The Deal Between the Dragon and the Fox

Ginrei clutched his knees, feeling tense around the dragon god. His nine white tails bristled. Dairyū, on the other hand, regained his smile. He swung his hand, summoning a gust of vapour between him and Ginrei. It gave way to a small table with a bottle of saké and two wooden cups. Ginrei blinked in dismay, and the tips of his tails shook with unease. Saké was the drink of Inari Ōkami, his former patron goddess, so it brought him painful memories. Its fragrant scent was familiar, too.

The sight of Ginrei’s squirming deepened Dairyū’s smile. He leaned his elbow on his knee, placed his cheek on the back of the same hand, and observed Ginrei with amused curiosity. He took the bottle and poured the saké into both cups.

“It rings a bell, hmm?” he asked, his voice tinkling like a thousand pearls. He took his cup and sipped the drink. “You won’t find saké like this on earth. It’s a gift from my old friend.”

Ginrei widened his eyes, understanding the implication. He took the other cup in his trembling hand, sniffed the drink and had a sip. His ears twitched, and his nine tails swirled in ecstasy. It was the saké from his childhood when he still had access to the God Realm. He emptied the cup in one go.

“I-Is it Inari Ōkami-sama’s?” he asked, looking Dairyū in the eyes. He forgot all about protocol, so much he longed for the answer.

“Correct!” Dairyū chuckled. “You still seem attached to her, huh?”

Ginrei flinched, then sighed and cast his eyes down. He drooped his ears and lowered his nine tails.

“I disappointed her,” he muttered. “I ate a Herbal Mage, a woman directly blessed by her. She’ll never forgive me.”

“That remains to be seen,” Dairyū said. He put his empty cup down.

“Huh?” Ginrei pricked up his ears. What does he mean? Is there a chance for me to rejoin Inari Ōkami-sama’s fox guard?

His heart fluttered, and his ears twitched. But he frowned and tried to calm himself. He shouldn’t get his hopes up. Dairyū was the most heartless of all dragons. His father, Ryūjin, banished him from the God Realm because he gleefully tortured his brothers. No matter how much kindness he showed his human family now, a dragon like him couldn’t be trusted.

“What is the deal Your Holiness mentioned?” he asked, growing tense again. Whatever he wants to promise me, he won’t give it for free.

Dairyū observed Ginrei quietly. When it lasted too long, Ginrei felt beads of sweat streaming down his brow. But at last, Dairyū broke the silence.

“The deal is simple,” he said. He poured the saké into both cups again and had a sip of his drink. “Kasane mentioned that you had put a protective spell on her and maintained it constantly, to the detriment of your stamina. Now that you’ve recalled your clones and regained your full power, I want you to strengthen the spell, so that Kasane remains well-protected.”

“I… I did that the moment we touched.” Ginrei raised an eyebrow, dismayed by such a simple demand. “Her protection was always my top priority.”

“I haven’t finished.” A corner of Dairyū’s blue lips rose. “This other condition is crucial: from here on out, I want your clan to stop killing innocent humans, including law enforcers.” The pupils of his rainbow eyes narrowed. “You may have never touched civilians, Ginrei, but you’ve killed many policemen who were simply doing their jobs. In fact, if not for Akechi Shinemori, you might’ve killed Jin Hattori, too.” His smile vanished, and his grip on his cup tightened. “That would’ve cost you much… because I wouldn’t have sat idly then.”

Ginrei gulped and pushed his ears back in fright. He remembered the day when his clone, Genzaburō Kagenashi, attacked the young Jin Hattori and Akechi Shinemori. He had coated his claws in his purple foxfire and aimed at Jin. It would be a fatal slash if Akechi hadn’t jumped between them. The fiery claw attack had less effect on an Explosion Mage, so Akechi survived with a scar. Back then, Ginrei didn’t know about Jin Hattori’s family ties to Dairyū’s wife. Now, he realised how narrowly he had escaped his doom. Although a kami couldn’t kill another kami’s guardians, Dairyū had options to make Ginrei’s life miserable – he could’ve jailed him for life and slaughtered his whole clan. This, to Ginrei, would be worse than death.

I should keep my temper in check. He thought. I almost killed Raijū’s granddaughter in my rage, too! He recalled the previous night when he chased Kazuya Hattori and his colleague, Inuko, through the Tokyo streets. I can’t afford to antagonise the gods.

He bowed to Dairyū, placing his forehead on the floor.

“I-I apologise for my thoughtless actions, and promise to fulfill your demands!” he said. “But…” He raised his head, frowning. “I must ask that you allow me to kill one man!”

