Kitsune: A Little Mermaid Retelling

by Nicolette Andrews

  He folded his hands over his chest. And you have not. Do the Kami preserve you? “Did you come to mock me? Surely someone with your ability has better things to do.”

  “You’re right, I do.” She smiled. She had a secret that she wanted him to fish for, but he was not the young man taken in by those smiles and secrets any longer. She had brought him danger before but saved him as well. It was what kept him from sending her away—he was just as guilty as she.

  “If you have nothing of import to say.” He turned to walk away.

  “Wait,” she called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. “There is something.”

  He turned back around. “Yes?”

  “I was walking along in the forest and came upon a Kitsune.”

  He clutched at his chest. It felt for a moment as if a knife had been stabbed there. An old wound bled anew. “You cannot mean to say she has returned from the dead?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t be a fool. What is gone is gone. This Kitsune is new to this region. I caught her and questioned her, but as you know, their kind can be tricky. I got no real answer as to why she came here.”

  “Then why are you telling me this?”

  “Because I thought you deserved a warning. The Yokai have long memories, and if one came for vengeance…” She shrugged her thin shoulder.

  He kept his expression mild while his mind reeled. It means naught. Just a coincidence, perhaps the creature was passing through. But he said through dry lips, “What did you do with her?”

  “She escaped, unfortunately. If you see any of suspicion, let me know.”

  He held his breath. It was nothing but the witch’s taunting. But still he had to ask, “You don’t think she will come here, do you?”

  “When it comes to a Kitsune, anything is possible.”

  She bowed, and then with another tinkling of bells, she disappeared. He stayed in the shrine room for some time, staring at the shrine. A string of ofuda danced on the wind, but other than that, everything was still. Then very slowly he went and knelt before the idol, a fox—a Kitsune. He pressed his forehead against the feet of the idol.

  “Will you ever forgive me? Perhaps in the next life I can make amends for my crimes against you.”

  They arrived at the palace late at night; the moon had already reached its apex. The palace doors were slammed shut. I didn’t count on them locking me out. Hikaru slid down from the saddle and approached the gate.

  “Hello?” he called. His voice bounced off the walls and rolled over the farmland behind him.

  He waited for a response. He looked back at the woman; she watched him curiously. I must look like a fool, locked out of my own palace. He turned back to the doors. He knocked upon the wood. The sound was quickly swallowed by the night. Even the night birds had ceased their singing to witness his embarrassment. What if my father uses this as an excuse to disinherit me? They must think I ran away. He held his breath, waiting. Surely someone had heard and would come open the doors. He craned his neck back; there should be guards walking the walls. He turned to walk over to Rin and explain when he saw the glow of yellow light over the top of the wall. Finally.

  A slot in the door slid open and Hikaru approached it. The yellow light spilled through the opening and made a square of light on the ground beyond. Hikaru stepped into the shaft of light.

  “Who’s there?” a gravelly voice said.

  “It is Hikaru, first son of Lord Kaedemori.”

  The guard peered at him through the hole. He recognized him as one of the men who had come with him to the Fujikawas. One of the survivors. He swallowed.

  “Lord Kaedemori’s son?” the man asked.

  “Yes. I went out for a ride and was delayed. Please let me in, we are cold and weary.”

  The man’s face disappeared from the hole for a moment and Hikaru heard the man conferring with another. He clenched his fists and waited.

  “Master Hikaru is asleep in his chamber. I think you’re an impostor.”

  Hikaru clenched his jaw down on his anger. He took a deep breath and then replied, “That is not true. You saw me when I rode out earlier this evening. Let me in—”

  “Get out of here or we’ll be forced to open fire on you,” the man replied.

  Hikaru glanced up as half a dozen men armed with bows and arrows arrayed themselves on the wall. They trained their bows on Hikaru. He looked each one over; he knew them all by name. They had been in his father’s employ for years. They stared back at him with hatred and anger. They spared him no loyalty, and after he had mocked them and led their friends to their deaths, they wanted revenge.

  Hikaru returned his gaze to the man who grinned through the square hole in the door.

  He wanted to look back at the woman to gauge her reaction, but he feared he would see pity or revulsion there.

  He mustered up all the authority he could manage and said, “I demand you let us in.”

  “Demand all you like,” the man said. His face disappeared and in its place a notched arrow appeared.

  Hikaru took a few steps backwards. What will my father think when they find my body? Will he weep, or will he blame me for my lack of leadership?

  The woman jumped down from the saddle and approached the door. Her footsteps were so light she hardly disturbed the gravel beneath her feet. Hikaru held up his hand to stop her.

  “Don’t, these men are mad.” Then to the men beyond the gate he said, “When my father hears of this, you will be flogged or worse.”

  The man did not respond. The woman frowned and looked between Hikaru and the warriors on the wall. She gave him a questioning look that he could not answer. The arrow in the door disappeared. The men on the wall did not move from their spots, though a few tilted their heads towards the courtyard. Raised voices drifted over the wall, and a few of the warriors dropped their arrows. He looked at the woman. She shrugged. Hikaru approached the door, but as he did, it cracked open. Then with a groan it swung open. A man stood in the doorway. He was of average height, unassuming, his expression blank.

