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

The month of May had started, which means I only have less than a month remaining before I’m supposed to head back to America. I haven’t even thought of the Estate much in the past few days, having simply grown accustomed to life in the village.

Yukari and I had stepped up in my training, having an increased focus on my agility and further expanding my knowledge of kitsune magic.

By this point I was now able to generate up to three clones using the tags, and could also now create one using my kitsune-bi, but just one. The spell drained a lot out of me and while able to interact as though it were me, the moment you prodded it, the clone would burst into flame.

Thankfully, I wouldn’t combine the foxfire with dragon flames, which might result in a less than favorable response from my aunt. We would also travel again to the local inari shrine where she would teach me in the spiritual rites of the kitsune.

Since kitsune are known as “messengers to the gods” it meant the race had a much stronger tie to the spirits. While the ryujin are more focused on the physical world, the kitsune were tasked with seeing to the spiritual needs of others and to the gods themselves. Many of the practices including chanting and praying, standard priestly duties.

During this time was when I really was to pay attention to the shrine maidens. I would spend a few hours of the day at the shrine and follow along with the daily duties of the maidens. Sweeping the grounds, cleaning the structures, and looking out for the odd fox spirit that would appear at the shrine.

A question I asked was if all kitsune perform this role and the answer was not all, but only a few. Yukari felt that it would be prudent that I learn these aspects of the race to help better understand it.

While at the shrine I was to wear the garb of the miko. I thought it was cute, white haori with red hakama trousers. I would tie my hair back into the proper style.

My time at the shrine was only supposed to last less than a week, but I again grew to enjoy the few hours that I was there for each day.

One early afternoon I decided to sit out on the deck, like I normally would, and relax with a cup of tea. It had always been nice to stare out onto the ocean.

The mermaid in me felt a longing for the sea. During my time here I only went swimming a few times, and only when the older kids were away at school.

I even swam a few times with Harumi, the umi osho Kenji told me about. I found her to be an amazing person to swim with, often swimming with her around the cape and sometimes beyond the harbor to explore parts of the ocean.

We often merely spent time talking with one another, talking about each other's lives and the men within them. I'd blush whenever she'd bring up Kenji, still very much feeling our first kiss.

The younger children attended an in-town school, which I popped by a few times and listened in as they learned how about the world beyond the train station. They also learned how to assume a more human form, with several succeeding quickly.

My legs curled around me as my shoulder leaned against the pillar. The skies above bore a slight overcast which the weather reporter spoke of high rain chances. Weather like this would want to put anyone to sleep. A cool breeze brushed against my face, which carried a mix smell of rain and seawater.

A hand then rested onto my shoulder. I looked up to see Yukari smiling over me. “I hope I’m not disturbing you Aria-chan.” I shook my head, coiling my tails around me.

My aunt knelt down beside me, “I have to go into the village to take care of a few things and will be gone for most of the day. Will you be all right watching the house alone while I’m gone?”

I nodded to her, “I’ll be okay. I might go see Asha before the weather gets nasty.”

“Asharyume is not home at the present. So you can take the day off,” she said.

I sighed, feeling more tired, “Okay.”

She smiled, leaning in to kiss my temple, “Get some rest sweetie. You’ve earned it.”

I smiled, watching as she then rose and walked back into the house. A few moments later I heard the sound of the front door close.

I lowered myself onto the deck, laying my head onto a pillow. My tails coiled around me like a blanket. My eyes slowly grew heavier as I stared out onto the sea, hearing distant waves crashing onto the shore. Even being this far out from the coast, and with the large span of trees the lied in between, you could still faintly hear the ocean.

It’s one on a long list of things I had grown to love about the area. The house had long become home and I almost didn’t want the end of the month to come. I guess it was the kitsune in me that wanted to stay.

It wouldn’t be a bad life here. Simple, you could go to school with the others. Enjoy the heartache of graduation, and then possibly go to college elsewhere. You could even marry and have children of your own.

My face blushed softly at the last thought. But the truth is that while no matter much I had grown to love this place. My heart was still buried deeply in the Estate and with my mother.

I missed her and had steadily growing more and more homesick. For now, I just wanted to rest. My eyes grew heavier until they finally closed, letting my drift away into my fleeting dreams and fantasies.

