The Blessing

Kazuya stared at the two monsters, petrified. Kenzō, the purple dragon, activated his Water Magic to hurt Ms Kegawa, who was a Flame Scorpion and, therefore, weak to his element. But the heat in the lava-filled cave helped Ms Kegawa withstand Kenzō’s water-based attacks.

I… I never expected Ken to be such a huge dragon! Kazuya thought. I should be careful never to piss him off…

“Kazuya!” Ginrei’s voice awoke him. “She’s distracted enough. Shoot the cobwebs!”

Kazuya shook his head to snap out of his daze. He lifted his pistol towards the cobwebs on the ceiling and activated the Absolute Sight Magic. The pupils in his eyes dilated, and he zoomed his vision at the nodes near the cocoon. He aimed carefully and shot five times. The dragon scale bullets pierced the nodes, and the cobwebs gave way. The cocoon fell, but Ginrei caught it in mid-air and brought it down safely. Kazuya and Inuko ran up to them and began tearing at the cobwebs to free Kasane.

“No!” Ms Kegawa shrieked. She had sensed the severance of her connection to Kasane’s body, whose energy kept rejuvenating her. She hissed. “You little_” But her voice was cut.

She gurgled as Kenzō strangled her in his serpentine grip. He bit her in the rear, aiming for her heart. His crystal fangs pierced it and injected his divine water inside. Ms Kegawa squealed in a deafening voice. She writhed and swung her tail for a few more seconds, and then fainted. Kenzō opened his mouth, ejecting a small, radiant pearl. It glowed white, so that the friends had to screw their eyes. The pearl absorbed Ms Kegawa’s arachnid body and locked it up inside. With that done, Kenzō reverted to his human form. He trudged towards his friends, battered and exhausted, clutching his sore shoulder.

“That’s about it…” He smiled, heavily breathing. The next moment, he lost his consciousness and fell forward.

“Ken!” Kazuya shouted.

Inuko was beside him in a flash. She caught him with her fluffy body before he fell. She gently laid him on the stone floor and sniffed him.

“He’s alright!” She barked, wagging her tail. “He’s just fainted.”

“Thank goodness…” Kazuya sighed. He turned back to the cocoon and continued tearing at the cobwebs with Ginrei.

Soon, they freed Kasane’s body. But she was lying limp in the cocoon, with sallow skin and blue bags under her eyes. Ginrei yelped and sniffed her, then placed his ear to her chest. The pupils in his eyes narrowed.

“She’s barely breathing!” he screeched.

“No!” Kazuya cried. He grabbed Kasane’s wrist to check her pulse. It was faint. The colour drained from his face. “We need to teleport her to the hospital right now!”

“Will do!” Ginrei nodded.

He opened his mouth to exhale his purple fumes, but only a cough came out. He yelped and collapsed, panting.

“W-What’s wrong?” Kazuya asked, raising his eyebrows in the inner corners. He was shot with a venomous bullet, and Ken couldn’t heal him since he’s a kami’s guardian. He thought. Don’t tell me… has the venom finally reached his heart?! We can’t have him dying now! He glanced at the fainted Kenzō. Ken can’t help… What shall we do?

He looked desperately at Inuko, but she yelped and drooped her ears. She couldn’t teleport or heal people like Kenzō and Ginrei could. She began to think herself useless.

“D-Don’t worry!” Kazuya exclaimed, realising that he had frightened his girlfriend. “We… We’ll figure something out!”

He forced himself to smile, but managed only a bitter grimace. He scratched his green hair and sensed some of the strands falling out, sticking to his fingers. The situation was dire. They were stuck under Mt Fuji, where no one would come looking for them. Kenzō was unconscious, so he couldn’t heal them. Ginrei was poisoned and seemed to be losing his life, which seemed dreadful to Kazuya now, after all of Ginrei’s help and self-sacrifice to keep him and Kasane safe. Inuko couldn’t carry them out of the cave alone. Even if she took only Kasane, the latter was so weak that she would die before Inuko reached the nearest hospital. Kazuya clutched his head with his hands, falling into despair.

Inuko yelped, sitting hunched beside Kazuya in her dog form. Her golden eyes were filled with tears.

Please, Kami-sama, help us! She looked at the ceiling, appealing to her patron god, Raijin. Although he was a thunder kami and not a healer, Inuko could only think of him in these hopeless times.

And yet, it seemed that praying to one kami rallied them all to their aid… Or it might be that Dragon God Dairyū, who was in the God Realm, had finally succeeded in persuading Inari Ōkami to reconcile with Ginrei, her banished guardian fox. A bright, swirling portal appeared before Inuko and Kazuya. It emitted overwhelming energy, pure and uplifting. Inuko recognised it as a divine portal. She barked in joy, wagging her tail.

