“Urgh,” I shook my head groggily as I finally regained consciousness. My eyes opened sleepily as I looked around. I was in an unfamiliar room that sort of reminded me of a prison cell. When the last few remnants of sleep left my brain, I realised it actually was. I went to turn around, and I realised my arms and legs were bound. A movement out of the corner of my eye made me stiffen.
I relaxed slightly when Raion walked out of the shadows, but I knew better than to let my guard down. “Nice to see you’re finally awake,” he smiled with a blank expression.
“Untie me!” I growled against the bonds, trying to twist out of them. After a while I realised that it was no use, and I was probably entertaining Raion too. “What do you want?”
“Shuhan-sama wasn’t very happy when he found out you’d escaped,” he explained. “He ordered me to track you down, and bring you back.” He looked bored as he watched me glaring at him.
I hissed at him and tried to struggle against the bonds once again. “That bastard locked me up for something I didn’t do! Of course I’d try and escape!” He laughed and walked out of the cell without saying anything back.
It seemed like forever before I saw another person, and then it was only a couple of guards who had come to move me into a different room. The new room was a lot bigger, painted completely white. There were candles in the centre of the room, making a circle. The guards led me to the centre of the circle and quickly moved away. I looked around, examining the room, hoping to find a way to escape. “It’s good to see you again Inu,” my head shot up at the sound of a raspy old voice.
“Shuhan,” I regarded him with a mocking kind of smile. He walked slowly to where I was, examining me as he did. He said nothing, and after a while that really ticked me off. “What do you want?” I growled.
“Where is it?” he whispered. “If you tell me, I’ll let you go free.”
I shook my head, hearing the same words as three years ago, still not understanding them. “I told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about! Now let me go!”
“Don’t lie to me!” his voice became shrill as he gripped my kimono and shook me. “I know you did it! You took it! Without him our village will be destroyed!” he pushed his face close to mine, his eyes crazy. Him? That was the most information I had ever gotten about this thing I had supposedly stolen. I was about to scream back at him when I heard a bark. I titled my head to the left to see Un running up to me. I saw Shuhan’s eyes widen in surprise, and I stared at him confused. He turned back to me and hissed, “I knew it! You’ve had him all along!”
I followed his gaze back to Un, “What are you talking about? I found him long after I escaped.”
“Don’t lie to me,” his gaze was still glued to the little red fox that was running closer.
“Un!” I called out, hoping he could break the bonds. He leapt at me when he was close enough, and then, it was like he had just disappeared. I looked around frantically, “Un? UN!”
“No way,” Shuhan took a step away from me. “How could h have chosen you?”
Now I was just confused, it sounded like the old man was on some kind of drugs. I was still looking around for Un when I saw Raion walk into the room. He eyes widened as he looked up at me, “What happened to Inu? Who’s this?”
“What the hell are you talking about!” I yelled at him, was everyone here crazy?
“The Kitsune has chosen her, this is the manifestation of his powers,” Shuhan said as he trembled and fell to his knees.
“Manifestation? Oh god, if I look like a monster I swear I’m gonna...” I trailed off as I noticed my reflection in a nearby mirror...