A soft hand brushed against my face. It felt warm and gentle. Something then tickled across my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes, thinking that it was Yukari having come home from her errands.

“Welcome back,” I whispered.

“Well thank you.”

My ears then perked up, the voice wasn’t that of my aunt but of a boy, one that I know very well. My heart pounded in chest as my eyes completely opened to the sight of Kenji kneeling in front of me.

A warm and gentle smile stretched across his face, “Sorry I haven’t seen you in the last month. School’s been keeping me pretty busy lately and then there’s helping my father and uncle out on the boat.”

I looked to him, sort of forgetting how to move. He smiled leaning into me, “Not only can you sit like a princess, you sleep like one, all quiet and still.”

My heart shoot another hard thump in my chest as he then lightly brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. I couldn’t help but just stare at him.

He chuckled, “What, nekomata got your tongue?”

My cheeks blushed an even deeper shade of red, “Ummm…Hi.”

He laughed even more, “Well hello yourself and welcome to the conversation. Was starting to think you weren’t interested in talking to me anymore.”

I shook my head, “You…you just surprised me. That’s all.”

His fingers continued to caress my cheek as he stared into me with his warm brown eyes. He leaned and planted a soft kiss onto my lips, drawing another smile from him, “I guess a month a part made that kiss taste even sweeter.”

My cheeks exploded into a deep red, my tails even curled and coiled around me.

I gave a slight nod, “Y-yeah. I would kinda have to agree,” speaking shakily. Holy shit girl, you just had your second kiss from a boy!

I really was at a loss for words in that moment. Here is Kenji sitting in front me and I am just a freaking piece of jelly. I finally forced myself to sit up, still looking into his eyes as I rolled my legs out in front of me.

He drew in a deep breath and appeared to wince slightly. “Hey I was…was wondering if you would like to go out on a date with me.”

My eyes grew huge as I felt my heart launch straight into my throat. Since the first day I met Kenji, I played with the thought of him asking me out and now here he was, doing that very thing. My twiddled my fingers in my lap, not sure how to respond.

“Aria-chan?”

I looked into his eyes, smiling, “Sure, I’d love to.” A grin stretched across his face, with a clear glint that he had scored a massive victory. I giggled softly, “Where…or what would you want to do then?”

He pulled back slightly, “Well…there’s the upcoming Tokomistu festival.”

I tilted my head, “The what now?”

Kenji smiled, “The Tokomistu festival is a celebration of the fox god of the same name. I’ve heard he’s a really nice deity who helped found this entire region as a safe haven for yokai and watches over us. The local shrine is dedicated to him and is also the primary shrine for this particular region of the prefecture, so the festival is a major draw for pilgrims and visitors from all over. You have been to shrine festival right?”

I grinned nodding to him, “With my mother a couple years ago.”

He grinned, “Excellent. I guess we have our date planned.”

My cheeks blushed deeply, nodding, “Guess so. When is the festival?”

He smiled, stroking my hair, “A week from now.”

Okay…what’s the deal with things being a week from when I’m told they’re happening? I’ll let it slide this time.

So my first date ever will be going to a shrine festival. Wow…what would Rachel or anyone say when they found out about this? I giggled to myself, probably launch a billion questions followed by teasing and whatnot. Guess I’m gonna need to find something nice to wear. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Kenji then rose and sat beside me. I couldn’t help but lean into him, feeling our tails wrapping together. His arm draped around my shoulder, rubbing it softly. “I wish you could stay here until the summer. I’d love to see you in a yukata.”

I giggled, wishing I had the pictures from that night. “Maybe another time Kenji.”

He smiled, kissing the top of my head, “I can wait.” He then held me tighter.

My eyes slowly closed as my ears listened to his heart beating wildly in his chest. He gave the impression of a calm demeanor but his heart was saying that he is just as nervous as me. No real shocker if he could hear mine beating just as hard as his.

I then felt the gentle piercing gaze of a father, poking his head into the room. I open my eyes to see Fenris sitting in the yard. The massive wolf stared warmly at us, tails swishing softly on the grass.

My cheeks burned timidly as I stared at him. “I…I guess you saw all that didn’t you?” The wolf nodded, rising to his feet and walking over to us.

