Kitsune of the Shrine (YofS and PB)

[PastelBishie]

Moriko's curious green eyes brightened as she made her way up the worn steps that had be cut into the side of the mountain. She was nearing the top and could finally see the shrine so many had told her about, sitting in all of its glory. It was well hidden and hard to get to, but after hearing rumors and stories about it, she had to go see it for herself.


Finally stepping off of the last step and onto even ground, Morkio took in her surroundings. The building was shaded by a canopy of trees, there were mossy stone statues of foxes strewn around the area, and it looked very abandoned. She felt bad that it had been left in such a bad state and thought that she could help clean it up at least, to show it the respect it deserved.


She cleared the stone walkways that had been covered by fallen branches, weeded a bit, and fixed the things she could within an hour or so before stepping back to see how it looked. It wasn't as pretty as the newer and looked after shrines, but it cleaned up well. Taking in a breath of air, Morkio smiled at her work and ran a hand through her shoulder length wavy brown hair and smiled. She was pretty proud of what she did and decided to pray to the deity of the shrine. 'I hope you are pleased with me, and pray that you watch over us foolish humans even if we left your shrine in such a state.' She said in her mind, opening her eyes and straightening up once she was done.


Looking around once more, she realized how hungry she had gotten after running around to fix up the shrine and made a plan to come back later after she went and had some food. One of her friends told her about a new game and thought it wouldn't hurt to try it out, but no one was available to play it with her so she just agreed to do it on her own, but it looked like sh would just have to wait a bit before doing so. Though it did make her feel uneasy to come back to the old shrine at night and alone, she was always up for a bit of adventure and was determined to see if the game actually worked.


Patting a hand on one of the statues, she smiled at the shrine and turned to make her way down the steps to her car that awaited her at the foot of the mountain. She couldn't wait to come back

 

[sorrow made you]

Where the old shrine resided, there were many spirits around. They all slept uncomfortably, moaned with the trees as wind blew through the leaves in autumn and hissed at the cicadas as they chirped loudly in the summer. Day in and day out they sulked and felt as if they were fading away as the humans around forgot their existence. A pair fox sprites ran around, holding their stomachs as they searched for some sort of food offering.


Ichimaru-onii-saan! Are bellies are empty! Feed us rice!


A deep sigh emitted behind a white kitsune mask with red markings. Golden eyes behind it closed and the head of white shook slightly. "Uga-no-Mitama, Uka-no-Mintama, there is no food here for you today. Go rest for a little while longer and check again later." The pair of little foxes both drooped their heads while clutching their stomachs before going back inside the little shrine to disappear for the day.


Ichimaru looked around the old unattended shrine with a frown. How long had it been since someone came to pay their respects. Over the decades, the fox spirit found that his patience for humans were wearing thin. Over the generations, they were becoming more self-centered. More inconsiderate and losing the values of the old world--the world that created them. With a clenched jaw, the white fox spirit stood and dusted off his hakama before heading into the shrine. Little did he expect a young woman to come in and fix the place up.


The sound of shuffling make Ichimaru wake, but he was far too weak to reveal himself to the human. From inside his shrine, he watched her move this way and that, cleaning and clearing out the shrine. He was skeptical at first. Was she planning on destroying this place? He had heard from other spirits that their shrines had been destroyed by humans to make room for their steel houses. They had completely forgotten about the beings that lived in them. But as the sun started to move, he found that the girl was harmless. She refaced their shrine and upon her leaving, he figured he would give her a small gift in thanks if he ever saw her again.


If was the key word.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko could never have been happier to have eaten, and exhaled happily after feeling completely full. She was driving down the rode to go back up the mountain when she remembered that she had needed a flashlight, and some snacks to bring along just in case she had gotten hungry, despite her missing appetite after having something to eat not long before then. Stopping at a grocery store, she walked in and got what she needed to play the game mostly known as 'Kokkuri-San' and grabbed a bunch of snacks, seeing as how she needed to restock for her cabinets at home anyways.


