Sorry couldn't think of a better title tbh)

 

The early dawn was soft and gentle on the forest. Birds chirped, dew drops glistened on the leaves, tired fireflies went to rest for the day. It was a beautiful sight, although it was a sight seen by few.

It was a forbidden forest, known to the locals as 'Akuma no Mori,' or the Forest of Demons. Here it was said that children were taken away to the depths of the Underworld by a horrible Kitsune. As a result parents often threatened to take their children there if they misbehaved. Some even abandoned unwanted children there.

A woman slowly approached the river bank, dressed in blue silk robes. She bathed her pale feet in the cold water, closing her eyes as she allowed the rich water clean her skin. It would be soon time to hunt, but the woman supposed she could rest more before starting her day. She began to play with her blue hair, sighing softly as a few toads hopped about.

For a forbidden forest, it was more than adequately protected when it came to branches.  A samurai trudged through the foliage of Akuma no Mori, hacking at the thick foliage with his wakizashi, his second blade normally perched on his hip, and his unburdened hand for the larger boughs.  It was a struggle to make it this far from where he entered the forest.  If only the villagers who lived nearby gave him a map for this forest, but it was uncharted for perhaps obvious reasons of it being forbidden.

 

A branch recoiled wrong and slapped the back of his head, snapping his worn hairband in the process.  Choking back a grunt of annoyance, the samurai smoothed back his thick and unruly brown hair and forced himself onward without his band.  He cut through the branches with renewed vigor, the spark of ire fueling him.

 

He made his way into a clearing, the first of its kind as far as he could tell from the forest, and glanced warily at his surroundings.  The forest seemed oddly serene, quiescent even.  This was not the typical habitat of monstrous individuals, but he kept his guard up as he crept through the greenery and around towering trees, sheathing his makeshift machete for now.

 

And then he saw her, a young woman near his side of the bank of a nearby river.  He withdrew back into the bushes from where he barely cropped his upper body, blinking curiously in the cover of leaves.  Why was a girl like her in this sanctum?  Evidently, from the way she was dressed, she was no warrior like he was.  Did she live in this forest amongst the folktale evils, or was there something more to her?

 

((Whether she notices him from the rustles of movement is up to you.  =) ))

The young woman allowed her silky robes to fall below her shoulders. She smiled as the cool breeze gently graced her skin. It was a nice morning, one that was full of peace. There was also something strange about her- she had a blue fluffy tail.

The girl heard the branch, although she didn't seem to react to much to it. Her ears only twitched at the sudden sound. Sighing softly, she began to slide her robe back over her shoulders. Interesting, there was a Samurai in the forest. It wasn't too shocking- he wasn't the first one sent to kill her and certainly wouldn't be the last.

"It's impolite to stare at a woman, let alone a woman who was almost indecent." She began to rake her fingertips through her hair, turning her head to look at him with bright blue eyes.

The samurai watched indeed, but the thing that he more focused on was the tail than anything else.  He was right in his suspicion that she was more than met the eye initially, if considering her hair colour and her thick, silky tail.  Perhaps she was a denizen of the forest, but it was too early to tell for sure.  In fact, the thought of her being a kitsune entirely slipped his mind.  She appeared more human than anything else, and he would have rather spoken to her as a human than an apparition usually thought of as evil.

 

It was not until she spoke to him first that he realised the error of his peeking through the bushes at this time.  It was shameful, but he felt that he was not wholly at fault.

 

"Perhaps you shouldn't swim in such an open area, then," he spoke across the distance, shielding his azure eyes with his fingers so that he could only see her face.  "Even still, I guess I should apologise."

 

This was a terrible position for an apology, he realised, and stumbled out of the bushes and into full view.  A few twigs snagged his hakama, but it was durable and survived worse, and he pulled it free without ripping.

The girl couldn't help but chuckle at the samurai's poor attempt at an apology. She decided the river would have to wait, so she fully dressed in her robe once more. The just by looking at the Samurai, she could tell he was a diciplined one, as well as one who could easily be tricked. Although she, like any other kitsune were tricksters, this man seemed to have a noble gentle heart behind his stern disposition.

"Well excuse me for believing that I could have privacy in my own home." The snarky comment caused a playful smile to appear on her soft lips. When he stepped out of the bushes, she raked her eyes up and down his attire. Certainly a Samurai he was and a rather handsome one at that. Usually she would have threatened him as she threatened any other Samurai, but it appeared he didn't mean any harm.

"What brings you here, Samurai? I suppose... you're not here to kill an innocent young woman of the forest are you?" Her tail swayed back and forth while she splashed the water around with her feet.

