Hikari Okami: Kitsune Series

By Lolah Runda

Hikari is a Kitsune, member of the mighty demon fox race. He is also a royal, born heir to the powerful nine tail demon fox. His birthright is to rule his people, but instead, Hikari decides to escape his noble burden of leadership and enter the world of humans. There, he discovers excitement but also danger he never could have imagined.
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Lolah Runda
• Release date: Jan 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370841547

Lolah Runda

Lolah Runda is an avid reader who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. She has an immense love for fantasy, anime and manga. She is an aspiring author who puts a lot of her time into writing new content and putting stories and thoughts together. She aspires to be the writer of numerous stories across different genres in the nearest future.

Book preview

LONG AGO, THE tale of the kitsune demon fox would cause fear to rise in the heart of men. These fearless creatures were known for their mischief and misfortune to mankind, the mere mention of the name was not one to be taken lightly, for mothers spoke the name to strike fear into the hearts of disobedient children.

Kyubi, nine tail demon fox was the most feared among them, for it is said to be the strongest yokai demon.  Many have come to believe it to be an immortal being who possess immense spiritual energy, this creature having lived among humans for many seasons now and saw them as weak beings; easily misled by lies and quick to betray one another, ephemeral, lacking in strength and cursed with a short lifespan. With this in mind, the kyubi ceased entering the human world, preferring the yokai world of power, comradeship and absolute freedom.

The yokai world consists of various demons, some possessing features resembling those of humans, animals or both, one, is  the ayakashi phantom known for its great strength and able to co-exist in both worlds. In the past, some bred among the humans which lead to the birth of those who go by the name, onmyouji demon slayer, for they possess powers similar to a yokai.

Among the yokai and ayakashi, are those who possess great powers which set them apart from their kind; for these are said to belong to the noble family with a unique bloodline, for they neither mix with others to retain their pure lineage. These are the very elite among the yokai for their aura makes their presence known whenever they pass by.

Thus, the noble families never marry from the lower class, for in the yokai world, power is everything and those that do not belong, are treated as though they were invisible.

CHIHO-SAMA, ALSO known by some as the kyubi, had taken the form of a young, beautiful female yokai. One endowed with natural grace, flowing silky platinum lavender-blue hair, eyes of glowing wine hue with the characteristic piercing dark pupils, and two pointed ears of lavender blue.

Chiho-sama had unrivaled powers to create and destroy at will, great wisdom having abilities that other yokai could only dream of; she is said to have created the very children in whom she bore, the first Hikari followed by Taiki, Himiko, and Ayumu, which all possessed unique abilities of their own.

As the leader of the yokai world, she knew what was going on regarding how the lower class yokai were mistreated by the ones of higher class. Therefore, she made the decision to create a balance so that they could co-exist without bloodshed.  With that in mind, a meeting point was established that was known as the yoshiwara district; which was made up of various establishments to cater to their needs. She hoped with time, there could be some among them, who would lose their resentment for each other and build a stronger bond which went beyond class.

Among the children of Chiho-sama, there was one who closely resembled her, this was Hikari. He had his mother’s facial appearance except for the eye color, even his manner of speech sounded almost like her. The sharp difference between them was the fighting skill for clearly, she was the stronger one.

Taiki was the most feared among her children, his presence created a mixture of dread, awe, and reverence. None dared to speak his name lightly, some saw him as arrogant. At times, he would viciously take down the life of those he saw to be a threat.

Himiko was a milder form of her older brother, for where he would have killed ruthlessly, she on the other hand, would have inflicted injuries to her foes.

Ayumu, the youngest of them, possessed the power to control the life of all kind. Her gentle soul served to attract those in need of comfort and refuge, her voice could heal the wounded but could not bring the dead back to life; once a soul crossed into jigoku netherworld she would no longer be able to rescue it. Yokai that possess great power, are the only ones capable of crossing jigoku at will; without any lasting consequences.

The children of a kitsune are said to be fast growing, so that at the end of a season, they become fully yokai; one with powers to create and destroy with immortality as their birthright. There has been an unspoken rule which must never be broken. This was made when the ayakashi breed with human women, who then gave birth to unusual children that possessed yokai power. Anyone who was found to have broken the rule was either destroyed or sentenced to spend a lifetime in the human world.

