FSE

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Chapter 5:

A trusting place

Kyoshi felt a soft breeze on his fur and a wet object on his head. He took several seconds to process the information, then remembered what happen and where he was. He immediately got up and felt the pain of his head and body. After a small grin of pain and a wet towel falling on the floor, Kyoshi looked around to search for Taz. He remembered that, when he got shot with the tranquilizer dart, some kind of big monster appeared. But it was protecting him, so he guessed it a hallucination, and that it was only Taz who had rescued him. A short distance in front of him lay someone on the ground next to a bucket of water and a wet towel on his head. He moved forward to see who it was.

"Taz!" Kyoshi tried touching him, hoping he would open his eyes. He tried again when the fox didn't answer.

"Umm... I'm sure your friend is fine, dear god," said a masculine voice from behind him.

Kyoshi looked around and saw two persons bowing in a Japanese way of great formality, as if Kyoshi were a god. Kyoshi's instinct was to move closer to Taz, to protect him. He didn't say anything for a long moment. Neither, he noticed, did the two bowing persons. After looking at them for a while, Kyoshi thought that they could be an old couple, living together somewhere away from other people. That was the best deduction he made and, as he would soon discover, he was right. The old couple dared to look up slowly, to see if he and Taz were still present. After being looked at many times, Kyoshi decided it wasn't good if they stayed here. Kyoshi turned to Taz and carried him in his arms. At first he had difficulties getting up, but then he was able to find his energy. He stood and turned to the couple and bowed his head slightly.

"Sorry to have disturbed you. We will be leaving now," Kyoshi said trying to be polite, even though his mind was full of thoughts.

"You do not disturb us. We humbly suggest you to stay at our small house, one we keep for friends and family, while you honored guests take time to restore yourselves. It is clear that you are both exhausted, and it would be dishonorable to let you go into the forest in such a state." The woman spoke softly, with respect and reverence. She clearly hoped that Kyoshi would accept.

"Thank you very much, but..." Kyoshi said gently, not wanting to bring any trouble to this old couple.

"We are in the middle of the forest," the wife continued. "There is rarely anyone coming here, only friends and family. But they haven't come for years, so you shouldn't worry about anyone else knowing about you. And please, Honored One, how far are you going to be able to carry him to the forest? And what will you do after getting out of the forest?"

The husband stood, took a step forward, and bowed slightly to Kyoshi. "Please excuse my wife. We don't mean any harm to you or your friend. We are just worried about you. And I think she is right. You should stay here. We have water and food. And we also have a phone if you need to contact someone."

His wife spoke softly to her husband. "I don't think gods have phones."

"It is not something we know," he whispered to her, then turned back to Kyoshi. "Now, Honored One, please follow us. Do not worry. If we had wanted to harm you, we would have already done it; this, you must know."

"We didn't want to do anything until one of you woke up," the wife tried. "That is why we just placed the damp towels on your heads. We hoped that they would help you."

After considering this, Kyoshi bowed slightly in agreement, and started to move toward the couple. Both of them approached him, cautiously, to help him carry Taz, but Kyoshi immediately moved back and growled at them. It was, perhaps, impolite, but Kyoshi was not in a mind to trust too quickly. The old couple understood, and the woman led the way to the place behind the temple. As for the husband, he took care of taking the cards of Hanafuda back to its box (he and his wife had been playing the game to distract themselves while the gods slept) and took the towels from the floor. Kyoshi asked himself how long he was asleep, but was afraid to ask aloud.

"Any location yet?" the leader asked.

"Tom, stop stressing me," the woman said, a bit annoyed. "You aren't going to get an answer if you keep asking every ten seconds."

"I'm sorry." Tom moved back.

"We got something, but it's an undeveloped area. Too much ground cover. We can't know the exact location."

"How big is the area?"

"Very big; your team isn't large enough to cover all of it. We won't get much use from the helicopters, either; bad weather won't let us see a thing. You'll have to wait until the morning. Assemble your team nearby. Proximity to the area may help us get a stronger signal."

"Then tomorrow it is. Thank you for your advice. I think it's a good plan."

"Good luck, Tom."

Tom was already away.

Kyoshi followed the old woman without speaking. His exhaustion was making him not think straight. After a few steps behind the temple, they reached out a small house. It was one old-style Japanese room. The women took off her shoes and ran inside to a closet. She took out a futon that she brought back into the corner of the room and installed on the ground for Taz.

