Jyushimatsu sat against the opposite wall, leaning on it for support before settling into a seated position while Ichimatsu held me close, "How did you find us? The scent trail should've died days ago with the large storm that rolled in."

"I didn't follow any scent here," The kitsune barely shook his head as he allowed me to rest mine on his lap, his ghostly tails surrounding me like a living blanket, "I was careful to not leave any trace of my passing, though. It was purely a hunch that I looked in the area."

"Are you sure that you weren't followed?" I couldn't hide the worry in my voice while my body reminded me of the fatigue it grew tired of fighting off. Ichimatsu lowered his winter gaze to me, his eyes softening as they swept over my form, "Do you promise?"

His fingers gently ran through my hair, tugging stray strands into position while undoing the haphazard style, "Yes, my love. I promise on my life that I had no followers."

Childishly, I took one of his hands and pressed his palm against my lips, kissing it carefully as warmth seeped into my very bones and drew me into a rest that I sorely needed.

Ichimatsu brushed his thumb over her cheek a few more times to ensure that she was asleep, barely flinching at the snapping wood while fire ate at the source.

"Thank you, little brother, for watching her so dutifully in my stead."

"It was the least I could do," Jyushimatsu responded quickly, as if he had expected it, "Are you certain you ate your fill?"

The kitsune's pointed ears flicked back in annoyance before a soft sigh hissed through his partially open lips, "I had enough to not go berserk again. Not a full belly, but I'm not starving anymore. I didn't want to risk leaving her without protection."

"I worry for her health," Ichimatsu watched Jyushimatsu shift his position a little closer, his eyes focused on (y/n)'s sleeping form within his tails, "She's been hunting for an answer without sleep, and I've had to force food down her throat on more than one occasion because she wouldn't break her focus."

"Did she find one, then?"

"I can't say," was the guarded response. Ichimatsu picked up the certainty in his little brother's voice, but didn't press further. (Y/n) would tell him if he needed to know.

"Do you need to hunt for food?"

"No, I've been providing for both of us. I will not leave her side until everyone has been taken care of."

Ichimatsu could only nod, understanding the logic. Of the two yokai, the inugami would be a more fierce protector for (y/n) than a kitsune. Jyushimatsu must've already spoken with her about being the last. If he was certain that he was the last, then it was entirely possible for (y/n) to have finished the brushes needed to seal the yokai once more.

The young woman sleeping within his tails barely stirred, adjusting her position into something more comfortable for her while her fingers clutched to his fur. Ichimatsu softly gazed down at her, allowing her to shift into place before settling his tails around her, surrounding and resting on her sleeping form.

"She didn't need to do it."

"No, but she desires to fix her wrongdoing. I'll stay by her side for as long as I can to support her," Ichimatsu allowed a small smile to rest on his lips, "I'm her fiance."

----

The fire burned quietly as Jyushimatsu kept it fed, leaving the older brother to watch (y/n) as she slept. There were times when it seemed like she would wake up on her own, but she settled back down into sleep once again.

It was a scene that he wished would continue forever, but the visitors closing in clearly had other plans.

Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu reacted at the same time to the drawling call of the gravelly voice, the kitsune unflinching as the inugami took up a defensive position near the warehouse door.

"...it's time to wake up," Ichimatsu's voice was gentle as his hand carefully shook my shoulder, drawing my focus from the black dream I had been enthralled in, "Don't make a sound."

I groggily nodded to his direction, softly crawling over his lap to grab the bundle of brushes that had been stored on the bottom shelf within the closest bookcase.

"Well?" The questioning demand of the oni sent a finger of fear down my spine, "If you're not going to come out and play, I'll just let myself in."

"Leave something for me," A coy laugh sounded, my lungs struggling to breathe as the tanuki made his presence known, "I don't care which piece."

Closing my eyes, I forced myself to take in slow breaths and calm down. When I had steadied myself, I gave a short nod to Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu before hiding behind cover.

Ichimatsu stood up and shook off the shredded outer kimono, the bloodstained fabric falling to the ground heavily as the kitsune stretched out his shoulders, "You know, it's quite rude to make demands without introducing yourselves first."

"No introductions are necessary when it's family," The oldest brother laughed while Jyushimatsu opened the door wide, "Don't treat us like strangers."

"Why would I not?" Ichimatsu stepped down from the warehouse opening, the fresh snow blanket reflecting the weak sunlight filtering through the dense cloud cover.

The oldest and youngest brothers stood side by side between the destroyed home and the warehouse, both in their human guises as their monochromatic clothes nearly blended in with the snow. Osomatsu's face was mostly hidden by a loose hood that shifted with the wind, his fierce blue hues solely focused on the inugami moving to stand next to Ichimatsu, his hands loose by his sides while the thick black fur cloak attempted to settle around his shoulders. Gone was the sake gourd that he favored, left shattered in the abandoned home where he and Ichimatsu previously fought.

