Chapter Text
Guuji Yae was rarely ever caught in a conundrum. Trivial and nonsense ones, that is. She's meticulous and sharp. Even in the greyest days. But today it appeared she had ran out of her luck and just so happened that she was out exploring in her fox form.
To add to her misfortune, today was raining. Thundering. And her pink fur was soaked and flat. The fur which she so carefully maintained was streaked with dirt. And worst of all, she was far from approaching Narukami shrine. Had she known her stroll was cursed, she wouldn't have gone and stripped herself naked to shapeshift to her fox and gallivant all over town.
It was already rare in occasion for her to shift. But to be stuck in a rainpour with her curled up near a tree? It was mortifying.
The rain didn't seem that it would end soon and Yae was not planning to turn herself back to her naked human glory for all the Inazumans to see.
An unknown foot came in contact with her paws and she hissed in pain, drawing back only to see a pair of violet eyes staring down at her with a curious look. Yae's eyes practically widened as the man bent down to pinch the skin on the back of her neck.
Yae couldn't believe it. This scenario was humiliating. To be manhandled by the Kamisato Lord, the Yashiro rascal, like some common cat.
She paused her scowl to notice that the man wasn't wet. He was dry and her eyes took notice of his otherwise occupied hand holding an umbrella he made with his vision.
How very creative of him.
All the droplets of rain slid down the roof of his umbrella smoothly, effectively keeping him dry.
"You wet little thing." He tutted, tucking her close to his chest. Yae dug her nails onto his arm, panicking as she realized what the boy was planning. The Lord Kamisato frowned at her. "Don't be so fussy. You'll ruin my robes."
Yae ought to roll her eyes at his vanity.
It was ... quite a bewildering experience. The rain didn't cease and lightning was persistent. The Kamisato imp wasn't fazed at all, even hummed to himself as he walked.
He most likely met with the Arataki boy for their weekly 'onikabuto' battles. Yae had always thought the Kamisato heir was unpredictable.
Yae shivered, feeling the cold creep up to her bones. Begrudgingly, her small form buried further in the fabric of his chest.
The Lord Kamisato didn't say anything, only humming in amusement as he adjusted his arm for her comfort. Yae thought it would best to preserve what's left of her dignity and run away and forget this incident.
But she'd walk with a limp and her shrine maidens would bombard her with endless questions (not that she'd let them bombard her however—)
No one in almost a century had seen her fox. And now, a man, she least expected to chance upon her, was carrying her in his arms to bring into his home.
Yae pressed her nozzle deeper and breathed, the boy's scent stumping her. She knew this scent. She smelled it when Kitsune Saiguu was alive. Before the Sacred Sakura came to be and all the shrines were built from the beautiful Hinoki cypress.
The scent stuck to her, digging deeper to forever mark her mind that this was the Kamisato boy's scent.
Of course, his vanity wouldn't let him smell any less. Yae sighed. This would end soon. Hopefully.
"Onii-sama, you're late for dinner." A blonde younger girl greeted their arrival. Yae had always liked the Shirasagi Himegimi. A fine girl raised by her affectionate brother. "Is that a fox?"
Lord Ayato combed his slightly damp hair with one hand while he cradled her with the other. "Yes. Do be careful. Her paw is injured."
"By who?" The girl asked, suspicious.
"By me by accident." He answered, smiling wanly.
"She's lovely." Ayaka breathed dreamily. "I have never seen pink fur on a fox."
Yae watched as the man smiled at his sister. She's never seen him smile like that. A sly smirk maybe but — the boy looked different. "It must be a mutation." He muttered as he slid off of his shoes to wear a pair of uwubaki.
"What do you plan to do with her?"
Ayaka followed her brother into a room, sliding a fusuma, where he placed her on a cushion. Yae was tempted to scratch his eye out but thought better of it.
The Lord Kamisato carefully lifted her left paw with his hand and inspected it. Yae drew her paw back and turned her head away which earned a laugh from the man.
"How very feisty of you, my lady." Lady Ayaka giggled. "Oh, I must be so rude. She must not be a 'she'."
"Not to worry." He said dismissively. "I felt no testicles when I was carrying her."
Yae would have sputtered. Her? TESTICLES? BALLS? And to speak so thoughtlessly with his sister present. She was tempted to smack the man to submission.
"Onii-sama," the girl frowned in disapproval. "Well, shall I call an animal healer tomorrow?"
