A Fox's Family (52 page)

Kevin
gasped as his body impacted with the hard tile floor. The tiny wooden
needles penetrating his skin were pushed further into his body. He
could feel the sharp cobblestone shards in his back tear apart his
flesh. The world tumbled around him, but he could see nothing. All he
could do was feel the agony of his bones being jarred, of his skin
being stabbed, ripped and torn apart. He knew nothing but pain. It
hurt so much! He wanted everything to stop—

“Gooaaa!”
Kevin’s eyes widened as his back slammed into something hard.
His mind dimmed. Everything became blurry. Darkness encroached upon
his vision. He felt tired. So tired. All he wanted to do was rest.
Yes. That sounded good. He would just close his eyes and go to sleep—

“BELOVED!”

—The
scream jolted him back into awareness. He knew that scream.

Lilian!

“Gu…
ha… ngg…”

He
twitched and struggled to move, but his muscles spasmed in agony and
seized up. His body refused to do what he told it to. He had reached
his limit, it seemed.

“Inari-blessed!
Beloved!”

Kevin’s
vision became filled with red, strands of silk that caught fire from
the low light filtering in through the windows. He saw green as well.
Two emeralds glistening with unshed tears. A face, one that he
couldn’t forget even if he tried, an apparition of loveliness
and beauty like something out of an evanescent fantasy, stared at him
with worry.

He
tried to call her name, but his mouth wasn’t working.

“Inari-blessed,
you’re hurt!” Lilian’s cried out. “Hold on!
I’ll heal you!”

His
body was lifted. He couldn’t feel it, he couldn’t feel
much of anything, but he could tell because Lilian’s face was
closing in on him. Closer and closer. Kevin’s ocular perception
was filled with worried gem-like irises.

Warmth.
Kevin’s body became engulfed in an odd warmth. It was different
from when you curl up underneath a blanket or sit beside the fire.
This warmth came from inside of him―no, it came from the girl
kissing him…

Wait.
What?

Kevin
blinked several times, his mind finally beginning to realize several
things he’d missed in the past few seconds. The first was, of
course, Lilian’s lips pressed against his own. He also thought
he felt some tongue action going on, but that could have just been
the delusions of a teenage mind. The second thing he noticed was that
he felt better. A lot better. His back no longer protested with each
movement. He could no longer feel the splinters digging into his
skin. Even the cobblestone rocks seemed to have disappeared, and his
previously torn muscles felt brand new.

The
kiss ended and Kevin absently realized that, yes, there had been some
tongue action going on there.

“Lilian?”
Kevin’s mind still felt disoriented.

“How
are you feeling?” Lilian asked, her tone still fraught with
worry.

“Good.”
And a little confused. “Really good. You healed me?”

Her
smile was warm, tender and loving. Kevin turned into a pile of goo.
“I did.”

“Don’t
your healing powers come from your tails?”

“They
do.”

“Right,
so, why did you kiss me?”

Kevin
and Lilian stared at each other for several silent seconds. Lilian’s
cheeks turned red. Kevin thought he would die of moé.

“…
Because
I wanted to?”

Kevin
stared at her some more. Then he reached up and his hand found
purchase on the back of her head, where his fingers threaded through
her hair.

“Good
answer,” he said, right before he pulled her lips back down to
his.

“W…
what the hell is this?!”

The
screech put an end to what might have been one of the most epic make
out sessions since Louise Francoise Leblanc de la Valliere almost had
sex with Saito Hiraga in a small boat floating in a lake in the
middle of her father’s estate—which had also been
interrupted.

“Please
don’t make references that only a few people will get,”
Lilian stated flatly.

Sorry.
I couldn’t help myself.

“Whatever.
Just don’t make a habit of it, okay?”

I
won’t. I promise.

“You
know,” Kevin started with a dry look etched on his face, “I’m
really getting sick of listening to you talk to imaginary people like
that.”

…
I’m
not imaginary…

Lilian
giggled. “I’m sorry, Kevin.”

Kevin
deadpanned. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

Their
small moment finished, Kevin and Lilian eyed the source of the
screech. Jiāoào stood near the busted entrance, his jaw
hanging open and his eyes wide and round. His face was pale, like
he’d just witnessed the woman he’d obsessed over for
nearly two decades making out with the boy he’d been trying to
kill a few seconds prior.

