Chapter Text
“Kanako, please stop playing with my tails.” Irritation made its way into my voice as my dear sister continued to bat at the two tails currently attached to me, twitching away from Kanako’s touch. She had woken up from a nap she was taking from Mom yelling at Dad and had decided to come say hi to me. She was absolutely fascinated by my new furry appendage that grew out of the base of my spine when she walked into my room. I was lying down in my bed trying to recover from the dizziness that my mother had inflicted upon me when she came bursting into my room picking me up, pulling on my tails, which still hurt by the way, spinning me around in a bone-crushing hug as her excited laughter filled the air. Eventually, she let go of me after what felt like five minutes of spinning before placing me on my bed apologizing for tugging on my tails. She told me she would explain everything later after she finished grilling Dad on his incompetence of not being able to protect their son from danger.
“But they're so FLUFFY!” Kanako exclaimed with excitement, grabbing one of my two tails that had, in fact, grown longer and fluffier. Which was ‘Awesome’ (not really). She accidentally pulled a little too hard on it, irritating the already hurt tail further.
“Ow ow ow, Kanako please stop that,” I asked hoping she’d stop so I didn’t have to intervene physically as I really didn’t want to move from how mentally exhausted I was.
“Oops, sorry.” She apologized but didn’t let go. Instead, deciding she was going to wrap herself up in both of my tails. She grabbed the other one and to the best of her ability, wrapped herself up in both of them like a blanket, giggling as she did so.
“Really?” I tiredly asked while she pressed her back against mine.
“Yup!” she quickly curled herself up and closed her eyes. A few moments later, my ears twitch at the sound of. . . purring? It wasn’t exactly like when a cat would purr, but it was similar to it. I didn't even know a fox could purr, let alone if any monsters could. Wait. . . I heard this before, Mom has done this when I was younger and during that time when I broke my bracer in Waterfall after we got home. I’ve even heard Dad purr before now that I think about it. How have I never noticed this? Have, I, purred before? You know what, no. The more I think the worse it’s going to get and the worse I’m gonna feel.. Just stop thinking about ok. Close your eyes and think about something else. Breathe in, breathe out. Think about something positive.
“Big brother, are you ok?” Kanako must have sensed my sudden discomfort.
“I’m fine. Just had a weird thought, is all.” I reassured her. She gave a quiet “ok” I could feel she was a little worried about me as she went back to sleep. I sighed to myself, I was too tired for this right now and tried to get some rest.
Mom had finished scolding Dad a little while after me and Kanako had fallen asleep. I’m quite surprised that I was able to sleep through all of that, I must have been very mentally exhausted. Although I’d figured she would have come back into my room or called us down to talk, I guess she found the two of us sleeping together and decided to wait until later to have a conversation about what happened to me. She had better not have taken a photo of us, if she did, I swear, by the angel, I will burn it and then burn the ashes for good measure. I do not need more embarrassing photos for her to show other monsters.
It would have appeared that a few hours had passed since I had fallen asleep. I had awoken to something that smelled very good and very familiar. One of my favorite dishes ever since being reincarnated or something on that line. Ramen noodle soup. We didn’t have it very often because the broth takes two to three hours to make at a minimum. Well, that and Mom and Dad refused to use anything pre-made and opted to make every meal homemade unless we went out to eat, which was rare. So to say I was excited for this meal was an understatement. I’ve had raman before in my previous life, but never really cared for it much. I did like it, I just wasn’t all about it. I prefer Italian-style dishes. Now it seems my tastes have changed. Not that I mind. I’ve always liked to try new things, and now living in this new life I can.
Kanako didn’t seem to be awake yet, still using my tails as a blanket as she slept soundly. So I slowly unwrapped tails trying not to wake her, replacing them with a blanket kinda like that one scene in Indiana Jones with the idol just slower and more precise. It seemed to work as she continued to sleep peacefully, taking deep breaths to show she hadn’t been disturbed. Although she did look a bit disappointed at the loss of her fluffy blanket. I released a small sigh of relief quietly walking purposely avoiding the squeaky parts of my floor as I entered the hallway, shutting the door quietly behind me.
