League - Chapter 5

 Authors note: Make sure to check the main fanfiction page for gameplay to story changes so you are able to follow along.

Make sure to also check out the Yokai Tamer game page for more information and to play the game yourself

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Ember sighed as she travelled through nether. She had borrowed Darius' rhino… Without his permission… So she could get through it quicker. She was amused that she had already killed Yoto Hime and Ibaraki Doji with the help of the rhino who threatened to gore the monsters if they so much as touched her. They didn't drop much that was useful other than perfect gems. She hoped Mori Baba would have something for Darius.

The nether bosses scared her, Nether Girl more so than the other bosses in the area she was hunting in. While the first two were like kitten's before Nether Candle, the last three that roamed here could easily eat her for breakfast. She bit her lip as she guided Darius' rhino to slowly creep up to where Mori Baba stood. She borrowed the rhino for more protection and security.

Dari tends to ride his motorcycle more than his rhino she reasoned with herself. I also left a note for him in case he is looking for him. She gave the rhino a little pat before sliding off his back and pulling nether candle from its sheath tucked in the saddle. She quietly stepped forward, trying to keep her laughter in when the plod-plod-plod sound of the rhino following her as quietly as he could. Well… At least I can tell it's Dari's rhino and not Kirei's…

She put out her hand and the rhino stepped moving. Inching forward, she raised nether candle and leapt in for the kill. Behind her, she could hear a stampede of sound before the rhino appeared again at her side with his horns aimed at Mori Baba causing the monster to back away from her. Yup… Definitely Dari's rhino… Won't listen to a word I say…

The boss dropped nothing but a small scroll that she looked at curiously. Scrolls were rare finds and often held nuggets of information. She knows the League library held many scrolls that members had found over the years. She leaned against the rhino and began to unroll it.

Marital ties can cause strife when distance causes instincts to go haywire. A simple way for a pair to put their instincts at bay is creating a means of contact that is maintained during the time that is required.

Ember stared the scroll in confusion. Instincts? What are those? And how are they related to being married to someone? She rolled the scroll up and tucked it into a pouch on the rhino. I need to ask Snowbunny about that when I get back. He and Tako have been married for so long that he would have come across what instincts are.

Hopping up onto the rhino, she gave him another gentle pat. "Let's go see if Rama has anything for your Master next," she said to him before guiding him onwards towards the boss' usual hangout.

~~~~

Darius was frustrated. Ember kept avoiding him. She never returned to their room anymore at night and when he would go to search for her, he was unable to find her. 

Even her pets were unable to tell him where she was. His only hint was that his rhino was missing and a note that read “He’s with me” and a little red heart. 

His instincts were screaming at him to find her. It had been over a fortnight since they last had any sort of physical contact and as the days began to increase, so did the volume of his instinct's voice. 

I can remember feeling this agitated when Hanae left… He thought as he stalked through the library. He needed answers about how to manage his instincts before they became all that he could hear. But it stopped after a while. Why isn't it stopping with Ember?

He walking along the shelves, he searched for information on marital bonds. He remembered there was a book he read before he married Hanae that explained to him how it worked but because it had been so long since then, he had forgotten a lot of the information. His fingers tapped the spines of the books as he read the titles. Baby Orbs 101: Rituals for Summoning, Wings of a Tengu, A Tail of Kitsune Skills… Where is it? He continued to skim the shelves until he found what he was looking for. Found it! Wings and Tails - A Book on Marital Ties.

Picking it up, he looked through the chapters until he found the one on instincts. Marriage between Kitsune and Tengu creates more than just a bonding of two individuals. Many instincts are unlocked. Some are unique to the couple and some are generalized to all couples. Darius looked confused. Unique instincts? He continued to read. The most basic of instincts is awareness of your spouse. Awareness of whether they are awake or asleep, awareness of their emotional status, and awareness of their physical health. This instinct causes a massive increase in physical attributes. Kitsune become more energetic and vibrant, speed and evasiveness increases. Tengu, on the other hand, become stronger; being able to withstand more attacks and deal more damage. Darius smiled slightly. That explains how she becomes so bouncy after she wakes up.

He continued to skim the page. It described more basic instincts that he already knew about. He slowed down, reading carefully when he reached the information about separation. A consequence for a marital bond between a kitsune and tengu is physical contact. Generally speaking, most couples are able to maintain their instincts to be in contact by sleeping together at night. Simple things, such as holding hands and kissing, also help to maintain the bond between the couple. When there is a separation, such as a spouse being unable to be near their significant other for a prolonged period of time, the instincts begin to try and force the pair back into contact with each other. Only when there is no way for the pair to be close to each other, in such cases where one of the pair has left the country or passed away, the Gods will quieten the instincts and correct the imbalance created within the kitsune/tengu. Darius sighed. That doesn't help my current situation. It's not that I don't want to or that I can't get to her, it's that she's avoiding me. 

There have been instances where spouses with difficult or traumatic pasts have been able to shut down their instincts. Darius paused and stared at that sentence. Ember… He wondered if she was aware of her own instincts or even aware of what they were doing to him. In these cases, the level of agitation and persuasion felt by the spouse may become unbearable before their partner recognizes the issue. He sighed and closed the book. I'll take this with me. It may be that I'll need to unlock Ember's instincts again so that this doesn't happen in the future… Provided she finally recognizes what is going on now. Getting up, he made his way out of the library. Maybe Yukkii might be able to help me.