Not long after was she back on the road and she could see the rugged step that winded up the mountain ahead. Parking on the side of the road in case someone had decided to drive the long forgotten roads, she grabbed the full bags of supplies as well as a paper and penny. Making sure she had everything and was able to hold it securely since she'd be trekking up a hill of stairs, she nodded to herself and began the climb.


It was much more rigorous to make the march up the steps then it had before she had to carry a bunch of bags, but she eventually made it and lout out a relieved breath of air. Moriko stepped quietly up into the shrine's confinements, her pulse racing with uneasiness and adrenaline. The shrine was definitely different once the sun started to descend, and an eerie glow illuminated the property making it look alive. "Alright, hopefully the spirits won't be upset with me for trespassing, but I probably won't be here for too long anyways. This game is probably a hoax, but it doesn't hurt to try.


She set her utilities down and plopped herself onto the floor, crossing her legs and using a few cheap lanterns she found to light up the dark room to give her visibility as the sun set. Then she drew her palm to her face, grunting in frustration. She had forgotten that you're supposed to think of something to ask before playing. Placing the paper and penny down in front of her and placing her index finger onto the centered penny, she closed her eyes, trying to think of a question.


Firstly, she decided to ask if anyone was even there. "Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, are you there?" She asked, her voice wavering just the slightest. She stayed silent and alert. Listening in on any sort of noise or if she could see movement as well as keeping focused on the paper and penny before her.

 

[sorrow made you]

The time before the girl leaving and the sun setting was slow and uneventful. Ichimaru had fallen back asleep and was fully prepared to rest the entire evening till next morning to go about and check on the nearby spirits. He rested in the back of the shrine with the two small fox spirits, cuddled up on the cold floor, trying to keep warm with the hole in the roof.


Hearing footsteps, Ichimaru quickly glanced up. His vision was blurred at first, but a few blinks cleared it up. There was the girl from earlier today. He felt the hairs stand on end on the back of his neck. His white fox ears fell flat on his head. He was not pleased she walked into his shrine on her own without asking permission. A small tisk escaped passed his lips and he slowly started to rise, careful not to wake the two small spirits.


He neared her, but as he did so, he realized that the girl was doing something. He tilted his head almost curiously as he came closer and closer. And as soon as she spoke those words, a large red torii gate appeared in front of him, making him jump slightly. The girl wouldn't be able to see it or feel it, seeing as it was only in the spiritual plane of this reality. But Ichimaru could see it as clear as day and could feel that it was a solid piece. He felt compelled to near. He placed his hand on the gate and looked up in awe. How it even fit in his little shrine was an amazing concept to him. He looked through the gate to see he girl waiting for a response.


Silently, Ichimaru made his way through the gate, and felt a wave of energy course through him. He knew then that he wouldn’t be able to leave until given permission. He glanced back, but found that he was no longer in his shrine. He was in a void. All that was around him was black, a red gate to his back, and the girl and the piece of paper and coin to his front. He carefully knelt in front of the paper, facing the girl. She…still couldn’t see him. He curiously watched her, tilting this way and that until he finally reached out and touched the coin.


He blinked in wonder. The coin was solid. And he could feel her energy. Slowly, as an experiment, he slid the coin over to the ‘yes’ written on the paper.

 

[PastelBishie]

Morkio nearly fell on her face when the coin moved on its own. She looked around feverishly, trying to find someone or something that could have caused the penny to move, but she was in fact alone and didn't move the penny herself, so she must have contacted a spirit. She gulped, but a curious smile made its way onto her face as she glanced around. "Ah, well hello I guess. Sorry about trespassing, I wasn't sure how to ask for permission to enter..." She apologized, looking down to the side in embarrassment. She felt silly sitting in the middle of a shrine, talking to what seemed to be herself.


Drawing a breath of air in, she thought of what to say next. Moriko remembered how people would give food offerings and such as apologies, and got an idea. Pulling the bag of treats toward her with her free hand, she placed it next to the paper. "Would a food offering suffice as an apology? It's not gourmet or anything, but it tastes pretty good to me." She asked, looking down at the paper eagerly. Besides her voice and the bag rustling from a draft that wafted through the room, the room was silent. Even though the silence was a lonely one, she felt as if she wasn't alone at all.


