CH8 Generous Rice God

Continuing Laurence’s POV:

"We're here," Silas said as I felt the plane land. He smirked and got off the couch then looked towards Charles and Pierre, pulling out his wallet then gave Charles some money. "Have fun you too. Call me when you're done and you're ready to come back with us to Rei's castle. We're staying with him while we're searching. Laurence, Rei sent me a few addresses already for us to go search tonight to see if Toru recognizes any of the places, and I got our little group two cars. Charles, you get the red convertible." He gave Charles some keys and smirked. "Don't scratch it. It's rather pretty." He walked over to me and Toru then grabbed Toru's hand, pulling him to his feet. Toru yelped and stumbled into a standing position as he laid his ears back then looked towards one of the windows curiously.

"It's kinda... not like I imagined the rest of Japan to look like."

"Well, we are in Tokyo," Silas purred to him. "Come on, we're going to go check out these Inari shrines and try to find yours tonight. I want to return you as quickly as possible, no offence. I don't want your master to get too upset."

"Yeah plus we have a limited time," I explained. "We're vampires after all and can only handle the night. We're on a strict schedule."

"Thanks Silas," Charles purred. Silas nodded.

"Yeah, go enjoy yourself kiddos. You've earned it," he purred to them then looked at me. "Let's get this over with," he whispered to me, giving me a slightly worried look. He pulled me to my feet and started to take me to the doors of the airplane, ditching the two love birds behind. "I don't want to make this anymore painful for you than it has to be." He took me to a car then put me in the passenger seat and slipped Toru into the back by himself then got into the driver's seat and started to drive us away from the private landing. Toru looked out the windows in wonder, watching as we drove down the streets of Tokyo, his eyes lit up in excitement. This was going to be it.... Possibly one of the final times I'd have him around personally without a god hovering over me. I watched him and smiled. I'm glad I can take him home finally. He needs to be there with his god.

After driving around for a bit and visiting some shrines (all of them a negative from Toru so far), we parked by some stairs leading up to one of the last two shrines on the list. Toru's eyes lit up in recognition as he looked at the stairs and he was quickly out of the car, running towards the steps. Silas raised an eyebrow then looked at me. "Want to take him by yourself or want me to go with you? It looks like this one is his home. He was quick to get out."

"Let's go together," I told him and got out, following Toru as fast as I could. "Wait for us!" I begged. He stopped at the top and looked down at me, his ears flicking as he held himself back. Silas was quick to my side and helped me up the stairs, getting me up to him. I was instantly greeted by a beautiful sight. Out of all the shrines, this was the grandest we've been to today. There were cherry trees blossoming everywhere, the shrine rather large with a wrap around porch. There was a statue of a white fox looking towards the stairs in the center of the path, halfway between the shrine and halfway to the stairs on the stone pathway, overlooking it protectively. Toru looked towards me and then at the shrine before he gathered his composure quickly and started to lead us to it. Before he even reached it, the door opened and a woman stepped out, dressed in a beautiful silk kimono, but she didn't have fox ears and a tail like Toru. She must be able to hide them.... She looked at Toru and smiled softly.

"Ritoru," she greeted, her eyes full of love and wisdom. Toru smiled hugely at her and ran up, stopping right in front of her.

"I'm home," he said quickly, looking excited. She laughed at him and started to rub his head.

"I can see that... and you brought some friends. I see that they've returned you?" Toru nodded towards her.

"They found me and rescued me from my kidnappers," he told her softly.

"Friends then," she whispered back and eyed us down. "The master will see you," she called out and started to lead us inside. "Right this way. He's waiting." Toru's eyes lit up in excitement and he wagged his tail, bouncing after her. I followed after and smiled softly. He looks excited to be back. When we entered, another female closed the door behind us and looked us over curiously as Toru's friend lead us to a room in the very back then up some stairs and to a great big room. There was a man sitting down, drinking some tea as he looked out the window, overlooking a huge flower garden. He glanced over at us and then smiled fondly towards the woman that brought us up here.