"You can put him down here. And don't worry about your feet. I will clean the floor later."

Kyoshi entered and lay Taz down the futon. First taking out the sheets to cover the fox, the old woman then retrieved a bucket of wet towels. She took a damp towel from the bucket and placed it carefully on Taz's forehead. The fox seemed to smile a bit, but still, he barely moved. Kyoshi knelt next to Taz and kissed him tenderly on the side of his muzzle, then stood and walked out of the room to avoid making things dirtier, moving to stand on the wooden slats some 20 centimeters above the floor. The old couple welcomed Kyoshi and showed him the locations of different things he might need during his stay.

"You can make a phone call, if you want," the women said, bowing slightly. "And I hope your friend will feel better."

Kyoshi bowed lower than before. He was bowing like both were doing when they first met. "Please accept my apologies for my poor attitude. A lot of things have been happening, and I didn't know what to do. Thank you very much, ma'am, to let us sleep here tonight."

"No need to thank me. Thank my husband. He is the one who wanted to help; I was just the one to execute his thought." The wife smiled at her husband, who looked somewhere else like it wasn't true.

"I thank you, both of you, for your generosity and hospitality. And before you go," Kyoshi began, not sure how much to tell them. "We aren't gods. We were once humans, and we were turned into these animal forms. Complicated story."

Both husband and wife nodded. "We were not sure," the woman said, smiling. "But it is good to welcome the stranger. Don't worry; you don't need to explain it to us now. Rest. We will bring food in the morning. If there is anything you need, please come to the main house. We are glad to help you."

Again, the old couple bowed respectfully, then left the separate building to return to their nearby house. Kyoshi smelled the air and noticed that it was more humid. It would rain soon, perhaps for the whole night. He turned to check on Tax, but the fox seemed still to be asleep. Kyoshi then prepared himself some tea, returning to sit near the door to watch the rain falling, getting heavier every minute.

"Ky...Kyoshi..." Taz mumbled in his sleep.

The Polar bear looked back sharply at the sound. He rose quickly and moved next to Taz, who seemed very agitated. He sat next to his love and touched his face tenderly.

"Its fine, Taz. We're safe. Do not worry," Kyoshi said several times, to make sure the fox heard him. After a time, Taz calmed down and was able sleep peacefully. Kyoshi brushed his finger against the fox's muzzle one last time, then returned to sit by the doorway, to watch the rain and to think.

The birds were singing all around the house. Taz sat up slowly, keeping one sheet on him to cover his body. After carefully placing the sheet modestly, Taz tried to remember what had happened. Nothing was coming back in his mind; everything was blurry. After trying hard to remember something, anything, he finally let go of the thought and brought himself back to his current situation. He enjoyed the freshness of where he was (feels like the forest, he thought). After a short time of enjoying himself, he suddenly remembered Kyoshi and looked around for him. Ah, there -- he was asleep on the side of the house. Taz had to smile a little: The Polar bear had fallen asleep where he was sitting. He must have been really tired, to fall asleep sitting up, he thought.

Standing up and looking around, still keeping the sheet around him, Taz saw a beautiful kimono at the back of the room, neatly folded on a low wooden box. Before he could notice more, he heard a sound, like someone coming toward the house. He scooted back on the futon, looked around anxiously for something to protect himself with.

"Good morning." The voice belonged to an old woman, who smiled at him.

Taz felt no danger from her; she seemed nice, caring. He calmed himself down and answered back. "Good morning."

"Fully recovered?" she asked.

Taz looked himself over, tested some walking and light jumping. "A little sore, still," he said, "but I'll be fine."

"Glad to hear it. Do you want something to eat?" the woman asked.

"Oh, yes, please. I haven't eaten for a full day. I'm starving," Taz confessed.

"Okay. I'm sure your boyfriend is hungry, too," the women smiled.

"You... know?" Taz asked, surprised.

"I'm very good at spotting those things." She seemed to blush a little, still friendly. "Anyway... just wait. I will bring everything."

The old woman left, and Taz was amused to see that Kyoshi had slept through their conversation. His heart was full as he looked at his lover, and he decided that he should be left to sleep until the meal arrived.

After several minutes, the old woman came back with her husband behind her, both carrying large amounts of food. Taz bowed respectfully, greeting them both; the husband bowed in return. Kyoshi woke sharply with the sounds of the plates being set down. He got quickly to his hindpaws, looked around, and finally saw Taz and the couple preparing the "Brunch".

