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Kitsune

Chapter Two: Family Pet

Bao-Hadir stayed away from the Masters family for about three weeks, allowing the family to adjust to the newest additions. The girl child had been delivered healthy, but the boy had been in trouble. One of his lungs was underdeveloped, so they kept him at the hospital for most of two weeks before they deemed his lung 'good enough'. So now the Masters household was in an uproar over this, that, and the other thing. Little Aaron, now two years old, was running amok whenever and wherever he could think of. It was only through the use of forbidden tactics (like showing him Barney and Boohbahs) that they were able to get him to sit still for a few minutes at a time. The twins, however, as if to make up for their hyperactive brother, were quiet and calm. Rarely did they shed tears, the boy more than the girl. They preferred the baby swings to crying for attention, which was good since Aaron seemed dead-set on stealing all the attention for himself. He did a good job of it, too.

One night, Hadir appeared again. The Masters's three children were all fast asleep, though the babies would most assuredly awaken several times during the night. Hadir had planned it this way, wanting to make as little fuss as possible. Derek and Yumi were already in bed, getting ready to do what couples do, when the fox appeared in the hallway outside their bedroom. He pushed the door open slowly and the adults scrambled under the covers, thinking it was Aaron, coming in after having a nightmare. Hadir walked slowly into the room, Yumi making a startled gasp at the fox's appearance. She of course knew about the kitsune. One doesn't live near a kitsune without becoming aware of its presence. However, seeing a physical manifestation of a powerful spirit is often unnerving. Derek sat up, the blanket he had covered himself with falling down to his waist.

"Hadir!" he cried in surprise. He had thought the little fox had been gone for good when he didn't show up for so long.

"Please," began Hadir, leaping up onto the bed and laying down flat, a comfortable position. "Don't stop on my account. By all means, continue."

Yumi blushed and hugged the covers tighter to herself. Derek frowned. "Did you only come here to pester my wife?" he asked, annoyed.

Hadir made a half-smile. "I'm sorry, but it's so easy. And by the way, Yumi," he looked over at her, "it's not like I haven't seen it before. I had to go inside you to save your life." This just made her blush harder and Hadir suppressed a laugh. "And now," said the kitsune, "on to business."

Derek nodded. He remembered what Hadir had said about striking up a new deal. He also remembered that the kitsune had said there would be no charge for saving Yumi's life if their daughter had been born without a tail. However, she did indeed have a tail.

"Here's the thing." Hadir stood and paced back and forth at the foot of the bed. Obviously, he was agitated about something. "Your daughter has my tail."

Yumi jerked back in shock, only to crack her head against the headboard. With a yelp of surprise and a hiss of pain she rubbed the back of her head. After a moment, she was able to speak. "Your tail?" she asked, still rubbing her head. "I thought it was a birth defect."

Hadir shook his head. "Indeed, it is not. When I used my powers to save your life, I used most of that power in a special ward around your daughter. The kitsune who attacked her was slowly but surely being forced out. I ripped her out of your womb when I had a chance, but before that, I lashed your belly with my tails, sending my power inside. My guess is one of my tails phased through you but didn't phase out again. When I inspected my rear, I found where my tail had been; the thing was completely sheared off. A kitsune tail WANTS to be attached to a kitsune, so it'll seek the nearest thing that gives off kitsune power and attach to the rear. Unfortunately, at the time it was your daughter. She is now the same as a single-tailed kitsune, what my kind call a 'Changeling'; that is, a human who became a kitsune without dying. They are very rare and feared amongst the kitsune."

"Why is that?" asked Yumi, now afraid for her daughter.

"There is a prophecy amongst the us. It states that one day a child will be born, part human and part kitsune, whose parents consented to create the child. And she will rule the kitsune."

"But I didn't consent!" cried Yumi.

