With Fire and Ice

Chapter five, in which Seiko's Spirit is a dick

I took another deep breath, and exhaled slowly through my nose. "Hold on," I said, snapping my eyes open, successfully interrupting the session. Wolf sighed, but raised an eyebrow in a silent question. "How can I have embraced my wild side if I can't talk to my Spirit?"

"Excellent question, Red!" Wolf said, rolling his eyes at me. "Your wild side and your Spirit is not the same thing. You don't need a Spirit to have a wild side, but most humans are really ignorant of it. Which means-"

"That you can embrace your wild side easily?"

Wolf grinned. "Not my words exactly, but you got the meaning. Now, are we going to focus on finding your Spirit or not?"

I huffed. "Fine, fine." Focusing on the sound of running water and my heart beating in my chest, I slowed my breathing and closed my eyes. "Are you going to guide me?" I muttered through the towel wrapping itself around my brain.

I got no answer.

Trying to recall what he had told me before, I shifted my focus from the running water to my palms. Then my elbows. Shoulders. Neck. And finally, chest. There was a warm feeling blooming from within there, a sharp, hot feeling. It took all my willpower not to yelp and open my eyes, but I managed to keep them closed.

Something told me that I should focus on that warm feeling, and I did. I could not feel my heartbeat anymore as the warm feeling grew into a bright, sharp light. I tried to open my mouth to ask Wolf if this was supposed to happen, but the scenery suddenly changed.

I was standing, now, but if I focused, I could still feel the rough stone under my palms. What the-? The world around me was lit up, bright and shining and white, and I squinted and held up an arm to shield my eyes. My arm didn't move, but yet it moved.

Okay, this was confusing. What the fuck was going on?

A voice echoed through the warm, bright place, and I turned around. Welcome.

"Uhm. Hi?" I said. My mouth didn't move, but at the same time it did. I felt like a shadow in a world that wasn't quite real.

The voice chuckled, and I spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of the owner. I see you have finally found me, Seiko Sasaki.

"Who are you?" I cried.

Do you not recognize me? the almighty voice asked, and out of the light stepped a fox. It was a large fox, larger than me, and although it's fur was red like mine, it's eyes were a piercing blue.

"You're my Spirit Fox," I stated. "Why can't I just have a normal life? Why do I need a mate?"

The large fox strolled towards me, as if it had all the time in the world. A smile played at the corners of it's muzzle, and I shuddered. You deserve someone who loves you, Seiko Sasaki.

"My mate doesn't love me! My mate loves my body, what I can do for him! He doesn't love me correctly!" I yelled, looking up into the sparkling blue eyes of my Spirit Fox. It seemed sad, as if I hadn't understood something. Well, I understood it perfectly fine!

Your mate is perfect for you, the Spirit said slowly. If you do not see that, you are not ready to speak to me. Open your eyes, Seiko Sasaki. You must.

My eyes snapped open, and I flinched away from the person shaking my shoulder. Hissing in their direction, I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "Seiko, you were gone for more than half an hour!" the person said, with worry tainting their voice.

Wolf.

Embarrassed at my own antics, I slowly sat up again.

He seemed to calm down when he saw that I was fine, but it was obvious that something was bothering him. His ears kept flicking back and forth, as if searching for any dangers, and behind him, his tail twitched in and out of view. "You wouldn't react," he whispered hoarsely. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing, not even a twitch when I yelled into your ear."