A Fox's Mission

by Brandon Varnell

  She pressed her hand against the barrier, scowling when it shocked her. While it wasn’t designed with the idea of keeping people locked inside in mind, it certainly did a good job of stopping her from leaving.

  How can I save My Lady Phoebe when I’m locked in here like a rat in a cage?

  “Polydora!”

  She would have pondered this question further, but a figure ran up to her from behind, calling out her name. Of course that person had to be Kevin.

  “What do you want?” She scowled at the young man. “Come to beg for an apology? You’re wasting your time if that’s the case. I shan’t give you one.”

  “I didn’t come here for an apology,” Kevin said.

  “Then why have you followed me?”

  “I came here to bring you back. You’re still injured. You need to rest, or you won’t be of any help tomorrow when we finally go to rescue Phoebe.”

  “That’s My Lady Phoebe,” Polydora said, glaring. “And I won’t be going back with you.”

  “You can’t leave anyway. The barrier will keep you from leaving unless you know how to open it. From what I understand, only Christine and Orin can do that.”

  “That’s not true,” Polydora murmured, an idea striking her mind like a bolt of lightning. “You can also let me out with that hand of yours.”

  Kevin’s hand possessed the unique ability to dispel barriers, or so she’d been told. Phoebe had once mentioned it to her, about how Kevin could dispel any barrier provided it was made from youki. That ability made Kevin all the more appealing to Phoebe.

  Kevin froze.

  “You would have me break down a barrier that’s protecting over a hundred yōkai?”

  “They have Sir Orin,” Polydora defended. “Surely, these people will be fine until a new barrier can be erected. My Lady Phoebe has been in enemy hands for several days already. If they have not already disposed of her, then they have most certainly spent all this time torturing her for information.”

  “Even Orin wouldn’t survive if an army of Yōkai Killers descended upon this place,” Kevin said.

  Yōkai Killer was the name given to the YK series robotic battle androids. They were specifically made to exterminate yōkai. While someone like Orin might survive if an entire armada descended upon this place, it was all but guaranteed that no one else would.

  “Are you saying that these people are more important than My Lady Phoebe?” Polydora asked, her voice a dangerous growl, as if Kevin’s answer would determine whether he lived or died.

  But Kevin was more than willing to return fire. “Are you saying Phoebe would be pleased if you put her life above these people? Do you think she would be happy if these people died because you decided to go off half-cocked and tried to rescue her?! She wouldn’t! She would—”

  “I KNOW THAT!” Polydora’s scream cut him off. “I know that she wouldn’t be happy! That she would be upset at me! But I…” Tears burned her eyes, running down her cheeks. “I don’t care! I don’t care if she hates me for it!”

  Kevin stumbled backwards, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

  “You don’t understand how I feel! Lady Phoebe means everything to me! She’s more important to me than anyone else!” Polydora thought about wiping her eyes, but she didn’t. What did she care if this human saw her when she was at her most vulnerable? “Even if My Lady Phoebe ends up hating me, for her I would endure it.”

  Within that second, Polydora made up her mind. This boy, Kevin, had the ability to dispel barriers. She didn’t know how a human had come to acquire such an ability, but she really didn’t care. All she cared about was what it could do for her.

  “Open the barrier.”

  Kevin frowned at her. “No.”

  “Open the barrier before I hurt you!”

  “Not. Gonna. Happen.”

  This boy would never do as she said, Polydora realized. If she wanted this barrier to go down, then force would be required.

  She slid her feet into a wider stance, shoulder width apart, with her knees bent. She might not have her spear with her, but she knew how to fight barehanded. Raising her arms, she adopted an orthodox fighting stance.

  Kevin’s frown deepened. “Do you really intend to fight me?”

  “Yes. If I must fight you to get what I want, then that is exactly what I intend to do.”

  Polydora stiffened as the atmosphere suddenly changed. She couldn’t put it into words, but it felt like the very air itself had become charged with… something indefinable, a sort of tension that made the hair on her arm rise.

