Foxfire (Nine Tails, 1) (2 page)

Chapter One

Hiro Ibuki let himself into his
brother Akira’s large apartment and removed his shoes. He glanced
around as he set them aside, wondering why only two pairs sat by
the door. He checked his phone for the time. Akira had said the
family meeting would begin at noon, and Hiro was actually two
minutes late. Where was everyone else? He glanced out at the
street, searching for cars or bikes he recognized.

“
Akira? It’s Hiro.” He
moved into the living room and saw the door leading to Akira’s
office stood halfway open. “Akira?”

His brother, who was forty-three and
twenty years his senior, emerged and smiled. “Hello,
Hiro.”

When no explanation was offered, Hiro
asked, “Did I get my days wrong? Where is everyone?”

Akira had been the head of the family
for about three years, since the death of their father, and he’d
only called a couple of family meetings since the reading of the
will. Hiro had rearranged his schedule for this, so he hoped he
hadn’t gotten the date wrong.

“
No, you’re right on time.
I need to talk to you privately, and I knew it would be hard to get
you here unless you thought it was important.”

Hiro shifted his weight from his right
foot to his left. While Hiro didn’t like having been tricked, he
knew his brother made a fair point. Since Akira had become head of
the family, Hiro had tried very hard to show Akira the respect he’d
often failed to show their father, though it did little to assuage
his guilt. He bowed slightly. “Fair enough. I know I don’t come to
family dinners often.” Worry soon overtook his annoyance, and he
asked, “Is something wrong?”

Akira gestured to his office. “No,
nothing’s wrong. But I do have a lot to tell you.”

Hiro didn’t feel reassured. After a
moment, he crossed the spacious living area and went into his
brother’s office. Akira walked around his desk and sat in his black
leather chair, so Hiro sat in one of the smaller leather chairs in
front of the desk.

“
I’m going to share a
family secret with you because I need your help with something,”
Akira said.

What on earth could Akira need his
help with? His eldest brother rarely asked for help from anyone.
Even when he’d had back surgery two years earlier, he’d only
allowed his family to help him in a very minimal way and then only
for the sake of getting work done, not for his own
comfort.

“
If I can help, I’ll be
glad to.” Hiro sat forward. “I’m listening.”

Akira nodded slowly, folding his hands
in his lap. “I’m going to tell you why our family is so prosperous,
and it’s going to be hard for you to believe at first.”

Hiro felt his gut clench. He’d always
wondered about his family’s wealth, which had only come about three
generations earlier with their great grandfather, Fuyuhiko. Had
their ancestor done something illegal? Why else would the source of
their prosperity need to be kept secret? Everything seemed to
always go smoothly for the Ibuki group. Almost too smoothly at
times. Hiro shifted in his seat, worrying his lower lip as he
waited for Akira to explain.

“
Don’t look so scared. We
aren’t involved with the yakuza or anything like that. It’s going
to be hard for you to believe because, honestly, our good fortune
comes from a source you likely don’t believe in.”

Worry changed to confusion. What was
Akira talking about? “I’ll try to be, uh, open minded then.” He
leaned on his right elbow. “Just tell me.”

Akira sat forward and rested his
forearms on his desk, fidgeting with the pen sitting on the shiny
surface. “You know who Inari is?”

“
Who?”

“
Inari. The kami of foxes.
Of rice and tea and sake.”

Hiro hesitated, wondering why his
brother was starting off by talking about a Shinto god. “Yeah, I
think I remember that one from school. Kind of.”

“
Inari is also the god of
fertility. Industry, prosperity, and success.” He nodded toward a
large portrait. “Our ancestors needed his help.”

Hiro glanced over at the
hundred-year-old portrait of Fuyuhiko and his wife Tohru, their
great grandparents on their father’s side. “They did?” Where might
Akira be going with this?

