Chapter 4: Prayers and Blessings

Sato slid the wooden door gently aside, and stepped into the small prayer room at the back of the shrine. Though he tried not to disturb his visitors when they were speaking to the Kami, or making offerings, the mirror on the far wall gave away his presence instantly. The room's single human occupant had his eyes focused upon the priest in the mirror before the door was fully open.

"Lucius", he stated as he entered. The seated man nodded respectfully, in silence. "I hate to inform you, but it looks like the rain today will be severe. You are not dressed for it. Are you sure you will be alright? You are most welcome to borrow a coat in the lobby", Sato intoned, standing in the doorway, his eyes scanning over the casual and not especially waterproof wear of his visitor.

It was even half true. Though Lucius was never one of his favorite visitors on a personal level, the man was extremely reliable, and did donate substantial funds to see to the maintenance of the shrine. Were the shrine a business, he would be one of their best customers, even if he was sometimes difficult to talk to, and not charming in the least. Still, Lucius was old. A man of his age should not be wandering the city so early, especially during thunderstorms, without so much as a coat.

Lucius regarded Sato with that same, focused expression for a few more moments, then shook his head. "I will be fine. I actually feel better than I have in years.", he stated, as if his strength and independence were the most obvious thing in the world. The priest nodded. "As you wish. If you change your mind, you are most welcome to borrow a coat, or an umbrella, from the stand beside the door. I would not want any of my visitors to be battered by the weather."

Sato took his leave. He hoped that his visitors appreciated efforts, but it was equally possible that they regarded him as a nagging mother, always offering unsought, unnecessary, and unwanted aid. He had in the past considered asking them if they appreciated his offers, seeing as they never accepted, but also quickly realized that mere politeness would demand they answer yes, regardless of the truth of the matter.

While he waited, he busied himself with chores. There was mail from his mentor, Ikuruki. He missed that man's dedication to his work. His energy. And, above all right now, his guidance. The letter mentioned something about a convention for all Shinto priests in the Tokyo area, being held soon. It was odd for a convention to be called on short notice, but with the weather being what it was, perhaps it was for the best. Nobody wanted it scheduled on another of the days that turned out to be pouring rain.

Lucius did not end up staying long. Mere minutes later, Sato heard the panel slide aside again, and Lucius step outside, embarked on his walk home. He took a breath. He had not been looking forward to this. He'd considered exploring the idea before, but should he, when it might be folly at best? He stepped back into the small prayer room that Lucius had been using, and made straight for the chest of drawers in the corner.

His suspicions were quickly proven correct. There, laying on the floor between the chest and the wall, was Kyu. Sato stared at him for a moment. "Come on! Get out of there" he urged, and after what looked like a skeptically slow getting-up process, Kyu finally emerged. He could have put that down to the fox being a fox. Liking cosy, warm places to hide in. He hoped that was it.

He had noticed, however, that the fox had taken to hiding in his shrine's main prayer room, especially when his visitors were using it. Not for the first time, the chain of doubt unfolded in his mind. He was a Shinto priest. This shrine was to the Kami – the traditional spirits of the faith. One of principal Kami was Inari. Inari, spirit of fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture, industry... and foxes. In the past, foxes had been thought to be messengers of Inari. The two stone fox statues in his garden, on the path leading up to the shrine, attested to that.

Inari had a strong association with foxes. Especially white foxes, and magical foxes, known in the west as kitsune, with many tails. An old painting, donated to the shrine many years prior, depicted two white foxes under a moon, one holding a jewel in its mouth, the other, a key. Such imagery had been associated with Inari for centuries, alongside claims that foxes were her divine messengers.

It was a co-incidence. It had to be. Once, a great many foxes had been welcomed at shrines of Inari across the country. Lords of feudal Japan had written letters to the goddess, stating that unless she stopped her foxes from eating their chickens and digging up their crops, the lord would be forced to have her messengers executed. This was in all seriousness. They truly expected Inari to calm the foxes in their lands, such that they no longer hunted the farmer's chickens, or dug holes for their dens. While miracles did happen, the odds of any particular event being a miracle were very low. Most things, even with his faith, he found to have perfectly mundane explanations.

So it was, he assured himself, with the fox in front of him. Kyu had emerged from behind the chest, found a soft pillow on the floor, one that had been intended for visitors to sit and pray on, and claimed it as his new bed. Sato sighed again. Yes, he reminded himself, it was true that in general, Inari was associated with foxes. But that was nowhere near enough to think that Kyu was such a fox. He was not white, he had only one tail, he did not speak or give messages, he held no key or jewel...

Sato almost hit himself in the forehead. "Oh dear." he muttered quietly to himself. Kyu stirred, shifting quietly on the pillow. The fox had been quite docile thus far, but he was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. He reached over, and gently nudged the fox onto his back, as he normally did when playing with it. He needed another look at that collar. He was no jewel smith, but it did have red glass in it, cut to look like a gem. When he'd first seen it, it had looked tacky. Now, he wasn't so sure. Applying one hand to rub around Kyu's ears, and encourage him to tilt his head back, the other went to his collar, putting his fingers around the red glass, and tilting it towards the light, so he could get a better view.

