Chapter 15.

          When I'd packed up everything and stepped out, Jason and Kannon were making a small pile of everyone's bags and suitcases. The trucks were Asher's.

          "Blake-san," Kannon called, carrying a gym bag, "to spare seeking another hotel and putting it under threat, I insist you come and stay with my family."

          "Isn't that imposing?" I asked.

          "My mother will not mind. It means I am home with her. And it is safer for all involved." He nodded vigorously as if he hoped I'd copy him.

          "You're sure?"

          "Anita." Jason's cornflower blue eyes peered over a trunk as he carried it out of the bedroom. "He said he insisted. So go with it."

          I had to smile and sighed, nodding. "Okay, Kannon, thank you. Do you have a phone there?"

          "Hai!" He nodded and almost bounced back into the bedroom. Ahh, shape shifters. Why didn't I have that kind of energy?

          We left the packing to Jason as Kannon helped me explain there was damage to the rooms and figure out how much I owed to cover it. I didn't blame the guy for sounding shocked when the damage was described. And he was sure glad we were leaving. Kannon and Jason sniffed over the taxi that came to help transport the bags, and the Nissan for anything dangerous. I couldn't help but smile when I thought of the taxi driver's reaction to getting a sniff down.

          I looked briefly around for any sign of Aya before I climbed into the Nissan with Kannon. There was none. Either he was going to end up surprising me later, or I'd have to save him. Either way, I was sure we'd run across him again.

          The trip took us out of the city and into mountainous country. We ended up on a dirt road winding through the trees. A mist sat low in the trees even in midday, darkening the area and making it all the more mysterious. It was quite beautiful, actually. Then again, considering the day I had just had, a stroll through the restroom of a high security prison would be quaint in comparison.

          "There." Kannon pointed out the windshield. "See the temple?"

          I strained my eyes to catch the roof edges through the misted out trees. As we pulled closer, I saw the walls and rooftops of the temple. Then we turned a bend and crossed a bridge that was simply planks laid a cross a small stream. I didn't think the planks would hold the weight of the cars, but we scooted across safely. In front of us was the open yard of the temple.

          It was maybe one and a half stories tall, with wooden planking between faded, red and green painted runners on each bend of the roof that curled back on themselves like squirrel tails. Large sliding doors in that lattice box style and backed with what I supposed was rice paper, was the first thing you noticed on the front of the temple. A raised patio seemed to run around the whole of it, a small set of steps leading up to patio level. In general, it seemed ancient and mystical, like stepping back into history.

          A couple of tiny chickens hurried back into the yard of the temple as we pulled up. I realized with a little smirk that if those chickens turned out to be werechickens, I would not be very surprised at all. Kannon pulled to a stop just as both cars reached the other side of the bridge.

          "Wait here," he told me before helping the taxi unload our luggage and Jason. I waited in the car. I just knew if I stepped out before he said, I'd step in and ruin some ancient, mystical dirt or something.

          Finally, after the taxi had departed, Kannon let me out of the car. I stepped out carefully, looking at the temple. No one seemed to be home. It was just us, the stream, and the call of mountain birds. This was the kind of place you visualized if you were trying to meditate. I guess Kannon was trying to tempt fate, or perhaps he was trying to see if there really was a higher being organizing things up there and things didn't happen just by pure accident, because after all that's happened he should have realized that Anita Blake plus peaceful, quiet vacation equals weresquirrels running amuck and food that slides off of your chopstick when you try to pick it up.

          "Leave the luggage here, my family will help us later," Kannon instructed, and stepped for the yard. Jason grabbed my hand and I let him hold onto it as we walked into the yard after the werefox. Later, if I behaved myself and was a good world-class vampire hunter, he might even let me cut my food all by myself!

          Kannon called to the temple and hurried to the bottom of the steps. One of the sliding doors opened, and I blinked rapidly, trying to take in what I was seeing. Something that seemed to glow white stood in the doorway of the temple. It had a human shape, and I could see it was wearing baggy clothing that looked traditional. Something white draped from the head of the figure and hung nearly to the floor.

          It stepped out into more direct light and I just stared. I was staring at a vampire. It had to be. The white draping stuff was hair that hung down to about knee level, tied off in several places down its length, but it foamed around the head, framing the face. The face was angular with a square jaw, which was one of the only clues it was male. He could have been the pale version of Jean Claude. His traditional clothes were in light grays and blues, swishing as he moved, stopping just short of the ground, where I could see his sandaled feet and white socks.

