Under The Fox's Tail ⁷

Perplexed

You opened your eyes slowly as your head felt dizzy and heavy. The last thing you remember was standing in front of the Goddess and telling her that you wanted to keep the seal and after that everything was a blank in your memory.

"Where am I?"You mumbled as you were now looking at a ceiling, a thing that didn't match your memory as you were on the rooftop the last time but now you obviously weren't anymore.

"You woke up?" Hoseok's voice reached your ears right before his face suddenly popped above you, making you try to get up.

"Hey, hey take it easy. You need to rest." He told you as your vision got hazy and you immediately held your head feeling as if you had something heavy weighing on it.

"What happened?" You asked him as you let him gently help you to place your head back on your pillow, which you recognized as yours once you took notice of your surroundings and discovered that this was your room.

"It takes a loan on humans to be in the presence of a higher entity. But don't worry, you will feel better soon. I will stay here all  night and share my energy with you and by tomorrow I am sure you would be able to stand up on your feet again." He explained and you stood silent for a moment before turning around to look at him.

"Why are you taking such good care of me? Did I do well and we passed the judgment?"You questioned and Hoseok smiled slightly before responding.

"Yes, we passed, to my surprise however you even willingly admitted that you wanted to keep it, which saved me from quite some trouble. I am still confused about why you did that. Whenever you feel like it, I would appreciate it if you were to explain it to me."He told you and your mind instantly travelled back to that painting and all the emotions that you felt.

Why were you there? Why was someone so identical to you involved with him somehow? But most importantly, what the hell was that chain that ached within you so suddenly today?

"Can I ask you a personal question?" You spoke as you looked at him who was floating in the air above your bed at the side of your body, keeping in the air with him some weird objects that were surrounding you.

"Go ahead."

"The Goddess mentioned something about a failure earlier. Had you made a seal before that failed?"You asked him and Hoseok's face momentarily grew tense before the usual smile appeared on his lips.

"No one succeeds on the first try. So yes, I have failed at it before. That's why it took me so many years to try it again."

"Was the outcome that bad?" You questioned again, wanting to know what exactly happened since from what Yukio had said, if his previous seal was to have been wrong then he should have lost his soul and not be here right now.

"If a seal is not done right then the heavens have to take a soul for the gate to close. A seal is basically like a  scratch on the wall of the two realms, the one of the spirit realm and the human one which links two souls, in this case, mine with yours. If the seal could have not been perfect then the heavens can't have the opening remain open because the aura from each realm would slip into another and would ruin the balance. In order for that scratch to be closed however one of the linked souls needs to vanish and since you see that I am here, I suppose you understand which one was taken."He stated coldly even though you could distinguish some sadness somewhere inside.

"You must feel responsible for that. I am sorry you had to go through that."You replied, thinking that certainly, it must not feel good to have the responsibility of the loss of someone's soul.

"If you are thinking that I put you in danger, I really have looked into it for years on end. I didn't make a seal being unsure of it. I would never put your life in danger, I need to make this work this time after all." He explained as his eyes closed and the objects around you started moving, making you feel a fresh air hit your body that somehow relaxed your muscles.

"Years huh? Can I ask how much you remember? Like so many years that you are a spirit and you must have some years that you must have been alive too, it's fascinating how you can have such a good memory and recall everything." You spoke, hoping that your words would make him tell you something about the past that you saw earlier.

"Alive? I was always a spirit. I remember the first day I was born, in a burned ground in the middle of nowhere, full of burns.  The fire was all over my skin and it got divided into nine tails that soon got attached to my body and formed the body I have today. From there on, I just existed."He replied without a hint of hesitation while his eyes remained closed, making you think that his focus was elsewhere and that may be the reason why he was replying instead of questioning why were you making him all these questions so suddenly.

Nine tails...exactly as much as the number of the kids he saved...But if he doesn't remember, what does this suppose to mean? Did I see something about him, that even he isn't supposed to remember?

You looked at him in silence as your thoughts kept the perplexion and confusion that was born in you about this spirit that now seemed like this wasn't the first time you had met him. In a faraway past, in a life other than this, apparently, you had met him.

The thought only sounded crazy to you, but it was the only explanation you could give at that moment and as you stayed on that thought, your memory flashed his face as he had extended his arm and looked so desperately towards that drawing of him and someone that looked just like you.

Why was he so desperate? Could he perhaps have been worried about her or did he want to live so desperately just to be with that person that looked like you?

Just what did that person mean to him? And why the recalling of that painting, brings tears to your eyes and pain in your chest?

If our meeting wasn't coincidental... If me being in that forest and you placing that seal on me all had a purpose...If that seal isn't the only thing that ties me with you... Then...What are we exactly?

---To be continued...