"Good morning," the old woman greeted the Polar bear. "I prepared a lot of food. Your boyfriend tells us that you didn't eat for a full day. You should have asked me to get you some food."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't... very hungry." It wasn't completely a lie; Kyoshi was far too rattled, when he awoke, to remember that he hadn't eaten for so long.

"Are you okay?" Taz asked.

"Yes." He said it to reassure Taz, but the fox and the women knew it for what it was.

"Oh!" Taz exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. "Please forgive my rudeness, but I still don't know your names. I'm sorry to say that I don't even remember how we got here."

"It is no rudeness," the old woman smiled. "You came to us, hurt and tired, and there was it was no moment for introductions. I am Okawa Yoshimatsu." She bowed. Both Kyoshi and Taz returned it.

"And I'm Kido Yoshimatsu," the old man said, also bowing. "We are glad to meet you."

"This is Taz," the Polar bear offered, "and I am Kyoshi Oushima. We are glad to meet you, too, and thank you for your kindness."

Formalities aside, they all looked at each other, happy to have met. Taz, however, couldn't keep from staring at the food that was in front of them.

"Oh," Okawa chuckled softly. "Now we are being rude! Sorry; please, eat! You two are starving."

Both started taking things in their plates and served themselves a bowl of rice. Kyoshi was too hungry to realize, at first, that the "brunch" was mostly silent.

"Everything ready, boys?" Tom asked.

"YES SIR!"

"Then, let's go. We have a one-hour ride from here. Upon arriving, you will stand ready until I tell you when to equip yourselves, understood?"

"YES SIR!"

"Okay, then, let's go!"

The crew under Tom's command scrambled into the transport truck, which would follow the commander's leading car to their target location. Tom had made his plan and now had to see it through. The forested area was huge, but he still hoped that, by getting nearer, the tracking instruments might get something. He settled himself in as best he could; the ride would not be an easy one.

After he had eaten enough to remember his manners, Kyoshi began to explain more about what had happened. The old couple seemed disturbed, not because of his and Taz's animal forms, but because the two clearly had been attacked. Their hosts were more than sympathetic. "It is not right, someone trying to take you down like wild animals."

With a start, the Polar bear felt his side, realizing that, although the muscle was still sore, the dart was no longer there.

"Oh!" said Kido. "Do not worry. We took it from you carefully, and I applied some antiseptic to the wound. We also put the dart in there." She nodded across the room toward what looked like a metal box. "We understand that such darts may have - what is it called, 'homing device'? - Something to track where you are. We thought perhaps it might not work if we put the dart into the metal box."

"To jam the transmitter frequency," Taz nodded. He knew what every young male brought up with spy movies knew. "That was a very good idea. Thank you, Kido!" It might not work completely, but at least Taz felt that he didn't need to worry about being attacked at any moment now.

"I'm going to take up your offer to make a phone call. Excuse me," Kyoshi said getting up. He moved to the corner of the house where the phone was, put in a number, and waited. Taz, in the meantime, was looking at himself, still wearing the bed sheet to cover himself.

"Um..." he said, shyly. "I'm sorry to ask, but do you have, um... anything that I could wear?" Taz asked shyly.

"Well," Kido considered, "we don't--"

"What are you saying?" Okawa said. "Of course we have! Please wait here; I will get them. And my dear," she said to her husband, "don't you have something to bring to the man here?"

"Oh! Yes," he remembered.

Both stood, bowed again, and went away. Taz kept eating. He overheard Kyoshi speaking; the person on the other end of the phone must have answered. The fox couldn't hear who it was, or what that person was saying, but was aware that what Kyoshi was saying didn't make sense to the situation.

"Sorry we were cut out. What was I saying? OH YES. I love pineapples. Oh sh** wrong number!"

Kyoshi hung up quickly and turned back to Taz. "Okay, that's done." The Polar bear returned to the table and took up eating again.

"Who was it?" Taz asked.

Kyoshi didn't answer. Taz had to wonder if his lover was out of his mind.

The old couple came back with a smile. "Taz?" Okawa asked politely. "We have the clothing you need. If you will please come with me, my husband will see to Kyoshi."

"Okay, yes. Thank you." Taz got up and followed Okawa to the back room. He kept looking back at Kyoshi, not understanding why he didn't talk to him. Was something wrong? Kido sat next to the Polar bear with a bottle of strong alcohol. It really looked like Taz was having a "woman time" and Kyoshi a "man time."