  Kevin shifted, his stance becoming looser, more relaxed. Polydora had seen it before. This was his combat stance, though how he could fight so well, and against creatures so much stronger than him, with such a relaxed stance was beyond her.

  The air became still. Polydora put most of her weight on her back foot, preparing to attack. One second passed. She took a deep breath. Then, without warning, she exploded into action. Imprints of her feet were left in the ground as she closed the distance between herself and Kevin.

  He’s wide open!

  His posture was lazy, his stance loose. There was a massive hole in his left flank, which she didn’t hesitate to take advantage of. Driven by instincts, her body moved, left leg rising to lash out in a fearsome kick. This attack would surely knock the wind right out of Kevin.

  It did not.

  What?!

  Polydora didn’t know what happened. One second, she was aiming for a hole in Kevin’s defense. The next her foot was being sent into the ground as Kevin slammed an open palm onto the top of her leg and hopped over it.

  She stumbled but quickly righted herself. Leaping back to put some distance between them, Polydora studied Kevin, whose stance remained insultingly lazy.

  How did he do that?

  Frowning, Polydora went back in, but she acted more cautiously this time. She observed her foe carefully, studying his stance, determining how best to attack. For his part, Kevin remained in place. He watched her like a cornered lion.

  The floating ribs on his right are completely exposed!

  Without even thinking about it, Polydora attacked, swift and sure, her fist moving in a blurred corkscrew as she rotated her entire torso. She put all her weight into this attack. There was no way Kevin could avoid this.

  He did. Moving the moment she attacked, maybe even before she attacked, Kevin danced around her punch, stepping into her guard at the same time, until his back was presented to her front. Then he grabbed her still outstretched forearm and, after stepping into her insole to trip her up, flipped her body around as though she was a feather.

  Polydora’s eyes widened as air rushed past her on all sides. She hit the ground seconds later, her back squealing in protest and her lungs quickly becoming deprived of oxygen.

  W-what was… that?

  Groaning, Polydora rolled until she was on her stomach, then pushed herself to her feet. Her lungs ached, and the scent of dirt filled her nose, telling her that she’d gotten dirt in her hair.

  How did he do that?

  Kevin remained standing there. His face was expressionless, as if chiseled from stone. His stance was still loose.

  He’s mocking me!

  Snarling, Polydora lost what little composure remained and attacked again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Yet no matter how many times she attacked him, each time ended the same way—her lying on the ground and him standing above her. A punch to the solar plexus was diverted. She received a rabbit punch to the throat for her troubles. Kicking high, she aimed for his head, but only hit air as Kevin ducked beneath her, grabbed her leg, and used her own momentum to slam her into the ground.

  Why…?

  Standing back up, she charged at him again, but all her fists hit were air, as Kevin wove around her attacks like he had precognition.

  Why can’t I…?

  She threw a punch. Pain erupted in her chest as Kevin redirected her arm and elbowed her in the solar plexus.
She staggered but quickly regained her bearings and launched a kick at Kevin’s shin. He jumped over it, landed on his feet, then tried to sweep her legs out from underneath her. Polydora leapt into the air, attempting to mimic Kevin, but he seemed to have accounted for this. Halfway through his initial sweep, he lifted up his legs and thrust them at her. Agony exploded in her chest as she was sent flying, hitting the ground hard and skidding across it for several feet.

  Polydora lay on her back, staring up at the dome, unable to move. Sweat covered her body, causing her clothes to cling to her skin. The scent of dirt and salt hung thick in the air, pervading her nose and making her choke. She tasted blood on her lips. Her tongue stung. Polydora realized that she must have bitten it when she fell. Heavy gasps heaved their way out of her throat. She tried to get up, but the most she managed to do was twitch her left arm. She was spent.

  A figure appeared above her. Kevin, eyes glinting like diamonds, stared down at her with an infuriatingly calm expression.

  “Why… why can’t I beat you? Why won’t you let me go rescue My Lady Phoebe?”

