Inari's Renegade

Chapter 9

       I found the house deserted and quiet, just the way I liked it. When I opened my bedroom door, I was ready to dive face first into my bed when I saw Kieran sitting on the window sill. He had abandoned his dark cape for a red t-shirt and blue jeans. I didn’t feel like asking him how he found out where I lived, so instead, I accepted it and buried my face in my pillow , groaning as I did so.

“It’s a nice place you got here.”  He said. I just gave him thumbs up as a reply. “What does that even mean?” I waved him off with my hand telling him to go away. He sighed. “Kaneko, talk to me. It’s no fun having a conversation on your own.”

I lifted my head. “ Why are you here? Don’t you see you screwed up my life enough?”

“ I actually helped you.”

I snorted. “The only time you helped me was when you distracted that dragon…”

“Don’t forget I spared your life when we first met. If you think about it, you paid that debt by protecting me in return.”

  I had repaid him, but I wasn’t happy about it and he  couldn’t have wanted to save me either, knowing he’d be  severely punished.

“I think if you knew the truth about you ‘mentor’, you wouldn’t feel so much sympathy for him.” He said, bringing me back to the present.

“What are you talking about? Akihiro is perfect.”

He scoffed. “Akihiro was one of the Myobu who banished my parents.”

I sat up. “Whoa, what are you talking about?”

    “My parents weren’t supposed to fall in love,” he explained. “My dad was a void kitsune and my mom was a Celestial. It wasn’t approved by the land, since Voids and Celestials were the versus of good  and evil. When I was born, they were put on trial in The Lady’s temple and when they were found guilty, they were banished to the land of the dragons. I don’t remember anything else after the hearing. Except it was dark—even by my standards—it was like a true abyss. All I could hear were my parents screams.”

     He turned away from me and looked out the window. He was far away now. “I was crying for them, asking them to come back to me. Then I saw him. He put his hand on my shoulder, told me his name was Erebus and that I belonged to him.  My parents bargained with him to let me live, but what they were doing was setting me up for a fate worse than death.”

“But you never sacrificed anyone right?”

 He gave me a sad smile. “I guessed Akihiro would have told you about that. No, I kept myself isolated for a reason. It’s not like I want to sacrifice my kind.”

 “Akihiro was just looking out for the best of the clan.” I whispered.

He gave me an incredulous look. “But he didn’t have your best interest in mind, since he never told you what you are.”

“What do you mean? I know exactly who I am and where I belong.”

He gave a cruel laugh. “Do you really think you belong with those Celestials?”

“Yes, I do. Even though the Japanese god only accepts them, I have a gift that Inari could use.”

“True, but Akihiro brought you up this way, so you wouldn’t switch loyalties.”

“Okay, what are you talking about?” I screamed, tired that he wasn’t getting to the point.

“You’re really a Nogitsune.”

I laughed in his face. “Don’t be ridiculous! I don’t use my powers for malice like you. I do my best to uphold the righteousness of our people.