“Lilian…”
Jiāoào trembled. “How could you… you’re
choosing him over me? How… why… I don’t… I
don’t understand!” Jiāoào shook his head, as
if trying to deny what lay in front of his eyes. “What does he
have that I don’t?!”

“A
pair of testicles,” Kevin muttered, eyeing the boy’s long
hair.

“Shush,
Beloved. There’s no need to antagonize him.”

“Yes,
dear.”

Lilian
tossed him a smile before giving Jiāoào a flat look.
“There are a lot of things he has that you don’t, Jiāoào.
Unlike you, Kevin is kind and compassionate. He’s also strong,
both in mind and body. He’s protective of the people close to
him and actually cares about their happiness. You, on the other hand,
are selfish and only care about your own happiness. But, most
importantly…”

Lilian’s
eyes strayed to Kevin for a moment. He tilted his head, obviously
confused, but she just smiled and turned back to Jiāoào.

“Most
importantly, he wants to stand by my side as an equal, rather than
treat me as though I’m subservient to him. I don’t want
someone who’s going to treat me like a slave. I don’t
want to be treated like someone else’s property. I want to be
free to make my own choices, whatever those choices are, and know
that my mate stands beside me, supporting me just as I’ll
support him. That’s not something a spoiled brat like you would
understand.”

Jiāoào
stood there. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

“I
think you broke him,” Kevin said.

Lilian
sniffed. “Good.”

“I-I
see,” Jiāoào said at last. A creepy grin spread
across his face. He also began chuckling in a manner that freaked
Kevin out. “Kekeke… so, you’ve decided to spurn my
love for you.”

Lilian
rolled her eyes. “You never loved me, Jiāoào. I was
just a prize for you to flaunt.”

Jiāoào
wasn’t listening. He remained lost within his own little world,
which continued crumbling down around him. “Kekekeke…”
More creepy laughter. “Very well. I see how it is. You don’t
want me. You’re denying me.”

Lilian’s
expression seemed to say “duh.” So did Kevin’s.

“In
that case… in that case I will kill you right here! If I can’t
have you, no one can!”

Jiāoào
rushed towards the prone forms of Lilian and Kevin, his eyes glinting
with insanity, showing them that he had clearly lost his last marble.

“You
and your precious mate will both―”

“Keep-your-filthy-tails-away-from-my-girlfriend
Kick!”

“―GURK!”

Kevin,
after slamming his heel into Jiāoào’s jaw with a
flying jump kick, landed on his feet and stood protectively in front
of his girlfriend.

“Don’t
think for one second that I’m going to let you touch a single
hair on my mate’s head!” The declaration, complete with
the “one hand on hip and the other pointing at foe”
stance, brought a bright blush to Lilian’s face. “Come
anywhere near her and I’ll show you why you shouldn’t
underestimate us humans!”

“I
think you already did that, Kevin.”

“Oh.”
A pause. “In that case, I’ll do it again!”

“Right.”

Jiāoào
stood up, one hand on his bloody jaw, trembling.

“You…
you… YOU DAMN HUMAN!”

He
rushed forward again—

“SQUEEEE!!”

—And
was sent back down after Kevin punted him in the testicles.

“All
right! Time to clean this guy’s clock.”

“Kevin,
you can’t possibly mean to fight him on your own! That’s
dangerous!”

Kevin
turned to Lilian as Jiāoào struggled to his feet. “Of
course I do. I can’t turn my back on this. If I’m going
to prove that I’m strong enough to stand by your side, then I
have to do this.”

“But
Beloved!” Lilian pleaded. “He’s already injured you
so much! I don’t… I couldn’t bear the thought of
seeing you hurt like that again.”

“Lilian…”
Kevin knelt down beside her. He cupped her cheeks, using his thumbs
to gently wipe the tears from her eyes before they could fall.
“Please believe in me. If you can’t believe in your own
mate, then who can you believe in?”

Words
were not spoken for the longest time. Jiāoào stood up and
began to run at them again, his wordless battle cry letting them know
that time was running short.

“Okay,”
Lilian whispered. “I’ll believe in you.” She gave
Kevin her most brilliant smile. “I’ll always believe in
you.”

“Heh.”
Kevin grinned. “Just hearing you say that makes me feel like I
can take on the world.”

