Chapter 419 CH 405: WHO IS INARI?
[Wild Hunt]
Meanwhile, back at the bar, Yui was sitting with her legs crossed as she looked at Adam sitting face to face with her, merely a table separating the pair of brother and sister.
Taking one of the bottles from the assortment of bottles before her, she poured the whiskey into his glasses before pouring one for herself.
"So… Would you tell me what happened with you two? The moment you entered, the two of you seemed to go in trance for a few seconds then she just stood up and left."
"I guess you could say that we were talking with each other through our minds?"
Obviously, the speed of thoughts was far faster than the simple act of speaking itself. The time they spent inside the illusion may have been slightly long but only an instant would have gone by in the real world.
"I see… and may I ask what you two talked about? Or is this a secret between the two of you that ultimately cannot be disclosed?"
Adam shrugged, "No reason to hide anything from you."
He told her everything that transpired inside the dream that Inari weaved, down to the very last details and even the part about how he had refused her body.
"Pfft!"
Yui exploded in a peal of laughter and if she had not swallowed the alcohol beforehand a rather comical moment would have transpired at this moment.
"Oh my god! You really said that to her?"
"Yes."
"Damn. Haha! I wish I could have seen her face at that moment. It must have been a sight to behold."
Yui discorded all her usual elegance and simply laughed her heart out. Inari had been someone she had always been uncomfortable with so seeing her like this made her happy.
In the end, after laughing she simply shook her head, "Well, you should be careful about her. Illusions are merely one part of her powers and while she isn't as powerful as the combat type Zodiac, she is still a power fighter."
Adam nodded. He was no fool and knew that one of the reasons everything went well was because Inari was not hostile to him. Though, even if she was it wouldn't have changed anything.
He had infinite life.
She only had one.
Even if he had to play Kamikaze like he did against Jabberwocky, he would make sure she would remember the pain if she tried anything funny.
"Seeing how confident you seem I guess my advice is not really needed. You are strong after all."
Yui was sincerely happy for Adam. Adam was many things for her. The light that helped her when she needed it the most. A friend with whom she could confide her greatest fears. A cute little brother who helped her heart be at ease when she felt like she was being suffocated by reality or even a man she was enamored with and wished to conquer.
Spending time with him was always an enjoyable experience.
"I do not know if I should ask but…What is the deal with Inari? And why so many people were surveilling her?"
Obviously, Adam had been able to notice all the hunters who surrounded the bar when Inari came. At first, he thought they were part of her group thought after examining them he was able to determine they were either independent hunters or working with the LAPPD.
"Well…"
Yui filled her glass to the brim before drinking once again. Her eyes became slightly hazy.
"She is…Ugh. I guess first I need to explain how the Hanekawa family works."
She scratched her hair, "The members of the family were Jukugo, sacrifices. At least this was so in the past. Killing spiritual entities is extremely hard and keeping them contained even harder. You know that demons who possess humans even if killed are simply sent back to hell, right? So in the past, things were simple. Seal a demon or Yokai in someone's body. Then either kill that person or seal the demon in someone else body."
This was a very barbaric way of doing but this was also a very effective way of doing. One sacrifice to save many.
"But the ancestor of what would become the current Hanekawa family wasn't happy with simply being a Jukugo. So using his knowledge, skills, and talents and his understanding of contracts. He managed to change the seal. Going from simply imprisoning the entity to actually harnessing the power for his own use. Therefore going from a Jukugo to becoming the first Jinchuriki." [1]
The history of the Hanekawa family was quite long,
"I won't bore you with more story but basically because of how the Hanekawa family harnessed power, they became extremely dangerous but also extremely unstable. Fulling sealing the entity is one thing but by trying to both harness the power, the sealing power became weaker. Every time a Jinchuriki uses the power of the sealed entity, they mix their Prana and their psyche will be negatively affected. This is the price they have to pay for such a power."
"So Inari…"
"Her true name is Suiko. Suiko Hanekawa. My biological mother so "The Nine Tails."
to speak. Hah."
She hesitated, "Suiko was the most talented woman of the clan and also the heiress. But she is also a god vessel. A pure sacrifice created to receive the evil desires of a goddess and appease her."
"The Nine Tails."
"Yes. Nine-tail foxes are extremely rare. They are gods in a way with the power they possess. But the nine-tailed fox she is housing are even stronger. An entity born from pure malice of an otherwise god goddess. The Fox Goddess Inari." [1]
Yui had a bitter expression on her face and this discussion made her wish to drink even more.
"You could say that the very moment Suiko sealed the fox in her — She died."
"Is she being possessed by the fox?"
"No. If it was just that it wouldn't be a problem. The previous seal for pure imprisonment still exists. Switching would be easy. So no. She isn't being possessed."
She looked at Adam. "Suiko and the nine foxes aren't fighting for dominance. They are..."
"What…"
"This is why she is not called Suiko anymore. The one you faced is neither Suiko nor the Evil nine-tailed fox. It's a different person, a third entity. "
[1]: Jukugo means sacrifice or Human sacrifice. Anyone will think of Naruto when thinking of Jinchuriki but it's the most accurate Japanese name I could find. Jinchuriki basically means "Power of Human sacrifice."
Hard to be any more accurate.
[2]: Inari Okami is the goddess of Foxes, fertility, rice, tea, alcohol, agriculture, industry, and prosperity. She is also the protector of blacksmiths and warriors. She is a very powerful and worshiped goddess as basically more than one-third of all shrines in Japan are dedicated to her.
All the foxes of Inari are pure White.
Like many Shinto gods, Inari has ties with Buddhism and she is considered as the closest deity to humans and many see her as a mother.
The mytho in my story is obviously not a pure mytho of Inari as I mixed my own spin on the events. I hope you like the lore.
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