I followed the irresistible scent into the kitchen to find a large pot simmering on the stove top where the smell was coming from, but Mom and neither Dad were here. I wandered the house for a bit only to find Dad sitting in the living room with a depressed look on his face with a. . . katana on his lap?
“Hey, Dad.” I softly spoke. I knew Mom chewed into him so I didn't want to speak too loudly.
Dad turned his attention towards me, smiling softly when his gaze met mine. “Hello, Koji. Sleep well?” He greeted me in a gentle tone.
I took a seat next to him on the couch. “Yeah, I did. Kanako joined me a little later on and decided to use my tails as a blanket.”
“Heh, I know. Your Mother found it adorable when you found the two of you asleep together.” Dad’s smile widened a little bit.
I looked off to the side slightly embarrassed. “She didn’t didn’t take a picture did she?” All I received from Dad was a knowing look. “Of course she did.” I sighed to myself
“Can you blame her? She’s going to want every possible memory she can hold on to when the two of you get older.”
“I know, I wish she could take less embarrassing photos of me. I swear if I was ever able to do the impossible and get a girlfriend when I’m older, I bet she would dump me in an instant after seeing some of those photos.” Deard entered my voice as I spoke.
“Well, I won’t worry about that. We both know that's never happening in the first place.” Dad jokingly said with a laugh giving me a playful nudge.
I gave him a deadpan stare. “Thanks Dad, love to see you're here for me.”
“I’m joking, come on. If I was able to pull someone as beautiful and rich in personality as your mother, I wouldn't be surprised if you could too.” Dad tries to reassure me, laughing a little.
“That’s because she chose you, Dad. You barely did anything. And besides, everyone thinks I’m weird or dangerous.” I say matter-of-factly.
“That’s not true, I did actively try to pursue her. Also, what about that one friend you have? Ah, what was her name again, Fumika right? She doesn’t seem to think you're weird.” Dad tilted his head a little.
I nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, with the keyword there being ‘one’. The ‘only’ friend I have, and I’m like 90% sure she’s only friends with me cus I’m the only other fox monster that goes to our school besides Kanako.”
“You don’t really believe that do you?” Dad looks down at me with concern.
I look at him with a tired expression. “Dad, not only did I have to start school late because I couldn’t stop starting fires by accident, I’m not even allowed to take the magical training classes with everyone else because I sent some poor kid to the ER on the first day I went to one. Which, mind you, also resulted in them banning me for using magic while in school. Everyone just kinda avoids me now. Well, except for Fumika and Kanako.”
“First, they didn’t ban you from using magic in school, you just aren’t allowed to use magic without direct supervision. Secondly, the reason you aren’t allowed to take those classes is because you are too advanced for those classes, and not because you send someone to the ER.” Dad stated.
“Same difference either way Dad. It was already hard enough to make friends as is, now it feels impossible.” I said with a sigh.
I felt Dad’s paw on my back as he gave me a comforting smile. “I’m sure it’ll be alright in the end. You’re young Koji, you’ll have plenty of time to make friends. You think I had a lot of friends growing up, no. It wasn’t until after school that I met most of the monsters that I call my friends.”
“I feel like that’s because Mom made you be more social.”
“Weirdly enough your mother was more socially awkward than me growing up. Her only friend for most of her school life was Starlo. And she, like you, started school later than most.”
I look at Dad with doubt. “I’m sorry, but I find that hard to believe.”
“You’re not the only one to say that. The reason behind this was because of the way her family operated, Starlo was the one to crack her out of the shell before she met me. But that's her story to tell”
“I see.” Looking down at the sword on Dad’s lap I just had to ask, “What is with the sword by the way?”
Dad looked down at the sword on his lap before picking it up and inspecting it. The scabbard of the katana was a very shiny white with cherry blossoms painted on either side. The hilt of the katana was wrapped in a red silk-like rope, it looked quite comfortable to hold. The guard for the katana was a flat piece of what I think is brass, shaped in the form of a bell similar to the one on our family crest. Also, at the end of the hilt was a tassel that did contain our family crest that hung off the tassel, the bell attached jingled at the slightest of movements. I was unable to see the blade itself as it was still in its scabbard.
