Blind Faith

"Sorry," Kokona laughed, pulling back and wiping away her tears. "You're right. I...I just need to trust myself. That's all it's ever been."

"Thank you, Hana," Kokona said earnestly. "Thank you for reminding me of that. I think you really are an amazing person."

"Geez," Hana blushed, interlocking her fingers and fidgeting around with her tails. "You can be pretty intense too, you know?"

"The first step towards getting my foxiness back," she giggled, smiling conspiratorially.

"Now that's more like it," Hana grinned. "Come on, we've spent enough time with the mushy stuff. Let's pick a nice dress that really shows off how fluffy your tails are."

********************

Kaito arrived at the temple, Yui having carefully guided him through the gathering crowds. It was impossible to discern anyone's individual footsteps, but he still could pick out many familiar voices.

"Kaito, you made it!" a welcome voice declared.

"Kokona," he greeted. "Of course. I would not want to miss your kind invitation, no?"

He couldn't see it, but Kokona was wearing a black dress, lent to her by Hana. It was called a cheongsam, which was a type of dress popular over in Mist. It was similar in design to the first dress Hana had showed her, featuring a white floral pattern, but was far less scandalous. It fit her body comfortably, but not too tightly, and allowed her tails a reasonable amount of breathing room through the back of the dress.

"Thank you for bringing him, Yui," Kokona said, leaning over and patting the young nekomara on the head. "I'll bring you a nice treat later as thanks, okay?"

"Yep yep!" she beamed. "I really like your dress, miss Kokona!"

"Thank you, Yui," Kokona smiled. "Miss Hana was kind enough to lend it to me."

"I'm gonna go find my mom, now," Yui announced. "I have to help with the stand. Have fun, sensei!" With that she left the pair, and Kokona took Kaito's hand in her own.

"I can't identify too many voices with all of the background noise," he admitted.

"Take care not to lose me," he added with a chuckle. "It would be rather difficult to find my way back home."

"I won't," she nodded. "I promise."

Kokona stepped forward, gently leading her partner around the festival grounds. She went slowly, pausing frequently to describe whatever she could see. She forced herself to articulate more than usual, not wanting to leave anything out that she would normally take for granted.

"There's a stand to our left selling apples," she explained. "But the apples are impaled on sticks, then dipped in this brown, sticky substance that makes them taste like candy, apparently..."

"There's a Jorou-Gumo and her husband selling clothing over there. Oh, she's wearing a really lovely yellow dress, it matches her stripes very nicely. And...they have lots of hand-made scarves and kimonos, it seems. They're very nice...I wonder if Yumiko has met her, yet?"

"Oh, and over there there's a man with red hair and a big beard...I'm not sure what he's selling. It looks like some kind of mechanical device? It's called...a portable 'electrickery generator'? That sounds fancy..."

"There's a Yuki-Onna over there, relaxing by the pond with her husband. It looks like they brought a blanket to sit down...that was probably a good idea. Oh, and they're even feeding each other...how very romantic."

"I think I see your raiju neighbor over there...she seems to be happy to have a moment alone with her husband. The poor dear must be exhausted, raising such energetic children."

Such scenes went on and on. Kokona kept talking until her voice started to get parched, and she had to take a break to find some water. She reluctantly left Kaito on a bench, but he assured her that she would be fine. She broke away and got in line for one of the food stalls - Hana had been kind enough to lend her some money to spend, insisting that it was a gift, and that she would refuse any attempt at recompense.

The line was long, but moved quickly. Soon enough, it was her turn.

"Hello," she greeted to the vendor. "I would-"

"Hey, Koko!" the vendor beamed. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"What?" Kokona rubbed her eyes, making sure she wasn't seeing things. Sure enough, Hana Yatsumoto, the caretaker and symbol of her temple, was looking at her from behind the stand. She was dressed in a festive kimono, with a large black X mark painted on her left cheek.

"Hana?" she asked incredulously. "You're running one of the stands?"

"Welllll," she fidgeted, "kinda sorta. I wasn't planning on it, but I ended up losing this bet with one of my mikos." She pointed to the black mark on her cheek, a sign of defeat that her opponent had placed on her. "So I'm taking over for the owner of this stand for a while."

