Foxfire (Nine Tails, 1) (5 page)

Hiro glanced around the room, and then
he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He went still
and stared over Masaki’s shoulder. The house spirits had entered
the room to bring in their meal, and Masaki realized Hiro would see
nothing but floating dishes.

“
Would you feel better if
you could see them?” Masaki asked. “You’re safe, I
promise.”

Hiro shrugged, but then he nodded.
“Sure.”

Masaki blinked, and the yokai
appeared. Though their bodies still appeared as a fine mist, they
wore blue kimonos and white kitsune masks. Masaki glanced at Hiro,
who still looked stunned. Bowls of soup were placed before them
along with a dish of fried wheat noodles.

“
Tea or sake?” Masaki
asked, hoping to distract Hiro.

“
Sake, I think.” He
smiled, as if trying to be polite despite his
discomfort.

Masaki poured for both of them, but
Hiro didn’t relax until they were alone again. “Is there anything
you’d like to ask?”

“
Are they ghosts?” Hiro
asked right away.

“
The yokai? No. They’re
servants given to me by Inari. I am one of Inari’s personal
messengers—along with my eight brothers.”

“
Eight?”

“
Yes.” Masaki sprinkled a
few noodles into his soup but waited for Hiro to take up his
spoon.

Hiro stirred his soup and then began
eating. Masaki ate as well, waiting. Before long, Hiro asked,
“Who’s the oldest?”

“
We’re all the same
age.”

Hiro’s spoon stopped halfway to his
mouth. “Nine? At once?” He lowered his spoon. “You must have been
born in fox form. No human woman could hold nine
babies.”

Masaki decided to go ahead and reveal
his history. Lying to Hiro made no sense, as Masaki wanted him to
stay forever. “We have no mother. We weren’t born.”

Instead of frightening Hiro, this news
seemed to intrigue him. “Where’d you come from?”

“
We have a father. In a
way. He was Inari’s favorite messenger, but now he is so out of
favor we aren’t even allowed to say his name. A great family craved
Inari’s favor, and they had a daughter. A very beautiful and
innocent daughter. They offered her as a servant in one of Inari’s
temples, and Inari gave them many blessings in return. Inari loved
the girl as if she’d given birth to her. They were constant
companions, Inari showing her favor by taking the girl with her
almost everywhere. Our father tried to seduce the girl, who
believed she would be punished if she didn’t let the favorite
messenger of her kami bed her.” Masaki cleared his throat. “He was
… neither gentle nor kind. It was rape, not seduction, and Inari
found the girl bruised and bleeding, crying in the temple and
blaming herself for the wicked thing that had been done to
her.”

Masaki looked to Hiro, wondering if he
was going too far because he felt sadness from the young man, but
Hiro nodded for him to go on, so he continued. “Our father was old
yet not wise. Selfishness ruled him, causing him to so abuse his
kami’s favor and love. As punishment, Inari stripped him of
everything, even cutting off all nine of his tails. She said he was
not worthy of them, because a fox with nine tails should be wise
and compassionate. The tails fell to the temple floor and then
slithered to the shadows. Our father, though I don’t care to think
of him as such, was then banished. He still lives, but he keeps to
the dark places, not daring to show himself to any powerful being.
Inari’s fury was great, but after a time, we emerged. Even Inari
was surprised to find nine little fox pups in her
temple.”

“
It just happened? Without
Inari willing it?” Hiro asked, curiosity pushing through the
sadness that had filled him when Masaki had recounted his father’s
act. He’d finished his soup, so Masaki had the next course brought
out, glad he’d found a way to spark Hiro’s interest.

“
Yes. At times, great
emotion can make magic manifest. She’d loved our father, which made
her anger that much greater. She made us her new servants, caring
for us herself. Loving us even, letting us fill the void in her
heart.” He decided against telling Hiro that obtaining free will
was possible one day. It seemed irrelevant, now that he had Inari’s
blessing to take a true mate.

“
What happened to the
girl?” Hiro asked, pushing his food around with his chopsticks.
“Did Inari help her?”

