Chapter 94
We stood there for a moment, the back of his fist resting against my open palm... As if we were both momentarily at a loss as to who's 'turn' it was. In the dungeon you either stalked your prey, or attacked it, I started the show.
At this distance, I opted for a round of 'sticky palm'. Stepping forward and pushing his fist aside, I tried for a quick punch towards his chin. He swatted my hand aside, took a half step back to maintain distance, and returned with a punch aimed at my liver. I diverted his punch with my elbow, tried a punch at his shoulder, blocked his other hand before he could poke me in the chin with a stiffened finger...
It was a good minute of high speed (by mortal standards) double motions of block/attack/push/pull. Our clothes fluttered, our feet scraped the ground, fists slapped into palms... And when he next landed a strike, I realized that he was only blocking me as a formality. His body was just far enough away from me that even if he didn't, the usual motions and patterns that I'd been taught, would fall just short.
He smiled, probably seeing that I'd figured him out. "Not quite a record, but close." He mused, suddenly sliding his back foot back further, planting his front foot, lowering himself under my next block/strike, and pushing me away with a palm strike to my hip. "I've fooled some people for hours with that trick."
I lowered my stance as well, switching to something like Wing Chun. His motions were so close to human that I'd forgotten that he wasn't. The shoulders and hips, easy spots to 'read' your opponent from, were the same when he moved. But his arms and legs were ever so slightly different than a human. Ready for another try, with a style more suited to sudden forward motion and fluid stance changes, I tried again.
It seemed he had an answer for everything I could come up with. I couldn't land a single strike on him, no matter how many times I changed my style, stance or pattern. That isn't to say I wasn't close more than once, but by the time I'd gone through eighty or so percent of my collection of forms and styles, the best I'd managed to do was feel the fabric over his chest before he nudged my hand to the side.
I on the other hand had to suffer getting poked, prodded and pushed around. He was actually gentler than Takemikazuchi, who would remind me where my flaws were with a closed fist or bend my arm backwards or something. Where as Wukong was doing things like poking my side, giving me a hip check or booping my nose. At about the twenty minute mark, and a tap to my shin to preemptively stop my next kick, he lowered his guard, prompting me to do the same.
"You're holding something back." He scratched his chin with a sigh, "If I wasn't feeling so refreshed by seeing the original forms of so many old styles, I'd feel insulted."
"It is out of respect that I don't cheat." I bowed, "And habit, I'll admit."
"Cheat? Well, you're not using your tails, or magic I suppose, but I wasn't if you weren't going to."
"Back home, the Gods are under the rule to only be as strong as a normal human. While Takemikazuchi has only a mortal's strength, his skill is flawless. I'm sure that if I were to go all out I could beat him, but I train with him to learn, not to dominate. I see the time He spends with me as a gift. If were to ever beat Him, it would have to be as an equal." I smiled, "But that's not the cheating I was talking about."
He adjusted his sunglasses, rubbed his chin, then shrugged, "Fair fair. I like that, you've got pride, but in the right places." He raised his hands again, actually giving me warning this time before repeating the same backfist. This time however, it was not 'lazy', but full speed, half step in, aimed at the heart, strike.
I stopped it the same way too, except instead of an open palm I curled my fingers slightly, grabbing his fist. "If you wished, I could spar as I do with my Familia."
He tried to move his hand, but couldn't. With his arm locked in place by not just my 'Titan's Grip', but also 'Titan's stance', he was simply unable to move me. He frowned thoughtfully, "A peculiar ability." He made to reach for the staff at his ear, but I took a half step forward and captured his wrist with a tail. I froze in place, then stopped his kick, froze again, stopped another kick, froze one more time, then wrapped up his torso, my golden tail giving him a playful boff on the head. "It's not magic, but something else. Fascinating." He said after trying to struggle slightly, "It only works when you are still hmm..."
"It is part of the gift from my Goddess." My tails put him down, straightening his robe for him and dusting off his shoulder before retreating behind me again, "Thank you for the lesson." I bowed, fist in palm, "I see that I should pay more attention to detail, and that I have a lot to learn." He had already seen through the 'flaw' in Titan's Stance. I had to be still, almost not breathing, when I used it, otherwise it was simply an unbreakable grip, the rest of me subject to being twisted or thrown around.
"It was an entertaining bout for sure." He nodded, "Oh thank you." Loaner peeked his head out of Wukong's robe with his pipe, "Your attention to the world around you is already quite good. It takes many long years of training, or a few years of combat, to have such an awareness. It sounds like you learned the second way."