“Hmm?” Dairyū stopped drinking and looked at him in wonder. “Who?”

Ginrei clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring. The fur on his nine tails bristled again.

“The prime minister, Tetsuhiro Watanabe,” he said. “He threatens to erase the Inari Woods, my home. I can’t permit that!” He bowed again. “I humbly ask you to allow me this much!”

Dairyū blinked. His blue lips formed a smile, and then, he broke into laughter. Ginrei twitched his ears and straightened up, surprised by his reaction.

“You know, there are other ways to stop people than by killing them!” Dairyū laughed, his voice tinkling, but resonant like a dragon’s grunt. He took deep breaths to calm himself. “You could ruin his reputation, make him lose his job, and it’d be over! But, even if you opted to kill him, I wouldn’t mind.” He shrugged and resumed sipping his saké. “That man is hardly innocent… He made my wife cry.”

His pupils narrowed to slits. A cold, murderous energy oozed from him, encompassing the room. It sent shivers down Ginrei’s spine. It almost felt like the air was cowering before the dragon god.

“T-Then… why didn’t you kill him?” he dared ask, with his nine tails shaking.

“It’s a funny business.” Dairyū smiled ruefully. He suppressed his cold energy, much to Ginrei’s relief. “Nene came to me after Tetsuhiro Watanabe made her cry. So, in a way, I owe my happiness to him.” He gazed at his half-empty cup. “I couldn’t kill him with my own hands. But I’d love if he dropped dead! So, if you did it, I’d only be grateful.”

He emptied his cup nonchalantly. Ginrei stared at him, raising his eyebrows in confusion. He didn’t expect Dairyū to be so temperamental. At one moment, he seemed to care about humans, and the next, he discussed their deaths as if nothing.

Inari Ōkami-sama was never so frigid. He thought, and his heart sank at the memory of his former patron. Cruelty must be common among dragons – they’re the strongest reptilian predators. He looked down at his clawed hands. We, foxes, are also carnivorous, but we’re gentler… And our lady, Inari Ōkami-sama, is the kindest goddess.

“Well, that's all,” Dairyū said, interrupting his thoughts. He put his empty cup down and yawned, covering his mouth with his clawed hand. “If you fulfill these conditions, I will ensure the freedom of you and your clan. And, if the Prime Minister bugs you that much, I can help there, too.” He smiled, but now benevolently. “We’ll make the Inari Woods an official yōkai reserve and rebuild the shrine. I’ll send Shiroki, my guardian fox friend, on that errand. After that, the law would prohibit the Prime Minister to touch those woods.”

“T-That’s possible?” Ginrei almost jumped in his seat. “Why didn’t you do it before?!” He snarled. I’ve plunged into sin to protect that place, and now this dragon says it was that easy?!

“It’s a fairly new law my human family helped implement, but yes.” Dairyū shrugged. “As for why I didn’t do it before… It’s been a long time since Inari and I don’t see eye to eye.” He blushed, as though reminiscing on a past affair. He rubbed his cheek. “After she slapped me and told me never to show myself before her again, calling me a ‘vicious lizard’…” He chuckled, while Ginrei stared at him with his mouth agape. “All because I bit her accidentally in our bed, too!” Dairyū pouted, albeit as a half-jest. “That was aeons ago… Anyway,” he turned to Ginrei, “I’m willing to face her again on your behalf. Next month when I visit the God Realm, I’ll talk to her about you. So, with all these boons considered, will you accept my deal?”

He held out his clawed hand. Ginrei stared at it, his nine tails tensed. He looked at Dairyū’s face and his seemingly good-natured smile.

This bloodthirsty dragon was Inari Ōkami-sama’s lover? His eye twitched. How does he expect me to believe that? And yet, gods don’t lie. He sighed. He looked at Dairyu’s clawed hand again, held out to him. I lose little and gain too much. It’s a blessing disguised as a threat. Truly what a kami would do…

He drooped his ears in defeat. He shook Dairyū’s hand.

“Deal!” he said.

Dairyū’s smile deepened. The stray fox was finally tamed.

In a short while, Ginrei left the room. Dairyū’s smile vanished. He fell into his musings.

Now all I need to do is find that Flame Scorpion. He thought. How did it even escape my tsunami? He looked behind him at the painting of the Unzen volcano and the megatsunami. The only answer I can think of is that it’s a hybrid, and so my Water Magic wasn’t fully effective. He put his hand on his chin. A spider, perhaps? – It’s a fellow arachnid, as ancient as Flame Scorpions, and with water resistance. He sighed. What a riddle…