~~~~

Yukkii and Takoyakii were sitting in the communal lounge when Darius finally found them. They offered him the small strawberry mochi that they were sharing as a snack when he came and sat with them.

"Instincts…" Darius spoke softly. "I know you two have new been married for a long time. You two would know your instincts better than anyone. I need help getting Ember to recognize hers."

"How is that possible?" Takoyakii asked in surprise. "There isn't a way that she can't recognize them. I know mine can be so loud when Yukkii and I have an argument," Yukkii nodded in agreement and looked confused. 

"She has a bad past," he replied causing both to stare at him in shock. "You didn't know?"

"No," They both replied. Takoyakii looked at Yukkii with a raised eyebrow before hugging him. "Your voice is back!"

"It seems so…" Yukkii replied. He thought carefully for a bit before adding, "If that's the case then you'll need to talk her through hearing it. The more the two of you interact with your own instincts, the more likely the unique one will appear. I know it took a long time before the one Tako and I share appeared."

"Your unique instinct?" Darius asked. He couldn't think of what it could be as they seemed to be like any other married couple.

"Ours manifested as a skill," Takoyakii explained. "Telepathy. We can talk to each other without speaking out loud." 

Darius' eyes widened and understood now how Takoyakii was able to say what Yukkii was thinking. "So he was telling you exactly what he was thinking, that's how you could tell us."

"Exactly," Yukkii smiled. "You need to get Ember to hear hers first by guiding her. I know you two have been avoiding each other so once you find her, pin her down until you can get through to her exactly what is going on for you." Yukkii gave a very sly smile. "I mean you would pin her down a lot before you two had this episode." 

Takoyakii gave Yukkii a playful smack and Darius let out an exasperated breath. "Well, I'm sure you pin Tako down as well… A lot. Hard not to when they are so enticing at times."

Yukkii laughed earning another smack from Takoyakii. "Either way, until you can catch Ember, try focusing on communicating with your own instincts. You may find that it is a really good guide on how to communicate with Ember."

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Ember once again was travelling through Illusory Ghostdom seeking materials. She knew she was running out of time. She could sense Darius' agitation levels growing and the longer she took the stronger that feeling grew within her. She had also started to hear a small voice in her head. It was sad, crying for its partner. Ember had never had this before and couldn't understand why it sounded so sad. 

The sooner I get this done, the sooner I will be able to go back to him. She thought as she leapt into a fight with another boss. Soon… Nether candle met another weapon and she came to a jarring halt. No… NO!!! Everything faded to black.