A Fox's Whisper

21: Ҝ卂乙ㄩ卄卂

Our ascent up the mountain, by the name of Mt. Yougou, was slow. We walked along a narrow stone path that curled up and up. Moss peaked through aged cracks in the pavement, and curious blue flowers dotted the grass. Full bushes of hydrangeas with indigo blossoms flourished.
Sakura trees jutted out from precipices and inclines, their petals dusting the walkway. Their sweet scent tinged the air with a floral aroma that relaxed my mind and body.

I'd never visited the Shrine before, but the stillness of it...the balance...the quiet...it was as if everything lovely about nature had congregated into this one secluded area of Inazuma to thrive. In every walk with nature, one receives more than he seeks, and at the Grand Narukami Shrine, it felt as if I had just unearthed the crown jewel of creation. The very world seemed to breathe unity.

We walked through numerous wooden red torii, shrine gateways that marked the entryways to sacred ground and lands of solemnity. Talismans hung from some of them, swaying gently in the air. It is said that creatures of corruption will turn away in fear at the sight of one of these gates. They were shielded by numerous trees, casting pale shadows down on the ground.

Inari stopped walking for a moment, leaning against one of the pillars of the torii to look out at the horizon. One could see the sprawling silhouette of Inazuma City far into the distance. Inari's love for the Shrine was apparent from how reverently she walked and with how much adoration she looked at everything.

I paused by her side, and I wondered at why Inari had not smiled once upon her return. The expression on her face was certainly not unhappy, but it was not the joyful countenance that can only be brought about through smiling.

"I used to sit in the trees," she told me. "I'd just sit in the cherry trees and...and watch the world go by."

A strong gust of wind shook the branches of the sakura trees, sending down a flurry of petals and blossoms upon us in a miniature snowfall of pale pink. Inari stretched out a hand and caught several petals between her slender fingers. She tilted her head before dropping the petals and watching them drift to the ground.

She blinked twice looking blank for a brief moment before hesitatingly continuing on. Haru, Sora, and Legion were much farther ahead than the rest of us, but neither Inari nor I felt any particular hurry to catch up with them.

We walked slower, our steps falling in sync with each other.

"So. What are you going to do now?" Inari asked.

"What do you mean?"

She cast me a sidelong glance. "You've done what you promised. You brought me to the Shrine." She inhaled sharply. "So I assume that means you're leaving soon. You know...off to your next adventure."

"Do you want me to leave?" I said quietly.

She looked horrified. "No! I mean...not that I want you to stay. That is to say...I mean...I do want you to stay, but you don't have a reason to, and there's no point in--"
She paused, looking crestfallen. "It just wouldn't make sense for you to stay. I... I'll speak with Lady Yae and learn what I can. And then I'll try to find Dorobo and get my star ball back."

I looked up at the orange-washed sky. "Hm...nowhere in there mentions a lone samurai coming along."

"That depends on whether or not the lone samurai wants to waste time with a foolish kitsune."

I laughed, nudging her with my shoulder. "Oh, I hardly think the kitsune is foolish. And I hardly think it would be a waste of time. Quite the contrary." I didn't want to leave Inari. There was a gravity to her that few could overcome. Were I one of those few, I wouldn't even try.