THREE FOX TALES
Chapter 3: "Moonlight Over Mt. Takao"
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
As the light in the west began to die out, Moriko paused at a lower summit of Mt. Takao. The fox, disguised as a woman over ninety years old, was barely winded. She turned and looked down the trail at the raven-haired beauty that was her great-granddaughter. The woman, Rei Hino, was huffing and puffing up the trail under the weight of her backpack. Dressed in jeans, hiking boots and a shell windbreaker jacket over her beige blouse, Rei wiped the perspiration from her brow and glanced up ruefully at her dearest Obaa-san. Several minutes later, the priest gained the same summit.
"It's almost dusk, Rei-Chan," Moriko said with the merest hint of mischievous pleasure in her eyes that she couldn't conceal. "We should probably make camp here."
"You're sure?" panted Rei, clearly seeing the mischief in her Obaa-san's eyes. "We haven't reached the top yet."
"It's too cold and windy up there," Moriko smiled. "Why would I want to go up there? This will do for now."
"We're going higher?" Rei gasped.
"Unless my tail sprouts tonight," Moriko told her. "I doubt that will happen, but only Great Inari may regularly see the future."
Instantly Rei sagged to the ground in a heap. The backpack propped her up and kept her from falling onto her back.
"After you've rested," Moriko said maternally, "we can eat. Do you wish my help in setting up your tent?"
"Why don't you get a fire started," Rei said, still gasping for air. Then she stopped and thought. "Better yet, why don't you gather some wood." Her hand produced her henshin stick. "Mars Millennium Power Make Up!"
Moriko watched the transformation come over her descendent. She noticed that Rei's senshi form had a lot more vitality.
"I'll get a fire started," smirked Mars.
"Perhaps you should have begun the climb in that form," suggested Moriko. Mars gave her a sour look.
A half hour later, a tent had been pitched and a fire was burning between the two women. Mars had let her transformation fade, so she and Moriko were boiling water for the instant rice cups Rei had packed.
"So what does this ritual entail exactly?" Rei asked between bites from her chopsticks.
"I must meditate," Moriko replied, licking a stray kernel from her lips, "reflect on all that I have learned over my two-hundred and fifty odd years, and open my mind to new sights and sounds and smells around me. I must open my mind to new knowledge and new ways of looking at old things. And when Great Inari feels that I have learned enough, she will grant me a third tail." She saw Rei didn't quite understand. "In a way, it is like the sight you have, passed down through my blood to your mother and her mother and to you."
"You have the sight?" Rei asked.
"Not as you do," Moriko answered. "I cannot read thoughts or see the future, as you can. In a way, I am a vessel. If Great Inari chooses, she pours wisdom into me. It may come from the wind or the earth, from intuition or experience. One cannot predict what Great Inari will do. One can only be grateful for her gifts."
"Interesting," Rei mused. "I wonder if any 'wisdom' could come my way by doing that?"
"If you so desire, you may meditate with me," Moriko smiled charitably. "Wisdom comes in many forms and through many channels."
"Or in simpler terms," Rei smirked, "it won't hurt to try."
Moriko reached over and caressed Rei's cheek.
As he passed through the corridors of the Crystal Palace, other workers or residents of the palace would turn and look at him. King Endymion looked like he was a million miles away and walking on auto-pilot. What could preoccupy the normally courteous monarch to send him into such a state? Was there trouble in the offing? Was it domestic strife; some international crisis; or was there another invasion of some supernatural or extraterrestrial force intent on making their peaceful life miserable?
"How did that happen?" Endymion wondered to himself. "Mitsukiyama-San has always been the height of professionalism. For her to be so bold . . ."
Endymion remembered the warmth of her body against his. He remembered the electricity of her lips on his.
"And how could I respond like that?" he thought. "I love Serenity. She's always been everything to me. She's my completion, the strength when I'm low and the fragile flower that I protect. How could I betray her like that?"
He was practically at the door to the Royal Chambers before he noticed where he was going. Endymion paused across from the door.
"What do I do?" he wondered. "I can't come right out and tell her. It would crush her. It might - - no, she'd forgive me. She forgives everyone. That's her special kind of divinity." He leaned back against the wall. "But it would never be the same between us. She doesn't talk about it, but I know she was hurt when Metallia took me and made me her puppet. Every so often, I'll see it briefly in her eyes."
Endymion ran his hand through his black hair.
"And what if it got out to the country? How would they react? I'm sure they'd hate me for it - - that's a given. But how would it affect their confidence in her? And in the government? Oh why did you give in? STUPID!"
The monarch sighed.
"I can't tell her," Endymion concluded silently. "For her good, for the country's good - - and least of all for mine. It never happened. I was working late, reviewing the diplomatic report on the Kuril Islands. Mitsukiyama-San was helping me. Hopefully I can make her believe that. And tomorrow, if Mitsukiyama-San - - continues - - I'll just have to . . ."
