggled to herself, "how does it feel to be the only person in town to have held a spirits hand???"
Itsuki shrugged as he started walking again, "he doesn't feel any different than a human."
"See, that's just how good I am at impersonating your lot. And don't talk about me like I'm not here," he shot Nori a mean look.
She stuck her tongue out at him, "you better be nice to me or I'll have Itsuki let go of you and you'll never be free." She added a malicious laugh at the end of her sentence for dramatic effect.
Chikao looked away from her and moved to walk comfortably at Itsuki's side, matching his pace.
"Your life is literally in his hand HAHA!" Nori laughed very, very hard at her own joke.
Itsuki smiled and shook his head, "come on, Nori, give him a break."
"What?! He was threatening me! I'm allowed to bully him back!"
Chikao smirked over at her triumphantly. Nori stuck her tongue out again, "you're choosing to side with this guy over your own best friend?!"
"I think you'd be pretty upset, too, if you had been asleep for centuries and woke up chained to a lowly rice farmer who you cannot lay a finger on." Itsuki shrugged.
Chikao narrowed his eyes at Itsuki, "yes, you would."
Nori grumbled as she folded her arms, "I just don't think Chikao has much reason to want to hurt us anyways. It's not like we're the ones who sealed him away. That lady is probably super dead!"
Chikao stared forward at the dirt road, "that doesn't mean there aren't others like her."
"Do I *look* like I'd be able to seal away a powerful spirit?" Nori rolled her eyes.
Chikao sniffed in her direction, "not right now, but perhaps at some point."
Nori paused in her steps, needing a moment to think. "What?" She asked when she had come to no conclusion.
"You have the potential to become an exorcist if you dedicate yourself," Chikao stated simply.
Nori squealed with delight, "you really think so?!?!"
Chikao scowled, "does she ever calm down?"
Itsuki chuckled, "I don't think she knows what the word means."
Chikao sighed heavily, and lazily looked over his shoulder at Nori, "your sister probably doesn't want to marry from fear you would scare her spouse away."
Nori puffed out her cheeks, "rude! I would not! She's just picky!!!"
Itsuki closed his eyes for a moment, soaking in the sun as they strolled. He missed going on trips into town with his family. He opened his eyes again as he felt Chikao's hand go limp in his own.
He looked over, "what is it?"
Chikao turned up his nose, "it isn't anything."
Itsuki looked him up and down, "okay?..." It had felt abrupt, as if something had caused him to stop holding on. They were only another few minutes from the town entrance, so maybe he was just self conscious about his disguise again. He really seemed to hate having to look less beautiful.
Itsuki smiled, "don't worry, at least Nori and I know how pretty you really are."
Chikao scoffed, "how comforting."
"Yeah! Besides, everyone has been talking about you since yesterday! I'm sure plenty of people will be delighted to see you again! Maybe someone might even ask you to marry them right away!" Nori giggled hysterically as they approached the entrance.
"*Hilarious*," Chikao frowned, poison dripping off of his words. He closed his hand around Itsuki's fingers tightly, seemingly trying to hurt him without actually hurting him.
Itsuki only shook his head, "let's just make it across town without getting stopped by anyone."
"Sounds like a plan!" Nori took Itsuki's other hand and starting pulling the two men along.
The moment Chikao stepped foot in town, it were as if a bell had rung loudly and obnoxiously, because everyone turned to stare. There were people leaning out of windows just to get a quick glance of him.
Chikao turned up his nose at anyone and everyone who he caught staring. Acting like no one was worthy of his attention only made him all the more alluring to the townsfolk. Women and men alike where whispering amongst themselves all about him no doubt.
The very fact that he wouldn't give anyone so much as a second of his attention led many to wonder why he was with Itsuki, who wasn't anyone special at all. Sure, everyone was grateful to him because he provided almost all their rice, but... that was it. He was just a field worker.
The group barely managed to make it inside the shine gates without being stopped and it was all thanks to Nori speeding along. Nobody could even open their mouth before she marched past them; her determined and excited expression scared them all off. It caused the people to become even more confused about the situation surrounding the lovely and aloof stranger.
Ogawa greeted the three, "glad you could make it! Come this way," he beckoned them inside one of the side buildings and they followed.
Ogawa slid a door open, "let's try to be quick, the Old Man needs his rest..."
Nori nodded, "of course," she let go of Itsuki's hand as they all entered the room.
