A Fox's Mission

by Brandon Varnell

  Struggling against the pain, his vision blurring out, Kevin took his hand away from his kidney and slid into a basic muay thai stance. His legs shook. His knees wobbled. He felt ready to topple at the lightest touch. But he still stood up.

  “This… fight… is not over… until I tell you it’s over…” Kevin gave Cien a bloody grin. “Now come at me again. I’ll take whatever you throw at me and dish it back to you a hundredfold!”

  “Heh.” Cien chuckled. “Well, you might be a pathetically weak human, but you’ve got guts if nothing else.” Cien raised his hands in a guard and adopted an orthodox fighting stance. “Fine, then, I’ll play around with you some more—if only to prove how wrong your way of thinking is.”

  Kevin and Cien glared at each other. A gentle breeze blew across the clearing, and several leaves flew between them. It was the unspoken signal for their battle to begin anew. They met in the center in a clash of fists.

  “What is he doing?!” Christine shrieked as Kevin reengaged in combat with Cien. “Why is he continuing this battle when he’s injured?!”

  Several feet away, Kevin stumbled backwards in a zigzag pattern, allowing him to dodge a furious assault of fist and feet from Cien. His opponent stuck to him like glue, though, leaving him completely unable to counterattack.

  “Because he’s a man,” Iris said, as if that explained all.

  “What kind of explanation is that?!” Christine switched her glare from Iris to Lilian. “You! Why aren’t you stopping this?!”

  Lilian didn’t look away from the fight. Her eyes continued moving, following the rapid engagement, which continued unabated. Kevin had managed to twist himself out of the way of Cien’s kick, but he couldn’t close the distance to launch his own attack due to his injuries.

  “I’m not about to interfere in my mate’s battles.”

  “W-wha—you’re not about to—what the hell kind of lame-ass excuse is that?!” Christine pointed at Kevin. “Look at him! He’s dead on his feet!”

  It was true. Kevin looked bad. Blood leaked from his mouth, dripping down his chin. His labored breathing showed everyone that he was suffering internal damage, as there was no way he’d be tired from a battle that hadn’t reached the five-minute mark. Even his walk was more of a drunken stumble.

  “This battle is important to Beloved,” Lilian said. “I’m not going to stop this fight.”

  Christine couldn’t believe her ears. Kevin was injured and getting his ass handed to him, but Lilian, his mate, was saying that she wouldn’t help him. She couldn’t understand it. What sort of person would watch as the man she claimed to love was hurt right before her eyes?

  “Fine,” she ground out. “If you’re not going to help him, then I will!”

  She turned and was about to march onto the battlefield—when two tails captured her in their grip.

  “W-what the hell?! Lili—”

  Words died in her throat. Lilian’s glare was fierce, fiery like her hair. Those emeralds blazed with an inner flame that smoldered and burnt Christine’s very soul. In all the time she’d known her, Christine had never seen the redhead give her that kind of look. It was frightening.

  “I am not going to let you interrupt my mate’s battle.”

  The words helped Christine regain her bluster. She glared at Lilian.

  “So, you’re just going to watch as your mate fights some pointless battle?! Do you enjoy watching Kevin suffer? Is that it? Do you like seeing him in pain?”

  “Of course, I don’t like seeing him get hurt!” Lilian’s furious outcry rendered her mute. “No one would ever enjoy seeing the person they love getting hurt like this while knowing they can stop it, least of all me!”

  “Then why are you—”

  “Because this battle is important to Kevin,” Lilian said. “Maybe this battle is pointless. Maybe there’s no reason for it. But that doesn’t matter. This fight matters to Kevin; it is important to him, and that is enough of a reason for me to make sure that neither you, nor anyone else, stops it.”

  In that moment, Christine realized something. Lilian understood Kevin better than she did. She understood Kevin’s desires and wants, his needs and feelings. Perhaps more importantly, Lilian was placing his needs above her own.

  How can I compete with that?

  Christine understood right then and there that she would probably never be able to compete with Lilian.

  Should I… give up?

  ‘If nyou give up, nyou may nyever find love again.’

