The Day of Thunder

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

The Ninetails landed with a soft thump and shifted back into it's human form. He laid the injured Ukyou down surprisingly carefully considering their relationship.

"Why? Why let him do this? Why stay so close you thieving fucker? Surely you knew?"

[Ukyou]

The Ninetails landed with a soft thump and shifted back into it's human form. He laid the injured Ukyou down surprisingly carefully considering their relationship.

"Why? Why let him do this? Why stay so close you thieving fucker? Surely you knew?"

Ukyou comes to consciousness as he reaches the ground, looking up at Hoto-Hori as if he'd woken up to a rainbow or a perfectly clear night sky full of stars. Her reaches up to touch his face gently as if to confirm he's real, but when he goes to speak, the sound comes out at a gurgle and he turns to the side, coughing blood.

After a moment of resting after that, he nods, pointing to himself and then his head. I knew. He pauses, seemingly trying to figure out how to convey the rest of what he wants to say. Finally he points to Hoto-Hori, his own head like before, then makes a few signs with his hands. You know Sign?

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

"Oh fuck this . . . I knew I should have learnt some healing crap at some point. Too cushy having the boss man around who could do it."

He tried to make sense of the signs.

"Ugh . . . some yes, but I doubt Kitsune and Tengu use all the same signs. You don't have proper fucking ears for a start."

[Ukyou]

He let out a wheezing huff that might have been a silent laugh before turning his head and coughing. He signs, That's why I'll use Human Sign. And indeed it is.

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

"Oh those. Yeah, Boss man uses them sometimes. Especially when telling to shut my fucking snout when I'm sniping at Doji."

He started to use a few as examples.

"Wait . . . why the fuck am I signing to you?? If you knew the donkey was this badly off why get so close? Why?"

It was almost like he cared.

[Ukyou]

Ukyou smiled weakly. Hope. I didn't know it was this close. He still has some control or I'd be dead, though. That's a good sign...

He closed his eyes, just breathing for a few minutes, thin and wet. He opens them again, looking bleary. Do you know how beautiful this form of yours is?

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

He stared down at the badly injured crow.

"What the fuck are you talking about? This form? You going soft for humans or did the fucking donkey slap your brains out as well as your throat?"

[Ukyou]

He made another unsuccessful attempt at laughing. Probably that. Getting your throat crushed and trying to bleed out addles the brain.

Point is, he's family and I care. So the rushing over to help kinda comes before thinking. Good thing a might ninetails would never do anything so foolish.

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

He nodded and then stared again, before tipping his head back to look at the overcast sky.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!! The baby Dragon is a healer . . . and I left her in the dust . . . . "

[Ukyou]

He grinned and his shoulders shook a moment. She's probably tapped out by now. Didn't seem like much of the flowy, adaptive type. I'll survive. That's good enough for now. Is harder to make fun of you like this, though.

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

Another hard stare.

"That reminds me. Give it back."

[Ukyou]

He looked up at Hoto-hori with wide, innocent, incredibly fake eyes. Give what back?

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

"You know what! Don't give me those innocent eyes thief!"

At least he didn't shake the almost corpse.

[Ukyou]

He put both hands over his heart, mouth opening in shock. His eyes, if anything, become bigger and more innocent, near wobbly with held back tears as such a terrible accusation.

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

Hoto-Hori gave him the 'that only works on gullible humans' look before staring up at the sky.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!! You can be even more infuriating than the fucking donkey at times. My earring please, if you fucking mind?"

[Ukyou]

Ukyou rolls his eyes dramatically and pulls out a small pouch from a hidden pocket on the left side of his chest and opens it, fishing out the earring. Before he hands it over, he signs, Fine, but only because you said the magic word. Hoto-Hori can spot a few other shiny things in the pouch as he fiddles with it.

[Yuzuru Hoto-Hori]

He takes the earring carefully and glances at the other shinies.

"Really? I do hope there's not going to be half the camp looking for a thief now?"

He put his own shiny back where it belonged.

"What are we going to do, Ukyou? I quite like a lot of these humans and even the ones I don't like don't fucking deserve to fall to the Filth. You know it's even attacking the Baku? I met one yesterday covered in blood . . . oh fuck, let's not make a habit of this."

[Ukyou]

He replaced the pouch, sitting up carefully to see if he can do so without coughing. He fails, but it quiets faster this time as he leans back against a tree behind him. Despite the obvious seriousness of his injuries, he still manages a wink at Hoto-hori.

Oh come now, don't be jealous. I would only steal from you.

He took a deep breath, coughed, and then succeeded on the second attempt.

They don't deserve that, no. I'm not surprised. Baku would be it's natural enemy. If it could even have such a thing. As for what to do... He closed his eyes for a moment. Normally I wouldn't recommend visualization, but the barrier between here and Yume-do is very thin.