Blade Song

Chapter 19- Shadows of the Past

I guess my face must have given away my complete lack of experience in those sorts of situations, because right after he told me how he felt, he started laughing and told me not to worry about it too much. Apparently, he wasn't going to try and push it at all, act any different, or expect me to. He just wanted his feelings to be clear.

Maybe for some people it would have gotten awkward, but since his confession made up the entirety of my romantic experience, I wasn't really sure how else to act. I mean, if someone says they love you, what are you supposed to do? I sure as hell didn't know, so I just kept on being me.

When we all gathered to leave the bird demon territory, we were met with friendly farewells and well wishes for our journey. Takahiko had drawn quite the crowd of young ladies. Since they were so used to seeing black wings, they really took a liking to his brown and white patterned ones. The women clustered around him, offering him various things they'd made and telling him to come back and visit. I don't think the irritated look on Fuyuko's face was my imagination, either.

On our way back down the stairs, Hidetaka slapped Takahiko on the shoulder and made some comment about never having to spend a night alone again, which only made him blush and Fuyuko's look worsen.

After we'd all gotten down the stairs, we slipped into our usual formation and routine. The next few days were very uneventful and slow. I entertained myself by talking to Kiyoshi and Mitsuo during the day, reading and visiting with the girls in the evening, and then, of course Kiyoshi again late at night or early in the morning when we both lacked the ability to get any sane amount of sleep. For us, this was every night.

I learned some interesting things about the foxes. First, white foxes were not the only clan around. There were five types in total: white, black, grey, and red. These four were ruled over by the final type: gold. This gold fox was a descendant of the ancient three, the gods and creators of demon world. Aside from the gold fox, there was the black winged bird demon, and red ogre. While the descendants of the fox and bird demon had a long standing peace treaty, the ogre had always been at odds with them. I'd never seen an ogre. They were gigantic, thick skinned creatures that were resistant to magic, though they couldn't use much of their own.

Secondly, foxes are not the only thing in this world gifted with long life. Any bird demon or ogre has the same potential. It is the difference in the expected life spans that creates a gap between them and other demons, and the reason why foxes, birds, and ogres usually keep to themselves. Any friendship or romance formed between someone who can live over a thousand years compared to someone who would live less than one-hundred would have some obvious heartbreak.

The foxes had found somewhat of a work around for this, but only as recently as Kiyoshi's father, who had offered up some of his power in exchange for lengthening his human wife's life. This method was limited to one person, however, and still had unforeseeable implications for both parties.

Finally, although foxes were supposed to have these long life spans, Kiyoshi's family line hadn't had the best of luck for the past few generations. His father had of course died young, but so had his grandfather and great grandfather, one to illness, the other to war. He did say, with a hopeful smile, that he would be the one to break the 'curse'. I was surprised at how much I wanted that to be true, even if I wasn't around to see it.

A few days after we'd set out from the bird demons, we came across a poster for a circus nailed to a tree. I'd never been to the circus, but I knew they'd been popping up lately. The mercenaries used to go once in a while.

The colorful poster displayed a white and red stripped tent and boasted of several acts containing acrobats and animals. One picture in particular caught my eye. It was of a young man, a twisted pinkish burn scar covering part of his face, leading down his neck. Even though this picture was a painted one, he still seemed so familiar.