At least I wasn’t kami-dressed, or it would have vanished when they grabbed me, Ichiro thought.
He recovered quickly from his shock and said incredulously, “What are you talking about? I'm no Kitsune."
"Oh yeah? That's exactly what a Kitsune would say." The guard on his left said.
"Proof right there," said the guard on his right.
"How does me saying I'm not a Kitsune prove that I'm a Kitsune?" Ichiro had never met humans this dense.
"And listen to that accent. He's not from The Capital, more proof that he's a Kitsune!" The guard on the left continued.
The guards were much taller and stronger than Ichiro. They could drag him along, so Ichiro walked and tried not to notice everyone staring at him. I hope this is all cleared up by tonight, or I'm going to lose my acting gig.
"It doesn't matter if you look like a woman or not, Kitsune. You can't be on the women's side of the bath," the guard on the left continued. He was obviously the brains of the two.
"I’m not a Kitsune. I haven't even taken a bath yet. Can't you see how dirty I am?"
"That's just more of your Kitsune magic. You were hoping to get another peek at the ladies. Not going to happen with us around!" Brains said. "Hope you enjoyed the show, once the onmyoji get a hold of you it will be your last." Both guards laughed, and Ichiro felt sick.
He wasn't sure exactly what an onmyoji was, but humans held them in high regard. Onmyoji annoyed but also scared the Kitsune. The only explanation he’d ever heard was was, "just avoid the yellow robes, they can see through our illusions."
—-
Gin watched the guard go inside the granary. He left the door open so light penetrated the interior. A few moments later, he came out carrying two pairs of sandals. Ichiro must've bought them. Her heart swelled with love for her brother, and anger that this man was stealing their new sandals!
The guard walked away. Gin asked the breeze kami nearby to hide her and the air shimmered like it always did when they hid her. She jumped to the ground and stood up on to two legs and put her new blue kimono back on.
The guard walked slowly, so Gin could follow him and remind the kami to keep her hidden. He walked to the guard station and spoke to another guard behind a desk.
"There was a Kitsune at the Sixth Street bathhouse selling fake incense on the women’s side!" The guard began. "I followed him back to a granary and I believe there are two of them because there were two pairs of sandals." He held them up.
Why do the humans all think I’m a boy?
"Well, The Dai and Teiji just brought in the Kitsune who was at the bathhouse. This one is awfully young and dumb, he’s in the stone cell now. He claimed to be looking for his sister. Kitsune, eh? They think we’re stupid. There’s no female Kitsune! We sent a page to request an onmyoji." She didn't like the way the two guards laughed. Where is Ichiro, and what are they doing to him now? I’m coming, Ichiro!
She ran down the hall, not minding what the kami were doing.
"Hey there, what are you doing there?" The guard holding her sandals called. She tried to run away, but four men grabbed her arms and legs. Gin struggled, but didn’t dare change to four legs in front of so many humans with no escape in sight. Maybe if I think of the right thing to say, they’ll let me go. Ichiro always does, what would he say?
“Get your hands off me! I am NOT a boy!” She screamed and struggled, but couldn’t get away.
“Kitsune! Did you see how he vanished and reappeared like that?” “Get him in the cell with the other one!” “How did you get out of the cell?” The four guards were confused, but they just talked over each other and carried her down the hall. A fifth guard opened the door to a cell and the other four guards threw her onto a hard stone floor.
“Gin!” Ichiro had heard the commotion and smelled Gin’s panic from inside his cell. The cell door was solid wood, so he couldn’t see what was happening until a guard opened it.
“Get your hands off my sister!” He roared at the guards who threw her on to the hard stone floor, then slammed and locked the door. He rushed to her side. Gin looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
“Big brother, they ripped my new kimono! And that man stole the sandals you bought us. And they all think I’m a boy!”
Pic By Keven Law - originally posted to Flickr as Whispering I love you...:O)), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4730047