"On the contrary!" declared the samurai over the trickling water, visibly disgusted with the thought of killing a woman.  "No, the reason I came to this forest was to stop a fiendish kitsune, one that takes children to the Underworld for its own purposes.  The lord I serve desired this threat removed, and so I came.  It's a shame he didn't leave me much information on what I'm looking for, though.  I've seen a few monsters in my life, but never a kitsune except those painted."

 

A flash of thought poured through his mind, and he took action on that thought.

 

"Perhaps you know what they look like, or perhaps you know the one of which I'm speaking?  It's apparent to me that you're more than human," he continued, referring to her tail and clueless as to what she was.

The woman smiled, honestly quite shocked at how oblivious the man was. Certainly he wasn't very knowledgeable in myths and the supernatural. No matter, she was actually quite curious about him. He appeared to be different than the other hunters sent to kill her in the forest. The others were harsh and rough around the edges, just wanting money. This one seemed... innocent almost. If anything, she found it cute.

"A kitsune you say? Ahh, you certainly came to the right place..." she stood up and slowly turned sound. She began to approach the man, bare feet digging into the dirt.

"Allow me to introduce myself..." she looked at Terra straight in the eyes, tilting his head with her fingers on his chin.

"My name is Aqua. I am the fair maiden of this forest... the kitsune that you humans call a monster... an Oni." Her eyes flashed a bit brighter briefly.

The samurai's jaw stiffened at the touch of her fingers, not quite sure of the situation at hand or of this girl, especially if she called herself the kitsune for which he was hunting.  If it were true, what a stroke of luck this was, to find the source of the disappearances so quickly.  However, dispatching her seemed like a dishonourable thing to do, not without finding out more about the situation.  He looked into her eyes with confusion -- catching the otherworldly glint in her eyes -- before turning his eyes away, lightly swatting away her hand, and taking a step back, all in the same action.

 

"You're a strange one, Aqua, whether you be human or not, but you're not the one I seek.  You don't look the type to kidnap children and send them to an early grave.  You don't harbour that kind of darkness . . . unless you hide it very well."

 

He looked her over one more time, now espying the furry tail much better than before.  It was certainly a fox's tail, but he also still felt certain she was better than the tales considered the monstrosity that captured those many children to be.

 

"Tell me this," he stated after a few seconds, now daring to look into her eyes again, "if you are this individual I am hunting, why would you do such things?"

Aqua listened to his words, a playful grin appearing on her lips. She entangled her fingers together, turning around to walk circles around him.

"Whatever I say to you, will you believe me? After all, I am nothing more than a demon... a trickster known to lure humans to their untimely deaths. For all you know I could eat innocent little children..." for some reason she paused at that moment, growling a bit quiet. She started to speak again a moment later as if nothing happened. "I could be a horrible monster, the one that the elders tell to bad little children to behave. But... if you must know, the monster your looking for isn't me. The true monster are the very same humans you get your orders from. She knelt down to the river, reaching her hand out to play with the water.

"This forest... your kind abandons children here. Unwanted children. A bastard child, a changeling. Cross breeds with the west. Disabled children. Any child that could be considered unnatural and shameful to your world. They are left here to die. So my dear Samurai, if you truly want to know who the monster is in which you seek, I suggest coming over to this water to look at your reflection for it is mankind who is truly the demons of this world."

The samurai eyed Aqua as she spun around him, wondering if the female kitsune noticed that he was reaching for his weapon while she did so, but she did not make a move, and her words held an interesting tug to them, irritatingly sly at first and attention-locking at last.  His hands tautened into fists as he thought of the possibility of people doing such things to invalid or unwanted children, effectively giving up the rights of the child's living.  However, these were merely words.  More than that, even if there were some truth to them, which he assumed was not the case, they were not entirely pertinent to his question.

 

"Humanity certainly has its flaws, and some are monsters, but you aren't giving me a good enough answer," he rumbled, his patience wearing a little thin.  He freed his longer sword from its sheath with a metallic song ringing forth and held it by his side.  "Children are still being abducted by your hand, if that's so, and even if you are mercy-killing them murder is still murder!"

Edited June 19, 20178 yr by Vaude

Aqua studied the hand on his sword. It wasn't hesitant, which meant he was certainly unafraid of doing what he felt was right. An interesting trait, a trait Aqua usually didn't see in a human. When he unsheathed his sword, Aqua took a few steps back, face growing darker.