It still looked like glass. Not particularly high-quality glass, either. Yes, it reflected some light, but it did not have the huge number of individually cut faces that gems did. Nor did it shine, sparkle, or constantly catch the eye with its reflections. Further, it was set in such a way so it mostly faced down. It wasn't really visible unless the fox was on his back, and he normally wasn't – unless he was playing.

There was also the matter of the note. It did neatly explain why the fox was wandering Tokyo. It gave him reason to let the fox stay. It did both of these things in a way which gave him no reason to call anyone and inform them of the fox's presence. And, he reasoned, it was indeed very possible that a rich local, perhaps a visitor to his shrine, had indeed adopted this exotic creature as a pet. He'd met people with stranger pets, and the fox was native to Japan.

Still, something about this explanation seemed... off. The note had effectively told him to give the fox freedom, but not food, water, or a visit to the vet. Who writes such a note? If he did belong to a local, would they not want him returned quickly? Foxes were perfectly capable of hunting their own food, and it is true that most vets likely did know little about foxes, as they were not common pets. "You are a mystery, aren't you, little guy?" he asked quietly. Kyu ignored his voice, still focusing on nosing the hand near his ears.

He sighed. He could speculate on this all day. There was only one way to be sure. He had to test Kyu, to verify that he was a real fox, and not some messenger of Inari. It was perhaps silly, but there was no point in speculating, doubting, hoping... when he could know for reasonably certain in a few minutes. Devise a test, he recalled from his education. Devise a test that comes out differently, depending on the facts of the matter. Make a prediction, then run the test. Well, his prediction was that Kyu was not a messenger. But, just to be safe...

"Kyu... are you a messenger? From Inari?", he asked quietly.

The words echoed around the room. Had another priest been there at that moment, they might have raised an eyebrow. Kyu, however, did not respond. He acted like he had not even heard. He was seemingly too busy trying to nibble on some of Sato's fingers. It really was a mistake, putting those gardening gloves away so quickly.

He repeated the question, a bit louder this time.

Still, nothing.

Then, Sato realized he was doing this wrong. If Kyu really was a messenger, then he could have just proven it the first day they met. Had he wanted Sato to know. Obviously, if he were a messenger, a possibility that was seeming more remote by the minute, he did not want Sato to know.

What sort of test could he run, something that would work even if Kyu was unwilling to admit the truth? He stared again at the glass in the fox's collar. Some stories told of kitsune, the magic foxes that served Inari, having gems called "hoshi no tama", or "star balls" that store part of their power. It was said in legends that if you took one from a kitsune, they would grant you a favor. It was said that kitsune would protect these if threatened.

He gingerly tugged at the red glass, to see if it would come out of its socket. It did not. Kyu was staring up at him now, those big yellow eyes seeming to search his features. After a few seconds, he stopped. "Well, you did not eat me", he quipped. "Guess you're not such a scary fox after all, hunh?". Kyu simply kept staring at him. His tail swished slowly, but other than that, he was motionless. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth wide, and closed his eyes. The fox was yawning.

Sato was losing patience. There had to be some way to test this, and know for certain. He'd tried the two obvious tests. But perhaps he was going about this the wrong way. Perhaps... if the fox really was connected to Inari, there was another solution. One that, if the fox really was of Inari, he might not recognize as a test.

Sato shifted over to one of the other pillows, and sat. Closing his eyes, he started to pray aloud.

"Great goddess Inari. I thank you for the blessings already part of my life. Let me be mindful every day of your presence and generous nature. I ask: bless me further with the chance to help those who come to pray in your name, and, if this fox be a messenger of yours, that you give me a sign to show it. Blessed be!"

He waited a full minute before opening his eyes again. Kyu had curled up a little on the pillow, but did not look out of place, and was again watching him lazily, eyes drooping closed. As he watched, they opened again, wide as saucers for a moment as shadow moved, before settling back to their normal, half-lidded state that Kyu used when drowsy.

That settled it for Sato. He'd tried asking Inari directly. He'd tried asking Kyu directly. He'd tried testing the one physical object that might provide clues – the stone in the collar that might be a hoshi-no-tama. Had the fox reacted, it would have been evidence, if not of the fox serving Inari, then at least that it was blessed or magical. None of his tests had helped. Thus far, he had looked for evidence, and found nothing.

He couldn't shoo Kyu away. Foxes were sacred to Inari. That a fox had chosen to spend thus much time here was already unusual. Especially the amount of time it spent in the prayer room, without even bothering guests.

Perhaps Kyu was just a normal fox... but could that itself be a blessing? After all, there is no need for an intelligent messenger when a normal animal would be a blessing by itself. Perhaps... perhaps the animal itself was the message? He stopped for a moment. That would explain everything. Sato had been trying hard, in ways great and small, to support his visitors. But, he was lonely. As the only priest tending to his small shrine, he spent much time alone. Getting the small creature was companionship he needed – and could be easily interpreted as a blessing as well.

As he watched the little fox close his eyes, and settle in for nap, he knew the truth. He was blessed, and he allowed himself a little pride at that.

It was a shame, then, that he'd later turn out to have been wrong about everything.