The dark skies above the yoshiwara district were alight by the bright celestial lamps surrounding the place. From the inn, voices and music playing could be heard as yokai patrons seemed to be enjoying the company of their companion. The kurokumo dark cloud inn, was well known among the yokai as an establishment which catered to the unique needs of all who went there.  The Kaze no Yuki faded purity who have been trained from an early season to bring great pleasure to anyone who pays homage to the kurokumo inn. Among whom, was Hikari, who seemed to be well known for his frequent visits to the place.

The upper level of the inn was reserved for those of noble birth who were given the privilege of having their very own Kaze no Yuki attend to their needs, among them, was one whose beauty was highly spoken of. As a result of this, she became the companion of Hikari, she was known by the name, Kayo.

In one of the rooms was a kitsune, with pointed ears sticking out from long, platinum lavender-blue hair, with matching eyes of dark piercing pupils. He had razor-sharp claws that seemed to extend from slim well-tended hands, dressed in a pink and gray flowery pattern kimono with feet clad in a geta wooden slippers. Hidden within layers of kimono was a specially made sensu hand fan.

The kitsune seemed to be lying on a well-made, multicolor futon that was laid over the tatami wooden floor while sipping sake from a sakazuki wine cup. His eyes lazily followed the movement of his companion, watching her head slightly bent while playing on the koto with her fingertips dancing all over the strings; causing the room to become alive with notes which seemed to emanate from the instrument.

Kayo was one of the few yokai with delicate feminine features closely resembling those of a human; with silken raven hair held in a finely crafted kanzashi hairpin and soft eyes the color of sapphire. She was dressed in a flowery red, black, yellow and blue yukata with well-tended slightly long claws, her feet were clad in white sock and geta.

After a while, her fingers stopped playing as she raised her head and turned to her patron. Please, Hikari-sama. Forgive me if you would be so kind, I would like to change my clothing so that I can always look my best for you.

Do as you wish. I do not see the need for you to change what you are wearing but if it would please you, then get on with it, He replied as he dismissed her with his hand.

Standing up from the small wooden stool she was sitting on, slowly she bowed her head to him as she said, Please excuse me, Hikari-sama. I’ll be back very soon.

Hikari watched as she left the room while he allowed his mind to be filled with the thought of his family, he remembered not seeing Taiki in almost three seasons. The only ones that were within reach was Ayumu and Himiko, who were always busy with so many duties.

Thinking back, he remembered his friend, Ritsu-no-kami of the Inari Shrine; who had promised to pay him a visit also, but he hadn’t seen him in almost a season either. Was life as guardian of the humans that hard? He wondered to himself, not too long after a familiar presence was felt in the room.

Hikari-sama, haven’t I told you to always put up a barrier, you never know where your enemies may attack from, said a yokai with hair of golden hue, streaked with a hint of brown with the length reaching half of his back. He had eyes of emerald hue which were filled at the moment with amusement. Well-trimmed claws protruded from his hands, and he was dressed in a plain kimono of inner white and outer blue color.

Ritsu, I just thought of you not too long before you appeared before me, be rest assured, for I never leave myself unguarded, unlike some.

As a friend, I’m just showing my concern for you, now, let me come to the main reason why I’m here. Word has reached me that your mother wants you to take over for her as the supreme leader, is that true? Ritsu-no-kami asked as he watched his friend closely for any sign that he may be hiding something from him.

Mother has yet to tell me that, although word has also reached me about it. But for now, I just want to see it as mere idle talk.

As Ritsu-no-kami was about to speak, they heard a knock at the door as a voice spoke, Sorry for the disturbance but I have an urgent message for Hikari-sama from Chiho-sama.

Wondering what it was, Hikari responded, You can come in.

On entering, the messenger bowed his head as he reached into the side gathering of his kimono for the letter issued by Chiho-sama. Bringing it out, he handed it to Hikari who then read the letter, through it all, no one made a sound as they watched him; who at the moment seemed very annoyed.

Please excuse us for I’ll like to speak with Ritsu alone, said Hikari to the messenger who, on hearing this bowed before them as he made his way out of the room.