"I want nothing more than your kind to stay away from this forest and keep their children. The last thing I would ever do is harm an innocent child." A small growl escaped her lips and before Terra's very eyes Aqua turned into a blue fox. She continued to growl at him, teeth seething with anger.

Suddenly however Aqua seemed to pause. In the forest there was an echo, a loud echo at of some sort of crying. It was a baby crying.

Aqua's eyes widened. Originally she was going to attack, bur instead she turned on her paws and began to sprint in the direction of the crying.

The samurai Terra reset his stance in preparation after Aqua's transformation, glad that his sword was liberated while he had the chance.  He was not sure how much his swordplay would save him in the end, but he was more than dedicated to his, and his lord's, cause.  Even if he fell, it would be in the service of others.

 

However, neither fighting nor falling was the case.  The kitsune girl turned tail and scampered off deeper into the forest, lured by the sound of a child's cry, and he followed after her in all haste.

 

"Hey, wait up!" he shouted after her, but it seemed as if he were falling behind fairly quickly.  The terrain did not seem to help him much, whether it was the riverside's sands or the rooted and bush-filled forest, but he followed all the same, prying through the foliage at topmost speed.

 

This is not good.  She will get to the child first at this rate, Terra inwardly spoke as he rushed in their direction.  Other trains of thought pierced his mind as well, however.  Was Aqua's sentiment towards children real or not?  Was she actually intending to do good?  He will have to see the answers to these things himself.  Only then can he find peace in her words or not.

Aqua sprinted throughout the forest, traversing the rocky terrain as if she was a snake in water. The crying echoed throughout the forest which caused it to be more difficult to pinpoint although luckily the fox trusted her hearing. She glanced here and there to see where the Samurai was, fully cautious of him to attack at any moment. She was determined to get to the child. There was no way Aqua was going to let him get to the crying anomaly.

Aqua paused here and there to listen for the crying. Luckily the crying grew closer and closer. She stopped completely when she saw a small mass of cloth moving around in front of a tree. Her face softened when she saw a tiny hand pole out from underneath the cloth. Turning back into a human, she approached it and slowly picked up the mass to see a infant. The infant continued to cry.

"Shhh...." Aqua whispered, holding the baby close. "It's okay..."

Forest trickled into rocky terrain as the samurai forced himself onward, putting the blade away to maintain his stamina.  Alas for him, rummaging and scrambling toward the child proved fruitless.  The foxling reached the infant in record time and with minimal interference, and he was struck breathless by the brisk run.  He leaned against a boulder and attempted to remain hidden, prying his head out sporadically while catching his breath.  The girl was quieting the babe, protecting it.  Was all of this a ruse in the hopes of silencing its efforts of giving away her position when she needed to flee, or was this the sincerity for which he hoped?

 

His breaths came quieter and with more regularity with each passing second.  His hand grew steadier as he closed his offhand onto his sheath.  If she bared her fangs towards him again, he would have to be ready.  However, he hoped it would not come to that, and rose out of his hiding spot and into the open air.

 

"I see you have a way with children," he commented dryly before continuing, a frown inset on his features.

 

However, this time he did not draw his sword.  He was determined to challenger her with words rather than force, and attempted to lock eyes with her even at such a distance.

 

"Don't run this time.  We haven't finished our talk, and if there's any truth to what you said earlier about wanting our kind to keep our children you'd give the child to me in the end.  I'll give it back to its parents, and you won't see me again.  However, if I find you lying and you harm that kid, I will hound you even in the afterlife."

When Terra arrived, Aqua hissed and backed away with the child. She held the child even closer, extremely weary of the elder man. Although he was obviously more concerned about the child, which did comfort the woman.

"Don't come any closer." She warned. The baby made small whimpers here and there, although he soon lulled to sleep from Aqua's comfort. She looked up to the man, face soft and worried for the child.

"It... is a he." Aqua uttered quietly, she pulled away from the child to inspect him. She wanted to see what twisted reason he was abandoned. Her eyes widened as she saw a mark on his chest.

"You... you can't take him back." Aqua whispered, slowly approaching Terra to show him the child.

"They... branded him. This is a mark of an Oni... they condemned him. If they see this mark they will kill him."

The samurai's features softened as well as Aqua approached, concerned as well and wheeling around the girl to see the mark.  Sure enough, the skin was welted and burned in the shape of something, and he felt a surge of anger towards the villagers.  How could they do something like this to a child, taking a firebrand to the flesh of an innocent babe and abandoning it in a forest, so far from earshot?  He felt the compulsory need to slap some sense into people, but deep down he knew that was not the answer, nor would it solve anything.

