Scarlet Fate

Chapter 2: Gentoka

I just had the most frightening dream. I think this as I open my eyes. In front of me, my mother is sleeping. Right… It was all a dream… That dark shrine… That dazzling sword… Living as Princess Tamayori… That fox god with the sliver fur… All of it, just a dream. Thank goodness… My mother is still sleeping sweetly in front of me. I give her hand a soft squeeze. It's so warm and gentle. "…Oh, you're awake?" Mother speaks in a sleepy voice with her eyes still closed. "Yes… I just had a really long bad dream." I squeeze my mother's hand tighter. "Oh… How terrible." Mother looks towards me. "Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone right now." My mother's name is Uki Tamayori. "It's OK. I'm right here. Her warm touch, the way her soft voice comforts me like a warm blanket… I miss her… I miss her… so much…

I open my eyes. In front of me is the floor of my bedroom. I must have fallen asleep lying face down. I guess I was dreaming about my mother again… I say to myself, still half asleep. But then… I realize that I can still feel that warmth on my hand. What can it mean? I ask myself, puzzled, as I raise my head off of the ground. "…" I'm so surprised, I can't speak. "What's wrong…?" In front of me there's a man with silver hair. His hair shines in the sunlight, complimenting his chiseled features. His one opened eye has a gentle glow to it. Not knowing what's going on, wondering if i'm seeing things, I rub my eyes and blink. But he's still there. Thinking that I'm still dreaming, I look around. It's where I always wake up…my room inside the Shunka Temple at the Kifu Shrine. Oh yeah… Last night, I was attending to Gentoka's wounds. Somehow, I seem to have fallen asleep. The fox god… Gentoka… has disappeared, and now there's a man inside my room. So he must be… "You must be… Gentoka, right…?" The man with silver hair smiles gently and nods slightly. "Indeed. Because you tended to my wounds all night, I am in your debt, Kana."

Feeling it would be rude to stay on the floor like this, I hastily get up. "Thanks to you, I'm still alive. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't be here.", "I… was only doing what I was supposed to do." Although I'm able to squeak out an answer, I still haven't recovered from the shock. At any rate, he was a fox just last night, so… "Uh… are you really Gentoka?", "Yes. Is this your first time seeing a monster?" I cringe slightly at his use of the word "monster". Countless gods inhabit this world. From the trees in the mountains to the rocks that make it up, everything has a god living inside it. The variety of gods is so diverse that it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a god and a monster. To a human, the only differnce is whether they mean us harm or not. And if that's the case… "You are not a monster. You do not exist to harm people without reason." He stares at me for a moment, looking surprised, but quickly resumes his normal expression. "Then, let me put it this way. Is this the first time you've seen a god?", "No, but… you're the first I've seen both before and after you've taken human form." I've seen many gods before sense I am Princess of this shrine, I am supposed to meet gods to make peace with them so our villages can live as one. "I see, I'm sorry to have surprised you. I figured it would be better to take on the form of a human since I'm in a the human world.", "I see… Is this your form as a fox your true form?" I was thinking about asking him this but I thought that it would be too rude to imply. "Whatever fits the situation. For a god, shape doesn't have much meaning." Be that as it may, I would never have imagined that rough and wild fox could turn into this man. On the other hand, there's an air about him that resembles the fox in many respects, making it easier to believe. Such as… his right eye if shut, like the fox's was last night. Perhaps he is unable to use it. But, what about… "Um… your clothes…"

"Should I take them off?" I hastily stop him as he starts to take off his clothing. "No, please don't… It's just, I was wondering where you got them from?" I should have told him that before he asked, what was I thinking? "I keep them around for when I change forms, but… maybe it would be more polite to take them off?" I stopped him, I was so shocked that he has never been around humans long enough… even though he is a fox. "N…no. You are alright. Anyway, why don't you just stay here and rest? Even though you are a god, with those wounds…" I remember last night. He must have pulled them all out himself. His body was covered in arrow wounds, and blood was flowing endlessly from them. The cloths I used to try and stop the blood are scattered about the room, but the man in front of me doesn't look hurt at all. "Uh… Your wounds…?", "I made it so they don't stand out. Don't worry. As long as I take it easy for a few days, I'll be fine." I didn't like those words… It makes me worry. "I see… I will leave it up to you then. I'll be back. You stay here and rest, please." His eyes follow me as I stand up.  "Where are you going?", "I want to tell everyone you're here, so they're not surprised." If I don't tell the soldiers in the village they might attack him on sight, I can't hide him in my room either, the maids would find out. "I'll go too. I want to learn more about you." Gentoka stands up as though nothing has happened. "Y…you can't. Didn't you just tell me you have to take it easy for a few days?" I wish that he would keep to his word. "Just walking around won't kill me. I can't help but be curious about what kind of person you are. Show me around. This is your place, right?" He asks frankly. I nod without thinking.