"You consented with your husband to create your daughter. You consented with me to try and save her, which gave her my power, which made her part kitsune. Calm down, lady," said Hadir, a calming tone in his voice, having laced his words with power. "I don't believe your daughter is the one the prophecy spoke of. But that's just me. Other kitsune might believe she is, so will try to kill her."

Yumi burst into tears, hugging her husband as he shook with anger. He wanted desperately to shout at the fox who had brought this misfortune on his house, wanted to throttle the life out of the little spirit. Hadir seemed to hear his thought, for he bared his teeth at the human.

"FOOL!" he shouted, adding a snarl to the end. "Do you think it was my intention to give your daughter my tail? It took me a hundred years to earn that tail! And don't forget, foolish mortal, that it was I who gained you her hand in marriage!" He nodded at Yumi.

Yumi stared wide-eyed at her husband. He hadn't told her of the kitsune's involvement in their marriage. She was just about to question him when the kitsune cleared his throat. They looked back down at him.

"The deal I'm proposing," said Hadir, "is one that I think you'll like. I will protect your daughter for the rest of her life."

Derek leaned down, looking the pitch-black kitsune straight in his cold eyes. "What's the catch?" he asked, distrust plain in his voice.

"Your daughter must spend every other year in my realm. Before you get upset," said Hadir quickly, seeing the two about to interrupt, "it is for her own good, as well as your own. Once she turns the age of seven, which is a powerful number for the kitsune, her tail will activate and she will be able to use kitsune magicks. Without me to guide her, she will almost certainly destroy herself."

"What do you mean?" asked Derek, a frown plain on his face. No matter how many times he dealt with the kitsune, he was always wary of some kitsune trick.

"When a kitsune with a single tail is born, its powers are not active. However, at the age of seven, they gain there magic without any warning whatsoever. During her years before that age, she can wave her tail around, lash it about, and do many other things with it. There is no harm in learning how to control one's tail. However, at the age of seven, a single tail lash that isn't mentally controlled could cause a fireball to appear."

"How do you know?" asked Yumi. Hadir turned his attention to the woman. "How do you know this? How do you know about the fireball?"

Hadir gave a sad smile. "Get comfortable, because Uncle Hadir has a little story for you." To his amusement, the nude pair before him shuffled a litte, taking his adivce. "Once upon a time, I was a one-tailed kitsune. I had been human at one time, a rich and powerful man, beloved by his people. I was also a murder victim." His lips raised, baring his teeth slightly. "When I died, I was given a silent choice. You see, I had what we kitsune call 'Potential'; that is, the potential to become a kitsune after death. It is a choice one must make, and I chose to return to Earth. After being born into a litter of pups, I had to spend seven years with my 'mother' and my 'brothers and sisters'. I remembered my humanity, though. I knew they weren't really related to me. Anyway, on my seventh year, at the exact moment seven years after my rebirth, I felt my power well up inside me. I felt invincible. I decided, foolishly I might add, to seek revenge on my killers. They had been friends of mine and I would've trusted them with my very soul. Anyway, I tracked them down. They were living in my old village, in my old house! Needless to say, I was upset. I didn't want them dead, though. I hated them passionately, but I wanted them to confess their crimes to the villagers. I went into the house in the dead of night and confronted them. I scared them so much that they were more tham willing to confess their crimes to the people. I had ignited the end of my tail for show, but I didn't know how to put it out. Indeed, I didn't even realize it was still lit. When i walked out of the house, my tail touched a wall. In those days, houses weren't sturdy like they are now. The ones in my village were of rice paper. It caught fire and went up like a match. They two of them were caught in the house and burned to death. I myself leapt onto a rooftop, trying to escape without being noticed. The problem was, my tail was still burning and I still didn't know how to turn it off. By the time I was away from the village, the whole town was on fire. I had exhausted my magic, luckily, but not before burning the village to the ground."

Hadir went silent. Derek saw a small, crystalline tear well up in his eye just before the kitsune shook his head, dislodging it. The fox sighed. "I don't want that to happen again. When I take her to my realm, I will teach her the arts and you won't have to worry about the house catching fire. I ask this in the best interest of all. After all, I don't think I need to remind you what would happen if this place caught fire...AGAIN."