When Taz and Okawa reached the back of the room, Okawa put up another sheet on a rope that was attached to two walls, making a private corner for the fox to change in. He didn't really care; unless he was aroused, everything humans might consider "naughty" was covered in fur. He removed the sheet that was wrapped around him, hoping he would see the clothing that Okawa had brought for him. Instead, he was surprised to see that she was looking behind him, then up to his face. She turned and took up the kimono that lay folded atop the wooden box in the corner.

"Did you ever wear a kimono before?" she asked

"I, um... no," Taz said, confused.

She took the kimono off of the wooden box and prepared everything and began to prepare it for being worn. It slowly dawned on Taz that he was expected to wear that Kimono.

"Wait... WHAT?!" Taz said, shocked and moving back a bit. "I can't wear that! It must have cost you a lot of money? No, can't accept such a gift; I'd prefer to walk outside with just the sheet!"

In truth, he didn't want to go outside just wrapped in a sheet. However, if was unthinkable to him to go out with that beautiful Kimono either. It was clearly expensive, and it would be damaged if it were worn on a walk in the forest.

"Yes," Okawa said firmly. "You are going to wear that. Do you not want it because you don't like wearing a kimono, or that you dislike the color?" Her voice clearly shows that she worried that Taz didn't want it for some other reason.

"Oh, no, ma'am. The kimono is beautiful, and it would go--" Taz stopped, knowing he was about to say it would look well on him.

The old woman smiled. "It would look perfect on you. That is why I wanted to give it to you. Nobody uses it anymore, and I was sad that I couldn't give it to somebody who was worthy of it." Rather boldly, she patted his furry chest softly, with grandmotherly affection. "I'm sure you are worthy, Taz."

Taz shyly smiled. Okawa stopped, again glancing at Taz's body.

"Tell me, Taz. Do you know what you are?"

"Well..." Taz said, looking down at himself. "A fox?" Taz wasn't sure if she were joking, or that she really didn't know what a fox was.

"I am sorry to disagree with you, Taz, but I think you are actually a Kitsune."

"A Kitsune?" Taz said, surprised. "That's not possible. Such beings don't exist. Well... not now, anyway. Why do you say that?"

"You have three tails, my dear." Okawa pointed to Taz's backside.

Taz looked over his shoulder to check. She was right! He felt himself move his tail - tails! - and he could see three of them. He was shocked by this discovery; so far as he could remember, he'd only had one tail, since the completion of the experiment.

"Not only that," the old woman continued, "you have a white line going from atop your head down to your tails. I have read some books about the Kitsune, and I think some had this kind of design on their body."

"A white line?" Taz looked around to see if there was a mirror. Okawa understood his movements, and she took a mirror from out of the closet. Taz looked at himself, feeling happy. He was himself. More than himself, and more than just a fox.

"Ready?" Okawa asked. "Let's put on that Kimono on you."

Taz gave himself over to Okawa's care as she fitted the kimono on him, making sure that the garment came down to the ankle (which was high, when he stood digitigrade), tying up the excess material with the koshi himo belt, then fitting the datejime belt over it. "Let me know if it is too tight, or if you cannot breathe easily."

That was the least of his concerns. The fabric was beautiful, and Okawa was taking excellent care in the fitting. What was disturbing to Taz was the realization that he was beginning to remember what happened. He was starting to remember moments when he was not in control of his body, that something had happened - a transformation, a terrible transformation.

"Almost finished" the old woman said softly.

"It's beautiful," he said smiling. "I think you did a marvelous job." He looked down a bit, felt his smile falter.

"Worried about Kyoshi, aren't you?"

"No, I... um... yes..." Taz gave up trying to lie about his feelings; the old woman saw right through him. "I'm starting to remember how we got here. I'm afraid that he won't love me anymore, because of what I became."

"What you became?"

"I wasn't entirely me. I wasn't in control of myself." He looked down, ashamed. "I became some kind of monster."

Taz suddenly felt Okawa's hands on his face, and she made him look into her eyes. "You are no monster," she said, softly but firmly. "A monster would have let Kyoshi die, or even killed him. You saved him, Taz." She smiled up at him. "I can tell you a little of what Kido and I saw. You appeared out of nothingness, lying on the ground, helpless. We were frightened, but we saw that you both were unconscious, and like you, we are not monsters, not killers. We did not know what you were, or how to help you, but we waited with you both. That was when we discovered that you could speak."

