The giant torii gate that marked the entrance to Fushimi Inari shrine was more majestic than Kumiko could have imagined, with its bold vermilion being a stark contrast to the cloudy blue sky above. Such a structure would have caught her attention the last time she'd visited, so Kumiko concluded that it had been built recently to increase the air of majesty surrounding the shrine.

She felt Ichiro's presence behind her and was reminded of why she had chosen to come here. This place was indeed holy, and Kumiko wished to pray for some guidance with her dilemma, but at the same time, she also knew that it was best to slow down Ichiro whenever possible.

With eight days remaining until Lord Tengu's judgement, she could not afford to remain so passive. Yet, the encounter with the old woman at the stall refused to leave her mind. Even though Ichiro had been quick to deny his feelings, the affection in his eyes had been unmistakable. It seemed like her attempts to charm him had worked well, and now he was smitten.

Kumiko turned to observe Ichiro's expression, or more precisely, those beautiful eyes and lips that had parted in awe. She couldn't ignore that she was just as smitten with him, so much so that doubt returned to her mind as they passed beneath the torii gate and approached the entrance to the main hall. A shrine maiden in white and red was busy sweeping the area, so Kumiko pretended to be a noble lady again, and tossed her head back in a haughty manner.

"Greetings, my servant and I wish to pray for a short while. Would you do the honor of allowing us some peace?"

The shrine maiden shook her head and grasped her broom as if it were a weapon. "I'm sorry. We can never be too careful in these times, so I shall have to inspect your servant's bag."

Kumiko glanced back at Ichiro, then nodded. He trudged forward and allowed the shrine maiden to search through his bag. The string of coins jangled before she opened the jar of sardines and immediately retreated, wrinkling her nose. "All is well. You may enter the shrine now."

The shrine maiden turned her back and resumed her sweeping. Kumiko could barely resist a smile while Ichiro placed the lid of the jar back in place. She had not considered that the shrine maiden might hold a dislike for dried fish and took a little pride in her victory.

Kumiko bowed her head at the two fox statues standing on either side of the main hall, only to regret the action when Ichiro gave her a puzzled look. She turned away from him and held her breath, hoping that he wouldn't suspect her true identity as a kitsune.

******

Kumiko wanted badly to explore the area beyond the main hall, but Ichiro was intent on leaving as soon as they finished praying, and she found herself with little choice but to follow him down the stairs.

"Tell me, what did you pray for?" Ichiro asked while placing a hand to his abdomen. "Was it safety, or something else?"

Kumiko regarded his hopeful eyes and gnashed her teeth. "It is none of your concern. You would find it dull anyway."

"Believe me, you are anything but." Ichiro gave another affectionate smile that caused her heart to ache. "It's why I like you."

There it is, Kumiko mused before clearing her throat. "Be careful what you say. You're supposed to be my servant."

"Oh, right." Ichiro's smile faded. He straightened his neck and slowed down to let her pass. "Sincere apologies, my lady."

They fell silent for much of their departure from Kyoto, only conversing again when Ichiro handed her a wrapped ball of rice. "It's about time you ate. You look like you need it."

"Thank you." Kumiko accepted the offering and pulled back the bamboo leaves before taking a bite. With the energy in her hoshi no tama waning, she wasn't sure how long her human form would last and craved something more substantial. However, she remembered how long Ichiro had spent deliberating over what to buy at the market and tried to be grateful for what he had chosen. "It's good," she commented despite finding the flavor of the rice undistinctive. "You should eat too."

"I will," Ichiro assured her with a glance. "But I have a question for you first. What do you think of foxes?"

Kumiko choked on her rice, afraid that he had guessed her secret. "Why do you ask?" she responded after managing to swallow and regain her breath.

"Curiosity. I had an interesting encounter before I met you."

The ball of rice in Kumiko's hand became even less tempting as she realized what Ichiro was talking about. She tried to relax her face while feigning ignorance. "Really? Tell me about it."

Ichiro drew a breath and recounted his perspective of their first meeting in the forest. "I was walking along and singing to entertain myself, when a fox came out of nowhere and stopped in the middle of the road. You should have been there. It was quite a handsome and sweet creature."

This wasn't the sort of praise Kumiko had been expecting, but she could feel a blush coming, nevertheless. She abruptly turned her head so Ichiro wouldn't see her face.

"It ran straight towards me, then rolled on to its back like it wanted affection." Ichiro paused for a second. "I'm ashamed to say this, but I gave in and rubbed its furry head. You'd probably think me foolish for doing that."

"No, I don't," Kumiko replied, steadying her breath while continuing to look away from him. "I doubt I could have resisted either."

"So, you admit that you're fond of them?" Ichiro asked, catching her by surprise again. "I suppose that explains why you bowed to those statues."

Kumiko wanted nothing more than to put an end to the conversation, so her voice came out hasty. "Yes. I was just as awed by them as you were by the live fox. That's all there is to it."

"I see. It makes sense." Ichiro sighed, then reached into his heavy bag to take a rice ball for himself. His eyes shifted towards her for a moment. "Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten much of yours."

"I'm all right. I was just distracted." Kumiko willed herself to bite into her food again and munched with disinterest. She had managed to quell Ichiro's suspicion yet again, but this time it brought her anything but relief.

Hiding the truth was becoming increasingly tiresome, and Kumiko wished it were possible to be honest with Ichiro without frightening him away forever.

She came to realize that this would bring her even more sorrow than if Lord Tengu were to banish her, which led her to wonder why she had been eager to please the mountain yōkai in the first place. He was indifferent to her at best and would likely waste no time replacing her if she were to go.

He doesn't really care about or respect me. I'm just a means for him to acquire human flesh, Kumiko thought with widening eyes before glancing at the person who had shown her more warmth in a few days than her superior had demonstrated in several months.

She knew then and there that killing Ichiro would be a terrible mistake, and her heart raced at the idea of defying Lord Tengu in such a brazen manner.

There was no way of predicting what consequences this would bring, but Kumiko resolved to face them with courage and do whatever was necessary to protect Ichiro from harm.

******

A/N: This chapter marks a dramatic change in Kumiko's sentiment towards her mission, and things may just get more difficult for her from now on.

On another note, I'm a bit torn about whether I should change Lord Tengu's name. It's the equivalent of calling a male human character 'Man' or 'Person,' but at the same time, I think it serves as the kind of humor that would fit in a story like this. Let me know your opinion.