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Chapter Twenty-Three: E-Day Project:

The first problem Daisuke had to try and fix was with himself and Jin’s hunger. In their clan, kitsune were rather persistent with their hunger. It ran to the point of tormenting their masters. Daisuke refused to be a killer, but he had to do something.

At the university, he came up to Nazuka-sensei’s classroom door and knocked.

“Enter,” she said.

“Excuse me,” Daisuke said as he opened the door. He found her sitting at her desk grading papers. She glanced up and saw him in watching her from the doorway.

“Oh, Kimoto-san,” the professor said, “This is rather unexpected. What can I do for you?” Daisuke quietly slid the door closed behind him.

“I need your help with something,” he admitted.

“Alright,” the professor said, “What’s the problem?” Daisuke pressed his lips together as he readied himself to talk.

“I have a kitsune problem,” he confessed. Nazuka-sensei looked at him rather intrigued.

“Kitsune problem?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. Daisuke walked over to her desk. He broke down and told the professor about his family history. He thought that she would turn away in disgust. Instead, she looked at him with big eyes.

“Whoa,” she whispered, “Whoa!” Daisuke started to back away. The professor gave him a strange look as he did so.

“What’s the matter?” she asked.

“You’re not afraid of me?” Daisuke asked.

“No,” Nazuka-sensei said, “I’ve heard a similar case like yours a couple years ago.” Daisuke raised an eyebrow at her.

“Where?” he asked.

“I’ve studied many stories on kitsune-tsukai ever since my college days,” she answered, “I believe there is a way to help you.” Daisuke looked at her with big desperate eyes.

“Please, tell me how!” he pleaded. Nazuka-sensei put up his hand to calm him down.

“I myself can’t help you,” she answered, “But there is a priest who works as a doctor downtown in Ikebukuro.”

“Ikebukuro?” the teaching assistant asked.

“Here, let me give you the address and number,” the professor told him. She reached down to her desk and pulled out a pencil and notepad. Daisuke watched as she scribbled down the information that he needed.

“Take this,” she told him as she slid the paper over to him.

“Thank you,” Daisuke said with a bow. He shoved the note into his pocket. The man turned to walk out the door.

“You need to make to call and make an appointment first!” Nazuka-sensei yelled after him.

“Alright,” Daisuke said as he waved her off. That evening as Anna slept in her room, Daisuke made a quick phone call. He paced around in the kitchen as he waited.

Come on, pick up!, he thought.

“Hello?” a tired voice asked on the other line. Daisuke stood up straight as fast as he could.

“Yes sir!” he said, “My name is Kimoto Daisuke and I need you to help me out.” A pause came over the other line that made him rather nervous.

“What do you need?” the man on the other line asked. Daisuke relaxed before he began to speak again.

“I am a kitsune-tsukai and I want a way to control my kitsune’s hunger before I end up killing people,” he explained as calmly as he could. He heard pencil scratching on the other line.

“Do you want to get rid of this kitsune?” the man on the other line asked.

“Oh no, nothing like that,” Daisuke explained, “I just want a way to control the hunger. Can you do that for me?”

“Sure,” he replied, “Sure. Come by my office tomorrow at nine in the morning. You have the address, right?”

“Yes sir,” Daisuke replied as he wrote down the time, “I got it.”

“Alright then,” the man on the other line replied, “You have a good night.”

“You too,” the younger man answered. Daisuke hung up the phone with some relief that part of his problems could be fixed for the time being. His only hope was that Anna would not find out just yet.

Are you really trying to get rid of me?, Jin asked in his mind. Daisuke didn’t answer him as he walked back to his room.

The next morning, Daisuke left his daughter a note and headed out to the doctor’s office. Jin followed behind with each step.

You still didn’t answer my question, he spoke up. His master didn’t respond as they rounded the corner. The kitsune frowned at the silence.

Come on, talk to me, please?

Daisuke still didn’t talk as they crossed the street. Jin chuckled nervously to himself.

Okay, this is getting too creepy. Come on, please say something already! Say something, damn it!

His master still wouldn’t talk as they took the bus across the city. Daisuke finally came to his destination. At this time, Jin gave up trying to communicate with the man. The man looked down at him watch.

“Heh,” he said to himself, “I’m only about ten minutes early.” Jin lowered his head. Damn, he thought, He really is going to go through this. Daisuke pushed open the glass doors and went inside.

The waiting room was virtually empty. An old couple sat near the back corner. Daisuke took a seat near the door and picked up a magazine. He hoped that time would go faster because he was starting to feel Jin’s hunger through his body. The man could ignore it for the time being. However, he knew it wouldn’t be long now. Daisuke shut his eyes to block it out the best that he could.

