Paul lounged in the pool, soaking the residual aches out of his body, reflecting on the day. The evening meal had been successful, despite a few hiccups along the way. Rin had helped him cook, which turned out to be a blessing as the youthful kitsune was actually pretty good at it. Apparently surviving on the streets also involved working as a cook or cooks assistant, in restaurants from time to time.

Paul wasn’t sure if Rin wasn’t half-way to developing a crush, or just starved for affection, but either way Rin had stuck to him like a shadow. That might be a problem in the future, but for the time being Paul was happy enough to go along with it. It was kind of charming watching Rin go from pretending to be some anime stereotypical ‘bad boy’ to being themselves. The real Rin was much more thoughtful and sensitive, when not pretending not to care.

Shoko had initially been less than enthralled at meeting her cousin, especially one so much older. But Paul had pulled her aside and explained that Rin had been on their own for far too long, and Shoko would have to be kind to them… as expected, Shoko had forgotten about being miffed at another kitsune vying for Inari’s attention, and had skipped straight past being jealous to ‘mother hen’. Rin evidently didn’t know quite what to make of it, but at a wink from Paul had played along.

Paul hadn’t expected Inari and Kiko to turn up to the meal, but evidently hunger and the smell of good food had temporarily put a hold on other appetites. Although they had sat next to each other, feeding each other choice titbits and generally, as Shoko put it, making ‘goo-goo eyes’ at each other.

Whatever Inari’s true feelings were, Kiko at least was very obviously smitten.

One of the hiccups was that apparently Oni were light-weights… Paul was pretty sure that Tatsuo had drunk at most a half dozen lite beers that afternoon, probably a few less but he’d lost count. However, Jiao had turned up with Yuri and Yuko in tow and complaining that her ‘disgusting brother’ was passed out in his room, snoring like an ogre. Again.

Inari confirmed that most Oni were ridiculously easy to get drunk, but there were always a few that were the complete opposite. Also, almost all Oni males hoped to be of the latter sort; apparently it was a sign of manliness or something.

Paul was a bit hazy on the details of that, but apparently Tatsuo was more stubborn than most Oni because usually they learnt better after the first hangover. Privately Paul wondered if that hadn’t something to do with the stress Tatsuo found himself under… but either way, Paul decided he was going to strictly limit the amount of beer bought and kept on the premises in the future.

Last thing anyone needed was an Oni who was an alcoholic.

The meal itself had gone well, talk had been light. By mutual unspoken agreement, no one had brought up any serious topics. Everyone had, as Paul expected, eaten themselves to repletion. There was even enough left over that should Inari and Kiko disappear to be by themselves tomorrow, there was a ready supply of food that could be reheated quickly in a microwave. Paul had checked with Kiko that there was actually one in her guesthouse kitchen, and had sent her back with enough boxes of leftovers to stock the little fridge there for two or three days.

Kiko had blushed the whole time, promising to keep the windows and doors closed in future too, hopefully cutting down the sound.

Paul had his doubts about that too.

Paul sighed, and poured himself a small measure of sake from the bottle sitting on the deep-sided tray that floated in the pool nearby. The last he’d seen of Inari she’d been talking intently with Rin. He hadn’t been able to make out what they were saying… but hugs were always a good sign. He hoped they’d managed to resolve matters between them, or at least make a start on it.

A ripple ran though the water, making the sake bottle clink quietly against the small bowl-like cup. Paul opened an eye, and found himself regarding Inari wading over to him. At least this time she was wearing a bikini, albeit not much of a one.

Paul sighed and closed his eyes.

“You know, carry on like this and we might as well get rid of that screen.”

Inari giggled.

“Kiko would be scandalised, but I think Rin would be in favour.”

“That one has seen it all before anyway, twice on the weekends. So... you not keeping Kiko company?”

“She wanted to sleep, and complained she couldn’t do that with me there. We’re planning on spending all day here in the bath house tomorrow instead. Sound doesn’t carry far from here.”

“I think everyone will be grateful for that.”

Inari shook her head, borrowing Paul’s cup and pouring herself a drink.

“She was mortified when she realised everyone knew. She’s grown up in her parents household, both of whom work at home much of the time… and she was in shared rooms once she left.”

“Right, zero privacy then.”

“Yes… she hadn’t even .. ah, discovered what most young girls do by themselves.”

