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“Don’t pout, Chuuya. I told you not to follow any pretty ladies to strange places, and you disobeyed me /again./”
“But this lady was ugly!”
The little boy flinches back at the sharp look Dazai gives him, then hangs his head in shame.
The kitsune continues to drag him along,+
“But this lady was ugly!”
The little boy flinches back at the sharp look Dazai gives him, then hangs his head in shame.
The kitsune continues to drag him along,+
his grip on the boy’s thin wrist loosening with each passing second, more so when he catches sight of the downcast frown on his face. It's only when orbs of blue turn to glistening pools of salty water that Dazai drops the stern façade and brings them to a full stop.+
Dazai crouches down in front of Chuuya and beckons him to look at him. Then, he flicks his forehead. Hard.
“Ow!” the redhead yelps in pain, lower lip quivering as more tears sprang to his eyes.
"Are you going to listen to me from now on?"
"Y-Yes..."+
“Ow!” the redhead yelps in pain, lower lip quivering as more tears sprang to his eyes.
"Are you going to listen to me from now on?"
"Y-Yes..."+
Satisfied with that answer, Dazai hums and cups the little one’s rounded face to gently brush away the tears that couldn’t be held back, a tender act that far contradicts the merciless flick that caused a mark the same shade as his hair to form on his forehead.+
“Good! Now,” the kitsune wraps his arms around Chuuya and lifts him up as he stands, “let’s go leech off of old man Kunikida-kun, okay?”
Instead of a concrete answer, the brunet feels the boy nod while in the midst of finding a comfortable position to rest his head on his+
Instead of a concrete answer, the brunet feels the boy nod while in the midst of finding a comfortable position to rest his head on his+
shoulder. He has no doubt that, like this, the little one will be fast asleep by the time they arrive at the dog spirit’s dwelling.
And sure enough, not even halfway into their journey, does the kitsune discover maple eyelashes brushing against pale cheeks, his breathing even+
And sure enough, not even halfway into their journey, does the kitsune discover maple eyelashes brushing against pale cheeks, his breathing even+
as the short arms strewn over his shoulders remain slack.
/Really.../
Dazai caresses the back of boy's head, now merely mildly upset the boy had blindly wandered off for the nth time with a malevolent spirit. Certainly, at 7 years old, he should know better, especially after+
/Really.../
Dazai caresses the back of boy's head, now merely mildly upset the boy had blindly wandered off for the nth time with a malevolent spirit. Certainly, at 7 years old, he should know better, especially after+
being scolded for the same thing over and over again, yet here they are.
Perhaps he should assign a servant fox to tail him? Or maybe he should just put a leash on the boy?
Either way, he’ll have to do something to keep such instances from happening again. Dazai doesn't think+
Perhaps he should assign a servant fox to tail him? Or maybe he should just put a leash on the boy?
Either way, he’ll have to do something to keep such instances from happening again. Dazai doesn't think+
his heart can survive another bout of anxiety to overcome him.
Just the idea of Odasaku rising from the grave to personally reprimand the hell out him for losing his kid always has him turning the celestial forest upside down to track the little one down.+
Just the idea of Odasaku rising from the grave to personally reprimand the hell out him for losing his kid always has him turning the celestial forest upside down to track the little one down.+
The kitsune shivers when a gust of wind blows by, and he almost believes that it's his old friend giving him a fair warning.
Dazai smiles, eyes momentarily falling shut to fully enjoy the cool breeze. He'll make sure to take Chuuya to visit him and light some incense.+
Dazai smiles, eyes momentarily falling shut to fully enjoy the cool breeze. He'll make sure to take Chuuya to visit him and light some incense.+
Speaking of, the little one begins to stir, snuggling closer to the brunet's neck, presumably for warmth once the winds begin to pick up the slightest bit.
"S'rry, Osmu...," he mumbles, barely audible with how the words are muffled into the folds of the kitsune's scarf.+
"S'rry, Osmu...," he mumbles, barely audible with how the words are muffled into the folds of the kitsune's scarf.+
Dazai's heart melts just a little bit.
"At least you're self-aware that you did something wrong, chibi," he says, lightly pinching his cheek and chuckling when he tries to squirm away.
/So troublesome, this one./
But Dazai finds, that he doesn't truly mind.
~
+
"At least you're self-aware that you did something wrong, chibi," he says, lightly pinching his cheek and chuckling when he tries to squirm away.
/So troublesome, this one./
But Dazai finds, that he doesn't truly mind.
