The Ferris wheel was much bigger when standing at the bottom waiting to board it. The hub of the wheel was somewhere above Inari, on a level with the roof of the shopping mall. The wheel itself passed through a slot in the building that extended to half way down the height of the vast shopping mall, meaning that one was raised to half again the height of what seemed like a small mountain.

Inari eyed the cabin of the Ferris wheel doubtfully; it seemed to her eyes to be a rather flimsy thing to carry her up so high. Still, Kiko-san had assured her it had been operating for a number of years safely and there were rules and regulations which meant it was inspected frequently.

Inari shook her head fractionally and resolutely stepped aboard, joining Kiko-san. She was a Goddess of the first-rank, capable of cloud walking, she’d been much higher on much more flimsy things before now.

She was also currently mortal, a small traitorous part of her mind informed her, and without the power for even small simple spells.

Still, if the mortals entrusted their lives to the unlikely looking contraption…

Inari quickly forgot her fears though as the Ferris wheel slowly turned, swinging their little cabin up and out of the slot through the building, and out over the street. Inari could look along the street, and see all the buildings. As they travelled higher and higher, the city was laid out before them, seeming to stretch on forever towards the horizon, an undulating sea of buildings dotted with gleaming, towering spires of glass and steel.

Inari pressed her face to the glass, exclaiming in wonder at the vista. Humans had built this place! This city that surpassed even the Celestial Planes in it’s wonders, with buildings that far, far outshone the Celestial Palace in their size and magnificence. And they’d done all this without magic, with no Divine beings to help them.

Inari couldn’t help staring in wide-eyed wonder… inwardly amused at the reversal of fortunes, where she, the Goddess, stared in open mouthed awe at what the humans had built.

Then she saw, some distance away almost lost between two modern towers, Osaka Castle… and reality came crashing in on her.

The castle, the wonder of her age, the tallest construction she’d ever seen in the Mortal world before, that had previously impressed her with it’s grandeur... sat dwarfed by the city around it. It seemed oddly incongruous and out of place in the modern world, strangely irrelevant as if it had long out-lived it’s usefulness and was simply standing around awkwardly, waiting to be erased.

Inari suddenly knew how that felt.

There was no place for her and Others like her in this modern world. She, like the castle, was a carefully preserved relic. A dusty reminder of a by-gone era with no connection or place in society any more. Alone and forgotten by a world that didn’t need either of them.

Tears silently welling up, Inari shut her eyes against the sight of a world that didn’t need her any more and no longer cared about gods, goddesses and magic. As her tears overflowed, raining down her cheeks, she turned and blindly buried her face against Kiko-san’s shoulder.

Surprised, shocked and rather alarmed, Kiko blurted out,

“Inari-sama! Whatever is the matter? What’s wrong?”

Through her tears Inari managed to stammer out.

“I..it..it’s too much! Th..there’s too m..many new things, and they’re t..too wondrous. H..hu..humans don’t need me! N..no-one wants me! There..there’s nowhere for me any m..mm..more! It..it’s all g.g..gone! ”

Inari bawled, sobbing into Kiko-san’s shoulder, slim hands twisting in Kiko’s coat collar as Kiko wrapped her arms around her, trying to comfort the distraught former-Goddess.

At the bottom of the ride, the Ferris wheel attendant offered Kiko a sympathetic look over the oblivious Inari’s shoulder, and closed the door again on them, allowing them privacy as they went around again.

They were nearly at the top once again, when the emotional storm passed enough that the wan and hiccuping Inari lifted her head..

“S..sorry Kiko-san.”

Kiko shook her head.

“No, I’m sorry. I should have thought this might be all a bit too much for you. But I was only thinking of my selfish desire, to go shopping with a friend...”

Inari shook her head and sighing rested her head back against Kiko’s shoulder.

“N..no… you were right. It was fun, until it wasn’t. It’s not your fault the world changed while I slept. It’s just I realised… well.. I’m a relic, a dried up, worn out thing with no use or place anywhere, that no-one wants or needs any more.”

Kiko looked at the downcast Inari in alarm… her mind flashed on the stories about Inari which were plain on certain points. One of which was that Inari recognisably suffered from manic-depressive episodes. The old tales were full of descriptions of her moods, alternating between energetic, playful mischievousness and languid sighing depression, when she would turn her face to the wall and refuse to even eat.