Ritsu you know that you and I have been friends for a long time. It is on this ground that I ask a favor from you, please allow me to take your position as guardian among the humans for a season. After which, I’ll take over from mother as the next supreme ruler.

So, it is really true, is that what the letter was about? asked Ritsu-no-kami.

You know my mother is never direct when she says things, according to the letter, she says that I have to take over before I celebrate my fiftieth season which to my knowledge, will be very soon.

You do know that humans are very different from us. Some are as terrible or if not worse, but they have a great capacity to show love which goes beyond their limitation as a lesser being. Take heed never to break the rule that binds us, yokai. You must never fall for a human or lay with one. It is forbidden which is punishable by barring your entry into the yokai world; to be condemned to spend your life among the humans as one of them, although I doubt your mother would kill you for doing that even if you’re supposedly immortal.

Finally, avoid humans who possess powers like us for they are called onmyouji, who go about sealing yokai. I was able to live among them without detection because of my unique ability to suppress my aura, making me appear human.

Don’t take me for a fool, of course, I know the rules and I’m not one to be swayed by such fleeting emotions. There are duties waiting to be fulfilled as the next supreme leader.

Ritsu-sama agreed to relinquish his position as guardian of the Inari shrine to his friend; then he went on to explain the duties expected of a guardian.

He remembered his friend’s warning to avoid the night of the Tsuki no mangetsu night of the lunar moon for on that day, the onmyouji go hunting kitsune and other yokai.

Unknown to them, Kayo had overheard what had been said as tears slowly trailed down her cheek, reaching to her face and seeing tears on her fingers, made her realize how much she loved Hikari. With that came regret, for she knew it was a hopeless love. It was forbidden for a Kaze no Yuki of the kurokumo inn to fall in love with their patron, for they are only tools to bring pleasure to their owners.

Slowly making her way away from the room where Hikari was, she dried her eyes with the sleeves of her yukata. Kayo resolved never to reveal the love she had for him; most especially to one who was from the strongest noble family in the yokai world.

Once Ritsu-no-kami was done speaking with his friend, leaving the same way he came as his body slowly disappeared until there was no trace of him left in the room. After which, Hikari rose from where he sat to leave on a journey into the unknown world of the humans, for a moment, he felt a slight regret for not waiting to bid his longtime companion goodbye.

I hope she can forgive me one day.

With that thought in mind, he left the inn to begin his journey.

AN IMMENSE YOKAI aura seem to announce Hikari’s presence into the world of the humans. He came in through a tori gate located at the entrance of the Inari shrine that connected the world of the yokai and the humans.  On reaching the human world, he began to observe the brightness of the sky and his surroundings, watching as the humans passed by going on with their activities. Wanting to know more, he allowed his senses to flare out seeking as much as he could without physically going to those places.

As a creature of the night, he was not yet used to the intense brightness of daytime. Deciding to come out later in the night, he swiftly headed straight for the inner room of the shrine to assume his duties as guardian. On entering the shrine, he noticed that his friend, Ritsu, left the place looking unattended.

He saw ancient mystical scrolls, books and spiritual ornaments lying carelessly around, as one used to refinement and neatness, the whole place struck him as odd. Reaching down, he began picking the things lying on the tatami and arranging the place.

If I keep going at this pace, I’ll never finish until sundown. With that said, he released his kitsune no maho demon fox magic, not too long after, the place was looking sparkling clean.

Making his way out, he saw a grown blooming senbonzakura cherry tree, not too far were small jizo statues erected to the east of the shrine; while to the west, was a Shishiodoshi with a zen garden.

At least he was able to take care of the shrine surroundings, he mused within himself.

Walking to where the senbonzakura was, it reminded him of home. Closing his eyes, he allowed his kitsune no maho to fill the air. As though with a life of their own, they began wrapping around the blossoms as they danced in the wind as the sun shone brightly.

Once his turbulent emotion was under control, he made his way back to the shrine to wait for night to come.

As a fully realized kitsune, he had reached the point where he could assume the form of a human; without his tail neither sticking out, nor having to resort to using a kitsune no ha demon fox leaf to appear human.

On the night when Hikari decided to take a walk among the humans, unknown to