Hands on the wheel as he drove the golfcart along the base roads, Harry glanced to Siusan who was sitting beside him and looking around curiously. Part of him was amused by the visitor pass that hung from around her neck before turning his attention fully back onto the road, "How are you enjoying the holidays so far, Grandmother?"
Glancing at him, the Irish fox gave a small smile and a slight nod, "I am enjoying myself rather well, Harry-Child. There is much that is very new to me."
Finger tapping the wheel, Harry cleared his throat while hanging his head some, "Sorry about not spending too much time with you today..." He frowned slightly, 'Though I am concerned about Akechi-San...'
To his confusion, Siusan seemed shocked by that before her expression softened some, "There is nothing to be sorry about, you are still young and you do have friends." Her expression became one that was bittersweet, "I am just glad that you wish to spend time with me."
A frown on his face, the thirteen year old shook his head, "I want to spend time with you, Grandmother." His lips then curled upwards some, "And I especially like the tales and such that you tell me of our family's past. I've learned far more than I ever thought that I would."
Chuckling, Siusan gave him a smile, "And I am glad to tell you of them." Briefly pausing, she became thoughtful, "Though I am not too bored as I have been speaking to Hoshi. From her, I... have learned much about the foxes of this place. Some of the tales..." Shaking her head, the fox sighed though there was a slight smile, "I have enjoyed hearing of them, she has even spoken of taking me to her hometown to meet Natsumi-Child's grandparents."
That made Harry chuckle some, "Well, I think that you might have fun there, Grandmother. I know that when I met them, I did. Also, they are very knowledgeable about Kitsune and the like, especially with their family history."
Not saying anything right away, the other occupant frowned in thought. Eventually, she gave a nod, "Yes, she spoke of how their family is descended from a marriage of a fox and a man. I am interested to know more and how they dealt with such things." Frowning, she closed her eyes, "Perhaps... I shall find out where I went wrong."
Frowning, Harry glanced at her, "I don't think so." Seeing her turn to him, he gave a shrug, "That you went wrong somewhere. Or if you did, it was something that the others were also at fault for." Head turned slightly towards her, he shook his head, "It takes two to tango after all."
For a few moments, she considered that before nodding, "Perhaps. But I still feel as if I was the one who was at fault for everything that has happened." The two lapsed into silence for some time before they came around a bend and Siusan blinked at the sound of heavy equipment. Turning, she watched as what she believed was called a "Bobcat" came out from inside a tunnel. Head tilted to the side, she furrowed her eyebrows, "What is going on there?"
Briefly looking in the same direction, Harry shook his head, "They're clearing out some of the old tunnels on the base, Grandmother." When she turned to him, he continued, "They started construction of them back in the late 1930s, and built more during the Second World War. Afterwards, they fell out of disuse and many of them were sealed up. But due to the Abyssals, they've been reopening them and fixing those. That one..." Frowning, the wizard hummed for a few moments as he gave it another glance, "Was probably an underground aircraft hanger from the looks of it, maybe for the Ohkas."
Still curious, Siusan turned towards the teen beside her, "Why would they reopen them?"
Driving, the young wizard considered how to answer before finally shrugging, "For many reasons to be honest. That one? I can sort of see where they're making a runway. They're probably going to use it for UAVs, like Predator drones, to keep them safe from Abyssal attacks. I know that some of the bigger ones are used for either ground vehicles or helicopters." Humming, he frowned some, "Others... are used for storage. After all, things like ammunition and such need to be placed somewhere safe from attack. That's not counting the ones being unsealed by the city government, those are usually used as either shelters for people or emergency vehicles, or to store things like food and the like. They're reopening a lot of them."
While still confused at some of what Harry stated, such as what a "Predator Drone" was, Siusan gave a small nod. Though that said, she did understand a little, "Yes, I suppose that underground would be a good place to store weapons and the like, Harry-Child. I have seen when such places were hit in the last war..."
It was not much longer before they reached their destination. Driving towards what looked door in the cliff face, Harry tapped his swipe card against a reader there. With a clunk, the doors rose upwards and he drove the golf cart into them before pulling into a small parking spot. Getting out, he walked around with a smile and held out his hand, "Need some help, Grandmother?"
Lips curling up into a smile, Siusan took the offered hand and nodded, "Thank you, Harry-Child." Once she was out, she looked around and tilted her head, "Where are we going to reach these hot springs? I thought that you mentioned that they were on an island?"
Harry nodded as he began to walk, the Irish fox beside him, "They are actually, but while I was gone it turned out that they found another pair of Vanishing Cabinets. These don't go that far... but they set them up here with the other end being on the island in a hidden spot. Much easier for everyone then to sail to where it is."
Simply nodding, the female of the pair smiled, "Yes, I suppose that it would be at that." Entering a room behind him, Siusan blinked a bit at the small girl that was seated at a desk looking rather bored. She didn't look much older then perhaps twelve years of age with white hair up in spikes. More odd was that she was wearing some sort of trench coat with bandages across her chest as she had a lolipop in her mouth.