"Yes, I suppose. I'll take her as my responsibility until she's fully healed."
Until she's fully healed? Yae wasn't sure how long that would be. Nor was she interested to know. The festival was three weeks away and she hadn't even consulted the Yashiro Commission yet.
She motioned to hop off the cushion and the infernal man reached to catch her before she landed. Yae narrowed her eyes into slits.
"Not so fast, little lady." His lips curled. "You'll be rooming in with me."
Ayaka beamed at her small form. Yae pressed her claws deeper in the man's forearms. Lord Kamisato had a frozen, irritating smile on his face. "Shall I go ahead and ask Thoma-san for a heating pad, onii-sama?"
Her brother shook his head. "Please rest, Ayaka. You've done enough today. We need not bother Thoma."
The girl bowed sweetly to her older brother and left. Now alone with the frustrating man, Yae attempted to crawl away from his grasp. The Kamisato imp sighed heavily and she turned her eye to look at him. They made eye contact for a second before Yae reached up to to scratch his face.
"Oi! Not the face!" Yae rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"If you're such in a hurry, at least let me help you. Damn animal."
Yae was so tempted to really scratch his pretty face off. However, she will not stoop so low and will only settle for searing, scornful glances at the man. Lucky man. To see Yae Miko's fox form.
"My sister must be giggling in the other room." He chuckled. "She knows how much I have always wished to have pet. I wasn't given a opportunity to have one as I was too busy growing up and fulfilling my duties." Yae wasn't listening to him. She watched him direct himself to another room where, she supposed, his room was and laid her on his futon.
This time, Yae, too tired and cold, stay put and buried in the covers. She wouldn't have thought that tonight's circumstance would led her to Kamisato Ayato's bed. Quite literally. Yae would plan out her escape route later but for now,... she purred. The bed was warm. Smelled like him — hinoki. She meant hinoki.
"You seem pretty calm now." Lord Ayato noted, kneeling in front of her to check her. "Bad idea to lay you here. The covers are dirty now." He winced. Yae removed herself from his futon with a huff and watched his reaction in mild fascination. The man patted her head with his forefinger. "Smart girl. I'll tell Thoma to prepare medaka for you. Would that be good?"
Apparently not. She nipped at his finger to voice her disapproval.
"No fish? How peculiar you are, little lady." He stroked her chin. Yae shot him a glare. He pointedly ignored her. "Ah, frogs? Worms, perhaps, an acquired taste I know but Itto gave me a bowl of worms once. Not enjoyable, to say the least but whatever gets him by, I suppose." He smiled again at her wanly. Yae stared at him impassively. "You are in no position to be picky. Birds, no?"
"I don't suppose I leave you to starve?"
He got up and started taking off the layers off his clothes. Yae couldn't believe the audacity that the man had. Turning away, she focused on the sound of the heavy rainpour.
It appeared she won't be home for a night.
Lord Ayato sat across his sister in breakfast. Thoma, who had prepared their hot meal, excused himself as he had an early errand to do with the traveler. Yae, with her dignity still intact, sat beside the man with a plate of her own.
She eyed the fried eggs on her plate and inclined her head to eye the tofu on the Kamisato boy's plate.
"Onii-sama," Ayaka called his attention, reading a missive in her hand. Yae sneaked up to snatch the boiled tofu from his plate while he was distracted. "Lady Yae has been missing since yesterday."
"Ah, that woman?" He tapped his chopsticks on his plate. "What happened?"
"I ... do not know. Her shrine maidens do not know of her whereabouts." The girl placed down the letter. Yae rounded the table to look at it. "But they seem to be not worried. Should we be worried? We have not yet discussed our plans about the festival yet."
"I am confident the Yashiro Commission will do fine without that woman's help."
"Onii-sama!" Ayaka admonished in her behalf. Yae felt ruffled. And quite irked at the implication that the imp didn't appreciate her work with the Yashiro. "I know you do not get along very well with Lady Guuji, but it does not mean you will disregard her efforts."
Ah, how precious. The girl was on her side.
The Lord Kamisato sighed. "Of course. I apologize. Guuji Yae is quite the mysterious woman. And very meticulous. She's bound to show herself to have the opportunity of perfecting this year's festival."
Yae chewed the boiled tofu on his plate in deep thought.
She was looking forward to that herself.