  “I’ll answer those in order. You can’t beat me because your head’s not on straight. Kiara always told me that the moment a warrior loses their cool in battle is the moment they’ve lost. As for why I’m not letting you go rescue Phoebe… the answer to that question is even more obvious.” Kevin paused as if waiting for her to answer. When she didn’t, he sighed. “It’s because you’d fail.”

  A little bit of fight came back to Polydora’s eyes. “How do you know I would fail? Who's to say I couldn’t rescue My Lady Phoebe?”

  “And how would you go about rescuing her? Even on the off chance that you could infiltrate the Yamata Alliance’s prison, which I’m told is on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan, you’d never be able to escape from there, not while having to protect both yourself and Phoebe.”

  “The only reason you can say that is because Lilian’s not the one who needs to be rescued,” Polydora said bitterly. “If it were her, you’d be—”

  “I would not!”

  Polydora’s eyes widened as a fist whizzed by her head, slamming into the dirt. Kevin’s vibrant blue eyes glared down at her as he straddled her waist, his lips peeled back in a feral snarl reminiscent of Kiara.

  “You don’t get it, do you?! Even if Lilian was the one who’d been kidnapped, I wouldn’t run off on my own because I know that doing so is suicide! I’d never even get close to Lilian before they killed me! And who would rescue Lilian, then? You can’t save anyone if you’re dead!”

  Kevin grabbed Polydora by the shirt and hauled her up until their noses were touching. From this close, she was finally able to see the rage in his blue eyes. Seeing that anger directed at her sent a chill down her spine.

  He continued talking, heedless of what she’d seen in his eyes. “Furthermore, I find it insulting that you would even dare to suggest that I don’t want to rescue Phoebe! Even if I’m not willing to give her children, she is still one of my cherished friends! I would risk life and limb for any one of them, including her!”

  Staring into his eyes, at his visage, which appeared almost inhuman, Polydora found herself utterly stunned. She could tell from his tone that Kevin really meant what he said.

  “And you…” The expression relaxed, morphing from outrage to a wan, tired smile. “You need to relax. I know it’s hard to stay still when someone you love is in danger, believe me, but acting recklessly like this isn’t going to rescue Phoebe. We need to wait until Kotohime arrives with back up. Until then, all we can do is go on as we always have and pray that Phoebe is all right.”

  “I… I know that,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “But I… I can’t help it. I’ve known My Lady Phoebe for my entire life. She’s not just my leader, she’s my best friend, and my half-sister. I love her so much. Knowing that she’s in danger while I’m stuck here is… I can’t stand it.”

  “If you could stand it, then I would question your feelings for her. Now, then, come on. Let’s go back. Kotohime is arriving tomorrow, and I need you to be at full strength for when we rescue Phoebe.”

  Kevin released his grip on Polydora who, unable to gather any strength, fell forward into his chest, where her tears continued to fall. Kevin tried to cajole her into standing up, but she had no strength left. He sighed. Arms slid under her knees and around her torso. With a grunt, Kevin stood up, carrying Polydora, who continued crying into his chest.

  I’m sorry, My Lady Phoebe. I almost made a terrible mistake. She gritted her teeth and struggled against the deluge of emotions bombarding her. I am so sorry. Her breathing evened. Her eyes slid shut. The last thing Polydora felt as darkness engulfed her was warmth.

  Lilian sat in bed alone. Iris had gone off somewhere, and Kevin was still dealing with Polydora. Iris would probably be gone for a while, but she imagined Kevin would arrive in a few minutes. The only question was: would Polydora be walking under her own power, or would Kevin be forced to carry her?

  That question was answered when, five minutes later, Kevin came in carrying an either exhausted or unconscious Polydora like a newlywed bride.

  “Could you help me get her in bed?” he asked.

  “Sure thing.”

  Lilian climbed off her futon and walked over to the futon where Polydora slept. She used her tails to pull back the futon’s covers, allowing Kevin to set the yama uba down. Polydora’s eyes were closed, and her breathing was even, but Lilian noticed the red rims around her eyelids. She must have been crying.

  “Is she awake?” she asked softly.

