[Inari Standoff]: I Was Kind Once, Just Like You

Inari's red eyes were like a shining gateway to the past as she began telling her tragic story, of how a once-kind and adored goddess became a fearsome, flesh-eating monster.

"You know the thing about hatred? It's never born alone." Inari said, tracing a circle atop the table with her index finger. "First you lose someone or something, then comes the heartbreak, then the solitude, and then...hatred. I've seen firsthand how powerful it can be. I watched Izanami and Gekko go through the same cycle. I should've known it would be my turn, next.

"It was the Edo period. We were just coming out of nearly two centuries of chaos and warfare. The Warring States era, I mean. With the fighting at an end and the Tokugawa shogunate unifying the country, Japan enjoyed its hard-earned peace. Me? I had quite the boom in popularity during peacetime. It wasn't just foxes and agriculture, the people entrusted me to protect the warriors, the fishermen, the blacksmiths, the peasants, everyone. The entire nation worshiped me.

"The entire Warring States era was manipulated by the gods to clamor for power, worship, and recognition. Bishamon is...or should I say, was, famous for his exploits involving the Senkumo clan. You know what the purpose of it was, don't you? On the surface, Bishamon was trying to reinvent the wheel, to change the very concept of a nation. In his eyes, the military was the heart of any nation. What's a king or a general without an army? The military was a symbol of the people's loyalty, of their consent to be governed.

"So he founded the clan and strived to create a pure stratocracy, a nation ruled by and inhabited by the military. No kings, no nobles, no shogun, and no emperor. Because those people don't understand war. They don't understand the price that people pay because of their choices. To them, it's all a game, even to this day. Nothing's changed. A nation without them, a nation of the men and women who have to pay that price everyday, had a better chance of creating a peaceful world.

"That was his surface goal. Noble, isn't it? He had a point, as much as I hate to admit it. If the Senkumo clan was still around today, if they had created their ideal nation like they wanted, maybe I wouldn't be in this position. But Bishamon's true goal was to use the clan to amass prayers for himself and for the legions of gods on the verge of being cycled out from the pantheon. And with their support, he'd have the means to kick Amaterasu off her throne and change Heaven in the same way he wanted to change Japan.

"Of course, he failed. His ambition backfired on him, and thus, Tsukiakari went on the warpath to avenge her fallen clan. I'm sure Gekko's already told you about her massacre and how she survived it. So many gods were vying for power during that era, but when the war was over, nobody needed their violent blessings. Yes, a very, very long time ago, it was Heaven that was violent, and I that was peaceful. I easily won over the hearts and minds of the people, much to the dismay of the other gods.

"At some point, they had enough. The gods wanted me out. Amaterasu wanted me out. But of course, she couldn't just assassinate me herself. No, instead, she did something much more vile, cowardly, and monstrous."

Inari extended her hand to Osamu, tickling his chin with her long nails. "She used humans to do it."

It was the winter of 1657, the Edo period. Just as Tsukiakari and the others predicted, the era of warring states had come to an end in 1603. Ieyasu Tokugawa was the victor of the warring states and established the Tokugawa shogunate, becoming the unchallenged ruler of Japan. The country finally returned to a state of peace.

Cities had been rebuilt or even renovated from their post-war state. Ieyasu's administration kept the daimyo of the country in check, even going as far as to force them to reside in the city of Edo once every other year. Unlike the shogunate of Yoshimasa Ashikaga, whose weakness gave rise to the Onin War, Ieyasu's administration wouldn't allow for its daimyo to run rampant. It kept tight control over the daimyo and their families, ensuring that this state of peace would last for centuries to come.

The predictions of the Man in Black proved to be true as well. Society viewed its warriors very differently than it did before. The Tokugawa shogunate forced all of the samurai in the country to either give up their swords and join society as peasants, or swear their loyalty to the shogunate as retainers. The age of the warrior was quickly coming to an end.

Cities that were once rocked by battles had become hotspots for businesses, trading, arts, and theater. No longer scared for their lives, the people could go back to making money and spending their days off in leisure.

Inari was no different.

Light snow fell from the sky, and much of the land was cloaked in white. Clouds cloaked the sky for as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the day, a group of six men in black kimonos walked up the slope of the hill that led to Inari's grand shrine in Kyoto, where she sat playing with her white, nine-tailed foxes. The little white foxes circled and played together at her feet as she fed them pieces of apples.

"You guys sure are hungry! Go ahead and eat up, little cuties!" Inari sang.