"Our mother taught you better manners than that," Todomatsu took a step forward, twirling the frayed paper umbrella on his shoulder while a smug expression tugged at his lips. The tanuki's white kimono darkened to black at his sandaled feet, the exposed pale skin seeming wrong in the winter setting as a brown raccoon-dog pelt wrapped around his neck, "Or are you so far gone that you forgot those, too?"

Save for the black curse marks on their faces, they could've passed for humans.

However, the hair standing on the back of Ichimatsu's neck wasn't the only warning he had of their inhuman nature. He huffed out an unamused laugh while flexing his hands in response, "What manners did Mother teach you? Is torturing someone with their loved ones likeness considered 'polite' now?"

"Oh, watch out," Todomatsu scoffed with a smile, "Fox has some bark left."

"I'd be surprised if he lost it," Jyushimatsu snarled, his attention solely focused on the oni, "Considering you taunted him when he was starving."

"Are you saying I shouldn't take an unfair fight?" Osomatsu sneered, "He shouldn't have intruded in my home."

"And you wander here like you belong," The inugami growled a response, taking a step forward before rushing towards the oni, Osomatsu's grin widening as if he had expected the move.

Ichimatsu rushed towards Todomatsu at the same time, his talons outstretched as the umbrella swung between the two yokai, hiding the tanuki from sight before familiar hair swept into view. The kitsune narrowed his eyes as his talons dug deep into (y/n)'s left shoulder, scratching against bone and sinew while she cried out in pain, the paper umbrella now on the ground forgotten.

"M-my bel--" She tried to speak before Ichimatsu drove his other hand into her chest, shredding the white kimono and revealing her chest to the open air.

Ichimatsu growled as he roughly pulled out his hand from her shoulder, drawing another scream from her before he cut it off with the bloody hand around her neck, "That's the last time you'll try to fool anyone."

(Y/n)'s eyes shook with fear as blood streamed down from her wounded shoulder, her hands reaching up and trying to free her neck from his tight grip, "I...Ichi..."

The blood pouring from the fresh wound did not smell like (y/n)'s blood, a shortcoming of the tanuki's shapeshifting ability. It reeked of Todomatsu.

Ichimatsu wasn't scared of hurting (y/n).

The ferocious snarl on '(y/n)'s' face settled any remaining doubt, her colored eyes shifting to an icy blue as Todomatsu's face reappeared, "You're...a frightening creature, Ichimatsu. Willing to kill your beloved in an instant?"

"You're not mine."

A yelp of warning distracted both of them for an instant, Ichimatsu dropping Todomatsu while jumping away from the falling inugami. Jyushimatsu hit the ground between them before he righted himself and rushed back towards Osomatsu, the oni's size growing larger.

Ichimatsu ensured that he was far enough to not be dragged into that fight before he refocused on the tanuki, the youngest brother slamming open the warehouse door and ducking inside before the kitsune chased after him.

I held my breath as the sliding door reopened on the other side of the warehouse, hearing someone pant heavily while the stench of iron and copper flooded the air. A shout warned of a second intruder, both of them slamming into each other before a bookcase collapsed under their weight. I clutched the brush bundle close to my chest, forcing myself to breathe slowly to not draw attention.

"You'd really take that risk?!" The whine of Todomatsu's voice was easy to pick up, something choking off the question while the sound of tearing fabric filled the air. Another cry of pain before someone slammed into the wall close to me, limply falling to the floor as blood splattered against their point of contact and again across the storage shelf next to me.

"I'm willing to take any risk as long as it keeps her safe."

"You're a fool, then," Todomatsu accused, my eyes pinned to his hand as he braced himself against the storage shelf. His whole focus was on whomever he was fighting, I was a mere shadow in his peripheral vision, "A fool that will die in her family's home!"

Ichimatsu charged in from the left, slamming a hand against Todomatsu's wounded shoulder and driving him back against the wall. The tanuki unleashed a pained scream similar to that of a wounded animal, my ears ringing while a heavy 'thud' sound within the warehouse.

I scrambled away from the storage shelf as it leaned towards me, forcing me out into the open while Ichimatsu stood between myself and his prey. His shoulders heaved with heavy breath before he stood up straight, looking back towards me.

"I'll go help Jyushimatsu," The kitsune strode past me, fully revealing Todomatsu unconscious against the warehouse wall. I only nodded as I felt some of his tails brush against me in a comforting motion, taking out a newly crafted fude brush.

The tanuki was completely knocked out, his eyes closed and limbs unmoving while I knelt next to him. I held the blank brush between my index, middle fingers, and thumb, pressing the white bristles against his forehead before swiping the brush to the right around his face, down the left side of his neck, circling down over the ruined clothes and around the middle of his chest, encircling his heart.

A bright pink light blinded me as a sudden heat forced me to let go of the brush, covering my eyes with an arm while a violent wind suddenly picked up around myself and Todomatsu.

Just as quickly as it started, everything fell still.

I blinked furiously to regain my sight, focusing on Todomatsu's human form.

His dark hair was a mess, the kimono sitting loosely around him while a peaceful expression rested on his face, no longer bearing any black marks or scars.

A pink fude brush rested on his chest, ready to be used.