Paul raised an eyebrow at Inari.

“Are you really supposed to be telling me these things Inari? Surely that’s private between you and her?”

Inari shook her head slowly.

“Kiko asked me to talk to you. She needs your advice on certain matters. I thought you’d need context as to how inexperienced she is.”

Paul opened both eyes and regarded Inari in surprise and some small amount of confusion.

“Seriously?! I would’ve thought you of all people would be eminently qualified to have ‘The Talk’ with her...”

“Ahh… I find I have less knowledge than I thought I had on the subject, and you have travelled and are worldly and wise Paul-san.”

Paul blinked.

“You are kidding… I.. we.. wait a minute. What exactly are you talking about?”

“Matters of the heart of course.. OH! No, not sex, Paul-san! I’ve made quite sure she is well educated in that regard!”

Paul nodded, settling back more comfortably.

“Ok, that I understand. And yes, I’ll have a talk with her if she wishes. Although, is there anything you want to ask?”

There was silence for a short while, which Paul was content enough to let sit, while Inari thought. Eventually she didn’t speak, but slid along the underwater seat, to lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Would it be an imposition, if I stayed with you for tonight?”

“Does Kiko know, or mind?”

“We... discussed the idea. Kiko is uncertain how she would feel, but she acknowledges you were here first, and that our relationship is not the same as Kiko’s and mine.”

Paul chuckled.

“Just as well… she’s a lot younger and fitter than I am, and doesn’t have that pesky male refractory period. If you and I had the same sort of relationship, I’d be a dried-out, withered husk of a man within a week.”

Inari chuckled throatily.

“Funny, Kiko claimed I was trying to do that to her… She made me sound like a succubus.”

“Those exist?”

“They did, I don’t know if they still do. But I would think so. They get their mana by draining it from other people so...”

“Right, less affected by the fading, and given how sex obsessed society seems to be at times, they’re probably flourishing.”

“Probably… although none could set foot on ground sacred to me.”

“Oh?”

Inari shrugged.

“I am a fertility goddess, of agriculture yes, but of people too. Succubi leave a person barren even if they don’t totally drain them. The two forces are opposed. Most of my shrines, if looked after, would repel them.”

“Huh… spend a night with a succubus and you’re shooting blanks. There are some men who’d count that a good deal actually… at least for bit. Young men are idiots.”

Inari shook her head.

“It doesn’t last. The mana they drain comes from the potential for new life. Drain that and the man’s seed is killed. But only for a few days, as men constantly make new seed.”

“Huh. Yeah I can definitely see some men who’d go for that, even allowing for the possibility of death. Hang on though, what if one was to… ah.. drain a woman? If I remember correctly, women only get one batch of eggs, that ripen once a month. I mean, for humans… I don’t know how it works for you personally.”

Inari laughed,

“I’m just surprised it does work still! I thought I was past that stage of my life. But here I am, in a new and vigorously young body...”

“... with all those teenage hormones.”

“Exactly! But to answer your question, mortal kitsune are no different, apart from a slight variation in timing. But Succubi don’t hunt women anyway.”

“Well, there goes the premise for a lot of anime then. One can almost hear the disappointed sighs of millions of shut-in otakus.”

Inari giggled.

“Well, it’s not like they were ever going to stand a chance anyway. Succubi aren’t notoriously fussy… ah.. ‘eaters’… but they do have some standards.”

“Ouch! That’s cruel Inari… probably true, but cruel. I mean, what a sad specimen of manhood must one be, when even a succubus turns you down flat.”

Inari giggled and then snuggled in a bit closer against his side, settling with a contented sigh.

“Hoi, Paul-san… would you think me odd or be surprised if I said I think I like your company enough that I could be content with that alone, even if we never, you know...”

“Inari-san, nothing you do could surprise me now. Well, no… maybe if you took a vow of celibacy. But apart from that, no.”

Inari punched Paul lightly on the arm, but forbore from commenting as he continued.

“But no, I wouldn’t think it odd either. It’s taken your libido a bit of time to get out of the way of the idea that we’re friends and not anything else, but it’s eventually sunk in I think.”

Inari pouted slightly, muttering...

“Well, it’s not like you gave me a choice!”

Paul sighed, nodding.

“I’m sorry Inari-san, I’ve made life unnecessarily hard for you. But I can’t help being the way I am.”

