It was a normal day on the icy slopes of the Sekka Mountains. Well, as normal as it could be when this particular mountain was basically an impenetrable fortress. The Sekka acted as a barrier for not only wild animals that dared get close, but also as one for the piercing gales in the high lands.
What lay inside the mountains was something of the stories of fiction, straight out a fairy tale. Inside was where a magnificent, extravagant castle sculpted purely from ice stood in all its glory, every detail carefully carved, from the perfectly smooth walls to the unused turrets.
While the exterior was impressive, with its massive size and details, the interior would take your breath away.
The interior was not all just plain ice, no. Chandeliers hung beneath the ceilings in every room, each one decorated with countless crystals that would make anyone rich in minutes. The jewels sparkled under the pale sunlight shining through the silky, satin curtains and clouds, reflecting off what little light came through and had a nice, colourful sheen to each one.
The tiling was symmetrical, made of thin yet sturdy sheets of ice, similar to marble tiles. Countertops in different rooms were made of the same material, and both shared a common characteristic; extremely thin but extremely hard as well.
Beyond the bejeweled hallways and ceilings, the fancy furniture and billions worth of chandeliers, was the throne room.
This one room was larger than all the others added together. A carpet led the way from the ice arch entrance to the centre. Along this path, on both sides, were several huge blocks of ice, each sculpted like a sofa with intricate carvings, but no more than that.
If you followed the carpet, you would see the throne at the centre.
A hundred or two feet long at the least, and several more hundred feet taller. The previous ice sculptures paled in comparison to this one.
Every aspect, every corner, every inch was engraved with more precision and beauty than what any modern machine could offer. You would hardly believe that this majestic work of art was previously a enormous block of pure ice.
Lined on to it were several comfortable and luxurious mattresses, arranged side by side, layer by layer. Draped over it all was a thicker ice sheet, like a blanket, with darker blue markings at the edges and sides.
Sapphires, quartz and diamonds in the form of floral designs or snowflakes embedded themselves through the ice sheet, pinning down to the throne-bed.
By far, this castle would have been worth more than any other landmark or historic locations. It would have sold for billions of trillions; far more than any president with all the immaculate carvings and priceless gemstones.
But who owed it all? This palace, filled with various treasures that would be declared as national treasures - who owed it?
Hidden behind the piercingly cold Sekka Mountains, in a castle truly fit for royalty, lying lazily on top of the intricate throne, was Hyouka, a massive, behemoth fox. Hyouka wasn't your average fox, well, as normal as a giant fox could be. Hyouka was a nine-tailed fox.
His (?) fur was as soft and white as the fresh fallen snow outside on the peaks of the Sekka, his eyes much unlike one of a cunning fox's.
A single black line appeared on the upper lid, and vivid strokes of a shade of blue were all around his eye, not messy and unorganised, but deliberate, elegant even. His pupils themselves were a bright azure, alluring and gentle.
His snout gradients into a slightly more creamy white, with a pink, healthy nose at the end. The rest of his body was mostly white, except for another two strokes of alice on Hyouka's forehead, and a slight tinge on all nine tails as well.
Hyouka gave off a regal and commanding aura, his presence like the eye in a hurricane. Unlike his nine-tailed counterpart, Kurama, Hyouka did not have the brash and impulsive personality of his. Instead, he was usually calm and composed, rarely getting mad.
Even now, with his snout resting on his forepaws, all nine tails tucked in or curled around, Hyouka still looked so serene.
That is, until he disappeared with an almost comedic poof of smoke.
.
.
.
"So you're saying," Hyouka growled, irritation edging his words, an uncommon occurrence, "You brought me all the way over here, and you could only summon two tails?!"
Killing intent flooded the area, while the unfortunate soul who decided to summon him at this time broke into a cold sweat, fear pulsating in his veins.
Indeed, do not disturb one's sleep, less they put you to an eternal one.
'This wasn't supposed to happen!!!' The one who summoned Hyouka thought, panicking, 'Mother's scrolls said the Kitsune-sama is very calm!'
"I-I'm very sorry for my insufficient s-strength, Kitsune-sama," he managed to stutter out.
"You should be. I was having such a nice dream..."
'So he was angry because I disturbed his sleep?!'
After looking the trembling young boy up and down a few times, Hyouka snorted before tilting his head down for a better look.
"I'm surprised someone still has the summoning scroll. You. What's your name."
"M-me?"
"Yes, you! Who else?"
Apparently, Hyouka was still salty about his peaceful nap being cut short.
"Y-yuki Fuyumi, Kitsune-sama,"
"Stop stuttering, its annoying. Also, my name isn't Kitsune-sama; what kind of name is that?"
He still hadn't calmed down.
"Then, if I may, what is your name?"
"Hyouka."
Fuyumi blinked a few times, thinking of the irony of his name.
"Doesn't 'Hyouka' mean something ephemeral? Considering your age, that doesn't seem like a suitable name."
"Like you're one to talk. Fuyumi is a girl's name, is it not? Well, looking closer, you seem far more like a girl than a boy, so I guess its fair," he snorted once again, looking down on the boy unceremoniously.
Fuyumi blushed and shouted embarrassedly, "My mother thinks it's a very nice name, for your information!"
"So I tell you my name and you suddenly forget all manners?"
"My apologies, Hyouka-sama!"
And as if a switch had been flipped, Fuyumi returned back to his overly polite demeanor.
Finally, Hyouka calmed down enough and allowed a smile to surface.
"I have a feeling we'd get along well,"
"But still, two tails is pitifully weak. We'll need to work on your strength for sure."
Hyouka didn't hesitate to give a final jibe.
***
(A/N: Hyouka's abilities will be revealed later on in the story, but here is the definition of the number of 'tails' summoned.
Basically, the number corresponds to your strength level, as well as the amount of chakra you put into the summoning.
For reference, the first tail can be summoned by literally anyone with chakra, but the abilities Hyouka can use in this form are limited greatly as well.
The second tail is summoned with academy student level power, the third genin, the fourth elite genin, and the fifth chunin. The power levels increase by a lot after the fifth tail. The sixth tail can be summoned by elite jonin, the seventh normal kage-level, the eight above kage-level (like Hashirama or Madara at the final valley), and the ninth can only be summoned by the likes of the Sage of Sixth Paths or higher.
Also, your chakra reserves have to be balanced with your own personal strength to summon a higher amount of tails. For example, academy student Naruto with insane chakra but pitifully weak strength. At most, he could only summon the second tail, like Fuyumi.)
Words ~ 1267
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