"But, grr!" Hana grabbed the edge of the stand with her hands and pushed herself upwards into the air like an acrobat, sticking her tails out high into the air. "You're holding up the line! How very un-foxy of you! Hurry up and pick something!"

Kokona laughed and picked out some food. First, something sweet for Yui - she had a promise to keep. Then she picked out some other items for herself and Kaito. She wasn't even sure what some of them were, but she felt like trying some new things. That was the whole point of the festival, after all! Hana handed her a tray and Kokona gave her a few coins.

"It feels extremely bizarre to pay you with your own money," she muttered.

"Sorry, did you say something?" Hana smiled sweetly. "I thought I almost heard some complaining or something. But that couldn't be the case, right? Anyway, hurry up and scram! People are hungry!"

Kokona laughed and walked away. As she left, she heard Hana greet the next customer.

"Welcome to Hana's, whaddaya want?"

********************

Before she returned to Kaito, Kokona made a quick stop at Yumiko's stand, which her daughter was helping her manage. She handed Yui one of the baked treats that she had made with Hana the night before, and the little nekomata expressed her thanks and gobbled it down in a matter of seconds. With a sigh, Yumiko smiled and shooed her daughter away, telling her to go enjoy the festival.

"Thanks for looking out for her," Yumiko said, nodding respectfully. Then she broke out into a proud grin. "And nice outfit. I'd recognize my own handiwork anywhere."

Kokona chatted briefly with Yumiko, then let her get back to attending her stall. She returned to Kaito, who was still waiting patiently.

Kaito and Kokona shared their meal without conversation. Frankly, she needed a little break from narrating everything she saw, and Kaito didn't seem to mind. Some of the new types of food she found odd and bland, but the majority of them were very memorable. She found that she particularly liked the candy apple from the stand she saw earlier.

"Listen to all that," Kaito said, pausing and putting his food down.

"To what?" Kokona asked, putting her own food down.

"Everything," he said plainly. "The conversations, the laughter, the sounds of people sharing food."

Kokona stopped and listened. Her ears flicked around, trying to pick up as much sound as she could. She couldn't make out many individual noises, but she nodded as she took in the background sound of the festival.

"Hana is incredible," Kokona concluded. "She put all of this together."

"Indeed, and the town loves her for it. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if she gains her sixth tail by the end of the night."

"Say, Kokona," Kaito mused. "Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"Well, this may sound rather strange, but...would it be alright if I touched your face?"

"Touched my face?" she repeated.

"Yes. I understand if it's too strange, but this is how I can really understand someone, that..." Kaito trailed off.

He swallowed, and exhaled through his nose, donning a strange smile.

"That I really care about," he finished.

It felt like her heart had skipped a beat. Kokona's tails began to twine themselves together.

"Do I...fit into that category?" she asked cautiously.

"Of course," Kaito said hastily. "You...mean a great deal to me, Kokona."

Her ears flared up.

"T-thank you, Kaito," she managed to get out. "Here...give me your hand."

He quickly wiped off his hand with a towel, making sure that it was clean, then extended it towards her. Kokona took it into her own, and gently guided it towards her face. Kaito reached out, hesitated for a moment, then brushed his fingertips against her. He smoothed them across her features, experimentally pushing into her with very light force. It was strange, admittedly, but...she liked it.

"Ah," he muttered, maintaining his strange smile. "Now I understand."

"Understand what?" she asked.

"Your colors have shifted," he answered cryptically. "Your blemishes. Your dark spots. They are...fading."

"How does touching my face tell you that?"

"Hah. Blind man's secret."

"Hmph," Kokona pulled back, feigning mock annoyance. "One might think that you just wanted an excuse to touch me."

"Perhaps one is correct," he countered, his smile growing.

"Kaito," she said softly, dropping the act. "May I try something?"

"You allowed me," Kaito nodded. "And if I'm right...I have no objections."

This banter felt...good. Really good. She was starting to feel like a proper inari again.

Now it was time to put it all on the line. Kokona slowly leaned forward and wrapped her hands around his head, inclining him towards her.

Then she brought her lips to his, and gently kissed him. She only held it for a few seconds, but she could feel the magic between them - literally. Vestiges of her power, long dormant, flared to life and energized her body with warm fuzziness. The power flowed through her and into Kaito, making the sensations of the kiss snap and burst with magically enhanced passion, making the moment seem to last far longer than it actually did.

