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

The night was good and peaceful. But the morning was anything but. I overslept my usual wake-up time by an hour, and when I realized it I quickly throw off my covers and rushed into my workout clothes.

I still had a few hours before we had to be at the temple but wanted to at least get a short run in. It also served to help further clear my mind of the impending performance, and help to purge the nervousness of my date later on. I needed to focus on one event at a time.

Fenris and I then quietly exited the house and took off into the forest. In the past two months, I had nearly memorized the surrounding area, with only stumbling a few times in the dark when my kitsune eyes managed to miss something. I was grateful that I had my bonded with me to help navigate the unlit paths.

This hadn’t been like the Estate where everything would be lit for me. I had to forge my own way through in order to find the right path. And it took me a couple weeks to do so, and a few scrapes along the way to show for my troubles. Normally I’d go for three miles but given my time constraints, I elected to halve that.

The morning air was humid yet cool. Somehow I knew that Asha had a hand in making sure that my morning run was without incident. The forest as was still with only the sound of the winds blowing through the trees.

When I run in the mornings here, my tails will all fold into one. That way they wouldn't get snagged on a stray branch or get caught in a bush. Thankfully I never had a problem and I was going to have one today. Way too important.

I peeked up through the canopy to see a clear sky that slowly was turning from night into day as the deep blues gave way to white. I slowly closed off my mind to everything around me, wanting to empty it of any lingering nervousness.

Fenris darted away for a moment and disappeared into the forest. He did this when he wanted to go hunting. I knew he’d be back before I returned to the house. I smiled, turning my attention back to my run.

About twenty minutes later, we returned to the house. The lights were already on, signaling that Yukari was already up and making breakfast.

When I got to the front door, I unlocked it and slid it open. I pulled off my shoes and placed them next to my other shoes. Fenris stepped inside, having frozen and shaken off any dew that dropped onto his fur. The wolf then wiped his feet and shrunk to the size of a large dog and followed me in.

The house was filled with the smells of fish grilling and rice steaming. I wandered into the kitchen, seeing my aunt leaning over the stove, stirring the pot of soup. I smiled to her, taking a seat at the table.

“Mind cleared?” she asked.

I nodded, swishing my tail against the floor, “Most of it at least.”

She nodded, giving me a glancing smile as she then started to fill bowls with rice and soup, placing all onto the table. I waited patiently, legs still burning from the run.

When the last of the dishes were placed onto the table, Yukari sat down across from me. We both held up our hands, holding the chopsticks with our thumbs. “Itadakimasu” speaking together in unison.

The two of us then started to eat. We didn’t rush, but we weren’t going slowly either. I still felt a tinge of nervousness, but it was going to have to pass. I other things I needed to worry about.

As we ate, I ran through the dance motions in my head, playing them out in sequence. The music played in my ear with my toe tapping silently on the floor.

When we finished, Yukari looked to me. “Go ahead and get ready. It’ll take us an hour to reach the shrine.”

I leaned back as she began picking up the dishes, “Are you sure you don’t want me to help you clean up?”

She smiled softly to me, starting the faucet, “You need to get ready. I can handle this.”

I rose up to help, but was met with a two long white fluffy tails, “Go…Aria.” I stopped for a moment and nodded, turning and heading back up the bathroom.

Even in the shower, I still tried to play out the dance in my mind, making sure not miss a single step or hand movement. The water passed over the fur on my tails and ears, which made the latter flick it away.

Still felt nervous about the day. So much was happening and it was like riding in a carousel with the operator deciding to leave the ride on max speed and take an hour long break.

My head rested on the wall and just stared down at the drain, watching the water swirl down into the darkness below. One normal thing that might help would be to draw a bath. There still was time before we had to leave, but not much.

I couldn’t shake away the nervousness that practically had a strangle hold on me. Nothing was helping me relax, not the run, not the shower, playing the dance in my mind only seemed to make things worse, and even my great fallback of running routes to old homes, schools and churches all failed. This nearly was on par with the winter solstice festival.

Some of the major differences being that 1. I’m in a different country. 2. I am going to be performing in a religious festival in said country, and 3. I didn’t have people coming to rush to my aid if I were to screw up something.

