Akari awoke in an unfamiliar place that was warm, stuffy, and dimly lit by sunbeams that slipped through wooden shutters. Before her was a long workbench that ran the length of the room. The surface was coated with sawdust and there were shelves underneath that held simple woodworking tools. She tried to look around to see more of her surroundings, but she could barely turn her head. She was firmly tied to a high-backed chair by red ropes that criss-crossed her head and body. They seemed to be made of soft cotton, since they didn't hurt her skin at all.

"Hello? Is anyone around?" she asked. She was quite concerned with her situation, but she told herself that panicking wouldn't do her any good.

"Finally. I didn't hit her that hard," said a familiar voice, the one that Akari had nicknamed 'Wants-to-kill-me'. It was definitely coming from behind Akari, but she couldn't turn to see the speaker.

"Tsk. Humans are fragile. You need to be gentle with them," responded the slithery snake-like voice from before. Akari decided to call that voice 'Snake' from now on.

The pieces were starting to fall into place, but there was still a lot that Akari didn't understand. She asked, "Uh, hello? Who are you? Where am I?"

"Oh no. She has memory loss…" said the third, gentle voice. Akari didn't have a nickname for it yet.

Snake said, "Human girl, what is your most recent memory?"

Ignoring the strange 'human' descriptor, Akari scrunched her face in thought. Then she answered, "I found a big shrine in a clearing and I was investigating it. I heard voices inside talking about me so I climbed the stairs. I think I saw a girl with blonde hair… That's all I remember."

Wants-to-kill-me said, "Ah, she seems alright. So, girl, are you comfortable?"

"I'm not a girl, I'm a woman. And I have a name: Akari." She wiggled in her chair for a moment, finding herself securely bound but not in any pain, then said, "And… yes, I'm surprisingly comfortable, all things considered."

"Hebi is really good with ropes," the gentle one said.

Akari was immediately distracted by the name drop. Which one is Hebi? she wondered. Well, since 'hebi' means 'snake', maybe I already know.

"Why thank you, Usagi," Snake said, giving Akari enough info to match two names to their voices. Snake was Hebi, and the kind one was Usagi, a word that meant 'rabbit'. Then Hebi said, "Akari, I want to test something."

From Akari's left side a pale hand came into view, extending three slender fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Uh, three. I thought you already decided I didn't have brain damage?"

Hebi chuckled and said, "I'm testing something else." She withdrew her hand and said, "Usagi, Inu, what do you think? Time to wake the Boss?"

Inu means 'dog', Akari thought. Dog, Snake, Rabbit… What is with these girls' names? Are they code-names to hide their real identities?

"Not yet. I have questions," said Inu, formerly Wants-to-kill-me. Then she said, "Hey girl, uh, Akari… why aren't you afraid? You've been captured by strangers and tied up. You should be freaking out."

Akari shrugged as best she could while tied up so firmly, then answered honestly, "I'm a little afraid, but I'm also really curious. This is so exciting!" Since she was young, Akari never feared the unknown, since it just meant there was a mystery to discover. Her father had always said that her carefree attitude would get her in trouble some day, but all his caution hadn't been enough to save him from illness. Akari figured she should live it up a little, rather than cower and hide from the world.

"She's so weird," Inu said.

Usagi said, "I can see where she's coming from. Being powerless and at the whims of another can be thrilling!"

Inu sighed. "And you're weird too, Usagi."

"Um, did you have any more questions for me?" Akari asked. She was still just staring at the workbench while three women hovered somewhere behind her.

"Hell yeah I do. How'd you find this place?" Inu barked.

"Um, I just hiked up the old trail, following the little wooden fox figures."

"Fox figures?"

"Yeah, some little carvings of kitsune messengers, like you'd find at a shrine to Inari. I found them by my apartment, then in town, and all along the trail up here. I found nine in total, which seems fitting. You know, nine-tailed foxes and all that?"

While Akari spoke, something long and grey and covered in scales appeared at the edge of her vision. The tail-like thing quietly pushed a small toolbox further under the work table and out of sight, then withdrew.

Hebi cut in, "How curious. Here's a different question for you: are you a spiritual person?"

Akari smiled. "You could say that. I'm a priestess at a small shrine in the city, and I've followed Shintoism my entire life. I tried to get into the Shinto studies course at the university, but I couldn't afford tuition…"

"And have you ever seen anything you couldn't explain?"

Akari thought for a moment, debating how to answer. She decided to be honest. "Yeah, sometimes I see things other people can't: little wisps of glowing energy around shrines and in nature. I always believed they were Shinto spirits, but I couldn't prove it."

"Ah, minor spirits," Hebi said, as if those mysterious phenomena were no more interesting than the dirt beneath her feet.

