Twin Kitsunes: The Nogistune

20.

⤚ Trust in Me ⤙

Akiya

MY eyes shifted up as the door opened and Araya walked in. "Storm send you home?" I asked. "No." Araya said taking a seat on the couch. "Was she not home?" I asked instead turning off the T.V. and turning to her.

". . . I didn't go to Storm's." Araya's voice was meek and quiet making me watch her unsure of what she meant by that. She didn't sound quite like herself and it had me a bit worried about her. "Where did you go?" I asked looking at her.

Araya bi her lip. "I went to Berry hill." "What?" I asked. "I went to Berry hill. . . I just wanted to talk to him Akiya. To see if he really was a bad person, I'm sorry." Araya said guilt etched on her face from lying.

"Why in the world would you even think of doing that, he could of killed you for getting in his way!" I exclaimed at her. "But he didn't. . . and it was just him there not the other nogitsunes, they were out leaving him there." Araya said and I watched her.

My emotions were a mess right now, a combination of anger, fear and most of all betrayal of Araya lying to me. Araya rarely lied to me, we had always been honest with each other and now she had lied. And liked about something that could of gotten her killed.

"Akiya, he talked to me at least, I know somethings of what's going on. . . like he's a kitsune like us." Araya said. "He's a nogitsune." I told her. "He's a void kitsune, they are simple called nogitsunes after that, and Akiya he's way older than us." Araya said.

"By what a few years?" I asked. "Akiya he is six centuries old." Araya said and I stared at her dumb shocked by that revelation. Six centuries! "That means he has six tails, I read we get a tail for each century that we are alive." I said and Araya nodded.

"See something useful came out of me going there. We talked and he even walked me out of the barn before any of them got there. But he wouldn't talk about what they were planning." Araya said as I watched her silently as she sat down on the couch next to me.

"Akiya I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you on that, I just wanted to be of use." Araya said as I watched her. "And I know that what I did wasn't the best way, I just didn't no what else to do." Araya said.

I could hear in her tone of voice that she was worried. .  . but for some reason that she didn't tell me she didn't regret going there. She had no regrets about going to the now most dangerous place in Willow. "I hope your not mad at me." Araya spoke as I looked back at her.

"I'm not mad at you Araya," I began and a smile spread on her milky skin. But I was quick to get rid of the smile with my next sentence that quickly made her face fall, "I'm disappointed that you would lie to me like that."

Araya was struck, unsure of what to say as I got up and collected my things. "I'll be in my room." Was all I could make out to her as Araya sat on the couch looking quite upset as our first fight and distrust in each other began.

***

The rift between Araya and I only grew within the few days of her going to the barn. Trusting her after having done something as big and crazy as that seemed like a hard thing to do and I couldn't bring myself to. At dinner we didn't talk, we just ate.

Even mom could see the thick tension between us but she didn't mention it thankfully. I knew she would be just as mad as I was if she found out what Araya did. I still couldn't understand why Araya would even think of doing such a dangerous thing with those nogitsunes already having one or more bodies on their list.

But she did, for all I knew she could of ended up being one of the bodies. The fear for them grew as did the distrust in the air. No one at school noticed it through.