And that was the greatest fear I was feeling. I didn’t want to mess anything up. The old fear of doing something wrong and facing harsh consequences as a result lingered over me.

I wished my mother was here, really…really wishing she was here. Just the act of seeing her face among the crowd would give me the strength and ease of mind I needed. Hell…just seeing a live image of her would be enough.

Aria…what are you thinking? She is here with you, you idiot. While not here right at this moment, she is here with you in spirit. Just reach out to her and know she is there. Take a breath and chill yourself. I grinned, only I could give myself a kick in the ass like that, and I needed it.

My body then turned and leaned against the wall, feeling something hitting my chest. Staring down I discovered that it was my necklace. I held it up and looked at it.

The ice-blue crystal shimmered in the dim light. A small smiled rose on my face. Holding it tightly with both hands and to the chest, I closed my eyes.

“Rachel…please watch over me.”

I took in a long deep breath, transforming back into a human. My pinkish blonde hair was now a dirty blonde with my tails and ears receding into my body. It felt a little strange being human again, as it did whenever I had to. I really have gotten used to being a kitsune that I indeed nearly forgot that I was human.

Even in this state there was no loss of the grace and elegance I felt as a kitsune. And I wasn’t afraid of it going away. It was a part of me and nothing is ever going to change that.

I reached up and turned off the shower, rising to my feet and grabbing a towel. I hopped out of the bathroom, drying myself off. A brief five to six minutes later in front of the sink and dealing with my teeth, I left the bathroom and slipped into my room.

I threw on a collared shirt, skirt, and socks. I pulled my hair back into a high-mid ponytail, looping the tie at least three times. Each pass was preceded by a prayer. A prayer for my performance to go well, for me to stay calm, and…for my date later on in the day.

I had to stop my heart from leaping out of my chest for the last one. If I were to allow myself to dwell on it, then it would be all I thought about. So I pushed it out of my mind, letting out a sigh to help calm my rising heartbeat.

I grabbed my backpack and filled it with a few things; wallet, mirror, notebook, pens, camera and my phone. I looped it onto my back and headed out the door.

Yukari and Fenris were both waiting for me in the entryway. My aunt smiled to me, having also assumed her human guise, “Ready to go Aria-chan?”

I nodded, slipping my shoes on and tapping the toes on the stone floor. Fenris nudged my hand, staring up at me with his blue eyes. I leaned over and pressed my head into his, “Thank you Papa Wolf.”

“You are welcome Little Aria.”

“We should go sweetie,” spoke Yukari, having already walked to the door.

I nodded to her, looping a collar around my bonded’s neck and clicking a leash onto it. Still hated the idea of always having to do it whenever around normal people, but it was necessary. She then opened the door and all three of us exited out of the house with Yukari locking it behind us.

We turned towards the path leading to the main road and started down it. I clenched the strap to my bag. The sky was slightly grey, with the faint hint of rain on the wind. It wasn’t enough to threaten a shower, especially with a certain ryujin making sure that it didn’t, so I paid it little heed.

The walk to the shrine did indeed take us an hour to reach is. Despite being there just a couple days ago, each step felt like a first one for me. In a way it was. New “firsts” were about to happen for me.

The road was quiet, there weren’t any little trucks traveling along. No people were present, not even a stray bird or tanuki could be heard.

Even the forest in the valley below moved very little. The wind was slow and calm, yet enough to give a cool breeze. It felt as though the three of us were the only people in the world. My mind slipped in and out of thought, while trying to focus on the road ahead.

There a few times when I would look to my right, thinking that Rachel was walking next to me, only to see my aunt instead. This felt exactly like whenever she, Fenris, and I were together. Yukari’s footsteps even sounded the same as my mother’s, which is kind of eerie to me. Regardless, it’s a sound that was actually helping me relax.

We turned into the valley off of the main road, which would take us straight to the shrine. The path cut straight through the forest. Since my first arrival here, I found that I had strong connection to nature here.

This was a combination of my yokai mana bonding to the land and my connection through my alraune side. Both afforded me a sense of serenity when I needed it. And now that same serenity is giving me peace of mind.

