Wherever the Fires Lead

The streets swell with excitement, anticipation hangs thick in the air, as we await the lighting of the bonfires on the mountains. The first daimonji fire ignites, illuminating the sky in orange flame, marking the end of Obon. Brilliant kanji cross the landscape to guide our ancestors home to the spirit world. I slip through the crowd, maneuvering my way to the Kamo river.

I kneel by the riverbank and release the lantern I made for father, watching as it floats silently downstream; the candle emits a warm glow, reflected from the surface of the water. I know you forbade me to come here, but how could I not honor your memory now that you’re gone?

Suddenly a strong wind howls from the opposite bank. I wrap my arms around my shoulders to quell the shiver running through me. Straining my eyes, I fix them on a point far upstream. A faint blue glow flickers in my direction. Entranced, my body begins to move.

“Come to me, Rini.” It willfully beckons, and my pulse quickens. A hiss escapes through my teeth as I step into the rushing water. Bracing myself against the frigid stream swirling around my shins, I stretch my fingers forward, aching to make purchase with the light. “Find me, Rini,” the voice hums again. At its command I leap, desperate to follow the fire.

I gasp as I jolt awake. Trembling fingers touch my forehead as I think back on the dream. Slowly I begin to sit up and remove the comforter. This isn’t my bed. I investigate the soft silks of the futon sitting atop tatami mats then scan my surroundings. My heart thumps against my ribcage at the foreign view. “Where am I?”

“Oh good, you’re awake.” The low timbre from my dream floats from behind me. I jerk my head and my eyes widen as they settle on a handsome face partially hidden behind silvery hair. Pointed ears protruding from the top of his head flick in my direction; nine tails twitch. His form moves in and out of focus before a thick haze veils my vision.

Something warm envelopes me as I come to. I attempt to move but am held in place by strong arms. “Easy, Rini.” Like a night after too much sake, my head is pounding and my mouth feels like cotton. Words stick in my throat. “Who...where…h-how do you know my name?” I rasp as I squint, looking up into gentle azure eyes.

His chuckle vibrates my body, and I feel a faint tingle rush through my veins. “Take a deep breath. Inhale through your nose, then exhale through your mouth.” I close my eyes and do as he orders, feeling my frazzled nerves calm. “Better?” He gently brushes my bangs from my fevered forehead.

I turn away from his intense gaze and mutter, “Yes, thank you. Could you let go of me now please?” I push against his chest and he acquiesces. “Meet me in the kitchen after you have collected yourself. I will answer your questions then.” He gently places his hand on my crown then stands.

I hear the door slide shut behind me and I pull my knees to my chest. “Um what the hell? I was at the Bon Festival in Kyoto yesterday. Wait, was that yesterday? What day is it? Who was that guy? He’s not human...he’s a…”

“Kitsune is the word I believe you are searching for.” A breathy voice comes from just beyond my feet, and an ornately painted wooden hair comb lying on the floor blinks its amber eyes at me. I screech and kick it, sending the little thing sailing across the room.

“That was uncalled for!” Tiny arms and legs appear as she angrily pushes herself up from the floor.

“You can talk? Combs can’t talk. I’m dreaming. This is all a dream!” I slap my cheeks. “Wake up Rini, wake up!”

She dusts herself off. “I’ll have you know I am quite real. I’m a tsukumogami and this is not a dream. You are in the spirit world.” She raises an eyebrow. “You look pale. Oh dear, you’re not going to faint again, are you?” she scoffs.

“No!” I cross my arms and stick out my lip.

She hops up onto my bent knees and stares straight into my eyes. “The Master called you here for a reason. It would be in your best interest to be respectful and do as he says.” She abruptly jumps down then waddles off toward the wardrobe. “Get out of bed. You need to change.” She points to a door, “You’ll find new kimonos hanging in there. Clean yourself up and meet with the Master as requested.”

Man, she’s bossy. I glare at the small wooden tsukumogami. “Fine, I’m getting up.” On shaky legs, I gradually make my way to the closet. She taps her fairy-like foot as I rifle through the garments. Settling on a violet kimono with pink peonies and butterflies embroidered throughout, I tie the obi around my waist. “So how do I look?”

She sighs. “I guess it will have to do.”

I place my hands on my hips. “No need to be so rude.”

“Yes, alright. Pick me up. I’ll hold your hair back.”

I hesitate for a moment before bending down to scoop her from the floor. “Easy! Don’t man-handle me, I’m delicate!”

“Oh hush.” I walk both of us over to the mirror and pull my hair out of my face, placing her teeth securely in place.

“I can’t see. How does it look?” Her voice is muffled by my thick locks. Studying my figure in the mirror I respond flatly, “I feel like I’m cosplaying.”

“Pardon?”

“Nevermind. It’s fine. I’m sure I’ve kept your Master waiting long enough.”