"Thank you for bringing them. Go help your sisters outside will you?" She gave him a loving look then bowed before she left quickly. Toru watched her then gave the man an adoring, almost worshipping look. He ran up to him and tackled him into a hug, laughing happily. The man smiled and rubbed his head. "Ritoru," he mumbled and then smiled. "Welcome home. I'm glad you made it. I was getting worried.... You've never been outside the garden yet, and I wasn't sure if you'd be able to find your way back, but it looks like you've gotten some help." He looked towards me then, inspecting me. Toru glanced at me then shifted into his fox form, slipping into the man's lap and nuzzled his hand, wagging his tail as the man started to pet him. "I'm Inari, the rice god," he introduced himself and smiled kindly. "Thank you for bringing him home to us. You're not like the ones that took him, and I'm grateful for that." He gestured for us to sit and rubbed Toru's ears. I sat down with my maker and gave the god a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my maker, Silas Rosario and I'm his fledgling Laurence." I gave him a kind look. He looked pleased with my respect then nodded.

"I know," he told me and then frowned. "You've got a dark presence around you, Laurence. Calix has a hold on you," he mumbled then looked down at Toru.

"Yes, I chased him away for a little bit," Toru told him then flicked his ears. "He's after his soul." Inari frowned and then looked at me.

"Calix is not a good demon to be around," he warned me. "You'll have to be careful.... I will have one of my kitsunes give you a charm to help ward him off, but it won't be able to keep him away indefinitely. I'd love to repay you for bringing Toru back, but I fear that the charm isn't enough," he told me and then frowned, rubbing Toru's head. "Not many would've brought him back like you've done. I can't let this go unrewarded... so I'll let you request a favor from me, and I'll do my best to see it done." Toru perked his ears up in excitement and looked towards me.

"He doesn't normally give out blessings himself," he told me and wagged his tail. "This is a huge honor!"

"Thank you," I purred in happiness. "Anything, even if it's nothing..... it's worth just meeting you and bringing him home." He gave me an approving look.

"You're certainly pure.... Someone I could trust," he whispered then looked at Toru. "Toru, go get your guests some tea, would you?" Toru nodded and scampered off, running down the stairs. Inari watched him then looked at me, studying me. "Listen... it's not everyday that I have someone walk into my shrine and not want something besides just meeting me... and most would expect a reward if they had the honor of returning my kitsune and got to meet me in person. You've exceeded my expectations," he told me and smiled. "He seems like he's done well under your care... and his eyes shine with more knowledge than he had before he left. He was meant to start exploring a little outside the shrine's grounds in a few years with supervision... but I guess it came sooner than I had intended," he told me and then sipped on his tea.

"He's certainly viewed a big chunk of the world on the plane here," I chuckled out softly. "Well.... I do want something.... Really..... All I want is visitation rights to him," I told him bravely. He looked at me and then raised an eyebrow, a small smile on his face.

"That's all you want?" He asked me. "If that's all you want, you can have it, but I was thinking about something a bit more.... You see, he's happier than when he left," he told me and then took another sip of his tea. "I was thinking about letting you keep him for a few hundred years... maybe till you die. He needs to learn about the world, and he'd be safe under your watch. You've proved yourself to me that I can trust you... and if he was to go out into the world under another kitsune's watch... he wouldn't learn as much as he would if he went back with you. He likes you enough... and I will be able to watch him from here to make sure that he is safe too. It'd help keep your demon away, and he'd learn to fight off evils like that. It'd be my way of repaying you for rescuing him... and it's much better than visitation rights... unless..." he looked me in the eyes, "you'd rather not. If that's the case, then he'll stay here and you may visit once a century."

"Once a century?" I asked softly. That's harsh.... Of course he'd be great to have around. "Silas can he come home with us?" I asked and looked at him to make sure he'd allow it before I begged to keep him. Silas looked at me and frowned, debating before he nodded.

