Shizu chased after the other girls. They had placed their own offerings on a small plate and surrounded a short stone basin. Each of the girls grabbed a long wooden ladle from the basin and washed their hands one at a time. Shizu copied them, minding the water splashing onto her kimono. She didn’t know what would happen to her if she got the clothing dirty.

They ran down another path deeper into the shrine with their offerings in hand. The trees closed in on them. The group sped their pace up until they reached the offering area.

Shizu peered into the large box in front of them. Inside was a multitude of coins of differing value. If she were to take them now, the only people who would see her were the girls. But she could present it to the kitsune for their favor. She shook her head to ignore the thought. They had not asked for the money from the shrine. Simply to perform her birthday offering as best as she could and get close to the priest.

Yoko was the first to place her food on a small plate next to the offering box. She reached up and rang the bell above their heads. It chimed softly. Once the bell silenced, Yoko bowed, clapped her hands together then bowed again. Each girl after Yoko did the same.

“What are they doing?” Shizu asked Yoko in a hushed tone.

“Haven’t you been to a shrine before?” Yoko asked and raised an eyebrow.

Shizu shook her head. “They never let me leave.”

“We’re giving our prayers when we clap. The inari protect us and lead us to a great year. But this is special because we’re becoming adults, so we get to ask for something special.”

“Something special?” Shizu didn’t know what to ask for. She could pray to grow in strength, but that was already happening. Or she could request that her trainers be easier on her. Again, that wouldn’t happen.

It was Shizu’s turn, and she still didn’t know what to ask for. She rang the bell. Bowed and clapped her hands. Then stood there. Her mind raced to figure out something to wish for. She thought back to each of the girls she had accompanied and imagined what they had wished for. She’d return to the shinobi to harness the skills of a killer through countless trainings and missions. These girls had no worry about that. They’d return to their homes and a warm bed with family. Nothing scaring them or teaching them the horrors of the true world.

It came to her as she stared at the other girls. Their innocence was something she would never have but wanted to taste again in their presence. The wish she wanted now. “Please let me be able to see them again! And let them never be targets of any of my missions,” she prayed and bowed. The wind picked up for a moment, and when Shizu opened her eyes, in the distance sat what looked like a fox staring back at her. Its fur bristled before darting back into the forest.

Yoko walked over to Shizu and grabbed her hand. “Everything all right?”

Shizu looked at Yoko then back into the forest. The trees were all still. She shrugged and let Yoko pull her along to the front of the shrine where the gate awaited them. She paused and turned to look at where the priest still stood next to the main shrine building.

“I— I have to go. The priest wanted to talk to me about something.”

Yoko smiled and nodded. “Well, we’ll be in the center of town if you want to find us.” She poked the center of Shizu’s palm. “So, you don’t get lost.”

Shizu looked down at her palm. Nothing magical happened from the touch, but her body felt warm all the same. Yoko released Shizu’s other hand, and the group of girls ran off back into the village. As Yoko disappeared in the forest, the cold reached her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she wanted to chase after the girls. She didn’t want to leave Yoko’s side.

#

The priest and Shizu sat at a small table facing one another. Underneath them both were small cushions that were softer than she had ever experienced in her life. It formed around her legs under her body, so it felt more like a cloud. Even the tatami had more bounce than the stone floors she walked across for so long.

The priest poured water into a small cup. The tea leaves inside floated around lazily, soaking in the water. The water turned a dark sludge-like black. It reminded her of the drinks she had while with the kitsune.

“Shizu. You’re sure that’s your name?”

She nodded. The question made no sense. Of course, she was always Shizu. Thinking back on a time that she wasn’t made her head hurt and didn’t want to deal with that today.

The priest hummed to himself and put a small bento box in the center of the table. He unwrapped it to reveal a few pieces of fried fish inside. “Your surname?”

Shizu shook her head.

“Not even a surname... You know, Shizu, I know everyone who lives in this village. I understand you’re not from around here, but I can’t recall anyone telling me of a family moving in that had a young girl. You are lucky I carry extra offerings just in case.”

He pushed the small bento toward Shizu and handed over a set of sharp chopsticks. Her mind went back to the weapons training. Each tool is an extension of her own hand and arm.

She looked up at the priest for reassurance that she could eat. The kitsune had stopped her once before for eating without their permission. She picked up a piece of the fish and brought it to her lips. The taste had a lot of salt, but there was a hint of tang as well. She took another bite. The taste was all too familiar to her. Like the meals, the kitsune had provided her.

A smile stretched across the priest’s face, and a darkness Shizu recognized all too well flashed in his eyes. “So, tell me, Shizu. Where are the kitsune hiding now?”

