[Inari Standoff] Wounded Vixen

"Boy, think fast! They're still up there!" Inari warned.

The five exorcists quickly recovered from Inari's concussive blast. One by one, they each stood inside an empty window frame in the hallway above Osamu, glaring down upon him like vultures eyeing carrion. They each leaped down from the hall, their boots crunching against shards of colored glass a they landed.

"That's her! That's fucking Inari!" one of the exorcists shouted.

"What about him?" Another exorcist asked, referring to Osamu.

"Kill him too!" a third exorcist ordered.

The exorcists clasped their hands and weaved kuji-in seals in complete synchrony, their palms alight with dancing flames. Osamu turned and ran for cover behind a wooden reception desk as the exorcists blasted a barrage of fireballs his way. Osamu laid Inari down next to him behind the desk, assuming that her wounds meant she was in no condition to fight.

As the fireballs slammed against the reception desk, dozens of wooden chips and splinters rained down upon Osamu and Inari. The desk quickly caught on fire, crackling in their ears and spitting embers into their hair. Osamu, fearing for his life and Inari's, hugged his knees to his chest and shielded his head with his arms, the flames threatening to engulf the entire desk.

"Damn it! Think, Osamu! Think!" Osamu cried.

"Boy, look into my eyes." Inari calmly ordered.

Without thinking, he followed the order, and found himself completely captivated by her shining, red eyes. Inari suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Osamu fell on his back, screaming and squirming as his head pounded in terrible pain.

Inari's voice rang inside his head once more. "Boy, can you hear me?"

Osamu opened his eyes, now the same color as Inari's. His body felt hot and lightweight, like he suddenly how the speed and strength to do anything he wanted.

"What's going on?" Osamu cried.

"Sorry, but I'm going to use you to end this. I'll make it quick." Inari said.

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" one of the exorcists ordered, seeing no more movement behind the flaming reception desk. "You've got nowhere to run! Come out!"

"This is it. Us or them." Inari growled.

Osamu stood with his hands up, slowly marching around the flaming desk to face the five exorcists head on. He knew he was walking right into the jaws of danger, and yet, he just kept going. Inari's will superseded his own, commanding him to approach the exorcists.

(To think three of my best friends are exorcists, and now the same organization is trying to kill me...)

"Where did Inari go? Answer us!" an exorcist barked.

Only then did they notice the scarlet glow of Osamu's eyes as he smiled and flashed his fox-like fangs.

"She possessed him!" cried another exorcist.

Osamu suddenly dashed at a speed too fast for them to see, kicking one of the cloaked men into a far wall with such force that his entire body exploded into a pool of blood and bone fragments, painting the white, reflective wall in red.

"Damn it! Retreat!" an exorcist cried.

The cloaked men ran for their lives, but the possessed Osamu found it effortless to follow them. He didn't even need to run. He simply followed their blood-soaked shoe prints in a casual walk, smiling as he did so.

"That's right, look at them go! Cowards!" Inari laughed.

Osamu jumped the distance between him and the fleeing exorcists, punching the second one into the marble tiling. That single blow popped open his head and cratered the floor, soaking Osamu's fist in blood. The third exorcist kept running, making every twist and turn he could to avoid the killing machine behind him. His eyes were wide with fear, his lungs burning as he panted through the halls of the airport.

He made a right turn and ended up coming face-to-face with Osamu.

"Good boy. You can rest now. I can take this one!" Inari yelled.

Inari jumped out of Osamu's body, tackling the cloaked man to the floor and plunging her fangs into his neck. The exorcists screamed in agony as Inari ate at his face, devouring his nose, lips, and eyes. Inari soon cleaned his face of most of his skin and flesh, leaving naught but bloodied skull behind.

Osamu fell to the ground, watching in horror as Inari murdered the exorcist, his blood pooling and reaching towards like crimson tendrils. Osamu's sense of fear came back to him, reigniting the shivers in his spine and legs. Inari turned her head towards Osamu, her mouth and hands stained with blood.

"Why...why did you make me do all of that?! Why did you kill him?!" Osamu cried.

"As I said before, it was either us or them." Inari said. "I'd prefer it be them."

Inari stood up, spreading out her long, nine fox tails and walking towards Osamu. She gave Osamu a sweet smile and extended her clean hand towards him. He took it to help himself up, and the two met eyes.