Panicked Kiko’s mind went blank, and she blurted out.

“But I need you! I want you!”

Inari lifted her head slightly… her face inches away from Kiko’s. For a moment, they froze, their breath mingling in the slightly chill air of the Ferris wheel’s cabin as the autumn sunlight slanted in.

Then Kiko leaned forward and kissed Inari on the lips.

Startled, mostly at how badly she’d misjudged Kiko, Inari breathed out a silent oh! As her lips parted Kiko deepened the kiss, her small pale pink tongue darting out to explore beyond Inari’s full red lips.

Inari leaned into the kiss, memories tumbling through her head of past loves, and how this was done; some things were changeless and ever new.

And then it was over.

Inari made a small disappointed sound as Kiko drew back, her expression a mingled tangle of emotions, shock at her own actions and fear at Inari’s reaction most prominent.

“I..I am so sorry Inari-sama!”

“You should be! That was over far too soon!”

Whatever Kiko was about to say was wiped away by her surprise, and dawning incredulous delight.

“You… you don’t mind? Inari?”

“Mind? I say we skip the bar and the pretty boys, and find ourselves somewhere to be alone as soon as we get off this thing.”

Kiko flushed scarlet and shook her head.

“N..no Inari… I mean yes, I want to! But I’ve just thought, there’s somewhere more important I have to show you first!”

“There is?!”

Kiko wouldn’t say what or where she was leading the laughing, disbelieving, Inari. She even retrieved a scarf from one of the bags to cover Inari’s eyes with once they were in the taxi… causing the driver to grin at them in the mirror. Kiko just promised Inari it would be worth it, in between giggles.

By the sounds and smells Inari guessed they were in a market area once she climbed out of the taxi with Kiko’s assistance. She resisted the temptation to peek as Kiko paid the driver, but she could see and feel flat paving stones, not asphalt or concrete under her feet.

“Ok, Inari, ready?”

“As I will ever be, yes.”

Kiko slid the scarf away, uncovering Inari’s eyes… and stood there smiling as Inari gasped and looked around her.

For a moment, Inari thought she’d somehow tumbled back though time; she recognised the street! The low wooden houses stood where she remembered them, looking very much the same as when she’d last seen them. Around her people bustled and the cries of the traders rang though the air, filling it with familiar sounds as their wares did with scents.

Inari breathed in deeply, and sighed… Then her eyes opened a bit wider in surprise as she began to notice details.

The houses although very much as she remembered them, with the sloping pan-tiled roofs and dark grey wood, weren’t exactly the same. Modern electrical cables snaked across the street and down walls. The stores had the old sign boards she remembered, with hand painted lettering… but they also had newer illuminated boards running up the walls alongside the displays. The air wasn’t as thick with the smoke of charcoal braziers, although there were just as many hot food stands as before filling the air with enticing smells. Although the street was paved in cobble stones, they were flatter and closely fitted, making a smoother neater surface for the modern vehicles.

Inari turned slowly, wide eyed, trying to take it all in, her head spinning as she absorbed it all. Then she gasped.

“Oh! I get it… it’s the same, but it’s not!”

Kiko laughed.

“I hoped you’d understand! Yes, it’s Osaka old town, but it’s still alive, it might be old but it’s still loved, looked after and used… Also, look there...”

Kiko took Inari by the shoulders and turned her, pointing at the street corner behind them. There was a shrine there, with a golden fox statue either side of it. Even as they watched, a person approached the shrine, clapped their hands twice, and bent their head in prayer. Inari could see the small forest of prayer talismans hanging from the pegs of the board. Some of the bits of card were old, weathered by wind and rain, but most of them were quite new still.

“See Inari, people still want you, they love you! I.. I love you Inari.”

Inari stood, her eyes shining as tears streamed down her face once more, and she laughed… and then pulled Kiko to her, hugging her tightly.

“Dearest one... thank you! Thank you for giving me... well, everything! Most importantly for giving myself back to me!”

Inari then grinned slightly…

“Now, if I remember correctly, there was a place nearby that rented out rooms. Let’s see if it still does, so I may properly express my gratitude!”