Inari sighed dramatically, her chest bobbing in the water.

“I know Paul-san, but I wouldn’t want you to be any other anyway. I just wish I’d encountered you sooner, even if it meant I had to share you..”

Paul chuckled.

“Kate would’ve loved you… possibly literally actually. I mean, she was pretty much one hundred percent straight, but if anyone was going to persuade her to go to the other side... She always was very much enamoured of the mystical and esoteric side of life.”

Inari laughed softly.

“Well, that’s a rare and unusual compliment, saying I could’ve seduced your wife, I’m that attractive.”

Paul laughed.

“I guess when you put it that way, yeah that is a bit of an odd thing to say. But you understand what I meant.”

“I do… I think that’s why we fit together so well Paul-san, we understand each other.”

“You have a point there Inari-san… and we’re both odd-balls enough that the same can’t be said of a lot of other people.”

Inari giggled.

“Who would’ve thought that I’d find myself more comfortable with a gaijin mortal, than those of my own kind?!”

“Ha! Who’d have thought I’d have more in common with an immortal fox-spirit ascended to godhood and then reincarnated as a teenage girl who was subsequently accidentally transformed back into a kitsune...and so on...”

“I think you win Paul-san.”

“Well, at least I can say my life isn’t boring.”

“Umhmm! Hey Paul-san… would you like a massage before bed?”

Paul opened an eye, regarding Inari, and finding her being serious.

“Ok, yes please. But no ‘funny stuff’. And only if it won’t leave you feeling over-heated, if you get what I mean.”

Inari shook her head.

“No, I think I’m ok… Today took the edge off my hunger.”

“Hmm, only took the edge off? Poor Kiko!”

Inari laughed throatily.

“I shan’t drain her dry... but I might leave her unable to walk for a while.”

Paul chuckled, deep in his chest and Inari felt her heart speed up as her breath caught slightly. She bit her lip as certain parts of her stiffened in response to the sound. She wished… then she shook her head, no good would come of thinking like that.

“Hoi… Paul-san, you’re turning into a prune and I’m tired. Let’s get out and go to bed now, if you don’t want me falling asleep on you when I’m supposed to be the one massaging you to sleep.”

“Sounds like a good idea. After you Inari, you’re the one who’s dressed.”

Inari snorted.

“Ohh…? And we haven’t seen each other naked before?”

“I know, that’s why you’re going first. Give me a little time to cool off.”

Inari chuckled.

“As you wish my Herald. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”

“Ha!”

Inari got up out of the pool, and walked towards the changing rooms, her hips swaying more than usual. Paul couldn’t tear his eyes away. Inari’s swimsuit was all of three narrow strings at the back, joined by a heart-shaped ring. The strings of the halter-top were hidden by her long black pony tail, that clung to the curve of her back. She paused at the doorway, one leg bent, and looked back over her shoulder at Paul, a small smile curving her lips.

Paul swallowed as Inari disappeared out of sight, trailing a soft chuckle like her perfume in the air behind her.

Closing his eyes he gritted his teeth, trying to erase the sight from his mind. Paul could almost hear Kate’s laughter, and her soft voice whispering into his ear, telling him it was alright to look, that sometimes women wanted to be looked at and appreciated. That it was a form of art, after all.

Paul frowned, thinking. When had Kate said that? They’d been.. somewhere, a beach he thought… Italy, France..? Mykonos in Greece, that was it. She’d caught him staring at an extremely athletic blonde. Kate had said that everyone looked, from time to time, even if they pretended not to, but a healthy appreciation wasn’t the same thing as lusting after.

Then she’d invited the girl and her partner to a game of couples volleyball when they’d run into her again. Kate had a wicked little smile on her face the whole time, as she’d openly ogled the girl’s partner who was an equally athletic fellow.

Paul sighed. Well, he thought, there’s no harm in looking I suppose… and Inari certainly seems to like it… So why do I feel guilty?

Holding his breath, Pail slid underwater, and stayed there until his lungs burned, hoping to drive the thoughts from his head.

--------

Paul woke the following morning, at his usual early hour, feeling rather refreshed. Inari was still curled up under the blankets beside him, just the tips of her ears showing although he could feel the gentle, silken warmth of her skin against his, where her top had ridden up her back.