~
+
"Osmu, I'm going adventuring!"
"Not so fast."
Before the little one can dash out of the temple, he's yanked back and plucked from the ground by the back of his collar, leaving him hanging in the air like a kitten being held by the scruff.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"+
"Not so fast."
Before the little one can dash out of the temple, he's yanked back and plucked from the ground by the back of his collar, leaving him hanging in the air like a kitten being held by the scruff.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"+
Chuuya blinks owlishly back at Dazai.
He has his adventure pack on his back with all his snacks, water container, and first aid kit. He has extra layers on to stay warm, his favorite maroon scarf included. And, he even has a map of the mountain in case he gets lost.
What else+
He has his adventure pack on his back with all his snacks, water container, and first aid kit. He has extra layers on to stay warm, his favorite maroon scarf included. And, he even has a map of the mountain in case he gets lost.
What else+
does he-
Oh, of course! How could he forget?
Smiling, Chuuya spreads his arms out and makes grabby hands at Dazai, surprising the mystical creature when he wraps his arms around his neck in a warm embrace.
"Goodbye hug!" he happily exclaims.+
Oh, of course! How could he forget?
Smiling, Chuuya spreads his arms out and makes grabby hands at Dazai, surprising the mystical creature when he wraps his arms around his neck in a warm embrace.
"Goodbye hug!" he happily exclaims.+
That is not at all what Dazai meant, though that doesn’t deter him from hugging the child back. It doesn’t matter that Chuuya had given him a goodbye hug already.
“I appreciate your humble affections, little one, but I meant your leash."
Judging by the way he tenses up, Dazai+
“I appreciate your humble affections, little one, but I meant your leash."
Judging by the way he tenses up, Dazai+
knows that he was expected to forget about the new addition to the conditions required for the redhead to be let out to explore as he pleases.
"But Osmu~!"
"No 'but's, Chuuya. This is for your own good."
The child continues to whine as Dazai is securing the glowing golden+
"But Osmu~!"
"No 'but's, Chuuya. This is for your own good."
The child continues to whine as Dazai is securing the glowing golden+
rope to the back of his backpack. Once that's finished, he summons one of his foxes and gingerly ties it around its body, giving it clear instructions to not let Chuuya out of its sight.
Despite having held the boy back to properly leash him to a guardian, the kitsune is rather+
Despite having held the boy back to properly leash him to a guardian, the kitsune is rather+
quick to usher the duo out of the temple, ignoring the persistent protests of the child, who voices his distaste for the new accessory the whole way.
"Alright, off you go! Be back before sunset!"
Dazai watches from the entryway as the boisterous boy turns into a fading speck+
"Alright, off you go! Be back before sunset!"
Dazai watches from the entryway as the boisterous boy turns into a fading speck+
of red that descends down the steps, never to be seen until the sun begins to set beneath the horizon.
Seeing as he's child-free for the day, Dazai's destination of play is ready to be explored.
"The the nymph's pool, I go."
~
+
Seeing as he's child-free for the day, Dazai's destination of play is ready to be explored.
"The the nymph's pool, I go."
~
+
At first, Chuuya was adamant to try and undo the leash, but once he figured that Dazai possessed some strange kitsune magic to create an undoable knot - which is entirely untrue; the boy is simply too unskilled to do it himself - he was back to adventuring as usual.+
A normal day in the shoes of Chuuya the Great Adventurer mainly consists of scavenging for the most eye-catching items he can find, ranging from uniquely shaped rocks, to unusual plants, and before Dazai banned him from doing so, cool bugs with a bazillion legs.+
Chuuya doesn't think Dazai will screech like a banshee this time when he gets home, since today's goal is to collect as many leaves as possible to build his collection. He's practically buzzing with excitement to see how well the warm-toned autumn leaves will mix in with the+
others. The vibrant greens were beginning to look boring.
"Look, Mr. Fox!"
The spirit bows its head as a flurry of leaves rains down on it, caused by the little one emerging from a large pile of the dead yet beautiful plants.
"I found a pretty leaf. Can you please hold this+
"Look, Mr. Fox!"
The spirit bows its head as a flurry of leaves rains down on it, caused by the little one emerging from a large pile of the dead yet beautiful plants.
"I found a pretty leaf. Can you please hold this+
one, too?"
Obediently, the fox complies, lifting its paw, so that Chuuya can place the leaf underneath it.