  …

  Christine didn’t respond to her other half’s words. She didn’t need to. They both knew it was true. She’d been lucky enough to have that one in a billion encounter and meet someone who caused her heart to melt. The chances of it happening twice were about zero.

  “I… I understand,” Christine muttered softly. “I won’t try to stop them.”

  “Good.” Lilian nodded once and unwrapped her tails from around Christine’s body.

  Once free, Christine moved her limbs to get the circulation flowing once more. Lilian had been squeezing her pretty hard. Her muscles felt stiff.

  “Besides,” Lilian continued with a grin, “there’s another reason I can’t let you interrupt this battle.”

  Frowning, Christine glanced at Lilian out of her peripherals. “And what is that?”

  Lilian’s grin turned positively fierce. “Because Kevin isn’t going to lose.”

  It was getting easier to breathe again. Kevin wondered if this was because his body had adjusted to the pain, or if he was just going numb. He didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  Cien had learned of his style’s weakness. No longer did attacks come directly at him, but instead the environment was attacked. Kevin tracked his opponent with bloodshot eyes as Cien slammed into the ground next to him, causing the earth to shake as the area around Cien’s foot fractured. Kevin had already figured out he would do this, however, and had leapt back to put distance between them.

  Things can’t stay this way.

  Shuffling backwards, Kevin avoided the eruption of dirt that threatened to sting his eyes again. Cien, crouching low to the ground, tried to sweep Kevin’s feet out from underneath him, but he hopped over the leg and spun around to avoid the inu’s follow through.

  Cien’s punch was redirected when Kevin swatted the top of his fist. He couldn’t counter like he wanted to, though, because Cien stomped on the ground seconds later to create tremors, which threw Kevin off balance. Having already predicted this, Kevin lowered his center of gravity to keep from stumbling, but this also left him open to retaliation.

  The acrid scent of sweat hung in the air and burned Kevin’s nose as he shifted his torso to avoid Cien’s jab. His vision blurred as he reversed course, backpedaling to avoid a high kick, which was quickly followed by a heel drop that cracked the ground. Kevin felt the wind shift from the attack, blowing his hair out of his face.

  Cien was frowning. “Your movements are becoming swifter.”

  “Are they?” Kevin asked, his breathing lighter than it was before. His chest no longer ached as badly.

  “They are. Your insides should have been ground to a pulp.” Cien slammed a foot into the ground. The earth split. Kevin leapt back and avoided losing his footing. “How are you still standing?”

  A lull entered the battle. Kevin didn’t dare wipe the sweat from his forehead, as he believed doing so would be a sign of weakness.

  “Heh, I just have a durable body, I guess.”

  Cien frowned, but he shook off his hesitation and resumed the battle.

  “Ara, ara,” a familiarly placid voice called out. “What is this? Kevin-sama is battling against the mutt? Ufufufu, how interesting.”

  Kotohime walked up to the group. Lilian finally looked away from the battle to face the kimono-clad beauty. She frowned upon seeing the entourage that her maid had brought with her.

  “Woah,” Euryale mumbled as she watched Kevin fall backwards into a roll a
s Cien tried to heel drop him again. “Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen him fight in a while, but he appears to have gotten a lot stronger.”

  “That’s because Kevin trains with Kiara, Kotohime, Kirihime, and myself every single day,” Lilian said, swelling with pride. “He’s even begun training with Mack and a few other yōkai to get a feel for how others fight. When it comes to hand-to-hand, no one except for Kiara and Kotohime can beat him.”

  “Ufufufu,” Kotohime raised a hand to her mouth, hiding the curve to her lips. “I am able to defeat him easily enough, but Kevin-sama is actually more talented in martial arts than myself. I can only beat him because I use a sword and have more experience.”

  Thoe twirled a strand of pink hair between her fingers. Her eyes remained locked on the battle. “His skills have grown by leaps and bounds. I think I can see why Phoebe wants his baby batter. Any child born from him would be quite strong.”

  “D-don’t speak so crassly about Lady Phoebe!” Polydora shrieked.

  “Oh, don’t be such a prude, Poly,” Euryale said.