"Yes... as long as Toru and Inari are okay with it," he told me and then smiled. Inari held back a smirk and took a sip of his tea.

"I want him to come home then," I told Inari quickly. Inari looked towards me and studied me.

"You'll have to swear to me that he'll be safe with you and well cared for. In my eyes, he's still only a child- even if he is old to you if he was to tell you his age. He's one of my best kitsunes I have too, very promising... so if I'm going to give him to you, I need to know he'll be safe and happy," he told me firmly. "You'll have to make a bond with him too. I don't want him to get out of your sight and you not know if he's in trouble or not. You'll be able to see what he sees if he wants to show you and you'll be able to feel what he feels when it's been completed."

"Okay, I promise you he'll be in safe care with me for as long as I have him." I nodded quickly. "He's going to be spoiled and when you get him back you won't know what to do with him," I giggled playfully. He smiled and then sat his tea down.

"Then I feel okay about letting you keep him," he told me. "I'll have his things packed and ready for you to go in a few hours." Toru walked up in a beautiful black kimono with white flowers designed into it, carrying a tray of two cups of hot Japanese tea. He gave a cute smile and walked up, sitting the tea down on the table. He gave me one and then gave Silas one before he smiled at Inari with a loving look.

"Anything else master?" He asked sweetly. Inari smirked slightly and looked at him.

"Yes, I want you to go get your things together Ritoru. You're going to explore the world for a long time," he told him. Toru's eyes widened and he nodded, looking a little surprised, but he obeyed and started down the stairs again without questioning his master.

"At least when he returns he'll know so much about the world he'll be able to come home on his own," I told Inari. Inari nodded.

"Yes, this will be good for him. He'll do fine with you," he told me and then took a sip of his tea. "He needs to learn to make more friends than those just at the shrine too. Thank you for taking this task for me," he said and smiled. "You may not think of it as a task, but it will be. He's a rather small kitsune, and he'll be able to get into hard to reach places if he's playing around too much and get stuck. I once found him stuck with his head through one of my doors, tore the entire cloth to shreds trying to get free." He laughed. "He's a bit of a people pleaser too if he likes you. He'll try to make you happy."

"Thank you for the task," I purred happily. He nodded and then sat back in his seat.

"I'm sure it'll be fine though. Just make sure that he doesn't get hurt." He smiled then. Toru came back up and paused by the entrance, biting his lower lip before Inari nodded. He raced back in and perked his ears up, giving Inari an adoring look. "Toru, say hello to your guardian," he said, holding back a smirk as Toru's eyes widened big time. Inari gestured towards me and Toru's eyes followed it, staring at me in wonder. "You'll be staying with him, and he'll be a new master for you until it's time for you to come home, so behave for him."

"Isn't it great?" I asked him. "You'll be seeing me every night until you return to Inari." I gave him a sweet look. He blushed and then laid his ears against his head, biting his lower lip.

"Well Ritoru, what do you say?" Inari teased him. "Surely you're not just going to stand there staring at your second master." Toru's face reddened even more as his blush deepened and he fidgeted nervously, getting a laugh from Inari.

"It's okay," I whispered softly to him with an adoring look. He blushed and walked over, sitting down by me.

"So shy but you weren't a few moments ago with him," Inari teased him. Toru blushed and then rubbed his ear.

"I-I wasn't expecting to be placed with him," he told Inari and then looked at me.

"Do you want to be?" I asked. "You can help protect me from my demon." He blushed and then slowly nodded.

"Y-yes," he said and then smiled hugely. "Of course I would~!" He tackled me into a hug, knocking me to the floor. I laughed and hugged him tightly. He laughed and then kissed my cheek, curling up to me. Inari sipped on his tea calmly and then looked at Silas.

"Walk with me," he told him then got to his feet. "I want to show you the garden. You two explore and have fun while I talk with your maker." He started to lead Silas out of the room, leaving the two of us alone. Toru watched him go with an fawning look then turned his attention to me, his pretty golden eyes full of love for me.