"Katsumi! Come here!" The woman was faceless, but she knew who the woman was.
"Aw, no fair! Don't listen to her, come to papa!" He was the same, but there was no mistake.
The little girl ran forward, but the figures started to drift away, still calling out for her. The girl ran faster, harder. She had to get there.
"You can do it! Mama believes in you!" They were still going farther away. Slowly the little girl grew bigger, now a young teenager. She still ran.
"That's it! Almost there!" So close. The girl grew once more, now a young adult. She was just a hairs breath away. Her fingertips brushed theirs, and suddenly she could see her parents clearly. Her mother, long black hair pulled up and a smile on her face. Her father with light brown hair and green eyes that twinkled. Both looked down at her in that moment.
"Welcome home, Katsumi." Their voices blended together, and they disappeared. Katsumi fell to her knees, left in the darkness. They were gone.
"NO!" Katsumi jerked awake, sweat covering her forehead. Her chest heaved as images from the dream flashed in her mind. It took her a moment to realize that her arm was stretched out, and she brought it down. Katsumi closed her eyes and tried to calm her heart. She should be used to it by now, that dream. She's been having it even more lately.
Just as she was able to breathe normally, her alarm went off. Groaning, Katsumi leaned over and shut it off. Sometimes she wondered why she even bothered with the appliance. She stayed there for a moment, briefly entertaining the idea of faking a sickness. Then again, her Grandmamma would probably make her do chores sick or not.
With that in mind Katsumi went about her morning chores. Laundry, kendo practice for thirty minutes, archery practice for another thirty minutes, sweeping the shrine room and patio, cleaning the windows, water the garden, and breakfast. Katsumi also made sure to sneak some milk outside for the collection of cat Pokémon that would hang about the shrine.
When her Grandmamma came into the dining room, Katsumi was already dressed for school and setting plates down for the family to eat. The old woman tsked and walked up to her, smacking the girl's back. Katsumi flinched and instantly stood up straighter.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to slouch? It is unfitting for a priestess of this shrine to be hunched over like some buffoon!" Though her voice was harsh and cold, Katsumi was used it and took no offense. Besides, the old lady was right in a way. Not that it would matter anyway, seeing as how they rarely got visitors.
"Our shrine is being protected by the Kami of all foxes, Inari Ōkami. How do you think she would feel about having one of her shrines being taken care of by a lousy looking priestess? Huh? do you want to anger the mother of all foxes and bring the shrine to ruin? Huh?" Katsumi learned long ago to ignore her grandmamma when she went on her ranting spree. It was a daily thing for the woman.
"I see that our great Kami is disappointed in our granddaughter. So, what she do this time?" Katsumi smiled at the humored voice of her grandpapa. The man was so unlike his wife it was unbelievable. He was always relaxed and happy. If it wasn't for him, she was sure that her Grandmamma would have thrown her out long ago.
"Nothing you would care about old man." Katsumi's grandpapa just laughed off the insult his wife shot at him. Katsumi couldn't help but giggle as well. Her grandmamma glared at the two before ordering that they eat breakfast before it got 'too damn cold.'
"Your tests scores come in today, don't they?" Katsumi looked up to her grandpapa, nodding her head to his question. Grandmamma grunted, sending a chilling glare to her granddaughter.
"You better pass. The only reason you're even going there is because this old man would have whined about it. If I had my way you'd be in your priestess training full time." She then went on another rant that Katsumi ignored. Ever since she was put in her grandparents care she has been training to become the shrine's priestess. While not the most exciting job, Katsumi didn't mind. It made it easier to find a job, what with the war decimating the job market. Very few jobs were open, and they all dealt with the war force in some way, something that Katsumi wanted to stay away from.
"As much as I am sure Katsumi wants to hear this, I think she better get going dear." When Katsumi heard this, she looked to clock and nearly cried out. If she didn't leave right away, then she'd be late. Quickly grabbing her last piece of toast she got up and headed for the door.
"You better not forget to give your morning prayers!" Katsumi stopped, almost tripping and turned around. Slamming the shrine room door open she sped to the stone statues and got on her knees, bowing her head. She wished for a good day and thanked the Kami for life and many other things and rang the small bell beside the statue. She then hurried out the door and tried to run down the street while putting on her shoes.
