[Phantom Pain of Rousoku Himwari] Epilogue: Before the World Turned Red

A few days after the ordeal with Rousoku reached its tragic conclusion, Taeko and Shinju wasted no time with their search for Inari. The hunt for the fox goddess was on, and it was only a matter of time before she was found again. But first, Taeko and Shinju decided to pay the Shoku Twins a visit at Izanami's shrine. Taeko had heard the reports that the twins were forced by Inari herself to initiate the blood moon a few days early, which resulted in Rousoku's ritual ending in failure.

Taeko sat with the twins at the top of the shrine steps, watching the suburbs bustled with pedestrian chatter and the blaring horns of pickup trucks. Shinju stood off to the side, leaning against the left column of the red torii gate at the shrine entrance.

"Well? I'm waiting." Taeko said. "What happened? Why did you two bozos set off the lunar eclipse early? You really fucked us on this one. Osamu still hasn't recovered from it all."

"It's as you heard, Taeko." Akatsuki said in her usual, flat tone. "Sis and I were here cleaning up the shrine that night. We saw someone strange ascend the steps of the shrine. They wore a hood and cloak, so we couldn't see who they were."

Omagatoki nodded. "Yeah, but then we asked who they were, and I immediately recognized the voice! It was Inari! She threw her cloak off and pointed her palm at us. And then, it was like...we lost control of our bodies. She brought our hands together and she made us perform the kuji-in seals to speed up the lunar eclipse. After that, she had us choke each other unconscious."

Omagatoki tugged at the collar of her yukata, revealing the dark, purple finger marks around her neck. Akatsuki had similar bruises in the exact same spot.

"When we woke up, she was gone. We immediately alerted the exorcists, but there wasn't much they could do." Akatsuki said.

"Inari came here prepared. She must've known where the Shoku Twins would be hiding." Shinju said.

"She targeted the Shoku Twins, the goddesses of time, just to initiate a blood moon a few days earlier?" Taeko asked. "She could've kidnapped you guys and held you as leverage. Heaven would've had no choice but to come to the negotiating table, and yet, she didn't do anything like that."

"Maybe because it's a huge move? I get the feeling Inari wasn't hoping to get caught." Omagatoki said. "Kidnapping me and Sis would've guaranteed the entire force of Kyoto's exorcist division would come crashing down on her all at once."

"Blood moon, blood magic." Taeko said. "It's too obvious for there to not be a connection. It could be that the blood moon enhanced her abilities and gave her a fighting edge, but why make such a risky move to get that edge if you're just going to run? What was her strategy?"

"Akatsuki, did Inari say anything as she was initiating the blood moon?" Shinju asked.

"She only said 'Sorry, but I'll be borrowing this.'" Akatsuki answered.

Shinju sighed. "Looks like she made sure not to say anything that would give us a clue. I know she's a fox goddess, but I didn't expect her to be this crafty."

Taeko stood up, the morning wind lifting her hair towards the glaring sun in the ocean-blue sky. "That's enough for now. Thank you for your time, girls. It wasn't much, but you've been a great help."

"Are you going to start hunting for her too, Taeko?" Omagatoki asked.

"Hunting? Well, that's a bit of a strong word, but I suppose you're right. We are hunting." Taeko said. "Stay safe, girls. Let's go, Shinju."

"You be careful out there, Taeko." Akatsuki warned. "You never know which shadows Inari will pop out from."

Taeko waved goodbye as she slowly descended the steps of the shrine, Shinju by her side.

"Well, that was of little help." Shinju groaned. "I'm glad the twins are okay, though."

"They were of far more help than they thought." Taeko said.

"What? How so?

"The Shoku Twins' location is known only to a few people, myself and Izanami included." Taeko began. "But if Inari knew exactly where to find them..."

Shinju stopped in the middle of the steps, paralyzed in horror. "Taeko...What are you trying to say?"

Taeko stopped looked Shinju dead in the eyes, her emerald gaze piercing straight through Shinju's soul. "Shinju...There's a traitor in the Exorcist Program. That whole thing with the blood moon and the ritual...It was deliberate. All we can do now is just wait and see why the blood moon was so important to them."

And so began the hunt for Inari, the long-lost fox goddess. Everyone had longed for the day when Inari would be found, and each for different reasons. Amaterasu and the Shinto pantheon had their reasons.

Taeko, Shinju, Izanami, and Tsukiakari had theirs, and it appeared that an unseen enemy had their own agenda as well. Everything was riding on finding the fox goddess. On her shoulders rested the fate of the pantheon, the very concept of free will, and difference between peace and war.

The world waited with bated breath for the dreaded return of Inari Okami.