Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

by Nicolette Andrews

  “Let me pass,” he growled.

  Naoki did not respond, but stared down at the Okami as he tightened his grip on the blade.

  “You have no right to interfere,” the Okami snarled.

  “Do you fear the human?” he taunted. He hated to be reduced to such childish tactics, but he was short on patience and time. If Rin did not kill Hikaru, he would lose his chance to save Tsukiko.

  The wolf inched forward. “I will not let Akio have Rin.”

  “And the human will not take her to him.”

  “But Akio wants the Hanyou,” the wolf corrected.

  He had tried to hide Hikaru’s identity, but now that word was out, there was no use pretending anymore. He nodded his head.

  “Then I cannot leave her with him.”

  He rushed towards Naoki, and when he prepared to swing and cut him down, the Okami faked right and slipped past him. Naoki gave chase and this time he did not hold back. He sheathed his sword and sprinted after the wolf, catching up in a few strides. He stretched out his energy like a myriad of tentacles wrapping around the wolf’s body, tugging him back and slowing him down. He encased the wolf in his energy, freezing him in place. As the Okami lost the use of his limbs, he fell face forward into the dirt, his feet bound up beneath him. Naoki strode over to stand above the Okami, frozen in place, his mouth trapped in a snarl. Naoki hated himself for what he had done to his own kind, the sacrifices he would continue to make to save Tsukiko. He wove his energy around the Okami like a net, binding him in place as he drew from the wolf’s energy. It would not hold him for long, just until the next morning. But that would be long enough to let Rin do what she must and fulfill the witch’s desires.

  “I do not want to do this, believe me, but I have no choice.”

  Shin’s expression could not change, but hatred radiated from his gaze. When the spell was cast, Naoki turned to leave, but when he turned around, the witch was waiting for him. He had been so focused on trapping the Okami he had not sensed her approach.

  She smiled at him. “You’ve done well.”

  He gave a sidelong glance over his shoulder towards the Okami. He could see the witch and hear everything they were saying.

  “Have I?”

  “You did everything I asked, betrayed your master and your own kind. You deserve a reward.”

  His gut clenched. This was it, what he had sacrificed everything for.

  “Tell me where she is!” He never raised his voice, but the sound of it was harsh against his own ears. He heard his own desperation, carefully hidden for so long now, break free with his eagerness.

  “She is beyond your reach, in a place you cannot tread. She is asleep atop Mount Iwaki.”

  Rage built inside him like a slow-building fire. It was a lie, it had to be.

  “Are you telling me that she sleeps on top of a holy place? One where none but the Kami may tread?”

  The witch cackled. “Oh, one other can reach it, though she does not know it yet.”

  “Who is she?”

  She shook her head. “That was not part of the deal.”

  He unsheathed his blade and rushed for her, but when his blade should have met flesh, instead it ripped through smoke. And the witch was gone. Disappeared like mist. Only the sound of her mocking laughter remained. She had tricked him. He should have known he could not trust her from the start. But he had been blinded by his quest. He turned back to the Okami, intent on silencing him. He had not wanted to kill him, but the witch left him without a choice. But instead he found a jaw full of teeth snapping and tearing. He had no time to defend himself before he was slammed into the ground.

  24

  They tussled on the ground, Shin snapping and biting while Naoki grabbed onto his shoulders, trying to flip him off him. But he would not relent, he had tried to keep him from Rin, and that had been his mistake, but now he had something even more powerful. He had information. They rolled around on the ground, Naoki tried to draw his blade, but Shin grabbed the hilt in his jaws and tossed it aside. It went flying end over end before landing somewhere in a rice paddy nearby. After a few more minutes of furious fighting, Naoki lay back and ceased fighting. Shin held his jaws over his throat, waiting for him to struggle, to try to reach his sword, but it seemed all the fight had gone out of Naoki.

  He growled in his throat. “Will you come quietly?”