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Shizu choked on her food. “What?”

He ignored her question. “Or are you with the clan? Did they send you to kill me this time?”

“The who? I don’t know anything about kitsune.” It was too obvious a lie, and the smile that stretched across the priest’s face meant he knew as well.

“It’s not polite to lie to your elders, girl. I’ve lived here long enough to recognize when a new child comes here that shouldn’t be. Kitsune might be smart and excel at tricking others, but you’re a human.”

A soft clink broke the tension. They both looked down to see a dagger stuck in the table between them. Surprised, Shizu looked up to the window, but there was no one there.

The priest stood. “Seems our time here is up.” He forced a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “It was a pleasure talking with you, Shizu. But it seems you are needed elsewhere.” He stood and closed the window. The priest turned to look back at her. “You’re sure you will be fine to leave on your own? Don’t feel tired or weak in any way?”

Sweat beaded at his temples. His gaze darted between the door and Shizu.

She shook her head. “I feel fine.” She stood up and wiped away any remaining dust on her kimono. “Thank you again for the meal.” She bowed to the priest. There was something the knife-throwing shinobi didn’t like about him, but she wasn’t going to go against her teachings of politeness at the very least.

She reached to open the door, but the priest ran over and held it closed. He furrowed his brow as if in deep contemplation. There was more sweat on his forehead, but he was focused on something she couldn’t see. “Wait. It’s not safe out there.”

Shizu sighed. He wasn’t threatening her life, but he was becoming a nuisance. She reached down where the kimono folded over itself and grabbed a small knife of her own. She pointed it at the priest.

“Let me out now or I will do what the others failed to do.”

“Stupid child. You should be dead already. How are you still able to threaten me?” he hissed. “I was right all along. You were one of them.”

“What are you talking about?” She strained to not kill him like the straw men from the kitsune den. It would be simple enough, but there wasn’t an order on his life. She could keep her hands clean this one time unless he directly attacked her.

Before he could answer, someone burst in through the window. He was dressed from head to toe in black cloth. He was tall and lanky, towering a head over the priest. In his hand was a scythe on a long chain. She had been instructed it was a kusarigama but was never trained with the tool. It dragged behind him, scratching the wood.

The priest tripped over his robe and fell to the ground, still moving away from the intruder. “I didn’t hurt her! Look, she’s untouched. Just take her and begone, demon!” The priest shouted. “I haven’t broken our deal, so just leave me alone.”

The black-clothed man turned to look at Shizu. His dark brown eyes scanned her body for a moment before turning back to the priest. He hauled the chain up to hold the sickle in his hands then stepped forward. His feet never made a sound on the tatami floor. He was more of a shadow.

The priest pushed himself against the wall and covered his face. “I promise I won’t do anything to your clan again. There are offerings left in the box still. Take it and the girl. Please!”

The shinobi stopped his approach and slid the sickle into a small strap at his side. He nodded his head and turned back to Shizu. The man grabbed Shizu’s hand and led her out of the building and back outside.

Shizu took one last glance behind her. The priest stood at the doorway, the fear wiped away from his face. Like a corpse that stared onward without any semblance of energy left in him. He wouldn’t forget their encounter, and neither would she, if she ever had the chance to harm him. No different than the straw men from the den. Everyone was just made of straw that could be punctured and killed.

“Where are we going?” Shizu asked the silent shinobi.

“Home.”

He didn’t say anything else for a while as they traveled through side roads away from others. Stars welcomed them both in their travels through the village, blinking on with the first lamps in the buildings surrounding them.

“How do you feel?” he said, breaking the silence between them.

“I feel fine. Why?”

He grunted in response. He lowered his voice. “The fish was poisoned. The kitsune was to build your tolerance to it. Glad it worked.”

“Poison?” Shizu shouted.

Before she could continue asking more questions, the shinobi covered her mouth. “Shut up, girl. Obviously, it doesn’t work on you. You ate enough in your years with the kitsune to be immune to most of them. So don’t yell out over trivial matters.” He glared at her and removed his hand. “Now stay silent before I sew your mouth shut.”

They continued down another side street until they stopped in front of a small shop. The door had a blue curtain at the top with a script that she couldn’t read. She peered inside where a few seats lined a bar. There were no patrons, but a man stood behind the bar examining a sharp cooking knife. It didn’t seem like there was any food or drinks to be served, but the descriptions the kitsune taught her about the real world told her this was a restaurant.

She expected the shinobi to have her sit at one of them. Instead, they walked to the other end. He placed his hand against the wall, and it slid to the side to reveal a large opening down into the ground.

“Welcome, Shizu, to the Hikage clan.”