Memories are fleeting. And I, who wished to capture them, am foolish.
Her breath was low as she woke up, ruby red eyes setting their sight on the wooden ceiling. Surely it was still nighttime, judging by the contently snoring, young man by her side. His hand had somehow found its way to her lose, silken nightgown, grasping it as tightly as a sleeping man could. This feeling in her chest, what was it that they called it? How long had she lived, to become so disconnected from these things called ‘emotions’? Her head shook, gathering her focus once more she climbed off of their hingan-style bed, her bare feet scratching the tatami mat underneath them for a few seconds - an odd habit she had never quite shaken off.
Steps had led her to their window, the lights of Kugane illuminating the cityscape. How this place had changed, the memories of Kinko’s lost woods were still vivid in her mind. And yet, there was one thing she couldn’t remember. Her forehead wrinkled, elegant, deep lilac fingers holding her temple. Who was she?
Now her hand wandered down, to her chest, her gaze soon dropping down as well. This body. She had stolen it. This wasn’t hers. The woman she had left behind in time - how dare she not remember the one she sacrificed? “Not even a name.” Her voice, low, composed.
When a kitsune lives for one-hundred years the ability to possess a mortal host is in their grasp. Many shrines prepare for that moment, preparing someone who would willingly live through that torture. Naturally it is described as a beautiful process - giving up one’s body for a kami’s messenger themselves. Living forever. Gaining beauty and riches. But what most priests fail to mention... the soul of the host will be lost forever. They won’t ascend or descend - won’t go to heaven or hell. No, the yokai will consume them. They will become one. And in the end, only the one that stole their future will remember them. A cruel fate.
And yet, over these hundreds of years, she had forgotten, the woman this body had once belonged to.
The sound of rustling interrupted her train of thought, her head spinning around to see a, clearly still half-asleep, elezen, looking at her rather confused, then worried. No, she wouldn’t let him, she wanted the one mortal she enjoyed the company of to live without worry. “Apologies for waking you, little fox.” Her voice cut the silence, her body now turned towards the bed. “I needed a breath of fresh air, I will return to your side now.” For now it was time to rest, the young man had a class to attend in the morning and she would rather not rob him of his sleep. Without hesitation the woman had joined him back in bed, lovingly petting his auburn hair as he drifted off into dreamland once more.
“Rest well. You are the only one who can undo this curse...”