"Part of being an adventurer." I nodded, "It helps I have a few natural advantages too." One of my ears did a twitchy wave at him. "And yes, the dungeon doesn't care if you don't hear what might kill you."
"But... There is something holding you back. It isn't just rules and morals." He lit his pipe again, "But something else. You have accepted yourself, but are not at peace with your self. Yes, that's my lesson." He nodded, "Anyhow, it's getting a little late for these old bones, and I have to make sure that young idiot dragon doesn't drink all the sake..."
I watched him leave, then sat back down to look up at the moon.
The room I'd been lent for the night was little more than a small comfortable box. Not literally of course, but it was a small, three by two metre room, with a bed and a small cabinet for clothing. That's it. Didn't even have a window. However, the bed was comfortable and smelled faintly of cinnamon, and the air in the room was well ventilated and cool.
I was just about to get the glass bottle and pump set up, when I heard the quiet sounds of music from just down the hallway. A stringed instrument of some kind. But not a guitar. It sounded a bit out of tune, and who ever was playing paused a couple of times in mid chord to pluck a single string a few times until it sounded right.
Curious, and frowning because I had heard this instrument being played before but had forgotten what it was called, I set my personal care aside for the moment and went to investigate. The shrine 'barracks' were in a wing off the main building, and made of simple stone and wood. While the rooms were small, it did have a common area, and another wing of the shrine had a library. A simple group home for the staff. I'd gotten a peek into some of the other rooms on the way here, and while simple, there were some personal touches.
I got to the room making all the noise, and saw Maki sitting on the floor with a long wooden instrument in front of her. Flat on the bottom, with a rounded top, it was a well cared for thing of dark wood and copper, with long strings of various thicknesses running along its length. Behind it was a leather case, faded with age.
"Hey Sensei." Maki greeted me without looking up from her tuning, "I'm trying not to make too much noise but..."
"It's going to bug me all night if you don't tell me what that's called." I replied, leaning on the door frame and watching her pluck a string and tighten one of the copper fittings on the end, much like one would a guitar.
"It's called a guzheng." She replied plucking a few strings in sequence before nodding to herself, "More commonly known as a Chinese Zither."
"Mystery solved." I smiled, entering the room and sitting next to her, "Your mother's?"
"Yeah..." She started to play something simple, plucking the strings on one side of a copper divide, while pushing down on the same string to change the pitch on the other side of the divide, "My mom had a little one, and I tried to learn a bit... But then I saw a bass guitar. Got the idea in my head to play with my mom, instead of taking her instrument from her."
"And four strings are much easier?"
"Yeah." She nodded, stopping the sound coming off the strings by putting her palms flat against them gently, "It was in the corner." She motioned with a hand, not taking her hands off the instrument, "The leather case was cracked in places, and the strings were all out of tune, but..."
The copper was faded, but there were no green spots. It had likely been years since this was used, but the care of storing it was as flawless as you could get. "You should ask if you can take it home with you."
"I wouldn't want to bother my neighbours." She shook her head, plucking the strings some more.
"It's only going to gather dust here." I replied, "And you're done running, right?"
She looked at me sharply, but stopped, nodded, "Yeah. I am done running aren't I?" She looked back at the zither, tipping sideways to lean on me, "Sometimes I forget that."
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I'll even make you a new case when I get back."
"Thanks big sister." She leaned on me a moment longer, then sat back up, "Hope no one minds me playing a little before bed. It's been so long since I've really thought of my parents. I mean, more than just wishing they were still around." She looked back at the bed, "I dunno how they did it, but the bed still smells like her."
We spent a little while just sitting side by side, her hands moving over the strings, the sound hesitant but not unpleasant. "Doesn't sound that bad at all." I nodded, "And if your neighbours complain, Sona knows some good sound proofing magic."
She laughed, "Screw them, I'm gonna learn how to play this thing properly. And if they complain, I'll plug in my bass and put the speaker against the wall."
"Maybe don't take it that far. Anyhow... You're train still leaves fairly early." I gave her back a pat then stood up.
September 30
I went to the hotel in the morning with Maki while leaving Shinkage and Delly at the shrine. Yasaka and Kunou came with us, and the four of us had made small talk on the way. After sparring with Wukong, I'd gotten to wondering what he meant. While it sounded suitably cryptic for 'aged wisdom' I understood the difference between 'yourself' and 'your self'. But what I didn't understand was the context.
We managed to make it to the train station with all the others, with Maki using a little illusion to make it seem that she simply arrived a little late to the final head count, instead of not actually arriving from the hotel itself. Tsubasa, her roommate, was her awesome self and had Maki's luggage and souvenirs with her.