  “My lord, I apologize for my men’s insubordination,” Captain Sadao said. He bowed to Hikaru. When he stood up, his eyes drifted to the woman and that was where they rested. They stared at one another, giving each other measured looks. Hikaru felt the urge to protect her. Something about the captain’s expression was honed and deadly. She seemed to recognize him as well.

  “I’m glad to see you’ve returned, Captain Sadao. I was afraid we had lost you.” At least he had one less death on his conscience.

  “I only just made my way back, my lord.” The captain nodded. “It was difficult to get inside. The men are a bit on edge after this afternoon, it seems.”

  Hikaru avoided his gaze. He was not sure if that was meant as a dig at his poor decision making. Hikaru cleared his throat and said, “I found this woman along the road. Summon the head servant and have a room prepared for her.”

  The captain bowed, and with a few quick words to one of his men, his orders were carried out.

  The woman grabbed onto Hikaru’s sleeve. He glanced at her. The captain strode off, his men in tow looking sullen, and when he was out of sight, the tension melted off of her and left behind a childlike glee that sparkled in her eyes as she looked around the courtyard. She skimmed over objects, her gaze bouncing about like a ball.

  Just then the elderly head servant arrived. His kimono was falling off his shoulder, and his hair was half down as if he had intended to brush his hair but decided against it at the last second.

  “My lord, you have returned!” he gasped.

  “Yes, I found this young lady wandering alone in the dark. I would have her fed and taken care of.”

  “That is your father’s decision.” The servant wrung his hands. “He gave orders that you be brought to him the moment you returned.” His beady eyes flickered from Hikaru to the woman for just a moment before fixing on the floor.

  “Very well, I will see him in a moment, but first I would have
the lady’s comfort seen to.”

  “He will want to see her as well,” the servant said while looking at the ground.

  Hikaru clenched his jaw. He ground out, “Then we shall present ourselves to him.”

  7

  Shin sniffed the air. This was where Rin’s trail ran cold. He had chased her from the Dragon’s palace to this far corner of his kingdom only to find she had disappeared. The forest buzzed, the residents all talking about the guardian, who was in an uproar. And he suspected a certain Kitsune he knew had something to do with it. Disguised as a wolf, he could walk along the human roads. He did that now, his Yokai senses spread out to find her. He knew her signature like his own beating heart, but apart from the broken branches with tufts of coppery hair and fox prints on the ground, he did not notice anything that belonged to her.

  He stopped when he felt a strange energy coming from nearby; it raised the hairs on his back. That is human energy but tainted somehow. He ran forward and came to a skidding halt when he found the markings on the ground. He brushed his nose against it. And recoiled. A human had trapped a Yokai here. He could taste the spell on the air, acrid and foul. Beneath it, he noticed it faintly but still her scent. Rin.

  What have you done now? She would be the death of him, he was sure of it. He never should have chased after her. What would the Dragon do when he found out he had abandoned his post? The Dragon had left him in charge while he went on one of his infamous trips. But he had seen Rin’s face the day she disappeared. He thought she needed time to cool off, as usual, but when she had not returned, he realized he had underestimated her. And so here he was on a madcap search for her. He growled in his throat.

  He ran along the path, smelling her faintly corrupted scent. He followed the trail along the human road, growing more confused all the while. Then her scent mixed with that of a human, at least he thought it was human. This scent also had a strange note to it. He looked through the dark, his advanced vision showing the road ahead of him, and in the distance he saw a human palace. He sighed. Something told him that was where he would find her.

  The servant jumped as if he had been prodded with a knife, and scurried ahead of them down the hall. They followed after. Rin was curious as to what all the fuss was about. What was it about his father that caused this sudden change in the young man? She had only been in the palace for a few moments and she already had a billion questions buzzing around inside her skull. Was my meeting him in the forest earlier today by chance or by design? How does the witch expect me to stop anything without my powers? They stopped outside a set of double doors. The servant knelt down outside the doors and slid them open.

  The young man turned to Rin. “I am going to speak with my father first, just wait here a moment.”

  She tried to peer past him into the chamber beyond, but she could not see much beyond the bamboo flooring. He disappeared inside and the servant slammed the doors shut with a sideways glance at Rin. She smiled back at him. The servant did not lift his gaze to her. He kept his palms pressed flat against his thighs. They’re not very friendly. I guess I should have known that. Humans seem to be a prickly lot.

  She had never realized how limited human vision was. It was difficult to see much beyond the darkness that cloaked the veranda on which she waited. She took a few steps towards the garden that ran parallel to the veranda. The servant cleared his throat. She looked at him and the servant straightened up. His eyes were wide and fixed on Rin. He reached to clutch his robe closed. What, does he expect me to sprout another head and devour him? She could not imagine she was very intimidating in this weak human form.

  The young man opened the door. His frown carved deep creases into his handsome face.

  “Come in.” He motioned.