Looking at the contents of the bag, she was happy that she usually bought older fashioned food since she liked it so much. She wasn't sure how whoever she was talking to would like the newer and more artificial food that was selling nowadays. In fact, she wasn't sure if they'd even be able to take the food. How did offerings even work? She had always seen people do it, and did it a few times with her family during festivals, but she never saw the offering get taken up or if they were ever even touched.


The more she thought about the deities of the shrines, she began to wonder as to what kind of deity she was speaking to. Was it a male? Female? Did it even have a gender? She wished she could see them, but then again what if they were scary? She sure hoped she wasn't talking to an angry spirit, but she did give an apology for whatever might have upset them, but then again they could just be one of the malevolent spirits that died angry and stay that way until they move on. Just thinking about it all made her nervous, but it was too late now, her interest was piqued and she wanted to keep playing.


As a breeze blew in from an open window, she felt a chill run through her spine and her hair blew in her face. Tucking the loose strands behind her ear, she looked out to the open window quickly to see the full moon up and the sky littered with stars. She stared for a few moments, always having been fond of the night sky regardless of her fear of the dark which is why it was a wonder that she was even still there, but quickly returned to looking at the penny in anticipation since she had a feeling it was going to soon move again.

 

[sorrow made you]

Her reaction made Ichimaru chuckle into the sleeve of his kimono. Even with his mask on, his curiosity shown through. He watched as she apologized and he fell silent again. He couldn't speak to her with his words. Not like he was going to in the first place. She was pretty chatty, considering. Especially to someone like him-- a spirit. Instinctively, he stood a little straighter, as if analyzing her greeting.


Ichimaru watched as one of her hands went to a bag. He was curious as to what she was pulling out. When he saw her pull out a container of dango, he licked his lips and looked to her, as if expecting this to be some sort of trick. Was she really giving a food offering? Who was this woman? She didn't look like any shrine maiden he knew, so surely she couldn't be one of them. She didn't resemble a Shinto priest in the least. She dressed too modern to be a folk goer.


He was hesitant in taking he treats from her, but as soon as she turned to look at the opened window, he reached out and snatched the container as well as the other small snacks and started to stuff them in his kimono. He would give some of it to the little ones when he returned. He stuffed a mochi snack in his mouth and lowered his head slightly. How long since he last had food? He savored the flavor for a moment, humming in delight. The shrine room would have gotten slightly warmer with a pleasant feel.


As soon as she returned her eyes, he was sitting back in place. The snacks were gone and he now had two mochi in his mouth, making his cheeks pull. He held still, not sure if she could see him yet, but after he realized she couldn't, he continued to eat. Now he was even more curious about the girl. She wasn't as mean and rude as most of the people that walked by the steps at the bottom of the mountain side. She actually seemed to care. He waited to see what she would do next, tail slightly wagging behind him.

 

[PastelBishie]

Looking down at the bag, Moriko's eyes widened. It was empty and she didn't even notice it. When did that happen? When she looked outside? This deity sure did seem hungry if they took everything. She couldn't help but giggle a bit at the seemingly eagerness to take the food. They probably didn't get many offerings, being that the place had been deprived of visitors and caretakers. Looking down softly she wondered what to say next. She scrunched her nose slightly in thought, she began to wonder if they liked her work on cleaning up the place.


"Um, I'm glad that you accepted the offering. I also hope my work around the shrine was to your liking..." She rambled, still thinking of a question. She honestly never expected anything to happen that night other than going home soon after hanging out in the shrine. Maybe they would tell her their name? "Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. Sorry! My name is Moriko. Tsukino Moriko. May I know who I am talking to?" She asked, looking straight in front of her, searching for the person who's presence she could feel.


'You know, most people in my situation would probably be really scared.' She thought to herself. She was pretty surprised that she was so calm right now. She straightened her back a bit, stretching her tense muscles and bones, before going back to more of a slouch as she looked at the penny in anticipation once again. Perhaps their name would give her a better idea on who she was talking to, depending on if the name was gender neutral or not.