“Oh, this?” Dad started, holding up the katana. “Well during my conversation with your mother, she told me that I had to bring this with me from now on whenever I take either you or your sister out of the house with me.”
“Wait, I thought you used a staff like Mom.” I look at Dad in confusion.
“No, your Mom’s side of the family uses primarily staffs. A little fun fact, the staff she currently has was originally my walking stick that I gave her as a gift. I had some help from her family to turn the old thing into a magic staff for her to use. She’s never used another staff since then.”
“Wow, that's pretty cool. How long have you known how to use a katana?” I asked, wanting to know more.
Dad straightened himself. “For quite some time now. The Ketsukane family, our family, are a family of swordsmen, as well as being a family of boss monsters too. During the war between us and the humans, our family mostly fought on the front lines to protect our brethren and to prevent our loved ones from seeing the horrors of war. They were quite skilled in the art of swordplay as well as using magic to enhance themselves during combat. They were very successful in taking down many of the opposing fighters during the war. So good in fact, they were given the nickname by the humans who feared them. They called them ‘The Bells of Death’ as for the ones who heard the distant sounds of bells jingling, were the ones marked for death. There was a lesser-known nickname they were also known for. ‘Bloody blossoms’ I believe the reason was mostly because they left their victims covered in cherry blossom flowers and sakura petals that were soaked in their blood.”
(Author note: Look, I tried. I’m terrible when it comes down to names, If you have any better ones, let me know.)
Dad held out the sword in front of him, “This particular sword I have here, is the first sword that has ever been crafted for our family. This sword has been wielded by the past heads of the family, infused with the magic of every one that came before me which made the blade stronger with each generation that passed.” Dad looked down sadly at the sword, running a thumb across the length of the scabbard. “Unfortunately, I’m one of the last of the Ketsukane’s left. Most of them died during the many battles against the humans. But, they were a force to be reckoned with while they still stood tall, taking multiple opponents just to take out one of us. Although, only a few survived, and of those survivors, only one ever had proposed kin while the rest eventually fell down, giving into despair for being trapped down here for so long.” He paused for a moment, looking over at me. “It’s the reason I’m not very fond of humans. They’ve taken so much from us for no reason. Started a war based on fear rather than logic. I used to believe that ‘maybe’ not every human is untrustworthy given some of the stories I’ve heard from some of the veterans of the war and even from your mother’s side of the family. But the events surrounding Snowdin and what happened to you has changed my way of thinking. I know how you feel about humanity, but also you have to understand that they are dangerous Koji. You even saw firsthand what they are capable of. You nearly died to one, and a child no less. If that is what a human ‘child’ can do, what's going to happen when a full-grown human enters the Underground.” Dad places a paw on my shoulder. “As much as I want to change your mind on the matter, I’m not going to beat my beliefs into you, that’s only going to breed hatred later down the road, and I don’t want that. This is about our family's history, not about beliefs.”
Sigh, I hate this. I really hate this. This is just more of a reason to never tell anyone about my past. Because if I do, something really bad is going to happen to me. I just know it. I want peace. The more I learn about the history of monsters the worse I feel. There are good people out there. Humans that would help out in a heartbeat. But, there are ‘others’, that would take advantage of the situation with monsters to further their goal out of selfishness. The worst part about it, there are too many of them in positions of power. They would absolutely turn the better people against them for a couple of extra dollars in their pocket, or for publicity to gain more support from others. I hate how self-serving humans can be, and how little they care sometimes. But I love how kind they can be as well. How there have been people who have sacrificed so much to help others in need. There’s. . . just not enough good people in positions of power to make a difference. There’s too much corruption in the world.
I don’t know what to think anymore, what side to play for. I want to play for both, to hopefully find peace between both sides. To finally put this shitty past behind us. To find fairness, Justice. I just don’t know what to do! I don’t know how I can fix this! I feel like I'm losing my sense of right and wrong! I. . . I.
“Koji!” A voice suddenly spoke up as I was being shaken by someone. Looking to my left I saw Dad, his face filled with concern who had stopped shaking me when I looked at him. “Koji, are you ok? Why are you crying? Was it something I said?”
