Chapter 3: A Fox Spirit?
~Flashback~
A little blonde boy crying by the river side looking at his reflection in the water. The sun was bright making his hair shine. His hair was quite long, it came a bit below his shoulders. His eyes were a sparkling blue and tears made it look like a waterfall. His tan complexion contrasted beautifully. He had wore white robes with gold embroidered edges.
He was all alone crying and what seemed to be a sunny day for spring season. Suddenly he heard rustling from the bushes behind. He turned around slowly scared of who this might be.
"W-who is it?" He says in a shaky voice, but there was no response. He could only hear the person come closer and closer with every foot step. The wind sweeps past him ruffling his hair and drying the tears on his face. He slowly gets up his legs shaking and his heart beating in his ears. He tried to put on a brave face as hears the bushes rustle one more time.
"Answer me! Who is there?" He see someone come out all of a sudden and closes his eyes shut. He flinched as he heard a thump on the ground.
"Ouch!" The person said. They voice, but there was no response. He could only hear the person come closer and closer with every foot step. The wind sweeps past him ruffling his hair and drying the tears on his face. He slowly gets up his legs shaking and his heart beating in his ears. He tried to put on a brave face as hears the bushes rustle once more.
"Answer me! Who is there?" He see someone come out all of a sudden and closes his eyes shut. He flinched as he heard a thump on the ground.
"Ouch!" The person said. They voice sounded high pitched and feminine. So he opened his eyes slowly to see a young girl around maybe 6-7 on the ground rubbing the back of her head. She had sea foam green eyes with hints blue and rich pink hair. Her forehead was kinda big though, but that wasn't important.
"Um, who are you?" He said walking a bit closer to her. She looked up at him and tilted her head.
"Who are you?" She said with a dumb founded look on her face.
"H-hey! I asked you first!" The blonde said as he pointed at her.
"I'm Sakura. Sakura Hayami. Could you tell me who you are now?" She questioned.
"I'm Hiroki."
"Can you tell me your last name too?" He looked down a bit, fidgeting with his hands.
"I don't have one." She seemed confused as she got up and patted the dirt off her dress.
"But everyone has a last name. It's ok though. We can still be friends?" She said raising her hand out towards Hiroki, with a big smile on her face. He stared at her raising his eyebrow. Then he totally ignored her started to walk past Sakura to sit down under a tree. Sakura huffed at him. Then walked over to we're he sat, looming over him.
"Can I sit down?" She asked. Hiroki laid his head the back of the tree and sighed.
"Sure." Sakura smiled and quickly sat down under the tree and in the shade.
"Are alone here? Are your parents here too?" She asked, Hiroki just looked the other way. With only one thing that went through his mind.
"So don't forget." He said without an expression.
"Hhm?" Sakura hummed.
"That was the only thing I can remember. Before they died or at least that's what I think happened. The rest was blurry and to much noise so I can't exactly remember." He said it with such hesitation. Like he was hiding something, but Sakura didn't want to intrude too much on his privacy.
"I'm sorry Hiroki, I didn't know." He smiled lightly back at her.
"It's fine, it's been so many years since then. It's not too bad really." She touched the side of the boys face making his eye go wide. Turning to face the young girl. She looked at his face examining it thoroughly. Light shades of pink arrived on his face.
"Then why were you crying?" She said a bit sternly, not noticing his blush on his face.
"I-I wasn't crying." He yelled.
"Really then what are these tear stains on your face?"
"It's nothing I was just-." He was cut off by Sakura.
"Just missing your family." Hiroki didn't respond just averted his eyes from her.
"It's ok to miss your family. There is nothing wrong with that and just because they're not here doesn't mean your alone. I'm here now. I will be your family and your friend. Ok?" Hiroki nodded and looked back to her.
"Um, Sakura."
"Yes Hiroki?"
"Could you move your hand?" She quickly moved her and blushed. They both sat in silence for few minutes until Sakura noticed the pretty design on his cloths.
"Hiroki can you show me your cloths?" He looked confused but straighten out his robes.
"These markings." She said as she examined it.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, no. It's just that the clothes that you are wearing, I've seen them before." Hiroki's curiosity was peaked as he waited for Sakura to continue.
"My mom told once how the Queen Goddess of the west who was almost as powerful as a Jade emperor had divine descendants. But instead of gods the were fox spirits. Well more like Demi-god fox spirits, but the are said to be as powerful as a regular god. It is said that there are very few of them making them very rare, but the important part is that they wore white robes with gold embroidery. Just like yours."
"So are you saying I'm a fox spirit?" Sakura thought and nodded in response.
"That could be it. That means you can do magic and stuff. Right?!" She was exited, ecstatic even, that her new friend might be a fox spirit.
"Um, I don't know about that though?" He said doubting her. She huffed.
"You've never done something cool or weird without know how." Hiroki shrugged. Then a light bulb went off in her head.
"Why don't we try to test it out! Oh! It would be so fun!" Said exclaimed.
"Ok, but what should I do?" The boy asked. Sakura thought for a moment till a late bloomed flower came into her view. She gasped as she picked it up and presented it to the boy.
"Make it bloom!" She said.
"Um, how do I do that?"
"I don't know! Maybe hold it in your hands and think about it really hard then it might happen. I've read in story's that this is how they do it." She handed the boy the flower and made him cover his hand. He looked at her for confirmation and she nodded vigorously.
'Here goes nothing.' So held the the flower in his cupped hands and closed his eyes. He chanted over and over again.
'Bloom. Bloom. Bloom. Bloom. Bloom. Bloom!'
He felt something happen. Something traveled through him. It felt like an external energy flowed in him. It made him feel like he was capable to do things beyond his wildest dreams. Then he stoped. Opening his eyes slowly, still with his hands closed. He looked over to Sakura and she impatiently looked at him. They nodded at each other to see the flower. He opens his hands and inside was beautiful pink flower fully bloomed.
"Y-you did it." Hiroki was shocked but just nodded.
"Oh My! Hiroki! You did it! You actually did it!" She was ecstatic, until she realized.
"Oh wait! Hiroki you must never do this again." She said worriedly. This statement brought the blonde out of his shock.
"W-what! Why?" He asked.
"No, no. What I meant was you can't do this in front of anyone else." He was still concerned.
"Why not?"
"Oh Hiroki, you don't know the evils of this world. The dangerous people who would use you. Must keep this a secret. If others should find out they'll use you, kill you, torture you even. There's this Keiko lady I've read about her. She took animal spirits and used them for power. She is supposed to be dead but some believe not. So promise me to not let anyone see." Hiroki nodded.
"Okay I won't."
"Good!" She smiled at him and he smiled back.
~Flashback End~
"Hiroki!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone