#japan x england
Hetalia Masterlist Part Two
Asakik Ghost Hunter/Kitsune AU Part One (Romantic) ⬆️
Here’s part two of my Hetalia Masterlist!!!!!
There was an old ghost story that was told in the town that Arthur Kirkland lived in. It was a story that was told around campfires or during sleepovers or on occasion told by the elderly people in his home town. A legend of a regal temple that was hidden deep in the forest, abandoned by the world and its once religious followers. A shell of itself and its former glory. Some say that those who entered the temple never came back out, others said that those who entered it became cursed by those on the other side. Though no one really truly knew given that most avoided it like the plague. For those in Arthur’s town they lived by the rule of better safe than sorry. Of course there were some people who were interested in the temple, Arthur himself being one of those few.
Perhaps that was why he was currently here, treading through the thick growth of trees and other plant life. The evening air chilling him to the bone as he pushed through the overgrowth. Usually while Arthur preferred to stay in town despite his curiosity of this temple, he was now forced into a position where he was now heading towards it. A drunken bet made between him, Francis and Gilbert, that at the time he’d believed he’d win. However lady luck had decided to abandon him and he ended up losing it. And the price for losing this bet? Arthur was to go to the supposed cursed temple with a Polaroid camera as well as a flashlight and take pictures of the inside. Once he was done with that to help cement the proof that he went inside it he had to bring something out of the temple and show it to them. In other words he was to bumble around in the woods completely alone in hopes of finding this place or go back to Francis and Gilbert to be mercilessly teased till the end of time for chickening out on the bet.
Which was why he was now in the woods looking as the sun began to dip lower into the sky. Because he’d be damned if he looked like a coward in front of Francis and Gilbert. The Englishman would rather eat glass than ever give them the satisfaction of seeing him back down. If he was known for anything it was his stubborn nature and willingness to go through with things against his better judgment. He could still remember the somewhat smug faces of Francis and Gilbert handing him his things, certain that Arthur would come back after a short period of time.
“Joke’s on those prats. I’m going to find this bloody place and prove them wrong. Then when I get back I can rub it in their stupid faces.”
Arthur growled lowly hellbent on doing just that. The short man continued on, gripping his thick sweater closer to him to keep out the chilly air. The sounds of birds chirping were slowly dying down as evening began to set in. The orange sky slowly began to give way to the blueish, pinkish colors it always made before it would be dyed in its dark, vast night sky. Arthur reached into his bag and searched for the flashlight and batteries he had in there and sighed in relief when he felt the smooth surface of the flashlight. He would be fine once it got darker out. As long as he had his flashlight and batteries he’d be just fine. With those comforting thoughts the Englishman continued onwards.
~~~~~
It was about an hour and a half later when he finally found the buried path that led to the temple. He had nearly missed it given that it was crumbling and decaying. The stone steps were covered in dirt, leaves and moss, camouflaging them with the rest of the forest. Thankfully Arthur had managed to spot them with his flashlight, the sky having finally gone into the dark twilight color of night. Gripping his bag handle and flashlight, Arthur began to make his way up the stairway path. The forest was quiet save for the sounds of the trees swaying in the wind and the night critters going about their business. His boots stepped on twigs and leaves that littered the stairs, making soft crunching noises with each step. Despite the darkness and somewhat eerie vibe Arthur wasn’t at all scared by it. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in the forest after dark searching for things. And he guaranteed it wouldn’t be his last.
The further up the path he went the more tense with apprehension he became. He on some level knew he was getting closer to the temple. And with each step closer to it he could feel that tension building, almost as if it was surrounding the entire area. The Englishman gripped his flashlight tighter, trying to fight the unease within him. He wasn’t scared but something inside him told him to be cautious as he drew closer. After what had felt like an eternity he had finally made it to the top of the broken path stairs. Arthur sucked in a sharp breath as he shined his flashlight in front of him and saw the unmistakable shape of archway. And there beyond the lone, decrypted archway was the temple.
“Bleeding hell it’s actually here…..”
He breathed unable to believe that it actually existed. The temple before him stood up in the expansive darkness. Its frame worn down and crumbling from the years of neglect and weathering against the elements. The temple looked much like a decaying husk, abandoned by the world and those who once lived in its walls. Arthur looked at the building, taking hesitant steps towards it and walking through the archway and onto the grounds. Flashlight shining before him he made out bits and pieces of statues that had long since crumbled from the weather. Some of them were still in tact, standing ominously on the sides of the grounds covered in vines, moss and corroding from lack of care. Some of them were missing parts of them while others weren’t, their silent unwavering gaze watching him impassively.
Arthur shivered slightly and quickly looked away from them. Turning his emerald gaze towards the temple he saw just how decayed it really was. Pieces of wood such as the doors and columns holding it up were rotting. Paint peeled and faded from its walls and the roof was missing some of its tiles or in some places caved in. It was a shell of a itself, lonely and forgotten. Yet despite it sad looks it there was something…….ominous about it. It was as if the very building itself was alive and watching him, its dead eyed gaze following his every move. Arthur shook his head to try and calm the unsettling feeling that was currently rising up inside him. It was just a building. Granted a rather creepy one but a building none of the less. Arthur made his way towards the rotten doors, the scent of moist wood and rot hitting his nose. He began to reach out towards the doors to push them open when he hesitated.
‘Something’s off.’
The warning seemed to shake him and he found himself listening to his surroundings. He expected to hear the familiar sounds of the forest and its night creatures only instead he was met with silence. The trees that surrounded him had gone deathly quiet. Not a single sound of any of the nocturnal creatures was heard, not even the wind which had been blowing was heard. All there was, was complete and total silence. It was as if the area around him was holding its breath in fear and unease. Arthur’s arms broke out into goosebumps as he strained to hear anything. A shot of fear hit him for the first time since he’d gotten here but before he could panic and leave he squashed it down.
“Come on Kirkland it’s just a building. It’ll be quick, just take some photos and grab the nearest thing and then you can put this whole mess behind you.”
The Englishman spoke to himself. He was being paranoid and having heard so many stories from his childhood about this place had made him extremely on edge. They were nothing more than ghost stories to scare the children so they wouldn’t go into the forest and get lost. Nothing more than silly superstitions that the senior citizens who lived in his town believed in. He was fine and he was overreacting. Besides if he turned back now he had no idea if he’d be able to find this place again. It was best to just get this over and done with. With that mental state of mind Arthur straightened himself up and with a stiff upper lip he pushed the ancient doors open. The residing screech of its hinges broke the silence of the night making Arthur flinch at the sudden loudness of it. As soon as the doors were open he let out a gag out the sudden stench of mold, dust and rotting plants that hit him.
“Fucking hell that smells absolutely rancid…”
He said covering his nose with his hand for a moment while it aired out slightly. Once he deemed it manageable Arthur stepped into the looming darkness of the temple.
~~~~~
The inside was worse than its outside. Walls were peeling and crumbling, its paintings decayed and damaged by water and mold. Debris littered the stone floors as well as broken glass, furniture and other things. Moss and mold grew on parts of its walls and floors, and the musky scent of the building was nearly overwhelming. Books and papers covered the floor as well and the rugs that were lining the opening of the doorway were black with mold as well. Arthur cringed at the bits of black he stepped on as he made his way further inside. The pale yellow light of his flashlight did little to help brighten the dark empty room here was currently walking into. Past the entranceway room he saw a doorframe, it door broken completely off of its hinges. The room beyond it was pitch black, open and waiting for its next victim to walk through its frame and into the inky blackness.
“Of course it’s the only door that’s in this room other than the entrance. Bloody hell it’s like Alfred’s trashy horror movies he likes to watch.”
Arthur said his voice somewhat snarky and cynical of the layout of the building. Haunted temples or not he wasn’t going to let it off easy for its unintentional cliche. Placing his flashlight under his armpit, Arthur began to dig through his bag. After a few beats of moving things around such as his phone and wallet he finally found the Polaroid camera and its extra film. Keeping the film in his bag he pulled the old camera out along with its neck attachment and placed it around his neck. Once securely in place Arthur held up the camera and took a picture of the entranceway. The loud beeping click before the telltale whirling of the photo being taken and printed out sounded out into the silence. It’s bright flash shined the room momentarily before coating it back into its void less black ink. Grabbing the printed photo Arthur shook the picture to develop it and smiled as he saw the picture of the rotten entranceway he’d just came through.
“Right! That outta be a good first documentary of this little expedition.”
The Brit said pleased with how the photo turned out. Turning back around towards the other doorway Arthur took a deep breath and began to make his way towards it. Once he was a good few steps from it he shined his flashlight into the room and stepped into. In the pale light of his flashlight Arthur could see that the room he had entered was infact the entranceway to all long corridor. Old doors lined both sides of the walls. Some still had the wooden doors they’d been gifted with while others were door less. Arthur grabbed his camera and took another photograph, stepping further into the corridor to get a closer look. Watching his step and avoiding debris the Brit headed towards one of the doors and gave its handle a turn. The sound of a lock catching made Arthur huff.
“Locked, of course.”
He said annoyed before continuing further inside. After taking all the doors into consideration and shining his flashlight into the ones that had holes or no doors he finally caught sight of one that made him pause. It was the door furthest away from the entranceway to the corridor. But unlike the other doors this one had intricate designs carved into its wood. Curiousity prickled at him as he made his way towards it. Once he was close enough he realized that the door was probably the entranceway to the room where they’d do worship back when the temple was still in its glory days. Taking in the door Arthur began to make out the cravings on it. Creatures such as wolves, rabbits and other animals stared back at him. Flowers and plants decorated the edges of the door along with them giving it a somewhat eerie look. However those weren’t the things that caught Arthur’s attention. No instead it was the largest craving that sat in the middle of the wood.
A nightmarish looking fox stared back at him.
The fox was unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was large and monstrous in the craving. Several tails sat behind it, its mouth bared open in a mischievous and cruel smile. Its narrow eyes seemed to be staring straight into Arthur’s soul. The Englishman felt a shiver of fear go down his spine.
“Just what the hell was this temple made to worship…..?”
The young man couldn’t help but muse, his curiosity more dominant than the fear. It was obvious that this place was huge back in its day, and from what he’d heard from in the stories he’d been told it had many worshippers who lived in it during its prime. But it all came to a erupted halt and the place was abandoned. No one ever knew why it was left to rot deep within the forest but many believed that it was cursed or haunted. Yet with little to no evidence of what exactly happened no one could be certain. Arthur grabbed his camera and took a picture of the door and went to go back the way he came to look at another door when something stopped him. Turning his attention back to the door he curiously looked at it debating. He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was on the other side of it. Was it what he thought it was orginally, just a room for worshippers to go? Or was there something else behind the ominous door?
'Only one way to find out Arthur old chap.’
Without thinking about it Arthur reached for the handle and turned it. The door opened with a loud squeak, moving slowly as Arthur pushed it open. A large vast dark room greeted him. Determined yet cautious Arthur shined his flashlight into the room and made his way inside. Fabric posters hung from the walls, covered in dirt and grime and mold. At the end of the room was an altar that was broken and rotting. Pews lined either side of the room, covered in dust, debris, books and other things. On either side of the altar were broken lamps that at one point held incense for those who came to worship. Arthur felt his frame relax as his suspensions were confirmed. Stepping further into the room the Englishman began to explore somewhat, looking at the fabric posters that hung and the decorations that were still in the room. He couldn’t make out most of the things in here but he did take some pictures and developed them before putting them into his bag for safe keeping.
Once he’d taken enough pictures he turned his attention towards the altar and with light steps he made his way towards it. The old stand that was in front of the altar was covered in all sorts of nasty things. On top of it was an old worn tomb of a book, its pages damaged and ruined by the wheels of time and neglect. The altar itself was a pitiful sight, a once beautiful and cared for thing now tarnished and decaying. An echo of its former majesty. Arthur glanced at the pitiful sight, his thick eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully as he took it in.
“I have no idea why this place was left to be forgotten…..but this is honestly quite sad…..”
He muttered into the darkness. Silence was the only thing that greeted him back. Arthur stood there for another moment or two before deciding he should probably leave and possibly go home. He’d been in the temple for awhile now and he knew it was probably late. Turning around to get off that area of the altar he’d just managed to take a few steps when the sudden creaking of the floorboards echoed into the room. The man barely had a chance to process what was going on before he found himself free falling through the floor. Letting out a startled shout Arthur fell and landed harshly onto the ground, his body in a crumbled heap. The harsh collusion of his body going from falling and then hitting the ground made him lose his breath. Agony shot through his body as he struggled to try and catch his breath that had been knocked out of him.
His head was pounding from the harsh impact adding to the panic response he was having. Gasping and wheezing Arthur floundered a bit trying to regain control. He had no idea how long he’d been in this state but it’d felt like an eternity before he finally got ahold of himself. Laying on the dirty floor Arthur began to self check himself for any injuries. His forearm was burning and he could feel liquid running down it. His shin was also wet and burning making his body scream slightly. He had a feeling that he probably either cut them or scraped them off of the wood when he’d fallen. His body duly throbbed in pain and he knew he’d be bruised tomorrow morning from the fall. Gritting his teeth Arthur forced himself to sit up with a pained hiss.
“AH-! Fucking hell-!”
He snarled as he managed to sit up. Taking in the damage he noticed that his arm and shin were bleeding. Thankfully the wounds weren’t incredibly bad. Rubbing his throbbing head Arthur began to look for his things. His camera and bag were okay thankfully however rolled over away from him was his flashlight, broken and shattered. Forcing himself up he limped towards it and picked it up swearing at himself for not being more careful.
“Great, fanfuckingtastic. This is absolutely a shit show.”
Arthur said irritated that he had broken his flashlight. The room was completely pitch black save for the barely small amount of light coming from the hole he’d fallen through. Arthur cursed again at his luck and ran a hand through his messy blonde hair.
“Now what the fuck am I supposed to do?”
He spoke into the darkness frustrated. Of course he got nothing back adding onto his irritation. Arthur stood there thinking about his next move when he realized that his camera had it’s light still. The Englishman put his broken flashlight into his back and grabbed his camera from around his neck. With a push of a button the room was lit up for a brief moment, the resounding click of his Polaroid taking a picture and then spitting it out filling the room. Arthur grabbed the photo and shook it quickly before taking another picture. In the quick flash he realized he’d fallen into a basement like area. The moist stale scent of water and hay filled his nose. Grabbing that picture he turned around in his spot taking pictures and grabbing them as he pieced together the room.
Click.
A flash of what looked like cages stained with a copper color greeted him making his heart stop.
Click.
Tools as well as bones and sacrificial trinkets sat on a old rotting table. Candles burned down from excessive use sat on them.
Click.
The floor was littered with debris and other things that Arthur didn’t even want to think about. He was quickly realizing that where he landed was possibly the room where the worshippers would make sacrifices to their deity.
Click.
Strange symbols were painted on the walls making Arthur’s heart pound. They were different from the things he’d seen upstairs. These symbols were ones that Arthur knew deep in his gut were not something that should be toyed with.
'I need to get out of here. Now.’
The thought whispered urgently making Arthur turn around one last time. He had only one more area to shine with his camera light. He didn’t want to be in this room or this temple any longer. With shaking hands Arthur held up his Polaroid one last time.
Click.
Light flashed the last corner of the room. Bright inhuman eyes flashed in the light, a large, bloody muzzle filled with sharp fangs and a large hunched and furry form flashed before him. Tails at least nine of them filled the corner of the room. As soon as the light hit the thing it turned its head towards Arthur and lunged. Arthur let out a scream flying backwards out of reach as the thing snarled at him, it’s claws going to swipe at him. However instead of getting Arthur the thing suddenly let out a pained scream and fumbled backwards as a painful light seemed to come from the floor and strike it. Arthur watched in horror as the thing stumbled back, its newest wound bleeding heavily with a screech of agony. The Englishman forced himself to move go towards the opposite side of the room to try and get away. As he desperately tried to figure a way out he was suddenly stopped by the sound of a pain filled wailing cry. The man froze slowly turning his head back in the direction of the thing that had tried to attack him. His eyes now adjusting to the dark he could make out that the thing was hunched over in his corner shaking. The thing was bleeding from its wound it’s ears flattened against its head. It was glaring at the floor where the light had come from before it let out another wailing cry. Arthur felt his heart twist at the sound.
It sounded so angry and in pain. It reminded him of a man who was trapped and hopeless and desperately trying to get out. Quietly stepping away from the wall Arthur watched as the large thing which he now realized was some kind of animal looked over in his direction. Eyes bright red and glowing stared at him with such fury and anguish that it made Arthur flinch. Yet at the same time the gaze held pain and exhaustion. It was broken and haunted in a way almost as if…….
As if it’d given up all hope.
Arthur couldn’t bare the sight of it. Taking a cautious step towards the animal he was met with a vicious growl, fur standing on end. Arthur stopped and looked at the creature, his hands held out in a gesture to show he meant no harm.
“Easy now, easy there lad. I’m just going to take a look at the floor for a second alright? I’m not going to hurt you.”
Arthur said his voice soft and gentle. Trying to coax the creature into a sense ease. It just stared at him with distrust, eyes glued to him like a hawk. Arthur slowly crouched down onto the floor, fighting the nerves that made his hands shake as he grabbed his camera and took a picture of the floor by the animal. The flashing light made it snarl while Arthur grabbed the photo and shook it to develop it. Squinting his eyes to try and see it he realized that he wouldn’t be able to. He needed light and his flashlight was broken and his phone was dead currently.
'Bloody hell now what I am going to do-’
He began to question himself when he remembered that the rotting table with the candle stubs. If there was candles down here than maybe…….
Arthur with cautious light steps made his way somewhat blindly towards the table, avoiding the creature that was waiting to maul him. After some difficulty he began to feel around the table for one of the candles. Once grabbed he began to search for something to light it.
“Come on…..come on……success!”
Arthur muttered as he felt the feeling of a matchbox. With fumbling fingers he opened the box and searched for one that was usable. Thankfully there had been a few left and he quickly swiped it against the rough patch on its book. Suddenly the room was filled with some light from the small flame. With no hesitation Arthur lit the candle and finally took a good look at the creature that was in the room with him. The Englishman’s eyes went wide with disbelief.
A fox.
A monstrous fox stood in the corner of the hidden basement with him. It’s fur, a silvery gray was standing on end showing the fox’s unease and fear. It’s eyes no longer glowing red were honed in on him, intelligent and fearful. Arthur stared at the fox before finally taking notice of its state. Blood was pouring out of the side of the animal, staining its fur red. Wounds old and new littered the body of this dangerous creature, its muzzle bloody and covered in nicks and other small wounds. It was thin despite its massive size and it was now startling clear that the fox wasn’t here on its own free will. Arthur felt disgust fill him at the mistreatment of the fox as well as confusion. If the fox didn’t want to be here then why didn’t it leave…..?
Remembering the strange light from before and the photo he’d taken Arthur quickly held the candle near the photo and felt rage consume him. The floor that was by the fox had symbols on them as well, only they were curved slightly. Most likely to wrap around the fox inside this circle. But as Arthur looked at the symbols more he realized that they were entrapment spells. Whoever had ran this temple had trapped this fox here and when the temple was abandoned they had left the fox here. Alone in the dark to either die or remain bound and trapped forever.
It was disgusting.
It was the most vile thing a person could ever do.
And it made Arthur livid and horrified.
“Those sick bastards…..”
Arthur growled forgetting the terror he was feeling a moment ago. Now that he knew what was happening he couldn’t just turn his back on the animal and leave it. Even if it had tried to kill him Arthur knew that it was only lashing out in fear and pain. Arthur turned his head towards the fox, his bright green eyes meeting red ones. With one look he’d made his decision. Maintaining eye contact Arthur slowly began to edge closer towards the fox making it hiss in warning. The Englishman didn’t let it deter him.
“Listen I know that you have no reason to trust me but I want to help you. Just let me remove the runes and you’ll be able to get out of here.”
Arthur said hoping that it’d understand. The fox stared at him searchingly, its gaze unblinking. After a moment of silence of the fox not moving Arthur took that as the okay and with cautious steps he finally stood outside the barrier. Crouching down despite the burning pain of his bleeding shin Arthur took at look at the symbols. They looked like they were painted on, so just wiping them away wasn’t going to work. Frowning Arthur got up slowly flinching at the pain in his leg and went back to the table looking for a knife. Finding it rather quickly he limped his way back over towards the fox’s prison and began to go to work. Using blade he painstakingly began to scrap the old paint away, chipping away at one of the symbols. Paint chipped away slowly but Arthur continued on, determined to help this creature escape. No one deserved to be trapped and Arthur would be damned if he allowed this to continue on. After persistent effort and a few nicks on his fingers from the blade he finally managed to get rid of it.
The reaction was instant.
As soon as one of the symbols gone from the circle the runes glowed brightly, blinding Arthur momentarily. The Englishman covered his eyes to try and not get blinded by it. As soon as the light died down the fox was on him, tackling him to the ground. Arthur let out a panicked yelp, his heart racing in fear as the fox stared down at him. Sharp canines bared themselves at him, burning glowing red eyes burning straight through his very being. The fox’s tails flickered back and forth, consuming Arthur’s vision. The fox stared at him, low growls coming from its throat. Arthur’s blood rushed through his ears as he tried to squirm out from under the large animal. Realizing he couldn’t Arthur’s heart dropped.
'I’m going to die. I’m going to be torn apart by a creature that’s not even from this world. I’m going to die and be left rotting in an abandoned basement.’
The thoughts screamed in his head making him struggle some more. The fox let out a snarling bark before reaching down and picking Arthur up by the collar of his sweater. Arthur let out a panicked gasp flailing around as his feet left the ground. Now that the fox was no longer bound its size had seemed to get bigger than it already was. Arthur didn’t get a chance to try and get away before the fox was already moving and heading straight towards the hole where Arthur had came from.
~~~~~
The temple’s quiet atmosphere was quickly disrupted by the sounds of the wooden floor in the worship room being torn apart. A large silvery grey body about the size of a small car broke through the rotting wood. In its jaws being shielded from the falling debris was Arthur. The Englishman had let out a terrified shout as they broke through the floor. But the fox didn’t stop there no it continued upwards straight into the ceiling. Arthur covered his head and face from the dust and wood and other things as the fox took off into the sky. The moonlight shore down on the cursed temple as the fox burst through its brittle and crumbling walls. Arthur was forced to hold on and hope to God that the fox didn’t drop him. The duo were in the air, the fox seemly floating through the sky and clouds while Arthur just went along for the ride. He had no idea how long he was carried, too busy desperately praying to any deity that was listening to spare his life.
After what felt like an eternity of being hung in suspense the fox finally landed by the edge of the forest. With a somewhat gentle manner the giant animal placed Arthur down on the ground. The Englishman’s feet touched the dirt his eyes wide as he realized that he was only a few feet from being able to go back home. Arthur turned his gaze onto the fox, his expression confused but grateful. The fox stared back at him, his tails flickering slightly behind him. Arthur was going to say something, to thank the creature for getting him out of the hole as well when a familiar French accent sounded out in the night air.
“ARTHUR-! ARTHUR PLEASE ANSWER ME-! WHERE ARE YOU-??”
A panicked and fearful voice called out into the night. It was a voice Arthur would know anywhere.
“Francis…..!!”
Arthur breathed relieved to hear the Frenchman’s voice. The Englishman was taken out of his relieved state however by the fox suddenly disappearing from his view. The fox jumped further into the trees leaving Arthur behind. Arthur tried to stop it, his hands reaching out too late.
“Wait-!”
He’d called out only to watch as the fox disappeared from view. Arthur couldn’t help but feel his heart sink. He didn’t get the chance to thank it nor to check its wounds. Arthur would have tried to follow if the sound of footsteps approaching him at a fast pace. The treeline burst apart to reveal the disheveled form of Arthur’s friend Francis. The Frenchman’s dark blue eyes landed on Arthur’s exhausted and injured form. As soon as he made eye contact with Arthur, Francis let out a wordless relieved cry and tackled him into a hug.
“Oh thank God Arthur! You’re okay! I was so worried about you! Espèce d'anglais stupide, we were worried sick!”
Francis said his voice thick and shaking. Arthur hugged Francis back.
“We?”
Arthur asked confused as to who the “We” were. His question was quickly answered as he heard two more pairs of footsteps come rushing towards them.
“Francis are you okay?!? We heard you yelling- Heilige Scheiße! Arthur you’re okay!”
Gilbert said, the Prussian’s eyes full of relief. Behind him Antonio seemed to nearly stumble in his shock.
“Arthuro you’re okay!”
Antonio chimed his face also relieved. Arthur just stared at the Prussian and Spanish man in bafflement surprised to even see them when Francis pulled away from Arthur. His eyes were wet and he was already going into his mother hen mode, searching the Englishman for any injuries. Seeing the cut blood on Arthur’s pants and sweater Francis nearly went hysterical.
“Arthur! You’re bleeding!”
Francis said sounding panicked as he quickly went to check the damage. Arthur just let him too dumbfounded by all the things that had just happened. He felt the Frenchman pull up his sweater sleeve and swear in French before checking on his leg.
“Merde you’re bleeding badly! We’ve got to get you cleaned up and home.”
Francis said already going to help Arthur limp his way out of the treeline.
“Gilbert, go get the car started up! Toni let everyone know that we found him!”
Francis said taking charge of the situation. Gilbert nodded running back out of the trees to go get the car started up. Toni gave the Frenchman a thumbs up before following behind Gilbert and pulling out his cell.
“Lovi? We found him! We’re going to bring him into town, let the others know…..”
Antonio’s voice faded away as he moved away from them. Arthur just watched stunned and overwhelmed as Francis helped him out of the trees. From then on it was a blur of sorts for Arthur. He’d been put into the car and was quickly taken back into town. Once in he was escorted by the three men to the medical center where Arthur was treated for his wounds and checked over. Apparently when he’d fallen he’d given himself a small concussion as well as the scrape on his forearm and the gash on his shin. Despite feeling dizzy at the moment he was urged to stay overnight with the staff. Francis stayed with him, the Frenchman refusing to leave his side. Gilbert and Antonio had left once Arthur had been given the okay. The Englishman laid against his bed Francis sitting in the chair beside him and holding his hand almost as if to reassure himself that he was still there. It wasn’t long before Arthur fell asleep, exhausted.
~~~~~
The next morning when Arthur had woken up and was given the okay to go back home he’d managed to get the story out of Francis. Apparently Arthur had been missing for hours, and as soon as Francis and Gilbert realized that he wasn’t coming back from the forest when it’d gotten dark they’d panicked. The duo at first tried to find him themselves but after a short time they realized that at the rate they were going they’d never find Arthur. So the Frenchman had called Antonio explaining to him about the bet and how Arthur went missing. The Spanish man was quick to get to them, having told Lovino his boyfriend where he was going. But the stubborn Italian had refused to stay behind and insisted that he went with him. That was when the four of them came up with the idea to make a few search groups since the forest was massive.
“We called everyone we could think of. Alfred, Matthew, Feli, Ludwig, Ivan, Yao. We even had Michelle and Elizaveta help.”
Francis said his eyes on the road as he drove Arthur home from the clinic. Arthur just listened dumbfounded by the information. He hadn’t expected to have so many people looking for him.
“I’m surprised you managed to find so many people to help you look for me. I barely get along with them, then again I’m a real bastard aren’t I?”
Arthur said trying to joke with the Frenchman. From the moment he’d woken up Francis had been somewhat serious. He didn’t make any comments nor said anything snarky to him. It honestly kinda scared him. However instead of getting a joking response back Francis’s grip just tightened on the steering wheel. His jaw was clenched tightly and it was obvious that he didn’t think Arthur was being funny.
“You’d be surprised mon ami by just how many people actually care about you.”
Francis said his tone soft and somber. It made Arthur’s gut clench.
“When you’d went into the forest I’d thought that you’d be back out in about an hour at most. When…..when you didn’t come out…….when I didn’t see any sign of you……my God Arthur I’d never felt so terrified in my life. I couldn’t help but think that….”
The Frenchman said sounding choked. Arthur stared at him, stunned by the brutal honesty Francis was showing him. The Englishman didn’t get to see Francis being so serious often nor did he really ever get an honest response from the man. Having the usual flirty, snarky man suddenly be so open with him made Arthur realize just how shaken up the whole thing had really made him.
“I thought about all those stories we were told, no matter how silly it was and I thought about you never coming back……merde Arthur it would break my heart if you were gone….”
Francis finally choked out overwhelmed by everything. Arthur swallowed the own lump in his throat at the admission. He knew what Francis was saying, after all the two of them had grown up together. Despite their differences the two of them were stuck together, their friendship strange yet complicated. The shorter man knew that if anything happened to Francis he’d be devastated and to hear that the feeling was mutual made Arthur’s chest hurt.
“I’m okay now Francis. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. So stop with the tears and seriousness old chap. It’s going to be alright.”
Arthur said patting the other man’s arm. Francis gave him a side look sniffling slightly and finally offered him a small shaky smile.
“Oui…..I believe you petit lapin.”
Francis said softly. The two didn’t speak anymore after that, the words that had needed to be said having been spoken. The rest of the drive was done in a comfortable silence. Before too long Francis pulled up to Arthur’s house and dropped him off making him promise to give him a call. Saying their goodbyes Arthur made his way towards his front door. Unlocking it he stepped inside happy to be home after an exhausting night. The Brit turned around ready to face plant into the sofa when he felt his heart drop. There inside his home was the fox. The creature was smaller now, about the size of a large dog. The wounds that once covered its body were gone. Its fur seemed to glow with a mystic aura, its eyes focused solely on him. Arthur swallowed harshly, adrenaline building up.
'Was it here to kill him? Eat him? Kidnap him??’
Arthur thought frantically as he tried to figure out the fox’s motives. The man froze as the fox seemed to glow brighter all of a sudden, a blinding light consuming its entire body. Arthur looked away the light being too bright for his eyes to handle. As quickly as it started it stopped making Arthur blink. Turning his head back towards the fox he nearly dropped his keys and bag at the sight before him. The fox was no longer the one in front of him, instead a short man was in its place. The man was wearing a traditional yukuta that was decorated with flowers and bright patterns. His eyes were a dark brown and he had short, choppy black hair. However that wasn’t the only thing that Arthur noticed. Oh no the man had nine silvery grey tails popped out from behind him and sitting on top of his head were two fox ears. Arthur stared, gaping at what he was seeing. The man appeared to be undeterred by his reaction, instead he gave Arthur a small bow before finally speaking.
“Kon'nichiwa. My name is Kiku Honda. I don’t mean to intrude in your home but I had never gotten the chance to thank you for freeing me from my imprisonment. As a token of my gratitude, I would like to offer you something. Anything that you desire I will give it to you.”
The man Kiku said his tone soft and polite. However his expression held a somewhat mischievous smile and eyes. Arthur didn’t say anything instead still standing there stupidly as his mind tried to process everything.
'The fox….was a man……..I rescued a man…….no not a man……a mystical being perhaps but that’s…..that’s impossible there’s no such thing as foxes that can turn into people….! What the bloody fuck is going on?????’
The Englishman thought unable to handle the information overload so soon after the events of last night. To spare his poor brain from completely collapsing his body did the one thing it could do to escape from the reality of it all.
Arthur then abruptly fainted in his spot.
*Kitsune Kiku makes my brain go brrrrrrrrrrrrr in its mushy state. Thanks to that WIP Wednesday thingy I was tagged in I was finally able to figure out how to make this fic become a reality!!! I’d also like to apologize for how long it is I just started writing and I basically went into Energizer bunny mode shsgsgsgs. I have no idea if I’ll continue this. My hands are officially cramping from all the writing I’ve been doing so hurray for me lol. Anyways if any y'all read this I hope you enjoyed it!!!!!*
