Chapter Text
It’d been a while since Kuya had explored the deep woods, so with nothing else to do, he decided to do just that. Most of the time, it wouldn't lead to anything interesting. If he were lucky, he could obliterate some monster nuisances or find something interesting to add to his collection
But something about today felt different
The further he got into the woods, the more Kuya felt like something was wrong. His fox ears flicked at every sound, his manicured hand twitching to conjure his foxfire at a moment's notice. It wasn't long before he picked up an essence trail, his sharp eyes narrowing as he sniffed the air. Something about it seemed familiar to him, but he wasn't exactly sure why
Slowing his pace to be more careful, he followed the essence trail for a few minutes until he heard the growling of a monster. He froze for a moment to try and see if he could determine the specific monster, but a panicked cry snapped him into action as he realized the trail he was following likely belonged to a child. Kuya initially had no clue why he acted so fast; typically, he wouldn't care much if a child was on their own so far away from any villages, natural selection, and all that. But normal children didn't have such strong essence. And not just any essence
Yokai essence
Kuya came across a clearing where he found a giant mutated bear monster rearing back on its hind legs with a mighty roar. Before it could move an inch more, the fox had the beast consumed by foxfire, ignoring its garbled cries as he calmly walked around it to see what its target had been
Two children were clinging to each other and crying quietly, with one burying her face in her sister's shoulder to avoid looking at the beast. The other stared ahead with milky white eyes, holding her sister in a protective hold, before her head snapped in the direction of the fox. Kuya froze, tilting his head to see if the girl would react. Sure enough, she mimicked his movement before gently rousing her sister. The girl sniffled as she lifted her head, looking at where her sister was and jumping. The girl's mouth moved, but it wasn't any human language that came out. Rather, it was a series of shaky hisses as her red eyes scanned the fox
As Kuya got a better look, he noticed both girls had long, dark hair and patches of scales of matching color covering their bodies. The one who first noticed him also had what looked like thick scars racking across most of her face, possibly the reason for her empty eyes. Kuya assumed it must've happened when she was still an animal based on how healed the scar looked. He stepped closer, crouching down when both girls whimpered to appear smaller, before calmly speaking
"Do you two know where you came from??" he asked, curious if the girls could understand him. When neither girl reacted, Kuya tried again, this time using an ancient language only used by Yokai. It was something all Yokai inherently knew after their transformation, though there were many unique dialects as their bodies adjusted to speech as opposed to animal noises
This time, both girls perked up before the one with milky eyes attempted to speak. Her voice was still heavily tinted with hissing, but at least this time there were real words
"The woods..." she replied, "But... not like this"
"You're Yokai," Kuya explained, "Creatures that started as animals before transforming into humans. If I had to guess, you started as a pair of snakes"
"But we had brothers and sisters," the girl replied, "We lost them though..."
"Unfortunately, it's not uncommon," Kuya sighed, "Yokai transformations are already a rare occurrence, and many aren't able to continue their old lives. Do you know how long ago you transformed??"
The girl who'd been speaking nudged her sister, prompting her to respond, "Um... the sun has risen... 5 times??"
"Alright," Kuya nodded. "Do you have any memory of your time before your transformation?? You remember having siblings"
"Some," the scarred sister said, and Kuya got the sense she was the more confident of the two sisters despite her lack of sight. She clearly had some way to sense the world around her, though, as she'd been able to notice him and react to his movement
"A place not here," she continued, "And lots of people"
”Did you come from one of the villages, perhaps??” Kuya asked. The longer he spoke with the snake girls, the more he felt a sense of familiarity. After all, their essence had resonated with him beyond his Yokai nature. It reminded him a lot about…
Kuya’s eyes widened slightly before composing himself. He recalled that the Young Master had gotten into a situation with the Serpent, which finally ended a few months ago, from what he remembered. Yakumo had even stopped by his cabin on his way back to the mansion
If his hunch was right, it meant that…
”Was one of your parents a Serpent like you??” Kuya asked
”I… think so,” the girl with red eyes tentatively replied. Damn- Kuya couldn’t believe it took him so long to notice that the girl had her father’s same red eyes
Or, mother…
Whatever, not the problem
”Then I believe I might have met you once or twice before your transformation,” Kuya said, “At the Grand Sorcerer’s Mansion”
“I can’t remember…” the shyer girl admitted. “Some of our sisters mentioned meeting a fox,” the other added. “Does that mean you really know Daddy??”
"It appears so," Kuya replied, brushing his robes out as he stood. While he was usually one to prefer Yokais staying away from humanity as they grew, he knew he'd never hear the end of it from the Young Master if he were to leave the twin serpents here. "Come, let's get you two somewhere safe and clothed. Then I can take you to your Daddy"
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"This is a surprise"
The Forest Guardian grunted as he looked the Fox Yokai up and down. The man had appeared at his door out of nowhere, as he usually did, though something about the way he knocked seemed more impatient
"Well, this is a special circumstance," Kuya huffed. The two girls were each holding onto the back of his robes and peeking around him to see who the fox was talking to. The girl with red eyes gasped, her eyes locking on the white creature on Quincy's shoulder. "It's Toppy!!"
Kuya and Quincy both looked down at the girl, with Quincy raising a bushy brow, "I'm guessing this is the 'special circumstance', huh??" he asked, "Are they new Yokai??"
Topper sniffed the air a few times before squeaking happily as he recognized the scent from the two girls, despite their new form. Quincy looked at his companion on his shoulder as he listened. "Your little friend is right," Kuya sighed as he coaxed the two girls out from behind him. "These two belong to the Young Master and Serpent"
"And you brought them here because...??" Quincy asked while Topper climbed from his shoulder to transfer to the girl who'd recognized him. She hissed something to her sister, who giggled as she held her hand out, letting the creature move his head to her
"You're on the way," Kuya rolled his eyes, "And are more likely to have supplies. The sun will be down by the time we get to the Mansion, and these two are still cold-blooded"
"Alright," Quincy sighed, stepping back to open the door to the three Yokai. "I'll see what I can find. Worst comes to worst, I can ask the nearby tribe for clothes that might fit." Kuya guided the girls inside, setting them down on the couch while his old friend searched through his storage. Topper was chittering happily to the two girls who were hissing in return. Kuya was curious about what and who else the two remembered
"It's not much," Quincy called from the hall before lumbering in, "Just an old blanket I can cut up until we get to the mansion"
"It'll work," Kuya replied before returning his attention to the girls while Quincy got to work. "Are you two hungry or thirsty??"
"Not really," the scarred girl shook her head, and Kuya realized that the two would soon need names. "Were you ever given names??" he asked
"I'm 55," the scarred girl replied, "I'm 56," the other said. Kuya tried not to purse his lips to give away his disdain. He didn't want to mock their "names" in front of them since it meant enough to them to remember. He'll just make a note to heavily suggest the Young Master come up with something better
No, wait, he should ask the Serpent instead. The Young Master's names would somehow be worse than mere numbers