Bringing a paw to my face, I could feel that the fur under my eyes was damp from the tears that had begun leaking out of my eyes. Man, ever since I’ve been reborn, I’ve been having trouble bottling up my emotions. I wonder why. “I. . .” I turn my head away from Dad. “No, I’m not ok. It's not because of you or what you said, but something else. And no, I don’t want to talk about it. So please, can you not force me to?” I sniffled a bit.
“Alright, I won’t pry. But please, I ask you to let us know if something is troubling you. We’re here for you Koji.” Dad said with a comforting smile.
“Yeah, Like Dad said!” A loud voice spoke out suddenly from my right, surprising me.
“Ahh!” I jumped away from the person who suddenly spoke up. Turning my head quickly in the direction of the noise, I came to find Kanako had woken up from her nap looking up at us from the arm of the couch. “Where did you come from?!?”
Kanako giggles a bit at my reaction climbing up on the couch and into my lap. She looked up at me before proceeding to hug me. “But as Dad said, we’re here for you big brother. So please don’t be sad.” It felt like Kanako stared directly into my soul (or souls?), seeing the conflict and pain that was held within me.
“Of course, I’m not sad. How can I be sad with you around to cheer me up?” I in turn wrap my arms around her, patting the top of her head. She responded by snuggling herself in my kimono. I turn to Dad. “You see.” motioning to Kanako, “Like glue.” Dad's smile grew but didn’t say anything.
It's hard to think about your problems when there is this adorable fox in the room with you. I don’t know, something about her just makes it difficult to be sad or depressed whenever she’s around.
Although there is something I need to see now. “Hey, Dad?” I look over at him with a bit of a sparkle in my eyes, his own eyes meeting mine. “While dinner is cooking, do you think you could show off some of your swordsmanship to us?”
Dad looked a little surprised at the request I just made. “I mean, I guess I can. I’m a little rusty. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not Dad. I’ve never seen you fight before, so this would be a good chance to finally see what you can do.” I’ve wanted to see Dad fight before in the past, but I didn’t want to bother him about it. He also seemed to be disinterested in the art combat which was another reason I never asked.
On Mom’s side, yes they did teach their children to fight because they wanted them to have the ability to defend themselves in case of another war, but also because they found entertainment value out of it as long as no one gets hurt. At least, that's what Mom told us. And they’re not wrong. Despite me barely winning some of the battles against Mom, it is quite fun to fight. Something I thought I would ever say, but here we are.
We were standing in the backyard of the house, the place where Mom typically teaches magic and where we have our mock battles together. Dad had set up some of the training dumbs Mom would have me and Kanako use when we would practice new magics she taught us or our accuracy with the existing ones we already knew. Kanako sat on my shoulders as Dad took some practice swings with his sword. It was interesting to watch. His movements with each swing were very fluid, the blade cut through the air with ease. It was pretty obvious he was very skilled.
“Alright, let's see if I can still pull this off,” Dad stated, as he sheathed the sword and took up a stance. He placed his right leg behind him as he leaned forward slightly bending his left leg. His sword’s scabbard was looped through his obi on the left side of his kimono. His left paw was placed on the scabbard and his right hand gingerly placed on the hilt of the sword, the bell on the sword jingling with every move. He looked like he was ready to dash forward towards one of the dummies.
“Dad, what are you doing?” I ask quizzically.
“Something I’d figure the two of you might find interesting. Probably not as interesting as what your mother can do. It's one of the many techniques my mother taught me when I was younger. Most of the techniques of the Ketsukane family involve good swordplay and magic to enhance oneself to strike down your enemies.” Dad took some deep breaths as he prepared himself. I could almost see the magic gathering around him as he zoned in on his target, his eyes flashing. . . Blue for a second? That was strange, but stranger still were the sakura petals that had begun to slowly descend and surround Dad. They seemed to blow in an invisible wind. I looked around us and all of the cherry blossoms were too far away to have their petals fall like that around Dad, so I figured that it was Dad's magic at work here.
Dad took one more deep breath before suddenly dashing forward with so much speed it looked like he disappeared in the cloud of leaves left behind. The sound of bells ringing could be heard from the moment he vanished.
