Everyone in the bathing room went completely still as Inara stepped inside. The only sound was the occasional gentle splash of a drop of water falling from a wet body to the tile floor. Hebi quickly filled the silence with the rhythmic sound of scrubbing, using a soft brush held in her tail to wash her own back.

Then Akari followed Inara inside, looked around the room, and said, "How nice, we're all here."

Akari wasn't a great actor and no one should have been fooled by her fake surprise. Yet Inara seemed to be.

"That's right! We've never bathed all together like this, not since Neko joined our home," Inara said cheerfully.

Hebi and Usagi shared a quick glance. The fact that they'd succeeded at luring Inara into an intervention proved that something was very wrong. The goddess should have seen right through them, she should have read their emotional states and known that something was up. She should be the one asking them if something was wrong, if they needed help.

"I'm certainly digging it," Neko joked, her twin black tails flicking through the air. "It ain't often I get to see this much skin all at once."

Good, Akari thought. At least one of us is able to act normal. Now we just wait until everyone's soaking in the bath.

Akari took an empty stool next to Inara, tried not to get distracted by the phenomenal body on display, and started to wash herself. It was relaxing, and the motions so familiar they were basically just muscle memory. Once she closed her eyes to wash her hair, it was like the rest of the world fell away, leaving just Akari and her thoughts. It was a pity that her thoughts were so unpleasant.

Is this even going to work? What if Inu was right and cornering a fox, a natural predator, is the wrong move? I trust Inara. I know she would never hurt me, but… I'm worried she'll run away again, hide from her problem until it gets even worse. What if she lashes out during a shrine service? Will the visitors feel it? Will they run away in terror and ruin the shrine's reputation forever? Will I still have a job?

"Uh, Akari? You eventually gotta rinse the soap off if you wanna get clean." Akari hadn't moved in nearly a minute, and Neko had noticed.

Neko's voice cut through Akari's stupor. As the fog of negativity faded, the illumination of understanding shined in its place. We need to do this if we want to help Inara. There's a risk involved, like there is with everything in life. But we gotta try. We need to get clean.

Akari upturned a bucket of water on her head, rinsing the shampoo from her hair, the soap from her body, and the anxiety from her thoughts. Then she turned to look at the others. "Sorry about that. Got lost in thought."

"No problem" Inu said. She was already sitting in the bath, and her hair was wet and lying flat against her scalp instead of all fluffed up. She looked cute like that, and definitely less intense than normal. Usagi, Hebi, and Neko were soaking too, spread out along the far edge of the bath.

Inara climbed in, toes first, then her long and slender legs. Then she submerged her hips and tails. Akari couldn't count how many tails because they were too indistinct. Another bad sign.

Akari got in too, sinking all the way to her shoulders. The water was perfect: hot enough to feel it warming her to the core, but not hot enough to get her sweating. But she didn't have time to relax. She looked across the pool of steaming water, past the six pairs of legs shimmering under the surface, and made eye contact with Hebi. They all looked to Hebi to lead them, now that Inara wasn't able to.

Hebi gave a single nod, then turned to face Inara. "Inara-sama," she started. This was no time for nicknames like 'Boss'. "I have something important to talk to you about. We all do."

Inara blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

"And I need you to promise not to run away from this conversation, no matter what comes next."

Inara's brow furrowed at that. Hebi had certainly set a dire tone. But she gave a nod and said, "I promise, except I will leave if I'm putting any of you in danger. Especially Akari, because humans are so fragile."

Hebi sat back against the side of the pool. She hadn't relaxed, but she was no longer on edge. "That's acceptable."

"So what's so important that it had to interrupt this lovely bath?"

"It's actually the whole reason for the group bath. We orchestrated this to talk to you. We can tell that something's wrong with you, Inara-sama. You've been bottling things up lately, and then lashing out. Inu got the worst of it the other night, but that was far from the only time."

Inara didn't react, so Hebi cut to the chase. "Have you lost control of your tails? Are your emotional states out of reach or something?"

Inara didn't answer. Her face went blank and emotionless and she stood up to leave.

Usagi grabbed her leg, holding it tight to her chest. "You promised!" There was true emotion in her voice, more than Akari had ever heard from the rabbit.

Inara shook her head. "I won't put you in danger."

Usagi wasn't backing down. She countered, "I think you're using that as an excuse. I've seen you at your worst, and you aren't nearly worked up enough to be a danger yet."

The goddess stared down at her for a moment, then she looked around at the other women in the room. They were all staring back at her in anticipation, with fearful looks on their faces. But they weren't afraid for their own safety. They were afraid for hers.

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All at once, the stony expression melted away, leaving a sorrowful one. She sat back down and pulled her tails around and across her chest. There were three distinct tails, meaning she was in her submissive mode.

"Alright. I admit it. My control over my emotional state has weakened. I can't pick my moods right now I'm sorry for any worry that's caused you, and for any harm I've caused you, my lovely family. I'll try my best to improve."

Hebi stood up, water trickling down her slender body and steaming in the cool air. "Your loss of control isn't really the problem here." The other girls stared at her in confusion and she continued, "I think it's a symptom, a side effect of something greater. Inara, tell us what is really bothering you."

Akari recognized this power dynamic instantly. The sexual aspect that she had seen before was gone, but Hebi was firmly in control and Inara was submitting to her. That was good, better than Akari had hoped. If one of the mischievous sides of Inara had appeared instead, or her dominant one… Akari didn't even want to think about it.