Kenji looked at my bonded as the wolf then gently pressed his head into my chest. I grinned stroking his furry muzzle. “What…kind of wolf is he? Is he yokai like us or something more?”

I pressed my head onto the top of the wolf’s, nuzzling and shaking mine at the same time. “Not a yokai. Just think of him as a really big and super-powerful wolf. He’s bonded to me and is also kinda like my dad.”

Kenji’s eyes grew huge as he quickly bowed to him, “I…I didn’t mean to be so forward with your daughter sir. And if I have acted inappropriately, I do apologize.” My cheeks flushed a warm pink.

Fenris curled his lips into a smile, “You have acted as a proper man around my little one. For that, I salute you young man. Treat her with the respect she deserves.”

The boy’s eyes flared even wider, “He…he just spoke.”

I giggled, scratching behind the wolf’s ears, “Yep, and he’s super protective.”

Kenji looked back at Fenris and bowed his head, “I shall treat her with respect sir.”

The wolf nodded, his eyes then turned to me, “Your mother will want to hear of this, little Aria.”

The fur on my tails stood on end. Yeah…was not hoping to have that really awkward conversation with Rachel about this. I sighed softly.

I leaned back into the boy, hand still grasping onto the wolf’s fur. What could be worse is if my friends from the Coven also learned that I was going on a date. We are extremely close-knit and any news about anyone spreads like wildfire.

This was worse when it came to me. When Jenn told them about the birthday gifts from Drakon and Savero I was hounded for days and then learned that even the adults had heard about both men vying for my affection.

One little thing that bugged me was if either of them knew about the other. If they did, what could happen if they were ever to meet? Not that I’m concerned for either of them. To be honest, I wished they’d both just leave me alone.

I am with someone that was beside me now, and that meant a billion times more that any extravagant gift or lyric either could ever hope to offer me. I grumbled to myself as I pushed those thoughts aside and enjoyed the moment.

The winds soon began to pick up, with the scent of rain growing even stronger. Kenji looked to me, “I should head home before the storm really gets bad.”

I nodded, not wanting him to leave however. “Okay. Seeya later then.”

He smiled, squeezing me close before releasing my tails and scurrying around the house.

I lied back onto the deck. My heart raced wildly in my chest. I was actually going to get to go on my very first date. And no…that time in Rome with Kerrigan doesn’t really count despite what some might say otherwise.

I laid my arm over my eyes, thinking about next week and going to the festival with Kenji. I kinda wondered what Saya and the others would say when they learned I was. I rolled onto my side giggling loudly.

“I see you had a visitor.”

My ears perked up as I saw Yukari standing over me. My cheeks blushed softly, staring up at her. She smiled, kneeling down beside me and patting her lap. I rolled to my other side and laid my head onto it.

My aunt gently stroked my hair, “Was it the boy from the beach?”

I nodded, “He…he asked me to go with him to the festival.”

A broad grin stretched across her face, “I am so very happy for you Aria-chan. He is a very good boy from what I’ve heard and from what I have seen of him. Your mother would very much approve of him.” My cheeks burned even more.

She chuckled, “Well before you can have your date, there is something you must do first.”

I looked up at her, ears flattening, “What?”

She stroked my hair, “I had you selected to perform the shrine dance during the festival. It’s the seminal event and most popular.”

My ears shot straight up, “But…but don’t I have to be born in the village or something to be eligible?”

She smiled, poking my nose, “Nope. Merely that you are a kitsune under the age of seventeen. Which you clearly are.” I nodded slowly, still trying to take in the shock that I would be performing in a shrine festival.

Her tails softly wrapped around mine, “But even before that, I will have to teach how to perform the Inari Kagura.”

My eyes stared at her, “The what?”

She smiled, “It is the dance that honors the local deity. It is a quite beautiful dance, which involves rather intricate movements that watchers often perceive as being nearly ethereal in nature. Hence why kitsune are often tasked with its performance.”

I nodded, “So all of that training with the flying rocks will come into play huh?”

Her hand gently stroked my ears, causing me to coo softly, “That is correct. But there is one more thing that I must inform you about the festival.”

“What’s that?”

“It draws from not only the immediate region but from all over the prefecture. This means that there will be humans who unaware of the actual existence of yokai will be present.”

I stare up into her eyes, “So that means that I will be dancing as a human then?”