"How?"

"You talk a lot in your dreams." Taz smiled shyly, and Okawa continued. "We tried to help, by placing the towels on your foreheads, as we do when someone has a fever. Kyoshi woke first. Do you know what the first thing he did was?"

"No...?"

"To check on you. To go to his beloved and make sure you were all right. He did not know at first that we were trying to help you, and he guarded you from us - not just once but twice. When we were going to help him carry you, he growled at us, telling us that nobody should touch you."

Taz started to smile. He could imagine Kyoshi doing that, and it meant that Kyoshi still loved him.

"Talk to him, Taz. Tell him what you feel, and make him tell you what he feels. Then you both will know."

The Kitsune kissed the old woman on her forehead. "Thank you, Okawa. You really are a good person."

Okawa moved her hand like a diva, and said, "Oh, of course I am!"

Both laughed.

Okawa put the obi makura in place, wrapped the _obi,_and then stepped back. "All done."

Taz looked at himself in the mirror, and he froze. The kimono was perfect, fitting him so well that he didn't want to take it off, ever, no matter what.

"Yep. As I said: On you, it's perfect." Okawa made sure everything was properly tied so that it would not simply fall off.

"Thank you, Okawa," he said, bowing. "Thank you for everything."

She bowed back, then turned to remove the sheet from the rope. Kyoshi and Kido were still talking to each other at the table, but both stopped and turned to look, awestruck, at Taz. It took several seconds for Kido to nudge Kyoshi into rising and approaching his love. The Polar bear managed to stop gawking and pad over to him.

"Taz...!" Kyoshi could barely speak. "You... you are beautiful."

"Thank you, Kyoshi," Taz said, unsure if he should be looking at him or not. For a long time, Kyoshi just seemed to stare at him. Finally, the sound of Kido clearing his throat came through to them all.

"I don't mean to intrude," he said softly, "but you should begin your preparations to leave. Whoever is after you is probably not going to stop."

"Yes," Kyoshi breathed slowly, and Taz nodded in agreement. "We mustn't put you in danger. We'll go. Be sure to get rid of that tranquilizer dart; we don't want them to know you helped us. They might hurt you."

Kido nodded. "You know which way to get through the forest. I will take this far to the opposite direction and open the box there. The signal will be far away from you."

"Signal acquisition, sir," said one of the agents in the car.

"Good. Show me." He read the coordinates off the screen and spoke to the driver. "Get us to those coordinates immediately. Notify the squad to prepare themselves. We will advance into the forest as soon as we arrive."

"Yes sir," the man said, taking out his radiophone.

At the point where the old couple's property met the edge of the forest, Taz and Kyoshi bowed to their hosts. "Thank you for your aid and your hospitality," Taz said in the formal manner.

Okawa and Kido bowed also, answering formally. "You have honored our humble home."

The four hugged each other, trying not to cry. "Let us know when you are safe. Return to us when those awful people have stopped chasing you." The old woman gave each of the two young men a kiss to their cheeks. "We will be glad of your company again."

"It would be our honor," Taz said, smiling.

"Taz! Hurry up!" Kyoshi said, starting to enter the forest.

"Coming!" he called, and turned back to the couple. "Please be careful about these men that are coming. They are very dangerous."

"Don't worry; we have a plan," Kido said, smiling.

Taz smiled back, all at once confident that they were going to be fine. He turned and followed his lover into the forest. When they were out of sight of the couple, Taz took a moment to lean against Kyoshi. "I know that they meant well," he said, looking down at his hind paws, "but these wooden _geta_are going to make it difficult for us to move too quickly."

"Do you like your prison?"

Tsunayoshi's mouth was a hard flat line, betraying nothing. He stared at his captor, smiling condescendingly at him from the comfortable chair. The room was well-furnished, even elegant in some ways, but it was still a prison.

"I wanted to make sure you had a livable space," Goya said smoothly. "I didn't want to put you into a real prison. After all we did together, I couldn't let you live like that."

Tsunayoshi stayed silent as he sat stiffly on the sofa. He was very worried about Kyoshi and Taz, but he refused to break down in front of Goya.

"So." The professor's tormentor leaned forward, as if the old friendship was still strong. "Tell me more about Kyoshi."

End of Chapter 5