She also noticed a slightly warmer feeling fill the once cold room. That was a good thing right? Cold rooms were usually a bad sign, so she must have done something right, and they obviously were happy with the food she gave them. Perhaps she was at a good start with whoever was in the room with her. 'There were fox statues out front, so maybe a kitsune is the resident...' Moriko remembered, having cleaned away the vines and moss that had taken over the carefully carved figurines. Then she began wanting to see her companion once again. Did she need to ask to see them before she was able to? Was seeing them even a possibility? She wasn't sure, but hopefully she would know their name soon enough.

 

[sorrow made you]

Her excitement made him smile behind his mask. How confused she was with the food gone, again he raised his sleeve to cover where his mouth would have been. He snickered quietly and looked back to see the the fox pair had heard him, but again he was met with darkness and the void beyond the torii gate. He turned back around and tilted his head slightly. She was a brazen one, wasn't she?


He listened to the girl introduce herself. Tsukino Moriko...it was a pretty name. He wondered if she was blessed by the moon in her name. As she asked for his, however, he snickered again and reached forward to move the coin. Carefully he moved it all the way down to the number one, but didn't stop. He drew it back up and then rotated it in a circle across the hiragana characters before landing it on 'No.' He chuckled and pressed his sleeve against his mask.


He waited to see her reaction. Would she respond unfavorably? He felt that she might have a sense of humor. Maybe she would play along.

 

[PastelBishie]

Watching the coin move around, she held her breath before it landed on a no. She stared at it for a while before laughing. "Well then, that was kind of sassy." she chuckled, trying to keep her finger stable on top of the coin. She calmed her laughter to a smile and sat back, keeping her hand steady. "Alright, fine." She mumbled under her breath, a yawn escaping past her lips. She reached for her phone to check the time, her eyes widening. Moriko didn't realize how late it had gotten, it was almost morning already.


Looking back to the paper, knowing that she should head back home, she decided on what to do. "Since it's already so late, perhaps it would be okay for me to visit again tomorrow?" She questioned, looking up unsure, her eyebrows raised in a sort of urging way to see if they'll say yes this time. the night would pass by quickly and she would be back as soon as she could tomorrow if the deity agreed to welcome her back again for another chat. She didn't have much to do, being that it was summer break and all of her friends were out with their girlfriends and boyfriends, not that she minded, but she was pretty bored.


Moriko remembered how quick the snacks disappeared and decided that after shopping some more tomorrow for herself, she'd pick up some more food to bring to the shrine.

 

[sorrow made you]

He couldn't help but chuckle with her. How long had it bee since he smiled because of a human action? He slowly lowered his hand from his mask and placed it down on the floor. He waited for another question, but she looked at her little divice and seemed to change her mind on playing with him further. A small frown fell behind his mask and he sat back a little further. He didn't want her to leave yet, but the promise of coming back tomorrow was tempting. But...what if she didn't come back tomorrow? Maybe allowing her to come back would be enough good in her favor that she would.


He slowly moved the coin to 'Yes' and leaned back. He let out a small sigh and a yawn bounced from her onto him, making his warm breath fall back against his face from the mask. He rubbed his cheek under the mask and bowed slightly to her. He knew she couldn't see, but that didn't mean he didn't have to be polite to the girl that gave him an interesting night. He waited for her to allow him to leave through the gate before going back to the two sleeping foxes. He would lay out the food for the two to find in the morning. Surely they would be very pleased.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko was more than pleased when the coin moved over yes. "Okay, cool! Thank you for talking to me, goodbye." She said, letting her finger off the penny, standing up, and bowing before going to pack all of her stuff. "I'll bring more food tomorrow too, so enjoy those snacks as much as you want." She added, smiling at the empty air before waving and exiting out the door. She turned to look at the shrine once more before hopping down the stairs quickly but carefully, knowing that she would need to get home quick to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow. She also needed to feed her cat before getting some rest, the poor thing was probably mad at her for being gone so much that day.