She nodded, “Correct. Which I don’t believe will be too difficult for you.”

Oh yeah, not that hard. I still was human as my base, but since living here, I sort of forgot that I was. It happens. I remember when I lived with Silvi during that week and half before my first trip to Japan in that I was a dragon that entire time.

I hadn’t really assumed my human form much at all in the past couple of months. I would just have to readjust to walking around without my tails. And then there was the dance. I grinned. I was both excited and terrified for it.

“I’m also guessing that I will be dressing up for it right?”

Yukari nodded, “Indeed you will. A unique shrine maiden garb meant only for this shrine. With it, a mask and tail.”

“So a human dressing as a kitsune?" I giggled, "Yep…done that too.”

She grinned, “I remember the photo of you that night. You truly looked adorable.”

The night of my first winter festival, aside from wearing a Wa Lolita outfit, Rachel also had fox ears and a tail that matched my human hair color. The picture of both my mother and I standing together that night sat on “Study” next to the one of Marron and me in New Orleans. Both are amongst my most treasured possessions.

I sat up on the deck, resting on my knees. “So when should we start?” The loud crash of thunder rang in my ears, forcing me to cover my ears, and letting out a soft yelp.

My aunt chuckled, “My…you can become a frightened little girl at times.” I grumbled at her.

She smiled, stroking my hair, “Well not today obviously. But once the storm passes we will start. This dance will demand utter perfection and I will be drilling you harder than ever before.”

A smile rose on my face, “Can’t wait to start.”

She nodded as she rose to her feet, “Why don’t we make some lunch? I will have to talk to Asharyume about making sure that the weather for those two days is without rain.” I smiled in agreement. We both then headed inside with Fenris taking up the rear and closing the outer doors.

The storm raged on all night, with the winds constantly howling against the house. I had been through my fair share of storms in the past, even survived a hurricane, so this really isn’t all that bad to me.

The only difference was my proximity to the coast. I knew the waves would be crashing heavily onto the shore, and storms along the coast tended to be a lot harsher at times than being further inland.

I curled up into Fenris while both Yukari and I rested in the living room. The TV played softly in the background, nothing special, just a local comedy show. Over the past couple of months I had gotten used to Japanese television.

Well I use the term, but aside from anime, you really have to have the mindset to fully understand a lot of what the country airs. And don’t get me started on some of the game shows. I miss watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

I craned my head over to my aunt, seeing her reading over a newspaper. She glanced up at me, giving me a tender smile. It felt completely natural and become normal for the both of us. A “mother and daughter” just sitting in a room together.

It brought a smile to my face until I thought of sitting in the parlor with Rachel, pretty much doing the exact same thing. I miss her, miss being around her. She also was missing me terribly.

We hadn’t spoken in a couple of days, which probably made the both of us even more uneasy. And with what now lied in store for me in the coming week, I hardly doubt that I would be able to contact her.

I also didn’t know how hard Yukari was going to teach me the dance. A couple years ago, Rachel had also taught me several forms of dancing such as ballet (which I was extremely embarrassed with when I had to wear a leotard at first), the waltz, and several folk dances. This would be no different but at the same time, would hold a bit more meaning as I would be performing it for a religious festival.

But getting back onto topic, at some point during the next week I wanted to call her. Hell…why don’t I just do that now? I rolled onto my feet, stretching my body.

Yukari looked up at me, “Off to bed?”

My head shook, “Gonna give home a call.”

A smile rose on her face, one of her tails uncoiled from mine, “Go ahead dear.” She then grinned deviously, “Be sure to tell your mother everything that you have planned.”

My cheeks instantly burned brightly. Seriously? Geez Yukari, give me grounds for a heart attack why don’t you. I grumbled and stormed off to my room.

I closed my door and picked up my phone, but became hesitant about hitting the button to dial home. I crawled into a corner and huddled up into a ball, just staring at my phone.

You have to call her. Not just because you want to tell about your date next week. But also because you miss her.

I sighed, holding the phone, until I finally hit the call button. The line rang for a few moments until it clicked.

“Aria?”

I blushed, “Hey Rachel, hope it’s not too early or late. Never did get used to the time difference.”

“It’s quite alright my love. For you I’d gladly stay up all night for you to call me. Are you doing well? I’ve missed hearing your voice.”

