Silence. It was the kind silence that sinks into the skin down through the bones, where every heartbeat is a crash of thunder, and every breath is a gale force windstorm that disappears into nothingness as soon as it arrives.
Pink light shined through her closed eyelids. She slowly opened her eyes, but she was simply too groggy. The world was so bright in white light from the sun, hanging high in the vast crisp azure sky overhead that it hurt her. She was lying on her back in a few inches of cool, gentle flowing water that caused her black hair to fan out in wispy strands around her head. Slowly, she sat up, a steady heartbeat resonating in her ears. She had never heard her own heartbeat before, at least, not like she was now. A vast, shimmering sheet of water stretched out to touch the horizon on every side of her. It was flat and uniform, and shadows of the clouds above danced along its shining surface. She had no idea where she was.
She started to panic, this wasn’t normal. This place didn’t look real but she didn’t see anything else; no land, no creatures. Not even trees or grass for as far as she could see. She recalled nothing of what had happened immediately before she had awoken. She could remember only vague instants, flashes. The memory of a sun that had been oppressively hot, beating down on her as she walked, of tired legs and no water . . .Had she died? After all that had happened, the girl mused, that would be quite anticlimactic. She’d had, after all, become human after being a fox her whole life. She used her overwhelming magic to seduce men, take their souls, adding to her collection and thus, coming closer to humanity. That’s when her guilt had kicked in, when she found each kill harder and harder. She got to her feet, head aching dully. She casually glanced around again.
"If this is some sort of afterlife," she said aloud. "Then it's not much to look at."
"I apologize, my ‘fair’ maiden, That my domain is not to your liking."The voice resounded in her head, but was not heard with her ears.
Curious, the girl responded. "Your domain?" she asked. "And just who might you be?" Ahri had ALWAYS had an attitude, even as a fox. But this time it was unintentional; she honestly was curious.
"Oh me? I am known as Orochi, the lonely inhabitant of this . . . plane of existence, And to answer your question, no, you are not dead. Not yet, anyway." Even though she couldn’t actually see the being, she knew damn well that he thought that last comment was humorous, especially if “Orochi” was already dead itself. Let alone some kind of god.
She put her hands on her hips. "Then why am I here? Wherever 'here' is?" she was already getting a little sick of this game. She hated being at a disadvantage, and being in a different realm where the only other being was able to be inside her mind was definitely a disadvantage.
"I have brought you here because you are of great interest to me, Ahri, the Nine-Tailed Fox." Ahri was vaguely surprised that the voice knew her name as well as her self-given title.
With a bit of a dumb founded look upon her face She inquired “Wait… you know me?”
"Oh yes . . .yes, I know you. You are known to many of us . . . And I have been watching you closely," the voice said slickly, trying to seem mysterious, but Ahri was not going to fall into any tricks.
"The last person to say that tried to kill me. I don't suppose that's why you brought me here?" Ahri was taking the defensive.
"Kill? No, no, that would be most unproductive . . . no . . . no harm will come to you here. But I would ask for your assistance."
"I don't-" Ahri began.
"Before you make your decision," The voice broke in. "Look down for a moment."Puzzled, Ahri complied and looked at the water flowing around her legs. In it, she saw the familiar image of her reflection."Tell me, Ahri. What do you see? Or more accurately, what don't you see?" The voice laughed inside her head.
Ahri gazed at the water, not understanding the question. Then it hit her. Her ears – the fox ears atop her head, were not there. Nor were the whisker markings on her face, nor her nine white tails. A mix of fear, anger, and absolute bliss ran through her.
"What is this?" Ahri demanded.
"Is this not what you most desire?" Orochi asked. "This is could be the future. Your future." He had her; Orochi KNEW Ahri had always dreamt of being fully human!
"You . . . can see the future?" Ahri asked incredulously. She couldn’t help but be absolutely enthralled by this.
"Not as such, no. I can see glimpses of what may be, but never of what will be. The future is not set. You know that better than most, I should think. But whether or not this comes to pass . . ." A cloud of smoke began to coalesce in the air before Ahri, causing her to recoil instinctively. A vaguely humanoid shape began to take form from it, and it pointed at the water at Ahri's feet. ". . . is entirely up to you”. Afraid, Ahri straightened and faced the smoke cloud.
"What do you mean?"Though the roiling cloud had no discernible facial expressions, Ahri could swear she could sense it smiling, and it sent chills running up her spine.
"I have it within my power to grant you the form of true humanity that you so desire. Help me, and it is yours." She continued to feel that horrible smile on ‘Orochi’s’ face.
"You can make me human?" Ahri snapped with curiosity at the smoke cloud. "Just what are you, anyway?” She felt the thing smile still.
"What do you think I am, mortal?" the voice inquired
She shrugged and crossed her arms, trying to seem as if she were perfectly calm. "If I had to guess, I'd say a god."
"A god . . . yes, I have been called that before, by a great many." The cloud spoke in a bemused tone. "Long ago. Many have forgotten me since then. But I care not. I am still powerful." The voice said gloating
"You mentioned helping you before?" Ahri asked, keeping her arms crossed and shifting her weight to one leg. She was ready to wager.
"Ah yes, apologies. It is a task you'll find simple, I suspect. Simply continue on your path, young Ahri, and just know that I will be with you, following in your shadow."
"That's it?" It didn’t seem right that a ‘god’ would have done all of this just to tell her to ‘you’ve done well in harvesting souls for your own greedy path’. Lately, the closer she’d gotten to humanity, she’s been filled with guilt and grief over the people she had killed.
"That's it. I wish to see the world through your eyes. I . . . will enjoy it immensely." Orochi cackled in her mind again. There was something in his tone that made Ahri uneasy. Something dark and menacing, but she shrugged it off. The task was simple enough. She'd be human, and she wouldn't have to kill for it much longer. That was more than enough for her.
In front of her, the cloud that was Orochi held out an arm that trailed wisps of smoke. Resting in the palm was a red gem. Inside tendrils of the jem, the same black smoke that comprised Orochi swirled.
"Take this as a token of our agreement. Hold it, and become my champion."Ahri gently plucked it from his grasp and let it roll into her palm. Despite its appearance, it felt cold and hard like an ordinary stone. She closed her fingers around it and brought it close to her face before looking up at Orochi."What would you have your champion do?"
The figure in front of her was still a faceless smoke cloud, but Ahri felt it smile a rather wide smile.