"When you get back Maki, I want you to measure out your new friend. I'll start on a case as soon as I get back." We shared a fist bump.
"Sure. I'll make sure to check on your birds too. Make sure Akeno-sempai has been taking care of them."
"No doubt she has. But tell her I said thank you while you make sure." I smiled.
She gave me one last wave and boarded the train. A few doors down, Issei was talking with Yasaka Kunou and Serafall. I was kind of impressed at how casually he was talking with them, since one was an adorable girl, another was a very busty blond, and the last was the Leviathan. And! They were all in really nice looking kimono. Yet there he was, talking like they were old friends. However, the train announced its departure, cutting the conversation short. Hastily, he bowed, waved, and all but ran into the train, spotting me at the last second and waving as well.
"Well Kodori-san?" Yasaka smiled, putting a hand on Kunou's far shoulder in one of those modest 'not quite a hug' motions. "Shall we return to the shrine?"
"I have to visit the hotel for my things. I didn't bring a huge amount, and it will save me from walking back and forth." I explained, "Levia-tan?"
"Unfortunately," She sighed, "I have to deal with paperwork."
"But?"
"I get to stay in Kyoto while I do it." She smiled again, "Azazel suggested a good ramen cart, and I think I'll go try it. Well... tonight. I might have eaten a little much last night."
"I'm happy to serve." I bowed, "Let me know if you need help with anything. Yasaka-sama has offered me a chance to learn about what I am, and I'll be here a couple more days at least."
"Well, if I need you to try and rescue my paperwork from a raging inferno, only to fail and bring back the ashes while tragic music plays in the background ow!"
"No murdering your paperwork." I gave her a Karate Chop of Justice, "I'll be sure to tell Sona that you were very responsible while you were here."
"I knew I could count on you." Serafall smiled, "Shall we?"
"We will return to the shrine ahead of you. It has been a while since I tutored a young kitsune, and I must refresh my memory." Yasaka smiled.
We paired up and went our separate ways, the dainty sliding steps of Serafall becoming almost hypnotic as we walked, "You seem to have mixed feelings about this." She commented, "From what everyone says about you, you usually pounce any chance to learn. What's different this time?"
I considered for a moment, looking down at her as she gripped my arm lightly, "When I arrived in the other world, I thought I was a Renard. An uncommon, but still well known race of fox demi-human." She nodded, "I was taken in by a Goddess, given her gift of Falna, and became an adventurer."
"Sona has told me all the stories." She smiled up at me, "I want to visit this place, it sounds like a lot of fun."
"It can be." I nodded, "But then I get here. And more and more evidence points towards me not being a Renard, but an actual Kitsune. A minor, but still very real divine being. A low level goddess, or at least I could be some day. I'm still a little foggy on the mechanics of all that." I shook my head, "It changed everything. It explained so much. But still, this power of mine is very much a black box to me."
"That's why you're going to learn about it right?" She seemed puzzled.
"Politics." I grumbled, "Think of it like this. A god or goddess comes down from Tenkai, and offers power for service. There are rules and checks in place, so they can't just... give it freely. They are simply a catalyst."
"Like the evil pieces and a newly reincarnated devil?"
"Yes." I nodded, "When I return, what will happen to the dynamic between my Goddess and I? Will I still be able to receive updates? Will I be too divine for it to work? Will I have to retire to avoid other Familia from finding out? Will I be able to start my own Familia, under the rules there?" I shook my head, "I don't like thinking 'what if', but this has never happened before."
"You're not going to keep the box closed are you?"
"No. Until I am back home, with my arms around my wife and children, I will gather every scrap of power, every tool, every trick. If I have to set it aside later? Fine. But until then... And with the last bunch of jokers we just fought, I know that I won't always be so lucky. Every fight, every encounter where someone gets away, more of my abilities become known. If I don't keep growing, then I will be outpaced." I shook my head, "For instance, Sun Wukong saw through one of my best tricks in about four seconds."
"Well." Serafall switched from just holding my arm like a friend, to hugging it like a date, "So long as you don't stop being the Sensei everyone knows and loves, you'll do fine." She let my arm go, "I may joke about it, but I have a similar burden too."
"Being a ridiculously powerful devil who could turn Japan into a small crater if she wanted to?"
"Well, I like Japan too much for that. But more or less yes." She sighed, "Sona sees me as not being serious enough, but if I were too serious, I might lose sight of the bigger picture."