To my right, I saw the village off in the distance. During the past week, I could faintly hear vehicles traveling up and down the road, possibly shuttling either supplies or people to it. During the evenings, the lights often shone brightly into the sky. Everyone was gearing up for the festival, and by the constant sounds of trucks, there were going to be a lot of people showing up for the day.

We finally arrived at the shrine. The courtyard was filled with dozens of stands, many housing games and food vendors. I instantly recalled attending the shrine festival with Rachel, seeing many of the same stalls.

I could still remember wearing my yukata during it, and winning my first kitsune mask. The shrine at the moment laid empty as the festival wasn’t supposed to start until shortly before 1:00, which was when I was to preform, signaling its start.

A large open structure sat across from the main shrine hall. It was the Kagura-den. It was here where I was going to perform. Mostly a large stage with red wooden pillars dotting the structure and a roof on top. And it was huge, about thirty feet across and back. Behind it was a smaller building.

We were greeted by the head priest, a kitsune of course. He was flanked by a pair of miko. We all bowed to each other. “Good morning Tsukino-sama, Aria-chan.”

“Morning sir.” I looked up at him.

He wore the robes of a Shinto priest of some stature. I had met him a few times when Yukari would bring me down and shadow the other girls as they went about their duties. A nice elderly man, whom I never saw in his real form. Made me wonder what he really looked like.

He looked to my aunt, “We are prepared for the child, my Lady.”

She nodded, turning to me, “Go ahead sweetie. Fenris and I will be here in the shrine, making sure things are moving along according to plan.”

I nodded to her, “Okai.”

The priest then motioned me in, “Please come this way Aria-chan. The girls will take to you back so that you might prepare.”

I nodded to him, “Yes sir.”

I stepped over to the girls, who then escorted me over the kagura-den. As I head over, I saw both Yukari and Fenris standing at the entrance, each giving me a reassuring look. I smiled to them as I walked over.

Once inside the preparation building, they had me strip off all of my clothes and put on a pure white yukata. I placed all of my things into a basket, sliding it into a cubbyhole.

The building I was in laid far away from the main courtyard, plenty of distance that I wouldn’t be bothered by the incoming guests. I was then led into a large stone floored room with a small pond and waterfall which fed into it.

One of the miko directed over to a small stool with a bucket. I sat down and started to douse myself with the water. This is to meant “wash away” all negative thoughts and emotions that could potentially cloud my mind during the course of the performance.

I slowly took my seat and raised the bucket over my head, dropping its contents onto me. My body shivered from the sudden shock of cold water. I didn’t let out a scream or yelp, just a wince. It was cold, really cold. I was to do this three more times and then move onto the next room.

After the girls dried me off, I slipped into another yukata and was to kneel and meditate for the next couple of hours.

It was small, lined with tatami mats and red painted walls with another sliding door across from the one I just came in. The room felt still and quiet, nothing around me made a sound. There was also no one in the room with me.

I knelt down and closed my eyes. Taking in slow deep breathes, I emptied my mind or at least tried to.

My thoughts dwelt on home, my mother, Silvi, Velhemina, the twins, the Coven, Yukari, Asha, all of my friends here, Fenris…and Kenji. Eventually I was once more able to push everything out of my mind, allowing me to think clearly.

My breaths slowed, breathing over a long few seconds and then letting it out steadily. My heart rate dropped, only beating every couple of seconds as I pictured myself back at my glen. It was the one place I gravitated towards.

I could hear the sounds of the small waterfall flowing over each step of rocks, feeding into the stream to my right. The willow tree overtop of where I was sitting, the forest surrounding me, hearing the branches swaying in the wind.

I could feel the soft grass underneath my legs. The sun felt warm as it kissed my face. Everything around me was at peace, I was at peace.

While I knew my eyes were closed, I almost wished that I could open them, and then be teleported back home. I felt like my mind was leaving my body, feeling it go numb. Then I realized that it was just my legs going to sleep.

A soft nudge on the shoulder roused me from my meditation. I slowly opened my eyes to see one of the girls, Reika, kneeling in front of me. She smiled gently, “It’s time to get dressed.”

I looked around the room; did two hours really pass by? I just got in here. She held out a hand to me.

I grabbed it, feeling my legs wobble as I stood up. She chuckled, holding tightly and steadying me. I looked over to see that I had transformed back into a kitsune.