Several people down the street called out and greeted the familiar sight of the running form of Katsumi. It was a regular thing on school mornings. Katsumi made sure to call back to each person as she ran, hoping that she wouldn't be late.
When Katsumi made it to the school, she was happy to see that she wasn't late. Once able to catch her breath, Katsumi went to the board where everyone's test scores resided. Already there was her friend Tsuki, who was jumping up and down like a madwoman. Katsumi laughed and joined the girl after weaving through the crowd of students.
"I take it you did well?" Tsuki grinned and hugged Katsumi, surprising her. Tsuki was squealing and Katsumi tried to ignore the odd looks she was getting from the act.
"I rank twenty-fifth in class! How awesome is that?" Katsumi laughed and pried her friend off of her. She gave Tsuki a thumbs up and turned to the board. What with all the tall students in her way, Katsumi had to stand on her toes to see where her name was. After standing there for a moment or two, she turned to Tsuki.
"Did you see my name? I can't find it." Tsuki shrugged her shoulders in response. Katsumi frowned. Where was her name? tired of trying to see over everyone else, Katsumi pushed her way to the front. Once right in front of the board, she searched for her name.
But, it wasn't there. Katsumi looked to the other class boards, thinking they may have made a mistake. But it wasn't on any of them either. Katsumi's name was missing.
"Mizaru Katsumi, please come to the administrator's office. Mizaru Katsumi, please come to the administrator's office." Katsumi paused in her searching, surprised to hear her name on the intercom. Was she in trouble? Katsumi left the crowd, Tsuki following, and headed for the office.
"Excuse me, I was called here?" There were a few teachers in the office, at their desks. Katsumi saw her homeroom teacher, Mr. Yoshida. The man was one of the younger teachers, catching the hearts of some of the girls with his smooth black hair and grey eyes.
"Ah, yes. Come on over Ms. Mizaru." Katsumi came in, leaving Tsuki to wait outside. Walking over to Yoshida's desk, she stood in front of her seated teacher. As he leafed through papers she tried not to fidget, wondering why she was called here.
"I'm going to assume you went to the score board already, right?" Mr. Yoshida turned to Katsumi, his eyes boring into her. Nervously she nodded her head. "I am also going to assume that you couldn't find your name. Correct?" Katsumi was caught off guard, he knew about her name not being there. Katsumi relaxed, there must of been a mistake and he was trying to fix it. She nodded once more.
"Right. You see, there's a problem that needs to be fixed concerning that." Just as Katsumi thought. Everything was going to be okay. "We get your final scores and class rank by adding and averaging your test scores. You had two tests in which you scored lowly. These scores were so low that they brought the entire average down. So far down, in fact, that you would be considered as a student to be held back." Mr. Yoshida explained, twining his fingers together as he leaned back in his chair.
Katsumi's mind froze. what was he talking about? She was failing? Held back? What was going on? She remembered her tests, sure they were hard but she left confident. There was no way.
"What tests?" Mr. Yoshida frowned, looking over to the stack of papers on his desk. Katsumi automatically looked as well, and saw that her name was on it.
"I shouldn't tell you, but ah well. The two tests were history and math. To be more precise, it was on the PMF and HMF Pokémon section of the test. The one you should have tested highly in. We are currently at war after all." Katsumi couldn't believe this. Well, she could believe it if she thought about it. She shied away from anything dealing with the war, and Pokémon history never interested her. She knew the name of a few species and that was it. Math, well that has always been a sore spot in life. She expected to score lowly there, just not this lowly.
"What can I do? I can't fail, I just can't!" Katsumi exclaimed to her teacher. Grandmamma would kill her, and her grandpapa would be disappointed. This couldn't happen, there had to be something that Katsumi could do. Mr. Yoshida sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Well, there is something you could do. I wouldn't normally recommend it, considering what it's for, but I think I can make an exception. You know about the PMF and HMF right?" Katsumi nodded her head, not understanding why he asked. "Well, in case you didn't know, we're losing the war. And the government is scrambling to try and find more recruits. Sure there's plenty volunteering but not enough in a quick enough time. So, their putting tests out in high schools. Its mandatory and a participating grade for seniors. Its only meant for them as well. But, there is also the option of a seventeen year old getting in as well given that they have the recommendation of a teacher. I could do that for you and give you extra credit for taking the test. That should be enough to fix your problem." Katsumi didn't know what to think. There was a chance, but it was a test that was dealing with the PMF and HMF.