Derek looked at Yumi. She returned his gaze and nodded softly. He turned his attention back to Hadir. "Where will you be while she's growing up?" asked Derek.

Hadir laughed softly. "I'll be here. If you're willing, I will take on the guise of the family pet. This way, my presence will not be questioned and you will not have to worry about her."

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. However, I have one condition. You cannot let her know that you're a kitsune."

"I won't. I'll disguise myself with illusion. And I will make you forget how you really met me and have you remember only that I'm your pet. That way, you don't reveal me. Is that fair?"

"...I guess..."

"Ok then." Hadir climbed up to the head of the bed and lay three tails on each of their heads. "Oh, and before I forget, she should be named Ranani." With that, he sent power into his tails, forming a memory changing spell, changing their memories of meeting him and giving himself both a form and a name in their minds. After a moment of this, he sent a sleep spell into them. They collapsed onto their pillows, completely out.

Hadir slipped from the master bedroom and into the nursery. Quietly, he slipped into the girl child's crib. Then, with a little magic, he transformed himself into the likeness of a fox pup, albeit one with two tails, and curled up in the baby's arms, falling fast asleep.

<==========(xxx)==========>

(Note: for the next part, Bao-Hadir will be referred to as Aboridah)

The next morning, Derek went downstairs to make coffee and breakfast, while Yumi went to the nursery to check on the twins. She smiled, seeing the little boy, Erik, clutching an elephant plush, gurgling in amusement. She smiled, then looked over into her daughter's crib. The as-yet-unnamed girl was fast asleep still, clutching a little black ball of fluff in her tiny hands. Yumi knealed down.

"Aboridah," she whispered. The little fluff-ball made a small yip, then shook itself and stood up, carefully extricating itself from the iron grip of the baby.

Aboridah looked up at Yumi and made a very cute bark. The problem with that, though, is that the very cute bark was also very loud. The baby beside him stirred and awoke with a light sob, like most babies do. She would have continued to cry, had she not found herself something to play with, namely two bushy black tails of fun. She giggled as Aboridah waved them in front of her. Yumi reached down and scritched the pup behind his ears, earning a murr of pleasure. She smiled.

"Keep an eye on them both, Aboridah," she said softly. "I'm going to get them their breakfast. If you're good, you'll get some extra too." The little fox yipped and wagged his tails faster, then yelped as the baby grabbed one of the pair and pulled it into her mouth. Yumi giggled again and left the room, going downstairs.

When she entered the kitchen, she snuck up behind Derek, who stood before the coffee machine, waiting for it to finish. Quick as lighting, she shot up and kissed the lower part of his cheek, grazing her face in the stubble of his beard. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. She pressed back, deepening the kiss. She was just licking at his lips when the coffeemaker dinged. Derek sighed and broke the kiss. He looked down at his wife as he pressed a coffee-mug into the dispencer switch.

"Have a good night?" he asked softly, a smile on his face. Yumi smiled and nodded. Her sleep had been very restful and her waking was even better.

It was raining outside, which she liked. Yumi had always enjoyed rainy days the most. It was as if the gods were washing the world clean. The sights, the sounds, the smells. Everything was better in the rain.

Her mind was off wandering when Derek pressed a cup of hot coffee into her hands. She returned to the present with a giggle, bringing the cup to her mouth and drinking down the sweet elixir within. She felt energized seconds later. She went over to the cupboards and pulled out a pair of bottles and a bowl. From atop the fridge she pulled down a pair of baby formula cans and a box of Cheerios. She deftly and one-handedly poured the formula into the bottles and the Cheerios into the bowl.

Finishing off her coffee, she set down her cup, grabbed the bottles in one hand and the bowl in the other, and maneuvered out of the kitchen.