  “I don’t think so,” Kevin answered, looking down at Polydora. “She nodded off about halfway here.”

  “She could be faking it.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt it. She was pretty exhausted.”

  Lilian studied Polydora again. She didn’t seem to have any injuries—certainly, there were no major wounds visible. Knowing Kevin, he probably fought defensively, allowing the woman to exhaust herself and only attacking occasionally to prove a point.

  “Anyway, we should let her rest for now,” he said. “She’s been through a lot, and she’ll need to be in top form if she wants to help us rescue Phoebe.”

  Lilian stood up and held out her hand for Kevin to grab. After he’d stripped down to his boxers, she led him over to their futon, where they both lay down, resting within each other’s arms.

  “Do we know what time Kotohime is going to arrive?” Lilian asked.

  He shook his head. “No, but I imagine it will be early next morning. You and I can get up before everyone else and head over to town. We’re supposed to meet her at the Nelsonville train station.”

  “M’kay.” Lilian nuzzled her head into his chest and sighed. The scent of her mate was lulling her to sleep.

  “Where’s Iris?” he asked.

  “Un, she went off somewhere. I think she followed Christine.”

  “Christine…”

  “Beloved?”

  “Do you think she still likes me?” Lilian lifted her head to stare at him. “I mean as more than just a friend,” he clarified.

  “Would it bother you if she did?” The way Kevin squirmed told Lilian all she needed to know. Sighing, she placed her head against his chest again. “Yes, Christine still likes you—or at least, I suspect she still likes you.”

  Kevin was silent for a moment. Lilian knew he was thinking.

  “Lindsay’s going to be sad.”

  Their friend, Lindsay, had a major crush on Christine. The blond tomboy would often worry herself into a tizzy about the yuki-onna. The number of times Lindsay brought Christine up in conversation exceeded the number of times Lilian had wandered around Kevin’s apartment naked when they first met—an impressive feat, to be sure.

  “There isn’t much we can do about Lindsay’s feelings for Christine,” Lilian continued. “Interfering in their relationship would likely end in disaster. You can’t change how you feel about someone. You can’t change who you love.�
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  “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Kevin mused. “Aren’t you upset that Christine still likes me?”

  “Not really. Just like Lindsay can’t help loving Christine, I supposed Christine can’t help but love you.” Lilian could feel herself sinking deeper into Kevin’s warmth. His scent surrounded her, soothing her. “It’s not like I don’t understand how she feels either, so I’d be a hypocrite if I got upset over it.”

  Kevin played with her hair, twirling several stands between his fingers. “What should I do?”

  “You shouldn’t do anything for now. This isn’t something that you should be worrying about before a mission, right? B-besides…” Lilian yawned and pulled her body even closer to Kevin. “… I really like Christine. I wouldn’t… mind… if… she… hawa…”

  “Lilian?” Kevin asked when she trailed off.

  Lilian didn’t respond. She was already asleep.

  Christine shivered as she sat on a log, the cool night air blanketing her like a frosty sheet of ice. Her body was demanding that she go inside, where it was warm and comfortable, but her mind didn’t want to leave. So, even though she was cold, the chill seeping into her bones, she remained outside, staring up at the stars.

  I can’t believe how much has happened today.

  Not just today. Ever since Kevin, Lilian, and Iris had arrived, it had been one event after another. If she didn’t know any better, Christine would almost say that trouble followed those three everywhere.

  ‘It probably does follow them, nya.’

  What’s more, she’d been caught up in that trouble. Remembering how she and Lilian had battled against that tsuchigumo made her shiver.

  Still, I proved useful to them.

  ‘That nyou did.’

  That was why she’d sought out Orin in the first place. She wanted to become stronger—strong enough that she wouldn’t burden her friends.

  I’m glad I could prove useful now, but…

  But now she was faced with another problem, one that she had fooled herself into thinking she’d overcome already. She should have realized this problem wouldn’t be that simple to get rid of, but Christine thought that if she just tried hard enough, if she accepted and supported those two, then her own feelings would vanish.