Old Promises, New Mysteries: Book 2 of The Kinstone series

The next few days were a mix of training and exploring. Yukari and I traversed through the woods where I watched the villagers traveling from the town to the train station. Normal stuff. A few times I caught the sight of shadows passing overhead.

I leapt up into the trees, which are as tall as the ones back home and whose branches are equally as broad. I came to realize that what had passed me were karasu-tengu. They are in some ways related to harpies, but possess dark feathers more akin to crows. The word karasu is in fact Japanese for crow.

I did see a few fields further north of the valley, more than likely rice farms. I knew fishing was important to the village, given that it sat along the ocean, but did they have to truck in other goods? The village was in fact rather remote and hidden away. Lots of little questions.

During the training sessions, Yukari had me practice with how to move around more gracefully as a kitsune. Here’s something you have to know. From nearly the beginning of when Rachel began raising me, she had taught me gymnastics and dance.

We continued ever since then, and even were included during our usual lessons. I’d have to say that I was pretty graceful…as a human. Kitsune possess a far greater level of grace and movement which rivals that of elves.

Yukari accomplished this by levitating little beanbags, having them orbit around me, forcing me to dodge and weave through all of them. During the course of the session, the speed would slowly increase as well of the directions of the bags.

I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I got hit by them. When I was, I didn’t complain. Compared to my sparring sessions with Silvi, this was like being pelted by toy darts. It didn’t hurt, just annoying. But when I was hit and fell to the ground, Yukari simply told me to get up and try again.

In time I grew to enjoy these sessions, using my ears and tails to balance myself while flipping and spinning in the air. It almost felt like dancing. This style of training also was similar to how Fenris and I would train at times during our early morning workouts. I learned how to use minimal movements to conserve my energy. Always something new.

I also hadn’t been to the village yet, not sure if I was scared or just nervous about going down there. It was part of my training to go down and visit it. At some point I will.

I was visited by Asha’s girls, who took me around the forest as well, showing me a few of their favorite spots to hang out at. While being with them, part of me felt like being with the gossip. The group had its leader, who in turn was the head attendant.

Asha also would stop and visit. It was great having her there. She and I would talk about how much I was enjoying living here, falling into the routine of waking up, making breakfast and heading out for a lesson.

The strange thing about all of this was how easily I forgot that I was only to be there for a couple months. In a way, this was home to me and I loved every moment of it.

Something I did want to do was go swimming. I love being a kitsune more than anything in the world, hence why from the first day I pretty much remained as one. So during our seventh day there, I left the house and headed for the beach.

I managed to pull a one-piece swimsuit from my suitcase, slipped it on, and found a hooded jacket and sandals. I am also a little self-conscious about myself, so "no" on a bikini.

The path from the house to the beach pretty much was a straight shoot, with a few swerves through the forest. It took me a good twenty minutes to reach the beach. I was at least mile or more from the village. This made the likelihood of encountering someone low.

The sun hung high and felt hot on my skin, perfect for a swim. I took off my jacket and sandals, placing both onto the warm sand. Fenris, who had accompanied me, took guard over my stuff. I waded out into the water, which was nice and warm to the touch.

I held my necklace, having reverted to a human before heading down here. Finding a deep enough spot, I thumbed the crystal, transforming into a mermaid and dove into the water.

The coastal waters felt incredible against my soft scales. I had gone swimming other than the lake or my occasional trips to Nerazon, with each time being escorted by the gossip. So being able to be alone in the water and not at home was a real treat.

The water was clean and felt amazing to swim through. I didn’t go far, mainly just around the cape.

My intention was really to just do something a little different, and I knew nothing of navigating the open ocean. So forget going out past the shoals. The bay itself is perfect for me.

I casually swam around, letting myself become lost in the sensation, much how I do whenever I’d go running. Again this was slipping into a state of Zen for me. Nothing else mattered, just the mere fact of me in the water and my body moving seamlessly through it.

I explored the bay, seeking to find every little space available. Fish swam past me, seemingly unafraid of my presence, with even a few swimming beside me. There was even a sea turtle in the bay.

