The Dragon Kami and the Fallen Kitsune

Kenzō sat down at the table beside Kazuya. He was nonchalant, despite the dragon god and Inari’s oldest fox following him into the room. Kenzō saw Dragon Prince Dairyū simply as his dad and the guardian fox Shiroki as Dairyū’s friend.

The rest of the family and the guests were awe-stricken. Kenzō’s grandfather, Hiroto, and Kazuya’s and Kasane’s grandmother, Rin, bowed to Dairyū and Shiroki. Inuko watched them with her white ears and fluffy tail set upright. Yukihiro continued trembling, the fur standing on the back of his nine white foxtails. Kazuya gulped and bowed, his hands shaking. The only one unafraid was Kasane. She stood up, went to Dairyū and embraced him.

“I’m so happy to see you, Uncle!” She kissed his cheek. “It’s been just two weeks since Auntie Nene’s birthday, but I’ve missed you already.”

Yukihiro stared at Kasane in shock. She dared hug the dragon god?! Not only that, but Dairyū returned the affection, wrapping his pale arms around her! His laughter shook the air, tinkling like pearls but resonant like a dragon’s breath.

“I’ve missed you, too, darling!” Dairyū pressed his blue lips on Kasane’s cheek. His rainbow eyes glared at Kazuya, and his pupils narrowed. “Your brother doesn’t seem to have missed me, though.”

Inuko yelped and looked at Kazuya, her boyfriend. Was the Dragon God angry with him? Kazuya squirmed at Dairyū’s reproach.

Why does Kasane always complicate things? He thought. Now I have to approach him, too!

He stood up and walked to Dairyū, trying to contain his shivers. He couldn’t get used to the dragon god’s stance as his distant uncle. He stopped before Dairyū with his muscles tensed, and his eyes cast down.

“I… I’ve missed you, too, Uncle,” he muttered. “It’s just that…”

“Come now, don’t just stand there!” Dairyū laughed. “Give your uncle a hug!”

He grabbed Kazuya and pressed him to his chest alongside Kasane. Kazuya sensed the spiritual warmth pouring into his heart. Dairyū’s love was overbearing, but sweet and comforting – the parental love Kazuya and Kasane had missed since their teen years. Kazuya sighed, wrapped his arms around Dairyū, and buried his face into his sturdy chest. He sensed a lump in his throat, his bottled-up emotions over his deceased parents and his recent failures at work overflowing.

“Let it all out,” Dairyū’s high-pitched voice whispered in his ear. “No one will see.”

He let go of Kasane, for she had gotten enough of his hug and needed no further comforting, unlike her brother. Kasane cast a compassionate glance at Kazuya, her heart aching for his sorrow, but she returned to her seat. She knew Dairyū could handle him best now.

Kazuya let his tears fall, but his sobs were muffled, with his face hidden in Dairyū’s chest. The dragon god embraced him with his thick white braid, concealing him from the family members’ and the guests’ eyes. He gently kissed Kazuya’s head amidst his dark green hair.

Kazuya relaxed in Dairyū’s hug. His tears subsided. He sniffled one last time and let go of the dragon god. Dairyū wiped Kazuya’s swollen eyes, soothing his skin with his Water Magic so that no one would suspect he had cried.

“Thank you, Uncle,” Kazuya muttered.

“I’m sorry about your parents, kid.” The pupils in Dairyū’s rainbow eyes dilated with remorse. “If I hadn’t gone to the God Realm that week, no yōkai would’ve dared attack Jin and Ameko.”

“Please, Uncle!” Kazuya exclaimed, worried that the dragon god blamed himself. “It wasn’t your fault! You had to go.”

“Anyway…” Dairyū rubbed Kazuya’s head, smiling bitterly. “Let’s join the others!”

He, Kazuya, and guardian fox Shiroki took their seats at the table. Shiroki sat next to Yukihiro, making the latter squirm.

Kasane and her brother hug the dragon god despite being humans, while my patron goddess, Inari, abandoned me. Yukihiro clenched his fists. He glared at Shiroki. This lowly pup indulges in Inari’s blessing, revered as “her oldest guardian”, when my blood is far more ancient than his! Curse it all…

Kenzō introduced every guest – Shiroki, Yukihiro, and Inuko – once more, so everyone would be acquainted with one another. Dairyū’s pupils narrowed to slits as he eyed Yukihiro.

“The heir of the Kagenashi Clan is dating Kasane?” He smiled at the nine-tailed fox, sending chills down his spine. “Are you perhaps interested in her abilities? – The Herbal and Wood Magic are Inari Ōkami’s blessings to humans.”

Yukihiro’s nine tails froze, and his limbs trembled, a distant memory choking him with guilt. He cast his eyes down, unable to meet the dragon god’s gaze. Dairyū’s smile seemed malicious, almost predatory, to him.

