Fox Spirit, Gensen

Name: Gensen
Age: unknown, but estimated that he was formed around the Heian-jidai of Japan (700 A.D.)
Birthday: July 7th
Occupation: Familiar, monster hunter
Likes: Playing the Shakuhachi or Noh kan , bushido
Dislikes: Cowards, forlorn women

About Gensen : Gensen had lived a quiet existence in Kyoto for most of his life.  Through the years though, Japan had changed from the old samurai-days he used to know so well.  Gensen never spent much time in his fox or human form in recent times because he found it dangerous and the people of Japan not so understanding or reliant on spirits anymore.  

However, one day in Kyoto, Gensen was jumping between forests, returning back to his temple, when a speeding motorcycle hit him, sending him tumbling to the side of the rural road.  The driver stopped to see what he had hit and Gensen, stunned, hurt and scared tried to hide in the bamboo forest.  His leg and ribs hurt incredibly and he knew they had been broken.  Dragging himself into the forest he looked behind him to see, to his surprise and horror, the driver had jumped the fence of the forest and was coming directly for him.

Taking off his helmet, Gensen was even more astonished to see that the driver was not Japanese at all, but a foreigner with shocking red hair.  He squatted down over the fox and placed his hand on the back of his neck, grabbing the scruff.  Gensen feared for the worst and began struggling, despite his pain.  The young man grabbed him tighter and spoke to him in a simple form of Japanese to calm down.  The foreigner apologized for hitting him and asked for forgiveness.  He went on to explain that he had been chasing down an oni, Japanese demon, when Gensen had stepped in his way unexpectedly.  With his other hand he felt Gensen’s ribs and the frightened Gensen bit him in defense.  The foreigner stared while he continued to sink his teeth into his arm.  Despite the blood that began trickling down his arm, the foreigner held tight.  With calm eyes, the foreigner spoke quietly to Gensen stating that he was aware that Gensen was a kitsune.  Once again he asked for forgiveness for the accidental injury and then asked permission to aid him. Stunned that the foreigner knew so much about kitsune lore, Gensen didn’t know how to respond and numbly agreed.

Gensen then got the shock of a lifetime when the foreigner proceeded to take him to a veterinary hospital.  Completely submerged in the human world, he couldn’t help trembling on the cold aluminum table as the doctors checked him.  However, listening to the conversation between the foreigner and the doctor, Gensen realized that the foreigner was honest and meant what he said.  After the surgery, the doctor insisted that the fox stay at the hospital then be returned to the forest when he was well.  The foreigner refused these terms, saying the fox was his responsibility and he would personally return him to his home when he was well.  Ultimately giving in to the customer, the doctor returned Gensen to the foreigner.

Taking Gensen to a small apartment in Kyoto, the foreigner gave Gensen a small but extremely comfortable pet bed to sleep in and some tofu to eat, which was Gensen’s absolute favorite.  The foreigner welcomed Gensen to stay as long as he wanted and when he was well he was free to go.  The foreigner then placed a pearl in front of Gensen on the bed-- It was Gensen’s spirit pearl, something he would eventually die without.  The foreigner smiled and told Gensen he had dropped his pearl when he was hit.  Gensen was amazed.  In the shock of the day’s events, he had forgotten completely about it, the first time in his life.

As Gensen recovered in the solitary of the apartment, he learned much about his foreign helper.  His name was Rhetoric Cardinal and he was a demon hunter from America, a place that Gensen knew very little about.  Rhetoric, he found out, was a rash, hot headed, outspoken but just young man who was well versed in demon and spirit lore.  Most surprising was that Rhetoric was an accomplished witch, something Gensen had heard of once before but wrote off as a fancy of the west.

When Gensen had mostly recovered, he changed to his human form to assist Rhetoric better.  Because Rhetoric had ultimately saved his life by getting medical attention and recovering his pearl, Gensen was bound to Rhetoric until he was able to repay his debt by kitsune tradition.  Despite the insistence that he was not needed nor wanted, Gensen remained by Rhetoric in spirit form until Rhetoric finally relented and invited him to be his familiar.  Happy to be given the opportunity to repay his debt, Gensen has eagerly followed Rhetoric in his adventures across the world till this day.

Creator's comments: Gensen was made to fill a want for a more traditional Japanese doll (amazingly, I have none). Because he seemed out of place, the only thing I could think of was to make him a kitsune and attach him to Rhetoric. He has turned out well after all.