As one of the foxes ate, it began coughing. Inari rubbed its back and scratched its ears, soothing it instantly.

"Now now, don't go eating too fast! It won't rot as soon as it hits the floor."

The fox licked Inari's finger, and she was struck by its spell of cuteness.

"I love foxes so much! You are by far the most beautiful creatures in this world!" Inari cheered. "I hope Gekko can come by and play with you guys soon."

The men had arrived at Inari's shrine. They all got on their knees and bowed before her, showing the gracious deity her due respect. Only one of them spoke, the man in the center.

"Inari Okami, please excuse our presence here." the man said.

"Raise your heads, it's all right." Inari assured. "Are you from the village? I've never seen you before."

"We're travelers from the north. We're here on business, and we've come to give you proper tribute before we depart Edo." the man explained. "Please, if it is to your liking, accept it."

The man presented a white bottle of sake, wrapped with a red ribbon. Inari's eyes lit up with joy as she gladly took the sake, rubbing the chilled bottle against her face.

"It's beautiful! You even took the time to put a bow on it!"

"Is it an acceptable gift, Inari Okami?"

"Yes! It's beautifully presented, but it always comes down to taste, right?" Inari asked.

"Y-yes, Inari Okami! You're completely right! You can use the cap as a small cup, if you like."

"Such thoughtful design! I shall try it."

Inari poured some sake into the cap and took a delighted sip.

"Ah, that's fantastic!" Inari praised. "Whew! Kind of powerful too! It's all good though, I love it when sake has more of a kick to it."

The men watched with glares that made Inari suspicious that they were not here on good will. Not one of them blinked. All of them gazed at her, in the same manner, as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"Uhm...is something wrong?" Inari asked, her smile wilting.

"Forgive us, Inari Okami." the man said.

Inari's throat began to burn, and her eyes watered beyond control. She fell over as her foxes surrounded her, unsure of what was happening to their master. The men all stood up, the center one unsheathing a small blade hidden under his robes.

"Form a barrier around the shrine, as well as the arson charms." the man commanded.

The other men did as they were ordered, making sure no one would interfere with their mission.

Inari, struggling to stand, grabbed her burning throat and tried to crawl away. "What have you done to me? How could you poison a god? Do you have any idea what you've just done?"

The man pulled out a necklace hidden under his kimono, a charm that could protect against kitsune, Inari's foxes. These were no ordinary men. These were members of Amaterasu's force of exorcists.

The foxes were determined to protect Inari, growling and charging at the priest who dared to poison their master. Something odd and terrifying took place before Inari's tearful eyes. Without even moving, without even touching them, the man severed the bodies of every fox that approached him into five pieces each, separating the front legs, hind legs, and the head. The blood of the foxes splattered across the ground, staining the snow.

"No...stop this!" Inari cried.

"To the gods above about to witness this gruesome act, I humbly ask for your forgiveness." the man prayed. "As you've asked, I shall rid this world of the fox goddess."

The man approached the fearful Inari with his blade and a stern set of eyes. In that moment of fear, her heart thumped like thunder in rolling clouds, and her eyes shined blood-red. Her body lit up like a solar flare and she vanished into thin air. The man convulsed and writhed about, much to the confusion of the other exorcists.

"What...what is this...what am I?" the man groaned in pain.

"Look at his eyes and his nails! It's just like Inari's!" shouted another exorcist.

Inari was inside of the man's body, controlling him like a sock puppet. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. It all happened so fast that Inari couldn't process would just transpired. She looked down at her hands, realizing that she had possessed the exorcist's body as her own.

The other priests drew their blade and charms, charging the possessed man. Inari panicked, unsure of what to do as they tackled him to the ground. As if they had forgone their own humanity, they stabbed the man repeatedly. Inari felt the pain just as much as he did. She felt their blades tear apart her flesh and pierce her organs as if they were actually stabbing her.

Just as easily as she took over the exorcist's body, Inari forced herself out of it, knocking back the five exorcists with the force of her ejection. Her breathing was panicked, as it had really felt like she was the one being stabbed. She checked her body and confirmed she was unharmed. There wasn't a single stab wound on her.

"What happened? I was controlling him?"

Inari felt his warm blood coat her hand. When she saw him motionless in a pool of his own blood, she realized she was laying eyes on a murdered human.

"No...how could you do this? H-he was your fellow man! He didn't deserve that!"

"He was possessed by you, you rotten witch! There was nothing we could do!" one of the exorcists shouted.