"And your opponents might stop underestimating you." I smiled when she looked up at me again, "What? You and Azazel are quite similar there. He pretends to be a smug, lazy, debauched man who looks like he'd rather nap than actually work. But when business needs to be done, he gets it done." I gave her a raised eyebrow, "You pretend you are nothing but a bubbly idol, who is more interested in having fun and teasing your sister then actually working. But you're very professional when you need to be."
She laughed, swatting my arm playfully, "Hey, I don't pretend that I'm more interested in having fun and teasing my sister. I'm very serious about that."
"I stand corrected." We were within sight of the hotel now, "If you stop by the shrine, I'll be sure to have cookies for you."
"Yay!" She laughed, "I'll need it after all the paperwork... You sure I can't just accidentally lose it in a volcano someplace?"
"If you do, I'll tell Sona." I said seriously.
"Finnnnnnne..."
Luggage secured, I returned to the Hidden Capital. I was honestly wondering how some of the more well known Kitsune abilities would work with my curse of not doing harm with weapons. Fire being was the most notable. Of course, it would be incredibly useful if I could suddenly do something like Bell. He got an insane amount of work done with that single word spell. Far more than he had any right to, considering his magic stat might have totalled about a thousand spread across four levels. I on the other hand, averaged just under a thousand, EVERY level. I knew now that me 'cheating' the system wasn't the only factor to my insane growth, but ever since I had that first chat with Haruhime...
Having a 'spell' that didn't need words, I simply left my magic 'on' all the time. Like leaving the burner on low. Unless I was sleeping, I was using my magic. And under the system of Exilia, the more you do something, the faster you grow. But I knew now, that wasn't the only thing... I wasn't a Renard, but a Kitsune, and using my magic all day was helping that side of me grow. As I gained in levels, I could turn that low burn of magic use up, prompting more growth...
What could I do with a simple fire spell, and four times the power Bell had? I mean... If it worked. If it didn't, well, I'd always have a night light?
Some of the other ones interested me as well. Illusion, shape changing, elemental manipulation... Bah, one thing at a time... I would do my best to learn from Yasaka, no matter what she taught me.
"First." Yasaka started, "We will find out your affinities."
"My Miko, Akeno, said void and air." I commented.
We were sitting across from each in the main hall of the shrine. The massive dinner table had been moved someplace, and was replaced by a much smaller one. Much more intimate, it was one you might play cards on, or a small board game. On the table were five small but very different rocks. One was a lump of obsidian, black and lustrous but also very sharp. Next was a shard of quartz, perfectly clear and polished. Next was a lump of... rock. But it looked to have all kinds of different things in it, like bits of metal, some crystal, sand... Next was a smooth disk of lapis lazuli the blue and white surface looking like a still capture of running water. Last was a geode, filled with small fire coloured crystals. I could tell these weren't just normal bits of nature, each of them had a very faint... It wasn't magic, but close. Almost like a spiritual gravity to them.
"Curious." She said, holding her hands over each of the stones in turn, that weird sense of 'not quite magic' getting stronger, then weaker when she moved her hand over the next one, "From the stories about you, I'd have guessed earth and fire." She looked across at me, then motioned, "Put your right hand over each of them in turn."
So I did. Starting with the one closest, the compressed block of random earthy bits. Nothing. "Am I supposed to... I dunno... exert a little magic at them or something?" The reaction wasn't actually 'nothing' but the spiritual(?) presence in the rock vanishing.
"No not at all." She tapped her chin, "Take off your gloves?"
"Oh right..." I stripped off my silk gloves, the feeling of always wearing something on my hands making me forget I had them on, "Okay..." I tried again.
The 'suppression' effect wasn't quite as strong this time. "Interesting. Continue clockwise."
I moved my hand over the smooth blue stone, and felt... Something. A tingling, almost like someone had moved an ice cube near my palm, not quite touching it. At her nod, I moved to the next, the red geode.
And it broke.
It was like some deep down stress in the stone finally gave way, and the geode cracked in two with such force that a fragment flew across the room and pinged against the wall. We both looked at the little fragment then back at each other. I was shocked, I mean... who knew how old that rock was, or how important... And I'd just broken it by putting my hand near it.
"My my..." Yasaka said after a moment, looking at but not touching, the bits on the table, "It seems you are in total rejection of fire. I've never seen that before."
"Um..."
"Don't worry, making another one isn't too difficult. I'll just send someone to order one online... Modern day methods can be quite convenient, if you don't want to spend days looking for something."
A nine tailed Kitsune who ordered off Amazon?
"I'll just keep going then?"
"Please." She smiled.
Next was air, the perfectly clear shard of quartz. Like the river stone, I felt another tingling, except it was like I'd put my hand out of a car window at low speed and the currents of air were playing over my hand. Then, after a nod from Yasaka, I moved my hand over the lump of obsidian.