Finally, they both thought.

When she finally pulled away, she couldn't resist releasing a small giggle.

"So?" she asked. "Were you expecting that?"

"Yes and no," he explained, smiling brightly. "I was fairly sure that you felt the same way about me, so I thought you might do that...but I wasn't expecting that level of intensity, certainly not!"

"Want to do it again?" she asked.

"Yes. Very much so."

As they kissed again, Kaito saw the most beautiful colors he had ever seen, shining brilliantly from Kokona's soul. He had already noticed that her dark spots were vanishing some time ago. Now, he saw that she was actually brighter than before, and that gave him an idea.

I love her, he thought. I love Kokona.

There! He noticed it. Almost imperceptibly, she grew the tiniest bit brighter. He laughed inside of his head, the experiment a success. He pulled away, to which Kokona made a confused, disappointed sound.

"Kokona," he said calmly. "I love you."

A flash of color. She gasped, beginning to well up with emotion. It made her shine, bright like a star.

"I love you too," she said, tears of unadulterated joy falling from her eyes. "Kaito, I really love you!"

He saw it. This overwhelming light, this beauty beyond measure...this was her. This was the Kokona she could be, the person that she had been keeping away from herself.

He leaned in and kissed her again, taking the initiative. There had to be some way to share this light with her. She had to see it, she had to know how he saw her! He wasn't sure if it was even possible, but he tried his very hardest, repeating the words over and over again inside his mind.

I love you...I love you...I love you...

Kokona's magic was sending fireworks into his head, thousands of miniature little explosions of sensation occurring in tandem.

When they pulled away again, a distant boom rumbled above them. Kokona looked up, and gasped in awe.

"What is that?" she asked, looking at the fading explosion of color.

"A firework," Kaito chuckled. "If you look closely, you can see them flying up into the sky. They're little rockets packed with chemicals that make them explode in different colors."

"It's beautiful," she cooed. "I've never seen anything like them. Oh, that one was red...and that one was green!"

As she watched the fireworks, Kaito was content to watch her colors, flaring every time another firework went off with a bang.

With a chuckle, he doubted that anything would ever be able to top this festival.

********************

Drowsiness clouded Kokona's senses like a fog as she woke up, blinking and yawning. Where was she? And why was she so...warm? When she realized where she was and who she had curled around in her sleep, she stamped out the urge to react.

She was...in Kaito's bed. With him. And while they were both still clothed, she had apparently reached over to him in her sleep, hugging him. Her tails had certainly taken a liking to him, having wrapped over his torso. He must have turned in his sleep, because part of his body was on top of her tails, pinning them to the bed. Despite her attempts to pull herself free of this entanglement, her tails stubbornly refused to give up their prize.

"Damn it," she whispered.

Kaito stirred. Had she woken him? No, it didn't seem so.

Sighing, she resigned herself to her fate, lying back and remaining still. It wasn't like she found the situation disagreeable. Still, how had she wound up here? She was still clothed and didn't feel anything, so it seemed that they really had just slept in the same bed.

And where had that dull ache in her head come from? It throbbed intermittently, reminding her that it was still there.

"Mm," Kaito mumbled, stirring again. "Good morning. I think, anyway."

"Sorry," she replied. "It seems I woke you. Would you mind lifting your hips a bit?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow as he realized the fluffiness brushing against his left hand was not, in fact, his bed.

"My apologies," he laughed, lifting his hips to free her tails. "I've never been a particularly calm sleeper."

"It's fine," she said. "But, um...how did we...get here? We didn't...did we?"

"Wow," Kaito mumbled, clicking his tongue. "You really were out like a rock."

"What happened?" she asked, intertwining her fingers with his own. She squeezed his hand, taking comfort in his presence.

"You got drunk," he chuckled. "Turns out years of solitude doesn't do much for your alcohol tolerance. Lady Hana had one of her mikos carry you back here...something that she sounded abnormally happy about, mind you."

"Ah," she sighed. "I may have had a chat with her to...help me work up the confidence to reveal my feelings to you. It seems like she quite enjoys playing matchmaker."

"Wait," she added. "One of her mikos carried me back here? By herself?"