"You know them too?!"

"You could say that," Hebi deadpanned. Then she stepped in front of the chair, giving Akari her first good look at one of her captors. Hebi had long silver hair in a single straight ponytail that reached her waist, and her eyes were so narrow Akari briefly thought she was intentionally squinting. She wore a sharp black suit jacket and a pencil skirt, looking very much like an elite businesswoman.

Then she said, "I'm a major spirit, and my name is Hebi." As she spoke, a grey tail at least four feet long flicked lazily behind her. It was the scaled thing from before, and there was no doubt that it was a living part of her. While Akari blinked in disbelief, Hebi said, "Would you like to meet my two friends?"

Wide-eyed and excited, Akari answered, "Oh, sure!"

Hebi started to untie Akari, but Inu shouted, "Whoa, what are you doing? We don't know if she's dangerous!"

"She's clearly harmless," Usagi countered. "And I'd like to meet her properly."

Hebi continued to undo Akari's knots, saying, "If she tries anything, you can just sucker-punch her again."

Inu sounded dejected as she said, "It sounds mean when you say it like that."

"Does it now?" Hebi mused. Within seconds, she'd freed Akari. She gathered the fallen rope with the assistance of her prehensile tail, then started wrapping it up into a neat bundle.

At the back of Akari's mind, red ropes like that had a sexual connotation, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe something I saw back in high school? The boys were always bringing pervy magazines to share, and some of the girls did too.

Akari stood up and stretched her arms and legs, then turned and saw two other women. The taller of the two had short platinum blonde hair and wore sporty jogging clothes: tiny grey shorts and a blue and grey sports bra. Akari couldn't help but notice her toned arms, abs, and legs. The other woman was short and busty, wearing a loose tan sweater and tight black leggings. She wore her golden brown hair in a long braid over her bare shoulder.

Then Akari noticed the animal ears sticking out of their hair. The sporty girl had fluffy dog-like ears the same color as her hair, and the busty girl had big white rabbit ears that added nearly a foot to her height. Akari could have easily guessed which animal-related name belonged to which girl, but she was too busy thinking, Their ears are so cute!

The shorter girl said, "My name is Usagi, and this grump is Inu. We're also major spirits, just like Hebi. It's nice to meet you, Akari." Then she bowed, her long white ears flopping forward. As she straightened up, she added, "I apologize for using your first name so casually, but I don't know your family name."

"Oh, it's Mamori, like those protective Omamori charms you can buy at Shinto shrines."

Hebi hummed, "Hmm, your full name means 'guardian' and 'light'. Interesting…"

Akari said, "And your names just mean 'snake', 'dog', and 'rabbit'. What's up with that? Are they secret code names?"

The other women ignored her remark and huddled together to talk to each other. It afforded Akari a good view of three animal tails, which matched the women's animal names perfectly.

"Well, she can definitely see and hear us," Inu said, her tone serious. Her fluffy platinum-blonde tail was stiff and alert.

"Yep," Usagi agreed. "Should we wake Mistress?" She had a fluffy white tail, like a big ball of cotton candy. It lifted the back of her sweater and revealed her butt, firm and perky within her tight black leggings.

"Yes, we should get the Boss" Hebi said, twirling the slender tip of her tail around one finger. Her tail gradually widened until it was as thick as her thigh at the base. The back of her pencil skirt was custom-tailored to accommodate it. "I don't feel comfortable deciding this visitor's fate without her."

As ominous as their conversation was, Akari had paid more attention to their adorable tails and ears. She thought, I wonder what it would be like to have a fuzzy tail that I could pet whenever I want…

Akari was escorted out of the dusty workshop and down a pristine hallway to a sitting room. Sunlight streamed in through the open window onto the tatami mat floor. The walls were decorated with pastel paintings of landscapes, and a vase of wildflowers sat upon a small round table in the center of the room. Around the table were four dark wood chairs with embroidered silk cushions. The decor was an intriguing blend of Victorian and traditional Japanese influences, and Akari thought it was beautiful.

Inu told Akari to sit in one of the chairs. Then she left the room, presumably to fetch the Mistress or Boss that had been mentioned.

Akari sat down, then asked, "Um, where are my hiking boots? I assume you took them off after you knocked me out." She wiggled her feet as she spoke, enjoying her freedom after being tied to a chair for who knows how long.

Usagi smiled a genuinely warm smile and took a seat to Akari's right. "That's right. Your shoes are waiting by the front door, for whenever you leave."

"I can leave?"

"If the Mistress allows you to," Usagi answered with a tone of finality.