I blushed softly as I reverted once more into a human. The miko giggled, “You are always quite lovely as a kitsune Aria-chan, and just as cute as a human.”

I looked up at her, “Th-thanks.” She grinned, helping me into the room, which was just right before the stage. My legs felt like a thousand needles were being jabbed into them as the blood slowly flowed back.

I could hear the distant muffled sounds of people talking outside. I think they were all starting to find their spots before the start of the dance. I fought desperately to hold off my rising heartbeat, trying to maintain the peace of mind I had found over the past couple of hours.

The final portion of the prep was putting on the outfit itself. I took off the robe as I wearing and put back on my panties and lite sports bra. The girls then carefully put on each piece of the outfit, starting with the leggings. I rolled them over my legs until they reached just shy of my panties.

Next was the top with one of girls pulling it over my chest, tying it up while the other affixed the skirt. Then the obi was wrapped around my waist.

The tail was then was slipped into the obi and tied down tightly. My arms then slid into the haori and which was softly hoisted onto my shoulders. The hood piece was last, watching them slide it over my head, pulling out my hair from under it.

The very last step was for them to split my hair into two tails and tying each one with ribbons, crisscrossing down to just before the ends.

The pair then walked me over to a mat that had been placed right before the doors. I knelt down onto it, taking it a few final minutes to steady myself. Right below me was a stone floor wear my slippers were resting. On my right laid the Kagura-suzu and to my left was the mask.

I pulled the mask into my lap and held it. This wasn’t part of the traditions, but I wanted something to hold on to. Neither girl minded it. I stared down it, stroking the brows. The tail was curled around my left leg.

The voices outside were steadily growing louder with each passing moment. I couldn’t see a clock over the door but judging by the rising noise level, it’d be a safe bet that the time was growing closer.

My hands gripped the mask even tighter. This is what I had spent the last week preparing for, and it was all about to come to ahead.

I took long, steady breaths, letting my mind flow back into the crystal calm of my glen. I closed my eyes, feeling the growing tension flow out of me. The near death grip I had on the mask lessened as I calmed back down.

The sound of the outer door sliding open and then shut rang in my ears. A hand then rested onto my shoulder. I looked up to see another miko, kneeling in front of me. A soft smile was worn on her face.

“It’s time.”

I nodded, pulling back the hood and placing the mask onto my head, pulling down cords that went over the back of my head. I tied the cords where my chin and neck met.

“How does it look?” I asked softly.

Reika then looked at the knot and centered the mask slightly, just being sure of its placement. “Looks good to me Aria-chan,” she said, smiling softly.

A smile rose on my face, nodding. It wasn’t heavy, but it still had some weight to it. Just enough to keep it in place. The hood was lifted back over my head, with the ears poking through the holes in it.

I then slowly rose to my feet, and slid my feet into the slippers. The Kagura-suzu was then handed to me. I grabbed the tassel with my left hand and held it. My line of vision was surprisingly good, in spite of the small curving slits for the eyes.

After a few short deep breaths I nodded, “I’m ready.” The miko nodded and we then headed for the door.

I felt a rush of warm humid air brush past me as I stepped outside. The sky had lightened somewhat over the past few hours. Not quite a bright and sunshiny day, but I’ll take it over rain at this point. The miko led me to the steps of the stage. I gave them all a soft smile as I slowly ascended the steps.

When I reached the top of the stage itself, I saw that it was completely surrounded with onlookers, all whose attention was centered onto me. I slowly stepped towards the center of the platform, scanning the crowds. I felt grateful for the mask as it hid my wandering gaze.

My heart lifted as I saw Yukari, Asha, and Fenris all sitting in the front. I wanted to crack a smile, but had to remain stoic and solemn during the performance.

I heard the soft murmurings of the crowd. A few I could pick out were asking if it was wearing a wig or something. Others questioned what a foreigner was doing on stage. I heard a few quiet insults being thrown my way, some getting rather nasty and downright cruel.

I knew that my bonded could easily hear their jabs at me, and possibly wanted to lash out at them. But that really wouldn’t have helped me. The both of us were going to just have to swallow it for now.

