Blue Forest Banshee Part 22
Duo and the Kitsune Kaze

Pocketing the receipt and the claim form, Duo made his way through the shop and onto the street. It was still early, and he had the entire day to do whatever he wanted. He had plenty of money left; he could just walk around the town and then have lunch before heading back to the Castle. The main street boasted many shops catering to both the Human and the Magical communities.

Duo honestly couldn't remember the last time he had gone window-shopping. It must have been a couple of months before he came to the Castle. He seldom spent any money, but he loved to look in shops and windows, and examine the goods on display.

Most of his Clan made things to use as barter. His aunt made silver jewelry. His uncle had spun wool, cotton and flax into thread and yarn for the weavers and knitters in the Clan. He thought his mother might have been a knitter. He had a knitted blanket that had been his forever, and he had a vague memory of someone saying that she had made it for him.

Duo had nimble fingers and a good eye for color; he had sorted beads for those who made jewelry or embellished the work of others. If he had stayed with his Clan, he might have learned the art of beading.

He peered through the glass of a jeweler's window, marveling at the colored gemstones. The Matriarch had worked with stones before her hands had stiffened, but he couldn't remember ever seeing stones of this size within the Clanhold. He understood that the clear stones were more valuable than the colors, but he preferred the colors.

He wondered which color would look better in his hair. Then he shook his head. How silly of him! The glittering baubles surely cost a fortune! He doubted he would ever own even one of those sparkling rocks.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" murmured a voice from very close behind him. "But none as beautiful as you."

Duo jumped, registering, as he turned, a reflection in the window that he should have noticed.

A tall, elegantly garbed, silver-haired man stood only a few inches away. Duo backed up automatically.

"You must be Duo," the man said with a smile. "I've heard all about you; now I finally have the pleasure of meeting you."

"Um... I don't know you..." He edged away. Duo craved human contact, but on his own terms, not being intruded upon by a stranger.

The man reached for Duo's hand, stepping closer.

"But I hope we can become very good friends," he drawled. His ice-blue eyes raked Duo from head to foot.

Duo took another step back, unaware that he was being maneuvered into a narrow doorway.

The stranger was quite tall, even allowing for the heeled boots he wore. He was easily 6 inches taller than Duo. He wore a long steel grey cloak that mostly concealed his body, but his slim trousers were also dark grey and his white shirt seemed to have ruffles down the front. He also had an oddly shaped hat, with several long fluffy ostrich feathers in the band.

Duo disengaged his hand from the man.

"I'm sorry... Who are you?" Remarkably, his voice was quite steady.

The man swept the hat from his head and bowed theatrically.

"I hope to be the one you come to for friendship and amusement. My name is Zephyrus." He stepped closer and the feathers tickled at Duo's face.

Duo took another step back.

And came up against a door.

He swallowed.

Zephyrus smiled. He had long canines. He placed his hands on either side of Duo, against the door, trapping him.

"Uh... Nice to meet you," Duo whispered automatically. "I... I don't mean to... to be rude... I have to go..."

Zephyrus made no move to let him by. He seemed to be waiting for something from Duo.

"Surely not this moment," he breathed.

"Duo! There you are!"

Wufei! And Trowa!

Relieved, Duo ducked under Zephyrus' arm to meet his friends.

"Hi, Wufei! Hi, Trowa!"

Wufei's dark eyes flicked up and down quickly before coming to rest on Duo's pale face.

"We've been looking all over for you! The reservations are for 12:30 and it's twenty after now."

"I'm sorry," Duo began, not having a clue what Wufei was talking about, but immensely relieved to be rescued from the scary Zephyrus.

"Hello, Zeph," growled Trowa to the aristocratic man. "Haven't seen you in a while. Has the heat finally died down?"

"Ah, Trowa," Zephyrus purred warmly. He looked around, as if noticing the weather. "Actually, it seems just perfect. It's good to be back. I see that you and... whatshisname are still joined at the hip," he sneered.

"Some of us value our friendships," Trowa returned. "And look out for our friends."

Slender brows arched upwards in mock surprise.

"Oh, my! Do you mean to say that Duo is a friend of yours? Why, silly me! I could have had a proper introduction, instead of accosting him on the street! Tsk, tsk."

Zephyrus looked at Duo then, and bowed once more.

"Well, no matter now. We have met and I hope, Duo, that you and I will become very good friends. Until next we meet, lovely boy."

With a flourish, he settled his hat on his pale silver hair and strolled away down the street.

::Okay, that was weird,:: thought Duo. He was still glad that Zephyrus had left peacefully, and that he was with his friends.

Wufei let out an enraged hiss.

"That slimy, lying prick!"

Duo blinked.

"Stay away from him, Duo! He's a sneaky, slippery kitsune, with a tongue as silver as his hair!" Wufei took Duo's arm, drawing him the opposite way along the street.

"Wufei's right," said Trowa solemnly. "Zeph is trouble. He's a fox."

Duo frowned. "He is handsome, but --"

"Not that kind of fox," said Wufei. "He's kitsune. Look."

He turned Duo around to see Zephyrus strolling along the sidewalk. Beneath the hem of the grey cloak protruded the fluffy end of a silver fox tail.

Duo stared. "He's a Were?"

Wufei sneered; Trowa coughed.

"He's a fox, Duo. A demon fox."

"Oh," said Duo in a very small voice. "I've never..."

"You probably have, without knowing," corrected Wufei. "Come and have lunch with us."

"Okay... Geez..."

"Yeah, no shit," growled Wufei, taking his arm.

TBC...

 

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