I grinned softly. Yep, she’s been up for a while. “Yeah, all’s good. Just been a little busy lately, hence the lack of communication. There’s a big shrine festival coming up next week and Yukari is having me perform the main dance.”

“That’s wonderful my darling. I have all the confidence in the world that you will perform admirably.”

Something I need to mention is that during my entire stay here in Japan I hardly, if ever, spoke any English. Partially due to the obvious reasons, with the other reason being that it simply became all too natural for me to speak and now even think in the language. I’ve been so immersed and ingrained into the country that it pretty much was all I ever heard and therefore spoke.

When I got home, it was definitely going to take me some time before I could speak English with the same proficiency. So whenever Rachel and I spoke to one another, the calls would all be in Japanese to lessen my confusion.

I smiled. “Thanks Rachel. I think she’s gonna start training me tomorrow. Wish you were here to see it.”

“As do I sweetheart. But if I were to come, more than likely I would instantly wish to bring you home with me. This would rob you of the rest of your time there.”

I giggled. Knowing her, she definitely would do that. I took a deep breath, knowing that the next piece of news would probably send her into orbit.

“I'm...also going on a date.”

The line went dead for a moment. Well…except for the sound of a soft squeal.

“Rachel?”

I searched desperately for her voice, listening deeper into the phone.

“My little girl is growing up so fast. To be going on her first date. I assume it will be that boy from the beach correct?”

I nodded my head, even though I knew she couldn't see me. “Yep.”

“I have heard that he is a good young man from Yukari. So I trust that he won't do anything ‘foolish’.”

Now my cheeks burned even hotter and my body bundled tighter into a ball. I knew what she was referring to.

“He won’t. I’d kick his ass before he even got the chance to.”

I heard her chuckling on the other side of the phone. “Yes you would and no one here would blame you.”

I giggled softly, now lying my body down onto the mats, “Just less than a month left.”

“I know my darling. The Manor is deafeningly silent without your presence to give it life.”

I smiled. My tails covered my body like a blanket. “Everyone there doing okay? I’m sure Silvi is counting down the days ’til I get back and that she and Velhemina have been going at it a lot lately.”

I heard her chuckling again. “Yes, both your sister and your aunt have been increasing their little squabbles as of late. As for everyone else, they all eagerly await your return. The children are constantly asking when you are coming home.”

Micha and Luna. God I miss those two little pups. “I can’t wait to see them. Oh by the way. I know it’s still a month and half out, but has the location of the summer festival been decided yet?”

“Not as now my love. Miriam hasn’t made any announcements on it quite yet. But rest assured we will know soon. I am quite sure everyone will be excited to hear of your time abroad.”

I blushed once more. Again I could see my mother grinned ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. Yep, if she did send the video out, I would definitely be hounded with tons of questions about Kenji. Rachel, please do my favor and not blab about my date next week.

“Well sweetheart, I know you and Yukari will have to rise early in the morning to begin you training for the festival. You take care and get some rest.”

“You too Rachel. Love and miss you lots.”

“Love you too my darling. Have a good night.”

The call then ended.

I lied there on the floor, head swirling with thoughts of the festival and my date. It both events would be here faster before I knew it. The former would be the easier to prepare for. But the latter...how does one prepare for their first date?

I didn’t know, obviously. And if I were to call anyone, say Jenn or Marron, they’d both come down hard on me with questions about him. So they were out.

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. The fan whirled overhead, swaying in small looping arcs.

The coming week was going to feel like I was preparing for war or something, with lots of planning and practicing. Or I simply just let myself go and enjoy the date. You can’t really enjoy something if you are constantly fretting over it. It’s a lesson that I still struggle with.

A small exasperated sigh slipped past my lips. It was still a week away, so let it come when it does.

“Aria-chan. Dinner is ready, so come on down if you’ve finished your call.” I heard Yukari yelling out.

I sat up on the mats and stood up. Food would be good to help ease my mind. I turned and left my room, hopping back down to living room to eat.

The next few days were among the most strenuous I had ever endured while living in Japan. It wasn’t the early morning wake-ups that got me, which were my usual thing anyways. No, it was having my aunt drill me in dance sequences for nearly six to eight hours straight.