  “I am not a prude.” Polydora crossed her arms and glared. “I am merely respectful—unlike you.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “Your manner of speech has become awfully informal. It seems living with humans has dulled your tongue.”

  “I prefer to say that I’ve become more capable of blending in,” Euryale said nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t expect someone who’s old-fashioned like you to understand.”

  “I am not old-fashioned!” When all she received were several blank stares, Polydora looked away and blushed.

  “You guys are cruel.” Iris chuckled. “By the way, Thoe, is that hair natural?”

  Appearing more than a little confused, Thoe said, “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Oh, no reason,” Iris waved an arbitrary hand in the air.

  “Be quiet,” Christine snapped. Unlike the others, she had yet to take her eyes off the battle. “I’m trying to watch the fight.”

  “Kevin is about to do something awesome,” Lilian added.

  “What are you—oh!” Iris’s eyes widened.

  “Oh, my!” Euryale, Thoe, and the other yama uba also looked quite shocked.

  “Ara, ara.” Kotohime just hid her amused smile behind her kimono’s sleeve.

  Kevin had finally figured it out: Cien’s weakness.

  Leaping backwards, Kevin avoided the tremors released by Cien punching the ground. As he landed on his feet, he leaned down and, feeling the cool rock against his palms, grabbed it and chucked it at Cien’s head. It missed when the inu dodged, but Kevin had expected it to.

  Feeling his leg muscles bunching beneath his skin, Kevin threw himself into an all-out sprint. Cien saw him coming. Kevin saw his opponent’s eyes widen. Cien’s body moved out of inbred instincts. The punch he threw was straight and perfect, showing how honed his battle instincts were. Kevin outmaneuvered him.

  He fell backwards, onto his knees, and slid underneath Cien, who stumbled forward in surprise. Ignoring the pain of his knees scraping against dirt and twigs, Kevin leapt back onto his feet, spun around, and made a hand sign with his fingers.

  “Natsumo’s Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!”

  Poke.

  A moment of silence passed in the clearing. Everyone stared at the scene with uncomprehending eyes, as if they were looking at an unfathomable creature of entropy, a horror beyond time, dimension, and space.

  Cien turned his head and looked down at Kevin. His eyes were blank.

  “What are you doing?” he asked in a calm voice.

  “Uh…” Kevin thought fast. “Poking you in the butt?”

  “I can see that.” A vein throbbed on Cien’s forehead. “Why are you poking me in the butt?”

  “It worked in Natsumo Shinobi,” Kevin mumbled.

  “This isn’t an anime!” Cien barked.

  “You should have used a Gomu Gomu attack, Beloved!”

  “I don’t have tails!” Kevin snapped before looking back at the butt he was poking. Now that he thought about it, he really should have expected this to not work. “Next time I use this attack, I’m going to use my guns instead,” he declared.

  “I’m going to kill you now,” Cien said calmly. “It is going to be slow, and it is going to be painful.”

  Kevin leapt to his feet and raised his hands in a peaceable gesture. “Easy there. Let’s not make any hasty decisions. It was a viable attack move.” When Cien gave him a flat stare, Kevin felt a drop of sweat trickle down his neck. “Okay, it would have been a viable attack if this was an anime. You can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”

  “Time to die.”

  “Wha—WHOA!”

  Kevin leapt out of the way as Cien tried to steamroll him over. He turned his head and saw the inu leap into the air, twist around, and blast off a tree, bark exploding where the inu’s feet struck.

  The air whistled as Kevin threw himself to the ground. An explosion rocked the earth as he scrambled to his feet. The scent of dirt clawed at his nose. His hair billowed in his face as a gust of air slammed into him, blasting away the dirt and revealing the physical metamorphosis that Cien had undergone.

  “Wh-what just happened?” a shocked Euryale asked.

  “Something stupid, that’s what happened,” Iris said as Christine facepalmed.

  “No, I’m not talking about what Kevin did.” The yama uba pointed at Cien. “I’m talking about the inu. What happened to him?”