Sensing a presence, Endymion looked to his left. Luna was standing in the corridor, staring at him.
"Are you all right, Your Majesty?" the black cat asked.
"Yes," sighed Endymion, trying to will himself calm. "Just the pressures of the day, I guess. Nothing a little family time won't cure."
"You have been working quite hard recently," Luna replied. "Perhaps you and Her Majesty might consider a weekend away - - if nothing comes up."
"That's not a bad thought, Luna," Endymion answered, pushing himself off of the wall. "If you're not too busy, could . . ."
"I shall arrange everything, Your Majesty," Luna assured him. "Do enjoy your evening."
He entered the Chambers and found Serenity trying to ride herd on five of their eighteen adoptees. Spotting him, twelve year old Yua bolted for him. Endymion caught her, picked her up and hugged her.
"Welcome home, Poppa!" Yua beamed, her little moon face framed by black hair and bangs.
"Thank you, Yua-Chan," sighed Endymion. The other children continued to caterwaul at Serenity.
"Now children!" the Queen said firmly. "That's quite enough! You all must go and do your homework! Now!" And, as usual, she weakened. "Please?"
"Listen to your mother," Endymion said in as authoritative a manner as he could muster while embracing Yua. Putting the child down, he shooed them off to their dormitory. Turning back to his wife, Endymion willed himself calm.
"You missed dinner again," Serenity pouted.
"I'm sorry. The Russians are still being stubborn about the Kuril Islands," he offered.
"I don't CARE about the Kuril Islands!" Serenity fumed. "It's getting to the point where I don't remember what you look like!"
"Demands of the job," he told her. She remained unconvinced. "Luna is already working on arranging a weekend getaway."
"Where?" Serenity smiled.
"I left it up to Luna," Endymion said. "I trust her taste."
"Can we bring the kids?"
"If they want to come. Yuri and Setsuko might have other plans for the weekend."
"You promise now?" Serenity asked, staring up at him.
"Unless World War III erupts, I'll be there," he said. "You have to understand that it's a conditional promise . . ."
"Right now I'll take it," Serenity said. She snuggled in against her favorite spot on his chest. "Oh, Endymion, I love you."
Endymion felt a surge of guilt through him as he folded his arms around her.
"I love you, too."
Curled up in her two-tailed fox form, Moriko was braced against a rock for support and security. You didn't sleep in the wild with your back exposed. It was cooler at the higher elevation, which meant it was perfect sleeping weather. If foxes dreamed, then she was having a very pleasant one. Rei had crawled into a sleeping bag inside the tent and the fire between them was by now warm embers.
A noise tickled Moriko's ear, an unexpected noise that instantly roused her. She looked around warily, a glance of self-preservation in case she was being stalked. Across from the dead fire, Rei stood tall, her mane of black hair blowing in the slight breeze. She looked like she belonged to the night and Moriko filed the impression away for another time. There were more important issues at the moment.
"Do you sense something?" Moriko the fox asked. Rei continued to stare.
"Yes," she said finally. "Something is out there. Something with evil intent."
"A bear?"
Rei didn't answer immediately. "No," she said finally.
"A human?"
"It's closer to a human," Rei replied. "But not quite."
On her feet now, Moriko bowed her head and closed her eyes, trying to sense what was out there.
"It's not very clear," Moriko said. "I sense something, but it isn't clear. Can you get a clearer picture . . .?"
"It's moving off," Rei stated. The tension seemed to drain out of her body. "Is it something that lives up here? Or does it have its own agenda and we just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
"To answer that, we would have to know who or what it is, I think," Moriko offered. She seemed concerned, but not frightened.
Suddenly Rei knelt down in front of the dead fire and stared intently into the embers. Moriko watched her keenly, knowing that her great granddaughter was trying to divine some impression from the remains of the fire. Several minutes ticked by silently. Finally Rei sat back and blew out her breath in frustration.
"The embers were too weak," she said. "They couldn't speak to me." She cast a suspicious look at the mountain terrain to their right. "I wonder if whatever it was will be back tonight?"
"Perhaps not," suggested Moriko. "Perhaps now that the human knows we are aware of him, he will move on."
"Or wait until we drop our guard," Rei added.
"If you fear for our safety, we can return to the palace," offered the fox.
Rei let out a heavy sigh. "This is important to you. And the threat may be past. Let's stay. After all, I sensed it once. I should be able to again."
"As you say," nodded Moriko. She curled up against the rock again. "Great Inari willing, the rest of our night will be peaceful."
"Inari willing," muttered Rei as she slithered back into the sleeping bag.