And it suddenly looked like a patch of night sky, dotted with little glowing points that seemed to swim slowly under the glossy black surface. It reminded me suddenly of the dress Freya wore to my wedding.
"Your Miko deserves praise. She was almost perfect in her assessment of you." Yasaka smiled, "Though, I suspect she didn't feel the other two, since your affinity with void and air are so strong. The reaction to the fire stone was a little shocking though."
"I'm basically immune to magical fire." I replied, "And molten iron is only a little uncomfortable. I even got covered in flaming dragon bile once with my hair as the only casualty." I considered a moment, comparing my adventurer status to this new test Yasaka had done with me, "It would explain a lot actually..."
"My two cooks did say you were instructing them to adjust their flames by touch... Interesting." She nodded, "Well, this gives us a little direction on what paths you might take. You may however be the first one I've ever taught who might not be able to use fire."
I felt... almost disappointed at that, "Should I give you a demonstration of what I can do first? I am not sure how much of it is my adventurer status, or my kitsune magic but..."
"That would be lovely." She agreed, "I would also like to hear more about your home, if you don't mind sharing?"
"Only if Kunou is here as well. She is more than deserving of a good story time." I smiled.
After calling Kunou (who was playing hide and seek with Delly and Shinkage, and winning!) the four of them watched me demonstrate the list of things I knew how to do with my magic. While I pretended I was angry, summoned foxes or lifted Shinkage with one hand, I told Yasaka and Kunou an abbreviated version of my history as Kodori. I wasn't able to tell them 'why' I ended up in Orario, but I did tell them I was once living here on earth. I felt I had to tell them everything, or as close to everything, that anyone else but me knew. I'd run out of magical tricks long before I ran out of story, but that only encouraged me to try a few new things, like trying to make shadowy clones of my Familia, or letting Kunou juggle the little glowing fox eared balls I could summon.
It was well after lunch by then, the 'faceless' staff having brought food some time in the middle of story time. And finally, story done, I dispelled the fox eared collection of ghostly Familia members behind me.
"You have done a very good job on your own, I must say." Yasaka smiled, making me feel warm and fuzzy inside, "Without any formal instruction at all, you've managed to develop your own versions of many of the traditional techniques. Even skipped the basics in some cases."
"But?" I asked.
"Kitsune are foxes." She stated the obvious, but continued, "Smaller than wolves, more independent than dogs, we rely on cunning and wit, instead of strength. Our smaller cousins, the natural foxes of the world, have adapted to all climates and yet remained foxes. While wolves have branched off, becoming domesticated dogs, coyote, dingo..."
I thought about that, and nodded. Dogs had all kinds of shapes and sizes, but foxes only really changed size and fur, not shape. I mean, except those adorable little fennec foxes.
"I think... I think your difficulty is something deeper. Even Maki-chan was able to take hold of her fire in less than a day." Yasaka put a hand on Kunou's back making the younger girl smile proudly, "And even hide her true nature from others. But you... You have been unable to as of yet."
"At first I didn't need to." Sure, back in Orario I was 'exotic' but about a third of Orario's population had a tail of some sort, "And then I got a little help."
Delly stood proudly on my shoulder, "I'm not just good looking, but useful too!"
"You are still snack sized."
"Describe again how you view your magic?"
"A caged flame. Contained chaos." I said shortly, "I draw from its warmth constantly, pull from it when I need it, and let it out when I absolutely must."
"Then your first lesson will be this..." Yasaka said after a moment of thought, "I understand, from some of your tale that you've overcome great trials by letting out power out all at once, but this is limiting you. You are not two different things, you are one and the same. And until you see it, feel it, accept it and let it free, you will never be as strong as you could be."
I took a deep breath, the simple act of it making my inner flame burn a little hotter on instinct. For a long moment, I couldn't reply. She... She was right. Absolutely right. I did treat it as 'something else'. Always had. As a human, magic was just so... different. That nebulous thing outside of my logical mind. I used to joke about it, but with everything I did, I always tried to fit 'magic' into its own box. At first, I saw it as nothing but a product of my anger. The very first 'manifestation' of my magic happening when I killed my very first goblin. My first 'spell' was created and used under great stress, protecting my Goddess from a monster... My greatest bursts of power were almost always brought on by moments of great stress or anger.
I kept that part of me tightly controlled because it could be very dangerous. I still couldn't remember all of what happened to me when I let my inner flame take control, letting me kill Phryne and bridge a two level gap in power. When it happened, I was already strong enough to shatter stone and bend steel like plastic. Now that I was now level five though...