As she drove, Moriko couldn't help but have a goofy look on her face. She was stoked about becoming acquainted with a deity, not to mention how beautiful the sky looked that night, with the moon illuminating the world around her. Moriko was definitely coming back again tomorrow, but she was still so anxious that she wasn't sure how much sleep she would get, much less be able to keep her thoughts collected enough to doze a bit. perhaps she could take some pills to help her sleep, but that wasn't important at that moment in time, she needed to focus on getting home quick so the next day would come sooner.


(Perhaps after your next post we could do a time skip? ^^)

 

[sorrow made you]

After he agreed to her coming back, he moved the coin to the picture of the red gate, allowing him his exit. He stood and dusted himself off, then bowed to her, seeing her off. He looked back to see that his shrine was back to normal and the two foxes were still sleeping. He smiled and went through the gate. By the time the gate disappeared, the girl was on her way to her car. He let out a small pleased sigh and scurried over to the edge of the shrine steps. He arranged the goods so it looked like someone dropped them off then went back to sleep with the two.


By morning, Ichimaru groaned when he heard the two foxes move about then cheer about the food. He rolled onto his side and slowly raised his head, his long white hair a mess from an active night's sleep. "Oh...?" He mumbled and rolled onto his hands and knees. He started to crawl over to the two and sat on his knees. "What do you have there?"


Ichimaru-onii-san! Someone left us offerings in the night!


Tasty offerings so our bellies won't hurt anymore!


Do you think there will be more?


Will there be more offerings for us?


Ichimaru chuckled and slowly started to slide his mask up to let golden eyes land on the two. "Maybe. Maybe the person who gave the offerings will come again. We must be patient though. How about after you two eat, you make a gift for our presenter?"


The two nodded vigorously and started to quickly eat.


"Eat slowly and savor it."


They paused for a brief second before eating in a more civilized manner. Once they were finished, they hopped out of the shrine and into the nearby field to look for things that might pose as an accurate gift of their gratitude. Ichimaru sat by the entrance of the shrine to wait.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko had actually gotten a decent amount of sleep that night, and was fully energized the next day. She had rushed to get dressed, fed her cat, and got into her car. She pulled into the grocery store and made sure to pick things for both her and stuff to bring to the shrine. It was nearly lunch time by the time she was finally on her way to the mountain, since she slept in a bit to get an extra bit of rest in since she was up so late that night, but it wasn't terribly far into the afternoon, so it was still fairly early.


Parking in her usual spot, she straggled up the stairs and stood at the top to catch a breath. It seemed as if it got harder and harder to walk up the steps every time, but it was worth it in the end.


Lifting the bags up to check that everything was still in there, she nodded and looked to see the shrine looking rejuvenated and much more lively than it had before. She beamed at the sight and walked to the steps, pausing by the entrance before going in since she had been rather rude last time. "Good afternoon, I'm back like I promised with snacks." She called out, unsure if she would be heard. She blinked a few times, unsure of if she should go in or not. Perhaps she would be given a signal of sorts that she was allowed to enter?


As she waited for some sort of reply, she looked around and saw some flowers that she hadn't noticed before sprouting and bordering the premises. It gave a softer and more welcoming aura to the hard rock details of the building.

 

[sorrow made you]

Ichimaru yawned on boredom as he waited. Maybe she wouldn't come after all. He was just about to lay out for the time being when he heard huffing and puffing coming up the steps. His ears perked up and he waited patiently. A pleasant smile was hidden behind his mask as he watched her greet him. He gave her a small bow, knowing she couldn't see. As she paused there, he waited for her to enter. But when she didn't, he chuckled and flicked his wrist. A small gust of wind came from the trees and pushed against her back, as if ushering her inside.


Once she was settled in, Ichimaru waited. He could hear the two foxes moving around in the back to get a better view. He looked back at them and made a 'shh' motion. They sat in the back and watched the two from their place. They couldn't remember the last time they had seen a human so closely.