The effigy of the local deity was placed into the center back center of the stage, far from where I was to be. I situated myself at the very heart of the platform and knelt down, setting the Kagura-suzu beside me, without making the bells ring. I placed both hands in front of me and bowed low to it, then retrieved the bells once more, and rose to my feet. Not one bell rung out.

I heard the crowds quickly grow silent as the orchestra moved into position. I took one final breath.

A flute then slowly rose from the silence, accompanied by drums. A moment passed as I swept my right leg outward and leapt with my left. My hands and arms swung through the air, still carrying the bells, ever careful.

I spun my body, twirling upon landing. My left arm cut low and then upwards, bring my right arm right behind it. The sleeves of haori flowed through the air effortlessly followed my arms.

The string instruments then chimed into the music. My footwork was meant to match the flute and drums. So with every “jerk” of the flute player was a sign to move onto the next movement.

I would dip and sweep low, bringing the bells with me, striking the largest of the three rings, marking the first of ten strikes I was to make. My body then leapt slightly into the air to the left, pulling both arms to my right, landing on the left and then twirling in the same direction, swiping my left hand down and behind me.

The motion spun me further, kicking out with my right leg. My eyes closed as I followed the music, letting it guide me onto each portion of the dance.

I remembered that I had to flow like water, letting myself become like water. Every motion of my hands, foot placement, landings, head positions, my very breath was dictated by the music. I danced around the stage, but moving no more than a five to six paces from its center.

After the third strike I knew I was slowly making progress. My face was slowly dripping with sweat from dancing around the stage. My feet then spun softly to the left and made a slight bound a quarter turn in to my rear.

The bells were steadily growing heavier with every swing. It was becoming tougher by the second to keep my arms from collapsing to the floor. But press on I had to.

My body then jerked to the left and spun into a low dip which was meant to then lead into a backwards sweeping kick, followed by a pivot on my left foot and twirl, bringing the right foot back onto the stage.

That had actually been one of the toughest parts of the dance to where I often found myself falling flat onto my back. I kept my breathing shallow and steady, not wanting to take in too much before the next movement.

The fourth strike accorded faster than I realized, not that it was out of order. Just that it seemed to come up sooner. I steadied myself for the halfway point. This was where I really tended to mess up. I lowered my body and swung both arms behind as though I were bowing.

I then pivoted to my right, swinging my left arm forward and outward, with my right arm still resting behind me and shifting my feet to the left, bringing the left arm down and swinging right arm back up and around. Following that I spun on both feet, still being carried by the momentum and twisted my left arm up and brought it forward.

Now for the tricky part.

From that position, I kicked off from my left foot and twirled into the air, swinging both arms, making the sleeves spin around like a fan. I basically was horizontal in the air as I landed on my right foot, transitioning into another spin, sweeping my left leg forward into another midair twirl. My body twisted as my legs spread wide, giving me stability while mid-flight.

Yeah…the dance wasn’t merely simple dance moves, it was rather acrobatic. One of the few things I was grateful for was that outfit came with a special cover that when over my panties. With it there, I didn’t have to worry about someone looking up my skirt.

I landed on my right foot once more, dipping low yet again, and sweeping both arms in the same manner they while I was in the air. I then stood up and struck the bells for the fifth time.

If I wasn’t too deeply set into the trance I placed myself into or still trying to remain as solemn and reverent as could be, I’d grin like damn idiot at the fact that I made through the halfway point unscathed.

The next segment was a little easier, just simply sweeping my arms back and forth, pivoting on my feet into a spin. I had to keep myself steady, each spin and twirl was starting to wreak havoc on my stomach.

Another reason why I had a three hour prep period was to allow my breakfast to settle in my stomach and for it to partially empty out. Even with that, I slowly was starting to feel a little nauseous.

I landed the sixth strike when I leaned into a backward twirl, then bringing my body forward, hitting the ring. My feet pivoted to the left once more, sweeping my arms in an outward pattern, kicking my right leg out into bent-knee kick.

My breathing rhythm dipped negligibly out of pace with the music, but quickly recovered. While in the trance, I still had to maintain full control of myself. This is where my long hours of training under Rachel and Silvi came into play. My mind refocused on my footwork and hand motions.