Hang in there, he told himself, You don’t want to became a murderer, do you? Keep yourself focused for Anna-chan’s sake. Daisuke opened his eyes at the sound of the door opening. He turned to see a woman about two years young than he was with a clipboard in her hand.

“Kimoto Daisuke,” she called. The man rose to his feet.

“That’s me,” he spoke up.

“Right this way,” the girl said. Daisuke followed her down the hall to a back room. The woman opened the door for him.

“Thank you,” Daisuke said softly with a bow. He walked inside and took a seat in the chair against the back wall.

“Tai-sensei will be right with you,” the woman said. She bowed her head and closed the door. Daisuke glanced up at the clock ticking above his head. Jin’s been quiet lately. The hunger must have rested for now. However, he had no idea how long this would last.

I won’t turn into a murderer just like they are, he swore to himself as if to make it stick in his mind. His attention jerked upwards when he heard the door slide open. A man in his early- fifties dressed in priest robes stood in the doorway eyeing him.

“Kimoto-san?” he asked.

“Yes, sir?” Daisuke asked. Tai-sensei took a seat at his desk beside of Daisuke.

“So, talk to me,” he said, “Give me more details about your condition.” The other man shuffled his feet.

“Are you familiar with the Eda-Kimoto clan?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tai-sensei answered as took down his own notes. Daisuke swallowed hard as he readied himself to speak again.

“Kimoto Haruka is my mother,” he muttered. He paused when he the writing stopped on the paper. Daisuke prepared himself to be looked down upon from this man.

“Do you have any personal ties to them?” Tai-sensei asked. The other man clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

“No!” he snapped, “I refuse to associate myself with a clan of murderers!” He turned his head to the doctor. “She killed my sisters!” Daisuke hissed. Tai-sensei raised an eyebrow at him.

“Is that right?” he asked. The patient lowered his head.

“I don’t have the proof,” he murmured.

“Have you killed anyone?” the doctor asked.

“No!” Daisuke snapped, “I refuse to start now!” The doctor finished up his notes. He didn’t speak for a beat. The man pushed up his glasses.

“What exactly do want?” he asked.

“I want a way to maintenance my kitsune,” Daisuke answered.

“Is that all?” the doctor asked.

“Yes,” the patient said boldly. Tai-sensei pondered the whole situation in his head. A small smile came across his face.

“I have just the thing,” he said, “Wait here.” The priest doctor walked over to his medicine cabinet and unlocked it. “Tell me,” Tai-sensei said as he searched the different pill bottles inside, “How long has this problem been going on?”

“Just recently,” Daisuke replied, “It started happened weeks before.” The other man glanced behind him.

“Weeks?” he asked, “When did it first manifest?”

“When I was fourteen,” Daisuke answered.

“Fourteen?” Tai-sensei asked.

“That’s right,” the patient answered.

“So how come the hunger is just now hitting?” the doctor asked.

“Actually, I just moved to Tokyo last year,” Daisuke answered, “I’ve been in a small village in Kobe thirteen years prior.”

“Was this village on consummated ground?” the doctor asked.

“That’s right,” Daisuke answered. Tai-sensei thought about the information that he just learned.

“Hm,” he muttered, “That would explain it.” Daisuke tilted his head at him.

“Explain what?” he asked.

“Consummated ground will neutralize a kitsune in a tsukai’s soul,” the doctor explained, “So when you moved out here to Tokyo, your kitsune woke back up and is trying to catch up to all of the hunger from ten years past.” Daisuke narrowed his eyes rather confused.

“But I’ve been out to Tokyo many times on business,” he said, “My kitsune never spoke then.”

“Do you remember any charms or anything that was given to you before you left?” Tai-sensei asked. Daisuke took a moment to ponder all of this.

“My daughter did hand me a teddy charm before I left,” he replied at last, “Why? Was there a spell on it or something?”

“You can say that,” Tai-sensei answered as he spotted the bottle he was looking for, “Here, try this.” Daisuke looked at him as he handed him the bottle.

“What are these?” he asked. Tai-sensei gave him a little smile.

“You can say these pills trick the kitsune into thinking that it has already eaten,” he explained, “It’s not much, but it will hold you over for now.” Daisuke slowly took them.

“Thank you, sir,” he said.

“You can pay at the front desk,” the doctor told him. The men bowed and parted ways. Daisuke felt a little better as one task to prepare for the end was taken care of.