 

"This . . . is horrible," he voiced finally, averting his eyes and shaking his head.  "You're right; if this is the work of mankind, they paint a pretty picture of demons and mislabel who is one.  My only question is, well, what now?  If we cannot return him, we must care for him in some way, or leave him to die, but that last option's not acceptable."

Aqua by accident wasn't even paying attention to Terra. She was too mesmerized by the beautiful life before her. The tiny lips, the sweet rosy cheeks. Aqua felt her eyes water a tiny bit before the baby suddenly began to giggle, causing Aqua to emit a warm smile. She closed her eyes and gave the baby a kiss on the forehead.

"I cannot let the world suffer the loss of such a beautiful smile... I will take care of this baby boy as my own." Suddenly, a rich breeze flew throughout the forest. At first Aqua was worried that it was going to startle the baby, but then it seemed to cause the baby to giggle once more. The baby reached out for Terra, tilting his head in curiosity.

"The winds... they speak of his name... Ventus." She looked over to Terra, a smile on her face.

"Do you like it? Ventus... a name belonging to the beautiful winds of this Earth. A bringer of comfort and hope."

"Ventus is a nice name, a poetic name," Terra agreed, scratching the back of his head uncertainly, "but what do you mean you'll raise him?  You're being hunted, in case I need to remind you, and what if you don't come back to him because of that?  What then?"

 

Yes indeed, what then?  It would be horrible to think about Aqua's not being able to return to take care of the baby, and the baby passing away as a result, but what can be done about it?  He could lie about killing the kitsune of the forest, but there would be no proof.  Instead there would be only empty words, and he was unsure if anything besides her pelt or tail would ensure her demise to the people.  While he could try, he felt that the villagers would still consider the forest haunted and leave their children to die.  He mused over the possibility of a solution and came up with one.

 

"Perhaps I can check in, make sure you both are all right, you and . . . Ventus.  I cannot forsake my sworn duties, but there's no reason why I can't do two things at once.  I'll stop in every few days.  If he needs medicine or food, I'll get it from the village.  You'd probably get a bad rap if you did the same with that tail of yours," he chuckled, putting the focus on her at the present instead of the child.

 

He felt silly for proposing such a thing, but he wanted to speak his mind instead of let the thought rot away without being voiced.

Aqua continued to rock Ventus in her arms, although she grew quiet at Terra's words. Aqua knew very well that she was being hunted. If not from Terra, then someone else would come for her, someone who would not hesitate to kill her and the baby. It's how she has been living her life. The difference now is that she actually had something to loose; it was Ventus. Aqua had something to take care of.

"Yes... you are right." Aqua uttered softly, smiling as Ventus soon started to fall asleep. "I won't let them harm this child... but I can't do it alone. This child, he is still a human and he has human needs. I cannot take care of him as I would a pup."

Upon hearing such an idea, Aqua looked up to Terra in mild shock. The shock was more so that he was willing to care for this child as she was. Such a revelation made her happy. It was nice knowing there were humans in the world that valued life.

"Please... I would grately appreciate that. I will be forever in your debt if you help me raise him. You are welcomed in this forest. No matter where your journey may take you, you always have a home here."

The samurai blinked in surprise before nodding in acceptance, an amiable smile plastered across his lips.  This was a strange turn of events, the person he was hunting allowing him to stay even for a brief time after chasing her with sword drawn, but it was very welcome to him.  He was furthermore surprised that she accepted his proffered possibility, whether or not it was silly.  The entire experience was very uplifting, however, and for once he was glad that he accepted a contract to kill, even if he would not be able to complete said goal.

 

"A home, huh?  A home sounds nice," he replied, still smiling.  "For now, however, ensure Ventus here has a good home.  I'll visit in a day or two after reporting the deadly kitsune's passing."  He paused as if entering serious thought for a moment.  "I just don't know what to get Ventus, though, when going through the village.  What do kids his age eat, anyways?  Carrots?  Snow peas?"

Edited June 28, 20178 yr by Vaude

(Imma do a time skip in a sec)

 

Aqua nodded in response to Terra's words. This man may have been a complete stranger, but she can see in his heart that he was a good man. The actions he took today further proved that. Perhaps it was destiny, why they all met today. It was rare for Aqua to meet a decent human being.

"As long as there is flesh on my bones not a single soul will hurt this boy... as for food, he is just a newborn so..." she blushed momentarily, hiding her red cheeks with the collar of her robes. "I suppose I can supply him milk for the time being... although I would appreciate it if you can also bring cow milk in the future considering I cannot produce as much milk as I once could."