  Cien had changed. No longer did he appear like a human with animal parts. He no longer appeared remotely close to human. His bipedal body was covered in thick fur the same silver as his hair. Powerful arms and muscular legs sheathed in silver strands rippled with every movement. A muzzle, large and filled to the brim with saw-like teeth, jutted from a canine cranium. Protruding behind Cien, a bushy tail wagged back and forth with a mind of its own.

  “That’s his full yōkai form,” Lilian said. “Inu have four forms: Human, hybrid, animal, and yōkai. It’s something that is unique to their species, and it grants them an incredible boost in power at the cost of taking away their rationality.”

  “Well put, Lilian-sama,” Kotohime congratulated.

  “So, that dog guy is basically loads more powerful than before?” Thoe’s hair twirling sped up. “Doesn’t that mean Kevin’s in trouble?”

  “Naw,” Iris answered this time. “In fact, I’d say that by becoming more powerful, Mutt Boy is the one in trouble.”

  When she received nothing but strange looks from the others, Lilian gave them a mysterious smile and said, “Just keep watching, and you’ll see what she means.”

  This is it.

  Kevin took a deep breath, centering himself. He shifted on his feet, adopting a lighter stance. His hands remained loose at his sides. There would only be one chance for him to defeat Cien, just a single shot, and he needed to make it count.

  He’s going to come at me to kill.

  Having been trained extensively by Kiara and taught by Kotohime, Kevin knew a lot about yōkai, kitsune and inu in particular. While he’d never seen Kiara go into her full-yōkai form, he knew plenty about it. It gave them incredible strength at the cost of taking away their ability to think logically. They became nothing but mindless killing machines, and they wouldn’t stop until they were either beaten unconscious or killed.

  Cien turned around. Eyes hazed over with bloodlust stared at him from beneath a thick brow ridge.

  Here he comes.

  A bark that was more akin to a roar shattered the atmosphere. Cien barreled toward him like a mad pit bull, his arm poised to slice Kevin to ribbons. The claws came down.

  Kevin moved.

  It happened in the split second before Cien’s claws sank into the loamy earth—Kevin shifted to the left, dodging the attack by a hair's breath, then he leapt onto the extended arm and used it as a springboard. He flipped around like an acrobat and landed on the inu’s shoulders. Reachi
ng out with his hands, Kevin felt the bristly fur of Cien’s ears within his grasp. He gripped them fiercely and, using the muscles in his arms and legs, yanked, hard.

  The reaction was instantaneous.

  Yelping like a wounded pup, Cien stumbled forward, tripping over his own two feet and slamming chin first into the ground. Another yelp, louder this time, echoed across the clearing, as Cien skid along the ground with Kevin riding on his shoulders.

  Dust kicked up around them, obscuring Kevin’s vision. The ride became bumpy as Cien continued skidding across the ground. Bumps jostled him and threatened to make Kevin lose his grip. He kept his hands firmly clenching Cien’s ears, literally digging his fingernails into the inu’s skin.

  When they came to a stop, Kevin rammed his knee into Cien’s spinal column, earning another yelp, followed swiftly by a pained whine.

  “Stay.”

  Cien whined some more and shifted underneath him as though to get up, but Kevin jabbed his knee into Cien’s neck and yanked on the ears again. The yelp was louder this time.

  “I said stay!”

  Cien stilled.

  “Don’t move.”

  Kevin climbed off Cien’s shoulders and moved around until he stood in front of the dog yōkai. Cien didn’t move, but his eyes followed Kevin.

  Cien growled as Kevin squatted down, but he was having none of that, and he swatted Cien on the muzzle.

  “Don’t growl at me.”

  Cien whimpered.

  “Good.” Kevin patted him on the nose. “You know this means you lost, right?”

  Cien didn’t say anything, but that was probably because he couldn’t say anything. His mind, degraded from being trapped within his full-yōkai form, lacked the necessary logical thought process to comprehend and reproduce words. His lack of proper larynx only compounded this problem.

  Heaving a deep sigh, Kevin stood warily to his feet. With the adrenaline leaving his body, he could feel the aches and pains that he’d previously recieved. His torso felt particularly nasty. While he was sure it was his imagination, Kevin could’ve sworn his insides made a wet squelching sound every time he moved. There was definitely some internal bleeding there.