For every mistake I was to start all over from the beginning. And it was hard whenever I would get to at least the halfway mark and then had to restart. And there were dozens upon dozens of tiny little motions that I had to perform.

The first day alone was her showing the movements and the meanings behind them. And did I mess up a lot during that day. No one’s perfect, including me. So half of the day was spent with me going from the beginning.

It was frustrating beyond belief which only got worse over the following days. She wouldn't yell at me if I made a mistake, only clap her hands stopping me, telling me what was wrong and then showing me how to correct it. From there I would start the dance all over again.

My feet were to not only move in perfect rhythm with the music but my feet placement also had to be perfect as all. Even my hand movements held significant meaning.

The dance would start from a kneeling position in front of an effigy of the local deity, bowing low, and then slowly rising to my feet. In my right hand would be the Kagura-suzu, ritual bells, and during certain parts of the dance I was to strike it, letting it ring out onto the stage. The tough part of that was not letting the bells ring as I swung them around through the air.

The entire dance was to last for at least five minutes. I had to memorize every movement of my hands, feet, body; even my breathing had to be synchronized with the music. Now onto the describing the dance itself. Yukari was correct in saying that when observed by any normal human it would appear that I wasn’t really human myself.

I danced and swayed which such grace that it was akin to watching water flowing in midair. I wasn’t exactly supposed to go into a trance during the performance, as it wasn’t meant to show that the deity had possessed me. But when listening to the music, one couldn’t help but slip into it.

This…actually helped me out a great deal in that I knew the motions and positions but I needed the rhythm in order to let everything else flow out of me. That really didn’t come into play until the fourth day of practicing when I already had most of the dance memorized.

Two days before the festival was when she had the outfit I was to wear fitted for me. The primary outfit was a white kimono with dark inner sleeves and a thigh length skirt. Over that would be worn a haori with red and gold trimmings, and a hood that the front piece was a false fold-over with black trimmings and red cords.

The mask was a white long snouted kitsune mask with red markings. It looked a bit like what Sakuyamon wore in Digimon, as it also stretched about three-quarters of the way over my head.

I was also to wear the hood over it with holes for the ears to fit through. Finally the tail was attached into the obi as well. For my legs, I wore long dark gray leggings and black, heavy rubber-soled slippers.

When I first put it on, I nearly fainted as I looking at myself in the mirror. My hair was split into twin tails and wrapped tightly in red ribbons that crisscrossed all the way from my chin down to the ends. I had to be human for the fitting of course, but the image of me as a kitsune while wearing this would not leave my mind.

Yukari had to take a picture of me. “For the village archives” she told me. Yeah right, you’re going to send it to my mother just to embarrass me more.

The rest of the day was spent practicing the dance while wearing a mock-up of the outfit. That way I knew how to move around in it when the time came. It was really challenging with the long sleeves hitting against my body and throwing off my movements as they swayed in the air.

As per tradition, boys were not permitted anywhere near the maiden that was to perform for the festival. So I didn’t see Kenji at all during that week, which didn’t bother me.

My guess was that it would be better and wait until the night of our date. Not really a bad idea, it meant that it was going to be even more special when we actually went on it.

My friends were allowed to come see me the night before the festival, having learned about it from their parents. Each had called or texted me over the past week, telling how much they couldn’t wait for my performance.

They all awed at the pictures of me in the outfit. I didn’t tell them about my upcoming date with Kenji, knowing that they’d want to tease me about it.

We sat in my room with me fumbling over my phone. I had been receiving messages from all of my friends back home, all lending support for tomorrow’s performance.

I hadn’t even been to the shrine since I learned that I was to perform in it. But I did learn that all of the preparations had been completed yesterday with only the delivery of the food being the last thing needed.

I sat quietly as the girls all talked about how they had seen humans filing in from all over the prefecture and that the local inns were slowly filling up. People were going to have to be bused in from the neighboring villages and that our little village was quickly becoming overwhelmed by outsiders. I huddled tightly on the floor, my tails all coiled around my bare feet.

“Aria-chan?”

My ears perked up, seeing Saya staring up at me. Her eyes glittered with concern. She really was acting like a cat in that her mouth was partially opened.

“Are you okay? We know you’re nervous about tomorrow. You don’t have to be. We’re all here for you.”