Kiko flushed brightly, but allowed herself to be lead away by the hand as Inari, laughing, strode confidently through the crowds.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

---

The lanterns were being lit in the street outside, when Inari woke. Kiko still slept, her legs tangled in the sheets, her pale skin glistening with sweat still, her hair in wild disarray upon the pillow. Inari slipped out of the low, western style bed, her feet silent upon the dark polished wooden floor. Paul-san had introduced her to showers; this room had been advertised as having a shower en suite, and with her skin slicked with sweat, she felt direly in need of one.

The ‘motel’ as it called itself now, was a lot more polished and elegant than the seedy little place Inari remembered, even if it was more-or-less the same building. The bathroom had polished marble floors and tiled walls now.

It also had a shower with more knobs and levers than Inari knew what to do with.

Inari glanced back over at her shoulder to where Kiko lay, her skin gleaming in the dim room like the moon in the night sky, and shook her head fondly. Kiko would need the sleep; mortals were not built to keep up with kitsune, and the motel did not rent rooms for less than a night which Inari had every intention of making the most of.

Looking back at the shower, Inari frowned. What she really wanted was a proper soak in an onsen hot spring. The little bathhouse at the temple wasn’t bad, but it was limited… and she couldn’t work out how long it had been since she’d been to a proper spa.

A memory tugged at the sleeve of her mind, and Inari padded barefoot and naked back into the bedroom. It was assumed that the people staying in the room wouldn’t be familiar with the area, and a map had been provided. Inari consulted it, hoping to jog free a memory.

She nodded as she read the street name again, and the list of nearby sights, most of which were still the same. There was a fairly well known onsen with bicarbonate baths and a beautiful garden within a very short walk, if you knew a couple of short cuts, which was what Inari had been trying to remember.

She debated getting more thoroughly dressed for the walk, but decided to wear the yukata she’d bought that morning. She didn’t have the proper undergarments so she made do with a camisole top and a pair of ordinary panties that Kiko had bought her with a cute fox face on the front.

Minutes later, and she was heading for the hot springs bath-house. She’d scribbled a note to Kiko in case she awoke before she came back, and found herself a pair of geta.

She was clattering along a small alleyway between two buildings that served to cut a good fifteen minutes off her walk, when she spotted a tousled mane of silver hair bobbing past the far end beneath a heart-wrenchingly familiar profile.

Without thinking Inari called out.

“Rin!”

The person crossing the end of the alley stopped mid-stride and looked around. Inari waved, then hurried forward, her geta clattering on the cobblestones.

“Rin! It is you! I don’t know how… but oh it is good to see you!”

“I... do I know you?”

Inari stopped, surprised… Rin was a lot taller than she remembered. Beneath the disguise one ear tip was missing, raggedly torn off and long healed by the look of it. The long silver tail that had once been Rin’s pride and joy, hung low, grey and thin looking.

“Rin... look at me! It’s me, Inari!”

“In… Inari?! No! Th..that’s not possible! You.. you’re gone... faded like the rest!”

Inari shook her head.

“No Rin! I went home, to my mountain… I slept for years after that last time, but I survived. Oh Rin, how did you live? What are you doing here? Are any of your siblings alive? Oh, I have so many questions!”

Rin stared at her, ears flat, yellow eyes wild…

“It’s... really you, Inari? You look so… different?”

Inari nodded.

“I know! I used up nearly the last of my power to become human. Borrowing Emiko’s form one last time… then there was an accident with a fledgling mage and I found myself transfigured partly into a Kitsune again. Oh Rin! It is SO good to see you! There is so much we need to catch up on. I have a new Herald and he’s a wonderful genius of man. I don’t understand how exactly, but he’s worked out how to make mana out of this electricity thing, and it’s, it’s working… there’s more magic on our mountain now than there has been in centuries!”

Rin stood staring at her for moment, then he took a step forward, towards her, and pushed.

Inari went flying, landing on the cobblestones. She sat, shocked, gasping, and jarred to her core… as Rin towered over.

“You..You.. ABANDONED me, us! Then you come back, over a hundred years later and you, you babble about some crazy thing, and not a WORD of apology for leaving us! My siblings, your children are dead, or faded and gone. Which is worse! I’m the LAST! Little Rin, the smallest, weakest, least able to do magic. Rin the runt, the failure, the freak, and I survived! I alone lived, using my wits. I survived Inari, when you just went back home and slept! Do you have ANY idea of the things I have had to do, to survive alone, on the streets?!”

“Rin-san… I couldn’t… there was no way...”

