Seeing Ichimatsu lying unconscious near the cooking fire was heartbreaking, the extent of the damage fully revealed in the fire's warm light from the fights between three different brothers.

My fingers gently moved some strands thick with blood away from his face, kneeling close and dipping some cloth into the warmed water before pressing the cloth against his left arm. The fire crackled softly as the light splashed against the rock walls of the cave, the two other figures sitting quietly against it as they watched my actions.

As I lifted the cloth from a nasty bite wound, a flinch of movement caught my gaze as Ichimatsu groaned, pulling the arm out of my soft grip and lifting it up to cover his eyes. A shuffle of cloth indicated that one of the two forms nearby had moved into a readied position, their actions speaking loudly against what I was doing.

"...(y/n)...?" Ichimatsu's husky voice pulled my attention back to the man in front of me, his ice blue hues holding doubt deep within the bright color as his left hand reached out for my cheek, "You're...here?"

"Don't talk," I cupped his hand against my cheek for a moment before moving away to reveal the small gathering of food that I had gathered from the surrounding forest, "You need to eat."

"But--"

"Ichimatsu," My voice was stern, moving back a little bit more as he slowly sat up, "Please."

A hurt expression crossed his face before a look of understanding washed over, his eyes closing as he took a deep breath in before releasing it and looking towards the sparse food piled in front of him.

There were a handful of viable berries, still fresh despite the winter weather outside, and a few greens that Jyushimatsu had helped me pick out, ensuring that they weren't poisonous or dangerous for me to touch.

The kitsune's gaze softened at the meager offering before reaching down and taking a few berries, pushing the rest towards me, "You need to eat, too."

"They're not for me--" I tried to push the food back to him, my words cutting off in pain as Ichimatsu's hand tightened around my own left forearm, the movement too fast for me to track. In the blink of an eye, Ichimatsu's kind gaze had hardened back into the feral glare that I had never seen before.

"Good humans should eat," The words crawled from between his enlarged teeth, the flat edges now sharp like a fox's. A rush of fear sprinted up my spine before a hand covered my eyes, cutting off my sight as a vicious snarl sounded in front of me.

"Enough," A simple word held so much power as a gentle wind swirled around us, an evergreen scent thick on its draft.

"Master, are you hurt?" The person behind me spoke softly, a hint of worry in their voice as a gloved hand traced down my left arm while keeping my eyes covered with their other hand, "...no blood."

"It was close enough," The first speaker sounded disappointed, "(Y/n), please calm down. Your fear is still strong."

"...sorry...I wasn't expecting him to shift," I apologized softly as Ichimatsu let out a few struggling growls, my vision still black as I felt the one behind me settle into a more comfortable position, "Jyushimatsu, you can let go."

Obediently, the glove removed itself from my face, revealing the kitsune struggling against vicious winds that kept him pinned down on the furthest wall of the cave. Choromatsu stood between Ichimatsu and myself, his robes barely moving from the torrent as he looked over his shoulder towards me.

"Master, your idea won't work when Ichimatsu isn't in control of himself," Jyushimatsu's voice still held some worry as his other hand released its hold of my forearm. I sighed inwardly at his statement, knowing that it was true despite my wishes of Ichimatsu still being of sound mind.

"Do you...know how much longer he has?" My focus shifted to Choromatsu, the daitengu pivoting to look at me more fully before glancing at the now-silent kitsune pressed against the rock wall.

"Less than any of us."

"Then..." I felt my face pale as Jyushimatsu moved away from me, his form entering my vision when he approached Ichimatsu, "This wasn't a mistake?"

"Considering that he's been protecting you against two others that have fully embraced their new powers, it would be sensible that he'd lose himself faster," Choromatsu watched Jyushimatsu carefully as the younger of the two moved past, looking back to me after a moment, "It's also possible that he's been pushing himself harder the past few years because of your relationship."

"...one that you could've had..." The growl from Ichimatsu startled the three of us, drawing our full attention to him, "Instead, you hid your nose in a book and pretended that the outside world didn't exist."

"...you think that I wanted to be involved in a forced marriage?" Choromatsu's voice lowered threateningly, turning himself to fully face the fourth brother as he sneered at the daitengu.