The massage the night before hadn’t been anywhere near as fraught as Paul had imagined. He’d found Inari waiting for him, dressed in the bottom half of her night attire, which resembled loose boxer shorts, and a sensible sports-bra. The experience had been both oddly sensual, and yet utterly non-sexual. Neither of them had said a word, beyond what was necessary, and Paul had fallen asleep. He had only the faintest memory of rousing enough to dress for bed, alone, and Inari sliding under the covers to join him afterwards.

Paul slipped out of bed, and got dressed... reluctantly.

He knew Inari wouldn’t be awake for a few hours yet, so he made up a breakfast tray for her and left it next to the bed. After which he headed down to the workshop, intending to carry on building the mana generator they’d need in November, although in it’s current design iteration, it was more of a bomb than a generator.

Ash’s bike was up on a stand, or at least, the frame was. The engine and drive train were in parts covering most of one work bench. Ash was standing over that in a pair of oily bib overalls and a cheap black bikini top, both of which and her pale skin, were liberally daubed with grease and oil smears. Her head was off to one side, propped up high where she could get a good over-all view.

“Morning Ash, how goes it?”

“And a good morning it is to you! She’s coming along now… it’s waiting on a new front wheel I am, but the forks are done. I thought I may as well service the engine though, since it’s due and I’ve got the time. And how are things with you an’ Inari now?”

“Complicated, but I think we’re getting it worked out. Care to give me a hand? I need some help welding up a containment chamber for a mana ‘bomb’ generator, so it’s less of a bomb and more of a generator.”

“Aye, I can help. I’ve the time. So... you heard about our little band then?”

“I did, I wish you told me first but that’s water under the bridge now. I must admit, heavy metal isn’t really my thing but I kind of like Yokai metal, it’s more tune and less noise.”

Ash laughed.

“Well now, that’s one way of putting it! We had our artistic differences on that. We’re looking for a keyboard player though. I don’t suppose that would be you now, would it?”

Paul laughed shaking his head.

“God no! I’m lucky if I can carry a tune in a bucket, and I certainly don’t know how to play. I think I had all of three piano lessons as a kid.”

Paul paused, thinking.

“Although… Tatsuo mentioned he played. Don’t know what, but you might ask.”

Ash nodded.

“I was thinking now that adding a bloke might not be a bad idea. We don’t want to be known as just a tits and ass band… but we’ve already got three Oni, I was hoping for a wee bit more diversity.”

Paul shrugged.

“Try asking among the Tenuki, after all, they’ve already got the face make up.”

Ash laughed.

“Aye, you have a point so you do. I’ll do that.”

Paul nodded, already staring at the slate board up on the wall where he’d chalked a ‘To-Do’ list. He sighed.

“Well, better get started. Even with your help Ash, it’s going to be close...”

Ash reached out and turned the cushion her head was resting on, pointing it at the slate board.

“Oh boy, yeah… that’s a long list so she is, and it isn’t going to get shorter for the looking at it. Still, no-one said now that saving the world was easy!”

Paul snorted.

“Probably just as well we’re not saving the world then, that’s a project on another level totally.”

Ash tilted her head to look at Paul, careful not to get grease in her hair.

“Are we not then?”

“Huh.. saving the world? No, just a few bits of it.”

Ash used a clean pinky finger to swivel the cushion her head was on, making it look like she was shaking her head.

“Are you sure of that now, are you? Seems to me you’ll be saving a fair sized bit of the world’s ecosystems, as well as a lot of it’s more powerful beings… and if those were to go extinct, do you not think that might be having repercussions now?”

Paul blinked, and looked thoughtful.

“You know… you might just be right. Everything in nature is connected to everything else. I guess I was falling into the trap of thinking of the Others as separate, but they’re not, they can’t be. They must have some role to play in the ecological web, and who knows. We certainly need magic to fix some of what we humans have screwed up too. I mean, climate change sounds like it would take a bloody miracle to fix… or at least someone powerful enough to bang heads together on an international global scale.”

Ash smiled, albeit a bit wryly.

“Well, it’s lucky we are then that we know a former Goddess isn’t it! Now all you have to do is figure out how to give her the power to be one again!”

Paul nodded slowly, crossed over to the slate board and picking up a piece of chalk, wrote ‘73’ in the top right hand corner, before dropping the chalk back onto the shelf.

“Right. That’s how many days we have to get this done then. Let’s get cracking.”