As a thank you, the redhead offers the fox some aburaage from his adventure pack, making sure to also give it water to wash it down.+
Obediently, the fox complies, lifting its paw, so that Chuuya can place the leaf underneath it.
As a thank you, the redhead offers the fox some aburaage from his adventure pack, making sure to also give it water to wash it down.+
“When you’re done, let’s go down the mountain, okay? There might be more leaves.”
The spirit then begins to shake its head, hastily gulping down the food in its mouth to latch onto Chuuya’s sleeve, tugging him in the opposite direction.
Scrambling to keep up, Chuuya asks,+
The spirit then begins to shake its head, hastily gulping down the food in its mouth to latch onto Chuuya’s sleeve, tugging him in the opposite direction.
Scrambling to keep up, Chuuya asks,+
“Hey, what’s wrong? You don’t want to?”
And his answer comes in the form of ceaseless head shaking, followed by high-pitched whines paired with the flattening of pointed ears to the fox’s head.
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you from the mean spirits that try to bully you,”+
And his answer comes in the form of ceaseless head shaking, followed by high-pitched whines paired with the flattening of pointed ears to the fox’s head.
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you from the mean spirits that try to bully you,”+
the boy gently consoles, petting the top of the fox’s head to calm it down, unaware that it’s not the spirits or any other mythical creature the poor fox is afraid of.
“Osmu gave me a charm to ward them off, so we’ll be fine.”
Still, the fox fights back, doing its absolute+
“Osmu gave me a charm to ward them off, so we’ll be fine.”
Still, the fox fights back, doing its absolute+
best to drag the little one back up the mountain, not down.
Alas, the child refuses to listen, ultimately deciding to carry the creature in his arms to where he wants to go, and there’s nothing the fox can do to break free, lest it wishes to accidentally harm him.+
Alas, the child refuses to listen, ultimately deciding to carry the creature in his arms to where he wants to go, and there’s nothing the fox can do to break free, lest it wishes to accidentally harm him.+
Then again, when weighing its options, the consequences of causing unintentional harm to the precious child pales in comparison to the punishment it will receive if Chuuya ends up wandering into the human village at the foot of the mountain.+
/Inari, please give this messenger of yours strength./
"What's that?"
The fox's ears perk up, keenly following Chuuya's line of sight, only to stiffen up when it sees the haunting glow of brightly lit lanterns in the distance.
Too close! Too close! /Too close!/+
"What's that?"
The fox's ears perk up, keenly following Chuuya's line of sight, only to stiffen up when it sees the haunting glow of brightly lit lanterns in the distance.
Too close! Too close! /Too close!/+
From this distance and elevation of their standing, they can not only see lanterns but also the vague outline of the village's buildings below. The people of the village are mere ants in their eyes, yet such close proximity is already putting the fox on edge.+
In contrast, Chuuya's eyes are sparkling with wonder, his sheltered self in awe at seeing so many creatures (?) gathered in one place, running around and decorating the buildings in a multitude of colors to compliment the autumn season.
"It's a festival!" he excitedly points+
"It's a festival!" he excitedly points+
out to his travel companion.
"Let's go-! Ow!"
The pair of teeth that clamp down on his hand just hard enough to sting forces Chuuya to drop the fox, and once four feet touch the dirt ground, the spirit is, once more, heaving the boy away from the village and from the humans.+
"Let's go-! Ow!"
The pair of teeth that clamp down on his hand just hard enough to sting forces Chuuya to drop the fox, and once four feet touch the dirt ground, the spirit is, once more, heaving the boy away from the village and from the humans.+
"Why'd you bite me, Mr. Fox?"
While the dejected tone did squeeze the spirit's heart, it couldn't give up and continued to pull with all its might.
"Ah! Did you want to bring Osmu with us?" Chuuya's mood suddenly shifts, and he no longer resists the fox's efforts.+
While the dejected tone did squeeze the spirit's heart, it couldn't give up and continued to pull with all its might.
"Ah! Did you want to bring Osmu with us?" Chuuya's mood suddenly shifts, and he no longer resists the fox's efforts.+
There are plenty of reasons why that's a terrible idea, an important one being that that village will no longer exist, if Dazai decides to step foot in it, but the fox sees this as an opportunity to take Chuuya back without expending the maximum energy required to tame him and+
feigns a delighted yip, convincing the young boy to shift gears and basically sprint up the winding mountain path on his own.
"I can't wait to go to the festival with Osmu! He never lets me leave the mountain, but he might let me this time. There's no way he'll say no!"
