[KaoMika] hopes of autumn

[anakiddwrites]

 A fox and a crow are in a journey together.

Enstars Rarepair Week 2024
Day 5 - Fantasy AU
 

 “Guards, guards!! What the hell are you doing!!!???”

The thunderous screams and the stomping sounds against the wooden floors echoed through the luxurious japanese-style house, causing a fuss among its residents. The servants slowed down chores, aware of every movement and just doing the bare minimum to avoid eventual reprimands, and the children and maidens locked themselves in the safety of their rooms in order to not disturb the guards running down the hallways with fierce glares and sharp weapons.

Only the cook remained oblivious, too busy dwelling in his own misery as a direct victim of the crime unraveling in that household.

“THE POTATOES!!! THE POTATOES ARE GONEEEEEEEEEE!!! ”

The screeching lament from the man kneeled in the food deposit could be heard all the way up to the rooftop, where a peculiar figure crouched on the tiles sniffed a raw potato in his hand with a carefree smile. He was mostly human, except for sharper canines, perked up fox ears and a fluffy tail golden like his hair swaying happily behind him.  

“Holy shit, Portuguese potatoes? Lucky ~~~ ♪”

However, the moment he hinged his jaw to get a taste of victory, an arrow came zooming out of nowhere and pierced the potato in half, missing his head for just a little. The fox jumped to the side instantly, sharpening his senses and fully aware of the surroundings again, just in time to start running from the rain of arrows coming to him from behind.

“DON’T LET THE DIRTY THIEF ESCAPE!!! TORE HIM DOWN!!”

Curses and insults showered him along with arrows, but the fox gracefully dodged every hit despite carrying a huge and packed bag on his back. Only a few potatoes rolled down the way as part of the sacrifice for a bigger prize, but in less than five minutes he found himself at the forest border with no man on his trail, leaving the fancy human house behind.

“Easy-peasy ~ ♪” He grinned, already anticipating victory with the pleasant scents of soil and fresh greenery so close, but a clashing smell pierced through his nostrils for a fleeting moment, enough for him to stop on his tracks and unravel his claws.

“How smart.” A grave voice greeted him from the woods before the figure of an old bearded man came out of the shadows, a japanese sword in hand and staring at the fox man with unsettling calmness. “You noticed my presence right before I could behead you, kitsune .”

“The good and old iron and oil are hard to miss, especially out in nature, hunter-san .” He replied with a slightly nervous smile, taking a careful step back. “Not that you’re stinky or anything. Please don’t misunderstand me ~ it’s nothing personal, you know? It’s like they say… to the winner, the potatoes, am I right?”

“No offense taken. However, no one said that, ever.”

“... m-maybe… but someday, someone might!”

“... well, in this case… the winner is yet to be decided, right?”

“Haha… do we need to rush for that, sir…?” The fox took a deep breath, aware the weight on his back slowing his movements could be deadly, but the seconds necessary to drop it would also create a lethal opening to the skilled hunter coming for him. 

Too close , and he takes another step back to buy time while thinking about the best choice-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

- but the moment the hunter raised his sword, a small shadow zoomed in front of him faster than a heartbeat. Blood spilled from his face immediately, forcing him to cover his eyes on instinct and giving the fox enough time to let go of the extra weight.

“MY EYE!! MY EYEEEEEEEE!! WHA-”

The hunter would never know what hit him first, his face ripped open by sharp claws in the next second incapacitating him once and for all. A cascade of blood soaked his clothes and the sword on the ground, but once the pain minimized, he would realize he couldn’t see the red or any other color anymore.

“Shit!” The fox clicked his tongue, retrieving the bag very fast and running to the deep forest without looking back, haunted by the man’s screams and the warm blood dripping from his hand.

“You wouldn’t give me a chance, so…” He gripped at the bag holder, lamenting the violence but fully aware there was no reasoning with yokai hunters. It’s a merciless world.

“I need to stay alive, you know!”

