"Promise you won't runaway again?"

"Rin looked at him, couldn't help the surprise that took over. She was confused at the sudden switch of his temper. Jiro was just screaming at her a minute ago, angry beyond himself and now, sweet as she's never seen him before.

"Doesn't seem like I have that much of a choice, doesn't it?" A smile found her lips. "It's either that or I'm dead."

"So that means you'll stay then?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

They stared at each other, just staring without talking. The moment had them arrested, their eyes drew upon each other bewitched, helplessly enthralled, prisoner to each other's gaze.

For the longest time they exchanged glances as though magic itself has taken captive of their spirits until something else drew her attention. Rin thought she saw the dark feathers on his face crawled back, showing the skin beneath the surface. And for a moment she admired the beautiful face and the black hair that only a second ago was a mass of long feathers.

"Jiro." She uttered in a soft mesmerized whisper. "Y-you looked normal."

His eyes flashed, he knew he had felt something different. A feeling he hasn't felt in a long time. It is as if part of the curse has been lifted, a taste of something he used to be, what he was before he slowly turned into a beast.

"Tell me!" Thrill laced his voice. "What do you see?"

"I see you."

"Me?" He gasped.

"Yes, you..." She stared at him again as though memorizing the new details of his features. Rin began to open her mouth again wanting nothing more than to tell him how handsome he looked but her lungs had burned and kept burning with the water still trapped in them. It felt like she's still drowning, slowly suffocating until the light dimmed and her head spun as the world around her came into complete darkness.

Rin passed out.

Rin later awoke under a soft glow of warm lamp light. She was laying on her mat back inside her room. The night has long fallen and had expected herself to be alone when she noticed the shinning locks of liquid silver on the side of her eye. Undoubtedly Kurama.

She almost flinched at the sight of him. Kurama sat on the floor arms crossed with his back on the wall. He had his head bowed, hooded eyes drawn. Tranquility possessed him naturally, beautiful without even trying. 

His eyes lifted casting her a gentle stare. "How are you feeling?"

Rin searched her mind for any kind of pain and found nothing, then looked for the burning sensation in her lungs, she noticed the ache was gone.

She turned to Kurama, she couldn't have been more struck, she knew he's the one who healed her. "The pain is gone."

The enchanting yokai smiled. Just as he expected, he knew he could rely on his healing powers for it never once waned into weakness no matter how rare he uses it. "Good, you swallowed a lot of water and almost died. Good thing I was nearby, Jiro was able to send for me quick."

"Thank you." She managed under a quiet breath.

"Glad to have served the lord of the manor." He whispered, if it's up to him, he probably would have let her die. "He wanted you alive."

Kurama started to leave as soon as he made sure Rin was okay but Rin stopped him from leaving.

"Wait!" She said.

Kurama paused and drew his striking blue eyes back at her. "What?"

"What do you know about Jiro?" She asked without a waste of breath.

His line of perfect eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean? I've known Jiro for decades. I know pretty much everything about him."

"His appearance." Rin said slowly afraid at her choice of words.

Kurama's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean his appearance?"

"When we were together this afternoon, after he saved me from drowning, I saw his face changed."

"How?" Asked Kurama carefully, his attention fully focused on her now.

"I saw the feathers on his face disappeared."

"Is that so? Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes, I didn't know what to make of it at first. I thought Jiro had always looked like the way he did, but for a brief moment, he looked normal without feathers hiding his face."

"Did you get a look at his body? Was his body normal too?"

"No, I mean, it all happened so quickly, I didn't get a chance."

The revelation couldn't have made Kurama happier. "No, he hasn't always looked like that. Jiro was a normal TENGU until about fifty years ago."

Kurama stopped himself before he casually reveal more of Jiro's secret. He winced. "Good thing he kept you. You're not so useless after all."