Artemis wandered into the quarters he shared with Minako. Glancing around, he found her reclined on the sofa, staring intently at a script. The cat could tell she was rehearsing the lines because her lips were moving. A can of diet soda sat on the pile carpet, tipped menacingly to one side.
"You're going to spill that soda," Artemis warned as he padded past her on the way to the kitchen.
"No, I'm not," Minako replied absently. She reached for the soda and promptly knocked it over, spilling the beverage onto the carpet.
"Told you!" Artemis called from the kitchen.
"Only because you jinxed me!" Minako barked back. She went back to reading the script.
"Clean it up or it'll stain!" Artemis called from the kitchen.
"Who are you, Mom?" Minako snapped. "Maybe I want a multi-patterned carpet!"
"And maybe you're just lazy," Artemis said. He was pushing a roll of paper towels across the floor with his nose.
"You know, I happen to be busy with my JOB!" Minako huffed. Swinging her legs onto the floor, the woman grabbed the towels and began blotting at the spill. "You should be the one cleaning this up. Gods don't clean up after themselves."
"Oh, you're a god now?"
"I'm trying to stay in character! Honestly, Fur Ball, how long have you been with me? You know my acting style!"
"It's an anime. They give you a script and you say the lines."
"The bitter words of the uneducated philistine," snorted Minako. "Clearly you've never acted with your voice."
"I fooled Luna into thinking I was central command," Artemis countered. "And you don't even know what a philistine is."
"He's some American named 'Phil' who doesn't understand art," Minako replied haughtily. "You just don't say the lines when you're voice acting, because your voice is the only thing you have to act with. People can't see you. All they can do is hear you. So I have to use my voice to communicate what I'd usually communicate with my expression or my posture or gestures. It's a whole other type of acting. And it's a hell of a challenge."
"OK, you convinced me," the cat replied. Minako climbed back onto the sofa and resumed reading the script.
"Hey, Artemis, how do you think Inari would sound?" Minako asked suddenly.
"I don't know. I'm not a fox," the cat replied.
"Well I don't know either," and she leered, "and I am a fox." Artemis rolled his eyes. "I mean, do you think she'd sound all grand and haughty and superior? Or would she be more down to earth and approachable."
"Didn't the director give you notes?"
"Haven't even met him yet," Minako told him. "The producers cast me on my name - - and my ability, I hope." She paused. "I hope that's not going to cause a problem. Some creative types can be very temperamental."
"No kidding," scowled Artemis. "Maybe you ought to call him and ask him."
"Maybe I should," mumbled Minako.
Seized with the idea, the blonde pulled her phone out of her jeans and pressed a number she had on speed dial.
"Hi, it's Minako," she said. "Do you have the number of the director for that anime I'm set to do?" She listened to the reply. "I want to talk over the part with him, see what kind of ideas he might have on the performance he wants." She listened. "No. Really? Damn, what happened?" Artemis's ears perked up. "Is the anime still a go?" She listened. "No, I'll still do it. But let me know if anything else changes, OK?"
"What's up?" Artemis asked.
"The director got fired," Minako told him. "'Creative differences', which could be code for just about anything. I wonder what actually happened."
She was dreaming. Rei could tell she was dreaming. In the dream, she was tending the garden at the old Shrine on Sendai Hill, before it had been wrecked by the ice giants. As she walked along the stone path, Rei became nostalgic for the place. Though she'd long since moved on from its destruction, the shrine held many memories for her.
Alighting on her shoulders, Deimos and Phobos cawed petulantly at her. Smiling to herself, Rei extended the forefingers of both hands up to the crows' beaks. They both nuzzled her fingers. It was another happy memory. But that memory made her realize another, less than happy one.
"Deimos?" Rei asked suddenly. "Aren't you dead?"
The bird responded with a sharp, cutting caw.
For some reason, she looked down. She was dressed in miko robes, but not her miko robes. She noticed a dark stain on the right sleeve and realized they were her mother's robes. Unnerved, Rei continued down the path until she came to a patch of flowers she didn't recognize or recall from the garden.
"They're fox tails," she heard. Turning, Rei found her dear, departed Grandpa ambling up, looking like a wizened lawn gnome.
"I've never seen them before, Grandpa," Rei said. She glanced back. There were three of the reed-like blooms swaying lightly in the breeze.
"I know," sighed Grandpa. "Something keeps sneaking in and killing them." The two crows punctuated the statement with a loud caw.
"Do you know who?" Rei asked.
"No. It's beyond anything I can sense. Maybe you can. Your sight was always stronger than mine." He grasped Rei's hand and she noticed it was as cold as death. "But be careful. He may choose to go through you to get to them."
A violet eye snapped open. Awake and alert, Rei lay in her sleeping bag. She extended all of her senses, including her sixth sense, from her.
Someone was near.
Continued in Chapter 4