  Naoki did not meet his gaze but turned his head without speaking. Shin did not back down, in case this was a trap. He waited a few moments before transforming into his man form. He held his hands to Naoki’s throat. He felt weak from the energy Naoki had taken, but in his palm was the charm the witch had handed him. He pressed it against Naoki’s forehead.

  Naoki’s back arched upward and he screamed. Shin stared down at him, unfeeling. This bastard would have killed Shin to keep his betrayal secret. Well, too bad for Naoki that the witch was more treacherous than he realized. When Naoki ceased convulsing, Shin stepped back and stared down at his limp form on the ground. His eyes were open and staring at the starry sky above.

  “Get up,” Shin commanded. As the witch had said, the charm controlled him. Naoki jumped to his feet and did Shin’s bidding. Shin turned and Naoki followed. And together they went to the forest and Akio. Considering he had never expected to be able to defeat the guardian’s sword arm, he was happy to be alive. Had the witch not come around and given him this charm, he might be dead and Rin in danger. What did the witch want from him? He had seen how she betrayed Naoki, so he knew he could not trust her.

  They passed through the forest quickly and without challenge. When they arrived at the bridge to the guardian’s palace, they found it unguarded. They crossed the bridge, Shin looking over his shoulder, waiting for the charm to wear off and Naoki to turn on him. When he arrived in the courtyard, with Naoki trussed up, servants appeared and showed him the way through the maze that was the guardian’s palace. The guardian waited for them in an informal chamber. He dominated the room, wearing his sleeping robes. The servants announced Shin and then exited. When the three of them were alone, Akio looked Shin up and down, a greedy glint in his eyes.

  “I was surprised when they said you had defeated my sword. But it seems it is true.” He flickered his gaze towards Naoki, who kept his head bowed. “How did you manage such a feat?”

  “I’m a skilled fighter,” Shin replied.

  The guardian laughed. “Perhaps.” He folded his arms over his chest and glowered down at Shin. “What do you want for his return?”

  “This is not a ransom. I have information about your man that you may find of interest.”

  Akio’s gaze flickered to Naoki then back to Shin. “Do you now?”

  “He planned to betray you to a witch. But she turned on him at the last moment.”

  “Did he now?” Akio glared at Naoki, a fire in his eyes Shin was glad was not directed at him. “It seems I have kept too slack a leash.”

  Shin could see why he had betrayed the guardian. No man could serve such a cruel master without some resentment. If he didn’t need Akio’s favor to save Rin, he would have been more sympathetic.

  “Thank you for bringing him to me. I will see he is punished for his crimes,” Akio added.

  “I did not bring him here out of the goodness of my heart. I came to make a deal.”

  Akio pressed his hooves together. “I should have suspected as much. What is it that you desire?”

  “I want a pardon for Rin.”

  “Now that is an interesting proposition. But you see, she has broken my laws, consorted with humans, and injured my men. She has to pay for her crimes.”

  “I could always bring Naoki to the Dragon for his judgment.”

  A dangerous look sparked in Akio’s gaze. Naoki had secrets the Dragon would love to hear. And Shin knew Akio would not let him go so easily. Akio shook his head. “No, you’re right, but it will take more than a wayward pet to get out of this.”

  “What do you have in mind, then?”

&n
bsp; “I want the Hanyou. My servant”—he shot a pointed look in Naoki’s direction—“was supposed to bring him to me. But if you can bring me him, then I will consider a pardon in exchange for him.”

  “Done.”

  When Shin left, Naoki knelt down on the ground in front of Akio. Even pretending to be loyal, which he had done from the beginning, filled him with shame. He had no love for Akio, and only his spell kept him bound to him at all. But still he went through the motions. And his recent failure only filled him with bitterness.

  “Master,” he said without inflection.

  “I’m disappointed, Naoki. I thought you were better than this.”

  He did not reply. There was nothing he could say in his defense. His only regret was he had not seen Tsukiko one last time. He looked at the ground, preparing for Akio’s judgment and his punishment.

  “I am not going to kill you. I am not that crude,” Akio said.