Inara spoke, slowly at first but with gathering speed. This wasn't just bottled up emotion, it was a dammed reservoir. "I'm afraid, because I feel like I'm getting weaker. I'm losing my power, and it's because my connection to mankind is all but gone. I peek out at the humans who visit the shrine, I walked among them during the grand opening. But they all feel alien to me. It's like we share nothing in common at all. They live their simple lives and they have everything under control. But I don't. My head's a mess. I have no right to meddle with their perfect lives when my own is a disaster that worsens every day."

She paused for a single breath, then continued, "And when I hurt Inu, it made it even worse. It was like I was watching someone else move my body and make me say those things. I wanted to stop, I wanted to comfort her, but it was out of reach. It was impossible."

"You're wrong about humans," Akari cut in. "We have no idea what we're doing, and our lives are anything but perfect. Every one of us is a bundle of imposter syndrome, snap decisions made with incomplete or inaccurate information, and a false sense of control. We're all messes. And I think you should meddle with our lives. Every person I've ever met would benefit from advice and guidance, even if they refuse to admit it."

Inara opened and closed her mouth, not finding the words. It hurt Akari's heart to see Inara looking so powerless. The woman Akari loved was powerful, she was wise, she was a goddess. And Akari was determined to help her be that again.

She grabbed Inara's hand and pressed it to her chest, just above her heart. "I'm human. Do I feel alien to you? Can't you feel my devotion for you? My connection to you?"

Inara's cheeks flushed with color, another abnormal look for her. Then she said, "I do feel your devotion, and that's the problem."

Akari flinched at that. "Huh?"

Inara quickly explained, "Your devotion is like a beam of light penetrating all the way to outer space. Compared to that, the humans who visit this shrine are just coins on the bottom of a murky pond, barely visible at all."

Neko paddled closer and kneeled in the middle of the pool then spoke up, "That's because they ain't worshipping you directly. They're here for Shintoism, for the shrine itself, and maybe for the mountains and wildlife the shrine serves. You've intentionally separated yourself from all of that. Akari knows the real you, so you get the full brunt of her devotion." Neko grinned her Cheshire grin. "Honestly, I'm pretty jealous. I was never able to get that from my human lovers."

The three tails in Inara's lap shimmered and split to eight: innocent. She pouted at Neko and said, "I can't reveal my true self to humanity. That would do more harm than good."

Hebi, still standing over Inara in a position of power, said, "You don't need to go that far. Just add a little of yourself to the Shrine. Make some fox statues, or commission a ranma carving in your likeness to put above the front entrance. Put down some roots, Boss."

Hebi paused for a breath, then continued with a softer tone, "Besides, I bet the people who bought those wooden figures we sold at the grand opening, the ones you helped make, are shining more than coins in a pond. Cast your attention to the north, and you'll see the same sparkles I do."

Neko turned and blinked up at Hebi in eager disbelief. "You got worshippers in town?!"

"Not intentionally. I just carved some figures for the shrine." She shrugged dismissively. "I guess people like them a lot."

Inara nodded in answer to Hebi's request. She was facing north with a distant look in her eyes. "It's true. Some of the people with those figures are visible to me even from here." A gorgeous smile filled her face as she continued, "One young boy has a complete set, and he loves them very much."

The goddess paused and shook her head in shame. "How have I never noticed it before?"

Usagi slid close and patted her on the leg. "Because you were hiding. Take it from me, you can't see the sun if you're hiding inside a burrow."

Hebi crouched down and gently took Inara's hands. "It's time to open up, Inara. It's time for you to be a Shinto goddess again. There are people out there who don't know how much they need you, a whole town that could use your love, your prosperity."

Inu cleared her throat, then said, "Uh, about that. Shinjō isn't doing so hot lately. Lots of run down homes, including the one I used to live in."

Hebi gave a firm nod. "It's true. The town has lost over 7,000 residents from its peak. Shinjō relied on industries and agriculture that have mostly moved overseas. Much of Japan is in that state. And the birth rate has reached historical lows."

Neko came in on cue. "Hey, ain't fertility your jam, Inara?"

Usagi answered, "Yes it is, along with agriculture and industry." It was a blunt approach, and it probably sounded just as scripted as it was, but they needed to make sure Inara understood what was at stake. There were millions of people out there that needed exactly what she could provide.

Five pairs of eyes watched the goddess closely, hoping against hope that she'd take the path they'd so obviously laid before her. The 'make Inara commit to helping Shinjō' plan had been conceived before they knew the source of Inara's troubles, and it had originally been intended to give her some motivation. But now that they knew that Inara's problem was directly tied to her relationship with humanity, it was crucial that she take up the cause. Humanity needed Inara, but Inara needed them even more.

Suddenly, Inara's tails became a blur, shifting from one to eight and every number in between at random. Usagi flinched at the sight, then relaxed as Inara calmly reached out and grabbed one of her tails from the indistinct mass. At that instant, her tails solidified, and there were five. She was in 'caring' mode, and she'd chosen it herself.

Inara smiled. It was just as radiant and bewitching as the first time Akari had seen it. It was the kind of captivating otherworldly beauty that didn't steal Akari's agency, it amplified it. It made her want to love Inara even more, to open her heart even wider. To be there for her forever, as family. To make Inara her purpose, to serve that higher cause, the way the other spirits already had.

"I guess I have my work cut out for me," Inara said casually. "So I'll need all of your help. Hebi's ideas sounded excellent, and I'm sure we can all find ways to contribute to them." She stopped and blinked back tears. "And thank you all, for believing in me even when I couldn't."

Independently and unscripted, the other five women gathered around her and pulled her into a hug.

"You're welcome, Miss Inara," Inu said. "And we're so happy to have you back."