"Do not fear yourself." Yasaka's voice was soft, but there was such authority in it that I was instantly brought out of my thoughts.
"I'm... I know you're right. But I'm not..." I frowned, no this was not who I was now, "I would like to invite my Miko here."
"Oh? You are at one of the most sacred places in Kyoto, why would you need a Miko from Kuoh?" Yasaka asked, not insulted, just puzzled, "I don't mind of course."
"Oh! That's Akeno-san?" Kunou asked, "Remind her to bring her charm with her."
"Ah, she's a devil then?" Yasaka asked.
"Yes, she missed meeting you last year due to poor planning." I nodded, "And while I trust the skills of your devoted, she has something extra special, just in case."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Her wife's authority." Shinkage rumbled.
I gave Shinkage a dirty look, but shrugged, "Well, he's not wrong. Just a moment..." I got out my phone.
Fox2: Do you still have your 'passport' for Kyoto?
Mikochu: It was lost in the fire. (Sad emoji)
Fox2: Can you borrow one? They should all be back by now right?
Mikochu: I can. Why?
Fox2: That's a silly question.
A pause, then...
Mikochu: I borrowed Asia's. But even if I fly...
I smiled at my phone, "Delly? Summoning circle, Rias's crest."
"Aye boss!" Delly hopped off my shoulder, flew in a little circle on a clear spot of floor, and an illusion of the circle from the Gremory 'advertising' flyer appeared on the ground. With a little of my aura from my tails, I added my magic to the illusion, then put my hand on it, my thumb and forefinger touching the outer edge, "Akeno Himejima, come forth, your presence is requested."
It might have been because we were in Kyoto, or maybe because the ley lines were still a little damaged, or even because she wasn't in the ORC where they usually 'jumped' from for contracts, but at first, nothing happened.
"Akeno Himejima, by this contract, I call you to me. Your presence is requested!" I added a little more power.
I felt a weird stretching, like I was reaching towards something on the top self or something, then the circle glowed brighter, and I felt it connect to something. Then the illusion seemed to take on depth, and Akeno sparkled into existence in front of me. Dressed in her miko robes, she looked at me a little exasperated, "You hardly gave me enough time to change." She pouted, "I wanted to look my best when I met..." She looked past me, at Kunou, Yasaka and Shinkage, sitting around the little table.
"Welcome to my home, Akeno-san." Yasaka smiled as Akeno practically fell to her knees to bow towards the nine tailed kitsune, "No need to be so formal. Your friends and peerage have done a great service to me and mine. Please, join us." She clapped her hands once, quietly, and a trio of masked kitsune appeared, cleaned off the table, set down tea, then vanished again.
Still pouting at me, Akeno took my offered hand and followed me back to the table, sitting next to me. Kunou abandoned her mother's side and ruined Akeno's pout with a giant hug. Unable to resist, Akeno returned the hug and her usual smile, "It is good to see you again, Kunou-chan."
Kunou soaked up Akeno's headpat as well, "You too, Akeno-san." She smiled, letting go and returning to sit next to Yasaka.
"So now that she's here?" Yasaka asked, sipping her tea, "I'm curious what you have planned."
"Plan?" Akeno asked, "So you don't just want me to join you on your vacation?"
"I can't keep you too long, you've got school tomorrow." I said, "But... Yasaka-sama has told me I have no other choice in the matter. However, before I even attempt it, I want you here, just in case."
"Attempt what?" She seemed confused, "Nothing dangerous I hope? You're supposed to be taking a vacation."
We had moved away from the shrine (and all its breakable things), down the hill opposite the one street town (and all its breakable things) to the forest that surrounded the Hidden Capital (that wasn't as breakable as the other two). The forest was not only pretty, but served as a sort of augment to the special barrier space that made the youkai city 'hidden' in the first place. If you walked in a straight line away from the shrine, you'd end up back in Kyoto, but if you retraced your steps, you'd sort of... slip between the space where the Hidden Capital was, and be none the wiser for having done so. Even Delly was in awe of just how clever it was.
"So now that we are here?" Yasaka asked, surprisingly mobile in that fancy kimono of hers, having made the trip down the hill without a single hair out of place.
"I have a record of going crazy when I get too... immersed in my magic. So, I wanted to be away from all the breakable stuff," I made an 'over there' motion towards the shrine and town, "And have my safe guards in place. I mean, as best I could without my wife, Goddess or best friends near by."
"If you were worried about containment, I'm sure we could have accommodated you." Yasaka replied with a smile, taking a few paper tags out from a sleeve of her kimono.
