The Guardian Dragon

Chapter 9 What a way to start your day

Chapter 9

What a way to start your day

Issei woke up from his sleep when he heard a thunder outside of his home, startling him. He sighed through his nose while staring at the ceiling of the room, shaking off the fright it gave him. A sneeze was heard to the side. Issei's breathing came to a halt before he slowly turned his head. On the other side of the room, are the two little kits snuggling against... the yokai. He stared at the three of them, before turning his head to stare at the ceiling.

They're real.

He laid there in his futon staring at the ceiling for a while before he closed his eyes. Listening to the rain and thunder in the distance. Issei really wished that it was just his imagination that was getting the best of him or his mind playing tricks on him after living on his own for so long.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?

"SSSSSAVE THEMMMM!!!!!"

It's not like I had a choice in the matter. I didn't want to die.

Issei musing came to a halt when he heard one of the kits let out a noise making him open up his eyes. One of the small kit was awake and was staring at him. It let out another small noise when he stared back. They stared at each other in silence for a good while. Issei was the one who broke the silence.

Issei hummed a bit before he got up from laying on the futon. Issei turned and looked at the irori and noticed it had died down. The fire was still lit but not enough for the room to darken as the night or allow the cold to get in. He turned back to the kit, still staring at him. Issei opened his mouth but nothing came out so he closed his mouth and tried again. When he spoke he made sure it was soft and gentle so the other two didn't wake up.

"Hello," he began. The small fox ear twitch. Issei didn't know what else to say. He didn't know how to go on from there.

Perhaps I should introduce myself?

"My name is Issei." He paused again thinking what else to say but nothing came to mind. So he spoke whatever came to his mind. Hoping the fox will listen and just... calm down.

"I'm sorry." He began. The fox ear twitches. "I don't know how to go with this. It's just... sigh I'm shocked at the moment." He paused and took another intake of breath before releasing it, shuddering. "I may not show that I'm shocked, but I am. I've learned not to wear my emotions on my sleeves after everything that has happened to me. It helps keep people away from me. Ah, I'm sorry, I've gotten off topic. I'm supposed to talk about... this situation. Not my problems." The fox continued to stare at him, blinking from time to time. "Like I said earlier, I'm shocked at the moment."

Unknown to him, it wasn't just the little fox that was awake. The yokai was listening in while he was talking to one of her daughters.

"I've... I thought you were just my imagination that was getting the better of me, but who would've thought you were real huh? Yokai's in general really." That got a reaction out of the fox; it made a small noise and tails flickered. "What? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, it's just... It's the 21st century." Now that got a bigger reaction out of it. The kit's ears perked up twitching. Issei acted as if he didn't notice and continued speaking. "People... I mean humanity, thinks you're a myth, folk tales really. Stories, people of the past created when they didn't understand things. I didn't think you were real either until I met the three of you in that storm. To be honest, I don't know why I helped the three of you." Issei made a face at that. "Ok, that came out wrong." The fox stared at him unblinking. "I do know why I helped you, but I don't want to sound crazy. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm talking to a nine tail fox that understands me. I don't know if you know this but... something brought you there or you were under its protection," The fox that stared at him made a whining sound. Issei looked down at his hands, recalling what happened yesterday. "Whatever was in that forest, I felt it. I felt like I was going to die at that moment." He shuddered, "There was this oppressive feeling over me. Like, it had a grip on my soul. Then it spoke." The kit stopped whining and listened. "When it spoke to me. It... It didn't speak any human language that I heard before. It was a mixture of a growl, and a roar that was so loud, I thought my ear drums would had burst. When it spoke to me, I somehow understood it."

"SSSSSAAAAAAVVVVEE TTTTTHEEEMMMM!!!!!"

When he spoke the words of a being that rested within his soul, he was speaking as a dragon with a mixture of Japanese. Just by those words, allowed the weaken and dying dragon that was chained within his soul to do something that he has never done before.

Create an heir out of a human.

Later on in his life, he will remember that this was the day , when everything change for the better.

Issei felt sick after repeating those words. His throat hurts. Issei cleared his throat and looked at the kit whimpering as her ears pressed against her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that." He softly told her. This calmed her down a little, but she was still shaking. "Like I just said, It told me to save you three. So I did. I took you here." He gestured around him. "This is my home. Well... It's broken and old, but it's home. you should have seen it when I first found it." Issei continued to talk to fox non-stop talking about his home. When head talked about his home he told her what he does. Either talking about school, or what he likes to do out here in the woods. All his talking actually managed to earn a little trust from the fox. No longer is it against the yokai as her sister is. It was in front of him. IN FRONT OF HIM! Sitting on her hind legs staring at him. Tails swaying back and forth letting out sounds when he says something funny, or interesting, forcing him to explain what it is to the fox or trying to figure out what's funny.

This feels good. It's nice to have someone to talk to even if it's a nine tail fox.

"Hey..." Issei started, the kit tilted her head to the side. "If... Once your umm...uhh. You can stay, you know. " Fuck! I messed it up. "You three don't have to leave. I can take care of you three. It won't be an issue, You don't have to worry about people either. Not like people are gonna enter the forest. There's nothing here except for animals and wolves that stay away from my home, and and..." Issei paused when he felt something pop. Even the fox heard it. It let out a sound after the pop as if asking what that sound was.

Issei quickly brought his hand over his mouth and began coughing all the while the small kit watched whimpering. Was it out of fear or concern? Who knows. When he stopped coughing, blood could be seen on the palm of his hands. Issei stared at his hands in surprise. Why did he start coughing blood? Issei coughed a bit more before he felt the urge to vomit. He quickly got up and began making his way outside. When he reached the outside he sped out of the Zen garden. It was raining softly at the moment. Still, Issei made his way to the entryway of his property and leaned against the entrance and vomited blood.

Once he had stopped vomiting blood. He stayed leaning against the wall spitting remnants of blood out of his mouth while gathering his bearing. The fact that he started vomiting concerned him deeply. Issei began to feel something rising from his stomach. This time he lost the strength to keep standing/ Sliding down to the floor, he started vomiting blood terrifying him more. His vision began to darken around him. The sound of rain hitting the floor disappeared. The only thing that he hears is his heart, and him vomiting blood.

That pop was that  my heart?

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Earlier before Issei passing out

The sound of Issei vomiting outside the house can be heard from a distance. The rain that was pouring earlier stopped mere minutes ago. Both of her children are listening to the human vomiting somewhere outside the room. One was worried the other awoke from the boy rushing out the room scaring her. The youkai tried to raise herself from the futon. She winced when did. She stopped trying and looked around the room. On one side of the room she saw items that the boy owned, most of the items she had never seen before, but there things that she does know such as clothes and books. She remembers only those who are rich have books.. Is the boy a noble, or perhaps he's a scholar?

That doesn't matter. What matters is what she should do?

"You three don't have to leave. I can take care of you three. It won't be an issue for me, not like people are gonna enter the forest. There's nothing except for animals and wolves that stay away here, and and...

You'll take care of us huh?