“
They were poor and had no
children. More than anything, they wanted a child, a son to carry
on their name. They prayed to Inari at every shrine they could
travel to. A kitsune appeared to them one night, surrounded by blue
orbs of foxfire.”

Shinto gods and fox spirits. Hiro
blinked, not sure what to say. “What happened?” He’d promised to
keep an open mind, and he hoped this fairy tale was going to lead
to something more substantial soon.

“
The fox spirit bowed
reverently and said that Inari had heard their pleas. He offered
them a choice, wealth and comfort for all their days or a son.
Without hesitation, they both said they wanted a son. The fox said
Inari would bless them with both because the god could see the love
in their hearts.”

“
And you’re saying a god
gave them a baby and a fortune?”

“
In time. The fox led our
ancestors to a magical grove and told them to spend the night
there. A couple of months later, they learned a child was on the
way.”

“
And the
money?”

“
A relative no one had
ever heard of died and left Fuyuhiko a vast fortune on the
condition he enter into business with a mysterious benefactor, who
in fact turned out to be the very fox spirit who had answered their
pleas.”

“
He started a business
with a kitsune?”

“
Yes, and they thrived.
There’s only one condition—tribute.”

“
Tribute?”

Akira nodded. “Yes. The kitsune was
one of nine brothers. They watch over us and preserve our good
fortune, for a price. Once a year, each may ask the head of our
family for anything that is possible for a human to give. Luckily,
they do not all ask at once. But Masaki Kitamura has made his
choice.”

Masaki Kitamura? Hiro knew the name in
a vague way. “Who’s that?”

“
One of the kitsune. He’s
on the board of the Ibuki group, but he’s also an art collector.
He’s purchased many of your sketches.”

“
Oh.” So that was where he
knew the name. He eyed his brother. “So he wants something from me?
A special commission? I’m busy right now, but I’ll work him in if
I—” Hiro stopped speaking, realizing how crazy it all sounded.
“Wait. You’re telling me … this guy is—”

“
A kitsune, one of Inari’s
messengers.”

“
No, he’s a man. I saw him
at the gallery one night. Someone pointed him out to
me.”

“
You know kitsune can take
human form.”

“
I don’t
know
anything of the
kind. They aren’t real.”

“
You said you’d keep an
open mind.”

“
I’ll believe in fox
spirits the day I see one.”

Akira leaned back in his chair. “I can
arrange that. You’re what he wants.”

“
I’m what he wants? What
do you mean?”

“
You. The tribute he’s
requested is you. He admires your work, and he wishes for you to
come live with him. To draw and paint exclusively for
him.”

“
Why on earth would he
want such a thing?” Hiro couldn’t take it all in. How could his
brother believe something so strange? How could anyone give credit
to such a ludicrous tale?

* * * *

Masaki gazed into the mirror and
watched Hiro talking with his brother.

“
Why on earth would he
want such a thing?”

Masaki wished he could pass through
the mirror and answer Hiro’s question himself. Akira presented the
situation as a purely professional relationship, but Masaki had
told Akira the truth. He’d come to trust the current head of the
family, and Masaki could see he’d been right to do so. Akira had
been surprised to hear Masaki confess his feelings for Hiro, but he
had also been pleased. Akira believed Hiro was “closeted” and in
denial about his desire for the company of other men. Very
delicately, Akira had told Masaki about some sketches he’d found
once. Masaki knew all about them. He’d even watched Hiro draw many
of them, watched the young man touch himself afterwards.

Masaki refocused away from those
thoughts. He wasn’t ashamed of his voyeurism—he spied on humans all
the time for Inari—but he wanted to see how Hiro would take these
revelations. Akira and Hiro continued to talk. Hiro didn’t become
angry, but he refused to believe any of the supernatural parts of
the story Akira presented to him. Akira showed patience, and before
long Hiro said he would consent to the business arrangement with no
hesitation if Akira would tell him the truth. Akira sighed, but he
didn’t back down. Hiro gazed at the floor a long time, and more
than anything, Masaki wanted to touch him, to push his hair away
from his face and caress his cheek.