"I wouldn't trust those." Shinkage said, "She enchants her equipment so she doesn't have to put effort into resisting magic. Even with magical resistance built into my very body, she's better at it than I am."
"That's right, Yasaka-sama." Akeno nodded, "She is quite capable of resisting all of Rias-san's and Sona-san's entire roster of magic users."
That seemed to worry Yasaka, but she didn't put the sealing charms away, "My my... We will hope it doesn't come to that then." She looked to Kunou, "Have you been practising?"
"I'm not worried mama." She replied, "Kodori-san is very kind."
"Well, with confidence like that, I'll just have to try my best." I said while removing my gloves and hat and handing them to Akeno. "Hmm." I then handed her my wedding ring, "Any suggestions before I try this, Yasaka-sama?"
"Relax. Remember, it isn't separate from you, it is you." She smiled, "No matter how much you might think otherwise."
So, with all of them standing around me, at the edges of the small clearing, in the most magical forest in Japan, I sat down closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
"So, I would like you to close your eyes, and imagine a room. The walls, grey as a stormy sky. Dark, yet lit from behind by the sun." Takemikazuchi's words floated through my memory as I started to focus. When Haruhime and I traded tails, and our magic changed and became more diverse, we had to re-learn how to work with it again.
"Now. Picture how you imagine your magic to be. And simply observe it. Do not fight it, do not try and make it how it was. Simply look."
The storm grey room was suddenly occupied, and I found myself looking into a large bird cage. On the other side of those heavy iron bars and thick latch was the familiar form of my magic. It had changed slightly since I really looked at it, having grown in size, darkened in colour and gained two more tails. Some of the highlights had changed as well. The 'fur' had always been a sort of purple black fire. After Haruhime gifted me her tail, that fire took on a golden edge. Now, after my short time here, back on Earth, it now had a slight silver sheen to it, only noticeable now that I had added light to my 'inner room'.
"Here is where my experience ends." Takemikazuchi said.
Akeno seemed a little nervous. It wasn't that she was afraid for her safety. Of everyone here, she was likely the one in the least amount of danger, should Kodori lose herself. If she had any fear at all, it would have been for Kodori herself. She'd seen her at her most vulnerable, full of the same crushing self doubt she had felt soon after she had been outcast and hunted by her own family. So, instead of worrying for herself, she did the only thing she could think of to give Kodori some sort of aid, in what would normally be a solo act of self discovery.
Holding the ring between her palms, the simple jade setting and braided black/gold iron wire pressed against her skin, she knelt, closed her eyes, and said a three words.
"Hestia, help her."
It was watching me. As I paced around the cage, the door rotating so that it always in reach, I considered how I should go about this. The angular face and golden eyes looked... passive. I suppose it made sense, if this was also me, and I was calm, then it too should be calm. Of almost all the places in the world I could be, I was in the safest one. My familiar was here, Shinkage too. Yasaka, the nine-tails of Kyoto and daughter were there, both capable of at least containing me for a short while, or even permanently in the Hidden Capital should things go wrong. And Akeno, my (temporarily) wife approved pillar of emotional support.
All the checks and safe guards I could hope to have here were in place. So why was I hesitating? There was nothing here that could hurt me, and for all my power, I would be no danger to those near me.
I put my hand on the bars, the giant smoking/bleeding/burning fox within perking up slightly, its triangle ears turning in my direction, its pupils dilating.
I opened the cage, standing in the way of the door, suddenly remembering each and every time I'd let it out. The rage, the anger, the sheer blood lust, a hunter's instinct backed by the most primal urges of fight, flight or protecting my family.
I stepped back, the giant fox bristling slightly, but then letting out a long huff to mirror my own exhalation.
Akeno knelt still, while Kodori's face went through many subtle changes. Thoughtful, passive, concerned, fearful, angry, hesitant...
Between palms damp with sweat, she continued to think of Hestia. The memory of Haruhime was by far the strongest power within the ring. Even now, Akeno's mind was filled with thoughts of the golden haired young woman, who loved Kodori enough to trust her in all things. Even an affair, so long as it saw them together again.
But that wasn't what she wanted to feel. Under the memory, around it, through it, was Hestia. Kodori had said that Hestia Herself had bled on both of the wedding rings, the empower and fortify them, so that the enchantment would never weaken, and the rings would never break. Akeno wasn't connected to Hestia in any way aside from the occasional call home Kodori made. But this, this bond of blood on the ring. This was a connection she, a Miko, Kodori's Miko, could use.
"Hestia, help her." She repeated.