I casually swam over to it and stroked its shell, which apparently it enjoyed as it stopped in the water for a moment. It soon moved on, possibly heading to the surface to breathe. I smiled as it left. I then wandered around the water, having this crazy notion that I was going to come across a gossip of Japanese mermaids.

I did see a couple of umi ohso, sea turtle girls, swimming off in the distance. I held back, not really sure how’d they react to seeing a strange mermaid swimming over to them. The pair were out hunting fish, swimming in circles to corral them for the boats that floated overhead.

I did mention that I was staying near a fishing village. It was a sight to behold, watching them work in tandem with each other.

I smiled softly, seeing even more yokai. Now…there was one race of yokai I had to be careful with. Not in a bad way, but again wasn’t entirely sure how’d they respond to a foreigner swimming in their waters. Those would be the otohime. Think ryujin of the sea.

Their bodies where the same expect that their lower halves and arms resembled sea dragons. They commanded the seas with utter power, with only the high folk of Nerazon rivaling them in strength and prestige. I kept a wary eye out for them, hoping to not cross them in any way.

I dove deeper into the water, heading straight to the bottom. I grinned, finding a couple of crabs fighting each other. Sitting on the bottom, I felt the currents gently moving in and out around me. Being a mermaid, it took a lot more than coastal tides to knock me loose from my seat.

I pulled my tail into my chest, gazing out into the deep ocean. The sun’s light filtered in from above, appearing to float and shimmer as it passed through the tidal motion. I smiled softly, letting nothing faze me, thinking that I could stay down there forever.

What eventually did was my stomach whining, wanting food. Yeah, swimming as a mermaid, much like flying as a dragon, burns through pretty much anything you ate earlier.

It’s a full-body action to swim in the water, using not only your tail to propel yourself forward. You also have to use your hands to steer, the pectoral fins for balance and even finer movements. Even my ears serve as a means of controlling how I swim. So I rose from my seat and swam for the shore.

As I broke through the surface, I looked over to see Fenris still sitting on the beach, tails swishing in the sand. I grinned, swimming over to him. Just as the water broke onto the beach, my hands braced into the wet sand and I turned my body to where I was now sitting in the water.

I thumbed my necklace, watching as my tail split apart into my legs, seeing the ice-blue scales recede into my skin. My fins retracted into my waist and my hands returned to normal.

I felt the water rushing in between my legs, causing me to coo softly. I never really got used to seeing that, which always managed to bring a smile to my face.

I stood up out of the water and walked over to Fenris, picking up the towel and began to dry myself off. The hot towel felt amazing against my skin, instantly warming it up. I pulled on my jacket, plopping my hat onto my head.

“Uhhh…excuse me?”

My heart skipped a beat as I spun my head to see a young man standing just a few yards from me. He was another kitsune, with four amber tails swishing behind him. He held a slight athletic build, definitely a runner and showed signs of having practice of heavy lifting. His hair was straight but unkempt in places.

My instant reaction was to also transform into a kitsune, but held my tails together. He couldn’t have been older than sixteen, and was clearly taller than me by at least half a foot. He wore a long shirt and shorts, with blue shoes on his feet.

Fear crept up my spine, had he seen me transform from a mermaid back into a human?

“Sorry if I startled you, but when I saw you walking out of the water, I had to come over and meet you. I’ve never seen you before. Are you new to the region?”

I clung to Fenris’ hot dark fur, hiding behind him. My bonded stared at the boy, not growling, but watchful of him.

The boy took a step closer, “I’m Kenji, Kenji Nonoha. I live in the village north of here. I must say you really are beautiful. Are you an American by chance?”

I looked to him, face was blushing deeply. Did…did he just say that I was beautiful? I had been called that before by others, but they were adults.

This was someone my age and a complete stranger. And if I had to be honest…he was kinda cute too. My eyes darted from side to side as a storm of thoughts swirled in my mind.