"Thank you for saving me." Inari said.

"Do you...do you know why everyone in the airport disappeared?"

"Those men we fought just now were exorcists. Think of them as supernatural police officers." Inari said. "What you're seeing here is the result of Category-One magic. The exorcists assess situations by threat levels, and each threat level allows them to use certain abilities. Category-One is the most severe. When that threat level is issued, the exorcists are authorized to use large-scale spells and cast them on civilians, if need be. The spell they used is a teleportation spell that sends non-supernatural entities out of the combat zone."

Inari walked with her hands behind her back, turning the other way and exposing her butt to Osamu. However, he was more enamored by her white tails.

"That begs the question though, if it was meant to catch ordinary people, why are you the only one left?" Inari asked. "Did you swallow a supernatural fly or something?"

"I have no idea why..."

(Swallow? Wait a minute...is it because I swallowed Rousoku's ashes?)

"Well, either way, we managed to kill three out of the five. The other two got away." Inari said. "They'll probably issue a nationwide alert and seal this airport off so we can't leave. You're going to be stuck here if you don't leave right this second."

Osamu remembered everything he had heard about Inari from Tsukiakari and Izanami. She was a close friend of theirs during the Warring States era. Inari helped Izanami change into the gentle, kind woman she is today, and she helped Tsukiakari stay hidden after her battle with the gods nearly ended in her death. Even Taeko made a big deal about wanting to find her.

However, looking at everything Inari had just done to the exorcists, he had no idea if she could be considered a friend or foe to his loved ones. It seemed incredibly unwise to mention two goddesses and three exorcists to Inari, who had just murdered three agents of Heaven.

(How on earth did I come across Inari Okami? It all happened so fast. I want to tell her that Gekko and Izanami have been looking for her for ages, but...I can't exactly tell how she'll react. For now, I should keep quiet about them. I need to figure out if she's a friend or foe, first. She looks exactly how Gekko described, physically, but she's definitely not the person they used to know...)

"I can't do that. I'm not leaving." Osamu said.

Inari spun around. "Why not? Don't you want to go back to your regular life? It's dangerous here."

"I didn't have a regular life in the first place. This is not the first time I've dealt with the supernatural, nor a goddess like yourself."

"Oh? Is that true? What did you say your name was again?"

"Osamu Ashikaga."

"Ah, are you an actual descendant of the Ashikaga shogunate? It's no wonder you've been involved with the supernatural. So, what now? Are you going to stay with me? You'd be a fool to do so. Those were not the last of my pursuers."

Inari kept on walking, and Osamu followed her through the airport. They went through the luggage pick up area, walking by the conveyor belts as they circulated suitcases and bags for no one. All throughout the airport, the floors were reflective, waxed and polished to absolute perfection.

"Why are you being pursued? Why would they try to kill you?"

"What do you know about me, mortal? Have you heard any of the legends or myths?"

"No, I'm afraid I don't know that much about you."

"That's no accident. The gods of today have made sure that people would slowly forget about me."

Inari jumped onto one of the luggage machines, licking the blood off of her hand. As she did so, the cuts and burns covering her naked, pale body began to steam and cauterize, healing before Osamu's eyes.

"A long time ago, a murder took place in Heaven. The goddess of food, Uke Mochi, was killed by the moon god, Tsukuyomi. It was a tragic and brutal event, but it allowed me to take her place and become the goddess of foxes, rice, and fertility. I gained most of my popularity during the Warring States era and in the years following the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate."

As if performing a dramatic soliloquy to an audience at a theater, Inari struck a dramatic pose as she told her story.

"The gods were always vying for the hearts and minds of the people, always clamoring for power, glory, and recognition. It's a rule that gods who are not worshiped are cycled out after they die. Prayers are their only means of reincarnation.

“I quickly got up to the same levels of praise as gods like Bishamon, Amaterasu, and Izanami, and thus, I became a target. The gods of heaven conspired against me. They tried to assassinate me and take my powers, but they failed each time. Because of them, I've been on the run for centuries, forced to stay hidden like some sort of demon."

"So, it was another fight for power." Osamu said.

"Yes, that's right, mortal. When they saw what I could do and how powerful I had become, they saw me as a threat to the security of the pantheon. It was after the Warring States period ended that Heaven established the Exorcist Program. One of the first missions ever issued to them was to assassinate me. At first, they were just priests and volunteers, but it seems they've started adding the descendants of gods in their ranks."