  She stepped inside the room; it was larger than she had thought. The room was square and mostly bare but for a couple of empty armor suits and a table. At the far end there was a platform on which an imposing middle-aged man sat. He watched her approach with a frown on his face. Her bare feet slapped against the bamboo flooring. The lord’s back was straight, his posture regal. His tousled white hair fell over his shoulders and he wore a loosely tied robe. The young lord took the lead and knelt down in front of his father. His every movement was precise down to the angle of his hands upon the bamboo mats. Rin followed his lead. She could not help but sneak a peek at the lord, however. She grinned up at him. He stared at her as if the force of his eyes could pierce her. Rin shivered. She had never had cause to consider a human intimidating, but this man exuded power and a faintly disguised fear just beneath the surface of his cold mask. The two mixed together were a deadly combination.

  “How dare you bring her into this place,” the lord said.

  “Father!” the young man interjected.

  The lord glared at him and the young man clamped his mouth shut. Rin looked between him and the lord.

  “Who are you, and what do you want from us?” the lord asked Rin in a firm voice.

  She met his dark penetrating gaze.

  “She is mute, Father,” the young man said in an apologetic tone.

  “Don’t be so easily deceived. Her kind play tricks; it is their way.”

  The lord stood and strode over to Rin. He stopped in front of her and she tilted her head back to maintain her eye contact. If she showed this man she feared him, he would push until she broke. She had no intention of failing even if the witch had stacked the odds against her. From the corner of her eye, she saw the young man half rise up to try to stop his father, but the lord held up a hand to halt him.

  “I command you to speak,” the lord said.

  She opened her mouth, displaying her tongue, and then with a shrug of her shoulders closed it again.

  “She appears to be a woman of noble birth,” the young man said, though a bit hesitantly. “Were you separated from your clan?” This question he directed at Rin.

  She did not want to take her eyes off the lord. He reminded her of a rabid beast. The moment you turned your back, he would strike for the kill. But just like taming a savage beast, she would stand her ground. Once she defeated him, nothing else would stand in her way of doing as the witch bid. She turned to the young man, keeping the lord in her peripheral vision, and nodded slowly.

  The lord scrutinized her. His dark sharp eyes skimmed over her from top to bottom. There was challenge in his expression. If she had her fox fire, she would have used some of her magic to transform him into a salamander just to knock him down a size. As it was, she felt the loss of her connection with her powers as if she’d had a limb cut off.

  “What clan do you hail from?” the lord asked again.

  “Are you from the Torihara clan?” the young man asked.

  She shook her head. If I answer too quickly, they will think I am lying.

  “Perhaps the Akahana family?” Hikaru asked again eagerly.

  She shook her head again.

  “Fujikawa? Saruyama? The Nishimoris?”

  The last name struck her; the meaning, though lost on the humans, was perfect. The west forest. She nodded her head and clapped.

  “You’re a Nishimori?” Hikaru confirmed.

  She nodded again, smiling.

  The lord narrowed his eyes. “Lord Nishimori has three daughters, though I do not know their names. I never heard any of them were mute.”

  Rin shrugged as if to say What can I tell you? She was fortunate the clan had any daughters at all. With her luck, he would only have sons and then she’d really be up a creek.

  The lord turned and walked back to his seat on the platform. He planted himself on his cushion and folded his hands in front of him. “Lord Nishimori is a cousin of mine. I will send word to him that we have happened to discover you.” He had yet to take his eyes off of Rin. She felt as if they were locked in a battle of wills. The first one to look away would lose.

  “I’ll show you to your room.” The young lord jumped up.

  Rin rose as gracefully as possible. If she was t
o pretend at being a human, she would need to work harder to convince the lord. The lord’s gaze flickered to his son. A mild look of disgust crossed his features, but when he realized Rin had noticed, he wiped it away.

  She bowed to him before following Hikaru out into the hall.

  The servant was waiting for them in the hall. He had straightened his clothes and hair. The young man dismissed him, and the servant nodded stiffly before scurrying away. When they were alone once more, the tension from the audience chamber melted off of the young man. He smiled at her.

  “I must apologize for my father’s behavior. He has been under a lot of pressure lately.”

  Rin moved closer to him and touched him on the shoulder. Tell me more, she wanted to say. She had been given a gift when he found her in the forest. She knew he recognized her, but he had yet to mention it. He was the son of the lord, which meant getting closer to him would help her in her task. Who better to teach her human ways and with it how to exploit them to ruin their treaty. And if she was lucky, she might have a bit of fun along the way. Her sisters had told her stories about the humans they had seduced over the years. She had never done it before, but with someone as handsome as the young lord, it might not be so bad.

  He tensed when she touched him, however, and sidestepped away. I get the impression the humans do not welcome casual touches. Every time I brush against him, he acts that way. That will make my job more difficult.

  He led her down a series of hallways and the easy atmosphere they had shared before suddenly became charged. She suspected this was normally a servant’s duty, to show guests to their chambers. Is he expecting me to invite him into my bed? She looked him up and down. He was handsome, tall and well formed. She would not mind seeing what lay beneath those layers of silk. They stopped along a veranda; a few rolling doors had been pushed back. Beyond was a sitting area and, partitioned off in the back, a sleeping area obscured from view by a reed curtain. He stopped with his back to the sitting area and faced Rin.