Sitting with his legs and arms crossed in the middle of the room, meditating, was Old Man Hashimoto. He wasn't as elderly as Chikao expected, he seemed to be in his late forties at most. Though, his tired and taught expression made him seem even older...
He slowly opened his eyes, a small smile spreading across his lips, "Why if it isn't little Itsuki... it's been so long since I've seen you..."
Itsuki smiled politely as he pulled Chikao down to sit with him, "good afternoon."
Nori closed the door and sat down as well, "yeah, last time you were here was like three years ago!"
The Old Man nodded, "it's been quite some time... I'd love to have a nice chat, but I think our friend is rather impatient..." His tired eyes drifted to look at Chikao.
The Kitsune frowned but didn't say anything.
"Tell me, what should I call you?" He asked as he inclined his head.
"I don't care," Chikao scowled, "I just want to be free of *this*." He held up his hand, which was clutching Itsuki's harshly.
Itsuki smiled, "he can't leave my house if I'm not touching him."
"Oh," the Old Man's eyes widened, "that's quite the strong seal, then..."
Chikao scoffed as he put their hands back down.
"Hm, Itsuki, what does the seal look like?"
Nori quickly dug through a chest of drawers, pulling out paper and brush. "Here, draw it for us."
Itsuki furrowed his brow, "uh, can we switch hands?" He was right handed, but his right hand was currently attached to a Kitsune...
Chikao rolled his eyes as he stood up and moved to Itsuki's other side, sliding his hand across the human's back as he went. He was being incredibly careful not to stop touching Itsuki, but was very good at hiding it from the other people in the room.
Itsuki smiled to himself, he really didn't get why Chikao felt the need to pretend to be so cold and far off.
"What is the color of your fur?" Old Man Hashimoto asked curiously as Itsuki began painting.
Chikao turned up his nose, "that doesn't matter."
"Oh, I see," he chuckled, "you've been cooped up an awful long time. How long has it been?"
Chikao frowned deeply, "that depends on what year it is."
Itsuki pushed the paper over to the Old Man, "this is the symbol on the door, there wasn't anything I could see on the stone, itself."
"On the back," Chikao spoke up haughtily, "my name is inscribed, along with that woman's."
The Old Man nodded to himself as he looked it over, "hmm... this is quite an old method... I'm surprised it's lasted so long... Only recently our friend has awoken and been able to interact with our realm," he looked at Itsuki, "only a week, correct?"
Itsuki nodded, "hardly."
"Mm," Old Man Hashimoto sighed quietly, "I'll have to look into this... I'm afraid it may be a while, I'll have Ogawa and Nori communicating between us. There are many old texts I'll have to read through..."
Itsuki nodded, "it's alright, I'll make sure he doesn't cause any problems."
"Problems? The only problem he may cause is stealing the hearts of everyone in town!" The Old Man laughed, then started coughing.
Nori rushed to his side, "are you-"
"I'm fine," he held his hand up. "I apologize for how long this process may take. I've never encountered a binding seal that was tied to a gravestone... As long as it's not a *real* gravesite, there shouldn't be anything extra to do..."
The side door opened and a woman stepped in. She was carrying a tray of tea with a pile of herbs on it. She had a pouty look on her face as she sat beside Old Man Hashimoto. "You need to take your medicine." She seemed to be around the same age as him, but had aged much more elegantly and healthily than he had.
She started grinding herbs as Nori stood up, "okay... get better soon."
He smiled, "of course. I can't leave Ogawa to do all the work."
"Medicine." The woman narrowed her eyes at him.
"Alright, alright."
Nori pulled her friends out and they started slowly walking towards the exit of the shrine.
"Are priests allowed to marry?" Chikao asked.
Nori laughed, "they aren't married! They've known each other for years and are very close, though! Once the Old Man started getting sick, Lady Seiko has been doing all she can to help."
Chikao nodded as he thought, "huh..."
Itsuki heaved a sigh, "I guess I'll be living with a spirit for a while..."
"Don't act like you have the worse end of this," Chikao glared.
"Don't I? I have to feed you *and* listen to your nagging."
Chikao scoffed, but didn't make a threat like it sounded like he was going to. Itsuki hesitated, not sure what to say next. Had he hurt Chikao's feelings?... It didn't seem all that likely, but still... He hadn't said anything mean back.
Nori laughed as she stepped off the shrine grounds, "I'm going to go ask my mom if I can stay over at your place for the night!!!" She bolted off before Itsuki could say anything.
He sighed deeply.
"I don't know how you handle all of that," Chikao stated plainly.
