aran week day 6: boundaries
aran hates the town of inarizaki.
there’s a sizable population of elders and kids, whose parents left them behind to work in the cities. the only adults left are staff at the elementary, junior high, and high schools, rice farmers who also do odd jobs outside of harvest season, municipal workers and others who have businesses in the town center.
then, there’s his dad, in charge of a buddhist temple on the outskirts of town.
the temple comes with a large property, which they occupy a corner of. his dad spends most of the day sifting through papers and materials left behind the old caretaker while aran is expected to go to school, make friends, enjoy his childhood. he would, if the kids didn’t whisper behind his back, visibly flinch away from him, pointedly turn the other way whenever they see him in the hallway.
just because his skin is darker than theirs.
he lives away from the town center, deep in the forest. aran always feared what’d happen if he got lost, wondered if the trees would teleport him to a place where he’d be accepted, where he wouldn’t be teased for his looks or his dad’s job.
his eyes dart upward at the rustling bush ahead of him, noticing the tip of a fox’s tail disappearing into the foliage. even he knows of the town’s protectors, twin foxes sent by inari-sama herself. if he catches one of them, maybe they’ll grant his wish? he looks around before stepping off the trail and into the trees.
aran bumbles through the undergrowth, poked by stray branches and leaves. every so often, he stops and listens for rustling, stepping through foliage in its direction. “hello?” he calls out. “fox-san? are ya there?”
no answer, obviously. he is undeterred, moving deeper and deeper into the forest, so determined to move forward that he doesn’t notice the sudden slope beneath his feet.
“wah!” his shriek echoes around him. he loses his balance, falls onto his back, slides down the hill. branches and leaves rip his exposed arms and legs, and he squeezes his eyes shut.
the ground straightens beneath him. he daren’t opens his eyes, afraid of what he’ll see. if he keeps them closed, he can imagine himself at home with his dad, safe and sound, instead of lost in the labyrinth of nature, where no one can find him.
i don’t wanna be here. i wanna go home. please, inari-sama, take me home.
--
he isn’t sure how he dozed off, but when he returns to himself, he hears voices.
“…ya just had ta let yerself be seen, an’ look what happened.” a drawl like his own, only deeper and annoyed. “inari-sama’s probably pissed at ya.”
“inari-sama’s always pissed at me.” a snort in reply, also with an accented drawl. it’s different from the first voice, slightly lighter and carefree. “i’ll bring the kid home, relax. can ya heal him fer me?”
“fine, but ya owe me.”
aran struggles to open his eyes, but stops at the blanket of warmth that covers his limbs, stinging scratches reduced to a whisper of pain. the sensation fades a moment later, the cool spring air causing him to shiver in the aftermath. “there. ya better take him home.”
“yeah, yeah. it’s always me runnin’ ‘round town while ya just sit at the shrine an’ look pretty.”
“that would be nice, if the humans could see us.” the dirt shifts. “i’ll see ya later.”
the air starts to move around aran, and he realizes someone is carrying him. still, the weight on his eyes remains, leaving him no choice but to relax, resting his head against the person’s chest. the fabric reminds him of a hakama, a familiar sensation after years of sitting on his dad’s lap while he read to him.
“hey, kid.” the drawl addresses him. “yer gonna be okay. i’ll bring ya home ta yer papa soon, ‘kay?”
he tries to speak, but it’s like his mouth is sewn shut. “i used a lil’ bit o’ magic on ya, just so ya won’t see me,” the voice continues. “ya might remember this, ya might not. youkai gotta do what they gotta ta protect themselves.”
youkai. his dad told him stories about them, about tsukomogami, kitsune, kama itachi, spirits and deities. there are very few who can see them, as they do not want to be seen. some can be cruel, but many are benevolent, harmless creatures who live parallel to humans.
“ya don’t gotta worry ‘bout those scrubs at school, either. they aren’t worth yer time.”
how does this youkai know about that? aran wants to ask, but the voice sweeps on. “it takes time fer friends ta come, but when they do, they’ll be friends ya keep. so don’t give up, yeah? yer a strong kid, not even cryin’ after yer tumble. i rescued a bunch o’ squirts who wailed their heads off, even chased me or my brother off when we tried ta help. ya got a kind heart; find others who see it.”
the air shifts as he’s lowered onto grass, kissed by the sun. aran feels control return to his body, and he wrestles his eyes open, vision blurry. however, it’s enough to see a young man with golden tails and pointed ears on top of his head walk away from his line of sight, dressed in a hakama. “stay safe, kid.”
--
the next morning, he leaves the temple with a backpack around his shoulders. he walks through the forest to school, and as he’s about to emerge from the trees, he spots a golden fox watching him with wide, golden eyes. aran stops a safe distance away, blinks at the fox. he smiles, dips his head, and continues his way, letting the fox watch him depart.
maybe staying in town would be so bad, after all.