𝖬osiac || 𝖲𝖵𝖳 𝖠𝖴

Chapter 17

Back to present

"So tell me" Jeonghan smiled widely. "How have you been?" Jisoo didn't answer nor looked at him causing Jeonghan's heart to break. After that scene that happened earlier, how could he make everything go back to normal? Don't get him wrong, he knew about his own mistakes. Jeonghan knew how badly he had hurt Joshua and he knew he had messed up bad that day for it still haunted him day and night. But how could he fix it? How could he explain his true motives through that marriage?

Jeonghan sighed. He had to form a proper conversation first or this reunion would be useless. "Where do you work in?" He tried again. "What do you like about this new generation? Do you still like sweets as much as you did back then? Is your favorite colors still pink, blue and-"

"Enough!" Jisoo looked up at him with menacing eyes. "Did you not let me go only to play around?" He stood up and walked towards him, lifting Jeonghan's chin up in the process.

His expression quickly changed to one of sadness. "Why did you do that?" He asked. "Why did you break the promise you made to me, and married her instead?" Joshua let go and looked down, unable to meet the eyes of the older. "Why did leave me?"

Joshua felt something pull him into a hug making him tense in surprise. However, the head that now brushed against his stomach made him forget everything and pay attention to how peaceful the other looked in his arms.

"The day I came to you running like a madman was because they had found a Bakeneko that scared the crap out of them, remember?" Joshua hummed. "That day, I found out through one of the villagers, the one who started that hunt to be exact" He sighed. "I didn't want to loose you, I didn't want to leave you alone in fear"

"But sometimes, humans are scarier, meaner and more cold-hearted than any other being in the world" He chuckled bitterly. "And I didn't want to give you to them"

Joshua sat beside Jeonghan, ending the hug so he could properly listen to the Kitsune's side of the story better.

"During those years that you left to hide, a war had erupted around middle Asia that expanded through that continent soon being able to reach Japan" His eyebrows furrowed. "At the same time, a man stole my Hoshi no Tama(*)" Joshua's eyes widened making Jeonghan chuckle sadly.

"He said he would give it back in exchange for a marriage promise, as to which, I accepted" Jeonghan's smiled faded. "But ever since you saw me with her, I couldn't help but regret my decision even more, even though I already was in the first place"

"But you ended up marrying her anyway" Joshua said empathetically but even Jeonghan could tell there were some feelings of bitterness mixed in his voice.

"To be honest, I actually didn't" Jeonghan smiled at Joshua's confused face. "Right after you left, the house was attacked"

"What?!"

"Yup" He smiled. "By a Gashadokuro nonetheless"

"You're kidding me.." Joshua gasped. "Wait! What happened to the others? Don't tell me..."

Jeonghan's looked straight at Joshua's eyes. "They..

"died"

His expression turned somber. "Yumi, Mr. Aizawa and all of his servants, they all died"

Joshua looked down. "How..?"

"The house was destroyed by the strength of the skeleton making enough noise to startle everyone" He looked at Joshua. "To be honest" He hesitated. "I'm kind of happy that happened"

Joshua didn't look at him. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been freed from their hands. You do know how valuable it is to have a Kitsune as a family member, right?(*) So might as well leave them to die before they use me as an object"

He smiled. "After all, promises can't be fulfilled if the one who makes it looses their sacred life"

Joshua looked at him with a concerned expression in his face. "And what did you do after that?"

Jeonghan sighed. "I befriended the Gashadokuro, cause you know, I was grateful and all" He said with slight mischievousness. "Somehow, however, I managed to convince him to help me find you to explain everything, but it turns out you left to America" He smiled sadly. "After knowing that, I entered a depressing state in where I couldn't do anything whatsoever" He hesitated. "I wanted to die" Joshua's eyes widened at his words.

"But look at us now" He held the cat's hand. "You're here, we're here, together" He smiled. "And I don't want to let go ever again"

Joshua didn't know how to react. What should he say in these kinds of situations? The information was too much for him to take, too much for him to really believe them. But did that matter now? Jeonghan was right next to him. The voice of his Kitsune was ringing right to his ears. His dear Angel was holding his hands once again. Joshua smiled.

"I know time has completely changed" His voice startled Jeonghan who was getting used to the silence. "I know it's been so long since we last saw eachother and talked about our past" He bit his lip. "One that I want to forget"

"But I want you to know, Angel" The sudden nickname made him raise his head to look at Joshua. "I will never want to forget you"

Joshua smiled. "Angel, I love you" And shared a slow, chaste kiss.

[(*) Hoshi no Tama: a white round ball that holds the Kitsune's magical powers when the creature shape shifts, usually found in the Kitsune's mouth or around their tail. Another believe is that it stores the Kitsune's soul. If kept far from it too long the fox creature may die. Apart from that, if someone takes the pearl, they can force the Kitsune to make a promise in exchange for it.]

[(*) Now, why would having a Kitsune be considered valuable in a family?

It is often believed that if a person is possessed by a Kitsune, or has a protective fox spirit, will bring fortune to those who are in the family. In fact, it is also thought that they can curse the crops of those the family hates as well as bring illnesses to them.]