"What is the test about?" Mr. Yoshida shrugged.
"Don't know. I'll be honest. It's a placement test. To see if your more compatible with PMF or HMF. It's as close to drafting as it gets, and I'm surprised they haven't gone that far yet. That's why I wouldn't normally allow this. Your too young to be roped into the war, and believe me, if you end up being compatible, you'll get taken in. Its part of the whole deal. But, given your current occupation as a shrine priestess, I doubt you'll be compatible." Mr. Yoshida got a piece of paper and began to write something down.
"The test is tomorrow at noon. When you get there, you'll have to show your student ID and give them this paper. It's my recommendation. You should be able to take it after that." Katsumi went to take the paper, but when she tried to pull it from his grip, he didn't let go.
"Listen, I can't make this like the senior's grade. You have to at least get eighty percent of the academic questions right. You do that, and I'll make sure you pass this year." He then released the paper. Katsumi looked down at it, seeing his words and signature that would get her in. Katsumi didn't know what to say, she knew that she had to do this. There was no other choice, but still.
Katsumi spent the rest of the day either staring at the letter, or day dreaming about the situation. She didn't know which was worse, telling grandmamma that she failed her tests, or that she had to take a different test from the government in order to pass.
While Katsumi didn't like the PMF and HMF, her grandmamma hated it. Ever since Katsumi's parents died, her grandmamma has hated the government and the military forces that it is always promoting.
It came down to one thing really. How was she going to get to the test without her grandmamma knowing?
They were all eating dinner, and Katsumi was silent. What she going to do? She's never kept a secret from her grandparents, and she didn't want to start. But, what else was there? She took a look at her grandparents, the two of them talking. Well, more grandmamma yelling and grandpapa trying to calm her down.
"Um, grandmamma?" The two stopped and looked to Katsumi. Scowling, grandmamma pointed her chopsticks at her granddaughter.
"If your going to ask me for something, you better sit up straight before our Kami Inari Ōkami strikes this shrine down in her disappointment." Katsumi straightened in her seat on reflex, and tried to not roll her eyes. Now was not the time to put her grandmamma on a rampage.
"Yes grandmamma. I was wondering if it was possible for me to go out with Tsuki tomorrow? We want to watch a movie at noon." Katsumi tried to keep a straight face, hoping that they wouldn't find out that she was lying.
"You have shrine duties! How do you expect to become the next priestess if you shirk your duties for something so trivial?" Katsumi should have expected that answer from her grandmamma. It still didn't stop her from sighing in disappointment. Now what was she going to do?
"Now Mai, Katsumi rarely asks anything from us. Why don't you let her go, just this once?" Katsumi's grandpapa chimed in. Grandmamma turned her sour face to her smiling husband. Katsumi held her breath as the woman began to mutter and argue with the man.
"Fine! Damn it all. Your chores will be doubled the next day though. And you still will do your archery and kendo in the morning. Be back by the evening." Grandmamma listed, glaring at Katsumi. Katsumi, happy that her grandmamma was letting her go, nodded her head quickly.
"Yes grandmamma! I'll make sure of it." Katsumi was fine with agreeing with anything so long as she was able to leave. After dinner Katsumi did dishes and made her way to the shrine room. Every evening before bed she was to meditate in the room. She wasn't sure how this would help her in becoming a priestess, but her grandmamma made her do it anyway. Normally she used it as time to day dream, or just sleep. She'd never forget the day when her grandmamma found that out.
Supposedly, meditating in the shrine room was going to bring her closer to the deity presiding over the shrine. In this case, it would be Inari Ōkami. Her grandmamma repeatedly told her that having a close relationship with the deity of her shrine was part of a priestess' job. Inside the shrine room was two large statues of foxes.