((Sounds good in my book.  I was aiming for a timeskip as well, so that fits nicely.))

 

The samurai flushed in turn at the concept before looking away into the forest or at rocks or, well, anything other than Aqua for the time.  Words lay numb on his tongue for a while, but after a grand struggle he managed to come up with something.

 

"Then I shall get some cow's milk when I get back," he voiced, perhaps a little too loudly due to nerves.  He brushed away an irritating strand of hair in front of his view and presented himself with a polite and friendly bow.  "Well, Aqua, it was nice meeting you.  I will make every effort to come back in a few days, but afterwards I may be tied up every now and again due to my other duties.  In addition, before I forget"--he glanced up to meet her gaze and offered a smile--"my name is Terra.  Goodbye, Aqua.  Goodbye, Ventus."

 

With that, he turned in order to leave, feeling quite happy of the day's events and yet worried.  What would the master say to his failure to procure evidence of the tricky kitsune's demise?  Whatever the case was, Aqua and the child were safe, at the very least for now.

Aqua waved happily, a lopsided smile on her face. Terra was so stoic, so emotionless almost. It intrigued her. There was something about that man that left an impression in her heart. Perhaps they were fated to meet? Perhaps they knew each other in a different life.

"Hmmm... Terra..." she uttered to herself, chuckling as she looked down to her child.

 

A few days passed and things have been going well with the baby. The villagers were grateful to have the demon gone, although some questioned the proof. Terra obviously couldn't bring the pelt of the demon, head or some sort of trophy. Some even believed that the man was enchanted by the demon. Rumors spread around about what happened.

 

Aqua chuckled softly as she sat by the water again although this time it was a bit different. Aqua bathed her feet as she carried her giggling baby in her arms, making him laugh as she blew about magical bubbles.

"Aren't the bubbles beautiful, Ventus? There is so much beauty in this world... it all belongs to you."

The wild vegetation seemed to be taking kindly to being hacked and trailblazed, the clearing he left a few days ago without massive overgrowth and growing larger still after a few more thwacks of the brush.  Perhaps this would be a common route for him to take.  He really did not explore much of the area, and it seemed manageable enough after going down the same path twice.

 

This time, however, he was much more cautious about his footing and of branches.  On his back he carried a rucksack filled with fragile goods, including a gourd filled with milk for the babe, and he soon managed to make his way to the river where he first met Aqua.  Interestingly enough, she was still there, and with a laughing Ventus to boot in her arms.  He allowed himself a smirk as he trudged closer.  She certainly formed an attachment to that kid, he thought to himself as he cleared the same set of bushes and brushed off a number of leaves on him and his satchel.

 

"Hi again, Aqua.  I came back as promised," he voiced over the distance, removing the load from his back.

Aqua held the child close, almost melting at the sounds of his giggles. The laughter was so pure and innocent, it broke her heart to think that the humans wanted to remove such beautiful gift from this world. Thinking about it made the hairs on her back stand up, but she had more important things to focus on other than anger.

"I hope you weren't thinking I didn't notice you approaching." Aqua said with a sly smile, slowly standing up from the ground. "It is impossible to sneak up on a fox."

With Ventus in her arms, Aqua approached Terra. Her tail wagged back and forth playfully; one could tell Aqua was more than happy to see her friend.

"Ventus... he is a happy child." Aqua said with a small chuckle, tracing her hand over the bag of goods. "Thank you so much, Terra- ah."

Ventus began to huff and whine, reaching his tiny little hands out for the older male before him. It appeared he was upset that Terra wasn't giving him attention. Aqua giggled and put her arms forward to give the baby to Terra.

"Looks like someone missed you." Aqua said with a smile. "I hope you can handle holding a baby."

Terra blinked in surprise at Aqua's offering the child to him but was happy to accept.

 

"I can hold him, definitely, unless you mean by the scruff of his neck like some foxes do," he replied jokingly, lifting Ventus by the upper torso and beneath the arms.  "I was raised around a number of kids, mostly younger."

 

He slipped Ventus in his arms carefully and beamed a smile down at him.  He was so lightweight and so fragile, and like Aqua he was surprised anyone would give him up.  Brands and heredity aside, he was as beautiful and lovable as any other child.  Why set all of that aside for fear or looks?

 

"Ventus looks well cared for.  Perhaps being left in the forest was the best thing for him, reasons aside," he continued, attempting to tickle the babe with his index finger.

 

 

 

((Laughably, albeit weakly comically, this is how my post began:))

 

Terra blinked in surprise and threw the baby on the ground.