My breathing allowed to me slow my perception of time, seemingly bringing the world to a crawl. This had been helpful during my combat training with my sister. One danger that loomed with falling into a trance-like state was that I could completely zone-out and loose track on the music.

I had already blanked out the crowd and the world around me. But if I lost the music, I was sunk. So I often had to will myself to stay focused on the orchestra.

Upon hitting the seventh strike, my right arm swung from high to low with my body spun backwards in the same direction, bring my left arm up high. I knew I was starting to tire, but I still had three more strikes.

The mask afforded me the ability to hide my ever-growing fatigue, as my eyes were definitely beginning to lose focus. Plus my stomach really was starting churn within me. I was shocked at how long it held itself back from going off on me at any point before I even stepped out onto the stage.

I spun on my right heel, having my right arm high and left low, kicking out with my left leg, forcing my body to follow. This was then followed with a backwards step onto my right foot and yet another slight kick with the left to behind me.

I landed on my left foot and turned inwards, feeling the muscles tense and burn. I didn’t hit the movement wrong, just that the dance was really starting to take its toll on me.

The eighth and ninth strikes were made within quick succession of each other after I spun and hit the ring on my right hip with the former. I then made a twirling pivot kick to the right, striking the latter upon my landing with my left hand.

The dance was slowly coming to an end. My stomach was really starting to churn on me. I should really be thankful for the music being loud enough that the reverberations actually helped counteract the grumbling and ease it slightly.

While my body was burning like crazy during all of this, I couldn’t help but wonder at how unearthly my movements were. While my body in both kitsune and human forms were relatively the same in terms of overall ease of mobility, it didn’t always translate over to my agility. I had always been far, far more nimble as a kitsune.

My body always felt lighter, less bound by gravity you could say. At times I was able to incorporate this into my human form. What I think was happening was that I was allowing my spirit to flow out of me like it does while I am a kitsune.

This goes back to when Yukari first taught me that kitsune are both flesh and spirit. Both are the same and one whole. Okay…duh you idiot. You are kitsune whether you’re transformed or not.

Just let yourself be who you are…without actually transforming of course. I smiled to myself, letting everything else flow out of me and pushing onto the final strike.

The last portion of the dance was to end by doing four downward twirls with my arms out. The first two were to be to the right with last being to the left.

I slowed myself down coming out of the second spin, dipped, and made a soft counter pivot on my left heel, altering the spin and pushing me into the leftward spin. I brought my body back up and finished the final two spins.

I slowed to a stop back into the center of the stage, feet together and swept my arms around me, hitting the ring for the tenth and final strike as they rose in front of me, bringing my arms out to side and my head turned upwards. The music ended shortly after.

My body was trembling as I stood in the center of the stage. My stomach definitely wanted to let go of itself and spill out in front of me. I swallowed back bitterly, forcing it down. I was panting heavily, lowering my arms to my side, and grabbing the tassel so not to let it touch the floor.

Sweat poured down my cheeks and into the outfit. The humidity wasn't helping much either. But a soft chilled breeze brushed past me, quickly cooling me. It felt like a gentle kiss. I smiled to myself, knowing its source.

The sounds of people cheering erupted from the crowds surrounding the stage. I looked out from under the mask to see that everyone gathered was impressed with my performance. Elation and relief rose within me.

From under the mask my eyes darted over the crowds, seeing that many had changed their opinions of me, with a few still unimpressed. My friends all were jumping and clapping heavily, and cheering just as loud if not more so than the crowd.

I saw Yukari brandishing a massive grin, pride filled her gentle eyes. Asha was equally as proud, seeing her clutched fist hover over her chest. She clearly had been worried for me as she let out a relieved sigh.

Fenris of course gave a stoic nod, but I could tell he also had been on his feet, feeling just as anxious as I danced on the stage. I gave a small smile to each of them, not enough to be visible to the crowd.

Out of the corner of my eye, the head priest motioned for me to come down. I bowed to the gathered mass and turned, quietly exiting the stage. My feet ached from the dance and my legs burned hotter than even during the past week.

As much as I wanted to Rush off of the stage, I had to keep my pace as stoic and calm as I stepped down onto the stone bricks. The pair of miko who helped me earlier quietly shuttled me back into the building and closed the door.