The scent of curry wafts from the kitchen, drawing me down the hallway at a faster clip. I peek my head through the doorway and my stomach audibly growls. Heat floods my cheeks as the man turns from the stove to meet my gaze. He smiles, crinkling the skin around his eyes. Where are his ears and tails? I’m certain I saw them before. “Hungry?” His low voice startles me from my thoughts. “Have a seat, Rini. It’s almost done.”

“It smells wonderful.” A small grin tugs at the corner of my lip, but I quickly suppress it. This could all be a trap. Fox spirits have been known to seduce people and take their souls. He could just be buttering me up so he can kill me. A chill runs down my spine at the thought.

“Here you are.” He places a plate in front of me, then sits on the opposite side of the table.

“Thank you.” I pick up my spoon, but let it hover above my meal as I wait for him to take the first bite. “I assure you it’s not poisoned.” Damn, he’s clever. I grip my spoon a little tighter then smile, “I didn’t want to be rude, Master.”

“Please Rini, call me Koshiro. No need to be formal.” He blows on his curry then takes a bite. I watch his Adam's apple bob beautifully as he swallows, and my throat suddenly feels thick. I cough, attempting to clear it, and refocus my thoughts. “So, I’m sure you have questions for me. You may ask me anything.”

“Where did your ears and tails go?” I blurt and receive a swift pinch from the comb in my hair for my impertinence. I flinch and mutter a curse under my breath, thumping her squarely on her head, which results in another bite from her teeth. Koshiro raises an eyebrow and smirks. “Everything alright?”

“Yes!” I sit up straight and place my hands in my lap. “I’m sorry, that was the first thing that popped into my mind. Forgive my rudeness.” I bow forward slightly.

A low chuckle rumbles in his chest. “No, it’s quite alright. I’m afraid my other form shocked you a bit, so I took this one instead. However…” He closes his eyes and his silvery ears pop back to the top of his head and his tails reappear behind him. “I can stay in this form if it pleases you.”

My jaw hangs open, awed by his transformation. He really is a kitsune. It wasn’t a dream. I release a nervous giggle. “Um, either is fine. Whichever you’re comfortable with.” His ears and tails instantly disappear. “I will remain in my human form for now; until you are more comfortable.” He takes another bite.

“Yeah, about that…” I rub my arm. “H-how long will I be staying here?”

“Forever of course.”

An angry heat courses through my body as I rise from the chair. “Forever?”

“Mhm.”

“You tricked me with your foxfire and kidnapped me! You can’t just keep me here! There will be people in my world looking for me-”

“Will there? It was my understanding that you are an orphan.”

“What does that have to do with anything? I have friends-”

“You mean those work colleagues?”

Gobsmacked, I freeze. How does he know so much about me? “Have you been spying on me? Who are you really?” I clench my fists to halt my trembling.

He pushes away from the table and stalks toward me. My mind is screaming at me to flee, but I’m paralyzed, feet glued to the floor. I yelp when he places his large hands on my shoulders, pulling me close. He coos, “I promise with time you will remember.” Dark sapphires give off a mischievous glint as he places his finger under my chin, drawing my face towards his. My heart thunders loudly in my ears, stomach clenching with anticipation as he leans down and whispers, “A fox always keeps his promise, little bunny.”

He places a feather-light kiss on my forehead then saunters out of sight, leaving me quaking. I vigorously shake my head to banish the spell, freeing my mind and fall back into my chair. “I have to get out of here.”

“And go where? Honestly, the Master goes out of his way to bring you home and you repay him by accusing him of foul play. Such insolence!” The comb’s muffled voice scolds from my bun.

“This is not my home.” I shout which earns another pinch from her teeth. “Hey! Okay I’ve had enough of the biting.” I grasp her firmly then place her on the table. “And of course I suspect foul play. He shouldn’t know anything about my life. Obviously he’s been plotting to kidnap me for a while. Especially since he knew I don’t have a family.” I avert my eyes from her judging gaze and bite my lip. “Father passed away a few months ago-”

She audibly sighs and rolls her eyes. “You weren’t kidnapped, child. You were rescued.”

“Rescued? From whom?”

The little comb goes silent and her body slumps as she mumbles dejectedly. “So you really do not remember then? It hasn’t been an act?”

“Remember what? I have no clue what anyone in this place has been talking about. You’re all insane and I’m leaving right now!” I turn and stomp toward the door.

“The life you had with the Master-”

I immediately stop and look back over my shoulder. “What life? I’ve told you, I’m not from this world. I’m from Kyoto. Can’t you get that through your thick wooden skull?” I rant as I throw my hands in the air.

A strangled noise bubbles up from her throat. “Alright then. If that is your decision then there isn’t anything more to talk about.” She hops down from the table and scuddles away.