She didn't have to see him to know that Aaron was already up. She could hear the TV in the den playing Power Rangers. She could just picture the two year-old trying to do martial arts while watching TV.

She placed the bowl on the TV tray in front of him. As was his habit, the little boy had probably been up since six in the morning (the time now being seven thirty) and had turned on the tube (which was set to automatically tune to Power Rangers) while simultaneously sliding under his TV tray, where he ate his breakfast. It was his routine, and it pleased his mother just fine. The little boy didn't even look up from his staring contest with the big screen as he reached his hand into the bowl and fished out a few Cheerios. "Thanks, Mama," whispered the two year old, keeping quiet so as not to interrupt the action.

Yumi smiled and left the room, mounting the stairs and arriving at the nursery. As soon as she opened the door, her ears were assaulted with giggling of the boy and girl variety. She looked down and saw, to her amusement, that Aboridah was running back and forth between babies (he was small enough to fit through the bars with ease), delivering puppy kisses and tail flicks to whomever needed it.

"That's enough Aboridah," she said softly. The little fox's sharp ears heard her and he stopped. She reached down into Erik's crib, pulling the little boy out of the baby prison he slept in. She sat down in the rocking chair in the corner and, after setting the spare bottle down on the table beside the rocking chair, pressed the nipple of the bottle she held into his mouth. Yumi had decided that, after the initial feeding of the twins, she would bottle feed them, as it was quicker to have two people feed two babies rather than one person feed two. She could hear Derek climbing the stairs. He had known she would need help the moment she grabbed the bottles.

He came in through the door, still looking as if he'd just rolled out of bed. Without a word he went over to the occupied crib and pulled out his daughter. The fox pup yipped at him, his tails waving as he panted. Derek laughed and reached down, stroking the fox's head a few times before sitting down in the second chair. He grabbed the bottle from the table and place the nipple in the girl's mouth. She instantly latched onto it and began suckling as if from her mother's breast.

All was silent in room for a few minutes, broken every now and then by the sounds of the babies devouring their breakfast. After a bit though, Derek looked over at Yumi. She met his gaze and smiled.

"Hey, Yumi," said Derek. "Any ideas for what we should call her?"

She frowned as if in thought, then smiled. "There is a name I've been playing with for a bit. I wanted to ask you what you thought of it."

"What name is that?"

"Ranani."

Derek grinned. "I was considering that name too. I wanted to get your opinion on it." They both laughed at the coincidence. Aboridah barked and panted, his tails waving even faster. He was sitting on the floor before them. The fox's actions made both adults laugh. "I think he likes it."

Yumi giggled. "I bet he does. He loves her so much. I bet if we wanted to name her Kayla..." At this, Aboridah's tails stopped and he growled. This made Yumi giggle even more. "Calm down, boy. We're not naming her Kayla." Aboridah stopped growling and laid down. However, his tails didn't start waving again. He watched them with a suspicious eye.

Derek pulled the bottle away from his daughter, who had fallen asleep again. He held her tiny body in both hands, raising her up slightly. Grinning, he said softly, "I christen thee Ranani Emily Masters." Aboridah yipped his approval and his tails thumped the ground.

"I'm glad you like it," said Yumi softly. Erik had fallen asleep long before his sister. She placed the babe into his crib, Derek mirroring her. As soon as the pair were resting in their beds, Yumi kneeled down and patted her thigh. Aboridah came up to her and sat at attention. "Listen, little one. I'm going to go check on Aaron. After that, I'll bring your breakfast up. Behave and keep my babies safe." Aboridah's head nodded and Yumi wondered if the fox could actually understand her. Of course, that was just preposterous. She stood, turned and, after checking the baby monitors, left.

Aboridah watched them go, a foxy grin on his face. "Worked like a charm." He slipped through the bars of the girl child's baby prison and layed down next to her. 'Ranani,' he thought as he slowly drifted off into sleep, exhausted from all that acting. 'Ranani.' A perfect name for his daughter.