I stood there, feeling myself frozen. I knew that this would change me, too. I was a Kitsune, a divine being different than what you might find in Orario. Close enough to being 'mortal' that I could still have children. Yet, close enough to 'divine' I might live until the end of the world. What would happen to me if I took this last step? If I took down this last spiritual separation between me and what I knew now to be the divine nature of my self. If I stopped 'borrowing' from it, when I used my magic, and became one with it?
Would I gain power? Would I lose my self? Would I be too different to live with my wife and family? Would I lose my-
"You will always be mine. Even if you die, I will find you again, and ask you..." A tiny hand on my back interrupted my thoughts, and gave me a push, making me stumble into the cage, "Will you join my Familia?"
The door of the cage slammed shut behind me, and I turned just in time to see a silvery sparkle fade from the space where I'd been standing. Turning back, I found myself looking down the smoking/melting/flaming nose of the giant fox, as it lay on the ground so it could be at eye level with me.
I put a hand on its nose, the feeling kind of fizzy, like a rolling tingle of static. I turned back towards the now empty space on the other side of the bars, reached out, took hold of the cold iron of the cage. I took a deep breath, looking back at my other self, "Let's go."
The bars shattered, the sky cleared, and we were free.
Akeno felt something on her back, a small, warm and comforting hand. She opened her eyes with a smile, her plea answered.
Then Kodori exploded.
Fabric, boots, the various things Kodori kept up the sleeves of her nice combat dress, they flew away from her in a violent burst, pinging off people and trees or fluttering down to the ground. One of the vials broke with a clink, and suddenly there was a burst of thick black smoke that filled the clearing within seconds.
"What happened?!" Kunou screamed with alarm.
"Smoke vial." Shinkage answered, "Delly."
Delly coughed, "Just a second..." A dim green glow appeared in the smoke, "Garula!"
A sudden heavy wind slammed into the ground under Delly's glowing form, then burst outwards, forcing the heavy smoke to dissipate. There, in the middle of the clearing, was a giant black fox. Sleek fur that seemed to have a thin black and gold fire licking off of it, a powerful build that looked a little out of place on a fox, deep set golden eyes, a long muzzle that had two thin lines of silver running from the top of the nose to just under the eyes...
And behind it, fanning out in perfect symmetry, were six pure black tails, and two pure blond tails.
With a quiet rumbling growl, it looked around at those standing around it, and focused on Akeno. It took a single step towards her, lowering its great head, close enough that its breath was making the shrine maiden's clothes flutter.
"Ko-san." She said, reaching up and putting a hand on the wrinkly nose, the fluffy ears focusing on her, the great golden eyes narrowing, its entire body relaxing, the collection of tails twitching, "Well done."
The huge fox, three metres tall, six metres long before the tails, made a quiet whining noise, lowing itself down to the ground. It was a little clumsy though, the big nose pushing Akeno over and on to her back, the fox's chin covering most of her body as Akeno laughed. Reaching up, she started to rub her hand through the fur.
"My my... That went well." Yasaka said, "Are you okay, Akeno-san?"
"Ohhh she's really big." Kunou said, "Mama look! Didn't you say that would never happen? A taken tail will never split?" She pointed to the collection of tails, as they curled around to the side, making Shinkage and Delly vanish under them.
"Even I can be wrong." Yasaka said, putting a hand on Kunou's back, "I think it's perfect."
"All well and good. But something seems a little wrong here." Shinkage's voice said from someplace within the fluffy tails.
"Give her a little time." Yasaka said, smiling as Delly wiggled out of the sea of floofy tails and landed on her upraised hand, "Unlike us who grew with it, she has much to learn."
"The boss is great at learning new things." Delly assured, "Though, we still might need to keep her outside until she figures out how to change back."
"I can feel her tails clinging to me... Akeno? I hope you don't find any really good spots to scratch, or I might get put into orbit again."
"Ko-san is just tired... Ha-san and Hestia-sama will be so proud of you, Ko-san."
I felt bigger. Bigger, warmer. My magic and I were no longer split by that hair thin barrier, but together. It took me a moment, but I realized what had happened to me as soon as I looked down at the source of wonderful scent that Akeno seemed to always have. I mean... I always looked down at Akeno, she was shorter than I was. But now...
She put her hand on my nose, the faint smell of nervous sweat tickling my nostril, and said, "Ko-san. Well done."
I am Kodori. And I am many things. But I am still me.
And it felt really good, deep down where I could still feel the hand of my Goddess holding what ever it was that I knew was my soul, that someone else knew it too.
NOTES!
Now we have to house train our poor protagonist again. :) See you soon.