"A jinko," Kaito clarified. "Apparently it was quite trivial for her. She seemed amused at how easily the eight-tail was defeated by some rice wine."

"I hope I didn't make too much a fool of myself," Kokona sighed again. "Oh well. I'd probably do it again...whatever it was."

"Nothing to worry about there," Kaito said. "You just sang a little...and not too awfully. Hardly worth gossiping about. And...to answer your question, no, we didn't. It would have been rather hard to put both of our clothes back on by myself."

"I see," she said neutrally. Her words hung in the air for a moment. but Kokona refused to allow an awkward silence to take root.

"Do you...want to?" she asked.

"It was only proper to wait for you to regain your senses," he stated. "Do...do you want to?"

She was quiet for a moment. This was not an insignificant decision, but...she already knew her answer.

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then so do I," he said.

She leaned over and kissed him, ruffling a hand through his hair.

"Kaito," she breathed, pulling away, "will you let me take the blindfold off? I want to see your eyes..."

"Alright."

She slipped her hands around his head and pulled the cloth over his head, giving his hair an affectionate ruffle. It didn't feel right to simply toss his blindfold aside, so she placed it under her pillow.

She found herself spellbound. His deep blue eyes drew her in, sparkling like gemstones.

"This...isn't fair," she said, voice breaking at the cruelty of it all. "How? How could the gods give you such perfect eyes, and take away your sight?"

"How?" she asked again, eyes feeling hot.

"Hush, now," he soothed, reaching out to stroke her cheek with his index finger. "No more tears. It is what it is."

"But-"

He shushed her, leaning forward and kissing her again to silence her. His lips met with hers, brushing against her with the lightness of a feather.

"I love you, Kokona," he said, smiling. "As long as you feel the same, that's all I really need."

"I do," she sniffed, holding her tears back. "I love you."

"Then show me," he said.

Kokona got off the bed and undid her robes, letting her clothes fall onto the bedsheets. She folded them reverently, not wanting to ruin Hana's lovely dress, and tucked them off to the side. Then she walked around the bed, where Kaito had moved up into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, already shrugging off his top. She crouched down and assisted him in discarding his clothing, taking the opportunity to run her hands over his chest and back. Her initial impressions were right - he had a well-balanced body, with just the right amount of muscle for her tastes. Then she moved downwards, resting her eyes on a sizable bulge straining against his trousers.

She pulled them down along with his undergarments in one motion, smilingly lovingly as she saw her effect on him. She took his length in her hand and began to squeeze and stroke him, leaning forward to kiss him while she did so. He groaned softly into her mouth, and she felt him rapidly grow harder in her hands. She pulled away and took one of his hands, guiding it to her breast. He squeezed her gently, massaging and rolling her flesh. Then he leaned in and planted a kiss on her nipple, before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it ever-so-slightly. She moaned in delight, and increased the speed of her stroking in return.

"Don't hold back your sounds," Kaito urged. "I need to hear them to know how I'm doing."

"You're doing wonderfully," she cooed, before pushing him backwards onto the bed.

"Kokona?" he asked curiously, before she climbed on top of him.

"Hush," she said, placing a finger on top of his lips. "You told me to show you that I love you, so I will."

She gave him a gentle push, silently instructing himself to adjust his posture and lie on his back along the bed, rather than across it. Then she moved to a position near his knees, and lowered her gaze to look at his manhood. She had never seen a man's parts before, let alone been romantically involved with them. But she had read plenty of books on the subject, and was a yokai, to boot. She was confident that her instincts would guide her through this.

"This looks painful," she said adoringly, reaching out and stroking it. "Do you need me to take care of it for you?"

"Please," he groaned.

"Okay. Give me lots of feedback."

Kokona scooted back, and brought her head down, opening her mouth and taking his shaft inside of her. Her tails shot up as she got her first taste of him. Fireworks exploded inside her mind, her memory flashing back to their kiss the night before.

Delicious!

She eagerly began to slurp along his length, bobbing her head up and down while working him with her tongue. The effects were obvious, Kaito groaning deeply and placing a hand on her head, gently pushing her back downwards. He started rubbing the spot behind her ears, which made her hum in delight. And the vibrations of her hum sent waves of pleasure into Kaito's body, making him groan even louder.