A Fox's Whisper

31: Ҝ卂乙ㄩ卄卂

Sometimes I've marveled at what it would be like to be a cloud...floating along where the breeze takes you, unbothered and uninfluenced by the world below you. You'd simply just be. But then again, that would be easy. And if life isn't hard then you'll never truly know the good days, the best ones of your life.

As I stood there hugging Inari like she was the one thing keeping me from vanishing, I truly felt the agonizing side of this world. Of how I was torn between making one decision or the other, knowing that whichever one I chose could result in the death of someone dear to me.

If I went after Tomo, there was little chance of me getting through to him. His desire to witness the Musou no Hitotachi would take precedence over any admonitions I could offer. But if I didn't, his prospects of winning the duel were incredibly bleak.

Even so, there was the matter of Legion and Inari, and I simply couldn't bear leaving her alone with him prowling around, waiting. The idea of either Inari or Tomo dying wrenched and squeezed my heart like someone wringing water from a wet rag.

"We can't tell Miko about this," Inari said at last, and the inner war raging inside my thoughts stilled briefly. "Because then Legion might overhear and we'll be at a bigger disadvantage than we already are."
Her voice wavered slightly like she didn't trust it. As she pulled away from me, the chill of the room took her place. "Promise me, Kazuha. Promise me you won't tell her or anyone."

I looked sadly at her, noticing how every breath she took rattled her whole body with shivers. "I promise."
I reached forward, taking her hands in mine. Her fingers were icy and stiff like the blood had been completely drained from them.

"How long do we have before the duel?" She asked, not meeting my gaze.

"Six days."

I could tell she was forming another plan in her mind, but because she refused to look at me, I was fairly sure it was one that I was not a part of. And that troubled me.

"We'll figure this out," she said. "We'll think of something."

Except now neither of us knew what to do. Not completely. It seemed there was too much time in between what would take place, and all the same too little. Time has a bad habit of tricking you into believing you're better off than you are.
Despite that, to think I knew what to do when I truly didn't would be worse. That in of itself was a disease that would get us both killed.

There were six days for Inari and me to think of something. Six fleeting days...I felt a sour taste fill my mouth. Suddenly the walls of the room seemed smaller, more constricting.

"I'm going to find Miko," Inari said, tugging her hands away. "I'm going to..." She trailed off, looking back once at me before wrenching the door open and sprinting off.

I dropped my hands, staring right at where she'd been standing in front of me. Inari was terrified. I feared it would lead to hasty decisions that could only forebode some ghastly quietus.

Before long, I found myself outside and away from the confines of indoors. The air was heavy with rain as I sat by the fox statues in front of the Sacred Sakura tree. The strange whispers of the statues filled my ears, and I shut my eyes to listen. I could not understand what they were saying, but indeed they sounded somewhat urgent. Certain and desperate, as if they too knew of the dangers ahead.

I wished I could know what they said. No doubt they watched with empty blank eyes all that passed by at the Shrine, but being stone they could not breathe a word. One must have quite a lot to say after being stone for centuries. I felt pangs of sadness in my heart for the kitsune, and it only worsened the blooming distress that clouded my view of the world.