I run my hand down my face then close my eyes. “My life with the Master? Like a past life?” A peculiar niggling prods at the back of my mind. “Alright…fine." I huff. "You win you stupid hair comb. I will talk to him tomorrow.” A wide satisfied grin spreads across her face and she leaves without another word.

The next morning I find Koshiro in the garden. A sudden bout of dizziness hits and I stagger. He reaches to steady me. “Do you feel ill?” He furrows his silvery brows and frowns as he holds me.

“No, no I’m fine…” I push away from him and lean against a pillar. “It’s just…I just had the strangest sense of Deja vu. This place…it seemed familiar for a second.”

Koshiro smiles. “I hoped that it would.” He extends his hand, “take a walk with me.”

“Why? Is this some kind of fox trick?”

He chuckles. “No tricks. I promise. There’s something I want to show you.” I cautiously grasp his broad palm. His fingers are tender and warm as they wrap around my own and I catch myself smiling again. Suddenly a spark of pain shoots through my head causing me to flinch and release his hand. “Rini? Are you quite alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Must be the sun.” I blink a few times and the sensation is gone. “So, ready to go?” I motion over my shoulder.

“Sure.” He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me in the direction toward town.

We spend the afternoon strolling through the marketplace, stopping at every other stall as Koshiro greets his adoring public. I giggle at one of the fan girls, her little racoon ears flick with glee at his acknowledgement of her. “You’re quite popular, aren’t you?”

“Hm?” He looks down then smirks. “Oh yes, well, I am the lord of this land after all.”

“The lord? Like the king?” I spit out the juice I had been drinking as I stutter.

“Not a king, more like a caretaker.”

“Oh, I see. So kinda like a Shogun?”

“Yes, exactly. You study history?” He places his hand on my back again as we weave through the crowd.

I actively ignore the pleasant prickles coursing down my spine and clear my throat. “Not really. I was terrible at history in school. But I read a lot of historical fiction. Give me a hottie in samurai gear any day.”

He releases a brilliant laugh and pulls me closer. “You haven’t changed.”

I look up into his gentle crystalline eyes. He really is handsome. No, Rini. Stop that. You have to get back to the human world.

“Rini?”

“Yes?” I jump slightly at the interruption of my thoughts.

“Do you see anything you like?”

“Oh, um.” I scan the brightly colored hair ornaments.

“This one.” Koshiro plucks an emerald encrusted hairpin from the display and places it in my bun. “Beautiful.”

“Thanks.” My cheeks flush at his kind smile. “Koshiro, I-”

“My Lord, my Lord! The ogres…” A soldier runs in our direction immediately ceasing our conversation. He pants and bends over to catch his breath. “This came for you.” He straightens and hands a scroll to Koshiro. His perfect brows knit with deep concern as he reads the document.

“What is it?”

“Take Rini back to the manor. Make sure she’s protected.”

“Yes, sir. Please come with me, Miss.”

“Wait. Hey!” I nervously peer over my shoulder to look at Koshiro as the soldier ushers me away.

1 week later

I spent days in my room, pacing and biting my nails, I nearly wore a hole in the floor from the path I made.

“Would you please stop worrying so much. The Master will be fine.” The little comb chides from her seated position on the bed, legs dangling off the edge.

“I know…I just…” Touching the pin in my hair, I picture that afternoon in the market. “I can’t get the image of his face out of my mind. I’ve never seen him look so furious.”

“Did he say anything?”

“No, but the soldier…he said something about ogres. Does that mean anything to you?”

“Ogres? Nope! Not at all.” She suddenly turns away from me and I narrow my eyes at her.

“You’re hiding something.”

“I most certainly am not. Now I don’t want to hear another word about it. Go make yourself useful for when the Master returns.”

I sigh, “Fine, keep your secrets. I need a distraction anyway.” I leave the manor and walk toward the riverbank.

I smooth my kimono around my knees as I kneel then scoff to myself. This is how this whole mess started, going to the river. Sorry Dad. I run my fingers through the icy water, blurring my reflection. “Ouch!” I wince at a sharp pain shooting through my skull then rub a tender spot on the top of my head. “Huh?” My fingers land on something fuzzy. I squeeze the foreign object. “What the?” I sit up and swiftly bring my other hand up to investigate the strange anomaly. “Two? Are these? No! No way!” I nearly fall on my face as I scramble to look at my reflection in the river.

My eyes widen to the size of saucers as black foxlike ears twitch from the place they have sprouted on my head. A shrill scream rips past my lips, startling a sleeping family of birds in the trees just above me.

"Rini?”

I whirl around at the sound of Koshiro’s distressed voice. “I have ears!” I frantically point.

“Rini, calm down.” He coaxes as he cautiously steps toward me.

“You! You kitsune. You devil. You did this to me somehow! Explain yourself. You put a spell on me, didn’t you?”

