A Fox's Whisper

34: |几卂尺|

"Hello there, kitsune. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."

My jaw dropped at the sound of Dorobo's voice coming from Haru's mouth. It was so eery, so unnatural. So very much not Haru.
I felt the knife in my hand slip to the ground, landing with a dull thud on the soft earth. Legion took a step back and he held his katana in a defensive position in front of him like he was certain Haru would attack him.

Haru sneered. "Really, Aiyuki, that is how you intend to defend yourself?" He sighed. "And here I haven't even done anything yet..."

"Who...what are you??" I demanded shakily.

Haru's eyes flickered to mine. His expression was no longer boyish and puppy-like. It was cruel and derisive. "That's a stupid question," he admonished. He unfolded his legs from beneath him and stretched. "But I suppose I have time to explain things...I'm not ready to kill you yet."

"What are you...you can't be..."
I wrapped my arms around my stomach as the icy coldness of betrayal washed over me like arctic water.

"Get behind me," Legion hissed at me.

His order fell numbly upon my ears and I didn't move.

"Inari," he snapped. "Do as I say."

"Hold on," Haru raised a finger lazily. "If either of you moves, I'll kill you now. That would be unpleasant, and I wouldn't find it very satisfying. If I see either of you move from where you stand... I'll kill the other."

That made the both of us freeze. It was a remarkably good way of making us do what he wanted, and I hated to admit that he had us trapped. I felt so helpless and confused that I didn't know what was real anymore.

"I suppose," Haru sighed. "I suppose I shall begin at the beginning. Because I am going to enjoy this very much." He flashed a wicked grin.

"Haru--" I started.

"That is not my name." His smile vanished and his eyes flashed with outrage. "You know that isn't my name now, else you're dumber than I took you for, kitsune. Go on. Who am I really? I want to hear you say it."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My heart was beating so fast it hurt, and a thundering like horse's hooves pounded in my ears.

"Say it," Haru spat, one hand clutching his staff so tightly that his knuckles turned white and bloodless.

"Yamabiko Dorobo," I said. "You're... you're...Dorobo."

He smirked at me, delighted in the dismay I no doubt projected. "That's right."

"But I don't--"

"Don't talk to him," Legion interrupted warningly. "Don't listen to him."

"That's rude," Haru, or Dorobo as I shall henceforth refer to him as, said. "And here I am so graciously allowing you all to live so I can explain."

I thought he was being sarcastic, that maybe he was adding salt to our wounds just to watch us suffer. And maybe he was in some ways. But from the impudent look of disgust he shot at Legion, I knew that Dorobo wasn't lying and that he really thought himself gracious to be so lenient.

Dorobo slid off of his rocky perch, shaking his robes of any dirt. "First of all, I am heartily sick of looking like this..."
And before I could even understand what he meant, there was a puff of smoke, tendrils of it emitting off of Dorobo. And the appearance that I'd affiliated with Haru disappeared. Instead, I saw a young man who looked about eighteen in white robes standing where the likeness of Haru had once been.
He had raven hair falling to his shoulders that looked exactly like mine, and his eyes were golden just like mine. The shape of his face, the arch of his brow...they looked like mine. If I'd had a twin brother, it would've been him. Yamabiko Dorobo looked like me.