Masaki took his up, choosing a piece
of fried tofu. “Inari is also the kami of fertility. This gave her
the power to … change things. She erased the violent act from the
young girl’s mind and body. Then she gave the girl to another man,
a good and loving man, as his bride, saying it was a reward for
both of them. They lived happily and had many children.”

“
That’s good.” Hiro smiled
and ate, but soon he frowned. “Sorry to be so nosy. It ended
happily, but it’s a sad story.”

“
I wouldn’t have told you
if I didn’t want you to know.” Masaki ate as well to reassure Hiro
the question hadn’t offended him. “I want us to get to know each
other.”

Hiro watched him eat a moment and
asked, “So kitsune do like fried tofu? I read that
online.”

Masaki laughed. “Yes, we love
it.”

Hiro seemed to be eating with more
gusto now as he studied the room. “It’s fascinating, now I’m
getting used to it.”

“
Do you feel
safe?”

Hiro nodded, but he bit his lip, as if
thinking. “Yeah. Bit nervous though.”

“
About me? The
yokai?”

Hiro studied him, his emotions
fluctuating. The young man across from him experienced curiosity,
apprehension, arousal, and embarrassment all at once. “Everything.
The supernatural parts.” He drank his sake thoughtfully. “Inari
sounds kind. But I still,” he shrugged, “I don’t know. Mythology is
such a mess at times. Worries me now I know it’s all
real.”

“
Inari is compassionate
and loving, but yes, there’s a touch of darkness in every kami. I
won’t lie to you about that.” He reached out and took Hiro’s hand
when the young man set his cup aside. “But you’re safe. Keep my
medallion with you, and you can summon me at any time. It will take
me but a moment, a single thought, to reach you.”

Hiro reached up but didn’t touch the
medallion, which Masaki could now see was around his neck and
tucked under his shirt. Hiro managed a smile that looked genuine,
and the wave of relief Masaki felt from Hiro further assured him of
its sincerity. “Okay.”

They continued eating, Masaki asking
questions about everyday things he already knew the answers to. He
doubted it would ever be a good idea to let Hiro know he’d spied on
him. When they were both done eating, he asked, “Would you like to
go out in the garden? Take a walk?”

Hiro nodded and jumped up. “I’ll get
my sketchpad.”

Masaki let him go and wandered out
into the hall at a leisurely pace. When Hiro returned, Masaki led
him outside to the darkened garden. Only the moon provided light,
but Masaki waved his hand, lighting small torches and red and gold
round paper lanterns all over the garden. The part closest to the
house had elements of both Japanese rock gardens and tea gardens. A
path wound its way through patches of white sand dotted with
carefully placed stones and areas of moss-covered rocks and
sculptures.

“
I’ve never seen a garden
quite like this,” Hiro said, turning to a clean page.

Masaki smiled, noting the spark that
came to Hiro’s eyes as he prepared to sketch. “Feel free to roam as
you wish. Nothing’s off-limits.”

Hiro cast him a brief smile, blushing
slightly and turning away. Masaki had made a point of not asking if
Hiro had a girlfriend. He’d already given Hiro a hint about his
interest and didn’t wish to push it. Yet. He sat in a curved bamboo
lounge chair and watched Hiro move around. The young man finally
went down on his knees and began to draw.

Masaki couldn’t help staring, several
minutes passing, and it took him a moment to realize Hiro stared
back. The young man rose and came to sit on a stool beside Masaki’s
chair. Masaki didn’t want to break the silence. Hiro showed him the
sketch he’d done.

“
The swirls in the moss
almost look like foxfire. I’ve never seen patterns in moss before,”
Hiro said quietly.

Masaki studied the sketch of the
cluster of mossy rocks, seeing the subtle pattern Hiro had
rendered. “The entire garden is full of magic. The influence comes
out in many ways.”

“
Were you lonely? Is that
why you wanted me?” Hiro asked in an even lower voice.

Masaki weighed his answer before
meeting Hiro’s eyes. “I did think you would make a good companion.
As I said, your work spoke to me.”

Hiro didn’t seem quite satisfied with
that answer. “You seem lonely. By yourself in this giant
house.”