I smiled to her, “Thanks Saya-chan.” She crawled over to me and leaned against me. The other girls followed suit, all hugging me.

Yui and Miu both purred into me, having wrapped themselves into my tails. Ayame and Mayori both sat behind me, having wrapped their arms around me, holding me tightly.

I smiled, loving the fact that my friends were so close to me. I wrapped my tails around everyone, holding them close. I felt their gentle, warm smiles.

“We also know about your date with a certain kitsune,” chimed Ayame.

My face blushed hotly as I looked at her. “How…how did you find out?”

The gyoubu danuki grinned, “Girl, it’s my stock and trade to be caught up in the latest gossip in the village. I overhead some of the boys talking about it a couple days ago and no…Kenji-kun wasn’t the one who spilled the beans on you. Somehow the word got out about you and him.”

My ears flattened all the way to the scalp as my cheeks burned even hotter. Great, now the entire village knows about it.

Yui looked up at me, her silver eyes staring right into mine, “We don’t like the fact that we have to share you with him,” speaking softly. Her twin nodded at the sentiment.

Those two didn’t talk that much, being far more expressive with their thoughts through purrs and subtle body movements. They had also grown a tad possessive of me.

Whenever we were together in the village, they would huddle around me at the sight of Kenji and his crew. They’d stare at him, crowding me and wrapping their arms tightly around my body.

It wasn’t that they didn’t approve of him, just that they felt protective of me. And this was after he and I kissed. I smiled at the twin nekomata, scratching both of them behind the ears, grinning as the pair purred and mewed happily.

Mayori plopped her head onto mine, “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. It would suck royally if it did. Seeing at how hard Aria-chan’s been training this week.” Saya and I both giggled.

“Asharyume-sama promised that it wouldn’t,” said Saya. “She’s really looking forward to seeing Aria-chan dance.”

I grinned at the thought of seeing Asha as a human again. She had stopped by a few times during the week to check in on my progress, so it was great seeing her. With a ryujin watching the weather, nothing was going to ruin it.

The night wore on and the hours were slowly growing late. We huddled together tightly into a ball, just letting ourselves melt into each other. A soft knock rang on my door, causing all of our ears to perk up. I looked up to see Yukari standing in the doorway.

“All right girls. Aria-chan needs her rest for tomorrow. So say goodnight to her.”

They all nodded and gave me one final tight squeeze. I grinned, hugging them tightly in return. They then rose from the floor, each telling me goodnight and best wishes for the morning, and then quietly exited my room, bowing to my aunt.

Saya was the last to leave, turning to look at me. “See you tomorrow Aria-chan.”

I smiled, “Seeya.” She then turned and left.

Yukari walked into my room and knelt beside me, pulling me into her, stroking my hair. “Big day tomorrow.”

I nodded, feeling her tails wrapping my around mine. “Very big day,” I spoke softly.

A soft chill floated into the room as Fenris slowly entered the room, lying next to me. My hand stretched out to him, stroking the wolf’s fur. He rested head against my leg. A soft giggle came from as his fur tickled my leg.

“What time do we have to be at the shrine?”

“Not until 10:00. The performance will be at 1:00. So that will be plenty of time for you to prepare yourself.”

I nodded slowly, closing my eyes. In my twisted mind, I felt like it was the day before my wedding as my nerves were starting to spring up on me. The three-hour period was meant to be a time of reflection and purification. Part of the preparation was a ritual cleansing, meaning a bath and where the miko would slowly dress me.

Everything had meaning from the bath to the time before the start of the performance. The only thing that I was grateful for was that I didn’t have to wear makeup, which would easily melt away during the dance. I was going to sweat…a lot during the course of it.

My aunt then placed a kiss onto my forehead, “Time to sleep my little one.”

I nodded, hearing the closet doors behind me slide open. The futon floated onto the floor and unfurled onto it with all of my beddings.

She then let go of me, to where I crawled in under the sheet. Fenris took his place at the foot of the mattress, draping his tails over me. I smiled, laying my head onto my pillow.

My aunt then leaned over to me, gently caressing my face, “Sweet dreams, Aria-chan.”

I smiled, closing my eyes, quickly falling asleep. Tomorrow was coming and one of the biggest moments of my life was set to begin.