Ichimaru returned his attention to the girl and waited for her to set up the communication. Whatever this magical gate was, he was interested in it. He sat far enough away so that if she summoned the gate again, he would have room for it.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko felt the wind urge her inside and giggled quietly. That sure was a forward way of getting her to go inside, just push her in. She didn't mind though, she was glad to be welcomed back even though she couldn't see her host. She set the bag of food down off to the side of her before placing the paper and penny down as she did last night. She did the usual opening sentence and waited for the deity to answer, confirming that they were there. She was surprised by how willing the spirit was to communicate with her, but it was probably lonely after being deserted for so long.


She though she heard shuffling in the back of the room, but dismissed it as just the rustling of leaves and began to think of what she could ask today. She didn't really want to know anything about her life, but more about the deity and such. She didn't want to know her future, surprises were fun, but mythology and history always interested her. Surely the spirit had been around long enough to have a few stories to tell, but spelling everything out would take too long so that crossed off that idea.


Perhaps she could get their name today. They had denied her last time, but maybe she would have better luck this time.

 

[sorrow made you]

Ichimaru looked back at the two as the gate appeared again. He gave a small chuckle before getting up and going through it. He wasn't sure if the others could see them through the gate, but he supposed he would find out soon enough. Again he knelt down in front of the paper and looked around to see that everything changed to the void. Behind his mask he gave a small smile and leaned forward to move the coin to 'Yes',


He was curious to know what kind of questions she would have today. Seeing as he teased her last night, he expected his name to come up again. And when it did, he would give the same answer. He would first head to the number one, then slowly circle over the ma and ru before going to 'No'. Ichimaru did like his games.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko grinned at the paper as she was answered. "Hello again." She greeted. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to get it out of her face as she looked at the penny in content. "Well, like I said earlier, I brought some more food if you wanted any..." She trailed off, chuckling awkwardly. She still felt like she was talking to an empty room regardless of the obvious presence that accompanied her own. The room was warm again, but it was daytime so it might just be from the sun being out again and shining into the shrine, but it was a comfortable temperature inside which was a pleasant alternative to when it was cold. But it was summer, so the heat was to be expected.


Thinking about nature, she was curious as to if a deity might favor certain conditions over others. "What's your favorite time of day?" She asked. She thought it would be kind of cool if a spirit could have opinions on things so trivial since they didn't even have to worry about such things, but if they did that could lead to more discussions on the matter. Surely deities had opinions and feelings, this one seemed to have a sense of humor after all.

 

[sorrow made you]

He slightly bowed to Moriko and instantly looked over to the snacks. Again he licked his lips, but instead of reaching out for them, he would wait till she was distracted before taking them. He knew she knew he was there, but he didn't want to make it too obvious. His head tilted slightly as he tried to see into the bag, but eventually leaned back to focus back on the girl.


Her question slightly confused him. She was more curious about him instead of herself? He was unsure what that meant, and gave a slightly skeptical look before reaching out to touch the penny. He started to pull his hand back in second thought, but then returned it to the penny. Slowly he started going over the hiragana characters: yo and ru, yoru. Night.


For a kitsune, dusk or nighttime was their playtime. Some has association with playing with the moon, others liked the darkness and the tricks that could come along with it. Ichimaru particularly liked those nights when he used to speak with the lady on the moon and the hare, whenever the hare would visit. But it has been long since he had talked to either of his friends. He wondered if they were even still around.

 

[PastelBishie]

Moriko was actually proud that the entity chose night as their preferred time of day. Not only was her surname related to the nighttime, but the night happened to be her favorite as well, giving her something in common with a deity which was pretty cool to her. "That's cool, I like the night time the best as well." She explained, smiling up at the empty air in front of her. The more she sat talking to an empty space, the more she longed to meet her companion face to face.


Puffing out her cheeks in frustration, she began to think of more things to say. Should she ask their name again? Surely they'd do the same as before, why should they tell her their name anyways? She really did want to know, but asking a question she knew wouldn't get an answer was useless and a waste of time that she could be spending wisely by asking better questions and getting to know the invisible stranger she was talking to for the second time now. Then she began to wonder if they had been alone until she came along. "Are you here all on your own? That would be pretty lonely if so." She asked, sighing at her own statement since she could relate to being alone. She hoped they had others to talk to besides her, she probably wasn't even that good of company, but they came to talk to her again so she must have been doing something right.