The twilight was already painting the horizon orange when the fox arrived at a lake in the woods, surrounded by the distant chirping of birds and cicadas in a peaceful landscape. He was able to smile a little while approaching the water in calm steps, basking in the familiar feeling of the soil under his feet. The best healing for an afternoon of hunting.

“Everything worked out again in the end…” He sighed softly, dropping the huge bag on the grass next to him and crouching to finally wash his hands. “There were a lot more guards than usual, so I think we need to be more careful with human houses from now on… damn, even a pro hunter!!! For a moment, I was really terrified..! How about you?”

He turned his head to the crow watching him from a hidden branch, receiving a caw sound in response. The bird took off, slowly flying close to the fox and landing on the border of the lake.

“I know you were watching over me… I’m lucky ~ ♪ and very thankful.” He smiled, gently scratching the crow’s head and making its feathers shiver a bit in response. “Ah, you’re still… uuuuuu, you should take the chance and clean a bit too, hm? Dry blood might be annoying to clean from feathers and get smelly ~”

The fox noticed some blood and even white goo of the man’s eye were still dirtying the crow’s beak and body, not commenting further and relieved when the bird hopped deeper in the water and started splashing himself.

“Ah, it’s getting dark….”

Like every night, a silent excitement started building up in the fox’ heart when the last rays of sun said goodbye. He looked at the bird in the water in front of him, who also perked up his little head to the sky in silent contemplation.

Slowly, a faint glow started to spread on the black feathers until covering the crow’s entire body, turning him into a full luminescent figure before his shape started to change in a peculiar way. Small ripples formed in the water around him, becoming stronger along with the brightness and

But the fox didn’t turn away or closed his eyes, watching the transformation from start to finish with a stern expression.

“... nnhgaa…”

A human sound broke the silence as the brightness faded out, revealing a full-grown person in the lake replacing the little bird, back turned to the fox. He hugged himself, shaking his slightly wet raven-colored tousled hair and bouncing for a moment before taking control of his own legs again.

“Hello, Mika-kun.” 

The fox smiled softly, approaching the boy and covering his naked body with a kimono, ruffling his hair and bringing him close to himself, guiding him out of the lake and supporting his weight while he was still warming up to his own human limbs and senses again.

“... Kao-kun…” The boy whispered timidly to himself, almost to confirm once again that Kaoru was real and present, gently embracing him after a long lonely day.

“The nights are getting colder fast, hm? Well, the winter is coming close, so that’s expected…!” Kaoru casually commented, waiting for Mika to finish dressing up and return to his senses enough to smile back at him.

“.. y-yeah..! But today we got lotsa supplies… wehehe… yer amazin’, Kao-kun.” 

Despite everything, meeting Kaoru’s smile every night was a blessing he didn’t take for granted and genuinely improved his mood to keep on living.

“That’s my line, you know? You saved me right in time earlier, I couldn’t do anything all by myself! Mika-kun is my guardian angel ~ ♪”

“...nhhg! S-silly…” Mika’s pale cheeks blushed a little, pretty much to Kaoru’s delight. “Of course I was gonna protect ya from that dumb hunter…. the audacity… they really went all out, huh…”

Mika snuggled closer to Kaoru, sitting with him in front of the lake and throwing a glance at the big bag next to them. A big prize after a huge risk, but at least they could rest a little comfortable about food for winter now.

“I guess if that noble guy could trade potatoes like those, it makes sense to protect it at all costs too… but! Mika-kun’s love is stronger than that ~ ♪ Kaoru practically purred, his tail wrapping gently around Mika and providing a very welcome warmth. In all aspects, that is.

“Wheheh ~ that’s right… my love fer Kao-kun is the strongest… ~ ♪ I feel I can do anythin’ if I’m with ya… ~ well…” He looked down for a moment, his two-toned eyes losing the spark despite the smile. “Almost anythin’...”

“Hey ~” Kaoru lifted his chin, looking into his eyes with kindness. “We’ll find a way, hm? Together we’ll lift this curse… there must be a way out there.”

“... I wonder… b-but… nnggga…” Mika shook his head, frustrated for bringing the mood down when they had a limited time fully together. But he couldn’t lift up all the burdens and fears his heart was carrying together with a halved life. “Sorry, I just….”