          Jason was sniffing as the stranger approached the edge of the patio. I guess it was wider than I had originally thought.

          "Dominant," Jason whispered.

          "Vampire?" I asked.

          "Werefox." He squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. The dominant stepped down the steps to Kannon's level and the two embraced, rubbing cheeks.

          I heard them converse, then Kannon turned out of the embrace to wave us forward.

          "Blake-san, Jason-san, this is my 'nii-san'. My older brother." Kannon introduced. "No ritual or formalities."

          Brother?! They looked nothing alike! I bit my tongue and tried to bow politely.

          Kannon introduced us to his brother in their language, and before I could defend myself, I was clasped to a werefox's chest and cheek rubbed. Slapping him and shrieking was really uncalled for, so I tolerated it. Jason was molested after I was released, and we seemed to have been accepted. Who said Japanese society was unfriendly towards strangers? A grope here, a squeeze there and you're practically family.

          The dominant turned and called to the temple. I nudged Kannon, whispering: "What do I call him?"

          "Seishi."

          "That's his first name?"

          "Yes. Our last name is Kagegami. My sisters are Satomi and Sanaya. My mother is Rumiko."

          "So what do I call your father?"

          Kannon lowered his eyes before answering. "He's dead."

          Shit. "I'm sorry."

          "It's not your fault." Kannon flashed me a smile. "You can call my mother 'Okaa-san'."

          "Okaa-san?"

          "It means 'mother'." He smiled wider. "She is mother to all here, so visitors call her 'mother' too."

          Oh. Okay. I didn't know if I was going to like this. I didn't even call my stepmother 'Mother'. My mother had died when I was eight years old in a car crash. And Judith was not a replacement. My mother had been small, Hispanic, and dark. Judith was a Nordic ice princess. When Judith entered the family, I had been the one that didn't seem to fit in. Everyone else was tall and blonde. I'd hated when people had asked Judith if I had been adopted. It hurt. I remember my father hugging my real mother and calling her the most beautiful woman in he world. If he thought that way, why didn't he marry another small, dark woman like her?

          I heard a yip that startled me out of my musing and a black fox the size of a cocker spaniel hopped down the steps, sniffing my leg. This was Kannon's version of Lassie, I'm guessing.

          "Yoshio!" Kannon laughed and grabbed the fox, scooping it up into his arms. He held it like a baby, legs up in the air, and it licked his face eagerly.

          "This is Yoshio." Kannon turned his head away to discourage the licking. "This is little brother."

          I looked at the fox in his arms and it blinked golden eyes at me. Then the jaws parted and showed me pink tongue as it panted like a dog.

          "Nice to meet you, Yoshio," I said uncertainly, shaking a paw. It leaned over and tried to lick my face. I stepped back quickly. A face treatment of drying fox slobber was not on the agenda today.

          Kannon dumped the fox out of his arms and it landed with a yelp, then started to gnaw on his leg.

          "Yoshio is ten years old," Kannon whispered to me. "He's still not good with his manners."

          "Ahh..." I started to nod and froze. Ten years old? I felt suddenly very uncomfortable.

          "It's not what you think." Kannon must have smelt my unease. "We kitsune are not like your werewolves. We do not become kitsune if we are scratched or bitten. You are born kitsune, or not at all."

          A breeding line of shape shifters. This was something never mentioned in my preternatural biology class. I suddenly had a Jacques Costeau moment.

          "I'll explain more later, come inside." Kannon waved us to follow him as he started up the steps, dragging a black fox that still had its teeth embedded in his pants leg.

          The main room we stepped into was spacious and lit by candles and lanterns. I saw that they had light fixtures with bulbs in them, but I guess they felt more comfortable going old fashioned.

          "Shoes off." Kannon motioned to our feet as he slipped his own off around a snarling werefox cub. We were working on obeying when Kannon suddenly yelled "Hanase!" and sent the werefox cub sliding across the smooth wood floor.

          I blinked at the treatment, but the cub seemed no worse for wear, despite whimpering like a beaten puppy, so I kicked my second sneaker off. A woman I hadn't noticed standing near the wall picked up the cub, dressed in a kimono in soft shades of topaz. Her hair was red as Kannon's, hanging free to her waist. Finally, a family member that resembled him. She smiled shyly at us, bowing her head and hugging the cub to her stomach.