(That sounds about right. Shinju herself is a descendant of Mizuhame, one of Izanami's daughters.)

"I've gotten by thanks to the powers you saw earlier. There were some good-natured people who sheltered me as well, but no hiding place was safe forever. I've killed almost a hundred of those goons throughout the years and each skirmish left me with fewer and fewer places to go. I never thought I'd ever return to Kyoto, Exorcist Capital of Japan, but here I am. What better place to hide than right under the nose of your pursuer, right? Well, it took them six months, but they finally cornered me."

"Isn't there anywhere you can go?"

Inari closed her eyes and smiled. "No. I’m out of places to go. This is the last stand for me. That's why I thought you should leave, because there will be more exorcists coming to kill me. I've got no chance of surviving this, but I'll at least make them work for it."

Inari jumped off the machine and kept walking. The two of them marched through a hallway with calligraphic, canvas art on the walls, and skylights above them that turned the golden sunlight into radiant shafts of pristine, white illumination.

"I must look like a tragic being to you, mortal. An unfortunate woman who's down on her luck and staring death in the face. Why would you try to stay here alongside me? Or is it because I look so helpless that you want to help?"

"It's not pity or anything like that. I...I just want to d..."

(Huh? What was I about to say?)

"Let's just say that not everyone wants you dead. There are people out there that have been working hard to try and rescue you. I'm on their side in all of this." Osamu explained. "But, Inari...why does eating humans help you heal?"

"Oh, still worried about that? Get used to it, mortal. Around the time the exorcists first tried to kill me, I developed blood-based powers. I can use blood to heal. I can even control people with it, sometimes."

(Control? Wait, is that why I followed the trail of blood earlier? It felt like my body was just moving on its own.)

"Oh! This will do for now." Inari exclaimed.

Inari picked up a black, floral blouse off of the ground, one of the many clothes left behind by the raptured civilians. Because of her tails, she couldn't wear any of the jeans at her disposal, but at least now, her top half was covered.

"I do sense something extraordinary inside of you, something deep and profound." Inari said. "I sense bravery and despair as well. I venture to guess that your encounters with life and the supernatural have not always been happy."

(I'm that obvious, huh?)

Inari caressed Osamu's face, rubbing his body with her tails and gazing into his wandering eyes. "I see...it seems we bear similar scars. You've lost loved ones too."

"How can you tell so easily?"

"It's your eyes. They're just like mine; brilliant, but sad. You realize that if you stay, you and I will both die here, right? Don't you have loved ones to worry about?"

"I think I realize what I'm getting into, but it's just like you said. We bear the same scars. That's why I can't leave you here. Right now, I think...I think I need to be with someone who knows even greater pain than I do."

Inari bore sympathy in her eyes. It was like Osamu's pain echoed within her. "Fine. I won't question you any longer. You're young, but you're old enough to make your own choices. They should've finished sealing this place off by now. You and I are as good as stuck here. I suppose I'll put my trust in you for now, mortal."

"You keep saying that, as if you have a grudge against mortals."

"Of course I do."

Inari grabbed hold of Osamu's peace sign necklace, pulling him closer. Whether it was for a kiss or a bite, Osamu did not know. He could pick up the faint, metallic smell of blood from her lips.

"All humans are greedy. That is a law." Inari declared.

The teasing fox pulled away, continuing her walk throughout the airport. The next area they walked through was a hanging garden of sorts, with potted palm trees and azalea shrubs all around a. Twisting vines and spearhead-shaped leaves dangled from the lattice canopy above their heads, filtering the sunlight into a cool green shade.

"Inari, from my experience, gods can be just as greedy."

"No one said they aren't. I'd even agree with you there." Inari chuckled. "I suppose greed is also the law of Heaven. So then, what happens to those who aren't greedy? We're all absorbed by those who don't know when to stop consuming. We're used as slaves, or in my case, hunted down and killed. If you want my advice, mortal, don't trust anyone."

"That seems like a miserable way to live."

"It's the only way to live. That's the point. Trusting people leaves you open to so many weaknesses. Have you ever heard the story of Michael III and Basil? It's a riveting tale."

Osamu gazed at the fox goddess with curious eyes, all too often wandering towards her tails. "Michael and Basil?"