When she sat in front of the stone statues of the twin foxes, Katsumi took a breath and closed her eyes. Instead of the normal darkness she saw, Katsumi's mind was flooded with the test and what it meant.
She had to take it, there was no option about that. However, Mr. Yoshida said that if she fell into either category for the PMF or HMF she'd be pulled into the war. The very same war that took her parents away.
That thought brought her mind to a whole new point. Her dreams. That dream has been happening even more lately, and Katsumi didn't know what it meant. Her grandmamma once said that dreams were important, that they could serve as a warning for things to come or as a message from the spirits. Of course, Katsumi didn't believe her on that point. But, she was sure that the dream meant something. She just didn't know what.
Katsumi lightly shook her head and pulled her mind back to the main point. PMF, Pokémon Military Force. HMF, Human Military Force. Katsumi knew the basics, the PMF was a section of the military that closely dealt with Pokémon. Every person within the PMF had at least one Pokémon. HMF was easier, it was the human side of the military. They worked closely with the PMF, but was unlike it at the same time. The HMF didn't include Pokémon in their ranks, unlike the popular PMF.
That was all she knew about the two forces. Which wasn't much. What would she do if she fell into either category? She didn't want to be part of the war. She wanted to stay as far away from it as possible. But, what could she do? She had to take the test. No matter what. the only thing she could do was pray.
And pray Katsumi did. Never before had she truly prayed to Inari, but she was so desperate to not end up in the war. When she was finished, she lit an incense and two candles. Before leaving, Katsumi placed her hand on the muzzle of one the twin statues, giving one last prayer.
Please, please keep me away from the war.
Katsumi left the room and headed for bed that night.
It was night. She was in a field of grass. Hills were surrounding her. Katsumi didn't know what was going on. Her clothes were changed, she was wearing a traditional priestess kimono, something she only wore on a special occasion. What was more odd, was the bow in her hands. When checked, Katsumi found a quiver of arrows on her back. Just what was going on?
Katsumi then spotted something odd. A light. It was small and blue, and heading towards her from the sky. As it got closer, she realized that it wasn't just any light, but a small fire. Katsumi, transfixed, held out her hand as it came closer. The small ball of blue fire rested just above her palm. It was warm, but not unbearably so.
Suddenly, the fire began to transform. Katsumi watched as two furred ears popped out, then a tail, and slowly a body came about. Katsumi soon had a golden fox hovering over her hand. It had small blue fire at the heels of its paws and red eyes. The fox yipped, surprising her.
"Who are you?" Katsumi whispered as she scratched the fox's ear. She giggled as the fox mad a sound of enjoyment. The fox jumped up and ran around Katsumi in the air. She didn't know why he was able to fly, but he certainly was adorable. The two began to play in the field for what seemed like hours.
It didn't seem like anything was going to change, until the fox suddenly stopped and flicked his ear. Katsumi frowned, and looked to the direction that held the fox's interest. Nothing seemed too out of order at first, but if she took a closer look Katsumi could see smoke in the sky.
"What?" Katsumi had a feeling of dread enter her body. What was happening? The fox yipped at Katsumi, jumping up and down before taking off in the direction of the smoke. Katsumi tried to stop the fox, but her was too fast. After her got a distance away, the fox stopped and looked back. It seemed that he wanted her to follow.
Katsumi looked to the sky, not liking the smoke, but she didn't want to be left alone either. Besides, she still had that feeling in her stomach. But the fox, it wouldn't led her to somewhere dangerous, right?
"Wait for me!" With her decision made, she ran after the fox. The fox, seeing this, yipped in delight and ran off. Katsumi tried to catch up, but the fox was just so fast. It was especially hard when she had to run up a steep hill. A couple of times she fell down, but she always got back up when the fox's bark reached her. She didn't know why, but felt as though she needed the fox, needed to be near him.
What she expected at the top of the hill was the fox being further down the way and there being even more grass fields along the way. What she didn't expect, was to see the fox being petted by a man who was sitting at the top of the hill. Neither did she expect to see a village in the distance, a village that was on fire. Katsumi watched in horror as the fire had spread, going out to a rice field and the surrounding grass. If it kept up, the fire would reach the hill soon.