“Nonsense!” Kasane’s sulky tone sounded. She clasped Yukihiro’s hand and glared at Dairyū. “Yuki loves me! He warned me that many yōkai would be after my magic, so he has placed a protective spell on me. He maintains it constantly, to the detriment of his stamina.”

Kazuya widened his eyes. Yukihiro, the yakuza heir, had been protecting his sister all this time?!

Many yōkai might hunt Kasane because of her magic? Why am I hearing this only now? His heart throbbed. He glanced at Yukihiro. If he weren’t a guardian fox, my bullet would’ve ended him back in the nightclub. To think I almost killed Kasane’s protector!

Inuko yelped and exchanged looks with Kazuya. She shared the same thought as him.

“Oh?” Dairyū raised his white eyebrows at Yukihiro, and his smile turned mocking. “How chivalrous for a bakegitsune!”

Yukihiro pouted. He didn’t enjoy being called a “bakegitsune” by a kami. It felt like divine judgment, forcing him to answer for his sins. Kasane’s support in those moments was like a balm to his heart, almost as if it were his patron goddess’ forgiveness. But he knew that was just his wishful thinking. Inari Ōkami would never forgive him. He winced and clutched his knee, trying to banish the depressing thoughts.

“I wouldn’t trust this fox, Miss Hattori,” Shiroki told Kasane in his deep but screechy voice, looking at Yukihiro. “He’s of Ginrei’s blood, who’s a fallen guardian of Inari Ōkami-sama, gone into hiding. 800 years ago, he killed Lady Mineko, the previous user of Herbal Magic.” He looked significantly at Kasane. “That ability hadn’t appeared since, but now you wield it. The foxes of Ginrei’s blood should be the biggest threat to you.”

Kasane covered her mouth with her hands. Yukihiro’s ancestor had killed a woman who wielded the same magic as her?! Kazuya clenched his fists and glowered at Yukihiro, his protective brother’s instinct resurfacing. Inuko yelped in worry. Kenzō, on the other hand, grinned at the drama, almost like a predator finding his best prey.

This brat must’ve invited the Kagenashi fox to have him clash with Shiroki and enjoy the show. Dairyū eyed Kenzō’s elated face. He smiled with embarrassment and put his palm to his face. What am I to do with him?

“Maybe you’ll also tell them why Ginrei killed Lady Mineko?” Yukihiro growled at Shiroki, his nine tails tensed from rage. “Her husband, Yasuhiro Hōjō, burned the Inari Woods in 1234, a century after the samurai exterminated Ginrei’s family of guardian foxes! Hōjō’s campaigns killed off Ginrei’s new family, the bakegitsune he had adopted. How do you think he’d feel?” He slammed his fist on the table. “He killed Lady Mineko to make Yasuhiro Hōjō suffer.”

“So, you believe killing an innocent woman to take revenge on her brutal husband is justice?” Shiroki raised his eyebrows. “No wonder the Kagenashi Clan swims in blood.”

Yukihiro bared his fangs, about to retort, but Kasane’s voice interrupted them.

“I don’t care what Yukihiro’s ancestors did!” She frowned at Shiroki and squeezed Yukihiro’s hand. “It doesn’t define him.”

Yukihiro turned red, touched by Kasane’s compassion. He sighed, drooped his white ears, and clung to her arm. Shiroki retained his stern expression, but didn’t make any further comments.

The movement of a sliding door to the left attracted the group’s attention. Some maidservants walked in, carrying bowls of fragrant pork ramen. Dairyū and Kenzō brightened up, their pupils dilating.

“Finally,” Kenzō exclaimed in his tinkling voice, “the food is here!”

“You said it!” Dairyū laughed, emitting vapours from his nostrils. “I was starving.”

The maids placed the hot ramen bowls for the guests. One bowl was put at the empty seat between Dairyū and Shiroki. A 44-year-old woman, dressed in a noble blue kimono with wave depictions, took that seat. She had a bushy purple bob and blue eyes, like Hiroto’s, but with a mischievous twinkle and immeasurable depth.

“Welcome, all of you!” She smiled at the guests, her voice low and hoarse, unmatching her angelic face. “I’m Nene Kagurayama, the lady of the house. I hope you’ll enjoy the ramen I prepared for you!”

Inuko and Yukihiro eyed Nene curiously. This woman had seduced the dragon god and given birth to his son. She seemed ordinary, but that must be just a façade, Yukihiro believed.

If I learn what’s so special about this woman, I could pinpoint Dairyū’s weakness. He thought. Then, I won’t be as vulnerable here.

Vilest instincts took over Yukihiro among the judgmental kami and the hostile guardian fox.