  Naoki did not lift his head, lest he show his shock. “What do you plan on doing with me, then?”

  “I have need of you. War is coming and there is yet time for you to prove yourself.”

  “And the witch?”

  “I will deal with her in short order. But I suspect this is just a taste of her meddling.” He frowned. “We will need to be even more vigilant than ever.”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “Do not disappoint me again, Naoki. I will not be as forgiving next time.”

  He bowed deep. There was still time, another chance to find this woman who could free Tsukiko. He knew Akio was being generous because he had won, but then and there he swore to himself: This was not the end. He would find Tsukiko and he would end the guardian’s life with his bare hands.

  What was one Hanyou’s life compared to Rin’s?

  He awoke with the first rays of sunlight pressing against his eyelids. He did not open them at first. He wanted to savor this moment, just Rin and him blissfully tangled together. She is going to be my wife. He reached out blindly for her, trying to pull her closer. What he found was empty space. He opened his eyes; Rin knelt next to the futon, a knife in her hand.

  “Rin, what are you doing?” His eyes flickered to the knife and then to the desperate expression on her face. Her hands trembled.

  She threw the knife aside and tears rolled down her cheeks. He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Her entire body shook; there was a wild desperate energy in her. She was not doing what I think she was…

  “Let’s talk. Why did you have a dagger? Did someone threaten you?”

  She shook her head and then she glanced through the open door. Sunlight crept across the room, inching towards her.

  Before he could question her, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was hard, fierce, and sad all at the same time. She pulled away from him too suddenly for him to process what was happening. She strode across the room and stood in the sunlight. The beams of light illuminated her as if she were set ablaze. Her body glowed amber, gold, and red. Her hair fell in a coppery cascade over her shoulders, her head topped with red fox ears, and a foxtail swished back and forth behind her.

  She smiled. “I’m sorry, Hikaru, this is goodbye.”

  It was her voice, sweet and sad. He realized then what she was doing, she was leaving him. He jumped up just as her body contorted and she transformed into a fox. The sun had risen and filled the one-room cottage with light. The fox looked around as if in a daze. When her eyes fell on Hikaru, she skittered backwards and headed out into the courtyard. He chased after her, calling out her name. Her ears did not even twitch in his direction. She darted behind trees and rocks to keep from being seen. She’s acting like a real fox. Then the truth came crashing down upon him. The reason she had said goodbye wasn’t because she was leaving him willingly, it was because whatever curse she had been under had turned her into a fox. She was gone. The fox hid in the crawlspace beneath the shrine. She stared out at him with golden eyes that glimmered in the dark. Hikaru fell to his knees, his head in his hands. I lost her.

  “What have you done?” came a growl from behind him.

  Hikaru stood up. The man, the wolf creature who had killed the soldier, stood at the edge of the courtyard. His clothes were torn and bloody and his hands were half formed into claws. Hikaru recognized the threat in his voice and looked for a weapon with which to defend himself. A piece of splintered wood lay on the ground; he darted for it. The wolf rushed towards him, and Hikaru snatched up the board just before the wolf’s jaws could clamp down on his arm. He swung it upward, striking him hard across the skull. The wood shattered into a hundred pieces. Hikaru stumbled backwards. The wolf approached him, teeth bared as he loomed over Hikaru, but before he could attack, the fox jumped in front of him and landed on Hikaru’s lap. She growled at the wolf.

  He glowered at her with golden eyes but slowly backed away. Hikaru’s heart pounded in his chest, hard enough to drown out the low rumble of the wolf.

  “It was the curse, it turned her into a fox,” Hikaru said. The fox was curled up in his lap now, her head facing the wolf.

  The wolf’s claws retracted and he crossed human arms over his chest. But there remained a dangerous light in his eye. Hikaru was not out of harm’s way just yet. The wolf looked down at Hikaru, his eyebrows raised.