Ting-A-Ling
schwing
The sound of a sword slicing through the air was heard soon after. Dad reappeared on the other side of the dummy, which was now cleaved in half, a trail of sakura petals followed Dad from the spot he started to the tip of his sword. That wasn’t all, as some of the pink petals that now surrounded the dummy blossomed into flowers, honing in on their target as the now razor-sharp flowers slice up the poor thing even more before softly falling on top of the remains of what once was the practice dummy.
Ok, didn’t know Dad was cool like that. Wish I had known about this earlier. Also didn’t know Dad could even move like that let alone anyone who could move like that? It does make me wonder how monsters lost the war when there are monsters that can do something like this. Especially Dad, who mind you, made robots that were designed to fight instead of himself. Don’t get me wrong, what Dad did was cool as hell, I just want to know why he hid this from us.
“That was so COOL!” Kanako exclaimed loudly, her tail wagging back and forth in pure excitement and awe.
Dad sheathed his sword, rubbing the back of his head giving a nervous laugh. “Heh, you think so?”
“Ya Dad, that was awesome. But isn't that Mom's flower attack you just used with your attack? I didn’t know that you could do it too.”
“No, it was something my mother taught me and I eventually taught your mother that as well. I may not seem like it, but I do know ‘some’ combat magic. Though I mainly use combat enhancement magic like my ancestors.”
I nod my head “Huh that's pretty cool. I do need to ask, if you could do something like, why didn’t you do this when that robot attacked us? And why have you never shown us this before?”
Dad tilts his head to the side looking down.”Well, before you blew it up, I didn’t want to really destroy one of my creations nor did I have a weapon on me. And I knew all of the override codes for all of the robots, so I thought if any of them got too out of control, I could use those to stop them.” Dad scratched the back of his neck. “Thinking about it now, it was stupid of me to not have alternatives in case one did go off the rails. But I’ve never had that much of a problem with them. I also didn’t expect it to attack me so fast. And as for why I never show the two of you, A couple of reasons one of them being that I never saw a reason to. The two of you seemed to have an affinity for combat magic like your mother and not combat enhancement magic like myself. Although we never did test if you two did or not. A mistake on our part for assuming.” He placed a paw on his chin in thought.
I set Kanako down on the ground, I was a little tired of carrying her on my shoulders. “Well, do you think you could try to teach us how to use your kind of magic, even if we don’t have an affinity for it, as well as possibly, maybe how to use a sword too?” I ask, rubbing my arm and looking down at the ground. Kanako also preached that it would be cool if he did.
Dad looked at me a little confused, “I suppose I could, but aren’t you more into firearms?”
“Yes. I’m also mostly a ranged fighter like Mom, so close quarters is a bit of a weakness for me. So being able to hold my own if someone closes the gap between me and them would be cool. And it would be nice to have something for us to do together. I know that you're teaching me all about engineering and robotics, but having something else to do together would be cool. Like how Mom is also teaching me how to cook meals for myself and others. ” I look off to the side a bit nervous as to his answer.
Dad chuckled, “I had the same way of thinking with my mother, I never really cared much for keeping the family tradition going essentially because I’m the last one of my family line beside my father. The only reason I did, was because I wanted to spend time with my mother who really wanted to teach me our family sword techniques and magic. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much in common with each other. I chose to suffer through it because I was determined to make her happy. But, just because I didn’t like what we were doing, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the time we spent together.” Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, “I know what you said, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
I took a second to think before making up my mind, and looking up at him. “Yeah, I do want to learn, Dad.”
He nodded his head. “Alright then, I’ll teach ya. Your birthday's coming up in a few weeks, I’ll get a katana made just for you.”
“What about me Dad?” Kanako pipes up.
Dad looks down at the little fox who suddenly spoke up. “I’ll start you off with the magic portion Kanako, but you are going to have to wait until you’re older to get a katana. My mother didn’t start me off on a real one until I was 16. But, I do have wooden practice katanas in the attic if you wish to learn how to use one.”
Kanako looked disappointed at this but still kept up a smile, “I do Dad.”
“Alright, then Kanako.” Dad patted the top of her head.
I then spoke up in curiosity “I wanted to ask, why have I never seen that sword in the house before?”