“I assure you I did nothing of the sort.” He takes another step forward and extends his hand. “May I?”

“No, you may not!” I clamp my ears down and step back. “I don’t trust you, fox.” I try to run but trip over a large root and tumble to the ground. “Ow.”

“Are you alright? Let me help.” Koshiro bends down and scoops me up before I can protest. He sits me delicately on the soft grass by the bank and examines my ankle. His cool hands on my fevered skin, cover my flesh in goosebumps. “Alright that’s enough. I’m fine. See?” I stand up only to crumple beneath the weight of my body; Koshiro catches me effortlessly.

“I swear you’re more bull than fox. Always digging in your heels, never letting anyone help you.” His voice isn’t harsh, it takes on a teasing manner as he whispers into my newly formed fox ear. “My stubborn little bunny.” A sudden breeze blows through the leaves and my stomach somersaults as everything around me falls away.

I gasp as a vision of Koshiro and me appears. We’re walking hand in hand, his nine tails fan out proudly behind him as we stroll through the lantern lit streets of the marketplace: conversing and sharing treats. This isn’t from last week. It’s as if…I shake my head and the image is gone.

“Did you remember something?”

My eyes dart to the side, avoiding Koshiro’s searching gaze. “No, it was nothing. Excuse me.” I remove myself from his lap and step away.

“Rini, please don’t leave.” Koshiro grabs my hand and another memory flashes before me.

“C’mon Rini, let’s go play by the river!” A young Koshiro, no more than ten years old, laughs and frolics in front of me.

“Wait for me!” The child version of myself giggles as I chase him to the riverbank. But before I can reach him, I hear his adult voice echoing from somewhere far away. “Don’t fight them Rini!” Instantly the sky darkens. Looking back toward the bank, our younger versions disappear into the smoke, the vestiges becoming obscured.

I jump as the earth rumbles from the tread of an army of boots. The clang of metal on metal resounds across the flaming landscape. Great tendrils spread across the scorched land, it shatters, threatening to open and swallow me. “Koshiro!” I desperately stretch my fingers toward the fox spirit, his white kimono painted with the blood of our enemies, he reaches out and calls my name as I’m hurled into a deep noxious void.

I snap back to reality, my brow covered with a sheen of fine sweat. Once again, I find myself in Koshiro’s comforting embrace. My head aches, my stomach clenches, and coils into knots. “I fainted…again.” I turn away to hide my burning cheeks, scarlet with embarrassment.

“A reasonable reaction to your memories returning. I’m sure the transformation was jarring for you.” He gently brushes my ear and it twitches at his touch.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up.” I cut my eyes, giving him a sideways glance. “Please, put me down before I ruin your-” It’s the white kimono from my vision. I rotate in his hold and delicately run my hands over the shimmering fabric then look up. “How did you get the stains out?”

He averts his gaze for a moment. “You saw it then? The great battle between the Eastern and Western lands.”

I silently nod. “Why did I see that? Did I…” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I heard you tell me not to fight them. Did I run off and do something foolish?”

He smiles gently. “No little bunny. This time it wasn’t your fault.” He pulls me tightly to his chest. “You were stolen from me.”

“Stolen? By who?”

“The Ogre Lord of the Western Land. He took you to the human realm to hide you away as his armies laid siege to our domain. I wanted to rescue you, but the war raged on for a hundred years. It wasn’t until recently we were finally able to drive the ogre armies back to that wasteland, they call a home. Only then could I begin my search for you.”

I push away from his chest slightly. “But...wait, you’re telling me that the person who raised me, the person I looked up to as a father, was really an ogre? A yokai? And, hold on…100 years? How old are you? How old am I?” My head is swimming, struck by the realization that I am not and never was human. “Why didn’t I remember any of this before today?”

“I’m certain the Ogre Lord used his magic to suppress your memories when he spirited you away to the human world.”

My palms sweat as I cling tightly to Koshiro, burying my face in his shoulder. I can feel my ears tremble madly from my racing thoughts. This is all too much. I can’t catch my breath. My chest...it hurts.

He strokes my back gently. “Take deep breaths. I finally have you back at my side and there is still much work to be done, but we shall do it together.” He wipes tears from my eyes with his thumbs. I inhale deeply then exhale a shaky breath. He places his warm cheek on the top of my head, only the placid rippling of the river can be heard in the otherwise quiet afternoon.

Koshiro breaks the silence and smirks. “So, are you still mad at me for tricking you with my foxfire?” He brushes a strand of hair away from my face.

“You’re not completely off the hook, kitsune.”

Koshiro grins. “I intend to spend a lifetime making it up to you, little bunny.”

"And a fox always keeps his promise, right?" Warmth spreads through my heart as he leans down and kisses me deeply, setting free another stolen memory. If I were to ever find myself lost, all I had to do to make it home would be to follow wherever the fires lead.