Itsuki smiled, "haven't you had a best friend? I wouldn't want her to change no matter what."
Chikao wrinkled his nose, "silly human concepts."
Itsuki chuckled, "if you say so."
"I do."
The human shrugged as they strolled through town. A few steps out of the shrine gate and people began staring at Chikao again.
This time, though, some had the courage to approach. Chikao refused to acknowledge any of them so they changed their tactic. They spoke to Itsuki first, then inquired about the newcomer.
"So, who's your..." one looked at their joined hands, "friend?..."
Itsuki forced a chuckle, "just an acquaintance from out of town. He won't be here for too long."
Chikao continued to ignore any and all humans who tried to speak to him. Itsuki sighed once it seemed like everyone was done with trying to get information out of him.
Then, a small child walked up to Itsuki. She smiled, her mouth missing quite a few teeth, "ehehe, your friend looks funny."
"I do not," Chikao snapped.
The kid giggled, "uh-huh! You're all sparkly and pretty! It's *weird*!"
Chikao opened his mouth, but Itsuki interjected, "alright, that's very nice, but don't you have chores to be doing?"
"You're no fun," she stuck her tongue out before marching off.
Itsuki chuckled to himself as he continued on.
"It isn't funny." Chikao grumbled.
"I think it is. She has a unique way of expressing herself," Itsuki smiled.
Nori caught back up with them at the entrance to town, "I can stay!!!"
"We still have some time before sunset," Itsuki looked at the sky. "We might even be able to finish cleaning off the outside of the shrine."
"With Nori's extra hands, maybe," Chikao spoke thoughtfully, as if forgetting to act pompous.
Nori nodded, "yeah! I'm a really good helper!" She started briskly walking, apparently eager to get to work.
Itsuki and his new houseguest quickly caught up to her.
"Do you not do any work at the shrine, then, if you're so... ready to labor?" Chikao asked, wrinkling his nose.
Nori shook her head, "I do plenty of work! I just don't normally get to choose what I do. I just really like helping people," she smiled back at the boys.
Chikao eyed her, "what's your game here? What are you looking for? Are you trying to gain my trust or some sort of favor for doing this?"
Nori stopped walking as she stared at him, "I'm not trying to do anything like that... I just want to help..."
Chikao narrowed his eyes, almost glaring at her, but he didn't say anything.
Itsuki continued on, tugging Chikao along with him. "If you pick a fight with Nori, you aren't going to win."
"We weren't fighting," Nori held her hands out as she moved to walk beside Itsuki. "I'm just confused?"
Chikao turned up his nose, which was apparently something he enjoyed doing because he did it so often.
"Why would you think I had some kind of ulterior motive?" Nori asked.
Chikao refused to look in her direction.
Itsuki sighed to himself, "it's been a weird few days, we should just focus on cleaning up the shrine and resting."
"But don't you have more rice to plant? I can help with that, too," Nori took Itsuki's hand and started swinging it back and forth as they walked.
"That'd be helpful. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can focus on getting Chikao back where he belongs."
Nori laughed, "yeah, then he won't be so grumpy anymore!"
Chikao growled under his breath, digging his nails into Itsuki's hand in a way that was both gentle and violent. It seemed he was still reluctant to go home "the fast way".
Then, Chikao suddenly looked over towards the bridge. He sniffed the air, shifting back into his original form.
"What is it?" Nori and Itsuki asked.
Chikao's lips parted into a smile, "something tasty."
The two humans shared a concerned look. They were coming up to the bridge. What could possibly smell tasty? There was hardly any wildlife that strayed out of the woods and Chikao had said that humans didn't taste good...
So what was he smelling?...
Everyone's pace slowed as they set foot on the bridge. Nori was staring at Chikao with a worried expression. The Kitsune had this sort of primal look in his eyes. Itsuki, noticing the same thing, squeezed Chikao's hand, "don't do anything stupid..."
Chikao snorted, speaking softly, "as if I could. Don't you need more meat in your diet?"
As the group made it to the crux of the bridge they spotted something completely unexpected.
There was a big, grey and blue crane standing in the rice field. It was standing stark still, facing away from the group.
Nori marveled at it, whispering as they silently continued down the bridge, "I've never seen a crane that big before... it has to be twice the size of a normal one..."
Itsuki nodded, "yeah... but where did it come from?"

  "Dunno." Nori glared over at Chikao, "you better not kill it. Cranes are signs of good luck, you know. Something awful will happen if you even hurt it."