For some odd reason, she reminded Siusan of that "Battleship" she had seen.
Meanwhile, Harry gave a wave and a grin, "Hey, Musa-Kun. So they got you on duty guarding the way to the hot springs?"
Bored look in her eyes, the girl moved the lolipop from one end of her mouth to the other and sighed, "Yup, the Brassholes got me guarding this place, Har-Chan. Can't do shit with those Abyssals, and they say I get into too much trouble if I'm not given something to do, the pricks."
Chuckling, the teen grinned, "I can imagine." He then began to do the paperwork for the trip and hummed some, "Though you do get in trouble, Musa-Kun. And a lot of it."
A smirk on her face, she snorted, "And? You get in as much trouble as I do." Seeing his look, she shrugged, "Okay, fine, they caught me TPing that one asshole of a Lieutenant's car. So what? Dickhole deserved it for talking down to me."
Only shaking his head, Harry completed the paperwork and shrugged, "Maybe, if it is the one that I am thinking of. Anyways, I'll see you when we get back, Musa-Kun."
Making a salute with two fingers on her hand, the shipgirl turned back to her game as she leaned back on the chair, balancing it on two legs as she played a game, "Ciao."
Still grinning, Harry stepped into the cabinet followed by Siusan. It was only after they left the hidden bunker on the island, and another shipgirl there, behind that the Irish fox turned to him in confusion, "You know that shipgirl, Harry-Child?"
Hands behind his head, the teen snorted, "Musa-Kun? Yeah, I do. Her actual name is Musashi, but everyone calls her Musa-Kun because she asks for it. She was a Corvette built before the Japanese-Russo War. In the early thirties though, she was a hulk used to imprison juvenile convicts, so... it sort of left a mark on her." Frowning, he scratched his chin, "I sometimes wonder if some of her steel after she was scrapped somehow found its way to be used in Musashi-Oba. Either that, or her name was enough to get some sort of effect considering that Musashi-Oba dresses and acts similar at times..."
Just nodding, Siusan frowned some, "I... see."
Looking around, she gave a sniff and cocked her head to the side. From where she was, she could smell a slight hint of sulfur on the air. But it was also covered up by the smell of the various flowers as well, which confused her due to it being late December. The air was also a little warmer then she had expected. When she turned to Harry, he smiled a bit and waved a hand, "There's a ward over the island, it keeps some of the warm, humid air from the springs in during the winter months. That lets some of the more cold tolerant flowers and such here keep living and blooming through the winter."
For a few moments, Siusan considered that before nodding with a slight smile, "It does improve the smell a little, I suppose."
With a hum of agreement, the teen nodded. Soon enough, they reached one pool which had a flat stone area nearby. From where they stood, the two could see the steam slowly rising into the evening air and Harry looked over at the Irish fox, "Well, time to get ready."
Blinking, Siusan looked over at him and then the pool in interest before heading to one of the small booths to slip out of her clothes, Harry taking the other. 'This... shall be interesting.'
A few minutes later, found her looking through her basket of bathing supplies when Harry looked over her shoulder, "Is something wrong?"
Only shaking her head, the fox smiled, "No, nothing is wrong, Harry-Child. I am still a bit confused as to why we must bathe and wash before entering the water. After all, I am used to bathing in the springs to get clean."
Harry gave a shrug at that, "It is mainly so that the water stays clean for others when they use it, Grandmother. Anyways... want me to wash your back?"
Surprised, Siusan looked over at him, "Wash my back?" As he nodded with an unsure look, her own expression softened, "I... would not mind such, no." Her eyes gained a far off look to them, "It has been many centuries since one actually wished to wash me..."
Filling one of the buckets from the spring, Harry brought it over and set it down next to a stone stool which Siusan sat on. Pouring some water over her, and getting a hum, he began to soap up a rag, "Well, I don't mind. You're family after all."
As she was turned away, he missed the small, happy tears in her eyes, 'Yes... family.' Feeling him began to gently clean her back, Siusan let out a happy sigh. She had not been lying when she had stated that it had been centuries since one of her family washed her. In some ways, it had been even longer than what she had told him. Closing her eyes, the Irish fox spirit simply enjoyed the close feelings for the first time in a very long time. Eventually, he rinsed her back and handed her the cloth, with her washing her doing the rest of her, though she allowed for him to shampoo her hair, followed by some conditioner.
Once that was done, she washed his back with a gentleness that came from her being his "Grandmother", followed by cleaning his hair much as he had done hers while Harry did the rest of himself. Like before, she did not say much, just enjoying the fact that this said more than words could about how the black haired teen had accepted her as family. A sort of bonding experience for the two of them. When the last bit of suds were washed away, Siusan felt a bit happier about it, more close to her "Grandson" than she had before.
With a small nod, she turned to the hot spring itself, "So now we bathe ourselves in this hot spring, Harry-Child?"
Standing up, Harry held out a hand, "We do, come on, Grandmother." A grin on his face, he chuckled, "I think that you might enjoy it."