“I HATE YOU Inari! I wish you had died! In fact...”

Rin hesitated, eyes narrowing.

“In fact… I am going to rectify that mistake right now.”

Inari suddenly realised how much danger she was in, her magic gone, her body small and weak.. and Rin... Rin was no longer the always cheerful rough&tumble young fox cub she remembered from long ago. Rin’s teeth were bared at her, as a ball of foxfire formed in Rin’s hand

“Rin, no! Please...”

Inari’s last sight was the purple/blue flame engulfing herself, as Rin’s cruel laughter echoed in darkness of the nameless alleyway.

--

Kiko woke alone in the darkness, the night air cool against her bare skin. She felt around, and then stopped, wondering why she was in a double bed. Carefully sitting up, she reached for the blur that was the bedside table, and finding her glasses put them on.

Looking around, still three-quarters asleep, she initially didn’t recognise the room… then her cheeks heated as memory came flooding back!

“Wow...oh.. Wowww… I..we..really did that?!”

Kiko shook her head, surprised and shocked at herself… she hadn’t told Inari, but this had been her first time, with anyone! Although now that she thought about it, her cheeks burning, she was fairly sure Inari had guessed.

Kiko looked around, finally wondering where Inari was, and saw the note pinned to the pillow next to her. She unpinned it, and smiled at Inari’s archaic handwriting, which probably no more than a dozen people alive today could read, and the fact she’d drawn little hearts around her own and Kiko’s names.

Kiko… gone to the onsen to get clean. Come when you’re awake and help me get dirty again. Inari!

Inari had included a little hand-drawn map on the back of the note, to find the onsen she meant. Kiko didn’t recognise the name, but she knew the street and it wasn’t in one of the better parts of town. The map also showed her several short cuts through back alleys.

With a sinking feeling Kiko hurried to get dressed. She nodded at the receptionist on the way out, explaining she was off to join her friend at the local onsen. The young woman smiled and said she’d seen her leave an hour ago, wearing a pretty blue yukata. Kiko thanked her, and hurried off, following the map Inari had drawn, trying not to worry about what might have happened. Inari the goddess doubtless used to walk with impunity where Inari the mortal couldn’t now.

Kiko found herself at what Inari had called an onsen much sooner than she’d expected, thanks to the shortcuts. Although, suddenly, Kiko found herself wishing it had taken longer. Not that it would’ve made any difference as she hesitated on the doorstep.

Kiko’s heart sank as she took in the sight of the place. It had probably been a respectable onsen in Inari’s day. It was an old building, and at the time would’ve been quite high class. But it was now more a sento, or public baths, which advertised mixed bathing, and the attendant sitting on the bandai had visible tattoos all up his arms. Kiko swallowed, it was probably the sort of place frequented by all sorts of low-lives, criminals and general scum.

And she was going to have to walk in there and get naked, and bathe in front of all of them.

What was Inari thinking?!

Kiko pushed her glasses up her nose, settling them more firmly, and tried to look more confident than she felt as she strode forward..

By the time Kiko had put her things in a locker and showered, which was thankfully empty at this time of night, she was trembling like a birch leaf in autumn. She clutched her surprisingly large and fluffy towel to herself, and headed into the main baths.

At first glance she couldn’t see Inari anywhere, but there were several rooms of baths, including a salt sauna, where she couldn’t see. Trying not to panic at the leers from the frankly terrifying individuals lounging around she started to search for Inari, even calling out her name…

One man… at least, Kiko thought it was man, who was soaking in a hot tub started, suddenly sitting upright. Kiko’s eyes were drawn to the strange youth’s yellow eyes, and then up to the unruly mane of silver/white hair. He honestly looked like he’d stepped off the pages of a manga... where he probably wasn’t the hero.

The small towel balanced on his head slipped, and landed on the floor as he turned around to look at Kiko… and Kiko found herself frozen. There on the floor, along with the towel, were a pair of young women’s pantsu with a cute anime fox face on them.

Kiko remembered with crystal clarity the ripped open plastic packet at the end of the bed, with the exact same logo on it, which she had bought Inari only a few hours ago..

“You!”

“Hoi, me?”

“Yes you! What have you done to her!”

“Lady you’re crazy, I don’t know what you’re talking...”