Akari thought, It seems that around here, whatever this 'Mistress' says goes. I hope she's a reasonable woman. Not that any part of this crazy situation is 'reasonable', but you know what I mean.

Akari decided to fill the time with conversation, since she was quite curious about the animal-women. "So, what's it like being a major spirit? Do you get to boss minor spirits around?"

Hebi was leaning against the windowsill, basking in the sunlight. She answered, "No, they're more like wild animals, wandering where they will. We can shoo them away, but that's about it."

Akari opened her mouth to ask another question, but the thought vanished without a trace as someone stepped into the room and the sight nearly stopped Akari's heart.

The woman was impossibly beautiful, with fine features, deep golden eyes, smooth skin, and long orange-red hair that spilled over the shoulders of her loose and ornate royal purple kimono. She also had two triangular ears of the same orange-red color sticking up through her hair, but Akari barely registered them compared to her flawless skin and lips and cleavage and eyes and figure and…

"Oh?" the new arrival said, raising one perfect eyebrow. "You brought a guest, a human." The woman approached and Akari's gaze couldn't help but follow. A black-tipped fox tail flicked behind her, or maybe there was more than one. It was hard to tell for some reason. "A human who can see us," the woman added.

Driven by a sudden sense of awe and shame that she didn't fully understand, Akari dropped from her chair and landed on her knees. She bowed forward until her forehead touched the floor, then said, "Please forgive my intrusion. My name is Akari Mamori, and I am just a humble Shinto priestess."

"Raise your head and cease your groveling. I'm not feeling it today."

As Akari looked back up, the gorgeous woman kneeled down for a closer look. Then the woman smiled and said, "Oh, you're a cute one, too."

Akari's face went hot and her vision blurred. She praised me! That's so wonderful, she thought, but another part of her asked, Why do I care? I've never met this woman before. I don't need her approval. As her thoughts battled, she got up off her knees and sat back down in her chair.

The fox woman took a seat in an ornate chair by the window, opposite Hebi. Then she said, "Allow me to introduce myself, young Akari. I am Inara, and this is my shrine. These women are my subordinates." As she spoke, she gestured with one hand at the walls of the room and then at the three major spirits, including Inu who had taken position standing guard by the door. "I hope they didn't treat you poorly."

Akari answered, "Not at all. Despite a minor kerfuffle when I first arrived, they've been great." At that, Inu looked both puzzled and relieved that Akari had downplayed all the hostile treatment so far.

Akari continued, "Also, for a second there I thought you said your name was Inari, like the Inari Okami, the goddess of harvests, agriculture, industry, fertility, foxes, and a half-dozen other things. But that would be silly. I mean, there aren't even any kitsune messenger statues here, and there's no way I'd ever meet an actual goddess."

A smirk crossed Inara's face, halfway between wry amusement and smug pride. Akari didn't know quite how to interpret it.

Usagi scrambled to say, "Uh, Akari… she is that Inari. She just prefers the name Inara these days."

"Huh," Akari breathed. While looking right at Inara, Akari blinked three times, took a deep breath, and blinked a few more times, then she stared down at the floor between her feet. Her breathing sped up until it seemed like she might hyperventilate and pass out.

"Oh my god, oh my god," she mumbled. "This is… this is…" Then her head snapped up, her eyes wide and shining. "Amazing! You're a genuine goddess, a true deity right here in front of me." Her voice picked up speed and she rambled, "I'm not worthy. Maybe no one is. But I'm a Shinto priestess, a devotee, so at least there's that. Oh, I have so many questions!"

The other women, Inara included, were taken aback at the sudden change in enthusiasm. Before any of them could act, Akari leapt into a constant stream of questions, not even bothering to wait for answers before blazing onward. "What's it like being a god? Why do you live way out here in the boonies? What's with the lack of kitsune statues? Are the other Shinto gods alive too? Where are your priests and priestesses? A shrine needs miko, you know? What's your favorite food? Did you summon me here with your godlike power?"

Inu took action. She clamped a hand over Akari's mouth and said, "Whoa, chill out, crazy girl. You're in the presence of a goddess and your first thought is to bombard her with nonsense questions? The hell's wrong with you?"

Usagi hopped forward and bowed deeply to Inara. "Our apologies, Mistress. Perhaps we were mistaken to bring her before you after all."

Hebi remained at the window, observant and aloof.

Inara shook her head and stepped around Usagi, taking a moment to gently pat the shorter woman on the head, right between her rabbit ears. "No, no need to apologize. If nothing else, this Akari is interesting, and I was just thinking that I needed more interesting things in my life."

At that, a shiver ran through Akari's body from head to toe. She wasn't sure whether a goddess being interested in her was a good thing, but was definitely the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her.