𝓐 𝓝𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻 𝓔𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓑𝓸𝓷𝓭

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝔽𝕚𝕧𝕖

              "Well, just a little hint-hint, neither of us have it. The key, I mean."

         I stared in shock. "Then who does?" I asked, still staring at Hao in shock. "Haven't a clue." He said. "But, if we really wanted to find it," His voice trailed. "You would need to learn how to search through your memories at any time you want. In other words, only you know where to find the key." With that, we bid farewell and went our separate ways.

           I sat on the shore of the beach with the box in hand. I stared out into the sea, feeling the sea breeze run across the land. I was still completely confused as to what happened. I felt a small wave at my feet wash away multiple times. "Come to think of it, did I like all the things I do now in my past life?" I said quietly to myself before trying to put the box down and retracting my hand immediately.

           My finger began to bleed where I had touched something sharp. I looked through the sand to find a key-like object. It was missing the actual key part on one end. As for the other end, it looked like fox tails. Twenty. I counted. I could faintly remember holding this once before.

                °•~☆FLASHBACK☆~•°

              I stared out into the waves. It was such a calming thing to do. I laid back on the shore and stared up at the sky while holding some nice scrap metals up to my face. "These are nice as is and all, but they need reshaping. Maybe to a key, I suppose. But I don't have any hot sources around." My voice trailed.

              "And what about this?" Hao said, standing over me with a little fire over his finger. "Yeah! That could do! Thanks, Hao-sama!" I said, sitting up and facing him while taking out gloves and putting them on. "Whoops! I made that sharp! Not like an end isn't gonna go there, I suppose." I said, bending the other side into twenty tails. "Perfect! Who knew how efficient fire mana would be!" I laughed, Hao chuckling in response.

       "Now we need the actual key part." I pulled out the box I had found a few days earlier at a shrine. "Maybe, if I had enough experience, I could make this exact key. Though it'd be very difficult." I said with a trail of thought. "I'll worry about it later." I said, smiling brightly. "After all, I have someone more important to worry about!" I turned to Hao and he smiled.

                     °•~☆END☆~•°

           I stared at the key for a moment. Seems I do have past with this thing. Did I ever make the key end? I thought as I spun the unfinished key in my hand. "I'll just make it. It should be easier than finding it." I said, smiling brightly.

          I picked out some metals off the beach floor and set them on a set of stairs. As for a heat source.. My thought trailed for a moment. "Need me again, Lei-chan?" I heard Hao say. "Perfect timing." I said with a giggle. He gave me a fire, and of course, I put on gloves again and started to shape it. Finishing my work of art, I put two little red beads for the fox's eyes. "Perfect! Fire mana is still as efficient as it used to be!" I laughed. Hao simply smiled at me. "Now let's test this thing." I said confidently.

             I placed the box down and lifted the little lever to the keyhole. I placed the key inside and turned it. CLICK. It opened. Inside were two bracelets, a set of earrings, and a necklace. The bracelets were tied with a gold ribbon with white and red patterned beads, the earrings had a fox with twenty tails outlined, and the necklace was put together using a silver chain, a few white and red beads and the outline of the twenty-tailed fox.

               "Wow..." I thought aloud. "These are really pretty.. Whoever's they were, they're mine now." Hao laughed a bit at the last part. I placed them onto me and closed the box. "These are seriously really cute, though!" I said, turning to Hao and playing with an earring.

            A few hours had gone by with the box being opened. Everything felt different, but nothing was. Strangely enough, I heard a few voices. No one else did, though. I began to think of possibilities. Is it possible this all contains a spirit within it? If so, what? I asked myself. I leaned back onto the rock behind me and gazed up and the stormy clouds. It would storm any second.

            I headed home, opening the door, doused in the pouring rain. No one was in the living area like usual. It didn't feel right. I wasn't sure what. I stepped further in, the uneasy feeling increasing with each step I took. "I'm back.. Hello?" I called out into the house. No reply.  Nobody was there. What exactly is going on? I thought to myself, turning to leave due to my uneasy sense.

           I walked along the roaring waters on the shore. I stayed until the storm passed by, and I began to walk back home. I stopped by the stairs at the shrine. "This isn't going to work.. Why won't this weird feeling go away? It's bothering me." I thought aloud, walking up to the shrine. I made a decision to change paths at that point. The uneasy feeling faded entirely.

           "You opened the box? I'm impressed. Though you may have forged a key, you still deserve the credit." I heard someone say. I looked around and wandered behind the tree. No one was there. "Try looking in the hole of the tree." I heard the voice say again. I looked into the hole where the box was originally placed.

           A girl stood inside the tree, palest skin I'd ever seen, red stripes around her body. What most amazed me? Twenty tails she had. Same as the box and the things in it. She leaned her head down to see me through the hole. Blood, it looked like, poured down her head. "Don't freak. I'm a kitsune spirit." She said before I fainted due to the amount of blood I'd seen.