The arson charms placed by the exorcists went off, setting multiple points of the shrine on fire. The crackling fires spread quickly, burning the surrounding trees before reaching the tiled roof of the shrine. Inari pulled the murdered exorcist away from the burning shrine, saving his corpse from being burned to ash.

"Damn it! Let's get out of here! We'll never escape the flames if we don't leave now!" suggested another exorcist.

As the other exorcists fled, the shrine suddenly collapsed onto Inari's hip, pinning her under its weight as the flames continued to engulf the shrine. She let out a tortured scream as the nerves in her hips down to her legs pulsated in pain.

"Not here! Don't let me die here!" Inari cried.

Inari shape-shifted into a white fox to escape the wreckage, then turned back into her true form so she could grab the murdered exorcist's body and take it with her as she escaped.

The flames had grown so out of control that they ended up burning the barrier charms, allowing Inari to leave the shrine grounds. Her home burning to the ground behind her, Inari carried the exorcist's body on her back and ran into the snow-covered woods. She ran and kept running until she couldn't feel her legs anymore.

Inari was no fool. She understood that the men that made an attempt on her life must've taken their orders from Heaven. It wasn't safe to go to any of her other shrines, and it was even more dangerous to lead the exorcists to Izanami or Tsukiakari. With the exorcists determined to kill her, Inari had gone from a widely revered god to a divine fugitive.

Inari was all alone.

She marched and waded through an endless maze of dead trees for almost a full day. It was early in the morning and the sky was still a deep, dark blue. The stars flickered in the sky as the horizon was painted with a stroke of green and white light, the first signs of approaching daylight.

Her sandals had fallen apart hours ago, forcing her to travel through frigid snowfall with bare and bruised feet. She wheezed and huffed as she marched, her breath visible in the biting cold. The tiny hairs on her arms stood stiff as he entire body was covered in goosebumps. She kept running for all this time, fearing that more exorcists might've been pursuing her into the woods. That fear kept her going for nearly a day, but once she realized she wasn't being followed, her fatigue finally caught up with her.

Inari fell to her knees, dropping the corpse of the exorcist she escaped with. His body had gone pale and stiff with rigor mortis. Looking back in the direction she ran from, she realized the man's body had left a trail of blood droplets in the snow. She then turned her gaze towards the sky, observing the heavy snowfall.

"I'm sorry..." Inari wheezed. "I'm going to have to bury you here."

Inari dug beneath several feet of snow and frosted soil with her bare hands, preparing a shallow grave for the slain exorcist. It was all she could do for him now. She dragged the man into his grave and piled the soil and snow back into place. An unmarked and shallow grave was all she could do. When it was done, she bowed her head and clapped her hands together, offering a brief prayer for the slain man. She released an exhausted sigh, her breath made visible by the cold.

With the events of the previous day still fresh in her mind, Inari gave her wobbling knees some time to rest and fell onto her bottom. She cast an empty and lonely gaze at her bruised feet as her throat grew hot with grief. Tears wet her eyes and cheeks as they fell onto the pristine blanket of snow beneath her. Helpless and afraid, Inari let out a barrage of terrible sobs. She rocked herself back and forth in a fetal position, unsure of what to do or where to go from here.

She wouldn't dare lead her pursuers to Izanami or Tsukiakari. Before she could do anything, she had to figure exactly who she was dealing with and why they wanted her dead. Such thoughts were easier said than done. Inari was afraid of being murdered.
No rational thought or strategy she concocted in her head could drown out that terrible fear of death. With her head an utter mess, Inari stumbled back onto her feet and continued fleeing into the woods. She walked for what seemed like hours, hoping to find someone who could help her out of this mess.

Her bare feet crunched upon the snow until they grew numb. It almost began to feel like she was floating through the woods like some sort of ghost. Suddenly, she came to a stop. Her body froze in place as she tried to remain absolutely silent. Her heart thumped in her chest like a loud war drum.

All she heard was the whisper of the winter wind, but something still didn't feel right. She looked to her left, then to her right. It felt as though an army of soldiers had encircled her, and yet, no one was there. All of a sudden, she was just overcome with this terrible aura, this feeling that someone was shadowing her. She lifted her right leg and very gently took another step forward.

The wind suddenly roared like a lion, prompting Inari to leap out of the way. A ferocious gust of wind blew right past her, shredding apart several dead trees and bringing forth a rain of branches. Inari quickly ran further into the woods and hid behind a thick oak tree.