Hearing a noise outside, she quickly looked back as to catch whoever caused the sound. Searching the dim room for a sign of anything, she came to a conclusion that the breeze outside caused a branch to scratch the side of the shrine. She shrugged, lingered her eyes on the spot for a few more seconds, and then eventually gave up to look back at the paper and penny beneath her finger.

 

[sorrow made you]

The two small fox spirits, though Ichimaru couldn't see them through the gate, were lurking about. One of the two rushed outside and climbed onto of the roof. He scurried a bit and with that distraction, the other fox snuck in and took a coupld of snacks before Mirako could see. He ran off to the back of the shrine and waited for the other half of the pair to reunite.


Ichimaru let out a small chuckle and thought on the girl's question. He did have the company of the pair of foxes, but...it was still very lonely. The two could have been considered an extension of him when it came to the loneliness he felt from lack of guests. His smile faded into a solemn frown and he moved the coin to 'Yes'.


He wondered the extent of his communication. Slowly he brought his hand back to the coin and started to move it over to the numbers. '1', and then he passed. Then then started to go over the characters that would spell out the Japanese word for person. He wondered if she would understand. She was the only person to visit in so long. How long had it been? Ten years? Fifty? One hundred years?

 

[PastelBishie]

Seeing his reply, she had been a bit confused at first. Yes, one person? Perhaps they meant that she was the first person to visit in a long time. "That's sad. So, if I'm interpreting this correctly, I'm the first person to visit in a long time? Then I'm happy to be able to keep you company." She smiled softly. She looked to the bag and saw that it had been emptied a bit, but wasn't as fazed as she had been the first time. She expected it to happen this time and was actually elated to see the deity enjoying her offerings.


Looking out the window briefly, it seemed to be late afternoon. Moriko was glad that she still had a while before she should probably leave. That's when an idea came to her. Surely they had questions too, not really being up to date with modern times after being forgotten for so long. "Ah, do you have anything to ask me? I know I should be asking questions, but you're probably curious about how things are out int he world now." She added, looking up at the empty space in front of her, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. They could see her right? Why couldn't she see them? Was it some sort of thing where they had to allow her to see them? She wasn't sure.

 

[sorrow made you]

She was smart. It was uncommon, apparently, to find someone that could actually figure out what a spirit was saying. This relieved Ichimaru a little and he let out a simple sigh before adjusting his mask. He sat back a little, wondering how he could answer her question. With the physics of the game, he could only do so many movements. There were hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, but there was no way he would be able to spell them all out. He looked down at the paper and the coin and then carefully moved it around 'Yes' that it was already on.


Yes, he did have questions he wanted to ask.


Unfortunately, he didn't have the proper means to ask them.


There was a loud crash from the back somewhere and Ichimaru quickly looked back. He knew it wasn't the little fox pair because of the sound. He couldn't see beyond the gate, which made him narrow his eyes. Someone else was here...with a quick sniff, he could tell it wasn't a spirit. Or at least, not a good one. He glanced back at the girl to see if she had heard it too, then quickly started to move the coin.


'Nigero' Run.

 

[PastelBishie]

She perked up at the fact that they did have somethings to ask her, and was ready to answer any questions that she possibly could. She was a bit unsure of if they would be able to ask everything they wanted to since it would take a while to point every thing out, but she was willing to wait if need be. She'd have to find another way for the spirit to ask more detailed things as well as have more lengthy answers so that everything wasn't as choppy as it was with the labeled paper.


Just as she was thinking this, a crash tore her from her thoughts. She jerked her head in the direction of the noise and became uneasy. Something didn't feel right, and it definitely wasn't the deity she was talking to at the moment plus they had said they were alone. No humans ever ventured up to the shrine, often at least, and it was almost dinner time so most people would be going out and heading home at the moment.