“
Fine. I’ll do it, but
only for a month or so. My lease is up in a few days. We’ll go
then, but I’ll need time to look for a new place. What kind of
hours will I have to work? I have a couple of projects to tie up
before I begin anything new.”

Masaki’s heart pounded so loudly he
didn’t hear what Akira said in reply. Hiro was coming. It didn’t
matter that the young man didn’t believe yet. He would soon
enough.

* * * *

Hiro sat in the back of the Rolls
Royce Phantom beside his brother, very comfortable, yet at the same
time not feeling quite at ease. Sending the fancy, chauffeur-driven
car to pick them up seemed over the top to Hiro. Despite feeling
that way, he ran his hand over the leather seat again. While he
appreciated the special treatment, he imagined Mr. Kitamura had
done it to show off.

He bought your art and
obviously wants more. Don’t mess this up. Rich guys like to show
off. You can deal.
He glanced at Akira,
who hadn’t even blinked when the driver had arrived and immediately
taken Hiro’s bags and his portfolio and placed them in the trunk.
“Where does this guy live? We’ve been driving a long
time.”

“
Far outside the city. A
private estate.”

Of course. Hiro looked out the window,
though it was already dark and there was little to see. They slowed
soon after, turning down a narrow road, and he tried to see where
they were. They came to a complete stop about a mile later. When
they moved again, the car passed through a large wrought iron gate.
The estate seemed to be surrounded by a very tall stone wall, and
blue flames adorned the pillars on each side of the gate. Hiro
stared, trying to see the source of the colored flames. It had to
be gas, but the orb-like flames seemed to hover just above the
pillars. He blinked to clear his eyes of the afterimages and sat
back.

Blossoming cherry trees lined the
drive, but the rest of the land within sight was open space covered
in recently mown grass. Petals of various shades littered the drive
and the area surrounding each sakura. More pillars topped by flames
dotted the area. They looked eerie somehow, now that he really
studied them. The house soon came into view, set back against what
looked to be a dark, thick forest. The design was simple,
everything made of plain gray stones, but the structure itself was
huge and seemed to go on forever in each direction. It had a
slanted roof covered in dark shingles, and it reminded Hiro of
houses he’d seen in British period dramas.

Once they’d stopped, Akira let himself
out of the car, so Hiro followed. The chauffeur took his luggage
and moved to a side door while Akira mounted the many steps that
led to the main door, a heavy slab of oak covered in carvings. Hiro
didn’t like being parted from his portfolio, but he didn’t say
anything. He examined the carvings on the door as Akira reached for
a chain and rang the bell. Hiro faintly heard a gong sound inside
the house. The door took his breath away, the carvings seeming to
tell an intricate story. He saw a tall figure and a nine-tailed fox
together, and as the panels progressed, he saw that the fox’s tails
had been cut off by the other figure. Nine smaller foxes ran away,
scattering.

This guy likes
foxes.
Hiro had given Akira’s tale a lot
of thought. Why would his brother make up such a weird story? It
made no sense. Hiro’s stomach flipped as he looked at the door and
then glanced back at the pillars on the lawn. Foxfire could be
blue, couldn’t it? He shook the thought away. The setting seemed
right for a supernatural event, but gods weren’t real. Neither were
kitsune. He took a deep breath as the door opened, telling himself
to stop letting his imagination run away with him.

They walked into the large entryway,
but Hiro only made it one step past the threshold. Sitting at the
bottom of a large staircase in the candlelit foyer was a giant
white fox, which towered above them even in a sitting position. It
sat calmly with its bushy tail curled around itself and watched
them. Akira kept walking, but Hiro grabbed him.

“
This isn’t funny! What’s
going on?” The creature was bigger than a tiger or a bear, bigger
than any animal he’d ever seen.