"It's horrible, isn't it?" Katsumi turned to the man who was petting the fox. He was young, and had long black hair that rivaled Katsumi's own hair. She also saw that he was wearing an old priest outfit, He also had a rod of some sort; at one end was a golden circle with rings hanging on it. He looked like he popped out of one of her school's history books. He even had one of those old hats made of straw on his head. It was covering his face, and she saw a symbol painted on the top.
Senshi.
Warrior. Odd, for a priest to have that on his hat. Katsumi looked back to the village, seeing the fire and how it was spreading. For a moment she worried for the people of the village. She went to go forward and help the people, but was stopped.
"Where are you going?" The man's voice was smooth, but it only angered Katsumi. What was he doing, just sitting there? Wasn't he a priest? Weren't they supposed to help people?
"I'm going down there! There could be people who need help! Why aren't you getting up and doing the same?" The man didn't seem perturbed by Katsumi's harsh voice. In fact, he chuckled!
"But what can you do? You are only a small child, and that is a force of nature that won't be stopped. You have no water, and no way to putting out the fire. Why fight a losing battle?" Katsumi frowned. He was right, she had no way of stopping the fire. But, she couldn't just stay there.
"I don't have to stop the fire! I just want to make sure no one's hurt!" Katsumi felt her anger boil even more when the man began to laugh loudly. What was his problem?
"You could die yourself. Are you willing to risk that?" Katsumi's eyes widened. She didn't think of that. She looked back to the fire, seeing as it grew in height and as it spread even further. He was right, but what about the village?
"I know. But you can't just ignore them, can you? Why do you even care?" The man shrugged, still petting the fox. Katsumi wasn't sure why, but felt as though she should know this man.
"I don't really. I'm just curious is all. I normally don't meddle in such affairs, but the fire has been something of a problem lately. No one's seem to realize just how big of a problem though. It really is annoying." Katsumi frowned. What was that supposed to mean?
"Then why don't you go help? If you want to help, why don't you?" The man chuckled again, irritating Katsumi. He didn't have to laugh at everything she said.
"You are amusing young miko. I like you. If you want to help, why don't you? Hm?" Katsumi didn't appreciate how he threw her question back at her. Didn't she already tell him she wanted to help?
That thought brought her to a stop. If she really wanted to help, then why didn't she just go? Why was she still here and talking to him? She was scared. Katsumi was scared of the fire, and what could happen to her. He was right, she was powerless against it, she'd only get in the way.
But, it would be wrong to just stand by and let those people get hurt.
"I know that I wouldn't be much help, but I still need to try. Besides, you're here. You could help, two people are better than one right?" At her words, the man stopped petting the fox. The fox then ran up, literally as he ran on the air, to Katsumi. It nuzzled her cheek before looking back to the man.
"Interesting, I haven't heard such an answer like yours in a long time. Yes, I believe you will be alright." Katsumi frowned, what was he talking about? She went to ask that, but he stood up and continued to speak. She also noticed that he didn't just have the rod, but a sword and whip were attached to each side of his waist. Why didn't she notice them before?
"I will give you my friend to guide you through the path. I will also give you this." He took the sword and held it out. Katsumi took it hesitantly.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" She asked, looking at the sheathed weapon. It looked like an ordinary katana to Katsumi. She looked up to the man, and she finally saw his face. He was handsome, easily the best looking male Katsumi had ever set eyes on. But really caught her interest were his eyes, they were a deep purple, which was odd. She didn't know anyone with purple eyes.
"The blade will help you when needed. If you ever need advice, look to the moon. Now go, your path awaits you." At those last words a gust of wind past by, and the man faded away.
Author's note:
Hey! I hope you enjoyed the read everyone. I just want to let you know that Inari Ōkami is a real Japanese deity of foxes. I tried to keep some of its points close to the folklore, but I have embellished some things, and I will continue to do so in the future. But, that's what Fanfiction is for no? Anyway leave a review! I love those! Tell me what you think! Is it bad, good, awesome? I just want to let you know that this story may turn into a crossover later on...but I'm still on the fence about that. Anyway, thanks for reading and have an awesome day!
