Kitsune in the Shadows

Chapter 28 – That Makes It Special

It wasn’t long before I felt the temperature start to drop, which only caused my nerves to build.

She’s there.

She’s right there.

Slowly marching forward, each step filled with anticipation, I moved further into the darkness until a familiar room came into view, and my heart stopped.

It’s…

It was as if all my nerves had vanished just by laying eyes on it. It was definitely the same room made from black stone bricks, but it looked a little different. The chains that had hung from the ceiling were gone, the room was noticeably brighter, and there were two couches just off to the side that weren’t there before.

…

Go!

Just… Go!

Immediately, I started running. It probably didn’t take more than a few seconds before I was standing in front of the throne, but once I got there, it was like time had frozen. All the anticipation was bottled up inside of me, but there was no relief.

…

Where…?

I looked around the room but couldn’t find Ovia anywhere.

Why?…

What?…

Am I still-

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of rustling paper coming from behind the throne.  I instantly turned towards the throne and saw just the tip of a deep black tail poking out.

Is that her?…

My feet started moving by themselves, taking me towards the throne.

“H-hello K-Kierra… W-welcome back to m-my domain.”

As soon as her voice reached my ears, I stopped moving.

…

It’s… her.

She… She let me back in.

…

But… why is she hiding from me?

“D-did I miss a step? W-why isn’t she saying anything?” Ovia said in a faint voice, followed by the sound of turning pages, “Um… H-how are you?”

…

“I… I’m… not sure…”

I wanted to tell her that I was fine, that I was happy just being here, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her, not after everything she’s done for me.

“Oh… um… c-can I help?”

“…”

What’s… the right answer?…

…

What am I… even supposed to say?…

…

Neither of us said anything to each other, just waiting in silence. Until I somehow built up the courage to ask the one question that was gnawing away at me in this silence.

“Why… are you hiding from me?…” I felt a tear start to form, “Did I-”

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“NO!” She suddenly shouted, interrupting me, “I-It’s… it’s… I…… I can just…”

The sound of hurried shuffling could be heard coming from behind the throne, with the occasional tail poking out. After a few seconds, Ovia stepped out from behind the throne, her face noticeably pink.

“S-See, I-I’m right here.”

…

Is that?…

Instead of the form-fitting dress she had worn before, this time, she was wearing a black dress that was only slightly frilled along the bottom, with a small white layer sticking out beneath it. Down the chest were two rows of decorative buttons, and around the collar was a ribbon tied into a bow.

That’s…

I looked down at my own dress to make sure that I wasn’t imagining things.

It’s the same…

…

I was right…

She does look better in it than me…

Much better…

Seeing Ovia wearing the dress so much better than I ever could should have been disheartening, but instead, there was some other feeling or maybe a desire forming. However, before I could put any more thought into it, she spoke up.

“Um… W-why aren’t you saying anything? W-was this wrong?” She pulled out a small notebook and started flipping through it, “I-I thought you would like to wear m-matching dresses.”

…

While I didn’t know what exactly I was feeling, it definitely wasn’t a bad feeling.

“I… do… I think…”

Ovia abruptly stopped flipping through the notebook and looked directly at me.

“…Oh… T-that’s good!”

“…”

Once again, the room fell silent. She eventually turned back to her notebook, rapidly skimming over the pages until she found one in particular that made her face brighten up. After a short moment, she looked at me again.

“Y-your name!”

“…Kierra?”

Just saying that name out loud again made me feel a little embarrassed.

“Yes, K-Kierra,” She took another brief glance at the notebook, “W-why haven’t you t-told anyone your n-name?”

…

Why should I tell anyone?

…

It’s…

“It’s… special…” My face continued to heat up.

“It’s special… That means…” She turned a page, “W-wait, what do you mean it’s s-special?”

Why wouldn’t it be?

…

“You… gave it to me… that… makes it special…… to me”

Ovia looked back at the notebook, flipping through a few pages, but this time her expression didn’t change. Instead, she closed the notebook before letting out a brief sigh and pointing over at the couches beside the throne.

“F-first, let’s sit down.”

I didn’t say anything and just walked over to the couches with Ovia walking close behind me. As soon as I was standing in front of one of the couches, Ovia picked me up before carefully placing me on top of it.

You didn’t need to do that…

But… thank you.

“Y-you can lie down if it’s m-more comfortable,” She said as she sat down on the other couch directly in front of me.

I stared at her, not sure of what to say next.

…

“I-if your n-name is special to you… you s-should tell other people.”

…

“But I… I don’t want other people to know…” For some reason, I couldn’t make eye contact with Ovia.

…

You gave it to me…

I…

…

“…Y-you should let other people know… Y-your name is… important,” She leaned forward, “It’s… who you are… I-It’s proof you were here.”

…

I don’t want to give it to anyone else.

…

I…

“…like it when… you… say my name…”

Wait…

As soon as I registered what I just said, my face started to heat up, and my shadow spread to cover my whole body, letting me blend into the surrounding darkness.

What am I saying?

That’s…

…

Ovia wrapped her hair around her hand before clenching it into a fist.

“W-what do I say here?…” She mumbled.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a faint glimmer of light, but when I tried to look directly at it, it immediately disappeared.

“Um… Okay… I-I’ll try,” Ovia’s eyes then focused on me, “Y-you should tell people your n-name because I-I gave it to you.”

…

“…Why?…”

“B-because y-you should show it off… I-I gave it to you… that’s something to be p-proud of… Y-your name came directly from the G-Goddess of Darkness,” She puffed her chest out, “N-nobody else can say that.”

…

Show off…

But… why would you want… me… to show it off…

I’m…

…

There are better people out there…

There must be.

…

My thoughts were interrupted by another glimmer of light, but just like the last one, it disappeared almost as soon as it showed itself.

“A-are you sure?” She mumbled under her breath before once again looking me in the eye, “I… w-want you to tell people your n-name.”

…

I…

…

Can I say no?…

…

She… wants me to…

Ovia wants me to…

…

She has… always helped me…

…

There must be a reason…

…

I don’t know what… but…

…

If I want to stay here with her…

I have to listen to her…

…

After much thought, I nodded while also reigning my shadow back in to only cover my hair and tail.

“Yes?! T-that’s a yes?!” Ovia stood up, releasing her hair.

I nodded again, this time looking up at her as I did.

“I-I did it… I d-didn’t mess it up.” She looked off to the side, but when I looked the same way, all I saw was a wall.

She then pulled the notebook back out and started flipping through the pages again while muttering to herself, “W-what’s next?…”

…

Is it my turn now…

Is this where I show what I can do for her…

…

I need to show her… that there’s a reason to keep me around.

“O-Ovia…”

She instantly looked directly at me, seemingly forgetting about the book as it fell out of her hand and onto the floor.

“Can you… sit next to me?” I slide myself over to the side of the couch.

“…”

Was I not supposed to do that?…

…

What have I done?!

I-I can’t just talk to a Goddess like that!

…

“A-alright… I-I can do t-that.” She walked up next to me and sat down.

One of her tails accidentally brushed against my own, the unexpected coolness of her fur sent a shiver through my tail and up my spine. I looked over at Ovia to see if she noticed, but she didn’t say anything.

…

Okay Kierra.

You’ve got this… You’ve prepared for this.

…

Just… follow the plan.