          "This is Sanaya, younger sister," Kannon introduced us. Being closer, I could see that she was pregnant. I had to smile at her, sharing a 'woman's moment'. She blushed prettily, bowed, then slid open a door and disappeared through it.

          Kannon's brother had already sat down on a cushion in the room, and I saw there were more cushions, probably for us. We sat down at Kannon's urgings, and another woman appeared, dressed in muted greens and short black hair that barely reached to her shoulders. In her hands was a tray and what I guessed correctly was tea. She knelt on a cushion, then poured and handed us all tea. This, I guessed was Satomi, since she didn't look old enough to be Kannon's mother.

          "You call this no formalities?" I asked Kannon quietly.

          "Hai, no dominance rituals. This is just because you are our guests," Kannon explained, smiling. The orgies don't start until you're part of the family, I guess.

          "This is really awkward." I looked to Jason, who was holding his cup in one hand, and using a small fan from the tray in his other hand, trying to fan cool his tea. I had to look away before I sprayed my mouthful of tea on Kannon's brother from laughter.

          "Where's your mother?"

          "Sanaya has gone to fetch her." He nodded reassuringly to me.

          I blew on my tea as Jason tested his and fanned it some more. Satomi seemed amused by his antics.

          The rear door slid open and I looked up to see Sanaya stepping through, followed by an older woman. I stared. She had snowy white hair, dressed in a pale and lavender kimono, long skirts flowing around her feet and behind her. Her hair was so long it reached nearly to her feet, becoming lost among the folds of pale cloth. Kannon's family must buy shampoo in bulk.

          She had to get just a few feet away from me before I could see her face, because of the dimness and her pale coloring seemed to make her features blur. Her face was becoming lined with age, and yet, still lovely. What was it with Asian women?

          She walked towards me with great 'swooshes' of material, and I looked up at her, at her face softly framed in flowing white hair. Soft, warm palms touched either side of my face and her power seem to flutter across my skin like millions of butterfly kisses. Trickles of cool water seeming to flow across my skin, calming, reassuring. Not hot and set to explode like some of the other powerful shape shifters.

          I closed my eyes. My own power rose in answer to hers, and I still felt calm. Almost like when a cool wind dries the sweat on your body on a hot day. My power the sweat, and hers the wind. Then her hands moved away from my face, leaving me with what was almost like a minty aftertaste.

          I opened my eyes to see her kneel and sit down on a cushion beside Seishi. "I am Mother," Kannon translated.

          I nodded and smiled to her. "I am Anita Blake, and this is Jason, a pleasure to meet you."

          Kannon translated and she nodded to Jason, then turned her golden eyes back to me. "My son brings you as guests to the Forest Mist earth."

          I nodded and thought on how appropriate the name was. "Kannon has been very helpful."

          She smiled at her son gently and he scooted forward to speak to her. I sipped the tea as he explained the situation to her, probably.

          "She looks pretty good for a mom," Jason whispered to me. I closed my eyes as if in pain. Jason needed to get his libido under control.

          "Your people are prisoners of the Saru." Mother looked disturbed. "We must get your people back quickly. The Saru are barbarians. They will hurt your people."

          My pulse sped up. "Can you help me find the Saru?"

          "You are welcome to stay at the Forest Mist earth until you are safe," she said. "I will call upon my brethren to help you."

          I wasn't sure what else to do, and in a surge of emotions, I bowed and thanked her. Jason immediately copied me, following my lead like a well-trained lackey.

          "Until I can gather kitsune to accompany you, I ask that you eat and rest," she suggested. "My children will help you."

          I tried to compose myself and thanked her again. I don't know what was coming over me. I felt like I wanted to cry. I was probably tired.

          "May I use a phone?" I asked, glad to hear my voice was steady.

          "I'll show you where it is," Kannon promised.

          "Do you have any questions for me?" Mother asked.

          I blinked and tried to think of some. "What are the chances of getting my people back intact?"

          Mother considered. "The Saru do not conduct such large kidnappings on impulse. They are holding your people for someone. They have most likely not been harmed beyond repair."

          I felt a weight lift off my chest. "Who else besides Sanesuke could they be working for?"

          "It would have to be someone as powerful as the Vampire Master," Mother said, thinking. "And I cannot think of who it might be."

          Neither could I. We were in deep shit. No matter how many times that thought has crossed my mind before, it never loses its full effect.