But you can't really do anything...

Looking at Fuyu crying, on her knees in the grass, made you feel deeply sad for her, and you didn't even know if trying to comfort her would be a good idea, since even you felt like what this kitsune goddess did was like turning Fuyu into a ****... Your ****.

After sometime though, you decided to get closer to her, bending down to put a hand on her shoulder, which made her tremble slightly, for a second, before she looked at you, her eyes red because of her tears, yet she didn't seem angry at you for your silent try at comforting her. It took her a while of looking at you in the eyes until she closed her own, taking a deep breath to then get up.

"I always wanted to help this village." She softly says, her voice trembling. "I wonder why wanting to save lives would be against her wishes..."

"I have no idea either." You reply, a slight hint of anger in your voice that Fuyu did notice.

"I guess I'll ask her, one day." She adds, before giving you a little smile, adding. "Thank you for having tried to help me."

"Don't thank me, it wasn't much. Now, should we go see Rei ? Maybe she woke up."

"Great idea, she'll be surprised that I'll come back with you two." Fuyu answers, before sighing, hints of sadness still in her words, but the most of it fading away already, as the both of you started walking back to Rei's home.

While you walked there, you were surprised to see that no one looked at you, nor at Fuyu this time. They had to know what happened at the shrine if they were acting like that, right ? The kitsune leading the walk to Rei's home noticed it too, but she didn't say anything about it. All of the vixen, her and you knew that nothing would change here at all with her departure. She was just an helper, and the next kitsune won't be anything more either.

After a little while of walking, you finally arrived to Rei's home, and Fuyu softly knocked on the door, so softly in fact that you thought Rei's parents wouldn't hear her knocking, but Rei's mother eventually opened the door, inviting you to come in when she saw the both of you.

Not long after, you were on your knees, sitting in front of Rei's parents, with Rei by their side, seemingly not fully awake, but at least she was awake.

"I can't thank you enough, Adam, for savign my wife." Rei's father (you should ask him his name at some point) said, quickly adding. "And thank you too, Fuyu. I don't want to think about what would have happened if you weren't there."

"Don't worry, I was there after all." Fuyu replied, with a little smile.

"But Fuyu, shouldn't you be at the shrine right now ?" Rei's mother (another name you should ask) then asked. It was clear that the situation didn't seem to be normal to her, and her tone betrayed a bit of concern, concern that would slightly be etched on her face when Fuyu's ears drooped, as she answered.

"I was exiled... Now I have to follow Adam's orders..." Despite those words, she managed to smile a bit. "But he isn't a bad human, so I don't think it'll be an issue."

"Wait, you've been what !?" Suddenly asked Rei, completely awake since an unknown amount of time because you weren't really focusing on her. "Why would you get exiled ?"

Fuyu opened her mouth to answer, but you put an hand on her shoulder before saying.

"She used a spell she was forbidden from using to save us from the party we were fighting." You explain. "You didn't see it because you have been knocked **** beforehand, and since I wanted to protect you but wouldn't have been able to fight off the three of them at once, she used it and saved us."

You didn't mention the pain you felt since the spell touched you too, as you didn't think that would be ideal to let her know. Even without that, Rei knew all she needed to know, and she got up before rushing at Fuyu, hugging her tightly as she said.

"I'm so sorry Fuyu, it was my fault..."

"No." You, Fuyu and Rei's own mother said, without adding anything else. It did completely stop Rei for a little while though, before she said, correting herself.

"I'm still so sorry, Fuyu... So, if you have to follow Adam's orders, you will come back with us, right ?"

"Yes... I'm still sad from not being able to help the village, but I guess I'll be able to help you from now on." Fuyu gently answers, before returning Rei's hug.

Neither Rei's parents nor you had the will to tell them to stop, and so the three of you just watched them hug, feeling the sadness that Fuyu was feeling resonating deep within you. Even though you didn't know her well, there was something about seeing her **** to leave her home behind that made you both sad for her and angry at the Kitsune Goddess...