Dad sighed, his smile fading before speaking, “Well, I’ve kept it in the attic. It was the last thing My mother gave to me before passing. I know it’s a bit disrespectful of her memory.” He paused for a second looking away from us. “It hurt too much to have it out on display given the circumstances of her death. I. . . always blamed myself for what happened to her even if it wasn’t my fault. It took a long time for me to finally accept that and move on. Even now it still hurts.” Dad clenches his paws into fists. “But I need to be strong, for her, for your mother,” Dad turned his head to us smiling once more, “And for the two of you.”
“Do you mind if I ask how she died?” I solemnly ask.
This caused Dad’s smile to falter again. “That’s something I will tell the two of you when you are much older. And please don’t ask why, it’s a very sensitive topic ok?”
“Ok, Dad” Me and Kanako quietly said at the exact same time whether or not we did it on purpose.
“Thank you.” Dad patted the both of us on the head, ruffling up our hair during the process.
“DAD!” Both me and Kanako exclaimed. Dad laughed at us in response.
“Come on, let's head inside, I think I hear your mother calling for us.” Both me and Kanako glared up at him for messing up our hair, but ultimately follow Dad inside to have one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while.
After the awesome and delicious dinner, Mom sat all three of us down in the living room to have a conversation/tell a story of her family history.
“So, I suppose it was about the time I told the two of you about my side of the family, no?” Mom started. My and Kanako nodded in silence. Kanako, like she usually does, sat in my lap as her and my ears pointed in the direction of Mom to hear her better. Mom took in a deep breath. “Well let's start at the beginning then. I come from a long line of kitsune that dates back to before we were all sealed away by humans. With my family name being, Hitaki. We are a family of kitsune that are so incredibly proficient in fire magic, that we have our own subclass of fire magic that only us kitsune can use. This subclass of fire magic is called FoxFire, a more powerful type of fire magic that outclasses pretty much any other subclass of fire magic. But, it's only available to kitsunes that have gained their second tail. One-tailed kitsune and fox monsters are virtually the same in biology and magic wise and it is quite difficult to distinguish which ones which.”
I gave Mom a confused look. “So why do you use flowers and regular fire magic instead of this subclass of magic when we have our battles, Mom?”
“The reason behind this is one: I would have to bring my tails out just to use it, which having nine separate tails is already a hassle enough essentially when the house wasn’t built in a way that would allow me to move around without them bumping into to things, or worse, closing a door on them or getting stepped on. As well as because the spell itself is very heavy in magical cost and would quickly tire me out if I used it too many times. The spells I use now, are low in magic cost and are quite effective for what they are. There is a also chance that I might harm you in one of our battles while using that subclass of magic, given the power behind the attacks and how it could potentially punch through the shields that are meant to protect you. I also didn’t want to overwhelm the two of you.” Mom stated.
“But why have you never shown us your tails before?”
Mom looks down at the ground in thought, “I. . . We didn’t know if either one of you was kitsune or not and didn’t want to get your hopes up only to be disappointed later on.”
“That, and mainly because she’s insecure about them.” Dad suddenly said.
I raised an eyebrow. “Really, why?”
Dad looked over at me. “She told me they made her feel different. Like she didn’t belong.”
“That’s also because I started school at 15 when I had gained my second tail.” Mom said.
I tore my gaze from Dad back over to Mom. “That’s something else I was curious about, why did you start so late?”
Mom sighed, “That was because of a custom in my family. Which is, that any child born into the family isn’t allowed to leave the family estate without a guardian until they have gained their second tail or had come of age. So I was homeschooled until then. It was also one of the reasons I took your father’s name instead of him taking mine. I refuse to let that happen to any one of my children. It was awful. They started to train you at the age of 10 and it was murder, think what we are doing right now for your training Koji, times five. They wanted for their children to gain their second tails as quickly as possible.”
Wow, really dodged a bullet there.
My expression morphed into confusion realizing something. “Why would Dad take your name in the first place?”
Mom shrugs “That is because my family mostly consists of females, so when one of us would find a mate, that mate was required to take our name instead, a rule among the family. I fought very hard against this rule, I did not agree with some of my family customs and traditions. After a lot of back and forth, they ‘reluctantly’ agreed to my demand. Thankfully.” She sighs in relief
“What do you mean by ‘reluctantly’?”