She could definitely hear it now, another set of footsteps in the snow. Peeking past the oak tree, Inari spotted a lone woman hidden beneath a raven hood and cloak. The woman cautiously marched through the woods, checking every corner, nook, and cranny before every step she took.

Inari silently maneuvered from cover to cover, hoping to get the drop her on her newest pursuer. She moved to the left, hoping to get as far out from the woman as possible. Then, as the woman walked along, Inari thought she would be able to sneak behind her, or perhaps lunge at her from the side. Peeking beyond the cover of trees, Inari saw the lone woman walking on past her. She released a quiet sigh to calm her tingling nerves.

The woman came to a sudden stop, kneeling down to pick up a piece of torn fabric from Inari's robes. Seizing the moment, Inari lunged directly at the woman, but received a swift kick that sent her flying backwards and crashing into a nearby tree. Inari let out a pained yell upon impact and struggled to stand herself back up.

Another violent blast of wind came tumbling her way, only now she could see where this wind was coming from. The woman possessed a thin, pure white sword that seemed to control the air. The edge of its blade was so sharp that it could slice objects several dozen feet ahead of it, evidenced by the utter decimation of the dead trees in the blade's path.

Inari rolled out of the way of the incoming blast of wind. Face-down in the snow, she covered her head with her hands as pieces of wood came falling down upon her from the blast. She quickly scurried behind another tree, now completely unsure of how to attack this fearsome woman.

"I suppose it's no secret now, is it?" the woman shouted.

That voice. Inari immediately recognized it. Peeking beyond the tree line, Inari saw the lone woman pull back her hood, revealing her identity to her target. It was none other than Amaterasu herself.

"Amaterasu?" Inari whispered to herself.

"It's rare for me to come down here to tend to things myself." Amaterasu said. "But you left such a mess at your shrine that I had no choice but to partake in the hunt."

"Amaterasu!" Inari shouted. "Why are you doing this?"

Amaterasu put on a satisfied grin. "I'd prefer it if you asked me why I didn't do this sooner. If only I had known that you'd become such a powerful, young goddess."

"What are you talking about? I've done nothing wrong! If anyone should be killed right now, it's Bishamon! What have I done wrong, Amaterasu?" Inari cried.

Amaterasu stepped closer, following the sound of Inari's voice. "Bishamon has suffered his own punishment. In fact, I'd say his fate right now is far worse than death. Imagine having all of that power, all of that influence, and squandering it.

“On Earth, Bishamon sought to revolutionize what it meant to be a nation, but in Heaven, he was only after my throne. All this time, there were three wars being fought, Inari. The era of Warring States, obviously, as well as the Second Great Holy War with the Vampires. Little did you know that there was a third brewing in the belly of Heaven this whole time."

"What are you talking about?" Inari questioned, slowly crawling her way to Amaterasu's right flank. She found a tree that was on the brink of falling over, decimated by one of Amaterasu's earlier attacks. She crawled over to it, hatching a plan of action.

"It was no accident that Bishamon recruited my daughter all those years ago. It wasn't some fateful encounter or a stroke of chance. It was a calculation. He brought her under his wing after seeing what she was capable of, knowing full well that she bared hatred against Heaven. Bishamon wanted my throne, you see, but it's not like he could just come and take it.

“He'd need a network of supporters on Earth in the event he fell. He'd need other gods to collaborate with him. He'd need a military presence in Japan that could subvert the cities, shrines, and people that supported his enemies. Most of all, he'd need a fearsome warrior, a figurehead to become the face of his new clan. Tsukiakari was the key to it all. You know what's funny? At roughly the same time, Izanami took you under her wing, didn't she?"

Inari's fist clammed up in a tight clench. "Amaterasu...don't you dare! Izanami's my friend!"

"Don't lie to me, Inari!" Amaterasu hissed. "Surely, you were able to figure out what she was doing. Izanami was going to do to you what Bishamon did to my daughter. She's the reason why you're such a popular goddess now, why the biggest shrine in all of Japan was built in your honor. The fall of the Senkumo. The killing of Oyamatsumi, Hachiman, Raijin, and Fujin. The subjugation of the samurai and the resurgence of the state's control over the country. It has all happened exactly as I designed. All that's left is your death. Bishamon and Tsukiakari won't be able to fight for a while. Izanami has resigned to taking care of her granddaughter, so I can wait a while before dealing with her. That means that you're the last one, Inari. You're the last usurper."