"It's not like we all wanted it to happen," The kitsune briefly glanced back at me before Choromatsu stepped between us, completely encompassing my view of Ichimatsu, "I knew that Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu were against it just as much as the rest of us, so I took the bait."

My heart sank with each word he spoke, staring wide-eyed at the daitengu's back.

"Be quiet."

"Or what? It's not like (y/n) doesn't know what would've happened if none of us brothers agreed," Ichimatsu's voice rose a little in pitch, the words sounding like they were being squeezed from his throat, "One of us had to take her before she was sent there."

"What are you talking about...?"

"I said 'be quiet'," Choromatsu's voice became more stern and commanding.

"You think that Totoko wanted to become what she is, (y/n)?" The kitsune now directed the question to me, raising his voice a little, "You think that she voluntarily went to that damned temple?"

"Wha--"

"Don't take the bait," The angered look on Choromatsu's face silenced my question, stirring up my fear of him as his ice blue eyes glinted dangerously.

"Totoko was sent to the temple because she didn't marry!" Ichimatsu shouted out before Jyushimatsu stepped closer to him, disappearing from my sight behind Choromatsu's silhouette, "You were going to be sent if none of us agreed to marry you, (y/n)."

My heart thudded heavily in my chest as I pushed myself a little ways from the three brothers, uncertainty fading into fear as Choromatsu glanced away from me, my eyes catching a glimpse of Ichimatsu.

"...was it even worth saving you?"

The question was aimed at me, Ichimatsu's face set into a disgusted expression before Jyushimatsu's fist collided with it, the kitsune snarling at the sudden attack. The inugami responded with his own growl, grabbing the collar of Ichimatsu's kimono and dragging him through the wall of wind.

"So testy," The kitsune chided before lashing out, his talons spreading out in an attempt to rip through the cloth hiding the lower portion of Jyushimatsu's face, "It's not like I'm insulting you, dog!"

"Jyushimatsu!" Choromatsu shouted in shock, waving his hand to disperse the wind within the cave as he backed up closer to me, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Yes, please," A new voice cut through the commotion, making me freeze in place as I slowly turned towards the newcomer, "I'd appreciate it if my fox remained unharmed."

The wide straw hat hid the person's face except for a slit that revealed the dangerous glint within a snowy blue hue, its focus locked onto me. A thin blue rope encircled the white cloth wrapped around their neck, a matching colored sash tied around their waist that was partially hidden by a snow white cloak. The ends of the cloak were road-worn and torn in some places, the white color fading into a faint gray flame pattern.

"No..." I stood up and moved away from the cave entrance, trying desperately to keep my fear from spiking, "No, he's not yours!"

"Of course, he is. My existence created this, didn't it?" I could hear the smile from underneath the cloth hiding most of their face before a hum of disapproval sounded as Choromatsu stepped between myself and the newcomer, "You're not as far gone as I would've thought."

"Why are you here, Todomatsu?"

"None of your concern," The voice of the newcomer sounded more disappointed as the tone lifted in playfulness, the straw hat tilting upwards to reveal the tanuki holding a paper umbrella as a shimmer of pink petals fell down his form, showing off the light gray robes while the white cloak fell off into a pile of leaves, "Now that you've spoiled the surprise, my own fun is ruined."

"That's none of my concern," The third eldest shot the excuse back at the youngest brother, a small hum of satisfaction leaking into his voice as Todomatsu gave a deep frown.

"How funny, bird," A soft chime of glass sounded as he waved his left hand dismissively, "I'm only here to collect the fox. I care nothing about anyone else."

"You're not taking Ichimatsu," Gathering my strength, I stood up and stepped out from behind Choromatsu, leveling a glare at Todomatsu, "He's not going anywhere."

The tanuki returned the glare as his blue hues hardened, my gut screaming at me to not challenge the yokai while I held my ground.

I was done running.

Todomatsu's lips twisted into a pleased sneer, "Really? You think that you're going to be able to hold your ground while you have those two next to you? A dog and a bird..."

"You're the coward racoon dog," My voice was tight, but I continued to hold firm, "I know that you're only here because Karamatsu can't do it himself...which tells me that Jyushimatsu wounded him badly enough to force him away, or that he knows he can't scare me with his sudden appearances anymore."

"...please. You'll never be strong enough to scare him away," Ichimatsu's laugh sent a chill through my body, "You're nothing without me, (y/n)."