He took another step closer to me, “Can I ask what your name is?” A sly smile rose on his lips, “I guess you can’t understand what I’m saying can you? It’s amazing to see an American kitsune, you really are beautiful.” My ears shot straight up, and my tail swished softly behind me, gently brushing against the sand.

This guy really was laying on the charm and it wasn’t coy, pretentious, or overly audacious. This was an honest attempt by someone. I know a pair of men who could really take notes from this guy.

This felt natural, like meeting someone in school or at a coffee shop. No castles or knights present, he wasn’t wearing super expensive looking clothes. He was just a simple, normal boy. Well…and the fact that he was a kitsune didn’t hurt.

His smile was genuine and gentle. I felt my heart continuing to race within my chest. “Still can’t understand me can you?” I hid even deeper behind Fenris, not sure if I should answer him or not.

He sighed, “Well…guess I’ll see you later then,” slowly turning away from me. My heart jumped a little, part of me didn’t want him to go but the other part was screaming at me to leave.

“It…it's Aria.”

He looked to me, with a soft smile rising on his face, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Aria-chan.” He took another step, extending hand to me.

Even with part of me wanting to stay and talk to him, this was too much for me. I turned and bolted for the path up the house.

Kenji turned to run after me, “Aria-chan, please wait.”

Fenris stepped in front of him, again, not growling. The wolf looked at him, staring the boy down. The kitsune gazed at the wolf, sensing that it probably wasn’t a good idea to pursue after me.

The boy threw up his hands, “I mean her no harm. I just want to talk to her.”

Fenris continued to block him, shaking his head.

The boy sighed, looking up towards the path. A smile rose on his face, “Seeya around. I hope.” He then turned and headed back up the shoreline.

I wasn’t even thinking as I ran up the hill. I had basically been sprinting nonstop and didn’t even realize it. My legs finally gave out about halfway. My muscles burned and stung, feeling them spaz out slightly.

One rule of about transforming back from being a mermaid was to never to just run shortly after getting back onto land. The muscles needed time to readjust to carrying weight. So my decision to just bolt away really wasn’t the brightest idea I had. I collapsed onto a rock, panting heavily.

My mind was a jumbled mess. That boy, Kenji, was really cute and I just ran away like an idiot. I held my head in hands, quietly swearing.

Why did you run away like that? I asked myself. I groaned loudly, punching my head.

My ears then perked at the sound of sticks breaking. I looked up to see Fenris walking over to me. My ears flattened as he stepped closer, lowering my head, “I messed up didn’t I? I just froze and then ran away like a coward.”

The wolf walked up to me, nudging my chin with his nose, raising it up to where I was staring into his eyes. “You are no coward, little Aria. You were caught off-guard and were unsure how to react. The boy was honest and appeared to have genuine interest in you.”

My head bobbed slightly on his muzzle, “I know and,” cheeks then blushed as I giggled, “he really was kinda cute.” The wolf pulled back, sitting onto the ground.

His lips curled softly into a smile, “Are you now thinking of seeking him out?”

I shot a glance into his eyes, then looked away “No…not…I don’t know. M-maybe?”

Fenris barked a loud wolfish laugh, his tails wagging happily, “If only your mother were here. What would her thoughts possibly be upon this matter?”

My eyes glared at him, “Not. One. Word. To her or even Miss Yukari.”

The wolf chuckled, leaning in to lick my face, “You are rather adorable when you feign anger.”

I grumbled at him, trying to stand up. My legs wobbled slightly, threatening to have me collapse back to the ground. Thankfully Fenris lowered his head to catch me, propping me back up. I clung to his fur as we turned towards the house.

I still had to admit to myself, the guy really was cute and if I weren’t only here for a short time I’d actually, might, maybe possibly consider the idea of going out with him. If he’d ask me, of course.

Yeah…I was actually starting to fantasize about a boy. Oh the firestorm that would hail down onto me if the girls back home heard about this. The endless teasing and the pressure to go after him would be exasperating. I shook all of those crazy thoughts from my head. A smirk then popped up on my lips, hey Savero, Drakon; you both might have some competition.