Mom chuckles nervously. “I may or may not have threatened to leave the family permanently if they didn’t. You see there aren't a whole lot of us, and the head of my family wants to expand the family as much as possible to ensure that the family legacy continues and doesn’t die out, one of the reasons they are so strict with the rules. There have been talks about combining the remains of the Ketsukane family with the Hitaki family, but that if it were to happen, wouldn't happen until a much later date when the two of you are fully mature adults.”
“Oh, I see.” I started out, “Do you know what the cause of gaining a second tail is or how a tail is gained in the first place?”
Mom leans forward in her chair putting her paw together. “Well, to understand, I first need to say that the tails of a kitsune are a representation of that kitsune’s mastery over magical control but not magical power. Although, the better you are at controlling magic, usually the more powerful you are. So, for a kitsune to gain their first tail, technically the second, is to first have enough control over your own magic to where you don’t have to think about it to use it.” Mom straightens herself in her chair. “I will tell you this, getting your second tail is the hardest out of them all. So don’t worry Koji, you’ve passed the hardest part. You also did it faster than I did, and I was a prodigy among them. Though I do believe it's also because you were put in a very stressful situation which had caused this development. Chujin.” She spoke under her breath as she shot a glare over at Dad who flinched away in response. “Something that didn’t happen to me.”
I nodded in response. “I know this is a dumb question, but just for confirmation, Am I a kitsune?” I was pretty sure of the answer but needed to confirm it despite how obvious it was.
“Yes my little fox, you are.” Mom said in confirmation.
Kanako suddenly spoke up in curiosity, “Mommy? Am I a kitsune?”
Mom smiled at Kanako who looked up at her with her large bright eyes. “If your brother is one, I have no doubt in my mind that you aren’t one too.”
“Really?” She questioned, eyes growing bigger with excitement.
“Absolutely, my child.” Mom patted her on the head. “Is there anything you two want to know more about?”
“I have a ton of questions, but right now I just need to wrap my head around everything that I’ve learned today, and I’m still a little on edge about what happened earlier today”
“Of course Koji. When you are ready, I will be here to answer any questions you have to the best of my abilities.” Mom spoke with kindness.
“Thank you, Mom, I will.” With that I stood up for my seat, picking up Kanako from my lap and placing her on the floor as she pouted, before walking slowly to my room. Kanako stayed to ask some of her own questions she had on her mind, while I was walking away.
There was a lot of information running through my head right now and I just needed some time to think about everything. Maybe playing some games will help clear up my head so I process all my thoughts easier. Slowly making my way into my room, I walk in and clos-!!!!. . .Pain, pain was the very next thing I felt when attempting to close my door. I knew it. 14, almost 15 years I knew this was coming. I thought I was careful enough to avoid it, but it happened regardless. I got sloppy, and I knew it. I grew too complacent, too comfortable with myself. I hadn’t accounted for the extra length that my tails had grown out and thus had closed the door on them by accident. It hurt, a fucking lot. Now I currently lay on my bed curled up as I hold my tails close to my chest while I try not to spill the tears that threaten to leak from my eyes.
“Koji! Are you alright!?!” Mom had called out, she must have heard the very loud yelp I made when the door crushed my tails, not surprising given how loud I was. She swung the door to my room wide open as her eyes fell upon my pathetic form on the bed. She was followed by both Dad and Kanako who wondered if I was ok. “Koji? What happened?” I didn’t respond, still trying not to cry out in pain. She moved to the side of my bed crouching beside me. It was around this time she noticed what I was doing, and realized what might have happened. Her expression grew soft as she placed a comforting paw on my back. “Closed your tails in the door huh?” All I gave her was a nod. “Aww, I’m sorry that happened, my little fox.” She rubbed her paw against my back. “Shhh, it's ok. Just let it out, I promise I won’t be mad”
“You sure?” I weakly say.
“I’m sure”
Now that I had been given permission, I did what anyone would do in my shoes. I turned my head towards the ceiling, and let out a scream.
“AHHHHHHHH, FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!”