Kiko took four running strides forward, as the silver haired youth tried to take one backwards away from her in the tub of water. Kiko’s foot met the bridge of Rin’s nose as she executed a perfect running jump kick, and with a splash they both ended up in the tub.

Kiko straddled the silver haired Rin, as blood rapidly turned the water pink, around them.

“Tell me where Inari is! You.. You rapist, pervert!”

“I.. glub. I’m not.. ulp”

Kiko had hold of the youth by the ears, and was dunking him, or her, underwater. She stopped as a large shadow fell across the water and looked up. Towering above her was the bearded, tattooed attendant.

“Hoi, miss. Dunno what your problems is, but I don’t think Rin is going to answer you like that, and if you kill them I’m gonna have to charge you extra to get rid of the body.”

Kiko let go, and Rin came up for air, spluttering.

“Thanks Karl, is that what I pay you for? Making money off my murder by a crazy woman?”

“Cleaning fee. You don’t pay me enough to get mixed up in your love life. You couldn’t pay me enough.”

“We’re not lovers! I’ve never seen this man before!”

Kiko hotly exclaimed. Rin glared up at her.

“I’m NOT a man!”

Kiko blinked, and reflexively glanced down, then back up, meeting Rin’s lopsided and blood-stained smile.

“Not a girl either… and I swing both ways. Wanna go for ride?”

Kiko held Rin’s head underwater for bit longer as Karl walked away shaking his own massive bald dome.

Kiko eventually, and reluctantly, dragged the distinctly water logged Rin back up into the air, and left them retching and coughing over the side of the tub, as she helped herself to a small cup of the rather surprisingly good sake that was on a tray next to the tub.

“Ok, talk!”

“Can’t… sake, please.”

“Talk or no sake, only more water.”

“Ok ok… I didn’t kill or rape Inari.”

“Says the pervert who was wearing her pantsu on his head!”

“It was a joke!”

“Not. Laughing. What did you do then?”

“Played a trick on her… a bit of a mean one. But… only a trick. Umm... you do know...”

“I know who she is, and I’ve got a pretty good idea what you are. So.. Keep talking!”

“You know she abandoned us? Her... children. We had no idea what happened, she just vanished from her… home… one day. While we were out, er, running errands, for her. Then she turns up, years later looking as if nothing happened. Looking better than I’d seen her in a long, long while in fact.”

“I’m sorry for you, but she nearly died too. Now, spill it, what did you do!”

Rin sighed, and pressed a cloth against their nose.

“I... may have made her think I was going to kill her, and then knocked her out. I truly couldn’t hurt her though. I don’t have the strength for that… kind of thing.”

“You... knocked her out, and just left her?! Where! If you left her in some alley somewhere I’ll..”

“No, no! Gods! What kind of a.. never mind.. no I put her some place safe. She’s sat in a corner booth with couple of empty sake bottles in front of her in bar just down the street...”

“You left her in bar! Unconscious! Without any pantsu on!! What kind of an idiot ARE you!”

“Umm… when you put it that way...”

Rin looked up and behind Kiko, as a shadow fell across the water again. Looking up Kiko saw Karl glaring down.

“Hoi, Rin! You need to leave.”

“What? I paid for the evening… I mean sorry if this person is making a lot of fuss but..”

“Rin. You NEED to leave. What you’ve done. Ain’t right.”

“Et Tu Karl?”

Karl nodded, and put a folded, dapper looking white suit on the stool next to the bath.

“Yeah. Get dressed Rin. You fucked up, go fix it. Or don’t come back.”

“Aww shit Karl, why you gotta be like that?”

Karl growled… a disturbingly tectonic sound, and cracked his knuckles.

“Ok, ok I’m getting dressed... see!”

Karl grunted, and then looked at Kiko. He bowed, fractionally. Kiko wondered if that was because he didn’t seem to have a neck to nod his head with…

“This place ain’t normally bad, I try to keep order here. But some sorts keep dragging their troubles over my threshold. I hope you’ll come back miss… we could do with a classier sort of customer here. If you do, your next visit is on the house.”

“I... thank you, Karl. I think I might well come again.”

Karl grunted.

“Good. Hope you find your friend ok. But.. if not, come and tell me.”

Karl glared at Rin, who smiled somewhat sickly. Kiko didn’t need to ask what Karl meant. She just pushed her glasses up and nodded, once.

“I will do that.”