Just a bit bemused, Siusan took said hand and allowed herself to be guided over to the hot spring. Dipping a toe into it, she could feel the heat of the water, though it was not too hot. Gently, the fox slipped into the waters and sighed happily as she felt the heat soak into her body, "Ah, I think that you are right, Harry-Child. This old fox does enjoy this for her old bones."
The wizard shook his head some as he sat down in the waters, "You're not that old, Grandmother."
Opening one eye and spotting the grin on his face, she chuckled, "But I am, though you are a cheeky Kit." With a deep breath, she allowed the water to reach her shoulders, "Still, you were quite right. This... is lovely."
Simply moving until he was beside her, Harry hummed some and nodded, "It is, and better with family."
Unable to say something around the lump in her throat, Siusan nodded and gently kissed him on the head before she relaxed even more as the two chatted about various things here and there.
____________________________________________________________
Hoshi sipped her tea as she chatted with her old friends in a small café in Natsumi's hometown, not noticing a Kitsune walk through the door, "... I will admit, before Natsumi-Chan spoke to me about Siusan-San, I did not know that there were fox spirits elsewhere in the world."
The Kitsune who just walked in paused at that and turned to their table. Meanwhile, Chiyo gave the other Kyuubi a look as she nibbled some cake, "Didn't Tsuki-Chan tell you about that one Kami in the Americas... Coyote, I think? Though I think that she mentioned that there were fox spirits in Native American mythology as well, though she had not met them."
With a slight nod to grant her the point, Hoshi frowned, "That is true enough, I suppose. Still, I did not know that such existed in Harry-San's homeland of Britain either... though, granted, Siusan-San is from Ireland, not England."
A throat clearing made them turn their heads to where the shorter Kitsune had walked in. Said Kitsune for her human-guise looked more like someone of mixed Japanese and European ancestry, "I'm sorry, Hoshi-Sama, Chiyo-Sama, but I could not help but overhear that you mentioned a fox spirit from somewhere other than Asia? From Ireland?"
Sighing, Hoshi gave the other, younger Kitsune due to being a one tail, a look, "I have told you, Haruka-San, call me Hoshi-San. I do not deserve the 'Sama' in my view."
Only frowning, Haruka shook her head, "You do, though, in my view. After all, you rescued myself and the others from that... place, below Yokosuka." A shudder went through her, "For that, you deserve to be Hoshi-Sama, not San."
While Hoshi gave a sigh and a shake of her head at the old argument, Chiyo snickered, "She is right though." Turning her attention back to Haruka, she smiled a bit while ignoring the mutters from her old friend and gestured at the seat. While some might have considered her asking in regards to the conversation as being rude, Chiyo did not mind it much at all, "I must say that I am surprised to see you here though, Haruka-San. From what I was told, you were still performing some work out in the woods."
Taking said seat, the new member of the conversation smiled a bit happily, "It went along better than I had expected. That pack of Honshu wolves that settled in just outside of town is getting along nicely with the rest of the ecology and already, I can see improvement. Less boars causing trouble for example." Haruka then gave a shrug, "Besides, I am good as a ranger. Doesn't let my degrees in ecology and the environment go to waste."
Amused, Chiyo chuckled, "Or your doctorates in biology, zoology, and botany." Shaking her head at the slight blush on the far younger Kitsune, she chortled, "Though you spend most of your time out in the woods keeping an eye on things. A good work ethic, though we do not see you often in town."
Now blushing more, Haruka shook her head with a sheepish grin, "Well... I am happy outside of town. And my cottage is more than enough for me to be happy with both my duties and my studies."
Her own lips twitching, the other Kyuubi shook her head, "Stop teasing Haruka-San, Chiyo-Chan." At the answering grin, Hoshi turned her attention back to Haruka, "As to your question, I did state that I came across a fox from Ireland. She is... interesting." Her gaze became far off for a moment, "Though perhaps a bit distant due to various things, not that I blame Siusan-San very much."
Eyes widening a touch, Haruka stared at her before turning back to the table, "An Irish fox spirit named Siusan..."
Though her eyes narrowed a bit, along with Chiyo's, Hoshi hummed and nodded, "Hai, she is quite interesting, but a touch uncertain." Turning to her friend, the Kyuubi gave a smile, "She already accepted the invite to come and see you."
Clapping her hands, Chiyo let out a laugh, "Excellent! I look forward to meeting Harry-San's 'Obaa-San'. From everything that you have told me, she seems extremely interesting."
Meanwhile, Haruka had a frown on her face while furrowing her eyebrows as she stared down at the table top. Feeling a hand on hers, she jumped a bit to find that Hoshi was giving her an questioning look, "Are you alright?"
Lips curling up into a smile, the younger fox waved her off, "Ah, it was nothing. Just... thinking about how I did not ever think that there would be an Irish fox coming to Japan."
After a few moments, Hoshi nodded and soon the three were chatting together about various things, though Haruka continued to have a confused and thoughtful look in her green eyes.