~
+
"I can't wait to go to the festival with Osmu! He never lets me leave the mountain, but he might let me this time. There's no way he'll say no!"
~
+
"No."
"Eh? But why~?"
The kitsune's smile is /icy/ as he locks up the temple doors, enchanting them as an extra measure, in the event that Chuuya is feeling rebellious.
"Chuuya, what's Osmu's #1 rule?"
The room goes silent, but that's fine. Dazai can wait.+
"Eh? But why~?"
The kitsune's smile is /icy/ as he locks up the temple doors, enchanting them as an extra measure, in the event that Chuuya is feeling rebellious.
"Chuuya, what's Osmu's #1 rule?"
The room goes silent, but that's fine. Dazai can wait.+
Dazai knows that he knows the rules; he drilled each one of them into his head long before he allowed him to leave the temple grounds by himself.
A few more moments of silence pass, before Chuuya's murmuring, "Never /ever/ go near unknown villages or humans without Osmu."+
A few more moments of silence pass, before Chuuya's murmuring, "Never /ever/ go near unknown villages or humans without Osmu."+
"Correct. And because I don't plan on taking you there, you're forbidden from going on your own. Understand?"
"But /why/?" the curious child insists, fully understanding what Dazai wants him to do but not at all understanding the reasoning behind it.+
"But /why/?" the curious child insists, fully understanding what Dazai wants him to do but not at all understanding the reasoning behind it.+
The worn out kitsune wasn't prepared to have this conversation with Chuuya so soon, but it'll come back to bite him in the ass, if he simply dismisses it altogether.
So, he takes a seat by the redhead's futon and brings the child to sit in his lap.+
So, he takes a seat by the redhead's futon and brings the child to sit in his lap.+
"Little one," he begins, carefully brushing his fingers through his hair, "humans are disgusting creatures. Vile, immoral /monsters./"
Saddened russet brown meets bewildered blue.
"They'll take you away, if you don't listen to Osmu. Do you want that? For us to be separated?"+
Saddened russet brown meets bewildered blue.
"They'll take you away, if you don't listen to Osmu. Do you want that? For us to be separated?"+
"Separated...like Oda?"
The fingers abruptly pause, and if one looked a little closer, they would find that they begin to tremble.
"Mhm." Dazai hugs Chuuya to his chest, steadying his own hand by sheer will. "Separated like Oda."
"Don't wanna be separated from Osmu..."+
The fingers abruptly pause, and if one looked a little closer, they would find that they begin to tremble.
"Mhm." Dazai hugs Chuuya to his chest, steadying his own hand by sheer will. "Separated like Oda."
"Don't wanna be separated from Osmu..."+
"You'll listen to me and stay away from the village then, right?" Dazai asks, the need to confirm it from the boy himself a heavy stone weighing down on his chest.
He feels Chuuya nod, and unbearable weight of the stone lessens.
"Good boy," he praises, kissing the top of his+
He feels Chuuya nod, and unbearable weight of the stone lessens.
"Good boy," he praises, kissing the top of his+
head.
Fast forward to the middle of the night and one nine-tailed kitsune finds it difficult to fall asleep, much unlike the little boy that had knocked out the second he was tucked into bed.
Like this, with Chuuya sleeping so peacefully beside him, the kitsune is+
Fast forward to the middle of the night and one nine-tailed kitsune finds it difficult to fall asleep, much unlike the little boy that had knocked out the second he was tucked into bed.
Like this, with Chuuya sleeping so peacefully beside him, the kitsune is+
reminded of the day he found him, swaddled in blankets and crying like his life depended on it.
It's funny to think that he would've killed him that day, if it weren't for him crying out Oda's name.
Oh, how far they'd come.+
It's funny to think that he would've killed him that day, if it weren't for him crying out Oda's name.
Oh, how far they'd come.+
He vowed to raise Chuuya in Oda's stead, and that's exactly what he's going to do, even if it means being the insufferable guardian with way too many rules that he would admit are suffocating.
Dazai must remind both himself and Chuuya.
It's for his own good.
But, is it really?
Dazai must remind both himself and Chuuya.
It's for his own good.
But, is it really?
/// Ah... I wasn't planning on continuing the kitsune Dazai and child Chuuya series today, but it happened lol
It'll probably be a little confusing if you haven't read the first part, but I hope you all enjoyed anyway!! ^^ ///
It'll probably be a little confusing if you haven't read the first part, but I hope you all enjoyed anyway!! ^^ ///