“
It’s risky to bring
others into my world.”

“
Is there someone, you
know, special?” Hiro asked, averting his eyes as soon as the
question passed his lips. “Or must you stay devoted to
Inari?”

“
My devotion to Inari
doesn’t disallow other relationships. At the moment, I don’t have a
lover.” Masaki sat forward in his chair. “Is there someone special
I’m keeping you from? He could always visit you here.” Masaki
didn’t mean to trick Hiro, but he saw a good opportunity to discuss
a subject that would need to be breached eventually.

“
He? What?” Hiro asked,
flustered, his face now bright red. His heart pounded as he stared,
wide-eyed. “I’m not, I mean, I’m not like that.”

Masaki folded his hands in his lap,
angling to face Hiro more. “I’m not human, Hiro. I can sense many
things, and it’s clear you don’t desire women.”

Hiro’s racing heart stuttered a bit,
and he leapt to his feet. He wouldn’t look at Masaki. He tore the
sketch from the pad and handed it over, letting it flutter to the
ground when Masaki didn’t take it. “I’m normal. I don’t like guys,
okay? It’s fine if you do, but…”

“
But?” Masaki had felt
desire from him off and on all day. He could not read the young
man’s mind, but he knew what Hiro truly longed for.

Hiro shrugged.

Masaki rose and bowed. “I’m sorry if I
said too much, invaded your privacy. I can’t turn my powers
off.”

The young man finally looked up. “Your
powers told you such a thing?” His tone carried hints of awe and
doubt.

Masaki nodded. “They tell me many
things. I can sense your intelligence and creativity. I would’ve
known you were an artist without seeing any of your work. And yes,
I can sense your desires. Your arousal.”

“
Well, you’re wrong.” Hiro
moved toward the house.

“
No, I’m not.”

Hiro stopped and spun around. He
opened his mouth, but no words came out. Masaki took a chance and
bridged the gap, cupping Hiro’s chin and bringing their lips
together. Hiro melted against him, giving in easily, but as soon as
their bodies touched, Hiro jerked away.

“
I’m not a toy. I don’t
care what you are!” Hiro said.

“
I know you’re not a toy.”
Masaki touched his face again. “You’re a young man hiding, ashamed.
Denying yourself pleasure. And love.”

Hiro pushed his hand away, the gesture
gentle but decisive. “I’m here for you to fuck, aren’t I? My
brother won’t allow this.”

“
Your brother knows of my
interest, which stems from more than lust.” Masaki folded his arms
across his chest. “He also knows I won’t force you. But just now,
you kissed me back. This afternoon, you seemed disappointed when
I
didn’t
kiss
you.” Even now, Masaki could see the faint outline of Hiro’s
erection, but he kept silent as Hiro’s mind raced. Again, great
surges of mixed emotions washed over Masaki as he reached out to
connect with Hiro.

“
Leave me alone. I’m
leaving here at the end of the month.” He looked Masaki in the eye.
“Until then, leave me alone.”

Masaki gave a slight bow. “As you
wish.” Straightening, he added, “As long as you’re my guest, you
are master here.”

That statement seemed to confuse Hiro,
who turned and hurried into the house after blinking a few times
and then shaking his head. Masaki sighed and sat back down,
cradling his face in his hands.

“
Idiot. Don’t you know how
to do anything right?” a voice said in the distance.

Masaki looked up and saw his brother
Daisuke emerging from the shadows. “How long have you been
there?”

“
A while. That young man
must have you pretty twisted up. You didn’t even sense
me.”

Masaki scowled at his brother. “Don’t
you know it’s rude to eavesdrop?”

“
Yes.”

Masaki stood and headed for the house.
“Then don’t do it again.”

“
Hey,” Daisuke said,
hurrying over and grabbing his arm. “What’s going on? Who is
he?”

“
Hiro Ibuki.”

“
Okay. Why’s he
here?”

Masaki knew Daisuke would ask Inari if
he refused to answer. “I like him. I asked for him as tribute, and
Akira agreed, once I’d made it clear my intentions were
honorable.”