"You're right," I closed my eyes tightly for a moment before I snapped a glare towards Todomatsu, grabbing the gathered food still near my feet in my hands, "I am nothing without you, Ichimatsu...which is why I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you sane when you're by my side!"

Tearing my glare from the youngest, I took long strides towards the kitsune still within Jyushimatsu's grasp and shoved the food into his open mouth. A yelp of surprise sounded from deep within his throat before I dug my fingers into his cheeks to keep him from spitting anything out, smothering a cry of pain when his teeth clenched down into my palm.

Jyushimatsu shoved Ichimatsu down into the ground, my hold pulling me down with him as the movement startled the kitsune enough to swallow the berries and greens.

"Well, that's interesting..." Todomatsu softly called out in a teasing tone, "You think that meager food like that will be enough? My fox is quite hungry for something a little more--"

His taunt was cut off as a violent wind ripped him from the cave entrance, the pressure pounding in my ears before it died down. Choromatsu let out a sigh before his wooden shoes clicked against the rocky floor.

"Do what you can."

I glanced over my shoulder to see the daitengu leave after the tanuki, my attention suddenly and painfully brought back to the struggling kitsune underneath me when his teeth dug further into my palm.

"Master--"

"Don't!" I silenced Jyushimatsu as he reached for my hand, his grip shifting to keep Ichimatsu pinned to the ground, "Ichimatsu, I know that wasn't you...I know that you didn't mean to say those words to me."

The response was a deeper bite, the pain becoming almost unbearable as tears began to fall from my eyes.

"Please come back to me...! I need you, Ichimatsu!"

The pain from his bite radiated through my hand and into my arm, unleashing a new wave when I felt his teeth let go of the chunk of palm he had, our eyes meeting as beads of tears began to form in the corners of his remorseful eyes.

"Master," The inugami's voice next to me was quiet, "Your hand..."

I shook my head at the inquiry, keeping my focus on the man I loved underneath me, "Ichimatsu."

The uttering of his name made more tears fall, his arms fighting against Jyushimatsu's hold as his teeth completely let go of my hand, a wet thing pressing up against it and licking the wound.

Ichimatsu whimpered as his hands were freed from their restrictions, both of them quickly reaching for my hand over his mouth and pulling it away, the touch gentle and kind despite the rough talons still sprouting on each finger.

"(Y/n)...my love, I'm so sorry...!" His voice was heavy with regret and sorrow, keeping my wounded palm close as he continued to care for it, "I'm so sorry...!"

I watched as the kitsune features on his body slowly misted away from his form, revealing the miserable human underneath. His kimono was roughed up, still holding the damage and blood from previous fights, while his hair was more than matted with dirt and dried blood.

"Ichimatsu...why didn't you tell me?"

My fiancé's arms held me close, his mouth now pressed against my cheek as I heard the labored whimpers and breaths that racked his body, "I didn't want to worry you...but I made your troubles bigger by hiding it away. Forgive me..."

"Master, we need to leave," Jyushimatsu's voice was urgent, the thick gloves resting on my shoulders, "The others are coming and Choromatsu can't hold them all off."

"Others...? Osomatsu?" I turned my head towards the inugami, his blue eyes glowing the growing dark of the cave as the embers of the fire died out. My heart began fluttering in panic, "Karamatsu?"

"The same. We need to leave."

"You need to leave," Ichimatsu grunted as he released me, standing up while wiping off his mouth with the back of his hand, "I'll only slow you down in my current state."

"No, I'm not leaving you!" I panicked as I followed him up, looking at him in worry, "I'm not running away to leave you behind again."

"(Y/n)," His voice and touch were tender as Ichimatsu regarded me, his palm against my cheek, "I'm a shapeshifter, too. I can hide without worrying about losing you if you're with Jyushimatsu."

"But--"

"I promise that I'll find food before we meet up again. Head to Nagoya like we planned, I'll find you there."

"Master, we need to leave now!"

I looked between the kitsune trying to pull away from me and the inugami standing behind me in a protective posture. My heart raced as thoughts began crowding my head.

Leave Ichimatsu and flee with Jyushimatsu to Nagoya?

Force Ichimatsu to join us?

My hands pressed against the sides of my head before a single thought settled comfortably in my head, looking towards Ichimatsu and opening my mouth to voice the thought.