Jiāoào
finally closed the distance between him and the young couple, his
clawed left hand prepared to tear them both limb from bloody limb.

“Now
you’ll both DIE!”

“Swift
Headbutt!”

Kevin
headbutted Jiāoào in the face. Again.

“Gah!
My nose! I think you actually broke my nose this time!”

Kevin
cracked his knuckles. “I’m gonna break a lot more than
that!”

What
followed was not a fight, for that term implies that the battle
between the opposing forces was fair. The fight between Kevin and
Jiāoào was not fair at all. Jiāoào, whose
mind had lost itself to madness, didn’t even bother using his
tails, or his illusions. He just ran at Kevin with no plan and no
purpose.

It
didn’t work.

Jiāoào
came at Kevin again.

Kevin
punched him in the face.

“Gah!”

“That’s
for trying to force Lilian into mating with you when she clearly
doesn’t want to!”

Stumbling
back, his mind disoriented from the pain, Jiāoào didn’t
even see the two fingers heading his way.

Poke.

“Inari
dammit!! My eyes! You poked my eyes! Who the hell does that?!!”

“I
do that!” Kevin declared. “That’s for kidnapping
Lilian and thinking you can get away with it!”

His
hands covering his eyes, Jiāoào was unable to do anything
as Kevin rammed a fist into his stomach.

“Oof!”

He
doubled over, spittle flying from his mouth.

“That’s
for hurting my mate’s sister!”

Kevin’s
elbow came up and slammed into Jiāoào’s jaw,
breaking it.

“Gruak!”

“I
have absolutely no clue what that’s for, but dang, did it feel
good!”

Kevin
grabbed Jiāoào’s head in a clinch and, just like
he’d seen Kiara do and just like Midget had done to him several
times, he slammed the two-tailed kitsune’s head into his knee.

“GUAG!”

“And
that one was for hurting the people I care about!” He did it
again. “For causing Lindsay’s mom to get sent to the
hospital!” Once more. “For being the cause of my mate’s
suffering!” Two more times. “For every self-centered
thing you’ve ever done!” Three.

By
this point, Jiāoào was barely functioning. He stumbled
around like a drunken idiot who had decided to start off the new year
by drinking an entire beer bong’s worth of Jagermeister. His
dazed eyes stared at nothing and everything, and drool leaked from
his mouth.

Kevin
wasn’t finished.

“And
this one… this one is for me. My finishing move!”

Kevin
darted forward, leaping into the air, his feet oriented towards his
opponent.

“Final
technique! Ultimate Combustion of Manly Prowess Heel Kick Attack!”

Like
an explosion going off, Kevin’s feet crashed into Jiāoào’s
face, which seemed to literally cave in as it was struck. Kevin
thought he could actually feel the fox-boy’s face cracking
underneath his shoes. He bent his knees, momentum carrying him
forward. With one final shove, a last strain of Kevin’s legs,
he used Jiāoào’s face as a springboard to push
himself into the air—and this time, Kevin remembered to flip
around so that he landed on his feet.

Jiāoào
flew through the air and smashed into the ground several feet away.
He rolled along the marble floor, his body flailing limply, stopping
when he crashed into a pillar. Jiāoào twitched once, his
muscles spasmed, and then he lay still, staring at the ceiling with a
blank look in his dull eyes.

Kevin
clenched a fist up to his face, a symbol of victory. “And
that’s how you kick some serious butt!” he declared, just
before his body sagged and he stumbled forward.

“Kevin!”

He
would have fallen, but Lilian rushed to his side. She wrapped her
right arm around his torso, then she slung his left arm over her
shoulder for additional support. Kevin leaned against her, his body
sagging further as all of his strength left him.

“Ugh…
why do I feel so tired?”

“Well,
you did just fight against a kitsune,” Lilian pointed out, “and
you must have been fighting pretty hard before I got here. While my
Celestial powers can heal all of your wounds, they can’t heal
fatigue. You’ve probably spent all your energy by now.”

“Ha…
I guess,” he sighed. “Still, I feel so lame now. I had
such a strong finishing move. It was so awesome. To have my battle
end with me barely able to stand is just…”

“Don’t
be too hard on yourself.” Lilian smiled and kissed his cheek.
“You did amazing. I don’t think you realize how
incredible your accomplishment is. You, a human with no supernatural
powers, just defeated a kitsune with nothing but your fists.”