  “Who are you?” The question came out sounding more intimidating than he thought it would. Hikaru rested a protective hand on Rin’s furry head. She pushed against his touch. Her eyes never left the wolf.

  The wolf glowered at him; his eyes had a yellow feral cast. He opened his mouth and revealed elongated canines sharp enough to tear him down to the bone. He did not look away, dared not, lest the madman tear out his throat. “I’m a friend of hers.”

  “Then if you have any love for her, you will not harm me.”

  The wolf laughed, more like barked without humor. “I love her.” There was a bitter taste to his words.

  And in that they had something they could agree upon. It wasn’t much to start negotiations with, but he’d worked with less. “I swear I will find a way to return her to the way she was.”

  “She was supposed to kill you,” he growled. “I should do what she did not have the heart for.”

  The fox lifted her head and stared at the wolf. He met her gaze and they looked at one another. Hikaru wondered if they could communicate. She became this to save me. He wound his fingers into her fur.

  “I would kill you if it wasn’t for her,” the wolf added.

  Hikaru ignored him. If the wolf loved Rin, he would not risk going against her wishes. He had learned in their short time together that she had that sort of effect on people. Rin’s will was indisputable. She glanced back at him, golden eyes full of reassurance. Does she have a human conscious inside the fox body?

  “Who can break this spell?” Hikaru asked.

  The wolf scoffed. “As if I would tell you.”

  Hikaru stood up and displaced the fox. She slid off and wound herself around his legs. The wolf’s gaze flickered towards her and a frown pulled down his face.

  “Fine. Don’t help me if you wish, but I am going to find a way to fix this.”

  The wolf laughed, a long mocking sound. Rin jumped up and the hairs on her back were standing on end as she stared at the wolf, her teeth bared. Hurt flashed briefly across the wolf’s features but was quickly hidden behind his arrogant, intimidating mask.

  “What’s so funny?” Hikaru asked, arms crossed over his chest.

  “Run back to the humans. I will break her curse.”

  The wolf thought him a fool, easily intimidated and easily dismissed. And for his entire life, he had been. He’d done everything his father asked of him, observed every protocol and every tradition. And what had it gotten him—secrets, lies and betrayal. He was done listening to others; it was about time he did what he wanted for a change. He stomped over to stand toe to toe with the wolf. “I refuse to leave with her like this.”

  The wolf shook his head. “
You are a fool. I have not changed my mind about killing you. It wouldn’t take much, just a quick twist of the neck.” He held up his clawed hand and flexed it in front of Hikaru’s face.

  “Just like that guard you murdered and that serving girl at the palace,” Hikaru said. He sounded much braver than he felt. His stomach flopped back and forth.

  The wolf narrowed his eyes at Hikaru. “What serving girl?”

  “A woman at the palace, she died at the hand of some beast. They blamed it on Rin, but I never believed she could do something so vile.”

  “But you think me capable?”

  Hikaru did not answer. Rin came up and rubbed against the wolf’s legs. He looked down at her for a moment. Then very slowly he crouched down and stroked her behind the ear. Hikaru stood over him and watched as the wolf petted the fox.

  “I did not kill the girl. It was most likely the forest guardian who did.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He was looking for her. Some of these messengers he sends are… bloodthirsty. They get distracted easily.” He shrugged. “The girl most likely got in the way.”

  He was trying to scare him, but Hikaru was not so easily deterred.

  “Are you going to help me or not?”

  The wolf sighed. “There’s only one person who can help. You most likely will have to pay a steep price—especially if he wants Rin. You’d be handing her to him on a silver platter.” The wolf did not look at him; he continued stroking the fox. Then after a few moments, he gently pushed the fox off his lap and stood up. When the wolf was standing, he was a head taller than Hikaru, better muscled and a Yokai. He could rip Hikaru apart limb from limb without breaking a sweat. Hikaru knew this, but he could also see a comrade, he saw his feelings reflected in the wolf’s expression. The wolf loved her as well. This wolf, though violent and arrogant, cared for Rin, and perhaps that was enough to bind them together.