“We’re saved!” she exclaimed.

Kazuya was dumbstruck. He didn’t understand what Inuko meant. The energy coming out of the portal felt as awe-inspiring as Uncle Dairyū’s, but not dragonic. It was rather fuzzy, like the touch of Ginrei’s fluffy tails.

A female white fox, much bigger than Ginrei, stepped out of the portal. She had only one tail, indicating that she was Inari Ōkami’s guardian. Her crimson, vulpine eyes were graceful and wise, and her fur was the fluffiest Kazuya had ever seen. Inuko bowed to her respectfully.

“Lady Myōbu,” she greeted her.

“Myōbu?!” Kazuya exclaimed, staring at the giant fox. Inari Ōkami-sama’s companion has come to save us?! – Ginrei’s grandmother… He glanced at the nine-tailed fox, who lay with his eyes closed, yelping in pain.

Myōbu tilted her head to Inuko, accepting her greeting with respect. Then, she moved towards Ginrei and bent down, touching his muzzle with her nose. Ginrei flinched and opened his eyes. A screech of surprise escaped his mouth, despite his weakness.

“G-Grandma?!” he grunted. He faintly wagged his nine tails and squeaked like a little pup found by its long-lost mother.

“You silly boy…” Myōbu’s high-pitched voice, kind and loving, echoed. She looked at Ginrei with tears in her eyes. “You worried me so much!” She purred and rubbed her head against his. “For all these years, I yearned to see you, and yet Inari Ōkami-sama wouldn’t hear of it! Finally, she has changed her mind… She has forgiven you, my boy!” She licked his cheeks. “I’m so happy!”

Kazuya and Inuko watched as the two foxes cuddled and purred, wagging their tails. When, at last, the first waves of joy passed, Myōbu set to healing her grandson. She opened her mouth and emitted a glowing blue flame orb, which smelled of wisteria. It shone brightly on Ginrei, spreading across his body in blazing flares. It healed all of his injuries and even burned the Flame Scorpion’s venom in his system. This was the display of his grandmother’s strongest healing magic, called “Myōbu’s Jewel”.

“Now,” Myōbu said after Ginrei had stood up, “since you’re Inari Ōkami-sama’s guardian again, you can cast my magic, too! After all, you’re my only heir.” She bitterly smiled, remembering the tragedy of the Inari Woods from centuries ago, which took her daughter’s – Ginrei’s mother’s – life. “You can use it to heal your friend.” She glanced at Kasane. “Inari Ōkami-sama treasures her. In fact, this human girl’s love for you finally convinced her to forgive you… Because Dairyū no Kami-sama’s words weren’t impressive.” She grunted sternly, with her fur bristling.

Kazuya and Inuko exchanged glances and smiled. It sounded like Dairyū had taken another slap in his face for trespassing on Inari Ōkami’s grounds. Even though he had gone there to discuss Ginrei’s fate, he must’ve done it in his usual, brazen fashion, smiling like a predatory dragon. That, of course, displeased Inari Ōkami.

Ginrei walked up to the unconscious Kasane. Kazuya shuffled away, making room for him. Ginrei spread his nine tails like sun rays and opened his mouth. He chanted the prayer that would let him use his grandmother’s signature magic.

“Inari Ōkami-sama,” he said, “please let my flames glow to heal the friends I cherish!”

He blew purple foxfire out of his mouth, which formed a glowing orb, as Myōbu’s blue fire had done. It smelled of burning wisteria, as usual. After all, he might’ve earned Inari Ōkami’s forgiveness, but his sins would never fade away. So, he remained a nine-tailed bakegitsune, whose blue flames from the long-gone past as a guardian fox were merged with the crimson flames of demonic foxes, creating the unique purple fire. His flame orb shone upon Kasane and spread across her body in purple flares. It stabilised her breathing and helped her regain colour. Her fingers shook, and she lifted her eyelids.

“W-Where am I?” she muttered, still dizzy.

“Kasane!” Kazuya cried, tearing up.

“Kasane!” Ginrei yelped, wagging all of his nine tails.

They dashed at her, and Inuko joined in. Before Kasane knew it, she had her brother and two fluffy canines choking her in hugs. It took some minutes before they finally let her go.

Kasane checked on the unconscious Kenzō right away. Neither Ginrei nor Myōbu could heal him since he was a different kami’s son. But Kasane’s Herbal Magic brought him back to his senses, and so the group hug was renewed. Kenzō shed happy tears, giving vent to his pent-up emotions now that his “Big Sis” Kasane was alright.

For the first time in ages, Kazuya relaxed at last. With the help of his friends, he saved his sister and finally arrested the yōkai that killed his parents.