"Michael III was the emperor of the Byzantine empire. One day, when he went out to the stables to look for a missing animal, he was saved by a peasant named Basil, when a horse nearly trampled him. From that day forth, Michael put his trust in that man, believing him to be loyal. And he was right, for at the time, Basil was just a peasant who couldn't possibly dream of attaining a higher status of life. The two became great friends, and in time, Basil went from a stable boy to the emperor's advisor. He was rich, powerful in his own right, and he was given everything he asked for.

"But Basil was much more cruel and calculating than Michael ever thought. This was because Basil was a master of concealing his intentions, of putting up smoke screens to keep people off of his trail. Manipulating some of the internal chaos within the empire, Basil advised Michael about his cousin's plot to overthrow him. Michael, at first, refused to listen. When evidence was brought forth that his cousin really was plotting against him, he folded and listened to Basil. Do you know what happened next?"

"No..."

Inari grabbed Osamu by the neck and held her claws up to his throat. "Basil stabbed Michael's cousin to death during a horse race, and asked Michael's permission to take over as general. Michael, the greatest fool of the Byzantine empire, accepted his request. He had unwittingly given Basil the key to the military."

Osamu gulped as Inari withdrew from her threatening stance, rubbing his face with one of her tails.

"One day, when Michael asked Basil to pay back some money he had loaned him a while ago, Basil refused. Michael was shocked. How could his best friend and most loyal servant refuse to pay him back after all he had done? And then, Michael realized the horror of his situation. He had built a monster. Basil got a taste of power, and his taste developed into a hunger, all because of his rapid ascension into nobility. Michael realized that Basil had control of the military, had more money than him, and had more friends in the senate than him."

Inari grabbed Osamu's hand guiding it from her breasts up to her face. "Poor Michael started drinking heavily as he realized what he had done. One day, after a night of heavy drinking, he awoke to the sight of guards surrounding him. Basil was there, and he ordered the guards to kill Michael. I can't imagine what Michael was thinking, being stabbed to death by his own men as his best friend watched with glee."

Inari put Osamu's hand to her neck, tightening his fingers around it. "Basil carried Michael's head by the hair through the streets. Michael was killed by his best friend. That is why we should be more wary of our friends than our enemies. Our friends are closer, and they know everything about us. Who's to say that they won't betray us? I was betrayed by my own pantheon. I thought they were my friends, my fellow gods. But they sold me out."

Inari sat down on one of the benches, her smile had disappeared. "That's why you shouldn't trust people. All throughout human history, and divine history as well, there have been nothing but traitors. Now look at me. I'm forced to stand and fight, and I just know I will die here."

"Hey, don't be so pessimistic! I've laid siege to Heaven before, so I'm sure we can handle a few exorcists if we just work together! Maybe we could even convince them to stop this madness! They're not even old enough to know why they're doing it! It's a centuries' old problem!"

Inari laughed at Osamu, pointing her finger and embarrassing him. "You're hilarious, mortal! Do you do that thing you call 'Stand-up Comedy'? You'd make a living!"

"You...you don't have to laugh..." Osamu sighed, a bit embarrassed that his earnest call to action was met with laughter.

Inari closed her eyes and laid her head back. "I want to believe such nice things will happen. But they won't. They never do. We'll have to fight, or we'll be killed. That means that you're going to have to get human blood on your hands. Are you prepared for that, mortal? Can you handle that guilt? Can you handle the realization that you have already taken human life?"

"That's not the same, I was being possessed!" Osamu protested.

"And soon, you'll probably allow me to possess you willingly. Is that not the same as being complicit in murder?"

"I...no, it's not! As far as I know, it's self-defense!”

Inari laughed."'As far as I know'. You really are too kind for your own good. No wonder we both have broken hearts. No wonder we lose the things we love."

Inari looked out of the window, noticing the sun was going down. "It's going to be dark soon, mortal. Let's find a good place to rest."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

(She loved smiling, laughing, telling stories, and teasing. But at the same time, I would catch her staring off in another direction with a mournful look in her eyes. It was a kind of look I recognized, because I've worn it and seen it so many times. Maybe it's because I saw myself in this fox goddess that I wanted to help her, that I wanted to see her make it through this. I wanted to see that even someone like me can overcome impossible odds, and not only save herself, but someone else as well.)