  Chikao smirked, setting foot off the bridge, "you have no control over me."
  The Kitsune let go and changed into a giant fox, leaping across the grass towards the bird.
  Nori almost screamed, 1: because it was horrifying to see Chikao become such a beast, and 2: because she did not want anyone to be the subject of bad luck from harming such an elegant creature.
  Itsuki had moved forward in an attempt to grab Chikao, but he was just too fast.
  In an instant Chikao had bounded across the property and pounced on his prey.
  The bird let out a cry, but it didn't sound right. It sounded almost human, in a way...
  Itsuki and Nori started running after the Kitsune, hoping it wasn't too late to remedy the situation.
  Just as they arrived they saw that the creature Chikao was pinning down wasn't a crane at all.
  It was a woman elegantly dressed in gray and blue robes, hugging one of Chikao's legs tightly as big tears streamed down her face. "I'm so happy you're alive!!!" She cried out, sobbing dramatically.
  Itsuki and Nori were at a loss for words. They could have sworn it was a Crane... though, it was human-sized...
  Chikao was staring down at this woman with an unreadable expression.
  The surprise guest seemed to notice the two humans and she wiped her eyes on one of her long sleeves. She still held onto Chikao tightly, "I'm so sorry for trespassing on your home like this... My name is Chiasa."
  "You two... know each other?..." Itsuki pointed at the two of them.
  Chiasa, as she called herself, nodded, hugging Chikao's leg tighter, "we all thought you were dead!!!"
  Chikao growled as he burst into smoke and took on his half-human appearance.
  Chiasa refused to let him go, "where have you been?!"
  Chikao rolled his eyes, "isn't it obvious? I got sealed away and now I'm stuck with this human." He gestured angrily at Itsuki.
  Chiasa looked over at him, smiling, "thank you so much for taking care of him."
  The Kitsune exclaimed in outrage, "What?!"
  Itsuki smiled nervously, "I've only known him for about a day..."
  Chiasa blinked, "oh. But he's been gone for so long..."
  "I only woke up recently. Now, get off the ground." He tugged at her clothes.
  She nodded as she stood up and brushed herself off. Now that she was no longer clinging onto Chikao, Nori and Itsuki could get a good look at her.
  Chiasa was quite a beautiful lady. She had a gentle face with long bluish-black hair, and a similar air of elegance about her to Chikao. They didn't look very similar, but by feeling alone one might think them siblings.
  Chikao flicked his tail, "It's been so long, how come none of you thought to look for me?"
  "You left..." she placed her hand on his arm, "we thought you intended to never come back... Then we all felt your presence... disappear..."
  Chikao huffed as he looked away from her and folded his arms.
  Chiasa hesitated, "how long was it before someone sealed you away?"
  Chikao frowned deeply, "not even a few days. There was some powerful priestess around and now I'm still stuck here."
  Nori whispered to Itsuki, "who do you think she is?"
  Itsuki shrugged, "probably another spirit or something similar..."
  Chiasa looked around, "well, I can't say it's the worst place to be. And it's quiet..." she took a deep breath in before turning to face the two others. "What are your names? I'll introduce myself properly. I'm Chiasa, planner of-"
  Chikao slapped his hand over her mouth, "it's none of their business who you serve."
  Chiasa eyed him for a moment, "I see... alright then. I'll leave it at that."
  "Oh, uhm- I'm Nori," she bowed, "shrine maiden of the Daikokuten Shine, Osuruta!"
  "Osuruta..." Chiasa gazed around the area, "it's certainly changed since I've last been here..."
  "Well, we *are* outside of town," Itsuki explained, "and I'm Itsuki." He inclined his head.
  Chiasa smiled as she turned to her friend once more, "I should let everyone know you're okay!"
  Chikao only grimaced and walked towards the house.
  Chiasa seemed surprised, watching him leave with a curious expression. She laid her cheek in her hand, "huh..."
  "Uhm, Chiasa-san?..." Nori asked quietly.
  "Yes?" She looked over.
  "How long has Chikao been sealed away for?"
  "Well over a hundred years..." she paused, "to think he would change so much after only sleeping for so long..."
  "He hasn't always been stuck up?" Itsuki inquired. It made sense... he did seem to have a sort of façade.
  She shook her head, "no, has he been acting like that? He has always been a little aloof, tending to keep to himself. He did leave in a bad mood, but... I haven't ever seen him so... bitter..."
  Itsuki looked over at his home, wondering just what happened when Chikao was sealed away.