“I know it’s frustrating, dear… don’t apologize, hm?” Kaoru hugged him closer, kissing his head and petting his hair. “I know… but I won’t lose hope, okay? We’re in this together ~”

“Nnnhh.. b-but..!!” Mika bursted out, looking up to Kaoru with a troubled expression. “What if there ain’t a way? And I’m gonna be like this forever?! And yer wastin’ yer tim-”

“Don’t.” Kaoru cupped Mika’s cheeks with both hands, smiling gently but assertive. “We talked about it, hm? Worst case scenario… I’m still not going anywhere… I don’t want to. I’m already… happier than ever, now that you’re here ~ ♪ as long as you want me, my days as a lonely kitsune are far behind.”

“Kao-kun… o-of course I want ya here..!” Mika sniffled, instantly tearing up beyond control. “S-sorry… I’m also… very happy now with yer here, I’m not ungrateful… I just… yanno…”

“I understand… I know you aren’t ungrateful or anything, you’re the sweetest, Mika-kun ~ ♪ And very brave… you have been holding it together by yourself for a long time, it’s ok to vent. It’s reasonable to feel scared…”

“... and impatient … yanno…” Mika huffed on his shoulder, hugging him tighter and taking a good sniff of the fox's pleasant smell. Always worked like magic to make him feel better. “... but yer right…. heh…. we barely started lookin’ fer real, so… the real deal just starts after the winter…”

“Yes! We still have some time to gather intel and supplies, but we can’t travel properly during the harsh winter, it’s not safe. So… let’s just focus on getting warm and comfortable ~ ♪” He nuzzled Mika’s neck, purring playful and whispering close to his ear. “I don’t mind shifting night and day to spend more time with you, too ♥”

“Ngggaaa! S-silly…!! Wehehe… ~ ♪ but if ya don’t mind… at least sometimes…” 

Mika giggled among his usual happy noises, blushing harder and feeling his worries subsiding for the time being. Kaoru always managed to help him see the bright side of life, showering him with warmth and kindness like it was easy and natural to him as breathing air.

No wonder Mika had become eager like never before to get back his days as a human. Nights weren’t enough anymore when he had someone’s hand to hold waiting for him.

“Sometimes, indeed… ~” Kaoru whispered in return, the smile never leaving his face as he closed their distance for a proper kiss like he had been waiting all day for it. It was the same for Mika, welcoming the kiss under the moon eagerly and slowly.

“Hmhm… ~ ♪” Kaoru hummed once they parted, keeping close and nuzzling their foreheads together. “Maybe this time it worked ~ ♪”

“Silly… w-we already tried a kiss many times, it’s not this kinda curse… sadly…” Mika chuckled, nuzzling him back and fully aware Kaoru would say that like every other night. As much as it could be seen as naive, the innocent hope also served as a reminder of their first kiss and promise, lifting his spirit with the certain Kaoru was there for him.

“It still doesn’t hurt to keep trying, hm? What if we need.. a thousand!!! I’m not keeping track, though ~ so it’ll be a surprise!” He winked, peeking at his lips once again before resting his head on Mika’s shoulder.

“That’s a lot of kisses… but it don’ hurt ta try, heheh ~” He closed his eyes, simmering in the tender moment with his whole heart. In a way, it was already working wonders. “And we gonna have the whole winter fer that…”

“Yes..! Our first winter together… as much as it’s a harsh season, I might be looking forward to it this year, to be honest ~ ♪”

“Ehe… I thought I was weird fer that, but… same.”

They cuddled close, looking up to the starry sky without a rush to start making dinner. The anticipation of the first winter in a long time with no room for loneliness was more than enough to tame the usual fears about the unavoidable cold season and paint the future with warmer colors.

And no curse from demons or gods could be stronger than such a feeling… So a solution absolutely had to be out there in the universe, just waiting to be found and give a complete happy ending.

“I feel… the snow this year is going to be more beautiful than ever.”