Feeling the coin move quite frantically, she looked down to see something spelled out that gave her chills. She quickly shifted the coin to 'Goodbye' so they could also leave before bolting up and getting out of the shrine as fast as she could. Halting once she was off the porch, she glanced around erratically, trying to decide which way to go. It would be dangerous to try and make her way down the stairs in a fast manner or in an manner in general so she opted for the forest. At least she'd have more options and places to hide if need be.


Nodding to herself, she took off down the path the twisted and led deeper into the dim forest. She wasn't sure where to go or where she was going, but she knew she had to get as far from the shrine as she could. If whoever she was talking to was concerned enough to tell her to get away from the shrine and whatever had made that noise, she was positive it wasn't something to stick around to see.

 

[sorrow made you]

As soon as Ichimaru was allowed to leave, he gave a quick bow and ran through the gate. He gave a quick look around, seeing where the pair of foxes were hiding. There was a strong scent of filth and rage. Was it a boar demon? Surely they had been ran out long ago. The kitsune's eyes darted to the forest where Moriko had ran. He raised his hand and out of thin air, pulled down two maple leaves, Drawing characters on them with his finger, he let them go and they floated away, following Moriko. If anything, they would guide her to a nearby street. Hopefully that would be enough to not get her lost.


His attention went back to the shrine. "Uga, Uka!" he called, but didn't hear them. Panic crashed into him like a massive wave and he raced further into the shrine, tearing away at this and that in search of them. Nowhere. He ran outside and nearly froze with dread as he saw a giant boar tearing up the gardens while chewing on the small bodies of the two spirits. Ichimaru's hands trembled. But not in fear now, no. He was furious.


All the hard work that Morkio had done to bring what was left of the shrine to life...was all burned in the span of a few minutes.


Later that night, Ichimaru sat alone on the stone steps of his destroyed shrine. His mask rested beside him as he held his face in his palms. Out of his rage and blind fury, he had destroyed everything. The large boar demon was slowly disappearing, but even humans would be able to see the destruction it had caused. From what he had gathered from the demon, human activity drew him to the shrine. He wanted nothing more than to devour the humans that dared step foot on forgotten land. The foxes had only been a small casualty. Ichimaru sobbed and curled his fingers in his hair as he shook with guilt and sorrow. He hadn't been able to care for them nor able to save them. What good was a guardian spirit that couldn't protect?

 

[PastelBishie]

Taking a quick break after tripping at the sound of loud crashes, Moriko braced herself against a tree trunk. Her breathing was short and ragged, but she wasn't too winded. She stood straight and looked up towards the sky that was now a vibrant and almost warning orange. It was beautiful, but also made Moriko nervous by how urgent of a color it seemed to be. At this point she wanted to go back to the shrine to see if everything was alright, if not to just check on her deity friend, but she wasn't sure if she would even have the slightest idea on how to go back. Sighing at her foolishness of running into the forest blindly, she shrugged and started to walk again when she noticed two leaves that looked to be floating not to far from her.


Stopping and waiting for them to get closer, she noted the small drawings on the leaves. They danced around her a bit, as if trying to tell her something. "Ah, did the spirit send you?" She asked. Seeing them become more antsy, she assumed they were saying yes. "Could you guide me back to the shrine? I really want to make sure everything is alright. I haven't heard anything for a while, so I think whatever was happening is over." She deduced, looking at the figures pleadingly. They looked to each other hesitantly before doing a small bow and floating off towards a random direction.


"A-ah! Wait for me!" She exclaimed, hurrying after the two. It wasn't very easy to keep tabs on them being that the forest was filled with things that looked similar to her escorts, but they soon came back to the stone courtyard and a huge pile of rubble. Moriko nearly fell to her knees in astonishment and despair, but she was too focused on finding the spirit she had become acquainted with. By the steps, the pair of maples landed fluttered a bit before falling to the ground. Moriko walked towards the spot she saw the duo drop and became hopeful. "Hello? I-is anyone still here?" She said in a small voice. She wasn't sure if she would be answered, or if anyone there could answer her but it's the only thing she could think of at the moment as her eyes searched the area for any signs of another's presence.