A Tale of Two Foxes: (Kogitsune X Mikazuki)

A Tale of Two Foxes - Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Brother?" Kogitsune growled fiercely. "Impossible!"

Kuroi chuckled softly, shrugging his shoulders flippantly. "I don't suppose there's an actual term for what you and I are. 'Brothers' just seemed like the simplest explanation."

Kogitsune scowled. "Explanation for what?"

"For us," Kuroi answered matter-of-factly. "For you, me, this... connection we have."

The way Kuroi said the word "connection" made Kogitsune's skin crawl. There was an intimacy in the tone of his voice that Kogitsune recalled with startling clarity. A familiarity in the way the male moved, in his facial expressions and mannerisms. It wasn't that Kogitsune had any recollection of meeting Kuroi before, more like... he recognized the characteristics as if they were his own. It was like looking into a mirror and having a two-sided conversation with himself.

"There is no us," Kogitsune hissed. "No you, no me, and certainly no connection."

Kuroi clucked his tongue in feigned annoyance. "You can say those words a thousand times over. Climb the highest mountain and scream them for all the world to hear. You and I both know it wouldn't change a single thing. You recognize me, Kogi. Your fox recognizes me."

"You're crazy," Kogitsune replied, shaking his head at the doppelganger's words. "I don't even know who you are."

"You want to know who I am?" Kuroi asked mockingly, closing the distance between them. "I am everything to you," he answered, pinning Kogitsune with his piercing black gaze. "And you are everything to me. We are more than brothers, Kogi. We are connected on a level that goes beyond the bond of blood."

"That doesn't tell me who you are," Kogitsune retorted.

The corner of Kuroi's mouth turned up in a half smile. "And yet it tells you everything you need to know."

Kogitsune ground his teeth in quiet rage, fighting the urge to wrap his hands around Kuroi's neck and squeeze. "I'm going to ask you this once," he said, his voice low and threatening. "Who are you really?"

"All will be revealed in due time," Kuroi replied evasively. "And only when you're ready to accept me and what I've come to offer. One day soon, brother, you will look upon my face and see the truth. You will know that what was done to us must be undone. They took you from me and me from you. But we will be together again, that I promise."

Kogitsune didn't know what to say or think or even how to feel. There was a determination in Kuroi's charcoal eyes that was both terrifying and comforting. It elicited an almost debilitating sense of longing; a need so fierce it threatened to bring him to his knees. Part of him wanted what Kuroi was offering, even without knowing what it was.

Kuroi smiled knowingly, reaching out to touch Kogitsune's cheek. "It won't be long now."

The icy tips of Kuroi's fingers snapped Kogitsune out of his stupor. He slapped the male's hand away, shoving him back.

"Don't touch me!" Kogitsune hissed.

"As you wish," Kuroi said, raising his hands in surrender. "But I'll be here when you're ready.  Waiting for the moment you accept our true fate. For now," he added with a wink. "I am content. I have found a treasure so pure and untainted that even one such as I must take pause to appreciate its beauty."

"What treasure?" Kogitsune asked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Do you... do you mean, Mikazuki?"

"Ah, yes," Kuroi sighed, his eyes taking on a dreamy sort of look. "Mikazuki..."

He said the Sword's name like a prayer; a solemn yet maddening call to worship. It was like... Kuroi loved Mikazuki, but at the same time he wanted to destroy him.

"I know you've noticed him, too, brother," Kuroi continued, licking his lips greedily. "He is... unforgettable."

"Don't call me that," Kogitsune bit out. "And no I haven't noticed him!"

"Liar," Kuroi snickered. "You can still smell the remnants of his innocence all around us. Taste its sweetness in the air. You crave it as I do, yet you deny yourself the indulgence. Don't worry, Kogi. I'm here to remind you what it feels like to give into the darkness... to embrace the chaos once more."

"I'm not like you," Kogitsune spat. "I have no such desires!"

Kuroi rolled his eyes. "How noble you've become," he snorted. "If I'd have known you were this far gone, I would've come sooner."

"I'm. Not. Like. You," Kogitsune repeated, slow and deliberate.

"Yes, so you say. But I have a feeling we will see your true nature soon enough."

There was a loud cracking sound on the other side of the river. The branch of a tree had snapped and fallen into the rushing water. Kogitsune looked away for only a second, but when he turned back, Kuroi was gone.