Inari stopped responding. The both of them had gone quiet again. Amaterasu knew that Inari must've closed the distance during their conversation. She hovered her right hand over the handle of her sword, looking out for the slightest snap of a twig or crunch of snow. Amaterasu's fingers twitched as the quietude continued.

The crack of snapping wood caught Amaterasu's attention, drawing her attention towards a massive, dead tree falling in her direction. She leaped back several dozen feet, dodging it entirely. As her feet touched the snow again, however, Inari lunged out from the dark of the woods, blindsiding her from her left side.The two of them tumbled downhill, tossing up a massive cloud of snow in the air. They eventually landed with Inari sitting on top of Amaterasu with her razor-sharp nails pressed against the skin of her neck.

It was the perfect opportunity to kill Amaterasu, and yet, Inari hesitated.

"Do as you must." Amaterasu mocked. "I'll come right back, and you'll have both the exorcists and the gods after your head."

"You're not the only one who can reincarnate, Amaterasu!" Inari rebuked.

"You'll lose that ability in short time, Inari. Even if you died right now and reincarnated while you still can, you'd only be killed by the exorcists commandeering your shrines. There's no safe place for you anywhere anymore."

"So those men worked for you! You're using humans as your own personal army now?" Inari screamed.

Amaterasu smiled. "I've simply adopted Bishamon's model and used it for Heaven's benefit. We've had onmyouji in the past, but now I've created a centralized force of exorcists, and the program is growing by the day. Like I said, everything is going according to my design. The mortals aren't the only ones centralizing their warrior class.

“Your life as a goddess is over. You'll live the rest of your days just like this, running, fearful. You'll always be looking over your shoulder and sleeping with one eye open. I can't wait to see what that fear is going to do to you over time, if you manage to live that long. One thing is certain though. You can never go back to your life with those two."

"How dare you..." Inari said, her tears falling like gentle rain. "How dare you rip me away from the only two people I have left in this world?"

"Oh, poor you!" Amaterasu mocked, reaching out her right hand.

The sword she lost in the fall teleported back into her palm with a bright flash of white light. Amaterasu swung the blade inwards towards Inari's neck. However, Inari suddenly vanished just as the blade's edge drew blood from her skin. Befuddled, Amaterasu shot back up to her feet, turning her head in every direction as she looked for the missing goddess.

A sharp pain pulsated through her entire body. Her veins felt as though they were on fire. She dropped down to her knees, wailing in agony. Amaterasu's body began to move against her will, her hand slowly pressing the edge of her blade against her own neck.
"What...what is this?" Amaterasu said, struggling to even form the words.

Amaterasu couldn't believe what was happening. Somehow, she had lost control of her body. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't control a single limb nor digit. The blade touched her neck, causing Amaterasu to blow herself backwards with her own weapon. The ferocious wind lapped up by her sword slashed Amaterasu like an invisible blade, spraying a misty cloud of her blood over the snow. As Amaterasu continued to tumble downhill, Inari leaped out of Amaterasu's body unharmed. She landed on her feet but quickly fell to one knee, her body feeling as heavy as a sack of bricks.

Inari gazed downhill, her eyes following the light spattering of blood that led to Amaterasu's body. The queen of Heaven survived the blast, her cloak stained with her own blood. She managed to stand herself up, but soon fell to her knees.
"What...what did she do to me?" Amaterasu questioned.

Inari had become the first god in history to ever wound Amaterasu. It was that very moment that inspired heartbreak in Inari. The blood that stained the snow after that attack may as well have just been her own blood, for her life was truly over now. Wounding Amaterasu would forever make her an enemy of Heaven, let alone a target for the exorcist. It truly was over for her. Everything seemed to go exactly as Amaterasu wanted it to. She even began to wonder if being wounded was part of Amaterasu's plan.

The distant cries of more exorcists echoed through the air downhill. They surely heard the commotion caused by Inari's encounter with Amaterasu. It began to sink in for Inari that this would be her life for the rest of her days. She'd be labeled as a criminal and a fugitive in Heaven. No one would even consider her side of the story. Knowing full well that she would never be able to see Tsukiakari or Izanami again, Inari did the only thing she could do.

"Gekko...Izanami...Goodbye..."

She ran away. She ran as fast and far as she could, eluding the exorcists. Amaterasu watched as the fox goddess fled the scene. Though the day was a victory for her, Inari's power came as a complete shock. Never before had any god been able to possess the body of another god. It was a power unheard of in Heaven and in much of the supernatural world.
Amaterasu gazed at the blood staining her hands and robe, just as vexed as she was confused.

"Inari...just what are you?”